Three Houses Saga: White Clouds

A Lion's Roar

< Third-Person POV >

The reveal of the Flame Emperor's identity and Dimitri's complete breakdown had left the Blue Lions mostly speechless. The ones who weren't still had trouble processing all this information, barely making small talk so they could let it set in.

"Y-you're kidding, right?" Sylvain put his hand to his head in confusion.

"H-He's s-scary!" Lily cried after seeing The Prince's rampage.

"This is Dimitri...?" Junko shuddered.

"So that's Flame Emperor's true identity..." Ashe simply stared at the two royal heirs to the Kingdom and Empire.

Edelgard however, completely unmasked and in distress, stayed silent, "...".

"Before I break your neck, there is one thing I must ask you." Dimitri coldly tells her.

"Stay out of my way." Edelgard speaks.

The Prince interrupts her, "I don't recall giving you permission to speak. Answer my question. That is all you have left to do. Flame Emperor...no. Edelgard. Tell me now. Why did you cause such a tragedy?"

Edelgard goes silent again, "...".

"You killed your own mother, and yet you haven't even had the decency to stop and consider the reasons behind your actions. Have you?!" Dimitri angrily confronts her.

"I already told you, I had nothing to do with that." Edelgard responded, albeit with slight irritation.

"Ha! It was foolish to think I could reason with a lowly beast." Dimitri slowly steps towards her, before two remaining Imperial soldiers guard their emperor.

"Your Majesty, now!" One of them signals her.

"You are a monster..." Dimitri states before cutting down the soldiers in cold blood, glaring at Edelgard after doing so.

"Wait!" Sakura holds her arms up as she moves in between the Emperor and the Prince.

"You don't have to do this, Dimitri. This isn't you! Please!" She tearfully tries to talk him down.

Edelgard gasps, seeing her friend come to her aid like this.

"Get out of my way." Dimitri demands silently, but you could hear the rage within his voice.

"I won't. She said she's not responsible for what happened in Duscur. And yes, I know about all of that. Just listen to me..." Sakura begs, "Listen to—"

Then a sound echoed throughout the Holy Tomb. It stunned every single student in attendance when they heard it and turned to see what had caused it.

Dimitri had knocked Sakura away, too livid to be convinced not to kill the woman before her.

Sakura lied on the ground, tears leaking out of her eyes like crazy, the hard landing causing her left arm and leg to pop off.

Lady Rhea gasped at what she saw, Franchouchou realizing they've been exposed as zombies.

"Tch... Come, Hubert!" Edelgard grit her teeth before summoning her vassal to warp her away from the tomb.

Byleth and Dedue walked up to Dimitri, and the rest of the Blue Lions ran up to help Sakura, reattaching her limbs and lifting her up.

"To flee is futile, wicked girl. The Church of Seiros will raise its entire army against you, until you have been captured and punished! You have defiled the Holy Tomb, dishonored the goddess, and humiliated your brethren. That crime will never be erased, even if you burn in the eternal flames, and spill all of your blood into the goddess's soil!" Rhea curses Edelgard, the archbishop in far from a good mood, she then turns to Byleth, "Come, Professor. Let us return and decide upon our next course of action. And you girls, we shall discuss what happened just now as well." She addressed the zombie idols as she departed for the monastery.