1. I loved the last Re:Zero episode, it was one hell of a way to go out.
2. Spoilers for Arc 5 (season 3)
Chapter 45: Moving forward
A year had passed since the events of The Sanctuary had happened with many things having changed with Emilia camp. Subaru and Sora both had a month of break with Subaru bonding with Beatrice and Emilia while Sora bonded with Rem by assisting her with her maid duties.
Rem had an issue with Subaru at first due to the witch's scent she can smell on him yet with Sora's help and Subaru's efforts, he proved to be an ally who just had a foul stench on him. Otto as the Internal Affairs worked on paper works for the camp while gaining a bad habit of drinking thanks to Roswaal.
After a month, Subaru returned to training with him learning how to do a formchange with his Starlight keyblade while Garfiel had joined in on the training to gain stronger. Eventually Kenichi got his own ceremony to becoming a knight to protecting Emilia's camp which eventually got Yabuto, Kishida, and Waraki to all join the Emilia camp as well. Kenichi managed to convince Naoko to adopt Garfiel and Frederica after agreeing to help with many chores which both Garfiel and Frederica were okay with.
Elsa and Meili both traveled around to avoid leading Capella to the new mansion but promised to visit every now and again. During the three months of staying, Meili made a promise to Petra to be better to repay their friendship which worked after proving herself. Crusch, Felix, Reinhard, Wilhelm, Felt, and Old Man Rom all visited the Emilia camp with Felix joining in some trying sessions to learn how to fight while Wilhelm and Reinhard both worked on teaming up by facing Sora, Subaru, and Garfiel.
Lastly Felt and Old Man Rom just enjoyed talking with the Emilia camp. As the year had gone by with the Emilia camp had bonded more and more. One day Sora wanted to have a sparring session with Elsa, Subaru, Beatrice, Yabuto, Kishida, Waraki, and Garfiel in his Double form.
"My My Sora Dear, you must be very confident to face the seven of us all on your own."
"You are quite cocky today Keyblade Master, I suppose."
"I know it seems cocky of me but I think in this form I can handle the seven of you."
"Well Master, I don't know 'bout them but I'll beat ya!"
"We shall see, Garfiel."
Both sides nod at one another before the training match begins with Elsa and Garfiel both going for the offensive side first. Sora noticed this and smiled before he used Oathkeeper to block off Garfiel's attack while using Oblivion to block of Elsa's attack.
Elsa and Garfiel both looked at Sora and smiled, both of them excited to fight a very powerful version of the Keyblade Master. Eventually Subaru, Beatrice, and the three knights joined the fight with the three knights going on the offense while Subaru and Beatrice do defense.
Sora was impressed by the coordination the five of them had with Subaru using his wits to deflect off his attacks while Beatrice used her purple icicles to deflect his attacks. Sora watched his friends and allies fighting with everything they got with him barely trying yet he was impressed how good they were fighting.
'They really have improved since the last sparring match.'
Sora smiled while he observed each of them to see their progress. Elsa herself had wanted to beat him since she had joined the camp, curious to see if she could reach Sora's level. Sora had observed her closely and could see that she has been improving not through sheer strength but more with skills and techniques. Her fighting techniques had almost gotten Sora off guard yet he managed to deflect and dodge all the attacks thrown his way.
'She really wants to beat me.'
Sora noticed this before turning his attention to the three knights, seeing that their training with him had showed improvement. The three had been taught to fight a specific way yet with Sora, they learned to develop their own fighting technique to match them. Kishida needed this more since he as to learn how to fight with both his hook hand and his sword on the other hand. Waraki and Yabuto shared opposite fighting styles with Waraki being more focused on offense while Yabuto focused on defense.
'Those three have come a long way since then…I got to say, Kishida really as improved the most despite his handicap. Yabuto still needs work on his offense but it isn't bad and Waraki had improved.'
Sora smiled as he quickly tried to knock the three knights out yet Subaru with Beatrice by his side managed to block out his attacks. He looked at his apprentice and the spirit he contracted, happy to see how much of a workable duo they make.
Subaru and himself have been working together since the day he got to the new world with Subaru having helped him when Elsa was trying to sneak attack him. Although in the beginning he was a bit rusty, Subaru had improved and now that Beatrice is by his side, he has become a lot stronger than before.
'Those two have gotten close, not only in their interactions but also when they fight together. I'm very proud of my apprentice.'
Sora smiled before going on an offense towards Subaru, wanting to see how he will handle a full on offense. Subaru noticed this and quickly knew that he needed to use the technique his master had been training him. He jumped back to gain something distance from Sora before going into a second form similar to the formchange the Kingdom Key does for Sora.
Everyone noticed this and could see that Subaru's track outfit had change colors from the standard orange, black, and white tracksuit into the same color scheme Sora had during his second journey when he first faced Organization XIII. Sora was interested to see this as he's been working with Subaru in controlling the power of the formchange. Subaru charged at him and started to go on a very aggressive offense with his master impressed.
'That's how you do things, My apprentice.'
Sora could still block off all of his apprentice's attacks yet he can see that he is gaining a fighting style of his own just like the others while Subaru's strength in the formchange is much stronger than usual. Sora continued to deflect every attack thrown his way with Beatrice being in the back due to the limited amount of mana she can use.
As everyone was going at it with everything they had, Garfiel quickly took charge and was pushing Sora back with everything he had. Sora tried to do his normal attacks that usually would catch Garfiel off guard yet the demi-human paid close attention and was able to dodge the attacks before being close to land a hit on Sora.
'He has really improved in the last year.'
Sora smiled by this as Garfiel is becoming a bit smarter in his attacks and defense. Sora continued to deflect every attack from all seven members until finally he started to slightly take the fight serious with the three knights having been knocked out with one attack. As Yabuto, Kishida, and Waraki were knocked out of the fight, Garfiel and Elsa quickly with their combined strength were able to slightly pushed Sora back, surprising the Keyblade Master yet he didn't hesitate to show his full strength to his allies. Elsa and Garfiel tried to deflect every attack yet Sora was able to overpower the two and beat them easily. As Elsa and Garfiel were sent a couple of feet away from Sora, Subaru and Beatrice both stand side by side preparing to face off against Sora.
"Seems like we are the last two, I suppose."
"I mean we are going to face the strongest Keyblade Wielder."
"But you have Betty by your side, in fact. We will have a chance to win, incompetent contractor of mine."
"Alright Beako, let's do this."
Both Subaru and Beatrice fist bumped before working together to face off Sora, both of them taking the offensive while Sora took the defense to see how the two would fair against him on their own. Subaru took the initiative first by using his formchange ability to give him enough strength to push his master back a bit before preparing to use his Invisible Providence.
After months of perfecting this ability with Beatrice assisting, Subaru managed to land a hit on Sora. This surprised the Keyblade Master since the last time he noticed this technique was during Subaru and Garfiel's fight. He also recalls this technique when he faced off Petelguese when the Sin Archbishop of Sloth tried to take over Subaru's body. Sora got up and quickly charged at Subaru only for Beatrice to block his way with a barrage of purple icicles.
'That was too close.'
Sora turned towards Beatrice and before he could knock her out of the fight, Subaru uses Reflect to stop Sora from knocking his spirit out while preparing to go on the offensive. Sora noticed this and quickly managed to break through the shield and with one hit he knocked both Subaru and Beatrice without hesitation. Contractor and spirit were the last two to get knocked out, concluding the training match. Everyone got up with Sora returning back to his regular form before speaking to everyone.
"You all did very good. Subaru, you actually landed a hit. Good job my apprentice."
"Thank you Master Sora, I was surprised myself to have landed an actual hit."
"Of course you did, you are amazing, in fact." Beatrice says while she goes to hug her contractor. Sora turned his attention to both Garfiel and Elsa, seeing the two having improved.
"Elsa, Garfiel, you both surprised me considering that you two managed to learn some techniques that almost got me."
"Thanks Master but I'll get ya next time."
"That is quite the compliment, my Sora Dear."
Sora nodded at Elsa before turning his attention on the three knights, seeing that they are excited to hear what he will say about them.
"Yabuto, Kishida, and Waraki, you three have shown quite the improvement over the year. Yabuto, although you have not worked on your offense a lot, your defense side seem to have improved greatly."
"Thank you Sora-sama, I will try to work on my offense a little more." Yabuto bows in respect to Sora, respecting the criticism. The Keyblade Master nodded at the knight before turning towards Kishida.
"You actually improved the most out of everyone here. Despite having a handicap because of what happened to you, you still showed the most improvement by learning how to fight with your hook hand and your sword in your other hand."
"It is thanks to you Sora-sama that helped me improved in my fighting skills. I think it would've taken me longer to learn how to fight yet thanks to you, I'm now able to fight properly against intense opponents." Kishida bows with more respect than Yabuto, having a lot to thank Sora for helping him get back on track in fighting. As Sora bows back to Kishida, he turns towards Waraki who was eager to see what the Keyblade Master would say about his skills.
"Waraki, you have a very strong offensive stance. It's pretty impressive but don't leave yourself open for too long or you'll get knocked out easily."
"Understood Sora, thank you."
Waraki bowed at Sora before everyone started to head towards the mansion to rest for a moment while Subaru and Beatrice stayed with Sora. As the three stood there in the yard, Rem and Ram were both waiting for the training session to finish before approaching the three. As the two twin maids approached the three, Subaru approached Rem to greet her.
"Rem-Rem! It's good to see-"
Rem without any warning punched Subaru in the gut, surprising him while being sent flying across the yard. Beatrice looked at Rem with an unhappy face before going to help her contractor while Ram smiled at her sister. Subaru got up and immediately started to complain at Rem while Ram looked satisfied by this.
"What the hell was that?! I was just greeting you!"
"Oh. Sorry Subaru, I thought you were trying to flirt with me again."
"Why would I flirt with-"
Before Subaru could finish his sentence, he noticed Ram looking at him with deadly eyes. The boy realized that if he continued this sentence, he would feel the wrath of the pink oni maid. This forced him to think carefully before rephrasing his sentence.
"Rem, I love Emilia. You are with Master Sora. All I was trying to do was greet you."
"Oh. Well then stop flirting, right sister?"
"Correct. Barusu needs to learn some discipline Sora-sama. Also Rem, remember to call him Barusu."
"Right, sorry Ram-sama."
Rem bows to Ram in respect before Beatrice asked the two maids what they wanted with some anger in her voice for bullying her contractor. Ram looked at Beatrice and responded to her question in a calm manner,
"Emilia-sama requested you three to meet her once your training session"
Sora, Subaru, and Beatrice noticed this and nodded before they headed towards the mansion. As the three were heading towards the mansion with Rem and Ram following them all the way towards the room where Emilia was located. Before they entered the room, Ram and Rem both left the group with Rem asking Sora for a kiss.
"Um…Rem…I um…"
"Kiss."
"…"
Sora just stood standing with a red face, for a year he hasn't been able to do anything close to Rem since Ram had been teaching her how to be a maid, how to fight with her oni powers, and how to deal with the relationship with Sora. Ram had pushed Rem to be assertive and firm when speaking with Sora which only makes the keyblade master slightly uncomfortable since he doesn't know how to handle their relationship. Rem waited and waited before she just decided to give him a quick kiss on the lips before leaving.
"Well Master Sora, seems like your relationship is going well."
"…"
Sora just stood silent with a red face before opening the door to the room Emilia is located in. As he opens the door, the three are greeted to Julius's brother, Joshua and Mimi. Sora and Subaru both greeted Mimi as they were acquainted while Joshua introduced himself to the two keyblade wielders.
"Hello there, my name is Joshua Juukulius."
"Joshua Juukulius…are you happen to be related to Julius Juukulius?"
"Yes Keyblade Master Sora, I believe you have met my brother."
"Yes, he is quite the knight."
"He is. The best."
Joshua smiled before they all sat down with Otto and Garfiel both entering the room, Garfiel having been sent by Emilia to get Otto. As Otto entered the room, he asked around what was going on with Joshua answering,
"You must be the Internal affairs I've heard so much about."
"Wait, what is going on? Sora-san? Subaru-san? Emilia-sama?"
"Otto-kun, Joshua-san is here to speak with us."
"Yeah…odd how Julius and Joshua so alike." Otto says this with an impressed tone while Subaru was looking at Julius's brother.
"I mean the resemblance is uncanny. You both share that disdainful…or not, intense gaze of his or that mocking…or not, elegant smile of his or that hellish…or not, pretty color of his."
"If you need force it every time then would you care to refrain from commenting?!"
Otto says this while unable to hide his sweat. Subaru and Sora both noticed this with Subaru having asked,
"Did you lose weight?"
"Life here is simply too exhilarating, yes! When things in this exact vein keep happening in constant succession, the mental fatigue leaves me too exhausted to exercise, and thus skeletal! Skeletal!"
"Skellytall! Skellytall!" Mimi cheers which unintentionally aggravating Otto further yet the only reason he stays quiet is the fact that Mimi is the guest's companion. Otto sat down and was about to take a sip from the alcohol drink before Sora knocked it off his hand.
"What?!"
"Stop drinking Otto, it isn't good for your health."
"You didn't have to…nevermind, thanks."
Otto nodded at Sora before they turned their attention to Joshua, wanting to know why he is there with them until he asks about Beatrice.
"Wait, who is this girl?"
"Geez, you're so behind, Joshua. This is Beako, she's Subaru's baby. It's so obvious and beside him's the mommy, and beside her is the…housekeeper?" Mimi speaks.
"Honestly I am far too unconfident about what my current standing is to be hearing that I'm the housekeeper so would you please care to stop?!"
"Housekeeper! Housekeeper! Wow! It's like a witchbeast name!"
Otto pleas yet Mimi continues to have fun with him while Subaru places his hand on top of Beatrice.
"Sorry for not introducing her. We're just so used to sitting like this that I completely forgot to explain."
"Otto-kun forgot to mention it too, Sora also forgot as well, and it caught me unawares as well."
"Who says caught me unawares anymore?"
Although it is Emilia's usual phrasing, Subaru agrees with the sentiment and Otto must be getting so accustomed to this life that he's forgetting to interject with common sense.
"This is Beatrice. Mimi's right, she's the child of myself and Emilia-sama."
"What?!"
Joshua aghast while everyone just looks at Subaru for what he said with only Garfiel chuckling by what his captain and step-brother just said. There was a silence before Sora started to stand up. He turned towards his apprentice and pulls out his keyblade which gives Subaru a signal that he is going to get hit in the head again.
"No wait-"
Sora whacks Subaru in the head with Garfiel laughing. Emilia and Beatrice would normally not like Sora to do something this yet they allowed it for Subaru's dumb comment. As Subaru was rubbing head, he received a slap by both Beatrice and Emilia before the half-elf started to speak,
"Geez. No she's not, Subaru. Look at how you shocked Joshua. I know we kissed and we agreed to be more than friends type of relationship but you can't make babies by kissing. I've been studying."
"Ah…sorry Emilia-tan, I think some private stuff just got thrown right into the open. It was my bad so I'll just introduce her normally."
"This is what you get for using me for tomfoolery, in fact. You best regret it, I suppose."
Subaru was forced to fake a smile towards Emilia and Beatrice. Emilia's misunderstandings about making babies have only been rectified when it comes to 'making babies by kissing'. Subaru couldn't go any further into the topic and anticipating the shock the subject would give Emilia, the faction's women decided to wait until she's more mentally mature.
"Ehrm…so, Miss Beatrice's true station would be…?"
Joshua fixes his monocle, overwhelmed with his initiation to Roswaal Mansion and its people.
"I'm sorry that the conversation keeps slipping, Beatrice may look like an ordinaty, lovable little girl but she's actually my contracted spirit. She is a loligranny."
"Exactly, I'm a spirit, in fact. And I know that you're mocking me with that word 'loligranny', I suppose."
Beatrice brushes Subaru's hand aside and digs her head into the underside of his chin. She has grown rather proficient in Subaruese, making verbal gaffes generally impermissible. 'Loligranny' is just a combination of 'granny' and 'loli', a word that he has already explained to her, so of course she saw through this one. Sora also saw right through this one and was tempted to hit his apprentice's head once again yet Beatrice gave him a look. Joshua's reaction to Subaru and Beatrice's heartwarming exchange is extreme. His prudish but charming face falls frigid.
"I see. She's a spirit."
"Hey, guest. You got a problem with our Captain havin' a spirit with him?"
Garfiel looked at Joshua with his arms cross, having inherited Subaru's old role which was practicing disrespect to anyone while everyone else deliberates on how to address the problem, he fearlessly dives right in. Joshua shakes his head before responding,
"No. It's nothing important. Just it struck me that Natsuki Subaru-dono is a Spirit Knight. As I myself am sure you already know, my brother is a Spirit Knight. The title is so rare that you could call him the only holder in the nation."
"Yeah, I know. When we faced off against the Witch Cult, he really helped out a lot."
"Yup, that is my brother. Though I did heard that he lost against Keyblade Master Sora."
Joshua looked at Sora and bowed at him, impressed on how someone with no martial arts or divine protections managed to beat his brother.
"I'm impressed by that, nobody aside from the Sword Saint can defeat my brother in combat but the fact that you did impresses me."
"How is he taking it?"
"He actually has been very motivated to train to the best of his ability to eventually beat your master, Natsuki Subaru-dono."
Subaru and Sora both looked at each other and nodded before looking at Joshua with the two impressed. Eventually Beatrice entered the conversation with a sassy attitude,
"I heard that there was another knight who uses spirits, in fact. What an odd turn of fate for it to be your brother, I suppose."
"What do you mean by 'odd turn of fate'. Spirit."
"It's obvious what I mean, in fact. Precursors are destined to be excelled, I suppose. His best place is as an ornament on the glorious road that Subaru and I-nhaaaha!"
"Don't pick fights with people just met and I've got nothing on Julius. I'm not going to beat him for a long while…or ever really but I can sure beat him in a videogame if I challenged him to one."
Subaru musses Beatrice's hair and bows his head to Joshua while pushing Beatrice's head into a bow as well.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to make a fool of your brother or reallly, I know that I'm less capable than him. This spirit here is just being a braggart."
"An admirable and correct judgement. When comparing yourself to my brother, it's natural to recognize your inferiority."
"Uh?"
Subaru was looking to make a mature compromise, but Joshua's abrupt arrogance makes things precarious again. Garfiel was ready to do something reckless yet Sora stopped him by placing his hand on the boy's chest, alerting him to not do anything rash while Subaru furrows his brows in confusion. Joshua catches the light on his monocle,
"Yes. My brother is amazing. At the age of twenty is the second most capable of the Imperial Knights, the finest Order of Knights of the Kingdom. His service to Anastasia-sama currently distances him from his station as an Imperial Knight, but once her wishes are fulfilled he will be secured a place as Head of the Imperial Knights. He has a close, amiable relationship with the Sword Saint Reinhardt, and holds himself impeccably in both public and private contexts. He is strict on himself and others, disciplined, ambitious, always seeking improvement. His beautiful looks enrapture scores of women, and his personality is accordingly excellent. Yes. My brother is amazing. You're nothing compared to him."
"…uh?"
Subaru was silent by this as he didn't know how to respond with Beatrice recoils too. Garfiel and Otto both also stay silent, unsure whether this could get deadly, Sora crossed his arms as he did not like the way Joshua spoke towards Subaru but can understand how much Julius means to Joshua. Lastly, Mimi continued to stuff her cheeks with snacks. Emilia was the only one who spoke out to what Joshua said.
"Hehe. Joshua, you love your brother Julius sooo much."
"M-My apologies. I may have fired myself up. I have some difficulty restraining myself when it comes to my family."
"No, it's okay. I want to hear you talk about Julius more. I've over ever seen Julius while in the Capital here and there, so there's lots more I want to know about him."
"R-Really! Well, there are several memories of me and him that-"
"How about we save those are another occasion and finally get to the point?! How does that sound, Master Sora, Otto, Garfiel!"
"Huh?" The three said due to Subaru having cut in and forced the three into the conversation while Otto pleaded to stay out of it but the three promptly nod in agreement. Joshua then notices that the conversation has strayed incredibly far.
"T-Then we will save the stories of my brother's magnificence for another time. I must…I myself must also fulfil my duties and reconvene with Anastasia-sama shortly."
"Right. I'm soo excited for them. So, it really took us a long time to finally get here…but what is this visit all about?"
Joshua gets caught off guard when Emilia changes from normal to Royal Selection Candidate Mode.
"I speak to Emilia-sama on the behalf of my master, Anastasia Hoshin-sama. Anastasia-sama wishes to invite yourself and all of your associates to the city of Priestella."
"An invitation to Priestella city…Priestella is the watergate city, yes? The big city near the border between the Kingdom of Lugnica and the Kararagi City-States."
"You are correct. Anastasia-sama is presently sojourning there, rather than the Capital… and she wishes to invite you. What are your thoughts?"
Subaru, Sora, Emilia, and the others took a moment to think on what Joshua said. Sora and Subaru only know Arlem village, the Capital, and Otto's home when they went to clear Otto's name.
"Priestella is a scenic place. The city is distinctive in itself, and makes for a popular tourist destination. Anastasia-sama finds herself delighted and at ease there."
"It'd be great if you were just showing us a nice place, but… you're not, are you? Emilia and Anastasia aren't friends." Subaru asked since he recalls that Anastasia was particularly harsh on Emilia during the dialogues in the Palace. The candidates most unsparing towards Emilia were her and Priscilla while Crusch and Felt both had become close to her to become friends. He was curious to know why Anastasia would invite Emilia until he thought about how Priscilla and Anastasia camps want his master. Before he could come up with a conclusion, Joshua starts to say,
"Anastasia-sama invites you out of her beneficence. She has noticed the valuable object you are searching for in Priestella."
"What I'm searching for?" Emilia asked with interest voice.
'He got her! Shit!'
Subaru saw Otto's expression and could see that something was up. Joshua noticed that he has the control of the conversation, causing him to move his monocle before speaking.
"In Priestella City there is a shop selling spellstones, in which slumbers the high-grade colorless stones that you desire."
With that, Emilia camp would be forced to go to Priestella.
After Joshua and Mimi had left, the group talked it over with everyone in the room agreeing to go with Sora and Subaru making a case for Rem to join them. Emilia and Garfiel were fine with it yet Otto and Beatrice were hesitant to bring Rem due to her amnesia but the Keyblade Wielders managed to convince the two to allow Rem to join them. As they pack up, Sora and Subaru go and talk with the three knights.
"So newbie and newbie's master, you sure you want us to stay here? We can help you all out."
"I know but I want you three to continue training my dad and to protect this place while we are gone."
"I mean Yabuto, Waraki, and I can handle this but how about the Bowel Hunter? Are you sure she should stay here with us?"
"I get that you all have your issues with Elsa but she has kept her promise and even helped taking down some other assassins."
"True but she is still very…overkill."
"How so?" Sora asked as he didn't understand which the four knights looked at each other with an unsured facial expression. They brainstorm before just telling Sora that Elsa was just a little too much for either of them. Sora just shrugged it yet Yabuto, Kishida, and Waraki all made their point that having Elsa here without someone to actually protect them like Sora could.
"I mean, what do we do with Elsa then?"
"We could always take her with us, Subaru."
"Wait, hold on. You do realize how weird it will be having here with us, Master Sora?"
"What could be the problem?"
"A lot Master Sora…a lot…"
Subaru thinks to himself as he had a few awkward encounters with the Bowel hunter. One being when Otto and himself were both heading to one of his creations being a spa only to encounter Elsa inside.
This was one of many experiences Subaru as had with Elsa, another being when he woke up one morning to find Elsa sleeping in the same bed as him and Beatrice. The worst part being when his dad entered his room to wake him up to see the three together. Subaru was given the birds and bees talk because of that and hated every second of it. He shook his head before saying,
"Look, if you can promise me that she…won't do anything weird then I'm okay with it."
"Are you still mad about your dad giving you the tal-"
"Shut it Waraki!" Subaru said this with a red face, causing everyone but Sora to laugh since he is the only one out of the five of them to not understand the joke.
"All we have to do Master Sora is ask Emilia-tan and the others about this because it is a group effort."
"You are right."
Sora nodded and quickly with Subaru went to check with the others to see if they will allow Elsa to join them on their quest. As the two keyblade wielders leave, Yabuto puts his hands out with an annoyed Waraki giving him 25 silver coins.
"I told you they would buy it."
"Shut up."
"I mean we do have a point, she is a little too much to keep track."
"True but I don't want to deal with her."
"Well let us see if they can actually take her."
"If they do, 30 silver coins say that something weird happens."
"You're on now!" Kishida says this as he seals the bet with Yabuto, having confidence that nothing weird will happen. As the three knights returned back to training, Sora and Subaru made their case to the crew with Otto, Garfiel, and Beatrice completely against this while Rem and Emilia were both slightly okay with it as long as Sora kept Elsa under control.
"Sora-san, you do realize that people will hate Emilia-sama if they find out The Bowel Hunter is part of our camp?!"
"I know that it isn't a good thing Otto but have faith in her. She has been nice and hasn't done anything bad to us."
"Yes but out there is a different story."
"Well having her here would be a problem."
"What do you mean Subaru-san?"
"Considering that Roswaal was the one that hired her a few times, so I wouldn't be surprised that she would turn on us if he paid her to."
"Captain's got a point. Can't leave gut lady alone here."
Otto and Beatrice both noticed this and were reluctant to take her with Beatrice warning Sora that should Elsa try to enter their room again, she will be killed on the spot. Sora nodded as Beatrice goes to hold Subaru's hand. With the group agreeing to this, Emilia decides to go talk to Roswaal to ask if he can make a special recognition cloak to hide Elsa's identity while she is in Priestella with them while Sora goes to tell Elsa that she is joining them.
Within a few days, the Emilia camp prepared for the few days of traveling with Ram giving Rem some advice on how to handle certain situations while Elsa gave Meili instructions to protect the mansion and its people. Frederica gave Garfiel some advice on what to do on certain scenarios while Subaru says goodbye to his parents.
"You sure you don't want your awesome knight dad to join you?"
"Yes, I think we can handle whatever life throws at us. Besides, you have a job to protect this mansion."
"That is true but are you sure we can't come? We kinda hope to look around this world."
"Next time, I promise that."
"Well my baby boy, just be safe out there and remember to be careful."
"I will mom, I promise."
"Also don't forget to take care of your brother."
"…I will dad."
Subaru hugs Kenichi and Naoko, still happy to have his parents with him on this new world before joining up with Emilia and the others. As everyone begins to pack their stuff to leave, Otto and Garfiel were both in the front, leading the carriage while inside the carriage itself there was Subaru, Beatrice, Rem, Sora, Emilia, and Elsa. As their journey began, Rem went to hug Sora tightly to show Elsa that Sora is hers while Beatrice hugged Subaru to show Elsa that she will protect her contractor. Elsa looked at the two girls and could tell that they are protecting the boys.
"My My, you two seem to be really clingy to the boys. I'm a little jealous of this."
"You stay away from my Sora."
"You will not harm my contractor, in fact!"
Elsa looked at the two girls hugging Subaru and Sora before she laughed with amusement. As the ride was going for about an hour, Subaru turned to his master to ask him something.
"So Master Sora, um would you like to continue telling the story?"
Sora stayed silent for a moment since he realized that Elsa was there and she hasn't learn just yet that he's from another world. He was conflicted by this since another person learning his secret would break the world order again with Donald chastising him yet he can't continue the story without having to explain it to both Rem and Elsa yet.
'What am I going to do? If I tell Elsa, I know that's another person Donald is going to get mad at me. Then again I did told Rem about the outside world…I guess it couldn't hurt to tell them.'
Sora turned towards Elsa and Rem to explain to them about him being from another world before starting to retell his first journey all the way until the Mark of Mastery. Elsa was impressed by all of this since she didn't think that there were other worlds while Rem was impressed in a different way. She didn't think that the person who helped her out so much was from another world yet she is also conflicted since she isn't the Rem both Subaru and Sora remember. She looked down for a moment before looking at Sora with an impressed facial expression.
"My My Sora Dear, I always knew you were interesting when we first met but never thought you would be this interesting."
Elsa tried to get closer to Sora only for Rem to hold him tight while giving Elsa an intense stare, something Ram had taught her. Elsa smiled before just sitting down normally, interested to hear more of this story alongside the others. Before anything else could be said, Garfiel pop his head into the carriage to ask if they can switch with Otto and him.
"I mean Beatrice and I can do this."
"Aight Captain."
"Right…Master Sora, don't tell the story without me."
"Sorry Subaru…I mean Barusu, but sucks to be you."
"Seriously? Why are you calling me that?"
"Because Ram-sama calls you that."
"Oh come on!"
"Let's go, I suppose."
Beatrice started to pull her contractor to the front of the carriage while Otto and Garfiel entered the carriage. As they switched around, Otto looked at Sora and they all started to have a conversation around the worlds Sora had traveled with Garfiel wanting to know the opponents his master had fought while Otto is curious to know how each world's economy works.
After a couple of days of traveling with Sora managing to explain his entire journey from the beginning towards the end of his quest to save Kairi to the group. Subaru and Emilia both looked at each other and smiled since their relationship had improved in the past year. Once Emilia learned a bit of love, she had come to realize that she has some feelings for Subaru. During the year with the help of Kenichi and Naoko, the two finally became a couple. Hearing how much Sora had done to save Kairi, Emilia smiled at Subaru because he has worked extremely hard to help her while Subaru is just happy to have Emilia by his side and be by her side. Once they arrived towards a Watergate looking city, they all looked and were impressed.
"Yeah, this looks exactly like the prison I expected it to…"
Subaru peeked out of the carriage with Beatrice having noticed what her contractor said, causing her to also comment on what she thinks of the city.
"Joshua said it was a sightseeing spot, but Betty doubts that, in fact. It looks far more depressing than relaxing, I suppose."
"Agreed. I mean, I guess the bridge and gates and stuff are kinda cool."
"It is pretty cool looking." Sora said as he was amazed by the way Priestella city was looking. As they enter the city and dealt with paperwork, Garfiel being the most annoyed by this. After having entered the city, they explored a bit with the Emilia camp amazed by the way Priestella city was until they bumped into Anastasia and Ricardo.
"Good to see you could all make it here."
"Anastasia-sama, thank you for having us here."
"Yes, come and follow me."
Sora, Subaru, and the others all went with Anastasia and Ricardo to a place for them to stay with Elsa splitting off from the group to avoid getting Emilia and the others in trouble for having her. As the group entered the building where they will be staying, the group encountered Felt, Crusch, Felix, and Reinhard.
"Sora, Subaru, good to see you two my friends."
"Reinhard, good to see you as well."
"Rein, good to see you too. How have you been?"
"I've been well."
"Hey idiots, don't forget about me!"
Sora and Subaru turned their attention to Felt, seeing that she wants the attention from the two people she respects. The two keyblade wielders smiled at Felt and had a little conversation with the little blonde girl before Crusch and Felix joined in on the conversation.
"Subaru-sama, Sora-sama, it is good to see you two once again."
"Crusch, how has the capital been?"
"A bit of a mess. The people learned that you two had defeated the Great Rabbit, causing the people to want both of you to take out the last of the three."
"The last one?" Sora asked.
"Black Serpent. It is unknown where it is but that is the last one that's been terrorizing the world for over 400 years."
Sora and Subaru both crossed their arms, trying to think on how they would be able to handle such a threat. They gave it a little bit of thought before deciding to leave it for another time, seeing that this is not the time to think on it.
"When the time comes, Master Sora and I will handle it." Subaru says this in a confident way which earns a brief smile from Crusch. Felix turned his attention to Sora as he noticed the Keyblade Master asking him, "How goes your training?"
"It's going well, Sora-kyun. Nyot use to wielding a sword but I will get better, nya!"
"Alright, as long as you are improving is what matters."
Felix gave a thumbs up, having worked really hard since their last few encounters to wield a sword and become a good fighter. They chatted for a bit before they all rested for the next day with Subaru and Sora having a meaningful discussion prior to resting.
"What do you think?"
"For now everything seems to be going alright but I can feel something is off."
"What do you mean, Master Sora?"
"Not sure but nothing to worry about."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure." Sora says this with a confident smile, allowing Subaru to be calm himself before the two departed ways into their separate rooms. While this was all going on, Elsa was wondering in the night, looking for something yet she ended up hiding when she saw a corridor of darkness appearing out of nowhere. Curious to know who is going through the dark portal, she waited for a bit before seeing the old man that freed her and the one with blue hair both walking out.
"Master Xehanort, what seems to be the plan here?"
"Knowing the Witch cult's movements, they will attack here where we may find opportunity."
"Opportunity to what, Master Xehanort?"
"For complete a promise to a friend and to gain something that this city has."
Elsa looked at the two from a safe distance, having been alerted that the Witch cult will be involved in the city somehow and that Xehanort is up to something. With this information, she is prepared to go alert Sora until she heard something that got her attention.
"What exactly will be the plan?"
"We shall allow the Witch cult to attack first before making our move. I will go and fulfill a promise while Vanitas, Xigbar, and you try to grab the Book of Wisdom."
"The book of wisdom?" Saix asked with a curious yet serious tone of voice.
"A book that could help with our plans in unleashing Kingdom Hearts."
'My My, now this is interesting.'
Elsa was interested in the Book of Wisdom, knowing that it is like Roswaal's book that was destroyed in The Sanctuary. Seeing that there is enough information, she left the area without being caught, knowing that she needs to alert Sora about this.
The next day Subaru, Sora, and Beatrice walked the city to explore, Emilia went to a place to get a stone in hope that it is strong enough to carry Puck when she does another contract with him, Garfiel decides to do some training with Julius and Reinhard to show his progress to the two knights, and lastly Otto goes to handle some business. Elsa looked around for Sora yet she couldn't find the Keyblade Master anywhere in the city. The only person Elsa manages to spot was Otto after having finished his business. Seeing that she might not find anyone from the Emilia camp at this point, she lured the merchant into a dark alleyway in order to speak with him in private.
"What the? Elsa?!"
"My My, what seems to be the problem? Aren't you happy to see me?"
"What is the matter with you?! Are you trying to scare me to death?!"
"What's wrong? Are you scared of my beauty?"
"Enough, what do you want? I doubt it has anything to do with me." Otto asks with a more annoyed tone of voice, wishing that he had someone else with him when speaking with Elsa. She smiled at the merchant and slowly closed in on him which only made Otto nervous.
"I do need your help with something."
"W-What might that be?"
Elsa quickly explained everything she heard the previous night to Otto, all the things Xehanort had told Saix. Otto crossed his arms as he thought carefully of everything the Bowel hunter as told him, knowing that this information needs to be shared to not just Sora but to all the camps. He looked at Elsa and responded to what she said to him.
"With this information, we could help get the Emilia camp some points for the royal election."
"What do you say to me since I brought you this information?"
"…Thank you Elsa."
"Don't mention it."
Elsa got close and started to touch Otto's stomach area, having been curious on how a merchant's bowels would look like but she knows that she can't look. This made Otto yelp for a moment before being ingulfed by fear. After a few seconds, Elsa started to walk away, wishing out good luck before disappearing in the crowd. As this happens, Otto thinks to himself on how unlucky he is to have been on his own with Elsa. He gets his composure before returning to the streets, now knowing that he has to get Subaru and Sora first before they let the others know of the information he just learned from Elsa.
'So we have Sora-san's enemies and the witch cult attacking the city soon…hmm, seems to be fate to have The Sword Saint, Sora-san, and many other strong warriors here.'
Otto continued to think carefully about what he learned, knowing that each camp including Priscilla's camp since he noticed she was in the city, should be ready for the fight to come. Otto waited until night time before he decided to talk to both Keyblade Wielders. Once night time hit, Sora and the others all gathered with Crusch camp, Felt Camp, and Anastasia Camp. As all camps were together, Reinhard and Wilhelm bumped into each other. The two have slowly been repairing their broken relationship thanks Sora and Subaru's efforts.
"Honored grandfather, it is a pleasure to see you again."
"Likewise, grandson. How are you doing?"
"Good, just had a training session with the one known as Garfiel. He as potential to be strong."
"Interesting. Isn't he being trained by Sora-dono himself?"
"He is actually, he along with Subaru have been training for the past year. Last time I faced him, he could only land one failed attack. This time he was able to last a little longer, impressing me."
"Interesting."
Wilhelm and Reinhard both continued their conversation normally while Otto approached Sora and Subaru to ask the two if they can speak in private. The two keyblade wielders agreed with Subaru asking Beatrice to keep Emilia and Rem company for them. Beatrice looked at her contractor annoyed yet she trusted him. She allowed him to go with Sora and Otto to speak which all three boys headed away from everyone to speak.
"Alright Otto, what did you wanted to speak about?"
"I bumped into…um…Elsa."
"Oh, well interesting. Anything weird happen?"
"Subaru-san! Don't say such things or rumors will start! What I was going to say was she got information from the Organization."
"The Organization." Sora says with interest, both Subaru and Sora knowing that this information that Elsa gave to Otto is important. Otto started to tell everything Xehanort said regarding the witch cult, the organization's involvement, the book of wisdom, and some contract he had with someone. Sora stood silent by this since the important factor is that Xehanort will be involved.
"Have you told anybody about this?"
"No Sora-san, Elsa was very specific in telling you first."
"Okay but now knowing this, we have to alert the others so we can prepare for the Witch cult attack and whatever the Organization is up to."
Otto and Subaru nodded to what Sora said, agreeing that they should alert the others but before they could do something, they hear a voice that breaks the calmness in the atmosphere.
"— It isn't so easy, honored father. Don't think that your relationship will be fixed with just that."
Suddenly, a red-haired figure threw open the door of the tea room. The face of the red-haired man who had spoken those words carried so much malice that everyone froze on the spot, forgetting the flow of time. The red-haired man's behavior and attitude all betrayed an ugly nature; A rather repulsive smile spread across his unshaven face. He looked to be in his forties and carried the unpleasant scent of alcohol about him.
"Who are you suppose to be?" Subaru spoke out in a very annoyed tone of voice, catching the attention of the uninvited guest. He looked at Subaru for a moment before responding in a disdainful manner.
"…you're really casting a hostile look at me, kid. As a knight, you do know who you're trying to provoke, right?"
"Don't make me laugh, mister. The one being provocative is you. I'm just asking you exactly what you're doing here."
"You're so annoying, kid. Hey, Sword Saint. Or Juukulius too, or even Argyle. Cut down this rude kid for me."
With the hand he'd been scratching his head with pointing at Subaru; the insolent man casually gave an order to three people in the hall, Reinhard among them. The man looked at Subaru with confidence yet his attention would be focused elsewhere when someone spoke up.
"Who are you?" Sora asked with a serious yet respectful tone. The man gave Sora an ugly look for a moment, observing him before crossing his arms and asking the boy if he was the keyblade wielder in a curious tone. Sora nodded which caused the red-haired man's tone to shift from one of disrespect and malice to one of a respectful gesture.
"Pardon me, I did not realize that you are the warrior who defeated the Sword Saint. Please to meet you, I'm Deputy Commander of the Knights of the Kingdom of Lugunica, Heinkel."
Heinkel bowed to show his respect to Sora, knowing that Sora is someone to not mess with after hearing that he was not only involved in the destruction of the White Whale and the Great Rabbit but also managing to defeat his own son, the Sword Saint. Sora looked at the Deputy Commander and all he can sense is darkness in his heart, but he also senses a bit of sadness. Although he doesn't know why, he doesn't trust this man. There was a few seconds of silence before Julius broke the silence by asking a question in a respectful and knightly manner,
"If I may ask, what is the reason for your visit? If my memory serves correctly, your duty as deputy commander should be guarding the capital."
"Drop those sarcastic words. Just how great of an influence on the vigilant defense of the capital can the absence of one man make? Marcus-sama can handle it perfectly alone, far better than I could… ah, although, a royal family who could suffer disaster is missing."
"Heinkel!" Wilhelm roared his name in fury as Heinkel's speech was incredibly disrespectful. Heinkel looked at Wilhelm who was giving him a sharp glare for a moment before he shrugged his shoulders. Sora and Subaru both crossed their arms when they saw this, both hating how Heinkel is acting.
"Heinkel…"
"Just calling me once is fine. I've yet to lose my hearing from old age. Well, treat that as nonsense and ignore it. More importantly…This isn't a very nice feeling. Obviously, I want to offer my congratulations to you for your defeat of the White Whale, but you've been avoiding me. This is a feat that took fourteen long years to accomplish, after all. I'd think that I also have the right to join the joyful celebrations. Isn't that the case, father?"
"Heinkel, I…"
"Reinhard, what about you?"
"…"
Heinkel viciously stabbed his words into Wilhelm's chest. Although the old man's face showed the pain of being cut by a blade, Heinkel showed no sign of caring but instead he directed his malice at a new target. Reinhard, who had silently observed the situation until just now, slowly looked toward Heinkel when he heard his name.
"Shouldn't you also be congratulating father on the burden that's been lifted off of his shoulders? Since he's carried out a wife, a mother, a grandmother's vengeance. At least offer him some nice words. That said…"
"…"
"-With this, father has finally avenged the previous Sword Saint who you'd murdered, isn't that right?"
There was a silence in the room with Subaru and Sora both infuriated with the way Heinkel is speaking to their friend. During the year when Wilhelm and Reinhard would both visit, they have had a chance to talk things out and improve in their grandfather and grandson relationship yet Heinkel seems to want to keep this relationship between the two broken. Reinhard and Wilhelm were both silent and filled with guilt but before anything can be said, all of a sudden Heinkel was sent flying into a wall as if someone punched him.
"…What the?!" Heinkel was completely thrown off by this and angered which nobody in the room understood what happened except for some members of the Emilia Camp. Garfiel and Sora knew personally since they had been hit by Subaru's Invisible Province. Beatrice knew this since she helped her contractor in controlling some of the sloth authority. Emilia was aware of it since Subaru had used it in his fight with Garfiel. They kept silent about it with Garfiel and Beatrice happy that Subaru used it against Heinkel while Sora and Emilia were not happy with Subaru using the ability like that. Heinkel got up and looked at Reinhard with anger, blaming him.
"You are suppose to protect me, Sword Saint. Such a failure."
"Silence, Heinkel!"
"If you want to say something that sounds nice, then please stop, father. The reason is nothing other than that you simply don't have the right to disagree with me. After all, when the last Sword Saint died, the first to condemn Reinhard was none other than you."
Wilhelm couldn't say anything to what his son said as it is true with Reinhard also feeling guilty by this. As Heinkel had a smug expression, Sora stepped up to defend his two allies by pulling out Kingdom Key and pointing it directly towards Heinkel.
"Stop it, now. Show respect to these two."
Heinkel looked at Sora with anger in his eyes but knowing just how strong the Keyblade Master is, he backs off but starts holding a small grudge for the boy. As he was walking back, he begins to deescalate the situation by apologizing before turning around while having an angry facial expression. As Heinkel was about to leave, a familiar and threatening female voice speaks,
"Where do you think you are going?"
Everyone turned to see Priscilla arriving with Al by her side. Many of them were not happy to have her around yet they just stood silent. Sora quickly broke the tension in the room by speaking about the information he learned.
"Look, I get that there is tension here but thanks to someone from the Emilia camp, we have information that the Witch cult will be attacking the city."
Everyone looked at Sora with their moods shifted, curious to know on how the Keyblade Master attained this information. There was a few seconds of silence before Heinkel decided to break the silence in a slightly curious but malice voice.
"Now how did you got this information and from who?"
"Someone I trust, they alerted that the Organization are on the move to grab something called the Book of Wisdom."
There was a pause with many people in the room, most of them aware that Priestella city as the book of wisdom. Crusch stepped up to ask if the informant of Sora's was part of the witch cult to which Sora could answer that they knew people who had ties with them. Crusch used her wind reading to see if the Keyblade Master was telling the truth. Seeing that he was left her a bit unsure on how to handle the situation moving forward since she barely survived the witch cult's attack last time.
"We should prepare for them, they're nyot going to get away with attacking Crusch-sama."
"I will have to agree with Ferris, we need to prepare." Julius adds in which does get the attention of the others. Just as everyone starts to agree with this, Priscilla approached Sora and moved her fan closer to her face while speaking to the Keyblade Master with a respectful tone, throwing everyone off including Al.
"We should let the Keyblade Master lead this, after all he was the one to receive this information."
Everyone in the room turned towards Priscilla with many of them disliking the fact that she is right, considering that Sora got the information. The Keyblade Master stood silent by this for a moment before he told a plan they can go with.
As the next day roles around, the three boys spoke once again before initiating the plan Sora had come up with the previous night. Otto started the conversation between himself, Sora, and Subaru by asking, "Seeing that we are all preparing for the upcoming attack, do you think that Elsa will fight by our side?"
"I trust that she will."
"Maybe but remember Master Sora, she can't get involve with us without risking Emilia's chances in winning the royal selection."
"I know but I trust she won't put Emilia at risk of that."
"You really have a lot of faith on her, Sora-san."
"I just have a feeling she won't do anything to harm us."
"Well Master, I think we should get going. We need to be ready when the Witch cultist attack the city."
"Right." Sora nodded before three split up into the groups they all agreed on the previous night. Otto went with Rem, Anastasia, Ricardo, and Garfiel while Subaru and Sora went alongside Beatrice in there little group of three. As the three start their peaceful walk around Priestella city with their minds cautious, Sora took this opportunity to speak to Subaru of his actions in using his invisible province on Heinkel.
"That was pretty reckless to have done that, Subaru."
"What do you mean, Master?"
"Using your ability on Heinkel."
"Oh…right, he kind of deserved it."
"Yeah but you can't just go punching people like that."
"Sorry but Betty's Subaru did right here, I suppose. He ruined the peaceful mood."
Sora looked at Beatrice, noticing how close she was to Subaru while also giving him a glare. He was not surprised that the great spirit would side with her contractor. He just stood silent for a moment before returning his attention to his apprentice.
"You need to keep in check with your powers. You're ability is one of darkness just like the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, it is a dangerous ability. You really need to be careful."
"I know and I'm sorry Master Sora. I know the power of darkness is dangerous which is why I won't rely on that but when it comes down with the Invisible Province, I am able to use two a day for now thanks to Beako."
"Yes, thanks to me, I suppose."
Beatrice had a smug look on her face, knowing that it's thanks to her that her contractor can control some of the sloth witch factor. Sora noticed this and found it quite cute before returning his focus again on Subaru.
"Despite the truth on that matter, I want you to promise that you won't be reckless with that ability."
"Alright Master Sora, I promise to be cautious with my power."
Sora looked at his apprentice and nodded at him, seeing that he is being truthful about it. The three of them continued to walk for a bit, enjoying the view of the city until something got their attention. There was a crowd forming with everyone seeing someone standing in a high building, a person with white robes.
"What is going on?"
"Don't know, let's go check it out."
Sora says as he leads the group into the crowd to check on what is going on only for everyone to hear someone unknown to speak.
"Gosh, honestly. Please excuse me, I'm very sorry."
It spoke words of apology, but, compared to genuine words of regret, its words felt far more self-righteous, as if prioritizing its own intentions. That shivering voice broke, sharply. Listening to it was painful on the ears, and there was a fierce, desperate need to remove that discomfort immediately. The reason for that strange feeling could perhaps be traced to that figure's off-putting appearance. The figure's head was entirely wrapped in bandages, leaving only its dazzling eyes uncovered, its body was wrapped tightly with a black jacket, and both wrists were captured by a long chain, the ends of which dragged on ground, swaying both left and right as their owner paced the tower. It offered the masses a strange gesture a smile but the bandages concealed and distorted its mouth too much for the expression to be comforting.
"My apologies, I'm the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishop of Wrath. I am called Sirius Romanee-Conti."
She says this with a malice smile, catching the two keyblade wielders and the great spirit's attention.
'Well this isn't good.' Subaru thinks as he knows how deadly Petelguese was and now someone who shares his last name appears.
"Geuse…" Beatrice says with a sad tone yet she looks at Sirius with a serious facial expression, not liking what she said. The crowd didn't believe that the witch cult were in the city while Sora and Subaru both knew that they had to do something.
"I can take on this threat, go and warn the others."
"You sure, Master Sora? Beatrice and I can help you out."
"I know but we need the others to be in high alert. The closest group is Otto's, go to them and let them know first."
"Okay but be careful Master."
"Yes, try not to get killed, I suppose."
Sora nodded and watched as Subaru and Beatrice left the area to go find Otto and his group. As the two left, Sora turned towards Sirius and pulled out Kingdom Key, knowing that a fight will break out.
In another world, inside a dark castle away from the people of Hollow Bastion were two people coming from a corridor of darkness. One of them was holding a staff and was pretty angry that they didn't get the box they were searching for while the other one was worried that he is going to get hurt.
"Maleficent, I know you are mad but-"
"But what? We don't have the box!"
"I know but there should be some scheme you can come up to get the box."
"Ha! Any scheme of mine would be ruin by you."
"Now that's just hurtful."
Pete looked at Maleficent a bit hurt on how low she views him, which caused him to turn around to leave the room only to see that someone is in there with them, wearing an Organization coat. This caused Pete to yelp in fear which did got Maleficent's attention.
"What are you doing, you idiot?!"
Maleficent looked at Pete's direction to see an Organization member standing in their castle, making her mad and prepared to face him.
"What do you want?"
"Let's just say that an old enemy of yours is in a world where darkness rains. Would you like a world where darkness rains supreme?"
Maleficent stood silent by this, pondering on the offer she was given by the mysterious figure while Pete watched with his fists ready for combat.