Chapter 18
Falling to his knees, Itsuki's eyes shook as he let out a soft chuckle.
"Itsuki?"
Looking to his left, Itsuki saw Rem a few feet away, holding a basket of apples.
"Rem..." Itsuki said softly as tears welled up in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" Rem asked as she approached him.
Itsuki quickly moved over and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace, causing Rem to drop the basket and send the apples rolling across the ground.
"Itsuki! What're you- huh?" Rem let out a surprised breath as she felt part of her uniform become damp with Itsuki's tears.
"Don't leave me..." Itsuki sobbed, his voice muffled by the fabric of Rem's uniform. "Don't go."
"I'm not going-"
"Don't go!" Itsuki repeated. "Don't go don't go don't go don't go don't go don't go."
Rem's heart began to beat faster as she had no idea what was wrong or why Itsuki was acting like this.
"Don't go..." Itsuki's voice broke as he loosened his grip on Rem. "Don't go... I don't want you to go... don't go..."
As Itsuki hugged Rem, she gently wrapped her arms around him, stroking the back of his head as she closed her eyes.
"I won't go anywhere. I promise." Rem whispered in his ear.
Hours later
With night having fallen across the capital, Itsuki lay in bed, his eyes shut. Miss Crusch, her knight Felix, Rem and Subaru stood beside him.
"For whatever reason, his mental state seems to have suffered some type of severe trauma." Felix said.
"Any chance it could be a curse?" Crusch asked.
"Neo." Felix shook his head. "There's neo indication of interference using mana."
"Itsuki..." Subaru said softly, feeling a pit in his stomach at the sight of his friend's state.
Before Subaru found Rem and Itsuki in the shopping district, rage flowed through every ounce of him. He wanted to yell at Itsuki, but after seeing his current state of being, Subaru held his tongue. Everything he wanted to say, every insult he was tempted to throw, every negative feeling he felt faded as he realized that Itsuki was going through something Subaru wishes he himself would never experience.
Just what had Itsuki seen during the previous loop? Whatever it was, Subaru realized that Itsuki must have saved him from going through what he currently was.
"If Felix is unable to help, I'm afraid there's no one in this household who can heal him." Crusch said. "I'm sorry there isn't more we can-"
"REM!" Itsuki sat upright, holding his head as he screamed her name. "REM! I-"
"I'm here!" Rem quickly rushed to his side, gently placing her hands on his left arm in an attempt to calm him. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere..." Rem said softly.
Within seconds, Itsuki calmed down and slowly laid back in bed. Once his eyes shut again and he fell back asleep, Rem didn't dare let go of him.
"He must hold you quite dear." Crusch said.
"There's neo doubt about that."
As Rem held onto Itsuki, she could smell the strong stench of the Witch emanating from both him and Subaru. However, for whatever reason, it seemed to be coating Itsuki even more.
Having fallen back asleep, Itsuki's mind was a jumbled mess. Been witness to unspeakable events and sights Itsuki's sanity suffered. Squeezing Itsuki's hand, Rem watched as he slept.
The next day
Outside of miss Crusch's residence, Crusch herself and Felix said their farewells to Itsuki and Rem. Subaru had gone ahead and started to prepare the carriage for departure.
"Can anyone at the mansion heal him?" Felix asked.
"I... don't know." Rem said honestly. She gave Itsuki's hand a gentle squeeze. "I would've thought either Subaru or myself would be able to snap him out of it, but that doesn't seem to be the case. He doesn't really have as much of a relationship with my sister or miss Emilia as he does with me or Subaru. Since neither of us have pulled him back to his usual self, I'm not sure what else we can do."
Noticing Rem holding Itsuki's hand, Crusch turned her gaze to the maid.
"If you don't mind, I wanted to ask: what exactly is your relationship with Itsuki?" Crusch asked. "I see the looks you cast him. It isn't the same as a servant and master but the looks a woman gives a man."
Rem's faced turned a bright red as she glanced down.
"Well, Itsuki is very special to me." Rem said.
Crusch smiled as she slowly nodded.
"I see. Itsuki is a very lucky man."
Minutes later
Sitting in the front of the carriage provided by miss Crusch, Subaru sat in the back while Itsuki and Rem sat up front. As soon as Rem took the reins, Itsuki immediately grabbed her arm.
"Huh?" Rem let out a surprised breath. Looking at Itsuki, Rem saw his gaze was still lifeless and shaky. Noticing this, Rem looked down for a split second before snapping the reins to get the ground dragon to move.
Hours later
Stopped to set up camp and get some rest, Rem sat beside the ground dragon as it fell asleep. Subaru slept in the carriage and Itsuki had his head laying in Rem's lap, sleeping soundly as Rem slowly stroked his hair.
"I'm so happy I got to spend so much one on one time with you while at miss Crusch's." Rem said softly. "I wish I knew what was going on with you so I could find a way to fix it. But all I can do is pray you'll return to me soon."
The following day
Following the trail to the mansion, Rem glanced around at the surroundings. Subaru was still in the back of the carriage and Itsuki was sitting beside Rem.
Suddenly, Rem hunched forward, fighting to catch her breath.
As the ground dragon followed the trail, its head was suddenly cut from its neck. Once the dragon hit the ground, the carriage toppled over the deceased beast, causing Itsuki to go tumbling away from the wreckage. Having been knocked out from the wreck, Subaru lay motionless inside the carriage while Itsuki lay with his eyes closed as well.
Getting to her feet, Rem jumped atop the toppled carriage to see ten Witch Cultists emerge from the tree line. Wielding her morningstar, Rem killed the Witch Cultist that approached Itsuki.
"Don't you touch him!"
Rem's horn was already being put to use as three of the Cultists threw their blades at Rem. Kicking up one of the tires of the carriage, Rem managed to block each other the blades before kicking the wheel towards on of the Cultists. Killing the second with her morningstar, the third Cultist tried to retreat only for Rem to kick them into the dirt.
With her back turned, one of the Cultists behind Rem threw a blade into her right shoulder. Gritting her teeth as blood trailed down her right arm, Rem got back up.
"Damn Witch Cultists!"
Another Cultist tried to launch a fireball at Rem, only for her to cast a magic barrier to block the attack.
"Huma!"
As the dust settled, Rem's entire right arm, up to her elbow, was burned red. As she was distracted, two of the remaining Cultists ran off, with one carrying the unconscious Itsuki and another carrying Subaru.
Picking up her morningstar, Rem stalked towards the last of the Cultists.
"You bastards! You stole my sister's horn! And my reason to live! Now you come to steal my reason to die too!" Rem shouted. "I'll kill you!"
With a single swing of her morningstar, Rem wiped out the remaining Cultists.
Minutes later
Opening his eyes, Itsuki let out a gasp of surprise as the face of a pale man with dark green hair and lifeless grey eyes stared at Itsuki less than an inch away.
"Ah, I see. This is an interesting development." the man said. "Tell me, you aren't the one known as Pride, are you?"
Itsuki sat in silence, looking around at his surroundings that being the darkness of a natural cave.
The man bit his index finger as he waited for an answer, drawing blood.
"Ah, right! I haven't introduced myself yet." the man turned around and walked towards the group of Cultists that knelt in the cave they were in. "I sometimes forget the social trivialities when I'm excited." turning to face Itsuki once more, the man bowed. "I am a Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult representing Sloth! Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti! Yes!"
Looking around the dark cave, Itsuki realized no one he knew was with him.
"Rem..." Itsuki said softly. "Rem... REM... REM! REM! REM! WHERE'S REM?!"
"How utterly comical." Petelgeuse said. "What a very entertaining sight. VERY VERY VEEEEERY! TRULY! TRULY TRULY TRULY ENTERTAINING INDEED!" Petelgeuse grabbed his head as he leaned back. "My brain trembles."
"Where's Rem!? REM! WHERE IS REM?!" Itsuki shouted her name over and over again, each time becoming more and more desperate for an answer. He felt he was delving further into his own insanity as he screamed her name and waited for an answer that was never to come. "WHERE IS REM?!"
Watching Itsuki with a surprised expression, Petelgeuse slowly turned to a Witch Cultist who appeared from the cave floor.
"What of his friend?" Petelgeuse asked.
"Unknown." the Cultist answered.
Petelgeuse's expression contorted as he turned to stare at the robed figure.
"Well that presents quite the dilemma. Unknown. If she's alive or dead..." Petelgeuse brought his face within an inch of the Cultist. "That makes you... the truly Slothful one."
Grabbing the Cultist, Petelgeuse began punching him over and over again, picking up speed each time. As he did so, Petelgeuse spoke but his words were less than coherent.
Dropping the body of the Cultist, Petelgeuse began making very erratic movements.
"Bring the girl here. If she lives, then kill her. If she doesn't then bring me her bloody head!"
With their orders been heard, all of the Cultists sunk into the ground of the cave.
Once they left, a gasp echoed through the cave, gaining the attention of Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti.
"Ah. I see you've finally decided to grace us with your consciousness." Petelgeuse said as he walked to another corner of the cave. There, his arms restrained by chains that were secured to the wall, was Subaru. "If he isn't the one known as Pride, would that make you Pride?" Petelgeuse asked Subaru.
"Pride?" Subaru asked, his eyes wide and shaking with fright.
"Yes." Petelgeuse said as he brought his face closer to Subaru's. "Out of all the Sin Archbishops, Pride is the only one that is still vacant! Now, where do you keep your abundance of love upon your person? Do you not own a copy of the Gospel?"
"Gospel? NO!" Subaru shouted. "We're not one of you! We aren't-!"
"Oh but surely you are!" Petelgeuse stood up and walked to the center of the cave. "Both of you are so dearly loved! You're loved! You're loved! You're Loved! You're loved! You're loved! You're loved! You're so utterly LOVEEEEEEEEED!" Petelgeuse leaned his head back more and more with each word.
Subaru, having reeled away as far as he could from the madman, shook his head.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Petelgeuse shot upright.
"The scent of our beloved Witch hangs from both of you." Petelgeuse stated. "If you're not-"
A scream echoed through the cave, coming from Itsuki.
Turning his attention from Subaru to Itsuki, a smile spread across Petelgeuse's face as he strided over to him.
"Don't you fucking touch him!" Subaru shouted.
"Shshshshshshshsh!" Petelgeuse hushed Subaru. Looking at Itsuki, who had sat against the rock wall, his head in his hands and rocking back and forth, Petelgeuse leaned forward. "Why is it that you act so utterly crazed?"
Itsuki replied by letting a shaky breath escape his lips.
"Your so called insanity is far too sane." Petelgeuse said. "It's a demeaning insult to true madness."
"Leave him alone!"
As the images of the village invaded Itsuki's thoughts, the teen boy slowly slumped to the ground.
"Heh... heheh..." Itsuki let out brief chuckles before bursting into a fit of madness. Screaming, Itsuki slowly curled into a ball.
"Oh, I pity you." Petelgeuse said as he picked Itsuki up by the collar of his shirt. "I pity your wretched, dispicable, wicked, ugly, lowly, diminutive, sinful being from the very bottom of my heart! Yet, dispite those shortcomings, you are so LOOOOOOOOOOOVED!"
In a brief fit of fury, Petelgeuse smashed Itsuki's head into the rock wall. Letting him go, Itsuki fell to the ground, hitting his head against the floor and causing a wound to open on his forehead. As blood seeped down his face, coating his left eye in blood and making half of his vision turn red, Petelgeuse stared down at him.
"You... are truly Slothful."
Hearing a sudden bang echo through the cave, the body of one of the Witch Cultists was thrown to the center of the cave.
With the echo of chains, Itsuki's heart picked up speed as he looked ahead to see Rem exit the shadows.
"I found your lair!"
"Rem!" Itsuki lunged forward to try and reach her, only to be pulled back by the chains that restrained him.
"What have you done to him?!" Rem shouted, seeing the blood that trailed down Itsuki's face.
"Ahahahahahaha! How absolutely fantastic this is!" Petelgeuse shouted. "A girl, a lone girl is so badly injured yet she presses on for this boy!"
"That's enough of your nonsense Witch Cultist!" Rem shouted. More of the Cultists emerged from the ground before Rem. "You're fools to carry out your insubordinate acts in Roswaal's domain without his permission! In my absent master's stead, I will bring the death penalty upon you!"
"And you'll do all that in your battered state?" Petelgeuse said. "Correct me if I'm wrong," Petelgeuse bent down and picked Itsuki up by his hair. "But you truly only came here to retrieve this boy and his friend. And if that's the case, then you should stop saying these tempting things that are oh so attractive."
"Don't you touch him!"
"Eh? What was that?" Petelgeuse said, placing a hand against his ear.
"I said don't you fucking touch him!" Rem shouted even louder as she used her morningstar to kill two Cultists.
Killing more Cultists with her morningstar, one of them rushed Rem with their knife. Plunging her fist through their chest, two more jumped towards Rem, their blades raised.
"Al Huma!"
Two blades of ice rushed from Rem's hand, piercing through the Cultists that were trying to attack.
"Amazing!" Petelgeuse bit his fingers. "That was nothing short of amazing!"
As Rem killed more and more Witch Cultists, Itsuki watched each of her movements.
"Rem."
Hearing him call her name, Rem was distracted.
"It-"
Rem was suddenly and violently dragged into the air, hanging as though something was holding her by the arms.
"Huh..?" Itsuki let out a shocked breath.
"REM!" Subaru shouted her name as he looked away, clenching his eyes shut.
"By the authority of Sloth, I summon the Unseen Hand." Petelgeuse spoke as he gestured to Rem.
"Look at her. Just look at her." Petelgeuse said. "This is a result of your actions."
"Itsuki, look away!" Subaru shouted.
"By doing nothing, you practiced Sloth! And because of that, the girl is dead! You killed her!" Petelgeuse said. "It was all your doing. Or more to the point, it was your lack of doing anything!"
"Petel..!" Itsuki grit his teeth, anger surging through him at the sight of Rem.
"With my arm. With my fingers. It was you! It was you! It was you! It was you! It was YOOOOOOOOOUUU!" leaning further and further back with each time he repeated himself, Petelgeuse smiled. "You killed her."
Seeing Rem's limbs begin to twist in ways that weren't meant to be, Itsuki tried to reach for Petelgeuse but he quickly jumped backwards and out of the way.
"I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! PETELGEUSE!" Itsuki tried to lunge for the Witch Cultist but was held back by the chains that were attached to the cave wall. "AAAAURRGH!"
Without thinking, without contemplating, without so much as a second thought, Itsuki suddenly brought his right hand to his mouth. Placing his pinky finger into his mouth, Itsuki bit down, cutting the finger, the knuckle and part of his hand off, spitting it onto the ground of the cave. The blood from the wound soaked his hand, allowing Itsuki to slip his right hand free of the cuff.
Reaching for Petelgeuse, the man laughed at Itsuki.
"Marvelous!" Petelgeuse clapped. "I applaud your attempts, but it is utterly useless." turning to the other Witch Cultists, Petelgeuse ignored Itsuki as he continued to swipe the air in a failed attempt to grab the man.
Blood from his wound sprayed onto the ground each time Itsuki attempted to grab Petelgeuse.
Being ignored, the other Witch Cultists sunk into the ground before Petelgeuse walked towards the exit of the cave. In his enraged state, Itsuki didn't hear a single word that was exchanged between Petelgeuse and the other Cultists, too focused on trying to get free of his restraints.
Before Petelgeuse left the cave, he dropped Rem's broken body to the ground, disregarding her as some sort of dirty rag.
This only enraged Itsuki more.
Placing his left hand onto the ground, Itsuki grabbed the cuff that was previously wrapped around his right wrist. Raising it above his head, he began bashing his left hand over and over and over again. The pain he felt was next to none, his anger shielding him from the experience.
Hearing the bones break as his hand bled, Itsuki ripped his hand free of the remaining restraint. Needing to squish his hand to get it to slip free, Itsuki would have never been able to actually go through with it, but that was discarded as his mind could only focus on finding and killing Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti.
Desperate, enraged, bloodthirsty.
Getting to his feet, Itsuki began to head for the cave exit to give chase after Petelgeuse.
"...suki..."
Stopping dead in his tracks, Itsuki looked down to see the battered, broken and on death's door, Rem, staring up at him with her blue eyes.
Seeing her like this brought more tears to his eyes.
"...Rem."
Falling to his knees, Itsuki gently brought Rem onto his lap, cradling her body in his arms.
"...live..." Rem said softly.
Having to think fast, Itsuki placed his hand on Rem's stomach. Focusing his mana, he cast his magic.
"Mana of Water: heal... this damaged body." Itsuki's voice broke as he cast the spell.
With a light blue orb forming in his hand, Itsuki held it against Rem's stomach, hoping it would heal her. But he knew, deep down, he knew it was useless.
As Rem's eyes shook, she raised her broken arm and grabbed hold of Itsuki's right hand.
"...live... for... me.." she said, her voice weak and shaky. "I... love... you.."
With that, her arm fell.
"What..?"
Itsuki's eyes shook as he heard those final words from Rem.
"Rem? Please... Don't go..." Itsuki held her close to him, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Crying at the loss of her once again, Itsuki's heart felt as though it had broken in two.
Hearing Rem's final words brought part of him back to sanity. And that sanity is what helped him realize she had passed on from this world.
"Itsuki..." Subaru said softly, having remained quiet until just now, allowing Rem's final moments to go uninterrupted with the person she held so dear. "I..."
Not knowing what to say, Subaru fell silent.
After a few moments, Itsuki gently placed Rem on the cold ground of the cave. Approaching one of the dead cultists, Itsuki searched their body, finding the dagger still on their corpse.
Walking back over to Subaru, Itsuki held the dagger, his eyes red from crying.
Seeing the blade, Subaru lifted his head, exposing his neck.
"Make it quick. Please."
Watching Itsuki raise the blade, Subaru closed his eyes, waiting for his friend to kill him and reset the loop. But it never happened.
Instead, Subaru heard the sound of metal clanging against metal.
Feeling the cuff on his right wrist suddenly fall off, Subaru opened his eyes as Itsuki freed his left wrist with the blade.
Rubbing his wrists, Subaru stared at Itsuki.
"Why?"
Itsuki dropped the knife as he returned to Rem's body. Cradling her lifeless corpse once more.
"I can't kill you again, Subaru." Itsuki told him. "Emilia and the others might still be saved. Just... leave me. I don't... I can't go on..."
"You're not... giving up, are you?" Subaru asked.
Itsuki remained quiet.
Glancing around the cave, Subaru's eyes landed on the dagger Itsuki had dropped. Picking it up, Subaru looked it over. Looking to the cave exit, Subaru contemplated going out to save Emilia. However, seeing Itsuki and Rem, Subaru pointed the tip of the blade at his own throat.
"I won't let it end like this."
Forcing himself not to think about it, Subaru quickly thrust the blade into his own throat.
Gasping, Itsuki looked around. With the city as lively as usual, a soft spoken voice called out to him.
"Itsuki?"
Looking over to the source, Rem stood a few feet away, holding a basket of apples.
"You look-"
Quickly closing the distance to her, Itsuki wrapped his arms around Rem in a tight embrace.
"Itsuki!" Rem said his name, surprised by his actions.
"Never leave me." Itsuki whispered into her ear. "Promise me you won't ever leave me."
"Itsuki, I don't understand." Rem said. "What are you-"
"Just...promise me you won't go." Itsuki said. "Promise me you'll stay by my side."
Rem was stunned silent.
"I promise."
End of chapter 18