Not This Time

Jeralt

The chapel wasn't abandoned.

Instead, there were Demonic Beasts rampaging everywhere while students ran in fear and confusion. Byleth, Jeralt, and her Black Eagles escorted some of them out, but they could see some of them cornered up ahead.

"Split up," Byleth ordered her students grimly, clutching at her sword. This was a truly horrific sight to see. "Split into two groups...one will be with me, the other with my father. Hurry, we must make haste and save the students!"

Together with her group of four, Byleth slayed the first Demonic Beast standing in her way. As it crashed to the ground, it morphed into..a student?

"The Beasts are actually students?" Byleth questioned under her breath. Edelgard's expression hardened beside her, and she rushed out to take the next one almost recklessly.

Eventually, the beasts were slain..but it was not a pleasant experience. Those beasts had once been people, transformed into monsters...just like Sylvain's brother had been.

A so called Hero's Relic had transformed him...what was the cause of all of these people transforming? Was it something else that was considered 'holy' in this church? Byleth grew more and more distrustful of her surroundings every day.

Well...at least they had saved all those in need. Byleth suddenly remembered that her father had told her he had something to tell her. At least that was something to look forward to... Monica was ecstatic about being saved, cheering loudly for her father.

Wait.

Why would Monica need to be saved? She should have been fine-

"Thanks so much!" Monica paraded around her father with a bright smile on her face. Jeralt just shrugged as she snuck behind him. Byleth tensed up, unsure of what was happening.

A grin crept onto Monica's face.

"But you're just a pathetic old man."

Monica withdrew a dagger from Jeralt's back, and Byleth cried out as she watched her father fall to the ground.

Time stopped.

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"But you're just a pathetic old man."

This time, Byleth held her sword and the bones creaked menacingly as it whipped towards Monica. Much to Byleth's surprise, however, an invisible shield blocked the blow. Byleth reached out her hand helplessly toward her father.

The moment seemed to pass in slow motion.

Monica's dagger lunged towards Jeralt while Byleth desperately screamed his name on the top of her lungs. A flash of black and red blurred in Byleth's vision before crashing into Monica. It was Edelgard, who had passed this invisible shield somehow and...saved her father.

Monica disappeared underneath Edelgard, and Byleth rushed over as she figured the invisible shield was gone. It indeed was. Her father was looking at Edelgard in confusion while Byleth ran up and hugged her father tightly.

"Dad!" Byleth cried out, embracing him tightly. He looked at her in extreme confusion; he wasn't complaining, but it wasn't like her to express such emotion. He hugged her back, even though he didn't understand the situation. "Oh, Dad...I'm so glad you're safe.."

"Slow down, kid," Jeralt patted her head comfortingly. "What happened?"

"You were-I saw you get stabbed-she tried to kill you-dad...I'm so glad you're alive!" Byleth couldn't manage to form a single capable sentence to explain what had happened. A raindrop fell onto her cheek, and Jeralt reached to wipe it from her face gently.

"Kid...I've never seen you cry before," Jeralt said softly, and that was when Byleth realized that she was indeed crying tears of relief. There was no rain; she'd managed to cry. She'd managed to cry. "I'm not leaving. I promise."

Byleth nodded, hugging him tightly before eventually releasing him from her hold. She wiped at her face, turning to Edelgard. The Black Eagles house leader had a somewhat grim look on her face.

"Thank you so much," Byleth whispered, pulling Edelgard into a tight embrace. "Thank you for saving my father. I don't know what I would have done without you...thank you. Thank you."

"...You're welcome, my teacher," Edelgard responded, a twinge of sadness and steel in her tone. "I just hope that this was the right decision for the future of Fódlan. I hope I didn't let my feelings get in the way of my goal..."

"Well, I don't know what you think, but..." Byleth smiled softly, hugging her tighter. "My father and I are in your debt now. Whatever you need accomplished...we'll help you see through. That's a promise."

"...I hope it is, my teacher. I hope it is."