Re: Tales from the Multiverse: Option Two

by Ernalore

Subaru, along with his Camp, his rival Camps, his parents, and Meili, have all suddenly teleported into a theater, controlled by "the Warden". Said Warden has told them that they'd be watching alternate realities, and the Cast would be responsible for what they'd be watching. When everyone saw that the second option mentioned "Subaru's Authority", they chose it, much to his horror.

14. Chapter 14: Re:Start

Chapter 14: Re:Start

"Hey, Big Sis!"

"Oh, hello, Felt-chan!"

Subaru and Emilia had just entered the room where Felt, Reinhard, and Crusch were occupying for the hour-long intermission. About twenty minutes after the previous episode, Reinhard had invited them to the small room, and the two of them had now just arrived.

"Sooo… what's this about?" Subaru wondered aloud.

"Subaru, I'm going to be completely honest with you," Crusch said. "With the reveal of both your Authority, your connection to the Witches of Sin, and the fact of what Roswaal-sama had been attempting back at the Sanctuary, the Emilia Camp is pretty much dead in the water."

"I'm sorry Subaru, but even though you don't want Roswaal-sama arrested yet, should the Council discover what has been going on, I will have no choice but to arrest him immediately," Reinhard said. Sure, he had agreed to assist Subaru in what the rest of the world would describe as a "conspiracy," but he had to be subtle about it.

And breaking Roswaal out of jail would be anything but "subtle."

"Besides, the only reason I joined the Selection was to obtain the Dragon's Blood. If it's all gone… then I have no reason to compete anymore," Emilia said somberly.

"Wait, hold up! Don't you at least still want equality for all?!" Subaru asked.

"Of course I do, but if you have to keep dying because of my mistakes, then it's for the best," Emilia concluded, "And don't you even dare think about blaming yourself, Subaru. This is my choice, and it's because I care about you and don't want anything bad to happen to you or anyone else anymore."

"Luckily, that's where we come in," Crusch smiled.

""Eh?"" Both Subaru and Emilia said in unison.

"After that Purge King episode, Crusch and I met up with the Priscilla bitch and Anastasia, and since everything brought to light about you was fresh on our minds, we… had some things to discuss," Felt admitted, scratching the back of her head. "Sorry we didn't invite you?"

"It's alright, I had a lot on my mind at the time," Emilia waved off the apology.

"Anyways, after our meeting, Felt and I came to a decision to not only help you against the Witch Cult and whatever else was out there, but to ensure you never end up like your more… unfavorable counterparts," Crusch said.

"Okay… what are you guys suggesting?" Subaru asked, unsure what they were getting at.

"A combined Camp," Felt said. "The Emilia Camp gets dissolved, and you guys join up with us. All three of our Camps together should be able to achieve everything! We can adopt your policies, take down the remaining Sin Archbishops, and hunt down that damned Black Serpent!"

"What about Pandora?" Emilia asked. Everyone was silent at what Emilia said.

"... Who?" Reinhard asked

"The platinum-haired monster who leads the Witch Cult. You've seen her in the introductions, right? She's always fighting against Subaru in some epic battle?"

"Wait, there's a leader above the Sin Archbishops, and it's that girl? Why did you not say anything before?" Crusch asked

"We never really got the chance? I mean, I had to comfort Subaru after the Memory Eater, and after the Purge king, I took some time to myself to come to terms with Return by Death's existence."

"Okay, I guess that makes sense… but how do you know her?" It was Felt's turn to ask.

"When I was a young girl, I lived in Elior Forest with my aunt, Fortuna, and Guese, before he became the Sin Archbishop of Sloth. Pandora attacked the forest with Regulus and the Black Serpent, with Mother Fortuna and Guese barely able to hold off Regulus alone. But the worst part was the fact that Pandora was after me."

That shocked everyone in the room, but none more than Subaru.

"What?! Why?!" the black-haired knight asked.

"There's a seal in Elior Forest. A seal that, apparently, only I can open. Pandora wanted me to open the seal, but Mother Fortuna and Guese tried to stop her. Guese had already absorbed the Sloth Witch Factor in a desperate attempt to drive Pandora and Regulus off, but it was clearly damaging his body. So, Pandora tricked Geuse into thinking Mother Fortuna was her… and…"

No one needed Emilia to finish to know what happened.

"Guese loved Mother Fortuna… he even disobeyed a direct order from his master to keep her safe by taking the Witch Factor. When… she died… Guese died with her… and Petelguese was born." As she finished her story, a single tear fell from her eye.

Subaru never thought he would feel pity for the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, but he did. He could see Emilia thought highly of the man, and to hear that he risked everything to keep Emilia and her aunt safe… and to have him broken by that monster…

"Emilia-sama… I am sorry for what happened." Reinhard apologized to the half-elf. He would have to ask about what abilities Pandora had later. Hopefully they could find a counter to her.

"Alright, we can add Pandora to the list, too," Crusch said.

"But wait, who's gonna be King?" Subaru asked, trying to lighten the mood. "Both of you are still in the race, and you can't share the throne, not unless you're a couple, and I'm fairly certain that neither of you are lesbians. Just checking, you're not lesbians, are you?"

"No, we're not," Crusch said with a sigh. "I'm clearly attracted to y– Never mind that!"

"Eh?"

"Nah, I'll be King," Felt smiled. "Birthrights, and all that."

""Huh?!"" Subaru and Emilia were stunned. "Wait a minute… Felt-chan, are you –?!"

"Yep, turns out I'm Royalty! Princess Freya Lugnica, at your service!" Felt finally revealed her identity. "Rein explained it to me after the viewing we just had, and since Crusch knew the Royal Family personally, she was able to see the similarities herself."

"Wait a minute, that makes you and Capella related!" Subaru pointed out.

"Yeah, all those jokes we were making about her being an evil version of me were not too far off the mark!" Felt said. "In fact, that's how Rein figured it out!"

---

"Achoo!" Felix sneezed.

"Felix, are you all right?" Julius asked.

"Dunno, nyah. But I feel like I've been screwed over, somehow."

---

"Crusch-sama, you're okay with giving up the throne?" Emilia asked her rival.

"Yes. After some retrospection, I think that dissolving the covenant isn't what Fourier would have wanted," Crusch explained, "Besides, in our agreement, once we win the Royal Selection, Felt will have me in charge of all military affairs. So, we all win in this situation."

"Oh, that's neat. What about us from the Emilia Camp?" Subaru asked.

"You guys will be staying at Rein's mansion. We can work on positions and stuff after we leave, but your jobs can be the same. The maids can still be maids, Garf can be a knight, and we'll find something for you and Big Sis to do," Felt summed up what was going to happen.

"Perhaps Subaru and Emilia-sama could be councilors for you, Felt-sama?" Reinhard suggested to his crimson-eyed liege.

"Oh, that's a good idea."

"Yeah, I could use all of my knowledge to give us a leg up, strategy-wise!" Subaru said.

"Are you referring to your homeworld, your connections, or Return by Death?" Crusch asked.

"Yes," Subaru said smugly, before getting his ear pulled by Emilia. "Ow!"

"Subaru, don't joke about such things!"

"Sorry, Emilia-tan, I just couldn't resist the opportunity!"

Letting go of his ear, Emilia turned to the others. "Anyways, I would be honored to accept your offer, Felt-chan. Would you mind if I run it by the rest of my Camp members?"

"Sure thing, and maybe once we get out of here, we can try to find a way to get into the Pleiades Watchtower and get help from the Sage and the Divine Dragon." Felt said, hopeful they could get two of the three legendary heroes on their side.

"Don't forget also going to Kararagi to get Halibel and Zarestia on our team!" Subaru suggested.

"I, unfortunately, will not be able to accompany you for that particular mission," Reinhard said, "I still am bound by the law, and cannot leave the country."

"And now I know my first decree when I become Queen," Felt noted.

Subaru clapped his hands. "Well, that all sounds great and all, but I have one last question!"

"What is it?" the blonde Royal Candidate asked.

"Who's gonna be your consort?"

Felt was not prepared for that question.

---

"Man, my amazin' self's bored as fuck!"

"C'mon, it's not that baaaaad," Meili said, in a sing-song manner.

"Yeah, it could be worse." Ricardo said to his fellow demi-human.

"Cap'n is off with th' Princess doin' borin' shit wit' th' Sword Saint and friends, an' Brotto disappeared somewhere wit' sis, doin' who-knows-what! I got no one ta talk to!"

"Well, maybe you all would like to hear a story to pass the time?" Kenichi suggested.

"Ooh, yeah! Story, story!" Mimi chanted.

"Okay, okay. Since Subaru didn't want me to get into our world's religions, maybe I could tell the story of the first man and woman who walked the Earth. Adam and Eve."

"Were they real people?" Tivey asked.

"If you're a Christian, then yes. The only record of their existence is in the Bible, but it all depends on what you believe. Myself and my family? We don't believe in it, but that's because the Natsukis have been secular for generations, we don't believe in any religion."

"Well, don't keep us in suspense, tell us!" Tivey said excitedly.

"Okay then, luckily I have heard the story from others. So, it all began at the dawn of creation. God had just created the Earth, the sun, the moon, the stars in the sky, and all forms of life itself. God then created man in his image. He created Adam, and shortly after, his wife, Eve."

"Did that actually happen?" Mimi asked.

"Again, it depends on what you believe," Kenichi clarified, "Anyway, Adam and Eve resided in a paradise beyond compare: The Garden of Eden. In this garden, there was no violence, no greed, and no killing. Animals didn't need to kill and eat each other to survive, and no harm was ever done, allowing all living things to live in perfect harmony."

The Cast who heard that were in awe that such a place could exist.

"God often came down to bond with Adam and Eve, but he gave them one rule. They were never allowed to eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Of course, they intended to abide by that rule, but one day, a serpent appeared in the Garden, and convinced Eve to take a bite of the fruit, saying that it would make her as wise as God, and she did."

"A snake did tha'?" Garfiel said, unimpressed. "Eve's a dumbass!"

"And you wouldn't have fallen for it?" Meili asked the blond demi-human.

"OI!"

"Could you both please pay attention?" Tivey asked.

"It wasn't long before Eve convinced Adam to eat from the fruit, and with the one act, sin entered the world, corrupting God's creation forever. God asked who was responsible, and while Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the snake, which she implied was created by God, thus blaming him. But the damage was already done. As a result, Adam and Eve were banished from Eden and were sent down to earth as mortals, and the Garden of Eden was never seen again."

"Talk about extreme," Ricardo grumbled.

"But this wasn't the end of Adam and Eve, as they made a life for themselves out in the wilderness, and their story continued through their sons, Cain and Abel."

"They had kids?" Ricardo asked

"Well, duh. They were the first people, so they had to have kids!" Meili pointed out.

"Both Cain and Abel made offerings to God. Cain was a farmer, and grew crops as his offering, while Abel was a shepherd, and tended to livestock, sacrificing one of them as his offering."

The ones who listened to the story were disturbed to hear that.

"S-sacrifices?!" Mimi exclaimed.

"Yeah, it happened a lot back in the Old Testament, but we don't do that anymore. Anyway, when both brothers presented their offerings to God, he clearly favored Abel's offering over Cain's. This made Cain jealous, and it grew to a point where he killed Abel."

"NO!" Meili gasped in horror.

"HE KILLED HIS BROTHER BECAUSE HE WAS JEALOUS!?" Garfiel was downright shocked, pissed, and disgusted. He couldn't imagine anything worse to do than that.

Meanwhile, Mimi and Tivey, the most affected, hugged each other.

"Unfortunately, yes. As such, Cain became the world's first murderer. God, being God of course, saw this, and pretended to not know what happened. When God asked where Abel was, Cain lied, and was subsequently punished by God. He was given the Mark of Cain, where every man would know to never lay a harmful hand on him, and it's presumed that Cain died of old age."

"Wait, seriously?! Tha's it?! Why not kill th' fucker?!"

"You'd have to ask God that. However, a lot of modern media depicts the Mark of Cain cursing him with immortality, making Cain unable to know death for the rest of existence, kinda like the Flying Dutchman or the Wandering Jew, and never being able to be at peace."

"Huh, kind o' like how th' Witch is immortal, an' wants ta die," Ricardo noted.

"Wait, this is all supposed to be part of some religion from your world, right?" Meili said. "So, there's got to be something behind all of this, like a moral, or a metaphor, right?"

"I don't think about stuff like that. We've heard the story, yes, but we didn't look too deep into it," Kenichi said. "It's not like I've got a Holy Bible in my pocket at all times, or something."

"Yeah, you ain't no Witch Cutlist," Garfiel said.

"So… does that mean that maybe it's not real?" Tivey asked. "That it never happened?"

"Again, it's all up to whether or not you believe it. Many scientists conclude that humans evolved from primates, and there are many theories as to how we came to be, but it's not that important if you ask me. What I'm saying is, just follow what you think is right."

"Tha's jus' whacked," Ricardo simply said.

---

Walking out of their room, Frederica and Otto saw that Subaru, along with Emilia, Reinhard, Felt and Crusch had exited from the room across from them at the same time.

"Hey, Otto! Frederica! Where have you guys been?" Subaru asked.

"Oh, uh, we were, around, Subaru-sama," Frederica quickly answered.

Oh yeah, they're fucking, Subaru and Felt thought almost instantly.

"Well, then!" Reinhard said, knowing exactly what was going on and wanting to drop it as quickly as possible. "I believe it's time for us to all continue the viewings, yes?"

"Otto-san, Frederica-san. Would you mind gathering our other Camp members minus Roswaal-sama? Subaru and I have something we need to discuss with you." Emilia said to the two of them, completely oblivious to what they were doing.

"Can't this wait until after the viewings? Our time's almost up!" Subaru said.

"I believe it can wait," Crusch said.

"Alright, we'll do it afterwards," the half-elf relented.

"Oh, Subaru-sama," Frederica called out. "I would like to apologize."

"Apologize? For what?" Subaru said, before he quickly remembered. "Oh, that…"

"Yes, that," the blonde maid said, bowing her head. "I'm sorry for trying to attack you after that episode. I know no amount of forgiveness will be enough, but it was just… "

"You were jealous?" Subaru said, surprising the maid, "Yeah, believe me, I know the feeling. I got jealous in a pretty bad way and… let's just say it kinda ruined me at the time."

Emilia, Crusch, Felt, and Reinhard knew exactly what Subaru was talking about, and flinched.

"Look, I've made plenty of stupid mistakes that were rooted in emotion, so don't beat yourself up over it." Subaru said. "And besides, from what I can infer, the two of you are together now, yes?"

Frederica nodded, while Otto smiled at her.

"See? All's well that ends well! Just try to figure out how you'll tell Garf!"

Frederica and Otto instantly paled at that thought.

The seven of them headed towards the Theater, picking up Felix and Julius from the hallway while they were at it, and found that everyone else was already inside the main building.

"I see everyone's ready," Subaru said, seeing that all were accounted for.

"Yep!" Anastasia smiled. "Let's see those new options!"

And just like that, the screen clicked, and the newest options appeared.

What if Pandora left everyone alone?

OR

What if Pandora and Subaru Natsuki had a tea party?

"What the fuck?" Al quietly whispered to himself.

"Welp, this opened a whole new can of worms," Kenichi admitted.

"Subaru… Pandora… tea party…?" Emilia could barely process those words.

"Is th' Princess havin' a mental breakdown?" Garfiel asked.

"Garf!" Frederica scolded her younger brother.

"Okay, okay, we need as much information as we can get," Anstasia said.

"Yeah, good call," Al said, grabbing the remote.

Conditions: ?

Conditions: ?

"The hell? That's never happened…" Subaru took notice.

"Subaru Natsuki," Priscilla called out to the nasty-eyed boy.

"Yeah, that's my name, don't wear it out."

"Do you happen to know who this "Pandora" is?"

Subaru looked to Emilia, "Do you mind if I tell them?"

"Go ahead."

"Okay, from what I was able to learn, Pandora is the true leader of the Witch Cult, ranking even above the Sin Archbishops, but that's pretty much all we know about her."

"Strange, I've never heard any mention of a "Pandora" before," Julius noted.

"But you've seen her," Subaru said. "You've all seen her."

Everyone looked at Subaru confused, as he then clarified. "The platinum-haired girl from the intros. You know, wearing a white poncho with a blue string, depicted as a smug, manipulative bitch, constantly fighting some version of me in a battle to the death?"

"And you know about her… how exactly?" Anastasia asked.

"She attacked my home, and took my parents from me," Emilia said curtly.

Naoko let out a small gasp, as everyone else looked at the half-elf with sympathy. Roswaal and Beatrice had heard stories from Echidna, how Pandora was somehow worse than Hector, and to see her going up against Subaru… it did not paint a bright picture.

"Listen, we know she's a bad person. She's orchestrated a lot of bad things in our lives, and I know we all wanna live in a world without her or the Witch Cult," Subaru said. "But we can't ignore the problem. We need to face it head-on. We need… we need to witness her."

"The second option," Rem realized.

"It says I'll have a tea party with her, meaning that she'll be physically present," the Japanese teenager said, "But I think it means "hostage" instead of actually being an actual guest. But regardless of that, we'll know how she operates, and how she thinks."

"Perhaps if we are fortunate, we can gain insight into her true goal, as well as her abilities and weaknesses, but there's the possibility we may not be that lucky," Reinhard said, hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.

"It's better than nothing," Subaru said. "So, everyone, what's the game plan?"

It ended up being a unanimous vote for the second option.

Everyone got seated, with Subaru sandwiched between Rem and Emilia, and Beatrice sitting on his lap. Garfiel took the seat next to Otto, while Otto sat next to Frederica.

"Petra-chan…" Meili said, sitting on Frederica's lap. "I'm scared."

"You can hold my hand," the little maid said, as she sat on Otto's lap.

Roswaal sat in the back, along with Ram, Kenichi and Naoko. The Anastasia Camp all sat next to each other, along with Wilhelm and Felix. Reinhard, Felt, and Crusch all ended up sitting next to Subaru and his companions, while Priscilla and Al sat by themselves.

"Alright," Subaru said, calming himself. "Let's do this."

Al selected the second option, and the lights began to dim, for the last time.

What if Pandora and Subaru Natsuki had a tea party?

Conditions: ?

When he finally opened his eyes of his own volition, he found himself in a familiar place.

A grassy field, stretching endlessly in all directions. A pale-blue sky with white, fluffy clouds in small patches. A single table set for two. The domain of an unbelievably powerful woman. It was just like Echidna's Castle of Dreams… but it wasn't. There was no woman of white and black. There were no other Witches waiting in the shadows. Instead, there was a young lady of platinum and sapphire, eagerly awaiting his company.

Pandora, the Witch of Vainglory, had invited him for tea.

"So, that's her," Subaru growled.

"Yes, that's Pandora," Emilia confirmed, glaring at the screen.

Despite seeing her in the introductions, not many knew who she was. But now, everyone had heard what Subaru and Emilia had said, and they all heard the narration, so now, everyone knew this was the Witch of Vainglory, the true leader of the Witch Cult, Pandora.

And she had dragged Subaru to a mock version of Echidna's Castle of Dreams.

Typically, the mere thought of her was enough to instill white-hot fury in him. He had often daydreamed about ripping her head off her shoulders a thousand times, just to see her squirm.

Now, he was a mere corpse.

Everyone looked towards Subaru for questions.

"Now, I've never met her before," Subaru said. "But it doesn't mean I can't hate her."

Everyone's questions were answered.

Silently, he strode up the hill and took a seat at the table, watching her out of the corner of his eye. As always, she appeared to be about a year or two younger than him, though he doubted that meant anything. She was almost vibrating in excitement — no others were here to dampen her mood. She would not hold back her love. She would not wear a mask. It was simply Pandora and Subaru, just as she had always wanted.

Neither spoke.

"Okay, tha's jus' creepy on multiple levels," Ricardo said.

"Subaru, what is it exactly with you and getting the attention of Witches?" Julius asked.

"Believe me, I want to know that answer myself," the black-haired knight admitted.

Two cups of steaming-hot tea sat in front of them. They gave off the same fragrance as Echidna's nasty body fluids, but Subaru couldn't muster the energy to feel repulsed, let alone bother questioning how Pandora got access to it. After all, when playing with reality itself, one often defied logic.

Those cursed visions…They had clearly been crafted by Pandora. Did she know about Return by Death and wish to exploit the mental strain it had inflicted on him? It didn't sound like something she would do — not to him, at least. Still, he was almost positive that Pandora knew about Return by Death… and that he could no longer use it to escape this place.

"So, something happened before this meeting…" Ram realized.

"I don' like it," Garfiel said. "Iz like th' last episode."

"Yes, we're being thrown in without any context," Crusch said.

"It'll be up to us to figure out what's going on…" Reinhard said.

With glassy eyes, he gazed off into the distance, reliving his torment yet again. Pandora placed her elbows on the table and held her chin in her hands, admiring him like a lovesick schoolgirl.

"You're beautiful, my treasured one," she murmured, barely breaking the silence. "It is not your face, limbs, torso, muscles, or any part of your body, really. Something so… superficial, I suppose, could not entice me. No, it is your wonderful, delectable soul."

"Stay the fuck away from my knight, you bitch," Emilia hissed.

Everyone could only stare at Emilia with wide eyes.

"I'm getting so many "Just Monika" vibes right now," Subaru gulped.

Tales from the Multiverse

Final Episode:

Re:Start

"Wait, that's it?" Meili asked.

"Yeah, where's the flashy intro?!" Mimi asked.

"The final episode?" Felix asked, reading the title card.

"I see, they're going out with dignity," Wilhelm said.

He didn't even glance at her. "Thought you hated me," he mumbled, unable to muster the energy to speak clearly. To die almost fifty times in mere minutes… One does not remain human after such an experience.

"Some days, I do," she admitted with a tinge of regret. "Most days, however, I remember how much I adore you, and the harsh feeling flows out of my body with every breath. It ebbs and flows, just as the moon pulls the tide. In the end, though, I always forgive those whom I love. It is what you taught me, after all."

"Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew…" Subaru was grossed out.

Agreed, Priscilla thought. Mineself does not wish to know what "flows" out of a Witch.

He gave her a blank look. "The only lesson I taught you is how much you make me want to vomit."

She blushed furiously at the insult but changed the subject. As polite and demure as ever, she said, "Please, look at me, my treasured one. Your eyes… I cannot get enough of them."

"Holy shit… That girl's all kinds of fucked up…" Subaru said to himself.

A spark of irritation flared up; it was the first sign of life he had felt since entering this cursed place. Even so, it was pushed down by the weight of his deaths. "Couple days ago, you said you don't like my eyes."

A small smile danced upon her lips. "Well, I've never cared much for scary eyes. I'm just a sweet little girl, and such things frighten me." Her smile widened as he growled at her. Without a trace of levity, she said, "As for why I want to see them… The eyes are the gateway to the soul, are they not?"

"As if you have a soul," Beatrice said. Emilia mentally agreed with the Great Spirit.

"Zing!" Kenichi whooped.

"Kenichi!" Naoko chided her husband.

"Sorry, this is just too creepy for my tastes."

"That refers to hidden feelings."

She shook her head. "Not for those sensitive to such things," she explained. "I see your soul, and it…"

At the thought, her lips parted and her face turned red. Breathlessly, she said, "It does… things to a Witch."

"Ewww…" Meili was creeped out.

"That's nasty," Petra said.

Al silently prayed, Please no intrusive thoughts, please no intrusive thoughts – GODDAMMIT!

"No, you get the fuck out of here right now with that bullshit," Subaru said adamantly, "The first chance I get, I'm setting you on fire."

Subaru scoffed. "Bullshit. Dona hated me the first time around."

"Then she saw your eyes," she reminded him, forcing her embarrassment under control. "The moment your soul was revealed to her, Echidna saw what I see now."

Roswaal simply stared at Subaru. "Have something to share, Subaru-kun…?"

"Hoo boy… uh… Echidna may or may not be a freak of Pandora's caliber…?"

He hated to say it, but she was right. Echidna had never looked into his eyes, but the second she did, she had become obsessed with him. It was as if her "love" for Satella was immediately transferred to him; suddenly, she viewed him as a more valuable asset.

But why? What was so valuable about his soul?

Geuse held the same misguided beliefs; the spirit seemed to revere his soul as much as Satella's, even though his power came exclusively from Satella's artificial body.

"You're wrong," Pandora chided, as his thoughts were an open book in this domain of her own creation. "My princess gave you a body of the world's love, yes, but your power comes from the world's loathing. The two are equal in power, yet undeniably opposing forces. Love and loathing, hot and cold, light and dark, Sol and Luna."

"I'm sorry, what the fuck? Was that a lore dump?" Al asked.

"From what I understood, Subaru has a knack for getting the attention of Witches, and something to do about his powers coming from an artificial body Satella granted him," Reinhard said. "Also, something about him and Satella being both sides of the same coin."

"I'm sorry, what? Artificial body?!" Subaru said in shock.

"Oh my God, my son is a robot," Naoko gasped.

"Mom, I clearly feel pain! And hunger! And other things! I'm not a robot!"

"Perhaps if we paid attention, the answers will come to us," Wilhelm suggested.

Everyone agreed with he old man, shutting up, and moving on.

"Of course, as the Sage, you have an aptitude for absorbing foreign substances. Ideally, those are the Factors, but taking in Satella's magic was not outside the realm of possibility. Your loathing did not destroy the world's love, nor was it overwhelmed by the invading presence. Instead, you adapted it into yourself, changing your gate and affinity to fit the new body. This clearly did not happen immediately, for it was a barrier through which you needed to break. Once you did, however, your power was unmatched… yet you still were not at your full potential."

The words rang true, but he still had his doubts.

"Then what about now?" he shot back. "I broke my gate after a few Shamaks. Why can't I use that power in my own body, huh?"

Her ever-present smile widened slightly. "Because I won't let you."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... WHAT?! THE FUCK?!" Subaru screamed out.

Meanwhile, everyone else was also trying to compute with what the fuck they just heard, but it ended up being a jumble of confused screams even louder than Subaru's.

"OKAY, THAT'S IT! WE'RE PAUSING THIS SHIT!" Al yelled, grabbing the remote.

With the screen frozen in time, everyone was allowed to take in what they heard.

"So she's telling me that I am actually powerful, but she ain't letting me use my powers?! HOW MANY DEATHS COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED?! HOW MANY LIVES COULD I HAVE SAVE IF IT WAS FOR THAT FUCKING BITCH?!"

"That's not all," Reinhard said. "She also said you were the Great Sage."

"Hahaha, what the fuck?" Felix broke down in hysterical laughter.

"But wait, what about Shaula?!" Mimi argued.

"I don't know," the Sword Saint said. "But we have to keep watching."

He could almost believe that. Almost.

At no point in his story was Subaru Natsuki powerful. All he could do was use others' abilities. He could fight with Beatrice, and, in his past life, he had used Satella's artificial body filled with the world's love. His current Authorities were useful, yes, but he was the least capable member of Emilia's Camp.

Power of his own? Unthinkable.

Yet another pause.

"Hold up, my past life…?" Subaru asked, when suddenly… it all clicked.

"Uhh… Subaru-sama?" Frederica asked, slightly concerned.

"OH MY GOD, THE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL!"

"... What?" Otto wasn't sure where Subaru was going.

"Remember when Satella pulled me aside and said that she needed to tell me something?! THAT WAS IT! SHE WAS GOING TO TELL ME ABOUT MY PAST LIFE!"

Priscilla thought about it for a bit, and then, she simply said, "Oh, shit."

"No wonder all of the Witches are so friendly with you…" Tivey realized.

"And that explains why Shaula followed you, because you were someone she recognized." Julius concluded. "But wait, Pandora's saying that you're the Great Sage, so…"

"Shaula isn't the…" Subaru realized. "She's like… my apprentice, or something…"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Anastasia said. "Zarestia's an ancient Great Spirit, older than th' Witch o' Envy… and all those times she was friendly wit' ya… did she know ya… before…?"

Subaru's eyes widened at the realization. "Oh my God, Zarestia knew who I was…"

"Do you have any idea what's happening?" Naoko whispered to her husband.

"Not a fucking clue," he whispered back.

"We need to keep going," Crusch said.

No one liked the idea, but the green-haired woman was right. They needed to press on, or be stuck here. Getting back in their seats, Al grabbed the remote once more.

Like a wind chime on a summer breeze, Pandora said, "It seems you still do not accept the truth, my treasured one. You are one of the two Champions of the Od Laguna: The Sage, filled with its loathing. Your counterpart is the Sorceress, filled with its love. Once you absorb the remaining Witch Factors, you will be perfect, and your potential will be limitless."

He couldn't help it: He laughed. "So, what, is that your goal?" he asked mockingly. "Well, you're doing a pretty shitty job. You want to turn me into some kind of god, yet you lock my supposed powers away. You want me to take the Witch Factors, yet you stole them from Geuse. What the hell kind of plan is that?"

"Oh, no, am I a god?" Subaru asked.

"Well, the Divine Dragon is worshiped by us, and he helped save the world alongside the Great Sage and the First Sword Saint, so… maybe?" Julius kinda… answered?

"I suggest we don't take stock in anything the Witch says," Reinhard suggested.

"Yeah, especially with how batshit crazy she sounds," Felt said.

A few chuckles escaped the Theater, but they would soon be snuffed out.

A spoon appeared in her hands, and she used it to stir her tea. Her peaceful demeanor had not lessened in the slightest. "Once upon a time, you confessed your love to my princess on a grassy hill. It was after much hardship and suffering. Was that not more satisfying than a simple 'I love you' on a random day?"

He couldn't help it; he gaped at her and muttered, "Huh?"

Upon hearing that, both Subaru and Emilia's eyes went wide.

They knew exactly what Pandora was referring to.

She smiled brilliantly, but all he saw was a smirk. "You received great renown for your defeat of Sloth and Greed, and you earned it. Didn't it feel lovely to see their broken bodies at your feet?"

He shook his head in denial. "Th-that's —"

"Last time, you were unable to defeat Lust. Now, on the verge of death, you saved your Spirit from her isolation and vanquished your foe in one fell swoop. You defeated Greed, but this time, you were also able to save his wives. Previously, you defeated the Great Rabbit, but no one knew. Now, because of my intervention, the Dragon Tablet projects your achievements to the entire country, and you've received quite the reputation."

"This time?" Felt asked. "What the fuck does she mean?"

"How could you beat the Great Rabbit twice?" Roswaal asked.

Subaru was trying to figure out what the fuck Pandora was talking about. Going over all the information he knew, he thought to himself, Okay, so, I'm the Great Sage, Satella is someone called the Sorceress, Pandora locked away my powers, and somehow knows future events from multiple perspectives. Can she see other realities? Some form of time… travel… no…

"Restart," Subaru whispered, in absolute horror.

"Subaru?" Beatrice asked, having heard what he said.

Everyone looked at Subaru in morbid curiosity at what he could have discovered. "The title of this episode, it's "Re:Start," as in I'm doing things over. This… if my time with Satella as the Great Sage was my first life, and this here is my second life, then what we're seeing on the screen isn't my second life… it's my third… I went back to the beginning…"

"Back to the beginning?" Emilia asked.

"Back to the Capital, on the day Felt stole your insignia…"

"The Mabeast user clings to you and will never even consider leaving your side. My princess is dependent upon you, even more so after facing her mother's corpse. The blue-haired demon has a life of her own. Her older sister has collaborated with you, despite her master's wishes. The Hand of Orion is on the path to sanity."

Meili knew when she was being called out. She held tighter onto Petra.

Emilia was horrified by what Pandora said. She didn't know which part was the worst, the fact that Pandora thought of Emilia as some sort of property, the idea of becoming a doll for Subaru, or the fact that Pandora was mocking Mother Fortuna's death? She didn't know.

Ram and Rem looked at each other when they were mentioned by Pandora.

Subaru knew what star the "Hand of Orion" was referring to. It was the star Betelguese. In this timeline, he must have saved Geuse, making his death in the previous timeline null and void.

And Pandora somehow knew of it.

"That is what I do for you. I bring you satisfaction and joy to stave off the suffering. I make you stronger, both physically and mentally. When a payoff could exist, I make it even greater.

"Your gratitude, your fulfillment… With careful cultivation, such feelings can turn to love. That is what I desire above all else."

There was stunned silence from everyone.

But this silence was far more deafening than any that had happened before.

Far greater than when Subaru revealed that he had died on multiple occasions, far greater than after seeing Emilia kill the Sin Archbishop of Pride, Subaru's connection to the seven Witches of Sin, the monstrosity that was the Memory Eater, or the reveal of Roswaal's machinations, none of their shocks of silence could compare to this one, and of what they has learned.

Pandora, the Witch of Vainglory, the true leader of the Witch Cult…

… was in love with the Great Sage, Subaru Natsuki.

All was silent in the clearing. Then, Subaru broke down laughing.

It was not joyful mirth. His emotions had begun to return, but his laughter was filled with pain and anger.

"How can he laugh…?" Felix asked in a horrified whisper.

"That laughter is not a sound of joy…" Cursch answered.

Al, Garfiel, and even Ricardo felt sick to his stomach. All those jokes they all said about Subaru getting any girl he wanted, they all came true in the worst possible way. This was worse than Elsa, worse than even the Witch of Envy herself. At least they have redeemable qualities.

But Pandora?

She had none of those.

"You're insane!" he exclaimed with a mad giggle. "You think making me suffer will cause me to love you? Do you understand emotions at all?"

"I understand just fine," she said serenely. "Every day, I experience love of the highest order. I love you more than anything, my treasured one. You own my heart, mind, body, and soul. I surrender myself to you like a wife to her husband, a daughter to her father, a sister to her brother, and a mother to her son. I desire to control you, to make you mine. I crave your touch, your arms around me as we become one."

Her eyes glistened as she poured her heart out to him. "I love you… my treasured one."

Everyone was silent in horror as they heard what Pandora said.

This was it. This was their confirmation.

However, their silence was snuffed out by a sound.

"Ah… augh… ahh…"

"Subaru-kun…?" Rem asked.

Everyone looked at Subaru, who was holding his mouth with both hands, looking like he was ready to puke at any second. Within seconds, Rem and Emilia were holding him, doing everything they could to calm him down, to stop him from hurting himself.

Meanwhile, the screen carried on, showing them this horrible future.

But he wasn't listening. He was too busy laughing. "You don't understand anything! If you want me to be grateful, why did you make me relive every death?!"

Unperturbed by his implicit rejection, she sipped her tea before making a face and gingerly setting it down. "You could not pass your Second Trial. I thought that some practice would do you good."

"The deaths weren't why I failed!" he shouted. "It was leaving everyone behind! All you did was cause me pain, and I hate you more than ever!"

For the first time, he saw her frown. If anything, she looked…ashamed, or even guilty. "Oh," she breathed, taken aback. "I'm very sorry. I thought…"

She averted her eyes, looking genuinely remorseful. "I just wanted to help," she whispered. "I thought that it would make you happy, my treasured one."

"Happy?!" he screeched. She flinched at his tone, but he didn't care. "Being around you is sheer agony! You've orchestrated most of my suffering since coming here! You've led my loved ones to their demise because you think I'd enjoy the payoff!"

Naoko looked like she was ready to puke.

How could such a cruel and unfathomable being exist? For someone to be this obsessed over a single person, to do away with everyone this person could ever love, befriend, or even associate with, to plot such horrors, all for some sick and twisted love?

No, this was not love.

This was an obsession.

One that has cost the lives of who knows how many innocent.

All over the Theater, several people were coming to the same conclusion.

He reached across the table and grabbed her by her cloth, pulling her close to him. Her breath hitched at the proximity and his ire increased.

"You will never make me happy," he spat. "I will never love you."

Lidded, enraptured sapphire eyes stared deep into dark brown for a moment. "You will, my treasured one. One of these times, it will work, and I will make you mine."

"Not even the Witch of Envy is as obsessive as you," Subaru hissed.

"But tha' does burn th' question: How can she accomplish it?" Anastasia asked.

"Maybe she'll say," Otto said. "But I don't think we'll like it."

Everyone agreed with the merchant's assessment.

He roughly pushed her back into her seat with a scowl. His disgust increased as her eyes begged for more. Scathingly, he asked, "The hell does that even mean? You said it before, too."

She gathered her thoughts but did not look away from his eyes. At length, she mused, "I once believed that Crusch Karsten was the best Royal Selection candidate."

He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Huh?"

Upon hearing that, Crusch, Wilhelm, and Felix's blood ran cold.

But Pandora was lost in another world. "With my assistance, she won by a landslide. Due to your collaboration in defeating the Great Mabeasts, you and my princess were venerated and lived happily ever after. You did not love me, even after I revealed myself to you. So, I erased that world."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"What?" Mimi squeaked out.

"Subaru…" Ram said, with all seriousness. "What the hell is she saying?"

"She erased the world…" Subaru said, repeating that phrase over and over again. She couldn't seriously mean what she actually said. No one should have that sort of power…

"Subaru," Roswaal said, dropping the familiarities. "Is she saying what I think…?"

Subaru could no longer hear what everyone was saying to him. He couldn't even feel Emilia and Rem holding him, as all he could do was focus on what Pandora was saying.

"Erased that world?" he echoed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Anastasia Hoshin was the same," Pandora continued, not bothering to answer. "After the Royal Selection, your friend, Otto Suwen, helped you build a successful business in Kararagi. No matter how many times I appeared and tried to make you happier, you merely hated me more."

Subaru had a sinking feeling in his gut. He had an idea where this was going, and he didn't like it at all.

She bit her lip as she was overcome by memories of yet another world. "The lost princess, Freya Lugnica, was a strict yet fair ruler, beloved by her kingdom. You became the Captain of the Royal Guard and led a crusade against me. Our battle was legendary, and you were so close to being perfect… but you would not accept me into your heart. So, I reset the world once again, and I now aim to make Priscilla Barielle the queen."

Otto and Frederica were fear-stricken at what they heard. Pandora knew Otto. That meant she knew all of them. And since none of them had ever met Pandora, it meant that she had interacted with them in some now-forgotten universe.

One she had personally erased.

Felt stared at the screen in absolute horror, as did Reinhard.

She knew. Pandora knew who Felt really was. She knew.

Priscilla felt her heart stop. This was worse than whatever the Memory Eater could have done. At least in that timeline, she died in battle, rather than being used as a puppet by a Witch.

But for Subaru, he realized something even more horrible…

A happy ending. He had a happy ending. She had torn it away from him.

Her eyes filled with pain, but she pushed onward. "Of course, I have crowned my princess in countless worldlines, but it does not end well. It does not matter if I remove all obstacles or grant you a payoff; you both reject me and call for my destruction." Her voice cracked as she whispered, "I… I could not live with that. So, I tried again, and again, and again."

Emilia didn't know whether to feel rage or terror.

She had won. She had won the Royal Selection.

But it didn't matter now, did it?

Capella had destroyed all of the Dragon Blood. There was nothing left for her to save Elior Forest. Her father had been turned into the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, and ever since the second introduction, she had a sneaking suspicion that her mother was the Sin Archbishop of Wrath.

And now, she couldn't even bring equality to Lugnica.

Because Pandora took that away from her.

She wrung her hands together like an anxious child. "We made such a good pair, my treasured one. Your plans, your tactics… I could only attempt to emulate them, but it manifests as mere trial and error. Do I lock your powers? What about your gate? What order do you get the Authorities? Do I not reset the worldline, but merely the timeline? Do your Books of the Dead remain intact? Do I erase your memories? Do I bury them, only to be resurfaced at the proper moment? Do I reveal myself to you, or let you find me? What obstacles do I place in your path? What do I remove? When do you arrive in Lugnica? How many lives are spent here? When is the perfect vessel created? Is a perfect vessel needed? How do I behave around you? What about my princess? How much do I say? How much do I omit? I… What do I do, my treasured one? How do I make things right?"

Everyone looked at the screen in horror after what Pandora had said.

The options and the conditions.

Those were the conditions that Pandora had made.

They had been watching her experiments the entire time.

Each one of those universes was deemed a failure by her, and erased them.

EVERY. LAST. ONE OF THEM.

She looked so… lost. It was if she had relied on him for countless years, only for him to have been ripped away from her.

"Every worldline begins as a carbon copy of the last," she explained in the same soft, vulnerable voice. "However, I make changes, both subtle and sweeping. This specific worldline, fine-tuned over millennia, is the closest we have ever been to once again becoming one. Every detail, every backstory, every historical event… That's my doing. Even the changes in this timeline have all been for your sake. I… I need to do this. I need to keep trying, to find the perfect worldline. I can't… I…"

She gulped and whispered, "I can't live without you… S-Subaru."

While everyone else was still petrified in terror at what Pandora was saying, Subaru took it all in. She was responsible for all of those universes. She had created those changes just to see how that version of himself would react to her appearance.

This… was the definition of insanity.

Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.

Pandora couldn't even understand that no matter what she changed, she would never succeed. She was doomed to face rejection after rejection.

And the world was doomed to be erased and created over and over again.

All because of Subaru.

All because of ME.

Suddenly, tears filled her eyes, as if his name alone had caused her great pain. They were not the ones that she had shown Geuse when he took in the Witch Factor, or those that she had given Emilia while committing perverse actions.

She was genuinely heartbroken.

"Don't you see?" she pleaded, begging for him to understand. "Don't you realize what I do for you? Do you know how long I've lived, trying to get you to love me?"

It was not possible… and yet, he believed her.

Finally, she began to cry. "I've worked so hard, my treasured one… I just want you to be as you once were, and I'll keep trying until you are."

Trial and error for millions of years… and it was all for him.

For the briefest of moments, his heart went out to her. Immediately after, he remembered who he was looking at.

She had murdered thousands. She had orchestrated his entire life and manipulated him at his lowest. Now, she revealed that she had destroyed entire universes just to get what she wanted.

She gave off the appearance of a sorrowful, innocent girl… but she was a monster beyond comprehension.

A beast. A devil. An eldritch abomination.

A Witch.

Silence once again.

Al simply paused the viewing, to let everyone process that.

After a few minutes, Ricardo looked toward Subaru.

"Dude… keep yer harem. I ain't jealous of ya no more."

WHACK!

"OW! Mimi, wha' wuz tha' fer –"

"RICARDO! Even I know that's completely inappropriate right now –"

"I'M SORRY! I'm jus' tryin' ta cope here –"

"I have to agree with Mimi," Tivey said. "Jokes aren't what we need right now."

"Al…" Crusch said, as she looked towards the helmeted knight. "Resume the viewing."

"Uhh… I'm pretty sure most of us still aren't okay."

"You're right. They're not okay, hell, I'm not okay," the green-haired woman admitted. "Chances are, none of us are gonna be okay for a long time. But we still have to face this head-on."

"Alright, your funeral," Al said, as he grabbed the remote.

His face twisted with hatred and disgust. "I will never love you! Just give up! Let me live my life!"

She shook her head slowly and wiped the tears from her eyes with her bare arm. They both knew that she would never relent.

Vainglory. Vanity. Futility. There was no point in resisting because she would keep trying for an eternity.

"I just want to go back," she whispered. "I want what we once had."

His eyes flashed as he growled, "We never had anything."

She shot out of her seat, her eyes burning with passion. "Yes, we did! You loved me unconditionally! I was your number one, above everyone else!"

"She's gotta be lyin', she's gotta be…" Garfiel told herself.

Reinhard and Crusch wished that the madwoman was lying.

Their Divine Protections were telling them otherwise.

This was real, she was telling the truth the entire time. Subaru truly was the Great Sage, she was in love with Subaru, and she had destroyed entire realities to try and get him to love her.

This was all REAL.

"You're lying!" he shouted back, though her words struck harder than he would like to admit.

Pandora moved closer with every word until she was standing over him. "I'd never lie to you, my treasured one! You taught me that lying is wrong! You loved me! Every action you take proves it! Your greatest desire is to hold me, to have my love again!"

They continued to argue, with Subaru screaming and Pandora pleading. Every word unnerved him more and more, since he could never love a monster such as her.

After what she had shown him in that vision, he didn't think he could love much of anything.

Eventually, she clenched her fists, and her pale knuckles turned ever whiter. He had never seen her display such anger. "Let me prove it to you," she said coldly, her tears having long run dry. "I will show you our love, and the joy we shared in each other's arms. I will show you my hatred, for you no longer know me. I will show you my reverence, for your soul is intoxicating. I will show you my loneliness, for you have sealed my only companion. I will show you the kiss we shared under the cover of darkness. I will show you… all that I am."

Everyone was frozen in fear of what that woman kept saying.

This was an obsession far greater than the Witch of Envy's.

Their breaths suddenly hitched, as –

She shot out her hand before he could react and placed her forefinger on his temple.

Nothing happened.

Her face settled into realization and acceptance as she muttered, "I see. Silly me, having forgotten that one. How fortunate, then, that it has not manifested fully."

One moment, she was standing before him, her index finger pushing against his forehead as if trying to phase through it. The next, she was straddling him, pinning him to the chair.

"Relax," she soothed, ignoring the way he squirmed. He called upon a Guiding Hand, but it was effortlessly batted away.

"You know you crave this," she said softly, her lips inches away from his. She stared into his wild, fearful eyes, feeling truly at peace. "Let your soul remember. Open your heart to me. Love me as you once did, my treasured one."

She moved her head even closer as their breaths intermingled. He kept telling her to stop, but it was futile to resist. For all her claims about his strength, it was easy for her to overpower him.

"I cannot show you my emotions," she whispered. "However, at this point, your protection is mostly skin-deep; the rest of your body is ripe for the taking. I can still show you what happens to worldlines where we are not as we should be."

With a feather-light touch, she pressed her lips to his, and he was trapped in an unthinkable present.

"NO!" Subaru yelled, as he begged that the Trial wouldn't be shown.

Instead, what they would see would be much, much worse.

The screen went black for a few seconds, and everyone now saw the new scenery…

… a scene Subaru would vividly remember for the rest of his lives.

He stood at the edge of a cliff, watching the sunset with sorrowful eyes. A single step would end it all. A single step would bring her back.

He couldn't do it.

He ran. He ran, and ran, and ran.

From his fate. From his mistakes. From her.

A pink-haired demon out for his blood.

"I hate you!" she screamed, and he agreed wholeheartedly.

"I recognize this," Subaru whispered out, horrified.

"Wh-what it this…?" Tivey asked, scared.

"The day Rem died," he said, much to everyone's shock. "The day I took my first life. The day I jumped off that cliff. But… this can't be right… this is me… running…? That can't be right…"

Even so, he would not let himself die.

They grappled with each other, a fire in their eyes. Self-righteous anger stared down selfish wrath as they fought to the death.

Then for a moment, he found himself enchanted by her features. Her rouge irises — it was a disservice to merely call them "pink" — were filled with an unquenchable thirst for revenge. He trusted those eyes more than anything else in the world because he knew how she felt.

"The Purge King…" Petra whispered, terrified.

Everyone looked at her, and they realized she was right.

Rem's permanent death, Subaru refusing to kill himself, his obsession with Ram, the way he saw the world in black and white, these were the changes that had happened to create one of the worst versions of Subaru they had ever seen.

Then, she collapsed. Her transformation could not last. He took advantage of her vulnerability and smashed a rock over her head.

…But he could not kill Ram.

He threw her over his shoulder and took the path of Wrath.

Roswaal did his best to prevent bile from escaping his mouth.

This was how their relationship began? Granted, he knew it was bad after seeing his maid chained up to a wall, but this… this was worse than anything he had imagined.

Elsewhere, Subaru could feel a part of himself die.

He passed multiple villages, idly remarking that they looked so… dull. Lifeless. Grayscale. They were untrustworthy, full of masks and false smiles. He never knew the emotions that lie within.

"Let me down now, Barusu! Let me kill you!"

Ram was safe. Ram was trustworthy. He knew Ram hated him, and that made him feel secure.

Ram could feel tears threatening to escape her eyes.

Subaru, for as much as she teased him and didn't really approve of his relationship with Rem, she didn't hate him. He was like a little brother to her. And to see some… previous iteration of herself hating Subaru so much… it pained her.

And what was worse was that he gladly accepted it.

He threw his fist back and struck her nose, knocking her out. Looking around wildly to make sure no one was around, he lay her down in a grassy clearing and reached into his pack. He pulled out a mana crystal — stolen, of course — and placed it on her forehead. He could never do this while she was conscious, but he always took the time to care for her after knocking her out.

He used his free hand to sweep her hair to the side. Her rouge eyes were not open, but he knew of the vibrant colors they brought. Crimson blood flowed from her nose, trailing down her pale, pallid skin.

"Beautiful," he murmured, utterly enraptured. He had never seen such stunning colors.

When she finished absorbing the mana, he replaced the crystal with his lips, giving her temple a gentle kiss. On the outskirts of civilization, completely alone, her resentment was his saving grace, and he loved her for it.

But it wasn't enough to survive. He needed food, water, shelter. So, using Return by Death, he gathered allies and resources. The Blue Lightning, Cecilus, and the Admirer, Halibel, pledged their fealty to the fallen man.

"The Blue Lighting…?!" Wilhelm asked himself.

Priscilla also caught that detail. "Not Zarestia…"

"S-s-so, it's not completely identical…" Anastasia realized.

Thus, the Purge King was born into a world of black and white.

"What the hell are we watching…?" Kenichi whispered in horror.

"She's forcing him to watch… every universe she's erased…" Reinhard realized.

Subaru simply stared in terror at what he was seeing, as –

"Subaru-kun!" Rem was crying. "Our… our children…"

As Rem cried into his shoulder, he realized what she was talking about.

Rigel and Spica.

And even Andromeda.

Shion. Zarestia. Halibel. Heinkel. Elsa. Meili. Shaula. Vincent. Medium. Flop. Cecilus. The Emilia Camp. All of the Camps. All of the different variations of the people he knew. His children, his lovers, his friends, acquaintances, they were all real, he shared memories with them.

And Pandora took them all away from him.

Another part of Subaru was chipped away.

"Your colors are so beautiful," he whispered, hand outstretched to a weeping Beatrice. They were not quite as stunning as Ram's, but they were vivid and clear, soothing his twisted soul.

Beatrice gulped, trembling in fear. "Are you…'That Person,' I wonder?"

It was clear what she wanted his answer to be. It was obvious that she would surrender herself to "That Person."

Could he truly take advantage of such vulnerability?

As he took out his knife and answered in the affirmative, he wondered why he bothered asking himself such pointless questions. He had long ago forsaken the righteous path.

"I am 'That Person,'" he stated, taking out his knife.

She cried more. She smiled widely. She allowed him to stab her in the chest, feeling betrayed yet at peace.

Beatrice was silent as she watched her own death.

Emilia cried, as Ram simply stared at the screen in horror.

This was wrong. This version of the Purge King was far worse than the one they had seen. What happened? Had that version of Ram not convinced Barusu to change his path?

Or… had Pandora created that scenario so many times that variations were expected?

Deeply disturbed, he returned to the Pleiades Headquarters. There, he began a ritual that occurred every ten days.

Dismissing his guards, he went to a room of white and played with his toy, his doll. There was no other place where he could let himself feel at ease. It was the only room where he allowed himself to cry. He bawled into her lap, eventually falling asleep.

Then, he left, without even bothering to say goodbye to Emilia.

The Purge King did not display emotion. He did not show that he cared.

He did not listen to anything but his coin.

"Heads. Leave my presence."

"Tails. Kill him."

His coin landed on tails over a hundred thousand times.

Julius felt absolutely sick to his stomach.

However, one death was not decided by his coin, for his life belonged to one other. As Emilia devoted her broken heart to him, he panicked.

He had ruined her life. She couldn't love him. She was a liar. She could not be trusted.

She had lost all color.

Once more, he ran, and ran, and ran…

"Have you come to die, Barusu?"

… to the one person he trusted.

Emilia cried as she saw that insane version of her, the one who had said that she loved Subaru. What was worse was how that version of Subaru did not believe her.

Everyone watched in horror as the Purge King let himself be strangled to death by that version of Ram. For some reason, he seemed happy, even, thankful that it happened.

Once more, another piece of Subaru Natsuki was lost.

Subaru gasped, having been pulled out of the vision, but he had no time to process it. Pandora threaded a hand through his hair with practiced ease, exactly the way he liked it. He tried to push her off, but she held firm, unwilling to give up this opportunity.

"What's she doing?" Julius asked.

Despite how horrible this was, he couldn't take his eyes off the screen.

"She's showing him another reality," Reinhard realized, completely sickened.

Felix could only ask, "Are we going to see all of them…?" in a morbid tone.

All was silent in the grassy clearing. On one side, the Witch of Greed stood with her arms spread wide, a smile on her face. On the other hand, Subaru contemplated the ramifications of this decision.

"A contract with Echidna… It doesn't sound so bad."

Subaru's eyes widened as he realized what this was. "No, no, no, no…"

"Subaru… what the fuck is this?" Priscilla demanded to know.

"Back in the Sanctuary… Echidna wanted to make a contract with me…"

"Like… one without the other six Witches?" Mimi asked.

"Yeah… but if I accept…"

He would have to die a few extra times, but he'd already died… what? Almost twenty times? If it meant saving his loved ones, he was more than happy to use his life as a resource. After all:

"I would die a million times for her."

"... that would have been my future."

Everyone's stomachs sank as they heard the on-screen Subaru's reasoning, along with their Subaru's explanation. Dying a million times? That sounded unreal, and yet…

As Subaru watched the other him accept that damn contract, he wondered, Why didn't Minerva interfere? Why didn't she stop me?! Or… was this my fault all along…?

At this point, he honestly wouldn't have been surprised.

Echidna met his eyes — she seemed quite fascinated with them — and shivered. "Ah, such wondrous words… You truly have come back for me."

Then, they clasped hands, and their contract was complete.

It was the worst decision of his life.

He slapped his hands on the table, glaring into those angry, empty eyes. "What the fuck do you mean, let's do it again?!"

"Why, exactly what it sounds like," she said. "I think you could do even better."

He pushed off the table and paced back and forth, no longer able to look at the Witch. "I died thirty times! I did everything I needed to do! Emilia beat the Trials, I contracted with Beatrice, Garfiel isn't afraid of the outside world, Roswaal's Gospel is destroyed, Elsa was killed, Meili was captured, and the Great Rabbit was sent to another dimension! What the fuck could I possibly do better?!"

"How many times did you actually die there…?" Emilia asked.

"In my entire "life", I've died a total of seventeen times," Subaru said, as he finally remembered the question Emilia had asked him all the way back to the first episode.

That thing… wasted more lives in the Sanctuary than Subaru ever did in total.

She sipped her tea, returning the fluids to her body. "The Trials," she said simply.

"The Trials?" he echoed, bewildered. "Emilia did amazing with them!"

She frowned at the name but continued onward. "I wonder…if you completed the Trials, how strong would you be? How many more burdens could you take?"

He hated it, but he saw her logic. After all, if possible, he was the only one that had to suffer.

And so, he returned to the real world, and stabbed himself in the throat.

Naoko was held tightly by her husband in response to the shock they had experienced. Seeing her own son kill himself… that was her breaking point. That was when she began to cry.

Wilhelm looked down in shame and disgust. That version of Subaru-dono… he was so used to death, he didn't even flinch as he stabbed his own throat. Like it was just some chore.

Felix knew that Subaru had killed himself, but he knew that the boy he considered a friend would only use it as a last resort. But this version of him… this Apostle of Greed… he was the sort of monster he feared Subaru would become. One which did not value life.

His First Trial passed in moments. He waved goodbye to his mother and walked to school, meeting Echidna in an empty classroom.

"How do I look?" she asked, twirling around in an even shorter skirt than the one she had previously worn. "Do I entice you? Excite you?"

Naoko didn't want to know why she was there. She didn't care about the secrets of the Trail, or if this was all an illusion, she simply wanted this nightmare to end.

Roswaal couldn't think about the idea that his teacher preferred Subaru over him. His mind was far too occupied with the horrors he was seeing in front of him now.

Beatrice knew now that her mother was cruel… but to be this heartless?

It looked like Pandora wasn't the only one who misinterpreted "love."

Absolutely not. He thought she looked disgusting.

"But Emilia would look damn sexy in it," he muttered.

Despite the fact that the comment would have sent Emilia into a blushing mess otherwise, her expression did not change from one of horror.

Suddenly, Echidna's face twisted into something truly ugly, as it always did when Emilia was mentioned. "Instead of me, you would rather see the half-demon? The Witch's daughter? The vessel's spawn? Even in this life, you seek the Sorceress: A pitiful, dependent, ungrateful, disloyal, disgusting whore."

Enraged by her verbal abuse, he darted forward and tackled the Witch, crashing through the window. Her anger melted as she saw his eyes, but it only fueled the fire burning within him.

Mimi yelped at the sudden attack, as did Tivey.

Beatrice merely stared in horror as she watched her brother attack her mother.

Roswaal didn't know whether to feel anger or sorrow, or horror.

He knew his dream was doomed. But to see his Teacher love, no, OBSESS over another, and to see that person become such an emotionless monster because of her... He now knew that if he had won their bet at the Sanctuary, this is what Subaru would have turned into.

Small blessings, he supposed.

They crashed head-first into the concrete outside, and he woke up in the tomb.

He stomped outside, still upset. There, he met Emilia, who barely looked up. His bad mood faded as he kneeled before her and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving a soft smile as he did so.

Emilia was wonderful, strong, kind, and beautiful. Emilia was a good person. Emilia could easily blaze through the Trials, given the proper motivation.

However, because of Echidna, he needed to go one loop without giving her that chance. She would remain stagnant and broken, but that was okay. In the end, she would go back to normal. He would save her.

You hear that, Dona? he thought, sending it into the crystal around his neck. I may become stronger because of the Trials, but this is not my desired future.

Even so, he would have to keep going to prove it.

"Hey, Emilia-tan," he said quietly. "I passed my First Trial."

She jolted a bit and looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears. Then, she leaned into him, and he wrapped his arms around her, since he was the only one who could bring her comfort.

He knew why she was acting in such a way: her First Trial had destroyed her. She had tried multiple times to no avail. Now, Subaru came and passed it on the first try. She felt pathetic, but he knew that she was capable of growing. He would prove to her that she was a success story just waiting to happen. He would prove that she was capable of anything she set her mind to.

Soon after, he finished the Trials — he had passed the Second Trial around eight loops ago, and the third was merely a future death — and he stepped outside, telling Emilia the good news. She bounded up to him and remained locked to his side, vowing to never let him go.

Julius was absolutely sickened by the narration they heard. The purple-haired knight felt like he was somewhat responsible for this, for beating Subaru's aspirations of knighthood out of him, and making him think he was only a tool, living to die and serve others.

Meanwhile, Felt could feel her heart break at the sight of this… monster's goal: To make Big Sis a doll that would listen to him and him alone. Sure, he might have begun with good intentions of making Emilia face her fears and grow up, but this wasn't the way to go about it.

Even Emilia and Crusch, two of the women who knew the least about the concept of love, knew that what they were seeing wasn't it. The man they loved was turned into a hollow shell.

All because he accepted someone's help.

It was strange; her previous despair had faded, turning into a strange sense of… excitement.

Was this how she truly felt? Was she actually happy?

Or was she merely acting like some kind of lovestruck fangirl because she thought that's what he liked?

With a sinking feeling, he realized it might be a third option. Her First Trial had not merely broken her but changed her permanently.

He didn't want that at all. He loved Emilia, but that was his Emilia, and not a broken girl. So, without waiting a moment longer, he stabbed himself in the throat.

He opened his eyes to a giggling, blushing Emilia, holding onto his arm like a lifeline.

Once more, another piece of Subaru Natsuki was lost.

The rest of the Cast could only look in despair at what had happened. Echidna had taken advantage of a Subaru down on his luck, and turned him into a hollow shell. A monster who only saves their life as a tool, one they would use millions of times over.

All for a girl who was nothing more than a doll now.

Subaru burst into tears when he came out of the vision. Pandora cupped his face and stroked his cheek with her thumb in an attempt to soothe him, but he almost vomited in her mouth. She didn't notice, and she laid a hand on the back of his neck, devouring him.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE, YOU MONSTER!" Petra screamed.

Garfiel wanted to enter that screen, to beat the crap out of that monster, molesting her Cap'n. But he couldn't. All he could do was watch as she violated him, and then showed him some other previous life that she had erased because Cap'n didn't love her.

All the Shield of the Sanctuary could do was cry.

Ripped, torn, shredded. His mind was scattered in the wind, and he could not patch it together.

But these people…

Surely, they could bring back "Subaru Natsuki"?

"NO!" Priscilla screamed in fear, knowing full-well who that was.

"The Memory Eater…" Reinhard gasped.

He, too, was afraid.

Julius. Ram. Anastasia.

And, of course, the one who had given him the idea: Meili.

Meili's eyes flooded with tears. She did this. She created that monster.

She could barely feel Petra hugging her, trying to ground her back to reality.

She couldn't even feel Frederica and Otto hugging, who were telling her that it wasn't her fault. All she wanted was her Subaru. She wanted her big brother. Her Onii-chan.

Her hero.

All their Books of the Dead would be quite useful… but they would not be enough to bring back "Subaru Natsuki."

He opened eyes that belonged to a hero and gazed down at a blonde child with butterfly pupils.

"Wh-what happened, I wonder?!" she asked nervously, looking into his glassy eyes. "You don't… That despairing expression does not fit Betty's Subaru, I suppose."

He contemplated her words for a moment. "You're right," he whispered at length. "'Subaru Natsuki' would never let you look so sad."

He kneeled to her level and placed his hands on her shoulders. With fierce determination, he said, "I will bring him back. Just trust me."

She shook her head in denial. "Y-you are Betty's Subaru, in fact! Let Betty help you! Let —"

He snapped his fingers, and a flash of light filled the room. Not a trace of the Great Spirit remained.

However, a new Book of the Dead had appeared.

When the flash of light appeared, another part of Subaru died.

"Let's go, Shaula," he ordered, walking to the library at a brisk pace. He wanted to bring Beatrice back as soon as possible.

Four hundred years — or perhaps four minutes — later, he collapsed to the floor, clutching his head in pain.

Loneliness. Isolation. Grief. She had pleaded for death, only for it to be granted by the one who had taught her to live.

"Subaru Natsuki" could have saved her. "Subaru Natsuki" would have made her happy. He would bring back —

"Master? Are you dooone yet?"

He whirled around at the sudden noise, and the harsh sound of flesh hitting flesh filled the room. Shaula reeled back from him, holding her reddened cheek.

However, it was clear that her pain was not physical.

"I'm sorry!" his soul shouted, but his body fumbled the words. "I-I was startled, and —"

"It's okay, yup!" she said, wiping off all traces of her previous hurt. "Not the first time that Master's hit me when he's angry, nope!"

Subaru felt another part of him break at hearing that.

Part of him felt utterly horrible. The other wondered just how much she knew.

He hungered for her knowledge… but she was too useful, for now.

Then, a silver bell chimed, "Subaru?"

He faced the sudden noise but managed to stop himself from lashing out. In front of him was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. His mind told him how important she was, that she should not hurt her, but his body could not hear it.

Without taking his eyes away from the glittering amethyst jewels that he was slowly falling for, he flatly said, "'Subaru Natsuki' isn't here yet."

Emilia looked into his eyes, undoubtedly wondering whom she was speaking to, if not "Subaru Natsuki." He would bring back her hero.

Judging by the way she looked at him, the way she was always so close, holding his hand at every opportunity and treating his words like a treasure…Perhaps "Subaru Natsuki" was even her lover.

He approached her wary form slowly. "You're important to him…to me. I can't let this be done by anyone else."

She bit her lip. "What are you talking about, Subaru?"

He paused, gazing at her in anticipation, in sorrow. Through the lump in his throat, he asked, "You trust 'Subaru Natsuki,' don't you?"

She shook her head. "I trust you."

He brushed off her words. "So, you trust 'Subaru Natsuki' to do what's right, even if it seems strange?"

She nodded furiously, a slight smile on her face. "Always, my knight. I will follow you until the end."

'My knight,' he thought.

"Until the end," he whispered.

His resolve was now firm. He closed the distance between them, wrapping his hands around her. She returned his embrace, and he felt her smile into his shoulder.

His resolve was now firm.

"Shaula… kill her."

Emilia felt her heart break at that moment.

Heartbreak. Pure, utter anguish passed between them… but she did not resist. She said nothing, did nothing.

She trusted him, even as she was turned to dust.

Hours later, as he looked for her Book of the Dead, he wondered why he still hadn't stopped crying.

Once again, Subaru felt yet another piece of him break away.

Killing became easier after that. He had let Anastasia go, only to devour her memories later. The remainder of the Emilia Camp had been wiped out in one fell swoop. Anyone who had even the slightest relation to "Subaru Natsuki" was erased with a simple "Hell's Snipe."

It was all thanks to the incredible woman beside him.

Reinhard couldn't breathe. His mind was going back to the episode which featured that abomination. All that fire. All that death. He failed to protect Priscilla-sama. How many iterations of him had failed. HOW MANY TIMES HAD HE FAILED?!

It took Felt holding him and rubbing his back, whispering to him that everything was alright, that it wasn't his fault, to get him to breathe again. And even then, he wanted to die.

"Master, I'm so booored," Shaula whined. "Can't you at least kiss me, or something?"

His lips curled downward in disgust. The mere thought of intimacy with Shaula made his stomach churn, as if his very soul rejected the idea. So, he ignored her, and said, "There are a few people in the Royal Capital that know 'Subaru Natsuki.'"

"Their attack…" Felix said.

"This was happening before that episode…" Al choked out.

"No, no, no…" Ricardo whispered, hearing that Ana-bo was hunted down like some animal for game. How the triplets were also incinerated by a guy he considered a friend.

They're alive, he kept repeating to himself. They're alive, they're alive, they're alive…

She scoffed but didn't seem to be more than slightly irritated. "I know Master, and that should be enough, yup!"

He closed his eyes and took a breath. Gathering the strength to look at her, he said, "Shaula, you do realize… that I'll have to kill you, too, right?"

He expected shock, or maybe tears. However, he wasn't as smart as "Subaru Natsuki," so he was taken aback when she giggled.

"Well, duh," she said playfully. "I'll do whatever it takes to get Master to love me, yup!"

"But I won't love you!" he said heatedly. "You'd just be dead!"

She smiled as if he was a silly child who would understand when he grew older. "Well, it'll make Master happy, right? That's what matters to me, yup!"

Tears pricked at his eyes, but he managed to whisper a simple, "I'll bring you back, too, Shaula."

In the end, he used Return by Death over a hundred times, but he always opened his eyes to Shaula's smiling corpse.

Subaru couldn't cry any longer.

He ran out of tears a long time ago.

One by one, he lost more pieces of himself.

He lost one when Rem realized that their children had been erased.

He lost another one when he saw the Purge King stab Beako to death.

He lost yet another one when he and Emilia became nothing more than shells.

And he lost one more when he saw the crimes of the Memory Eater once more.

There were even more of them that he had forgotten about.

Even more pieces of his broken heart that had been lost to the void.

His eyes shot open, leaking hot tears. He was horrible, disgusting, cruel, despicable. He was an absolute monster, but he had no way of voicing his grievances, as his mouth was otherwise occupied. Pandora increased the pressure on his lips ever-so-slightly, even as his attempts to push her off intensified. She melted into him, gently pressing down on his left arm. The bone snapped in half, piercing through his skin from the inside. He screamed in pain, but her lips lovingly caressed his, and he was silenced.

Naoko couldn't watch anymore. She held onto her husband tightly, praying to whatever deity there was out there that everything she had experienced up to this point was a fever dream.

She wished that she didn't know where her son was, so that in her ignorance, she would hope that he was in a better place. She wished that none of them had arrived at this accursed Theater, so they would never have to see this monster Pandora torture her baby.

But for Subaru's sake, she wished that he never had Return by Death.

Compared to the hell he was experiencing now, a permanent death was a mercy.

He did not speak. He did not move. He merely watched the three thugs approach with detached interest. It was like watching the same movie for the eighty-eighth time, and he had gotten sick of it.

He didn't know the middle one's name, or the one on his left, or even the one on his right. He only knew how to kill them efficiently.

A jab to one's stomach, followed up by a knee to their groin. He tore the knife out of one's hand and stabbed it into another's throat. He used the large one's momentum to knock them to the floor before stepping on their neck. Then, without any hesitation, he grabbed the smaller one by the throat and strangled them.

It was messy and gross, but it was the most efficient way to remove the obstacles.

Then, he paused. "Might as well try something different," he muttered.

He tore open the large one's shirt and carved words into their back.

"Come to the loothouse in the slums."

Felt could feel the bile rising from her mouth as she watched Subaru murder Gaston, Ranchins and Camberley with such horrible efficiency and mutilate their bodies.

Those were people from her Camp. Sure, they tried to rob Subaru before, but seeing what he did to them… there was self-defense, then there was overkill, and then there was just… that.

He grimaced, disgusted by his own actions, but he was fine with giving up his humanity if it meant that he'd have a chance of saving Satella. Besides, he didn't have a pen, nor any paper.

Then again, his actions were moot. If he couldn't stop Elsa after nearly a hundred loops, then surely some random guard could do nothing.

He was right, of course. Elsa decimated an entire platoon or Royal Knights with ease, laughing all the while. He was just glad that Satella was able to avoid the conflict, even if it was only for a little while.

Then, he came.

The Sword Saint.

Confident. Kind. Generous. Merciful. Handsome. Elegant. Prestigious. Famous.

Strong.

Reinhard van Astrea was everything Subaru wanted, needed to be, but couldn't.

Reinhard wept as he heard Subaru's internal monologue. How was he strong? Subaru was a hundred times stronger than Reinhard, easily. He was more of a hero than Reinhard ever was.

And to see him stray from that path… it pained Reinhard to no end.

As if he was swatting a fly, Reinhard twisted his sword, and the loothouse collapsed. Elsa was turned to dust.

Satella was saved.

Subaru was worthless.

Emilia, Rem, Beatrice, everyone wanted to refute that, but they were all too occupied drowning in their own misery, to tell Subaru that he wasn't worthless.

Besides, they doubted he'd listen.

…No. No, he had worth! He could help Satella! He would protect her from the shadows, help her reach her goals!

Wilhelm gulped, as he had a bad feeling in his stomach.

At least, that was what he told himself as he ran away, crying. He stopped at the side of an abandoned shack, panting.

"My, oh, my," a voice whispered in his ear, making him shiver. "You're running awfully fast, no? Perhaps… running from me?"

He whirled around and punched Elsa in the face, despite knowing it would do nothing. "I will kill you," he spat. "One day, Elsa, I will stand over your corpse with a smile on my face."

She met his gaze with a curious tilt of her head. "How strange," she murmured. "You're an interesting young man, are you not?"

He did not answer her. Instead, he surprised them both.

"I have a job for you, Elsa."

"Pride," Wilhelm hissed.

Everyone looked at the old man, as he stared daggers at the screen. "We never saw him call for help. He despises Reinhard. He is cruel. And now, he is working with the Bowel Hunter."

Everyone looked back and forth at the screen, and they realized the Sword Demon had a point. This was the beginning of the Sin Archbishop of Pride.

Which meant… they would watch the Capital burn once more.

Thus began their toxic, disgusting, gruesome, bloody, but undeniably useful partnership.

Elsa was not the only one he had partnered with. One day, while he was hiding out in a decrepit, abandoned shack, a woman of platinum and sapphire appeared before him.

He shot up, instantly on guard. "Who are you?" he asked, already thinking about alternative hiding places for the next loop. "What do you want with me?"

The woman — she looked to be about sixteen or so — gazed at him sadly. "My name doesn't matter," she whispered. Her voice washed over him like a wind chime on a summer breeze. "I… I am not sure why I am here. This worldline is not the one and does not have much longer."

No one said anything.

Either because of how horrified they were from the revelations, or because they didn't want to give Pandora acknowledgement, they remained silent.

He did not know what she meant, but her voice entranced him, soothed him. He stayed silent, hoping to hear it again.

She wore naught but a snow-white cloth and a blue ribbon, but she collapsed onto a dusty sofa, nonetheless. She placed her chin in her hands as she stared into space. "I suppose…I wanted to see you. Perhaps I wished to apologize for setting you on the wrong path. Maybe I could grant you assistance to reach your goals, even if it prolongs my loneliness."

Somewhere, deep in the depths of his soul, he felt sorry for her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let her go. He wanted that more than anything else in the world.

The rest of him, easily dominating such weakness, cared only for Satella.

Even so, he could use this girl. "Assistance, you say? How so?"

Sapphire eyes flicked to his for a moment. Then, she tore her gaze away, as if what she saw pained her greatly. "How greedy of you," she whispered. "Truly, I have made many mistakes."

Before he could ask what she meant, she stood up and held out a black book. "This is a Gospel," she explained, her eyes trained directly on the wooden floorboards. "It will lead you to your desired future. It is the least I can do for you."

Subaru let out a mirthless chuckle.

Pandora, crying? Yeah, right.

It sounded like an oxymoron. A monster like her understanding and indulging in human emotion sounded so stupid, despite the fact that he was seeing it on the screen.

It sounded so, so, stupid.

He glanced down at the book and took it gingerly. It was heavy and had a strange sort of aura around it.

It felt like the woman in front of him.

"Thank you," he said, at a bit of a loss. "I don't —"

"The cabinets are stocked with food," she interjected, her voice empty. "They will not run out. I will provide a new wardrobe. The villagers will not disturb you. Goodbye, my…"

She did not finish her sentence. She merely hunched over as if weighed down by sheer despair.

With that, she disappeared, and Subaru felt inexplicably lonely.

Subaru glared at the screen.

He didn't want to give that monster his sympathy.

He wanted something to distract him from this.

He wanted an escape.

While he kept thinking that, he pressed his arms against each other.

A couple of days passed. As promised, he had unlimited food and clean clothes. No one bothered him.

The former, he could believe; this world's magic system often disregarded inconsequential things like the conservation of energy.

No nosy neighbors? Now, that was just impossible.

Paranoid but curious, he made his way outside for the first time in days and gasped in shock.

Dozens, no hundreds of bloody, mangled corpses lined the lifeless streets.

None of the bodies had heads.

"AAAIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!"

Petra screamed in sheer terror at what she saw. Meili would have joined her, had she not instinctively hid behind Frederica the second she saw the first corpse.

Even the most brave of knights turned pale at what they saw. Julius felt all his color leaving his body, while Felix dug his nails into the seat. They were dead, and he couldn't save them.

Even people who were more accustomed to death, such as Roswaal and Wilhelm stared in absolute horror at the massacre they were witnessing right here and now.

Subaru simply kept looking at the screen, while the women around him held him tight. If it wasn't for the fact that he was blinking, they would have assumed he was catatonic.

A small part of him wished he was.

Through the shock and panic, he noticed that it was not mere decapitation. They were not clean cuts, as the spine was still sticking out. No, it was as if everyone's head had simply… imploded.

From within his robes, the Gospel grew warm. He whipped it out and tore through the pages, looking for an inkling about what could have happened.

In pitch-black calligraphy were the words, "I do it all for you."

Subaru Natsuki had lost his humanity months ago. However, that day, something inside of him broke, never to be repaired.

Another part of Subaru broke off.

The next two months were a blur. He looted the now-empty village, stashing all the valuables in his "home." He searched neighboring towns and eavesdropped in taverns, but there was no word of Satella or silver-haired half-elves.

Eventually, he heard it: A hushed lesson told to a child, explaining a taboo so dangerous and so vile, it had destroyed half the world.

Satella, the Witch of Envy. A silver-haired half-elf with amethyst eyes.

"Satella" had given him a pseudonym. "Satella" had likely wanted to push him away so that his reputation wouldn't be harmed by her.

He was more in love with "Satella" than ever before.

Subaru looked down in shame, when he saw his sleeves.

His arms.

He knew that if he kept watching this, his mind would betray him, it would eventually drive him insane. He needed something else to focus on, something active.

He looked at both Emilia and Rem.

Neither of them were looking at him.

He spread his arms wide and reveled in "Satella's" majesty, only to be cruelly interrupted by the Gospel. Not bothering to hide his annoyance, he pulled it out and casually flipped through it. Then, upon viewing the hauntingly beautiful script, he smiled.

Finally, he could help "Satella." Finally, he could be useful.

"Thanks a bunch, Mystery."

He had no better name — the platinum-haired girl had never introduced himself.

She terrified him. She was even more of a murderer than he was. She filled his soul with inexplicable, alien affection.

He hated her.

"…but I really appreciate you."

Subaru didn't like this.

He didn't want Pandora to feel appreciation, and he didn't want to give it.

So, he decided to occupy himself with something else.

Lifting up his sleeve, he began to scratch.

He knew for a fact no one would notice him doing it, for now.

Filled with newfound hope, he pulled out the communication mirror that he always kept with him. He smirked at the face that was revealed.

"Elsa, I have another job for you."

He stood back and watched as Elsa demolished a nearby bandit caravan. Dozens of Mabeasts chased down those attempting to flee. Soon, he would be led to someone who could give credit to "Satella," improving her social standing.

But right now, as unbelievable as it may be, he was focused on something else.

He hid behind a carriage, sitting next to a crying, purple-haired girl. He tried to reach out, to comfort her, but she shied away.

Of course, no one would want to touch a monster.

It was not the first time that Elsa had brought the girl along. There had been other obstacles that Subaru had needed to remove, and Mabeasts were always useful to have around.

Using her Divine Protection, the girl could act as a Mabeast's horn. She'd give a wide smile and act like a miniature Elsa, but something was always off about her. She was different from her "big sister."

Meili had a bad feeling about what was gonna happen.

She knew how this would play out. Onii-chan would learn that he cared about them, he would take everyone to Kararagi, and Andromeda would be born. And yet…

She still had a bad feeling about this.

And not because she knew how that universe would inevitably end.

Now, he had learned what it was on their third mission, when a bandit broke free and pursued her. She had taken out a dagger and threw it with alarming precision, embedding it into the bandit's chest.

As the light left his eyes, she ran. Subaru followed, eventually finding her behind the carriage where they now sat.

Suddenly, everything clicked. He understood why she was acting like this.

"You never look at your victims, do you?"

She lifted her head off her arms and gazed up at him, not saying anything.

"You let your Mabeasts do the work," he continued. "That way, you can pretend that you're not a monster, even if it's only for a moment."

Petra held onto Meili's arm, much to the girl's surprise.

The little maid gave her a soft smile, as if comforting her was important to Petra, despite the fact that they were witnessing something related to universe-shattering events.

Even after all of that, a sick sense of hope still existed.

That, or Petra had her priorities mixed-up.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her flinch, and he knew he was on the right track.

He pulled out a dagger and twirled it between his fingers with practiced ease. "But that one bandit escaped, and it was your life or his. You chose your own, and you were faced with your crimes. Then you ran away, all in an attempt to hide from yourself." Finally, he met her eyes and asked, "Am I right?"

She nodded, but he didn't need the confirmation. He had also broken down when he first killed the thugs.

He stopped spinning the dagger and held the grip tightly, his knuckles turning white. "Well, no more." She looked fearful at the thought of more killing, so he elaborated. "You will only call Mabeasts to defend me. You will keep your eyes on me, not our targets. So long as we're in the same battle, I'll be the monster. You can just be… Meili."

Without a word, she dove into him, burying her face into his chest.

Meili let out a small bit of tears at that.

Are you proud of me? he thought to "Satella," even knowing that she couldn't hear him. I am bringing you the glory you deserve… but I won't let a child be hurt along the way, promise.

Mere weeks later, Meili gave him a massive smile, having recently killed Sloth's Fingers… on Subaru's orders.

"Emilia," he murmured, walking along an empty road. "Emilia. Emilia. Emilia. Not 'Satella.' Emilia."

He had learned her name four hundred deaths ago. The euphoria had not died down.

The scratching was starting to become more intense.

"I will save you," he vowed as he burned Greed's mansion to the ground.

"I will grant you prestige," he promised as he crushed Lust into nothingness.

"Everything I do is for you," he confessed as he defeated Gluttony.

"I will make you queen," he swore as he ordered Elsa to kill Wrath, knowing full well that the Bowel Hunter would survive the backlash.

Reinhard simply stared in horror as he saw the mansion burn down. Subaru, once again, had done it. He had killed Greed, just like the Memory Eater had done.

Meili simply held Petra tighter as she watched Subaru crush on Capella under his boot, who was nothing more than just a head with a torso and an arm at that point, trying to crawl away.

Rem and Crusch were silent as they watched Subaru murder three similar-looking individuals. They saw him decapitate Lye, they saw him crush Roy into a pulp, and they saw him stab a blonde girl to death despite her pleas of mercy, the one they presumed was called "Louise" after he had cornered her within the now-familiar walls of the Pleiades Watchtower.

Emilia didn't want to look as Elsa decapitated Wrath. The silver hair and the purple eye the Sin Archbishop had possessed reminded her too much of Mother Fortuna.

He said nothing as Mystery bestowed Pride onto him. He merely smiled, hoping that it conveyed his gratitude. The platinum-haired woman wept, as he was not the person whom she loved.

Scratch, scratch, scratching, the pain away.

Scratch, scratch, scratching, the memories away.

That was fine. He was doing this for Emilia's love, not Mystery's. He killed all the Candidates and their knights for Emilia. He eliminated every obstacle for Emilia. He made sure that the public knew that the hero was Emilia. He became the villain for Emilia.

Priscilla, Anastasia, and Felt were silent as they saw their own corpses on-screen. Julius said nothing as he saw his own body underneath a smiling Subaru's boot.

Felix said nothing as he saw a brainwashed version of himself follow Pride.

Al, Ricardo, Wilhelm, they all said nothing, too.

Subaru also said nothing. He was too busy scratching himself.

Now, he faced down Reinhard, all for Emilia.

He hated the Sword Saint. Reinhard was everything Subaru could not be: Strong, kind, handsome, well-loved, successful. The kind of person whom Emilia would easily fall in love with.

Reinhard, ever the gentleman, offered mercy. He asked Subaru to come quietly.

Subaru spat in Reinhard's face before throwing a punch. He died mere moments later.

He brought Elsa along next time. Nothing changed. Reinhard blocked her dagger with his arm, and the dagger shattered. Even his sleeve was unblemished.

Dozens of tries later, he tried bringing Blue, too. However, even the Immortal King's Sacrament did nothing, for Return by Death activated first.

Hundreds, thousands of tries. Nothing worked. Reinhard could not die.

Then, Subaru threw his head back and laughed. He finally understood. He could not kill Reinhard… but he could kill "Reinhard."

With every death, the flames engulfing Lugnica burned brighter. More people were killed, and Reinhard broke further.

So, the monster finally realized what we all saw in the second episode, Subaru thought to himself, as he looked at the him from across the screen. For a single brief moment, Pride wasn't being ganked by Reinhard over and over again, as he simply stood among the fire, smiling.

Subaru hated that.

He hated his existence. He hated how weak he was. He hated how he had to constantly let others die. He hated how it caused so many people to suffer across various multiverses.

For a brief moment, he hated himself more than he hated Pandora.

Finally, Reinhard appeared before Subaru with hatred in his eyes.

"Happy birthday, Reinhard!" he exclaimed. "It's a brand new you!"

Reinhard simply looked down to the floor, in shame.

He remembered this interaction all the way back from the second episode. Sure, Meili was now with him, but it was still the same. The jealousy, the rage, all of it was there, amongst the flames.

He wished he could have prevented this. He wished he could have led Subaru down a happier path, one without bloodshed. But he knew there was nothing he could do.

For all the power he had, it paled in comparison to Pandora.

He truly was useless.

Meili stood by his side, a bat-like mabeast on her shoulder. Even as the others were spread throughout the country, he always kept her by his side. "I didn't knooow it's his birthday," she said with wide eyes.

"That's because it's not," Reinhard said in a low voice. He glared daggers at Subaru, feeling hatred for the first time.

Subaru didn't see what happened next. All he knew was that Reinhard had thrown some kind of projectile, killing Subaru in the blink of an eye.

Scratch, scratch, scratching, because this is what he deserves.

Scratch, scratch, scratching, he's the worst monster this world has ever heard.

He tried again, and again, and again. He was so close, so very close to reaching Emilia. His plan was almost complete… but Reinhard was too fast. If only Subaru had a few more seconds, then Elsa would appear, and he could seek out his death.

Three thousand loops. Three thousand deaths. Three thousand failures.

All to buy a few seconds.

Everyone felt sick to their stomachs, but especially Subaru, Reinhard, and Meili. The Apostle of Greed's million deaths were awful, but three thousand on a few-second loop?

This was a new low, even for the Sin Archbishop of Pride.

What they didn't know yet, was that he could go even lower.

"Happy birthday, Reinhard! It's a brand new you!"

"I didn't knooow it's his birthday."

"That's because it's not."

Then, a single instinct, not even a thought. All he knew was that he had to get to Emilia.

He grabbed Meili and used her as a shield.

It happened in an instant, but Meili saw it clearly.

Subaru had used her as a human shield.

Her hero killed her.

He fell to his knees in shock, cradling her smoldering corpse to his chest. The tears fell, but whether it was from grief or hatred, he did not know.

Besides, who was there to hate but himself?

…Reinhard. He hated Reinhard. He hated Reinhard as much as he loved Emilia.

He would try again.

He took out his dagger and stabbed himself in the throat. He had a few days to modify his plan, and then he —

He was on his knees, cradling Meili's smoldering corpse to his chest.

Suddenly, the scratching stopped.

His arms were already red with his own blood.

He stared at what the other Subaru had done. This version of Pride was somehow worse that the one they had seen before. He hurt Meili. He broke his promise to that little girl.

And with that, the last piece of Subaru Natsuki was destroyed.

He had bought himself those precious few seconds. Elsa had arrived to distract Reinhard. The Guiltylowe had come to bring him to Emilia. His goal was complete.

So, why did he feel so empty?

Somewhere within Subaru Natsuki, he felt like crying.

But he couldn't.

Somewhere within him, he felt like being angry.

But he couldn't.

But then… he felt the sick sense to laugh.

He refused. For now.

Then, it all went away, replaced by childlike giddiness as he saw her: The most beautiful woman in the world.

Emilia, the silver-haired half-elf.

He did it all for her.

He rambled on and on, proving himself to be the villain whom she had thought him to be. He pleaded for her to remember him, begged for her to forget him.

But above all, he needed her to know his title, bestowed upon him by a weeping woman of platinum and sapphire.

"I am a Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult, representing Pride… Subaru Natsuki."

Within the fires of Hell itself, Subaru watched as HE smiled.

There were no such things as counterparts. These were reincarnations.

Every single Subaru was him.

The one who could speak freely about his power. The Sin Archbishop of Pride. His female self. The Purge King. Reinhard's adopted brother. Rem's husband. The contractor of the Witches. The Memory Eater. Shion's lover. Wilhelm's friend. Zarestia's contractor. The Royal Candidate.

THEY WERE ALL HIM.

Every little horrible thing that they had done, he had done. Every death was his death, every life was his life. And for as different as they all were, they all shared one thing in common:

THEY REFUSED TO LOVE PANDORA.

He dashed forward, his ecstasy drowning out the pain of the spears of ice that pierced his abdomen. He collapsed, and she fell to her knees before him, crying. Desperately, she asked, "Why?! Why did you do this?!"

It was such a silly question. The answer poured out as easily as his hatred for Reinhard.

"I love you."

Subaru felt like smiling. Like laughing.

What else could he do when he realized his life was a fucking joke?

His life. Everyone else's lives. The world, the multiverse itself.

It was all one…

GIANT.

FUCKING.

LOOP.

When he took his last breath, he awoke from the vision, but he was still dead.

Pandora intertwined their fingers, disfiguring his hands. She leaned her forehead onto his, cracking his skull. Her tongue delicately caressed his, destroying his psyche.

…Love. He felt her unbridled, uncontrollable love. He felt her desire to be with him, to have his strong arms hold her close once again.

She just wanted to go back.

She broke away, gasping for breath. Ignoring his injuries — or perhaps unaware of them — she tenderly stroked his cheek as she lovingly whispered, "You have seen my heart, my treasured one. You know we are meant to be together."

Everyone felt sick watching this. Somehow, watching Pandora physically violate Subaru was a hundred times worse than whatever hell loop they had seen.

And for Subaru, it… did something within him.

Something snapped.

He could not answer, scream, nor condemn her, as he was a mere husk of his former self. The images and the Witch's Touch had broken him.

He didn't know who or where he was. He just wanted the pain to end.

He was afraid to die — afraid of the devil before him.

He was afraid of himself — afraid of a monster.

No, he thought to himself. I am no longer afraid.

He no longer felt fear in Pandora.

He no longer felt pain, he was far too used to it by now.

He no longer felt sorrow at the lives he had lost.

He didn't feel happiness, as there was nothing left to be happy about.

He felt one thing, and one thing only.

Rage.

Slowly but surely, his mind shut down.

She giggled. "Speechless with affection, hmm? I'll make sure that you have a wonderful payoff, my treasured one."

With that, he disappeared from her realm and found himself in darkness. A single candle lit up a corner of the room, but he could not make out his surroundings. He couldn't feel, couldn't think.

He only knew one thing.

I'm dying.

And with that, the screen shut down, and the lights returned.

No one knew what to say anymore.

They were expecting Subaru to confront his supposed nemesis, maybe see something silly, but not this. They were not expecting to learn that they were all simply pawns in some elaborate quest a madwoman had to earn the affections of Subaru.

Emilia was crying, as she knew now that she was doomed to freeze her people, to watch her parents die, and to fail the Royal Selection, over and over again.

Rem cried, as she now knew that her children had been erased by a monster.

Beatrice cried, as she saw that every version of herself was either doomed to be trapped in the Forbidden Library for eternity, or be killed by the person she loved like a big brother.

Ram cried, as she had seen herself murder a dear friend of hers.

Naoko and Kenichi cried, as they knew no parent would wish to see their child suffer like that. A part of them wondered if it would have been more merciful for Subaru to have never been born.

Meili cried, as she knew now that she would always remain Capella's slave, no matter how many times Subaru saved her. Not even death would allow her to escape.

The rest of the Emilia Camp cried for their friend, wondering what sort of horrible thing he could have done in some past life to deserve to be tortured for all of eternity by that devil.

The Royal Candidates, their knights, all of their Camp members all cried. The Royal Selection didn't matter. The fate of their country no longer mattered. Their lives didn't matter. Their entire existence was at the mercy of that woman. All for the sake of one black-haired boy.

No one knew what to say, so they all cried.

But one person did know what to say, and he was done crying.

Subaru Natsuki was angry.

No, he was more than angry, he was furious. He was more enraged than in the loop Petelgeuse had murdered Rem. He stared at the screen, remembering the monster that had caused Satella to destroy half the world and become a pariah. The monster that nearly broke Emilia. The monster that sent her minions to exterminate the people of his beloved and her sister. The monster who had let the universe end over and over again, all because he refused to love her.

All because HE refused to give her his heart.

Well, now he knew for a FACT that Pandora would fail in this timeline, too.

He no longer had a heart to give her.

This viewing had shattered it into a million pieces.

And replaced it with something else. Something twisted.

All he could feel now was hatred. Hatred for that awful, awful woman.

And his scream of anger made everyone in the Theater know about it.

"PAAAAAAAAANNNDOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

---

Author's Notes: I'm sorry. NOT! HAHAHA!

The original story is "Re: Start," written by qwerty19, also known as samisawesam. The link is s/13707708/1/Re-Start, while the ArchiveofOurOwn one under the moniker of "samisawesam" is /works/27075823/chapters/66110419. Now, the comments.

ned4: Yeah, the King of Pride story was a hard one to write. There were a lot of choices, but I ultimately went with the scene I did because of how many things showed up in it.

Guest #2: Well, the Greed If showed up alright. Kinda.

Chuck B. Winanaki: Subaru may not be a god, but he certainly is plot-relevant. Unfortunately, the jealous Beako running gag has run dry. You just basically described Subaru's reasoning behind Roswaal staying in the Emilia Camp. Also, I didn't know "Cap'n" was supposed to be an insult. Well, now everyone knows how to counter Gluttony. I never thought of the King of Pride as verbally aggressive unless the insults were directed to himself. Ram's character development has been complete! Otto will have more moments like these in the future. Capella is seriously messed up. Also, your hopes for this tea party have already been dashed.

Junsuina Tamashi: Your wish has been granted, the King of Pride has been reacted to! While it is true that there were several potential parts that could have been reacted upon, I wanted something action-packed and shocking. Hope you can understand!

Sergey: Well, it wasn't Sealed.

Guest #1: I wasn't really interested in the whole "Subaru is a Royal Candidate" part of the story, that was more of an afterthought. Though I'm glad to see you still liked what I wrote. This chapter here… yeah. Am I already reaching that many words? But I'm still glad to see that you liked my addition of the older Natsukis in this story.

Kari: Sorry you're not getting that trauma. May I offer an alternative?

Guest #3: Hey, your comment was pretty awesome.

Guest #4: Glad you found the last chapter to be great!

Deathenglegamers1144: Considering how Emilia looks, some could argue that her Gluttony experience could be worse than Rem's. Yeah, the Felt thing was an inevitability. But there is now way I'm gonna let either Cast interact with the other. See you soon.

Guest #5: Well, considering that the author of that story said it would be Theresia x Subaru, I imagine that the younger Wilhelm and Grimm would be right about the danger Subaru represents in the world of romance.

OreosAreYummy: It seems a lot of people are waiting for the King of Pride to update. Along with a few others. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

5queso: Emilia is quite unlucky, huh? No one likes Puck here. The word vomit is always a pain to deal with, especially when it's important, because then you can't get rid of it. I will always keep up my good work, and I hope you found this chapter… satisfactory.

Pryd: Glad you liked the chapter. Also, I'm pretty sure that Subaru swearing to the heavens sums up his pain. But Subaru with his hair down? Unlikely, unfortunately.

Commissar Gaunt: Hope the flame-proofing worked. But to be honest, the reason no one put their Dragon Insignia on Subaru is because they have bigger problems to deal with, cough, Pandora, cough. no matter how tempting the reactions. I also never thought of it.

XXxxxadisxxxXX: I wonder what happened to the story to just… stop?

vtrox: Show me a fic with that scenario, then we'll talk.

R-king 93: Awesome comment.

TheAstrix: Yeah, a lot of people found the King of Pride one lacking. I kinda don't remember the Regulus part, and I wasn't touching the Gusteko arc, but I didn't think that the part I picked was JUST talking. Also, Crusch's scenes would have probably made less sense without showing Subaru's side of the story, and I don't think I had enough pages for both of them. Hope this chapter will raise your spirits!

Raider301: I always hold up my end of the bargain.

Serikyuu: A lot of these fics are like the King of Pride: Great, but underrated.

Jesus t: I am fully aware that Thereisa and Subaru together could be something that burns peoples' eyes. But other than that, thanks for the compliments. Also, I am fully aware that the writer of Re: Avenger has returned, I'll watch his career with great interest.

SenSlice: Thanks for the compliment, but time limits existed.

Synicall: Thanks for the compliments, but two things. One, I'm not doing fic requests, since I already picked out which ones I would use, and second, the endings to these reactions are not getting a happy ending. Also, I accept your Regulus-based apology.

NoodleF_cker: Are those prayers or claps?

SpideyIsLegend: OF COURSE IT IT, YOU FOOL! But sadly, Pandora's tea party took up the entire reaction time, sorry. And in terms of Regulus, you've pretty much seen all the action from him you're gonna get. And in terms of how many reactions are left, this is the final reaction. The Discord link is available at the bottom of the Author's Notes.

Imperius: Fourier going to the slums to find Felt would require him knowing that someone that resembles him lives there, which he couldn't know. Yeah, Emilia's name getting eaten was pretty bad. And no, I am not adding your fic request. Enjoy!

Uh…: Too bad, for me, Frederica x Otto is an OTP, and shall remain so! Also, I'm not the one changing the Ifs, those stories are just fics other people wrote based off the Ifs, I'm not the one changing them. And while Hoshin may not have been Japanese, the Cast doesn't know that. You and Al want angst? Here's your angst! If "the Original Guy" is referring to Subaru's past life as the Great Sage, then I don't know what to say. There are three unconfirmed Authorities, Melancholy, Pride, and Envy. Melancholy most likely belongs to Clind, since he's been heard saying the word before using it, which leaves only Pride and Envy. The fandom has pretty much bestowed Return by Death the title of "Envy," which leaves only Pride. Your comments have been a rollercoaster to read. (Wow, this guy pretty much insulted both of us, huh? -Infinite.)

Now that that's out of the way, a special thanks to Infinite the Celestain for helping me in making this story, and for being an all-around great guy! If you want to join my Discord server, the link is /P8X5yQuY. You can chat with others, post memes and fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, and fan art, and I'll drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! And for the love of God, PLEASE FOLLOW THE RULES! If you can't, then don't join, seriously. If you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! I also have an Instagram where I post my art, called "eranlore_aka_the_writer," so if you wanna check it out, please do!

Thanks for reading, see you next time!

- Ernalore