A/N: Make sure to read the author's note at the end when you've finished. Thanks for all the support thus far!
Chapter Four
The End of Shadows
The large beast before Subaru sent the dust around it flying every time it breathed outwards. The boy still didn't dare move as Meili turned to look at him, her eyes seemingly glazed over, no hint of the little girl Subaru had seen earlier left.
"If Big Sis won't leave the organization with me, then–" The girl's voice cracked and waivered. "The Guiltylowe will make sure… That it all ends here…"
As Meili pulled her hand away from the terrifying beast, Subaru finally managed to find his voice: "I-If that's what you wanted, there's no reason to give up already!"
"Do you wanna know why I'm giving up?"
Subaru stayed silent, taken aback by how distant Meili sounded now. She turned to him and opened her arms, a sense of dread filling the air. It was inexplicable, and Subaru had no idea how she was doing it, but it was like there was a miasma of a presence that surrounded her now, making Subaru's breathing go shallow.
"Because I'm… tired," the young girl said, a sad smile appearing on her face. "I'm tired… This is all I can do! This is what I was born for!"
As tears fell down her face, Subaru saw the large beast behind Meili begin to move. His eyes widened as he saw one of its slender yet powerful front legs rear up. The Guiltylowe's eyes glowed red, and it reared its lips into a low snarl, showing more of its massive fangs. Meili seemed to freeze up, shaking fearfully, not daring to look back.
"W-why…?" The simple question came out as a whisper. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she slowly turned her head towards the beast…
"Get out of the way–!" Subaru ran forward, nearly stumbling and falling as it took everything he had to move. But he was too late– The Guiltylowe swiped at the girl, smashing its foreleg into her side with a sickening CRACK and sending the girl tumbling away. "You bastard–!"
As Subaru came close, the beast turned away slowly, its tail whipping out in a flash to snap his legs out from under him. He let out a gasp of pain, a gash on one leg as he peeled over and held onto it.
"Damn… That hurts!" The boy gazed at his wound for a moment, before looking back up, seeing that the Guiltylowe had started to walk away. "Hey, am I not worth killing or what?!"
Gritting his teeth, Subaru barely managed to hobble up to his feet, limping over towards where Meili had skidded to a stop. Once he came close, he allowed himself to fall onto his good knee, panting from the effort and the pain that was shooting up through him.
"Meili!" The boy slowly turned the girl over, noticing the small puddle of blood beneath her and the crimson stain that was soaking through her clothes. Sweating from exertion, Subaru removed his jacket and the contents of its pockets, bundling it up and pressing it against her side. For a moment he seemed to press too hard, the girl letting out a gasp, til he let up slightly, unsure of what to do. "Hey, stay with me now–"
The girl's eyes opened slowly, looking up at Subaru weakly. The boy looked all around for anyone who could help– But there was nobody. Everyone was dealing with a fight that Subaru had no idea about in the warehouse. And now there seemed to be a wild demon beast who was going to do who knows what…
Subaru felt useless, and he hated that feeling very much.
There was no talking his way out of this situation. If he died, he could do it all again, yet… It didn't feel right. Could he really muster up the courage and mental fortitude to go through all of this again?
"You're awake, right? Keep the pressure on your side," Subaru told the girl, grabbing one of her arms and guiding it to his track suit that had now become bloodied at her side. Then he stood, wincing at the pain in his right leg. "I'm… going."
"W-Why…" Meili's voice came out like a whisper, her already pale complexion even paler. "You c-can't…" She trailed off, eyes welling up with tears.
"Can't what, stop that thing?" Subaru smirked, even as his courage was wavering just by looking at the beast. "You're damned right. I'll just keep going til I inevitably fail, that's just how I do it."
All talk, no action, he thought as he stood there for a moment. It was easy to imagine himself rushing in and heroically battling the demon beast… So what was stopping him? Why did he still feel so alone in this world?"
"Su–"
He looked down towards Meili again, seeing her reaching her hand that wasn't holding onto the track suit into her cloak, pulling out her dagger that Subaru had seen her utilize before.
"Subaru… I'll…" She sniffled, lifting the small blade towards him with a shaky hand, her voice small and weak. "I'll be—believe in.. y-you.."
As her grip faltered and she dropped the dagger, Subaru caught it in one hand, while his other grasped her hand. It took everything in his power to ignore the shooting pain going up his leg as he gave the girl the best smile he could.
"I'll take care of it then," Subaru said coolly, before releasing her hand and turning towards the demon beast that was still trudging down the street, its head and tail swaying slowly as if searching for prey. Night was falling upon them, but the creature's large form was easy to make out. "I'm going on ahead."
With that, Subaru ran forward straight into danger. It hurt like hell to be doing so, but for the first time since arriving in this strange new world, Subaru felt confident that he'd survive, that he could really make a difference. He could, in theory, reset it all with Return by Death, but he had a reason to make this one count–
After all, someone had just said that they believed in him.
Letting out a battle cry, Subaru held the dagger facing outwards from himself in his right hand, something he'd seen in plenty of movies, so it seemed effective enough of a grip. The Guiltylowe turned its head towards him, letting out a small snarl as it moved, its large body blocking most of the road ahead of him so there wasn't any way to maneuver to either side. The adrenaline pumping through his veins made it easier to move despite his painful injury, but how long that would last was anyone's guess.
"Come on kitty, show me what you've got," Subaru taunted as he got close.
He maneuvered to the left, deciding that its tail was much too fast to do anything about. As he got close, the Guiltylowe opened its jaws and snapped towards him with enough power to likely break his body in two.
Subaru kicked off with his left leg to dodge this assault, tucking and rolling right beneath the beast's legs, coming out onto its other side. As soon as he started to stand, the beast had already brought its rear around, its tail whipping towards him in a flash. Subaru managed to fall back just as it sliced through the air, nearly taking his head off.
"How's it fair being several powerful animals at once?!" Subaru ran forward, slashing with the dagger in his hand. Before he could get close enough, one of the beast's powerful arms swatted him back. He tumbled for a bit, before managing to catch himself, letting out grunts and groans of pain. Glancing down at his leg, the wound was covered in dirt and looked even worse than before. "You're lucky I'm nerfed right now, or you'd totally be– Ah!"
As Subaru looked up again, the Guiltylow was upon him. He dove away as it came close, causing its face to slam into the wall. He thrusted upwards with the dagger, managing to pierce up into the beast's stomach. He expected to elicit some sign of pain, but the powerful beast merely kicked him hard with its hind leg, knocking the air out of him as he rolled backwards.
Crap… Can't… Breathe…!
Subaru gasped for air on his back, seeing from his peripheral vision that the Guiltylowe was turning and charging at him again. In a matter of seconds it would all be over…
"I'll believe in… you…"
"I will be forced to trust you yet again, Subaru."
The words of Meili and Julius, the only two people who Subaru had gotten to know most in this world, echoed in his mind. He wondered if it was his life flashing before his eyes, regretful memories haunting him for his failures. He thought about dying and resetting with Return by Death…
But that would mean he'd given up.
No way… in hell…!
The beast attempted to bring its front legs down in a powerful strike to finish Subaru off, but the boy suddenly rolled forward, finding the hilt of the dagger as his hands flailed blindly. Grabbing hold of it with all his might, he let out a breathless yell as he twisted it and brought it forwards with himself, dragging it along towards the flank of the beast as he moved.
This things tough! He gritted his teeth, struggling to cut further and further, the beast starting to make angered snarls. Subaru had hoped to slice it cleanly open, but that just wasn't possible– Still, he'd left a nice gouge in the side of its stomach now, and that damage wasn't something it could ignore–
CRACK! The beast's tail smacked into Subaru's left arm, making him release the dagger as it felt like his bones had been shattered, screaming out in agony. Then it pushed him away with the force of its body, sending him to the ground a few yards away, writhing and holding his tattered arm, the pain in his gashed leg seeming like nothing in comparison.
Agh…. That… Hurts… So much…!
Unable to think of anything but the pain, Subaru found himself face-to-face with the large fangs of the beast as he looked up again. He couldn't even process the fear of that immediately, glaring into the beast's glowing red eyes.
Ah… So… This is where..I die.
He closed his eyes for the inevitable to come. It would hurt like hell, but he could survive, reset the day, and...
Subaru was scared. He didn't want to die, to feel intense pain. What else could he do, though? His power over this world was forfeit in the face of such a threat. It felt like an eternity as he awaited his brutal demise-
But it never happened.
Instead, Subaru heard strange noises of rushing winds and felt the ground shake as the beast seemed to move away from him. As he slowly opened his eyes, he saw someone standing before him now, and looking across the road, the beast was slowly getting up, several small wounds tattered across its body.
"What… dramatic timing," he managed to say, smirking in his delirious state of pain and exhaustion.
Subaru's savior lowered their hand and turned to him, their red eye gazing down at him without any sign of emotion or worry for his well-being.
"Have you suffered enough?" The pink-haired girl's cloak fluttered in the nighttime breeze.
"What kind of question… is that?" Subaru used his good leg to slowly rise, his body trembling from the effort. As he managed to stand, clutching his left arm, he smirked at the strange girl. "Of course I haven't! This… ain't nothin' yet!"
The girl seemed surprised by his answer, especially in regards to his condition. As she moved her hand, Subaru expected her to attack him like she had once before, but instead… She bowed, placing the hand to her chest in a polite manner.
"I see. Excuse my rudeness," she stated. "Please accept my master's regards. He wished to… Test you."
"Your… master?" Subaru was in too much of a state to understand anything right now.
"Roswaal L Mathers," the girl answered firmly, standing again. "He wishes for you to visit his mansion soon. Consider this a lucky invitation."
"Lucky..?" Subaru scoffed. "Just.. Who the hell.. Are you?"
A snarl turned their attention to the Guiltylowe, which had recovered and was slowly stalking towards them, its tail standing at the ready. It didn't appear to be bleeding any longer, and Subaru wondered if the insane beast really could heal that quickly.
"If you come with me now, you can find that out," she replied to his question.
Subaru blinked at the girl, shaking his head. "Now? Sorry but I've got a lot to take care of here already."
The girl nodded and turned, starting to walk off. "Then we shall await your visit."
"H-Hey what the hell–! Gah!" Subaru turned to yell at the girl as she just walked away from the fight, but gasped as his leg gave out on him, falling face-first into the dirt. He rolled over onto his side, half expecting the beast to come tear his head off, but, instead, he saw something unexpected.
Meili stood beside the beast, holding onto its neck. She had her forehead pressed against the side of its head, and seemed to be whispering something.
"M-Meili! What are you–" Subaru tried to get up, but found it difficult. His body was protesting his every movement now, fighting against his will. "That thing will… kill you!"
After a few moments, she took a weak step backwards. The Guiltylowe turned its head towards the girl, and Subaru braced himself for what might happen… But, to his surprise, the beast turned and began to walk away, towards the outer areas of the Poor District.
"Huh…"
Subaru had wondered why the girl had always carried a demon beast with her. Instead of a companion like he had assumed, perhaps it was an asset, if this girl had some sort of calling for dealing with them. The fact that the Guiltylowe had shown up at all was possibly proof of that fact as well.
"Hey!" Subaru watched as Meili collapsed to the ground. He reached out with his good hand and began to drag himself, alternating with his only usable arm and leg, moving painfully slowly till he finally reached the girl's side. Blood was pooling beneath her, faster than it had been before. "You idiot.. You should've just waited for help!"
The girl's eyes weakly trained onto Subaru. To his surprise, she managed a small smile.
"I knew.. You were… useless."
At those words, Subaru couldn't help but tear up. He'd failed again. She was going to die in front of him, and then everything he'd worked for would be for nothing…
Return by Death was the only option, wasn't it? His only grasp of power over this world— To struggle and fight all over again.
Meili closed her eyes as Subaru's tears fell upon her face. He grasped one of her small cold hands in his own, cursing his lack of power over this world…
"Subaru… Please move away."
That regal voice that should have sparked hope merely irritated Subaru, who had assumed all was lost. He looked up and glared at Julius for a moment, before noticing just how bad of a state the knight was in.
His blade was nowhere to be found, and the man was holding onto his left arm, where blood was trickling down it. The rest of his once elegant white uniform was tattered and marked, and there even seemed to be a buildup of frost along his head and shoulders.
"What… happened..?" Subaru managed to pull himself away as Julius knelt down and offered his hand towards Meili. The blue spirit Subaru had seen before emerged and began to emit a light that made the air around the girl feel warmer.
"Nothing good," the knight stated, his face looking exhausted. "My brother should have gathered more knights to come assist by now… But…" He looked pained, something Subaru had yet to see from Julius. "This is all I can do for now, if you can hold on longer."
"Heh, what makes you.. Say that?"
"You look to be as close to death as this girl is."
"No way," Subaru insisted, his eyes growing heavier as he watched the knight work his magic on Meili. "I'm just… Feeling… a bit tired."
"Subaru? Subaru!"
Darkness rushed to greet Subaru as he finally passed out, succumbing to his weariness and blood loss…
The black abyss surrounded Subaru. He felt like he was wading through a pool of sludge as he tried to move within it, desperately searching for something…
"I'm here for you."
The gentle voice of a woman echoed all around him. Subaru wasn't sure, but it felt like she was behind him… But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find her. He couldn't speak, and he couldn't feel himself breathing– He was trapped in this warped world of darkness with no way to escape.
"Whatever you desire.. I will help you."
Subaru saw a light begin to trickle in through the darkness. He reached out towards it, watching as someone moved through the light to come and grasp his hand. It was like he was seeing an angel– A woman of all white with no discernable features besides her long, flowing hair.
At that moment, Subaru suddenly found himself able to speak.
"I'll… save you," he muttered, feeling a strange sense of cold radiating from the woman's touch, instead of a comforting warmth. Despite that fact, there was a longing for her touch that resonated into his very soul.
Subaru wasn't sure how he knew due to her lack of features, but… he was certain that she had smiled at that moment.
Then, the darkness was dispelled, and light became his entire world.
As Subaru opened his eyes to the blurry sight of the sky above, he struggled with the fading memory of his dream. He reached up towards the sky, feeling like he needed to do so, to find someone waiting for him there… But there was nothing.
That's when he realized that there was a hand grasping his already. Blinking, Subaru looked at the small pale hand, then over at the girl who was kneeling beside him, her green eyes glittering with tears reflected by the moonlight above.
It was starting to come back to him. Subaru suddenly sat up, gasping at the pain that shot through him as he did so, looking around in a flurry of panic.
What happened? I'm… Alive?
Then he looked over towards Meili at his side, the girl looking at him in surprise, as if he had just come back to life before her very eyes. The fact that she had been holding his hand… Subaru felt bad for startling her. So, he decided he needed to say something cool to dispel her worry.
"Yo! Looks like I slept in, huh?"
Meili smacked Subaru in the face.
"Gah! Hey!" He flinched a bit as the girl started to assault him with weak flails from her fists. "I'm still in immense pain, you know!"
"You're… an idiot!" The girl's exclamation came with sobs as she slowed her assault, and Subaru watched her wipe away tears. "Who do you think you are?!"
"The last thing I remember is you being reckless, so that's my line," Subaru countered.
Meili scowled and was about to hit him again, before somebody approached and knelt down on Subaru's other side. He looked over, seeing that it was none-other than his savior– Julius Juukulius.
"It is quite astounding that you are still here, but one of Lugunica's greatest healers happened to be in town," Julius stated. His uniform had seemingly been replaced, and his injured arm seemed fine again, though his face still showed signs of fatigue. "You have undoubtedly strong willpower, though your decision-making needs extensive work. That's why I had them not quite fully heal you, less you run off and kill yourself."
"Could you not use big words when I just woke up?" Subaru waved a hand dismissively. "Ignoring that last bit… Thanks for saving me, and, well… I guess saving everyone, actually." He sighed, knowing that it was true– Julius had done most of the work. Second to him, Meili had saved Subaru from the Guiltylowe's wrath, so what had he truly accomplished? "And you too, Meili."
The girl shook her head, looking down shamefully. "It's.. my fault… I couldn't control it," she stated sadly. "I got too emotional, and… and… It could've killed everyone!"
"I have heard now that the beast in question often seeks out areas with high-densities of mana," Julius stated. "It is possible the powerful figures here drove it uncontrollable as well."
Subaru watched Meili fight back more tears. He had no idea how much she would blame herself for what had happened, but there was no way he would allow it– After all, she was still a kid, despite everything. He slowly reached out and put a hand on her head, gently patting it as she looked at him with teary eyes.
"I'm alive, aren't I? Plus, you got it to leave in the end, right?" Subaru smiled at her. "Look at who's useless and crying now."
Meili pouted, hiding her tears with her sleeve. Subaru grinned, then looked back to Julius, wondering what he could say after such an intense situation earlier.
"...So, what did I miss?"
Julius ran a hand through his hair, looking distraught. "It is.. A lot to say. We have finished cleaning up here, and I have been excused to return to my duties."
"Your duties?"
Nodding, Julius looked towards Meili. "To return what was stolen, and bring the girl back with me."
Subaru tensed up. For a moment he'd forgotten that they weren't all cheery friends– In fact, Meili had stolen those gemstones from somebody, and Julius had been pursuing her. It was nice that he didn't plan on executing her or something, but it also brought up more questions.
"Can I ask who she stole from?"
"I am afraid that is not something I can divulge to a citizen," Julius stated firmly.
"Tch… Well, if you're taking her, then you'll have to take me too!"
"That is not–"
"Like hell!" Subaru put his good arm across Meili, blocking her from Julius. There was no doubt that he couldn't stop the knight from doing whatever he wanted, but it was more of a show of good will than anything else. "She's already been through a lot. You expect me to let you drag her away with you and be fine with it?"
Julius looked Subaru over before shaking his head. "If you stay here, your shattered arm can be properly treated at the Healing Institute. Otherwise, it is unlikely it can be truly healed for some time."
Subaru looked to his left arm, which was bandaged and casted to where it was stiff and nearly unmovable. He shifted it slightly, finding even that sent pain sparking through his body. I guess healing magic ain't perfect here…
"Subaru," Meili spoke softly. "I'll… be fine." He looked over to the girl, who looked resigned to her fate. "I tried to save my sister, but it's too late… Now I'll pay the price."
"That's not the kind of mature words a kid should be saying," Subaru grumbled, shaking his head. "No matter what happened, there's still time to save her– Wait… What happened during the battle?"
Looking to Julius, the knight didn't answer, standing at attention as a familiar person arrived. Subaru recognized him as Marcos, the large knight in gleaming armor he had bumped into earlier in the day. The way that Julius bowed to the man indicated that Subaru was correct in his assumption that the military-like man was someone of high importance.
"Your transport has been arranged by the Council," Marcos spoke in his neutral yet commanding voice. "If you leave now, then you shall not need to appear before the court until the time of the royal selection ceremony."
"I see, thank you, sir." Julius bowed yet again.
Marcos nodded and turned his attention towards Subaru, who felt nervous under the powerful man's gaze.
"The two of you are only being treated in innocence due to Julius laying himself on the line. Do not cause more trouble, if you respect his position as a Knight."
With that, Marcos bowed slightly before turning and leaving. Subaru looked to Julius, who seemed to have a conflicted air about him. Noticing Subaru's face, the violet-haired man offered a small smile.
"It is alright. I have already begun to sheathe my duties to the Royal Guard in favor of my new appointed position," he stated. "What is a knight if not someone who will sacrifice themselves for the others?"
Subaru once again wondered if he hated or liked this guy, but based on what it sounded like, he had really stuck out his neck for them. So, he bowed his head to Julius.
"Either way… Thanks Julius," Subaru said.
"Hm.. I would not thank me yet. If you truly must accompany us," he said with a sigh. "You would also be required to be bound, like her."
"Tch, like a prisoner or somethin'," Subaru mumbled. Then he noticed Meili's expression and decided to alleviate the mood a bit, clapping his hands together once loudly. "Alright! Then Prisonbaru it is! Take me away!"
"That's quite the opposite reaction one should have, but you are always surprising it seems," Julius said with a smirk. "We shall be leaving very shortly. As long as you remain in this area, nobody will bother you, if you wish to move— Though I would not recommend that in your state."
With that, Julius walked away. Subaru looked to Meili who still seemed down, rightfully so. It would take a while for her to get over what was happening, but that was alright.
If I stay alive, then this good route I'm on can remain, Subaru told himself. He patted the soft mat he was lying on before starting to rise.
"Hey! Don't move," Meili protested. "That cat-eared healer didn't heal you all the way!"
"It'll be fine— Wait, cat-ears?.. Ow," Subaru insisted as he got up, trying to avoid using his left arm. His leg was bandaged and didn't hurt too much, feeling only a bit sore as he rose, looking around at their surroundings for the first time since awakening.
There were torches alight in certain places now, illuminating the dirt road of the Poor District. Several knights were standing around, some chatting and some seemingly keeping guard. In particular, two of them were standing in front of the doorway to the nearby warehouse. It seemed like they had created a secure perimeter around the area.
Checking out the warehouse, he noticed it looked much worse than it had before. They did a number on that place, I didn't even notice! But… Subaru rubbed his chin, looking around. If that place is that ruined, why are they guarding it?
He didn't notice any other victims of the battle. Rom, Felt, the half-elf… None of them were around. Elsa as well was missing, though if she was alive, he figured she would have escaped when things got harrowing.
"I'll be right back, I wanna check it out," Subaru told the girl, taking a step forward. He stopped when she suddenly tugged at his arm.
"I-I'm going too."
He blinked at her, then smirked. "Alright alright. You'll make sure I don't get killed, right?"
"I can't promise that," she muttered disdainfully. Subaru laughed and continued on with her in-tow.
Approaching the knights at the entrance, they gazed at the two sternly. Both were well-built, sporting shorts swords at their waists, certainly not as elegant as the blade that Julius utilized.
"No citizens are allowed entry, I apologize," one of them said.
"Can I ask why? I knew some people there, and I just wanted to—" As Subaru moved forward, they came closer together to block him off. He scowled. "Can ya at least tell me everyone was okay from the battle?"
"Information is restricted at this time," the other knight stated firmly.
Subaru looked to Meili, who gave him a devious look. He nodded in understanding and backed away, mock saluting to the knights.
"Right! Sorry for intruding!"
With that, the two walked away, and then slowly trailed around to the side of the building. Meili seemed to grasp Subaru's arm tighter as they passed the bloodied spot where her demon beast had been slain before. The body of the beast was nowhere to be found, but Subaru figured it was likely destroyed by the knights.
With a name like 'demon beasts', I assume they don't always have a good rep.
They managed to find a window that had once been boarded up, but was now broken open. It was a bit high up, and Subaru's attempts to clamber up to see didn't work well in his current state.
"Give me a lift, I've got this," Meili said.
"If you insist, shorty." Subaru knelt a bit and offered his hand. Meili stepped on it and he boosted her up onto his shoulders. He winced at the pain in his left arm, but stayed firm. "What do you see?"
Meili peered through the window silently for a few moments. Anticipation was eating at Subaru as he did his best not to look up, figuring it would be incredibly disrespectful to the young girl whose dress was exposed.
"I don't know what I'm looking at," she admitted. "It's… There's ice everywhere."
"Ice..?" Subaru recalled the frost he had seen on Julius, as well as the half-elf girl's magic. "Do you see a girl with pale skin, silver hair, and adorable elf ears?"
"I think so… But…" The girl hesitated, as if wondering how to say it. "It's like she's.. trapped in ice."
Subaru wanted to know what that meant exactly, but that's when someone cleared their throat and he gasped. Meili let out a yelp as she toppled off of Subaru, and he barely managed to catch her to stop her from hitting the ground.
Joshua was standing nearby, looking at them intensely. Subaru was starting to wonder if he had any other expression besides hostility when looking at someone who wasn't Julius.
"You are not causing more trouble for the great Spirit Knight, are you?"
Does this guy have a big brother complex or something..?!
"They wouldn't let us in, so we did our own snooping," Meili said proudly as Subaru let her down, crossing her arms defiantly.
"Hmph… ruffians," Joshua muttered before continuing on in a normal tone. "Ahem— If you will follow me, there is somebody who has requested your presence, surprisingly, Natsuki Subaru."
"That 'surprisingly' was totally unnecessary," Subaru commented. But without saying anymore, Joshua walked off briskly, forcing the two of them to follow quickly.
Down the road from Rom's warehouse, a small tent had seemingly been set up, with torches lit in front of it, a single knight standing guard. He nodded as Joshua approached with a bow. As he stepped aside, Joshua opened the tent flap, ushering them inside. Subaru reluctantly walked in.
As soon as he did, Felt headbutted him, hard. Stumbling backwards, Subaru was only able to stay standing as Meili propped him up with all her might, the boy seeing stars.
"What was that for?!" Meili glared at the blonde girl, who was rubbing her forehead.
"I should headbutt you too—!" Felt stepped towards Meili, who hid behind Subaru and used him as a shield.
"Wha—" Subaru shook his head, coming to again. He reached forward and flicked Felt on the forehead. "What the hell was that?"
"Ow ow ow—" Felt scowled and rubbed her head, glaring up at Subaru. "Because of you bringing that stupid knight.. I lost everything!"
Subaru raised an eyebrow, looking past the girl to see that Rom was lying on the ground beside the single raised mat in the tent, likely because he was so big he took up half of the room. His snoring indicated that he was alive and in a deep sleep, bandages all over his body.
"Well, you're alive, right? So…?"
"But the insignia!" Felt scowled and wriggled her fingers, as if trying to grasp something that wasn't there. "Now nobody can get it!"
"What, did it break?" Subaru didn't really care about whatever the insignia was, since it seemed to be the cause of all of this mischief.
Felt pointed towards the tent wall. "No, it's trapped with that stupid half-elf!"
This piqued Subaru's interest. While Julius wouldn't tell him anything, this girl was there. Maybe she could fill him in a bit.
"She's trapped in ice, right?"
"Yeah, after she nearly died and we did too," Felt said, rubbing her head as if recollecting the events. "And… Something came out, a spirit, and suddenly everything got all icey!"
"W-what about big si— I mean… Elsa Granhiert…" Meili asked nervously.
"Hmph, she got the heck out of there," Felt said with a shrug. "I'd be frozen if it weren't for that pretty-boy knight. What a pain though.. The girl's got the insignia and it's trapped forever! Such a waste of time, and the warehouse…"
As Felt went off on a childish tangent, Meili seemed to light up at the news that her sister was okay. This made Subaru smile.
In the end, everything seems alright, though…
Subaru thought about the half-elf girl. Something about the way she had looked made Subaru feel something— Like a sense of loss, which was unexplainable to him.
Who are you…?
He may never know. Being encased in ice sounded like a death sentence, but done on purpose by a spirit… Perhaps she was being preserved, and that's why the knights were being protective of it? It was impossible to tell, but he did hope she was alright in the end.
As his mind wandered, Subaru recalled the details of his first day, realizing the scope of this new world, and that there was a lot more going on than it seemed.
"Have you suffered enough yet?"
Those words echoed in his mind, their meaning vague yet frightening.
Roswaal L Mathers… Return by Death…
Subaru reached over and patted Meili's head as he was deep in thought, the girl looking confused by his serious expression.
Why.. was I brought here?
End of Arc I - First Day from Zero
Next Chapter: Unspoken Words
Beginning of Arc II - Iron-Blooded Beasts
A/N: While this was a bit short, expect every arc going forward to be longer! (Arc 1 is normally fairly short to be fair—) There will also be some EX chapters eventually to fill in missing gaps. I think the first one will show Emilia's journey in this alternate route, as well as the fateful battle at Rom's warehouse from her perspective so that we can see it properly, but we'll see what I end up doing!~
Ciao for now!~
