I woke up.
Emilia? Where is she? That dream... no, please don't do this to her.
Kill me instead if you must...
I was sweating and panting. Losing control. Where is she?
I walk down the stairs of the guest house I was still relatively unfamiliar with...
Please don't... be gone.
If I lose you, that thing will take control... where are you?
I smell... what smells like food?
I walk in the direction of the scent. Still sweating, shivering like I was insane. I hate this. I hate losing control of my body and emotions...
I turn my head slightly ahead of a wall...
Emilia was making breakfast.
"Emilia," I said, both in happiness and terror of what I thought occurred.
She looked at me, a bit startled. I walked up to her and hugged her.
She's alright. It was only a nightmare... I will not let that reality ever happen.
If anything takes her away from me... that thing will destroy whoever took her along with everything else in this world.
I just can't let it happen again.
"Subaru, are you alright?" Emilia asked with a concerned tone.
I calm my breathing down, "Yes, I'm alright now. What are you making?"
She looked at me with skepticism. This was the first time she's seen me like that. It only makes sense... will she view me differently? Will she think I'm insane-
"You overslept dumbie! Beatrice told me you liked a girl who could cook... so I made toast!"
I couldn't help but laugh. Toast? I mean, good enough for breakfast, I guess...
"I'm kidding! Well, sort of. I made toast, and eggs in this weird way Beatrice described. She said it was from your homeland. A maid from the Crusch manner also brought some pastries. But I wanted to make you breakfast so..."
I love her.
"Thank you"
I stared at the eggs, scrambled eggs. The type my late parents made for me. It looked good; I was hungry.
What the...
My vision got blurry, everything begin fading as I saw...
[Flashback starts]
"Mom, Dad?" Subaru cried out, seeing the unresponsive bodies of his parents. He couldn't accept they were dead.
The bodies of Subaru's parents, pale. Both the sound of banging and laughter could be heard from another room.
Subaru stared at his mom in horror, her body was mangled with wounds. It was no normal homicide, it was brutal and phagocytic.
"Mom?" Subaru stared at the lifeless eyes of his mother.
"MOM!" Subaru begin shedding tears. He was on the floor covered in blood.
Subaru looked at his hands, covered in the blood of his own mother.
"Dad?"
Subaru moved his position staring at an even worse sight.
Subaru's father's head was removed from his body. Subaru looked at the head, the person that was his father...
Why? Why? Why?
Who did this? Who did this to them?
Subaru heard a voice in his head. He wasn't sure what it was.
'Do you wish to avenge their deaths?'
Yes, I want whoever did this to die. That's not enough, I want them to experience my pain.
'Then kill them, leave them dead unrecognizable'
Ok.
Subaru got up, his eyes are empty of anything. Void of any form of emotion, an empty soul.
Subaru walked to the kitchen and grabbed a kitchen knife, his mother's blood dripping down his hands made it hard to get a good grip on the blade.
Subaru walked back to where he heard the banging. He walked slowly, careful to not alert his target.
The banging and laughter continued, which made it easier for Subaru to get behind the man without him realizing Subaru's presence.
'Kill him. Bathe in the blood of the man who killed your parents. Enjoy the feeling of their demise'
Yes.
Subaru used the kitchen knife and slashed at the man's neck. Blood began spilling out quickly, but Subaru wanted him to feel more pain.
'Strike him in the liver, he will die shortly. Make his pain unimaginable.'
Yes.
Subaru quickly moved his position and stabbed the man in the liver.
"AHHHHHHGHHHH" the man yelled. Feeling pain far worse than the wound on his neck that would kill him shortly.
Subaru smiled at the man that was approaching his death. His blood spilled out, and Subaru began to cover it around himself.
'Soon, you will mature. You will become what you truly are'
Subaru smiled. But then he heard another voice in his head.
'This world is cruel, but blaming yourself for everything only makes you a coward. Afraid of the truth of the nature of humanity and the world. If you fear those you care for will die, become a man who won't allow such things to occur. If you think you are cursed, you are nothing more than a stupid brat trying to escape reality.'
The words of his mentor.
The vision slowly dissipated as the reality crumbled, the vision he saw of his past.
[Flashback Ends]
"Subaru, wake up!"
I opened my eyes and was on the ground, and Emilia hugged me.
Her embrace calmed me down. I thought back at the flashback, most likely caused by PTSD.
However, it was strange, I had never had a PTSD-induced flashback before... perhaps my enjoying life has caused me to be vulnerable.
The man that saved me from that thing in my previous world was my mentor, and the person who saved me from that thing in this world was Emilia.
The only two people who have ever been able to suppress that thing from taking control of me.
"I'm alright. Emilia, thank you," I say, getting back up.
Emilia frowns at me, "You seriously freaked me out. I... heard you say a bunch of different things."
Was I speaking about what I saw during the flashback? How is that even possible?
"But I don't care about that... Subaru, you won't lose me, and you don't get something."
What does she mean by that? What do I not get?
"Subaru, if I lose you, I will be taken over by my own vengeance. You are not alone with that burden," Emilia said, brushing my hair while I embraced her warmth and comfort.
She's right. We both are reliant on each other to retain our sanity. Before, I was reliant on my mentor. Now coming into this world, I've become reliant on her. Is that a bad thing?
We are both broken and healed each other.
I must remember the most important words my mentor ever told me.
'This world is cruel, but blaming yourself for everything only makes you a coward. Afraid of the truth of the nature of humanity and the world. If you fear those you care for will die, become a man who won't allow such things to occur. If you think you are cursed, you are nothing more than a stupid brat trying to escape reality.'
Those words we're authentic, and they're proper now. I will overcome my past. I will not allow myself to become that thing... I will become a man genuinely worthy of Emilia.
"I'm alright now, Emilia. Let's eat."
The tension quickly de-escalated as I regained my composure. The food was terrific, the toast was cooked to perfection, and the scrambled eggs were like tasting the pleasant memories of my past. Nobody other than Emilia would've been able to make something so divine.
"So, did you like it?" Emilia asked with a slight smirk seeing how quickly I ate the meal she had made for me.
"Yes, it was wonderful. Thank you, Emilia."
Emilia frowned, "We have one more day until the Royal Selection... you slept in until three in the afternoon. Let's make a plan."
There isn't much to make for considering the competition is a bunch of idiots. The only issue is we lack a direct sponsor. I guess we will have to see how things play out.
"I assume Crusch will take us to the place where we do the Royal Selection at?" I ask, still not familiar with the details of how the Royal Selection operated.
"Yes, I already asked her about that, and she said it wouldn't be an issue."
Good. The last thing is, what exactly is my role?
"So Emilia, what exactly is my role? Most candidates have knights, but I'm not exactly a knight..."
Emilia tilted her head a bit, "Are you joking? You are the knight any girl would dream of having. Luckily I get you all to myself."
Well, she's getting reasonably comfortable with our relationship...
"I already had asked Crusch to get you a proper knight outfit made..." Emilia said with a slight grin.
Oh god? For fuck sake, will I have to wear those uniforms that the goddamn knights in the movies wear? Well, now that I think about it, that guy... I think his name was Reinhard was a knight and had no armor...
Emilia walked me to her room. The uniform was hung in her closet.
It was... perfect. A black coat, with hints of Egyptian blue highlights. The pants complimented the coat perfectly. The shirt was only black, which actually complimented the rest of the outfit perfectly. The shoes were boots that were black with the same highlighted bluish tint.
Either I just like anything Emilia gives me, or she picked the perfect outfit... either option, I cannot complain.
"Sooo what do you think?" Emilia asked, looking a bit nervous due to my late response.
"It's... amazing. Did you give the instructions on how to make it?"
Emilia grinned, "Yes... did you think someone else could create a knight uniform you'd actually enjoy wearing?"
I smiled, I was right. She did know my taste in clothing. Not that it's much significance, but still.
Well, we got a few hours to discuss tomorrow, the Royal Selection... this will be fun.
"Okay, let's start formulating a plan for this. Beatrice, I also would like your input."
Emilia looked shocked as Beatrice appeared from thin air again.
"What would you like Betty's input on, I suppose?"
This is going to be a long but important conversation.
I was shocked to see Beatrice appear from nowhere. Must be some sort of yin magic she created to be able to teleport to Subaru whenever needed. Incredible.
We all gathered around the living area of the guest house and begin our discussion... it was small but luxurious. Everything was perfectly aligned, the chairs and the couch were white with highlights of red. I could really get used to living in this place.
"Beatrice, I need to know how spirits work, I know you told me that Puck was the great spirit of fire, but I'm still a bit confused about that..." Subaru said to Beatrice.
"Hmm, how do I put this? The four nations that exist of the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica, the Sacred Vollachia Empire, the Kararagi City States, and the Holy Kingdom of Gusteko. Each nation has a great spirit that is also considered military significance. Since Puck is dead, are kingdom no longer has a great spirit, I suppose"
Beatrice's knowledge was incredible. I wonder how much more enjoyable it would've been all that time stuck in that forest of ice with Beatrice as my spirit...
Considering how Puck and Beatrice seemed to be equal in magical power, Beatrice has more powerful techniques than Puck...
"Beatrice, would you have the mana necessary to be considered a great spirit?" I ask, curious about the possibility.
Subaru looked at me with satisfaction. I guess that was the same question he would ask.
"Betty does, in fact. However, I would most likely be titled the Great Spirit of Yin as the four spirits are all best at either fire, earth, water, or wind magic," Beatrice replies, losing her neutral face. She seems to be almost excited at the idea.
"Well, not only will we have the achievement of killing a Sin Archbishop, but we will also have a great spirit. Since the Kingdom lost the spirit of fire, this will enforce our ability to run without a sponsor," I state continuing to notice the looks of approval from Subaru.
Subaru begins to speak, "I trust you have prepared a speech that will be adequate, Emilia... I remember telling you I won't help you make your speech. That is something that comes from your own beliefs and your heart. But I do not doubt that what you have prepared will be amazing. I already plan to counter any arguments against the validity of your campaign. I also will counter every speech given by the other candidates, except Crusch. I find it unlikely that we will fail."
Beatrice begins to stare at Subaru, "Subaru, I need to teach you a few more things before you go. Regarding the history of Lugina, and proper adequate for you to know of. Don't assume this is going to be similar to anything you have experienced before or seen."
Subaru seemed to look... like he agreed.
Well, the most important thing will be Subaru's knowledge going into this. If he lacks information, he can lose the opportunity to counter the other candidate's speeches or campaign promises.
"Alright, Beatrice, but before that, Emilia. I want to give you a few more tips for your speech. Understand these concepts and find a way to relate them to your speech. All of these will be questions or statements, and you will figure out how they relate to your address. To start, If the king doesn't move, then his subjects won't follow. If strength is justice, then is powerlessness a crime? The only ones who kill are those prepared to be killed. What do you do when there is an evil you cannot defeat by just means? Do you stain your hands with evil to destroy evil? Or do you remain steadfastly just and righteous even if it means surrendering to evil? Consider those statements and questions, and rework your speech to include anything essential. I will go with Beatrice to learn more about this Kingdom.
It's weird. It's almost like he was repeating things he's heard. Like quoting people? Regardless there are all valid concepts and ideals.
"Alright, Subaru sounds good."
Could've written a lot more, but politics are boring. The next chapter will be the Royal Selection.
The POV switches should be clearer now, and I'm trying to add more detail to make it even more apparent.
Also, for fans of Code Geass, Subaru watched the show before coming into this world (Why you'll see direct quotes from Lelouch)
Finally, for anybody thinking Subaru has some power or something related to what I mean by 'it' or 'that thing,' don't worry. This will not be a Subaru that has some dumb evil power fic.