Animate

Great Tree Moon (2)

𝕲𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖙 𝕿𝖗𝖊𝖊 𝕸𝖔𝖔𝖓

𝓑𝔂𝓵𝓮𝓽𝓱

Byleth is quite confused upon waking up. The bed he's on is softer than any other bed. But when he remembers where he is he's surprised to find that he feels happy. He gets up and begins to dress in his normal attire, before realizing he has to wear a uniform now. He opens up the package and puts it on.

I like it. Except the hat.

I like the hat.

Byleth keeps the hat on and exits his dorm. He finds a note on his door.

"Meet me in the dining hall. We can have breakfast together and then I'll give you the tour. -Edelgard"

Edelgard waves to him when he walks in. He grabs a meal, and then sits down across from her.

"I'm glad you made it. It's nearly lunch time. I was beginning to worry that you couldn't find your way here," Byleth starts to interject, but is cut off. "Please don't apologize. Just sleeping in a new place is difficult, and you had many other things to adjust to."

"Still. I'm sorry you had to wait for me."

"It's okay, it just gave me time to review some of my lecture notes," Edelgard explains. "I wanted to give you a tour first thing, but since it's so late our house's homeroom teacher, Professor Hanneman, wants to speak with you first. He's also quite accomplished outside of the school. He's a renowned crest scholar."

"Crest scholar?"

"Oh. Right," Edelgard says. "I forgot how little you know of the world. I'll let our professor explain. He is the expert after all."

. . .

Hanneman's office somehow feels both sparsely decorated and filled to the brim. It's devoid of furniture aside from a desk and a couple chairs. But every inch of wall is covered, be it in books or illustrations. 

Sitting at the desk is who Byleth assumes must be Hanneman. With his gray hair and mustache, he certainly looks like a professor. But Byleth finds himself doubting his combat abilities. Surely that monocle can't be practical? It would be knocked off so easily!

Hanneman stands up to greet Byleth, and a doe-eyed boy rises from a chair in the corner. "Byleth, I'm quite pleased to meet you. I'm sure Edelgard has told you, but I am Professor Hanneman," He gestures towards the boy. "This is Linhardt. He's your classmate, as well as my assistant when it comes to crest research."

"I suspect that you have a crest," Linhardt wastes no time and gets right to the point. "I couldn't help but notice your hair color in the dining hall the other day. My latest project has been finding correlations between crests and physical characteristics. People with green hair, as well as some other more vibrant colors, are more likely to-"

"Linhardt, please!" Edelgard scolds. "He doesn't even know what a crest is."

"While I am interested in whether or not you bear a crest, I believe there is some explaining to be done first," Hanneman begins. "Crests are power incarnate. They are said to have been bestowed upon humans by the goddess countless ages ago. They exist within the flesh, and are passed down through bloodlines. Those who carry crests may excel at magic, display exceptional strength, or any number of boons. Each Crest has its own power, the nature of which is beyond mortal understanding. For now."

"So does my hair mean I have a crest?"

"Not necessarily," Linhardt answers. "It just means you're more likely to than the average person. The only way to be certain is a blood test. Professor, you know how I feel about blood so I'm just going to take a nap. Send for me if you learn anything exciting."