Note: this chapter has been edited at least 3 hours after it's release. I'd recommend you reread it if you view it earlier.

"Puck….Puck…..Puck." A familiar voice called out to the cat spirit. Puck's eyes slowly opened as he regained his senses. The silhouette of what he assumed was his daughter was the first thing he saw. "Oh good, you're awake." She said.

"Lia?" He asked in confusion.

"Um, I think you have me confused for some else." The girl said. Puck blinked as he tried to recall what was going on. He had gone to the village with Emilia, they ran into Subaru, he forcefully entered the boy's mind and he met the…

"WITCHES!" Puck remarked as he jumped back. The girl…no the witch in front of him just let out a light giggle at his expression. He paled when he looked at her and realized just how accurate all the rumors were. She looked and sounded just like Emilia but if what he heard was true then she was….SATELLA.

"Well I can't say you're wrong, nor can I say that reaction wasn't expected," Satella said casually as she took a sip from her teacup, before spitting it out. "Yuck, 400 years and you still make awful tea, Echidna" She grimaced.

"I'd like to see you do better." A woman with white hair, Echidna told the Witch of Envy. Puck soon glanced around and noticed he was now by a table in the middle of a wide-open set of grassy hills. The only thing insight was the two witches in front of him. He tried to fly back but found himself stopped by a barrier of sorts.

"Don't bother trying," Echidna said. "You won't get 6 feet away from us." She told him as she casually sipped her tea.

"If you think you can kill me that easy then you have another thing coming." Puck said as he charged for them only to smack right into an invisible barrier right in front of the Witches before he slid down and landed flat on his back.

"Think he'll break his jaw trying to gnaw it after?" Satella asked.

"Nah, I made him a lot smarter than that….I think." Echidna replied. Satella took a page from Subaru's book and splashed Puck with the tea she had been drinking to revive him. "Really?" Echidna asked. Surprisingly Puck came too much quicker this time.

"If it works…it works." Satella shrugged. Puck sat back up once more. "So are you ready to talk now?" Satella asked.

"I have nothing to say to you." Puck said.

"Then don't talk, just listen…okay?" Satella pleaded. Puck looked at her and he felt all kinds of confused. "We have no intention of hurting Emilia," Satella said. "I give you my word." She told him.

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Puck said. "If I recall you destroyed, half the world made all the Demon Beasts and that damn Witch cult follows you around. Your word means nothing to me." Puck yelled before he felt himself get doused by another cup of tea. "Ouch." He yelped. That one was hot.

"You're right…it does work." Echidna told Satella before turning to Puck, "And I thought you said you had nothing to say." She told him. Puck merely growled at her. "Oh please do you think you can do anything here," Echidna told him. "You have no powers and you're trapped here. If we wanted we could have destroyed you and replace you with a fake spirit and no one would be the wiser."

"Ha don't kid yourself; nothing you make could ever rival me, I'm sure Lia would see through any phony creation of yours." Puck told Echidna, though the witch merely smirked.

"If you say so," Echidna said to humor him. "But like I said…you have nothing going for you here….the only thing you can do is listen to us….if you want to ever see your precious Emilia again." Echidna said. She was very well aware of how she worded it, it was the truth but it sounded like a threat. He'd see more into it than they would intend, unfortunately for her Satella had a different method of approaching the topic.

"What Echidna means…is that you hear us out, we'll let you go," Satella said. "And we won't do anything bad to Emilia…I promise." She said once more.

"Either you talk or we subjugate you to more…playtime with the others. Typhon still thinks you need more punishment for all that you did to Subaru and Sekhmet says she wonders if your fur is just a soft comfortable to lie on as it looks." Echidna threatened.

"Please we honestly mean you no ill intent." Satella pleaded. "About this…we'll give you whatever information you want…if you tell us what we want to know, we both benefit from this." She told him.

"Either that or you stay silent; we'll take the route where only we benefit from using you for our amusement," Echidna added.

Puck took a deep breath…he was going to regret this later but he had no other choices now. It could be a trap but it was the only option now. "Fine," He told them. "I'll listen." He said. Before he even realized what happened, Satella had grabbed him and pulled him into a hug much to his surprise while repeatedly saying 'thank you'.

"I can't believe that worked." Echidna thought as she sipped some tea. Daphne had told them what Puck's intentions were but they still needed more info and while Echidna was willing to do whatever it took to get it, Satella and Minerva and their soft hearts wanted them to spare Puck in hopes of not ruining things for Subaru. In the end, Carmilla had one more suggestion for them to use to get information out of cat spirit. A technique she read about in Subaru's many mangas.

"It's called Good cop/ Bad cop or in this case Good Witch/ Bad Witch. One of you threatens him and the other acts nice." She told the two.

"Well, we know you won't be bad unless you let Envy out so I'll be Bad Witch." Echidna had told Satella. She had expected it to fail and then have them resort to the more drastic measures but it surprisingly didn't. Maybe she would try reading some of that manga herself. Back in the present Echidna had to drop the act a little as she had to stop Satella from smothering Puck, much to the spirit's relief, despite her own desire to let him suffer for disobeying and subsequently forgetting her.

"Okay, so we'll start," Echidna told him. "Why are you here?" She asked.

"I already told you, I came to see why Subaru reeked of the seven Witches….though now that I know all seven of you are here I can see why he smelt so…strange." Puck said.

"That's surprising…I was sure you were going to say something else," Echidna said. Puck shuddered at his memories of the bathe came back. Don't ever tell the witches they stink…it won't end well.

"Good now you can ask us anything you want," Satella told him.

"Why are the 7 of you here?" Puck said without missing a beat. Figures he would ask that. It was the most obvious thing.

"We are here because we want to help Subaru fulfill his dream," Satella said.

"And what exactly is his dream?" Puck asked.

"Not so fast…that's two questions." Echidna pointed out. "Answer this first and then we'll tell you." She told him.

"Fine." Puck responded

"Why did Emilia and the maids come to town?" Echidna asked.

"Roswaal, her sponsor for the royal selection, thought it would be a good idea for her to get acquainted with the people of the village since she's running to become the ruler of Luginca." Puck answered. "He said the people need to get to know their future 'King' and it will boost her morale."

"I see," Echidna said.

"Now answer me, what is Subaru's dream?" Puck asked.

"Subaru's dream is for his friends and family to all have a happy life and for all their goals and dreams to come through," Satella said with a smile. It was what he wanted honestly. He had a habit of always putting everyone else before himself and not including himself in the people he saved.

"And you all are just helping out of the goodness of your heart?" Puck followed up.

"Hey…that's another extra question." Echidna pointed out. "You have to answer our first. This exchange has to be mutual." She pointed.

"Ask away then." Puck grumbled.

"Do you have a justifiable reason for hating us?" Echidna asked. He had sealed his memories up he wouldn't remember her or anyone else from his past. Whatever reasons he had for disliking them would have formed after he made the contract the half-elf and if they could weaken that resolve they could make things a little easier for themselves and Subaru. Puck was already so single-track minded that Echidna was confident that so long they agreed to help or at the very least, not harm, Emilia, then he would agree to help them even if he despised the idea.

"What kind of question?" Puck asked. "Sure I may not know anything about you." Echidna frowned at this remark as he turned to Satella "But she is the Witch of Envy….she destroyed half the world."

"Didn't you agree to destroy the world if Emilia died?" Echidna responded.

"That's….." Puck was silent for a moment.

"Different." Echidna finished. "You both somehow reached destroying the world as your next logical step and you think your reason is justifiable and not hers." She added. She could see his expression falter as he realized he had landed himself in a corner. That was one blow.

"She made the Demon Beasts, to terrorize the lands." He argued.

"That was Daphne…the Witch of Gluttony." Echidna corrected. "She made the Demon Beasts not Satella, that's a common misconception." The Witch of Greed pointed out.

"One of you Witches still made them." He pointed out.

"I'll agree to that but only one Witch made them…Daphne…the rest of us had nothing to do with it," Echidna argued. "So are you judging all of us based on the actions of one of our own, then can we assume all humans are sadists, psychopaths just like that woman you fought a few days ago? That is what you are implying, right?" Echidna asked.

"That's not it all. I was just saying that you are…."

"Guilty by association, kind of like how Emilia is accused of being associated with us, despite never once interacting with us" Echidna pointed out. "How can you be sure we even knew about the Demon Beasts' creation? You all just assumed it came from Satella; so what else about them could be lies?" Echidna asked.

"The Witch cult..." Puck interrupted, "The Witch-Cult follows her and treats her like a Goddess." He interjected. He had gotten them there surely… they couldn't deny this one right?

Echidna and Satella looked at each other before they merely started laughing. It shouldn't be funny. They should be mad at him for saying such a ridiculous thing but it was clear he was starting to get desperate if he was grasping at that idea. At least to them, it was funny, to Puck them laughing was starting to unnerve him.

"You believe we are associated with those fools?" Echidna asked. "They know nothing of us and neither do we know them." She told him. "They are merely a bunch of scum who saw Satella's name as sort of protection and attempt to use it as a means to invoke fear, besides didn't Emilia once claim she was Satella as well, what sort of reasoning did she have for doing that again?"Echidna told him. "Neither do we acknowledge them nor do we wish to." She informed the cat.

"Subaru is the only human alive whom I acknowledge," Satella informed.

"And how can I be so sure you aren't lying?" Puck argued.

"I suppose you can't…you'll just have to trust us," Satella said dejectedly.

"Why would we lie to you?" Echidna asked. "Like I said before if we wanted we could make you destroy you in an instant or better yet erase memory." She told him. "Speaking of which do you even remember your name?" Echidna asked.

"My name," _ said. "Of course I remember it. It's…" _ stopped. He couldn't remember his name. What was his name? He remembered introducing himself to Emilia but he couldn't recall his name. It was on the tip of his tongue.

"Is it…Baru?" Echidna teased. "Or maybe it's Kitty? Hector? Guese? Puck? Flugel?" She asked.

"No, none of those feels right." _ said. It had to be in here somewhere.

"Echidna that's enough," Satella said. "Give him back his memory." She told the Greedy Witch.

"Alright fine…here you go….Puck." Echidna whispered to the cat. His eyes widened as he finally recalled his name before he stared at the Witch in horror. "Now do you believe that we truly have no reason to lie?" She asked.

"I-I suppose you don't." Puck admitted as he held his head down. They had shot down all his reasons for hating them and had proven it wouldn't take much to lie to him if they could just mess with his memories so what exactly was he supposed to do now.

"Now Puck, we've already told you we have no intention of hurting Emilia," Satella said. "Subaru loves her very much and he wants nothing more than to make her happy," Satella explained. Puck did not know why but he could feel the discomfort emitting from the Witch of Envy as she said those words. "And we all agreed to help him with his wish."

"Why are you helping him then?" Puck asked. "What are you all getting from this?"

"I…I love him," Satella said. "He gave me everything…when I was alone he never left me and he taught me about the outside world." She told Puck much to his surprise. "Whatever I can do to help and support him…I'll do it." She explained.

"That was…Are you sure you're supposed to be the Witch of Envy?" Puck asked in bewilderment only to be doused in tea again. "What was that for?" He asked Echidna.

"Don't even start that conversation," She told the cat. "And as for the rest of us, we all have our own selfish goals," Echidna told him. "Camilla wishes to see him finally acquire 'true' love, whatever that means is beyond me. Typhon likes him because he is a 'good' person and she wishes for him to punish bad people and Sekhmet supports him because Typhon supports him." Echidna explained.

"Minerva wants him to use her powers and our powers to save people," Satella added; that was surprising for Puck to hear. A witch wanted to save people just because. "And Daphne…she wants him to satisfy her by killing off all the Demon Beasts she made," Satella explained.

"That's….that's um." Puck stammered. Those were their 'selfish' reasons. Satella because of love, Camilla out of a desire to see love, Typhon to punish bad people, Sekhmet because Typhon agreed, Minerva to heal, and Daphne to satisfy and kill the Demon beasts…..yeah something told him he was still missing something here. He turned to Echidna. "What about you? What do you get from him?" He asked her.

"Who me, I simply get all the knowledge he possesses of his homeland," She said simply. "All I seek is to know everything that's out there and Subaru just so happens to be a very valuable source for me." She told him as she reached and petted his fur only for him to back away.

"And none of you seek world domination or destruction or something like that?" He asked. The two just glanced at each other before looking back at him.

"Honestly why would we do that, it's way more work than any of us would want," Echidna said. Typhon doesn't care about that stuff, Daphne only cares about eating, Camilla only wants love, Minerva just wants to stop pain and suffering, Sekhmet is Sekhmet, Satella only wants what Subaru wants to be happy and Echidna herself wouldn't be able to study if she had to deal with all the problems that came under ruling a nation much less the world. Could they do it….possibly but you got to think of long-term goals about what you want and desire after.

Yeah, it was official Puck had no clue what to think about the Witches.

"So can we be assured that if we send you back to the real world now, you won't harm Subaru?" Echidna asked.

"I'll still kill him if he tries to hurt Emilia." Puck said. He was staying firm on that belief.

"Well that's fair…I suppose I don't care if he lives or dies," Echidna said. SPLASH! Surprisingly it wasn't Puck who was doused with tea this time but rather the Witch of Greed had been splashed by Satella. "I should have seen that coming," Echidna muttered.

"Just be thankful, tea is all I am throwing at you," Satella said and Puck would be lying if he said he wasn't being intimidated by her sudden change in demeanor. Even the world around them seemed to darken with the Witch of Envy's mood. Luckily it returned to normal after Satella took a moment to calm herself before turning to Puck.

"So aside from the whole Emilia dies, Subaru dies, trade-off," Satella said with a little disgust. "Are we clear on this…you won't hurt Subaru and we won't hurt Emilia?"

"Crystal." Puck said.

"Oh one last thing," Echidna said as she extended a small cup of tea for him. "For all your troubles," The witch said. Surprisingly Puck decided to humor the witch because they were mostly in a good mood and he wasn't going to risk, besides what was the worst that could happen.

"Hmm. This isn't half bad." Puck said as he took a drink. "What is it?"

"Echidna's body fluids," Satella said as she moved away. Puck immediately did a spit take of the tea, directly into the Echidna's face. Surprisingly this got Satella to let out a soft giggle much to her fellow Witch's dismay.

"Hehe." Puck said. Echidna merely brought her finger up to his forehead before she flicked him and sent him flying away from the table and right out into the real world.

"Ow." Subaru winced as he woke up. What happened-oh right. "Puck," He called out. "Puck!" He repeated.

"Over here," The cat spirit said. He was still a bit dazed and he felt really weak. His mana supply was nearly exhausted as well from that stunt.

"Are you okay?" Subaru asked. He was worried. What did Puck see exactly? Was he going to kill him now?

"Yeah, I'm okay." Puck said as he sat up. "Just a little low on mana, that's all." He explained as he sat up. "That was one hell of a trip, I'll tell you that." Puck said.

"So…um you aren't gonna kill me, right?" Subaru asked nervously.

"So long as Emilia doesn't get hurt, I won't try to kill you," Puck explained. "Although I'll be honest you were right…I did regret doing that." He grimaced.

"How bad was it?" Subaru asked.

"I may never bathe again nor drink tea." Puck shuddered.

"I understand the tea but the bath…you know what never mind," Subaru said.

"Still to think you earned the respect and assistance of the 7." Puck said. "You truly are something." The cat spirit admitted. "But if Emilia has an ally with that kind of power I can't say I won't mind. If you love her like Satella says then I won't need to worry…. hopefully." He added.

"So you spoke to her, I can imagine that went well," Subaru said nervously as he scratched behind the head.

"She looks just like Lia….not even just a small resemblance or similar features but she looked exactly like her." Puck said nervously, "I'm never going to look at my daughter the same way again."

"Should I be offended by that?" Satella's voice rang behind Subaru as she materialized behind him.

"I'll ask," Subaru told her mentally. "Hey Puck, she wants to know if that's a compliment or an insult."

"Wait she can hear me?" Puck asked in shock as he looked around.

"She's technically only visible and audible to me, but yeah, she's right behind me and she can see and hear you," Subaru explained.

"It's a compliment...It's a compliment." He said. Puck was not going to be able to sleep peacefully for the next few months if ever.

Eventually, Subaru had managed to calm Puck down from his near panic attack and they made their way back to the market to find Emilia and the maids waiting for them. "Hey boys." Emilia greeted as Puck leaped into her arms. He gave her a once over making sure she was who he thought she was before nuzzling into her neck.

"What's gotten into you Puck?" Emilia asked.

"Nothing. You just smell really nice." He said.

"Oh well if you want I can give you a bath.."

"NO BATHS." Puck yelled surprising everyone. "Sorry." He said. "You know…cat and water, not a good mixture." He said nervously. "Besides I'm a little exhausted." He yawned.

"Huh but it's not even 5 yet?" Emilia asked.

"Hehe…I just used up some extra mana during my time with Subaru." Puck joked. "You know how fathers can be when boys around their daughters." He laughed.

"I'm not sure I understand but okay Puck, take a good rest," Emilia said as Puck returned to the crystal she wore. "Well, it was nice seeing you again," Emilia said. "Hey you know I don't live too far here, why don't you come by place for dinner?" Emilia asked.

"Wait is she asking me on a date?" Subaru thought. He would have loved nothing more than to say yes; unfortunately, he would have to decline. He hoped that by showing disinterest in the mansion and Emilia it would be enough to dissuade Ram and Rem. He wasn't freeloading by the mansion and it's not like they could say he was a spy for another faction….although he would fit the role now since he technically was a part of Felt's camp now. Emilia seemed a little disappointed but she tried to hide it and it pained Subaru a lot because he knew from what Puck said that she was lonely and didn't have many friends. He felt guilty…he needed to figure something out…wait a second.

"Hey Emilia….how about next week, you come to the capital; and we can have a date," Subaru told her.

"A date?" Emilia asked.

"Yeah…you know when a boy and a girl spend some time together." He explained. "Just make sure you secure that insignia of yours before you come." He reminded.

"Hmm…well I guess I can see if I can spare some time," Emilia said.

"Awesome."

Suddenly a cough interrupted them. It was Ram. "Pardon my interruption Ms. Emilia but it is getting late. We must return to Manor or Lord Roswaal will not be pleased."

"Oh, that's right," Emilia said. "Sorry, Subaru but I'll have to go now. I'll see you next week." She said as she bid him farewell.

"See you later, Emilia," Subaru said as he took a deep breath.

"This is a terrible idea," Satella said as she watched Subaru wait by the tree. "You're athletic sure but you can't beat her." She told him. Subaru was currently waiting for Rem to show up despite the protests of the other witches. He had anticipated that she'd come back to finish him knowing he was covered with miasma. Even if all the evidence was proof to the contrary, even if he did everything right she would still try to kill him. It was one of the few memories that haunted him the most. His relationship with Rem had been a balancing act. In one loop she would beat him mercilessly for answers and no matter how much he pleaded, she would kill him. Yet he didn't let that stop him, he tried his best, he pulled out all the stops and in the other loops, he saved her despite all the odds…and she became one his most trusted and loyal companions. It was one of the things that scared him about his power. The people around him could change so easily, one moment they were his friends…the next moment they were his sworn enemies.

"Just go and wait with Apollo or stay in the village or something." Satella pleaded. Subaru was in a part of the forest that was a little way from the town and little way from the barrier. Rem wouldn't come if there were witnesses and he didn't want to risk her accidentally get curse by Demon Beast.

"Relax, Satella, I'll be alright." He reassured her. He had this all thought out. He would try his best to talk to Rem and if that failed he would run as fast possible to Apollo. The beast would jump and restrain her; allowing him to try and talk her down. Puck was able to be reasoned with after meeting the seven witches, so Subaru was hoping it would be the same with Rem. He had proven himself a friend and ally to her before…he could very well do it again.

"I just don't want to see you die again," Satella told him. "I told you before I gave you this power so you could be saved….but that doesn't mean I don't feel hurt whenever I see you die and reset each time." She told them. "Whenever I see you get hurt…I feel like my anger and grief could swallow me up." She whispered. It wasn't just that. When her emotions ran wild it became harder for her to remain the dominant persona.

"I promise I won't." He told her.

Subaru waited by the tree with Satella by his side. She kept an eye out in case Rem would come. The others were busy trying to help Apollo come through the barrier so she figured she'd help Subaru with Rem. That didn't stop her from feeling anxious though or was that Subaru's anxiety mixing with her own.

"You know, this is a bad idea." Envy told her. "If you let me take over, I'll lend Apollo my power and that barrier will crumple like paper." Envy told her. It was true. A bulk of the power that came with Satella's Witch Factor and Authority was all connected to Envy.

"If I let you take over, you'll just kill everyone," Satella told her other-self. She knew what happened last time Envy met Subaru in Sanctuary. She had searched his mind for everything he held there and then attempted to destroy it. Envy wanted to be the only thing left for Subaru to love. It didn't matter who, Envy would kill them all just for being associated with him now. "You'd even kill me if we weren't connected."

"Now is that really how you think of me?" Envy asked sounding hurt. "I only do this because I care about you. You remember how scared and alone you were before. You were afraid. You had nothing. No friends…no family…no one to love you." Envy whispered. "But then he came and he gave you everything. You were never lonely again. Why? Because he loved you…." Envy repeated… "But then they took him away from us…from you." Envy growled. "You remember how angry you felt back then."

"That anger was a mistake," Satella said. "I should have let it go...I should have let him go at least then I'd be free from you." She repeated.

"But you didn't. You still love him….. but he no longer loves you. He no longer remembers you, because he has so many other … 'distractions'…keeping him from seeing what's always been in front of him." Envy said. "Oh look here's one of them now." She said.

Satella looked where she felt Envy point and her eyes widen.

Subaru waited for what seemed like hours before he heard the familiar shaking chains. It was Rem's morning star he realized as he jumped out of the way at the last second as the spike ball embedded itself into a nearby tree. Any closer and he would have been dead.

"So you saw that." A voice said. Subaru couldn't hold it back anymore, while he was capable of doing it in the village, he couldn't do it now. He started weeping uncontrollably as he saw Rem much to her confusion.

"Listen, Rem…I" Subaru's words were cut off when a gust of wind shot past him. He saw the blood-spattered beside him. Slowly glancing at his side he noted he now lacked an arm. He screamed in pain as he grabbed the now-empty socket. There were only a few people who could use an attack like that. His eyes darted around and much to his surprise…Ram was there as well.

"Shit." He thought. He hadn't anticipated this. Ram wasn't supposed to be here.

Satella watched as Subaru lost his arm as the twins approached. "Where was Apollo?" She thought. Subaru wasn't going to make it at this rate.

"LET ME OUT!" A voice called as she felt a shock run through her body. Satella fell forward as she clutched her heart. "THEY'LL KILL HIM IF YOU DON'T LET ME SAVE HIM." Envy screamed. Satella wanted to say Envy was wrong, but she knew the truth they would kill him….but he could still be saved…they just needed to hold out and trust that the others would come. "DIDN'T ECHIDNA SAY SHE DIDN'T CARE?" Envy growled.

"He wouldn't want you to hurt them," Satella argued.

"HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HE WANTS." Envy said.

Satella could only watch as one of the maids raised her arms as ice crystals began to form in the air.

"NO," Satella screamed in horror.

Note: So yeah...one review pointed out that the ending felt a bit rushed so I read it over and rewrote it. I will admit I am many things but I will never let my stories feel rushed. EndNote.

Someone is not going to like this cliff hanger...but it happened. To be honest the conversation with Puck, Satella, and Echidna ended up being longer than I thought and it didn't feel right shortening it. He still got mind crushed in a sense but when I look at some of the ways Puck acted in the IF stories. He literally trusted that Emilia would be better suited to staying with Subaru, who at the time was clearly unstable with a high body count and was running a crime syndicate in the Wrath IF. I think it's fair to say Puck might risk dealing with devils if so long as Emilia was safe. I also found him to be a bit of a hypocrite when I realized both he and Satella or at least Envy tried to destroy the world and considering what we know of Envy...she most likely did it for a similar reason to Puck. So yeah...that happened.

The chapter itself was getting too long for my taste...I didn't want to have the...conversation between Puck and the Witches and switch to the fight because, in my opinion, it felt like it would be too much so I split it, but for sure next chapter is a blood bath.

Well, that's about it for this one. I hope you enjoy it and thanks again for the support and I look forward to the feedback. I do read every review...it's all helpful if only for some to be motivating, even if they seem redundant. Stay safe and I'll see you next time.