Part 1: White Clouds

Recovery and Preparation

"Goodness, how long is this path?! It feels like forever ago since I was back in that building!"

Sothis panted as the constant stretching road before her was looking to be never ending. Even when she looked behind her, she didn't see the building. Just that same winding road. Forever. Never an end in sight.

"Am I going to die here?" Sothis mumbled, still jogging down the path before her, making sure never to fall off and go plummeting down to the clouds. If she did, then she would never be able to return.

"Come on Sothis, you can't let down Chronoa! She did a lot to get you this chance, you can't let her down! Try harder!"

But despite that pep talk she gave herself, she was running low on energy. She was also starting to get hungry. "Maybe I should've taken some cakes to go? Oh, stupid Sothis you should've prepared before taking on this task!"

That's when she had an idea. It was so obvious, why didn't she think of that sooner?! She closed her eyes and slowly started to glow green as she jumped in the air before her size increased ten fold, and wings grew out of her back and her skin turned scaly, with her eyes now turning into slits. She was now in her true form as she gave a roar of victory.

"Now we're talking! This'll give me a great lead on the distance to come!"

With that, she flapped her giant wings and soared into the distance, at a much greater speed than before. This will be over in no time!

…

"Just… a little… more…"

Loud thuds were sounding throughout the path as Sothis was still in her draconic form but dragging her feet across in exhaustion. She has no idea how long she had been at it now, but knew that it had been way too long. Though she can go a very long time, up to a year without food, even she was feeling the effects.

Without warning, she collapsed onto the pathway and panted hard. "I can't do it… I'm nowhere… near…"

She then looked up and saw a tail sculpture. Wait. That means it was the end. It was the end! She actually did it! She made it!

…There was nothing here.

There was nothing here!

"DID I SERIOUSLY DO THIS FOR NOTHING?!"

No there had to be something. Anything! There's no way she did this for nothing.

Sothis then looked up and saw a planet. So there was in fact something here after all. But the planet looked very far away. She wasn't sure if she even had the stamina to fly again.

No. She had to do it. She was here already, she just had to fly to the planet and she would be done. And then she could see about mastering her time abilities.

"Okay, let's do this. Come on Sothis, just one last flight, you can do this."

With a deep breath drawn, she flapped her wings and grunted at the strain it gave from constant flying. But she was so close! She had to do it! For Chronoa!

So she flew vertical and made her way over to the distant planet which looked to be very far away. But the closer she got, the more she realised that it wasn't far away it was just very small. She couldn't fit on that-

"W-Wait! What's happening?!" Sothis yelled as she suddenly felt a tremendous weight on her that was pulling her down rapidly towards the planet. She tried flapping her wings to gain control but she had so much trouble even lifting them!

She was going to crash. She couldn't do anything. So she did the only thing she could do and that was closing her eyes and bracing herself as the Nabatean plummeted straight onto the planet. Bits of wood and brick went flying away from the impact as she groaned loudly. She felt like she was being crushed by the intense pressure around her.

"HEY! Does this look like a landing pad to you? You've destroyed my house!"

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at a blue creature with antennae stomping his feet in anger. "Don't your stupid ears work? Get off my house!"

"I… I can't! It's too heavy to move! I was told to… come here…"

He sighed loudly and shook his head. "Oh, so you're Sothis, eh? Yeah, the Supreme Kai of Time let me know about you. Just change into your pipsqueak form and it should help loosen the weight on you."

"O-Ok…" So Sothis started glowing green and shrunk back down to her human form and was now on her hands and knees, panting heavily. It was insane just how much she was being pushed down. "What… what's going on?"

He just sniggered to himself and walked towards her. "Yeah, the gravity on my planet is stronger than the one that you're used to. Ten times stronger to be exact."

"T-Ten times? S-So… you're… the person that will train me?"

"Well, I am that person yes. Whether I teach you is another matter. But I believe introductions are in order. I am known as King Kai. And I know that you are Sothis."

Sothis grunted loudly, finally managing to get herself in a standing position and grit her teeth in pain. "What do you mean by teaching me is another matter?"

"Well, it's simple. You come in here, and you destroy my prized house and car. You scare poor Bubbles to death, and you expect to me to teach you immediately?"

"Bubbles?" Sothis asked, looking around but then felt a hand touch her shoulder. She turned around and saw a monkey dancing about.

"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!"

"Yes, that's Bubbles. He was enjoying his banana smoothie when you came in unaccounted for." King Kai yelled at her and gestured to the pile of rubble that was his house and what looked to be a flattened piece of metal. Red metal.

"Now normally." King Kai continued. "I would be grateful for visitors. It gets awful lonely out here. I would invite you in, ask you to make yourself comfortable on the couch… IF YOU CAN FIND WHAT'S LEFT OF IT!"

Sothis now understood what had happened and she prodded her fingers together. "Sorry…"

"Sorry ain't gonna cut it, kid. You break it, you fix it!"

She then let out a loud "OOF!" As a toolbox was thrown at her chest causing her to collapse to the ground. "I expect it completely fixed! Until then, no training for you!"

"…Why did I agree to this…"

…

It was now early in the morning, as Byleth was currently sitting on a crate in the marketplace waiting on her students, ready to overlook their training as well as inform them of the new Task Force that they would be a part of.

"They seem to be improving." Anna said, stretching her arms while looking at the stalls being set up. "Maybe it's because there are more of them, but they're getting faster each day with the delivery."

Byleth nodded. "They're getting too used to the weighted clothing. That means that they're ready for the next level."

"Hopefully it doesn't crush them." Anna mumbled. "I would hate to lose such valuable workers. Though I wouldn't have to pay them anymore…"

That's when she remembered something. "Say, what about that other student? The one that helped out by setting up all the stalls? Should she be with-"

"She's not ready to train with the others yet." Byleth replied. "She prefers being alone."

"Sounds like a lot of anxie-"

"Ssh. Here they come."

Both women looked in the distance to see the group all make their way to the marketplace. And to her surprise, Ashe was one of the people in front. He stopped in front of her and smiled widely.

"I am here and ready to train Professor! I did my stretches and everything!"

Claude chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. "Believe it or not, he was the first one awake. He couldn't wait to get started."

"…Very good Ashe. Keep this up, and you'll be in my good books. Now then, I trust that you were caught up on the training program?"

Ashe nodded. "Yes. While it certainly sounds difficult, I will do my best."

"Excellent. And that brings me up to my next point. Ashe, I can see that you have your weighted clothing on. Now, I'm going to need you to work even harder than the others since you are starting a little behind. Think you can do that?"

Ashe saluted and have a big smile. "Of course Professor!"

"Good. You go and make a start on the boxes while I talk to the others."

"Yes, Professor!"

Byleth smiled slightly watching him pick up the crates and run towards the canteen, before turning to the rest. "As for the rest of you, you have come to a point where you are doing your tasks faster and faster. I'm impressed."

The students all smiled at the praise as Claude rubbed his nose. "Ah well, we had you Teach. Couldn't have done it without you."

"That means that you're ready for the next level."

"…N-Next level?"

"Oh no…" Annette whimpered, not liking that word. She had just gotten used to the current weight of her clothing, now there's more?

While everyone was busy panicking, Byleth hopped off the crate that she was sitting on and opened it up. "I took some liberties on improving the clothing. Think of this like a new rank. Ashe is still a beginner, while you are now advanced. The weight won't be all over you like last time. It'll only be in set areas. And this time, you will be replacing your everyday clothes with these completely. No wearing underneath."

Byleth picked up a shirt and tossed it to Claude, who observed it. It was a yellow sleeveless top with the insignia of the Golden Deer on the back and a smaller symbol on the chest, and with it was a pair of yellow bottoms and a black belt. He whistled lowly looking at it. "Damn Teach, you shouldn't have."

"Oh, this looks cute!" Annette said, looking at her own set. Hers was blue with the insignia of the Blue Lions on the chest and back with a pair of blue bottoms.

"Aw yeah, this looks official!" Caspar yelled, with his being red and like the others, the Black Eagles insignia on the chest and back, and a set of red bottoms. Everyone was colour coordinated with their respective houses as Byleth hauled out some black undershirts.

"Try these on."

Lysithea looked around and blushed slightly. "Is there a… changing room?"

"No. Change here."

Everyone stopped and looked at her, expecting her to say that she was joking. But no, she had that same blank expression. "We do not have all day. Get changed while I grab the rest of your uniforms."

"A-Are you sure?" Leonie asked, blushing slightly. Not that she felt embarrassed about changing in front of people, but this just came on too quickly.

"Yes." Byleth replied tossing the undershirts, a pair of black wristbands and a pair of black boots to everyone, who gasped loudly struggling to carry it all under the intense weight. "There has been a development, and because of that, you all need to be comfortable around one another. I will tell you what it is after today's session. Now get to it."

"N-None of you better peek!" Lysithea yelled turning her back as everyone slowly followed suit. Byleth nodded to herself and left everyone to change into their uniforms as she watched Ashe him to himself while carrying boxes, not noticing what his other classmates were doing. Too focused on the training to notice anything.

'Good.' Byleth thought. 'He and I will get on fine.'

Meanwhile with the others, Lysithea growled loudly trying to lift the undershirt over her head, but was struggling to do so because of the weight as she fell on her rear end.

"Would you like to have assistance?"

She looked up and covered herself seeing Petra, who had her and undershirt on. Seeing no other way, Lysithea huffed to herself and nodded. "Yes please…."

Petra smiled and went to help with putting it on, but then she noticed something. "Lysithea, where did these scars come from? They are not looking like weapons…"

She watched the girl freeze and just shook her head. "Do not worry about it, just help me get this on."

A worried look made it's way onto the Brigid girls face, but chose not to push it further.

Felix gritted his teeth, trying to get the boots on but was needing to sit down to properly get them on. "This is absurd, this feels like a practical joke."

Leonie sighed, slowly putting on her wristbands and smiled to herself. "There, all done. Phew, it's a lot heavier now."

[Author's note here. If you are all confused on the visual image, it's basically like the Turtle School Gi but colour coordinated to each house. And instead of the Turtle School kanji, it's their house symbols. Okay, thanks everyone.]

"You're telling me." Claude said, standing up and trying to do some stretches with difficulty. "But at least we got there in the end."

Soon, everybody else was all dressed up as Byleth came back, nodding. "Good. You all suit it. Now, get to training, Ashe has a head start."

"Of course Professor!" Everyone yelled.

…

"I hate this so much…" Lysithea groaned face planting into the dirt, completely exhausted from tilling land with her fingers. "It feels like we are back to square one. Sometimes I feel like this is all a joke…"

"Ah cheer up Lysithea." Claude said, making good progress on his end. "You can tell it's making a difference. I certainly can. I've got more muscles, my mind is clearer and not to mention I get some new tricks to play with."

"Hrrrrrmmm… I really need some sugar…"

…

"T-This doesn't AH! Seem safe!" Ashe yelled, trying to catch fish and narrowly dodging an arrow meant for his shoulder.

"Use precision Ashe." Petra yelled, throwing two fish that she had caught into the basket. "You can not let worry cloud the mind."

"It's hard to not be worried when you have a lot of arrows coming after you!"

"Hey!" Shamir yelled drawing more arrows. "Less talking, more gathering or I'll switch to Ki arrows. Believe me, you don't want that."

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Ashe yelled diving underwater again.

'She's right.' Ashe thought. 'You need to focus. You knew the training coming in, so you have to try harder. You can't fall behind.'

…

"Ow! Careful Felix!"

Annette huffed rubbing her arm which got struck by a training sword courtesy of her fellow classmate.

"Right… I apologise…"

Byleth had her arms crossed while looking at the pair sparring. Annette had recently been wanting to develop her ability to produce Ki weapons. Only problem was that she wasn't that skilled with weapons to begin with. She mostly stuck to magic and never really picked up a weapon before.

"Annette we need to focus on your form." Byleth said, walking towards her and lifting her arm. "You can't just swing it about like a crazed ape."

"I know Professor…" Annette mumbled. "But it's just really hard to lift anything with these clothes on! N-Not that I'm not grateful for the clothes, I appreciate it but-"

"I get it. But you're not going to learn how to fight with a sword overnight. These things take time. If you need help, you can always ask Professor Manuela for extra lessons. She knows how to use one."

Annette looked down and stared at her training sword and gritted her teeth trying to lift it. It should've been an easy task but because of the extra weight, she struggled to even lift her arms. Byleth saw this and pursed her lips.

"For now, let's focus on getting you used to the new weight. How are you holding up Felix?"

Felix grunted and swing his arms about. "I can manage, though I cannot deny the struggle. I'll help Annette if you want."

Both women raised their eyebrows in surprise at this as Felix blushed and looked the other way. "I mean it was just a suggestion…"

Byleth smiled lightly and nodded. "I think that's a good idea. You have a good grasp on Ki weapons so you can help. But for now, I think this session is done for today. Gather the rest and I'll tell you about what's happening going forward."

…

Everyone was panting hard at today's training, but Ashe was the most exhausted due to it being his first time trying out this routine. But now everyone was staring at Byleth who had her hands on her hips.

"You all did well today. Ashe, you did amazing for your first time. Make sure every session is like that."

Ashe nodded, smiling wide at the praise before Claude spoke up.

"Now Teach, you finally gonna tell us about this development? I can't contain myself over the excitement over it all."

Byleth noticed the small smirk on his face and just shook her head. "How did you find out about it?"

Claude gasped lightly and placed a hand on his chest. "Why Teach, you would think that I would just eavesdrop on meetings?"

Everyone around him just looked at him with an unimpressive look and Claude just shrugged. "Eh, you caught me. I only got a few details though."

"While that's all well, WE still don't know." Leonie said glaring at him, before looking over at Byleth. "What is it?"

Byleth took a deep breath and started to explain everything that was discussed between herself, Jeralt and Rhea. Everybody was hanging onto every word as this new team idea honestly excited them.

"A Task Force?" Lysithea muttered to herself. "It certainly seems like the right thing to do, giving how we know the power to combat this mysterious foe."

"Could we really do it though?" Ashe asked, looking around everybody. "I mean, I don't doubt the power, but it feels like they grow more powerful each time we encounter them."

"Well, it makes sense." Annette mused to herself, looking up while placing a finger on her cheek. "From what we've seen, they use Ki too. So in theory, we can get stronger too!"

"So we're assigned to guard the Archbishop's life for the Goddesses Rite of Rebirth?" Felix asked, before shaking his head. "Ugh, all this training and we are doing guard duty…"

"Well, we cannot let them down!" Leonie declared, pumping a fist. "A student of Captain Jeralt cannot fail!"

"You know, you have been trained more by Professor Byleth at this point, why do you still call upon Professor Jeralt's training?" Lysithea mumbled annoyingly.

"How are the patients anyway, Teach?" Claude smiled, while folding his arms. "We didn't get a chance to visit them yesterday."

"Well… last time I saw them, they were a combination of drunk and high, and they wanted to open a tavern called The Eagle and Lion."

Everyone was just silent at that while some were trying to contain their laughter.

"That sounds like a good name…" Annette mumbled. "Perhaps we could visit them after class?"

"I would be liking that greatly!" Petra said, smiling. "I would like to be seeing Edelgard. And perhaps ask more about this… tavern?"

"Probably not a good idea Petra." Caspar commented. "You would end up making her turn into Bernadetta."

Petra just looked confused. "I am confusion. I do not know any magic spells to change identities."

"No, I mean… never mind. Yeah, sounds like a good idea."

"What do you think Felix?" Annette asked.

"Tch… I guess we could visit the Boar, together… with the rest of our class."

That's when everybody heard the bell and sighed a little, unhappy that they still had to go to classes. Byleth nodded. "That's all for today. Enjoy class."

With that, everybody walked away and Shamir walked next to her. "When would you like to go to the town?"

But before Byleth could respond, they heard a voice behind them.

"Would you care to fight?"

They turned around to see Jeritza standing there, holding a sword. Byleth never really encountered Jeritza that much during her stay at Beacon, but always found him to be mysterious. He wanted to fight her all the time, and test her strength. He held out the training sword towards her and continued to speak.

"I wish to see your strength. Will you allow me to?"

Byleth looked over at Shamir who shrugged. "I'll go check on Catherine, just try not to break him. Meet me at the gates when you're ready to go."

Shamir waved and walked away leaving the two alone as Byleth slowly took the sword out of Jeritza's hand as he motioned to the sparring arena. "If you'll follow me."

She nodded and slowly followed him to the arena as Jeritza picked up a training sword of his own. While he got ready, he spoke again. "For the record, I am not interested in your light shows. Not for now anyway. All I wish to see from you today is your skill with a blade."

Byleth narrowed her eyes at this man. She couldn't get a read on him at all. But if he wants to see her swordplay then she won't disappoint. While she may prefer hand to hand combat, Jeralt made sure she could handle herself with a blade just in case.

She and Jeritza circled one another as Byleth twirled her sword. "So how are we doing this? Whoever strikes the other three times wins?"

Jeritza nodded, finally taking a stance. "These terms are acceptable. I ask you to not hold back. I want to see your strength for myself. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." Byleth replied before taking her own stance. She then slowly stepped forward and waited for Jeritza to make the first move. And he did, by trying to stab at her but she dodged to the right and swung her sword to his shins. But he stepped back and used her moment of vulnerability to his advantage and struck her arm.

"Are you not too familiar with a weapon?" Jeritza asked while going back to his original spot and Byleth went to hers.

"Either I use my fists, or I make my own."

"I see…"

This time, she went on the offensive and went for a variety of jabs that he had no trouble blocking. "You are being too aggressive. I was told you were skilled in combat but I'm not seeing it."

She clicked her tongue in annoyance after realising he was right. She wasn't focusing. So she took a deep breath and let it out before holding her blade at her side and waited.

Jeritza could see something change within her and smiled a little. "Good. Now I will have a better challenge."

Byleth narrowed her eyes and watched him come forward for a strike meant for her leg. She deflected it and dropped to her knees and struck his leg. One point for her.

"Yes… you have tremendous power." But then Jeritza narrowed his eyes. "You are still holding back. Did I not specifically ask you to not do that?"

Byleth widened her eyes at that. Was he trying to get himself killed? But his eyes stared straight back at her behind his mask. "…Very well. I will not hold back on you."

The two went back to their original spots and took their stances once more. They then circled each other again as Jeritza went for a stab but Byleth parried it away and gripped her sword with both hands and saw Jeritza was doing the same thing. Both then swung heavily at each other and the wooden blades clashed with one another and instantly shattered upon contact.

Byleth narrowed her eyes as she tossed the useless sword away and balled her fists. But Jeritza just stared at his and dropped it, walking away. "We're done here."

"What? You don't want to continue?" Byleth asked, dumbfounded as she watched him stop.

"No. I only came to measure your power and I've seen enough. Next time we battle, I want to see your Ki."

With that, he walked out leaving Byleth by herself looking confused at what just happened. But she sighed and shook her head before leaving too. That's when she noticed something strange today. "Sothis? Are you here?"

It took a minute but she then heard a voice. 'Hm? Oh, I apologise… I have been getting flashes of a time long past.'

"You mean, you're remembering fragments of your past?" Byleth asked as Sothis appeared in front of her with furrowed brows.

'Oh, it's so frustrating… it is spotty, but I remember this long winding path, it looked like a large snake… and then there was this blue creature… I had to repair his house… and tell him a stupid joke…'

"…Wow, this is quite a past you have. Anything else?"

'Not much after that… I remember that place the most. I spent a long time there. As for what purpose, I am not clear on that.'

Byleth saw how sad Sothis looked and tried cheering her up. "Well hey, it's a start isn't it? More will come overtime, at least some stuff is coming back, right?"

Sothis slowly smiled as she nodded. 'You're right! It is slow, but it is working! I even recall a time where I also used Ki! Though I'm not sure that I have anything to show for it… oh, but you're right. It'll take some time.'

With that, she disappeared again and Byleth saw Shamir waving to her as she jogged up to her partner. "I assume you went easy on him?"

"He was… strange, so to say. But never mind that, shall we get going?"

Shamir smirked and patted her friends back, leading her away.

…

"So Edelgard. What is your deepest fear?"

Edelgard was currently in Seteth's office laying down on a couch with her head propped up by a cushion. She was making good progress on her leg but needed to use a cane to attend this counselling session that Byleth set up for her.

"Seteth, I really don't think this is necessary."

"I am merely acting upon the request of Miss Byleth." Seteth explained while sitting at his chair, holding a quill and paper. "She is worried about your mental health and asked me to arrange a counsel session. So I ask again, what is your deepest fear?"

Edelgard sighed. She really didn't want to be in the same room as him right now. He was one of them. Even though he was quite kind on occasions, he was mostly strict when it came to people.

But Byleth arranged this for her. Because she was worried. It wouldn't exactly be fair to her mentor if she didn't try, would it? So with another sigh, Edelgard answered.

"Rats."

"Rats." Seteth repeated scribbling on the paper.

"I… something happened to me as a child. I'm afraid I'm not comfortable sharing it."

"That's perfectly okay." Seteth reassured her. "We only approach that if you are ready. Just go at your own pace."

"Right… thank you." Edelgard said, looking at her foot still in a cast which had to be propped up. "Well. Needless to say, after what happened, rats scare me. They just bring up too many bad memories. Another fear I did have was swimming, but Professor Byleth helped me swim."

"Would you say Miss Byleth is a source of comfort for you?"

Edelgard nodded, smiling wide. "Yes. She is so strong and wise. Despite her quirky nature, she always pushed me to better myself. I don't know what I would be like if I never met her."

"You also appear to be closer to your fellow house leaders. Do you consider them a source of comfort?"

"I do." Edelgard answered. "Truth be told, we didn't get on well at first. Dimitri and I would always bicker and Claude was… well, Claude. But thanks to Professor Byleth, we spend more time together and I see a whole side to them I never realised."

Seteth nodded, observing Edelgard now feeling more relaxed. "Back to the main point. Any other fears?"

"…I fear Crests."

His eyebrow raised slightly as he stopped writing. "Crests?"

Edelgard's lips were a thin line as she tried to not look at him. She wanted him to know exactly how she felt. "The Crest System to be exact. I feel that it is a very flawed system. Why should people be given benefits simply because of them bearing a Crest? I know Ingrid is constantly having to find a husband to help her house because she's the only one. Sylvain has a brother who was casted out because he doesn't possess one. There are people who can do good in politics but are not granted that chance because they do not have a Crest."

She then looked at her right hand and clenched her fist. There. She said it. She knew that she stepped out of line here, spouting out her thoughts but it was just so frustrating-

"My thoughts exactly."

…

…

…What?

She slowly looked to Seteth who was nodding. "I understand many of your points Edelgard. I know it may be of surprise that someone of my position thinks this way, but that is how I feel. While there are values to Crests, they are also a burden."

Edelgard felt very light headed all of a sudden as what she had just hear was too much. She was not expecting this conversation to go this way. She needed to know more! But suddenly, they both heard a bell ring. A bell that Seteth kept on his desk.

"Ah, I'm afraid our session is over. Do you feel like this had made an impact?"

Edelgard slowly nodded as more things were becoming clear to her. "Yes… I would like to do this again. Perhaps you can share with me your views on Crests?"

"Perhaps one day." Seteth replied, putting away that sheet of paper. "But for now, let's focus on you and your issues. Now, will you need help on getting back to the infirmary?"

Edelgard shook her head and grabbed her cane to prop herself up. "Thank you Seteth… this helped. A lot."

"I'm glad. I hope you make a swift recovery."

As she left, he sighed to himself. "That went a lot easier than I expected. Though from what I've heard about Dimitri, this might be tougher to do. Oh well, I have until tomorrow to prepare for that."

Edelgard was frowning to herself hobbling back to the infirmary. That was another thing that contradicted the claims her uncle made. That all Nabatean's were greedy and used Crests to keep people in line. And yet, Seteth not only is he a member of the church, but he agrees that the Crest System is unnecessary too! And he believes that people should be determined by their actions!

Was she still under the effects of that damn medicine? No… this was real. He agreed with her!

"…Am I going about this all wrong? Is my plan the best way to move forward? My eyes are getting opened a lot lately…"

That's when she bumped into something and fell to the ground, groaning loudly.

"Oh, sorry Edelgard. I didn't notice you there."

She looked up to see Jeralt hovering over her as he held out his hand for her to take.

"P-Professor Jeralt? What are you doing here?"

He helped her up and kept her balanced while grabbing her cane. "Actually, I was waiting on you. You have a brand new uniform to wear once you are healed. From what Manuela was telling me, you should be off your cast today and with a couple days of more rest, you should be good as new. Dimitri is now discharged from the infirmary."

"Oh, I see. Good for him." Edelgard muttered, hobbling back to the infirmary and saw her uniform on the bed she was on.

She honestly felt very happy at the thought of being gifted an upgrade. But then she noticed something that made her blood run cold.

"U-Uuuummmm….. is there a long sleeved shirt?"

"No. Just short sleeves."

"T-Then I refuse." Edelgard said, clutching her gloves. Jeralt noticed that she always wore long sleeves even when it was scorching hot, and she was obsessed with keeping her gloves on. He had an idea.

"Edelgard, I'm going fishing with Byleth this afternoon. I would like for you to join us."

"B-But sir, I do not know-"

"We will teach you. I insist."

Edelgard paused, not expecting that this is how today would go down. She admits, she maybe should've kept her composure more over a silly shirt. But her weakness…

"Byleth will pick you up."

She turned around to see him leave and she blushed at the thought of her teacher coming. She looked like a mess!

"No, stop being silly Edelgard… it's just fishing… that's it… nothing more…"

…

"So, you're not too interested in the kind of trousers?" Shamir asked as she and Byleth walked through the market.

"As long as they are durable, I don't care." Byleth replied as she had her coat off today with her tail swinging about freely. "I used to have a pair but they ripped."

"I see. Considering how much you train, that's no surprise. So, the students liked the uniforms then?"

Byleth nodded as they got to the fashion stalls. "Though I have a feeling Edelgard is going to be difficult. She's always requesting long sleeves and hiding her skin. Normally, I oblige, but I noticed even before we went to Castle Gaspard she's been hesitant to fight in the danger of her clothes tearing."

"So what, you think she's shy?"

"Not exactly. I think she's got scars she's ashamed of. Think about it, have you ever seen her not in long sleeves or gloves? Even when swimming?"

Shamir frowned as she looked down. "You have a good point. So what's the plan?"

"She's going to be joining my father and I for fishing today, and we are going to talk."

"And you truly think she's going to open up?" Shamir asked, while looking at a pair of trousers for Byleth.

"I hope at least a little. So we can get to the bottom of why she covers up. If it's something she has always done, then fair enough. But I don't want her to feel ashamed of herself."

"Well, good luck I guess. Hey, what about this one?"

Byleth looked over to see Shamir holding a pair of black trousers that looked pretty tough as she inspected it. "Looks good. I'll take this one."

"And… that's it? You don't want a shirt, or anything else?"

"Nope. Just the trousers."

Shamir shook her head, watching Byleth walk up to the merchant. "This woman…"

…

"Professor Jeralt, I wouldn't want to impose on your time with your daughter." Edelgard said while being helped along by Jeralt.

"Nonsense. The more the merrier, and I'm sure that you would rather catch fish in a way that doesn't have you be hit by arrows."

He helped her sit down as he handed her a fishing rod. Thankfully, she was told by Manuela that she could take her cast off but was instructed to keep weight off the foot for a few days, and was finally discharged from the ward. She knows that Dimitri would be back to training since he recovered. And what was she doing? Fishing. But then Jeralt spoke up.

"Talk to me Edelgard. I've noticed that you always cover up when it comes to training. Is it something you and your family do?"

Edelgard suddenly felt very uncomfortable as she looked down at her rod which Jeralt grabbed and casted for her before setting it back on her lap.

"I… no. Just something that I do…"

"I understand that the subject makes you uncomfortable." Jeralt continued, looking into the water. "But I have noticed that it has affected your fighting and your training. You're a lot more reluctant to fight in case your clothes tear. Do you… have something to hide?"

If it was any other person, Edelgard would ask them to drop it and leave. But not Jeralt. She couldn't explain it but… she always felt comfortable around him. Like a father figure. Despite his intimidating features, he always listened to his students problems and tried to offer advice.

"I-I… something happened to me… when I was a child. And the remnants of that event are forever plastered on me, never to leave."

Jeralt nodded, to show that he was listening as Edelgard's eyes hardened. "They did things to me… things that I'm not comfortable sharing. But it changed me… it made me realise how unfair the world is. And how the world needs to change. I came out of it stronger, and I would show my assailants that I'm stronger because of it."

"Don't you get tired of contradicting yourself?"

Both Jeralt and Edelgard turned to see Byleth approaching, now wearing her new trousers. But Byleth was looking at the Princess.

"You claim that you would show that they made you stronger, yet you cover yourself from others. To me, that sounds like you're letting them know that you are still scared of them and that they won."

"I… I am?"

Byleth nodded as she sat down casting her line. "I'm not saying you aren't strong Edelgard. But it is clear that whatever happened to you, is still affecting you, despite you saying you are stronger, you hide it away. True strength is not hiding anything. I have plenty of scars to show, but I don't go out of my way to hide it."

"With all due respect, my teacher, this is different than a few cuts." Edelgard replied as Byleth turned to her and slowly reached to her coat and moved it to expose her shoulder and Edelgard gasped, looking at it.

It was the injury she sustained after she and Shamir took on that mission and fought the Goliath. Her shoulder was a mess, with skin literally pulled and stitched together making it look very wrinkled and painful in places. Not to mention, there was still a purple blotch on the outside of the injury.

"I bear ugly scars as well." Byleth said. "But I'm not afraid to show it. Now I ask you Edelgard, are you afraid?"

"We are your mentors." Jeralt piped in. "You can trust us."

Trust. There was that word again. Edelgard could feel her anxiety creep up as she gripped her gloved hands tightly. She couldn't show weakness! She had to remain strong! Conceal, don't feel! She refused to be seen as weak!

…But wasn't she already weak? By hiding? Why were they so confident in showing their own weaknesses yet she couldn't even do it herself? Were they right? Was she just kidding herself? Pretending she had everything under control when in reality she was still that scared girl?

…Trust….

"…Very well. I will show you."

She took a couple of deep breaths and slowly pulled off one of her white gloves as it revealed the very thing she tried hiding. Both Jeralt and Byleth widened their eyes at what they saw.

Scars. Tons of scars. And they looked like they were done intentionally. Not at all like battle damage. This looked like a surgeon job. Her hand looked completely mangled with the scars forming a spiderweb pattern as the two adults before her stated in shock.

"It was a long time ago… and I'm not ready to disclose what happened yet… but perhaps you are both right…"

She looked up at them and had a glazed look as she stood up before bowing. "I thank you both. But I must do some thinking, if you'll excuse me."

They watched her walk away and saw her leave her rod behind as it started dragging to the water. Byleth grabbed it and tugged on the rod watching a fish flop from the water.

"Very good kid. You've almost got it."

But then when she tried to tug again, all the weight was gone as the fish got out. She furrowed her brows and pouted at the failed catch. Jeralt just patted her back. "Cheer up kid. You don't get them all."

"…Do you think she will try?"

"It's not up to us kid. We can only hope."

…

A week had passed since that little talk, and now Hubert was knocking on Edelgard's door and waiting for a response. "Lady Edelgard, I have a report. I understand that you are getting ready for training?"

That's when the door opened and Hubert's face dropped when he saw her walk out. "Lady Edelgard…."

"I know. But this is what I'm choosing to do." Edelgard replied. "Is there a report?"

"…There is, but it can wait until later. All I will say is that he accepted the offer. I apologise for taking so long."

"Thank you Hubert. I must be going now."

…

"Where is Edelgard?" Dimitri mumbled, looking around. "It's not like her to be late."

"Ah, don't worry about Princess." Claude replied. "She is probably eating some beauty sleep, she'll turn up."

Byleth hummed as she was helping Anna check the stock of the boxes that were currently before them. But that's when they heard Lysithea gasp behind them and they all turned to look and their faces all dropped in shock.

It was Edelgard, who was standing there with her new training uniform on… which also meant that her hands and arms were exposed, showing off all her scars. It shocked everyone, but nobody was shocked more than Lysithea.

'Is she… like me?'

"Edelgard… I…" Dimitri began to say, but she just raised a hand.

"This was a very big step for me, and I'm not comfortable with sharing the details. Just know that I will no longer be hiding myself from the world. I hope that you all can help me with that."

"We will." Byleth replied, stepping forward. "If you all can get started with the training, I would like to speak to Edelgard alone."

They all nodded and jogged off to the crates as Edelgard rubbed her arm. But Byleth just smiled. "I know that wasn't easy. I'm proud of you for taking that step."

"T-Thank you, my teacher."

"And so, I will give you a nice reward."

Edelgard's face went red as Byleth slowly brought her hand to her white hair and gave it two pats. Edelgard felt like steam was coming out of her ears as her cheeks were warm. Byleth nodded in response as Edelgard trembled in delight from the praise.

"Okay, now get to it."

"Of course, Professor!"

A dust cloud of Edelgard was left behind as she zipped away to help with the crates.

'It appears that her motivation maxed out there.' Sothis commented, appearing next to Byleth. 'Do you think we will be ready for this threat?'

"I have faith." Byleth replied, watching Edelgard chat with Dimitri and Claude. "They will have no problems."

'I certainly don't doubt your faith. Let's just hope no funny business happens.'

"Agreed. I just want this to go normally. For their sake."

…

So that's a wrap!

Apologies for the lateness. Unfortunately circumstances have changed now with this schedule. I just got a new job which requires me to work 8 hour shifts 5 days a week. Obviously, I'll be going to this story as much as I can, and I hope that you will be patient.

But yes, I always imagine Edelgard and Lysithea to have numerous scars from their experiments, which unfortunately doesn't show in game. But at least we have Edelgard opening up more and more.

So we now have our connection in the DBZ universe with Sothis meeting King Kai. And yes, she will be a student of his. Keep in mind, this is way before the canon events of both franchises, so no meeting Goku here. Yet.

But yes, next time we are going to the Rite of the Goddess's Rebirth. Will things still play out like it did in canon? Or will shenanigans ensue?

Also yes, Jeritza will play some parts in Byleth's power rise.

Lastly, we passed 45 favourites and 55 followers, it means a lot to me that you all keep up to date on this story and I do read every review.

Catch you all later.