Chapter 6: The Red Canyon Ambush
"I saw it with my own eyes. The girl Bernadetta has never bent fire in her life. Now she has been using it to cook her own meals just to avoid socializing with her classmates."
Thales raised an eyebrow but didn't look away from his tome. His countenance seemed to darken the room such that even fire itself was swallowed up in the void. The Flame Emperor barely suppressed an involuntary shudder.
"It started ever since the Professor began teaching. Some of the Black Eagles students do not even have crests. And yet they have all mastered the Breath of Fire by now."
The dark bishop finally looked up from his tome. His eyes were menacing and filled with a religious fervor that even the Archbishop couldn't match.
"Finally!" He breathed. "After generations of failure, at last the True King shall return to reward our devotion. By laying waste to that hideous church, and especially that treacherous witch."
The Flame Emperor looked on silently as Thales continued to wax eloquent about his dastardly plans for said witch and the glorious reign of Nemesis. As he kvelled, numerous dark shadows began to appear as though summoned by their master.
"I want you to capture the Avatar. Bring him here alive. You may do as you please with the rest."
The assassins each bowed in turn before melting back into the shadows.
Yes. Indeed. Thought the Emperor. But will the Professor ever bow to you?
…
"The time has come, Professor Byleth. Tomorrow, your class will depart for the Red Canyon, where your mission is to root out the bandit Kostas and his gang of thieves." Seteth delivered the information in his usual stoic manner.
"I'm well aware," Byleth replied calmly. "We will not fail."
"I trust that you will not, given your class's recent progress." He paused for a moment as though he wanted to press on the topic, but decided against it.
"Normally we would have asked your father to accompany you-"
"You know where he has gone? Seteth, please tell me."
Seteth sighed. "Jeralt will return, Lady Rhea has foreseen that much. But for now, concentrate on leading your students and keeping them safe. He has entrusted that task to you, as have I."
…
"No Ferdinand, for the last time, I'm not fighting you in an Agni Kai."
"But Edelgard, as descendants of Aegir and Hresvelg, we're honor-bound to carry out our fath- oh, hey Professor!"
They fell silent as Byleth approached. He sighed.
"Something I missed, Ferdinand?"
"Not at all, Professor! We're just really fired up for the mission tomorrow. I haven't felt this confident in my firebending since...well, ever!"
"You would do well not to take our mission lightly, Ferdinand," Edelgard admonished.
"Come on, Edelgard, don't tell me you haven't noticed how much we've all improved since the Professor started teaching us. What challenge could a few bandits possibly pose to us?"
Edelgard turned away stone-faced and silent.
…
The class departed for the Red Canyon early next morning. Half the class seemed excited, a few were anxious and the rest seemed to just want to get this mission over with. As they left the protective walls of the monastery heading north, Byleth felt a strange presence as though someone were watching him from overhead, but he couldn't make out what it was.
By the time they arrived at the Eastern rim, the midday sun was high above their heads. Byleth could feel its energy irradiating his body. An ideal time for firebending, but Byleth hoped it would not come to that. As much as his - or rather Edelgard's - lessons had helped everyone progress, fire was still an unpredictable element at best.
"It's...incredible." Bernadetta was looking out over the rim of the canyon, immersed in the spectacular view. "A little scary, but also kind of beautiful."
"This canyon is said to be the settlement of the original Children of the Goddess." Linhardt remarked. "I can understand why they were attracted to this place."
"Because it's the perfect place for an afternoon nap?" Dorothea suggested.
"Hmm...napping or researching an ancient civilization. Life is filled with such difficult choices."
"It was also the place where the original Children were destroyed by the followers of Nemesis," Edelgard amended.
The whole class looked out somberly over the rocky grey landscape. They hiked along the rim that seemed to stretch for miles, until they discovered a narrow trail that snaked all the way down to the bottom of the canyon. The trail was steep and had to be carefully navigated.
…
Half an hour later, they set foot on the canyon floor. The ground was rocky and seemed to be covered in soot and ash.
Suddenly, the ground underneath them caved in.
"SO! You kids thought you could just sneak up on Kostas! Well think again! I'll be making a handsome profit on the lot of you once I ransom you back to the Fire Nation."
"Really," Edelgard challenged. "Come now, Kostas, do you really expect to take on all seven of us with just three goons?"
"Bahahah. Idiot girl. I've got two more earthbenders hiding up in the middle of the canyon. Just in case the lot of you try to pull some kind of funny business."
"Oh really?" Caspar chipped in, "I'll have you know we're all elite firebenders. Hope you brought some water, cause a little rockalanche ain't nothing for us."
"Yeah, keep talking, boy. I might just decide to bury you lot and save me some trouble."
"Go ahead!" Dorothea mocked. "I'll bet you couldn't even pull off a mudslide."
"FINE! Don't blame me if you asked for it! Hey, Fish!" He shouted up at the cliff above them. "Make yourself useful and show these loudmouth kids who's in charge!"
"You got it boss - YAAAHHH!"
There was an awkward moment of silence.
"...Eh? Fish? You doin' okay up there, buddy?!"
"PETRA, NOW!"
The ground around the bandits burst into flame. Suddenly, it was they who were entrapped.
Several ropes were thrown down allowing the group - minus Petra and Ferdinand who had stayed hidden atop a ledge overlooking the area - to climb out of the trap.
"Good call, Professor. Who would have thought ropes would be so useful?"
They turned to Kostas and the two bandits who were now cowering inside the circle of flames.
"Well, class, it looks like our mission for this month was easier than we thought. It'll be up to Rhea to decide what to do with these goons."
"No, wait, I - I'm sure we could work somethin' out here!"
Just then, a feeling like a sudden flash of fear crossed Byleth's mind. He turned just in time to see the killing weapon headed toward him. Just as his body was about to reflexively dodge, another body hit him and knocked him aside. He heard a dull thud as the weapon meant for him pierced into Edelgard's shoulder, causing her to collapse to the ground in pain.
Another dagger sailed past his face, but this time his reflexes saved him. Ferdinand charged at the assassin with his lance, now glowing red with flames. The assassin drew his sword to repel the attack, and a fierce duel commenced. Two more shadowy figures had appeared now. Petra shot two arrows at the closest one, who dodged with an inhuman speed. He had covered half the distance now as she tried again at the closer range. It was no good. They were going to be outmatched.
A sharp watery whip snagged itself around Byleth's ankle and pulled him off his feet. He tried to free himself with his blade but the water clung tenaciously. The assassin who had bent the water was pulling Byleth towards the shadows while the other drew his dagger and prepared to eliminate his target: Edelgard.
His vision was going white. All he could focus on was the cloaked figure seconds away from driving his knife into the wounded Edelgard. There was no choice, he had to kill him now. The blue energy erupted from his hands before he could even think, colliding with the killer and completely incinerating him.
Byleth barely noticed the column of flame that descended from the sky over the assassin who had ensnared him. Looking up, he saw Seteth descending upon a gigantic wyvern - or was it a dragon? - just as several more black figures appeared from the shadows of the canyon.
"Byleth, take Edelgard and leave! The rest of you prepare to defend each other!" He aimed several fire blasts at the approaching figures.
"Seteth!" Someone called. "What's happening with the Professor?"
...
Sothis's vision was glowing. All she could see was the immense light everywhere that singed her eyeballs, and her body - was it her body? - seemed to be fighting against the force of gravity. She didn't know who or what she was at that moment, except for one thing.
She was going to DESTROY her enemies, the ones who would dare harm her children.
She could see them. They were as dark red outlines in her vision of white. There were six assassins in total, all had noticed her. They drew swords laced with poison, and advanced. Before they could get far though, she sent two of them flying into the air with a single stomp of the Earth. A split second later, another two were blown into the canyon walls with enough force to damage a castle wall. Seeing this, the remaining two changed tactics and began to flee. But she was NOT going to let them get away. Summoning the cold rage inside her, she separated the yin and yang in her body and directed the resulting energy at the fleeing assassins. The forked lightning speared both of their hearts, killing them instantly.
She saw something else in her vision now. Fire. And within it, more enemies. She advanced toward them, preparing the lightning within her fingers for another lethal blow.
"PROFESSOR! NO!"
WHAT?! She turned to the source of the voice. There seemed to be a little girl. She wasn't clear in her vision, but she did not have the aura of an enemy. She seemed to be pleading.
"Professor, please! No more!" The girl sobbed. "No more killing, please. Edelgard is hurt. She really needs help."
Sothis looked about and saw the girl on the ground. She was wounded. However, she could sense that her chi was very strong, and still mostly contained within her body, so the wound was probably not fatal, but it was slowly being corrupted by poison. She quickly sensed the source of the rupture and, using a waterbending technique, redirected the energy back within her body, purifying it and subsequently sealing the wound.
Feeling slightly calmer now, Sothis looked around in confusion, until she spotted the enemies within the flames again. She advanced menacingly towards them.
"Professor!"
Who is that? The voice sounds familiar.
"Great Goddess, I beseech thee. Please quell thy rage. The danger is past, but the beasts will be here soon, driven mad by the divine currents. We must escape while we still can."
At the moment, a deafening howl sounded within the canyon. Several more followed, and they seemed to be getting nearer. Sothis knew then that what the voice said was true. She commanded the Earth beneath them to rise, and with a small effort on her part, it began to ascend up the side of the canyon, bringing everyone - including the bandits - along with it. She could sense below them a large number of beastly and hellish creatures drawn by her chi.
They reached the top of the canyon. Then, Sothis, suddenly feeling very tired, collapsed onto the ground and fell asleep.
…
Byleth opened his eyes to see Edelgard peering down at him. The look of concern on her face briefly melted into relief before turning back into concern. Looking around, he could see the rest of the class and Seteth among them. It was dark now and the flickering light from the nearby campfire lit the clearing in a transitory glow.
"What...what happened?"
"Professor…" Edelgard began, "I don't know how much you are able to recall. But when we were attacked, you called upon the Four Elements to our aid."
"I...what?"
"You were transported into the Avatar state and your connection with Sothis allowed her will to act through your body," Seteth clarified.
"The...Avatar state?"
"It's a defense mechanism that becomes available to the Goddess's vessel in situations of extreme danger or turmoil. Given what we witnessed just now, it is now beyond a doubt that you are indeed the Avatar."
"I'm...afraid I don't know what that means."
"You will in time. Suffice to say for now that you possess a unique potential to bend all four elements. From now on, I will be acting as your mentor alongside Hanneman, to ensure you are properly instructed in the traditions and teachings of Seiros."
Byleth looked around at his class. The faces of Ferdinand, Petra, Bernadetta, Linhardt, Dorothea, Caspar, Hubert, Edelgard - even Kostas and his goons - stared back at him. Their expressions were a mixture of fear and admiration. He had a sinking intuition that he had done something to earn both.