(This is my take on Re:Forgotten)
It has been a month of pure agonising torture for Subaru. As the Emilia Camp and the Anastasia camp went on and conquered the Pleiades Tower, Subaru was in prison, tortured by Felix and Julius every single day. Felix would fry his nerves brining him excruciating pain.
Felix was bad enough on his own, but when Julius joined in with the torture... it truly became too much for the poor boy to handle.
His body was badly broken, covered in bruises, scares as his bones felt chipped and weak. He felt like death would be a better feeling then this.
"The...pain..."
He thought as another day day was on the horizon. Another day, another torture session.
"Why...me?"
Subaru didn't bother to move his eyes as the door opened, a furious Felix stormed in. As usual Felix would demand for Subaru to give him a cure. And every time he claims he doesn't know, Felix would fry his nerves with a angry expression, only to heal him and do it again, and again, and again and again.
Every single time healing his painful body... and something else
Something he lost ages ago
...
"You want to speak nyow?"
Felix asked, his voice full of hatred and disgust
Subaru panting and bleeding all over could hardly formulate his sentence
"No...Matter how *cough* times you... ask I... don't know. Please... I'm not a cultists."
Subaru pleaded with the cat boy, his voice grew weaker he he begged his ex-friend for him to not be tortured. But Felix never heard his pleas for mercy, instead he would put his hand on the boy and fry his nerves again.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH"
Subaru screams in pure agony and pain.
Felix would then heal his nerves and repeat again and again
"Someone please... help...me"
He thought to himself.
Felix was done with him for today, but now it was Julius turn.
The door opened as it had so many times before, Julius comes in, with a wooden sword.
"I suggest you speak on how to cure my condition."
Julius demanded. Subaru shook his head. At this point death would be a release to him. After all he had died over 100 times, each loop being almost identical and nothing he did or said worked. To Subaru all he could do was grit his teeth and make it through since death literally wasn't a option to him.
SMACK
Julius smacks Subaru with his sword, Subaru went flying until he hit the wall leaving a blood splatter on it
"Speak now!"
Julius demanded.
He was not having any of it, he wanted answers. Yet the boy never gave any.
The torture proceeded throughout the remaining time of day. No rest, no breaks, no comfort, no Emilia, no Beatrice, no nothing. All pure torture.
It was night now, this was the time Subaru's meal was given. It was always colourless sludge that came straight out of prison tv shows. And it tasted just as bad as it looked. And due to the harsh treatment, Subaru greatly lost his weight. Malnourished, the boy probably weight hardly half his weight he originally had. His bones were visible from his skin, all his stored fats were gone. He felt like a walking skeleton.
He was begging some divine entity to help him in any way. But help never came. No one ever came after that day.
Subaru had his memory's eaten by Gluttony.
Fortunately for the boy this only applied to everyone else except him so he kept his memories
Subaru was returning home when he saw Emilia and his contracted great spirit Beatrice walking alone.
"Ah hello Emilia-tan."
Subaru spoke with a smile on his face
"Umm excuse me who are you?"
Said Emilia confused
"It's me Subaru... oh no."
Subaru realised what happened and only he knew
"Stay alerted Emilia he's a witch cultists"
"Wait what?! No I'm not! I hate those bastards as much as you do! Listen I've had my memory's eaten by Gluttony, we used to be close Beako."
"He's not lying."
Subaru thought he was saved as Reinhard had stepped in
"Oh yeah? Then Subaru explain the smell of the witch that hangs of you."
"..."
"That's what I thought. Reinhard please take care of this cultists."
"What BEAKO I can prove that we used to be close!"
"Oh yeah how?"
"Check me for a contract we were contracted."
Beatrice obliged
"Hmm well it seems there is a contract, but how dumb do you think I am human? I would never form a contract with you so whatever this is."
Beatrice broke the contract
Subaru could feel it tear inside him and could see it's magic connection being broken by Beatrice with his eyes.
"I don't want it."
Subaru could only let tears fall
Back to the present
Subaru wanted return by death gone.
He wanted to finally be at peace.
He was sick and tired of all the betray by people he thought he was friends with
He was sick of being left behind like he was nothing
He was done with everything.
But despite all odds he still had one individual left who supported him
He loved her now.
She was a beautiful half elf with silver hair
Her name was Satella.
Whenever he met his end in a loop she would comfort him for as long as she could before he returned by death.
"Please... help me."
He thought begging Satella to hear his cry's, hoping she would answer, but every time he called for her, Nobody came.
Hearing his cry's and seeing him die this way way too many times now, Satella had finally decided she would organise something to help her beloved. She wouldn't give him authority or anything like that. No she had a better idea in mind. And to do this she needed help from a old frenemy.
After some back and fourth negotiations with Echidna the witch of greed they were able to come to a agreement. Satella just prayed that Subaru would forgive her after all this.
It was another night, it was just a regular normal night, Subaru would try to sleep the pain away, but knowing that tomorrow held either death or torture threw his mind into a unstable position. He wasn't able to sleep much leading to him developing insomnia. But when he did sleep his dreams were filled with nothing but the torture he experienced that day. And it had worn him down.
He thought he loved Emilia
He thought he and Beatrice would make memories together
He thought he would be Rems hero and maybe more
He thought he cared about everyone and had sacrificed himself countless times just to save them even if only he remembered.
And this was his reward.
After becoming a hero, after being through hell and back, after stopping two calamity's and two Archbishop's.
This was his reward
Endless torture by people he thought were friends.
He began to want nothing more then eternal rest, he didn't want to continue fighting for people that didn't care about him, he didn't want to be hurt ever again.
After all even if he forgave them before.
His new found free time allowed him constant time to reflect on his last loops.
And he always came to the same conclusion.
Why am I fighting for people who backstab, leave and neglect you?
Subaru for a while denied this truth
He always thought Beatrice or Emilia would come to help him
He even at some point holed the Sword Saint or Garfeil or Otto people he all used to consider friends would come.
But nobody came. He was alone. Broken.
Weak.
Subaru closed his eyes
And fell asleep
And opened them in a beautiful field of green and flowers. Subaru beloved that his eyes were playing a cruel trick on him until, he saw six Witches of sin all gathered in a tea party.
"Oh? So you finally arrived Subaru Natsuki."
Echidna the witch of greed was the first to greet him.
"Baru!" Typhon greeted in joy
"Heya Typhone, have you come to lend me a hand again?"
"Hay! You can't just make jokes about Typhon ripping your arm off, AHHH it makes me so angry."
Pouted Minerva
"Sorry, sorry, but anyways why am I here? Usually I wake up in a cell."
"Let's just say the whore who cursed you has finally decided to give you something to help you on your journeys"
"Nice... why such odd wording through."
"Ahh you saw through me. Before you get you're hopes up, no you won't be receiving any authority or magic from any of us."
"Aww so what will you give me?"
"Tella will explain when she arrives"
And as on cue Satalla arrived
Satalla walked over to Subaru tears present in her amethyst eyes.
"I'm so sorry."
Satalla sobbed
Subaru walked over to her and hugged her to the witches surprise
"No don't apologise, I should be thanking you, if it weren't for you I would have died the first day I came to this world, and you were the only one to comfort me during that month."
Satalla smiled feeling relieved that her beloved didn't hate her.
"Well let's begin we only have a short amount of time to work with."
Echidna interrupted the reunion
Satalla gestured for Subaru to sit down next to her as the witch of Greed, The witch of Envy and Subaru Natsuki began to talk
"So Subaru as I already told you we won't be giving you authority or magic."
"Yeah"
"However we agreed that I could give you something better."
"..."
"It's knowledge"
"Ahh great, the power of books huh?"
"I wouldn't turn your nose up so quickly the knowledge I will present to you will make you the second most powerful being on the planet only second to The current sword saint."
"REALLY?! I'm all ears."
"Alright well it's simple... for a witch you need to listen closely."
"Yes"
"Alright I call it... The Plan."
As echidna said this she raised her arms high in the air
"Wait it's called the plan?"
"Yes"
"Just The plan?"
"Yes anyways, the plan has a few steps, step one, contract six spirits one of each element, step two, evolve the spirits into great spirits, now while for a average man this would be near impossible, it will only take you two months. Step three and four are a little complex so listen well. For the next step you must use a forbidden spell, which I so graciously put in your mind, the spell of a great spirit pumps their mana into you will turn you into part spirit part human hybrid. And a different spirit that controls a different element will give you that type of gate, which is why when you do this spell you must have all six spirits do it at once. And the next step, for this finale step you need to find the Oni Ram, or more accurately find her wand. Why? Because it's made of her horn, but her horn isn't a normal horn, it's that of a demon prodigy, the reincarnation of the Oni God. This spell will put the horn into you, and will remove any of the wand that isn't horn. Once you've taken her horn the only thing left to do is kill all the Archbishop's and take their authority."
"That's a lot to take in. And how do I even find spirits to start the plan?"
"Ahhhh well as per the whore and I's agreement you will have knowledge on both forbidden spells and knowledge on how to summon spirits. You're welcome."
"Oh my beloved sadly you must leave now for the plan to work, time isn't on our side."
"Alright, thank you for everything. I will be sure to use this knowledge to achieve all my goals."
...
Good luck my beloved
...
Subaru had awoke for real in his cell
But now he had knowledge
And a plan
"Let's just get straight to the point."
Subaru focused hard to summon a few spirits
He wanted at least six to come
...
After a little bit of time a few started to appear
Then more came
And more
And hundreds of spirts came to his call
"Wow that's a lot."
Subaru decided to ask them to heal his body first
To which they did, and as the mana entered his body he felt incredible, this want like with Felix at all, no it was something much more comforting and warm.
Subaru smiled and stood up as he found that he had been fully healed of wounds and scars
"Thank you"
Subaru said happily
"There you go sir."
"You look much better now"
"Happy to help"
"Your eyes look scary."
"Why are you in prison sir?"
Subaru's eyes widened
"You can speak?"
All the spirits where shocked to hear this
"You can hear us?"
Said one spirit
"Yeah?"
"Incredible you must have the highest affinity I've ever seen for spirits."
"Are you contracting spirits"
"Pick me please"
"No me"
"No me"
"MEEEE"
Subaru smiled finally something was going right for him
After a few minutes of thinking Subaru had picked all six spirits.
He did find it a little funny that they all had female voices but he didn't mind too much, after all it reminded him of Beatrice... he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not
"Alright girls let's go. Please open up a escape for me."
The spirits obliged blasting through the wall allowing Subaru to escape before anyone could have noticed
Subaru was free at last and he had only one plan in mind.
The Plan.
It was evening after Emilia Camp and Anastasia Camp conquered the Pleiades tower, they were about to go home, but something had struck them...
They left someone behind...
Someone important
Someone valuable, someone they too cared for and loved.
Subaru Natsuki was the person they had forgotten.
"N-No..."
Said the great spirit Beatrice ash she now remembers what she has done to the person they had forgotten.
"What have I done I suppose...?"
Fulled with dread, fear, horror and dismay. The little spirit is breaking down.
"Why are you like that Beako?" Emilia asked her contracted spirit.
"W-where is Subaru?!"
She asked Emilia
Emilia thought of the name for a moment, and as she remembered her eyes widen in horror. She had left the boy who had done so much for her behind.
Ram and Rem witnessing this asks.
"Is there a problem Emilia-sama?"
"We need to make haste! We need to get back to the capital now!"
She demanded.
It was still night so they might arrive by dawn.
Ram, now remembering Barusu and what happened, obeyed and with that, they began their race to a prize that was already taken by Envy. They had lost from the start.
Subaru looked back at the capital one last time thinking of all the horrible times he had. He would never regret this decision.
Felix and Julius had just remembered who Subaru was, the boy they had been torturing for the past month.
As soon as they remembered they rushed to the boys room to only have their eyes widen in horror and surprise
The boys blood, fresh, his cell, broken and Subaru Natsuki was gone
"How..." Julius questions as Felix observed the hole in the wall.
"He's escaped? But how?"
Felix could only speak out of shock
"We must alert Crusch instantly, we have to find Subaru, he might have been kidnapped."
Said Felix in distress
Julius nodded
The Emilia camp had arrived at where Subaru should have been kept
But when they saw a empty cell with a hole in it they knew something was wrong.
"Where's Subaru!"
Yelled a impatient Spirit
"Sorry Spirit-sama, just last night he had either escaped his cell or was kidnapped."
Said a random guard
"USLESS!"
Beatrice stormed off as Emilia and everyone else followed behind
"We must find Subaru-kun"
Spoke Rem
"I agree, let's first alert the others about this and put together a team."
Said Emilia
"I just hope he forgives us."