Chapter ten: Other

Chapter summary: A story of the beginning is told and Leo returns to Irlem to replace the lost earth dragon. However, he gains a companion on the way back to the mansion afterwards. Constructive feedback appreciated.

Disclaimer: I don't own Re:Zero.

At the very instant of the dawn of the Big Bang, two things were born separately. One was the intention of life. The driving force of life, the innate desire of multiplication. The concept of expansion itself. The reason why all living things strive to proliferate. It has manifested in many different ways and in faraway places throughout the impossibly vast cosmos. One such way was through mana. Mana could be considered the engine through which the intention of life acts within a particular manifestation. And the crystallization of this life energy became the center of a world. It gained a name.

Od Laguna.

But there was a second thing. To call it intent would be inaccurate. For it was a force. A force present throughout infinity, a force that had manifested itself in only one way. The very antithesis of the concept of expansion.

It had no name, for a force of nature could not name itself.

[And yet I have. I am the Other.]

-Reborn-

"I knew you'd exhaust yourself," Leo said while leaning against a gnarled tree. "You know I was joking when I said I'd carry you, right?"

If looks could kill, Red's glare would have done so several times over.

Night had fallen over the woods. Leo snorted and returned the glare. "Just rest already. I'm the one who has to keep watch here."

The sooner we start moving again the better. We're at the edge of the forest but I'd rather not take any chances with the wolgarms around. We have been making good progress though; it's only been about a day or so since I left. If I've memorized the map correctly then we're already halfway there. Hah… I swear, times like these make me miss my earbuds. Being stuck in my thoughts like this is stressful. And normally I'd eat or sleep when I'm stressed. Which of course, I can't do. Fan-fucking-tastic.

Leo continued while the earth dragon fell into its slumber. There's another thing that's been bothering me. What even is that Voice? It'd be easy to say it's some generic isekai God or some other shit, except the closest thing to a god in this series is the Divine Dragon and maybe Satella and the other Witches. And "dying world"? What did it mean by that? That's not mentioned in the lore as far as I remember. And I still don't understand why it would choose me. Why would this "Something" take interest in some random guy? Oh, right. It mentioned the Will of Fate didn't it? But what does that mean? Taking it literally, it'd be defined as: "The intention or desire of a series of predetermined events." Hold up. If fate has an intent or the ability to desire, doesn't that imply sentience?!

God, this is starting to sound like the kind of shit I'd think of in the shower. I miss showers. I should probably give this thing a name other than Something or Voice. How about–

The Other.

Leo flinched, a shiver gently grazing his spine. Had the woodland nights always been this bitter, this frigid? His ears were ringing and the hues of the undergrowth became muted, painting the cursed forest of demon beasts in swathes of dulled tints. A sudden pull brought him to his knees as he began gasping for air. When had he lost his breath? Regaining his senses he stared down at his shuddering hands, perplexed. Where did that come from? What was that just now? What is this feeling? I feel sick… Watched… Leo could offer no explanation, but he felt as though he had been bestowed the name of his unknown patron.

"You don't say your name lightly, do you?" Leo muttered to himself while getting up. He closed his eyes, futilely yearning for sleep to wash over him. It did not, and he learned to ruminate on nothing all the while.

The pair made their way to Irlem the moment dawn broke. Upon their return a day later at noon, Leo was welcomed back into the hamlet by Lukas and Dina with the villagers curiously eyeing the crimson riding beast that had returned with him. The large chief's eyes widened in recognition upon seeing it. "That earth dragon… That's one of Roswaal's, isn't it? I've seen it before during my trips there. Did he give it to you?"

"I, uh…" Leo said uncomfortably, shifting his feet due to the attention from both Lukas and the onlookers. "Yeah. I… named it Red. If you don't mind, I should probably head to Kettle's place to–"

He swore the chief's eyes sparkled. "Incredible! Such a humble name for a magnificent beast!"

Leo blinked, momentarily forgetting his discomfort. "What."

Lukas went on excitedly. "This beautiful coat! Those sharp eyes! I've only seen it from afar, but to see it up close is something else entirely! To think Lord Mathers gifted you with an earth dragon of the Diana species!"

Ah, right, the same species as patrasche, his mind idly filled in for him. Leo watched in utter disbelief as the formerly respectable chief was, in the middle of the village square in broad daylight, stroking the coat of Red, who appeared pleased and almost… smug.

Humble?! This thing?!

Dina, ever the sensible person, smacked her husband upside the head. "Enough of that, you big idiot. Leo was trying to say something. Also, did you even notice that Betsy's not with him?"

Lukas glanced behind Leo for a second as if the beast would miraculously be hiding there. "Oh, you're right! I hadn't even noticed! What happened to Betsy?"

Here it goes. "Uh, well, Betsy is… no longer… with us. She passed away."

Dina, shocked and saddened, spoke first. "Oh dear, that's terrible! Lily's going to be devastated!

Lukas was somehow even more upset. "No! Betsy! What happened to her?! How did she die?!"

Is he–He's crying?! Seriously?! Is this guy just the isekai equivalent of a horse girl?!

The chief's wife sighed before practically dragging her husband back to their home. "There, there, dear. Don't cry. Seriously, stop. And Leo!" Dina called out before shutting the door, "Good luck breaking the news to Kettle and Lily!"

The former recluse grimaced and waved lightly in reply. Gee, thanks for dumping it on me. I mean, yeah, I was planning on doing it anyway… but still.

Lily had been focused on planting and had paid no mind to the commotion of Leo's return. He waited patiently for her to finish a row before she turned around. Her expression lit up as she exclaimed, "Hey Leo! Welcome back! How're ya doin'? How was the mansion?" Lily's bright and cheery countenance did nothing to assuage his mounting guilt.

Welp, not the first time I've let someone down. "Hey… Uh, so… I'm giving you this ground dragon. It's yours now." Leo said, handing her the reins.

The farm girl's eyes widened. "Oh! Is that an earth dragon of the Diana species?! He looks so majestic!"

Is that really common knowledge in a peasant village? Also, it's a "he"? How did she–Oh, right. Genitals, dumbass. Wait, if it's a reptile, wouldn't the genitalia be external–And I'm shutting up now. "Uh. Yeah. So about Betsy–"

She snapped out of her admiration. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Where is Betsy, anyway? Did ya take her to the stables already?"

He broke the news. As Leo had both expected and dreaded, he was met with blubbering and tears of which he spent the rest of the day trying to dry, mostly by convincing her that Betsy had passed peacefully and without suffering.

The latter was at least somewhat true.

Night fell and Kettle had invited him for dinner again. He convinced the two that he had already eaten earlier and was content with their company. The widower took the news fairly well, especially after Leo gave them a replacement in the form of Red. "Bringin' us an earth dragon of the Diana species…" Kettle muttered in surprise. "To think that screwy fuck woulda gifted ya that."

Leo's eye twitched.

The healer continued, changing topics. "Shame about Betsy, though. So, kid, got anythin' you're plannin' to do anytime soon?"

Odd question. He replied warily, "Well, yeah. I'll be heading back to the mansion I guess. After that… I'll probably do some traveling."

Normally, the thought of taking on such a monumental task would be soul-draining. But honestly? I'm kinda excited. The idea of traveling through and learning about countries I've only seen in the anime or read about in the light novel, all with the goal of returning to that sweet void of nothingness sounds like something worth doing.

Lily was staring at him strangely. It was as if she had been searching for something for a long time and had just found it. Her violet eyes gained a bizarre shine to them. She stood up, slamming her hands on the dinner table. "Traveling?! Uh, I mean… You're traveling? Where?"

Kettle seemed simultaneously resigned and amused but said nothing.

The man was baffled but resumed. "… Yeah. Traveling. As for where, well, kinda just all over… I guess. I'm probably gonna be heading out tonight, actually. Tell Lukas and Dina that I appreciate everything they've done for me. Ah, and thanks to you both too."

Lily quieted, appearing dismayed while the healer responded, "Now? Kid, are ya sure? Ya don't need a ground dragon either?"

"I'll be fine. I've memorized the path and I have supplies with me."

"Shit, kid. Well, if you're really that confident I s'pose you'll be fine. Best of luck to ya then."

Leo of course did not actually have supplies, nor did he need them. He bid the two farewell, reaching the path he had been on twice before. I probably could have left in the morning, but…

He took off, starting with a light run. This is something I've been wanting to test for ages now! The path blurred beneath his feet, the colors of the forest around him blending together as he accelerated. When I broke through those mabeasts there was a sound that followed. It must have been the sound barrier! The best part is that I had been barely trying back then… Let's see how fast I can go!

A thunderclap followed behind him, a bolt greater than any god of thunder could hope to produce. Man, the people in Irlem are probably wondering what the fuck's going on! This is so fun!

Any vegetation around the road to Roswaal's mansion was obliterated while Leo closed distances in minutes that would have taken hours to travel. Oh, the man said while running, I see. Breaking the sound barrier doesn't necessarily mean I'm moving at the speed of sound consistently. It's just that my instantaneous acceleration, or rather the change in speed, momentarily exceeds that of sound itself. I wish I could more accurately measure it, but I'd guess that I was moving at least mach one or greater in that split second.

After roughly fifteen minutes, Leo decided to slow down to a walking speed. Within those fifteen minutes, he was already a third of the way back to the mansion. Hm… I guess that's enough for now. I don't want to crash into something again, and I'm not really in that much of a hurry. There is one more thing I'd like to test too…

Veering off the path towards a nearby tree, the man clenched his fist before punching it halfheartedly. The massive conifer exploded, its upper half falling backward with a deafening crash. He stared distantly at his bleeding, splinter-covered fist. Weird. My body's actual durability seems to be in question. Also, my control is awful. I think I'll keep working on it.

The former shut-in resolved to do so later and continued walking, admiring the clear sky and the landscape around him. It's been a while since I've actually taken in the views of any place, so I'll try and enjoy it. But frankly, I'm kinda just avoiding Roswaal too. Talking to that clown makes my stomach turn.

"–ey!"

Huh? A voice? Here? Leo snapped his head towards the source.

"Leeeo! Heeey! Where are ya?!"

The stomping of a ground dragon. He recognized that coat. Red?! Wait, so that's…

The rider came into view. It was Lily, dressed in a dark brown cloak over her regular outfit and a bow on her back.

"Lily? What are you doing here?"

She let out a sigh in relief. "Ah! There ya are! How'd ya get ahead of me anyway?"

Leo snapped, "Answer my question first. What are you doing here? Did something happen back at Irlem?"

The farm girl responded, "Oh, no, no! Nothin' like that! It's just…"

"Just…?"

Lily took a breath while staring at Leo with bright eyes. "Let me go with ya!"

Traveling companion acquired, I guess. Hey there. First, I'd like to thank the two reviewers that left feedback on the previous chapter. I'm liking the speculation. I will actually be doing a time skip at some point, though to be honest I'm not sure when. Second, I appreciate the kind words from the second reviewer. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I might attempt to make the next few chapters longer, but I'm not going to promise anything. They're difficult to polish after a certain word count for me… Anyway, the next chapter may take longer than a week since this is basically the end of the first "arc". Plus I've been playing Warframe's new update and it's a lot of fun.