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-Your POV-

This month's mission was to go into Kingdom territory to eliminate some thieves. According to the quest's details, the rebels stole a valuable weapon from one of the larger noble's houses in the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus — a famed spear called the Lance of Ruin. The bandit's leader's name is Miklan, the disowned son of said noble house. We were to take him down in the name of the church.

It was only an assignment for school... But something about that didn't ring true. An order straight from the archbishop, Lady Rhea... what was the purpose of taking down a fortress of this size if we were merely students?

The Black Eagles were indeed a unique group of people, and I was one of them, under the guiding hand of the newly appointed professor, a former mercenary with raw skill and a permanent stoic expression that drew you in.

Alas, I hadn't been expecting much at all when I'd embarked with the rest of my class, but I knew one thing. The ceaseless rains put a damper on the dreary landscape of a tower cloaked in shadow, and it's eagerly accompanied by fierce winds and mighty roars of thunder. This abundance of rain, sparkling as it falls against beams of emerging sunlight, is a constant reminder to me that, like weather, battle can be unpredictable.

The spiraling staircases, winding hallways, and raging enemies were all the eye could see in the fort made of thick slabs of cold gray stone. The people that stood before me at the moment weren't your average pick-pocket thieves. They looked angry. Like they'd do anything to dispose of us.

Confidence at my fingertips, I raised my blade, a handy sword of steel, trying to determine their level of power. We coldly eye each other, neither moving a muscle. I make the first move, thrusting forward and nailing the first ruffian in the gut. Bernadetta shoots another with her arrows, and Ferdinand rides gallantly upon his horse, launching javelins every which way, almost haphazardly.

The professor holds up the first line of defense, almost undefeatable with her impressive agility and almost eerily perfect moves. It was almost like she knew what the opponent was going to do, and she could ensure no one would lay a finger on her.

Soon, we'd made it to the top floor, and fortunately for us, everyone in the small army of students was in one piece.

"We'll attack Miklan next," Byleth explains as we turn the corner, all tense and on edge, wishing that no more reinforcements would jump us.

"Alright, sounds like a plan." I agree, gripping my sword tighter.

Edelgard lifts up her preferred weapon, an axe, and adds calmly, "They have nowhere left to flee, so the situation is in our favor. All we have to do is chase them down."

Everyone else nods, and we advance together. When the pair of iron double doors are pushed open, a man in full armor with blazing scarlet hair stands in the center of the dim room. He turns to face us, and I gasp. He so strongly resembles another student at Garreg Mach, a Blue Lion named Sylvain, it was almost frightening. Other than the painfully clear scar across the man's face and the obvious age difference, they could be almost the same person.

The man takes up a battle stance, sizing us up as he declares, "So, you think you can take the lance from me, huh? I'll kill you... I'll kill every last one of you!"

"I'd think twice about that!" I boast, charging forward, blade up high.

"You think you have the power to back up such bold words, kid?" He snarls as I approach.

Before I can slash him good in the torso, his spear begins to glow a violent crimson, and a fog of a black substance of some sort pours out of it, enveloping his body entirely into its embrace of darkness. When the thick smog fades away, a beast rises from the smoke, growling and spitting. It stands at its full height, smashing the ceiling open, allowing the minimal illumination from lightning to come through, emboldening the creature's behemoth features.

"The lance swallowed him whole!" I yelp, scrambling away.

Edelgard steps forward. "Such is the fate of one whose life is corrupted by a Crest Stone... How pathetic. The least we can do is put an end to his suffering."

The entire class made an effort, but could barely scratch the monster. It wasn't long before everyone was severely out of breath and beaten down to their limits while the thing still rampaged, swiping at us like we were small dolls that could be crushed with ease, but the Professor continued to push through, heading straight for the creature.

Wordlessly, Byleth picks up speed, her legendary Sword of the Creator aimed for the beast's chest. With a mighty leap, she plunged her glowing sword into one of the colossal titan's limbs. She continued to slash mercilessly at the monstrosity of a creature until its oversized legs lay limp and unmoving on the floor, its blood spilling into the rock flooring's cracks.

And still, her face was her usual uninterested, empty stare as her gaze swept the mess. "Good work," Byleth tells us once turning to meet our gaze, her weapon coated in bright viridian blood as it sinks to the floor.

Byleth returns to the side of her students, and I observe the wreckage left in her wake. "Goddess... The beast is gone, yet Miklan and the Lance remain." I murmur, noticing Miklan's crumbled form.

"It is done. Let's retrieve the lance and depart at once." Edelgard commands matter-of-factly.

"I wouldn't be so sure... this isn't the end, not at all..." A bright flash blinds us and a figure emerges. He seemingly teleported here, but for what reason, it wasn't certain. From atop his steed, he glowered at us through a mask that obscured his entire face and matched his suit of black armor.

"Who are you?" Hubert questions, stepping protectively in front of the princess he serves, Edelgard.

The mysterious man ignores him, continuing. "It is coming... Leave now or all of you will die."

After speaking those foreboding words, the unknown knight promptly turns around, and on his mounted horse, he turns to the ledge of the tower's balcony to leave. Professor Byleth starts to chase after him but fails to stop him from escaping as the horse easily outruns her. He jumps off the ledge to a bridge beneath.

I rush to follow Byleth, shouting at him, "Where do you think you're going?"

But instead of rushing to escape, the masked, armored man stops his horse and calmly looks back at Byleth. He points towards a point in the distant far-off sky. "Leave, or you'll die where you stand at this moment."

Alarmed, Byleth turns to the direction the knight pointed, and I do the same. A strange path of glowing blue rings appears from the heavens, aiming downwards like a targeting ray. Then, a missile-like object parts through the clouds and follows the path of blue glowing rings, heading towards the Earth.

"Run! We have to evacuate immediately!" Someone screams, but I don't have the time to care who in particular it was. I keep my eyes locked on the strange ray, baffled. What was it?

Just as I'm about to voice my confusion, the missile lands on the ground near the fort, and a huge explosion takes place, sending a wave of heat, debris, and death radiating outwards. Byleth steels herself to bear the force of the ground shaking from the impact, and I cling onto her arm, eyes wide. Alarm and panic quickly spread through the Black Eagles, and screams could be heard from a distance from enemies on other wings of the fortress.

To the horror of onlookers, another targeting ray appears in the sky. The second missile launches towards the tower.

"Run!"

I didn't need to be told twice. I was up on my feet and sprinting through the halls, but lagged behind the rest of the class – I'm not the most athletic person you'll find – and by the time they all made it out and away from the fort, I was still inside.

At that exact moment, I make it to the entranceway, I'm forced to watch helplessly as the bomb explodes yet again. It lands directly above me, and the last thing I see before the stone ceiling crushes me is Byleth's blazing cobalt-blue eyes catching my gaze.

-Byleth's POV-

We had all made it outside, right? Wait, I'm the teacher... headcount. It appeared that everyone was there, but I felt like I was forgetting something, which was weird.

"Wait. Where's (Y/N)?" I asked in a calm, even tone that didn't betray my sudden burst of fear.

"Um... he was here a moment ago, I think..." Dorthea says uncertainly, glancing around worriedly.

"Where's (Y/N)?!" I let out a scream, and a prick in my heart sent me gasping. This was the first time I'd ever raised my voice, and my student's stares told me as much.

Swiveling around, I lock eyes with the missing boy in question, watching in horror as the missile makes contact with the tower and explodes, causing the structure to collapse. I can merely turn back time... but a spark in my heart needles me further when (Y/N) is obliterated in front of my eyes.

(Y/N)'s screams, his dilated pupils, and the last thing he did was lock eyes with me as the tower fell to bits around him.

A student unable to process the catastrophic situation chuckles nervously, and the sound makes me mentally shudder. Another classmate behind him speaks in a whisper. "What in the world just happened here?"

"The fort, it's... It's just... gone." Another mumbles quietly.

Through the smoke gradually clearing up the site of the bombings, the remains of the fortress could be seen. Two giant craters litter the surface of the ground with the buildings and stone walls around it in shambles. My expression hardens as everyone begins to fully realize the scale of the disaster that took place in just a few fleeting seconds.

Even if this place was incinerated, those few seconds were precious, and I could force back the hands of time to retrieve them.

"Byleth?" The shrill, childish voice of the girl who resides in my head, Sothis, snaps me out of my thoughts.

"We're turning back time," I mutter under my breath as her form appears before me. The rest of the world couldn't see Sothis, but she continued to insist she wasn't a ghost of some sort.

"For one boy?" She asks lazily, yawning.

"Yes, for one boy." I bark.

She jumps, eyeing me skeptically. "Woah, fine! Geez..." Sothis closes her eyes and a magic circle of glittering gold light flashes in the palms of her small hands. In the blink of an eye, I'm reverted to when the knight donning black armor is just leaving.

"It is coming... Leave now or all of you will die."

After speaking those foreboding words, the unknown knight promptly turns around, and on his mounted horse, he turns to the ledge of the tower's balcony to leave. I don't choose to follow him this time, instead turning back to the Black Eagles.

"Where do you think you're going?" Right. I forgot (Y/N) decided to threaten the peculiar man.

"(Y/N)!" I whipped around, snatching his wrist harshly. He turns to face me, bewildered. "We can't waste our time on him. Run!" And just as before, the bombs fell and demolished the fort and surrounding area.

A horrible crisis was averted, thankfully. And this time, everyone was in one piece. Although, one question remained. I'd seen many comrades, allies, and enemies fall to the hand of warfare, but never before had I felt any tinge of fear, anger, or sorrow when one did lose their life to a fight.

Was this... emotion?

And for (Y/N)?

I was the Ashen Demon, an unfeeling mercenary able to kill any and didn't give a second thought to one's death... I'd have to figure out just what (Y/N) meant to me before continuing on. Love was always out of reach, not unlike destiny. Was I finally breaking free?

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Author's Note:

The request was by Cosmic66

This is one of many one-shots that they wanted, so prepare for more in the near future!

Also, in fully aware this doesn't follow the exact plot of the game. So be it. The requester wanted a pre-time skip, but I wanted the Death Knight to blow up some stuff. So, this is a combination of chapters five and twenty from FE Three Houses.

Anyway, the question for today is: Who's your favorite Professor from FE Three Houses/Hopes? Of course, I'd have to say Byleth, seeing as she/he is so dang powerful! I mean, control over time itself, the blessings of the Goddess Sothis, and a sword made of her very bones? Heck yes! FE3H is probably one of my favorite Fire Emblem games if I'm being honest. Of course, no offense to Jeritza, Manuela, and Hanneman.

See you later,
Lillian

Word count: 2228 words

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