Author Notes: As the web novel (or more importantly, its translation counterparts) does a terrible job in differentiating a character's thoughts from the actual narration, I'll be taking on a narrative liberty here as to make the fic more malleable. I'll add an "aspect of unreliability" into the book's functions to limit what the characters can learn from it.

After all, the novel didn't quite reveal the book's rules explicitly (in fact, the described explanation we got are speculations from those that experienced it, ala Unreliable Narrator Style), and as evidence there's at least one instance of Subaru reading a Book from one of the Witches (Typhoon's) without necessarily acquiring all her memories or having his Od ravaged by her overriding spectral presence like Meili's one did (probably due to his lack of affection with the Pride Loli). This suggests the books can only be read partially if plot demands it, or that shenanigans involving the Witch Factors can limit or interfere in the book's purpose and function.

In short, I'll be abusing those gaps quite thoroughly. Be warned.

Chapter 05: The Light That Blinds

With sweat crawling down on his face, panic and exhaustion slowly settled in… For in the mess he's caught in, Subaru could only watch with anxiety as their situation slowly escalated into an incoming demise, with them being surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands, of giant, flower-covered, black bears trying to storm their little convoy heading into the illustrious Watchtower one kilometer or so in the distance.

It was all going so well! If it wasn't for Gyan losing his nerve things wouldn't come to this!

"(Then again, I guess It was too much to expect from him. Not everyone is as strong hearted as Patrasche here.)" Subaru quickly pondered as held his beloved spirit sister above his mount's neck so that she could fire her Minya shards to clear a path ahead, "Alright, good job, Beako!" He cheered, seeing several of the so-called Cortesian Bears crumbling into dust.

"Even so, I can't just keep firing so freely, in fact! I need to spare-" Yet, grimacing out loud, even more beasts showed up to corner them, forcing Beatrice to push her hands and cast, "Minya!" Non-stop.

"Why bother!? Fire away!"

Alas, their numbers were too many, far beyond Subaru's pitiful reserves of Mana to carve a path for the carriage. If things continue this way…

"Ah, this is bad, this bad! Why did it turn out like thi~s! We were so close!"

"...!?"

From behind the two, a little voice squeaked a complaint, her eyes tearing in a mix of panic and annoyance, "Hmph, If these bad pests won't obey, then I'll have to scold them for it! Come, Sandworm-kun!"

"What!?"

Meili, having had enough of this mess going out of hand, shouted forth for someone, the gleam of her Divine Protection shining invisibly to invoke what appeared to be an earthquake in the middle of the desert. Then, seconds later, bursting from the ground, the sand stirred up and parted away to allow a large silhouette to appear, it's presence throwing several bears up in the air while many others fell into a gaping abyss… said abyss being naught but a maw of a massive serpentine body that now began to eagerly swallow the Witch Beasts whole.

"...No way…" Subaru uttered, flabbergast.

"Go, Sandworm-kun! Crush them all! Every single one of them!~"

The sighting was both scary and reliving. Meili's little trump card made short work of the bears rushing up in their position. To everyone's surprise, the sandword did its job quite literally, by rolling up on the sand surface and crashing on the wave of claws and fur like an avalanche, wiggling around to deliberately crush them into the paste. And so, before they knew it, a clearing ahead was open for them to cross the surrounding meadow with speed.

Thus, with ice and shadows, blade and purpose, Subaru and his companions quickly left the scene. Of the few bears left, a combination of both Emilia's and Beatrice's spells supported by Julius's blade were enough to keep them safe, which meant… the Watchtower ahead was within reach.

"Ah, Sandworm-kun!"

Or so they thought, only to see the large beast Meili controlled being seemingly overwhelmed and torn down, its carapace collapsing in clear view. From there, it was a race against time between the Cortesian Bears running in a gallop free against two earth dragons with a package weighing them down to escape.

In other words, this rush was unsustainable.

"Not yet! Next help is comi~ing real quick now!" Exclaimed Meili still, clapping her two hands to call forth six more sandworms from the ground, their bodies albeit being twice as small as its bigger sibling (it's parent perhaps), but still enough to stem the tide, if only for a while.

"(It won't be enough though…)" Subaru surmised, "(With how ravenous these bears are, they'll claw and tear through with force alone. I've got to think fast.)" However, with little time for such, the Heroic Knight couldn't see any option other than pushing themselves as well, seeing how close they are to the objective… "We are nearly there, guys! We've just got to keep up the pace!" He shouted.

Leading on with Patrasche then, they all clung into his hope of reaching safety at last. With all the adrenaline flowing, their strength of morale was good all things considered. And ahead, towering high enough to pierce the clouds, the Watchtower's front door could be seen amidst all the sand surrounding it, the reality of their mission about to write history itself in the months to come.

But then, just as such thought crossed his mind, Subaru spotted a glint staring him down from the tower itself…

"...?" Straining his eyes, his face scowled enough to see what appeared to be a glow of a star facing his way, ominous and elusive, "What's-" that, he would ask, only for his consciousness to vanish a second later.

What happened next was too fast for him to process. At best, he could tell he was blinded. Beyond that, the Heroic Knight couldn't even comprehend what became of him… Nor would the minds that perceived through memories after a long journey of unmitigated success.


"...Ah!"

Jumping from their spots, shaking, both Beatrice and Emilia startled their peers as they lost their balance from such a sudden ending. Truly, in the blink of a second, they suddenly felt numb, their bodies quickly falling lethargic as if energy left their veins like a snuffled flame. But it wasn't from any sort of pain or anything; rather, It was more a combination of surprise and shock alongside their fatigued muscles still reeling from the last reading of yesterday…

"...?"

And so, falling to a bit of a silence, Ram, Meili and the remainder of Anastasia's camp could only stare with a mix of reluctance, worry and curiosity as the two readers resumed consciousness after spending about a minute idle. From the looks of it, they seemed… Perturbed? Confused? Something along those lines. They couldn't quite tell what.

"Emilia-sama." The oni maid addresses her superior with hidden concern, "Emilia-sama, are you okay? Are you-"

"Yeah, yeah… I'm fine. It's just…" Feeling the rush of lengthy memories crashing into her mind, the half-elf's demeanor shifted. Emilia felt disarmed, lost in thought, ponderous as she tried to make sense of everything but still stumbling on every attempt. If one were to ask her to say anything, the foremost thing crossing her at the moment would be: "Who am I?" In the most honest sense of the word.

"..." Fortunately for most, those words never left her mouth.

"This is…" Likewise, Beatrice felt the same in that regard but on a much stronger level. Her spirit core appears to be… disturbed, meddled with, rewritten deep down. Namely, she could tell that there was an "Intruder" in her sense of self, that her Od of her existence having been sabotaged under the barrage of memories and emotions brought out from the book. This disrupted her cognisance, forcing her to stop interacting with anything or anyone to assess what's plaguing her being on a clash of identities.

"..."

"...Riight, ya two are startin' to creep me out… Don't tell me ya got your heads cracked this time?" Anastasia tried, poking her royal rival with words to no avail.

This made Julius sigh, "I did warn them. This was too reckless…" He commented, scowling with disappointment, "Then again, it was you who stopped me and convinced them to go with it, Anastasia-sama. This is going to cost your image should the Sage Council find out." The Knight lectured to his liege.

"Hey, she volunteered for it!" The merchant princess barked back weakly.

"Yes, at your fox spirit's insistence no less." Ram retorted right after. She was certainly not amused, "I'll kindly remind them of this should it be the case. There will be retribution."

"Ghk!"

"So that's how black merchants play around, huh? I see, I see~" Meili teased, mischievously. Even she saw the fox's manipulation as a bit of a dirty deal.

Feeling the stares, Anastasia flinched, but still tried to hand waved it regardless, "Well, it couldn't be helped, right? It's not like we knew this discovery would devolve into this, not after what we have found." She affirms as an excuse, directing her gaze into the mountains of books still surrounding them at this moment, "What else will we stumble into this treasure pile of knowledge though?"

"Treasure pile? Hmph, no, these are more akin to a cursed trove if anything else…" The red oni spat in a snide.

Seeing a cue, Echidna chose to pronounce herself, "...At least it seems that neither Emilia or Beatrice are traumatized to any extent. If we give them some time, then perhaps we can start drawing conclusions from there…" She decided, drawing yet another round of stares.

Alas, while they mumbled their words of disagreement, worry and apprehension for their poor choices, none of them could even begin to comprehend what was going on in the minds of the two recent readers…

To pick an example:

"(Please… There's no need.)" Emilia wanted to assure them that she's fine, but couldn't, feeling a certain loss of control regarding her body. She wanted to speak with them directly, to say that they didn't have to act as if she was a cripple, and that everything was simply a bit overwhelming, even if that was far from the truth.

However, as soon as these thoughts crossed her mind, Emilia could recognize how her speech patterns wanted to change in return. Instead of the gentle, assuring course of a river that is amicable to everyone, her mannerisms were being molded into a more outgoing and boisterous style, brash and frank, as if to exude confidence out of nowhere without any tact. It was baffling. Even her emotions were in a jumble, mixing her relief at the accuracy of the records with a strange sense of desperation born seeing her strange surroundings and the state of their situation. She didn't know where she was, or what had really happened.

That was when her, Emilia, realized that she was not alone in her mind… There was someone else there, someone she knew very deeply and intimately. And she knew who it was…

"[Who am I? Who are you? I'm Natsuki Subaru. Am I being possessed? What is this? I'm a dead? But how? That strange light…]"

"(Who am I? Who are you? I'm Emilia, just Emilia. Are you in my head? What is this? No, I'm/You're alive! How? It never happened!)"

Indeed, found herself in this dilemma, it took some considerable time, asking and answering questions back and forth with her confused imprint of a Knight before he seemingly retreated into unconsciousness. Without Emilia even realizing it, both her and Beatrice had a hand touching their forehead inject mana into their bodies, said hands belonging to none other than Julius.

"Urgh… Though I would like to be, I'm no expert of the mind, miss. I can only pray this will be enough." Expresses the Greatest of Knights, trying to assess the damage.

Not that the nearby maid cared, "That is but an excuse Ram is hearing. Your epitaph must be worth something if you can use every kind of magic. Kindly pour your very soul into it." Ram demanded, glaring at the man with arms crossed.

"Epitaph? Am I supposed to die?" Julius inquired, deadpan, only to receive a nod in return. In other words, the maid's wishes were clear.

Luckily for him, it didn't have to come to that. Jumping alarmed, the Great Spirit felt sickened by the second intrusion in her being and slapped his hand away, glaring at the Knight for his actions. She opened her mouth to speak, but no voice would come out of it, causing her only to click her tongue instead.

The half-elf on the other hand seemed to have regained her awareness, blinking absently at her peer who stood expectant.

"Emilia-sama, are you better now? I did my best without my maiden's aid, but still…"

"No no, this time I'm okay." She assures him, even showing a bright smile.

"Uhum… Then? What did you see?" Anastasia instigated now that the good news seemed to be proved.

Emilia's eyes eerily sparkled next, the previous smile growing into a grin, "This is it… This book has a real memory in it!" She exclaimed, holding the book XXI for all to see.

"...What?" / "Really?" / "Hmm…" / "...I doubt that…" And as expected, this brought about much shock to the rest, hoping to hear more.

"I was really surprised. Everything on it went right this time. Subaru acting strange; Us three facing Wrath; Me getting captured; then… then…" The half-elf quickly sputtered, hastily pushing her words out to the point of hyperventilating, almost afraid that she would forget despite the memory being vividly burned in her mind.

Safe to say it, she was quite ecstatic about it.

"Calm yourself, Emilia-sama." Echidna guided, "Take a deep breath, and slowly fill us in. We aren't going anywhere."

"Ah! Right… Sorry."

"Do tell us though. Seems like you found somethin' quite fascinatin' there…" Anastasia prodded more, her eyes greedy. From her point of view, this book could be quite the safe bet compared to the rest. Either that, or Emilia's pain tolerance is higher than expected.

This left both Ram and Julius wary of it all, their eyes narrowing with suspicion as they observed the Little Spirit nearby looking down, deliberately returning into that catatonic state previously. Something is wrong here. They both could tell… but opted to listen instead just to be sure. Meanwhile, Meili and Patrasche stood observant, eyes and ears at the ready just as Emilia began her recounting as to what she had learned…


And what a story indeed. Though naught but another slice of Natsuki Subaru's shredded life in one volume, the things found in it was perhaps the most accurate account of events they had discovered so far, easily challenging any doubt regarding the library's validity here. It 's undeniable. The way it just replicated the Siege of Pristella from the Hero Knight's point of view with him having already caught a glimpse of the Witch Cult's affairs and then going on his way from renewing everyone's hope into saving his own Liege practically alone… It just shows again how these books are a masterpiece of a magical creation.

"...So I was right in the end. Natsuki-kun did restore his memories using the library. There can't be any other explanation." Echidna judges, collecting her evidence, "Aside from the two who didn't experience the Siege, we all can affirm that the events went exactly as told, correct?"

Both Anastasia and Emilia nodded to the fox's inquiry, leaving only Julius to ponder for a second, "I don't know. Can we really just accept that?" He countered, glancing to the half-elf, "I mean, with no disrespect Emilia-sama, but while I did hear the story from both you and Subaru back in Priestella, we still only have your word here. Couldn't you possibly have misjudged or missed a scene or two?" The Greatest of Knights questioned.

"No, I didn't! Everything fits this time, I'm telling you!" The ice princess rebukes, cutely angry, "Subaru knew of the danger. He saved me and everyone! Don't you act all suspicious now!" She expressed, much to the surprise of the others.

"..."

"..."

"M-my apologies, but my point still stands. What about the ending?" Julius retorted, bringing his reasoning, "In the book, you've said that we did carry out our initial gamble of crossing the meadow with Miss Meili's calming the beasts, right? That's how we all died to Sage Shaula's devastating magic. Now, for reasons that are more than obvious, that can't be true, so why would the book deviate there? Are you suggesting that Subaru simply selected what to believe or not from it?"

"Well, I…"

"I kinda do, actually." Anastasia quickly argued on Emilia's behalf, drawing Julius's attention, "For everythin' to be so correct to this extent… It's not that hard to think that's the case, isn't it? After all, what else to believe in when you don't have any memories? If anythin', I figure that our amnesiac Natsuki-kun, after learning how drastic things were, opted to simply pick the most logical option and take the memories for granted." The merchant deduced, "In fact, with how little we do know about anythin', what's to say that reading these books wouldn't just help him with.. say, untying a knot in his head so that everythin' flow out?"

"..." Hearing her speculation, both the Knight and the rest pondered among themselves. The untying of a knot… In other words, Subaru's amnesia as the hands of Gluttony being not a complete vacation of records, but more like an door or an obstacle holding them back; and that these books were but a single catalyst to make him suddenly recall everything at once after reading it.

On second thought, It does make sense, if vaguely.

"In this case, he wouldn't have to read everythin', just enough to knock some sense into him and bring him back." Anastasia concluded.

"How can you be so sure of this?" Her Knight asks with reluctance.

To that, the merchant princess simply winked at him, spinning her finger around to point at the library, "Simple, back when we first got here yesterday, Beako-chan was the one who found the other books, remember?"

"..." Recalling himself, Julius blinked in silence as he did remember seeing the Great Spirit doing her work lifting but a few stray books when they had entered. If that's the case, then…

"Considering how there was only a few of them, this more or less explains why Natsuki-kun wasn't left broken or traumatized by anythin'. Maybe he just got lucky and found the least painful ones." Anastasia added, smiling with some envy, "(How fortunate of him…)"

"(Even so… Wouldn't that be too easy of a solution? Can an Archbishop's Authority be defeated this quickly with only a portion of his memories?)" The Knight doubted that was the case. While he didn't give voice to this, Julius knew that every instance of the Witch's Cult malevolent powers felt like an insurmountable mountain to overcome, always costing casualties in the end, so it can't be this simple.

Yet what other possibilities there are regarding Subaru?

"Urgh, this is ludicrous…" Overwhelmed by this, Ram's apathetic demure finally shocks apart, revealing a maid girl shaking on her spot. Either that was due to anger or fear, it was anyone's guess, "So Barusu simply helped himself in the library, huh? How quaint. If all it took to put him back in shape was some beating, then Ram would've kindly give him some… But nooo, being empty headed and retarded, he just had to do it by himself, again, and then leave the hassle for us to deal with next. Tch!"

Shivering under the oni's aura, Meili recoiled a little, "Urgh, this onee-san is scary!" She whispered, holding Shaula like a baby.

"I'm glad though… At least Subaru didn't suffer much." Emilia smiled once more, with relief this time, "Of course, I would prefer if he didn't suffer at all, but that's just like him, always getting reckless and leaving me alone like this…"

"Hmm… If what Ana says is true, and Emilia's recounting is accurate, that still leaves us with the biggest mystery of this room, as in, the books themselves…" Echidna comments, shifting everyone's focus, "We're back at the beginning again: What are they? What do they hold? Memories? Recollections? Prophecies? At this point, any of those are a possibility."

Julius shakes his head, "In all honesty, another question that plagues is how did Subaru stumble into the books of his own? This library is too massive to be searched, and even if there's magic involved in their placement, the odds of it… Could the Sage be behind this? Maybe have planned this beforehand?" Ever curious about the Legends of past time, the Greatest of Knights still had way too many questions regarding what they uncovered. However, the pressure of it all, the weight of the memories suffered… It was taking a toll at last, "Urgh, I… I'm not in the mood for this." He was about to get a headache.

"Hehe, maybe not you, Julius-kun, but I feel just fine to explore some more." Anastasia however, remained cheerful. While the horrors of being devoured alive still scarred her heart with paranoia, her greed was pushing the trauma away. After all, when in a bad moment, one should always exploit loopholes, just like how Hoshin himself had. Moreover, judging by how Emilia seemed fine with this book, her previous manipulation did end up paying off in the end… that is, by presenting her another chance to push her investigation.

In this case, "It shouldn't be a problem now if I read it myself, right?"

Yet, blinking more intensively this time, practically leering at his Liege Lady, Julius was left incredulous, "Anastasia-sama. Please stop." He pleaded, only to be faced with her petty stubbornness.

"Oh come on, this one's harmless! My little gal here didn' feel anythin' from such a sudden death, did she? Besides, It is my belief none of it is real anyway. Subaru did end up helping you guys with his mind fine and dandy, so it shouldn't be a problem. I just want to see the account with my own eyes and prove my conclusions for sure."

Then, like children, the two kept staring at each other with conviction.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I am your Boss, riiiight?"

"... … … **Sigh**... That you are, of course…" Being the more mature of the two, the Knight yielded, "However, can't you at least delay it for later? I would rather prefer you to be protected just in case." He proposed.

"Fine, have it your way." Anastasia vaguely conceded, "I'll take what I can get, I guess."

"Thank you. (Reason wins at last…)"

"...How frustrating, I suppose…"

And so, after all the reveals, all the discussions and theories they argued about, a certain voice finally decided to speak, her tone carrying a touch of growing anger as she addressed everyone in the room.

"...How frustrating it is to hear you children treat this like a game, in fact…" Shimmering under a thin layer of purple mana, Beatrice unveiled her disgust towards her peers, "You all keep on prattling about as if you knew everything, as if you understood what Betty's Subaru went through when it's so obviously wrong! I hate it. I hate all of it!" The loli spirit boasted with fervor.

"E-rm, Betty? What are you-"

"None of it was real? Subaru was fine and dandy? He was just lucky? You-You!" As she tried to find her words there, desperately wanting to spat at their faces, Beatrice nonetheless held back, looking away with a newfound reluctance as something else crossed her mind there: A promise that she was bound to, summoning loyalty through her contract… She couldn't just confess the things she wanted to for her contractor's sake. Or at least, not right now she can't… "Tch! You're all just making empty assumptions, I suppose. You all are wrong about everything, in fact."

"...Beako." Emilia whispered, now feeling a strong need to console the grieving spirit. In fact, beating in her heart, the half-elf felt compelled to do it… as if it was her personal duty to do so, even though she knew couldn't. Knowing Beatrice however, it was clear this would only make her angrier.

"..." As for the rest, they were taken aback by this sudden outburst. Granted, it wasn't like they hadn't noticed how the girl spirit had behaved since she awakened from the reading. At the time, most presumed that she was simply indulging in the moment, feeling something more profound and personal, the usual given how she's contracted to Subaru directly. This outcry here on the other hand… It suggested more.

"Interesting choice of words…" Echidna perks up, "Does that mean you noticed something else that we didn't?" The fox dared ask, much to the apprehension of the others.

Seeing that, Beatrice simply hmphed, "No, nothing of the sort, I suppose. I was just expressing my intuition, in fact. Being Subaru's spirit, Betty can feel it clearly."

"Is that so? How odd. It certainly sounded more than that from where I stand..." Echidna implied next, glancing her spiritual sibling eye to eye, only to be faced with a cheek and a pout. A cute distraction from her part… "Hmm… In any case, I presume you still believe these books to be memories then? Something more unique than mere reconstructions of time? Or do you doubt that Subaru regained his memories so easily like Ana mentioned?"

"I wouldn't know the answer so easily, you nosy goof. Like I said, you are making empty assumptions, I suppose. Just because you've found a very convincing book, you won't understand the bigger picture so easily."

"(...Which in turn leaves me to believe that you do know of said picture, Beatrice… Or at least, have enough of a hint to believe there's a clear one from your perception. Otherwise you wouldn't have let out such a fuss…)" Faced with that dead-end discussion, the white fox pondered over her options without wanting to antagonize herself further. Clearly, the Great Spirit won't spill out anything; which means, "I'll have to look it deep myself, then. Ana, if you don't mind, I'd like to join you as well when time comes." She addressed her consultee.

"Oh, no problem, the more the merrier~" The merchant expresses eagerness, much to Julius' dismay.

"..." This whole quandary is clearly putting strains on their little alliance here, "(And we are back at multiple readers again…)"

"Hmph. Typical. Anyhow, I demand you all to leave this room right now, I suppose. I want to clean this mess we've made alone in such an old and pristine place. Its sight bothers my librarian's spirit." Beatrice demands next, swinging her little hands like brooms to shoo the pests away, "Come on, shoo shoo, in fact."

Feeling distressed however, Emilia wanted some bonding time, "Erm, me and Ram could help if you want." Her offer did make the oni twitch her eye, but she didn't mention anything. She is a maid after all, and the half-elf is her superior on hierarchy.

"Denied, I supposed."

"But-"

"I said no, in fact! Betty wants to be alone in this place. Leave me be." Unfortunately, the loli spirit bluntly rejects them, already turning her back to work on the books piling up nearby.

"..." Disheartened, the ice princess had no choice but to comply.

"It seems we're unwanted here, Emilia-sama. Ram suggests vacating the premises as requested." Informed the red oni already heading outside. Anastasia and her camp followed soon after, carrying the book XXI of course, but not before Julius demanded some deference from his Liege to the spirit.

"Urgh, fine, fine, I guess I'm in debt here…" The merchant princess states, humbling herself under the gaze of her knight, "For all that's worth, I'm sorry for my arrogance and my actions, Great Spirit. I shouldn't have dismissed your feelings so openly with my words." Anastasia confesses.

"..." She received no answer though as Beatrice simply began to organize the piles. Thus, with a curt bow, they left.

"Yelp~ Guess I'll take a walk then." Meili, taking the opportunity to mount Patrasche, simply goes out like nothing ever happened. At this point, it was clear her real Onii-san wasn't really in danger, not when his spirit was so feisty like that. Plus, after yesterday, gambling between good and bad memories is not something she wanted to make a hobby of. If anything, she would prefer to leave the whole mystery to the others and simply listen in, "My, your papa was a really nasty fellow, wasn't he?" The child assassin played out, poking at Shaula's little scorpion frame.

Said scorpion wasn't amused by that however and immediately pincered her finger in response.

"Ow! Ow Ow Ow! I'm sorry, I'm sorry T_T."

And so, they leave, with Emilia being the last one to give the loli spirit a last glance before the door of the library was shut in a loud thump, banishing all sound and presence from the room except for the handling of leather books, and the occasional magical gleam…

"..."

Beatrice was alone at last, left without any distractions so that she could search for any leftover book that was buried in this labyrinthic mountain of pages and paper. Her true goal? Dig deeper into the memories and seek out that strange twinkle of epiphany that had been formed after waking up this morning.

"(...How did you knew, Subaru? …How did you knew about every danger we face, I suppose?)" The spirit reflected, sadness and fear filling her core, threatening tears to spill out, "(...The witch cult's attack… Wrath's true powers… Shaula's piercing light… It wasn't intuition back then, was it? No, you were too certain of it, too aware and confident about the dangers… If that's true, then how? How did you knew?… What are you hiding, and why?)" She demanded with anguish.

And from the deeps of her mind, as if summoned to answer her call, so did Subaru, speaking directly into her mind, "[I wish knew, Beako… I wish I could tell you.]"

"Ghk!"

Indeed, recalling the deformed hallucinations that had once haunted her earlier - where her contractor seemingly agonized over the pain that she too had felt in her skin - Beatrice now knew that they weren't just traumas given life by imagination alone. No, there was something more to it, a cruelty taken form as a kind of mockery towards her, wanting to strike at her heart.

"What a terrible joke, I suppose. An horrible, unforgivable joke." The Great Spirit expressed, almost stuttering as she let sadness mix in with the bitterness, "To conjure a figment of my imagination so vividly…"

"[...What do you mean?]"

"You are not real, I suppose, just some mental anomaly conjured from my little maiden heart, in fact." The loli spirit explained, clearly upset as she glanced away from him, "Of course, this is not just a coincidence. Chances are that you're a result of constantly reading these despicable books back to back. And considering how they seemed to be linked to Od Laguna, there's no way Betty wouldn't notice it affecting me so deeply with every volume."

That shocked the apparition, who was still hung on the first words, "[…So… Am I not… real…?]"

"Yes…" Then, going on her way to grab a random tome, she continued, "Memories, visions, emotions… Whatever it is that these pages hold, the content inside just barges into your skull like a smith striking a hammer when you read it, I suppose. It's too invasive and possessive, in fact, rewriting your entire self just to accommodate new information."

"[…]"

"I don't know if I should either praise or chastise that knight's children, but clearly they could have done a better job of isolating this errant corrosion from my core, I suppose." She reflects, somberly, letting words carry their weight before shaking her head, "But then again, I guess Betty can be considered an aberration when it comes to her spiritual form... Mother's work is too complex for their young minds to truly comprehend, in fact."

"[Beako…]"

"At any rate, I suppose it doesn't matter right now… Betty figures she must act grateful, if only for a little moment. Thanks to them, at least you can stay right there, stranded away from my Od and not causing any problems or bringing me nightmares." She affirmed, slowly resuming her nonchalant persona, "Better to have you acting free as you are rather than let my mind be strangled with your foreign thoughts, in fact."

Such was the bitter circumstances in which the Great Spirit found herself…

Right from the moment she had awakened from the book, her mind was bombarded by an adrenaline-strung imprint wanting to know what happened to his situation, the shock and sudden death he faced never crossing his mind due to how quickly it happened. From his point of view, he was riding Patrasche, staring an strange light as it shined… The next, he felt a like an ghost, trapped in a body not of his own, unable to control it, not feel it, all while in place he didn't know where or what it is until Beatrice forced him into compliance for questioning.

However, as he, [Subaru], would find out, not only was his existence some kind of falsehood, his whole past seemed to be blackened by a mist, devoid of any root whatsoever where he could grasp upon...

"[...This is so unfair. I know there's more to it. I feel there's more to it. But can't remember anything before that plaza with Liliana…]" His voice proclaimed, "[That's the furthest that I can go…]"

"Naturally, there's an obvious reason for it. You are a construct from these books. Nothing more, I suppose." Beatrice reaffirmed him, making him see through her eyes, "Though you speak like Betty's Subaru, or feel like him, you are not him, in fact. You can't summon information from nothing. That said…"

"[That said…?]"

"There might still be a chance, I suppose. A chance that in one of these tomes, you would have the answers I'm looking for." The Great Spirit hoped for it, "And when I find it, I'll finally be able to know what malady haunts your mind, in fact." That's what she settled for, decidedly unburying the covers one-by-one for his enigmatic name.

"[...Ah.]"

Faced with her decision, [Subaru] stood silent, contemplating his options. If his book's latest visions were so accurate as to reconstruct the past as she knew it, Beatrice then had an idea. If her still-living Subaru won't say anything, why not ask this one? Quite, false as he is, being naught but an imprint born from her Od and isolated by Julius's protective magic, this [Subaru] is practically a foreign non-existence. In other words, the Great Spirit isn't beholden to him by neither contract nor promise, and can demand anything she wants.

"(Moreover, If this can help me understand your pain, then maybe, just maybe, you'll forgive Betty for going on your back like this…)" Beatrice reasoned with a self-excuse.

And so she continued with her hailing work, determined to find it alone, for his sake. After a minute or so of this, [Subaru] came to a decision. He had to risk it, if only to ease up the life of his other self out there…

"[Say Beako… I want you to hear something first.]" He began ominously, his mind voice showing a tinge of fear.

"Hmm?" Though not stopping, she was attentive.

"[I… I can-]"

…As he whispered into her mind, Beatrice would blink sensing the world feeling muted. But it was not like her movements had stopped, no rather, the voice in her mind seemed to vanish… Whatever it is that he was about to say, the part that composed of her Od standing in his existence briefly expired away in the middle of his sentence, like a void taking up his place for but a second.

Sadness would come from this, for in [Subaru]'s attempt to reveal the Tragedy of Life to the one he calls his little sister, the world denied him once more…

Be it but an imprint in another mind or his true self strolling around searching for Rem, neither the Witch nor the World was willing to give in any piece. Such is his cruel fate, to suffer greatly at the hands of everyone's sins in the search of his happy ending…

If only that could be averted somehow…

To be Continued…

Author Notes Again: Okay, I have to admit, I'm into some kind of an Author Block here. Either that, or I wrote myself into a corner. This is WAY HARDER than I thought It would be. I mean, just to rant here and explain my issues: The problem with the books of Taygeta is that they aren't just information storage units. When someone reads them, they in turn write down the data they have into the person's psyche.

How deep this effect is on a person is vague and contradictory. When I read IF:Gluttony to get an impression of what I should do, the story gave me the impression that it's essentially enforced schizophrenia, as in, the hallucinations brought by it are but a recreation of what the reader wants and believes them to be. They don't react or comment at all when Amnesiabaru goes on his murder insanity. In fact, when he's alone, the ghost of his friends as is everything is normal, going as far as to praise him in their personas, as if they are mere puppets in which Amnesiabaru envisions them to be.

But then, as I read the effect on Our Subaru with Meili, that picture collapsed immediately. Meili basically taunts Subaru's every action and thought, seeing what he's seeing, feeling what he's feeling, despite her being naught but a leftover construct from her own book. So where does this leave me?

When I began writing this fic, I was like… Well I find it impossible to write Ignorant Ghosts alas IF:Gluttony and I don't want Ghost Subaru to spill the beans so suddenly, soooo, let me create a BS rule where Julius' magic actually can do something to retard the effects from the books. That way, I can leave the imprint effects vague and make only add a twist to scare the characters as they continue exploring the mystery.

That was easier said than done. And now, not only did the dice betray me already by giving me a perfect run with a painless death, now I got to somehow limit Ghost Subaru from makiing this fic real short to my standards, and not like, make Emilia, Beatrice and the others just run the fuck away to find Their Subaru as soon as possible for actual explainations.

Anyone willing to give me a hand?