Lugnican Cuisine
Yo.
I must congratulate you for reading so far into this story. It means more than I thought it would.
Also, the reason I switch between Felix and Ferris is because Ferris is his real name, while Felix is a nickname. Hence why he is called Felix only in dialogue.
Subaru inhaled sharply. He started to squeeze the person in his arms before remembering his Return by Death updated to when he was hugging Rem. He quickly let go and stumbled back.
"Subaru-kun?"
"Sorry, I just remembered something and forgot myself for a moment."
Meiss crossed his arms, they had already established Subaru had foresight. Was that information getting beamed into his skull? Meiss turned to Rem.
"Has he done something like that before?"
"Now that you mention it Meiss, he has."
Meiss turned back to Subaru, his gaze darkening.
"Got any new information?"
"Yeah... Something I just overlooked. Meiss, you said you're not at 100 percent right? Go with Rem to the capital, I don't want anything to happen to you."
"I mean, I don't really give my 100 anyways, but if you need me-"
"Just go! ... Something definitely happens to you. We can deal with the threat just fine Meiss. Go..."
Subaru pleaded with Meiss. He looked at Subaru worriedly, whatever happened to Meiss must be brutal for him to be so adamant about him leaving with Rem.
Subaru stood up. He had asked Ram to show him the note when he went to the mansion. It wasn't a fluke. There were no signs of tampering, it was as if words had never been on the paper at all.
Something happened to Rem between now and when she got back to the capital. But this time Subaru had enough information to beat Petelgeuse, so he could afford to send Meiss off.
Walking away, Subaru also thought about what Meiss had said. He had met another Sin Archbishop, Gluttony specifically. Subaru smacked his face and called himself stupid. If there was Sloth, then there should be the other six, right? Then what about Meiss' ability? He had straight-up confessed to having the Authority of Melancholy in the latest loop. Did this world use the old versions of the deadly sins? Then that would mean Envy would not exist, and Melancholy and Vainglory did. That didn't make any sense, so Subaru stored it in his head for later.
As he loitered around, waiting for Julius and his squad to arrive, Subaru pondered something else. Meiss had figured out his ability. No one had ever done that in his month living here. Maybe it was the concept of "respawning" that was prevalent in their world, or maybe he was just smarter than Subaru thought. Even so, if he randomly figured it out again it could cause disaster. There was no way to limit his brain though, so Subaru had to live in anxiety with it for now.
Meiss looked over at Rem. She was fast asleep on the carriage bed, using the mantle he was lent as a makeshift pillow.
The back of his neck started to tingle. Meiss rubbed it until the sensation left. Probably left-over jitters from the Hakugei. The tingling returned a few seconds later.
He drew in an annoyed breath, then released it. Meiss glanced at Crusch, who sat opposite him and Rem. Her gaze was fixed far behind them; near the tail of the carriage line was the head of the Hakugei that they had severed.
She turned to face Meiss.
"Seeing as we just put down one of the greatest scourges of this world less than an hour ago, you seem pretty calm Crusch."
"Honestly, I am surprised as well."
Crusch narrowed her eyes at the boy. Without him, they may not have succeeded, or at the very least lost more men. Even still, the strange powers he had were unlike any she had ever seen.
"Felix told me how you killed one of the clones single-handedly. How did you do that? Is it a Divine Blessing?"
Meiss shifted uncomfortably, calling his Authority a Divine Blessing was his go-to explanation. He rubbed his neck once more, the tingling growing stronger.
"Yea-"
"No it isn't."
Meiss sucked air in through his teeth, were his lies that easy to see through? He dropped his hand from his neck, abandoning it to tingle endlessly.
"No it's not... If you don't mind I would rather not talk... about... it..."
Meiss slowed his speech as he felt his face being pulled towards the front of the carriage. His neck tingled ever furiously. Crusch moved in next to him to peer over the driver.
The carriage in front of them split in two.
Now Meiss recalled what the tingling in his neck meant. He fell backwards as the driver turned to Crusch. Meiss flipped over and tapped Rem repeatedly on the cheek, trying to wake her.
"Mmh, Suba-wha..."
"Rem, get up! Something bad is-"
Meiss felt his blood run cold as he heard Crusch tell the driver to "Run him over."
Meiss sprang up, surprising Crusch with his expression.
"NO! Don't! It's an Archbishop!"
The man, with blinding white hair and average features, wore a black trench coat with white trimmings that was tied at the waist. He stood nonchalantly in the middle of the road, even as the carriage warped and split around him. He scratched his neck annoyedly.
Meiss shoved Crusch through the carriage's canvas siding, and scooped up Rem. He jumped out of the back of the carriage, his landing sending up a cloud of dust.
"My, my, to take another's life into-"
"SHUT UP!"
The Archbishop blinked in surprise. Meiss took his long hair in his fingers and brushed it over the top of his head, in a style reminiscent of Subaru's own. Now his glowing blue eyes were visible to the Archbishop.
The archbishop sneered at Meiss, flexing his hands as if wringing his neck. Clearly he was not used to being talked to in such a way.
"Meiss, he is an Archbishop."
Meiss knitted his brows at the Archbishop before looking at the small woman in his arms. Rem seemed uncomfortable being carried, so he set her down.
"I know, and there's another one too."
Rem widened her eyes and looked around, spotting another figure farther down the road. He had dark hair longer than Crusch's and wore a long brown cloak as his only piece of clothing.
Gluttony
Meiss looked down the road at him. His heart pounded as if in flames, he could feel his pulse in his palms as they clenched tightly. With great effort, he calmed himself. Surrendering to rage was never good when he did it.
Gluttony walked up to be side-by-side with the other Archbishop. The smile on his face was unnaturally wide, as if before a huge buffet. Technically he was in front of just that, people were cuisine for this lunatic. Meiss instinctively stepped foreword and shielded Rem with his arm. Crusch stood up on the other side of the road, eyeing the sword of a dead comrade.
Meiss tilted his head to Rem, remembering his previous encounter with Gluttony. He never bothered to remember his name. Meiss must not allow someone he knew to be erased, not again.
"Stay careful around the scruffy-looking one, that's Gluttony. Whatever you do, don't let him touch you."
Rem shuddered, the bizarreness of it tingling her spine. But now she knew what to avoid. Gluttony's companion though, he tore apart the carriage. The most terrifying thing about him was that he had done nothing but stand there. He had defeated a Ground Dragon in full sprint by just casually loitering in the road.
"This will not end in peace, when you have slain my subordinate so gruesomely. Identify yourself."
This was Crusch, who had retrieved the sword from the corpse and was now pointing it threateningly at the man. He put his hand to his chin and started nodding, as if in agreement.
"I see, gotcha. So you are ignorant of me, but I know much of you. Since in the capital, no, all over the country, people are talking about you. I mean, you're a candidate to the throne. Even someone as distant as I can at least understand-"
"Regulus."
Now Gluttony steps up, graciously saving everyone from Regulus's incessant chatter. His eyes, so wide and unnerving, focused down on the trio. His mouth, wide and salivating at the feast before his eyes, was now drawn in a tight line. He raised a finger, lone, accusatory, like a child tattling on a peer.
"I know this one."
Regulus looked at Gluttony's finger, tracing a line in the air to arrive at the sole man in the trio before them. His face ordinary, much like Regulus himself. His golden hair was slicked over his head, a long lock extended over his face, revealing it to be several centimeters lower than his chin. His hair would reach down to his shoulders if it was straight, but the very ends in the back curled up into a bushy, curly mess. His striking blue eyes reflected the sun, appearing to glow with the coldness of ice. His strange pants were in tatters, and he was shirtless. His physique was toned at best and had a barely noticeable red tint, as if irritated. Scars marred the outside of his left forearm.
Regulus scoffed, what about him could be so special? Then he remembered that these people had killed the Hakugei, a beast that had reigned undefeated for over four-hundred years. Ha, no possible way this one guy could kill a whale by himself. The blonde was probably some tactician at best. Regulus rolled his eyes and swiped his hand through the air horizontally. The blonde didn't even look like a man, he was surely younger, around fifteen if Regulus had to guess. No way he could stand in a fight-
Regulus choked when the boy stepped farther in front of the maid and grabbed the air that Regulus had sent towards them. Crusch let out a startled yell and crumpled to the ground as she was unprotected. Her right arm sailed through the air.
Flying
Flying
Flying
Thump
Meiss winced when Crusch's arm hit the ground. Stupid, air is fluid, if he broke one part the rest would keep on moving. He should have set up a bubble to protect her. Rem let out an audible gasp, she had recovered enough on the carriage ride to be able to shakily run over to Crusch's unmoving body. The Archbishops eyed her run over and start to apply healing magic. Gluttony started foreword while Regulus stood in shock.
Meiss moved between the Archbishops and the women. Gluttony stopped, his hand twitching like a caged beast awaiting a ravenous meal. Regulus snapped out of his stupor and advanced to be at Gluttony's side, seeming to regard Meiss as a threat. Wordlessly, the two of them nodded before reciting their greetings.
"Archbishop of the Witch's Cult, representing the Cardinal Sin of Greed, Regulus Corneas."
"Archbishop of the Witch's Cult, representing the Cardinal Sin of Gluttony, Ley Batenkaitos."
Meiss narrowed his eyes. He let out a "teh" in response. He decided to humor them with their introductions. He recalled the first line in his gospel before he burned it. Meiss had tentatively reached for the book, ignorant of it's meaning and the owner of the hand it rested upon. He could still picture the hungry eyes of Ley as he glanced at the cursed pages for the first time. Meiss wasn't part of the Witch's Cult, he detested them with every molecule of his body. He revised the phrase to his liking.
"From beyond the waterfall, Cardinal Sin of Melancholy, Meiss Rhen."
"So that's how you guys were communicating."
Subaru, Ferris and Wilhelm examined the device akin to a small mirror. At their feet rested the bloody corpse of a Witch Cult member. Subaru looked out over the hill at Arlam. So peaceful. He hardened his resolve, this loop was the one, he felt it. Subaru focused on Julius' purple hair emerging from a carriage with a sack of stones. They were the explosive stones that had caused the destruction of the village in the previous two loops.
"Good, Julius is moving the explosive stones right now. All that's left is to get rid of the remaining fingers, we've already given the cult the bad schedule. My god it's going smoothly, this is a nice change of pace."
"I don't knyow how you do it, but your plans seem to account for everything."
Wilhelm nodded in agreement. Subaru rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.
The three made their way down to the village and helped the residents with the carriages. Wilhelm and Ricardo filed into the woods with their separate groups to kill the remaining three fingers. The forces left over were guarding the town square where the civilians were.
A few minutes passed by before Julius emerged from the shrubbery.
"I put the bag near that cliff like you asked. It is far enough away as to not affect the village if it explodes."
"Thanks Julius-"
"Juli."
"-now all we need to do is get word that the fingers are dealt with, then I need to pay my favorite Archbishop a visit."
Subaru exaggerated a shudder though his body.
It was not long before both Ricardo and Wilhelm returned.
Ley, Regulus, and Meiss stared each other down like in an old western, waiting for someone to move or twitch before they drew their guns. They were so on edge a sudden gust of wind would set them off.
Rem gritted her teeth as she applied her scant healing magic on Crusch. It would definitely stop the bleeding at least. Rem was repulsed by it, but she couldn't stop herself from admiring the extremely clean cut. Veins, arteries, muscles, nerves, and bone were all clearly visible. They shouldn't be visible, let alone clearly.
Rem had been paying attention to the Archbishop greetings, and tried to cement their names in her head for later reference. The thing that surprised her most was Meiss, though. The boy from beyond the waterfall boldly announced he commanded a Cardinal Sin.
Melancholy and Vainglory are thought to be children's tales, and no more. There had never been any Archbishops or known Witches to either of them, so people had reason to believe they didn't exist. Seems the myths were laced with truth.
Rem wondered how she never noticed the Witch's scent on him. Then again she had never been alone and awake with him before, Subaru's scent must have overpowered his.
Rem was pulled out of her thoughts when Crusch shifted and groaned loudly, calling out to Ferris.
Meiss let out a breath he had been holding, he quietly established a Quiescence bubble around Rem and Crusch. His hand twitched, completing the action. This small, seemingly involuntary movement was what set everything off.
Ley sprang like a cat with a throat in sight. Regulus backed off and aimed to kick the dirt. Meiss activated Dolorem and caught Ley in the air, palm to fist. He felt the familiar cold of metal as he remembered too late that there were knives strapped to Ley's forearms. The metal tore through his palm and easily came out the other side.
Meiss resisted the urge to pull away and grasped Ley's hand, surprising the Archbishop. He raised him over his head and slammed him into the ground, earning a few satisfied cracks. He did this once more, driving the wind from Ley's lungs before tossing him a good ten meters.
Meiss felt his shoulder sting and begin to ooze blood as dirt whizzed past his head. Idiot, keep check of both opponents so you don't get caught from behind. He turned to face Regulus as he adjusted his aim from a grazing shot to dead-center. Meiss activated his protective authority, catching a palm-sized rock from this volley of dirt that bounced harmlessly off of him.
"Tch, why can't you hurry up and die so my neck stops itching."
Meiss heard dirt crunch to his side, Ley was trying another leaping attack. Meiss spun around and threw the rock, nailing Ley in the forehead. He spun in midair, clutching his head as bright life burst forth. Meiss pushed off the ground, sinking his elbow into Ley's abdomen before he could hit the ground. "WRYYYYAH!" The small Archbishop went flying.
Meiss shook his hand, spraying blood. That impact had jarred it and now it throbbed painfully. He raised his eyes in response to a whoosh of air, he barely activated his Authority before Regulus decked him across the face. It didn't hurt of course, but the impact still sent Meiss to the ground.
"Ha! To think that you were so high-and-mighty before. All you've got is super strength and a bit of protection; so lackluster of an Authority."
Ok, this guy is starting to piss me off.
While Regulus gloated, Meiss grabbed the bloody stone and chucked it at him. Return to sender. It conked off of Regulus's jaw and he stumbled back, clearly surprised. He felt his jaw for a moment, as if pain was foreign to him. He was even more shocked when he examined his fingers to find blood dribbling out of the corner of his mouth.
Meiss slowly got up. Regulus's power was controlling wind, right? He used it to slice off Crusch's arm and propel that dirt at blinding speeds. Why was he so perplexed with a little pain and blood?
"Impossible. To counter my frozen attacks is one thing, but to bypass my Authority completely..."
Regulus slowly looked at Meiss, confusion and anger dotting his face.
"You... How have you done this."
"Frightened by a little blood? Weak. I can name a few things that should scare you more. Ever heard of Chlorine?"
"My Authority, my ability to Stop an Object's Time should have only one weak point. You have hurt me without exploiting that weak point."
Then it dawned on Meiss that his ability wasn't wind control, but rather this Stopping of Time. The wind, the dirt, his body, their time was Stopped, thus they became unstoppable forces or immovable objects.
"You can't Stop time though, right?"
Regulus snorted, as if the answer was obvious.
"You think I haven't tried? No, the things I can Stop are restricted to physical objects."
He didn't even blink as Rem's Morningstar phased through his skull, in fact, he ignored it and turned his head to the rock on the ground.
Rem came up behind Meiss, she turned the head of her Morningstar over, examining the Regulus-shaped hole in it. The man himself picked up the rock that had hurt him. Turning it over in his hands and bouncing it experimentally.
"Meiss, the Archbishop of Gluttony fled."
"No, I still feel him lurking around somewhere, keep your guard up and don't get touched."
Regulus brought the rock closer to his face, squinting. He pressed a thumb against it, seemingly trying to cut it with his Authority. When he couldn't, he had an 'Aha' moment.
"No, you didn't bypass my Authority. I feel it, this rock is the culprit!"
Regulus grinned, cocking his hand back.
"Return to sender. HA!"
Meiss tried to catch the rock, his hand was a little off and it bounced painfully against his fingers. He dropped it, holding his hand. So it was true. He looked closely at the rock on the ground, widening his eyes when he recognized what the shiny red and black rock was.
"Rheniite, and a good-sized lump of it too."
Heh, the irony of this discovery.
Meiss' father was a big chemistry nut, and his father's father even more so, and to an extent so was Meiss. His Grandfather even went out of his way to have his name changed to honor his favorite element. Rhen. Rhenium. To be fair, his Grandpa was also a huge plane nut. That never rubbed off on Meiss, thankfully.
Meiss chuckled as Rem healed his hand. Was this property unique to Rhenium or Sulphur? Or was it some obscure impurity? He didn't know, but Regulus had made a huge mistake in trying to hurt him with this rock.
Meiss picked the rheniite up, rolling it in his palm. Now that he payed closer attention he could feel his Authority waning ever so slightly around it. He activated Dolorem on his arm, a small radius around the rock refused to be covered in the orange-cyan light. Meiss looked up at Regulus, a smile on his face.
Meiss took a step foreword, holding the rock out in front of him. He took another, then another. Regulus started to back up, regretful fear on his face. Meiss broke out into a run, chasing Regulus while brandishing the rock like a weapon of supreme power. Regulus turned and ran, letting out an undignified scream.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Rem watched, eyes wide as the he two ran around in a style reminiscent of the children's game "tag." Her nose perked. Did the smell of the Witch get a little stronger? Weird, Meiss and the Archbishop were getting farther away. With a jolt, Rem realized it was behind her.
Meiss was laughing hysterically as he chased Regulus around with a rock. Such fun.
With a loud crack, Rem's head snapped to the side as Ley slapped her. Meiss turned his head at the loud report, only for his stomach to drop as Ley licked his palm. Rem fell to the ground, and Ley started to reach in with his other palm. By now, a bubble was surrounding Rem, since Ley was unwanted he was flung from inside the bubble.
Meiss regained his serious composure and turned back towards Regulus. He was veering off the road, running for his life. Greed showed no signs of slowing down.
Meiss launched off the ground, covering the distance between him and Gluttony quickly. Ley saw his shadow above him and dodged to the side as Meiss stomped the ground. Ley spun at Meiss, his daggers twirling in the sun. Meiss, wary of the knifes, dodged to the side and kicked him. Meiss felt metal trace a line over his skin, making him hiss in pain. The Archbishop was light, so the leg stopped his momentum. Meiss took this opportunity to sock him across the jaw, sending the blood from Ley's forehead flying. Another blow to the head and Ley was stumbling back. Meiss reached for his cloak, intending to throw him again. Ley struck out with his forearm daggers, a line of blood appeared perpendicular to the scars on Meiss' arm. Ley's other dagger plunged itself into the inside of his forearm, the tip striking the end of his humerus.
This time, Meiss succumbed to the urge to pull his arm away, but his momentum carried him forward and he stumbled into a heap on the ground. He felt a sharp kick to his side, driving the wind from his lungs. Meiss started to raise himself up, only to be met with another sharp kick to the side. Meiss sputtered, pleading with his lungs to draw in breath.
I've had enough.
Meiss felt his hair stand on end as electricity cracked around him, startling Ley. The Archbishop took a step back as his hand was burned. Meiss tensed in preparation for the voltage, before establishing a Quiescence around himself. He clenched his teeth, resisting the urge to scream as the bubble took form. It looked like one of those desk ornaments, except Meiss was the bulb spitting electricity. Ley was flung from the bubble, which dissipated after half a second.
The force of the Quiescence sent Ley flying down the road, his clothes singed. He landed, bouncing a few times and eventually coming to a stop... Beside Crusch's unconscious body.
A cloud of dust sprung up. In seconds it cleared, but a second was all it took. Ley smiled, an unnerving, gaping smile. His jaw was crooked. His eye under where the rock had hit him was shut and starting to swell. Nevertheless he was extremely creepy... and licking his right hand.
Ley snickered as he savored the taste of Crusch's memories. Delightful, delectable, a hint of sorrow and triumph. A good meal. Most importantly, it was filling. The feeling didn't stay though, once more Ley was hungry, ravenous, starving like a caged beast. For him and his sister, there were still three half-eaten meals to finish. Oh what a selection of cuisine to choose from! Ley closed his eyes as the last of the memories became settled in his stomach...
A whoosh of air, the crackle of electricity.
Ley snapped his eye open as he saw it flying.
Flying
Flying
Thump
Ley flinched as a new cut from his left jawline to his right eyebrow sprayed blood over his face. He shakily looked to the ground at his lower arm. A clean cut, burned to a crisp so that no blood leaked out. Gluttony fell to his knees, clutching his stump of an upper arm. He looked up at Melancholy, the sun was behind his menacing figure as he slowly approached. The backdrop of light shrouded his features in shadow, but his eyes, they shone as bright and brilliant as ever.
Rem broke out into a cold sweat as she lay on the ground. Her strength was slowly returning after that slap. In an instant, she felt like she had run from the mansion to Sanctuary without stopping or rest. That wasn't what bothered her, what bothered her was Meiss. He had a cold look in his eyes, as if the warm, inviting sky blue had turned to unforgiving shards of ice. He barely payed attention to the wound on his leg, or the blood spurting from his arm.
Meiss towered over Ley. He narrowed his eyes, relishing in the fact that Gluttony flinched at his every movement.
Revenge.
Subaru blinked a few times, making sure his eyesight was clear. He had been up for over twenty hours. Leveling his gaze at Petelgeuse, Subaru flicked his yellow gaze around, taking in every Miezaru Te that he saw. Julius waited above on a cliff, instructed to blast Petelgeuse with his strongest attack once the signal was given.
Subaru and Petelgeuse rotated in a circle, like lions during a duel. When the insane man had his back to Julius, Subaru snapped his fingers. Instantly, a hoarse shout echoed off the cliff face. Clair-ita or something like that, he couldn't pinpoint it exactly. Sloth snapped around, shielding himself with a barrier of earth that stood no match against Julius.
Subaru shuddered, he felt something black and slimy work it's way inside him.
"Julius! Undo Nect!"
The weird sensation of a shared body and senses left Subaru. He knew this wormy feeling was Petelgeuse making him a finger, but Subaru had a plan.
"Kusukusu, you wanna see your Witch so bad? Well I've got you a front row ticket!"
A dark mist started to pour into the clearing before Subaru even uttered the cursed words. He felt his body slow, the feeling of panic from being frozen in time was lesser. Subaru hated to say it, but he was getting used to being in stopped time.
"I CAN RETURN BY-!"
Wow, a new record. He got past "Return" this time. Anyhow, now it was up to the unpredictable Witch to decide what to do with Petelgeuse. Hopefully she was on his side...
Meiss was having his first taste of revenge.
It wasn't filling, but it was oh so sweet. Meiss liked to have his sweets. Electricity crackled around Meiss. His hair started to raise. His skin burned once more with trees of lightning. He inhaled the intoxicating smell of electricity.
Ley had no time to react as he was pierced through by over seven of Meiss' Acedia tendrils. He was still alive though, good. There were a few parting words Meiss had left to say. Standing amidst a blinding show of light, he delivered his verdict.
"You felt no remorse for killing her, so it feels right to not have any remorse for offing you."
All Ley did was gurgle up blood in response. Meiss' hand twitched, before he pulled it back. Almost two weeks of anger was dispersed in this moment. The tendrils retreated, leaving Ley on the ground like a discarded piece of Swiss cheese.
Meiss realized he was clenching his fist around the rock, and loosened his grip. His bloody arm thanked him. He looked at said arm; that dagger had nicked a vein. Meiss clenched his teeth again as the adrenaline started to work it's way out of his body and pain returned in all its glory.
He stood for a few seconds, his Wrath leaving with the adrenaline. Meiss slowly started to shake as what had just happened was processed. Oh god, he did it again. Killing the Hakugei with Acedia was one thing, it was a relentless force of nature, he never saw the faces of the few Witch Cult members he had killed with Acedia. But ...
Meiss fell to his knees, shaking violently. He pressed his hand to his temples as he tried to force his memories back down. Her. Memories. Death. Name. Wrath. Guilt. Flames. Power. Melancholy. He struggled with his whirlwind of a brain as his pent up emotions fizzled out of existence, quenching the hot steel that he was. He heard footsteps behind him, he got his shaking under control and finally shoved his memories back in their places.
Rem approached Meiss warily, reaching out a hand. Meiss took it in both of his. He turned to face her, the soft sky blue returning to his eyes.
"Oh god, do you know your name?"
Rem, confused, nodded before saying it aloud.
Meiss knitted his brows in worry, he glanced at Crusch, before going back to Rem.
"Who is that over there?"
"That is Crusch-sama of the Karsten faction. A candidate to the throne of Lugnica."
Meiss cursed under his breath.
"Ok, ok... Oh damn it! I should have been faster with the bubbles!"
Meiss threw his hands up into the air, spraying blood, before slamming them down onto his face and roughly rubbing it. He breathed in deep, inhaling the iron he had just spread all over his face. No reason to freak out Meiss... No reason at all.
No, there was every reason to freak out.
Meiss leveled his eyes with Rem's. How should he do this...
He sighed. Just be blunt and direct, you can deal with the aftermath...
Probably.
"Rem."
He squeezed his eyes shut tight, hoping, praying that by some miracle the words he was about to say weren't true.
Subaru flinched, and woke with a start. He started to sit up, but a hand forced him back down. He opened his eyes to see who pushed him back onto the pillow.
"Emilia?"
The half-elf gave a sheepish grin as the carriage bounced on the road. Subaru noticed that she was right above him, which means...
"Gah, another lap pillow!?"
Emilia pushed his head to face outwards.
"Jeez, you dummy. That explosion really hurt you, and the carriage floor is hard and uncomfortable... Don't make me worry like that again."
Subaru's memories kicked back in. The Witch had rejected Petelgeuse, and when he was having a meltdown over it Subaru threw a rock at the bag of explosive stones Julius had hidden near the cliff. Julius and his spirits shielded him, but the explosion was so great that it launched them into the sky. Subaru was separated from Julius and flung through the trees, he had broken several bones and been rendered unconscious. But he survived thanks to Ferris. Sloth wasn't so lucky. The only thing that had survived was one tainted hand, painted black by soot...
"You're lucky Felix is such a good healer. Otherwise you would be in a much worse state."
Speaking of, the monster himself was sitting in the opposite corner of the carriage. He had the smuggest look on his face. He wiggled his eyebrows at Subaru as if to say "Go on, pretend I'm not here."
Subaru narrowed his eyes at the cat. Ferris bounced his brows twice, tauntingly.
"Still, after everything that happened in the capital, after all that, why would you go so far for me?"
He didn't even think. He never thought much on what he was going to say before he said it, which caused more trouble that he would like to admit. The answer flowed out of his mouth without hindrance, without any restraint at all.
"I love you."
Ferris burst out laughing, a torrent of "Nya ha ha nya!" that ground like sandpaper against Subaru's ears.
"Wow Subaru-kyun! Saying you love two different people in the same day! Maybe you're-"
Ferris abruptly stopped, confusion on his face. Subaru didn't notice, since his own face was covered in blush and he was shutting all noise out. He wrapped his arms around himself and rolled off of Emilia's lap.
"This is going to be a very interesting conversation between me, you, and Rem."
Subaru's uncoiled, a goofy grin on his face. That melted when met with Emilia's confused expression.
"Subaru?"
"Yeah?"
"Who is Rem?"
Hey again, SKA here with the longest chapter so far!
This chapter will mark the end of Re:Pen Arc1, or would it be Arc3 to better fit the original? Anyways, I have already written the two interludes for between this arc and the next, and planned out some of arc4/2.
I will release both interludes two weeks from now so I can start writing arc4/2. See ya then!