Nan kept a close watch on Subaru over the next day. First, he ate breakfast, then practiced with Wilhelm, next he ate again, and after that, there was negotiating with Anastasia and Russel Fellow. Once all of that was done he ate dinner and completed Ram's mana injection.
Nan observed Subaru as he lay down in his bed. I should talk to him. The spirit thought to himself. Nan's curiosity was rising. We haven't gotten the chance to talk all day. And if we talk more then maybe I could help him. His curiosity was overshadowed by resolve.
"Subaru?" Nan asked Subaru as he lay down to sleep.
"What is it?" His contractor responded.
"Can we talk a bit before you go back to sleep?" Contrary to what Subaru had told Emilia a few days before, Nan actually hated nighttime. Spirits don't really sleep, so Nan was usually left alone at night. After all the only two people he liked spending time with, Ram and Subaru, were asleep when it was dark.
"Yeah, what do you want to talk about?"
"Can you tell me more about yourself and where you're from?" Nan asked. His curiosity shone through. The spirit hated that curiosity, because he knew, deep down, that it was someone else's. It came from the white-haired woman that Subaru had once been in a contract with. But it was still there and it begged to be sated. And Subaru was a great mystery. Nan had been in a contract with him for a month and he knew nothing about Subaru's past.
Well, he knew a few things. Unwanted memories danced through Nan's mind. The memory of sitting across from a black-haired boy. Memories of watching his parents. Subaru's first trial. They weren't Nan's memories. And if Nan had a choice he would cast away these memories without hesitation. For he hated the horrors and death, he saw in them.
More memories appeared unbidden, except these were his own. They were the memories he'd gained while watching the nighttime activities of the members of the Roswal mansion.
Something struck him in his memories. There was a scar. Something that shouldn't be there. Or… Is it a lack of something that should be there?
"Well, I'm not from anywhere you've ever heard of." He was interrupted by Subaru. Nan would soon forget about this scar. And he would be one step further from remembering that platinum-haired woman he'd seen in the mansion.
"It's a place called Japan."
"That place you come from can you tell me about it?" Nan asked.
For the next two hours, Subaru explained every facet of Japanese life. And he spent another hour after that answering all of Nan's questions.
"Alright now I need to go to sleep. We can talk more tomorrow if you want." Subaru's mind whispered into his.
"That sounds good, have a goodnight, Subaru." Nan felt Subaru push himself into the depths of sleep. The spirit manifested into his physical form. He flew over to where Ram was sleeping. He was always amazed that she could sleep so peacefully in a sitting position.
Nan circled around Ram's head a few times before moving over to her shoulder and hovering there. It always made him feel nice to be around the maid. He could always tell that her insults were lies.
He also knew that Ram was nice, and she truly cared for the people around her. If she didn't care then why would she hold Subaru's hand each night?
Nan viewed the oni as his second contractor. He hated that she couldn't understand spirits.
Haah. Nan sighed to himself. There's nothing I can do about it. He pushed his mind into an alert state and watched over his two sleeping contractors.
The next night Nan and Subaru spoke once more. "So why are you doing all of this negotiating?" Nan asked him.
"I need fighting strength."
"For what?" Nan's voice was filled with worry. Has he…
"For the subjugation of the white whale." Surprise filled Nan. Followed shortly by a burst of fear. "And then after that, we need to stop an attack from the witch cult." The fear in Nan grew into terror.
"I…" Nan tried to say something. But dread froze him.
"Nan?" Subaru asked. He could feel Nan's emotions.
Memories flashed in Nan's mind. He remembered his mind when it was the same as the mind of a human five-year-old. He was floating peacefully in a forest when something began pulling on him. An uncontracted spiritualist had called out to him. Nan didn't know it, but this call came when Subaru was being killed over and over again by Rem on his first day in the mansion.
He'd called out to Subaru when he was practicing magic. Nan had wanted to contract with Subaru as soon as he found him. But Subaru's mind had blocked him. Even with this rejection, he could see that Subaru still needed him. Nan had stayed with the boy until the forest.
In that forest, Subaru had released the block and accepted Nan's help.
Subaru can't do it alone. Nan's fear melted. Burned away by immense determination. "I will be there with you Subaru, no matter what."
Subaru's eyes filled with tears. "Thank you." Subaru pushed his mind into sleep.
Subaru's last thought was: WHY?
Nan returned his attention to the physical world. He made himself visible to Ram, who hadn't fallen asleep yet. Because Ram is normal and can't just push her brain to sleep. The spirit always thought Subaru's ability was odd.
Outside Nan's mind Ram had noticed him right away. Nan intentionally let off a glow so the maid could see him. He circled around her outstretched arm. Emitting a soft rhythm. A calming rhythm to help her sleep.
Soon Ram fell into sleep's depths leaving the quasi-spirit alone with Echidna's memories. But he wasn't too distracted by them tonight. After all, Nan was excited, because tomorrow we're the negotiations.
"So Roswal did send you to negotiate an alliance," Crusch spoke. Subaru and the royal candidate were sitting across from each other. Ram stood behind Subaru. While Felix and Wilhelm stood behind Crusch. It had been four days since Subaru arrived at the Karsten mansion. And he was finally making his move.
"Yes, an alliance on equal terms." Subaru looked into the woman's eyes. His eyes were filled with cold resolve. His face expressionless. Crusch watched the boy expecting a telling wind to begin surrounding him. But nothing happened. So he's telling the truth. It was strange. Wind of untruth normally appeared whenever the boy spoke.
"Well you've offered the mining rights to the magic stones in Elior forest, but like I already told Roswal that this is not sufficient." Crusch looked at him. Her eyes were sharp. They appeared battle-ready.
"No, it isn't, which is why I'm offering something else." Subaru pulled a strange device out of his pocket. "This is a metia. It gave me a certain piece of information which you will find very useful."
Suspicion filled the duchess' eyes, but she detected no lies.
Subaru leaned forward. His cold eyes shone with stability and readiness. Crusch felt respect begin to grow in her heart when she looked into his eyes.
"It has given me the card I need. I know the time and place that the white whale will next appear."
She heard Wilhelm's breath catch. She waited to react. She was busy searching around the boy waiting for any wind to blow. After a few seconds, she realized no wind would come from the boy.
"Why have you brought up the white whale?" She switched tactics.
"Because I need your help with something. And the subjugation of the whale should be sufficient incentive for your camp, seeing as you're planning to take it down anyway. I figured I give you the information and we complete the plan early." The confidence in Subaru's eyes did not waver.
"How did you know we were planning this?" Crusch asked. Damn, he already has the advantage. She was slightly impressed, and a little worried, that Subaru had discovered her plans in only four days.
"Take one look at the capital and it's pretty easy to notice that something is going on. You've been planning a big military operation for a while. The only thing I needed to do was figure out what your target was. And to figure that out I don't need to look further than your left shoulder." Subaru gestured to where Wilhelm was standing.
"Well, I can see that you're telling the truth," Crusch admitted.
Subaru looked back at her. He knows about my divine protection, doesn't he? Crusch felt two warring emotions. One was a feeling of respect. Respect for a man who'd orchestrated this. The man who may finally help Wilhelm get his revenge. But she felt another emotion, she felt fear. Fear for the man who was a hundred moves ahead of her. I shouldn't cross him, but I can turn this down. Should I? He's telling the truth, and there is no indication that his mind can't be trusted.
Sensing that this was the pivotal moment a voice laced with a Kararagi accent called out from across the door.
"Do ya' mind if I listen in on this." The doors were pushed in by two merchants. Crusch's eyes focused on the two. Russel Fellow and Anastasia Hoshin?
The two merchants offered a few words expressing their interest in the subjugation of the whale and the mining rights in Elior forest.
"Well," Subaru began standing up and reaching out his hand, "Let's go kill us a whale."
Crusch stared into his eyes. There was a tiny hint of warmth in them. The green-haired royal felt trust rising in her heart.
"Very well," She stood up and stretched out her hand, "I will trust you, though I do have my doubts."
She grasped the boy's outstretched hand, and the deal was made.
Subaru sat back down a slight sigh escaping his lips. That wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, still wasn't easy though.
"That gets an acceptable mark from me," Anastasia commented. "Well, have fun with the whale, my mercenary company will aid you with whatever you need." Anastasia and Russel left the room.
Subaru looked to the green-haired woman her lips were parted to speak, "I will offer you some of my respect that was some impeccable preparation."
Subaru spoke, "Well, I had something I needed to accomplish."
"Why did you want to help in the subjugation?" Crusch asked.
"I have a few promises to keep," Subaru remembered the villager's bodies. They were all dead. From the bodies, Subaru could tell they'd all died in horrific ways. He needed to kill Petelguese before he could accomplish his plan. Then he remembered a young girl. She was chained up in a coffin. He promised the girl that he would kill all of her creations. And he remembered the tears that filled Wilhelm's eye whenever he looked at flowers.
"Subaru." Wilhelm's word interrupted Subaru from his memories, "Thank you." The aged swordsman bowed.
Subaru looked at the man, "It's no problem, Wilhelm." I will take on everyone's suffering.
"Humph, I'd call the whole negotiation a failure." Ram proclaimed. Subaru looked over to the maid. A hint of warmth made its way into Subaru's eyes. Do they actually like each other? Crusch and Felix thought to themselves, both confused by their interactions.
Wilhelm on the other hand felt a smile touch his face as he watched the two speak.
Nan watched Subaru get ready to sleep. He knew that he and Subaru wouldn't have much time to talk tonight. So Nan decided he should only ask one question. It was a question he'd been thinking about a lot over the past few days.
Subaru laid down on his bed. "Subaru, can I ask you something?"
"Yes." Nan felt Subaru's curiosity.
"Do you hate me?" Subaru's eyes snapped open. He bolted upright, surprising Ram.
"No. Why would I hate you?"
"Because I remind you of Echidna." Nan felt something growing in Subaru, it was resolve. The same resolve that he had felt when he made his bet with Beatrice.
"No. I would never hate you. You aren't Echidna. You're Nan, my spirit, my… friend." Subaru's honesty flowed into Nan's mind.
"Thank you, Subaru." If Nan had a face it would be split by a wide smile. "Now let's go kill us a whale." He stole Subaru's word from earlier.
The corners of Subaru's mouth twitched upward. It was nowhere near a smile, but it was something.
The next morning Subaru, Ram, and Felix stood outside a line of ground dragons stood before him.
"Crusch-sama has allowed you to borrow one of these. Take your pick nyow," Felix explained.
Subaru didn't hesitate. His eyes quickly locked on to a familiar black ground dragon. When he was standing next to her he reached out his hand to rub her scales, "Hello again Patrasche." He whispered to her.
"Heh. That type of dragon is known for being difficult. Makes sense that it gets along with Barusu." Ram insulted Subaru once more.
"Was that even an insult?" Subaru asked Nan.
"I think Ram-chan is running out of insults." He responded.
"-chan?" Subaru questioned.
"Shut up." Nan shut him down immediately. Subaru was reminded of Ram.
He might be hanging out with her too much. Subaru didn't notice the tiny hint of a smile that appeared on his face.
However, Ram, who'd spent a lot of time with Subaru over the past four days, noticed it right away. Is that…? Should I ask him about it? Indecision paralyzed her. She had no idea how to proceed when it came to dealing with Subaru.
"I'll take this one," Subaru called over to Felix.
"That's fine with me." It'll get that dragon off of our hands. All of the Karsten stable hands regularly complained about that very ground dragon. Felix was relieved that he might not have to hear those complaints anymore.
With all of the preparations in place, it was time to begin the subjugation of the white whale.
Everyone was mounted on their ground dragons. Ready for battle. It was nearing the time. Only ten more minutes and the white whale would appear. Subaru held Patrasche's reins. Ram sat behind Subaru.
We should throw some of our attacks at the whale at the start then wait until it splits, then we drop the Flugel tree on it. Subaru had already explained this entire plan to Crusch. She had been suspicious of his information at first, but using her divine protection she had decided to trust Subaru. The plan was basically the same as last time, except now the soldiers had all the information on how the battle would unfold.
Minutes passed in silence. Subaru looked at the clock on his cellphone.
"You ready, Nan?" Subaru asked his spirit partner. A calm emptiness filled him.
"Yes." Nan sent back.
"You're afraid." He could feel Nan's emotions.
"Doesn't mean I'm not ready, also it's weirder to not be afraid in this situation." The spirit was referring to Subaru.
Subaru ignored him and checked the time again. Only three minutes to go.
"Are you ready, Ram?" Subaru turned around to look at the maid. Only to be met with a scowl.
"Of course I'm ready. Coward Barusu." Ram insulted. The corners of Subaru's mouth tilted upwards again. Still just a tiny bit. Warmth rose in Ram's chest when she saw it. That's the third time that has happened. Are you getting better, Barusu?
The fear in Ram's chest loosened as she looked into Subaru's eyes. That calm, and stability, always made her feel more at ease. Like she knew that Subaru would always be there when she needed him. Thank you, Barusu.
Subaru turned his head to the right. "Crusch! It's almost time."
"SOLDIERS!" The duchess shouted to the gathered men, "BE READY!"
The men readied their weapons. "SPIRITS!" Subaru forced the thought out of his mind.
Dozens of glowing lights appeared around Subaru. Mana surged into him. The alarm on his phone began to play. A song from Subaru's world rang out.
Every soldier's eyes frantically search for the whale. Though none of them saw anything. Subaru ignored the immediate surroundings and stared into the sky. He saw a large silhouette in the distance. It was in the shape of a whale. It drew closer.
The light of the moon disappeared. Shadow descended on the battlefield. Closer. The air seemed to freeze and grow stiff at its very presence. Closer. Eyes widened as the fighters saw how truly massive it was. A fire rose in the hearts of everyone but Subaru. Closer. The whale flew over them. A song echoed from above.
The whale got behind the men. Eventually, it noticed they were there. Its hunger grew. It turned to them. Shifting its monstrous body to face them. It opened its great jaws.
A deafening scream resounded out from above the battlefield.
Nan who'd been watching from Subaru's shoulder froze when he heard the whale. That call. That sound. That song. It clawed at Nan.
The whale had stopped a hundred meters from the men. It floated there, waiting. They could all see the hunger growing in its eyes. "Patrasche." Subaru urged the dragon forward.
"Barusu-" Ram shouted at him. The rest of what she was going to say was cut off by Patrasche charging.
"EL MINYA!" Subaru manifested dozens of shards of shadow magic and sent them flying into the great beast.
"SOLDIERS! FOLLOW THAT FOOL!" The subjugation of the white whale truly began.
After a few seconds, a great metia began to gather power, its purpose to vanquish the night. Subaru continued forming his mana into shards. The metia approached full power. The white whale's nostrils twitched. The metia was fully powered. It fired a great bolt of energy into the sky.
All the combatants had to cover their eyes as the darkness that surrounded the battlefield disappeared. The white whale slowed down for a moment. As soon as it regained its bearings it shot its body towards Subaru. It opened its mouth and sent out another great call.
It didn't take long for Subaru to notice something was off. In the back of his mind, a hundred voices screamed.
"THE SONG! THE SONG!" The voices of the minor spirits were pained. As Subaru reached out he knew that these spirits were being destroyed by the whale.
"NAN?" He reached out to the spirit.
"I should be fine-" The great beast screamed once more. "Ah-That voice."
The minor spirits that had surrounded Subaru fled. They all disappeared one after another. In the back of his mind, Subaru could feel Nan's mind fill with pain.
Patrasche continued running. She operated on her own. Weaving in and out to avoid the whale's attacks. She led the whale perpendicular to Crusch's forces.
"Mages!" Crusch ordered.
"AL GOA!" A line of highly skilled magic users belted out incantations.
Great gouts of fire shot towards the whale. It screamed once more as its skin burned.
Once this was done Crusch looked over to a certain grizzled swordsman. She caught his eye and nodded. Wilhelm nodded in response.
The sword demon spurred his red ground dragon forward. Six swords on his belt.
Subaru was trying to hold on to Patrasche and help Nan. The two split actions were too much to focus on. He turned to the pink-haired woman holding onto his back. "Ram, I need you to switch with me."
Ram met his eyes. She nodded.
Wilhelm unsheathed one of his swords. "You took my wife from me. I will thank you for coming here to accept your punishment, monster." The old man launched himself at the whale. As he shot through the air he whispered one last thing. "Thank you, Subaru-dono." He readied his sword. Memories flashed in his old mind. A memory of practicing the sword. A girl with red hair and blue eyes watched from a few meters away. Another second and he would collide with the whale.
He slammed the sword into the whale's body with a ripping sound. The red-haired woman asked him if he liked flowers. He started running forward. His weapon still buried deep in the whale.
"DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Red blood sprayed around Wilhelm. The fire in his chest grew even greater. The sword demon began to tear the white whale apart.
Ram held the ground dragon's reins. Subaru was sitting behind her. His arms were wrapped around her mid-section. She could feel that his arms were extremely tense. What happened to Barusu's spirits? Is it something to do with the white whale? Patrasche slowed down and stopped as Wilhelm began to slay the whale.
Subaru's grip on Ram didn't release even as Patrasche stopped. He had tightened his arms and left them like that. He was too busy focusing on his mind to adjust them.
"Nan." Subaru was desperately trying to hold the spirit's mind together.
"AHHH!" Was the only response Subaru got back from the spirit. He's getting worse. C'mon. He pushed his mind. I must take on their suffering. I will take on your suffering Nan. Subaru focused all of his willpower. Memories flashed in his mind. All the conversations he'd had with Nan. Wilhelm screamed in the distance. The resolve within Subaru grew stronger. Memories were filling his mind. Each time that Nan should've been making a joke but was completely serious. The spirit couldn't make a joke to save his life.
The white whale's shrill voice rang out again. Nan's pain grew greater. Outside of Subaru's mind, the members of the Iron Fang had begun their assault on the whale.
"IT HURTS. IT HURTS. IT HURTS. WHY? WHY? WHY?" Nan's sanity was fraying, just like Subaru's had when he was eaten by the rabbit for the first time. The whale's voice drilled into his mind. It was a butcher tearing the spirit's mind into shreds.
More memories roared through Subaru's mind. "I will take on your suffering!" He yelled to the spirit.
"Subaru."
The black-haired boy's breath caught. Nan's voice was stunningly lucid. "I can feel my sanity tearing apart. I think I'll be gone in a few seconds." Serenity permeated the spirit's mind. "If you can hear me I want you to know something before I go, it's something that you need to understand… Subaru taking on someone's suffering is different than saving them." Subaru's eyes widened. Confusion filled them.
"Nan, what do you mean?"
"I think I'm leaving now." Tears filled Subaru's eyes. He'd only known the small spirit for a month, but he trusted Nan. He trusted him with his life. Nan was the first person Subaru had voluntarily relied on since Rem was erased. His hold on Ram tightened.
"I can take on your suffering. Don't worry I can stop this before it happens," Subaru reassured Nan in his last moments.
He pushed his tongue through his teeth. He began biting down. The taste of blood filled his mouth.
"You don't have to die for me, Subaru."
Subaru's body stiffened. His jaws opened slightly. His tongue returned to its normal spot. The white whale screamed once more.
It had entered its final phase. Fog shot from holes in its body. The artificial sun disappeared. The whale would divide itself soon. Darkness began to return to the battlefield.
Subaru didn't notice it as Patrasche ran once more.
Does he know about…? His mind was paralyzed. Return by death?
Tears misted Subaru's eyes. It didn't take long for them to leak out. Ram felt liquid in her hair. She didn't need to look back to know that it was Subaru.
The whale screamed. Ram felt the voice clawing at her mind. She knew she would be fine, but it still hurt. A second later the voice disappeared.
It was replaced by a soft rhythm. It sounded calming. Ram recognized it. It was the sound Nan made when she was trying to sleep.
"Hello, Ram-chan." A voice entered her mind. "It's me, Nan."
"How am I able to hear you?" Ram's eyebrows rose.
"Something to do with the white whale. But we don't have time for that there are many things I want to do before my mind shatters."
Ram's breath caught. "Shatters. Nan?"
"I have one request before I go." The spirit ignored her. She felt a frantic tone to his words.
"What is it?"
"Look after Subaru for me. He needs someone to help him stand. And you're one of the only people who can help. Please help him." The spirit's voice grew mournful. He wanted to help Subaru, but he can't. Ram's grip on Patrasche's reins tightened.
"I will." Determination filled her mind.
"Thank you." A serenity entered Nan's voice, "Y'know I always thought of you as my second contractor. Goodbye, Ram." Ram felt the spirit's mind leave hers. His words left tears in her eyes.
Nan returned his last attention to Subaru. "Thank you for everything. You helped me become who I am now. You gave me maturity. You taught me so many things about this world and yours. You showed me everything. This past month has been amazing." Nan let go. He lowered the defenses on his psyche.
"Goodbye, Natsuki Subaru." Nan's sanity ripped.
Nan felt his mind fracturing shattering. His blocked memories returned to him. He remembered the platinum-haired woman.
"SUBARU!" Nan called scrounging together what little mental strength he had left. "Someone is manipulating Roswal. They're altering his-" Nan's sanity collapsed, his mind ground into a fine dust.
"NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" Ram's breath caught at Subaru's sudden scream. She could feel the pain in that scream. Patrasche ran back towards where Crusch was. Ram turned her head. She looked back to the boy. He wasn't holding on to Ram anymore, no he was clinging to her. She saw Subaru. She saw the tears that poured from his eyes. Saw the pain splayed across his face. It tore at her heart to see Subaru in this much pain. Goodbye Nan. Ram blinked away the tears that were filling her own eyes.
White fog rushed towards them. "EL FULA!" Ram screamed. She forced the fog away from them. Patrasche ran towards the gathering of soldiers.
Once they made it to the group Ram called to the green-haired woman, "Crusch-sama we're here."
"Good. It's time for Subaru's plan." Subaru had broached this plan beforehand. When the whale entered its final phase the two decoy whales needed to be distracted and Subaru would get on top of the real whale and lure it to the ground. Once it was there they would drop the Flugel tree on it.
Ram got off of Patrasche pulling Subaru along with her. "Nan, Nan, Nan." He whispered to himself over and over.
"Can he execute the plan in that state?" Crusch asked as Wilhelm arrived in the group. Subaru had given them all warnings to help them maintain their guard. The surrounding people began to discuss what to do.
"It might be over if he can't complete his end." Felix offered.
"What happened, Ram?" Wilhelm asked the pink-haired woman.
"His contracted spirit is gone," Ram answered.
Subaru tried reaching deep into his mind. He searched for Nan. He found their mental link easily. He tried to communicate with the spirit but all he felt was a catatonic mind.
"Nan?"
"….." Subaru received deafening silence. The spirit's mind had shut down from the pain. He could also tell that Nan's mind wasn't in one piece. It was fractured, into thousands of pieces, most likely permanently. He pushed his tongue forward into his teeth. He tried to bite down, but he remembered Nan saying that Subaru didn't have to die for him. He let his tongue return to its normal spot.
Subaru felt a hand land on his shoulder. "Subaru-dono. I can see that look in your eyes. You lost someone important, didn't you? Someone that you don't know how to live without."
Who is that? Subaru's mind wasn't perceiving the outside world. He was too busy searching for Nan even though he knew there was nothing more to find.
"I know what it feels like. That feeling of wanting to give up."
Who?
"The white whale truly is a monster isn't it." Subaru felt himself return to the world. Hatred grew in his chest. Until now he'd only seen the white whale as an obstacle. He realized that was a mistake. The white whale was a monster to be slaughtered, murdered, destroyed, and annihilated. Subaru hated it just as much as he hated Petelguese. If not more.
Subaru looked at the man in front of him. It was Wilhelm van Astrea. Resolve grew in Subaru's eyes. He pushed his tongue into his teeth. He tried biting down. But he was met with Wilhelm and Nan's words. He let his tongue return. I'm going to bring down that fucking whale.
Subaru stepped away from Wilhelm. Nan. Nan. Nan. Nan. Nan. Nan. Nan. Nan. Nan. Subaru's hatred grew each time he said it. NAN! NAN! NAN! NAN! NAN! NAN! NAN! NAN! NAN! NAN! NAN! NAN! NAN! NAN! NAN! NAN! NAN! NAN!
A slap resounded across the field. All the assembled warriors could tell what it was. Subaru had slapped himself, hard. Nan. Nan. Nan. His mind still whispered. He took his whip off of his belt. Nan. Nan.
He threw it to the right then swung it up to the left. With a snap, the whip lashed the left side of Subaru's face. From his cheek to his jaw. He looked to the soldiers. His eyes filled with hatred. The warmth that had once been there was now gone. Ram observed that Subaru's eyes were worse than she'd ever seen. His eyes weren't just cold now. They were cold, angry, sharp, and hateful. Ram felt fear in her chest.
"Now, I need someone who can throw me onto that whale." His voice cut through the silence like the blades of Cecils Segmund.
Wilhelm stood alone on a field. He was in the position of someone who'd just thrown something heavy. He took deep breaths as if recovering from exertion. "I shouldn't make a habit of doing that." He whispered to himself.
A hundred meters above Wilhelm a black-haired boy shot through the air. The jacket of his suit crushed straight by the immense wind. His hair matted down onto his head.
This maneuver was far more dangerous than it had been when he'd rode on Rem's ice crystal. But right now Subaru didn't particularly care about living. Nan's last words stopped him from killing himself, but if he died in a valiant sacrifice against the whale, that was fine with Subaru.
Subaru rapidly approached the white whale. He heard a massive scream from the monster. Subaru reflexively checked on Nan, but there was nothing. The contract and Nan's mind was there, but his it was blank, empty. Nan wasn't even thinking anymore. "Nan, please." He sent his thoughts to the spirit.
"…" Nothing. Subaru received no response from the catatonic spirit. From Nan's last words Subaru doubted he would ever come back.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Subaru screamed out in a mix of anger and pain. The whale turned towards Subaru. Its great horn passed by a few centimeters to the right of Subaru. Wilhelm's throw had been the definition of accuracy. The black-haired spiritualist, if he even was still a spiritualist, snapped his arms out to the right grabbing hold of the horn.
The whale looked at the boy on its horn. Its hunger grew. Must consume. It had roamed the land looking to consume entire memories and existences with its fog. And recently its hunger had grown in intensity. Now it knew why. This existence that stood on its horn. It was filled with so many memories that it may finally sate the whale. And it could smell the ungodly intense scent that emanated from the boy. HUNGER, HUNGER, HUNGER. MEMORIES, SO MANY MEMORIES. THAT SMELL. WE MUST SUMBSUME IT INTO US. The whale's consciousness was made up of every person it had erased with its fog.
The whale screamed out. Subaru stood straight expertly keeping his balance. He didn't say anything to the whale. Unlike last time where he'd taunted it. Now Subaru's eyes were too full of hatred. This whale had taken his greatest friend from him. It would be similar to watching Beatrice die in his arms.
Subaru met the whales remaining eye. Wilhelm had cut out the other eye out so that they could tell which whale was the real one. He waited for the whale's nostrils to flair. It's got the smell. Crusch better have her end worked out. Subaru turned around and walked to the tip of the whale's horn. His eyes caught sight of Patrasche's saddle all the way on the ground. Ram wasn't there to catch him she was helping to bring down the Flugel tree. With no one to catch him Subaru just had to hope that he fell correctly.
Maybe I can die and Nan will come back. He leaned forward. Feet losing their grip on the whale. His suit jacket was blown back as his body plummeted towards the ground. It was up to Patrasche to catch him now. The ground approached him. Faster and faster. Closer and closer. Time slowed down for Subaru. He had been here before. In this place between moments that occurred before death. His perception of reality greatly increased as time slowed to a crawl.
Subaru could see Patrasche using her legs to get her body under his. Unfortunately, she had no way to slow the boy's descent. Although someone nearby did. "FULA!" A green-haired woman used her highly trained reflexes to slow Subaru's flight at the last moment. One second later and Subaru would have died. As it stood he nearly died anyway.
"Mmm." Subaru let out a light groan as his chest slammed into Patrasche's saddle. Although this light groan was not representative of what actually happened to Subaru's body. His ribcage had been blown inwards. His lungs were punctured by the loose bone fragments. Massive internal bleeding started.
Patrasche forced her legs to move, she didn't have time to worry about her master's health. The white whale was hungry, and it wanted Subaru. If it got to him he would die anyway. Right now Patrasche's best chance was to make it to Felix.
The dragon understood this. She pushed her body. Increasing her speed she went faster and faster. Her heart began to pound in her chest. Her eyelids narrowing into slits.
The whale screamed violently, hungrily. It was coming for Patrasche.
Patrasche got to her max speed, then she pushed herself beyond it. She ran faster than any ground dragon should be capable of running. Her legs like hydraulics slamming her forward with each step.
The dragon's eyes were focused on the great tree in front of her. She had a very rough understanding of Subaru's plan. But she understood enough to realize that if she could get Subaru past the tree then he would live. With a goal in mind, the dragon focused. I will save him. Patrasche resolved.
The whale screamed. Patrasche kept going. Her heart beating faster than it should. She needed to reach Felix before the whale got to her.
A race had begun.
The soldiers watched the dragon's valiant sprint with a slight feeling of awe. This one ground dragon was what would allow them to subjugate the whale. The men began cheering on the dragon. Their black dragon of hope.
The whale's hunger grew as it neared Subaru and the dragon that carried him. WE MUST EAT. The whale flew faster. Patrasche upped her speed in response. Her heart beat faster and faster. Faster than it had ever beat in her entire life. She knew that she couldn't outrun the whale, but she only needed to make it to the tree first.
The race grew closer. Hope seemed dim as the whale gained on her.
Daphne's progeny moved as fast as it could, then faster. MUST, MUST, MUST, MUST, MUST, MUST EAT! The whale gained on Patrasche. The dragon's legs pumped faster. Her heart beginning to tear.
My heart will explode at this rate. She remembered the look in Subaru's eyes when he saw her. She remembered the snap judgment she'd made. It had been: He is my master. In that moment she'd chosen him.
Patrasche's heart tore. Blood flowed into her chest. The whale neared its prey. The dragon stumbled. Her knees giving out. She saw the ground approaching her head. Time seemed to slow for Patrasche. She heard something. It was a memory. A memory from earlier in this very battle.
"Hey Patrasche-chan, you probably don't know me, but my name is Nan. I'm Subaru's contracted spirit." The spirit had rambled, "Y'know having your mind progressively torn apart really makes holding three conversations so much easier."
"Three?" She had asked.
"You, Ram, and Subaru. The whale has let me see many things, and talk to people I shouldn't be able to. I'm rambling, anyway, I need you to look after Subaru for me. Can you do that?"
"YES!" Patrasche's response had been firm.
"Good, now, here is the last of my mana. I predict that you will need it soon. But maybe you won't. Use it when you need to. Goodbye, Patrasche-chan." Patrasche had known that she would never hear that voice again.
Now back in the current time, Patrasche decided she needed to use Nan's mana. Sorry, little spirit, if you meant for me to use this better. She apologized to the spirit.
Nan's mana uncoiled releasing itself into Patrasche's body. Her eyes snapped open.
Her left foot slammed into the ground she stopped herself from falling. Hope rekindled in her heart. We will not die here. Her body rocketed forward with immense strength.
The mana restored her stamina allowing her to up the speed and increase the distance between her and the whale. Patrasche's eyes flicked to the great tree. It was only a few meters away now. She clenched her great jaws and pushed her body to the maximum once more.
She exploded past the Flugel tree with a rush. As soon as she did so she heard the green-haired woman scream, "NOW!"
The Flugel tree fell. The great trunk pushed the wind out of its way. The whale blindly continued after Patrasche. MUST EAT. The tree grew closer to the whale. And the whale only led itself further into the death trap. The tree connected with the whale. WHAT? MUST EAT. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. The whale's body was crushed by the massive tree. NO. NO. NO. No. no. no. no. no. no. no. n- The whale's mind faded.
Patrasche hadn't stopped running she continued on towards Felix. She hadn't ripped her heart into pieces for Subaru to bleed out on her back. She closed in on the cat boy.
She slid to a stop in front of him. "Meow?" Felix asked. Patrasche used her head to gesture to Subaru then Felix. "Does he nyeed healing?" He walked over to get a good look at the boy. When he saw Subaru's near corpse state his eyes widened.
Felix pulled the boy off of the dragon's back and set him on the grass. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Felix forced his mana into Subaru's dying body. He heard Wilhelm's blade cutting into the whale in the distance.
"Felix?" It was Crusch.
"Not now Crusch-sama!" Felix yelled. Crusch's eyes widened. What happened to Subaru? She stepped around Felix to get a look at the boy. Her mouth dropped. The boy was… Mangled. It was the only word she could come up with. She'd seen battlefield injuries but this was in a league of its own.
The boy's entire front was crushed. Tortured breaths came from his lungs. There was a blue glow around Felix's hands. The water mage pushed mana into Subaru as fast as he could trying to stabilize his condition.
As Felix's work continued Ram and Wilhelm strode up to Felix and Crusch. The expressions on Wilhelm's face showed relief, happiness, and freedom. He'd gotten his revenge. Ram's face showed pride, but not in herself.
Both expressions disappeared when they saw Subaru's body. And when they saw that he was conscious. His eyes were open. They were trained on Felix. They were narrowed into slits. Ram, Wilhelm, and Crusch couldn't decide whether it was from anger or pain.
"Can you save him Felix-dono?" Wilhelm asked. His voice filled with concern, almost regret. Subaru-dono
Barusu? Tears formed in the corners of Ram's eyes. Barusu?
"Yes," Felix confirmed. This caused Subaru's eyes to narrow further.
Wilhelm and Ram's bodies relaxed. Crusch remained stern.
"It'll hurt though," Felix added. "A lot."
Ram stepped forward upon hearing this. Her eyes narrowing. "Explain." She spoke. Her tone cutting, dangerous.
"No time to waste on pain suppression if I do that he dies," Felix explained in a frantic voice. He ignored any further questions focusing only on healing Subaru.
The anger faded from Subaru's eyes. It was replaced with regret. It didn't take long for them to realize that Subaru didn't look like he was in pain. Was Felix lying? Ram asked herself.
There was nothing to say as they watched Subaru's body reform. When it was done Subaru sat up and slammed his fist into the grass below him. His hatred returned. THAT FUCKING WHALE. He felt at his mental link to Nan. It was quiet. Devoid of life. Nan was still there, just broken. Beyond repair.
"Barusu." Ram rushed over to him. "Are you alright, are you in pain?" Her false insults had disappeared.
"Am I alright?" Subaru asked himself. The three main members of the Crusch camp watched. Their eyes concerned. Except Wilhelm's his eyes held a mournful gaze. The swordsman understood what Subaru was feeling.
Subaru thought back to his hundred loops in that forest, and to the words, he'd said. "No. I'm not."
Ram's frown deepened. "Is it the pain?" His eyes snapped to her. His eyebrows rose slightly.
"What pain?" He asked the maid.
"From Felix's healing." She responded. Felix turned his head in confusion.
"It didn't really hurt." He dismissed her worries. Ram's eyes grew wider. Felix looked taken aback. Crusch looked worried. Wilhelm's gaze was filled with understanding. You've felt a much greater pain today, haven't you? Physical pain is nothing in comparison.
"Crusch." Subaru called to the candidate, "Can you get me what soldiers are still in the fighting condition it's time to take down Sloth." He knew that he couldn't push his tongue through his teeth, but maybe if Petelguese killed him then he'd go back to before the whale fight.
"Yes, and like we discussed I will stay here, and wait for you to return with those forces before we head back to the capital." Crusch no longer regarded the boy with suspicion just disbelief that he knew all of this. She looked over to where the white whale's head was being chopped off. Trusting him brought that.
"I will choose to trust your plans once more Subaru." He nodded before turning his head to look in the direction that Arlam village was located in. Petelguese.
Ram walked up behind him. He turned to her, his eyes still filled with hate, her eyes filled with worry, though Subaru didn't notice. "You're coming with?" He asked her.
"I saved most of my mana. With how you were acting I thought I might need it." Ram explained.
"Why?"
"I don't need to explain anything to you." Ram smiled slightly. Subaru, in his current state, couldn't tell that it was fake. "Idiot Barusu."
Subaru turned to straighten his neck. He stared off into the horizon. But it was difficult for him to see. His vision was blurred by tears. I… what do I do…? He barely kept the tears in. A mad man appeared in his mind.
I need to move forward. "You don't have to die for me Subaru." The words echoed once more. I can't go back. Subaru hated it but he couldn't force his tongue in between his teeth no matter how much he tried. He just had to keep going forward.
Petelguese Romanee-Conti.
Subaru decided that his only course from here was to kill Sloth.