'T-This is bad. . . !'
Subaru already thought there was something wrong with someone who looked like that being the one to call everyone in for a public gathering, but when he heard that person's last name, he swore he felt the Witch Factor inside him swell up in rebellion. What kind of sane person would ever refer publicly announce themselves a member of the Witch's Cult? That was a surefire way to get arrested and executed without a trial.
However, the title of 'Archbishop' wasn't what scared him the most. It was that this person knew the surname Romanee-Conti. That was a detail too specific for this to just be a prank.
"The fuck they just say. . . !? Fuck off, this ain't funny!"
Larkins looked over to Subaru, almost in disbelief that at what he'd just heard the person say. He'd hoped Subaru would agree with him, alongside the rest of the crowd who thought this was some kind of joke. The terror in Subaru's eyes made him reconsider though.
Subaru had run up against the Witch Cult before, even Larkins had heard about that fiasco. If Subaru wasn't laughing with everyone else, then there must really be some cause for concern here.
"T-That name. . . Why would they call themselves that. . ."
There was no way he had any actual blood relatives, Betelguese was a spirit! Maybe it was something Witch Cultists called themselves, but even that raised questions. Why would they use such an obvious naming convention when all it did was give them away before they could act?
Well, from what he'd seen of them so far, it was actually quite common for these freaks to introduce themselves with their full name anyway, title and all.
Somehow, though, the idea of someone adopting the name rather than receiving it made Subaru feel even more uneasy. It'd take a special kind of crazy to want to associate yourself with a total wackjob like Betelguese.
'C-Could this be my fault. . ? Maybe they've come here to avenge him?'
Subaru had a million possibilities running through his mind, which did little to help him formulate a plan of action to deal with the person in front of him. If this person really was here to exact revenge on him, there must've been a hundred better ways they could've done it. Adding in all the odd occurrences that had taken place since he'd arrived in this city, he was shocked with himself that he hadn't been more on guard.
Having his arm nearly blown off by an insane hooded guy. . .
Al's cryptic warning to get the hell out of the city. . .
Everyone suddenly acting differently and knowing a *little* too much about him. . .
Just what the hell was going on here?
"Ah~! That's good. Thank you. It only took everyone 15 seconds to fall silent. Thank you, I'll only be needing a moment of your time~!"
Subaru trembled when the spectre of Sirius finally spoke some new words. Just what could they possibly have to say to all of them? Subaru had no idea, but he felt strongly that whatever they were about to say needed to be stopped.
"Oi, Larkins. . ."
Subaru whispered to Larkins, using his actual name for what must've been the first time ever. There was something only he could do right now, something which would be enough to guarantee victory if they did it quickly enough.
"W-What. . ?"
Larkins listened with bated breath, feeling his heartbeat in his ears from all the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Not once in his entire life did he feel the chilling touch of death as clearly as he felt it now.
"You can summon Reinhard, right? Please do it before they. . ."
Sirius's smile abruptly shifted to a frown. One of her bandaged arms lifted up, with a finger outstretched and pointed at both Subaru and Larkins.
"You. Yes, you? I'm really sorry, but I must insist you both listen to me for just a moment~!"
For some reason, everyone else had fallen silent as this happened. The entire crowd had all had their eyes transfixed on Sirius except for Subaru and Larkins. For whatever the reason, Sirius demanded the complete attention of everyone in the audience. She could even sense that they were the only two people who hadn't given her their gaze.
"U-Um, if you don't mi-. . ."
"Ah, you seem very angry with me. You two, and also you two. . ."
Sirius kept her gaze trained on Subaru and Larkins, but she also pointed out two other people in the crowd, a beastman and a blindfolded woman. Subaru momentarily managed to pry his gaze away from Sirius, giving a wink to those two to show he could be counted on for any plans they may have.
"I'm afraid that I can't allow any of you to look away just yet. Please, I understand this must be inconvenient for everyone, I'm sorry. I'll try not to take up too much of your time, so please, if you would all just pay close attention to what I'm about to say!"
Hearing such weird words coming from the supposed Archbishop, Subaru once again turned back towards Sirius. This time, despite having plans to call for Beatrice, he simply couldn't complete the thoughts necessary to follow through with such an action. A similar problem was occurring with Larkins.
"May I ask you something?"
Subaru spoke up to Sirius, but this time she didn't look annoyed with him at all. Maybe it was because this time she was at the center of his attention.
"Yes. I could sense that you were quite angry, so I'm very happy you are willing to talk me. Despite my position as a Sin Archbishop, I really do dislike inconveniencing others, so I'll do my best to keep it brief. I'm sorry. Thank you."
This dialogue did little to affirm Sirius as someone with a competent mental state, but even so, Subaru was surprised to get such a positive reaction from someone who proclaimed themselves an Archbishop. She was actually easier to talk to than Priscilla, surprisingly!
'Maybe, if I play my cards right, I can capture her and get some information on Gluttony. . .'
"I-I actually have four girls waiting for me, so it'd be really nice if you could let all of us go as soon as possible. . . !"
'But first, I need to get back to everyone and make a plan.'
Sirius's smirk turned into a deranged wide smile. Whatever it was that he'd just said had seemed to have been the wrong choice, as Sirius's body language indicated that she was even more interested in him than before.
"Oh, wow! I'm so sorry, this is really unfortunate. . ! I never expected to hear something like that from you. Has it always been your dream to serve multiple girls at once? Splitting your love amongst all those people, that'll make them cry! We can't allow such disloyalty to be shown towards the targets of love. We must end this unallowable infidelity that absolutely can't happen that must be completely banned."
"W-Wha. . ?"
Subaru was stunned speechless by this person's absolutely ridiculous leap in logic, but what scared him more was its delivery. Much like Betelgeuse, they'd started off with a high pitched energetic voice, before abruptly dropping their sentences into whispers. Now Subaru was certain that this person wasn't mentally sound, which only supported his theory even more that this wasn't a joke.
"Ah, I'm sorry~! I just got a little emotional there, sometimes I can get excited before realizing it. Thanks for worrying about me. I'm sorry."
Suddenly, Subaru felt very stupid for speaking up to this person in the first place. Everything he was picking up from this person was telling him that they were all in serious danger. Now, he'd unwittingly put himself in the line of focus for that person when he could've just as easily snuck away.
Right now, Subaru could no longer take his eyes off them.
Surely someone else had used this diversion to escape and get help, right?
"So, you'd like to know when I'll let you all leave, right?"
Sirius nodded their head, putting their hands on their hips. For some reason, this made Subaru think Sirius might, in fact, be a woman.
"Yes, we'd appreciate it."
So long as he negotiated with this person carefully, Subaru wasn't exactly sure why, but he felt they could all escape. Normally, when faced with an Archbishop of the Witch's Cult, the only feelings he'd have would be fear and trepidation. For some reason, he no longer felt that way when he looked at this person.
"I'm sorry, it looks like I'm troubling you. Thank you. Yes, I'll get to what I wish to say. Yes, I just wanted to confirm a matter."
For some reason, Sirius looked especially bashful when she ended off her sentence. She seemed almost embarrassed to elaborate on her reasons for trapping them all here, which made everyone in the crowd chuckle. What did she have to be afraid about?
"What is it you want to affirm then?"
Someone else in the crowd piped up, seemingly spurred on by the confidence everyone was feeling at Sirius's awkward declaration. No longer could anyone take her seriously as a threat, especially now that she'd told them she planned on letting them all go.
"Okay! I'll say it then. Yes, the sentiment I wish to affirm. . . . Simply put, I want to affirm something about love. A-Ah~! Don't stare at me. . ! I'm so embarrassed~!"
Even though her face was covered in bandages, she desperately tried to cover up her face with flailing arms and shaking chains. This was not something you'd expect from a hardened killer, much less a member of the evil Witch Cult. It was like she was a teenage girl whose diary they'd all snuck a peek at.
". . . .pffft!"
The crowd broke out into infectious laughter.
"Hahahaha. . . !"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAaaaaa. . .!"
Even Subaru and Larkins couldn't hold back their laughs. It was far from funny, which normally would've been a red flag for Subaru considering the person he was laughing at. However, for some reason, he felt completely content laughing at this woman. Maybe it was the stark contrast with what he'd expected. . .?
"A-Ah, I expected this reaction~! Please keep the laughter contained, I'm starting to feel a bit troubled. Thank you. If you all don't mind, I also have a request. I'm sorry if I'm bothering you."
At the mention of a new request, everyone felt their eyebrows raise. This was the first she'd mentioned a request.
"Yeah, yeah, we get it! Is that all?"
However, the widespread laughter was putting them all into quite a good mood. A favor? Was that all she wanted from them? That wasn't anything serious, nor was it something they needed to be worried about. Sirius never had to put on this elaborate show for them if all she wanted was a favor!
"Wow, I think you all just made my heart tremble for a moment~! I can feel the unity between all our hearts this very moment! How gentle you all are. . . Full of love and tenderness! I think love is such a beautiful thing, so I often do my best to affirm the feelings of others. Perhaps that's why I like saying 'Thank you!' and 'I'm sorry.' Oh, I'm rambling. Thank you. I'm sorry."
Sirius's heartfelt declaration made the crowd even more receptive to her praise. It was like each word she said evoked the most powerful emotions they'd ever felt. All the unknown connotations that accompanied normal spoken words suddenly became front and center.
"Yes, if you would. Please come out. . ."
The bandaged woman reached an arm out behind her, inside the clock tower, and when she pulled it back out she held a young boy in her hand. Nobody could really make out the details of what that kid was saying as the crowd's clamor had drowned out all other sounds.
". . .-mmmgh! Mmph!"
"Now, now, as a young man, it wouldn't do to abandon your pride in front of all these people, would it? I understand, being in front of all these people can get very embarrassing. Having people's attention focused on you is nerve-wracking. Don't worry, nobody is judging you. We are all very proud of you. . !"
The kid flailed around, bound up tightly in a cascade of rope, to no avail. Sirius smiled at the terrified child, empathizing with him in what must've been the weirdest way possible. Stage fright was quite the affliction, she'd just experienced it herself.
"Y-Yeah, don't cry kid! It's unbecoming. . !"
A new person from the audience shouted out their support for Sirius's comments. They weren't explicitly hostile to the boy or anything like that, but instead expressing their affection in the only way they knew how.
"Men shouldn't cry so easily, pick yourself up won't ya!?"
This time it was Larkins shouting out support. Although, it certainly came off like criticism.
"That's enough, everyone! This child might be clumsy, but he is also very brave~!"
Sirius nodded her head, looking at the child with a deranged smile. Nobody would be capable of understanding the emotion in her eyes, as their own emotions grew even more confused. Yes, yes, this child was quite brave. They were only shouting at him because they wish the best for him.
". . .-mmph! MMPH!"
"Excellent. Well, please pay attention. My apologies. This is Lusbel, a nine-year-old boy who lives in Pristella. His family name is Kallard, so his full name is Lusbel Kallard. His father is named Muslan Kallard. Muslan-san works to maintain the stability of the waterways. Ina Kallard, Lusbel-kun's mother, is pregnant. Her stomach has just started to grow larger, and so Lusbel-kun is looking forward to having a younger brother or sister. The Kallard family lives on Third Street. They often go the city park with a family friend, Tina. Lusbel-kun and Tina-chan are childhood sweethearts, and they love each other dearly. Lusbel-kun's dream is to have Tina-chan stand at his side and support him. Tina-chan is a girl with pale blond curls, and her growing beauty as she blossoms into adulthood is much anticipated. That Tina-chan also wants to support Lusbel-kun's dream. Upon hearing of the song Delphin Betrayed by the Sunset, Lusbel-kun wanted to become an adventurer just like Delphin. It's a very commendable dream for a boy of his age. Although there may be people who would laugh at that childish dream, I wouldn't do so at all. Who could laugh at the manly spirit? I believe that Tina-chan also thinks so, which is why she gives Lusbel-kun her heartfelt support. Right, although Lusbel-kun's dream is to be an adventurer, he's also really looking forward to meeting the child inside his mother. His original plan was to immediately embark on the journey of adventure, but he put it on hold out of consideration for his newborn brother or sister. Because of the large difference in their ages, that child will certainly be very much loved. Lusbel-kun is a good kid who is considerate of others, so I think he will be a very good brother. I would also be happy if everyone could support Lusbel-kun's feelings. Ah, yes, we can't forget about Tina-chan. In fact, the one I originally wanted to bring here was Tina-chan rather than Lusbel-kun, because I think girls are closer than boys to the kind of Love that I want to affirm. However, my heart was impressed by Lusbel-kun's desperate pleas. Sorry, I'm not a very strong-willed person. So I changed my mind… ah, although, being temperamental is just my usual attitude. When I talk about my love, I speak wholeheartedly. Oh, how annoying, I'm so embarrassed. Really, my business doesn't matter. We should be focusing on Lusbel-kun and Tina-chan. Because they already love each other so much, I do not know how much they'll come to adore to each other in the future, so separating them would make me very, very sad. So I decided that I'd respect Lusbel-kun's feelings and help him. So, although Lusbel-kun was just slightly scared and even cried a little, he's really a very brave child. Thanks, and, I'm sorry. I've finished talking in a way that's convenient for everyone."
How beautiful. Everyone in the crowd understood and agreed with Lusbel's actions, as they resonated with them in a way that pulled on their heartstrings beyond simple storytelling. If the recounting of that child's life was perfectly accurate, Lusbel was certainly a courageous kid.
Wait. . . . IF the recounting was accurate?
How dare they entertain such a demeaning thought? To insult such pure feelings of love with doubtful claims of falsehood?
Subaru, and by extension everyone else, wanted to bash their skulls in for even imagining such a thing. He would've certainly followed through with it too, if it weren't for the more pressing matter at hand.
"Lusbel! You're the best. . ! There's nothing to cry about!"
They needed to affirm Lusbel's actions by any means possible! That took priority over punishing himself for his demeaning thoughts.
"You're a man, aren't ya? Show us your handsome side!"
Larkins, wearing a beaming smile unbefitting of his features, threw out encouragement to the young boy, his fist pumped in the air. The courage it took to display himself in front of all of them, He overcame that fear of being seen to come on stage today, all to protect his friend Tina.
"You're Priestella's Pride. . ! Don't make that face!"
"You'll be a great man Lusbel!"
What was on display here was a demonstration of the kind and caring nature of the human soul. It was something inherent to everyone in this square, and by extension, all those in this world. How wonderful it was to live in a world with such definitively good people!
The audience's cheers grew even louder, clapping beginning to overwhelm the individual praises spoken by each person spectating this beautiful scene.
"Thank you. Very much, thank you! I knew from the moment I met him, all those who come across him would love him! Ah, this is so great, I'm so glad everyone understands! Lusbel-kun's courage has allowed for mutual understanding and the realization of all our own feelings of love~!"
Sirius wrapped one of her arms around herself, shaking her body in a peculiar way. She'd never expected to see so many people grasp the feelings she'd been directing out to the world, so all she could do was let her body shake.
"S-Sirius. . . ! Thank you so much!"
An audience member wanted to thank her for granting them such a transcendent experience.
"L-Lusbel-kun. . !"
The tears flowing from Sirius's eyes were abundant. It would've been the perfect way to cap off these amazing events, but very quickly, Subaru noticed a hot, welling, feeling in his eyes too. He'd also found himself driven to tears by the magnificence of this scene.
A quick glance over at Larkins confirmed to him that he too was seeing the beauty of the world. The bandit had been driven to tears, wildly letting out cheers in support of Sirius and Lusbel's shocking display of love.
". . .-o! Hrgk! Wa-. . . -p! Plea-. . ! H-Hel-. . me!"
Through broken teeth and bloodied chains, Lusbel cried out to the crowd whilst Sirius lifted him up into the air. By now, he'd soiled himself in fear from all that this monster had put him through, but he could tell the crowd had been ensnared by her too.
"Look at them all! Lusbel-kun, you've moved us all with your demonstration of the will of love! Our lack of empathy is what prevents us from reaching mutual understanding, but you. . ! You've affirmed us all with your spectacular show of love! You may have been a last resort, but I must affirm this scene! Ah, Ahh! Ahhh! The world is so gentle!"
Subaru put a finger in his mouth, whistling out loud in support of Sirius's poetic decree. The exalted Lusbel had now been raised directly above Sirius's head, with her using a single hand to hold him up above the crowd. It was like she was presenting him to them all for them to bow down and worship.
He'd tried his hardest, put in all the effort possible. This was not something anyone could scoff or laugh at, all that could be done was scream in appreciation. They ought to admire this scene like it was a work of art, a painting done by the finest artisan.
"There it is. That's it, right there! We've achieved it, the unified heart. Love existed, right here, in this square~! We don't need a world that makes us suffer, that makes us partake in the torture of others! No one desires such a world! Only through the sharing of joy and happiness will our hearts finally connect! Oh, I'm crying again, I'm sorry!"
She appeared to be so happy that she was no longer capable of finishing her sentences. The joyous weeping had overtaken any semblance of sanity left within the poor woman that was named Sirius, leaving her a weeping widow of the scene that had just played out in front of her.
"That's right Sirius! Pain, suffering, we don't want any of it. . !"
"Love is here! It still exists now!"
The crowd was absolutely loving the pedestal that Lusbel had been held up on, as it only further strengthened their belief that all of this had been preordained. The young child had been born not just to live his own life, but to act as the catalyst for realizing love in their own lives.
"If the only sins that can exist in such a world are those sins of passion, then let it be! Rage, the passionate sin rooted in all of our hearts~! If it can't be removed, it must be filled up by the love we share with one another!"
Nodding her head, Sirius proclaimed such hopeful sentiments that everyone had to grip their hands together to let out their pent-up emotions.
"I ask of you all. . ! Please give thunderous applause~!"
Her arm winded backwards, and almost like she was shooting a buzzer-beating three-pointer in an NBA game, she launched Lusbel's fumbling form into the sky above the crowd. All of their eyes tracked the child's body as it moved through the air.
His body traveled upwards in an arc, which apexed so high in the sky that many in the audience couldn't even make out his figure against the bright blue sky. It looked like the child had fully ascended to the heavens, having been rewarded by this world for his commendable, heroic spirit.
Alas, such a wonderful outcome simply couldn't exist.
As quickly as his body flew into the air, Lusbel's body plummeted back towards the ground. His return back to the crowd made them cheer even louder. To reject such a perfect future and rejoin his hearts with the rest of them was the ultimate sign of love.
". . .AGhMPH-!"
His terrified screams roused them all like a speech from God. There was no falsehood in those wails, no barriers. This was Lusbel they were hearing. No manipulation, no deception, no denial of their feelings.
"W-We love you. . !"
Subaru felt such burning love towards this brave child, he wondered how he ever lived his life before meeting Lusbel. A true hero had emerged in front of them all, someone who could save them from their isolated agonies.
No longer did anyone believe themselves worthy of catching this boy, as anything less than letting him live free would be an insult to his courageous sacrifice. Thus, the crowd began clearing out of the place where they could see he would land.
". . .-!"
The ground rushed towards Lusbel at a blinding speed.
He tried closing his eyes, but the wind currents that surrounded him made it impossible for him to drown out his inevitable fate. In his last few moments, Lusbel despaired, but clung on to the last sliver of hope that his death might be enough to liberate Tina from the monster in the clocktower.
"Ah~! The world is so gentle!"
Sirius let out a final cry in the infinitesimally small moment between Lusbel's eyes closing and the impending collision. It was a testament to the unwavering tenacity of the human spirit.
*CRACK*
". . . . . ."
From Subaru's perspective, he heard the whole crowd's jeers immediately fall silent. Even his own hurrahs no longer seemed to leave his mouth, for reasons he did not understand.
'W-Wha. . . ?'
His eyesight had been blurred by a red-tinted film, which he couldn't peer through despite putting all his focus into his vision. This should definitely be a cause for concern, but he also found himself incapable of thought right now. For what purpose could he no longer string together words?
Lusbel's body was smashed into a red paste from the force with which he met the ground. Subaru had just enough comprehension left to grasp this as fact in his mind.
However, the crack he'd heard had been much louder than one could ever expect to hear from the collision of one person and the square.
It was. . . much louder.
Almost like the sound had been coming from him too.
". . .-hk!"
Simultaneous cracking sounds echoed like an applause of claps, making the square fill up with red. No longer was Subaru capable of absorbing any inputs from the outside world, as his mind grew eerily silent.
It was only a moment later when Natsuki Subaru passed from this world.
"I know! I have a nice voice, right big bro~? Let me come here and cut that tension away, and unite the two in a world of charm and song! Ah~!"
The world started to recreate itself in front of him, starting with his hearing. His mind hadn't fully reactivated yet, so the identity of the person saying those words to him was still unknown. However, it was someone he definitely knew well enough to have a relationship where they referred to him as 'big bro'.
". . . ."
The next thing to return was his sense of touch, as he was now standing once again for what must have been the first time in this new world. He was gradually starting to piece his consciousness back together, as the overwhelming flow of stimuli was forcing his brain into working overtime.
He heard the sounds of a girl lightly sniffling next to him, as well as some petty scuffle going on between an older woman and small child. Whatever those sounds were, they were unimportant. None were directed at him.
". . .Hello~?"
Almost like a tsunami, a wave of memories splashed against the precipice of Subaru's mind. His past, his experiences, his circumstances all flashing before him like he'd just experienced his entire life for a second time. Yes, now, Subaru could finally understand what had just happened. There was no other possible explanation for what he'd just experienced.
Natsuki Subaru had just Returned by death.
It'd been so long that he'd forgotten how alien it felt. How the sensation of death could violate his soul beyond anything he'd ever felt before. It was like having someone teleport you somewhere randomly whilst shutting down all your motor functions to prevent you from understanding your situation. Or more succinctly, like someone abruptly changing the channel on a television station, only bringing you along for the ride.
'D-Damn it. . .'
It was a stupid wish, but Natsuki Subaru genuinely hoped he might never end up using that ability again. His dependence on Return By Death wasn't something he'd cast away very easily, as the paranoia that came with his checkpoint constantly updating always left him wondering if he was making the right decision living so carelessly. Now, he'd been forced into a situation where he'd need to use it once again.
'I-I don't get it. . !'
He grit his teeth, feeling especially disappointed with himself for his behavior during his last loop. There was absolutely no way that he'd been thinking clearly when he'd been cheering on the untimely death of the child named Lusbel. However, he still couldn't help but be shocked at how unaware he'd been of his own madness. It was seriously like he'd met his death with a total lack of resistance, defiance, or awareness.
What could've caused this?
And even more worrying. . . How did he even die?
". . .B-Big bro?"
Liliana looked at him with a worried expression, seeing his skin growing pale and his eyes darting from side to side. His long response time had only drawn attention to himself, which he really didn't want right now.
"I feel sick."
Subaru's knees wobbled a moment, and he quickly covered his face with one of his hands to hide his residual terror. Somehow, the Witch Cult had infiltrated Priestella. And if his estimate was correct, he'd only returned to fifteen minutes before the attack.
With Emilia, Beatrice, and the rest of the candidates here, what was he supposed to do? He absolutely would not abandon Lusbel and the people in the square, but leaving here also meant leaving Emilia on her own. It was the worst-case scenario.
". . .-hk!"
As Subaru got on one knee, breathing heavily and racking his brain for a strategy to combat Sirius, the sniffling sounds and petty arguing going on around him ceased. An ominous silence washed over all four of the girls, who'd each began to stare at him with widened eyes.
"H-Huh? W-What's going on? I get it might've been a bit melodramatic bu-. . ."
Subaru began to try and defend himself from the odd attention.
"D-Don't you dare!"
But Beatrice cut him off mercilessly, her voice quivering and cracking. She could barely croak out that sentence without bursting into tears.
"B-Beako? W-What's wrong?"
Subaru had finally collected himself enough to hold a conversation with everyone, so hopefully he could just put their concerns to bed before he went to go deal with Sirius. That, sadly, wasn't what fate had in store for our dear Subaru.
Beatrice's butterfly pupils shook with unreserved agony, her mouth agape but covered by one of her hands. This was everything she feared coming to life before her eyes.
"H-How many times. . . I suppose!?"
Author's Note:
Phew! That was a doozy. Just wrote this chapter really quickly because I wanted to have something for New Year's too. If you want to read the next chapter early, please check out the discord cause that's where I'll be posting it when I'm finished. I only plan on continuing to post updates for The Secret after I get to where I want to get in Another Chance, but since people have really wanted this chapter, I decided I might as well give you all a new year's present too! This past month, I've written about 50-55k words and I don't plan on slowing down! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, comments and criticisms are welcome! I definitely used a lot from canon for my scene with Sirius, but I still felt it was worth writing myself as I don't want to jump over any loops without at least covering them a little.
Next chapter of Another Chance will be out sometime soon, along with a new chapter of this fic if you are in the discord. I'll post that one when I'm fully ready to dedicate my time to this fic.
For my poll this chapter, I might as well ask you guys how large you prefer chapters to be. I normally go as long as I feel is necessary to reach a nice conclusion or cliffhanger, but sometimes I feel like I shortchange ya. Like this chapter being 5k is actually not that bad compared to the other chapters in this fic, but I won't lie that compared to my most recent chapters in Another Chance and Cast Reacts, this is pretty much nothing XD. So, which length should I aim to shoot for with my chapters, assuming I feel confident I'll reach a satisfying endpoint to the chapter?
A. 5k? These will be pretty frequent updated but stuff won't happen as often.
B. 8k? Less frequent, but they'll be a lot more dense with more stuff where Subaru is thinking to himself. Maybe more dialogue too.
C. 10-12K? Not very frequent, but each chapter will contain a lot of plot advancement and a lot of dialogue.
I also wrote a fic for the Reactionist writing contest, but it's kind of mid and I'm probably going to rewrite it. However, if you guys still want to read it for some reason, comment down below and I'll post it. Although when I'm done rewriting it, I'll take it down and replace it with my new one.
Finally,
I've started taking commissions for anyone who's interested in my writing style and wants me to write them a short fic! I charge $40 for 5K words, which is pretty cheap relative to everyone else I see on there! I don't really have any rules regarding what I write either, I just ask that once you receive the document you don't put my name on it unless I say its ok. I don't wanna start beef with people over something I got commissioned to write. It doesn't just have to be Re:zero either! If it's something I'm familiar with, I'll write a fic for you to the best of my ability! If you are interested, check out this link:
continuer123?up_rollout=true
I also have a discord server for anyone interested in getting updates for when new chapters are releasing. We've got roles, a lot of active members, and an overall good vibe going on. It's pretty decked out by this point, so I suggest you check it out:
/tgMtCvdasb