Author's Notes:

Spoilers for all routes! You've been warned. While the story will be mostly following the Black Eagles part for awhile, the other routes and their endings will most likely be referenced heavily.

After playing through everything in Three Houses, I just wanted the story to keep on going and so... here we are. Not sure how well everything will fit together since I'm making things up as we go, but hopefully it's somewhat entertaining.

Try not to take the story 'too' seriously.

When I opened my eyes, I had become someone else. Foreign memories slipped into my mind, along with a name: Byleth.

I winced and brought a hand to my forehead. In doing so, I began to notice where I was.

A ceiling with wooden rafters. A dirty windowpane set inside a wornout wooden frame. One unvarnished and smoothed by hand.

I realized that I was laying on a bed. With a frown, I got out of it.

My body felt strange. Too light, too lanky. Not only that, but moving around felt… smooth. Coordinated and holding back force that I couldn't remember having.

To test my suspicion, I threw out a casual punch.

The crisp sound of breaking air echoed in the room.

I lowered my hand and stared at my clenched fist. What was going on here?

Confused, I examined the rest of my body.

Toned arms and legs with muscles as firm as steel. Chiseled abs that looked far too exaggerated to be real… except that they were. Smooth pale skin that was completely unblemished.

"This is weird." I muttered and shook my head. "I… what's happening to me? No, what happened to me?"

A splitting headache. A surge of memories spilled forth, filling my mind. Memories of another land, another world. Memories of this world, of Fodlan, but through a screen. Memories of magic, of technology, of science, of faith.

Infinite worlds, infinite universes. Fiction that becomes reality, reality that becomes fiction.

I am… I was…

A knock at the door. "Hey kid. You up?"

I blinked. The sound snapped me out of the deluge of memories and helped me focus. But it wasn't enough.

"Byleth." I muttered the name to myself to try and anchor my racing thoughts.

It was a lie. That wasn't me… but saying it was enough for me to focus. Enough for me to play the part until I figured out where 'I' started and 'he' continued.

The door opened. Through it walked a man with blonde hair tied in a short ponytail. He had a grizzled beard and a stern expression. The look of a man who had seen countless battles.

He was-

My father.

-Jeralt Eisner, leader of the Eisner Mercenary Troop.

"I'm up." The words spilled from my mouth before I could think about them. Oddly monotone, ambivalent.

"Well isn't that a surprise. You're usually a heavy sleeper." Jeralt smiled, a thin line that barely eased his stern expression. One that dropped when he met my eyes. "Is something wrong?"

The words were filled with concern that only a father could have. Despite my ambivalent tone, he seemed to have seen through it to the worry I felt.

I… didn't know what to say. Could I say that I wasn't Byleth? No, that wasn't completely true. I had his memories. I remembered growing up with Jeralt. I remembered him carefully teaching me how to fight and survive. His concern at my ambivalence. His parental love, clumsy but firm as a mountain. Something that Byleth didn't notice, but that I did.

"Don't tell me it was that dream again?"

Hearing the easy answer, I gave a slight nod. I didn't trust my voice at the moment to speak.

Jeralt sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know what's wrong with you. That girl and then a huge battlefield… you said this started just a few weeks ago, right?"

A few weeks ago. Wracking my mind, I realized that was correct. Byleth had been seeing those dreams approximately that time ago. Suddenly and seemingly without a cause.

Jeralt took my silence as a sign to continue. He frowned and scratched his beard. "Normally I'd tell you to lay off the story books… but you aren't the type to read those. If it was someone like Clark, that would make sense. But you've always been the serious type… hm." Jeralt shook his head. "Well, get that out of your mind for now. The battlefield's no place for idle thoughts."

I nodded and then paused. "…Battlefield?"

Jeralt sighed. "Don't tell me you forgot? Everyone's already waiting for you outside."

Everyone…? Ah. That was right. Today would be the day where I started leading my own troops. The first chance to be a bit independent.

Hold on.

A splitting headache.

I winced and clutched my forehead.

That… wasn't me. That was Byleth. I had been waiting to learn of some important news. A test had just occurred… no, I had taken a test. An important one. But what was it again? No, what was my name-

"Kid? You sure you're alright?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine." After taking a deep breath, the headache faded.

Jeralt frowned. "If you aren't feeling up for it-"

"I said I'm fine. And even if I'm not, a mercenary can't choose to just give up a job, can he?"

"…You're right. But you're also wrong. A normal mercenary can't, but who do you think I am? Chopped liver?"

Jeralt… dad… was making bad jokes. That wasn't good.

I grimaced and said, "Do I look that bad?"

"Well, I don't think the others would notice too much. Clark would probably chalk it up to nerves while Diane would think you need some more food."

Clark. Diane. Names I didn't remember but Byleth did. Old drinking buddies and comrades of Jeralt. They'd been around since Byleth was a toddler. Practically family. The former a grizzled merc that wielded a broadsword. The latter a bubbly mid-aged sniper.

"Still," Jeralt continued. "You might want to splash some water on your face before you get out there. Wouldn't do to have the Ashen Demon looking nervous on our first mission in the Kingdom, would it? The newbies might think that the world's coming to an end."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Right." Jeralt nodded and said, "Then I'll see you outside kid. Oh, and throw some clothes on. I taught you well enough to fight without them, but you might distract the newer recruits. Can't have that happen before getting our next payoff, can we?"

I gave a bland nod in return. I'd forgotten about that in the sudden existential crisis and all.

A door slammed open in the distance. Soon after, a gruff male voice called out. "Captain Jeralt! There's trouble!"

Jeralt sighed. "Oh brother…"

I quickly scanned the room for clothes. They were lying on the ground not far from the bed. It seemed that Byleth had the right thought in mind and anticipated such a situation.

I reached over and grabbed them, quickly tossing a shirt on and pulling up my pants. It was just in time, as a person ran into the hallway outside the door to my room.

A man with reddish brown hair. Unreliable looking, but with a well-honed body and a broadsword strapped to his back.

Clark.

The name came to my mind when I registered his face.

Jeralt shook his head. "What's the matter, Clark? Couldn't you have waited?"

"Sorry to bother you and the kid, but there's some brats looking for us. Seems like bandit trouble."

Jeralt frowned. "Bandit trouble? Here, in Remire?"

Clark nodded. "It's weird, right? But more than that, the kids have got that logo on them."

"Logo?"

"Yeah. The fancy… what was that place again? The captain's school?"

Jeralt groaned. "Don't tell me that they said they were from the Officers Academy?"

"Yeah! That's the one. The place you used to work for."

Jeralt sighed. "Just my luck." He turned around to face me and said, "Well, looks like we've got to settle this first, kid. Grab your sword and follow me. And remember, let me do the talking. You might be calm and all, but social interactions have never been your thing."

I frowned. Hearing that and knowing how I acted in the past made me want to rebut Jeralt. I could interact with people perfectly well… but from what I remembered as Byleth, it seemed that I couldn't find a time to contradict him with.

Instead of replying, I simply scanned the rest of my room for my gear. It didn't take long to find it.

A longcoat hung against a chair leaned below the window. Next to that was a belt lined with vulneraries and an iron sword.

I walked over and grabbed them, following my body's instincts to put them on. I quickly tied the belt around my waist, strapped my sword along my left side, and then tossed the coat over my shoulders before fastening the clasp at my chest.

Jeralt gave me a once over in the corner of his eyes before nodding. "Ready?"

"Ready."

Jeralt turned back to Clark and said, "Let's hear those brats out."

Remire village could be said to be a second home for Byleth… for me and his… my dad. Or rather, our only home. There had been a lot of places that we stayed at in the past, but only Remire could be said to be a real resting place. It was where we returned to most often and where we actually had a house.

Speaking of which, that was where I had woken up. Apparently Byleth had been sleeping in his actual room at the start of the game and not an inn, like I originally thought.

…A game. That was right. I was in a game now… or was I really? Events seemed similar, but also different. For one, I had a breadth of knowledge about the world that went beyond the game. Places and events that had never been expanded on in the game. At the same time, however, some things remained the same. Though the forest and buildings we passed while heading towards the brats were unfamiliar, they matched up with where the start of the game should have taken place.

But I was being distracted.

Even if that was true, the fact didn't change that this 'game' was now my life. And that the protagonist, Byleth, had been replaced by me. Me, who couldn't remember anything about his identity other than that he was from Earth and that he knew a lot of miscellaneous knowledge from all the novels and games he had experienced.

Which reminded me.

There was something odd in the air now that I didn't remember ever sensing before. Not only that, but that oddity was something I could somewhat control. It was strange. Like… having a third arm. Except not. No, it was probably closer to moving something in a game with a cursor. If I focused on it, I could shift it around.

I wondered. Was this mana? If so, then-

"There they are, Jeralt. Those are the ones looking for us." Clark's voice drew me out of my thoughts.

After registering what he said, I looked up to see three teenagers… or perhaps I should call them young men and woman? Either way, there were three people waiting in a forest clearing.

Some of the other mercenary troops were scattered throughout the rest of the forest. I noticed some of the newer mercenaries looking uncertain while the veterans were yawning and grumbling about how annoying it was to wake up so early.

"Are you the leader of this mercenary troop?"

The young woman walked forward when she noticed Jeralt and I approach.

Seeing that, Clark nodded at Jeralt and headed over to the join the other mercenaries, leaving Jeralt and I to deal with the approaching young woman.

"That's right," Jeralt said. "And who are you brats?"

The young woman froze. Staring at her, I noticed a flicker of unreadable emotion pass through her eyes. That was… admiration? Contempt? And… respect?

No. I was being distracted again. Rather than focusing on her reaction to Jeralt, I should have been focusing on her appearance.

First off, Byleth had no recollection of her. The only thing I recalled from seeing her was a faint sensation of familiarity. However, I knew who she was.

An aloof and cold young woman with violet eyes and hair as white as snow, long enough to trail behind her. Impractical in battle, I clinically noted, but she was apparently skilled enough that it didn't matter.

Edelgard von Hresvelg, the Adrestrian princess with the direct line of succession to the throne. The only heir left capable of inheriting it.

She wore the outfit that I recognized as the academy uniform of the Officers Academy. It was a black dress shirt with matching black pants and black leather boots. The only bit of color personalizing the outfit was a crimson cloak that she wore over her left shoulder, as well as the axe strapped against her back.

"Whoa there, Edelgard. Bit impatient, aren't you?"

The voice came from one of the other teenagers. A young man with black curly hair and a strange skin complexion, at least in comparison to everyone else around. It was a darker hue, reminiscent of light chocolate. Or perhaps a marshmallow tinged in the sun… if that made any sense. His demeanor, at least, was just as fluffy and bright.

The young man with darker skin walked over, taking a spot slightly to the left and behind Edelgard, and waved at me. "Hey there. Sorry if my companion was a bit abrupt. We've gotten ourselves in a bit of a mess, you see…"

"Claude. A 'bit of a mess' is an understatement."

The other young man walked over to Edelgard's right side and bowed. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but as we explained to your men, the situation is quite urgent."

I took the time to examine the latest speaker and double-checked with my memories.

Like I thought, Byleth didn't have any recollection of either. And, unlike with Edelgard, I didn't feel any sort of familiarity from either. However, I recognized both of them.

The young man with the cheerful demeanor and curly hair was Claude von Riegan, heir to the Leicester Alliance and leader of the Golden Deer house.

The other was Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, prince and heir to the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. A polite young man with blonde hair kept in a sidepart, from right to left.

Claude had a bow strapped to his back and a quiver to his side, whereas Dimitri had a spear on his back.

The three lords, leaders of the three houses… and the ones who would be tied up in the chaotic war to come five years in the future.

A war that I would soon be at the forefront of.

"…Kid?"

I blinked. After that, I noticed that everyone was staring at me. Jeralt specifically was turned towards me, his face set in a frown. "Is something wrong?"

I didn't remember what he said so, I fell back on the easy excuse. "Sorry. I was too busy thinking about the bandits."

"Ah." Jeralt nodded. "It is strange to have bandits out here. You'd think that most of them would have realized that we treat this place as our home grounds already. Trying to attack it is like trying to attack us. Which makes this even stranger." Jeralt turned back to the lords and said, "So I get that you three are students of the Officers Academy, but why are you being attacked by bandits of all things? And here?"

Claude let out a sigh and shook his head. "I dunno. We were just having a normal drill with our new instructor when those guys popped up out of nowhere."

"And we would have been fine," Edelgard said, "Had a certain someone decided not to run like a coward."

"Now Edelgard," Dimitri said. "I'm sure that Claude here simply thought to act as a diversion to allow us to escape. After all, our future professor did not appear ah… quite strong of heart."

Claude coughed. "Sure. Diversion. Let's go with that."

"You see, Dimitri? You will not be a fitting-"

"Right." Jeralt cut in and said, "So bandits… just happened to know that you were training and decided it was a good idea to attack? You? Students of the Officers Academy and guarded by the Knights of Seiros?"

I paused.

…Jeralt had a point. That wasn't typical behavior for bandits. They were opportunists, not bloodthirsty or reckless. It was well known that the Knights of Seiros would chase down anyone who went against the church, bandit or noble. Making an enemy of them was a deathwish.

And yet those bandits had.

That's because it was planned out.

Ah. Right. Hired guns by… the Flame Emperor, was it? And the identity of that person was-

"So, can we expect your aid?" Dimitri's voice cut off my train of thoughts.

Jeralt looked at the three lords before shaking his head. He then turned to me and said, "What do you think, kid? Should we help them out?"

I blinked. "Why are you asking me?"

"Well, this mission was going to be your test, wasn't it? Since that's obviously cancelled, might as well treat this as a substitute." Jeralt gave a slim smile and said, "What will it be, Byleth? Should we help the brats or carry on our merry way?"

Edelgard frowned. "Again, I take umbrage at the fact that-"

"Hush, Edie," Claude said. "The adults are talking."

"Edie?! I will not-"

"Let's help them out."

Before Claude could rile up Edelgard any further, I gave my answer.

Jeralt nodded. "Alright. Guess we're helping you brats out. Of course, there's conditions."

Edelgard took a deep breath to calm herself and then nodded. "Understandable. And those are?"

"Well, me and my men will do the bulk of the work clearing out the bandits. They're a threat to you, but also a threat to Remire village. The village and our troop have a bit of a history, you see?"

Dimitri nodded. "That is reasonable. But will that not be overly burdensome on your troops?"

"Yeah, well that's where the next part comes in." Jeralt walked over to my side and put a hand on my shoulder. "You three will have to follow this guy's orders in the fight. I'm sure you're all used to obeying a superior in combat as students of Garreg Mach. Think of this as a practice drill and Byleth as your professor."

I frowned.

Me, a professor? Granted, that was a potential career decision for me, but for Byleth to do so… and why was Jeralt acting like this? He didn't seem to be acting like the game at all. Shouldn't he have been more cautious?

"So you'll be our boss, huh?" Claude glanced at me and gave me a once over. "Hm… you seem pretty young for a merc. Aren't you about our age?"

"Now Claude," Dimitri said. "Age is no indicator of expertise." The blonde prince turned towards me and smiled. "I for one am thankful for your aid… Byleth, was it?"

I nodded. But before I could say anything else, Jeralt tapped my shoulder.

"Enough chitchat. It'll be a bother if we let the bandits roam free any longer, so I'll be heading on ahead." Jeralt smiled and said, "I'll leave the rest to you, kid."

With that, Jeralt turned to the rest of the troop and said, "Come on, men! We can't have those dastards wrecking Remire on our watch, can we?"

"NO SIR!"

"Then let's go!"

Jeralt thrust his hand into the air and then charged along with the troop, scattering into the forest.

That left me alone with the three lords.

…Great. Now what?

I glanced at the surrounding area, ignoring the evaluating gazes of the three lords.

We were on the outskirts of Remire village. Jeralt and the others had charged towards the bulk of the bandits, but there were still a few in the forests nearby. Those bandits were trying to be stealthy but, whether because my eyes were sharper than most or because they were terrible, they stuck out like a sore thumb- no, like red against a pure white screen.

"So, Boss. What's the plan?"

Claude's voice. Slightly teasing, but also evaluating.

I unsheathed my sword, the weight both familiar and foreign in my right hand. "We fight. I'll lead, you offer support… Claude, was it?"

Claude smiled. "That's right."

I nodded. "I'll make an opening. You shoot down at the target whenever you decide best."

"Aren't you afraid I'll hit you instead?"

"I've had worse."

I hadn't. But Byleth had memories of countless wounds as well as self-treatment. All that he'd simply shrugged off, his unique physique making him capable of doing so.

But whether I was prepared or not, I had to act. And for that, it seemed Byleth's memories and instincts were here to help.

Calm demeanor. Ambivalent tone. At that time, I could only thank the Ashen Demon for his help.

"And what of us, Byleth?"

Dimitri's voice. The blonde prince looked concerned. "It wouldn't make me feel right to have you fight all the battles for us."

"True," I said. "But we don't know the capabilities of the bandits. Let me engage the first and we'll go from there. For now, stick with… Edelgard, I believe?"

The Adrestrian princess nodded, her violet eyes silently evaluating me.

I ignored that and said, "Right. Stick with her and watch my fight. If the bandits seem too skilled, we'll continue as is. If they're something you can handle, we'll change formation."

"Understood," Dimitri said.

Edelgard was silent for a moment and then said, "Very well. Show us what you can do, Byleth."

I nodded and turned my attention back to the bandits hiding in the forest.

Here goes nothing.