Chapter 15: Reunion

"Rem… is that really you?" Subaru asked walking up to the blue-haired girl. "This can't be some kind of – "

*THUD!*

Subaru felt the air get knocked out of him. The world spun as he descended to the ground, quickly morphing from the four blank walls to the wrongly starry sky.

"What did…"

Looking back down, however, Subaru understood what it was that pushed him down. Or rather, who it was.

Rem had just run up to him and collided with his chest, trying to give him a hug as fast as possible.

"R-Rem missed you, Subaru-kun," Rem choked out with Subaru feeling faint wetness on his clothes. "As soon as I remembered our past, I knew that I had to find you. Rem's Subaru-kun… Rem's hero…"

Subaru's mouth went dry upon hearing Rem's view of him. Seeing her down there, and with everything that had happened to him, Subaru couldn't help but think of something else.

"Are you affiliated with the Witch's Cult?"

"Rem… is that… what you really think of me?"

"Huh?!"

Subaru, while seeing Rem beneath him still holding him in her embrace and looking up at him with tear-stricken eyes, did not hug her back just yet. He couldn't. He didn't understand what it was that he felt for her. Rem… he remembered her, but he didn't know her at all.

"Rem… I want to know for certain. Do you… really care about me? I don't remember much about your home other than you, so please tell me. And be honest. Do you truly love me?"

"Subaru-kun… what in the world did those Teyvatian monsters do to you…?"

Misinterpreting his intentions, she hugged him even tighter. Subaru started to find it much harder to breathe, briefly grasping Rem's arm to try and loosen it.

"I… Rem will not let you go any more, Subaru-kun!" she yelled into him. "Subaru-kun, Rem won't leave you alone anymore! Not when Rem is here to protect you!"

"R-Rem!" Subaru choked out in between Rem's curled arm, trying to catch her attention.

To his joy, Rem noticed what he was trying to do. She immediately loosened her grip, but still held on to him regardless.

"S-Sorry, Subaru-kun…" she confessed as Subaru gasped in precious air. "It's just… Rem missed you that much. Please… you've done enough, Subaru-kun. Even heroes like you need a break. Please… leave everything to Rem from now on."

Just as Rem said that Subaru felt the slightest spike of a headache. He felt like he'd heard those words before, but he couldn't place them. He remembered everything about Rem, so assuming that those words reminded him of some other unimportant figure, Subaru still accepted them.

And accept them he did. Subaru was tired, no, exhausted. He'd exhausted all his options and found no way through to defeat the threat standing before him. At this rate, Subaru was being led to believe that Mondstadt was fated to fall.

And if Rem could take over everything for him, at that point, he would gladly give himself up for her.

Looking down at Rem's ponytail, Subaru couldn't help but let tears his own tears fall as well.

"Rem… Rem!"

Rem, the sole being that had shown him support in that other world he lived in. Maybe there were others, but he certainly did not know of them. And who cared if she killed him a few times, what mattered was who she was at that moment, wasn't it?

And so, Subaru accepted Rem as his lone saviour in the world of Teyvat. In that world that so easily stabbed him in the back. Subaru hastily reached under Rem's ponytail and returned her hug, not caring of the fact that he was running out of breath once again, crying with her.

However, the world of Teyvat always found a way to destroy the best things he had.

"Mistress, my Lord, we must travel back to our domain," the Abyss Mage behind them said. "Please make this quick."

"Ah, yes, I forgot about that," Rem replied, immediately dropping the embrace and standing back up. She started to wipe her eyes, cutely outlining the bright smile she had on. Subaru blushed slightly upon realizing that he was still laying down on the ground, so he quickly stood up and brushed himself off.

"Rem, I just…" Subaru smiled in turn, a genuine smile that he'd almost forgotten how to make. "I missed you, Rem."

"Rem missed you too, Subaru-kun! Welcome home!"

Subaru blinked in surprise at the sudden greeting. That phrase was something to be said when someone was home, but they were still in that world, weren't they? They were still in Teyvat. At that rate, Subaru couldn't willingly call Teyvat home.

"Rem, are we headed back to your home right now? Sorry, I don't remember its name…"

"Oh no, we are still in Teyvat! We certainly cannot return to Lugunica anytime soon."

"Lugunica, was it? But why can't we return?"

"Rem doesn't completely understand it, but it seems that Rem and Subaru-kun were not the only ones to enter Teyvat from another world. The last time it happened, it had led to the dual cataclysm."

"Oh…"

"Precisely. So, from then onwards, Celestia had been keeping a close eye on such travel. It truly was a surprise that we slipped from their eyes."

"Celestia?"

"The Od Laguna of Teyvat. You might understand it as a realm of the gods, but for those above the Archons."

"I see… so we can't take another gamble and return to Lugunica?"

"No, we cannot. Rem has tried a lot in hope that Subaru-kun would return soon, but it was to no avail."

"You don't think… you don't think I can return to my home, right?"

Rem blinked in surprise at that. "Your home?"

Subaru swallowed, not knowing how to say the next words. "Rem, you know that I'm not from Lugunica, right?"

"Yes, Rem knows… oh. Subaru-kun, did you come into Lugunica from another world as well?"

"I did. No, it's not Teyvat, definitely not. But… it's certainly better than anything I've experienced here. Rem, I'm just… I'm tired. These worlds are eating me up the more I stay within them, I just want to leave. I want to go home already."

"Subaru-kun, stop!" Rem chided him, immediately shaking his shoulders. Looking down, Subaru felt better upon seeing the cute pout she was wearing. "You are Rem's hero! Does Rem need to remind you of that already?! Don't you remember anything that happened in Lugunica?!"

"No, I don't – "

"Then at least remember Rem! You remember Rem, don't you?! You knew who Rem was the moment you saw her! Rem knows that you remember, so why are you ignoring what Rem told you that day?!"

Subaru's mouth went dry upon hearing that. Yes, he remembered everything Rem had told him. He would have been a disgrace to forget such a thing, especially after awakening it from his amnesia. There was no way he could ever forget such a thing.

"Then Subaru-kun certainly knows how Rem feels about such a decision! Subaru-kun is Rem's hero, but you are unrecognizable to Rem! Where did Subaru-kun go?! What happened to him?!"

"Why… Rem, but there's a limit. I've tried to be Brave, but I can't. I can't be a Knight like she asked me to be. I… can't do anything here, Rem! I'm always going to fail, no matter what!"

"… I would appreciate it if you didn't talk about other women in my midst, Subaru-kun."

Subaru gritted his teeth, letting loose his repressed rage.

"D-Does that even matter right now?! I can't…"

"Subaru-kun. We will help you."

Subaru went quiet at that. Looking at Rem, he noticed her gazing at him, expressionless.

"I am in control of the Abyss Order. You, Subaru-kun, were betrayed by Teyvat, Mondstadt to be precise, yes? Please, join us. We will get you your vengeance, Subaru-kun."

"What… no, that's not what I want. Mondstadt can stay, but – "

"They hurt you, didn't they?"

Subaru went quiet at that. Briefly clutching his throat, Subaru remembered how Amber clipped his wings and how Rosaria drove her spear into his throat.

"They don't deserve forgiveness for such deeds," Rem said. "They hurt you. We will fight for you in return."

"Rem, you don't need to – "

"You are Rem's hero. And as most heroes, you share such an awful trait," Rem said as she gently caressed Subaru's head, reaching up to it. "You don't care about how you get hurt. Leave everything to me, and I will ensure that you never get hurt again."

"Rem…"

Subaru looked down at Rem's face, her gentle smile adorning it as she gently traced his head.

'… How long had it been since I felt something like this? Since I felt… loved? Not that wicked kind of love that the witch shows me, not anything I've felt in Teyvat… it's like I'm with my family again. In that case, can I call this my new home?'

Looking up at Rem, who wore a small smile on her face, Subaru immediately knew his answer.

"Please take care of me, Rem."


Subaru was then taken through the same portal that Rem came through. While the feeling of the spacial warp messed with his guts slightly, he quickly recovered once he emerged on the other end. Looking around, Subaru observed that he was in a similar environment as the last, but without any walls. This time, it was a flat piece of land from which the portal emerged, surrounded only by the same purple 'starry' void that Subaru noticed earlier.

However, on one of the four edges of the floor, there was an upward set of stairs. As soon as she left the portal, Rem approached the same set of stairs.

"Subaru-kun, how long has it been since we'd arrived at Teyvat?" Rem asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Well, it's been about two months, or so. Why do you ask?"

"Things truly have changed so much in these past two months, haven't they? You got hurt so badly, and I became the leader of the Abyss Order, ready to take down an entire nation and a gathering of Gods."

Subaru looked away for a moment, thinking carefully about the words he would use.

"Maybe that is the case for you, but… I've always had the worst luck of all. Heh, I've always been paid a little extra attention, don't ya think?"

Rem did not react to Subaru's odd joke at all as she ascended up the stairs.

"I also wanted to ask," Rem continued. "Subaru-kun, we were keeping a good eye on you. That's why I'm confused as to why you left Mondstadt. You were in a coma for the last few days, so why did you leave?"

Subaru faltered upon hearing that sentence. Pausing in his gait, Subaru looked off to the side.

"… Rem will not bother anymore. If Subaru-kun wants to keep it to himself, then he may."

"Rem… I don't know what I did to deserve you."

Rem simply beamed back at Subaru. "You were yourself, Subaru-kun. That's all that matters to Rem."

With that, Rem reached the top of the stairs. However, just as Subaru did the same, suddenly a roar of voices howled around them.

"My Lord!"

"He has returned!"

"The Abyss is now whole!"

Almost having fallen back from the sudden voice, Subaru regained his balance the best he could. Once he did, he looked ahead to observe what was going on.

Over 50 Abyss Mages were standing in the audience before them all in a circular hallway that ended atop the stairs he just climbed. They, upon noticing Subaru walk up to see them, suddenly cried out in favour of his arrival.

"SILENCE!"

After Rem's yell, not even a single voice was heard. Instead, all at once, the Abyss Mages bowed in one uniform motion.

"… How many times did you guys practice that?" Subaru couldn't help but remark at the united motion.

To his disappointment, no one responded. Instead, as Rem walked to the front, the Mages began to scramble out of the way, allowing her to pass through.

"Subaru-kun?" Rem called out to a frozen Subaru. "You can come with me. Don't worry about them. They all serve you. We all serve you."

Gulping at the unusual treatment, Subaru followed Rem into the opening route.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this lord business," Subaru admitted to Rem, who simply nodded by his side, walking behind him. "Speaking of, why do they see me as their lord in the first place?"

"Rem believes it's because of the Witch's Scent around you," Rem said. "There are many parallels between this world and Lugunica. The Abyss Order, in some ways, can be similar to the Witch's Cult from our world."

"Are you affiliated with the Witch's Cult?"

Subaru blinked in surprise upon hearing the familiar term used in such an uncanny way by the one who made it with so much enmity. "Rem… I don't really remember the Witch's Cult properly, but I thought you hated them?"

"Unfortunately, Rem had to change quite a lot in the last two months. And do not worry about who the Witch Cultists are. All that you need to know is that with that stench around you, the Abyss Order will see you as our leader."

"Wait, you think I'm smelly too?! Ahh, you're just like Paimon all over again!"

'Paimon…'

Subaru bit his lip as his mood plummeted from remembering the fairy loli.

"I hope she'll be okay without me…"

"Subaru-kun, what had I mentioned earlier about other women from your mouth?"

"Ah, sorry, sorry. You're number one in my heart no matter what, Rem! Anyway, what do we do now?"

"For now, we must do what we can to restore your memories, Subaru-kun," Rem said, gently resting her hand above her chest, where the black veins on her body lay. "Upon surrendering to the Abyss, everything will become clear. You will remember everything that you need."

"Wait, are you saying that I will remember everything again?! You're gonna cure me of my amnesia?!"

"Of course. After this, you will certainly be ready for the endeavours ahead."

This… This was big. Subaru's missing memories took away so much of his understanding. He couldn't even begin to comprehend the history behind Return by Death. He sincerely hoped that he would learn more about why he had acquired such a curse at the hands of a Witch like the one he kept seeing.

And maybe… his memories would help him recover from the agony he was going through. Maybe he'd find direction from them.

"If we're talking about restoring my memories, I am certainly in." Subaru looked back at Rem and beamed at her. "I can't wait to actually remember everything, especially the rest of you, Rem."

Rem nodded. "Of course, Subaru-kun. Rem cannot wait to see you brought back to her either."

By then, they had reached the end of the hallway. Looking back, Subaru watched the Mages hastily reclaiming their spot, almost on their toes to watch him.

Subaru then heard a bass-heavy voice, something that would come out of a foley artist's experiments. Looking at the source, he noticed that a dark star-filled portal was opening up by their side. From it, emerged another being.

This one was significantly taller than the other Abyss Mages, and much more ornately dressed. They had several shades of blue in their clothes, starting from the dark blue robe adorned with light blue stripes forming different patterns on it, to the ocean blue gloves that they wore alongside what seemed to be a light blue spike emerging from their left hand to the T-shaped mask they wore with a glowing blue interior, their face completely hidden. Moreover, looking at them, Subaru couldn't help but feel like they weren't actually human. On their chest sat a glowing blue orb that seemed to circulate some kind of energy around their body, giving it a faint glow. As for demeanour, they held their hands together and bowed deeply upon noticing the two.

"My Mistress… and My Lord," they greeted them with a surprisingly deep and melodious voice. "The Abyss shall rejoice for your long-awaited return, My Lord. The rising tide has washed you back ashore, and we will be ever thankful of the ocean of life."

"Eh, um, okay?" Subaru replied, not knowing how to reply to the preachy talk that it made.

"Herald, you may walk with us to the Ley Line," Rem asked him. "We need to restore our Lord's memories."

"It would certainly be my pleasure, My Mistress," the Herald spoke.

Looking ahead once again, Subaru noticed yet another flight of stairs before them. Quickly climbing it without discussion due to the unusual presence of the Herald floating by his side, Subaru and Rem made it up to the top.

"Woah…"

Subaru couldn't help but remark in such a manner at the sight before him. From a glassy-blue magical circle on the ground placed atop a circular hole emerged a large tree that reached up about 10 meters. However, aside from the fact that this tree was sitting on a magical circle, there was also the fact that the tree had a light glow to its silver bark, giving it a near enchanting appearance. There were even dark and light blue specks of light emerging from certain cracks on the tree. In fact, it seemed as if the blue light was condensed at the top of the tree, where the rising branches met the trunk. Almost enough for it to easily fall off.

All in all, it was certainly the most beautiful tree that Subaru had ever seen.

"This is a petrified extension of the Irminsul tree," Rem explained. "One can find concentrated Ley Line Energy here."

"Ley Line? Irminsul? Wait, is Irminsul some kind of Yggdrasil ripoff?"

"I don't know what Yggdrasil is, but Irminsul is a tree that channels the Ley Line energy that sustains the environment of Teyvat. In the absence of this energy, life will be unable to sustain itself."

"Oh, I guess that's about the same. So, Irminsul is something connected to Celestia, then?"

"… Maybe so, Rem doesn't know for certain. However, the Ley Lines contain the energy of the entire world of Teyvat. The presence of this energy is also what brings harmony to Teyvat. It also contains the memory of the past and the present. Naturally, the Abyss Order tends to feed on the Ley Lines and infect them all."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Subaru replied, nodding as he spoke. "We want to disrupt Teyvat, right? So, it makes sense to damage this tree. Although, I don't know about affecting something like this…"

"You should know that the Irminsul tree was the objective of the Great Shadow. Upon destroying Irminsul, the Great Shadow knew that it could destroy Teyvat."

"Wait, what's the Great Shadow?"

"Subaru-kun, have you heard of the second cataclysm?"

"Well, yeah. The world was swallowed up by a… shadow…"

"Precisely. This Shadow is the Great Shadow we refer to. The Great Shadow is the one we worship, it's our deity. The only salvation for those of us who do not resonate with the Ley Lines of Teyvat."

Subaru noticed how Rem smiled as she spoke of this Great Shadow, while the Herald behind them gently bowed their head in reverence.

"I see. So, we worship the one who tried to destroy Teyvat? Man, the deeper and deeper I get into this, the more I feel like I'm now in a cult of some kind. Kind of like that Witch's Cult you mentioned, right?"

"In some ways, we certainly are, Subaru-kun. We truly have come a far way from when we were in Lugunica."

Nodding in understanding, Subaru looked back at the tree. Looking at the magic circle beneath it, he once again confirmed that it was sitting on top of a hole that fell deep; he couldn't even see the bottom. Subaru wasn't afraid of heights, but even this unnerved him, especially knowing that all that protected him from certain death this time was just a magic circle that he didn't know the origins of.

"Subaru-kun, I believe you must try and touch the tree. This is to clear any doubts you may have about your inability to resonate with the Ley Lines. None of us can, and I believe that neither can you."

"Huh? Okay… then what's going to happen if I try?"

"Just try, Subaru-kun."

Subaru looked back up at the tree, not understanding how to take the request that Rem gave him. Looking down, Subaru couldn't help but gulp as he noticed the steep drop below the magical circle around the tree once more.

"Are you sure it's safe? I don't want to fall to my death, you know?"

"Don't worry, Subaru-kun. We will catch you if you fall."

"That doesn't help me in the slightest!"

Shaking his head, Subaru looked ahead once again. After gazing at the tree for a few more seconds, he shot his head back to Rem, who only nodded in approval. Letting out a sharp sigh, Subaru finally stepped closer to the hole surrounding the tree.

Taking a few steady breaths, Subaru placed his body weight onto his back leg and lifted his front one. Maneuvering his body carefully, Subaru gently placed the tip of his foot on the circle.

It landed on a solid surface.

Letting out a small grunt, Subaru slowly shifted his weight to the leg on the circle. To Subaru's relief, the circle still held him up.

Finally letting out his held breath, Subaru placed his other leg onto the circle, now feeling victorious as his entire body stood atop a magic circle like it were glass.

Now confidently walking ahead, Subaru gently reached out to the tree.

'Now, what can be so hard about touching a tree?'

Just as Subaru's palm made contact, however, the region he had touched turned darker than the rest of the tree.

"What?"

The darkness, almost in a flash, drifted down to the base of the tree. The moment it passed through, the magic circle beneath him started to dangerously flicker.

Subaru wobbled on his feet as he felt the illusionary floor beneath him loosen. Looking behind, Subaru tried to call out to Rem in alarm.

However, he froze upon seeing Rem's expression.

She was grinning. Widely. Almost inhumanely. Enough for the edge of her lip to touch the tips of the bangs over her face.

Bearing such an expression of humour, Rem watched in glee as Subaru fell through the hole beneath the petrified tree once the magic circle came undone.


As Subaru came to, he looked up to see a dark, rocky surface above himself.

"Okay, once again, that's definitely not a normal ceiling."

That revelation, however, told him something vital. Since he didn't see the ceiling of his room in the Cathedral, he could come to one conclusion.

'I didn't use Return by Death. That fall didn't kill me.'

As Subaru regained his senses some more, he registered why he hadn't died from the fall. Above him were curtains of what seemed to be spiderwebs circulating the ceiling, almost bleaching the rocky-black surface of the cave he was in white.

"Hello?" Subaru called out to the dark cave. All that he heard in response was his own echo.

"Okay, where am I?" Subaru asked himself, allowing himself to get used to the echo. "I can still see in a cave such as this, that means that there's a light source somewhere. That means a way to escape, right?"

Nodding to himself, Subaru stood up and dusted himself off, only to further throw off the webs that clung to his skin and clothes after his fall.

"Think, Subaru, why am I here?"

After prompting him to touch the surface of the petrified tree, Rem had intentionally sent him stumbling into this cave. She even had that weird grin as he fell.

"Could it mean that she…? No, that can't be it. I mean, Rem couldn't have changed that much in just two months, right? Yeah, I can still trust her, even if she's the leader of this group. She probably had some reason to bring me here."

Subaru decided to follow whatever Rem had planned. That meant exploring this cave he was in.

However, since he didn't have a torch of any kind, and he didn't have his phone flashlight on him, he had to be careful about moving into areas that were too dark. That meant that he had to stick to areas with light if he didn't want to get lost.

Looking around, Subaru noticed that he was in a linear hallway. To the left, the hallway went into darkness, while the right was where the light in the room was coming from. The choice between them was an easy one.

Subaru moved into the right end of the hallway, hoping to find whatever it was that emitted that light. If he found an exit, then he'd probably head out just to gather material for a fire torch. If not, then maybe he'd understand why Rem had sent him here sooner.

Walking along the hallway, Subaru followed the winding path of the hallway, watching the light get stronger and stronger. After climbing a short cliff, Subaru noticed what it was that emitted that light.

A large purple crystal was etched into the bottom of the wall on the cave. It was big enough to reach the height of Subaru's knee; that's how large the ore was. While it was purple, Subaru could even make out something black flowing within the crystal as well.

Deciding to ignore it for a while, Subaru ventured further into the cave.

Going deeper, Subaru noticed that the concentration of those crystals started to rise. Still walking ahead, Subaru pressed on, ignoring the same crystals. For some reason, those crystals were giving him a bad feeling, so he opted to not touch them.

Finally, after taking a turn, Subaru couldn't help but gasp in shock.

What was before him was the Irminsul tree, only bigger. Much bigger. Looking to the left and right of the endless hallway around him, he couldn't even determine where the trunk was curving into its horizon.

That wasn't all, however. Etched into almost every free location along the silver tree were the same crystals he had seen earlier, their darkness consuming the blue energy within the tree.

"What… is this? What kind of crystal is this?"

Looking to the side, Subaru noticed one such crystal sitting away from the tree. Curious, Subaru leaned forward to inspect it better.

"NO, STOP! DON'T TOUCH IT!"

Just as Subaru registered that frantic feminine cry from deeper in the cave, he had jolted in shock. The action made him fall forward and unknowingly grab onto the purple crystal.

Subaru paled as he finally realized that he wasn't only touching the crystal. He was hugging it now.

"Shit."

Suddenly, the flowing darkness form within the crystal was expunged from it. Coiling around it like a wreath, the darkness soaked into Subaru's own skin.

Subaru couldn't help but grunt uncomfortably as he felt that thing burrow under his skin. Looking down, he noticed that black veins were forming on the palms that had touched the surface of the crystal.

'Black veins? Like on Rem's chest… and my arm?!'

Speaking of his tattooed arm, it suddenly started to burn.

He wasn't talking about the arms where the now identified Abyssal Infection was spreading. He meant the tattoo he had on earlier. Also, it hadn't lit on flame, it was instead crawling around in his skin and getting warmer and hotter as it interacted with the Abyssal Infection.

"Shit, what the hell?!"

Groaning in agony, Subaru ripped off the sleeve of his right arm and looked at what the tattoo was doing to him. While the Infection had settled on his left arm, his right arm was still having its veins writhing around and rippling under his skin.

"Boy, are you – oh, dear…"

Looking up, Subaru noticed an ash-blonde woman in a red dress approaching him. However, this stranger was not at the forefront of Subaru's mind at that moment.

Looking down, Subaru couldn't help but clutch onto his right arm with his left, hoping to hold down the frolicking blackness within.

However, that only had the opposite effect. Instead of mitigating the pain that he felt, Subaru felt the pain spread onto his left arm at the point of contact. Yelping in agony, he tried to remove his arm, only to find another arm stopping him.

"No, don't!" the strange woman yelled at him, towering over his kneeling figure. "Let it happen! This has never happened on any Abyssal Infection patient before!"

"What… is that important right now?!" Subaru couldn't help but yell. "This thing hurts like hell! And shit, why the hell am I getting infected?!"

"Relax, boyo. I'm sorry that I could not keep up the ley lines for you, but I need to observe this," the woman said while grinning in excitement despite the agony Subaru was feeling.

"Goddamit, I don't care about your need to see this! Just stop the damn pain!"

"No, stop! Look at your arm!"

Briefly opening a firmly shut eye to check out whatever it was the woman was talking about, Subaru couldn't help but gasp in shock as well. For some reason, the infected veins on his left arm were being taken away, all being soaked into his right arm.

"What… What is going on?"

Still watching, Subaru finally felt the agony in his left arm wane as all the veins faded from it. Looking at his right arm, Subaru noticed that the veins on his palm were retracting as well, all aiming at the original tattoo that he had on before he touched the Abyssal Crystal.

In just a few moments, all signs of the infection and the pain vanished, leaving behind only that tattoo as it was before.

"Huh?! Why didn't it go further?! Oh, come on! We were on the verge of a breakthrough on Abyssal Infection recovery, and there are still remnants! Still, I can certainly acquire a few samples from this test subject…"

"Oi, don't talk about taking samples from me like I'm not here! And that mark was always there, even before I got that Infection!"

"Wait, already there?" the woman echoed, suddenly pulling out a notepad and a quill from nowhere. "Please, tell me more! If that is true, then what is the original mark on your arm made out of?! How did you imbibe it into your skin?!"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, woman! I have no idea, I've got amnesia!"

"Amnesia?! Do you need help with that? I can come up with a cure for anything! Sure, maybe you'll end up mute or paralysed, but you'll remember everything, right?"

"I'm starting to think you're more of a mad scientist than anything now…"

Throwing off the woman, Subaru finally stood back up. Looking down at his arms, he sighed in relief since they felt a lot better.

"Okay, give me answers now," Subaru demanded. "Where the hell are we? And who are you, and what are you doing here?! Wait, actually, don't answer that last one. It's probably some more mad scientist stuff."

"Hey! This Great Witch is certainly no Mad Witch!"

Shaking her head, the woman put her hands together. To Subaru's brief shock, a ball of fire emerged from her palms. That was until he noticed the glint of a red gem, a Pyro Vision, on her waist. The woman allowed the ball to slowly rise to the sky, where it compressed and started to emit white light, almost like a fluorescent bulb.

Now that the room was better lit, Subaru could properly observe the woman before him. However, upon a single look, Subaru could only come to one conclusion.

The woman was an absolute MILF.

There was no other way that Subaru could describe her. Her ash-blonde hair flowed freely behind her save for the small flower-shaped bronze hairpin tied on the front, tracing her lightly tanned skin, red lipstick-smeared lips and wide, blood-red eyes. She wore a flame-red gown that accentuated her curves and her bust almost inappropriately. Her arms were adorned with white sleeves, exposing her red-painted nails on her palms. There were light gold ropes tracing regions of her body, the most important being the one around her waist, holding her Pyro Vision on the left end. She wore a stuffed brown satchel on her right. Finally, she wore brown high-heeled boots that rose to her thighs adorned with a red flower between the toes, making Subaru wonder how she could walk in those heels in a cave such as that one.

However, what was most prominent about her appearance was her ears. They were poking out of her hair, extending further than anything they should have, and they were pointed in the end.

"Woah!" she remarked. "Those eyes of yours are sca~ry!"

"Oi! I got these eyes from my Mom, I can't help it! And what about you? You're an elf?!"

"Elf? What is that supposed to mean? And hey, I should be asking you who you are!" the woman yelled and pointed an accusatory finger at him, completely defying the elegance of her attire. "Who are… oh, wait, no way! Aren't you Rine's –"

Before she could continue, a familiar bass-heavy sound rang out. Looking behind him, Subaru confirmed that the Abyss Herald was back.

"Hexenzirkel," the Abyss Herald greeted her.

"Abyss," the woman said back, her playful demeanour all but vanishing as her eyes crossed in rage. "Here to impede with the Irminsul once more?"

"Not this time. The tides of fate have washed onshore our Lord, who was sent here to awaken. My Lord, are you ready to rule us now?"

"Huh? What, no!" Subaru yelled back. "Why do you think that?!"

"… Have the tides not washed you on to contact the Abyssal Crystals? Shouldn't the Infection have spilt into you?"

The woman smiled behind him. "The boy is more interesting than you think. And if you think I'm letting him go to you, you are out of your depth, Abyss."

The woman put out a hand, compressing another ball of fire within and holding it up against the Herald's face.

"I will kill you if you take him away."

"So, it seems that the tides of time have led us to meet. But just as the riptide, one must know to retreat. Facing a member of the Hexenzirkel would be rather unwise, after all. Especially one such as you."

The woman smirked even further. "So, you know your current position, yes?"

"Maybe so. But as the current guides us all, so too does our paths limit our direction. You may have explored several fields, but you do not understand one thing."

Suddenly, the dark energy flowing within all the crystals nearby were pulled in by the Herald, them containing it all within the orb in their heart.

"This much power should be enough."

"So, you wish to fight? I certainly will not make it easy for you, Abyss."

"I have not changed my stance in the slightest."

Seeing the woman's confused expression, the Herald simply bowed to her.

"I will be taking my leave. Goodbye, Witch Alice of the Hexenzirkel. We will defeat you on the sail to Celestia."

Suddenly, Subaru felt dark energy consuming him from behind him.

"Wait, stop!" the woman yelled out, suddenly unleashing the compressed energy in her palm in the form of an electric whip. Lashing it out to the portal closing around him, the end of the whip split apart to keep the gate open.

"Boy, escape right –"

Suddenly, the darkness paled around the points where the whip was held and phased straight through it. The woman yelped in surprise as the gate closed further.

"No, stop, don't g –"

Subaru escaped the cave of Irminsul.


A/N: Now, I've heard a lot of complaints about introducing Rem so early. I get it. It's a key point, so most people want to save the reveal for later. That's how Genshin did it as well, by only revealing the sibling after the Mondstadt Arc. Sadly, that's not how I do things here.

I'm going to do whatever I can to make this as practical as possible. In order to push Subaru out of the trauma of all the deaths he's encountered, I have to do something drastic. Trust me when I say that I have a plan with Rem. I won't be revealing all my cards just yet either. I've still got a few more tricks up my sleeve.

I also want to apologize for my A/Ns. I'll explain why in the next chapter.

That being said, I am a little afraid of how you will take this chapter. I feel like Subaru is being forced into his decision a little bit, but I've tried to bank on the fact that he's gravely mentally ill by then. He's clutching onto the fact that Rem was the only one that ever cared for him, and now that she's offering her help again, he knew that he could trust her. If that meant joining a group as shady as the Abyss Order, that was fine to him, as long as he could be with someone familiar in such a foreign and dangerous world. He would consider the people of Mondstadt, but from their earlier 'betrayal', his vision regarding them is rather clouded.

It can get pretty hard to write this from imagination alone. Understanding this pain makes it better to write, but I would never wish that on anyone, especially myself. So, my hyperactive imagination will have to do for now. I'll have to keep imagining the decisions Subaru will take, maybe even unknowingly bleed in some of myself in there (I certainly have done this before for this story).

Now, onto Alice. Yes, I'm making her a near mirror reflection of a grown up Klee. And before you start on Alice being introduced too early, understand that I haven't introduced her yet. This was more of a teaser of her presence. There is still a lot missing with her, and I most likely won't be reintroducing her for a while. Also, from the Genshin Wiki, it's most probable that she has a Hydro Vision rather than a Pyro one. But to me, that just seems impractical. If she had a Hydro Vision, what would set her apart from Mona's Master? Mona and her Master are Hydromancers, and they specialize in astrology and reading fate. Alice is more of a scientist and an all-rounder than that, and she created the Bom Bom Bakudan or Jumpy Dumpties, claiming it to hold some kind of deep knowledge. And yes, I do believe that in Mona's Quest, the deep knowledge Alice gave her daughter was the creation of those bombs. I think that the bombs are only scratching the surface of their true potential.

Yes, I cooked up a theory for Alice. I'll talk more about it, as well as the fate of the Hexenzirkel, when the time comes. As I've mentioned, however, the Irminsul segment of this chapter is a teaser for what's to come regarding those secrets specifically.

Personally, I'm dead, though. Jetlagged as hell, after travelling. Just moved back to uni yesterday. And it's making me too lazy to do anything I need to do, like go to the bank to update my details or do any pending tasks.

Anyway, I'm too tired to talk more about this. I don't want to either, I'll probably explain things a little better in the next chapter.


worrierfierce: This and the upcoming chapters should explain that a little better.


Pleyades0104: Oh damn, did not expect that. And I thought he'd be a little relieved after those 20-or-so back to back deaths in Arc 6.


artem-abramov-2004: Hmm... that certainly gives me ideas for different IF versions on this story, although I won't find the time to write them.


Maximum Rhapsody: You're asking pretty good questions, but all I can say is to wait for future chapters.


NeroAlmia: Okay, hold up. Don't blame BigSmokeYeet for this. I was planning on bringing Subaru into the Abyss Order at this point anyway, so it wouldn't have made much of a difference if he hadn't made that post on a whim. Either way, I would have come to the conclusion of using Rem. I know it's a risky choice, but at this stage, I felt it was the best thing to do.

And I brought in Rem not to cause impact onto the story. Sure, that's what Genshin did, because that's all the main traveler needed, being as OP as he/she is. Instead, I'm including Rem here to help progress the story. There are several things that he's going to learn in this arc that he can't do without, such as his resistance to Abyssal Infection that I depicted here. That can only be done by joining the Abyss Order. Aside from that, there will also be personality shifts. Antagonists are the ones who instigate change in a protagonist in some way. That's why this interaction is a perfect one to me.

Also, let it be known that Subaru knows next to nothing about the Abyss Order. He knows that the 'Abyss' word is taboo, but he doesn't understand the danger of the Abyss Order.

Also, I do understand that I'm overwhelming him, but that's just because of the story's demands. My writing style leaves the story in partial control of itself, so the overwhelming trauma is caused as a compound of Subaru's own trauma and the ridiculously high threat of Stormterror. You can even say that Stormterror is worse than the White Whale. At least the Whale attacked only those who were travelling, but Stormterror attacked a whole nation. As such, everything is just shot up. So, I'm sorry if you feel that way, but it's the way the story has to go.


Guest (mentioning the Dark Side): For my updates, I was shooting to start another weekly schedule, but this chapter didn't keep up because I was unable to write for some time.

Also, regarding Venti, I'll be following standard Genshin mostly. This means that I'll introduce him after the current Stormterror battle. But until then, yes, I will deny Subaru his Venti Time. In fact, he doesn't know that Venti Time even exists.


Guest (pretending to be a hummingbird): I don't know if I've said this before, but I'm god-awful at character design. I'm good at crafting character arcs and traits, but not physical features. Probably because I believe a lot of my characters can be anyone, and they can look like anything. Even when I wrote MCBA, I felt like the Stands I created were a little on the nose at times.

That being said, I chose the dom getup for Rem because I wanted to keep her maid aesthetic, but integrate her name of Mistress into it. That's why I pictured her as a head maid. And after having played Deltarune Chapter 2 a while back, you may understand why I leaned to the dom route. If not, then the gist of it is that the head maid in that game was also a dom character.

And as I've said before, I wasn't particularly aiming for the final impact of Rem being a villain. I was aiming for how Rem would change Subaru for now. You'll see more of that in the next chapter.


And that's it. The next chapter will be the resolution of this entire Rem issue. I'll see you next chapter!