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Author's Note:

Remember, don't be a silent reader! I love feedback of any sort, trust me, any writer does.

Above is a picture of what the Chalice of Beginnings looks like, if you didn't know.

Anyway, enjoy the update!

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-Your POV-

"So, Yuri. Did those bandits who we bested yesterday at the arena confess to anything?" I inquired the next morning.

"Not a word," he admits. We were all stationed in the classroom in Abyss, although the three house leaders -- Claude,  Dimitri, and Edegard -- were absent for various reasons, which only made the party a bit smaller in size, and left more room in the somewhat crowded room. "However, one thing is clear. Whoever hired them is after something here in Abyss."

"That's gotta be it," Balthus agrees.

"They were talking about some kinda treasure, right? But what's here in these dingy tunnels?" Hapi adds.

"Aelfric, was it? Looks like this is ringing a bell for you." Linhardt turns to the cleric.

"Ah, yes. Well, something does come to mind, but the notion is preposterous at best." He replies sheepishly.

"Never discount a wild hunch. Sometimes they're closer to the truth than you'd think." Hilda laughs.

"Any lead will do, so long as it helps determine our next course of action. Please, go on." Byleth urges.

"As you wish." He relents. "You see, there is a longstanding legend here. It is said that deep underground, below even Abyss, is a place called the Chasm of the Bound wherein lies the Chalice of Beginnings."

"A chalice?" Ashe asks.

"I've never heard of it, but chances are it's some kind of sacred artifact belonging to the church," Linhardt says.

Aelfric continues his tale, "Quite a while ago, I happened upon several ancient documents. They informed me that the Chalice of Beginnings is a sacred object crafted by the order of Saint Seiros herself. Saint Seiros apparently used the artifact to carry out the Rite of Rising."

"What is the Rite of Rising?" I ask quizzically.

"It is a ritual that is believed to have the power to resurrect a life that was lost," Aelfric says.

A moment of somber silence sweeps over the group as everyone ponders the complexity of such a topic, though all of us have surely known someone who has passed in the tragic past few years, none of us could fathom such a far-fetched tale. Abruptly, Constance remembers something, "Oh, yes, the chalice of legend! My father mentioned it to me a very long time ago. A secret treasure of the church... powerful enough to resurrect the dead... Exhilarating, no?"

"Yeah. It is no wonder that people are after it." Ashe nods in agreement.

Byleth speaks up, "Well until we have something to go off of, we'll have to halt the mission. If anyone happens to stumble upon any clues, report them to me or Aelfric. For now, do as you please. The Abyss is full of secrets I'm sure you can uncover."

"Erm, sure." Aelfric showed subtle signs of discomfort, but I waved it off, promptly leaving the room with others to run amok in the halls of the underground town.

Since I've only been visiting Abyss for a short period, I had only just begun to feel like I wasn't losing my way every time I left a familiar location. After a while of wandering the halls and chatting with merchants, I found my way back to the classroom.

When I entered, I surveyed the large room and noticed Yuri lingering there too.

"You're still here, Yuri?" Strolling in, I notice the tall, heather-haired male deep in thought, staring at the crumbling, destitute walls of the space as if his life depended on it.

He caught sight of me instantly and was quick to straighten his once-slouching posture. "Erm, yes, I am," Yuri answered slowly, tossing his long amaranthine locks over his shoulder.

"What's gotcha so lost in your own world?" I say with a fragile smile, taking notice of the exhausted look in his eyes.

"The Imperial princess, the crown prince, and the next sovereign duke. All gathered at the same school. Must be tiring trying to suss out each other's intentions, wouldn't you think?" He says jokingly.

"Maybe," I reply with a slight tilt of my head, contemplating the idea. "Nah, they get along. I mean, they kind of have no choice. A petty squabble could start an all-out war, right? And it doesn't take a fancy title to have a hidden agenda. Isn't that right, Yuri?"

The look on his face looked as if I'd insulted him. In my somewhat futile attempt to goad what he was secretly pondering before I approached him, I may have offended the man. He shook off the comment, "Cheeky... and off base. What do you think, friend? Do you think I'm off plotting nefarious deeds?"

"O-oh, no! Of course not!" I deny it, furiously shaking my head.

"Ha ha! Not very perceptive, are we?" Yuri chuckles, glancing at my embarrassed expression. "Even so, that's a bit much, wouldn't you say? I do what I need to get by -- nothing more than that."

"I think I get what you're saying..." I mumble nervously, furrowing my eyebrows in concentration, avoiding Yuri's gaze.

"What now?" He asks drily.

"My apologies," I told him, but he still appeared to be waiting for more, "You see when I walked in, you seemed a little... how do I say it... Well, like your mind was on other things. Other than just the invaders that are attacking Abyss or the tales of a magical cup. Like something is going on behind the scenes."

"Ah, that, my friend, is for me to know, and you to stay out of." Yuri says curtly, but when he glimpses my downcast face, he adds, "I promise it's for your safety."

Safety? I was very aware that Yuri cared for those who have made their homes in the underground city, but has that concern now branched out to me? Hold on for a second. If it was dangerous, as it clearly was, then Yuri shouldn't be involved in whatever it was either. "But Yuri, what about you?"

He looked startled for a moment. "Me?"

"Don't be foolish. What about your safety?" I urgently demand. But before I could hear Yuri's response, Constance and Aelfric walked in, chatting, although the conversation wasn't light-hearted in the least.

"The final answer is no. I will not allow it. It is far too dangerous." Aelfric tells the blond sternly.

"Ah, but if we can determine its origin, we may eliminate the very danger that vexes you!" Constance argues.

"Yes, I am aware. However, for the time being, you must promise to refrain from acting recklessly. My dear flock has suffered enough as it is. You needn't take any further risks." Aelfrics scolds her, then firmly shakes his head, and leaves.

"Constance?" I called out to her, who was still standing in the doorway to the classroom.

"What?" She snaps.

"Surprisingly overbearing, isn't he? He must really care about you guys." I told Constance, trying to be sympathetic, though I still wasn't sure what they were discussing.

"Indeed," She sighs, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "But the truth is, we -- by of course I mean Balthus and Hilda -- were doing whatever ruffian things they pleased when they stumbled upon what most certainly seems to be a tunnel that leads farther underground, which was depicted in the myths of the chalice we desire."

"So why is Aelfric telling you not to go?" I ask, and Yuri turns to await her answer.

"I don't know!" She sniffs, "But I know that for one thing, I'm not going to sit in wait until some thief claims the chalice! Come, let us venture into the deep, deep underground. The chalice of legend awaits!"

"Sure," I grin, enthusiastic about this new quest. "After we gather up the others, we'll head there straight away."

"Ooh, I knew you'd agree! You too, Yuri?"

"Constance... You didn't hear a word Aelfric said, did you?" Yuri grumbles.

"I surely did, but we must read between the lines. Aelfric wants a solution as badly as we do. And so, we shall seek out the Chalice of Beginnings and present it to the church! If our enemies desire the object, this should halt all future attacks on Abyss! Ahaha! Brilliant, no?" Constance boldly states her plan, then promptly exits, searching out our companions.

Sharing a look with Yuri, I smile eagerly, to which he shrugs and agrees to come with me on the adventure to the chalice.

Once the Ashen Wolves, the professor, my friends, and I had all grouped together, we embarked on the pathway that was discovered. Everyone was thoroughly informed of the method we were to carry out to secure the chalice. Constance, who had been the leading role in this plan, led the group with Balthus and Hilda to the location... which was somehow even deeper under Garreg Mach.

Yawning, Linhardt complains, "Feeling pretty lost right now. How long have we been walking? I'm guessing a full week."

"A week? Ridiculous. It's been a few hours at most." Hapi frowns.

After a minute of silence, Ashe timidly speaks up, "Constance... I find it rather curious how quickly you became fixated on the chalice. Care to explain?"

"Oh, I... No. Why would I be fixated on a silly little legend... For some supposed ulterior motive? Ahaha..." She awkwardly trails off, leaving the entire group in suspense.

"Ha, you want the admiration. You think this will convince the church to help you restore your fallen house." Yuri rolls his eyes.

Hilda's bubblegum pink pigtails bobbed up and down as she vividly spoke. "'I shall restore House Nuvelle to its former glory at all costs!' Haha! It's practically your catchphrase." It was true. Although we had been aware of Abyss' existence for hardly a week, it was clear that Constance's main goal in life was regaining her nobility and escaping Abyss' chains of a freedomless living style.

"Aha! Just as I suspected. Constance is the former lady of House Nuvelle." Linhardt exclaims, his theories accurate, per usual. "Until just a few years ago, it was a house of viscounts in the west of the Empire. They had a long and distinguished history."

"I feel like I've heard of it," Byleth nods, following along.

"Enough about me!" Constance scoffs, frustrated. Her shoulders were tense as she forcefully persisted in trekking down the passageway. "See? We're almost there?"

"Look at that! It's a good thing we didn't turn back. That looks mighty chasm-like if you ask me." Balthus announces, and it's true. The light at the end of the tunnel was visible not too far off.

We all hastened our pace unconsciously, glad to see the end of our lengthy trek. Constance however, flinched at the abrupt light as everyone stepped out into the sun.

"Say... Are we beneath the bridge at the monastery? Incredible..." Ashe's sage green eyes are wide in astonishment, as the brick arches of a long, narrow bridge loom very high above us.

"Huh. I never thought I'd be gazing up at that bridge we've crossed a thousand times from way, way down below." Hilda notes.

"I know right?" I laugh, gazing up at the bridge, just as stunned at the very extraordinary sight.

"Are we sure this is the right place?" Byleth asks, hesitation lacing her voice.

"It is. I think. I believe. I... hope?" Constance's voice shrinks.

"I wouldn't know," Balthus admits.

Byleth glances over at Constance in concern, "Constance, why are you hiding in the shade? Aren't you the one who insisted that we find the chalice?"

"Fine! If you insist, I shall join you." She emerges from the shaded area, her face heavily cloaked in shadow and her expression drenched in anxiety and gloom, far from her normal, over-the-top cheerful, and smug attitude.

"What's wrong?" I cry, scanning Constance for anything that may be causing pain of any sort, but see her unscathed.

"...Oh dear. I was quite rude just now... Please accept my humble apologies for treating you so horribly. Allow me to dig a hole to bury myself in..." Constance says softly, looking down at her shoes, misery etching its way onto her features.

"Ugh... No matter how deep underground we are, I guess sunlight is still sunlight. Poor Constance." Balthus says knowingly.

"Does sunlight hurt her in some way? How terrible!" I exclaimed, placing a hand over my mouth as I gasp.

"Well, you see," Hapi continues explaining, "This is what Constance's like in the sun. That's why she lives underground."

Yuri was about to go into more detail when a creaking noise echoed through the canyon-like space we were in. Everyone looked about one another until an enormous, creepy golem-like thing appeared, seemingly made of metal, a robot of sorts -- though the technology to make something of the sort was foreign to all of us.

It spoke in a loud, booming tone, though that also sounded false. "You who taint this sacred place -- leave now or perish!"

The mechanical figure stood, obviously guarding something behind it. Another gigantic doll thing approached us. Although the two robotic things were outmatched, their size effortlessly made up for any difference in numbers.

All of us took out our weapons, eyeing the strange beings, who were clearly not alive, though they spoke to us in rusty voices.

"Intruders. Leave at once, or we shall slay you." The second rasps.

"Yikes! What is that thing? It's like some kind of massive toy." Hilda shouts.

"I don't have the slightest idea what's going on, but I know it doesn't bode well," Yuri mutters.

"Prepare for battle everyone!" Professor Byleth commands, and we all charge forward, at the ready.

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Word count: 2313 words