Chapter 67: Cleaning up after oneself

Adorned in his clothes - slightly dusty but otherwise in one piece - Goetia was more than eager to depart from the monastery once again. That being said, he didn't think there was much he could do at the moment. Finding the motivation to actually step foot beyond the confines of his damaged room was something he was trying and failing to muster up. As it stood, he found himself just staring out of the mangled doorway, fully aware of the eyes of Rhea still locked onto the back of his head.

Neither of them said anything, both content to allow the silence to assume dominance rather than try and form awkward conversation with one another. However, it was something that could never stand for very long, they both knew that. Either they would have to speak or they could leave the room altogether.

"...The Professor and Jeralt will be coming to me soon in order to learn of…my actions." Rhea spoke after a nearly a full minute of silence between the two of them, her words hung in the air with Goetia making no effort to react to them in the least. "They…I suspect Jeralt will wish to depart the Monastery when I am finished speaking, and I believe he would want to take his daughter with him."

"Byleth is a grown woman with the responsibilities of employment." Goetia commented that time, shifting his head ever so slightly to gaze at Rhea from the corner of his right eye. "You know that, especially since she had become almost invested in the well-being of the students. Even at the words of her father, I doubt she will be willing to leave."

Rhea nodded once, she was already aware of that answer. Seteth - despite earlier reservations to her appointment - had still been passing along messages to her regarding the progress of each of the three classes. As it stood, Professor Eisner had seemed to integrate well with her students. However, Jeralt was still her father and with how recent events had shown what Sothis thought of her…

"More than that, I doubt Sothis would be amenable to the suggestion." Goetia continued on, either unaware - or uncaring - to Rhea's inner turmoil, his lips drawing themselves into thin lines and his eyes moving away from Rhea and towards the wall. "The Goddess is troublesome, seeing this location as the closest she will get to uncovering answers to her past self."

The Archbishop paused for a moment "Mother…wants to stay?"

"For the value of the Monastery, not for you." Goetia bluntly remarked, Rhea felt her lips curl down at the rather brutal way he described it. If she didn't know what Goetia was like, she would have suspected he was phrasing it in such a way as to actually draw out a hurtful reaction from the woman. As it stood, she doubted Goetia cared one way or the other and didn't see a need to soften his words.

At the very least, he was honest when he spoke.

"It would be best if you did away with the notion of thinking that Sothis is your mother." He turned from her completely "As it stands, Sothis is a Divine Spirit rather than a true Goddess, the Progenitor God - as you knew her - perished however long ago, what remains is a mere echo of her personality."

"You don't know tha-"

"Do not presume to tell me what I do and do not know." Goetia scoffed as he turned back around to face Rhea "And do not burden yourself further with this knowledge. The Goddess of Fodlan - your creator - has little reason to trust you and is without the true knowledge of who and what she is beyond mere titles. She has heard a great deal about what the Goddess Sothis has done without the memories or experience of any of it. There is little wonder she would be disturbed and find your presence…troublesome."

Rhea looked down, her hands clenched into fists "I know that well enough, Goetia. I do not need you to remind me of that simple fact." Her expression cooled itself as she raised her head up and looked down at him. "However…that will not alter my perception of her, because I can see her as no one else but Mother."

Goetia regarded her with a blank stare "...Fine, do whatever you wish. I have little reason to concern myself with whatever mental punishment you wish to pile upon yourself. Though if you continue down this path, and Sothis does not recall, you will undoubtedly become fixated on this and forgo your duties."

That brought a barely amused chuckle from Rhea, the green haired woman inclined her head to the side and raised an eyebrow at him "Is that worry I hear in your voice? Are you perhaps concerned for me?"

A flat look was her reply, then he spoke "It is not you I worry for, it is for the denizens of Fodlan that concern me. Since you have become aware of Byleth being the Demi-S…" he cut himself off, Rhea noticed a brief emotion flicker through his eyes at the title before he narrowed them "-being the vessel of the Divine Spirit Sothis, you have not appeared within the eyes of the people and have sealed yourself off from the public. Although they believe you were praying for salvation."

"...You seem disturbingly well informed for one who spent three days in a coma and another day avoiding interaction with anyone."

Goetia rolled his jaw, an indecipherable look coming upon his features "I spoke with Flayn at length during the night-"

"The night." Rhea replied blankly, staring at him before slowly raising an eyebrow.

Goetia continued on "-and she saw fit to engage me in conversation regarding the state of the monastery." he nodded to her "She spoke at length of how her concern for you was only trumped by her father and were it not for his condition demanding her immediate attention, she would have marched into the Monastery and seen you."

A faint huff of mirth escaped Rhea as she heard the words "That does indeed sound like something Flayn would say. She does have her mothers…boldness." she spoke with a fond smile "And like her mother…she is rather skilled at speaking harsh truths, as it were."

"She makes assertions and then stubbornly refuses to alter her position and supports them." Goetia corrected with an irritated frown, although he himself didn't find them too offensive to him. It was just a mild annoyance and disturbingly human quite how stubborn the girl was in her overly concerning manner. "That is all they are…they are not 'truths' anymore than they are statements that she decides to be the truth."

"The truth is whatever someone makes of it, I often find." Rhea remarked with a half shrug as she looked away from Goetia "Often easily constructed as well."

"I know what the truth is, as long as one becomes powerful enough the truth is whatever they decide it be." He gestured down with his single hand "Gravity is a universal truth, none can deny it. Why? Because it affects everything. It is absolute."

"Debates upon the strength of gravity aside." Rhea moved on "Flayn is…" she rolled her jaw "She is…" her eyes closed "...Recent events left me without the strength to venture out and speak at length." her eyes opened again "I suppose I preferred…the comfort of silence and isolation, to be without distractions."

Goetia retracted his hand, the limb falling back at his side as he stared at Rhea with his jaw clenched "Do not make assertions that your isolation and my brief disappearance are similar."

"I said nothing of the sort."

"Tch." Goetia clicked his tongue, curling his lip into a frown "Whatever else, Flayn told me that Seteth has recovered enough and has taken charge of matters down within the settlement at the base of the Monastery. Go and visit the humans worshippers or remain here. I don't care which you do."

"Then why make the suggestion at all?" Rhea asked as she stepped forwards, giving Goetia a knowing look "For all you claim to be disinterested, you are remarkably invested in some of the people of Fodlan. Your concern for Lysithea, your actions with the Chalice in wishing to keep it from unsafe hands and aiding against the rebellion of Lonato? Your actions rarely coincide with your words…"

"...You truly are a creation of Sothis." Goetia remarked in a toneless voice, briefly stunning Rhea into silence at the confidence with which he delivered those words "I find both of your comments to be equally vexing. I acted on a whim…nothing more." he turned away from her and started to walk again, making his way out of the door and stepping over the wooden splinters that littered the hallway. "As I said…do whatever you wish…I do not care either way."

He disappeared around the corner, Rhea watched his shadow depart before her eyes flickered away from him and towards the gaping hole behind her that showed the monastery in full, the woman turned on her heel and strode towards the gap, looking down and at the bodies of the knights as they rushed back and forth along the newly set up scaffolding to repair the damage. They were still busy clearing the worst of the debris before they could even think about bringing up the materials to start rebuilding the monastery. It would take them months to repair what had occurred.

She looked down to her feet, her eyelids gradually pulling themselves shut as a series of gentle breaths escaped her throat.

She had been camped out here for too long, in a time when she was supposed to be providing comfort. The return of Mother had assumed all of her attention and kept her away from everything else, while Goetia had been in a coma for three days, Seteth had been in a similar state and she had never once visited him. Never once checked with Flayn to ensure that he was going to recover.

The last members of her kind and at a point where they needed to be together, now more than ever, she hadn't even found the time to visit them.

Her lip curled up in a sardonic smile, if the advice to visit the town had come from anyone else she would have appreciated it much more and offered them thanks afterwards. Rhea had the strong feeling that if she thanked Goetia for advice he would merely give her a look that screamed 'He knew best' and that would be that.

Getting advice from Goetia and then following through on the advice was something she would never expect to do, at the very least she could respond to her following his advice in the same way he responded to her.

Her lip curled up at the thought of what type of annoyed face he would make when she responded with 'It was just a whim.'

Maybe she was taking far too much pleasure in angering Goetia but it was - at the very least - cathartic to her, she had little doubt that he derived similar enjoyment from vexing her again and again. There was little other reason for him to continue to do so if he didn't get some meagre enjoyment from belittling or mocking her. It was hardly as though he would mock her directly though, words with double meaning were some of his favourites it seemed.

He would compliment you in such a way that it was clearly insulting.

That aside, it would be a good idea for her to at least visit Flayn and Seteth in order to assure herself of their conditions at present and to put their minds at ease that she was still capable. Even if she didn't feel it right now, maintaining the image was what was required from her.

Maintain the image of control when she had never felt more powerless than she did right now.

Turning on her heel, she advanced towards the door. She knew Catherine was still in the Monastery and the knightess would not allow Rhea to leave without some manner of protection detail around her.

Goetia could have teleported down to the town, it would have been a much more expedient trip if he had done so. Saving him the time and effort it otherwise would have. However, for whatever reason, he just walked.

He walked straight past the knights shifting through the rubble, pulling carts full of rock and shattered stone from his battle with Sitri. The market was a ruin, the walls that surrounded it were crushed and shattered in several places, piles of stone littered the ground with some of the heavier ones looking as though they would need more than one person to lift.

Goetia stopped for a split second, watching the knights shift through another pile of rubble before the one doing so paused and exhaled, then looked up and called out at the top of his lungs "Got another one here!"

"Shit." Another voice called out as they walked towards the knight, then crouched down to look at something beneath the large slab of brick. The man sighed loudly before he stood back up and turned to face the others shifting through a pile not far from him "Get the picks! We're gonna have to break this one up."

The knight muttered, Goetia's reinforced hearing picking up enough of what was being said. "I think this is Finn…haven't seen him since the attack and his wife has been asking about him around the wounded tents for days…"

The knight next to them sighed, reaching up and rubbing their face "...Damn…let's get this boulder off them before they-what the heck!? Who are-"

Goetia hadn't even registered the fact he had marched over to them, nor had he registered the fact he had pushed his way in between the two knights and crouched down in front of the boulder. He stepped in close, his left hand formed a claw and reinforced itself as much as he could. Thrusting it forwards, he buried his fingers to the knuckles in the slab and at the same time altered the gravitational weight of the rock.

He heaved upwards, lifting the boulder upwards with his single arm and leaning back to take most of the weight into his legs while resting it against the flat of his chest to account for the lack of his arm. He remained stationary for several seconds, then noted the complete lack of movement before he spoke up. "Remove the body."

The demand was met with silence before he heard the scrambling of armour as knights around him rushed to grab the body and drag it out from beneath the location. Once he sensed they were no longer present, he lowered the rock back down to where it had been and ripped his hand free of it, stepping back and turning his attention onto the deceased knight.

He could feel the eyes of the others present upon him, he didn't say a single word as he stared down at the body before they shifted to the knight who was holding the corpse. "Is it the one you spoke of?"

"Huh?" The man seemingly blinked once before he looked down at the body and made a noise of understanding, pivoting himself around and reaching for the clasps of the helmet, his face tightened as he pulled on them before he tore them apart.

Goetia could tell at a glance the man was dead, the breastplate had been caved inwards in such a way that it was obvious he had died from either the wall falling atop him or from being struck by Sitri and later being buried. The end result changed little from the cause, Sitri themselves.

The helmet was peeled away from the face, eyes were wide open and glazed over, the mouth was parted with dried blood crusted around the nose and lips. The knight exhaled, reaching up and sliding the eyelids closed before he turned to his comrades "Walter, find Finn's wife and let her know that…" he exhaled, reaching up and rubbing his brow under his helm.

"...I'll let her know, Sir." The Knight - Walter - nodded his head once before he took off in a slow pace towards the gate, casting a final glance to Finn before he resumed his walk.

Goetia watched the man depart before he turned his attention onto Walter, the man still looking down at the body of Finn. "...You knew him well." It was a statement rather than a question.

"...Yeah." Walter quietly nodded his head, then rose to his feet and gave a shaky breath as he looked to Goetia "...Thank for you letting us get him out of there."

Goetia cast his eyes around, noticing more debris that looked too large for the humans to lift by themselves. "How much more needs clearing?" He asked after a moment, he could feel Walter staring at the side of his head.

"...Normally I would be against the aid of a mage in this situation…" The man spoke slowly before he gave an exhausted sigh "But if you are to offer, and having seen what you have done, then any aid you could provide would be most welcome." he walked past Goetia, pointing with his hand "I'll direct you to the worst hit areas, if you can take the largest over to the teams we can take the bricks apart with the picks for transport." he looked at Goetia's missing limb "...That going to be a problem?"

Goetia looked down to his right side for a split second before he ignored it entirely "I will cope."

"...Alright then." Walter grunted once "...You worked in the library, didn't you?" he asked after a moment "You were being watched or something, right?"

"I was…Until recently."

"Yeah…we heard about what you did here." Walter wet his lips, nodding his head once "...Thanks for that. Putting those demonic beasts down." he gave a long sigh "Never would have thought we'd have to deal with them here though, of all places."

Goetia tuned out the words for the most part, the speech the man gave was little more than a ringing in his ears as he stared at the rubble and the destruction around him. His eyes took in the detail of every cracked stone, every scorch mark, every piece of molten rubble and splintered wood that scattered the market square.

"...Let us…get to work." He spoke after a moment, he didn't care if he interrupted the man or not. He was just willing to find something to distract him from whatever else he could be thinking of.

Moving rubble, a task utterly beneath him.

But he was going to do it anyway.

As for why?

It didn't matter to him, he didn't think to question why he had bothered to help them move the rubble in the first place. It didn't matter in the least why he was going to do all this.

He just didn't care.

He was just going to act.

A mere whim guiding his actions and nothing else.

A mere whim.

With that in mind, Goetia followed after the Knight - Walter, he recalled the name - as the pair of them made their way to the area that was designated to be cleared. Goetia imagined that they had not yet managed to get the larger equipment up to move the debris to a different location in order to actually even consider repairs.

Even if they did, they would then have to sort out the bricks and materials that could still be considered salvageable and then requisition for new materials to be constructed and sent to the Monastery. The entire process was going to take an exceedingly long time.

He could solve it remarkably swiftly with a few restoration spells, undoing the worst of the damage with a mere wave of his hand.

The idea was debated and subsequently rejected, the solution was…

There was something about that solution that he rejected on a fundamental level, the reason behind it was not revealed to him. He just opted to instead follow the Knight around and utilise his own physical strength with minimal enhancements to clear away the debris.

"The main hall took the worst of the damage." Walter explained as the pair of them ascended up the steps, approaching the entrance hall. Of course, Goetia already knew all of this. He had been there when the damage was done, he had been the one who helped participate in the damage as well. "The roof fell in and some of the pillars got damaged…"

Walter continued on, the pair walking into the vast hall and Goetia taking note of the work already ongoing within it. His eyes briefly scanned the room's occupants, noting that most of them were knights with several carts they were loading the rubble onto.

"Then there's that area over there." Goetia turned his attention to the man at his side, nodding his head once when he saw the wall that had been thrown inwards, that was where he had punched Sitri as the students had made their escape. His lips remained in a thin line as his eyes scanned the flooring tiles, many of them scorched black and some - those that had taken direct blasts - had actually melted under the temperature.

"It's gonna take a lot of work." Walter finished up pointing it out, turning his attention to Goetia and placing his hands on his hips "...Well?"

Goetia directed his eyes upwards, staring at the gaping hole in the top of the hall which allowed sunlight to pour through it. "We should focus on covering that up first." He declared "Sudden shifts in weather patterns will lead to rain entering the hall itself." a hand was waved towards the front door "Those can be sealed up and it is a simple matter to drape cloth over the gaps at the sides."

"We got some tarp but it's getting up there is the issue." The man explained with a sigh "We're waiting for some scaffolding to get built so we can actually get up there and start fixing the damaged sections of the roof. We'll have to replace a lot of the broken tiles and the wooden supports and the-"

"I will deal with that." Goetia stated as he looked up, Walter blinked several times before he snapped his attention onto Goetia and raised his brows under his helmet.

"You'll do what now?"

"I can access the damaged roof at the present, therefore it is logical that I would be the one to repair the damage." He continued on "Simply bring me the necessary supplies and I will deal with the rest."

"Wha-do you-" The knight sputtered several times before he shook his head, turning to the man fully and gesturing to him "Do you even know carpentry?" the man asked with a frown, then pointed to the missing limb "You can't even hold a hammer and nail at the same time-"

"I have my ways." Goetia spoke in a vague tone of voice, shifting his attention away from the hole in the roof and onto the knight by his side. His expression was utterly devoid of emotion and his eyes seemed slightly dulled, despite all that it soon became perfectly apparent that Goetia was not going to change his stance on the argument. "It is merely a case of bringing me the supplies and then allowing me to handle the rest."

"Do you actually know how to repair the roof at all?" Walter asked, approaching the point from a different angle "How much experience do you have in that sort of thing?"

"Enough."

He had no experience at all in repairs to homes or carpentry, however that was not to say that he could not learn the craft. He could learn the craft remarkably quickly as well, all it would take would be access to someone who did know the necessary repairs and then copying the knowledge from them. To that extent, he did have enough knowledge to repair the damage.

He had enough knowledge to learn how to quickly find out methods to repair the damage.

Evidently the vague answer wasn't enough for the man, his expression turning dissatisfied as he opened his mouth to continue the argument.

"It is fruitless to debate this at present, however." Goetia cut him off, he wasn't going to waste time engaging in a discussion when his mind had already made up. Besides, he would need to find someone with actual knowledge to copy first and foremost. He suspected there would be at least one person in the Monastery who had that information. "There is still debris that needs clearing and we have not the materials on hand to begin repairs. Therefore I will merely cover the gap with the tarp you spoke of."

Walter closed his mouth, his eyes closing and releasing a sigh "Yes…alright, fine." he jerked his head to the side "There's a couple of knights over there who were having trouble with some of the destroyed wall and some pillars upstairs. Considering your display earlier, I'm sure you can help them out."

Goetia grunted once in affirmation, the knight nodded his head and turned away from him "I'll see about finding that tarp." he muttered in parting, quickly heading back the way he had come and outside.

Turning his head to the upstairs, Goetia maintained his gaze as he dragged his body forwards. This would be the spot where Sitri had perished.

Closing his eyes, he exhaled, they opened once again and he found himself at the top of the stairs. He noted the location almost instantly, the area where Sitri's body had fallen and burned its shape into the floor as a shadow. The black mark upon the tiles being the only evidence left that the Demon God had ever existed.

Goetia advanced upon it slowly, not too fast but certainly not at a snail's pace. The comings and goings around him and the background noise faded away into silence, all his concentration - all his focus - was upon the floor.

Three thousand years of history, all that knowledge and wisdom.

Three thousand years.

All that remained of all that history was a pile of bodies, some crumpled buildings and a black stain on the floor.

That was all that was left of them.

It didn't compute in his mind, the image before him and the information he held could not be combined.

There was an error.

To the outside world, Goetia seemed to just stop everything as he stared down at the black patch on the floor, his eyes transfixed upon it and his body perfectly still. Not even a hint of movement from him, his clothes did not shift with his breathing and his eyes did not waver. He appeared as though he had been frozen in time.

How did that occur?

Goetia continued to ask himself again and again in his mind, how did this conclusion occur? There was no logical reason for any of it.

There was no logical reason and yet it had happened all the same, the events had played out as he had recalled them and Sitri was still dead.

Sitri was destroyed, their spirit origin shattered, and their remains burnt into the floor as nothing but a stain. Even the ash they had left behind had no doubt been swept away by this point and yet the stain remained.

He blinked once. The stain was still there.

The legacy of three thousand years.

All that effort, all that time and it amounted to this.

The burn mark on the floor was the only evidence left of Sitri and that was that. Deaths and a burn mark upon the floor.

An ignoble end for one who had been summoned by a man who wielded the powers of God himself. They had aided in governing a Kingdom and this was the grand reward for all their struggles, for all their suffering.

Goetia sharply turned his head from the mark upon the floor, closing his eyes and letting out a long breath. He wiped the picture from his mind and turned on his heel so his back was facing the spot where Sitri had met their end. He could not look upon that any longer, it was utterly…

The words that he could use to describe how he felt did not appear in the forefront of his mind, his chest tightened at the thought of it and he found he couldn't truly concentrate on anything. Sitri was dead, he had killed him, and that was all that remained of him.

That was all that would ever remain of him and only Goetia would ever understand the complete picture, no…that was wrong. Only he would know of the complete timeline of events but understanding it was an entirely different matter. Humanity rejecting him had been insanity but wiping them out as recompense?

It was a complete and total waste of time and effort, it would serve no purpose. It would change nothing about their situation, he could kill every single living human in Fodlan and turn the land to dust and it would change nothing about his situation in the least. He would still be here…alone and by himself.

Utterly devoid of meaning and without a clear goal in mind beyond that.

His eyes slowly opened up, turning his body he aimed his head slightly to catch a glimpse of the remains in the corner of his eye. "...A completely stupid action." He muttered to himself as he stared at the mark "...Utterly foolish."

Eyes flickered away and towards the pile of rubble not far from him, the damage where he had knocked Sitri from the mess hall and into the main hall itself. One of the support pillars had been torn down with a stump of stone still hanging from the ceiling, though how long that would remain in place was not something that Goetia was aware of. That being said, it had hung there for around four days now, so he suspected it was in no danger of collapsing any time soon.

His attention returned to the rubble.

There was no real reason why he was doing this, not one that he could think of at the moment anyway.

It was just…

A whim.

"It has been some days since you have been here but the disrepair of the Monastery does not give you reason to abandon proper decorum." Seteth lectured the three classes as they stood at near the next incline that would lead them straight through the main gates of the Monastery. "Your first assignment will be to head over to the living quarters, as some of the debris around it has been cleared away access is now much easier, or so I have been told."

Seteth looked to the Knight who was accompanying them, there was something oddly familiar about the man but none of them could put their finger on it.

"That's right." The Knight nodded his head several times, turning to face the classes and still smiling "The knights under the command of Walter, he's a great guy by the way, helped out with the clearing of debris and the…other things-" it didn't take a genius to figure out what the 'other' things he was referring to. "-so that you all could get into it." his smile quickly turned into a worried frown "However living there is something we can't be sure about right now. We sent word to some of the builders in Hillfar to see if there was any damage to the supports."

Sylvain raised his hand, attracting the attention of the knight. When the man nodded, the red head spoke up "Alright so what do we need to be doing?"

"Right now? The early words told us that the damage isn't as bad as it could have been." The man exclaimed with a cheerful tone of voice "So that means that the living quarters will be easier to repair than they would have otherwise been. Although the builders can't actually start any work while all of your possessions are inside the rooms at present."

Expressions of understanding rippled through the group, accompanied by some murmurs as well.

"So you need us to move out of our rooms so they can start getting repaired?"

The man nodded his head at the question "That's about right, yes. The furniture itself doesn't need too much special care but we were working under the pretence that you probably didn't want a bunch of strangers going through your possessions and the like." he explained easily enough, reaching up and scratching his chin "I know I would feel a bit weird if someone was rooting through all my possessions without my knowledge."

"Thank you very much!" Bernadetta called out before she ducked back down and hid her face, releasing a pitiful whimper when several heads turned in her direction with varying degrees of amusement. "I-I mean…um…j-just ignore me! Banish me from your memories!"

"...You're welcome!" Rather than be put off by the interruption, and the subsequent string of panicked words, the man seemed more pleased that someone understood the point he was making. "Anyway, we'll be prepared with some bags for all your luggage to be taken to a more secure location or if you want to send them back home." he continued on, turning away from Bernadetta and towards the others "Anyway, that's basically going to be your task. We just need the rooms cleared so we can start bringing in builders to redo everything without having to worry about damaging everything."

The man raised his hands "Don't worry, we haven't entered the rooms yet either so everything should be exactly where you left it…" he paused for a moment and winced "Provided that you weren't living on the upper floor. Because that sustained most of the damage so…" he turned to Seteth with a strained expression.

Seteth took over at that point "We will assess the damage once we have arrived. We shall naturally be working from the ground floor, which means that those of you housed on the upper floor will have to wait. In the meantime, the knights need assistance in clearing away debris." he explained "Efforts have been ongoing for the past few days, or so I have been told, and they are making good progress."

The green haired man looked towards the teachers "We shall be going class by class. Starting with the Black Eagles. Professor Manuela, you will take your students to the dorms and then begin. Those who are housed on the upper floors will assist the other two classes in clearing debris and assisting the knights in whatever other capacity they need."

He looked around once more, then nodded to himself "Are there any questi-"

"Archbishop Rhea!" Seteth jolted as Flayn called out at his side, he'd brought her with him under the pretence that he could actually keep his eyes on her. Though her words caused him to whirl around and look up to the gate of the Monastery.

Sure enough, Rhea was standing there with a small detail of knights and Catherine stood by her side with a dutiful expression. The green haired woman stared down at him with an indiscernible expression as she descended down the hill.

"Archbishop." Seteth exhaled, turning to face her fully and allowing a relieved smile to come upon his face. Bowing his head slightly as she approached before raising it again. "I am relieved to see you, there was talk that you had secluded yourself to pray for those killed or injured in the…Demonic Beast attack."

Rhea stared at Seteth blankly as she drew closer and closer, she stopped a few feet from him before her features softened "I believe I have secluded myself more than enough and I hope you will accept my deepest apologies for not finding the time to visit you during your injured state." she then turned to Flayn "I feel as though I have failed you most of all, Flayn."

Flayn crossed her arms over her chest, regarding Rhea with an odd look for a few moments before shaking her head "You need not apologise to me, Archbishop. I understand that recent events have been difficult for you - as they have with all of us - and I'm sure that whatever kept you was of the highest importance."

"..." The silence from Rhea as she flickered her eyes towards Seteth was exceedingly telling to the pair of them, the green haired man narrowed his own gaze at the woman before he noticed that her gaze was no longer upon him and was instead upon someone behind him.

"Professor." Rhea's tone was clipped, her head jerking in a half nod towards the woman "You are no longer experiencing any discomfort, I hope?"

Byleth gave a slow blink before shaking her head from side to side "Everything still works."

"...Excellent. I am glad to see you are making a rapid recovery and are swiftly returning to the students." She gave another stiff nod, her tone almost awkward "I understand you and your father will be visiting me at a later date. I would like for Seteth and Flayn to be present as well. If that is alright with you? I believe that they would both benefit from being involved in this…particular topic."

Byleth looked from Rhea towards Seteth and Flayn, the former had a look of understanding on his face that was quickly replaced by a look of withheld suspicion while the latter just looked somewhat confused.

"I will ask Father."

"...Thank you." Rhea nodded once, then returned her attention to Seteth "I assume you are headed for the Monastery to aid in the clearing of debris, are you not?"

"That we are." Seteth nodded stiffly, looking past Rhea and towards the gathering of knights behind her "I take it you are descending to the town of Hillfar?"

"In these trying times, I believe it would do the people's spirits well for them to know that the Goddess is watching over them at this time." Rhea responded slowly, though the way her eyes pointedly avoided Byleth was something the girl in question - and her Headspace resident - noticed rather easily. Or rather, Sothis had noticed it and pointed it out to her. "As such, I intend to provide a sermon to bring them comfort."

Seteth's lip twitched upwards approvingly "If that is your wish, Lady Rhea, then I shall adhere to it. On a more private basis, I approve of it. With tensions high and confusion rampant, I thoroughly believe it would do the people good to see the Archbishop taking personal note of their struggles." he nodded to Catherine "I leave her in your hands."

Catherine cracked a smirk "She won't get so much as a speck of dirt on her robe unless she wishes it." a fist thumped against her armour "You can count on that."

"...Yes, quite." Seteth coughed into his hand, stepping aside and ushering the students past to allow Rhea and her entourage access to the road. "One more matter, have you seen Goetia recently? Flayn said she spoke with him this morning…" he looked down to the girl at his side with narrowed eyes, all while Flayn averted her gaze to the heavens and acted rather disinterested.

The movement brought a flicker of amusement to Rhea's expression, mirth shining in her eyes "I believe Goetia mentioned a conversation with Flayn earlier." she looked from the young girl in question to Seteth, the man blinking in surprise "As for speaking with him, we talked not fifteen minutes ago. To my knowledge, he might very well be in the Monastery still, if you did not encounter him on the path up?"

"We did not-"

"Is he teleporting again?" Flayn grumbled under her breath, placing her hands on her hips and sighing "Honestly…one would think he had heard of moderation when it came to his magical reserves. Does he try to tire himself out on pur-" she cut herself off, an unusual look flickered across her face as she considered something, then gave a thoughtful hum as a frown fell upon her features.

Whatever she was considering was obviously something that troubled her, given the expression she made soon after. Then she turned around and looked through the gathering of students until she found Lysithea, the two of them sported similar frowns as they exchanged wordless glances before they resumed their original positions.

"As I was saying." Seteth cleared his throat, returning to Rhea "We did not pass him on our ascension. Provided he has not been utilising magic to transport himself yet again, I would assume he is still within the Monastery."

"I see…In that case, I wish you good luck, Seteth." Rhea nodded to him before resuming her walk down the path, the knights and Catherine following behind her as they descended towards the town in the distance.

"Come." Jerking his head, Seteth aimed the students towards the Monastery gate "We have much work ahead of us, and I know that you would not like to drag it all out for more time than is necessary." he didn't wait for a response before he resumed his walk again, his thoughts already drifting towards what Goetia was currently doing.

It wasn't so much out of concern for the man's well-being as it was for the fact that he had apparently spent all night with his daughter.

Virtually alone.

He believed that warranted fatherly concern. Especially since they had all fallen asleep outdoors and Flayn had been clumsily teleported back to him with her hair a mess and her uniform scuffed and covered in dirt.

Seteth very much took issue with that little snippet, but as it stood there were still more important things to deal with.

He recalled Flayn taking an interest in Goetia before this entire fiasco and that had been something he warded her away from prying into. Really, he should have known better.

Harold slowed his steps until he was next to Flayn, looking down at the girl from the corner of his eye and dropping his voice into a whisper "So you found Goetia then?"

Flayn jolted at being suddenly addressed before looking up and squinting at the man, for a few moments her face showed only confusion before her eyes lit up in remembrance "Ah! You are the Gatekeeper, are you not?"

"Yes." Harold nodded his head, internally cheering that someone at least remembered his face, though he didn't so much mind when people didn't. It was sort of expected to not remember people you didn't interact with for all that long. Also he probably didn't leave a really big impression like some of the others around here. "Is Goetia alright?" He continued on, his voice thick with concern.

Flayn pursed her lips, turning away from the man and falling silent for a few seconds "You said you were friends with Goetia, did you not?"

"I like to think so." Harold nodded once more "Although I don't know if Goetia really does friends…but he does this thing where he says 'Do what you want.' and then goes all quiet and just lets you hang around him." he smiled "I think he's just a little shy about saying what he wants to say. He's really clear about stuff."

That brought a chuckle to the girl, this man did indeed know Goetia then. "Very well…I believe that Goetia is somewhat troubled as of late." Flayn continued on in a quiet whisper "Perhaps it would be best to say he's a little…directionless and very alone."

"Really?" Harold frowned to himself, cupping his chin "...Hmmm. I guess I never see him really hanging around a lot of people unless he has to. Normally to get food…I just assumed he didn't like crowds."

"I am not so much sure it is the crowds as much as it is those within the crowds. He does not have anything in common with very many in the Monastery…given he is a foreigner-" In virtually every sense of the word, Flayn thought to herself "-and the only one of his people left in Fodlan…" she trailed off.

Harold caught the message, giving a quiet sigh "I would feel pretty lonely as well if I couldn't talk to my family." he gave a sage nod of the head as he crossed his arms "With everything that had been going on I'm…I'm a little ashamed I didn't notice it."

"Don't be. Goetia is quite adept at concealing his true feelings." Flayn reassured the man "It is merely a case of pushing him until he opens up although…that is not something I would advise you do. He does withhold a great deal of his emotions and…Nevermind." shaking her head, she cut herself off. There was being informative and then there was gossiping.

Goetia's breakdown last night was not the type of thing that she was going to start speaking of carelessly to all those who asked. It had been a moment of clarity for herself and for him.

"That woman seemed to be somewhat distracted." Sothis commented as she floated next to Byleth, still gazing down at the path that Rhea had taken as she departed. "More than that, the way her eyes kept moving towards us was rather disconcerting."

"She says she's your daughter." Byleth couldn't help but respond. Whenever she was in a conversation and her father was present, she would sometimes look over to him as well.

"And I have no recollection of her in the least!" Sothis couldn't help but growl out in irritation, throwing up her hands "I'm trying to figure out my place in this land, of which I am apparently Chief Goddess, and suddenly I'm being told that I have children as well? Children who act in a manner that I…" she sighed, reaching up and pinching the bridge of her nose "It is exceedingly vexing."

Byleth couldn't really relate, she didn't have children nor had the thought of children ever once entered her mind.

"She did promise answers."

Sothis huffed "That is good for her…She promised answers."

"You think she might lie?"

The Goddess was silent for a few moments, an unreadable expression upon her face as she looked to Byleth from the corner of her eye. The silence stretched on for a length of time before Sothis shook her head. "No…No, if I am to speak honestly I do not believe she will lie. When the woman - Rhea - promised to tell us all that she knew, there was no deception in her voice. I am not sure how I know that she will be truthful…it is just something that I do know."

"That's good then. You can get some answers. So can I."

"Answers…Some answers, perhaps, but I very much doubt I shall receive all of them." She muttered rather bitterly, "That would be much too easy." shaking her head, she floated her body to the side and faced Byleth once more "That aside, I can hear your thoughts you know?" she raised an eyebrow at the woman "I know that you feel concern for Goetia as well."

"He's acting weird."

"I am certain the fact he was forced to kill one of the last members of his own people does not weigh upon his mind in any way at all." Sothis rolled her eyes, delivering the sarcastic comment with her usual dry wit, her expression hardened "Though I see the burden that it places upon Goetia, I hold no regrets for the outcome. That being had to die."

"...Okay."

"Okay? That is all you have to say on the matter?"

"Goetia tried to talk. They didn't want to listen. They were an enemy."

"There are times where I cannot help but admire the simplicity of your thought process." Sothis mused with a half smile "That being said, I am unsure what you expect to occur if you speak with him. He is worse at exposing his feelings than you are, and that is an achievement in itself." there was a pause as she reached up, cupping her chin "That being said…The dialogue between Goetia and that 'Sitri' was rather curious to me…"

"Was it?"

"I suspect most went over your head, but there was something at work there…The claim that they both worked to better mankind and yet they were rebuffed to the point of near extinction and this mention of a Mash Kyrielight…she was someone of importance to Goetia and apparently it was a moment of weakness for him as well." The Goddess tapped her finger on her chin "Hmmmm. I will dwell upon this further, I doubt we will get much info from-"

"Goetia." Byleth spoke aloud, raising her brows up at the sight before her.

"Huh?" Sothis blinked and turned around, promptly scrunching her own face up in confusion.

The group ground to a halt as they stared at the sight before them.

Goetia stared back at them, his left hand gripped around the front of the cart behind him. His body turned sideways and the wooden carrier filled with rubble. Despite its size and the quantity of debris within it, the man did not look as though he was affected by the weight in the slightest, his eyes roaming over the entire group before they landed on Seteth.

"I had heard you were recovered." Goetia commented in a bland voice as he looked the man over from a distance "Fortunate for the Monastery. With you conscious once again, I suspect the logistics involved with the repairs will be much more organised from this moment forward."

Seteth closed his eyes, placing his hands on his hips "I thank you for your welcome." the eyes opened up "And I see that you have also taken to aiding in the clean up effort?" he nodded his head approvingly "My thanks."

Goetia hummed in response "I am still employed here, to the best of my knowledge, it is logical to assume I would clean up my own me-" he cut himself off "...Place of work." were the words he instead mumbled out, whether anyone caught the slip didn't matter as no one commented upon it.

Seteth pointed to the cart in his hands "Do you require assistance with that?"

"...No. I shall manage it myself." He declared, hefting the cart back up and pulling it along with his lone arm. Turning it and moving towards the location where the other carts filled with rubble had been deposited on the clearing to the left of the market square as one entered the Monastery.

Seteth raised an eyebrow as he watched Goetia walk past, no one said a word at the rather peculiar sight but Seteth most certainly didn't disapprove of the efforts.

He turned back around. "Come then, there is much work to be done."

AN: Goetia getting involved in the cleanup effort!

Good for Goetia!

And…well…yeah. The answers and stuff for Byleth and that will probably come within the next couple chapters and then after that we'll move onto the Lance of Ruin theft and all that comes after.

Just to let everyone know that I haven't forgotten all about the main story.

Don't worry about those Abyss guys though, they'll be coming back soon enough!

By that I mean they'll probably be coming back in the next Chapter.

Omake: Diplomacy sucks II

"Get out of that carriage Solomon!" Goetia called out, bringing up his left hand and repeatedly banging on the door, he paused long enough to get his next words out "I know you're hiding in there!" he resumed striking the door with the side of his fist rather forcefully. It was only the illusion of good will that kept him from ripping the door off its hinges and dragging the man out into the open.

"I'm not getting out!" Goetia stopped as Romani's muffled voice called back through "Robin! Help me!"

"R-right, umm…" Goetia looked over his shoulder at the white haired girl approaching him, adorned in smart cloth that depicted her as one of the higher caste. Or so he suspected, her rather crude manner of speech and lack of dignity as she all but strutted over to him was evidence enough. "Now listen here Mr-" she cut herself off, suddenly squinting at him.

Goetia stared back at her with an annoyed frown before he returned his attention to the carriage door and resumed striking it. "Solomon! Get out here!"

"Hey, Romani!" Robin called out, turning to the carriage as well "How come this guy just looks like you with a tan!"

"E-erm…umm…" Romani's nervous voice came back "He stole my face is why!"

"It's just as much my face as it is yours!" Goetia shouted back at him "Get out here Solomon, or I shall tear this door down and forgo any semblance of civility!"

Not far from the display, Chrom and Lissa were stood by the others from Fodlan as they watched the chaos that was Goetia trying to pry open the carriage door while Robin was caught between wanting to help him and wanting to stop him.

"I feel as though this is one of those moments where we have stepped in it." Chrom bluntly stated, turning to the blonde man next to him and extending a hand "I am Exalt Chrom of Ylisse, pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"King Dimitri of Faerghus." The man introduced himself as he clasped the hand in a rather tight grip, not that he seemed to notice. Or he did and was just doing it anyway, something which encouraged Chrom to end up doing much the same.

The end result was the pair of them trying to outdo the others grip, all while pleasantly smiling and giving no indication they were actually hurting one another.

"A fine grip you have there, Exalt Chrom."

"I can say much the same for yourself, King Dimitri." Chrom politely chuckled "With a grip such as that, I imagine you have broken many a training weapon?"

"And you would be correct. The same goes for you?"

"Quite so, quite so."

"Will you stop that before you end up cripping each other!" Lissa smacked their hands with a karate chop, the pair quickly withdrawing themselves as the girl looked to Chrom with a chiding expression "First peace summit and you look like you're about to invite him to a duel around the back of the tent!"

"What? No! I would never!" Chrom indignantly proclaimed, then his eyes flickered to Dimitri "...Although a good competition would foster relationships…"

"Exalt Chrom speaks the truth, Milady." Dimitri remarked with a smile, his handsome face and had Lissa looking up at him with a touch of red on her cheeks. "But if it would cause you distress, then I can rein in that desire of mine. I would hate for these talks to be sullied by the tears of one such as yourself."

Chrom's smile became more strained, all the while Claude was quietly snickering to himself.

"W-well….I…um…that is to say-" Lissa stumbled through the first few words.

Then Lysithea grabbed Dimitri's ear and twisted it, her eyes narrowed and her face devoid of emotion.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Dimitri whined as he was lowered towards her "Lysithea, please! That is exceedingly painful!"

"Then perhaps you would learn not to flirt so openly in front of me."

"I wasn't flirting! I was being nice! How was that flirting!?"

"I am still baffled by the fact you do not realise the signals you give off." Lysithea sighed as she removed her hand from his ear, freeing him and causing him to take a step away from her while he cradled the patch of skin.

Lysithea turned to the pair and curtsied to them "I am Dame Lysithea von Ordelia." she introduced before rising up "I am honoured to have been invited to these talks and hope they shall be both cordial and beneficial to both our respective worlds."

"I as well." Chrom nodded his head, then raised a single finger before pointing towards the carriage "Although there is one thing I would like to ask…"

"Well, if Sparkles ranting about Solomon is any indication…" Claude turned his head to the carriage and smirked "You came here with his dad."

Chrom slowly lowered the finger "...Huh?"

Lissa widened her eyes "H-his father?" she whirled her head and stared at the back of Goetia with narrowed eyes "I mean…I don't know…"

"Wait…" Chrom raised his hand "Do you not recall that time Romani got a tan?"

"Well, yes I…Oh…Oooooh." Lissa's hand shot to her mouth "Oh wow…wait, does that not mean that…"

"I…would say so." Chrom nodded his head several times, then cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted out.

"Robin!" The white haired girl turned around to see Chrom shouting to her.

"Yeah!?" She shouted back, temporarily ignoring the pounding of Goetia's fist on wood happening behind her.

"Romani is…" He turned to the person next to him and spoke quietly before nodding his head and returning his attention to her "Romani is Goetia's father! The person next to you is your step-son!"

Robin raised her brows, then noted that the knocking had stopped.

She turned her attention to Goetia at the same time Goetia turned his attention onto her.

The pair of them stared at one another for several seconds in silence.

Then Robin squealed "I got another kid!"

Goetia made a sound of pure panic as the girl suddenly glomped him in a tight hug.

"S-Solomon!" Goetia cried out with wide eyes "Solomon! Get outside and get your newest wife off me-!"

"Call me Mother!"

"No! SOLOMON!"

"Come on, it's not that…" Robin trailed off, then slowly released Goetia and took a step backwards "Wait…what do you mean newest wife?"

A panicked cry filled the carriage next to them as the door was flung open and Romani practically came flying out of it "He means his mother!" he hurriedly explained before Goetia could speak "It was a really long time ago!"

Goetia looked at Romani with a raised eyebrow "What of the other seven hundred wives?"

"Hahaha!" Robin laughed "Seven hundred wives, that's a good…joke…?" she trailed off, looking between the two of them and noticing that Romani's face was snow white. "...Seven hundred?"

"And the three hundred concubines."

"...The three hundred what?"

Romani looked between the two of them for a few moments.

Then slammed the door closed.

"Solomon!/Romani!"

""OPEN THIS DOOR!""

And thus began the first mother and son bonding session.