Pleiades: A Lonely Star Dies

by mgman

It's often been said that space is the final frontier form man, a place of infinite possibilities with the possibility of alien life. but when man ventured towards the stars, they found nothing but empty space devoid of life. but for a certain raven haired nasty eyed man, a malevolent force will try to claim his soul, tearing the very fabric of his sanity to ribbons in the process

8. Into the Void

Welcome to chapter 8, I would just like to say beforehand, if you spot any obvious mistakes with this or the previous chapter, be sure to point them out to me it's much appreciated if you do

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Priscilla awoke with a start, her eyes flying open and she bolted straight up in her bed, bringing a hand up to her heart which she could feel was beating a mile a minute.

However looking around her, Priscilla was perplexed and somewhat comforted to see that she was back in her luxurious bedroom, the large bookshelves that held knowledge she had collected over the years, lining the room around too much like they always did.

Everything was exactly how she remembered it, from the perfectly arranged and colour-coordinated books on the shelves, down to the smallest ministerial details of the gold inlay in the carpets that covered the room. But as Priscilla brought her legs over the side of the bed, feeling the elegant and Incredibly soft carpet beneath her feet, something about the room just didn't feel right to her, it was as if the room was somehow... too perfect

it was a strange feeling for Priscilla, the concept itself of something being too perfect for her was completely foreign, yet as she continued to look around her room, her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, her body going slightly rigid as the strange and uncomfortable feeling continue to quietly and slowly creep up her back.

The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand up on end, as Priscilla instinctively readied herself to be pounced upon by some unseen danger, yet as the suspenseful seconds continued to tick by. Absolutely nothing happened, no unseen assassin or monster jumped out to attack her. Yet that did nothing to quell the strange and uncomfortable feeling within her, in fact, the exact opposite happened, the strange uncomfortable feeling was only growing as the seconds ticked over into minutes.

The red-headed princess tried to calm herself, yet despite trying everything, the nervousness never left her, settling down into her stomach like a lead weight that almost threatened to root her to the spot. But suddenly she felt something squirm in the bed next to her, causing her to uncharacteristically flinch, as she quickly turned her gaze down to the thing in her bed.

But instead of it being something that could cause harm, Priscilla was relieved to see that it was none other than her faithful servant Schult. The young almost girlish-looking boy, resting comfortably and occasionally squirming in her bed.

Priscilla continued to observe the sleeping boy for a moment, watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest, the calm and relaxed look on his elegant little face only momentarily being interrupted by a twitch or two and the occasional mumble that was too quiet for her to fully understand.

She couldn't help but smile as she watched the young boy sleep peacefully. Despite not caring for him as a mother would, and often not showing it through her actions, it would be a misconception to say that Priscilla did not care for the boy at all. In fact, she cared for him instantly because, after all, she made it a point to take very good care of all of her possessions.

However, as if her body was operating on autopilot, Priscilla took her eyes off the sleeping boy, quickly standing up and heading towards one of the large armchairs that rested in the corner of the room, quickly sitting down and relaxing and into the comforting embrace of its soft cushions as she retrieved one of the many books that were stacked on a small table next to her.

And that's how Priscilla stayed for an unknown period, simply relaxing and reading the book in front of her as the sounds of the birds outside and the increasing warmth of the sun continued to watch over her. Despite taking pleasure in the most expensive and pleasurable things that money could buy, even Priscilla simply just enjoyed the simple and relaxing pleasure of reading a book quietly by herself.

But as she continued to read the book in front of her, Priscilla began to notice that the words were not as they should be, instead of the text being normal and easily readable, instead, it was comprised of the exact same phrase said over and over again.

M̸̉̒͜a̴̠̦̓̓k̷̡̰͗̈ȇ̷̲̫͝ ̸̱̇͒͜u̵̳͌̇s̸̭͂ ̸̹͗ẇ̵̬̤̍h̸̝̏͝o̵̗̮̔l̴͎̊͗e̸̜̔.̵͕́͜ ̶͍͝ ̸̻͗͝M̷̮̪̓́a̸͎͚͆̕k̷͓̐̄e̶̼͆ ̴̼̲͌͘ȗ̶̧͍ṣ̴͒ ̶̧̟͛͝ẇ̴̙̉ĥ̶͚o̶̧̔̀l̴͙͒e̷̘͊.̶̯͔͊̀ ̷̼̾ ̵̱͙̅M̷̻̯̆ḁ̵̛͍̓k̸̞̾͆ẻ̴͠ͅ ̷̼͚͗̀u̸̻̥̅͊s̴̤̈ ̶͚̽́w̴̥̿̃h̵͈̻̎͛ö̵͉͓́͘l̸̙̾e̸͍̕͠.̶̮͑ ̵̳̍ ̵̤̐́M̶͈̾a̷̜̜̾͐k̶̖̆͐e̴͇̖͝ ̶͕̀u̴̩̼̍͘s̵̔͜ͅ ̴̨̑̀ͅẃ̸̭h̶̳̀o̸̼͎͒͋l̴̙̦͑e̶̬̱̒.̷̡̪͝ ̶̯͊ ̷̖̇͝ͅM̷̫̅̕a̸̯͘k̷̮͒͝è̷̻ ̸̼͆̏͜u̸̡̘͛s̷̼̐̚ ̵̯͘w̴̬̫͒ȟ̷̬o̵͖͍͌ĺ̶͖̓e̶͈̜̊.̸͆̕ͅ ̶̫͓̇͆ ̴̫̈M̷̙̥̽͗ă̷̲̲k̶̖̽e̸̱̹̊ ̶̙͛͘ü̴͜s̸̨̳͆͠ ̵̹̀w̴̻̉h̴̠̱̏͌ö̵̹́̈́l̵͈̩̊͂e̴̫̊.̶̭͈̅ ̶̺̹̔ ̸̧̩͂M̵̲̂͗ã̶̺̲k̸͇̉̀͜ẻ̴̺͠ ̸̨̬͑u̷̻̐͛s̷̭͐ ̷̙͚̓̉w̵͙̿̚h̵̗͍̕o̴̫͇̿l̸̩̬̿ĕ̴̲̝̓.̴̨̖͐͌ ̵̖̚ ̵̺̈́̾M̴̥͈͑̍á̵̯͋k̴̲̞̔e̶̢͑ͅ ̸̼̳͐̏u̵̧̘͒ș̸͓̎́ ̵̞̀̕w̸̡̧̉͌h̵̬̩́ò̶̙͂ḽ̸́͜è̷̛̖͈.̷̧̄̈́ ̸̳͒͑M̷̺̑a̸͔̔͘k̷͎̅̃e̷̳̲̚ ̸͍̤̅͝u̷̗̐̅s̷̡̰̒͗ ̷̡͒w̷͔͋ḫ̷̇̂ò̶̰l̶͉͐͠e̴̮̐.̶͎̰͒̃ ̸̲́ ̴̧̙̾͊ ̵͖͓̇Ḿ̴̨̺͋a̷̺̜̓ḵ̷̥͗̑e̶̙̋ ̵̰̝̒̒ù̴̧͘s̸̢̩̏ ̷̰͕͐̀w̸͖̹͠h̸̩̽͜͝o̸̞̊͋l̶̫̃ͅe̸͉̱͌.̵̺̪̑̎ ̸̗̓͠ ̸͈͍̈́̕M̷̡͎͐̿a̶̪͋̅k̵̨̐̈́e̸̳̫͌ ̶̹̥̕ü̴͕͓͘s̷̠͝ ̸̫̯̚͠w̶̛̖͎͐h̷̢͇͝o̷̟̣͐l̵͔̘͛̈́ẹ̸͕̒.̵̙͔̄͛ ̷̰̀̽ ̵̘̿M̴̟̈́́a̷̢̿ḱ̸̡̿ė̶̥͗ ̴̗̟́̈́ü̶̦̓s̴̫̞̈ ̸̧̒w̷̛͕h̴̭͑o̶̧̎l̴̹͔͌e̷̺͆.̶͕͍̈́

With rapid movements, Priscilla flipped through the monotonous pages of the book, each one bearing the identical, repetitive phrase "Make Us Whole." Just as her heartbeat quickened, a gentle tap on the windowsill startled her. Turning her gaze, she was astonished to find a jet-black crow perched there. Its head bobbed erratically before it abruptly focused its gaze directly into her eyes.

As soon as the bird locked eyes with her, Priscilla felt an almost unbearable pain overtake her, the book falling from her hands and clattering to the floor as she brought both of her hands up, clutching her head in agony as she let out moans of pain. Images began to flash in front of her eyes, places, people and times that she didn't understand, but when she looked back towards the Crow, it was no longer there the windowsill now empty and the sky outside nothing but all-consuming pitch-black darkness.

Priscilla despite the almost unfathomable pain, managed to slowly and shaikly get to her feet, her legs which wobbled noticeably beneath her conveying her towards the door to her bedroom, but just as she made it about halfway towards it, she suddenly had a sound that caused her to stop dead in her tracks.

"L-Lady P-Priscilla..."

Priscilla, stood there as a feeling of unrivalled horror began to wash over her, the pain in her head only intensifying as her legs began to shake even more. However despite all of that and her instincts telling her to not turn around, she felt herself doing it anyway, her gaze slowly coming to rest on the giant king-size bed, and the dismemberer mutilated boy that it contained.

"L-Lady Priscilla, I-It hurts... it hurts S-so much"

Schult's little body was completely brutalised, his chest cavity carved open from the pelvis to the sternum, with most of his internal organs ripped apart and strewn about near his body, his eyes despite being dead and soulless looked directly into Priscilla's. His once delicate little face, now covered in cuts, scrapes and his own blood.

She wanted to scream, Priscilla wanted to shout and cry at the top of her lungs, yet she couldn't bring herself to do so, it was as if her consciousness was a prisoner inside her very own body.

However much to her growing horror, something began to happen to Schult's destroyed body, he began to convulse violently, his already torn and destroyed flash beginning to bubble as if it were a liquid, before to her horror, it began to rip and tear itself apart, his arms cracking and breaking as they formed themselves into an unnatural and non-human shape.

His little blood-covered face completely split down the middle, before tearing itself open as wiggling tendrils of flesh began to sprout from the cavity between the two halves of his head.

The transformation continued before her, Priscilla feeling' her mind beginning to ache and throb, as she watched her once adorable little servant complete his transformation into something that was a complete mockery of the human form.

A feeling of pure terror washed over her as she watched the creature slowly rise from the bed, its intestines grotesquely tangled around its twisted feet, causing it to fall with a sickening wet thud. It then scrambled to its uneven feet, moving with unnatural agility.

In a sudden turn of events, Priscilla miraculously regained her strength, just in the nick of time as the menacing creature lunged towards her. The creature raised its twisted blade-like arms above its head, intending to shred her into pieces. Priscilla barely managed to evade the attack, but not without a cost. The creature's blades grazed her upper arm, leaving a deep, albeit non-lethal, gash.

"S-Stay back!... I'm warning you!" Priscilla backed herself up against one of the nearby bookcases, the creature blocking her method of escape as it placed itself between her and the door.

With the creature coming closer and closer, Priscilla tried to summon forth the Yang sword, yet holding her hand out, she was horrified when it did not materialize, as if it was being blocked or it didn't exist at all.

Yet as the creature lunged at her once again, Priscilla managed to sidestep it, and after quickly grabbing the small table next to the armchair that she had been in earlier, she smacked the creature clean over its head with the wooden table, the force of the impact shattering the table into multiple pieces as the creature fell to the floor with a pained yelp.

Seeing her chance Priscilla quickly made her way for the door, using the creature's moment of being incapacitated to escape, yet before she could even open the door, she heard something that forced her to stop.

"L-L-Lady... P-Priscilla...It H-H-hurts..." The painfully small and broken voice compelled her to turn around only for her eyes to dilate in horror when she saw Schult, his little body crumpled up on the floor, with blood streaming from his cracked open skull.

Priscilla felt her feet move before her mind did, not even noticing or caring that his monstrous transformation had been completely reversed in the span of a second. Quickly kneeling down as she took the young boy into her arms, his face covered in blood from his severe head wound.

"S-Schult, I'm so sorry, I thought you were-" Priscilla didn't get to finish her words as she saw his face transform from a look of hurt and confusion to one of almost sadistic glee.

Before Priscilla could process what was happening, an excruciating pain shot through her stomach. She looked down in disbelief to find a knife-like appendage from the Transformed Schult piercing her abdomen.

The creature quickly yanked its appendage back, slicing a large hole into Priscilla's belly, some of her entrails slipped out of her as she fell onto her back, her hands instinctively going to try and protect the large wound as she felt blood starting to rise up in her throat.

But despite the large hole carved into her, Priscilla somehow found the strength to prop herself up on one arm. Watching as the creature slowly got up from the floor, one of its blade-like appendages dripping blood.

And once it was at its full height, Priscilla watched it slowly approaching her its movements slow and deliberate as if it was trying its very best to intimidate her, but despite the pain of having her stomach carved open like she was a gutted fish. She still somehow managed to summon enough strength to shakily get to her knees, before rising to her feet, legs wobbling and shaking the entire time, threatening to send her to the floor.

Priscilla could feel her eyes beginning to grow heavy, her entire body feeling like a lead weight, as even the slightest movements became a colossal herculean effort to accomplish. Yet despite that she still managed to push herself to move, trying to make her way over to the door and hopefully escape.

Instead of attacking her, the creature stood there and watched her struggle as if it was taking an immense amount of pleasure in watching her struggle for her very life, but, as she was only mere steps away from the door, Priscilla heard the creature begin to move behind her.

However before it got the chance to finish her off, the door suddenly burst open Priscilla fell to her knees, as the strength in her legs finally vanished, and she looked up she was both relieved and shocked to see none other than her fateful Knight Al. His large curved sword was already drawn and ready for battle, yet as he quickly charged at the creature, Priscilla suddenly felt an awful feeling overtake her, causing her to reach out to Al to try and stop him.

Yet before she could even grab him, the creature moved with such speed that she almost completely lost track of it, managing to easily dodge Al's swing and quickly to her horror completely impale him with both of its blade-like appendages. Priscilla watched helplessly as the creature proceeded to retract its blade appendages before quickly trusting them forward again. Stabbing Al over and over again as his sword quickly fell from his grasp, before he dropped to his knees.

And before Priscilla could summon any strength to try and intervene, the creature quickly retracted one of its blades before slashing it horizontally across Al's neck, his head being still for a moment before it slowly rolled back, quickly falling clean off his shoulders, as it was accompanied by a fountain of blood shooting high into the air from where his head was once attached.

Priscilla watched in abject horror as her Knights head hit the ground with a loud thump, rolling slightly as it came to rest at her feet, a substantial amount of blood gushing out from the stump where Al's head was once attached to his neck.

With the remaining energy she had, Priscilla tried to scream but could only muster enough strength to remain semi-conscious. The monster slowly advanced towards her, its blade raised above its head, ready to strike her down. Whether due to grim acceptance or sheer exhaustion, Priscilla closed her eyes, anticipating the imminent pain that would end her life.

Yet the pain and her death never came, even the horrific sounds of the monster when now completely absent. After a couple of tentative moments, she finally opened one of her eyes, only for both of them to quickly shoot open in shock as Priscilla saw that she was no longer in her bedroom, the dead body of her knight at her feet and the monster standing over her ready to end her.

Instead, Priscilla found herself somewhere she had not been for a long time, it was the very first Mansion she had lived in under her original name Prisca, and the one that she had spent the majority of her early childhood living in. Yet when she looked around and more importantly down at herself, she was again filled with shock and surprise when she saw that she was no longer her adult self.

"W-What trickery is this!" Her younger voice rang in Priscilla's ears, turning on the spot as she examined her young body, not believing or wanting to believe that she was a child again.

Yet that's exactly what she was, everything from her appearance right down to the clothes she was wearing was all identical to that when she was a young girl. The exact outfit she was wearing was one that she still remembers even to this day because it was the very same outfit that she had worn when her entire servant staff had tried to assassinate her.

Despite the confusion and chaos, Priscilla remained alert. She anticipated a moment when she would rush into the dining room to face the assassins who had killed her lookalike. The thought of eliminating them with her Yang sword consumed her mind.

As if an invisible force guided her, Priscilla felt her legs moving involuntarily toward the grand double doors that led to the mansion's main dining room. Reluctantly, she flung open the doors, expecting to witness a familiar scene: her body double lying lifeless on the floor and a servant succumbing to poison intended for her.

Yet much to Priscilla's surprise and slowly increasing sense of dread, she saw all of the servants were already dead, their bodies littering the floor with their eyes full of fear and terror, as their faces were contorted into looks of pure unadulterated horror and fear.

And despite trying to will herself not to, Priscilla's feet continued moving by themselves, taking her into the dining room full of corpses, as the doors behind her quickly slammed themselves shut, and Priscilla only just then managed to regain control of her legs as she quickly sprinted to the doors, pulling on the handles with all her strength yet to the doors would not budge.

"Dammit" Priscilla cursed under her breath, quickly making her way over to one of the Mary windows that lined the dining hall. Intent on escaping through one of them, however when she pulled back one of the many sets of curtains, she was both shocked and very unnerved to see that there were no windows to speak off.

"What is going on?" Priscilla said she slowly backed away from the blank spaces where the windows would have been, however, she suddenly heard something that caused her to stop getting her tracks.

Slowly turning around she was both surprised and horrified to see the corpses of the assassin as well as her own body double beginning to rise to their feet, their bodies convulsing and jerking at unnatural angles as they began to undergo the same transformation Schult had.

It was both horrifying and somehow intriguing to watch as their bodies began to crack and break apart, before they began to reform themselves, into new and unholy shapes. Each one of them was different with some having their heads completely split down the middle before turning into a giant set of jaws complete with razor-sharp teeth.

Others grew extra limbs, with each one of them equipped with a large serrated blade made out of bone. And then some of the others, much to Priscilla's horror and disgust, literally fused together, becoming a much larger and horrific creature made up of screaming and wiggling fresh.

Yet Priscilla's observation of the horrific creatures quickly ended when one of them quickly lunged at her. But remembering her experience from before she quickly jumped out of the way, being thankful even in her youth she was incredibly athletic, because of the amount of times that somebody had tried to take her life.

However, the monster did not let up its assault, quickly coming at her intent on cutting her open, and getting her like a fish. But unlike before Priscilla was not so easily caught off guard as she quickly ducked beneath the monster's wild swings, quickly delivering a swift leg sweep kick, the monster lost its balance as it fell onto its back, and its blade-like arms flailing all the while.

Priscilla took a moment to breathe before another monster quickly charged at her, this one she managed to avoid by doing a frontflip directly over it, landing on her feet before turning and delivering a swift kick to the monster's back, causing it to tumble and crash into the first one that was in the process of getting up.

But Priscilla suddenly felt something sharp scrape her side, cutting the Fabric of her clothes and leaving a very deep yet non-lethal-looking dash and her side. She stumbled as the pain overtook her before she instinctively delivered a swift and decisive roundhouse kick, and despite her small size compared to the monster, the power of her kick still sent the creature falling to the floor.

Priscilla quickly backed herself away from the group of Monsters, putting the dining table between her as she held a hand over her wound, letting out quiet gasps of pain, as she tried to stem the blood flow from the wound. However, more of the monsters began to converge on her, but before she could do anything to defend herself, several of the monsters were quickly engulfed in a wave of white-hot fire.

All of them let out horrific screams as they began to burn. Priscilla however looked to where the fire had come from, only to see a familiar face that she had not seen for a very long time, it was none other than her childhood servant and later sworn sword Arakiya, the young girl looking exactly how Priscilla remember her as Arakiya put herself between Priscilla and the monsters.

Priscilla opened her mouth to say something yet the words never came as Arakiya began to engage the monsters, utilising all of her powers to try and cut the monsters down, yet much to Priscilla's growing horror the monsters would not stay down for long, no matter how many times they were burnt, stabbed or beaten they will always get back up again.

Suddenly, Priscilla's ears were overwhelmed by a thunderous crash. She turned just in time to see a massive amalgamation of limbs and flesh charging towards her. The monster struck her before she could react, the impact knocking the breath from her lungs. Her body was sent hurtling through the air and she collided with a nearby wall. Her vision went black momentarily, and she slumped to the ground.

She tried to catch her breath as every part of her body screamed in agony, yet when she finally managed to find the strength to look up, she was horrified to see the Monsters surrounding Arakiya, before proceeding to quite literally cut her pieces, the monsters being so vicious in their attack, that by the time they were done, there was not a single part of Arakiya body that was recognisable.

Priscilla tried to find the strength to move, only managing to move her arms a tiny bit before she felt horrific pain shoot through her entire body, quickly noticing the horrific angle at which one of her arms was bent indicating that it was most definitely broken.

Yet despite the pain and the awkwardness of it, Priscilla managed to get her good arm beneath and push herself up onto her knees, biting back cries of agony as pain shot throughout her entire body. However much to her dismay, Priscilla saw that the largest creatures quickly charged at her, intent on finishing her off. But just before the creature could crash into her and end her existence, it abruptly stopped only inches in front of her, its massive hulking form making her look practically insignificant by comparison.

Priscilla experienced a mix of confusion and astonishment when the colossal creature abruptly stepped aside, revealing a previously unseen object in the dining room's centre. It was a mysterious, eerie black obelisk with an unusual double-helix structure. The entire form resembled two colossal black snakes coiled around each other, converging at the top with razor-sharp tips.

Carved Into its black glossy surface were strange alien symbols that Priscilla could not read, which even in the relatively bright dining hall, glowed with an unnatural power that sent shivers down her spine.

For some inexplicable reason, Priscilla couldn't take her gaze away from the strange obelisk, a dark and depressive feeling quickly overtaking her as if there was a large weight placed on her shoulders, trying to drag her to the floor. But suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, causing her to scream out loud as she was quickly pushed to the floor, tears unconsciously leaking from her eyes as she craned her neck to look behind herself, only to see that one of the monsters had impaled directly through her shoulder, with one of its sword-like appendages.

But before she could truly register what had just happened, the creature with a terrifying show of strength, quickly pulled her to her knees, Priscilla cried out in agony as the creature's blade-like appendage, carved and cut even deeper into her shoulder with the movement. Yet the pain from only seconds would pale in comparison to when the creature began to forcefully drag her behind itself, not caring in the slightest about Priscilla's protest or the amount of agony she was in.

"L-L-let... M-me... G-go" Priscilla managed to say between her cries of pain, yet the creature did not give any acknowledgement of her pleas for it to unhand her.

After a moment of her continuing to be dragged along like a useless hunk of meat, the creature came to a stop and before Priscilla could even think, it forcefully and abruptly ripped its blade like a pendant from her shoulder, causing the redhead to scream in pure agony, as she instinctively brought her good hand up to the wound.

However, Priscilla's attention was suddenly taken from her wounded by a strange almost pulsing sensation in her head, causing her to bring her head up, with her eyes struggling for a moment through painful tears before she realised what was directly in front of her. The creature had dragged in front of the strange obelisk. But instead of its surface being black it was now a deep shade of blood red, as if it had been soaked in the blood of thousands of Innocent lives.

Yet the longer that she looked at the Red obelisk, the more she felt ever-increasing pressure in the back of her mind, which grew in intensity until it was overpowering everything else, even the pain from her broken arm and impaled shoulder was completely forgotten as she felt her mind beginning to be unravelled.

Priscilla wasn't even sure when she began to scream, her throat and lungs felt like they were beginning to burn, as her vocal cords threatened to snap from the sheer exertion of her screaming.

She wanted it to stop, Priscilla wanted what was happening to stop, and she wanted the pain to go away. She wanted the agony of having her mind forcefully ripped apart to stop, yet despite not wanting to admit such a thing. She was completely powerless in the face of this obelisk, simply having to lay there and Indore its assault on her mind.

P̶r̵i̵s̶c̵i̵l̴l̵a̵ ̸B̸a̸r̶i̸e̴l̸l̵e̶

Priscilla somehow managed to bring herself to look up, the sound or more likely mental projection of a voice being spoken aloud managed to get through to her despite her absolute agony. Yet all that was in front of her was the same red obelisk, the symbols carved Into its surface now glowing even brighter than before

P̴r̷i̷s̷c̶i̵l̶l̶a̵ ̴B̴a̵r̵i̶e̸l̶l̴e̶.̸.̴.̶ ̶I̴ ̶c̷a̵n̵ ̸t̴a̸k̶e̶ ̸a̴w̴a̶y̷ ̴t̵h̷e̸ ̸p̸a̸i̷n̷ ̵a̴n̴d̴ ̴s̶u̸f̷f̶e̷r̷i̴n̴g̴.̵.̴.̵ ̷ ̶I̴ ̶c̵a̴n̶ ̶t̴a̵k̷e̵ ̶i̴t̵ ̸a̷l̸l̴ ̴a̵w̷a̵y̷.̷.̸.̵ ̶y̵o̸u̵ ̵h̸a̵v̶e̷ ̵b̶e̵e̷n̵ ̴p̵r̶e̴p̷a̸r̷e̵d̷.̷.̴.̶ ̵a̴n̵d̷ ̴n̷o̵w̸ ̸i̴t̵ ̶i̶s̶ ̴t̷i̵m̴e̸.̸.̶.̶ ̴

Despite the pain and the agony Priscilla still somehow found the strength to speak. "W-What A-A-are you... T-T-talking A-about?"

The voice which she could presume came from the monolith didn't immediately respond, the glowing symbols on its surface continuing to pulsate with a vibrant and almost demonic light, in fact despite nothing about the monolith's appearance being overtly malicious, Priscilla could simply feel it in her bones, whatever this monolith was, it was pure unadulterated evil. As if its sole reason for existing was to be the bringer of doom to every living creature.

However, Priscilla suddenly felt the overwhelming present emanating from the obelisk increase in intensity, crying out in pain as the very dining hall around her began to slowly crumble away, the dismembered body of Arakiya and the monsters quickly following suit as an all-consuming black void replaced it, the only things left being her and the glowing red monolith.

Y̸o̷u̴r̸ ̴a̴s̷c̶e̸n̸s̷i̸o̴n̴ ̷i̵s̵ ̴a̶t̵ ̴h̸a̴n̶d̸.̴.̴.̴ ̷P̷r̶e̷p̴a̶r̶e̶ ̴y̴o̶u̸r̴s̷e̶l̵f̷ ̴s̸o̶ ̴y̶o̶u̸r̷ ̸v̷o̸i̵c̴e̸ ̵c̴a̷n̵ ̶b̷e̶ ̸f̵o̶u̷n̶d̵.̸.̵.̴ ̸W̷e̵ ̸h̷a̷v̴e̴ ̶p̴u̵r̴g̶e̸d̸ ̸t̴h̷e̷ ̷s̴i̸n̵s̶ ̷o̴f̶ ̴y̴o̴u̵r̴ ̷b̴o̸d̷y̷.̶.̶.̶ ̸A̴n̵d̸ ̸w̶e̴ ̵w̴i̸l̴l̶ ̷l̸i̸f̸t̷ ̷u̷p̵ ̸y̶o̵u̷r̵ ̵v̶o̴i̷c̷e̸ ̵s̴o̸ ̵t̶h̸a̷t̶ ̸y̸o̸u̴ ̵c̴a̶n̶ ̷b̴e̸ ̷f̸o̸u̵n̴d̸!̶!̸ ̸ ̴

Priscilla attempted to speak, but as she opened her mouth and formed words, no sound emerged. It seemed as if the void around her had swallowed the concept of sound itself. Astonished by her inability to produce even a murmur, Priscilla was distracted from her injuries. Her broken arm and other wounds from the fierce battle with the monsters were temporarily ignored as her body moved on its own accord, standing up as if oblivious to the pain and damage it had suffered.

But as her feet began to take her closer towards the glowing red monolith, Priscilla mustard up all of the mental strength she could manage, managing to stop her feet from moving even though they were noticeably struggling against her demands. And seemingly in response to her protest, the unnatural and almost demonic glow from the red obelisk grew in intensity and ferocity.

W̷h̶y̸ ̴d̷o̸ ̵y̴o̴u̴ ̵r̶e̶s̸i̴s̴t̸?̵ ̸W̵h̶y̷ ̷r̷e̸s̶i̴s̷t̶ ̸b̶e̶i̵n̷g̴ ̷m̸a̶d̵e̴ ̵w̸h̴o̶l̶e̸.̶.̴.̴ ̴D̷i̷s̵c̵a̴r̶d̶ ̵y̴o̸u̴r̴ ̵i̴m̸p̷e̵r̴f̶e̶c̷t̸ ̶b̷o̴d̵y̷ ̷a̶n̶d̵ ̶e̶m̸b̵r̶a̶c̵e̸ ̸o̵u̵r̵ ̶t̷r̷u̶e̵ ̸u̸n̸i̴t̴y̶!̷ ̸

"I do not wish, to be part of this unity that you speak of!" Despite no sound exiting her mouth, Priscilla still screamed the words as loud as she could, managing to get enough control over her body and run in the opposite direction from the red monolith.

Y̸o̷u̵r̵ ̸w̶i̴l̶l̸ ̸t̸o̵ ̵h̶o̷l̶d̵ ̷o̸n̸t̴o̴ ̶y̴o̴u̷r̷ ̵i̷m̸p̴e̴r̶f̸e̸c̸t̵ ̸v̷e̶s̵s̵e̴l̵ ̷i̷s̷ ̴m̷i̵s̵g̸u̵i̵d̶e̸d̸ ̸b̵u̵t̵ ̵a̷d̸m̷i̴r̷a̸b̴l̸e̴.̸.̵.̵ ̸H̶o̴w̵e̶v̵e̴r̶ ̵P̸r̴i̸s̴c̴i̸l̶l̸a̸ ̵B̷a̴r̷i̷e̵l̶l̷e̸,̷ ̵t̷h̷e̷r̸e̵ ̸i̷s̸ ̴n̷o̷ ̷e̸s̴c̵a̴p̴e̶ ̵f̴r̶o̷m̴ ̶b̵e̴i̷n̸g̸ ̶m̷a̶d̸e̴ ̸w̵h̸o̷l̷e̶ ̷

Amidst the throbbing pain in her head, Priscilla ignored the voice, determined to run as far and as fast from the menacing red monolith as her physical state allowed. Abruptly, her feet gave out beneath her, and she fell face-first into what seemed like nothingness. The reverberations and bolts of pain that followed coursed through her entire body, causing Priscilla to groan loudly as she struggled to regain her footing.

T̴h̶e̵ ̶e̶n̶d̵ ̸i̸s̴ ̴n̶i̷g̸h̸.̶.̶.̴ ̸S̴o̸o̵n̴ ̵t̸h̷e̶ ̵s̶k̴y̶ ̵w̸i̷l̷l̵ ̷p̵a̴r̴t̶ ̴a̶n̷d̷ ̵y̷o̷u̸ ̸w̵i̵l̴l̶ ̸b̸e̶ ̵d̶r̶a̴w̵n̴ ̴u̸p̶.̷.̵.̸ ̶Y̷o̴u̸ ̷w̴i̷l̶l̶ ̵b̶e̷ ̵d̸e̴v̵o̵u̴r̴e̸d̴ ̸a̷n̸d̵ ̸b̶e̸c̵o̷m̶e̵ ̸o̴n̷e̷ ̶w̷i̵t̴h̷ ̴t̸h̶e̷m̸.̵.̸.̸ ̷T̷h̶e̴ ̵t̴i̸m̶e̷ ̴o̷f̴ ̵a̵s̷c̴e̷n̶s̴i̴o̵n̵ ̴i̴s̶ ̸u̸p̷o̴n̸ ̷u̸s̸.̵ ̴P̴r̸e̸p̴a̸r̸e̶ ̸y̴o̶u̵r̵s̵e̸l̵f̷ ̷t̵h̴e̸ ̷w̶a̸y̷ ̵t̵h̸a̴t̸ ̴y̴o̶u̶ ̶m̶a̷y̴ ̴b̷e̷ ̸f̴o̶u̸n̸d̷ ̴

Just as Priscilla managed to get back to her feet, a profound instinctual fear suddenly washed over her as she slowly lifted her head. The dark black void encompassing her and the monolith started to fade, replaced by a twilight purple sky adorned with ribbons of ethereal green light dancing gracefully above. Under different circumstances, Priscilla would have marvelled at the scene's beauty. However, any appreciation for natural aesthetics was lost as she finally confronted the eldritch entity responsible for everything.

P̵r̵i̶s̵c̸i̷l̴l̵a̵ ̷B̵a̵r̶i̷e̶l̵l̶e̷.̸.̸.̸ ̴C̶o̵m̷e̴ ̷a̷n̸d̶ ̴j̸o̸i̶n̷ ̸i̴n̷ ̷o̶u̷r̴ ̶e̴m̶b̸r̶a̶c̶e̴.̵.̴.̶ ̷B̷e̸c̶o̴m̴e̸ ̵o̵n̵e̵ ̷w̸i̷t̸h̴ ̷u̶s̴ ̶ ̸

Priscilla would have screamed, she would have torn her eyes out in a fit of insanity after finally laying eyes on the eldridge entity that hung high in the sky, yet all she could do was slowly fall to her knees. Completely ignoring the feel of soft snow beneath, Her tears began to slowly fall from her eyes are she felt her very essence beginning to be stripped away.

Everything from the most significant and completely innocuous moments of her life flashed before her eyes as she felt her consciousness beginning to be absorbed and destroyed. Yet despite knowing she should Priscilla did not feel any kind of Sadness or fear because her capacity to think and her very sanity had long ago been worn away.

And as Priscilla's consciousness finally faded, her eyes closed as her mouth moved unconsciously, saying words that she had heard before yet only now understood the meaning of...

Make Us Whole

"Make us whole"

Suddenly, an unexpected voice pulled Al from his thoughts. He quickly shifted his gaze towards the unconscious form of Priscilla, his confusion and concern momentarily easing as he noticed a change in her demeanour. The constant shaking and muttering that had characterized Priscilla's unconscious state had ceased, leaving her in a state of perfect stillness, as though she was experiencing the most tranquil sleep imaginable.

Despite his seemingly positive outlook, a sense of unease crept down Al's spine, leaving him with an uncanny feeling that something was subtly amiss, but he couldn't pinpoint the exact cause of his discomfort.

"So I suppose we just have to sit here and wait until the warden returns?" Julius couldn't keep the frustration from his voice as he let out a sigh, rubbing his forehead in the manner that he always did whenever he was frustrated with something or someone.

Anastasia crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back into the uncomfortable theatre chair. "It does appear that way, Julius," she said in response. Looking at the helmeted man, she unexpectedly addressed him, catching him off guard. "It's rather frustrating, isn't it, Al?"

Al looked at the small purple-haired woman, not sure exactly if she was referring to the predicament with Priscilla or the fact that the warden had again disappeared like he was an absentee father going out to get milk or cigarettes. And even though his face was not visible Anastasia could easily pick up on his confusion.

"I'm referring to the warden's absence... although I am still worried for Priscilla" Anastasia cast her gaze towards the unconscious red-headed woman, her eyebrows furrowing. "I hope she's alright and that she wakes up soon," She said after a moment of silence, genuine concern in her voice.

Al gave a nod of thanks but didn't say anything in response, instead looking at Priscilla's unconscious form for a moment before leaning back in his own seat, trying to relax as much as possible, but not managing to do so considering he couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was deeply wrong.

Although he wasn't the only one who felt that way, at the very front of the theatre Emilia couldn't help but fidget and squirm uncomfortably, her eyes remaining locked onto Subarus's sleeping face, yet that did absolutely nothing to quell the feeling of anxiety building up inside her.

"Something is wrong... Something is extremely wrong" The words were barely above a whisper, and therefore so quiet that not even Beatrice who was right next to Emilia could have possibly heard them.

Just as her words hinted, Emilia's intuition told her something was amiss. Unlike before, where the dark entities would fleetingly appear and disappear, this time, an unsettling presence lingered in the theatre. It didn't demand attention but was unwilling to remain concealed either, creating an atmosphere that had drastically shifted in a matter of moments.

Emilia tried to take a calming breath, yet failed miserably as her anxiety and flight or fight instinct was put into overdrive, even looking at Subaru's face and only concentrating on it did absolutely nothing to help.

only to quickly jumped when she felt something tapper on the shoulder, however whipping her head around she was slightly relieved to see that it was just Beatrice, looking at her with a look of mild confusion with also a hint of concern.

"What is the dragon, has got into you elf?" Beatrice inquired with genuine perplexity, watching in confusion and concern as Emilia simply blinked back at her, her half-elven eyes full of anxiety and perhaps a hint of fear.

Emilia couldn't quite find the right words to say, not for lack of trying though. She desperately racked her brain trying to think of the right way to articulate the words she wanted to say, yet her mouth continued to fail her as she simply let the silence drag on for longer than it reasonably should have.

"Perhaps Lady Emilia is simply feeling a bit drained, after that last viewing" Emilia was saved by the voice of Frederica who quickly made her presence known to the little spirit and half-elf, giving a polite bow to both of them, yet Emilia was easily able to see the slight trepidation on Frederica's face.

Beatrice looked at the blonde-haired maid, staring into her bright vibrant green eyes for a couple of moments before letting out a little sigh, deciding against her better judgment to drop her enquiry about what had perturbed Emilia in such a way.

Emilia quickly put on a false and very unconvincing smile, before turning to the little spirit and addressing her. "I'm fine Beatrice… It's just like Frederica said, that last viewing took a lot out of me" she said trying to be as convincing as possible.

Beatrice however wasn't convinced for a moment, but if Emilia didn't want to share what had unnerved her then the little spirit wouldn't push any further, but still Beatrice quickly took one of Emilia's hands into her own and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"I understand, but if something is bothering you don't hesitate to tell me I suppose," Beatrice said before letting go of Emilia's hand, the half-elf looking on with surprise before a small smile made its way onto her face.

After all, Emilia was genuinely touched by Beatrice's concern for her, in fact, it made her feel just a little bit guilty for not telling Beatrice about what she was currently feeling.

Yet as Emilia watched Beatrice turn her attention back to sleeping Subaru, she couldn't help but look over at Frederica who was still standing nearby, the two of them locking eyes for a moment. And even though not a single word was spoken between them, Emilia instantly knew that Frederica felt much the same as she did, with the strange energy in the air.

Crusch sat not far from Emilia and Frederica, unable to conceal her frown as she gazed at Emilia with genuine concern. She crossed her arms over her chest, knowing that her divine protection of wind reading was not necessary to detect Emilia's blatant lie to Beatrice.

And if Emilia had lied about something that was clearly troubling her, then she couldn't help but feel then it was definitely something that mattered.

However before she could think about that any further, Crusch looked over at her half-feline knight, her eyes widening ever so slightly when she saw the tell-tale signs that Felix was on edge, his pupils were heavily dilated, as his fluffy feline ears stuck straight up. With his eyes gently scanned around the room as if he were looking for some kind of invisible danger or threat.

"Felix... What's the matter" Crusch asked quietly, leaning in and whispering in his ear, however, Felix did not immediately respond, even though he did acknowledge her question. Instead, he continued to slowly scan the theatre with his eyes for another moment before he finally turned his gaze towards her own.

With a hushed tone and a vigilant demeanour resembling a prey animal avoiding a predator, the catboy expressed his uncertainty. He whispered to Lady Crusch, "I'm not entirely sure, but something about this place just... doesn't feel right anymore."

Crusch looked at her feline companion for a moment, confusion and a bit of uneasiness evident in her gaze. Despite his shortcomings as a person if there was one thing about Felix that she could always trust, it was his Instinct when it came to potential threats and danger, after all, his Instincts had saved her as well as many other people's lives many times in the past.

She noticed how Felix looked away from her briefly when she asked her question, his gaze searching for something that wasn't there. When he looked back at her, his eyes held both anxiety and confusion. "I see. What exactly do you mean when you say something doesn't feel right?"

"I'm not sure yet, something is wrong but I can't figure out what exactly," Felix said quietly, his usual cat-like vocal tic completely absent, as he collected his thoughts for a moment before continuing.

"It's like... a dark presence that wasn't here before... it's not trying to hide, but it's also not trying to draw attention to itself" There was a slight shake in his voice that Crusch could easily pick up on.

However before she could enquire as to what exactly he meant, she felt a tap on her shoulder, causing her to jump slightly she whipped her head around to see who it was.

"Lady Crusch, is everything alright?" Crusch was met with the concerned gaze and voice of none other than the aged butler and ex-sword demon Wilhelm.

However, she couldn't quite find her voice, simply looking at the much older man in a slight stupa which only caused his brow to furrow even more than it already was, yet after a moment and a slight cough to clear her throat, her voice return to her as she finally found the words.

"I'm not quite sure Wilhelm" Crusch spoke truthfully, knowing that even if she tried she would not be able to lie to the man in front of her, however as the words left her mouth she saw his eyes narrow, and his body became slightly rigid.

"I see..." Was all that Wilhelm said in response, both Duchess and butler continuing to stare at each other for a moment before Crusch continued from where she left off.

"Felix said that he could sense something dark, however, he's unsure what it actually is" Crusch for a moment, watching Wilhelm's subtle reaction to her information, as his body now went completely rigid preparing himself for some kind of potential ambush.

"But whatever it is, it's put Felix on edge, and you know how much I trust his Instincts when it comes to potential danger" She finished, watching the aged man rub his chin in thought, as his own aged but experienced eyes scanned around the room.

Yet he wasn't the only Astrea that was on the lookout for some potential threat, Reinhard was doing much the same as his estranged grandfather. Gis eyes scanned around the room as he tried to identify the dark presence that he could feel in the room, yet even with his divine protections he still had no luck. Which showed on his face as a look of mild frustration greased itself upon his perfect features.

"Hey Rein, are you alright over there?" Felt said to the red-headed sword saint next to her, however, she didn't immediately get a reply as he continued to quietly but persistently look around the room, much to her confusion and slight worry.

But as she watched him, the young blonde suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, as she turned her head around, because for just a single moment it felt like somebody was watching her.

"I don't like this... I don't like this at all" Felt said unconsciously, her anxiety beginning to spike as she cautiously eyed every shadow and perceived slight movement in the darkness of the theatre. Despite her attempts to mentally prepare and calm herself, her heart raced uncontrollably with anxiety, fueled by the unknown that lurked within the theatre's shadowy recesses.

At that moment, after a long interval, Otto expelled a deep sigh of relief. His gaze wandered, listlessly observing the theatre and the various individuals engrossed in their respective activities. However, as his eyes scanned over a particular corner of the room, he felt his breath hitch inside his throat.

"N-no... That's impossible" Otto's entire body began to shake violently, sweat forming on his forehead as he stared at a painfully familiar person, standing in the corner of the theatre partially obscured by shadow.

It was the person who caused him the most pain as well as ruining his life, making everyone he knew when he was younger turn their backs on him, all because he spoke the truth when she tried to deceive everyone.

"D-D-Diadora?" Otto set quietly, his voice shaking as she continued to stare at the phantom of the woman who had been responsible for ruining his life, her face was not visible from where he was due to the darkness of the theatre yet everything from her dress to her purple hair was just as he remembered.

Just as Otto was about to further examine her appearance, he abruptly felt a tap on his shoulder. The suddenness of the unexpected contact caused him to jolt and let out a scream, whipping his head around in a flash. However, to his surprise, he found no one behind him, only the empty seats of the theatre staring back at him.

He continued to search for whatever had tapped his shoulder, Otto's anxiety increasing by the second as his pupils dilated so heavily they looked like pinpricks. But after finding nothing he turned his attention back to the corner where Diadora was standing.

Otto felt his body go cold as ice when he saw that the apparition of Diadora was standing directly in front of him less than an arm's length away, her face which was once hidden by shadow now visible to him. Revealing her face which was covered in large cuts and blood making it almost impossible to recognise her.

Every instinct in his body was telling him to jump and run, yet it was as if he was rooted to the spot as he locked eyes with Diadora's disfigured face, both of them staring at each other for a moment before he saw the corners of her tattered mouth up turn, into a truly gruesome and horrific smile.

"Otto... Suwen... no matter how much you run from the past... It will always catch up with you" Otto cringed as her distorted and sickly voice exited her destroyed lips, his entire body shaking like a leaf as she began to reach out for him.

"I'm always here... To remind you of what you did!" The horrific apparitions said aggressively, quickly jabbing one of her long sharp fingernails into Otto's cheek, before pulling up and delivering a shallow but easily visible cut on his cheek.

With a blood-curdling scream, Otto regained control of his body. Expecting an assault, he raised his arms in front of his face. But to his surprise, there was no attack. A few tense moments passed, and he cautiously opened his eyes. To his amazement, the menacing Diadora was nowhere to be found.

And even though he could feel his heart beginning to slow down, Otto jumped again when he felt somebody place a hand on his shoulder accompanied by a concerned voice.

"Hey! What the hell's gotten into you Otto?" Garfiel said a bit louder than he intended. watching with very evident concern as the grey-haired merchant simply looked back at him with a wide-eyed terrified look.

Otto continued to stare at the blonde-haired teenager, his somewhat scrambled brain failing to register what exactly Garfiel had said, but after a moment he blinked, as he stuttered out a response.

"I-I'm F-F-fine... G-Garfiel, you just S-S-startled me... T-That's A-all" Otto managed to get out, yet he knew by the look on Garfiel's face that the blonde-haired beast boy didn't believe it for a second, which he made a parent by his own response.

"Cut the crap, Otto! Seriously just tell me what happened to dammit!" Garfiel tried to suppress an animalistic growl but failed to do so as it exited his throat, his frustration boiling over at the fact that somebody he considered a close friend, was blatantly lying to him.

Despite the terror he was feeling, Otto after a moment of weighing it up in his mind finally let out a shaky breath, looking into the emerald green eyes of the younger blonde-haired boy, as he relayed what had just happened to him.

"I saw something, Garfiel... I saw S-someone that S-shouldn't be here yet w-W-was..." Otto paused for a moment trying to compose himself, as tears began to freely leak from the corners of his eyes "S-she T-T-taunted me, S-saying that I would... N-N-N-never be A-able to E-E-escape H-her" He managed to finish, barely containing himself as he tried to wipe the tears away.

Garfiel wasn't quite sure how to process what he had just been told, his face having a slightly uncertain look on it, as he tried to make sense of what Otto had said.

Of course, he knew that his grey-haired friend did have somewhat of an unsavoury past, although he didn't know exactly what had happened considering that Otto completely refused to talk about it.

With him only occasionally mentioning his past when he was blackout trunk. And even then it was very rare and usually, he would only say a few words before breaking down into a sobbing mess.

But before Garfiel could enquire any further, he suddenly felt movement in the chair next to him, causing him to look over and be very surprised to see that Petra, had set up in her seat, gently rubbing her eyes as she looked around with a slightly confused expression on her little delicate face.

"Mmm... My head hurts a little" The young girl said as she continued to rub her eyes, after recovering from the surprise Garfiel put on a slightly more friendly expression as he leaned over towards the little girl.

"Hey, pipsqueak... Gad to see you back in the land of the living" Garfiel said with a slightly forced jovial sound to his voice, yet much to his relief Petra didn't seem to pick up on it, as she stopped rubbing her eyes and looked at him.

"Big... Brother... Garfiel?" Petra said slowly, her eyes examining every detail of his face before a small innocent smile made its way onto her lips. However before Garfiel could respond, there was a loud shout followed by the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps.

"Petra!" the young girl didn't have any time to react and she was quickly scooped up into a pair of very strong arms and pulled into an almost crushing hug by none other than Frederica, the blonde-haired maid practically crying tears of joy as she clutched now conscious young girl tight to her chest, as if she was nothing more than illusions that would disappear at any moment.

"D-don't you ever do something like that ever again young lady!" Frederica said with a tiny hint of Anger in her voice, yet it immediately faded that she continued to bear hug Petra despite the young girl's protests. but after a moment much to her embarrassment Frederica realised that she was practically crushing the life out of the young girl, as she quickly put her down.

Petra took several long deep breaths, trying to force air into her body after nearly being suffocated to death by Frederica's bone-crushing hug and ample bosom. But after managing to get her breathing under control the young girl looked up at the blonde-haired woman before speaking.

"I'm sorry, M-Miss Frederica, I won't do it-" Petra again didn't get a chance to finish as Frederica knelt and put a finger to her lips the silencer, the young girl staring into the older woman's bright vibrant green eyes which were filled with nothing but relief and happiness.

"You don't need to apologise Petra, you just had me very worried as all" Frederica's voice was warm and comforting, as she brought the young girl into another embrace although this time only using one arm and being much more considerate about the girl's comfort.

Petra looked surprised for a moment before reciprocating the action, both of them hugging each other before a very familiar voice made itself known.

Alright gang, I'm back! I hope you had a nice break because we need to get this show on the road

Frederica looked at the screen in surprise, not expecting to hear the voice of the warden so soon, however, she felt Petra tug at one of her sleeves, looking at her with a look of confusion.

"Miss Frederica, what happened exactly?" Petra asked innocently, tilting her head to the side slightly as if she was a curious puppy. Frederica for her part couldn't help but find it adorable but quickly shook that thought off as she tried to think of a way to respond to what Petra had just asked.

"Petra, tell me, what's the last thing you remember before falling asleep?" Frederica watched the young girl process the request, her little face contorting into a look of deep thought before she responded.

"I remember we were talking... about... something..." Petra paused much to Frederica's confusion the look of thought on the young girl's face giving away to frustration, as if she was having trouble remembering.

"Actually... I don't remember what we were talking about" Petra couldn't help but let out a frustrated sigh, followed by a small pout as she continued to speak" "All I remember is waking up in the chair with Big Brother Garfiel and Uncle Otto next to me" She finished.

Frederica absorbed what the young girl had just said, feeling simultaneously relieved, confused and concerned about the fact that the young girl couldn't remember anything before immediately falling unconscious.

She pondered for a moment, a knot of concern forming in her stomach. Ultimately, she let out a sigh, deciding it was best Petra didn't recall the incident that led to her fainting spell.

As such after a moment, Frederica held her hand out to the young girl, beckoning Petra to follow her as both of them made their way back to their seats. However, when she arrived she noticed that her brother looked slightly perturbed and Otto had a haunted expression on his face, as well as a small almost invisible cut on his cheek, which she disregarded as something that had been there before.

"Hey big sis" Gabriel's voice was flat and lacking its usual energy, something that Frederica easily picked up on as she looked at him with concern.

"Is everything alright Garfiel?" Frederica asked motioning over to Otto, as Petra made herself comfortable in the blonde woman's lap.

Garfiel didn't immediately respond, looking at his sister with an almost unreadable expression before letting out a sigh, and leaning in so he could whisper in her ear.

"I don't know exactly what happened to Otto, but something's really spooked him" He paused for a moment, Frederica raising an eyebrow as Garfiel seemingly considered his words before continuing.

"He said something about somebody from his past coming after him, but that was all I could get out of him before the pipsqueak woke up" Garfiel finished as he leaned back.

Frederica was left perplexed and very concerned by what had brother had just said to her, but before she could question it any further the voice of the warden echoed throughout the theatre once again.

Alright boys and girls, it's time to begin.

"Now arriving. Mining deck. Please mind the gap"

Subaru quickly became alert when the automatic PA system sounded off, He got to his feet as he felt the tram beginning to slow down before ultimately coming to a stop, and after a moment, the metal shutter doors quickly opened, allowing him to step out of the tram and onto the mining deck tram platform.

"Can't say I'm happy to be back here again" Subaru said quietly to himself, taking slow and cautious steps, as he scanned around the tram platform both for potential useful items and any monsters that could be hiding in the shadows.

However, an alert quickly popped up on his heads-up display, indicating an incoming message over the rig link system, and after pressing a series of buttons on his wrist a holographic message window popped up revealing a slightly perturbed-looking Kendra.

"This may be our last chance of getting out of H-here alive, Subaru. There's an asteroid loaded up in the mining bay, waiting to be smelted. If you attach the SOS B-beacon to it you can jettison it away from the ship to make a clean broadcast" Subaru was easily able to notice the slight jitter in Kendra's voice, however chose not to comment on it as he made his way through the large double doors that lead into the main entry area of the mining deck.

"That sounds easy enough, where exactly is this makeshift SOS beacon?" Subaru said nonchalantly, scavenging around the mining deck lobby, searching through various containers, lockers and crates but not managing to find much more than a few half-charged plasma energy cells much to his annoyance.

"The beacon's on the maintenance sub deck. You can launch the asteroid from the central control room..." Kendra's sudden pause caused Subaru to immediately stop what he was doing, as he waited for her to continue and after a couple of tense seconds, she finally did.

"Damn, the control room is locked up tight. It looks like they keep a key on the processing subject. Couldn't be easy could it?" Subaru could sympathise with Kendra's frustration, after all, there were many times in his life especially when he was younger, where he wished that things could have just been simple.

"Nothing being easy, something I know too well, Kendra" Subaru accompanied his response by pressing the holographic display at the centre of the large doors that lead to the main elevator shaft, ultimately calling the elevator to his floor.

"Yeah... I don't know how much more of this I can take" Before Subaru could respond, Kendra's connection was interrupted before ultimately being disconnected, and even though he tried to re-establish it he had no luck, however, began to get closer to the floor he was on, Subaru hard something that sent a chill down his spine.

It was the sound of painful moaning, which only got louder and louder as the elevator drew closer and closer, and as it finally arrived and its doors opened, Subaru was met with a sight that truly made his stomach flip.

The inside of the elevator looked like it was a meat grind, with blood, gore and dismembered bodies everywhere, however, the sound that he had heard, was none other than a lone survivor desperately clutching at the bloody stump where his right arm used to be.

"Jesus Christ! Hey, are you alright?!" Subaru made a move to kneel next to the injured man, the man let out one final whimper of pain before seemingly succumbing to his injuries.

Subaru was locked in place for a moment, staring at the now still corpse of the man, before grimly reaching down, gently placing two fingers on the man's exposed bloody neck, and letting out a frustrated sigh, he was able to confirm that the man had indeed passed.

After saying a small prayer over the man's completely motionless body in his native Japanese, Subaru got to his feet and stepped into the elevator proper, quickly spotting and pressing the relevant button on the holographic display, bringing the elevator to life which quickly began to take him downward into the belly of the USG Ishimura's mining deck.

"Like before, he still has respect for the fallen" Crusch crossed her arms over her chest as a frown made its way onto her face. After all despite being proud to see that Subaru's deep sense of empathy was still intact, seeing death was never something she took joy in.

"Although, I don't think I'm in a hurry to find out what could brutalise a man in such a way," Crusch said with a slight shiver, even though Subaru was able to take them on with his repurposed mining tool, there have been very few instances where they had actually seen first-hand, exactly what these Monsters could do to someone if caught unprepared.

"I second that" Emilia clutched Subaru's hand tighter in her own, averting her eyes for a moment, at the site of the man's brutalised body. "But... at least Subaru tried to give the man some peace," the half-elf said, agreeing with Crusch's first observation and also trying to find any positive in this kind of situation.

Beatrice did not speak, instead, her eyes simply narrowed as she watched her contractor try to give the deceased man some dignity in death. Of course, she felt incredibly proud at the fact that he did so, after all, one of Subaru's greatest positives was his ability to empathize with everyone around him.

But at the same time, Beatrice also felt frustrated at the fact that he again had to witness death first-hand, it was as if the universe was making a mockery of his previous suffering, by dangling death directly in his face, both in the form of Monsters that wanted to kill him and people dying directly in front of him, with him just being too slow to help them.

However, as if her mind had just been read, somebody unexpectedly verbalised almost the same point that Beatrice was thinking about at that moment.

"This is ridiculous! Barusu might be a hopeless fool, but he doesn't deserve this kind of torment!" Ram raised her voice just a tiny bit, much to the surprise of those around her, but she simply couldn't contain herself, because, at that very moment, it seemed like the universe itself was needlessly punishing Subaru.

"After everything, he's been through and experienced, Barusu shouldn't have to experience watching people die in front of him like that!" Ram finished her little rant by letting out a very frustrated huff, not even acknowledging the look of surprise on her sister's face or anyone else's shocked expressions for that matter.

"Well said" Beatrice gave a nod of approval, after a couple moments of silence, turning to look at the pink head maid if she did so. "I couldn't have said it any better myself I suppose" The small spirit said as she gave a thumbs up, to which Ram looked surprised before giving a curt nod of approval

"I agree with every word you said sister, it's unforgivable that he's being unfairly punished..." Rem paused for a moment as she lowered her voice, her eyes taking on a noticeably sadder look as she thought about every awful thing that had happened to Subaru so far "Especially after everything he's been through" she finally managed to say, the sadness in her eyes tripling tenfold, as the words exited her lips.

Emilia, looked at both Oni sisters, feeling somewhat conflicted. On one hand, she was incredibly happy to see that people did care about Subaru despite himself not often believing so. But on the other, she couldn't help but feel somewhat, uneasy, particularly about what Rem had said, after all that very same Oni had once hated Subaru with every fibre of her being and even ended his life on multiple occasions.

And even though the rational part of her brain told Emilia that it would be unfair, to hold those actions against Rem considering all of the context that the viewings had shown her, it would also be hypocritical considering her actions which hurt Subaru if not physically then very much mentally. It did absolutely nothing to make her feel any less good about Rem saying anything about Subaru

"Those injuries... why would those creatures need to brutalise their targets so much like that?" Felix tried to suppress a shudder, the analytical part of his brain racing a mile a minute as he absorbed everything about the scene. From the exact dimensions, depth and orientation of the cuts and lacerations on the body of the man, down to what possible kind of bladed instrument could produce something similar.

The fact that these creatures needed to brutalise anything they came across so violently, was completely horrifying yet also a morbidly tantalising mystery. And even though his only potential answer was that the dismembered crew members could be repurposed into the flashy growth seen in other parts of the ship. It still didn't answer exactly why the creatures possessed such a high level of brutality and seeming unchecked anger when attacking their targets.

Crusch looked at her feline knight for a moment, watching as the gears inside his brain turned violently, and even though she couldn't read his mind, she was very much on a similar train of thought, the brutality that the monsters displayed when attacking people was incredibly bizarre.

If their goal was to simply kill everyone and convert them into fleshy growth, then it would make much more sense to kill people instantly, instead of seemingly just focusing on brutalising them and cutting them to ribbons.

Subaru felt the elevator, continuing its descent, however, when it reached the mining sub deck, instead of stopping, it in fact much to his frustration and annoyance continued to go downwards, despite him frantically pressing buttons to try and make it stop and go back up.

"Hey! What the hell!?" Subaru watched in dismay, as the mining sub deck doors continued to get further and further away as the elevator continued to go down further and further.

"Subaru, the mining sub deck is completely locked down for some reason. I'll see if I can run a bypass" The voice of Kendra quickly came over Subaru's rig link as the elevator finally stopped with a small jolt, and after the doors opened up. A very frustrated Subaru stepped out onto the processing sub deck, plasma cutter at the ready just in case any monsters were looking to make his day even worse.

"A little late on the heads up Kendra" Subaru grumbled as he marched away from the elevator and through a short corridor, before coming to a t-shaped intersection. Directly in front of him was a large holographic sign with a large graphic of a man, pointing at his rig, with the accompanying text stating "Safety Begins With Teamwork.

Subaru gave the sign a side eye as he immediately headed left, spotting a small personnel tablet lying on the floor in a pool of dried blood, its lit-up screen almost perfectly unblemished by the copious amounts of blood around it. And almost like he was on autopilot Subaru quickly scooped up the personnel tablet without even stopping before pressing play to hear what message it had for him.

"This is Temple. I found Elizabeth, but there isn't a single space-worthy vessel in the whole goddamn bay!" Subaru didn't really pay that much attention to the audio message as it played, instead, he was more focused on scavenging around the small room that he found himself in, going through various containers and lockers but still not finding anything of true usefulness.

"Jacob, hurry up! We need to find that Beacon!" the sound of a new voice, which was definitely not Jacob, caught Subaru's attention for a moment, as he began to make his way down a smaller corridor.

"Yeah, I know Elizabeth. There's got to be one round here somewhere" The message came to an abrupt end, as a Subaru unceremoniously dropped the tablet to the floor, but as he took another step he felt his foot collide with something heavy, causing him to almost trip over as he looked down what the object was, only to have his eyes widen considerably behind his helmet.

"Hmm, so it seems that Jacob was one step ahead of Subaru once again" Anastasia mused, growing somewhat interested at the fact that, Subaru had come across another one of Jacob Temple's messages, showing that the yet unseen man had been one step ahead of Subaru pretty much the entire way so far.

"It would appear that way lady Anastasia, who knows he might even be still alive, considering that Subaru found another one of his messages" Julius knew that Jacob Temple still being alive was a long shot, but considering that Subaru had come across multiple of his messages so far, it was beginning to put more evidence into the idea that maybe the enigmatic man was maybe still alive.

"One can only hope Julius, if he is still alive, maybe he and Subaru could help each other out" Anastasia responded to her purple-haired knight, the prospect of the unseen engine still being alive, not being something she had considered up until now.

"There's no way..." Subaru bent down, slowly and gently picking the device up from the floor, before turning it over in his hands to inspect it more closely, because he couldn't quite believe what it was. "I thought they outlawed these things decades ago!" He said with a small amount of awe in his voice, wiping away some dirt on the side of the device revealing a manufacturer tag that confirmed his suspicions.

'PFM-90 Hydrazine Torch, Serial Number: 15-8-1997' Was what the builder plate on the side of the weapon read, and even despite the confirmation Subaru still couldn't quite believe it, the last time he'd actually seen one of these tools, let alone used one was when he was still a trainee engineer fresh out of the hospital,

But before he could use on the somewhat nostalgic feeling of holding the tool in his hands, Subaru suddenly heard the all too familiar sounds of vents being blown open followed by the cries of twisted reanimated monstrosities that were once human.

And by Instinct he went to reach his plasma cutter before he realised he now had something else in his hands that could potentially be of use, because the entire reason why the PFM-90 was even discontinued and outlawed in the first place was because of one little design flaw, one that Subaru was about to take advantage of.

Subaru waited where he was, keeping an eye out as he listened to the sound of the shambling monstrosities, as they drew closer and closer. After several very tense seconds, one of the creatures quickly stumbled around a corner, immediately letting out a beastly roar as it began to charge at Subaru with frightening speed.

But Subaru was prepared as he quickly flipped a switch on the tool in his hands, before pulling a small Trigger on its grip. Almost immediately a bright stream of liquid fire began to shoot from the now-revealed improvised flamethrower.

The creature had no time to react as it was quickly bathed from head to toe in fire, Its entire body now burning like a massive candle. Chunks of now burnt and charred flesh began to sluff off, as it screamed at the top of its lungs before quickly falling over, the creature's frantic flailing and screaming quickly stopping as it's still flaming body went still.

"Man... That was a bit more effective than I thought it would be..." Subaru couldn't help but stare at the now charred corpse of the creature, being extremely thankful that his helmet, had a built-in air filtration unit, which meant he didn't have to smell the most likely horrific smell of burnt flesh.

But before he could think about the effectiveness of the improvised flamethrower in his hands another creature quickly rounded the corner, this one just as vicious as the last as it quickly charged at him. but much like the first Subaru quickly unleashed the flamethrower upon the creature, and much like its companion, the creature was quickly rendered into nothing more than a charred burn corpse.

However, Subaru suddenly heard a concerning beep from the flamethrower in his hands, and looking down he saw the holographic fuel display, was a big red zero meaning that the flame thrower was completely out of liquid fuel. Which couldn't have come at a worse time as another shambling abomination quickly emerged from another corner, letting out a gurgling battle cry as it began to run at him.

Subaru not having time to go for his plasma cutter only managed to just sidestep the creature as it tried to strike him with one of its blade-like appendages, but Subaru again didn't get a chance to go for his plasma cutter as the creature quickly followed up with another quick strike.

Yet he was able to bring his armoured arm up in time to block the overhead strike, and with the valuable seconds it brought him Subaru quickly retrieved his plasma cutter with his left hand, before delivering a shot to the creature's open chest cavity, causing it to stumble back with a pained cry.

This gave Subaru enough seconds to line up another shot this time on the creature's left arm, pulling the trigger, the creature's arm quickly went flying as it was separated from its shoulder, and the creature now in agony and partially disarmed. Subaru managed to put some space between him and it, as he put more shots into it, quickly taking off both its legs and its remaining arm, the now limitless torso fell to the floor, its cries of pain dying out as its body when still.

"A weapon that can shoot fire... I shouldn't be surprised but honestly, I am" Crusch rubbed one of her temples in slight frustration. despite having seen some of the truly mind-bending things that the technology of this world could do.

The fact that there was a weapon that could actually shoot out fire like a true fire-breathing dragon, completely blew her away, and seeing just how devastating it was. The green-headed woman could say she was thankful that the ability to shoot and manipulate fire was a very rare one that even fewer possessed.

"it seems that fire is very effective against these beasts... But I can't help but wonder, what exactly the true purpose of that tool is if it's not meant to be a weapon" Wilhelm rubbed his bearded chin in deep thought, trying to figure out exactly what kind of purpose a fire-breathing tool could be used for.

"I suppose I can also see why such a thing was outlawed as Subaru mentioned... considering its obvious destructive potential" He said after a moment of silence, several people nodding in agreement with him.

"I can't help but agree grandfather, I can see precisely while weapons such as that would be outlawed, considering fire's destructive potential," Reinhardt said in a matter-of-fact tone, he knew from first-hand experience just how dangerous fire could be if not handled with extreme care, and he could only pray that Subaru would take extreme caution with this new weapon that he had acquired, considering the kind of damage it could do.

"Indeed Reinhardt... Although I'm still somewhat concerned with young Subaru having such a weapon at his disposal... considering his luck from time to time" Wilhelm said with a small cough, somewhat nervous at the fact that Subaru had a weapon that could easily incinerate him if not handled with care, which combined with his occasionally supernaturally bad luck, certainly could be a recipe for Disaster

"Man that was gross... But also fucking awesome!" Garfiel exclaimed excitedly, completely ignoring the death glare that his sister gave him at his rather eloquent choice of language. "Like damn! Cap like straight up became a dragon for a second there!" the blonde-haired teen shouted excitedly, still completely ignoring the death glare that Frederica was giving him, who had her hands over Petra's ears despite the young girl's protests.

Emilia chose to say nothing for a moment, a slightly unreadable expression on her face as she simply stared at the screen. On one hand, she was incredibly relieved that Subaru had yet again managed to seamlessly take apart the disgusting creatures that were coming after him. But on the other, she was somewhat concerned about the fact that he now had a weapon that could function as a portable flame sprayer. But before she could go down that train of thought any further, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder.

"You're worried energy is getting on my nerves I suppose, my contractor will be fine even if he has such a dangerous weapon in his possession" Beatrice couldn't help but find Emilia's constant worry for Subaru somewhat annoying, not because the idea of someone else than her feeling such a way for him, but simply because it grated on her nerves and dampened her mood to have such negative energy radiating from the half-elf that was sat next to her.

Emilia blinked, for a moment before getting exactly what Beatrice said, a small but forced smile making its way under her lips. "Alright Beatrice, I'll try not to worry as much ok," She said after a moment, her voice having a noticeable wobble to it.

"You need to stop worrying so much princess" Garfiel shut himself back down in his chair, crossing his arms over his bare chest as he did so. "Sure cap has had some bad luck every now and again, "But he's been doing well recently and I think this good luck streak is going to last," He said after a moment, trying to sound as confident in his own words as possible even if he didn't fully believe them himself.

"Despite my brother's use of foul language... he's very much correct lady Emilia" Frederica paused for a moment to send a nasty glare brother to water younger brother, who simply turned his head away and pretended not to notice, causing Frederica to feel even more frustrated before she took a calming breath. "I feel that Subaru is going to be much better from here on out, considering his recent actions" She said with a slightly frustrated tone in her voice, again sending another death glare towards her brother.

"I see... I'm sure my Subaru will be fine just like you said... I hope" Emilia tried to sound convinced by her own words, as a general negative feeling kept creeping its way up her back, she just couldn't shake it no matter how hard she tried and it was really beginning to worry her.

She didn't want to trust her instincts, despite everything in her life telling her that she should, because if her Instincts were truly correct then something truly horrific would happen, even if she had no idea what exactly it would be.

A frown formed on Frederica's face as she watched Emilia seemingly sink deeper and deeper into her own negative emotions." I'm sure of it lady Emilia... I'm absolutely sure that Subaru will be fine" She said, putting as much genuine positivity in her voice as she could manage.

"The maid is correct, my contractor is tougher than many people taken for, both physically and mentally I suppose" Beatrice joined in with Frederica, trying to somewhat lift the elf's spirits, and even though Emilia let out a small smile at her words, Beatrice could tell instantly that it was a forced smile and not a genuine one.

"Emilia... are you sure you're alright?" Crusch finally chose to speak, a look of genuine concern Crossing her, actually looked at the half-elf who seemingly was singing deeper in deeper into the negative emotion pit that was forming around her.

Emilia didn't immediately respond, desperately trying to think of the right words to say, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't think of anything. She simply felt anxiety, an insane level of anxiety weighing down on her heart for seemingly no reason, and despite knowing that they wouldn't think of it that way, she didn't want to burden everyone with something so trivial as her own anxiety.

However, after several more moments, she finally managed to find her voice. "I don't know... I just feel... tense, like there's a 100-tonne weight pushing down on me" Emilia felt her cheeks go slightly reddish she finally found what she wanted to say, thinking that everyone saw her as an imbecile for feeling so put out about something so trivial.

But looking around, Emilia noticed several people looking at her with both shock and perhaps a small amount of concern, particularly Frederica, Garfiel, Rem, Ram and Felix.

"I see you have felt it as well... lady Emilia?" Frederica was the first to speak, her voice having a noticeably sharp edge to it, nervous like she was a child about to be punished. But before she could answer another voice interrupted her.

"I guess that means I'm not the only one then~Nyah" Felix said with a very noticeably hollow-sounding chuckle, everyone turning to look at him as he rubbed his shoulder sheepishly.

"So you feel it as well then..." Ram said with a flat tone in her, unusual snark and condescending attitude completely absent, as her face held a truly neutral expression. Rem on the other hand had a look of pure horror written across her face, actually looking at her pink-headed sister, as well as the others who were feeling the same thing as her.

"Does that mean we all feel it?..." Rem said quietly under her breath, her voice trembling noticeably much to the concern of everyone.

"What exactly are you all on about I suppose?" Beatrice had finally had enough for she spoke up, wanting to get to the bottom of what exactly they were feeling that had them all perturbed so much.

However, instead of immediately answering her, the three demi-humans, two Onis and half-elf all looked around at each other with confused expressions, not quite knowing how to answer Beatrice's question, considering not even they knew exactly what it was they were feeling and why they were all feeling it. But after a couple of moments of silence, a new voice made itself known.

"Mmmy myyy, it seeeemmms we havvveee quite a predicament on ouuurrr hands" the voice of a certain clown face magician, cost everyone to turn and look towards the back row of the theatre, where Roswaal himself was currently seated, plastered across his face was one of his practical trademarked undiscernible but slightly sinister smiles. However, before anyone could respond to what he had said he spoke once again.

"You caannn all feeeellll it, can't yoooouuu? you can allllll feel the oppppressssive atmosphere, that waaasssn't there bbbeeeefore" As he continued to speak everyone noticed the smile on his face quickly disappear as it was replaced by a serious expression, his words combined with his serious demeanour causing everyone to feel a chill run down their spine.

"What exactly do you mean by oppressive atmosphere?" Crusch spoke as she raised an eyebrow at the clown, waiting for him to answer but being caught off guard when her feline knight answered instead.

"It's exactly like Emilia said earlier... it's like a 100-ton weight pressing down on me, I thought it was just me who could feel it... but apparently, I was wrong~Nyah" Felix again let out a slightly dejected chuckle, much to the concern of both the old butler and green-headed woman next to him.

"Felix is correct, I can feel it as well... it's almost like a constant pressure on my body and soul," Frederica said matter of factly, turning her attention to Petra who was looking at her with noticeable fear in her eyes, and even though she tried to comfort the young girl, it did little to actually make her feel any less affected.

"Yeah can't say I'm left out either... it feels like there's a really heavy boulder on my shoulders" Garfiel crossed his arms over his chest, trying to keep a neutral expression so as to not show just how affected he was by the crushing negative atmosphere.

Rem and Ram both held each other's hands, as they both silently contemplated what exactly they would say. but after a moment they simply spoke in unison with a simple acknowledgement. "We both feel it as well"

With those words now hanging in the air, the entire theatre was put into an incredibly uneasy silence, those who could feel the strange negative atmosphere, trying their best to ignore the almost crushing feeling that was weighing down on them, while those who couldn't feel it simply looked simply looked on in both confusion and concern as the viewing continued.

Subaru took a moment to catch his breath, breathing in and out deeply but also carefully so as to not aggravate his broken ribs. And after a moment of this, he began to march on his way, quickly holding out his hand as the familiar and somewhat comforting sapphire blue line, quickly snaked its way around the corner and down a small ramp towards a shut door.

After reloading the plasma cutter with his last spare energy cell, and clipping the now empty flamethrower to his belt, Subaru quickly made his way towards the shut door, being careful not to lose his footing on the ramp as the entire thing was still soaked in some poor souls blood. After stepping through the door, Subaru found himself in a long and narrow corridor, with large but still see-through metal grates comprising the opposite side of the hallway.

"This looks like ore processing to me" Subaru muttered under his breath, as he began to make his way down the right-hand Passage, the hullway quickly opening up after a couple of paces, into a much larger space which much to his surprise had an automatic store nestled off in one corner.

However as Subaru took a step towards it, he suddenly heard a familiar noise behind him and spinning on the spot only to see a monster ready to strike from behind, but thankfully and luckily Subaru managed to bring his armoured forearm up just in time to block The monsters overhead strike.

Yet despite managing to block the monster from carving him open, the impact still made Subaru's legs buckle underneath Him, simply because of the sheer power and force that the monster had put into its killing blow.

But with the brief precious seconds that his block afforded him, Subaru quickly regained his footing and put a shot into the torso of the monster, causing it to scream in agony as Subaru quickly backed away from the flailing monster.

And with a few feet between him and it Subaru quickly took the monster apart with almost surgical precision, first taking off its arms and then shooting its legs out from underneath it, causing it to fall flat on its face, with its screams and cries falling silent.

"T-that was too close!" Emilia said with a noticeable shake in her voice, clutching Subaru's arm to her chest so tight that it was a miracle that the limb hadn't shattered like a stick from the sheer force of the embrace.

"Thank the dragon that at least his reflexes are still sharp" Crusch couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, being both surprised and thankful that even despite his injuries, age and mental state, Subaru's reflexes were still sharp enough to avoid danger.

Beatrice remained silent, but she still let out a small breath that she had been unconsciously holding and looking down at the sleeping face of her contractor, the little spirit couldn't help but pout, silently cursing at him with mock anger, for almost giving her a heart attack, even though she didn't even have a real beating heart.

Subaru gave the creature's still corpse, one last chance before heading towards the automatic store and quickly logging in, and after a moment of perusing the various items on the holographic display most of which were useless to him. He found exactly what he was looking for and after selecting the appropriate amount and inserting the money chip, the store quickly complied with his request with a 'thank you for your purchase' message, the holographic screens quickly folding away as a small tray opened up, dispensing the items that he had requested.

Quickly scooping up the items, Subaru unclipped the flamethrower from his belt, before twisting the large canister attached to its side, which after several turns quickly fell away from the device, hitting the floor with a loud hollow and metallic thump.

Before he quickly took one of the items which was revealed to be another canister of the same design and twisted it into place on the flamethrower. The improvised weapon letting out a satisfied click and beep letting Subaru know that it was fully fueled and ready to go.

With a nod of satisfaction, Subaru quickly clicked the rest of the items along with his plasma cutter to his belt, deciding to use the flamethrower for a little bit now as he quickly looked around for his next objective which he quickly found, in the form of a large and jagged hole punched through the wall, the culprit of such destruction being a large asteroid chunk that was still smouldering and glowing.

Subaru eyed the rock, before quickly ignoring it as he stepped closer to the hole, a weird shimmering was easily visible in the air, which immediately told Subaru that the inside of the large space that the rock had come from was currently under the effects of zero gravity.

As he stepped through the gaping hole, his suspicions were confirmed by his magnetic boots activating, and the multiple random objects and large chunks of half-melted and smouldering asteroid floating freely above his head.

"What in the hell happened here?" Subaru said in awe, as he looked around at the sheer mess that the asteroid processing room is currently in. Not only were there random objects and pieces of asteroid floating around, but there were also dismembered body parts floating around, indicating that whatever had caused this place to go haywire it had unfortunately claimed a few poor souls in the process.

However something floating off in the distance suddenly caught Subaru's attention, and after reaching out with his Kinesis module and pulling it towards him, he saw that it was a badly damaged personnel tablet, its screen badly cracked but still somehow functioning, and after quickly pressing a series of buttons, the last text look that the previous owner had inputted into it, was quickly displayed allowing Subaru to read its contents.

MINING DECK LOG

KREUZ. G. (QMED)

The situation here just got a lot worse. The gravity failure came as we were collecting asteroids, and one broke free of the grav beam. It collided with the wall, killing two crew, and split into chunks. They're free floating in the processing room, and we can't restore the gravity to get the master key until they're cleared. We could really use some engineering help up here ASAP.

After reading the contents of the tablet Subaru let the device float free from his hand, letting out a small dry chuckle, at the last part of the message.

"People rely on you for everything... such is the life of an engineer I suppose," He said quietly as he quickly deactivated his magnetic boots, intent on collecting and destroying all of the asteroid chunks so he could collect the master key.

"That place looks like a mana bomb went off" Felt crossed her arms over her chest, feeling a small twinge of aggravation in her chest, the fact that Subaru once again seemingly had to pick up the pieces of someone else's mess long after they had been dismembered or had fled.

"I couldn't agree more lady Felt, the sheer level of destruction... remarkable and not in a good way" Reinhardt much like the little blonde next to him did feel a little bit sorry for Subaru, at the fact that he once again had to clean up someone else's mess. But also the red-headed Swordsman, couldn't help but feel just a small amount of intrigued watching Subaru navigate to zero gravity environment with the aid of his suit as if it was the most natural thing for him.

"Yeah Rein, I really hope whatever chopped up those poor schmucks doesn't happen to Subaru" Felt tried and failed to suppress a shiver from running down her spine, while also fighting back a small amount of nausea at the site of the dismembered corpses and blood floating freely in the weightless environment.

"I hope so too Lady Felt... But considering how Subaru seems to be navigating the zero gravity environment, I don't think what happened to those poor souls is going to be an issue for him" Rinehart tried his best to sound positive and reassuring, calling upon one of his less used Divine protections to do so, and thankfully it did the trick as the young blonde turned to look at him with a slightly reassured smile.

"So much mindless death and bloodshed... is that world always like this" Frederica felt her lips curl downwards, her voice barely above a whisper, and she looked at the sheer destruction and bloodshed on the screen in front.

From the very moment this latest set of viewings had begun, the new world that Subaru had found himself in seemed to be one of pure unadulterated violence, whether it be mindless death at the hands of industrial machinery, the cold and unkind vacuum of space, or even at the hands of these disgusting and ruthless reanimated abominations. It seemed that this world was nothing but death and bloodshed for as far as the eye could see, yet before Frederica could think about it any further, she felt the young girl in her lap quickly squirm before speaking.

"Miss Federica, look at Subaru, he's doing that flying thing again," Petra said with a small but noticeable amount of excited energy in her voice, catching the blonde-haired maid off guard for a moment before she quickly put on a slightly forced smile and responded to the young girl.

"Indeed he is Petra... I must say it does look quite fun, you wouldn't you say?" the irony of the fact that Subaru was currently flying through dismembered body parts was not lost on Frederica, but thankfully Petra didn't seem to pick up on that as she nodded in agreement excitedly with the blonde haired maid's words

"Yes, it looks super fun! I always wanted to fly like a bird" Petra couldn't help but shake her fists excitedly, her mind Conjuring up images of her and Subaru in his cool battle suit, flying through the sky.

Ram let out a small huff, finding Petra's childlike glee for her fantasy of flying a bit annoying, but despite her best efforts, she couldn't suppress a small smile from crossing her face as she remembered the one time that she had flown with Roswaal.

The feeling of soaring through the sky with the ground thousands of feet below her was something that Ram would never forget, and would have loved to have experienced again. In fact, it made her a bit sad that despite her adept control over wind magic, she was simply not strong enough in terms of magical ability to use the ability of flight.

"There goes my beloved Subaru, off to fix everything like the true hero he is" Rem said quietly, thinking nobody had heard her as she clasped her hands in front of her, dreamlike quality as she thought back to more pleasant memories of her and her beloved.

However, Rem suddenly felt someone staring at her and looking over she was surprised to see her pink-haired twin looking at her with an expression of slight annoyance.

"What is a sister?" Rem asked with a confused look on her face, only to receive no reply from Ram, who after a moment simply turned back to look at the screen much to the blue-haired demon's growing confusion.

"Kendra, I made it to mineral processing, but it's an absolute warzone down here" Subaru began making his way towards the nearest chunk of asteroid debris, expertly dodging various floating objects and being especially careful to avoid the gravity beam at the heart of the room, which was currently carrying a liquid stream of molten space rock and minerals.

"I see what you mean Subaru. The only way we can get that key is by deactivating the failsafe on the processing control door." Subaru listened intently as Kendra spoke, while also at the same time managing to grab onto a large piece of space debris with his kinesis module.

Before slowly and cautiously manoeuvring it towards the gravity beam at the centre of the room, and much to his satisfaction, the gravitational beam quickly made short work of the Rock as it was incinerated in seconds, becoming one with the molten stream of metals and rock.

"Yeah, the only way we can disable the failsafe is by reactivating the gravity. Which shouldn't be too much of an issue if I can clear out enough of these asteroid chunks" With one of the biggest chunks now out of the way, Subaru immediately made a beeline for the next asteroid chunk, being careful to avoid a floating corpse of some poor man who had his entire chest cavity carved open.

"Alright, I'll keep an eye out and see what I can do from here" Kendra's connection was quickly severed leaving Subaru completely alone as he floated to another large asteroid chunk in one of the far corners of the room, however as he was about to grab onto it with his kinesis module he heard a familiar sound followed by the horrific scream of a reanimated abomination.

"God! Can't you guys leave me alone for five fucking minutes!?" Subaru quickly swivelled his head around looking for the source of the noise, quickly finding two leaper-type creatures sitting on one of the nearby walls.

But as soon as the creature spotted him one of them quickly leaped at him managing to cover the entire distance of the room very quickly. But thankfully Subaru was prepared as he quickly orientated himself produced the flamethrower and pulled the trigger, sending out a jet of liquid fire that quickly covered the creature's entire body.

Its screams of agony echoed off the walls of the room, with Subaru manoeuvring himself to avoid the now flaming monstrosity, as it careened into a nearby wall with a loud thump, its wild flailing and screaming quickly ceasing as its now black and charred body continued to burn.

But Subaru did not linger on his kill, as he directed his attention to the other abomination which was preparing itself to leap from the wall, but then Subaru remembered, that there was another function this outdated arc welder could do.

And as such before the monster could leap, Subaru aimed the flamethrower directly at the creature and pressed the trigger, but instead of shooting a jet of fire, the entire canister was quickly propelled from the weapon like a small rocket. And unfortunately for the creature, it had no time to react to its oncoming destruction, as the canister impacted and exploded in a small but violent explosion of Fire. The creature was torn limb from limb as its dismembered and now burning body parts floated off under their own momentum in zero gravity.

"So it can act like an improvised explosive as well... How ingenious" Despite the violent and horrific nature that Subaru dispatched the creature. Crusch could certainly say that she was impressed by Subaru's ingenuity and the fact that this weapon seemingly out of all of the ones he had used so far, was almost perfectly tailored for slaughtering these creatures.

"Indeed Lady Crusch, Subaru was able to take into account the limited range of his weapon and use an alternate ingenious method to dispatch the creature" Wilhelm couldn't help but be impressed because despite not being a natural-born warrior, Subaru's ability to think on his feet in the heat of the moment was his greatest strength and not something that could be taught or learnt through practising with a sword.

"Man that was hella cool," Garfiel said with a satisfied expression on his face, watching Subaru fly around like some kind of superhero was one thing, but watching him kill Monsters with a weapon that could produce literal explosions was just too amazing.

Subaru couldn't help but marvel at the effectiveness of the tank emergency jettison feature on the improvised flamethrower, in fact, he had expected it to simply set the creature on fire but instead to his amazement it completely reduced the creature to nothing more than shredded and burnt meat.

But remembering that he didn't have the luxury of waiting around, he quickly scanned the room looking for any more creatures before going back to the task of removing the asteroid chunks that were still floating in the room. and after floating over to another chunk and then depositing it into the gravity stream so it can be destroyed, the Ishimura's automatic PA system sounded off after the destruction of the chunk of rock.

"Anomaly destroyed. Two more anomalies detected, please destroy all free-floating anomalies with a mass above 500 kg to restore gravity"

Subaru silently acknowledged the automatic announcement, the thrusters on his boots and back manoeuvering him around, as he tried to spot where the last two chunks of asteroid were. But before he could spot them he heard the familiar sound of vents being blown open followed by the cries of a particular type of little abomination that he had come to despise.

"I'm getting real tired of this" The frustration was easily evident in Subarus's voice as he quickly clipped the flamethrower to his belt before retrieving the plasma cutter, his eyes scanning around the room from his now upside-down orientation, as he tried to spot where exactly the little monsters were.

But as if warned by some kind of sixth sense, Subaru suddenly and abruptly dodged to the right, just as a series of bony projectiles rocketed past narrowly missing him. And quickly turning in the direction they had come from Subaru spotted his target, it was just like the other baby-type monsters that he had encountered, although as he aimed his plasma cutter, Subaru did take a mental note of the fact that its entire body was almost as black as coal.

"Gotcha" Subaru said ominously, as he quickly fired his plasma cutter at the baby abomination, the little beast had no time to react as the energised plasma quickly impacted its body. Yet to Subaru's shock and slight horror instead of cutting the creature in two like the shots had done before, instead, all it did was give the creature a very nasty but ultimately skin-deep flesh wound.

And before Subaru could react the creature managed to recover and launch a series of bone projectiles at him. And even though he tried to move, it was simply too late as one of them impacted directly into his upper arm, ripping through the reinforced fibres of his suit and embedding itself deep into his flesh.

Subaru shouted in pain as the force of the impact sent him spinning out of control, blood began to gush out of the wound as he instinctively tried to cover the wound, but much to his gratefulness, the automatic guidance system inside his suit quickly kicked in, bringing his uncontrolled spinning to a gradual halt, and despite the pain allowing him to regain his bearings.

"S-Shit... G-god that hurts" Subaru said through gritted teeth, trying to push the pain away as he tried to locate exactly where the little abomination was, but but just as he spotted the little creature jumping to another wall, it let loose another series of projectiles. Still, this time Subaru was thankfully able to manoeuvre himself out of the way just in time.

"Subaru!" Emilia recoiled in her seat, the emotional anguish of watching Subaru be injured by the little abomination was almost too much for her to bear, and even though she had Subarus's limp arm clutched tightly to her chest, it did absolutely nothing to comfort her as she watched his on-screen counterpart fight for his life.

"You idiot! You need to deal with that thing before it can counter attack I suppose!" Beatrice felt her stomach drop, at the sight of her contractor being injured by one of the monsters. Although she tried to hide the feeling of anguish with anger at the fact that he had been caught off guard by the little creature.

"Get a hold of yourselves both of you, Subaru may be injured but he's not going down just yet" Crusch put as much authority into her voice as she could manage, and thankfully it seemed to work as both Beatrice and Emilia turned to look at her in unison, shock and surprise plastered across their faces.

"Crusch is correct, my beloved Subaru would not be killed by such an insignificant and vile little creature" Rem said with conviction in her voice, fully believing that even despite being injured by it, her beloved would not and could not be killed by such a vile little monster. After all, he was the same person who managed to take on multiple sin archbishops and two great calamities of the world, with nothing but the clothes on his back and return by death.

Emilia and Beatrice looked at Rem and Crusch, the conviction in their faces managing to soothe the doubt and fear in their hearts about Subaru's current predicament. However, it didn't fully erase it considering that Subaru with his new injury was now at the disadvantage of the creature.

"Nyah~He's in a particularly dangerous situation for sure, but that injury is not as bad as it looks at least from what I can tell" Felix suddenly spoke, shattering the silence as multiple heads turned to look at him.

"Let's hope you're correct about his injury Felix," Crusch said matter of factly, choosing to trust her feline knight's judgement on the severity of Subaru's injury. After all, if Felix of all people told her that an injury was not as bad as it looked, she knew to trust his words without a second thought or any kind of doubt.

"I H-Hope so as well" Emilia clutched Subarus's arm even tighter into her chest, amethyst-coloured eyes breaking away from the screen as she looked down at Subaru's sleeping face.

The contrast was like night and day between his on-screen counterpart and the version of him that was here in the theatre with her and everyone else. It was jarring and even though she had been in this Theatre for what felt like decades, it didn't get any easier to see two versions of Subaru that looked almost completely different despite being the same person.

Felix looked at Emilia for a moment before turning his eyes back to the screen, but he wasn't truly watching what was going on, instead his mind was beginning to race. Something about the infant abomination didn't sit right with him, specifically, it was the fact, that it was noticeably different to this colouration from the other ones that Subaru had encountered so far, with its skin being almost as black as the night sky.

There was also the overwhelming issue of its enhanced durability, considering that it managed to completely shake off a plasma cutter shot, and even though Felix didn't know exactly how powerful a plasma cutter shot was, the fact that it could take off limbs with a single shot spoke for itself.

This in turn showed that this creature was extraordinarily more durable than its other kin, but that was the thing that plagued Felix's mind, why was this one different from the rest, and why did it give him an ominous feeling just looking at it?

"Felix... are you alright" Felix was pulled from his thoughts, by a familiar voice and turning his head he saw that it was none other than his lady, looking at him with concern and confusion.

"I'm fine Lady Crusch, I was just... momentarily lost in my thoughts~Nyah" Felix could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't convinced by his words, but thankfully she chose not to push the issue as she looked back towards the screen which Felix did as well, actually choosing to pay attention this time, as he put the subject of the new abomination to the back of his mind for now.

Subaru pushed the pain away as he tried his best to watch where the little black abomination was going, he saw it jump from surface to surface, before ultimately coming to rest upon a particular perch that gave it a perfect firing angle on him.

However, this time Subaru was faster, as he quickly put two shots into the creature with his plasma cutter, the first one doing very little but the second one did some considerable damage, taking one of the legs of the creature off and ultimately making the creature lose its grip, as it began to fail violently in the zero gravity.

With the creature now floating in zero gravity it was pretty much defenceless, allowing Subaru to get to work and quickly cut the creature apart with his plasma cutter. However, as he finished off the creature with one final shot, he did take note that it took nearly an entire energy cell just to kill the creature, which was considerably more than the other foetus-type creatures had taken before.

Subaru let out a sigh of relief, as he took the moment to relax, letting the feeling of weightlessness overtake him, however, any comfort that could be gained was quickly erased when the wound on his arm made it known that it was still there and very much present.

Quickly clipping the plasma cutter back to his belt, Subaru examined the wound on his upper arm the best he could, and even though it was bleeding profusely, Subaru was thankful to see that it was nothing more than a simple grazing hit, leaving an admittedly nasty looking flesh wound but something that wasn't anywhere near immediately fatal even though it hurt like absolute hell.

As such, Subaru unclipped the emergency medpac from his belt, the little box was unassuming in its appearance, but opening up the small box revealed it to be completely packed with various medical supplies.

But the one that Subaru specifically needed was the antibacterial bandages, which after retrieving them he somewhat awkwardly began to wrap around his arm, even though he was extra careful. He still let out quiet curses under his breath, as he tightened the bandages before putting the spare ones back in the box and clipping it to his belt, resuming the task at hand.

"So his suit has its own emergency medical supplies~Nyah!" Felix's eyes went wide, being extremely surprised that Subaru's suit had its own supply of basic and rudimentary medical equipment.

But then Felix realised that considering that Subaru was an engineer of some kind in this world, it made perfect sense that his suit would have its own medical supplies, in the event that he or somebody else would be injured while working.

"Considering Subaru's occupation, personal medical equipment seems like a very sane and rational item to have on this person," Wilhelm said matter of factly, not being all too surprised that an engineer especially one in this incredibly advanced and seemingly dangerous world, would have some kind of personal medical equipment to attend to his own or his work colleagues injuries.

Felix looked at the aged Butler sitting next to him, finding it a little bizarre that he was able to articulate almost exactly what Felix was singing at that moment. But after a moment Felix let out a sigh, somehow being able to say what was on the person's mind was just one of the many quirks of Wilhelm.

"Taking into account how he immediately went for the box and wrapped his own wound... It seems he's had experience with this before..." Julius didn't exactly like the idea that Subaru had experience tending to his own injuries, but considering how deadly this world was, and Subaru's occupation as an engineer, he supposed it was just a necessary skill that Subaru had to pick up as part of his job.

"It's a very interesting concept... and one that I can certainly see the practicality of" Anastasia surprisingly actually had experience with this kind of thing, specifically there was a blacksmith that she remembered doing business with once that did something similar with keeping a small box of medical supplies nearby at all times just in case he was injured on the job.

"Alright, let's get this wrapped up before any more of those things find me" Subaru said under his breath as he cautiously made his way towards another large chunk of asteroid, and after sizing it up he quickly grabbed it with his kinesis module gently manoeuvring it into the right spot before launching it with a powerful blast of kinesis energy.

Subaru couldn't help but smile under his helmet as the Rock went exactly where he wanted it to go, the large piece of debris being almost immediately incinerated by the red-hot gravity beam as it was reduced to nothing more than molten rock and metal, which was quickly carried away to be processed and refined in another part of the ship.

And thankfully Subaru found that the last asteroid chunk, resting not too far away from the position of the one had just took care of, and even though this one was much larger and heavier compared to the previous ones, Subaru's kinesis module still only had minor trouble dealing with it as he pushed it into the gravity beam.

Although, unlike its previous rocky companions, this one wasn't immediately disintegrated by the gravity beam, yet ultimately that did not stop it from being sent down the gravitational conveyor regardless.

"All free-floating anomalies destroyed. Gravity can now be restored"

Subaru quickly made his way to one of the nearby catwalks, orienting himself so his feet were pointing to the floor as his magnetic boots quickly kicked in, and once his feet were firmly on solid ground he quickly but clumsily made his way over to the computer panel.

After typing away at the holographic display, and pressing one last button the gravity began to re-engage, Subaru watching as all of the inanimate objects, bodies and visceral that had been floating previously quickly fell to the floor under their own weight once again.

His attention was then drawn to several loud mechanical noises as he saw that around the perimeter of the room, several large catwalks quickly unfolded themselves, which made getting back to the exit a whole lot easier than he had thought.

"Gravity restored. Access permitted to control room"

Subaru grunted in acknowledgement to the computerised Voice, as he quickly but cautiously made his way along the perimeter catwalk that led to the main control room, I'm clipping the flamethrower from his belt as he kept it closed just in case a monster tried to take a swipe at him.

Thankfully however he made it to the control room without encountering any creatures, and after holding his hand out to the holographic display, the door quickly slid upwards into the bulkhead allowing him to step inside.

The interior of the room was much how he had expected it to look, dead bodies littered around along with copious amounts of dried blood and other visceral, but Subaru chose to ignore all of that as he wandered around the room looking for the key but after a few minutes of fruitless searching. He spotted a small object lying next to one of the dismembered bodies and making his way over and bending down to look at it, he confirmed that it was, in fact, the mining deck key he was looking for.

"Kendra I've got the key" Subaru spoke into his riglink, as he quickly clipped the key to his belt, and as he was making sure that it was secure Kendra responded from the other end of the line.

"That's great to hear. That key will get you into the control room so you can launch the asteroid. But don't forget to attach the beacon first!" Subaru couldn't help but frown under his helmet, as he held out his hand to get his next directions. The very notion that Kendra thought he would forget something so critical was a bit insulting, but after thinking about it for a second, he supposed that it was just her nerves getting the better of her, which he could definitely understand.

"Also Subaru. I read enough report on the colonist's dementia. It seemed to start after they removed the Marker from the planet. God knows how long it was down there" Subaru listened intently to Kendra's words, as he exited the control room into a small hallway, immediately opening up a power node container and retrieving the valuable component before asking something to Kendra that had been on his mind for quite a while.

"Kendra... What they found down there on the Colony... do you think it's the real deal?" Subaru began walking down the long narrow hallway, the silence from the other end of the line being almost deafening before Kendra finally chose to respond.

"I honestly don't know Subaru, maybe it is or maybe it isn't... But right now all I care about is getting off this ship alive" Subaru didn't exactly like the answer Kendra gave him but he supposed that she was right. Both he and her needed to focus on getting out of there alive, so even though it burned at the back of his mind, questions about the truth of the Marker and its legitimacy as a true alien artefact could wait for the time being.

Crusch felt a tingle run down her spine as her eyes shot wide open, it was so quick and fleeting that she could have sworn it was her imagination but it simply couldn't be.

her divine protection of wind reading... went off.

Kendra somebody who wasn't even in the same plane of existence as her somehow managed to trigger Crusch's divine protection, which was certainly a mind-boggler.

But the part that flawed Crusch and made her mind misfire for just a moment was when Kendra said the only thing she cared about was getting off that ship...

She had blatantly lied and managed to do it so convincingly and naturally, that even doing it straight to Subaru's face he didn't pick up on it at all.

"Crusch... is something bothering you?" Crusch was pulled from her internal monologue by a voice that had a silvery ring to it, and turning her head she saw that it was none other than Emilia looking at her with concern.

"I..." Was about all that Crusch could say before she ran out of words to say, she didn't quite know how to tell Emilia, that her divine protection had triggered even though the person who had triggered it wasn't even in the same world as her. But after letting the silence drag out for far longer than it should have, Crusch finally managed to force some words out of her mouth.

"My divine protection... It somehow triggered when Kendra was speaking just now..." Crusch saw the look of confusion spread across Emilia's face, the half-elf clearly not understanding what exactly she was getting at. However, after a moment, the look of confusion on Emilia's face quickly changed into one of realisation mixed with horror.

"H-how... How is that possible?" Emilia stuttered not wanting to believe exactly what her green-haired friend had just told her, but considering the kind of person that Crusch was, lying, especially about something like this was completely out of the question even though it seemed like the more rational explanation.

Crusch didn't immediately answer, she was still trying to figure out exactly how her divine protection could be triggered. after all, it went against everything she knew about how it actually worked because even though her divine protection was powerful it ultimately did have its own limitations.

For example, Crusch couldn't detect lies if they were written, and from all of the previous viewings, she had come to the conclusion and was under the assumption that it also couldn't detect lies when witnessing recordings of previous events.

"But if that was the case... why did it trigger now!?" Crusch said quietly to herself, frustration evident in her voice as she began to clench her fists.

"Are you sure it was your divine protection being triggered, and not something else I suppose?" Crusch turned to the source of the voice, feeling a bit incredulous as she saw Beatrice looking at her with scepticism, the more she saw that there was also apprehension in the eyes of the little spirit that was not concealed very well.

"Yes, there's no doubt that it was my divine protection... but it shouldn't be possible" Crusch paused, have frustration making itself evident does she began to bite her lip.

"Crusch... if it was most definitely your divine protection... T-then what exactly did Kendra say that could have T-T-triggered it" Emilia was almost too scared to ask the question yet she blurted it out before she could actually stop herself. and even though it shouldn't have been possible, Crusch was not the kind of person to lie.

Crusch for her part looked at Emilia for a moment, the question bouncing around inside her mind before she registered exactly what Emilia had just said, and after several tense seconds of contemplation, which certainly didn't help Emilia's anxiety, she finally responded to the question.

"It was triggered when Kendra said, 'The only thing I care about is getting out of here alive" Crusch hated the awful silence that followed her words, yet she couldn't bring herself to speak any further as she saw Beatrice and Emilia's faces contort into looks of surprise and rapidly growing concern. However, the silence was quickly broken by someone unexpected.

"So... She lied straight to Subaru's face~Nyah... But why... Why lie about something like that?" Felix much like Emilia and Beatrice was both concerned and confused, if what is lady had just said was true which it most definitely was, then why exactly would Kendra lie about only wanting to get off the ship? It just didn't make sense to him...

Unless she had some kind of alternative objective aboard the USG Ishimura that she had not discussed, and as his face lit up with realisation, several others came to the same conclusion that moment.

"She wasn't just there to help repair the ship... Kendra has some other reason to be there" Frederica's words summed it up perfectly, clearly for whatever reason, Kendra had come on the doomed repair mission to the Ishimura not just to repair the ship, but for some other purpose that she had not disclosed to Subaru or any of the other ill-fated crew members of the USG kelion.

Subaru continued down the small hallway, which immediately took a small left-hand term however after turning the corner and heading towards the door at the other end, all of the lights suddenly went out completely, causing him to almost jump 10 feet in the air as he was put into complete pitch black darkness, however as his visor dimly illuminated the darkness around him, Subaru suddenly felt something brush against his back.

"Subaru, why do you keep ignoring me... You're breaking my heart" Subaru felt the words whispered directly into his ear, and even though his heart was now beating a mile a minute he outwardly remained calm, seemingly trying to ignore her presence for as long as possible.

"Get out of my head... you're not real" Subaru's words were barely above a whisper, and despite it not being possible somehow his words still echoed around him as if he was standing in a truly colossal black void.

But as quickly as they shut off the harsh LED lights suddenly came back on, again making Subaru jump as he immediately turned on the spot only to see absolutely nothing behind him except the empty hallway. And finally letting his fear get the better of him Subaru quickly bolted for the door, not even waiting for it to fully open before he dived through it, which deposited him back out into the same hallway he originally entered from.

Emilia shivered as an echo of her voice, distorted and eerie, emanated from the screen. She had hoped that the spectre imitating her had left Subaru alone, but it lingered in the shadows, biding its time to torment him. The prospect of the spectre's malevolent presence chilled Emilia to the bone, as she feared the torment it would bring upon Subaru's mind.

"Emilia, are you alright I suppose?" Emilia turned to Beatrice, some surprised the little spirit actually called her by her own name, but after a moment Emilia's face softened when she realised that Beatrice was truly concerned for her well-being.

"I'll be fine Beatrice... at L-least I hope S-so" Emilia's words had a very uneven edge to them, which Beatrice could understand considering the circumstances, but at least she hoped that Emilia now knew that she would be there for her.

With his breath finally under control and his heart rate slowing, Subaru quickly made his way through the door and began trudging back to the elevator. As he passed the charred monster corpses he had dispatched earlier, he finally arrived at the elevator. After pressing the holographic display, the large, ornate doors parted swiftly, allowing him to step inside.

Stepping up to the control panel, Subaru quickly selected the maintenance sub deck and after pressing the holographic button the elevator jolted as it quickly began its descent, and with the peaceful moment that the elevators travelled provided Subaru quickly deactivated his helmet, revealing his face which was covered in dried blood and sweat.

Subaru stood there for a couple of moments, before closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, a quiet hiss of pain quickly exiting his dried and cracked lips, all of the physical pain he had experienced was one thing, but the emotional agony off his dark past being dredged up especially when he tried so hard to move past it and bury it was just becoming too much for him.

"I'm slipping... After all that effort... I'm going to end up back at square one again" Subaru closed his eyes, tears beginning to leak from the corners of them before he took a shaky but calming breath, he needed to get a hold of himself and he knew it, after all, Kendra and Hammond if he was still alive, were counting on him to find a way to get off this hellhole of a ship.

So after wiping away his tears, Subaru's expression hardened into a look of determination, as his helmet quickly covered up his face from view once again, which was not a moment too soon as the elevator quickly came to a halt the doors opening up to reveal a site that Subaru wasn't exactly frilled to see.

"Dammit, how the hell has it spread that quickly?" Subaru looked around the entry foyer of the maintenance deck, most of the walls and floor were covered in a thick layer of pulsating fleshy growth, that looked to be completely identical to other parts of the ship that he had seen that had it.

Hesitating for a moment, Subaru stepped into the organic space, immediately feeling a shudder running down his spine as he felt his boots slightly sink into the fleshy matte beneath him. But he pushed any discomfort aside as he quickly held out his hand to activate his locator, but before he could start walking in the direction that his locator told him to go. He heard a sound that he didn't immediately recognise.

'What the hell is that' Subaru thought to himself as he poked his head around a nearby corner, and spotted a creature that he took a moment to recognise, it was one of the bat-like monster which was currently scurrying across the fleshy floor.

With a small amount of morbid curiosity Subaru watched it as it approached a nearby corpse, and before he could react it quickly enveloped the corpse into a tight embrace using its wing-like limbs to hold on to the corpse.

After the bat-like creature stabbed the corpse with its long proboscis-like appendage, Subaru watched in disgust and horror as the Corpse began to violently thrash around, the bat-like creature quickly being thrown to the ground as the Corpse began to transform before his very eyes into one of the monsters.

And with its transformation nearing completion, the creature stood up on its own two legs, its skin beginning to turn black as coal with its eyes began to glow a dull but vicious yellow, before Subaru could pull his head back around the corner, the creature suddenly snapped its head directly to look him in the eye while letting out a violent and loud roar.

"Oh no~Nyah" Felix felt a pit form in his stomach as soon as he saw the black creature, its skin was almost identical in texture and colouration to the foetus-like creature that Subaru had dispatched earlier, not to mention its seemingly more aggressive nature

"Nyah~This doesn't look good," Felix said after a moment, his voice having a noticeable tremble to it which was picked up on by Wilhelm who was sitting next to him.

"There is nothing to be concerned about Felix, these Monsters are something to not be trifled with, but I am confident in Subaru's abilities" Wilhelm's voice had a strong conviction to it that immediately made Felix feel somewhat better.

However it didn't entirely erase the issue that this new black monster seemingly and horrifyingly confirmed a theory that Felix wanted to be wrong about, that theory was that the monsters seemingly were beginning to actively change and become more aggressive for some inexplicable reason, almost as if some outside force was pushing along their twisted reflection of evolution.

"The method by which these Monsters are created is just... horrific" Frederica said to no one in particular, her face going a slight shade of green as she successfully resisted the urge to gag.

Seeing the deceased corpse of the Ishimura's captain being forcefully turned into a horrific abomination was certainly more than enough for her, but seeing the process happen again and this time at a much closer vantage point certainly wasn't a very pleasant experience she ever wanted to be repeated.

"I couldn't agree more~Nyah, it's a mockery of nature... A-And I really don't want to know how it works" Felix responded to Frederica's words his stomach desperately wanting to let loose a torrent of bile, although thankfully he managed to resist the urge to do so.

"That thing L-L-looks D-disgusting A-nd scary" Petra said trying and miserably failing to make herself sound not terrified, phone her entire body beginning to tremble before she suddenly felt a hand coming to rest on her own, and looking up she saw that it was none other than Frederica giving her a slightly forced but convincing reassuring smile.

"It's ok Petra, I'm sure Subaru will quickly dispose of it" Frederica was more than pleased to see that her words had the desired effect, on Petra who immediately stopped trembling and even began to smile slightly at the mention of Subaru.

"If there is one thing that idiot is good at, then it is taking out the trash" Ram couldn't help but chuckle slightly at her joke although she seemed to be the only one who actually found it somewhat funny, but that didn't really matter to her as she watched the on-screen Subaru prepare for his battle with the monster

"You can do it, my love, I know that you will destroy that disgusting creature," Rem said quietly to herself, clutching her hands in front of her chest as she watched her beloved face yet another disgusting creature that had seemingly crawled out from the depths of hell.

Subaru pulled his head back, the creature quickly rounding the corner and beginning to charge at him, however, Subaru had the flamethrower at the ready as he quickly unleashed a powerful jet of fire at the creature, yet much to his surprise the creature barely registered the fact that it's entire body was burning as it continued to charge at him.

And at the last second Subaru managed to dodge out of the way of the creature, hitting it again with another powerful baster fire, which finally began to take effect as the creature began to scream wildly flailing its arms around as its chard flesh beginning to slowly fall off its bones.

However the creature wasn't out for the count just yet as it quickly swiped at Subaru, its blade-like appendage slicing across Subaru's upper chest, and although the impact nearly sent Subaru flying thankfully his rig armour did its job and managed to stop the blow from actually slicing him open.

Subaru quickly recovered from the blow, reading the flamethrower to shoot the creature again but he saw that the creature had finally succumbed to the flames its screams dying down as its legs gave up from underneath it and collapsed.

Yet Subaru didn't have a chance to chance to breathe as the bat-like creature suddenly emerged from nowhere, quickly and unexpectedly latching onto him like it had done with the corpse as its long proboscis began to try and stab him directly in the head.

"Get the hell off me Dammit!" Subaru shouted at the top of his lungs as he battled to release himself from the creature's grasp, only just managing to avoid these sharp proboscis as the creature continued to try and stab him in the head.

But seeing his chance he quickly grabbed the proboscis, holding onto it tight with one hand as he managed to knock the creature's grip loose, and grabbing the proboscis now with both hands he quickly and violently threw the creature to the ground.

And before the creature could react Subaru boot his boot down with a horrific cry, the body of the creature was almost completely obliterated by his almighty godlike stomp.

"Hell yeah cap! You really should those ugly ass things who's boss!" Garfiel roared excitedly, jumping up from his seat in pure excitement.

"That was so cool! Did you see the way Big Brother Subaru stomped on it!?" Petra followed in Garfiel's example jumping up in excitement from her seat much to the protest of Frederica, who tried her best to calm down the almost hyperactive young girl while giving her brother a disapproving glare.

"Petra I understand you're excited but you must calm down" Frederica tried in vain but still couldn't succeed in calming down the young girl, and even the glare she sent towards her brother seemingly wasn't even acknowledged by him as he was seemingly too lost in his own excitement.

"That was certainly a bit too close for comfort, but Subaru performed more than admirably" Reinhardt wiped some sweat from his brown nervously, both incredibly relieved and a bit impressed that Subaru had managed to hold his own once again.

Although Reinhard did wonder how exactly Subaru was able to kill one of the creatures by simply stomping on it, considering that Subaru never possessed that kind of physical strength before

"I swear you're going to give me a heart attack you dunderhead" Emilia let out a relieved breath, putting her spare Hounds to her chest to try and calm her racing heart. For a moment there it looked like the bat-like creature had managed to get the best of Subaru but thankfully he had once again managed to achieve a victory despite the odds.

"You need to stop worrying so much elf I suppose, this is my contractor after all" Beatrice turned her gaze to Emilia, looking at the half-elf with her trademark piercing and unamused expression.

"He cannot be killed by something so disgusting and grotesque" the little spirit said after a moment of silence, causing Emilia to feel just a little bit silly when it came to her constant worry for Subaru even if it was well-founded.

Crusch didn't say anything but she couldn't help but smile, she was just glad that he had managed to make it out of the encounter unscathed even though it did look like for a moment there that he would be at the mercy of one of the monsters, and she could certainly say that she was surprised by his display of physical strength, considering he managed to obliterate one of the creatures completely by just stomping on it.

After taking a moment to breathe and calm himself, Subaru quickly stepped over the crushed corpse of the bat-like creature, while also avoiding the still-burning corpse of the creature he had killed with the flamethrower.

Reactivating his locator and following it he quickly found the door he was looking for which upon stepping through deposited him onto a large open platform suspended above a seemingly bottomless pit.

Subaru walked closer to the edge of the platform, seeing that this entire area was a platform for a conveyor rail and after looking he spotted about halfway down the track a railcard that was stuck as a result of large fleshy tendrils that had wrapped around it.

"I need to get to the other side, but how the hell can I get that railcar free?" Subaru said out loud to himself as he quickly began to think of possible solutions.

He did consider that burning the tendrils might free it but that would also likely damage the rail car, and the fleshy tangles themselves looked way too thick to be burnt away which also by extension ruled out the plasma cutter being an option.

But suddenly an idea occurred to Subaru, and even though it was based purely on a hunch it was the best option he had, and as such Subaru quickly clipped the flamethrower to his belt before holding out his hand and quickly activating his kinesis module. Grabbing a hold of the rail car and then pulling with all of the might that the kinesis module could manage.

And even though at first it didn't look like it was going to budge eventually the fleshy tendrils began to rip and tear, ultimately releasing the rail car from their grip as they fell away into the dark pit below. And with the rail car now free it quickly returned to the platform, the safety bars opening up and allowing Subaru to step inside.

Crusch suddenly jolted in her seat, a horrifically cold chill running up her spine terminating in her skull with a substantial pulse of pain that made it feel like her head was going to explode, but as she let out a quiet hiss of pain that vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving her completely confused.

"W-what was that?" Crusch muttered under her breath, gently rubbing her head as there was a small amount of residual pain from whatever just happened to her. But she suddenly felt a hand place itself on her shoulder causing her to jump slightly she turned to look at its owner only to see a very concerned-looking Felix.

"Crusch, are you alright!?" Felix asked with genuine concern, his usual verbal tic completely absent as he looked at the green-haired woman across from him.

Unsure of how to respond, Crusch paused for a moment to think, then spoke, hoping her answer would satisfy Felix. "I'm not sure, for a moment, I felt a sharp pain in my head... but as quickly as it came it disappeared..."

Crusch paused, observing as Felix's expression shifted ever so slightly upon hearing her words. Although the worry in his eyes remained, it was clear that his concern had lessened.

However, there was something that Crusch did not share with him, not because she didn't want to but because she thought she would have sounded like a crazy mad woman if she did. When the pain had exploded in her head, it was accompanied by a fleeting but definitely present feeling of dread and growing horror, as if something truly awful was going to happen.

Subaru felt himself jolt nearly causing him to lose his balance as the tram abruptly began to make its way down the track, however as it continued to move at a very annoyingly slow pace, Subaru began to hear very disgusting fleshy noises up ahead.

Much to his disgust little wriggling balls of flesh were quickly spat out from the walls, landing on the platforms running parallel to the track with wet sloppy splashes before quickly unfurling a very dangerous and vicious-looking tentacle.

Wordlessly Subaru quickly reached for the plasma cutter from his belt, taking aim at one of the nearest blob creatures, and shooting off its tentacle with one well-placed shot. But as quickly as the creature was dealt with another one was spat out from the walls almost instantly replacing the one that had just killed.

"Why does everything have to be difficult," Subaru said under his breath as he ready himself for what was going to be a tricky battle, as more of the little blob creatures began to be spawned from the walls.

Al repositioned himself in his seat, casting a nervous glance over at Priscilla's still form before speaking. "I swear this is starting to feel like some shit from a video game" he said mostly to himself not expecting anyone to respond to his offhand remark.

"What exactly is a... video game?" Julius found the combination of words extremely hard to wrap his head around, of course, the concept of a video despite being still new to him he understood at least in basic principles, but he couldn't understand how something could be a video and a game at the same time.

Al looked at Julius as if he had grown a second head, however, that's when the helmeted man remembered that video games were not a thing in the new world, so he guessed it wasn't surprising in the slightest that Julius or anyone else around him for that matter had any concept of what a video game was.

"I too I'm curious about what exactly this video game is?" Reinhard said with a slightly sheepish smile, feeling a little bit embarrassed that he had let his curiosity get the better of him.

Al thought for a moment, trying and failing at first to think of how to explain the concept of the video game to somebody who had no frame of reference to what a video game was, but after a few more false starts he finally found the way to explain it.

"Well, you see video games... Are kind of like what we're watching now in the fact that it's something that you see on a screen" Al paused for a moment, allowing what he had said to register with Julius and Reinhard before he continued

"But unlike what we're watching now, in a video game you can directly control what's happening on that screen usually in the form of a character that you can directly control the actions of" Al finished speaking, watching Julius and Reinhard's faces morph into Curiosity and confusion.

"So it's like a recording, but you can directly control what's happening in it?" Julius said after some moments of Silence, his question being answered by a curt and quick nod from the helmeted man behind him.

"Huh, that sounds kind of cool" Garfiel wasn't paying the most attention to the conversation, but he still had to admit that the concept of a recording that you could directly control did sound like it could be quite fun.

'Dammit! Do they ever stop coming!?' Subaru screamed mentally, as he continued to cut down as many of the little blob creatures as quickly as he physically could, yet just as quickly he would kill one another would quickly be spawned to take its place.

And it was only made worse when they started launching their bony projectiles at him, luckily he had not been hit by any of them so far but he'd had a few close calls as the creatures began to overwhelm him with sheer numbers and firepower.

But as Subaru loaded the last spare energy cell into his plasma cutter, and dispatched another wave of the little blob creatures, he saw that the other end of the track quickly was coming into view, meaning that he just needed to hold out for a little bit longer.

Yet that was easier said than done when a bone project effectively impacted Subaru's shoulder, the force from the blow nearly throwing him to the ground, although thankfully his engineering suit only just held up and prevented the projectile from penetrating.

But the force behind the impact was enough to hurt like hell as Subaru with a little bit of a struggle managed to get back to his feet and fire back in the direction of the projectile, managing to kill the creature responsible before it could launch another.

"Damn it only four left" Subaru made a verbal note of how many shots were left in his plasma cutter as he quickly dispatched two more blob creatures, ultimately bringing his count down to two remaining plasma shots.

As the tram continued on its path, Subaru caught sight of a red oxide container lying not too far off the tracks. Without hesitation, he used his kinesis to pick it up and hurl it at a small gathering of the blob creatures. The container exploded on impact, reducing the creatures to a fine red mist.

Subaru couldn't help but wince, not because he felt sorry for the creatures he had just violently polarised, but because a small amount of blood and visceral managed to cover his suit, however after quickly wiping away some of the blood he felt the tram quickly come to a stop.

However as he went to step out of the tram and onto the platform, he suddenly heard a familiar voice that made him stop dead in his tracks and caused his breath to hitch in his throat.

"Subaru! Is that really you?"

Subaru instantly spun around, his eyes quickly coming to rest on a painfully familiar person. in fact, standing before him just a few feet away was Nicole, the very woman that he had literally been through hell and back to find.

Crusch found herself somewhat mesmerised and somewhat put off by her on-screen counterpart. it was so bizarre because Nicole looked almost like her, but there were also subtle differences that made it feel like she was looking into a mirror that almost captured her reflection but at the same time didn't. It was almost like having a strange sense of déjà vu but amplified to a horrifyingly unnerving degree.

Yet the longer she looked at this sort of reflection of herself, the more she began to feel a strange feeling overtaking her, for just a moment it felt like she was in Nicole's metaphorical shoes, her eyes and Nicole's becoming one and the same as she saw Subaru through them.

But as quickly as that feeling came it disappeared leaving Crusch with the strange eerie feeling and also a small but persistent pressure in the back of her head, like something was trying to drill into her skull.

"S-She's alive! I'm sooooo glad that Nicole is alive" Even though Emilia was definitely jealous about Nicole stealing Subaru's heart. It didn't change the fact that she was incredibly relieved and happy to see that Nicole was alive, safe and sound.

In fact, she was so happy to see it that Emilia completely missed the obvious signs that something was wrong, the biggest one being that Nicole had somehow managed to seemingly survive. Even though she was completely unarmed in a ship infested with Monsters that wanted to tear apart any living creature they could find.

Emilia turned her gaze towards Crusch, noticing that the green-headed woman was completely lost in her own world her eyes having an almost glazed-over look "Crusch... are you alright?" She asked seeing the green Head duchess flinch in surprise momentarily before turning to look at her.

Crusch didn't immediately respond, blinking several times as if registering what exactly Emilia had just said before a look of realisation mixed with embarrassment crossed her face.

"I'm... Fine Emilia, I was just... lost in my thoughts for a moment" Crusch said with a wave of one of her gloved hands.

Even though it probably would have been best to tell her, she didn't want to worry Emilia about her problems regarding the strange feelings that seeing her on-screen counterpart gave her.

However much to Crusch's surprise, Emilia's expression saddened considerably catching her completely off guard, considering that Emilia was able to see right through her flimsy attempt to hide her insecurities about her on the screen double ganger.

"Crusch... You don't have to lie... You can be honest with me" Emilia said with the utmost sincerity, a small but sad smile making its way under her lips as she gazed at the green-haired duchess that was her friend.

Crusch blinked, surprise plastered across her face before it quickly dissipated being replaced by a small but genuine smile. feeling genuinely touched by the fact that Emilia was that concerned about her. It was an odd feeling it was an odd but pleasant feeling considering she had never had that many traditional friends in the past.

However, the smile vanished as quickly as it arrived, as she thought for a moment how exactly to articulate how she was feeling currently about her on-screen counterpart.

"It's so strange... seeing myself there... Nicole looks so much like me, yet paradoxically she doesn't" Crusch paused for a moment, taking a breath to try and calm her nerves before continuing,

"It's like I'm looking in a mirror, the reflection is almost the same, yet it's just different enough that it doesn't feel like it belongs" She paused again, Emilia waiting patiently for her friends to compose herself and continue.

"It also may sound idiotic... but there's something odd about her... Like something's trying to pull me towards her..." Crusch finally finished. Studying Emilia's features for any kind of reaction. Yet surprisingly the half-elf didn't immediately say anything, her expression being one that Crusch couldn't quite read.

"I will not speak for you on how you feel... but I must concur with you lady Crusch, there is indeed something incredibly odd and off-putting about Nicole" Wilhelm broke the silence that hung in the air. The half-elf and Duchess turned to look at him as his experienced eyes examined every detail of the on-screen Nicole.

"Wilhelm is right~Nyah" Felix quickly entered the conversation, his feline ears noticeably twitching in discomfort the longer he looked at Nicole.

"She looks like you Crusch... But at the same time, she doesn't~Nyah" Felix felt a shiver run down his tail, something about Nicole was just extremely off-putting but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was.

"The cat is right... something about hers not right" Ram gave her two cents on the matter, she couldn't place why exactly but something about the blonde-haired woman on screen just didn't sit right with her.

Rem didn't say anything yet she couldn't help but nob in agreement with her sister. Even though she didn't like Nicole simply because she was the object of Subaru's affection, something about the blonde-haired woman just didn't sit right with her, it was almost like she was a wolf in sheep's clothing, trying to blend in and trick its prey.

'I don't trust you'

Rem set it so quietly that not even her sister sitting next to her heard it but there was something about Nicole that made her not want to trust her, even though she seemed like she had Subaru's best intentions at heart.

Felt watched the conversation going on in front of her. She could certainly understand why Crusch felt the way she did concerning Nicole's physical appearance. After all, she probably wouldn't have liked watching a distorted reflection of herself either.

But it didn't stop her from feeling just a little bit frustrated, at the fact that they were all writing off Nicole even though she had not done anything that would warrant such a reaction.

"Hey rein, what do you make of all this..." she looked towards the red-headed man next to her, yeah he didn't respond his eyes continuing to remain locked firmly on the screen in front of him.

However, after several seconds of looking at him confused Felt gently tapped him on the shoulder, Reinhard finally acknowledged what she had said even though he didn't take his eyes off the screen as he responded.

"I am unsure lady Felt... on the one hand I want to feel happy that Subaru has finally managed to find the woman he loves, but... on the other, there is something about her that doesn't sit right... but I can't place exactly why?" Reinhard despite not looking at the young blonde next to him. He was still able to feel the confused look that she sent his way, yet he was unable to say anymore considering that he didn't even understand why he felt the way he did.

"N-Nicole!" Subaru quickly deactivated his helmet, revealing his dirty and sweat-soaked face, however, he couldn't give a single damn about how he looked right now because all that he cared about that singular moment in time was the fact that the coal was right in front of him seemingly alive and well

"It's really me Subaru, it feels like it's been a lifetime" Just hearing Nicole speak was enough to put Subaru's mind at ease, a strangely calming effect and almost sense of euphoria washing over him, as his eyes lingered on her beautiful, elegant and almost ethereal looking face.

"Nicole... T-T-there's so much I need to S-say-" Subaru didn't get a chance to finish his words as Nicole quickly held up a hand to interrupt him.

"I understand Subaru, but that will have to wait... There's so much we need to do first" Subaru was surprised and momentarily hurt by Nicole's dismissal. But he quickly realised that she was right, all of the personal stuff would have to wait until after he accomplished his goal of finding the emergency beacon.

However, as Subaru stepped off the tram and onto the platform, he noticed something hiding behind Nicole's legs, something that caused him to stop dead in his tracks.

"Nicole...Who's that?" Subaru couldn't quite believe it when he saw a small figure poked head out from behind Nicole, one that he instantly realised was a small child.

He was incredibly small, most likely no older than 3 or 4 years old, he was wearing a dark blue shirt and orange pants. His hair was a very dark almost green colour that made Subaru think of a certain green-headed duchess he knew long ago. However, what caught his attention the most was the boy's eyes, they were a dark amber colour, with the sharpness of his gaze being painfully familiar.

Crusch for some inexplicable reason, found herself completely mesmerised by the appearance of the young boy, the rational part of her brain questioning what a child of all things was doing in a place like that completely being drowned out.

She couldn't understand why but, he looked familiar... in fact he looked painfully familiar as if he was somebody that she should have known, yet couldn't remember. For a moment she thought it might have been because he was a victim of gluttony.

But the longer she looked at him, particularly his face and eyes, slowly she realised, her eyes widening with each passing second as she looked at the boy whose existence shouldn't have been possible...

It was Nicole's and Subaru's child...

This meant that since Nicole was a mirror image of her... the child on the screen in front of her was in a sense... her own child.

Crusch felt her mind misfire for a moment that revelation, a fierce blush quickly spreading across her cheeks, at the thought of her and Subaru conceiving a child. She was no stranger to the feelings that she held for Subaru deep in her heart, even though she often dreamed of the day that she could confess her feelings.

She was a pragmatist and therefore knew that it would never work between them, simply because Subaru had already set his sights on Emilia, meaning that there was no room in his heart for another woman...

But still...

The fact that she was able to see her child that could have been. Filled her with so much glee that it was almost unbearable, even if he was born from a different version of herself separated by time and space.

Yet as Crusch, continued to examine the boy's features she finally realised something, something that she had completely ignored up until right now. In fact, it was so perplexing that she was surprised that she had ignored it up until now...

How exactly did that boy get onto that ship, and more importantly...

Why was there no previous mention by Subaru or any other members of the crew of him already having a child with Nicole?

"Crusch... are you ok~Nyah"

Crusch's train of thought was completely derailed by the sound of the voice, her eyes quickly tracking to its source only to see Felix looking at her with slight confusion and concern.

"I'm fine Felix, I was just... lost in thought for a moment," she said deciding to keep the revelation of the boy's identity to herself for the moment.

"oh ok..." Was all that Felix said in response, his eyes scanning her features to see if something else was on her mind. Yet Crusch's Poker Face was completely unreadable, a skill that she had honed over years of practice.

"Who is that boy?" Emilia was perplexed by the appearance of the young boy, there was something eerily familiar about him but she couldn't place exactly what it was. yet the bigger question at hand was why was he even on the Ishimura, to begin with considering it was said to be a mining ship.

"His identity is certainly an interesting question, but I'm more concerned with what a young child is doing in a place like that, to begin with, I suppose" Beatrice felt an odd connection to the boy, in fact, it felt almost like a distant echo connection with Subaru. But after a moment of thought she decided to disregard the feeling because there was simply no conceivable way that she and the boy could have some kind of spiritual connection.

Emilia certainly understood where Beatrice was coming from, but the boy's strange familiarity continued to bug her, it was like an insatiable pest noring away at the back of her mind. It was beginning to bother her because she had certainly seen his face somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where.

"Perhaps he is some kind of stowaway?" Rem tried offering up an explanation. it wasn't very satisfactory even she could admit that, but it was the best that she could come up with because the appearance of the boy was just so bizarre.

"That's not a bad idea Rem... But how exactly has the little guy survived so long?" Garfiel responded to the Blue-haired maid, something about the entire situation didn't sit right with him. The fact that the little kid made him feel incredibly uncomfortable, there was just something about kids being in danger that didn't sit right with him.

Yet he also couldn't shake the feeling that there was something strangely familiar about the kid, particularly his eyes which made Garfiel immediately think of Subaru.

"That poor boy... who knows what kind of Horrors he's been exposed to on that ship" Frederica couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy, the fact that he was probably no older than 5 years old and yet was completely surrounded by death and decay was just horrifying.

However something about the boy's appearance caught her attention, and that was that he was completely spotless, his shirt and pants having no stains, rips or tears to speak of. This by contrast to Nicole's outfit which had spots of blood as well as other signs of wear and tear made him stand out considerably in the environment which gave Frederica an eerie feeling about the child.

"Nicole must have found him when she was trying to get to Subaru... She must have protected him from the monsters somehow" Otto offered the only explanation that made sense to him, even though Nicole didn't have a weapon or look like the fighting type.

It was the only explanation that made any sense even if it still didn't account for the boy's mysterious origin

"I guess that makes sense but I don't know... something about all of this doesn't feel right to me" Felt wanted to believe the explanation offered up by Otto. but there were just so many things about the situation that didn't feel right to her.

To start Nicole did not have any kind of weapon whatsoever, which meant how could she have protected herself let alone a child from the monsters. And of course, there was the question of where exactly the child had come from and was even doing on the USG Ishimura, in the first place considering it didn't seem that the kind of place where children should even be.

"You're right lady Felt, something about this entire situation is not right" Reinhard was in complete agreement with the young blonde next to him, even though his divine protections were not giving off any kind of Warning. there was just something that didn't sit right with him in regards to the entire situation, it was almost like... it was too perfect.

Subaru quickly watched as surprise quickly spread across Nicole's face, her head quickly looking down at the child that was surely hiding behind, he saw a soft and motherly smile quickly spread across her lips before she turned to look at him and spoke.

"He is... someone special to me... and to you as well" Subaru watched as Nicole turned to gaze down at the young boy, a motherly expression crossing her face as she began to gently stroke the young boy's hair. Yet, before Subaru could ask any more questions she quickly brought her gaze back to him again.

"We need to hurry... Follow me Subaru" Nicole quickly began to walk off into the next room, the young boy practically becoming her shadow as he fell into lockstep behind her.

Subaru despite wanting to ask more questions quickly complied opened the door and walked into the next room which was comprised of two catwalks with a large gap separating them, Nicole and the mysterious boy on the opposite catwalk from him.

"Subaru, the Beacon's in the storage room next to you. I think I can disable the lock from here. hold on!" Subaru turned to the locked door behind him eyeing it up for a moment before turning back to Nicole and nodding in confirmation.

"Alright, I'll keep you covered from here just in case" Subaru watched Nicole give a nod before she began to type away at the computer terminal next to her the young boy standing not too far away as he aimlessly looked at everything around him.

However, something caught Subaru's interest, that being too standard storage boxes which upon him walking over and opening, contained several plasma energy cells, and not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth he quickly retrieved them and clipped them to his belt.

And this was not a moment too soon as the familiar sounds of creaking vents and distant monstrous cries quickly invaded his ears, one of the vents near Nicole and the boy exploded, both of them recoiling as a a twisted abomination jumped out and let out a powerful roar.

"I don't think so!" Subaru shouted as he quickly aimed his plasma cutter and fired. the twisted abomination had no time to react as its legs were quickly severed from its body, its form falling to the floor with a loud thump before being finished off by Subaru with two well-placed that took both its arms off almost simultaneously.

However, just as quickly as it died he saw another creature quickly appear, this one from the open space that separated him and Nicole. yet before it could even finish climbing out of the pit Subaru quickly shot at its Arms, managing to take one of them off which caused the creature to Almost fall as it caught itself with its remaining arm.

Yet that made it a perfect target, as Subaru quickly aimed and shot at the creature's remaining arm, his shot wasn't perfect meaning that the creature's arm wasn't completely severed, but it was enough for it to lose its grip. Making the creature fall back into the pit, screaming all the way, before hitting the bottom with a loud thump that reverberated around the space.

"Nicole! Are you and the kid alright?" Subaru shouted as he quickly Reloaded the plasma cutter, Nicole looked over her shoulder at him giving a nod which the child copied before she got back to work typing away at the console.

But Subaru didn't have a chance to rest as another creature appeared, this one being one of the baby abominations which scuttled its way out of a vent location on the ceiling. the disgusting little creature let out a series of cries as it quickly unleashed its tentacles ready to strike Nicole and the child.

However, Subaru was quicker as he quickly put two shots into the creature, causing it to lose its grip and fall onto the platform he was on, and just as the creature was getting back up.

He delivered a swift kick to the creature. The force was enough to kill it outright as its body went flying like some kind of fleshy demented football before bouncing off one of the walls and falling into the pit between the catwalks.

After delivering the kick Subaru quickly reloaded again, however despite no Monsters appearing for a couple of seconds he kept himself on guard his eyes scanning over any potential entry point that the monsters could use. and after a moment, two more creatures appeared one of them being the standard slasher type monster while the other was one substantially tougher dark-skinned ones.

Subaru prioritised the black abomination, noting that that it took four shots to actually sever the legs of the creature from its body, and with it temporarily incapacitated Subaru then moved on to the other which was rapidly approaching Nicole and the child's position.

Seeing that there wasn't time to take out the creature's legs, he put a shot into its body, halting its advance as it became momentarily stunned exactly like how Subaru wanted. He quickly shot the creature's legs out from underneath it, before moving on to its arms and taking them off with well-placed shots before its body even hit the floor.

Yet Subaru could not take pride in the efficient and quick kill, as he saw the now crawling black abomination, quickly approaching Nicole and the child. As such he quickly reloaded the plasma cutter, shooting the creature in its chest to stop its advance before moving on to its arms and emptying the rest of the energy cell to take off the arms of the creature ultimately killing It.

"Nicole! How's that lock coming along!?" Subaru quickly reloaded, shouting over to Nicole as a monster quickly jumped onto the catwalk he was standing on. the Beast let out a roar as it tried to advance on him.

However, Subaru didn't have any of that as he quickly disabled the monster's ability to move by shooting off both its legs with the plasma cutter before quickly switching to the flamethrower and burning the creature alive.

"There are too many of them! will they have a stop coming!?" Emilia felt her heart beginning to race as the situation for Subaru, Nicole and the mysterious boy was rapidly deteriorating.

Up until now, the monsters had been very far and few between, with at most maybe one or two of them attacking at once, but now it seemed like they were doing a full-out assault.

"That idiot couldn't have picked a worse spot to defend" Ram tried to hide her nervousness but failed spectacularly considering the slight shake in her voice. The situation for Subaru, Nicole and the boy was dire, which wasn't helped at all by the fact that Subaru was the only one who had a weapon, meaning he had to do all of the work to keep all of them safe.

This also wasn't helped by the incredibly poor position that he found himself in, considering the large amount of open space on both catwalks as well as the multiple entry points.

Beatrice chose not to say anything, but the worry on her face was easily evident. the situation was not a favourable one for, Subaru Nicole and the boy, they were completely exposed, with multiple entry points where the monsters could attack from.

But despite the situation not looking favourable, Beatrice chose to have faith in Subaru, after all, he had been through so much already and come this far to find Nicole, so she hoped that he would be able to pull out another victory once again.

"My beloved will crush them... There is nothing but can stand in his way" Rem was under no illusion that the situation was not a good one for Subaru, but she chose to believe in him regardless. Because after all, he was the same man who had overcome impossible odds before, so a situation like this wouldn't be a challenge for him.

"Rem has a point, the entire situation is not a good one... But I believe that Subaru will overcome it" Frederica said with as much conviction as she could manage.

The situation was not ideal, but Subaru was the kind of person who had shown himself to be able to pull victories out of impossible situations before, so she chose the belief that this would be an example of him doing such a thing.

"Hell yeah, there might be more of those things. But Cap ain't going down without a fight!" Garfiel was in complete agreement with his sister.

Subaru had shown himself to be able to overcome even the most impossible of odds, against creatures and enemies far greater than these disgusting freaks. So he wasn't all too worried about Subaru's ability to pull a victory out over these Monsters.

The burning corpse quickly collapsed on the ground, its flesh letting out a horrific sizzling sound, yet Subaru didn't pay any attention as he reloaded the flamethrower before clipping it to his belt. However, before he could reach for his plasma cutter, Subaru suddenly felt something heavy slam into him.

Completely knocking him off his feet and causing him to fall onto his back, one of the leaper-type creatures quickly jumped onto him and violently began to bite at his face trying to rip his helmet apart.

"G-get the hell off me!" Subaru shouted at the top of his lungs as he struggled to hold the creature back, he quickly used his free hand to deliver a very hard-hitting right hook straight into the creature's face. Which stunned it for a second, which was just enough time for Subaru to quickly get his foot underneath the belly of the creature and forcefully kick it off him.

However he wasn't done as he quickly jumped to his feet, rushing over to the creature which was still somewhat in a daze and grabbed hold of its muscular tail, the leaper quickly recovered and began to violently flail around to try to free itself from Subaru's grip.

The dark-haired engineer wasted no time in dealing with the creature. In a swift motion, he stomped firmly on its head with his boot, the force causing the creature's skull to fracture. But he didn't stop there. With relentless determination, he raised his boot once more and brought it crashing down again. This time, the creature's skull exploded spectacularly, akin to a watermelon being crushed under the immense pressure of a hydraulic press.

Subaru quickly through the now headless creature aside, its body despite now lacking a head continued to move violently freshen around trying to strike at him, however, it was unable to see and hear him due to the lack of a head. He was able to put some distance between him and it, quickly retrieve his plasma cutter and ultimately finish it off by cutting it apart with some well-placed plasma cutter shots.

Taking a moment to reload his plasma cutter and wipe off some of the blood from his visor, Subaru quickly turned his gaze towards Nicole across the gap, who after pressing one last key at the terminal quickly turned around and spoke.

"Okay, the door's unlocked, Subaru. I can't get over to you... But I'll find a way..." Subaru looked over his shoulder, seeing that just like Nicole had said the door was now unlocked meaning that he could progress with his goal.

"Nicole... are you sure there's no way for you to get to me?" that was a noticeable noticeable pleading tone to his voice, but Subaru didn't care. The prospect of being separated from Nicole after only just finding her not exactly being one that he was eager to experience.

Nicole however simply shook her head dejectedly, causing a sinking feeling to overtake Subaru, however as she took the young boy's hand into her own she quickly looked up at him her eyes holding nothing but love for him.

"I love you Subaru... this will all be over soon... I promise" Despite not wanting to see her go Subaru pushed down the lump in his throat as he watched her gesture to the boy.

Both of them made their way to the door that they had come for originally, quickly disappearing through it and leaving Subaru completely alone once again.

Crusch felt an immense weight lifted from her shoulders when Nicole finally disappeared. was unexpected and inexplicable but it was definitely a feeling of relief that washed over her, which definitely confused her as to why seeing her on-screen counterpart disappear would make her feel better.

"I reeeeallllly hope that little boy is going to be ok," Emilia said to nobody in particular. The fact that a little boy of all things was on that ship surrounded by Monsters that wanted to kill every living thing they could find, was both a horrifying and sad prospect to imagine.

"I hope so as well Emilia" Crusch responded to Emilia, the fact that the young boy was safe and sound was a miracle in its own right. but it didn't change the fact that he had most likely seen and experienced truly horrific things that no child should ever have to experience.

Emilia somewhat surprised by the response, looked towards her green-haired friend, however with Crusch staring at the screen the way she did. It made something register in her mind, something that was most likely a cosmic coincidence but was still incredibly bizarre.

Crusch and the mysterious boy had a strange resemblance to each other, particularly the shape of his jaw and nose which were eerily similar to Crusch's.

Yet Emilia disregarded it almost immediately disregarded it as nothing more than a coincidence as soon as entered our mind.

However, she still decided to ask something that had been on her mind since the appearance of the mysterious boy.

"Crusch... Where do you think that little boy came from?" Emilia saw Crusch's face contort into a look of deep thought, clearly mulling over her question before deciding to respond.

"I'm unsure Emilia... maybe he became separated from his family when they..." Crusch felt herself trail off, unable to continue what she was about to say because of just how horrible it was for the boy to have experienced.

Emilia brought her hands up to her mouth, not needing her green-haired friend to finish what she was going to say, for the half-elf to understand exactly what she was implying. if the boy had truly lost his family in such a way, then she couldn't even begin to imagine the trauma he had suffered.

Beatrice silently observed the interaction between Emilia and Crusch, her doll-like features contorting into a look of frustration. The miraculous appearance of the boy was certainly bizarre, but of more pressing concern to her at least was the fact that she felt some kind of residual connection to him as if there was some loose spiritual connection between him and her

But that was precisely what was frustrating her, there couldn't be any kind of spiritual connection between her and this mysterious boy, even though a spirit could have multiple contracts throughout its existence.

Most spirits, Beatrice included took the idea of a contract very seriously, meaning that in the Impossible scenario, she had to break her contract with Subaru. She would not take on another because it would just feel wrong.

As such the fact that she could feel even just a small connection between her and the boy was really aggravating and also deeply upsetting to her.

"I don't like this I suppose..." With a quiet whisper, Beatrice glanced at her lap, where the face of her sleeping contractor met her gaze. The sight of his features, both gentle and harsh, brought comfort to her nerves. However, the impending sense of foreboding that lingered overhead refused to dissipate, leaving her with an uneasy feeling.

Subaru stood there for a moment staring at the door that Nicole and the strange boy had disappeared through, his eyes behind his helmet had a noticeable longing gaze to them. yet he quickly shook his head, deciding to return to the task at hand as he prayed above everything that Nicole would be fine and more importantly that he would see her again.

Turning towards the door Subaru quickly interacted with the holographic display, the door quickly complying with his request as it opened up allowing him to step inside the small storage closet. After looking around at the various components all of which were useless to him his eyes finally settled on the one he was looking for.

"Bingo" Subaru picked up the small cylindrical object, quickly wiping away a thin layer of dust as he gave it a quick once over, confirming its condition before clipping it to one of the many links on his belt and exiting the storage room.

"Subaru! Jesus Christ, you scared me! I lost your rig for a while... I was beginning to think that I lost you" Subaru was suddenly assaulted by his communication channel blasting to life, making him stumble momentarily in surprise as the voice of Kendra played directly into his ear.

"I'm fine Kendra, and I've got some good news I found the beacon and-" Subaru didn't get to finish as Kendra, quickly cut him her voice taking on a hopeful tone.

"That's great! now that you have it head to the mining bay and attach it to the asteroid. I've been running some trajectory calculations, and if we launch soon there's a good chance the asteroid can reach a safe distance to begin transmitting!" Subaru listened intently to Kendra's words even though he was a little bit mad that she had cut him off. While also quickly made his way through the catwalk room and back out to the small tram platform.

"There's still no sign of Hammond. In his state, I can't imagine he's still alive..." Subaru stepped onto the tram quickly, pressing the holographic display which made the barriers close and made the tram begin making its way across the seemingly bottomless pit once again, all the while he kept his plasma cutter at the ready just in case he was assaulted by more monsters again.

"Hammond's a tough SOB Kendra, let's just hope that he's fine and he's found somewhere to hide" Subaru kept his head on a swivel as he looked all around him suspiciously, specifically watching the flesh-covered walls, anticipating them to start spitting out little abominations any second.

However, the tram continued along its way, eventually reaching the end of the track with no monsters being spawned, much to Subaru's immense relief considering he was running low on plasma cutter and flamethrower ammo.

"Thank Od! He's finally getting somewhere for a change" Felt set with a slightly exasperated expression. She was relieved to see that Subaru was finally making progress with whatever he was trying to accomplish.

"Indeed Lady Felt... I am happy to see that Subaru is finally making progress..." Reinhardt trailed off, Felt turning to look at him as his face took on a look of deep concern, "I am not sure why... but something about that child doesn't sit right with me" The redhead said after a moment, his face taking on a look of palpable confusion and concern.

Felt wasn't immediately sure how to respond to her knight's words. She did somewhat understand where he was coming from, after all the appearance of the boy was incredibly sudden and his origins were a complete mystery so far. But she couldn't help but think that Reinhard was overthinking the situation.

"Reinhard... you're probably overthinking it... I mean sure it's a bit weird how he just appeared out of nowhere with Nicole... But it's a big ship so he was probably just hiding somewhere I reckon" felt tried her best to rationalise Reinhard's worries. The red-headed knight in question turned to look at her with the same look of confused concern, before ultimately letting out a sigh.

Subaru quickly stepped off the tram and onto the catwalk, looking around briefly before making his way through the door and into the flesh-covered hallway, however as he turned a corner that led back to the elevator landing, he failed to notice a corpse that hadn't been there before.

And before he could react the supposed corpse quickly sprung to life, letting out a powerful cry as its body jerked unnaturally, rising to its feet faster than he could respond to, and managing to deliver a blow, slashing at Subaru's shoulder.

Its razor-sharp blade appendage tore clean through the thick reinforced layers of his suit ultimately leaving a deep but thankfully non-life-threatening gash that almost immediately began to bleed profusely.

"F-Fuck!" Subaru immediately felt the pain shoot throughout his entire body, instinctually bringing a hand up to his shoulder to cover the bleeding wound. However as he tried to move back and put some space between himself and the monster, he almost lost his footing on the flash-covered ramp, only just managing to catch himself as the monster came in for another attack.

Yet Subaru wasn't going to be taken by surprise twice, as he quickly but narrowly avoided the monster's overhead slash, managing to completely sidestep the creature, and get behind it before delivering a swift and powerful but ultimately completely harmless roundhouse kick to the monster back.

It was enough to send the creature tumbling down the fleshy ramp, crashing to the floor in a large heap as it began to thrash around trying to get back up. Subaru however wasn't in the mood to fight with the monster anymore as he quickly used his free hand to grab the flamethrower, pointing it at the creature and pulling the trigger.

The monster was almost immediately bathed in white hot, only just managing to get to its knees as its entire body began to burn, its Screams of agony echoing around the small space.

Yet, its torment didn't last long as eventually its still burning corpse went silent and still, staying upright for a moment before ultimately falling face first, to the fleshy ground.

The body continued to burn, even as Subaru turned and somewhat sluggishly made his way to the elevator, letting out quiet grunts of pain because of the wound on his shoulder.

However he tried to push the pain away as he quickly entered the elevator, the large metal doors quickly shutting behind him, as he struggled to keep his ragged breathing under control.

"Subaru! Your rigs in the red! Are you alright!?" Kendra's concerned voice made itself known in Subaru's ear, yet he didn't immediately respond as he began to try and dress his wound. Taking the last health cylinder, unclipped it from his belt and opened it, before spreading some of the gel on the open wound on his shoulder, the coldness and sticky texture of the gel caused him to hiss in pain as it contacted the inflamed wound.

"Y-Yeah, I'm alright... O-one of those things got the J-J-jump on me. Cut me up pretty good but nothing life-threatening" Subaru continued to wince, as he finished dressing his wound, taking some healing pads from one of the compartments on his belt and haphazardly placing them over the wound.

"That's going to leave a nasty scar for sure, but thankfully it's nothing life-threatening~Nyah" Felix said aloud, mostly to try and reassure everyone that it wasn't a life-threatening injury. although he could definitely say from experience that a deep flesh wound like that certainly wouldn't feel the best even if it wasn't necessarily life-threatening.

"That's very reassuring to hear... although I can't help but worry about the number of Injuries that have been inflicted on Subaru so far" Despite his familiarity with deep but superficial flesh wounds due to his past as a swordsman, Wilhelm couldn't deny the uneasiness that lingered in his mind when he heard Felix's words.

The sheer variety and number of injuries that Subaru had sustained were a cause for concern.

"Alright... you're rig vitals have stabilised, but still be careful. You're not exactly in any condition to take on a horde of those things" Subaru gave a grant of acknowledgement as he pushed himself off the wall. His shoulder protested slightly as he gave it a slow but careful flex, to make sure that he still had full range of motion which thankfully he did although it didn't change the fact that it still hurt like hell.

"I got elevator access to the mining subject now. It was a security lockdown. Although I don't think it helped whoever put it in place. Now that you've got the beacon and the key head to the mining deck. It looks like the asteroid is held in place by some gravity tethers, so you need to take them out before you can launch it clear of the ship" Acknowledging what Kendra had said, Subaru quickly pressed the elevator's holographic display, selecting the mining deck and pressing enter, making the elevator jolt to life and begin its upward ascent.

"You need to watch out though Subaru. The asteroid is currently in the process of being smelted, so you're going to have to be extra careful placing the beacon on it. I'm also sending you a new suit, your suit is trashed and it's no longer space-worthy" Upon hearing Kendra's words, Subaru was prompted to inspect his suit. He had not fully comprehended its battered and destroyed state until that moment. Entire pieces of armour were missing, and the protective fabric was riddled with multiple rips, all consequences of his encounters with the monsters.

"Thanks, Kendra" Was all that Subaru said as the communication channel between him and Kendra was severed, leaving him alone in silence as the elevator continued its upward trajectory towards the mining deck.

Several tense moments passed before the elevator finally halted with a sudden jolt. The large metal doors slid open, revealing a hallway blanketed in a thick layer of dust and hot rock particles that swirled through the air.

Subaru dismissed these hazards, however, and proceeded cautiously down the corridor. He navigated carefully around the massive, flaming pillars that channelled streams of superheated molten rock. The structural integrity of his suit was severely compromised, and even accidentally brushing against one of the pillars would result in third-degree burns or worse.

But as Subaru turned a corner, he suddenly heard the familiar cry of one of the creatures, and even though his plasma cutter was running low on ammunition, and his flamethrower wouldn't be particularly useful considering the low visibility. He brought up the plasma cutter anyway, trying to identify where exactly the sound of come from and hopefully located its monstrous owner

"There you are!" Subaru immediately shot at the demonic foetus-type monster, managing to catch the creature completely off guard as his shots severed both of its back legs forcing it to fall to the floor in a heap.

However, as the creature began to wail desperately trying to recover from the attack, Subaru decided to save ammunition as he quickly ran up to the creature before delivering a swift and powerful kick. Sending the small creature flying directly into one of the hot greeted passageways, the little beast crying in agony as its body burnt upon contact, its almost instantly charred carcass falling to the floor seemingly dead.

"Jesus! Little bro booted that thing like he was trying to get a home run!" Al said with astonishment, genuinely surprised by both the force behind Subaru's kick and its lethality considering it actually dispatched the little creature, even if it was by the environment and not necessarily the kick itself.

"Remind me never to get kicked by Cap" Despite not viewing Subaru as somebody to be particularly afraid of, Garfiel couldn't help but gulp audibly when he saw that Subaru's ability to kick monsters to death wasn't just a complete one-off but terrifyingly was something he could do consistently.

"I S-second that Garfiel" Otto knew that Subaru definitely wasn't that physically weak. But the fact that he could literally kill Monsters just by kicking them, was certainly a new reason to add to the list of reasons never to get on Subaru's bad side.

After taking a second to breathe, Subaru quickly continued on his way, eventually exiting the dusty hallway, and entering a much larger space, with an elevator at one end and two separate dead-end catwalks that went off to the right side. In the upper left-hand corner of the room, a sizeable gravity conveyor loomed. Through it flowed a torrent of partially melted rock and other vaporized minerals, all headed towards an undisclosed location within the Ishimura.

Subaru however didn't care about any of this as he quickly found what he was looking for, being an automatic store located on the dead-end catwalk that was immediately left of the door he had just come through.

Quickly making his way up the small incline and over to the automatic store, Subaru immediately logged in seeing that the new suit that Kendra had said would be here was already waiting for him.

And without wasting any more time he quickly pressed except on the holographic display the large steel shutters opening up and allowing him to step inside. Before closing behind him a blinding white light began to trace its way down the crack between the two metal shutters, which was also accompanied by an almost metallic welding-type noise.

Once the light had faded, the metal shutters abruptly opened a small amount of steam rising into the air as Subaru stepped out, his new suit glistening slightly as he cautiously and gently stretched his shoulders, the new metal armour on this suit gently scraping together as he did so.

Subaru's face was covered in grime and dirt as well as dried blood, with an overall dishevelled and tired appearance. yet instead of a look of sadness and defeat like there had been there before, now his face was a look of grit and determination, his eyes which were quickly covered by his helmet covering his face, had a noticeable fire and lively look to them that had not been there previously.

A smile graced Emilia's lips; she couldn't help it. Merely gazing upon Subaru's face had that effect on her. However, what truly filled her with elation was the spark of renewed energy she saw in his expression and the fiery intensity of his gaze. She fervently hoped that this positive shift in his demeanour would endure, enabling him to finally break free from the clutches of the trauma that had haunted him throughout this viewing.

"I'm glad to see that the fire is not gone from you yet I suppose" Beatrice looked down at the sleeping version of Subaru and her lap, feeling a bit sad about his on-screen counterpart's physical and mental state, but she also felt incredibly happy at the fact that his on-screen counterpart had seemingly acquired a new sense of determination along with some vigour.

Rem felt herself swoon slightly, her pale cheeks taking on a rosy hue, seeing the look of determination on his face as well as the resolve in his gaze made her completely elated. it was a relief and a great joy to see that the fire and determination she had fallen in love with, was not completely gone from this older and more emotionally damaged version of her beloved Subaru.

"That's more like the Subaru I know" Crusch felt herself begin to smile, seeing the fire and determination return to Subaru's gaze was certainly a welcome change of pace for her. It served as a welcome if brief reprieve from the emotional roller coaster that this entire viewing had been so far.

"Hell yeah! Looks like Caps got some of his fireback!" Garfiel set excitedly, happy to see that the on-screen Subaru was finally looking a bit more like his usual self instead of the emotionally broken wreck that he had been up until this point.

"Indeed, Garfiel, I'm happy for him that he's managed to find the resolve he needs" Frederica was in much the same boat as her brother, she was incredibly happy to see that Subaru had finally found the resolve and motivation he needed to keep pushing forward. After all Subaru without his determination to keep pushing forward no matter what, wasn't Subaru at all as far as she was concerned.

"Big Brother doesn't look sad anymore" Petra said with a smile on her small delicate features, happy to see the on-screen Subaru was finally looking more like the Subaru that she had come to know.

After giving his new suit one last once over, Subaru stepped away from the automatic store allowing the metal shutters to close and the holographic display to come back to life. and once they had done so, he quickly typed away at the holographic screen, finding the items he needed and inserting the last of his money chip into the machine.

"Well I guess I'm poor again" Subaru said with a small sarcastic laugh, the automatic store complying with his request and depositing the items he had requested on a small tray for him to collect.

Picking up one of the energy cells he quickly replaced the nearly dead one in the plasma cutter before reclipping it to his belt, and then repeating a similar process with the flamethrower making sure that it was completely topped up with fuel.

Before moving on and packing away the rest of the energy cells and flame tanks, making sure that each one of them was in the appropriate location on his belt so he wouldn't have to fumble around during the heat of combat.

With this now complete Subaru made his way back into the larger room, his eyes idly tracing along the large gravity conveyor in the corner of the room before returning to the task at hand and holding out his hand, activating his locator which immediately materialised and snapped its way back out of the door and threw the hazy dusty corridor.

However, before he went to follow it, something in the back of his mind made him check the 3D interactive map that his rig came equipped with. Quickly bringing it up and looking around the surrounding area, and much to his frustration, the elevator which he needed to use to access the mining subdeck, was greyed out with a small red X next to it, indicating that the separate circuit it relied on was broken or simply lacked power.

"Great just my luck" The frustration was easily apparent in Subaru's voice as he deactivated the 3D map, he didn't know the exact nature of the problem the elevator had but he had a feeling that it was most likely a blown power capacitor.

As such based on that hunch, he began looking around the area for a spare power capacitor, and thankfully he eventually spotted a spare capacitor, it was lying on a tool bench which was located on the catwalk directly across from the automatic store, quickly trudging his way over to it, Subaru gave it a quick once over making sure that it was still operational and once confirmed it was indeed functional. He activated his kinesis module picking up the power capacitor effortlessly.

Subaru could have carried it normally considering it only weighed about 30 or 40 pounds, but the kinesis module option was just easier and it also meant that he would be far more mobile if any monsters decided to try and mess with him

Exercising utmost caution, Subaru swiftly traversed the expansive chamber, only to cautiously retreat back into the dimly lit, dust-laden corridor. With meticulous care, he navigated through the hazy passage, ensuring that the power capacitor remained a safe distance from the scorching hot, grated pipes. Even the slightest contact between the capacitor and one of these pipes would render it entirely useless.

After navigating the dusty and hazy hallway, Subaru finally located the correct doorway, verifying its accuracy with his locator. He cautiously stepped inside and encountered another large grated pipe, fortunately inactive at the moment. At the far end of the confined space, he found the service elevator in question. Notably, the socket where the power capacitor should have been was conspicuously empty, explaining the reason behind the elevator's non-operational status.

"A portable way to power machines... how ingenious and convenient" Anastasia mused, rubbing her chin thoughtfully just how practical and useful such a thing could be if it was at all possible in her own world.

"Indeed lady Anastasia" Julius could certainly say that the idea of a portable was a novel but ultimately extremely practical one. Although he could already imagine the kind of things that his lady would get up to if she had access to something of that nature and more importantly the kind of prophet she would try and make from it.

Carefully manoeuvring the capacitor into place with his kinesis, Subaru made sure that it was exactly lined up before pushing it in, a small shower of sparks spraying out as the power capacitor locked into the now full socket.

"Power Restored To Elevator: 65778"

Subaru didn't acknowledge the computerised voice as he stepped onto the elevator. which almost immediately began its descent, a yellow hazard light flashing and illuminating the small elevator shaft in a vibrant yellow hue.

Thankfully the journey was extremely short as the elevator quickly came to a halt, stepping off the elevator and down a small slope, Subaru found himself in a dimly lit hallway with radiator fins attached to the walls flanking him on each side.

Nonetheless, he didn't pay any attention to those details as he quickly made his way around a series of blind corners, ultimately finding himself in a particularly long section of the hallway, with two branches that came off the right side both of which were comprised of a small ramp leading up to a large round style plug door.

Moving up the ramp and standing in front of the door for a moment, Subaru held his hand out, the holographic display disappearing as the door began to rotate, splitting down the middle and then finally retracting into the deck below. Allowing him to step into a truly colossal room, his magnetic boots kicked in as his body became weightless, after crossing the invisible threshold that separated normal gravity from complete weightlessness.

Taking a moment to adjust to the feeling of having his feet on the floor while still being weightless, Subaru examined his surroundings, seeing that between the doors was one of the gravity tethers, with a mirrored one on the Ceiling.

At the far end of the room was his target, a large spherical asteroid that was currently in the process of being smelted down, two large mechanical arms scraping across its surface periodically, exposing and extracting the valuable resources that lay within the lump of rock.

"That room is huge! you could fit an entire house in there!" Felt's jaw practically hit the floor, again being completely flabbergasted by just how ridiculously sized some areas of the Ishimura actually were.

"The fact that this is just one room... Really puts into perspective just how impossibly big the Ishimura actually is I suppose" Beatrice said matter of factly. Even though she was familiar with how large objects and Subaru's homeworld could get, she was blown away sometimes by just how expansive and cavanis the interior of the Ishimura was.

"Crap... This is going to be tricky" Subaru said under his breath as he approached the large imposing asteroid, his stride being noticeably awkward due to the magnetic boots keeping him on the floor.

The reason for Subaru's words was evident as the large mechanical arms swept across the surface of the asteroid, even though there was no risk of him being cut by the cutting edge of the arms due to it facing towards the surface of the asteroid. It didn't change the fact that the arms weighed several tons and travelled at speeds that could easily kill him from sheer blunt force alone.

However, as Subaru was formulating a plan in his mind, over the noise of the loud machinery and gravity covers he heard the all too familiar sound of vents being blown open, followed by the horrific cries of monsters entering the room.

"Bring it on you freaks" With a confident shout, Subaru swiftly unclipped the plasma cutter from his belt and assumed an aggressive stance, checking the holographic display to confirm that the weapon was fully loaded before he readied himself for combat.

"It's great to see that Subaru has regained some confidence" Crusch's smile widened as she noticed that Subaru seemed to have been reinvigorated by his meeting with Nicole. It was almost as if he had rediscovered parts of himself that he had lost in the past.

As she watched her green-haired friend Crusch express her agreement, Emilia couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over her. After all the emotional turmoil that Subaru had gone through, it was heartening to see him finally pull himself together.

With a smile on her face, Emilia felt grateful that Subaru was no longer as easily deterred by the monsters, even though she remained deeply concerned for him as they prepared for the upcoming battle. Despite her worries, seeing Subaru's newfound strength gave her a newfound sense of hope that he would be able to overcome whatever new challenges lay ahead.

"My beloved has finally returned to his true self." Rem felt an immense sense of relief wash over her as she saw her beloved Subaru finally displaying his familiar behaviour.

She couldn't even fathom the emotional turmoil that he must have endured during his time in this world, but seeing even a hint of the old Subaru that she cherished to return to the forefront of his personality brought her immense joy. It was as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her heart, and she felt a renewed sense of hope for whatever would be lying ahead.

One of the leapers responded to Subaru's taunt, letting loose a violent roar as it quickly launched itself from the wall that it had been clinging to. Sailing through the air in an almost graceful manner as it rapidly approached Subaru.

Yet, this was exactly what the black-haired engineer wanted as he quickly took aim and fired at the creature, managing to hit it with four shots two of which were enough to sever one of its arms from its body. The now severed limb freely floating away in the zero gravity under its own momentum.

Subaru sidestepped the creature as its squirming form crashed into the deck where he had been standing seconds earlier. The residual momentum from flinging itself, causes it to bounce off the deck and back into the air.

The creature screamed, flailing around wildly as it tried to grab onto anything it could reach. However, Subaru wouldn't give the beast the chance, as he quickly unloaded the rest of his magazine into the creature, severing its remaining arm, head and tail killing the creature and rendering it nothing more than a limitless corpse floating away harmlessly.

Quickly exchanging the plasma cutter's empty energy cell for a fresh one, Subaru saw out of the corner of his eye that both creatures were getting ready to pounce. Surprisingly it seemed like they were actually strategizing, both of them preparing to pounce at the same time, so that no matter what one of them would be able to attack while the other distracted him.

Yet Subaru wasn't going to let them put this plan into motion, as he quickly deactivated his magnetic boots before kicking off the deck and launching himself into the air. Both of the creatures seeing this took their chance and launched themselves off the surfaces they were clinging to, intent on landing a hit at the exact same time.

However, this is exactly what the engineer wanted, as he waited for the last possible moment before activating his suit thrusters, quickly pushing himself out of the way of the monsters as they both slammed into each other hard enough to momentarily stun themselves.

Seizing the moment that his improvised plan afforded him, Subaru let go of the plasma cutter allowing it to float out of his hands before quickly retrieving the flamethrow which which was loosely attached to his belt. Quickly unclipping it and aiming it at the two stunned creatures who were just beginning to recover. And before they could untangle themselves from each other, Subaru released the safety catch on the flamethrower, pulling the trigger.

Almost instantly the creatures were bathed in a jet of liquid fire, both of them screaming at the top of their lungs as they flailed around violently, trying to rid themselves of the fire that engulfed their bodies. But failing to do so because just as Subaru had predicted, fire in a zero gravity environment behaved similarly to water in the fact that once it was on you it wouldn't come off easily.

Subaru put some space between himself and the creatures, quickly retrieving the plasma cutter which was floating nearby as he let the creatures burn their Screams of agony and wild flailing quickly dissipated as their now silent and still bodies continued to burn.

"T-that was amazing!" Emilia shot up from her sitting position, a look of astonishment and relief washing across her features as she felt the weight that had been settled on her shoulders since the beginning of the viewing finally relented. it wasn't the fact that he had beaten the monsters that was necessarily what had made her jump for joy, it was more the fact that he had done so with his quick witness and a noticeable lack of fear.

"As if there was any doubt he would win I suppose" Beatrice couldn't hide her proud smile which quickly spread across our delicate. seeing the on-screen version of her contractor finally acting like himself was a refreshing site, to say the least. And even though it had far from eliminated the trauma he had experienced, she was still immensely relieved to see that Subaru's old traits were still in fact there beneath the surface.

"That was pretty impressive even for an idiot like him" Ram's usual harsh tone was completely negated by the small spreading across her face. even if she didn't say it out loud she was just as glad as everyone else to see that not only had he been victorious but the on-screen Subaru was acting like his younger self once again.

"It was more than impressive... it was just incredible!" Rem much like Emilia couldn't stop herself from jumping up in excitement. Seeing her beloved combat the monsters without any hint of fear or brokenness that he had shown before, was enough to lift her spirits considerably.

"That was incredible... it seems that when Subaru has a level head his quick-wittedness is just as potent as ever" Crusch said with no small amount of admiration in her voice. Subaru's abilities in battle were something she had seen first-hand numerous times but still.

His quick wickedness and ability to think of a plan in the heat of the moment was truly remarkable. In fact, she would go as far as to say that his ability to make a plan out of seemingly nothing in the heat of the moment, was something she secretly envied because she lacked such an ability.

"Indeed lady Crusch, that was a magnificent display on Subaru's part" Wilhelm said with a noticeably impressed tone to his voice. from the very first moment that he had met him, Wilhelm was always able to tell that Subaru was a very quick thinker which meant that he could come up with plans on the fly.

In fact, despite Subaru often saying otherwise his quick-wittedness and ability to think on the fly was perhaps his strongest and most useful trait.

"Thankfully he wasn't injured this time~Nyah. Although I'm still somewhat concerned about the amount of Injuries he's accumulated" despite knowing that Subaru had an extraordinarily high pain tolerance, Felix was still baffled by just how exactly Subaru had so many injuries yet managed to keep going despite it.

For example, he had several broken and cracked ribs which would be enough to put most normal people out of commission for a long time, yet somehow he just kept on going like it didn't even bother him.

After watching the Corpse burn for a moment Subaru immediately turned his attention back to the asteroid directly behind him. Staring up at the imposing chunk of rock as the grinding arms continue to slowly grind it into a more spherical shape.

"I need to destroy those gravity tethers" Subaru immediately turned and looked towards the end of the room, immediately spotting the large and imposing gravity tethers, the large gravitational flywheels spinning many revolutions a second as they generated an artificial gravity beam that kept the asteroid firmly locked in place.

Activating his manoeuvring thrusters, Subaru floated his way over to the large spinning gravity tether, keeping a safe distance as he quickly inspected it. The issue of disabling it wouldn't be too hard to accomplish considering this was a much older type of gravity tether, one that didn't have a protective shield like most of the newer models did, which means that all he would have to do is shoot it at the right time which would cause a chain reaction and ultimately destroy it.

With the plan formulated, Subaru activated his manoeuvring thrusters quickly backing up several feet, making sure he was at a safe enough distance before taking aim with the plasma cutter and waiting for the right moment when the flywheel shield exposed the critical components inside. After waiting several moments he finally found the opportunity and pulled the trigger, and as soon as the shot landed, the critical components inside were destroyed causing the flywheel to quickly spin out of control before exploding in a bright shower of sparks.

Satisfied with the destruction of the piece of machinery, Subaru quickly moved on to the next one floating up towards the ceiling where an identical gravity tether was currently spinning away. However, it wouldn't be like that for long as Subaru quickly took aim and waited for the right moment before firing, the large machine quickly exploding in a bright shower of sparks much like its identical twin had done seconds earlier.

"Two down, two to go. If I remember correctly there should be two more on the outside of the hull" With haste, Subaru swiftly made his way towards the colossal asteroid. He fixed his gaze upon the massive grinder arms as they moved with unwavering precision across the asteroid's surface. To succeed, he had to patiently bide his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to slip past the hazardous grinding arms. Moments later, he seized his chance, unleashing the full power of his thrusters. In a swift manoeuvre, Subaru accelerated and propelled through the energy field that enclosed the Ishimura's precious atmosphere.

To reduce his speed, Subaru activated his thrusters, only to find himself gazing into the cold, dark abyss of space. Although sightseeing wasn't his primary objective, even he couldn't help but be momentarily awestruck by the vast, endless expanse of darkness. Aegis VII was barely visible over the edge of the Ishimura's hull, and the light from its parent star cast long, eerie shadows over everything outside.

"It's just as awe-inspiring and eerie as before..." Anastasia said quietly, she found herself somewhat mesmerised by the inky blackness of space, but she also had the exact same feeling when she first saw it.

The analogy that she had thought of earlier about it being like a well-tended graveyard, was definitely the best way she could describe it, outer space to her at least looked completely tranquil and peaceful yet also completely devoid of life itself.

Emilia gazed at the vastness of Outer Space, with its infinite black expanse sprinkled with stars. It felt eerie and unfamiliar to her, but the longer she looked, the more she felt a strange pull at the back of her mind. It was as if something was urging her to take a step forward and let herself be consumed by the boundless emptiness.

The spell that had transfixed her to the inky darkness shattered abruptly as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Surprised, she turned her head to see who it was, finding Beatrice gazing at her with concern and confusion.

The two of them did not exchange words, yet the look in Beatrice's butterfly-shaped pupils was enough to tell Emilia exactly what the little spirit wanted to know. As such the half-elf quickly nodded her head putting on a genuine smile to show that she was fine, and even though Beatrice didn't look entirely convinced, the little spirit gave a nod back as she turned her attention back to the screen, occasionally looking at Emilia out of the corner of her eye.

Emilia however looked towards her green-haired friend, immediately noticing the look of contemplation on Crusch's elegant features. Her brows noticeably kinked downwards as she rubbed her chin in deep thought.

"Crusch... are you alright?" Emilia spoke quietly, the green-haired woman in question did not turn to look at her yet Emilia could tell that she had heard her words and was listening because, after a moment of silence, Crusch spoke without looking at her.

"I'm fine Emilia... there's just something about... this" Crusch motioned with her free hand to the screen, and more importantly to the visit of outer space that was currently plastered across it.

Emilia looked at the screen, again feeling that strange eerie feeling the longer she looked yet quickly turning her gaze away from it as she looked back to water green-haired friend, her amethyst coloured eyes holding noticeable confusion

"I am not a philosopher by any means... yet there is just something about the vastness of it all, it's both... intriguing and..." Crusch found her words quickly fail her, a frustrated side quickly exiting her lips, before Emilia suddenly spoke in her place.

"It's incredibly unsettling..." Emilia's amethyst-coloured eyes gaze directly into Crusch's amber-coloured ones. The haired Duchess was momentarily caught off guard by Emilia's answer and the strange almost lifeless stare that she was giving her, Emilia turned her gaze away from her and back towards the inky blackness of outer space on the screen. An eerie silence hung in the air between them for a moment before she spoke.

"It's almost like staring into a seemingly bottomless chasm... The longer you look you can almost feel yourself being drawn Into the darkness... Yet what could be waiting for you and hiding in that infinite darkness?" Emilia's words held a strange ominous tone to them, her eyes taking on a noticeably harder edge than Crusch was used to seeing from the half-elf.

Yet Crusch found herself somewhat stunned that In that specific moment, Emilia had the ability to articulate precisely how she felt, in fact, the greenhead duchess for a moment was incredibly impressed by the silver-haired half-elf's ability to read her.

"Emilia is certainly right... There is something incredibly beautiful yet off-putting about outer space" Anastasia said with another head, thoroughly impressed by Emilia's eloquent and concise summary of why out of space was awe-inspiring, beautiful but also bone-chilling and off-putting.

As Crusch readjusted her seat, knowing she wasn't alone in her aversion to outer space provided a glimmer of comfort. However, a certain blonde youth promptly spoke up, drawing her attention.

"I don't think it's beautiful... I just think it's really freaky like it's so big and... Empty" Felt wasn't as eloquent with her words as Emilia or Anastasia, she simply felt incredibly put off by outer space in every possible way, a mere glance at the cosmic expanse was enough to send a shudder down her spine. The longer she gazed into its depths, the more consumed she became by an inexplicable terror of the vast unknown that was outer space.

Reinhard cast his gaze down to the little blonde next to him, it didn't take a genius to figure out that she was deeply unsettled, the look in her eyes and her general body language was easily enough to tell him that, however before he could try and offer some kind of comfort a certain helmeted man spoke instead.

"Sounds to me like you have that... That. . . Damn, what was that phobia called again?" Al cursed under his breath, as he failed to think of what the phobia that the little blonde was suffering from was called again. He knew that it was the fear of outer space, but for the life of him, the exact name of the phobia alluded him.

"The word you're looking for is Astrophobia I suppose" Beatrice said nonchalantly, the helmeted man making an "Ah" sound as quite a few heads turned to look at her, because of her usage of the completely alien-sounding word, however, she didn't pay that any attention as she kept her her gaze focused on the screen.

Quickly turning away from the visit of Outer Space, Subaru quickly maneuvered himself towards one of the large open pits where the gravity tethers when nestled, orienting himself as his feet made contact with the outside hull of the Ishimura. After making sure his feet were firmly planted on a solid surface, Subaru somewhat clumsily made his way over to the gravity tether, the only sound audible was his breathing and his steadily increasing heart rate.

Positioning himself at a safe distance from the gravity tether, Subaru replicated the process he had successfully used with the previous two tethers. His well-aimed shot struck the colossal, spinning machine, causing it to explode in a spectacular shower of sparks.

With his limited oxygen supply quickly dwindling, Subaru wanted this to be wrapped up as he quickly made his way to the last gravity tether, quickly inserting a fresh power cell into the plasma cutter before taking aim and destroying the last one with one shot, the machine exploding in a similar shower of sparks like it's three companions had done so.

"Alright... All that's left... Is to put the beacon on the asteroid" With elongated gaps between his words, Subaru's laboured breaths grew increasingly shallow as the oxygen levels rapidly plummeted, edging dangerously close to a critical threshold.

In a fluid motion, he separated himself from the deck and floated towards the massive, circular asteroid. Upon reaching it, he swiftly retrieved the large Beacon from his belt and secured it onto the asteroid's surface by locking its support legs into place. After giving the device a final tap to ensure its stability, he promptly turned around and made his way back to the energy field that segregated the interior of the Ishimura from the cold vacuum of space.

In anticipation of the right moment to slip through the grinding arms, Subaru's breath grew increasingly laboured, and the dull ache in his chest intensified. Once he spotted his opportunity, he swiftly manoeuvred through the narrow gap. Upon crossing the energy field, his suit instantly began drawing in the Ishimura's atmosphere, providing much-needed relief.

Although his momentum carried him towards a nearby wall, he managed to regain control and steadied himself. Ignoring the throbbing pain in his chest caused by his expanding lungs aggravating his cracked ribs, Subaru took a deep breath, his body craving the life-giving oxygen.

"Warning, Warning. Payload 8772 is no longer tethered. untrained personnel evacuate the area immediately"

"Yeah don't need to tell me twice" Subaru muttered under his breath as he quickly vacated the area, floating towards the large cylindrical door before orienting himself so that his feet would land correctly on the ground once his magnetic boots activated.

"I wonder... With the beacon now attached to the asteroid, how exactly is Subaru going to be able to push it away from the ship considering its immense size?" Julius said with an inquisitive tone, gesturing to the screen with one of his hands to emphasise his point as to how exactly Subaru was expected to move such a large chunk of rock by himself.

"That's a good question, Julius. Although considering the advanced technology there must be some way for him to do so" Reinhard responded, despite not knowing how the technology of this world worked, the red-headed swordsman was certain that there was some kind of technology that would be responsible for moving the asteroid in and out of the mining bay

"I believe Reinhard is correct, the technology of this world seemingly has no bounds, so a machine that could move a massive chunk of Rock isn't out of the realm of impossibility"

Anastasia nodded in agreement with Reinhard's statement. the technology of this world was truly incredible in what it could accomplish, considering that they could literally grow human beings from scratch, so a machine that could manipulate and move around a massive chunk of rock was completely within reason.

"I see... You both make a good point" Was the only response that Julius gave, a look of deep concentration etching itself onto his elegant and handsome features, bringing up a hand to his chin as his eyes noticeably narrowed as his brows kinked.

Anastasia seeing this, looked at her knight with a slightly confused stare before speaking "Julius is something the matter?"

The purple head night did not immediately respond, yet the slight Jolt of his shoulders and the subtle changing of his eyes were enough to tell her that he definitely heard her, and after an uncomfortable silence lingering between them he finally responded.

"I'm fine Lady Anastasia... I was contemplating something that came to mind just now" Julius's words were concise, yet there was something in his tone that didn't sit right with Anastasia, but ultimately she decided to drop the subject as she turned her gaze back to the screen.

Stepping through the circular door and down the ramp, Subaru found himself becoming slightly light-headed causing him to stumble, going from zero gravity to artificial gravity always made his head spin especially when he didn't have any time to adjust.

But shaking away the slight headache that it brought him, Subaru quickly began making his way down the hallway, quickly rounding the two sharp bends before coming back to and stepping onto the service elevator, which after a short journey brought him back up to the hazy and dusty hallway.

However as Subaru stepped off the elevator, he was almost burnt to a crisp as a jet of white hot flame quickly shot out of a nearby gravity conveyor tube. Quickly jumping back Subaru found that some of the armour on his forearm glowing a dull red, yet thankfully after giving his arm a once over it seemed that the thermal lining in his suit had held although only just.

Looking back up at the jet of white flames, it quickly disappeared as quickly as it came, however, Subaru waited there for a little bit longer as after a couple of seconds it suddenly erupted from the gravity conveyor tube once again, the jet of fire and most likely vaporized rock being as equally as intensive before and lasting for just as long, before disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.

Seeing his chance, Subaru quickly ducked past the partially melted gravity conveyor tube, which was not a moment too soon as another jet of fire quickly erupted from it.

Giving the flaming gravity conveyor one last look, Subaru made his way out into the dusty hallway only to be surprised that it was no longer dusty, instead, it was completely filled with dark grey smoke and was also currently in the process of burning, with multiple gravity conveyors shooting out jets of fire at seemingly random intervals.

"Great! Can't anything go right!?" Subaru shouted into the fiery hallway, the only response being the near-deafening roar of the fires.

"Man, Cap really can't catch a break can he?" Garfiel said to nobody in particular, feeling incredibly sorry and also frustrated for Subaru because just when something was finally going right. came along and just decided to mess it all up, in this case being a conveniently placed burning hallway.

"Big Brother Subaru is going to be alright... isn't he?!" Petra asked with a small amount of trepidation in her voice. the last time that Subaru had been around such a large fire it didn't exactly end well for him.

"I'm sure he'll be fine Petra... As long as long as he doesn't touch the fire his suit should keep him perfectly" Frederica tried her best to reassure the young girl. Petra looked up at her with big eyes full of concerned pleading.

"This is Cap after all so I'm sure he'll be fine, you worry too much little" squirt" Garfiel's words were filled with a confidence that Petra found reassuring, Frederica was also thankfully sending a small smile towards her brother who reciprocated in kind.

"This brings back bad memories" Otto turned away from the screen, his face having a slightly haunted look to it, because seeing the fiery blaze on screen, brutal bad memories of the sanctuary and the burning of the mansion.

"I couldn't agree more I suppose" Beatrice responded, her eyebrows noticeably kinked downwards, as a hard and slightly pained look crossed her elegant little features. Seeing the fiery Inferno brought back many unpleasant memories, of the old mansion and its subsequent burning, but more importantly and somewhat unpleasantly memories of the accursed library that had been her prison for 400 years.

Looking at the hallway that was currently in golfed in a fiery blaze, Subaru knew that there was no way other than to simply just go for it so after a second to site himself up he took off like a rocket, running full speed as he managed to bob and weave his way around the various fires and jets of vaporized rock.

However as Subaru rounded a corner, he suddenly found a jet of Fire and vaporised rock appear directly at head height in front of him, by pure Instinct he quickly dived under it landing directly on his stomach, the impact causing him to cough and splatter as well as let out a loud yelp of pain due to the impact jostling his broken and cracked ribs.

Yet after letting out a groan he quickly got back to his feet as he continued to run, his breathing becoming ragged and laboured as he finally spotted the doorway that was salvation, and without wasting a single spare second he quickly dived for it, skidding to a stop as his heating chest continued to hurt.

"Shit... That hurts" Subaru wheezed under his breath, as he began to slowly trudge towards the elevator at the fire end of the large room, his balance noticeably faltering as he felt himself becoming light-headed for a second before grabbing onto a nearby railing to catch himself.

Waiting for the lightheadedness to subside, Subaru tried his best to check his equipment, thankful that the plasma cutter was still firmly in his other hand, and the flamethrower, as well as his other accessories, were still clipped to his belt, and most importantly the mining deck control key, was still firmly fastened to his belt even after everything that had happened.

With his equipment checked and his breathing now under control the lightheadedness quickly subsided, allowing Subaru to continue making his way towards the elevator, on his way he spotted several considerable storage containers which without thinking he quickly smashed opened with his boot, revealing several plasma energy cells and flame fuel canisters which he quickly confiscated for his own use before continuing to the elevator.

Reaching the elevator, Subaru wasted no time as he quickly stepped onto it, pressing the holographic display which immediately caused the elevator to begin its upward ascent, the journey only lasted a few seconds the elevator came to a halt.

Subaru stepped off the elevator and into the small hallway, keeping his plasma cutter close as he cautiously made his way around these sharp right-hand turns eventually coming to a door with the holographic sign above it labelling it as the "mining control centre"

Stepping up to the door, Subaru quickly retrieved the key from his belt, holding it out in front of him as the red holographic display on the front of the door scanned it, the words changing from locked to unlocked with the entire holographic display turning blue.

With the door open Subaru quickly stepped into the mining control room, which was relatively spacious although actual usable floor space was quite limited due to the consoles that flanked the edge of the room and the two large consoles in the very centre of the room.

Walking over to one of the consoles Subaru quickly powered it up, the holographic screen giving a technical readout of the current progress of the asteroid being smelted, as well as a warning about the fact that the gravity tethers meant to keep it in place were currently offline.

Pressing one of the physical buttons on the console, Subaru watched as the large metal shutters covering the windows quickly retracted, giving him a full view of the large room he had been in minutes earlier, as well as the large spherical asteroid that was currently being smelted.

Quickly typing in a series of commands into the console, Subaru gave the asteroid one last look, before pressing the release key on the holographic display. Almost immediately he felt a faint but noticeable rumbling under his feet as grinding arms carving away the asteroid quickly came to a halt. The large chunk of rock being released from their hold as a small gravity pusher, activated and quickly pushed the asteroid out of the containment field and into deep space.

"Warning. Payload 8772 has been jettisoned"

"So is that it... Is it finally done?" Emilia tilted her head slightly in confusion, she was glad that Subaru had managed to accomplish his goal of launching the asteroid with the beacon attached to it. But she was a bit lost at what exactly was supposed to happen next.

"Now that the beacon is away from the ship... I think the next order of business is to send some kind of radio message I suppose" The hesitation in Beatrice's voice was noticeable.

Despite her knowledge of Subaru's world, she was still relatively in the dark about the subject of electronic and wireless communication. But with the little knowledge that she had Beatrice could only assume that Kendra and Subaru would now send some kind of radio message or some other kind of wireless communication, that could hopefully be picked up by a passing ship, and if that could possibly come and assist.

"What exactly is a radio message if I may ask?" Crusch asked tentatively, already having a hypothesis of what it could possibly be, but wanting to confirm with the great spirit just in case and not make herself look like a complete fool.

Beatrice looked at the green-haired woman for a moment before letting out a sigh and answering. "A radio message is very much like an audio-only magic device, it can somehow relay audio from one place to another without needing to be a physical connection"

Crusch blinked in surprise, her hunch was actually a lot closer to the mark than she could have possibly guessed. yet even though she wanted to ask how exactly something like that would work, it was clear from Beatrice's tone that not even the spirit knew exactly how such a thing worked.

"If they have to contact someone, then I hope whoever they do comes to help immediately" Emilia said with a small amount of trepidation in her voice.

All she wanted now was for Subaru, Kendra, the mysterious boy and Nicole to get off that ship, she didn't know exactly how any of the technology on the ship worked far from it in fact, but she knew deep down that saving the ship in any capacity was a lost cause and all that could be done now was to simply abandon it and leave it to its fate.

"I hope so as well... But considering how big space truly is, I have a sinking feeling that help will not come for some time I suppose" Beatrice uncomfortably fidgeted, being careful not to disturb Subaru's unnatural slumber she felt a sinking feeling and her stomach. She didn't know what exactly, but something in her gut told her that Kendra and Subaru would not be getting out of this ordeal as easy as that.

"All we can do is Hope, that if anyone receives the message they will come swiftly" Wilhelm tried to offer some reassurance, although despite his best attempts not even he was convinced by his own words. He knew all too well from his past experiences that helped, especially the urgent kind that rarely came when it was most needed, and even though he didn't want to believe it he had a feeling that this scenario for Super and Kendra would be such a case of something like that happening.

Emilia looked at the age-swordsman, a slightly uncertain look making itself at home on her elegant features before she quickly turned her gaze down to Subaru who was still resting in Beatrice's lap. even though the Subaru on screen was not exactly the one she was looking at currently, she still prayed and hoped that his on-screen counterpart would be able to make it through the absolute nightmare he was currently experiencing and come out of it unscathed.

"As much as it frustrates me, you're right Wilhelm all we can do is sit back and hope" Crusch let out a frustrated sigh, reclining back in her somewhat uncomfortable theatre seat as she felt her frustration settle into her stomach like a lead weight. The one thing she hated above everything else was inaction and currently, that is exactly what she was doing.

"Even if help does come I have a sneaking feeling it won't be enough" Ram's were left to hang ominously in the air, she was the only one to say it, but quite a few of the audience had a similar gut feeling. If Subaru and Kendra were able to find some kind of help outside source, would it actually be enough?

"As much as I don't want to... I think you might be right sister" Rem felt a horrific sinking settle into her stomach, like a 10-tonne weight weighing her down. Her pink-haired sister was very much on the mark with her statement, even if Subaru and Kendra were able to find some kind of outside assistance, would that actually do anything to help, considering that a ship is of impossible size, filled to the brim with thousands upon thousands of people had seemingly been completely overrun by these creatures.

Subaru watched the asteroid float out of view, a small but significant sinking feeling quickly settling in his gut, even though the plan was obviously a long shot to begin with, he couldn't help but feel himself beginning to doubt it with each passing second. However, before he could doubt it any further a message suddenly popped up indicating an incoming video call from Kendra.

"The beacons on its way! All functions normal, and broadcasting wide-band. Now we just have to hope that somebody's listening. I'll see what I can do to configure the array receiver" Letting Kendra talk for a moment Subaru founder nearby chair and for the first time in ages allowed himself to relax as he fell into the chair, his helmet quickly retracting as it revealed his dirty and blood smeared face.

"Alright." Was all that Subaru said in response as he ran a hand through his short black hair, Kendra looked at him through the other side of the holographic monitor in concern. Before she began to speak once again a solemn and slightly haunted look crossed her face which immediately caught Subaru's attention.

"Subaru... I thought I saw my brother again... He waved at me like nothing was wrong..." Kendra trailed off, Subaru watching as he Subaru watch does she cast her gaze downwards, not even trying to hide the sad and haunted look on her face. however before Subaru could respond to her words, Kendra seemingly pulled herself together, swallowing a lump in her throat as she continued speaking.

"Okay, I should be able to leave this channel open..." Subaru after a moment got up from the chair he had been sitting in, his helmet automatically covering his face once again as he made his way towards the exit of the mining deck control room. However as he crossed the threshold back out into the hallway, he noticed Kendra's face twist into a look of confusion and anger.

"What! You've got to be kidding me! The comms Array isn't responding! Subaru, can you get back to the bridge? We need that Array online or we can't receive signals from anyone responding to the beacon" Kendra's face disappeared as a map quickly appeared in front of Subaru as he stepped onto the small elevator. The map upon closer inspection showed the location of the comms Array, and after looking at the map for a moment and marking the location down in his rig Subaru responded.

"Yeah I'll get back there as quick as I can" Subaru pressed the holographic button on the elevator control panel which immediately made it begin its descent downwards. However, once the elevator came to a stop allowing him to step out into the large room once again. Subaru found himself chuckling as he made his way towards the fiery death trap that was the hallway that led back to the main elevator.

"What's so funny Subaru?" Kendra asked with confusion as Subaru continued to chuckle to himself, quickly making his way through the fiery death trap hallway and back out into the foyer of the main elevator, he responded to her question.

"It's just a bit ironic, we came all the way out here into uncharted space to fix the comms Array, and now we're only just getting around to it" Subaru continued to Chuckle quietly as he stepped onto the elevator and immediately press the button. Causing it to jolt to life is it began its upward journey. Kendra looked at Subaru through the holographic display an unreadable expression on her face which Subaru found hard to place.

"I guess you're right... I'll keep an eye on the communications channels and see if anyone is responding to the message" Kendra quickly cut the video feed, leaving Subaru completely alone as the elevator continued its journey upwards.

Emilia tilted her head in confusion "I don't understand, they put the beacon on that asteroid, so why isn't it working?" she said, not understanding why the beacon wasn't already working.

Beatrice looked at Emilia, a slightly frustrated expression Crossing her delicate features. "Weren't you paying attention I suppose, Kendra clearly said that the communications array wasn't working, and as such they wouldn't be able to receive any incoming messages"

Emilia turned her gaze towards Beatrice, a look of embarrassed realisation quickly crossing the half-elf features, her cheeks and the tip of her long ears going red in embarrassment.

"Oh..." Was all that the half-elf could say, the redness of her cheeks and her embarrassment growing by the second. however, suddenly something occurred to Emilia, something that made her embarrassment completely evaporate.

"Beatrice... Kendra said something about seeing her brother... And she said that that was impossible... But why would that be impossible.." Emilia's words were slow and deliberate, each one leaving an ominous feeling hanging in the air. Beatrice immediately took notice of what Emilia was saying, a strange oppressive feeling quickly settling onto her shoulders like a lead weight weighing her down.

Beatrice began piecing it together in her mind, the way that Kendra spoke about her brother implying that his appearing before her was impossible, could only mean one thing.

"It's impossible… Because he's dead..." Beatrice felt a sickening feeling wash over her as the words exited her mouth. it wasn't necessarily the fact that this mysterious unnamed brother of Kendra died that sickened and terrified her, in fact, that part was completely meaningless to her.

What terrified her was the fact that Kendra was seeing things in the exact same manner that Subaru was, both of them were seemingly being visited by apparitions of past traumas and the deceased loved ones just like...

Everyone in the theatre.

Crusch quietly observed the interaction between Beatrice and Emilia, even though she did not hear the entirety of the conversation, she still felt a horrific sinking feeling forming in the pit of her stomach as she put the pieces together.

Subaru and Kendra were both being haunted by visions of their past, and it seems that whatever Force was targeting them, was also going after everyone in the theatre, even though that shouldn't have been possible considering that none of the events they were currently seeing had happened yet.

"I don't like this... As the more pieces fall into place the more questions are raised" Crusch said under her breath, frustration evident in her tone and facial expression.

'I hope Nicole and that boy are alright' Subaru felt himself jolt, as the elevator quickly came to a stop, the large double doors quickly retracting and allowing him to step foot back into the mining deck lobby.

Looking around the lobby Subaru saw that it was exactly the way he had left it, the same oppressive and dark atmosphere that had been there before continuing to linger in the air. But deciding not to overstay his welcome, Subaru quickly exited the mining deck lobby, sparing it a single glance onto the platform, the tram waiting patiently for him as if it were a loyal animal companion.

Subaru went to enter the tram, however, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks when he heard her voice echo from behind him. "Subaru... Are you really going to abandon me?" he didn't immediately answer, not needing to turn around to know that she was standing there behind him, every detail about her appearance looking the same as he remembered her from all those decades ago.

As the silence Lingard between them, Subaru took in a shaky breath "I'm S-sorry... I'm sorry that I C-couldn't S-S-save you..." His lips trembled with each word as they executed his mouth, the pain and sorrow evident just from his tone alone.

"I couldn't save you or anyone else then... but now I have a chance... a chance to save Nicole like I couldn't save you" Subaru kept his head low, the plasma cutter almost falling from his hand due to how loose his grip was.

Yet as if fuelled by a newfound resolve, Subaru tightened his grip on the plasma cutter as he lifted his head up, still not turning to look at her as he spoke again. "Goodbye...

"Emilia, I hope wherever you are... that you're at peace" Subaru felt a massive weight lift from his shoulders, as the words left his lips. For the first time, the dreadful oppressive feeling he had lived with almost his entire life had seemingly lifted, metaphorically allowing him to breathe.

It was refreshing, in fact, it made Subaru for the first time in forever feel almost...

Free.

Stepping onto the tram, Subaru spared one glance over his shoulder, expecting to see her ghostly apparition standing there, yet there was nothing, he was completely alone on that platform.

But as the tram doors closed obstructing his view of the platform Subaru did not feel scared or horrified by her seeming disappearance, in fact as he sat down and deactivated his helmet, a small sad smile made its way onto his lips, tears beginning to leak from his eyes before he wiped them away, the tram continuing along its journey to his next objective and destination.

"Alright kids, that's the end of that, all of you can take 5 while I go look at something, I won't be too long"

As the screen abruptly shut off, the warden's voice reverberated through the silence. The last image imprinted on everyone's minds was Subaru sitting alone in a dark tram car, his muffled cries echoing in the dimly lit space. In that solitary moment, he took a significant step in confronting the trauma that had haunted him.

Emilia felt incredibly conflicted, on the one hand, she was both happy and elated that Subaru was finally able to confront his trauma, in the form of the apparition that wore her face, and somewhat come to terms with it.

But on the other, she was incredibly saddened and somewhat disturbed by what Subaru had said, his words left no doubt in her mind that the trauma that had scarred him deeply was the result of...

Her Death...

A shiver ran down her spine, and the trembling caused the tears forming in the corners of her eyes to start falling. Emilia brought a hand up to muffle a quiet sob. She felt the weight of something that thankfully not many people had to experience.

Rather than lamenting her impending demise, her tears flowed out of concern for the lasting emotional toll her traumatic death would have on Subaru, the one she held dear.

The half-elf continued to cry, only just managing to keep her sobs under control, however, a small delicate voice suddenly interrupted her weeping "Emilia... Look at me" looked up Emilia was surprised to see Beatrice standing directly in front of her, the little spirit's expression unreadable.

Yet before she could do anything Beatrice did something unexpected, quickly closing the gap between them as she wrapped her tiny arms around Emilia's body. The half-elf was surprised by the sudden movement and embrace, however, after several seconds of surprise Emilia felt the tears returning as her sobs grew louder, quickly wrapping her arms around the little spirit as she cried into Beatrice's shoulder.

Beatrice gently patted the back of Emilia's head, stroking her long silver locks in an almost motherly fashion as the half-elf continued to open the weep into her shoulder. The spot where her tears were soaking into Beatrice's dress, was noticeably becoming damp, yet the little blonde spirit didn't care as she continued to comfort her friend.

Crusch felt a torrent of emotions flowing through her like an uncontrollable tsunami. despite Subaru's words being vague and lacking detail, it was very obvious from the tone of his voice, that when he meant everyone, he was definitely referring to everyone close to him.

She knew that she was among them, which in any other circumstance she would have felt honoured and secretly giddy because Subaru considered her a close friend. But considering the quite disturbing ramifications of his words, any semblance of a positive emotion completely evaporated.

Feeling a gentle but aged hand quickly rest on her shoulder, the green-haired duchess turned to look at the owner, seeing Wilhelm with a neutral expression, yet looking into the aged swordsman's eyes she was able to see a myriad of emotions the most prominent one of them being sadness.

"Are you ok my lady?" Wilhelm asked more out of courtesy, considering it didn't take a sage to figure out exactly how the woman was feeling currently.

Crusch opened her mouth to speak, yet failed to articulate a proper sentence, continuously stumbling over her words before finally finding her voice. "I'm not... Wilhelm, I'm far from ok, after..." Something in her couldn't bring herself to finish the words, her voice stuttering and stumbling at the very end.

Wilhelm's face noticeably changed the look of perfect indifference that he had honed over years of being a butler cracking ever so slightly and revealing the sad expression that lay underneath.

he didn't need her to finish her words to understand what she was referring to, knowing that everyone in this room was destined for some kind of horrific fate was certainly a shock to the system.

But much like Emilia and the green-haired duchess that was his master. Wilhelm felt a sense of immense sadness and pity for Subaru, knowing that he would be the only one who survived and would have to carry the Guilt for the rest of his life.

And even though it seems like the on-screen Subaru was finally coming to terms with his traumatic past, it didn't exactly sit right with Wilhelm that Subaru would be forced to carry this trauma for nearly half a century, being consistently tortured by it before finally, overcoming it and for moving forward.

"That was a bit of a downer way to end things..." Felt said with a flat tone, crossing her arms over her chest as a somewhat frustrated expression made itself at home on her face.

On one hand, she was happy that Subaru was finally, able to metaphorically confront the past and begin the process of moving on. But she couldn't help but find the meaning behind his words about not being able to save everyone quite foreboding.

Felt could admit that she wasn't the smartest, but even she could read between the lines and figure out exactly what he was referring to. Everyone he knew and everyone that he cared about her died in some tragic fashion, leaving him the only survivor and giving him crippling survivor's guilt.

"Lady Felt... Are you alright?" felt was brought out of her thoughts by The Voice, looking over to its source and seeing none other than Reinhard looking at her with a hint of concern.

Felt didn't immediately respond, she wasn't quite sure how to articulate how she was feeling, but after a moment she finally found her words. "I don't know Reinhard, it's... I don't know how to say it" The frustration was evident in her voice, as she let out a quiet curse under her breath.

Reinhard nodded in response understanding the frustration that the little blonde had, yet after a moment of silence between them he spoke, his lips moving before his mind could catch up.

"What Subaru said... Has me concerned... he said that he couldn't save everyone... Which could only mean that" Reinhard's voice trailed off, a lump forming in his throat as he couldn't bring himself to finish that sentence. Felt however quickly finished it for him.

"We all died..." Her voice was barely above a whisper, yet to Reinhardt it sounded like a canon going off next to his head.

Of course, learning about his death at some unknown point in the future greatly disturbed him. but what got under his skin the most, was the fact that going by what Subaru had said, Felt the Royal candidate that he had sworn to protect as her knight would die, meaning that he would completely fail at his duty, and ultimately give Subaru crippling survivors guilt because of him being the only survivor.

Reinhard felt a tap on his shoulder, pulling him out of his downward spiral into his own psyche, looking over he saw that it was none of her the centrepiece of his thoughts.

"Hey Rein... Is T-this what it's L-like for H-him?" The little blonde's voice trembled noticeably, her head tilted downwards casting a shadow over her eyes. Reinhard didn't immediately pick up on what exactly felt was referring to, however as a mortified expression appeared on his face, he realised exactly what she was talking about.

"Is this what It feels like for Subaru when he... C-C-comes back" Felt tried her absolute hardest to keep her voice under control, trying to swallow the quickly forming lump in her throat before continuing, "Is this really what it feels like... K-knowing you're G-going to D-die... A-and there's N-nothing you can do about it"

Reinhard felt each word hit him like a gut punch, especially the last part of her sentence. Was this how Subaru felt?

Was this how he felt every time he experienced return by death, having to experience the horrific feeling of knowing the exact circumstances surrounding his impending death.

It was truly horrific and something that Reinhard would never wish upon anyone, even the most evil and vial of people did not deserve this kind of horrific mental torture.

"Felt, I'm sure there's something we can do to-" Reinhard didn't even get to finish as felt quickly interrupted him.

"Don't give me that crap reinhart!" Felt shouted, catching Reinhard off guard as she quickly continued on her rant, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. "You heard what the warden said at the beginning of all this! This is the future we're watching for crying out loud! That means this will happen and we will... D-die" the tone and intensity of her voice gradually trailed off with each word, the final word being barely above a whisper, as tears freely began to fall down her cheeks.

Momentarily flabbergasted by her outburst Reinhard looked at Felt, watching she quickly turned away from him, trying to hide the silent tears that were running down her cheeks. This was one of the very few moments where the tough and strong façade that Felt put on crumbled away completely, reminding the red-headed swordsman that she was still a young girl who was still susceptible to existential dread like anyone.

Swallowing the lump in his, Reinhard quickly spoke. "Felt, I understand how you are feeling... knowing that my death could be on the horizon... It scares me as well" Reinhard paused, his words catching Felt's attention she turned to look at him, the tears still streaming down her face.

"But even if our deaths are imminent... there is... No! There is something we can do to change it" Reinhard put as much conviction into his voice as he could manage, thinking about his words before continuing.

"If watching these viewings, and having Subaru as my friend has taught me anything... the future is not set in stone and can be changed... All we have to do is have the will to change it" Reinhard finished his speech, looking at Felt's face her expression was slightly unreadable. However, she quickly wiped her eyes, desperately trying to get rid of the now-drying tears on her cheeks before she looked up at him.

"I guess you're right... if Subaru never gives up, then I guess I can't either" Despite trying to sound like her usual self, the slight trembling in Felt's voice was noticeable. Yet Reinhard was just thankful that his words had the desired effect on her, yet before either one of them could say anything, a new voice made itself known.

"I couldn't agree more Reinhard... I refuse to believe that our fates have been decided for us" Julius said, walking up to the row of seats that Reinhard and Felt were currently sitting in, Anastasia trailing behind and coming to a stop next to him as she quickly spoke as well.

"Julius is very much correct, I don't know if Subaru considers me a friend... But the one thing I've learnt from my time being around him is that with a strong enough will and commitment, even events seemingly set in stone can be changed" Anastasia said with a conviction that left no room for doubt.

Although she was caught off guard and overwhelmed with emotion, she understood that the future wasn't predetermined. With the right actions, she could alter her destiny and escape any potential grim fate.

Felt despite still feeling somewhat horrified about her potential upcoming death, she would be lying if she said she didn't feel at least somewhat better. After hearing what Julius Anastasia and Reinhardt had said about changing the future. and she supposed it was the truth, Subaru despite suffering many horrific deaths, had always managed to change fate to avoid dying in the same way twice, so who was to say they couldn't do the same?

Fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat, Otto unconsciously rubbed the same area where the cut on his cheek had appeared earlier, courtesy of the phantom Diadora. Wincing as he caught himself doing it, a small droplet of blood trickling out of the now-disturbed cut.

His mind was occupied with thoughts of his seemingly impending death if the on-screen Subaru's words for anything to go by. it certainly weighed on his mind, but before he could truly spiral downwards into those dark thoughts, He felt somebody somewhat aggressively tap him on the shoulder causing him to jump nearly 10 feet into the air as he turned to look at the culprit.

"Hey, Otto. You're right over there man?" Garfiel's words and expression were noticeably calm much to Otto's confusion.

After a moment of hesitation, Otto finally responded. "I'm not alright Garfiel... How could I be after what Subaru said!?" Otto let the emotion overcome him as his voice raised considerably.

Garfiel however did not flinch continuing to look at the grey-haired merchant with an almost passive expression before closing his eyes and letting out a sigh.

"Listen, Otto, it sure as hell is scary I understand that, but I think you're blowing this up way too much" Each one of Garfiel's words made Otto feel incredulous, the fact that he was telling him to calm down, even though he basically had his death prophesied right in front of his eyes was practically a slap in the face.

"H-H-how... How can you expect me to be calm?!" Otto practically shouted, grabbing hold of Garfiel's shoulders and shaking him vigorously, to which Garfiel's only reaction was a slight surprise and a bit of annoyance at being shaken so violently.

"For crying out loud... Have you not been paying attention at all!" Garfiel growing tired of being shaken by the grey-haired boy, quickly released himself from Otto's grip, before quickly planting his hands onto the grey-haired merchant's shoulders.

Taking a moment to breathe, Garfiel began to speak. "I understand you're scared, hell to be honest I am a little B-bit myself" his voice noticeably jittering, Garfiel quickly swallowed the forming lump in his throat before continuing.

"But the reason I'm not pissing myself right now is because watching this shit show" Taking one of his arms off Otto's shoulders he gestured to the screen picking up where he had left off. "And more importantly, watching Cap's memories has sure as hell shown me that the future is not set, and can be changed... And that's why I'm not scared Otto, because if Cap can change the future and avoid dying, then I think we sure as hell can if we try hard enough!" Garfiel finished his speech by jabbing a finger into Otto's chest, hard enough to get the message across but also not enough to actually hurt the more fragile grey-haired man.

Otto simply stared at the blonde-haired boy, his worry about his potentially upcoming demise not decreasing in the slightest. although the longer he thought about it the more he suppose that Garfiel did have a point. Subaru's example was slightly different from all of theirs, considering that every time he died he always resurrected, knowing the exact circumstances around his upcoming death. But ultimately the point remained that if Subaru could do it then maybe they could as well...

"I couldn't have put it any better myself Garfiel..."

A familiar voice suddenly made both Garfiel and Otto, turn and look, seeing it was none other than Frederica, nodding in agreement to her brother's words.

"Subaru has shown us that changing one's destiny is possible... so I choose to believe that we can avert our upcoming demise" Frederica said confidently, even though deep down she was slightly terrified at the prospect of dying. It didn't change the fact that she wasn't just going to sit there and then it happened... especially not when she had people like a certain excitable young maid in training to look after.

"Yeah! If Big Brother Subaru can stop bad things from happening then we can as well" Petra excitedly jumped in, waving her arms up and down excitedly, causing Frederica to chuckle quietly as she gently patted the young girl's head.

Garfiel and Otto looked at each other, the grey-haired fear still deeply settled in his gut like a lead weight, but seeing how confident Garfiel, Frederica and Petra were, made him crack a small but hesitant smile.

While everyone in the front rows continued to mingle and speak with each other. Al sat in complete silence, occasionally stealing glances at the unconscious red-headed woman next to him, compared to earlier she had noticeably gone still, which at first did concern Al, although thankfully even though it was quite shallow she was still breathing.

"Princess you're starting to scare me... you better wake up soon" Al spoke quietly under his breath, his gaze tracing the lines of Priscilla's face, as he observed her silent and still form, silently hoping and even praying that she would wake up soon.

Giving Priscilla one last glance Al quickly got up from his seat, stretching his remaining arm over his head as he stretched, feeling and hearing the pops and cracks of his back as his spine finally decompressed after so long of sitting in one spot.

Quietly making his way past the sleeping woman, the one-armed man stepped out into the long row that flanked the theatre seats, intent on making his way down to the front rows and conversing with Reinhard and Julius, who were currently preoccupied with their conversations with their respective royal candidates and other camp members.

However, as he was about to take a step, a sudden and inexplicable sensation washed over him, causing him to freeze in his tracks. Slowly and cautiously, he turned his head to look behind him, and for a fleeting moment, a vision appeared before his eyes that he could scarcely believe.

Amidst the darkness at the far end of the theatre, he thought he saw a dimly glowing monolith, its form resembling a helix. The image was so quick and unexpected that Al questioned whether it was merely a trick of the light, a figment of his imagination. Yet, a lingering sense of unease persisted within him, as if the monolith had been a real entity, a mysterious and inexplicable presence lurking in the shadows.

As Al gazed into the darkened back of the theatre, his heart began to beat faster with every passing moment. Determined to move to the front, he turned his head. However, his gaze was abruptly halted by something that almost caused his eyes to bulge out of his skull.

Priscilla's eyes... they were open…

Al for a brief moment felt a joy overtake him, watching with bewilderment as Priscilla's eyes lazily traced around her immediate surroundings. Yet as Al opened his mouth to say something he suddenly stopped when he noticed something that immediately caused his blood to go cold.

Her gaze landed on him, her eyes staring into his and seemingly into his very soul...

they were lifeless and empty...

Priscilla's beautiful and amber eyes, which were usually full of life and confidence were completely blank and featureless, and the longer that she stared into Al's eyes, the more he saw something begin to form in her deep amber orbs. It was subtle at first yet the look of pure derangement and insanity gradually grew in intensity as a wicked and deranged smile spread its way across Priscilla's pristine face.

Feeling a strange and paralysing fear overtake him, Al couldn't move his body as he watched Priscilla slowly rise from her seat, a slow and low chuckling emanating from her throat, as she raised her hand above her head, and to the helmeted man's pure bewilderment something began to form in the palm of her hand, something that he was all too familiar with yet he knew should have been impossible to be summoned in the theatre.

At first, it was formless and indistinct, looking like nothing more than a loose shadowy outline. Yet the more he looked the quicker it began to take shape, the handle fully materialising first before the blade slowly solidifying before his eyes.

However, the longer he looked at the familiar blade, the more he felt a horrific sinking feeling forming in the pit of his stomach, its usual bright crimson blade that glowed with the power of the sun was noticeably dulled, the bright fiery red crystal in the pommel also having lost its vigour, looking like nothing more than a dull red rock inset into the almost tarnished looking gold of the pommel.

Al opened his mouth to speak at that moment, but no words escaped his lips as if his body was frozen in place. His gaze was fixated on Priscilla, who held the Sword of Vollachia aloft. Her deranged stare slowly trailed up the blade before she abruptly released it, letting the mighty sword fall under its weight, handle still in her grasp. The tip impacted the carpeted floor, sending substantial reverberations beneath Al's feet, akin to a miniature earthquake.

He tried with all of his might to move his body, watching as Priscilla slowly began to come towards him, her steps slow and deliberate as if she were a Predator on the hunt, quietly stalking her prey. The swords still loosely in her gasp trailing behind, gouging a deep path into the wooden floorboards, which was accompanied by the most horrific scraping cracking noise as the wood gave almost no resistance to the supernatural blade.

turning his head away for a moment, Al suddenly found his hand reaching for the spot where his blade was usually kept only stopping when he realised what he was doing. it was as if his body instinctively knew that what was in front of him was a danger even if it was Priscilla. Snapping his gaze dead ahead, the helmet at knight came face the face with the very individual that had caused his body to react on its own like that.

Priscilla's face was alarmingly close, a mere few inches from his own. Her deranged gaze seemed to drill into the depths of his soul. His eyes, hidden behind his helmet's faceplate, widened in apprehension and fear.

"Prince-" Al didn't get a chance to finish his words, whatever he was about to say completely dying in his throat,

With deliberate, slow movements, Al's eyes trailed downwards. A warm, metallic-tasting liquid rose in his throat as his gaze finally rested upon...

The sword…

The Sword of Vollachia... Priscilla's sword, the very object that showed that she was royalty... It was embedded in his stomach almost up to the hang guard.

Al felt his gaze slowly trailer up, his eyes resting upon Priscilla's once more, yet as he stared into those Amber orbs, he came to a disturbing and haunting realisation, one that was accompanied by a wet ragged cough as blood splattered through the mouthpiece of his helmet.

This wasn't Priscilla anymore...

Al felt his legs give out beneath him, quickly falling to his knees with the swords still implanted directly in his gut, letting out another wet ragged cough as blood spilt from between the gaps of the faceplate of his helmet. Yet as his vision began to blur, he suddenly felt his head be pulled upwards, his eyes coming to rest on the face of Priscilla now spotted with small specs of blood, which combined with her insane smile and demented look in her eyes, only added to the scene of horror before him.

Priscilla leaned in closer, holding his head gently with one of her hands in an almost loving fashion, quietly whispering something into his ear that made his blood run cold.

"Don't worry... Soon it will all be over... Soon we will all be made whole..."

Al watched in groin horror and confusion as Priscilla pulled her head back, the wicked smile on her face growing as she began to slowly and deliberately twist the sword currently embedded in his stomach. The pain was immeasurable yet Al couldn't scream, both because his throat was full of blood and because he simply had no energy to do so, black spots beginning to form at the corners of his vision.

Yet just when he thought this was the end, something unexpected happened. At an almost impossibly slow speed, a furry yellow fist quickly connected with Priscilla's face, the helmeted man watching an almost vivid detail the way that Priscilla's cheeks contorted and smashed under the fist before she was suddenly launched across the theatre. The sound of her body smashing into something off in the distance was easily audible as he found himself quickly falling back simply not having the strength to keep himself upright.

However before he could hit the ground he felt somebody quickly catch him in their arms, his blurry vision making it hard to identify the person at first, but after a moment his eyes finally adjusted, sluggishly widening as he saw exactly who it was.

"R-Rein... H-hart" Al barely had the energy to speak, his words coming out as a raspy whisper. Looking up at the red-headed swordsman's face Al sluggishly noted the horrified yet angered expression on Reinhard's face, sword Saint's concerned gaze lingering on him for a moment before hardening considerably before turning towards something off in a direction that Al couldn't see.

Al heard a large Commotion happen around him, the sounds of muffled voices and panicked footsteps being just barely audible over the sound of his heart beating in his ears. However, the helmeted man felt his eyelids beginning to grow heavy, his vision darkening to the point where Reinhard's face was nothing more than a blurry shape. Even the sound of his heartbeat which he could hear clear as day as if it was beating in his ears, was beginning to slow.

He should have felt panicked, he should have tried everything in his bodily control to keep his eyes open... Yet Al simply just couldn't, it was too much of a struggle, because he simply just didn't have the energy to do it.

'Is this it then?'

'After everything... Is this really how I die'

Al wasn't scared of the prospect of death, both because of the power he possessed and because he was simply the kind of man who had long accepted that one day his time would run out... But still, as the darkness continued to overtake him, all sounds from the outside world dying away completely, he couldn't help but feel a myriad of emotions overtake him, everything from primal panic down to confusion.

What had made Priscilla do it? something that happened to her while she was asleep that much Al was certain of, but what exactly could have happened to her or she had seen in her dreams to make her do something like that to him? sure their relationship was never what people would consider healthy, with her often physically hurting him for one reason or another, yet actually killing him was something that never in his life he could have foreseen or imagined

But as his vision finally went black and the sounds of the world around him completely faded away, Al resigned himself that he would probably never know the answer to that question, His consciousness feeding to nothing, a ghostly voice whispering directly into his soul as he was consumed by the infinite expanse of blissful nothingness.

Make-us-whole

MaKe-Us-wHoLe!

---

Well, that was certainly quite the event for ending wasn't it? Hopefully, those who have kept up with this story will have enjoyed these chapters, like I said at the top of Chapter 7, writing these two chapters took me far longer than I would have possibly liked primarily because of lots of personal life stuff. But that's all behind me now so hopefully I can focus more of my time on finishing this story, and continuing the others I have on the back burner.

I also want to say thank you to everyone who continued to favourite and like the story over the time that I wasn't updating it, it might be small and meaningless to you but to me, it means a lot, and it gives me plenty of motivation to continue forward.

Anyway, I don't have too many closing remarks this time around other than I hope you enjoyed the Chapter and I will see you next time.