Archive of Our Own ^beta

The Tower of Trials is one of the most mysterious locations on the Somniel. Unlike the well that leads into the other Elyos, the Tower of Trials simply seemed to be an empty tower akin to a lighthouse. That was far from the truth. Only a few people could actually go into the tower and end up in a different space. Emblem Byleth was one of the few emblems who used the tower to effectively communicate with someone that should have passed on, but fate had its way of bringing them back together.

"YOU IDIOTIC FOOL! HOW DARE YOU USE MY POWERS WITHOUT MY PERMISSION?!"

No one would be able to hear the Goddess except Byleth. It's for the best. Byleth didn't exactly want to be inside the Tower of Trials. He used it to escape the other emblems who were out for blood, but he was never truly safe when the Goddess that resided in his head could just appear before him in the black space and start screaming his head off.

"Sothis…I can explain…" Byleth tries to reason with the tiny Goddess, but it's all for naught. She's not listening to his excuses.

"There's nothing to explain!" Sothis shouts. She folds her arms and continues to leer at her vessel. "You lost control of your emotions and thought it was a great idea to show everyone that you don't exactly need to be in a ring to unleash your true power!"

Byleth hopes that isn't what the Divine Dragon and his group drew from the battle earlier today. The best case scenario is if they believe he decided to break one of the rules the emblems had and took possession of the wearer's body to rampage on the enemy. It's a half-truth in that regard because he still needed his ring for that to be possible. However, if he used any more of his power, there wouldn't have been a need to take over poor Alcryst's body and replace it with his own.

"Most of them wouldn't draw that conclusion first," Byleth tries to argue. "Nothing in their history books mention my hair becoming green."

"Yeah, because they don't know what Blessed by the Goddess even means!"

"...They think I went back to being the Ashen Demon. They still don't know the truth…"

Sothis groans as a response. "You don't get it! Whether they see you as the Ashen Demon or the Second Coming of the Goddess, the reality is if the Divine Dragon and his group were none the wiser, they would realize that the emblems aren't telling the truth about their powers as a whole!"

Well…that was obvious. The emblems decided to hide the fact that they could combine their powers to turn someone into an emblem. They all needed to be in agreement because the aftermath of making such a decision was going into a deep sleep for another 1000 years. What no one knew was that Byleth would not end up going back into the ring because of Sothis' presence. It's a good cover story, but it would allow him to function in the Silent War against Those Who Slither in the Dark. But by going berserk, the other emblems will be falsely accused of holding back for whatever reason. Byleth needed to hold back for the sake of his mission. Once Sombron was defeated, his real job would start. Now the other emblems were doubting him on top of everyone else.

"I don't apologize for massacring the enemy," Byleth says coldly. "No one was going to live after what they did to Claude."

Sothis rolls her eyes. She snaps her fingers and a familiar chair appears behind her. The little Goddess goes to sit down.

"You might as well tell me what occurred earlier in the day. I will judge you based on why you felt the need to jeopardize our mission."

Earlier that day, there were sightings of Elusian soldiers causing problems in previous Corrupted driven areas. Ivy worked hard to reduce the amount of Corrupted plaguing Elusia whenever she had the opportunity, but it was still difficult. It didn't help that the remnants of Elusian soldiers abandoned by Sombron didn't care that he had no use for them anymore. If they could just convince these soldiers to stand down and help them, they could avoid pointless conflict, but it's never that easy. The Fell Dragon cult had all but brainwashed these Elusians into believing that the crown princess had abandoned them to their fate. This might as well have been one of their last stands. After this, there wouldn't be enough for them to fight back against the combined strength of the Divine Dragon and the royals.

Alear made the mistake of putting a teleporter near the port. They needed to be dealt with to avoid anyone from using it and ambushing them on the Somniel (it has never happened before but Alear is never going to let that happen especially with how close they were to finishing things up). This meant a large group was dispatched to deal with them. It was a question of who wasn't deployed and were told to stay at the Somniel in case anyone snuck past the main army.

It was agreed upon that all the royals and their retainers would descend to the port and do battle. Veyle, Nel and Rafal would stay behind with the Four Winds, Alear's retainers, Yunaka, Seadall, Anna, Jean, Lindon and Saphir. Most of the emblems would be brought into battle. Only a few would be left behind with the group that stayed on the Somniel. It shouldn't get to this point.

But the battle got chaotic the moment the Divine Dragon army reached the ground. It's not necessary an ambush if they knew ahead of time that the enemy was there. The enemy just had the advantage in positioning. Once again, Alear felt the need to split the group into three. Yes, all the royals and their retainers were there, but Alear always thought that the Elusians worked in smaller groups. Goldmary always preferred to be on the frontlines and it was easier if she was hanging around the Firene group to protect their rankings. Ivy, Hortensia and Rosado took to the skies, so even if they formed a small fourth group, they were specifically able to scout out the battlefield and be able to attack and assist when needed. Chloé would be in the same situation but she preferred staying near Céline even if it meant flying a lower altitude.

The group may have been split into three, but one group was being prioritized out of the others. The Elusian soldiers could count the number of healers on Alear's side…and there weren't a lot of them. Hortensia is the main healer flying close to Ivy and Rosado, but Pandreo is the only healer on foot. Targeting Solm made sense. You shoot the medic first and the rest fall like dominos.

Solm's group were the ones attacked by most of the Corrupted while the soldiers were fighting Alear's group consisting of the Brodians and one Zelkov and the Firene group. Timerra was leading the charge for the third group and had Kagetsu to back her up on top of her retainers. Fogado had ordered Bunet to keep Pandreo on his horse. If there was one thing these soldiers were going to do, it was get their local priest away from them and take him hostage. Even if Pandreo protested about being protected, he was still the group's healer. On horseback, he could at least focus on shooting fire spells at the Corrupted.

There were a lot more flying Corrupted this time around. Fogado was correct in that they would try and target his retainer, but with Bunet effectively keeping the mounts away, it meant no one was around to protect Fogado outside of his emblem. He curses his luck when a few wolf Corrupted attempted to bite at his horse's legs.

"Can't let you do that~." Emblem Claude hums as he shoots the mounted wolf soldiers in the legs first rendering them defenseless and easy for Panette to hack them to bits.

There were more where they came from. He doesn't want Timerra to get flanked, so Fogado decides to get risky and distract the Corrupted. It's pretty easy to get their attention when you have an emblem casually taunting them.

Fogado is used to tactics that get him separated from the group. Since he's on his horse, he'll be able to cover more ground. As long as Pandreo wasn't isolated from the main group, Fogado could work with this. He had Emblem Claude by his side ready to engage and speed things up.

It did seem odd that the Corrupted were trying to target him now that he got separated from his group, but they were too slow for his horse. He held onto the reins of his horse as he guided it through the battlefield.

"Fogado, watch your back! There is a sniper on the roof!" Claude warns him.

Fogado can't see them because of the miasma. He frowns wondering if they can even get a clear shot at them.

"Thanks for the heads up. I'll just shoot them down."

That was the plan, but it wasn't going to be easy when his horse was still trying to outrun the Corrupted pursuing them. If it kept running, he would reach the dock and be cornered. What he needs is for Claude to fire into the crowd and distract the Corrupted. Alternatively, he could call upon Edelgard to set the miasma ablaze, but that would be trading one toxic smoke with another cancerous smoke.

Fogado's plan ignored the fact there was a sniper specifically targeting him. He's one of the faster targets, so it would be a fool's dream to try and hit him. If anything, targeting Ivy, Hortensia, Chloé or Rosado made more sense given that it only takes one stray arrow for them to go down.

But the farther Fogado moves away from Alear, the harder it is for someone to help him when the situation takes a turn for the worst. Claude feels like he's suffering from deja vu. He feels like he's been in this situation before, but it doesn't make sense. Even when he was alive (?), the leader of the Golden Deers was always the cautious type. There would never be a reason for him to be reckless.

"Fogado, really. Get your horse to stop before you get completely separated from everyone…"

Claude didn't mean to sound scared. If he shows signs of weakness, Fogado might panic. The Solm Prince noticed, but he was dead set on this plan.

"No worries. I'll turn around before I get to the ocean. Help me out when I give the signal."

The plan made sense, but it didn't at the same time. The Corrupted chased Fogado until he made it at the end. Fogado was ready to shoot toward the enemy crowd and leave them in a blaze. Claude still thought it might have been better if Edelgard was out to pull this scheme off. The alternative to burning the Corrupted was simply stopping them in their tracks.

"It's time to party!" Fogado announces with a smirk. Claude watches as he recklessly jumps off his horse to shoot his arrow at the Corrupted. Claude prepared Failnaught and shot his arrow immediately after Fogado's. He ponders to himself why his Fallen Star seems incomplete (or how he even has his grandfather's weapon in the first place).

The Radiant Bow works differently than other bows. Because it's a magic bow, the light can trigger certain effects when combined with certain emblems. Claude's arrow helped set the light arrow on fire causing the purple miasma to dissipate into the air and be replaced with the crimson flames instead. Again, Claude believed if Edelgard was currently the one in charge of the bracelet, she could set the fire with little effort. Fogado wants to be creative in his attacks though, because it means the enemy has no way of being able to counter him. They aren't used to anyone pulling off acrobatic stunts like this especially when the risk reward wasn't in his favor.

And in this case, the stunt really wasn't in Fogado's favor. Claude still had his eyes on the archer. They could have fired when he was shooting in the air, but didn't. That was because Fogado had ordered his horse to change directions once the Corrupted were being hindered by the fire. As Fogado attempted to go around (and wait for others to attack the Corrupted from behind), the Elusian soldier on the roof had a clean shot at Fogado's head. Claude dreaded the inevitable.

"Fogado, please stop! The arrow-"

The archer fired their arrow directly at Solm's Prince. There was no one around to deflect the arrow. The horse wouldn't be able to do anything to stop its rider from taking a direct hit. Fogado only realized too late that he couldn't dodge this attack.

There was one option Claude could do. No one would approve of it, but the last thing he wanted was seeing someone he cared for die in front of him. He refused to let anyone die again. (What did he mean by this? He was only a student. He hasn't formed a bond with anyone of importance. No one has died…so why)

"MOVE FOGADO!"

Fogado saw his life flash before his eyes. He also saw Claude throw himself in front of him. As an emblem, that wouldn't have made a difference…but for a moment, Claude forced his body to manifest into the real world…

A horrible scream pierced through the battlefield. The Sword of the Creator stops in its tracks. Byleth turns his direction toward the scream. Everything seemed to have moved in slow motion. It was like a repeat of a tragedy Byleth tried so hard to forget.

An arrow managed to hit Fogado. He fell off his horse, but the scream didn't come from him. The horse goes down with Fogado but isn't dead. It's trembling from the sudden pressure even if it's not caused by its rider.

There's chaos and shouting. Whatever formation Timerra had broke immediately seeing her brother get shot off his horse. She doesn't care if she's charging the Corrupted recklessly. The Princess of Solm is determined to get to her little brother.

Her retainers are following behind her. Pandreo is too far away to get to Fogado without Bunet taking him there. But no one seems to notice the bigger problem.

"Claude…" Byleth calls out.

He can't sense him anymore. The scream belonged to his precious student. Edelgard and Dimitri are by Fogado's side, but they have a clearly panicked expression in their eyes. They share the same bracelet as Claude. If Byleth is able to notice that Claude's presence has vanished, then they must feel empty.

"Lord Byleth, what's-"

Alcryst doesn't even get to finish his question. Byleth already made a decision. Alcryst's voice dies in his throat before his vision turns black.

"CLAUDE!"

The aura around Byleth's ring intensifies. Instead of Byleth forcing an engagement with the wearer, he takes over the body entirely. He's not speaking through Alcryst. He literally forces his presence in Alcryst's place.

The other emblems are caught off guard at the sudden surge in power. It's one thing when an emblem goes berserk, but what was happening to Byleth was something completely different.

Alcryst's body vanished, replaced by Byleth. He did not have the emblem's glow around him. Instead of a blue and white light, the aura around him was as green as his hair.

"No hesitation."

Byleth takes one last look at Fogado before turning his attention to the archer on the roof.

The sniper didn't stand a chance once he was in Byleth's line of sight. One minute Byleth was standing on the ground where he got a clean shot at him. The next moment, he was approaching him at top speed.

"W-Where did he go?!"

That would be the last sentence he would be able to speak. Byleth appeared before him with the Sword of the Creator in Hand. The sniper looked down to see his hands were missing. He then saw himself falling to the ground below. Confused, he tried to look around but was stuck staring straight ahead until he landed on the ground next to his hands. His eyes looked upward to see that his head was separated from his body. Said body would fall down on top of his skull. Then all faded to black before he had a chance to scream.

The tides of battle turned once the first brutal murder happened. Alear's goal of not killing the enemy unless absolutely necessary was already ruined. If Rafal was there, he would have agreed with this approach, but Alear needed to show the remaining soldiers that their plight was pointless. Now, it truly is with Byleth deciding to be the judge and executioner.

One death turned into two, then to four…and then to eight. Byleth refused to hold back now. Some soldiers thought they could take on a lone fighter (who was supposed to be Alcryst not too long ago). Now, they were getting massacred by an emblem who didn't care what the Divine Dragon wanted. Once their comrades started dropping like flies, many decided to turn their back on the enemy. That too was a mistake. Byleth's speed was unparalleled to anyone in the army. He blocked their escape route and killed them first before going after those who tried to fight him. None of them could match his strength.

Alear noticed too late when the tides shifted in the wrong direction. He had lost track of Alcryst while he was backing Citrinne. All he could see were body parts flying everywhere with blood and bones. Where Alcryst should be, the Emblem of the Instructor was there instead…

Meanwhile, on the other side of the massacre, Hortensia gets to Fogado before Pandreo, so she's the one that has her staff ready to try and save the Solm prince's life. However, she notices immediately that something is off.

"Hortensia, why aren't you healing him?!" Timerra asked. She's trying to stay calm, but when her brother is dying in front of her, she doesn't know what to do.

"He…doesn't have any injuries…" Hortensia answers quietly. "We all saw it. He got hit in the head with an arrow, but the arrow isn't here…and there's no blood."

Timerra could answer that the wound might be internal, but Fogado doesn't look like he's on the verge of death. He's simply unconscious after the shock. Did the arrow miss?

"Wait…what happened to the bracelet?" Hortensia questions.

She points to the bracelet around Fogado. Both of them see a huge crack in it. That has never happened to any of the emblems before. They don't know what to make of it.

"Claude must have taken the hit…" Emblem Dimitri mutters darkly. "I can't sense him. It's like he isn't here anymore."

Emblem Ike isn't convinced. "How is that possible? Most weapons go through us."

Emblem Edelgard shakes her head in disbelief. They can't do anything when the bracelet is in this state. And because Claude did something that hasn't happened before, their professor is now on a rampage.

The Sword of the Creator easily destroyed the Corrupted that stood in its path. Byleth was always holding back when using his sword to attack so seeing him mow down a row of enemies was a sight to see.

Once it became clear that the Corrupted were no match for Byleth, a few of the Elusian soldiers ordered a retreat. The problem was that Byleth wouldn't allow it. One moment he was standing on one side of the battlefield and the next, he was right in their face. And once he got into their range, they would find their bodies cut up to pieces. Blood, guts, bones…it was all the same to him.

And there was a reason why the enemy wasn't quick enough to escape. The power of Divine Pulse was proving to be a scary ability. He raises his sword high in the air and decapitates another foolish soldier that tried to turn his back on the enemy.

Byleth had all but tuned out the voices of the battlefield. His only objective is to avenge Claude. He failed to realize how many he had cut down in a short amount of time. There were only a few remaining soldiers barely alive…and they had thrown their weapons down.

"We surrender! Please don't kill us!"

Alear wanted this to happen sooner when the tides of battle turned his way, but the enemy clearly didn't think they would be massacred in this fashion. There were only three Elusian soldiers left and with no Corrupted to hide behind, they turned to the Divine Dragon for protection from the Ashen Demon.

"No."

Before Alear had a chance to stop him, Byleth already hacked the head of one of the pleading soldiers off. The other two screamed in horror as they realized that the Divine Dragon would not save them.

"You all made the mistake of harming my student. That is a deed most foul." Byleth vanishes within a blink of an eye and appears next to one of the soldiers attempting to flee. "You will all pay for your foul deeds with your lives!"

The second person met the same fate as the first person. One slash from the Sword of the Creator split the man in half.

"Stop!" Alear manages to shout. He prepares to use the Time Crystal to turn back the clock. He freezes when Byleth delivers an icy stare.

"Do not think you can mess with the flow of time in my presence."

Alear attempted to turn back the clock, but nothing happened. This has never happened before. The closest it got to malfunctioning was during Marianne's trial where he ran out of attempts, but Byleth had an extra one. Now, he's stopping him from using it entirely for selfish reasons.

"Get out of my way, Divine One."

Byleth had no right to order Alear around. Lucina appears before the Divine Dragon scowling at the Ashen Demon.

"Byleth, what are you doing?!"

"Getting rid of the problem…" Byleth answers darkly. "Do not think you can stop me. One more person needs to face judgement."

"...Why are you talking like this?"

"And why do you look like that?" Alear asks. He went from shocked to angry once he realized this clearly isn't Alcryst talking. "What did you do to Alcryst?"

Byleth chooses to ignore the questions. He sees the last soldier trying to get up and retreat while he is distracted. This person wasn't going to get far. But it's not just Alear that wants answers. Not too far from the Divine Dragon was Diamant. He had been fighting close by to Alear and Citrinne. He too lost track of Alcryst but assumed Lapis was covering for him. To see that his brother was nowhere to be found, replaced by this rampaging emblem terrified him.

"Emblem Byleth, answer us. Where is my brother?!" Diamant demands.

"If you think I killed him, you are mistaken. He is simply in a state of slumber," Byleth finally responds. "He will stay there until my judgement has been passed."

That answer wasn't good enough for Brodia's Prince. He made the mistake of approaching Byleth despite the murderous aura. He had Roy with him, so he didn't believe he was in actual danger…

"Return him to us. The battle is already over."

For a second, Byleth considered violence against an ally. The bloody image in his mind disappeared as he knew nothing good would come from fighting with someone Alcryst cares about. However, every minute he humored these people, the enemy would get away.

"Move."

Emblem Roy is not pleased with his attitude either. "Excuse me?"

Byleth stares ahead toward the retreating figure. He takes a step forward forcing Diamant to stand his ground.

"Hey! I just said-"

"Move."

This time, Diamant was on the ground with the wind knocked out of him. Byleth had curled his hand into a fist before sucker punching the Brodian Prince in the stomach. Alear and the emblems stare in horror at Byleth's actions as he continues to walk past them toward his target.

"Diamant!" Alear yells as he rushes toward him. "What the hell?!"

The crowned prince is too stunned to say anything. He didn't think Byleth would attack him like that. He's lucky the punch wasn't a fatal blow. His armor clearly wasn't enough if Byleth was serious. But…that also confirmed Byleth wasn't using Alcryst's body. Alcryst could never hope to knock his older brother down without cracking his knuckles first.

The last Elusian soldier didn't get far. He had tried to run behind a wall in the deserted town, but Byleth tracked his movement with ease. The soldier made the mistake of looking back to see if the Ashen Demon was pursuing him. He sighs in relief thinking that Byleth was stopped…only to feel a sword pointed toward his neck when he turned around.

"EEEEK! SPARE ME!"

Byleth stares coldly at the last soldier. He could have said many things to this man, but there was no point. The one that harmed Claude died first, but everyone afterwards wouldn't understand why they were all suffering.

Alear and Diamant could only hear the scream of the Elusian soldier as Byleth finished him off. Byleth chose to cut the man's stomach first so he would feel the pain of his blade before slamming the blade through his neck.

"...It's never enough…" Byleth mutters darkly to himself. He leaves the shadows of the abandoned house to return to the group…

Fogado is fortunate that he's still alive. The wind was knocked out of him, but he wasn't dead. Everyone was surrounding him with the most freaked out expressions that he thought maybe he did see heaven's gate.

"Don't move Sibbie. You fell off your horse," his sister ordered.

Fogado knows that and he's fortunate that both he and his horse are in one piece. But there clearly was a problem. He looks down at the bracelet and notices the crack. He has never heard of an emblem that got damaged from an attack. Looking up, he only sees Edelgard and Dimitri. Where was Claude?

Before he could ask, the screaming from the enemy side alerted them that a battle was still happening. Or…that's what was supposed to be the case. The battle was over, the enemies surrendered but Byleth had raised the Sword of the Creator in the air and brought it down on the cowering Elusians. The screaming came from a few others horrified at the guts being splattered across the concrete.

The first thought was that Alcryst had engaged with Byleth and was retaliating because he messed up, but there Alcryst wasn't there with the purple hair that Byleth bestowed to those who engaged with him. Why was his hair an unearthly shade of green?

This…wasn't right. Was all of this happening because he fucked up? If he just listened to Claude's advice, this wouldn't be happening…right?!

Byleth had just finished off the last enemy and returned to Alear as if he didn't just disobey orders and stopped the time crystal from functioning. Alear's rage continued to build, staring at the emblem covered in the blood of their enemy.

"I ordered you to stop and you disobeyed me!" Alear hisses.

"The battle is over," Byleth says robotically. "We can return to the Somniel."

"Don't ignore me!"

Alear has been angry before, but not like this to an ally. If he got any angrier, his hair would turn completely red.

The others started to put their weapons away. The battle truly was over. There were no survivors on the enemy side if Byleth had a say in that, but he still didn't give Alcryst's body back. Fogado considered the only reason Byleth was acting like this was because he assumed he died…because Emblem Claude wasn't gone forever…right?

"Fogado, I just said-" Timerra begins to speak, but Fogado is fine. His horse was helped back up and he could move again. The injury that should have killed him wasn't there…

"Relax, I'm fine! No need to argue about it."

There were those in battle who assumed the worst happened, but Fogado was walking and talking away. Alear's temper should have vanished, but he wasn't going to let Byleth get away with this one. A friend might have died, but the answer clearly wasn't to kill every last one of them.

To Fogado's confusion, Byleth looked even more annoyed when he spoke. Emblem Edelgard and Emblem Dimitri appeared before Fogado as if they were ready to protect him from their teacher.

"Where is Claude?"

"!"

"Where is Claude?"

The way Byleth asked the same question like an emotionless doll sent shivers down Fogado's spine. Edelgard and Dimitri normally would not have their weapons out in Byleth's presence, but he clearly wasn't himself.

"I…"

"Bring him out."

Fogado doesn't know how to do that. Claude isn't responding to his calls and the emblems can't sense him at all. Byleth can't either but is still demanding to see his student.

"He's resting right now. Just-"

The annoyed expression changed to pure malice. Fogado felt like one of the Elusian soldiers at that moment.

"I don't care if you survived. I only care about Claude. Bring him out or I'll force him out of you."

…Did Byleth just…

Timerra was quick to stand in front of her brother. She was normally the level-headed one, but Byleth was making those around him shift their entire persona.

"How dare you threaten my brother! He almost died!"

"He didn't. Claude took the hit," Byleth tells her darkly. "He should not have done that."

"Normally, I would agree," Edelgard starts, "but to pretend that Claude wouldn't try to protect his friend isn't like you."

"Professor, please calm down," Dimitri adds. "Threatening our comrades will change nothing."

"Both of you…stay out of this," Byleth snarls. "You just stood there and let Claude take the hit. You're supposed to be his friend and can't even look after each other."

"I-It's not their fault!" Fogado argues. Why was this conversation taking a turn for the worse? He was the problem after all. "I got careless! Claude warned me about that guy and…"

"Fogado, do not speak to me so casually. One more syllable and your tongue will be lopped off."

This wasn't the Byleth he had casually spoken to at the Somniel. This was far from the free-spirit Fogado assumed he was. The emblem in front of him was a demon and it was holding Alcryst hostage. Even with that knowledge, the terror in his heart was taking hold. If Claude is gone because of him…did that mean he didn't deserve to hold an emblem?

Timerra was ready to brawl against Byleth as was Bunet. Pandreo observed Byleth carefully and concluded that making him madder was actually going to make the situation get even worse. The battle was over, so they needed to leave…but there was nothing he could do. If his other students can't calm him down and he's not listening to Alear, then there wasn't anyone else that could get him to listen to reason except…

"STOP THIS AT ONCE BYLETH!"

Byleth flinches hearing his student's voice. Marianne never called him by his name. None of the students outside of Claude referred to him by his name (unless you were a certain Mockingbird who had the special privilege to address him by multiple names). He forgot that Marianne was even taken to battle by Citrinne of all people. She's the one person in the army that refused to use an emblem due to the belief she wasn't good enough to use any of them. With that mindset, it wasn't a surprise that Marianne ended up choosing to go with her for today. This was important because Citrinne had stayed close to Alcryst for the majority of the battle.

"Marianne…"

"You're letting your anger take over again," Marianne warns him. "You told us you wouldn't do this again!

If the situation wasn't so dire, Byleth would have lectured his student for mentioning an incident in front of the three lords. They have their memories after the Battle of Eagle and Lion sealed for a reason. Anything he or Marianne says could trigger them to recall everything. But no one is thinking clearly. Byleth failed to realize he had a crazed expression identical to the Immaculate One. Everyone else is still panicking at his back to back violent actions. More importantly, his clothes are covered in blood again.

His clothes. Not Alcryst's clothes. Byleth lowers his weapon with a slow horrifying realization that he fucked up and a certain someone was going to make sure he didn't hear the end of it. It didn't matter how angry Alear or Amber looked or how scared Diamant was with how he had made his little brother vanish without a trace. That's not even going into the rage that Timerra displayed or the distraught countenance Fogado was trying to hide.

He didn't display horror on his face. His stone-face expression slowly returned to him instead. With his wrath tempered, his hair returned to its normal shade of blue. Next, his body would slowly return to its spirit form. He already felt guilty leaving Alcryst with the bloody present, but if he did anything else, he would have a lot of explaining to do and it would be better if he retreated into the ring to think of a plan.

His body fades out and is replaced with Alcryst's body before everyone's eyes. Alear is quick to rush toward the young prince as he collapses from the temporary erasure.

"Alcryst!" Alear calls out. "Alcryst, answer me!"

The Divine One could relax seeing that Alcryst was going to wake up quickly. All the body snatching did was shut his mind off. It was like waking up from a dreamless state.

"Divine…One?"

His first thought was how flustered he felt being embraced by the Divine Dragon. He didn't deserve the privilege, but he always had a fuzzy feeling when it happened. The next set of emotions included dread, fear and despair seeing the blood on Alear's clothes. He didn't realize the blood was from his own and assumed the worst.

"Divine One! What happened?! You're injured!"

He tries to get out of Alear's arms but Alear keeps him in place because he's the one that is off balance.

Alear doesn't know if he should be relieved or scared. This is the Alcryst he knows but the archer doesn't seem to be aware of what Byleth just did to him.

"It's not my blood…" Alear mutters.

"I-It's not?! Then…huh?"

Allowing Alcryst to stand up once he was certain that he wouldn't fall back down, the Brodian prince is able to check himself. Glancing at his clothes, he realizes he's the one that is covered in blood. He doesn't feel like he's been stabbed at all nor was he hit by any stray spell. However, it doesn't take him long to notice the carnage around him. He should be terrified that the battle was already over and not a single Elusian soldier had survived. He notices that Byleth isn't responding to him at all. The last thing he remembered before he blanked out was Byleth screaming for Claude despite the fact Fogado was the one that was hit in the back of the head with an arrow…

Not far from the main group, Alfred could only watch in horror as the long string of events took place. Now, things have finally slowed down and he no longer needed to be engaged to Sigurd.

"Is it over?" Alfred asks him softly. He doesn't want to lower his weapon quite yet.

Sigurd doesn't answer with words. His attention is fully on Alcryst or rather the ring on his finger. A look of disappointment could easily be read on his face. Byleth didn't realize he was in for a lecture when they all returned to the Somniel.

The moment everyone returns to the Somniel, Sigurd shows his discontent with Byleth. Some of the emblems expected Sigurd to be upset, but they needed to figure out what was going on with Claude before the blame game could happen. Sigurd simply changed the order.

"Byleth."

"Please, not now Sigurd."

"You understand that you are at fault for what happened."

When Sigurd puts it that way, it makes Byleth react. His expression changed to that of anger if only for a moment.

"Do you suggest that an arrow fired at my student is my fault?"

"You know what I'm talking about. Your recklessness, disobedience and callousness-"

"Can I have one more Ness?"

"On top of your carelessness has caused problems for the Divine Dragon and everyone in battle. As a Professor, you should know better."

He should know better. Anyone can see that, but he's not the robotic professor everyone thought he was. Instead of responding, Byleth chooses to tune Sigurd out and prioritize his students.

"Byleth, I know your student was injured, but what Sigurd says is true…" Marth starts to tell him. "You can't just decide to ignore our given protocol."

"There's also no need to attack your allies," Roy snaps. He's still angry with Byleth for punching Diamant.

Great, they're all on my ass. Byleth thinks darkly to himself. "Marianne."

He calls out to her knowing she can get him out of the situation even if it's temporarily. She's the only person who could fix this unique situation because Divine Pulse sure isn't. After all, if she was capable of restoring an arm that was bitten off by a Demonic Beast, she would be capable of checking on another emblem's injury. The bracelet was removed from Fogado immediately. Using her powers, she's able to manifest Claude.

"Is Claude going to be okay Marianne?" Dimitri asks in a worried tone.

Marianne doesn't respond. Everyone could see Claude was unconscious. The difference is the spot where Fogado was shot was transferred over to Claude. Emblems shouldn't be capable of bleeding. Yet, there was blood dripping down from where the coronal suture split the frontal and temporal bone.

"Celica, Micaiah, I will need your assistance," Marianne says. "Claude won't disappear, but I need help with repairing the bracelet."

The crack on the bracelet linked to Claude's condition.

"Marianne…" Byleth mumbles.

"Professor, I will do my best. You can trust me on this."

It's not that Byleth doesn't trust her. He's concerned that Celica or Micaiah might notice something abnormal about the bracelet. They are quick to agree to assisting his former student. The girls take Claude's unconscious body and vanish. The bracelet is warped back to the Ring Chamber. Vander had told Alear that if someone dies wearing a ring or bracelet, they will end up returning to the Somniel. This also seemed to apply if the emblem is damaged.

His heart is heavy, but Sigurd insists on lecturing him. Byleth chooses to ignore him. Marth and Roy notice that he's not even listening to the older man. He decides to stare at the Brodian Prince that he unintentionally hurt in the chaos.

Alcryst remained confused and exhausted at what transpired. Lapis and Citrinne were quick to let Alcryst rest on their shoulders. He still hasn't registered what Byleth did to him. Alear is able to remove Byleth's ring from Alcryst's finger without much resistance.

"Can you two take him to the baths?" Alear asks.

"Of course Divine One," Citrinne answers.

Lapis blushes at the thought but nods her head. What was most likely going to happen was she was going to stay outside and let Citrinne handle it. They're cousins so it's less awkward if they went into the bath together. The blood needed to be washed off thoroughly.

With Alear's approval, they dismiss themselves and head toward the cafe terrace. The baths were in the back past the kitchen. Despite not being visible upon entering the Somniel, it was one of the larger areas that isn't immediately accessible. Everyone took turns based on the time of day where the guys would go during odd hours and women would go in during even hours to avoid the awkwardness.

Now that Alcryst and his retainers are gone, Alear's vexation can now be directed toward Byleth who had all but tuned Sigurd out. He doesn't know how to handle an emblem actively disobeying him without them being corrupted by fell energy. That green aura wasn't divine nor fell…

"Byleth, I don't know what happened, but I expect you to apologize to Alcryst when he's out of the bath," Alear tells him. He can forgive the instructor's transgression if it meant that the archer got some peace of mind.

He expects Byleth to at least agree with him on that, but Byleth was still upset with what transpired with his student.

"There is nothing to apologize for," Byleth says with vitriol. "You took too long to end the battle and I decided to clean up your mess."

"Wait, when was this about me?!" Alear questions, his temper threatening to rise again. "I told you to stand down and you killed those soldiers who already surrendered. It's not cleaning up a mess if you started it in the first place!"

So much for getting an apology. Everyone is taken aback by Byleth's disregard toward the Divine Dragon. The disrespect is unwarranted. Emotions are flaring and if the usual peacemakers caught on that Byleth was trying to get a rise out of everyone, they would have been able to stop what came next.

Emblems were able to interact with each other after all. The emblems are usually hovering in the air, but it's not everyday one emblem decides to hoist another in the air by their collar. Byleth remains stoic even in the face of an angry Sigurd.

"Hey, there's no need for violence!" Emblem Erika shouts.

"Oh geez…" Emblem Ike grumbles.

Sigurd isn't listening. His eyes attempt to stare deep into Byleth's soul, but Byleth isn't budging.

"Who gives you the right to judge the Divine One on his strategy? He has led us all to victory time and time again, but you decide to lose your cool on the battlefield and think you can do better?!"

Byleth sighs as a response. "I am a Professor. It is my job to make sure that my strategy is the best."

"Does that give you the right to possess Prince Alcryst? You have been his partner since you have been retrieved, but you treated him like a pawn! Do you feel anything?!"

The professor finally shows a different emotion that isn't cold and calculating. Irritation.

"I clearly felt something because my student's life was put in danger. As his professor, I need to protect him and I decided eliminating the enemy was the best option."
"You-"

"You are the last person to be talking about emotions. You are stubborn like a bull. And that led to your entire army being burnt alive in a lovely barbecue."

There were some lines that were not meant to be crossed. Byleth knew damn well what he was saying when he decided that the best way to get into Sigurd's head was to mention his untimely death. Sigurd's grip loosened for just a moment.

"I succeeded in guiding my students through a war and winning. You foolishly made life easier for your enemy. You got your friends and allies killed and you left your son behind to clean up your mess. So, do not talk to me like you have the moral high ground when you still haven't worked out your issues."

If anyone was paying attention to Byleth's words, they would have realized something. He mentioned a war that the students have not brought up. He's still hiding important information about himself and he's not willing to share it.

But it doesn't matter for Sigurd. He's seeing red. He finally lets go of Byleth's collar. The professor for a moment thinks he made him realize how much of a hypocrite he was.

And despite being an emblem, he gets a fist to his face. The rest is history as far as Byleth is concerned.

"Well that explains the bruise on your face," Sothis snarks as Byleth decides to end the story when it was getting good. "I would think Sigurd would get a few more blows in for every person in his army that was killed."

"Marth wouldn't allow that," Byleth reminds her, "Although, I do think he wanted to throw hands too."

"I thought Soren would be the emblem to cause problems."

If only that were the case. Byleth still hates how he drew too much attention to himself and now he has to deal with the consequences.

"Why couldn't that bracelet be like the others?" Byleth asks darkly. "Tying the three of them to one emblem knowing full well that it only takes one tiny thing to destroy the stability it has…"

"The Gods find it amusing," Sothis answers. "I told you this before. It did not matter who was right during the war in Fodlan. They were all damned for eternity regardless of your interference. And might I add that your bias toward your Little Deer prevents you from seeing that there were just as many problems with him as the other two."

"And yet, Claude's kindness is damning him…" Byleth laments. "His memories are supposed to be sealed like the others, but it's still his natural instinct to throw himself into harm's way to protect those he cares about."

"He wasn't always like that…"

"Of course not. His journey that he had when becoming the King of Almyra changed him. It was for the best, but I still think that everything he had to endure made him into a martyr. Edelgard and Dimitri never saw this side of him, so they're surprised that he would take the blow for Fogado…"

"You know you're going to have to apologize for what you said," Sothis interrupts. "Fogado is not Claude. You cannot treat him as a lesser being."

Byleth says nothing. Never did he imagine that he would start to believe that Claude and Fogado were similar in nature. They both had big hearts and cherished those around them. They wanted what was best for everyone and would put themselves in danger if it meant those they cared for lived another day. But Fogado isn't Claude. Fogado hasn't lived through the hellish nightmare that was Claude's childhood. He could never understand the pain Claude went through growing up believing that the world was against him for the blood in his veins.

"I know…"

"You also need to apologize to the little one. He trusts you with his life and you might have broken his trust."

Admittingly, Byleth doesn't want Alcryst to hate him. He managed to convince Alear to let him be worn by the younger Brodian Prince due to mentoring Alcryst over the battlefield. He could have done that with Hortensia, but she was better off with Emblem Micaiah. She couldn't use Thyrus (and if she could, things would be very different depending on who he wanted his ring to be used by). He has done the dance with Alcryst before and he never had to resort to body snatching him. For this to happen…

"And of course, you need to get in the Divine Dragon's good grace again. It would be a shame if he decided that you would never be worn by the little one again."

Yeah, there's a lot of damage control he needs to do. Byleth feels a migraine incoming just thinking about it.

"I just don't understand. While it's not normal for the bracelet to crack, you should know better than anyone that it will take more than an arrow to the head to kill an emblem."

"...We don't know that." Byleth notices his voice is shaky. He hates it. "Sothis, I cannot bear the idea of having to continue fighting if the one person I want to protect is gone."

"So you'll just give up?" Sothis asks harshly. "That's very unlike you."

"...Being married to Claude made me realize how much he means to me. I have lost him due to my own carelessness and I would later lose him to age. How many times do I need to witness his slow death? What's the point of having these powers if I cannot ease his pain and change his fate."

"I already told you. There are some fates you cannot change."

"That applied to my father. It definitely doesn't apply to Claude."

Sothis knows this. She doesn't know how Byleth defied fate to save Claude the first time but it definitely traumatized him in ways he doesn't realize.

"I can tell you Elyos will continue with or without Claude. Our enemy will exploit your fear if you let them."

Byleth understands that. His late father hammered into his brain that the life of a mercenary can end in a blink of an eye, so he must always prepare himself mentally. He wasn't ready when Jeralt died unexpectedly. He wasn't ready to lose the love of his life while the dragon blood stopped him from aging with him. And right now, he's not ready to lose Claude as an emblem.

"Maybe this is the emotion that our enemy is currently feeling with his obsession with Diamant," Byleth suddenly says.

"Do not try to understand the mind of a perverted dragon," Sothis gawks. "And definitely do not sympathize with him."

"That isn't what I'm doing," Byleth tells her quickly. "It's the opposite. Maybe the motive is what we were missing the last time…"

"And you'll need to update Marianne on your observation too. Assuming of course if she's willing to talk to her professor."

Marianne was another person Byleth needed to apologize to. He expects her to lie about Claude's condition to the other emblems. She knows the truth and understands how fragile the truth is. It's why he picked her as the emblem that would assist him after the war with Sombron. If he picked his other students, it would be harder to keep the truth sealed away.

"I know I'm not acting like the professor I should be," Byleth mumbles to himself. "I know what I said to them was wrong. And I know that I cannot get distracted. Sombron has been defeated before along with Those Who Slither in the Dark. This Fell Dragon will destroy Elyos this time if we are not careful."

"Right, he didn't do it the last time because he thought he could get what he wanted without anyone noticing. And it almost worked. But the little one was brave. He chose to save his brother and his memories over a life of being the King of Brodia."

"I do not want Alcryst to be put in that position again," the former mercenary admits. "I really need to talk to him after this…when everyone stops swarming around him."

"You did say he was covered in the blood of his enemies."

Byleth lets out another sigh. This afternoon really was a terrible one…

"Oh, it seems like someone is approaching the tower," the little Goddess comments. Byleth senses the Divine Dragon approaching with an emblem. He just hopes it's not Sigurd. "You better leave before they start asking you why you're talking to yourself."

Byleth resists the urge to roll his eyes. As he turns to leave, Sothis stops him.

"Byleth, do not make the same mistake our enemy has made. His obsession has made him forget what is truly important to him and Those Who Slither in the Dark will continue exploiting that."

He knows. Oh…he knows. It's just so hard.

Byleth nods his head in acknowledgement and leaves the black space around him.

It's not like for the Divine Dragon to still be mad at someone especially if that someone was an emblem. Ever since he obtained Marth, Alear thought he understood how they were. Yes, he was made aware early on that emblems could take control of the person that was wearing their emblem if they forced it, but he assumed that Emblem Claude was doing it as a prank on Fogado. He never felt so betrayed seeing Emblem Byleth callously take control of Alcryst like that.

He also didn't realize that the emblems were not only capable of disagreeing with each other but were willing to throw hands. He has never seen Emblem Sigurd that angry. Not even when Lumera died did his face show any sort of fury. Emblem Byleth knew which buttons to press to get him to snap.

And if the main mediator of the emblems was mad, the rest would shortly follow. Emblem Ike had to be the one shouting to break it up along with Emblem Hector. Emblem Roy clearly wanted to get a punch in but he relented quickly once he realized how childish he was being.

But as leader, Alear needed to correct behaviors and demand apologies. Thanks to Lucina, he was able to calm down, but he still was upset with himself. Byleth was correct that he was taking too long to rout the remainder of the Elusian army. Alear did not want anyone to be seriously injured. He truly believed that with Sombron outright abandoning Elyos and the Four Hounds being no more that the remainder of Elusian soldiers would see reason especially since the crowned princess and her little sister were on his side. That clearly didn't matter to these people and it frustrated Alear how Byleth must have realized that immediately. Experience means being able to figure out who you can talk to on the battlefield and who can't.

"I still don't know how this happened…" Alear mutters to Lucina. "Is there any way to fix what happened?"

"This has never happened before," Lucina tells him. "I don't think it was strange with how Byleth reacted. I feel like if any of us were put into a similar situation, we wouldn't react well. It was Byleth's student that this happened to, so…"

Lucina most likely has a point, but it doesn't change how Byleth became cold and dismissive. He wasn't going to explain his green hair (and that was something he was dying to know about). Was he even going to explain how he was able to take control of Alcryst like that? Are all emblems capable of this or is Byleth hiding something that they should know about?

He most likely won't get his answer now when his priority is to get the instructor to apologize for his actions.

And that led him to the Tower of Trials. After crossing the bridge, that was the only place Byleth could realistically be if he was intentionally avoiding everyone on the Somniel. Alear had never been in the building, and he didn't need to enter it now because Byleth had already appeared in front of the door with the same aloof expression he had after Sigurd punched him.

He doesn't speak to Alear despite the Divine Dragon being in his presence. Was it really hard for him to speak much less apologize? Alear already wants to turn around and just try speaking to the emblem tomorrow. He knows he needs to get this over with in order to avoid potential conflict with the others.

"How is your injury?" Alear asks. It's not the best way to start a conversation and Lucina groans at him.

Byleth doesn't answer and instead chooses to stare at him blankly. He really had no intention of talking to Alear right now even if he was in the wrong. Alear knows that Byleth only wants to hear one set of news, so Alear had to deliver what he wanted to hear.

"Marianne managed to stabilize Claude. The bracelet isn't as cracked as it was before."

For all Byleth knew, Alear could be saying that just to get a reaction out of him. It worked too well because it was the only thing on his mind. Knowing that his student was safe was enough to lower his guard. The stiffness disappearing on his face did not go unnoticed.

"Is there a reason you're not concerned for your other students?" Alear questions seeing his guard group. "I would think that when the bracelet was damaged that all three of them would be in danger, but you only seem concerned about Claude."

And just like that, his guard was put back up. Lucina hates how quickly Byleth switched between emotions.

"Claude was the one that took the hit, so he was the one that was in danger. It's true that if something happens to one of them, all three of them will suffer."

"So Claude taking the hit was risky?"

"It was not just risky. It was suicidal. For all of his brattiness, he's foolishly self-sacrificing. Nothing I tell him gets through to him after all of these years."

There it is again. If Byleth has been a teacher for just a year at most, why does he talk like he's known Claude forever? It clearly doesn't have anything to do with being an emblem. Alear knows he cannot pursue this topic without being given a half-ass response.

"And emblems aren't allowed to do that?"

Byleth shakes his head. "No. For the greater good, we cannot afford to be destroyed. While it may be a good idea in the condition that someone like Sombron could end up with the emblems, it is better if we are all kept in good condition. There will be lasting consequences even if Marianne was able to repair the bracelet. Claude has to remember he's not the only one sharing that bracelet."

But he seems to be the dominant force of the three. Alear thinks. From his observation, it seems like Edelgard is supposed to be the one in charge of the three students. When he or someone else goes to polish the bracelet, Edelgard is usually the first one to show up. Fogado just happens to be close to Claude so Claude is the one that is out most during combat.

"There are other rules that emblems shouldn't breach, but sometimes the circumstances will force us to act upon them."

Alear stares dubiously at the instructor. He really expects him to believe that the emblems are all in agreement again, but when it comes to body snatching, it clearly seems to be a case of an abuse of power. The first time Byleth took Alcryst's body, the Divine Dragon didn't think too much of it. He was just reunited with his students and wanted to return the embrace that Claude tried to give him earlier that day. Alcryst probably understood what Byleth wanted, so he let it happen.

But there's no excuse this time. Byleth may not be the emotionless mercenary that he wants to portray himself as, but he didn't just take over Alcryst's body. He completely replaced the Brodian Prince and put himself in physical form. Alcryst cannot remember what happened. When Byleth returned control to the wearer, Alcryst only saw the blood all over his clothes. He did not commit the massacre obviously, but he doesn't even remember the brutal slaughter Byleth did.

Just thinking about the string of events gave him a headache.

"Byleth, when your hair turned green, did you become the Ashen Demon?" Lucina queries.

There was no way his green hair pertained to his past. If anything, it seemed more divine. Alear felt the colors were strangely related to that place Byleth took him to in order to train.

Byleth leaped at the chance to push the truth away. "You can say that. Although, I usually do not have my hair changing color. Perhaps it is because I am an emblem now that I ended up with green hair for a moment…"

He knows that's enough to convince Lucina. Even if she's one of the smarter emblems, she isn't privy to the knowledge of his past. But Alear wasn't going to be swayed by his words. He's on to him. It's better to switch the topic to something the Divine Dragon wants to hear instead of continuing this train of thought, and that means apologizing for his actions and giving him some truths about his past that did not pertain to Sothis.

"I am sorry for what I said."

Byleth curses to himself for his monotone voice returning. He had gotten better at showing his emotions to others, but as an emblem, he needed to regress back to his old ways to sell the idea that he was simply a mercenary turned professor unaware of the five year long war.

"I understand why your battle tactics take longer than most. You want to avoid using the crystal. Injuries are inevitable, but you'll use it if it means your comrades won't suffer from them. I was the same way…"

"Really?" Alear asks, not exactly convinced.

"As a former mercenary, I needed to be quick and efficient at getting the job done. As a professor, I needed to consider the strengths and weaknesses of my students. Divine Pulse used to work similar to how the time crystal works now. Now that I'm an emblem, I can only shift the flow of time to make sure an attack or spell hits."

"Did you use Divine Pulse the way I do?"

"I did. Although…I have learned that fate will make sure to have their offerings. When you cannot fight fate, my heart breaks…"

Byleth wants to laugh. It's not like anyone knows outside of a few of his closest students that he doesn't have a beating heart.

"I have already witnessed what you would do for Alcryst. I should have never put his life in danger and I apologize for that."

"You know you'll have to apologize to Alcryst."

"I do. I also need to apologize to Diamant and Fogado. It was wrong to put my hands on Diamant like that when he was worried for his little brother. And it was wrong of me to threaten Fogado when he was just as much of a victim as Claude…" Byleth scowls thinking about how bad things would be if the bracelet broke at that moment. "...It leaves me with a bad aftertaste."

"You seem to be missing someone," Lucina comments.

Byleth ends up glaring at the Ylissian Princess as a response. "I will not take back the words I said to Sigurd. He needs to mind his own business. I don't ask questions on what led to his death, so he doesn't have the right to question my relationship with my students."

Alear listens carefully to Byleth's reasoning. He sounds sincere when it comes to apologizing to everyone that isn't Sigurd. There is a hint of bitterness in his voice. But it confuses him how Byleth knows some details about Sigurd's past when Sigurd himself admitted that he doesn't like talking about it. Only Leif should know the details of his uncle's demise.

"Byleth, we're supposed to be on the same wavelength as emblems," Lucina lectures. "If you guys are fighting, we can't work together."

"Lucina, you would do the same thing if Chrom was put into the same position…actually, you already have."

Lucina can't deny Byleth's words. Her father had scolded her in the past for jumping in front of an incoming attack. This logic also explained why Ike did not bother to lift a finger until the very end. He would do the same thing for Emblem Soren.

"...Is Fogado still going to use the bracelet?" Byleth asks cautiously.

He wanted to change the subject and Alear felt like he had no choice but to answer.

"Fogado will decide when Claude wakes up," the Divine Dragon answers. "They need to communicate what happened and how to stop it from happening again."

Byleth's frown widens. "...Knowing Claude, he'll pretend it wasn't serious and convince the other two to stay together and support Fogado."

The professor speaks as if he knows what Claude is going to say and do before he wakes up.

"You seem to know Claude very well."

"I am his teacher."

Alear shakes his head. "No, the way you are fussing about him is not how a teacher should act. Compared to Edelgard and Dimitri, he is very important to you."

The Divine Dragon wished he could get confirmation that Byleth was not being honest with him. He simply stares at him with his usual unreadable expression.

"...I will apologize to everyone," Byleth answers. Alear lets him vanish without as much of a fight.

"Divine One…" Lucina speaks but cuts herself off.

"I only hope he will follow up with his apologies to everyone. Alcryst needs to hear it from him."

If Byleth can predict how the conversation with Claude and Fogado will go, Alear can make similar predictions on how his interaction with Alcryst will go. The archer is too kind for his own good and will forgive Byleth despite taking over his body without his consent. He'll most likely justify Byleth's reasoning for doing it and will still wear the instructor's ring despite those close to him being against it. Alear trusts Byleth less now, but Byleth is one of the most reliable emblems for Alcryst.

"Maybe I need to approach this differently…" Alear mumbles. "Either I talk to Marianne about Byleth or…" The Divine Dragon looks to the Tower of Trials where the professor clearly went to gather his thoughts. "...I can start doing my own research on this place."

Right. A few emblems have mentioned that Byleth was the only emblem that went to the Tower of Trials for a long period of time. He always knew when Alcryst was setting out, so he was always ready at a moment's notice. Perhaps there is something in the tower they are all missing and finding out what is missing in this equation will help Alear understand why Byleth is the way he is.