Byleth and him exchange no words. There is such a silent connection between them in this moment, there’s no need to say anything, they already understand.

When the doors open and the light pours in, Dmitri freezes. He’s not ready to exist in this light, his hands are far too drenched with blood, he only just now murdered the woman who was once his closest friend.

Byleth picks this up immediately, turning to look at him with concern. He hasn’t even said or done anything yet except stop, and yet still Byleth sees all of this.

His head turns slowly, and then with sudden conviction as he begins to turn away from the light, back to the shadow he is so used to, back towards his past, to stare at Edelgard’s body and to allow her to become another voice in his head.

Byleth instantly grasps his hand, stopping his movement with a simple touch. This boar prince the size of a mountain, frozen by the hands he found so warm and comforting. Dmitri understands what this action meant without a single word being said. After Byleth grabs his hand his right eye never once leaves the light. He’s focusing on the future for his professor, staring straight ahead because Byleth asked with a silent touch to stay away from those dark thoughts.

Byleth looks back in his stead, this once emotionless being now filled with remorse at the sight of Dmitri’s actions, knowing how painful it is for him, how he is silently torturing himself inside. Byleth’s eyes close for a moment, reminiscing on Dmitri’s past and never allowing his pain to be forgotten, while Dmitri is slowly beginning to face towards the light, as if accepting that as long as Byleth is there with him, he can start to let go of his past and look towards his better, brighter future.

Byleth now joins him in the light, leading him by the hand out of the darkness and into the arms of his loving people, their cheers interrupting this somber moment as Dmitri can finally become the King he was meant to be, and to heal with Byleth by his side.

Claude: Wait, you believe in that stuff?

Dmitri: Reincarnation? Yeah, of cour-

Claude: No, fish.

Dmitri:

Dmitri:

WIP