"Come on Beatrice, talk to me!" Subaru put his hands on her shoulders, trying to shake the little spirit back to reality.
"What's going on?" Rem asked him.
Subaru put a hand on his forehead, a look of frustration was etched on his face. "She's totally despondent."
Rem looked at the spirit and saw Beatrice's eyes were glazed over. She was looking through Subaru, staring at some far-off place only she could see.
"Mama..." Beatrice whispered. "Please... Just come back mama."
Rem could see tears pooling in the edges of Beatrice's eyes. She was in quite a state.
"Subaru-kun. We need to get out of here." A loud explosion rang out as Halibel clashed with Roswaal. "At this rate, the building will collapse."
"Ahhh..." Subaru felt a dryness in his mouth. He wanted to tell Rem that he wouldn't leave Beatrice, that he had to save her. For some reason though, the words couldn't escape his mouth.
Another blast impacted the wall of the building, and everything started to shake. Rem held Subaru's hand, and tugged him gently towards the exit.
"Beatrice..." Subaru would give it one last shot. "I want to save you. Please. Let me save you... Let's put a stop to this."
Beatrice's face twitched slightly, a subtle reaction to Subaru's words. "...it's too late..."
Beatrice's words were meek and uttered out painfully. Subaru and Rem could see that she was totally defeated. Nothing they could say now would bring her out of her stupor. She had given up.
Rem saw Subaru start to cry as he turned away from the spirit. "Okay Rem... Let's go."
Rem and Subaru ran, but before they could leave, they were almost hit with a massive column of fire erupting from Roswaal.
Subaru felt Rem pull him back just in time to avoid the spell.
"Ooooh. Taking an early leave areeeee we?" There was a livid anger in his tone. "I don't think so."
Roswaal's hands began to glow white. Even Subaru, who had little affinity for magic, could sense the great quantity of mana that the clown was drawing forth.
"Su-san! Get out of here!" Halibel tried to warn them, but it was too late. The wolf-man was too far to do anything.
A beam of pure light shot out of Roswaal's hands and tore through the ceiling above them. Boulders of granite and lime began to fall near them, and Subaru felt the whole earth shake around him.
It was too late now... The building was about to collapse, and they were nowhere near the exit.
Subaru yanked Rem's hand, and he pulled the blue haired maid into him. Holding her, he fell to his knees.
"Subaru-kun what are you doing?" Her eyes were wide.
"I'm sorry, Rem." Subaru put his hands on her shoulders, as the shaking of the ground became more intense. He pushed Rem to the floor, covering her body with his own. "I'm such a failure."
He felt rubble starting to fall on him as Rem struggled to escape the tackle he had her in. This would be his last act. He wouldn't let Rem get splatted before him. The hot tears Beatrice had summoned from him were coming out with greater and greater force now. Subaru's eyes were puking out his sorrow.
There was a loud crashing sound as the rest of the ceiling fell down.
/ Come on... Just end this already.../
Subaru's prayers were answered quickly, as he was buried by large stones. One final piece of debris landed forcefully of his head, caving in the back of his skull.
The whole world around him changed.
Subaru fell over. Tents clattered loudly onto the floor as Subaru lost his grip on them. Subaru rolled on the floor, the phantom pain still lingering. He could see Rem had also fallen to her knees.
"Hkk. Mppff" Covered sobs could be heard from her. Subaru saw she was crying.
"Subaru..." She said quietly. "Subaru. Subaru." She just kept repeating his name, not processing what had just transpired. Everything had happened so quickly that none of it made sense.
"Rem." Subaru got up shackily, and went to hug her. He wrapped his arms around her small form, and felt her trembling as he held her. Subaru felt the force of her head burying itself in his shoulder.
Minutes passed before Subaru finally spoke up.
"That bastard." He clenched his teeth. "I'm gonna get him."
Those words made Rem freeze up in his arms.
/ Did I say something wrong? / The thought passed through his mind fleetingly, but was interrupted as Rem spoke up.
"Let's go back to the others." She said.
"Okay."
*Scene break*
Rem and Subaru had 'returned' to the trail leading to the mansion. Subaru collected the fallen items, and they set off to meet the others. Before long, Crusch, Emilia, Halibel and the unconscious Ram came back into view.
"Yo!" Halibel raised his arm and called out to them.
"Yo." Subaru responded lazily. "Halibel can talk with you for a second?"
Subaru and Halibel seperated from the group as the girls were left alone.
"Rem. What did you two get from the village?" Emilia asked her.
Rem appeared to not hear the question, she was lost in her own thought.
"Rem?" asked again.
Rem snapped out of it and layed out the food and supplies they had brought back. Crusch narrowed her eyes. The girl clearly seemed shacken.
She looked at Subaru, who was speaking to Halibel in a hushed tone. She caught him looking back at her. His glances were short and suspicious.
/ What are they talking about... / She thought to herself. Considering what Subaru had said before he left, she thought she understood what kind of conversation they might be having.
Subaru and Halibel returned before long.
"Have you reconsidered your position?" Crusch asked seriously, staring at Subaru.
"I have." Subaru said, as he crossed his arms. "Roswaal must be eliminated."
This grabbed everyone's attention, save for Halibel.
/ It's as I feared... / Crusch put a hand on the hilt of her sword.
"It's either us or him. Or at least that's how I see it." Subaru looked at Rem as he said that.
Rem cast her gaze downwards, deciding not to speak up.
"Killing the margrave." Crusch started slowly. "That isn't something I can allow."
She drew her sword. One could hear the sharp, metallic sound it made as it left its sheath.
Halibel reached a hand into the breast pocket of his kimono. "Slow down there, Karsten-sama."
Figurative sparks flew between the two fighters, as everything came to a head. Crusch adjusted her grip on her weapon, preparing to engage Subaru and the beastman.
"Wait, Subaru, Halibel-san. Don't do this!" Emilia tried to plead them not to, but to no avail.
In the blink of an eye, Halibel appeared behind Crusch and karate chopped her in the nape of the neck. Crusch fell suddenly to the floor, her whole body having gone limp. Emilia gasped, shocked that the situation had escalated to violence.
"I don't understand... Why did you do this." Subaru flinched. Emilia looked more angry than Subaru had ever seen her. "Why are you going down this road?"
Subaru gritted his teeth. "Be quiet." He whispered.
"What?"
"Be quiet." Subaru said again, more loudly. "You don't know a single thing about what's happening, so just shut up!"
Emilia thought that she had never seen such an ugly expression on the young boy. In fact, Subaru looked quite terrifying. There was this murderous glint in his eyes, and his lips were pressed together tightly, showing his anger.
"You just sit right there and watch over her." He was talking about Ram of course. "That's all I need from you."
Emilia was shocked that Subaru was speaking to her this way. Forcing his will on others, trying to carry it all himself - it was so different to the Subaru she thought she knew.
Emilia then turned to Rem, who had a sad look on her face.
"What about you?" Emilia asked the maid. "Are you really happy with this?"
"Emilia-sama..." Rem started quietly. "Rem just doesn't know anymore. Finding the right path, Rem doesn't know if she's strong enough to do that."
Emilia closely examined the blue-haired girl. Rem, who always seemed so calm and sunny, wasn't being her usual self. Her eyes were fixed on her shoes.
/ She's afraid to look at him... / Emilia thought to herself.
Emilia was still under the impression that Subaru was upset over Capella's attack. She couldn't understand what the two of them had gone through.
"Look at him Rem. Look at Subaru. Are you really satisfied with this? Are you just going to settle for an imposter?" Emilia raised her voice at the maid. "Tell him Rem. Tell him to snap out of it. Tell him to come back to you!"
Rem whole face exploded with emotion at that statement. Emilia had struck a nerve, and tears gushed from her face.
"Rem doesn't want this either! Of course not!" Subaru recoiled at her words.
More tears streamed down her face as she finally raised her head to face Emilia. "But we're trapped. Rem just wants to stop this suffering... Rem wants to save her sister." Rem turned to Subaru. "Rem just wants you to stop..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but Subaru could fill in the blank on that last word.
/ Why did it have to be this way? / Subaru thought to himself, and he felt even more anger, if that were possible. / Why the hell does Roswaal have to be an insane nutcase! He deserves to die! /
"Emilia." Subaru said to her coldly. "Stay here."
Subaru hesitated for a moment before continuing. "You too Rem. Both of you should tend to Ram."
"Huh?" Rem was surprised at this.
"There's no need for you to come with us." Subaru was steeled himself.
/ This is something I have to do. / He thought to himself.
"I don't see a reason why Ram should have to hate you too."
"Subaru-kun that's-"
"Please Rem! Just let me deal with this... And when this is over, we can still go on." Subaru told her.
Rem felt hurt at his words.
/ This isn't how it's meant to be. Subaru-kun please... There must be another way. / Rem racked her brain, but there were no answers.
"I can't stand to see you like that again. I don't want to be putting you in danger. Please stay with Emilia and wait for me."
Rem didn't answer him, but the resigned look on her face made Subaru uneasy. In the pit of his stomach, there was a gross nausea. It was guilt, even if Subaru didn't recognize it.
Subaru turned to Halibel. The two men disappeared into the night.
They took the carriage, and departed for the Sanctuary.
*Scene Break*
Two hours had passed, and there was a growing feeling of unease in Rem. Infinite scenarios played out in her head, and with each one the knot in her stomach got tighter.
"Are you okay? Rem?" Emilia looked over at her.
"Mmmm." She nodded. "Rem is worried."
"You know..." Emilia started. "They're just too much. Roswaal and Subaru, I mean, they're so selfish. They just don't consider the feelings of others."
"Emilia-sama, this problem... goes beyond just feelings." Rem answered her.
"Yeah that's probably right. But feelings are important too, they're not something you should just ignore." Emilia fiddled with her hands, pulling out some of the grass beside her. "If everything you're doing is making you feel terrible, or making those around you feel terrible, isn't that just prideful?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's mean- Aghh, it's hard to explain." Emilia rubbed her temples. "You're assuming you have the right answer, and it's your pride that won't let you stop, or let accept that someone else can do it for you."
"Rem thinks she understands. But Rem doesn't know what else to do." Rem paused for a moment. "Emilia, Roswaal isn't like he was before. He's changed. He could seriously hurt all of us - or worse."
"I know." Emilia sighed. "And I trust you Rem. That's why I let Subaru go."
Rem turned to Emilia in surprise.
"It's just that... If this was the right choice... Why did you start crying?"
Rem pondered what Emilia was telling her, and then got up. She walked to the last ground dragon, the one Crusch had arrived on.
"Thank you Emilia-sama. Rem needed that." Rem mounted the ground dragon.
"What? Don't tell me your-"
"Mmmm" Rem smiled at the half-elf. "I'm going to Sanctuary."
"I'd go with you if I could." Emilia said to her
The maid didn't respond, but flashed Emilia a smile before she left.
It was so dark, it was hard to see where she was going, but Rem was fairly certain she was following the path they had taken last time. She had tried to go quickly, but catching up to Subaru would be difficult. She made it to the village in the sanctuary.
Suddenly she heard an agonizing yell. She thought she recognized the voice, so she rode towards the sound.
/ Is that Garfiel? What's wrong with him? /
The cries grew louder as Rem closed the distance, and she happened upon a large, stone temple. Its material was the same as the one Roswaal had been in, but it's design was noticeably different.
"Aghhh! This isn't real!" She heard Garfiel's voice from inside the temple.
"Garf! What's happening?" She shouted into the building.
Rem was hesistant to enter, but after not getting a response, she rushed in. The tunnel seemed to light up a blue color around her as she ran.
/ Something's not right here! /
She finally made it to a large room. It was eerily empty, and the stone walls made the room feel even colder. In the center of the room, Garfiel was on the floor. Rem could see that his face was all tense, he had his eyes closed and was breathing intensely.
"Garf! Are you alright?" She went up to the boy, and ducked down to his level.
As Rem got a better look at him, and she was relieved to see that he wasn't injured. Then she heard a loud ethereal voice. It was her own voice.
First you must face your past.
*Scene Break*
Everything around her was so dim, it was hard for Rem to grasp where she was. There was only the light of the moon to brighten the room she was in, but Rem made out that she was in some sort of bedroom.
/ Where am I? / Rem thought to herself. / Could this be transportation magic? /
Rem quickly went to the door of the room, and tried to reach for the handle. To her shock, her hand just seemed to phase through the doorhandle.
"What is this." She said to herself. "Young garf was under some sort of spell... I see, so this is the illusion. This must be what he is seeing."
Rem turned back to see the room she was in.
In the center of a room there was a large bed. As she made her way towards it, Rem instantly recognized who was sleeping there.
"No way... Mama, Papa?" Rem reached out to try and touch them, but her ethereal body couldn't disturb their peaceful slumber. "What kind of magic is this?"
Rem didn't know how to feel. Normally she would have felt shock or relief or fear or... something. Anything. But recently, she had already felt so much, her emotions were all used up. Nothing like this could rattle her anymore. She was a bit uneasy, but otherwise, there only a dull numbness left inside her.
Suddenly there was a noise in the room. A quiet rattle at the window, and Rem saw dark hands on the other side, trying to pry it open. The window slid open after some effort, and a hooded figure entered the room.
It wasn't just any hood though. This person was dressed in the witch cultist uniform.
"Hihihihi" The hooded figure let out a twisted giggle as they clikmbed through the window.
"Stop!" Rem tried to block the intruder, but the assailant just phased through Rem as they went to the side of the bed.
The cultist put a hand over the face of Rem's mother, dangling their fingers above her mouth. Then, a viscous black liquid, like molasses, trickled down from the hand, into her mother's mouth.
"Get away from her!" Rem tried to swat away the liquid, but to no avail.
"Sleep well." The figure said.
As the figure said that, the whole world seemed to pulsate, and turn to pure white. For an instant, Rem was surrounded by nothingness, and then she was thrown somewhere new.
Rem could here the sound of a baby wailing. Her eyes refocused on what had materialized around her, and she saw she was in a new place. In front of her, there were two babies. One with red hair, and the other with blue.
"It is unfortunate, but tradition is above all else. If not for tradition, our people would have been reduced to nothing generations ago."
Rem turned to see who had said those words, and she recognized the old oni village chief sat in front of her. His horns were impressively long, and his rugged, wrinkled face reflected the wisdom he had accumulated over the course of his life.
"But Koma-dono, these children... They may be the reincarnation of the oni-god as fortold by our scripture!" Someone beside him said.
Koma just shook his head. "The onigod is supreme. He would not appear before us with only a single horn." He stood up to collect an ornate dagger that was hung from the wall. "I will now proceed with the ceremony. May the stars look upon us with favor."
He lit up and incense stick on the floor, and bellowed out some ancient chants that Rem couldn't decipher. All the while, baby Ram continued to cry.
Once he had finished, Koma dipped the dagger in a bowl of water someone had brought out. He stood up, and approached the two infants.
As he was about to raise the weapon in his hand, a tornado appeared in the middle of the room and blew him away. Koma was flung to the back of the room with a stunned look on his face. Baby Ram's forehead had lit up a bright pink colour, and a shallow horn - almost like a bump - pertruded from it.
"How can that be!" Koma yelled out.
/ I see... So this is how it happened. This is the moment that fate itself laughed at me. / Rem thought to herself. / It's just another way in which I owe my life to sister. /
"It only has one horn! How is that possible!"
The world once again seemed to phase into a white oblivion, and the sound of Ram's crying was drowned out.
Then colors started to appear again.
It was Rem and Ram at the waterfall.
A young Ram was demonstrating powerful magic, drawing out a powerful current from the water and lifting it into the air as a water spout.
"For one so young, she is exceptionally gifted" Rem heard someone say behind her.
"Yes. She is a true prodigy."
"If only she had both her horns..."
The whole village seemed to be gathered in a crowd behind the two girls. Everybody was praising Ram.
It was young Rem's turn now, and her attempt wasn't nearly as impressive. The water flew up but only for a brief moment, vanishing as quickly as it came.
The whole crowd just went dead silent. No one laughed, no one cheered, no one mocked her, but the eerie silence said more than words ever could.
Young Rem held her head down because she was ashamed. She wanted to be like her sister more than anything, but she was realizing that would never be. All she could ever be was a shadow a Ram - a biproduct of the reincarnated oni god.
Adult Rem felt that too for a second, but something cut off that trail of thought.
/ *Just* Rem huh? Well that's *just* the way I like it. / A memory flashed through her mind, and Rem remembered that there were people who loved her irrelevant of that whole situation. There was Ram of course, and there was Subaru now. Getting down on herself now would mean disappointing both of them.
Everything turned to white once again, before an intense orange glow seemed to surround Rem on all sides. It took her eyes a moment to adjust, but she recognized this scene too.
The orange was a raging fire that seem to burn everything in sight. In front her Rem could see a young girl twirling, moving graciously like the wind, annihilating anyone who dared to approach her. Witch cultist lept from all directions, but the young girl cut through them all, valiantly defending her people. Rem observed the spectacle for a moment, taking in the pure carnage that was Ram in her true oni form. Even when Rem had lent her her power to fight Betelgeuse, that was only a shadow of what a horned Ram would be able to accomplish.
Rem heard the sound of a door creaking behind her, and she turned to see her younger self peeking out, admiring her sister. This seemed to distract Ram, who noticed the little Rem staring at her.
"Rem get out of here!" She shouted.
"But sissy! It's dangerous!" Young Rem yelled back.
Ram moved to join the young Rem, mowing through waves of cultist as she made her way to the doorway. The twins were side by side now, and Ram began to speak.
"It'll be okay - your sister is strong after all." Even in these dire straights, Ram still wore her trademark smirk.
Young Rem was crying, scared of the attack happening around them.
"Rem it'll be alright-" Ram reached her arm forward to touch her sister, but before she could the quick flash of a blade passed her by. There was a gush of blood as her small pink horn her was sent flying into the air.
"Sissy!" Young Rem let out a harrowing scream, but her expression betrayed her concern. On her lips, a discrete smile had formed.
Suddenly, kid Ram turned around to face the adult Rem watching over all of this.
"Do you remember this?" The girl asked her.
Rem nodded slowly. She didn't expect to interact with what appeared to be her own memories.
"Then why?" Ram asked her. "Why did you abandon your role? Did you not have a duty to serve me?"
Rem hesistated for moment, thinking about what she should say. "Rem has other roles now. My sister is a strong person, she'll have a place even if Rem is not always there for her."
"It's not about whether she'll be okay, it's about the debt you've incurred to her." Ram said. "You were glad when it happened. The weight of that expectation was lifted from you. It's because of you Ram lost her horn, and yet you seem to think you don't owe her anything."
"You're wrong. I owe my sister alot, and I'll be there for her when she's in trouble. That being said, my sister has her life, and I have mine." Rem responded.
"Your sister will never be what she could have been. Don't you have to make that up to her-"
"That doesn't matter." Rem interrupted. "She has someone she loves, and a place where she belongs. My sister is happy, and the present counts more than the past."
Rem paused for a moment before adding. "Rem knows that for certain now: she has experienced it herself. And if Rem has it, then so does she. We are twin sisters after all."
The stoic Ram just nodded.
For the final time, everything shifted back to white, and Rem was left alone. A brief time passed as Rem thought about what was happening, still confused as to what this was.
"That was surprising." A new voice rang out behind her.
Rem got back on her feet and slowly turned to face whoever had spoken. Behind her, she saw a beutiful woman, with hair as white as snow.
"What is this? Are you the one who made me see those things?" Rem asked that second question almost rhetorically - she was sure this person was responsible.
"I am Echidna. And yes, this is my trial. The trial of the past." Echidna responded. "For your information, you passed it."
"Hmpff-" Rem snivelled. "Trial of the past?"
"Yes. An illusion of my making, designed to make one confront their past." Echidna gave Rem a twisted smile. "Think of it as a witch's therapy."
Rem didn't respond for a moment. After a while though she thought of something.
"Witch..." She muttered. "You're the one Roswaal is trying to resurrect?"
Echidna's eyes widened slightly in surprise. This wasn't something she had been aware of. "Hoho. That's interesting. My dear disciple is trying to bring me back? My my, how devoted he is."
"Send Rem back."
Echidna was suprised at the terse response. Rem had little interest in conversating with a witch when there were more pressing matters at hand.
"I'm so lonely thoughhh..." Echidna cooed. "Tell you what. Since I'm bored, and since you told me something so interesting, I'll give you a gift."
"A gift?" Rem asked blankly.
"Yes. A precious gift, from the Witch of Greed herself. Could there be anything better?"
"What kind of gift?" Rem asked skeptically.
"You can ask me anything. Any knowledge you desire! Isn't that wonderful!?" Echidna said enthusiastically. "And by my authority, I shall answer it for you."
Rem thought about the first scene she had witnessed in the trial. Her instinctive response was to ask what had happened with her mother. She stopped herself though, because there was a more important question she needed an answer to.
"Subaru..." Rem started. "How do I stop him from destroying himself?"
The question made Echidna cackle. "Good question."
Her face shifted into an uncanny grin, and an evil aura seemed to surround Echidna as she started bestowing this 'gift' upon Rem.
"There is one way." Echinda held her index finger up. "There is a half-elf. An important person who goes by 'Emilia'. Maybe you know her?"
Echidna's grin became even wider, stretching from ear-to-ear now, as she got into the details. "Eliminate her. Sever the bond he has with her. Remove her from the picture. I'm not saying you have to kill her..." Echidna got nice and close to Rem, and whispered in her ear. "Although that would be the most sure method."
Echidna removed herself and started speaking normally again. "Do that, and Subaru-kun will lead an easy and peaceful life."
Rem didn't answer for a moment. The expression she had on her face had become unreadable.
"Send me back."
With that Rem disappeared.
Echidna let out a sigh. "I hate that they leave so soon. It is truly dull in here."
"You're mean Dona." A squeaky voice called out from behind her.
"Hey don't blame me. It was simply a truthful answer to her question." Echidna responded.
"She is fascinating though." Echinda continued energetically. "An unnatural existence... It's no wonder she wasn't in the writ."
"Don't rely on your authority for everything!" The young voice chastised her. "I swear, sometimes you're lazier than Sehkmet! How is that even possible?"
Typhon paused for a moment, before adding one last remark.
"You're right that she's fascinating though. I like her." Typhon said. "She's the type to take pride in those around her."
*Scene Break*
Rem was back in that cavernous room, and the unconscious Garf was still beside her.
"Garf. Garf. Wake up." She shook him lightly, and she reasoned that Garf must also be trapped in some illusion.
Garfiel let out a pained moan, but he was coming back to the world of the living. He slowly opened his eyes. As he did so, he initiated his beast-mode transformation.
"Ahhhh!" It was clear he was still in pain.
"Garf. Relax, it's me. It's Rem." Rem put his hands on his shoulders, trying to snap him out of it before he fully turned.
Garfiel's eyes flashed with recognition.
"Shhh. It's okay. That wasn't real." She comforted. "It's okay. You're good."
There was nothing Gariel wanted more than to transform and escape this painful reality. But he couldn't let himself. Not when Rem was right here beside him.
"Rem." Garfiel started. "What are you doing here?" Garfiel had a steady voice, but Rem could see the tears leaking down his face.
"Rem came to get you. Rem heard you. You sounded like you were in pain." Rem responded.
Garfiel sat up. "No way. There's no way my amazin' self would get in any trouble, so don't you worry about me."
Rem smiled. Garfiel was being strong for the both of them.
"Rem... Why are you crying?"
"Huh?" Rem hadn't even noticed, but she was no better than Garfiel. It seemed the trial weighed on her more than she thought.
She quickly wiped away her tears, pretending they had never been there. "Don't be silly. Rem doesn't cry." Rem quickly went maid-mode. She was a much better actor than Garfiel.
"Right. The oni sisters are tough as nails after all." Garfiel breathed out. "Rem, are you with Roswaal?"
"No." Rem said.
"Good... He's gone absolutely mental. I saw him- He killed them. The grannies I mean. He's nothing but murderer. I came to trial... I thought if I could beat it, I could get everyone out of the Sanctuary." Garfiel informed her.
"Rem knows. The Margrave is disturbed at the moment." Rem answered. "Garfiel, let's go. There is a person facing down Roswaal right now, and we need to go find them."
With that, they both stood up and headed for the exit.
/ Wait for me Subaru... /