Chapter 3

Subaru was surprised to find that there was, indeed, an afterlife. Unbidden, memories of his final moments began to flood through his mind- memories of walking up to the loot house, of a corpse being thrown through the air, of the blood coating Emilia's clothes, the dead look in her eyes, the trust that she… Desperately shaking his head to get rid of the memories, Subaru couldn't help but give a silent, depressing laugh.

'Of course I failed! How else could it have turned out?'

The area around where Subaru woke up can only be described as a beautiful meadow, a forest glade that was surrounded on all sides by towering oak and maple trees. Their branches hung down in elaborate patterns that were as natural as they were beautiful. Soft strands of grass tickled the soles of Subaru's feet, and a feeling of calm serenity filled the entire area.

On the other side of the meadow stood an elderly old man. He stood there, dressed in a robe that glowed with a soft luminescence. Leaning on a staff, he looked towards Subaru with a gentle, welcoming expression. Behind him stood Subaru's grandparents. They had died a couple of years ago, but now they stood there, giving welcoming smiles to Subaru.

For the first time in years, Subaru felt the worry and pain of his everyday life begin to lift. Somehow he knew that here were people who loved him despite knowing who he was, people who cared for him. Here the pain was gone- although it was still a little frightening to think about what might come next. But for this one moment- Subaru found peace at last.

Then the old man stopped smiling. A slight frown entered his expression as he looked away from Subaru and up towards the sky, where a small splotch of darkness had begun to mar the perfect blue sky. The darkness grew until it was the size of a person- and from that small portal stretched forth a single shadowed, clawed hand- the same one as in Subaru's nightmares. It stretched forth from the portal, reaching towards Subaru.

The frown on the old man's face deepened, and he stretched forth his hand and pointed at the unwelcome intrusion. Abruptly the hand shuddered and stopped, as if it had struck a solid wall. Light coalesced, brightening into a semi-opague barrier that quarantined the darkness.

The clawed limb retreated as if gathering its strength, and then began to move forward once more. It clawed through the air, moving like it was pushing through molasses. The barrier once again brightened, beginning to absorb light from the surrounding terrain and plants, stopping the hand in its path.

Then a second hand emerged- along with a third, then a fourth. More hands kept emerging from the shadow, creating a nightmarish amalgamation of flailing, clawing limbs. Cracks began to appear in the landscape, and fractures appeared in the air as the barrier consumed more and more light in its attempt to keep the hands back.

With reluctance, the elderly figure retracted his hand, allowing the light to seep back into the world. He certainly had enough power to stop this intrusion- however, if he did so this place would be irreparably damaged, and that was something which he couldn't allow. With an apology in his eyes he turned towards Subaru, still not having spoken a word.

Subaru's grandparents looked on in fright. However, a few whispered words calmed their worried expressions somewhat, although they didn't disappear completely. They looked towards Subaru and gave him encouraging expressions.

Subaru tried to run. However, with the barrier gone, the hands darted forth and grabbed him. His heart pounded in fear as they came towards him, overcoming even the calm serenity inherent to this place. However, Subaru felt something odd the moment the hands touched him. Somehow, despite their terrifying appearance- the hands felt familiar somehow.

The hands grabbed onto Subaru, but unlike his expectations, they gently cradled him as they lifted him towards the darkness in the sky. With the forest disappearing beneath him, Subaru cast one last glimpse towards the elderly man and his grandparents; towards the only place where he had truly felt contentment in recent times. Then he disappeared, pulled through that interminable darkness.

Day 1

Loop 2

The darkness vanished behind Subaru. He had closed his eyes just before he passed through, but now an oddly familiar noise struck his ears- the sound of a busy city going about its business as if nothing odd had just occurred. Tentatively opening his eyes, Subaru looked around to find himself exactly where he had started. The busy city bustled around him, just as it had when Subaru had woken up after talking with Sloth.

As he sat against the wall trying to figure out the rollercoaster of events which had occurred over the past 24 hours, an odd sensation abruptly entered his mind. A thought tickled at the back of his mind, a persistent suggestion to check that black book which Sloth had given him. It was odd, but somehow Subaru knew that if he opened the book there would now be something written inside. As he reached towards the plastic bag he suddenly remembered the events of the loot house.

Subaru scrambled frantically to his feet, all senses alert. If he was back in the city, then he was back where Elsa had been- back where Emilia had been killed. A pang of sadness hit his heart as he remembered the kind and shy girl. Then he straightened as a thought struck him.

'I didn't get a good luck at her body- what if she's still alive? She could be there right now! I have to get there right now, and have healers come help!'

With a burst of energy, Subaru grabbed the plastic bag which contained all his worldly possessions and took off running down the street. With a frantic speed he pushed through the crowd, earning a good number of dirty looks as he passed, disturbing the crowd like a shark passing through minnows. On the way he spotted a patrol of guards. There were three of them, two women and a man this time. Gasping for breath, Subaru ran up to them.

[Subaru] "Please… You need to help me! A friend of mine was attacked… she might be dead… I need a doctor!"

The guards looked at each other, confused. Subaru's tone of voice instantly got them on guard, however. They had served for long enough to recognize the tone of someone who was utterly desperate and needed help. One of the guards stepped forward, grabbing onto Subaru's shoulder in an attempt to help him calm down.

[Guard] "My name is Becca. We'll come with you, but first, can you describe your assailant? We need to know what attacked you, if you can identify them."

Becca's attempt to calm Subaru down worked, and he was finally able to catch his breath. The frantic air remained in his words and gestures, however. Raking through his memories, he gave a description of his attacker. When he described the distinctive curved blades which she used, the guards inhaled sharply.

[Becca] "The Bowel Hunter… Tim, this is bad! Go, get Reinhard right away! By the dragon, get Julius as well! We're going to need all the help we can to fight against that monster!"

One of the other guards, presumably Tim, ran off with a determined air. Subaru looked up, his expression growing more worried.

Becca swore again, then looked down at Subaru. Seeing the confusion on his face, her expression softened slightly and she began to explain.

[Becca] "The person you described exactly fits the profile of an extremely dangerous assassin and serial killer known as Elsa Granhiert, the Bowel Hunter. If what you've told us is true, then this will be a very dangerous mission. Don't worry, though- we're bringing in the cavalry."

Becca shot him a wink, although the worried expression on her face didn't fade. Subaru stood there, processing the information. Every instinct inside him urged him to run all the way to the loot house right now- but with difficulty he reined himself in. Doing that would mean he wouldn't be able to help even if he did show up- he proved that last time.

As they waited, Subaru told Becca about the rest of his encounter with the Bowel Hunter. Her expression tightened considerably when he told her about the murdered guard patrol, and she appeared as impatient as he was for their reinforcements to appear.

Fifteen minutes later the sound of heavy boots hitting stone could be heard pounding down the street. Coming into view was a troop of fifty city guards, captained by no less than three Royal Knights. At their head stood a proud figure who Subaru could only describe as gorgeous. He was the very definition, the very description of a Hero. Bright red hair spilled out above his shoulders, and sharp, refined features observed the surroundings.

Beside him stood an elegant figure dressed in a formal knight's uniform. An ornate sword hung at his waist, and distinctive purple hair topped his head. Both of them walked over to where Becca and Subaru were staring, their breaths frozen as they stared at the red-headed beauty.

Subaru felt himself blushing as the two approached. 'What the heck! Why was he feeling like this?! Something isn't right!'

Becca bowed towards the two figures, her cheeks as bright red as Subaru's as she tried very hard to not stare at Reinhard.

[Becca] "Ah, Reinhard… um… thank you so much for coming, it's a pleasure to meet you- I mean, to work with you… oh, and you too of course Julius… My apologies if I offen-"

Her blush deepened as she tried to continue, but she was spared from further embarrassment by a loud SLAP that echoed across the courtyard. In shock, Becca, Julius and Reinhard all looked at Subaru, who had just slapped himself across the face as hard as he could, leaving a bright red mark on his face. They found Subaru staring at his hand, as if contemplating doing it again, but then, shaking his head, looked up at Reinhard with an angry expression.

Taking a step forward, Subaru glared at Reinhard, the expression amplifying his already frightening gaze. Holding up his finger, he jabbed at Reinhard's chest.

[Subaru "Hey, you! What the heck do you think you're doing, messing with my head! Just because you're so freakin gorgeous doesn't mean you can slip into my head and mess with my thoughts! I mean, for a second I wanted to kiss you or something- what the heck!"

The entire troop of guards fell instantly silent. Reinhard stared down at Subaru, a frightened expression coming onto his face, looking much like a deer in headlights would look. As he heard Subaru talk about kissing his face blushed a shade of red as deep as his hair and he took a step backwards, running one hand through his hair in embarrassment.

[Reinhard] "Um… My apologies. I didn't mean to… I mean, I would never…"

Subaru glared at him, staring him down with that vicious gaze.

[Subaru] "Listen up, I'm the biggest expert in the world at making excuses and dodging questions, so I know exactly how to spot that! Stop trying to wiggle your way out of answering!"

Reinhard looked around at the rest of the guards, looking for anyone who might help him get out of the situation. The guard troop behind looked uncomfortable as they averted their eyes. Reinhard's eyes took on a betrayed look as he saw Julius who was definitely trying to avoid meeting his eyes- and was also definitely trying to hold back laughter as hard as he could. With a sigh Reinhard finally composed himself enough to answer, although his face remained extremely red, undermining his refined words.

[Reinhard] "Ah, my apologies. I was gifted with the Divine Protection of First Impressions, which automatically makes anyone I meet for the first time have a positive impression of me."

With a slight cough, Reinhard averted his eyes again with an embarrassed expression.

[Reinhard] "Sometimes the Divine Protection, um, it works a bit too well, and I haven't figured out how to turn it off yet. I haven't ever heard of anyone negating it by slapping themselves, but I'm glad you figured something out. Again, my sincerest apologies- um, what was your name?"

[Subaru] "Well, fine. I suppose that's a good excuse. My name's Natsuki Subaru, pleased to meet you! I would love to chat longer, but right now one of my friends might be injured, so I'd appreciate it if we could hurry!"

Reinhard's eyes took on a determined expression at Subaru's words, the embarrassment finally leaving him at the mention of their mission. Gesturing to the guard troop to follow, they made their way towards the loot house in a surprisingly quick fashion.

When they got close to the loot house, the three Royal Knights and the city guards split up into groups that began to patrol that section of the slums. Their job was to keep a lookout to spot Elsa if she was able to escape from Reinhard and Julius, although only the Royal Knights were competent enough to hold up against Elsa.

Moving towards the loot house was a group which was composed of Subaru, Becca (to act as a lookout), a catperson healer named Felix, Julius, and Reinhard. As the loot house came into view Subaru stopped in shock.

The loot house was completely undamaged. There were no longer any gaping holes in the ceiling and walls, and even the wall that had been entirely destroyed was back in place, completely unmarred as if it had never taken any damage at all.

The group progressed forward with caution. Reinhard cast a questioning look at Subaru, but then stepped up to the front door of the house and very politely knocked while gesturing for the rest of the group to keep a lookout of the surroundings.

A grumpy voice came from inside. After accidentally insulting Reinhard by calling him an impostor along with several other unsavory names, the door finally opened to reveal a grizzled old man standing there, dominating the doorframe. His eyes went wide as he spotted the guard patrol, along with the real Reinhard Astrea standing there. After a short discussion the door was closed and Reinhard walked back over to the group, casting a questioning look at Subaru- there had been absolutely no evidence that the Bowel Hunter was ever here, let alone a murder having taken place.

Subaru looked around, at a complete loss for how Elsa might have cleaned up the crime scene so easily. The others began searching the area, using their guard training to look for any signs of a murder that might have been cleaned up. Subaru just stood there, trying to figure out what might have happened.

Then an idea occurred to him. When he had woken up today, there had been that strange feeling that there was new information in the black book Sloth had given him. That suggestion was still there, buzzing around in his brain, but he had been ignoring it up until now because of how urgent it was to rescue Emilia- assuming she was even still alive, that is.

Well, the others were all searching, so now would be as good a time as any to see what the book said. Pulling the black bound book from his plastic bag, he was surprised to see that one of the seven stars that made up the Pleiades constellation was now giving off a very dull luminescence. Opening up the book, he found writing which took up the first page of the book- writing which had definitely not been there yesterday. It was written in Japanese, which was surprising considering that everything else in this world was in some other unfamiliar language.

Dearest Flugel- welcome back. I missed you so much these past centuries- so, so much. Please, come back quickly- I need you here. It has been so hard without you, life has hardly been worth living. However, know that our enemy, ^ *&$(! is still here. I can't give you all your powers right now, she is taking much of my strength. I was able to restore part of your Authority of Envy- Return By Death; but ^ *&$(! has corrupted it, somehow; she's corrupted many of the Authorities. There is so much more than you need to know. The Archbi3hops, th^y *av begu! %o ^) co*^-p~d $( *!#...

Subaru looked with confusion at the book. Many of the words had been violently crossed out or smudged into unrecognizability. The second page was entirely unintelligible, as were the third and fourth pages. Finally on the fifth page, the last page which had been written on, there was a single legible line at the very end.

Flugel, please remember that I love you- now and always. I love you.

The entry was anonymous, but somehow Subaru recognized the writing- recognized just like it was his own. This writing was from Satella- but he still had no idea who this girl was. He'd seen that vision of her, and she seemed like a nice enough person… but still, reading that she loved him felt… it felt like it should feel awkward or strange, but instead it felt… warm; comforting.

Browsing through the rest of the book, Subaru gave an annoyed sigh as he found no hints about where Elsa and Emilia might have gone. With disappointment he was about to set the book down when he heard a sudden sharp, metallic clang echo across the area.

Looking up to where the sound had come from, Subaru could see Becca standing there. She was staring at him with a horrified expression on her face. Her sword lay at her feet, dropped from senseless fingers in absolute shock.

Confused, Subaru looked around at the others and was surprised to see that they were all staring at him. Reinhard looked surprised and- was that disappointment? The healer and Becca both looked horrified, while Julius- Julius had drawn his sword. His face was an expressionless mask, so focused that it was frightening. Six orbs of different colors, each the size of a fist, floated around him, crackling with energy.

Subaru suddenly felt extremely nervous. Did he do something wrong? He couldn't think of what it might have been, but the looks on everyone's faces made it seem like he had just murdered a child or something crazy.

[Subaru] "Uh… guys? Is everything all right over there?"

Julius continued staring him down. His brief expression of fear had been replaced by a terrifying determination. With cold, precise movements, he settled into a battle stance, his muscles tensed and ready for swift and violent action.

[Julius] "Julius Euclieus, Finest of Knights."

[Subaru] "Um… ok then…"

Upon seeing no response to his challenge, Julius narrowed his eyes. Then, the next instant, he leapt forward with supernatural speed. His form seemed to blur into a white streak, yang magic enhancing his speed and strength to incredible heights. His sword moved in a graceful arc towards Subaru, speeding towards his chest, seeking to cut that accursed book in half- followed shortly after by Subaru himself.

Reinhard watched in dismay as Julius, infused with so much Yang enhancement magic that he was glowing with a soft blue light, leapt towards Subaru. One of his blessings- the Divine Protection of the Eagle- allowed him to follow the knight's movements with ease, and it is with perfect clarity with which he saw Julius's blade cleave down onto the black book which Subaru was carrying- and stop dead. A crystalline sound shattered the air, causing everyone but Reinhard to cover their ears in pain.

The impact hurled Subaru backwards, where he crashed into the side of a building, leaving a small crater. The sound of splintering bones filled the air with an unpleasant crackling noise as the young man fell still, knocked unconscious by the force of the blow. Resting on top of his chest, cradled with one arm was the black book- the Gospel- that had stopped Julius's blow. Not a single scratch marred the inky blackness of its cover as it lay there, almost as if taunting Julius.

Julius himself stumbled backwards from the force, the shock reverberating through his arm and down his entire body. It was only years of training and discipline- along with the aid of Lind, his Yang spirit- which prevented his arms from breaking. Even still, the damage was done as a second crystalline sound filled the air. The front of Julius's sword was forever marred. A deep black nick was etched deep into the blade where it had contacted the gospel.

With wide eyes Reinhard watched as edges of the nick began to slowly darken, then begin exuding a faint black mist. A single dark crack tore down the edge of the blade, eventually reaching the hilt. More cracks began to spiderweb out, infecting the blade with a murky darkness. Seconds later the famed blade shattered, literally falling to pieces in a faint cloud of inky black miasma.

Julius stared in shock at his storied blade, although the only story it was telling now was of the Witch Cult's power. Pushing his emotions down, Julius straightened and prepared to kill that Witch Cultist- even if he had to do it with his bare hands.

He was stopped by Reinhard's voice calling for him to wait. Something about this whole situation was

[Reinhard] Julius, wait! This whole situation seems a bit odd, don't you think?

Julius bit back a scowl.

[Julius] "I do not. We are knights. It is precisely our purpose to deal with such… undesirables."

Reinhard shuffled his feet, looking hesitant.

[Reinhard] "Well, yes, but still- this entire situation seems a bit off. Subaru seemed to have no idea what was going on- is it possible that he's being framed?"

[Julius] "I find that highly unlikely. The Witch's Cult is attached to those books with an unholy passion. I doubt that they'd give one up to an enemy. Similarly, I doubt that anyone would be foolish enough to fake one- they might as well sign their own death sentence."

[Reinhard] "That's true… but still, something feels off. The entire time that he was talking, I didn't detect any lies with my Divine Protection of the Seer. I think that we should take him prisoner and find out what he knows- it's our duty as knights to only condemn the guilty."

[Julius] "Reinhard, that's a gospel! A Sin Archbishop's gospel! We have no idea what he is capable of! Look at what he did to my sword- Reinhard, that sword has been in family for four generations- and look what that CULTIST did to it! He deserves to DIE- for this and the many other crimes his cult has perpetrated!"

Reinhard's eyes widened at Julius's rant. He'd never seen his friend like this before. He honestly had no idea what to do, so he just stood there, waiting- and hoping- that Julius would calm down.

[Reinhard] "Aren't the Archbishops supposed to be incredibly powerful though? Subaru, though- I mean, look at him."

Julius cast a baleful eye over to where Subaru lay, bloodied and broken on the ground. After several long moments he exhaled deeply, elegance reclaiming his distraught features.

[Julius] "Of course. My sincerest apologies, Reinhard. I truly acted unlike a knight. I hope that you find it in your heart to forgive myself. As for this Witch Cultist, perhaps it would be better to take him alive. Even though his innocence is already virtually nonexistent, it would be useful to get some information out of him."

Reinhard nodded, relieved at the dissipating tension. Moving forward, he placed his hand on Subaru's forehead. Activating his Divine Protection of the Warden, he placed a seal on Subaru, temporarily freezing him within a moment of time.

While the effects would only last for a day, the effect was that the gashes all over Subaru's body ceased bleeding. His blood flow, pulse, and even his breathing stopped entirely as he was placed in stasis.

Slinging him over his shoulder, Reinhard crouched down and, with a powerful leap, catapulted himself into the air towards Lugunica Castle- home of the now dead Royalty- and soon to be Subaru's prison.