Hey guys -SomeGuyAlt here!
Sorry for the hugeeeee delay, my original plan was to release this chapter in early june but i was pretty busy IRL and i couldnt work on it.
Ill try posting more often.
Enjoy the chapter!
-Hey guys SomeGuyAlt here
To celebrate the fic hitting 300 follows i decided to make a discord, heres the link
EcxJ5Ce2MP
Chapter 2: Realization
Subaru ran trying to desperately find the mysterious girl; Satella
[I have to find my way back to that shop.
Satella should be able to heal Shirou right? I just need to hurry up and find her]He kept running and running unknowingly to him, he entered the same alleyway on which he got assaulted earlier.
[You gotta be kidding me.]
"Hey you, Why are you in such a hurry?" In front of Subaru, the trio of thieves was blocking his way once more. Subaru knew he couldn't waste any more time. He had something to do.
"You guys again?" Subaru clenched his fist. " Seriously don't you guys have anything better to do?"
"Eh? The hell are you talkin' about?, I don't remember seeing you anywhere"
"I think he must've hit his head or something." The tiniest of the thieves informed his companions.
"Whatever, just give us everything you got." The thieves pulled out pocket knives trying to intimidate him. "Do you understand?."
"Whatever everything I got right?" Subaru puts Shirou on the ground. He grabs something from the bag and saves it in his tracksuit pocket before putting the bag on the ground.
"Suit yourselves, I'm in a hurry right now so I don't even care."
"If you are in a hurry you wouldn't mind giving us that thing you took from that bag, am i right?" The thief pointed at one of Subaru's pockets.
"Oh you mean this?" Subaru retrieves a familiar chocolate bar from his pockets. "Sorry but it's just food, nothing worth stealing."
"Oh really?" The thief smiled at him with an arrogant look on his face. "If it's not important you don't mind giving it to us? If you dont you may end up looking worse than your friend over there."
Subaru decided to leave the chocolate bar in the bag.
[I'm sorry old man but I don't think I'm going back anytime soon.]
"Good, Now start acting like a dog and bark for help like the mongrel you are."
[...Alright screw this]
"Don't get cocky, you bastards!" Subaru yelled as he charged towards the thieves, quickly closing the distance between them and punching one of them in the jaw. Subaru quickly turned around and kicked the tiny one in the face into the wall.
The last remaining thief finally reacted and tried to punch him, however, Subaru managed to dodge his initial attack leaving his opponent wide open.
He didn't hesitate. It was the perfect opening. Subaru punched him in the jaw with all his might but the thief did not fall.
Subaru took another look at the thief, His face was bright red from anger, His nose was leaking blood and he no longer had his pocket knife in his hand.
"I'll kill you." The thief yelled in anger.
The thief charged at him like a beast without any strategy, nothing more than just raw emotion. Subaru moved aside and kicked him in the back using his opponent's already existing momentum against him, leading him towards a wall.
The thief collided against the wall.
[This should be it.
There's no way he is conscious after that.
Now I just need to find Satella and find a way to heal Shir...]
Subaru looked back at Shirou and his mind froze.
Shirou was no longer there.
The thief was holding Shirou in one of his arms staring back at Subaru with a pocket knife in his hand.
[Oh crap, I was sure he was knocked out for sure.]
"Hey, what's wrong?, judging by your reaction I assume this person is someone important to you, am I correct?." The thief spoke the truth
Subaru tried to slowly approach him.
"Oh no you dont, if you do anything stupid ill slice open this kid neck." The thief warned him
"Now stay there and don't move, we are going to wait until my subordinates wake up."
[What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?]
Subaru didn't know what to do, He was cornered. It was a clear checkmate, one more step and Shirou would die.
But suddenly the sky slowly cleared itself, allowing a bit of light to enter the alleyway. Slowly the light covered the dark alleyway.
It was faint but it was enough. A faint light hit Subaru in the eyes, upsetting him a little. He turned around to see the cause of it. It was the pocket knife from earlier.
[Wait if the knife is there then what is he holding in his hand?]
Subaru decided to take another look at the thief's hand, there was no pocket knife in his hand in the first place.
[Oh…]
"Hey why are you staring at me like that?." The thief became slightly nervous. "There's no way out, don't try calling out for help otherwise he will—!"
But before he had the chance to finish his line, Subaru was already there preparing a kick, the thief released Shirou from his grip and prepared to block the incoming attack but Subaru was aiming where the sun did not reach.
Crack
The robber tried to scream but the pain did not allow him to do so instead he let out a small cry and lay down in pain.
Subaru aimed at where the sun did not reach. He was sure that guy wouldn't be able to properly walk for a while.
"Don't you dare to get in my way again! or I'll make sure next time you won't be able to sit ever again." Subaru picks up Shirou and his bag and walks away.
[I don't have time for this, I have to find Satella as soon as possible otherwise Shirou may die, and…
Dammit, Where is she? I need to go back and ask.]
Subaru decided to run back to the market.
"Hey sir!" Subaru called out for the appa merchant.
The merchant stops cleaning his stand and turns around to meet the person calling him.
"Oh it's you again, don't tell me you forgot about the directions."
"No, I'm just here to ask if you saw a silver haired girl with white clothes nearby. I saw her getting robbed by a thief and I think it may be related to the same thieves who tried to rob me earlier."
"Wait, What? You almost got robbed?." The merchant turns his attention to the boy. Curious about his story.
"Yeah I got assaulted by three thieves a few minutes ago in that hallway". Subaru pointed his finger at the hallway. It was the same shortcut that the merchant suggested earlier and the merchant knew it.
"Are you okay? What happened?
"Yes I'm okay." Subaru replied to the merchant however his legs were still shaking from the adrenaline. "I was running with Shirou and then three thieves blocked my way and then…"
"Wow take it easy, here take a seat." The merchant pulls out an extra chair from his stand. "It's your first time getting robbed?"
"Yeah…"
"You fought back, didn't you? The merchant takes a look at Subaru. "That's good kid but listen as someone who lived through that multiple times let me give you some advice, run away if you can, fight if you think you can win, surrender when you can't do neither and the most important of all, try to keep your life at any cost."
"Thank you sir for the advice but haven't you seen a silver haired girl with white clothes i mentioned earlier?"
"No i haven't seen anyone like that today sorry but shouldn't you worry more about your friend instead of trying to solve a crime?"
Subaru froze on the spot.
[He is right with Shirou in my arms. I won't be able to repay her the favor, She should be worried right now but... I have to get help for Shirou immediately]
"I guess you are right, i just got a little shocked from the experience."
"Don't worry it happens, just try avoiding dark hallways and lonely streets and you should be fine." The merchant starts counting his appas in the stand. "For example, look at my appas. I haven't sold anything yet and five are missing, you always need to stay alert, otherwise you get caught off guard and you end losing just like the girl you mentioned earlier."
"I didnt you know crime was really bad here."
"Kid are you new here or somethin'? Crime here is extremely common, you have no idea how much money I always lose because of it." The merchant sighs, unable to contain his frustration. "To make it worse, I still have to pay taxes, I can barely support my family like this."
"Seems like you are really on a tough spot."
"And you look like you are on a tough spot as well." The guard points his finger at the sleeping boy in Subaru's arms.
"Oh yeah, I guess I should be going now." Subaru stood up and bowed to the merchant and prepared to leave. "Take care and live strong!"
[Huh, it's a cool phrase.]
"Wait." The merchant takes something from his stand and gives it to Subaru; It's a small purple fruit. "Please take it, it may be useful to you someday."
[Wait, I have seen this fruit before.]
"Wait, why are you giving me this?" Subaru holds the fruit in his hand and puts it in his plastic bag.
"It's been a bad day and you almost got robbed because of me so consider it a gift."
"Thank you sir, I appreciate it."
5 minutes of walking later Subaru arrives at the guard station.
The building was nothing out of the ordinary with its gray walls and a guard standing in the door with a single logo with a dragon and two swords in the front.
[This must be the guard station right?]
Subaru tried his best to read the text in the logo but couldn't.
[Guess I have no other choice.]
"Hello? Is this the guard station? Can I get some help here?" Subaru called out for help but no one replied. The people in the room did not acknowledge his presence; it's as if he was not the first but something that was part of a routine. Frustrated, he decided to investigate the room further.
In the middle of the room, an old woman was sitting on a desk. Her expression was indifferent from the rest of the guards. It was an expression Subaru was very familiar with, it was the expression of overworking.
[She must be the receptionist.]
"Excuse me miss, are you the one in charge here?" Subaru waved his hand in front of her but she did not react. He decided to try something else. He put Shirou and his bag into a chair and gently clapped his hands.
"Eh what?" The old woman finally reacted to the boy's presence. "No I'm not, what do you want?"
"My friend is badly injured and i got assaulted by three thieves a few minutes ago and…"
"Oh I see." She puts a small piece of paper out of her desk and gives it to Subaru. "Please take a seat and wait for your turn. We will call you when a guard is able to receive you."
"But wait, my friend is injured and…"
"No buts, He is still breathing and looks fine, now wait for your turn like everyone else." The old lady quickly shut down his expectations. "Your turn is thirty-two out now go and take a seat."
"...What is the current turn?"
"Twenty one."
[Ah you gotta be kidding me. Hopefully, it's quick.]
Subaru sat down and decided to wait. He took Shirou's jacket and wrapped it around his leg trying to prevent further bleeding.
1hr and 14 minutes later…
"Number thirty-two." A voice called out looking for the owner of the thirty-two paper but nobody replied.
Subaru was sleeping. He hasn't slept in hours, his body was tired but his mind was even more.
"Number thirty-two." The voice shouted once more.
[...Is someone calling me?]
"Number thirty-two are you here?"
[...Oh Shit! That's my number!]
"Here!" Subaru shouted back at the voice.
"Alright, Third room with Doctor Awid" The receptionist pointed her finger at the room. Subaru wasted no time. He picked up Shirou and his bag and went in.
"Hello Doc?"
"Good morning, how can I help y…" The doctor glared at Shirou. "Oh is he?"
"No! Look, he is still alive and has a pulse and everything."
The doctor got closer and started inspecting Shirou.
"He looks beaten up, What happened to him?"
"It's a long story"
A few minutes later...
The doctor puts down his quill and stops writing.
"So let me get this straight kid, your friend arrived badly injured and you don't even know why?"
"Yes."
"You were assaulted by three thieves, you also saw a robbery happen before you got assaulted and wanted to report it, is that correct?"
"Yes, that's another reason why I came here but the main reason was because of him, I don't know about his condition, I don't know if he is close to death or not. I was told I could get help here." Subaru informed the guard.
"Well kid, I have good and bad news for you." The doctor crosses his arm and gives Subaru a quill. "The good one; your friend will live, it's nothing serious just give it a few minutes. The bad one; we need to do a proper report about the robbery and do some paperwork."
"Oh sure it's fine." Subaru smiled at the doctor.
"Very well let's start with an interview alright?." The guard takes a book from his desk and sits in his chair. "Take a seat, let's start with the interview."
"What's your name?."
"My name is Natsuki Subaru."
"Natsuki?, never heard of that family name before." The guard stops writing and places the quill on the desk curious about the boy's origin.
"Where are you and your friend from? Are you a foreigner?"
"Oh yeah, we are from a small nation in the east."
"As far I know there's nothing in the east." The guard stated the truth. Japan did not exist in this world. "Are you sure you got the direction right?" The guard picks up his quill and begins to write.
"Anyways, why are you and your friend here in the capital?"
[Oh shit—!]
"Oh nothing important, just passing by to take a break from traveling." Subaru decided to lie. He knew talking about his true origins would only raise unnecessary issues and questions, he needed to make it sound real. "But a few hours ago I got distracted and we ended up getting separated. My friend then came back badly injured and he told me that he doesn't want to talk about it."
[Come on buy it.]
"Well it looks like he took quite a beating but don't worry he should wake up sooner or later." The guard picks up a piece of paper from his desk and gives it to Subaru. "We just need you to sign this report, as a witness of a robbery you need to give your testimony in case we do find the person you described earlier."
[I can't read this.]
"Um, Do I sign here?" Subaru pointed at a small line in the document.
"Yes and here as well." The doctor pointed at another line in the document. "Just sign it and we will be done with this, don't worry we will send someone to check it out."
Subaru signs the document.
"Oh by the way, do you know where my friend is?"
"I think he may be in the storage room, you can find it at the corner of that hallway." The guard pointed his finger at the hallway.
"Thank you sir." Subaru bows to the guard and leaves the room.
[Now i need to deal with Shirou]
Meanwhile in another room.
'My body feels light, a familiar feeling invades every inch of my body.
The strain from the last battle slowly starts to dissipate.
Using this opportunity I try to stand up.'
"Hey, are you awake?" A feminine voice called out for Shirou.
'I slowly open my eyes, trying to adapt to the light in the room.'
"Good morning kid, did you sleep well?
The silhouette slowly clears itself revealing an old woman in white clothes.
'A nurse?'
"Where am I?" Shirou asked the nurse but the nurse did not respond as she was writing something in a book.
'I look at my surroundings, Is this some kind of hospital?
I don't get it, why would rin leave me here?'
"Shirou!" A voice called out for him. Shirou turned around to meet the person calling out his name. It was the same boy he meet earlier
Shirou slowly started to remember. It was not a dream.
'Ah that's right.. I remember now.
I failed to stop the grail...'
"H-hello Subaru? Right?" Shirou replied to Subaru but his mind was still in a state of disbelief.
"So you don't remember?"
"Huh, What do you mean?" Shirou became confused by his response. "Are you talking about earlier?"
"Eh Nothing, don't worry about it anyways, can you walk?"
Shirou stood up and tried to walk.
"I wouldn't do that if i were you" The nurse spoke from a distance."I healed most of your injuries but i can't make miracles, you shouldn't…."
"Huh, what do you mean?" The nurse was unable to finish her line as Shirou began to walk around the room, however, a faint feeling of exhaustion remained present in his body.
The nurse sighed.
"You know what? fine, do as you wish." The nurse said as she reached her desk and pulled out a book and a quill. "Just sign this and let's get this over with, I don't have all day."
"Just remember to not push yourself."
"Oh sure..?" Shirou grabs the book and the quill.
'As expected, it's in a different language.
It doesn't make sense, why can we understand what people are saying?
Maybe it has something to do with the grail? or is it just a coincidence?'
"Sign here and here." The nurse pointed at the blank spots in the book.
"Here right?"
"Yes."
Shirou signs the book and places it on the desk.
"You can leave now, come back in case you feel ill or something." The nurse took the book and yelled. "NEXT!"
She was clearly under stress.
[Yeah definitely not dealing with that.]
"I think we should leave now."
Shirou nodded in a mutual agreement.
Subaru and Shirou left the guard station and decided to rest in a small plaza.
"That was something..." Subaru sighs. "I didn't expect to wait one hour in there."
"What do you mean by waiting one hour?"
"Oh right, while you were unconscious i got a little desperate looking for help, fortunately the guard from earlier told me where to find it, so i brought you to the guard station."
"I had to wait one hour to get medical attention and to make it worse, I was still freaking out about the fact that I got assaulted by three thieves so people were looking at me like a weirdo."
"Wait What?" Shirou couldn't believe what he said.
"Don't freak out, I'm perfectly fine." Subaru decided to explain what happened. "After I asked the guard for directions, I found myself stuck in the traffic so I had to improvise, I went to a market and asked for a shortcut to the guard station, i entered the hallway and i ended up getting assaulted by three thieves but i managed to fight back and i won.
"How did you do that?" Shirou became curious.
Subaru smiled. He was clearly proud of what he did.
"Heh, I kicked their asses, I faked being helpless and when one of them got close, BANG! I hit him in the jaw, I kicked the other one in the face and made the wall crack, for the last one i grabbed his arm, he tried to punch me but i parried the punch and then i kicked him where the sun does not reach."
"It was amazing! I never felt so alive before."
"Are you familiar with combat? Subaru."
"No, not all, I just acted on instinct." Subaru said as he made a gesture with his hands trying to look cool. "The last time I fought was when I was like 9."
'That settles it, this guy is clearly a civilian.
But how many people were affected?'
He decided to stop thinking about it, after all, he had more important things to do.
Subaru decided to break the awkward silence.
"And what about you Shirou? How did you end up looking like that?"
'Crap i have to change the topic.'
"I don't want to talk about it." Shirou said as he tried to dodge the topic. "But what about you, don't you have something to do?
Suddenly Subaru remembered something. The silhouette of a woman and a cat and her smile and the promise he made.
[Ah that's right, I have to help her find her insignia.]
"Now that you mention it, yeah there's something I need to do."
"Before I got assaulted I saw a woman with silver hair get assaulted by a thief, I didn't pay too much attention to it until I got assaulted myself. I'm one hundred percent sure it's connected to the same people who assaulted me, after all they recognized each other."
"I tried to help her but when I came back to the scene, she was already gone but I just couldn't remain silent, so I filed a report in the guard station.
Suddenly an old memory hit Shirou. It wasn't the first time this has happened. It felt familiar.
Flashback
Issei was sitting on the teacher's desk, looking at each student in the classroom like an eagle hunting for prey. The classroom remained silent. Everyone already knows how Issei acts when he is in charge.
Issei stood up.
"Alright everyone you may be asking yourself, why we cannot leave."
"Is it because someone messed up the order of clubs again?" A student spoke up.
"No something worse" Issei glared at the classroom. "Someone in this classroom stole a wallet from another student!"
"No one is getting out until we figure out who did it"
A student opens his backup and tries to open his lunch box.
"No eating in the classroom." Issei pointed his finger at him. The student in a panic, quickly closed his lunchbox and saved it in his backpack.
"Now everyone put your backpacks in front of the desk."
Everyone put their backpacks in front of the desk. Some walked to the desk to put their bags and others just threw them.
"I'm going to check all of them, if no one confesses now, it's going to be worse when I find out."
Issei opens all the backpacks one by one, eventually, he finds what he was looking for.
"HAH, I found it." Issei pulls out a single brown wallet from one of the students' backpacks and opens it.
The wallet had a student card with a photo of Ayako Mitsuzuri.
"You." Issei called out for the owner of the backpack. "Come with me right now."
The student froze in place.
"I didn't do it" The student tried defending himself but he was no match for Issei. The only person able to help remained silent.
'Should I interrupt Issei and tell the truth?
It wasn't him who did it, It was Shinji…
But if I remain silent, he may get expelled but if I speak Shinji may hate me for it.'
1) Speak up.
2) Remain silent.
'It's the right thing to do.
I'm sorry Shinji but you did this to yourself.'
"Um issei, he didn't do it."
"Oh, if it wasn't him, who did it?"
'Shinji starts glaring at me but I ignore him.'
"It was Shinji, I saw him with the wallet but I thought it was his so I ignored it."
"Very well." Issei turns around and stares at Shinji. "Come with me Shinji."
"Wait What?! I didn't do anything, He is lying!"
"No excuses, I have been getting tons of complaints about your behaviour and that gives me a good reason to believe it was you." Issei takes Shinji by the arm. Shinji tried to break free but he couldn't.
"You are all free to leave now, I'll be taking Shinji with me." Issei opens the door, allowing everyone to leave.
"Oh by the way, Thank you Emiya" Issei bows at Shirou and leaves.
Flashback End
"Hey Shirou!" Subaru waved his hand at Shirou trying to gain his attention. However, Shirou was already lost in his mind. "Are you in?"
"Eh sure, why not?" Shirou finally reacted.
"Great! Then we're off." Subaru made a menacing pose. "But first, we need to clean our clothes."
Shirou took a look at his clothes. They were covered in blood. If people saw them like this, questions and concerns would arise.
'Better to wash it off.'
"Follow me, I know where we can clean it." Subaru said as he pointed his finger at a water canal nearby.
The river or water canal was completely clean, unlike modern day canals and rivers, this one was not contaminated.
[Never expected to see a river next to a city that is not contaminated, I guess that is part of the otherworldly experience.]
Shirou and Subaru take turns and begin cleaning their clothes.
"Give me your Jacket Shirou, I'll clean it while you clean my tracksuit."
"Oh don't worry, it's fine." Shirou takes out, Subaru tracksuit out of the water. "I already finished cleaning."
"Wait how? I just finished drying your shirt, how are you that fast?"
"I have some experience." Shirou extends the tracksuit in the ground. "By the way, it's more effective if you open the pocket, like this."
[Oh, so that's why my pockets were cold back then at Christmas.]
"Why not squeeze it? It's faster than waiting in the sun."
"Squeezing it makes it look unpresentable. It's better to put it in the sun and wait for it to dry."
"How long is this going to take?"
"It should be dry in fifteen minutes." Shirou looks around and stares at a bridge. "We should probably wait under that bridge."
"I'll move the clothes." Subaru picked up the clothes and placed them right next to the bridge.
Shirou and Subaru decided to rest under the bridge.
[This is taking an eternity. Satella should be extremely worried right now but…
I cannot see her looking like this, damn it.
At least Shirou is now awake.]
"Hey Shirou." Subaru called out for his friend. Shirou turned his attention to him.
"There is something that has been bothering me. When I got summoned here I was leaving a convenience store and in less than a blink I was here."
"Do you think it's possible that we are not the only ones here?"
"I'm not sure…" Shirou remained still and gathered his thoughts. The possibility of that happening was high.
"Shirou and how did you get here?"
'Come on, think, think, think.'
"I… was running away from something." Shirou lied.
"Is that how you ended up looking like that?"
"Yeah look, I really don't want to talk about it, it was a terrible experience." Shirou tried to change the topic. "Oh look, the clothes are already dry."
Shirou picked up the clothes and throwed some of them at Subaru.
"Oh, Thank you." Subaru put the broken jacket in the bag.
[I guess he really does not want to talk huh? I guess some topics shouldnt be brought up. But if I were to guess, he looks like he was running away from a gang and barely managed to escape...]
"Welp let's go." Subaru puts on his tracksuit. "By the way don't forget about what, the nurse said."
"I know, dont worry ill be fine." Shirou puts on his shirt.
The duo left the bridge and headed towards the slums.
"Hello!" Subaru knocked on the door. "Is anyone there?"
"It appears that no one is home." Shirou turned around and prepared to leave.
Shirou gets closer to the door trying to listen to any sound that may come from inside. He knocks on the door once again.
"Listen, I know that someone is there, just answer the damn door." Subaru knocked on the door multiple times.
Shirou turned around and tried to calm him down, however, before he could reach him. The door suddenly opened revealing a tall middle-aged man.
"Shut up!" The mysterious man walked out of the loot house. "Why don't you use
signal or a password instead of knockin' on my goddamn door?"
Subaru's eyes widened in fear, the mysterious man's appearance and height were intimidating.
Shirou just remained silent trying to comprehend the situation in front of him.
"What're you actin' all fidgety for? Never seen a giant or somethin'." The mysterious man spoke.
Suddenly something clicked inside Subaru's mind, a vision of a certain future manifested itself.
"Wait you are…"
"Yes I am, now what the hell do you guys want." The man mysteriously clenched his fists. "Are you looking for somethin' or someone? or are you here to try your luck?"
"No no not all, just looking to recover something." Subaru replied to him.
"Oh okay, come and take a seat." The mysterious man steps aside.
The mysterious man turns around and enters the loot house. The duo decided to follow him.
[It feels odd to look at this during at daytime, I wonder if…]
"Would you guys like somethin' to drink?" The mysterious man took a bottle from the bar.
The duo nodded, rejecting his offer.
"Suit yourselves." The mysterious man opened the bottle and poured half of it in an instant. "Ah much better."
"Psst Subaru." Shirou whispered at Subaru trying to gain his attention.
'This isnt working.'
Shirou gently kicked him. Subaru finally reacted and turned around.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Shirou whispered to him. Subaru nodded in response.
"Glup you guys have balls to gossip right under my nose." The mysterious man finished his drink. "I may be slightly drunk but my senses are still sharp as ever."
[Oh shit.]
"Anyways… Can i ask you a very stupid question?" Subaru decided to break the silence.
"Start talking If its stupid it may give me a good laugh. If it's boring I may pass out." The mysterious man took another bottle from the bar.
"You really shouldn't drink a lot or you'll die young."
"Kid, Do i look young for you?" The mysterious man stared at him with a cold gaze. Subaru remained silent. "i thought so"
"Anyways, what was your question again?"
Subaru steadied his breathing and asked.
"You didn't happen to, die recently, did you?"
"Huh?" The mysterious man begins to laugh. "HAH! The only thing dead with me is my hopes for new hair but i'm still here alive and kickin'"
"Okay, then have you seen a girl here with long, silver hair? and her annoying floating gray cat?"
"I haven't seen anyone like that i remember." The mysterious man opened the bottle and began to drink.
[Was it all a dream, then? or a vision of a certain future?
Whatever it is, why am I in this world in the first place, am I truly alone, how many other people are around?]
Subaru decided to stop thinking about it.
"I may be old and senile but you know, what kind of people dont deserve to be forgotten?" The mysterious man slammed the table with his hand. "Those damn nobles."
"Those idiots value money over everything else. When i younger and dumb, i was really strong like really strong i was the real thing you know? Anyways back to the story, I got hired by some nobles from Kararagi to do a job, what was the job? you may ask, simple, mining crystals in the east."
"However there was a catch, you had to bring your own tools to the mine but that wasn't the main issue after all i had my good old pickaxe, the real issue was the payment, it was a whole mess, sometimes they would give you nothing or something random with value like food or old artifacts but if you are really lucky, they would give you a silver coin or five copper."
The mysterious man takes a wooden cup and pours the remaining booze into it.
"Anyways… one day i got invited to a party in a pub, it was great, good food and cheap booze but at some point someone mentioned the payment issue. We were not supposed to talk about that topic due to security concerns or somethin' like that but everyone was so drunk that no one gave a damn about it. Anyways, turns out the company we worked for does not exist, the guy then mentioned how it was a part of the slave camp. They bind people by contracts, making them go into debt so they end up as cheap slaves."
"Everyone got mad including myself but most of us were angry at the guy for not talking about it earlier. He apologized and said he couldn't do anything to stop them and guess what I did? I punched the guy in the face, and the rest is history."
"Anyways, what do you guys want again?"
"We are looking for an insignia." Shirou made a gesture in an attempt to describe its size.
"Oh and it has a jewel in the middle." Subaru said.
"Hmm an Insignia with a jewel, huh? Sorry, but I ain't got anything that fits that description."
"Are you sure? I think there has to be something." Subaru became confused.
[Maybe this isn't the right place? No that can't be, maybe the insignia isn't here yet.]
"Hmm now that you mentioned it somebody is bringing goods later on. If she doesn't have it then there's nothing to look for." The mysterious man continues to drink.
"Would the one bringing it happen to be a girl named Felt?" Subaru interrupted him.
"Well mister, you are correct if she is the one who has, what are you looking for."The mysterious man finishes his drink. "It becomes a matter of whether you can afford it or not."
"Sorry but I'm broke but who said I couldn't trade?" Subaru picks up his plastic bag filled with food. Shirou immediately notices what he was planning to do.
"Take a look at this." Subaru pulls a bag of chips. The mysterious man glares at the bag of chips with curiosity. He has never seen anything like it before.
"That's some unusual stuff you got kid." The mysterious man picks out the bag of chips and begins to analyse it. "I don't know what this but it better be worth some coins if you want to negotiate with Felt."
"Trust me you will not find anything like it anywhere." Subaru takes the bag of chips from him and opens it. "Wanna try it out?"
The mysterious man hesitates for a moment. Unsure if he should trust him.
"Don't worry, it's just food." Subaru takes a potato chip and eats it. "See? it's safe."
The old man takes a chip
Time stops as he puts the chip in his mouth
The taste was something that the old man had never experienced before.
It tasted like a tatote with salt but something was wrong. It had the right amount of salt and some kind of indistinguishable flavour.
"What an odd flavor! These things would go great with booze!" The mysterious man takes another bottle from the bar and begins to eat more chips.
[I should probably save some until Felt arrives.
…Screw it, I already opened it.]
"Hey Shirou, you want some?"
"Oh sure." The mysterious man glared at him as Shirou moved his hand towards the bag. He was clearly not happy about sharing his food with someone. Shirou backs away with a single chip and eats it.
'I think I'll pass. Better not to disturb the lion.'
"So kids, who are you and where are you guys from?" The mysterious man pushed his hand deeper into the bag, taking almost all the chips leaving the bag almost empty.
"I told you guys one of my stories but i don't know anything about any of you."
"But you haven't introduced yourself yet." Shirou replied to him.
"My name is Rom." Rom swallowed the chips from his fist. "I'm surprised you guys went here without knowing who i am."
"Now what about you"
"Emiya Shirou."
"Natsuki Subaru."
"Are you guys foreigners or somethin'?"
The duo nodded in response.
"I see, that explains it." Rom stood up. "You guys are lucky to even find this place."
"Listen, Felt will arrive soon, you guys can stay here to wait just dont interrupt my booze, oh and don't touch anything."
Rom leaves the room leaving the duo alone.
"Hey Shirou." Subaru took another bag of chips. "Are you hungry?"
"No, I'm fine, thank you."
"I insist." Subaru placed the bag of chips in the ground
"Maybe later. You said you were planning on negotiating with her right? so it's better if you save some snacks for later."
[Yeah he is definitely not okay.
What kind of person isn't hungry after sleeping for hours?.]
"Shirou, It's almost night and we haven't eaten anything, are you sure you are not hungry?"
"Dont worry ill be fine. just thinking about something."
'I avoid eye contact in an attempt to gather my thoughts once again.
I clear up my mind and try to make a mental picture with what I learned so far.
The holy grail, A battle royale between seven magus and seven servants, The winner of the war is granted a wish by the grail, but according to tohsaka, the true objective of the grail was to reach the root.'
'Which means the grail had enough power to do almost anything but why did it send us here?'
Shirou tried to go back into thinking but his stomach made a roar in protest. Subaru was right ,he was clearly hungry. Shirou decided to take a look at the bag and its contents. Maybe there was something worth eating.
A bag of chips, A chocolate bar and cup noodles.
'This isn't food but we don't know when we will get our next meal.
Subaru needs it in order to negotiate with Felt.
But he offered it to me and Rom.
I'll..'
1.- Take his offer and eat the food.
2.-Wait until Felt arrives.
'I'll wait until Felt arrives and eat, once we finish the negotiations.'
knock knock…
A faint knocking is heard around the room.
Knock Knock…
The knocking gets louder, it cannot be ignored anymore.
KNOCK KNOCK…
Shirou stood up and walked towards the door but suddenly a familiar voice was heard from another room.
"Password!" Rom yelled across the room. Shirou went back to the table.
"Rom open the goddamn door!"
"That's not the password!" Rom yelled across the room as he began to walk towards the door. "If you don't have the password then get outta here."
"Rom you son of a… Fine, I'll do it."
"For a rat… Poison. For a whale: A harpoon."
"To the noble dragon lord…" Rom interrupted Felt.
"We're bags of shit." Rom opened the door, The silhouette slowly cleared itself revealing a blonde haired child.
[Felt!]
"Sorry for being late, My target was more persistent than I thought." Felt walks through the entire room completely ignoring the duo. "But seriously old man? Why do you keep asking me for the password every time I walk in? I never asked you for a password but you always ask me for it."
"I told you already, it's for safety."
Felt grunts and placed a bag in the bar.
"Whatever, give me something to drink."
Rom takes a bottle out of the bar. The duo took a look at the bottle. It wasn't alcohol, it was milk."
"Rom what happened to the milk." Felt stopped drinking. "It tastes old and gross."
"I give you somethin' outta the goodness of my heart, and you call it gross? That's very ungrateful Felt." Rom takes a slip of the milk. He wanted to puke but couldn't do it in front of everyone so he swallowed it. "But I agree that it tastes like shit."
"See i told you."
[Weird they know each other quite well and they are pretty close.
Are they related in some way? No that can't be the case, they are too different.]
Felt takes a look at her surroundings and finally notices the duo sitting at one of the tables.
"By the way old man, who are they?" Felt looked at them with curiosity.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to introduce them to you." Rom stood up and pointed at the duo. "These guys want to recover something you stole today."
"Something I stole today? Oh this better be good." Felt turns her attention to the duo.
"So what do you guys want and how much are you willing to pay for it?"
"Just to confirm you do have the insignia right?" Subaru made a gesture in an attempt to describe it.
"You mean this one?" Felt takes out something from her shirt. An insignia with the logo of a dragon and a glowing jewel in the middle.
'So that's the insignia huh? It reminds me of her pendant.'
Shirou checks his pockets and touches something. A red pendant that once belonged to a certain girl.
'Ah good, it's still there.'
"Yes, that's the one I was looking for." Subaru replied to Felt.
"Alright then, so how are you going to pay for it?" Felt stared at the duo. "If you can pay enough to match all the effort involved, we'll both be happy."
"I don't have money."
'What?'
Felt and Rom expectations fell to the floor.
"But I have a few things worth money." Subaru takes out a cell phone from his pocket and approaches Shirou. "Hey Shirou, can you take a picture of us?"
"Are you sure this is a bright idea?" Shirou stared at Subaru in disbelief. This was a bad idea.
"I'm sure of it." Subaru hands over the cellphone to him and heads towards Rom and Felt.
"Are you ready?" Shirou touched the app and aimed to take a picture. Subaru took Rom and Felt hands and placed them in range.
"Ready!" Subaru replied to him. Rom and Felt became confused.
SNAP!
A bright light covered the entire room in an instant. Shirou took a look at the photo and no one was smiling except for Subaru.
"What was that?!" Felt asked the duo, unable to understand what just happened.
"This is a cell phone." Subaru took the cellphone from Shirou's hands. "Take a look."
Subaru went to the photo gallery. A photo of him and Felt and Rom displayed itself in the category of most recent photos.
He took another look at the gallery.
Photos of old meaningless things.
Photos of him and his family.
Photos of his old classmates.
[... I should erase those.]
Subaru selected "Select All" and erased all the pictures except from the latest one.
"Now look." Subaru waved his cell phone in front of them. Rom and Felt took a look at it.
"Is that?" Felt glared at the picture in disbelief. "Our faces?!"
"That's right." Subaru tried to make a pose to look cool. "This thing allows you to save a moment and save it forever in it."
"That's amazing!" Felt became excited, like a child staring at a christmas present waiting for the opportunity to open it.
"I have never seen anything like it before, is that what you guys call a metia?"
"Excuse me but what's a metia?" Subaru raised his hand in confusion. "I'm not familiar with that term."
"Oh right, you guys are foreigners, a metia is an artifact that allows anyone to use magic in the same way magic users do."
'Is that the way they call a mystic code here?'
Flashback.
Rin was sitting on the ground drinking her tea trying to regain her composure.
The same boy that she has a crush on.
The same boy who is her sister's only friend.
The same boy she saved by wasting ten years of magical energy to replace his hearth.
The same boy who was now the master of the saber class servant. The same class she wanted to summon.
He did not run away when the berserker class servant showed up or when he went to fight Rider alone and wounded a few hours ago.
It frustrated her a lot. The talk from earlier not only proved that he was not a magus but also proved that he was not even a normal person.
She had enough. It was time to talk.
"Ah Emiya-kun." Rin walked towards the bed. "Wake up, I want to talk about something important."
But Shirou did not respond. He was asleep.
"Hey, wake up." Rin waved her hand and raised her voice a little but he did not wake up.
She knew that he was injured from earlier but the wound healed itself before they arrived. She told him to rest, however she had the feeling that he was already awake.
"Hey Shirou!"
'I heard a voice calling me out but I ignore it.
Rin gets closer and whispers something right next to his ear.
"Shirouuuuu wakeeee up…."
'Eh Tohsaka? Is she calling me? I try my best to pay attention to the voice once more but it becomes unrecognizable.'
'I guess ill—'
1.-Go back to sleep.
2.- Wake up to check it out.
'I'll wake up if Rin was calling me then it must be important.
I slowly open my eyes.'
Shirou opened his eyes but there was nothing there.
'So it was my imagination after all'
Shirou decided to go back to sleep but suddenly Rin opened the door carrying a dusty old book and a weird looking stick .
"Ah you are finally awake." Rin placed the old book on the table. "Now stand up, I have to show you something."
"Good morning Tohsaka." Shirou stood up.
"It's not morning you slept for like one hour." Rin pointed at the table with the weird looking stick.
"Now please take a seat."
"Okay?" Shirou became confused. She was acting more friendly and welcoming. Is it because of the truce between them?
"I'm going to teach you the basics."
"What do you mean by basics?"
Rin opened the book. The dust from the book was a lot, it was clear that the book was barely used and maintained.
"Magecraft of course!" Rin tries to clean the book by blowing it, but the room quickly starts to get filled with dust.
Cough, Cough.
"Give me a second."
Rin left the room and came back with a wet rag and began to clean it.
"Here we go!" Rin pulls out another rag and begins to dry it. "Let's begin shall we?
"Okay?"
"Okay Shirou you know what magic is right?" Rin smiled as she waited for a response. Shirou became nervous, she was smiling at him, his heart began to pound, her smile was warm and beautiful but he also did not want to mess up the answer.
"Yeah… Magic is made by magic circuits and it can be used to do a lot of things, right?"
Her smile changed; it was no longer warm but the smile of a beast toying with its prey.
"You know what, let's skip that topic for now and focus on something else." Rin raised the weird looking stick and pointed it at Shirou.
"You know what this is?"
"A wand from those weird magical girls shows?"
"No you silly." Rin took another look at it. It clearly looked odd.
"Anyways this is a mystic code not a wand."
"A what?"
Rin tried to calm down. It was going to be a long day.
"A mystic code is a tool that helps its user to perform magecraft."
"For example, if I pour some of my magical energy into this thing."
Suddenly the stick comes to life and begins to fly around the room on its own.
"Woohoooo, I'm finally free!" The stick flies around the room in excitement. Rin tries her best to keep her smile.
"What the hell…?" Shirou became more confused. Compared to what had happened so far, this was truly bizarre.
"Ehem, as you can see there are different kinds of mystic codes for different uses." Rin tried to jump to capture the flying stick but failed. "For example this Kaleidostick made by the one and only Kischur Zelre—!"
Bonk!
The stick had launched itself against Rin hitting her in the head.
"You—!" Rin's smile vanished on the spot.
"HA! You are too slow." The stick began to fly faster, taunting her from above. "If you want to catch me, why don't you ask your boyfriend for help?"
Rin's face turned red.
"He is not my boyfriend, he is my student!" Rin tried to predict its trajectory and jump but the stick was moving too fast.
"Oh my forbidden love between a teacher and a student, Ohhh la la." The stick remained still as if it was taunting her.
Rin's face turned into a deeper red, she looked like she wanted to cry and hide from shame but at the same time she was furious.
"That's it!" Rin legs began to glow. "You are going back to the chest!"
"Fu fu, Are you sure you want him to see you like this my dear?" The stick taunted her.
Rin began to jump and run around the room chasing down the flying stick.
"Oh my! Someone should learn how to control their temper."
"Shut up!." Rin legs began to glow even brighter. Her speed almost matched the flying stick.
Rin makes a final jump and captures the flying stick.
"Uff Uff, Finally! I got you." Rin takes a look around the room. The room was a mess but she did not care, she finally captured the annoying flying stick.
"Excuse me for a second." Rin stared at Shirou as the flying stick tried to break free from her grasp.
"Help mee!" The stick called out for help. It was clearly requesting his help but Shirou did not react in time.
"Okay?"
Rin left the room leaving Shirou alone in an empty and messy room.
'Better to clean this up before Tohsaka comes back.'
Shirou begins to clean the room. lifting the table and anything that fell.
"I'm back!" Rin entered the room exhausted. She looked around the room, it was slightly cleaner now.
"Welcome back Tohsaka."
"Oh hey, Thank you for cleaning the room" Rin takes a seat and tries to regain some breath. "But don't worry, Archer will surely take care of it."
"Rin, I'm not doing that." The knight in red disagreed.
"I said, Archer will surely take care of it". Rin re-affirmed her position as the master.
"Very well but don't forget that someday you'll have to learn about the importance of teamwork."
"I mean Archer and I." Rin said as she became more frustrated.
"Thank you." The knight in red voice vanished, for some reason he sounded more happy.
"Anyways, let's go back to our first lesson alright?" Rin opened the book once again.
"Are you okay Rin?" Shirou became concerned.
"Yes I'm fine. Lets begin with a basic lesson; Magic circuits."
Flashback End.
Shirou smiled as he remembered the lessons with Rin.
He truly missed her.
But he knew that it was time to go back to reality.
"So do we have a deal?" Shirou raised his hand.
"Of course!." Felt replied to Shirou.
[Heck yeah!]
"Wait Felt!" Rom called out for Felt."Did you really forget the other deal?"
Felt stood still for a second.
"Oh right... Sorry, I almost forgot about that one."
Rom stared at Felt, judging her terrible negotiations skills.
"Anyways…" Felt tried to change the topic.
"I'm more concerned about the price, how much do you think we'll get out of this thing?" Felt glared at Rom waiting for an answer.
"I have no idea." Rom raised his hand and began to scratch his hair, clearly ignoring Felt's call for help. "But i'm pretty confident that metia has more worth than the insignia."
"So how much for my metia then?" Subaru asked Felt. He was clearly getting nervous as if something bad was going to happen.
"If I were to guess I would say twelve holy coins." Felt informed Subaru. Rom stared at her with a disappointed look on his face.
"Felt. I disagree." Rom takes the metia from Subaru's hands. "Based on what it can do, I would sell it for twenty holy coins or even more."
"Did you really forget everything i teached you about negotiations, because you saw something that caught your attention?"
"Oh right…. you guys are not the only ones that I'm negotiating with." Felt looked at the duo. "Somebody asked me to get it before and offered me ten holy coins for it."
"No offense but we'll have to wait for the other client to show up after that, we can begin the negotiations."
Knock
Knock
Knock
"Oh that must be it." Felt walked towards the door.
"You forgot about the password." Rom stared at Felt, still with that disappointed look in his face.
"I didn't mention it to the client." Felt looked right back at Rom and smiled. "Sorry I forgot it."
"You goddamn brat…"
"Are you okay?" Subaru asked Rom.
"Yes I am, just a little disappointed at her. I always help her whenever I can but she always ignores my advice." Rom stood up and took a wooden bat. "So that's why I gotta look for her and keep her outta trouble."
"I guess anyone would be intimidated by a giant bat." Subaru laughed a bit in an attempt to calm down.
Suddenly a great idea struck Shirou.
'Maybe this can give me some information about this world…
I turn on my magic circuits and focus on the weapon in front of me.'
Nameless Wooden Bat
"A nameless wooden bat, made in Vollachia forged by a giant, was sold and stolen multiple times."'Not very useful…'
"Yep, I was right. It was for me."
A tall woman quietly opens the door.
"Over here. take a seat, negotiations will take place right here." Felt greeted the mysterious lady.
"Apologies for the interruption." The mysterious lady stops for a moment to take a look around the room. "Oh and who are they? I remember you mentioning that negotiations would take place in private."
[That voice...]
"Oh right, you see, you are not my only client." Felt pointed her hand at the duo. "Those guys are the ones you'll be negotiating with."
"Oh my it appears I have competition." The mysterious woman takes a seat. "Very well, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Elsa
Subaru turned around but he wished he didn't. Elsa was staring at him with an innocent look, like an animal playing with her prey.
It was the same woman from his vision and the same woman who murdered him and Satella in cold blood.
Subaru became AFRAID.
"Excuse me for a moment but where is the bathroom?" Subaru said nervously. He needed a
"At the end of the hallway." Rom replied to Subaru.
"Tha-ank yo-u" Subaru could barely hide his fear. His voice was beginning to crack.
Subaru stood up and walked towards the bathroom. He entered it and closed the door behind him.
[There's no way, There's no way, There's no way.]
Somewhere deep inside Subaru's mind. A locked memory suddenly clicked and opened itself.
The vision, Satella, Puck, Shirou and the pain from his own death.
[It was just a vision right? I changed the future so everything is going to be okay now?]
His heart began to beat faster, His lungs felt like they were going to burst, His mind started to feel dizzy.
[I did everything in a different way, which means i'm not going to die right?]
...
[Maybe all of this is just a dream, I just need to wake up right?]
Subaru bit his finger but nothing happened. He was still here. He started to feel desperate.
[Why me? , What is my purpose in this world?, Why does everything bad always happen to me?]
But nobody answered.
[This is a game right? I just have to finish the story mode so I can go home.]
Subaru took a deep breath.
[Yeah that's right I just have to get this over with.]
…
Subaru opens the door and goes back to room like if nothing ever happened
"Ah so that's how it is." Elsa said as she drank her glass of milk.
"Yeah, it's just bidding against each other." Felt takes a glass of milk and passes it to Shirou and her.
Shirou takes a sip of milk and immediately puts it away.
[Take a deep breath...]
"I'm back!" Subaru announced it to everyone in the room. "Sorry for being late."
"Welcome back Subaru." Shirou welcomed him.
"So what did I miss?"
"You missed the entire explanation on how we are going to negotiate." Felt took a glass of milk and passed it to Subaru. "Ask your friend about it."
Subaru attempted to take a sip but suddenly Shirou stopped him and nodded as if he was warning him.
Subaru takes a sip and immediately regrets it.
[Oh so that's what he was talking about...]
"Anyways, let's begin!" Felt said.
"Exactly how much did they bid for the item?" Elsa asked with curiosity.
"My metia." Subaru takes out his cellphone. "It can capture any moment in time and save it for later."
"Here let me give you a demonstration."
Subaru passes his cellphone to Shirou.
"Alright."
Subaru looked at the camera and smiled.
SNAP!
"Thank you Shirou." Subaru took his cellphone and showed the picture to her. "Here, take a look."
"I see."
"We are also bidding on some food." Shirou took out a bag of chips and opened them. Rom gazed at them with desire.
"Wanna try some?"
"Don't mind if I do." Rom takes a bunch of chips and swallows them all in an instant.
"Sure." Elsa takes a single chip and eats it.
"What an interesting flavour."
"So what are you going to bid for it?" Felt asked the mysterious lady.
"Fortunately my client gave me some extra funds if something like this were to happen." Elsa takes out a small bag and opens it revealing a bunch of silver-like coins.
Felt and Rom froze on the spot.
"No way." Felt stares at the coins with a surprised look.
"five , seven , twelve , sixteen." Rom began to count them. "twenty holy coins in total…"
"I think that should be enough to seal the deal." Elsa said as she awaited for a confirmation.
"Not so fast." Rom interrupted her. "The way I see it, twenty holy coins are definitely not enough to match a metia and food of this quality, sorry but the victory is for them."
[So it was that easy? All I needed to do was negotiate and be patient? Ha…]
"Very well some things can't be helped." Elsa took back her coins. "At least I got to have a free drink, so I'll be taking my leave now."
"But I'm a little curious about your intentions with that insignia."
"Oh right, we are planning to return it to its owner." Subaru replied with a smile.
Time stopped as the atmosphere became denser, Elsa simply smiled as she stared at Subaru with a calm and wicked smile.
"I see you are with them…"
Everyone got in guard.
'Oh crap!'
Shirou quickly turned his circuits and tackled Subaru into the ground.'
"What's going on?!" Subaru asked in concern.
Subaru took another look. Felt managed to block her attack with her knife.
"Urgh" Felt struggled as Elsa pushed her knife with more force. "Damn you!"
"Oh my, you managed to block it." Elsa raised her leg and kicked Felt into a wall.
"Felt!" Rom charged at Elsa with his spiked wooden bat.
Rom swings his bat at Elsa but she manages to dodge it, destroying the table instead.
"This is my first death battle with a gigant." Elsa said as if she was welcoming her opponent.
"Quiet little girl!" Rom swings his bat once more. "I'll feed you to the rats."
But his attack misses. Felt tries to attack her from behind.
"Die you bitch!" Felt slashes her knife at her but Elsa parries her attack.
"Hey Subaru are you okay?" Shirou waved his hand at Subaru.
"Yeah I'm fine!" Subaru replied however his legs were starting to shake from fear.
"Good I'll be back!" Shirou reinforced his legs and ran towards a barrel full of weapons.
"Hey what are you two waiting for?" Felt yelled at the duo. "Get outta here!"
'I ignore her request and head towards the barrel of weapons.
If I do nothing Subaru will die and Felt and Room too.'
"Hey do you want to die or something?! Get out!" Felt yelled at the duo once more before getting kicked into another wall. "Shit!"
'I arrive at the barrel, all of the weapons are lances and spears not my style but I have no choice.
I pick up a spear and turn on my magical circuits and stare at the weapon to analyse its components.
I increase its durability and sharpness.'
"Trace on!" Shirou whispered in silence.
The spear began to glow with an eerie green light. Meanwhile Subaru watched from a distance.
'I strike from a distance, not being familiar with spears has proven to be a problem so this is the only thing I can do, but with Felt and Rom on my side we should be able to fight her off.
Rom uses his spiked bat and attempts to crush her from above but she jumps out of the way, using this opportunity I attempt to strike her as she lands but—!
She dodges my attack in an instant.'
'I back away.
Rom and Felt back away as well in an attempt to keep their distance.
She is clearly adapting, if we don't change our strategy it will be over.
I look at Rom and Felt they are clearly getting tired.
I look at them and make a gesture in an attempt to suggest attacking the right side while they both attack the other side.'
But Rom ignored his order and charged towards her with his bat in his back.
"Take this!" Rom launched his attack aiming towards her left side.
Elsa quickly counters his attack by moving to the left side and striking his arm, cutting it in an instant like if it was nothing.
"Ahh!" Rom screamed in his pain as his farm fell into the ground.
Felt went into a shock.
"Thank you for the drink." Elsa stabs him in the neck using a broken bottle. Rom falls into the ground and loses consciousness.
"Now, where was it?"
Clank!
'She parries my spear with her knife.
Felt attacks from behind but—!
She pulls out a second knife and blocks her attack as well.'
Elsa backs away and takes a fighting stance.
'Using this opportunity I attempt to treat his wounds.
But there's no pulse, he was already dead.'
Felt took a look at Rom's body as Shirou turned away from him.
She immediately knew what it meant but she refused to acknowledge it.
Her father figure, Rom, the man who raised her and taught her everything she knew, was dead.
She remembered Rom's advice to not do things based on emotions but she did not care.
She could only combust.
Felt became FURIOUS.
"How dare you, to put your filthy hands on him, you bitch!" Tears began to form around her cheeks.
Feld dashed towards her, leaving nothing but an after image as she moved in circles around her.
"Divine protection of wind… How wonderful you are loved by this world, I envy you."
Elsa remained still but never took her eyes out of her target.
"Shut up and die!" Felt yelled at Elsa.
Felt attacked her from behind however she quickly dodged it by a few centimeters leaving her wide open.
SPLASH!
Felt loses consciousness and falls into the ground.
"Felt!" Subaru called out her name but she did not respond.
Elsa turned around and stared at the duo with a malicious smile.
"You know I have been wondering, why neither of you ran away when you were given the chance?" Elsa cleaned her knives as she began to walk towards them.
"Could it be that you don't appreciate your life? No could it be?"
"That a stranger's life is more important than yours?"
"No." Shirou dropped the spear. "It's simply the right thing to do."
'I know what's right and what's wrong.
I won't regret the path I choose.
I close my eyes and visualize a weapon, the same weapon he carried his entire life.'
"Trace on—!" Elsa backs away for a second as she sees the light emitting from his hand turn into a pair of swords.
Shirou didn't hesitate and used this opportunity to strike her weak right side. Elsa tries to defend herself by attempting to parry his attacks.
She was on the defensive.
Elsa tries to gain some distance but Shirou quickly closes the gap striking her in the left arm with Kanshou and Bakuya.
Suddenly her wound begins to regenerate itself.
'Regeneration?!'
Elsa began her counter attack. Her moves were swifter and more precise, she was no longer holding back.
"What the…" Subaru's jaw fell into the floor. His mind became filled with questions but one thing was certain, Shirou was not an ordinary person.
"Ugh." His body screamed in pain as the weight of the old wounds began to manifest themselves once again.
Shirou tried to persist and ignore the pain but his performance was beginning to fail.
Elsa saw the opportunity and kicked him in the gut sending him flying towards the bar.
"Shirou!" Subaru rushed to assist his friend.
[Damn it, I have to do something.]
Subaru left the bar and headed towards the spear on the ground.
[If Shirou can fight, so do i!]
Subaru picked up the spear expecting it to glow but it didn't.
"Well, Well, Well look what we got here. The coward finally shows up huh". Elsa took a fighting stance. "Very well let's see what you got."
Elsa did not hold back, attacking him from all directions but never hitting her target. All Subaru could do was to defend himself from the endless amount of strikes.
She was toying with him like an animal messing with its prey before devouring it.
[Crap, Crap, Crap!]
[I'm going to die, I don't want to die, Where is Shirou?]
Suddenly it stops. Elsa stares at him with a calm and wicked smile.
"Your turn." Elsa spoke. Subaru did not understand what she meant.
"What?
"I said it's your turn, I'm giving you the advantage so attack me with everything you got." Elsa lowered her blades. "Just try to not disappoint me."
Subaru attacked Elsa with everything he got.
He swinged the spear to the left but she dodged it
He swinged the spear to the right but she dodged it
He tried to stab her but she parried it making him collapse into the ground.
"Damn it!" Subaru tried to get up.
Elsa extended her arms and saved her blades.
"Oh dont worry ill give you a free hit alright?"
Subaru became ENRAGED.
She did not take him seriously and that was going to be her downfall.
[That bitch is going to pay. I just need one hit in the right spot.]
Subaru stabs Elsa right in the heart!
[How 's that you bitch!]
"Not bad!" Elsa said as she kicked him back into the bar.
"But I expected more from you but, you've no divine protections or techniques. What a shame."
"But I must admit that your friend managed to surprise me. I have never seen a spell like that before."
[What the hell just happened, I stabbed her but there's no wound. Is she inmortal? Damn it, I have to move!]
Subaru stood up, his legs were trembling. He grabbed the spear once again and prepared to fight.
"Oh my! You still want to keep going?" Elsa raised her blades. "Just to let you know… This time I won't miss."
Subaru aimed at Elsa and attempted to stab her.
Clank!
But she disarmes him instead, she raised her blade and aimed at his stomach.
Splash!
Subaru backed away and dropped the spear and looked down. He was covered in blood.
"Ahhh" Subaru screamed in pain. He tried to stop the bleeding by covering it with his hands but it did not work.
"As expected your entrails have such lovely color." Elsa looked down at him with ecstasy.
"I wonder how h…." Elsa was suddenly interrupted as a nameless knife penetrated her throat.
Subaru vision began to blur.
"Subaru!" Shirou called out for his friend but he did not respond.
[Shirou…?]
'Shit! I have to get him out of there immediately.'
Shirou rushed towards Elsa at high speed. Adrenaline flushing through his body as they exchanged blows.
[Am i dead? It feels hot, my entire body is burning.
It hurts... It hurts… It hurts... It hurts…
When is it going to stop?
I'm scared…
I don't want to die
I don't want to die
I don…
Oh... i'm dead.]
Subaru closed his eyes and drifted away to nothingness.
"Hello?" A mysterious figure spoke from above.
[Huh, am i dead? Is this the afterlife?]
Subaru blinked in an attempt to clean his eyes and adapt to the incoming light.
"What's the matter with you, kid?, It looks like you've seen a ghost or somethin'."
The silhouette cleared itself.
It was the merchant once again. His eyes were not lying at him and the sensansation of weight in his arms as well.
"Say somethin'. Are you okay?" The merchant looked at him with concern.
"I have no idea." Subaru fell into the ground unconscious.
"Oh shit." The merchant rushed to assist the fallen duo. "Don't worry everything will be okay."
"Where is my goddamn bucket?"
"Hey Subaru, come on hurry up!" A young boy called out for him. "We are going to be late."
"Wait what? Subaru looked around. He was in a certain familiar park.
[So it was a dream? It wasn't real right?]
Subaru closed his eyes.
"Hey son, are you awake?" Subaru heard the voice of his father. Kenichi, the man who has high hopes for him. "Hurry up, you are going to be late for school."
"Hmph… Ready or not, here I go!" Kenichi jumped right into Subaru's sleeping body.
Subaru opened his eyes.
"Ahh! Dad, what the hell…?" Subaru took another look, He wasn't at his house anymore.
"Ah Subaru? You were asleep?" A tall slender-woman called out his name. "You know I'll have to report this to your parents right?"
Subaru panicked. He felt the gaze of his classmates staring at him.
"No teacher i was not"
Subaru closed his eyes.
[What 's going on?]
Subaru opened his eyes but he wished he didn't.
"Ah, welcome back!" Elsa smiled at him as she slowly cut through his guts.
"AHH!" Subaru screamed in pain.
Subaru closed his eyes.
[This isn't real right?, no way all of this is real this is a nightmare all i need to do its wake up and i'll be back at my room]
[Come on work, work!]
Subaru opens his eyes and spots someone familiar.
"Wait, Satella! Hang on! Please, wait for me!" Subaru ran after her and called out her name. "Please wait up!"
"I was so desperate, i went back to the loot house and you were not there, i didn't disappear i was…"
Satella stops and turns around.
"What in the world is wrong with you?" She was clearly pissed. "Why did you call me by the
Name of the Witch of Envy?"
Subaru froze.
"Huh what do you mean? You told me that was your name."
"I don't know who you are. so please leave me alone" Satella turned around and left.
Subaru ran after her.
"Wait but Shirou and the loot house." He quickly grabbed her arm unwilling to let her go.
"Puck."
"Understood." A gray cat materializes from above and punches him in the face.
His eyes began to shine with kill intent; it only spoke one word.
"Leave." Subaru released her arm. Satella walks away indignantly
Subaru turned around in disbelief. Shirou was resting in the merchant's stand. The merchant was staring at him with pity.
"I think you crossed the line kid, mentioning the name of the witch of envy is a taboo all around here. "The merchant crossed his arms. "Especially to an elf or a half elf, you should apologize."
His anxiety rose.
[It's not real.]
Subaru took his plastic bag and began to walk, leaving Shirou with the merchant.
[It's not real]
Subaru takes a shortcut in an alleyway.
[It's not real]
Three shadows fell from the sky.
[It's not real]
"Give us all your money."
"Oi wait where are you going?!"
A thief stood in his way and pulled a knife.
"Just give us everything you got and we won't hurt you"
"Hey wait, what are you doing?"
"Hey Stop!"
Subaru walked closer to the thieves.
"Yo what have you done?"
"I don't know, he walked straight into my blade."
[It hurts]
"Shit, whatever, take anything he's got that's worth selling!"
"Hurry up, guards will arrive any second now!"
[It hurts]
"Ah fuck it lets go." The thief dropped the plastic bag and its contents.
[...What? But the old man ate those.]
"Kid!" A familiar voice called out for him. "Are you..?"
"Crap that's a lot of blood."
"Listen, don't worry everything will be okay alright?"
[...]
"Don't close your eyes, stay with me kiddo."
"Kid?"
Subaru slowly closed his eyes and hoped for the best.
"Shit!" The merchant hugged Subaru. "Help someone help me!"
The merchant ran into the street with Subaru in his arms.
"Help, I need help."
"He is inju…."
"Plea…"
The voices became more silent as Subaru began to lose consciousness and faded into the void.
Something about formatting
[Subaru Inner Monologue/thoughts]
'Shirou Inner Monologue/thoughts'
"Dialogue"
Action and Narration ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Questions and Answers.
1.-Why did Subaru didn't rush to the loot house like in the original?
Subaru has to take care of an injured Shirou first. Which changes the course of events.
2.- This scene did not happen in the WN or the Manga or the Anime.
I know i added a few originals scenes like "Subaru and co buying a few lanterns" and "Subaru going back to the appa stand" and "Subaru goes to the guard station" and i'm planning on adding more to fill the gap and to make the story feel more alive.
2.- The merchant acted too OOC.
In the third loop of arc 1, After Subaru returned by death, he couldn't handle the truth and fell unconscious, The merchant got worried and gave Subaru an appa.
In the unthinkable present visions, the merchant went to check on Subaru after he got stabbed by one of the thieves.
3.-Something About Relationships and love interests.
Canon relationships, lets keep things simple plus this isn't a romance fic lol.
4.- Something had that thing in his plastic bag(Subaru didn't buy that).
He didn't but in this Fic he was able to afford more stuff.
5.- Something about Shirou.
Don't worry I have a LOT planned for him so please stay with me alright?
6.- Why did Subaru go to the bathroom?
To calm himself down, don't forget that Subaru still thinks that everything that happened in loop 1 was a vision from the future so him seeing Elsa should cause a huge impact on him.
7.- Why did Shirou hold back against Elsa in the beginning?
Just like in the previous loop, Shirou is well aware of magus rules and he doesn't know if this world has something like the mage association so he will not use or talk about magic unless it's absolutely necessary.
(That also includes his origins)
In the case of loop 1: They were caught off guard and Subaru and Emilia were wounded.
In the case of loop 2: He wanted to help Rom and Felt fight Elsa but also prevent Subaru from getting involved, after Rom and Felt died, he realized the odds were against him so he used it.
8.- Why did Shirou become tired as the battle went on?
Just like the nurse said.
"I wouldn't do that if i were you." "Just remember to not push yourself." " Aka he is still somewhat injured and tired. Things would change if they had a more capable healer...
9.-When is the next chapter?
When I feel like it or maybe 1-2 months honestly it depends on my luck.
(ETA was a bad idea.)
Instead I'm going to use the progress bar in my profile.
10.- Why Shirou knows about (insert any magic topic here)
Rin/Kerry aka Kiritsugu taught him offscreen.
You can read more "Questions and Answers" in my previous chapters.
Unfunny facts.
OMORI references go brrrr
Subaru will keep his cell phone in this fic, in fact his phone has solar charging so he will use it more often to take more pictures.
Subaru gallery is umm. You can expect to find his gallery filled with a few meaningless things such as old receipts and old homework and a few pictures of his old friends and family.
If Shirou decides to accept Subarus' offer, nothing will change since Elsa still attacks.
Flashback 1: If Shirou decided to remain silent, Issei would have ordered a teacher for the security footage, no matter the choice Shinji would have got caught anyways.
Flashback 2 If Shirou decided to go back to sleep, Rin would have still showed up and woke him up by force aka hitting it with a magical ruby.
When Shirou was sleeping Archer was staring at him the whole time.
The appa man is a chad.
Elsa didn't like the milk as well but she drank it anyway to gain more trust. (Ew gross)
Bad endings will come out once I'm done with arc 1 and they will only appear in a separate fic. (I may include the IFs as well)
Now this thing is real check out "Re:Zero Sword IF: Bad endings edition" in my profile!