Author's Note: Once again, I thank you all for the support you have given me! This note is just a shorty, so you can all head to the chapter real soon!
I blame Fate/Kaleid, Fate/Grand Order, and actually getting around to playing Dragon Age: Inquisition for my absence. Not to mention this tooth ache, ugh, so ANNOYING! Got to visit a dentist soon, I swear.
Tsun: Oni translates into demon in english, and I think we all know demons, or Oni, are like in the Re:Zero universe is vastly different than the western interpretation. I'm referring them as demons because that is what they are subbed as in the Anime. Also, thank you for helping me catch that mistake with the Witch.
Enjoy the chapter!
Re:Circuits
Chapter 14: Perceiving the Concept
How many times has he come back to this scene?
The scene where flames scorched the horizon, where black smoke and ash covered the brutality and death all around him?
He couldn't survive, it was absolute hell that even a child could understand.
He couldn't escape it, no matter what occurred this place, this red world, would remain in his memory, whether he lived one lifetime or a hundred.
This moment defined who he was.
But who was he?
An ideal?
A person?
A hero of justice?
Or perhaps just a victim caught within the ravaging fires that plagued his soul?
No… The fire had already shaped his soul long ago, even as the years go by will this sea of orange and red continue to burn, heat, and fuel the furnace that made his soul. The screams, the cries… They made him.
But there was a particular point that created him, a crucial moment, a period that he looked up and wished to grant with all that he was.
The rain came, drowning the flames, washing away the ashes that remained of the unfortunate.
His body lay there, covered by the crushing rubble that shielded and struck him. They were pushed off by a man, a man that cried as he reached for him, but did not cry for him.
The man cried because he hadn't saved him.
The man cried because he had saved himself.
Yet, he could not feel envious of the man, because the man's happiness made him happy. Because he wanted to feel happy like him.
This moment is what made him.
At this moment, he was born.
He awoken in a sore matter, slowly raising himself out of his stupor from sleeping in a awkward position on the floor. Different objects numbered in dozens around him, all of which were experiments from the previous night. Natsuki Subaru rubbed his shoulder, gripping it in an attempt to numb down the pain, he stood up and stretched. His eyes looked towards the window, noticing the sunlight shining bright through the glass panes.
'Did I oversleep?' He questioned only to himself and walked over some of the tools as he made his way to dress in a clean attire.
Once he was dressed in a clean suit befitting the servant status of the mansion, Subaru picked up and organized the various items into a neat pile, while placing all the broken material and failed pieces into a bag to easily discard.
'If Ram or Rem saw this room before I woke up… I'll probably never hear the end of it,' Subaru thought.
After finishing, Subaru hauled the glorified trash bag to rid of it. He rubbed his eyes with a free hand to ease the drowsiness of awakening moments beforehand. The seventeen-year-old man walked down the hallway, the only sound being his shoes that echoed quietly through the building with every step on the cold, marble flooring.
"Subaru-san!"
Natsuki Subaru briefly glanced behind him, spotting a little girl excitingly walking up to him.
"Meili, good morning?" Subaru said, unsure if it was still the morning.
Despite now having her abilities to tame mabeast sealed, Meili was kept under house arrest, being that staying in the mansion's vicinity, before being able to leave and rejoin living with the villagers. She could visit the village if Rem or Ram accompanies her, otherwise she was to stay until deemed safe for everyone's sake.
The child twisted her face in confusion, before correcting him, "It's nearly noon, but I guess it's still morning…"
"Really? I guess time past by quickly…" He trailed off, "So, how's the little tamer doing today?" He said cheerfully.
Meili frowned, "I could've tamed a mabeast if Roswaal-sama didn't seal my ability… I wouldn't have had them hurt you, honest! It was a one-time thing!" She exclaimed.
"I believe you," He said, patting her head, much to the child's annoyance.
"Subaru!" She said as he tried to pry his hand off her head.
"Shir*u!" A white-haired girl exclaimed, waving her arms quite frantically.
Subaru smiled, Meili and whoever that girl did seem to share similar personalities, the girl must've been the sweetest and kindest thing.
Huh, strange, why did he feel a rock seem to drop in his stomach all the sudden?
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Meili yelled, finally succeeding in her effort to remove Subaru's hand. "Ram-chi wanted to see you, but she was busy with something so she sent me!" The girl exclaimed.
"Best not disappoint her then! I'll just drop this off real quick then head there right away!" Subaru exclaimed with optimism. "Unfortunately I might get lost, so make sure I know the way, Meili!"
The child's eyes positively lit up, "Yes! I'll make sure your terrible sense of direction doesn't lead you to the forest again!"
'Hey, my sense of direction is not that terrible…' He thought to himself in reply, not saying it out loud.
The small child excitingly 'guided' Subaru through the mansion, where they reached the area in which the Japanese man rid himself of the bag before following Meili towards the kitchen. Once both of them arrived, Rem greeted them.
"Afternoon, Subaru," Rem said.
"Hey, Rem! Where's your sister? She said that she needed me for something?" Subaru questioned the blue-haired girl.
"Nee-chan is over there," She pointed across the large kitchen towards the doorway that marked the entrance point into the dining room.
"Thanks!" He said.
Meili went up to Rem, "When's the food going to be ready?"
Rem replied, "Soon."
Natsuki Subaru called back, "Let me know too! I wouldn't miss your cooking for nothing!" He exclaimed before having his ear pulled against his will, his body following in motion.
"Barusu, a word," Ram commanded as she brought Subaru into the dining room, which was quiet and won't out any other people.
"Ow," Subaru said, rubbing his ear now that she stopped pulling on it. "You didn't have to do that, I'm fragile!"
"If you were you wouldn't survive being here," Ram joked in her own matter.
"Eh… I guess you got a point there," Subaru gave in to Ram's statement. "So, what can I do for you?" He questioned.
"I doubt this, but have you noticed recently?"
"Noticed what?" Subaru replied though he was mentally wondering if perhaps Ram had caught onto something relating to the Witch's Cult.
"Should've known," Ram said.
"Wait, wait," Subaru said, cutting off the girl, quickly thinking of something that could help gain a lead on what Ram was thinking, "Do you mean the bad feeling coming from out of the mansion?"
Ram nodded, "There's a particular feeling that resides within Roswaal's domain, since the scent on you had increased dramatically which is odd considering the last time this occurred we the mabeast incident, I theorized you might have some form of relationship, willingly or not, to her."
"You mean the Witch?" He confirmed.
"Yes," Ram replied.
"Well, let it be known that I'm not in liege with her, not ever!" He exclaimed, "But I do know that whatever is going to happen might strike the village first before the mansion. The mabeasts struck the village first, so it's only a guess that whatever's out there will want to get rid of any supporters or allies," Subaru explained, carefully picking his words so not to lead anything towards his unique ability, Return by Death.
Ram appeared thoughtful, perhaps thinking over what he had just said. It took a few seconds before she replied to him, "You may be right, but in that case, we should fortify the mansion against invaders."
"Hold on, I know we're supposed to protect Emilia-tan, but I have a feeling that whatever is going to happen will occur tonight and we can't just leave the villagers to die out there!" He started calmly but his voice rose unexpectedly at her.
The pink-haired girl frowned, "Watch your tone, Barusu, I would never intend to do such a thing. We will evacuate the villagers into the mansion's vicinity."
Natsuki Subaru breathed a sigh of relief, before saying, "Sorry, I apologize for my tone."
Ram remained silent, then replied, "Very well, I'm my good graces I shall forgive you. Now, go and prepare, you'll be coming with me to the village."
"Huh- oh, yeah! Sure!" He exclaimed with determination.
'Should probably bring something just in case,' Subaru thought to himself as he turned and walked away from Ram, 'My practice sword perhaps? Not that it did much good last time, but it's still better than nothing… The village has some swords I can use probably.'
His train of thought wondered as he made his way to the tool shed outside of the building.
The sunlight was still high in the sky… Somewhat, it was beginning to dim down, most likely a little past o-fourteen hundred. Natsuki Subaru and Ram were both inside the village by that point, the japanese man's eyes darting around, observing for any untrustworthy figures. However, his untrained ways didn't catch anything out of the ordinary.
He sighed.
"What's wrong, Barusu?" Ram questioned as she walked through the village with him.
"Nothing just thought that maybe it'll be easier than I expected, I was wrong," He replied to her.
"Of course, like you have the experience or the skill for anything sort of boasting aloud," Ram said.
"That hurts you know," Subaru retorted, observing the surrounding area.
He couldn't find any good sniping spots to look anyway.
'Sniping spots?' Subaru thought in confusion, 'That's a new one…'
"Ah, Subaru-san, Ram-sama, what brings you to the village?" The village chieftain asked of them.
"Hey," Subaru greeted kindly, "We came to tell you that you should probably evacuate back to the mansion," He said with a wave of his hand.
The village leader's eyes widened in surprise, "Why? We can't just pick up and leave so suddenly without good reason."
"Well-"
A delicate situation, simple folk, half-truth fairs better.
Subaru coughed, "Excuse me, well, we have come to believe through some evidence and observation that the village will be attacked by a band of criminals. It'll be better for everyone that we retreat to the mansion where it is safer than staying here."
He would follow the foreign thought's advice, knowing it probably has better experience than him, and who the hell would believe something like 'the mabeasts are acting up again' when they know it to be sealed recently?
He wants to get this right the first time, uh, the second time around.
Ram arched a slight eyebrow at him, but remained silent, letting him deal with the villagers.
A flock of birds flew over the village from the southern direction.
Even Subaru knew that wasn't good news.
"And you should probably do so quickly," He said, "Lead the children first, take a few men and have them escort them towards the mansion first."
The village leader, chieftain, elder… Whatever, agreed to this.
"We had suspicions this might happen, but never so soon, very well!" He boasted his voice loudly, "Everyone, we are to evacuate the village towards the mansion! Prepare hastily!"
Another sigh of relief escaped Subaru, "Sure am stressed today…" He trailed off.
Ten minutes pass…
Twenty… The children leave with a few other villagers...
Thirty…
Around the forty minute mark, Natsuki Subaru felt disturbed.
Fifty minutes…
An hour…
That slight orange hue started to decorate the horizon, the sun was dipping down as it made room for the coming night. Subaru felt anxious, the villagers were just about ready, and the children had been escorted safely out of the village.
He sat on a bench, watching some men run about to prepare, he took noticed a man carrying a few swords that were being handed out.
Subaru walked over, "Hey, can you spare one? I doubt my wooden sword here will make much a difference," He asked.
"Huh?" The man said, taking notice, "Oh sure, here, careful, no sheath."
"Thanks," Subaru said, taking the sword and looking it over.
'Structural Analysis,' He thought to himself, examining the blade. 'It'll do, not the best work meant to fend off wild animals not do combat with other swords… But better than nothing. I can make it better, though.'
He walked back to the bench, glancing around before focusing on the sword in hand.
Subaru closed his eyes, "Trace… On."
A lone magic circuit flicked into activation within him.
There was no longer a tingle of pain, his body had adapted to using a single magic circuit. The conversion of small amounts of od into prana to be used for the following spell made its way.
'Reinforcement… Complete,' Subaru opened his eyes, already knowing that the sword in his hands was probably better than any other in the village at this moment.
'That… Happened a lot faster now…' He thought about the success, usually, it took him many more seconds, but now he only did it in a few short ones.
Is he getting better at this?
He could've sworn it would take him much longer before getting to this level of proficiency.
Well, if one could even call him proficient at any magic that was.
Something's there.
Subaru stood up instantly, his weapon ready at hand. "Prepare yourselves, I got a bad feeling that we are about to get company!" He exclaimed, looking to see that his sudden shout had gotten people's attention, gathering their focus on being cautious.
He glanced around to see if Ram was nearby, but couldn't spot the pink-haired girl in his sight, most likely at another place in the village or behind one of the buildings.
Something's there.
He hadn't yet turned off the magic circuit, and so directed the magical energy currently converting to be reinforcing his body. A single circuit could safely strengthen himself without risk of imploding into multiple, gory pieces.
His body moved.
Swish!
Tang!
Subaru deflected a thrown dagger with the edge of his sword from piercing the chest of an unaware village man. The dagger flinging into the air before harmlessly landing on the ground with a light thud. He lowered his weapon, having swung upward to do such a move before.
'How… How did I see that?' Subaru questioned, amazed at his own capabilities.
His senses were improved, all aspects of his body were enhanced from bodily reinforcement. Strength, speed, eyesight, reflexes, durability, hearing, endurance, everything was subjected to the versatile magecraft.
"That explains it," Subaru said out loud, "Get ready!" He shouted.
They numbered in probably a dozen or two of them, the villagers and Subaru that is, while having little to no idea of the quantity of foes that were to face. The enemy mostly had higher training, combat abilities, magic abilities, and insane faith.
Well, scratch the last one, they did have insane faith for sure.
A dozen cultists leaped out of the woods towards the villagers and Subaru, their long clocks covering any hidden weapons and faces from being recognized.
"Aaaaah!" A villager yelled a battle cry as he, and his fellows, charged into the fray with vigor.
"Take this!" Subaru shouted he swung his sword in a horizontal strike at a landing cult member. The cultist brought up a hidden dagger in an attempt to parry Subaru's blow but didn't expect the hidden strength behind it.
Crash!
The dagger broke apart from Subaru's overwhelming strength, his swing continuing its motion and tearing through robe and flesh across the chest region, blood clotting in a vague attempt to starve off dying, but it was useless as the cultist fell to the floor, embracing his death.
"Oh shit!" Subaru said as he held tightly onto his weapon, bringing it back into a ready stance, he didn't expect to shatter the cult member's dagger-like glass!
Not that he'll hold his strength back against these bastards.
He took a step to the side, and ran towards a cultist currently engaging a villagers. Subaru thrust the blade forward to attack the cult member, but the cloaked individual avoided his attack. Subaru's training with Rem allowed him to stop his attack suddenly, stopping himself from stabbing the villager instead. The Japanese man turned and swung, only to miss once more as the cultist dodged his movements.
The member brought out his long dagger-shaped weapon, and vertical slashed at Subaru, seeing how he couldn't bring his sword fast enough to parry, he dodged to the right, rolling across the ground with dust tossed into the air from his momentum.
Subaru noticed the thrown dagger from earlier on the floor, his eyes catching it and subconsciously analyzing its properties, he didn't have time to fully know the weapon and grasped hold of it before tossing it quite excellently at the cultist.
It stabbed the member right in the heart with expert skill, blood being coughed out before the villager sliced the individual's head clean off, an unnecessary move, but it did make the man feel better.
"Phew, good job!" Subaru complimented the man as he stood back up.
"Thanks," He replied, "But we should help the others!"
"Agreed," Subaru said. "We can't deal with them here, this is a losing battle if we stay in the village. We should tactically retreat, they most likely know guerilla warfare better than we do. So go help the others quickly!"
"Uh… Yes!" The man exclaimed, rushing off the aid another villager.
"I need to keep my head in the game, no more foreign thoughts!" Natsuki Subaru said to himself, keeping himself calm despite the underlying rage to attack all the cultist due to his last life.
Subaru rushed over to another, this time catching the cult member unaware, stabbing the criminal from the backside with his sword. A slight cheer from the villager and both he and Subaru overwhelmed yet another cult member by sheer numbers and teamwork.
With that, Subaru and the others managed to sweep the other cult members, winning the small battle.
"Okay listen up," Subaru began, having caught his breath. "We leave now, the rest of the carriages left right before we were attacked, correct?" He questioned.
"Right, Subaru-san," A man replied, "But if we were just attacked moments after they had just left…"
Subaru eyes widened, "Did Ram go with them?" He asked.
Another replied, "Yes,"
"Then we have some time! Ram is powerful and she can hold the cultist off, but she won't last forever!" Subaru exclaimed.
With that, Subaru and the villagers ran towards the direction of the evacuating wagons.
A great explosion lit up in orange and red, but it wasn't one of a trap, no, it was collision of multiple fireballs on a single point, protected only by a spell of wind encasing its residents in a barrier that would allow no harm to come to its denizens so long as its caster had the required magical energy through the gate.
The sounds of combat echoed, some villagers fought meagerly against numbers exceeding their own. As cult member and villagers fought against each other towards their doom, Ram sliced, tore, and cut apart cultist after cultist in a display of magic exceeding even the grandest spellcasters that cult had at its disposal.
Then, a sword impaled the backside of a cult member, before the body was kicked to the ground.
Natsuki Subaru stood there, his breathing heavy as his lungs cried out for air due to having run all the way here, in the distance behind him were the other villagers, trying to catch up to the man who ran faster than any of them due to his magecraft.
"Ram, are you alright?!" Subaru shouted over the sounds of combat, bringing his sword to bear as he parried a cultist's own blade, swinging back at the crazed person with a diagonal strike, but it was blocked and returned.
"Damn!" Subaru yelled as he leaned back, avoiding his neck being cut apart, gripping the sword with two hands he parried an upcoming follow-up, then riposted right back at the enemy. The attack struck, ending the fanatic's life and allowing him a brief moment of rest.
"Barusu, to your left!" Ram exclaimed as she waved her hand, deflecting another blast of fire from hitting the damaged wagons behind her, the wagons who carried those unable to fight.
Subaru took the advice, raising his blade as he glanced towards the direction. He spotted a few magic users who threatened to take down Ram's defenses.
"Gotcha ya!" He replied as finally recovered some of his breathing and rushed over to the attacking cult members. He raised his weapon, only for one of the cultist to blast right at him with a spell.
"Shit!" Subaru yelled in surprised as he used the sword to cover himself, the fireball shot outward and exploded on contact of the sword.
The weapon shattered apart, the handle uselessly falling with Subaru as his body was blasted back onto the ground. He felt pain on his hands and wrists, but reinforcement had saved them from being burned badly, and also spared him of any major injuries outside of those burns and some bruises.
Subaru looked to the handle, the weapon's blade was completely broken into pieces on the ground.
It was now just a reliability.
Just like him.
He struggled to get on his feet, "Again… Every time… I'm sick of this, I'm sick of these guys and I'm sick of being useless!"
He stole the dagger from a nearby cult member's body, and threw it at the magic user, the cult member didn't have time to stop his spellcaster before the dagger struck the side of his head, killing him.
"Take that you crazy wizard rip-off," Subaru insulted.
But now he lost his weapon.
"Ul Frum Dah!" Ram shouted as she conjured another shield to block the four other magic users casting numerous spells at her, aiming for the wagons.
Subaru glanced around him.
He noticed the villagers losing.
A man, dying by being backstabbed.
A cultist slashing the tendons of another.
Ram being blasted again and again with fire, the shield around her growing weaker as her magical energy expended itself. Her face filled with determination despite losing slowly.
The surrounding bodies of both cult and villager.
A great fire.
A numerous dying people around him.
He's tired of this.
He's tired of this!
'I need a weapon…' He trailed off.
His body felt hot, burning, like a molting rod pressed against him.
'A powerful weapon… A strong, unbeatable weapon…!'
A duo magic circuits flicked to life, coursing through him, electrifying his nerves. They pushed outward, od pumping into them as prana flooded Subaru's body with extremity.
His hands reached out, body standing upright, the palms reaching to grab something that yet to be there.
The image of a legendary blade, grand, formidable, carried by a knight hailing from a distinguished ancestry, his crimson hair a part of his unforgettable character. It was the same knight who chose to wield a run-of-the-mill sword to fend off that terrifying assassin, a sultry, bloodthirsty, and hellbent woman in a seductive dark dress with multiple jagged machetes that glint in the light despite their dark tint of violet and charcoal black.
Judging the concept of creation,
It was a sword created eons ago, older than even the witch, handed down generation to generation.
Hypothesizing the basic structure,
A large blade, that can be wielded either one-handed or two-handed, but its users always preferred the latter.
Duplicating the composition material,
The materials were made long ago, the ingots lost from the passing ages.
Imitating the skill of its making,
It was forged by multiple master blacksmiths, all conjoining as one to create the ultimate blade for a hero, it's essence given form with the help of a dragon.
Sympathizing with the experience of its growth,
It had been used in only the greatest of battles, with the worthiest of opponents, but it was no stranger with lesser ones. It was used by generations of Sword Saints, blessed to be given to each by the world as the previous died and a new one rose.
Reproducing the accumulated years,
Decades to centuries, hundred to a thousand, the sword has pressed with, battling elements and wear with ease, taken care of by each Sword Saint.
Excelling every manufacturing process!
Natsuki Subaru felt his body burn, the heat tempting to burst out, his hands shook as prana formed and condensed into a shape within the grasp of his palms and fingers.
"Trace…!" Subaru said.
His circuits increased their efforts, the two magic lines nearly imploding with magical energy converting at an incredible rate.
A shape took form, a large weapon, a sword, with the handle in his grasp as the energy twisted, contorted, and the concept became realized into the world, the image projected into the world.
"On!" He finished.
It became real.
Ryuuken Reido, Dragon Sword Reid.
He struggled to control himself, the sword gripped tightly in his hands as the prana within him threatened to override his senses and reasoning as well as the sense of power coursing through his veins. Small arcs of leaked prana sparked around the Dragon Sword Reid's form, remnants of the recent first-time usage of that particular magecraft.
Subaru raised his head, glaring at the cult members.
They responded in kind, having come out of their stupor and launched a barrage of fireballs at him.
His body moved, his arms suddenly having a will of their own as the masterfully cut down the magic with the Dragon Sword, it sliced and slashed, causing the magic to disperse harmlessly away from him or to be dispelled altogether.
Natsuki Subaru had no skill, Natsuki Subaru was not a Sword Saint.
The Dragon Blade Ried was only wielded by Sword Saints.
As such, the Dragon Blade will make Natsuki Subaru a Sword Saint.
It will accept nothing less.
Subaru rushed forward, the blade trailing behind in a sweeping motion, his speed, his newly acquired skill excelled the cult members' own by miles.
The magic users died on the spot, the sword itself seemed to have reached out in a powerful aftershock nearly seen as a gust of the wind that split apart the cultists into two pieces.
Subaru switched positions quickly, the blade turning in his hands as he twisted and launched his body once again, cutting down another cult members before he could react. Subaru raised the Dragon Sword, parrying a dagger then encircled around him before diagonally slashed across the criminal, killing him.
His body hurts, it hurts so much, it wasn't used to this.
Multiple daggers were thrown at him, he raised Dragon Sword Ried and deflecting each of them with by few simple flicks. Then ran over to them, and cut down their retreating forms, only two or three of them escaped into the forest.
They would pose no threat now.
"I…" Subaru began to say, "Is everyone alright?" He questioned as he relaxed his form.
Then, the Dragon Sword Ried vanished, dispersing into particles of yellow prana lights that disappeared into nothing.
Natsuki Subaru's form swayed, his circuits felt like they were on fire despite now being turned off, his body ached in large amounts of pain; he attempted to take a step towards Ram.
And he collapsed.
Darkness enveloped him.