Cross-posted to Ao3. Enjoy.


In and around the great dragon nation of Lugunica, many smaller, humbler settlements served as places of agriculture and food production. These villages served as the homes of roughly two-thirds of the country's populations, with the Capital housing the rest.

One day, disease struck the crops most of these villages contained, and within a week agricultural production would grind to a halt. The disease was abrupt and sudden, one possible cause being linked to a sudden decline in the mana count in the air and ground, though it shouldn't have been so bad as to render the land infertile. It was the best explanation available however, so that was what most chose to believe.

Slowly but surely, food supplies began to dwindle, marking the start of a famine; the only famine in the history of Lugunica: The Great Hunger was born.

Why the Od Laguna allowed this, no one could fathom why. They doubted it just stopped working after serving them since the first souls came to be. At the same time, the world simply couldn't have made such a grave oversight to the state of the populations. It never failed them before, so why fail now?

In the coming months, riots and revolts would soon spring forth, and Lugunica would be plunged into a state of economic depression. Only the wealthiest would remain unharmed. The main state would suffer losses from immigration and death, and the surrounding provinces would bear the brunt of the disaster, experiencing the bloodiest revolts among the peasants.

The main province was closed off from the outside, only allowing those deemed trustworthy; namely those who were citizens to begin with, could pass through. All the peasants and residents of the surrounding villages were driven out, and if they proved persistent, killed.

The nobles and those of higher social status were quick to point fingers at one another, eager to find something to pin the blame on, even going as far as to question the motives of foreign nations or races of nonhumans.

Farsale, despite his young age, had to go to great lengths to prevent any of his subjects from doing anything too stupid, lest there be a three-front war with the other leading nations, not to mention a civil war among his own people. Even Volcania, the divine dragon, had to act in order to prevent any scuffles among the nations. Dealing with their subordinate's egos brought forth serious migraines for both king and dragon.

Soon enough, a scapegoat was found within the ranks of the proletariat. Just a little before the discovery of the mass crop death, a girl was born. This girl had ludicrous amounts of mana within her, eclipsing the power of even their best mages.

It was reasoned that the famine was the result of her birth, as her mana reserves were linked to the decline of the mana everywhere else. The populations jumped on the opportunity, hailing the little one as a witch; devil's spawn by those of the lower classes, and the family she belonged to was forced into hiding, concealing their identities from the general public.

Whether or not the young one had anything to do with it, or if it was simply a coincidence, no one truly knew. The only thing that everyone could agree on was that they were hungry.

In one particular village, a small child rested on her mother's lap. The child's stomach gnawed at her insides, as she hadn't eaten anything in nearly a day. Her young eyes peered at the barren surroundings, searching for any sign of food.

Directly in front of her was a small, round table and two chairs adjacent to the one she sat in, both tucked underneath. There were two cups on the table. One was empty, and the other was half-empty, containing water.

In one corner was an old mattress, large enough for two to sleep on, though the whole family shared it. The child was small enough to squeeze in between her parents, so there wasn't much of a problem. Papa sometimes rolled off the bed, and on rarer occasions bringing her down with him. He'd gotten yelled at by Mama a number of times, though they all ended up laughing over it.

Next to that was a simple shelf, though it was mostly empty, containing a single roll of gauze, already almost gone, three plates stacked on top of each other, and a family portrait, all on varying levels of the shelf. The portrait was little more than a crude drawing of three stick-figures.

What was presumably the father had had an eye patch, and a single yellow dot made for its remaining eye. There was a brown scribble on the top of its head, with one of the sides going down into a sort-of ponytail. Another stick figure had a triangle for a torso, and a long grey squiggle signified the mother's hair. In between the two, held in both parents' hands, was a smaller stick figure, also with a triangle for a torso, and a short gray squiggly for hair. A large smiley was plastered on, and two yellow dots hovered above the smile. Save for the eyes, the child almost looked like a smaller version of her mother.

She looked to the water cup on the table.

The constant hunger was a pain she had grown accustomed to during her short life, though it was a companion she could do well without. Mama held her tightly as they waited for Papa to return with some yummy food.

"Hey, Mama, Mama..." The little girl, Daphne, gnawed on a stray hair that had entered her mouth. It was starting to gray, despite her young age. At first she thought it was normal, but Mama said it wasn't even though she also had gray hair. She couldn't really tell after that. All that she could tell was that she was hungry.

Of course she was hungry. She had been for most of her life. There were times when she wasn't, somehow, but they were luxury days few and far between. According to Mama, she was born only a week before the crops died out, and a month before the famine took full effect.

"What is it?" Mama responded in a soft, sing-song tone after a short delay.

"When will Papa be here?" She felt a sharp superficial pain from pulling out a single hair, but barely noticed it. She swallowed the hair.

Mama seemed to take her time to respond, giving a prolonged hum.

Like her daughter, her straight hair began to gray when she was a child. The rest of her features seemed to remain untouched, however, only caving inwards from the hunger. Her hair gently brushed against the floor with each rock of the chair.

"Mama?"

"Your father is coming back with some yummy food for all of us," She eventually decided to say, "He'll be here soon, don't worry."

" mmn ... but it's been so loo~ng ," Daphne mumbled, reaching over to the cup containing the water. She grasped it with both hands and downed the rest. She set it back on the edge and pushed it further toward the middle, leaning her body forward as Mama loosened her grasp. It did little to help the ache in her stomach. If anything, it made it hurt worse. The pain in her stomach incited her to think of the little meals she had managed to come across.

The thought of food made her hurt even worse, especially combined with her gastric juices trying to digest the water she recently downed, but she couldn't help herself if she tried. The phantom scents of apples and potatoes, ghosts of past meals, wafted into her nostrils uninvited. The taste and texture of these elusive rarities was burned into her taste buds, though she could barely taste anything at all anymore. Her little eyebrows furrowed.

There were often days that she couldn't eat at all. She counted the longest streak being about five before any food entered her mouth. She remembered the bliss she felt on the sixth, when an apple-pie, or so Papa called it, presented itself to the three of them, not to mention two entire bread loaves to store. They gorged half of it, and Mama used ice magic to preserve the rest, though within the week it was gone anyway. The memory made her mouth water.

She could feel her mother's gaze on her when she softly bit down on the collar of her poorly maintained shirt, but she couldn't stop herself from chewing on her own clothes. She knew it worried her mother, but the hunger ate at her. She wished she could eat it back.

Her eyes darted around the room once more, searching for any crumbs or morsels she may have missed, but there was nothing. A wave of frustration washed over her, and she clutched her stomach, an act she had developed a habit of in the first few years of her life.

Why did everything have to be so empty? The house was empty, Mama was empty, she was empty, and Papa would probably be empty if he didn't have his 'divine protec-schon.' She bit off the piece she was chewing completely with a small growl, leaving a sizable gap.


Creusa looked upon her child's actions, concerned. It hurt her to watch such a fine young girl resort to chewing off bits of her own clothes, but she knew her daughter's stubbornness, so she made no move to intervene. Instead, she reaffirmed her grip on the child and rested a chin on her shoulder. Daphne's movements paused, and Creusa felt her tiny hands grasp the arms that held her. She seemed so frail and vulnerable in that moment that Creusa nearly forgot of her unparalleled affinities.

Daphne was strong, she had to remind herself. Absurdly strong, she knew this. It wasn't common for an infant to single-handedly slaughter an entire gang of witch-hunters, after all; she shuddered at the memory. In spite of that, the supposed witch was still her daughter, and maternal concern overtook her.

At the end of the day, strength didn't determine whether or not one had to eat; only whether or not they could. There was nothing to compete over though, so in spite of her immeasurable mana count, here she was, starving like the rest of them. Daphne was strong, yes, but she still needed food. Everyone did. Well, everyone except one person she knew of.

Her worries shifted to Peneus, her idiot husband. He was out at the moment, presumably tussling with the crowd in an attempt to gain supplies the nobles handed out, but the carriages of food brought by the nobles departed some time ago. Knowing him, he'd probably come back more injured than necessary. He had quite the knack for getting into trouble, after all.

One time, he got into a fist fight with a local beggar over a stray piece of candy they both stumbled across at the same time. Another time, this one just a number of months ago, he arrived at the doorstep bruised and battered, with stab wounds and lacerations donning his midsection.

In his grip was well over three times the usual number of rations, courtesy of the three dead bodies a way behind him. Had it not been for Creusa's affinity for healing, he would have wound up dead instead of half-dead. She made sure to give him an earful that day.

Her magic took its toll on her, however. Contrary to her daughter's befuddling talents, Creusa's gate was fickle at best, even well before the famine took its hold. Now, she struggled to take in mana much more than usual, on average taking well over a month before she had enough to properly do anything with. In her current state, she would be forced to use her own Od, unless she thought it was a good idea to kill herself from self-induced mana deprivation.

Either way , she thought, she'd probably kill herself. Not that it mattered, since Peneus would probably refuse any healing from her anyway, unless he, by some miracle, managed to get his mits on a bocco fruit. Even if he had, he'd still tell her to hold back. She wouldn't, obviously. It was his own damn fault for getting into the messes he did in the first place, so it was only fair she risked herself in return.

Honestly, that man...

She stroked her daughter's tangled and tattered hair while she shifted on her lap. Creusa's soft hums filled the run-down cottage as she recollected the previous few years of the famine.

They had gotten used to living covertly and nomadically for quite some time now; seven years to be exact, about as long as Daphne had been alive. Though, this past year, they managed to get away with living in the same place without raising suspicions from the locals. Hopefully, it would stay like that.

Peneus landed a job working as an armorer, largely due to his scuffle with the three thugs that nearly rendered Daphne an orphan; she shuddered at the possibility. Work was slow, and he earned very little from his crafts. If anything, all he really got from it were a few sets for himself so as to prevent his wife the burden of healing him. It was still a 'pretty damn good plus,' as he put it.

She looked over to the barren, dusty shelf. In its lower cabinets were two sets of armor, neither being able to fit his body. One was sleek and feminine, and another was tiny, fit for a child. They weren't visible, but she knew they were there.

She brought her thoughts back to her husband. He had to close up shop not too long ago, perhaps a month or two, as no one had any money to buy his amor with. Soon after, his shop was raided, forcing him to shut down permanently. He was fuming for days, and it was almost funny watching him stamp on the floor like some sort of child. Any source of income afterwards was completely cut off, they had little option but to rely solely on the kindness of strangers and the monthly noble coming down from the mansion to provide food for the residents, all while their saved-up rations slowly dwindled.

Now, not a single piece of food remained in the cottage, and the nobles handed out less and less every month. The last time they handed out food, two months ago (they skipped last month due to a debacle in the capital regarding demi-human riots), each home got a single tatoe and appa per three people.

With no sustenance available other than the people themselves, many were forced into cannibalism. The not so uncommon dead body lying on the road would be snatched by some other walking half-corpse, soon to be devoured from head to toe, only bones and nails left behind.

The family sometimes bore witness to the smoke rising out of some of the nearer chimneys, or "food-clouds" as Daphne sometimes liked to put it. Peneus and Creusa could only assume the worst of what it was being consumed, as the town's population began to dwindle some time ago. By this point, there were barely a few thousand left.

"Will Papa be alright?" Breaking through the soft hums, Daphne spoke.

Creusa could feel a faint tremor in Daphne's body; a sign of hunger pangs, she realized. It hurt her more than it did her child.

"Mama and Papa are trying their best," the young woman paused her lullaby, "Papa'll be here soon. He'll bring back some yummy food for you to eat, mkay?"

The gray-headed child looked upwards; a single golden-yellow eye was visible through the mop of hair, almost resembling a dying sun, or perhaps a distant star.

"...really?"

Creusa could feel Daphne's little fist ball up around her navel area, presumably clutching her stomach.

"Really," Creusa comforted. Her little one squirmed in her arms, shifting her body all the way around so she could snuggle up to her better. She peaked out from Creusa's bosom. One of her arms was wrapped halfway around Creusa, with the other sandwiched between the two. The lone gold star seemed to brighten.

"really really ?" The young one gazed through her elderly mop and into her mother's eyes. Creusa brushed her hair out of her face and mouth, revealing two large, golden orbs boring into her with childlike expectancy.

"yes, really really," she responded after a short pause, continuing to stroke her daughter's hair.

"really really really really ?" Daphne righted herself as she sat up straight, though she was still nuzzled against her mother.

Creusa weakly chuckled at her child's antics. She lightly kissed Daphne's forehead and leaned toward her ear.

"yes my dear, really really really really," she affectionately whispered, "Mama promises."

The child hummed, satisfied with the answer. She slouched back down, melting into her mother's embrace. Once she was as comfortable as a starving child could be, she fluttered her eyes closed.

Creusa resumed her lullaby, this time carrying a sweeter tune. Her voice wasn't as soothing as her husband's (she could have sworn his was that of an angel's), but it worked its magic, nevertheless. Soon enough, despite her hunger, the child's breathing slowed, dozing off in her mother's arms, soothed by the calming music and the slow rocking of the chair.

Creusa, too, began to fall asleep. Her grip on her daughter slackened as she nodded off along with her daughter.

The little one, cradled in her mother's arms, would dream. She would dream of her tummy being full, of Mama's tummy being full, and Papa's tummy being full, and how he would stop leaking red juice because he was full.

She dreamed of Mama and Papa feeding her and of her saying 'aah' and eating spoonfuls of ice cream and pudding and other sweets that she had only heard about through Mama's stories. She dreamed of the day when no one's tummies growled ever again. This was Daphne's gluttony.

...

...


...

...

Subaru's stomach growled, waking him up from a dream. He forgot what it was about, but he knew he felt weird, for whatever reason. It reminded him of a time when he woke up crying some time ago but couldn't for the life of him fathom why. He wasn't even sad, but the tears just kept flowing.

This was probably the same deal, he reasoned. He felt, well, off, for a lack of a better term. He reasoned the cause to be whatever he was dreaming about, but he couldn't remember what it was about. Knowing didn't really do anything to ease the odd feeling in his stomach, though.

He shifted uncomfortably in the bed sheets, leaning over to get a good look at the alarm clock. 7:21, it read. It went off twenty-one minutes ago, so he definitely overslept. He groaned, rubbing his nape.

He avoided thinking about what it was that he overslept. Instead, he thought of his trend of sleeping in when he wasn't supposed to. His parents obviously noticed, he knew they weren't stupid, but they never really made any moves to outright stop it.

For all he knew, they were waiting to see if he'd break the habit himself before they finally put their foot down. He didn't want to disappoint his parents or anything, so it was better to get ready for the day sooner rather than later.

Speaking of his parents...

"Thought you could sneak up on me, huh!?" Subaru threw his blanket out of the way, revealing a fit, half naked man in glasses, sporting the same raven hair as his son. He was in a pose a tiger would be in before pouncing, except he looked stupid doing it.

He pounced, nevertheless.

"Father punch!" He quickly held his son in a triangle hold, cutting off his air supply. Though, due to Subaru's small stature, combined with his previous evasive maneuvers and every-day training, he managed to wriggle out.

Instead of a counterattack, however, he merely relented.

"That was a choke hold, you ass!" Subaru managed to cough out, rubbing the outside of his recently assaulted esophagus. Kenichi blinked at that.

"Woah there, buster! No swearing in the house!" He smacked Subaru on the back while giving a hearty laugh, "seriously though, where'd you learn that word? ...kids these days..." He muttered that last part to himself.

"Hey, I caught that you old coot!"

"'Old coot?!'" Kenichi sputtered, mock hurt adorning his visage, "I'll have you know I'm in my thirties, you ungrateful brat!" He puffed his chest out dramatically, pressing a thumb against his chest.

Subaru's stomach growled, interrupting their earlier banter.

"Oh? Looks like someone's hangry," the eccentric man quipped, "C'mon! Breakfast's ready!" He patted his son on the back before he sprung back up and exited out of his room, closing the door behind him.

Subaru blinked. The man left as abruptly as he came, like some sort of typhoon. It left him a little bewildered.

Now alone in his room, he was left to process his father's words. Breakfast was ready, though it probably had been for the last... he looked at the clock... twenty-two minutes. He didn't really know why, but the thought of food irked him at the moment. Probably had something to do with that dream he didn't remember.

He did a once-over on his surroundings, scanning his room. He resided in a twin-sized bed, though the blankets were on the floor and pillows were strewn about from his earlier scuffle. Just next to his bed was a modest drawer, and atop that was the alarm clock that went off over 20 minutes ago. Just beyond the foot of his bed was a small trash bin, and beyond that was the door leading to the main hallway. All of it had a slight bluish tint from the morning Sun and the curtains behind him.

He stretched his arms in a V shape, before slowly scooting off the bed. It creaked and groaned under the slow shift in weight, and eventually the child slithered off completely.

Subaru's butt hit a foreign object, and he dragged a hand down his face with a groan of exasperation, immediately recognizing that it was his backpack. He couldn't avoid the thought anymore, as it bubbled to the forefront of his mind.

Crap, he had school today.

Pushing himself off the floor, he opened the drawer and grabbed a shirt. He fitted it on and eyed the door that led to the hallway. Mom and Dad were waiting for him.

He sighed after deciding against hopping back on the bed and going back to sleep. If Dad was serious, he wouldn't have escaped that choke hold of his. He walked over to the door, careful not to trip over any of the beddings sprawled about.

He put a hand on the knob, and after a moment's hesitation, pulled, and walked out of his room.

When he turned the corner, Kenichi was revealed to be already at the table, still shirtless, with a modest-looking lady sitting just by him. There were two empty seats on the opposite side of the table. A stack of empty plates was at the center, and next to that...

Subaru gaped at its contents. Ten entire pancakes stacked atop one another, drizzled in a copious amount of syrup. Bacon strips stuck out in various places, and bits decorated the top. The ultimate western-style breakfast, he mused.

"There you are! We've been waiting, you know," the lady called.

This was Naoko, Subaru's mother. She had brown hair, nasty eyes and was adorned in an orange sweatshirt with khaki leggings. Her hair was tied into a neat ponytail, and she beamed at him expectantly. Subaru got his eyes from her. "Since you were taking your time, it gave me the opportunity to make an extra-special meal this time around!"

She was obviously excited, clasping her hands together and bouncing up and down subtlety. Subaru quirked an eyebrow at this. Mom usually liked to mix western and Japanese dishes, so he had already had an idea as to what it was before he saw it, but this was the result of sleeping in?

A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek. Would he seriously have to eat all of this? Even if it were to be shared with both his parents, his little kid tummy could only handle so much before it burst. Actually, the same applied to Mom and Dad, children or not.

He made his way over to the dining table and pulled out one of the chairs, the one with the plate in front of it. As he plopped down on the wooden seat, the pile of batter and bacon loomed over him, the task only growing more daunting when Kenichi began passing a few stacks to the rest of the family.

Oh well. He could probably use the sick stomach as an excuse to skip school.

...

All three Natsukis were out of it, their stomachs barely holding in the contents of Naoko's meal.

"Oh my, I think I might have made too much..." Naoko tried to hold in a burp to preserve her maidenly demeanor.

"You think? Now that I think about it, why couldn't we have saved this for later?" Subaru bit back, though it came out weak due to his full chambers.

"Now now, I'd say this is a perfect time to walk off and digest our food!" Kenichi hopped out of his chair despite overeating just a few seconds ago. "Follow me, son!"

"Oye! You can't go out half naked!"

"Of course! I shall don my fanciest of garments!"

"What's with the sudden high-class speaking pattern?!"

With that, Kenichi disappeared to the direction of his room, leaving the mother and son by their lonesome. Subaru stared off into the direction he waltzed away in.


"The sudden silence is jarring," the boy quipped, leaning his cheek into his fist.

"It really is," Naoko lightly giggled into a palm, but there were more important things on her mind than her husband's usual antics.

She stared at him for a moment with a contemplative glare, then with a sigh, decided to confront him directly. "Is something bothering you? You've slept in for the third time this week, you know," she lightly chastised him from across the table.

Subaru sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and avoided his gaze.

Naoko continued, "you know, you can always talk to me or Dad if it troubles you," she offered reassuringly.

She watched as her son slumped into the chair, staring at the syrup-stained plate once containing an obnoxious amount of pancakes. His little brows furrowed.

"Thanks Mom, but..." he looked away for a second, rubbing the back of his head, "...I'm fine now! The meal was really yummy, so I feel better, completely A-OK!" he met his mother's gaze with a grin, throwing out two hearty thumbs-up.

Naoko eyed him curiously, but laid off anyway. Another time, then.

"Well," she began after a short pause, "School starts soon, so you should probably get changed, don't you think?"

Subaru abruptly stood up and threw a salute with a "yes, ma'am!" and promptly marched over to his room.

Naoko watched as her child pranced out of view, and when the door shut, took it as her cue to stack the plates and head over to the kitchen.

She set the plates in the sink, turned on the faucet and started scrubbing the first item her hand reached, humming a small tune to herself as she worked.

Subaru's grades began to dip, but she knew her child to be one to bounce back from a struggle if the time called. She just hoped this one would be soon, since this was the first time he'd ever gotten a D in anything.

It was probably eating him up, but he'd come to her eventually. He always had, and she had faith in her son's capabilities. If he didn't, though— in which case that would be extra-worrying —she'd come to him. Either way, a good talking to was due for the boy soon enough.

"Honestly, that kid..." she muttered as she placed another newly cleaned plate on the dish rack. A soft smile adorned her visage.


Back in his room, Subaru took a small breath as he prepared for the day. He bent over to pick up the blanket and pillows, and threw them on the bed. He also took it upon himself to grab a stray shirt and toss that in the hamper, then turned to the clock.

7:55, it read. If he wasn't at school in the next five minutes, he'd definitely be late.

So, for five minutes he sat there, waiting. He took it upon himself to at least fix the bed during that time. Surprisingly, his Dad didn't come in to pester him while he stalled. He didn't know how to feel about that.

His school life wasn't the worst, but recently things were beginning to slow down At home, sure, he was forced into Kendo with his dad every week, and he also recently took up radio calisthenics, but he knew he was falling behind in his academics. He had to pick himself back up soon, but he still wasn't a big fan of school.

If he didn't have to go, he'd only attend for the occasional science lessons when they talked about planets and stars. He also dominated a lot of the games in P.E—he rubbed his nose with a smirk—but outside of that, he really didn't have much incentive.

He tucked the blanket against the bed frame and patted down a pillow.

After dawdling around a bit more, he slipped on his little tracksuit and headed out the door. Just by him was Kenichi, leaning on the door frame with his arms crossed. He, like his son, sported a tracksuit, this one red with white stripes.

"That's your 'fanciest of garments?'" Subaru raised a brow at the sight.

Kenichi didn't comment on it, instead signaling to his wife of their departure.

"Naoko, we're heading out now!" He called, even though she was only a few meters away. His son eyed him as he placed a hand on his chin with a smirk.

"Hey, Dad, what's with that look? You're not plotting anything, are you? You look like you know something I don't." Subaru, despite his young age, had already grown quite used to Kenichi's escapades, and he knew that look more than anyone. Except Mom, probably.

Kenichi held out a finger with a 'tut-tut' and hummed audibly. "Now now, Subaru. It's only in a man's best nature to be planning ahead for certain things, you know," he gave a mischievous grin, and Subaru's brow twitched.

The man and child made their way over to the front door, while Naoko watched them closely. Subaru noticed she held a bag with both hands, but he paid it no mind.

When he slipped on his shoes and Kenichi unlocked the door, Naoko attempted to hand the bag to her son, explaining it contained fruits, a bag of chips, and water in case they were out for long. His stomach was already close to popping so he tried to decline, but she insisted, and he reluctantly accepted it.

"Take care now!" the nasty-eyed lady chirped as Subaru closed the door behind him. Subaru waved with his childish grin, and hopped out of the doorway.

And then, the father-son duo took off.

The trip was mostly uneventful, save for Kenichi buying a can of Coke from a nearby vending machine. He shook it vigorously and tossed it over to his son, who, knowing exactly what he did, opened it directly towards his father, who swiftly dodged.

Had it not been for his scary eyes, his glare probably would have been considered adorable by most.

And so, they continued their trek.

Subaru and Kenichi had been strolling around for quite some time after that, walking past the nearby playground and beyond the manga shop.

They probably would head there on the walk back, but still, Subaru began to ponder what his father was up to.

"Hey, Dad, where are we going?" He felt the need to ask, taking a sip of cola soon after. It was flat, thanks to his father's shenanigans, but the lack of carbonation prevented him from feeling any fuller than he already did.

"You'll see soon enough," he mysteriously replied, not bothering to look behind him. Subaru gulped. The taste of cola hung in the back of his throat.

And so, they kept walking. Subaru's stomach felt less bloated from the walk, which was relieving. The cola made him feel full again, though.

Soon enough, Subaru noticed a familiar building just around the corner.

"Alright, we're here!" Kenichi announced, but not too loud.

"Hey, this is my school!" He was quick to snap his head toward Kenichi, who sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

Subaru felt like an idiot. No, he was an idiot. Of course he was going to school, where else would he be going?

Oh crap, he forgot his backpack, didn't he?

"Argh! My backpack!" He brought his hands to his skull, but the weight of the bag stopped him. He remembered Naoko's insistence of giving him the bag. He quickly unzipped it, revealing not only the food items she said were inside, but also a notebook and a few pencils. He felt his face start to get a little warm.

By the time he looked back up, Kenichi had already disappeared somewhere. The nearby rustling of the bushes indicated where he decided to hide, however.

Subaru sighed, not making any moves to go after the man. He knew full well he didn't bring his backpack, so he probably sneaked some school supplies in the bag. He turned the corner, revealing the elementary school in its entirety. Classes started at eight, and it was a few minutes past that, so he'd definitely be late. He scanned the vicinity, slowly turning his head around the general area. Everyone was inside already.

He turned his head back to the shrubs, eyeing a particular rustling from a certain patch. He could have sworn the bushes started to sweat.

"Meddling old coot," he muttered under his breath, though there wasn't any real bite to it. He zipped the bag back up, slung it over his shoulder, stuffed his hands into the pockets of his tracksuit and stormed over to the school entrance.

Soon enough, he felt the cold metal handle of the school doors, but when he tried to open it, he was met with resistance.

"Of course its locked," he grumbled. He glanced over to the bushes a way a way, no doubt his father edging him on behind the brush. He imagined him swatting away mosquitos and scratching himself against the branches. Wait a second, weren't those thorn bushes?

He snorted at the realization. After a second of giggling to himself, he looked over to the side, eyeing the small intercom just by the doors. He stood on his tippy-toes, reaching out to push the button, but at that moment, he couldn't help but think that something felt off. His finger ended up hitting the button anyway.

"Welcome to Kabuto Elementary! Who may I be speaking to?" The voice of an old lady muffled through the intercom. Subaru waited to speak until he heard a small click.

"Uhm... T-this is Natsuki Subaru! Sorry for being late!" He leaned up into the intercom, cupping his mouth with a hand.

A headache began to form. The feeling from this morning? It was weak enough to where he was able to forget about it thanks to his dear-old dad's shenanigans, but now it came back with a vengeance.

He felt a bit queasy, maybe a little sick. He wobbled a little bit, having to reaffirm his grasp on the handle to prevent himself from falling.

Could this be a blessing in disguise, allowing him to skip school?

...No. Nu-uh. No way. He was already at the building. Turning back now would only prove him a disappointment, and he didn't want to fall behind any more than he already did.

He keeled over in spite of his newfound resolve; the sudden sickness only got worse, and he felt unbearably dizzy, and the world started spinning circles around him. He clutched his forehead with a hand as a terrible headache began to form.

His other hand slid off the door handle, and with nothing to support his weight, he felt himself stumble, and the world turned sideways. He heard a thud as a sudden sharp pain filled the side of his head. He didn't know if it was from the headache or not.

Everything began to blur, the bottoms of the school door fading in and out of his vision.

Oh, I fell.

He felt bile rise in his throat as he collapsed to the ground, the bag slung over his shoulder falling into his grasp. His ears started ringing. He tried to get up but was too weak to do anything.

"-baru! ...wha-... ...-hang in ther-..."

He heard the faint muffling of a man, but he could barely hear at all under the ringing of his ears.

Am I gonna die?

Was he having a heart attack? Could children even have heart attacks? He remembered reading about them online, but if he paid attention in health class, maybe he'd be able to recognize the symptoms.

Class.

Suddenly, he felt regret. It was only recent, but he began sleeping in more, and he was being marked tardy more often than not. He hadn't skipped any days, but if Dad didn't bring him over, would today have been the first time he didn't go?

"Suba-... ...-Call-... -ambulen-...!"

The voice faded in and out once more, and Subaru felt himself being rolled over, his back now to the ground, and his head being supported by... something. The ringing grew louder, and the headache almost became unbearable.

He could barely see a meter in front of him and black spots formed in his vision as he struggled to keep his eyes open, but he'd still be able to recognize that dumb tracksuit anywhere.

" I'm sorry ," was all the child was able to whisper out before a bright flash enveloped his vision, blinding him completely.

...

When he came to, he was suddenly not feeling sick anymore. If anything, he felt better than ever, but it was almost eerie how fast the change was.

He couldn't see a thing aside from a blinding white light, but it slowly faded, revealing... something he couldn't make out just yet.

Wait a second, just where was he?

He looked around warily, studying his new surroundings. It took him a while to properly formulate thoughts, however.

He rubbed his eyes, before blinking twice. His brain started to work again.

He seemed to be in a forest. A very magical forest, from the looks of things. Sounds and smells started to enter his orifices, though he couldn't really make out what they were just yet. Before him was a dirt path, traveling down for as far as he could see.

"Ah, I think I understand now," he told himself in a low tone, "I wasn't actually dying, was I? Or maybe I was saved, who knows...?"

"Fact of the matter is..." his otaku brain fit the pieces together as he regained his bearings.

"...I'VE BEEN SUMMONED TO ANOTHER WORLD!" A youthful voice rang throughout the vicinity of the forest, startling the nearby fauna and scaring a flock of birds, inciting them to fly off into the distance well above the canopy.


A/N: Alright, unless I screwed something up, this should be the final draft for the prologue. Hopefully. Maybe.

Improved the pacing and flow, and added exposition at the beginning (yay me).

Expect chapter one within the next few weeks or so, since I'm nearly finished with it already. I'm having fun so far, so there's that. Just uhh don't take my word for it, yeah?

Alright, uhhhhhh see you soon I guess. Bye now.