[MAJOR SPOILER ALERT FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T PLAYED AT LEAST ONE ROUTE IN THE GAME]
Hey everyone! I finally finished Part 2 for the Demon Byleth AU!
This was requested by @CharmerMaster.
Enjoy!
To everyone back at the monastery,
I want to say sorry.
I am leaving the monastery for good. Staying there seems pointless. The treatment I am receiving, the reactions I am often getting, like terrified looks from children and the students, and the way some look at me like I'm some piece of meat, clearly because they want me for my powers, is too much for me to bear. And the fact that I am putting my one students (who aren't even really mine anymore) in danger just by being near them, due to the assassination attempts I've been going through lately just makes the whole stay at the monastery pointless. I don't want anyone to get hurt, so it seems like the only option is to leave.
Everyone seems to have forgotten that underneath this form I have taken, I am still the same, I am still Byleth.
Again, I am sorry.
Don't try and stop me; it won't end well,
Byleth.
This letter had been left in Seteth's office, and so he had been the first to read it completely.
As soon as he read who the author was, he quickly informed Rhea of the matter.
The longer Rhea stared at this letter, the more Seteth noticed the Archbishop's face turn dark.
"What are we going to do?"
Rhea did not respond simultaneously. Although she was feeling the rage burn up inside of her because of the audacity of this careless professor for leaving them, she stood tall, keeping her composure.
She folded the letter to hand it to Seteth.
"When was the last time you saw the professor, Seteth?" She spoke in such a serious, judgmental tone, while still residing the same.
"This morning. She was mostly wandering around."
"So there still might be time to catch her..." Rhea spoke to herself.
She then turned to Seteth again, "Find her, Seteth. Do whatever you can! Send out our best troops! Set a man-hunt!"
This was the first time in centuries he had heard her shout like that. It almost sounded like a plea, a cry for help.
He was so overwhelmed, he found himself unable to move an inch.
"What are you waiting for?! Go now! I want, I need my mother's heart back! This... This filthy professor has taken something that is mine along with her!"
The Archbishop's second, a bit confused, directly set out to set a man-hunt for the half demon professor, not finding the courage to ask his orders.
As soon as Rhea was left alone, Rhea prayed and prayed, hoping she will soon be able to have her mother's heart back.
"Oh mother, don't fear, soon we'll be reunited..." The Archbishop whispered between prayers.
~~~~~~~~~
While Rhea stayed inside her chambers hoping and praying that the professor would be found, Seteth had organized a man-hunt for Byleth, on the Archbishop's orders.
But, to their misfortune, Byleth was nowhere to be seen.
Rhea was beyond furious when reports came back with the news, but, before she even had time to do anything about it, the Monastery was under attack, by none other then the Imperial Army led by the Adrestian Princess Edelgard, who had taken advantage of the lack of knights present at the monastery, and so had now invaded the Monastery, capturing the Archbishop herself in the process.
A war had been declared, and the Leicester Alliance, the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and the Adrestian Empire were now at each other's throats.
Byleth, on the other hand, was able to swiftly travel across Fódlan, in hopes of leaving Fódlan completely, but to her annoyance and dispair, she soon enough found out of stationary guards placed at Fodlan's borders, blocking any contact with the outside of the continent.
And so, the former professor was now stuck, the only remaining option being to roam the Continent unseen, under disguise.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Five years had passed since the start of the war, and ever since then, Byleth had spent her time wandering Fódlan anonymously while taking care of wandering bandits or ruffians, while learning to hone her powers and become stronger in the process.
Peasants, villagers would thank her for the good she was doing in these hard times, often offering her gifts as a thank you, but she would always decline, and when they'd ask her name, their conversation would always go the same way.
"Say, you look awfully familiar somehow... What's your name, stranger?"
"I... I would rather not say," Byleth would often respond.
The villagers would be a bit suspicious of her behavior, but being already thankful for what she was doing, they would not object to her usual answer, and instead leave her be.
Even if Byleth had dyed her hair, and covered her half-demon parts completely, there were still many who would speak out about her similarities to a mercenary they once saw pass by, but Byleth would often avoid the question.
"You are mistaking me for someone else. Everyone knows that that mercenary has disappeared a long while ago, when the war started."
"Yes, but she is so skilled, she could not have possibly died very easily-"
"I heard rumors that she is half-demon too! So that would make it even harder to kill her!" Another villager spoke up from the back.
"Really? And apparently Fódlan's borders are closed off too so there is a chance she is still roaming these places."
Byleth, annoyed, shouted out loud enough for the whole entire entourage of villagers surrounding her to stop talking, "Enough! Your stupid theories won't lead anywhere- I have to go, anyways. Goodbye."
Although the noisy villagers were annoying, the mercenary did not give up helping them by defeating even more roaming bandits and ruffians. Seeing the villager's pleased and relieved faces when they saw their little village free of worry about being invaded by bandits or ruffians somewhat warmed Byleth's heart, and made her forget that these same people were the ones to look down at her because of her form.
Over the course of the five years of war, Byleth had earned the title as protector of the weak. News spread quickly about this new hero, enough to catch the attention of the Emperor, the Leader of the Alliance and of the Faerghus King, who had decided to start a small investigation on the matter on the side, in hopes of bringing this anonymous hero on their side.
~~~~~~~~~~
While the three armies fought against each other, Bylety, the Ashen Demon took it within her hands to make an investigation about what was going on behind the scenes of some strange events happening to the three armies, eventually finding out about an odd hideout, with advanced technology Byleth had never seen before, which belonged to the 'Argathans', from what she had gathered.
But before she could investigate more about them and their underground civilization, Byleth had to leave, in order to not get caught, because of the well guarded place, by soldiers with different characteristics then any normal human being, that intrigued the professor.
As soon as she got out of there, a certain villager ran up to her, waving his arms around, hoping she would notice him.
"Hey... Hey, lady!"
Byleth turned around, confused, waiting for the man to catch up to her.
"What's wrong?"
"Are... Are you that so called 'Protector of the weak' everyone keeps talking about?"
"Hum, I guess I am. Something happened?"
"Y-Yes! The Three Leaders of Fódlan are going to meet up at Gronder Field! Apparently something big is going to happen!"
Byleth frowned, "And what does that have to do with me?"
"A big... battle is about to happen there. Y-You should go and try and stop it! None of us can, so please... you must!"
"I... I'll try and see what I can do."
His face lit up, "Thank you! You truly are a hero."
Byleth rolled her eyes, "But I was ont make any promises, understood?"
The villager nodded, and so Byleth made he way towards Gronder Field.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The three armies had just arrived at Gronder Field, and where at this point at each other's throats, getting ready for the big battle to come.
Edelgard had stepped up first, signaling her presence to the other armies in her imperial stature.
Claude stepped up second, he stood tall, although he did not show off as much as Edelgard.
And Dimitri, the mad King himself stepped up last, leaning on his hero's relic, tired and on the brink of despair.
They had each held a short speech before the battle begun, and as Dimitri was readying his lance, going in for the kill, shouting a raw 'Kill every last one of them', the armies were soon interrupted by a mysterious person placing himself in the middle of the battlefield.
That mysterious person shouted loudly, enough for the three army leaders and their armies to hear.
"Stop this! What you all are doing will only lead to more war! This is not the only way to make peace!"
"That voice... It's somehow familiar..." Edelgard told herself, paying attention to the woman's garb.
Dimitri, who knew that voice well, let out a short gasp, before restraining himself for believing what he was hearing, 'No... It can't be. She died long ago. She's dead.'
Claude raised a brow, intrigued by this woman.
"Who are you to tell us what to do? The dead simply must have their tribute. Their pleas will not be ignored," Dimitri shouted from across the battlefield. Once more, he readied his lance, going head on into the battlefield.
Edelgard and Claude soon followed, signaling their armies to head into battlefield.
Byleth, in the middle of the battlefield, had three armies heading towards her, to fight each other.
Although the armies mostly ignored her, some of them tried to kill her from behind, but luckily, Byleth was speedy enough to avoid these attacks.
'Fools. They'll soon regret even coming here,' Byleth told herself, seeing as, as much as she thought back, none of the armies would surrender.
The half-demon mercenary summoned her powers, that she had learnt to hone over these past five years, to obliterate each army to the end of the battlefield, away from each other, leaving only Faerghus' army, including her former students unscathed.
Her cover was blown in the process, revealing her demon half to everyone. Her hair oddly enough had went back to its natural hair color.
Everyone's mouth was left agape.
"My teacher..."
"Teach?"
"P-Professor?"
Everyone seemed shocked, or even relieved, but before they could even walk up to her, they were forced to retreat with what the small remaining of their former large army. Only Faerghus' army, although mostly intact, retreated as well, leaving Byleth alone at Gronder Field.
Congrats! You made it to the end.
Also, thank you all for 12K Reads!