I don't own Re:Zero or any of the characters.
Sirius
Ian grit his teeth as he watched the sky overhead. Priscilla's meeting had amounted to nothing more than her thinking it would be entertaining to have Heinkel mess with Wilhelm and Reinhard. When Heinkel had begun to try to kick Felt out of the Astrea Family's lands, being the head of the family, Priscilla had beaten him to the brink of death with one Wind Magic attack by swiping her open fan, then a kick. She'd also summoned a crimson, flames-patterned western-style sword in the blink of an eye, a sword which had disappeared just as easily. Other than that, everything had been as expected. She thought of them all as insects, not even worthy of being her opponents, they all unanimously decided they'd crush her, though no such agreement was said aloud, and the good mood that had been there while Ian was still in bed was gone.
"Don't get so worked up," Elena said. "There's nothing we can do about it now, and it amounted to almost nothing anyway, except for the old man and Reinhard."
"That doesn't make it nothing," Ian said, then sighed, shaking his head. "I didn't think their entrance would be so...awful."
"You knew they were coming?" Rem asked.
"I knew they'd be here for...what happens later," Ian said, the twins both nodding.
"What happens later?" Elena asked.
Ian was silent for a few seconds. "When it starts, and you'll know when it does, stay with Felix, the catboy who acts like a girl."
"Okay," Elena nodded, understanding he couldn't say what would happen.
"By the way, I'm pretty sure I know, given your reaction to that, and that you're calm, but you haven't had any deja vu moments recently, have you?" Ian asked.
"Only when you were fighting Reinhard," Elena said.
"You understood that gibberish word?" Ram asked.
"It's a term from back home," Ian said. "It's that feeling you get when you're doing something and all of a sudden you feel like you've done that exact thing before, like it's already happened."
"Preceding Memories?" Ram asked.
"Sort of," Ian nodded. "However, deja vu is a natural thing that can happen to anyone."
Ram nodded.
"Anyway, let's go exploring," Ian said. "There's a lot of this city we still haven't seen."
The other three nodded and they began to wander, walking aimlessly through the city. After about a half-hour, they stopped to buy sweets, then continued. However, a few blocks later, they stopped as they found a large crowd gathered around the base of a bell tower. Ian followed the crowd's gaze up to the top and stopped, his snack falling out of his hand. There, at the top of the tower, stood a woman in a black robe, her entire body wrapped entirely in bandages with only her left eye, part of her mouth, and random groups of her long, silver hair exposed, the hair sticking out of the bandages haphazardly. There was a spot of red under her eye, though Ian was too far away to tell what it was, and the only other things she had with her were gold chains wrapped around her wrists and hanging down to drag on the ledge she was pacing on.
"My apologies," the woman was saying, voice dripping with malice and with feigned intimacy and graciousness. "I'm the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishop of Wrath. I'm called Sirius Romanee-Conti."
Ian swallowed hard as understanding and fear began to slowly spread through the crowd. He drew his swords, stepping forward.
"All three of you stay behind me," Ian said seriously, all three stepping back, Rem and Ram also already armed. "Aria, stay with Elena and do your best to keep her safe. You can use my mana if you need to, but warn me if you can if the enemy is too strong. Wolf, stay with Rem and Ram for now."
Both spirits appeared in their sphere forms for a moment before growing into their full forms, wordlessly doing as he'd instructed.
"Alright, that's enough!" Surius shouted, clapping her hands once everyone had quieted down. "Everyone took twenty two seconds to fall quiet. However, thank you all for your attention. I'm very happy. In addition..." She paused to cross her arms and shiver happily, only for the chains rubbing against both each other and the walls of the bell tower to make a shrill grinding noise that hurt Ian's ears.
"I'm going in," Ian said. "Wait a few strikes before you help."
Rem and Ram both nodded, and Ian gave Elena an apologetic, sympathetic look, Elena nodding in understanding, stepping to her left to lean against a wall for support of her inevitable deja vu attacks.
"You and you there, and the two buddies there, and you there too," Sirius listed, pointing out specific people, making Ian pause. "I'm sorry, but please don't be so angry. I'm very sorry to take up everyone's precious time. Sorry, and thank you."
Ian's eyes widened. She was either observant or could sense emotions. He shook his head. Let her sense his anger and hatred. It wouldn't matter in the end. He had faith that his own Authority could beat hers.
"And you three," she said, pointing to Ian and the others. "Please calm yourselves as well."
Ian narrowed his eyes, readying his magic, sensing Rem and Ram doing the same. But they waited. If they struck now, there would be casualties. A lot of them. He grit his teeth in annoyance. His Gospel said nothing about what Sirius would do, or fighting her. It had also failed to specify the nature of her presence, only that she would be there. He had a sinking feeling that Subaru was going to reset at least once.
"Okay, thank you," Sirius said. "It looks like we've all calmed down a little bit. I understand your restlessness. Hearing the name 'Witch Cult' didn't evoke a good impression, did it? So, I didn't plan to do anything too special. The reason I took everyone's precious time today is because I wanted to confirm a matter."
"To confirm...a matter?" someone in the crowd asked, many other voices speaking at once.
"I'm sorry, please don't chatter so much," Sirius said, silence falling again. "My head isn't too good, so if everyone speaks at the same time, I'll feel troubled. Then I'll be very sad. That isn't good, is it? If there's anything bothering any of you, please tell me. I'm taking up everyone's time, and I feel very guilty, so no matter what the question is, I'll answer. Is that okay?"
"With all due respect, can I ask a question?" a familiar voice spoke up from off to the opposite side as a hand rose, Ian seeing the familiar tracksuit's sleeve.
"Subaru!" Ian hissed.
That settled it. They were dying. The question was how.
"Yes, please do," Sirius invited. "Thank you. You were the someone who got a little angry just now, so I'm very happy that you're willing to talk to me. What do you want to know?"
"Although I don't know what's going on here, I'm keeping some girls waiting," Subaru said. "Four of them, actually. So it'd be nice if you could let us go as soon as possible."
"Oh, my!" Sirius gasped. "That's truly terrible, I'm sorry. But I didn't expect that from you. Is it a man's dream to have four girls to serve? That's really bad. Isn't it sad to leave some of them crying? We have to put an end to this unallowable disloyalty that absolutely can't happen that must be completely banned."
"H-Hey!" Subaru stammered as Sirius's voice grew more and more energetic, only to drop to a whisper for the last sentence.
"Ian?" Elena asked. "Aren't you going to..."
"Yeah," Ian nodded, crouching. "Enough of this."
"No, no, I just got a little emotional," Sirius said. "Sorry. Although I try so hard to remain level headed, I always become unwittingly excited. Thank you for worrying about me." She turned her gaze to Ian as his wind roared to life. "Calm down." Her voice was icy, leaving no room for argument and filled with enough cold confidence and warning that Ian couldn't help but hesitate. "Well..." she turned her eyes back to Subaru, "you asked when I'd let everyone go?"
"Ah, that's right," Subaru nodded. "We would appreciate it."
"I'm sorry bother you, I'm really very sorry," Sirius said. "But it's okay. Even though I'm in the Witch Cult, I honestly hate troubling anyone. My compatriots often give people trouble, and I feel very sorry about that." She paused, surveying the crowd thoughtfully. "Thank you. And I'm sorry. It looks like I scared everyone. But I'm very happy that you're all willing to hear me out like this."
"It's not like we won't forgive you," Subaru said. "But let's get down to business already."
"That's right, thanks for reminding me," Sirius said. "Let's get down to business. I appeared in front of everyone to affirm something." She crossed her arms and shook again, seeming marginally more comical this time.
Ian looked around as he began to feel calmer, unable to help himself as Sirius acted at least half-way reasonable, if scatter-brained. All around him, everyone else was calming as well, most smiling. Even Rem and Ram had lowered their weapons. With a small start, Ian realized his magic had deactivated and his swords were hanging by his sides.
"So, what do you want to affirm?" Subaru asked.
"Yeah, yeah, hurry up and tell us!" someone shouted.
"Yeah, I'm about to be late for work!" Another called out.
A pandemonium of chattering began to spread, everyone asking her to get to the point.
One man pointed at the tower Sirius was occupying and burst into laughter.
As the laughter spread, Ian felt himself relax even further, only for it to begin setting off warning bells. Elena was laughing, too. Above them all, Sirius looked like she'd been lost to the atmosphere and put a troubled hand on her head.
"Sorry, I'm sorry," Siruis apologized sgain. "Really sorry. I know everyone is busy. I will finish my speech immediately, so please stay with me for a while."
"So tell us already!" Subaru called out, sounding vaguely impatient and vaguely amused.
"Okay!" Sirius clapped her hands once. "Well, I'll say it. The matter I want to affirm is very simple. To put it bluntly, there's something I want to affirm about Love. Wow, that was embarrassing!" She covered her face as if to hide a blush as everyone continued to laugh. "Although I expected that I'd be laughed at, it still makes me feel troubled. Thank you for listening to me. Thank you, and I also have a request."
"A request?" Subaru asked.
"I think, if everyone can stay with me for a while, I can affirm that Love," Sirius said. "I'm sorry, I can really say some unruly things."
Someone in the crowd said, "What, is that all?" and the crowd began to voice their agreement. Ian's mind began to fight half-heartedly, part of it agreeing that it was nothing serious and the other part urging him that he needed to do something. What was he supposed to do?
"Really?" Sirius asked, clapping again. "Thank you, thank you! I'm sorry. The world is really very gentle. Full of love and tenderness. Whenever I understand this, I cannot help but to want to express my gratitude. People are able to understand each other and care for each other. Maybe I always speak with 'thank you' and 'I'm sorry' so that I can confirm that."
"Yeah, yeah, we get it, Sirius!" a woman wearing a blindfold over one eye who had a sword at her side called out. "So what next?"
"Ah, I'm sorry!" Sirius said, then laughed along with the woman. Then, she retreated into the bell tower, holding out a hand and extending one finger in a 'just a moment' gesture. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting. Well, come here!"
A moment later, she returned with someone else, a young boy whose entire body was bound from ankle to shoulder in her chains, the boy writhing in her grip, trying to escape, the chain running through his mouth like a gag cutting into the corners and making them bleed. Sirens began to shriek in Ian's head instantly, and he suddenly realized he was still holding his swords.
"I'm sorry that you're so scared," Sirius said. "However, as a man, crying like this isn't good. Although I wanted to keep that a secret for you, you look like you're about to urinate yourself. It's a hard feeling, and it's sad when everyone can see it."
The boy shrieked around the chain futilely, Ian's internal sirens slowly drowning out the calm part of his brain.
"Yes!" Someone shouted in agreement. "It's so very embarrassing!"
"If you're a man then don't cry!" Another shouted.
"Men only cry three times in their lives, and even then for only a moment!" a third called out.
"Alright, that's enough, everybody!" Sirius called. "It's true that this child is a little clumsy, but he's in fact very brave. Isn't that right, Lusbel?" She held him with one hand as her other stroked his head, ignoring the boy's attempts to move his head away from her, as the crowd below laughed. "Excellent. Well, please pay attention. My apologies. This is Lusbel, a nine-year-old boy who lives in Pristella. His family name is Kallard, so his full name is Lusbel Kallard."
The boy shrieked again, louder this time.
"His father is named Muslan Kallard," Sirius continued. "Muslan works to maintain the stability of the waterways. Ina Kallard, Lusbel's mother, is pregnant. Her stomach has just started to grow larger, and so Lusbel is looking forward to having a younger brother or sister. The Kallard family lives on Third Street. They often go the city park with a family friend, Tina. Lusbel and Tina are childhood sweethearts, and they love each other dearly. Lusbel's dream is to have Tina stand at his side and support him. Tina is a girl with pale blond curls, and her growing beauty as she blossoms into adulthood is much anticipated. That Tina also wants to support Lusbel's dream. Upon hearing of the song Delphin Betrayed by the Sunset, Lusbel wanted to become an adventurer just like Delphin. It's a very commendable dream for a boy of his age. Although there may be people who would laugh at that childish dream, I wouldn't do so at all. Who could laugh at the manly spirit? I believe that Tina also thinks so, which is why she gives Lusbel her heartfelt support. Right, although Lusbel's dream is to be an adventurer, he's also really looking forward to meeting the child inside his mother. His original plan was to immediately embark on the journey of adventure, but he put it on hold out of consideration for his newborn brother or sister. Because of the large difference in their ages, that child will certainly be very much loved. Lusbel is a good kid who is considerate of others, so I think he will be a very good brother. I would also be happy if everyone could support Lusbel's feelings. Ah, yes, we can't forget about Tina. In fact, the one I originally wanted to bring here was Tina rather than Lusbel, because I think girls are closer than boys to the kind of Love that I want to affirm. However, my heart was impressed by Lusbel's desperate pleas. Sorry, I'm not a very strong-willed person. So I changed my mind. Ah, although, being temperamental is just my usual attitude. When I talk about my love, I speak wholeheartedly. Oh, how annoying, I'm so embarrassed. Really, my business doesn't matter. We should be focusing on Lusbel and Tina. Because they already love each other so much, I do not know how much they'll come to adore to each other in the future, so separating them would make me very, very sad. So I decided that I'd respect Lusbel's feelings and help him. So, although Lusbel was just slightly scared and even cried a little, he's really a very brave child. Thanks, and, I'm sorry. I've finished talking in a way that's convenient for everyone."
Throughout her speech, more and more of the calm part of Ian's brain was drowned out, so that while the rest of the crowd began to voice their agreement with Sirius regarding Lusbel's courage and their support of Lusbel's dreams, Ian was raising his swords in arms shaking with the effort of of resisting whatever was clearly affecting his mind.
"Lusbel, don't cry!" Subaru shouted. "You're the best!"
"Yeah, don't cry anymore!" You're a man, right!? If so, show us your handsome side, kid!" a man shouted from the crowd.
"Yeah, listen well, Lusbel! You're Pristella's pride!" another voice shouted.
"Lusbel!"
"Amazing!"
"You'll be a great man!"
More and more voices joined the chorus of cheers, including Elena's, until cheers and clapping was all it was.
"Ah...thank you, thank you, thank you!" Sirius gushed. "Ah, this is amazing! I believed that we could all understand. I knew everyone would praise Lusbel's courage. Because, he demonstrated the will of Love with it! If you know him, you will love him. Because of this mutual understanding, everyone now has an in-depth understanding of each other's Love!"
"Sirius!" a voice shouted. "Thank you so much!"
"Lusbel!" someone cried out again.
Ian grit his teeth as he felt his eyes burn. Something was terribly wrong. All through the crowd, and even the three girls behind him, everyone was crying from joy, still cheering. Even Sirius was crying. But Ian's body still wouldn't move right.
"Our inability to understand each other creates barriers between us," Sirius said. "Our minds being unable to empathize leads to antagonism. Our inability to reach conclusions has us giving up on one another. That's all very heartbreaking. In fact, it's a tragedy. But now, everyone, are you sad? Do you feel heartbroken?"
"Not at all!" someone shouted. "Sadness or whatever, none of us feel that way!"
"Thank you!" Sirius smiled. "So, do you feel happy? Does everyone feel happy?"
"Of course!" someone shouted. "It's been a long time since I've been so happy! Thank you, Sirius! You've worked so hard, Lusbel!"
As the crowd began to cheer again, Lusbel finally opened his mouth, allowing the chain to cut into his cheeks and break his teeth so he could scream. "Wake up! Save-Agh!-Please-Ah!-me! Hel-KAH!"
The chains cut his cheeks deeply, they and his broken teeth sending blood flying as he screamed. Suddenly, Elena was vomiting. Ian spun, staring at her in surprise, his ears switching off for a moment. However, his sight remained, and he turned back in time to watch as Sirius hurled Lusbel from the tower, the crowd still cheering and clapping, even as they cleared a place for Lusbel to land. Ian shouted in surprise and dismay, his magic roaring to life before he launched himself from the ground at Lusbel. Except, before he could reach him, a gold chain flashed out to him, a massive hook, like a fishing hook for a whale, stabbing through his left calf. He shrieked in agony as Sirius swung him down into the side of the building, shattering his left shoulder and cracking his skull. Below him, the crowd were still cheering. Lusbel was still falling. Ian tried to focus, to use his Authority, but suddenly, the chain jerked, yanking him upward before coiling around him at the same time as transforming into fire. Ian shrieked in agony yet again, his eyes closing, missing the impact of Lusbel and the ground. However, just as he opened his eyes, seeing the red paste Lusbel had been reduced to, there was a machine gun burst of shattering bones as everyone below him, everyone who'd been watching, suddenly exploded into identical messes.
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