Scientists have predicted that parallel universes did indeed exist, that our reality wasn't the only one to exist. Unfortunately, there was no way to prove this theory, and technology wasn't yet advanced enough to tear the fibres of space and time. Unfortunately, without of shred of logic nor evidence to prove such claims, the citizens of Earth were happy enough to remain in their own existence, undisturbed.

But yet, all but one, were able to live their lives undisturbed.

Subaru Natsuki, a teenager that couldn't be comprehended by your average means, was summoned to another world one and a half years ago. He had been a hopeless drop out without a solid future, so he remembered the day that had truly been the start of his life like it had occurred yesterday.

He remembered the light-headiness that couldn't be rivalled by simple dehydration and a blurred vision that made him blink in surprise. He remembered his last moment in japan with a clarity only attained with regret. He had sadly, selfishly left his parents behind, and imagined their grief and worry daily. And whilst he had attained so much in Lugunica, he had also given up those who had stood by him in japan.

It was truly regrettable, even if such an experience had been a dream come true.

He had never expected, nor wanted to experience such a feeling again, but yet, on Pleiades Watchtower, Subaru grasped his forehead. He felt light and unstable, as if he could fall at any given moment. His clothes, a white shirt and black cargo pants were slick with perspiration. They stuck to him due to the exertion that was generated by fighting for his life- defeating Shaula with the help of his contracted spirit Beatrice hadn't been easy and it had been necessary to be assisted by Meili, a young girl that Subaru had promised to protect.

Her Divine Protection of Magic Manipulation had been an essential turning point to over come the sages apprentice, the small army of mabeast controlled by her had been of great help. But yet the fight was yet to be finished, Ley still roamed these halls, despite Ram most likely flinging wind magic around like a crazed arsenist. Emilia, who was all but useless against Ley and Reid, was in the process of attempting to gain the help of Volcanica, the legendary dragon. And Julius, a man Suabru had once hated with his whole heart, was fighting Reid, the first sword saint.

He had already die thrice, Louis having taken his body for the last two deaths, but he remembered with great clarity and just like every other moment after death- Subaru had no desire to relive it. He was no masochist.

"Subaru, take a break- you don't look to well," Beatrice looked up at him, her childish height was both cute and appealing to the eyes. She looked like she had experienced only a decade of life, but Subaru knew that such misconceptions were false. Beatrice, a being of power and elegance was over four hundred years old. A grandma-loli, a trope that Subaru had once called cliche had become a key point in his daily life.

"... No, we've got to help Ram."

"Would you look at yourself! You'll only be a burden in this state." Her voice was filled with stress and rage- a battle of life and death, to protect a cherished one, could do that to a person. Subaru had long since become accustomed to such stress with his daily life and the dreadful memories of pasts that had been overcome and diverted. He would make sure that no one that he cared for had to die, that was the silent vow he had made as knight and the warning that Roswal had foreshadowed a year ago had kicked started such a responsibility.

But Beatrice, like always, was right. With his gate borderline drained completely of what little mana he possessed and his chest throbbing with an intense pain that he had learnt to ignore through experiences that an ordinary person cannot experience twice. In his current state, Subaru was more likely to get his head sliced apart by Ram's fura spell than be of help. Holding Cor Leonis up was enough, he was actually making Ram stronger, this terrible pain in his chest proved it.

Shoulder a burden, hide his pain- a small sacrifice to pay for the protection of those that Subaru cared for. This was the type of man he had become and the authority had been created from his self sacrificing greed only proved it. A man who had burned failures of nonexistent pasts on is fragile heart and cried quietly in despair. He wouldn't have it any other way.

"No, I know how this story goes..." gritting his teeth, Subaru almost snarled in displeasure, his body shaking from stress and adrenaline. His contracted spirits shock could be seen on her petite face, her blue eyes with pink butterflies burned with a fury that he couldn't have seen a year ago. No matter how much she tried to hide it, Beatrice loved the knight.

That was why, exactly why he couldn't let her die shock. For in his fragile heart, Subaru cared deeply for her. He'll protect everyone, so-

Don't you dare try to sperate me from them, you damn witch.

I love you.

A voice most would describe as beautiful echoed across his mind. Satella was not a god, but for the gift she had given him- she was the closet thing to one. His anger, his prays to a nonexistent god were unheard and unanswered, but she always answered silently with each restart. He was grateful, even if he was repulsed by what she had given him.

Who would want to die endlessly?

As soon as the echo of a voice that had long since faded into background noise ended, Subaru fell harshly to the ground. The strength that was needed to keep his body up against gravity had become too much. A loud thud echoed across the corridor and as Beatrice had still being holding his hand, despite her obvious fury, had unfortunately been dragged to the ground with him.

"Be careful!"

Her screams of indignation fell on death ears, and in fear, in utter dread of a certain possibility, the great spirit looked down at the pathetic sight that Subaru had become. Death had not claimed him, but the contorted expression that had overtaken his face was heart breaking. Tears watered down his cheeks and drool bubbled at the corner of his mouth. He looked more like a rabid dog than the respected knight he had become.

"Why are you like this? What's the matter, I suppose?"

Her voice had gone quite and Beatricee remembered that this had been how he looked when the blue haired girl had taken up residence in a room a year ago. A girl who had been forgotten by all and only remembered by Subaru. The pain he expressed on his face when he held his hand and the apologies he cried by her bedside. It was pathetic, but her high opinion of him didn't waver, her respect and love for him didn't fall- but she did feel a bit light headed.

"I don't... want to leave."

"Wha-"

Beatrice's vision blurred and she felt a sense of weightlessness despite only weighing ten grams, just like all great spirits.


His first instinct, his very first action when he regained himself was an attempt to kill himself. To commit suicide. Subaru's whip had been stubbornly equipped in his hands, and unlike hid last summoning- he wasn't unarmed. Gripping the whip string with his smooth, well-loved hands, he prepared to strangle himself- to end his time here and return to Pleiades Watchtower. He still had to save everyone and without his Return by Death, they would surely perish.

"What... are you doing, I suppose?"

A voice the knight didn't expect to hear, for this foreign place wasn't Lugunica. It wasn't home.

So why was Beatrice of all people here?

"Ah," Subaru gasped in realisation, an epiphany sparked from within his idiotic mind. Just like the instant noodles and salty chips he possessed when he first arrived in Lugunica, the great spirit had been touching him. It was because of him that she was here. Tears welled up in his brown eyes and a desperate sob echoed across the small area they found themselves in.

"I'm so sorry, Beatrice."

Because of him, because of the witches love directed to only him, the great spirit had been pulled into a foreign land. He blamed himself and silently cursed the witch within the deepest crevasses of his mind. Even though he hated her so, he felt a certain warmth when he saw her. It made his heart flood with guilt, like he had somehow betrayed Rem's hope and Emilia's kindness. There was no way he could love such a despicable being, despite what she had selfishly gifted him.

"You don't have to apologise, in fact." Beatrice walked towards him, the hem of her dress wavered in the soft breeze, a vibrant red that stood out from the norm. It always hovered several centimetres above the ground, never once had it been sullied by outside factors. Prim and cute, the perfect tsudere- and a person who Subaru couldn't live without. "I'm just glad to be with you." Those blue eyes that looked at him with a sense of longing he had once found confusing- and now, after each success that was behind a series of failures, he knew that he didn't deserve such a thing. For countless loops, his weakness and lack of decisive action had killed them all.

Unlike Reinhardt, his small, weak hands could only reach so far.

"B-but because of me, you're here," and everyone else is most likely dead. Subaru didn't end his sentence, for fear of it being true. Maybe he was trying to ease his ever increasing guilt and worries, but he knew that he didn't have that luxury. Take each failure, each death and use it to grow and to overcome a dreaded present. This was all he could hope for, this was all a man with Return by Death could achieve.

"When I'm with you, I'm not lonely." Beatrice showed a rare smile, tears streaking down her pale cheeks. Subaru had understood perfectly how lonely she had been for four centuries, and wouldn't wish it on his greatest enemy- so, tying Guiltywhip around the leather strap, the knight engulfed the great spirit in a warm embrace.

Hundreds of black beasts encircled them, as if moths drawn to a candle and neither of them had the mana nor strength to continue the fight. But for every hundred beasts, two black hands made from miasma formed, all unseen by the world.

"Huh, so you came along too,"

Only Subaru saw those hands tear through the beasts and the lack blood that rained onto the hopeless pair. A bitter rage burning within, his eyes narrowed and he frowned.

But even so, even when he knew the reason why he could not die and experience pain that would drive a person to insanity was inside of him-

"Thank you."

He was grateful. And he had to put his gratitude into words.


The security alarms had rang only two minutes ago, but Glynda Goodwitch was already halfway there. With grace unimaginable and speed unbelievable, the blonde combat processor headed towards the estimate coordinates. "I was having my lunch break," she gritted her teeth and annoyance swept throughout her heart.

Glynda was a rather bitter person, fighting a shadow war and teaching seventeen year old's for a living got tiring mentally, so her annoyance at every little thing could be forgiven. Especially if the unfortunate leader of humanity was a ten thousand year old hot chocolate addict with a serious marriage issue. Glynda was pretty sure that Salem, the ever present enemy of humanity, was trying to break even emotionally, despite her actions to overtake the world.

"Almost there," gripping a branch with a callous hand, she swung into the air to get a bigger view point. She almost wished she hadn't, for there was black blood dissipating into the atmosphere. Heads of Grimm fell from their bodies and animalistic screams echoed across Emerald Forest. But even so, for an S-Ranked Huntress, this was only the best of their career and Glynda wasn't disturbed. After all, she had sentenced over fifty thousand Grimm to death throughout her entire career.

Falling, gravity taking hold, the combat teacher flung herself once more into the air and towards the predicted epticentre of the chaos. With added momentum and her semblance pushing her along gracefully, Glynda found herself standing in a river of constantly dissipating blood. Heads, wings and limbs floated and begun to corrode like metal, but a pair stood in-between the chaos. A young girl and a boy the age of her first year students.

Despite their lack of significant strength, Glynda shivered.

"This feeling..."

It felt like despair, so thick and consistant that she could taste it.

And the boy was its creator- but yet, despite his fragile limbs and neatly trimmed hair, she froze as he noticed her.

"Those eyes..."

They looked exactly like Ozpins. A man who had overcome death, and fought for everyone but himself.

Who the hell are you?

As she walked towards him, she thought this and shivered.

Glynda Goodwitch, one of the strongest Huntresses on Remnant felt greatly disturbed by gazing into those eyes.

He felt like death incarnate, a feeling Ozpin could never replicate.


I rewrote the first chapter and have some ideas for Subaru semblance (of course, mentioning such a thing is classified as a spoiler). But unlike in the original, the plot doesn't begin in the beginning of the school year and Beatrice is here also. Subaru's reaction in the original was 'too mild' (As pointed out by Comrade Broseph, thanks by the way) and I decided to add the spirit to install a buffer to the endless suicides that would have occurred if she wasn't present. After all, Subaru wouldn't try to commit suicide in front of a cherished one. The Grimm were drawn by his despair, although the Witches Miasma could have something to do with it, such as Satella being described as the antagonist who destroyed half the world in the novels.

Anyways, enjoy.

HaydosMivill.