Writing this chapter was quite the journey. I know that it may not seem like much considering its length, but it's been rewritten multiple times. I also removed around 3K words and saved that for a later chapter because it didn't fit well here.

I also procrastinated a lot, so…yeah. It's much more fun to write rough drafts than it is to edit.

Special thanks to my wife for editing this fic. I'd also like to give a shoutout Imtheperson for beta reading this chapter. I'm sorry that you had to deal with my terrible usage of commas and ellipses.

The Witch's Tea Party

The door opened not to the halls of the Watchtower, but to a familiar, sprawling meadow.

Rolling green hills, blue skies, a light smattering of clouds…and a table, lightly shaded by an umbrella, where a striking woman of white and black patiently awaited him.

From afar, Subaru stared at her with a blank expression. She quirked an eyebrow and gave him a sly smile, sending a shiver down his spine.

Too much was rolling through his mind. The Trial, his grief, his confusion, his understanding, his history with her, his plethora of questions—none of which could be properly answered.

He walked up the hill and sat down at the table, accepting the Witch of Greed's unspoken invitation.

It went without saying that he didn't drink her tea.

He had expected to meet her after the Trial, yes, but normally, she was a bit more…immersive with the experience. For example, in the last timeline, she had appeared in his old classroom. It was a bit surprising to go straight to the Tea Party instead of finding her in the Tower.

Perhaps the fact that he had known from the start that he was in the Trial had caused her to forgo such an entrance.

He pursed his lips. He hadn't spoken in what felt like months. Part of him wanted his first words to be something dramatic and cool, but pragmaticism won out.

He looked Echidna, the Witch of Greed, directly in the eyes, and asked, "Who are you?"

Echidna folded her hands in her lap. "What a strange question from a man that is already acquainted with me," she mused. "I suppose that I must answer with 'I am who I am'."

Subaru's eyes narrowed. Knowing Echidna, she was likely referencing a fairly well-known phrase about the eternal nature of a higher being. In this specific context, "I am who I am" also meant "I was who I was" and "I will be who I will be."

In other words, this was an Echidna who did not believe that she could change. This was not the woman who had experienced failure, defeat, and oblivion, transforming her into an almost entirely different person from the one that had tortured him as a youth.

This wasn't someone that he could reason with. This person could not be trusted.

A Witch through and through.

…That, or he hadn't let go of his anger towards her. He didn't know if he ever would, nor if he should. There was too much history between them.

He sat back and folded his arms over his lap. Rash judgments and decisions never did anyone any favors. He'd let this play out, though he'd keep his guard up.

Echidna put her chin in her palms and her elbows on the table, staring at him. "Fascinating," she murmured, having heard his thoughts. He wasn't surprised—it was her domain, after all. "After witnessing the memories of your past self, I did not expect you to draw such a conclusion from a few meager words."

"My past self was dumb as shit," he said coarsely. Withholding judgment didn't mean that he couldn't be snarky.

Echidna's gaze didn't falter. "You say that as if he were a different person, yet, going by your reaction to the Trial, it is clear that you blame yourself for his actions."

"Yeah, well, reincarnation really fucks with your sense of identity. I go back and forth. It depends on the day."

"I see." She sipped her tea, returning some of the fluids to their rightful place. Subaru shuddered. "I must say, your way of speaking is quite harsh. I had hoped that becoming my daughter's caretaker would have caused you to…mature somewhat."

On the verge of losing his composure, Subaru shot back, "You have no right to talk about being harsh when you abandoned my daughter."

Echidna hid a smile behind her teacup. "Your daughter? Are you referring to that creature you made with Daphne? I was under the impression that it was you, not I, who had abandoned her." Her smile didn't waver, even as Subaru nearly did. "Or perhaps you speak of Daphne herself, whom you abandoned in the worst way possible. What of the mabeast tamer, who you strangled to death? Do you truly have the right to judge me when you have killed people for your own, selfish goals?"

No. No, he didn't.

…But he'd still stick up for Beatrice.

Before he could say anything, Echidna's eyes narrowed. "'Stick up for her?' Do you fancy yourself her protector? Her guardian angel?"

He chuckled ruefully. "Not a chance. She protects me more than the other way around."

"Yet you have the audacity to call yourself her 'father'." Echidna set her tea down, letting the clattering sound die out before she resumed speaking. "Surely you are aware that by entering my Castle of Dreams, you formed a contract with me. In exchange for using the Book of Wisdom to take the Trials, your memories are mine to peruse at will."

"A shitty deal."

"Is that so? It is a trade that you took swiftly with multiple ulterior motives."

He bristled, unable to deny it. "I don't see what that has to do with Beatrice."

Her smile didn't falter. "I saw all of your memories from Lugunica—not merely your Trial. Your life as Flugel was laid plain, as was this life…" Her black eyes flashed. "…including the last timeline."

She paused, clearly expecting a more dramatic reaction. Subaru coughed awkwardly. "Er, right. I kinda figured that would happen."

Echidna blinked. Her smile grew. "How interesting. If you recall correctly, you fell to your knees and wept when I last made a similar revelation."

"Yeah, well, I'll be damned if I cry around you again."

"But you will show such weakness around Beatrice, your so-called 'daughter'."

She reached out and placed her teacup directly in the center of her table. Twirling her spoon above it like a wand, she manipulated the steam into a surprisingly clear image: a man and a woman fleeing from a mansion.

Echidna detailed the mansion further, murmuring as she did so. "You remember it, do you not? Your past self and that sl—your bride…" Her face twisted like she'd just eaten something particularly vile. "…spitting upon my kindness and running away. I asked for nothing but your cooperation—"

"For a death experiment."

"Your condemnation comes swiftly, but did you not go even further than I?"

The steam did nothing to cover up his flinch.

"You did not simply flee from my home," Echidna said. Her smile dropped. "That thing you were with—"

"Don't call her that!"

"—destroyed my laboratory. Over a decade of work, burned to ashes in an act of infantile rage. Unlike my notes, one cannot simply memorize potions and machines."

She rested her hand on the outside of the steam, curling her palm around it like it was a snow globe. She twisted it clockwise, revealing the part of the mansion that she had detailed further—at this point, it resembled an old, black-and-white film rather than a mess of steam. Staring out of the window was the unmistakable form of a small child with hair that spiraled out on both sides of her head. She pressed her hands and face against the window, gazing forlornly after the fleeing couple.

"Beatrice stayed by that window for a week, not speaking a word. When I first saw her like that…"

Echidna's hand faltered, disrupting the image. She quickly formed a new one. In it, an adult figure wandered aimlessly through a hallway, stopping as he saw that same child in the distance.

"You had the chance to make things right. You could have been 'That Person', but you walked right past her. You left her to her fate."

The smoke shifted again, showing Typhon, Daphne, Satella, and Shaula. He forced himself to look at every single image. He listened attentively to Echidna condemning him.

He didn't deny it; there was nothing to deny.

The smoke swirled around. Echidna spoke with a clipped tone. "You speak of personal growth and morals. You vow to never hurt people again—to never abandon those whom you claim to care about. And yet…this behavior continued."

He saw himself talking to Rem, telling her that he was going to leave the country. He saw Beatrice and Emilia crying in the Capital after he had attempted suicide.

It was difficult to think about. That was obvious. No Trial, no encouragement, nothing could ever allow him to completely let go of the blame that he put unto himself.

Echidna's cold eyes remained laser-focused on him. "You abandoned her, Subaru Natsuki. Over and over again, you shattered her fragile heart. After seeing that, can you truly look me in the eyes and call her your 'daughter'?"

It took everything that Subaru had not to back down.

He thought about what he would have done before the Trial. Cry, maybe. Get angry, for sure.

But he had been confronted with the worst of himself for what felt like months. With crystal-clear detail, the Trial had bombarded him with unspeakable horrors, all of which could be traced back to him, even that which he had previously not known; Minerva's family, Pandora's interventions, his true last meeting with Daphne, and more.

From the onset of the Trial, he was doomed. His own mindset had primed him for failure, but something had kept him going.

It wasn't Rem calling him a hero. It wasn't Emilia's confession or Satella's vows. It wasn't anything quite as drastic, but it came from someone that was equally as important.

"If you were to constantly punish yourself, you'd never get anything done, I suppose. Betty needs her Subaru to be fully functional, and there are more productive outlets for your remorse, in fact."

And so, when the Trial had forced him to his knees, he stood right back up.

His dark eyes never left Echidna. "You're not wrong," he said, much more calmly than when he had entered the Castle of Dreams. "I've hurt Beatrice. Hell, if I were to list all the people that I've personally hurt, it'd take hours."

"You didn't answer my question," she said evenly, though there was a strange glimmer in her eyes.

Subaru reached towards the smoky mirage, which was still hovering over the table. It may be Echidna's domain, but this was still a "dream" of sorts. Once lucid, you can somewhat manipulate a dream, right?

He waved his hand through the mist, wiping the dark images away and replacing it with new ones. He smiled softly at the sight. It was the moment right before he had entered the Witch's Tomb, where he had discovered Beatrice's drawing of both of them and Satella. Due to the angle, it was one of the more uncomfortable hugs that he'd had, but it was also one of the best.

Despite everything, Beatrice didn't hate him. There was not an ounce of resentment in her.

"There's your answer, Echidna," Subaru said quietly. "Whether I deserve it or not is irrelevant. She wants someone to take care of her…and she chose me to do it."

It didn't matter what he had done in the past or the reasons behind it. It didn't matter how he felt about himself. People loved him anyway.

"If I keep breaking down at the mere mention of my past, what use am I? How can I protect the people that I care about if I'm curled up in a ball, crying my eyes out?"

He took a deep breath and gripped the sides of his chair, tightening the skin around his knuckles. "At the start, when I saw myself in the Trial, going insane…I'll admit it. I broke. I tried grabbing me—him—but I couldn't push him away from Daphne or Minerva or Typhon or anyone. I couldn't stop myself from making Satella cry." He gave a bitter laugh. "I always knew that I couldn't change the past, but having it drilled into my thick skull was something else entirely."

Echidna's gaze didn't falter, and neither did Subaru's.

"I won't forget. I can't forget, and I sure as hell can't forgive myself, either, but I also can't sit here all day, bitching and moaning about what I did in a past life. I need to be better than that. I am better than that."

The man sitting opposite the Witch of Greed was no longer the monster that had unleashed the Witch of Envy. He was just a guy trying to protect his family.

"No more sacrifices. No more killing. I'm going to save everyone, Echidna. A broken man weighed down by his sins can't do that…but Subaru Natsuki sure as hell can."

She set down her tea. The mist disappeared. "Congratulations. You passed the First Trial."

"…Wait, what?"

Echidna's glare had dropped. The glimmer in her eyes had intensified, and she had spoken those words to him in a tone completely unlike the one that she had used previously, much to Subaru's befuddlement.

"Your proclamation at the end was quite…greedy. I respect that. Now—" She held up her teacup again, but no mist spewed forth. Taking a sip, she said, "To pass the First Trial, you needed to undergo some sort of personal growth. I wanted to see for myself exactly what had changed."

"I-I see," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. He was still put off by her sudden shift in tone. "Look, all that doesn't matter. We've talked about my feelings enough."

"Have we? It seems that we have merely discussed how your feelings are not as important as your actions."

"Same difference. Not like you'd understand anything about emotion."

"How cruel of you," Echidna said with a smile that mocked his predictability. "Believe it or not, my maidenly heart aches when you speak to me like that."

Subaru narrowed his eyes, suspicious. "What's your aim here?"

She cocked a single, elegant eyebrow. Unbidden, Subaru tried to match that, but he ended up doing some kind of squint-wink-blink that just made himself look silly. "Must I really have an ulterior motive when speaking to a guest?"

"You're the Witch of Greed," he said by way of explanation. "You always want to learn something."

"Seeking knowledge is not an ulterior motive. It is the actions that one takes with it."

"And those actions are…what? Trying to coerce me into another contract?"

She waved him off. "Heavens, no. Your memories have already shown me that you will not accept such a thing."

"Then what do you want?"

"Merely your perspective on your newly-acquired memories."

"That's not how you work," he said, crossing his arms.

She hummed. "If I may be so bold to ask, what made you an expert on my motivations?"

His lips curled inwards in a grimace. "I've seen enough to understand you."

"You only know the worst parts of me. You did not see the woman who saved Roswaal's life nor the one who became Beatrice's mother." Her emphasis made the implication clear. Even dropping her mask, it seemed that she would not let that go. "Now, say that all I knew of you was that little scene with you and Daphne. How might I view you?"

Subaru almost fell for it. Almost. "Don't turn this on me. Beatrice said that she had to convince you that she was her daughter."

For a moment, Echidna's shoulders fell. They picked themselves right back up, as she spoke resolutely. "After hurting Daphne, did you consider yourself worthy of having another child?"

"…Ah."

It was times like these that he remembered that underneath the masks, the lies, and the deception, Echidna was still a human.

Subaru didn't let his guard down completely, of course. He recognized an appeal to emotion when he saw it, but he also remembered the moments before her death. She had spoken of regret and a love that she once held. He had dismissed it back then, but maybe…just maybe there was a bit more to it. Maybe she didn't hate Satella as much as she let on. Hell, considering all of that, maybe there was even something more to the whole "That Person" fiasco, too.

Maybe Echidna just hated herself.

His glare lightened to a disapproving frown. Those were a lot of assumptions gathered from a few throwaway statements—ones that were undoubtedly said to manipulate him—but he couldn't help thoughts like those.

He thought of the monster that had tried to extend her life at the cost of Satella's. He looked upon the Witch whose mask had fallen. He remembered the woman who had given up and accepted her death.

"Maybe we're not so different after all," he said softly.

She said nothing, merely watching him curiously.

"You weren't lying when you said that you just wanted my perspective. I thought…I figured you'd want revenge, but you've never actually punished me or Satella for what happened, have you? You didn't help us, but you didn't make anything worse, either." He grimaced again. "That's not to say that you didn't start this shit in the first place. I'm just saying that I believe you. Maybe. Sort of."

"What a stunning vote of confidence," she deadpanned. "And here I thought that we might be establishing a good rapport."

"Not a chance. Even ignoring everything that happened with Satella, your flames didn't exactly kindle friendship."

"And you killed me, which made my maidenly heart stop beating for you in more ways than one."

"…Shit, and they say my humor is morbid."

She covered a laugh with the side of her hand, eyes twinkling. Subaru sighed. "All right, I give. Who do you want to ask me about? Daphne? Satella? Beako again? The Od Laguna? Volc—"

"Tell me about Pandora."

His breath hitched. He should have expected that, but it threw him off, nonetheless. What the hell was he supposed to say?

Echidna smiled. "How interesting. Judging by your memories, I'd have thought that you would be quick to say that you hated her. Perhaps you are thinking of the fates of many others who know of her? My, my, your concern is so touching." She made a show of fanning her face, but she wasn't blushing. "Did you already forget? Pandora and I are already acquainted."

"I'm aware of that," Subaru snapped with a heat that surprised them both. "You forced her to bring you to Satella."

Echidna's eyebrows shot up. "Fascinating," she murmured. "That sounded almost like defensiveness."

Subaru shut his mouth.

"I do not have all of my memories," Echidna admitted, inadvertently reminding Subaru of just how many Echidnas there were, all with different sets of memories, "but I recall my relationship with Pandora to be one of…mutual interest. I sought immortality, and Pandora led me to a catalyst."

Subaru almost flinched, but he wasn't sure why. He already knew that pretty much everything was Pandora's fault in some way, shape or form—at least, that was what she had told him, though he didn't know how much of that was true or mere boasting.

He ran a hand through his hair. His answer to Echidna's question should come easily. "I hate her. She's a monster. I'd kill her if I could."

Pandora had manipulated him into sacrificing the Witches. When Echidna sought immortality, Pandora had brought her to Satella. Pandora had destroyed Elior Forest, corrupted Geuse, and assaulted people in unthinkable ways.

She had destroyed the universe, killing millions along the way, all in an insane attempt to make him love her.

The words should be so easy. "I hate her."

"I don't know how I feel."

Echidna leaned forward with a gleam in her eyes, not daring to interrupt him.

"She says that she's the villain," he said softly, "but I can't help but wonder if she's just another victim. Maybe she acts like this because it's all she knows."

"Why do you think that?" Echidna prodded after a long period of silence.

"I literally saw her ten-year-old self in a cage," he said dully. "Combined with her fucked-up views on love…It's pretty obvious what her childhood was like."

"Your previous incarnation did not have an easy upbringing," Echidna pointed out.

"And I sure turned out great," he grumbled. "I'm not saying that what she did was okay, but if she wasn't lying, and Satella and I really saved her from all that…then I guess I can see why she's so obsessed with us. I'm not saying she shouldn't be stopped! It's just…I think I'm starting to understand her a bit more."

All was silent as Echidna studied him. "Anything else?" she asked.

"Dunno what more you want," Subaru said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I literally went from 'I want to murder her' to 'I kinda get where she's coming from.' That's character development in my book."

Echidna pulled a face. "You are a mess of contradictions, Subaru Natsuki. You readily accept all of your flaws, and you came out of the Trial a more confident person, but when it comes to Pandora, you are in constant denial."

Subaru was quiet for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Wait, you're not—shit, not you, too!" His right arm fell to his table, and he placed his forehead on it, shaking with laughter. "Nuh-uh, no way! We're not going this route! Under no circumstances do I feel anything but the tiniest amount of pity for her!"

"Your innermost thoughts say otherwise," Echidna demurred.

"I do not love her!"

"I never said that your feelings are romantic in nature," she reminded him. "You yourself have acknowledged that love comes in different forms."

Subaru's head shot up, as he abruptly stopped laughing. He slammed his fist onto the table, making the teacups clatter. "I could never love a killer like her."

"Daphne and Meili," Echidna retorted. "Minerva and Typhon, too."

"They didn't know what they were doing," Subaru shot back. "At least, they didn't understand the consequences."

"And Pandora can reset the world, meaning she knows that there are no real consequences."

The argument died in Subaru's throat. It was pointless to try and change a Witch's mind.

He sighed. "Why are you defending her?"

"To gauge your reaction," Echidna said plainly. "I will admit that—after seeing your memories—I hold no love for the man who killed me, and I certainly feel nothing for the girl who showed me oblivion. Your soul, however, still fascinates me. The Sage—"

"You don't need to repeat that whole spiel," Subaru grunted. "Sage this, Sorceress that, love and loathing but it's not actually love or hate—I've already taken the fucking tutorial."

"Hmph. So angry. At least let me ask another question about Pandora."

"Fine."

"Have you not considered that these feelings—which you do have—come from another life?"

He bit back a retort. The thought had been on his mind for a long time. It seemed impossible, but then again, when he had first met Satella, he hadn't even considered that his past self had loved her.

…Maybe he knew the truth about Pandora, but he was still in denial.

Would a man in denial know that he was in denial?

He sighed for what felt like the millionth time. "It's possible," he admitted, frowning as Echidna smiled, "but that doesn't matter. Wasn't that the whole point of this Trial? 'I can't change the past, and I'm not the same person who did all that horrible shit'. Why does it matter what I felt in another past life that I don't even remember?"

"Because she feels that it's important," Echidna said. "She will constantly seek a world where her goals are realized, regardless of how you feel right now. The cycle will repeat…until you end it."

He laughed bitterly. "So, I'm Fate's Bitch. Let's trademark that." He shook his head vehemently. "Yeah, no. Fuck that. Pandora doesn't get to decide my fate."

This would be the last timeline, and their story would end how he wanted it to end.

"Such a bold claim," Echidna murmured. "Can you truly do that, even after losing your greatest power?"

"…Ah. Right."

The ability to alter destiny. To change fate. To bring about a perfect future.

That power was gone.

Subaru didn't have Return by Death anymore.

His Authorities were related to the sins by more than just their names. His Authority of Sloth had previously been held back because he had given up on life. His Authority of Greed had been shackled down by his desire for accolade. His Authority of Envy had been tied to families—others could have children whereas Subaru was paralyzed by fear of his own body.

Now that Subaru had healed from his scars, Return by Death would no longer curse nor aid him.

Sure, he had other useful abilities—True Face had been pivotal to solving many of the Emilia Camp's major issues. Cor Leonis was overpowered in the right context, and both Dragonskin and Guiding Hand had come in clutch quite a few times.

But none of them had saved him like Return by Death had.

He groaned and shoved his head in his hands. "This is gonna suck," he grumbled. "You know why Ghosts n' Goblins was hard? It didn't have any save points, you died in two hits, your weapons sucked, and everything was out to kill you."

Echidna's eyes widened at the unfamiliar term, but she managed to hold herself back.

"Thing is, I kicked ass at that game, and that was without an OP team. Here, I have the entire Emilia Camp backing me. This shit will be a breeze."

"I see," Echidna said, sitting back in her chair. "In more concise terms, you believe that your friends are your strength."

"Yeah, but I won't be caught dead unironically saying that we'll win with the Power of Friendship."

She hummed again. "What about your other Authorities? How will they come into play?"

He leaned back and trained his eyes on the clouds. "I don't think most of them are as pivotal as Return by Death," he said bitterly. "Guiding Hand is a clutch weapon that works best as a surprise attack. True Face can help Satella survive once she's freed. Cor Leonis—okay, sure, that's an OP team buff."

He paused. Echidna did her best to hide her anticipation, but Subaru was used to seeing past her many masks.

"The Authority of Envy always has something to do with souls," Subaru mused. His experiences had led him to deduce that, and the Od Laguna had confirmed it. "In the end, when Satella is freed…I can almost guarantee that it'll be used to separate her from the Witch."

Echidna bit back her comment on how there wasn't a difference. "And what about the Authority of Wrath?" she asked instead.

Subaru fell silent. He didn't want to give a half-hearted answer.

"…I don't think that I'll be able to use it."

Echidna nearly spit out her tea. "Eh?! Why not?!"

Subaru stared her down, daring her to refute his statement. "Because what kind of monster would I be if I stopped hating myself?"

Echidna fell silent, dumbfounded by his blunt statement. "But…the Trial—"

"Helped me move forward despite hating myself. Why is that so hard to understand?"

Echidna couldn't comprehend his logic—whether it was because she was a mere construct or because even the real person wouldn't be able to wrap her head around it, Subaru didn't know.

"It's like this," he began, holding out his hands to show the different paths. "Right now, my Authority of Wrath manifests itself based on my self-harm: anger towards myself instead of others. To overcome that, I'd have to let go of my anger. However, despite saying that they want me to forgive myself, Emilia and Beatrice could never love a person incapable of guilt."

He stopped himself short and looked at Echidna. His eyes softened slightly.

He continued, saying, "It's circular. If I hate myself, they love me, keeping the Authority in stasis. If I love myself, they hate me, making me hate myself, bringing the Authority right back. Also, me being unable to overcome this makes me hate myself even more, and…well, you get the point."

"…You have thought about this quite a bit, it seems."

"I didn't have much to do in the Trial besides self-reflection."

He smiled a bit before sobering up. There was a lot more that the two of them could speak about—the Oni God, the Od Laguna, and their shared past to name a few topics—but that wasn't important right now. He didn't know how long he had been away for, but he hadn't exactly left Emilia in a stable emotional state.

He thought of that alternate timeline where a wild-eyed imitation of Emilia had clung to him like a lifeline. If he were gone for too long, would she become like that?

He shook his head to himself. Of course, she wouldn't. She was too strong for that.

Still, he really should get back. People were depending on him.

He put his hands on the edge of the table, pushing his chair back. He hesitated. "I never apologized to you."

Echidna inclined her head. "Neither did I."

They held their gazes before letting out shared, small smiles.

"For the Witch of Greed, you sure are prideful."

"I could say something similar about your stubbornness."

"Can't deny it." He stood up, placed his hands on his lower back, and stretched. "I'm guessing I'll see you around?"

"I have a habit of showing up where things are most interesting."

"And that's where I am. Got it."

Just as it had the first time that he had entered the Castle of Dreams, a looming, dark door appeared behind him. He turned and walked towards it without much hesitation.

"Wait," Echidna said. He turned around, cocking an eyebrow at her ever-curious expression. "Will you not ask to see them?"

She didn't need to explain whom she was talking about. "No. I won't."

She tilted her head to the side. "How interesting. You truly are adhering to your 'moving forward' policy."

"That's not what it means." He turned and gripped the golden doorknob, his knuckles whitening. "You have no idea how badly I want to see them. I want to…t-to find out if Daphne hates me, but I can't do that to her. Now that they all know who I really am, why would I torture them by forcing them to face me?"

Echidna raised her eyebrows. "I cannot tell if that is noble or hypocritical."

"It's considerate. Until I hear otherwise, I'm keeping my distance."

To prove his point, he wrenched open the door and strode into the endless abyss, intent on returning to those who waited for him.

The door shut behind him with a massive thud. It turned to ashes, scattering in the wind. Nothing remained in the Castle of Dreams except for rolling fields of green, a partly cloudy sky, a small table, and a lonely woman, casually sipping her tea.

Or so it seemed.

While that was indeed the typical scenery, it was now a façade, hiding a scene that Subaru Natsuki was not quite ready to see—or rather, one that they were not ready to show him, fearing that he would disrupt their precarious situation.

The pristine sky shattered like glass shards. The silvery-white clouds transformed into burgeoning shadows. The emerald hills withered and dulled to an amalgamation of beige and copper. The tea table blackened and charred, turning to ashes.

All of this happened within a few seconds, but it did not faze Echidna—it was her that had dispelled the illusion.

She was no longer alone. From left to right, Typhon, Minerva, Sekhmet, Carmilla, and Daphne formed a circle around a cloaked figure whom they stared solemnly at. Echidna took her place at the open spot between Minerva and Sekhmet.

"That took…haah…forever," Sekhmet said, languishing on the charcoal. "After that fight…haah…I don't have…haah…enough energy to hold her for much longer…haah…"

"You are not alone in this endeavor," Echidna reminded her. "It is not often that we Witches agree on something, but it seems that we share some common ground here."

"Damn right, we do!" Minerva yelled, nodding her head furiously. "I won't let her hurt anyone!"

Typhon giggled into her hand, skipping a few steps closer to her target, anxious to punish yet another sinner.

Carmilla shifted in place. "I-I don't, um, think I'll be…useful against, um, someone like her, b-but I'll help however I can!"

Daphne stayed silent and expressionless. She hadn't said anything since she had seen Subaru's memories.

Echidna donned a mocking smile and placed a thoughtful finger on her chin, as she looked upon the figure trapped on the ground. "My, my, I almost forgot about you," she said sweetly, her eyes alight with mirth. "What was that? You wished to see him? Oh, I would so love to acquiesce, but I'm sure you see why I cannot."

Shifting her dress, she knelt on the ash-covered ground, smiling down at the woman who was bound by thousands of Unseen forces. She tilted its face, looking into its slate-like, purple eyes.

"Isn't that right…Satella?"

A loud stomp and a shouted "damn it" cut off any further monologuing.

"For the last time, that's Envy, not Satella!" Minerva cried, her torso heaving from the force of her shouts.

Echidna ignored her. She watched keenly as Satella transformed into shadows, phasing into the ground. After a deliberate pause—

"Al Goa."

A wall of flames clashed with solid shadows, blinding Echidna and Envy. Covering her eyes with her forearm, Typhon darted forward, but she was immediately blasted back, clutching Envy's shattered arm to her chest. The light soon faded, revealing that Envy had already regenerated her arm.

They were at a standoff, six against one, neither able to defeat the other. The Witches—sans Echidna, of course—were reluctant to hurt Envy, as that would affect Satella. As for why Envy could not maintain an advantage…

"I cannot tell if you are presumptuous, stupid, or both," Echidna said. "Do any thoughts go through that empty head of yours?"

"Don't be mean to her," Daphne interrupted without a trace of her typical chipper, absent-minded mien. She was soft-spoken, unsure of herself—it was such a stark contrast, Echidna almost listened.

But her hatred for Satella was stronger than her sympathy for Daphne.

"You wish to take what you believe is yours using brute force. You are convinced that your strength is so great, you can subjugate all six of us with ease, but you are forgetting something.

"This is my domain."

Echidna's smile turned deranged, as her eyes belied her true power. Some of the other Witches shivered at the aura that she gave off.

"You think that we are trapped here with you? Oh, how wrong you are."

Echidna sauntered over, grabbed a stunned Envy by the chin, and yanked her forward so that their faces were mere inches apart.

"You are trapped here with us."