A Star Tainted Red
Chapter 1:
A Starlit Battlefield
In a different space - in a place between dimensions - a certain silver-haired half-elf laid between the shadows, waiting.
Awaiting for the time to come, attending so that she could finally bring her beloved to her world.
She knew that it wasn't yet the correct time though. It still was too soon, too early to summon her dear beloved.
She knew that instinctively.
If it were anyone else, anyone besides Satella, then it would seem just like an irrational justification, a reason devoid of common sense - something she had always lacked.
However, if there was one thing about herself that Satella was proud of it, was her instinct, especially in things related to time.
Time was her area of expertise, after all.
So, as irrational as it seems, she was absolutely, undeniably certain that it wasn't time yet.
And yet, a certain someone, another entity within herself, opposed that idea.
Right now, as always, something within her was trying to take over, take control...
But unfortunately for Satella, this time it was actually succeeding.
Wave after wave of shadows filled with rage and envy impacted against the little silver of control she had left over herself. Satella was in a state of crisis.
This was not the first time this had happened since she was sealed in her prison; the Garden of Shadows, a place she was coming to see as her home.
Satella resolved herself to make it stay that way. But not because she was stuck there forever. If she truly wanted, she could most likely break the seal and escape at any time.
What caused her to hesitate was that. The growing black darkness gnawing at the insides of the half-elf's mind: the entity known as the Witch of Envy.
Envy was a relentless being with an unshakeable obsession towards her beloved. A creature with massive jealousy in her dark heart towards anyone who dared to interact with him.
After being sealed, Satella would periodically enter into a state of crisis all because of her. It was already hard enough to keep her other self in check on normal days, but after years and years of imprisonment, Envy had started to become ever more restless. Her power and control over Satella were ever-growing while Satella's control over herself only decreased as the battle raged on.
For both of them, being away from her beloved was astonishingly painful and Envy's patience was quickly thinning.
Meanwhile, inside a convenience store, a certain young man with sharp, nasty eyes and black hair was absorbed in another task, absentmindedly reading a manga.
"Ah, I see. This is where they suck you in," he said as he flipped through its pages with a slightly indifferent expression.
"When will you take him here? Summon him already! He's our beloved, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR! We have enough mana to do it, you know that it would be easy just take him here, right? We love him, right? I love him, you do as well, I love him, love him, lovehimlovehimlovehimlovehim lovehimlovehimlovehimlovehimlovehimlovehimlovehimlovehimlovehim… He shall look at me, my love, he is meant to be mine and mine alone mineminemineminemine… hehehehehe forever mine….
I love him, love him, love him, love him, love him love him, love him love him, love him, love him, love him, love him, love him love him, love him love him, love him…
I love him so much…"
The voice within Satella's mind expressed her desire. Her voice overflowed with obsession and jealousy that only made Satella more sick about what she had inside.
"I-I can't! It's not time yet! He isn't prepared, there's a war going on outside!"
The girl pleads her case, trying to pacify and calm down Envy.
Envy, however, would not be convinced that easily.
After finishing his reading session, the young man, Subaru Natsuki, decided to put down the manga and start doing the task he came to do. Looking through the food aisle, he started wondering which flavor of ramen to choose before eventually deciding to pick up a Natto flavored one.
"Nah, not Natto..."
Only to immediately put it down and choose the one next to the cup he had previously chosen.
" THEN WHEN?! We waited for it 'to be the right time' as you said for over three and a half centuries!! How many more years will we have to wait, how many years will I have to wait for MY beloved?! What if the situation outside doesn't get better, what if it only gets worse?! How do you know that it's not time yet?!"
Envy became outraged, the excuse that they were waiting to summon their beloved so that he would suffer less no longer placating her. Now that patience was over, she was going to get him here and now.
"I-I don't know, I don't know! But it's not time yet, I can't make him live through a war! I can't see him suffer…. I-I don't want to…."
After taking all the supplies he came for, Subaru directed himself towards the counter.
"That'll be 363 yen."
The young man picked up a metal coin and stopped to look at it.
"Oh, a grooved-edge ten,"
Satella started to sob, her emotions were all jumbled up and she didn't know what to do. She wanted to see her beloved again more than anything else in the world. But she couldn't get rid of this indescribable feeling she had. The feeling that if she were to bring him here now he would only suffer.
Satella started pondering to herself why she felt that way; what was that dread she could never shake free of? And that made her lose focus. It was for a few mere seconds - maybe even less - but that was enough.
Being the greatest Yin mage to have ever lived allowed her to control space itself, and passing through the intangible barrier between worlds was a simple task for her.
Unfortunately, since Satella was sharing bodies with Envy, the witch also had the same capabilities.
So, while Satella begged her to stop, Envy prepared the spell in the split second where her other half lost her focus. At that moment, she was in complete control over the body. And Envy would have her wish.
Having paid for his items, Subaru exited the building. After that, he started walking through a parking lot, a white plastic bag in his hand, stopping short of the road he watched as a car sped past him.
Deciding that he's had enough of standing there, Subaru began walking across the wide street with his hand in his pocket…
And then…
For an instant, light pierced through the shadow garden as the spell activated itself and the fabric of space started ripping apart.
"W-wha- WHAT ARE YOU DOING, NO!!"
A weird gush of wind ran past Subaru as the space around him began to distort itself.
Watching this weird event through his peripheral vision, Subaru looked around before shrugging.
"I guess anyone's eyes would be tired after holing up in their room, gaming all day."
Satella could only watch helplessly as Envy did what she feared most.
"I'm going to bring him here now!"
Thus the fate of the world was forever changed, Satella full-on crying as she could only pray for her beloved.
Subaru rubbed at his eyes for a bit. As he did so, the space around him began to change and morph. He struggled to force his eyes open at the sudden brightness.
He slowly opened his tired eyes.
Only to be greeted by a landscape taken directly from hell.
"Wha- just..."
Subaru could only watch with a haunted expression as his mind raced with questions.
"What just happened? Wasn't I exiting the convenience store just a second ago? Where am I? What's this?"
"Blarg-!!"
Subaru was immediately taken out of his thoughts by probably the worst stench he ever experienced.
A stomach-turning bloody stench hung over the field.
The smell of charred wood and flesh filled the air, along with the odor of the layer of gore on the ground, thick enough to dirty the shoes of whoever walked on it. Together, they were enough to clog the nose and overwhelm the senses.
Subaru wanted to puke, the stench was almost unbearable. Still confused and struggling to keep the contents of his stomach inside he decided to look around himself.
He was in a crowd, all wearing some sort of weird uniform.
"Are they some kind of soldiers? Didn't they notice I'm here?"
Not finding any immediate answers to his questions Subaru directed his gaze at the landscape.
It looked like a basin, at least what remained of it. What before must have been a beautiful natural landscape was now spotted with tongues of flame. The pop and crack of burning trees mingled with human cries. The evening light and the flames and the blood under it gave it all a red hue, only accentuating its hellish image.
While Subaru was taking in the scenery, a stoic-sounding voice boomed over him, taking him out of his thoughts.
"Listen! In front of us, there's the enemy, the demi-human rebels! Those spawns of the devil endanger us, our friends, our loved ones, and our families! So today we're fighting for them, family, friends, brothers in arms, for Lugunica and honor!!"
An imposing voice shouted to all the troops before him, sword raised. His speech was short and simple, but very effective. The reactions didn't wait long to manifest themselves. The whole squadron broke into a huge ovation, pride filling their voices, swords raised towards the sky. For any outsider, it would have been an inspiring scene.
By this point, Subaru's mind was racing with all kinds of questions, his brain frantically trying to understand the impossible situation he was in.
"Demi-humans? Wait, are they using swords? Who still uses that? What's 'Lugunica' and maybe most importantly… How is it possible that they still haven't noticed m-!"
"Who are you?"
A figure asked behind Subaru. Turning his head he saw a plain-looking person in uniform, blue hair, and green eyes.
"Wha-?"
"You're a human... Such weird clothes... where's your uniform? Are you a civilian? Wait, how did you even get here?!" the young soldier said, his voice starting to become frenetic. He was beginning to panic at the idea that a civilian somehow got on a battlefield.
However, something else took Subaru's attention before he was able to respond to the panicking soldier.
He noticed something.
In the distance, there were three circular lights…
They were becoming bigger…
They were coming closer...
"Wait, aren't they going to hit us at this rate?" Subaru thought, his narrowed eyes widening at the rapidly approaching lights.
"Hey what's wrong? What are you looking... at..." the soldier said, trailing off as he turned his head towards the spot Subaru was looking at with a slightly offended expression.
"Who is this guy, why is he ignoring me?"
As he turned his head, the young man's face began paling; the realization of what was happening dawned on him.
"O-ohh…"
"N-No wait. EVERYONE RU-!"
But it was too late.
"~ah!?"
In an instant, Subaru's whole body--combusted.
"The sun… it was evening just a minute ago right? Why is the light so--blinding?" he wondered, his eyes closing reflexively at the sudden brightness.
"H-huh?" he sputtered out, his mind finally starting to process what was happening, the sound of screaming filling his ears.
"G-Giahahahahahahahahahah!"
Subaru screamed something that wasn't quite a cry, intense pain flowing through his mind. His thoughts turned white-hot.
"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it…"
Suddenly the pain started fading.
"I-It doesn't hurt anymore…"
Hair, skin, flesh, bone, everything——combusted.
It was burning.
At an incredible speed——burning.
"Ahahahahahahahahahah ahh!!"
The flames got bigger as the flesh burned.
The Japanese boy, using that little knowledge he had, fell on the ground and started rolling himself in the mud, trying to extinguish the flames raging on his body.
He didn't feel pain anymore, the fire burned his nerves near-instantly. After a few moments of intense heat and pain, the only sensation remaining on his dry and cracked skin was a weak feeling of heat. Or was it cold?
It was cold.
He felt cold, he felt freezing. It was cold, oh so cold.
Subaru could smell something burning. Was it his flesh or the flesh of the soldiers that were around him?
The moisture in his eyes had long since vaporized. He tried to look around him, trying to understand something, anything about what was going on.
But Subaru could only see the red. He could see only the crimson tongues gnawing away at his flesh, charring his skin. His vision was getting worse by the second. His eyes, already drier than they had ever been, transformed from gelatinous orbs to a burning, boiling liquid that began leaving scars in what little remained of his tear ducts. His brain should have been able to understand what was happening but his mind wouldn't accept that explanation, the shock was too powerful, the implications were too severe, that was until he felt his mind slowly drifting away. He was suffocating.
Subaru couldn't breathe, the smoke concentration in the air was too high.
He didn't notice that either, his confusion was too intense.
For a moment before passing away, his mind focused once more and for a second he finally understood.
--Am I burning?
The instant he realized this, his consciousness started fading.
Every sensation disappeared, every feeling fizzled out into nothing.
Without even knowing why, Natsuki Subaru lost his life less than 5 minutes after being brought to this world.
An unbearable stench hit Subaru's nostrils.
The young man found himself in the middle of a crowd, surrounded by people all wearing some sort of strange, foreign uniform.
"AHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhh-wha-…what?"
Finding that he could scream again, he started to do so only to realize that... nothing happened?
He― Natsuki Subaru examined his surroundings, a haunted look plastered on his face, memories of what had just transpired still fresh in his mind.
"What the ―What's going on here?" he asked, confused. Disoriented, all he could do was toss out that question directed at no one in particular.
"Wasn't I just… burning?" he thought, staring down at his healthy, uncharred hands. Subaru quickly pulled up his sleeve, checking his condition to find... nothing. No burns, no cracked skin, nothing.
He remembered burning alive, the sensation of his flesh melting away still fresh in his mind, and yet... there were no signs of this having happened to him.
Even his tracksuit, that he vividly remembered being engulfed in flames, was unmarred. In fact, the well-used outfit lacked any trace of dust or dirt stains. Similarly, the convenience store bag in his hand was in pristine condition, the articles held within completely intact. Most surprisingly, his pocket still had his phone and wallet, items he assumed would be the first to go. He was back at square one, in every sense of the phrase.
―It felt like he was going crazy.
"Wait this isn't right," he thought, the shock slamming into him like a sledgehammer.
"-y," something vocalized. Or was it just the wind?
"I remember burning alive… or did I just imagine it?"
"-ey?" a voice called, barely reaching into the edges of Subaru's awareness.
"Was it just a nightmare? No, it can't be, it felt so… real…"
"Hey!" the voice repeated with a hint of annoyance.
"HEY YOU, LISTEN!" a man shouted, finally making his presence known to the spaced-out boy.
"Hah―?" Subaru instinctively said, slowly becoming aware of the world around him.
A moment later, his senses came flooding back in and Subaru was snapped back to reality by someone shaking him. It was the same soldier from before.
"Finally! You weren't listening to me, did you space out? Anyways, who are you? Why did you scream before, are you all right?" asked the man, an incredibly worried look on his face.
Everyone was looking at Subaru with confused expressions. To them, by unknown means and at an unknown time, some weird-looking guy - that everyone could tell was a civilian with a single glance - had just managed to sneak his way into the middle of their formation without any of them noticing it.
Every member of the squadron turned towards Subaru and took a moment to inspect his figure, all wondering who he was and how he could have possibly gotten to where he was.
The man that had shaken Subaru back to reality took a good look at Subaru. As he regarded the boy, he thought, "He's a human so at least this boy isn't an enemy. He doesn't look like a soldier and doesn't wear any kind of uniform… and his clothes are incredibly bizarre. Is he perhaps a noble? He looks young, maybe 14? I can tell just by looking at him that he probably hasn't seen any action in his life…"
The soldier quickly drew conclusions about the odd boy in front of him and began asking him questions, "What is your name and what are you doing here? Do you even know where you are right now? We can't have civilians getting hurt."
The soldier had a serious look in his eyes, determination plain on his face. He had decided to dedicate his life fighting for the people of Lugunica and, by the Dragon, he wouldn't let a civilian get hurt or, Od forbid, killed. Not on his watch.
Giving Subaru one last confused, analytical look, the soldier spoke sternly, a sense of authority clear in his tone, "Anyways, go to the rear and explain your situation. The archers and reinforcements there will help you get to safety."
"Archers?" Subaru thought, still moderately dazed.
The soldier then pointed to what Subaru supposed was the rear of the army, but the boy was already focused on something more important.
Three circular lights were visible in the far distance.
They were coming closer.
And Subaru knew what that meant.
"A-Again….?" he muttered, the feeling of the stench in the air nipping at his now widened eyes reminiscent of sensations he had experienced only minutes prior.
He opened his mouth wider to yell, to speak out even a single word of warning or protest, but all strength that he had recovered quickly vanished. He could do nothing but stare at the incoming attack, slack-jawed and speechless, as he fell square on his butt, a horrified expression taking hold of his face.
"No, no, no, no, no, it can't be. NO! NOT AGAIN!!"
Subaru immediately tried to get to his feet and flee but he tripped on himself, falling harder onto the filthy ground and soaking his tracksuit in mud. Fear and despair taking total control of his mind, he tried to crawl away, get away from there as fast as he could. Frankly, it was a pathetic sight. The entirety of his once clean tracksuit was covered in grime and dirt.
"Why is he like that?" wondered the soldier, concerned over the strange boy's erratic behavior.
"What happened? Are you ok?" he asked, instinctively offering his hand to the boy.
At this point, the soldier's surprise had long since shifted to confusion. First, this random civilian mysteriously appears and refuses any offer of help or assistance despite his clear disoriented state. And then he falls to ground panicking and doing what the soldier assumed was a desperate - and pathetic - attempt at running away.
"What did he see that made him react like that?" the soldier wondered, turning his head towards the spot Subaru had been looking at earlier. His sights landing on the lights in the distance, the soldier instantly understood. His own face started paling and his legs began to tremble.
"EVERYONE RU-!" he began to yell, returning his gaze to the other members of the squadron.
Unfortunately, the soldier had noticed the danger too late. Every one of his brothers in arms were swiftly wrapped in flames, their flesh starting to burn and their screams elevating themselves above the battlefield.
Nearly prone in the ankle-deep mud, Subaru had managed to crawl his way just far enough to avoid the epicenter of the explosion, the force of the fireball's impact with the ground having launched him even further from the flames. He had a number of burns and a handful of bruises but he managed to come out of the attack relatively untouched.
Instinctively, Subaru brought himself back to a standing position, the sound of the explosion still ringing in his ears and muffled screams lingering behind that. Slowly shuffling forward, he began to hobble his way through the battlefield, his mind feeling rattled by what he had just experienced. But, a moment later, the raven-haired boy fell to his knees, no longer able to drag his quivering feet forward. Blood and mud soaked his entire body from the neck down and his plastic shopping bag had long since lost itself to the battlefield. With each step he took into that hell, more blood and gore began attaching to the young man. Subaru was already covered in so much and was so disoriented that he barely noticed the new additions.
Nearly finding himself laying down in the filth, Subaru's mind remained blank. He could feel nothing but shock and terror as the battle raged on around him.
Far in the distance, another boy, a young soldier, found himself in a similar situation.
"This is awful. How could it possibly get any worse?" he thought, falling to the ground, his blade laying limply on his side.
He had decided to take the sword of his own volition, dreams of fame and glory consuming his mind every day.
Night after night, he had wondered of the feats he would accomplish, the things he would achieve, and the deeds he would become famous for.
He was naive, his hope, his ideals—all of it.
He had forgotten the most important thing.
On the battlefield, the customs are only violence and death; the brutality of this first battle of his was unmatched by any other in the kingdom's history, even during those same years of civil war.
His commander had been a young noble, a charismatic man that he respected. The passionate exhortation he had given just before the battle's start was fresh in his memory.
And the insides of his memory is the only place his commander remained now. He was the only real knight among them, a man of power and talent. But not even he could survive the carnage of the battlefield. That noble now lay dead someplace in the mud, superior in strength and class but equally foolish and glory-hungry.
In the face of the flames of war, everything could be lost. Everything fell victim to chaos. In an instant, friend and foe, noble and commoner alike, were all brought to the same level; what remained of their corpses was pressed into the dirt and grime.
But the young soldier, unlike his commander and many of his comrades, was fortunate enough to survive the blast. The explosions had rained down from overhead, landing right before him and launching him backwards, flinging him through the air and away from his brothers in arms.
Yet it was not fortune that the young soldier felt at that moment. With his comrades' screams still echoing through his head and the last moments of the charismatic noble knight seared into mind, he could feel nothing but pain and despair.
He grit his teeth, attempting to block out the sensations and memories, but that single moment, the sound and sights that totally embodied the horrors of war, that thought refused to leave him. It played over and over, consuming the whole of his thinking and leaving the young soldier drowning in despair and pain.
Everything felt heavy. He wanted to drop his sword. He wanted to just surrender himself to his destiny, to just give up and die. What was he thinking? He didn't even know how to properly use it.
But... to abandon one's weapon was the same as giving up on life itself. And he feared death more than anything else.
After all these unhappy accidents, after all the trauma and pain and horror he had witnessed, the young man—Grimm Fauzen—was all alone, dragging himself through the battlefield, sword in hand.
At least, he believed he was all alone.
In reality, just a few meters to his right, another man,—Natsuki Subaru—was also dragging himself through the mud in an attempt to pass unnoticed, his once black tracksuit and raven hair working in his favor as a sort of camouflage.
Being covered in mud and gore from the explosion, Subaru was exceedingly difficult to spot in that hellish landscape, so much so that, even though the two youngsters were just a few meters apart, they didn't notice each other's presence.
"Aaah—!"
A scream came from the distance, audible to both young men, both wanting to flee in response, the situation too horrible for either of them.
'What's happening? Did I end up on some kind of battlefield?!'Subaru thought, his mind racing with all kinds of theories. Frankly, the situation he was in at the moment made no sense at all. The only reason he was even able to comprehend the fact that he was on a battlefield in the first place was thanks to all the knowledge he gained in media like games or movies. But that was just fiction, fiction and reality are very different, and experiencing a war in first person was something that Subaru never expected to do.
The boy was experiencing so many new sensations that his mind was having a hard time keeping up with everything that was happening around him.
He could only ask himself questions for which he possessed no answers to. Each theory he generated only opened up new doubts in his mind. He was in a state of sensory overload, the only thing clear to him at the moment being that he had to escape, find a place to hide, anything that would make him survive. And Subaru was not alone in this mentality.
Grimm and Subaru, both shocked by the horrors of war and both resolving to struggle in the pursuit of living another day, began dragging themselves to the safest place they could see: a nearby thick cloud of smoke.
Neither could see a thing, but their effective blindness actually helped to calm their panicked minds, the thickness of the smoke reassuring the pair of their relatively difficult to notice position.
"I found someone! A human!" a voice called out from seemingly just above the pair, instantly shattering their sense of security.
"E-eyaaagh!" Grimm sputtered, his hopes once again being crushed by reality as he found himself face-to-face with the enemy. Right before Grimm stood a muscular violet-skinned demi-human, a hatchet-like weapon in his hand and a look of hatred lining his eyes.
Ignoring the stench of the battlefield filling his senses, Subaru let out a large gasp at the nearby encounter, having thought for a moment that he was the one who had been discovered.
"For a second there I thought I was a goner, thank God!" Subaru thought, a sense of relief settling in his mind.
Knowing that he was safe for the moment, he took a moment to relax and now that he had some time to think he started pondering upon everything that had happened up to that point.
"Ok, so I'm probably not in Japan anymore since, last time I checked, there wasn't any kind of war going on outside!" he thought, the absurd nature of his situation quickly becoming clear to him.
But, quickly writing off the impossibility of what he was living through as something to think about later, Subaru continued his thinking, feeling oddly comfortable in the mud he was laying in, "They used weird uniforms and… swords and shields? They didn't have any guns or modern weapons with them... right? Argh, now I regret not paying more attention…"
Subaru wracked his mind, searching for any plausible explanation he could think of, and, after a short moment, he came up with something somewhat satisfactory, "Maybe this is some kind of reenactment of war, like those things they do in… America was it?"
Subaru started to consider the idea, it made some kind of sense, after all, there's no war being waged on or by the Japanese at the moment, and even if there was one going on it would use modern weapons instead of swords, shields, and bows.
"Yeah, it would make sense but…"
He grimaced as he remembered the pain, the heat, the screams.
Looking down, Subaru finally processed the fact that he was covered in mud… or was it something else? He was pretty sure that mud shouldn't be red and didn't stink of iron and rotten meat. In fact, that rotten stench of death lingered around the entire battlefield, having been present since the instant he found himself there.
"Yeah, it's impossible. Besides, even if that was the case, it wouldn't explain how I got here in the first place…"
His eyes widened at that thought, "Wait… They said 'I found' a human before, right? And those three lights … Were those fireballs? No, it can't be that… right?"
He took a moment to look at his pockets and his body, checking himself up just in case.
"Seems I'm alright. I dropped my bag and I lost my phone but, other than that, I'm ok."
The raven-haired boy sighed with relief. After all, if he had gotten a wound in the state he was in, it was almost certain that he would get an infection.
Subaru's thoughts were interrupted by a sound coming from up ahead. Before long, a figure made itself clear within the smoke. It seemed like a human but had rabbit ears and was unusually small. If Subaru had any doubts before, they were long gone now.
"So I was summoned to another world…"
The rabbit demi-human had a horrified look on its face as well, seemingly having escaped from something while muttering to himself, "That damn monster, who is that kid?! He killed the captain in a flash! He even looked bored while doing it, he's a monster… I-I can't stay here, I need to escape now, I won't face that devil!"
His eyes were filled with tears and he was on the verge of running on all fours. His voice lacked any bite or intention to insult, the terror that filled it serving only as a testament to the difference in strength between himself and that 'devil'.
And yet, even when filled with such a great fear, the demihuman was able to notice the nearby Subaru, his eyes wide, still processing the reality of his presence in a fantasy world.
The rabbit man stopped dead in his tracks as all semblance of worry and terror in his expression started to disappear, a grin forming on his face.
"Oh, would you look at that…No uniform…A human scum here and a civilian at that!?" the rabbit man remarked, regarding Subaru with an elated look, as if staring at a meal freshly prepared.
"I don't know how you ended up here but… with an opportunity like that I can't just return to my unit empty-handed, right? Besides, I'm pretty sure I've made some distance from that little devil…" he said, his words filled with poison and malice, his sadistic glee clear in his eyes and his bloodthirst palpable even to Subaru.
Instinctually recognizing the danger of the situation he was in, Subaru became paralyzed by fear, falling to the ground as his trembling legs collapsed in on themselves.
His instincts were screaming to him to run but his body wouldn't listen. He wanted to call for help but his mouth would only emit small whimpers like a cornered little animal. By this point, he was grateful that he didn't drink anything before being summoned because, if he had, his pants would probably have been soaked by now.
In the face of the immediate threat posed by the rabbit man, Subaru could only pathetically try to backpedal, away from the danger, away from the pain, away from his imminent death.
He let out something akin to a whimper as he desperately crawled his way backwards, "A-ahh~"
Subaru couldn't formulate any coherent thoughts. He just wanted to go home. He wanted to see his parents. He didn't ask for any of this…
Meanwhile, the demi-human was approaching him, slow and steady. It was as if he were savoring the moment. He unsheathed his dagger with the same unhurried pace, making sure to fill his prey with as much fear as possible.
"Ahh… What a great face…" the rabbit man said, licking his lips at the sight before him.
"Don't worry, I will make it quick. You're reaally unlucky after all~"
Subaru's body shivered at those words. The creature was happy with what he was doing. He was going to enjoy every second of it to the fullest.
"W-what a monster…."
When he was within striking distance, the demi-human raised his dagger. The blade reflected what little light pierced its way through the turmoil of the battlefield, giving the weapon an almost divine appearance. It was as if God himself had brought this creature to Subaru as an act of providence, as if it was his destiny to die by that blade, to fail to escape the weapon's judgement even should he try.
And, with one quick slash to the neck faster than Subaru could even see, his judgement was passed.
"Hrk," Subaru vocalized, immediately raising his hand to cover the wound on reflex. But the rabbit man kept his word, he was dying far too quickly for Subaru's meager efforts to have any effect. His throat instantly filled with blood, his consciousness starting to vanish as his vision blurred.
"I've already felt this, haven't I?" he thought, his already loose grip on reality rapidly weakening.
To Subaru, there was something familiar about the whole situation. It wasn't about the pain or the terrible, burning feeling he had to his neck; it was something fundamentally different.
It was the cold, the feeling of loneliness, the feeling of his soul drifting away from his body. Where had he felt it before?
"Ahh… Yes, right."
"I'm dying aren't I?"
His senses began to vanish, but something managed to catch his attention at the last second.
Focusing his every last bit of willpower, Subaru seized his fading consciousness, pulling it desperately back around to buy even an extra second of time, his senses returning in full force for a few moments.
"Haha! Good riddance, well now I just have to- Huh?" The demi-human started, very visibly elated about his most recent victim. But that wasn't what caught Subaru's attention. A flash of silver arched through the smoke and...
"Why is his head falling?"
It was a seemingly foolish question but it had a good reason behind it. A second before the rabbit soldier was laughing almost maniacally but a moment later his head was falling to the ground.
"W-what just…"
The decapitated head had no time to finish his last line of thought as it made contact with the ground.
"—"
A figure - what Subaru could only guess was another man - was barely visible through the cloud. He stayed still, looking down at the corpse with an emotionless expression. Then, he shook his sword, the small amount of blood present on the blade, falling to the ground.
Subaru, was surprised to realize the swordsman was younger than he expected. He had short stature and a young-looking face, as if he wasn't yet done growing.
With what little processing power he had left, Subaru came to assume he was about fifteen years of age, maybe even less.
But that wasn't what surprised Subaru. It was the swordsman's eyes that caught his attention in his final moments. They were empty, devoid of any kind of emotion, much like the eyes of a dead man.
Although curious, Subaru had long since been on death's door. He now could hardly make out the swordsman's features, his brain already suffering from the lack of oxygen and his sight becoming slowly blurrier once again.
The figure turned his head around, his eyes were totally visible, piercing through the fog. They slightly widened and for an instant, through his now blurry vision Subaru could see a glimpse of pity? Regret? Regardless, they quickly returned to normal.
"So I was too late," he said in an emotionless voice, almost in a robotic way.
At that moment, Subaru's will stopped being enough to keep him in this realm. Feeling his body shutting itself down, he finally relented and gave himself to the reaper.
In the next instant, Subaru Natsuki lost his life.
An unbearable stench hit Subaru's nostrils.
Subaru found himself again in the middle of a crowd of soldiers, all wearing the same uniform as before.
"Huh?" he remarked, dumbstruck by the situation he found himself in.
"Wait wasn't I just… What?"
To Subaru, this officially made no sense. A second ago he was dying and now he's back here again?
He carefully touched his neck, prepared for the worst. But, instead of a mud and blood soaked wound, Subaru caressed the smooth skin he was accustomed to. He looked at his left hand that had once held back the torrent of blood gushing from his neck, but there was no blood to be found. And he gazed down at his right hand, the white plastic bag he thought lost still in his grasp.
"Didn't I drop this like two times already?" he wondered, noting the fiery and explosive ends that the bag had already met twice before.
Next, Subaru checked his pockets, finding his wallet and cellphone also there, in perfect condition.
"I'm pretty sure these fell out before, right?"
Starting to see a pattern, Subaru looked up to find the same soldier he had conversed with twice before in front of him.
Having gathered his bearings and a possible explanation forming in his mind, Subaru spoke out to the man, intending to test his hypothesis,"Hey, excuse me."
"Huh? Who are you?" replied the man, turning to Subaru with a look of surprise and confusion.
"It… well it doesn't matter, anyways how many times have you seen me now?" Subaru asked, a hint of determination and curiosity lining his voice.
"What? I've neve- wait, that doesn't matter. Who are you? How did you get here, are you a civilian? Do you even know where you are?" the man answered, bombarding Subaru with a number of questions once again. Yet, this only confirmed his theory.
"So it's one of those things huh?" he realized, putting his theory into words in his mind.
"Whenever I die, I start back at square one in my initial state. At least, that's what it seems…Like a checkpoint. Now, what should I call this…"
At that moment Subaru wanted to do his signature pose and celebrate, if not his summoning into this dark fantasy world, then at least his quick thinking and new ability. Frankly, Subaru was glad that he wasn't completely powerless as he first thought after all, but there were more important matters to attend to than gloating at the moment.
Turning his head, Subaru saw it again, as expected.
Three circular lights slowly become bigger and bigger.
This time he perfectly knew what that meant.
"Quickly, run!!" he shouted to the man, sprinting in the opposite direction of where he knew the fireballs would land.
"Huh, what do you-?" started the man, utterly perplexed. But, turning his head towards the spot Subaru was looking at, the soldier realized it. His face quickly became pale as the realization of what was about to happen dawned on him.
"EVERYONE RU-!"
Once again, he was too late. Fortunately, this time, Subaru was already far from the strike zone, having learned from his errors.
Suddenly, started by the booming of a large explosion behind him, the air was filled once again with screams. It was all disturbingly familiar to Subaru who could only try and shut his ears from that horrible sound. He had warned the soldier but it still went the same way as before.
"Maybe destiny is a compelling force after all…" he wondered, a grimace clear on his face.
Honestly, Subaru was still terrified about the whole situation and he still didn't have a clue about what was happening, but he knew that dwelling on it would only worsen his already awful position. Unfortunately, that line of reasoning didn't eliminate the fact that he still felt sick at it all.
"Now I should…" he muttered to himself, having traveled a sizable distance away from the inferno.
Subaru was unsure about what to do, should he try another path? Or maybe it was better to just stick to what he did before and go into the smoke cloud?
Unable to come to a decision, the environment prompted his next course of action as yet another explosion went off behind him, shaking him out of his indecisive stump. Examining the area around him, Subaru found nothing but total chaos. No place looked safe and it seemed that danger was everywhere.
"Ok, calm down Subaru. So, there's chaos all around, what should I do?" he thought, darting his eyes around to scan his surroundings as he contemplated what to do next, thinking as fast as he could.
"Hmm, the safest looking place is that cloud but there's that crazy rabbit man there," he considered, eyeing the nearby smoke.
"But, if I stay out here, I doubt I will survive more than five minutes…" he reasoned, the contemplative expression he held turning sour.
"Besides, there was that young-looking swordsman from before, what was his deal? Maybe I could ask him to help?" Subaru mused, the oddly dead eyes of the swordsman still clear in his mind.
Danger still ever-present around him, Subaru quickly decided on a course of action. As he began making his way through the mud and grime towards the cloud, he reflected for a moment, justifying his swift deliberation to himself, "Well, at least now that I know what's coming, I doubt I will freeze up again."
Crossing the boundary between visibility and the opaque smoke, Subaru resolved to find that kid again, and maybe ask him for help. If he didn't find him, at least he already knew what dangers he was getting into.
"Just like that, Subaru, slow and steady wins the race, you don't want to attract any attention…" he whispered to himself, focusing all of his efforts into being as silent as possible.
However, Subaru was so focused on not making any sounds that he did not stop to notice his surroundings, inevitably causing him to slam headfirst into another person he had neglected to acknowledge the existence of in his hasty decision making.
"Augh… Hey, look where you're going! Wait-" Subaru started but quickly shut himself up, realizing the stupidity of what he was doing. Quickly, he warily looked at who he crashed into, hoping with all his heart that it wasn't another demi-human sadistic killer.
Much to his surprise and relief, Subaru had bumped into yet another young boy, seemingly his age, or maybe a bit older? He had short, messy purple hair, dark yellow-brown eyes, and was wearing the same uniform as the soldiers from before. He had some burns on his legs but nothing that looked too serious.
"Another soldier? They were friendly with me before, maybe I can ask him for help?"
"H-hey mister, umm... I'm in a bit of a problem here. Could you help… me…" Subaru began but quickly trailed off. The young man he was attempting to talk to wore a desperate face mixed with horror. He had his eyes closed and was pointing his sword at Subaru and waving it frantically like a kid trying to scare off some kind of ghost.
"G-go away! You gain nothing from killing me so please let me live!" demanded the man, on the verge of blatantly begging for his life.
However, when the soldier finally opened his teary eyes, his face changed to one of pure surprise. He thought he was dead meat. He thought he had run into a murderous demi-human. But he certainly was not expecting to see another human there. Still shocked, Grimm could only respond in one way, "Huh? A human?"
Subaru, on the other hand, wore his own shocked expression as well, but for totally different reasons, " He is a soldier? This guy? He may be even more terrified than I am!"
Contrary to his expression and surface-level thinking, Subaru was, in fact, filled with anxiety. He was barely holding it together, the mask he had adopted for this interaction being the only thing keeping him from reacting like the terrified man before him.
Despite the fact that his confidence was boosted by, even if only subconsciously, his discovery of his newfound power of effective immortality, Subaru still feared death more than anything else in the world. Even if he came to the logical conclusion - which he didn't - that, with his ability, he could fail and die and try again as many times as he wanted, he would still avoid knowingly throwing himself into the arms of the reaper if he could help it. For all he knew, his strange ability may have only been a two-time thing. It may not even work anymore!
Realizing that he had been lost in thought for the past few seconds and noticing that the young soldier was still staring at him slack-jawed, Subaru pushed away the thoughts of the implications of what he had experienced before. Instead, he opted to answer the soldier's question, saying, "Yes, I am a human. I just suddenly found myself in this hell, I need help."
"A civilian? How did yo-" Grimm asked, noting Subaru's lack of a weapon and clothing not at all suited for battle.
"How did I get here? I don't know, to be honest. I'm clueless about pretty much everything right now!" Subaru quickly replied, cutting the young man off, a nervous grin plastered on his face.
Grimm regarded Subaru with a look of skepticism. To him, it was incredibly strange, impossible even, for a person to suddenly appear in the middle of a battlefield, say he's clueless about what's happening, and then behave as if everything is alright. The soldier had many doubts and even more questions about Subaru, but he decided to place them aside for a moment, the danger of war too pressing to allow for suspicion. He gave Subaru one last analytical look, thinking, "Again, he's human. The rebels hate us humans so I doubt he's with them…"
"All right. Just follow me. We'll try to get somewhere safe and then wait until the fight is over," he settled on saying, knowing perfectly well that his tactic sounded cowardly. But, at this point, he didn't care anymore. Grimm just didn't want to have anything else to do with this hell.
"Got it," Subaru instantly replied, not an ounce of hesitation in his voice. He had decided that it was better to not dwell on the situation, just wanting to have nothing else to do with this nightmare of a fantasy world. Subaru too simply wanted it all to be over and, as such, he couldn't bring himself to judge Grimm for wanting the same.
And so, the pair dragged themselves further into the cloud, both knowing that it wasn't a great idea, just the least bad option they had available to them. To the pair, survival was critical and the smoke may very well be the only thing that could help them hide away from enemy soldiers and buy them a few more precious minutes to live.
"I found someone! Humans!" a figure declared, the volume of their voice completely shattering the faux serenity the pair had enjoyed until that moment.
"E-eyaaagh!" Grimm screamed in an oddly high pitched way.
At his nearly bird-like yelp, Subaru realized that he recognized Grimm's voice, thinking, "Wait, that was you? Oh no, we're done for!"
In his previous loop, he heard that same scream followed by the sound of something cutting meat. Thus, Subaru became sure. They would both die.
"I-I need to escape!" he thought in a full-on panic, trying his absolute hardest to will his body to stand and flee. But it was in vain; his muscles once again would not listen to him, his form was once again frozen.
"Wha-? No, I have to move. Come on! MOVE!! I-I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!"
At that moment, the pair found themselves face-to-face with a rebel holding a sharp hatchet-like weapon, the blade already dark with blood from the numerous other lives it had cut short. The soldier's huge body seemed to be all muscle; he was a violet-skinned demi-human with a giant frame that made him look like a huge rock.
The demi-human eyed the wounded Grimm and the horrified Subaru, a smile coming over his horrible face. To both of them, that smile seemed sadistic, like a hunter who just found some easy prey to kill.
"You're both finished!" the demihuman declared, raising his weapon to strike.
To Subaru, time almost seemed to slow to a crawl as the hatchet began moving through an arc in the air just before the pair. He saw, out of the corner of his eye, the young soldier falling to his knees, on the verge of tears and obviously cursing his luck. He knew what that meant, they both did. The sadistic glint in the demi-human's eyes and those words could only mean one thing. They both understood that the inevitable approach of a brutal, prolonged death had finally arrived. And, as Subaru remained in place, motionless, screaming internally at his body to move, he mentally prepared himself for what he thought would be his third death so far.
That was when it happened.
"Gyaaaah!" Someone shouted, sparks of steel meeting steel filling both Subaru and Grimm's eyes .
The demi-human grunted as his blow was deflected, and suddenly, the same figure from before had come between the duo and the attacker. Subaru, for the first time, was able to fully appreciate his features; the stranger had brown hair so dark that it was almost black, leather armor drenched in the blood from his enemies, and a beautiful blade that reflected the flames. Amid that gruesome scene, the sword danced in the air. Truly, even to the untrained eyes of Subaru, it was something worth admiring.
That moment of admiration, though, came immediately to a halt by what happened next.
"Ha!"
The blade drew a wide arc, the flames reflecting themselves in the steel; the movements of the swordsman and the dancing of his weapon were strangely beautiful to watch.
"Huh?"
They both saw a flash of silver and then, in the next moment, the enemy's head was flying clean through the air, the huge body collapsing to the ground and spilling blood everywhere around it.
"—"
The young man looked down at the corpse, then shook the sword. Once again, the blade had hardly any blood on it. Was it that the sword was just that sharp? Or was it the skill of that man?
"Th— Y—" Grimm tried to say to the newcomer, realizing what had just happened. He was so grateful. He had to offer his thanks.
Ever since Grimm was a child, there has been a strong prejudice against demi-humans. There had always been bad blood between the two groups, and when the rebellion started those stereotypes were only amplified. Those who hated the demi-humans before now wanted to kill them, those who were unsure now hated them, and those who believed that maybe they weren't that bad now believed the opposite.
The civil war has been going on for years. It has taken a heavy toll on the kingdom and its people. And the demihumans were the ones responsible so they couldn't possibly be good, right?
Demi-humans were the enemy, that was common knowledge. As such, common logic stated that someone who had cut one down must be his friend. Thus, Grimm owed his life to this person.
Subaru had come to a conclusion distinct from Grimm's.
He was disgusted, or was it rage? How could a person, a kid even, kill someone just like that?
Or maybe he was feeling fear. Subaru had never seen so much blood in his life until this day. His family had been sedentary for generations; he never once saw someone die.
But now, in less than an hour, he had died two times and he had seen someone die right before his eyes.
Granted, it was a humanoid demi-human so the impact wasn't the same. To him, all of this still felt a bit unreal, like a videogame, but was that right? Yeah, he wasn't a human, and yes he was trying to kill them, but does that justify killing him? He was a sentient creature after all, shouldn't he have the same rights as them? What are they even fighting for? Well, since it was all just in self-defense maybe it is correct?
Subaru felt conflicted. He wanted to puke. The sight of the headless body was shocking him to his very core. His mind was full of questions about the morality of it all but he knew very well that it wasn't the time for that. He hid those doubts in the back of his mind with all of his other insecurities and tried to focus on the present.
"Hey… Hey, you…," Grimm called out shakily, the figure looking back at him with suspicion.
Initially, he was surprised by how young the soldier looked. He was probably fifteen or so.
But Grimm couldn't bring himself to speak again. It wasn't fear that made him shut up. He had stopped shaking and he wasn't feeling fear anymore. No, it was because of the look that that boy had in his eyes.
"—"
They were empty. His eyes held no emotion at all. They were like the eyes of a corpse.
It was this realization that kept Grimm from saying thank you or anything else of that kind.
The boy looked briefly at the duo, only the tiniest hint of emotion crossing his face for a fraction of a second. He was mildly interested about why a civilian was on that battlefield, but after a few moments of silence, his interest quickly disappeared and he began walking away.
"Wai—" Grimm started, dashing behind the boy. He wasn't alone on the field but he was sure that his newfound companion, still wallowing in the mud, wouldn't be of any help in a fight. Grimm was desperate to survive and he wasn't about to let his ticket out of there escape.
Subaru, on the other hand, was still in doubt. He didn't know what to believe or what to do. So he decided that, for the moment, the best course of action would be to follow the group.
Subaru and Grimm followed as closely as they could, through the blood and the smoke, until the boy stopped.
Once they were past the smoke, the duo experienced an even more nauseating stench than before, hitting them like a hammer.
"Wh-what in the…?"
"What kind of…?"
"What kind of monster did this!?" they both thought in unison, horrified by the sight before them.
The pair saw a towering pile of demi-human corpses. All of them were killed by a single swing of a sword and every single one of their faces was twisted with pain, horror, or anger.
They both quickly realized who caused that hellish image. And then they both heard him, head lifted toward the sky, commenting absentmindedly, "… Hm. So this is what battle is like. I didn't know."
That was it. This went way beyond any kind of self-defense. Subaru was horrified at the sight and his heart was in complete and utter terror, but another emotion was much more intense than his fear: his rage.
That was Subaru's limit; a line had been crossed. He wasn't going to just stand idly by and watch this situation unfold anymore, consequences be damned.
What kind of monster was that kid? Who did he believe he was to take that many lives and then just shrug it off as if it was nothing?!
"Y-you little… who the hell do you think you-!" Subaru started, but his rage was cut short. A huge boom was heard and then red and blue circles started floating in the sky, the signal to the whole royal army that victory had been achieved.
"What is that?" Subaru muttered, not knowing at all what those circles meant.
But, for Grimm, it was a different story. For him, they meant so much more. They nearly brought him to cry tears of joy as he muttered out, "The royal army…won?"
The very idea of achieving victory seemed so surreal. His squadron had been annihilated. He had wandered the battlefield barely surviving and he had to be saved at the very last moment by some kid even younger than he was. He was pathetic. Even if the army had been victorious, he had been a pathetic loser.
"Wait, does that mean that this is over?" Subaru asked suddenly, his voice full of hope and enthusiasm. Was it finally all over? Had he really made it to the end?
"Y-yes, the battle is over."Grimm answered, a bit taken back by Subaru's energy in this situation, even if he could understand the reason. He himself was feeling incredible relief now that everything was finally over.
Subaru was hysterically happy. He did it. He actually did it. He survived that hell.
"Finally, it's over…"
Grimm, on the other hand, was feeling pathetic. He didn't help at all in this battle. His dream of becoming a legend on the field… "It was all just mere delusions right...?"
But Grimm was sure of at least one thing. He had never seen someone with that much skill with the blade. He was sure that if there was someone who could proclaim victory proudly it would be…
"It was so trivial," the boy said in a flat tone, sounding bored. Grimm's expectations were crushed in an instant. The figure looked disappointed with how easily everything went.
Near him, Subaru's enthusiasm transformed into fury. He was having a hard time trying to contain himself from attacking that little demon.
But, with a few more seconds to think about it all, he realized that calling him out would be the same as suicide.
His body was shaking in fury. His fists were clenched in anger and his teeth were gritted together. He knew he would have had no chance. He knew he would probably die the instant he tried to attack the swordsman but the words he was spouting were outrageous!
This… kid, he was talking about killing people! Destroying lives! And he called it trivial!
"You little…" Subaru started, unsure what word could possibly carry all his rage, all his indignation at the swordsman. Devil? Demon? No, that would give him too much credit; it would make him almost sound cool. Monster? While it might be true, it has the same problem as the first two. Subaru combed his mind for a word that expressed his hatred for the swordsman's apathy and lack of emotion without giving him a name you could write a ballad to.
"That's it!" Subaru realised, a smirk growing on his face as he straightened his stance.
"You piece of shit, emoboy !" Subaru yelled, allowing the full weight of his rage to ride on the unimpressive insult he had purposefully chosen. Although, he was sure that no one knew what that meant anyway. He was in a fantasy world now, after all.
"What did you call me?" the stranger asked, turning to meet Subaru's gaze in response to his shouting.
Subaru had hurled that insult at the swordsman in a fit of rage and petiness, not fully thinking the consequences of his actions through. Initially, he thought that maybe he wouldn't have heard him, that maybe his shouting would have been lost in the chaos of the battlefield, falling into deaf ears. But he did hear, and he was now looking at Subaru with those empty eyes of his, Subaru's confidence evaporated in a second. At that moment, he felt a cold shiver run through his whole body as fear started taking control of him once again.
Still, Subaru knew that this was one of those moments, one of those decisions that divided the children from the men and he still had his pride left to defend. He wasn't going to be a coward in front of some kid!
"I called you an Emo, you depressing little devil!" Subaru repeated, making the best 'I don't fear you' voice he could muster at that moment along with the worst glare those nasty eyes of his could produce, sticking out his tongue before looking away.
It was almost imperceptible, but Subaru was shaking a bit. He just hoped they wouldn't notice it.
"Wha-" Grimm mumbled, completely confused. Did this civilian just insult the stranger? After seeing what he did? His mind couldn't process how someone could possibly be that stupid. He just hoped that he wouldn't take it too bad and kill them both.
"U-umm… you see… H-he didn't want to insult you! We, umm I have nothing to do with this man!" Grimm quickly stammered out, throwing his pride away yet again, the fear he felt through the entirety of the battle still vivid in his mind.
"What?!" Subaru exclaimed, offended by his newfound companion's words. Had they not just escaped the clutches of death together? Sure, they've only known each other for a few minutes but sharing in the horrors of war together should count for something!
"I just got to know him today! I have nothing to do with him so…" Grimm said, backtracking slowly away from what he believed was the soon-to-be site of a massacre.
The stranger, Wilhelm Trias, was confused as well, but for other reasons. He honestly respected the fact that the boy didn't retract his statement, but he didn't understand. What was an Emo? Was it an insult? Well whatever, he didn't care that much about those kinds of things.
An awkward silence looming over them, the trio looked to the sky, waiting for reinforcements to come and pick them up.
"All right, and your name is?"
"Natsuki Subaru."
"A surname? Are you perhaps a noble, maybe from another country?"
"No, I'm not, my family has always been from the middle class"
"Huh?"
"What's a middle class?"
At the moment, Subaru was at the knight's barracks. To be more precise, he was in an interrogation room within the barracks. 'I will admit, not the best start to my fantasy adventure' Subaru thought, eyeing the locked door beside him.
After managing to survive through the tumultuous battlefield, Grimm accompanied Subaru to the barracks, Wilhelm just sort of disappearing somewhere along the way. Grimm had tried to explain to the best of his capabilities Subaru's situation, but they still needed to hold him for a formal interrogation due to his strange… 'circumstances'.
"Do you have any friends or family you can contact?" the interviewer asked, shaking off his questions prompted by the mention of a 'middle class'.
The one holding Subaru's interrogation was Razaac, a man with a well-trimmed beard who was a full knight of the royal army. He was around thirty years old with short green hair and a deeply chiseled face. Within the army, he was known for his severity. As such, it was no surprise that when he heard about Subaru's situation, he immediately offered to interrogate him personally. Razaac felt there was something… peculiar about that story, and he wasn't wrong.
The man he went to interrogate wasn't what he had expected at all. Rather than being a fugitive or a young noble tired of his comfortable life, Subaru was a rather interesting individual unlike anyone he'd ever met before.
Natsuki Subaru wore strange and expensive-looking clothes yet denied being a noble and didn't behave like one at all. He had a surname but it did not appear in any public records or registries of the kingdom. He used weird words unknown to everyone but he didn't know how to read and, most notably, he seemed like a normal kid but his eyes held a certain… depth.
It was really hard to notice even for a royal knight like himself but there was something there. Perhaps it was because he saw the hell of the battlefield? Maybe, but he was certain that this kid hid more than what could be easily seen.
"All right, are you sure you don't know how you arrived at the basin? I find it hard to believe that you just somehow appeared there," Razaac questioned, equally as confused as he was suspicious.
"It's the truth, I don't know where I am. I'm clueless and completely broke!" Subaru declared, a tired smile on his face. It was clear that, despite his proclaimed positive attitude, this whole situation was mentally draining for him.
"Hmmm…" the royal knight hummed, throwing a glance at the metia on the table, hearing... nothing.
Said metia was the device they regularly used for interrogations. It could detect lies and created a loud dinging noise every time one was told in its presence.
This particular type of metia was extremely rare; the kingdom only had a couple of them. Thankfully, there was one at the barracks meant for the interrogation of any high ranking prisoners of war.
Somehow, the kid wasn't lying, much to Razaac's surprise.
"And so you have nowhere to go nor any family you can return to?" he asked, slowly coming to accept the strange reality that was Natsuki Subaru.
At this, Subaru lowered his gaze to the ground. He instinctively knew that he would never be able to return to his home. He knew he would never be able to see his parents again.
He didn't know what that device that the knight paid so much attention to did; for all he knew it could be some sort of magical truth machine, so he decided to be as honest as possible.
Frankly, Subaru was very excited about the idea of a new start from zero in a fantasy world. He didn't have the best of starts, but he wanted to be positive if possible.
His only regret was the fact that he left his home like that, without even waving at his mother, without even cleaning a stupid mug.
"No, I... don't think I can ever return there..."
Razaac knew what that sad look that Subaru had meant. He'd probably lost his family or was sure he would never be able to see them again. Even though he was curious about what his circumstances were, he knew better than to delve into someone's personal life like that. Even in war, it is important to respect the dead along with the living they've left behind.
"So he is oblivious to the language and customs of Lugunica, he doesn't have a family to return to, and he doesn't even have a penny to his name? Well, that weird metia he had in his pockets may cost something, but I still doubt he could survive alone, especially in these times of war. What to do…?"
The royal knight knew perfectly well what leaving Subaru on his own would mean in this situation; he would be either killed or become a vagabond. He was somewhat empathetic to Subaru's whole situation. The poor kid was very unfortunate in Razaac's eyes. There had to be something he could do…
"Ok, one last question. Do you have any connections with any demi-human?" he asked, the knight's eyes narrowing towards the metia, the pity and melancholy slightly fading from his face.
"Demi-humans? Do you mean those guys with animal features?" Subaru replied, recalling the violet-skinned warrior and the rabbit-man.
"I already had my doubts, so this is that kind of setting? Have I been summoned into some kind of war between humans and those demi-humans?"
Razaac was surprised, to say the least, "He said he was clueless but he doesn't even know what demi-humans are? What kind of sheltered life did this kid have?"
"Yes, exactly. The people with animal features." Razaac affirmed, the notion so obvious yet foreign that it felt odd to say aloud.
"Then no, that was the first time I've ever seen one," Subaru stated. The metia beside the table stayed silent, confirming Subaru's situation.
The knight was nearly at a loss for words. He closed his eyes and started pondering to himself, "He definitely won't survive if we leave him alone in the wild like that."
The knight knew better than anyone that, in this cruel world, only those who had incredible strength, intelligence, or those who helped each other could survive. This grim reality became even more true after the start of the war. Whatever he decided to do, he couldn't leave this poor kid alone.
"Let me be honest with you, kid," Razaac started, relaxing his body and rubbing the bridge of his nose.
He looked up to meet Subaru's eyes, that emptiness still lingering deep buried within them, and said, his tone as sincere as he could make it, "You're in the worst situation possible. You appeared out of nowhere in a battlefield without any documents, friends, or family. Not only were you somehow unaware that this nation is going through a war, you didn't even know what a demi-human was until one raised a blade to kill you!"
Hearing the interrogator's explanation, Subaru felt a strong urge to run away, to escape. He had somehow gotten into an absolute nightmare scenario. He, as all of his peers on the other world, had never experienced a war. The sheer brutality of it all already shocked Subaru when watching war documentaries back on earth and, now that he saw it in person, he only wanted to flee. Run away and hide somewhere. He was done with trying to be a main character. There wasn't even a heroine to fight for!
'This is the worst. After I'm finished here, maybe I could try to leave the kingdom? Going somewhere inconspicuous and living off a tranquil life sounds good. There's also all the knowledge I have. Maybe I could recreate some of the items from earth here?' Subaru thought, weighing his options, the thoughtful look on his face betraying his intentions.
Razaac instantly noticed this. He honestly pitied this poor kid who had found himself in such a terrible situation. He needed to be as honest as possible. He couldn't let Subaru harbor any dangerous ideas. The boy needed to know what he was getting into.
"It seems you're thinking about something. And you don't seem to have completely understood your situation. Allow me to explain it to you in detail," the knight began, allowing the severe intensity he was known for to be put on full display.
"As you are right now, you don't exist in the eyes of this kingdom. And, seeing the times of war we're in, if you were to exit this place without any kind of plan, money, nor documents, you would be either: killed by demi-humans, kidnapped by enslavers, or mugged and killed by thugs." Razaac said, lifting a finger, listing each bad end Subaru could encounter.
"Seeing your current position in this world, I think that maybe - at the very best - you would become a homeless vagabond. And, at worst, you could encounter the Cult," the knight explained, a sour expression coming to his face.
"And, if you're thinking about leaving Lugunica, I'm afraid you won't be able to," the knight said, instantly crushing what little hope Subaru could have left.
"Lugunica has its borders closed off due to the war, but even if you could somehow bypass the security, where would you go?" the knight said as he lowered the hand he'd been counting on and raised his other, three fingers already extended.
"Vollachia is an infamous nation known worldwide for its cruelty. Only the strong survive there," he said, lowering one finger.
"Gusteko is riddled with slavers and assassins. In that country, survival is unlikely and the weather…You wouldn't survive there," he continued, lowering another finger, a sour expression on his face.
"Kararagi would be a good option. It still has the same issues as the other ones but it is a good country where hard work is compensated and crime is minimal in the most populated cities... But lately we have received reports that there are demi-human camps near the border, slaughtering everyone foolish enough to try and escape," he stated, lowering his last finger.
'What kind of sadistic world have I just been summoned to?!' Subaru thought, his hopes long since crushed.
But the knight wasn't done yet. He wanted to do something for this boy, there had to be something he could do…
"How can I help him? Hmm… I got it!"
"Let me propose an offer to you, Natsuki Subaru," Razaac started, catching a small glimpse of hope forming in the boy's nasty eyes.
"Since you have literally nowhere else to go, what do you think about working here for us? We're rather understaffed and could use someone to help us with transporting all the necessary resources to the front," Razaac said, leaning back on his chair.
As he continued, a look of disgust crossed his face, "With the start of the war, many new soldiers are enlisted every day, but they all want to achieve glory or to obtain fame, no one wants to do this kind of job…" he ultimately said with a tired voice.
"I won't lie to you, kid. It is hard and it is dangerous. You'll be working long hours and you could very well die, but we will compensate you accordingly. We can offer housing, food, and a monthly paycheck, what do you think?"
Subaru was surprised yet again for what felt like the 100th time this day. He was expecting to be thrown into the streets as soon as the interrogation ended or even worse, but he certainly wasn't expecting a job offer.
He was certainly reluctant at the prospect of helping fuel a war that he had seen the carnage of first hand. It just sounded so… wrong to the black haired boy. And his first experience on the battlefield didn't help either.
"What should I do…" Subaru wondered. He had noticed the tone in the knight's voice. It was obvious that he was offering his help out of kindness and compassion.
As he began pondering about it, a small smile started to appear on his face before turning into a grin. "There's kindness here too. It would be rude to refuse. And, well, it's not like I have anywhere else to go."
Subaru had made his decision.
"Of course I accept. Thank you very much!" Subaru declared, standing from his seat and giving the man before him a swift bow.
Subaru was still in fear about what happened before. He would probably never be able to clear those images from his mind. But he was confident that he would be able to get through it all. This was his new opportunity at life. After living these last few years as a pathetic existence, holed up in his room all day, he was finally given the chance at a new start. This was his new beginning, his adventure from zero in another world.
A smile appeared on the knight's face as Subaru raised himself back up to eye level, Razaac also having stood from his seat.
"Well then, wait here while I do the paperwork. You'll need an ID if you want to live here and… Natsuki Subaru, welcome to Lugunica."
Subaru wasn't overly sure about how everything would turn out. The idea that he could be a stereotypical overpowered main character left his mind as soon as his first two… 'encounters' with the reaper came to be. But he wanted to be optimistic, surely everything would turn out for the best... Right?
In a certain mansion, a woman was drinking her favorite wine alone, thinking about the future. For the moment, everything was seemingly going according to her plans; slowly but surely all the pieces were coming together.
For more than four centuries, there has been a lingering prejudice against demi-humans, inspired by a 'witch' who attempted to destroy the world all those years ago. There had always been a heavy tension in the air, all that was needed was the right trigger and all that hatred and those repressed feelings led to a bloody war between the human and demi-human races.
The war has raged for many years now, weakening Lugunica and putting the nation in a state of chaos. The last battle fought was the bloodiest one yet in the history of the kingdom. And she knew what that meant. Soon the time would arrive and the reason she decided to expressly choose that body would come into play. Like a puzzle, everything was coming together, soon it would start, the beginning of the end for this civil war.
"Everything is going just as I planned, one day we'll be able to see each other again, teacher…" the woman said with an uncharacteristically serious tone, devoid of the strange yet playful speaking quirk that typically defined her speech.
She--Roswaal J. Mathers--had indigo hair that reached to her neck and fair skin like the finest of porcelain. She used a long robe, the front of which was left open to reveal a generous bust barely contained within a male military uniform. She wore heavy makeup on her face that somewhat resembled that of a clown, or maybe some kind of war paint. Her visage was gorgeous, making it hard not to notice her beauty. Her most striking features were her eyes, one of which was blue and one yellow.
"I should check again, just in case," she said to herself, a faint sense of anxiety lining her thoughts.
Thinking about her teacher always made Roswaal feel nostalgic. All she did during the last few centuries, all those awful crimes, all of those unforgivable sins, all of her actions were for one single objective: Bringing her back. Using the last gift from her teacher, Roswaal made the perfect plan. She had manipulated people, she had changed the course of history itself, all for that one dream. Thanks to her dear book, she would be able to obtain it and all the suffering and pain she had inflicted would be worth it in the end.
During this period of war, the book stayed relatively unchanged; no new prophecies were added or eliminated. Roswaal knew it probably wasn't yet the time to act.
That was one of the reasons she even considered choosing that body, after all. She needed it for her plans but there was also the fact that she knew she didn't need to be the 'ultimate Roswaal' yet. The prophecy already present wasn't that urgent either. She had time to relax and enjoy the moment without needing to think about who to manipulate next or how to change history in a way that would end up benefiting her… It was honestly very refreshing. She could have fun and distract herself from everything; to be her true self, to perhaps even be happy for a time.
Still... it would not be wise to not check the gift of her beloved teacher every once in a while. She was sure that it wouldn't suddenly change - her teacher was never wrong after all - but still, a bit of precaution never hurt.
"Leeets see…" she said, adopting her usual speech pattern once again as she took out a book with a black cover from her drawer.
It was the Tome of Wisdom, or rather a copy of it. One of the only two perfect copies in existence, there wasn't anything closer to the real one.
Opening it with the utmost care, Roswaal started flipping through its pages. Observing every word, searching for even the smallest change in the ink. Scanning every line, she could not see anything different from normal until…
"What?!"
Phrases started to disappear, words changing place with others, the ink started moving.
"W-wha- This has never happened before!"
Once again forgetting her speech pattern Roswaal observed the situation unfold with a shocked expression.
"This is the first time that something like this has happened, what is going on?!"
Roswaal J. Mathers could only helplessly observe as her destiny itself was being rewritten before her eyes…
Aaand done! This first chapter was hell itself to write hahaha…
(Man it was supposed to be out one month ago, talk about slothful…)
Well anyways, it came out very long so I'll call it even.
Now, a great shout-out to NotAPenguin and especially to TheColourPurple for doing some heavy editing for this chapter, without them this wouldn't have been possible at all. Also a big thank you to my other Beta readers, they were great worker-
I mean slave-
I mean friends and helped this become what it is now.
Check out TheColourPurple's story Pride's Greed (this man basically was a co-writer for the chapter).
Now for some questions that some of you may have.
-This will be most likely a monthly fic, so one chapter a month though it may vary if something comes up, the length should stay the same more or less.
-About the ships…
I don't really know myself how this will end, I'm writing this on the go so, while this may very well end with the dreaded Theresia X Subaru it may not as well.
-Since this is set during the demi-human war it is obvious that many characters from canon won't be appearing since many aren't even born yet and Emilia is still a crystal somewhere in Elior forest.
-For now this will be following canon but don't worry, there will be some huge changes after a certain someone is introduced so yeah, canon will be thrown out of the window at a certain point. Subaru will cause great chaos…
Well, and that's it. This was a project that I wanted to take for a long while now. So enjoy reading because I will surely enjoy writing this.
Also I appreciate criticism, as long as it's not the stupid kind… you know what I mean.
MetallicCube out.
