Chapter 1: The Ever-Present Ghost

"I still haven't seen a battlefield this intense," a man in black armor with dark blue hair said, watching as hundreds of heavily armored soldiers clashed all around him.

"Pray we don't go to war, then. This looks… unnecessarily dangerous," a young girl with massive dark green twin-tails said from next to him, her gaze noticing a man literally being trampled after having lost his footing for a moment. As she looked up, a flaming spear descended from the sky and caused a massive explosion, flames erupting all around it and consuming anyone in the immediate area.

"I'm fine with not fighting anyone like that," the man said, watching a massive hulking man in black armor rise from the center of the explosion, his hands grasping an incredibly powerful burning sword. "Or stronger," he continued, watching as a woman with light green hair and a draconic headdress charged the man.

"How does she do that, really? I thought heels hard to move in, but the speed on that woman… and that air!" the girl said, watching said warrior deftly get around the whip-like blade the massive man used before striking him with a flying kick. "Byleth, you must learn to move like that!"

"I don't wear heels, Sothis," Byleth said.

"The heels are irrelevant! They must be!" Sothis said, floating into the air so she could scream directly into his ear.

"Hey. Time to wake up," the voice of his father called. Byleth opened his eyes automatically, whatever grip his dream had on him apparently long gone after his impromptu nap. He glanced around for a moment, having nearly forgotten why he was back at the only inn in Remire Village. He caught sight of his father, Jeralt, standing near the window, his large figure almost blocking out the moonlight making its way into the room. His observation didn't escape his father's notice, as Jeralt continued speaking. "Were you having that dream again?"

"I was dreaming about a young girl," Byleth said, rising from his chair to approach his father. He shrugged, letting the dark armor he wore shift slightly before retrieving his sword, which rested next to where he had been napping. Sothis looked rather annoyed at the sudden change in scenery as she lazed about on the only bed in the room, but he paid her no mind. After all, nobody else knew she existed, but Byleth thought she could use a bit of entertainment. "Messy green hair, short, weird crown and dress, speaks like-"

"Don't worry, I remember. You've described her to me before. Still, I don't think I've ever met anyone like that," Jeralt said. Sothis stuck her tongue out at Jeralt, always a bit annoyed at how much he brushed off her existence as nothing more than his son's odd fantasy. "In any case, just put that out of your mind for now. The battlefield is no place for idle thoughts. Risking your life is part of the job for mercenaries like us. Letting your mind wander is a sure way to get yourself killed."

"I've only done this for a decade," Byleth said with a nod.

"You're still his child," Sothis chided.

"Hmph, got a point there," Jeralt said with a small grin. "Anyways, we'd better get moving. Our next job is in the Kingdom. I told you before. It's far from here, so we'll need to leave at dawn."

"Of course. Bandits near Sreng, right?" Byleth said, putting a hand to his chin as he tried to recall the details of the job request from yesterday.

"Good grief, don't worry about who we're fighting," Jeralt said. "We'll know when we get there. Now c'mon. Everyone else is already waiting outside."

"Now? What is it with your father and marching when nobody-" Sothis began.

"Jeralt, sir!" a voice boomed as the door to the room opened. Byleth and Jeralt both turned their attention to one of the newer mercenaries to join their company, whom, after a quick glance, they both realized weren't very familiar with. "Sorry to barge in, but your presence is needed."

"What's happened?" Jeralt asked, inwardly thankful for whatever urgency the situation must have.

"Three nobles arrived at the village, and are requesting our aid," the mercenary said.

"At this hour?" Jeralt asked, already heading downstairs. Byleth silently followed behind, the trio exiting the small inn and making it to the edge of the village in almost no time at all. Upon arriving, the leader of the trio bowed to them almost immediately.

"Please forgive our intrusion," the blonde boy said. He wore a regal black and gray uniform with a striking blue cape and sash held together by golden adornments. "We wouldn't bother you were the situation not dire."

"I certainly hope not. This company doesn't take kindly to tricksters," Sothis said, floating along behind Byleth.

"What do a bunch of kids like you want at this hour?" Jeralt asked, trying to get to the point of this surprise visit as soon as possible.

"We're being pursued by a group of bandits," the blonde boy explained. "I can only hope that you will be so kind as to lend your support."

"Bandits? Here?" Jeralt asked.

"It's true. They attacked us while we were at rest in our camp," the silver-haired girl said. Like her blonde compatriot, she wore a primarily black and gray uniform complete with cape, though her cape was red.

"We've been separated from our companions and we're outnumbered," the dark-haired boy opposite the girl said, placing his hand on his forehead as if recollecting the chain of events that led to the group's predicament. "They're after our lives… not to mention our gold."

"I'm impressed you're staying so calm considering the situation," Jeralt said. "I… Wait. That uniform…"

"Bandits spotted just outside the village!" the mercenary that called for Jeralt yelled from the nearby watchtower. "Damn… looks like there's a lot of them!"

"Oh my… that really is quite a group," Sothis said, peering over towards the forest. It only took Byleth a moment for her vision to replace his, and he could make out several men moving towards the village with others moving through the woodwork.

"I guess they followed you all the way here," Jeralt said, unfazed by the mercenary's announcement. "We can't abandon this village now."

"It would be difficult to find another good resting point in this region," Byleth said. His sudden speech seemed to surprise the trio in front of him, though it seemed as if they reacted for different reasons.

"Come now, these people have been kind to you! Surely you would hate to see them perish!" Sothis said, floating around to give him a stern glare.

"That's one reason, I suppose. I know you just woke up, but I hope you're ready for a fight," Jeralt said. He turned to the men on the watchtower and cleared his throat before speaking again. "You two, gather the others and cover the other entrances to the village! I don't want this place getting overrun by bandits!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" the mercenaries called before hurrying off to rally their allies.

"Kid, I need to grab my horse. You take charge until I get back," Jeralt said, heading back into the village. Byleth nodded as Jeralt headed back into the village, moving around the three nobles and taking a quick measure of them based on their physique and the weapons they carried.

"Excuse me, but…" the blonde boy began, feeling a bit apprehensive about the observation.

"You three are with me," Byleth said, turning his attention towards the outskirts of the village. "Follow my lead until my father returns."

Before anyone could protest, a few unruly men carrying weapons came into view. "Looks like we don't have much of a choice," the dark-haired boy said. "Oh, uh, just for reference, I'm Claude. Blondie over there is is Dimitri and miss stern-face herself is Edelgard."

"If you have the time to make jokes, perhaps you have the time to prepare for battle," Edelgard said, hoisting the axe she kept at her side up to her shoulder. She looked over to Byleth, who seemed to be taking a quick survey of how the incoming thieves were spreading out. "We'll follow your lead for now. What's your name?"

"Byleth. Get ready."

"Is the enemy charging us already?" Dimitri asked as he readied his lance, watching as a group of swordsmen seemed to be nearing their position.

"Seems like they're testing the waters… that's quite a few of them, though I don't think any of them are qualified beyond being able to lift a sword," Sothis said.

"No, but they think they can overwhelm us with numbers," Byleth said as he drew his sword. "If we kill the ones at the front, they'll reconsider."

Before anyone could protest, Byleth began charging forwards to meet the enemy head-on. "Wait, really? That's it, our plan is to attack?!" Claude asked as Dimitri and Edelgard followed after Byleth.

"If we are to follow his lead, we must charge as well!" Dimitri called.

"Can't argue with that, I guess," Claude said, following a slight distance behind the trio.

As Byleth reached the wave of incoming enemies, he saw and heard his first opponent throw out some taunt or the other. His rebuttal was a swift lunging slash that tore through cloth and flesh alike, almost bisecting his foolhardy opponent in one move. He could see the shock spread through the rest of the now slowing thieves and capitalized on the nearest one with a powerful upwards swing that had enough force to launch his target into the air for a few moments.

"Well, that was even more underwhelming than I thought," Sothis said, hovering above Byleth and already seeing the cracks in their opponents' fragile morale.

Edelgard followed Byleth's attack, striking at the apparent leader of the group with a powerful strike from her axe. Despite the man raising his sword in time to block, the sheer force of her attack brushed his weapon aside and let her tear into his upper body, almost felling him in a single strike. An overhead arrow finished the job for her, Claude's quick follow-up coming almost immediately after her attack. Dimitri managed a single strike on one of the thieves as well, though by then his target seemed to have abandoned the fight altogether as the man had already begun fleeing for his life.

"Well, I had my doubts for a moment, but look at them run," Claude said. "It's because of you I'm not dead right now. Thanks for that! I didn't expect to run into a mercenary like you in some remote village. The Gods of fortune must be smiling on me!"

"The fighting isn't over yet, fool! We only managed to scare off the first of the lot!" Sothis said, her vision once again replacing Byleth's

"We'll advance and wait for them in the thickets. Our best option is to remain well defended and weather incoming attacks," Byleth said, beginning a quick jog towards the nearest thickets.

"No time to chat, huh?" Claude asked before the trio took off after him.

"He has a strange aura about him…" Edelgard said.

"We are in his debt," Dimitri said, hurrying past Edelgard to take up position near Byleth. "It wouldn't do for us to fall in a place like this. He has lent us his strength, so let us work together to drive out these thieves!"

"If he's truly a mercenary, then I'm certain he'll show us what he can do," Edelgard said.

"My, aren't you the center of attention?" Sothis teased as she floated back over to Byleth, the overheard conversations also reaching his ears through the strange connection they shared. "Ah, but isn't that your father back there?"

"He'll join us as soon as he can," Byleth said, readying his sword as more thieves approached. He and Dimitri firmly stood their ground as their attackers approached, each using brute force to block the incoming attacks before pushing back with one of their own. Claude and Edelgard took their opportunity to finish off the weakened attackers, though Edelgard had moved out into the open for her kill.

As she turned to prepare for the incoming attack, a loud gallop seemed to speed up. Before either she or her attacker could react, Jeralt gored the thief on his lance. The man screamed for a few moments as Jeralt's horse turned around, dragging his body along the ground before he fell silent. His lance had carved entrails along the ground, the man's body sticking to his lance for some time before it rolled off and split apart. "Ugh, missed… that's going to leave a stink," Jeralt muttered as he shook his lance off, bits and pieces of his opponent's innards falling free of it and blood dripping from the cloth he kept around its neck. "Good work, you kids. Now let's get rid of these idiots and be done with this."

"Did he just…?" Claude began, eyes wide as Jeralt came around. Dimitri and Edelgard both seemed taken aback by the move as well, taking a closer look at Jeralt as he rejoined the group.

"Strange… is it just me, or do they recognize your father?" Sothis asked. "Ah, but now's not the time to wonder. Seems the last of them on their way… with what appears to be their leader."

"There's the last of them. Let's be smart about this… it's a perfect opportunity to use the Combat Arts I taught you," Jeralt said, nodding to Byleth as he began advancing. He seemed to notice the odd gazes lingering on him and scowled. "If you brats have time to gawk, you have time to fight! Or do they not teach that anymore?"

Snapping back to attention, Dimitri, Edelgard, and Claude turned their attention back towards Byleth, who was meeting two incoming opponents already. He stooped down low and brought his sword over his shoulder before a light glow appeared around him, sizing up his targets before he suddenly spun around and swung in a wide arc. There was a small tempest encircling him for a moment, which only accentuated the bisection of both his attackers. As he righted himself, Jeralt rode past him and swung his lance up in an arc, taking the arm off a thief before his horse trampled him underfoot. "Jeigan's in a foul mood… then again, he always is in a foul mood when he has to work late, isn't he?" Sothis asked, resting her cheek on her palm as she floated next to Byleth. "The children are handling a few who went around us, but they should be fine. For now, we have more pressing matters to deal with," she continued, turning her attention to a bearded man heading their way with an axe slung over his shoulder.

"Hey, you with the blank stare! Outta my way!" the bearded man screamed.

"Careful," Sothis said, snapping to attention. Byleth had a feeling his next opponent was a bit tougher than the rest, but Sothis' warning made him take on a fully defensive stance, drawing the dagger at his waist and holding it in front of him in his left hand while he kept his sword resting on his shoulder in his right hand.

The bandit leader let out a battle cry as he swung, Byleth hastily backing away to avoid the hit. Landing on his back foot, he thrust himself forwards dagger first. The bandit was much nimbler than he realized, hurriedly leaning backwards while taking a few quick steps back to avoid the blade. Byleth quickly shifted his weight, withdrawing the dagger as he brought his sword overhead for a powerful strike. The bandit managed to get his axe up and block the attack, but the force of the hit knocked him backwards into a surprisingly deft roll. "Not bad," Byleth said, returning to his defensive stance. Another thief ran into the fray, approaching Byleth as the leader prepared to charge.

Unlike Jeralt's last victim, the leader noticed the hoofbeats and backed away as Byleth engaged his subordinate, diving out of the way of Jeralt's lance as he passed by. When he looked back at his attacker coming back around, his eyes almost burst out of their sockets. "What the?! Aren't you Jeralt the Bladebreaker?!" he screamed as Jeralt sized him up. "What's a renowned mercenary like you doing here?"

"I'm the one who should be complaining. I'm caught up in the mess you started!" Jeralt said, Jeigan digging one of its front feet into the ground as it prepared to charge once again. Before the leader could say anything, Jeralt rode forth once more. This time, his lance thrust had to be blocked mid-dodge, the impact sending the leader skidding along the ground.

"Damnit, we didn't sign up for something like this!" the leader said, barely pushing himself up to look around. He saw Byleth drive his dagger into the neck of his opponent, kicking him to the floor as the life left him. Jeralt seemed to have found another target and was making short work of him, leaving the bandit leader with few options. "Agh, pull yourself together Kostas… we just need to kill some of those noble brats…" he muttered.

In the distance, Kostas saw Edelgard hurl her axe after a fleeing thief, the weapon tearing into their back as she let out a quick huff of exhaustion, likely from chasing the man down. Kostas saw his chance. He grunted as he flipped back up to his feet, his eyes focused on the now unarmed Edelgard.

"What is she doing unarmed?!" Sothis screamed. Byleth turned towards Edelgard immediately, the girl letting out a gasp as she drew a dagger from her waist to try and defend herself. Byleth broke into a sprint to get between Edelgard and Kostas, certain the girl would be unable to defend herself. "And don't just go running in!" she yelled, a glowing circle forming in front of her as she held her hands out. Byleth had pushed Edelgard aside, but Kostas was already mid-strike.

Byleth found himself frozen for a moment, taking in the situation for a few brief seconds before his body could move once more. He was no longer in the middle of combat, but amidst a strange dark plane with only a single stone throne that Sothis was seated upon. "Are you trying to get us killed?!" Sothis asked. "Throwing yourself before an axe to save some girl you've just met… what were you thinking?"

"… If I turn quickly enough, I can deflect the strike," Byleth said.

"Phooey! You've fought enough to know at best you'll escape this situation with permanent injury!" Sothis said. "You, and by extension, I, could have died if I didn't intervene! For a 'brilliant' fighter, that was a horrible decision! We have no choice but to turn back time, and you know how much that tires me. The last time, I slept for half a Moon before waking!"

"Then don't turn back time unless I'm struck," Byleth said. He focused on Sothis, and saw the world frozen in time. His own form slightly hunched forwards, the bandit leader in midair less than a few feet away from him, and the shocked girl falling to the ground. "… I can deflect this. It will be difficult, but doable."

"Oh, do you consider yourself a big, strong man now?" Sothis asked. "I've saved you with this power multiple times before, but now that it's been a year since the last time, you can go without it?"

"No. But I don't want you to disappear again," Byleth said. Sothis seemed rather surprised at his claim, but he held eye contact with her regardless. "Please, let me handle this if I can."

"… Very well. I shall only intervene if you are struck," Sothis said, a small smile creeping onto her face. "Prepare yourself… time will flow again."

Byleth felt his body returning to its previous state, and his surroundings fell into place again. As soon as he began feeling again, he willed his body to turn. When time truly began, Byleth pivoted and swung his sword, the blade clashing against the axe of his attacker. Metal scraped against metal as the axe began to break apart for the briefest of moments as the bandit leader's eyes widened, but the force of his attack was too much. Though put off course and heavily damaged, the axe slid off the blade and descended on Byleth's shoulder, caving through his armor and cutting into bone. Similarly, Byleth's sword tore through the bandit leader's chest, partially impaling him as the two began to tumble to the ground. "… It was a valiant effort," Sothis said as the world froze once more.

Byleth muttered an apology as everything faded to black, fully aware of the activation of Sothis' powers despite pain screaming through his upper body. He rapidly saw events play in reverse from outside of his body, likely from where Sothis had been watching him, before it returned to the point at which Edelgard had thrown her axe.

In the distance, Kostas saw Edelgard hurl her axe after a fleeing thief, the weapon tearing into their back as she let out a quick huff of exhaustion, likely from chasing the man down. Kostas saw his chance. He grunted as he flipped back up to his feet, his eyes focused on the now unarmed Edelgard.

Rushing to intercept the bandit leader, Byleth tossed his dagger the moment he began running. Kostas had only taken a few steps before needing to slow down, the dagger's glint in the moonlight alerting him to the pre-emptive strike. Edelgard seemed to notice as well, drawing her dagger as she realized Kostas was headed for her.

Byleth was faster than Kostas and got in front of Edelgard with his sword at his side, his grip on it tightening as his opponent neared him. Now moving slightly slower, Kostas couldn't make a proper jump and instead went for a powerful overhead strike. Focusing on the weak part of his axe, Byleth swung upwards in one swift move, his blade hitting the damaged part he recognized with enough force to not only shatter the axe, but send Kostas flying backwards.

Letting out a deep breath, Byleth relaxed slightly as he prepared to finish the bandit off. "Hey, over here!" Claude called, getting him and Edelgard's attention for a moment. Kostas scrambled back to his feet and took off running in that moment, Byleth only noticing the man's escape as Claude and Dimitri approached. Jeralt rode over as well, his eyes firmly fixed on Byleth.

"Hey… did you just…?" Jeralt began.

"The Knights of Seiros are here!" a voice boomed from nearby. "We'll cut you down for terrorizing our students… Hey, the thieves are running away! Go after them!"

"That voice… oh, no," Jeralt muttered as soldiers in white armor began filing through the area, seemingly in pursuit of the men he had just been fighting. A large, burly man wielding a large axe in rather imposing armor approached the group, his attention seemingly set on the three nobles they had just rescued.

"The students seem to be unharmed… and who's this?" he asked, his voice almost as loud as it was from when he was issuing orders.

"Ugh… why him?" Jeralt asked as he put a hand to his forehead.

"Captain Jeralt?!" the armored man asked upon seeing him. "It is you! Goodness, it's been ages. Don't you recognize me? It's Alois! Your old right-hand man! Well, that's how I always thought of myself anyway. It must have been twenty years ago that you went missing without a trace. I always knew you were still alive!"

"My, that's a lot to take in!" Sothis said. Byleth almost jumped out of his skin, his head jerking to the left only to see Sothis floating there as if nothing had happened. She seemed to expect his reaction and giggled. "I'm as surprised as you are but do give this Alois your attention for the time being."

"You haven't changed a bit, Alois. Just as loud as ever," Jeralt said. "And do drop that 'Captain' nonsense. I'm not your captain anymore," Jeralt said, a look of exasperation on his face. "These days, I'm just a wandering mercenary. One who has work to do. Good-bye, old friend."

"Right… Good-bye, Captain," Alois said, seemingly falling into rhythm with Jeralt on instinct. For a moment, it seemed as if he were about to leave before he realized what just happened. "Wait! That isn't how this ends. I insist that you return to the monastery with me!"

"Garreg Mach Monastery… I suppose this was inevitable," Jeralt said. The exasperation on his face seemed to be replaced by something else entirely, but he lowered his head to keep it from showing.

"And how about you, kid?" Alois asked, shifting his attention to Byleth. "Are you the captain's child?"

"I'm a bandit," Byleth said, deciding some celebration was in order due to Sothis' non-disappearance.

"Haha! Great sense of humor, this one," Alois said, a huge smile forming on his face. "Clearly cut from the same cloth as the captain."

"Well, he's certainly a spirited one," Sothis said with a smile.

"I'd love for you to see the monastery too. You will join me, won't you?" Alois asked. Byleth glanced at Jeralt, who simply sighed. "What's the matter, captain? You aren't thinking of running off again, are you?"

"Even I wouldn't dare run from the Knights of Seiros," Jeralt said. "We'll join you."

"These Knights of Seiros do seem rather skilled," Sothis said. "It seems there's been a change of plans, then. Shame. We've never been to Sreng this time of year."

After Jeralt made the rounds to the rest of his men and went about informing them of the change of plans, Byleth found himself approached by the three students they saved after retrieving his dagger. "You're clearly an experienced mercenary," Edelgard began, not even bothering with a greeting. "And your father… that would be Jeralt, the Blade Breaker? Former captain of the Knights of Seiros. Oft praised as the strongest knight to ever live. Have I missed anything?"

"Again, more mystery! Just who are these Knights, anyways?" Sothis said, hovering behind Byleth's shoulder.

"The Knights of Seiros?" Byleth asked.

"You haven't heard of the Knights of Seiros? The most famous order of knights in all of Fodlan?" Edelgard asked, seemingly shocked by Byleth's question.

"Would we have asked if knew them?!" Sothis retorted, annoyed at Edelgard's lack of explanation.

"Hey, you're coming with us to the monastery, right?" Claude asked.

"No, no, no don't change the topic! We want answers!" Sothis said.

"Of course you are," Claude continued with a grin. "I'd love to bend your ear as we travel. Oh, I should mention that the three of us are students of the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery. We were doing some training exercises when those bandits attacked. I definitely got the worst of it."

"That would be because you ran off," Edelgard said.

"It would seem we aren't getting any answers out of these three," Sothis said as she rolled her eyes.

"Too true! I was the first to make a strategic retreat," Claude said with a grin. "Everything would have worked out if these two hadn't followed me and ruined everything," he continued, putting a hand to his forehead. "Because of them, every single one of those bandits chased after us. Utterly ridiculous."

"Ah, so that's what you were thinking, Claude," Dimitri chimed. "And here I thought you were acting as a decoy for the sake of us all."

"His intentions were as clear as day. You will prove a lacking ruler if you cannot see the truth behind a person's words," Edelgard chastised.

"Hm. You will prove a lacking ruler yourself if you look for deceit behind every word and fail to trust those whom you rely on," Dimitri retorted.

"Oh, joy! A royal debate between Their Highnesses," Claude said with a smirk. "I wonder how being completely predictable affects one's ability to wield power. Personally, as the embodiment of distrust, I'd say your little exchange smacks of naivete."

"Me? Naïve?" Edelgard asked, quickly furrowing her brow. "Tell me, are you actually incapable of keeping quiet, or is your lack of self-awareness a condition of some sort?"

"In any case, forgive our digression," Dimitri said. "I must speak with you, if you can spare a moment."

"Oh, are you finally going to tell us what the Knights of Seiros are?" Sothis mocked, already aware that this was about to be something completely unrelated to their original query. Byleth simply nodded, though he was unsure as to why he asked to speak despite already being in conversation.

"The way you held your ground against the bandits' leader was captivating! You never lost control of the situation," Dimitri began, looking genuinely in awe of the person he was speaking to.

"About that…" Sothis said, a huge smile on her face as Byleth simply accepted the praise being thrown at him.

"It showed me I still have much to learn," Dimitri continued.

"Your skill is precisely why I must ask you to consider lending your services to the Empire," Edelgard said.

"… Excuse me?" Sothis asked.

"I might as well tell you now. I am no mere student. I am also the Adrestian Empire's-"

"Halt, Edelgard," Dimitri said, a rare glimpse of annoyance crossing his face for a moment. "Please allow me to finish my own proposition. The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus is in dire need of exceptional individuals like yourself. Please, do consider returning to the Kingdom with me."

"Whoa, there!" Claude said. "You two sure are hasty. Trying to recruit someone you just met. Tactless, really. I was personally planning to develop a deep and lasting friendship on our journey back to the monastery before begging for favors."

"At least one of them has the right idea of how to ask for things," Sothis said.

"But, it seems there's no time for niceties in this world," Claude continued. "So, capable stranger, let's get right to it. Where does your allegiance lie?"

"Is one's place of birth really that significant to them?" Sothis asked. She sighed. "Well, whichever choice you make matters little to me… I'm certain we'll be kept woefully in the dark regardless of our choice."

Byleth couldn't help but agree with Sothis' opinion. He didn't even know where he was from, and frankly, never thought where someone came from meant anything. He and his father only worked for one thing, so he decided there could only be one true answer to this question. "… With whoever pays the most," Byleth said. The three students all seemed a bit taken aback by his answer.

"Is honesty so shocking? He is a mercenary," Sothis said.

"All right, that's enough with the small talk! Time to head back to the monastery!" Alois said as he approached the group.

"Looks like we'll have to pick this up another time," Claude said, seemingly giving Byleth a quick once over as if trying to better understand him before heading off. Dimitri seemed a bit disheartened, albeit accepting of Byleth's answer. Edelgard looked rather disappointed, as if she were expecting something more from him.

"My, my. They are in such a hurry," Sothis said, watching them follow after Alois. "You know… each of the three is most unique. For instance, that girl you saved… Edelgard, was it?"

"She seems like a refined young woman," Byleth whispered. "… Though it feels like she's always evaluating me."

"As if she were trying to take you apart and see what makes you tick… I shudder to think what would happen if she found out about my existence," Sothis said. "As for the boys, that Dimitri seemed very sincere… yet I can't help but feel as if there's something off about him. Like there's a darkness within him…"

"Indeed… he felt like he was restraining himself," Byleth agreed. "As for Claude, he seems easy going and quick to smile… but his eyes are too focused for that."

"An approachable front, but who knows what he's thinking…" Sothis said. She let out a big yawn, floating out of Byleth's line of sight as her image dimmed. "Oh, it appears my power is still rather draining… but I feel as if I only need a short rest…"

"It's fine. I doubt anything will happen during our travel," Byleth said.

"Very well… oh, but… what are the Knights of Seiros, again? Oh well…" Sothis murmured before vanishing. Left standing alone in the forest clearing, Byleth decided to return to Remire and ensure his things were packed. He wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling this would be a long trip.