Fire Emblem: Crimson Flower

Chapter 58) Sensing Something Strange

She had kept herself silent during the ordeal. She watched them as quietly as she could.

Back then, Edelgard was aware she had annoyed Shez during their walk together. She knew that what she said had crossed a line, but she also related to her strong desire to grow strong. To that end, she saw a need to speak up.

But when it came to everything else, she was forced into silence. Edelgard requested to watch the battle between Byleth and Shez. She observed their movements. She saw them each struggle to win. She saw the battle unfold into dangerously hostile levels. When all was said and done, this was a fight to kill in the end. Edelgard had no part in it, so she simply observed.

But then it happened.

When it happened the first time, she was sure she had simply just seen a nightmare - a hallucination of sorts. She saw Byleth getting himself impaled by Shez's blade briefly. She ignored the thought. It was a distant image, a mirage, a haze.

When it happened the second time, suddenly things had become surreal. Shez had definitely made a rough jab,, slashing Byleth's sword from him and dismantling his head from his shoulder. The cut was not fully clean, but it was enough to kill him.

But it happened again.

They were still fighting. Edelgard had to blink a few times. She was sure something had happened. She knew something had happened. Why were they still fighting?

And then Shez had revealed her true form. At that point, the two were fully at each another's throats. This fight had become more than just a duel.

It happened over again, again, again, and again once more. Finally, Edelgard knew something was wrong. She confirmed it. She had either gone insane, or her professor was doing something that prevented his own death. It was nearly over now.

Shez had been knocked over. Byleth had pressed his sword on her, but his sister stopped him from taking yet another life.

"That's enough, Brother. You had your fill. She wanted to kill you, but you never wished the same on her. Let's treat her wounds now."

In the moments that passed, Edelgard stood still. She watched it all unfold. She saw Byleth get up, then she saw everyone else help Shez. When everything was said and done, it was only her and Byleth standing together.

The mood would have been awkward if her professor had noticed her. Edelgard was still at war with herself about what she had just seen. She had a hard time believing it, but it had happened multiple times in such a short while. She had to believe it. She did not want to call herself delusional just yet.

And yet when she looked at Byleth, she noticed something else. He was shaken, possibly confused. It could have been that being ordered to spare someone was new to him, or because he himself had been interrupted before he could truly be one with the battle.

Edelgard gave it more thought. She had never seen Byleth revert his injuries before. Not in the Red Canyon, not in Magdred Way, or in the Mausoleum. Today marked the first time she had witnessed it. There was bound to be a reason why.

Of course, the first step would have been to confront the professor about it. If everything went wrong, Edelgard would look like a fool if Byleth feigned ignorance, but if it went right-

Well, Edelgard had a lot to think about if Byleth admitted to these supernatural happenings. She would likely see to using it to her advantage. Of course, Byleth was a valuable ally to her at the moment. It would do well for Edelgard to treat him as such. She wanted to, after all.

"Let's go, Professor." Byleth turned around as Edelgard approached him. "You did the right thing."

"Did I?" He asked her. "Had I not been warned, things could have ended differently. There were plenty of times I had the upper hand. That woman is Crestless. I had been healed from my power on numerous occasions. From the beginning, she had no hope of winning."