"Betty's contractor is spacing out again in fact!"
"I'm sorry Beako, I… am just thinking about how I can show my gratitude to you for coming all the way over to Vollachia to save me!"
"Truly aggravating, I guess I'll have to forgive you this time I suppose."
"You are truly the best Beako! I love you so much!" Subaru smiled as he lifted up the pouting Great Spirit. Taking her by surprise and causing her to scream as she was swung around by Subaru.
"Subaru, don't cause too much motion while we are on the carriage now, we don't want an accident to happen do we?"
Subaru gently placed Beatrice on his lap after listening to the silverbell voice. He would never disobey the girl he loved the most. Of course, except for all the time he broke his promise and disobeyed her but that's besides the point.
"Alright Emilia-tan, although I'm quite sure Beako thoroughly enjoyed it. Isn't that right?" Subaru spoke as he rested his hand on top of Beatrice's head and gently patted her.
"Betty's contractor is truly impossible I suppose."
"I can't help it! You are too cute to not be teased all the time! Plus I have to make up that 400 years of loneliness don't I?" Subaru smirked as Beatrice was visibly flustered.
"It's not fair that you give all of your attention to Beatrice." Emilia pouted as she crossed her arms.
"EMT! You are heavenly gorgeous even when you are jealous! And perhaps this is you proclaiming your love for me?"
"You… dunderhead knight." Emilia immediately tried to avert her gaze away.
Subaru instantly got excited as he tried to ask further but the carriage suddenly shook violently, painting darkness over his vision.
He awoke breathing heavily and uncontrollably, it was as if he almost suffocated moments ago. An unfamiliar sense came over to him, he was lying on something soft, he was covered by soft and light fabric that kept him warm yet also safe. But with the soothing sensation his nerves also caught on giving him the feeling of pain he had grown accustomed to, but yet he was still unable to bear much of it at all. If anything his pain resistance had gotten worse as even a sting would give him a shock.
I… don't think…I recognize this ceiling… He thought to himself as he slowly raised his body. It took him a lot of effort but after a few tries, he was able to sit straight while bearing a bit of pain.
He was lying on a king size bed, the walls surrounding him were decorated with white color and patterns colored in gold. There were windows where faint shine from the sun came into the room, giving it light. Accompanying the windows were curtains which even an amateur would be able to tell that the fabric used was luxurious.
All of these details looked so familiar… yet he wasn't able to remember where he had seen them before. What was he doing here? What… happened? Confusion overwhelmed his thoughts as he tried to organize them. Slowly but surely, he got off the bed and stood on the marble floor.
He looked at his feet, was it always this small? Perhaps he was in a dream, hallucinating. Everything seemed… large. He raised his hand to reach the door handle and opened it with a struggle.
Why is this door so heavy? He thought to himself. Outside of the room was a hallway, decorated with lamps, a luxurious red carpet and many doors that filled the walls. He could see a stairway, but it looked far. Each step he took felt… wrong, yet he couldn't pinpoint why he had the feeling.
Each step down the stairs felt like… a leap? He had to walk it down one step at a time before reaching another hallway with the same design as the one he saw before.
For him, it was almost like a maze. He was already getting lost in the sea of doors. That's when he felt something was approaching him. He immediately turned his head, finding himself staring at a figure.
The figure had a green attire with a cloak. He was almost one and a half times taller than him.
The atmosphere was insanely pressuring to him. He saw the figure's lips move, but he couldn't care less as he ran in a panic without even studying the figure's face.
The entire world was suddenly getting wavy for him, while he dashed away his head was in pain as if it was split apart. Every muscle in his body screamed in anguish, telling him to stop.
Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? He thought to himself. Why did he run? Why was that figure behind him? Why was everything so wavy for him? Why was he feeling as if his heart was about to explode?
As he ran he suddenly bumped into another figure. The figure wore a white and purple outfit with oversized sleeves. There was a pleasant smell surrounding the figure but it only made him run away even faster.
The more he ran, the more figures he bumped into and two of them even looked identical to each other. Was he hallucinating? Was this a dream? Where was he? What was he doing? How did it end up like this? When was the time? Which options were there left for him to choose? Why did he choose to run away without a second thought? Was it his subconsciousness? Was it his own decision? He had no clue as the figures slowly approached him while his back was against a wall.
Their lips were moving, what were they saying? What would he do?
Stay back, was what he wanted to say. But it ended up coming out as:
"Uaahh ahhhh!" He yelled as he curled himself up into a ball. Words appeared in his brain. Invisible providence. In his blurry vision he saw a single shadow hand coming out of his chest, but it immediately disappeared as every part of his body burnt like hell. He coughed out some kind of liquid, and his vision became red. He continued to panic as there was nothing he could do. All of the figures stopped besides one. One figure approached him as he closed his eyes.
He could feel warmth, the heaviness of his shoulders were lifted away, and a few simple words: "It's okay."
Ram
Resting in the bed right in front of her was a child. The child looked like he was about ten years old. His hair was snow white, a very peculiar feature to have. His face constantly morphed into different expressions. Pain, fear, acceptance, rage, fury and a lot more she couldn't remember. His posture constantly shifted uneasily and uncomfortably even though he was sleeping in one of the most comfortable beds affordable in the world. What was he dreaming of? What had he experienced to get such dreams, or perhaps nightmares? It pained her when he tried to run away from everyone. What did he go through, to completely try to avoid every single one of them?
"Nee-sama, he wouldn't wake up any faster as you sit here and stare at him. You should get back to working." a gentle voice spoke. She instantly knew who the voice belonged to. But she quickly dismissed her with some random excuse.
Footsteps and a little sigh were heard until it slowly faded away after a few moments. Was she avoiding work because she was lazy, or was it because she cared about this little boy? Perhaps it was a mix of both.
She suddenly heard panting noises, looking over she saw the boy waking up, breathing heavily. His eyes were dull, yet they looked as if he was terrified. WHat happened to him?
"Are you okay?" she asked softly. The boy immediately flinched and launched himself off the bed away from her. A big thud could be heard, she quickly went to help him, but instead was welcomed by a boy, hugging a pillow in front of him as if it would protect him from all harm.
It was very childlike, yet it still pained her that he didn't trust her, the person who saved him from the wolgrams who were about to turn him into lunch.
She approached him and embraced him, hoping to calm him down. And it seemed to have worked. The boy stopped twitching, his heartbeat slowed down to a normal pace and his breathing became a lot more timid.
"Do you have a family?" She asked again. She could feel the boy twitching again, but it stopped quickly. He broke off from the hug and carefully shook his head.
"What's your name?" She asked again, hoping to get some information. His mouth opened, but no words came out as if he refused to speak. The boy started to tear up, he looked down and shook his head.
"Did you forget about your name?"
The boy gently nodded. He looked down so intensely as if he was suddenly interested with his pillow, which he was still hugging for defense.
"Do you want a name? How about I give you a name… Shiroi? Do you like it?"
Subaru
Shiroi… Subaru thought. It was his name now. Given by a girl with pink hair… in a maid outfit. Rem loved her dearly. Rem looked up to her. She was Rem's sister. Ram was Rem's sister. Ram, somebody who treated him like he's her little brother.
"Speak, you filthy sum. Be grateful that I'm feeling merciful today, I will promise a swift death if you tell me how to restore Rem's name and memories."
"Nee…sama, I c…can't… give…you information…that I d…don't…have…"
Ram felt her rage grow more and more as she remembered the witch cult destroying her village and killing her loved ones.
"Driving our race to extinction wasn't enough? When will your kind be satisfied!?" Ram screamed as she gripped onto his hair then lifted him in the air.
Subaru shook his head. "I'm…grk…not one…of them"
"LIES!" Ram screamed, throwing him to the wall. Cracks could be heard both from the wall and Subaru's body. Pain shot through his chest and his back. He was being treated like a ragdoll, by one of those who he tried to protect.
Blood splashed onto the stone cold floor, as Ram slowly dismantled Subaru's limbs, slice by slice. Until Subaru was a limbless piece of meatbag. But Ram instead continued to use her wind magic to inflict injuries to Subaru.
Tears trickled down Ram's body. "WHY! Why so stubborn? You hold the power to change everyone's life for the better! Why are you unwilling to give up the information and end this already?" Ram bawled in fury. Her words were shaking ever so slightly.
Through the onslaught of wind blades, Subaru eyes were also filled with liquid, but instead of tears, it was blood. All he could feel was guilt. Ram was right, he held the power to change everyone's life for the better. So why wasn't he able to save Rem? Save the people in Priestella suffering from Capella's curse? Why was he so useless? His slothfulness was what led to his imprisonment now. Who could he really blame besides himself? Perhaps if he tried harder, everyone would be happy, everyone would be getting their happy ending, including him.
"Who are you doing this for? Just who? Who is worth more than your life and your sanity?" Ram yelled, the rage could be felt to the point even the guard standing near the cell door flinched.
Moments later, Subaru coughed up blood, but managed to clear his throat and said, "You guys."
And after that was when Ram delivered an inhumane beatdown to Subaru, causing his eyes to be impaired permanently, and his face unrecognizable even to his parents.
Memories flooded into Subaru's mind, which immediately forced him to hold his head while crying out in pain. Before passing out briefly after.
The next time he woke up, another person stood beside him. She had a red ribbon tied to her head, with reddish brown hair. Her cyan blue eyes were mature for her age, and yet there was a bit of kindness hidden behind those lovely eyes. She also wore a maid outfit and wore an elegant expression with a smile.
"Guest-sama, are you awake?" she asked.
The feeling he had when he faced the figures who towered over him were gone, it was as if a grasp on his heart had lightened up a little bit. Subaru was able to listen without reflexively flinching. As he tried to speak, he immediately failed as he coughed quite a few times, before he cleared his throat and tried for a second time.
"Y…ye…yes… I'm… awake…" Subaru spoke with difficulty. His words were stuttering, and the volume was as if he was whispering. But it surprised him when his voice sounded so… childish. "How… long…have…I been…here?"
"Hmm about that," she paused hard to think before continuing with a deadpan expression, "about two months or so."
Subaru was extremely confused. I was simply almost mauled to death by a bunch of wolgrams, with the healing magic in this world there would be no- His thoughts were interrupted when he heard her giggle.
"Ahaha, you should see your face… I'm sorry. It 's just really hard to not tease you." she laughed. But in reality, she just wanted to lighten up the gloomy atmosphere, and peer into a bit of the boy's emotions especially because the first time he woke up he had a mental breakdown seeing anyone.
Subaru was visibly slightly annoyed, but also lightened up a little bit. He was reminded of how perceptive and mature Petra had become, to the point that she even came over to Vollachia with the camp and rescued him. He was proud of Petra, growing up from Arlam's village to now becoming a competent maid, while being able to care for those around her. He could say he was envious of how amazing she was.
"You were blacked out for two days, everyone was worried about you. When Ram-neesama carried you back you were nearly dead. There were wounds all across your body…You were really lucky Ram-neesama was near the area at the time. Any second later you would've been dead." Petra explained carefully.
"Thank… you, Miss…?"
"Petra Leyte, a maid of this residence, Miload Mansion, but please just call me Petra," Petra spoke fluently, although her face was blushing from him calling her a "miss".
"Shiori… that's… the name she… gave to me…" Subaru said. He was able to speak more words at a time. It took him a lot of effort, yes, but at least he was interacting with somebody again.
"That's a nice name, Shiori-sama." Petra spoke with a smile, which would be able to warm anyone's heart with a single glance. "Anyways, would you like to meet the residents of this mansion? I'm sure they would love to-"
Subaru immediately flinched at the idea, his heart felt as if it was grasped by something again. He immediately grabbed the blanket and hid himself in it, while curling in fear. What was he doing? He was acting like a nine year old child. Hiding under the blanket wouldn't solve anything at all whatsoever. So why was he doing it? It took him quite a long time before it sank in. He was having the same feeling back when he was in Vollachia. What was that feeling? Powerlessness? Weakness? Useless? And why did it resurface all of a sudden? Could he not try to fit into the mansion? Perhaps he would try to work as a butler to blend in? Gaining other people's trust? That was the first priority right? Why was it so difficult for him to do anything at all? What would he even do after gaining their trust? He was forgetting something. Something important. For what reason was he back here again? His mind certainly wasn't doing well. He was actively trying to avoid everyone and anyone. He was able to talk with Petra, but with difficulties. Speaking each word was as if he ran an entire mile.
"Stop hiding yourself, I suppose. Petra is getting worried about you, she said you have been hiding under the blanket for over an hour with no response. So tell me what's wrong so I can move on with my day." another voice popped into his mind. The voice belonged to a little girl, sounding even younger than Petra. What Subaru assumed would calm him down, instead only gave him even more pain in the head while his heart ached even worse.
The blanket separating him from the world was flipped open, and Subaru found himself staring at a little girl. She had long blonde hair which was tied into a frilly vertical drill-shaped twin tails. She also had sky blue eyes with a pink butterfly pattern as their irises. Subaru could tell that she was glaring at him, with arms crossed. To most people it probably looked like a little girl trying to act annoyed and mature, but that posture was enough to make Subaru's blood run cold.
"What are you staring at? Tell me who you are and what's wrong with you I suppose."
"What are you staring at? Tell me who you are and what's wrong with you I suppose."
"Beako, please listen to me! I'm Emilia's knight, I'm your contractor, and I'm the one and only Natsuki Subaru! You have to believe me! My name was eaten by Roy Alpard so you don't remember me! Please!" Subaru pleaded as he knelt on the ground, hoping Beatrice would take his sincerity and believe in him.
"Stay away from me you filthy scum! You reek of the witch's miasma which is denser than all of the Sin Archbishops I have ever met! And right there is a gospel lying right next to you! That's already enough evidence to know that YOU are a witch cultist. Now tell me, what are you scheming I suppose?" Beatrice spoke calmly, all the while trying to suppress her rage.
"I'm not scheming anything! The gospel belongs to Roy who threw it at me to try and frame me! Beako, please! I'm your contractor! Can't you feel the bond? If I'm not your contractor?"
"LIES! The fact that you lie without blinking whatsoever disgusts me. Emilia is my contractor, in fact! So stop making stupid excuses!"
"Beako I-"
"Stop using that name I suppose! That's it! I will be eradicating your life so you can stop causing so much harm to everyone!"
As Subaru tried to open his mouth to defend himself, all of his thoughts stopped when he saw a barrage of violet crystals flying right at him.
"Ghkkk kah…"
"What is it now I suppose, are you going to tell me now?" she glared at him, unsatisfied with the response she got.
Subaru violently twitched, which made Perta flinch in fear. Beatrice. Was the only word in his head. It kept repeating and repeating. Subaru wanted it to get out of his head. He needed it to get out of his head, he didn't know why. But he could only think of one thing to do.
"GAAAHHHHHH" Subaru screamed as he charged towards the nearest exit, in this case, it was the window.
Beatrice and Petra could only watch in horror as a child jumped out of the window and fell the height of a storey tall.
Subaru shot up, his heartbeat was fast, and his breathing was yet again, heavy.
"Guest-sama, are you awake?"
Subaru turned to his left, and saw Petra standing there, with the same exact expression as when she greeted him before. SUbaru's eyes widened, knowing exactly what transpired, he immediately turned away and coughed violently, and after a few coughs, his throat was cleared but on the white blanket there was blood, a sizable amount to the point where he probably permanently ruined a good quality blanket.
Petra upon seeing blood immediately panicked and rushed forward,"Guest-sama? Are you alright? Do you require any healing? Let me go summon our Great Spir-" Petra couldn't finish her sentence as Subaru placed a hand on her shoulder, looking at her with eyes that screamed a single message. Don't.
Petra started fidgeting and pondered what she should do in a situation like this. What could she do? She couldn't exactly just leave him in this state, yet he begged her not to call for Beatrice's help. Why did he refuse? What was going on? Who was he? What had caused him to make such an action?
"Ikk…isss…Thk…there…a…wak…washroom…I..can…go to…" Subaru spoke weakly, he was panting from saying a single sentence. All he could think of was how pathetic he was. Petra immediately guided him to the closest washroom, where he was able to lock himself away from everyone completely.
His mind was starting to get a tad bit clearer, he was Natsuki Subaru, currently occupying the name "Shiori", he was here to prevent his frie- everyone from being annihilated by the witch cult. And after that, he would save Satella. There was not much else at all. He was nearly killed by a bunch of wolgrams, which to his complete surprise outran him by a landslide. Why, why was he feeling physically weaker and mentally more fragile? He was in Miload mansion, he should be at about the same height as everyone… then why was there a person who towered over him? Did the camp recruit new members? That could be possible.
Now he had to figure out when exactly would the cult attack, and how he would prevent it. He was weak and useless, his Authority of Sloth made him slightly stronger, being able to summon multiple hands which he learnt about when he was still in the goddamn cell. It certainly helped him hold his ground but it definitely wasn't enough to beat any of the Sin Archbishop. He needed the firepower Emilia's camp provided, but that would require him to earn their trust.
Why earn their trust when it will be destroyed in the end? You know that it wouldn't matter anyways. Perhaps you should just leave them alone and go save Satella instead. A voice spoke into his mind. Subaru dismissed it as his thoughts wandering, he had a reason to save them. He wasn't going to let his hard work be completely wiped out by a bunch of simps trying hard in every wrong way possible to earn the love of their waifu.
It was also problematic that he seemed to get a panic attack whenever he saw any of his camp members. It was not fun, but his subconsciousness refused to let him act normal. Why? He thought to himself. It would not only make him unable to converse with anyone and also make them distrust him.
He would have to figure it out somehow. But for now at least he could talk to Petra, which he was confused yet also delighted about. So he decided to wash the bloodstains on his face and go back to his room.
But as soon as he looked in the mirror, almost everything was starting to make sense to him. Through the glass stood a young boy, around 10 years old at best. His hair was completely white, with a haircut that radiated the feeling of "your average isekai overpowered edgelord harem protagonist". His eyes were glaringly sharp, yet dull. The combination resulted in him looking hostile while remaining a neutral face. He looked as if he hadn't eaten for two days straight, which he in fact did do so. He was wearing a robe and looking at his body, scars littered all over his body. But it was strange. It wasn't your average wolfram bite marks. Yeah there were a lot of bite marks, but some of the scars seemed… strange. A scar surrounded the upper shoulder and the elbow of his right arm. An X-shaped scar could be found on his torso. There were stab marks across his stomach, with long scars on his back.
He was… in a new body, with a completely new identity. He completely forgot about it when he first got transported back. It explained why he was short, and why he was weak. But why were there a bunch of scars on his body? Wait… no… it can't be.
Suddenly feeling nauseous Subaru stumbled backwards, realizing what he was witnessing.
The scars, they followed me, they wouldn't let me forget about it. WHY? WHY DID THEY HAVE To FOLLOW ME? TO REMIND ME? WHY? Subaru internally screamed.
"Scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch-" Subaru was going back to his old habits again. The only way he could calm his mind down. But unsurprisingly, blood trickled down his right arm.
Pathetic, was what he would describe himself. But it didn't matter. He was wasting too much time cooped up in this small washroom. After he cleaned himself up he walked out, and was welcomed by darkness.
It wasn't completely dark, but judging from the sky and the lack of light, it was probably midnight. He found Petra right next to the door, leaning on the wall while sleeping.
His sense of time was so terrible, it was like the second time he skipped over a lot of time without realizing, now he had troubled Petra, which he definitely needed to make up for her. But it would be later. He was tired and definitely needed sleep or else he would start thinking about some really weird stuff. He shuffled across the hall in hopes of reaching his room, which wasn't supposed to be far, but the darkness was messing him up. He couldn't remember the layout of the mansion, either. So his options were opening every door until he found it or sleeping on the floor.
Creaking noises could be heard for about five minutes straight as Subaru cautiously opened every door to avoid waking up anyone. The wounds on his arms were bleeding as he went, which wasn't great, but he would just have to cope with it. The only noises he could hear were his footsteps, the doors creaking open, the dripping noises of blood and the sound of chains.
The sound of chains.
Metal gently bumped into each other, creating this noise that's reminiscent of a bell, yet it would send chills running down somebody's spine, instead of giving comfort. And for Subaru, this noise could only mean one thing.
He immediately looked around, finding something which was abnormal. A pool of blood was lying right in front of him, and the source was… his chest. Looking down, there was a hand that impaled him through his chest. He immediately coughed blood, and was thrown across the hall, landing on the floor as his internal organs were damaged, and his bones were broken.
His vision was blurred, but he saw a figure approaching him.
"GKHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
"Sorry."
That was the last thing he heard as he screamed when the world around him spun as he lost his feeling of his body.
"GKHAAAAHHH!" Subaru screamed as he shot up from the bed, clutching his neck with a pitiful expression. After catching his breath, he looked around the room, spotting a shivering Petra at the corner, who was scared to approach him.
The feeling of Déjà Vu was not the best feeling for Subaru. It was even worse when he realized that history was practically repeating itself. Yet again.
Why? He thought. He had been asking himself this question composed of one word over and over again since he had been here. But what could he do with this situation? He had about less than a day to do something or else he would succumb to the same fate yet again, which he wished to avoid doing.
Petra
"I would like to meet everyone in the mansion."
"Eh?" Petra was confused. By the guest's awfully strange and random request. He had just woken up from his sleep, and his scream was horrifying to the point she subconsciously backed up into a corner. So why such a sudden request? Something wasn't right.
"Unfortunately, our mansion owner is currently unavailable due to… reasons. Although I'm sure the entire mansion's residents are currently having breakfast, would you like joining them?" Petra asked politely. The guest was shivering for whatever reason, but it was very subtle so Petra assumed it was her imagination.
"Thank you…miss. My name is Shiori and nice to mee-" Shiori couldn't finish his sentence as he immediately started coughing and gasping for air. Was he out of breath for speaking a single sentence? Or did he choke himself with his saliva? Either way it didn't really matter.
"Petra Leyte, at your service. I'm a maid in this mansion but please, just call me Petra." Petra blushed at the fact of Shiori calling her a "Miss". She was just over 15 years old. She was nowhere near mature and old enough to be called a "Miss".
He smiled at her, although the eyes looked as if they were glaring at her, which she dismissed as her overthinking things. After he changed his clothes, he guided him to the dining hall, where everyone sat at the long table eating breakfast.
The atmosphere had been quite moody, it had been like that for over a year, nobody knew why. They were living normally for the past year, just like before part of the camp went to Priestella. Yet, the lifestyle wasn't as lively as they remembered. But when asked about it they couldn't remember much at all. But today the mood was quite tense. Instead of having stale and dry conversations like they always had had for the past year, everyone seemed tense about something that stopped them from trying to interact.
"Good morning, my name is Su- Shiori!" Shiori spoke, his tone was extremely unnatural as if he was trying to force his words out. Petra watched as everyone's gaze averted towards the boy, who immediately did a 90 degree bow to avoid eye contact.
Just when Emilia was about to say something, Shiori started coughing. Petra immediately rushed over to help him. She found himself staring at Shiori with blood dripping out of his mouth. His eyes gradually closed as he let his weight fall upon her. He was surprisingly extremely light, perhaps he was severely underweight. But what mattered was she needed to carry her back to his room to rest. How did he collapse by speaking a single sentence? She had no clue. Perhaps it was the same reason as to why he looked so terrified when he first saw them.
"Is he… really okay?" Emilia asked, whispering as if a louder voice would somehow kill the boy.
"Our guest seems to have fainted from speaking merely a single sentence. What a pathetic take on conversing with other people." Rem spoke harshly.
"Rem, don't be so harsh on Shiori-chan, he's still a kid just like Louis-chan." Ram said
"Nee-sama, you are spoiling the boy too much. Louis-chan has been avoiding me for the past year! Plus, this boy's smell is simply unbearable."
"The boy's witch's scent rivals that of other archbishops, so I will be constantly monitoring him I suppose." Beatrice spoke arrogantly. Which was surprising to Petra since Beatrice was caring in her perspective, but instead this time she was being wary of Shiori. Perhaps it was because he was a total stranger to her?
"Well no matter what, I'll just continue to leave Shiori-chan in your care. Is that fine Petra?" Fredrica spoke with a soothing voice, which certainly eased up the tensions in the room. And for that Petra was thankful.
"Yes nee-sama, I won't let you down!" Petra smiled as she carried Shiori back to his room.
Subaru
The Minya crystals never hit him. He opened his eyes, and he saw Emilia.
"Beako, what are you doing?" Emilia asked.
"I am just clearing out the danger away from my contractor I suppose." Beatrice spoke coldly, and every so slightly aggravated by Emilia stopping her from killing Subaru. "He is a Sin Archbishop, without a doubt, perhaps he is Pride, since I've never seen him before in fact."
"Beako, aren't you jumping to conclusions too quickly? He doesn't look like a cultist to me."
"Emilia, don't judge a book by its cover in fact. He has a gospel with him and there is a thick miasma surrounding him. And that's enough evidence." Beatrice spoke with absolutely no mercy. Subaru's heart ached, but at least Emilia was here to defend him.
"Emilia, please believe me! I'm your knight! My name was eaten by Gluttony so you can't remember me! I remember that you tried very hard to finish the trials and save everyone from the Sanctuary! I remember when you fought beautifully against Regulus! I remember when you stood your ground against the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony! And I remember when you came to Vollachia to save me." Subaru recounted all of the memories he had of Emilia, all of the things he knew about Emilia. But somehow, he felt something was going wrong.
"And why do you know so much about her I suppose?" Beatrice spoke coldly.
"It's because I'm Emilia's knight! And I love Emilia." Subaru said with full confidence. "So Emilia and Beako least tru-"
"I think I have heard enough." Emilia said with a sharp voice that could pierce through any mental shields. "You are just like them, aren't you? Talking about love, always about love. JUST BECAUSE I LOOK LIKE A WITCH DOESN'T MEAN I AM THE WITCH. Please, just stop lying. I hate when people lie. You are just stalking me. Please leave me and us alone." Tears formed in Emilia's eyes, once again reminded about her appearance always seemed to attract villains.
The rest of the camp members rushed over after being disrupted by the explosion caused by Gluttony. But they heard all of what Emilia said just then. Their gazes looked down upon Subaru, who was kneeling down and begging for them to believe him.
Oh the gaze, they were a nightmare to Subaru. Being looked down upon by your own friends as if you were a disgusting, filthy useless scumbag. It triggered something in his mind, but he could never finish his thoughts because as he stared at them, all of a sudden ice filled his entire vision and he eventually lost consciousness.
Subaru gasped as his eyes opened. Judging from the color of the light, it was sunset. Which meant he did not die. It would've been really dumb if he died from interacting with others. What an introvert move! He chuckled internally.
"Shiori-sama, are you alright?" Petra asked with a concerned tone.
"I'm… fine… Thank you. What… time is it… right now?"
"It is… about 6 lunartime. The sun is setting. Would you like anything to eat? We can bring the food over if you want to."
"No… I'm… fine… I'll… go try and… introduce…myself…again." Subaru was panting heavily, it was getting annoying to speak like he was having asthma. But what could he do? Speak normally? Normal wasn't in his vocabulary at all. He dragged himself off the bed and stood on the floor, only to immediately collapse.
Petra swiftly rushed to Subaru's side to aid him, but Subaru refused to take her hand. He needed to do this, himself. If he didn't, he would simply collapse as soon as he saw their gaze. He once again tried to stand up to reach the door handle, only to open the door then immediately fall. His legs were numb, he couldn't feel them. They just wouldn't work.
"Why, why are you doing this? There isn't any urgent matter! You can always meet them officially later on when you are feeling better! Your wounds haven't even completely healed yet! What you need is rest right now!." Petra reminded. But she was wrong. There were urgent matters for Subaru. So gaining their trust is something he had to do by today. But right now he had to make up some random excuse.
"Meeting… them is… the least… I can do… to give my… gratitude… for how… they saved me…" Subaru spoke with difficulties, he even gave up on using his legs and instead used his hands to crawl. But even then his arms were starting to go limp. He was getting more and more frustrated. At this point, he wouldn't be able to prevent what would transpire.
All of his thoughts stopped when he was picked up and hugged by Petra, who spoke, "It's alright, Shiori-chan. It's a good thing that you keep trying instead of giving up. But sometimes you have to learn when to stop pushing yourself, that way you can grow without hurting yourself. I don't know what happened to you before you came here, but it's alright to go slowly." Petra soothed his hair, making him cease his struggling. Petra carried him back to his bed.
"Take a bit of rest, I will bring some food for you to eat." Petra said. About an hour later, Petra came back with some food for dinner. Subaru devoured all of it as if he had the Gluttony Authority. It'd been too long since he had eaten actual food. All he got was some disgusting sludge that provided him with the nutrients he need to survive just a bit longer, but Subaru had no idea what was mixed in it. Perhaps they spat their saliva at it before giving it to him. It also didn't help as he had terrible diarrhea from eating the sludge. Being able to taste saltiness, sourness and sweetness was something that was enough to make Subaru weep.
Darkness swept over the mansion as night approached and Petra told him to go to sleep with her watching him in case he did anything reckless and moronic. But hours later Subaru was unable to sleep. He could hear Petra's gentle snoring, yet he was feeling uneasy.
With Petra here, perhaps what he thought would happen wouldn't? There was no way somebody would kill in front of a child… right? Then again, that somebody killed a child, in a gruesome way as well. But the sound of chains have Subaru plenty of ideas as to who this "somebody" was. He just prayed that this "somebody" would not kill him just because Petra was next to him.
Clank… Clank… The noise instantly stopped Subaru from breathing.
Why? Is she coming over to kill me yet again? Just because of my scent? Subaru pondered. He needed to run. But where? She probably learnt about most of the mansion layout, she would just chase him down until he reached a dead end.
He also needed a way to calm her down… so he had no other choice but to go to Ram, waking up Ram while she was sleeping would be death for him. But he had worse things to worry about.
As the bumping of the chains got closer, he knew he had to act now or never. He dashed out of the door, dragging his feet along the red carpet. He listened cautiously to the metal noises, it was going further and further, but not at the pace that mirrored his pace in running. This could only mean one thing, he was being chased.
Turning around corners, he was finally able to reach Ram's room, where she was sleeping.
"Nee-sama nee-sama! Help me!" Subaru shook the pink hair maid. She grunted in response then sat up, ready to beat up whoever woke her up, but instead finding Subaru with a panicked expression.
"What is it? If you don't have a good reason as to why you woke me up I will-"
"Apologies! To wake you from your sweet dreams! Thank you, thank you for spending your precious time just for me!" a female voice spoke. Ram and Subaru saw a figure, thought not very well. The darkness covered her appearance making her unrecognizable. Though they could see an eye shining through the darkness with the color of amethyst. Subaru was feeling impatient, he wanted to immediately use invisible providence and murder the figure. He had no clue why he was thinking about such gruesome ideas.
"You better tell me what do you want, or else-"
"I'm just looking for love! Yes love, love love love. Lovers love love. Love loves lovers. I'm sorry for intruding, but I must find my love. I was told that I can find my love in this mansion. And right now I'm certain love is just right next to me! Oh my, I forgot you are supposed to be sleeping! Forgive me, I will put you back to sleep real quick!" The rattling of chains could be heard, as the figure immediately lunged forward.
"El Fura!" Ram yelled, sending a deadly gust of wind. It directly impacted the figure, tearing her to shreds.
"Shiori, are you alri-" Ram stopped in the middle of her sentence, as she found herself staring at the body of a boy, torn to shreds in the exact same way somebody would if they were to be hit by El Fura.
Subaru woke up, staring at the ceiling for probably the 6th or 7th time. He was surprised he didn't scream. Perhaps it was because he didn't even have the time to scream to die when his body was torn to pieces.
So it wasn't what I was expecting. Well… this complicates a lot of things. But one thing for sure is that I need to figure out a plan. If I were to charge in without a plan it will simply end terribly like last time I met her. Subaru thought to himself.
"Guest-sama! Guest-sama! Guest-sama!" Petra yelled as she shook his body.
"Sorry I… spaced out for a bit… My name is… Shiori." Subaru said. He was glad that he stuttered a lot less than before, although it was very unnatural.
"Nice to meet you Shiori-chan! My name is Petra Leyte, a maid in this Miload Mansion." Petra greeted Subaru with a kind smile.
"May I… speak with pink hair… Nee-sama?" Subaru asked anxiously, he wasn't sure if he was being a creepy child or not by asking this question. But it seemed that Petra didn't seem to question him about it as she accepted the request and went away to find Ram.
Ram
It was not uncommon for children to be afraid of strangers, but Ram had never seen a person passing out from the mere sight of other people. It was strange, they didn't know him, yet it seemed like he knew them, and they did something terrible to him. It was not a pleasant feeling. But at least Shiori seemed to calm down whenever she hugged him. Although he wouldn't speak to her.
"Ram nee-sama, Shiori-chan wants to see you." Petra said. Immediately after hearing that request Ram rushed to Shiori's room. The boy was finally properly clothed for once, instead of being in a robe or shredded clothes. He was subtly shaking, and scratching his arm.
Their eyes made contact, Shiori took a deep breath, then spoke, "He…hek…hello… Ram…nee…sama." He was stuttering, and immediately coughed right afterwards. Was he out of breath from saying that sentence?
"What is it that you want to tell me, Shiori?" Ram asked with the gentlest voice she could muster up. It didn't stop Shiori from shaking though, although it was a lot less noticeable now.
"There… will… be… an attack… on this… mansion… tonight." Shiori said, he wrapped his arms around himself with his eyes wide open. From that Ram could tell he was horror-stricken. Ram wasn't sure if she should take this as a child's rambling about monsters at night or an actual warning.
"Well… where did you get this information?" Ram asked cautiously.
Shiori took a few moments, breathing heavily then said, "I…was…captured… by … the cult… When… I was… there… I overheard… them.. planning… to… attack… this mansion… That's… the message… I wanted… to deliver."
Ram didn't know how to respond, he almost died because he wanted to warn them. Being captured by the witch cult could easily drive you insane. She was surprised he didn't turn into a psychopathic child like Meili. Well, she could ask about the details later.
"Alright Shiori, let's go and tell it to the others? Shall we?" Ram said, but instead found herself looking at Shiori hiding under the blanket, shaking and twitching uncontrollably.
"Ohh….kay. I will be telling the others to be ready for an incoming attack, you should stay here and avoid any danger."
Ram left Shiori alone in his room, and entrusted his safety to Petra. Afterwards she was able to convince the rest of the camp to be ready for the witch cult's attacks. The plan was to let Beatrice find the location from which they are attacking and eliminate them, extremely simple.
It was 2 lunartime, they were almost giving up when suddenly Beatrice sent a signal. They were here. Shiori didn't lie. They came from the front door… wait no. It wasn't "them" it was just her. Ram was quite impressed by her boldness of intruding from the front door. Even if it was just one person, they shouldn't let their guards down. But Ram was feeling irritated already, she wanted to immediately use her most destructive wind magic to kill it instantly. But with difficulties she restrained herself, as it might just cause problems.
"I'm sorry, truly sorry from coming in without an invitation! Please don't hide yourselves! I deeply apologize for my appearance which might've spooked you! But I mean no harm really! I'm just looking for something! Yes, that something! That something is undoubtedly love! I can feel my love here, it is calling me! Me, I am me! Me, Sirius Romanée-Conti! Yes it's me! The Sin Archbishop of Wrath!"
Subaru
He did not know how long he had been under the blanket, but he knew for a fact that he didn't want to go meet any other people. It was too much for him. Talking to Ram was already taxing on his mental health. He felt like if he were to try to talk to others he would die of a panic attack.
As he tried to shake away the thoughts, the ground suddenly shook violently. It seemed like the battle had started. Did that mean he literally hid under a blanket for the entire day? Probably. Petra tried to talk to him a few times. But he couldn't respond at all and eventually she just sat on a chair next to him in case he required any assistance.
But as time passed the ground continued to shake violently. Subaru realized exactly what was happening. Sirius has activated her authority, they can't kill her without killing themselves. This is practically an impossible battle but Sirius will eventually win, or bring them down with her. I don't remember how Priscilla defeated her… she said she kissed Liliana or something… well anyways. I've got to help them. Or else this would just be another failed loop. Subaru thought to himself. He came out of the blanket, with Petra still monitoring him.
"Shiori-chan, you are awake?" Petra asked, but Subaru didn't respond as he walked towards the door. But he couldn't walk out as Petra stopped him.
"Wh..where are you going? There's a fight going on! You should stay here, be a good boy and stay safe! Please get back here, I don't want to worry-" Subaru knocked Petra out with invisible providence.
Sorry Petra. Subaru apologized internally as he made a mad dash to where the fight was happening.
Ram
"Fura!" Ram yelled, trying to immobilize Sirius with her magic, yet every wound inflicted on her seemed to be inflicted on everyone else as well. A while ago they realized they couldn't kill her, or they would be sending themselves off this world. Using so much magic was taxing for Ram, especially because she didn't have her horn, and Roswaal was… out of commission. Emilia and Beatrice had to be there for her to not get a headache normally. But now she was reaching her limits as the pain continued to engulf her body.
Each step was getting slower and slower, and even when she dodged Sirius's attacks wounds were still inflicted on her. They had to slow Sirius down in some way and that's the only way they could do it, while trying to figure out the weakness behind the authority.
Each step was getting harder and harder to take. It didn't help the fact that she kept having the thought of simply ending this by slicing Sirius in half, killing everyone in the process. But the longer the battle went the more she thought that it was the only option.
"You dare prevent me from finding my love? You all are a piece of scum! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!" Sirius hollered. While Ram was distracted by her thoughts, Sirius threw her hook right at Ram. And Ram didn't notice it before it was too late.
It was a few centimeters away from hitting her, but it stopped mid air, then fell onto the ground.
"... what?" Confusion took over her mind, she looked behind her and found herself looking at Shiori.
NOT. EVEN. CLOSE. Subaru thought to himself, as he was able to catch the hook thrown at Ram, who was out of focus for some reason. She was also bleeding pretty badly everywhere as well, mirroring the same injuries others were taking. It was serious.
"Ah! My love! At long last! Lastly, I've found my love! Love! Love I'v yearned for so long! I thought my darling had died! I'm sorry, sorry for almost harming you! Don't worry I will kill every single one of these scumbags then we can have our romantic talk amidst the pool of blood!" Sirius laughed maniacally as she reached forward to grab Subaru, only to be interrupted by Ram.
"DON'T. TOUCH. HIM." Ram warned, while coughing blood herself. Seeing this situation, Subaru had one choice to make. He activated Cor Leonis.
Instantly, all of the fatigue and pain Ram was bearing shifted towards him. All the impatience and rage she had been bottling up was now his to bear. He gritted his teeth at the pain.
Ram
The pain… was gone. They were all gone. She was able to move again, every step stopped feeling as if she ran a mile. It was refreshing, she didn't know why. But she had to use it to her advantage as she immediately sucker punched Sirius , sending her flying.
Everyone else was also sent flying, including Shiori.
"Shiori!" Ram rushed to help him. From his expressions, he could tell he was in immense pain… almost as if… he was the one who had been reaching his limit while fighting a Sin Archbishop.
He looked at her, and gave her a thumbs up, telling her to go and help the others. She fidgeted, as she didn't want a child to bear her pain. She also wanted to find out how he was bearing her pain. But he urged her to go help the others.
"Thank you." was all Ram told Shiori as she continued to fight Sirius.
Subaru
It surprised him when Ram didn't fly back just like him when she punched Sirius. Perhaps it has something to do with Cor Leonis? Maybe… that's the way I can defeat her. Her authority depends on controlling emotions, so I'll counter that with Cor Leonis. Subaru thought to himself as he watched the fight raged on. He tried to extend his Authority over others. But nothing happened. He didn't feel more burden, and they continued to get slower and slower as Ram fought Sirius all on her own.
He tried and tried, but it just wouldn't activate on others. Why? What was preventing him from doing so? Being distracted, he didn't realize a love-craving archbishop was charging right at him after getting past Ram.
Subaru closed his eyes as he waited for his demise, but it didn't come. He opened his eyes and saw Emilia, standing there, and Sirius far away from them.
"Shiori-chan, I don't know who you are, or if I can trust you. I know you might be afraid of me, but I can assure you I'm not the witch, and I will protect you. I promise. So please be a good boy and stay out of the fight and go back to your room, promise me." Emilia stated swiftly, before jumping back into the fight.
Subaru was completely speechless. Emilia… saved him. Just like when he first arrived in this world. He tried to activate Cor Leonis again.
Pain, his old friend, mercilessly showered him with what felt like molten lava. The pain was ramping up at speed reaching Mach 2. He didn't have much time left. He had to do this. Quick.
Standing up, he slowly stepped towards Sirius, who was currently fighting Rem and Ram at the same time. But all three of them ceased their fighting when they saw him.
"Shiori don't come near us!"
"My darling! Have you finally accepted my love? We can get a wedding! Yes, a wedding! Cakes! Lots of cakes! And guests! And-"
Subaru summoned invisible providence, and grasped Sirius's heart, just like how the Witch of Envy grasped his all the time.
Sirius tried to speak, but failed when she started coughing terribly. Something was wrong. She wasn't thinking straight. She spotted Subaru, and realized exactly what was happening, so reached for him.
"Thud, thud." were two noises that symbolized the end of this impossible battle.
Author's Notes:
Well... that's it for chapter two :3. Trying to get everything in your brain down on a piece of documents is a real pain, so mad respect for those who can write 10k+ words with ease.
Anyways I hope my garbage writing is living up to your expectations! Thank you for all of your comments I appreciate and read every single of them :P Although I don't respond much because I'm really, really scared of interacting with people. Anyways as per usual tell me what can I improve on! I should probably find a beta reader as well... but oh well a friendless introvert like me won't be find any anyways.
Let me answer a few simple questions to prevent confusion.
Q: Will Subaru forgive them?
A: Currently, no. If he forgives them there must be a good reason. But currently he's here for personal reasons.
Q: Will they remember him?
A: Not now
Q:Why are you not answering every question?
A:Spoiling is no fun and I need some stuff to remain hidden for now.
Q: Why is your fic so bad and edgy and cringe and yadeyadah and basically and angst porn
A: I'll have you know the stories reflects on the writer's mental state. And puberty is fun,
I won't be releasing another one at least for a while because I have some projects I have to catch up on. So I'll see you when I see you :P
P.S. there might be some issues with the formatting so some parts of it might be missing. This is also cross posted to ao3 if you find the mistakes annoying.
Edit: updated formatting so it looks a bit better but it's so annoying ;w;