Interlude 1: Memories of the Forgotten
1 Month Later
Day 308
A spacious forest opened up in front of Subaru's eyes. Towering arboreal giants loomed throughout his vision, casting a beautiful array of dappled shadows across the ground. The sounds of laughter and boisterous conversation filled the air as graceful figures swayed through the trees. A large bonfire in the middle of a clearing cast flickering shadows throughout the camp, the flames radiating a comforting heat, the sensation of home.
A warm hand grabbed Subaru's in a familiar gesture, pulling him towards the clearing, where a cluster of teens had congregated around a table loaded with food. As he was pulled along the road, Subaru caught a good look at the person tugging him along.
It was her again.
She was a beautiful half-elf teenager, nearly reaching adulthood. Her long silver hair cascaded down her face, spilling behind her from the force of the wind as she ran towards the group. Several of the people there noticed her, waving cheerful hands in greeting. She replied in kind, a peal of crystal clear laughter rising into the sky, innocent and free.
The dream began to fade as she turned back to him. Her beautiful amethyst eyes met his, laughter and happiness shining through like a beacon. The last thing he saw was her carefree and innocent smile, so emotional, so damn familiar, that it sent shivers running down his spine.
Subaru woke up abruptly. However, unlike the tumultuous beating of his heart and racing of his mind that usually awoke him from his nightmares, right now he only felt a resounding sense of peace and calm.
The strength of the emotions and the way in which they drove away all the thoughts and memories that tormented him reminded him of Crusch. They were different, to be sure. While Crusch filled him with a sense of strength, or purpose, of resolve- perhaps, maybe, even of love. These dreams, on the other hand- dreams of Satella- filled him with an equally strong sense of peace, of comfort, of acceptance.
Subaru reached out towards his desk, grasping for the small book that lay there. It took him a couple of seconds to find it as it lay concealed underneath a pile of large tomes. As his fingers grasped the familiar black cover, a small surge of those same emotions as in the dream briefly hit him. Sitting up, he flipped open the book and began to read once more the familiar lines of his native Japanese.
Ever since the trial with Julius- ever since he'd realized that there was a good chance he would never leave this place, and came to understand the true depths of the evil that was the Kingdom of Lugunica- he had been covertly studying the text. After all, what more could they do to him?
Despite the weeks he'd spent studying the words, the vast majority of the text was still completely illegible. However, from what little remained he'd been able to piece together two very important pieces of information.
The first piece of information was about a powerful type of magic called the 'Witch Factors'. According to the book- he refused to call it his Gospel- they were the sources of power that made the Archbishops of the Witch Cult so powerful.
Each one was based after one of the Seven Deadly Sins from his world, for what reason he had no idea, let alone how that concept even crossed over to this world. What had interested him most was that he had one too.
The Witch Factor of Envy- Return By Death. It was an immensely powerful ability that allowed the user to reset time upon their death. However, it had a massive limitation- the point one which could return to was sporadic. It could be hours before, days, weeks, or even mere seconds.
Initially Subaru had been horrified to discover this ability. The very thought of dying, over and over again, was terrifying.
Then he realized something. With this power, he would be able to save everyone he cared about. No one would die if he protected them. Well, no one but himself- but he'd been through enough pain already, and was gladly willing to die again and again and again if it meant protecting those he cared about.
The second piece of information was much more alarming. It was a warning that something big was coming. He hadn't been able to figure out what, but the cryptic messages he'd managed to wring out of the text had him worried. Very worried. From what he could tell, the entire Kingdom was going to engulfed in danger very soon. While he couldn't care less about the Kingdom, he had no grudge against the average citizens who were forced to dwell in its barbarity. Most importantly, however, was that Crusch was here- and an attack which destroyed the Kingdom would likely kill her as well.
That was something Subaru would never allow to happen.
It was the reason that he trained with the sword so long that blood would drip from his torn palms. It was the reason that he would exhaust his mana pool every single day, sending blade after blade of razor sharp wind colliding with the walls, the floor, the ceiling. She was the reason that he studied, long into the night, so that he could understand the threats that this Kingdom posed- and so he could understand who to kill when the time came for it.
Subaru closed the book, returning it to its hiding spot once more. As he slipped out of the covers to begin his daily sword practice, a grim, satisfied smile fell on his face. For he knew that the next time the Knights came for him- he would be ready.