Subaru woke up in the very same place that he had died at. "This respawn point better be pretty far back, or else I'm never going to get out of this loop without something crappy happening."
He sluggishly lifted his legs off of the bed, and slid off of the mattress. For a moment, he just laid on the floor, not wanting to get up.
This was interrupted when there was a knock on his door. He bolted up, and answered, "Who is it?"
"It is Rem. May I come in?"
He sighed. "Sure. Why not?"
Rem opened the door, not a hint of fatigue coating her figure. "Good morning Subaru! Do you have any plans for today?" Her voice was sweet, but it didn't affect Subaru.
"Before I answer that, how many days have we been here?" He really hoped that it wasn't too late to change anything, or he would have to take some drastic measures.
"We have been here for six days. Why?" Rem answered, cocking her head to he side in confusion.
Subaru's eyes went wide. He staggered, and almost went for the sword under his bed when Rem started laughing. "Why are you laughing!?" Subaru demanded. This was a worst-case scenario, and Rem didn't seem to have a care in the world.
Rem covered her mouth to suppress the giggles. "I am sorry, but that was a joke. We have only been here for three days." Her grin stretched so that not even her hands could cover it up, but Subaru was experiencing a different emotion.
Anger.
He had almost killed himself because of a joke. This was not funny, but there would be no way for Rem to understand that, so he just sighed. Rem was special; no matter what she did, it was really hard to stay angry with her.
"Don't scare me like that, okay? I nearly died because of that joke." Subaru pretended to be his usual self, and it completely fooled Rem.
"Noted." Rem replied, that being all that she could get through her wide grin.
Subaru remembered Rem's question, so he answered it. "Actually, there's something very important that I need to tell you." He walked to her, and put his hands on Rem's shoulders, and she took a small intake of air. She looked in his eyes expectantly, wondering what he was going to say next.
"Rem, the Witch Cult is going to attack Roswaal's mansion and the village in three days. We need to leave now so that we can save them."
Rem's face was one of confusion mixed with anger. "The Witch Cult?! Are you sure?"
Her doubt hurt Subaru, since she was the only one that he thought that he could currently rely on, but he kept on talking. "Yes. I know for sure that they will attack Emilia in three days, so we need to get going. Now." His voice turned harsh at the end, which worried Rem.
"Subaru-kun, we should ask Crusch-sama for hel-"
"NO!" he exclaimed. "She won't help us. Nobody will help us, so we need to go alone." He turned his gaze down, and his expression was hard to decipher. It looked like he was angry, but it also looked like he was going to cry.
"Subaru, you need to follow Emilia-sama's orders! She told you to stay here and focus on healing, and I agree! Healing must take priority now." It hurt Rem to argue with him, but she felt like it was necessary.
Subaru looked up. "Rem, we're the only ones that can take Emilia's side."
This statement hurt Rem, who gave up on arguing. "Ok. We need to Crusch-sama of our departure immediately. After that, we need to find a carriage to ride on."
Subaru nodded his head. "Thank you Rem." He patted her head, which made her blush.
"Y-you are welcome, but there's something that I need to tell you. That unpleasant stench on you has grown stronger." Rem added.
Subaru, who was beginning to head out of his room, stopped in his tracks and faced Rem. "Trust me. I have nothing to do with those evil people. Now, let's go."
Rem nodded her head and followed Subaru, who didn't even glance back at her.
Time Skip
"Are you sure that you want to leave, Natsuki Subaru?" Crusch asked. "If you leave, I will have no choice but to consider you as my enemy." Subaru had told Crusch that an urgent matter had come up, and that he needed to leave in order to resolve it, and this was her reaction.
Subaru's eyes were hardened, not wanting to hear this crap. "And I accept that. We need to leave immediately because of that matter, and nothing is going to stop me. But," he sneered. "I'd like you to know that I thought that, maybe, we could get along with each other. But of course, your actions have been nothing but a joke, right? I was stupid to believe that you actually cared about my well being at all. You're just a fake person who doesn't care about other people's feelings. I would probably be back in a few days, but nooooo! You can't just wait for me to get back and keep on healing me then."
Felix cocked his head to the side, staring daggers at Subaru. "Nyow, I think that you have all of that wrong."
Crusch put her hand up. "Felix, that's enough."
Felix ignored her. "No, I will say it. The mistake that he has made is too grave to ignore. Even if you leave, whatever it is that you want to do will make no change. You'll just be wasting everybody's time. After being a fool at the castle and being obliterated by Julius, you still don't realize that? You should just stay here and continue your treatment. It's about time that you accept just how powerless you are."
This sent Subaru over the edge. He turned his back to Crusch and Felix, and muttered, "Screw you. I'm going to leave. Though it wasn't for long, thanks for taking care of me." Everybody could tell that he didn't really mean it. He walked out of the office, and made his way out of the mansion.
After he walked out of the door, Felix remarked, "Is it not true that a good man knows how to take advice?" Subaru didn't hear this, which was for the better.
Rem did a small curtsy, and bowed her head, apologizing for Subaru's actions. "I would like to thank you in my master's stead. Your kindness and hospitality was greatly appreciated."
With this said, she hurried off after Subaru, who had left her behind.
Time Skip
Subaru and Rem are now in the streets of the capital, searching for any available carriages. Subaru knew that Crusch had actually bought the majority of them, and that actually made the search even more frustrating.
"Rem, why don't we split up? Let's go search for some carriages for an hour, and meet up here," Subaru suggested. He didn't have a plan coming into this, so he hoped that he could wing it.
"That sounds like a good plan. Good luck!" Rem waved as Subaru left, and he returned her gesture with an unenthusiastic flop of his arm.
"Let's see... we've already tried the major carriage vendors, so I guess that I should either find the small ones or ask around and see if anyone knows about available carriages."
He considered the two options, and chose the second one. "If I want some information, I should probably go to some sort of bar." Deciding on this, he wandered the streets, trying to find a pub or something similar to one.
As he walked, he saw a group of children playing tag. "Tag! You're it!" "No fair! You tripped me!" "Tag!" They were having fun, something that Subaru hadn't truly experienced in what felt like forever.
He sneered at the children, who didn't notice. They were playing without a care in the world. He used to be just like them, but now he was trapped in a nightmare that literally wouldn't end. Even if he died, he would just have to relive everything. Of course, he could run away... but that would mean abandoning Emilia. And that is never going to happen as long as he was sane.
After a short amount of time, Subaru found what he was looking for. What had alerted him about this place wasn't the sign, but the loud laughter coming from inside.
He hesitantly opened the door, and a hush fell over everybody as they examined the newcomer. "Well, don't just stand there, come on in!" One of them yelled.
The others started to call out, and Subaru finally stepped inside. The men immediately resumed their conversations, no longer paying any heed to this new face.
Subaru walked up to the bartender. "Hello, my name is Moseley. How can I help you today?" This guy had some slightly above average value clothing on, but that wasn't important. What really drew people to this man was his mustache. One could almost call it majestic, as the thick facial hair went evenly to both sides of his face, and had fancy curls at the end of them. Subaru notes this, but doesn't comment on it.
"Yes, I was actually wondering if I could get any information about any available carriages." Subaru stated.
Moseley twisted his curly mustache. "Actually, there was somebody who recently came in here with the same question. I believe that they asked the men at that table over there about it." He pointed towards a sad looking group of three men, all in clothes that were almost qualified as rags.
Subaru sighed. These people looked shady, but he didn't really have any other options. "Thanks," he told the bartender.
Moseley nodded his head. "My pleasure."
Subaru walked towards that group of men, and they took notice. "Hey there kid. What'cha need?" one of them asked.
Subaru tried to act polite, knowing that he couldn't ruin this opportunity. "I wanted to know if any of you knew anything about available carriages."
They looked at each other, and the one that talked to Subaru, who seemed to be something like their leader, answered him. "Well, we ain't sellin' any of those, but we know some guys who might. Ya see, there's a group of travelin' merchants, and they might just sell some transport to ya. They should be sittin' just outside of town by the highway."
Subaru narrowed his eyes. "So, what do you think the chances are of them selling transport?"
All three of them started to laugh. "Between us, one of 'um bought a bunch of no-good oil from us, so they'd probably buy anythin'!" He started to bellow, and took a swig from his mug.
Subaru didn't find this funny, but who cares about what Subaru thinks?
"Well, thank you for the information." He said, and started to leave.
"Stay strong, youngin'!" He heard from one of them, but he didn't reply.
He squinted his eyes as he exited the building, as the sun was now at its peak. All of a sudden, he was plowed onto the ground. "Hey! Watch where you're standing!" A slender man ran past him, not bothering to help him up.
Subaru grunted as he picked himself up, and he patted his tracksuit, trying to dust it off. This certainly didn't help his mood at all. Now with a sour face, he returned to where he was supposed to meet Rem.
After about twelve minutes, he returned to the meeting spot. He looked up as he got there, and wasn't surprised to see Rem waiting for him. "Hey Rem, did you have any luck?" he asked.
She nodded her head. "It may not be for certain, but I believe that I located a group of people willing to sell transport."
Subaru scraped his head. "Well, I kinda did too... So I guess that we have to choose one and go with it?" He mentally cursed himself for making a flawed plan, and gave Rem an apologetic smile.
Rem agreed. "Yes. Before we decide which one we want to pursue, let's share some details. I have been given information that claims that there is a travelling group of merchants who would be willing to transport us for the right price, and they are currently resting just outside of the capital. What information did you get, Subaru-kun?"
As she was saying this, Subaru grinned and shook his head. "Well, it looks like we went to the same place. Did you happen to go into a bar and talk to a group of three shady guys?"
"Yes. I did." Rem giggled when she realized what this meant. "What a coincidence! Now, I guess we know where to go."
Time Skip
Thanks to Rem's excellent sense of direction, the duo was able to reach the merchants before the sun even began to set.
The large group noticed their arrival, and one person came out to greet them. He was decked in a primarily green outfit, with his grey hair almost coming down to his shoulders. To be honest, this wasn't somebody that looked masculine. He began to wave, and greeted Subaru and Rem. "Hello! My name is Otto Suwen, and I am a merchant. Is there any way I can help you?"
Subaru got straight to the point, not wanting to waste any time. "Actually, we would like transportation to the Mathers domain." He looked at the ring of carriages in the background.
"In fact, we need all of those carriages."
Otto looked intrigued. "The Mathers domain? Are you sure? We can't take the highwa-"
Subaru took out a huge sack of money that he had gotten from Rem. "Actually, I think that we can go straight there. Now."
The merchant looked conflicted. "Okay, so we can go straight there, but I'm sorry to tell you that we can't leave until sometime tomorrow. There are still a few of us in the capital buying and selling some supplies, and we can't leave without them."
Subaru shook the money, making Otto start to sweat. "Why not?"
"Well, I would love to go, but there's only enough food and water for maybe two more meals. The guy who's in charge of food is getting some more, so we have to wait on him. There's also two more people in the capital, but they're just buying some maintenance equipment along with trying to find some things to sell later and hoping to sell some of our excess materials." Otto smiled nervously, hoping that Subaru wouldn't leave.
His hopes weren't crushed. Subaru looked at Rem, and she nodded her head. Subaru sighed, and said, "Well, we don't really have another choice. I guess that we'll wait on those other guys, but we leave as soon as they get back."
Otto was thrilled. "Great! Why don't you come join the rest of us then? We can wait together!"
Subaru shrugged, and Rem spoke up. "That would be great. Thank you." She bowed, but Otto started to shake his hands around.
"T-there's no need for that! You can be casual around us, Miss..."
"Rem. I am a servant to Roswaal L. Mathers." She nudged Subaru with her elbow, wanting him to introduce himself.
Subaru rolled his eyes. "And I'm Natsuki Subaru, a fellow servant and companion to Rem."
"Well, Natsuki-san-" Otto started to talk, but he was immediately interrupted by Subaru.
"You can call me Subaru. Like you said, there's no need for formalities here." Even though Subaru was irritated and agitated, he still had a few manners, though they were few.
Otto seemed happy for some reason. "Okay, Subaru. You and Rem can come over and have dinner with us. We're about to make some, so feel free to stay until the ride tomorrow."
Rem bowed her head in thanks. "Thank you. Your hospitality is greatly appreciated." Before Otto could comment on her formal way of speaking, Subaru stopped him.
"Don't worry. This is just how she talks since she's a legitimate maid." He said, and Rem nodded in agreement.
Otto shrugged, and gestured for them to follow him. As they neared the ring of merchants, they could hear a cacophony of greetings. "Hey, what's up?" "How are you doing?" "Welcome, travelers!" "Hey, do ya want to buy somethin' from me?" "Ooh! She's a cutie!"
Otto put his hand up, and they shut up. "Everybody, this is Natsuki Subaru, who goes by Subaru, and she is Rem. We're going to give them transportation to the Mathers domain when Jeff, Gunther, and Parnell get back," he announced.
"All of us? Are you sure Otto? After you bought all of that useless oil, we can't help but question some of your decisions." A scarred man said jokingly.
This started a laugh from the group of merchants, with Otto looking embarrassed.
"Oh, that makes sense," Subaru mumbled. The dude in the pub told him that he sold a merchant some oil. That must have been Otto.
"Would it help if I bought all of it?" Subaru asked, his face dead serious.
Once again, the men shut up, and Otto looked both shocked and appreciative. "Seriously?! Will you actually buy all of it? I was thinking that it was going to ruin me, and now you've saved me! Thank you!" He took Subaru's hands and shook them enthusiastically.
Subaru rolled his eyes. "Just make sure that we get to our destination as fast as we can."
Otto nodded his head violently. "Of course! Now, let me treat you to some food!"
Time Skip
Subaru and Rem had interacted with the group of men throughout the night, and one of the men who were in the capital, Gunther, had come back. He was one of the guys who sold some stuff and bought more things to sell for a higher price.
To be honest, Subaru didn't mind staying with these people, but he hated the fact that he had to wait until the next day to depart. Of course, this may be the only group that he can get transportation from, and probably the only one that would drive through the highway because of the threat of the White Whale, so he didn't think that he had much of a choice.
Now, after the meal and the long conversations, the last embers of what was a massive campfire were fading away. Everybody was asleep in either a carriage or in an improvised sleeping bag, which was really just a rolled up blanket. Well, only two people were still awake.
"Subaru-kun," whispered Rem.
"What?" He rolled over and faced her, his overworking mind not letting him fall asleep.
"I couldn't sleep, so I was wondering if we could talk," she continued.
Subaru nodded his head. "Yeah, I can't sleep either. There's just so much going on, and it's overwhelming me..." He sighed. "Rem, are you worried about the mansion?"
She nodded her head. "If- I mean, since the Witch Cult will be attacking very soon, I fear for everybody's lives. My sister. Roswaal-sama. Emilia-sama. And everybody else." She closed her eyes, her expression one of sorrow.
Subaru smiled reassuringly. "I know that I said that I'm overwhelmed, but don't worry. This will work out. I will make everything alright." He didn't want to see Rem look so sad, so he said something that would make her feel better.
It worked. She opened her eyes, and smiled. "Of course. I have put all of my faith in you Subaru-kun. I believe in you."
Subaru blushed a little from this. He hadn't been getting much positive feedback recently, so this sudden change caught him off guard.
His eyes widened and his face turned even redder after he felt something by his side. He looked where he felt the sensation, and he was shocked to see Rem laying right next to him, her body touching his.
"R-Rem, what are you doing? Why are you doing it?" he stuttered, not expecting this at all.
She smiled, though Subaru couldn't see it because of the dim light. "Because I want to." All of a sudden, a faint blue light began emanating from her hands.
This created a sensation that was familiar to Subaru. "Are you healing my gate?"
She nodded. "I am healing your gate, just like Felix-san did."
"O-of course! You're healing me! That's why you're so close..." There were a few moments of silence as the two of them kept still, not wanting to break the contact, since it was the only truly meaningful contact that either of them had experienced in a while.
Subaru ruined the moment as his thoughts wandered. "Emilia's going to be angry at me, won't she?"
Rem didn't show any kind of anger or jealousy. Instead, she kept the smile on her face. "If you take the time to properly face her and put how you feel into words, I'm sure she will understand. You are an amazing person, after all."
Subaru wanted to disagree. The last time that he tried talking to her and make her understand his feelings, she left him. Of course, he wasn't going to say this to Rem, but it was a thought that lingered in his mind.
That, and the last bit that she added. "I am?" She thought of him as some hero, but he knew that he was nothing even close to that. He is a failure, a weakling, somebody who could only get things right by having to redo them multiple times. She only thought of him as highly as she does because she only saw the result of trial and error. This wasn't the real him. The successful him only existed because of a cruel ability.
Even though this was the case, there was also one thing that he saw as the truth. "Well, Emilia is... hopeless without me..." His eyelids became droopy, the warmth coming from Rem welcoming sleep into his exhausted mind and body. "I care about her... so much..." With this, Subaru finally fell asleep.
Rem stopped her healing magic and sighed. In the most silent voice that she could produce, she whispered, "Subaru-kun, you really are slow, just like (Y/N) said... But I am fine with that. As long as I can be with you, I will be happy."
She then fell asleep next to Subaru, a smile still on her face.
Time Skip
The next day, Subaru was awakened by Rem, who had been up for an hour already. "What?" He rubbed his eyes that were still heavy, and hoped that they could leave now.
"It is time for breakfast. I insisted that I should prepare the meal, so I was able to make something that you will enjoy." She smiled, and Subaru propped himself up on his elbows.
"Thanks. I'll be up in a minute."
He rubbed his eyes, and groaned. This was going to be the day that he had to face Emilia, and it was going to hurt.
But Rem said that she believes in him. It may not mean much, but at least somebody thought that he could accomplish something. Thinking this, he threw the blanket off of him and made his way to the center of the camp, where everybody crowded around a large pot of whatever it was that Rem made.
He could smell the food, and his hungry stomach growled. Rem must have only had some bread and old vegetables, but she seemed to be able to make anything into a delicacy.
Rem saw him and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the crowd so that he could eat.
From that moment on, things just seemed to fast forward with Subaru being in an almost daze-like state. He was focused on what was about to come; battling the Witch Cult and, more importantly, facing Emilia.
He knew that Puck was supposedly powerful, so he could take on some Cultists with Roswaal. Along with them, the twin maids were also capable fighters, so they could defend the villagers and Emilia as they were evacuating in the carriages.
He also ran countless conversations in his head, winning and losing hypothetical arguments with Emilia. All of this only served to increase his anxiety, and he stopped talking altogether. His face showed no emotion; it looked like his mind was absent from his body.
Rem noticed this, but decided not to bother Subaru since he might actually be thinking about something very important. If that was the case, she didn't want to interrupt his train of thought.
The day passed uneventfully until Jeff and Parnell finally got back just before noon. When he saw them coming, Subaru snapped out of his thoughts and sat up from the spot that he had been occupying for the last few hours.
After Otto explained the situation to them, Jeff and Parnell made their way towards Subaru and Rem. "Are you ready kids?" Parnell asked in a deep voice.
Subaru nodded his head, and Rem replied, "Yes sir, we are ready to depart, and I would like to thank you for your assistance."
The two men blushed at this, but were immediately called away by Otto. The merchants were securing their luggage and preparing for the trip, but all Subaru did was watch. Rem stayed by his side, but she was actually starting to worry.
"Subaru-kun, whatever it is that is troubling your mind, please just remember that I will stay by your side, and everything will be fine."
Subaru backed out of his mind and looked through Rem's blue hair into her wide eyes. He smiled genuinely and nodded. "Thanks Rem. I guess that I was letting all of this get to me..." He sighed and looked up at the cloudy sky. "I just hope that you're right. I don't want anybody to die, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that we all make it through this."
Rem shuffled closer to him, closing all of the distance between them "I know tha-"
"Sorry to interrupt, but we're ready to leave, Subaru." Otto said, a nervous grin on his face. He scratched his head, hoping that they wouldn't get angry at him.
Thankfully for him, Subaru didn't show any anger. He simply nodded his head and said, "Thanks for letting us know. Which carriage would you like us to ride in?'
Otto thought for a moment, and responded, "Well, if you wouldn't mind, both of you can ride with me."
"That'll be fine." Without even having to ask Rem, Subaru made the decision.
Time Skip
The ride was only supposed to last half a day, but the traffic slowed them down significantly. Now it was nighttime, and everybody felt at least some degree of fatigue. "Hey Otto, wasn't the fog supposed to keep people away from the highway?" Subaru commented, agitated that these people had kept him away from Emilia in an increasingly anxiety-causing wait.
"Well," Otto said sheepishly, "Danger hasn't stopped people before. There are some pretty stupid people that prioritize convenience over safety, and some people even come into the fog so that they can encounter the whale."
Subaru lightly hit Otto in the arm. "Hey! Are you calling me stupid?"
"I didn't mean it like that!" Otto whined.
"Subaru-kun." Rem tapped his shoulder urgently, stopping his teasing of Otto. "Look." She pointed into the distance, where something was obscuring the sight of the largest tree that Subaru had ever seen.
Subaru narrowed his eyes, and once he could make out the sinister essence that they were approaching, his expression turned grave. "Fog. The While Whale must be close, so tell your men to stay close."
Otto gulped. "Okay." He raised his voice, and repeated what Subaru had told him to say. There were a few grunts in response, but everybody was now on guard, not knowing if this would be their last night.
They rode into the fog, and the ground dragons slowed down. "Um..." Otto whispered. "The ground dragons seem to be uneasy to go further. Are you sur-"
"I'm sure. Keep on going." Subaru ordered. He looked to his side, and tilted his head. "Hey, where is that guy who was beside us? Didn't you tell them to say close?"
Otto seemed confused. "What are you talking about? There was never anybody next to us."
"Wha..." Subaru scratched his head, and froze. A realization hit him. Horrified, he opened up his flip phone and used its light to illuminate the area around them.
To his side was a monstrous, yellow eye that seemed like it was staring into his soul. His eyes widened in horror, and he scrambled to the other side of the carriage.
"Faster, Otto! We need to-" he was cut off as Otto shoved him over the side.
"I'm sorry, but it's your fault that we got in this situation, so you need to die to let me live!" Otto cried out, fearing for his life.
Subaru couldn't believe it. His mouth was agape, but no words came out. All he could do was stare at the large mass that was quickly getting closer to him. Just before it came upon him, his body was picked up by Rem, who tried to run away as fast as she could.
"Subaru-kun! Hold on tight!" She yelled, the monster now emitting thick fog from pores that line its body.
All visibility was gone, but they could hear the cries of the terrified merchants and the sounds coming from the White Whale.
Subaru started shaking, his body taken by fear and his mind being overworked while he tried to create a way to survive this conflict.
Rem held him closer, and even she seemed to know what was about to happen. In their last moments together, there was one thing that she wanted to say to him.
"Subaru-kun-" her words were drowned out as the whale suddenly crashed down in front of them, clearing all of the fog away.
Rem clung on to Subaru, who began to scream, tears raining from his eyes. "I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"
The whale opened its massive jaw, and rushed forward. Rem didn't expect this, so she hesitated a second before she tried to maneuver away.
This was a fatal mistake.
The White Whale scooped both of them into its maw, and chomped down. Rem's midsection was pierced by a tooth, her blood coating Subaru as he slid down the tongue and down into the dark chasm of this beast.
He tried grabbing onto the slimy walls that surrounded him, but nothing could slow his progression into the stomach.
"REM! NO! HELP! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! HELP! I DON'T WANT TO DIE HERE! SAVE ME!"
All of a sudden, Subaru stopped. He was in a puddle of something, and both his mind and body were being dissolved.
He could feel his flesh being torn away, and the extreme, inescapable stench made him throw up the contents of his stomach. Of course, he was now in a monster's stomach, so this didn't matter. He was going to die, and it was going to be painful.
Before he died, he was able to croak out one last word. One last word until he was nothing more than a forsaken lump of flesh. Before he had to wake up yet again and relive this cruel fate. Before he had to suffer again and again, an endless cycle of pain that he didn't know how to end.
"Why?"
Hey guys, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter!
I've been pretty busy this last week, and I will also be pretty busy this week too. With that said, I will still try to post another chapter this coming weekend.
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!