The advance party shifted on their mounts awkwardly as they watched Rem continue to cry her heart out into Subaru's tattered jacket. After they got over their shock, they had tried to signal Rem to come down but she was too focused on Subaru. This continued a few more minutes before Ricardo, the bravest of the group, tried to approach.
"Rem? Rem? Could you uhh…" He trailed off as Rem began to growl as she clutched Subaru closer, as if possessively. He decided that he should probably wait for her to calm down, as she was running on instinct at that point. And so he waited for another minute before Rem's horn finally faded and she seemed to register her surroundings. As she looked around and saw all of her observers watching the intimate moment, her face exploded into a blush as she wordlessly picked up Subaru and mounted one of the extra Ligers. "Good riddance," Ricardo muttered as he mounted his own Liger and the group began to ride back to the tree. He glanced back at Subaru and took notice of the line-shaped marks around his face that seemed to show where he was connected to that monster. He shivered as he remembered the brutal encounter, the inhuman roars still echoing in his skull, a constant reminder of what had occurred. 'Natsuki Subaru … just what are you?' With that, he turned back to the encampment, determined to get answers.
Oblivious to all of the fearful glances being thrown their way, Rem looked at Subaru in concern and confusion. She had no idea what that abomination was, but it was the reason they were all alive. Her chest hurt as she thought about why he didn't tell her about this. Was he scared? Did he not even know? The final option, although going unsaid, bounced around in her head repeating in a rising crescendo. Did he not trust me? She gripped his hand hard. Rem swore that she would find answers, and be by her Subaru's side every step of the way.
With those final thoughts, the group finally re-entered the camp. With more questions than answers for what just happened.
Crusch … was having a day. One of those days where you wake up and know that something is going to happen. However, she had dismissed this for battle jitters beforehand and was now staring blankly into the abyss, wondering just why her. Yes, they had definitely defeated the White Whale, but not without severe casualties and help from an unknown entity. She had many conflicting emotions over the rogue monster that near-single handedly took down the White Whale, a centuries-old calamity. The most prominent of these was by far confusion. She had no idea what to even classify it as; there had never been a beast described to be anything like it, only folktales from Kararagi spoke of anything of the sort. She had no idea where the thing came from - It had just appeared from thin air! She shivered as she imagined the havoc that could cause in cities; massive beasts of insane strength that could appear in the blink of an eye. She internally knew that it would likely take immense power to take one down, which would take too long to gather. But by far, the most confusing thing that had happened was that the beast helped them. Crusch frowned as she surveyed the torn battlefield. Through all of recorded history, there had never been a case of a monster helping humans before. Sure, monsters have fought other monsters, but it was never to protect people.
Before she could continue down that train of thought, a voice interrupted her mental ramblings.
"Crusch-sama, the advance party is back, and I think you really need to see this," Wilhelm said in a rushed voice as he ran up to the green-haired warrior.
"Wilhelm..." Crusch began in a tired tone. "I have had a really long day, and I still have to organize our forces for the raid against the cult, I don't have time right now." Her attempts to brush him off failed completely as he pleaded once more.
"Crusch-sama, I feel that at the moment this would take priority-"
Wilhelm was interrupted by an indignant shout from Crusch. "Does it somehow take precedence over our operation for the Witch's Cult?! We still made an oath to help, but now with Subaru dead and gone, we have next to no knowledge about the situation!" Crusch's face was twisted into one of rage. "We would have little trouble with it under normal circumstances…" She waved her hand and gestured to their ragged camp, "But these are not normal circumstances!" She finished her rant and looked back on Wilhelm, only to be surprised to see his face adorned in a small smile. "Well, tell me! What's so funny about this?!"
Wilhelm chuckled, despite the situation. "Maybe if you looked over there," He said pointing his hand somewhere behind Crusch. "You might see that the situation is not so hopeless after all."
Crusch frowned at him in confusion and turned around, only to have her eyes blown open in shock. Because sitting amongst the wounded, was thought to be dead Natsuki Subaru being held in Rem's arms as Felix inspected him. Her confusion only grew after she saw the torn state of his clothes and the strange marks on his body. "How…" She trailed off, shock adorning her features.
Wilhelm sighed. "They say that he emerged from the neck of the rogue monster after it fell. He still hasn't woken up but...I think that he was the monster." Seeing Crusch's contort into one of unbelieving bewilderment, he continued. "Ricardo said that the whale the beast emerged from was the same one that swallowed him. It would explain where the beast came from, but it also asks the question, just what is Natsuki Subaru?"
"Well, I don't believe he's evil if that's what you're insinuating! But nonetheless…" Crusch began. "Power that allows one to transform into a beast? A beast that could take down something as powerful as the White Whale? It's completely unheard of, but yet it's the best explanation we've got." With a sigh, Crusch began to move down towards the wounded. "We're not going to get answers just standing here, so let's go ask." Her sudden movement and blunt response made Wilhelm sweatdrop.
"Maybe we hang off on the questioning until he wakes up, but we should decide what to do with him." Crusch paused and turned her head to look back at him.
"What do you mean by that?" She asked in a low, dangerous tone.
Wilhelm, unfazed by this, responded calmly. "Imagine if he could use that power at will. Why didn't he use it earlier? You saw the power it held, what if he was fooling us along? Granted, I don't believe the boy to be evil, but he does pose a threat. That is a fact."
Crusch sighed and continued to walk. "While you are right, I think we should wait until he wakes up before we make any decisions. However...I do think we should move him away from the rest of the camp."
She saw the looks being sent Subaru's way. While he did save them while in that form, a human that could become a monster was unheard of, but a monster in disguise was not. People flinched whenever he moved as if that small motion could hurt them. She saw Rem meeting these looks with a menacing glare as if threatening anyone who thought they could hurt him. His head was lying in her lap as she was stroking his hair, a look of contentedness on his face as Rem gently laced her fingers through his hair. Felix stood up from where he had been inspecting Subaru and said a few words to Rem before seeing Crusch and Wilhelm and heading over to them.
"How are they doing?" Crusch asked in a worried tone.
Felix sighed, his usual cheeriness muted by his exhaustion. "As of now, Rem is somehow in good condition, but she is still a little tired." He looked back at Subaru, anticipating their next question. "Subaru is in absolutely peak condition. I could find no scars or marks on him, and the lines on his face are slowly fading. His arm seems to be in perfect condition, despite both Rem and Ricardo both seeing it bitten off by the whale." He sighed. "As it is...Natsuki Subaru should not be alive."
Away from the masses, an empty cart was being used as a makeshift meeting room. In it, the atmosphere was tense as no one spoke, casting uneasy glances around.
Finally Mimi, the representative for Anastasia, impatiently broke the silence. "So why are we here again? I get that he turned into a beast and all, but he did protect us!" She huffed. "I still think I should be with my brother right now."
"I'm not sure, it's almost like some here don't trust Subaru-kun. Despite the fact that none of us here would be standing without him." Rem responded coldly, Subaru's hand still clutched firmly in her own.
Crusch sighed. "It's not that we don't trust him, we all do owe him our lives, but…why didn't he reveal this sooner? We could have defeated the Whale with next to no casualties if he had gotten involved. Hell, we might not have even needed to get involved in the first place!"
Crusch was breathing heavily after her outburst while everyone looked on in shock. Never once had they seen the green-haired candidate lose her cool, not even in front of the White Whale did she waver. An awkward silence filled the carriage, with only the lingering sounds of the army reaching them.
Wilhelm coughed into his fist, drawing attention to him. "Perhaps what Crusch-sama is trying to say is why would he hide this? This power could have come in useful earlier in the battle."
The others seemed pacified by this and began to look at each other, unsure of what to do next. However, one was looking down on Subaru with a calm face.
"Maybe...Subaru didn't even know of this power." Rem said with a soft voice.
"Rem, what are you talking about?" Questioned Crusch.
"Just think about it! He has done everything to protect us! He was using himself as the bait just so we could have a chance at defeating that damn beast! Why would he be hiding this from us!" Rem's exclamations quieted everyone. But her face soon grew somber. "And besides…" Rem looked at Subaru in concern, "He has a new scent on him."
Wilhelm and Mimi's eyes widened as they understood the implications of that statement. Crusch looked around and saw the shocked expressions on her comrades' faces.
"So? He had been swallowed by the White Whale, so it would make sense for him to smell like it." Crusch said, not understanding the importance of Rem's words.
Rem shook her head. "The miasma of the Witch has a very distinct odor, but this is something I've never smelled before. It's very powerful and also...very ancient, thousands of years old at least."
Jaws dropped at this revelation. Most recorded history had been eliminated by the Witch, and for this power to precede even the Witch...it was frightening.
Wilhelm said quietly, "So this is why there are no records of power like this, it was likely wiped out by the Witch. But that also raises the question...why did it reappear now, so many centuries later…"
No one could answer him. As all eyes were on Subaru, an unsaid question sounded through the cart.
'Just what are you, Natsuki Subaru?'
Birds flying over an open sky, a large red hand dominating the background. An explosion. A house crushed by rubble. A gaping maw closing, blood flying through the air. A boulder being slammed into a large structure. Massive beasts in a stampede, a scream. A gargantuan being crawling out of a crystalline cave. Buildings ravaged by debris. A stage overrun with corpses. A massive quaking. A circular mountain, with a fleet of blimps flying overhead. Everything going white with a massive explosion.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH"
Subaru's eyes shot open as he lurched upward with a scream. He looked around in a frenzy, only to see Rem with a panicked expression, Wilhelm watching him with what looked like caution, Crusch had her hand on her sword as she looked at him in suspicion, and Mimi who was beaming at him in a wide smile.
Rem, seeing Subaru scream in terror, grabbed on to him. "Subaru-kun! Calm down, it's only us!" She shouted in panic.
Slowly, Subaru's erratic motions ceased as he grabbed his chest and took in deep breaths, looking around in confusion. Suddenly, his eyes went wide as he turned to Rem in alarm. "Rem, what happened to the whale? Is everyone ok!?"
Subaru's exclamations fell onto confused ears.
"Subaru." Crusch started in a slow voice. "What's the last thing you remember?"
Eyes widened as they turned to Subaru, who was clutching his head with one hand. "The last thing I remember was…being hit by the whale and landing on the ground. Then I saw..." Subaru's eyes began to fill with tears as his breathing picked up. Rem noticed this and hugged him while rubbing circles into his back. His breaths began to calm down after a minute or two and slowly detached himself from Rem.
"What...did you see?" Wilhelm asked cautiously.
Subaru took a deep breath. "I think I saw visions...of another time. It was like flashes of memories, and they were too vivid to be dreams. There were monsters there, massive humanoid creatures that had tremendous strength. There was so much destruction...so much death, and all of it led back to the creatures. I couldn't hear anything from them, but I could have sworn that I heard a voice say that I had to protect them, whatever it took, and to just keep moving forward. I know it sounds crazy, but that's what I saw, you have to believe me!" His ramblings went unanswered as he slowly opened his eyes to gauge their reactions, but was silenced by their expressions.
Everyone looked at Subaru with wide, fearful expressions. He quickly grew confused at this reaction and turned to see that even Rem had gone pale at this.
"What's up guys, it was probably just a dream anyways…" Subaru trailed off as Wilhelm coughed into his fist.
"Subaru, I think you should look behind you," Wilhelm said in a quiet tone.
Confused, Subaru slowly turned, only for his body to go rigid in terror as his blood ran like ice through his veins.
There, just a few dozen meters from the cart, was the steaming corpse of the rogue, its scarred figure still menacing even in death. Subaru's eyes widened even more as he looked over only to see the brutalized body of the Whale, its blood staining the wartorn ground beneath it. His gaze wandered across the steam-covered battlefield, seeing torn bodies scattered throughout, blood and viscera standing out like tumors on the land.
Subaru's shaking pupils were just dots on a field of white as he fell backward, as his entire body shook. "How is that...thing here? How did you defeat it?!" Subaru shouted in a panic to the others in the cart, only to see them watching with shocked gazes.
Rem spoke softly, "It had suddenly appeared from one of the White Whales, and it was the one to defeat the Whale. It had collapsed afterward due to exhaustion, but..." Rem's voice began to tremble, "When I got close, I saw you emerge from its neck. So answer me honestly Subaru-kun...was that monster you?"
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"Subaru-kun?"
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"Is he alright Wilhelm?"
"I just believe him to be in shock, nothing serious."
"THAT'S NOTHING SERIOUS!?"
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And with that, Subaru's eyes rolled back into his head as he began to sag, falling into the realm of unconsciousness once more.
A gentle rocking and low rumbling are what greeted Subaru as he began to return to consciousness, streams of thought merging together as the fog around his mind began to clear. He shifted around where he lay, absentmindedly noticing the uncomfortable surface he was pressed down on. Suddenly his eyes shot open as his memories began to flow, remembering what had happened before he blacked out. He swiftly moved from his position on the hard, wood floor to look around, and through his blurry vision, he could see the outlines of several people around him. His vision cleared and he saw those in the cart with him. Rem was resting, her body leaning on the side of the cart as her hand was outstretched towards him. Wilhelm was sitting, back rigid with soft breathing and muscles tense, as if he was ready for a fight at any moment. Crusch was looking out through the night in front of him, dark green hair flowing through the air around her as the moonlight shone across her face. He continued to look around, noticing that they were traveling in a caravan across the plains, with a forest approaching on the brightening horizon. However, his shuffling had caused Crusch to turn and look, only for her eyes to widen in shock.
"Subaru?!" She exclaimed in shock.
This woke up the other two passengers, who hearing the shocked yell grabbed their weapons as their eyes shot open, only for them to drop them as they saw the reason for the shock. Subaru didn't have time to process this, as Rem immediately grabbed him in a bone-crushing hug.
"R-rem you're crushing me." Subaru squeaked out from within the hug, which immediately caused Rem to let go with a concerned look on his face. He drew in deep breaths of air as he was released while looking around. "What happened after I went out?" He asked in a breathless voice, still recovering from the jaws of death.
Crusch looked at him in concern. "After you went out, we had Felix check over you to make sure you were alright. He said that you would be fine and just needed time. About an hour later, all of our able-bodied troops were about to head out before more reinforcements came."
"Reinforcements? What kind of reinforcements!?" Subaru all but shouted out in surprise.
Crusch waved her hand. "About 20 more of Anastasia's soldiers to help against the Witch's Cult. But anyways…" She began with a steely look in her eyes, "Why did you pass out earlier? Just what are you, Natsuki Subaru?"
Subaru had a confused and hurt look on his face. "What do you mean, I'm human! Are you really doubting that?!" He shouted.
"Subaru…" Wilhelm began, "See this from our perspectives. You emerge from an immensely powerful monster after being presumed dead, your limbs are somehow regrown, and you smell of something more ancient than history." With every word, Subaru's eyes grew wider. "You have an ability that no one's ever heard of before, that appeared from seemingly nowhere. You are immensely suspicious given the circumstances. Just answer me this honestly and I'll believe you...Subaru, are you working against humanity?"
At this everyone watched with bated breath as Subaru's face contorted into a serious expression.
"I-I...want to save everyone, I would give my all for humanity, and I will be able to help." He spoke with a determined gaze, glaring at everyone else in the cart as his eyes were nearly glowing with an aura of power.
Both Rem and Wilhelm looked at Crusch after hearing this, and they breathed sighs of relief as they saw her smile and nod her head.
"Sorry about the questions, we just needed to make sure," Crusch said in a placating voice.
Subaru sighed. "Yeah, it only makes sense. You just want to make sure the people are safe." He gave a small smile to everyone in the cart with him.
"So Subaru-kun...do you really not know anything about what happened to you?" Rem asked in a worried tone as she sat next to him.
Subaru gave a small chuckle. "Nope, I have no clue what happened, but if I can use it to help people, then that's what I'll do." His reassuring words calmed the others as they began to smile. However, Subaru looked down at his hand and frowned. He really had no idea what that power was, but he had a feeling it was related to the man that spoke to him in his dreams. He clenched his fist. He would use this power for good, and he would figure out the secrets behind it. He was still confused about it, why would he of all people have this ancient power? As he looked out on the rising sun, surrounded by his friends, he knew that he could use this power to help them and that he was content with it. And so the sun rose on a new day, its rays bringing new life and joy, but also bringing forth the inevitable darkness, rearing its ugly head to strike fear and despair into the hearts of our heroes. Will they face it with unwavering resolve, or be consumed by it?
Chapter 4: Undying Threat