Sealed

by Im The Person

Pandora IF: In a self-sacrificing move, he sealed himself with her. In a dark void existing in a separate space, devoid of anything and everything except each other. (Inspired Story)

7. Love and Authority

Man, this should not have taken this long. I had a lot of trouble with this one, constantly second guessing my logic and making sure it made sense. Rewriting after rewriting, proofread after proofread. It's been a pain. In the end, I think I nailed down the main aspects of what I wanted this chapter to be. But, still, this chapter isn't exactly my proudest. Maybe I just need a break…

That being said, this is the longest chapter I've written for this story so far (that being around 21k words). It'll likely stay that way, too. Hell, there was more I wanted to put in, but this is already super late and I felt pretty satisfied with what I've included already. It's a pretty dialogue heavy chapter, too.

If you're reading this and need a break, I don't blame you. The sections in this, explicitly separated with scene dividers, are pretty clearly defined, so feel free to jump out of the story for a while as a break in between some sections if you need to. That way it doesn't feel like you're hopping out in the middle of something.

I'll also take more questions if any of you have any after this chapter.

Also, to answer a very, very common question that I always receive: I'm very sure that you all will like the next chapter. Ha!

If you're wondering about what happened to the old interlude chapter, the one that features smut, I decided to move it into its own story for undisclosed reasons. You can find it on my profile, if you're interested. It's canon, but not required to read. I might add more at some point when it feels appropriate; not sure yet, though.

Other notes/fixes:

-Chapter 1 has received slight revisions for Pandora's speech to better match her current form of talking.

-Chapter 3 has been edited to include more details about their overall condition in Beatrice's opening explanation.

-Chapter 4 has received a change in the name of one of the books to be more specific.

-Chapter 6 has received a retcon, in which Pandora now explains Subaru's authorities a bit differently.

Let me know what you think of this chapter, I'd love some feedback on what you thought of it and predictions and all that stuff. Happy reading! I hope you enjoy!

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Chapter 7: Love and Authority

Footsteps echoed through the halls of the mansion, as an inseparable pair wandered through the mansion halls. Their hands were together again, intertwined comfortably at their sides, while their free hands fiddled with certain parts of their clothing.

The two were anything but organized and, if anything, it was incredibly obvious to see. Both of them had messy hair, which suited well with their flustered faces, with haphazardly worn clothes, having been put on in a rush. To top it all off, there were marks on both of their necks; marks that were carelessly left alone, allowing them to be unintentionally obvious and presentable to anyone looking. If one knew of what the marks signified, their act of misconduct would easily be given away.

One would likely question the reason for their careless haste. To put it simply, they were running late. They were supposed to have met Beatrice a while ago, as part of their scheduled plan, in order for them to start helping Subaru develop his Authorities.

Unfortunately, they'd been too caught up in cuddling with each other, which allowed time to slip right under their noses. Subaru had been the first to notice that something was amiss. Knowing full well how Beatrice can get when she's angry, he began to panic. Then, since he started rushing to get ready, Pandora did as well. In the end, it caused them to hurriedly recompose themselves to convene with the Great Spirit. That was why they seemed so chaotic.

As they fiddled with their tracksuits more, they turned a corner and began to head-

"Ahem."

The two stopped in their tracks. Slowly they both turned around, allowing themselves to face the one who gathered their attention. Subaru, for one, let himself comically sweatdrop as he came face-to-face with his annoyed — and quite frankly angry — contracted spirit.

"Where were you two, I wonder?" She questioned in a voice that was less than pleased. Her arms crossed to visually convey her annoyance even more, as if her expression wasn't enough.

Subaru and Pandora merely shared a glance. Their faces were tinted red, their breaths caught in their throats due to the sheer embarrassment the two shared. It was a bit worse for Subaru, though.

"Well, since you won't answer Betty then- wait, I suppose. What are those marks on your necks?" she narrowed her eyes, fixing them on the abnormal additions to their bodies. The two shuffled together nervously, immediately slapping their hands to their necks to cover the spots from her gaze.

It hardly bothered Beatrice. If anything, their actions only proved her suspicions. She trailed her eyes along each of them, noting each abnormality she saw. She was easily able to conclude that this was, in fact, not how she'd left them after breakfast. Using common sense, she'd determined that they'd been up to some sort of nefarious business while she wasn't around. It was the only sensible answer, really.

Eventually, she moved her eyes back to their faces, looking at them pointedly. Then, she just stared. Silently, almost unnervingly, staring at them with that unchangingly pointed look. Subaru somehow gathered the will to speak, clearing his throat and stammering, "S-So, uh… B-Beako-"

"You're both disgusting, in fact."

Her words made him shut up, becoming more embarrassed by each passing second. He glanced over to Pandora, who now only kept her eyes locked onto Beatrice. Strangely enough, he couldn't tell exactly what she was thinking. But her eyes and her expression seemed… blank. It was too blank, too empty, for his liking. It worried him, so he gave her hand a light squeeze in hopes of garnering her attention. It seemed to have worked; he watched her as she finally blinked a few times, in rapid succession, focusing her gaze onto him.

He looked at her with a sense of relief. He didn't necessarily want to say it aloud but, ever since her outburst the previous day, he had grown increasingly concerned. The face she made then — and subsequently the face she made now — ended up scaring him. He didn't quite understand what was wrong, and he knew that she was hiding something from him, but he didn't want to pressure her. Subaru trusted her; he knew that she would talk to him about her issues when she felt ready.

"I take it that you don't see this as a problem, seeing as that you're both ignoring Betty, I suppose," she glared at them intensely, her only visible eyebrow slightly twitching as her cold voice cut through them like butter.

Subaru and Pandora both turned their heads to face her. Subaru developed a guilty expression, raising his free hand up to his face in a form of apology. He did his best to force a smile onto his guilty face, appealing to her with a shaky voice, "B-Beako, we're really sorry… we didn't mean to be late, we just lost track of time, honest."

Beatrice studied him for a few moments. It wasn't hard to see his honesty, as well as his actual guilt. He really, genuinely didn't intend on making her wait. However, when she looked over to Pandora, Beatrice could easily tell that she wasn't guilty at all. In fact, it was quite the contrary. Compared to how blank her face was just moments ago, she now seemed quite happy and giddy. Beatrice also swore that she noticed a hint of pride in Pandora's attitude, but chose to ignore it.

Beatrice only sighed, bringing a hand up to her nose to pinch it. Perhaps it was best to just drop it and move on. Though, there was still one thing she had to ask, "Please tell Betty that you didn't do it on the bed we sleep on. Tell Betty that you picked a guest room."

When Subaru froze, she wanted to scream. She was both incredibly angry and disgusted. Why did her contractor have to be this way? Now she was going to have to do the laundry. Perhaps she'd clean the sheets for more than a few hours just to make herself feel more comfortable.

She took deep breaths to calm herself down, her eyes gazing upon them with a tired look. "Just… Just go prepare yourselves outside. Betty will meet you in a few moments, I suppose."

With that, the Great Spirit reluctantly started trekking her way through the mansion and to their shared room. The duo silently watched her leave, which Beatrice honestly preferred. When she got to that room, she was going to replace every piece of fabric that was in there… just in case she forgot later.

Some time passed before all three of them met outdoors. Subaru and Pandora both, surprisingly, looked better than they did before. Their hair seemed a bit neater and their clothes were more straightened and organized. Luckily, their tracksuit jackets had a forgiving collar that allowed them to hide the marks on their necks, as well.

"Why are we outside, again?" Subaru asked, feeling the light breeze hit his skin with a chill. "I feel like we could've just done this in the mansion."

Pandora looked at him, the cold of the outside seeming to not bother her at all, "We are far enough away from anything too important. It allows us more leeway to test certain things, all without a certain someone getting upset."

They all stood in the middle of a patch of grass, far enough away from any prominent structures. So, theoretically, it should be safe to practice using Authorities. The only downside was the very chilling breeze, which Subaru swore he was the only one even noticing.

Beatrice glared at Pandora after hearing her comment, "While your statement is true, I find the comment unnecessary, in fact."

Pandora shifted her gaze to the spirit, "I find your presence here rather unnecessary. I am perfectly capable of teaching and protecting my Baru."

Subaru felt awkward, to say the least. He silently watched, his body stiffening a little, as Beatrice's glare intensified, a tick almost developing on her forehead as she responded snarkily, "Ha! It's amusing that you think I'd trust you to do anything this important alone with Betty's Subaru."

Tension was rising and Subaru didn't like it. It was needless to admit, but he was beginning to loathe their distaste in one another. He could tell that things would only get worse from here, so to alleviate the tense atmosphere he yelled: "Dammit! It's cold out here!"

He had said it before Pandora had a chance to retort. It was a stupid yet desperate attempt at getting them to stop fighting, but it seemed to have worked. The two looked at him, both confused and a bit worried. He sighed; at least he distracted them.

"It's cold- I'm cold, so can we please do whatever we need to do and go inside?" He desperately moved his head from side to side, looking at the two of them pleadingly in hopes that they would agree.

They were silent for a moment, exchanging one last hateful look at one another before resettling their eyes on Subaru. Pandora spoke up first, "Yes, I suppose we should begin. This is quite important, after all."

Beatrice didn't respond verbally, instead opting to reluctantly shake her head in agreement. Subaru felt his body start to ease itself, thankful that they wouldn't be arguing anymore; well, for now at least.

He let out a dramatic puff of air, looking at Pandora with a feigned smile of eagerness. "Alright, great! Dora, how do we start?"

She just blinked at him, slightly tilting her head to the side as she eyed him thoroughly. The more she looked at him, the more confused he became. His forced smile fell into something more neutral, as he questioned, "Dora… how exactly are we doing this again?"

She just blinked at him again. Subaru didn't know what to ask next, as he watched her move her head back into a straight position. She put her hand to her chin, feigning thought, as she spoke, "To be honest, I do not know."

Subaru wanted to facepalm at her answer, greatly resisting the urge to actually do so, while his expression was dumbfounded. Though, he did hear a loud smack to his right. There was only one other person with them that could have made that sound.

Sure enough, when he turned his head in that direction, Beatrice had a hand smacked onto the middle of her face. Like contractor, like spirit, he supposed. Beatrice moved her hand away from her face, giving Pandora an annoyed, yet challenging, glare, "So what you mean to tell Betty, is that you don't have the slightest idea of what you're doing?"

Pandora didn't even bother to look at the Great Spirit, "I do know what I am talking about. However, this process can be a bit punctilious."

Beatrice, now even more annoyed than before, let a 'tck' flow out of her mouth. Subaru swore that he heard her mutter 'useless' under her breath, but he ignored it for the greater good. Pandora paid it no mind, thankfully, opting to continue giving her plan a little more forethought. Beatrice also chose not to respond fully in words, rightly recognizing that her patience was running thinner than she'd like.

Subaru kept looking at Pandora nervously, completely unsure as to what he should be doing. He saw when she bit the inside of her mouth in thought, then, soon after, when her face perked up with an idea. She looked at him somewhat eagerly and, truthfully, he didn't know how to reciprocate. "Okay, Baru. I know I have said this a plethora of times before, but you are comparable with the Witch Factors you possess. In fact, you are compatible with all of them."

She paused for a moment, so Subaru nodded to her words. He was, as she said, already aware of that information. Beatrice chose to listen to Pandora's words intently, not letting herself miss a single thing.

"Essentially, this enables you to hold influence over the Witch Factor, rather than the Witch Factor holding influence over you," she continued to explain, doing her best to describe everything thoroughly. Though, upon seeing Subaru's slightly lost expression, she took it upon herself to delve into deeper detail, "This means that, instead of the Witch Factor altering your mind, or amplifying certain aspects of your personality, you will hold dominion over the Witch Factor and prevent it from greatly affecting you."

Subaru dawned a look of understanding, "I think I get it. Instead of being like the Witches or Archbishops, I can still be my own person. But, if that's the case, why do I still experience drawbacks when using them?"

She lightly pursed her lips, humming for a second in thought, "As I stated yesterday, I believe the issue lies in your lack of a proper bond with them. You need to purify them, shape them into something that better represents you."

Subaru would admit that he didn't fully understand the situation. Well, he moderately grasped some things, but the concept wasn't exactly something he'd experienced before. Authorities, or Witch Factors, were an enigma to him. They were forces of great power that brought a lot of pain and suffering into the world.

They were incredibly hard for him to understand and, if he was being entirely honest with himself, a part of himself really didn't want to. But, for two reasons, he would. He didn't want those abominable powers loose in the world, leaving havoc, pain and death in their wake. Then for Pandora, who wanted to start correcting the wrongs of her past. He'd understand these absurd powers and get stronger for her.

In place of him, Beatrice spoke up, "How do you suppose he should do that? You have done nothing to provide us reliable information on this plan, in fact! How will this work? What does he have to do? There are so many questions you have outright refused to answer!" As if to help relieve some of her anger, she repeatedly stomped on the ground a few times.

Pandora finally moved her head to look at the spirit. It wasn't a look of hostility, or one that incited some sort of challenge; instead it was a simple look of thought, "In that lies the problem. I do not know everything, Beatrice." She turned back to face Subaru, who was slightly surprised by her admission. She began to only address him, "There may be conditions that you need to fulfill before completely bonding to the Authorities. If so, what conditions are there? Does each sin require the same thing, or something different? I can only speculate, but I have no doubt that we will need to be meticulous."

They both heard Beatrice groan in clear frustration, "So, how do you suppose Betty's Subaru does this, then?" Her tone was definitely a bit strained, which fit her expression and movements, but it was also laced with some disappointment as well.

Pandora hummed again, almost unsure of what to say next. "I have some ideas. However, please bear in mind, I do not know everything about the inner workings of an Authority, nor do I even completely understand my own. I am using what limited knowledge I possess to the fullest. Now, Subaru," he perked up at being directly addressed without his nickname, "I would like to test something."

This time it was Beatrice and Subaru, spirit and contractor, that shared a glance after Pandora went silent again. They were both a little confused, not really sure of what they were doing; though, Subaru was the only one that placed faith in Pandora. The fact that she didn't use his nickname when addressing him just went to show that she was taking things seriously. Beatrice, on the other hand, would rather spend another four-hundred years in solitude before placing any faith in her.

"Okay, let us try it this way first. If it does not work, we will try something else," she suddenly proposed. "I want you to focus deep within your body and soul. Reach out and try to connect with the Witch Factors you possess. Close your eyes to focus, if you must."

He didn't quite know how to execute that. Subaru closed his eyes, as Pandora suggested, and began trying to focus his mind. Though, he really didn't know what he was putting that focus on. Instead of finding what he was looking for — which he didn't even know of — his mind became plagued by outside thoughts. Soon enough, it became almost impossible to clear his mind as it became infected with questions, insecurities, memories… anything that could hold him back. He was reminded of his own failures and self-doubt, becoming affected by their influences.

He kept trying and trying, now completely lost within the maze of his own mind. He didn't know how to navigate it at all. It was if he had taken a wrong turn somewhere, or perhaps he'd never been on the right path since the start. He began to panic, both inwardly and outwardly. He didn't know or understand why he suddenly felt this way, but he didn't exactly have the capacity to think about it either.

He must've been showing his inner turmoil more than he realized, because he felt Pandora slightly tighten her grip on his left hand, whilst simultaneously grabbing his free one with hers. She immediately equalized the grip as she held both of his hands. He felt something else grip at and pull at the bottom of his jacket; it was undoubtedly Beatrice. "Subaru, you must focus. Don't let them influence you; reach within your soul and feel for the unnatural power inside of you. Take control. You can do this, I know you can. If anything happens I- we are right here."

He steadily began easing himself. Her voice and words helped him greatly. To him, her voice sounded calm, relaxing, yet very assuring. It helped him to refocus his mind, clearing away the influences he deemed unimportant and distracting. He wouldn't let them dictate his mind or make him lose sight of what he was doing.

He took a deep breath, remembering Pandora's words to help center his mind on his target. He felt more willful and determined, knowing that he had full support from the people he cared about. He was driven by the desire to do this for them.

As he went deeper and deeper, his mind subtly began to stop rendering outside feelings. The outside breeze, Pandora and Beatrice holding onto him, and not even his own thoughts pierced through. His consciousness only existed as a singularity within himself, now.

That was when he finally felt something. Two things, abnormal and foreign. One felt different than the other, yet they were still so similar. One felt calm and relaxed, almost like a natural, small flowing stream. The other felt almost guarded, yet seemed to possess an insatiable need for more of something. Both were seemingly equally as repulsive, however. It was odd to Subaru, but he kept going.

As he set his focus on them, he felt himself get sucked into something he compared to that of a vortex. His sense of self seemed to almost transcend, as he found himself existing within something completely new. It took a while for him to even realize that he could, somewhat effectively, see, feel and move. The area around him was that of a dark abyssal void, yet he was able to stand on an invisible surface.

He turned his head from side-to-side, seeing nothing but darkness. He lifted his hands, allowing himself to view his limbs. It was all so eerily similar to a certain seal, just without his usual company. In a way, it was a bit depressing for Subaru.

"Welcome, Natsuki Subaru," a voice called from behind him. Subaru immediately turned around in a panic, barely keeping himself steady on his feet as he did so. Before him was a man he recognized very well, green hair, outfit and all. However, instead of possessing a look devoid of life with bulging mad eyes, his face seemed almost younger and more lively, happy even. He held a small, genuine smile upon his face as he raised a hand in a formal greeting, "It is a pleasure to formally meet you. I am Betelgeuse Romanée-Conti, but you can call me Geuse."

Subaru was confused and unsure, yet at the same time incredibly intrigued. He recalled the man in front of him in more ways than one, having heard vague stories from Emilia and Pandora regarding his character. A once nice, benevolent man — or spirit, as Pandora had informed him — that had been corrupted and turned into the madman Subaru once faced. Seeing him now, it looked as if he had gone a hundred years back in time.

Subaru cautiously approached, still a little unsure of the things around him — not that there was very much around him, anyway. Geuse didn't seem to mind, or at the very least he understood Subaru's wariness. He kept that same friendly smile the entire time as he waited for Subaru to reach him. Once he did, Geuse's expression still hadn't changed. Subaru straightened himself, both mentally and physically preparing himself before he spoke, "Um… hello, G-Geuse."

The name felt oddly weird for Subaru to say, which caused him to stutter. The spirit in front of him let out a chuckle at that, which made the boy somewhat embarrassed. It wasn't long before the spirit composed himself once again, the same friendly smile on his face. "Apologies for that," he suddenly spoke sincerely, his body subtly bending forward in a slight bow, surprising Subaru a fair bit.

"Oh, uh… don't worry about it, man," Subaru responded, holding up a hand to signify that everything was okay. Luckily, Geuse got the message and straightened himself out. The two stood together in silence, unsure of what to say to the other. Alrighty, Subaru had it a bit worse, unable to help slouching a little, opening his mouth in an attempt to spark a conversation, "So… how did you even get here?"

Geuse hummed thoughtfully, "Truthfully, I don't know myself." He tilted his head upwards, as if looking for something in the sky. Subaru followed his gaze, finding nothing but the dark abyss that surrounded them. Geuse didn't let the void of silence stay for long, speaking again after a small moment passed, "I don't even necessarily understand who, or what, I am in this place. When you killed me it felt as if I had just stopped existing, but then, all of a sudden, I did again."

Geuse looked back down at Subaru, in which the boy's gaze soon followed. Subaru didn't know how to respond, so he just stayed silent and let the spirit collect his thoughts. His smile dropped, as he began to recall painful memories of the past.

"I appeared here so suddenly. I was alone, still shattered and insane, my memory intact," Geuse held out his palms, lowering his gaze to look at them. "I used to question myself. 'Am I'm the real Betelgeuse, or am I just a mere representation of him, conjured into existence by the Witch Factor of Sloth?' Now, though, with a clear mind, I realize that I exist as the latter."

As he lowered his hands, profusely shaking his head back and forth, Subaru couldn't help but feel for him. Subaru understood Geuse's troubles well. The questions of 'Who are you?' and 'What is your purpose?' was something he was greatly familiar with, because he had asked himself those same questions. He knew what it felt like to be unsure of yourself, to doubt your existence and your place in the world.

He recalled what both Emilia and Pandora had described about the spirit's past. He felt that Geuse's fate was immensely undeserved, and as a result Subaru himself felt guilty. He felt as if he'd robbed Geuse of the happy ending he deserved and needed by killing him. Subaru leaned his head down, looking off to the side and letting out a deep exhale. "I'm sorry," he suddenly said. "If… If I'd known, I would- I would've at least tried to- to-…"

Subaru trailed off, losing his words. It was odd; he felt so compassionate about Geuse even though he never met the man, formally anyway, until now. He found himself sympathizing with him, understanding his outlook and troubles. He didn't exactly know why, but he didn't regret it. Subaru thought that, perhaps, he saw a little bit of himself in Geuse, and maybe that was why he felt like he understood so much about him.

After wallowing to himself for a few seconds, Subaru suddenly felt a hand grasp his shoulder with a light and reassuring touch. He looked up, finding Geuse looking at him with a warm smile once again. "Don't trouble yourself, my friend. You have already helped me in more ways than I could have ever hoped. So, for what it's worth, thank you."

Subaru didn't know what to think. Geuse's voice sounded so sincere and honest, yet Subaru didn't understand why. What had he done to help him? He'd killed him, that's all he could remember. If he'd done anything else I'd significance to help Geuse, then it was lost on him.

He wanted an answer; he wanted to understand what Geuse was talking about. He felt like a failure as he looked at yet another person he failed to save, unable to formulate any words of his own. Though, the spirit seemed to recognize his look and took it upon himself to fill the void of silence.

"You remind me of someone I used to know, four-hundred years ago. In fact, you are exactly like him in many ways. He gave me a purpose, just as you give me one now," he revealed, making Subaru inwardly reel back in surprise. "As far as I'm concerned, there was no way to heal my broken mind. You had no knowledge nor the proper tools to even attempt to help me. Destroying me was the best option at hand, and I do not fault you for doing so in the slightest."

Subaru straightened himself as Petelgeuse spoke, listening intently and following along with his words. Subaru found himself relatively dumbfounded and had many questions he wanted to ask. They overloaded his mind, so he recomposed himself and began picking them apart one by one. Eventually, he chose only one to ask, "How could I have given you a purpose? What purpose could I have possibly given you, now that you're… dead."

Geuse's smile seemed to widen, his eyes seemingly beginning to water. Subaru could've sworn that the spirit was about to cry tears of joy. "My purpose is to help you, Subaru-sama," he exclaimed in an ecstatic tone, his words surprising Subaru even more. "Not only have you freed me from my tormented mind, but you have lifted my burdens as well!"

"Wait, hold on! Where did this 'sama' title come from?!" Subaru exclaimed in an exaggerated tone, before sighing. "I beg you, please stop being so cryptic…"

Petelgeuse only laughed at the expense of Subaru, wiping his eyes to rid them of any forming tears. "My apologies; I truly don't mean to be as secretive as you say. I suppose we should start with why you're here, since I am quite positive that this is not a charity visit."

He laughed nervously, unconsciously rubbing the back of his head, "Oh, whoops, heh~" Subaru refocused himself rather quickly, remembering why exactly he'd found and came to this place. "Well, you're exactly right. I'm here because of the Witch Factors. I've gotta purify them, or bond with them, I think. I'm not really sure how to do that though, so I'm in here kind of blind."

"Ah," Petelgeuse uttered quickly, closing his eyes in a content and satisfied manner. "I see. I can certainly help you with your troubles here. I can also say for certain that, for the Witch Factor of Sloth, you have no issues."

Subaru looked incredibly relieved and thankful, letting out a stress relieving breath. "You don't know how good it feels to hear that. I've been stressed this whole time, trying to figure out what I'm doing." The spirit let himself chuckle in minor amusement at Subaru's expense once again, reopening his eyes. "But you said that I have no issues with the Sloth Factor. What did you mean?"

"The meaning is within the statement itself, Subaru-sama," Geuse mentioned, taking Subaru aback by using his new title again, in addition with his statement. "You have no issues with the Sloth Factor because you have already adapted to it. You have altered it, changed it, into something new."

Subaru blinked a few times, "Wait, what? How? I didn't even do anything special, how the hell could I have done that?"

Geuse let himself lightly laugh again. At this point, Subaru believed that the spirit was starting to view him as some kind of special entertainment. "In most basic aspects, you don't need to do anything special for the sin to adapt to you. However, they do respond to your will, resolve and feelings. With those factors, you have definitively proven that you are anything but slothful, Subaru-sama."

Subaru let himself think, genuinely shocked and surprised at the revelation. He did his best to recall certain memories, desperately searching for the deciding factor in this sudden change. He began muttering to himself, "The last time I used Invisible Providence, it gave me negative side-effects. And the last time I used it for anything was before… wait, don't tell me." He looked back up at Geuse with a questioning look, speaking loud enough for the spirit to hear, "It was the seal, wasn't it. It was when I put myself in the seal with Pandora!"

Geuse smiled at Subaru's confident answer, "Your perceptiveness is astounding, Subaru-sama." He drew his eyes upward, looking up into the empty void once more. "Diligence and resolve to act, the exact opposite of sloth. Self-sacrifice is a perfect representation of that, having been willing to seclude yourself for all eternity with an enemy, all to protect others." He looked back at Subaru, "Your ultimate act of selflessness, while not the entire deciding factor, was what finalized your full bond to this Witch Factor. Sloth is now yours to command."

Subaru was beyond shocked, at this point. It made sense, the more he thought about it. In hindsight, he probably should have tried to use the Authority beforehand, but he had no reason to think that things had even changed. He thought that, perhaps, it was better that he came here first, anyway. Subaru still had many questions to ask, though, "Wait, is that why you're not insane right now?"

The sane spirit nodded his head, "Indeed. Once the Sloth Witch Factor fully adapted to you, I reverted back to my previous form. You could say that this is my 'purified self', if that is what suits you."

Subaru understood now, or at least he was beginning to. Though, he still had many questions to ask, "What about the other sins? Will it be the same for all of them?"

At that Geuse's expression took on more of a neutral stance, "I'm not entirely certain. I'm afraid that I can only speak definitively for my sin. However, I'm entirely certain that you will have little to no trouble with some of the other sins."

Subaru thought to himself for a moment, "From the way you make it sound, I just need to accept the virtue of each sin, right?"

"I would say that is an oversimplification," he suddenly paused, becoming a bit hesitant to speak more. "While that is indeed a major factor in solidifying your bond, other factors cannot be entirely ruled out. Witch Factors, and by extension their Authorities, defy the rules of the world in many different ways, after all. Given so, each sin may or may not be satiated by different things."

"I get it," Subaru was thankful to understand more about these Witch Factors now. While they were similar, each of them acted very differently. While he had to show his diligence for sloth, it may not be as simple as showing his charity for greed. The Greed Witch Factor may want more from him, or less. He supposed he'd have to confront the representation of the Witch Factor to find out for sure.

He put his hands on his sides in thought. "Say, what's the representation of Greed like, anyway? Is he… you know?"

Geuse immediately recoiled, becoming increasingly nervous as he stammered, "W-Well, he's… I think you have an idea, already." Subaru realized what the spirit was saying, sighing in his own nervousness.

"It's rude to talk about someone behind their back."

At the sound of a new voice, both Subaru and Geuse tensed and turned toward the source. As if emerging from the depths of the void, a figure began to reveal itself from the darkness. It's body glowed like theirs, illuminating itself to stand out against the black void around them. The more the figure emerged, the more recognizable it became.

The form of a white haired man, wearing a pure-white greca-style overcoat that reached down to his ankles, occupied the space opposite of them. His hands lay relaxed by his sides; holding an expression that displayed moderate annoyance, his features meshing together in a way that made Subaru feel slightly anxious.

"Have you nothing to say? You blatantly, rudely talked about me behind my back and you have nothing to say for yourself? One would think that you'd have better manners than this. Seriously, did your parents not raise you correctly? You need to be taught how-"

"I almost forgot how irritating this was…" Subaru mumbled under his breath, pressing a hand to his face, subsequently interrupting the man's rant.

"Huh?! Not only did you rudely talk about me behind my back, but now you interrupt me as well?! How dare you interrupt me, Regulus Corneas! This goes against my right of free speech!"

"What're you even doing here, anyway? I thought I had to go to you separately, or something…"

"Now you violate my right of free movement?! How dare you!" His voice began more edged, his expression further contorting to convey his rage. "Who taught you that this was acceptable?! Who gave you permission to violate another human being's rights! Truly despicable! Disgusting!"

Subaru felt someone poke his shoulder, so he turned his head back to the side. Geuse looked at him worriedly, his expression nervous and uncertain. "Subaru-sama, we can all exist within this area. His sudden appearance wasn't unlikely to happen. I would also suggest that we refrain from angering him too much-"

"You!" Regulus, in his anger, thrusted his pointed hand forward, directing it at Geuse. "How dare you collaborate with this disgusting excuse of a human being." He lowered his arm, closing his eyes and clenching his fists. "You're an utter disgrace."

Subaru stepped in front of Geuse, who began stepping back in unease. The raven-haired boy's glare cut daggers through the darkness, hitting the Archbishop head-on. "You're one to talk. You speak about being a disgrace, but look at you. The path you chose is full of blood. You forced innocent girls to become your wives, then you mistreated them, hurt them and made them suffer. You talk about your rights being violated, but yet you stomp all over the rights of others."

That last statement seemed to break Regulus, as his face reeled back and contorted in pure, unyielding rage. "Such disrespect! Such insolence!" He then began to march forward, his own glare beginning to clash with Subaru's. "I, Regulus Corneas, am above that of a mere normal human! I will not stand for this any longer! You have violated my rights for the last time! I will dispose of you at once!"

That was when, in a fast change of pace, he suddenly stopped his march and bent his legs. He slightly lowered himself toward the 'ground', before rapidly extending them in a monstrous leap forward. Regulus launched himself high into the 'air', Subaru and Petelgeuse both tracking him with their eyes as he began his descent toward them.

The two barely had enough time to react, kicking themselves back in two different directions to avoid Regulus. As they skid to a halt, Regulus landed with a powerful and devastating impact that would have created a crater had it happened on any normal grounds.

Subaru grit his teeth, bringing himself into a defensive stance as Regulus moved forward once again. The distance between them closed quickly, as the Archbishop launched himself forward. His arm was outstretched, hand open in an attempt to grab Subaru by the face. The boy barely had a chance to move his head to the side, avoiding Regulus' grab.

Subaru lowered his body, one of his legs shifting to the side and dragging along the ground in a smooth sweep. It made contact with Regulus' own legs, successfully taking him off the 'ground' and putting him on his back. The Archbishop groaned as he hit the 'ground', with Subaru immediately taking advantage of the moment to get on top of him and prepare a hard hit to the head.

Regulus narrowed his eyes just as Subaru lowered his fist with impressive speed. The boy's fist was instantly repelled, throwing him back a bit as Regulus thrusted a palm into his chest. Subaru found himself being thrown back, high into the air. For a moment, he thought he'd never hit the 'ground' again. However, he did; the landing was anything but kind, landing stomach first and essentially taking the wind out of him — somehow — as he struggled to get back up.

Regulus easily picked himself up, dusting himself off as if he'd dirtied his clothing. Seeing Subaru's downed form, he began making his way over. The boy lifted his gaze, tiredly. He saw Petelgeuse, standing on his own in a separate area of this mysterious space, averting his gaze in an attempt to not watch. "Geuse…"

The spirit had heard Subaru's desperate plea, finding some sense of willpower within himself to look at the fallen boy. "I'm sorry, Subaru-sama. I know that this may be slothful of me, but I cannot interfere with this confrontation."

Subaru didn't know how to process that statement, nor did he notice that Regulus was now right next to him. The Archbishop planted his foot on Subaru's back, twisting and turning it as Subaru groaned in pain. "Disgusting. You had the gall to disrespect my rights, yet now you grovel beneath me like a pathetic insect. What a waste of space, you are. You deserve nothing of what you have. You take, take and take from others yet never give back, like a leech. Truly deplorable. Disgusting. Greedy."

Subaru's eyes widened at Regulus' monologue. He tried his best to register those words, but Regulus wasn't letting up. "You don't deserve the affection you receive. Pandora-sama has shown you her grace yet you don't give back in with same vigor? You don't deserve my mercy." He lifted his foot up, before heavily bringing it back down onto Subaru's back. The boy let out a loud groan of pain as his body flailed in response.

Then, in a sudden surge of determination, Subaru grit his teeth and forced his hand behind his back in a desperate attempt to grab the Archbishop's ankle. It was repelled instantly, the effort only making Regulus more peeved as his face contorted into one of relative disgust. It looked as if the white haired man would spit on the pathetic boy beneath him at any moment.

Regulus let a "tsk" escape from his lips as he bent down, extending an arm out toward Subaru's head and grabbing his hair in his hand. The Archbishop took his foot off of the boy's back, lifting him up so that the boy could clearly see his expression.

"You're like a pathetic, greedy child. A repulsive little leech that just keeps taking things. Unworthy of the love you receive. You make me angry. You make me fill with unbridled rage. I do not deserve this, for I am a perfect individual. I shall not be tainted by your abominable attitude. I wish to not see your face again."

With those words, Regulus reeled his arm back and thrusted it downward with intense force. Subaru closed his eyes, doing his best to brace as his face collided directly with the 'ground'.

---

He found himself lightly jolting forward, heavy yet steady breaths circulating through his mouth. When he reopened his eyes, he winced. The sudden revelation of a bright light above him made him recoil and squint his eyes. At some point, he closed them in order to help himself recompose. It took what felt like a while for him to gather his bearings, or, rather, his sense of mind. It felt like he'd just even kicked out of himself, with phantom pain lingering throughout his body.

After a while, he came to realize that his head was resting on something soft, yet comfortable. A soothing, consecutive and relaxing motion flowed through his hair. He gathered some will to open his eyes and, although afraid of being blinded again, he did so. What greeted his gaze was not the blinding light of the sun, but someone's face.

As he looked up at the individual, whom he noticed was a girl, he noticed that her face created a shadow that protected him from the light. Her long, platinum hair was beautifully carried by the wind. He saw her expression, showing her worry with a clear frown and eyes that traced him with concern. He thought it looked cute.

He blinked a few more times to further adjust his eyes. When his mind eventually wrapped itself around his current situation, he was able to recognize who this was, "…Dora?"

She let out a light puff of air, one that he could slightly feel against his skin. Her eyes softened a bit, her mouth slightly opening and closing as her hand continued it's movements through his hair, "Yes, Baru, it is me."

They both went silent. Pandora pulled her head back, slouching posture a little. Subaru let himself relax as well, his eyes finally adjusting to the sudden light around him. He merely stared up into the bright blue sky, watching the clouds pass above them.

He took a deep breath, "What happened?"

She took a deep breath too, "You scared us for a while. You just suddenly lost consciousness."

He didn't speak for another moment, taking the time to properly process what she said. He sniffed, before letting out a big exhale, "I'm on your lap, aren't I?"

"Indeed you are," her answer was immediate.

"It's… very comfortable."

He heard her lightly laugh. It was a sweet, angelic laugh that he loved to hear. "Thank you."

"How long was I out?" He asked after a few seconds.

"Not too terribly long. An hour, perhaps two."

"What about Beako, where is she?"

"Not far. She is by the mansion, looking into something. She should be back shortly."

He momentarily paused, collecting his thoughts, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Troubling you."

"There is nowhere I would rather be."

They went silent again. Subaru kept his gaze focused on the sky above, feeling as Pandora continued to soothingly play with his hair. He lost himself to his own thoughts as he relaxed to her touch, doing his best to remember everything that had happened.

He had been completely, utterly beaten. That much he remembered fluently. Had that happened in the real world, and not in whatever mindscape he found himself in, he would have surely died. But that wasn't what was important.

Subaru distinctly remembered Regulus' degrading speech. It struck a chord with him; it wasn't a good chord, either. In fact, it was more of a chord that had broken down over time and eventually snapped under the pressure. It didn't feel, or sound, right at all. His words bothered and shook Subaru down to his core, forcing him to reconsider everything that led up to this very moment.

Subaru searched deeply within himself. It was like turning the pages of an old, dusty dictionary as he searched for the meaning of his own thoughts and feelings. After a while, he flipped a page and found what he was looking for. Regulus' words didn't bother him because they were a part of some outrageous, false accusation. No, they bothered him because those words were true.

He swallowed nothing but his own spit, letting his breath gradually get heavier while his mind properly took hold of his emotions. He felt sad and disappointed in himself. But, most of all, he held an overwhelming sense of guilt.

He opened his mouth in an attempt to speak these thoughts to her, but closed it in hesitation. He didn't have the courage to say anything, even though he very much wanted to. He supposed that, because he had bottled his true feelings for so long with Return by Death, it was nothing new to him. It didn't make things any easier, though.

As her fingers slid in and out of his hair, his thoughts drifted to more so focus on her. He couldn't help but look away from the sky, shifting his eyes to her face. His expression softened, yet his eyes hardened as various different thoughts clashed together in his head. Eventually, he was able to barely garner enough courage to open his mouth again. He began to sit himself up, murmuring, "Look, Dora, I-"

He was immediately interrupted when Pandora placed her other hand gently on his forehead, lightly pushing him back down onto her lap. She leaned her head forward to look at him more directly, "Do not sit up. Relax."

Subaru felt inclined to do as she said, starting to relax his previously stiffening body. He sighed both in contentment and in disappointment, though the latter was mainly toward himself. Swallowing again, his lips parted for him to speak, "Dora, do you… are you…"

Her expression became one similar to confusion as he tripped over his own words. He sighed again, feeling hopeless as he continuously failed to express his thoughts to her. Even so, she continued to caress his hair with those same loving motions, "Baru, are you alright?"

He let out a large breath of air from his nose, slightly shaking his head from side-to-side as if to say "no". She pursed her lips in worry, "Would you like to talk about it?"

His gaze averted from her, directing themselves into the sky above, "It's hard."

She blinked, but smiled, "A lot of things are. But, despite how difficult some things may be, they can still be conquered."

At that, he actually moved his gaze back to her. His eyes met hers, "That was some unexpected philosophical talk from you."

She softly laughed, "I learned it from the best."

He rolled his eyes, letting out breath in the form of a huff, "Are you sure that this person wasn't just some moronic idiot? Someone who, I dunno, doesn't know what he's talking about? Someone that doesn't deserve the things he has because he doesn't appreciate them enough?"

"You should not be saying those things about yourself." At that, her hand finally stopped running through his hair. Instead, it perched itself just above his forehead. Her thumb gently graced its surface, lovingly caressing it with its touch, "Why are you saying these things? Can you talk to me, please?"

He found himself hesitating again, genuinely unsure of what to say next. She was practically begging him to talk to her, to be open about how he felt, yet he couldn't. Words, although at the tip of his tongue, seemed entirely lost to him. He felt guilty at the prospect, looking at her worried face as she caressed his forehead. Maybe that was what motivated him to open his mouth again, but he wasn't sure, "I… I feel like I don't deserve this."

She merely hummed, not answering right away. He didn't mind, the silence was calming, though the stress of her imminent response didn't weigh lightly. "Why do you think that?" she asked simply.

He too didn't answer right away. Truthfully, he wasn't too sure of the answer himself. He knew what his feelings were, but he didn't know why they existed in the way that they did. It was odd, and something he quite frankly disliked thinking about, but he pulled through and did it anyway. His lips parted, not answering her question but instead asking his own, "Have you ever… had doubts?"

She didn't answer him, instead choosing to contemplate her own thoughts to herself. It worried Subaru a little. He felt uneasy and nervous, not knowing what she could be thinking about. When she opened her mouth, she too didn't answer him, instead similarly choosing to ask her own question, "Why do you ask?"

It was immediately clear to him that she wouldn't be answering his question. She'd seen through him, knowing that there was an underlying reason for all of this. She was reading him like a book and putting him right where she wanted. Had the roles been reversed, he was sure that he'd have done the same to her. That was what an eternity together allowed them to do, he supposed.

He started carefully thinking to himself for a few seconds before responding, "I guess… I'm afraid?"

The statement was delivered like a question, something which Pandora didn't miss. She decided to push a little deeper, "What are you afraid of, then?"

It was a good question, one that made Subaru both inwardly praise and curse her perceptiveness. She was making him think and talk more about his problems, which was a good thing; he knew that, too. Truthfully, however, he didn't quite know how to answer her question. He didn't really want to think about it, either. In a way, doing so hurt him.

In the end, he did his best to respond, "I'm afraid of… I'm afraid of…" He stuttered his words, digging deep within himself for an answer to his own feelings. Why was he so scared? What reason did he have to be afraid, especially now? He did eventually find the answer, "I'm afraid of… this."

His statement confused her. She kept her worried face, pursing her lips again while she slightly tilted her head to the side, "I do not understand."

He nervously averted his eyes from her, but he didn't forget how they looked. Her beautiful, blue eyes openly showed how much she cared for him. They carried her worry, concern and love. He didn't look into them while he spoke, despite how much he wanted to, "While… While I was in there, I was told some things. At first, I didn't… I didn't know what they meant. Now, after some thought, I figured out what they mean."

As far as he knew, she didn't react. She stayed silent and unchanging, patiently letting him speak his mind, so he continued, "I guess… I'm afraid of being loved. Not just that, but I'm afraid of giving it, too." He finally said it, but that wasn't all. "I told you about my life before coming here, how my relationship with my parents was. I wanted them to yell at me, to hate me, but they never did. I never understood why. Then I lost them." He paused, taking a few seconds to digest his own words. When he felt ready enough, he took a deep breath to prepare, "All because I was summoned here. The source of my suffering," he dryly chuckled a little.

"Then I fell in love with Emilia, at first glance too. I thought that she was the prettiest girl I'd ever seen," he continued, shifting the subject of the conversation a bit. While he slightly reminisced of his first days in this world, he noticed her hand falter and twitch. It only lasted a second, before it resumed its consecutive strokes on his forehead. He brushed off the incident and kept going, "Despite all of the pain this world caused me, I still had her. It helped. I even confessed to her after a while, but… she never gave me a real answer, as you already know."

He felt her hand twitch again, before resuming its light strokes. He didn't think of it too much again, instead opting to continue speaking his mind to her, "I thought that I had finally gotten over this, but I guess I didn't." He dryly laughed to himself again, finding his own suffering moderately amusing. "'Learn to love myself'," he snorted, this time. "What a joke. How could I even try to love myself when… when the people that love me and the people that I love… they always seem to leave me."

Subaru scoffed, sniffling a little as words finally ceased flowing, letting himself rest a little. Pandora probably didn't like the fact that he was talking so poorly about himself, as evident from her occasional twitches and jerks in movement. Unfortunately, he still wasn't done; he still had more to say. It was something he wasn't looking forward to doing, but he wanted to be honest with her. She deserved that much from him, at least.

Subaru was actually surprised at her continued silence. He would have expected her to interject, or something of that nature, by now. Instead, she kept herself still and attentively listened to his seemingly endless rant. It was appreciated, in more ways than she likely knew.

When he formulated his words again, he continued, "I guess what I'm trying to say is… I don't think I deserve this. Your love, I mean. I'm unworthy of it. How could I be? I've done nothing but… but take your affection, and yet… yet…" he trailed off, unable to finish his statement.

"You still have some doubts," Pandora spoke up, taking him by surprise. Subaru didn't look at her, keeping his eyes on the clouds above, watching them intently.

He gave one, small nod whilst keeping his head on her lap, "…Yeah. I just… I don't know. Maybe this doesn't make sense, but I can't help but feel like this is… unreal. I feel like, at any moment, what we have will just disappear, I guess. Like it'll just be ripped away like everything else."

Subaru was truly unsure of how to properly convey the next part of his inner turmoil. A part of him worried that, if he didn't word things the right way, she could get really upset. So, he took another breath and parted his lips to speak again, clearly noticing how much more nervous he became. With careful words, he began, "Our love was born as a result of being trapped in the seal for so long. We always glared at one another from across the room. We absolutely hated each other. Then, we started talking, bonding and becoming closer. Eventually, that led to us falling in love."

Her grip on him became firmer, as if making sure he wasn't going anywhere. She was nervous too, it seemed. His lips parted, "You knew so much about me, and I knew so much about you. You ended up surpassing Emilia and Rem by a longshot." He lightly laughed, but he didn't know why. He stopped soon after he started, sighing in discontentment, "I guess what I'm getting at is this: what if our love was just something born out of our own desperation? What if it just ends up… going away, after a while. I just… I don't want that to happen, I don't want to love again and have it suddenly disappear like everything else, so... I'm scared."

The hand on his head finally stopped moving. He froze up. He was finally finished. He'd spoken his mind, his true thoughts and feelings lying bare for her to see. It had been hard, but he had done it. That didn't ease his uneasiness, though. A part of him still feared her reaction.

He couldn't believe it at first when he heard the start of stifled laughter. When it became more prominent, his gaze, at long last, moved away from the clouds to look at her. Eyes going wide, mouth slightly agape, he looked at her shocked. Pandora's face was etched in amusement as she laughed.

Before he had time to truly ponder on his self-doubt, her laughter began to subside and her eyes drifted to his. He saw her smile, the same as it had always been, but with something more sewn into it. It was captivating, in a way, "Oh, Subaru."

Spoken in a soft voice, he was entranced. It was like she was calling out to him, reaching a hand forward for him to take and firmly grab onto. He really wanted to, but he hesitated. However, that didn't stop her, "I am sorry for laughing. I just find this to be a bit… well, ironic."

He was confused, now. What was she talking about? He wanted to ask, he wanted to question her, but when he opened his mouth to do so he could never formulate the sentence. He was rendered literally speechless. He couldn't speak, no matter how hard he tried or wanted to.

If she noticed his trouble speaking, she didn't give any indication of it. Her eyes softened, though, "I hope you do not misunderstand. Earlier you asked if I had doubts. The answer to that question is yes. I find this ironic, because I have considered the things as you."

He stopped trying to speak after that. Instead, he began focusing entirely on her words. She looked at him adoringly, starting to pet his hair with her hand again, "Subaru, you wear your heart on your sleeve. You are kind; too kind, at that. But, you are also not afraid to express your hate. I should know, since I was on the receiving end of that hatred of yours for a long time."

He blinked, feeling a bit bad about that. He had, indeed, spent a lot of time sending his hate at her whilst in the seal. "To be fair, I had done the same to you," she stated suddenly, as if reading his mind, in an attempt to make him feel less guilty. "As you said, our hatred did eventually subside until it was completely null. We then became closer and then fell in love. You are correct, when you say it was born from rather… unhealthy circumstances. However, I do not believe that dictates our overall relationship."

He could only blink, as she continued before he had a chance to think, "Love is… odd. Before you, I could not understand the hearts of others. I had never felt such a thing as love, either. Something so genuine and pure; something that makes you feel so full and comfortable. Of course, there are a lot of things I still do not know; but, I know my own heart. I know that my heart beats for you to the extent that it physically pains me."

Guilt filled him at that moment. He suddenly felt compelled to say something, anything, to her, "Dora… I-I-"

He was immediately interrupted when she put a finger to his mouth, effectively shushing him. "Do not speak, just listen," she just removed her finger, keeping her smile. He closed his mouth, reluctantly complying with her request. Her eyes softened, looking at him as lovingly as she could, "I feel this way whenever I am with you. It never goes away. I may not fully understand these feelings, but I do know now that this is love. I truly, completely love you, Natsuki Subaru."

Her confession made his heart speed up. It was already going fast, but now it felt as if it were going into overdrive. Funnily enough, his heart beat to the point that it hurt him, too. He had never heard such a genuine, heartfelt confession of love since… Well, it's definitely been a while.

She averted her gaze from him before he could ponder on his feelings more, "You speak as if you are unworthy of me? That was amusing. If anyone is unworthy of receiving love, it is me." He really, really wanted to protest that statement. However, he was compelled to stay silent as she quickly continued, "I have caused so much pain, so much suffering," she looked back at him. Her eyes changed, now containing more of her repressed sadness, "I even took you away from your friends, your family… yet you chose me. You still choose me. That is something I still do not understand, but it makes me happy."

He really wanted to reach out and hug her. He wanted to tell her that it was alright, that he was there for her. He wanted to rub her back and let her cry on his shoulder. But he didn't, even though it pained him. He knew that he shouldn't, not yet, anyway.

She used her free hand to wipe her eyes, stopping herself from crying. She shook her head a little, as if to regain her composure, before centering her gaze back onto him, "I have thought so many times that what we have will just disappear, that the love I have finally acquired after all of these years will vanish. But… I also consider what has led us here, to this moment, and what we have done together." She paused for a moment, letting her words sink in.

Her eyes met his with a flurry of emotions. Her love, sadness, and happiness too. That was how he knew that she truly spoke from her heart, "If this was not real… If this was just temporary, something only brought into existence because of what we went through, I believe that you wouldn't be with me now. You would not have hugged me, kissed me, and agreed to start a family with me. That is why I believe in us; it is why I believe that what we have is truly real."

He stared blankly at her, unresponsive to her words. She took his hand in hers, both of them feeling the other's respective coolness and warmth. They both enjoyed that feeling, instinctively intertwining their fingers into their almost iconic hand-holding state as their palms pressed themselves together.

Subaru was traversing within his own mind, fully taking in her words. She was absolutely right, and he didn't need to think much of it. He listened to his heart. He let it guide him and his thoughts, feeling it beat against his chest in constant rapid motions.

That was when his heart led him to putting his free hand behind her head, her eyes widening in surprise as he began bringing it down. He moved his head up to meet her halfway, their lips sealing together in a sloppy yet magical embrace. Pandora didn't let her surprise last, quickly closing her eyes and letting herself enjoy the kiss they equally shared. For a moment, their heartbeats almost seem to synchronize to their captivating love. They let their hearts act for them and neither of them could complain, nor did they ever want to.

They broke off sooner than either of them would have liked. Subaru gently rested his head back onto her lap, whilst Pandora moved hers ever so slightly back to its original position. She looked at him with her mouth slightly agape and confused, yet she was also satisfied with his action.

"You're absolutely right, Dora," he started, nervously shifting his eyes from here. "I was being an idiot. I didn't consider your feelings, and I didn't think about-"

She put a finger to his lips, shutting him up quickly. Once he looked at her again, her lips formed into a genuine and forgiving smile, "We both had the same concerns. So, if anything, we are both idiotic fools."

He laughed genuinely at her comment, which she enjoyed hearing, "I guess you're right." He smiled at her, which did little to help her heart settle down. "Though, I still think that it's a bit scummy to talk about these things now."

She hummed, "Why do you say that?"

He kept his eyes away from her, feeling a sense of nervousness creep up within him, "Well, considering… you know."

She thought for a moment, before humming again, "Ah, I understand." She paused for a moment, cupping his cheek with her free hand, "I must say, however, if you did leave me… I would do whatever I can to get you back."

He smiled, touched by her statement, "Thanks."

She noticed his moderately embarrassed tone, slightly enjoying it herself, "I know that you would do it for me, too." She made sure to address something else, as well, "I should add, I will kill any other woman that tries to take you away from me."

He barely stifled a small laugh at the serious declaration, "Who do you think I am, some kind of harem protagonist?"

Familiar with his terminology, she responded, "How could I know? Maybe Natsuki Subaru is some kind of woman swindler."

That time Subaru actually laughed, looking back into her eyes. It felt almost alien for someone to pay homage to stereotypes from his home and actually went along with his references, "Yeah, because I have the greatest looks around. So many women just can't wait to get a piece of me."

She chose not to think about how untrue his statement actually was, especially when it concerned other girls, instead choosing to rub her thumb along his cheek affectionately, "You look great to me, and I know that I always want a piece of you."

He blushed at her comment, letting himself drown within the depths of her ocean-blue eyes. In a sudden moment of seriousness, he looked at her sincerely, eyes showing his care and appreciation. "Thanks, Dora… I really needed this."

She kept her genuine, caring look, "I should be the one thanking you, for continuing to stay with me. But, you are welcome. I would do it again, anytime, as I know you would for me." He nodded his head to her words, agreeing with her statement. In her head, she swore to protect him. If anything, or anyone, attempted to harm him, she would return it a hundredfold.

As Pandora made her silent vow, Subaru made his own. He was afraid of losing her, but, now, he wouldn't let that stop him from openly showing just how much he loved her. For this he swore, he was going to give her as much love as he could in any way he possibly could. This included others, too; he was sure that Beatrice was feeling a little left out, since he hadn't given her much affection recently.

This vow started now, as he put his hand behind her head and brought her down for another kiss. She gladly reciprocated, the two of them gently pressing their lips together in a more organized and passionate way. It didn't last as long as the last one, unfortunately, which left them both feeling somewhat unsatisfied. But, Subaru only smiled at her after they separated, "I promise, Dora, I won't ever leave or let you go."

She was surprised by the suddenness of his words, only able to blink, at first. He even tightened his hold on her hand to emphasize his point, something which she returned in full. She happily smiled back, "And I you, Baru."

They only continued looking into each other's eyes for a very limited time. Subaru had been the one to break off their moment, "As much as I really want to stay, I have someone I need to go beat up and show my resolve to. You won't go anywhere, will you?"

Pandora rapidly blinked a few times, which Subaru found cute. In a minor state of confusion, she asked, "I- Well, of course I will not go anywhere, I will keep holding you here, but-"

"Great! I'll be back soon… I hope."

With that, he interrupted her and closed his eyes. It didn't take long for him to lose consciousness again, his head becoming somewhat heavier on her lap. Pandora sighed, her eyes examining his sleeping face.

"How long have you been there?" The platinum-haired girl spoke up.

"Not very long. Betty saw you flirting and did not wish to interrupt, I suppose," Beatrice responded in her unmistakable tone and voice, all whilst walking closer. Though, by the way she spoke, it was clear she was at least a fair bit disgusted.

"Should I be thanking you?" Pandora snarkily asked.

"No. Being away from your flirting benefits me as much as it does you, in fact," the spirit made a sound to convey her disgust, something which Pandora felt moderately insulted by. "But you can thank Betty for her aid, and for the fact that I cleaned the bedsheets, I suppose," she shivered, before regaining her composure. "I have found a lead."

At the spirit's words, Pandora directed her gaze to the girl in interest, "So, you can do it?"

Beatrice nodded, adding with a frustrated tone, "I need some things. We have nothing that is required around here, so Betty will have to go out looking."

Pandora nodded back, acknowledging the smaller girl's statement. However, the taller of the two had a suspicion, "When will you leave?"

"In a moment, I suppose."

"Why? Will you not stay until he awakes, at least?" Pandora didn't miss a beat with her response.

Beatrice looked up, narrowing her eyes at the former Witch, "Why do you care? You should be rejoicing, in fact. You can help him all on your own and, since I will be gone, all of Betty's Subaru's attention will be on you."

"Because it will upset him. You know this, too," she answered without delay and doubt. "As I told you before, I care for you as an extension of him. I do not wish to see him hurt or upset. He loved you. He would not want you to leave without saying goodbye."

Beatrice grumbled, clearly unhappy as she contemplated Pandora's words, "Fine. Betty will stay." The spirit noticed Pandora's expression turn into one of satisfaction — since she successfully called Beatrice out on her soon-to-be actions — while the Great Spirit made her way over to the pair. She sat by Subaru's head, her own head shifting downward so that she could gaze at his sleeping face.

They both sat there in silence for a while, neither of the two willing to break it. Both merely enjoyed being within the presence of the person they cared for most. As Beatrice looked down at the form of her sleeping contractor, watching as his stomach moved steadily up and down in compliance with his breath, she was reminded of a sad fact.

Beatrice herself let in a few heavy puffs of air before getting it all out, allowing her mind to realize the difference between both her and Subaru. Even Pandora was also different from him, in the same one crucial aspect they both shared. The Great Spirit opened and closed her mouth a few times, hesitating to speak. Eventually, through her own will, she found herself able to, "Are you not worried?"

Pandora didn't pick up her gaze but, then again, neither had Beatrice. They both kept their eyes on the boy below them, but Pandora did see the spirit's hands start caressing his hair, "What do you inquire about? Is there something I need to be concerned about?"

Beatrice breathed one heavy breath, "Him," she stated firmly. "He… He is not like us, in fact. He is mortal. He will die, leave Betty and… and you, too. Someday. Are you not worried about that? About having him leave you?"

That made Pandora finally pick up her gaze, if only just a little. Beatrice followed her lead, having also lightly picked her head up. The platinum-haired girl looked at the Great Spirit with analytical eyes, but nothing more. In a way it surprised Beatrice, since she'd expected more of a… sinister look, of sorts.

When Pandora slightly shook her head to each side, Beatrice was surprised, "No, I am not. If I had been, I would have brought the subject to his attention sooner." Before the Great Spirit could open her mouth to argue, the former Witch continued, "Even if he remembers or not, he will not have to worry about his mortality."

"What- What are you talking about? He's mortal, in fact! A normal human! The fact remains that he'll die! He- He'll leave us, someda-"

"I was not done talking," Pandora interrupted, deadpanning at the Great Spirit. Though, seconds after, Pandora developed a cocky, knowing expression, "Also, was that an 'us' that I just heard?" Said spirit became flustered, stuttering her own words until she stopped making noise completely. The former Witch had to make an effort to keep herself from laughing, but continued nonetheless, "In any case, his mortality is not a concern right now. For reasons that I, for one, believed would be quite obvious."

Beatrice began stuttering again, searching her own mind for possible answers based on the knowledge she already knew, "You don't mean to suggest that-"

"His Witch Factors will keep him alive, yes," Pandora interrupted, sighing. "The Witches and Archbishops are, or were, capable of living for centuries because of this. I know that I have told this to Baru already, but perhaps I should remind him," she shrugged, lowering her gaze back to her beloved.

As Pandora began to look at Subaru adoringly, Beatrice just kept blankly staring ahead. Pandora affectionately caressed the back of Subaru's hand with her thumb and, knowing that Beatrice was still staring at her, began to proceed with her explanation.

"Just like any other Witch, or Archbishop, he will be susceptible to being physically harmed and killed. However, in terms of aging, he will not. While his mind will still learn, evolve and develop, his body will remain the same. It is a process I cannot properly explain, nor is it something I properly understand, despite being a victim of such a process myself."

Beatrice's body and mind froze. She didn't even begin to wonder about the logistics of everything, or even question the absolute legitimacy of such claims, instead letting herself accept the statements without a doubt. She knew that Pandora was telling the truth. What reason would she have to lie?

As Pandora kept her eyes on Subaru, droplets entered her vision. Some had even landed on his forehead, making the former Witch once again, reluctantly, pick her head up. The Great Spirit was crying, sniffling as she looked down at her contractor's sleeping face. "Are you alright?" Pandora asked, despite not really wanting to.

Beatrice didn't even bother to wipe her own tears, instead deciding to clean Subaru's forehead of the droplets it received. In response to Pandora's question, she started to give small nods that soon evolved into larger, more emotional ones. "Yes- Yes, Betty is fine, I suppose," she uttered in a shaky voice, sniffling as she let more of her tears loose. "I'm just… so happy."

Pandora could only awkwardly nod in response, once more pointing her gaze back to her beloved. The only sounds around them were the wind, the trees that it moved, and Beatrice's soft cries.

After a few moments of this, the Great Spirit regained some of her composure. She wiped the tears away, her cries easing as her face adopted a small smile, "This isn't so bad, I suppose."

Pandora hummed in agreement, her eyes still glued to Subaru's sleeping expression while she nodded, "It is peaceful." Beatrice nodded too, agreeing. She didn't respond at all, something that Pandora wordlessly appreciated, the both of them choosing to let the peace last in silence.

---

Meanwhile, Subaru opened his eyes within the same abyssal void he had previously found himself in. He gathered his bearings, quicker this time, looking around himself and recognizing two figures slightly further away.

As he got closer, he heard more of their dialogue, "Now, I will ask you again. I implore you don't disappoint me this time. Why would you ever think of conspiring with that poor excuse of a human? How. Dare. You." The white-haired man jabbed his finger into the other's chest multiple times to exude his point.

The other figure, the one with green hair, backpedaled in response to the other's oppression. However, despite physically cowering back, he held a confident front, "I have no obligation to even answer you."

The white-haired man's face became visibly angry. He growled, using his hand to grab the other man's collar and lifting him into the air, "Always so disrespectful! I asked you a question, so you should answer! I'm going to have to-"

"Hey! Regulus Corny-us!" A voice hollered from behind him.

Regulus, upon hearing this, turned his head around in an instant to meet wherever dare disgrace his name, "What did you say? How dare you disgrace me, Regulus Corneas! Do you know who I am? I am an Archbishop of the Witch's Cult, representing Greed! I have no flaws, for I am perfect! Now, who dares say this to me?!"

Subaru sighed as he stepped forth, both at the absurdity of Regulus' rant and in disappointment at his own joke. He gave his head a good shake to put himself in the game, exerting a sense of confidence as he declared, "It was I, Natsuki Subaru, that disgrace your name so!"

Petelgeuse looked over Regulus' shoulder, his expression containing that of admiration and hope. Regulus himself, however, was unamused, "Huh?! You again?! Did I not say that I didn't wish to see your face here again? You disrespect my rights by showing your face here again!" Regulus, in his anger, threw his arm holding Geuse to the side. This caused the spirit to fly out of his grip, landing some distance away from him. Regulus stomped forward a step, angrily, "Not only that, but you also insult me?! I may not understand the meaning of your insult, but it was a violation of my rights! Now-"

By now Subaru had tuned the lunatic out, closing his eyes so he could properly contemplate his plan. Regulus seemed to be able to use his Authority, which made him a very devastating opponent to face. However, when Subaru thought back to his previous bout with the man, he distinctly remembered a moment in which he was able to trip him.

Normally, that should have been impossible. Regulus' Authority was typically active at all times, which prevented him from being physically harmed or even touched. A permanent invincibility. Now, it seemed as though he was at a disadvantage. Regulus' Lion's Heart wasn't being supported, Subaru concluded. This meant that it was limited, having been put back onto its mere five second time limit. This was why Subaru was able to momentarily affect him at times.

This also meant that Subaru's interaction with Regulus before had been a direct result of the Archbishop activating and deactivating the ability consciously. So, Regulus knows of his limitations and is now optimizing his ability output. Smart, but frustrating. No matter, Subaru would just have to overwhelm him.

That being said, Regulus was also a lot weaker without that added aspect. Not only was his Lion's Heart limited, but so were his other abilities. He had no resources to use, no tools, only himself and what 'ground' he had in this unknown space they all currently occupied. That made things better, but it didn't exactly make things easy.

One may ask, how would Subaru be able to combat Regulus who, even with his limited Authority, could still best almost anyone in a quick fight? Well, while Regulus may have his own Authority, Subaru had one too.

Subaru kept his eyes closed, relaxing himself and steadying his mind. He delved deep within himself, searching for the ugly, rough, conniving power that had been bestowed upon him. He never found it. Rather, he found something much more pleasant, smooth and welcoming. It was like a hand, one that reached out for him to grab. A Helping Hand.

Without hesitation he clasped with his own hand, almost immediately feeling it suddenly surge within him. Comparing it to how it used to be — that being a bundled, uncomfortable knot at the center of his stomach — he now felt it smoothly coursing throughout his entire body, as if it were running through his very veins.

Subaru let his mind refocus, opening his eyes and looking sharply at the man before him. The Archbishop was standing there, somewhat menacingly, while his face rapidly contorted in angry expressions. Subaru let himself listen to the man's words, "-noring me?! You show up here, after I explicitly said I didn't want to see your face again, then insult me, now you're ignoring me?! Who do you think you a-"

The white-haired lunatic was cut off, having been forcefully grabbed by one of his legs, yanked forward and was now being violently thrown around in the 'air'. He flew in many different directions, his own body being pulled by an unseen force, flailing himself a little as the movements only became more sporadic. Then, in one final move, he was lifted high into the 'air' and slammed heavily onto the 'ground'.

Once Regulus made contact, Subaru smirked to himself. His eyes wandered over to Petelgeuse, who was off to the side regaining his composure. The look on the spirit's face was that of shock and amazement, yet also pride. Geuse felt proud not only because of Subaru's sudden handle over the Authority of Sloth, but also because he had used that exact same move against Regulus over a hundred years ago. The spirit ended up smiling in satisfaction, nodding at Subaru to show his respect.

Subaru nodded back, directing his eyes back to Regulus momentarily after. The man was getting back up, unharmed, "Now you listen here. I don't know who told you that it was okay to assault people while they're talking, but that is a viol-"

Once again, he was interrupted by something slamming into his chest at a high speed. He recoiled and gasped at the initial impact, only able to properly brace himself before he hit the 'ground' again. Once made contact with it again, he began sliding across it on his back until he stopped soon after. He quickly began to pick himself up again, albeit a bit shakily this time.

The Archbishop growled, letting out an audible tick of annoyance, "Fine, then. I despise fighting but, if you won't respect my rights, then I see that I have no choice."

He rushed forward, Subaru's eyes widening as Regulus seemingly teleported in front of him. Subaru barely ducked an arm swipe from Regulus, having aimed for his neck. Subaru's eyes narrowed, focusing and sending forth a counterattack.

Regulus didn't even feel the powerful uppercut that was delivered to him, courtesy of an invisible hand. Although it made his head recoil upward, the Archbishop immediately lowered it again to nastily glare at Subaru, snarling all the while.

He moved to grab the boy again, but Subaru pushed himself back with unusual force. Regulus looked both confused and immensely irritated as Subaru skidded to a halt. He was being cheeky and confident, something which Regulus didn't like one bit.

He moved to try and rush Subaru again, but he felt something grab him by the waist. Instinctively he looked down, only for his face to adopt an expression of surprise. A dark figure, in the shape of a hand, was wrapped around him. When he tried to follow it to the source, his eyes couldn't find a trail to follow. The hands were masked, hidden by the dark void around them. But, Regulus just knew that the disrespectful boy was the source of this.

However, he hadn't much time to register any of his other thoughts, the hand around his waist squeezed and picked him up, throwing him high up into the 'air'. Subaru watched from below, plenty satisfied with his work so far. It would be a lie to say that he didn't enjoy knocking Regulus around.

As Regulus came hurtling down, Subaru's eyes followed. Once he made contact with the 'ground', Subaru wasted no time in trying to act once more. But, he quickly stopped himself. As predicted, Regulus had used his Authority to protect him from the fall, having somehow righted his posture enough to land on his backside. However Subaru had been too slow and too far away to act on the opportunity, unfortunately allowing the Archbishop to regain his composure and stand up once more. He would have to be closer and faster next time.

When the hand grabbed Regulus, Subaru too realized that his hands were actually visible; the Archbishop's reaction was all the proof he needed to confirm it. At first, he had thought that these hands acted like the predecessors Unseen Hand and Invisible Providence, but it seemed as though he were wrong. Despite this supposed disadvantage, he could still use it to his advantage.

When Regulus looked at the raven-haired boy, seeing his now teasing and confident expression, he only became more furious. But, just as he was about to rush forward, Subaru let himself confidently smirk before suddenly vanishing from the 'ground' up. It was as if something completely blanketed over him, starting and coming up from his feet.

The Archbishop immediately became wary and confused, looking all around him for any possible sign of the boy. He took steps back, to the side, and generally all around. The only thing he saw, other than himself, was Petelgeuse; the man was watching, amused, as Subaru and the Archbishop fought, which didn't help calm Regulus' anger.

That was when he heard a whistle. It was a mocking whistle, one that made Regulus seethe into his teeth. But, it wasn't coming from anywhere around him; no, it was coming from above him. When the Archbishop propped his head upward, he saw Subaru's beaming smile before something came crashing down onto his face.

The force pushed Regulus back onto the 'ground', having only just narrowly defended himself against the attack. The Archbishop, at this point, was getting sick and tired of being thrown around and knocked down. Subaru counted on that, he himself now being close enough to attack more ferociously. He dropped himself to the 'ground', with two hands helping him land properly, as he began to count the seconds in his head.

One.

Despite having been protected from some of the impact he was still a bit disoriented, something in which Subaru would act upon immediately. Multiple hands began absolutely bombarding Regulus, all while he still lay on his backside, forcing him to keep Lion's Heart active.

Two.

Regulus grunted in frustration, swiping his hand in front of him horizontally to eliminate all of the assaulting hands in one fell swoop. After doing so, he quickly stood up and began his fast approach. Subaru could visibly see the pure, unbridled rage radiating off of him.

Three.

But Subaru wasn't going to just let him gain ground so easily. No, Subaru sent hand-after-hand at Regulus, who repeatedly and consecutively destroyed them as he got closer and closer. The boy narrowed his eyes, not out of contentment or aggravation but out of anticipation.

Four.

Regulus finally reached him, and he was very unwilling to make the same mistake as the last time. This time he went for a lunge instead of a grab, using his forward momentum to help his chances at hitting Subaru head-on. Subaru hadn't expected such a brash move and, in an attempt to shield himself, formed two hands in front of him to try and block the attack.

They failed, with Regulus smashing right through them and effectively tackling the boy to the ground. Subaru hit the 'ground' hard, all with enough force to disorient and somehow knock the wind out of him. Regulus used one hand to hold him down, reeling the other back with an enclosed fist.

Five.

Time was up. Regulus felt the side effects immediately, taking his hands off of Subaru and stumbling his way off of him. Both hands ended up clutching at his heart, undoubtedly feeling an intense amount of pain accompanied with an extreme fear of death. Subaru didn't know how that logically worked here, but he didn't stop to think about it. Narrowing his eyes, he capitalized on the opportunity to pin Regulus to the 'ground' for good this time using his Helping Hands.

Subaru picked himself up, albeit a tad shakily, and looked down at Regulus with a hard, stern expression, "Now listen up. I don't know if you were too busy having your head up your own ass to notice, but I'm done being scared," Subaru kept narrowed his eyes at the downed Archbishop, stating his resolve full-force; he glared back. "I'm going to show everyone how much I love them. My friends, Beako, Dora, and, when they're born, my children too. I'm not going to take and not give back anymore. They don't deserve that. You got that?"

Regulus' posture suddenly changed. Subaru couldn't explain it, but it was almost as if the Archbishop… relaxed. Subaru relented keeping him pinned, removing the hands that were keeping him in place. The white-haired man only lay there, his gaze having shifted upward to look into nothingness. Subaru could feel the hostile aura dissipate, leaving something much calmer in its stead.

Subaru turned his back to the man, reluctantly. Petelgeuse was approaching from his previous spot, a small smile on his face, "I must commend you, Subaru-sama. For not only have you mastered Sloth, but now Greed."

He sighed in return, "I'm never going to get used to this 'sama' talk from you, am I…" he trailed off, lowering his head dramatically whilst Geuse chuckled amusingly. Subaru picked up his head, "What do I do now?"

At the question, Geuse motioned his head behind the raven-haired boy, "See for yourself."

At that, Subaru found himself turning around. When he did, he jumped and had to take a step back out of pure shock. The sight wasn't what he had expected. He thought that, upon turning around, he'd just see the body of Regulus where it had been only seconds ago, but he was wrong. Alternatively, in its place, stood a little boy that looked up at him with curious eyes.

Subaru looked over at Geuse, clearly confused and unsure of what to do. The spirit only kept his smile, with a hint of teasing ever so embedded into it, only merely nodding forward in reference to the little boy. Subaru turned his head back to him, leveling himself and straightening his back, but still on guard.

The little boy, who sported Regulus' look, tilted his head at him, "Are you new around here, Mister?"

Subaru shifted his eyes nervously, "I, uh- I guess I am." He nodded to the little boy's question, steadying his eyes to properly look down at him.

It was as if the little boy's eyes lit up. He leant forward excitedly, excited fists shaking under his chin, standing on his toes as he examined Subaru from as many angles as possible, "Woah! So, you're really him! I've heard so~ much about you! My name is Regulus, nice to meet you!"

Subaru was even more confused, "Wait, who-"

"Oh, yeah! I've got something for you!" The kid started fumbling around with one of his pockets, as if he were digging for something. "Ah, here we go," he mumbled as he took something out, holding it out in both hands to present it to Subaru. "Here! This is yours, I've been keeping it for years!"

The object the kid held out was a small, black box with symbols he didn't recognize present on most sides of it. Though, other than that, it was mostly blank with no clear indication of what it was supposed to contain or be. Subaru looked between the box and the kid, a little unsure and quite reluctant to take it, "Are you sure this is mine? Isn't this yours? You said you've been keeping it for years, I'd hate to take it away."

"Pssh," the kid sounded, obviously brushing off Subaru's concerns. He even raised his hand, waving it around from side to side as if he were literally brushing them off, "I said that this is for you, silly. Plus, I don't need it anymore! It would be greedy of me to try and keep it. So, why can't I just give it to someone who really does need it? I think I should be allowed to do that! Now take it, come on! My arms are gonna get tired!"

After that, Subaru did take the box. It would've been a lie to say that Subaru hadn't been uneasy during the kid's rant, having been reminded of Regulus' old behavior. Shaking his head, he put his attention on the box that now rested in his hands. It felt light and it even felt natural to him, in some sense he couldn't understand. Holding this box just felt right, for some reason. He could only look at it with a contemplative face.

"Do not worry, Subaru-sama," a voice stated, prompting Subaru to look up from the box. Petelgeuse was walking over, positioning himself behind the kid and putting his hands protectively onto the little boy's shoulders. He still gave Subaru his nice, kind smile, "I will look after him here. You won't have anything to worry about."

"Just open my gift when you're ready, Mister Subaru-sama!" The kid exclaimed, earning a heartily laugh from Geuse and a sigh from Subaru. "I'm sure you're going to love it! Oh, and it will de~finately help you a little with your problem!"

When the kid winked, Subaru froze and his face gradually darkened until it was a very deep shade of red. The kid noticed, tilting his head, "Uhm… Mister Subaru-sama, are you okay?"

Petelgeuse let himself chuckle a bit again. Seeing Subaru's reaction, he thought it would be best to explain some things before he got the wrong idea, "He just means your problem with physical contact. You'll see. Like I said, you do not have to worry about anything here. I'll take care of him. But, as for you, you have someone else to take care of."

This time it was Geuse's turn to wink, catching Subaru off-guard. He looked at the spirit with surprised eyes, "Wait, so, you know. And you're-"

"Okay with it? Yes, I am. In fact, I think it's quite remarkable," Petelgeuse closed his eyes, thinking to himself as he commented. After a quick moment of thought, he opened them again and looked at Subaru supportively, "You've changed that girl's very being. Her own heart, even. It's outstanding and unheard of, but that isn't bad. She really does love and care for you and, as long as that remains true, then there is no issue." Once he finished, he awkwardly coughed into his own fist, "Now, you need to go take care of her."

Subaru only blinked at him for a couple of seconds, before returning Geuse's long-lasting smile with his own. With a sincere voice, he said, "Thanks, Geuse, for supporting me."

The spirit only nodded, "You are quite welcome, Subaru-sama. I am happy to help in any way I can. Now, I do believe you should be going? You have people you need to see." Subaru laughed a little, noticing how frequently Geuse was trying to get him to leave.

The kid, realizing that it was time for Subaru to go, raised his hand into the air to wave, "Bye~ Mister Subaru-sama! Come back and visit soon!"

"Oh, you bet I will. Geuse over there is gonna be helping me with my relationship problems. Take care of him, Regulus."

"Wait, what-" As Petelgeuse's eyes widened and the kid laughed at his expense, Subaru turned his attention back to the box in his hand. He looked at it curiously, directing his free hand to the side of it and grabbing hold. Then in one motion he opened it, revealing a bright light that made him instinctively close his eyes.

---

When he opened his eyes again, imagine his surprise when he saw two sets of eyeballs eagerly staring down at him. It made him jump a little, while the two sets of eyeballs — revealed to be both Pandora and Beatrice — immediately crushed him in their own hugs.

Of course, without hesitation, he hugged them back. Though, something wasn't right. Pandora was smiling at him happily and supportively, but Beatrice was different. The Great Spirit was crying, hugging him as tight as she could whilst burying her head into his chest. She screamed his name as many times as she could.

His expression became one of worry as he looked down at her, putting a hand on her head, "Beako, what's wrong? Why are you crying? If anyone's been bullying you, you know that you can tell me." He gave Pandora a half-hearted stink eye, which made her lightly laugh.

Beatrice quickly pulled her head out of his chest, letting him get a good look at the eyepatch over her right eye as well as her tear-stained cheeks. Her expression wasn't that of a pout or frown, like he thought it would be, but instead it was a beaming smile. She wasn't sad; no, she was happy. Extremely happy, even. She didn't even have to tell him why, because just seeing that expression made him smile too. If she was happy, then he was also happy.

He rubbed her head a little with one of his hands, her expression changing to that of satisfaction as he did so. For a second, he could have sworn that he'd even heard her purr. The Great Spirit ended up closing her eyes, letting herself enjoy the affection that her contractor bestowed upon her.

It wasn't long before the other girl at his side began pulling on his other arm, however. When he turned to look at her, all whilst still petting his Beako, she was pouting. Subaru snorted in amusement, "Wow, you're jealous."

Pandora blinked, flinching back nervously and unconsciously drifting her gaze away from him. "Not jealous," she mumbled, playing with some strands of her own hair.

"Pfft, you're actually jealous, I can't believe that," he laughed at her, making her pout more. Just looking at that face of hers, those cute expressions, and her new sweet personality combined with that made him swoon. She was just so cute to him, how could he not?

"Why did you stop patting Betty, I wonder? I know we will have countless centuries for you to dote on Betty, but that doesn't mean you should stop now, in fact!"

Subaru must've really started ogling at Pandora, because he hadn't even realized that he had stopped giving Beatrice headpats until she'd actually said something. Needless to say, he resumed immediately.

As for her comment, Subaru only gave Pandora a questioning look, in which she gave him one that basically said, "I will tell you later."

After that, the three of them proceeded to share the moment together. Both girls ended up, very reluctantly, sharing Subaru's affection, something he was all too glad to give out. Said affection ranged from headpats, hugs and even kisses — though, to keep things fair, nobody got anything more than a kiss on the forehead. Once they all had their fill, which they quite frankly didn't, and the day began to pass, they finally found themselves willing to move.

As they stood up, the pair's hands joining together once more, Subaru had an idea. A mental intuition, as he wanted to call it. So, he called out, "Dora, is it okay if we… well, try something really quick?"

They stopped walking, Pandora turning around to face him curiously, yet also a bit frighteningly. She nodded, although a bit scared, "Of course, Baru. But… you are not going to step on me again, are you?"

As Beatrice snapped her head to the two of them, wanting to know what Pandora was talking about, Subaru's face burned red, "N-No! I'm not going to do that! It's something else, this time!"

Pandora sighed, somewhat relieved. She wouldn't have exactly minded it, had that been what he wanted to do, though. She shook her head, snapping out of those thoughts as Subaru asked if she was ready. When she nodded, confirming that she was, he began.

He took a deep breath, taking some steps back from her which extended their arms out a bit. Their conjoined hands were held out in the middle, directly in view for the both of them to see. Beatrice eyed them with a questioning expression, watching with a hint of unease and fear at what Subaru was planning to do. She was no doubt remembering the nightmare she had gone through, in which she had to deal with them both being separated from one another after their initial release.

Subaru took a deep breath, remembering what the kid version of Regulus told him before. Pandora was trusting him and he really didn't want to let her down, so he really hoped that this would work. "Brace yourself if this doesn't work, Dora," he suddenly suggested, probably making her even more uneasy. 'Way to go, Subaru. Good job,' were some of his mental berations.

With that, he began to release his grip on her hand. He whispered, "Cor Leonis: Third Shift," under his breath just as their hands separated. Both of them were tempted to reconnect with the other immediately, but there was nothing. No panicking, no breakdowns, no fear… just calm.

After a few moments passed with nothing changing, they both looked at their hands, almost instinctively, still feeling as though nothing was wrong. It was an odd feeling; it was as though they were separated, yet they still felt as if they were with one another. Neither of them quite knew how to describe it, but couldn't help but wonder if they had truly just fixed their issue.

"Are you crazy, I wonder?!" Beatrice exclaimed, clearly both worried and upset. "You could have hurt yourself! Or worse! What if that failed?! Morons! Idiots!"

Suddenly, Beatrice reeled her leg back and sent it forth with as much force as she could muster. She aimed her foot right for Subaru's own leg, intending to let out a bit of her frustration on him. It wasn't like he didn't deserve it a little, either, for scaring her for so long. Needless to say, he felt the hit, "Ow!"

"Ouch!"

Both Subaru and Pandora both ended up lifting up their legs, covering them in the exact same spot— specifically the one Beatrice had hit. They looked at each other funnily, blinking unexpectedly. They'd both realized: they'd felt the same pain, in the same spot. Beatrice looked between the two incredulously, mouth slightly agape in her own surprise.

"Well, this is… something," Subaru tried to joke, awkwardly laughing as he scratched the back of his head.

Pandora went along with it, lightly laughing at his petty attempt to alleviate the atmosphere, "It is certainly better than our previous… method."

Beatrice looked between them with suspicious eyes, "What other method?"

Subaru seemed a bit hesitant to answer, averting his gaze away from his Great Spirit a little, but Pandora looked directly at her and spoke, "We were practicing staying separated by separating for as long as possible."

Beatrice glared at them, but more so Subaru, "You were what? What did I just say, I suppose! Do you two have no idea how mental anxiety works?! It is not something you just can force to go away!"

Beatrice kicked Subaru's leg a few times to drive her point home, yelling about how idiotic they were being, which effectively hurt them both, and, to Beatrice, that was a win-win. When she was done, Subaru nervously laughed at the situation, looking to Beatrice with a pathetic-looking face, "Sorry, Beako, I should've-"

"Yes, you should've spoken to me before you did something so illogically stupid. What you and her have can only be undone with time; you can't force it to go away! Your new… method seems like it will only be a temporary solution too, so don't go thinking that you've solved the problem." With that, she narrowed her eyes at him, "Now stop looking at Betty with that pathetic face and promise that you'll do better in the future, I suppose," she crossed her arms, looking away from him with a huff.

Subaru stared at her for a moment, before smiling, "Alright, Beako, I promise I won't do something like that again. Before I try anything, I'll come talk to you, okay?"

The Great Spirit hummed to herself as if she were thinking about how she should to respond to him, "I suppose that was adequate enough of an apology." With that, she turned her head back over to Subaru, "Betty expects you to keep your promise, in fact."

Subaru nodded, "I will, Beako. Don't worry."

Beatrice should have expected that Subaru would pick her up by the arms and twirl her around in the air. Of course, he laughed and she screamed for him to put him down whilst flailing her arms every which way. Yet, her demands to him were anything but genuine. In fact, the Great Spirit found great enjoyment in his act. She truly did miss this a lot.

When he was done, he gently set her back down on the ground. She pouted and turned her backside to him, feigning her own stubbornness. He affectionately ruffled her hair a bit whilst turning to look at Pandora, who was looking at them with another blank expression. Instead of letting himself get too concerned or scared by it, he addressed her directly, "Dora, do you feel left out? If so, I've still got a lot left for you, don't worry!"

Those words took her out of the trance she was in, shaking her head and quickly realigning her gaze on him, "Ah, well… maybe I was a little."

Subaru was a little surprised by her shy admission, but smiled at her nonetheless. Before he could do anything, however, Beatrice spoke up, "I apologize for interrupting, but I must be going, in fact."

That made Subaru look back down at her, confused and worried, "What do you mean, Beako? Where do you have to go?"

She sadly looked up at him. He could tell that she really didn't want to go, just by the expression that was being conveyed to him, "There is something I need to find in Elior Forest, I suppose. Once I find it, I will be back. It should not take long."

Subaru wanted to sigh as he contemplated his own feelings on the matter. Despite how much he wanted her to stay, or how much he wanted to help her, she would probably vigorously deny both. Knowing that, all he could do was give her his best wishes, "Alright, I understand. Just… be careful, okay? Come back soon."

"Hmph. As if you should be saying that, when you were the one that left Betty for so long, in fact!" She puffed her cheeks at him and, while her words did sting a bit, he took them more as a, 'Don't worry, I'll be okay and come back before you know it.'

In the end, the two hugged. They held one another tight, as if it would be their last time seeing each other. When they separated, Subaru wished her farewell once more and went to Pandora's side. The former Witch smiled at him as he stood next to her, something he was happy to see. Before Beatrice left, she made it very clear that she did not want them doing any funny business while she was gone. The pair blushed, though it was more prominent on Subaru. It even looked more as if Pandora somewhat enjoyed the memory of their actions, as opposed to being embarrassed.

Subaru waved, as did Beatrice, before the Great Spirit vanished using some type of spell he'd never seen before. Subaru slightly tilted his head, amazed, "That's… new." He looked over at Pandora, who also looked at him, "Did you know that she could do that?" The former Witch shook her head, "Huh… Well, wild day, I guess."

They turned to face one another more directly. Pandora had quite a few questions, most of which she was going to be asking, "Baru, would you like to explain everything that has happened?"

With the face he made, it seemed as though he'd just realized that he should've explained things to her sooner. Pandora didn't know whether she should adore him, or be disappointed, as he gathered his words together, "Oh, yeah. I probably should. I'm sure you remember when you told me to focus within myself and all that, right? Well, I did that, then I appeared in a place that looked awfully like the seal we used to be in. And, in there, I met with the representations of the Witch Sin Factors. One of them was Betelgeuse, he's really nice. Then there was Regulus, he wasn't that nice and even beat me up the first time. He was really adamant that he didn't like me, too."

Pandora, as if it were an instinct, looked at him with worry. She looked like she was about to bombard him with more questions, but Subaru held up his hand to stop her, "Now, I know what you're thinking, but it was fine. Sure I felt every single thing he did to me, and it hurt like hell, but I sure as hell bounced back! Well, he slammed my face into the ground and forced me back out here… but, you know, still bounced back afterwards!"

She eyed him skeptically at first, but it quickly shifted into something more… murderous. It wasn't directed at him, he knew that, but he pitied the poor fool that earned Pandora's ire. Subaru had to quickly keep talking as to not fuel that look of hers, "Remember when I said that I had someone to go beat up before I went back under? Yeah, that's who I was going to go beat up. I did, by the way. I even made… a really bad joke. But, yeah, I beat him so bad that he turned into a child! Still don't really know how that happened, but I guess that was the 'purification form' thing Geuse was talking about."

He shrugged nonchalantly at his own words while Pandora actually seemed to calm down, all in favor of studying his explanation more thoroughly. All Pandora could think at first was, despite how much she loved him, the fact that Subaru did not do a good job of explaining things, at all, was undeniable. Though by piecing together the fragments she had, things somehow started to make a little more sense.

"To clarify, you went into this… area, within yourself, that permitted you to talk to the Witch Factors, or, rather, their representations, correct?" She received a nod in response. She kept going, "You interacted with Betelgeuse?"

He gave her another nod, "Pretty much. When I first got there he was actually normal, though. He actually said that I had already conquered Sloth, when I met him."

That was intriguing, but she chose to continue with her recap for now, "Then, after that, you met the Greed representation, which took the form of Bishop Corneas. It did not like you and kicked you out, yes?" Another nod. She continued, "Is this one of the motivations for as to why we had our talk?"

He nodded once more, "Yeah. I was going to talk to you about it anyway, but… it just felt right at that moment. I didn't want to leave it hanging any longer, and I'm glad that I didn't."

She herself nodded in response, understanding his point of view. Despite that, she had no doubt that the Greed representation had said something to him which prompted it to happen. Though, the fact that Subaru had been hurt thoroughly enraged her. She did her best to digress from that thought, "Then, after getting closure from our talk, you went back in and conquered the sin?"

Subaru proudly puffed out his chest, "Pretty much! Sorry again for not talking to you about it sooner. I felt really motivated at that moment and wanted to act on it."

Pandora shook her head, moderately amused, smiling all the while, "You do not need to apologize. I am happy for you, Baru. Nevertheless, I do wish you could have explained this… situation better." That made him laugh, something in which she joined in on; though, her laughs were more like light giggles. When they were done, she looked at him expectantly, "I believe we should talk more about the abilities you've gained, yes?"

Subaru's face lit up, "Right! I need to show you." After saying those words, Subaru promptly backed away from her. She didn't necessarily want him to be so far away from him — even though it wasn't really that far at all — but she relented so he could properly demonstrate the abilities he wanted to show.

She saw him close his eyes, watching curiously as he took one deep breath. He could feel his Authority within him, all throughout his body, as if it were still coursing through his veins. When he opened his eyes, to her surprise, two dark, visible hands began extruding from his stomach. Her eyes momentarily widened before they settled on him with a proud gaze.

"I call it the 'Helping Hand'," he told her, extending the hands out further for her to take a better look at. "I don't think they're much stronger than my own arms, though. But, watch this," he recalled the two hands, letting them re-enter his stomach. Once they did, he called upon three more hands, one extending out from above each foot while another came out of his backside. "I can have them come out from anywhere, not just my stomach. It was really handy when I fought Regulus."

Pandora shook her head at his terrible joke, but didn't let it stop her from marveling at his accomplishment, "This is amazing, Baru. I knew you could do it!" She excitedly exclaimed, proudly. Though, she was still curious, "What is your summoning limit?"

He hummed thoughtfully, retracting the hands again, "I think five." After he answered, he let four hands come out of his backside. Each of them anchoring themselves to the ground while he called upon a fifth from his stomach area. He hummed again, "Yeah, I can't summon anymore than this."

"I see," Pandora mumbled, putting a hand to her chin as she thought. "I suppose we will just have to work on that. With some time and practice, I am sure you will be able to summon more."

Subaru smiled, "Yeah, I think so too. But they're not exactly limiting per say, either. I can think of a lot of different ways to use these. For example…" he trailed off, rather letting his actions speak in place of his words. He used the hands that were anchored to the ground — the ones extruding from his backside — to push him high into the air. At some point, they reached their stretching limit and couldn't extend any further; but, even so, they were still able to lift him pretty high up.

Pandora continued to marvel at them, mumbling to herself, "That range is not bad at all." She looked up to him, smiling while she called out, "This can be very useful, Baru!"

He lowered himself down, calling back all of his hands once he touched the ground. He smiled back at her, still very proud of himself, "Yup! It'll be great for getting over or around certain terrain, or even scaling high mountains and cliffs."

Pandora nodded vigorously, agreeing with his statement, all while thinking his proud expressions and poses were cute, "What of your other abilities? The ones representing Greed; your Cor Leonis."

The smile on Subaru's face faltered to that of more of a neutral, thoughtful look. He crossed his arms, contemplating the question as well, "To be honest, I don't know. The only reason I knew of, well, this one," he gestured to the both of them, clearly referencing the newly acquired ability he'd used which allowed them to properly separate, "was because of some mental intuition I had. I don't really know if there's more than that, or if my other Cor Leonis Shifts have changed."

Pandora nodded in understanding. Another thing occurred to her, "I should mention that, during your goodbye with Beatrice, I could feel everything that you could. Every touch, hug, pat on her head and even the cloth of her clothes."

At that, he nervously laughed, "Yeah, I kinda figured that you could because, well, I should also say that I can… feel everything from you, too."

Pandora tilted her head to the side a little, clearly perplexed, "What do you mean, Baru?"

His eyes motioned down then back up to her face multiple times, "You're- uh… not wearing any shoes, so… every time you step on something, I can feel it."

Oh. Well, she supposed that did make sense, didn't it? She looked down at her feet, wiggling her toes within the grass a little. It tickled a bit, something which he no doubt felt but didn't give a reaction to, much to her disappointment. "S-Say, how come you don't wear shoes, anyway? Don't all the rocks and dirt bother you?"

She looked back up at him, then back down at her feet. She lifted up one of her legs, grabbing it by the ankle to show him her heel, which was seemingly completely clean. "My Authority essentially prevents dirt and other imperfections from sticking to my body. Though it has its limits; for example, it does not repel certain odors," his face changed at the reminder. "As for it bothering me… it never really did," she trailed off a bit, averting her gaze uncomfortably to the side. She really didn't want to go into more detail about that part, again.

He seemed to understand her explanation in more ways than one, so she lowered her leg and stood properly once more. The two had fallen into silence but, as Pandora snapped out of her stupor and looked at his face, it seemed to her as though he was considering experimenting with his new or unfound abilities.

She walked over to him, taking his hand in hers, "It is getting late. We wasted a lot of time this morning and, with everything else that occurred, the day flew by quite fast. It has been a long day, especially for you. Shall we rest?" She also now felt the need to get shoes for herself and didn't want to be outside anymore without them, especially with this new ability of his potentially being a regular thing.

She gave him a sweet, loving look that just made him just want to immediately agree to her proposal. Unsurprisingly, he did just that, "I… guess you're right; we should rest. We'll have all day tomorrow to practice and stuff."

When he looked up, the sun was already going down. He let his impatience fade as he intertwined his fingers with hers, deactivating Cor Leonis: Third Shift whilst doing so. He felt there was no need to keep it activated; plus, he didn't know if it brought him any negative reproductions yet, so having it continuously active over a long period of time was probably not the smartest decision.

The two walked back to the mansion together, opening the doors and heading inside once they reached it. It felt odd to Subaru, at least at first. It felt emptier, less lively, especially with Beatrice not being around. Just the two of them alone together in the mansion… it was nice, but it was also just a little too quiet. It made him feel uneasy, remembering their eternal confinement together. Pandora was inclined to feel the same way.

When they made it back to their room, they found a handwritten note from Beatrice on the bed. Essentially, it just gave them instructions for how to make the special remedy she always made and where to find the ingredients. They made sure to keep the note aside for the next day. Neither of them wanted to die of dehydration or starvation, after all.

They soon found themselves climbing into the bed, not having even bothered to change their clothes. Conveniently, the bed had new sheets and pillows for them to use, too. The two got comfortable, cuddling into one another, but, even after doing so, neither of them could fall asleep right away.

Subaru felt unusually nervous and Pandora picked up on that, unwilling to even try falling asleep until she knew that he was okay. She picked her head up a little, looking at him and calling out to him in a hushed whisper, "Baru, are you alright?"

He looked back at her, his eyes giving away his true thoughts as he replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just need to relax, I think."

She knew he was lying to her, deciding to question him again, "Are you certain? Is it about the nightmare you had last night?"

He took in a deep breath, letting his gaze wander a bit, "It was just a nightmare, I swear. It was nothing to worry about."

He lied again. It made her upset, even leading her to frown a little, but she didn't say anything else back. She didn't want to force him to talk about something he clearly didn't want to. He could come to her when he felt ready, but if it became a more prominent problem then she'd certainly bring it up again.

In the end, she forced herself to let it go for now. Pandora leant over to give him a quick peck on the lips before burying her head into the crook of his neck, right next to the mark she'd given him that very morning. She closed her eyes, wrapping an arm over his chest while a small smile graced her face, "Goodnight, Baru. I love you."

At that moment Subaru felt content, as did she. He put his own arm around her back, holding her securely close, as he too closed his eyes and truly relaxed himself, "I love you too, Dora. Goodnight."

They both began drifting off in the comfort of each other's arms, letting themselves steadily be consumed into the void of sleep. That didn't mean they hadn't drifted off without worries, though. Pandora worried for her beloved, hoping he was okay. Subaru didn't want her to worry. It was why he lied before, and it was why he hoped that he wouldn't have another vision now.