"This will be your first time at the Monastery for the pair of you, won't it?" Dimitri asked Byleth and Goetia as they walked through the woods.
"I am familiar with places of religious importance." Goetia answered "However, I myself have not visited them."
"I'd be happy to show you around if you both need it." Dimitri said to the pair with a smile, Claude sent him a sideways glance and shook his head.
"Getting straight in there, aren't you?" He asked rhetorically, then looked at Byleth and Goetia with an expression of...Goetia found he couldn't actually place that. It looked like disappointment to him, although it was also mixed with several other emotions "It really is Fodlan in a nutshell...both the good and the bad."
"Like it or not, we'll be there soon enough." Edelgard commented, Goetia noticed her expression was deceptively blank. However, her comment brought several questions to mind. It was clear, to him at least, that she fell into the category of disliking the Monastery. If that were so, for what reason would she attend? Societal pressure perhaps?
It was not an unlikely theory, the act of attending this officers academy seemed to be expected of the Children of prominent Noble Families when they came of age.
"There it is…" Edelgard broke him out of his thoughts as they cleared the woods and the Monastery came into view "Garreg Mach Monastery."
Goetia noted that it looked more like a fortress than a place of religious worship. However, given the apparent militant nature of the Church, he couldn't find himself too surprised by this.
"What do you think?" Claude asked him as he came up beside the former Beast "Pretty impressive, right?"
"Certainly more structurally impressive than the other population centres I have encountered thus far, however the architecture itself is nothing noteworthy to me." Was the blunt assessment, Claude looked at him for a few moments before he let out a chuckle.
"You really are a hard guy to please, aren't you?"
"I wouldn't know." Goetia replied "I am rarely pleased by anything."
"I guess I've worked out what I plan to do while you're here!" Claude announced with a wide smile. The tanned man gave him a sideways glance.
"Have you now?"
"Yep! Before you leave, I'm gonna make sure you smile at something!" He grinned at the deadpan expression he got in response.
"There are certainly more worthwhile endeavours you could occupy your time with than my emotional well-being."
"I disagree. As a future ruler, isn't it best I understand the citizens?" He placed his hands on the back of his head and looked to the sky "I don't see the problem in making sure people are happy, don't want to be a stiff like Solomon, right? Not understanding people and helping them."
"You are perhaps as foolish as he is if you believe it is the duty of a monarch to ensure happiness." Goetia scoffed, then frowned in thought "However, if that is the path you seek to pursue, then all I will do is observe you as you walk it. Whether or not it ends in failure will entirely be a result of your own decisions."
"Your confidence in me warms my heart." Claude let out a small laugh following his sarcasm. Goetia didn't reply. He narrowed his eyes as they continued their walk to the Monastery
There was something residing there...Something that was decidedly inhuman, however from this distance that was all he could discern...It seems the mysteries kept on building atop eachother.
The meeting of the leaders of three powerful factions, his meeting with a holder of a Divine Core with the ability to rewind time and all of this occurring at the same time? If it were present, Goetia would have blamed the counterforce for these meetings.
However, the manipulation of time had disproven that theory. One could not manipulate time on such a small scale and expect the changes to last more than a few seconds. It was why he employed the singularities to manipulate History to such an extent, the damage was far too great for it to simply be stamped out.
Would this be called...natural fate then? How curious. He had never experienced such a thing...unless the arrival of Solomon at the Temple of Time was such a thing…
"-ou still there?" Claude's voice broke him out of his reminiscing, he turned to see the boy staring at him with a slightly concerned expression "You okay, you kind of zoned out there for a moment."
"I was merely thinking of something." Goetia waved him off. His expression became more thoughtful as he approached the Monastery.
What was living there, at the religious centre of the continent?
X
"We'll lead the children back to their classes." Alois "I'll deliver my report to the Archbishop and Seteth." he told the trio of Jeralt, Goetia and Byleth "I'll be sure to let you know when they're ready for you."
Jeralt grunted in reply, his face betrayed none of the fatigue he felt about being back at the Monastery. Goetia and Byleth remained blank faced, however theirs was for different reasons. Everything that Alois said went over Byleth's head, and Goetia was more concerned with the revelations about what was living here.
A dragon. Some bizarre cross-breed between a Dragon and a Divine being. That was something Goetia hadn't expected, he also didn't expect it to be the Archbishop herself who was the hybrid. A naturally occurring one as well, perhaps some Dragon God descended to this world and let loose its descendants to govern the world.
It would explain her level of importance, however it wouldn't explain why their religion made no mention of dragons at all. Was it perhaps a secret then?
Controlling humanity through religion while being hidden in plain sight? It did answer his question about why Crests were valued so greatly, aside from the obvious boons they provided. It would make sense for descendants of their divine progenitor to place greater value on the 'gifts' that were bestowed upon humanity.
It didn't explain why they decided to hide though, the Gods of his old world were very public when they stepped foot upon the mortal world.
A complete reversal of this cloak and dagger approach which mirrored his own. Were they working towards some agenda which required them to assume key positions of power?
The trio waited for several minutes before Alois returned "She's ready for you captain, I'm sure you'll be thrilled to see her again!" he declared with a wide smile.
"Yeah." Jeralt grunted "Positively ecstatic."
"I knew it!" Goetia doubted that he did. The man's optimism was borderline delusional. He didn't know if he was simply stupid or naïve.
The three walked past the knight and into the chambers of the Archbishop. The room was similar the architecture of Old Europe, Goetia noted. It seemed to be more than coincidence that the level of technology this world possessed and their current development was mirrored by his own worlds past.
"Its been years since I last set eyes on this place…" Jeralt lamented to his right "To be forced to see her again now…"
"Her?" Byleth asked, her slightly raised eyebrows being the only signal that she was curious.
"You saw her earlier in the courtyard...Lady Rhea. The Archbishop." At Byleth's still confused face, Goetia interjected.
"He refers to the green haired woman who observed out arrival." The girl hummed in affirmation.
"Archbishop?" She turned back to her father in slight intrigue. The man sighed and shook his head.
"As you now know, a majority of the people of Fodlan follow the teachings of Seiros." His face scrunched up in irritation "And the leader of that ridiculously large organisation is the Archbishop, Lady Rhea."
"It pleases me that you still remember me after all these years, Jeralt." A smooth voice echoed throughout the room, the trio looked behind them to see a pair of green haired individuals walking towards them. The woman, wearing an ornate tiara, a simple white robe and blue shoulder cape with gold highlights strolled towards them. A pleasant smile on her face.
A contrast to the serious expression of her counterpart, the man wearing a deep blue shirt and trousers with a matching cape with a beige inside and an intricate design.
"Lady Rhea." Jeralt bowed his head slightly. The womans smile seemed to shift into something more genuine.
"Thank you for your patience, Jeralt." The green haired man spoke as he stopped in front of the group "I am Seteth, advisor to the Archbishop."
"Right. Hello." Jeralt replied back to him, in a somewhat disinterested tone. If the man was bothered by it, he showed no reaction.
Goetia also noted that his presence felt similar to the womans, however his was...repressed. Strange, perhaps the woman had the more potent blood.
"It has been far too long, Jeralt." The green haired woman began, her smile never leaving her face "I wonder if it is perhaps the will of the Goddess that we have the opportunity for another chance meeting like this."
"Forgive my silence all these years." Jeralt put his hand on his chest and bowed slightly deeper than last time "Much has happened since we last spoke." he said as he raised his head, his eyes notably travelling to Byleth.
"So I see." The woman released a pleasant laugh "The miracle of fatherhood has blessed you, has it not?" her eyes turned to Byleth. Goetia noticed they then took on a more scrutinous gaze. How strange? Did she perhaps sense the core as well? "This is your child, I believe."
"Yes." Jeralt admitted "Born many years after I left this place...I wish I could introduce you to the mother...but we lost her to illness."
"I see." Rhea closed her eyes and nodded, her face becoming softer "My condolences." her gaze turned back to Byleth "As for you...I have heard of your valiant efforts from Alois, may I ask your name?"
"I'm Byleth Eisner." The girl replied and bowed, Rhea smiled at her before she looked towards Goetia.
She stared at him with, what he found be, very expertly concealed curiosity to the extent he barely noticed it. "Alois has also spoken of your efforts in resucing our students. We rarely have foreigners travel to Garreg Mach, may I ask for your name as well?"
"Goetia." He replied "I have no last name, your Holiness."
The woman smiled at him "You are free to refer to me as Archbishop or Lady Rhea."
"I see." Goetia nodded.
"That offer extends to you as well, child." Rhea turned back to Byleth "From the bottom of my heart, you both have my sincerest thanks for making sure our students did not come to harm."
"Hmph." Jeralt grunted but said nothing as her gaze travelled back to him.
"Jeralt." Her voice took on a more knowing tone "You are already aware of what I intend to ask of you, are you not?"
The old mercenary sighed "You want me to re-join the knights of Seiros, don't you?" he bit his lip and looked away "I won't say no...but…"
"Your apprehension stings." Rhea commented with a somewhat dejected tone "I had expected Alois to already ask this of you…" She looked to the side when Seteth whispered something in her ear. She furrowed her brows then closed her eyes, turning back to the trio "I must step away for now, but I expect they will desire a word with you soon."
She turned to Goetia "As for you, Alois mentioned that you were interested in a pilgrimage to Garreg Mach itself. He seemed to mention that you were an exceptional mage."
"I am proficient in Magic, yes." Rhea gave him a knowing look.
"Your interest does not lie in Magic though, I suspect…" Goetia inwardly frowned. She wasn't exactly wrong, whatever craft he had was not a result of hard work and dedication. It was always considered a means to an end rather than an end itself.
"Knowledge...would be something I considered to be my primary pursuit." It wasn't entirely a lie, however he had enough sense to omit certain details regarding what type of knowledge he was after.
The meaning of why humanity continued its struggle was the overarching question he sought to answer, however he found the current mystery of Byleth to be a more pressing matter. Was he naturally curious now that he was human? He showed the symptoms of it, he supposed.
"A scholar then." Rhea nodded her head, a pleased smile on her face "For how long were you planning on staying at the Monastery?"
"That…" He furrowed his brows. He didn't actually know how long he had planned to remain. Ultimately he travelled here in order to facilitate his better understanding of humans. The centre of their religious base seemed to be a more fruitful place to study first.
As a Beast, the purpose of Religion eluded him, perhaps as a human he would have better luck understanding it.
"I see." Rhea nodded "In that case, I believe that there is a position available as an assistant at our library." Seteth's head snapped towards her so fast it almost blurred, his look of shock and disbelief lasted all of a few seconds before he schooled his features.
"That is a rather sudden offer." Goetia pointed out. Rhea nodded her head.
"Which is why I will not ask for an immediate answer, we will speak again tomorrow and you may inform me of your choice then." She turned back to the other two "If you will excuse me." both she and Seteth quickly left the room, not before she passed a note to Jeralt.
The trio remained silent as the pair quickly disappeared from sight. Jeralt looked down at the note before proceeding to open it up and take a read of it. His face remained blank as he went through it before he grimaced slightly and scrunched it up.
"Well...Forced back into the knights of Seiros." Jeralt sighed, then cast a quick glance at Goetia "And looks like Rhea has her eyes on you as well...I don't know whether to offer my condolences or congratulate you."
"Neither do I." Goetia replied. Still at a loss as to why the phantasmal would allow him to reside here. It ultimately worked to his benefit in the grand scheme of things, but it all seemed far too easy.
There was also an intellectual mind, hiding behind that persona of a 'loving Archbishop'. The woman was no fool, and doubtlessly was far older than she looked. Perhaps not as old as him, but he had no way of knowing for sure.
"Sorry I dragged you into this, kid." Jeralt turned to Byleth with a small frown "Looks like I'll be stuck here a while." he closed his eyes and sighed "And it looks like your services are requested too…"
"As a mercenary?" Byleth inquired, her expression now slightly puzzled.
"Nothing like that." Jeralt shook his head "From what I read-" he held up the crumpled note "-it sounds like they want you to teach." he shook his head "You heard those brats talking about this being an officers academy. Well...the academy happens to be short a professor and Alois, in his wisdom, went and recommended you for the position."
The door at the head of the chamber was flung open and two more individuals strolled in. Goetia took note that one was an elderly man, who appeared to be of the upper class, and the other was…
A middle aged woman, wearing...questionable attire for a presumable teaching position. The woman's eyes instantly fell upon Jeralt and seemed to shine slightly, her mouth curving into a smile.
"So, you must be the new professor…" She virtually purred as she approached the Mercenary "My, how stern and handsome you are!"
"Erm...no." Jeralt let out an awkward laugh and backed off slightly "I'm afraid not."
"Oh?" Her gaze travelled to Goetia "Is that you then? My, such a vibrant young man you are-" she was cut off by Goetia's single arm pointing in the direction of Byleth. Her eyes travelled to the young girl. Any light that was in them seemed to vanish entirely.
"I'll let you two handle things from here." Jeralt remarked, then leaned in to whisper something to Byleth before walking past the pair and swiftly out of the room.
"Oh...So you're the new professor?" The woman stared at Byleth with, slight disappointment "So young…"
"Age and competence are not necessarily correlated Manuela." The older man commented, then sent a small look her way "As I'm sure you well know." he looked back to the pair and put gave a small smile "I am Hanneman, a Crest Scholar and professor at the officers Academy." he narrowed his eyes and pinched his chin "I wonder if you bear a crest of your own...perhaps if you two find the time to visit me later, we'll look into the subject further."
"I'm Manuela." The woman bowed her head slightly "A Professor, physician-" she sent a small look Goetia's way "-and available-" before looking back at Byleth "It's nice to meet you."
"A physician?" Goetia asked, somewhat sceptical of her claim. Which seemed to amuse the woman as she let out a laugh in response.
"Oh? Look too pretty for that line of work, do I?" Her laughter died down slightly "But yes, whenever I'm not teaching, you may find me in the infirmary...I insist you visit me at some point. I would love to-"
"Please spare our potential colleagues from your needless chatter, Manuela." Hanneman interrupted her with a look of annoyance. He looked to Byleth "I believe you will be taking on a teaching role in one of the academies three houses." he then looked to Goetia "And I believe that you are a potential assistant in the academies library?"
"Indeed/Yes." were the two answered the man received.
"I suspect you have yet to be briefed on the houses, or the libraries location?" He received a pair of nods in affirmation.
"Manuela, I assume you are capable of explaining the nature of the houses to our colleague?"
"I'm sure I'm competent enough to manage that, Hanneman." The woman sniped back. Hanneman showed no reaction at her barb.
"In that case, young man I will show you to our Library so that you may familiarise yourself with it in case you wish to take up the role." He gestured for the tanned man to follow him.
X
"I do not believe you have introduced yourself yet." Hanneman noted as the pair walked through the halls.
"No." He admitted "I am Goetia."
"Rumour around the Monastery is that you are from across the seas." Hanneman inquired.
"I am."
"Might I ask what brings you to Fodlan?"
"I see knowledge." Goetia admitted "Fodlan, while not what I would consider unique to myself, offers me the opportunity to answer my long standing questions."
"I see." Hanneman nodded "A fellow Scholar then?" the man sounded somewhat pleased "It does warm my old heart to see young ones take up the pursuit of knowledge and wield books rather than swords."
Goetia decided he wouldn't mention he was likely this man's senior nearly a hundred times over.
"The pursuit of information is important to myself, however I would not consider myself a scholar." The former Beast admitted, he wasn't a specialist in understanding humanity. He would probably consider himself a novice in such an art.
"Ah, I suppose you haven't enough experience yet." Hanneman acquiesced "However, I'm sure that if you are dedicated enough, you will find the answers to your questions." Goetia hoped so.
"Here we are." Hanneman announced as they entered a rather large room, primarily stacked with bookcases and filled with assorted scrolls, documents and books."Our resident librarian, Tomas, isn't here today however if you decide to remain he will be sure to aid you in learning the order which is implemented here."
Goetia noted "Your assistance is appreciated."
"Think nothing of it." Hanneman waved him off "I hope you decide to remain, if you do please feel free to stop by my laboratory. I would be most curious to see if you held a Crest, even though you are not a native." the older man turned and swiftly left the library.
Goetia turned back to the archive. He began to scan the shelves and took note of the different sections. History, alchemy, magical theory and practical guides and fiction. He considered them to be the box standard that was expected in a place such as this.
It did offer him an opportunity. Books had been hard to come by during his first few weeks here, therefore most of his knowledge came from interrogating the locals and finding whatever books were available in whatever small village he travelled to.
He came to a stop at the history shelf.
He withdrew and book from the shelf and looked at the title and cover 'The Official History of Fodlan: Volume 1'
Goetia decided that it was best he familiarise himself further with this place.
X
Lysithea welcomed the quiet of the library as she entered it. The house leaders little escapade and talks of a new professor had already swept through the monastery, despite the fact that they only returned less than an hour ago.
Lysithea frowned at the thought, all those people wasting time gossiping over such things when they had more important topics to concern themselves with. Instead of pestering the house leaders for their own little retelling of events, they should be spending this time studying.
If they had anything to learn from this, it was that there was always the possibility of danger and they had best be prepared for it.
She was at least wise enough to realise that, she figured. Which was why she was going to put all her effort into her study of that Miasma formula she was working on. She knew she was close!
She immediately marched over to the section on magical theory and formulas and selected several volumes on it.
'Dark magic, and how to stop it killing you'
'Why has my miasma spell liquefied my hand?'
'Definitive guide to the basics of Dark Magic'
While the first two were certainly more...expressive...when it came to the consequences of dark magic gone wrong they did offer the basic information she would need in order to facilitate her understanding of the spell.
So caught up in her reading, she almost didn't notice something float past her.
Almost.
If she had gotten a closer look, she would have simply realised it was a man who floated past her. However, as she wasn't fully paying attention, the second it registered that something was silently floating through the library she immediately jumped to a single conclusion.
Ghost.
"Aieee!" she released a scream and flung herself from her chair and to the floor, terrified of what was in the room with her.
She leapt to her feet and spun in the direction of the mysterious figure, eyes wide and hand outstretched ready to cast a spell of any variety.
Which is why she found herself thoroughly embarrassed when she came face to face with the blank face of a tanned man with long golden glittery hair, his single arm holding book and not a ghost.
The two stared at eachother for what felt like an eternity before the man spoke.
"I assure you." His tone was monotone, betraying nothing about how he felt "Despite my seemingly crippled figure, you will find your attempt to end my life will be less than successful, child."
She couldn't help it, she snapped back at him the second it registered in her mind what he called her.
"I am not a child!" She exclaimed, her once panicked eyes now full of irritation. The man, if he was in any way concerned about her outburst, never changed his expression as he seemed to look her up and down.
"As you say." He said as he floated back down to the ground "I was under the impression that all the students here were children. Are you an exception to this?"
Lysithea didn't know if he was mocking her or being serious.
"What, you think because I'm younger than everyone else I'm suddenly an incompetent child!?"
Her only response was a slightly raised eyebrow.
"Who even are you anyway?" She narrowed her eyes at him "I haven't seen you around the Monastery before and only staff and students are allowed in here."
"I am Goetia." He replied "The position of Assistant Librarian was made available to me, it was advised that I familiarise myself with the archive in the event of my decision to accept."
"O-oh." She winced, not quite the best impression she could have hoped for when dealing with a potential new staff member.
"You are concerned that should I accept the position, I will evoke some form of retribution upon you."
"No!" Lysithea immediately denied, under the bland stare of the man she wilted slightly "Yes…"
"You need not fear me in such a manner." He replied "I am not quite base enough to exact revenge for such a trivial reason."
"Of course." She crossed her arms "I wouldn't expect a potential member of the academy to act in such a way."
"...I'm sure." His gaze left her and travelled to her books. He stared at the titles then raised a single eyebrow. He looked…
She blinked. Was he...disappointed?
Why? What?
She scowled "Is there an issue with my reading materials?" she asked, slightly irritated that this man was judging her for what she was reading. Was it because she was looking at the basics?
What? Was he expecting more from her?
"A manner of speaking." He admitted, not looking at her "Simply that the magic system you use is rather primitive."
"Huh?" That...wasn't what she was expecting. He wasn't disappointed in her...but in magic as a whole? "What do you mean 'Primitive' I'll admit that these aren't exactly complicated spells bu-"
"I speak not of its potency." He cut her off "However it lacks versatility. Your manner of wielding magic is similar to a caveman wielding a club. Fixated on a belief that a larger club is better than a spear. Ergo, a more powerful spell is better than a more precise one."
"What, is your magic different or something?" She asked, she would admit she was now slightly curious.
He looked up from her books "Different? Not entirely. The principle behind it remains the same, although the type of magic I am familiar with is certainly more precise."
She bit her lip in thought "Could...could you teach me?"
He raised a lone eyebrow "I am not even a faculty member." he pointed out "Even if I were to accept the position. I would ultimately be an assistant librarian and hardly qualified to tutor you. That would be if it interested me in the beginning."
"What, so you're just going to point out all these flaws about magic in Fodlan and then do nothing to remedy it!?" She asked, rather incredulously.
"It is not my role to facilitate a better understanding of magic." He replied, face still blank "If the humans of this continent are incapable of, or unwilling to, develop their magic further than this base form, then that is their ultimate choice in the matter." he shrugged "I merely observe."
"That just makes you lazy." Lysithea hissed at him.
Goetia looked at her for a few moments before he posed a question "Would you teach a toddler how to run before they had even mastered crawling?"
"What? That's a rather poor analogy." She frowned at him, sure he was somehow making a runabout comment about him.
His eyes travelled to her books "You are currently learning the basics of dark magic and other fields. They harbour their own hazards." he pointed out "My own system of magic, despite being more precise, is also more complex and has many dangers affiliated with it. If you have yet to learn how to cast the basic spells of this magic system correctly, then you would likely cripple or kill yourself attempting to cast my own."
Lysithea couldn't really argue with that, it did make sense that she should, at the very least, learn the basic stuff first before she moved onto the more complicated magical formulas.
"Teaching the mages of this world, even the most competent ones, my system of magic would be akin to teaching a toddler who had only just mastered walking to perform a marathon. It is unfeasible to expect such rapid growth at such a rate. Whatever advancements that occur within your magical system, must occur naturally."
Lysithea frowned internally, she didn't have the time to wait for someone to advance magic safely. She narrowed her eyes at the man "If I proved to be capable of it, would you teach me?"
"Suppose I did consider the task. In what way would it benefit you?" He asked with a slightly curious expression.
"Well, its knowledge isn't it? Why else does it exist other than to be learned?" She thought that much was obvious.
"'A typical Miasma spell, while simple in terms of Dark Magic, can be no less devastating to a human body. The effects of a dense orb of poison impacting a human is not for the feint of heart to witness, if the spell is improperly performed, then it runs the risk of being too powerful for its intended use and the immediate aftermath is often the nerves in the body being liquefied and the skin in the area of impact turning necrotic.'" Goetia finished reading out that particularly grim passage before he turned back to her "While the pursuit of knowledge is something I would agree with, I question the uses you would have for such a spell. That is unless you plan to turn a human being into a walking cadaver."
"Well…" Lysithea hummed in thought "A noble needs to protect themselves."
"I had assumed that was the purpose of guards." He easily countered "They would also leave a far less disturbing aftermath. Knowledge is useful, however knowledge which can never be utilised is beyond worthless."
"And if I could find a use for your magic?"
"You seemed determined to learn. Why?" He asked, expression shifting into one of confusion.
"It is expected of a Noble to excel in all fields." She replied, eyes bright with determination "Which is why I intend to excel beyond my peers."
Goetia stared at her for a few moments before his features schooled themselves "Should I accept a position at this Monastery...we shall see." the tanned man turned away from her and began to walk away.
She remembered something important that she hadn't done yet "I am Lysithea Von Ordelia." she announced, the man's head turned and gave her a sideways look before he nodded once and continued on his walk. Seating himself down at the far end of the room and opening his book.
Lysithea herself turned back to her books. She'd master that magic and show Goetia that she wasn't some child!