Part II

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Byleth was saddened by the death of Clovis, but he never connected with that child (along with hundreds of Charles' other children).

Byleth was impressed at the man who called himself Zero. He was spectacular, to say the least, but Cornelia was sent to take care of him and Byleth knew how capable she was.

Byleth was even sadder when he heard of Euphemia's death than that of Clovis'. Euphy was a sweet and gentle girl. Byleth knew something was wrong—there was no way that Euphemia would suddenly change her mind from helping the Elevens to killing all of them without something supernatural happened. He suspected the Geass.

Byleth was overjoyed when he saw Nunnally for the first time in eight years. It's been so long since he's been so happy like this; it only made him feel even happier when he heard from her that Lelouch was still alive.

But where was Lelouch?

Suzaku, freshly knighted as the Knight of Seven, was introduced to men and women all throughout the day. Gino Weinberg made it his personal job to introduce him to basically every single person in Pendragon. The Honorary Britannian was already so tired from giving and getting so many introductions, but he kept his smile up.

"Professor! I'm so glad you are here today!" Gino exclaimed and Suzaku sighed inwardly. Great, another person to talk to.

Suzaku looked at the man who was walking toward them. He had bright, lime green hair that reminded him all too much of the green-haired witch. His nose and mouth were covered by a black mask while his bangs covered up most of his eyes. Suzaku didn't like that a man could just walk around Pendragon masked. He didn't like masks.

"Gino, bothering another fresh knight? I think you should give him some time alone to rest."

"Hahahaha, I think he could use your training more than rest, Prof," Gino laughed. "Oh, Suzaku! This is Professor Byleth Eisner, Knight of Twelve. Prof, this is Suzaku Kururugi, Knight of Seven!"

Suzaku had been introduced to most Knights of the Round already but was not sure what to think about this man. He personally didn't care too much about a Knight who was the last of the Rounds because he needed to become the Knight of One.

"Nice to meet you, Sir Eisner." Suzaku smiled. "Gino called you professor—did you teach Gino?"

"Nice to meet you as well. I do teach Gino, but it is mostly a nickname."

Gino laughed. "Professor Byleth teaches all the Knights of the Round, but the name is mostly because he is was the professor of Emperor Charles and Sir Waldstein when they were students at VMI."

"Oh, wow." Suzaku had some more newfound respect for the professor. Oh wait… did this mean that this professor is older than the Emperor who is 62 years old?

"To be honest, I don't like using last names with the Rounds. Do you mind if I call you Suzaku?"

"Of course not! Would you rather have me call you Professor or Sir Eisner?" Suzaku didn't dare ask if he could use the Knight of Twelve's first name. The man was most likely already seventy years old.

Byleth shrugged. "I suppose Professor is better. But Suzaku, please make some time tomorrow for me. I need to make a training plan for you as you are now one of the Rounds."

"Oh, of course, Professor."

The Knight of Seven was convinced that the Professor was actually part Knightmare with how quick and powerful he was. There was no way a 75-year-old man could fight like that.

Once again, Suzaku was back on his butt as the professor's training sword pointed toward him.

"You need to work on tactical variety, Suzaku. Your movements become very easy to predict. We'll work on your footwork and other sword styles for the next three weeks."

Suzaku nodded. "Professor, will you also be making a training plan for piloting Knightmares?"

Byleth shook his head. "I don't pilot Knightmares."

Suzaku's eyes widened. "Oh… uh, then how do you fight in battles Professor?"

The Honorary Britannian mentally hit his head. He sounded so disrespectful. The man probably fought in wars where there were no Knightmares.

Byleth hummed underneath his mask. "Suzaku, get your Knightmare fired up and come back here in fifteen minutes."

Suzaku looked a bit confused but within twelve minutes, he was back at the Rounds training ground.

"Okay now, attack me." He threw the training sword from his hand and took out the white sword from his hip and got ready in a fighting stance. The white sword, Suzaku remembered as he saw it closer up earlier, was dull and cracked.

"What? Professor, you're not in a Knightmare! You will be crushed!" Suzaku yelled through his intercom.

Byleth's eyes glinted. "Suzaku, are you disrespecting my capabilities? Attack me."

The white knight hesitated, "Professor…."

"Suzaku!" The Professor yelled. "I. Said. Attack me!" his voice rang out dangerously.

Suzaku furrowed his eyebrows, but he readied his controls. He just hoped the Professor could jump out of the way, but the twenty meters distance that the Professor had could be closed within a second by the Lancelot.

He charged.

Suzaku wasn't sure how it happened, but within a second, there was something cold against his neck. The Professor who was right there in front of him was gone. Looking up, an ivory sword was protruding from the top of the Frame and aimed toward his neck.

"Looks like I will have to pay Lloyd for the repairs. He'll know who to charge. Also, please remind him that he is two months behind schedule on my project." The professor's voice, a bit muffled by the metal frame, vibrated through the top of the Knightmare.

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"How is it that Professor Byleth beats me while I'm on my own Knightmare?! How the hell is he so nimble when he's over seventy years old?!" Suzaku covered his face with his two hands while he recounted his embarrassment.

Gino cackled. "It's an unspoken rule, Suzaku, but the Knight of Twelve is the strongest out of all of us. Even when using explosive weapons, the Professor is able to dodge all of it. I don't even want to ask how he does it with his age."

"Why didn't you tell me that yesterday?" Suzaku groaned. "Also, why is he not the Knight of One then?"

"Hmm… we don't really know for sure either, but my own guess is that he didn't want it. Emperor Charles respects the professor immensely. The Eisner family is infamous, you know. The family already helped put three emperors to the throne before and the Prof did the same for Emperor Charles." Gino paused. "Also, you saw the sword on his hip, right?"

Suzaku nodded. "It looks like it is dull but it was able to penetrate the Lancelot."

"It is dull. I don't even know how, but that sword is mystical. It can cut through Knightmares. I'm convinced that it is made of something stronger than Sakuradite. Even with his mask on, people can recognize him just from the sword."

"Why does he wear a mask anyway?"

"Apparently, he got a nasty facial burn over thirty years ago. And people told me that he was quite the looker too."

"I see…" Suzaku thought quizzically.

Byleth's eyes glinted with childish excitement when he saw the metal contraption.

His metal contraption.

It wasn't a Knightmare—he still refused to pilot one—but it was a metal wyvern that was capable of flying and so much more.

Gone were the days that he had to run to evade a missile. Oh no—now he could fly.

He spent a small fortune (that didn't even put a dent in his wallet) to sponsor Lloyd to make the Wyvern, but it was worth every cent. It took a very long time, but riding atop of one and flying through the sky to cut down some obnoxious Knightmares was absolutely worth it.

"Professor," Charles looked quite satisfied in his magnificent office chair. "There is something I need to talk to you about."

Byleth quirked his brow.

"I have found your lover—C.C. She was sighted in Area 11, aiding my son Lelouch who is also known as Zero.

Byleth grinned with a murderous glint in his eyes.

"And how long have you known this?"

.

Byleth used six divine pulses—more than he has used in a long while—when Charles told him about C.C.

To be fair, it would only have taken one, but Byleth could not hold his anger at the fact that Charles had used C.C. to manipulate him for the last 40 years and killed him five times just to satiate his anger.

It felt so good to stab the two-faced bastard, but he wasn't completely satisfied.

Byleth always suspected Charles for a long time.

He knew that Charles hid something from him, especially after Charles and Victor took him to the interrogation room. After living for almost a millennia, it was easy to see even the slightest changes in voices and body language, as well as lies. Charles was an infant compared to Byleth's experience. But Byleth waited. The past few decades have been dedicated to making Charles actually believe that he liked Charles.

Byleth never liked the man. The only reason why he ever gave Charles his support was because he saw potential.

And because he was bored.

He never really liked Charles, but now, Byleth hated him.

In ways, Charles did help Byleth find C.C. His support for Charles also led him to Marianne, who Byleth actually cherished, and Charles said that his plan will 'bring her back' when Byleth interrogated him. He didn't believe Charles. He never really did, so certainly not now.

The vi Britannias—Byleth slammed his fist to the wall. Charles abandoned them to die in Area 11 when he chose to invade it. He said that he loved Marianne the most out of all his numerous consorts, yet Charles let Marianne's children be almost killed. Hearing about the Sword of Akasha, the foolish child's beliefs that he can make the god of this world—the Collective Unconsciousness—submit to his will just reminded him darkly of the Agarthans who believed that they could do the same.

But Charles didn't remember Byleth's anger. He just remembered Byleth smiling underneath his mask happily say thank you for finding her. I'll bring her to introduce to you.

Byleth smiled darkly.

That motherfucker Charles would get what he deserves. Oh and that brat Victor too.

When Byleth saw the Ganymede again for the first time in eight years, albeit through a screen atop of an airship, he had to fight the tears that threatened to fall. While he was standing guard next to a blind princess, he couldn't afford to have anyone see him in such a weakened state.

Seeing the Ganymede—her Ganymede—made him remember the times when he tried to grab and consequently rather roughly tossed and turned on top the Ganymede by Marianne.

Now, instead of the blue flash it left as afterimages when Marianne zipped through her enemies, it was regarded as an old antique that was capable of making pizza.

Byleth didn't exactly care about the pizza part. But looking at the original Knightmare Frame, he only wished that it was Marianne in the cockpit instead of the young Knight of Seven.

The lovely Marianne, flashing through her enemies and leaving only burning rubble behind.

Nunnally, with gentleness so painfully similar to her mother, grasped onto his hand as reporters talk about the original Knightmare Frame feverishly.

"Professor, did you see my mother piloting the Ganymede before?" she asked with innocent excitement.

Byleth choked.

"Yes… she was the epitome of a goddess."

Byleth was unfazed by the unnatural rumbles echoing throughout the airship. He knew that fighting was going on behind the walls, but a 10,000 feet drop wouldn't kill him.

He already tried that once.

But he did have a slight problem. The little princess wouldn't survive the fall, so his Wyvern was already powered up and ready to take flight if needed. Hearing the Britannian comms, it seemed like they needed to leave soon as Zero already infiltrated the ship.

As Zero—Lelouch, he reminded himself—walked into the garden, he didn't know that Byleth would be guarding the princess right next to her. Only four people knew that he would be coming to Britannia with Nunnally. The Demon put a hand around the hilt of his sword. Whatever Lelouch did, he would not be faster than him. But Byleth wouldn't kill him.

"That's you there, Zero, isn't it? Have you come here to kill me as well?" The princess cried out. "Like you did my brother Clovis, and my sister, Euphy?"

The Black Knight's leader paused thirty steps away.

"Even so, will you wait just a moment, please? I think what you are doing is wrong!" The princess said with hesitancy.

After a moment of silence, Zero responded, "It is Britannia that is wrong."

And Nunnally—Nunnally was a strong girl. Her conviction and inner fortitude reminded the Professor of Marianne. She chose to come to Area 11 in order to make things better. She came to make Euphy's dreams come true. And she asked the man that killed her to help that wish come true.

He felt the ship shaking even more.

"No time. We're going now Nunnally."

"Wait, Professor! Zero—" Disregarding her cry, he grabbed her thin body and jumped onto the Wyvern. Nunnally gave a terrified scream, but the Wyvern grabbed onto Nunnally's wheelchair with its claws and he used a missile from the metal dragon to blast a hole to get outside of the ship.

"Sorry Nunnally, but this old man isn't going to let you die anytime soon!" He glanced at Zero flying through the air but getting caught by one of the Black Knight Knightmares. "I don't think Zero is going to die anytime soon either."

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Byleth looked at the news about the Black Knights and the Chinese Federation with minimal interest. Schneizel is a smart boy, but the prince still had long ways to go if he wanted to completely overwhelm his younger brother.

"Sir Eisner! Thank you for waiting!" A joyous voice rang out and Byleth looked up from the waiting room chair.

"It was no problem, Mr. Ashford. I hope everything was in order?"

"Yes! I can't believe that you are Professor Eisner's son! He actually taught my son as well! It's great to see you following in your father's footsteps." Ruben Ashford exclaimed loudly.

"Yes, he told me about your development of the first Knightmare Frames. He holds great respect for you and your son."

"I'm happy to hear that!" The Academy Director's eyes gleamed. "I hope this is not too forward, but why did you choose to teach at this Academy? Not that I don't mind, but you are overqualified for this job! Not to mention, you are the heir apparent to the Duke of Fodlan."

"Ah, well you see, my father needed to have someone watch over his past students—the Knights of the Round," he smiled.

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Lelouch hadn't come to class yesterday as Rolo turned off his alarm and made Lelouch sleep in for four hours so he missed most of his classes. It was nice to relax though, as he really needed the rest.

He greeted some of the students that said hello to him down the hallway and many girls giggled back in response.

The doors to his classroom opened automatically and he saw Shirley and other girls, giving them a fake smile and a hello.

As he took his seat, he heard some whisperings, but it wasn't the normal whispering that was mainly about him. He nonchalantly pretended to be absorbed in his textbook while he opened his ears to the gossip.

"The first class is Mr. Jeralt's class. I'm so excited!" one of the girls squealed.

"He's a knight, right? So we can call him Sir Jeralt, right?"

"Why do you even call him by his first name? You should call him Sir Eisner."

Eisner…?

It was a familiar name. He shook his head inwardly at the distraction. The teacher would be coming soon and he would soon see who it was.

"Mr. Lamperouge?"

Lelouch almost jumped at the voice that called out his name right behind him. He couldn't even sense or hear a person coming behind him.

He turned around slowly as the girls surrounding him in the class began to squeal even louder.

Lelouch stared at the man in front of him.

"…Professor Byleth?"

"Ah, you're talking about my father." The young, green-haired teacher smiled. "I am Jeralt Eisner. Please come to the Guidance Office after school today to talk about your poor attendance."

His classmates whispered.

"Poor Lulu… but at the same time, I wish I was him!"

Lelouch disregarded the talking behind him.

"Yes, of course, Mr. Eisner," Lelouch gave an eye smile at the teacher who nodded and walked up to the front of the classroom.

The Black Prince's expression turned somber. He remembered the Knight of Twelve standing next to Nunnally inside the airship. He remembered seeing the Professor so often in Aeries Villa eight years ago. It wasn't on his mind for years due to more important matters—his mother's death, Nunnally's condition, their exile, the invasion—but Lelouch also remembered Professor Byleth's young, bare face.

Jeralt Eisner and Byleth Eisner looked the same.

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Lelouch wasn't exactly sure if he wanted to go to meet Mr. 'Jeralt' Eisner after his last class today, but he confidently walked down the hallway towards the guidance office. During his lunch break, he accessed the academy's files through his computer and saw the teacher's file.

Sir Jeralt Eisner

Age: 30

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: September 20, 1987

Details:

[Details are secret according to the rule of the Britannia Army]

Professor of Strategy and Military History, Victoria Military Institute, 2014-2017

-REDACTED-

Colonel, Britannian Royal Military, 2005-2017, knighted June 2012

-REDACTED-

Education:

Pendragon Military College, Graduated 2012, Ph.D. in Military Science

Pendragon Military College, Graduated 2011, Masters in Military Science

-REDACTED-

Victoria Military Institute, Graduated 2005, Bachelors in Military Science

Lelouch didn't remember the Professor having a son. Or a wife. Should he confront the teacher about this or wait till he revealed something? As a person who always black in chess, Lelouch determined that he wouldn't make a decision until the teacher played his cards.

He opened the door.

"Good, you're here." The teacher was standing in front of the table, his arm dropping from the thinking pose to his side. Lelouch scanned the green-haired teacher. He was wearing the exact same uniform as the Professor, Knight of Twelve. Along with his ivory sword.

"Your uniform… Are we not doing counseling?"

"No, we're not. C.C is at the Black Knight's base, right? Now take me to her."

The prince spluttered. Was this teacher/professor(?) tasked to find C.C. by the emperor? He made up his mind quickly. He reached for the contact lens.

"I, Lelouch vi Britannia, command you—obey me!"

The teacher looked impassively for a second.

"So that's your Geass?"

The prince's eyes widened.

"Brother!" Rolo's voice rang out behind him and Lelouch saw that the Professor was inside Rolo's time stopping sphere. "I knew his files were suspicious. Escape now!"

But the professor walked toward them, seemingly unaffected by the Geass.

Disregarding the shock, Rolo took out the gun and shot at the man. The prince's mind rang with the implication for this man's immunity to the Geass and the implications for shooting the teacher if he wasn't what Lelouch suspected to be.

The teacher stopped after getting shot. And crossed his arms.

"As I've said, Lelouch, take me to C.C."

Rolo lowered his gun, knowing that it was futile after realizing what the man was.

Lelouch was also sure of it now. "So you are Professor Byleth?" Now, the professor's incongruous young face from his memories made sense.

"Yes, normally I wouldn't be so hasty or demanding, but I'm an anxious man. I need to see C.C. right now, if you would be so kind to lead the way."

The professor gave a terrifying smile.

.

C.C. didn't even look up as the doors opened. The only person it would open for automatically would be for Lelouch anyways. She had Cheese-kun comfortably inside her arms while she was reading a novel that wasn't half bad.

"You're here earlier than you said. Get me some pizza, boy."

"Cera."

The Witch stopped turning the page. She refused to look toward the sound. Her hands shook.

She was afraid—afraid that her past caught up to her.

The speaker moved inside the room, and the door closed but C.C. still refused to look up.

"Cera."

The speaker kneeled on one knee in front of her and his face was a foot away. C.C. finally looked up and saw the unchanged face of her former lover gazing at her with a relieved smile.

"I've missed you."

A.T.B. 1468

She was strapped to a burning stake again.

Tears streamed out of her eyes as she saw the young man that she trusted—loved—jeer at her along with all the other villagers she lived with for three years. Why was it… why was it that whenever she loved or trusted, they, in turn, could never do so? Her former lover's left eye swirled with his Geass. Was it to mock her? She didn't quite know but she just wished that he would have unlocked the full power of the Geass to put her out of her misery.

She trusted once again, only for her to get betrayed.

It hurt. As the flames touched her bare feet, she cried out in pain. But more than the flames, the betrayal and jeers hurt even more.

She bit her bottom lip to conceal another cry, but it would not be far until she would start screaming. The flames reached her calves and she could feel blisters and burns consuming her legs and feet.

C.C. closed her eyes, just hoping this would be over quickly. Hopefully, they put more firewood because then it would end more quickly. With her eyes closed, she heard the chanting of 'burn the witch' along with other names the overzealous townspeople wanted to throw at her. Her only solace was that they would think that she was dead. After her death, her ashen remains will be thrown into the woods, where she could replace her lost body parts from C's World. She would then roam again until a village accepted her and she vowed this time she would not trust nor fall in love.

But from the shouting, she also heard a loud cry—from a horse?

Was that a horse neighing?

She opened her eyes and instead of the townspeople, she was greeted by a green-haired man jumping from his horse toward her.

What?

With one swing of a dagger, he freed her from the binds and grabbed her as he jumped back on his horse before any flames could burn him. With a crack on his reins, he trampled a few villagers and stole her out of the village.

.

They finally stopped, giving her time to speak her mind.

"Why did you save me?"

The green-haired man—his hair all too similar to her own hair color—gave a small grin.

"It didn't seem fitting to try and court a lady while she was being burned alive."

She stared at the man incredulously. "Do you know why I was being burned alive? They say I'm a witch, boy."

"Boy?" The man laughed. "I haven't heard that before." He hummed and handed her a water flask to which she grabbed greedily. "So are you a witch?"

She didn't respond but instead pointed to her legs. C.C. knew that he saw the burns earlier. She used the time to escape from the town on the horse to heal her feet. She considered leaving some burns if the man had any questions, but C.C. supposed that she would just kill herself if he tried to do anything. The man would have to abandon her in the woods.

The blisters and burns hurt too much to just leave alone.

"Do you have any problems with a witch?" She flipped her long green hair slightly nervous of the man's actual intentions.

The man laughed once again.

"If those people call you a witch, then I would be called… a demon."

.

Maybe, she'll trust. Just one more time.

A.T.B. 1473

Sometimes, they acted like siblings; sometimes they acted like lovers. Their matching hair colors made many heads turn no matter what persona they put on. They didn't really have a goal or a purpose in their travels, but it was thrilling enough.

After their pleasant night together, C.C. finally asked. "Byleth… do you… have a Code?"

With eyes filled with genuine curiosity, Byleth replied, "What is a Code?"

C.C. narrowed her eyes and lifted Byleth's arms, made him turn around, and kept searching Byleth's bare body while he laughed from her soft touches.

"Is this a new sensual game, Cera?" Byleth returned her sensual touches with his own and loomed over her to give a passionate kiss.

C.C. broke the kiss and huffed. She had seen her lover's bare body countless times by now, and like ever, there was no new tattoo or symbol that looked like the Geass. She flipped him over his back using the moment. Unfortunately, no symbol on his bare arse either. Now that would be hilarious.

Furthermore, weren't there any scars or injuries.

"How did you heal from the bandit's dagger so quickly? Also, how do you not age?" she accused.

Byleth shrugged. "You don't either, Miss Witch. But, to answer your question, I think I'm immortal."

"You think?" C.C. asked with an indignant cry. "What do you mean you think?!"

"I never really wanted to find out if I only never aged or if I was immortal."

"Is that even possible?"

"My father didn't age… but he was able to be killed." Byleth softly grasped a lock of C.C.'s hair and twirled it between his fingers. "By a dagger, no less." He sadly snorted.

"Oh…" But C.C.'s furrowed eyebrows suddenly turned up into a smirk. "You had a father? Here I was, thinking that we might have been committing some sacrilegious incest." She flipped her hair, making Byleth make a small whine as C.C.'s lock of hair escaped his fingers.

"I don't believe I had any siblings. Not that I really care about the laws and rules from the religion here."

C.C. smirked and laid her head on top of Byleth's chest. "Neither do I, but I figured as you didn't enjoy the chapels very much. When were you born?"

"I think about four hundred years ago."

C.C. lifted herself up stared at her lover. "Four hundred years? How did you not die or boredom? How did you not die at least once?" It had only been about sixty years since she had received her Code. She couldn't imagine living so long without it getting boring, because she felt bored before meeting Byleth.

Byleth slinked down into the sheets.

"I spent it mostly exploring. As for not dying, I have an ability to helps me a bit." Byleth winked. "I'll show you sometime."

"My, my. So many mysteries." She flopped down on the bed next to Byleth with an exasperated sigh. She propped her chin on top of her hands. "Do I really need each and every question for you to give me an answer?"

"If not, how will we last the next millennia without boring each other?"

C.C. smiled. She wouldn't mind that too much.

A.T.B. 1528

"Why do you even like this scented water?" C.C said as she spat back the drink back into her drinking cup.

Byleth looked a bit affronted.

"It's not scented. It has an aromatic taste!"

C.C. rolled her eyes.

"We just spent half of the money we had for a tiny bag that weighs less than a pound. And it's not even food."

"Tea isn't just for drinking." Byleth took another sip. "It's also to spend time and talk with people. Anyways, I haven't drank tea in centuries!"

"And yet you berate me for buying too much cheese," she said as she rolled her eyes.

A.T.B. 1604

C.C. cried in front of their seventh adopted child's grave.

Like all the children before him, Corin never reached the age of twenty before dying.

"Cera… I'm sorry, but it was fated."

C.C. turned around abruptly, giving a ferocious glare to Byleth. "Fated?! What do you mean fated?! I can't believe you! You can save your own life but cannot save our child's? How could you say that it was fate?!"

Byleth couldn't respond back, because it was true.

A.T.B. 1647

Byleth held his breath. If he was a more emotional person, tears would be flowing out in streams.

"So you were born here? There's… nothing left," C.C. said sadly.

The ruins of Garreg Mach was overrun with greenery and trees atop once impressive towers and buildings.

"Yes… it was destroyed hundreds of years ago. When it did, the land surrounding the monastery fell to the sea. A continent was reduced to an island. And my students were… all buried underneath this rubble. Over there—" he pointed at rocks overrun by green moss. "That's where we were, celebrating the end of a war. But then I felt this sudden, unbearable pain. And then I woke up and was floating in the middle of the sea."

C.C. looked around. She could imagine the grand Monastery that once stood on these grounds. But now, the signs of the buildings and life were all worn down and covered by wildlife.

"How long has it been since you came back?"

"About 600 years? I didn't visit even once. I couldn't. The guilt of being the only person alive when every one of my students was dead made me so… scared. But with you, I could finally come back." Byleth gave her a big, genuine smile. "Thank you Cera."

C.C. returned the smile. "Byleth, thank you for bringing me here."

Byleth swooped down to give her a kiss.

"Byleth... Byleth."

Byleth stopped.

"S-Sothis?" He turned and looked around. "Where are you?! Sothis!"

"Byleth? What are you saying? Who is Sothis?" C.C asked.

"She's somewhere around here! I can hear her!" Byleth ran to a hill of rubbles.

C.C. chased after him. "Byleth! Where are you going? I can't hear anyone except for us!"

She was breathless by the same time she caught up to him on top of a tall stone staircase. He stopped in front of a stone chair that was untouched by the infestation of plants. While it was surrounded by rubble, it stood magnificently, glowing iridescent green. The back was at least ten meters long and a large oval swirl design decorated the middle of the backrest.

"Where are you, Sothis!" he cried out.

"Byleth." C.C. had a painful look on her face. "Who is Sothis?" She already knew the answer.

Byleth bit his lip.

"She was… my first love."

A.T.B. 1688

C.C screamed at the severed body in front of her.

"Why… why did you kill him?!"

"He hurt you while he had the power to kill you now! I can't let such a person survive!"

"Byleth, the axe was an accident! And he didn't even know that he could. How could you do such a thing… when he was like our own child?!"

"Cera," Byleth responded grimly. "Nothing is more important to me than you. Not even our adopted children. I will never let you die."

But what if she wanted to die?

A.T.B. 1702

C.C. gave a sad smile as she saw her lover finally hoisted his flag of Garreg Mach over his homeland—the continent that had been reduced to an island. The Emperor that they put on the throne was very receptive to giving Byleth the claim to the island and the surrounding lands (not that the emperor could even refuse).

Fodlan was a mystical island: always covered by fog and never explored except for the shores for cartographers to map. For one reason or another, the cartographers could never go past the shores and were limited to mapping the surroundings only.

It didn't really matter as Byleth didn't plan on letting people intrude onto his precious homeland.

He planned to build a house for them to live together. He planned to explore after a few and find children to foster in the land. He planned so many things, but C.C. didn't plan the same.

She boarded the sole boat to the island that night and left alone.

"I've failed you in so many ways, Cera."

C.C. didn't respond, but her silence said volumes.

"I've had three hundred years to think. Because I lived for so long... I forgot what it really means to be a human—what it means to have just one life and always afraid of dying."

C.C. didn't respond again.

"I need to explain how I got my immortality. This sword…" He took the Sword of the Creator out of his belt. "It's made from the bones of Sothis."

That finally made her expression change. "The bones of your first lover?" C.C. asked with a disturbed look on her face.

"Yes…" He nodded. "She died almost a thousand years before I was born. She was a goddess—"

"Stop. Whatever you're trying to convince me with, it's not working Byleth," she sighed.

"No, no, Cera. It's not a metaphor. She was an actual goddess. She came to my world, or I guess it was just a continent, about a thousand years before I was born. She helped a group of humans called Agarthans, but they betrayed her and killed almost all of her descendants, which made her sacrifice her body in order to defeat these Agarthans. Her daughter stored her heart in human containers and tried many experiments to revive her mother. One of the containers over the years was my mother. My father received the blood of the goddess' daughter, which made him unable to age. The goddess' blood from my father, added with the goddess' heart transplanted from my mother to me, caused the goddess' cognition to be developed within me. She lived within my mind and it was due to this that I am able to use this sword that was made with her bones."

The goddess' heart doesn't beat, but it does when I use a Divine Pulse, where I am able to turn back time to a certain extent. Even with this power, I couldn't save my father who died right in front of me.

Sothis taught me, that when I turned back time and couldn't save him, it was fated. Whenever our children died, I used it to the maximum amount of times to find a way to make them live. Sometimes I could save them, but in the end, none of them could survive past their fate.

When I couldn't save my students all those hundred years ago and when I couldn't save our children, I stopped caring about humans because if I did, then I would be hurt again. Yet I keep making the same mistakes. Marianne… she was like a daughter to me. She was so powerful and full of life. I thought that she would live until she got old. But I couldn't even save her."

Byleth gave a strained laugh and looked toward her again.

"Cera. Sothis cursed me with this immortality and I hated her for it, but at that time, I needed to ask her why. Why I was the only one that lived that day. Why I was cursed with this immortality. I loved her and then hated her for so many years." Byleth paused. "But I am thankful to her—because I met you. I only truly lived the past five hundred years because I loved you."

"I asked you all those years ago… Why did you not tell me earlier and only tell me now? We can't go back to that time." C.C.'s brows scrunched up and she pushed him away.

"Please, Cera. Please." Byleth went on both his knees. "There's nothing for me but you. I don't have anyone left except for you. I don't even know how to die. I've tried killing myself, so many times, in every possible way but I couldn't die."

Byleth never died even once in the two hundred years she had known her. Nor the four hundred years he roamed the world alone.

"I don't care if you don't love me. You could hate me. You could leave again and but please," Tears streamed down from his eyes. "Please don't kill yourself."

Suzaku didn't really believe in coincidences anymore. Not when the Geass can artificially create such coincidences.

When the green-haired teacher introduced himself as Jeralt Eisner, son of Byleth Eisner Knight of Twelve, Suzaku wasn't as excited as Gino who asked all kinds of invasive questions to the teacher.

He couldn't quite explain it, but something was not right.

The teacher's all too familiar voice. The teacher's all too familiar way of teaching. It was too similar to the Professor. Even if they were father and son, it didn't exactly explain how Gino didn't even know about him—the annoying blond knew everyone.

Byleth saw the Knight of Seven's suspicious glances. The boy was not a good actor. He was also too truthful to be an actor.

"Mr. Eisner…" the brunette knight started. "I haven't seen the Professor since the viceroy's inauguration. Do you know where your father is currently?"

The teacher hummed. "I believe he is somewhere else in Area 11 for a special mission, I haven't seen him in a while either though, Sir Kururugi. He said something about a witch?" he said nonchalantly.

Suzaku's breath hitched. Ah, so the boy knew about Geass and Cera. Byleth wasn't sure of Suzaku's mission by the Emperor because it didn't come up during his interrogation, but it must have something to do with Zero—Lelouch. The demon glanced over the Honorary Britannian's shoulder to stare at the Black Prince who in turn glared back at him.

"Oh, and speaking of my father… he told me that you were a talented knight… strong enough to become the Knight of One," the Demon smirked.

The boy narrowed his eyes.

Byleth looked at the destroyed area that was once called Tokyo. The settlement was now just a gigantic basin due to the FLEJA and Byleth cared.

He might not be human anymore but he still cared.

Byleth looked rightfully enraged.

"What have you done to her? I should kill you now… " The Demon held his sword to Lelouch's neck. "I've killed many of her contractors for far less," he growled dangerously.

C.C. trembled as she hid behind Lelouch.

"Professor, please, I didn't do anything! After I confronted my father and C.C. chose to not die for the Ragnarok, she suddenly lost all her memories!"

The professor's eyes turned from anger to shock.

"So… she chose to live instead of dying?" He dropped his sword. "What have you done to her?"

"Are you here to stop me, Professor?" Suzaku brandished his sword against the Ashen Demon.

Schneizel didn't expect the confrontation in front of him. He looked at the Professor, hiding his worries. Professor Byleth was the one instrumental for his father's ascension to the throne. He was unbelievably strong. Although the White Prince had faith that the Knight of Seven would be able to kill his father, he was doubtful that anyone could defeat the Professor. Also, the Knight of Three, who was hesitant about who to give his loyalty to currently, would gladly assist the Professor if he asked.

Would the professor kill Sir Kururugi and kill everyone else in the room who dared to say such traitorous things? The Professor was such an enigma that Schneizel could not predict his actions.

The Demon laughed. "Oh Suzaku, not that you can ever beat me, but what makes you think I'm trying to stop you?" His eyes glinted dangerously. "I'm going with you to kill that motherfucker once and for all."

"Professor…" Charles narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here?"

"Charles, you thought that you could fool me for forty years and think that I'll forgive you because I helped you get the throne?" His face was smiling but his eyes told a different story. "No one," he glared at Marianne. "Not even someone I considered a daughter is more important to me than C.C."

"It's meaningless, professor. You cannot even kill me. I am immortal." Charles laughed.

Byleth hummed. "What was it that you said to me all those years ago? Oh, yes. Even if you are immortal, we could bury your body in cement and leave you for a couple of days. I'm sure that sounds fun. I think it'll be even more fun if I leave you there for eternity!" Byleth gave a sadistic grin.

"Professor," the Black Prince stopped him. "Please, let me be the one to get rid of this scum called my father. And the heartless woman called my mother."

Byleth quirked his brow, gave a mock bow, and conceded.

The Sword of Akasha was collapsing on itself.

"It seems that you didn't even need my help becoming the Emperor. Congratulations Lelouch." Byleth sounded mildly amused. He turned around, ready to leave the crumbling world.

Lelouch smirked. "I could use your help to take the throne though, Professor."

"Not yet. Our talk isn't over yet, Lelouch," Suzaku narrowed his eyes and Lelouch gave an affirmative nod.

"Oh did I ever tell you, I actually killed Charles five times by turning back time because he tried to fucking manipulate me? That piece of shit." Byleth cackled.

C.C. sighed. "It seems that you have gotten crass since I've left. Whatever. Let's go now. C's World can be depressing if you stay too long."

With a nod, the quartet stepped down the stairs to leave.

"Byleth," a soft voice cried out.

Byleth stopped and turned his head to the voice.

"…Sothis?"

"Byleth. It's been so long since I was able to talk to you." A young girl with long, dark green hair wearing a flowing dress floated down in front of Byleth. "We can finally talk." The girl looked so happy but the Professor didn't share the same sentiment.

"Sothis… Why are you here?" His eyes turned murderous.

"I couldn't talk to you before because—"

"How could you show up now!" Byleth's voice was drenched with rage "You've left me for eight hundred years—cursing me with this immortality that I never wanted. When Fodlan was destroyed, why couldn't you let me die with everyone else? Do you know the guilt I felt every single day because of it?"

"I am so, so sorry Byleth. But…" The goddess bit her lip. "how could I let you die when I had the power to keep you alive? I know that guilt very well. Of course I know it. I saved you, but never any of my children!" Her expression looked so angry and sad.

"Why did you save me? Why can I not die? I tried tearing our your heart so many times, yet I could not die." Byleth gripped his chest. "Burning, tearing, stabbing, poisoning, drowning—I tried everything. Why doesn't it even hurt? If I felt the pain, it would have at least numbed my mind."

"Byleth, why do you think it is that you have never felt the pain? I live within your heart. Every time you kill yourself, every time you get physically hurt, I felt that pain for you."

Byleth gasped. "Why… why would you do that?! The pain… That must have hurt you so much…"

"I took your pain for you because you already suffered so much pain that I've caused. I didn't mean to give you a life that you see as a curse. I didn't mean for immortality to leave you alone and isolated in this world. But when you met C.C, you finally had a purpose—something to live for. When she disappeared, I knew that you would be able to find her, so I couldn't let you die."

"Then, you have chosen for me to live this cursed life? How could you choose such a thing for me? I want to die."

"But you still have a purpose in life. Just like how you are my purpose in life."

Byleth's eyes widened.

"Oh… oh… I can't believe… ah… what a hypocrite I am… your love for me—the way you wish me to live—it's the same as how I wish for C.C. to live… how can I ask for her to live if I myself wish to die?" Byleth clawed at his hair at its roots. "Can I even ask her to continue living when I don't want to live either?."

"I will let you pass with her when she does. If you still wish for it. Now go." She disappeared with a smile on her face.

Byleth nodded.

"Thank you… Sothis…"

"You changed your mind."

"I did." The witch responded.

"Because you love Lelouch?"

Her silence affirmed his question.

"I already made a decision already years ago. Even if you didn't love me anymore, I will still help you accomplish anything it is that you want. Even serving Lelouch for eternity if you are by his side." Byleth grinned, but his heart ached.

Byleth had just a sliver of hope when he heard of the Zero Requiem plan.

He didn't voice his hope; he would follow the child Emperor's orders to the T.

But one can still hope that C.C. would come back to him if Lelouch died.

Lelouch sat on the throne confidently.

When he was attacked by soldiers loyal to the previous emperor, Suzaku took care of them while he himself took care of the nobles.

Professor Byleth took care of anyone who wasn't enraptured by his Geass with just his new name—Jeralt Eisner, Knight of One. Pendragon and Britannia knew what it meant for a prince to be supported by an Eisner.

The Black Prince was the new Emperor.

"Professor, do you mind if I take a look at your sword?" The Knight of Zero asked in one training session.

Byleth nodded his head. "Sure."

"So how does this even work? I know you said your homeland was mystical, but how can it cut through metal so easily?" he held the blade carefully and it rattled in his hands

"It's not a normal sword even in my homeland. It's made out of Sothis' bones. Specifically her spine."

"The bones… of your previous lover?!" Suzaku's horrified expression grew even more pronounced as the professor nodded his head in confirmation.

With a yelp, the Knight of Zero tossed the blade up and it almost fell to the ground but the Professor caught it in time.

The Professor glared and hugged the blade dearly against his chest.

"Uhhh… I'm so sorry… I'll never ask to hold that sword ever again."

Jeremiah Gottwald remembered the Professor from his duties at Aries Palace. Somehow, his young face and casual display of immortality didn't surprise the Orange Knight.

"So what will you do after the plan?" the green-haired Professor asked.

Jeremiah thought for a second. "I think I'll start an orange farm. How about you Professor?"

A pause.

"I'll guard C.C. as long as she's alive."

The Orange Knight narrowed his eyes.

"And if the Emperor lives? Will that protection also extend to him?"

Byleth didn't want to think about that.

"If I need to, yes. But if C.C. ever feels like she doesn't love the boy anymore, I will be the first one to kill him."

Jeremiah's emotions raged at the Professor's hatred for his Emperor, but he calmed down. The immortal spent three hundred years trying to find his lover, only for her to love another man.

Any sane man would leave and find something new to pursue, but demons were quite possessive and stubborn.

"If you harm the Emperor, I will fight you whether or not you are immortal."

Byleth gave a small smile.

"I truly hope that you will be alive when that happens."

Jeremiah didn't respond, but he understood the Professor's wish.

Byleth was disappointed at Schneizel's excessive way of making peace through his FLEJA bombs.

"So... your son sided with Lelouch instead of me. I thought you liked me the most out of all of my father's children, Professor, but I guess I was wrong." Schneizel sighed in defeat. "It would have been helpful to have you and your son—if he really is a son, to help me create a world of peace."

"Schneizel, you are my favorite out of Charles' children. You already figured it out though, haven't you? You would have made a fine emperor…"

The Demon dropped his mask, revealing his bare face to Schneizel for the first time.

"But my lover chose Lelouch. I spent three hundred years trying to find her, and in those three hundred years, I put four emperors to the throne. If I find her supporting a man who wants to be the emperor, how can I refuse her?"

"So… he's dead?"

C.C. nodded.

"But I'm going to bring him back to life." She clutched the bloody body of her contractor even more tightly.

Her eyes said stop me if you can.

Byleth gave a saddened smile.

"I won't stop you. I said I'll serve him for eternity if you are by his side already."

His eyes said I will still love you.

Byleth wasn't sure if his purpose in life was worth watching the woman he loved love someone else.

He finally understood what Sothis felt.

He pleaded—let me feel the pain.

He stabbed his chest with the Sword of the Creator.

It hurt. The pain was excruciating, but it numbed his mind.

He pulled the Sword out.

Again.