2 Months Later
Day 271
The air was tense as the combatants faced off against each other. Crusch stood at rapt attention, both hands holding firmly to her blade. Not even a single muscle moved as she stared down at her opponent standing across from her in the cramped cavern.
Subaru stared right back, gazing into her eyes with an intense look. His right hand tightly gripped his blade, holding it in the same relaxed guard position that Wilhelm had drilled into him over numerous grueling sessions. His left hand was held defensively at his side, held ready to defend against any magical assault. A trickle of sweat ran down his forehead, but he refused to let it distract him from his target.
Subaru flashed a vicious grin, then left forward, shouting [El Suru Fula] as he did. In an instant the air surrounding his sword dispersed, leaving a perfect vacuum surrounding the blade of his sword. He swung the blunted sword in a diagonal cut towards Crusch's chest.
Crusch stepped forward into the blow, leveraging all her power into a powerful two-handed blow that crashed into Subaru's sword. Two months ago, that blow would have sent the blade flying out of his hands; but now he managed to keep hold of it, although his arm trembled as he did so.
Subaru sprang back, trying to buy a second of time to reset his stance, but Crusch bulldozed forward. Her sword flashed in a series of vicious cuts, forcing Subaru back, almost throwing him off his stance.
Then the back of Subaru's foot caught on the edge of his bed and he stumbled. He managed to catch himself, but Crusch capitalized on his mistake and leapt forward, knocking his sword away and stabbing the blade towards his chest in a single smooth action.
Subaru looked up and smiled, and Crusch realized that she had just fallen for one of his ploys- it had been weeks since he'd made such an amateurish mistake as to trip on the furniture. His left hand came up, a vivid green shield the size of a dinner plate composed of heavily condensed air springing up catch her attack.
The blade bit deeply into the shield, almost penetrating completely, but Crusch's attack was thrown off as his right hand- the one she had knocked to the side- came swinging towards her undefended right leg.
[Ul Fula]! At the words, a massive windstorm swept into the chamber, pushing the two combatants apart. Crusch used the momentum to leap backwards. Subaru looked at her, worry on his face as he saw her hold her sword up, the blade beginning to glow a bright green.
Her sword continued glowing brighter and brighter. Subaru frantically shot a series of windblades at her, but they were batted away like nothing. Then the assault came.
[One Blow, A Hundred Felled]! Dozens of windblades suddenly formed, appearing in a semicircle around Subaru. Each blade was whisker thin and razor sharp, composed of incredibly condensed air, each one entirely invisible. With incredible speed they launched themselves towards Subaru- Crusch wasn't holding back this time.
Subaru closed his eyes, his senses expanding as he invoked [El Ebu Fula]. In an instant each of the blades appeared in his mind, a veritable whirlwind of razorblades launching towards him.
With a frantic air he blocked some with his sword and some with his shield, but quickly the blades grew to be overwhelming. Knowing that his only chance was to disrupt Crusch as she maintained the spell, Subaru used his final trump card.
[El Shinku Fula]! In a flash a gust hit the room, a blast of wind that originated from Crusch as all the air around her blasted away, repulsed from the area. Crusch looked startled as she tried to take a breath, and panic set in as no oxygen came. She opened her mouth, trying frantically to cast a spell, but in the vacuum no sound was heard.
Her eyes took on a panicked cast as she began to suffocate, but her military training took hold, quashing her panic. Crouching down, she darted forward, rushing towards Subaru.
Subaru, thinking fast, tried to move the spell to follow her, but he was too slow with this unpracticed technique, and Crusch quickly outdistanced the spell. Easily knocking aside his hastily raised blade, Crusch slammed into him, crushing him against the rough stone wall. His breath was knocked from his lungs, and for a long moment he tried to regain his breath, but in that moment the cold metal of Crusch's sword pressed against his throat.
[Subaru] "cough cough… I surrender… just… get off me already… can't breath…"
Crusch suddenly realized just how close she was standing to Subaru. It wasn't romantic in any way; quite the opposite, in fact, considering that she literally had Subaru pinned against the wall- but at that moment she was acutely aware of just how close they were.
Crusch shook her head and backed up, blushing slightly. Luckily Subaru didn't seem to notice. He was more preoccupied with collapsing to the floor and frantically gasping for air. Subaru eventually broke the silence.
[Subaru] "Damn, Crusch- that was vicious!"
Crusch stared at him, incredulous.
[Crusch] "Are you kidding me? Subaru, by the Dragon, what was that spell you cast?!"
Subaru looked up, a smug expression on his face.
[Subaru] "That is the result of way too much free time."
Crusch looked at him, dumbfounded.
[Crusch] "Subaru, I'm serious. What was that? I've never heard of a spell like that, and it was absolutely terrifying! I couldn't breathe, couldn't speak, couldn't hear- what the hell was that?"
Subaru looked a bit taken aback by Crusch's intense tone.
[Subaru] "I call it 'Shinku Fula'. I've only ever gotten it to work with 'El' before, but it's something I've been working on for a while now."
Crusch nodded her head impatiently, gesturing for Subaru to continue.
[Subaru] "It functions on the same principle as 'Suru Fula'. Instead of condensing air like most spells, it instead disperses it. For 'Suru Fula' it helps to eliminate air resistance and can increase my speed, but 'Shinku Fula' is essentially that same thing but on a higher level. It disperses all- or, well, most- of the air around a person."
Crusch shook her head in disbelief. This just further cemented her belief that this boy was a true magical prodigy.
[Crusch] "Subaru- you do realize what you've made, right? This spell could be the absolute bane of all spellcasters! It could even be useful on weaker martial fighters, though they'll be able to escape the area quickly. Spellcasters can't do that, though! Do you realize that?!"
Subaru rubbed the back of his head sheepishlly.
[Subaru] "Well, kinda, I guess…"
Crusch shook her head again. Ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. He still refused to believe that he had any talent.
She was almost right. In Subaru's mind, he knew that he was becoming better at fighting. But every time he started to get confident in his abilities, he would see Wilhelm pull out a blindingly fast move that was so far outside of anything he ever imagined himself possible of doing. Or he would remember Julius's attack, which, with a single swing, had sent him flying into the side of a building, breaking every bone in his body. Or Crusch, with her incredible skill that he had never managed to fully block.
Besides, it wasn't like he was figuring these out on his own. All he had done was remember all the crazy things that manga and anime characters could do from his own world, and he had spent way too much watching those instead of going to school, way too much time disappointing his parents… his parents…
Crusch saw Subaru's shoulders start to slump once more, the vacant gaze returning to his eyes. From plenty of experience Crusch knew that if she didn't act fast Subaru would be dragged down under the weight of countless memories. Luckily, Crusch had a secret weapon.
[Crusch] "Subaru, I've got some good news for you."
Subaru looked up, surprised to see excitement dancing within Crusch's eyes. He'd known her for months now, and during that time he'd seen her smile with joy as she talked about he Royal Selection. He'd seen her grind her teeth in frustration at the other candidates, and even once saw a single tear as she told him about a massacre that the Witch Cult had recently caused in a small village to the west.
He'd never seen her this excited, however. There was almost something childlike to the emotion, and Subaru realized that she was really only a couple of years older than him. She often seemed like she was older, her actions so mature and dignified; but Subaru realized that she was more like him than he'd originally thought. She wasn't some grand angel who had descended out of the clouds, she was Crusch… just Crusch.
As he looked over at her, Crusch noticed the thoughtful expression on his face as he studied her features. Then she noticed that he was still looking at her. Crusch looked to the side, a bit embarrassed by the sudden attention. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts, and it would be rude to interrupt.
A quiet mumble came from Subaru. She hadn't been quite able to catch what he had said, but it sounded like something about 'beautiful'. But that couldn't have been right. Crusch was honest with herself, and had long ago accepted that her looks were not her strong suit- particularly when she dressed in such military garb.
After several seconds of rationalization, she eventually concluded that she must have misheard.
[Crusch] "My apologies, but I didn't quite catch what you said."
To her surprise, Subaru immediately flushed bright red. Snapping out of his thoughtful expression, he immediately began staring at the floor.
[Subaru] "Oh, uhm, it was nothing… uh… I was just getting excited about whatever good news you have. Yeah, that's it!"
Crusch frowned at him, the air around him swirling with the tell-tale signs of mistruth. Still, she decided not to pursue it. Whatever he had said was his business, after all. It didn't concern her. Not at all. Not one bit. Damn it, why wouldn't her brain stop thinking about what it might have been?
Crusch took a deep breath, attempting to clear away all distracting and ridiculous thoughts from her head. She was only partially successful, but she speaking regardless.
[Crusch] "Ah, yes, the good news… I've been in contact with some powerful individuals within the country, and I believe that I'll be able to get you out of prison before too long."
Subaru looked up, suspicious.
[Subaru] "...You really think they'll ever let me out of this place?"
Subaru gestured around at the dungeon. The cavern was now filled with a good amount of furniture, pinnacled by two large wooden bookshelves that rested against the western wall. It hardly looked to even exist in the same world as the cesspool that Subaru had been tortured in mere months ago; but for all of its amenities, it was still a small cavern hidden deep within the earth, devoid of all the things that let people truly live.
[Crusch] "Yes, I believe that they will. Marcos Gildark has agreed to give you a trial, although it will have to be a non-traditional one. He isn't quite willing to bring non-combatants into here, or to allow you to be taken out in case you've been somehow hiding a world ending power or the like."
Crusch reclined her head, rolling her eyes to indicate exactly what she thought of such an absurd statement. Subaru merely nodded, waiting for the catch. There was always a catch.
[Crusch] "As such, the trial will be headed by the two knights who captured you in the first place, the Sword Saint and Julius, who will be serving as impartial judges."
Subaru clenched his fists in anger, his nails cutting into his palms at the mention of those two knights. He spoke in a quiet voice- but the sheer fury in his tone only made quiet so much more dangerous.
[Subaru] "No."
[Crusch] "...What?"
Subaru looked up at her, his eyes dangerous.
[Subaru] "No. If I ever see the again, it will not be for a sham of a trial. It will be to kill them."
Crusch took a step backwards, taken aback by the deadly serious tone in which he stated his intent.
[Crusch] "Subaru, listen. This is your chance to go free, to get away from this place! You need this!"
[Subaru] "No! I would rather live out the rest of my miserable life here and die than ever see their hypocritical faces again."
[Crusch] "You're being an idiot! Listen to yourself- you would give up a chance at freedom, and all for the sake of not being able to control your emotions!"
Subaru stared at her, then started laughing- a horrible, wracking sound that echoed endlessly off the small cavern walls.
[Subaru] "My emotions? You think my emotions are the problem?! Well, then let me show you exactly what my 'emotions', as you call them, are"
By this point both had stood up, facing each other with clenched fists. Subaru reached for his shirt and pulled it off, displaying the hundreds of scars that lined his chest and arms. Pointing at his upper left arm where three jagged white blotches of scar tissue decorated his skin, he continued his rant.
[Subaru] "You see these? These were given to me when Julius- yeah, that 'impartial judge' you were talking about- slammed me into a wall with such force that it fractured my bone in three places, causing them to jut out of my skin. They refused to use healing magic on them, you know- wanted to see what would happen to exposed bone. They were like that for two months. Two months! You think these are the only ones? Not. Even. Close."
Subaru faced Crusch his hands clenched at his side. Little rivulets of blood ran down his palms, dripping onto the floor. He didn't even notice such a minor pain. His breath came in ragged gasps as more and more memories came flooding back.
Crusch was taken aback by the intensity of his words, and even more so by once again seeing the hundreds of lines of blotchy white scar tissue that crisscrossed his body. She hadn't seen those scars ever since that first day, and this was a grim reminder of the true depths of the knight's folly.
Every instinct in her felt like running, getting away from this horrific scene. Yet Crusch was stronger than that. She took a step forward, her eyes staring at Subaru with a determination that rivaled that of Wilhem's. Her next words, instead of angry shouts, were instead a gentle yet firm.
[Crusch] "All right."
Subaru paused, taken aback by her sudden change of tone. He'd been expecting her to continue shouting, to tell him that he was being stupid- he'd been hoping for it, hoping for anything to distract him from reality.
[Subaru] "...What?"
[Crusch] "All right. If you don't want to have the trial, then we won't. That is your decison to make."
Crusch took another step forward and grabbed Subaru's hands with her own, ignoring the blood and cuts, holding onto them with a firm grip.
[Crusch] "Subaru, this is your decision to make. But I ask of you as a friend- please, reconsider."
Subaru's tense posture began to relax, his muscles unclenching as her words rolled over him like a healing wave.
[Crusch] "Subaru, I truly care for you. That's why I want you to participate in the trial. I don't want to have to watch you waste away the rest of your life down here! You have so much potential, so much life left to live- and I don't want to see you waste it all down in this dungeon!"
Subaru looked up, his eyes meeting her determined amber gaze. A flicker of warmth, an ember of emotion burst to life within his chest, breathing unfamiliar emotions into his chest.
[Crusch] "I want you to be by my side, Subaru. I want you to live a good life, to experience all the happiness that you can. So please, as your friend- please consider being a part of the trial."
They stood like that, staring deeply into each other's eyes. It was a somber event, a sacred moment in time in which only the two of them existed, in which only the two of them mattered- it was a moment which they hoped they'd never forget.
[Subaru] "Ok."
His voice was quiet, soft and gentle as he spoke.
[Subaru] "I'll do it. And when I get, I'll stay by your side. I'll protect you, Crusch. I'll be by your side."
Crusch nodded solemnly, and they stood there, continuing to stare into each other's eyes, unfamiliar emotions surging through them.
Crusch was the first to break contact, letting go of Subaru's hands. Almost in unison they backed up, embarrassed and unsure about what had just happened- but also with an odd sense of hope for the future.
[Crusch] "Alright! I'm going to go and get them, then. Reinhard is about to leave the capital on a mission from the Sage Council, so this will be our last chance to have the trial for a couple of weeks."
Subaru nodded, a bit of the tension returning to his posture, but a confident nod from Crusch helped him relax.
[Subaru] "Alright. I'll be waiting here, then."
[Crusch] "Not for much longer!"
They shot each other wry smiles. Then Crusch left, and all Subaru had to do was prepare to confront the two people who had imprisoned him in this horrific situation.