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dragongutsixofficial · 2 years

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On the topic of Rhea, Byleth, Crimson Flower and abuse

I see a lot of people saying Crimson Flower is a bad route for Byleth, and I'm always a little confused about it, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on the matter. This post isn't at all to invalidate their opinions or how they view the game- this is just offering my perspective on things. Please forgive any possible mistakes, as English isn't my first language. Also, I will be criticizing Rhea's treatment of Byleth, so I'll tag this appropriately of course, but I'm still warning any of her fans beforehand in case you just wanna skip. ^^

For a little bit of context, when i first played the game, Rhea creeped me out THE MOMENT she looked at Byleth from the balcony in the cutscene when they arrive at Garreg Mach monastery. So, I was already wary of her-I dunno, I just had a feeling she wasn't as honest as she was pretending to be.

And I mean, this isn't completely wrong. She desperately wants to be able to relax and be truthful, sure, but she also has a great deal of responsibility in putting in place and maintaining a really unfair theocracy based entirely on lies, because she wants to protect her family, the last of her kind. While her behavior is, of course, understandable given the horrible trauma she went through, it still doesn't sit right with me, but that's not really my point here. The thing is, she has problems with not being in control at all times because of her story. Her despair even pushes her to try and bring back her dead mother by crafting her a vessel- something she fails at several times, including Sitri.

And, then, there's Byleth. Byleth, who disappears for twenty long years, along with all her hopes, and when they reappear Rhea immediately sees the possibility for her to achieve her goal is not totally lost. She was desperate and now that she's found them, she wants to keep them.

That's why she places so much trust in Byleth from the start, but also why she grows cold every time they step out of line- like when they refuse to give her Miklan's spear. She allows them to live their life, but only so long as they do not disappoint her in any way or deviate from her ideas- because for the longest time, she struggles to see them as their own person and puts unreasonable expectations on them.

And that, sadly, is when that becomes psychological abuse on her part. This is really obvious to me when Byleth's hair and eyes turn green after fusing with Sothis, and she sings to them and puts their head in their lap while they're asleep- it just makes me want to run far away in the opposite direction every time, and her giving them the prophet outfit after that makes me so sorry for Byleth because what she's essentially doing here (albeit maybe unvoluntarily) is chipping away at their developing self and bodily autonomy by turning them into literally what she physically wants to see-and that isn't them. She wants them to become what she wants of them.

And then, in the Sacred Mausoleum, Byleth chooses Edelgard. All hell breaks loose because Rhea's hopes are shattered- and she also realizes her affection for Byleth is (partly) unrequited which, to me at least, makes sense- I don't really see how they could care as much for her as they do for their students when they spent every day with them for a year, and their actions seem to be made more out of love for their close ones than anything else. Byleth breaks out of the mold and confronts her directly. They make the clear cut decision to deviate from the path she had laid out for them. From that moment on, Rhea considers that all forms of violence against them is allowed (which, fair, they just declared war on her lol) including taking their heart out by force, which is physical abuse obviously (then again, violence is to be expected in a war but you get the idea). She now hates what she's created and sees it as her duty to destroy it.

Now. Byleth choosing to walk down Edelgard's path does not equate cutting themselves from their divine part, and I think that is a very important point. I see a lot of people make that criticism, especially since Byleth loses Sothis' powers at the end of CF. But to me, it's a totally different phenomena that occurs.

In every route, post-timeskip Byleth embraces their divine side. They use the Creator's sword and they go back in time as they wish to protect and further their and their lords' vision for the future of Fodlan. Heck, their main class is literally "Prophet". But something strange and, I think, beautiful happens in Crimson Flower that always made me feel disappointed in the other routes' plots: Byleth has a chance to stand up to their abuser and cut ties with them explicitely and directly. To fight back against them with all they've got.

Now, don't get me wrong. Rhea apologizing for her wrongdoings and bad treatment of Byleth is good, sure, but it just… doesn't seem like enough to me. Sure, that's a nice thought… but it's not like anything can be done about it now: they're stuck with body modifications and a position as an Archbishop reforming the system she helped put in place that they never really asked for in the first place. But what makes it ok is that they embrace those fully and voluntarily, and that's beautiful on its own- however, that resolution leaves me a bit disappointed and honestly feeling like they let Rhea walk all over them.

The thing is, when you get out of an abusive and toxic relationship, you are left changed from the experience. You lose a lot of things, but you also get some things. It's like you're left with a random object your abuser gave to you once. You can either keep it and give it a new story of its own, or discard it if keeping it just doesn't feel right. But in the end, it is your responsibility, your thing, and you're not a bad person for not using it. The metaphor is broken, I know, but I hope you get my idea. You're not a bad person for moving on for that thing- You don't resent the thing, you can thank it and appreciate it for what it brought you while you used it, you don't hate it, hell you might have even learnt from it.

In the other routes, Byleth chooses to keep everything and use it equally. In Crimson Flower, Byleth "regaining their humanity" doesn't in any way, shape or form mean they reject all that Sothis brought to them or their enlightenement. It's just them choosing that they'd rather not use that from now on, or not engage with it to the same degree. They might go back to it later, might help rebuild the church, I don't know-just not in the same way. On new terms that make them more at ease with who they became following that route.

They're still the same loving and caring person who would do anything for their students. They still go to the ends of the Earth to give someone a random thing they lost. They still spend hundreds of coins on their loved ones' favorite teas. But… they do not have to forgive Rhea. They do not have to accept everything that happened to them because of her actions, even if some of it was good. They've made their peace with it and they've let it go of their own volition.

They do not become a lesser version of themselves because they chose to deal with the abuse they went through in a different way than in the other routes.

And I think a lot of people underestimate how powerful CF!Byleth's narrative can be.

#fe3h #byleth eisner #byleth discourse #lady rhea #seiros #rhea discourse #rhea critical #tw abuse #tw mentions of abuse #tw physical abuse #tw psychological abuse #crimson flower #this is no hate towards rhea's character you love who you want #byleth #fe16 #archbishop rhea #fe3h spoilers #edelgard von hresvelg

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fellstcr · 2 years

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— on emotions ( &. a bit about the past.)

||. Because this topic was floating around quite a lot on indie side a while ago and I wanted to join in... annnnd then got super busy

I would think it’s pretty safe to say that Byleth has always had some level of emotion. They were just... incredibly muted. She was by no means a walking, talking corpse. And in truth, a large portion of her uncanny disposition is due to a mixture nature and nurture. Jeralt being pretty stoic and reserve himself, for one, and that being the only parental figure she could ever mimic. Byleth herself being a HUGE introvert who keeps to herself and is very private with her concerns and affairs, another. But tat least for my portrayal, I would think there’s also more to it than just that. In Azure Moon, she’s noted to be presented as uncannily stoic to the point of appearing inhuman. (Which is something echoed by Claude as well.)

Dimitri specifically states the following:

You never smiled, and you never showed anger either. And yet, you didn't appear to be suppressing your emotions. They just...weren't there.

Which is likewise in line with early supports with other students. (Dorothea and Dimitri’s B supports, for instance.) But I think the key point is this: “you didn't appear to be suppressing your emotions. They just...weren't there.” which is very reminiscent of what is said about the Ashen Demon.

...However, they all agreed on one thing—your father, and yourself, were a strong pair. Warriors to be respected and feared. You, in particular. In fact, many came to know you as the Ashen Demon. They say you would destroy your enemies without a hint of emotion on your face. — Hanneman C support

Considering that Byleth’s entire character arc revolves around LEARNING to feel, and learning to then express those feelings (very reminiscent of Violet Evergarden) - I like to think that the observations of the many are... not wholly true, but also not wholly inaccurate, either. Dimitri, to some degree, was right. There was no emotion to suppress, because it was barely ever there. (which kind of touches on a hc of mine that a lot of her past fights were spent with Byleth dissociating emotionally ON TOP of already having trouble feeling, hence her amnesia, but that’s a different post for a different day.)

For a very, very long time, Byleth was effectively sleepwalking through life. Of course, she was aware, and she was present. As stated, Byleth was never a walking corpse or anything nearly so dramatic. Her Heart may have been transplanted and made of stone but it works perfectly fine. However due to the nature of Nabatean corpses it’s fairly safe to say that, just as Sothis was asleep ...so was the heart. And thus, Byleth’s full range of emotions. And would remain so until Sothis began to stir as per the beginning of the game. Her emotions are largely tied to Sothis and her existence within. Not because Sothis existed within in the first place, but because sothis was sleeping. For all intents and purposes, Byleth lived twenty years of her life with only half of her soul intact. And of course, we know it was still there. It always was. (ie: Byleth can use the Crest of Flames at will even before knowing definitively that they existed, and having dreams of Sothis’ past for an ambiguous period of time pre!game) But as ever, the relationship between spirit!Sothis and Byleth is that... they need each other to survive. They are quite literally soulmates. One and the same. Two wills that MUST be cleaved into one, inevitably. As fortold by Sothis herself. To have one live without the other would be to rob Byleth of her full scope of emotions (and her ability to feel them) and Sothis without the means to experience the world corporeally again.

Byleth was already awakening long before Sothis and her fused, (re: Flayn’s rescue, Byleth’s reaction to the Battle of the Eagle and Lion), but that fusion most certainly sealed the deal as far as putting the broken pieces together, and allowing both Sothis and Byleth to be reborn anew.

#⚔️ hc. / heart of fire.#⚔️ ooc. / mun.#(this has been on my brain for EVER)#(did it get rambly? yes)#(but yes i'm saying byleth straight up had a weird vibe with her emotions)#(they people who said she was emotionless were never... completely wrong)#(they were wrong to think she had none at all - because she did and there's absoutely no way someone who grew up the way she did)#(doesn't have some MAJOR ISSUES she's not dealing with)#(dissociation vibes? dissociation vibes. this girl can[t remember her entire life before the academy and that is CONCERNING)#(but that said they also were correct to say she wasn't suppressing anything)#(it's just less that it comes from a malicious lpace - she detest sensless killing and says so MULTIPLE times)#(and don't even get me started on how much she freakin dislikes the ashen demon moniker)#(but you can't really strongly feel anything that you don't strongly feel)#(for her it was like feeling things but they were muffled and far away)#(she never laughed or cried because she just... never was overcome with something strong enough to make her need to)#(but it's not because she never cared she has compassion for days. she's ... just very stunted)

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yanderefairyangel · 6 months

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In your video, you made an interesting point as to how Engage creates a more lively world then 3H thaks to it's handling of the Somniel. So I wonder, is there other things you think Engage did better then 3H ?

Eh... I am not a big fan of comparing two game that are that different but ehm... If I had to say it.

When it comes to the Somniel itself, there is all the little things, such as how the music changes depending on whether it is day, evening or night, so again it breaks the static feeling that it might create. The mini games and social intereaction actually doesn't feel like a chore.

I also think that Engage did a better job at conveying the worldbuilding through the art direction cause in 3H you are stuck in Garrech March, the only architecture you can study is Garrech March and while some people might disagree, the country are more distinct in Engage then 3H. They have their own theme/season/color and music, and the design are all harmonized with each other, so it makes it easy to know who comes from where unllike 3H cause design are limited to customized uniforms that doesn't say much about the students, until you reach timeskip and then... well basically the same thing why I think Fates did a better job.

And while the story are polar opposite... I'd say Engage is much more consistant then 3H. Cause 3H has the eyes bigger then the stomach, it wants to do too big and it didn't managed to succed in dealing with the heavy topics it was trying to tackle : Bernadetta shouldn't be in the same game as Dimitri and Marianne, the Agarthans have nothing to do in a game trying to tackle "grey morality" with character like Rhea and Edelgard, the way Cyril and Petra's situation is handled shows that they should not be in game that already struggled in handling the Duscur thing. It wants to be a chronicle but has writers that didn't kept in check with the wordlbuidling data and as a result ends up with a convoluted timeline, with the most funny example of this being the "Byleth's birthday plot hole". Engage does smaller, but it at least does it well : with the sole case of Veyle it can handle parental abuse as well as discrimination, and while there is just one character with that trauma, at least it's explored in depth. Every replay helps putting each element of the story even more in context and makes the story better and better. That said Engage is helped by the sole fact that it is not handicaped by trying to be a deep, complex serious story with 4 different story in one. It's keeping things simple and has only one story to tell.

As for Byleth, their blank states and few occasion to express their personality hurts their characterization a lot cause stuff like Jeralt's death and Sothis fusing with them end up getting forgotten by the plot. Alear in contrast beneficiate from better character writing and not only because they talk, but because of the care put in their writing. And again, this is because Engage is able to focus on its goal, mainly cause unlike 3H it doesn't have one hundred.

And that's just what I can say about it

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varley-of-torment · 2 years

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Today (Jan. 31) is my birthday (day of birth)

#also the day byleth fused with sothis #which is kinda cool

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umbralstars · 3 years

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Basically an "All you need to know" about how I personally write Byleth/All of my Byleth headcanons. This is probably not everything but it's still long enough I have to put it under the cut.

* His birthday is 26 day of Blue Sea Star Moon 1159

- I know that 20 of Horsebow is probably the canon date but I've always used this one since my first playthrough and keep it cause I find it funny

* Byleth has all kinds of memory issues

* Demi-panromantic & demisexual

*Trans masc (He/Him & They/Them)

- He remembers and has dreams of things that are from when Sothis was alive

- He sometimes has trouble recalling facts about the world he lives in (such as who is currently ruling, his teaching plans or things that he has taught before, sometimes can't recall where he is). He keeps a journal of important things that he saw, learned, needs to know etc

+ Caused by being misaligned with Sothis' soul and her consciousness trying to overtake his own

+ He doesn't lose memories outright and can recall things if given the right direction. Once a memory is solidified as more long term it's much harder for him to forget it

- Sothis' memories can cause bad flashbacks that can take him minutes to get out of

+ Jeralt and the other mercenaries look out for him when episodes happen. They often have him talk about them afterwards if he wants too (ie like Jeralt and Byleth's conversation at the beginning of the game after the dream about Seiros/meeting with Sothis)

+ He can't speak during them and gets very spacey

- Fighting and strategy is instinctual for him so memory issues in those areas are non-existent

- When his soul fuses with Sothis' his memory problems mostly cease. All the memories about his own life are permanently solidified and he can somewhat tell the difference between his memories and Sothis'. He still can be paralyzed by her memories but has a much easier time getting out of dazes

* Has a love for learning about the history and culture of Fodlan and everywhere else

- When he was little Jeralt would often tell him stories and folktales about Fodlan while they were riding across the country side. The pre-month cutscenes during White Clouds are Byleth recalling those stories

- Loves learning about the places outside of Fodlan just as much as learning about Fodlan itself

- His favorite books are about history or folklore

* At a crossroad between trusting people implicitly and keeping others at arm's length

- His life as a mercenary certainly wasn't easy, even though he doesn't resent it, so he tends towards giving others the benefit of the doubt even when he may doubt their intentions. Cautiously trusting if you will. Some people may view him as naive because he's willing to trust off the bat and he's fine with that.

- Does fall in line with mercs not really trusting nobles but he points that more towards the parents currently in power and not the kids he knows

- Goddess help you if you break his trust. Once you break his trust it's very hard to actually get it back unless you give him cause for why it was broken in the first place

* Very protective of the people he cares about

- Death or injury of people he care for has always been his biggest fear. His family has always tried to tell him it's just a fact of life, their life especially, but he would rather fight tooth and nail to keep someone alive then to just let them die

* Really good with children actually

* Takes his job as a teacher very seriously. He knows how rough Fodlan and fighting can be, so wants to impart good lessons in the hopes of making his students' lives easier. He knows that some of them have already seen horrors or have been on battlefields, so he treats each person accordingly

* Has a really bad resting bitch face so people think he's really intense/scary when first meeting him

- He has complicated feelings towards being perceived as "intense" or "terrifying" since on one hand it's very useful when he needs to be perceived that way, but on the other hand he feels like that first impression makes it hard to connect with people afterward

- He doesn't ever go out of his way to make people perceive him differently mostly because it would be a hassle and he's thinks people who really know him would understand he's not like that

* Byleth is actually very introverted and somewhat has social anxiety

- He spent almost his entire life around the same people moving from place to place so introversion aside he's not the most experienced about talking to new people

- He never stops people when they want to talk and doesn't really hate talking to people it's just that he doesn't go out of his way to do it unless he likes talking to someone or it's important

* Jeralt's mercenary company is his family and the people he's closest to until Garreg Mach. The Mercenaries are an elite group of about 13 people of various backgrounds

- All of them are basically his aunts and uncles cause they practically raised him alongside Jeralt. He does call a lot of them Aunt and Uncle as well

- One or two are also like siblings to him cause they joined with their parent or when they were younger (like 15)

- They were the only people able to get close to Byleth or get him to talk for the first week or so after Jeralt's death

- I need to expand on them more cause they're very important to me and him

* Byleth has trouble outwardly expressing emotions and understanding his own. He actually feels very deeply but just has trouble really expressing it. Very monotone and straight to the point when he speaks and only slight shifts in tone tells how he's really feeling. Actually has hyper empathy

- Grew up like this despite Jeralt and the Mercenaries' best efforts. Jeralt was always best as reading him because he acted so much like Sitri

- Caused once again by a misalignment with Sothis' soul

- After his awakening, Byleth has a better ability to express himself, and even took on some of Sothis' characteristics, but he still has trouble explaining or talking about what he's feeling

* Generally very calming to be around for most people. Won't ever force anyone to talk but will talk if you start conversation

* Has done some very questionable work as a mercenary

- He has taken on a few assassinations in the past despite Jeralt's insistence he never get his hands dirty like that. The Remire Medicine Incident is one not spoken of much within the company

- He's dealt with brigands, putting down rebellions, guarding caravans, guarding nobles, helping train the standing armies, etc everything under the sun. Will practically do anything if the pay is right

- He does have standards and expects a full rundown of the job beforehand like his father and the rest of the company though

* Loves cats and dogs

* Actually pretty religious and devout by the time of his awakening

- He wasn't completely raised without knowledge of the Church as some of the mercenaries are religious, but he was agnostic for a good portion of his life

- As he lived at Garreg Mach and learned more about the Church's teachings he grew to appreciate it more and more

- Rhea taught him a lot during his many conversations with her

- As Archbishop he does his best to learn every aspect of the Church and exemplify them best he can. Really emphasizes giving aid to those in need, leans heavily into the "Goddess" aspect of his soul, reforms many aspects whilst keeping the core of the faith

- Personally speaks to Sothis on more of an equal and friend level then true God and devotee

- Does become known as the Holy Saint and Avatar of the Goddess within the Church years after he steps down as Archbishop. Doesn't really know how to feel about it but can't say his inclusion is wrong

* Byleth doesn't have the highest opinion of Edelgard

- As I write AM/VW Byleth he was never close to Edelgard at all during his time at Garreg Mach

- He really only sees her as the person who started the whole continental war (which he despises as he very much dislikes war in its entirety) and the person he believes to at least be complicit in his father's death (do not debate with me how much Edelgard knew Kronya's plan. This is entirely how Byleth views what happened)

- He never wished for her death, but does view her as someone very misguided and only wishes she never went as far as she did

* Very terrified of sleep after waking up post-Time Skip

- Fears falling asleep and loose more parts of his life an leaving everyone behind again

- Prefers to have someone close by who can wake him or being woken up in the morning

- Got into the unhealthy habit of just working himself into exhaustion and having a very irregular sleep schedule until his friends had an intervention to talk about what was going on

#fe3h #fire emblem #byleth eisner #m!byleth #fe3h headcanons #there's probably more things I forgot about #may add to this if I remember them #angst #cause some of these tend toward it

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houseisekai · 3 years

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House Isekai: Shadowbringers Act 2, Part 3 - Crossroads

House Isekai Shadowbringers AU Masterlist Here

—

Lahabrea, the Blue Lions, Black Eagles, Ashen Wolves, and House Isekai have finally arrived at Derdriu, awaiting the Golden Deer and the Investigation Team.

Only now does Lahabrea give them the answers they have been waiting for, and the war to finish before time runs out...

[No Greater Sorrow - Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers OST]

Byleth slowly opened his eyes, the light from the windows blinding him.

(Byleth) “Where in the hell...?”

(Minato’s voice) “Oh hey, you’re awake.”

Byleth turned to his side and saw several of the Persona Users in the beds next to him.

(Minako) “Oh, thank god you’re alright!”

(Akira) “Hey, Byleth.”

He slowly sat upright on his bed, reaching for his head.

(Byleth) “Where are we?”

(Mitsuru) “We’re in Derdriu. The journey took a day or two but now we’re just waiting for Claude to arrive in order to discuss our next course of action.”

(Byleth) “And where is everyone else?...Actually, why are you all in the Infirmary with me?”

(Ryuji) “Those voices or whatever is effin’ with our heads. We almost passed out but we seemed to see the same thing...Some kinda tower?”

(Junpei) “That Lahabrea guy better have some answers, I’m sick of being left in the dark.”

(Byleth) “...You may not like what you’ll hear.”

(Minako) “Did he tell you what was happening?”

Byleth hesitated at first, but he responded with a nod.

(Akechi) “That’s just damn great...”

(Akira) “We should probably let the others know you’re alright.”

The Persona users got up and left, though a few stayed behind.

(Minako) “Um...i-it’s good seeing you again, Byleth.”

(Minato) “It’s probably the best news we’ve gotten in a while.”

(Akira) “We’ll see you outside.”

(Byleth) “...Thanks.”

Byleth couldn’t look them in the eye as they spoke. He wasn’t sure he could look at anyone, making him anxious to face House Isekai again.

...

(Claude) “Home sweet home.”

The Golden Deer and Investigation Team finally arrived back in Derdriu, and walked over the hill to the gate.

(Percy) “Milord!”

(Claude) “Hey, Percy. Open the gates for us?”

(Percy) “Of course. You’ll be pleased to know your guests have arrived just last night.”

(Claude) “Go on ahead without me, I’ll be telling the guards to prepare for the worst.”

Everyone nodded and did as he asked.

...

Doomguy and the Ashen Wolves strolled around town due to the lack of having anything better to do.

(Balthus) “Man, anything would be better than just calmly waiting for the Church or Those Who Slither to get a drop on us.”

(Yuri) “Patience big guy. We can’t afford to go hunting when we don’t even know what the hell’s going on. Our time for fighting will come soon enough.”

(Constance) “And what a fantastic time it will be! Fodlan’s fate will be back where it belongs, us!”

(Hapi) “Well we also gotta worry about what the three nations will do after this without Teary and the others keeping them in check. Am I right?”

Hapi turned to Doomguy for at least a nod or shrug. She got neither as he stared to their side.

(Doomguy) “...”

(Hapi) “Hey, Teary, everything alright?”

Doomguy frowned. He thought he saw something move out of their field of vision.

He would have left it alone, but knowing their situation...

Doomguy held up a hand and brought out his shotgun, motioning the Ashen Wolves to head back to the building.

(Yuri) “That’s...discouraging.”

(Hapi) “We should get back to the others.”

They nodded and broke out into a light jog.

...

Byleth staggered out the door of the infirmary to see a few familiar faces.

(Sharon) “Master Byleth, it is good to see you.”

(Cocytus) “WELCOME BACK.”

(Sara) “Jeez, about time.”

(Towa) “Instructor!”

(Angelica) “Yo.”

(Megumi) “Thank goodness you’re awake.”

(Sitri) “Byleth...”

(Byleth) “Thanks. Where is everyone?”

(Sara) “Doomguy went out with the Ashen Wolves to just take a look around the city while the others are here and there in the building.”

(Byleth) “And Lahabrea?”

(Angelica) “In a room upstairs, alone. He said not to call him until Claude was here.”

Knock knock!

(Yu) “Hello? It’s the In-...!!! Oh!”

(Towa) “Yu!”

The rest of the Investigation Team and Golden Deer came through the door.

(Hilda) “Well, well!”

(Yosuke) “Hoho MAN, you guys are a sight for sore eyes!”

Yu took Byleth’s hand and shook it firmly.

(Yu) “Good to see you again, sir.”

(Byleth) “Likewise. Sorry it took so long.”

(Leonie) “Better late than never!”

The other staff smiled as they caught up with the Investigation Team.

(Megumi) “Yuki and the others will be so happy to see you again!”

(Cocytus) “SO, WE HAVE EVERYONE TOGETHER ONCE AGAIN. WHERE IS CLAUDE?”

The door opened once again as if on cue.

(Claude) “Kept ya waiting long?”

He smiled as the rest of House Isekai started to come down the stairs, followed by the Blue Lions and Black Eagles.

(Dimitri) “Claude!”

(Edelgard) “For once, I am relieved to see you.”

(Claude) “Jeez, you’re gonna make a guy blush with compliments like that.”

(Yu) “Long time no see everyone.”

(Yuuri) “YOU GUYS ARE OKAY!”

(Rean) “Hah, I don’t think we had to doubt that, Yuki.”

(Akira) “You guys are more stubborn than us.”

(Minato) “Hey.”

(Minako) “House Isekai is all here again!”

(Ainz) “Unfortunate that we cannot celebrate...”

He examined the room and did a mental head count.

(Claude) “All that’s left should be...”

(Yuri) “That would be us.”

The Ashen Wolves and Doomguy showed up behind Claude, waving.

This was the first time Sitri had seen everyone together like this. It made her smile, knowing how big the family taking care of Byleth was.

(Sitri) “The gang’s all here now.”

(Lahabrea’s voice) “So it would seem.”

[Tears in the Rain - Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers]

Everyone looked up the stairs to see Lahabrea leaning against a wall, with Sothis floating beside him.

(Sothis) “Well, you all wanted answers? We’ll give them to you.”

Lahabrea nodded and looked at everyone. Part of him wanted to smile, seeing everyone united like this.

But they were far from being in a happy mood.

(Kazuma) “First of all, just who the fuck are you? You know our past and have your own Sothis, yet we only know our Byleth!”

(Lahabrea) “My name is Byleth Eisner. I am the real one. The real one you’ve seen in all those flashes when your voices echo in your heads.”

(Minako) “That would explain why it feels so real but...We’ve always known our Byleth to be the real one, what makes you so different?”

(Sothis) “Those voices are your past memories. With us two. Up until just this time, you had always been with us everytime you appeared-”

(Aqua) “Woah woah woah, hang on! We’ve only been here once, what are you going on about ‘everytime we appeared’?”

(Lahabrea) “Some of you are aware of the ‘Divine Pulse’ ability, right?”

(Emma) “That time reversal that Sothis and Byleth do?”

Lahabrea nodded. Most of House Isekai looked confused but those who weren’t affected by it could follow.

(Lahabrea) “You all first arrived individually. First it was only Kazuma’s group. We went through 6 years of hell together, and when the war was finished, we were sent back right to the beginning, when Dimitri, Claude, and Edelgard arrived to Remire Village. Then taking Kazuma’s place at the next loop was Class VII, and so on. Time forcefully resets everytime you go home...and I cannot begin to fathom why.”

(Yu) “So, how is Sothis here? If that’s the case, every loop Sothis would have fused with you, right?”

(Sothis) “It’s because I fused with him that I am here right now. I was not truly gone the first time we fused, but it seems whatever force is at work keeps bringing me back.”

(Lahabrea) “And it was during the final loop we did, we reset time ourselves using the Tower at Zanado.”

(Rean) “But, there wasn’t a tower when we were there.”

(Akira) “No I...I think there was?”

Yu turned to Akira.

(Yu) “Was it half made out of what looked like stone and scifi tech?”

(Minako) “Yeah actually, how did you?-”

(Claude) “We confirmed the tower’s presence ourselves. Had a nice visit in it too...”

(Yuuri) “Um, what actually is that tower?”

(Lahabrea) “For now, it’s best to hear it yourselves. Honestly, not even we understand it.”

Lahabrea pulled out a crystal and it began its playback.

“I don’t know if anyone will be seeing this message, whether that be myself or anyone else who comes into this godforsaken tower but…My name is Byleth Eisner. Son of Jeralt Eisner.”

...

Everyone listened to the entire message, and when it finished, most of them were left in a state of shock.

(Lahabrea) “Since you went into the Tower, I can only assume you saw the skies turn a pale white?”

(Claude) “Something like that. Even in Inaba it followed.”

(Miki) “Inaba? As in-”

(Yu) “Our town, yes. We were wanting to say that tower in Zanado started showed up and is releasing shadows onto the real world.”

The Persona Users turned pale.

(Yukari) “S-Shadows are loose right now in all of our homes?!”

(Lahabrea) “So far, just the Persona User’s worlds. But that won’t be for long. Which brings us to why we have you all gathered under a single banner.”

(Sothis) “You all were NEVER meant to be here. At all. Whatever our previous selves did, it caused a catastrophic rip in reality, at least that’s what we’re guessing.”

(Lahabrea) “And we only made it worse by using Divine Pulse ourselves. It’s why House Isekai exists.”

(Megumi) “S-So...our existence here was a mistake?”

It pained Lahabrea to do so, but he nodded.

(Lahabrea) “Yes. And since you all have been here for so long, it’s now starting to affect your worlds.”

The crystal Lahabrea was holding quickly shifted into a reflection that displayed Tokyo, Tatsumi Port Island, and Inaba, the tower being the most noticeable thing in the reflection.

(Lahabrea) “The longer you are here, the worse this effect will become. Our worlds are merging. All of ours.”

(Naoto) “That...makes sense! It’s why Dojima was able to understand Claude and the others!”

Now, it was the School-Living Club’s turn to feel sick.

(Kurumi) “Then...that means...?!”

(Yuuri) “The infection...!”

(Lahabrea) “Will be in Fodlan, yes.”

(Miki) “W-What can we do to stop it?!”

(Sothis) “We honestly don’t know. Our plan right now is to stop whatever remnants of the world we destroyed. Those Who Slither and the Church has technology from that time, and is whats making them able to wage this war.”

Sara turned to Byleth.

(Sara) “...So where’s our Byleth come into this? He’s been quiet this entire time.”

Byleth looked away.

(Lahabrea) “...You saw the Angels at Enbarr. What their infection does to people. It’s affecting Byleth as well.”

(Everyone) !!!

(Sitri) “T-Then that means?!”

(Byleth) “I’m slowly turning into an Angel....”

(Lahabrea) “I’ve done what I can to delay the process, but its why Byleth is able to permanently kill Inquisitors. But...”

(Byleth) “So far we haven’t been able to find a cure. I will die if it is not found.”

(Megumi) “WHAT?!”

(Lahabrea) “Which is why we need to strike now. If we can stop Those who Slither and the Church before his transformation and our worlds merge.”

Yuri frowned as the light from the window blinded him.

(Yuri) “Looks like we’ll get that chance faster than you think.”

[Will and Reason - Tales of Berseria OST]

Cyril and Alois walked towards the gate as the skies turned into a pale white, soldiers rushing to the gate.

(Percy) “Hey, what’s the meaning of this?! You are not authorized to be in Alliance territory-”

(Cyril) “By order of Lady Rhea, we are to execute the Warrior of Darkness! Any resistance will be met with force, do not interfere!”

The church soldiers kicked open the gates and stormed Derdriu, surrounding all exits.

(Alois) “If we do see him...let me speak first, Cyril.”

(Cyril) “Fine. Make it quick if you are able.”

Everyone looked out the window, grabbing their weapons.

(Claude) “Get Judith and the rest of our forces ready. I don’t think I can talk my way out this one.”

(Edelgard) “I don’t think there’s much point hiding your involvement with us. Perhaps if the three of our forces went out and confronted them, we could buy some time.”

(Yu) “That could work.”

(Rean) “Whatever we’re doing, just make it fast!”

(Claude) “Edelgard, let’s go with yours. Just follow my lead though.”

Dimitri and Edelgard nodded. House Isekai and the Ashen Wolves snuck further into the building as the three classes marched out the building.

(Cyril) “Claude von Riegan.”

(Claude) “Hey, Cyril, Alois. Been a hot minute since we saw each other, yeah? I take it you got promoted to Inquisitors-”

(Alois) “Where is Byleth?”

(Claude) “...Byleth? What makes you think he’d be here-”

(Cyril) “DO YOU THINK US FOOLS?! WHERE IS HE?!”

Dimitri and Edelgard looked to their sides to see soldiers closing in on them, weapons drawn.

Hubert held up a hand to not retaliate just yet.

(Alois) “Lord Dimitri, Emperor Edelgard...I was under the impression you were fighting one another.”

(Claude) “They are here in neutral territory to call a truce, so to speak.”

(Alois) “...And I was also under the impression that his highness was kidnapped by members of House Isekai. Clearly I was mistaken.”

Cyril frowned and grabbed his weapon.

(Cyril) “You are aware of what the Church’s sentence is for treason, correct?”

(Claude) “Sure am.”

No one made a move, both sides were waiting to see what would happen first.

(Alois) !? “What in the...?”

Edelgard noticed a bright light coming from her and realized a blue flame surrounded her and the other Black Eagles members.

Before they knew it, their clothes transformed, all the members wearing a mask and costume.

Edelgard was now in her Flame Emperor outfit, with the bottom half of her mask gone.

(Dedue) “Isn’t that just like...?”

(Hilda) “Akira?!”

(Cyril) “The Phantom Thieves?!”

(Edelgard) “Well, I guess that’s as good as a cue as any-”

[Tempest of Seasons (Rain) - Fire Emblem: Three Houses OST]

Edelgard unsheathed Aymr and swung it at the two, causing the debris beneath them to explode.

Everyone else followed suit and began their assault as Alois and Cyril barely dodged Edelgard’s attack.

Before any of the Church knights could respond, many of them were picked off by the gun wielders of House Isekai, who drove them further up the street.

Alliance Soldiers intercepted them and attacked with swords and bows, leaving Alois and Cyril to the classes.

Claude fired an arrow at Cyril, but was deflected by Alois’s siheld.

Dimitri and Edelgard charged in and tried to attack from the sides, but Cyril blocked Dimitri as his wyvern swooped in and knocked back Edelgard.

Hubert snapped his fingers and a massive black fireball fired from his tome and blew up a group of knights, as Dedue and Hilda crushed ones that came too close into the floor.

Another group of church knights came around the corner and were about to charge before being blasted into the wall by a light spell.

One of them tried to get back up before his leg suddenly in the opposite direction, making him fall over as blood burst out of his throat.

Kazuma became visible, taking his knife out the Church Knight as he turned behind him.

(Kazuma) “DARKNESS!”

Darkness charged in and swung her sword at the knocked down soldiers, hitting the pillar nearby, making it tip over and crush them.

(Darkness) “Wha-BUT I HIT THEM!”

(Kazuma) “Fuck it, doesn’t matter, keep going!”

Aqua and Megumin followed behind Kazuma and Darkness, causing mayhem for the Knights.

Several Alliance soldiers were outmatched by the Church knights, injured on the floor about to be killed.

Only a few of them were able to be saved as Lorenz, Lysithea, Caspar, and Sylvain killed the knights attacking them.

Lorenz and Lysithea opened their tomes and fired several Thorons, piercing through their helmets and blasting their heads off. Their bodies quickly dissolved into white dust, with Caspar punching a hole through a knight and Sylvain ran over one with his horse.

(Caspar) “Hey, we need a medic over here!”

Mercedes, Linhardt, and Marianne ran over and began to heal the soldiers they could as the others ran in from behind.

Linhardt raised his head and saw a few of the group running on top of the walls surrounding the city.

The Denizens of Nazarick, Class VII, and the Phantom Thieves looked around them to see the fighting continued on the outside, the advantage being on the Knights’ side.

(Ainz) “We cannot afford to retreat and lose the only city where we have refuge! Do whatever it takes!”

(Albedo) “Yes, Lord Ainz!”

Ainz began giving directions to the rest of his group as they ran, giving himself and two others a necklace of flight.

(Ainz) “Cocytus, Pandora’s Actor, with me, we go after any reinforcements that may be on their way!”

They flew off far past the main gate, leaving the Phantom Thieves and Class VII on the walls.

(Elliot) “L-Look, some of the knights made it to the walls!”

(Rean) “Class VII, take them out!”

(Sara) “They’re only monsters now, so aim to kill!”

(Class VII) “Yeah!” “Got it!” “Understood.”

(Akira) “Leave closing the gates to us. Joker, out.”

He winked at Rean and gracefully leapt off the walls and onto the roofs, the Phantom Thieves using their Personas to get around.

Lahabrea and Byleth saw the Phantom Thieves hop over their head as they looked at the battle.

(Lahabrea) “You know the deal. Captains first, then get away before you’re spotted. No witnesses.”

Byleth nodded as they moved across the shadows, though Byleth couldn’t help but take a second to glance at the group near them.

The Ashen Wolves and School-Living Club, and Sitri were helping the civilians evacuate as S.E.E.S, the Investigation Team and Doomguy protected them from incoming knights.

(Kanji) “How do these assholes even have these many soldiers?!”

(Akihiko) “The fight they’re putting up is a lot fiercer than 5 years ago!”

Their personas killed the knights with ease, though with everyone they got rid of, five more seemed to take his place.

The School-Living Club felt out of their element here as arrows whizzed by everyone's’ head, but still they persevered.

(Megumi) “Get to the main capital building, you’ll be safe there!”

Kurumi did what she could to slow down any of the knights with her shovel by getting the jump on them, but she could already feel eyes on her. Her luck wouldn’t last forever.

(Yuuri) “P-Please keep your head down and move to that building over there, we’ll protect you!”

(Woman) “T-Thank you dear!”

(Hapi) “Shut up and get moving.”

The woman nodded and did as she was told.

Yuuri and Miki were the farthest from the group, helping out a child who was hiding underneath the carriage.

(Miki) “No knights are around right now, you have to get moving!”

(Yuki) “We’ll protect you, take my hand!”

The child nodded and took Yuki’s hand. Once he was out, his eyes went wide as he pointed behind them.

(Child) “W-WATCH OUT!”

Yuki and Miki turned around to see several figures in black fire a spell at them.

They were too slow to react and took the hit directly, sending them flying back into the carriage.

Megumi got distracted when she saw what happened to them, causing her to panic.

Megumi ran over to the two, grabbing a nearby board to attack the hooded figures before she stopped moving entirely, feeling something go through her stomach.

(Sitri) “MEGUMI!”

[Those Who Sow Darkness - Fire Emblem: Three Houses OST]

An Agarthan took the dagger out of her as he filled the gap with some dark magic, causing her to scream in pain.

Doomguy spun around at the noise and saw what was happening and immediately jumped into action.

(Yu) “Huh?- NO!”

(Minako) “Where did they-?!”

(Minato) “GOD DAMN IT!”

(Yuri) “BEHIND US, AGARTHANS!”

Doomguy cleaved the Agarthan in half with his wrist blade and threw his body at the mages who were getting close to Yuki and Miki, about to do the same thing to Megumi.

The Persona Users began engaging the ones who weren’t hit as the Knights backed off.

(Alois) “Those who Slither as well?!”

(Cyril) “Tch, the heretics developing the powers of House Isekai?! We have to go back and warn Lady Rhea, KNIGHTS, RETREAT, WE ARE OUTMATCHED!”

The knights immediately began to pull back. Alois sighed, hoping to see Byleth, but held his tongue and followed orders.

The skies turned back to a normal color as the Church withdrew, though it was far from good news.

Doomguy ran over and grabbed Yuki and Miki and set them next to Megumi.

(Yuuri) “No no no no!”

(Kurumi) “W-What’s happening, how did they get behind us?!”

(Sitri) “Is she alright?!”

Doomguy didn’t respond as he immediately began scanning the three for injuries.

For Yuki and Miki, it appeared worse than it actually was, the worst being a few burn marks, but for Megumi...

Something was spreading throughout her body, but it didn’t look like anything he’s seen.

Everyone stopped fighting when they saw the knights pull back and saw the Agarthans teleport in.

(Agarthan) “There you all are...Saves us the trouble of hunting you down individually.”

The Agarthans went to the dead and raised their hand to them, deploying a black fog that went into the bodies that made them shake violently, dissolving into a black goo as their essence went to the center where Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude was.

(Agarthan) “I see the Church has their own version of our spell. Interesting, but inferior. Honestly, we have no idea how they got their hands on this, but thank you for bringing it to our attention.”

He began laughing as all the black substance was forming into a colossal shape behind him, even ones from outside the gate were getting in.

Some bits and pieces were left off from bodies that were too far, and began rising from the dead.

(Kurumi) “Not again!”

Kurumi raised her shovel and attacked one of the creatures by dislodging the shovel’s head into its neck.

The creature’s neck twisted 180 to face Kurumi, making her back off.

Doomguy gave Kurumi a pistol as he cocked his shotgun and blew the creature into pieces.

They looked around them and they were starting to get surrounded.

(Kurumi) “Do your thing, I got us covered!”

Doomguy nodded and began rip and tearing into the creatures, leaving Kurumi and Yuuri to deal with the stragglers. Yuuri grabbed Kurumi’s shovel while Sitri grabbed a sword on the floor.

She had no idea how to use it, but that wouldn’t stop her.

The Persona Users and Ashen Wolves were too busy trying to evacuate the citizens and were holding off the stragglers on their own as well.

Megumi slowly opened her eyes and saw what was going on. There was no way anyone could spare the help in time before they got overrun.

(Megumi) I have to...!

She got up, though every fiber of her body was in utter pain doing so.

(Megumi) “Kurumi....h-hand me the pistol.”

(Kurumi) “What?! But-”

(Megumi) “It’s...not, a request!”

She grabbed her and Yuuri’s shoulders.

(Megumi) “Get Miki and Yuki out of here, now...! Sitri, watch over them for me?”

(Sitri) “Y-Yes.”

They reluctantly nodded and did as she told. As they ran, a few of them tried to chase them before Megumi caught the creatures attention by blasting their heads off.

(Megumi) “Everyone...please, be safe...”

Clenching her teeth in pain, she thanked Doomguy for having a pistol that didn’t have to reload as she gave cover fire to her students.

...

(Dimitri) “YAAAAGH!”

Dimitri stuck his lance into the blob before it could form anything, but when he pulled it out nothing happened.

(Agarthan) “HAH! Your feeble weapons will do nothing to our creation! Accept your fate and die like the dogs you are!”

The blob finally formed into a bipedal monster, it had massive claws on its hands, and spikes on its back. Six eyeballs covered the left and right side of its body and It’s head was something akin to a bull as it used the horns to charge into the fountain, sending the three and concrete into the air.

They landed next to each other, and got up quickly, trying to find any weak spots.

(Claude) “Any plans? Edelgard, you seem to have Akira’s power, can you do that crazy Persona thing?!”

(Edelgard) “N-No, it only affects the clothes, I’m a bit faster and stronger but other than that, nothing!”

(Dimitri) “I have nothing on me!”

The Agarthan continued to laugh until he saw something out of the corner of his eye walk in from the shadows of a building.

[Boss Theme #2 - Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers OST]

(Byleth) “You’re going to pay for what you did.”

(Agarthan) “T-THE WARRIOR OF DARKNESS?! KILL HIM, KILL HIM NOW!”

Before the Agarthan could do anything, his vision suddenly went flying into the air, and as it landed, he could see his own body on the rock, headless.

The body fell onto the floor as Lahabrea stepped into view, deactivating the whip function on his sword.

(Lahabrea) “Everyone else is currently dealing with the Agarthans. Big one is left to us, no objections?”

(Byleth) “None at all.”

Byleth and Lahabrea struck as one, going for the legs which only made their weapons bounce off.

Claude fired several arrows at various parts of the body, seeing what would connect.

The arrows that seemed to have any affect were ones shot at the eyes on the body.

Only one arrow pierced through one of the left eyes on its torso as it screamed in pain, and used its massive arms to block the rest.

(Dimitri) “Seems a lot smarter than the one at Enbarr!”

(Edelgard) “Let’s hope its not as stubborn!”

Dimitri and Edelgard charged head on to the bull-like creature, with it charging in response.

Combining their strength, they were barely able to block its charge, driving their feet deep into the concrete, making every muscle in their body burn from the sheer force.

Lahabrea and Byleth hopped onto the arms and plunged their swords into the eye sockets of the head.

It screamed in pain, but didn’t stagger it as much as they were hoping to, in fact it didn’t at all.

The bull rose its head, sending Dimitri and Edelgard into the air as it grabbed Byleth and Lahabrea.

Before it could do anything, Sothis teleported behind the bull and summoned a meteor above it, the meteor smashing it over the head making it drop the two in pain.

Dimitri plunged his lance into the head as he landed, holding on for dear life as it swung violently around trying to get him off.

Edelgard barely managed to catch herself as she landed, trying to figure out how to get close without being crushed.

Claude seized the opportunity and fired arrows into the eyes on the body.

He managed to get three on the right side, but the creature was quick to block the rest.

(Byleth) “DIMITRI, DRIVE IT INTO THE FLOOR!”

Dimitri roared with rage as took out his lance and smashed the bull’s head, the impact of his hit forcing the bull to slam onto the floor.

The eyes blinked with confusion as Edelgard, Lahabrea, and Byleth took out the remaining three eyes, this time making the bull flail violently, its limbs akin to a toddler throwing a tantrum.

Edelgard was hit by the fist and was sent flying into Claude while Byleth and Lahabrea jumped out the way in time.

Dimitri got to its left side, and was about to strike one of the eyes before all five looked at him and a fist almost crushed Dimitri.

He fell onto the floor after narrowingly dodging the attack while Byleth and Lahabrea ran behind him.

The bull covered its left side with both arms, circling around them.

(Lahabrea) “Don’t think we have anything!”

(Byleth) “How about your Sothis?”

(Sothis) “If I did, would’ve done it by now!”

An explosion suddenly struck the side of the bull, making it tumble over and almost fall again before it was pelted by more explosives.

Doomguy came into view with a rocket launcher, firing rapidly into the bull.

The bull was ready to charge into Doomguy before a massive shadow enveloped his own, causing it to look up.

Valimar dropped from the sky and dug its greatsword into the bull’s chest.

(Rean’s voice) “INSTRUCTOR BYLETH!”

Byleth and Lahabrea immediately hopped into action activating the whips and swinging violently at the eyes, carving them into pieces.

Finally, the bull stopped moving as it exploded into black fog, with the other zombie-like creatures that spawned following suit.

They took a deep breath and sheathed their swords at the exact time, in the exact same way. If anyone had any doubt about Lahabrea being Byleth, it was quelled then and there.

(Byleth) “We need to do a head count and check if everyone’s okay-”

(Sitri) “Byleth!”

Sitri ran up to him, with the School-Living Club in tow. The two noticed that Miki and Yuki were hanging onto Yuuri and Kurumi’s arm, the injuries very apparent.

(Lahabrea) “What happened!?”

...

(Aqua) “TURN UNDEAD!”

Another spell blasted apart the creatures, but still more kept coming.

(Kazuma) “HOW MANY FUCKING THINGS OF THESE ARE THERE?!”

(Darkness) “Aqua, how’s your mana looking?!”

(Aqua) “Getting a bit drained here!”

Megumin hit a few back with her staff, looking extremely angry.

(Megumin) “GO AWAY DAMN YOU!”

(Kazuma) “Megumin, we may need you to-”

The creatures suddenly all dropped dead, and faded into a black fog.

(Kazuma) “...Do nothing.”

Everyone took a sigh of relief and looked at the plaza.

(Kazuma) “Let’s see, Valimar and Slayer are there. Pretty safe to assume whatever it was over there is super dead.”

(Darkness) “All the civilians were taken care of correct?”

(Aqua) “Yeah, a good chunk of us saw to that-”

cough cough!

(Megumin) “Heck was that?”

(Kazuma) “That sounded like...”

His heart dropped.

(Kazuma) “Megumi.”

[Yasashii Megu-nee Arigatou - Gakkou Gurashi OST]

The four of them quickly ran to the source of the coughing and saw Megumi laying against the wall, coughing violently as she dropped the pistol onto the floor.

Parts of her dress had holes and blood marks over it. Her blood.

(Megumin) “MEGU-NEE!”

(Darkness) “Aqua!”

Aqua smiled as she put her hand on Megumi’s arm.

(Aqua) “Don’t worry, we’ll have you right as rain!”

A healing spell emitted from her arm, but it had no effect.

(Aqua) “H-Huh? Why can’t I-”

Megumi grabbed Aqua’s arm and smiled, tears running down her face.

(Megumin) “I...don’t think your healing can fix me up this time...”

(Kazuma) “Hey, don’t be playing the hero, you’re way too nice for that shit!-”

Megumi moved her arm to reveal a hole in her stomach. It was then Aqua finally saw what was happening.

The infection was spreading throughout her body. It was some unholy combination of her original infection, the agarthan’s, and a third light-like source she couldn’t identify.

(Darkness) “H-HELP US, OVER HERE! WE NEED A HEALER!”

The rest of House Isekai and the three Houses finally got to the scene and saw what was happening to her.

Sara, Byleth, the School-Living Club, and Sitri ran to her side, while making way for the healers.

(Sara) “Get to helping her already!”

(Byleth) “Do what you can, please!”

First, Marianne, Mercedes, and Linhardt tried using their best healing spell to no effect, then the Persona Users tried.

(Morgana) “Damn it, why isn’t it working?!”

(Yukiko) “T-There’s got to be something we have that can!”

(Yukari) “Can anyone get a sense of how bad the-”

Yukari stopped when she saw Emma tearing up, covering her mouth.

(Kurumi) “H-Hey, Emma! You can see magic crap right, what’s happening to her?!”

(Emma) “She’s...not going to make it.”

(Everyone) !!!

(Miki) “T-THAT CAN’T BE RIGHT! PLEASE, CAN’T SOMEONE DO SOMETHING?!”

(Ainz) “I used magic detection and...there’s nothing we can do. No amount of healing can stop the infection. I...I am sorry.”

Doomguy scanned Megumi with his visor, but it came up as red.

Lahabrea and Sothis looked on with regret in their eyes.

(Yuuri) “Come on, you know something about this right, why aren’t you?!-”

Megumi grabbed Yuuri’s hand and caught everyone’s attention.

(Megumi) “Don’t worry...This was going to happen either way.”

(Yuki) “But, I don’t understand! Why?! We finally got to see you again and-”

The School-Living Club reached for their head as a sharp pain overwhelmed them.

(Megumi) “You all...got along just fine without me before...And I know you can do so again.”

Megumi began coughing up blood as she struggled to keep her eyes free of tears.

Byleth used his cape to wipe them away.

(Megumi) “Thank you...Byleth.”

She barely had the strength to laugh as she looked up into the skies.

(Megumi) “I...I guess whatever was in my body originally hadn’t gone away. It’s...messing with whatever the Agarthan transformation method is, making it way slower, otherwise I would’ve instantly turned...”

Megumi turned to the School-Living Club members first.

(Megumi) “Kurumi, Yuuri, Yuki...It was so good to see you again. Even if it didn’t last long...I’m glad we could be normal for a little bit together at Garreg Mach. And Miki...Thank you for sticking with them, and protecting Yuki...”

Megumi’s skin on her left arm slowly started to turn into a darker color.

She turned to Byleth, Sitri, and Sara.

(Megumi) “Sara, Byleth...Y-You were some of the strangest co-workers I’ve ever had...but I would never trade that time for anything...And Sitri...? It was an honor...being with your son and husband...”

Yuki sobbed the hardest, holding onto Megumi’s arm shaking it.

(Yuki) “NO NO NO! WE’VE ALREADY LOST YOU BEFORE! NOW THAT YOU’RE BACK, YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE AGAIN! IT’S NOT FAIR!”

(Megumi) “I...Think I’m about to...”

She began coughing up blood again, which Byleth wiped away again.

(Megumi) “There’s only one way to stop the infection...Please don’t let them watch.”

Megumi looked at Sara’s pistol.

She closed her eyes and nodded.

(Megumi) “Yuki, Kurumi, Yuuri, Miki...You all will be fine. I promise.”

Sitri had to grab Yuki and pull her away, as she was kicking violently to try and get back to Megumi.

(Yuki) “NO, MEGU-NEE! MEGU-NEEEEE!”

(Yuuri) “Thank you, Megu-nee...”

(Kurumi) “Thank you, again...”

(Miki) “It was nice to finally meet you, Megu-nee...”

The three walked away, unable to watch what was coming, Sitri escorting them as well.

All of Class VII, the Persona Users, and Kazuma’s group had to follow, unable to watch.

The Denizens of Nazarick bowed their heads in respect, and followed Ainz, away from this.

This was a private moment for the ones closest to her.

The only ones who stayed were Towa, Angelica, Cocytus, Sharon, Doomguy, Lahabrea, and Sothis.

Megumi took off her cross necklace and gave it to Byleth.

(Towa) “Instructor Sakura...T-Thank you.”

(Angelica) “...You’re too nice, ya know that? We’re gonna miss you.”

(Cocytus) “IT WAS AN HONOR FIGHTING AT YOUR SIDE.”

(Sharon) “You and your students will be my family as much as the Reinfords...”

(Doomguy) “...Thanks.”

Lahabrea had to close his eyes, alongside Sothis. Sara and Byleth stood up, and she pointed her pistol at Megumi’s head.

(Byleth) “...Goodbye, Megumi.”

(Sara) “...See you the next time around.”

Sara’s hand started to shake, unable to keep a steady aim.

Megumi’s hand held onto Sara’s, Byleth’s hand eventually joining in.

They all closed their eyes, and Byleth helped Sara pull the trigger.

...

BANG!

...

Thud...!

When everyone opened their eyes, they saw light particles coming off Megumi. Her body slowly started to fade away into a light blue dust, disappearing in front of them.

There was no more blood, or signs of rot on her, and the last thing they saw on Megumi’s face was a smile.

Then, she finally disappeared, a quiet shattering noise emitting as her body turned into white and blue dust.

When she was gone, Sara fell to her knees, sobbing, slowly joined in by Towa, Angelica, then Byleth.

Doomguy, Sharon and Cocytus bowed their heads in respect.

Lahabrea started to walk away, tears in his eyes...

[Afterglow - Gakkou Gurashi OST]

Bathed in the red of the sun What were you thinking? Filling your eyelids to the brim with tears You tried to play it off, saying, "It's so pretty".

Without a doubt I always thought that these days Would continue on and on....

The sky we look upon, Is watching us from far, far away Merely silent, without change. Grasping hands as fellow lost ones, We're no longer alone. Looking to the opposite shore of this ending world, We can see our dawn on the horizon,

We can see it We can see it So put on a smile...

TO BE CONTINUED IN:

#House Isekai #House Isekai Shadowbringers #Byleth eisner #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #Edelgard von Hresvelg #Claude von Riegan #sothis #megumi sakura #sitri eisner

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iturbide · 4 years

Note

Ever wonder if someone with the wrong crest used a relic meant for a different crest (like Sylvain using Areadbhar) could ever potentially become a Demonic Beast? I sometimes wonder

i mean

mostly i wonder how fast it would kill them

this kind of gets into Part 2 of the Crest Virus so here comes the Science Hat

Now, before we go too far, we’re going to need to talk a little bit about dragons themselves. As we see from the startling variety of physical forms among them, dragons are a remarkably varied group, but they all share several commonalities, among them the presence of a Creststone. We can also loosely define three ‘tiers’ of dragon-kind: Sothis, the Progenitor, who according to legend used her blood to create her offspring; Seiros and her siblings, Sothis’ first offspring made with her blood, akin to demigods; and the “Children of the Goddess,” who we could probably refer to as ‘mortal’ dragons. (Why do we need to differentiate this way? Because Rhea says in the last chapter of Verdant Wind that she is “the last child of the progenitor god” -- which makes absolutely no sense outside this specific grouping since we know for a fact that Seteth and Flayn both are dragons.) The major differentiators between the three groups are, above all, lifespan:

Sothis arrived in Fodlan thousands of years ago with enough expertise and technology to engineer offspring from her own genetic material, helped humanity’s rise in technological advancement, ended up going to war with them, and then spent another thousand years trying to clean up from that mess before taking a well-deserved nap. She was undoubtedly ancient before Nemesis killed her -- and she didn’t even die of natural causes, she was murdered, implying she could have (and likely would have) lived even longer.

Seiros and her siblings were created after Sothis’ arrival in Fodlan, and though we only have one example to go off of here in the form of Rhea, she’s still looking pretty youthful despite being several millennia old, and based on her appearance at Tailtean she’s aged only slightly over the course of the near-thousand years between that battle and the game’s events. She probably has a finite lifespan, and degeneration is clearly an issue given the events of Silver Snow, but that’s still an incredibly long life.

The last and largest group, the ‘Children of the Goddess,’ have all manner of quirks not seen elsewhere. This group has the ability to go between a dragon and human form, but can lose that ability in either direction (Macuil and Indech gave up their human forms, Seteth and Flayn gave up their dragon forms -- Seteth remarks in Silver Snow that he can’t transform anymore, but Rhea still can despite not having done so in almost a thousand years). They also likely have the shortest lifespan and high degeneration risk because of it -- something implied in Sothis’ Red Canyon paralogue, where Flayn and Byleth both have unique dialogues when attacking the “Demonic Beast” (Sothis calls it a “poor, lost soul”).

Generally, though, despite the wide range of body plans and individual Crests, dragons can all be considered part of the same species in that they appear capable of interbreeding with one another and producing viable offspring. So a not insignificant chunk of their genetic code is technically the same, but different combinations of genes and unique gene expressions lead to individualized traits in dragons. Meiosis probably plays a big part in this process: pieces of the unique Crest identifiers from both parents are grabbed in the division process, and when they fuse into a complete gene sequence you end up with a brand new Crest rather than two Crests on one individual (so even though canon hasn’t confirmed anything, personally I think Flayn’s mom was also a dragon, hence why she gets a brand new Crest of Cethleann).

Now as discussed in Part 1, dragon blood in human bodies more or less acts like a virus, splicing itself into the human host’s DNA to impart the donor’s Crest. First-generation Crestbearers end up with extraordinarily long lifespans because of it and invariably have major Crests, as evidenced by Jeralt: Rhea gave him her blood to save him after he protected her, and he’s over a hundred now because of it and hasn’t aged a day in the past 20 years according to Alois (who was effectively raised by the man himself). Now, from the second generation on, Crestbearers don’t get this lifespan, and inheritance becomes a gamble, especially after a thousand years; meiosis is absolutely bizarre, and what genes do or don’t get included in an individual gamete is completely up to chance, leading to a piecemeal Crest genome scattered throughout the human population incapable of producing brand new Crests the way dragons could. This scattering of genetic markers on both sides of the genetic equation also leads to variable inheritance in terms of expression strength, with some people wining the proverbial jackpot (like Felix with his Major Crest), getting lucky as carriers (like Ingrid with her Minor Crest), or get the shortest end of the stick (like Miklan). Invariably, though, they only ever have one Crest. Even if two people with different Crests have kids together, those children will only have one or the other (if they have a Crest at all).

What all this is getting at is: Crests don’t want to share a host. Doesn’t matter if it’s the original dragon or a human, Crests are not things that naturally co-exist with one another. Pregnancies with Crest-bearers are potentially rife with issues, especially if the parents have different Crests; an embryo with the markers for two different Crests likely self-destructs, leading to miscarriage, while an embryo with the markers for the father’s Crest rather than the mother’s could lead to major health issues for both mother and child should the baby even make it to term, similar to the complications associated with Rh-factor pregnancies where the mother is Rh-negative and the fetus is Rh-positive. (Baby dragons who naturally don’t share their parents’ Crests are technically a nonissue since dragons probably have an easy way out of this: they can lay eggs).

But what happens when you specifically aim to get two Crests on a single host? Absolutely horrific things. Lysithea attested that the kids in her extended family suffered and died one by one at the hands of the Twisted conducting the Crest experiments -- which, unfortunately, makes sense when you think about Crests not wanting to share hosts. After hijacking a host’s systems, a Crest genome also starts producing antibodies to protect the host from infection by other sources; this is still true in second-generation Crestbearers on, who naturally produce antibodies to stave off a new infection -- so if a second Crest ‘donation’ is introduced, the ingrained Crest is going to fight back hard. The host body’s immune system goes on the attack in an attempt to drive off the invader, destroying cells that have been ‘infected’ by the new genetic material in order to stop the spread of the second virus; in cases like Lysithea, where there was no ingrained Crest, both try to claim a foothold and then start attacking one another in a bid for dominance, trying to root the other out so that only one is left. Most often, this autoimmune response is fatal, tearing the host apart from the inside as their body’s defenses target their own systems as foreign entities; in cases where it isn’t, and the host miraculously survives the procedure to gain two Crests, the internal fighting leads to significant genetic decay and a drastically reduced lifespan rather than an increased one -- which contributed both to Lysithea’s grave life expectancy and her two Minor Crests, despite likely getting infusions of pure blood.

(As a note, the Crest of Flames plays by entirely different rules because it’s so much stronger than anything else; survival is rare even in humans without Crests, and it’s likely the only Crest with the potential to establish itself at full strength even with a pre-existing Crest trying to fight against it, as in Edelgard’s case.)

And all of this finally leads us to the question of what happens should someone with the wrong Crest bear a particular Relic. Well, Crests don’t like to share bodies. There’s a major dissonance between the heart and body vs the blood, and while it’s not likely to do (much) harm in the short term, too long with it and the Relic will probably try to straight-up attack whoever is wielding it, possibly causing recoil-type damage each time it’s used, since that foreign Crest is viewed as a threat to the overall system. In cases where there is no Crest on the user, the Relic is trying to recreate a system, using the wielder’s body as a crux to build a larger form off of; where the Crest is just wrong, they would probably never go full-on Beast, even if the Creststone does activate enough to overtake the wielder, since the whole intention of overwhelming them is to snuff their life out and eliminate the threat to the body system, at which point it would return to effective dormancy once the ‘infection’ has been taken care of.

#answered #anonymous #fire emblem: three houses #fe:3h spoilers #headcanon #i left this out of the first one because then it would have been too long #now i just have two super-long reads about speculative science in fe:3h

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lady-byleth · 5 years

Text

Byleth gets into the habit of singing Sothis's song after she fuses with her

At first she merely hums it when she's alone to test what it's like to make sounds that are different than talking.

She has never sung before so the experience is thrilling but also terrifying in a way.

After a while, probably in the middle of the war but the days bleed together for them all, she sings it for the first time and realizes that the melody and words - both foreign and nostalgic in a way only a fusion between someone young and someone ancient can feel - help calm her down significantly

When she sings, it's like she's flying far above the world that is being torn apart and nothing can keep her in her room when she does.

She wanders Garreg Mach at night, many nights, and sings to herself until she finds the place she feels most at ease.

After a while a rumor begins to spread of someone singing near the pond and while Ashe and Lysithea are both convinced a ghost has finally taken residence in the Monastery, Claude and Shamir have already investigated the rumor and figured out its Byleth

Shamir decides to just leave her alone, everyone needs a moment to themself sometimes, but Claude knows Byleth better than that and one night silently sits down beside her and leans back to look at the stars

When Byleth stops and looks at him he just smiles and jerks his head in a "go on" kind of way

And Byleth knows him just as well as he knows her so she smiles and sings again, quietly

They spend many sleepless nights at the pond, an agreement to come here whenever dreams keep them away left unspoken but understood all the same, and it's something that carries over into their life after the war

When Claude returns to join his Queen and pulls her close, still standing on the battle field and filthy, she greets him by softly singing into his ear

When their first child gets fuzzy at night they sit together and he watches her sing the little prince to sleep

When he's old and grey the last thing he hears is her voice as he passes on peacefully, and then he waits for her, singing her song to himself for the first time

No matter how long he has to wait for her, he will do so with the song that always feels a little bit like her and even an eternity is bearable when even a shadow of her is there

When she finally joins him, still radiant as the sun, he pulls her close and holds her for another eternity

And she sings

#fire emblem three houses #three houses spoilers #byleth eisner #byleth #claude von riegan #claudeth #bylaude #claudleth

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crackimagines · 5 years

Note

Would you please do HC’s for the blue lions reacting to Child!Byleth’s transformation after the sealed forest fight against Kronya and Solon? I love your writing!

HOLY SHIT THATS A LOT OF YOU NOW THAT I ACTUALLY PUT THESE TOGETHER

Child!Byleth Post Masterlist here!

Sorry it took me a bit to get to this concept, and thanks for the kind words, anons!

As for this ask, I’ll only be doing Blue Lions as I’m afraid that I’ll just make 3 different variations that pretty much have the same reactions.

AND also I’ll be combining ALL of these asks into one since it falls under the same umbrella pretty much so FUSION ASKS TO COMBINE INTO A MEGA ONE! Quality over quantity as I say.

Thanks for the asks anons, @straynoel, and @hopeful-blue-wanderer! I hope you enjoy!

though I’m not doing the KH music bit, this is a bit too serious for that lmao

—–

Adjustments (FE: Three Houses Short Fic)

Child!Byleth Professor AU

Everyone’s trying to get used to the new professor after his transformation but…Some are having a bit of a hard time trying to…

—–

When Byleth finally woke back up at first everyone was excited that he was alright.

However, they seemed to notice he was…different.

Felix noticed that the tiny professor no longer came to free-form training, always shutting himself away.

Sylvain couldn’t recall the last time he smiled, even in the presence of Flayn. It was like he was hollow inside, and considering how he was before, it was extremely concerning.

During the lectures, Ingrid began counting how many times it looked like he was completely out of it, his mind seemingly not even there sometimes.

Dedue and Ashe realized that he had been eating less and less lately. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy their cooking, it seemed more like he couldn’t even stomach anything.

Annette and Mercedes were crushed by how expressionless he had become lately. Granted, he never was that expressive to begin with. However, even his words seemed half-hearted, and they were one of the first ones to notice whenever he smiled it wasn’t genuine.

At some point or another, Dimitri heard his classmate’s thoughts on the situation, and it seemed like the entire school was catching on.

He didn’t know what happened to his professor that caused this sudden shift, but he wouldn’t let this happen.

Byleth was finally beginning to show so much emotion, and now it was about to be taken away? Dimitri refused that fate. The class needed the professor back.

Midnight, Cathedral…

Dimitri went to the Cathedral to pray until he saw a small green haired child in front of the statues.

No doubt about it, it was Byleth.

“Professor?”

Byleth didn’t turn to face Dimitri, but replied.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

“Something like that…truth be told, the reason why I’m up is because I’m worried about you.”

“…I’m sorry I made you worry then, Dimitri.”

“Well, it’s not just me, professor. Everyone’s worried. Even Felix, believe it or not…!”

Byleth let out a little chuckle, though Dimitri could tell his mood would not be lifted that easily.

“I never got to ask but…what happened that day, Professor?”

Byleth stood still for a moment, considering whether or not to actually confide in Dimitri about all that happened.

…

He was waiting for some piece of advice from Sothis but…

…You’re still gone, aren’t you?

—–

“You IDIOT! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!” Sothis shouted out.

They were now trapped in some god-forsaken void, much like the ones the two communicated in.

“Are you a boulder that just keeps rolling on no matter the hill?! No, even a boulder has more sense!”

“Tch, quiet! We need to think of a way to get out of this mess!”

“That YOU GOT US INTO! CHARGING INTO AN ENEMY TRAP SO EASILY!…”

Sothis sighed. She knew that yelling wasn’t going to help.

After a bit of examination, the void they were in would not be so easily escaped…

They had no other choice…

“You know Byleth…”

Byleth turned towards her when she said his name. She never did that unless she was gravely serious about something.

Which meant the words about to come out of her mouth was not going to be good.

And it wasn’t.

She pointed out the fact she had always been inside Byleth, perhaps she was the reason he never laughed or cried as a baby, hell even know he didn’t seem to be showing much emotion…Until he started teaching the Blue Lions class, anyway.

Rhea did something, it wasn’t clear what, to fuse them together…That being said, it was going to take the power of a god to leave this hellhole…

Which meant Sothis had to disappear.

“What?! If you’re a goddess, then there can be another way, right!?”

“Calm down, when I say ‘disappear’ I do not mean all that I am will be no more. My soul will join with yours, and you and I will never be apart…But, I shall no longer have the chance to speak with you…I will miss it.”

Byleth hesitated for a moment.

Despite his grumblings throughout the year, he did come to enjoy Sothis’ company.

The fact she was able to turn back time helped him save so many lives.

The fact she was a confidant for him, without being judged for saying what was on his mind.

The fact she knew his feelings and told him what to do with them, ranging from Flayn to the idiotic banters of the other classmates.

…The fact she had become a dear friend.

“For all that you have done, Byleth…Thank you, I’m glad it was you to whom my fate was bound…”

Byleth sighed and looked at her one last time.

“I’m glad you were here with me, Sothis…”

“Recall what I said, though we are apart, I will never disappear from you. I will be watching, and you will never be alone…”

—–

He still wasn’t used to Sothis being gone.

There were so many times he expected to hear her complain about what he was doing, or when he said something, expecting a smartass remark.

Yet, there was nothing.

He tested his abilities himself, he was able to use Divine Pulse without her but…

Even though she was most likely watching…it felt incredibly lonely.

As embarrassing as it was to admit, having her as company alongside his stuffed bird at night was comforting.

She was someone he could always talk to, whether they liked it or not at times.

Even though she quite literally fused with him, he felt…empty without her.

He wanted to laugh at himself…more accurately, he wanted Sothis to laugh at the fact he was getting sentimental about something so childish but…

Still, there was nothing.

There would be nothing for the remainder of his life, most likely.

“Professor?”

Byleth turned to Dimitri, trying to act like he wasn’t so deep in thought he almost lost himself.

“Are…Are you crying?”

Byleth’s eyes went wide, reaching for his eyes.

…Sure enough, he felt a few tears coming out.

“I…guess I am.”

Dimitri sighed and looked at his professor with very harsh eyes.

“Professor, what is happening to you? It’s like you’ve become an entirely different person since you’ve gotten back!”

“I-I’m sorry…-”

“Please, don’t apologize. We…We just want to make sure that you’re still here.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Byleth, I have seen you grow up so much during the past year. At first, I was quite concerned a child would be teaching us, an emotionless one at that…But as the year went on, I saw your true colors crack here and there. Ha, with no small part from Mercedes and Annette.”

They both smiled, but Dimitri continued.

“And so…it pains me to see you going back to seems like square one.”

“…”

“Professor, I am aware that so much has happened but…we’re here for you. I’m here for you.”

Byleth sat down at one of the piers, and Dimitri sat next to him.

“Well…I want to, truthfully, but you’ll never believe me.”

“Try me.”

“The goddess, Sothis was one of my best friends, and now she’s gone.”

Dimitri honestly couldn’t tell if that was supposed to be a joke or not.

“…Just one of, right? That means you have several.”

Now, Byleth let out a genuine chuckle.

“Well, if we count my stuffed bird as one..!”

Dimitri couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“Well, he’s a good listener, but I can’t say that it’d be good to talk to him for advice.”

Byleth smiled, but his face darkened.

“…Dimitri. I hope you know I consider you someone I trust deeply. But…”

He clenched his fists.

“Everyone I trusted is gone. Dad, Sothis, my mercenary group…I don’t want to lose you as well.”

Dimitri instinctively patted Byleth’s head.

…

The fact Byleth didn’t react violently meant that he really did trust Dimitri.

“Don’t you worry, Byleth. I’m not going anywhere until my duty is done. I promise.”

Byleth looked up at Dimitri and smiled.

“…Thank you, Dimitri. I really needed to hear that.”

“Of course…Now, let’s head back shall we? It’s not a good habit to keep staying awake this late everytime you feel bad you know!”

Byleth lightly punched Dimitri in the arm, and started following him out.

Though, Dimitri noticed Byleth was very sluggish in his movement.

He must be exhausted after spilling his heart out like that…

Dimitri picked up Byleth onto his arms, giving him a piggyback ride. and started walking out.

At first, Byleth tried to squirm, but he eventually stopped.

And soon, he heard him snoring. Dimitri smiled to himself, and slowly walked back to the Professor’s room.

Five years is how long we’ll be apart soon, huh?

And to think, this single year has gone by so fast.

I wonder how our reunion will go now that you changed so much, my tiny professor…

#child!byleth #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #blue lions #fire emblem three houses imagines #fire emblem three houses headcanons #fe3h #fe16 #imagines #writing #annette fantine dominique #mercedes von martlitz #felix hugo fraldarius #sylvain jose gautier #ingrid brandl galatea #dedue molinaro #ashe duran #sothis

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