Author notes at the bottom
Dialogue Change: Normal text means speaking, Italicized text means thinking or telepathy.
Chapter 4: The Mansion
Run. Run away, far away. It does not matter where, just away. Away from everything, away from this horrible reality.
A boy repeated this mantra in his head once again as he ran through the forest, the wind slashing his tear-stricken face as he pushed his body to the limit, desperate to escape his pursuers. His unkempt white hair flared around as the boy stumbled and fell, scratching his knee on a branch.
He winced at the injury, trying to steady himself as more tears threatened to come out.
Blood began to pour out from the wound, but the boy did not have the luxury of addressing neither wound nor the pain, as he could hear the unholy shrieks of the monsters chasing him.
Hurriedly picking himself back up, he continued to run through the forest, cursing the world for throwing him into this hell.
The hell that had all started two days ago.
The white-haired boy had just arrived home after a trip to the cemetery, his figure soaked by the pouring rain outside. Wringing his hair out, he took off his wet jacket and put away his umbrella, then emptied his pockets of his phone and wallet to ensure they would not get wet. Sighing to himself, he walked over to the bathroom.
That was when it happened.
Grasping his head, the boy cried out in pain as his vision became blurry. He tried to steady himself as his world looked to be a mess of waves and color. The last thing he thought about before falling unconscious was his parents, and how much he loved them.
When he awoke, the first thing he noticed was that he was no longer in his house. Supporting his head with one hand, he slowly woke up fully, standing up.
Looking around, he gasped in shock as he noticed that he was no longer in his neighborhood, instead he was neck deep in a forest. There was nothing but trees all around, with dirt and vegetation growing on the ground. Pinching himself, the boy ensured that he was not dreaming.
"Where am I?" The boy muttered; his voice still laced with the drowsiness of sleep.
Seeing nothing else, the boy started to walk around. As he walked, he felt something. It was this indescribable but nonetheless noticeable feeling that he was no longer in his… world?
Have I been summoned to a different world? The boy thought, trying to decipher the strange feeling welling up inside him.
In the back of his mind, he recalled a genre of manga he occasionally read named Isekai. In such a genre, an individual was summoned to a different world, usually to help resolve a crisis of some sorts.
Have I been isekaid as well?
The boy was shocked, but as he walked around and thought more, the possibility that he had been summoned to a different world became more probable. He had not seen any traces of the modern civilization he had grown up in, and the theory would align with the feeling in his heart.
A grin found its way onto the boy's face, delighted at the situation he found himself in.
This is awesome! If it's true that I've been summoned to a parallel world, then I get a do-over. I can learn magic, or maybe how to use a sword and finally become someone known throughout the land!
The boy chuckled to himself, imagining the possibilities that awaited him. Walking a little more, the white-haired youth finally found a break in the forest. After a few hours of walking, he had finally found a road.
Ah finally a road, maybe I can find some people. I haven't eaten or drank anything in a while, so that would be nice.
Hearing some noise up ahead, the boy broke through the clearing, looking around, he spotted a carriage. Happy that he would finally contact other humans, the boy walked up to the carriage with a spring in his step.
As the boy got closer, he could make out more and more details, until he saw everything, and the color on his face drained when he realized what was contained in that everything.
The carriage was turned on its side, one wheel missing while the other slowly turned around, as if it was dying out. The goods that were once inside the carriage had spilt out, haphazardly thrown onto the floor. Some of the crates have been opened by the impact, revealing the goods inside. All in all, it looked like a terrible accident had occurred, but that was not what drew the boy's attention. No, what drew his attention…
Was the blood.
Dark red stains tinted the white color of the carriage, following the trail, the boy was met with the sight of a beheaded ground dragon, its limbs in a death twitch as blood poured out from the top of its body.
Upon seeing this horrific sight, the boy grew nauseous, holding a hand to his mouth. His mind had turned off, not wanting to acknowledge the brutal sight in front of him. Due to an uncontrollable sense of morbid curiosity, the boy continued to look on, despite all his instincts screaming for him to run.
His gaze landed on a man, no, a half man. For everything below his torso had been blown off, as if it never existed. Blood pooled under him, his face calm but his eyes betraying the utter terror he felt the moment leading up to his death. His bloodied hand draped over his face, as if he tried to block his attacker from advancing.
The companion to the unfortunate soul had fared no better. His right arm and left leg were both gone, with only stumps remaining. The neck of the man was slashed open, as if someone had slammed a knife through the man's throat. His other hand was draped to the side, as if he had given up living long before his eventual death. Tear-streaks could still be seen on the man's face, as they were lapped… away?
The boy's breath hitched, eyes opening in shock as he saw another unholy sight.
Creatures that seem to appear only in horror novels, with jet black hair covering their body. They looked like wolves, only so much worse. Their eyes were pure red, and their teeth as sharp as a knife. Said teeth were currently gouging on the arm of one of the men, the blood staining the pure white shine of the teeth.
It was a gruesome massacre, two unfortunate souls have lost their life to these rabid beasts, and the only thing left are their bloodied corpses.
The boy could not take it, turning around he vomited onto the floor, his vision dazed as his mind realized the sheer monstrosities before him. He could not think, would not think, for his instincts had finally won out, and he turned around and ran back into the forest, never daring to look back.
A day had passed since then, and the boy managed a semblance of calm. He had passed out last night from sheer exhaustion but had now slightly improved his condition upon sleeping.
Tentative standing up, he willed himself not to think about the events he had seen the night before. All idealistic dreams he previously had were now replaced by terror and desire. The desire to be safe, to get away from those beasts from hell.
That calm from waking was maintained for a mere moment after he began his journey, as his walking deeper into the forest allowed him to stumble upon a truly unfortunate situation.
The wolves, no, the monster he had seen yesterday, had been traveling in a small group, and he walked right into them. The dried blood from their last feast is still present on their coats.
It took only one crunch of his shoes to alert the beasts of his presence. Turning their heads, they snarled at him, gnashing their teeth as they prepared to fight, to kill, to devour the being in front of them.
The white-haired boy could only whimper as he turned around and ran away for his life.
He was still running, 10 minutes later, pushing his body past limits he could never dream of. His stumbling and aimless running caused him to nick his skin and clothes against branches, earning scrapes and wounds across his whole body, yet he paid them no mind.
After all, what were mere scrapes compared to being torn apart?
So, the boy kept running, cursing his luck for getting stuck in this situation.
Though he may be able to outpace the beasts by an extremely small margin, the boy was still human, he still had limits. Certain limits that the beasts did not share.
The adrenaline from the past events had finally left him, and there was nothing left to fuel the boy's desperate bid for survival. Slowing down, the boy tripped, his arm impaled by a sharp branch.
"Ahhh!" He cried out in pain, fresh tears falling down his face. Turning his head, he cried harder as he saw the wolves steadily catch up to them, opening their teeth to crush him with it.
Upon seeing that he couldn't move, they slowed down, as if toying with him. Gnashing their molars as they prepared to feast. Slowly approaching the helpless teen.
I'm going to die, going to die. I'm not going to exist anymore because I'm going to die die die die die die die.
The boy's mind raced a mile a minute, as he closed his eyes in acceptance, bracing himself for his end.
… An end that never came.
Some noise could be heard, sounding like projectiles whistling through the air, before making a thud against their mark. The thud was replaced by the sound of shattered glass.
The sudden noise combined with the lack of the growling of the creatures caused the boy to open his eyes. Looking around he longer saw the wolf-creatures chasing him, their figure replaced by shards of purple crystals littering the ground.
What happened? Where did those things go? He thought. Still trying to decipher what had just occurred.
Turning back, he also noticed that the branch that impaled his arm was no more, having turned into a state similar to the wolves.
He winced as he brought his arm up to his chest, watching as blood exited his wound.
"Oh dear, are you alright?"
The boy turned to the source of the strange voice and was met with a blurry cross of black and white.
The exhaustion, combined with the blood loss, had finally worn out the boy, and he felt his conscience slipping. It took all his remaining willpower to not pass out on the spot. Falling over, the boy could only look on as his savior rushed towards him.
"Oof," The individual grunted as they caught the boy. Delicately rearranging him in their arms.
Before he could shut down his body and mind, the boy forced himself to say one word.
"...N-n-name…" He muttered, in a voice so low one could say it never existed. But he had to know, had to know the name of the being who had saved his worthless life from the brink of death. For an excruciating moment, the boy thought that his savior could not hear him, that his muttering was lost to the wind, yet the individual widened their eyes slightly, before smiling at him.
Still smiling, the individual answered the white-haired boy's question.
"Where are my manners, my name is… Satella."
Upon hearing this, the edge of the boy's mouth upturned slightly before his conscience finally faded away.
(Scene Change)
"Ughh my head." Subaru groaned, as he slowly got up, still recovering from last night's events. Looking at his body, he realized that he was still in his tracksuit, though now there was a hole through it, a product of him taking the knife for Emilia.
Much to the boy's relief, the skin under the hole was healed, meaning that he was safe and sound.
Happy that he seemed to have gotten past his first obstacle, Subaru looked around the room and took in the sights of the place he had awoken in: the original Roswaal Mansion.
It has been a little over a year since he had been in the original mansion. In the last timeline it had been burnt down during the problems in the sanctuary in an effort to defeat a particularly troubling mabeast.
Last timeline… Subaru stuttered as his memories returned to him full force. The old memories he had with his allies, the adventures they had, all gone. Now, he was the only one to remember them, but in light of the scorpion girl's words, he resolved to ensure that he did not let himself fall into despair. He owed it to everyone, he will get his happy ending a second time.
"Sister sister, it seems like our guest has awoken."
"Ram, Ram, indeed our guest has awakened at last."
Subaru's thoughts were interrupted by a pair of voices, ones who were in perfect sync with each other. Turning his head, Subaru's gaze fell onto the source of the strange interaction, the twin oni maids of this mansion: Ram and…
Rem. The youth thought.
In a roundabout way, he had undone his biggest regret. He had awoken Rem, returned her name to the world, and freed her from the cruel curse that was Gluttony. Subaru forced back tears, overjoyed that he had finally gotten back his…
"Sister sister, you are being violated in the mind of our guest."
"Rem, Rem, you are being subjected to cruel fantasies in the mind of our guest."
The two maids once again interrupted Subaru's thoughts, moving away from him in disgust due to his staring at them. The action made a look of hurt cross Subaru's face, before he casted his eyes downward, chuckling without emotion.
Right, new timeline, he thought, that isn't my Rem, it's a different Rem, the Rem when her heart was still frozen.
Upon making this important distinction, Subaru shuddered, thinking back to less pleasant times spent with the inhabitants of the manner, especially with the blue-haired oni.
The boy didn't think he could ever forget the pure hate on her face as she tortured him that night.
Though he could still feel the phantom pain of her morningstar crushing his muscles, his painful memories were overrun by the more pleasant ones with the maid. The time when they held the winter festival, when they worked together, the time when she poured her heart out to him, encouraging him to keep going with all her might when he was at his lowest.
Subaru allowed these memories to overwhelm his painful experiences, adding fuel to the determination in his heart. He had promised to save everyone, and that included Rem, no matter what.
Affirming this, Subaru took a breath, composing himself, before standing up and getting himself into his favorite pose. Addressing the maids, he introduced himself to him.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Natsuki Subaru! I hope we can all get along," He finished, to the shocked maids.
Said maids were currently confused beyond belief, wondering about the sanity of the man before them, and the nature of his ridiculous pose.
Giving a quick glance to each other, they decided that there was no correct way to respond to this situation, so they elected to stay quiet.
Seeing that the maids were not responding, Subaru began to sweat, a blush appearing on his face.
"You k-know, it's worse i-if you don't say anything at all." He stammered, trying to force down the embarrassment welling in his chest.
Thankfully for Subaru, the awkward tension in the room was interrupted by the arrival of another individual.
"Geez Subaru, can't you wake up a little more peacefully?" A voice like a silverbell chimed, as Emilia entered the room, smiling at the raven-haired boy.
"Ah, ah Emilia-tan." Subaru stuttered, still reeling from the embarrassment he felt a moment ago. Before he could properly say anything to Emilia, Ram spoke up.
"Emilia-sama you must understand, my cute sister had her body violated by that boy's mind." She explained, hugging her sister while pointing at Subaru.
Without missing a beat, Rem spoke up, continuing the attack on the poor boy.
"Indeed, Ram is correct. She too had her dignity stripped by the boy's imagination."
"Hey now that's just cruel! All I did was look at you two!" Subaru cried out, desperately trying to salvage his reputation in front of the one he loves. Looking at the half-elf, he saw her giggling at the display, making the boy chuckle a little in return.
After a few more second of laughter Emilia slowly calmed herself, turning to the maid she said,
"Now you two, be nice. Subaru worked reaaaaly hard to save me last night, and I'm grateful he was there to help. Please excuse his behavior for now."
The two maids bowed wordlessly before walking out of the room, Emilia waved at them, unaware of the effect her words of praise had on Subaru. The boy currently had his back to the half-elf, overjoyed at the praise she gave him.
"Subaru?" The half-elf questioned, noticing how Subaru had his back turned to her.
"Ah, Emilia-tan sorry about that." Subaru turned around.
"So what's…"
Once again Subaru was interrupted, and the boy had to wonder if this was just fate messing with him. This time the boy was interrupted by thumping sounds coming from a little ways off. The sounds quickly grew louder, as the being who made them grew closer.
Emilia moved into the room and off to the side, turning to face the hallway. Both occupants in the room tensed up, wondering who the individual barreling towards them was.
A few seconds later, they got their answer as Shaula bursted into the room, jumping into Subaru. Her actions caught the boy unaware and unready.
"Master!" She shouted, a huge grin covering her face.
"Gahh!" Was all the boy could respond with before Shaula met him, the impact forcing him to fall back into the bed.
"Just what do you think you're doing madwoman?!" Subaru cried out, still reeling from the scorpio's surprise attack.
His cry fell on deaf ears, as Emilia was currently trying to keep herself upright while laughing, nearly failing in her task while using the bed frame as support.
The madwoman in question ignored Subaru, choosing instead to deepen her bone-crushing hug.
"Shaula is soooo happy master is finally awake! Last night was really intense. I was so worried for master when I saw the blood…" She trailed off, remembering the specifics of the previous night.
Her face fell as she remembered the sight of the knife piercing her beloved teacher. When she saw the blood erupt from Subaru's gut, she nearly cried at the sight, each splatter of blood another wound to her soul. When he fell on the ground, she earnestly thought she would fall with him.
The horrible reality of her teacher dying was almost enough to bring tears to her eyes, so she buried her face in Subaru's shirt, as if confirming that he was still alive. She allowed herself to bask in his warmth, forcing out any negative possibilities from her mind.
At her comment Subaru instantly sobered, noticing the look on her face. He raised his hand and gently stroked her hair, before speaking up.
"It's alright Shaula, as you can see, I'm here and perfectly fine. I'd like to believe it takes more than a thrown knife to take me down for good."
Shaula giggled at this, relief overtaking the former grief on her face as she slightly leaned into the black-haired boy's touch.
Emilia watched over this interaction with a content smile on her face, the scene unfolding in front of her reminded her of the relationship she had with Puck. The cat spirit would always watch over her, comfort her if she was feeling down, and always be on her side.
"Ah enough of this sadness, let's change the topic."
Subaru brought Emilia out of her thoughts, and both women turned to the boy as he turned to Emilia.
"So, Emilia-tan, would you mind telling me what happened last night? I was a bit...unavailable at the time."
Emilia nodded her head as she began her recollection.
*Flashback to Last Night*
"Will master be alright?"
A scorpion girl inquired, worry painted on her face as she looked at a boy on the ground, a blue light over his stomach. The blue light was courtesy of a certain silver-haired, half-elf, who had a strained expression on her face as she finished her healing spell.
"He'll be fine, though he won't be back to 100% for a little bit."
The half-elf's tired voice responded before she leaned back, exhausted by the amount of mana she had to expend in the past hour. Her gaze fell on the sleeping boy on the ground.
Natsuki Subaru, Emilia thought, wondering about the boy that had saved her. Why did you save me? A half-elf that you barely know.
She was confused, her mind a jumble as she thought about Subaru. In the span of a day, he brushed aside the lineage that had gotten her cursed on multiple occasions, had helped her find the insignia she thought would be lost forever, and had saved her life while she was too shocked to react.
Gratitude and guilt welled up in her chest. Gratitude for how the boy saved and reassured her, guilt for forcing him to do this. If only she was stronger or smarter, she may not have had to force the boy to do so much for her. If only she didn't exist, then maybe he wouldn't have had to suffer?
Emilia's self-loathing was interrupted by the arrival of Reinhard. He entered the loot house with his head held low in shame, both hands tightened into fists.
"Emilia-sama, Miss Shaula," he started, sadness in his tone, "I apologize but I was unable to locate the bowl hunter, she seemed to have escaped our grasp." His throat seemed to tighten with each word he said.
Reinhard was mad no, irate at himself. He had shown up late to the place where the bowl hunter was attacking and had failed in preventing her from injuring anyone. In addition, he had failed to even locate her as she escaped to dragon knows where, truly a failure on his part. Now, due to his sloth an innocent boy was nearly killed. He would atone for this, in any way possible.
At Reinhard's words Shaula scowled, her hand forming a fist as she thought about the being that had harmed her master.
If I ever find that bitch, I will be sure to kill her for hurting master. She promised, eyes burning with determination as she was made her promise for revenge.
"Well, Emilia-sama if I may."
Reinhard broke the two women out of their thoughts, after a nod from Emilia, the red head continued.
"What do you plan to do with Subaru? If it's not too much trouble I would like to bring him back with me to reward him for his service."
At Reinhard's question Emilia put a finger to her cheek, thinking. After a few moments she decidedly answered him:
"I will take him back with me to my home because I would like to thank him for saving my life. We also have a great spirit there. She will be able to ensure Subaru is given proper treatment if need be."
Reinhard nodded, "I see, very well. If that is all then I will depart. May both of you have a wonderful night."
Waving his hand, Reinhard bade farewell to the women before scooping up the sleeping Felt into a bridal carry, then walking away with Old Man Rom behind him.
The two women watched the trio walk away before turning back to the sleeping Subaru.
"Are you sure master will be ok?"
Shaula was still worried. She had finally been reunited with her master outside of the tower after 400 years of solitude and she would be damned if she would let him leave her ever again. The scorpio didn't think her heart could take it, if he were to once again leave. Knowing this, she was desperate to ensure his safety.
Oblivious to Shaula's inner turmoil, Emilia responded.
"Y-yes I assure you that Subaru will be fine. Beatrice, the spirit where I live, will give Subaru a once-over and make sure he's just fine."
Beatrice. The name sounded familiar to Shaula, but she could not figure out why she recognized that name or where she had heard it before. Opting to ignore the gut feeling for now, she gave a nod in response to Emilia's answer. Silence fell over the loot house, only to be broken by the small pattering of footsteps a few minutes later.
"Emilia-sama?"
The occupants of the room looked to the doorframe, finding the figure of Ram in it.
*End of Flashback*
"Then Ram led us to the carriage, and we arrived back here," Emilia finished her recollection.
Subaru grimaced in response to what Reinhard had said, So Elsa is still alive? Damn that sucks, guess I'm going to have to keep an eye out, he thought, sad that he had failed in eliminating the assassin.
Shaking his head, Subaru gave a brief "Thank you," to Emilia, as he continued to think.
"Oh Subaru, now that you're up, you should probably get up and wash yourself. The bathroom is down the hall on the right side from your room. In an hour I'll come back and bring you to breakfast."
Emilia waved as she exited the room, leaving Subaru and Shaula, who was still hugging the boy.
Though the hug was less crushing, as the boy successfully calmed her from her earlier thoughts.
"Master?"
"Yes Shaula?"
"Shaula watched over you all night to make sure you were safe. As such, I deserve praise," The scorpio declared, glancing at Subaru expectantly.
Subaru laughed at her look, all too happy to indulge her request.
"Yes, yes Shaula you did good. I'm really happy you were there to protect and help me, I couldn't have done it without you," he said, patting her head. Subaru meant every word of that statement; without Reinhard they would have had no shot at beating Elsa had it not been for Shaula. As such Subaru was extremely grateful for her assistance, and he hoped he accurately showed how grateful he truly was.
Shaula beamed at his words of praise, her smile going from ear to ear. The two layed there in comfortable silence, Subaru stroking her hair and she gently hugged him, until the boy picked apart and analyzed the scorpio's statement.
"Shaula," he started, a small part of him hoping he was wrong, "when is the last time you slept or rested?"
At his question she froze up, hurriedly turning away from his questioning glare.
"Shaulaaaaa." Subaru signed, telling from the girl's reaction that his suspicions were spot on. A part of him felt guilty, like it was his fault that she pushed herself for him. That's because it… no. He resolved not to think that way and he would not start now.
Shaula winced when Subaru called her out, and she slowly turned back to the boy, a sheepish grin on her face.
"W-well, Shaula doesn't remember." Subaru did a mental facepalm at this. "But that doesn't matter because Shaula feels-"
"No."
Shaula's hurried argument was quickly shot down by an exasperated Subaru, now physically face palming.
"Look Shaula, you aren't in the watchtower anymore. You don't need to push yourself just for me or something I said. You are allowed to take breaks and rest if you need to. No, scratch that. I order you to take breaks and rest if you need to."
Subaru held a smug grin as he looked at Shaula's stunned face. The latter quickly snapped out of it, trying once again to protest Subaru's words.
"But master I want too pro-"
"Shaula."
Subaru once again interrupted the scorpio's protest, composing himself before continuing.
"I know you want to protect me, and I really appreciate your help, truly. However, I don't need nor want you to push yourself too far for me. Take care of yourself as well, it's a lesson I've learned and it's made my life better," Subaru's thoughts wondered to a very interesting tea party, where the embodiment of all evil taught him that it was okay for him to love himself, to care for his own person,
"Besides, your master isn't some random guy. I'm the type of guy who won't stay down, even if you kill me."
Subaru finished his speech, his former smug grin growing wider as Shaula gave a small smile, raising her hands in defeat.
"Fine, if master says that Shaula must take a break, then Shaula will take a break." In a smaller voice she continued, "Though I'm glad that after all this time, master still has not lost his silver-tongue."
Subaru grinned in victory. His grin fell as he felt a weight attach themself onto him, looking down, he found Shaula once again hugging him.
"However," she said, a malicious grin on her face, "master did not specify where I should rest, so Shaula will rest here."
She ignored the sputtering protests of the now red-faced boy, who eventually signed in acceptance, gently stroking her hair.
Within minutes the scorpio was out, and Subaru smiled at the peaceful look on her face.
She's like a child when she is asleep, he thought. Though when I imagined falling asleep with a lap pillow, I thought it would be me and Emilia-tan.
Sighing, he gently pushed Shaula off, grabbing a pillow and placing her head on that. After confirming that she was secure, he exited the room, closing the door behind him.
"Alright, that's that. Now to wash up." He muttered, remembering Emilia's instructions about where the bathroom was.
Approaching the door, Subaru felt a weird feeling when his hand grasped the doorknob. It was like another presence was behind the door, beckoning him inside.
Subaru grinned at this, recognizing the feeling.
Time to see that tsundere loli again, he thought as he opened the door and entered.
Books and bookshelves.
That was all Subaru could see upon entering what was supposed to be the bathroom. Looking around he could only see books, with covers ranging from red to blue to black, filled with all sorts of knowledge within.
The Forbidden Library brought up bittersweet memories for the youth. On one hand it reminded him of a certain greedy witch, which brought up painful memories for him. Though she had in fact helped him, the boy didn't think he could ever forgive her for what she did to the Great Spirit.
Said great spirit was the only reason he adored the library, as its inhabitant had been one of Subaru's best friends. Though their relationship got off to a rocky start, the bond they forged was something Subaru had and would always cherish, and one he intended to form once again.
"What a nuisance you are, I suppose."
Subaru was brought out of his thoughts by a haughty voice. Looking down his eyes found their way to the curator of the Forbidden Library: The Great Spirit of Yin, Beatrice. She was sitting on a stool opposite the door to the room, a book in hand.
Seeing Subaru's stare, Beatrice's scowl deepened,
"What are you staring at, I wonder."
Without thinking, Subaru muttered "Adorable," nearly making Beatrice throw him out.
"Just who are you calling adorable, I suppose! A mere human cannot comprehend Betty's cuteness in fact," raising one hand as she prepared a spell.
Recognizing the gesture Subaru took a step back, raising his arms in defeat, "Sorry, sorry, it just slipped out. Please forgive me, please."
Beatrice huffed, then lowered her hand, returning to her book.
Subaru smiled at this before taking a breath, attempting to continue the conversation.
Getting himself into his ever-reliable pose, Subaru grinned at Beatrice before starting,
"Anyways, let's try again. My name is Natsuki Subaru, and I just arrived here last night! Mind telling me your name."
Beatrice gave a long-suffering sign, nodding before also introducing herself.
"Hmph, if you must know, Betty is the curator of this library. Her name is Beatrice, and you may call her that and only that."
Subaru nodded, "Got it, nice to meet you Beako," ignoring Beatrice's last statement.
"Nice to meet- wait. What did you just call me, I suppose?" The little spirit shouted, annoyed at the name Subaru had given her.
"Beako, it's a pet name. From where I'm from it's to show affection. Take it as a sign that I want to be friends with you."
"And where did you get the impression that Betty was your friend, in fact?"
Subaru put a hand over his heart in mock hurt before giving a small smile to the spirit,
"Don't be like that Beako, I feel like I've known you for a lifetime."
"Just what kind of relationship do you think we have, I wonder?"
Subaru signed at her words, deciding to stop for now.
It's best not to push it. If I overwhelm her now it would probably backfire, best to ease into it before I tell her I'm not that person. He thought, resolve filling him.
"It's not the relationship we have right now, Beako, but what we will have in the future." He winked at the now confused spirit, who shook her head, muttering about the unique individual in front of her.
Standing up, she walked over to Subaru.
"Enough of that. Before you continue your ramblings, Betty needs to do something I suppose," she said, walking over to him with a hand extended.
Subaru was initially confused until he suddenly remembered what she did on their first meeting. Subaru had only a few seconds to brace himself until Beatrice sucked out some of his mana.
"Gahh!" He cried out, a hint of nausea coming over him. It felt like something was getting ripped out of him, and it was causing him great pain as more and more things were seemingly ripped from their place. Beatrice held a look of concern at Subaru's reaction, before she quickly ended the spell.
"My apologies," she started, a semblance of pity in her voice. "Betty did not realize that you have a broken gate, so the mana suction process would hurt. Please forgive Betty, but she had to determine if you were a threat to Roswaal L. Mathers."
Subaru grumbled a bit, suddenly feeling drained beyond belief. "Don't worry Beako, I understand. I'll see you later, I'm a bit tired now," he replied, picking himself up and slowly walking out of the library.
Beatrice watched him walk away wordlessly, a small frown on her face. Turning around, she walked back to her stool.
"What a foolish man," she grumbled, though it lacked the bite to be considered an insult.
"But Betty wonders…" she muttered, her hand on the black book on the stool, the only gift from her mother. It hadn't contained any words for the past 400 years, and that feat hadn't been broken when she opened the book once again.
Despite this, a small part of Beatrice, a part she would never admit to having, felt hope upon seeing the black-haired boy, like he might finally be the one to help her out of her 400 years of loneliness. There was an indescribable feeling of comfort in the short time she had interacted with him.
Clutching her gospel in her hand, her thoughts kept drifting to the strange boy.
"Betty wonders if you are they," she whispered.
(Scene Change)
"Damn, that hurt. I knew it was coming but wow that was an experience."
Subaru walked through the hall, one hand on the wall as he attempted to keep himself steady. His whole body screamed out in sudden exhaustion from the mana drain that had occurred, and he was fighting to keep himself awake.
"Beako said something about a broken gate. Guess that didn't change." Subaru signed as he thought back to the spirit's words. Despite changing timelines, Subaru's body did not reset, so his gate was still broken.
"Guess me and magic were never meant to be," he grumbled. Opening the door to his room he saw that Shaula was still peacefully sleeping on the bed. Deciding he would rather not disturb her, he grabbed a pillow off the bed, collapsing on the floor as exhaustion overtook him.
"Subaru? Hey Subaru, wake up," a silver-bell chimed, forcing Subaru out of his dreamworld.
"Ugh, 5 more minutes please," the boy responded, not wanting to get up just yet.
"No, you dunderhead, you need to wake up right now." The voice urged, and Subaru reluctantly opened his eyes.
Rubbing his still drowsy eyes, Subaru sat up then looked around. He realized that he was still on the floor, having passed out near instantly once he got back to his room. Looking up, he found the sight of Emilia close to his face, as she was the one who woke him.
Once he did this the half-elf blushed from how close he was and hurriedly stood up, covering her face in her hands.
Subaru grinned at this, "A personal wake-up call from Emilia-tan? I'm so lucky," he teased, causing her to blush even more.
"Don't say things like that you dunderhead," she stammered, ignoring the "Who even says dunderhead anymore," response in favor of remembering why she was here.
"I only woke you up because one of the maids asked me, okay? No ulterior motives whatsoever."
Subaru gave a smug grin at the half-elf's response, muttering "Sure sure." This only caused Emilia to pout at Subaru's supposed disbelief, which in turn caused the boy's grin to grow more.
The cycle was interrupted by the sound of footsteps arriving at the door, both turned to see Rem at the door frame, a neutral expression on her face.
"Emilia-sama," she said, bowing. Her eyes fell on Subaru for a moment before she looked back to Emilia.
"Yes Rem, he is up. We will be there shortly," The half-elf responded, causing Subaru to wonder what was going on.
"Hey, what are you two talking about?" Subaru voiced his confusion at the suspicious demeanor of the two women. His question made Rem turn to him, and her answer surprised the boy greatly,
"Our Master, Lord Roswaal L. Mathers, has returned. He has requested your presence at breakfast this morning."
Subaru was caught off guard, Ros is here now? That's so early, he thought. While wondering about the reason for the sudden change, Subaru's thoughts wandered to one book, which made him grimace.
Don't tell me his stupid gospel updated. It'll be a pain if it changes, and he finds out I know everything.
Subaru signed internally, before standing up and forcing a smile on his face.
"Well alright. If the Lord wants to meet with me then what choice do I have?" Subaru said in a cheerful voice, a stark contrast to his inner turmoil concerning the man. He was worried plain and simple.
Roswaal with his gospel was a very dangerous threat, one that Subaru was constantly wary of. The clown knows of Subaru's looping power and is an extremely good manipulator who would go to great lengths to ensure that his goals were achieved.
Facing him once again would be a tall task indeed, but Subaru was not the same man he once was. He had beaten Roswaal at his own game once before, and he will beat him again.
Having calmed himself, Subaru jabbed a finger behind him at the still sleeping scorpio.
"What about her?"
"She may stay there for the time being." Rem's response came in a monotone voice, and her expression had not changed throughout the entire interaction, a fact Subaru sadly noticed.
Motioning the two to follow, the maid led Subaru and Emilia to where Roswaal was waiting, as Subaru braced himself for what was to come.
Author Notes:
I live! At least I think so.
Sorry homies, finals drained me, and I didn't have the motivation.
Unfortunately, this is reflected in the lower quality of the chapter, but I wanted to get something out, please forgive me.
Anyways, for that one homie who asked what song I listened to for 3 hours it was: I was never there by The Weeknd, it is an awesome song.
Thank you all for bearing with me, feel free to leave a review/criticism and hope to see you all next time!
P.S. Kid Cudi is a fire artist.