I don't own Re: Zero

Welp, here we are with Chapter 4, or as I like to call it...the first chapter of Arc 2 of this story.

Thank you to my reviewers, and followers. Love all of you guys. Now enjoy the chapter.


Arc 2: The People that I met

Julius Juukulius had never felt so useless in his life. Not when the flash flood had taken his parents, not when he had to bear witness as Prince Fourier Lugnica wasted away on his deathbed, not even when Cecilus Segmunt, divine general of the Vollachian Empire, had completely annihilated him in one of the most one sided duels of his life.

In all of those situations Julius had always had the logical excuse, though not a consolation, that there was nothing he could have done in the first place. He was just a child when his parents were swept away by the raging water, how was he supposed to do anything back then? He wasn't a healer, so how was he supposed to stop the sickness that took Fourier from this world? Cecilus's skill was simply on another level, he simply didn't have the power to beat him, so how was he supposed to hold him back?

He had, of course, felt guilt and helplessness, but at least there was always a part of him in the back of his mind that knew that he could never have done anything. It was a grim thought, but it had helped him come to terms with the tragedies that he had experienced.

However the utter insignificance that he felt now, the crushing weight of uselessness that bore down upon him like the sky itself, this was something much more horrifying than anything he had ever felt before. Because this time, he had no excuse. He had the power to prevent what was happening. His spirits, his skills, his blade, all was more than sufficient to deal with the issue at hand, and yet he couldn't do anything.

"What do you want from us?"

He was considered to be one of the most accomplished spirit users in Lugnica, a prodigy in the art, and yet he hadn't been able to sense the attack.

"Please don't kill us!"

He was called the knight of knights, one of the shining examples of Lugnica's chivalrous defenders, a pinnacle among warriors, and yet, for all his strength, he was powerless.

"Those damn cultists!"

He had trained for years, refined his skills, learned techniques, climbed the ranks, did everything he could to be an honourable protector of the masses, and yet he couldn't protect them now.

"Get them out of there!"

He had practiced with his Divine Protection, daily he had called out to the spirits, speaking with them, understanding them, forging contracts with them, spending hours every day learning how to battle alongside them, and yet even his status as the Spirit Knight didn't help him now.

"Where the hell are the royal knights? Where's the sword saint?"

Reinhard would have been able to prevent this, he thought bitterly. He, on the other hand, was worthless.

There was no warning of the attack. Not a single indication of the looming disaster, Not a single hint that could have given anyone even a chance of being prepared. The cultists had revealed themselves among the normal patrons of the inn, and before a single person could shout out, they had assumed control of the whole place. No one understood why they did this, or what kind of motif they could have had, but Julius knew that these men were driven by their mad, insane obsession with Envy. They believed that their twisted rituals would help bring the terrible Witch back to life, and thus the moment they gained power over the inn, they had taken hostages, and demanded materials for the completion of an "Ordeal."

Julius had rushed over the moment he heard the screams, but by the time he got there, a massive crowd of fearful onlookers had gathered in front of the building, and he was stuck behind it. He attempted to push through, trying to make his voice heard over the panicked clamour of the crowd, and the insane rambling of the head cultist, when he was stopped by a tug on his cloak.

Turning around he saw a being that seemed completely out of place in this awful moment. It was a girl. Ten years of age, wearing a white dress, and a wreath of blue flowers upon her green hair, she appeared to be the very image of youthful innocence. She was barefoot, had tanned skin, and expressive red eyes. A child.

"Why are you so scared, mister?" she asked him curiously.

Julius was shocked for a moment, but then realized that the girl must've been unable to see what was actually happening at the very back of the panicking crowd. The poor thing must've been separated from her parents in the catastrophe. Yet another injustice he was unable to prevent.

He bent down on one knee to look her evenly in the eye. "Young miss, you should leave the area, there are some really bad people here right now, and it's dangerous for girls like yourself."

"Bad people?" she asked, tilting her head, seemingly uncomprehending of the danger. "Does that mean they are sinners?"

Julius started for a moment, but realizing that the girl must've been raised by a very pious family, answered quickly. "Yes, they are sinners and very dangerous ones at that. You should get out of here, ok?" He tried to act calmingly, despite his own fear for the innocents trapped inside.

The girl simply looked up at him. "It's ok mister. If they're sinners," she smiled brightly, "then they'll be judged very soon."


Re: Zero: The Prideful Plague

Chapter 4: My Death Returns


"Does this mean that I've been summoned to another world?"

That was the exclamation made by one Natsuki Subaru, as he suddenly found himself in a completely different location from the one he was in before. The night sky of Japan was replaced by a completely different bright blue sky. The quiet road of the Saitama prefecture had, in the time it took to blink, become a bustling street that was filled with carts and the yelling of drivers. The empty sidewalks and lone convenience store changed into crowds of pedestrians, and many medieval and renaissance style buildings.

As he walked along the road, marveling at the large reptilian creatures dragging the carts around, at the various demi humans mingling in the masses, and the vibrant noises of the city, he couldn't help but feel utter elation. "A hikikomori like me, finally having the opportunity to live his life to the fullest. I can't wait to get started!"

Suddenly he stopped and brought his hand up to his chin in deep concentration. "Wait a second...where the hell am I supposed to start in the first place?" he yelled out as the realization hit him. "I don't even have anything cool on me, where's my excalibur sword and super magic?"

His exclamation did nothing but attract a few curious gazes from some of the pedestrians.

Subaru hung his head. "I guess I'll just have to stick to exploring the area..."

Thus he continued walking the streets of the unknown city, trying to figure out what exactly this place was. In the process he learned a few things. One, despite the fact that the language used here sounded the same as back on earth, he could not read it. Two, he was completely and totally lost, and had no idea what to do.

Eventually he stopped by a fruit stand. Or rather, what remained of a fruit stand, for the green haired merchant that operated the place was clearly in the process of closing up shop. Subaru watched the merchant's actions for a while, until the older man noticed him and turned around.

"Eh? What'd you want, boy? Can't you see I got enough problems already?"

His voice was gruff, but tinged with a hint of sadness as he slowly moved his crates and wares off of display. Unsure of what to do, Subaru decided that the best course of action would be to ask his own question.

"Uh, why are you closing down shop? Street looks busy, what if someone wants to buy?" In hindsight it was a pretty stupid question to ask. Clearly the merchant had a good reason to do what he was doing. Perhaps a more useful or reasonable question would have been, "do you know what this place is?" But humans weren't reasonable creatures, and Natsuki Subaru was very much human.

The merchant sighed irritably. "What, you live under a rock or something, boy? Didn't you hear about the attack? Lugunica's not safe right now." He shook his head and grunted as he began moving a particularly heavy crate.

"The damn cult decided to use one of the inns for a ritual, so they kidnapped everyone inside, and started proclaiming their insane ideas. Knights couldn't even do anything." He wiped the sweat off of his brow, and turned fully to Subaru, continuing with his story. "Course, there was a huge crowd of onlookers, panicking and all that. I was there too. Wanted to run, but the damn cultists kept screaming that the "first person to turn their back shall be sacrificed in the name of the Witch" or some shit like that."

His face darkened. "And then…then that thing showed up." Subaru saw a shudder run up the powerfully built man's spine. "Burned the whole place to the ground."

Subaru's eyes widened. "Something like that happened recently?"

The merchant stopped moving his crates and shook his head. "Listen to me carefully boy," he said gravely. "I'm not young. I've seen many things in my life. Both good and bad people. However, I have never witnessed such utter concentrated hatred. For all the fear that the cult instills…back then it wasn't them that I was afraid of."

His eyes gained a haunted expression. "That creature…it burned everything. I swear I've never heard such horrible screams in my entire Od damn life. Hope I never will again."

He spat angrily on the ground. "That's why I'm moving. Don't want to be in the same city as the cult or that damn thing." He looked at Subaru for the final time. "You'd best get moving too, boy. I can't be wasting time talking to random strangers. Now scram!"

With those words Subaru found himself on the move again, his mind filled with even more questions than before. "I guess events happen in this world even without a quest for the main character. Is this one of those worldbuilding exposition moments? Then again, this could be serious, I should probably stay away until I can learn to do magic or something." He thought to himself out loud.

Filled with such thoughts, and looking at the ground as he walked along the streets, he didn't notice quite what, or rather who, was in front of him. Thus he didn't see that he walked right into someone until it was too late.

"Oof." Subaru stumbled back and shook his head, feeling slightly disoriented from the impact. Naturally, he looked up to see what was the reason for his collision, not quite sure what to expect, but ready for anything.

"Oh, sorry about that. You alright my friend?" came a calm, and slightly monotonous voice, that was nevertheless filled with the type of surprised amusement that one gets when something unexpected, yet nonetheless hilarious, occurs.

Subaru looked up. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Guess I was just deep in thought." The person he said this to nodded, and held out a hand to help Subaru up. The japanese youth took it gratefully and the other man pulled him up to his feet.

Though Subaru did not know it yet, this would become the first of many times.

"Yeah, I get that," said the person who helped him. It was a young man, appearing to be around twenty years of age. He had dark hair, slightly spiky, and a fairly pale complexion. The clothes he wore were also very dark in color. His chest was covered in a black breastplate that was made of a material Subaru could not identify. Dark grey pants tied by a black metal belt covered his legs, and his feet were enclosed in military style boots which, like the rest of the outfit, were dark in color. Behind him, a tattered black cloak, frayed on the edges, fluttered in the gentle breeze.

There was another thing on his back as well. It was similar to a spear, though it wasn't quite the same shape.

Like the rest of the man's garments, the spear-like thing was black in color. Both the handle and the blade itself. It was similar in appearance to a javelin, the type one would throw, yet the edge of the blade was jagged, like it was made for tearing into and gripping the flesh of its victim rather than piercing it. Suddenly, Subaru recognized it for what it was. A harpoon.

His eyes continued observing the man, when a ray of sun hit them at a specific angle and caused a glare on another small object located on the man's belt that Subaru hadn't noticed before.

A small bag was attached to his belt. It stood out slightly, being brown in color, and stained with splotches of an unknown substance. Held closed by a simple string it gave the impression of some kind of beggar's pouch. However, it wasn't that which drew Subaru's attention.

It was fairly easy to miss, as it was partially covered by the cloak, not to mention that it was positioned specifically so that the brown bag covered it, and it wouldn't be eye grabbing, but now that the sunlight exposed it Subaru did notice, and couldn't help but yell out in surprise.

"Holy crap is that a gun?"

The man looked surprised for a moment as his eyes darted to the pistol on his hip, though it quickly faded into what looked like curiosity. "Huh, I don't think I've met anyone who recognized it for what it was in quite a while." He quirked his head slightly. "You're…from Earth, aren't you? Though I should've guessed by the clothes…"

"What do you mean "from Earth?"" Subaru asked the other man, catching on to that phrase. "Where else would I be fro-" he stopped suddenly, the realization washing over him "Wait wait wait-Were you also summoned here?"

The man glanced around, noting the busy street and the raised eyebrows of some of the onlookers. "Conversations of such an…interesting topic should not be held out in the open. We should probably move this somewhere else." He turned around and began walking away, gesturing for Subaru to follow.

Subaru, utterly confused at the turn of events, found himself jogging to catch up with the other man. "Hey wait, where are we going anyway?" He yelled out.

Despite not seeing his expression, due to being behind him, he somehow knew that the man smirked. "Be patient, and follow me kid. We have a lot to discuss."


They stopped in a small alley in between two buildings. The man turned around and looked at Subaru carefully.

Subaru in turn, also observed the man. There was something about him that made him feel on edge. Something about him that was not quite right. He couldn't quite tell what this "something" was, but he knew that it was there, and he knew that it was wrong.

After a minute of silent observation, the man finally spoke. "So, how long ago did you get, uh, warped here?"

Subaru took a look at his phone. "Around...two hours I'd say. I guess I'm at just the first level for now."

The man nodded slowly, clearly thinking something through. "Well, I suppose in that case you would have no idea of where exactly you are, nor what you should do, am I correct?"

Now it was Subaru's turn to nod. "Yeah, I don't even know what the name of this place is, or where I am supposed to go," he frowned a bit, realizing something. "Wait, how long have you been here? You have a gun, which means you can't be from a fantasy world. Everyone knows that Fantasy Isekai-MMORPG worlds don't use guns!"

The man burst into laughter. "Oh man, that's a good one. I haven't heard a video game reference in over fifteen years now. Gotta say kid, you're a breath of fresh air with the way you present yourself."

Subaru stared at him. "Fifteen years? What the heck man!? You look around twenty, have you been here since you were five years old?"

The man shook his head, his amusement fading into his previous neutral monotony so quickly that it was almost unnatural. Once again Subaru was hit with the unpleasant feeling that something wasn't right with the man. It was stronger this time, and the mean-eyed boy was able to realize that it was something about his features. Some part of his anatomy that was inherently inhuman.

Perhaps it was because of that inhumanity, that Subaru was unable to understand where the wrongness lay.

After all, a human can never understand a monster.

"No, no, not at all," the man said. "I stopped aging soon after I received…" he stopped suddenly, and Subaru saw his arm spasm for a moment. It jerked uncontrollably, like something alive and wholly separate, and the man grimaced before violently clenching his fist to bring it back under control. Shaking his head, he continued, his voice just a bit more monotonous than before, "...After I came to this world. I am thirty five."

Subaru's eyes widened. The guy in front of him stopped aging? What a cheat code kinda power was that? Not only that, but he had a gun, and an awesome harpoon-spear thing? Man, was that unfair. And all he got was his phone, snacks, and a few hundred yen! This world's system was so unbalanced!

The man shook his head as if clearing his thoughts, and once more focused his gaze on Subaru.

"Well, my age notwithstanding, allow me to tell you about this place." He spread his arms out in a mocking gesture. "Welcome to the Dragon Kingdom of Lugnica. One of the four great nations. It's...pretty much as much a fantasy world as you'd think. Though it's not quite from the video game genre."

He paused for a moment, seemingly considering something. "I'll let you discover all the details on your own though. I don't want to ruin the experience for you. Just…be careful, yeah? This place can be pretty messed up if you're not."

"Yeah, I heard about that," Subaru answered, remembering his recent conversation with the green haired merchant. "Apparently there was a fire recently? I think some kinda creepy organization attacked one of the inns around here."

He said this quite proudly, being eager to demonstrate that he wasn't totally clueless. That he wasn't starting completely from zero.

The man cocked his head, and looked at him curiously. It was then that Subaru realized what it was that bothered him about this person. It was his eyes. There was something about them that was inherently wrong. Something from them was missing,

It was light. That spark of life that signifies the existence of emotion. That little shine that shows one's passion and happiness.

The man's eyes didn't have it. They were cold. Unimaginably so. Dead and empty, like a fish on the ice in a market. Or perhaps rather, they were broken. Like that little light that had once existed in them long ago was violently extinguished over years of unimaginable suffering.

The man sighed, and ran his hand through his hair, suddenly looking very exhausted. "Yeah, yeah I heard all about that."

Subaru waited for him to say something else, to elaborate somehow and share possible details, but he stayed silent, just as his eyes stayed unchanging, dead, and still.

After a moment it became awkward and Subaru realized that if he didn't continue the conversation it would evolve from merely a bit uncomfortable to straight up tense. Problem was, he had no idea what to say or to ask. He hesitated for a minute, unsure of how to continue, before deciding to go for broke.

"So um, what's this group of bad guys that the people are talking about?" he ventured. After all, he thought, if the hero doesn't ask for information, how is he going to get exposition on his quest to defeat the villains?

The man let out a humorless chuckle. "Ah yes, "The Witch Cult"," a note of anger made its way into his tone. "They're zealots, to make it short and simple. Like the terrorist groups you'd hear about on the news back home. They are utterly possessed by the idea of freeing their icon "The Witch Of Envy" from her seal."

"The Witch of Envy? Is she their leader?" asked Subaru, taking a guess.

Surprisingly the man shook his head. "You'd think so, wouldn't you, but no, she has no association with them that I am aware of. They simply put her on a pedestal in order to justify their crimes." The anger in his words grew more pronounced at that.

He looked away from Subaru. "In their mindless religious fervor these vile creatures spread their cancer across this country," he sneered. "Puppets of Vanity, symptoms of The Tumor" he spat the last word like it was some vile curse.

"Tumor, What do you mean by that?" Subaru tilted his head curiously. A moment later he felt like he made some kind of horrible error.

The man stiffened. Then, slowly and unnaturally his head angled to stare at Subaru. The mean-eyed boy couldn't help but feel a jolt of fear prick him in his heart. The man's gesture did not look even remotely humanoid. It almost seemed like a giant black corvid bird was slowly directing its gaze at him.

Yet that gaze no longer held the previous passion that had been there a mere moment ago. The man's anger had evaporated, a strange sort of pitiful confusion taking its place, and he looked at him with a puzzled expression. No, Subaru thought. It was more than mere confusion. It was like the man simply could not grasp the very idea that Subaru didn't understand what he was referring to.

"It's-It's The Tumor." he repeated, a slight anxious note creeping into his voice. "You know, The Tumor? I just said what it was, didn't you understand?"

"I really don't get it though," the mean eyed boy admitted. "What is this Tumor you're talking about?"

The man stared at him, the confusion in his eyes growing. "It's…it's the…the uh...The Tumor." he repeated, the anxiety slowly building in his tone. "You know what a tumor is, right? It's like that. It's a…what's the word," he snapped his fingers twice, trying to search for something that he could not find. "It's…yeah it's The Tumor. You get it now?"

He was met with Subaru's completely befuddled look. "What?"

The man grew agitated. "It's, it's… The Tumor, you know…the…T-The disease." He began to pace with nervous energy, a wild look growing in his eyes, his words turning into a senseless projection. To Subaru it seemed like he was desperately attempting to describe something, or to convey a meaning and yet simply…could not.

"W-why don't you understand, it's The Disease, the…the sickness, t-the plague. It's the plague. The worst of any illnesses…" he deteriorated into senseless rambling. There was something eerie about it, this strange sudden madness. Subaru couldn't help but take a wary step back.

"Hey, hey chill out, alright? Look, I get it, whatever it is you're talking about, just calm down ok?"

His words seemed to work because the man stopped his pacing, his eyes sharpening and focusing back onto Subaru, the wild look in them vanishing, almost like being suppressed.

"I…apologize," he said quietly. "I don't usually get so emotional. I hope I didn't come off as insane. It's just that I've seen so many infected people, and you're so pure that I thought…I hoped you would understand."

He suddenly looked dejected and exhausted. Like the frantic energy that powered him mere moments ago had left him drained of any strength he had. Looking at him, Subaru felt a wave of pity rise up within him.

"No no, it's fine. I get passionate about things too. Like this one time in Dungeons and Dragons my character got lost and…" he trailed off, registering something very important.

"Wait a minute! I'm lost too! I have no idea where I'm supposed to go!" the japanese youth grabbed his hair in sudden panic. "Man, what kind of Isekai dumps their protagonist in a city with no instructions on what to do?"

The other made a noise of amusement. "Actually, I think quite a lot of Isekai anime do that. Heck, I think the first season of Digimon started exactly that way."

Subaru stared at him outraged. "What!? Digimon isn't an Isekai!"

The man in the black cloak raised an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah it is. The Digidestined get transported to another world don't they?"

Subaru shook his head. "No way, it misses crucial aspects of being a transported-to-another-world show. There's a formula for the genre that Digimon doesn't have." He crossed his hands in front of him. "I can't believe you think Digimon is an Isekai, that's like a sin against anime culture!"

The man shrugged, seemingly unconcerned by his heretical opinion, before his eyes widened. "Sin…Oh no, you just reminded me!" He exclaimed. "Sorry man, I can't talk much longer, I just remembered, but I have an extremely pressing issue that I need to figure out" he said as he began walking away at a brisk pace.

"Woah," Subaru stepped to the side to let him through, "what happened? You're like, in a huge hurry all of a sudden. Did you also get lost like I did?"

The black clad man gave a negative shake of his head. "Not me. However my…" he stopped suddenly, and his arm gave another singular spasm. "My charge has run off. I have to find her before she gets into some kind of mischief." he sighed deeply. "She's the type of person that cannot be left alone for long, because whenever she is, trouble seems to follow."

He made a sweeping gesture with his hand. "My associate and I have been searching for her all over town, but we got separated, and the longer I stay in one place the higher there is a chance that Typhon will get tangled up in some kind of mess."

"Typhon?" Subaru asked, "Is that who you're trying to find?" Seeing a nod, he hesitantly continued, rubbing his head sheepishly. "Do you want any help looking for her?"

The other shook his head again. "I wish but no. Typhon is a special case. She's a very prideful girl, and can make quite the…" he twitched "shattering first impression. I'd best look for her myself, though I do sincerely thank you for your offer." He took a few more steps then slowed, considering something.

"Actually, you know what, she's around this tall, has green hair with flowers in it, and wears a white dress. If you do see her, tell her to "go back to The Clinic." So if you do encounter her and do that, then I'd appreciate it." He said, nodding slightly in the end.

"In any case, sorry I can't talk any more, hopefully I'll see you around…" Another pause. "...Huh, I don't think I caught your name kid."

Subaru grinned, and pointed his finger at the sky. "I am Natsuki Subaru. Not only am I lost, but I'm also utterly clueless and completely broke!" he exclaimed proudly. Then, realizing something, he addressed the stranger in black.

"I'm pretty sure you didn't tell me your name either. Who are you?"

The man hesitated for a moment. Then his mouth formed into a very slight smile, and for a minute he looked just that bit more human. "Fomalhaut Anderson."


It was around three hours later that Fomalhaut got any clues on Typhon's location. By that point the sun had begun to lean heavily to the west, and the Capitol was becoming bathed in the glow of the sunset. It painted a beautiful picture, the kind of setting that one reads about in a romance novel. He perceived it with a dark uncaring gaze.

The update came in the form of a tiny orange ball, made of flickering heat. Though almost invisible in the background of the setting sun's rays, Fomalhaut nevertheless saw it clearly. After all, the little spirit had been with him for over fourteen years now, and he'd come to recognize it anywhere. Extending his arm, he allowed it to perch itself to hover right above his outstretched palm.

"Any news?" he asked it curtly.

It's glow brightened slightly, orange turning to orange-red, and the warmth intensified along with the color palette.

"Inquiry Affirmative, Pride, Witch, Location Discovered."

Its voice was the opposite of what one would expect from a miniature ball of fire. It was toneless, cold and impassive. Machine-like in its rigidity. It's words however, were the exact thing that Fomalhaut had hoped to hear. He could almost taste the sigh of relief as he exhaled. Now to find Typhon and begin running damage control. Again.

"Very good. Where did you see her?"

"I, I, Witness, South, Amidst the Hovels, Movement, Headed North."

Fomalhaut frowned in thought. "So she was in the slums, but decided to head on over to the north part of town. Why would she go to the northern part? The Clinic is nowhere near there and neither are any of the candy shops." He wrinkled his brow in concentration. "What is she-" He smiled exasperatedly at the realization. "Oh, she's bored. Of course she'd go to the manor."

A half-groan, half-chuckle made its way out of his throat. "Honestly, I turn away for one moment, and she runs off. She really is way too excitable sometimes isn't she. I guess that's what happens after four hundred years of knowing nothing but an empty Dream Castle."

It was then that something registered. "Have you discovered any victims? Did she go on a judgement spree by any chance?"

"Inquiry Denial. Discovery, none."

Well that was something at least, Fomalhaut thought. Didn't exclude the possibility though. The real problem was that Typhon was headed North. If she took the shortest route to where he thought she was going, then that would take her through one of the most populated areas of the city. Oh god, Typhon on her own in a populated area. That could not be allowed to happen.

Breaking out of his chain of thought he addressed the little spirit, his tone returning back to its blank, emotionless state. The short moment of fond annoyance passed like it had never been there in the first place. A wisp of humanity that had made its way to the barren rock of his soul.

"We are moving out. We must reach Typhon's location before she makes her way through the Nobles' District."

Looking at the little spirit, he addressed it directly. "You've done well, as usual. You are to return now." It let out two pulses of red in response, and two gusts of extra heated wind washed over him.

"I, I, Acknowledge, Command, Maintain Contract." It's voice, unchanging as usual signified the spirit's absolute compliance with Fomalhaut's words. Floating out from his hand it split into two, spiraled around his palm twice, before disappearing into the muzzles of the two devices attached to his wrists.

Fomalhaut looked down at them thoughtfully. The two flamethrowers no longer looked sleek and glossy like they had all those years ago in Atticus's shop. They had accumulated scars, scratches and in many places their paint had peeled away. The signs of wear were more than noticeable. Yet there was another difference about them now. Back then they had been mere decor, unusable and empty. Now, as the little spirit vanished inside of them, they both flickered with orange light.

Taking one last look at the sky, which was now beginning to quickly darken as the sun slowly fell and bled away into the horizon, he took a single moment to adjust the pouch on his belt. As he did so, he could hear the clinking of the vials from inside. Satisfied in making sure that it was secure, he turned around and began to march toward where he was sure he would find Typhon.

It was then that the horror began.

The first hint he got that something was wrong was that the world suddenly lost all hues. It wasn't due to the fact that the sun had set, for even the purples and blues of the evening sky had turned into nothing but a colorless gray. Fomalhaut stopped dead in his tracks, his hand automatically reaching for the weapon on his back, his dark eyes darting warily from left to right.

Failure

A single breath later his body seized and shuddered violently. Sudden harsh cold assaulted his form, and so great was it that it seemed to him that not only his body, but time itself had been frozen solid by it. And in this dark frozen limbo, Fomalhaut knew with sudden clarity, that his death was rushing toward him.

He experienced a strange sensation then. It wasn't anything physical, nor was it anything as mundane or human as fear. Rather, it was a sort of medical acknowledgement of the terminal end. For a second he was utterly calm. His eyes, unable to move, dulled into nothing.

Failure Failure Failure

His awareness vanished next. The colorless world around him bled away into a realm where only darkness and mists exist. Yet somehow, his brain registered the presence of another. His senses had failed. They were crushed into dust, and yet he could still see. He could still feel. He could still hear. And it was thus that he heard the hateful admonition.

"Failure Failure Failure Failure Failure"

The End reached for him, and in its cruelty The End allowed him to perceive it. The End was shrouded in shadow, its clawed hands, made of a ghoulish writhing purple, reached for him with malice and disgust. They thrashed and squirmed and inexorably stretched towards him. He could not move to stop them, though with a sense of muted interest he thought that if he could do anything, he might have tilted his head.

The End, full of betrayed anger, impotent hopelessness, blind grief, and starved love, advanced. The first hand reached his throat, and violently seized it with abyssal talons. The second, slowly, and almost gently phased into his body, and under two pairs of dead eyes, crushed his heart.

"You failed."

Pain erupted throughout him, and torrents of red spilled from his mouth. As they fell they dissolved into the shadowy abyss. His awareness fled and the cold seeped into his torn heart, saturating every ripped artery. For a moment he existed in an exquisite balance. Both completely numb, and at the same time, devoured by unearthly torment.

And that's how, he-Fomalhaut Anderson-lost his life.

The next thing his mind registered was the bright daylight in the capital, an alley in between the buildings, and Natsuki Subaru, with a haunted look in his eyes, trembling and gasping for breath.

End.

Yeah, you thought I was gone, huh? Nope. I'm back.

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