A/N: Sorry for disappearing for a while. Burnout and the lack of passion made this chapter hard to write. Surprisingly, it's the most I had written in one chapter. My writing style of taking 2-3 days to write a chapter and editing really drained my passion for fanfic writing along with how this story is extremely experimental on the concept of Respawn by Death replacing Return by Death, while being in the realm of Re:Zero without screwing up the characters and lore too much. Too much shower thoughts went into this. In regards on how much this fanfic gets updated, I'm embracing the spirit of Tappei which means random updates instead of a scheduled updating I previously maintained. Seeing the end of this fanfic is my goal no matter the length of the story. Can't leave a story unfinished, no matter how bad or good it is.
July 18th: Added one extra phrase to Beatrice's dialogue.
Once Subaru realized he had died, he began to panic. There was no warning. There were no hints. His death came suddenly and unexpectedly as if he could not live a peaceful life.
Why me? Why now?
Extreme worries overwhelmed Subaru. What caused his death scared him the most. He had no clue if someone had cast magic on him or placed a curse on him if that exists in the first place. The lack of information frustrated him as he felt helpless in this situation.
Beatrice might know something.
As Subaru's teacher in magic, Beatrice would likely know if anything magic-related is lingering on his body that killed him. His ability to respawn by death held unexplained elements concerning before and after death regarding his body state.
Subaru jumped off his bed and ran to the door. He slammed the door open without care for noise as he noisily ran around the mansion to find the entrance to the library.
During Subaru's rush, he worried about the other residents of the mansion. He might not be the only target here as he viewed himself as an unimportant butler. He does not want a repeat of what happened with Emilia.
After a few tries, Subaru managed to find the library and ran to the sleeping Beatrice. He felt great relief in seeing her still alive, sleeping soundly.
"Beatrice!"
Subaru shook Beatrice to wake her up from her slumber.
"Beatrice, I need your help!"
Beatrice woke up with a grumpy look. A look that gives off an expression of wanting to kill someone.
"How dare you wake up Betty in the middle of the night?"
"Beatrice, I think I'm cursed or something. Is there a way for you to examine me?"
"Your demands are getting ridiculous every time we meet, I suppose."
"Please, Beatrice. I need your help."
Beatrice sighed at Subaru's pleading.
"If you leave right after this, Betty will do it, I suppose. Stand still."
Beatrice checked Subaru's body for any curses and found one on his hand, so she swiftly removed it.
"Surprisingly, there is one, but Betty does not care how about the affairs concerning the curse. You can leave now, I suppose."
Upon witnessing the existence of the curse, Subaru's eyes widened in shock. The puppy that one of the children from the village found bit him in the exact spot.
"This can not be."
"What?"
"Thank you, Beatrice! I have to go now!"
Subaru quickly dashed out from the library to head towards the village. The children he recently bonded with are in grave danger by being near that puppy, and he could not bear the thought of their potential deaths.
There is a chance that they died around the same time as Subaru, but he mentally fought away that idea. There has to some time remaining to save the kids. They had a bright future ahead of them. If someone granted him the power to live through dying, could he use it to prevent the death of others?
After Subaru dashed off from the library, Beatrice stared at the door with a depressing look. She struggled to maintain her collected face after Puck's death. Other emotions slipped through time and time again ever since Subaru's arrival, unintentionally or not.
"For such strange entrances and interactions, Betty hopes you are that person. The void erected by the gone hurts to conceal."
The loud noise woke up Rem, causing her to go high alert on the possibility of a thief or an assassin. She quickly changed into her maid uniform and pulled out her morning star. To Rem's surprise, the witch's scent previously faintly linger in the mansion after Subaru's arrival grew stronger, causing her to become agitated by its change of strength.
The smell unmistakably belongs to Subaru, prompting Rem to question her stance on Subaru. From the past few days, seeing Subaru work hard and having unique interactions grew on her despite her orders to keep an eye on him. However, the timing of the sudden loud noises in the middle of the night and the stronger witch's scent can be related to Subaru, thus a return of her previous suspicion on Subaru. Given the chance that Subaru is acting for the witch-cult, she would not hesitate to restrain and question him, but she felt a hint of regret if she resorted to the act.
Rem quietly headed towards Subaru's room to confirm his current state of behind. If Subaru is sleeping peacefully, he would be clear of suspicion, but it did not help the sudden increase of the scent. On the other hand, if Subaru is not in bed, there will be a complicated mess.
The sounds of heavy footsteps grew louder as the smell of the witch grew stronger as it came to Rem's direction. She braced herself in a fighting stance to face the unknown person.
"Show yourself!"
An extremely panicking Subaru entered Rem's view, who swiftly skidded to a stop after seeing her. With his arms on his knees and his head facing down, he quickly took a quick breather before facing his head towards Rem.
"Rem! I'm so glad I found you! We have a problem. The children in the village are in danger. We have to save them!"
By hearing the news from Subaru, Rem became even more confused about the current situation. First the loud noise and now Subaru's proclamation about the children in the middle of the night? She does not feel comfortable about the events playing out.
Subaru continued explaining his situation.
"Beatrice found a curse on me which came from that dog in the village, and it is with the kids. We should head there quickly!"
Rem felt conflicted and confused with the sudden change of information hurled towards her. Subaru is acting strange, but he still values the lives of the children.
Rem could not help but nod in agreement to follow along with Subaru. Following Subaru could be considered as keeping an eye on him as he intended to leave the mansion. Even if he led her to a trap, she could warn sister before succumbing to demise.
Subaru took off as Rem followed behind. Along the way, she could not help but notice that Subaru pushed himself as he heavily breathes during his running. A sign that Subaru might be telling the truth all along.
As the two reached the village, Subaru collapsed from exhaustion from running too hard. As he took a brief break, he saw how the villagers are still active despite being in the middle of the night. He forced himself to stand up.
"Sorry for stopping. We should go now."
The duo asked one of the villagers about the current situation. According to the villager, all of the children were missing, and everyone is searching for them. The children presumably snuck out during bedtime, and none of them returned.
Subaru reassured the villager that the two of them would help in the search, and the two took off to the location where they first met the puppy.
Upon reaching the location, they found some kind of crystal stones on trees with one void of shine. Subaru has never seen them before.
"What are these stones?"
"Magical stones meant to ward off mabeasts as a barrier."
"Mabeasts?"
"Evil spawns from the witch, herself. The children must have left in this direction as the barrier is incomplete."
"Let's go then."
Before Subaru took a step into the forest, Rem tugged him back.
"Why is Subaru so insistent on saving the children while endangering Subaru's life?"
"All of them have a bright future ahead of them. None of the children should have it ripped away from them, and I'll be the one to ensure that.
Subaru pointed towards himself after his proclamation.
"Either you with me, or I'm going in alone."
Rem smiled sheepishly.
"Rem's orders are to keep an eye on you. Rem will follow."
"Great! Let's go!"
The two entered the forest at a steady walking pace. From now on, Subaru and Rem understood that they would be under constant threat by leaving the barrier.
Subaru held no regard for the possible dangers he would face as he carried no weapons. Using magic will not help at all since he is a novice user. Also, he does not have the slightest idea of Rem's capabilities in combat, so he would not hesitate to become a meat shield preventing anyone from dying as his only tool.
Rem stopped walking and tapped Subaru on the shoulder.
"I smell life from that direction."
Rem pointed towards their right.
"The smell is extremely faint. We should get going."
The duo ran in the direction Rem pointed out and found the children lying on the ground.
Subaru checked the pulse of one and found a heartbeat. He gave a massive sigh of relief.
Rem frowned upon checking another child.
"They are unconscious, but they are on the verge of death. Rem needs to stabilize them before transporting them to the village."
"Thank you, Rem."
"Once Rem finishes healing then, Subaru can carry three, and Rem can carry the other three."
The idea of six children reminded Subaru of a critical detail he missed: the seventh child who found the puppy. The sudden realization forced him to act quickly.
"Rem, there's one more missing. Can I trust you to handle everyone here while I search for her?"
"Rem can handle everyone. Be careful, Subaru."
Subaru took off.
"Thanks, Rem!"
Subaru ran deeper inside the woods to find the last child. She was the quiet one of the group, so she could accidentally become lost when they traveled together. She has to be somewhere close.
Finally, Subaru found the girl lying unconscious next to a fallen tree. He ran to her and checked her pulse, which read a healthy heartbeat.
As Subaru was about to carry the child away to safety, the sound of twigs breaking and heavy footsteps occurred.
"Grrrrr."
Subaru quickly turned around to the doglike sound to find a huge, scary creature resembling a giant dog or wolf. The dog must be a mabeast with its sharp teeth that looks like it wants a bite out of Subaru.
Subaru knows he can not die here, so he is forced to fight the mabeast. Subaru took off the outerwear of his uniform and wrapped it around his arm. Hopefully, when the dog tries to bite him, the density of the clothes could soften the blow.
"Come and get me!"
The dog growled and rushed towards Subaru with its jaws open, preparing to bite him in pieces.
Watching the mabeast charge at Subaru scared him about the potential pain that can come from fighting it. A regular dog that chases you might be surprising, but it is nothing compared to a giant dog wanting to kill you.
As the mabeast tries to bite Subaru, Subaru turned his wrapped arm towards its mouth. The mabeast sunk its teeth into the clothing, but it did not go deep enough to hit flesh.
Subaru instinctively raised the mabeast with all of his strength as he struggled to keep it in the air. Upon seeing an area on the fallen tree he could stab the mabeast with, he let gravity run its course to impale the mabeast.
The mabeast howled in pain as it impaled itself on a branch. The noise died out quickly, signaling its death.
Subaru looked at the dead mabeast in awe. He managed to take one down without any weapons. Before he mentally congratulated himself on his accomplishments, more growls erupted as a sea of red eyes filled the void of darkness.
The red eyes came closer, revealing an army of mabeast similar to the one Subaru just killed. He could not count them all, nor he wanted to know how many stood in his pathway. Running with the child is all he can do. He could not fight them. He could not afford to die here. If the mabeasts killed him, the child would be next.
Even if Subaru decided to run, he could not outrun them for long. He needed a headstart or a distraction. Maybe his magic could help a little bit despite being the second time he used it. Regardless of the consequences of immaturely using his magic, he took the chance.
"Shamac!"
A black mist surrounded Subaru and the mabeasts. Surprisingly, he learned that he is immune to the effects of his magic as the mabeasts look around in confusion. Immediately grabbing the child, he took off in the direction away from the mabeasts. He had no idea where he had to go, but it had to be someplace far away from the mabeasts.
The girl felt light in Subaru's arms, so he managed to keep a steady pace away from the mabeasts.
The adrenaline pumped through Subaru as he ran. Everywhere he went contained a similar sight of trees, dirt, and rock. He had no idea about his current location nor the direction he is supposed to go. Running anywhere is his only option.
Numerous sounds of heavy footsteps appeared behind Subaru, forcing him to pick up the pace.
These dogs won't give up!
Subaru started to feel his legs giving out from running too hard and fast. He could not stop running, but his body prevented him. Soon enough, his body would completely give up.
As the sounds of heavy footsteps grew closer, Subaru decided to push himself harder no matter the strain on his body. Running while carrying someone is difficult, but running while disregarding the limits of the human body hurts tremendously despite the willpower he exerted to find a safe haven.
After ten seconds of full-on sprinting, Subaru lost footing and tripped on a tree's roots causing him to skid across the dirt. He managed to keep the child safe during the fall, but he bruised himself in the process. After the hard running, his legs gave out, denying his ability to stand.
Grounded and exhausted, Subaru sat there with fear as the mabeasts closed in on him. He could not fight. He could not run. The only choice he has left is to accept defeat and get killed.
Subaru hated the idea of accepting defeat as the survivor's guilt from his first instance of dying did not sit well with him. Despite his wishes, his body could not move. He needed a few minutes to rest before he could move again.
As one of the mabeasts leaped towards Subaru, he could not help but feel frightened by his upcoming death as he did not want to experience the pain again.
Subaru shut his eyes close, accepting defeat as his helpless body braced for impact.
The sounds of a loud thud and a crackle of chains exploded right in front of Subaru, causing him to reopen his eyes in surprise. Standing in front of him is Rem holding a morning star. Off to the far right side laid a dead mabeast, presumably the one that lunged at him.
Seeing Rem causes Subaru to regain his confidence and assurance of his situation.
"Rem! You're here just in time!"
"The other children safely arrived at the village. Can Subaru run with the last one? Rem will hold them off."
The mabeasts hesitantly stood their ground after seeing a new enemy.
Subaru tried standing up as his legs ached.
"My legs can move. Where's the village?"
Rem eyed the dogs with a serious face as she wards off any mabeast that tried to come closer.
"The direction of the mabeasts. We need to detour around them. Rem will guard our rear as Subaru runs with the child."
"Understood."
Subaru picked up the child, but around the same time, the puppy from before appeared and started glowing, which made the other mabeasts turned their heads to it. The puppy barked, causing more mabeasts to show up.
After seeing the arrival of the new mabeasts as reinforcements, Subaru became a bit stressed.
"Of course, that puppy is their leader! Rem, are you ready?"
Rem nodded simply as the mabeasts started their attacks in bigger packs.
While carrying the child, Subaru sprinted off the side while Rem followed behind while killing any mabeasts that came close.
"Rem, which direction?"
"Take a left!"
They changed directions hoping that they would bypass the mabeasts, but they ran into more mabeasts that forced them to turn in another direction.
All around them, mabeasts appeared, limiting their escape options as it would be suicidal to break through frontally against unknown numbers. They took many paths until they saw a clearing where the forest ends. That area may be a ticket out.
Upon exiting the forest, they found themselves on a cliff with the mabeasts closing in quickly behind them.
Subaru took a quick peek down the cliff to see if it is possible to get down from here, but the distance down is lengthy, resulting in a likely death if one fell off.
"Have anything to get down large cliffs?"
"Rem does not have anything for that."
The mabeasts surrounded them on the cliff, preventing them from running to the sides. Many of the mabeasts attacked, but Rem held them back, but Subaru sees that she is tiring.
Rem stood her ground after knocking a mabeast away.
"Subaru, we have to breakthrough. Once Rem creates an opening, run. Keep running until you reach the village. Do not stop for anything. Rem will buy time."
"Wait, you can't become the bait."
"This is what Rem can do."
"But-."
Before Subaru could start his sentence, Rem rushed to one side while swinging her morning star around in a wide arc to gain the attention of every mabeast through aggression.
The majority of the mabeasts pursued Rem in combat. She mixed in unarmed combat along with the strike of the morning stars to beat the mabeasts into submission, but the situation began to turn dire as the mabeasts overwhelmed her.
Subaru could not abandon Rem as she fought many mabeasts at once, but he could not leave yet as a few mabeasts kept their attention on Subaru and attacked.
Subaru ran along the side of the cliff due to the absence of mabeasts. However, a few mabeasts remain to block the entrance into the forest, preventing Subaru from securing his escape.
Rem broke through her struggle to clear a way for Subaru in his path, but she kept being knocked around by the mabeasts until one of them sent Rem flying into a tree hard.
Upon hearing the unnatural collision, Subaru glanced from behind to see Rem knocked unconscious against a tree. The situation would be a perfect opportunity to run as the mabeasts deal with her downed body, but he could not leave her behind to die. Carrying two people at once did not make him feel concerned about his well-being.
As Subaru started to quickly run to Rem and grab her before the mabeasts reached her, Rem suddenly stood up.
An electrifying horn grew out from Rem's forehead as she started to laugh maniacally. Subaru never saw this side of Rem before, but the way she is acting felt very unnatural.
Rem rushed towards the mabeasts in great rage as she quickly took down multiple. The rate she killed mabeasts overwhelming exceeded what she fought before.
In Rem's enraged state, she took numerous hits and bites from the mabeasts showing how she did not flinch from their attacks, but she started to bleed badly. Regardless of Rem's new strength, in a singular fight, she would win easily, but in a war of attrition, she would eventually fall.
Subaru could not believe what he is witnessing as he has never seen this side of Rem before. She may be strong, but she is not invincible if she keeps going.
From the corner of Subaru's eyes, he saw a pack forming from Rem's blind spot, which could effectively kill her. He shoved the child into Rem as he pushed her away from the incoming mabeast pack, effectively turning off her enraged state as the mabeasts piled on top of him and knawed on his body.
Being bitten by so many mabeasts made Subaru feel so much pain all around his body, so he tried to wrangle them away as he rolled around unknowingly towards the edge of the cliff. More mabeasts leaped towards him as they viewed him as easy prey.
With numerous mabeast attached to Subaru, he accidentally rolled off the cliff taking many mabeasts down along for the ride down.
As Subaru fell off, he heard the sounds of chains and metal and a scream that followed after.
"SUBARU!"
Subaru could not do anything except flail in the air and scream in horror as he fell to the ground. Many of the mabeasts that were attached to Subaru realized their mistake and flailed around in panic.
Before hitting the ground, Subaru felt some sort of relief that his sacrifice would allow Rem to escape with the child as he viewed himself as slowing them down. As long they were safe, going along with the idea of purposely dying would be justified. The pain, however, will have to be something he had to get used to if he can in the first place.
As Subaru hit the ground, he felt his body rapidly compress itself, crushing many of his organs and exerting a quick voltage of pain throughout his body. As soon the pain registered, his body quickly shuts off and turning off his brain.
After many splats of a human and numerous mabeasts, silence followed from the ground below. All around lay the remains of many fresh corpses strewn across the dirt, revealing a bloody mess. In the middle of all of it, Subaru lays dead with his disfigured body.
A/N: Deciding how this chapter played out was rough as this held many options that could had drastically change the story, but I'm satisfied with the fate of everyone currently. Call me a sadist, but the children dying now would not be effective in killing Subaru's mental health due to current development. Also, originally planned for Subaru to get knocked off the cliff by Rem in enraged Oni form, but too many plotholes that can happen if I did that since Subaru contains no knowledge in becoming bait. At least he died taking many mabeasts down with him as they chewed on him.
There is some stuff I need to make clear concerning how Rem and Beatrice acts in this timeline.
Rem:
There were two factors of Rem deciding to kill Subaru: scent and suspicion. On the basis of scent, the strength of the witch's scent is rather weak due to the length of time between his second death and his arrival at the mansion. Combined with the direct hiring of Subaru, his naïve and friendly personality, and his relationship building skills, there would be vague grounds for Rem to kill him. Looking back when Subaru looped during the mansion arc, his deaths varied drastically depending on how he acted. He kept the same friendly but familiar interactions with Emilia, but his previous knowledge of his butler work when working with the twins kept the two paying more attention to the strange actions Subaru performed. The loop when he camped outside the mansion and the increased scent was for sure the most suspicious time he acted. In the fanfic, he rarely showed any suspicious behavior that turned the twins away from him. Sometimes being deprived of information can change fate drastically.
Beatrice:
Beatrice is a tricky one to write about. I imagine her to be someone hiding behind a cracked mask due to losing Puck. The cracked mask is the most important part as she is a bundle of emotions held back from her outward self. The introduction of Subaru and his meddling is meant to be a factor to break away that mask slowly, eventually tearing it all down. Combined with her hope of Subaru being that person due to a strange person as he entered her library as he pleases led to that tiny smile on the corner leaking out from her mask. I must admit that Beatrice might be a bit OOC, but Beatrice acting this way has a place in this fanfic.