N̸̛̦̣͚͍̯͖̤͊̓̋̂̓͜ͅǫ̵̳̳͔̘̪̍̉̃̃̂̿̽̕w҈̨̛̰͖̤̮̫̣͙͍́̈́̽̅͛͋̓ Y̸̪̙̱̝̯͕͖̥͐̐͜͠ȍ̴͖̭̀͑̕̚͢ų̴̠̞͓̞̮͍̦̬̏̄̉̅̚͠ R̸̢̖͖̠̣̞̳͔̟͆̒̋̑̒̀͒̉͝e҉̨̰͚̀̍̋̃͗̀̉̑͠m̷͚̞͐͂̋͑͜͡e̸̢̛͉̣̙̱̱͕̩̩͋͑m̶̢̮̪̤̜̰͌́̂͋͊̀͞b̵̜̦̰͇͇̀͌͢͝e̸̛̖̮͍̘̾̋͛͊̋̊̚͜r҉̢͎̜͎́͒̒̂͛̈͊͠
—
Might have to go back and fix this because of the cursed text (I did). Corona Break is here, a three-week hiatus on school. That means more time to write. You can't hear my maniacal laugh but that's happening. Let's just ignore the assignments until the last minute.
—
His fragmented bones reconstruct, his flattened organs bounce back into shape, his spilled blood collects within his body, and his skin knits together to seal the liquid in.
"Guuhuhuhh…"
Subaru shudders as this unpleasant feeling passes over him. Heat and touch return to him as he feels the stinging of pain no longer. Smooth skin rubs against him as he shakes, his mind not yet having rebooted. Meaningless sounds escape his lips as he falls.
Crushed. That's new.
"Oi, what th' hell?"
The support that has been holding him up slackened in the wake of his shuddering. The arms gently lower him to the ground.
Why?
Questions without clear answers. He had been sliced, stabbed, mauled, frozen, sliced again, frozen again, eaten and crushed. None of that is on his mind as his arms flail about weakly, looking for something to hold on to.
Why?
Someone he trusted, even if only slightly, had revealed something horrible. The book, the cult, the book is from the cult, the cult gifts the book to those with love. Roswaal has a gospel, he's affiliated with the cult, he let Emilia die, let Rem die, let Ram die, let the Arlam villagers die, let everyone die.
Why?
Subaru struggles for an answer and finds none. His arm swings about as his mind convulses. Not even aware of the hands struggling to hold him down, not even aware of the worried gazes drilling into his flesh.
His finger grazes the ground past the iron fence.
「You have once more gained the qualifications.」
—
Gasping awake, Meiss instantly regrets his sudden intake of air as dirt and dust clamors for a spot in his throat. Throughout the trial thick dust had settled in his mouth, now Meiss spits and hacks it up. The blonde rolls over onto his back and sits up. His forehead burns and cool liquid runs down his face.
I must've hit the ground hard, my forehead's bleeding.
Meiss shakily climbed to his feet. Reliving his past hurt, but all it did was reaffirm his desire. The blonde accepted his past and moved on. Hand to his bleeding forehead, Meiss turned to where Emilia was suffering through her past. The image of the pained girl flitting through his mind.
Shadow.
Meiss makes a weird sound as his eyes take in the flowing, constantly rippling mass of anti-light. The blob takes up half of the room. It's weird to define something as rippling when it is so dark that it appears flat, but that is what Meiss sees. He takes a tentative step towards the writhing mass, not sure why that is there in place of Emilia.
The shadow takes a sudden leap forward.
Scrambling away, Meiss ends up hitting the opposite wall of the tomb's trial room. The shadow jumps again before closing the distance between it and Meiss. Sweat pooling, Meiss stares into darkness of the darkest dark. The shadow spreads along the ground, along the wall, the ceiling, closing in on him, ready to consume him. Unconsciously, to defend himself, he activates dolorem in his arms. The darkness around his exposed hands recedes.
"Huh?"
Meiss waves his hands through the rippling darkness. Like a receding wave the shadows are pulled back. Seemingly growing agitated, the shadow ripples violently before rushing down the tomb's hallway. Meiss watches it go, unable to do anything because one cannot grasp darkness.
"It's… heading outside!"
Meiss breaks out into a run, chasing the shadows out of the tomb. The shadows are fast, especially with that head start. Meiss hops awkwardly as he takes his shoes and socks off, discarding them in the corridor. Breaking out into moonlight, Meiss stops dead in his tracks. He can't see anything. A heavy shadow covers every surface, bringing the world to darkness. It had only been a few seconds, but everything was consumed. Or did this happen while he took the trial?
Dimly, Meiss is aware of his glowing feet pushing back the darkness. He steps closer to where the iron fence surrounding the tomb would be. Nobody that was here before he took the trial is here presently. Meiss looks around, his eyes straining to focus on something, anything.
There, flying between the trees.
Meiss spots Garfiel jumping between trees around Sanctuary. Subaru is clinging to his back piggy-back style. Meiss squints, there is a spot that is the darkest dark, with lighter shadows stemming from it. It looked like it was the same blob of shadow Meiss saw in the tomb. It was following them. Meiss takes another step, then another, and another, and he crosses the iron fence. Leaping into the air, Meiss covers a large distance that would have taken him several seconds on foot in a half-second. Using this as the fastest method of travel, Meiss tries to close the distance. Garfiel is faster and lighter though, even with his package.
Instead of heading for Garfiel, Meiss switches his focus to the darkest shadows following them. The writhing black was significantly slower, about as fast as the average person's sprint. Slow in comparison to Garfiel and Meiss. Reaching the treeline, Meiss opts to transition to running, for the tree branches and leaves obstruct his leaps. Despite being reduced to running, Meiss is faster than the average person even without dolorem active. His stride leaves bright patches of green in his wake.
Garfiel seems to notice the appearance of Meiss, and begins circling around back to him. He doubles back on himself, forcing the darkest dark to stop and change direction. With a clear collision course, Meiss gets a frontal view of the deepest shadows. What nearly trips him up is the fact that he can see a faint outline of a body. Meiss notices what would be the head of the body is tilted up, focused solely on the retreating forms of Garfiel and Subaru. Meiss feels his lungs start to burn as he pushes himself to go faster. Recollecting Garfiel's ability to overturn earth, Meiss dives into the ground and slides. Sprouting from him are two acedias, the light-bearing wires spinning around his body and ridding the ground of darkness in a fourteen meter diameter. Immediately after the forty-five feet of ground become visible, Garfiel drops from the trees.
"GUURRRAAAA!"
A ribbon of earth lifts into the air next to Meiss, pelting him with dirt. The overturned ground displaces the shadow, and a scar of earth cuts through the darkness. Garfiel and Subaru meet next to Meiss, who is crouching with his acedia flowing off his shoulders. Subaru is panting, and Garfiel settles pensively next to him.
"You an' yer fuckn' surprises."
Despite the word choice, Garfiel sounds almost relieved for the turn of events.
"Why the fuck is the Witch of Envy here!"
"I hope you weren't asking me, cause I don't know! And this thing is the Jealous Witch? I would rather ask how! Wasn't she sealed in stone or something?"
"Guyz, ain't th' time for this conversation."
The darkest dark stops, it seems that cutting back on it's domain startled it. Regardless of this, it advances. Meiss sees Subaru shake for a second next to him, and as Meiss turns to face him, a voice as clear as if chiming from inside his very brain, yet muddled by distance presses itself against his temples.
I̶ L̴o҉v҉̷e҉ Y̶҉o҈҈u̸̴.
"Uh, wha?"
I҈̸L̸̵o̶̴v҈̸e̶̶Y̶҈o̵̵u̸҈I̵̸L̵̴o̴̴v̴̶e̶Y҉o̶̵u̸҈I̷L҉o̴v̶̵e҈̸Y̶o̸̶u̴I̵҈L̸o҈v̴e̷̴Y҈҉o҈u̵I̸L̶o̵̶v̷e̷҈Y̴o̶u̷̸.
"What th' fuck?"
Subaru clasps his arms around himself, shaking at the sight of the Witch of Envy. Her bottomless, limitless, endless, boundless, everlasting, inexhaustible, infinite Love calls solely for him. Only for him, for nobody else. Having such pressure exerted upon his body by the Witch, Subaru trembles slightly. His mind stays though, not having fled because of fear yet.
I̶̸L҉҉o̶̸v̶e̷҈Y҈̴o҉u҈I҈҈L̷o̶v̶e҈Y҈̵o̴̸u̴I̸L̴o̶̵v҉҉e̷̶Y̴o҈̴u҈I҈̷L̴o̵v̵e̶̶Y̸̸o̶u̶I̷L҈҉o̷҉v̵̸e̵Y̷҉o҉҈u̴҈I̵̸L҉̷o̸v̴e҉̵Y̷o҈҈u̴I̸L҈o̷̶v̷̵e҈Y҉̷o҉̸u̵I̵L̶҈o҉҉v̷̵e̴Y̵o̶u̴̵I̶̶L҉̷o̵v҉e҈Y̶̸o̷̴u҈I̴L҈̷o҈̵v̷̸e̸̵Y̵҈o҉u̷I̶L̵o҉҈v̸e̵Y̸҈o̶u̷҈I̶҈L̸̵o̷̴v̵̷e̶̸Y̴o̴u̴҉I҉L̵҈o̴̸v̵e҉Y̷̴o̸̴u̴I̷L҉̵o҈҈v̸e̶̶Y҈̷o҉u̴̸I̴L҉o̷̷v̶̷e̴Y̷҈o̵u̶I҈L҉̸o̴̵v̷̴e̵҉Y҈҉o̶҉u҈̴I̸̴L҉̶o̴̵v̵e҈Y̸̸o̷u҉I̸̸L҉̸o̵v҈e̸̶Y҈̷o҉u̴̶I҈̶L̸o̴̸v҉e̶Y̴o̷u̵̶I̷L҉̸o̷v̶̸e҈Y҉̸o̶҈u̶I̴L̸̶o̷v̸̸e̸҉Y̶̸o̸u̵I̸L҉҉o̶v̸e҈҈Y̵o҉u̵I̴L̸o̷v҈e҈Y҉o̸҉u̵̶I҉҉L̸o̸̸v̵e̸Y̷̴o҈u̷I̷҈L҈o̴̷v̶e̴̴Y̸o̵̸u҈I̶L̵o̶v̵̸e̸Y̶o̴̵u̴̵I̶L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸I̸̷L̸o̶v̴̸e̵Y̵̵o̶u̶I̸L̴̶o҉҈v̷̶e̶҉Y҉o̶̸u̵I҈L̶҉o҈v̷҈e̶҈Y҉o҈҈u҈I̶҉L̸̴o҉v҉e҉Y҈̷o҈u̸I̵L̸o̵v̴̸e҈̴Y̷҉o̷̷u̸̷I̶L̷̷o҈v̷҉e҈҈Y̷̶o̸̴u҉̴I҈L̸̸o̸̷v҉̷e҈̵Y̶҉o̸u̴̴I̵҈L҉̸o̵v҉̴e҉Y̶̸o̴̸u̸̸I̶̴L̷o̶̸v̷̴e҈̷Y҈҈o̸u̸҉I̸҉L̶̸o̶v̶e̵Y҉҈o҈u̵҈I̵L҉o̴v̶̶e҉҈Y̷o҈u̷I̷҉L̸o̸v̶̵e̵Y҈̸o̶̴u̷I̷L̴o̴̶v҉҈e̵҉Y̵o̷҉u̴I̶̸L҉҉o̶̸v̶e̷҈Y҈̴o҉u҈I҈҈L̷o̶v̶e҈Y҈̵o̴̸u̴I̸L̴o̶̵v҉҉e̷̶Y̴o҈̴u҈I҈̷L̴o̵v̵e̶̶Y̸̸o̶u̶I̷L҈҉o̷҉v̵̸e̵Y̷҉o҉҈u̴҈I̵̸L҉̷o̸v̴e҉̵Y̷o҈҈u̴I̸L҈o̷̶v̷̵e҈Y҉̷o҉̸u̵I̵L̶҈o҉҉v̷̵e̴Y̵o̶u̴̵I̶̶L҉̷o̵v҉e҈Y̶̸o̷̴u҈I̴L҈̷o҈̵v̷̸e̸̵Y̵҈o҉u̷I̶L̵o҉҈v̸e̵Y̸҈o̶u̷҈I̶҈L̸̵o̷̴v̵̷e̶̸Y̴o̴u̴҉I҉L̵҈o̴̸v̵e҉Y̷̴o̸̴u̴I̷L҉̵o҈҈v̸e̶̶Y҈̷o҉u̴̸I̴L҉o̷̷v̶̷e̴Y̷҈o̵u̶I҈L҉̸o̴̵v̷̴e̵҉Y҈҉o̶҉u҈̴I̸̴L҉̶o̴̵v̵e҈Y̸̸o̷u҉I̸̸L҉̸o̵v҈e̸̶Y҈̷o҉u̴̶I҈̶L̸o̴̸v҉e̶Y̴o̷u̵̶I̷L҉̸o̷v̶̸e҈Y҉̸o̶҈u̶I̴L̸̶o̷v̸̸e̸҉Y̶̸o̸u̵I̸L҉҉o̶v̸e҈҈Y̵o҉u̵I̴L̸o̷v҈e҈Y҉o̸҉u̵̶I҉҉L̸o̸̸v̵e̸Y̷̴o҈u̷I̷҈L҈o̴̷v̶e̴̴Y̸o̵̸u҈I̶L̵o̶v̵̸e̸Y̶o̴̵u̴̵I̶L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸I̸̷L̸o̶v̴̸e̵Y̵̵o̶u̶I̸L̴̶o҉҈v̷̶e̶҉Y҉o̶̸u̵I҈L̶҉o҈v̷҈e̶҈Y҉o҈҈u҈I̶҉L̸̴o҉v҉e҉Y҈̷o҈u̸I̵L̸o̵v̴̸e҈̴Y̷҉o̷̷u̸̷I̶L̷̷o҈v̷҉e҈҈Y̷̶o̸̴u҉̴I҈L̸̸o̸̷v҉̷e҈̵Y̶҉o̸u̴̴I̵҈L҉̸o̵v҉̴e҉Y̶̸o̴̸u̸̸I̶̴L̷o̶̸v̷̴e҈̷Y҈҈o̸u̸҉I̸҉L̶̸o̶v̶e̵Y҉҈o҈u̵҈I̵L҉o̴v̶̶e҉҈Y̷o҈u̷I̷҉L̸o̸v̶̵e̵Y҈̸o̶̴u̷I̷L̴o̴̶v҉҈e̵҉Y̵o̷҉u̴I̶̸L҉҉o̶̸v̶e̷҈Y҈̴o҉u҈I҈҈L̷o̶v̶e҈Y҈̵o̴̸u̴I̸L̴o̶̵v҉҉e̷̶Y̴o҈̴u҈I҈̷L̴o̵v̵e̶̶Y̸̸o̶u̶I̷L҈҉o̷҉v̵̸e̵Y̷҉o҉҈u̴҈I̵̸L҉̷o̸v̴e҉̵Y̷o҈҈u̴I̸L҈o̷̶v̷̵e҈Y҉̷o҉̸u̵I̵L̶҈o҉҉v̷̵e̴Y̵o̶u̴̵I̶̶L҉̷o̵v҉e҈Y̶̸o̷̴u҈I̴L҈̷o҈̵v̷̸e̸̵Y̵҈o҉u̷I̶L̵o҉҈v̸e̵Y̸҈o̶u̷҈I̶҈L̸̵o̷̴v̵̷e̶̸Y̴o̴u̴҉I҉L̵҈o̴̸v̵e҉Y҈҈o̸u̸҉I̸҉L̶̸o̶v̶e̵Y҉҈o҈u̵҈I̵L҉o̴v̶̶e҉҈Y̷o҈u̷.
"What is it talking about?"
The shadow, proclaiming love, advances towards the three lone survivors. Between Meiss' acedia and Garfiel's blessing of Earth Spirits they could hold the darkness back. For how long though? This was the question that reigned over others. The darkness advanced, but Meiss beat it back with the light of adecia.
"… Garfiel."
"Yeah?"
"Was that full power?"
Garfiel scoffed, digging his hand into the ground. WIth a hoarse shout, he lifted the ground. The earth toppled, enough to blanket an average sized house from beyond the waterfall in all three dimensions. The feat has Meiss surprised, he couldn't fathom the strength required to move that much dirt.
For naught, upon hitting the Witch of Envy the sheet of earth was speared by the darkness. The slab was splintered and devoured, sucked into the unending darkness. Meiss and Garfiel gave an annoyed huff, while Subaru glanced around.
"The forest's shrinking…"
Garfiel snaps his head around, taking in the short and stunted trees as Meiss bides them more time with acedia. The darkness is coming from that darker dark, the nucleus, how do we combat this…?
"…Cut off the head."
"Yer damn right!"
Acedia trailing behind Meiss, he dashes towards the Witch of Envy with Garfiel and Subaru on his heels. Land was liberated by Meiss, and with each stomp, Garfiel sent earth flying to expand their shadow-free zone. Nearing the Witch, she raised her arms to attack, the shadows pressing in closer, invisible hands grasping for the three.
"Garfiel! Make another large platform to the side!"
The ground was upturned, blocking the invisible hands, and Meiss sprang into the air. Spinning like a top, acedia beating back the shadow, Meiss advanced. Closer, the darkness draws closer. Invisible hand, don't know what that is, cut it down. Darkness underfoot, my light banishes it. Speed, leaves are at my feet now, brush past them. Fist, connect. At the end of a long weal in the darkness, Meiss comes face to face with the Witch of Envy.
A glowing blur, Meiss' fist connected with the Witch of Envy's face. This feat accomplished by an amount of people countable on one hand, including Meiss himself. The punch has so much force behind it that Meiss hears bone crack and muscle rip as the Witch of Envy's head snaps to the side. The instant his glowing hand touches the cheek of the Witch the shadows surrounding her face and shoulders part. Silver hair, purple irises, pointed ears, staples of the Witch of Envy. What throws Meiss off is her hairclip and clothes. They belong to…
"Emilia?"
Meiss' hesitation is paid for dearly. Before he can react, the shadows latch onto his other arm, the one not with dolorem active.
G҉o̶t̷Y҈o҉u̴G̵o҈u̶Y̴o̴u̶G̷o̷t̶Y̸o̴u̸G҉o̷u҉Y҉o̸u̵G̵o̷t҈Y̵o̶u̵G҉o̷u҈Y҉o̸u҉G҉o̶t̸Y҈o҈u҉G̴o҈u̵Y̴o̶u̷G̶o̵t̸Y҈o̸u̶G̷o̶u̶Y̷o̷u̴G҉o҈t̷Y̷o̷u̴G̶o̷u̴Y̸o̸u̷G҈o̴t̶Y̷o̷u̸G̷o҉u̶Y̴o̴u҈G̵o҈t̷Y̶o҉u̶G҈o҈u̷Y҈o̶u҉G҈o̶t̸Y̶o҈u҈G̷o̸u҉Y̴o҉u҈G̴o̷t̴Y̶o҉u̸G̸o҉u̵Y̶o҈u̶G̸o҉t҈Y̶o̶u̴G̵o̵u̵Y҈o̸u̶G̸o̴t̴Y̶o̶u̷G̷o̷u̸Y̶o̸u̴G҉o̸t̸Y̷o̴u̴G̴o҈u̵Y̴o̶u̵G̶o҉t҉Y̶o҉u̶G̶o̶u̴Y̶o̶u̴G̴o̶t҈Y̵o̸u҈G̶o̷u̸Y̸o̷u̸G҉o̶t̷Y҈o҉u̴G̵o҈u̶Y̴o̴u̶G̷o̷t̶Y̸o̴u̸G҉o̷u҉Y҉o̸u̵G̵o̷t҈Y̵o̶u̵G҉o̷u҈Y҉o̸u҉G҉o̶t̸Y҈o҈u҉G̴o҈u̵Y̴o̶u̷G̶o̵t̸Y҈o̸u̶G̷o̶u̶Y̷o̷u̴G҉o҈t̷Y̷o̷u̴G҉o҈t̷Y̷o̷u̴.
Meiss tries to pull his forearm from the shadows, yet the grip of the darkness is too strong. He tries to switch dolorem from his free arm to the one with shadow, but the light sputters out as his entire left arm is consumed.
「҈S҈h̴i҈tto̵ n҉o̷ K҉e̶n̶'̵n҈ō҈,｣҈ N̸o̴҈w̶̵ Y̸o҈u̶ R̵e̷̷m̷̴e̸̸m̵̶b̷e̸̵r҈.
"!?-"
Meiss feels a cold chill pass over him, as if a chorus of damned souls is wailing in his ears. Then he feels a sense of absolute weightlessness. Fabric and skin ripping and pulling, muscle and fat and organs deforming and shaping into something unnatural. Meiss feels the overwhelming need to vomit, yet it seems he has no stomach to pull bile from anymore. The blonde's body unsticks from the air and he goes flying. Sailing through the air, arms and legs trailing out in front of him along with grey-pink flaps of tissue and velvet blood. Meiss has the rare opportunity to witness his intestines leave his body before he hits one of the taller trees, one with a small bit of trunk remaining above ground. His arms and legs splay out behind him and his head impacts the rough bark. After an unnoticable delay the blonde's intestines smack into his chest with a wet slap.
"M-MEISS!"
Being the only one capable of perceiving what exactly had happened, Subaru is the first to react to Meiss being blown away by the Witch of Envy. Entranced by the display of the blonde's deadly fluidity, Subaru was acutely aware of the screeching in his ears, the chorus of damned souls breaking apart his perception, the burst of purple energy. In the Witch's world, she stepped around the frozen Meiss, examining him at a few angles before returning to her original position. This time without the whispering in his ears, loud tinnitus rings through Subaru's head in the absence of sound. The real shock was when uncountable invisible hands ruptured from the Witch's back to impale Meiss, spraying flaps of skin, pink tissue, and blood behind him in the frozen time. The unseen hands returned to their user, and time resumed.
Subaru's eyes and head follow the trajectory of Meiss as he sails through the air, hitting a tree before sliding to the ground. The exposed guts that Subaru can see reminds him of the times he was killed by Elsa, and the raw power of the Witch of Envy shocks him silent. With what Subaru had seen of Meiss so far he wasn't Reinhardt level by any means, but he definitely has the capability to go toe-to-toe with and even surpass the likes of Julius and Wilhelm. It was safe to say he was the strongest one in Sanctuary currently, with Garfiel being a close second. To be defeated so easily and absolutely… There was no chance of survival for this loop. Not that survival was an option here. Everyone except for him and Garfiel have been consumed. Everyone has died
I̸̷L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸I̸̷L̸o̶v̴̸e̵Y̵̵o̶u̶I̸L̴̶o҉҈v̷̶e̶҉Y҉o̶̸u̵I҈L̶҉o҈v̷҈e̶҈Y҉o҈҈u҈I̶L̸̴o҉v҉e҉Y҈̷o҈u̸I̵L̸o̵v̴̸e҈̴Y̷҉o̷̷u̸̷I̶L̷̷o҈v̷҉e҈҈Y̷̶o̸̴u҉̴I҈L̸̸o̸̷v҉̷e҈̵Y̶҉o̸u̴̴I̵҈L҉̸o̵v҉̴e҉Y̶̸o̴̸u̸̸I̶̴L̷o̶̸v̷̴e҈̷Y҈҈o̸u̸҉I̸L̶̸o̶v̶e̵Y҉҈o҈u̵҈I̵L҉o̴v̶̶e҉҈Y̷o҈u̷I̷҉L̸o̸v̶̵e̵Y҈̸o̶̴u̷I̷L̴o̴̶v҉҈e̵҉Y̵o̷҉u̴I̶̸L҉҉o̶̸v̶e̷҈Y҈̴o҉u҈I҈҈L̷o̶v̶e҈Y҈̵o̴̸u̴I̸L̴o̶̵v҉҉e̷̶Y̴o҈̴uI҈L̴o̵v̵e̶̶Y̸̸o̶u̶I̷L҈҉o̷҉v̵̸e̵Y̷҉o҉҈u̴҈I̵̸L҉̷o̸v̴e҉̵Y̷o҈҈u̴I̸L҈o̷̶v̷̵e҈Y҉̷o҉̸u̵I̵L̶҈o҉҉v̷̵e̴Y̵o̶u̴̵I̶̶L҉̷o̵v҉e҈Y̶̸o̷̴u҈I̴L҈̷o҈̵v̷̸e̸̵Y̵҈o҉u̷I̶L̵o҉҈v̸e̵Y̸҈o̶u̷҈I̶L̸̵o̷̴v̵̷e̶̸Y̴o̴u̴I̸̷L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸I̸̷L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸I̸̷L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸I̸̷L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸I̸̷L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸I̸̷L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸I̸̷L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸I̸̷L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸I̸̷L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸I̸̷L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸I̸̷L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸I̸̷L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸I̸̷L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸I̸̷L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸I̸̷L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸I̸̷L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸I̸̷L̴҈o҉v҉҈e̷Y҉̷o҈̴u҈̸.
"… I hate you."
—
Agony.
Anguished, pained.
Tormenting, suffering, excruciating.
Meiss shocks awake, as if suddenly plunged into ice water from a state of sleeping. He curls into the fetal position, hands and arms folded over his stomach as a blood curdling scream echoes from his lips.
"FFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUCCCKKKKKKKK!"
Meiss flips around, rolling across the ground until he hits a cold wall. His movements stop, and he shakes violently.
His hands explore the cavity in his abdomen. He desperately claws at his intestines, trying to pull them back into his body. Small, large; is that a kidney? Too much, the slippery organs evade his fingers and all he is left with is hands slick with blood-
-is not what happens.
Slowly, the blonde comes to his senses. His hands reach for his stomach, finding fabric that had been blown away previously. The hole created by the Witch of Envy is nonexistent, sealed. No, not sealed, entirely gone. Meiss lifts up his long sleeve shirt to reveal no mark, no scar, no lasting pain. It was as if his fight with the Witch of Envy never happened.
It was so clear, I could feel it as if it was real.
…
The shadows are gone… Where am I?
Meiss, noticing the absence of darkness, looks around. A room with grey stone walls, flooring, and ceiling. He is bathed in a gentle purple light which illuminates the dust floating thick in the air.
"The Tomb?!"
Then that means-
Meiss looks to his side, where Emilia shakes and shivers under the weight of her past. Meiss is frozen, every time he blinks he can see the rippling darkness trying to consume him, with Emilia's stoic face at the center.
"No, no way that was real. The Witch was sealed away centuries ago to my knowledge. Impossible."
Then again, in being ripped from his world and placed in this one Meiss had seen many things deemed "impossible" with his own eyes. It scared Meiss that it wasn't too much of a leap to consider the Witch of Envy being able to escape. That doesn't explain Emilia though, was she just a conduit for the Witch? What was even sealed? Was it her physical body? Or her memories? That was a dark train of thought, one that Meiss didn't want to look down right now in his shaken state.
Disregarding his speculation, Meiss shakes his head. What am I even doing? I just got out of the trial, which puts the challenger to sleep. It's perfectly reasonable that was a nightmare, and I substituted Emilia for the Witch of Envy because she fits the description. God, that's an asshole-ish thing to do.
Meiss crawls over to Emilia, stopping next to her. His hand reaches out to tap her shoulder, when he stops. Meiss realises that his hand is shaking. Why wouldn't it? He just had a nightmare and his pulse is overreacting. Meiss closes the distance and taps Emilia gently on the shoulder. The half-elf shudders slightly before her eyes open slightly.
"Su… ba- Meiss?"
Emilia notices that the person before her is Meiss, and tries not to break down despite being beyond the verge of tears. Not knowing how to handle someone who is crying, Meiss sits the half-elf up and awkwardly drapes his arm around her shoulders in a sort-of half hug. Emilia cries silently, at least accepting the thoughts behind Meiss' actions.
"Y-you're shaking Meiss."
Despite trying to rationalize those shadows as a dream, Meiss can't shake the feeling that they weren't. It felt too real. To Meiss, the feeling of being lighter and burning hot and freezing cold and utterly terrified at the same time wasn't something his mind could fabricate in a dream. Even if it could, that feeling should have ejected him from the dream, not let him linger long enough for him to hit a tree and die from the impact.
"I… Yeah I guess I am. Don't worry about me though, my light will always banish the shadows."
"But there aren't any shadows…?"
Meiss chuckles to himself and rises. He pats himself down of dust and extends his hand to Emilia to pull her up. The two stand for a second in the trial room.
"Is it ok if I ask about the trial?"
"…I failed… Wait, how are you even here?"
Meiss debates on whether or not to tell her he got the qualifications from Echidna, then realizes he would be lying for no reason. The blonde glances around the room, noticing a wooden door on the other side that he must have not seen earlier.
"You see, when I collapsed I got a special invitation. I met the person buried here and she gave me the power to take the trial. Well, trials-"
Meiss pauses. Emilia failed her trial, and as a result of not conquering her past she is all shaken up. If Meiss were to tell her that he completed his trial that may demoralize her. So now Meiss decides to lie.
"- and I failed."
The two stand awkwardly for a second before leaving the tomb. Meiss feels his skin start to tingle and prick as they near the starlight at the end of the corridor. The blonde puts in conscious effort to slow his heartbeat and breathing before they leave the tomb.
"Emilia-sama!"(x2)
Meiss raises his head as he hears the joined voices of Rem and Ram. They both call out to Emilia when she steps out into the night and both look relieved. Meiss trails slightly behind the half-elf as they walk out of the fence's perimeter.
"Hmph, it seems that Guest-sama brought her out."
"Please learn my name. I'm Meiss."
The blonde notices Rem looking at him inquisitively. You can see right through people, can't you? Meiss exhales, holding his short breath for a second, before inhaling and turning to face Garfiel and Subaru.
"Hey man."
"Th' fuck was that? You don' look like yer half-blooded."
Meiss fails to meet Garfiel's gaze, looking down and to the side. After a brief moment the blondes meet gazes again.
"I met the Witch of Greed, she's incessant when it comes to talking but gave me the qualifications on a whim."
Meiss withholds how he met a few of the other witches, thinking that wouldn't help him here. Garfiel snorts and clicks his teeth before looking away. Meiss deems that as the conversation ending and turns to Subaru, who is standing next to Emilia now.
"Hey Suba-"
He's already looking at me.
Meiss feels his blood turn to ice for some reason. The feeling of slick life flowing down his body returns to him. Resisting the urge to puke, he meets Subaru's eyes.
He's looking down.
Meiss stuffs his hands in his vest pockets, balling them up as tight as he can. No.
"-ru…"
"Yeah?"
"… I don't know japanese, so what does 'Shitto no Ken'no' mean?"
"Um, 'Power of Jealousy.'"
Just like that, Meiss feels his stomach drop. It drops so far that his body falls along with it. His knees give out and his legs fold. Meiss doesn't know japanese, so it's unlikely his brain could form a phrase in the language, and it's near impossible to name the Witch of Envy's authority without being told it. The blonde is saved from his meal of dirt by Subaru.
"Meiss?! What happened?"
Meiss brings his hand to his stomach, trying to ignore the repeating sound of Emilia's neck snapping from the force of his punch. His throat closes, and he has to take in gasping breaths. The blonde notices Rem kneel down next to Subaru, watching the blonde worriedly. Emilia is still overwhelmed and standing where Subaru left her.
Is this it? The answer?
"I n-need a m-minute."
Meiss climbs out of Subaru's arms and onto his knees, the teen next to him reaches his arms out but doesn't touch him. Meiss sways slightly, one hand holding his gut and the other holding his head. His golden hair comes down from his head and covers his face like a curtain. He feels the warm touch of a hand on his shoulder-
"GO AWAY!"
-and lashes out with his voice.
—
Subaru closes the door gently behind him. Emilia is sound asleep after succumbing to the strain of her past. When he Returned by Death, Subaru was scared that he would go back to the mansion, but instead the save point had updated to a few minutes before Meiss and Emilia got out of the tomb. A second reason he was scared is because of after he met with the witches again. After Returning by Death the question of Roswaal's Gospel was strong enough to drag him into the tea party again. There, he revealed his power of Return by Death to Echidna. After waking up, Subaru found that the Witch of Envy had started to swallow the world as punishment for him revealing his power. Subaru wasn't sure that the Witch would give up after one death, so seeing Emilia was a huge relief.
So what happened to Meiss? He was the one to come out of the tomb looking weird. He stumbled around and collapsed after asking me-
Subaru snapped his eyes open.
Meiss is American, he even told me he doesn't know japanese. So why would he…
Subaru spun around in the small living room, glancing out the windows. After what happened outside the tomb, Meiss had run off into the woods. Subaru was worried about him, but Emilia was his first priority.
As quickly but also as quietly as he could, Subaru opened the door and closed it behind him. He ran out into the middle of Sanctuary before spinning around again. He had no idea where the blonde could have gone. The woods around Sanctuary were large and would take an entire day to search through only a portion. Subaru turned to face the direction of the tomb. Meiss had run off from the tomb, so checking the direction where he ran off would be Subaru's best bet.
—
Alone, Meiss sat. His shoes and socks lay next to him as he dipped his feet into the stream next to him. Acedia lazily waved under the water, turning the stream into steam. The blonde breathed in the warm, calming air and shifted his weight.
"That… was quicker… than I thought."
Beside the blonde, Subaru stepped out of the foliage. He was breathing heavy and sweating, as if he had been running. Meiss ran his hand through his hair and brushed it over his head. That annoying lock of hair draped over Meiss' face as he turned to face Subaru.
"I think I figured you out."
"… Nanidato?"
Meiss sways his foot in the stream, prompting more steam to rush out.
"A 'loop,' is what you can do. It's not just that you can redo actions or conversations. It's that you loop back to a previous point in time."
Meiss stands up in the stream, waving his hands to try and disperse the steam. When he has a clear line of sight, he looks Subaru directly in the eyes.
"How many times have you died?"
Subaru freezes under the weight of this question. What? He knows?
"That expression you're wearing… I only know because the Witch of Envy forced the knowledge upon me before ripping out my insides."
He not only knows, but he can remember? The Witch of Envy, the entity that had gifted Return by Death, made an amendment and let him remember?
"Your mind is probably exploding, so is mine. You mentioned earlier that the Arlam villagers are leaving bright and early tomorrow, and that you weren't permitted to leave. What about me? Assuming that you've already died a few times, what would happen if I stayed to help with the trial and the rabbit?"
Subaru, having his mind implode, takes a moment to process that Meiss is trying to think of solutions to the problems surrounding Sanctuary. His mind flashes back to Meiss fighting Garfiel, the agony of his leg and the suffocating weight of the thrown dirt.
"You should leave, The furthest I got was the first time here, about a week after arriving here without you. After one week is when the Ousagi will attack. Right now that's the only limiting factor."
Meiss puts a hand to his chin, contemplating the things that can be done and the things that have been forgotten. If Subaru is the only one with knowledge of loops before the most recent one, then his word is the strongest when it comes to what to do. If the guy says to leave, then Meiss will.
Sighing, Meiss lowers his hand from his chin and steps onto dry land.
"I'm going to go get something to eat and say sorry to everybody."
Subaru watches his back leave towards Sanctuary. That's a lot to process. There are a few big things I passed over, like Roswaal having a Gospel. The witch's tea party let me calm down about that but I still should try and limit interactions with him to make sure I don't do anything that would waste a life.
—
"Haaaaah."
Meiss lowers his head after leaning out of a carriage. The wind blows through his hair gently and feels rather nice. The blonde is in the first carriage, and Garfiel is running closer, seems like he wants to talk about something.
"Hey Blondie. Mind chattin'?"
"Chat away, Garfiel."
Garfiel hops onto the back of the carriage, walking to be next to Meiss before he leans on the carriage railing.
"Im'na be real frank with ya, as clear as mornin' dew. Ya made a good impression on me when ya jumped'n to defend yer friends, but my amazin' self has a good nose so I thought to let ya know."
Meiss looks to Garfiel, rising to stand next to the boy.
"What is it, Garfiel."
"Ya stink."
"Wuh?"
Raising his arm, Meiss takes a whiff and smells nothing unpleasant. Garfiel rears back and starts laughing.
"HA HA HA… No 's nothin' like that. It's a peculiar stink; of the Witch. Be grateful that only my amazin' self has a nose this strong."
Weirdly, Garfiel pauses after saying that. He scratches his head in confusion as if what he said didn't feel right. Meiss widens his eyes before closing them swiftly. Rem has a good nose too, is that why he's so confused?
"When did this stink first come to your attention?"
"When ya left th' tomb."
So that means it's linked to looping. This may be a problem if looping is used too much around those with strong noses. Not like I like dying, just the first time was good enough.
"Well, thank you for telling me. Must be a result of talking to the Witch of Greed after my trial, peculiar person."
"Hmm, tha's interesting…"
Garfiel hops off the carriage and continues to run in silence. Meiss looks away from the boy's form and thinks about looping. That question I asked Subaru earlier about how many times he's died… Was probably insensitive. It's definitely more than three at least. Man, where does he get the strength to stand after that much pain?
—
The Witch fight was fun to write, as was Meiss freaking out about RBD. Messing with an entity that can completely annihilate someone that strong was kinda intimidating. The cause-and-effect of time loops is a headache sometimes but that's bound to happen. Next week awaits.