Light and Darkness: A Fire Emblem Three Houses' Story

Chapter 12: The art of beheading

Byleth discovers another element of Ernest's past: that one was related to the Death Knight in his beginnings. Ernest loses control when fighting with him, but another being intervenes: it is a mysterious enemy who rises as someone who wants to change the order of things.

The students and Byleth find Flayn with a former Academy student. Ernest is especially disturbed by this.

Byleth didn't understand anything. The truth is that she didn't want to hear much more now. The woman looked for a few moments towards where Ernest was. He was paralyzed. Surely another traumatic memory had sprung up in his head.

"Well... You remember the lesson you gave me, Ernest, don't you," the Dark Lord declared to the student.

"Bartels House," was all Ernest answered, leaving Byleth stunned.

The Professor knew the story: The son of the Bartels family, Emile von Bartels, helped his half-sister and stepmother escape from their biological father, the Baron de Bartels. The story goes that this young man not only murdered his father, but his entire family, erasing the Bartels family from existence.

"So you are involved in the Bartels family massacre ..." Byleth said .

"Not just me," the enemy responded. "Let's say I murdered my father in an act of self-defense. Then, this young man arrived to defend me from the rest of the family. He slashed a couple of guards with his daggers. I never thought a human being could mutilate with a skirmish weapon. Finally, he told me to 'kill the rest myself, if you had already murdered, it didn't cost anything to continue doing,' I listened from him, and instinctively followed his movements. He was a great teacher. A master of massacre."

"No... That's how things turned out, in the end," said Ernest, clutching his forehead in despair.

"Stop both of you," Byleth said angrily. "And you, Ernest; Stop feeling sorry for yourself and fight. That's an order!"

Ernest woke up. He launched himself into a murderous pose, just as Byleth had seen him fight. He wanted to eliminate that trace of his past. Although in reality, he wanted to do it to be a reflection of himself. A product of his cruelty. Perhaps The Death Knight would have ended up being who he was, but Ernest's appearance in Baron Bartels' territory signaled that everything was planned.

"That's how I remembered that fearsome assassin," the dark knight said as he blocked Ernest's attacks. "A true prodigy, the best in his class!"

"Stop babbling nonsense!" Byleth shouted furiously to stop listening to the enemy's horrible story.

Ernest moved faster and faster. He was beginning to overwhelm The Death Knight. Byleth decided to fight seriously. He repelled Ernest, sending him away. Then, she attacked the enemy with her Sword of Creation. After a few attacks, The Dark Knight had to retreat before the overwhelming power of Byleth fighting at its maximum.

—Ha, ha, ha... What great power you have, Byleth ... Another prodigy with which to fight to the death again and again... —the knight's otherworldly tone competed with a joking manner that was scary.

Suddenly, a figure suddenly appeared. An armored individual, who wore a helmet that did not reveal them face. That helmet, which looked like a white and red mask, only revealed the violent glow of them eyes. The mysterious being carried an axe and a large shield. It was evident that the individual was an opponent to be feared.

"Enough, you've had enough fun for today," said that guy, referring to The Death Knight.

"Do not deprive me of my pleasures," answered that bloodthirsty warrior.