Re: Starting Life in Another World As the Host for Life and Death

Chapter 1

"That'll be 363 Yen," the cashier said.
"Here ya g-oh, a groove-edged ten. Neat!" said Subaru Natsuki, admiring the rare coin in his wallet.
"Come again!"
"Bye!"
Subaru walked outside the convenience store, stopping at a crosswalk. As he stood, he saw his surroundings distort.
"Huh, guess anyone's eyes would be tired after gaming all day," Subaru muttered. As he went to wipe his eyes, he noticed a bright light and lots of voices speaking around him. Slowly, he opened his eyes in bewilderment, expecting to just see some people nearby with flashlights or something. Instead he found…
"Those ears...look pretty real...And...it isn't nighttime anymore. This stuff obviously isn't fake, so…" Subaru said slowly, still partially in shock.
"DOES THIS MEAN I"VE BEEN SUMMONED TO A PARALLEL WORLD?!"

After some...less than positive looks and mutters from the locals, Subaru started to realize that he should explore the area and get the lay of the land. Out-dated saying and all, but pretty accurate in this case. So he first tried conversing with and buying from a local vendor, which half-worked. So I can understand them, but I'm broke. And I can't read these signs, either. Having no choice, our intelligent hero decided to walk around to gather information...and he walked into the ladies' room. That didn't work, but Subaru Natsuki was undeterred! So he walked into a demi-human bar and promptly got pushed into a canal!
"What the hell is going on?! Wasn't I summoned here? Where is my cute girl to guide me?" screamed our enraged, indignant, slightly entitled Subaru (whose rage wasn't completely unjustified, as he was literally kidnapped and thrown into a foreign land).

Elsewhere

"Look at him, suffering for his feelings, for his love of adventure, enraged because of love...and far too noisy. They're all so loud and infuriating."
"Tch. Far be it from you to understand emotions. Right though you may be, Subaru Natsuki will soon see the value of his emotions, for what good would life be without the bad to contrast it?"
"Trivial matters like joy and suffering are obsolete to my corps. All are immune to the hurdles of life, for they feel only the all-encompassing embrace of death."
"Troubles are void of meaning in the light of joy, and death is only avoided by those whose lives are devoid of light."
"Maybe in other worlds, but in this world, Subaru Natsuki will come to learn the value of death, or live in agony."
"We shall see who he chooses."

Alleyway

Subaru quickly looked up towards the sound of feet coming towards him.
"Could this be the cute...girl who…" Subaru trailed off.
"What're ya mutturin' abou'? If you don't wanna get killed, cough up ev'rything ya have," a small boy-man with brown hair and a bowl-cut said, while walking with a skinny, tall man-thing, and a bigger, bulkier man towards Subaru. Subaru was pretty scared, but then he saw a blond loli approaching him, adorably.
"Oi, is this the cute girl who summoned me?"
"Eh, what are you talking about? I've never seen you before. Anyway, live strong!" she said before jumping up the wall, leaving an annoyed Japanese boy and three disgruntled thugs behind.
Shiiiiii-wait a sec, I'm the protagonist. This is just a compulsory event, which means…Subaru thinks "Prepare to suffer, you lumps of EXP!" Subaru roared while hitting the middle man with a straight hit to the jaw. He then went to deal with the other two before finishing off thing-man, but…
"Oh SHI-" Subaru said before immediately sliding on the ground in front of him and bowing, scared of the two knives now aimed at him.
"You sonofabitch, mess with us? Why don't you die!" the men said while kicking Subaru.
"That's enough!" a bell-like voice chimes.
Subaru and the three stooges turn, and he sees her...a beautiful girl with silver hair.
"Just return what you stole and I'll let it slide!" she demanded.
"Huh? What we stole? You didn't come to help this kid?" one of the thieves asked.
"Hm, what strange clothes he has. If you're asking if I know him, the answer's no," the beautifully, heartless girl said.
"In that case, you've got nothing to do with us. That girl from earlier's probably who you're after. She went that way." the middle man said, pointing.
"No way, really? Did I take a wrong turn?" the girl asked skittishly.
She ran past them intent on catching her thief, but…
"Regardless, I can't let this stand!" she said, summoning ice and attacking the thugs.
"You bitch! You think you can wi 1?" blue boy demanded.
"Ah, might've been unfair, so how abou 3?" said a...gray cat that...appeared out of thin air?
"A spirit user? Screw it, this is too much trouble!" our foolish thief said while running away with his accomplices.
(I'm sure we can guess that this insincere girl saved Subaru when he fainted from his injuries-though there was an embarrassing moment when Subaru woke up in the spirit's lap-so Subaru decided to help her find the blonde girl as payment. And so, our gung-ho hero and his tsundere heroine went about searching the town, but…)
"You've no idea where you are, you've no money, and you don't have anyone to guide you. You might be in a worse situation than me, uh…" the silver haired girl trailed off.
"Ah, we've yet to introduce ourselves. I'll go first. I'm Puck!" the flying gray cat-spirit said.
"I'm Subaru Natsuki!" Subaru exclaimed while pointing to the sky. "Not only am I clueless, I'm totally broke, too."
"O-okay then," the girl said uncertainly. "I'm...Satella," she said while looking away.
"That's a nice name. Pleasure to meet cha," Subaru said.
"Eh?" Satella said.
"Huh...You've terrible taste," Puck said with a sigh.
After that, our heroes eventually got a lead that their target was in the slums, so they went to the poor man's district. Unfortunately, Puck lost his physicality due to a lack of energy, so he entrusted Satella to Subaru. After some time wandering around, they arrived at Old Man Rom's loot house.
"Alright, you stay here and I'll get your insignia," Subaru said.
"Fine, I'll entrust it to you, and I'll apologize afterward."
"Huh?"
"Nothing, don't worry about it."
"Alright, see ya in a sec," Subaru said. With that, he left Satella outside and went up to the door.
"Hello?" Subaru said. Hearing no response he went further inside. Subaru kept walking until he stepped in a puddle...a red puddle.
"AH!" Subaru screamed. Looking around, he saw a dead body, causing him to fall over and see another dead body-the blonde loli from before.
"Oh dear, you saw that?" a sweet sickly voice said from the darkness. "I can't let that slide."
As Subaru got up to flee, he fell down again, his stomach hot. Feeling around with his hand, he brought it up and saw it covered in red. Oh God, is this my blood.
"Subaru, are you okay?" Satella asked. "I'm coming in."
No, don't come in...RUN!
"Sa..ell…"
'Thump'
Satella fell down beside Subaru, unmoving. Subaru struggled to reach over to her, his body leaking blood and will. I swear...I will...Definitely...Save you. And with that, Subaru Natsuki died.
Elsewhere "AH!" Subaru screamed. He woke up with a start, but he couldn't see or feel anything. No, that was wrong. On his right side, he saw a bright white light. Looking at it, he felt a swirl of emotions, both positive and negative. On his left side, he felt nothing, a void that consumed his joy and sadness. But even that wasn't the strangest bit, for on both sides he saw some...thing. On his left was a skeleton lightly clad in black, holding a scythe with the blade coming out of a lantern. This thing felt like it was calling him to sleep, to let him take control. On his right was...some sort of white creature in a cocoon. Staring at it, Subaru felt angry, afraid, hopeful, compassionate, determined to satiate his avarice, and like adoring the entity for all eternity. At once, both beings addressed his insignificant self.
"SUBARU NATSUKI!" they both called out, alarming Subaru.
"Y-yes?" Subaru said, timidly.
The being on the left spoke first.
"I am Nekron, lord of the unliving, the embodiment of death," Nekron informed Subaru.
Next, the being on the right spoke up.
"I am known as the Entity, the source of all life in the universe," the Entity said to the startled Subaru.
"A-alrighty then," Subaru said. "What am I doing here? Oh, and where is here?"
"I was getting to that, human," the Entity snarled. "This is the realm between life and death."
"A normal person would've gone on to the afterlife, but you have a different fate. Through the power of a sinful love, you have the ability to negate your own death. However, we have intervened and chosen you for our own purposes," Nekron explained, sounding annoyed.
"Ah, I see. And w-what is this grand purpose that I've been selected for, you highnesses?" Subaru mumbled.
"You are not the first who came to this world from another," the Entity explained. "Every time someone is "isekai'd", as it were, this world has changed for the better."
"However, for 400 years since the most influential of these people came, this world has embraced sin and death," Nekron explained.
"So, Nekron and I have decided that this cannot stand," the Entity said. "As such, we've decided that you, the most recent being from another world, shall judge this sinful world in our stead."
"Should you succumb to the evil here," Nekron informed Subaru, "you shall become my herald and submit this world to death, and I shall rule."
"But I believe that you can embrace life even amidst evil, and if you learn to do that, you will pave the way for my rule, an era of life," the Entity explained.
"Okay then," Subaru said. "What do I need to do?"
"You shall inherit our power, but you shall not have it all, for that would render this test meaningless," the Entity explained.
"You shall also resume your abnormal existence, just with us joining you," Nekron said.
At that moment, both beings went inside Subaru and gave him their power.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Subaru screamed as two nigh-omnipotent entities inhabited him, before fainting and waking up to a familiar voice.

"Hey kid, you gonna buy some appas-Oi, where'd those lanterns come from?" the vendor asked.
"Huh?" Subaru muttered, disoriented. He looked around before noticing the two lanterns in each hand, the one on his left black and the one on his right white. "What the hell?"
Subaru walked off, leaving the dazed vendor behind. "So, those two...gods were real. AND I"M THE JUDGE OF THIS WORLD!" Subaru shouted, getting weird looks. He paid them no mind, until he spotted someone with silver hair walking through the crowd. He remembered the both of them dying on the wooden floor, but he couldn't understand why they were both here now. And why is it daytime? Is this related to my "abnormal" existence? No, that doesn't matter, she might be hurt!" With both lanterns in hand, he ran towards Satella to confirm her safety.
"Satella!" Subaru screamed, causing her to stop. "Look, I'm sorry for before. I should've protected you, but now I can-"he trailed off. Subaru didn't notice it before, but he could see the emotions around him. Fear, rage, the people around him were directing these feelings at him. What gives? I mean, I did shout and all, so maybe… Wait! Why is Satella-? Finally turning to face him, Satella was red with rage, every drop of it directed at him.
"You! Why did you call me that?!" she demanded.
"...Because you told me...to," Subaru said, hesitantly. She shook her head. "I don't know who told you to call me that, but they must have terrible taste to use the name of the Jealous Witch!" "Satella?" said, followed by the rest of the citizens.
"That's right!"
"That's going too far, boy!"
"Go kill yourself, ya damn cultist!"
What is going on? Why is Satella acting like she didn't tell me her name? Why does she not recognize...me? ...Could...this be related to what Nekron and the Entity talked about, me having an abnormal existence. Did I...Subaru's thoughts were interrupted by a voice in his head.
Yes, you've returned back in time, the Entity finished Subaru's thoughts.
Makes sense and all, but why is Satella acting so mad? Did she…
She lied to you, Nekron spat. You did nothing but offer to help her, and in her fear of rejection, she lied to you about the first and only thing you asked of her.
At this, Subaru felt betrayed. He'd trusted this girl, and yet she repaid him with lies and scorn. In his left hand, the black lantern shined just a bit brighter.