Ever found yourself in a situation you thought impossible? Unlikely.

This might sound out of the realm of possibility but hear me out. If you were to be transported to another world, one you know fairly well, what would you do?

Sure it might be fun at first, but when reality starts sinking in, and add to it the fact that you have no idea how you got there in the first place or even a way to return, things might start taking a different turn.

Suddenly you're fighting for your life and begging for food just to live another day. Doesn't sound so fun anymore, does it?

Realism is bitch, you know it, I know it, we all know it. But you know what they say, there is always a light at the end of every tunnel. Thing is, reaching its end is not so simple.

6th day of the Great Tree Moon, Year 1180

Bump, bump, bump.

Oh, and would you look at that? Another bump.

There goes my 14th attempt to nap in the span of an hour.

I thank whatever god is watching me from above that I have a cushion beneath my ass, otherwise this journey would've been far more unpleasant than what it already is. Bumpy roads like this don't allow much room for a nap without your head bobbing up and down every single minute. How can people stand this torture is beyond me.

Aside from cities and a few towns, there are hardly any paved roads in Fódlan, most of them are just made of dirt and as a result, it can get really messy when it rains. Luckily for me, I haven't had that problem as of yet. Let's hope it stays that way.

I took a peek through the window to admire what little scenery I could lay my eyes on. Surrounded by whitish mountains, mostly covered in green of what I assume is grass or undergrowth, with little to no trees since we entered the mountainous region. All of that was accompanied by a cloudless, infinite-looking blue sky. Simple yet beautiful.

Long behind were the valleys of the Alliance and the endless fields of the Empire, now everything was just mountains with a few cliffs along the way.

Leaning on my seat, I let out a sigh.

We were going uphill and while the wagon wasn't too slanted, it had been in that position for a few hours now, I assume (and hope) we're getting close to our destination.

I am not a road trip guy. Never was and most likely never will. I'm the kind of person that stays at home unless needed elsewhere. Unfortunately for me, this trip was very much needed, for more than one reason.

It might look that I am inexperienced in this sort of thing but this isn't my first long trip on a wagon. Although calling it long would be a little bit of an overstatement. The trip to Enbarr though, that's one I rather not repeat ever again. As much as I enjoyed my stay in the capital, I prefer not to return in the near future if it means swallowing a week and a half inside a wagon again.

On the other hand, the one I'm making right now is just a few days longer. Garreg Mach is not too far from home after all.

Home.

It still feels weird to call that 'place' home.

The manor where I was staying for the past year and a half with my adoptive father, Lord Navarro and his family. He owns some holdings on the northeastern side of the Empire. His holdings are nothing too impressive when compared to the major noble houses, but he has pride for them and does the best he can to manage them. For the little time I have known him, I can honestly say he is a good man.

He offered to adopt me not too long after our first meeting. Although his reasons for doing so were questionable. Nonetheless, he cared for me as if I was his own child, giving me a roof over my head and teaching me the way of nobility. While I do admit I am not a fan of said social standards, it does have a certain charm to it and it's the least I could do to pay back Lord Navarro's generosity.

Anything is better than returning to the streets.

His decision to enroll me in the Officer's Academy was made known to me a few months ago. Many were the reasons for doing so, the main one being to increase House Navarro's influence within the Empire's political scene, even if a little.

Aside from the basics, I know little of the Empire's politics for the time being. My familiarity with it is foreign at best. Lord Navarro was keen on teaching me about it himself in his spare time but his duties kept him busy enough so he rarely had time for it. He said he will give me the proper tutelage once I graduate.

Little does he know that I won't be graduating this year, nor any of the students for that matter.

That's probably my main reason for accepting to enroll in the Officer's Academy.

To partake in the events to come.

I possess a certain foreknowledge of events that will take place in the following year. Centered for the most part around Garreg Mach. These events will lead to an all-out war that will last for more than 5 years, scarring the continent and tear the entirety of it inside out.

While the outcome of the war is completely unknown to me, for now. I can tell that the path to it is filled with the death of many, deserving or not.

Even if my foreknowledge comes in useful, there are still many variables I can't take for granted. The mere fact that I exist and about to attend the Academy is reason enough to suspect that not everything will go as planned. I don't have much in terms of backup plans but I'm prepared for things to go south at any moment.

What do I mean by that? Well, anything that might lead to my death, mostly. That's the situation to avoid at all costs. No fucking way I'm going to let that happen. Not again.

The mere thought of facing death once more sends shivers down my spine and turns every inch of my skin pale. It's not a nice feeling, I will leave it at that.

Aside from my own death, I could try to ensure the survival of others but I don't think it will be an easy feat to accomplish. There is a limit to how much I can do with the limited information I have.

I could try to avoid the war from happening altogether, but is it really okay for me to do that? How would the story go if there is no war?

Regardless of what I was to try, I think the war will occur anyway. Like it or not, those are the facts I have to face. I came to that conclusion some time ago yet I've got this rather small feeling, irking within me, that says otherwise.

If for some reason I decide to take action I'd still have time to do so. It's just a matter of knowing how to approach it.

Whatever the case might be, there is no point in dwelling on what can or will go wrong right now. My focus should be on my own well being if I see it necessary I might intervene. Although I doubt that kind of situation will present itself often.

I say that now but ultimately, it all depends on Byleth, doesn't it?

The so-called 'protagonist' of the story is the one who will decide the winner of the war. His participation is of paramount importance. If this world is any similar to the one I'm familiar with, then whichever side he decides to support will emerge victorious in the war. Regardless of what I or anyone else tries, that is a fact and not a single soul can change it.

Is there any point to my presence aside from being cannon fodder with someone like him around?

Probably. I will have to wait and see. I do believe I have got a purpose to fulfill.

Whatever it is Byleth does, I still have to avoid death. I don't think I have been sent to Fódlan just to die. There must be something I have to do.

Another thing to keep in mind is my departure from the Black Eagles once Edelgard reveals her true intentions. I might be on the same side as her due to my 'origins' but that doesn't mean I will support the Empire once she starts her warpath. I sure hope Lord Navarro understands; he wouldn't want to be part of that war anyway, right?

Sadly, I don't know him that well to have an answer.

My allegiance will affect him, so that's a decision I will have to think carefully about it while I have the time.

Am I being too selfish, I wonder. Withdrawing from the Empire would be the same as showing the middle finger to Lord Navarro, I am not sure if I can do that; the guy helped me out during tough times after all. Hopefully, he will be against Edelgard or we'll have some high levels of drama going on.

Just what am I supposed to do? Like the game, there is no right path. Fuck me sideways.

"This line of thought is only making the trip even worse," I said to myself while rubbing my temples.

This internal turmoil is only making me hungry.

Groaning, I took a bag of snacks I had saved under the seat in front of me. Nothing fancy, just some cereal-based snacks I picked up on our last stop in case I felt like eating out of schedule. I had yet to try them, but I was told they were sweet so it better be-

"Master Alfonse, I can already see it. We are almost there!" a dry voice, coming from outside, announced.

Thank god.

I got up, opening the small window in the wall in front of me, one that separated the passenger area from the driver's.

"George, please tell me that by 'almost there' you mean less than ten minutes. I can't stand being on the road anymore" I stated with no attempt to hide my annoyance.

George, the driver, turned around wearing that mild smile of his and answered calmly: "I would say somewhere around twenty minutes Master, I can already see it's walls but there is still a bit of distance to cover."

It will be the longest twenty minutes of my life.

Better get ready.

Garreg Mach could be divided into two parts, the town and the monastery alongside the Officer's Academy. The town is named after the monastery due to its proximity. Obviously, to get to the monastery itself, we have to go through the town.

To get into the town you have to pass its massive walls, albeit I feel that word might not do justice to how big those walls actually are, they are easily as tall as a 20 story building. Sure it might not sound like much, but here in Fódlan, that is gigantic. Its color shared a similar tone with the mountains that surrounded it with a less natural feel to it. It doesn't take much thinking to tell that both the town and monastery are more of a fortress than anything else.

The jam in the entrance was moderate but it didn't take more than a few minutes to pass the gates. After George exchanged a few words with the guards, that I didn't get to hear, we were on our way.

The town itself didn't look too different from others we visited along the way. The only real difference would be the presence of the church in it. Not only could you see a good amount of priests and nuns around town but also the Knights of Seiros. Both groups were easy to spot thanks to their outfits and the way they carried themselves, especially the knights, their shining white armor is unique.

I was just glad we were on a paved road once again, my buttcheeks were especially thankful.

It took us around ten to fifteen minutes to traverse from one side of the town to the other. While the town was by no means small, the number of merchants, church affiliates, knights and what I assume were some sort of mercenaries plus all the bustling and hustling gave off a different type of feeling. One that tricks you into perceiving the place to be much bigger than what it actually is.

I think I saw an 'Anna' somewhere in the crowd.

I will have enough time to explore the town on my days off. So my curiosity can wait to be satisfied till later.

The students get days off, right? I can't recall if they actually did, if not then that would only make my stay slightly more miserable.

I kind of know what to expect from the Officer's Academy, battle tactics, weapons training, magic, the usual. I just hope this type of school life doesn't take a heavy toll on me.

To ease my worries, I try to imagine Garreg Mach as some sort of Hogwarts even if they don't have that much in common, but hey, as long as it works.

No longer than a few minutes after leaving town, we arrived at the entrance of the Monastery.

Its architecture was something to behold. I am not an expert in the matter but the Monastery looked so different from the one I saw in Enbarr (they have one over there too). Its numerous towers and buildings decorated by pinnacles that accentuated their verticality, making it look even more imposing than they already were. It was as if it was trying to reach beyond the sky.

How did they even manage to build such architectural wonders this high into the mountains baffles me. Wouldn't that be interesting to know?

While my mind was wandering the great plains holding the aimless questions of humankind, the wagon came to a stop.

Alright, I am finally here. Remember, play it cool.

Not long after that, the door opened, letting a few rays of sunshine into the wagon and blinding me for half a second. I grabbed the small backpack I had with me and stepped outside.

Waiting outside was George, standing tall and wearing the same old and supporting smile he always has.

The first thing I did was to take a look around me. The Monastery was a sight to behold. The name didn't do justice to how magnificent it was, and I had only passed the main entrance.

"It seems you are glad to finally be at your destination Young Master, " George said, before closing the wagon's door.

I stopped admiring my surroundings and looked at him with a raised brow "Well, I did say before leaving the manor that long road trips aren't my forte," I replied while dusting off my shirt "How could you tell anyway?"

"You were smiling a second ago, it is not hard to miss. You don't do it much after all," he affirmed

Sounds weird but he is right. Since my arrival to Fódlan, I can't bring myself to smile as much as I used to. It doesn't come as naturally to me, not anymore.

"I guess that only reinforces my point of how much I dislike traveling on a wagon, not that I am blaming it on your driving skills but the road was too bumpy for my liking" I stated with slight annoyance at the memory of the four-day trip we had.

"Indeed, traveling around the countryside can have its inconveniences but I find it rather enjoyable." He began climbing to the top of the wagon and started untying the rope holding the luggage together.

After a few stretches, I took another look at my surroundings; I finally was in Garreg Mach. Ever since my arrival to Fódlan I knew I was bound to set foot in this place, the mere thought of doing so was intimidating at first but with time that feeling almost disappeared. My presence here had to have a meaning, so I mentally prepared myself for this.

I heard a person cough behind me.

"Alfonse Navarro I presume?" a feminine voice asked.

Turning around I found myself looking at what I assume, giving her attire, was a nun with two fully armored knights by her side.

"Yes, that would be me," I replied.

"Excellent, we were expecting you," she said while looking at a clipboard she had at hand. "You arrived a little later than expected so we had to make some arrangements to our schedule, I hope you don't mind."

Ah yes, we had a small delay yesterday. There was an accident and we couldn't turn a blind eye to the situation. Although I wasn't expecting it to take almost half the day.

"No, that is quite alright. It's our fault after all," I think I heard George say something as well from atop of the wagon, probably a complaint about that little delay. "What changes in the schedule are those anyway?"

Taking her eyes off the clipboard she answered "Luckily, not too much. You only missed lunch and the guide we had reserved to show you around the Monastery is unavailable, I'm afraid you'll have to do the exploring on your own."

Could be worse.

"That doesn't sound so bad, but I suppose I can manage," I said to which she simply nodded. "Wait, you can at least guide me to my room, right?"

"There are still a few students arriving today so I am unable to do so but worry not, the knights here can help you with that," she said pointing to one of the knights beside her.

That explains why the knights were there, and here I was starting to think they were being a little too tight on security.

"That helps, let me grab my luggage and we can be on our way."

I turned to grab my recently unloaded luggage, only to find myself with the surprise that I had more baggage than hands to carry it. I had three of them. Naturally, I was a little short on hands to carry them.

I have the bad habit of packing too much.

I'm going to need some help with this.

Seeing my situation; George, who was standing next to the wagon after unloading everything, came to lend me a hand.

"Let me carry this for you Young Master, I won't be seeing you for a while after all," he said.

Then one of the knights approached. "It's alright sir, I will take it for you. I'm sorry but the higher-ups don't want anyone but the students or Monastery personnel into the dorms," he said after taking the luggage from him.

George looked at me somewhat confused and disappointed to which I, due to a lack of a better reaction only shrugged.

The knights started walking towards the dorms but I told them to wait for me, I had something to do first.

I approached George, there is no way I'm leaving without giving the old man a proper goodbye.

"I guess this is it. I am sorry you had to tolerate my short temper throughout this trip George," I said, a hand scratching the back of my neck.

He chuckled to my answer "There is nothing to apologize for Master, I knew you had a bad temper when on the road and, to be honest, you are not the first one I know that acts that way."

"Still, I should keep my attitude in check," I affirmed "But that's not everything I wanted to say. I also wanted to thank you for everything you have done for me. You were one of the few that treated me kindly and accepted me on my first weeks in that house, you never glared at me, ignored me or anything of that sort. For that, I am truly grateful George, and I really mean it."

There was a brief pause after those words left my mouth, it wasn't an awkward one, but I can't deny I was a little embarrassed after saying that.

George smiled disappeared from his face, he didn't look upset though, more like he was in thought with his frown vaguely furrowed.

"I was always good at reading people and well... you didn't strike me as someone with bad intentions when we first met. You were not like the others, Alfonse. Back then, all your actions revolved around your survival. There was no ill will in them," he paused, his frown disappearing. "There is no point in beating yourself up about it, let it remain in the past. Give yourself a second chance like you've been doing these past few months," he reassured with a smile returning to his face.

It was good to know someone had a good image of me in the first days after my adoption. While Lord Navarro 'kindly' adopted me as his son, the servants were not too kind on the idea, except for a handful of them, George being one of them. Right from the get-go, he was friendly towards me. Naturally, I was cautious at first, thinking it to be some sort of trick waiting to happen. In the end, he had nothing but good intentions.

"Anyway!" He huffed, "Don't worry about such trivial matters Master, focus on enjoying your stay at the Academy, the place it's quite something, after all, that and—" he got close, almost whispering to my ear "—I heard there are a lot of pretty girls in the Academy, so don't let the chance slip." he said with a smirk, both eyebrows rapidly moving up and down.

God damn it George.

"You know I don't share father's point of view regarding that topic, right? I'm not interested in looking for a spouse right now and probably not anytime soon."

He chuckled, "You should give it a try, you never know what will happen. Did I ever tell you how I met my wife?"

"Yes, you did, like four times on our way here," I said, almost grumbling. It was a lovely story but I would rather not hear it again. "If it makes you feel any better, I will keep it in mind, alright? But beyond that, no promises."

"Works for me." He climbed to the driver's seat. "Do take care of yourself; I'll be coming for you after your graduation, Master," he said before grabbing the reins.

I don't think I'll reach that point.

Seeing George ready to depart was making me feel a little emotional. His face is the last one I will be seeing of Lord Navarro's household for a while, maybe years depending on how things go.

"Goodbye, George. Have a safe trip home." I said as nonchalantly as possible. I have an appearance to maintain after all.

Giving me a quick nod and a wave with his right hand, he pulled the reins to the left, turning the wagon and starting the annoying trip back home. This time without my presence, which means no stopping at inns, making the trip back much faster I hope.

If I wanted to leave this place, be uninvolved with the conflict to come, I can still make a run for the wagon. Tell him to stop and leave this place with him, for the better but no. Whatever destiny holds for me in the future, I just know it revolves around the main story of the game. My presence here needs to have a meaning and I will find it out.

With the wagon a few meters down the road, I swiftly took the remaining luggage that was on the ground and walked towards the knights behind me.

"So gentlemen, shall we go now?"

The walk to the dorms took longer than expected, which shouldn't have surprised me since the Monastery grounds were much larger than what the game showed. It was only expected for the distance between places to be increased as well.

Aside from the size, everything else seemed to be in 'order' with the game's information.

For example, the fishing pond in front of the dining room was at least 3 times larger than what was shown in the game but still had the same shape and fishing cabin next to it.

Sadly, I couldn't inspect the interior of any building since the walk to the dorms didn't require us passing through any of them, I followed the knights for about 7 minutes before reaching the dorms. On our way there, we passed next to the dining room, fishing pond, and greenhouse. The last one taking me by surprise, being a little tucked to the left than from what I thought was it's normal position, making for more space between it and the pond.

Speaking of knights, I got a little pep talk from them about what is expected from the students while living in the Monastery.

Nothing out of the ordinary, keep a degree of respect towards the staff and, obviously, towards the goddess herself. It was also mentioned that students will be required to fulfill certain chores each month.

Respect for the goddess was something rather obvious, given the location of the place so they didn't touch the subject much. Although they went into detail with the explanation of chores. In most cases, the teachers themselves will choose which students will do certain chores, but for the rest of them, the Headmaster will provide a list each week in which it will assign students to different chores. Most of the tasks involve helping with the care and cleaning of the monastery, help with the cooking, and suchlike.

In other words, they want the noble kids to get their hands dirty. Hardships builds character, am I right?

Once in front of the dorms, I realized that it was split in two, which one the knights explained to me was for separating boys from girls. It makes sense, the last thing the church wants is to deal with is horny teenagers.

We went up the stairs and turned to the left, the boys' side. We passed a couple of rooms until we reached what I suppose was mine, room 217.

No number 13 on it? Good.

Without much delay, the door was opened, two knights went in with me behind them. It was quite spacious, almost to the size of a normal living room even though it's design remained simple and already had some furniture in it: a bed, desk, drawers, two wardrobes, and a bedside table; all of them in a good state and, upon closer inspection, recently cleaned.

After only a few seconds inside and a quick look around, I instantly recognized the baggage that Lord Navarro had sent a few days in advance on top of the bed, alongside other gifts that he saw fit to send as well.

For an adoptive father, he sure pampers me a lot.

"Very well, I hope all the information we gave you comes useful during you stay here," said one of the knight carrying one of the bags as he left it on the floor "We will leave you be, I assume you will want time to get use to your new room and get everything in order."

"I do, thank you for your help," I replied, leaving my luggage on top of the bed.

Before leaving, one of the knights handed me a pair of keys for the room. Fared me well and left the room with slight haste in his step, he probably had somewhere else to be. Attending to some sort of knightly duties perhaps? I'm not well informed in the matter anyway.

Shortly after they were gone I sat on the edge of the bed and reflected upon my current situation, letting it sink in my mind, silence taking over the room while I did so.

"So I'm finally here," I sighed, closing my eyes. "What have I gotten myself into?" I asked out loud rubbing the bridge of my nose.

Now that I think about it, coming to Garreg Mach seemed like the most logical choice out of anything else in my first days here. What else was I supposed to do? I magically show up in Fódlan and don't get involved in the main storyline? Of course not. Sure it will contain death, traumatic events, battles against demigods and legends, but it's not like I have much of a choice.

Maybe I did have a choice, but this course of action seemed appropriate.

It is a little too late for regrets anyway.

This line of thought is getting a little too grim for my liking, better start unpacking before my mind slowly starts derailing into madness. Bonus points if I get it done before I run out of sunlight, I have a lot to unpack after all.

Let's start with the ones that were sent in advance, a feeling of uncertainty ought to make the unpacking more interesting if slightly.

I grabbed the closest luggage I had in range, bringing it closer; it seemed fragile by the way it was packed. I could hear some sort of chiming sound coming from the inside.

"Let's see what he sent me, it better be worth m—"

…

Uh.

You have to be kidding me.

A fucking tea set.

For real?

"I should've expected as much."

My face felt like it had turned into stone, not by anger, but for the fact the I had set my expectations on something more…interesting, only to get sorely disappointed in a matter of seconds. If anything, this is a reality check.

Sometimes I forget that I was adopted by a noble family.

I am a noble now. At least on paper and not by blood, not like many know that little secret anyway.

I groaned in irritation at the thought of unpacking the rest of it, how many other 'pleasant' surprises am I going to find I wonder, hopefully not many.

Carefully putting the tea set aside I continued the unpacking process, only to find a box full of fancy handkerchiefs.

This is going to take longer than I expected.

After what felt like an eternity, I finished unpacking, most of the bags, and putting it away where I saw fit. It took me at the very least a few hours to get it done, from the window I could tell the daylight was almost gone, with the night was starting to settle. Perhaps I could grab an early dinner since I missed lunch due to my late arrival. It certainly can't hurt to check if the kitchen is already serving dinner.

I had some hope to see a familiar face on my way out of the dorms but no; I did see a few students, but they were just 'background' students, none of them were the ones I knew. Whatever the case, I'll be seeing them eventually, it's not like I'm in a hurry to meet them anyway, I don't want to get too attached to anyone here after all; I have my reasons for it.

My peaceful walk to the dining hall was interrupted by a shrill shriek coming from the dorms. While I doubted it was anything worth worrying about, I couldn't help but satisfy my curiosity, so I went to take a look.

My sight was welcomed with two knights carrying on their shoulders a terrified looking and agitated, purple short-haired girl. Who looked oddly familiar.

It only took me a few seconds to recognize her.

Bernadetta.

I know she is a recluse so to my eyes her behavior is understandable, but she is making quite the scene right now. I know it's her first time here so she must be scared to death, to say the least, but that first impression she is giving is going to be burned in the memory of everyone present. Way to go Bernie.

"Lady Bernadetta could you ple—" one knight got interrupted by a quick to the face "We're only trying to get you to your room, please stop struggling!"

"Where am I?! What is this place?! Where are you taking me?! Is this a kidnapping?! Put me down, put me down, put me down!" she cried out as much as her lungs allowed her.

"Keep her legs still, she keeps kicking me in the back!" ordered the other knight.

I have to admit, as a third party witnessing this, it's kind of funny. I do feel bad for Bernadetta and the knights carrying her though. I'm sure none of them want to be in the position they are now, but damn is it hilarious.

The whole ordeal only lasted for a few seconds before they arrived at what I assume was her room on the first floor, with the knights swiftly evacuating after leaving her inside. The door slamming behind them almost as soon as they left.

Thinking about it; I will be sharing classes with her, so the earlier I get used to her shenanigans the better, it's not like that conduct of hers is going away anytime soon. Although I'll try to keep my interactions with her to a minimum unless necessary.

The people dispersed after the show was over and the same applies to me, continuing my way to the dining hall.

I went through the large door that faced the fishing pond, it was closed but not locked, surprisingly it wasn't as heavy as its appearance suggested.

Unlike what I expected, the dining hall size wasn't as huge as I imagined it to be. It was still fairly big, extensive dining tables, lots of chairs and some good-looking chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. How do they turn the candles on those anyway? Magic?

Perhaps the feeling of grandiose I had for the Monastery was making me think everything is going to be bigger than what it was in the game. Everything had been accurate in that regard, both fishing pond and dorms were bigger than what it was shown.

After giving the place a quick glance, I realized that dinner was already being served. Following the will of my hunger, I went for it. Luckily since I was early, there wasn't much of a line for getting some food. The lady in charge of serving did give me a second look and asked if I was a student; I wasn't wearing my uniform and I clearly wasn't part of the Monastery staff so I couldn't blame her. The confusion was cleared in a few seconds and I got my servings.

I took a seat in the corner of one of the tables. Since the place wasn't full, finding a seat to eat by myself wasn't particularly difficult. I didn't feel like having company, especially when everyone is a stranger to me.

Sweet and Salty Whitefish Saute was today's special, appealing to the eye but nothing special in my book. Regardless of the presentation, it was tasty, maybe they overdid it a little with the salt, it's not quite balanced with the sweetness. Also, the fish seems slightly overcooked. It's definitely as good as the food back at home.

I shouldn't complain.

It's almost funny for me to think that way when I was eating in the streets less than two years ago, and eating normal food back at my real home before that. One would think that after going through such events, one would learn to be more humble, yet here I am judging the food like a spoiled little shit.

The noble lifestyle is rubbing off on me.

In the end, the flavor didn't matter much, I was hungry and how it tasted was the least of my worries. In fact, I finished the plate and went for seconds, getting an odd look from the same lady from before, but no objections. I assume people don't go for seconds too often here.

While decently devouring my second plate, I took the liberty to look at my surroundings again just to see if I could spot a familiar face and, surprise, I actually did. It was not only one face I recognized but two. At first, I wasn't sure, but that tone of green hair? Big give away.

Unsurprisingly, Flayn and Seteth were sharing a meal. They were seated one a different table, at the other side of the hall, hence why it took me some time to spot them. They seem to be talking about something, a rather normal conversation by the look on their faces.

I forced my eyesight a little to catch a better view of them, trying to make it as subtle as possible.

Rocking that drill hairstyle, or whatever it is called, Flayn looked as adorable as I expected her to be. I could barely get a hold of her eyes from where I was sitting, and of course, they were focused on her meal, today's special is a dish with fish on it, she really had a liking for it if I recall correctly. She even looks adorable while eating, how does she even do that?

Then there was Seteth sitting next to her, again looking exactly how I remember him to be. Keeping th-

He is making eye contact with me.

Wait a second. Why is he looking at me? What's with that glare? A combination of dumbfoundedness and annoyance.

Oh no.

He caught me staring at Flayn.

Now I fucked up.

My subtleness didn't work for shit, he somehow found out I was looking at them, at Flayn especially. It hasn't even been a day here and I'm most likely already on bad terms with him.

In the frame of a millisecond, I stopped what I was doing, lowering my head, changing my focus towards my own plate and hoping for him to let me off the hook. Which I get the feeling won't be that easy.

I stayed like that for a few minutes till I mustered the courage to raise my head.

He is still looking at me; his eyes locked on mine. God help me.

Shitshitshitshitshit

I'm getting the hell out of here.

I tried eating what was left on my plate as fast as possible. I didn't even chew, I just put it all in my mouth trying to swallow it without choking in the process. Better that than having Seteth giving me those glares any longer which are really uncomfortable, not to mention intimidating.

Perhaps if I leave fast enough, he'll forget my face and won't try to kill me in my sleep.

I know he won't do it but that is what I feel he would do when he looks at me like that.

Wait, do I have to return the plate?

Screw it, there is no time for that. I'm leaving.

With my gaze focused on the floor, I left the dining hall, walking fast, close to running. I was able to not stumble with anyone on my way out.

Once outside I was able to calm down and get a hold of myself. Hopefully, no one saw that.

Note to self, don't talk to Flayn.

Actually, let's not even interact with her. For what I saw, Seteth can be slightly intimidating, and the last thing I want is another reason to be stressed, and I have plenty of things to worry about already.

With nothing else to do for the day, I returned to my room. Classes start in two days so I'll try to take some time tomorrow to do some exploring. I don't think I'll cover the entire Monastery but there are some places I feel are worth checking, the Cathedral or perhaps the training grounds.

The dorms were quiet when I arrived, not that I expected anything else. I was used to noisy roommates back on Earth so it was only natural that a part of me expected it to happen here as well. I'm glad to be wrong.

I'll get some things ready for tomorrow and I'll head to bed I'm not actually tired, but I don't really feel like doing anything else. Getting some extra sleep never hurt anyone.

Once in my room, I laid in bed only for a second; I still had some things to accommodate, with the room being vaguely messy. That second on the bed turned into a minute, and that minute turned to two and then to five. Before I knew it, I was on my merry way to dreamland.

The beginning of the story is just around the corner and I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle it.

Something within me says it will all work out in the end, even if that inner voice has failed me in the past.

Regardless, It can't be that difficult, right?

God, please let me be right.

You made it all the way down here, I assume that's because you read the whole chapter. If that is the case then, thank you very much

I had this idea for a fic for quite some time now and I felt that I had to write it down before my motivation died, which is common for me. Perhaps with one chapter down, I'll be motivated enough to keep it going, but worry not, even if don't muster the motivation I can always rely on pure power of will to do so.

This chapter didn't have any action on it, I know. I was going to add a training session of some sort but it felt kinda off, so I might do one for the next chapter. I hope the few glimpses we got of other characters felt genuine, I spent some time trying to make those little interactions look as believable as possible.

Also, I'm missing an editor/proofreader so there is a high chance you might have found a few errors up there, sorry about that.

Last but not least, I'd like to thank everyone at the Treehouse Discord, they probably won't read this story anytime soon, but they helped me get my shit together and finally get some writing done. I'll leave a link in case you feel like joining us, there are some good authors in there.

Here is the link: /9XG3U7a

I'll try to keep a regular post schedule, most likely one chapter every two or three weeks.

I really thank you for taking interest in my fic, this is not the last you'll see of it I promise.

See you next time!