Dimitri:
"Kill her already" Glenn hissed "Don't waste your time on why she did it, avenge us already" he shouted. Dimitri stood a few feet away from that... that woman, who took everything he ever loved and cherished away from him.
Dimitri had already assumed that Edelgard might be the Flame Emperor, but he always hoped that he was wrong, that perhaps the Flame Emperor and Edelgard just so happen to have the same dagger.
But of course, that did not happen, and now here he was standing before a defeated Edelgard, finally the dead would have their revenge.
Dimitri stared at Edelgard, waiting for something more than the response she had given him. He felt the anger rising within him "Ha! It was foolish to think I could reason with a lowly beast" Dimitri spat "You are a monster..." he added, and was about to lunge at Edelgard and snap her neck with his bare hands, but stopped once Byleth ran in front of Edelgard.
"Dimitri stop" Byleth said with a shaky voice, she raised the Sword of the Creator towards him, "You can't do this" she pleaded, he could see the desperation in her eyes. Dimitri wanted to tell her that Edelgard was undeserving of Byleth's pity, that she deserved a harsh death by his hand.
"Byleth what are you doing?!" Dimitri hissed, he noticed that she flinched when he spoke, was she afraid of him now?
And then this bad situation became worse within a matter of seconds. Dimitri did not think that Byleth was trying to side with Edelgard necessarily, it was more likely that she was trying to prevent Dimitri from killing his step- sister with his bare hands.
Lady Rhea however did not see it that way. "You... How dare you!" Lady Rhea shouted as she walked over to stand beside Dimitri, she was practically shaking with rage.
Dimitri heard Edelgard whisper something to Byleth, then Hubert warped behind them.
Dimitri felt Byleth's gaze on him and he looked up to meet it, Byleth's eyes however offered him no aid in trying to decipher her action to stand beside his step- sister, he wanted to know why she choose to help Edelgard.
No, he needed to know.
Dimitri's thoughts were disturbed by Lady Rhea's voice, "So this is the choice you have made" she said icily, Dimitri felt a shiver go down his spine. "You are just another failure" she shouted at Byleth, who flinched at those words "Your presence soils this Holy Tomb and disgraces my brethren" she hissed "I will not allow one who would lend our enemies strength to wield the power of the goddess Sothis" Rhea began "I have passed judgment, and now I shall rip your chest open and take back your heart myself!".
Where Lady Rhea had stood a green and white light began to engulf her figure.
Dimitri watched in horror as Lady Rhea morphed into a dragon like beast.
"Heh. That must be the Immaculate One..." Hubert said.
"Yes. The monsters that have controlled Fodlan in secret for far too long..." Edelgard stated, "Rhea is their leader" she added.
"There is no time to waste. Your Majesty, Byleth, we must escape while we can" Hubert declared,
Dimitri quickly turned to see as Hubert warped Byleth and Edelgard away, he felt a pang of relief knowing that Byleth was at least momentarily safe from Rhea's wrath.
"Fleeing is Futile" Rhea shouted, Dimitri wondered if what Hubert and Edelgard had said was true about Rhea being the Immaculate One.
But then again, he witnessed her transform right before his very eyes. Rhea is in fact the Immaculate One.
Dimitri's daze over what had just transpired was quickly cut short, by the calls of the dead.
"You fool" King Lambert shouted "You missed your chance to kill her" he hissed. The realization of that hit Dimitri hard, he screwed up. "You were blindsided by your feelings" Lambert sneered "And look where it got you" he spat.
Dimitri hated to admit it, but his Father was right, if he had not hesitated when Byleth ran in front of Edelgard then this could have all been over today. He shifted his attention back onto Rhea
There was that green and white light once again, and then she began to transform into her normal form.
"I will kill those wicked girls, Mother" Rhea mumbled as she was to walk towards the exit of the Holy Tomb.
Dimitri looked at his fellow classmates who were a few feet away from everything, and they looked to be in shock over everything that had happened. But one thing was certain they were terrified of what Rhea had become, in all honesty so was Dimitri.
Once Rhea exited the Holy Tomb Dimitri retreated to his fellow classmates.
"What the hell happened?" Felix asked as soon as Dimitri was beside them "Why would Byleth protect Edelgard?" he added.
"I don't know" Dimitri mumbled while dropping his gaze to the floor.
"You don't think she planned this with Edelgard, do you?" Mercedes asked.
"No, Byleth wouldn't do something like that" Ingrid said defensively "There has to be a reason behind this" she concludes.
"I'm with Ingrid on this" Sylvain said "I don't think Byleth planned to join her, there is definitely more to this then we know" he said softly, "Besides we're avoiding the elephant in the room" Sylvain adds "Rhea turned into a freaking monster"
"Rhea's the Immaculate One" Dimitri said.
"Ok? What does that even mean?" Sylvain asked in confusion.
"I don't know much on it" Dimitri sighed "Byleth and Claude were looking into it, a few moons ago" he added.
"Is that why Byleth was trying to find out about beasts in Fodlan?" Ingrid asked.
Dimitri nodded, "Maybe that's why Byleth sided with Edelgard" Felix said.
"No, she looked shocked to once she'd seen Rhea transform" Dimitri said "Plus she would have told Claude and I if she knew Rhea was the Immaculate One" he added.
"How can you be so sure about that?" Mercedes asked, Dimitri did not respond.
"That doesn't matter right now, we need a game plan" Sylvain sighed while coming to Dimitri's aid, "Because it looks like we might have to fight against the Imperial army" he said "And I don't know about you guys, but... I really don't want to fight alongside whatever the hell Rhea is" Sylvain added.
"As much as I'd like to kill Imperial troops, I'm with Sylvain on that" Felix said "I don't think it's wise to fight alongside Rhea" he added.
"I agree" Dimitri said, "We'll leave back to Faerghus then" he said "Then we'll begin our own war against the Empire" he added. "Everyone begin preparation to depart from Garreg Mach by tonight" Dimitri commanded, he then turned to exit the Holy Tomb.
As soon as Dimitri exited from the Holy Tomb, he heard someone call out his name, he turned and saw Claude leaning against the wall.
"Claude" Dimitri said dryly, he didn't feel in the mood for one of Claude's schemes.
"Hey, I came to check up on Byleth" Claude said "There seems to be a big commotion over something right now, is she alright?" he asked.
"I don't know" Dimitri said, he proceeded to fill Claude in on what had transpired in the Holy Tomb.
"I did not expect that" Claude said "That does explain Edelgard telling us not to mention the Immaculate one at Garreg Mach" he added.
Claude looked like he was thinking something over, "What is it?" Dimitri asked.
"Last night I ran into Byleth, and she was edgy about something Rhea told her" Claude mumbled "I'm going to check her room before the knights get to it, you should tell Jeralt about what has happened" he added before taking off.
Dimitri stood dumbfound for a moment then began heading to Jeralt.
As he made his way there Dimitri could not help but think about what Claude had said, about Byleth and the night before. Just what was it that Rhea had told Byleth last night? And did it have to do with her reasoning to protect Edelgard?
"You're still wasting your time thinking about that girl?!" Glenn hissed "You are stupid" he shouted, "She choose Edelgard over you" he said "She doesn't love you" he added.
No Dimitri did not want to believe that, he ignored Glenn's shouting. Right now, is not the time to question Byleth's love for him. Right now, Dimitri had two things to do, the first was to get to Captain Jeralt and tell him everything that had happened in the Holy Tomb. And the second was to find Edelgard and kill her.
As Dimitri entered the infirmary; he saw Alois standing besides Jeralt with a worried face "Oh thank the goddess it's you Dimitri" Alois said.
Jeralt's brows furrowed "What's going on?" he questioned.
"The imperial army is planning to attack the monastery" Alois replied "But there's more to it, Byleth has sided with Edelgard" he added.
A look of confusion fell over Jeralt's face, "She what?" he asked.
"Captain Jeralt I'll explain more later, but we need to leave now" Alois said sternly "Lady Rhea is in a state over this and is acting irrational" he said "You won't be safe here" he added.
"My classmates and I are leaving as well" Dimitri butted in, despite being mildly ticked off at Byleth, Dimitri still wanted to help her in any way that he could "Come with us to Faerghus" he added.
"Alright" Jeralt sighed.
"Excellent, I'll find Dedue then we can leave at once. Then I will tell the others to catch up with us once they are ready" Dimitri said before left to go find Dedue.
Claude:
Claude began immediately heading to Byleth's room once Dimitri had told him what had happened.
"What the hell was she thinking" Claude thought, it frustrated him that there was a good chance that he would never know why she joined Edelgard's side.
Claude's thoughts were broken when he saw Hilda chatting with one of the knights "Hey Hilda, I need your help with something" Claude called out "Follow me" he added.
"Claudeee" Hilda groaned, then begrudgingly followed him. "You will not believe what happened" Hilda said, "Edelgard attacked the Holy Tomb" she said "And Byleth supposedly sided with her" she added with surprise.
"Yeah that's what Dimitri told me" Claude said.
"Wow, I can't believe it's true" Hilda said in shock, "But, there is something bugging me about it" she mumbled, "I don't think Byleth would raise her sword against Dimitri for just no reason, you know?" Hilda added.
Claude mildly proud that his dear friend who tried so hard to come off as a complete moron was actively participating in trying to figure out Byleth's motives.
"My thoughts exactly, which is why I'm going to snoop through Byleth's room before the guards do" Claude said "And you my dear friend will be my lookout" he added.
"Ugh, fine" Hilda groaned.
Claude entered Byleth's room and Hilda stood guard, if Seteth or any knights came Hilda was to cause a big commotion and start screaming her head off to alert Claude to get the hell out of there.
Lucky for Claude it seemed no one had the idea to look in her room since it seemed like everything was undisturbed. Byleth really did not have much in her room, just books.
Claude sighed "This is a bust" he thought and was about to leave but one of the books looked noticeably different from the others. Claude grabbed it and began to look through it, "Huh it's a journal" he mumbled to himself. "It has to have some significance" Claude thought, tucked away in between some of the pages was a silver ring with purple gemstones.
Claude decided that this was probably the only thing in the room that would yield any reasoning, so he grabbed it and took it with him.
"Finally," Hilda huffed once Claude came out of Byleth's room, "That was hard work" she complained, she glanced at the journal that Claude brought with him "Anything interesting in there?" Hilda asked while pointing towards it.
"I'm not sure entirely" Claude said "Here take a look" he added then handed it to Hilda.
Hilda began scanning over the book, "Hmm, this is a diary" she said "But it's too old to be Byleth's, so maybe it's her Dad's?" she added. Hilda's brows furrowed "Day 20 of the Horsebrow Moon. All is cloudy. I cannot believe she is dead, Lady Rhea said she died during childbirth, but is that the truth? And still the child she traded her life for doesn't make a sound. Didn't even cry at birth" Hilda recited.
"Hmm, it probably is Byleth's Father's" Claude said.
Hilda pursed her lips together, "It seems like Rhea was doing sketchy stuff" she said.
"Isn't she always" Claude replied, for a moment Claude thought about telling Hilda about the other sketchy things about Rhea, like her being the Immaculate one for starters. But he decided not too "The less people who know the better" he thought.
Edelgard:
Edelgard was looking over some letters that she had received about the state of the troops being sent, when she heard footsteps approaching her from behind. "Lady Edelgard" Hubert called, "I found some armor, like you requested" he said "I thought that maybe you'd like to give it to Byleth yourself" he added.
"Yes, thank you Hubert" Edelgard said as she took the armor from him, she requested that he find some because it wasn't ideal for Byleth to fight in the outfit that she had worn for the ceremony at the Holy Tomb.
"Another thing your majesty" Hubert began "We have had scouts in the area around Garreg Mach report in about four people fleeing from there not too long ago" he said "One of them seemed to be Prince Dimitri" he added.
Edelgard's brows furrowed "Do not engage in fighting with them" she commanded "We have a bigger fish to worry about right now" she added.
"Yes, your Majesty" Hubert said, he bowed then left Edelgard alone.
Edelgard wondered if she had told Claude or Dimitri about her plans beforehand if there would have been even the slightest chance that they could have all come together. She strongly doubted it, it was a surprise to her that even Byleth had stood up for her but then again Byleth knew more about what had happened to Edelgard. Maybe if she had told them, then they would have had a change of heart as Byleth did. But it is too late now, the damage has been done. Edelgard sighed, then went to go find Byleth.
After a while of searching Edelgard finally found Byleth she was sitting outside of the base camp.
"There you are" Edelgard said as she approached Byleth.
"Worried I took off?" Byleth asked her eyes hinted no emotion whatsoever, Edelgard did not want to admit it but yes part of her was worried that Byleth would take off.
"No" Edelgard lied "I came to give you some proper armor for the battle" she said "Despite your outfit being good for moral around camp, I strongly doubt that you like being gawked at by them" Edelgard stated.
Byleth laughed "Yeah, the Sothis regalia doesn't leave much to the imagination" she sighed "Thank you Edelgard" Byleth said as she took the armor from her.
Edelgard noticed a ring that was on her left hand, as she handed her the armor. she thought it was weird for her to be wearing it initially, but then it hit her that ring had a purpose for being there. A wave of guilt washed over Edelgard, Byleth raised a blade against her fiancé.
Edelgard sat down next to Byleth "Hubert reported that Dimitri fled from Garreg Mach" Edelgard blurted out "If you wish to join him it's not too late" she added.
Byleth looked at the ground "No, I can't right now" she said softly, "We have to eliminate Rhea" Byleth declared "That's the only way to right the wrongs that she has done to Fodlan" she added.
"I agree" Edelgard paused then sighed "I'm kind of nervous to go up against her" she said.
"Me too" Byleth replied "I hope our fellow classmates follow Dimitri's lead, and leave Garreg Mach" she sighed "I don't want to have to fight them" she added.
"I understand" Edelgard replied "I don't really want to fight them either" she added.
"Why didn't you try to recruit their help?" Byleth asked "Well from the Black Eagles class at least" she added.
"In case they didn't want to join, it's not like I can force them too" Edelgard said "It was best this way" she concluded.
"Maybe..." Byleth mumbled, "Anyways, how are you? It seems like something is wrong" she said.
"I'm just feeling anxious. It feels like the weight of this burden is crushing me" Edelgard replied "At this very moment, on my orders, I'm starting a war" she said softly "An army much larger than the one that attacked the Holy Tomb will soon be locked in battle" she added. "Long- devised strategies are unfolding across Fodlan. Leaders are deciding their loyalties and preparing to fight..." Edelgard said "So many generals and soldiers will die. It's inevitable that civilians will get caught up in the chaos as well" she said "There will be countless casualties. With a single command, the flames of war will rage across all corners of this realm" she said sadly. "And I am the one who is giving the order" Edelgard stated bitterly.
Byleth was silent for a moment then looked up to lock eyes with Edelgard, "Do you wish to stop?" she asked.
"No, there is no turning back now" Edelgard said "No matter how much blood flows at my feet, I will not relent. We must break the bonds that the depraved church has placed on Fodlan" she declared "These sacrifices will allow us to create a future where we never need sacrificing again. It may seem contradicting, but it's the only way" she added. "Heh, listen to me I made up my mind long ago, yet here I am, seeking your approval" Edelgard said "Tell me the truth, Byleth are you happy with the decision you made to stay by my side?" Edelgard asked, "Unlike me, you can still walk away from this" she added "This path leads to the death of the archbishop and the servants of the church. Can you live with that?" Edelgard asked.
"I chose this path, Edelgard" Byleth replied.
"I never thought..." Edelgard murmured "I'm sorry it was a foolish question" Edelgard blurted out, now was not the time to question Byleth's resolve to killing Rhea. "I believe in you Byleth, and you believed in me" she said softly "With that knowledge I have the strength to keep fighting" she added.
Dimitri:
It took a few days of traveling before Alois, Dedue, Dimitri, and Jeralt reached Fhirdiad. "Ah I've missed the weather in Faerghus" Jeralt said breaking the silence of travel "The weather at the monastery is nice and all, but it's a little too hot for my liking" he added.
"Agreed" Dimitri said he paused for a moment "Byleth mentioned once that you were a soldier for the Holy Kingdom once" he added.
"Heh, yeah that was ages ago" Jeralt said, silence fell over the group once again and lasted till they reached Castle Blaiddyd.
Dimitri looked around; everything looked the same but then again, he could not have expected much to change within the span of a year.
"Your Highness" A maid said, "We didn't know that you were back, would you like me to inform your uncle?" she asked.
"Yes, please" Dimitri said "Tell him that I request his audience immediately" he added.
The maid nodded and bowed then took off to alert Dimitri's uncle of his return.
Dimitri led them to a common room in the castle where they could relax in the meantime while they waited for his Uncle.
After a few minutes passed Dimitri heard heels clacking on the stone of the floor from outside of the room they were in, then suddenly the door swung open "Oh Prince Dimitri" The person said, he looked and saw that it was Cornelia.
Dimitri grimaced at the sight of her, Cornelia had something about her that didn't feel quite right "I heard that you just got here" she said "I have to admit Dimitri you choose the perfect time to return" she beamed, then turned to the guards who followed her in the room "Seize them" Cornelia shouted.
"What is the meaning of this" Dimitri shouted as he tried to fight off the guards that began swarming them.
"Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, you are hereby sentenced to death for the murder of the King regent Rufus Blaiddyd" Cornelia declared.
"Hey there is no way Dimitri murdered the King Regent," Jeralt shouted.
Cornelia walked over to Jeralt slowly, Dimitri figured it was in an attempt at being seductive. "Oh my, if you hadn't come in the company of the Prince, I would have loved to have gotten acquainted with you" Cornelia said with a pout "To bad" she added with a grin on her face. Cornelia turned around "Execute the other three alongside the dear Prince" she said happily "In the meantime put them in the dungeon" she added, then skipped away.
Byleth:
A few days had passed since the incident at the Holy Tomb, Byleth and Edelgard were talking possible strategies when Hubert approached them.
"Your Majesty, the latest reports indicate that our main army is advancing as planned" Hubert said " Also the preparation for your manifesto are almost complete" he added.
Byleth furrowed her brows, "Manifesto?" she questioned.
"We will be distributing our manifesto to every lord within Fodlan" Edelgard said "We will expose the dark side of the Church of Seiros and the foul practices of the nobles from the Kingdom and the Alliance" she added. "We will force the people of Fodlan to open up their eyes to the truth and relinquish any remaining conviction to unite against the Empire" Edelgard stated "Certain nobles have already offered us their support" she added.
"Yes, there are other nobles who oppose the church. We will condemn those who deserve condemnation and forgive those who deserve forgiveness" Hubert said " We have already purged some of the imperial nobles who are morally rotten" he said "My Father among them" Hubert laughed sinisterly "How unfortunate" he added.
"And soon we will invade and conquer Garreg Mach" Edelgard declared "Our main army had already departed from the monastery when we invaded the Holy Tomb, they should be here in two weeks' time" she added "Once they arrive we will join forces with them" she said. "As for us I'd like your opinion on how we should be positioned within the army" Edelgard said.
"We are the Imperial sword" Byleth declared.
"Your majesty intends to fight alongside Byleth, correct?" Hubert asked, "In that case Byleth, you will not be incorporated into the Empire's main army" he added. "Your squad can move freely about the battlefield under supervision of the Imperial forces... That would be most prudent" Hubert said.
"Now that I'm the emperor, we can't let it slip that I'm following your command in battle Byleth" Edelgard said.
Hubert sighed "I fully object to the notion of you fighting on the front lines" he said.
A flash of irritation fell over Edelgard's face "Hubert we've already discussed this" she said.
A flash of hurt fell over Hubert's face briefly "My apologies... I overstepped" he said.
"Now that the details are settled, all that's left is to come up with a name for ourselves" Edelgard said. "To honor my class at the academy, how about we call ourselves the Black Eagles Strike Force" she said excitedly.
"I love it" Byleth said.
A smile fell over Edelgard's face "I'm so happy you feel that way. I must confess that I spent all night thinking about it" she said happily, "I'll leave it to you to prepare the Black Eagle Strike Force for departure" she added.
Byleth nodded then left Edelgard and Hubert so she could try to conceive a strategy for a battle at the monastery.
Byleth was a bit surprised that Edelgard had wanted her to be the commander of their unit but from what Edelgard had told her the other day it seemed that she was afraid to lose sight of her goals if she were in this by herself, which is why she wanted to hand the reigns over to someone else. Byleth wondered if it would be possible for Claude, Dimitri, and Edelgard to all coexist with one another after the battle that would take place at Garreg Mach, "If they even survive" she thought bitterly, she shook her head "No, they will survive" she concluded, They have to.
The two weeks flew by, Byleth had woken up before the sun rose. She did feel a bit guilty over having chosen to fight against those at the monastery, she wondered if she would have to fight against her own father. Byleth felt nauseous at the thought of it, No, knowing her Father there was no way in hell he would fight with them especially against Byleth.
That brought Byleth temporary relief but then it raised the question of what had happened to him, maybe he did the same as Dimitri and ran away from the monastery. Or maybe Rhea... No, she shook that thought out of her head, she did not even want to consider that as a possibility. Byleth sat in silence as the sun rose, it was not long before everyone else in the camp began to wake up, it was time.
Byleth heard footsteps behind her, she turned to see Edelgard and Hubert "We will soon arrive at Garreg Mach Monastery" she declared "Forcing a surrender her is extremely significant both strategically and symbolically" she added. Edelgard sighed "Of course this is personal as well. This is where we all came together to learn and grow" she said "I have no intention of yielding to our former classmates, so I ask that you prepare yourselves for anything" she added.
Byleth felt uneasy, "I understand" she said.
"Thank you, Now let's talk strategy" Edelgard said, she looked to Hubert and he nodded to her.
"As the raiding force, we will attack the area nearest to the monastery" Hubert said "The knights of Seiros certainly won't stand down after they catch sight of Her Majesty and you, Byleth" Hubert said "At the same time, the remaining areas will be surrounded and annihilated by the main army" he said "In other words, we are the decoy that must suppress the enemy's most elite soldiers" he added.
Edelgard quickly jumped in "We know more about the area near the monastery than anyone else in the Imperial army" she said "Still we must prepare for the worst. It's possible we will have to face the archbishops true form... The Immaculate One" she said "Fight with all that you have, but don't be reckless. As promised, I will leave the command to you Byleth" she added.
Byleth nodded, "We will not lose" she said.
"Naturally, with both Her Majesty and yourself on our side, defeat is impossible" Hubert said
"This will be our first battle as the Black Eagles Strike Force. All the more reason to prevail!" Edelgard declared, "Since you, me and Hubert aren't that big of a force we will be taking some men from the army into our ranks" Edelgard began "We will also have two generals joining use, Ladislava and Randolph" she said, Edelgard hesitated for a moment "There is another thing..." she added.
"What is it?" Byleth asked.
"The Death Knight will also be in our force as well" Edelgard said.
"Oh? I see..." Byleth mumbled.
Edelgard nodded her head "We should begin heading to Garreg Mach" she said then turned to lead the way.
"There it is, Garreg Mach Monastery" Edelgard said as they began to approach it.
Byleth felt a wave of nostalgia hit her, when she realized that Edelgard had said that very thing the first time she ever seen it. And now Byleth was here to wage war on the person who ran it, "how times change" she thought to herself.
Byleth stood at the gates of the Monastery, she wondered if Rhea could see her, Byleth had a general idea where she would most likely be at. Rhea was probably seething in anger as the Black Eagle Strike force entered through the gates.
"It seems they were waiting for us" Hubert said with a creepy smile, "How thoughtful" he added.
"Let us not waste any more time" Byleth said "Rhea's reign of terror ends here" she added then charged at the nearest soldiers.
(End of the Battle)
The Black Eagle Strike Force had been a success.
Byleth stood upright, she felt the adrenaline pumping in her veins as Rhea backed away from her after Byleth dealt her a blow that should have been fatal.
Byleth had felt bad about fighting the people who worked for the monastery like Cyril, Flayn, and Seteth. Gilbert too, well to some extent. Byleth was never a big fan of Catherine, but as for Rhea, she deserved this for all the pain and suffering that she has caused.
No, now is not the time to think about that, she needed to finish the job and kill Rhea. Byleth looked at Rhea who attempted to make herself seem less injured than she was, Rhea was glaring daggers at her. Byleth was sure that her own eyes probably revealed the same emotion.
Suddenly Rhea clasped her hands together and was surrounded by a bright green and white light. "Crap" Byleth thought, as she witnessed Rhea turn into her form as the Immaculate One.
"You will not be forgiven!" Rhea snarled at her.
"Byleth! look out!" Edelgard shouted to Byleth.
Byleth felt the ground underneath her feet shaking with every step Rhea took "The castle is crumbling! We must escape!" a soldier called out.
"Byleth! Take cover!" Hubert shouted.
"Byleth" Edelgard shouted.
And in that moment Byleth realized what they were warning her about, a chunk of the monastery and the ground beneath it had given out and began to collapse. Next thing Byleth knew everything was black.