In the distant future
Heinkel was exhausted under the corpse of his underling.
He finally had enough strength to push the lacerated body off of him, the absence of decaying weight finally allowed the Deputy Commander to take in a deep breath of fresh air he didn't know he needed. His nerves were rattles, his heart beating too hard, his skin covered in sweat, and soaked in blood that wasn't his.
When Heinkel steadied his nerves, he stood up before removing the sword from the body he just threw off him - one of the mercenaries he employed who tried to shove a dagger into Heinkel's mouth - before looking around in the town square of the desert town of Mirula.
Even though it was near the Augria Sand Dunes, the dusty and dry air couldn't mask the smell of dead bodies rotting under the hot sun. It was nauseating. What unsettled Heinkel more was how these people died. He managed to get a glimpse before he was attacked.
Some betrayed each other in feral combat.
Others scarfing down so much food they choked on it.
Thieves killing each other to horde the most valuables they stole from the town and each other.
Heinkel turned around when he heard the giggling. He faced a light-skinned little girl, with golden hair that reached to the ground, with a mouth filled with cruelty and sharp teeth.
Even though the lumps of yin magic binding her movements, and her body tied to the water well in the middle of the town square, Louis Arneb - one of the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony - was mocking Heinkel. For all the people who died in capturing her and her two brothers - who are restrained with yin magic and locked in a nearby carriage that was coated in gore from the bloodbath, their victory was ultimately premature and their sense of euphoria was twisted into something disgusting before they turned on each other.
Everyone except Heinkel, who was caught off-guard by this dark twist.
"You little freak…!" Heinkel seethed in rage as marched up to Louis, who still giggled at the red-haired man's misfortune. "What did you do to my army?!"
"We didn't do anything," Louis said with a smile. She knew Heinkel was too scared to come near her - it's why he had other people fight the battle instead of participating. "It was 'he' who made those idiots seek satisfaction for their desires, tsu!"
"He?" Heinkel looked at the carriage containing the other two gluttonies. "One of your brothers did this?"
"A sibling, yes," Louis said before she shook her head. "But not Roy and Ley; they don't have the skill to make others indulge in true gluttony, tsu!"
"True gluttony?"
"Where hunger comes from beyond the body; it erupts from the soul! This carnage only means one thing!" Louis said with an excited tone. "Big Brother is here, tsu!"
"Big Brother?" Heinkel repeated before shaking his head in denial. "There are four of you?"
"There's six of us," A voice corrected from behind Heinkel. "One of them is reading the books I got her, and the other one is sleeping off a big meal she ate earlier. They're not Sin Archbishops like the triplets, but I still see them all like family."
All of Heinkel's shock and fear had turned into pure loathing and malice at the voice behind him. The Deputy Commander turned around to see the black-haired youth who made reappearances in his life.
"Subaru..." Heinkel growled. "...You're the one who killed my army?"
"Technically you killed them by leading them here," Subaru said, taking a good look around at the carnage. "I'm honestly a little impressed. Having your subordinates carry mana stones infused with yin magic, then having them rush after my siblings and detonating them? With all that raw yin magic everywhere, even with the Leaper Technique, it would be hard to avoid a spell being cast."
"I fight smarter, not harder."
"Something you've only recently learned, yet the cowardice is still there," Subaru stated, his disdain clear for the red-head. "Then again, beating up those who are younger than you must feel really good, considering how you tried to kill me before, and how you treated your son."
"He's a monster who murdered my mother," Heinkel said with familiar scorn, more agitated with every insult traded with black-haired youth before him. "The little girl and her brothers behind me are worse, and you're just some dumb brat who doesn't know his place."
"I could say that about you," Subaru said. It was easy to provoke Heinkel. "Taking on the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony was stupid, even by your standards. My younger siblings managed to slaughter half of your troops before I got here - tell me; did those who exploded earlier knew about the mana stones, or did you just plant it on them?"
"Is that supposed to matter? They did their job."
"It does if they're under your command - come on, suicide-bombing for a drunk like you? That's just sad!"
"Ain't my problem they weren't tough enough to survive," Heinkel said before smirking. "You know I was mad I lost my army, but at least I don't have to pay them anymore."
"So you care less about the fact they've died? They might have been mercenaries, but they were also people who were loyal enough to follow and protect you… yet I guess when it's you of all people, disappointment follows close by."
"And when everyone else went crazy and started killing each other, I was the only one unaffected - so it doesn't seem like such a huge loss. Looks like you're losing your touch, boy."
"It doesn't take much to get people to submit to their inner primal cravings," Subaru said. "It works much easier in Lagunica so I don't have to exert much energy. You being the only survivor among the hundreds under your command proves my point."
"That some people aren't going to tolerate your existence anymore?" Heinkel sneered.
"No, it's just that most people in this country are the easiest to manipulate," He clarified. "Vollacia's favoring the strong and culling the weak caused its population to be strong enough so they don't easily fall for my passive abilities, Kararagi is so mellowed out that most folks don't have any ambitions to indulge in, and the devouts in Gusteko act the same because their inner desires align with their spiritual beliefs - but Lagunica?"
Subaru closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "Oh, sweet Lagunica…" Subaru spoke the name of the country as if it was a heavenly buffet, but there was underlying hate for it. His eyes had a look of nostalgia but his mouth was akin to a deranged predator, where killing their prey comes first, and eating them is nothing more than a bonus. "A place where no one is satisfied. A land where everyone is craving for more wealth, power, or status - even if they already have all three; it's like watching a plague of locust in posh clothing cannibalizing itself - eating yet starving, consuming but never satisfied - until their ambitions get themselves killed or they lose everything and starve."
"...What's a locust?"
"That's what you're focusing on - the bugs? I just insulted your country, I thought you would at least had some loyalty to defend its honor!"
"What's there to admire?" Heinkel scoffed, showing off that annoying grin Subaru was familiar with. "It would make sense for you to see the scum of the place for what it is, I can understand why you stayed - practically a haven for a glutton like you."
"It's the reason why I left for a while," Subaru admitted, much to Heinkel's surprise. "With the rich neglecting the poor, where those in upper society have megalomaniac plans and used others as pawns, how getting a headstart in politics is more important than the people they're going to rule over - it's only natural that I find a new atmosphere to relax and enjoy my meals; a hobby Louis and I love to do."
"Then why bother staying in Lagunica for so long, or even come back after you left the country? I think you would have done everyone a favor if you just jumped off the Great Waterfall."
"Special ingredients can only be acquired in certain places - but as I said before, I was just trying to find a relaxing place to eat. I try to find a place to settle, some outside danger closes in, I move on when I could before it hits, and repeat. Didn't stop me from eating - when you're stress eating you don't even notice how the bad environment can affect the taste - and I did make some good memories in Lagunica, but it was just not worth the trouble that follows. "
"Are you sure you aren't the 'plague of locust' in your metaphor?" Heinkel accused, his grin still present - he'd take any chance to rile up the young man. "You are seemingly involved in major events, and from the rumors of your eating habits, I bet even a freak like you knows what those bugs taste like."
"A rich nutty flavor; even better when you remove the spines and legs, coating them in spices and roasting them over a smokey fire," Subaru said as he defended one of his favorite snacks. "There's no such thing as bad food, only bad preparation."
"I guess that also applies to people too, you disgusting cannibal."
"Don't call me a cannibal!" Subaru snapped in a rare emotional outburst of rage - it only made Heinkel's smirk grew; he managed to get a reaction out of him. "I hate it when people mislabel me and accuse me of something I'm not - like that blue-haired maid who tried to kill me because she thought I was a member of the Witch Cult!"
"Which is true since blondie-" Heinkel jerked his thumb over him should to at Louis before pointing at a carriage nearby." -and the two idiots trapped in there see you as family. It wouldn't surprise me you ate the maid and fed her to the other little cannibals behind me."
"It's not cannibalism if we're not the same species," Heinkel noticed Subaru only denied the 'cannibalism' bit, not the 'eating the maid' part. "But I'll admit, my justification for eating people and your sad reasons for ruining your own life, Heinkel, have one thing in common; they're nothing but a poor excuse."
"Say whatever you want, Witch Cultist - you expect me to believe that you're not a member?"
Heinkel's words were interrupted when Louis started giggling again. He turned to glance over his shoulder at the smirking Sin Archbishop.
"Big Brother was banned from the Cult, tsu!"
"...What?" Heinkel let out a scoff of disbelief. "How does someone get banned from the Witch Cult?!"
"Ever since he got his Authority of Gluttony, the other Sin Archbishops are too weary to go near him," Louis said with a hint of admiration. "They think Big Brother is going to harvest them for his next meal, tsu!"
"Harvest?"
"Like this." Said Subaru, who sounded frighteningly closer than before.
Heinkel turned around to strike at the boy, only to feel Subaru's teeth bite down on his throat.
It felt like a feral beast was chomping on his skin with otherworldly force… yet there was no pain. That brief moment of fear was melted away into adrenaline and rage. The red-haired man kicked Subaru away before instinctively putting a hand to his throat to feel the damage.
There wasn't any blood, not even a wound.
Heinkel didn't care. In his eyes, whatever trick the boy tried to do failed. With his sword drawn once more, Heinkel preparing to unleash his power as he lunged at the boy…
Subaru tilted his head back and gulped; swallowing something in his mouth.
...and then lost all motivation to attack. Heinkel felt like something was plucked from his very being and sensed a void within himself. He was confused, which easily gave away to fear - he knew he should be shoving his sword into Subaru's heart, but he just couldn't muster up the energy to do so.
Subaru licked his lips before wiping away the excess saliva. "Not bad, I guess you're good for something after all."
Heinkel watched with fear-widened eyes as Subaru walked over to him. "W-What did you do?!" The panic on the Deputy Commander's voice was familiar to Subaru, reminding him of when he first met the man. "Why can't I move?!"
"Everyone is starving for something, and trying to satisfy those cravings is the biggest motivator there is. I can focus on those desires to make them act on them with primal impulse, or I just extract those desires that make people do what they do. I just ate your 'desire to fight back' which is why you can't retaliate - especially when I do this!"
Subaru rammed his fist into Heinkel's stomach, it easily punctured through, the surface of his body rippling like gelatin. Heinkel didn't even feel any pain, and just like before there was no blood nor a wound - yet the terror from the disturbing sight only caused his heart to pound harder in his chest. His entire body felt frozen like ice, but his mind was cruelly still active, watching Subaru reaching deeper before violently pulling his arm out, sending Heinkel to fall onto his back.
A multitude of colorful gems of different colors, all of them a variety of shapes and sizes, were in Subaru's hand. "These little beauties right here-" He picked one from the rest and held it out in front so Heinkel can see. "-are some of your desires. Not all of them, but they'll have an impact nonetheless."
Subaru then looked down at the Deputy Commander who caused him so much frustration in the past with eyes cold and indifferent as a blizzard. "Desires are what motivates us… what do you think will happen to you if I eat all of your desires, Heinkel? There would be nothing to motivate you - not even to live."
"W-Wait, just hold on!" Heinkel tried mustering the most intimidating tone he could manage. "Did you forget who I am, what rank I hold? I'm an Astrea!"
"There goes again your inflated sense of self-importance," Subaru recognized the way Heinkel begged and how he tried to use his status to intimidate him - it's just like when they first met in Priscilla's territory. "I know you're an Astrea - everyone does when you tried to kick Felt off your lands and steal credit for her work to suck up to Priscilla… so just like you don't care about others, they're not going to care about you."
"Reinhard will-!"
"Not do a single damn thing because he knows you don't care about him, and so he won't care about you," Subaru reaffirmed as he paid more attention to the gems in his hand, inspecting each one that might catch his interest. "Neither will the Lagunican government that you have no loyalty to. We have a somewhat mutual relationship, similar to the one I have with the Witch Cult; they stay out of my way, I'll stay out of theirs, and we occasionally help each other. Too bad no one is going to help you."
"Y-You made a deal with the Sage Council?! There's no way - I would have known!"
"You're not important enough to be included." Subaru commentated as Heinkel managed to scramble onto his feet and ran in the opposite direction, away from Subaru. Heinkel couldn't fight back against him, but he could resist by running away.
Subaru ate another gem. An ethereal white and misty texture that popped in his mouth, the cool aroma seeping into his lungs and out his nose - chilling his skin and glossing over his eyes - overwhelming his senses with delicious euphoria that made him smile. In that one heartbeat of satisfaction, Subaru felt as if he was a drifting breeze flying through the soft clouds.
Heinkel abruptly fell onto his face. He wasn't tripped by his fear and clumsiness, nor did Subaru cast a spell; it was simply as if he didn't want to run away anymore.
"I just ate your 'desire to flee' - now you cannot run away." Subaru walked around Heinkel's prone form until he was in front of him, his shadow casting over the Deputy Commander. "It was tasty, but the flavor never lasts as long as I want to. I suppose that is a good thing, I would have gotten bored eating the same thing over and over again."
"J-Just wait, please-!" Heinkel's voice abruptly became silent as Subaru ate another gem.
"You talk too much Deputy Commander…" Subaru said the man's title in a mocking tone before he ate another gem; Heinkel felt his entire body become lax - he couldn't move anymore. "...I wish I could just butcher you right now: you're the perfect livestock! You drink more alcohol than an addict, eating way more than you move, yet somehow retaining fitness so there is more meat than fat on you!"
Subaru ate another gem, one after the other, as he listed off his wants and cravings.
"I want to dice your flesh in thin strips of meat before slowly roasting it over a smokey flame... I want to boil your bones with vegetables over low heat to make a delicious broth... I want to dice and marinate your brain in milk and honey for a day as use it as the main meat for a stew... I want to coat your kidneys in flour and herbs before frying them in butter... and I want to do all of that while somehow keeping you alive before I cut your heart open, stuff it with potatoes and cheese, and bake it in an oven with a wide variety of vegetables…"
Subaru popped the last gem into his mouth before swallowing it. Even though each gem had a unique other-worldly flavor, Subaru focused more on making sure Heinkel would understand the lengths Subaru would go through to make him suffer. Subaru knew a good environment was crucial to enjoying a meal, and he blamed Heinkel for it.
"...But I'm not going to kill you," Subaru said with clear hatred and reluctant mercy. "There are some people I can kill and there are those I can not - you're lucky that you fall into the latter category - even after what you did at the Capital during the invasion. Do you remember that event? Oh right, you can't understand me anymore - or anything since you're nothing but a comatose meat suit… which is honestly preferable; it's so quiet and peaceful! The air doesn't stink of booze and misguided loathing-!"
"A-hem!" Subaru turned to see his blonde little sister glaring and pouting at him. He knew she was annoyed with him, but he just found the sight too adorable to care. It instantly brightened his mood.
"Whoops! Sorry Louis, got too caught up in my excitement!" Subaru apologized before he walked towards his younger sister.
Leaving Heinkel's unmoving body unprotected and exposed to the hot sun.
A/N:
Tbh, I'm not that serious about the Re: zero as other fans, but I'm going to try my best - so please give me criticisms or clarifications on certain things I may have gotten wrong, although I may not bother changing it since this is an AU fic.
It's mostly because Re: Zero operates on a soft magic system - which makes sense until you've gone deeper and think about it - but it gives a LOT of leeways to interpret a person's power and abilities.
Because my main reaction as the story goes on is, "You could do that this entire time?!" And then I would get confused as to why they DIDN'T use that ability before.