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The light of the sun streaming in through the windows brought the pleasant warmth that came with the changing of spring to summer. You were walking down the hall, looking out at the blue sky through the glass when someone bumped into you.
“Oof-” you didn’t fall to the ground, but the box that the other person must have been holding fell next to you.
Kneeling down, you picked up the box, “Excuse me, but you dropped…this…?”
Only, when you looked around, you couldn’t tell who it was that had run into you in the first place. There wasn’t even a trace of a clue, and so you were left to stand in the hall holding a box that didn’t belong to you.
“Woah, hey! A-are you alright?”
You turned from your spot on the ground to see Ashe jogging up to you.
“Did you happen to see someone running by you?” you asked.
His eyes went wide, “Wait, did someone push you down?” his brows lowered, “Just tell me what they looked like. I’ll catch up to them.”
“No, no, that’s not it!” you defused, “It’s just…there was a woman, I think, from the bit of the robe that I saw. She bumped into me and dropped this box, but when I looked up to hand it to her, she was gone.”
“Hmm,” Ashe looked down the hall, as though he might see someone matching your limited description. Suddenly, he seemed to realize you had been knocked to the floor. “Oh! Sorry, here, let me help you up.”
He took the box from you in one hand, then outstretched his other one. You accepted the help, allowing him to lift you off the ground. As he handed the box back to you, you accidentally got your first real look at what was inside. There was no lid, but a thin sheet of material covered whatever was inside.
“What is it?” Ashe wondered aloud, peering into the container.
You were curious, too. Gently, you allowed your fingers to ease the material off the object. A mirror, laid to rest at the bottom, was the only thing underneath it.
It was more ornate than you expected for something the size of a book. There were olden swirls around its edges and a ruby-red frame.
Finding yourself entranced by the pattern, you reached in with your free hand, curling your fingers around its frame.
You retracted them quicker than you had curled them.
“Agh!” you breathed, a sharp pain spreading across your hand.
Ashe retrieved the box from you, watching your hand intently, “You’re bleeding…come on, let’s get you to Professor Manuela.”
The trip didn’t take long; she bandaged your hand and let you go with a warning to be more careful.
“Maybe you should take this to your room. The person who bumped into you would probably recognize you, and you could get it for her if you ever meet again.”
“That’s a wonderful idea, Ashe.”
So it was that you parted ways with you making a one-way trip to your room. Originally, you had been prepared to set the box away somewhere under your bed before heading down to the dining hall, but…
…one more look wouldn’t hurt, right?
You woke up the next morning in front of the mirror, though you didn’t remember ever taking it out of the boc and setting it on the small coffee table at the center of your room. In truth, you didn’t actually remember falling asleep last night, either.
Legs sore, you rose from your “seat” on the floor before the table. You were unsteady for a moment, stumbling into your bed on shaky legs. After a good stretch though, it was time for you to make your way to the dining hall for breakfast.
Navigating there and getting a meal wasn’t so difficult, but it was when you ran into Felix and Ingrid on your way to the training grounds that something seemed off.
“Hey,” Ingrid greeted, uncharacteristically unenthusiastic.
“Um, hi…Is there any particular reason you two are looking at me funny?” you checked yourself over once, “There’s nothing on my clothes, is there?”
“Well…you did something different with your hair, is all.”
My hair?
You grabbed a bit of it, pulling it forward so you could see.
“No, I don’t think so. Why?”
“You dyed it,” Felix raised a brow, clearly impatient, “There are streaks of white that weren’t there, before.”
“Ha-ha,” you quipped, “Come on, you know my hair has always been like this.”
Your classmates looked at each other, then back to you, “No, that definitely wasn’t there yesterday.”
“Or any other day,” Felix added.
“Not falling for it,” you called, walking past them into the training grounds.
They didn’t come after you. It was nice that they had stopped acting strangely, but you found it weird that they never quit their joke or apologized. Weirder still was how Felix was in on it, too.
You shut your mind off, moving to start your training for the late morning. To warm up, you would fire off a few spells at the training dummies. Then you could find a partner and really get down to business.
~~~
Nothing went right.
The training dummies were barely scathed, and when you worked with a partner after lunch, you performed worse than ever. Now, dinner had passed. You had ended late with some private training, but you just felt confused, weak, and desperate.
Heading out for the last time that day, you came across Ashe again. He had wanted to know if you were able to return the mirror, but you let him know you hadn’t found any luck in that regard. After wishing him good night, you finally got back to your quarters.
Only, you didn’t go to bed again. You woke up in front of that mirror. And it happened night after night for the next two days.
~~~~
“...good morning,” Professor Byleth strained, concerned.
You were the last to enter the classroom, but you certainly made the most notable entrance.
Sylvain’s eyes widened, Ashe’s jaw hung open slightly, and Mercedes gave a small gasp.
“Your hair! It’s all white- why would you-?” Annette cried.
“That’s not the only change,” Felix scoffed. “She’s absolutely useless in the training grounds. Couldn’t even use her magic, and she was pale as a ghost the whole time.”
“She’s pale as a ghost right now…” Ingrid worried.
You sighed, “Why has everyone been giving me such a difficult time? I don’t understand what’s so hard about this; my hair has always been white, I’ve never been able to use magic,” and with a pointed glare toward Felix you finished, “and we’re from Faerghus; we don’t tan easily.”
Dimitri frowned, “Does anyone have any sort of portrait or letter that can contradict her hair color?”
“No, because it has always been this way.”
“Then why do you keep so many tomes in your room?” Ingrid contested.
“Maybe because the professor buys them and gives them to me? At this point, I’m pretty sure she’s just using my bookshelf as a storehouse, but I don’t mind.”
“That is enough, everyone. Ashe, please see me after class.”
“ What? ”
“He hardly said anything,” Ingrid rose out of her seat, “You can’t punish him for something like that when I’ve been-”
“I said enough , Ingrid. Ashe will be seeing me after class, and class will be starting right now . That is final.”
The room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Throwing a pitiful look Ashe’s way, Ingrid sunk back into her chair.
“Sylvain, perhaps you’d like to start us off with your report on the Sreng region so far this month…”
~~~
“...you asked to see me?”
Professor Byleth sighed, “I’m sorry I had to call you out in front of everyone. I promise, I’m just as worried about your classmate as everyone else.”
“You’re not in trouble,” she added upon noticing Ashe still looked like he might protest to something.
“Maybe I’m not, but she is! She’s been acting so strangely these past few days, and that’s not even considering her change in hair color.”
“I’m well aware. The hair was intriguing enough, but her strength has been greatly depleted ever since I trained with her a few days ago.”
And after their training session early this morning, she wasn’t sure what else there was to take than the strength that kept her standing and breathing.
“This isn’t the joke she’s making it out to be. Your classmate is in danger, but fortunately, I think I have a lead. These past few nights, I’ve noticed her turning in early and locking her door. She won’t respond when I knock or call her name, though.”
“That’s strange. If anything, she looks like she’s been getting less sleep than usual,” Ashe pondered.
“My thoughts exactly. We don’t have much time until tonight, but I want you to be watching her. As soon as you see her go into her room, grab the nearest classmate and pick the lock.”
“P-Pick the lock? But-”
“This is for her own good. There’s something I need to pick up, and then I promise I’ll be right behind you.”
The archer still looked confused despite his nod as he turned to go.
“Oh, and Ashe?”
He turned until they were making eye contact.
“Don’t let anyone catch onto what you’re doing.”
~~~~~
So, he waited, watching silently throughout the day as you went through your tasks. You really did do quite a lot for the Blue Lions, but…something was off.
Your steps and actions were clumsy and inexperienced despite it being the umpteenth time you tended to the stable mares. If anyone would know, it would be Ashe; the one who would spend all evening on the task so long as you were with him.
A change. Your steps sure and balanced for once as you put away your supplies and headed off to bed.
The commoner boy followed you to ensure you really did make it to your room. The sun hadn’t even fully set yet, but there was no doubt you’d find a way to wake up tired the next day, regardless.
Well, not this tim-
“Oomph-!”
“Wow. Never took you for the kind to stalk a girl, Ashe. Guess you-”
“ Shh! ”
“Woah, now you’re shushing me? I mean, of course you’d want-”
The archer deftly pulled the sword from the scabbard at the Gautier noble’s side, maneuvering to hold it at Sylvain’s throat.
“Sylvain, this is serious ,” Ashe shouted in a whisper, “So help me, if you make any more noise…I may be shorter than you, but we both know I’m faster.”
Shocked, Sylvain didn’t have a reaction other than widening his eyes.
“Take it easy, Ashe,” he muttered. “Besides, you don’t even know how to us- gh-!”
The former thief pressed the blade forward, “I know enough to know that if I apply enough pressure right here with the blade, you’ll never make another noise. You will not speak. Do I make myself clear? ”
After a moment of staring each other down in the hall outside her dorm room, Ashe sighed and turned toward the door. A few more moments and the sun would fully set.
Kneeling at the handle, the archer pulled the sharp metal of a lockpick out of his pocket.
Suddenly, he was yanked backward by his hood and into the wall. On instinct, Ashe immediately jumped to his feet, but not before Sylvain had retrieved his sword from the floor and pointed it at Ashe.
“Sorry, but I can’t let you do that. Some lines you just don’t cross.”
“Sylvain, what in Fodlan are you talking ab-”
The soft click of the Professor’s heeled boots rushed down the hall toward the Lions, her own voice coming out in a whisper-shout.
“What are you two doing ? Enough messing around; Sylvain, let Ashe pick the lock already.”
“What? Professor-”
“Shh!”
Instantly, Ashe was back at the handle, Less than a few seconds later, the lock was rendered obsolete.
“All you, Professor,” he nodded.
Nodding in turn, Professor Byleth pulled the bow she had obtained from off her shoulder, nocking an arrow in place and crouching low.
“How did you-? What is actually going on here?” Sylvain panicked.
“Sylvain. I don’t have time to explain much more, but we’re going to need your help fighting if push comes to shove. Your classmate’s life hangs in the balance.”
“And that’s why you-?”
“That is why the Church agreed to let me use this bow. Parthia will strike true, even if we cannot identify the enemy, ourselves.”
“Right. Okay, I’m with you.”
“Ashe, open the door.”
Noiselessly, the commoner flung the door open only to find his classmate kneeling on the floor at a small table.
Still primed to shoot, Byleth shuffled about the room until the small mirror propped in front of her pupil came into view.
Their friend was transfixed by the object, a thin, steady stream of white light connecting her eyes to the mirror.
The moment the Ashen Demon came into its view, the white tendril snapped. It lashed out, now more physical than intangible.
There wasn’t enough time to react to what was happening. The magic of the mirror was too quick. With a single, deceptively heavy swipe, it collided with Byleth’s head. She was knocked aside, Parthia left to fall where she once stood as her form went limp against the wall.
“What th-!”
“Professor!”
Sylvain rushed across the room, adapting quickly to slide under the tendril’s attack. Upon reaching Byleth, he swung back against the magic.
Each swipe simply cleaved the tendril, stalling it for a moment before it reconnected with its base and came in for another attack.
Taking advantage of the distraction his classmate provided, Ashe crawled toward where Parthia lied.
All it took was a glance around to know the only arrow Ashe had was the one his Professor had dropped.
He dared not whisper a word as he nocked the bow from his place on the ground. With only a rough estimation of the mirror’s position due to his limited view, it really would be up to Parthia.
Ashe rose to his knees and yelled only one word to Sylvain in the split second he had to aim.
“Duck!”
The projectile flew to the center of the room, slightly adjusting its trajectory to hit its wielder’s mark. Sylvain dropped to the floor just in time, doing his best to shield Professor Byleth’s body as Parthia’s arrow struck true.
The mirror shattered, a burst of light energy knocking all of the present company to the walls of the room.
And when the light vanished, no one in the room was left awake to get back up again.
~~~
In the days that followed, the infirmary stayed busy. Manuela tended to Sylvain and Ashe in the infirmary as Rhea chose to care for you and the professor on her own terms. An abundance of clerics that were at the Church’s disposal lent their talents for the occasion as classmates came and went with gifts, well-wishes, and plenty of questions.
Professor Byleth was the first to return to her class, recovering from her head trauma abnormally unaffected. Sylvain’s recovery took place shortly after, as he had been protected mostly by his position low on the ground.
More days passed, the infirmary closed itself off to visitors, and the room in which the incident occurred was tidied up. The Blue Lions remained with only seven students in attendance for another week.
The day Ashe returned to the class, he was almost overwhelmed at the amount of gifts sitting at his table. Books from Ingrid, sweets from Mercedes, flowers from Dedue, and a multitude of letters from people around the monastery.
And when the Blue Lions returned from their monthly mission to find you had been returned to the classroom, your hair returned to its natural shade?
Well, the only person that needed to be pulled into the hug was Felix.