Chapter 22 – The Darkness Inside
*Whhhhhoooooooshhh…*
The gentle afternoon breeze blew across the woods of Kremaldy, swaying the leaves off of the trees. Although calm at the moment, however, the wind was ominously followed by slowly gathering clouds, as if beckoning the coming of a disaster.
Almost on cue with the gathering of the clouds, a magenta light streak disrupted the sky briefly before crashing in one of the clearings near the thickets surrounding Sanctuary's village.
*SHWOOOMM!*
*PA-PLAF!*
"Oof!"
"Ough!"
"Oigh!"
Mimi, Tivey and Hetaro groaned as they fell on top of one another inside the carriage.
"Are we alive?!" Mimi quickly stood up on top of her siblings backs. "Holy crap! We are alive! Hey Hetaro! Tivey! Mimi's alive! Are you dead?!"
"Get off me!" Tivey complained to no avail to his hyperactive sister.
"If I became your stool, then I'd rather be dead…" Hetaro cried in annoyance tiredly.
"Eh, you are such crybabies!" Mimi mocked her uncomfortable brothers before rearing her head outside of the carriage in search of Subaru. "Hey Boss-Bro! You alive?!"
"Yeah, Patrasche and I are fine…" Subaru confirmed while scratching the nervous ground dragon under her snout.
"Kuaaaarr~!" Patrasche purred like a cat whilst calming down, much to Subaru's relief.
"Good… So you are okay. I thought Beatrice spell might have taken the wind out of you, girl." Subaru complimented his steed before looking at the ominous sky above. "…"
"So you say the Great Rabbit will be coming shortly?" Tivey wondered as he stood up and readjusted his glasses.
"Hold it, before that, are we even where we are supposed to be in the first place?" Hetaro inquired. The triplets had been thrown into a state of disarray after Beatrice's spell whisked them away, so it was natural for them to not understand what was going on.
"We are in Sanctuary, smack dab in the Forest of Kremaldy." Subaru affirmed. "We might still have some time to prepare, thankfully. I expected snow to have covered the place already but the clouds are not yet dense enough to cover the sunlight here…"
"Snow…" Tivey frowned. "I don't wish to be rude, having come this far, but…"
"What is it?" Subaru asked nonchalantly.
"How can you assure us of the Rabbit's Appearance again?"
"It is attracted to large quantities of magical power." The Avenger explained. "The clouds above us, do you think them natural?"
"Hmm…" Hetaro hummed in interest. "Arlam was cloudy too, but in comparison…"
"It does seem kind of spontaneous for these to gather so quickly. The wind might pick up in this forest, but it's not even strong enough for fast-moving clouds." Subaru explained. "The source is most likely some spell or the like that changes the weather."
"Those kind of spells are rather complex though…" Mimi voiced in concern. "If Mimi had to guess…"
"Subaru-san." Tivey frowned slightly. "Are you implying that the Margrave is the one casting these clouds?"
"…" Subaru weighed his answer as the boy questioned him.
If I answer a yes, they could doubt me or accuse me of sabotaging… Emilia's backing depends on Roswaal, and the triplets only came along under Anastasia's orders, not because they particularly believed me… Well, apart from Mimi that is. Under the existence of the Alliance, exposing a candidate's secrets like this could harm her image irreparably.
The Avenger meditated.
If I am careless in accusing a noble of the caliber of Roswaal, regardless of his clear guilt, they could drop all pretense of helping me and accuse me of setting a candidate up. I'm starting to think it was a rash idea to accept to Anastasia's terms… No, I can't think that. There's priorities here.
"There's a Tomb here." Subaru explained, attempting to dissuade Tivey and Hetaro from insisting on their doubts. "Supposedly, a witch of old was buried there…"
"Hold on! The Witch?!" Hetaro almost screamed at the mention as both him and Tivey sweated bullets.
"Not THE witch morons! A witch!" Mimi calmed her siblings with a scold. "And you call Mimi loud!"
"Mimi's right." Subaru continued, at ease that he had the trust of the little feline to fall back on. "The Witch of Greed. Inside her Tomb, Emilia has been attempting to release the barrier imprisoning Sanctuary by performing the Trials I mentioned earlier."
"Oh… So the snow to attract the Rabbit could be a countermeasure…" Tivey nodded as Subaru managed to fool him.
"Damn, that Witch was nasty!" Hetaro spew without remorse.
"*Sigh*" Subaru sighed with disappointment of himself for having to cover-up for someone like Roswaal.
The truth and Roswaal's punishment will come soon enough, once this whole conflict is over... First, however, I must ensure everyone's safety.
"Enough chit-chat!" Mimi complained, gaining everyone's attention. "Let's make some Rabbit stew!"
"She's right; we can't afford to dawdle about." Her brothers nodded in agreement, as Subaru spoke. "We best reunite with Otto, then we can-"
"HEEEEEELP! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP~!"
"!" Subaru turned around as he heard the panicked, girly screams of his grey-haired partner a few meters from them.
Running through the trees, in a comically erratic manner, Otto seemed to be escaping from somebody. As he ran, his screams growing louder and more panicked, the bushes split apart as the merchant fell face first to the ground of the clearing.
*RUSTLE-RUSTLE!*
*BLAMF!*
"BUGHOOOGH!" Otto exclaimed in annoyance and pain as his mouth filled with dirt. "Ugh…"
"Otto?!" Subaru shouted in surprise.
"Huh?! NATSUKI-SAN?!" The green merchant readjusted his hat as he stood up, surprised by the presence of the man before him. "You-You are here already?! Thank goodness!"
"Um… Boss-Bro? This is your partner?" Mimi inspected the boy with disappointment.
"He looks a bit…" Hetaro interjected.
"Pitiful." Tivey finalized.
"…Hmngh…" Otto pathetically slouched at the insult. "You three could try to not voice the disappointment at least… Children are so rude!"
"Otto." Subaru called, making the merchant lift his head. "A lot of stuff happened so… Wait, how convenient is it that we immediately encounter you as we arrive?!"
"You tell me! I didn't even hear Patrasche running!"
"It's cuz I guided 'im here." Yet another voice, with a growling and angered tone, spoke from just behind Otto.
"That voice…" Subaru stood still with anxiety.
*RUSTLE-RUSTLE!*
"Yo… Ya piece of shit." Garfiel appeared from the same bushes Otto had just jumped from, eyeing the group menacingly.
"Heeep!" Otto yelped as he jumped to Subaru's side.
"…You chased Otto here… The moment we appeared?" Subaru assessed Garfiel's statement with awe. "Are your instincts that sharp or is your sense of smell that absurd?!"
"Both, fucker…" Garfiel bellowed in response.
"Oi, oi!" Mimi yelled with disgruntlement. "Just because you earned Mimi's interest doesn't mean you get to insult Boss-Bro!"
"Huh? The hell are ya?!" The half-beast stared in annoyance at the triplets. "Nah… Doesn't matter. Ya brought intruders here an' dat's enough for me ta splat ya, bug."
"Garfiel, what happened? Why are you so angry?" Subaru frowned with worry. "I thought we talked about this, that you can trust me?"
"Dat makes it worse!" Garfiel shouted wrathfully while pointing at Otto. "I let YA sweet talk me into layin' off yer back! An' what do ya do?! Ya set this little twerp here to snoop around, spy for ya!"
"I wasn't spying; I was laying traps for the Rabbit!" Otto claimed with a tired voice.
"Don't underestimate the Eyes of Sanctuary!" An ominous aura enveloped Garfiel as he continued to yell. "If I saw ya snoopin' around, it's cuz dat's what ya were doin'!"
"The eyes of Sanctuary… That's right!" Subaru bit his lip in frustration.
The Ryuzu clones…!
"Garfiel… Whatever you think is happening, it is not what you think." Subaru cautiously spoke, alerted by the blonde's shaky demeanor.
"Oh?! Then what's happening, huh?!" Garfiel continued demanding erratically. "Ya left da half-elf here ta fail her Trial and now ya gonna have da gall ta tell me ya weren't spyin' on us now dat ya return with a trio of intruders?!"
"Hold on!" Subaru paused for a few seconds as he processed the half-beast's claim. "You mean to say… Emilia failed?!"
"Yeh, again!" Garfiel scowled as he growled. "An' ya managed ta fool me into thinkin' I could trust ya into havin' ya perform da trial instead… Sure proved me wrong, ya fuckin' bastard…"
"What a foul mouthed individual…" Tivey sighed with disappointment. "Just so you know; we came here to save YOU from the Great Rabbit, so a 'thank you' would be more in place rather than a panicked threat."
"Ya what?!" Grafiel bared his fangs at the unamused trio.
"Boss-Bro probably didn't tell you because you are such a drama queen, so let Mimi explain!" The eldest triplet boasted. "We are part of Anastasia-sama's forces, Iron Fang mercenaries serving under a Royal Candidate! And we came here to save your pretty little noisy head from the calamity coming here! Consider it a favor from one Alliance member to another!"
"Surely you know by now that Subaru Natsuki, Spider-Man here, is the man that slayed the White Whale, right?" Relying on his siblings' claims, Hetaro continued explaining. "Your 'Sanctuary' is in the path of the Great Rabbit's horde, another Great Calamity, so we'd appreciate it you don't get in our way and let us do our jobs in peace."
"Ya….!" Garfiel clenched his fist in frustration as the triplets continued to dismiss his concerns. "Listen ta me, dammit! He's a fraud! Or a Witch Cultist or somethin'!"
"Or something? Pfft!" Mimi mocked. "You are not even making sense!
"If you are implying that due to the way he smells, it is exactly that trait which allowed us to defeat the Whale, moron." Hetaro joined as well in berating Garfiel. "Though we don't really know much because WE can't smell like mabeasts do, we know enough to know that Subaru is someone to be trusted, especially under such dire circumstances as ours."
"Dire circumstances?" Otto frowned. "Natsuki-san… What happened to the Bowel Hunter?"
"Frederica and Anastasia's soldiers managed to defeat her." Subaru grinned, relieving Otto. "But there's more going on at the Capital now, so we are pressed for time."
"Da Bowel Hunter?" Garfiel groaned in confusion.
"Your sister was attacked by an assassin while you were here, Garfiel." Subaru turned to look at the boy. "Isn't there anything you wish to say?"
"…Heh." Subaru almost gasped in disbelief as Garfiel chuckled. He had expected the boy to worry, not to giggle in response. "So what? Da world finally came to bite her in da arse for thinkin' she could walk away from here and leavin' everyone behind. Serves her right!"
"She's your sister, asshole!"
"Half-sister!" Garfiel taunted pedantically. "And what do ya care?!"
"I care because she could have died! Are you not worried about that?!"
"Hmph!" Garfiel simply huffed in annoyance.
"You…!" Subaru had to restrain himself as Otto got in between him and the boy.
"Natsuki-san." The merchant whispered into the Avenger's ear as he regained his wits. "Focus! Garfiel's trying to get you to fight him! What did you come here to do?"
"Otto…" Subaru managed to calm himself as Otto advised him. "Sorry about that."
"Oi!" Garfiel barked yet again. "Stop fuckin' around an' talk straight ta me!"
"Garfiel… Where's Emilia at the moment?" Subaru inquired, feeling a sense of urgency renewed as the boy spoke. "We need to find her. If she couldn't complete the Trial and release the barrier, then there is nowhere to go for the residents of Sanctuary!"
"He's right, Garfiel!" Otto backed up. "If the Rabbit is rapidly approaching, we are wasting time in arguing here!"
"SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!" Garfiel screamed with frustration as the aura enveloping his body grew, transforming the boy.
*RIIIIIP!*
"RUUUUUAAAAARGH!" Garfiel's jacket ripped apart as he turned into a hulking, animalistic beast, ready to claw at Subaru and his companions.
"Oh crap!" Subaru cursed as Garfiel was about to rush him.
"RUAAAAAAARGH!" The blonde beast charged at the group with hostility, incoherently screeching as he aimed a swing at Subaru, but…
"BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"BURGH-?!" Garfiel groaned as an explosion of sound pushed him back inside the forest, crashing into a slew of trees on his trajectory.
*CRASH!*
*CRASH!*
*CRASH!*
"What-?!" Otto gasped as in surprise. "What was that?!"
"That was the Pearlbatons doing what they do best!" Subaru complimented the triplets.
"Hehe, Boss-Bro sure knows of flattery!" Mimi laughed as she and her brothers readied themselves for combat.
"It's a shame, really." Tivey shook his head with an upset tone. "It would have been best to save mana for the actual threat… Not a noisy brat."
*RUSTLE-RUSTLE!*
"ROOOOOOOARGH!" Garfiel's roars echoed in the distance, alerting the group of the returning danger.
"Subaru, leave this to us!" Hetaro encouraged with a confident smile.
"What?!" The teenager asked incredulously. "Are you nuts?! Garfiel is pissed at me, not you! He'll-!"
"We are mercenaries, Boss-Bro!" Mimi haughtily exclaimed. "Did you forget how we did against the Whale and Sloth? We'll put that cute little cat in his place in no time!"
"We are accustomed to battle, believe it or not." Tivey self-assuredly claimed as well. "We know you have a reason you cannot fight right now, even if we don't know it you can leave this to us! You go get Emilia and we'll rendezvous later!"
"Natsuki-san!" Otto chimed-in. "I-I'll stay with them too!"
"Huh?!" Subaruhesitated as the merchant exclaimed.
"We'll meet up at the Tomb later! I'll guide them there!" Otto assured before untying Patrasche from the carriage. "KUUUAGH-KUAK!"
"KUUUUA!" The dragon answered energetically as she began nudging Subaru on the shoulder.
"W-What did you tell her?"
"I told her to take you to the village! I don't know where Emilia-sama might be-"
*CRASH!*
*CRASH!*
"ROARGH!" Garfiel appeared from between the trees, breaking them apart.
"We don't have time! Just go!" Otto pressured.
"…Tsk!" Subaru gritted his teeth, disheartened slightly by Garfiel's rash behavior and the circumstances at hand. "Don't you dare die!"
"We won't!" Tivey promised with a smile.
"Patrasche!" Subaru finally mounted the dragon, ready to ride to the village.
"ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARGH!" Garfiel rushed again as Subaru and Patrasche disappeared within the trees.
"We are your opponents here buddy!" Mimi taunted vigorously as she raised her staff. "Iyaaa!"
*FRRRRUUSH!*
*CRASH!*
"TSK!" Garfiel groaned in annoyance as he clashed with a shield of solid rock summoned by Mimi. "AWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!"
"Uwaaa! Here he comes again~!" Otto's newfound valor died down as Subaru left, the looming image of an attacking Garfiel exacerbating panick instead. "Uoooooooh!"
"Let's go~!" Mimi cockily mocked as she lifted her staff again.
*CRASH!*
"…" Meters away from the clearing, hidden by the foliage, Ram observed the confrontation in silence.
"Ram? I'm heading ou~t into the forest."
"Right away?"
"Indee~d. I wish for no interruptions. Inform everyone else not to disturb me."
"So Barusu tells the truth, huh…" As Ram witnessed the triplets' defense of Subaru, she recalled Roswaal's words and actions, rationalizing how perfectly they fit with what the Avenger had planned with Otto. The truth was that she had been aware of Subaru and Otto's strategy since the beginning, but she had had no reason or belief to intervene, thinking that Subaru could simply be mistaken and confused due to his own trial. A third-parties' confirmation of his innocence, however, threw her entire thought process up until that moment out of the window, forcing her to reconsider if obedience to Roswaal was indeed the correct option.
He intercepted the Bowel Hunter. But if that is the case… Will Roswaal-sama really discard Sanctuary? All of us… Just like that? If the Rabbit comes, many would die, and yet… And yet…
"She was injured during the altercation, but she is doing fine, currently…"
What would be of Rem without me?
"Roswaal-sama…" The pink maid hesitated as she remembered her other reason to live.
In the meantime, as the sounds of battle raged through the forests of Sanctuary…
"…" Within a recondite area of the forest, Emilia sat in silence.
Last night… It was the same.
She lamented pitifully. After failing her trial, Ram escorted the girl back to the village as she ran away screaming from the Tomb. Afterwards, everything was a haze, a blurry mess from her perspective. She remembered Garfiel cussing at her before storming off in pursuit of Otto, Ram and Roswaal whispering about something… But the one person Emilia wanted to see most was not there, and Emilia had cried for hours until falling asleep because he wasn't there.
"N-NO! NO!"
I failed again…
"HGHK! SUBARU!"
Yet Subaru wasn't there…
She buried her head between her knees, feeling shame over even looking at anyone in the eye. The girl knew that she had her own duties with which she was entrusted with, so believing herself incapable of completing them left her wondering…
Was I really full of myself?! Thinking I could do something…!
The memories resurged, the unsightly kind that is…
"Witch!"
"You haven't changed since we've met. You are still the girl that would introduce herself as 'Satella' just to scare off a stranger trying to help you!"
"It's his fault for saying all that stuff! You didn't do anything wrong!"
Subaru… Puck… I…!
And as she cried pathetically…
"Hah… Hah…!" Subaru exhaled as Patrasche ran through the village. After escaping from Garfiel, he had searched for her in both the abandoned church and Roswaal's cabin, but neither the Lord nor the Candidate had been in any of the two. "Emilia!"
"…" The residents of Sanctuary stared in silence at the boy, not knowing what or how to answer.
"Hey! Hey, you guys!" Subaru asked with impatience, knowing they should know where she could be. "Have you seen Emilia?!"
"…" The residents simply turned away from him, Garfiel's previous attitude having convinced them that Subaru was no good or trustworthy.
"…Dammit!" Seeing the distrust in their eyes, Subaru turned to search instead through the cabin the girl had been staying recently.
*CLASH!*
"Emilia!" He yelled as he opened the entrance door with annoyance. "Emilia, are you in here?!"
But no answer ever came. No matter how hard Subaru traversed through the house, the half-elf was gone.
*…Crash…!*
In the distance, Garfiel's confrontation with the Pearlbatons and Otto still raged, and Subaru was wary of the danger the boy posed for the safety of his friends. And to make matters worse… The sky grew dark.
"…Fuck! Where could she be?!" He grunted in alarm as the clouds in the sky actually turned dense enough to obfuscate the sunlight.
Emilia… If she failed the Trials, then I'd expect her to have returned by now! Ram surely would have taken her back here… But Ram wasn't around either… And that fucker Roswaal is probably around here, dangling all that magic in the atmosphere for the Rabbit to see!
The boy sighed with exasperation.
The Trials… No… Surely, she wouldn't be in the Tomb still… Would she? After failing again… But…
The boy ran back out of the house and mounted Patrasche, in hopes of encountering the girl along the way.
"If Emilia really failed… Then perhaps she and Ram could be on their way to perform the Trial right away!"
An overestimation. Subaru was overestimating Emilia's capabilities again, comparing her stubbornness with his own and thinking of what HE would do instead of her. However, with all manner of frustrations piling up on the boy, Subaru possessed not the patience nor resources to look for the girl in a rational manner. As he was right now, Subaru was still too focused on his own problem to consider Emilia's.
In a short matter of time, Subaru sped through the path between the village and Echidna's Tomb, seeking Emilia all throughout the place to no avail. In the end, he reached the Tomb through an unconventional path by crossing through the bushes and even then… Emilia was not in sight.
*Rustle!*
"Crap!" Subaru spat in frustration as he exited the thickets leading to the Tomb without results. "Dammit, Emilia! Where are you?!"
The Tomb stood ominously before the Avenger, his options turning limited as the half-elf failed to appear.
"…" Subaru gritted his teeth in frustration as the clouds above grew thicker and the entrance beckoned him.
Could she really be inside?!
He pondered in a hurry as he ran to the steps leading to the entrance.
Emilia… Are you in there? But If you are not…
The boy bit his lip, reconsidering on his course of action.
No… If she couldn't complete the Trial herself…
"Ya can think what ya want, but from my perspective, ya just isolated her and are simply ignoring her feelings on da matter! What if she can't face her past like ya can?! Isn't it cruel ta force her then?! Isn't her fear what she really feels?!"
Garfiel's words from a previous loop stung, making the Avenger doubt again on his trust towards the half-elf.
"Ya have ta come back, ya hear me asshole?! Dat Emilia ain't good enough!"
…The people of Sanctuary need to evacuate ASAP! Before this place becomes a feasting ground for the Rabbit!
Subaru concluded reluctantly as his legs trembled.
Emilia… I'm sorry. If you are not in there, then I'll have to perform the Trials left myself!
"…Fuck it! The sooner we get over this, the sooner I can return to the Capital!" Subaru shouted with anger as he ran inside the Tomb and directly towards the Trial chamber. "Emilia!"
Nevertheless, no one answered… Emilia was not in the chamber, performing the trial.
"…Heh." Subaru chuckled despondently, without any cheer. "So you weren't here? Even with all that's going on? I should have known… The Tomb wasn't even shining… You weren't here-"
Behold…
"Wait-Already?!" Subaru felt his body growing unconscious. "Wa…it… Echid-!"
An Unthinkable Present.
And as the boy struggled inside, Ram finally came out of hiding outside the Tomb.
"That Barusu…" She voiced with concern as she approached Patrasche waiting outside. "I'm sorry. You won't hear me say that, but I am. Right now, the last thing Emilia-sama needs is for you to coddle her. If Roswaal-sama is to fail, she needs…"
"Kuaa?" The dragon tilted her head to the side as Ram produced a green crystal from Subaru's pouch by the saddle.
"She needs a heavy hand and a serious talk… Preferably from someone she doesn't want to see…" The maid glared at the crystal as she spoke. "Isn't that right? Great Spirit-sama?"
*SHWOOOOM!*
"…" The crystal lit up an ominous emerald as the Tomb was enveloped in sapphire light, signaling the beginning of the second Trial…
…
…
…
…
…
"Now do you realize how many times I've met you guys in total?!" 'Subaru' said with clear frustration.
Huh?
Subaru thinks in confusion, vexed by his surroundings and words.
Where am I? What am I saying?
He looks around himself, noticing that he knew this alleyway quite well.
Hey… This alleyway… Its where I first arrived into this world… Huh? Wait… That's…
As he inspects his surroundings, Subaru notices something odd in the alleyway. Not one actually, but two oddities… Two slumped corpses. The corpses of two of the assailants that attacked him when he first arrived into this world.
WHAT?!
The body of 'Ton' laid immobile, with a stick stabbed on his neck from which blood flowed steadily into a puddle under him. An expression of utter shock and confusion was forever plastered on his face, a reflection of his last, chaotic moments.
On the other side of the alley, 'Kan' was lying on the cold stone floor, with his own rivulets of blood pooling under his head. Looking back at the wall before his body, one could see that a steady streak of red followed from it to his downwards face, meaning that someone must have crushed his head against the wall with enough force to murder him.
Who could have done this?!
Subaru argued with horror in his mind.
"Khhg! hgh...!"
Huh?!
Subaru turned his head away from the corpses to look at the agonized, pained expression of the man called 'Chin'. He looked as though someone was choking him.
Woah! Are you alright?! Wait right there, I'll-!
"Eighty-eight. Good for you how your share's always increasing. You're meant to laugh."
Eh?
Subaru thought in confusion as he said something completely different to what he had thought. It was at this moment that Subaru noticed… That HIS hands were the ones choking the lanky man.
Wait… Wait, wait! What's going on?! Wait!
As Subaru panicked on the inside… 'Subaru' proceeded to break Chin's neck with his bare hands before dropping him to the ground.
*CRACK!*
"Bughugh!" Chin cried pitifully as saliva, mucus and tears covered his last expression before death took him.
*THUD!*
The man fell to the floor, accompanying his two other friends in their eternal slumber.
HOLY FUCK!
Subaru cried on the inside, realizing he had just killed three men.
OH SHIT! OH FUCK! FUCK! SHIT! SHIT! FUCK! OH GOD!
The boy panicked, horrified by what he had seen, passing out from the shock of having murdered the three.
"Wasn't smart to strangle him. …Feels gross too, won't do it again." Were the last words 'Subaru' said as Subaru lost himself in the panic…
…
…
…
…
…
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
Hah!
He woke up with a jolt, freaking out as he remembered what had transpired.
WHAT?! WHAT?! WHAT'S GOING ON?!
Subaru failed to see or hear what was going on around him as his mind still reeled on the murder 'Subaru' had commited.
"Hey, do you know my name?"
HUH?!
But as he regained his bearings, Subaru finally regained his senses, or rather, 'Subaru's' senses…
"…" A little girl held her breath with hesitance as 'Subaru' spoke, her form visibly trembling as she gazed back at 'Subaru' with clear fear in her eyes.
A… Little girl?
She couldn't be older than Felt; Subaru even imagined she must be younger, of Petra's age.
"Hey, do you know my name?"
Stop asking her that! She is terrified, help her!
Subaru argued with 'Subaru', who kept pestering the girl instead of aiding her.
"…" The girl remained silent, still staring back at 'Subaru' with a mix of fear and doubt.
"Hey, do you know my name?"
The girl opened her mouth a little, only to close it again immediately after, tears threatening to spill from her eyes as she saw herself reflected in 'Subaru's' eyes. In a matter of seconds, the traumatized girl became a shadow of what she once was as her appearance grew messier and messier.
All the while, Subaru cried in terror within the confines of his own mind.
GODDAMMIT! STOP YOUR BULLSHIT! HELP HER! SHE'S SCARED OF YOU! WHAT DID YOU DO?! HELP HER!
"Hey, do you know my name?"
The girl then finally relaxed a little, as though a last spark of hope had ignited within her desperate, pleading irises. However, this hope was not one Subaru had expected… No, it wasn't hope at all in fact.
The girl wasn't hopeful about surviving or someone saving her. It was the opposite. She was… reluctant. As if she had accepted her fate… Subaru understood then that 'Subaru' was about to kill this girl. And Subaru knew he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't stop 'Subaru' from killing this little girl.
Please… Please don't! Please…!
"Hey, do you know my name?"
PLEASE!
"N…No…" The girl spoke for the first time, strenuously.
PLEASE DON'T!
"…Is that so?" 'Subaru' nonchalantly answered back, standing up and turning away from the girl.
"…" The girl closed her eyes, expecting death's cold embrace to finally grip her. However, death was not coming for the girl today. It would not come, for 'Subaru' would not grant her that… Even though he did grant it for everyone else in her frontier village.
HGHK…!
Subaru would have puked in disgust at what he was seeing. The girl 'Subaru' had been terrorizing was naught but the sole survivor of a massacre. Around her, a village full of destroyed and burnt houses and slaughtered corpses and without anyone else to point fingers to… 'Subaru' was the sole suspect.
No… No… No…!
…
…
…
…
…
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
What… What?!
Subaru once more jolted in surprise. It seems as though he had passed out again.
Dammit, what's going on?! What are this visions?!
The boy cried as he remembered the previous visions.
Just what was that?! I…! No… I wouldn't do those things! I… I… That couldn't be me… Could it…? I… I… Ugh…!
"*Yawn~!*" A sudden, tired yawn interrupted Subaru's troubled thoughts.
…Huh…
Subaru opened his eyes anew. Before him… stood himself.
…Huh…
No, it was a reflection.
But this isn't me… No it is, but it isn't me…!
The reflection Subaru was seeing was no of himself, but of 'Subaru'.
"Smile…you gotta smile, if you can't, then… die." ´Subaru´ said to his reflection as he practiced his smile on the mirror. Inspecting himself closely, Subaru was able to ascertain two distinct features of this 'Subaru'… The black crystal tied around his neck and the dead eyes without a light of hope shining within them.
Die?! Are you serious?! Just because you can't smile…!
"Oookay, okay. Keep it like this."
No… You are a murderer! Even if you look like me, you are not me! You are a murderer!
Becoming unable to distinguish between the different visions being rapidly shot at him, Subaru resolved that what he was witnessing was just one disjointed vision of someone else, someone that isn't himself… That couldn't be himself, even if they looked alike.
*SHWOOOM!*
Huh?!
"Soon, It'll be the usual time."
As Subaru berated the man in the mirror, denying any connection between himself and him, 'Subaru's' Black Crystal shone, warping the surroundings into a familiar landscape…
This is…
Before the two, a lush scenery of verdant hills under a bright blue sky welcomed them.
Echidna's Tea Party!
As if on cue, The Witch of Greed appeared atop the hill. Alongside her, a table, her parasol and tea set, with a freshly brewed cup for 'Subaru' to drink.
'Subaru' quickly climbed over to her, drinking the cup in one go as he sat down and stared back at her.
"Ah, I drank it already, thanks for the drink…" 'Subaru' reassured the witch before him without much care of whether she heard him or not. "Onto the main subject already."
"The drink may work as a greeting, but a hello wouldn't hurt now, would it?"
…Hold it.
Subaru would have shaken his head at the impossibility before him.
We aren't in Sanctuary… Hell, we were somewhere else entirely! We were on the Mansion just now! I recognized that bathroom, that was my room at the Mansion!
"What reason is there to greet you when you are prying into my head all the day and night long?"
…You… What…?
Subaru paused as 'Subaru' talked.
What do you mean she…? Echidna…?
"…Even if it is true, I am still a shy, young maiden, as delicate as a flower. Wouldn't my reputation become all the more worse if it became known that I am always staring into a boy's mind?"
Echidna!
Subaru called desperately for the Witch, wishing for her help.
I'm right here! Get me out of this lunatic!
But the witch stared beyond him… Or perhaps she knew, but couldn't be bothered to release the Avenger from his prison.
ECHIDNA!
"A shy, young maiden, as delicate as a flower? Did the meaning of those words change overnight?"
No. I'm not this guy. He's not me, so why should I bother? I'm not him. I'm not him. It's not my thoughts I let her into, it's his. I'm not him.
"How scathing of you!" The insulted Echidna answered with a pout. "Well, maybe it is unreasonable at my age to insist on calling myself that."
"As I thought, you're such an unpleasant woman." 'Subaru' responded indifferently.
"That makes me glad; that you remain as kind as you are greedy." Echidna smiled with satisfaction as 'Subaru' responded. "I take great pleasure in being someone who cruelly wounds your heart, after all!"
…Echidna?
Subaru would have shuddered in fear at the cruel words uttered from the Witch of Greed's lips.
Ho-Hold on… Echidna…? What are you… We don't have time for this… This bad joke…
"Were you hoping to be hated?" 'Subaru answered despondently.
"Oh, please… It was just a girl's cute bluff, you know?"
That's right…
Subaru chuckled with slight relief as Echidna joked.
This isn't real… Yeah! This is a bluff! A lie! A joke! I'd never be him! I'm just-! I'd never…!
"You're truly a man who never cowers down to anyone or anything. As the 'Witch of Greed', I like that about you… Natsuki Subaru."
'Subaru' nodded as Subaru flinched.
I'm not him.
"You can rest assured. You fell asleep last night without any issues, and you woke up this morning without anything-eventful happening. The worst-case scenario didn't happen whilst you were asleep overnight. So, you don't have to worry; everything is okay!"
I'm not him. I could never be him.
"Those are foolish words. If I went to sleep thinking nothing eventful would happen, I'd end up waking up dead. I don't know when and where I'll die, or when it'll stop."
I'm not him. I… I would never be him!
"…Are you leaving already? Stay here a little more, no one will mind if you do so. As you know, the time you spend here does not affect reality. You can rest all the time you want… that's what I hope."
I'm not him!
"…It's not my plan to depend on you all the time. You should know that it's not that kind of contract."
I'm not him!
"Good grief, you really aren't being honest with yourself. Even when I am the only one in this world that can be your accomplice in helping you bear your anguish and sorrow."
In their words, it was implicit. Subaru understood from the image in the mirror, from the mannerisms of 'Subaru' and Echidna's implications. This 'Subaru'… He knows death, he is intimate with it… and he has long since discarded the value of his own life…
"I don't intend to entrust my anguish and sorrow to anyone. This is something that's just for me; it's how I overcome them. That is the reason behind the contract between you and me. Isn't that so?"
I'M NOT YOU!
…
…
…
…
…
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
…What… What now…?!
Subaru woke up again. It seems he has finally realized that what he was watching wasn't an orderly viewing, but the disorderly events in the life of a man called 'Natsuki Subaru'.
No, he's not me! I'M SUBARU! Not him! I AM NATSUKI SUBARU! NOT HIM!
Nevertheless, his mind couldn't help but be at odds with such a conclusion. After all, if the man he was witnessing was 'Natsuki Subaru', does that not mean that he WASN'T Natsuki Subaru after all?
E-Echidna wouldn't do that! Would she…? NO! She wouldn't confuse me for a faker! She COULDN'T!
He denied with all his heart.
Her Witch Party is a realm of the unconscious, she said so herself! How DO YOU fake your unconscious!
He denied and denied to no end.
But if that is the case…
He protested himself as he denied, not finding a posture that could quell his frantic state.
Why did he look like me…?
"What's so funny?" A woman asked Subaru as his thoughts made him want to vomit again.
…Who is it now…?
"Huu… He… Hehe." 'Subaru' chuckled as he choked.
!
It was at that moment that Subaru realized he couldn't breathe. He hadn't taken a breath since waking up in fact.
ACK!
"What's so funny?" The woman asked once again.
"Ghghk… Huhuhu…" 'Subaru laughed as the woman asked again.
Just who… Who is…!
"…Kuh…" The woman suddenly grunted as she collapsed, and with her, the frail arms that had been choking the boy. Subaru finally could breath again…
"Oh… Ah…" 'Subaru' took in a breath of fresh air, one that expanded his lungs as his survival instincts kicked in. Whilst he regained life, Subaru noticed through 'Subaru's' eyes that they were alone with the woman, that the woman was the sole source of 'color' in a world devoid of it, a world surrounded on all sides by cold, unforgiving snow, a cold that was rapidly robbing them of warmth even after they had regained life.
S-Stop…
Subaru shuddered as he breathed. As though the cold of the very surroundings were flooding into his body, Subaru begged 'Subaru' to stop breathing… The real problem was that such feelings, such desire for life not to return to an exhausted and emaciated body weren't Subaru's, but 'Subaru's' own…
Ah…!
So why, then, was Subaru the one to express them instead of 'Subaru'? Unless, of course, that they were Subaru's own as well…
"…em…" The collapsed woman beside him mumbled as snow blanketed her.
You are…
As Subaru finally recognized the woman lying in the snow beside him… The pitiful and miserable beauty lying by his side… Quivering lips that tried and failed to pronounce a name in repeat… A pink-reddish muse that painted color in lifeless world…
Ram…
…
…
…
…
…
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"…-kun…"
A voice woke the boy up from the abyss of his mind.
What is all of this…?
"…ru-kun…!"
Subaru's eyes and ears and nose, his entire head really, hurt as he regained consciousness yet again.
"…aru-kun…!"
Who is…?
Subaru would have shaken his head if he could… He heard in the distance a familiar voice that seemed to be calling for his name.
"…baru-kun…!"
Who is… calling me… calling FOR me…?
Subaru finally opened his eyes, or better said, 'Subaru' finally allowed Subaru to see. He was in a cave of some sort; a damp, dark and suffocating cave…
"SUBARU-KUN!" A girl Subaru really cared about shouted.
"..." 'Subaru' remained silent as he gazed forward, however.
REM!
Yet Subaru exclaimed in surprise as he saw the origin of his name.
It was the blue twin of the Oni sisters, the maid called Rem. With a burn on her arm and her weapon of choice in hand, a morning star of deadly weight and power, Rem called for Subaru desperately.
"SUBARU-KUN!"
Re-!
"OOOOOOH! HOW FANTASTIC THIS IS!" But as Subaru tried and failed to say the name of the girl back, the voice of a dreaded, supposedly dead foe, interrupted the reunion.
Wha-?! PETELGEUSE?! HOW ARE YOU ALIVE?!
"A girl! A lone girl who is badly injured… But still, she presses on!" The green-haired mad-man celebrated creepily.
"Enough of your nonsense, witch cultist!" Rem screamed in anger. "To carry out your insubordinate acts in Roswaal-sama's territory is unforgivable! In my master's stead I, Rem, shall impart on you your overdue death penalty!"
Rem, wait!
Subaru shouted without a voice.
You cannot beat him! You know this! You cannot see his hands!
"…" But 'Subaru' would not move or do anything, much to Subaru's desperation.
Move dammit! Rem is in danger fucker! Move!
"In that battered state of yours?" Petelgeuse reasoned while giggling. "You've only come here to retrieve the boy! You should refrain from saying things meant only to sound attractive…"
"Don't touch him!" Rem screamed as Petelgeuse gripped Subaru's hair, pulling the boy's head upwards forcefully.
Hngh!
Although 'Subaru' did not move, Subaru felt all the uncomfortable pain of his hair being pulled.
Move you moron! Just move! Do something!
"Hm? What was that?" Petelgeuse childishly taunted.
"I said…" Rem growled as her aura grew fierce. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM!"
Immediately after, the cultists present began rushing Rem with killing intent.
*CRASH!*
*SPLURT!*
Rem proceeded to crush and bash skulls in left and right with her weapon, not even awaiting or granting any chances for the degenerates to reach her.
"Ah! That bellow just now!" Petelgeuse grabbed his groin perversely as he admired Rem's actions. "Why does a devout believer in love such as yourself adhere to someone like him?!"
No…!
Subaru would have gasped if he could, for he knew all too well what such a repulsive expression on Petelgeuse's face meant.
No... No, please, no! NOT AGAIN, PLEASE!
"…" Yet 'Subaru' still did not move.
MOVE FUCKER PLEASE!
"You know nothing about Subaru-kun!" Rem argued with Petelgeuse as her body count increased. "EL HUMA!"
*KRASHINK!*
A spear of ice projected itself from Rem's arm; killing two cultists in one go.
Rem, I'm begging you! Please, just flee! They are going to swarm you at this rate!
Subaru pleaded to deaf ears as Rem, in her rage, ignored the amount of cultists surrounding her.
"Magnificent… That was magnificent!" Petelgeuse almost cried as he witnessed the girl's efforts.
RUNAWAY! REM!
"My brain…" Petelgeuse murmured as a twisted, sickening smile appeared on his rotten face. "Trembles."
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEM!
*CRACK!*
*SPLURT!*
*CRA-CRACK!*
*KRASH-SHIK!*
*CRACK!*
"…!" 'Subaru' finally moved his head, but it was too late… Rem's body had been twisted and broken, as though a doll she had been.
…
Subaru could not say anything, he didn't have it within himself to say anything. He had failed to do anything to save Rem. Now, she was dead. She was dead, right before his eyes, and he did NOTHING to save her… Nothing.
No…
Subaru denied reality before his eyes.
"Authority of Sloth: The Unseen Hand." Petelgeuse solemnly stated as he pointed his hand towards Rem's floating body.
"…m…" 'Subaru's body twitched.
"Look. You must witness. Before you, are the results of your actions-"
Nonononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononono-
Subaru's thoughts drifted. He wasn't listening to Petelgeuse, he had no interest in what he had to say. His sole world, at that moment, was Rem's corpse.
This isn't my fault…
He argued internally as the Archbishop rambled.
"With my arms! With my fingers! You… You… You… You… You… You…!" Sloth curved his back as he insulted, tears spilling from his demented eyes.
This is… This is your fault, not mine!
"You killed her."
YOUUUUUUUUUUU!
Subaru shouted to himself, to 'Subaru', to the body he was currently trapped in, the body he had no agency over.
WHY DIDN'T YOU MOVE?! WHY DIDN'T YOU YELL?! WHY DIDN'T YOU FIGHT?! WHY DIDN'T YOU PROTECT HER?! WHY DID YOU LET HER DIE?! WHY DID YOU LET HER DIE?!
"-op it…" 'Subaru' mumbled.
WHY DID YOU LET MOM AND DAD DIE?! WHY DID YOU LET UNCLE BEN DIE?! WHY DID YOU FAIL TO SAVE EMILIA?! WHY DID YOU FAIL TO PROTECT REM?! WHY DID YOU FAIL TO PROTECT EVERYONE, YOU PIECE OF SHIT?!
"It hurts! It hurts!" Petelgeuse playfully taunted as he defiled Rem's corpse further, twisting her already broken body with glee. "Help me! Help me! Subaru-ku~n!"
WHY ARE YOU SUCH A FAILURE?! NATSUKI SUBARUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
"Help me! Help me! Subaru-ku~n!"
For the first time since the trial had begun… 'Subaru's' thoughts, feelings, words and actions were in complete harmony with Subaru's own.
"PETELGEUSE! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOUUUUUU!"
PETELGEUSE! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOUUUUUU!
*CLA-KLINK!*
*CLA-KLINK!*
The restraints chaining Subaru to the cave's walls tensed up as 'Subaru' rushed forward, red paining his eyes as he glared with the intensity of hellfire at the Sin Archbishop.
I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, DO YOU HEAR ME?! I'LL FUCKING MURDER YOU! DIE! DIE YOU PIECE OF SHIT! FUCKING DIE! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU MOTHERFUCKER! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU! DIE! DIE DAMMIT! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE YOU FUCKER! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU TO HELL! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! I'LL FUCKING MURDER YOU GODDAMIT! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Petelgeuse laughed gleefully as he departed the cave, leaving the restrained 'Subaru' behind to drown on the echoes of his sickened giggles.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"
From then on… Subaru and 'Subaru' failed to understand the world around them. It had all become a blurry mess of darkness and red. Blood and shadows mixed as Subaru and 'Subaru' repeatedly bashed their own head against the cold, hard and damp stone floor of the cave.
*CRASH!*
"I'll kill you…"
I'll kill you…
*CRASH!*
"I'll kill you…"
I'll kill you…
*CRASH!*
"I'll kill you…"
I'll kill you…
*CRASH!*
"I'll kill you…"
I'll kill you…
*CRASH!*
"I'll kill you…"
I'll kill you…
*CRASH!*
"I'll kill you…"
I'll kill you…
*CRASH!*
"I'll kill you…"
I'll kill you…
*CRASH!*
"I'll kill you…"
I'll kill you…
*CRASH!*
"I'll kill you…"
I'll kill you…
*CRASH!*
"I'll kill you…"
I'll kill you…
*CRASH!*
"I'll kill you…"
I'll kill you…
*CRASH!*
"I'll kill you…"
I'll kill you…
*…Srch…*
"!" Subaru and 'Subaru' lifted their head in surprise as they heard another sound coming from within the cave.
Huh…?
*…Srch…*
Rem's body was moving… Rem was moving! She was moving, ever so slowly, she was crawling towards Subaru, broken bones be damned. The girl crawled towards her beloved.
"Rem… Rem!" The boy exclaimed in amazement as tears welled in his eyes. "Rem! Rem! Rem! Rem! Rem! Rem! Rem!"
As the maid approached, 'Subaru' pulled her close by using his teeth to grab onto her dress. Through strenuous effort, the two
"Rem! Rem!"
"Hu… ma…" Rem whispered as she raised her battered arm towards Subaru's chains.
*SHINK!*
A small spike made of blood broke apart the bindings, setting the boy free.
"Rem!"
"Live…" The girl smiled with sincerity as she cupped 'Subaru's' face close to her own, gazing right into his eyes as she spoke her final words… Gazing directly at Subaru.
"Wait! Rem!"
"Live… Love… You…" With her last breath, along with her most sincere smile, life escaped the maid once and for all. Rem… was dead.
"Ugh-!" Subaru's arms trembled as he hugged Rem close to him, the dam breaking as his cries of anguish, regret and despair blasted and echoed through the cave… "Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Rem… I…!
…
…
…
…
…
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
Gughk…
Subaru cried on the inside.
What is this…?! What is all of this…?!
It was too much for him to bear.
Please… This is all sickening… I cannot…!
*CRASHISH!*
!
Subaru finally opened his eyes as the sound of a cup of glass breaking grabbed his attention. He was now in some sort of house or cabin… However, the darkness of the place made it an ominous place regardless.
"Indeed the finest knight." 'Subaru' spoke in a mocking tone while gazing at the man slumped on the floor with twisted cheer. "Julius Juukulius-san."
"C-Curse… You…!" The purple-haired man cussed from his paralyzed position on the wooden floor.
Julius?!
Subaru's eyes would have grown wide in abject horror as he witnessed what was happening before him.
No… Don't you dare!
"You should have known." 'Subaru' taunted the poisoned man with audacity. "If you are the knight serving a Royal Candidate on the height of her popularity… You should have known you'd be targeted as well! Although…"
"Fe-Felix…" Julius mumbled in pain as his eyes moved onto the effeminate knight.
Felix…?
Subaru looked on in astonishment at the events transpiring through 'Subaru's' eyes.
"You know? It took a lo~t of effort to capitalize on the guy." 'Subaru' gleefully put his arm around the hollow looking, smiling Felix. "This guy grieved. He grieved HARD! Never thought he'd pull in so much effort for someone that wasn't her… hehehe…"
So much effort… For someone…?
Subaru tried and tried to piece together what 'Subaru' was saying about Felix.
Why would Felix…? Where's Crusch?!
"What… Scheme…?!" Julius mumbled again as his agonizing eyes fix on Felix's confused expressions.
"No need for you to know, so chill." 'Subaru' reassured as he squatted next to Julius' face. "Once you are gone, your Lady will take the hint and drop out. You are the cautionary tale, so be proud, you'll die in her stead! What an honor, right?! Unless, of course, she decides to double down on participating because you died… In which case, she'll be making you company soon enough."
You…!
Subaru trembled with unbridled anger at 'Subaru's' words.
WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING YOU TWISTED FUCK?!
"An old friend calls you over for a few drinks, you get sentimental 'cause you haven't seen him in a while and after the first drink you are like this!" 'Subaru' continued explaining in a mocking voice. "What a sweet poison trust is. And now, you are drowning on it, mister 'Finest Knight'… Or was it 'Knight of Knights'? Who really cares, either way…"
"Poi…son…" Julius whispers as he dies. However, much to 'Subaru's' annoyance… The knight never looked at him as he died. His yellow eyes, instead, were fixated in a look of pity, all directed towards the feline healer Subaru had manipulated into murdering his own friend.
"It sure must be easy being someone everyone can be proud of… Your life is so easy, it's enviable." 'Subaru' chuckled as life escaped Julius. "You are dead now though, so not much use on that 'pride and honor' shtick anymore."
YOU PIECE OF SHIT!
Subaru cursed as 'Subaru' gloated.
"…" Julius fell silent, never to speak or move again. But even in death… he looked more regal than 'Subaru' could ever hope to be.
"Tsk!" 'Subaru' spat at the corpse laying by his feet with disdain. "A knight to the end… I ABHOR that, fucker."
YOU MOTHERFUCKING PIECE OF SHIT! HOW DARE YOU?!
Indignation filled Subaru as he witnessed all of these atrocities. He and Julius weren't close, not by any stretch of the imagination… But he'd be damned if he had to witness the death of a man he respected again, specially so by his own hand.
"Did I do well, Subaru-sama?" Felix muttered as a crooked smile was drawn on his face.
"You did well." 'Subaru' complimented the unhinged healer. "Sorry for forcing you into this."
"It is fine, so long as it helps you, Subaru-sama!" Felix winked, though in his broken and disheveled state, such a mannerism could hardly be called 'cute'. "After all, doing this was necessary for crafting the future that you and His Highness desired, right? Right?!"
"Yeah, it is right... That's why we couldn't have your friend stay alive."
Felix! Don't listen to that fucker! He's not your friend! He's a twisted murderer!
"Oh, are you occupied?" The entrance to the bar swung open, with a familiar figure entering the grim scene…
OTTO?!
"You're sure on time." 'Subaru' commented with cheer.
"I am. Time is finite, and us merchants believe that time is money." But Otto answered with indifference.
Otto! Run away! This guy is fucking nuts!
"Look at you still calling yourself a merchant, audacious. More of a death dealer."
"I truly have no reply to that."
Death… Dealer?
As Subaru inspected closer, Otto seemed rather pessimistic in comparison to his usual self. His eyes look about as devoid of life as Felix's; his clothes were a black color, more appropriate for a funeral than for conducting business… And his mannerism's screamed a lack of life behind the man's actions…
Otto… What has he done to you…?
"Your name is... don't think I ever caught it."
"I've never introduced myself, and neither do I intend to. Naturally, I have no inclination to ask for your name either, esteemed client. This way we can both relax."
"Well, you're right. Since it's not like we could ever be friends."
Shut up! You don't know anything, you…!
"Exactly. We'd become enemies the instant that something happens. And isn't what we see here the result of calling such people friends?"
Otto… I-I…
"Tell Russell thanks for me. Counting on you again for it. I mean, you ARE his right hand."
"That man's right hand is at the end of his arm. What I am is a slave." Otto spat with disdain at the affirmation.
No… Otto… Felix… Please, get away from that monster…!
…
…
…
…
…
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"Captain?" A young man said. It was a voice that had previously talked to Subaru with animosity and hostility, but now… It sounded on the verge of a heartbreak.
That voice…
Subaru trembled as he heard him slowly speak.
Grafiel…? Where…?
They were standing on a house's rooftop, but something was wrong about the streets below…
Why is everything submerged? What is this place, what happened?!
"Your heart can't grasp the most important thing about yourself… Still, your family's eyes are sharp." 'Subaru' answered without much care on his word for the boy before him.
Bastard… Now what have you done?!
"Who da fuck are ya?!" Garfiel growled as 'Subaru' came into view.
Do you get a rise out of this?! Killing and-and twisting the world around you?!
All with MY face?! With MY voice?!
With MY life?!
"Gotcha! Tah-dah!" A black-haired, scantily dressed woman appeared, suddenly accelerating at unimaginable speeds and rushing towards Garfiel with a kick.
Who-?!
*SHINC!*
"KUGH!" Garfiel raised his arms, protecting himself with a pair of shields from the devastating attack of the woman. Unfortunately though…
*ZOOM!*
*SPLURRT!*
*SQUELCH~!*
"…Guh…!" Garfiel grunted as a second attack from the woman perforated right through him, spilling the blonde boy's organs across the roof as he propelled backwards in a blitz.
No… It doesn't matter who you might be…
Subaru cried.
Both you and Garfiel… I ruined your lives… This unbelievable nightmare… In which I doomed you all…
Patching together… Patching together…
This last thought flooded Subaru's mind, but the boy knew well…
Patching together… Patching together…
This wasn't Subaru Natsuki's thoughts, it was 'Natsuki Subaru's'…
But then again…
Who am I, really?
…
…
…
…
…
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
*Knock-knock-knock!*
'Subaru' knocked on a door.
This door…
Subaru recognized the door.
This door is…
*Knock-knock-knock!*
Another knock answered from the other side of the door.
*Knock-knock-knock!*
Therefore, 'Subaru' answered with a knock on the door himself.
*Knock-knock-knock!*
And the door knocked back.
*Knock-knock-knock!*
Therefore, 'Subaru' answered with a knock on the door himself.
*Knock-knock-knock!*
And the door knocked back.
*Knock-knock-knock!*
Therefore, 'Subaru' answered with a knock on the door himself.
*Knock-knock-knock!*
And the door knocked back.
*Knock-knock-knock!*
Therefore, 'Subaru' answered with a knock on the door himself.
*Knock-knock-knock!*
And the door knocked back.
*Knock-knock-knock!*
Therefore, 'Subaru' answered with a knock on the door himself.
"Jeez, how long are you going to do that for! It's making me reaaaaally anxious!" A sweet voice, like nectar for the ears, answered back at last instead of a knock.
It was a voice Subaru found himself fond of, although, it felt more as though as a product of 'Subaru's' feelings than his own. Even if he considered the owner of the silver bell-like voice a dear friend, 'Subaru' felt something more… something intimate, in comparison.
The door burst open, and welcoming the boy… Was the sight of a silver haired beauty?
E… Emilia…
Something was wrong.
"Ahaha…" 'Subaru' chuckled.
"Ah, what are you laughing for? Ugh, Subaru's such a twit." Emilia pouted with rosy cheeks.
Your hair is shorter…
Subaru murmured in suspicion.
"Twit… no one says that word anymore these days. It was Emilia-tan that started to return the knocks just before. I just went with the flow." 'Subaru' joked back, unaware of Subaru's confusion and worry.
"You say it like that. Hmph, whatever. Then if it's like that, I just won't let Subaru into my room." The girl tried to close the door, but 'Subaru' wouldn't let her so easily.
Your eyes are…
*CRISHH!*
"Owww!" 'Subaru' cried as the door caught his hand while Emilia closed it.
"Ah! Subaru, are you okay!?" Emilia reacted with sudden, unabashed worry.
But Subaru caught onto what 'Subaru' was doing.
YOU MANIPULATING SHITHEAD!
"*Nom-nom-nom…*"Emilia put Subaru's hand on her mouth, licking it submissively in a bold yet creepy attempt at healing him.
WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO HER?!
"Ehh, Emilia-tan!? Isn't that a little bold!?" 'Subaru' blushed, although Subaru could feel his sickly enjoyment completely.
HOW THE FUCK IS THIS BETTER THAN PUCK?! NO, SCREW THAT! THIS IS EVEN WORSE!
"Mphnnn… Mphmmm…" Emilia's deranged eyes locked onto 'Subaru's' own, Subaru feeling guilty about what he was doing to the girl.
Drooling over his hand, caressing it with her tongue and saliva, licking his fingers seductively as if to entice the boy, giving it her all for a man that Subaru knew was not worth it…
WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!
Subaru cried in absolute panic and disgust at himself. This 'Subaru' had turned Emilia into some sort of doll… Into a slave at his beck and call, willing to perform a most humiliating and degrading thing, that did not even need happen, in such a sexual capacity… He did not require seeing more to understand what 'Subaru' was capable of doing to her, if he had not done so already…
Nevertheless, what disgusted Subaru the most…
"Mhm….that should be fine I think. Subaru, it must have hurt…. Hey, why is your face bright red?"
"I can't help acting like a young teen, or how should I put it… it was such an unexpected development… Uhm, well, I'm okay. Thank you very much. This should be good enough for me."
Is that he didn't know whether such lustful desire for domination over the half-elf was his or 'Subaru's'…
Y-You sick fuck…
…
…
…
…
…
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"Halibel, a kunai."
"Are ya sure, Su-san? I mean, Purge King?"
"Halibel, a kunai."
Purge King… Who the hell is Halibel…?
Subaru tiredly asked as yet another incognita rained on him. At this point, the boy simply wanted for all to be over.
Just… Please, fucking stop this shitfest… What is this, torture-porn or something?! I know I'm not stellar, not by any stretch of the imagination… But I…!
He begged and begged to any deity out there to release him from the maddening tortures of his visions
"Are you…" The sweet voice of an endearing child prone to pouting, one Subaru had wanted to save before, spoke to 'Subaru'.
…Please… Beatrice, run away from this fu-fucker…!
"Are you, Betty's 'Them'?"
No, he's not!
"Yeah." 'Subaru' answered with a smile as he raised the kunai. "I'm that person."
He's not! Your not fucking 'THEM' you sicko!
*STAB!*
Ah…!
Subaru's mind broke for the umpteenth time as 'Subaru' stabbed Beatrice. The real pain, however, originated from her expression.
Please… Don't smile…!
Beatrice smiled as she disintegrated. A sweet, beautiful, innocent, childish and grateful smile was pictured in her essence as 'Subaru' murdered a soul as lonely and gentle as her…
You… monster…!
Subaru would have fallen to his knees in despair… had he not been too busy twisting the knife that killed Beatrice.
I'm… The monster here…!
…
…
…
…
…
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
…This is…
Subaru immediately inspected his surroundings. Unlike the previous 'visions'… There was some more freedom of movement when it came to THIS 'Subaru'… As though something in common could be perceived between the two…
The Forbidden Library…
"Let's see…" 'Subaru' muttered hesitantly. "A ghost?"
…Ghost…
"…" Beatrice remained silent as Subaru stared at her.
A ghost… You are dead…
Subaru denied the little girl before him.
I saw you die just now… You are dead… You are-
"What an aggravating man, in fact." The Great Spirit of the Forbidden Library sighed with disappointment. "Is that really the first word that comes out of your mouth upon seeing Betty, I wonder?"
…YOU ARE NOT A GHOST?!
"If anything, you are the one who looks like a ghost to Betty."
"Bea…"
…trice…
Subaru and 'Subaru's' thoughts lined up again. For some reason… The 'Subaru' talking right now felt more familiar to the Subaru thinking right now than the others did.
"…" The Great Spirit fell into silence again.
"All along… All this time…" 'Subaru' whispered with trembling legs. "For the past twenty years… You've been here, all alone?"
Twenty…
Subaru would have sweated bullets at 'Subaru's' words if he had had a body.
TWENTY YEARS?!
"What does it matter, I wonder?" The little blonde girl answered with indifference.
"No… All alone?" 'Subaru' tilted his head in surprise.
All this time… you've been here all along?! But this mansion…!
This mansion…
Huh?
What happened in this mansion…?
"Just what might be the matter with you, in fact?"
"…" 'Subaru' remained in a pensive state as he stared at the little girl.
She was here, all alone, in a mansion where there was no one left…
Why is there no one left…?
There is no one left…
No one left for you…
…
Even if my head understands her solitude…
My heart won't accept it…
"What are you doing here looking like that, in fact?" Without much interest in the inner workings of the troubled man before her, Beatrice spoke her question.
"That is…" 'Subaru' once more fell into a pit of doubt, not knowing what or how to say what he wanted to say… Strangely enough though, Subaru felt the same.
"What's 'that'?" Beatrice prodded still, pushing for an answer.
"…Revenge." Subaru's eyes lit up, and so did 'Subaru's'.
On that day…!
"…twenty years ago…!"
I swore on the man who killed Rem…!
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"I…"
Will…
"Kill…"
That…
"Man…"
I WILL KILL PETELGEUSE ROMANÉE-CONTI WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS!
"I WILL KILL PETELGEUSE ROMANÉE-CONTI WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS!"
Subaru Natsuki and 'Natsuki Subaru' declared wrathfully at the same time.
THE ENTIRE WITCH CULT IF NECESSARY!
Subaru continued, independently from 'Subaru'…
I WILL KILL THEM ALL, NO MATTER THE COST!
…
…
…
…
…
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
*KAR-SHACK…!*
The surroundings turned into a raging inferno as Subaru proclaimed his hatred for the cult.
…The… Witch Cult…
As though his mind was still stuck on the previous vision, Subaru repeated incessantly his innermost disgust for the cult.
The cult… The Witch's Cult…!
As he gazed at the corpse 'Subaru' held in his arms, Subaru choked a scream of agony and anger.
It's all their fault…!
Immobile in his arms, all life gone from her eyes and diminutive body… Meili stared vacantly at Subaru…
It's all their fucking fault!
"…Go no further." Yet another voice he recognized stopped Subaru on his tracks.
…Rei…
"Reinhard van Astreaaaa~…" 'Subaru' spoke in a condescending tone.
"It seems that I don't need to introduce myself. I don't have much to say to you, either." The Sword Saint spoke with a furious yet restrained voice.
"So you were capable of hating people after all, Sword Saint!"
Reinhard…!
Subaru failed to notice this, still indulging in his newfound hatred.
Meili…! These fuckers…! The Witch's Cult…!
"It surprises me as well. I didn't think these feelings were in me." Reinhard answers, disregarding the little girl in 'Subaru's' arms.
"Heh… So you found a new you, didn't you?" 'Subaru' chuckled as he lowers the little girl into the ground. "Congratulations then! Happy Birthday Reinhard!"
"Unfortunately, today is not the day of my birth. But it will be the day of your death."
Reinhard… The Cult…!
"DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH, REINHARD!" 'Subaru' screamed, finally snapping Subaru out of his trance.
Hah…!
The boy finally managed to take a proper look at his new surroundings.
Corpses…
Fire…
Ruins…
Death…
Death…
Death…
The…
Subaru mumbled, knowing surely that his eyes would have gone hollow at the vision.
The Capital… In flames…
"Sword Saint! Sword of Lugunica!" 'Subaru' continued to taunt. "You are the knight, the hero that protects the Kingdom of Lugunica?! What the hell did you manage to protect here, huh?! How about you tell me about that!"
Spreading his arms wide, shouting from the bottom of his lungs, 'Subaru' incites Reinhard's wrath.
"This is my gift to you! The one trap that WILL kill you!"
"…Kill me?" Reinhard growls in disdain.
Stop, stop, stop!
"How many times do you think I've tried to kill you?! How many tens, hundreds, thousands of times have we faced each other?!"
"…" Reinhard simply glares, not understanding a word spouted by 'Subaru'.
Julius, Elsa, Meili, Otto, Felix, Roswaal, The Witch's Cult, The Archbishops and Royal Candidates, as well as countless innocents… All of the sacrifices made in order to arrive to this point, all atrocities a man could commit, performed all for the sake of this moment… And still, Reinhard would not die. The memories of all the deaths and actions commited by 'Natsuki Subaru' raced and congregated like a blur inside of Subaru Natsuki's head.
Dargh…! These memories…! AAAAGH!
"I'm here to kill who you are, the knight, the hero, Reinhard van Astrea." 'Subaru' laughed aloud. "I'm lowering you to MY plane of existence, where your title means fuck-all, where it will forever remain covered in mucus, spit, blood and dirt!"
JUST STOOOP!
"All of this… Only for that-?!" Before Reinhard could continue on his rightful tirade, 'Subaru' interrupted with his own.
"YES! JUST FOR THAT!" The maniac celebrated. "I used everyone's lives! Only for that! For dropping you to the Earth where I crawl!"
"…Tsk!"
"You are a hero, Reinhard." In a sudden, melancholic tone as his cheer dies down; 'Subaru' states the true unhinged reason for all of this senseless tragedy. "It's not possible for me to kill you… But I can kill a 'Hero', that I can do. This is how to kill you Reinhard."
"…"
Just… Please… No more of this crap… No more…
"…Why?" 'Subaru's' melancholy and regrets reached a peak as he turned from mockery to lament.
"…"
"Why are you so strong? Why are you so strong, that I had to let them die, to match it?"
"…"
"I wish I'd been like you. I wish I'd been honest like you, been strong enough to save everyone like you. I think you're enviable. I think you're contemptible…" 'Subaru' cried as he covered his eyes, welling tears and a cracking voice denoting a sense of emptiness in his cruel accomplishments…
"You…"
"I wanted to be you Reinhard." The most honest confession ever spoken by 'Natsuki Subaru'.
"I don't understand you." And the Sword Saint deflects it like the diatribes of a long-gone, unforgivable excuse of a man…
As 'Subaru' finalizes his rambles, the screams of agony echoing throughout Lugunica finally managed to reach Subaru's consciousness, his incorporeal ears at last noticing the true, unforgiving brutality of the world created by him…
"AAAAAAAHHHH!"
"IYAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"HEEEEEEEEELP!"
"AAAAAAAAAGH!"
"RAAAAAAARGH!"
"NO, PLEASE, NO!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
And Subaru wails in agony too…
FUCKING STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!
…
…
…
…
…
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"Thanks for the hard work, Shaula. And now…"
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"It's okay, it's okay. Emilia-tan is a good girl, a good girl, everything is okay."
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"Even if does not seem like they're lying, liars are gonna lie, after all."
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"Rem was… Rem has been killed! The fucker that raided this mansion, who killed everyone is still at large! How can you remain as apathetic as you were twenty years ago?! That time! That time we spent together! It meant nothing to you, did it?!"
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"Ardent flames of destruction, running the nation to the ground! And the one to slay the villain in the end won't be Reinhard or the Dragon! It'll be you! The one to break through four centuries of stagnation will be you! Even if there were any other candidate left, they would be unable to do anything to stop me! You are the only one… The hero to save the world will be you!"
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"Subaru, did you do all of this? ...Otto, Garfiel and… Why… Why did you do all of this?! You went there to save the people of this city, and yet…!"
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"Being conscious of it would be a disa~ster, you must always exalt your sole priority. Any obstructions, reasons for stumbling, everything will be ju~dged, and no matter what can be discarded without second thought. And if done so, that would be the e~nd. This was all already decided, hence why you've become my tru~mp card."
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"Those dark circles are quite severe. Maybe you should sleep softly next to the princess for a while?"
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"Betty has spent entire ages in here. Such moments were nothing but a moment in comparison."
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"That isn't... What on earth are you saying?! Stop it, I don't understand! I don't understand anything you're saying!"
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"Me deceiving Master…? If I could pull such a temptress' move, I'd have done it lo~ng ago! Master's so~ sexy like this, since he doesn't get caught up in my temptations... At all! However, you are too sexy for your own good!"
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"Betty is tired. I've already given up, I suppose. I went against mother's instructions… I broke the contract… and despite that, I'm still alive… Why? If only you just ditched me, back then… Why did you come to help Betty? Clearly, you're not… You're not… You are not 'them'!"
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"The corpse… have it cleaned and buried. Send an envoy to their shop. Everything has to be confiscated, but if they follow along, do not treat them poorly. If they refuse, however, purge the family and burn the store. When the takeover ends, have the next one in charge greet you. With that, it'll be decided whether to destroy them or not."
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"You who were nothing but a foolish, miserable, pathetic, lowly dwarf in the guise of madness! The sinful you of that day, who so mercilessly killed the girl who sought to gift the world and more to you! You've traversed through so many trials and tribulations, all to appear before me this day! Lo, the devotion! What love for a long-gone girl you display! Oh, what love! This is Love! The work of Love! The fruit of Love! The miracle of Love! Ah~! My brain trembles!"
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"Watch me, Emilia. See me, detest me and remember me."
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"Ah! Ahah! Ahahahah! Master, Master… really? I'll be last? Am I gonna be Master's last woman?"
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"As a rule of thumb, people who have their heads lopped off typically die you know? I think I would also die if my head were to come off… Are you sure about this?"
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"Then, I'll die together with you. We'll meet the end together. I don't want to stay in a place where you won't need me. Please, Subaru. I need you. I want you to be with me."
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"I'd sell my soul to the devil if it meant killing him."
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"I'm the man who burned the world, rocked the country, killed the hero and YOU will kill"
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"Patching together, patching together and continuing to form its shape. Patching together, patching together and continuing to mold its shape. Patching together, patching together and continuing to fill in the colors…"
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"You truly are someone who can satisfy me. However, I want you to rest assured. The lives of those who you prize, I will also wholeheartedly gamble my very wisdom on protecting them. So, for this you too… To satisfy an unending curiosity, I want you to remain as my accomplice… Ah, even so… Why does love, always fade?"
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"No matter what, you'll come to hate something about me, won't you?! You'll come to doubt me, won't you?! Because I'm an obstacle… You'll think of murdering me, of hating me, of cursing me, and you'll come to betray me! Then, please keep hating me, like it was at the start! If you'd just stayed like that, without changing, it would've been fine! Just do as you did and hate me! Just do as you did, and hate me…!"
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"Finally, did you come wanting to die, Barusu?"
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"I ask you to follow me. Said 'I need your help'. Even begged for it… I've hurt you all a lot. And I don't want to continue hurting those I once thought so precious… Even if it's too late already. I really am the most selfish bastard around, aren't I?"
Behold an Unthinkable Present.
"My name is Natsuki Subaru."
Witch's Cult Sin Archbishop, representing Pride…
"Natsuki Subaru!"
Behold an Unthinkable Prese-
RRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!
"Subaru-kun!"
"AH!" Subaru stood up all of a sudden. "Ah! Ah!"
"Subaru-kun!" a gentle, motherly voice pronounced the boy's name.
"Hah…! Hah…!" Subaru gasped still, struggling to breath as he inspected his surroundings anew. "Where-?! Where-?! I-! Where-?!"
"Subaru-kun…" Repeating in a lovely, endearing, enticing, seductive, calming, loveable and irresistible tone, the woman's voice spoke the boy's name again.
*Shuffle-Shuffle!*
"…Huh?" Subaru looked to his right… Someone was hugging him. "…Huh…"
"Subaru-kun…" The woman whispered into his ear. "Are you okay?"
"Huh…"
"No, that was a silly question. If Subaru-kun were okay, your Rem wouldn't have needed to calm you down."
"…My…" Subaru squinted his eyes as the surroundings became clearer.
Subaru was sitting up on a bed, moonlight peering through the window as his bedroom became clearer around him. Beside him… A woman with an air of maturity around her… Displaying a blue hair, he could never mistake anyone else for having…
"Rem…" Subaru mumbled in a daze.
"Hmm, that's right." Rem smiled as she nodded. "It's me Subaru-kun. Your Rem is here."
The woman flashed a gorgeous smile at Subaru. So much so, in a recondite part of his heart, deep within himself, Subaru thought it was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. After all, it was the smile that belonged to his beautiful wife and mother of his children.
"…My… Rem…"
My wife…
Subaru mumbled, still in shock as strange feelings and memories filled him.
"Your hair is longer…" Without much consideration for his own words, Subaru murmured.
"Well, of course it'd be silly!" Rem teased with a small chuckle that painted her cheeks pink. "It's been over a year since I last trimmed it! Not that I don't tame it, of course."
"Your bust and butt too…" Still confused, he whispered the first things that popped into his mind, disregarding what reaction they could invite.
"…W-Well… Of course they'd grow…" The woman blushed further, shying away slightly. "With all we've done… It's natural my body would change, too."
"…" Subaru's eyes grew in surprise.
All we've…
"H-Huh…" The boy blushed red, a face red like a tomato.
"Still, I'm surprised the children did not wake up…" Rem peered her head towards the door to the corridor. "Rigel would probably dash towards his sister before actually coming to us… Overprotective as he is."
"The children…"
Blurry images of two children, small enough that he could squish their cheeks with one hand, started to flood his mind. A blue haired boy and a black haired little girl. He couldn't pinpoint the shape of their faces, details about how they looked up-close eluded him… Yet he clearly remembered other features belonging to the half-oni kids. His kids.
Ah… My children…
"Then again, he gets it from a certain someone I know…" With playful eyes, Rem begins caressing Subaru's back and gaze at him lovely. "It's late still…"
"…"
"The sun won't be up for a while…" Rem continued, not noticing the troubled Subaru.
"…"
"Subaru-kun?" Rem then finally noticed an oddity on the man.
"…"
"Why are you…?" Rem cupped Subaru's face with her hands, inspecting him closely. "Why are you… Crying?"
"…" Subaru had tears welling in his eyes as well as rolling down his cheeks in rivulets. "Huh…"
"Oh… It was one of the nightmares, wasn't it?" As Rem gently states, her gaze turns even softer than before. Subaru had to wonder as she gazed so lovingly at him…
How can you love me so much?
"You were remembering, weren't you?" Rem continued. "Emilia-sama and Nee-sama, weren't you?"
"…Huu…"
"I'm sorry." Rem shook her head with clear disappointment in herself. "Even though you'd always talk about not wanting to remember…"
"I-It's fine…"
…
"Subaru-kun…" Rem's loving, infatuated gaze locked itself with Subaru's own. Unbeknownst to her, the man himself was having a crisis, one that had him questioning reality itself at the moment.
"Rem…" Subaru uttered weakly. "What-"
"Subaru-kun." The girl interrupted while shaking her head. "Let's return to bed, shall we?"
"…"
"There's still a lot to prepare for tomorrow… Halibel-san and Tia-san are coming over for dinner, after all. Halibel-san especially, he won't be satisfied with a single serving."
"Halibel…"
"So…" Rem cupped Subaru's cheek again, tenderly, lovingly… All while giving him the most endearing gaze he had ever seen. "Let's return to sleep… Together…"
...
Subaru felt his consciousness slowly drifting.
"…" As Subaru began laying down on the bed, Rem began leaning-in close to his face. She was leaning for a kiss. She was planning to kiss him as he fell asleep.
I'm tired…
Subaru accepted the kiss… Rem slowly approached, and he would not reject such a tender ambrosia after a horrifying experience.
It was a nightmare. All of it. All of those deaths. All of that pain. All of that suffering. All of that sorrow. All of that regret. All of that hate. All of that self-loathing.
It was all a dream…
He wasn't a hero.
He wasn't a villain.
He wasn't a vagabond.
He wasn't a noble.
He was a family man. That is all he was. Moreover, he had a family to take care for… he did not have the time for fantasies.
A dream…
For he had a responsibility.
…
…
…
A…
…
…
…
"With Great Power…"
…
…
…
"Comes Great Responsibility."
…
…
…
A responsibility…?
"THERE ARE NO STRINGS ON ME!"
*SHUFFLE!*
"Subaru-kun?!"
"…" As Rem was about to kiss him, as their lips were on the verge of touching, Subaru pushed her back to the bed while standing up.
"Subaru-kun… Calm down-"
"Rem…" Subaru turned to look at the woman claiming to be his wife with a mix of shame and resolve. "What happened to Emilia and Ram?"
"…" 'Rem' looked away, not knowing what to say. "Please, come back to bed…"
"They aren't dead… No, they are not." Subaru shook his head in denial, sure of himself.
"…" 'Rem' remained silent, only gazing at him in suspense.
"They aren't dead… Because we beat the cult. We BEAT Petelgeuse…!"
"…"
"We didn't run away! We took on the responsibility of protecting Arlam and the Mansion. They aren't dead!"
"…No…"
"But my responsibility isn't done! There's people depending on me, even as we speak!"
"Yes…" 'Rem' nodded her head as she reached for Subaru's hand. "Rem knows. Rem depends on you, our children depend on you, OUR family depends on you!"
*Smack!*
"…No!" Subaru denied as he gazed through 'Rem', swatting her hand away.
"But-!"
"You are not Rem!" Subaru denied. "Because she's still back at the Capital, awaiting my return!"
"…"
"She, May, Ned, Tony, Emilia, Beatrice, Ram, Otto, the Alliance, the Avengers!" Subaru shouted, making the world around him shatter. "They are all waiting for me! For me to return!"
"…Ah…!"
"To return… For Spider-Man to return! For me to return be the hero I promised I was!"
"No!"
"So stop trying to fiddle with my brain already, you fraud!" Subaru yelled as he pointed at the woman pretending to be 'Rem'. "Like hell you or anyone will beat Avenger-Level stubbornness so easily!"
*CRASH!*
Reality broke around him… And Subaru returned to the interior of the Tomb.
"Wha-?!" Subaru dropped to his knees as he noticed the clear lack of oxygen in his lungs. "*WHEEZE!* Hac-! Wh-What…?!"
"N…" A woman was now standing where Rem was. Her hair was pink, and she sported a green scarf around her neck. Her shy image, however, reminded Subaru of a child almost. "Echidna-chan d-didn't tell me about any o-of this…"
"Who…?!" Subaru struggled to get back up.
"I-I'm the Witch of Lust…" With a downcast gaze, the girl introduced herself between hiccups. "Carmilla… Ni-Nice to me-meet you…"
"What the hell…!" Subaru groggily stood up. "What were you trying to pull right now…?! Did Echidna put you up to this?!"
"Wh-What…?"
"Rem!" Subaru growled. "Disguising as her! Implanting those memories and feelings within me! Entire years' worth of memories for a family that doesn't exist!"
"I-I'm not sure what you saw…" Carmilla shook her head. "But if you saw something, maybe it was a mix of the-the Trial and m-my own influence…"
"Just explain already!" Subaru angrily rushed at her, but not before the familiar voice of the Witch of Greed warned.
"Are you in a rush to die? Carmilla's 'Faceless Bride' will make you forget to breathe again at this rate."
"Huh-?!" Subaru clutched his chest as oxygen escaped him again. "*WHEEZE-!* Fuck…!"
*SHWWWWWWWWWOOOOOM!*
Carmilla disappeared as Subaru fell to his knees, the world spinning around him in a spectacle of flashing lights until…
"Hum… Maybe it was a bit too much to allow you to rush ahead?"
"E…Echidna…" Subaru growled as he regained his footing. Atop the hill of green, one he has seen countless times when trapped inside that trial, Subaru could clearly see the figure of the Witch of Greed enjoying some tea. "ECHIDNA!"
"Yes, yes, I heard you the first time. *Slurp*" Without a care in the world, Echidna sipped on her tea as Subaru rushed towards her.
*SLAM!*
"WHAT THE HELL!" The boy screamed as he slammed his hands against the table.
"That doesn't sound like a question-"
"What the fuck was that?! What did you do?!"
"An evil scheme, obviously." The woman declared matter-of-factly with a neutral smile.
"Why do any of that?!"
"Are you referring to the Trial or what happened at the end?" Echidna smirked smugly. "If it's the latter, I thought that by easing out at the end, you'd be able to recover from the shock."
"Explain the former then!" Subaru demanded as he glared with fury at the woman.
"…" Echidna laid down her cup as her expression soured. "Allow me, first… To explain the Trial."
"…Tsk!" Subaru clenched his teeth in frustration.
"As you know, the first trial examines one's past." Echidna raised her hand as she motioned towards the boy. "The second, then, examines their present."
"So?!" Subaru argued. "How the hell does that shit you shoved inside my head have anything to do with the right now?!"
"You sure are demanding…" Echidna sighed. "What was recreated was a world created from memories, as the first trial."
"But my memories-!"
"However…" The Witch intervened before Subaru could argue. "However… Return by Death, and your condition that connects you to the Multiverse… Let's just say, it conflicted with the Trial."
"…Wait…" Subaru shook his head with dread as the Witch of Greed spoke. "Wait, wait, wait…"
"What is it now?"
"I…!" Subaru choked on the words as decades of deaths and suffering coursed through him. "I… I'm not a murderer…! I…!"
"…"
"Beatrice is alive! Emilia is alive! So is Rem!" The boy debated with himself, almost ignoring her presence. "I didn't burn down the Capital! I didn't! The Capital is still right there! As fine as it ever was!"
"…"
"Yeah! That's right!" He nodded with a fearful smile drawn on his face, lips trembling. "Petelgeuse is dead! So there is no way the cult would have… The cult didn't win! No! The Capital is still safe! And… Rem is alive! Yes! She's alive! I didn't do anything! I saved them! So…!"
"…"
"Otto isn't a death dealer! Or-Or-! Garfiel is alive! He's still right here! Outside! He's with Mimi and her siblings!" The diatribe without direction continued agonizingly. "Yeah! No one is dead! No! I have no memories of them dying! Hm-Hm! Yeah! I didn't- I didn't do anything! Yeah! I mean, I would NEVER…!"
"…"
"I'm an Avenger! A hero! I SAVE people! I'd never do anything that sickening! I didn't kill Beatrice! I didn't let Rem die! I didn't abandon Emilia! Right now, I'm here BECAUSE I'm trying to save them! That's right! I'm not the bad guy! None of those were me! Yeah! Those weren't me, it was someone else!"
"…"
"You SURE know how to pull off a prank, Echidna! Haha!" Subaru laughed without any cheer as the circles under his eyes grew darker and darker. "Yeah! Those nightmares are just that! Nightmares! There's no way I could do any of that, after all! Haha! Yeah… Whew!"
"Subaru." Echidna pronounced with a neutral, indifferent voice, disregarding his ramble. "What you just witnessed were the lives of your counterparts across the multiverse."
"…" Subaru's mouth hung open, the boy emitting an inaudible gasp as he failed to speak a word from the shock. "…Huh…?"
"…Hm…" Echidna inspected the paralyzed boy with curiosity. "Continuing on that line… All that you experienced right now was real. The world in which you became a vengeful vagabond… The world in which you became a master manipulator…"
"…Uh…" Subaru's knees and hands trembled.
"The world in which you became a mass-murderer… The world in which you ran away from it all… The world in which you became the king of the underworld…"
"Hah… Hah… Hah… Hah…" Subaru began hyperventilating as Echidna spoke. Choking her had never looked more tempting. It would surely silence the memories, wouldn't it? "Hah… Hah… Hah… Hah…!"
"And the world in which you became the Sin Archbishop of Pride… Natsuki Subaru."
"*BARF!*" Subaru buckled over, trying and failing to support himself on the table as he puked all over the ground by Echidna's feet. "*Cough-Cough!* Arf...! Hah…! Hah…! Gaghk…!"
"…Are you done?" Echidna asked as Subaru failed to stand up. "Hmm… It's a bit sad to see you in this state."
"I…!" Subaru murmured as tears welled in his dark-brown eyes. "What have I…?!"
"You killed, you murdered, you stole, you betrayed, you manipulated and you terrorized the world." Echidna summarized. "That's what you did, Natsuki Subaru."
"…HGHK!" Subaru recoiled in horror, turning into a fetal position on the ground while laying against the table.
All of that…!
I did…!
I did all of that…!
"Even if you died a million times, it'd still never be enough to cleanse those sins." Echidna mercilessly punished the boy as he rocked back and forth on the grass. "But if you are truly pained by what you are FATED to do unto this world…"
"Huu… Huu…!"
"…" Echidna extended her hand downwards toward the traumatized boy.
"Hhuau…"
"Would you be willing to form a contract with me, Natsuki Subaru?" Echidna smiled from ear to ear.
"Y-Y-Y-You…" Subaru pointed back at her with a trembling finger. "C-Co-C-Co-Contr-tr-a-tract…?"
"That's right…" Softly, carefully, soothingly… Echidna lowered herself to look at Subaru, she crouched beside the panicking teenager and whispered. "A contract."
"…" Subaru looked intensely at the hand Echidna extended, doubt and terror clear in his face. "No… No… No… No…! No! No! No! Nonononononononononononono! No! No! No! NO! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"May I ask the reason why-?"
*SNACTH!*
"You!" Subaru stood up, grabbing the Witch by the collar as rage filled his gaze. "What do you think I saw, huh?!"
"I don't know. What DO you think you saw, hm?"
"Don't mock me, you piece of shit!" Subaru shouted wrathfully. "I remember! A world in which we contracted! A world in which-!"
"A world in which life held no meaning, is that right?"
"…Hghk…!" Subaru had to hold himself back from punching her in the face.
"After all, Emilia was a submissive broken doll, Rem was in a coma, Beatrice despised you, Otto left you behind, Reinhard was depressed and Garfiel despised you." The Witch recounted gleefully. "And we had a contract in which you abused Return by Death to achieve all of that. Was it worth it?"
"How could it have been worth it…?!" Subaru sobbed as he let go of Echidna, covering his face with his hands in shame. "Fuckin' goddamit…! How could that have been worth it?!"
"What I offer you isn't something so depressing… Well, not for anyone other than you." Echidna continued explaining. "A new contract, unlike that one. One in which Emilia doesn't have to go insane… Where Beatrice could be happy… Where Rem is never lost to anything or anyone…"
"…Ugh…"
"You know it to be possible." Echidna nodded with satisfaction. "With the benefit of hindsight, we needn't commit any mistakes. If you become the Ultimate hero, then no one will ever have to suffer; only you would… No one else will ever have to die… No one else will have to know who you really are, about the darkness inside… Even now, you know you could use my extensive knowledge of the Multiverse to defeat Ultron… No one would need to die battling him once he arrives."
"…*Hic*…" The boy whimpered as he stared at the tempting hand of the Witch.
"Face it." Echidna continued to torture him. "You'd deserve it. If you are going to suffer, agonize over what you are destined to do… Isn't it better to make sure no one else has to suffer BUT you? To avoid such a fate by inflicting the punishment you deserve to yourself? To make sure you never ruin another innocent life by becoming the force of good you thought you could be?"
"…"
"A contract…" Echidna whispered seductively. "So that Subaru Natsuki becomes the greatest hero to have ever lived. What do you say?"
"…I-I…" Subaru's shattered mind was running in all directions as doubt and self-hatred took a hold of him. The world turned dark in his field vision as the ghosts of everyone he had ever met, dead or alive, surrounded him. Emilia, Rem, Beatrice, Ram, Otto, Garfiel, Crusch, Felix, Everyone. Moreover, every single one of them glared. They glared at him, because they knew what he was destined to become.
"Murderer!"
"Monster!"
"Bastard!"
"You killed me! You!"
"I wish you had never been born!"
Echidna is right…
The boy reasoned unreasonably, as the ghosts accused.
"You are the reason I died!"
"Rot in hell!"
"Piece of shit!"
"Die already!"
"Drop dead!"
No matter the universe or reality, all I did was ruin someone else for my benefit…
Slowly, the boy raised his hand.
"Go to hell!"
"Why are you even alive?!"
"Waste of air!"
"Fucker!"
If that is the case…
The hand reached for Echidna's.
If I deserve to be punished… Might as well do so while saving everyone-
"I WON'T ACCEPT IT!"
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
"Bugha-?!" Subaru retracted his hand as an explosion divided him and Echidna. "Wh-What?!"
*SSSShhhhhh…*
As the dust cloud settled, Minerva, the Witch of Wrath, appeared.
"Minerva?!" Subaru quizzically questioned. "What are you doing he-?!"
"YOU IDIOOOOOOT!" Minerva screamed, almost destroying Subaru's ear from the sound.
"Uooogh!" The boy covered his ears, seemingly annoyed by her yells. "What the hell?!"
"You!" Minerva pointed at Subaru with tears in her eyes. "You genuinely tried to accept that contract right now, didn't you?!"
"W-Well… Of course! I mean…"
"Why?!" Minerva protested with animosity. "You saw what you turned into after accepting it once! So why?!"
"Wait, you-?!" Subaru shook his head in denial. "Did you… Did you really witness my trial too?!"
"…" The Witch of Greed turned away from the scene.
"Echidna, what the hell?!"
"You saw what happened to you after accepting her contract!" Minerva remained undeterred, however, so Subaru had no time to protest.
"Y-yeah, I did, but-!"
"Then why the hell would you accept a contract with her again?! Are you stupid?!"
"I-!"
"No, you ARE stupid!" The Witch of Wrath insisted.
"But what other way is there?!" Subaru argued with ire. "You saw what I became! What I'm destined to be! If that is the case… If that is the case… Why can't I at least chose to become the one version of myself that won't sacrifice the world…?"
*SMACK!*
"Subaru!" Minerva shouted as she punched Subaru. "Stop being an idiot!"
"…That punch didn't even hurt…" Subaru, weirded out by her behavior, brushed off her worries.
"That Echidna… Did you know we, the other Witches, can come out as we please?!" Minerva confessed, regaining Subaru's attention.
"Huh?!"
"That's right!" Minerva continued. "She probably lied to you about it because she's a mean jerk!"
"…But if that is the case…"
"I may have lied about that, but I promise…" Echidna spoke, interrupting the conversation. "The visions of the Trial were the truth, one hundred percent."
"…See…?" Subaru mumbled as he swallowed the bitter reality of the situation again. "I'm… I'm nothing but…"
"No, you are not!" Minerva protested once more, interrupting the barrage of suffering incoming. "You are you, no one else!"
"I am… me?"
"You are not the Sin Archbishop of Pride or the Purge King!" Minerva declared decidedly. "Even if they are Natsuki Subaru, Natsuki Subaru before me isn't them! Stop allowing her to guilt trip you into doing her bidding!"
"She's right!" From behind Subaru, a childish voice sided with Minerva. "Chid-Chid, your teasing went too far!"
"You- Typhon?!" The little Witch of Pride beamed a smile at Subaru as he pronounced her name.
"Hey, hey! Baru!"
"Hu… I must… Hu… Second… Hu…"
"Geh, Sekhmet!" Subaru identified the Witch of Sloth from her smell alone, interrupting her before she could even finish her sentence.
"That… Hu… Motion… Hu…" Sekhmet affirmed her support.
"I don't care, either way." Making her arrival, Daphne, the Witch of Gluttony, spoke her stance immediately. "Echidna? Why did it take you so long to organize a party? I'm hungry…"
"Th-Though maybe…" Carmilla appeared from behind Echidna, still trembling at the sight of Subaru. "Maybe you could ea-ease up a bit o-on him, Minerva-chan…"
"All of you…" As Subaru found himself surrounded by the Witches, his vision darted amongst all of them in disbelief. "Just what… Just what do you want…?!"
"Subaru!" Minerva gained the attention of the boy once more. "Think about it!"
"…"
"We've been through this! In another universe… You know we did, even if you made the contract either way! Do you really think it worth it now?!"
"…But…" Subaru clenched his fists in frustration. "What other option is there…?!"
"…" Echidna stood in silence, and so did the other witches.
"Even if we were to defeat Ultron… What guarantees that I won't become like any of them?! The 'Subaru's' that ruined the world?! Huh?! Tell me!"
"…"
"…Tell me…!" Subaru cried, tears flowing from his eyes steadily. "If she's going to use me… Wouldn't that be better than me fucking everything up?!"
"You-!" Minerva tried to argue, but Subaru rambled again.
"I know how fickle Echidna is!" The boy shouted. "I know how… Shallow and childish she is! That even now, she is just pretending, acting as though she hates me to get me to accept, but she's not exactly wrong in her attitude, is she?! Isn't it deserved?! Her curiosity is unending! I know that… But… Can I hope to do better than that…? Do you think I can…?!"
"That is not-!"
"But if she can release Beatrice…! Save Emilia, Rem, and the world…! What choice do I have, huh?! Tell me?!"
"And you think that by suffering all alone, by sacrificing yourself and no one else… Everyone can be saved? That everyone else will be happy?" Minerva argued. "That way of thinking is even viler than any Witch!"
"…" Subaru felt as though something had broken inside of him as Minerva spoke. "Sacrificing… won't save anyone…?"
"Uh-oh…" Carmilla muttered.
"Maybe… Hu… You… Hu… Should… Hu… Not… Hu… Have… Hu… Said… Hu… That… Hu… Minerva…"
"No, I had to." Minerva assured before Subaru exploded in ire in front of her.
"THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW?!" Subaru screamed with the most intense anger and indignation he had ever felt in his life. "THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW, HUH?!"
"Ohh… He sna~pped." Daphne chuckled.
"IF I HADN'T SACRIFICED MYSELF! IF I HADN'T SNAPPED THANOS OUT OF EXISTENCE! IF I HAD ESCAPED FROM PUCK!" Subaru reasoned in his angered state. "EVERYONE WOULD BE DEAD! EVERYONE! THE WHOLE FUCKIN' UNIVERSE! YOU UNDERSTAND?! YOUR WORLD! EARTH! ALL WORLDS! EVERYONE! THE WHOLE FUCKIN' WORLD!"
"…"
"IF I…! IF I CAN'T SACRIFICE FOR OTHERS…! IF I CAN'T TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY ACTIONS…!" Subaru sobbed as he began hugging himself, shuddering uncontrollably all the while. "IF I CAN'T DO THAT… HOW CAN I LOOK THOSE I KILLED IN THE EYE, HUH?!"
Mom!
Dad!
Uncle!
In a twisted train of thought, Subaru equated his parents and his uncle as victims of his actions… As though he were guilty of their deaths… As though HE had murdered them himself…
"And look where you are because of that." Minerva still argued. "Here, making a tantrum after being told that your sacrifice didn't make anyone happy."
"HUH?!"
"After all, even if Earth was saved, do you really think you made everyone you knew and loved happy? By making them think you died?"
"…!" Subaru's eyes grew wide at the idea.
"Ned, your aunt, Iron Man… Sure must be easy, knowing that you are the only one not grieving."
"…But I…! The universe! I… I…!"
"Don't worry anymore then." As Subaru and Minerva had their back and forth… an ominous, robotic voice interrupted the conversation.
"!" Subaru recognized that voice.
It was the voice of his most recent nightmares.
It belonged to the monster that looming above everyone at the Capital.
The man… No, the machine that killed Emilia.
That killed him.
That will kill everyone.
"Yo-you-!"
*CRA-CRACK!*
The sky in Echidna's castle of dreams began splitting itself apart, as though something was forcefully making its way into the ethereal realm.
"Chid-Chid!" Typhon directed herself to Echidna. "Something is wrong!"
"It seems we have a visitor…!" Minerva growled.
"KYAAAAAAAA~!" The Witch of Lust cried while covering her head and crouching by Echidna's side.
"Pest…" Sekhmet stood up for the first time, sensing the imminent danger.
"Oh~… A monster is coming…!" Daphne's coffin trembled as she spoke.
"An intruder, rather." Echidna's own voice grew concerned as she voiced her assessment.
"All those people you miss so much…" The machine gloated as a rift in reality opened up atop the castle.
*SWOOOOOOOOOM!*
"I will reunite you with ALL of them in due time…"
"…!"
Subaru trembled at the sight. Before him and the Witches of Sin, descending slowly towards them was none other than…
"U-ULTRON!"
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Ooof!
What a cliffhanger! Now that Ultron has arrived to the Witch Party, what do you think shall happen?!
A friend told me the draft SCREAMED Arc 6, and I guess that's what I was trying to convey with this chapter! Although, I do feel it gets iffy here and there with the cuts… But It would have become an ABSURDLY long chapter if I plastered all that happens in the ifs anyhow… Let's save in-depth stuff for the 'Subaru-verse', shall we?
The reason as to why I wrote the Trial as Subaru continuously witnessing disjointed snippets was because it was supposed to be a bombardment of information from different universes flooding into his mind with no particular regard for order. An 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' sort of situation.
For anyone wondering, I read Witch Cults translations of the Ifs for this chapter, so check those out if you are curious about what went on inside the trial.
See you next chapter!