I do not own Re:Zero or any of the characters.
Failed Again
"You!" Ian snarled as soon as Lye leapt through the door, pursued by the giant Scorpion, which Ian assumed was Shaula.
"Pride!" Lye grinned wickedly. "Feel like helping me kill this thing?"
He casually leaned aside just as Shaula's stinger erupted from her tail, shining pure white and flashing across the room, shattering the wall it struck. Ian narrowed his eyes.
"Not particularly," he growled. "I feel like helping it kill you!"
He exploded off of the floor, his sword clashing with both of Lye's daggers, only for Lye to use the blade to leap aside as Shaula fired another stinger, the stinger heading directly for Ian now, only for Ian to slash it aside, managing it first try. As he landed on his feet, Shaula lunged, letting out a deafening shriek, a claw striking at him. However, before it could reach him, Ram spun her scythe, slinging a ball of Wind Magic into her side, the resulting explosion sending her flying. Then, Ian ignored Shaula entirely, leaving her to Ram as he pursued Lye.
"Frederica, get Elena to the Green Room!" Ian shouted as his blade clashed with Lye's rapidly. "Elena, eyes closed!"
Frederica sprinted for the Green Room with Elena instantly, Elena following her own instruction without hesitation. As they complied, the others who could fight all went to aid Ram against Shaula, leaving Lye to Ian. Ian pressed him hard, deflecting his knives in a blur before stepping back from a roundhouse kick before slamming the sole of his own foot into Lye's face, sending him bouncing backward along the outer corridor. He chased him instantly, his blade once again clashing with both of Lye's rapidly. However, just as one of Lye's blades shattered, one of Shaula's stingers punched through Ian's right shoulder, blasting half his torso away. He skipped back instantly, narrowly avoiding the stinger, then lunged, stabbing at Lye, only of Lye to avoid the strike. Lye slashed back at Ian violently, and Ian deflected the slash before striking back. Several strikes slammed into each other's rapidly before Ian spun around Lye, slashing at his back. Lye deflected it, then flipped into the air, spinning horizontal to the ground and slashing at Ian. Ian sidestepped the slashes and stabbed up at Lye. Lye kicked off the ground, leaping away and leaving a trail of blood to splatter after him from the shallow puncture wound in his shoulder. Lye narrowed his eyes, then grinned wickedly.
"You've grown stronger again, Pride," Lye grinned.
"Just shut up and die!" Ian snarled, his magic roaring to life as he exploded forward, his blade clashing with both of Lye's rapidly.
Finally, Lye ducked under Ian's blade and lunged, both arms flashing inward from Ian's sides. Before he could reach him, however, Ian's foot flashed up, slamming into Lye's head like a football, sending him bouncing backward along the corridor. Ian narrowed his eyes and charged, only for a shadow to appear to his right. He began to turn, but just as he did, agony exploded through him from his forehead, wiping his vision completely white. Ian shrieked in pain, hands clutching at his forehead in pain before pain suddenly flared in his left temple before everything went black.
"Ian," Elena said, shaking his shoulder to rouse him. "Something's different."
"Different?" Ian asked, yawning.
"Four," Elena said.
"Four?" Ian frowned, then stiffened before shrugging to wake the sisters curled into his sides. "It's time to start getting breakfast ready."
Both girls nodded, kissing him before starting up the stairs. As they did, Elena sat beside him instead.
"Subaru's memories were stolen, but the first two times, we searched for Gluttony and searched the library for anything that could do it but found nothing," Elena said. "However, the last time, Subaru freaked out from the memory of dying and wound up with Reid, who you had to fight to rescue him from. After, I think Subaru left, because Shaula transformed and attacked us all at the same time as attacking Lye Batenkaitos. Ram began to fight Shaula while you fought Lye, and Ram killed Shaula, but while you were fighting Lye Batenkaitos, Roy Alphard showed up and cut off your horn before you knew he was there. Lye killed you while you were distracted by the pain, and then together they killed all of us, even Ram, since she was distracted by her grief that you were killed and sacrificed herself to shield Rem. I assume Subaru died, either in the desert or came back here and was killed by Lye or Roy, because we're here again."
"So, Lye and Roy probably aren't here yet?" Ian asked.
"Or they're hidden well enough that none of us, including you and Ram, can't find them, and Frederica can't smell them," Elena said.
"I see," Ian nodded. "And what's different this time?"
"I think Subaru's acting like he doesn't have amnesia," Elena said.
Ian nodded and stood. "Let's go ask him what happened at the end and check on him. Without his memories, he'll be more susceptible to a mental breakdown."
Elena nodded, and they headed up the stairs, Elena filling Ian in on the past loops on the way. As they found Subaru, he was outside the room they'd be eating with testing his strength against Emilia's by pulling her arm. Without any visible strain on her face, Emilia was able to easily overpower Subaru. Ian sighed, walking over as Subaru conceded.
"Hey, Subaru," Ian said. "Got a minute?"
"We were going to eat," Emilia said.
"It'll take Rem and Ram a minute to get everything ready," Ian smiled. "We just need to borrow him for a few minutes. I have a couple ideas about beating Reid that I want to run by Subaru before I bring them up."
Emilia's face brightened and she nodded. "Alright. We'll be inside."
Ian nodded, smiling, and Emili headed inside with Beatrice, who hesitated before going with her. Ian and Elena led Subaru to a different room and Elena closed the door behind them all.
"Alright, Subaru," Ian said. "What happened?"
"I don't know what-"
"Shut the fuck up, Subaru," Elena interrupted, Ian raising an eyebrow. "I'm getting sick and tired of throwing up from having déjà vu and then worrying Frederica. This time, you're going to work with us, and you're going to be honest. What happened?"
"I left the tower, and something started shooting white needles at me," Subaru said. "I found this weird door, but when I touched it, I was suddenly back in the tower, except everyone was dead. Shaula got ripped apart, your horn was cut off and you were stabbed in the head, Frederica looked like she got shredded trying to protect Elena, who was killed with a single wound from something sharp, Anastasia was slashed across the back, Meili bled out from a wound in her stomach, Julius died fighting and covered in wounds, Ram was in the same state as you but covered in wounds, Rem was also covered in wounds but had her horn, and Emilia and Beatrice were just missing. Then someone decapitated me from behind. Oh, and there was this shadow that was forming a bunch of arms that was swallowing and destroying the tower and swallowed that big black lizard, Patrasche, I think."
Ian nodded. "Okay. In order, the thing that fired at you was Shaula herself. When a rule is broken, in this case being you leaving the tower, she transforms into a giant scorpion that can fire her stinger as a projectile."
"Ram killed her," Elena said.
"The rest of the deaths were Lye Batenkaitos and Roy Alphard," Ian said. "Have I told you about them?"
Subaru nodded. "Yeah. Gluttony one and two, right?" Subaru asked.
"That's right," Ian nodded. "They both are extremely dangerous fighters, and it was likely one of them who decapitated you."
"Great," Subaru huffed. "And my other deaths? Who was that?"
"I don't know," Ian admitted. "I have several theories, but all I can tell you is that in our group, no one but Meili would ever harm you. Beatrice is somewhere between your adoptive daughter and your sister, as far as your bond is concerned, Emilia is in love with you but hasn't realized it, and you are not going to try and speed things along, Anastasia, or rather, Echidna, is somewhere between an ally and isn't quick to throw away assets, even if those assets lose their memories, Frederica is loyal to you because you are Emilia's knight, and also wouldn't push you off the stairs to kill you, she'd kill you to your face, especially given your low combat potential. As for Julius, he's your complicated friend, and you're one of his only two lifelines."
"Lifelines?" Subaru asked.
"Julius had his name eaten by Roy Alphard," Ian said. "The whole world forgot him, except you and me. It's why he, according to Elena, took your amnesia hard, because you are someone irreplicable to him right now. And if you lost your memories as well, or rather, if he knew you had, he wouldn't kill you. He'd sympathize with you, and would help look after you."
"So, then, that leaves you two and Meili," Subaru said.
"Except that Elena and I both know what happens when you die," Ian said. "Outside of someone in our group suddenly being dead, neither of us would kill you because there'd be no point. I'll warn you now, though, if Rem or Ram dies, I'm killing you to save them."
Subaru bristled, but nodded. "Meili, then."
"Meili is currently working for us to secure her freedom as our prisoner, but you were kind to her before you lost your memories," Ian said, then considered. "She's the most likely suspect in our group, but there are other, more likely suspects, Lye and Roy being at the top of the list."
"What about Shaula?" Subaru asked.
"She thinks you're her master, Flugel," Ian said. "You made her swear to not harm anyone in the tower, so as long as a rule wasn't broken, it wasn't her. For the people in this world, promises and vows are binding. No one in this world breaks a promise intentionally, and Shaula especially isn't going to betray a vow to the person she believes is her master. She wouldn't have killed you."
"And if a rule had been broken those two loops, she'd have killed you as a giant scorpion, not herself," Elena added.
Subaru nodded. "Okay. So, what do we do?"
"For now, hide your amnesia and we'll see how things go," Ian said. "You're also going to stick with me."
Subaru nodded. "Okay. So, shall we go eat?"
"Yes," Ian nodded. "Oh, and one more thing. You need to treat Betrice like she's your daughter. Holding her in your hand, setting her in your lap, messing up her hair when she's rude. That's the type of bond you two have."
Subaru nodded, and they headed to the room where everyone was prepared to eat just as Rem and Ram finished passing out the food. Subaru seated himself beside Beatrice and casually lifted her into his lap, Beatrice blushing but settling in comfortably. Breakfast was fairly peaceful, except with the announcement of Echidna being the one in control of Anastasia's body. After it, Subaru pulled Julius aside for a conversation alone, only to look disappointed afterward.
"What happened?" Ian asked.
"I thought it was him, but it looks like you're right," Subaru said. "He didn't want to talk to me because of some connivery or whatever I was doing with Echidna."
"You knew and he didn't," Ian said. "Sounds like he found out you were hiding it. For the record, you his it because you knew it would cause Julius pain to know Anastasia was being controled by Echidna and there was nothing he vould do about it. It'll be fine."
Subaru nodded. "I'm going to hang out in the Green Room with Patrasche."
Ian nodded. "Wolf."
Wolf formed at his side in his full form.
"Stick with Subaru," Ian instructed. "Protect him."
Wolf nodded. "Understood."
He returned to his light ball form and entered the Green Room with Subaru. Ian headed for the room where Rem and Ram were supposed to be preparing to challenge the tower's Trials again, only to instead find Rem pinned to the wall by Ram, who had a hand down Rem's panties. Ian smirked, walking over to fise his lips to Ram's neck, one hand slipping into her panties and the other cupping her breast.
"You lasted longer than I thought you would," Ian smiled against her neck.
"How shameless," Ram objected. "Cease your useless chatter and please Ram."
Ian grinned, sucking harder at Ram's neck.
Ian narrowed his eyes as something changed. Something felt wrong. There was a cold emptiness in his chest suddenly. He closed his eyes, focusing, but he couldn't readily identify what was wrong. He stood from where he and Rem were still sitting against the wall, both still bare of clothing. Ram had excused herself to go to the bathroom, so it was just the two of them.
As he stood, Rem glanced up, seeing his frown, and immediately stood, both getting dressed quickly before leaving the room. They made their way through the Fourth floor together, but just as they reached the central area, Ram stepped off the stairs to the third floor.
"Ian, Rem, please go to the third floor library," Ram said urgently. "Miss Beatrice found something terrible."
"Okay," Ian nodded. "Go and find Subaru and the others."
Ram nodded and hurried off, Ian and Rem hurrying up the stairs to the library. Beatrice was waiting by the door, and as they entered, she nodded once before beginning.
"Betty had been looking into the Taygeta library since this morning," Beatrice said. Whilst Subaru was out cold, Betty was trying to analyse this room, though it's mechanisms are nothing like the forbidden library's I suppose."
"What'd you find?" Beatrice asked.
"The third shelf from the top," Beatrice said, pointing to a book diagonally behind her. "The book on the far right."
Ian frowned, walking over, and craned his neck to see. Then, his gut dropped and he breathed out the name inscribed on the spine just as Emilia and Subaru reached him and Rem.
"Meili Portroute."
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