I'd go back in time and change it, but I can't

[reddosmod]

DECEMBER 2021 EVENT

Hello! We are trying a new style of event this December with archival-like entries that characters can ICly find in the Archives. This should allow characters to be able to plan against certain events that occur in-game and do research ahead of time, during the event, or after the fact.

The idea is that these prompts will provide you with all the possibilities characters could theoretically face from the prompt. We hope this leaves more open-ended opportunities for people to engage with. Anything mentioned in the excerpts could be an experience characters encounter. You can always ask for clarification on any prompt on the plotting page.

This is a way to keep all event prompts relevant since new characters would be able to "read up" on these events/excerpts by visiting the Archives or other such resources for information about past events and what they can anticipate from the setting.

We hope this new style makes sense and is fun for players to work with! They will rely on players creating more of the atmosphere than the prompts, but we think that the prompts will provide the perfect guidance as to what the atmosphere should feel like. Enjoy!

IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: Holiday themed antler decoration.]
[Image Two: White stag with perfect, circular antlers with bits of ice attached.]

Prompt Two
[Image One: Sculpture of white rabbit with neck caught in a snare. Non-graphic.]
[Image Two: Person in red cloak and wolf mask turning around.]

Prompt Three
[Image One: Puppet making bloody snow angel in snow.]
[Image Two: Bloodied hands wrapped in bandages clenching.]

[NAVIGATION]

Prompt 1 • Prompt 2 • Prompt 3 • Plotting • Newsletter

[JUMP TO COMMENTS]

WINTER MOURNING

WHEN: Begins in December and can last until the end of Feb.
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: Spoilers for various canons, survival situations, forced memory share

---

[A passage from Rituals of Trench: Remembering Our Pasts reads the following:]

"A long-standing tradition to celebrate Bone Season is for Deerians to collect antlers and bones salvaged from natural resources and create decorative home accents. These antler-bone decors are known formally as Winter Mournings and can be found in almost every residential home throughout Deer Country. Winter Mournings can be made to look like wreaths, candle holders, or simply an antler with a bow hung up on a wall.

Winter Mournings is seen as a way to honor one's past tribulations and how one has managed to survive and overcome hardships during their life. Winter Mournings serves as a testament to survival and a willingness to keep surviving even when things look bleak and dismal.

Creating Winter Mournings is considered a blessing to the Pthumerians Dorothea, Remina, and Argonaut. You will know if the blessing was accepted once your Winter Mourning begins to glow like the moon. Touch your Winter Mourning and you will be pulled back in time to a memory of a specific time when you or someone else had to survive something physically or mentally challenging. For some, it is merely a memory that cannot hurt, but for others, you may want to proceed with caution as it has been known to pull people physically back to times of war.

One cannot choose which memory they wind up in if it is their own, a friend's, or a complete stranger's. Winter Mournings was designed to create a sense of union and empathy among residents and is meant to open your mind and heart to those who have suffered around you. It is time you explore your past, or someone else's past, with an open mind and see how the other side has lived through hard times. These memories are known to be from adolescence, adulthood, or sometimes even futures that have not yet happened or timelines you have never known. After all, Remina sees all past and all history. That means they see all of your past and history too.

No memory lasts forever though. Once the memory has been concluded, you shall be brought back to the present by the Winter Mourning Stag: a great white beast with a circle of frozen antlers. It will come to you when the time is ready, and you will return to the present like waking from a dazzling dream.

Experiencing Winter Mournings can stabilize one's mood and provide restful sleep after, even if the memories may be difficult to swallow. It truly is a tribute to honor past horrors and traumas. Some memories are painful to remember, but forgetting them will never do anyone any good either. So hang your Winter Mournings and remember what matters.

Survive another day. You are worth it."

FAQ

1. Winter Mournings can produce new memories every time you touch them or the same memory.

2. Characters cannot choose what the memory is.

3. Characters can arrive in each other's memories regardless of if they already know each other. Multiple people can experience the same memory.

4. You can either experience the memory as a memory you can't touch or experience - or you can physically be in the memory and have to survive the situation as well. If you die in memory, your body will die wherever you had been touching the Winter Mourning.

5. Palebloods are capable of altering memories or how they or others experience memories.

6. Characters can be pulled into memories at random - as long as one of the characters in the memory share is touching a Winter Mourning at first.

RUN, RABBIT, RUN

WHEN: Month of December
WHERE: Everywhere/the woods
CONTENT WARNINGS: Themes of hunting, ghosts, curses, attempts at animal violence, hunting people based on blood types.

---

[An excerpt from Legends of Trench: Curses and Causations reads the following:]

"One of the most notorious legends of Trench is without a doubt the tale of The Huntress and the Hare. Most Trenchies have been told this tale since they were children, but for those unfamiliar, settle in.

This story begins with a mischievous god and an ambitious huntress. The Pthumerian Dorothea loved to play tricks on hunters trying to survive the Bone Season, setting animals free from traps and remaking the traps to catch the hunters instead. One day, a darkblood Huntress was fed up with Dorothea preventing her from catching food for her family and decided to settle the score. The Huntress began to hunt for Dorothea specifically, but it is no small feat hunting the god of trickery and survival.

The Huntress started to rely on her darkblood powers to alter reality to make the perfect traps. Innocuous trees turned into glue traps that anyone would stick to until they were freed by a darkblood or death took their pain from them. Walking through bushes would snag legs and necks, effectively trapping whatever creatures were unfortunate enough to wander for food. Magical snares and beartraps lock around victims with unrelenting force, leaving people and animals to try for help until they cry no more. While this took many innocent lives in the woods, animals, and people alike, it never seemed to work on Dorothea.

Dorothea continued to outwit the Huntress until she eventually drove the Huntress insane. The Huntress died without ever catching Dorothea, but they say her vengeful spirit awakens in winter and begins to set her traps yet again. The Huntress sends her traps and her dead animals after vilebloods and warmbloods to spite Dorothea and hope to maybe catch the god's attention. But Dorothea is no passive god. Dorothea spurs vilebloods and warmbloods to defend themselves against darkbloods and coldbloods.

Infamously, this has created enormous tension between the blood types during December some years, and it is said that the blood lust has caused the types to begin hunting one another regardless of old friendships and alliances. Beware the Huntress's curse. Some believe darkbloods and coldbloods can still hear her haunting commands and cries from the Trenchwood.

They say there is no ease for the tension between the bloodtypes until December has passed, but some believe palebloods may provide relief if they are willing."

FAQ

1. Characters will increasingly feel the urge to actively hunt one another using traps/etc.

2. The Huntress's curse includes undead animals/beasts chasing after warmbloods and vilebloods and magical traps. Players can invent unique traps for their characters.

3. There will be an innate urge to chase/hide from one another.

4. The curse can be broken by paleblood intervention, character death, or a gradual wearing off by the end of the month.

LOCKJOINT

WHEN: All of Bone Season
WHERE: On Sleeper bodies
CONTENT WARNINGS: Mild body horror, blood magic curses, physical curses, cures through blood ministration/blood letting, possible skin removal, injuries, possible death via starvation/exposure.

---

[An passage from The Sleeper Condition; Chapter 13: Bodily Aches and More. Found exclusively at the Lumenarium:]

"Generally speaking, Sleeper blood allows Sleepers to navigate this world without the fear of illness and disease. However, no organic body is perfect, and Sleeper blood has its own set of ailments to fret over. Blood Ministers have studied the phenomena of Lockjoint for years now and believe that it is linked to the crystalization found in Sleeper death, though the exact connection remains unknown.

Lockjoint tends to begin and last throughout Bone Season. Some Sleepers may never experience it, but for many, it becomes a reoccurring issue to dread each season. This condition forces blood magic to gather at the joints and effectively lock up. Sleepers find it difficult to move their bodies at the bends, fingers, knees, shoulders, etc without some form of discomfort. Minimal lockjoint can be painful and annoyance, but critical lockjoint can be fatal.

The most severe cases of lockjoint documented have shown Sleepers to have crystalization form over their joints, rendering parts of their bodies completely immobile. Some Sleepers have been found dead in this condition, all their joints crystallized, and it is believed most died from natural causes thereafter.

One can determine they are experiencing lockjoint when the coloration around the joints begins to darken in color, typically looking like a bruise. Calcification may occur rapidly the more magic a Sleeper uses or the more they expose themselves to outside elements. It is imperative that Sleepers remain properly clothed during Bone Season, even if they are coldbloods, and to invest in enchanted clothes that can lock in heat.

A known cure for lockjoint is the art of bloodletting. Puncturing the joints with small incisions seems to allow a release of the built-up magic and can provide immediate relief to the Sleeper. Catching lockjoint early is imperative. Alternative methods are soaking in hot springs and salted water.

Those who are in a more severe state will have to carefully have the crystals removed. This will likely remove the skin as well. Local anesthesia is highly recommended for the procedure. This process is known to leave scarring. The crystals can be saved and used as bloodstones from whoever they were harvested from. If you find a Sleeper dead from lockjoint, make sure to harvest the crystals as they are incredibly valuable.

This curse is believed to stem from Sleeper blood magic congealing within the body in contrast with the atmospheric magic of Bone Season. There is no known prevention for lockjoint. Lockjoint can impact all Sleepers regardless of bloodtype or the material their bodies are made from."

FAQ

1. This impacts characters regardless of blood type or their body - meaning it can impact characters with metal/plastic/plant/wood/etc bodies.

2. Players can choose how rapid or severe this gets and how quickly they can be healed.

CODING

Comments

[the_obedient_servant]

[They follow along, figuring this woman knows better than they do where a safe place could be in this monastery. They hum, raising their voice so they can be heard.]

I see. That certainly sounds like a dark matter. I wish the best of luck to your side's brave resistance against this sinister conqueror.

[At one point in their life, or death, the fallen child might have even had a long-winded and passionate opinion on this matter which doesn't involve them. For now, all they consider is the near-universal violent nature of humanity.

War, another universal constant. Once they're actually closer to the monastery itself and not the entrance serving as a gateway, they'll turn to them with a curious expression.]

What was it you were saying?

[notimeforfailure]

[A cynical retort hovers on the tip of her tongue, but Lysithea restrains herself. There was no reason to be rude to somebody who was wishing her well. Especially a child. The fact that the events of this memory were inevitable and no amount of luck could prevent its fated outcome was immaterial to the spirit of the encouragement.]

...I was going to say, if you have a weapon of some sort, it might be a good idea to have it at the ready.

If not, stand behind me. I am a ranged fighter - if the enemy gets close enough to strike me physically, I've lost the battle already. If you should stay by my side, you should escape unscathed.

[She pauses.]

I am accomplished at battle.

[the_obedient_servant]

[They chuckle.]

As am I.

[And with that, they open a palm and summon the Real Knife. What was once an old rusted dagger has now become a symbol of Chara's power as the angel of the Deltarune prophesy. 'To make the underground go empty.'

With just a swipe of this, in their old world, anyone would be dead. It's different, in this new world, and probably in this mindscape, but it's still largely true. They just need to go for the heart.]

The course of the battle is pre-determined, is it not? This is a memory. I don't think you have to worry all that much, but if somehow it goes terribly wrong and we are both in danger, rest assured that you will not be fighting alone.

[notimeforfailure]

I would say I have concerns, but now might not be the time.

[She would air her concerns with children who spoke like adults and who carried magical knives around with murderous expressions later. Probably after they concluded the societally sanctioned murders that were about to transpire.]

If I have learned anything from Deerington, it is that memories and old wounds can sometimes harm you in the most unexpected of ways.

On your toes, now. They come. If you are going to wield the dagger, perhaps I should stand behind you.

[This thin attempt at humor is underscored as a shout rings out before them - a line of cavalry stampedes forward at breakneck pace. 'For the Empire!' 'Dispatch the mages!' 'Don't leave a single one!' And of course, if this memory were to be accurate - yes, now rushes in the mage battalion behind her, a faceless mass of church bishops and magicians.]

To me!

Fools... An enemy who does not know their opponent is no threat.

[And from the ground like an advancing fissure erupts a series of brutal spikes that skewer the horses and riders alike. The battle begins.]

[the_obedient_servant]

Yes, that works. I believe I am more capable of shielding you than the other way round for one. Let's both do our best.

[The bishops? Eh. They can die. Such is the role of NPCs. They smile with something between smug satisfaction and childlike glee when they see the mess Lysithea's spell makes of the corpses in front of them.

Magic. It's nice to watch it in action without being on the other end of it. There's a unit of a few dozen assassins climbing the walls a ways away from them, and if Chara were focused on winning the battle instead of surviving, they would be slashing their way through them. But fortunately, Chara is ambivalent to the fates of the soldiers on the other side.

On the other hand, the group of mages creeping into range with suspicious bird masks? That's more of a problem.]

Having said that, I won't be much help unless we are forced into close range if I maintain this position indefinitely. But I have a trick up my sleeve if you'd rather that unit be quickly dispatched. [They point their knife at the Imperial mages.]

cw: a bit gruesome, evisceration

[notimeforfailure]

[Lysithea is efficient. There is no honor in killing slowly and painfully. Those who are skewered and who crawl on the ground with their intestines hanging out of gaping holes in their bodies are given peace with a concussive blast of light to the head.

She stopped feeling guilty about individual deaths about five battles ago.]

They'll cause trouble later. Mages are inefficient combatants against mages. We'll exchange a few volleys, but mostly we'll stall until our pegasus knights can pick them off.

If you can deal with them more quickly...

[She frowns, though. These enemies in the masks... She had never had the time to properly assess what was happening, but perhaps, here in this memory...]

[the_obedient_servant]

At your service.

[Chara grins, giving a bow. They turn and walk forward, toward the mages, batting a stray arrow away with the knife and not stopping to watch it disintegrate. The moment - the very second - that Lysithea's eyes are not on them, they are gone.

True to their word, if one were to spare a glance at this unit of mages that were previously gearing up to prepare a volley of spells to beat down a gateway, they're in a bit of a disarray. One by one, with a vicious crack, they start bleeding. Often from their bellies, or their throats, or sometimes even their legs.

It's hard to see Chara at first, they're very short and there's a lot of them, but after about ten seconds and several dozen dead mages, they're clear to see as the mages scramble to get enough distance to throw a spell. Their efforts, however, are proven futile. Chara doesn't need to do anything fancy, every single one of them dies with just a single slash from their knife, like their place in this strange memory was torn asunder.

There's only one left, and he's running. He doesn't get far before Chara's disappeared again, and only reappears behind him, with a knife jammed in between his ribs.

They shoot Lysithea a thumbs-up as he crumples onto the ground.]

[notimeforfailure]

...This is definitely not the way this memory was supposed to go.

[Lysithea stares, somewhat dumbfounded, at this... creature who has momentarily allied itself with her. Considering them a child seems wholly inappropriate. She is not sure, at this moment, if they are actually a human being at all. Given the track record of such things in Deerington and Trench, she is inclined to think not.

Still, they are on her side. Probably.

To reflect this... alteration, the memory seems to flash momentarily sepia as distortions flicker through the air like static. But reality is malleable. One way or another, the outcome of this battle would still be the same. It resumes with a skip - the mage battalion lies dead, true, but behind Lysithea, half of her troops are similarly felled.

They've simply skipped ahead a bit.]

Yes - our path forward is now clear.

Come with me. We're going to take a ballista.

[the_obedient_servant]

As you command.

[They arrive at her side as she speaks, dagger still raised high. There is a mischevious delight to their smile, like a little kid playing a game. Which is ultimately what this is to them.

Ultimately, they are on her side. She owns the bakery, after-all.]

Do you think we can change it further?

[They ask, curious. They'll go along with her plan. For now. But they are watching the battle itself, trying to find a suitable target to well and truly change the outcome.

Of course, they have no idea what the Emperor looks like.]

[notimeforfailure]

I...

[She should dissuade this line of thinking. It's clearly not what was supposed to be happening here. There was some lesson to be learned, some moral to be observed. But Lysithea is, above all else, a scholar, and her curiosity is piqued.]

I don't know.

[...]

Well, the Death Knight's going to pop up soon after I take the ballista. I'm very good at sending him scuttling back into the pit he crawls out from, but if you want to try to end him here, I shouldn't complain. After that, we'll be advancing on Edelgard and her personal guard.

Edelgard will be forced to retreat, but she has a trump card up her sleeve.

[the_obedient_servant]

She can't use it if she's dead, can she?

[Screw retreat, they can theoretically end this war right here. Like, not actually but they are curious to see what would happen if they drastically broke the memory's intended outcome.

And despite themselves, being a hero does sound appealing.]

This Death Knight is a lackey, is he not? Maybe a powerful piece, but removing him should come second to putting the king in checkmate.

[notimeforfailure]

As skilled as you doubtlessly are, assassinating Edelgard would still be futile.

[Lysithea shakes her head.]

I know the truth now - who she is, what she commands. It will not be Edelgard herself who razes the monastery on this day.

Look to the east. In the skies. Do you see?

[Something immense and appalling hangs in the air, its face covered with what appears to be a golden mask.]

The Demonic Beasts will be the ones who ruin us, in the end. And they have a seemingly unending supply. I know not how humans can come to control such creatures... but I know that this battle was lost from the start.

I would not see you harmed by facing such things. It is impossible to break through their defenses alone.

[the_obedient_servant]

I see.

[They want to protest, say that they can fight the monsters, but Lysithea would be the expert. She's fought them before, Chara's only fought against monsters that may have been comparable but, how can they know?

Hmm. Their LOVE is stronger than anyone else's on this battlefield, except for perhaps the masked mages. But this isn't their old world.]

I will follow your orders. Shall we dispatch of this Death Knight, then?

[notimeforfailure]

[She nods.]

He is an ever persistent thorn in my side. ...Honestly, I try to be a reasonable person, but I can't say I'll be sorry to see him die. If only in a dream.

[the death knight is the worst]

...Do you have a name, by the way?

[the_obedient_servant]

[Do they have a name? Complicated question!]

Chara.

[* The true name.]

I know your name, Ms. Lysithea. You own the bakery. It is a pleasure to properly make your acquaintance, however.

[Now, to spot this Death Knight...] What does your Death Knight look like? I need to know what I'm looking for.

[notimeforfailure]

Oh -- my fame precedes me.

[She pauses for a moment to reflect on her feelings about this and finds that it pleases her.]

It's nice to meet you, Chara. When this is done, you're welcome any time, of course.

As for the Death Knight... he's very obvious, honestly. He's an eyesore. Here, come this way.

[She strides forward and -- somewhat bizarrely, the universe seems to accommodate their needs. The world fades to a strange color of sepia and events seem to occur in double-time, the two of them now removed. The mage battalion swarms forward and does battle, crossbow bolts rain from the sky, a ballista is overrun, and then...]

Now.

[From a fort in the distance, a man wearing a horned death mask emerges atop an equally flamboyant mount.]

[the_obedient_servant]

[They smile and look up at her with a nod.] Yes, I think I'll stop by. [It's a genuine smile, but they still come across as vaguely sinister. They're just a chuuni.

They follow her pace, folding their arms behind their back like a servant waiting to be called. They don't act too surprised – maybe a bit disappointed – when the dream speeds up, shaping around their intentions. When the Death Knight appears, Chara lets out a chuckle.]

That really is an eyesore. [They summon the dagger as they step forward.] I'll remove it for you. [And then drop off the castle wall itself. They're gone in an instant, and they certainly never hit the ground. If one were to keep their eyes trained on the death knight, a blur of green, brown and the faintest glow of red can be spotted just behind him.

The dagger pierces him through the back. They dig it in further, after it's already enough to kill him, and then they are gone again.

It takes them about ten seconds to reappear, coming up from behind Lysithea at a casual pace. They are well and truly splattered with blood at this point.]

The Death Knight rides no more.

[notimeforfailure]

[Lysithea does not protest this time, trusting in the abilities of her... gremlin attendant. She does not avert her eyes, either, and when Chara reappears, her gaze remains on the Death Knight.]

I don't know what it means that I enjoyed that, a little bit.

But thank you.

...Would you like to watch the end with me? If you... want to try to avert it, you may. But I believe this might be unavoidable.

Tell me... if you think anything could have been done.

[And now, the corpse of the Death Knight fades, as does the battlefield around them. Lysithea and Chara stand some distance away from the raised standard of the Adrestian flag as the scattered few remaining combatants gather. Church soldiers - two wyvern riders - the eclectic group of students Chara had viewed at the beginning of this vision.

And there is Edelgard. Clad in red armor, wielding a great axe that seems as if it must be too large for her to hold out. A man with a weapon that looks almost more like a whip than a sword stands facing her.]

Look. It's time.

[the_obedient_servant]

[They nod. It's entirely fair to enjoy violence, especially when seeing it inflicted against the enemy.. Chara used to enjoy it, that feeling of power over another person. Now they neither enjoy it nor abhor it. It is the way of things, in the same way that a normal person needs to drink water, they need to destroy.]

I'll watch. I've never seen a battle at this scale, it's interesting. [They watch the church burn and the battle steadily peter out as their numbers are drained, and the only emotion in their eyes is curiosity.

This plight is meaningless. It's a memory of a meaningless war fought by humans. It all could have been averted. This Emperor could have never been born, those who are commanding these squabbling children could have had their throats slit before it could come to this, and perhaps this side of the battle could have been better prepared. And if Frisk were here, they have no doubt that they'd want to resolve it with words. But it's all fruitless when it comes to this day itself. They see what Lysithea meant.

Edelgard catches their attention though. The man with the strange sword does too but they're fairly sure that's the tyrant in question... Hm.] She looks a lot like you, don't you think?

[notimeforfailure]

[An explanation of the unfolding events on the tip of her tongue, Lysithea chokes as Chara comes out with this unexpectedly astute observation.]

Er.

Yes.

I would learn much, much later that there was a good reason for that. ...No, we're not related.

[The reason would take an entire memory on its own to explain, so Lysithea will simply append:]

We... experienced similar things as young children.

That's the Professor, before Edelgard. My teacher - and the man who leads the forces of the Church of Seiros. Edelgard's primary goal here is to destroy the Church. She believes it to cause untold suffering.

[...Lysithea pauses as she reflects on the irony of that statement.]

[the_obedient_servant]

[Chara nods with a hum. They might ask more about it later, but for now they're satisfied.

They can't really comment on the politics of this world. They don't go here. They also can't really criticize Edelgard's methods. A war on a massive scale was the end-goal even when they were just a kid with a rotten heart who had delusions of being a hero.]

Interesting. [They assume that 'The Professor' is simply his name. It wouldn't be the weirdest thing they've heard. And they do sense...

DETERMINATION. Hm.]

Do you disagree with her on the church? I am unfamiliar with the politics of this world, as you might expect.

[notimeforfailure]

...

[She responds after a significant pause.]

Edelgard speaks of the corruption spreading within like a blight, and the truth we have yet to understand. I wish she would explain it. I wish she had spoken to us.

In truth, I do not disagree.

But I cannot agree... with her actions.

[There is little time for further discussion now - Edelgard makes the first move, rushing in with an axe blow strong enough to split any foe in twain, but the Professor is ready for her advance. Back and forth they parry and thrust and strike as the surrounding armies watch in silence, none willing to interrupt this battle.

Chara might perhaps appreciate the techniques on display here. It is technical, perhaps even artful. Finely honed combat strategies perfected over a continent's lifetime for the sole purpose of bringing about the death of your opponent.

And even though she is watching this for the second time... Lysithea feels the unbearable tension in her body, watching this display.]

[the_obedient_servant]

That is a reasonable response. It certainly seems like a complicated entanglement. I'd like to hear the full story surrounding this when we are not stuck inside of it, if that's okay with you.

[Chara's solution ended up being the complete destruction of the world. In their case it was the only conclusion that they could ensure would stick. They can't really speak on what's extreme or not.

The fight is impressive. Chara has never been classically trained in swordsmanship or in combat, their fighting style is born out of the instincts of a feral animal clawing for survival. But these two have mastered their craft. There is a familiar hum resonating faintly in both of them, but it's far more prominent in the Professor. Interesting...

Chara watches as Edelgard's axe catches the Professor's neck, and blood oozes down his side. Chara's eyebrows raise, they hadn't truly expected either of them to die but –

And then the moment is erased from time and the fight resumes, and Chara is left staring in confusion. Had they... imagined it...? Or... Ah. So that's what it is, the hum of determination. Some kind of limited control over time... It's a power that they are deeply familiar with, even in this new world.

They cross their arms like they noticed nothing and turn to Lysithea, both to observe if she noticed anything as well and to speak to her.]

Who will win?

[notimeforfailure]

[She does not see it. The connection to the divine had not been a part of her life - in fact, it had been so conspicuously absent that outside forces had seen fit to forcibly implant an artificial form within her against her will. Neither does she have Chara's particular brand of DETERMINATION even if she has plenty of her own, mortal moxie. But her fists clench and her breathing quickens, and when the child speaks, she gives a faint start.]

Who --

He will.

...In a sense. It will happen...

[And here, the Professor's whip-like sword lashes forward and at least, contact is made. The blade tears through Edelgard's arm.]

Now.

[She staggers back. And here comes the part Lysithea had failed to notice the first time - a quick turn of the head, a quick nod to another member of the army.]

And here is where everything unravels.

Give my uncle the signal.

[the_obedient_servant]

What a shame.

[They pout. Their tone doesn't betray their emotional state but they actually feel a bit cheated, mostly because they dislike losing, and in this particular battle they were fighting on Lysithea's side.]

I suppose we were at the special attack section of the boss battle. But I suspect this would be those demonic beasts you mentioned...

[They look at Lysithea, puzzled. They pat her arm twice, gently and hesitantly.]

Erm... there, there.

...I'm not good at providing comfort.