Re:Start

by qwerty19

Sage If. A rash decision in the Corridor of Memories sends Subaru back to Zero. Subaru/Emilia. Updates every other weekend.

33. The Sorceress and the Sage

A lot of people are upset that Subaru didn't use RBD to bring Crusch back. I'm aware of that. By the end of this arc, there will be a legitimate explanation. Just trust me on this; I plan things out way ahead of time, so rest assured that I wouldn't make a decision like this without careful consideration.

I probably should have said this earlier, so I didn't lose a large chunk of my readers and reviewers. But hey, what can you do?

Also Reid OP plz nerf

Special thanks to my fiancé for being my reason to believe. I'd choose you any day.

Chapter 33 – The Sorceress and the Sage

For a moment, all was calm. Then, space itself distorted as a massive beast tore through the fabric of reality. Glittering blue scales reflected the sun's harsh glare, bathing the land in a kaleidoscope of cerulean, sapphire, and azure. Its mighty roar shook the earth below as it flew without even unfurling its wings.

A dragon. A deity. A god. The Divine Dragon Volcanica had come to strike judgment upon the wicked.

Reid Astrea, the Heavenly Sword. A warrior of unparalleled skill. A man so powerful that he could defeat almost any foe without drawing his mythical blade. Legends said that even an army could not stand against him. His long, red hair flowed in the wind liking a phoenix rising from the ashes. His muscular body was littered with scars, relics of the land's greatest soldiers who had died with the honor of merely scratching the fabled warrior.

Reid deemed his challenger worthy and drew the Dragon Sword. "Volcanica! How nice of ya to join me!" He spread his arms wide, gripping his sword lazily. "I thought ya were too much of a coward to show yerself, but I guess tha' even I can be wrong here and there!"

"Reid Astrea." With every word, the very air around the dragon rumbled. "Thou hast harmed many an innocent man."

Reid threw his head back and laughed. "Hah! Innocent? Don't make me laugh! They're all a buncha pricks. Last couple o' years, I only picked fights with plunderers, murderers, slave traders, an' the like. Trisha's rules, ya know?"

Volcanica's gigantic, serpentine body coiled and tensed in preparation. "Thy mind is twisted, Reid Astrea. I, Volcanica, sentence thee to death for thy crimes."

Reid's sky-blue eyes brightened. He pointed his sword at Volcanica and smirked. "I'd like to see ya try, ya scaly bastard."

With that, their battle began.

The light of the Divine Dragon's fire illuminated the land, killing sound itself. Flowers bloomed where the flames licked the earth, blessing it with the gift of life. Devastation fell upon all that was evil, turning it to dust.

Satisfied with his condemnation of the Heavenly Sword, Volcanica ceased his attack but immediately reeled back in pain. Reid stood on Volcanica's snout, casually impaling the dragon with his sword as if he were merely setting down a cane.

"Hah! Seems yer jus' a little fish, after all! Here I thought ya'd be more of a challenge than Trisha!"

With a wrathful roar, Volcanica thrashed around, moving faster than the eye could follow. Its tail struck Reid in the side, and he was sent flying into the face of a mountain, forming a crater upon impact. Bruises covered his body, but he stood up like he had never been struck in the first place. He glared at the dragon with hatred in his eyes. "Sonuva bitch… If yer gonna fight, then fight! Stop with this pussy shit! Fight me, you coward!"

Volcanica's massive golden eyes homed in on the redhead. "Mineself shall act upon thy wishes, Reid Astrea. May the judgment of a god be passed upon thy unholy form."

Reid rolled his eyes. "Fuckin' finally. I was gettin' sick o' – the fuck're ya doin'?"

Volcanica reared his head back and opened his maw wide. The air grew thick with mana before all of it was absorbed into the dragon. Its scales glittered with magic itself, reflecting its brilliant blues all across the valley.

Suddenly, all of that built-up magic was expelled in one mighty burst, targeted directly at Reid. The swordsman raised his eyebrows and half-heartedly attempted to dodge, but arrogance was nothing in the face of divine retribution. He was enveloped by power incarnate, his every cell reconstructed to its primal state. He screamed in rage, but it was lost in the whirlpool of mana.

With shaky arms, Reid managed to raise his sword, but didn't aim it at Volcanica. He instead sliced the magic in two, dissipating it and leaving a bizarre sight. Where there was once a muscular, powerful swordsman was now a thin, feeble man, struggling to stand. His pasty skin hung off his bony limbs; he didn't look like he could lift a piece of paper, let alone a sword.

The man forced out a chuckle. "Well, whaddya know," he said with a wavering smile. "I haven't looked like this in years! S-seems ya might actually be a big fish, even if yer still a massive cunt."

Volcanica ignored the man's mutterings. "Surrender, Reid Astrea. Mine Purification Breath has brought an end to this conflict."

Reid's smile gained a hint of smugness. "The fight ain't over till I'm standin' over your dead body, ya prick."

With that, he raised the Dragon Sword once more, and swiped it downward. The air around him rippled and tore as the very concept of Volcanica's attack affecting him was cut in half. A moment later, the feeble man was gone, replaced by the Heavenly Sword.

Reid flexed his arms, admiring his muscles. A wide smile adorned his handsome features. "Not bad, eh? Not a single other swordsman is as good at cutting shit as I am! I call it 'Concept Cut,' ya see, and – dammit!" He hopped to the side, narrowly avoiding a fireball. "Stop doin' tha' when I'm tryin' to talk, ya piece o' shit!"

But Volcanica wasn't about to listen, and Reid wasn't in the mood for conversation, either. They charged at each other with hatred in their hearts, and the legendary battle waged on.

For three days and three nights, the two unstoppable warriors fought to a standstill. However, even a dragon has its limits, and its human counterpart was no different. They stood there, panting, throwing half-hearted blows that barely reached the other.

"Thy… judgment…"
"Yer… an asshole…"

With one final cry, the two foes collapsed… and that was the sorry state that the Sorceress and the Sage found them in.

"Oh, dear," mumbled Satella. "This is –"

"Not what I expected," said Subaru. "Are you sure this is the Divine Dragon and the Heavenly Sword?"

She nodded, saying, "The descriptions match."

"Huh," he mumbled. "Guess I didn't expect them to be so… pathetic."

Satella threw her husband a disparaging glance before she walked towards the fallen Volcanica.

"H-hold on!" Subaru cried out. "What are you doing?"

"Healing them," she called over her shoulder.

"But your illness –"

"I'll be fine," she said stubbornly.

He clenched his fists. "No!" he yelled, rage filling his entire being. "I won't let you hurt yourself further!"

She flinched at his shout. "Please, my love," she begged. "They need help."

He glared, but he recognized that tone. She wouldn't back down.

"Fine," he growled, cursing his weakness, "but only one of them. I'll get the other."

She didn't respond, choosing instead to march towards the dragon. Of course, she took the one that needed more mana to heal. That pain-in-the-ass woman had never heard of self-preservation.

He hated that she did this to herself. Couldn't she see that the exertion was killing her faster? Why was she doing this? He just wanted to protect her and she was hurting herself and she was going to –

He took a deep breath. 'She'll be fine,' he told himself, though it sounded weak. 'Have a bit more faith in your wife.'

It wasn't a matter of faith, and he knew that.

Pushing his anxiety out of his mind, he made his way over to the fallen warrior and grimaced. It didn't look good. Cuts littered the man's entire body, and there didn't seem to be a single bone that wasn't broken.

"Damn fool." Subaru glared at the man like he was the cause of Satella's illness. "No petty fight is worth this much pain. Now, because of you, my wife is one step closer to death."

For good measure, he kicked the unconscious man in the ribs. He didn't feel any better. If anything, he felt even more pathetic.

He began the laborious task of healing every cut, fractured bone, torn ligament, and anything else that afflicted the unconscious warrior. It was exhausting to heal an entire body, but Satella had wished for it, and he could never deny her anything.

Barely a minute later, the only evidence of conflict was torn clothing. He had come a long way from the boy who cowered before Echidna.

Subaru sent a small jolt of electricity into the man, waking him up. He shot to his feet and snarled in a random direction. "Come at me!" he called out. "Fight, ya coward!" His voice could make the toughest of warriors flee, but Subaru didn't flinch.

Reid glared at empty space and spat on the ground. "Wha', is tha' all ya got? Pathetic! Ya can't hide from me, ya weaklin'!" Then, spotting Volcanica laying on the ground, unconscious, his face split into a massive grin. "Hah! The big fish is a little fish after all! The one and only Reid Astrea is the winner!"

Subaru groaned in annoyance. "Holy shit, will you just shut up?"

Reid whirled around, turning his ire on Subaru. "Who the hell is this little fish?"

"The man who saved your life," Subaru growled. He was too tired for this bullshit. "A little thanks would be nice."

"Bah!" Reid waved Subaru off with a dismissive flick of his fingers. "Trisha ain't much've a healer, but I bet she coulda' done loads better than this little fish."

Then, before Subaru could retort, Reid spotted Satella healing Volcanica and let out a low whistle. "Damn, look at tha'! Best pair o' tits I've ever seen… 'side from Trisha's, course."

Subaru clenched his fists and ground his teeth. "That's my wife."

Reid rolled his eyes. "Psh, not gonna try anything; don't get yer panties in a twist." Then, he smirked at Subaru and said, "Still, it's a man's right to notice a nice chest, yeah? Ah, what I'd do to cop a feel."

Electricity coursed down Subaru's arms. Faster than the speed of sound, he aimed a punch directly at Reid's cheek, intent on sending the asshole flying.

It collided with solid rock.

Reid's expression turned murderous, somehow looking even more menacing with Subaru's fist pressed up against it. "So, is tha' how it's gonna be? Ya lookin' to die, ya little fish?"

Subaru didn't even have time to look shocked. A palm collided with his chest, and he tumbled onto his back. He struck his head against a rock, sending stars across his vision. Through the ringing in his ears, he heard, "Yer an arrogant prick, ya know tha'? Rash, reckless, and stupid. Shouldn't've picked a fight ya can't win."

A hand gripped his hair and slammed his head into the ground. For the first time in years, he tasted blood. "Tha' punch held some solid weight fer a little fish, I'll give ya tha' much. But tirin' yerself out to heal a big fish and then sockin' them in the face? Trisha'd box my ears if I was tha' self-destructive."

"Fuck off," Subaru spat.

Reid threw his head back and laughed. "Yer a persistent little fish, I'll give ya tha'." He turned around and walked away, waving a hand behind him as he did so. "Ya got spunk, kid. Come back when yer a big fish."

No, Subaru wouldn't come back. He'd wipe that arrogant smirk off that bastard's face then and there. He gathered his magic and held out his palm, intent on speaking the most powerful brute-force spell he knew. He didn't often use an incantation, but when he did…

"Al Minya!"

A flaming spear of crystallized shadow, longer than the Royal Castle and wider than a dragon, sped towards Reid at the speed of light. With the spell's power amplified by the vocalization, Subaru guaranteed that Reid wouldn't be anything more than a smoldering corpse.

But that didn't happen.

The swordsman spun around, armed with nothing but a pair of chopsticks, and sliced them downwards as if he were merely swatting a fly. The spell was cleanly cut in two, dissipating on either side of him. "Like I said, yer hits got some weight," he admitted begrudgingly, "but they don't mean shit against a man who can cut through anything."

Subaru spat vitriol, but his words stopped halfway through his sentence.

"Ya don't seem to understand," Reid said after another casual swipe. "I can cut through anythin', and tha' includes the concept o' ya sayin' shit. If I don't wanna hear a little fish blabbin', then I shut yer trap fer as lon' as I want."

This was what Subaru got for healing the man? Maybe he should come back when he was at full strength and beat the shit out of that arrogant prick. He should –

"S- Flugel! Are you all right?!"

Ah, an angel had come to save him. He truly was pathetic.

Satella fell to her knees before him, already working her magic. "It will be okay, my love," she whispered with tears in her eyes. "You shouldn't have to suffer when I am here to take your burdens."

He narrowed his eyes, hating how he felt relieved. "Keep healing me and you won't be around to take on any suffering."

She flinched, but didn't pull back. Her shaky hands continued to hover over his chest, mending his broken ribs. "Then stop getting hurt!" she pleaded. "I'm not worth fighting over!"

"But he said –"

"I care not for what he said! You're the only one that matters!"

That was utter bullshit. If he was the only one who mattered, then she'd care about his happiness. If she cared, then she'd let him use a death row inmate in a ritual to save her life.

Her self-hatred took precedence over her family.

The ground rumbled and the air twisted as a mighty dragon approached. "What troubles thee, child?" Volcanica asked Satella. "The one who so graciously healed mineself should not drown in thy sorrows, but rejoice in thine life."

Reid came over after the dragon spoke. "Well, will ya look at tha'? Seems the all-knowin' dragon ain't so all-knowin' after all."

Volcanica released a scorching-hot ball of air targeted directly at Reid. The redhead swung his chopsticks, and the steam itself split in two, dissipating on either side of him.

"Begone, Reid Astrea," Volcanica rumbled. "Mine quarrel with thee shall continue another day."

Reid didn't move. His gaze turned to the still-kneeling Satella. Her entire body shook as she sweat profusely. Her pale, sickly skin stuck to her bones, and it looked like she hadn't had a decent meal in months. Every second she exerted herself, her condition visibly deteriorated further.

"Well, I'll be damned," Reid muttered. "Never thought I'd feel bad fer flirtin' with a hottie, but a dyin' woman is off-limits."

Subaru glared at the man. "But married women are fine?"

"Eh, I flirt with a married woman every day."

Subaru tried to get up, but, with what little strength remained in her weary bones, Satella gently pushed down on his chest. "Please," she croaked, sounding a hundred years older than she was. "Don't fight. I just want you to be happy."

"No, you don't!" he wanted to shout. "You don't give a fuck about anything but your own self-pity!"

She hadn't cared since that first rune was carved into her.

Soon, Subaru's body was as good as new, but Satella was on the verge of death. He caught her in his arms, running his fingers through her silver hair.

"You're okay," she whispered, leaning into his touch.

"Only because you exerted yourself." He sighed and looked at Volcanica and Reid. "Look, we came here to stop your bullshit. The fight ended, and we healed you guys. Anything I missed? Okay, great. I need to leave and take care of my wife."

"Halt, child," Volcanica rumbled. It faced Satella and said, "An ailment afflicts thee. Mineself shall restore thy health with mine power."

The Holy Dragon reared its head back. All the surrounding mana was absorbed into Volcanica, who released it in one mighty breath. It surrounded Satella and no one else; the magic seeped into her skin, attempting to revitalize her body.

But she wasn't healed. Satella turned to the side and vomited blood, looking as if she wanted nothing more than for her time to end at that moment.

Volcanica shifted uncomfortably. "How is this possible? Mine Purification Breath has never failed to heal the sick and the lame."

"Bah! Buzz off, ya overgrown lizard! Let a real man help the pretty bird!" Reid stood before Satella, and, deeming her worthy, pulled out the Dragon Sword. He slashed through the air, cutting through reality itself. The concept of Satella being ill was shredded into a million pieces, and Reid sheathed his sword with a smug, satisfied grin on her face.

Satella's condition didn't improve in the slightest.

Amidst the redhead's sputtering protests, Subaru said, "You can't do anything. It's hopeless. Half of her soul is gone, and there's no seal on it."

Volcanica curled in on itself as if the mere thought of a split soul disgusted it. "Who would perform such heinous actions?"

A shadow covered Subaru's eyes. "Echidna, the Witch of Greed."

Volcanica's serpentine body twisted, and the air shifted to accommodate its massive presence. It didn't like the concept of Witches. Their power belonged to the Od Laguna's chosen.

It gave the draconian equivalent of a sigh. "Let mineself take thee home, children. 'Tis the least mineself can do for thee."

Without waiting for an answer, Volcanica scooped the three of them up with its talons and placed them on his back. It shot off into the sky, causing Reid to protest. "Damn it, I ain't gonna fly with a scaly bastard and a little fish! Hell, Trisha'd kill me if she saw me with a hottie! Why the fuck should I come along with you twats?!"

"Silence, Reid Astrea. Thou art an annoyance."

Subaru ignored the byplay. He was too busy cradling his wife to his chest. Her once-gleaming eyes had fluttered shut as she fell into a restless slumber. He wanted to teleport back so badly, but he didn't want to strain her body further. Even if he could get back instantaneously, what would he do? Patch her up and soothe her, yeah, but that wouldn't solve the problem. She wouldn't let him heal her completely.

What would Shaula say if she saw the blood? Would Daphne still be in denial? Would Geuse look even more somber?

'How the hell can I fix this?!'

He couldn't… unless he convinced her. He'd try again tonight, just as he did every night. He'd beg and plead, even if it amounted to nothing. For now, however, he'd simply try not to cry. He didn't want Shaula to see his tears.

But… did it matter? No… no, of course it didn't. Satella's health came first. His wife was all that mattered.

Thinking any other way only distracted him from saving her.

He absent-mindedly guided Volcanica to his home, following his normal routine of cleaning up Satella's blood. He couldn't help but liken it to that time all those years ago when they had imprisoned themselves with Echidna. They had never truly escaped, had they? Damn it all, he just wanted a peaceful life with Satella!

The moment they landed on the ground, Subaru hopped off Volcanica and ran inside the mansion. He opened a cupboard – strategically positioned right at the entrance – and pulled out a specially crafted pain-relief elixir, developed after months of research.

"Come on, come on," he murmured, coaxing the viscous fluid down her throat. It didn't always ease her pain instantaneously; once, it had taken hours, and was one of the worst nights of their lives.

Luckily, this time, it worked within thirty seconds. Her breathing evened out and she relaxed in his arms, causing him to let out a sigh of relief. He collapsed onto the sofa and laid her head in his lap, running his hands through her hair as he did so.

"Hey, little fish," Reid said, plopping down next to Subaru and kicking his feet up. His sandals scattered dirt all over the coffee table, but Reid didn't seem to care.

Subaru glared at the man. "I didn't give you permission to enter my home."

"Ah, quit bein' sucha prick," Reid said. "So, little fish, anythin' I can do to help your bird?"

Drily, Subaru asked, "Since when did you give a fuck?"

Reid smirked. "Ain't nothing wron' with wantin' to see a hottie smile." At Subaru's growl, Reid's smirk dropped. "Look, ya may be a little fish, an' yer reckless as fuck, but I got a soft spot fer wha' yer doin'."

"You mean having temper tantrums and punching people in the face?"

Reid took one of his chopsticks and poked Subaru in the ribs. "I said ya got a weighty punch, didn't I? It's a compliment, ya twat. But nah, I meant takin' care of a pretty bird." He smiled fondly, turning his ragged face into something almost… kind. "My ol' ma got sick was when I was jus' a little fish. My pa, bless that deadbeat bastard's soul, stayed up two whole days jus' makin' sure she was comfortable. Tha' was cool an' all, but ya look like you've done this fer years."

Subaru gave the redhead a sideways look. "Are you sure you're the guy who just broke all of my bones?"

"Depends. Are ya still a reckless cunt?"

Electricity danced on Subaru's fingertips, but he wouldn't dare try anything with Satella on his lap. He wasn't that stupid… probably.

Suddenly, he heard a crash, and he jolted. That meant either one of two things. One, Daphne had eaten a pillar, causing the floor above her to collapse, or two…

"Master! You're home!"

He couldn't stop the smile from creeping onto his face. "Hey, Shaula."

Before he could say anything else, his head was pulled into something large and soft. "Oh, Master, you were gone for so long, yup! I thought you'd forgotten about little old me!"

"Damn it, woman, let go of my head!"

He could perfectly envision the pout on her face as she released him from her chest. "Fine, but one day, I'll get Master to love me, yup!"

Reid threw his head back and groaned. "Ya gotta be kiddin' me… this little fish is fuckin' two hotties?!"

Shaula crossed her arms and huffed. "I wish, but Master doesn't notice poor Shaula, nope!"

Reid gaped. "Ya mean this twat isn't bonin' you? Man, I should've stopped by this dump a few years ago. I would've tapped that ass so hard, and –"

A cold hand reached around his throat, cutting off his words. Cold, dark eyes glared at him with the utmost fury. "If you touch her," Subaru threatened, "then I will kill you. Your stupid cutting ability won't be able to stop me from tearing your head off your shoulders."

For good measure, he squeezed before letting go, watching with smug satisfaction as Reid gasped for breath.

"Fuck, yer a strong little fish," he muttered. "I ain't gonna touch either o' yer birds, ya prick. Trisha'd castrate me."

Subaru didn't care who that was. "Then stop flirting with them."

"Fine, fine." Then, under his breath, Reid muttered, "Get tha' stick outta yer ass, ya possessive prick."

Subaru smacked the swordsman in the chest with the back of his hand but didn't say anything further.

Shaula piped up, asking, "Master, why is Other Mother napping again? She only woke up a few hours ago!"

Subaru flinched. "She's just tired, you know? We had a long journey and all that."

She looked confused. "But Master isn't tired, nope."

He sighed, trying to fight down his frustration. "Just… do me a favor and tuck her in, all right? I'll come check on her later."

Shaula beamed, and, for a moment, it felt like things would be okay. Then, in one swift motion, she picked up Satella and skipped away, presumably to the Forbidden Library.

The moment she left his sight, he put his head in his hands. He didn't know long he could keep up this charade. What would they do when Satella died in a month? Would they hate him when he followed her? Geuse could probably take care of Shaula, but was it really fair to do that to either of them? What about Daphne? Subaru was one of the few things grounding her to a semblance of sanity. Could he really leave her behind?

He was taken out of his thoughts by Reid, who coarsely asked, "The fuck jus' happened? Ya don't mean to say tha' the pretty bird can't recognize a dyin' woman?"

"She's only two and a half," Subaru explained. Geuse was even younger, but that was besides the point. "She doesn't understand this stuff."

"Wait a second," Reid interjected. He narrowed his eyes and pointed his chopsticks at Subaru. "Yer tellin' me tha' she's a toddler."

"I am, yes."

"How?!" Reid sputtered. "How the fuck is tha' possible?!"

"It's quite simple, actually." Subaru leaned back and pressed the tips of his fingers together, adopting the same position he used when teaching magic. "Around four years ago, my wife and I adopted a little girl who was capable of creating mabeasts using only her mind. I helped her one time, and we created Shaula. Our little scorpion came out as a baby, but grew to her current appearance in three days."

Reid was stunned, of course. "Yer shittin' me."

"Not at all."

He jabbed his chopsticks at Subaru, looking at him in a new light. "Yer a little fish, but ya created life."

"Yup."

"Ya had a baby with yer wee daughter."

Subaru elbowed Reid and scowled. "It's not like that! We created her using magic, okay?"

Trying to break down all the new information, Reid asked, "So… is she ya daughter or ya granddaughter? An' she called yer bird 'Other Mother,' too, so maybe she's…"

Subaru groaned. He was not in the mood to deal with this.

Reid didn't care, and went on for several minutes.

"...'sides, why would the wee lass want to bone her own pa?"

"I blame her mother," Subaru grumbled, though it was muffled by his hands over his face. Stupid Witches and their stupid Witch Factors and their stupid effects on the mind.

"Her ma? You mean the kid you adopted an' had another kid with? What, does she want ya to pork her, too?"

"Fuck off, Reid."

Reid let out a hearty laugh as his sky-blue eyes shimmered with amusement. "Ya got an interestin' family fer a little fish, I'll give ya tha' much." Then, his features abruptly shifted to one of abject horror and disgust. "Hol' up a fuckin' second… The wee lass is two, yeah? Are ya sayin' I flirted with a toddler?!"

Subaru had no idea how to respond.

They sat in awkward silence for a moment, with Subaru brooding and Reid questioning his life choices. They were so deep into their introspection that they almost didn't notice when the massive head of a dragon crashed through the window.

"Mineself art impatient," Volcanica declared. "Mineself must know: how art Satella faring?"

Subaru glared at the dragon. "My wife has a month to live. How the fuck do you think she's doing?"

Volcanica snapped its jaws shut, making a cracking sound that echoed throughout the empty halls. At length, it asked, "Hast thou been unable to find a cure for her malady?"

"No shit, Sherlock," Subaru wanted to yell, but he managed to hold back.

"There's two methods, but Satella won't let me use them," he answered instead. "The first method, she even bound me in a contract for, and she's constantly said no to the second. Sure, they both involve human sacrifice, but still."

Reid gave a toothy grin. "I know a few cunts that'll work. Ya want me to bring 'em here?" He received a punch in the arm for that quip, but it only made his smile widen.

"I was thinking more along the lines of a death row inmate," Subaru said, "but Ella doesn't like that, either."

Reid scoffed. "Then quit bein' such a pussy. I know yer jus' a little fish, but ya gotta show a bird her place."

Subaru blinked. "I think that's the most sexist thing I've heard in a decade."

Reid looked genuinely confused. The word "sexist" might actually not be in his dictionary. "Look, ya twat. I'm jus' saying tha' a bird don't know wha' she wants, and ya gotta spell it out fer her."

Volcanica, still peeking its head through the window, gave off the distinct air of annoyance. "Thy heart is filled with judgment, Reid Astrea. Perhaps thou should awaken thy mind to alternative perspectives."

"Ah, fuck off, ya scaly bastard."

Subaru scratched at his arm through his sleeve. Was he seriously considering this? Just going up to Satella and demanding that he get his way?

…Yeah. Yeah, he was. In the end, she would live, so it didn't really matter how she felt.

He turned to his impromptu guests. "You guys can stay the night while you recover," he told them. "After that, kindly get the hell out of my home. I need to take care of my wife, and I can't do that when I'm babysitting you two."

Reid narrowed his eyes. "Babysittin'? The fuck're ya talkin' 'bout?"

Volcanica shook its gigantic head. "Reid Astrea may require supervision, but mineself art responsible. Worry not over mineself, Sage."

Reid glared at the dragon. "Look, ya twat. Ya destroyed a fuckin' mountainside."

"'Twas a sinner's retribution, delivered from on high."

Subaru rolled his eyes and left Volcanica and Reid bickering in the foyer. It was certainly not the first time that he had taken in odd guests unannounced, so he was sure that Geuse would give Reid a room and make accommodations for Volcanica, no questions asked. Normally, Subaru would do it himself, but Satella came first.

He entered the Forbidden Library and made his way into the back. His door had a passphrase – "Subaru, Satella, Daphne, and Shaula" – but that was merely a remnant of his more lighthearted days. Now, however, he left it wide open so that people could easily reach Satella if needed.

As he crept into the Master Bedroom, he came upon not just Satella with Shaula by her side, but Daphne as well. Shaula was clinging to Daphne as eagerly as she did to Subaru, albeit in a less… overt manner.

Daphne reached up and patted Shaula's cheek. "Is Sha-Sha hungry? I have a few mabeasts outside, if you need."

Shaula made a face that let everyone know exactly what she thought of that idea. "Ewww! Mabeasts are gross, nope! Mother always gives stupid ideas."

Daphne grumbled about how Shaula wasn't eating nearly enough and how it didn't make sense, but her attention soon diverted to Satella. "Tella-Tella looks hungry," she says with a fanged grin. "Hungry to live, craving more air. Tella-Tella will be eating a lot soon."

Satella, barely awake, reached out and grabbed Daphne's hand. "You're sweet, truly," she whispered. "I suppose I'll be eating for a little while longer."

Daphne's grin widened, as if to say, "A very long time!"

Subaru never knew exactly what the girl was thinking – aside from the obvious, of course – but she was always incredibly perceptive. Daphne's sincere belief that Satella would eat more was one of the few things that prevented him from giving up.

He was about to make his presence known, but Daphne pulled out something that caught his eye: a simple, yellow, flower hairpin.

"I found this!" she chirped, handing it to Satella. "Tella-Tella likes flowers, right?"

With trembling fingers, Satella pinned the flower into her hair. "Thank you," she said quietly. "This… means a lot to me, Daphne."

Daphne grinned, but was soon overwhelmed by a jealous Shaula. "What about me, Mother? What about poor Shaula? Did you get anything for meee?"

In response, Daphne's mouth opened to three times the size of her head, revealing dozens of rows of fangs. However, instead of consuming, a lone, orange dot became visible. It grew in size, almost as if it were rapidly approaching from a great distance. After a solid ten seconds, she spat it out into her hand, revealing a black and orange bow.

Shaula took it out of her mother's hand – not caring that it was covered in saliva – and affixed it on top of her head. She beamed. "It fits perfectly, and the colors match, too, yup!" She then threw praise at Daphne, who accepted it as eagerly as she would a meal.

"This is nice and all," Subaru drawled as he walked into the room, "but where's my present?"

Satella smiled a bit upon seeing him, though it was somewhat guarded. Shaula bounded over and tried to hug him, but Daphne beat her to it.

"Here," the Witch said plainly, wrapping her arms around him. "This is Flu-Flu's present."

A simple hug. That was enough for him.

"Today, I ate thirty cows, fifty-six cats, eighteen bags of garbage, three doors, seventeen beds…"

Subaru ruffled her hair. "You don't need to tell me all that, Daph. I trust you."

"…one hundred and ninety-five appas, three pillars, five benches, one peppir, and no people!"

She smiled up at him proudly, as if she had achieved something incredibly difficult. Granted, for her, it probably was.

For the last four years, Daphne had reported everything she had eaten to Subaru. Of course, he had never required it, but she insisted. Part of him was proud that she fought against her Sin, even if it was only to make him happy. The rest of him, perpetually cloaked in the darkness of his grief, gave a harsh reminder that these feelings were a distraction from saving Satella.

He sighed and stood at his full height, letting his somber presence put a damper on the room. "Leave us," he said flatly. "Satella and I have some important topics to discuss."

Shaula pouted at the dismissal, but soon brightened at the thought of spending more time with her mother. She lifted the small Witch into the air and ran out of the room with a joyous laugh. Subaru envied that kind of carefree attitude.

He turned his eyes to Satella, frowning at her wary look. She knew why he was here.

'Don't back down,' he reminded himself. 'You know what's best.'

He steeled himself and began to speak. "There is a prisoner set to be executed tomorrow night. I'll be bringing him here and using his soul to stabilize yours." He held up a hand, stifling any protest. "I won't take no for an answer. I'm going to save you, no matter the cost."

There. He said it. Now, he just needed to wait for her inevitable response.

Her eyes began to water. "What happened to you, Subaru?" she asked in a broken voice. "Where is the selfless, generous man I married?"

He felt the anger simmering underneath the surface, just waiting to burst. "Oh, not this again," he groaned. "You'd think that you'd have something different by now, but nooo! It's the same fucking thing, every time!"

"'Tis a fair question," she insisted. "You were so loving, Subaru. Now, you wish to sacrifice someone."

"Someone who's gonna die anyway!" he spat. "You know what this guy did? He's a serial killer! He's raped children! He's a textbook example of evil!"

Her gaze fell. "This is what I speak of. My Subaru would never spout such meaningless drivel."

"Bullshit!" He scratched roughly at his arm as he coarsely reminded her, "A year after meeting you, I was willing to sacrifice Beatrice – who was one day old – to stop you from getting hurt! What the fuck did you think would happen when your life was at stake?!"

Satella said nothing as she refused to look at him.

He put his head in his hands, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "At least tell me this. What's your actual reason?"

She stiffened. "I know not what you speak of."

She jolted into a sitting position as a thud resounded through the air. Subaru had taken his fist and slammed it into the wall, creating a visible indent.

"Don't lie to me," he said lowly. She flinched back at his tone. "You left Beatrice, too. Do you expect me to believe that suddenly, you're not willing to sacrifice people for your own well-being?"

A twinge of fear filled her eyes as she looked at him. "Don't talk like that," she pleaded. "That's not what happened at all!"

His eyes grew cold. "You're a liar, Satella. You may have protected her at first, but the moment your life was in danger, you abandoned her to her fate."

She didn't respond.

"You're just like me. We're both fucked in the head. The difference is that I own up to it."

Resignation threatened to seep into her gaze, but she held her stance firm. "I will not allow you to sacrifice anyone."

"You didn't deny it," he noted. "You're completely and utterly okay with sacrificing a criminal. That's why you've never gone up to the executioner and demanded they stop."

He stepped closer, but this time, she didn't shrink back; whether it was out of acceptance or defiance, he didn't know. He scowled and said, "You're as cold and objective as I am, Satella. You don't give a fuck about the life of some random prisoner… so, why aren't you letting me heal you?"

She hesitated, but eventually, her sorrowful gaze met his angry and desperate one. "Because I refuse to let you become a killer."

"…Oh."

The fight had left them. The truth was out.

Subaru didn't like it one bit.

"The me inside your head is really something special, huh?"

Her lips parted, but she said nothing.

"Subaru is the kind, selfless man you married. Subaru wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone another person. Subaru brings you light and kisses away the nightmares."

She nodded slowly. That was exactly it.

He took a shaky breath and confessed, "That Subaru died a long time ago, Satella. I'm just using his name."

He turned away, unable to look at her as her sobs filled the room. Utterly exhausted, he sat on their bed for the first time in a while. She clung to him and whispered, "You're wrong. You're still Subaru, my love. I see it every day. You're just lost right now."

He let loose a bitter laugh. What a fucking mess of a situation. "Well, you sure as hell won't find me if you're dead." Her nails dug into his arm as he said, "Tomorrow night, you're coming to the lab. I'm going to save you, Ella."

She curled into him, and he cradled her to his chest, running his fingers through her hair. When was the last time he had done this? Why couldn't he go to sleep in his own bed, instead of in the lab? Why couldn't he have stood up to her sooner and figured out the real issue?

He kissed her forehead as he realized something. "Hey, Ella," he whispered in her ear. She wrapped an arm around him in acknowledgement. "When this is all done, do you think we might be ready?"

She reached up and gave him a slow, tender kiss: their first in months. She placed a weak, delicate hand on the back of his head, letting him know that, no matter how many times they fought, and no matter how far he fell, she loved him unconditionally. "My answer has not changed, my love. I want a family with you more than anything. We'll keep working until we're ready."

Nothing more needed to be said. He pulled her closer and locked his lips to hers, cherishing every emotion she brought forth. He was an absolute mess of a man, but she still loved him. He was lost, but she would find him. He was everything to her, just as she was to him. She was the only one who could save him, just as he was the only one who could save her.

He would save her. There was no world without Satella.

He pulled back and leaned his forehead against hers, just like they used to. "We're… we're gonna get through this, right?"

She drew a shaky breath. "Yes. Things will be just like they used to be."

"No more fights or yelling at each other."

"No more death looming overhead."

"Maybe a quarter-elf or two?" he asked, letting a grin creep onto his face.

She smiled brilliantly. "I think Shaula might be a bit jealous if we had one of those."

Subaru's smile wavered, but he tactfully managed to ignore the "if" in her statement.

His fingers danced over the hairpin that Daphne had given Satella. "Our kid's gonna have all the worst role models," he grumbled. "We're absolute trainwrecks, and Shaula and Daphne are… well, Shaula and Daphne."

Satella's eyes twinkled. "At least she'll have Geuse to look up to."

He raised his eyebrows. "She?"

She snuggled into him. "Mhm. It feels right, doesn't it?"

"…Yeah, it kinda does."

A baby quarter-elf with silver hair and dark-brown eyes. They'd both looked for her for so long, hadn't they?

As he fell asleep to Satella's warmth, he realized that it might actually be possible to find that happiness.

The next morning, he made his way downstairs, feeling… odd. On one hand, his wife was going to be okay. Probably. He refused to get his hopes up too high, but this was still more progress than he had made in years. On the other hand, he'd have to –

He shook his head to clear it. Satella was wrong. He hadn't cared about stuff like that for a while. Besides, they were going to be killed, anyway. He might as well use their lives to benefit Satella's.

A crash ripped him out of his thoughts. In his home, it meant either one of two things. One, Shaula was excited and was about to hug someone. Two…

"Fuckin' hell, wha' kinda monster are ya?!"

…Daphne was eating part of the house again. Right on cue, he heard, "Flu-Flu said I could eat furniture if I really want to."

"Tell 'Flu-Flu' tha' he's a massive cunt!"

Subaru walked into the kitchen and casually rummaged through the pantry. Reid was sitting on the counter, scooting away from Daphne, who was partially-bound in her Centipede Coffin and eating the wood out from under him.

"Hey, Daph," Subaru said by way of greeting. "Lemme know when you're done eating so I can make another one."

She flashed him a grin and resumed munching on the counter.

Reid gave Subaru a surprised look. "Yer 'Flu-Flu'? Wait, so, this here's the kid ya had a kid with?"

"I hate the way you phrase it," Subaru grunted. He patted Daphne's Centipede Coffin, ignoring how it started to happily tap-dance independently of its user. "But yes, I go by Flugel, and that's Daphne, the Witch of Gluttony."

Before Reid could ask anything further, the sound of glass shattering filled the room. Volcanica had broken yet another window and popped its head into the kitchen. "Mineself has witnessed a legend turned flesh. A powerful human, bonded in matrimony with an equally powerful half-elf and rumored to be intimately familiar with the Witches of Sin. Thou must be the Sage, and thy wife, the Sorceress."

"What an impressive deduction," Subaru deadpanned. "You're the Divine Dragon, and the horny bastard is the Heavenly Sword. Are we good with introductions? Awesome. Now, it's the morning, so get outta my house."

Daphne stopped eating long enough to say, "Juicy said that the Lizard and the Stick Swinger –"

"Hah! Love the nickname, little fish!"

"– could stay as long as they wanted."

Subaru scoffed. "That's because Geuse is nice. I'm not."

Volcanica released a puff of hot air, sending Subaru's hair into disarray. "Mineself wishes for Satella to be in good health, so mineself shall not leave until her sorrows have been eased… even if mineself must tolerate the presence of a Witch."

"An' the scaly bastard kidnapped me," Reid tacked on. "I'm a bit far from home, so I'm stuck with you twats for now."

Well, that sucked. Subaru wasn't just living with his sickly wife, a man who worshipped them, a perverted airhead with daddy issues, and a literal Witch; now, he had to deal with a stubborn dragon and an insufferable lecher. He probably deserved this fate, anyway.

He put on a travel coat – making sure his pendant was visible so that he would be recognized – and looked to Daphne, saying, "Counters, tables, and chairs are fine to eat, but no pillars until I'm back to fix them." She grumbled about him being an unfair meanie, but soon agreed. "Geuse will give Ella her medicine if she needs it, Ella will probably sleep all day, and Shaula will… well, hopefully she won't trip over her own feet, or something."

Then, he jabbed a finger at the smirking Reid and Volcanica's head. "No fighting, you two," he said sternly. "The only reason you both are alive is because of Ella and I, so you better listen when I tell you to behave."

Volcanica nodded in agreement. Reid flipped the bird.

Subaru rolled his eyes. With a single step and no time at all, he moved from the kitchen and found himself in another place. He opened his eyes at the front gate of the Lugunican Royal Palace. The unsheathing of multiple metal weapons caught his attention, but that was expected. He merely had to wait until right about…

"C-could it be… the Sage?!"

…now. A cohort of knights stood at attention, some of whom even outright gaped at him.

Subaru sighed at the pathetic display. Yes, he had healed Farsale's daughter, but did they have to ogle him? He just wanted to go about his business and be done with it.

However, protocol was protocol. He straightened his back and said, "I request an audience with His Majesty, the King. We have important business to discuss."

No more, no less, yet he was welcomed with open arms. Clout did have its benefits.

Some knights tried to lead him to the throne room, but he brushed past them. He knew the way.

A minute later, he found himself before the King of Lugunica. The blonde-haired man, almost a decade past his prime, sat on his throne with a weary frown. His ruby eyes looked critically at the surrounding nobles as they blathered on about blood feuds, taxes, tariffs, crop yields, borders, and whatnot. They gave gifts and drinks and treats as they clamored for his favor, all the while trying to sabotage their rivals. Eventually, he straightened his back, slammed his fist onto the edge of his throne, and called out, "Silence!"

Instantly, the nobles ceased their bickering.

The Lion King, Farsale Lugunica, rubbed his temple with his forefinger and thumb. Then, his ruby eyes homed in on an elderly man with a monocle. "Lord Lester," he called out sharply. "No more encroaching on Lady Hawthorne's territory. This is your final warning. Are we clear?"

"Y-yes, Your Majesty."

"Lady Hawthorne," he barked at an elegantly-dressed woman. "Control your citizens. If I hear word of a single field being pillaged from Lord Lester's territory because you can't distribute grain properly, then I will strip you of your title and do it myself."

"But Your Majesty –"

His eyes flashed. "Are. We. Clear."

She nodded furiously. Farsale went one by one, putting the nobles in line. Subaru was reminded of children being berated after arguing over crayons.

A few minutes later, the nobles left, and Farsale sat back onto his chair with a sigh. He wiped a hand over his face and said, "I'm getting too old for this," he grumbled. Without looking up, he called out, "Wouldn't you agree, Sage?"

"Nonsense, Your Majesty," Subaru said politely as he stepped out of the shadows. "You're the pinnacle of youth."

Farsale let out a light chuckle. "By the Spirit, you've grown. I almost miss you publicly telling me that I've failed as a ruler."

Subaru put a frown on his face. "My deepest apologies, Sire. I was a youth who struggled with money, and didn't understand the wisdom behind your tax plan."

"Oh, stop with the fake pleasantries," Farsale said, rolling his eyes. "It's just us, Sage."

Subaru eyed the guards on either side of the throne. "Forgive me, but I fail to see how this classifies as 'just us.'"

Gesturing to the guards, Farsale said, "They are sworn to secrecy, and I trust them with my life. Whatever is said here shall be taken to their graves."

Subaru gazed critically at the guards for some time. Noticing their stoic postures and unchanging expressions, he took a deep breath and said, "Holy fucking shit, Lester's annoying. And Mikhail? What a freaking tool. Seriously, how the hell do you deal with these guys?"

Farsale's face eased into a smile. "In my advanced age, you develop a bit of patience… and perhaps a bit of tough love."

"Tough love includes crushing their miniscule self-worth?"

"You give me too much credit. Nothing can lower their inflated egos in the slightest."

"Hmph. You're right about that." Subaru stepped closer, his footsteps echoing through the colossal hall. "I gotta say, your methods are admirable… but they're woefully inefficient."

Farsale raised his eyebrows. "How so?"

Subaru made his way towards the pile of gifts that the nobles had brought. "Take a look at this," he said, holding up a bottle of wine.

Farsale interlaced his fingers and leaned back in his chair. "A gift from Lady Hawthorne."

"How kind of her," Subaru deadpanned. "Such a shame that it's poisoned."

Nothing. No reaction. No shock, anger, anything.

"Well," Subaru muttered, putting the bottle into his coat, "I was hoping for something a bit more dramatic."

Farsale let loose an unkinglike smirk. "Lady Hawthorne is currently in a holding cell on accounts of attempted murder and treason. This order was given the moment I saw her."

Subaru's jaw dropped. Farsale's eyes flashed as he said, "You may be the Sage, but one should never underestimate the Lion King."

Subaru knew that, but the older man's intuition was still uncanny.

Farsale's smirk disappeared as he got down to business. "I take it you have completed my request?"

Subaru nodded. "Of course. The Divine Dragon and the Heavenly Sword are no longer quarreling."

Farsale frowned. "Back to formality, I see… They're your houseguests now, aren't they?"

Subaru sighed. "Lion King?"

"No. I just know you well."

That was fair. There had long been rumors of the Sage being on good terms with the Witches of Sin, but Farsale was one of the few people that knew how Subaru had informally adopted the Witch of Gluttony.

"I see no issue with it," Farsale continued, idly tapping the arm of his throne. "The Divine Dragon is well-loved amongst my people, and the Heavenly Sword has recently only targeted wanted criminals. They may stay as long as they wish."

"They can get the fuck out," Subaru grunted. "I'm dealing with enough right now."

Suddenly, he stiffened. He had something important to ask, and he wasn't sure how Farsale would respond. Warily eyeing the guards, he asked, "Speaking of criminals, are there any on death row right now?"

If Farsale was surprised, he didn't show it. "None at the moment," he answered. "Why do you ask?"

Subaru shifted uncomfortably. "Can we, ah… escalate someone's punishment?"

He was a liar and a cheat, but he was honest when he had told Satella that the man she had married was gone.

"S-surely, there's a murderer here or there," he said quickly. His heart pounded as his potential actions truly dawned upon him. "A rapist? A slave trader?"

Farsale eyed the younger man critically for a long time, making Subaru squirm. At length, he said, "I have known you for years, Sage. You and your lovely wife have been a blessing upon this kingdom, yet you have asked for nothing but the ability to live in peace." His eyes narrowed. "Now, your first and only request is permission to murder someone."

"Execute a criminal," Subaru hastily corrected.

"You may twist your words, but your desire is the same."

He clenched his fists. "My only desire is to save my wife!"

The words echoed throughout the throne room. Some of the guards shifted uncomfortably at the vehemence in his voice.

Farsale stilled his tapping fingers. "I see," he murmured. "She has been fairly absent recently, has she not? I suppose I did not consider that the Sorceress could fall ill, let alone perish."

"She's not going to die!" Subaru shouted. "Don't you dare –"

One of the guards aimed a halberd at his throat. He instinctively threw up a shield, but it wasn't needed; the spear stopped a few inches away from the shield, since it was merely a warning. "Remember yourself, Sage," one of the guards said. "His Majesty is kind and merciful, but you would do well to show him the proper respect."

Subaru scowled, but he managed to avoid retaliating. Farsale wasn't at fault for this. Even though it made him strangely nauseous, he said, "Please, Farsale. I need a sacrifice for the ritual. You can't look me in the eye and claim that some criminal is worth more than my wife."

Farsale's ruby eyes trained on Subaru's trembling form. "That's a dangerous way of thinking, Sage. Today, it is merely a criminal. Tomorrow, it will be an innocent civilian. The next day, a friend. At your wit's end, you might even sacrifice someone you love."

"That won't happen," Subaru insisted. "I only need one soul to act as a seal."

Farsale hesitated. "And you believe this to be the only way?"

"The Od Laguna itself assures that I can't use the other method, and that one is equally bloody, anyway."

A long pause followed Subaru's affirmation. Then, Farsale waved his arm, calling off the guard. Still glaring at Subaru, the armored man retreated to his position at Farsale's side.

Farsale sighed. "It was a few years ago," he reminisced, surprising Subaru. "My daughter was on the verge of death. We sought out the Witch of Envy in the hope that she could cure this mysterious illness, but our search bore no fruit."

He took a shaky breath. "I was desperate. My precious daughter was everything to me, and I was willing to do anything to save her.

"And then... you came along. You rebuilt her heart and breathed new life into her. You gave me the greatest gift: more time with my beloved daughter. I did not know your name, title, history, or anything else, yet I offered you a boon." His eyes locked to Subaru's as he asked, "Do you remember what it was?"

Of course, Subaru did. It was an unforgettable offer. "You offered me your daughter's hand in marriage."

"Not a chance," he had said. "I'm married to an angel, and I'm never giving that up."

Farsale nodded. "I was disappointed, but I understood. You were a boy in love, and that meant more to you than prestige."

"My wife means more to me than anything," Subaru said curtly.

"I understand that," Farsale placated. "But do you remember what you said after that?"

"Besides, there's no way that I could be a king," Subaru had said with a rueful laugh. "I can't be trusted with power."

Intelligent ruby eyes focused on Subaru. "I had thought you were being modest, or perhaps you lacked confidence. Even when I offered you a position amongst the nobility years later, you denied it again. I didn't understand it."

Subaru gulped. "And now?"

"…I appreciate your self-awareness. One who lets desperation overcome them should not be king."

Subaru knew it was true. He had thought the same.

He still didn't realize how much it would hurt.

"As such," Farsale continued, "you must understand why I will grant your request."

Subaru blinked. "What."

The blonde gave a wry grin. "I am a failure of a king, and I gave in to my own desperation; I made a contract with the Witch of Greed. She may have been unable to do what you did, but she prolonged my daughter's life… by taking it from my descendants. Hundreds of years from now, most, if not all, of my line will die out, all to have a few extra years with my daughter. Now, my daughter is saved, but my lineage is still doomed.

"That is why I understand you, Sage, as well as why you should never rule. We are the same, for we put our loved ones before the rest of the world." He chuckled disparagingly. "That, or I'm getting existential and trying to justify why I feel sympathy for you. Who knows?"

Subaru didn't know how to respond. It was insane and deranged, but he understood. He'd do the same for Satella.

He bowed his head. "Thank you, really. This means so much to me." He shuffled his feet, realizing that he felt grateful that he was allowed to murder. Satella would hate him. "So, uh, lead the way, I guess?"

Farsale stood up from his throne and took a sharp left, his guards and Subaru following close behind. "A merchant from Priestella," he said as they headed underground. "Age twenty-six. Murdered his wife and daughter in a drunken rage. To be quite honest, we were considering putting him on death row, anyway."

'Perfect,' Subaru thought. That was almost exactly what he had told Satella.

Farsale stopped outside a heavy-looking iron door. "I claim no expertise in the arcane arts," he said, "but I somehow doubt that anything good will come of using soul magic. Are you sure this is the only option?"

Subaru inclined his head. "I'm just undoing what's been done."

Farsale nodded and snapped his fingers. One of the guards took out a ring of keys and unlocked the door. Feeling strangely light-headed, Subaru walked in alone. The cell was pitch-black, so he conjured a small flame and sent it to the middle of the ceiling.

Huddled in a corner was a shivering mess of rags and blood. The prisoner muttered to itself, rocking back and forth with rattling breaths. Subaru almost pitied the poor thing… until he heard what was being muttered.

"It's not my fault… It's not my fault…I was drunk… It's not my fault…"

Subaru almost laughed aloud. This asshole was so unhinged, he couldn't even own up to his crimes. What a wretched existence. Surely, even Satella would agree that he deserved death.

Subaru couldn't bear to listen anymore. He sent a small bolt of electricity into the man's heart. What was once a murderer proclaiming its innocence was now a bundle of rags, slumped against the grimy wall. Subaru's affinity may have been yin, but combining fire and yang to make electricity sure was useful. He poked his head outside, gave Farsale a grim nod, slung the rags over his shoulder, and teleported away.

Within a blink of an eye, he found himself in Echidna's old laboratory. He unceremoniously dumped the bundle of rags onto the ground next to his cot. Haphazardly clearing his makeshift desk, he turned to a new page in his journal and began to write.

Day 25 of the third month

I finally convinced Satella to go through with the ritual. You know, I really should thank Reid. He was 100% right when he said that I just had to stand up for myself. I KNOW that her life is worth more than some random criminal's, and I needed to stand my ground.

So… why do I feel so queasy? Why can't I prepare the body for sacrifice?

It's for Satella. That's enough for me. I'd burn the world for her. One random asshole is nothing.

He tore his eyes away from the paper and looked at the unconscious bundle of rags. It was gasping for breath, and its skin was blotchy and bruised. Years ago, Subaru might have felt bad for it. Now, he was completely okay with ending its life. With single shock, it'd be dead. Satella would be saved. He was right when he said that her life was worth more than a prisoner, so this should be easy. He could sacrifice a waste of life, no problem. Killing was easy.

…Right?

Subaru sighed and returned to writing. There was no harm in being just a bit more detailed.

Conceptually, the ritual is simply "what Dona did, but in reverse." I've managed to coax out details from Satella and reverse-engineer what happened, but she had to draw out all of the runes. I can't look at them myself. Apparently, seeing her scars for half a year while healing her wasn't exposure therapy, or anything like that. Maybe it would have been if things had ended well, but, as it is now, she's not exactly happy at the thought of revealing herself.

Granted, she seems close to ready; we've talked a lot about the scars, and she's even shown me one or two. She thinks that, in a bit, we'll be ready to have children.

My torso burns as I write this.

Anyway, trying to condense ten years of preparation – likely aided by the Book of Wisdom, no less – into one night has been tough. We also don't have access to the other half of her soul (for obvious reasons), but, if things go well, this SHOULD give the same kind of "spiritual bandage" that the vessel has. Minerva won't give me any details, but the vessel is alive and isn't showing any of the warning signs that Satella had shown. Part of me wonders if it just hasn't been long enough, but I can't think like that. This WILL work. I WILL save her. We WILL have a family.

This will be my last entry. One day, I'll stumble upon these notes, and Satella and I will proudly say, "We got through this." I'll show the less graphic ones to our daughter and tell her just how cool her dad is. Man, can you imagine? I'll be her hero. I saved her mom.

So, you know what? I lied. This won't be my last entry. One day, I'll come back, but it'll be to write my kid's name.

Until then… I have a ritual to perform.

He tossed his pen onto the table, watching it spin around for a bit. It was boring, yes, but it was better than looking at the almost-corpse. The pathetic thing was gross, that's all. He wasn't like Echidna, who would probably inspect the thing to learn its life story, or some bullshit. No, he would just sit in Echidna's old chair, in her old lab, use her old equipment, and even kill a real, living, human being on the same table upon which Satella had been tortured for a decade.

...No. He was nothing like Echidna. He roughly pushed back his chair and strode out of his lab, pointedly not looking at the thing that may as well be dead already. He slammed the door behind him and headed to the mansion proper. Following the sounds of squeals and crashes, he came upon a sight that would have once brought him joy.

Now, he refused to feel anything.

"No fair! I want to eat Sha-Sha's ribbon!"
"But it's a present from Mother, yup! I won't give it up, nope!"

Shaula and Daphne were "playing," though Subaru was reminded of vicious wolves fighting for dominance. They rolled around, grappled, bit, clawed, and scratched, yet it was clear that they were having fun. Subaru had never met anyone – be it a child, adult, a child in an adult's body, or the reverse – that enjoyed playing this way, but he supposed that it made sense. Shaula was a Great Mabeast, and Daphne was…

Huh. He didn't know. She sure as hell wasn't a human.

"Hey," he said plainly, announcing his presence. Shaula lit up, detached herself from Daphne, and bounded over to him. She wrapped him in a hug that would have crushed any normal human's bones to dust. She went on and on, talking about how great her master was, and how much she loved him.

He didn't deserve her love, and he didn't want her to get the wrong idea. So, he said what he always did, even though he knew she'd brush it off. "I won't say it back."

As his arms slowly made their way around her, he forcibly reminded himself that Satella was the only thing that mattered. He broke away, shaking his head to clear it. Adopting a formal tone, he said, "Shaula, I need you to do something for me."

She straightened her back and saluted, just as he had taught her back when he still put importance on such silly things. "Got it, yup! Private Shaula, reporting for duty! Master can give me any order he wants, and I'll do it, yup! Defeat the monster? Hell's Snipe! Cook dinner? I promise that the kitchen won't burn down this time! If Master wants, I could even –"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!"

Shaula giggled, and Subaru sighed. He still wasn't sure why Shaula was so attracted to him; it was probably something about Gluttony and wanting lots of love, or maybe she felt that romantic love was the most powerful kind of affection and decided to show it that way.

He froze when that thought passed through his mind. Did she love him romantically? Was she actually attracted to him? Or did she just have unconditional affection for him and didn't know another way to show it? Then again, he was judging her behavior towards the opposite sex by human standards, but Shaula was a mabeast, so it could be exactly what it appeared to be.

Speaking of nonhumans, he turned to Daphne and said, "You know, in the four years we've known each other, I've never asked what species you are."

"I'm a Witch," she said like it was obvious.

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, but I said species, like human or demon."

Only a few of the Witches of Sin – Echidna, Minerva, and Typhon – were fully human. Sekhmet, on the other hand, was a giantess, Carmilla was turned into a vampire, and as for Daphne…

She opened her mouth wide, as if she were about to eat him whole, and something came out.

It would be objectively false to call it a sound. It sent shivers down his spine and made him want to vomit. It attacked his very soul, threatening to drive him mad. Being in its mere presence was enough to make him want to curl up into a ball and cry.

Back in his homeland, Subaru was quite well-read; the library was often his only form of shelter, after all. While he had typically enjoyed light novels and books explaining how the world worked, he sometimes dabbled in the Lovecraftian side of things. The eldritch abominations they spoke of had terrified him as a youth, but the idea that hearing the true name of an Outer God could make people go insane had always fascinated him.

Now, as the mighty Sage trembled in fear, he realized that something just as horrifying was very, very real… and she lived with him. She truly was a Witch.

…But she was so damn cute. He thought of the years they spent together, and how he lo- had once adored her. He was glad that he was the one who had found her in that abandoned town, and not some knight. They might have killed her the moment she opened her mouth.

Subaru may have been recovering from the accidental assault, but Shaula was completely unaffected. She cocked her head to the side and asked, "That's cool and all, but why haven't we met any other people like you?"

Subaru perked up at that. It was rare for Shaula to ask… well, anything of substance, really. "That's a good point," he said. He knew that her birth parents were driven to insanity, but that was it. "Where are all the other… oh."

Daphne had the biggest grin on her face. It was the same expression as when she finished a large, "tasty" meal.

"Change of subject!" he squeaked. He did not want to face that reality. He turned back to Shaula and cleared his throat. "A-anyway, I need you to stand outside Ech- my lab, and make sure no one goes in or out. Wait for me and Satella."

She saluted. "Sir, yes, sir!" With that, she gave him a lingering hug before dashing off. She may be an airhead, but she was damn good at following orders.

Then, to Daphne, he said, "I'm going to pretend that our conversation never happened."

She looked confused and asked, "Why?" He opened his mouth to respond, but she apparently decided that she didn't care. One moment, she was in front of him, and the next, she was on his back.

"Go to the kitchen," she ordered, making herself comfortable. "I'm hungry."

He stiffened. He needed to get to Satella. Satella came first and foremost before anything else.

…But Daphne was hungry, right? Surely, he could make her a few snacks. Well, that, or let her eat his counters again. He doubted that she had a preference. Besides, he and Satella wouldn't be performing the ritual for a few more hours, anyway.

Luckily, Reid or Volcanica weren't in the kitchen. The mansion was still intact, so they weren't fighting again, either. Whatever it was, Subaru was just glad that he didn't have to deal with them.

Geuse, on the other hand, was always easy to be around.

The spirit smiled upon seeing Subaru. "It's a pleasure to see you, Master Flugel," he said politely. "It's not often that you're away from your laboratory or one of the guest rooms."

"I was out yesterday," Subaru reminded Geuse.

"On the king's orders."

"I fail to see your point."

Uninterested in their conversation, Daphne jumped off Subaru's back and made her way to the table, eating it in one bite. She gave him an expectant look, so he conjured another one, muttering, "Spoiled brat." She stuck her tongue out at him, and the process repeated.

Geuse's eyes twinkled at the sight. "It's wonderful to see you display such levity. I was worried about you."

Subaru thought about the man… no, the bundle of rags back in the lab. He averted his gaze and said, "Honestly, I think I'm just discovering who I truly am." He shook his head to clear it and plastered a smile on his face. "By the way, I made a breakthrough, Geuse. Ella will be fine."

Well, probably. Fingers crossed and all that.

Geuse's eyes widened. "Truly?" he whispered. "You can save Lady Satella?"

Subaru nodded. He absolutely could. Maybe. Probably. "She approves of the method, too."

'I mean, she kind of does,' he thought but wouldn't say aloud. He didn't want to sit through another one of Geuse's lectures about "abiding by Lady Satella's wishes."

Geuse lit up and cheered. "This calls for celebration! Oh, I knew this day would come!"

Subaru's face relaxed slightly. This was a reason to celebrate. His wife would be okay. They could eventually have children. "Yeah… Maybe she will get that happy ending she deserves."

Geuse scrambled about to prepare, but they didn't have much; none of them had ever hosted a party. On a whim, Subaru had Geuse go out and buy some alcohol.

"Get a bunch," he ordered. "I don't know if dragons drink whiskey, but Volcanica seems pretty attached to Ella, so it'll probably want to celebrate."

Geuse jolted. "That was the Divine Dragon?!" He began to fidget, looking as if the Od Laguna would strike him down at any moment. "Oh, dear me, I put it in the stables!"

Subaru placed a comforting hand on the spirit's shoulder, trying not to laugh. "Don't worry; the Dragon Church isn't aware that you stabled their god, so you shouldn't have to worry about being assassinated."

Geuse clearly wasn't feeling any better, so he ran off, presumably to apologize profusely to Volcanica. Subaru shook his head in amusement and walked to the Forbidden Library, where he found a sleeping Satella.

His mood instantly soured. Once, he would have walked in and thought about how pretty she was. Now, he could only think of how her health had declined so rapidly.

But that was then, and this is now. He would save her. They'd be able to go outside without her collapsing, or vomiting blood, or anything like that. They'd be Subaru and Satella, just like they were supposed to be.

For a moment, he wondered if they'd be able to visit Beatrice, but he shoved that thought away. She would hate them, and rightfully so. The best thing they could do for her was leave her be and let her find her own family.

He sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, gently shaking Satella awake. As her eyelids fluttered open, he noticed – not for the first time – that the amethysts lying beneath had been slowly fading to a dull purple. "It's almost time," he said softly.

She bit her lip and asked, "Are you sure there is no other option?"

He bristled. "We've been over this," he said evenly. "Your soul needed a sealing ritual within a day of the initial split. It's been years, so we need another soul to do the job."

Her eyes drooped. "But doing this removes it from the reincarnation cycle. It will no longer live again."

"That's why we're using the vilest soul possible," he answered, quite used to this conversation. "Hell, it wouldn't even matter if we used a normal person's soul. You're the most incredible person in the world. No one is worth as much as you."

She pulled the blankets up to her chin. "Even if that were true, it wouldn't matter," she whispered. "I don't want you to become a killer."

He clenched his fists. They had just gone over this! Was she going to back out now?

"I told you, the man you married is gone! I'm perfectly capable of eliminating a waste of space if it means saving you!"

"You boast the capability to look someone in the eye as you take their life?"

He opened and closed his mouth a few times. At length, he said, "That thing down there lost its right to live when it murdered its daughter."

She searched his eyes for a moment before placing a hand on his cheek. His skin burned at the contact, but he managed to hold firm as she said, "You are lost, my love. You do care. You do value life. You just won't admit it to yourself, for you fear that you'll lose your resolve."

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away. "We're done with this conversation," he said coolly.

She averted her eyes. "Of course. Silly me. You're just doing what's best for me."

She no longer had the energy to cry, and that broke him more than her tears ever could.

He scratched roughly at his arm. He was being such an asshole, wasn't he? He was sick of hurting her.

Slowly and deliberately, he let go of her wrist, choosing instead to interlace their fingers. Speaking softly, he asked, "Do you need me to carry you down?" At her meek nod, he said, "It'll all be over soon. We'll be okay. Finally, we can move past this part of our lives. I promised to save you, and I will."

She teared up at his heartfelt words. "I'll save you, too, Subaru. I'll save you from your despair and desperation. We'll be okay."

Maybe they would be… but not until Satella was healthy once more.

He hooked his arms under her and carried her through the mansion. He didn't want to risk teleporting, lest it strain her body. Besides it wasn't too far of a walk.

Two minutes in, she fell asleep again. Part of him worried she wouldn't wake up this time.

Eventually, he reached Shaula, who was vigilantly standing guard over the lab. She cheered and went to hug him, but stopped when she saw Satella in his arms. He cut off the inevitable question by thanking her and saying, "Why don't you go wait for Geuse? He'll be back with some drinks soon." Then, he rushed out a quick, "But no alcohol for you! You're too young."

Shaula pouted. "Master is so meeaan! I'm fully grown, yup!"

"You're two-and-a-half," he deadpanned.

"Age is just a number!"

He rolled his eyes, knowing how pointless it was to try and reason with Shaula. "And jail is just a place. No alcohol until I say you're old enough, and that's final."

She gave an exaggerated sigh of disappointment, but didn't argue further. She had never been able to deny him anything.

As Shaula left, Subaru cracked open the door to the lab. Even years after Satella had destroyed it, the room still smelled like ash. He was lucky that some of the tools were still usable.

He placed Satella on h- on the metal table. There were no restraints, of course; he wasn't like Echidna, so the ritual would be done while Satella was asleep. He placed a pillow behind her head, but whether that was to make her comfortable or to prove a point to himself, he wasn't sure.

He picked up the bundle of rags, and placed it in a runic circle, one carefully developed over the last year-and-a-half. He then moved to the center of a larger and more intricate circle, this one outfitted with a thousand high-quality mana stones.

This was it. Everything had led to this moment. Hundreds of sleepless nights, countless weeks of research, traveling across the world to find healers, and even arguments that had nearly torn his marriage in two. All of it came down to this.

He closed his eyes, embraced the shadows, and cast a spell that mortals could only dream of.

"Va Shamac."

Dark-purple, ethereal cracks tore through the room, but he had complete control. This was his domain, a universe of his creation.

The energy required to sustain such a realm was immense, and even Subaru wasn't able to perform such a feat on his lonesome – there was a reason he needed both an incantation and a thousand mana stones. To obtain them, it had taken over a year of constant work, more money than he knew existed, and cashing in every debt owed to him, but it was worth it. After all, if he didn't create a pocket dimension with its own unique laws, the destructive force of the ritual had the potential to destabilize the planet itself.

He took a deep breath and tied his domain's energy input to the mana stones. Finally, he could save Satella.

He crouched low to the ground, placed his right palm over a rune, and spoke its name. As he did, he pushed mana into it, causing silver light to shine from it as if spilling through the cracks in a dark cave. He repeated the process over and over until every rune was lit up.

"Panulz. Drisha. Omet. Rija. Amul."

He felt the magic course through him, but it wasn't doing anything yet. He'd need much, much more if he wanted to get anything done.

"Ismur. Ourotz. Firdjah. Stilr."

The energy flew between him and the runes, increasing in magnitude every second. The room shook from the force of it, but his domain held firm.

In his many discussions with the Od Laguna, Subaru had learned many things. One was that souls returned to it immediately upon death so that they could be reincarnated. Another was that, sometimes, exceptions occurred; souls could be tied to the land of the living, typically by either the use of an Authority or by possessing a Witch Factor that didn't belong to them. Given enough energy, one could even use magic to keep a soul in a state of limbo.

Subaru had obtained the massive quantity of mana needed to perform such a task. Now, all he needed was the actual soul.

He turned to the shivering mess on the floor, keeping his face carefully blank. He held out his hand, gathering his power, and –

"It's not my fault… It's not my fault… I was drunk… It's not my fault…"

Subaru froze. The man was awake and looking right at Subaru as he begged and pleaded for someone to understand.

But there was no one around to understand. The only witness was a man trying to save his family by sacrificing a person who had killed his own. Besides, this wasn't a man. It was a bundle of rags, stitched together over decrepit, human-like skin. Subaru would gladly slaughter this thing to save his wife.

Then… why couldn't he look into those haunted eyes?

It didn't matter. He didn't need to look. They were just ugly little things attached to a bunch of dirt that needed to stop moving.

Let the world burn. Let cinders and ash fall from the skies. Let shadows descend upon the land. He'd kill anyone if it meant saving her, and that includes this random piece of shit. If anything, Subaru was showing it mercy. It was a quick death, compared to rotting away in the dungeons.

A flick of the wrist was all it took. Millions of volts of electricity slammed into the thing, ceasing its mutterings. This time, however, it would never move again. It's soul wriggled out, desperately trying to return to the Od Laguna.

He needed to act quickly.

He focused on the runic array and funneled some of that energy into himself, keeping it at a steady stream so that his body wouldn't burn up. He used it to form an invisible dome over the soul, preventing it from leaving. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead, but he wasn't even close to done.

After all, he needed access to Satella's soul as well.

From his studies in his homeland, he knew that living creatures were sometimes considered "dead" if their heart stopped, even though they could occasionally come back. When developing this ritual, he had tested this by forcing cardiac arrests on small animals before resuscitating them. As he had hoped, they "died," and their souls were accessible until they "came back to life."

Now, the question wasn't whether he could do that with a larger creature, let alone a half-elf. He knew he could.

The problem was whether he could bring himself to kill his wife.

'In the end, she'll be fine,' he reminded himself. 'She's not going to die for real. I'll save her.'

Moments ago, he had murdered a man who had begged for forgiveness. Surely, he could temporarily stop someone's heart in order to save their life? She'd be fine. He knew what he was doing. She'd probably be okay with this. He would save her. He could do this, no problem. He'd just apologize to her later.

With that, he sent a shock directly into her body. He could have sworn that his heart stopped alongside hers. He gazed upon her with forced detachment; a single misstep, and she'd stay like that forever.

Her soul broke free, pounding against the barrier. It's jagged edges nearly tore through, so Subaru began to supplement the mana stones with his own energy. Eventually, he managed to contain both souls, but it took him tapping into his own Od to do it.

He leaned heavily against the wall, panting from the exertion. The light from the runes was blinding him, and the force of holding down such a powerful soul – only half of it, at that – was almost enough to kill him.

"...But I sure as hell didn't come this far just to give up!"

He pushed off the wall and made his way to where he knew the souls to be. He couldn't see them, of course, but part of the ritual allowed him to both sense and interact with them on a level he would otherwise be unable to.

He cradled Satella's soul, utterly fascinated with how it pulsed with life and love, even as her body had succumbed to death. It was as if the Od Laguna itself needed it to exist, and would reincarnate it as fast as possible. Considering how powerful she was, her next incarnation might even be nearly identical to Satella.

Subaru, of course, had never entertained the thought of simply meeting Satella's next incarnation and falling in love that way. Not only was it bizarre and unethical, what with all the age stuff and waiting for her to mature, but it just wasn't how love worked. He fell in love with Satella, not her soul. Adopting Daphne, raising Shaula, taking in Geuse… Those experiences were shared with his Satella, and no one else.

That's why he wouldn't give up, or even pursue some strange, disgusting relationship with Echidna's failed vessel. He needed his wife, and everyone else could go to hell.

Without an ounce of hesitation, he reached out to the sacrifice's soul, and crushed it into a thousand pieces.

Like a sculptor restoring a priceless artifact, Subaru slowly fit those pieces into Satella's fractured soul. Sure, she might get snippets of memories, or maybe crave some food she previously hadn't liked, but it would mostly act as a sealing agent. He just needed to fit the pieces together…

…but they wouldn't stick.

Like melting ice, the soul fragments kept slipping out of his hands. He did everything he could, but Satella's soul rejected it. It refused to be anything but itself.

He had to keep going, had to keep trying… but he was out of time. Satella's body needed to be resuscitated. With a hollow feeling in his chest, he let the soul fragments fade away before placing Satella's soul back where it belonged.

He had failed.

Numb and distant, he repaired Satella's damaged organs, slowly bringing her back to life. He had hurt her for no reason, hadn't he? He had literally killed her in an attempt to extend her lifespan. All this time, he'd been making her suffer with his obsession, and it didn't even work.

She took a singular, shaky breath as her soul returned to her body. He placed a light kiss on her forehead and whispered, "This isn't over. I will save you, or I'll die trying."

With that, he picked up her frail body and walked outside of the lab, whispering "Goa" as he did so. He didn't need an incantation for such a simple spell, but he was feeling petty. The former prisoner's body burst into flames, but that was fine. The room already smelled like ash and death.

That putrid odor never left him.

He laid her down on the bed and thought for a bit. He wanted to check her condition, of course, but did he really want to know the results? Not only was she exposed to massive quantities of magic, but she had died, even if it was only for a moment. There was no way that he could receive good news. Then again, exposure to another soul could have given her a little more time, right? After all, anything was better than a month.

He tentatively reached out, hovering a hand over her body...

…Two weeks. She had two weeks to live.

Subaru had cut her remaining lifespan in half.

A bellow of rage and grief filled the mansion. A moment later, he appeared in the dining room, startling the occupants.

Geuse sat towards the head of the table, clearly awaiting good news. Daphne was eating a plate. Shaula, like her mother, was blissfully unaware of why they were about to celebrate. Reid sat with his feet up on the table, clearly wondering how he got himself into this situation. Volcanica peeked its head out of a window – this one opened for it instead of broken.

Geuse recognized the look on his master's face, so he stood up warily. "Master Flugel, are you –"

He didn't have time to finish his question. Subaru took a bottle of wine off the table and disappeared into the lab.

For hours, he labored over his notes, trying to determine what the hell had gone wrong. His vision swam in front of him, but he drowned his tears with wine and kept searching. Was it the amount of mana used? Was the soul not compatible? Was he supposed to sacrifice the prisoner in a certain way?

Why couldn't he save her? Why couldn't he just live peacefully with his wife?! That's all he ever wanted!

He finished his bottle and went to take another one. Geuse tried to grab his attention, but he ignored the spirit. He had work to do. He was running out of time. He couldn't think clearly when he was so fucking upset, and he needed something to calm him down. Why didn't Lugunica have anti-depressants, huh? He had gotten some as a penniless, grimy homeless guy, so why not as the Sage?

Part of him said that the alcohol would just make everything worse. Well, he sure as hell couldn't save his wife when all he could think about was watching her soul leave her body.

After his fifth bottle, he threw up on the desk. He wasn't any closer to figuring out what went wrong. He shoved his head in his hands, ignoring how his elbows sunk into his own vomit. Why bother keeping himself clean? He'd be dead in two weeks, anyway. There was no point to anything, nothing he could do, he might as well give up now, he couldn't even –

"The desperation you feel… The desire to save the one you love… Truly magnificent, is it not?"

Subaru froze as that voice passed over him. A barrage of emotions rushed through his entire body, but he couldn't make sense of them in his drunken state.

"This appearance is older than mine in the last world, but I suppose it's worth trying. I'll take a million forms if it means finding one suitable to your tastes, my treasured one."

He raised his head, but, for some unfathomable reason, wouldn't meet her eyes. What was he so afraid of seeing? Why wasn't he kicking out this intruder? Was there even any point?"

Like a wind chime in a summer breeze, she pleaded, "Look at me, my treasured one. Please… I need to see if it's really you."

In a stupor, he met her gaze, terrified that she would flinch back… but she didn't. Brilliant sapphire eyes shone with euphoria and relief.

Everything would be fine.

She reached out a pale, delicate hand. "Come with me," she murmured. In a daze, he took it, simply happy that he could make her smile. "You and I shall save my princess… together."