Chapter 28: A darkness awaits
Sora continues to run into the forest with everything he got, attempting to reach the group in time before Garfiel decides to do something reckless. As he runs and runs with everything he got, prior to this Subaru and his group begin to talk as they meet up with Ram. She makes a joke on how they take too long before telling them that they should get going yet Subaru wishes to speak with Roswaal, knowing that there is something that'll help him regarding getting Beatrice out of the mansion.
"Son, are you sure about this? It would be wiser to get you out of here."
"I know father but I have to talk to him, he might help me out in solving a problem in the mansion."
"We don't have time to waste, Sora-san is doing his best to keep Garfiel busy."
"I know but I can't leave until I speak with Roswaal, he might know something that'll help me in the long run."
"Fine. If that's what you want Barusu but let's be quick about it, Garfiel won't be fooled for long."
Subaru nodded and quickly they all head towards the house where Roswaal resides in with Ram, Otto, and Kenichi guarding the outside while Subaru goes to speak with Roswaal, knowing that the question he has in his mind is why is Beatrice holding a blank book and who is she contracted with.
"My it is gooooood to see you again, Subaru-kun."
"Roswaal, I want you to promise me something."
"Oh, straight to the point, I see. Whaaaaat would you like me to promise you?"
"Answer all of my questions truthfully"
"Alright theeeen, it shouldn't be toooooo hard."
"Let's start off with the first one in mind, what exactly is the gospel. Beatrice mentioned that she was holding a gospel but it is blank for some reason. Why is that?"
"Ah, you have seen the book of wisdom, or well a version of it. The book of wisdom tells one's future, soooo if the pages are empty, that would mean that-"
"-Beatrice's life is done for. Damn, then how do I save her from this?"
"Ask the question."
"Huh?"
"If you are gooooooing to save Beatrice, you will neeeeeed to tell her to ask the question. If that is not sufficient then make sure you tell her that 'you are that person'. If you say it with confidence and with conviction, then she will surely listen to you."
"But why...no wait, I actually have a better question, who made the contract with her?"
"Ah, that question is not mine to answer. I can only answer queeeeestions that I know."
"Oh, so you are not her contractor. Hmm alright then, last question. Are you really my ally?"
"Why of course I am."
Subaru looked at the smiling Roswaal, uncertain if the answers he got were legit yet he had to take them as they are the only leads he got regarding Beatrice. He knew that she wasn't a witch cultist since Sora didn't detect any darkness in her and he had spent enough time with her to know that she isn't one of them. As he was about to leave, Roswaal closes his eyes and warns Subaru,
"You must be cautious now, Subaru-kun. Garfiel might be upon you."
"Thanks for the warning but if this all fails, I am punching you."
Subaru leaves the building and quickly with the others attempts to escape the Sanctuary with the group running into Patrasche. Subaru thinks to himself and realizes that they can't all fit in one ground dragon, making Kenichi and Ram together agree that the best course of action is for Subaru and Otto to leave since both of them are on Garfiel's radar.
"Hold on father, what about you?"
"Don't worry son, your amazing dad will take on that boy should he try something."
"Hmm Barusu's dad is a fool like his son."
"Hey!"
"What are ya talkin about? Mind if I join in?!"
Subaru, Kenichi, Ram, and Otto all four turned towards Garfiel, seeing a red glow around his body to show that he is beyond angry at this point. Subaru pulled out his keyblade, not afraid to fight the boy that kidnapped him. Everyone looks at Garfiel with caution as they know how much of a threat the boy has gotten.
"Shouldn't you be overseeing the trial right now?"
"My job is to protect this Sanctuary! So if the Sanctuary's under threat, you better believe I will take care of that first! You can't escape the eyes of this Sanctuary!"
"Eyes of the Sanctuary?"
"I'm just sayin' your little plans were leaked. So? Where d'ya think you're headin' off to? Well?"
"We're going to get Barusu outside the Sanctuary. He'll cause trouble for you if he stays here, too, so I'd say this works out perfectly for you."
The rage aura around Garfiel disappeared as his attention turned towards Ram, "Think you know what's goin' on in my head, do ya? Damn, there ain't nothin' lovable about you at all. That's what I like about ya, though."
"So what are you saying, sharp tooth."
"Jackass, I told you my name is Garfiel! On the matter of your son, I know damn well it'd be a pain in my ass to keep him here! The thing is...to put it another way, Hoshin was Banan's sunset!"
Otto and Ram were both shocked to hear this while Subaru and his dad were completely dumbfounded by what they heard. Kenichi looked at both Otto and Ram to see what Garfiel meant and saw that they were uneasy by what they heard. This made him realize that this was something that shouldn't be said. Subaru on the other hand began to speak with a smile on his face,
"Oh, really? I still don't understand your idioms at all, but as long as you realize-" Subaru was cut off when he saw Otto and Ram get more protective over him despite how he has one of the most powerful weapons at his disposal. Kenichi noticed this too and quickly grabbed a stick in order to fight with, seeing that things have gotten much more tense.
"What's with you guys?"
"Given your lack of education, you might not have understood that, Barusu."
"'Hoshin was Banan's sunset' is a saying based on the tale of how the legendary trader, Hoshin, brought the small nation of Banan to ruin. It gives your opponent two options: surrender or face an all-out attack."
"Surrender or an all-out attack?" Subaru says in a slightly nervous tone as he can see the red aura in Garfiel's body intensify as his anger is beyond him.
"Garf, are you so dumb that you didn't understand me?"
"You're the one who'd better watch what you say, Ram! Just 'cause I'm hot for ya, that don't mean I won't twist yer arm. Take him back to where he was!"
"Y-You're really fixated on keeping confined, aren't you? Keeping me here is bad, so if you can let me go right now for free, I won't cause you anymore trouble."
"I dunno what the hell you are! That means I can't let you outside!"
"I'm not letting you hurt my son, you stupid boy!"
"Ha! Ya don't got any power against my amazin' self, you will die for protecting a son who is a threat to all of Sanctuary."
"Roswaal would be upset with this-"
"It would upset Roswaal? How much do you think he cares about this place, about the old hag or anyone else?! He doesn't give a damn! Not about you either, Ram!"
"Roswaal-sama i-"
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Garfiel's rage made him punch the tree with enough force to cut it in half, causing it to fall.
"I don't give a shit about that bastard! We're done here! Hand him over!"
"Not so fast!"
Everyone stopped what they were doing to turn towards the voice to see Sora wielding Kingdom Key in his hand. Garfiel's rage skyrocketed when he saw the Keyblade wielder there instead of being in the trial like he told him.
"What...Are...YA DOING HERE?!"
"I'm here to protect my friends. They are my power after all." Sora turns towards Ram, Otto, and Kenichi, "Get Subaru out of here. I'm going to have a little chat with Garfiel."
The three nodded at him and quickly pulled Subaru away from the area with Patrasche following them. Garfiel noticed this and wanted to stop them yet Sora jumped in front of him and had Kingdom Key pointing at Garfiel's face.
"Where do you think you are going?"
"Grrrrr...! Get out of my way!"
Garfiel in full rage mode goes to strike Sora down in one hit yet the Keyblade wielder was able to deflect off the attack with ease before hitting Garfiel's stomach hard enough to send him high up. As Garfiel was sent flying into the air, he looked up and quickly casted Thundaga which caused a powerful thunder attack to hit Garfiel hard enough to send the blonde boy back to the ground with enough strength to create a large crater. Sora walked towards Garfiel who was on the ground very injured before he started to speak with the blonde boy.
"I did not wish to fight you, if anything I wanted to help the Sanctuary but not like this. After all, you have something that is hurting your heart."
"..."
"I don't wish to fight but if you do continue to pursue Subaru, I will defeat you."
"..."
Sora looks at Garfiel with a sad facial expression before running towards the direction Subaru and the others went, wanting to make sure that they all got out safely. As he was running as fast as he could, all he could think about is how he wished things had gone differently since he didn't view Garfiel as someone he wishes to fight or suspicious like Roswaal yet he was left displeased. As he was running, he could feel something from his back side, as if a powerful opponent had just arrived at the scene. Before he could turn around, a large amount of dirt headed towards the keyblade wielder's way. He turned and attempted to jump yet he was hit and he started to get dragged for a little bit all the way towards Subaru and his crew. Subaru was able to shove Ram out of the way so she doesn't get caught in the mudslide while he alongside his father, Otto, and Patrasche got hit. As they are attempting to get up, all of them look up to see a large transformed Garfiel.
"Gar...fiel..." Subaru was afraid as he heard Garfiel's roar being intimidating and not wishing anything bad to happen to anyone else. He concluded that being held captive again or dying is better than seeing any of his friends or the villagers that are there to help him escape be killed.
"I'll...do as you say. So please, don't hurt...anyone else..." Subaru got up and approached Garfiel with a lot of fear in his body and in his eyes. The giant beast moves his hand up, ready to kill Subaru yet Kenichi not wanting anything to happen to his son he quickly runs just as Otto was going to go save Subaru.
"You are not hurting my boy!"
Kenichi pushes Subaru away from Garfiel only for Garfiel's hand to slice him in half, killing him in the process. Sora managed to finally get up after all this and witnesses along with everyone else Subaru's father got killed to save his son. This not only angers Sora and the others but pisses Subaru so much that darkness starts to creep out of Subaru's body, creating a dark aura around him.
"G...Garfiel!"
Subaru enraged created a dark fireball similar to the one he created when facing Elsa in his very first loop yet this one was much more powerful and instead of being produced by the keyblade, he created it with his hand. As Subaru threw his dark ball directly at Garfiel's face, this actually did damage to him which caused Garfiel to scream in pain. The scream was loud and powerful, creating a large wave of wind to hit Subaru and send him flying. Sora saw this and slowly walked towards Garfiel until he was in front of the giant monster. Garfiel notices him and prepares to attack Sora yet he notices that Sora is beginning to glow in front of him which allows his mind to calm down a bit. As Sora was glowing, he began to speak to Garfiel in a serious tone of voice,
"You were someone who distrusted me because you thought I would hurt your people, which I understood but you hurt one of ours and at that a father who cared for his son. The fact that you killed an innocent man and were about to kill my friend, someone who risks his life to save others makes me understand that you are a threat I just can't hold back anymore against."
The light around Sora faded away with it showing that he changed into his Final Form with Oathkeeper and Oblivion on each hand.
Subaru looked at Sora and saw that his master is no longer holding back as he hasn't seen his master go into that form since his fight with Elsa a while back. Before he could do anything, he heard his master look at them before looking back at Garfiel.
"Otto, Ram, get Subaru out of here. Now."
"Yes Sora-san."
"Just don't die, Sora. Come on Barusu, let's go."
Subaru was dragged by the two to leave towards the barrier while Sora began his fight with Garfiel, showing the monster that even though he has gotten powerful, he is still no match for the keyblade wielder. As he was going to get onto Patrasche, the stone he got from Frederica started to glow which got everyone's attention. Before the light blinded them all, Subaru saw his master knocked down Garfiel with one powerful hit to the face.
Subaru woke up and realized that he had returned back to the cell he was once trapped, making him realize that he isn't dead yet. He gets up and before long falls to his knees as he remembers what happened the previous night. He began to cry as he had his father being killed replay in his mind.
"Father...I'm sorry..."
Subaru's thought of failure made him wish for a death that will equally repay the fact that his father died for him. After having a moment to grieve for his father and banging his head on the floor for his failure to do anything, he got up and started to head outside. As he looked around, he realized that it was snowing which made him quickly pull out his keyblade in the case that he needs to defend himself from whatever is going on. As he went into Sanctuary, he saw that there was nobody which made him curious on what could've happened. He continued to walk around, expecting Garfiel to come out of nowhere and kill him or to be greeted by Sora and the others yet he couldn't comprehend why he hasn't found anybody.
He walked and walked for a bit until the only thing he encountered was a small white rabbit with red eyes and a small horn in its head. He looked very confused at the rabbit and quickly questioned why he only spotted a rabbit.
"What is a rabbit doing here? More importantly why is this the only thing I've encountered?"
Subaru kneels down and tries to touch the rabbit yet within a few seconds he sees his hand get chopped off. His brain had only a few seconds before he registered the pain of having lost his hand. He begins to hold his injury with his remaining hand while screaming in pain before he feels the same pain on his left leg, falling to the ground on his back. As he is screaming in pain, he looks at his leg being eaten by a couple more rabbits. This causes him to look at his surroundings to realize that he is surrounded by rabbits. This gave him even more fear as he knows what is about to happen next. Within the next moments all the rabbits jump at him and start devouring his flesh with all they got, leaving Subaru to feel all the pain for a very long time while screaming in agonizing pain. He felt the rabbits entering his body and devouring his organs as well, losing his sight first before he lost his voice and then sound. The agonizing pain lasted for minutes until finally he was able to die once the rabbits finally reached his brain. Subaru was returned back to the graveyard yet this time his mind finally broke. He started to look shaken which Sora noticed, causing him to ask his apprentice and friend if he was alright yet Subaru stood shaking in great amount of fear, still feeling the bites all over his body. Having been the result of the trial in Sora's mind, he quickly woke Emilia up as he needed her help to calm Subaru down. Emilia opened her eyes with fear yet as Sora was telling her,
"Emilia! We need to help Subaru!"
"What...what is going...Subaru!"
"Why...Why… Why Why Why Why Why Why WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY!" Subaru was banging his head on the floor, causing his forehead to bleed yet both Sora and Emilia held him back and attempted to calm him down, both wondering with a strong desire to know what happened to Subaru for his mind to break.
"Subaru, what happened to you? Why are you suffering like this?!" Emilia spoke with tears in her eyes as she cannot bear to watch Subaru suffering like this.
"What did you see Subaru? Why are you hurt?!" Sora asked out of concern for his friend and apprentice, wanting to know what happened. As they were all questioning for knowledge, they all felt as if their spirits were leaving their bodies with a voice saying to the three of them,
"You three earned the qualifications. I invite you three to a witch's tea party."
There was a bright light before they were on some place outside that resembled a large field with someone in black robes drinking tea in an out of place table with two chairs. The person being a female began to speak to the three,
"It is quite rare for a person to attend my tea party a second time, let alone bringing three people who seek knowledge. I do wish the half-elf wasn't with you two boys but since I wanted the keyblade wielder, she just so happens to also have a thirst for knowledge like him so I couldn't make an exception."
Sora and Emilia both looked around in a bit of confusion as they are not aware of what is going on yet they turn to Subaru to see if he is alright. All he does is stand still for a moment before looking at himself in a calm manner.
"I'm so relaxed...this is kinda creepy."
"Subaru!" Emilia hugged Subaru which surprised him since he didn't notice her being in the dream realm with him. Emilia had tears in her eyes as she never wished to see Subaru suffer the way he was ever again, which Sora noticed the woman in the table have a disgusted look when she sees Emilia hugging Subaru. Sora looks at his apprentice and gives him a hug, surprising Subaru since he didn't notice his master either. This made Subaru smile that he was with the two people he cared about before turning to the woman at the table and noticing her displeased facial expression.
"What Echidna? Are you jealous?"
"I see what you are doing but I won't let you tease me."
"Hehe well I do want to ask, why am I calm all of a sudden?"
"It's due to the tea you drank the last time. The contents there had a direct impact on your sloth witch factor, encouraging stability. If not for that, your soul itself would have crumbled to pieces. That is more than what the princess here can do."
Emilia slightly pouted as she knew that Echidna was just being hurtful towards her while Sora was not enjoying the conversation, having an odd feeling that Echidna is not to be trusted. Subaru on the other hand approached Echidna in a bold like manner.
"Tell me, is there a way to overwrite the vow?"
"Hmm?"
"You know, the one that makes me forget all about you the minute I step outside. Because as long as it stands, my soul might still break."
"I suppose that is true but-"
"On top of that my soul isn't the only problem here. I still want to remember you regardless."
"Huh?"
Echidna was confused yet she ends up getting slightly surprised when Subaru closes in on her which somehow made Emilia pout with some hint of jealousy at how close Subaru is to the girl while Sora is just observing everything from a bystander point of view. Subaru continued to speak.
"If that comes at a price, fine. I'll pay whatever you want, in return I want insurance that you won't hide yourself in my memories."
Echidna was very surprised by Subaru's boldness which caused her cheeks to turn slightly red and to respond in a hesitant tone, "S-Sure..."
"Huh? Really? Thanks a lot! And no changing your mind!"
"No, of course I wouldn't do something like that..."
"Alright well Emilia-tan, Master Sora, here is the one and only Echidna, also known as the witch of greed."
"Roswaal spoke about you in high regards, you do know him right?"
"Well of course Sora, I know my apprentice but I will say he is a little too earnest for his own good."
"Well then I guess since you know our names, I do want to ask what this place is."
"Yes, what is this place?"
"Well if you both must know, this is my castle of dreams where many people show up to have me answer all their questions."
"I'm surprised I even managed to get back here a second time, though you never mentioned you can bring a group of people."
"I didn't know until now, this was a worthy shot that got my curiosity but I could use without the princess."
"Hey, treat Emilia-tan with respect Echidna." Subaru says as he instinctively starts drinking the tea left for him.
"Gulping down my body fluids again, are you?"
Subaru begins to spit it out, having forgotten that which distrubed Emilia and made Sora uncomfortable for a moment before laughing at Subaru's way of acting.
"Gross! I forgot!"
"Where is the gratitude? I'm waiting patiently but I don't think I heard it yet."
"Whatever. Thanks for making me this nasty body fluids tea, you witch."
"I'm afraid that only wounded my maidenly heart."
Emilia and Sora enjoyed seeing Subaru like this yet they noticed that his demeanor changed within seconds, causing the two to be both curious and concerned.
"Subaru, are you okay?"
"Yes Emilia...just got to ask something. Echidna, exactly how much have you found out about me anyway?"
"If you're asking what I know, I only know what I know. If you are asking what I want to know, the answer is everything in this world."
"There's no way it shouldn't seem strange to you. For you, this is happening right after your last tea party with me, isn't it? So if you don't find this strange, then..."
"Then?"
"Then...that can only mean you know how this happened."
Sora and Emilia realized from this dialogue that something is not right at all. Sora quickly asked Echidna and Subaru what was going on, with Subaru beginning to fear of what might happen to Emilia as he recalls the last time he attempted to speak about his Return by Death, she was killed while Sora was able to hear it for some reason. As Subaru is showing signs of fear, he did hear Echidna say,
"Then test it."
"Test what? Subaru, what is going on?"
"Yeah, what is going on my friend?"
"I-I don't want to...after last time..."
"Test it out, I mean you can always restart if it all goes wrong anyway."
"Restart? What is she talking about?" Sora asked with concern in his voice, now having a bad feeling now. He turned his attention to Echidna to say something yet she continues to talk with Subaru specifically by saying,
"It is okay to try. To test in hope of a result is an action to be praised. We only covet that which has value."
Hearing this made Subaru to lessen his worries yet just to make sure that things don't go wrong, he turns towards his Master first to ask him to have his keyblade ready in case anything happens. Sora was unsure what was going on yet he trusted his apprentice before Subaru turned towards Emilia and grabbed both her arms which caught her attention.
"Emilia...I have to say something...I honestly hope that I can say this..."
"W-what is it, Subaru...?" Emilia was completely hesitant when she heard Subaru's nervous voice when speaking yet she trusted him. Subaru had fear in his heart as he didn't know what would happen yet he couldn't hold back any longer, if there was a chance that he could reveal the thing that has been bounding him ever since he had died in the forest by Elsa, then it would be worth it. His next words without interruption was, "Emilia...Master Sora...Echidna...I can Return by Death!"
There was a pause for a moment with Subaru realizing that nothing happened, he looked and saw that everyone was alive and that his heart wasn't damaged. He looked around again in a more panicked way before looking at Emilia who was confused by what Subaru said.
"Return...by death?"
"...When I die, I go back and restart the world...I call it return by death..."
"Subaru..."
"I die and I come back...Return by Death! Return By Death! Return By Death!"
"Subaru!"
"My friend, please calm down-"
"It's true Emilia, Master Sora! I've been returning by death! I've died and started again over and over! I can return by death!"
"Subaru, please calm down-"
"I..." Subaru fell to his knees as he can now reveal return by death to Emilia, the one person he wished to tell. "...can return by death...starting again...over and over..."
Subaru started to cry as he was able to finally release what he wasn't able to say to Emilia and to his Master. Emilia noticed this and quickly hugged Subaru as she finally understood many things while Sora was in shock on what he was hearing. He wondered how many times his apprentice had died because he was unable to help him.
"I'm here now Subaru, I'm here for you."
Emilia hugged Subaru tightly as she was doing her best to comfort the young boy she had saved two months ago. Although the fear of learning how many times Subaru had died makes her scared, she wanted to make sure she was there for him. Sora walked towards the two and put his hand on Subaru's arm to show his friend and apprentice that he was there to help him. As they all are there for Subaru, Echidna smiled as she was intrigued by the events playing out before her. She is learning how to help someone should she find herself in a situation that she needs it yet she waited for Subaru to regain his composure before asking him if he could tell them all of his experiences.
"I thought you see all of my memories..."
"I do, yes, but I wish to also know how you felt and what you were thinking at that time, after all I am the Witch of Greed, Echidna."
"Hehe I guess I can tell all of you everything that happened since the first death..."
Subaru wiped the tears off his eyes and offered Emilia the seat which annoyed Echidna yet she allowed it for now since she wanted to hear Subaru's experiences with the return by death. Sora and Emilia both held their inner strength since they knew it was going to be rough to listen to how he had died.
After having heard the story of Subaru's multiple deaths, Echidna was intrigued by the story while both Sora and Emilia were shocked to hear this. Sora felt guilt that he couldn't protect his apprentice in many of those loops while Emilia was horrified by how in a few of those loops she died. There was a silence for a moment before Echidna broke the silence.
"Terrible...I'm not referring to your behavior. I was simply overwhelmed with rage at the one who put you through so much hardship."
"Echidna, do you know who put Subaru through this?"
"Ah yes Keyblade Wielder, the one who put Natsuki Subaru through all this pain is the Witch of Envy."
The Witch of Envy…
Emilia had a pale face when hearing those words, disliking it since she is known to be a spitting image of the witch of envy while both Sora and Subaru were unease by the witch's name being present.
"I'm sure you were aware that the power you have is that of a witch. You've known for a long time."
Subaru was silent as he heard what Echidna had to say, thinking back on how people have mentioned that he has the witch's scent. The first to mention it was Rem in his second loop and Garfiel in his previous loop. Echidna smiled yet it would fade when Emilia spoke in concern for Subaru's sake.
"W-Why is she fixated on Subaru?"
"Ah yes, the witch's daughter speaks."
"Echidna!"
"Alright, my bad but to answer that question, one would need to understand how the witch of envy's mind works. Even if I could, I wouldn't want to."
"Then can I ask something?"
"Sure thing Natsuki Subaru, what is it that you desire to know?"
"Do you think there's a limit to how many times Return by Death can be used?"
"Ah, yes. Truly the obvious question to ask. I will say in advance that this is only conjecture, but I would say...there isn't."
Subaru, Sora, and Emilia were silent by this as they were hearing that Subaru had an unlimited number of deaths. This would make him omnipotent yet they were still unsure on why Echidna came up with such a thought. Echidna noticed this and quickly elaborated on this,
"Vexing as it may seem, the power that lets you Return by Death is the witch's intense delusion. So long as that delusion persists, there will be no end to your deaths."
"Do you have any idea why he gave Subaru this power?" Sora asked in a curious tone of voice. Echidna noticed this and smiled as she noticed the curiosity in the Keyblade Wielder's mind when asking the question.
"So that Subaru doesn't die. It makes him redo destiny and doesn't allow him to make mistakes."
"But that can't be right. I mean, I...couldn't get Rem back. If she's making me redo destiny, why'd I end up in a place that made it irreversible?"
"Because that girl along with the Master Keyblade Wielder and the Witch's daughter are not taken into account as a part of that destiny. Her hope is that you will never be trapped by the dead end that is true death. Anyone that isn't you, Natsuki Subaru, are not part of that plan. The decision to go to such lengths to save someone else with your power is yours and yours alone. You will overcome destiny through countless challenges henceforth, but if you do change destiny at the expense of many of many sacrifices…"
"I won't have any chances to get back those who were sacrificed."
Subaru was in fear as he knows that if he fails to save everyone before the checkpoint moves, then he will lose them for good. This made his resolve to use his life as an expense to save everyone increase yet Sora and Emilia both looked at him with concern in their eyes.
"So this is how much trouble you've been dealing with on your own, Subaru." Sora looked at his apprentice with guilt in his eyes.
"Subaru...it has been rough, hasn't it?" Emilia asked with concern for the one she cares for deeply. Subaru noticed this and quickly nodded at the two with a serious facial expression, reassuring them that he will be alright now that they know the truth. Echidna smiled at this before turning her attention to Sora, wishing to know more about the keyblade. She started to ask Sora on everything regarding the keyblade, it's abilities, it's strengths, it's weaknesses, and it's origins. The only thing that Sora could mention is the abilities he could do with the keyblade and how they feel but the origins is something he has yet to fully grasp.
"That is a shame, though the keyblade can surely do a lot of things. I'm impressed."
"I don't mean to interrupt your conversation with Master Sora but I would like to ask, what happened in that last death? Those rabbits...could fit in my hand..." Subaru had chills when thinking about along with Sora and Emilia, both not liking the thought of someone being eaten alive.
"Ah yes, the great Rabbit."
"The great rabbit?" Sora, Subaru, and Emilia asked in a curious tone.
"Great not in size, but in number. It's one of the Three Great Mabeasts."
"Three Great Mabeasts?" Emilia asked to which annoyed Emilia since she can't be disrespectful to the half-elf without risking Subaru getting mad at her.
"The White Whale, The Black Serpent, and The Great Rabbit. They were created 400 years ago by Daphne, the Witch of Gluttony. Her three legacies of misfortune, which still bring disaster upon the world today."
"Daphne...so there are more witches?" Emilia asked once again with curiosity yet concern while Subaru was annoyed that there are still two other threats like the White Whale.
"Master Sora, Emilia-tan, and I just barely took down the White Whale not long ago! The fact that there is more is very unpleasant."
"If that is the case, you three might have it harder defeating the Great Rabbit."
"How so?" Asked Emilia, wanting to make sure that Echidna acknowledged her.
"In terms of pure fighting strength, the White Whale is far stronger. But the Great Rabbit is infinitely more difficult to destroy. To the Great Rabbit, all other living things are food. It desires nothing other than to satisfy its hunger. All it leaves behind is a deserted field."
Subaru, Emilia, and Sora all three had their blood cold when they heard this, all having realized that in the previous loop everybody was possibly eaten when Subaru mentioned that he found Sanctuary an empty field. Echidna continued to speak,
"What makes the Great Rabbit so difficult is its viability. A single one is capable of multiplying infinitely. To destroy it, you'd have to kill every last one at the same time, and that would be like trying to evaporate every raindrop that falls from the sky."
"Why would this Witch of Gluttony create such monsters?" Sora asked with disgust in his tone of voice.
"You might want to ask that to Daphne, she might hold the answers to that."
"Wait, but aren't the other witches dead?"
"You are talking to a dead witch yourself, Subaru."
Emilia asked Echidna if she could give the three a moment to talk in private to which Echidna allowed only because she didn't want to make Subaru mad. Emilia nodded and quickly pulled Subaru and Sora towards a distance to assure that Echidna was not listening, not knowing that Echidna could pretty much hear them wherever they were in her dream world. As the three were away, she turned towards Subaru and started to ask him,
"Are you okay, Subaru?"
"I'll be okay, Emilia. Why did you pull us out here?"
"Because I'm worried about you and because I don't trust her."
"I also don't trust this witch. The way she acts is just...odd." Sora spoke with an uncertainty in his voice, never having met someone who could make him feel off. This off feeling made him think about Roswaal, how his attitude and manner of acting is also very odd. Subaru looked at both his master and the girl he loves before speaking his mind.
"I know you are worried about me but we have to save everyone, which means if my life can be used to be a bargain chip then I will use it to save you all."
"Subaru...you have to treasure your life. I don't want you hurting yourself."
"I agree with Emilia here, you have to treasure your life. You are important to us. You are someone we will want to fight until the very end."
"Master Sora...Emilia..." Subaru looked at the two with a tear being created in his left eye before he smiled at the two, knowing that they will always have his back. As Subaru gained some of his self confidence, he told the two that they should talk with the Witch of Gluttony. Both Sora and Emilia were wary of this yet Subaru convince the two by saying,
"She knows about the three Great Mabeast so she might know how to beat them."
"How confident are you that she will be willing to help us?"
"I know it is a gamble Master Sora but we have to try. We may never get a chance to fix this."
Sora and Emilia thought about this and knew that Subaru had a point since there is probably no guarantee that they will be able to return to the dream world and talk with the Witch of Gluttony. As the three were going to return, Emilia felt off and was about to collapse to the ground until Sora quickly noticed this and pulled his keyblade out and pointed it directly at Emilia's heart to see what was going on. As a bright light blinds them all for a moment, Sora enters Emilia's heart and notices that a darkness was attempting to infect the half-elf's heart.
"What is...going on?"
Sora looked around and quickly realized that Emilia's body was being taken over by something just like how Petelgeuse was attempting to override Subaru's soul. Sora looked at the shadow and saw a figure and quickly switched his keyblade to Ultima weapon, fearing that what he was facing might require all of his strength. As he summons the strongest of the keyblades, he quickly charges directly at the shadow to take it out. As he was closing in, a swarm of shadow-like tentacles approached him in an attempt to hit the keyblade wielder yet Sora was fast enough to deflect each and every attack heading towards him. Eventually Sora attempted to land the finishing blow yet the dark shadow that had a female silhouette managed to shove Sora back with a powerful and lethal attack. This forced the keyblade wielder to go into his Ultima form in hopes of taking out this powerful opponent attempting to take over Emilia's body.
"I won't let you harm my friend!"
Sora with everything he got caused a bright light in hopes that this powerful attack would do something.
Subaru approaches a very weak Emilia and asks if she is okay yet she was unable to answer Subaru's question.
"No...please don't die...Emilia!"
"Subaru…"
'I don't want to lose anybody...please Emilia...I can't watch you die again...'
Emilia looked at Subaru with a weak expression yet she formed a smile as she was happy that he cared so much about her. He continued to worry before a bright light covered the area once again to reveal Sora a bit damaged in his Ultima form. As Sora reappeared, Emilia slowly began to regain her strength.
"Master Sora!"
"Sorry to not have said anything, it seemed like something was attempting to possess Emilia but I stopped it before it even got the chance."
"Thank you...Sora..."
"Yes, thank you for helping Emilia-tan, Master Sora!"
"Anything for my friends."
The three were able to have a calm mind for a bit before they returned their attention to Echidna, knowing that they have to speak with the Witch of Greed first to let her know that they will be speaking to the other witches. They approach Echidna with Subaru being the one to lead since it was his idea.
"Echidna, the three of us together would like to speak with Daphne."
"Are you sure about this? It could be dangerous, after all she is a witch like me."
"True but you haven't shown anything that can be proven to be dangerous so far."
"Ah, I see. You are underestimating me."
"Sorry but we all are in agreement that we wish to speak with The Witch of Gluttony. We need to know more about the Great Rabbit and how to beat it."
"Hm. If that is what you three desire then I shall allow it but allow me to say one thing first. No matter what you do don't release Daphne's restraints."
"Restraints?" Emilia asked in a curious tone.
"You are also forbidden to touch her. You should avoid eye contact, too, if possible."
"Avoiding all that would make us come across as total jerks." Subaru said with a bit of uncertainty in his voice yet Sora immediately chimed in after his apprentice finished speaking.
"Aside from that being true, what kind of witch are we dealing with here?"
"One who is quite dangerous in fact, keyblade wielder. I wish you boys the best."
Echidna smiled and began to disappear, causing Emilia to be annoyed at the Witch of Greed since she clearly has some grudge towards her. As the witch of greed disappeared, a bright light engulfed the place for a few seconds before disappearing with a little girl in a white dress and short green hair appears.
"Ah! We meet at last!"
'A little girl? Is this Daphne' Sora thought to himself as he noticed how harmless she looks yet he reminds himself that the girl is a witch. Emilia looks at the little girl and begins to say,
"You look very cute."
"Ah thanks for noticing, Ella."
"Ella?"
"Yes, you are Ella."
"No wait my name is Emilia."
"Emilia? Aren't you-"
"The Witch of Envy and I just have similar appearances."
"Ah, my bad lia."
Emilia felt slightly bothered that the girl in front of her called her Lia since she only wants Puck to call her that yet she allowed it for now since they need to talk to the witch about the Great Rabbit.
"You're a...I mean, you're also a witch, right?" Subaru asked in slight confusion.
"Chidna told you three, didn't she? And you're...Let's see...Baru! Baru, right?"
"Baru?"
"And you must be Sora, darn I can't come up with a nickname for you."
"Hehe yeah."
The little girl approached the two keyblade wielders in an interested facial expression, wanting to know something.
"Baru, Sora, are you two bad guys? I've wondered about that this whole time!"
"Bad guys?"
The little girl pulls out both her hands, wanting Sora to grab one while Subaru grabbed the other which both Keyblade wielders noticed. The two were going to do it yet Subaru took the initiative and said,
"Wait, no! There's something we want to ask-"
The girl made a noise of insistence, wanting the two to grab her hand each in order for her to figure something out. This causes Subaru to go with it along with Sora, both curious to know what the girl wants.
"Sin can only be repaid with pain."
As she says this, Emilia begins to panic while Subaru and Sora are unsure on why for a moment until they turn towards the girl once again.
"Oh! If you two don't feel pain, then you both must not be bad guys! That's great!"
Subaru and Sora were both noticing that she had two arms, making the two keyblade wielders to look at their arm and to start freaking out with Emilia almost throwing up at the sight of this. As the two keyblade wielders were freaking out, the girl begins to speak to the two,
"It doesn't hurt, does it? If you two make too much noise, Chidna's gonna hate you two."
"Damn you! Give it back!" Subaru shouts in anger and attempts to get his arm back alongside his master. The girl notices this and quickly closes her eyes before speaking once again,
"Sin will become a wedge that allows no escape."
The moment she finished speaking those words, only Subaru began to break apart while Sora remained unaffected by this. Emilia panicked and tried to heal him with whatever healing abilities she has yet they weren't enough. Sora managed to get back his arm and place it where it was taken out yet he wasn't able to do anything. He would use Curaga on himself and Subaru yet they weren't much effective. The little girl was amazed how Subaru and Sora were both not evil yet they were both different with Subaru viewing himself as a villain while Sora as a heart of gold.
"Baru, you see yourself as a sinner, even though you're not a bad guy. Sora, you have such a pure heart of gold. You both have such good hearts. Baru, you poor thing. Well, that's all Typhon came here for. That leaves..."
Typhon begins to disappear while someone with a female voice begins to speak to the three.
"First! To strike all that defies reason in the world! Second! Who cares about committing every heinous evildoing?! Third! Whether it's ugly or beautiful, if you're here in this fleeting world, don't expect to make it back unscathed!"
A woman with blood hair, white and blue clothing began to fly from the sky all the way down towards the same ground floor as where Sora, Subaru, and Emilia were at, creating a crater with many hearts being shot all around. Emilia and Sora both looked at this new girl a bit confused as she began to speak in a cute angry tone of voice.
"My fist will restore the world! My anger will cleanse the world! My rage, the fury of my fists, shall be my answer!"
She begins to punch both Sora and Subaru a lot until Sora had his arm restored while Subaru managed to be restored completely. Emilia was shocked by this and quickly asked the woman who healed the two keyblade wielders who she was. She turned towards Emilia and quickly just went to hug the half-elf, confusing her along with both Sora and Subaru.
"Um...who are you? Why are you crying?" Sora asked in a confused tone.
"I'm not crying! I'm the Witch of Wrath, Minerva!"
"Wait then who was the previous witch?" Subaru asked, which triggered Minerva since she was angry at what Typhon did to Subaru and Sora. She let go of Emilia and started stomping at the ground.
"Typhon, the Witch of Pride! It's all Typhon's fault for hurting you two like that! Stupid Typhon! I hate this world for making her do that! I hate all of it!"
"Uh...thanks for saving me..." Subaru said while dumbfounded by the way Minerva was speaking and acting. She eventually stopped and pointed her hand directly at both Subaru and Sora's direction to say to them while still angry,
"Listen up! If you both have learned your lesson, don't do anything careless! Next time, I'll just heal everyone!"
"How is that a threat?" Sora asked since he was just confused by this encounter while Emilia looked at Minerva as if she knew the Witch of Wrath yet she couldn't tell why she felt like she knew Minerva from somewhere. Minerva started to disappear, leaving Subaru and his friends dumbfounded until the light finally faded away to reveal a large coffin. Sora and Subaru were both in front of Emilia as they were unsure if this thing is a threat yet the coffin opened to reveal a girl with greyish light hair, blindfolds, chained up, and clothing is black and white with a bit of purple.
"W-What is going on?" Emilia asked as she was just as confused as the others. Subaru and Sora both nodded before they all heard the girl speak to them,
"What would you like to ask Daphne? Subarun? Soran? Tella-Tella?"
Author's note:
1. So I am going to have someone help me with grammar to help edit my previous chapters.
2. I will be taking a pause for a couple of days to focus on finals.
3. Regarding the episode:
A. Sora was able to prevent Satella from possessing Emilia.
B. Since Sora is basically there and stopping Satella, Subaru is free to talk about Return by death.
C. Echidna took a gamble on whether she could bring more than one person into the dream world, although she really wished she could only bring Sora and Subaru, since Emilia was also craving knowledge similar to Sora in why is Subaru hurting himself and such, she couldn't ignore.
D. Sora can take damage from people if he puts his guard down.
I hope you all enjoy the story, I will do my best to keep improving it.