Chapter 20

Itsuki

"The Witch of Envy..?" Itsuki said slowly, his voice echoing through the vast nothingness surrounding the two. "Aren't you supposed to be the one everybody talks about when they mention 'The Witch'?"

Satella shook her head.

"I wouldn't know. I've been imprisoned for... a really long time."

"Well, you don't seem like the monster everyone makes you out to be." Itsuki said, placing a hand on his hip. "At least not yet."

Satella tilted her head.

"Is there a reason you brought me to..." Itsuki glanced around. "whatever this place is."

"I was just getting to that." Satella replied, gesturing to the emptiness around them. "This place exists within nothing. It is nothing, was made from nothing and thus is not in existence. As are you, currently."

"What do you mean 'as am I'?"

"You were eaten by the White Whale." Satella told him. "One of the three great mabeasts. When someone is eaten, or caught in its path of mist, they are wiped from existence. Everyone's memories of them are wiped out, and so is their phyiscal form."

"Well... do they end up here as well then?"

"No." Satella shook her head. "They end up as a forgotten spec within an indifferent universe. However, you, are not forgotten."

"What do you mean?"

"You and my beloved Subaru are able to remember those who are wiped from existence. But if Subaru were to suffer the same fate, people would forget him. Or that would be the case if I didn't give him his ability to reset." Satella explained.

"You gave Subaru his Return by Death?!"

"Yes." Satella nodded. "But, as I was saying, people other than Subaru remember you."

"But... if the White Whale wipes people from existence, then wouldn't everyone but Subaru forget me?"

"Technically yes." Satella answered. "However, I neglected to mention that the mabeast wipes the memories and names of the people it devours. Their true names, that is. Kyto Hanamura."

Itsuki was taken aback when he heard someone say his true name. The one he replaced with Itsuki Hinote.

"Because you gave everyone a false name, and thus creating a false identity, you inadvertently kept your existence from being a hundred percent wiped from reality." Satella continued. "As to how I know your true name; I know all about you and my beloved. But what I didn't know was if you'd be the one who'd finally end this loop me and my beloved are trapped inside."

"Why do you keep referring to Subaru as your 'beloved'?"

Satella brushed off his question with a wave of her hand.

"You see, Kyto, right now, we are outside of time and space, which is how I am able to speak with you in this form. The me in the real world is currently residing in the Roswaal mansion. I'm sure you know me already but under a different name."

"...Emilia..."

"Correct." Satella nodded.

"What is this 'loop' you mentioned? And how exactly can I break it?"

"I need you to take the Witch Factors. All of them. It is selfish of me to request this of you, but I'm afraid I have no other options left." Satella said.

Itsuki looked to the ground, contemplating what to do.

"What will happen to me?" he asked, not wanting to hear the answer but needing to.

"You will most likely go mad with power and have to be locked away. I know this is selfish of me, but I just want this to be over. I want to move on and see what else there is for us. Please! I beg you! End this torturous cycle!" Satella fell to the ground as though all the strength in her body was suddenly sucked from her.

Itsuki was taken aback.

If everything Satella just said was true, then they have been through more hell than Itsuki could even imagine. Subaru and Emilia, suffering through the same events over and over again until the end of time itself. Itsuki had experienced madness first hand. It may have been brief, but it felt like an eternity before Rem brought his mind back to sanity. He could only imagine what it must be like for Satella.

With a shaky, breathless sigh, Itsuki turned his gaze to the ground once again.

"Alright. I'll do it."

Satella shot to her feet.

"Thank you!"

Itsuki gave a tiny smile before looking upwards at the darkness that engulfed them.

"So, that will be the end for me?" he thought. "To go mad with power and wind up trapped in here for all of eternity? Guess it's a suitable punishment for me then."

"Kyto." Satella called his name, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"I forgot to mention one other thing."

"What?" Itsuki asked.

"When you first arrived here, within this vale, I imbued your body with a gift." Satella said. "It will allow you to take the Witch Factors without having to kill the host. I had hoped you'd say yes and had given you this power beforehand."

Itsuki looked down, placing a hand over his chest.

"Right..."

Satella began to look around.

"It seems we still have some time remaining. Are there any questions you'd like for me to answer?"

"More of a request." Itsuki told her. "Is there any way you can give me the strength to keep Rem safe from harm? I don't want her to get hurt anymore. I can't see her get hurt again because of me."

Satella slowly shook her head.

"I would if I could, but, sadly, I cannot."

Itsuki's gaze shifted to the ground.

"How can people think you to be a monster when all you've done so far is be nothing but helpful?"

"It's not me they fear." Satella replied. "But the Witch of Envy."

Itsuki's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Aren't you...the Witch of Envy?"

"Yes and no." Satella answered. "The person you are speaking to currently is Satella, not the Witch of Envy."

"What?" Itsuki scratched his head. "Are you talking about some sort of split personality?"

As Itsuki thought about everything the two had spoke of, he began to realize just how confusing this whole situation truly is.

"You're Emilia, but the future Emilia who turns into the Witch of Envy...but the Witch of Envy was locked away centuries ago...how could you be the future Emilia if you're from the past..?" Itsuki grabbed both sides of his head. "This doesn't make sense!"

"We are trapped inside an endless loop." Satella said once again. "Once I am locked away, everything starts anew. And I ask that you stop this loop."

"How-"

Itsuki suddenly found himself standing in the capital's shopping district. Taking a glance around, Itsuki saw Rem a few yards away. Giving Itsuki a smile, she walked over to him.

"Ready to head back to miss Crusch's residence?" Rem asked.

"Miss Crusch... right." Itsuki had to swallow the anger that was beginning to brew within him. Miss Crusch wasn't exactly someone Itsuki wanted to speak with again, but he didn't see a way of avoiding it.

Glancing around, Itsuki realized Subaru would usually find them pretty quickly after resetting.

"Where's Subaru?"

An hour later

After looking for Subaru for what felt like forever, Itsuki finally stumbled across him standing in a secluded area away from everyone else in the city. Standing atop a balcony overlooking the city, Subaru leaned against the rail, staring off over the capital.

"Hey, man, where've ya been?" Itsuki asked as he approached him.

Subaru, without turning to face his friend, spoke.

"You ever think about maybe... just leaving all this crap behind?"

"The hell you talking about?" Itsuki asked.

"It must've crossed your mind at least once, right? To just... walk away?"

"And what? Leave Emilia, Ram, the villagers, leave 'em all to die?" Itsuki said. "You know we can't do that."

"We can, actually." Subaru said as he looked down at his clasped hands. "Just... start walking and never look back."

Itsuki rubbed the back of his head.

"I'd be lying if I said it hadn't crossed my mind at least once." Itsuki replied. "But I can't let myself walk away from everyone, knowing they'll be killed unless we stop it."

"We shouldn't even be here. We were taken from our home and were forced to deal with all this shit. We've died over and over again. And for what? So we can save the people who are just going to die before our eyes later down the road? When does it stop?!"

Itsuki fell silent.

"Both of us have suffered enough, don't you agree?" Subaru continued. "Having had our stomachs sliced open, cursed, skulls bashed in, nearly eaten by dogs, seen the people we love die before our eyes, and we're the only ones who remember it... I know it's affected your mental state. I saw the way you acted when Petelgeuse killed Rem. How you even recovered from that is unbelievable."

Itsuki rubbed his arm as he thought about the sadistic way Petelgeuse twisted Rem's limbs one by one. The hatred, terror and despair he felt seeing Rem be hurt in such a way. In that moment, Itsuki promised himself he would never allow Rem to experience that sort of thing again. Which is why he gave his life to distract the White Whale in Rem's place.

"I'm not entirely sure how I even recovered either." Itsuki said truthfully. "Be it my own will or maybe an outside source. Either way, I won't just sit back and let the villagers die."

Subaru let a gentle smile cross his lips.

"I'm glad you're the one who was brought here with me." Subaru stated. "You're a good person, Itsuki. But I don't know if I can keep this up much longer."

"I know you can." Itsuki told him. "We can save the villagers and stop Roswaal's sadistic plans. But neither of us can do it ourselves." hearing this, Subaru turned around. "We can figure this all out." Itsuki extended his hand out to Subaru.

Subaru let out a sigh as he shook Itsuki's hand.

"Right. Don't give up as long as one of us is still fighting." Subaru said softly.

Staring at one another, Itsuki returned the smile before his lips suddenly dropped into a frown.

"Now, what first? The White Whale, or the Witch Cult?"

End of chapter 20