I did not expect this story to take-off the way it did. First of all, I appreciate it a lot and I'm glad you all enjoyed it enough to want more.
However, I feel like I should say this before the story continues. The way you choose to take this is 100% up to you. Though I am going to continue this story, it is up to you on what you want to consider as 'canon'. For example, if you feel as though you want to leave only the first chapter canon, then that is perfectly okay. Either way, the story works; it can end where it began or it could continue onward. Whether the story from here on is canon to you, is up to you.
While this story and it's overarching plot are going to be mostly original, I should say that there may be some minor spoilers for Arc 5 and beyond. I'll try to keep it minimal, but please be warned. This chapter in particular is important to the overall plot, establishing Subaru's current outside relationships, world building and somewhat drawing on previously stated material in the LN/WN (though that knowledge isn't necessarily required in order to read this). I was going to add more to this chapter, but I think it ends on a decent spot. The other stuff can be surprises for future chapters. On one final note, the story takes place an undisclosed amount of time in the future.
Chapter 2: The Seal of Eternity
~One Hour Before Being Sealed~
"You know, Subaru," a voice spoke. "It would be much easier to get through this expedition, the one you insisted on doing, if you were completely with us, I suppose."
Subaru shook his head, escaping out of his daze. He had zoned out, albeit unintentionally. He looked to his side at his contracted spirit, who was currently boring into his soul with a narrowed look. He put a palm behind his head, nervously rubbing it as he spoke to her, "Ah, sorry. I was just thinking about what we could be facing up ahead."
It wasn't a lie, he was thinking about that. However, it was much more than just simple contemplation of what may lie ahead. In fact, he was thinking of ways to avoid, or at the very least beat, what was ahead.
Subaru couldn't help but get lost in his own mind as he thought about the dangers ahead. It did kill him, after all. It had only been once, but he had died in the ruins ahead. He didn't even entirely know how it happened, either. He remembered something lunging at him, an intense amount of pain around his head before his vision went dark and he found himself starting over at his checkpoint. He swore he'd never get used to dying, but, in a way, he considered that a good thing.
"Hmph!" His contacted spirit straightened her posture and puffed her cheeks, looking proud. "That's why Betty is here, in fact! To make sure my no-good, useless contractor won't have to worry so much, I suppose."
"Ouch, Beako! That stung! I can take care of myself sometimes, you know!" He put his hand over his heart in mock hurt, as he put his other arm to his eyes to fake wiping tears.
"From what Betty has seen, it always seems like the contrary, I suppose. But… as long as Betty is here, she will protect you, in fact."
He shook his head, a smile of amusement on his face as he gave her a few head pats. He treasured moments such as these. Moments where he and the people he cared about got along, could laugh together and just generally have fun. The genuine friendships and people in his life was something he cherished far more than anything else.
"What are we waiting for, I suppose." Beatrice once again brought him out of his inner musings, speaking in an impatient tone, looking at her contractor with a hint of frustration.
"Backup," Subaru answered simply, putting his fists against his waist and straightening his back, head held high in one of his poses.
"Why would we need that, I suppose."
He brought his gaze back to her, a small yet smug smile on his face, "Because we don't know if there's too much for us to handle in there, I suppose."
"Did you just mock Betty?!"
"I did, I suppose."
The sounds Beatrice made after that statement were cute, unapproving growls as she puffed her cheeks and stomped her foot like a child. Subaru smiled in satisfaction that his teasing worked.
The two talked and bantered back and forth for a while as they waited for Subaru's 'backup' to arrive. It didn't take too long, though, as soon the two noticed a single carriage approaching from the distance.
Both Beatrice and Subaru got up and presented themselves to greet the newcomers. Once the carriage came to a halt in front of them, its passengers wasted no time in getting off.
"Good to see you again, my friend," a courteous and respectful voice spoke, approaching Subaru and his contracted spirit.
Subaru smiled, holding out his hand in front of him, "Reinhard, good to see you too. Thanks for showing up." He used his other hand to give his friend a thumbs up.
Reinhard gladly took his friend's hand, a small smile present on his face as well. "I am happy to be here. Lady Felt was actually quite insistent that I come to assist you."
"Wait, really? What did she say?"
"I believe she instructed me to 'make sure big bro doesn't get himself killed.'"
"Ouch!" He put a hand to his heart again, as if he were hurt. "Does nobody think I can take care of myself these days?!" He swore he heard a snicker from the loli next to him.
"You did ask me to come as well, didn't you, Subaru-kyun?" Another voice stated, coming alongside the Sword Saint.
Subaru sighed, almost deadpanning. "Yeah, I did, Felix."
"Asking Lugnica's best healer to accompany you on an expedition is implying that somebody is going to need to be healed, Subaru," A third voice spoke, approaching from the Sword Saint's other side, Julius Juukulius.
"And, what, did you assume it was for me?!" Subaru cried out dramatically, flailing his arms at his sides as the two knights by the Sword Saint's side just shared glances. When Subaru looked at Julius and Felix, they gave him smiles that made Subaru playfully deflate.
Reinhard kept a steady, comfortable smile on his face as he watched his friends' antics. Though, it was quickly replaced with a different expression, one tinted with a bit more seriousness.
"We got Emilia-sama's letter, Subaru," the redhead spoke, looking at Subaru, who had now regained his composure and put on a more serious face as well. "She spoke of this being something of great importance?"
Subaru nodded, looking up at his overpowered friend. "Yeah, I asked her to send out letters for you guys to be here."
Despite his own pride, and wanting to look good in front of Emilia, he begrudgingly asked her to assist him by sending out letters to her fellow candidates for their knights. Though he had only died once, what killed him was something he wasn't sure he could handle alone with just Beatrice. So, he thought it best to play it safe and call for backup rather than try to rush back in unprepared and die again. The letters weren't too specific, however they did specify a request for these knights in particular to assist Subaru on an expedition. Said expedition wasn't exactly clarified either, just that it was of great importance according to Subaru.
Subaru wasn't entirely sure if the other candidates would even allow for their knights to do this, in fact he would have bet that'd refuse, but it seemed as though he was wrong. It was surprising, but he was happy that they agreed to help him. Though, he had asked Emilia to send a letter to all of the candidates, meaning Priscilla refused to send Al, since he wasn't here.
"If this was as important as insisted, then shouldn't we have more people here, nyan?" Felix asked, a finger under his chin in mock thought.
Subaru looked at him, crossing his arms. "I thought it would be better to keep this discreet. You don't know who might spread this kind of information to places we want no part of."
"A reasonable concern," Julius nodded, agreeing.
"I also thought that this might be a great time to hang out and bond as friends!"
"I would hardly call an important expedition, one that you insist requires secrecy, an opportune time to bond as friends," Julius retorted, truthfully. Although he did possess a small smile due to his friend's antics. "Though, if I may ask, what is here that requires such secrecy?"
Subaru straightened his posture, leaning back a little with his arms crossed. He developed a prideful smile as he spoke, "Well, during my time in Vollachia I found something that was connected to the Great Sage! I did a lot of private research and, well, eventually it brought me here!"
"The Great Sage," Reinhard muttered to himself. "I can understand why you would want to keep this confidential. The Great Sage is a particularly unknown subject, and any such information about them or their possessions could be considered dangerous."
If I may-" Julius interjected. "You said that the clues you found led you here?"
"Yup! Right here, this exact spot!"
"Nyah, Subaru-kyun. You know that this is the middle of nowhere, right?" Felix spoke, looking around at the landscape around them. It wasn't an entirely bad sight, there was just nothing of significance around them other than a few large hills. The one they were standing at in particular had an almost perfectly vertical incline, with a small cliff hanging overhead.
"That's just what they want you to think!" Subaru exclaimed proudly, clearly showing off that he knew exactly what he was doing.
"Are you sure, Subaru?" Julius asked. "I do not mean to doubt you so indiscriminately, but this just seems…"
"Hmph! Betty's contractor knows exactly what he's doing, I suppose!" Beatrice stepped to her contractor's side, interrupting Julius to express her faith in him, which Subaru found adorable.
Julius bowed his head, a soft smile on his face, "My apologies, Great Spirit-sama."
"In any case," Subaru looked to his red headed friend, who had stayed silent, watching their banter with a comfortable smile on his face. "Reinhard, I'm sure you can vouch for me here."
Reinhard nodded, "Indeed, Subaru. You are telling the truth."
Subaru imitated a prideful pose, a large, toothy smile on his face. "What we're here for is just behind here." He jabbed this thumb behind him, in reference to the stone incline.
Felix looked at Subaru in an expression of hesitancy at his friend's words, "Isn't that just a stone wall?"
Subaru deadpanned at him, "Oh, Felix, you poor fool. You're being deceived!"
"I am?"
"Yes! Because!" Subaru dramatically rolled his arms along one another, before pointing at the wall with both hands. "There's something strange about that wall!"
The three knights and spirit looked at the wall, trying to find the abnormality Subaru mentioned. Eventually they all got closer to the stone to inspect it, looking the wall over at every possible angle. After a few moments, Reinhard put his ear against the stone, as if he were listening to it, putting the back of his finger against the wall and lightly tapping it.
"It's hollow," he stated, getting everybody else's attention.
"So quick!" Subaru exclaimed in surprise. He would never admit it, even if he could, but it took him exceedingly longer to find that on his previous loop. Though, he quickly composed himself, "Yes, that's right! There's an entryway behind that wall!" After hearing what Subaru said, everyone looked back at the wall. "Now, to open it, you have to-"
He was interrupted by a mesh of sounds. It sounded as though a tremendous force crashed into some rock, shattering it and making them bang against one another until they settled on the ground. Well, that's exactly what happened. Ahead of him, he noticed that Reinhard had, instead of looking for any kind of secret way to open it, just decided to blow the entrance open.
"Or… that works too," Subaru mumbled, deflating in a defeated manner.
Reinhard heard his mumbling, looking back over at his friend with a look of uncertainty, "Oh, my apologies. Was I not supposed to do that?"
Subaru looked at him, shaking his head, "Don't worry about it, Reinhard!" He laughed in both amusement and awkwardness. Sometimes the world just wouldn't let him show off.
Subaru reconvened with his companions at the newly created entrance. Gazing inside, they could all clearly see the staircase leading down into an ominous darkness.
They formed up before going down the stairs. Julius took the lead in the front, lighting the way ahead of them with help from his buds. Subaru, Beatrice and Felix trailed behind with Reinhard at their flank.
"By the way," Subaru started, gaining everyone's attention as they carefully descended. "From what I found, there's supposed to be three rooms in this place. The first room is supposed to be some sort of combat trial, the second room is supposed to be a trial revolving around a puzzle of some sort, and the third is the final room and what we're here for."
"This seems very reminiscent of those 'fantasy dungeons' you told Betty about, I suppose." Beatrice commented, staying close to Subaru as she held his hand.
Felix looked over at Subaru, "Fantasy dungeons? What are they?"
The raven-haired knight looked back at the catboy, a small smile on his face, "In my homeland, we have these mythical stories that sometimes have dungeons in them. Those dungeons often have treasure at the end of them, but in order to get there you have to get through it's challenges, or trials." Subaru finished giving the summary of a vast amount of video games he's played.
"Your homeland seems to be full of wondrous things," Reinhard spoke from the back. "I'm sorry if this is too selfish of me to ask, but would it trouble you to teach me some things about your homeland sometime? Or, perhaps recite some tales?"
Subaru smiled a little wider, "No need to apologize, Rein! I'll be happy to!" It was true, he would be happy to talk more about the plotlines of some of his favorite games to his friends, among actual cultural things from Japan, of course.
Reinhard smiled, not only because Subaru had agreed, but because he had called him by his nickname. He truly valued his friendship with Subaru, and was glad Subaru did as well.
Meanwhile, Subaru felt Beatrice's hand tighten around his ever so slightly. He knew that it was likely because she was jealous. He frequently told her stories of Japan, his life, experiences and many other things. So, in her mind, him telling other people those same stories would extinguish how special that was between them. He would have to reassure her later that there were some things that would remain between the two of them and only them.
Soon enough, they reached the bottom of the staircase. A small hallway connected it to the next room, and upon following it triggered some form of lighting system to activate. Upon exiting the small hallway and entering the chamber, various dim lights started activating around the room. It wasn't much, but they were able to see, so Julius stopped emitting his own source of light. It should be noted that the chamber they were in was big, but not overly spacious in the form circle. On the other side was a doorway, similar to the one they just emerged from, likely leading to the next room.
The group walked further into the chamber, which was completely empty other than some kind of rubble off to the side. Julius knelt down next to the rubble, with Reinhard hovering nearby. They both looked at the rubble, or rather what they determined to be something that had been destroyed. Julius, as he inspected it, saw something odd and picked it up. It seemed to be a cube, made of some material Julius didn't recognize.
"Reinhard, do you know what this might be?"
Reinhard looked over at it, examining it however he could. "I'm afraid not. I haven't seen anything like this before." Julius only hummed in response, looking at the cube before putting it away. He hoped that it could be useful later.
Not too far away, the other three gazed around the chamber. Subaru in particular rapidly moved his gaze to every place he could see, as if he were looking for something. He was pulled out of this when he felt a light pull on his hand, looking down to his contracted spirit.
"Is something wrong, I suppose?" Her face was mixed with concern and worry. It made him feel bad. He didn't want to worry her because of his own troubling experience.
"Ah, Beako, I'm okay," he told her, rather unconvincingly.
"If that's true, why do you keep looking around this place like you're about to be jumped, I suppose," she sighed, looking at him with a hint of frustration. "Honestly, when will you start completely relying on Betty? I'm here for you, in fact."
"As are we," Felix added, looking at Subaru with a determined look. "That's why you wanted us to be here, right? To help you? To look out for you? We're your friends, you can trust us."
Subaru took a deep breath, taking in their words, before his expression changed to one of content, "Yeah, got it."
Suddenly, the sound of stones falling against one another echoed throughout the chamber. Everyone's attention drew to the source of the sound, which presented itself along the opposite side of the chamber. The dim light helped little in illuminating the area, but from what minority they could see it seemed as though there was a small opening in the floor of the chamber.
Nobody removed their gazes, as small sounds continued to come from the gap. It wasn't long before something seemed to emerge from it, Subaru gulping at the sight. The creature, whatever it was, seemed to be as long as Subaru's legs. It's body stature was quite thin, other than the large sack trailing behind it. In addition, this creature possessed eight legs, four on each side. The legs were thin, protruding outward from its similarly thin body, with one joint protruding them downward and letting it anchor them to the ground.
It walked out of the hole quite fast, moving indiscriminately along the chamber floor. Everyone watched as the bizarre looking creature wandered around, not letting their guards down for even a moment. Eventually it stopped walking, everyone quietly continuing to warily watch.
That's when a loud, somewhat high-pitched shriek echoed throughout the chamber. It's mouth, now much more visible, expanded outward in a wide circle. Everyone seemed prepared to fight as the creature jumped up into the air, hidden wings coming out of its back, and prepared to dive onto Subaru's head, mouth first.
Just as it was about to land on Subaru's head, the creature hit an invisible barrier, letting it fall to the ground where it then proceeded to be immediately stabbed by Felix, ending its life. "Are you alright, Subaru-kyun?"
Subaru shakenly nodded, "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." He then looked down to Beatrice, "And thanks for the save, Beako." She nodded to his thanks, gazing down with a serious look toward the being that nearly ended her contractor's life. Unknowingly to her, that same creature was what ended him in his previous loop.
More shrieks emanated from the hole, which was quickly followed by a vast amount of those same creatures. Everyone immediately began to fight off the attackers, as the creatures began to swarm them. The group huddled up, the Sword Saint and Spirit Knight taking the full brunt of the swarm.
Reinhard had little to no trouble taking care of the ones around him. His Divine Protections and skills serving their purposes in aiding him with this situation. Julius, similarly, did not have much trouble with the threat at hand. Just as Julius had sliced yet another one of the creatures, one quickly slipped past him and darted for him. The creature opened its mouth and quickly jumped onto his leg.
Julius immediately felt a sensation of great pain coming from his leg, quickly slicing the attached creature in half and letting its mouth fall to the floor. He knelt to the ground, unable to stand as more creatures came for him. Before they could make it, Reinhard came to his friend's aid, quickly dispatching the incoming creatures.
"Are you okay?" Reinhard asked his friend, keeping his eyes ahead of him.
"I'll be fine," Julius responded, clenching his leg. He looked ahead at the onslaught of continuously coming creatures, "There's just no end to them."
"Reinhard, strike the roof!" Subaru shouted from the back, using his whip to attack some of the creatures that slipped by as Beatrice and Felix did the same.
Reinhard looked at the hole, then at the roof, immediately understanding what Subaru's plan was. Quickly, Reinhard took his sword and slashed at the roof above the hole. The result of the impact caused the rock to break and crumble, falling down and covering the ground by the hole. Fortunately, the chamber walls stabilized and the roof ceased crumbling before the entire chamber could be completely filled with rock.
The group had to reconvene with one another after killing off any remaining stragglers, with Felix immediately rushing to Julius to heal his wounded leg. Subaru looked at the bodies of the creatures, a sudden shiver enveloping him as he imagined their deadliness. Spiders with wings were now on his nightmare list.
Reinhard picked up one of the creature's heads, examining it, "I have not seen or heard of anything like these before…" he trailed off, looking at it thoughtfully. "There are no teeth here, so how did it injure Julius, Felix?"
"Some kind of acid spit," Felix answered as he examined and healed the wound. "It wasn't attached to him for long, but it already got through a lot of flesh. If the first one ever attached itself to Subaru-kyun's face, he would have died instantly." Subaru shuddered at the prospect. At least he knew what happened in the last loop.
Julius winced as Felix healed his wound, silently ashamed at his uselessness and failure to keep himself unharmed. Subaru looked over to Beatrice, "Beako, do you know what these might be?"
Beatrice looked up at him to answer, "I do not, I suppose. Though I can hypothesize that these creatures are very old and ancient, in fact. Not even mother knew about this place, and she did not have any such information about those creatures in any of her books."
"I see," he responded. "But there's no way they should have been here originally, right?"
"I believe you're correct," Reinhard moved closer to them as he spoke. "I believe that these creatures came to inhabit this place some time ago and built some kind of nest within the hole they emerged from. They likely attacked because we distributed them." As everyone registered his words, they recognized they made sense. "Subaru, you stated before that this was a combat trial, correct?"
Subaru nodded, not expecting the sudden change of topics. Reinhard thought to himself for a quick moment, before speaking again.
"That would explain the pile of rocks we found earlier. Perhaps that was what we were initially supposed to go against, but those creatures swarmed and destroyed it."
Julius made sense of those words, wincing again as Felix finished up healing his leg. "That would explain the strange object we found next to it," as he spoke, he pulled out the cube he had taken before.
He threw it to Subaru, who he trusted to know what to do with it. The part of Subaru's mind that resembled his NEET days kicked in, quickly deducting what to do with it. If Reinhard and Julius found it next to the boss they were supposed to fight, then that could only mean it was a boss drop! The key for the next room!
Walking over to the large door, he found an empty slot in which the cube could perfectly slide into. He satisfyingly slid it into the slot, locking it into place and stepping a safe distance back as the door began to shake. Soon, it opened inward to reveal the next room.
"Well, it wasn't the trial we were supposed to have but it was definitely a combat trial," Subaru awkwardly laughed to himself. He then looked at Julius, "Also, look who needed healing after all! Ha! Not me!"
Julius only half-heartedly glared at Subaru's teasing, not at all offended by the comment. He swore he saw Reinhard smile at the comment, though, and Felix even snickered while Beatrice had a hint of pride on her face.
They waited until Felix finished healing Julius' wound before they progressed, which didn't take long. Having the best healer in Lugnica with them was definitely helpful. Subaru was genuinely happy that he asked them to come. He really should start relying on other people more, he thought.
Reinhard helped Julius to his feet. They would have discussed whether they'd be sending any reconnaissance groups out to investigate when they were finished, but they weren't at all eager to start discussing that after what had just happened. Those creatures, despite being a new discovery, were exceedingly dangerous and could cause severe harm to any normal person and most knights, especially if they were to swarm again. Instead, they only progressed into the next room to face their next trial.
As Julius walked, he commented that he still felt a stinging sensation and pain. Once they got into the room, Felix insisted that he look over his wound again, with Reinhard hovering nearby to watch over them. Subaru, followed by Beatrice, investigated the room's contents.
It seemed as though this room was smaller than the last, only filled with whatever was necessary for the trial and the same door at the other side. The room had a variety of different, complex buttons that seemed to connect to little holes on the wall that emitted light. Subaru quickly deduced that this was some sort of puzzle, one in which the one solving needed to turn all of the lights on. However, the amount of lights and buttons present was nothing to gloss over. He put a hand to his chin in thought as Beatrice continued to stare at his face, her mouth slightly agape.
Meanwhile, the other three knights were caught up in their own conversation. "Does it still sting?"
"A bit, but I am-"
"Shut it, let me finish healing you," Felix insisted, making Julius stop talking and begrudgingly let his friend examine his leg again.
Silence engulfed them for a few moments, before Julius looked to his red haired friend, who he noticed had an indecisive look on his face, and spoke, "Are you alright, Reinhard?"
He snapped out of his own thoughts, looking at Julius with a contemplative look. "I'm sorry for raising concern, it's just…"
Julius kept looking at him as he trailed off, "Just what?"
"I have an odd feeling, is all," Reinhard stated, going back into his own thoughts.
"Is it about the next trial? Or what the Great Sage has hidden here?" Julius asked, still concerned for his friend.
Reinhard shook his head, "It's not about this place. It's more about me."
This time, Felix looked at his friend and asked, "What's wrong? I'm sure there's nothing wrong with you, nyan."
Reinhard looked back to them, shaking his head with a still highly contemplative look on his face, "My Divine Protection of Sensory Awareness seems to be failing me. If it had been working, I am sure I would have detected those creatures before they had a chance to completely show themselves."
This new information alarmed the other two knights. Julius quickly asked, "Do you think it's this place?"
Reinhard shook his head again, "I do not know. I have not heard of anyone or anything that is able to completely neutralize a Divine Protection."
The other two hummed. Felix went back to finishing up with his wound as Julius responded, "Then we should keep our guards up."
Reinhard nodded, agreeing with an "indeed" as he found himself lost within his own mind again. Felix removed his hands from Julius' leg, looking at him as he asked, "How is it now?"
Julius moved his limb around, feeling it out, before smiling at his friend, "Much better now, thank you."
Felix smiled back, the both of them getting to their feet. Felix then looked at Reinhard, asking him a question he had on his mind, "Say, why not just blow open every door here?"
Reinhard looked over at him, once again snapping himself out of his thoughts, "I fear that in doing that, I may make the surrounding terrain unstable and cause a collapse."
"Ah, that's fair," Felix was content with the answer he received.
"And I noticed that Subaru was disappointed before when I opened the first door, so I did not want to upset him again."
Felix softly smiled, slightly shaking his head, "Good guy Reinhard." He paused, taking in time to form his next statement, raising a finger to his chin in mock thought, "In any case, how do you think this next trial is going to be, nyah?"
"This is supposed to be a trail revolving around a puzzle, per Subaru's words." Reinhard responded.
"I do wonder what kind of puzzle it could be. Knowing the Great Sage, it must definitely be a difficult one to pass," Julius theorized, looking at Reinhard.
"Likely," the Sword Saint answered back. "However, I am sure if we all work together to solve it, we can-"
"Aha!"
Reinhard was interrupted by a loud exclamation of joy from the only missing knight of their group. The three turned their heads toward their friend, who was standing in front of an opening door doing one of his signature Subaru poses.
Subaru turned back to them, the door now all the way open, a smug smile on his face. Julius was the first to speak, "How did you-"
Julius was admittedly lost for words, unsure as to how his friend solved the trial's puzzle, opened the door so quickly and without them realizing. "I just made all of those dots on the wall light up! I used to be an expert in these kinds of puzzles back in the day!" At least Subaru's time playing all of those puzzle games finally paid off.
Felix looked at him with a minor sweat drop, "Your deductive ability is truly amazing, Subaru-kyun."
Beatrice puffed up, a similarly pridefully look on her face. "As expected of Betty's Subaru, I suppose!"
After that minor surprise, they all wasted little time in proceeding to the final room. Inside there were things that none of them had thought to find. The room, which was quite small in comparison to the others, looked to be filled with various objects, books and something more noticeable at the far end of the room that looked out of place.
Reinhard and Felix took to examining the thing at the room's center, while Julius went to look at some of the other objects scattered around the room on his own. Subaru had ended up following Beatrice, who had almost been pulled over to a large stack of books. Said books, which had probably been collecting dust for centuries, stood out by themselves on their own side of the room. Beatrice picked up the first book she laid eyes on, examining the cover for a brief moment before opening it to the first page. After skimming its contents, she let out a frustrated grumble, "Betty can't read this."
At that comment, Subaru peaked over her shoulder at the book's contents. He recognized the language immediately, quickly leaning in next to his spirit to read more, much to her surprise.
"Can you read this, Subaru?" She asked, wonder filling her butterfly eyes as she shifted her gaze to him.
He glanced away from the book, laying his eyes on her to answer her question, "Yeah, I can. This is the language of my homeland."
Beatrice made a squeak of amazement as she looked back at the book, "What is it then, I suppose."
Subaru similarly looked back at the book, "It's signed by the Great Sage, Flugel." He turned a page, reading more, "It's less of a book and more of a journal, or diary." He kept turning pages, skimming as much of its contents as he could. "There's a lot of information in here about some of the things in here."
Beatrice could only keep her amazed expression as she watched her contractor read through the book. It was true that Subaru had been teaching her some of his language, which included writing and reading, but she wasn't at a high enough level to understand everything yet. At most, she could effortlessly write out Subaru's name, which she memorized after he taught it to her. This only made her want to learn it even more.
"Oi, Reinhard, Felix, I'd step away from that thing if I were you! It's some kind of seal, or something!"
Upon Subaru's shout, the two cautiously backed away. Felix jumped away exceptionally more than Reinhard, probably in more of a panic since he had been getting a bit touchy with it. After the warning, the two knights decided to walk over to the contracted pair.
"How'd you know it was a seal, nyan?" Felix asked, peaking over Subaru's shoulder.
"It's written in this," he lifted up the book in his hands in reference to it. "Actually, there's a few pages dedicated to it."
"What do they say?" Reinhard asked, similarly peaking over Subaru's other shoulder. Beatrice stayed at Subaru's side, with her own view of the book.
"Hmm.." He hummed, reading a little more. "It's apparently called the 'Seal of Eternity.'"
"That's not ominous at all," Felix commented, continuing to look at the book as Subaru read.
"It was supposed to be used on the Witch of Envy, initially. But since the seal has a pretty heavy drawback for the one activating it, the Great Sage left it here and built the chambers to store and protect it. It's also just that little stone tablet in the center, with the little symbol on it, not that entire structure."
"It must be quite powerful, then. Although a small stone tablet is quite an odd form for an entire seal," Reinhard added, glancing back at the seal. It was something made to contain the Witch of Envy, and even when it wasn't being currently used had been heavily protected. Information of this shouldn't spread, he would do his best to make sure of that. Though, there were still a few more questions on his mind. He turned back to Subaru, "What drawback prevented it from being used?"
Subaru looked back through the pages, once again finding the section, "Apparently the seal acts as its own pocket dimension, with its own rules that transcend beyond this world's own space-time continuum. The drawback is that it can only be activated through direct contact, and if you wanted to seal someone really powerful in there then you'd have to be in direct contact with them as well. Basically you're sealing yourself in with them, unless the person you want to seal wants to willingly put themselves in there. Guess nobody wanted to play the self-sacrificial hero, not that the Witch of Envy would have let them anyway."
Subaru mused in his mind as to whether Satella would have sealed herself in there, considering she let them seal her in the current one. He couldn't help but think she wouldn't, just because she would be unable to interact with this world at all. If that happened, she wouldn't have been able to bring him here, after all.
"… I'm lost." Felix deadpanned at his explanation.
"Hey, don't look at me, I'm just reading from the book here."
They were interrupted by a shout, "Identify yourself!"
The four of them quickly pulled their attention to Julius, who stood at the center of the room facing the doorway, a hand on his sword. They all went to support him, Reinhard taking a spot next to Julius, with Subaru, Beatrice and Felix behind them. They all looked through the open doorway at an approaching figure.
As it came closer, their details became more noticeable. A girl, perhaps only a bit shorter than him, entered the room. Her long, silver hair seemed to reflect what little light presented itself in the room, with an indifferent look plastered on her face. The only other thing that seemed out of place on her face was the small smile she possessed. She wore only a single piece of cloth, no shoes or other notable pieces of clothing present at all.
"You…" Beatrice uttered under her breath, instinctively getting in front of her contractor to protect him.
"Please, identify yourself." Reinhard asked steely, yet with a hint of courtesy. Though this woman possessed features similar to a lost, homeless civilian. He was reluctant to think that someone, even a lost child, would have wandered all the way into a place such as this. The fact that she was here at all was... odd.
She didn't answer immediately, instead stopping in her advance and looking over at the group of five. When she did speak, however, it was not the words they would have liked to hear. "The three knights shouldn't be here. They are on their carriage, on their way back to the capital, having left after the second chamber was unlocked."
"What are y-"
Before Julius had time to finish his question, he, along with Reinhard and Felix, suddenly disappeared. Subaru's breath started to become shaky, as his eyes widened in shock over what he'd just witnessed.
Her gaze then became fixated on him. "Natsuki Subaru, we meet at last," she spoke again, her voice gentle and soft, yet Subaru could sense it wasn't quite right. He looked at her, his body now shaking in conjunction to his breath. He was afraid. This girl had just vanquished the Sword Saint, and she had just addressed him.
When the girl proceeded to move forward, Beatrice took her own step forward in an act of defiance, "If you think I'll let you near Betty's Subaru, you are mistaken, in fact!"
"Oh?" The girl spoke, as if she were questioning Beatrice's statement.
"Minya!" Beatrice yelled out. Subaru recognized the attack immediately as the crystallized stakes appeared in the air. Almost as soon as they appeared, they rushed forward and toward the girl before they all hit her, penetrating through her body, seemingly ending her life in a swift moment.
Beatrice turned to him. Subaru noted that she looked stressed, almost nervous. "B-Beako, what was that?"
"The Witch of Vainglory, Pandora," She quickly answered. She opened her mouth to say more, but before either Subaru or Beatrice had time to realize it, the girl had reappeared above them, laying a hand on the top of Beatrice's head. It was done as if it were effortless, Beatrice's body sliding into the ground smoothly. Beatrice struggled, finding it exceedingly difficult to get out of her pseudo-prison. The girl lifted her hand from the spirit's head, looking back at Subaru with the same indifferent look she had when she first appeared.
"Now, since there are no more distractions," she straightened her posture, once again proceeding to approach him. "We have a lot to discuss, Natsuki Subaru."
Subaru himself had unconsciously begun to step backward in pace to her advances. Eventually his back had pressed up against something, preventing him from stepping back anymore. She kept moving forward, though, until she got considerably close enough to him.
"What-… What do you want from me?" He was able to stutter out, looking at her with a vast amount of different emotions.
She hummed, her gaze moving from his head, down his body to his feet, then back up to his head. "I find it hard to imagine someone of your stature being able to defeat two of my archbishops."
All Subaru could do was mouth the start of a word or two, unable to find the right things to say. He was at a loss as to what this girl wanted and what he could do. At this point, he was fearing he'd die at any given moment. This girl was powerful, there was no doubt. Beatrice also said she was a Witch and, from what he saw, she was able to overwrite reality with mere words and physical contact. Not only that, but she said 'her archbishops,' as if she were the one in charge. It all, admittedly, made him scared. Scared of what could happen to him, and even the people close to him, if he didn't comply with whatever she wanted.
"That's why I believe there is something special about you, especially with that overwhelming scent you have. So, I must ask this of you," her voice remained soft, unchanging in its tone.
"What- What do you want to ask?" He murmured, warily.
"Come with me," she stated, surprising him. He truly did not expect her to state such a thing. "If you come with me, I can help you realize things you've only dreamed of. You can live up to your full potential."
As Subaru realized her words, he looked behind her at Beatrice. She had stopped struggling to look at him, her face pleading with him to decline, to not leave her. Subaru looked back at the Witch, "And what if I refuse?"
She hummed again, as if she were in thought, "If you were to refuse, then I would be forced to take drastic measures."
It was a simple statement, but Subaru knew what it meant. It was either join her, or she would kill Beatrice and whoever else she needed to in order to get him to join her. Subaru immediately considered offing himself, but a thought crossed his mind. If this girl, this Witch, was capable of overwriting reality… then couldn't she just prevent him from dying?
In all honesty, it was a sick thought. One that he couldn't be sure was true or not, but was too scared to try. If he did try and she could stop his death, he would have subsequently doomed everyone. For once, he considered himself completely out of options. It was either join her, or everyone he cares about will die. Even if he did join her, he wouldn't even be completely sure if his friends would stay safe forever. He didn't want to join her and end up betraying everyone he ever cared about, possibly hurting them if his mind ever became too unsalvageable. He loathed that possibility. If Subaru ever took one overall lesson from this world, it would be that, even in the happiest of moments, life can flip on its nose in a heartbeat and turn it into a shitshow. That's even what was happening to him now.
As he moved his hands along the surface his back was pressed against, they touched something. That was when Subaru realized where he was, what his hand was currently grabbing ahold of. Another option had presented itself to him, but one he wasn't sure he was ready to take.
"So, what is your decision?" She held out her hand. Subaru would either take it, or refuse it.
"I-…"
He thought about everyone in this world. All whom he had met, cherished, shared bonds with. They all crossed his mind. He thought of Emilia and her happy smile, with her winning the royal selection. He thought of the omi twins, happy together as sisters. He thought of Beatrice, in the outside world, happy. Otto, Garfiel, Frederica, Petra, all of them living happy lives, peacefully. It would be worth it, if they were able to live that life, even if it was without him.
He made his decision.
"I'll join you," his voice filled with a newfound set of confidence as he looked into her eyes. Their normally mean glare was filled with a fiery determination as he took her hand.
Her smile never ceased, seemingly glad he accepted her offer. "I am glad you came to the correct decision, Natsuki Suabru."
After those words, he developed a shaky, yet confident smile, "You bet I did." He held up his hand, a small yet heavy stone tablet with a symbol at its center occupying his palm. It began to glow brightly as he clenched it tighter in his hand. Looking at the Witch in front of him, he hardened his gaze, "You and I are gonna take some time away."
When Beatrice saw what was in his hand, she began to struggle again. She desperately tried to get out, to get to her Subaru, to stop him. "S-Subaru, no!"
"I'm sorry, everyone."
With that, as the bright white light started emitting from the seal, she tried to pull out of his grasp, her mouth starting to open in an attempt to speak, but it was too late. The light flashed across the entire room.
When the light died down, the sound of stone hitting the ground echoed throughout the room, before it settled. Beatrice looked ahead of her, seeing nothing but the room, with the stone tablet flat on the ground where her contractor and the Witch once stood.
As moments passed, she finally freed herself. She shakily wobbled over to the seal, her legs giving out on themselves when she finally made it there. She sat on her knees, bending her back as she reached forward with her hands, grabbing the seal in her tiny grasp. She turned it over, looking at the glowing symbol on its surface. She slowly brought it to her chest, pressing it against herself as small droplets spilled from her eyes, staining her clothes. Small cries echoed in the room, as she held it tighter to her chest, silently whispering her contractor's name.