Alright so I am once again updating this story. I'm glad so many of you are liking the divergence for the story and I'll try to keep this as entertaining as possible.

Typhon woke up with a yawn, it had been a long time since any of them even slept and the little girl was wondering if it was because of Baru, not because of him boring them but because he made a contract with them. She took care when she moved, being careful not to disturb Sekhmet whom she had fallen asleep on. Looking around she noticed most of the others were still asleep. Feeling a bit peckish she went to grab something to eat from the kitchen. It was weird the food in the kitchen wasn't exactly real it but it tasted as such. Daphne had explained it was all made from Baru's memories so hopefully, it meant he ate well. Passing by the table she noticed Chidna was still awake, it looked like hadn't even slept a wink being too busy looking through her notes.

"Morning Chidna." She greeted, causing the Greedy Witch to jolt from her drowsy stupor. Echidna turned to her and greeted her with a small smile.

"Good morning, Typhon. I trust you slept well. Are you feeling better now?" Echidna asked with a yawn.

"Yeah…my tummy feels fine now but it still tickles a little," Typhon answered. "Did you get any sleep last night?" Typhon asked.

"Of course I did." Echidna trailed off but Typhon glared at her. "not." Echidna admitted. "Alright fine I was up the whole night reading analyzing these notes." She told the girl. "It's not like I need to sleep anyway."

"Mommy says sleep important, not just for the body but also the mind." Typhon countered. "Since you have the brightest mind here, you should take of it," Typhon explained.

"Very well Typhon. I'll get some sleep later but only after I test something." Echidna told the little girl.

"Do you promise?" Typhon asked.

"Yes yes, I promise," Echidna admitted. "Speaking off which I think you can actually help me." She told the little witch as she stretched out her palm. A little black device appeared in her palm, one similar to Subaru's cell phone but black and white instead of with butterflies decorating it.

"What is that?" Typhon asked. "Looks like Baru's phone." She noted.

"It's a replica I made and altered." Echidna explained. "I used quite a bit of mana to make this but after a few tries and no sleep, I think I got it," Echidna said as she opened the phone and started pressing some keys.

"Wow, that's so cool," Typhon said in amazement. Echidna merely smiled as she handed the phone to Typhon. Echidna gave her a rather brief and simple summary of its usage trying to reiterate some of Subaru's earlier points.

"Give it a try," Echidna said.

Subaru used to be a heavy sleeper. It usually took his father to wake him up and usually his dad did it in a special way. When he got transported between worlds he was still one but he soon broke out of the habit in the past few months whenever the loops started becoming very constrained and they had to deal with all the various problems that either tried to kill him or those around him. So when his phone started vibrating on his person and making a loud ringing noise, after so many months of being dead. He almost freaked out. Well, he did freak out and fall out of his bed.

"What the hell?" He thought as he winced. He felt his ringing…wait that wasn't his ears. Reaching inside his pocket he took out his phone in surprise. For so many months it hadn't rung and now all of a sudden it was ringing like crazy. He flipped it open to see a very familiar name appear on the caller ID, Echidna. He contemplated hanging it up and going back to bed but his curiosity got the better of him. He answered the call and held it to ear. "Hello." He answered.

"BARU, BARU, IT'S ME, TYPHON. CAN YOU HEAR ME?" A loud voice asked.

"Typhon?" He asked. "Yeah I can hear you, but can you talk a little softer." He told her.

"Sorry," Typhon said sheepishly. "Is this better?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's better," Subaru answered before he realized what was happening. "How are you talking to me on my phone?" He asked in confusion.

"Echidna used her magic and made her own," Typhon said. "Oh wait…look she's right here," Typhon said as she handed the phone to Echidna.

"Hello, Subaru." Echidna's voice greeted.

"Okay. I'll admit it. For as crazy and terrifying as you are, you do have some skills." He admitted. "You actually replicated my phone." He said impressed.

"Well yes and no." Echidna explained. "I merely used the concepts you told me to help make our connection a little easier. I used your real phone as a beacon for my magic and applied the same principles that you described. Replicating it completely is impossible due to both a lack of resources and a lack of a body to study the real thing." She noted.

"Well, regardless you still did something," Subaru said.

"If I didn't make use of it then it would be just a waste of both our time." She answered. She then went on in detail to explain the finer details about the new connection to his phone. It should make communicating a lot easier since they could speak without the Witches leaving his home and they could now leave messages on his phone if need be among other things. According to Echidna, she was going to see about making more for the other Witches to use as well.

"Still find it impressive you were able to do this." He repeated.

"I made a lot of Metia when I was alive. This was a child's play." She admitted with a yawn. "Well, I'm going to bed now. This took a whole night to do." She told him.

"Well then good night," Subaru said as he hung up. "Alright time to go and find Reinhard." Subaru thought.

Puck glanced at Emilia. She was doing her studies for the royal selection but something had seemed off with her. Her mind didn't seem to be quite there and he had an idea why. It was because of that Subaru boy they had met. He had gotten along quite well with Emilia and from what Puck felt; Emilia had really taken a liking to him. The spirit cat was happy for that, it wasn't like Emilia had many friends due to circumstances despite her friendly demeanor but if there was one thing that worried him though was the scents on the boy.

He had thought it was just a trick the first time that he was just making a mistake. He had smelt 7 different scents, seven different miasmas emitting from the boy. He recognized the normal miasma often associated with the Witch of Envy but with the exception of one other scent the others were foreign to him. He didn't say anything for Emilia's sake, the boy had no ill intention and from what he heard a Demon Beast had arrived to save both Emilia and the rest of them from the Bowel Hunter when Puck's timer went out so he was still giving him the benefit of the doubt.

He had heard many stories about the Witch Cult targeting half-elf girls as sacrifices for Satella and considering Emilia's situation…he had reason to be worried. Then there was also the rather uncomfortable familiarity the boy had with Satella's name. He said it was cute. That name was taboo, associated with the most powerful witch in the land, one who almost destroyed the world and created the Demon Beasts…and he called it cute. Either he was stupid beyond imagination or brave beyond reason. He did not know. Hopefully, the next time he sees him it will still be on good terms and he can clarify some of those issues with Puck.

"Seriously…the Witch of Envy…cute." Puck muttered to himself. "As if."

"Wow," Subaru said as he looked at the sight before him. Satella and Typhon were now wearing matching hoodies with what looked to be wolf ears and green fur, matching Apollo's quite well. The reasoning…Subaru had bought a cloak for himself to avoid standing out so much and after they saw how Echidna changed her clothes…Satella and Typhon wanted to join in as well. Of course, they had no interest in school uniforms so they tried to find something else, and Lo and Behold they now had green fur wolf hoodies. It was really cute in his opinion, he wanted to take a picture so bad, and as a matter of fact, he did, taking full advantage of his phone being able to record the Witches.

"Hey snap out of it," Minerva said as she interrupted him. "We've still got to talk to Reinhard…you can gush at them after." She told him.

"Oh right! Reinhard." Subaru answered. It had taken a bit of searching and asking for directions but he had finally found the knight. "Um excuse me, Reinhard?" He asked the knight.

"Yes, that's me," Reinhard answered. "Can I help you with something?" The Sword Saint asked.

"As a matter of fact you can but we can't talk here," Subaru told him as they moved to a more secluded place. "I have important information I need to discuss with you regarding the royal candidates," Subaru explained.

"What sort of information?" Reinhard asked cautiously.

"I know who the fifth candidate is," Subaru stated.

"Are you sure?" Reinhard asked. "What proof do you have?"

"Yesterday I met with another candidate. A half-elf girl called Emilia, who was also a candidate. She had her insignia with her. During that encounter, through certain circumstances, the insignia fell into the hands of another girl and said insignia glowed." Subaru explained. "If you wish to see for yourself I can take you to her and you can judge for yourself," Subaru explained.

"Very well," Reinhard said. "But just be warned that if this is a trick, there will be consequences." He threatened.

"I assure I'm telling the truth," Subaru said. Reinhard soon left leaving Subaru in the alley. "Well, that went better than I thought." He admitted.

"Yeah but now shouldn't we go and tell Felt and Rom," Satella noted. "If I recall correctly Felt didn't exactly… like being dragged into this." She noted. Felt had attempted to kick Reinhard in the public during her announcement and Rom had mistaken them for kidnapping her and had almost gotten himself killed rescuing her.

"Oh right," Subaru said. If he could help ease the tension then this would definitely work out in his favor. However, considering Reinhard had a whole month to try and convince her and still failed…he wondered if he could it with less than a day.

"Ha hahaha. That's a good one." Felt laughed. Subaru and Old Man Rom just stared at the girl who was laughing uncontrollably after he told her the news. Well at least he didn't get kicked by Felt, so that was a plus. "Can you believe this guy, Rom? Me..a candidate." Felt said.

"Um, Felt…I don't think he's joking," Rom told her. Felt stopped her laughter for a moment and then stared at the two of them.

"What do you mean? Of course, he's joking. Look at me, do you really think I can be some sort of ruler." She said.

"Felt…I'm serious. When you touched Emilia's insignia, it glowed right. That means you are one of the potential candidates who can rule." Subaru explained.

"Sorry but I'm not interested," Felt said. "Besides even if I did go, who would want a slum rat to lead?" She noted. "People would much rather choose the wealthier nobles." She said.

"You don't know that. The future isn't set stone." Subaru said recalling Echidna's words on the Gospel. "Plus it can be a chance for you to have a better life and to move on." He told her.

"And who says I want a better life?" Felt argued. "What if I am happy living my life here?" She asked him. She was pretending. He knew that. She had told him herself that she didn't want to stay here but she wasn't going to change and become something she wasn't. She had her pride.

"Felt Subaru's right." Old Man Rom interjected. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and it would foolish if you passed it up."

"Wait what are you taking his side?" Felt accused.

"I'm taking your side," Rom explained. "This life…it's not for you. It's not for anyone really. If you have a chance to leave it then you should take it." He told her.

"I can't believe this," Felt said as she stormed out. Subaru tried to go after her but Rom stopped him.

"Give her some time." He told him. "She needs to take this all in," Rom told him.

"Yeah, it's a lot to take in I suppose," Subaru told him.

"Just for the record, you are sure about this?" Rom asked. "This isn't some sort of trick because if it is I swear, I'll beat you into a pulp," Rom told him.

"Believe me, it's the truth as unbelievable as it sounds," Subaru told him.

It was evening and the day was almost over. Subaru hadn't actually done anything else besides stay and help Rom fix up his shop. It turns out cleaning up Emilia's ice crystals was more difficult than he thought since he lacked any sort of magic. Nevertheless, he had managed to help clear it out, with Apollo aiding in getting rid of some.

"Greetings Subaru," Reinhard announced as he arrived. "My apologizes for taking so long but getting the insignia was a little more troublesome than I thought it would be."

"No worries Reinhard," Subaru told him. He then heard a cough behind him. "Oh yeah, this Old Man Rom. He's Felt's grandpa." Subaru explained.

"A pleasure to meet you," Reinhard said as he extended a hand to Rom. The giant took it and shook it trying to apply force as a means to intimidate the knight unfortunately for him Reinhard was unaware of it entirely. "So where is this potential candidate, Felt was it?" Reinhard said.

"Well about that…she kind off…" Subaru's voice trailed as he was about to explain she had run when a loud shout caught their attention.

"LEMME GO!" Felt complained. Rom instinctively reached for his club while Reinhard got into a fighting stance at the first sign of danger and Subaru…Subaru wondered what the hell happened this time. They were about to run outside when the doors were kicked open revealing Apollo…who had Felt hoisted upon his back. Subaru didn't know if to be worried or not about the Beast's antics. He wondered which Witch commanded him to this. Luckily Apollo merely rested Felt gently on the ground before the girl returned a swift kick to the Demon Beast who for the most part remained relatively unfazed by it. Felt immediately run over to Rom and Apollo meanwhile went and leaned against a wall much to his surprise.

"Felt are you okay?" Rom asked as he kept his eyes on the beast.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I wasn't watching where I was going and I almost tripped and fell off the roof. Luckily for me, this idiot grabbed me but he didn't let me go." Felt explained.

"So this beast, he is a friend of yours?" Reinhard asked as he relaxed his stance.

"Hell if I know," Felt admitted. "He just showed up yesterday but enough about him. Who are you?" She asked.

"My apologies; I am the sword saint, Reinhard van Astrea. I have come to see if you are a candidate for the throne." Reinhard said as he produced an insignia from his jacket though unlike Emilia's it seemed rather dim.

"Alright fine let's get this over with," Felt said as she walked up and to take the insignia. She was still doubtful she was a candidate so hopefully, this would get Subaru and Rom to shut up. She snatched it from hand. "See nothing happened." She said almost immediately. "Too bad so sad, guess you'll have to look harder next time." She said dismissively.

"Um, Felt…..you might want to look again," Rom told her.

"What….oh," Felt said as she looked down. True to Subaru's words the insignia was glowing in her hand just like it did with Emilia's.

"Congratulations. Lady Felt, you are a candidate for the royal selection." Reinhard said with enthusiasm.

"Congratulations Felt." Old Man Rom said.

"Wait a minute. Hold on a sec." Felt stuttered. "Are you sure it's me? This isn't some mistake right?" She said.

"Sorry, Felt it doesn't seem so," Subaru noted.

"So um…what's gonna happen now?" Felt asked nervously.

"Well now that you are a candidate, you are going to need someone to support you," Reinhard said. "I will be more than happy to do so." The Sword Saint explained. He then went to give further details about what it meant and from the looks on Felt's face, Subaru could tell she wasn't pleased.

"Listen I don't care about any of that ruling stuff so I'm not going," Felt said. "I can't just leave everything to go," Felt said once more.

"Felt," Rom said.

"No, I am not listening Rom. I'm not gonna leave you behind." She told him. Reinhard watched the interaction; he knew what needed to be done.

"Wait Lady Felt could you hear me out for just for a second," Reinhard interjected.

"What now?"

"Lady Felt if you agree to give being a candidate a chance you can bring along whoever you wished." Reinhard offered. "I will be more than happy to provide you all a place to stay." He told them. Felt was surprised by this. Rom and Subaru however knew he had her now.

"Well Felt what do you say?" Rom asked her once more.

"Alright, fine. I'll give it a shot." She told them.

"Perfect I wish you and Rom all the best," Subaru said as he hurried to leave. He wasn't actually planning to leave but he knew if he played it like that he could get the desired outcome.

"Oh, no…you aren't getting out that easy," Felt said as she grabbed him. "You were the one to drag me into this mess, so you're coming too." She told him. Hook, Line, and Sinker. Was he proud of it? No, not in the slightest…okay maybe a little but it needed to be done. However all of their thoughts were immediately interrupted when a loud growl rumbled in the room, they all turned their eyes to the source. It was Apollo.

So I did some research and I don't think Reinhard can sense the miasma...he didn't notice it from Subaru beforehand otherwise I felt he would talk to him about it from the moment he rescued him. I am also glad that the whole shipping situation is handled. I was worried about that for a second but I am glad to see that was all for nothing.

As for Apollo...he's a Demon Beast sure but I feel so long as he doesn't go...slashy slashy McKills a lot, most people won't be able to tell him apart from a regular demihuman. They couldn't tell the puppies apart after all. For those of you wondering, Apollo is more of a werewolf but he can still move on all fours. The best example I can think of for him is for people to search up Megaman Cybeast Gregar to get an idea of what he looks like.

Echidna and the phones...yeah I figured I'd try this. He has 7 arguably 8 people connected to him now. He's gonna need a way to try to channel and connect with them in a way that doesn't drive you crazy.

Not much Witch interactions here but we got Reinhard.

One thing about dealing with a rather large cast is that I need to pace myself with them so I am sorry if it feels kind of slow with the startup, but it's all to help develop the characters.

So thanks again for reading and I'll see you later.