*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

Three knocks, and three knocks alone, shifted the attention of every person residing in the loot house. Rom began reaching for his club, while Subaru held the grip of his sheathed daggers, all in all, the atmosphere of the entire loot house changed. The only person who never felt danger was actually Felt, as she couldn't see the flaw with her deal. It was Felt who moved first. She left her seat with a smile adorning her face as she walked her way towards the worn down wooden door. She thought her time living in the slums would finally be over. She dreamt of a time where she, her brother and old man Rom would finally be free from the oppression that came with living in the slums. It still infuriates her to think that old man Rom can't actually roam the streets without being looked down upon, since he's not only a slum dweller, he's also a demi-human.

"Aren't you even a tad bit scared that this negotiation could go south?" Subaru questioned as he began sweating bullets. Several spells within a day can truly drain a person of all their strength. In a way of preparing for a fight, Subaru subconsciously drained mana from the air.

"Chill out, guys, I ain't scared of nothing. Since I got old man Rom and nii-chan here."

"It's probably the woman who wants to claim the insignia." Felt reassured as she held in her hand the insignia. The insignia in itself, was remarkably made. From its deep black color, its intricate golden dragon, and its eye-catching jewel embedded in the center. Without a doubt it was beautifully crafted, truly suited for a high-ranking person.

"Don't they know the password?" Old man Rom asked as he continued sipping on a bottle of booze. Before Subaru and Felt came to the loot house, Rom was actually indulging himself with a snack Subaru made the night before, and topping it off with a whole bottle of booze. 'I haven't even finished my bottle of booze.' old man Rom lamented.

"Oh, I didn't mention it" Felt said.

'Ehhhh. Am I the only one who tells this password to my clients?' Subaru thought. He remembers teaching every single client the password, taking him about 10 minutes of his time, just to simplify the negotiation process. "Hey, old man Rom, aren't you tired of her using us like this?" Subaru asked the giant who was holding a bat in his hand.

"Well, it ain't like we're strangers to her in any way. I treat her as if she's my granddaughter, and you treat her as if she's your sister." old man Rom answered, with wisdom unbefitting his appearance.

"Welp, can't deny your logic there. Old man Rom forty-five, Natsuki Subaru one." After meeting the gentle giant, Subaru began tallying points whenever the giant's wisdom helped him in any situation and vice versa. The only useful wisdom Subaru actually gave was the procedure of making mayonnaise. Old man Rom even pays Subaru to make good batches of mayonnaise.

"I was right. It was for me. Over here. Care to sit down?" Felt asked the woman by the door. To say she is enigmatic is an understatement. Her height was near Subaru's. She was beautiful no doubt from her face to her uncommon black hair, but her clothing was way too revealing for a woman. She wore a tight strapless dress that exposed her belly button and her cleavage, and all of that was all under her black cloak.

Subaru saw every single detail about the woman with his extremely sharp eyes. After learning the way of a thief, Subaru's vision became far greater from his vision before he came. He could see very fine details on sand, on pockets, on weapons and many more. This vision and his memory, made stealing way easier for the otherworldly boy. With his vision Subaru also noticed knives hidden from plain sight, causing him to be more skeptical of the negotiation that will happen in this loot house.

"Hmm...There seems to be several outsiders here." The woman said as she stared at the giant and the sharp-eyed boy.

"Well, I'd be in trouble if you bilked me. We weaklings have our own brand of smarts." Felt answered as she pointed at the two men sitting at the back of the loot house.

"I see..." The woman said as she began licking her lip in excitement. 'Killing a single child wouldn't be fun, but killing a giant and this black-haired man may be enough to satisfy me.' The woman sadistically thought in anticipation. She was tasked to claim the insignia and kill the witnesses, by her "employer".

"Now then shall we start the negotiation" Felt said as she sat next to her brother and opposite the woman clad in black. She then drank a glass of milk she was previously drinking when she was telling the story of her agreement. Felt then saw her brother staring at her client with such intensity that it prompted her to slap her brother's back just for him to stop.

"Argh! My...back, my...back" Subaru shrieked in pain as he felt his back twist and contort in ways they shouldn't have.

"Stop glaring and be quiet." Felt whispered in his ears, as she slapped his back a second time to silent his shrieking mouth. As her brother rolled on the floor, Felt and Elsa began talking about the terms of their contract.

After a hefty minute or two, the pain from Subaru's back subsided as he then sat down next to his sister.

"But before I give you the insignia, may I first see your offer." Felt asked as she never wants to get scammed. It's more common than you think, for a thief to get scammed. Heck, her brother was scammed two days ago by a noble who gave him a price of one holy coin only to get stood up the very next day.

"Ah, very well then here is the fund my client gave to me. My client has also sent me some extra funds just to sweeten the deal." She said as she grabbed a sack of coins. Her statement actually caught the attention of the raven-haired man.

"The client? …So, you were asked to fetch it?" Subaru asked as he was filled to the brim with curiosity.

"That's right. The client is the one who wants it." the woman said as she looked at the Sharp-eyed boy. 'I can see he's dangerous, just from the way he glares at me.' She thought as she licked her lips and looked at Subaru with her beautiful purple eyes. 'He has such a well-built form and his hands are all covered with callouses, showing the length of his experience. The boy is no Reinhard, but still, he'd be fun to dance with. Would his bowels be light colored?'

The black-haired woman then proceeded to show the girl, the giant, and the boy the content of her pouch. She poured its contents to the table they were facing at. Shock was present in their faces. Felt was the most surprised out of the three, since she can't help but gasp at the absurd amount the woman was paying.

'She really did have the goods.' Thought Subaru as he softened his previously tense expression. 'It seems she came well prepared, huh.' Rom then began counting the total amount of funds the black-haired woman is willing to pay for the insignia.

"Old man Rom, how many holy coins are there?" Subaru asked as he began fidgeting all over his seat. A mix of anxiety and restlessness fills Natsuki Subaru's thoughts.

"Hmm...Twenty, exactly." Old man Rom said. As he separated the coins by four, he was left with five groups of four.

"These are all the holy coins my employer sent with me. Are they enough?" The woman asked.

"Hu-hmm, yes this would be enough." Felt said with a smile adorning her face. She then gave the insignia to the black-haired woman, satisfied as another job was done.

"Then I must take my leave." The woman said as she stood from her seat and approached the worn-down wooden door.

"Pleasure doing business with ya." Felt said as she waved her client goodbye. Satisfied with the results of the negotiations, she then turned her back from the black-haired woman as she approached her impressed brother.

"See, I earned more than you ever could..." Felt boasted as she waved the pouch of coins in front of her brother. But instead of getting the usual annoyed response, all she earned was silence as her brother kept staring at the woman. "Ni-Nii-chan?"

'Something feels off.' He thought as he hovered his arms over the grip of his sheathed daggers. Although the negotiation seemed flawless, he can't himself but doubt something else will happen. He kept on staring at the woman, waiting to see if she'd do anything excessive. And something did happen. As the wooden door creaked open, the woman stopped at its doorway and with Subaru's sharp eyes he noticed the woman wielding one of the knives she had. Subaru then instinctively pulled Felt away a few inches as he prepared for an incoming attack.

"Ah! I forgot! Getting insignia wasn't the only task I had. I was also tasked to leave no witnesses." She said with a smile as she covered the distance between her and Felt within a fraction of a second. She slashed her knife, aiming to cut open the child's bowels. But her knife never came into contact with skin, as her blow was stopped by two daggers. Her smile began to widen as she was face to face with the sharp-eyed boy.

"You thought I'd allow a single scar adorning my sister's face, think again!" Subaru exclaimed with his eyes glaring daggers at the woman in front of him.

"You're quite fast for a slum dweller, Sharp Eyes. I wonder what's the color of your insides" The woman said as she felt ecstatic to find such an alluring fighter, this deep in the slums.

"You're fast as well, Black Widow."

[AT THE CAPITAL]

"I can't believe I lost her, Puck. Roswaal will be soooo mad and Ram-san will certainly scold me." A certain silver haired girl said as she conversed with her spirit who was currently residing in a pyroxene crystal.

"Don't you worry, Lia. We'll find it sooner or later." Assured the spirit to the girl he refers to as "Lia".

"Are you in need of help, ma'am?" A voice boomed just across the street. It was none other than the fiery haired Reinhard van Astrea. Reinhard was busy reassuring every citizen in the vicinity that an impending attack wasn't happening. He saw straight through the illusions, thus he knew they were under no danger. Yet it still confused him how such a spell was casted in this part of the kingdom. Such an advanced spell can't be casted by any ordinary civilian. To reach that level of illusions they must have trained vigorously. As he patrolled the area, he could conclude that the Margraves, the kingdom's greatest mage, wasn't the one behind such an advanced spell.

Interestingly, there was a report that stated a black-haired thief made copies of himself to flee from a squad of kingdom knights after stealing from Joshua Juukulius, a noble and the brother of the spirit knight, Julius Juukulius. This incident was reported two days ago. What's even more coincidental, is the fact that earlier Reinhard encountered a black-haired thief who had plans for the day. 'Was it Subaru that caused such an uproar? If so, how can he cast such an elaborate spell if he truly was just a thief?' Reinhard previously thought before he focused on the woman who was in need of help.

"Ahh! Reinhard-san, I need your help. An important item of mine has been stolen. It was an insignia with a jewel embedded on a dragon's mouth" "Lia" pleaded as this item truly was of utmost importance. Currently, she is alone. As per her contract with him, Puck was resting within the blue pyroxene crystal that hung on the lady's neck.

"Are you telling me you lost a Royal Insignia!? Then this truly is a situation with utmost importance. Then what did the assailant look like and what further information do you know?" Reinhard asked the troubled woman. With these types of situations, it's always better to know more about the assailant for the search to be more successful. But with the day nearing its end, the task would be even more difficult.

"Umm...she appears to have blonde hair, a short and slim build, an-and she ran across the rooftops of this district's buildings...hmmm...Oh! She also appeared atop several buildings as I gave chase." Answered the very tired "Lia" as best as she could. Distinguishing a person's features while they ran with superhuman speed seems to be more difficult than one assumes.

'Wait a second...was she the reason why several mirages littered the street? Was that thief the one who casted the spell?' Reinhard internally thought, as his questions began piling one after another.

"Did she appear to have any skills with magic? And lastly was she with someone else?" Reinhard asked the silver haired "Lia" calmly. Information gathering truly is an important part of any situation, but with this situation every information he gets, the more he gets confused.

"From what I could tell she wasn't relying on any magic nor was she with someone." "Lia" answered with her hand on her chin.

"Very well then, thank you ma'am, you have given me enough information to go on." Reinhard then ran as fast as he could in search of the thief. He checked every detail he could find. A shoe mark on the roof, a few strands of golden hair, every small detail is now being observed by Reinhard.

"I hope he finds it soon." "Lia" said.

But as the silver haired girl stood at the center of the street, the crystal on her neck began glowing a very bright light.

"Lia, something's currently attracting me and all nearby spirits, please stay on guard." Puck said as the light of the crystal then dimmed. As a spirit arts user, "Lia" immediately saw spirits of all affinities, being attracted to one location, and one location alone.

"What could possibly attract these spirits?" "Lia" asked as she pondered the question.

[BACK AT THE LOOT HOUSE]

"Amazing! Oi, old man Rom these daggers really are gold coin material. Also, stay back, this is my fight." Subaru said as he retreated a small distance from the woman. 'Glad I blocked it in the nick of time' Subaru said as he checked on his very frightened and confused lil sister.

"Ara~ara. Such reflexes you truly are an amazing brother aren't you. I really want to see the color of your insides" The woman clad in black said with a tone filled with pleasure. A boring task, became fun due to this boy being here. She then retreated a small distance as she took in a fighting stance readying to strike and parry any attack the boy comes to her with. "Hmm, truly a strong boy. The names Elsa, Elsa Granheirt-The Bowel Hunter. May I know your name before we dance, Sharp eyes?" Elsa asked as she licked her lips in excitement.

'Bowel Hunter? Isn't that an assassin's alias?' Old man Rom thought as he gripped harder on the bat he was currently holding.

'Shit! I'm way too tired, I won't last long in this fight…Then I'd at least save the only family I have left.' Subaru thought as he felt his body's strength waver. 'This must be my very last fight, huh? ...Then it's better if we go out with a bang!'

'Spirits of the slums, please join me in my last dance!' Subaru called out to the spirits, wanting to gain as much help as he could get to secure the safety of Felt and old man Rom. Although these spirits aren't contracted to him, they could still provide support by helping him respond and by letting him absorb the mana in the air.

"The name's Natsuki Subaru, and if it's a dance you want then a banquet you shall get." Subaru exclaimed, as the entire loot house was filled to the brim with bright lights. The lights came in different colors and different luminous intensity. To say the view was only eye-catching is an insult to what it really is.

"Now then shall we start." Elsa said with a sadistic smile painted all over her face. The boy just kept getting interesting with every passing second. Elsa then leapt from her position with blinding speeds towards the sharp-eyed boy.

"DODGE TO THE LEFT" The fifty spirits said in unison. Alarming the boy of an upcoming attack. The way information reached Subaru was way faster than the flow of information when conversing with a person. With the swift relay of information, Subaru then followed the request of the spirits.

As Elsa came closer, she swept her black kukuri knife to the right, aiming at the boy's stomach...only for it to hit air. The blade never came into contact with anything - no flesh, no blade, just air.

Subaru then swept his daggers at Elsa's exposed back, wounding her in the process. Yet the wound never lasted long as she quickly began healing it to the point it seemed brand new.

'Shit, she could heal herself. This diminishes my chances of escaping alive by a lot.' Subaru thought as he was perplexed to see such an ability.

'Shi, cast minya on the wall behind me.' Subaru commanded his spirit.

"Yes, Subaru." Shi answered as he made ten to fifteen stakes of solidified mana, and used it to create a huge hole just behind the shop.

"Oi, you idiot what the heck are you trying to do!?" Old man Rom shouted as he waved his bat in the air out of sheer frustration. But then he stopped scolding him as he saw Subaru with a face full of desperation.

"RUN, ESCAPE, FLEE!" Subaru loudly pleaded to old man Rom and Felt. He was hoping he could at least save two lives before he loses his.

"DUCK" The spirits warned the currently distracted Subaru.

"Hnggk…AAAHHHHH!" Subaru screamed in pain as he was too late to dodge Elsa's slash. Even though he still ducked, he wasn't able to dodge the full. Instead of his head being decapitated, his left eye was the only one slashed by the kukuri knife, leaving his left eye permanently blind. Seeing this, Felt tried to rush in and help Subaru but she was stopped by old man Rom who decided to carry her and leave through the hole the sharp-eyed boy made.

"Ni-NIII-CHAAAN! OLD MAN ROM LET GO OF ME, NII-CHAN NEEDS HELP!" Felt shouted as she tried to reason with the giant. But instead of listening to the girl's words, the giant decided to run as fast as he could away from the loot house they came from, in hopes of finding someone who could actually help the tired boy.

Seeing the retreating giant, soured Elsa's mood. She then threw one of her daggers in hopes of successfully killing the giant, but the projectile was blocked by the now one eyed and bloodied Subaru.

"Your fight is with me, and don't ever think of touching them before I die." Subaru shouted as his remaining eye glared at Elsa. Natsuki Subaru, pushed his body to move even though he was extremely lightheaded and losing his balance with every passing second. As of now, he's losing blood at a rapid rate and with one eye his depth perception shifted.

"Ara~ara, you're one tough boy. Very well then, I'll see your bowels first, before I see theirs." Elsa said as she once again leapt towards Subaru, both daggers in hand.

"Shamak" Subaru casted as the entire loot house was covered in smoke prompting the assassin to miss her target. Subaru then moved through the smoke to avoid a full-on clash with Elsa. But as suddenly as the black smoke appeared, it suddenly disappeared as if it was cancelled or counteracted upon.

The cloak the woman wore moments earlier disappeared into thin air after shamak's smoke suddenly subsided. The woman then licked her lips in anticipation. 'That cloak really was an effective item.'

'Shit, I still don't have enough mana for a Pleiades series spell.' Subaru thought as he measured his mana reserves. With the distraction he got from shamak, Subaru dashed to the counter and began searching for a specific item. Subaru then grabbed a pouch before leaping out of the counter. Subaru then poured the contents of the pouch to his mouth, he chewed it, then swallowed it.

'What did he just do I wonder?' Elsa though as she saw Subaru chew and swallow something. But before she could finish her train of thought, Subaru, the partially blinded boy, attacked her with speed she wouldn't expect from a wounded foe. Elsa tried her best blocking a few slashes, but the attacks kept relentlessly coming. She had her eyes slashed, lip cut, face scarred, and arms wounded. The boy gave a lot of effort with his attacks, only for the wounds to heal seconds later. Interestingly, the boy's speed and impacts became sharper and faster, with every block she makes, she feels the weight of each slash. What's even more interesting, is the fact that the temperature of the loot house began rising causing steam to spew out of the floorboards.

'Damn it! Not even Ul Augeo can stop her rapid healing!' Subaru thought, as he continued casting Ul Augeo and Jiwald in tandem. The true reason as to why Subaru dashed to the counter, was to find old man Rom's bocco fruits, a fruit that restores a portion of the eater's mana. Within the pouch was fifteen bocco fruits, enough to restore Subaru's mana, but not enough for him to cast a Pleiades series spell. Within the split second shamak created, Subaru casted Ul Augeo to himself and tasked Ne to cast Jiwald on the wooden loot house. Out of options, Subaru then decided on a kamikaze approach. The plan was for him to distract Elsa, long enough for the inferno to consume the entire loot house, with the both of them still inside it. If he fights Elsa head on, he'd only die while Elsa escapes wound free, but if he just burns the loot house Elsa could simply leave its premises entirely.

Fire then appeared, surrounding Subaru and Elsa. Still, they weren't fazed, as they continued striking and slashing one another. With every step he takes, the loot house shakes in response. With every clash of blades, the wind itself shudders. They're focus was only towards one another, even as the crimson inferno engulfs the building. For their fight was a dance within a crimson sea. One dancer was filled with pleasure, while the other was filled only with desperation. But after clashing a few more times, exhaustion took its toll as Natsuki Subaru now laid on the scorching wooden floor.

"Oh my! What a dance that was. Now then let's see the color of your desperate insides." Elsa said as she slashed Subaru's stomach, causing his insides to come out. "AAAAAHHHH!" He screamed as he desperately held on his insides in hopes of surviving such a wound. Seeing the way, he kept pushing his insides in, Elsa decided to simply sever both of Subaru's arms with a white kukuri blade. Elsa began to lick her lips, which were doused with Subaru's blood, as she felt ecstatic.

'It hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts' Subaru thought as he felt his life fading away.

"Does it hurt? Are you suffering? In pain? Sad? Do you want to die?" Elsa questioned as her pleasure rose with each passing second. She felt satisfied seeing a great 'dancer' writhe in pain as she opened their bowels, for her it truly was beautiful.

'Die? Am I dead? Am I still alive? When will I die? When will I die?' Subaru thought.

"Slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly." Elsa mocked as she whispered the words that were barely audible. But as Elsa was indulging the sight, a piece of the ceiling dropped directly at her pinning her to the ground.

The damage of the flames, the slashes, and the ceiling combined, overwhelmed Elsa's 'Blessing'. This caused Elsa's healing attribute to fail, causing her to get engulfed by the flame next to one of her victims.

'It's warm' Subaru thought as his body began to catch fire. His mind then showed him snippets of his life, as a last stitch effort of clinging to it.

"That's my boy!" My father said on my first birthday as he carried me in his arms. Pride and joy were evident on my father's face, ...I wish I could have been a better son.

"Oi, Subaru you're not eating your peas." My mother said as the three of us sat at the dining table.

"Do you want the-" My question was answered by my parents very swiftly.

"No." Answered my parents in unison. If only I had cherished these little moments before they were gone.

"Subaru, good luck in school."

"Take care kid."

"You're going to wash the dishes okay."

"Subaru, do you have a girlfriend?"

"Wake up, sleepy head."

"Hey Subaru, wanna go for a walk."

Subaru's memories then reached the time when he was summoned. No food, no money, no knowledge of the kingdom, too young to work, it truly was a difficult time. After three days of no food and shelter, a man with an eccentric attire interacted with him. The man was very mysterious from the way he speaks to the way he appears. He wore an unusual outfit, one that is typically used by clowns or jesters. He also wore make-up, further cementing the jester-like appearance. He has an eccentric way of speaking.

"Ve~ry well the~n. I'll b~e ta~king my lea~ve." The eccentric man said but before he left he gave Subaru an old book and a pouch filled with five gold coins. Confused with the generosity, Subaru tried returning the book and the pouch, but the man was nowhere to be found. With the money he received, Subaru bought three days' worth of food to compensate for the three days without it, and he still had four gold coins left. But as he ate the food he bought, he saw other children who were starving just across where he was situated. In an act of generosity, Subaru shared his food with the children. Filling their stomachs, which was empty for quite some time now. He befriended everybody he met, even going as far as labeling them his family. As he was distracted, a blur passed him by.

"What was tha-...Wait where's the book and the pouch?" Subaru asked as he noticed the book and the pouch the eccentric man gave him missing. He then heard a girlish giggle just across the corner as well as coins hitting against one another. So, Subaru gave chase, only to lose to her speed. 'What the heck is with this place?' Subaru thought as he caught his breath after running for about a few minutes. The slum area was really a hard place to traverse. But as he was about to lose hope, he heard the same girl's voice coming from a huge worn down building.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

"Oiii! I know you're there!" Subaru shouted as he kept knocking on the door. The book and the pouch were the only thing he had left.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

"Someone's in there right!" Subaru shouted once more.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

Subaru kept on relentlessly knocking on the door awaiting any response. Subaru heard heavy footsteps coming from within the building. And as the door creaked open, he was greeted with an annoyed giant. 'A-A-A A GIANT!' Subaru internally shouted as he was lost for words.

"Shut yer trap. You tryin' to bust down my door when you don't even know the signal or password?!" The giant said as he looked down on the little child in front of his loot house.

"Eeeekk! Sorry!" Subaru said as he did a dogeza. Subaru bowed his head as he asked for forgiveness, mostly because he's afraid of looking at the gigantic man.

"Ah, no need for apologies. Come, come inside it's getting late and it's cold out." Old man Rom said as he let the young boy enter his loot house. Inside the building was an assortment of goods, from armors, weapons, to ceramics.

'It's warm. It's warm inside.' Subaru thought as he finally felt the warmth of staying indoors. His eyes wandered the shop, inspecting every nook and cranny. But then his eyes focused on a blonde girl sitting on a chair with a very familiar book and pouch in her hand.

"Hey, I finally found you, you thief!" Subaru shouted at the blonde girl who was currently drinking milk. And that was how I met them, that's how I met my sister and old man Rom. Upon meeting them, old man Rom taught me how to read I-glyphs, I strived to learn the way of a thief, and spirits started helping and befriending me. With the help of the very same spirits, I managed to learn a branch of spell casting they call spirit arts. I then contracted two lesser spirits named Shi and Ne. My dark days became brighter as I spent more time with the family I established.

"NIIII-CHAAAN!"

But Subaru's trip to memory lane was then interrupted by a voice, a voice that he came to be familiar with. Outside the burning building, was Reinhard, Felt, and old man Rom. Rom was currently holding Felt back, as Felt wanted to enter the crimson blaze that is the loot house. Reinhard then enters the loot house, unfazed by the fire that's currently consuming it. 'So this is where the spirits came to.' Reinhard thought as he remembered seeing several spirits go towards the slum area. As he followed the spirit's path, he encountered Felt and Rom, who said they were in need of help in defeating the Bowel Hunter.

Within the loot house were two bodies. One was a woman with black hair, black clothes and a blade unique to the northern province. 'There's no doubt this truly is the Bowel Hunter.' He thought as he saw the lifeless body of the assassin. To think that a strong assassin was defeated by a young thief, was still shocking. He then focused his attention to the barely alive Natsuki Subaru. What Reinhard saw proved his suspicions. Countless spirits, lesser, quasi , or full, tried their best in stabilizing Subaru's condition. Reinhard began inspecting his wounds. His left eye was slashed, dried blood surrounded the wound, his stomach was slit open, causing his entrails to dislodge from his body. Yet he was still fighting for his life.

"Rei...nhard…-sa...n" Subaru exhaustively said.

"Don't tire yourself Subaru, you'll live." Reinhard tried his best in reassuring him.

"Tell...Felt...a-and...Rom...to...live...str-str-stro...ng" Subaru said as he breathed his last.

'I'm Happy.' Subaru thought as he finally felt complete. He finally let fate bring him to his destiny.

Darkness. There was no heaven, there was no hell, there was just a world, no, a garden of shadows. In this garden he had no mouth to speak, no body to move, no mind to think, no eyes to see. He's just a floating entity within the massive sea of shadows. Subaru then heard a soft and quiet whisper.

"I love you"