The cold wind sent chills down Subaru's spine. He'd been waiting outside for 2 hours now, the sun was getting close to set. Pulling a sheet of paper which had been folded twice, he read the written words once more.
Subaru,
I humbly request that you come to the Supernova Restaurant on April the 5th around the evening. I have some important business to discuss with you.
Sincerely,
Reinhardt, the Sword Saint.
Subaru sighed for the umpteenth time. 'So many things are wrong with this. First off, who the fuck invites someone to something only for them to be late. Second, since when is Reinhardt so formal, no fuck it, when does Reinhard ever send me letters?.'
His internal monologue was interrupted by two hands grabbing his shoulders from behind, along with cat-like purring. Subaru screamed.
"Hey nyow, it's only me!" He turned around to see the catboy in question. Felix Argyle.
"Dude what the fu-" Subaru was once more cut off, this time by someone else.
"Subaru, try not to make so much noise."
Subaru furrowed his brows, he recognised that annoyingly charming voice anywhere, turning to the voice confirmed his suspicions. Before him, stood Julius Juukulius, the Knight of all Knights, or as Subaru called him, the purple fop.
"Julius what the hell are you doing here?" Subaru half yelled.
"I invited him here, along with Felix." Said one last voice, a lot deeper this time.
Subaru turned to his left, seeing the overpowered red-head he knew. Reinhardt Van Astrea.
It was at this point Subaru realised the four of them were wearing their knight outfits. Which was strange cause Subaru didn't remember putting it on but then again dying several dozens of times can make you do a few things mindlessly.
"Wh... Reinhardt what exactly are we doing here?" Subaru asked, the question had been eating at his mind for the past two weeks.
"Yes, I would also like to know why we are here." Proclaimed 'The Purple Fop™'
"I, too, would lyike to knyow." Lugnica's best healer added.
"I.. Well... I..." Reinhardt stumbled over his words. Subaru smiled, he'd never seen him so embarrased over something. Sending a quick glance to Julius and Felix he saw them grinning too..
"What is it? Spit it out!"
"I just thought it would be nice to do something together... And... Felt kicked me out of the house."
…...
…...
…..
'What?'
The three knights all collectively thought the same thing, before taking a five second pause and bursting with laughter.
"You... Haaa... You what?!" Every word spewing from Julius's mouth had been interrupted by a fit of laughter from the trio, himself included.
Reinhardt looked down at his feet in shame. 'I knew I shouldn't have invited them. You fool, now they'll hate you! They'll see you as the monster you are! They'll see you're not the all mighty Sword Saint they knew and they'll never want to see you ag-'
"Although it's funny, I think it was a brilliant idea, Reinhardt." Subaru smiled. The smile was fake, of course, he could almost hear The Sword Saint's™ thoughts by looking into his eyes. Self hatred is something he knows all too well. Practical experience is the best way to learn they say.
Reinhardt looked up, at Subaru, in shock. To say he was surprised would be an underexaggeration.
'They... Don't hate me?'
"I agree with Subaru-kyun. Besides, I am so hyungry right nyow I could eat a ground dragon."
Subaru winced at the butchering of a phrase he knew from his homeland.
"Yes, good thinking Reinhardt, let's go eat." Julius concluded.
Who would eat a horse anyway?
...
The food was good.
No that's an understatement.
The food was splendiforious.
The use of that word made Subaru feel like he'd berate Emilia by saying 'No one says splendiforious anymore, Emilia-tan'
But before they could finish thinking about how good the food was, a new problem was presented.
In fact, several problems were presented. Or was it one problem in many forms? Subaru couldn't really tell, the feeling of the knife in his stomach kinda interrupted his train of thought.
The taste of the blood in his mouth is something he's gotten used to, and although he hates dying, the pain he feels is barely like the pain he's experienced before.
You see, there had been a few screams that interrupted the 4 knights' meals, along with several men charging inside the restaurant with knives, stabbing as many people as they could.
Subaru was currently on the floor, choking in his own pool of blood, the knife had already been extracted, and now he awaited his death from bleeding out.
Though his vision blurred, he glanced over at his 3 comrades. People who he felt comfortable calling his friends.
Julius was busy fighting off the invaders, who ran at him in almost supersonic speeds. Felix was behind him, pouring healing magic into Julius who was being stabbed again and again, while simultaneously staring at Subaru with the most frightened look he'd ever seen plastered on the healer's face.
Reinhard was standing up, but frozen in place. From shock, fear, or maybe some other cause, Subaru didn't know. But he did see the redhead's eyes piercing him, the self hatred clouded the no longer shining blue eyes. The last thing our black haired knight look at was the clock on the wall. '21:20'
...
The Sword Saint stared at Subaru in horror, he could hear the screams around him, but they drowned out from the noise of his own heart beat. 'You failed you failed you failed you failed you failed you failed. You useless monster you couldn't even protect your friends. You disgrace, pathetic, you don't deserve to live. You should die. Take their place. Die die die die die die die die dieideidiediediedie-'
A knife had entered his body, or it would have but the blade shattered upon hitting his skin. In retaliation he sent a jab towards the perpertrator which send the man flying across the room, landing on a table, which then broke in half.
Turning his head to the left, he saw Julius on the floor, 8 knives total sticking out his chest, neck, legs and shoulders. Tears built in his eyes as he watched Felix being sliced to pieces.
'You incompetent foo-'
...
Subaru gasped for air, dropping his knife and fork into the honey roasted pork and selection of various legumes on his plate. The taste of blood rested on his tongue, and the feeling of the thick liquid was stuck in his throat. He fell off his chair, coughing, gagging, the main course along with the appetizers he ate spewed onto the floor.
After a minute or so, and the combined efforts of Felix, Julius and Reinhardt who were panicking over him, he calmed down. He wiped the bile of his mouth with his sleeve.
Felix, who thought he had been poisoned and spent the past minute casting various healing spells on him, stared at him with worry (with a hint of terror).
"Subaru... Are you alright?" Julius was the first to voice his concerns.
"Yes..." He replied, still out of breathe, a piece of carrot stuck at the back of his throat along with stomach acid which burned when he swallowed.
"You're lying." Reinhardt spoke, quietly.
'Wh... Oh. Right. Divine Protection of Empathy.'/
Subaru slowly stood back up, the blood rushed back to his head. He winced.
"I'm fine now..." He looked for the clock at the wall. 21:19
His eyes widened. "EVERYONE GET DOW-"
His yell was interruped by the windows shattering, along with two dozen men jumping through them.
Reinhardt and Julius, who had been on high alert since Subaru fell, immediately jumped into action. Drawing their swords and fending themselves from the men who were jumping all over the place.
Subaru didn't even have time to think, people were screaming, falling, bleeding, dying. Felix stood next to him, with Julius and Reinhardt on either side of them, protecting them from the attackers.
'What do I do what do I do what do I do-'
Subaru had been grabbed by one of the invaders at the speed of sound, and taken to the other side of the room. "You smell like The Witch.. You will come with us." He said with a voice that reminded Subaru of a man on his deathbed. But with a blow so fast it created a gust of wind, Natuski Subaru was knocked unconscious and whisked away.
...
Before the trio of the redheaded Sword Saint, the purple Finest of Knights, and the catboy Greatest Healer's very eyes, Subaru had disappeared. It was so fast, he practically teleported.
"SUBARU!" Reinhardt had shouted. He began to run forward to follow, but three men stood in his way.
"Reinhardt, go get Subaru, I'll hold back these guys." Julius yelled, expertly dodging, parrying and blocking nearly every attack thrown at him. He had already summoned his spirits who informed him of his surroundings. Telling him when to evade.
Jump back!
To the left!
Slide to the right!
One hop this time!
Cha cha real sm-
Reinhardt ran, fast. But Subaru had disappeared, no where to be seen. Not even a single trace.
Sadly, Reinhardt didn't have a Divine Protection of Tracking and it felt like Od Laguna wouldn't give him one. Why? Natsuki Subaru was hated by the world.
You fool you absolute fool. You let Subaru get kidnapped how could you let him be kidnapped you're useless you're weak you're pathetic you should just die you should just die you should just die you should just-
A scream from the restaurant beckoned Reinhardt to snap back to reality. He sprinted back inside, to find Julius on the floor with a knife sticking from his chest and Felix being taken by the attackers.
Divine Protection of Swiftness activated.
He ran forward at a speed so fast that the floorboard cracked beneath his feet with each step. By the time he arrived at his destination, a gust of wind had blown the tables over, shattering the remaining windows and vases. In turn drenching the table cloths from the water contained in the now broken vases. He drew back his fist and pummeled it into the first man.
The attacker practically disintegrated. Every bone in his body shattered and his organs ruptured from the force of Reinhardt's ten-times-the-speed-of-sound right jab.
The other attackers halted, suddenly stopped in their tracks. They looked on in horror as their ally had pretty much been turned into jelly. Although they faltered, they quickly got back on track and charged at Reinhardt.
No matter how fast you run, how strong you hit, or how precise your throw, you can't beat the Sword Saint.
One by one, they got slaughtered, Reinhardt felt genuine rage as he demolished each of them. Rage for kidnapping his friends. But most of it felt directed at himself. Failure of protecting Subaru. Failure of protecting Julius. Failure of protecting Felix. Failure of protecting every man, woman and child who step foot into this restaurant.
He let out a scream of white hot anger as he finished off the last one. Sending him through the wall and then landing in the trash pile outside.
Felix, who had already gotten up, immediately starting healing both himself and his purple haired friend.
Reinhardt took a second to catch his breath, although he didn't exhaust himself in the slightest. It was more of a pause to keep control of his emotions. Though it didn't work and he slowly spiralled further into despair and self hatred.
"Reinhardt!"
His name being called snapped him back to reality. Felix was standing in front of him, with Julius sitting up against the wall behind him.
"Sorry I was..." Reinhardt trailed off, not really knowing what he was doing.
"Where is Syubaru?" Felix dropped the honorifics, this was not the time nor place.
"I... I.." He teared up. He has never done this before. Not even when his grandmother died. Not when his grandfather called him a monster. Not when his father hated him. "I lost him.. I failed him.." He fell to his knees.
They're gonna hate you. You couldn't even protect their friend. You don't even have the right to call them your friends. They're going to disown you. Call you a monster. Just like the others. Why wouldn't they? You truly are a monster. How slothful of you, Reinhardt. So much for being a Sword Saint.
Reinhardt glanced up at a sudden bang. Felix had punched a table which then cracked under his fist. He then proceeded to pull his fist back and hold it to his chest, his face contorting in pain. "That was a bad idea.. Owww..." He casted healing magic into his fist which was now bleeding.
"Felix, maybe you should try and heal the survivors, I know this is a crisis but we must remain calm." Julius voiced. Number one rule of being a knight: Do not, for the love of Od Laguna, panic.
With a nod and a spin on his left heel, Felix quickly made his way to the victims who where still breathing. As much as it pained him, he knew he couldn't save the dead ones.
Reinhardt made his way over to Julius and did a once over, making sure he wasn't injured. It's not that he distrusted Felix, it's just that it is better to be safe than sorry.
What do we do now.
…
Subaru groaned. He felt freezing. He opened his eyes and gritting his teeth from the pain in his head, which was most likely a concussion. He noticed that he had chains around his wrists, and he was in a cell of some sort. The ground was cold and hard, and there was minimal light. Torches from outside the door and no windows.
God damnit can I not have a single break.
He tried to stand up, but his feet were strapped to the floor. He was about to figure out an escape route when a voice boomed through the room.
"Sit down, or we will retaliate."
Subaru looked around him, not knowng where the sound came from. Although he hates to admit it, he knew that dying may be his best shot. So he tried to stand up again, and he felt it.
It was like every nerve in his body shot off at once. He felt pain that was inexplicable. Thousands of times worst than being eaten alive by the Great Hare. Just a single second of it would be enough to make someone insane. But the Authority Of Envy somehow kept his mind together.
He fell to the ground, convulsing, it stopped after five seconds, although it felt like hours.
What do I do now...
He passed out, falling unconscious once more. This time, his eyes puffy and red, and his cheeks stained with tears.
To Be Continued.