The bright flames of the burning castle lit up the moonless night. Though the rain raged on as much as it could, it still couldn't stop the blazing inferno from eating the entirety of the city. Screams and cries for help echoed loudly from all sides as those who weren't fast enough were set ablaze by the all-consuming fire.

One Natsuki Subaru shakily witnessed this scene from his room's balcony, atop the burning castle. Even though everything was falling apart all around him, he did not move nor care. His shaking fist kept its grip on the stone railings in front of him, his face contorted into a malicious scowl.

He took a deep breath, then sighed. This loop was done for, just like the previous ones. No matter what he did, one of them would still end up betraying him, ultimately leading to his reign's demise.

He's already tried everything he could think of. Persuasion, bribery, or the more forceful methods such as rape and torture… Yet this outcome ends up happening over and over. Failure. They're definitely tenacious, those lots. He should've expected it, really. They were his daughters after all.

Who knew the greatest threat of his invincible empire would be his very own offsprings… then again, he had it coming. Maybe he should've waited a few more years before welcoming them to his… adult life. Of course they'd revolt.

"Reminds me of the early days I had with their mothers…" Subaru remembered how he'd force himself to some of them when they weren't as cooperative as he'd want them to be. If only everyone was as willing as Rem, he'd have a much easier life then.

Alas, it was time to end this loop. There was nothing more he could do about this place. His soldiers have all turned against him, with the exception of the ever-loyal Reinhard. But even the miraculous sword saint cannot fix this world anymore. A king is nothing without his subjects, or so he read. His daughters have already painted him as the malevolent and evil person he is to the world. His image was already in tatters.

He'll have to loop back to his last checkpoint now.

Subaru was never fond of dying, but desperate times call for desperate measures. If he lands headfirst to the ground, he should be very dead way before the pain kicks in. At least he hopes so.

"Here we go again." Subaru lifelessly sat on the railing, already ready to jump if not for one strange thing… Well, maybe not so strange, but it's definitely been quite some time since he saw her.

"Satella." There she was, floating in mid-air with her usual black dress and veil. Despite the current situation, Subaru still mustered up a perfect smile. Of course, since he was in front of a girl… eldritch abomination and mass slaughterer aside— she's still a girl. "Long time no see, my beautiful elven witch. Have you finally decided to let me fuck you?"

Face still hidden behind her veil, she showed no visible sign of reaction to his rude remarks. Perhaps she was already used to it, or maybe she just didn't care. Instead, the white-haired witch opened her hands, where a glowing purple orb sat. Subaru quizzically looked at the strange object, not having seen anything like it before.

"I'm sorry dear, but I'm quite in a hurry right now. Any time soon and one of my daughters will come barging in here and decapitate me, and I'd rather not die so horribly like that… again." If they'd cut his neck in one go it'd be a different story, but…

"Subaru." Her soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts. The orb— now much bigger than it once was— floated towards the blinking king, its shine somehow not blinding him. Instead, he could see… things, within the orb. Scenes that he could vividly remember even today, despite it having happened many years ago.

The moment where his stupid, naive self arrived in this world, his first death… as well as the night when he lost his virginity to a certain someone, up to the point where he was crowned as the king. All of it played as if some kind of video inside the purple circle, too fast to make out the details but slow enough for him to recognize.

This was definitely his past, he's sure of it. Subaru rose an eyebrow, confused as to why exactly Satella was showing this to him. Just as he was about to ask, the orb's glow began to shift. From its former darker hue, its color slowly began to clear, until it was nothing but clear white. Another thing he noticed was the not-so-subtle change of the scenes playing inside.

A scene where he was embarrassed by Julius, him dying several times trying to negotiate with the candidates… the whale, the rabbit, along with Elsa and Meili repeatedly killing him in various ways.

"What horrible fake memories these are. Though I still don't understand what's the purpose of showing me these." He could already hear his room's door bucking, as if someone was forcibly trying to open it. No doubt that's one of them trying to make sure he dies.

"No… these memories, this fate… it is not fake." The witch leaned in close to his face, enough for him to smell her familiar scent. "This was your… original path. You…" Satella pointed a finger to his chest. "You're the one that is fake."

Subaru's smile disappeared.

Finally fed up, Spica raised an open hand towards the stubborn door, her eyebrows twitching.

"El huma!"

A barrage of ice spikes hit the gaudy metal door, obliterating it in seconds. Shrapnels and metal scraps flew everywhere inside, ruining the already burning room even more. With hurried steps, she ran headfirst inside, a hand raised, ready to skewer her bastard-of-a-father as soon as she saw him.

Amidst the crackling flames and fallen debris, she saw him, standing atop his balcony's railing. Despite that, she couldn't do what she so strongly wanted to just mere seconds ago.

"Take that back, you fucking bitch!"

Natsuki Subaru stood fully without a care to the world, his left hand outstretched to the sky, holding to an unmistakable figure. Long, white hair, a face reminiscence of her aunt, and the gut-wrenching aura she exuded… It was Satella, the witch of envy, the personification of nightmare itself, having culled almost half of the world in her time…

And that extremely terrifying person was being choked by her livid father.

"What do you mean I'm a fake?! I am Natsuki Subaru, the Natsuki Subaru! You mean to tell me some dumbass is the real me?! Fuck that!" Spica saw how his arm's muscle bulged, his grip tightening by the second. With a yell, he threw her back to the floor, stomping once in anger.

Satella fell like a ragdoll and coughed. It was then that Spica finally snapped out of her reverie, though was still reeling at the scene she has just witnessed.

"... Oh, Spica."

The man's narrowed eyes turned to her, making her step back. She shakily pointed her hand towards him.

"Y-You…" Her earlier tenacity was long gone. Her father's sharp gaze did not help, either. It reminded her of her unpleasant times with the said man. Memories she'd rather… not remember anymore.

"Hello there, my beautiful daughter. Can't sleep? Had a nightmare?" He slowly chuckled to his own twisted amusement. "Daddy can sleep with you if you want."

A shiver went down her spine. Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting…! His smile, that accursed smile of his… she could almost feel his touches again… all over… her bod—

"D-Die! Monster!" The black-haired girl's eyes dilated, her face stricken with fear. "E-El huma!"

The sound of flesh getting skewered reverberated around the burning room. He didn't even try to dodge her attack. Instead, his smile just widened, as if he didn't have five icicles sticking through his guts.

"I'll… be back." Blood poured from the gaps of his lips. "Just you wait, Spica…"

Despite knowing it was impossible, his words still made her whole body tremble. What if he actually does it? Can death even stop him? Her nightmare? This demon?

His knees trembling, he took shaky steps away from her, his left hand clutching one of the ice spikes embedded on his stomach. As he neared the edges of the balcony, he started to laugh, gurgly because of his bloody mouth it may be.

Spica saw him holding some kind of white orb within his free hand. Then he free-fell over the balcony.

An imitation? Fake? As if he'd accept that. Satella has been pissing him off for continually refusing to bed with him even after he's unsealed her, but this was the nail to the coffin. Denying his entire existence… just remembering her words made his blood boil. Was it because of that that she wouldn't let him have sex with her? It's because he's just a flimsy rip-off to her?

"Shit… Shit…!" His grip on the white ball tightened as he fell.

He could see the other Subaru inside, smiling brightly at Emilia and the many people around him. It irked him so much how he could just smile so innocently like that. How they could smile at him like that. He can't even remember the last time he received such heart-warming expressions. All he's seen and caused we're suffering… and forced pleasure.

How infuriating. How… envious.

"Natsu… ki…" He could feel his life trickling away with each breath he took. He'd probably die from bleeding before he reached the ground. Still, that didn't stop him from exerting his hatred to his look-alike on the small orb, gripping it so tight it started to crack.

"Su… ba… ru…"

Dark dots began to fill vision, slowly but sure growing in size and number. The last thing he saw was the glow of the ball increasing in intensity, until everything was bathed in white.

…

…

…

"Subaru-san?" A soft finger poked his cheek.

The raven-haired boy's eyes shot open, sitting up from his lying position earlier. The harsh rays of the sun instantly made him squint his eyes. He looked to his side, towards the person who called out his name so casually…

And saw a much younger Petra, tilting her head at him with a confused look.

"Why are you sleeping here in the forest, Subaru-san?" the little girl giggled.