Chapter Text
The first time Byleth died, she opened her eyes to the bored stare of a green-eyed girl. She hadn’t meant to die, not really anyways. She was a mercenary; it was her job to protect the clients. All her jobs came with their own risks, after all. When the axe-wielding bandit had charged that girl, it had been instinct that led Byleth to throw herself in the way of the blade.
Byleth could still remember the visceral pain of her flesh being back being sliced into. The axe dug further and further through her skin, yet despite it all, her heart didn’t even give a panicked flutter. Her heart, which hadn't pounded or twisted through her whole life. It was no wonder she had gained the moniker of the Ashen Demon. Even now, as Byleth stared into the soft face of the green-haired child, all she could feel was the gentle pulse of in her wrists.
When the girl spoke, her voice was loud and clear in Byleth’s head. “Honestly, what were you trying to pull getting stabbed like that?”
Byleth continued to gaze up at the girl as she narrowed her eyes down at Byleth from her small throne. After a moment, the girl sighed and shook her head. “Well, it’s no matter. I can set you back just a few minutes.”
Then, she stood. “As for me, you may call me Sothis. But I am also known as the beginning.”
For a moment, the girl – Sothis – had a thoughtful expression on her face. It was as if she was contemplating something. She shook her head, then spoke again, “Now that you are dead, I can return your mind to the moments before your death.”
Byleth continued to stare back at Sothis, no emotion on her face and no words on her lips. “Well?” Sothis said expectantly.
“Well... What?”
“Aren’t you going to give some gratitude? I am saving your life, after all.”
Byleth considered for a moment, before dipping into a short bow for the girl. Seemingly satisfied with this, Sothis raised a hand. Glowing symbols burned into the air in front of her with the image of a crest at the center. The symbols glowed a bright green hue before Byleth suddenly found herself back in the body of her former self.
Unconsciously, Byleth found herself reaching a hand towards her back. The spot where she was so sure she’d been wounded, the fatal injury that was now magically, gone. There was only smooth skin there.
Lost in her thoughts, it took Byleth a moment to notice the atmosphere around her. Kostas and his crew of bandits had just come upon them. In this forested area, trained assassins would be quite adept. Byleth could easily imagine how one could dart from tree to tree, only to strike an arrow into one’s neck from the branches. These bandits, however, appeared to be untrained rookies. Their footwork spoke to their lack of proper training, and the way they charged said a great deal about their experience on the battlefield. Byleth found herself quickly dispatching them.
Across from her, Byleth spotted Jeralt fighting the bandits with ease. Through the years Byleth had known him, he’d always been good with his lance. Even with age, his skills had never waned. There was a bit of a rumor within Jeralt’s Mercenaries that he had managed to find an artifact in his travels that extended his life’s vitality. While Jeralt had never paid heed to these rumors, Byleth had always found them interesting to listen to.
The rest of them were fighting quite well, too. While none of them shared the same finesse Jeralt had, they were effectively holding their own against erratic fighters. To try and remedy her prior mistake, Byleth worked to further observe the rest of the battlefield this time. Her gaze flickered from person to person, before landing on that of Kostas.
He had just fallen to the ground after an attack from the blond-haired boy. There. Kostas jumped up and began to charge at girl in red. Byleth was faster. She dashed in front of the other and held out her sword. This time, she was able to parry the axe before it reached its target.
The clash of metal against metal led to his axe flying out of his hands. Byleth’s sword vibrated in her hands, and she could feel a fantom pain where her back had been struck. Kostas and the rest of his bandits ran, just as their allies began to regroup around them.
The three who had brought Jeralt’s mercenaries into the bandit fight introduced themselves. To Byleth’s surprise, they were all nobles from the different Fódlan nations. Each of them was a student of the Officers Academy, a school that resided near their area. Without need for prodding, Byleth discovered that Jeralt was a renowned former knight at this academy and was invited to continue his work there.
Throughout the exchange of information, Byleth couldn't help but find her back twitching with discomfort. It was as if it still expected there to be an axe still embedded in her skin. Byleth looked towards the newly introduced Edelgard. Did she really not remember Byleth saving her? Feeling Byleth’s gaze on her, Edelgard returned her look with a calm, analytical one of her own. It made Byleth feel mildly uncomfortable, as if Edelgard was expecting something of Byleth.
The knowledge of Byleth’s own death left a cold, empty feeling in her stomach. It wasn’t as if Byleth could tell anyone what had happened, they’d just think her mad.
Byleth couldn’t help but let her mind wander to that green-haired Sothis in her mind as she followed her father to the academy. Had Byleth really... died? If so, how - why - was she brought back? As Byleth made her way through the forest, these thoughts plagued her every step.