Prologue: Fated Meeting of Three Lost Souls

(re-written)

Where is he?

Father always takes too much time coming to pick me up.

I wonder what he does, making me wait so long.

Is he talking to other people;

Like the way he talks to my classmates' parents.

It's amazing how fast he captures the heart of the people he talks to. Something I couldn't even imagine myself doing.

Still, waiting is far better than watching him talk to people with ease, making them smile with a grin.

I feel a weird sensation inside me whenever I see my father getting along with other people easily.

I don't know what it is and I feel weird while thinking about it.

That's why I try to do stuff I love.

Like learning new stuff. History and various strange things fascinated me.

But I hated it when old teachers compared me to my father. Or the parents of my friends. Simply put, anyone. My dad was a lot older than me, so I was unsure if comparing me to him was fair.

Kenichi had the best grades, so his son should too.

Kenichi got along well with everyone, so his son should too.

Kenichi was awesome in every way.

So it's perfectly reasonable that his son should be like his father.

I tried my best to get the highest grades.

I tried my best just to be loved by everyone.

I even said nothing when they made fun of me.

I made jokes, smiled, and listened to everyone.

Yet, I was sure he was better than me when he was a 4th grader.

Maybe I could be more like him in the next year or maybe the year after that. I should at least make sure my high school debut goes well and I don't get compared to him, again.

I wanted to blame my father but I couldn't. He, at least, tries to cheer me up. Even going as far as trying to teach me astrology and astronomy by telling stories about them. After I said to him I wanted to know more, he did as much as he could.

He even bought me an expensive atlas, maybe hoping I would spend my time studying it rather than reading manga. He doesn't know I read them because I don't want to feel like how I usually feel, not enough.

I just stared into nowhere while waiting for my father.

He was late.

I was waiting in front of the school building so that he could find me easily when he arrived. Teachers were sitting at the benches just in front of the school.

I wasn't standing alone as Father told me to avoid doing so. I remembered that he told me I should stand right beside them, but they would always talk about my father or compare me to him, so I decided to stay just away enough from them to avoid conversation.

I was a big boy now, so it didn't matter. I'm a ten-year-old and can stay on my own alone.

I'm not scared at all.

"Goddammit! That singing guy, again!" I heard our English teacher shout, frustrated at something. It didn't take long for an old teacher to get angry with him. "Likes of you and your generation are getting associated with their media too much. Back in the day…"

I immediately stopped listening after hearing those words. Still, it reminded me of a joke Father showed me at those chat sites he wandered from time to time where people would send a link disguised as an infamous song. The song was catchy. I don't understand why people hate it that much.

I turned my gaze towards the gate as I heard the familiar sound of my dad's car.

Mother had her own car too. She could've picked me up, but she said she would be busy today so my dad came instead. I watched as he parked and got out of the car. He walked towards me with arms wide apart and hugged me.

I tried to struggle out of his embrace and his cheek, which he was rubbing in mine. He should shave before doing that; it prickles. He let me go after a brief moment and did his signature smile.

"How's my favorite son doing?"

"I'm your only son. Wait, I'm your only son, right?"

"Hehe…" He chuckled for a brief moment before continuing. "It's a joke. You are an even easier prey than your mother." He returned to his signature smile again and offered me his hand.

I held his hand before speaking. "You are sometimes evil, you know." I stung out my tongue for a brief moment and then answered, "Your mind games won't work on me like they do on Mommy."

My father looked at me with fearful eyes for a moment before he spoke. "I don't think it will work on your mom as well if we're late again." He scratched his chin with his free hand, thinking what he should say. "A Natsuki shall never break a maiden's heart." He snapped his finger as well while his 'fearful' eyes transformed into a gente look, with a mischievous smile.

We got in the car and left the school grounds. I was surprised when he took a different path, which got me curious. Shouldn't be at home soon?

"Dad, where are we going?"

"Convenience store. It's been a full week since your birthday." His voice seemed enthusiastic. "We need to make you your own mayonnaise stash now. I'm going to buy some eggs and sea salt so we can finally start the Natsuki tradition of father and son making mayonnaise together."

I had to clean my drool after hearing the word mayonnaise. Some heretics might say I shouldn't be drooling for a sauce that's sold in almost every shop and something I eat every day.

But I'm a purist.

I only ate our family's recipe. All other mayonnaise were cheap copies of what mom and dad make. They do have their own unique versions, but both are beautiful.

Beauty—it's something I wish I had. I hope I looked like my father, but I got my mother's nasty eyes. Something everyone made fun of me for having. I did discover that I could scare my classmates with a stare.

I looked out of the window to view the night sky full of stars as dad parked the car.

"Subaru, sit tight here, o-okay?" I still find it funny when dad says it while babying his face. I had trouble saying "okay" when I was younger; I couldn't talk with anyone other than my father and mother, stuttering from time to time.

It soon became a casual hoke between me and him. "I will lock the door behind you, so don't worry. I will be back in no time." He got out of the car, and I soon heard the sound of the car being locked.

I decided to watch the night sky full of stars while waiting for my dad.

We do live a bit far from the city, so sometimes, the stars are visible for me to see. There were several star clusters I already memorized visible from the night sky I was gazing at.

I could see the Orion constellation and its two brightest stars faintly illuminating the night sky with their respective colors, blue-white and red respectively, giving their own colours to . Rigel and Betelgeuse, standing out by their bright colors. I think Orion might be the second unluckiest story I know since he died to a scorpion in the end.

"La La La … La La La Zingen zingen kleine vlinders" I decided to hum the song of my favorite anime as I gazed towards the night sky. "La La La… La La La Zingen zingen kleine vlinders La La~" I stopped humming as I found one more constellation, Auriga.

I always found Auriga weird because of its main star, Capella. If I remember correctly, there was a she-goat named Amalthea or someone who tended the goat; I couldn't recall properly. But I do remember the goat was so ugly, one of the guys skinned the goat and put it on his shield to win a war against titans. I wonder how ugly it was.

My eyes wandered around the Auriga and finally looked at the star constellation I was looking for, Pleiades. It had a special place for me considering I was named after it.

The seven sisters, servants of Artemis.

I remember dad trying to talk to me about each of them,but it wasn't enough to satiate my curiosity. I wanted to learn more, so he decided to buy something to ease my curiosity: A star atlas, containing all the stories of the stars, which incidentally, was in the heavy backpack I'm currently wearing. remembered all seven sisters' stories perfectly thanks to the atlas describing both astronomy and astrology.

Asterope, the lighting.

Celaeno, the dark one.

Alcyone, the kingfisher.

Taygete, mistress of the animals.

Electra, the shining one, or the bright one.

Maia, the nurturer or midwife.

Merope, the lost one, also the one. The one I had an unfamiliar pull.

I opened my eyelids when I felt the sun on my skin, only to be greeted by the morning light shining upon a foreign world.

I'm disgusted by being part of this cursed family. Disgusted by being the father of a monster. Disgusted by the state of being sober in general. The calming effect of alcohol, suppressing unnecessary memories, is all gone because now, I'm out of my poison.

There was wine in the manor, but I need something stronger to return to the blissful calmness of being drunk again.

The bright and active streets of Flanders did no favors to my pulsating headache either.

The street seemed quite crowded today. There were trader wagons everywhere, and I did see some of them carrying barrels. I hope my preferred type of brandy is in one of those barrels. Gusteko's frost brandy was unlike any other, and one of the few things that could help me return to the blissful state of booze's ambiguous calmness.

However, my headache was currently killing me; desiring for more, begging for more of its poison to return to that blissful ignorance it used to have.

The light, the ramblings of people, the noises. It's too much to handle. I started to walk near the edge of the street to avoid commotion and these lucky fools enjoying their life. Not needing to deal with the bullshit I had to.

I decided to stop after passing through an alleyway under the shadow of a building to cool down. Flanders is quite hot in springs, especially inside the Royal Guard uniform. I closed my eyes for a moment and took the fresh spring air within me to cool down. Alas, sweating is inevitable if I want to get the brandy I desire.

I cursed myself as I remembered telling my carriage driver to wait because I wanted to walk the streets.

As I was about to leave the shadow of the building to continue my path, I heard a commotion. I went back to hear what's happening, only to hear a child's scream getting muffled. "GET AWA..hmhhhh … HELP!" For the love of Od! What the fuck is going on?

I quickly dashed towards the location while unsheathing my sword.

When I entered the back alley, the sight before me was more than enough to make even me disgusted and angry. One old man, face full of scars, was forcefully holding a black haired child's mouth while two other ruffians in clothes full of patchwork looked towards me with eyes full of fear. They should be afraid of what I want to do to them.

I pointed the sword towards the old man with the scarred face to threaten him into letting the child go. "You either let that child go and surrender or I will make sure you will never have to worry about the scars in your shitface ever again!" He looked at me for a moment, only to immediately throw the child he was holding towards me and make a run for the alleyways.

I couldn't bother to run after them, so I sheathed my sword and walked towards the brat. He was bawling his eyes out, sobbing constantly on the ground.

"Hey brat, are you okay?" He continued to cry, not reacting to my words. I'm not good with kids, so why do I deal with this shit for Od's sake? Regardless, I'm not going to leave a kid like that. Even a pathetic person like me had a limit.

I crouched near the kid and started to caress his back. I do remember that these calm babies down, so I hope it works on young children as well. "There, it's over now, are you hurt?" He finally looked up to me with teary eyes.

I thought for a moment he was glaring at me, but it just seemed like this was how his eyes looked. Who am I to judge, anyway?

"You are safe now. Breathe deeply."

His skin was quite cold and looked pale. He was still panting for air with an irregular tempo, to say the least. I'm not a healer but the kid seemed to be in shock.

"Who are…you...mister?" His voice was faint, barely audible between his irregular and quick breaths.

"I'm Heinkel Astrea, Deputy Commander of the Royal Guard." Perhaps hearing the name 'Royal Guard' would calm him down.

He looked at me dumbfounded rather than calmed down. He frantically started to look around; his voice became more erratic and frantic each passing second.

"Wh… Whe.." He got up from his place, looking around frantically. He then turned back at me, with eyes full of fear.

"...Where am...I?"

He directly stared at me and my clothing. I saw him open his mouth but no voice apart from incomprehensible babbling came out. His eyes then rolled backwards as his body caved into the stress it suffered; his body, especially his legs, felt too loosened out to stand for himself. I dashed over to hold him before he hit the floor. He passed out.

Way to go Heinkel, way to go.

I woke up in a weird small room with a small foot seat between two spaces that were looking at each other. Last thing I remember was I walked in an alley and someone held something in my mouth.

I jumped from my seat only to immediately fall and got held by someone. The room I was located in was shaking constantly. I was in someone's arms and could see from the window we were moving. I was about to shout and chose not to as I saw who was holding me, it was the redhead who claimed to be something.

"Are you better now, kid?" His voice sounded like he was trying to be cheerful, but his breath smelled bad. I tried to get on my feet, but somehow, my legs immediately gave out and I collapsed to the seat behind me. The seat which was also in front of the redhead with bad breath.

"What's your name?" He looked at me with a concerned gaze.

I still don't know where I am and who he is. I think he told me his name, but I can't remember it.

"You first, Mr?" He saved me so it would be rude to just ignore him.

"Heinkel Astrea, the Patriarch of the House Astrea." He said the last part out loud, but I have no idea what he's trying to do with it. I'm still shaking right now and don't know what to do.

Where am I?

Who is he?

Why is he dressed in a knight cosplay?

Why are we in a carriage?

Where is my dad?

I need air.

I need air, NOW!

I immediately got up from my place to open the carriage's window to get some air, only to be stopped by firm hands. "Kid, there is nothing to be afraid of. I'm a knight, I will keep you safe." His voice had an assertive tone. "Also, if you open the door the air might push you outside; I don't know the exact range of the Divine Protection of Wind Evasion."

Okay, what the hell was he talking about?

"Where are we, Mr. Astrea?"

He looked at me confused for a moment before answering. "We are on the road between Flanders and Astrea Domain."

Flanders? Isn't that place in Belgium? How the hell did I get from Japan to Belgium? Maybe I'm suffering from amnesia like in the movies and I forgot something happening.

Deep breaths, Subaru. Calm down. You are a big boy now. Your dad wouldn't have feared anything if it was him in this situation.

"Thanks, I think I know where we are now." Good, my voice only trembled just a bit. "I'm from the east...no, it could be west for you." Better, just slight trembling. "I'm Natsuki Subaru." There, see, I can do it myself as well. I just need to wipe my tears…

"Don't push yourself, kid." His voice sounded more genuine now. "Just lean back and try to relax. I will make sure you return to your family safely." He seemed well enough to buy a plane ticket, but what could I give him anyway? I had nothing on me apart from my backpack.

"Th-thank you, Mr. Heinkel." I just stared at him, awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

The kid seemed to be calmer now.

He was watching the verdant fields as my white carriage continued its path towards the mansion.

I was still trying to make sense of his attire and belongings alongside him. The bag itself seemed like a practical design made of a fabric whose variety I couldn't recognize at all. His clothes, too, were extraordinarily unique.

I did try to read one of the books the kid was carrying in his bag, but I couldn't read the weird glyph type used in them. The pictures in them, however, made every other painting I've seen before look dull in comparison. They seemed too real. I couldn't even make out the pencil marks or unnecessary lines within the paintings.

However, it was a good idea to put them where they belong when the kid started to wake up.

There was a valid reason I was bothering with him right now. It was clear that this kid was the son of a noble and his introduction just confirmed my last suspicions.

His mannerisms were different, but I thought it could've been because of the situation today. After seeing the high quality books he was carrying and his pristine quality clothing, I was sure of it.

His name sounded Kararagian, so he might be the son of a merchant lord. He was able to determine his location by Flander's name alone, so he should be well educated. He could even be the heir of his house.

I did an excellent job by saving and making sure to stay near him. I'm still disgusted by what I discovered after the kid passed out. The three thugs were loading barrels to a wagon. Barrels that had children in them.

I ordered the city guard to get the children to safety and search for those three thugs that escaped. I did more than enough saving Subaru and the other kids.

I even sacrificed my main goal today.

I need to go back after leaving him in the mansion to relay orders to my officers first hand to begin the search for the kids' family. Still, I have to make sure he feels well accommodated.

He was probably used to living to the same standards as us nobles so I can't get away with giving him a room in the garrison or the orphanage like the other rescued kids. It was troublesome to work this hard.

It's still worth the hassle though. Kararagian Merchants, depending on their trading company or house, wielded high influence and had treasury comparable to or greater than almost all noble houses in the world. Having one of them being indebted to me is a tempting thought of its own.

It's an ample opportunity to find a cure for her.

I looked out of the window to gather my thoughts. I observed the verdant fields change into more aureate colors, its golden glint mesmerizing me and reminding me of what I have lost.

Whom I failed to save.

Whom I'm still failing to save.

I got off of my studies and walked towards the entrance of the mansion as I heard my father's carriage getting close. However, it was strange not to hear the sound of his usual cargo. Bottles full of brandy.

Instead, I could feel someone else sitting in the carriage, filled with unsettling thoughts raging inside them.

I stared at the threshold as my father's carriage entered the mansion and slowly made its way towards the entrance, where I was currently waiting to greet him as a human should do.

I gazed at the carriage's door, without showing emotion like I should do, as it came to a halt at the entrance and the door opened. I watched as my father and a black haired child, two years younger than me, got out of the carriage.

I waited silently, as I should do. Until my father spoke.

"Reinhard, the kid is your responsibility while I visit the garrison. Any questions?" His voice portrayed his disgust towards the monster in question, as it should be. "Make sure he is safe." I listened to what my Divine Protections said to me and started to formulate the ideal plan to keep him safe.

"As you wish, father." Warm and welcoming, devoid of coldness used for my kind. The warmth was reserved for humans, not monsters like I was.

My father turned his gaze towards the black haired boy beside him. "Kid...ehm… Subaru, stay here as I visit the garrison and give orders to my officers so they can help me find your parents." I don't know what to feel by the intentions I could feel emanating through my father.

"Stay here, he will keep you safe, understood?" He instructed the kid named Subaru to stay at the mansion.

Without further ado, Father just climbed back on his carriage and closed the door behind him. Subaru opened his mouth to tell something but fell silent as he stared towards the ground dragons.

Not recognizing them. I felt his distress reach unhealthy levels as he pointed towards the ground dragons with his shaky fingers.

"Wh-what are these?" His mental state was shaky as his voice portrayed. There was also a hint of excitement deep within the array of emotions swirling inside him. "They look like din- no. They look like dragons but small enough to be ridden as horses."

His excitement started to surface more as a thought appeared in his mind, which he exclaimed out loud immediately. "Can I ride them if I ask nicely?"

He seemed too calm around me, perhaps out of ignorance or kindness. It would be best to answer the question of our guest before I continued to delve into such selfish thoughts any further. "It's a reasonable request but sadly I must say you are too young, esteemed guest."

He looked at me as he realized my true nature for a second but answered in an unexpected way. "Who is this esteemed guest?" He seems rather confused and rather content. I must be more sensitive towards strangers.

"You, Subaru." He seemed even more confused now. His mind was trying to comprehend our situation.

"What's your name?" It's selfish of me to not give my name under the assumption that he would know. I should be more careful in my further interactions.

"My name is Reinhard van Astrea. It's a pleasure to meet you, Subaru." I did my best to give my voice appropriate levels of warmth to indicate he is welcome here. "Is there anything I can do to help you?" I should act more distant, not to cause more harm.

"Ummm...ehm… Is there something to eat? I'm starving." I should've been more careful about his condition. His voice seems rather embarrassed. "Do you want to eat something together?"

Together? This, I couldn't comprehend as this was his genuine intention. Why does he want to dine together with me? I even wake up late at night to not bother anyone while eating.

"Subaru, are you sure you want my company while having dinner?" I was quite bewildered by his statement. Who wants to dine together with someone who could destroy or harm anything they know. There weren't even hidden intentions within him.

"Do you chew while your mouth is open?" He tilted his head while staring at me. I truly wonder what he meant by this particular question.

"I do not." I honestly answered his questions while in curiosity of what's to come.

"Okay then, I have no problems. Hey, wanna check my star atlas later until your father comes back?" I watched as he conversed on his own while walking towards me. He held out his hand, held me from my wrist, and started his attempt to drag me with me towards the mansion. He immediately came to a halt and used both of his hands to try again.

"Just how strong are you?! I can't even make you nudge, let alone move." He was using his entire might in hopes of dragging me towards the dining hall, which I couldn't comprehend why.

I'm still trying to comprehend what's happening right now. I truly have no option left but to ask about his reasoning."Subaru, may I ask what is your intent?" He stopped trying to drag me and turned around.

"To eat dinner and spend time together." He restarted his futile attempt to drag me. He couldn't get good friction from the stone pavement of the entrance as well, it's almost like he was walking without going further. "Hey, I get it, you are strong." He voiced his frustration with a conviction.

What he said and thought was almost the same. Apart from fear and anxiety that was buried deep within his soul he was trying to mask it with confidence. I must say my day is going in a direction my intuition cannot comprehend. I decided to let him drag me and follow where he will go.

I was trying to find the ideal words to say, not to upset him but my lack of social competency led to this unwanted silence.

"O-Okay, let's go!" He walked inside the mansion, dragging me behind him. I wanted to make sure not to make any sudden moves and let him drag me at his own pace. I'm dreadful by the possibility of what could happen if I incompetently use my strength.

Subaru shouldn't suffer because he is trying to be kind to a monster. I did however have to state a peculiarity in our current procurement.

"Subaru, our cookery and dining hall is located at the other wing of the mansion." He abruptly stopped and turned towards me to state the obvious.

"It's your mansion. Shouldn't you be guiding me?" He looked at the floor after a brief moment and turned his gaze towards me with a rejuvenated determination. "Can we start over? Okay, My name is Natsuki Subaru and I have no idea what to do."

He looked surprised and happily stated the thought he only had a moment ago. "Hey, it even rhymed. Now you go."

I did feel a warm emotion, devoid of any sorrow and dread.

A flicker that carried a familiar, yet forgotten feeling.

I quickly suppressed it and let it dissipate.

A weapon should be devoid of feelings.

A weapon, all I could ever be.

First I must thank PoliticanSeal, Gullible_Emotion_696, Scuffedsenku09, and Dr. Ren Otonashi for beta-reading

...

Finally, the re-write of the parts begun.

I will try to adjust my schedule as one chapter per-week+ re-writes

Expect a new chapter next Saturday

...

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this more readable prologue.