Inexorability
"Warden-sama? You there?" yelled Petra.
It's been four days, four days stuck within the theater with nothing to do. The screen had been shut off, its surface simply displaying a black abyss. No more of Subaru's secrets would be revealed on it as they just finished watching his adventures, but in an unexplainable event, the Warden had still not come back.
The group was lucky that the Warden kept a ginormous archive of snacks and food, all presumably from Subaru's world, and therefore gave the groups residing in the theater a delightful time, at least when they were eating. Other than that, most were paranoid as they started questioning if they'd ever leave.
Petra walked down the hallway, aiming at the last room to the right that housed the raven-haired boy. For the past few days, everybody had been gathering in that room to discuss any ideas on how to escape. It occurred to them that some of Reinhardt's divine protections started coming back, though not in full force. The divine protection of pillow fluffing gave them a good night's sleep so that was a plus.
Despite that, they had come up with nothing. And though the groups were scared of their own probability of escape, they were equally scared by the prospect of the boy never opening his eyes again. He was breathing, his chest rose up and down, and the sort, but he had not woken up.
Crusch suggested searching the rooms, moving beds and loose cabinets around in the hopes that perhaps this supposed "separate dimension" like the Warden claimed it was had a secret entrance or if you look at it differently, a secret exit.
Reinhardt suggested that IF his protections returned, perhaps he'd be able to "break" out. Ram called him out for his logic as if it was true that this was a "separate dimension" then would escaping really imply or lead to them returning back to where they belong?
Priscilla suggested that they simply wait like civilized human beings rather than fight among themselves like mongrels. No one liked her, even if some had some respect directed towards her, but no one disagreed with her claims either. If there were no secret exits or possible solutions that led to escaping then perhaps waiting for the Warden's return was the only viable solution.
The only way out.
As Petra entered the room, she sat down next to Frederica at one of the tables. Emilia, Rem, Beatrice, and, shockingly enough, Julius were all sitting next to Subaru, who lay peacefully in sleep. Emilia, Rem, and Beatrice held his hands or were playing with his hair, regularly taking turns, and occasionally starting conversations with others in the room on either how to escape or semblances of regular conversation.
Julius, on the other hand, sat there in peaceful silence, silently respecting and praising Subaru for his deeds. He once believed the boy to have no talent, to be a self-proclaiming knight that had no skill or potential whatsoever to back it up. It could be argued that Subaru's real skill only stemmed from Return by Death, but that was simply not the truth.
There was no other person in the world who could experience such devastation and death and come out of it with everlasting determination. There was no other person alive who could come up with such crude yet effective strategies. There was no one alive who was as strong as Subaru, as cool as Subaru, as smart, even if not by a general definition of smartness, like Subaru.
Luckily, Julius also seemed to get out of his self-deprecating manner on his supposed incompetence in previous loops thanks to the help of his knightly friends, Reinhardt and Felix.
As a result, Julius too helped them, especially Felix in getting him to look at Subaru for what he really was. You know, to look at Subaru as a friend rather than a hero meant to fix everything. That new perspective caused Felix to let go of his previous hatred towards the mean-eyed boy.
The days went by like this for a while until two and a half weeks had passed.
"Crap"
He paced back and forth in the dimly lit room as a precarious problem presented itself in front of him.
"You have got to be kidding me," he exclaimed as he couldn't believe his luck.
"No, this is too much deviation," he continued, scared of the potential dangers.
"If I fail here, taking them to the theater would have been for nothing. What should I do?"
He shook his head in frustration, there had to be a way to fix all of this. There was always a light at the end of the tunnel no matter how hopeless the situation seemed. He learned that the hard way.
"I got it!"
His hand slammed down on a button. This was the only way. He just had to play it VERY carefully.
"Has Cap'n gotten up yet?" the tiger boy asked, his face directed towards his brother.
"Natsuki-san has not," Otto answered straightforwardly.
"Mimi loves this RAA-MAN," she squealed in delight.
"Looks like we have another addict…"
"Wait, what do you mean by another?"
The group turned their heads to a red-haired knight, delightfully and elegantly slurping his friend's homeland food.
"Lady Felt, I don't get what you mean. I'm not addicted. I'm simply…"
"Obsessed"
The room chuckled, the redhaired knight got even redder at his lady's brutal honesty.
The groups got closer day by day, getting more used to each other. I suppose in a way this was a good thing as it meant that no matter who got elected or won the selection, everyone would still have friendly relations with each other. This included Priscilla too, for those skeptical of these claims.
Cre-
Crea
Creak…
Their ears peaked or, in the cases like those of Felix, stood up at the sound.
Emilia, princess-carrying Subaru, alongside the rest sprinted towards the theater, believing that the creaking was an indication that the Warden had arrived.
What they found instead was equally relieving and intriguing. The screen that those residing in the theater were once so captivated by was… open? It was as if the screen acted as a medium to watch Subaru's memory and yet at the same time acted as a door. Behind the screen was a long, dimly lit tunnel with dusty and sandy brown walls.
"What the hell," Garfiel said, unnerved by the sudden appearance.
"Finally a way out!" Felt yelled, getting ready to run down the tunnel before being yanked back by Reinhardt.
"Sorry to disagree my lady but that hall doesn't look uh… inviting," said the cautious man who was simply built differently.
"I agree with the redhead, that hallway does seem hella shady," said Al, disregarding his master's wishes for him to shut up.
"What r'you guys arguing about!? This is our way out, so we gotta take it. Go big or go home as Cap'n says!" said the ecstatic Garfiel.
"Idiot Garf, does it not occur to you that the Warden may have lost control?" inquired Ram, getting Frederica and most of the others to nod their heads.
"Thaaaaat is true. Maaaaaybe the Warden has finally lost dominance over the theater," Roswaal annoyed.
"Shut er Trap you damn clown," Garfiel interjected, a burning rage reigniting once again inside him.
It's been a few days since they've seen the viewings but that sure as hell did not diminish anyone's hatred toward the clown, except Ram I suppose. She's… unique.
"Well, maybe the Warden is giving us a sign to go and can't communicate right now," stated the half-elf.
Emilia was smiling, imagining the prospect of finally meeting up with the Warden so that he could wake up her beloved Subaru. She would be sure to protect him with all her might and power. She would have done it either way, but her motivation skyrocketed in these past few weeks.
She would do anything to protect that charismatic, kind dunderhead.
"The half-wit actually has a good idea for once. Will she start being a competent leader?"
"What makes you so sure of that, I suppose?" Beatrice asked, her question directed towards Emilia.
"I'm not sure, but I think that it's our only bet towards waking Subaru," the half-elf explained.
Mimi raised her hand to her chin in thought before exclaiming that she agreed too.
Otto was next, stating that they'd been stuck in the theater for weeks. What if this secret door locked itself while they were sleeping or right now because of their indecisiveness?
No one could rival that logic. The Warden had not seemed to resupply any of the food and so it was only a matter of time before starvation would set in.
"Well, we should take some of the food then. It doesn't hurt to be prepared, right Julius?" Anastasia chimed in, always thinking about the condition and supplies at hand. It was a trait picked up in many years of merchant business.
And so they went back to gather food while some stayed next to the door, ready to exclaim to the others if anything came through or if the door started closing itself.
Reinhardt, Julius, Felix, and some others went to gather food, taking off their coat uniforms to make them into bags to stuff food inside. After the food was set in, they would tie a knot at the top and lump the stack on their shoulders.
"You think this will be enough, Other Big Sis?"
"I think so. Subaru-Kun will be delighted to see that he can eat his homelands food again," said Rem, smiling at the prospect of seeing Subaru happy and his homesickness relieved.
The group walked with great caution. Reinhardt and Felix were at the front, ready to face anything that may attack them on their journey out. Julius and Al were at the back, worried that something may pop up behind them.
Priscilla walked with hands elevating her dress slightly off the ground to avoid it being dirtied up, disgusted by the condition of the hall. It reminded her of a dungeon where prisoners were kept, not like her magnificent self ever entered such a horrid place.
The Emilia Camp walked at a slow but manageable pace. The magic-users within the camp had their hands slightly raised in the event that they needed to heal or attack.
Crusch walked down the hall with absolute certainty that this was an exit. She had a stride of a great military commander, though her motivation, confidence, and stature were more due to the sleeping boy rather than it being simply a part of her personality.
CRUNCH…
Everyone perked up, eyes focused on what be in front of them as the noise echoed in the empty halls.
"Thaaaaat is intriguing," Roswaal said, without context either.
Everyone turned their backs to look at the clown as he was in the back of the line. The clown lifted his foot to display exactly what he stepped on.
A rotten appa? Well, that was anti-climatic.
"Looks like the Warden got hungry. You think he's the one who opened the door?"
"That is what Miss Emilia believed, that the Warden wants us to exit this way that is"
"Crusch-sama! Wilhelm-Sama! Everybody! Look what nya found!" Felix exclaimed.
Everybody turned their heads back to the front of the hall…
Light.
Light?
Light!
Their pace increased significantly and they made it outside, only to be confused at the scene.
"What the hell," Garfiel confusingly said.
"This can't be right, right?" Otto hesitantly asked, none of what they were seeing could be real.
It just didn't make sense.
In front of them was the Capital of Lugunica but without the glamor and noise that usually accompanied its streets and markets. There was no appa-man to yell at passer-bys, convincing them that his appa's were the best there was. There was no hairstylist or clothing shop to be seen or to admire either.
All there was, was silence and empty carriages, wagons, and stands littering the streets and sidewalks. Some held rotted food, some held destroyed fabrics, it continued on and on with the broken stuff.
"How long were we gone?" Crusch worriedly asked, scared that she may have failed Fourier as she might have just botched her chance to become Queen. She may have also failed Subaru as well.
What you see is real, it's not an illusion or anything of the sort
Their heads instinctually stood up at that voice, turning their back to see a man in a hood sitting on a set of stairs.
"Warden-sama? What do you mean that this is real? You said that time didn't pass in the theater, this must be fake! Where's old man Rom, what happened!?" Felt exclaimed.
Reinhardt grabbed her in the attempt to calm her down, worried that his lady may do something irrational and detrimental to the group.
I don't think I've been transparent enough with you.
"You think!"
I said that it didn't affect your time as the theater prevented that. I said that the theater was on another plane in space and so escape was impossible.
The group's attention was peaked.
That's only partially true. What I've said about it being separate from your reality is true. You just don't know what that implies. You just don't grasp what this place really is.
"What don't we understand?"
"That's true! Stop your happing and tell us what we don't understand. Don't be like that irritating princess over there, always waiting for us to guess!" yelled Garfiel.
"What did you call me mongrel."
Just ignore them, Pris. You see, this is your capital but it is not your current capital. To be more precise, this is my capital, one that is forever stuck in this state. If you still don't get it, do you remember the if stories?
The group gave an uncomfortable nod towards the Warden.
Anastasia perked up, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"You mean to tell us that we are in a different world!"
The others perked up just as equally. Was it true that they were in one of the if worlds? That didn't make sense though. The capital wasn't as busy as it seemed in the if's nor did it look burnt down or in rumbles like what they saw in one of the more horrid if's.
Were they in a different world, one that they had not watched yet? Didn't they watch everything?
You think that this is another world. Stop that. Listen to my words carefully, this is your capital but it is NOT your CURRENT capital.
Priscilla's pupils dilated a bit, her head just came up with an outrageous assumption.
Welcome to ten years in the future. I think I should probably introduce myself properly this time instead of simply being the "Warden"
The Warden got up from the flight of stairs and walked towards the group, reaching up to his hood to pull it down in an almost dramatic fashion.
I like to call myself the Champion of Satella
This couldn't be real…
Natsuki Subaru
Author's Note:
Hey guys, I'm somewhat back. I still don't have an excuse for my slothfulness. I may have some computer science classes and robotics stuff going on, but I hardly see that as an excuse to simply abandon projects.
I know that I haven't finished my other fic, Lined in Orange and Black, and I still intend to finish it. I simply don't have the motivation, creativity, or "power" to do it yet and I hope you'll forgive me on that matter.
If you were confused while reading this and want to know what exactly is going on in this story, read the summary is below:
The theatre's importance was greater than it initially seemed. Once thought to simply be a place to watch the boy's memories, it turned out that the different factions were in the middle of something more nefarious and confusing than once thought.
In a world where the Warden is not Jack Winston like Reactionist stated him to be, will the group discover the truth of this whole ordeal and why they were sent to the theater in the first place? Will they avoid the inexorable? Or is everything simply meant to be?
HEADS UP! I may not continue this or even finish this fic. In the event that I don't and leave you hanging once again, I have this to say: To anyone with the writing ability and willingness, you can continue this or even write something akin to it in any manner. I just want more re; zero fanfic man!
I hope you enjoyed my little writing spree and have a nice day...
Sorry if it's a bit short...