The Light Sphere and the Deal Between Rivals
Three hours since the Last Death (Nine Deaths)
"All that was left was this jewel..." Halibel said, once both were alone; in the demi-human's hand rested a shining sphere. The treatment had just finished, and Subaru had asked the Shinobi to bring him up to date with all that happened after his fainting, and to reveal to him what he had previously refrained from telling him; Halibel had decided to start with the latter. "I ain't sure what it is, but it's probably the reason why that Oni girl took on an appearance so similar to what the legends tell 'bout Zarestia."
"The reason? What makes you believe that?" Subaru asked, drawing his face closer to the sphere that constantly emitted light. However, his face was not within ten centimeters of it, when an abnormal force began to engulf him.
"That's exactly what I'm talkin' about." Halibel answered, after noticing the raven-haired boy expression, then returning the sphere to the bag of his kimono from which he had extracted it. Subaru, with a gesture of discomfort, backed away once the sphere left his range of vision. With sweat pooling on his forehead, Subaru looked back at Halibel.
"What the hell was that?! It felt as if a voice had started to whisper in my ear and a blaze of hostility began to burn inside me. Can you feel it too?" Agitated, Subaru questioned Halibel, desperate for an explanation of what had just happened.
"The truth's that I've no idea what this jewel might be, but the Oni girl that you thought was Zarestia had it. As I told ya, after her body was consumed by fire, only this survived. And yeah, I feel it too, it's like a wave of hostility swallows you whole. However, it seems to affect you much more than me…" And so Halibel stared curiously at Subaru after he finished speaking.
Was Subaru more severely affected by the strange effect of the sphere because his willpower was less than his own? That was a possibility, but Halibel believed that was not the case; not after seeing the great will burning within him. It was evident that the sphere affected certain people more than others; he had noticed this before with Mimi.
The little girl had also been more affected by the sphere than he, and so he had decided to place it in his pocket without inspecting it. Nevertheless, Subaru had been the one who reacted the strongest until now. Considering the kind of sensations that the sphere conveyed, Halibel was inclined to believe that it had something to do with wrath, hatred, or hostility; just as the Oni that had carried that sphere conducted herself.
Furthermore, Halibel still had Subaru's gaze etched in his mind when he proposed the plan to provoke the impostor Zarestia; as if he were not himself. A plethora of negative emotions seemed to burn inside him, and among them was definitely a deep hatred, one capable of clouding his mind completely; of that he was now certain. So the sphere resonated more with people who felt enormous anger or hatred?
That would explain why the sphere had affected him more than the others. In that case, one might wonder what had led the boy to feel such intense emotions. What had led him to have a determination that kept him going even with his body soaked in his own blood? What had led him to have a gaze so clouded by emotions like hatred and wrath? What had caused the hostile Oni to target him for assassination?
With those kinds of questions swirling around in his mind, Halibel was genuinely curious to find an answer for them. Still, he could tell that Subaru was not willing to answer most of them. Likewise, it was probable that he himself did not know the answers to some of them. Therefore, Halibel gave up on satisfying his own selfish curiosity.
"I can tell by the way you look at me, you know. It doesn't take instincts like yours to know you want to ask me something. Go ahead and ask." Subaru, noticing his obvious curiosity, urged him to ask the questions he had assumed would remain unanswered. Halibel, without much thought, seized the opportunity; after all, he didn't think he would ever get a chance like that.
"It's just that I believe the sphere's capable of affectin' people dependin' on how much anger or hatred they harbor. And durin' the fight against the Oni girl, it seemed to me that, in addition to great determination, you possess a great deal of negative emotions, such as hate and anger. Or at least that's what your gaze conveyed to me. So, am I wrong? " Thus, Halibel set out to corroborate his suspicions. Releasing a sigh, Subaru looked at his bandaged arms.
"I suppose that denying it would be useless... I won't tell you all the details, I'll just tell you that a couple of months ago, when I was in Priestella on a matter related to the Hoshin Company, two assassins were sent to finish me off. In the end I managed to survive, but in return many people died, and I was marked by the sin of murdering one person... No, I was marked by the sin of murdering a child... "
"A child?" Asked Halibel, between bewildered and disgusted.
"Well, it would be more accurate to call her a monster in a little girl's suit. She was one of the assassins hired to kill me, and she was capable of controlling mabeasts at will. In the end, I was forced to end her life... It could be said that this made it easier for the mabeasts that had not been defeated by the Fang of Iron to be exterminated. But it doesn't change that what I did continues to weigh heavily on my conscience. Since then I've had nightmares constantly, and therefore I've not slept well. The truth's that I think I'm gonna end up losing my mind… "Subaru paused and looked again at Halibel, who continued to pay attention to him in silence. "You ask me if you are wrong about whether I feel enormous hatred and anger; the answer is no. Since that day, and even more so after these nightmarish months, I feel a hatred that eats away at me, an anger that burns me... And those feelings are directed at the person who hired those assassins… So your theory that the sphere affects in greater measure people with such feelings makes sense."
"Hmm…" Halibel remained silent for a moment, in which he scanned Subaru with his eyes. The way he had said the penultimate sentence had left him pondering. Then Halibel broke the silence. "And you think that person is somehow related to the Oni girl's attack, don't ya?" At Halibel's question, Subaru nodded. Now that he had heard about this sphere that conveyed a dark aura of hostility, Subaru had dismissed his doubts. The person behind the rock that kept him alive during the excruciating torture, and the sphere capable of driving you crazy with whispers of hate, could not be other than the "Client". Clenching his fists tightly, Subaru looked Halibel straight in the eye.
"Halibel, could you tell me everything you know about the expedition to Zarestia's Bed that took place several weeks ago?"
"So you already knew about that expedition?" Halibel looked at Subaru slightly surprised, before proceeding with the explanation he was expecting. "The thing is, I don't know much about it. But it's true that when you said that the attacker was Zarestia, and after seein' her, I thought there would be some sort of connection with that expedition to Zarestia's Bed; which, I suppose you also know, is a cave besieged by terrible winds where she's believed to dwell."
"But after watching her transform into her Oni form, you stopped believing it. Is that what you're trying to tell me?" Responding to Subaru's question, Halibel denied with his head.
"On the contrary, Subaru…" Subaru, disconcerted, told him to explain himself, to which Halibel was quick to comply. "It seems you know about the expedition to Zarestia's Bed, but you don't know some details."
Subaru nodded. "I know that a member of the Lugunica nobility donated a lot of money anonymously in order to advance the expedition. This makes me even more suspicious that the person who hired the assassins is linked, in some way, to the Oni attack."
"Do you suspect the nobility of Lugunica?"
"Yes... As you may have noticed from my accent, I'm not from Kararagi. Nor am I originally from Lugunica, but I live there and work... creating artifacts, so to speak. That's how I ended up working for Anastasia Hoshin; she became interested in my work, and made a deal with me and my colleagues. So I suspect that the person behind the "Client" is a grudging business rival of hers, who wants to make me pay for having signed a contract with their enemy; and the nobility of Lugunica fits that profile. But I don't know anything else…"
"Hmm…" Exclaimed Halibel, holding a hand to his snout. "Considerin' that the Hoshin Company is originally from Kararagi, that theory makes a lotta sense.. You're quite insightful, Subaru." Kararagi and Lugunica were not on particularly bad terms, but it was true that it would be frowned upon for a craftsman or blacksmith from Lugunica to start working alongside a foreign company; especially in the proud Kingdom of Lugunica.
"The compliment was uncalled for…" Subaru muttered, dropping his shoulders. "That's why I need you to tell me everything you know. Hopefully, you know something that might help me find the person who wants me dead."
"Well... As I was sayin', seein' the false Zarestia transform into an Oni convinced me that I was right in associatin' her to the expedition to Zarestia's Bed. And that's because an acquaintance o' mine owns the Banan employment agency, where the expedition was arranged. Thanks to him, I learned that all the members of the group that carried out the expedition died; except for one."
"Let me guess." Subaru said. "An Oni just like the false Zarestia."
"Exactly... Like most Oni, she was a withdrawn, lonely woman of few words. It was rumored that she'd a great resentment against the Witch Cult, since it attacked her village; but that's all, rumors. Even so, we cannot deny that the information falls perfectly with what we saw today. The only thing I still don't understand is how that Oni girl ended up chasin' you…" Halibel then paused and glanced sharply and at Subaru. "Are ya a member of the cult by any chance?"
"Did you really have to ask that?" Subaru replied, annoyed.
"Heh, heh, heh, heh... It's true that you don't match much with the way those lunatics behave." Halibel laughed, losing the seriousness he had displayed only a moment ago. Had he asked the question in earnest, or was it just a joke? That was what Subaru wondered internally, but decided not to comment on it.
"Anyway… Don't you know anything else about the expedition? So far the only thing we'd get was the identity of the Oni that wanted to kill me, but with that information I can't do much."
"I already told ya I didn't know too much about it, Subaru." Halibel answered, defending himself. Causing with his words Subaru to sigh heavily. "You don't have to make such a long face. After all, there's still somethin' left." And in saying that, Halibel pointed to the bag of his kimono where he had kept the light sphere.
"The jewel? Still, I don't think it will be of much use." Subaru added, listlessly. "After all, the only thing left behind by the two assassins I told you about was a magical ore capable of binding the soul to the body regardless of what happened to it. And I didn't get a clue from it..."
"Hmm... That may be the case with the person you're lookin' for, but I think it might help to understand why the Oni changed into a similar form to Zarestia's figure and why she wanted to kill ya. Also, I feel it'd be best to take the light sphere to Zarestia's Bed. That's probably where the Oni girl got it from. This way I'll do my duty to Kararagi and be able to look for clues."
"Sounds good to me, I guess… If you find something, could you let me know?"
"Sure, I don't see why not." And thus, the conversation regarding the light sphere, the Oni girl, and the expedition to Zarestia's Bed, ended. Both left the room where Subaru's wounds had been treated and walked to the hall of the mansion, which was completely deserted.
"I'll leave for Zarestia's Bed immediately. If I manage to find any useful information, I'll soon return to inform you 'bout it". Halibel stated once they stood by the main door of the mansion.
"Great, I really appreciate it." With a sore smile, caused by the phantom pain that ran through his entire body and the discomfort caused by the splinters that remained under the skin on his forearms, Subaru thanked Halibel. The demi-human, satisfied, turned around. And he was about to cross the threshold of the door when Subaru's voice stopped him. "Halibel… Thank you for everything. Without your help, it'd have been impossible for me to survive this day."
"You don't have to thank me." Halibel replied with a broad, smoky smile. "I did it out of my own curiosity, after all."
"Still… I really appreciate it." Halibel then stood, totally still, staring at Subaru for a while. He seemed to want to say something, but he couldn't decide whether to do it or not. After a moment, Halibel spoke again.
"Ya know, Subaru... I really want to be alongside you when you change the world, because I know, thanks to my instinct, that you'll. So I'm askin' you, let me serve as your shadow." With a bizarre gleam in his eyes, Halibel expressed his desire to follow Subaru. "I'll make sure you stay alive and help you achieve your goals. And in return, I ask only to be able to witness your deeds."
For several seconds, Subaru stared at Halibel totally speechless. Not in his wildest dreams did he expect to hear those words from one of the most powerful warriors in that world; he never really expected to hear anyone tell him those words. Once he composed himself, Subaru responded.
"Aren't you supposed to be the most important warrior in the country? I guess you won't be able to keep following me once I go back to Lugunica and…"
"I'm one of the last Shinobi warriors, and there's no one above me. I can go wherever I want and do as I please. And I think followin' you will provide me with the change of scenery I've been waiting for. So I just have to talk to some of my comrades, and they'll fill in for me when I leave the country."
"I think you're wrong about me, Halibel. I doubt I'll change anything; I'm just a talentless guy, focused on reinventing objects created by people much more talented and skilled than me. Do you really want to follow someone like that? " As if he hadn't heard that question, Halibel remained completely still, his gaze still fixed on Subaru. He, grasping the meaning of it, sighed, and decided that it was best to change the focus. "In that case, join the Fang of Iron. Officially, work for somebody who's really worth following: Anastasia Hoshin. So, if you really want to be my shadow, then go ahead; work for me secretly as a member of Anastasia's mercenary group, and help me achieve my goal from the shadows. If that really suits you, I'll have no problem agreeing to it… "
With a smile tracing on his face, Halibel lowered his head slightly as a sign of respect. "As you say, boss." Hearing that last word, Subaru grimaced. He didn't want to be called that… But then he remembered what Halibel had told him after their first meeting on the terrace of the building next to the alley.
"Well, in that case I'll see you after you're done with your quest to Zarestia's Bed… Hal-san." That was the nickname that Halibel had jokingly told him to use to call him. Subaru, now that he would be his boss, decided that he would use it; anyway, he always liked to use nicknames to name the people close to him; of course, when there were people close to him...
"Hal-san?" Halibel asked, perplexed.
"If it bothers you, then…" What Subaru expected by calling him that was that, now that he had a nickname, the ever-casual Halibel would stop calling him boss; and, to his satisfaction, this is exactly what transpired.
"Nah, it's fine. I like it! In that case, I'll call you Su-san. Heh, heh, heh, heh..." And so, Halibel finally said goodbye to Subaru and left the mansion, leaving the latter immersed in his thoughts.
"Now someone else will assist me..." Subaru muttered, feeling pathetic. He was incapable of solving by himself the struggles that were posed to him, thus he could not afford to reject Halibel's unexpected proposal. "But I can't just depend on others and do nothing but stand idly by..." Subaru was not willing to continue being a mere burden, that was all too clear to him.
He wished he could at least be able to defend himself, even if only for a few minutes. Using the Lagmite of fire and liquor on Zarestia had worked, but replicating it would not be easy; especially considering that not all the obstacles he might encounter would be afraid of alcohol. So what could he do to take that much-needed step towards overcoming his weaknesses…?
"Onii-san!" But then Mimi's voice interrupted his thoughts…. Finally he was able to sit down to talk with Tivey and her, and thus confirming that they were both healthy. This time he alone had ended up with severe wounds, as he had received most of the damage in place of the others; so in the end he had not been entirely useless, and he hoped to stay that way.
After spending some time with the triplets and thanking the healer before he left the mansion, Subaru returned to his room. The search for a way to be more useful persisted in his mind, but Subaru was at a dead end. He had wished that he could continue to be harmed in place of others, but he was aware that his ability only served to bring him back to life, not to prevent him from dying.
He could use the ore he recovered from the assassins, but... No, that wouldn't do; after all, his body wouldn't last long before collapsing into a useless pile of flesh. It wouldn't change anything, just the amount of suffering he had to go through before he died.
Frustrated, Subaru felt the need to scratch his arms, but refrained from doing so. The splinters were still there, that had been his request to the healer. The wounds had healed, but under the scarred flesh were hundreds of pieces of wood. He would have to learn to cope with it, that was the mark Subaru had chosen to remind himself of the need to advance in his mission to overcome his weaknesses; ultimately, that was a tortuous path he had decided to walk himself.
If he scratched himself, he might open some of the newly closed wounds, so he opted to rummage through his pants pockets to distract himself. That was how he felt a folded paper in one of them. Without hesitation, Subaru pulled it out. In front of his eyes was a sheet of paper completely stained with blood, with the sketch of a weapon drawn on it. Faced with the image, Subaru could only let out a broken laugh...
"Ha, ha... Ha, ha, ha... I guess I've no choice... Dammit! I hate how much this fucking world is changing me."
One month and two weeks since the Last Death (Nine Deaths)
A month had passed since the third cycle of death had begun with his head being sliced off in the Kyo metropolitan area, and Subaru had finally concluded his stay at Anastasia's main mansion. He stayed two weeks and a couple of days more in Kararagi after his last conversation with Halibel; since then, Subaru had not heard from him again.
The signing of Kararagi's mightiest warrior by the Fang of Iron had not yet become official, but both Anastasia and Ricardo were aware of the situation; although Subaru, as expected, had deliberately kept several details to himself, like Halibel would actually be working for him from the shadows. "I ran into Halibel and thanks to him I survived." These were Subaru's words as he informed his boss about the events that took place in the Free Trade Metropolitan Area.
Anastasia, after learning that Subaru had been attacked again, did not hesitate to return immediately to Kyo along with the section of the Fang of Iron that she had taken with her. Upon her return, Subaru brought her up to date with what had happened and, having planned it in advance, "revealed" that he was able to see the future thanks to a Divine Protection that is activated when his life is in danger; exactly the same artifice that he had used with Halibel and that he had decided to maintain as the facade of his true ability, the one that had his mouth sealed by the taboo of the shadow.
The false revelation didn't cause much of a stir, which was to be expected considering that it was the most rumored theory among the Fang of Iron mercenaries about how he had anticipated the siege of the inn in Priestella. Everyone seemed convinced, everyone except Anastasia, whom it was enough for Subaru to look into her eyes to know that she had not fallen for his lie. Even so, she did not confront him about it, on the contrary, she ignored the subject and did not address it again. Subaru had been curious about why she had acted that way, but preferring not to risk having his artifice uncovered, he also remained silent on the matter.
Two weeks after Anastasia's return, she informed him that she would return to Lugunica to deal with various issues related to the Reinvention Project, meaning that Subaru would have to accompany her, and another issue regarding Hetaro's treatment. Since Subaru was not planning to stay in Kararagi after all, this was the perfect opportunity to finally return to the country that first hosted him in that world. Thus, Subaru, Anastasia, and much of the Fang of Iron, left for the Kingdom of the Dragon; although not before Subaru left behind a written message to Halibel.
In it, Subaru explained to him what had transpired and gave him the freedom to decide whether to wait for him in Kararagi, contemplating an inevitable future return, or to travel on his own to Lugunica. In the end, Subaru remarked that the best option was to wait for him in Kararagi, since he expected to return in a couple of months to participate in the move of part of the Hoshin Company to Lugunica. His main role in the relocation would be to select the members of the design department who would be part of the same department at the kingdom's headquarters; a task that Anastasia herself assigned him shortly before they began their journey back to Lugunica.
After almost a month's journey, which could have been twice as long if it weren't for the fact that they cut down on the number and length of land dragon rests, due to the fact that on this occasion Anastasia selected the most suitable for extremely long journeys, the party finally arrived in the capital of Lugunica. Specifically, it did so in Anastasia's second mansion...
Thus, after a night's rest, Subaru scheduled a meeting that would entail the re-encounter with his busy colleagues. However, before attending this meeting, he accompanied Anastasia to Karsten mansion. There, Anastasia would meet with the owner of the place, one of her rivals in the Royal Selection.
This meeting was intended to discuss the dealings involved in the healing of Hetaro's serious wounds, and the reattachment of his severed limbs; Subaru suspected that there was more to it, but since Anastasia was still tight-lipped about it, he decided to put the matter aside and focus on his next meeting with Otto and Leith...
"Hurry up, Onii-san!" A lively and cheerful voice echoed through the long corridor of the Karsten Mansion, one of the most emblematic of the upper-class area of the capital of Lugunica.
"W-Wait, Midge… We just got here and… you're already running around the corridors…" Subaru, on the other hand, was chasing her. With ragged breathing, he followed the girl with difficulty; if he got lost again in the long corridors of the mansion, this would be the third time it had happened.
After living in Anastasia's main mansion for about three months, Subaru had already gotten used to massive mansions like that. However, as this was his first time in that specific one, Subaru couldn't help but feel like the out of place, middle class Japanese that he was. Mimi, for her part, nimbly navigated through the corridors; all it took was a brief explanation from the owner of the mansion as to which direction she should go, and she was able to do so.
At that time, both were heading to the room where they would meet Hetaro, who was resting after a grueling series of rehabilitation exercises. Mimi, being as hyperactive as she was, could not wait to reunite with her brother and asked her mistress for permission to do as soon as they entered the Karsten Mansion. Anastasia, as usual, yielded to the whims of her little guard.
Tivey, exercising his position as a responsible brother, decided to take the place of his sister. Julius and Ricardo had not accompanied them to the mansion, since both were busy with other undertakings, so they would not be present during the meeting between the two candidates. And Subaru, although he was curious about what would be said at the meeting, couldn't help but say yes when Mimi asked him to join her.
"Anyway, I'm sure that neither Anastasia nor Crusch Karsten would've wanted me to be a witness of what they're about to discuss…" He said to himself as he stopped next to Mimi. After a moment, he realized that the girl, despite how excited she looked just seconds ago, was now frozen in front of a sanded oak door.
Subaru soon realized that it was that door that separated them from Hetaro, so he quietly placed his hand on Mimi's head and, after patting her gently, opened it on her behalf. Mimi winced, but said nothing about it; that was what she needed, after all. Once the door opened completely, both pairs of eyes met the lonely pair resting on a comfortable bed covered by a thin white sheet.
"Hello… Onii-chan…" Contrary to what would have been expected during a normal situation, Mimi's greeting was nothing more than a whisper that was easily swallowed by the air.. Still, the little bedridden demi-human smiled in response; both Subaru and Mimi then entered the room...
While the reunion between siblings and both young men, who still had words of gratitude to exchange after what happened at the inn in Priestella, was taking place, the meeting between rivals was unfolding without inconvenience. Crusch Karsten, the hostess, carefully watched Anastasia Hoshin, her guest, as she took a sip of the drink that had been offered to her.
"… Anastasia, I'm going to be blunt. I need your support, that of the Fang of Iron more specifically, to fight a common enemy." The greetings had already been exchanged and the introductions had already ended, so Crusch decided it was time to address the issue at hand; payment for the treatment of Hetaro, Anastasia Hoshin's guard who was terribly damaged during the attack in Priestella. An event that all the candidates for the Royal Selection were well aware of.
"A common enemy, ya say?" Anastasia replied, pulling the cup away from her mouth. A total silence then ensued, in which both factions exchanged scrutinizing glances. Crusch Karsten the Duchess, and Anastasia Hoshin the Merchant. Felix Argyle and Wilhem Van Astrea, the servants of the former, and Tivey Pearlbaton, the guard of the latter.
"Precisely." The manly woman answered adamantly, and then ended with a statement that chilled the atmosphere of the room. "I'm talking about the White Whale. I'm sure the name rings a bell for you, Anastasia…"