The corpse of Emilia hit the floor as her guts had been torn out by the Bowel Hunter Elsa
"Why couldn't you save me?"
Rem was lying motionless on a bed, dead from a curse she had no way of knowing about.
"Why couldn't you be my hero then?"
Ram looked at him with eye. full of hatred and loathing, seeing him as the worst person on Od.
"Why did you kill her?"
The many dead bodies of the villagers strewn about the village, obviously tortured in some manner.
"Why did you forsake us?"
A maniacal laughter filled his head as his body fought against the evil spirit wishing to possess it.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
A comatose Rem got up from the bed and looked at him, empty sockets where her eyes once were.
"Why didn't you save me!"
A white hare hopped along a snowy field gently coming closer and closer to him. Before jumping and taking off part of his hand. Before then multiplying and starting to eat him. Each bite causing agonizing pain.
ChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChompChomp
Subaru woke up with a start from his bed, finally free from his seemingly neverending nightmare. Bolting upright almost waking his loving spirit Beatrice beside him, having been there to keep him safe from the nightmares that plagued him. It usually worked. A cuddle from her was enough to make everything feel alright.
But there was always a night like this. A night where even with Beatrice it was too much. A night where he had to punish himself for his failures. He rolled down his sleeves showing the numerous scars he had accumulated from previous nights of doing this ritual. Even with both Beatrice and the witches warning he couldn't stop. He had to atone for his failures.
If he had been smarter they wouldn't had died in the first place. If he knew more about this mysterious power he had they wouldn't have had to suffer. If only he was stronger he could truly be the hero they deserved.
But as his was ready to dig into his flesh using his fingers he felt his mind suddenly be forced away from his body. Before he knew it, instead of the inside of his room he was lying in a grassy field, surprising him as he thought the witches would be asleep too.
He was right. The witches were asleep except for one, the one who spent most of the day sleeping, the Witch of Sloth Sekhmet. She had noticed what he was about to do and decided to put a stop to it. At least for tonight.
"Who…..?" He started to ask but two arms wrapping around him and pulling him into two nice soft 'pillows' answered that question for him. He looked up to see Sekhmet lightly glaring at him. The first time he ever really saw a look that wasn't boredom or a soft smile on the witch's face.
"Bad…. Subaru. No….. hurting yourself."
"Hey Sekhmet…" he chuckled nervously Which only worsened the glare
"It wasn't what it looked like I swear."
"Uh huh. You were….. Going to hurt yourself you know… how much Typhon hates that."
"I know," he remembered the frowning face of the small witch as she berated him for hurting himself. Despite her small stature, at the time it felt like she towered over him with how much her glare held even with him kneeling.
"It's just too much. I've failed so many times and people have been hurt because of it."
"It wasn't….. Your fault."
"But if I was stronger, smarter maybe I could of…" his rant was cut off as the hug tightened.
"That's in the past….. Nothing you can do… about it now… so stop thinking about it," she sighed.
"Do you think…. Your friends….. Would want to see you…. Hurt yourself?"
Subaru was silent.
"No…."
"So it doesn't matter….. Forget about it"
It was weird to say the least. Just forget how could he? He needed to keep remembering so that he stayed diligent and didn't make the same mistake in the future. He lightly swatted Sekhmet.
"I can't, I must not make the same mistakes again."
"You're so…..focused on…. Your old ones….. You can't see the new ones you're making."
He was confused, new ones? What did she mean?
"Have you…. thought about how people would react to you hurting yourself?"
He was quietly reflecting on the time that Beatrice had found out. The look of horror on her face, the tears that flowed as she asked who had done this to him. He could already imagine the others having similar or worse reactions. Wondering why he'd ever do that to himself.
He curled into himself more just thinking about it as Sekhmet's loving arms tightened.
"N-No," he sadly answered
"I know….. Typhon hates it…. And so do the others….. They all care about you."
Subaru felt an odd sensation like more loving arms were wrapping around him but when he looked down he saw nothing. Still it felt nice like he was being hugged by multiple people.
"So…..please if not for yourself… do it for them," begged Sekhmet.
Subaru was silent just moving back against her. He wasn't sure he could, he was weak he had no magic, his strength was average at best so what could he do?.
Yet a part of him couldn't deny her outright after hearing her soft voice, feeling her loving embrace, remembering all the good times he had with his friends and the witches. So with a baited breath he let out
"I…. can try." he whispered barely being audible.
Sekhmet gave a small soft smile as she hugged him tighter. "That's all….. I wanted to….. hear," she whispered. "Good night Subaru."
"Good night Sekhmet."
With that the two fell asleep, Subaru comfortably in Sekhmet's embrace without a single nightmare to disturb his slumber. Though when morning came the two woke up to the other witches looming over them. Some were clearly jealous of Sekhmet's position before booting Subaru back to his body.
