Race Against Time

A Hairy Situation

"Whatever is forming in your heart, Byleth, it looks to be almost complete."

Byleth looked over the scans that Manuela had given her, and sure enough, Manuela was right. It was about three-fourths of the way done. Now, Byleth could see that there was some sort of design on this thing. It looked like a circular tumor with a spindly crest on her heart. Jeralt just frowned.

"Honestly, Manuela, the only news I want to hear is any news about her cure."

"Dad, knowing all of this can help me in my own research," Byleth said. "I'd like to hear it."

"Teach, what if the thing in your heart is blocking off your heart's access to oxygen?" Claude said next to her, flipping through his notes. He had been coming with her to the doctor's for quite awhile now. Manuela considered this possibility.

"And then when it grows large enough, the heart won't have enough air anymore?"

"...No, wait. That can't be it," Claude dismisses his own theory, marking it off on his paper. "Teach, you haven't had any breathing problems before, right? It should have gotten harder and harder to breathe if that was the case."

"I've been fine in that regard," Byleth said. "But it's mostly heartaches and chest pain. It's only hard to breathe when I'm in tough situations, but I think it's mostly because of hyperventilating. And then,
of course, my hair..."

"Your hair has stopped turning green, though," Manuela noted. Her hair was a patchwork of mint green and teal. It had stopped changing, leaving her with a mess of what she used to be and what she was turning into. "Your hair stopped turning green, but this stone in your heart is still growing..."

"So, is it safe to assume the two aren't correlated?" Jeralt said.

"Not sure, but I don't think so," Claude always got so serious during these checkups, for good reason. It was just always strange for Byleth to hear him so focused. "Just because they grow at different times doesn't change anything. They both started once this stone grew in her heart."

...Wait. That wasn't true.

Her hair and eyes had started changing way after the stone appeared. Only Byleth knew that the hair made her destined for uniting the three companies or whatever, and that had only happened...when had that happened? After she learned the truth about the companies? How related were they? Maybe her hair wasn't a problem in her!

But if that was the truth, then what? Her hair just started changing for no reason? Or was it because her hair and body had decided it was time for her to step up to her so called destiny...?

This sounded ridiculous. Even so, Byleth had to ponder it. After all, the thought of her condition was ridiculous, so nothing should surprise her at this point...

"Claude, my hair started changing color at...a different time. So maybe...maybe it's not correlated after all."

"What...? But then, what else...?"

The companies, Byleth wanted to scream, but she was quite honestly...too scared. If she mentioned it, then...then...would she be forced to carry out her destiny? The one where Claude lived out a life of misery alongside his father, never getting to sing ever again?

No. Byleth couldn't.

But at the same time, could...could this save her? If they were correlated like Claude said, then...then was uniting the companies the only way to save her? Was giving up her happiness, Claude, the only way to save herself?

She didn't realize her heart was beating faster and her chest was thumping loudly until a festering  pain exploded in her chest. She cried out loudly, everyone quickly rushing over as Byleth gripped out at her chest.

"I-It hurts," Byleth managed to gasp out between breaths, her vision fading in and out. Everyone's voices began to blur together as they all tried to make sure Byleth was okay to no avail.

She felt herself tumbling off of the chair before being lifted into someone's arms just before she passed out.