-Outside Trial Ruins-
Subaru, Ram, Otto, and Garfiel all watch and wave towards Rem as she enters the ruins to begin her first trial.
Emilia is present as well, but due to passing out from the herbal tea, she is unable to encourage Rem. Even if she was awake, she would likely still be unable to due to appearing to be traumatized by her attempt to take the trial. She currently rests her head on Subaru's lap.
Due to giving Echidna the handkerchief that Petra gave him not long before they set off for the Sanctuary during the first trial, Subaru now fully remembers what transpired between him and Echidna both in the trial, as well as the first tea party. Though the handkerchief didn't truly go away as he is still wearing it on his arm, it was more of a sentimental payment than anything. She granted not just him the ability to take it on despite not being a demi-human, but Rem as well, who likewise isn't a demi-human either.
He worries for her, both due to Emilia's current state, as well as the fact that he had a few episodes of intense acute pain while taking the trial. Initially, he was completely oblivious to the fact that he was taking a trial and fully believed he was at home with his parents, avoiding school. Each time he felt that pain, he'd slowly grow more disillusioned to his current state and was eventually able to remember everything outside of the trial.
Still, he was able to pass the trial and hopes she will do the same. He doesn't need to see a repeat of what happened to Emilia.
I wonder what she will learn. He can't help but think. He has a general overview of Rem and Ram's history. They once lived in a village where Rem looked up to her older sister. Due to the Witch Cult attacking their village, Ram lost her horn and Rem began to work even harder than before to match her sister in usefulness. Aside from this, Subaru doesn't know much about her life before he met her. He wishes to ask her sometime though, when the time is right.
Suddenly, a voice speaks up, freeing him from his thoughts:
"Hey, this might be a little late to mention now, but I just thought of an idea of how we can get everyone, including the demi-humans, through the barrier without passing the trials."
Belonging to Otto, he gives a bit of hope to everyone regarding the barrier situation.
"Yeah? What's yer bright idea? Cause Imma pretty sure whatev' this is, it ain't gonna work!" Garfiel scoffs lightly, but is willing to listen.
"Alright here me out. You know how the demi-humans become unconscious when they pass through, right? Well, why don't the people who aren't affected by the barrier carry the ones who are through while they are unconscious?"
Subaru's head perks up at the idea, "Yeah! That may work, why haven't I thought of that?"
"Considering how you've fumbled your way through everything so far Barusu, it is quite surprising you've failed to identify this potential solution." Ram says, not missing a beat.
"You didn't think of it either! And don't make light of my achievements! Though I did have a lot of help along the way…"
"It's an amusing idea, but one you'd rather not try. As for my thoughts on the matter, I'd rather not become an empty shell of a soul."
An unknown high pitched voice replies to Otto's suggestion. Everyone turns their heads towards the source of the voice. The source slowly approaches them.
The person appears to be a female. With long pink hair and her height being around the same as Petra's, if not just a little bit taller. She wears a black cloak that covers her entire body, including her mouth, albeit very loosely. In her left hand is a black staff with a mixture of red and blue markings, looking like jewels of sorts. Her expression is completely blank and unreadable. Her tone likewise does not have much emotion attached to it. No one can figure out exactly what this girl is thinking, aside from what she blatantly told everyone.
Subaru recognizes her as the elf he saw in the forest with Rem, "Wait a minute, I saw you-yeow!" Suddenly getting his hand, which was laying out on one of the stone stairs, squashed, he yelps in pain. He looks up and finds the instigator to be Ram.
"What the heck Ram?! Why did you just-"
She kneels down to his level and sharply whispers, "Don't make unnecessary comments."
The small girl speaks, "I heard you had brought in more people from the outside, Young Gar. What a noisy boy he is."
"Who are you?" Otto plainly asks.
"I am Ryuzu Bilma. It is my duty to represent this community. Though I am old and frail as you can see."
"Reaaally? Are you what they call a loli hag?" Subaru smirks as he looks over her body somewhat intensely. Despite describing herself as old and frail, she looks nothing like that and instead looks like a young child. The only thing that could allude to her frailness is the fact she carries a staff with her. "I figured I'd meet one eventually, but wow, you sure fit the stereotype."
"Rude. You dare to call me an old hag when we've just met?" Ryuzu sighs, closing her eyes and slowly shaking her head. "Well, no matter. You must be Barusu, correct? That makes you Young Su."
"Hold up!" Subaru puts up the hand that was squashed, though now the pain has mostly subsided. He looks up to Ram with great suspicion in his eyes, "Have you two met and already told her about me?"
"So what if I did? And why do you presume it was me?"
"At least get my name right when you tell others about me! They'll get the wrong impression of me if you say my name is Barusu! Though I suppose Young Su does sound kinda cute, so I approve of that nickname. For the record, my name is Natsuki Subaru."
"Hmph." Ram frowns, shuts her eyes, and looks away from Subaru. For some reason, that comment on approving Young Su as a nickname bothered her more than she'd like it to.
"So Ryuzu-san, what makes you say my idea won't work?" Otto asks, completely ignoring the side-topic of Subaru's name.
"Ah yes, let me explain."
Ryuzu begins to explain the situation regarding how the barrier works in more detail.
-Rem and Ram's Home-
"Hmm..erm…urk." Various moaning sounds can be heard as a small figure slowly rises up from her bed. Rubbing her eyes, she slowly opens them and stretches rather intensely.
Raising her hands to her head, she realizes just how messy it is, very likely being typical bed hair. Lazily getting up and walking towards a mirror a few feet in front of her bed, she takes a look at herself.
Standing before her is an eleven year old child in a blue nightgown with messy blue hair.
Rem has returned to her eleven year old body.
Suddenly, her eyes widen considerably, remembering something important, "Oh yeah! Today I am going to try to cook dinner for mom, dad, and Onee-chan! Last time it didn't go so well and I had to be saved by Onee-chan…"
Her face grows despondent upon recalling the last time she tried to cook a meal by herself for her family. She was out in the forest surrounding her village picking some nuts and seeds she had found lying around. She was pretty proud of what she had found and was happy with what she had collected. Only needing a rabbit left for the meal she was preparing to make, Rem made a small noose trap to catch whatever unfortunate rabbit would happen to come across it.
Sadly, a thunderstorm came out of nowhere and rain began to pour on Rem. Hearing some strong lightning strikes nearby, she decided to abandon the potential rabbit and run home. Carrying the nuts and seeds she found, she began to run until a lightning bolt struck literally only feet behind her. The force of the strike launched her forward, forcing her to land right on her face in the dirt below. The lightning strike caught the tree on fire and it was barrelling straight for her. She would've likely been crushed or burned to death had it not been for Ram who, using her wind magic, sliced the entire tree up into fairly harmless small pieces of wood.
She was very thankful for her sister being there to rescue her, but at the same time she felt so useless for not being able to take care of the situation herself. Moreover, the basket she was using broke apart due to a few chunks of wood landing on it, forcing her to abandon all of the ingredients she gathered.
Despite this ending in horrible failure, Rem did not want to give up. Being the second coming of the oni god's younger sister, she had to live up to a lot of expectations. The villagers seemed convinced for some reason that despite her not having the same blessing as her sister, she was somehow supposed to meet her sister in both talent and strength.
It's quite a lot for an eleven year old to go through.
"Gotta get dressed, can't be late for breakfast!" She proceeds to do just that. She puts on a white and blue robe, tied with a giant blue cincture that is crafted into a bow on the back, as well as white stockings. Finally, she dons an artificial white flower on the left side of her hair.
Walking out of her room and down a small hallway, she walks into the kitchen where all of her family members are already located. She sees her mom and dad cooking while Ram is setting the table.
"Morning everyone." Rem greets with a smile.
Her mother, Temae, is the first to respond to her greeting, "Good morning Rem. How did you sleep last night?"
The other two give their morning greetings.
"I slept fine, what are we eating this morning?"
"I thought that in celebration of Ram's major achievement for summoning and unleashing 75 consecutive wind blades for the first time during her training yesterday, we should prepare a special meal to her liking." Temae replies.
She tilts her head at first, before nodding, "I see, that's wonderful! But why wasn't I told about it before now?"
"Sorry, we only decided on it after you and Ram went to sleep. I presume it's alright with you?" Quark, her father, says.
"No no, of course it is!" She quickly states to avoid any misunderstanding. "I'd…just like to know in advance is all."
Ram frowns at her sister in concern.
A short while later the meal is prepared and everyone begins to eat. The meal in question is steamed potatoes with beans to the side.
While they eat, Rem says, "Mom, dad?"
"Yes sweetie?" Her mother replies.
"Can…can I try to cook dinner again tonight? I know it didn't go so well last time…but it's super clear outside today! I don't think it'll rain."
The wife and husband exchange glances before smiling and nodding to one another.
"Sure. The chief felt very confident that it wouldn't rain for the next few days. So there should be no fires or falling trees to worry about." Temae says.
Without any warning, Rem puts her right hand to her forehead while her eyes constrict by shutting them tightly. She moans deeply.
"Rem, are you okay?!" Ram examines her body in concern.
She puts on a forced smile, "Yes…I'm alright. I'm feeling a sudden headache so I'm going to lie down for a bit." Excusing herself from the table, she slowly walks back to her room. Everyone watches her with concern.
What was that? Rem asks herself upon returning to the room she and Ram share. I got a chilling feeling out of nowhere and my head really started to hurt. But why?
She takes a few minutes to sit on the bed and rest her head, hoping the pain would subside. To her relief, the pain does slowly alleviate and after about a minute and a half of resting, it's completely gone.
"So weird…" She rubs her forehead once more to confirm the pain is really gone. "Why did that happen? Nevermind, I have supplies I need to gather. I need to grow big, learn skills, and be strong like Onee-chan!"
Opening the door, she is surprised to see Ram standing there. "Onee-chan? Did you need something from our room?"
She shakes her head, "No, I wanted to check on you. Are you feeling any better now?"
"Yeah, the pain is all gone now. I don't know what happened."
"I see, that's good. Also, I wanted to say sorry about breakfast. I know you did amazing yesterday with summoning ten ice spears at a very quick speed for the first time! I'll tell mom and dad to make a special yummy breakfast for your achievement too."
But Rem shakes her head, "You don't need to say sorry. You totally earned a special breakfast. What you can do is so amazing, and I know you'll keep doing amazing things!"
"I don't want your achievements to be overlooked, the things you can do are equally awesome." Ram initially gives her a serious look before relaxing into a natural smile.
Rem smiles in return, "Thanks Onee-chan. I'm happy to hear that. I'm going to head out and collect the ingredients now. I'll see you later."
"I'll come with you to the village square, I need to meet with the chief."
"To check on how you're progressing with wind magic?"
Ram nods with a slightly annoyed look on her face, "Yes, it's annoying, but it's my duty to report on what I've done."
It's been a few months since the chief last checked on me personally. Rem muses, feeling a bit down, but she hides it well.
The sisters head out to perform their respective tasks.
-Village Square-
As the sisters pass by through the center of the fairly active village, many of the villagers give their greetings to Ram and thank her for her continued service towards the village. Occasionally there are small monster attacks that happen at the outskirts of the village. Whenever that happens, the villagers call on Ram to help defend the village. Thanks to her power as the second coming of the oni god, the monsters and mabeasts are small work for her. Still, the villagers are beyond impressed with her capabilities.
Ram responds to all the praise with a small smile and with short waves left and right. Rem, walking silently behind her, is happy to see just how approving they are of her sister. However, she is also able to hear what the villagers say about her even if they were trying to be quiet about it.
"Why is Rem-san with her?"
"Poor Rem-chan…she'll always be in Ram-sama's shadow."
"Will she ever live up to her sister's potential? They are twins after all."
"No boy will want to be Rem-san's boyfriend if she doesn't grow to be strong like Ram-sama."
"Shhhh! She might hear you!"
"Ahhh!" Rem cries all of a sudden and falls to the floor onto her knees, covering her head with both of her tiny hands.
Ram gives everyone around her a nasty glare that instantly intimidates them to go back to their work rather than watching them and making gossip.
"Rem! Are you okay?! Don't listen to them!"
After a moment, she responds shakily, "N-No…it's not that…I'm sorry…" She wobbles her way back into a standing position, merely focusing her gaze on the ground below her.
Ram helps steady her, "Stop apologizing! But that's twice this has happened, are you really alright? Should I take you to the healer?"
"Y-Yes, I'm fine. No need for the healer. Onee-chan has always helped me ever since I was born. I'm sorry, and thank you."
Rem is aware of how much Ram has helped her throughout her life. From assisting with her magic sometimes, to helping her with her schoolwork, like math or the Lugunica language. She's even aware that her own life was spared due to what Ram had done to protect her at their birth. For all of these reasons, Rem is truly grateful to her sister and feels guilty for not being of more help to her.
"Sheesh, just say the last part. You're too kind-hearted Rem." Ram can't help but give a defeated smile at her sister.
Why…did that pain come back? That thing that person said…about a boyfriend. Why does that…erk! Rem, having collapsed onto her knees because the acute pain she felt back at breakfast had returned, was trying to figure out what caused it. She felt it immediately after hearing one of the villagers mention a boyfriend. In addition to the pain, a very brief image played through her mind. It was simply a black silhouette of a boy. The only thing she could make out was the outline for his messy hair. I…I'm not even interested in any boys! So why did that bother me so much…
They walk a bit further before the two stop at a small crossroad in the village.
"I'll need to go this way to get the ingredients for dinner. I'll be back soon Onee-chan." Rem says while pointing to the forest not too far in front of her.
"Can you wait for me? It'll only be about 10 minutes." Ram asks.
"Huh?"
"Those two headaches you've had really scare me. I don't want you to get another one out there and suffer alone." She frowns deeply in concern.
"I need to do this on my own." Rem states in a rare moment of assertion. "I want to be useful to you, mom, dad, the chief, and the rest of the village."
"You're already very useful! Your ice magic has helped us preserve our food. You've also been a big help towards the other kids by helping them study."
"That's only because I've had a very good teacher." Not elaborating on who said teacher is, she continues, "Please Onee-chan. The headache won't come back again. If I need help, I'll let you know through Synesthesia."
Ram ponders for a moment before nodding. The fact that they can communicate their feelings through their Synesthesia ability gives her peace of mind. "Ok, I'll be with the chief then. Bye!"
"Bye Onee-chan!"
Ram turns to her left and heads down a stone-paved road towards the chief's home. Meanwhile Rem turns around and walks down the dirt path towards the forest.
-Forest-
Rem quietly heads into said forest and begins to pick some seeds from various plants. She hums some of her favorite tunes that she learned from her parents, particularly the ones she heard while going to sleep.
Later, she begins to set up a small trap with a tied rope to catch a bunny to cook. Specifically a barbaro rabbit. It takes about half an hour, but she does eventually manage to catch one. With a bit of hesitancy, she dislocates the neck of the rabbit. Then, taking out a small knife that she kept within the basket that carried the nuts she gathered, she proceeds to cut off its head to give it a quick death. She's been told how to do this by her parents, but this is the first time she's ever successfully pulled it off. Having never killed anything before she did feel hesitant and a bit guilty at ending the poor little rabbit's life. However, the recipe does call for a barbaro rabbit and they do need to eat, thus she justifies the need to hunt.
"I do wonder though. Maybe running around and hunting using a ranged weapon would've been much quicker than making a trap. …Hck!" Clenching her teeth and holding her head with her hands, another intense round of acute pain permeates throughout her skull.
"Why…why did I think of that?! I'm not violent!" Rem cries out. An image of a long black chain forms in her mind. At the end of that chain is a black ball with pink spikes. Despite how scary looking it appears, she doesn't feel that way regarding this specific weapon. It feels familiar and comforting, but Rem doesn't have the slightest idea why, and that terrifies her.
"M-More nuts! I need to collect more nuts!" In a desperate attempt to get her mind off of that weapon, she focuses all of her energy into collecting a few more nuts and seeds for the meal she plans to make.
-Rem and Ram's Home-
-Kitchen-
"Alright. Stir-fry the potatoes and slowly add the butter. Meanwhile, slowly cook the rabbit in a separate pot." Rem looks over a piece of paper that contains the directions for cooking the dish she wishes to make. Although it is a little tricky to navigate the kitchen due to her small stature and how high the stove and pantries are, she is having a lot of fun cooking for her family.
"Mmm, it smells really good in here!" Ram enters the kitchen and smiles in bliss at the lovely smell the stove is emanating.
"Does it really Onee-chan?" Rem asks.
"Of course! You're doing an awesome job so far. Mom and dad will surely love this!" Ram enthusiastically confirms while bringing a stool over to the stove to observe her work.
"Thanks." Rem gives a small embarrassed smile but is very happy to hear the praise from her sister. "How did the meeting with the chief go?"
"Eh, normal I guess." She gives an unimpressive answer. "Same old stuff. Praising me for my work and telling me to work even harder to improve my skills."
"Well, he's right. You've got a lot of talent Onee-chan. I'm sure you'll help a lot of people with that power."
"You will too Rem, just wait and see."
Fifteen Minutes Later
Rem completes the meal preparation all by herself. The only thing Ram did was set the table for everyone.
Temae and Quark enter the kitchen.
"Wow, it smells really good in here!" Quark says cheerfully.
"Yes it does." His wife agrees. "Did you really do all of this Rem?"
"Of course she did!" Ram says before Rem can confirm it herself. "She did it all by herself too. If the steamed potatoes she made last week are anything to go by, then I'm sure what she made tonight will be wonderful too."
"I'm sure it will be. Show us what you made Rem." Temae says as she and Quark sit down in their usual seats, which happens to just be one small but really long bench.
Rem serves the food to everyone before sitting down herself. They taste the food.
Their eyes widen slightly. Quark speaks up first, "Wow Rem, this is amazing!"
"Indeed, this is really good." Temae says as she wipes her mouth with a napkin. "You could become a great housewife someday."
"H-Housewife?!" Rem stutters while blushing a little. Then:
"AH!" Rem hunches over and once again puts a hand to her forehead.
"Rem?! Don't tell me it's another headache?!" Ram immediately examines her sister in a hurried panic.
H-Housewife?! The same black silhouette reappears in her mind. Except this time, she can clearly make out a white, black, and orange tracksuit that he is wearing. His messy hair, which is actually black, is fully visible too. The only thing not visible is his face.
"Who…who are you?!" Rem asks. Something gnaws at the edge of her mind. It's like how it was with the spiky ball and chain. It feels familiar somehow, even though she has no idea who this person is. "Tell me! Who are you?!"
"Thank you Rem." The unknown person says directly into her mind.
"Thank you? Thank you for what?! I don't know you!"
"I don't know how you put up with me. I'm pathetic, miserable, and a crybaby sometimes."
"Who are you? Tell me! Why do you know me?! Reveal your face!" Rem cries out towards this unknown man.
"You're so kind, diligent, and loyal to the ones you care about. I can never live up to your capabilities. You're so much more amazing than me." The man continues to praise her. "You are no replacement. So laugh Rem."
As if a giant fog suddenly dissipated in front of the man's face, she is now finally able to see who is talking to her.
It's Natsuki Subaru. The man Rem fell in love with.
Recognizing him, a burst of memories involving him come forth. Other memories spring forth. Including her working at the mansion with Ram. Interacting with Emilia, Roswaal, Beatrice, and Frederica. Fighting the White Whale, and fighting the Witch's Cult.
The Witch's Cult!
Rem, now finally able to focus on her surroundings again, goes as wide-eyed as her eyes will allow. The Witch's Cult! I remember now! I remember everything! I went to take the trial, and I got sent back to when I lived at the village with Nee-sama! I remember this day so clearly. It's…it's…
She clenches her fists and teeth.
"Rem? Rem! You need to lie down. You're putting on a really scary face…" Ram attempts to help her up before she is lightly pushed back.
Putting on a smile as if nothing is wrong, she replies, "No, I feel much better now. Sorry to have worried you Nee-sama. Let's eat."
Her entire family frowns at Rem's sudden formal reply. Ram says in a confused voice, "Nee-sama?"
"Oh, I meant O-Onee-chan. Oops." She gives a half-hearted giggle before beginning to eat, hoping to drive the suspicion away from her.
All four eat in silence, but that doesn't mean their minds were silent. At least, Rem's weren't.
Those damn Witch Cultists. I remember. On this night, they attacked the village and wiped out everyone except for me and Nee-sama. They ruined everything and even stole Nee-sama's precious horn. I don't know why I was sent to the past like this, but if I can change this horrible night from occurring and save everyone, then I will do it.
Her mind completely settled, she formulates a way to help save them.
-Rem and Ram's Room-
"Wow, I sure look young." Rem observes herself in the mirror. Now that her memories of the future are back, she looks at her younger body with a brand new perspective. "I wonder what would've happened if I met Subaru-kun at this age. I'm sure we'd have a lot of fun together." She smiles blissfully at the thought of themselves running around outside catching butterflies or making mud pies.
She vigorously shakes her head, "No! Now's not the time for that. I need to focus. I need to get Nee-sama to help me. She still has her horn, so it's crucial she helps me fight."
"What about my horn?" Ram enters the room with an inquisitive look.
"O-Onee-chan! How much did you hear just now?" Rem asks, trying to hide her anxious voice as much as possible. Then she thinks, Oh, look at her! She's so adorable! Sometimes I forget just how cute she looked back then.
"Only something about how I still have my horn."
"I see." Rem internally sighs in relief that she didn't hear more than that. "Listen Onee-chan."
"W-What?" Ram replies, a little unsettled by her sister's sudden serious tone shift.
"There's this evil organization. They're known as the Witch's Cult. They're going to attack the village tonight. I need your help defeating them and saving everyone."
"The Witch's Cult? What do you mean they're going to attack?"
"Exactly as I said. They'll burn this village to the ground and kill every last person here if we do nothing about it."
"And how do you know about this? I've never heard of the Witch's Cult before." Ram asks. Rem didn't fail to catch the hint of doubt laced with that question.
"I can smell their scent. The Witch Cultists have an utterly disgusting smell. It's like blood and death mixed with mud. It's loathsome. It must be their killing intent."
"Um, I see. That does sound pretty bad." Ram says, not fully understanding the way Rem described the smell with such big words. But still, she gets the general picture that it's quite awful. "The name doesn't sound good either. What should we do?"
"We're going to launch a surprise attack on them before they can get to us. I'm sure they're preparing to strike any time now."
Rem remembers immediately heading straight to bed with Ram. By the time she woke up, the Witch Cult attack was well underway, with Ram somehow waking up and noticing long before she did. This time, she'll make sure that doesn't happen.
Rem holds out a hand, "So please Onee-chan, help me defeat the Witch's Cult. If it's the two of us, I believe we can do anything."
Ram is initially hesitant to take her hand. She's never heard of this cult before and she cannot detect anything unusual in regards to mana distribution in the air around her. Regardless, she's also never seen Rem, who is usually shy and unassertive, talk about something with such disdain before. She can't help but feel there is a lot of truth to her sister's words. Not like she'd easily doubt her regardless of what she said.
Finally, she takes her hand, "Ok Rem. Lead the way. We should let mom, dad, and the chief know about this."
"No! Leave them out of this. We need to involve as few of them as possible." Rem says decisively, leaving Ram once again quite shocked at her boldness. "I believe with just our powers we can easily defeat them. But stay on guard at ALL times. Do not waver for even a second. If you do, you may lose something very precious to you." Rem stifles a tear.
"I-I understand. I'll be careful." Ram replies to give Rem peace of mind. However, she frowns slightly afterwards, as if she's secretly nervous for some reason.
The two sisters leave the house.
-Village Square-
Ok, I should be picking up the stench anytime now. Rem thinks as she and Ram travel throughout the village. She actually lied about smelling the Witch Cultists, partially anyway. It is true that she can smell them and her description of said smell is accurate. However, she did not smell anything amiss at that moment, and now she's trying to pick up any sort of death-like scent. A moment later:
"They're this way!" Rem begins to run to her right towards a different section of the forest she went into to collect her ingredients. Ram follows. While they run, their horns are activated, allowing them to absorb the mana surrounding their environment and using it to fuel their attacks.
-Forest-
Once they enter, they only have to go a little ways in before they spot one of the cult members. The only thing visible is its black cloak, so Rem is aware that it is one of the lower members.
"El Huma!" Rem shouts furiously as she forms only three small ice spears, all of which are aimed for the cultist. They connect, with one stabbing its heart. From that one wound to the heart, the cultist dies. But had it hit anywhere else, the cultist would've likely survived. The speed and size of the ice spears aren't very impressive overall.
It was at this moment that Rem realized just how much less powerful she was back in the day. In the current day, she can easily summon well over 20 ice spears of moderate size at once and hurl them mercilessly at any enemy she wishes. She is also capable of casting a barrier to protect herself and she is able to summon way larger ice spears in various quantities. Back when she was eleven? She could only manage a small handful of ice spears at best. One mid-size ice spear could be summoned, but that would take a lot of mana. Barriers are essentially nonexistent. And she could kiss the ability to summon a ten meter long spear of ice with Al Huma goodbye. She couldn't even raise the water at the base of the waterfall high enough to disperse it throughout the village so the crops could be watered, no matter how much she tried.
To make things even worse, she doesn't have her reliable Morningstar with her. She didn't take ownership of it until Roswaal gave it to her not long after they moved into the mansion. He helped train her on how to use it.
How in the world could she ever wish to defeat these cult members with the power currently within her eleven year old body and without her Morningstar?
Meanwhile, another cult member that witnessed the killing of the first member suddenly teleports away almost undetected, but Ram notices just in time.
"Um, Rem? Another one of those freaky cloak guys just teleported away."
"Crap! It's probably notifying the other members about what I just did!"
Ram puts a hand on Rem's shoulder, giving a smile. "It's okay, I think we can do this."
"Thanks Nee-sa- I mean Onee-chan."
Running throughout the outer perimeter of the forest, they manage to encounter a number of witch cultists. Ram easily defeats them by firing very fast wind blades at them, instantly decapitating them.
Even back then, Nee-sama was so fearless. There was no way I could've casually killed them like this back then. But now… Rem narrows her eyes. She's no longer the cowardly sister who hides behind her sister's shadow doing nothing.
A small explosion is heard and the sisters instantly turn towards the right in the direction of the sound. Seeing their village in the distance, a fire erupts near one of the outermost buildings.
"Damn it! They entered!" Rem exasperates.
-Village Outskirts-
They run as fast as their legs will carry them back to the village. There they find a few witch cultists likely responsible for the explosion. Ram makes quick work of them with her wind blades.
More explosions erupt throughout the village.
"No…No! No! No! No! No!" Rem forces her legs to run even faster than before to reach the center of the village. However, she's already too late, multiple dead bodies litter the village square.
"Why…WHY?!"
The oni clan had been known for being the mightiest humanoid clan in the world. They held vast superhuman strength and were very proficient in whatever magic they were naturally compatible with. Few races could ever equal them in pure strength. If that's the case, why are they being beaten so easily by mere low member witch cultists? Rem has fought numerous of them before and they usually don't pose much of a problem.
Still, the evidence was right before her eyes that the villagers have been bested.
"EL HUMA!" Rem shouts at the top of her lungs and attempts to conjecture dozens of ice spears. Sadly, she can only form eight at the max. Still, she works with what she has and sends them off towards various cultists aiming right for her. Two strike successfully, but don't hit any vitals so they are only temporarily stalled at best. The other six are dodged completely by either teleportation or veering to the left or right.
One of the cultists lifts a hand, presumably about to cast something at Rem, before its head suddenly comes flying off its body.
Rem instantly knows why as she looks up and sees Ram jumping through the air. She lands spectacularly on top of one of the cultists. Using her innate power as the second coming of the oni god, she exerts a lot of force under her body and ultimately crushes the cultist to smithereens. A very powerful shockwave is formed. Ram quickly darts down, picks up Rem, and jumps again before the shockwave utterly destroys every cultist within twenty feet of its center.
Landing, she gently sets Rem down and looks at her with concern, "Rem! Are you alri-"
All of a sudden, with no warning whatsoever, a white light flashes before their eyes. In the next moment, a glowing pink object flies from Ram's head.
"Noooooo!" Rem screams in horror.
Once again, just like last time, Ram's horn comes flying off of her head. A cultist somehow managed to get close to them in a mere split second and made the decisive blow.
Blood pours out of where the horn once stood. Ram falls to the ground, trembling.
Rem doesn't do anything. She can only look on in terror as she once again failed to do anything to save her village, save her parents, or save her dear sister Ram.
If there is anything that Rem can feel proud of in this moment, it's the fact that this time she is no longer secretly joyful at seeing Ram finally lose the thing that made her so powerful, so special, and so beloved in this village while she got scorned for simply not living up to the same standards that were set on Ram, far beyond what she was ever capable of achieving.
But still, she feels guilty, utterly guilty that even with the foresight of what would happen that night, she failed to change absolutely anything. This proved yet again just how inferior she is to Ram.
Suddenly, she recalls a conversation she had with Subaru not long after all the curses that were placed on him by the mabeasts were lifted from his body.
-Flashback Start-
"You always look calm, but you're not calm or collected at all, are you?" Subaru says from a bed he is resting in. Rem sits beside him in a chair, looking down.
"I do realize I am a powerless and incompetent demon clan dropout. I was one of the weakest people in my village. So no matter what I did, I could never match Nee-sama. I'm only her replacement, and a far inferior one at that. Just some knockoff."
"Why?" Tears begin to stream down Rem's face, "Why was I the one to keep my horn? Why couldn't Nee-sama be the one to keep hers? Why did she only have one horn? Why were we twins?" She wipes her tears, "Sorry, that was strange for me to say."
Subaru looks forward at two vases of flowers, one full of pink flowers and the other blue flowers. "You know, you always keep putting Ram on a pedestal while undermining yourself. But if Ram was in your situation, would it actually be any better than it is now? I don't think she would be any happier knowing your horn was cut off. Ram is weaker than you, she can't cook, she's lazy, she says mean things, she calls me Barusu…"
"T-That's not true! If Nee-sama was her true self, then…if she had her horn, you wouldn't say…"
"But she doesn't have her horn anymore. I'll never know the Ram who had her horn. I'm pretty sure you're the only one who cares about whether she has a horn or not. What Ram doesn't have, you do. Just accept that. I don't know how she lost her horn, and I won't ask about it, so I'll never know. But still, she lost her horn in the end and that's a fact that'll never change. You can't change the past, but you can change how you view the past. Rather than think of alternative universes where Ram keeps her horn, focus on the universe you're in now, the one where she didn't keep her horn, and think on how to make the best of it for Ram and for you."
-Flashback End-
Wiping away some tears that have formed on her face. Rem feels like she finally understands what this trial is all about.
Accepting her past.
She could never change the past of what happened to her village. Even if she tried to, events would've just played out in a similar fashion as before. Her parents would die, the villagers would die, and Ram would lose her horn. That was the way of it.
Even if Rem was partially the reason Ram lost her horn, the latter never blamed her for it. In fact, she barely ever brought it up again. In fact, Ram never blamed Rem for anything that occurred that night. She remembers that the only thing Ram did was apologize for not being able to help save everyone.
I wonder…if Nee-sama felt even more useless that night than I did. Now that I think about it, I've never asked her how she felt during that night. It kinda became a thing we could never speak about. Though maybe she never talked about it for my sake. Should I ask her?
Anyway, regardless of what Ram may feel about the night of the attack, she does know that a couple of good things happened due to it.
One, they met Roswaal and were taken into his care. Though she may not understand the reasoning all that much, Rem is aware of how close the two are and how happy he's made her. If the attack never happened, they very well may have never met Roswaal.
Two, though it wouldn't happen for many years, Rem would eventually meet Subaru. Subaru would come to the mansion due to being associated with Emilia and he needed a place to stay and work. Despite their rocky start, she would realize just how amazing he is and fall in love with him. If she hadn't been taken into Roswaal's care and thus lived at the mansion, she would have likely never met him. Her heart aches at the thought of this.
"I still wish there could've been a happier end for everyone. But…I believe I can accept what has happened now. I did the best I could."
A calming sense of relief fills her heart, as if a giant burden had finally been released off of her shoulders.
Unfortunately for her, this sense of calmness would only last but a short moment.
Hearing multiple explosions nearby, she gazes up to see a tall man in elaborate clothing and with white makeup on, as if he were a clown. She instantly recognizes him as the savior of her and Ram, Roswaal.
He gently lowers himself to the ground and introduces himself. He sees Ram, who is unconscious, lying right beside him.
"You shoooooould come with me little one. I have a mansion you and your sister can stay at now that you are hooooooomeless."
Bending over to pick up Ram, Rem looks over his entire body. As she does so, something catches her eye. Located within his cape, a black book dangles halfway out of it, coming into partial view.
The book seems oddly familiar, and not in a good way. Squinting her eyes to get a better look, she reverses that action upon realizing just what exactly the book is. Her jaw opens, refusing to close. For a few seconds, she just stares at the book in silence, completely flabbergasted.
Finally, her eyes narrow on Roswaal.
In a low tone, she asks slowly and meticulously, "Why do you…"
Before she can finish, a white light envelopes her at a rapid pace, forcing her to shut her eyes.
"My, that certainly was quite an interesting trial." A woman's voice says to Rem.
By the time she opens them once more, she finds herself back in her room by the door. With this unusual greeting, Rem finds herself standing face to face with Echidna, the Witch of Greed. A quick glance around the room confirms that it is completely intact. There are no traces of fire or burnt objects anywhere. Looking out the window, she finds that there is nothing but a pure white background waiting beyond the room.
Also, judging by the fact that she is able to see Echidna's face without looking up at all, she presumes she is back to her regular body.
"I'm sure you must have questions for me. I'll try to answer them as best as I can, provided they are reasonable." Echidna gives Rem an alluring smile, which instantly disgusts her.
"Why are you here, Witch of Greed?" Rem asks, not hiding her hostile intent whatsoever. Now that she has met her once again, she recalls everything that occurred at the tea party.
"Cold as ever I see." Echidna's smile failing to waver at Rem's blatant disrespect. "I'm the overseer of this trial. As such I determine whether you pass or not depending on how you perform in said trial."
She sighs, "I see. Well, I do have a question that I believe needs an answer immediately. However, whether I'll believe your answer is a separate matter entirely."
"Ask away. What knowledge do you desire?" Leaning back against the windowsill, she crosses her legs.
In the same low and meticulous tone as before, Rem asks, "Why does Roswaal have a gospel?"
-Author's Corner-
A/N: Apologies for taking a few weeks to update! I have been fairly busy recently. But here we are! Rem has taken her trial and is now meeting with Echidna. And it appears she has noticed a very peculiar book in Roswaal's possession.
So for the trial I decided to essentially do a mash-up of Subaru and Emilia's trials. As in, Rem has to face her actual historical past like Emilia did, but she does so through interacting with the world directly and initially having no memories of her future self, just like Subaru did. Hopefully that was enjoyable to see and the way she overcomes her past is satisfying and realistic. I spent a lot of time thinking over exactly how her first trial would play out.
Danbooru god: Yeah, that was a mistake. I didn't mean to have Subaru call Emilia Emilia-sama. I fixed it now. Yep! I intend for Arc 4 to head in a fairly different direction than canon.
Maximum Rhapsody: I initially thought of having another assassin encounter Subaru first, but I eventually settled on Meili instead. Echidna does have something in mind for Rem, but I won't say exactly what it is. Also, I appreciate the ideas you've been giving me regarding increasing Rem's power. Can't say for certain I'll incorporate any of it, but I'm definitely keeping it in mind.
Deathenglegamers1144: Thank you! I believe that once Rem realized that she had a chance to learn more about Subaru's plight from the trial, regardless of how small the chance is, she'd be easily willing to take it on. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!