Current Residential Area:
Roswaal Maner
Total Loops:
3
Loops in the Manor:
1
Emilia opened her eyes to a very familiar ceil-
"Hrg-Bluueeeeah!"
The contents in her stomach went across her bed sheets. Her throat was on fire after throwing up for nearly an entire minute. The mind instantly caught up with the body. The absurdity of her situation had finally registered in its entirety. She has finally come to understand what this curse was.
Even though she's already experienced it twice, she'd done a pretty good job to rationalize those memories. She was able to throw them aside as simple visions or just really really bad dreams, anything to disassociate it from reality. This time was different. There was no denying it any further. Having her head chopped off was not something she could simply wisk away as a vision.
No...No it wasn't just how she died. EVERYTHING that happened in those last 10 minutes trumped any rationalization she could manage, especially after seeing Subarus mutilated corpse.
It was one thing to see him hurt. She saw the boy clutching his stomach in agony and reaching deaths door, but she had passed away before the light drained from his eyes.
It was another to see the boy's corpse afterward with his eyes closed and body intact. If you did some mental gymnastics, it looked as though the boy was simply sleeping.
But this... it was simply too much. The way he died this time was simply too much for her to handle.
She coughed her lungs out after releasing the contents of her bowls with tears streaming out of her eyes from the pain of throwing up and the far more potent pain of her memories. Memories she couldn't tell a single person, not even her father.
Puck emerged from his slumber immediately to see what was causing his daughter so much distress. Once he did, he was met with a sight that left him horrified and unable to speak. His precious daughter was trembling uncontrollably while clutching her arms.
Green, orange and white bowel stretched across her sheets, with some of it still trickling down her chin along with saliva.
Nothing could prepare him for this sight.
He so desperately wanted to comfort her, but he couldn't find the words. It frustrated him to no end that he couldn't be there for her like usual these days. He had noticed her reluctance to not talk about certain topics, and it saddened him that she was no longer confiding in him all the time, but he didn't expect it to turn into something like this. He was supposed to have seen this coming. He was supposed to know when his daughter was upset and why. He was supposed to be there for her. Yet here he was, failing at all those.
"Lia, I'm so sorr-ghk,"
Before Puck could get out his apology, Emilia had scooped him up and brought him to her chest. She held onto him like a life-long toy and wailed her eyes out while speaking in an incoherent mess.
"WAAAAHH *sniff* I-I couldn't do anything! He got hurt *sniff* HE GOT HURT AGAIN! BECAUSE OF MEEEE!"
Puck realized her elven strength was about to crush his tiny body, so he morphed into a more human appearance so she could hug him with all her might.
Emilia took notice of the massive shift of weight and knew exactly what he was doing. She took the opportunity to wrap her arms around him and yelled her heart out into his chest despite how sore her throat was.
"WHY THOSE THIS KEEP HAPPENING! HE DIDN'T EVEN-! WHY DID SHE-!? JUST WHAT AM I SUPPOSE TO DO!"
"Shhhh there there I-It's gonna- Its gonna be alright."
Puck spoke to her while slowly rubbing his left paw on her head and his right paw on her back.
"Emilia-Sama!"
"Are you alright!?"
Ram and Rem had burst through the door. Under normal circumstances they wouldn't dare enter without being given permission first, but they had never heard such blood curdling screams from their lady before so proper etiquette was no longer a concern for them.
"*Huff*Huff* Em-san, what happened!?"
Subaru was next to show up. He had followed the twin maids towards the screams as fast as he could. He was far more concerned as he thought it might've been Elsa trying to even the score with her. Once he saw a much bigger feline cradling the Half-elf in his arms, all anxiousness turned into worry and mostly confusion.
Once Emilia heard the 3 talk, she immediately shut down.
She didn't want to move. She didn't want to see. She didn't want to hear. She didn't want to think.
If she moved, she'd remember her arm and head being cut off. If she opened her eyes, she'd see Subarus' terrified expression as his lower body was ripped apart from him. If she listened, then she would hear those disgusting chains and the flap of those beautiful but deadly wings. If she kept thinking she'd remember how she lost all control and reason. She would remember the fact that she was capable of "that." She couldn't understand why she did what she did to Rem. No... she knew why she did it, but looking back she couldn't imagine herself going that far. She felt more foreign in her own body than ever before during those moments. The way she ruthlessly pummeled into the oni's face wouldn't leave her head. Why did she do that? Why did she keep doing it? Why… didn't she feel ba-?
"H-Hey Emilia, are you ok?"
Smack*
Subaru tried to approach the Half-elf and hold her shoulder, but the girl smacked his hand away.
"D-d-don't touch me!"
She screeched these words out of her sore throat with multiple voice cracks cutting her strikend voice. Emilia realized how cruel she sounded, but she couldn't find the strength to even look at him, much less apologize for her harsh tone.
Subaru was surprised that she raised her voice at him and was even more surprised that she was shaking like a leaf AFTER he tried to comfort her.
"I…I'm sorry."
It frustrated him to no end that he couldn't come up with any words to make her feel better this time around. He had gotten used to giving her pep talks. Hell this would be his 4th time doing it, but for some reason he felt it wrong to try and intrude this time. This was different from her other breakdowns. This was more...chaotic. Like any wrong move could make her shatter into a million pieces. He sure as hell didn't want to leave his first friend in this new world to deal with whatever was going on alone, but it simply wasn't his place to intervene.
He bit his lip and begrudgingly walked out of the room with his head down and his fists clenched.
"We will return shortly with new sheets and a fresh set of clothes, Emilia-Sama."
The pink haired maid declared while avoiding her gaze from the distressing sight along with Rem. They bowed in unison and left the room.
The rest of the day dragged on like a never ending chore. Everyone's spirits were down to various degrees after seeing their royal candidate so distraught.
Puck was feeling the worst of it by far. Emilia had asked the great spirit to leave her alone for the remaining day. You could almost pinpoint the exact moment his heart shattered after hearing that. He went to the great library to reach out to Beatrice and wallow in sorrow.
Subaru was downcast as well. Not only was his friend in great turmoil, but he also wouldn't be training with Puck since he was drowning in tears with Beatrice. He was basically taking up space in the mansion, and it irked him to no end. If he wasn't going to be useful or doing something productive, then his very existence felt like it had no meaning. He was here for a purpose. He didn't know what that purpose was, but he didn't care. Whether it be great or small, he wanted direction in his new life, and he thought he was finally getting that. Helping Emilia, learning magic, helping with the residents of the mansion, and most importantly, becoming stronger. The boy was failing at all these at the same time, and it clawed at his mind to no end.
The twin maids were rattled after the event they witnessed, but you couldn't tell from their faces alone.
Ram was deep in thought trying to process what could've caused her lady such distress. There was only one outlier throughout these events but the suspect might as well be a puppy with how harmless he was, or how he seemed at least. Regardless, there was no evidence to suggest that this person had any fault in Emilia's current mental state, but if he were to reveal his true colors at any moment... she would not hesitate.
Rem, on the other hand, was ready to pop a blood vessel from anger. Her previous suspicions of their new guest were at an all-time high after seeing her ladys' distress. Emilia was a bundle of joy without a single worry in her heart since they met. Then this boy shows up and not only is she strangely affectionate towards him, despite only knowing eachother for a day, she then proceeds to have a panic attack the very next day. That was all the evidence she needed to eradicate the boy right then and there, but she needed to be discreet. There's no telling what the witch cultist is capable of. Secrecy must be her top priority until she finds her moment to strike.
"Im sorry im sorry im sorry im sorry im sorry"
The silver haired girl was muttering these words over and over for the past few hours.
She was in bed, on her side, cradling herself with her knees tucked into her chest. Tears streamed down from her face as her mind tortured itself from all the events that haven't happened yet. In truth there was no way she could have foreseen any of the events that transpired. No one was to blame for that tragic outcome but her fragile mind simply couldn't accept that.
The carnage she inflicted on another. The sheer helplessness she felt that night. The fact that she felt nothing towards the maids' demise. Her mind twisted and turned trying to make sense of it but one thing was constant in her thoughts.
It was all her fault.
"Imsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsor-"
"How long are you going to continue with this lunacy I suppose?"
Emilia's tears ceased once she looked towards the direction of the cute yet stern voice. Beatrice was currently sitting on the side of the bed looking directly at her with an indifferent look.
She wiped the tears from her face as she began to apologize for her less than stellar appearance.
"I-I-I'm sorry you have to see me like this Beatrice..."
"Your apologies are wasted on me in fact. Bubby is the one hurting because of you."
Her words were cold, direct and uncompromising. A complete contrast to her cute voice.
The Half-elf cringed from the guilt of having her father be affected due to her own dilemma. Her gaze went down to her legs as she wallowed in her own self loathing.
"I-I im so-"
"What is the matter I suppose"
Emilia looked up In disbelief once she said that. She didn't know what to expect from the great spirits visit but concern was definitely not what she expected.
"Eh?!"
"Do not misunderstand. I am only doing this for Bubby's sake. I could care less about your inner turmoil in fact."
The notion that Beatrice was concerned for the Half-elf irked the great spirit greatly. She simply deemed it necessary to lift the girls spirts so that Puck would be back to his usual self. No ulterior motives whatsoever.
Emilias mouth was agape at what she just heard. She couldn't tell if she was serious about only caring about puck or if she was simply being stubborn but whichever case she was grateful that the barrior between them was slowly coming down. She just wished it wasn't due to her having a mental breakdown.
"Heh honestly thats more comforting than you would think..."
She let out a slight chuckle and proceeded to sit on the edge of her bed. Not staring directly at the great spirit but instead towards the window that showed a vast forest. Her eyes were scanning for something through the glass but wasn't sure what she was looking for. A glint of a dagger in the far reaches of the forest? A simple look in the window that never showed her own reflection no matter how deeply she looked? Maybe a lesser spirit that could help her dilemma? Or perhaps she just couldn't find the strength to look the great spirt In the eyes just yet. Whatever the case may be the Half-elf gave an audible sigh as she tried to carefully explain her recent "experience".
"Bad things are going to happen Beatrice. Really really bad things. I don't know how It started or how I'll even begin to stop it."
The great spirit didn't say a word but instead looked at the Half-elf with an inquisitive look.
"*inhale*exhale*…Tomorrow the mansion is going to be attacked."
Beatrice raised her eyebrow at this sudden declaration. A warning of an attack was the last thing she expected to hear from the distressed girl.
"Elaborate." Any hint of her usual tsundere demeanor was gone and was replaced with a stern commanding voice.
"I-I don't know who they are or why they're coming. All I k-know is that there alot of them, assassins I-I think."
"That is a very serious statement I suppose. Care to explain how you know any of this?"
"I-I"
She wanted to tell her but the words caught in her throat. She was already on the edge of saying too much as it was. Her heart was pounding from anxiety due to the anticipation of that shadowy hand appearing again. Her whole body trembled, afraid that she couldn't come up with a proper excuse to her ludicrous claims.
"I-I can't. I can't tell you..."
Once she said this Beatrice's gaze grew deadly.
"Out of your own volition or are you sworn to secrecy?"
"..."
The silence was speaking volumes. For an entire minute Beatrice stared at her until she gave an exasperated sigh.
"...very well"
"In all honesty I am VERY skeptical of your words but..."
Her gaze softened as she proceeded to jump off of the bed
"I will not risk the safety of the mansion no matter how nonsensical your claim is."
Emilia finally looked towards the great spirit once she said that.
"T-Thank you Beatrice. I-if you could k-keep Subaru safe I would-"
"Do not worry. The safety of the mansion's residents are always my top priority."
A slight smirk appeared on her face
"Even if they are annoying devils."
Emilia was ready to cry again but held down the tears. She looked at Beatrice with a relieved smile on her face.
"Beatrice I reeeeally want to give you a hug right now"
"Try it and I forget this conversation ever happened."
"R-Right! I'm sorry!"
The great spirit looked away from the Half-elf and began to walk out of the room but not before giving the girl one last glance.
The next day Emilia awoke early in the morning. Not due to vigilance but due to lack of sleep entirely. Her anxiety and constant nightmares kept her from having more than an hour of sleep at a time. Each time she would awake in a puddle of tears.
Mentally she was more tired then she had ever been. Visions of her previous lives haunted her to no end every time she closed her eyes. Her hair was a complete mess and her daily routine was in shambles. It was part of Pucks contract to do certain miscellaneous things everyday such as conversing with spirits but Emilia could barely hold a conversation with her peers much less commune with spirits at the moment.
Subaru awoke with conviction to make the most out of today. He would be learning a new spell from Roswaal but his enthusiasm was greatly diminished. Not only would he not be training with Puck, but there was a good chance he wouldn't be seeing Emilia either. It sucked that his 3rd day here would be underwhelming but that was simply out of his control. Any attempt to try and help out his friend would be foolhardy at this point.
He knew it would be dumb to try and approach her when she pushed him away both figuratively and literally. By all accounts the smart thing to do would be to leave her be and let her come to him when she was ready.
Subaru was not a smart man unfortunately, seeing as he was now staring down the twin door's of Emilia's room.
'My god this is so stupid. Why am I even here? What can I even say?!'
He stared at the twin door's with a look of exhaustion. His eyebrows were strained and his hand was covering his chin in a thinking motion. Overthinking was one of Subaru's greatest strengths and greatest weaknesses.
'How do you even start a conversation like this?" Hey Emilia, I know I have no idea what you're going through and I might just be making it worse by trying to talk about it, but hey maybe you'll feel better after a little trauma dumping, who knows?" Yeah, this is about the dumbest thing I could do right now. She couldn't have made it any clearer that she didn't want me around yet here I am, completely ignoring her request... Still I can't just leave her be. Not after everything she's done for me. If it wasn't for her I would've been on my ass, beaten to a bloody pulp in some alleyway. Whatever happens...'
He brought his hand to the door.
'I don't want to regret not trying.'
knock knock knock*
"Hey Em-san it's me again..."
No response. Not necessarily a bad sign but definitely not helping.
"I ugh just wanted to say I'm sorry for yesterday. I just... I don't know, I just wanted to help is all."
No response.
"What I'm trying to say is... I'm here for you if you need to ta-"
The twin doors were slammed open and much to Subarus shock, Emilia immediately closed the gap between the two.
"Puck check him for any curses!"
Puck emerged from his crystal immediately upon hearing her request. Confusion was evident on his face.
"Huh, a curse? Lia what are you talking abou-?"
"PUCK PLEASE! THERE'S NO TIME!"
Puck was taken aback by the forceful demand but ultimately caved in to her whims and proceeded to check the boy for any curses. Much to the great spirits surprise he could feel foreign magic within the boy, originating from his bandaged left hand.
Subaru's eyes bulged once he saw the black smoke emitting from his hand which Puck dispelled.
The two were confused for different reasons.
In Subarus case all he wanted was to share whatever burden that was weighing on his friend. He definitely didn't expect this one sided conversation to lead towards the discovery of a curse, his curse. He would be horrified at the moment but frankly he didn't exactly understand the severity of the situation. Although judging from the absolute relief on Emilia's face he can assume he just dodged a massive bullet thanks to her.
Puck on the other hand was confused on how Emilia knew about the curse in the first place. He never taught Emilia to detect curses and even if he did, they can only be discovered if you're actively looking for them. It's impossible to just "sense" the foreign magic unless the victim has a contracted spirit to alert them.
"Subaru, do you remember anyone touching your hand?!"
Emilia saw where the curse was planted and decided to feign ignorance to confirm who the shaman was. It was obviously one of the assassins but she needed a face and name to target so that she could focus on them first.
"I-I well... if you're asking who touched my hand specifically then I guess it would be Petra and that puppy that bit me I guess."
'Petra... it's safe to say that's the shaman I'm looking for. Still, I'll need Subaru to point them out once they come, there's a good chance they'll be here in case their plan goes awry. Alright, I think I understand what I need to do. It's a hazardous plan at best but... I just need him safe. Everything else I'll deal with later.'
While she was in the midst of her inner monologue, Subaru was in a stupor after what just happened. He didn't know if he should thank her as he didn't know what he would be thanking her for. Besides, his original goal was to make her feel better so it was kind of ironic that he was the one that was getting treated right now. Alas he had no way of figuring out this dilemma on his own so he just looked at the girl in front of him in hopes that she could somehow read his mind and figure it out for him. A very stupid plan but a plan nonetheless.
Said girl was standing right infront of him with very messy hair and her hand to her chin. She had been like this for approximately 30 seconds until she looked up and stared at his chest.
"Subaru."
The Raven haired boy took an audible gulp once he heard his name. The way Emilia said it left him incredibly anxious. It was the type of tone one would give right before giving some devastating news.
"Y-yeah?"
"Sleep with me tonight."
...
...
...
...
...
"LIA YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!"
Her sudo father was the first to break the silence.
Betrayal and horror.
Those 2 feelings were painted on his face like an award winning canvas.
Subaru on the other hand was more akin to a statue then a human being right now. He had a million ideas in his mind on how this conversation was going to play out and still he was left completely shell shocked.
"Puck there's no need to yell. Just for tonight, I need Subaru by my side."
'This will cut down my time searching for the others by a decent amount plus I'll be able to keep Subaru out of harm's way. Once they make their move, we'll be ready.'
"WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH"
Subarus mind finally registered what she had said. His lips were going up and down like a jackhammer with the way he was ranting.
"Ok while I'm flattered that you want to do that, I'm not emotionally, spiritually, and hell maybe not even physically ready for that in the sligh-!"
"Quiet boy. Now Lia why on od's great land do you want to do "that'' with this boy."
Emilia looked at her father with mild confusion.
"Puck, I don't understand why you're acting like this? What's wrong with us sleeping in the same bed? You and I do it literally every day!"
Puck cringed at her daughter's thinking process. Him being with her at night and him being with her at night were clearly two different things.
"Lia that's not- *sigh* look you can't just say it like that. It might give off the wrong impression."
Emilia crossed her arms and looked at him with indignation.
"Puck, I've been reading about proper etiquette for the past few weeks now and none of it says that 2 friends can't spend the night in the same room. Why are you making such a big deal out of this!"
"It's not about etiquette, it's about him! What if he tries to-!"
"TRIES TO WHAT!? You've known Subaru long enough to know he's not a bad person!"
The Half-elf was frustrated beyond belief. At this point the great spirit was just coming up with excuses for not letting the boy sleep with her and he won't even explain why! Why was it so weird for Subaru to be in the same room as her? Don't friends do this all the time? Why is it bad if it's with him?
"I know that but-!"
"OOOOHHH that's what you meant! Em-san you almost gave me a heart attack back there!"
Subaru had interrupted the twos bickering with an audible sigh of relief.
His interruption was given a bone chilling scowl from puck and a curious eyebrow raise from Emilia.
"Don't you start. Seriously you two are making such a big deal out of this for no reason. Now come here."
In an act of defiance against her father she grabbed Subaru by his hand and yanked him into her room.
Subaru was dumbstruck at how assertive she was being. For someone that was easily embarrassed, she was being incredibly bold at the moment.
"Phew, now was that so hard?! Puck he's staying here tonight and that's final!"
The great spirit of fire was completely and utterly defeated after hearing that. His precious daughter was about to be left in her room with a man and there was nothing he could do about it. Not without shattering her innocence that was.
Puck took a very heavy sigh and proceeded to float over towards the boy.
"Subaru, if I smell so much as a whiff of you on her, consider your family tree eradicated."
His tone was ice cold and left no room for argument. Subaru took an audible gulp and proceeded to get on one knee.
"UNDERSTOOD SENSI-PUCK"
Pucks scowl remained as he reluctantly returned to the crystal on Emilia's chest.
"Ok Subaru you get on that side of the bed and I'll be on this side!"
She half forced the smile on her face as she said that. For some reason he was being extremely timid once puck left so she tried her best to ease his anxieties.
Subaru on the other hand was about to have a heart attack. With Puck gone there was nothing stopping THIS from happening. Granted he now understands that she wasn't planning anything rated R but that didn't ease his worries by any means. Why was she so adamant about them sleeping together in the first place? To the point of flat out disobeying her father? The poor boy was running on mayo-less sandwiches so his iq was nearly half of its usual heights, but still he tried with all his might to try and decipher why this inhumanly beautiful girl was so keen on sleeping with him.
"H-Hey Em-san I-I'm not so sure this is a good ide-!"
His pleas were ignored as she proceeded to take his jacket off.
"W-W-W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Emilia stopped what she was doing and looked at him with visible confusion.
"I'm sorry, do you usually sleep with your shirt on? I heard that boys take their tops off whenever they go to bed so I thought I was helping..."
"No no no it's fine it's just... Yknow what let's just get some sleep ok?
"...Ok"
As they walked towards the bed, Subarus' thoughts finally started to simmer after that very nerve-wracking discussion. The two were facing away from one another as they proceeded to get into the bed fit for potential royalty.
Emilia was already in her gown so no preparation was needed as she slid under the covers.
Subaru proceeded to take his jacket off but left on his undershirt for a multitude of reasons. He then proceeded to slip under the covers while taking a few glances at the silver haired beauty beside him but not daring to look longer than a second.
The longer the silence festerd, the faster his heart raced as he stared at the ceiling. He wanted to break the ice somehow but his mind was drawing a blank at the moment. The only thing he could think about right now was the gorgeous women laying right next to him. The way she grabbed his arms with her smooth soft hands. How her hair flowed past him when they walked across the capital. Her amethyst blue eyes that radiated like stars whenever they made eye contact.
'Come to think of it. Why hasn't she...'
Emilia was satisfied with the outcome of events but that was as far as her enthusiasm went. With Subaru at her side she wouldn't have to worry about him getting hurt when the assassins arrived but that didn't mean she was completely comfortable around him.
In hindsight it was hypocritical for her to feel this way seeing as she initiated this situation and even fought her father over it but actually being near him, much less looking at him, left her nauseous.
"Y'know I haven't been in a sleepover since kindergarten come to think of it."
Emilias ears perked up as Subaru disrupted the deafening silence.
"A sleepover?" She questioned as she turned her body a little to the left but still not looking in his direction.
"Well that's what this is isn't? When a guest spends the night in their friends room that usually qualifies as a sleepover."
"Hmmm I didn't know there was a term like that. If that's the case why was puck so against the idea!? Honestly, he should've been happy that I was finally getting to do something like this!"
She cried in outrage over Puck's overprotectiveness meanwhile Subaru gave an audible gulp, seeing as he knew the real reason Puck was so adamant about him not sleeping with her.
"Y-yeah, who knows. By the way I remember you saying that you didn't have friends growing up, so what did you do to pass the time?"
"Well most of my time was spent surviving out in the Elior forest. Collecting mana crystals in exchange for food, taking care of mabeasts, keeping the villagers safe."
"...Sounds fun. So you've been doing that your entire life? Just how long have you been on your own?"
"Well for one I've never been alone, Pucks always been there for me. As for your first question...As long as I can remember? Wait-no ever since I met Puck. Or was it before...before?"
Emilia was visibly straining herself trying to remember past her first interaction with Puck but nothing came to mind no matter how hard she thought.
"Ok I've kinda lost the plot here."
"S-Sorry! It's just well, I can't remember anything past 7 years ago. The first thing I remember is puck melting the ice."
"Melting the ice? What do you me-?"
"You know what, let's just drop it for now ok?"
"O-OK…Hey Em-san?"
"Mm?"
"Is there a reason why you won't look at me?"
"Ghk!"
The memories of his corpse corrupted her thoughts.
"I-I"
Every glance at his chest reminded her of a gaping hole that should've never been there.
"Subaru I've seen...things"
Each look towards his stomach would force images of his guts flying about into her mind. His upper body ruthlessly ripped from his lower abdomen.
"Things that I don't think I'll ever be able to talk about. Things that will probably stay with me for the rest of my life."
If she looked him in the eyes... The way his lifeless eyes settled with a look of pure horror and agony... If she looked him in the eye's, chances are she wouldn't be able to handle it.
"*inhale exhale* What I'm trying to say is… well I don't know what I'm trying to say but-."
"I get it"
Subarus interruption left her aghast.
'You get it? What do you even mean by that? How could you possibly understand what I'm going through right now?!'
A deep scowl appeared on her face. Thankfully Subaru wasn't able to see her face at the moment.
"Subaru I don't think you-"
"Actually that was a lie, I have literally no idea what you're talking about."
He took a short pause.
"But I do know what it's like to not be able to say what's on your mind. You feel like you'll burden others if you just tell them how you feel right?"
Subaru took a deep breath before continuing.
"Yeah I know that feeling all too well. Like I said I have no clue what you're going through but."
He moved his body to face the Half-elf who was side-eyeing him.
"I'll be there for you, whatever you need."
Emilias scowl washed away into a somber look. Tears didn't flow but her eyes looked like they were ready to flood a dam. She finally caved in and shifted her body to the left, facing the raven haired boy but still not looking at him eye to eye.
She reached out her hand from the sheets to touch his but stopped midway, hoping he would take the next step.
"You promise?"
A slight pause. One of consideration. One of concern. A single intrusive thought that making this promise might be too risky. The amount of weight this promise carried was evident for both of them. Doubt clouded his mind, wondering if he could even follow through on his end. Alas his hand was already reaching towards her, overlapping as he stared at the bangs that were covering her eyes.
"I promise"
3 hours had passed since they last spoke.
The raven haired boy was fast asleep after their initial conversation meanwhile the half elf was wide awake, sitting at her desk looking for any sign of the assailants.
'I… need to stay awake.'
She had looked for ways to distract herself. Both from the impending attack and the rising heaviness over her eyelids. Despite her laying in bed all day she hadn't had a wink of sleep since her last life, or death rather.
'I…need to stay…awake'
From reading through books to conversing with lesser spirits. She had done everything she could think of to keep drowsiness from taking her.
'I…need to'
She was about to doze off but she stopped herself by stabbing her hand with a quill. The pain lasted only seconds but it did its job in keeping herself awake. Every time she dozed off she would stab her hand a couple of times but even that was starting to lose effect.
"S-Stay…Awa-"
Tiredness had finally overcame her as she let go of the quill in her hand. Her head slumped over the desk, finally letting her eyelids rest. Her vision became increasingly blurry but it was easy to make out what she was looking at, seeing as she was looking at the same window for the past 3 hours. The same trees, the same wooden frame, the same stainless glass that never casted her reflection for some reason, the same sharp glint of light that edged closer to her, the same-.
Shink!*
Emilia immediately conjured an ice dagger to parry the glint of light. Said light was revealed to be an all too familiar dagger alongside an ever more familiar assassin.
Emilia wasted no time dealing with the hooded figure, dashing towards the left and throwing the ice dagger towards the man's torso.
The assassin parried the dagger with his own. Ice shattered across the room with pieces of the shards impaling the man's cloak. As the ice evaporated, so did the cloak, revealing the face of her assailant. His eyes were a dark blue with visible bags under him. His arms were lanky and laced with scars, revealing either a lifetime of honorable battles or a disgusting display of self-harm. His short pitch black hair was surprisingly well kept despite his dreary appearance. The man seemed to embody the word melancholy.
He showed no visible emotion as he dashed towards his target with a singular dagger in hand.
Emilia took a stance and prepared a huma shield to block the incoming attack.
The assassin was a step ahead and managed to warp the trajectory of his jab towards her outer thigh.
"Ghk!"
Emilia winced in pain and stumbled backwards in an effort to both regain her footing and gain some distance from the killer.
This instinctual move would cost her greatly.
The man wasted no time capitalizing on her need to recover. He swooped the half-elfs leg before she could get her proper footing.
Emilia crashed to the ground with an audible thud. She looked to see the man's cold dead eyes staring back at her, dagger in hand reared back preparing to end her.
Emilia tensed up and used her arms to block her face. A foolish move on her end, seeing as she had no way of knowing where the man was aiming.
It did, however, shield her from something that neither the assassin nor the Half-elf was prepared for.
"El-Shinya!"
As the assassin rushed his dagger towards his victim, a blinding light engulfed the room before any damage could be done.
The dagger that was aiming for her neck was brought off course just enough for it to be wedged deep into the carpet floor instead of the Half-elf's windpipe.
"Tch"
Visible irritation showed on the man, scrunching his face from the blinding light and from missing his intended target.
Emilia capitalized on the man's misfortune. She bended her legs directly towards the man's chest. With an audible grunt she slammed both her legs into the man's sternum with all her might, causing the man to fly across the room like a speeding bullet. He only stopped due to the impact from crashing into the wall.
"Ghk-UH!"
Blood gushed out of the man's mouth as his back, chest and a good set of bones were crushed from the devastating double kick. He slumped to his left, away from the small crater that his body had created.
Emilia jumped to her feet to finish the assassin off but when she got a good look at him, she realized that he was done for.
His eyes showed shock but no anger. Despite being out bested by a single double kick, he showed no hint of remorse. Even though he was aware of his imminent death, there was not a single shroud of fear nor panic within the man. The single bead of light in his eyes went away before he could form any final words. None were needed seeing as how peaceful he looked in death. As if this was one of the best things that could've happened to him.
Emilia was baffled at how easily the man gave up. Not just on killing her, but on his own life as well. She decided to shelve any sympathy she had at the moment and focus on the boy that just saved her life again.
Subaru was out of bed with his arms extended from casting the spell. He took one glance at the assassin to make sure he wasn't getting up. Once he saw no visible movement he got on one knee to catch his breath.
'Thank God their fighting woke me up! That was way too close. If I had been a second later, who knows what could've happened!'
After a couple of seconds of rest and heavy breaths, he got up from his kneeling position. Surprise was evident on his face over how fast he recovered.
'Looks like my training with Puck paid off a little bit! In hindsight it was a good thing he didn't train me today otherwise I would've been totally exhausted.'
His thoughts were interrupted once he saw his elvin friend standing up and rushing towards him.
"Subaru are you ok!?"
Subaru looked at her with bewilderment. She's the one that almost had her throat slashed and she's asking about his condition?
"Am I ok!? You're the one that just fought an assassin!"
"Nevermind that, we need to hurry and meet up with the others."
"R-Right. Wait, where are we even going?!"
"No time to explain we have to go, NOW!"
Emila grabbed his hand and yanked him like a ragdoll. Subaru grunted in pain, astonished that his arm wasn't ripped off. The Half-elf rushed towards the twin doors and kicked them off their hedges, hoping that the doors would crash into another one of their attackers. Regretfully no one was present but the momentary pause was enough for Subaru to finally plant his feet instead of skidding along the floor.
Any tiredness Subaru had was immediately dispelled. Before he could ask any questions, which he had a million of at the moment, Emilia had pulled him halfway across the Hallway. Subaru was able to plant his feet into the ground this time and keep pace with Emilia before she took off again.
The smell of iron made the half-elf's nose scrunch up but she ignored it and proceeded to lock eyes with the corridor that went towards the main entrance. Getting there and meeting up with Beatrice is her first and only destination at the moment. There were too many variables to account for, so gaining more allies was priority one in her mind.
'That massive boom hasn't happened yet. I need to get there and meet up with Beatrice as soon as possible. Chances are she's fighting their leader right now. Whoever it was that… ended me must have been the one that cursed Subaru. Could it be Petra? Subaru said that was the only person he touched aside from a dog but-'
"EM-SAN LOOKOUT!"
Subarus warning saved the girl from a gruesome fate. Emilia darted to the left to avoid a dagger thrown toward her neck. She looked towards the trajectory of the knife to see 2 shadows emerging from the shadows of the corridor. A man and a woman appeared before them. From the lack of cloaks from either of them and the blood stained clothes, it was clear that they had been in a previous fight already.
The assassins darted toward the duo but Subaru was a step ahead, using his right hand to cast a ball of light and the other to shield Emilia's eyes from the imminent blindness.
"El-Shinya" He whispered the words just in case they were aware of the incantation.
The ball expanded and flashed multiple bright colors all at once. The 2 assassins backed off to regain their vision. Emilia took advantage of the duo's momentary blindness by throwing an ice spear towards the assassin on her left, impaling her through her shoulder and against the wall. She then immediately stomped her foot and froze the ground to her right, freezing the assassin in place from the waist down.
The duo took a momentary pause to assess the situation. Two assassins, both incapacitated but neither out of commission.
The one with a spear impaled in her shoulder, showed far less resistance than the one captured in ice. Said assassin was chucking away at the ice to no avail, spewing multiple curses while giving momentary glances of hatred towards his captures.
Meanwhile the other was looking at the duo with a blank expression, almost as if the pain didn't even register for her.
Emilia weighed her options in her head, wondering what the best course of action was. On one hand she could simply leave the two here and go towards the main entrance and meet up with Beatrice. She'd be there a lot sooner than last time plus she'd be ready for the winged assassin. By all accounts that's what she would've done If it wasn't for-
'Rem… she's too unpredictable. I was her target yet she went after Subaru for no apparent reason. Maybe Ram could rain her in someho- GOSH DARN IT I FORGOT TO WARN RAM ABOUT THE CURSE! BEATRICE PROBABLY HAS HER HANDS FULL KEEPING HER ALIVE! O-Ok, so wherever Rem is chances are she's weeeell past reasoning with. I can still- I mean I should- but what if I-'
She was holding her head with her right hand at this point, scratching in an attempt to make the gears in her head work in overdrive. Her options were either A, find Beatrice and defeat the mysterious winged assassin, hope that she could win against them before any of their reinforcements show up, and pray that Rem doesn't appear in the meantime. Or B she could use the spare time she has to interrogate one of the two assassins in front of her, something she's never done before and would most likely result in being a complete waste of time. But Information was key here, despite her many theories on who the shaman was, she had no concrete facts or evidence on who it was. If she fought the winged assailant and forced him to lift the curse only to find out that they didn't cast it, then Ram dies. That's assuming she could even win in the first place. The last time she encountered the winged assailant, she was executed on the spot. If she could just get the name of who it was that casted the curse then nearly half of her problems would be solved. That's all she needed, a name .
Her options were weighed. She stared at the corridor to her right that went towards the main entrance, then towards the 2 trapped assassins. Before she made her decision, she took a look at Subaru. Mentally weighing which choice was less likely to get him hurt.
Subaru wouldn't dare show it but he was freaking out at the moment. He not only saw a man die in front of him but now he's staring at 2 people that attempted to kill them both moments ago. It was horrible, terrifying…and exciting as hell. Adrenaline sweat trickled down his face as he thought about the many dangerous encounters he was sure to face for the rest of tonight. A shaky smile showed on face as he looked towards Emilia, admiring her ability to think ahead in this heated situation. He placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping that she had come to a conclusion on what their next objective would be.
"Alright Em-san, so what's are next move?"
Emilia's internal debate came to a close once she heard that. At this point whatever choice she made didn't matter. All that mattered was that she chose now.
She stepped towards the 2 assassins ready to ask her one and only question.
"Your Shaman! What's their name?!"
"..."
"!..."
The assassin impaled to the wall showed no visible reaction, meanwhile the one encased in ice took a pause and stared at the two with a look of uncertainty. Then a condescending smirk appeared on the man's face.
"Answer me! I know your plans were to curse the people in the mansion! Tell me who did it or so help me I will-!"
"S-S-S-Shut it bitch. You're better off pulling my heart out before pulling my lips."
The man in ice was the first to speak up. His lips were chattering due to the cold seeping in through his skin.
"H-Hey, that's not how you're supposed to respond in this situation! Shouldn't the bad guy be pleading for his life right now and be trying to compromise!? Seriously, your self preservation skills are terrible!"
Subaru's rant was met with a side glance and a snort of amusement from the man. The Half-elf drew a deep scowl at the man's words. Meanwhile the impaled woman said nothing, her face not changing in the slightest.
"I'm not going to ask you again! Who is the shamen?!"
As she roared her question to the duo, the ice started to creep further up the man's waist and spread across the woman's shoulder. They both winced in pain. The man looked at the two with even further loathing.
"Can we just sk-sk-sk-skip the foreplay ere?! Kill us already, ya ain't getting anything out of us!"
His pleas for death made the duo step back. Emilia more so than Subaru.
The raven haired boy was surprised that he would welcome death so easily. All the excitement in his body evaporated and was replaced with anxiety. He was already a witness to one death, his first death. And now he was potentially going to see 2 more on the same day. A sickening knot formed in his chest at the prospect. Everything prior to this was fight or flight, now if they decided to take a life it would be entirely intentional. It was justified no matter how you saw it but rationalization was not Subaru's forte.
Emilia on the other hand was appalled and quite frankly furious at what he just said. Nevermind that she was wasting her time on these two when she could be helping Beatrice. This man was speaking of death as if it were trivial. For someone who has experienced it first hand, multiple times at that, she could confidently say there was nothing trivial about it. And to add insult to injury, this man might be serious about his claim. She had seen one of his colleagues die just minutes ago and his eyes showed not an ounce of regret nor fear. She decided not to dwell on it back then but now she couldn't help but question the sanity of her attackers. What kind of horrible life would one have to have to be so content in their final moments. How many and how deep do the mental scars have to dig into a person's psyche for them to accept death's cold embrace like a warm hug. Would there come a time when she would accept death like that? The Half-elf shuddered at the thought.
"Tch, this was a waste of time."
She turned on her heel and began to run towards the main corridor along with Subaru. Sparing them was not an act of mercy but of disgust. Once everyone was safe and sound she'd come back to interrogate them properly. Or rather have Rem do it considering her ruthless nature.
"There is no Shaman"
Emilia halted her stride after hearing a weak but very clear and feminine voice speak up.
The male attacker looked to his right in bewilderment.
"Oi da fuck is you telling them that for!"
The man shouted in rage towards his female companion. The woman looked at him with indifference, her cold dead eyes staring into his before continuing.
"Our rule, Honor of conduct. They spared us therefore it is only just that we answer one question."
Upon hearing that Emilas eyes bulged ever so slightly.
'Honour of conduct? That's such a…knightly term. Why would assassins have that kind of rule?'
The male assassin grinded his teeth upon hearing this. Loathing was written on his face but with the way his eyes darted around, never looking her directly in the eyes, it was clear that his anger was directed somewhere else.
"You son of a-! That's the stupidist facking thing ive ever-"
"He hears all, Ghazan."
The man, now dubbed Ghazan, visibly stiffened once he heard that.
"You are new to our branch but even you know what happens if you disobey his wishes."
A look of horror showed on his face. Any objections he had went away immediately. He took an audible gulp before reluctantly looking towards the two infront of him.
"Fuck me. Oi silver bitch get your question out of the way. She already answered your first one so now it's my turn."
Subaru was ready to step in and punch him straight in the jaw for that remark. He only stopped due to Emilia taking a step forward herself. Now only a couple of feet away from Ghazan, she locked eyes with him for an uncomfortably long time. Ice crept up his body even further. His arms were entirely encased in ice along with his upper body. The only thing that was left untouched was his shoulders and head.
"Who is your leader?"
Her question, no her demand, was short and left no room for indignation on his end.
Visible sweat appeared on Ghazan's face but his overall composure was still intact.
"Heh mama of course. She runs this whole gig."
Emilia's gaze turned razor sharp.
"Alright, and does she go by any other name?"
"I answered your question now, piss off. Oh and I wouldn't recommend killing us now. I answered your question in exchange for my life. If you were to say…go back on your word.
Once he said those last words the air became noticeably thicker and heavier. As if the world was coming down on itself. It wasn't enough to cause any harm to anyone present but it was enough to be aware of a foreign presence.
"He would not be too kind towards you."
Emilia wanted to further question what he meant but she was already wasting time as it is. She glared at the duo before turning back around looking towards Subaru.
"Come on, we have to hurry."
Subaru perked up from the mention of his name. While Emilia was thinking on Ghazans warning, Subaru was busy trying to collect himself after being affected by the unknown presence. He was affected by the sudden shift in pressure the most. His breath was haggard but he was able to regain his composure shortly after.
He looked towards Emilia and gave a short nod.
"Right, let's go… where are we going exactly?"
Emilia ignored his question and began to run towards the entrance of the mansion with Subaru slightly behind her. Echos of a waging battle could be heard in the distance.
It took all but a couple minutes for the duo to make their way towards the entrance and find Beatrice floating in the air, purple crystals encircling around her. Her opponents were 3 badly injured assassins. Behind her was an unconscious Ram.
Emilia bit her lip for being neglectful in warning Ram of the impending attack. She shook off her internal frustration and conjured twin ice words to assist Beatrice.
The already badly injured assailants were down in mere moments from the trio.
Once they were dealt with, Emilia took a breather to assess the situation.
'No crater. No black feathers. Could this "mama" person be the winged assailant or were they referring to someone else? Somehow I doubt someone called "mama" would be addressed as a he. So the person with wings can't be the leader then. Wait no- I'm jumping to conclusions here for all I know the shaman could be the leader and the winged person is- no that wouldn't make any sense- but then again he could-!'
"It appears your ludicrous claims held some truth, Half-elf. Betty has seen to it that these fools be dealt with accordingly."
Emilia came out of her thoughts to lock eyes with the petite girl, who was now down to Emilia's waist.
"G-good I'm not sure how many are left but we need to stick together. How Is Ram doing?"
"The maids' breathing is stable in fact. It appears that she has been cursed."
"Wait, Ram got cursed too!?"
Subaru took a look behind Beatrice to see the state she was in after learning of her condition. Surprise was evident on his face after seeing how weak she looked. If Emilia hadn't already dispelled the curse on him, he could've been in her exact same condition or worse.
"Yes, fairly recently in fact. The curse originated from her bandaged hand."
Upon hearing that Subaru gave an audible gulp. He had reeeallly dodged a bullet there thanks to Emilia.
"..."
Meanwhile Emilia gave no visible reaction to the news, gaining a suspicious eyebrow raise from the great spirit of yin.
"How strange, you don't appear to be all that surprised by this."
Emilia looked at her with a hint of annoyance but overall indifference.
"At this point I'm just constantly expecting the worst."
"Em-san you sound like a war veteran right now. Does this type of stuff happen often?"
"...No"
A momentary pause lingered around the trio. Beatrice and Subaru felt very offput with how she sounded.
Emilia gave an audible sigh before speaking again.
"For now we need to find the Shaman and take care of them. Beatrice, do you have a way of identifying the person responsible for this."
"As far I'm aware, no. There is no observable link between the caster and the victim. Although I can determine the nature of the caster. From what I can infer, the caster was neither human nor spirit."
'Neither human nor spirit? No wonder Ghazan was shocked when I asked him who the Shaman was. Chances are he either didn't know who or what it was, or wasn't aware of one to begin with.'
"Ok are first order of business is to-"
Before she could continue, a blur rushed past her and crashed into the nearby wall.
A blue haired maid came out of the rubble, blood on her left thigh and upper body with black feathers scattered around her. A single sparkling horn was forming out of her head as she got out of the crater. Lighting cackled around her, giant morning star in hand, ready to attack the nearest thing that breathed.
"Rem?! Are you ok!?"
Subaru attempted to walk up to her and see if she was alright but was quickly stopped by a shoulder grab from Emilia.
"Subaru don't. She's dangerous right now."
Emilia bit her lip. If Rem was anything like last time then she was the biggest threat here. Forget finding the shaman, she'd be lucky if everyone got out unharmed with a fanatical Oni running amuck.
Rem got to her feet with great effort, brushing the rubble off of her as she did.
Emilia tensed up, ready to defend herself and Subaru at a moment's notice. Her worries were for not however as the blue haired Oni wasn't even looking at them. Instead she was looking towards Emilia's left, towards the hallway that Rem was moments prior.
Confusion turned to caution once everyone heard the sound of beating feathers coming from the hallway. Slowly but surely the silhouette emerged further, revealing a man with giant black wings looming over the four. His pale white hair went down to his shoulders, wild for the most part but strands of hairs were braided giving him the look of a norse viking. His cinnamon brown skin was covered in tattoos, forming around his body like a ceremonial suit of armor. His clothes were surprisingly plain. Covered in simple but neat robes, reminiscent of hindu attire. His only noteworthy appearance, aside from the obvious, was a diamond shaped earring dangling from his left ear, pure gold to the naked eye. His jawline was sharp and his facial features were rough but his skin was fairly clear. Despite his intimidating features his eyes were surprising soft looking, golden pupils matching his golden earring.
The contrast made him look strangely feminine but no one would dare comment on it. No… everyone was far too tense to utter a word. Everyone except Subaru knew what this person was. Not only did it solidify who the leader of this attack was. Not only did it make Emilia's search for the shaman far more difficult. Not only did it change who Emilia thought was the biggest threat at the moment. It also put the mystery of who killed her in her last life to a close.
'Whoever this "mama" person is must be an unstoppable monster. If she really is behind all this then how strong would she have to be to have a-'
"Murak!"
Whoosh*
Emilia was pushed out of her thoughts due a massive push of wind coming from the great spirit. Subaru and Emilia were pushed out of the way onto their backs. The duo were about to question the petite girl until they saw the man that was previously in the air, now where they previously were. His wings were flat and in front of himself. Had Beatrice not intervened the duo would've been decapitated.
"And here I thought your kind was eradicated in fact."
Purple crystals of different sizes formed around the great spirit as she began to float in the air. The winged man took a stance, preparing to dodge, parry, and eliminate its target.
"Consider it an honor to be bested by me, Valkine."
The Valkine said nothing as he flapped his wings and rushed the great spirit.