Chapter 19: Fatui, Death and Consequences
Subaru rose up from his bed rather late compared to normal. Still struggling to get any shut-eye due to his nightmares, he couldn't help but feel lethargic despite his late rise.
The previous night, he'd sought Katheryne out for a room just as he'd done in his first life in Mondstadt. He needed some way to keep making money despite the small fortune he chanced upon. Hence, he opted to become an Adventurer. That night, he'd also spent some time constantly pushing and pulling things from his new summoning inventory. By the end of that night, he'd acclimatised to the feeling of water and grass that came with it.
That morning, however, he was weary. This was not unnoticed by his hovering bedside partner Paimon.
"What's wrong, Stinky Space?" Paimon asked, trying to figure him out. "Why weren't you able to sleep last night?"
Ignoring the brief flashes of his previous deaths and the thought of his eventual reunion with Rem, Subaru shook his head at her. "It's nothing, I'm just concerned about how we are going to handle Stormterror."
"Oh, Paimon wanted to ask about that! Hey, are you actually a member of the Abyss Order?"
Subaru considered lying to her as he did everyone else, but decided that since Paimon would be his partner for the rest of the journey, it would be best to reveal the truth. "No, I'm not."
"Huh? Then why did you tell them that you were?"
"I needed them to believe what I had to say. Stormterror is going to breach Mondstadt soon. We need their support, and the only way to do that is this."
"Then… Then how do you know about Stormterror?"
Subaru bit his lip. "That… can you trust me, Paimon?"
Paimon frowned upon the odd question. "Paimon thinks so… why?"
Once again, Subaru cursed his curse against the reveal of Return by Death. "I can… well… see the future, in a way. I can't talk more about it, but I need you to trust the things I say, Paimon. Please."
"See the future? Is that a part of that broken Vision thing that you have?"
"Somewhat. Please don't ask me too much about this. There are… consequences if I talk about it."
"But… But why didn't you just tell the Knights that? You didn't have to lie about being in the Abyss Order!"
"Paimon, that… that was because I was desperate. Also, what do you think the Knights would have done if I told them I could reveal the future? It's not a reliable power all the time, you know. I don't want to tell them something, only to have it turn out completely different. I don't want to see their faces when that happens."
Paimon's expression drooped upon hearing that. "Why… Why does it sound so painful, Subaru?" she asked, opting to call him by his real name at that moment.
"It is, Paimon. It's something I need to live with. I'm sorry I can't tell you any more than this."
"I-It's okay. Paimon understands, kind of."
Sighing, Subaru finally concluded his morning tasks while veering away from the mirror. "In that case, it's a bit of a late start, but let's get today started."
"Alright! Paimon's starving!"
Grinning, Subaru opened the door. He hoped that he'd be able to get the kids in front of the church together to come together and perform Radio Calisthenics like before. He did have to keep training for the sake of the arrival of Stormterror, but he wanted to see if he could still get them together.
Walking out into the hallway, Subaru watched the few green-clad adventurers emerging from their own rooms and going about their day. Out of the corner of his eye, he even noticed Bennett talking to some blonde girl in purple clothes with a raven hovering by her side. Just as he was about to approach them, he was stopped by someone.
"So, you're the new guy, huh?" The imposing form of Cyrus spoke up in his accented voice, contrasted by the wide smile on his face. "Never thought we'd get the guy who can cure the Infection as an Adventurer. Shouldn't you be at the hospital or something?"
"Oi, I don't need to be at the hospital all the time, old man!"
"Haha! We'll get along just fine, then! I'm Cyrus, head of the Mondstadt Branch of the Adventurer's Guild."
"Natsuki Subaru, first name Subaru," Subaru introduced himself, that time not pulling off his pose due to his lethargy. "This pixie loli with me is Paimon."
"Hey! Paimon can introduce herself!"
"Sure you can."
"Hah! It seems that I missed you there, little one! Sorry about that," Cyrus remarked, slowly adjusting his monocle. "In that case, Subaru, Paimon, I'll see you around. Let me know if you need anything Adventurer, got it?"
"Yep. Will do, Cyrus-san."
As always, Cyrus faltered at the use of the honorifics, which Subaru quickly appeased. Noticing that Bennett and the girl he was talking to went missing after their short discussion, Subaru made his way out of the Adventurer's Guild and into the Market Square of Mondstadt.
There were three more days to Stormterror's arrival, Subaru noted. Before that, he'd have to do whatever he could to keep himself ready. After what happened the previous time he tried to convince the people to move, he understood that getting along with them would be essential in getting them to believe him. However, that would only come if he took the time to get to know them. As such, playing with the kids would also be essential to his self-imposed mission.
Rather, that was what he told himself. Truthfully, he just wanted to goof around with them.
Subaru felt his energy returning to him with every step he took to the church. He was relishing in the idea of ignoring the things he had to do and just spending time with a couple of kids. As he jumped up the steps to the church, he couldn't stop the grin from appearing on his face.
"Now, raise your hands up into the sky and yell 'VICTORY!'"
"VICTORY!"
Subaru smiled as the children by his side followed his actions. Meanwhile, Paimon grumbled nearby.
"Stinky Space, when are we having lunch? Paimon's getting hungry…"
"Hehe, hold on just a little, Paimon!" Subaru chuckled, letting go of his pose with a wide smile. "Let's play a little for now, why don't you?"
"Can't we play with full bellies?!" she grumbled out, stomping a foot in the air in frustration. "What are you even doing here?"
"We're just having fun. Aren't we, everyone?!"
"YEAH!" the kids behind him cried out in chorus, making Subaru grin at their infectious enthusiasm.
"Grr…" Paimon growled, scathingly looking away.
Giggling, Subaru took a moment to look around at the cathedral. It was a typical morning in Mondstadt. With their quieting down, he was able to hear the sermon going on nearby as well as the steps of the knights patrolling the area. Looking past the wall, he enjoyed watching the people of Mondstadt simply living their day.
And yet, Subaru could not avoid the small void forming in his heart.
Normally, Amber would show up at that time. Another part of the reason why Subaru did his radio callisthenics that morning was to be able to meet Amber again, yet she didn't show up that morning. It was weird how she wasn't following the trends of his earlier life.
Gulping, Subaru shook his head and ignored the void in him. Amber would show up soon. He had no idea what was going on with her, but he was able to wait.
Looking back at the kids, he laughed at how they started to play with the flying Paimon, trying to catch her as she moved up higher into the air to avoid them. He winced as one of the kids fell to the ground after jumping, also making Paimon dive down to check on him. Then, she was quickly caught by the boy in question, grinning deviously. Subaru sighed in relief and laughed as the boy played with the pixie loli, much to the girl's discontent.
"Hello," Subaru noted the familiar voice of Grace calling out to him. "Do you have a moment?"
"Ah, yeah. Sorry, I probably interrupted your sermon, huh?"
"Oh no, it was no trouble. You are the boy that can heal the Abyssal Infection, yes?"
"Ah… yeah, that's right."
That was another fact that Subaru could no longer ignore. After healing Anna, Subaru was renowned in Mondstadt as the boy who could cure the Infection with a touch. He'd been stopped by far too many people simply speaking to him for that sake. Thankfully, the children didn't mention it at all, probably not caring about his new status or just not knowing in the first place.
"It's such a wonderful thing to see that disease finally be cured," Grace continued. "You are a good man for not levying fees of any kind for your actions."
"Well, I don't really want to," Subaru replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I mean, too many people have suffered at the hands of this thing, right? I'm just doing what I can to help."
"How ironic to hear that from you of all people."
Subaru blinked at the foreign voice speaking to him. Looking to the side, he noticed another woman approaching him and Grace.
"I've heard about you," she said, wearing a scowl. "Natsuki Subaru, right? Is it true that you're from the Abyss Order?"
Subaru froze upon hearing that. "What… where did you hear that from?"
Briefly noting Grace's suspicious glance, he focused on the woman speaking to him. "It's simply a rumour running around. Tell me, then, were you the one to have spread this Infection to everyone in the first place?!"
Subaru bit his lip and cast his gaze down. Paimon, noting the disturbance, approached the group as well.
"Hey, Stinky Space! What's going on here?!"
"I-It's nothing, Paimon," Subaru replied to her, not taking his eyes off the woman confronting him. Looking around for a moment, he noticed the small crowd around him, listening in. He noted how they all whispered to each other, probably about what they were hearing.
Past the crowd, however, he noticed another woman in fancy clothes, wearing a stylised mask.
'The Fatui…' he realised upon seeing their mask. 'What the hell did they do?'
"Now, now, let's all calm down, shall we?"
The sound of his saviour came in the form of Kaeya Alberich, walking into the crowd, softly clapping. "Subaru Natsuki here can hear the Infection with a touch. Isn't that what is more important to consider?"
"Then can we simply forget that he was the one who did this to us in the first place?!" the woman yelled at the knight. "My husband died from the Infection last year! Can he fix that?!"
Subaru bit his lip nervously, noting the louder whispers from the people around. Looking back, he even noted the kids he played with a moment ago looking at him in confusion.
"Now, look," Kaeya continued. "I'm sorry to hear about your husband, but we are simply doing what we can for now. We only have – "
"Yes," Subaru interrupted Kaeya, stepping up to face the scowling woman. "Yes, I was with the Abyss Order. I was being controlled to work for them."
He had already made his bed when he spoke of the issue to the Knights, after all. He imagined the rumours would become far worse if things were left in obscurity, so he decided it would be best to tackle the issue as soon as it popped up.
"Still, I will do everything I can to stop them from now," he continued, not taking his eyes off the woman. He immediately dropped down to his knees and rested his head on the ground. "I am very sorry about your partner, but I promise you that I will not let this happen to anyone else. Now that I can do what I will, I will do everything in my power to stop this."
"And just how can we take your word for that?" the woman questioned him, still scowling at him.
"Let me show you," he said, lifting his head to look at her. "I will fight for Mondstadt. For you. I won't let anyone else be unfairly punished."
The girl gritted her teeth, then haughtily turned away and stormed off. Subaru slowly stood up and watched the crowd fade away, leaving him behind with Paimon and Kaeya.
"Are you sure that that was the right choice, Subaru Natsuki?" Kaeya asked.
"Yeah," Subaru admitted. "It's best to let them know completely than leave things unknown. Just… Just how did it get out, though?"
"Come with me to the headquarters."
"Hey, uhh…" Paimon spoke from over their shoulders. "Can we get lunch there as well? We already skipped breakfast…"
Kaeya smiled at the fairy. "Of course. I'll get something for you."
"Mr Natsuki, Paimon," Jean greeted the two as soon as they entered her office. "I am very sorry to have you back in my office so soon after our last discussion."
"It's okay," Subaru said. "What exactly happened?"
"Yeah, it was so scary!" Paimon cried out over him. "This girl was talking about how Stinky Space was in the Abyss Order! How did she know?!"
Jean sighed, drooping her head. "So, it has already been leaked. The two of you should know that our meeting record from yesterday has been stolen."
"Stolen?!" Subaru and Paimon remarked together.
Jean nodded, still frowning. "We are truly sorry for our lack of security. Lisa is currently trying to track the thief down, but from what I've heard, she is struggling. Whoever did it did it well."
Subaru huffed, taking stock of the news. "There… someone was watching our confrontation earlier. Someone in the Fatui."
"Yes, they are our primary suspect. As we've established yesterday, you are a threat to their business. As such, they would do whatever possible to break your standing among the locals. Exposing your secret seems to be their way of doing so."
They paused upon hearing a knock on the main door. Upon Jean's "Enter," the doors opened to reveal Kaeya with a plate of pancakes.
"This is for you, and I've got a portion for Subaru Natsuki outside," he said, handing the plate of Pancakes in his hand to a drooling Paimon. "Subaru Natsuki, I suppose that you would like to eat later?"
"Y-Yeah, that's right. I'm just trying to understand this."
"Well, Paimon doesn't mind!" she said, grabbing the plate eagerly and heading out of the office. "Thank you for the food!"
Shaking his head as Paimon left the room, Subaru turned back to Jean. "So… what now? Can we do anything against the Fatui for this?"
"Not yet, unfortunately. The Fatui are our only suspects so far with so little evidence. We can only take action if we confirm their hand in the crime. Our plan, for now, is to see their response to the Stormterror issue. Given that they are the criminals, they would definitely take action due to Stormterror as well."
Subaru quirked a brow. "Will they really help us with that dragon?"
"No. They would probably evacuate Mondstadt to avoid it."
Tsking, Subaru shook his head. "Yeah, that's not surprising."
"No, but it would give them away if they did so. Once they leave, we can confront them and let them know that the information about Stormterror was linked to the information about you being in the Abyss Order. We could try them for the theft of official documents belonging to the Knights."
Subaru nodded in response. "Yeah, that makes sense. But… what now? What should I do?"
"For now, it is best that you stay out of Mondstadt for a while."
"Huh? But why?"
"I am afraid that your reputation might only get worse as you stay here. It would be a better idea to take a small leave of absence from the public and then return for the Stormterror event just to let things die down."
"Really? I thought it would be better to stay here and show people that I'm not running away."
"You aren't. Anyone who leaves will notice you there, after all. It would affirm that you are guarding Mondstadt as well. You are also known for the Mitachurl defeat, after all."
"The mitachurl, yes…" Frankly, Subaru was quickly forgetting about that monster. "So, I need to leave Mondstadt?"
"Don't think of it so negatively," Kaeya spoke up nearby. "You're a new Adventurer, aren't you? You can think of this as an introduction to how to live in the wild outdoors."
Of course, Kaeya had a point. However, that wasn't what worried Subaru.
'Will I be able to actually step outside?'
He was still afraid of the outdoors; that had not changed. The last time he left Mondstadt was due to his fear of the people inside, so he couldn't feel any sense of achievement from that. If he had to leave Mondstadt, he had to be able to actually step outside and face those dangers once again.
"O-Okay," Subaru said, his voice cracking slightly. "I'll try."
Jean showed him a sympathetic look, noticing his struggles. "Don't worry. I'll get you some help. This is only for a few days. Once we catch the Fatui, we will be able to bring you back."
Subaru nodded but couldn't avoid the pressure in his gut. "Okay, I get it. I'll leave Mondstadt."
Subaru almost choked on his own breath as he watched the front entrance to Mondstadt, leading out to the bridge over Cider Lake. He was still within the confines of Mondstadt's walls, but he was soon to leave.
Before he left, there were a few things he did. Kaeya advised him to buy a bunch of ingredients to cook, so he took out his fortune from the Guild and bought several ingredients, accounting for Paimon's extra. He stored all of it, including the significant amount of Mora remaining, in his summoning inventory.
Speaking of Paimon, she was sad to hear that they would be leaving Mondstadt so soon after reaching there, but she didn't oppose it much. Subaru was glad to see her understand just what happened. However, she did get excited upon seeing the market and forced Subaru to overspend quite a bit.
Finally, Kaeya bought him a polearm from Wagner's just like last time. Since he had a summoning inventory, he no longer needed a harness for the weapon. He just let it dissolve into sparks and enter his inventory.
Finally, wearing his now split coat and his green scarf around his neck, Subaru regarded the entrance in front of him.
He breathed, forcing himself to calm down. Memories of Rem and the mitachurl flashed through his mind, making his teeth chatter at having to possibly face them once more.
"I can't follow you out there, Subaru Natsuki," Kaeya said, gently rubbing his back. "I still have my duties here. But don't worry. We already contacted someone to help you. She'll be there very soon. There's a camp left behind past the bridge, feel free to wait there."
"O-Okay…" Subaru stuttered, still unwilling to look Kaeya in the eyes.
Nodding, Kaeya patted his back once more. "In that case, I wish you luck, Subaru Natsuki."
Kaeya turned away and walked up the Square, most likely headed back to his duties as a Knight. Subaru, unfortunately, could not follow.
"Stinky Space?" Paimon asked, landing on his shoulder. "Why are we waiting here?"
"I-It's nothing… I'm just… afraid. That's all."
"Afraid? Paimon doesn't get it, why?"
"Well… we fought that mitachurl, right?"
"Y-Yeah… what about it?"
"Well, the world out there… it's so much more dangerous than here. Here, we could have just lived our lives normally. Save for the occasional final bosses like Stormterror, we don't need to worry about danger. But out there… we're going to be finding those things regularly."
"So? You can just beat them up like you always do, right?"
Subaru's expression soured. Once again, he cursed his inability to speak about Return by Death. Tightening his fist and biting his lip, he hastily shook his head.
"Alright, stop, Natsuki Subaru," he told himself, briefly ignoring Paimon's presence on his shoulder. "Brave… Brave as a Knight, remember?"
"What's the point of dying if you accomplish nothing?"
Subaru bit his lip again as he remembered those seemingly harsh words from Amber. Her response to his interpretation of her previous statement. He remembered everything she said after that about people using their strength and skills for things other than pure physical power. He'd already helped Mondstadt by revealing Stormterror's arrival to them. He already shouldered the burden of his lie.
But in the end, was it worth it?
Looking out to the bridge, Subaru once again thought of everything he'd been through to get there. He remembered the promises he made to Amber in his past lives. He remembered how pathetically he died every time. If he died again, would he wake up in the church once again? How many times would he keep dying? How long would it be before the very meaning of life itself became lost on him?
Leaving would mean certain death. Yet, staying in Mondstadt would mean certain death as well. So, what was left?
"My strength… my choices… that is what is left."
From another perspective, Return by Death was a blessing. It allowed him to know exactly what to do in different situations to lead to the best outcome. Return by Death turned his very choices into a weapon he could use. However, he only had to be careful about who that weapon would hurt.
Leaving Mondstadt was not his choice, but it was one that he had to make as a consequence of his previous choice, the one to express himself as an Abyss Order member. He had to leave, no matter what. As such, he had no choice but to gather his courage and become Brave as a Knight.
Subaru took a step forward, briefly registering the hum of approval from Paimon who was still on his shoulder. He paced to the line of the paving past the gate, nervously watching where the stone turned to dirt.
A single step forward. That was all he needed. One single step and he would be out of Mondstadt.
"Hey, uhh… you need any help?"
Looking to the left, Subaru noticed Lawrence looking at him with a frown, with Swan on his right looking at him, confused.
"N-No, I'm good," he muttered, then quickly stepped forward to appease them.
Once he stepped out, he couldn't help but gasp. He was finally out. He actually managed to push through his fear. Or so he thought.
Feeling himself fall short of breath, Subaru desperately clawed at his chest and fell to his knees as he fought through his panic attack. The feeling of dirt and grass beneath his palm only intensified that feeling.
"Hey, are you okay?!" Lawrence asked again, crouching to pat his back. "Hey, hey, you'll be fine, don't worry."
"Subaru!" Paimon shrieked from over him as well. "Please calm down!"
Despite the noise, Subaru finally managed to huff himself to a calmer state. Rasping a few breaths, Subaru kept his eyes trained on the dirt trail below him.
"I… I'm fine," Subaru shuddered. "I just… I was just getting used to this."
"That's okay," Lawrence said, presenting a hand to him. Nodding, Subaru took his hand and pulled himself up to a stand.
"Good!" the knight grinned at him. "I'm Lawrence. The stuck up here is Swan. We're the front guards of Mondstadt!"
Subaru faltered upon noticing that that would be the first time he'd meet the two. Shaking himself out of the thought of Return by Death, Subaru briefly introduced himself as well. "I'm Natsuki Subaru. Subaru's my first name, though. The flying loli next to me is Paimon."
"Hey! Stop calling me that!" Paimon yelled at him, which only made him chuckle at her cuteness.
"Say, aren't you that guy that defeated that mitachurl?" Lawrence asked. "Really good thing you did there, by the way."
"Haha, yeah," Subaru said. "Say, you haven't heard anything else about me?"
"No," Lawrence shook his head. "We don't hear many rumours while we guard this gate."
"Well, that's a good thing for me, then," Subaru muttered.
"Why, is it something devious?"
"Well, it is if you take it at face value. But it is the Knights that are asking me to leave for now."
"I noticed Captain Kaeya with you, so I'll take your word for it. Well, I shouldn't keep you waiting, then. Let's go, Paimon."
"Of course! You took your time, Stinky Space!"
Nodding to the two knights, Subaru and Paimon finally were able to walk out of Mondstadt, still feeling wary at the upcoming journey. However, he would do what he could to survive.
Walking past the bridge, Subaru was startled for a moment as some pigeons were disturbed. As they flew away, another voice reached their ears.
"Hey! Why are you disturbing the birds!"
Subaru blinked at how childish the voice sounded. Checking, he found that it was indeed a mere boy who was yelling at him.
"Hey, they were in our way!" Paimon screeched at him. "Of course, they were going to fly away!"
"Come on, Paimon, don't say it like that," Subaru said, patting Paimon's head, then turning to the boy. "I'm sorry we disturbed them, little guy. We just had to get to the other side."
"I don't care what you have to do! Just stop sending them away!"
Subaru sighed, not wanting to get angry at a mere boy's rants. "Look, they'll be back, won't they? You can keep feeding them when they return."
"But… But what if they don't?"
"Hm?"
"The birds… what if they never return? What if they leave and never come back?"
Subaru noted the boy's depressed gaze. Looking at him, he couldn't help but be reminded of his own family. Being unable to see them ever again because of him being transported to other worlds. He missed them, even if he never vocalised it. The boy must have been afraid of losing something close to him and the pigeons were merely a figurehead for something he'd already lost.
Subaru gently walked up to the boy, bent low and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, they will return," he assured him. "Say, how often do you come here and feed them?"
The boy, while slightly unnerved by his closeness, managed to reply. "E-Everyday, if I can."
"Then they will return. Just like how you love them, don't you think they love you as well? They'll come here every day, waiting for you. Just don't leave them alone when they do show up."
The boy was started by his words. "They… They love me as well?" he repeated, his lip quivering softly and spots of water appearing at the corner of his eyes. "Then… then why hasn't my dad returned?! Did he not love me?!"
Subaru gulped, immediately noticing the landmine he stepped on. "Well…" Subaru hummed, racking his brain for something to say. "I guess… your dad's doing everything he can to return to you. Tell me, do you think your dad didn't love you?"
"N-No… No, I know he loved me!"
"Then there's no need to doubt him, don't you think?" Subaru smiled at him, making sure to ignore the guilt welling in him. "Even if he never returns, he will be here in spirit."
Subaru quickly ruffled the boy's hair. "I don't know him, but I'm sure he was proud of you. Wherever he is, he is definitely looking to find a way back to you. In the meantime, why don't you remember him every day?"
"But that's not him, isn't it? Those are just memories, they're not him!"
"Now, but for now, that is all we have. We just need to wait for the day we would finally reunite. And that day will come, no matter what."
The boy shivered, then looked to the sides nervously. Looking back at Subaru, he leaned in and whispered. "And… if he's dead?"
Subaru inwardly cursed. The boy was not the innocent little thing he thought he was.
"Say, what's your name?"
"… Timmy."
"Well, Timmy, where I'm from, there is something we say. We say that anyone who dies only loses their body. Their spirit, soul, the very essence of their being, it goes somewhere."
Timmy curiously widened his eyes. "Where? Where does it go?"
"It's called different things by different people, but most call it Heaven."
"Heaven…"
"Yep! When we die, we all go to Heaven. Well, that is what they say, at least."
"… Does Heaven actually exist?"
"No one's sure. But to that I say, who cares? I think that if believing in something, even if it's wrong, can help us become better and be the best version of ourselves we can be, then what's wrong with believing in it? My parents raised me to not believe in this stuff, but sometimes, I like to think about this."
"So… So someday, I'll go to Heaven as well?"
"Yes, and you'll meet your dad there if he's actually dead. So, why don't you live your life the best way your can and make your dad proud to see you when you finally meet him again?"
Timmy looked low and bit his lip, tears softly running down his eyes. "… Thank you."
Subaru patted his shoulder and grinned at him. "Don't worry about it, kid. Don't forget to feed the birds when they come back, got it?"
"I-I won't!" Timmy eagerly told him, wiping his eyes and smiling at him. "I'll always stay with them!"
Nodding, Subaru stood back up. "You're a good kid, Timmy. Now, don't let your family worry about you."
Gulping, Timmy wagged his head again. "Okay! I won't!"
Subaru turned away from him and started to walk away, waving his hand behind him. "See you later, Timmy!"
"See you later too! W-wait, what was your name?!"
Pausing, Subaru turned back to look at him and grinned.
"Wait, no," Paimon crept. "You're going to do it again!"
"Of course I am!" Subaru yelled at the fairy while pulling off his signature pose, cocking his hip and resting a hand on it while pointing a finger at the sky. "I'm Natsuki Subaru, but my first name's Subaru! I'm way too far away from home and I don't have any of my memories, but I sure am making strides!"
"Seriously…" Paimon groaned, stomping her foot in the air. "You're doing that way too many times!"
Despite her words, Timmy looked up in wonder at Subaru's pose. He quickly grinned again, then waved a hand at him. "I'll see you again, Subaru! And you too, flying baby!"
"Paimon's not flying baby! Paimon's Paimon!"
"See ya, Timmy!" Subaru finally let go of his pose and waved him goodbye, moving away from the bridge.
"Hey, so…" Paimon said, hovering by his side again. "Did you really need to say all that to him?"
"The kid was in pain, Paimon. Think of it as my one good deed for the day, if you want!"
"Huh? Can't that good deed be something else? Like, Paimon doesn't know, giving Paimon food?"
"I'll give you food later, flying baby."
"Hey! Don't keep giving Paimon new ugly nicknames! Grr… I should think of something else for you as well…"
Finally making it past the bridge, Subaru looked ahead to note that the tent he was looking for was quite visible. Walking to it, he quickly sat down under it, with Paimon sparking beside him.
"So, uh, what do we do now?" Paimon asked.
Subaru sighed. He was high on the good feeling of helping a traumatised little boy; he seriously did not want to think about his own struggles at that moment.
"I don't know, what should I make you do?" a completely different voice said.
That new voice immediately broke Subaru out of any good feelings he had left. He remembered that voice rather vividly.
"Huh?" Paimon said, not recognising her as Subaru had. "Who was that? Was that the person Kaeya sent?"
The image of a wine-haired woman shoving a spear into his throat appeared in his mind as the same wine-haired woman lifted the flap to their tent.
"No, but I came here out of a personal interest," Rosaria said, looking straight at Subaru with crossed eyes. "You must be the Abyss Order member who can heal Infections. Natsuki Subaru, yes?"
A/N: Hey, new chapter! What's the occasion? Uhh... nothing. I just finished the new chapter.
So, why did I take over 5 months to upload this and miss the 1 year anniversary of this story?
Well, I have several excuses for you. First, I had to finish my thesis. That's done and dealt with, and I've finally completed my University courses and earned enough to graduate. I had exams and other things. I'm getting my driving license training, which I'm already good with but COVID messed with the timings on my tests and made them all expired. Basically, I need to redo all of my driving tests because it had been a while since I did them. I had my first of two road tests today and only when I found it was cancelled did I hear from them that I had to redo my parking test because it was expired.
Also, I had writer's block. Well, the option-choosing variant of it. I was thinking about how exactly I wanted to portray the Fatui. Also, I'm an idiot who is trying to develop good strategies for an organisation committing 'evil' deeds, so that should explain why I took so long as well.
But here's the chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Yes, I'm still alive and I'm not abandoning this story like I did with Ascension.
Btw, Genshin changed quite a bit in this time. 3.0 came out and unveiled Sumeru. I'm still fretting at how I can include Eleazar when the Abyssal Infection is already a thing (Seriously, why the hell did Collei's disease have to be a frequent illness and not a once in a lifetime genetic type or something? Nothing against it, it's just not good for me). They've also included a bunch of things I'd already planned out as well, making me think that MiHoYo looked into my head and based the whole story around my variant (heck, even Eleazar can be said to be copied from the Abyssal Infection). Good to know that I'm on the MiHoYo's idea track, though.
As for my personal gameplay, I've been focusing on building some of my lesser used characters. I was so focused on developing my Pyro teams that I've barely looked at other options. I already had Noelle C6, so I'm finally building her and a Geo Team to pair with her. Oh, and on Raiden's banner, I lost 50/50 pity, but got her 9 wishes later. I've pretty much stopped using Yelan now, I really don't see her as worth anything other than an addition to improve Xinqiu's damage that just hits outside the Vape chances for Hu Tao. Definitely not worth one of the precious 4 spots we get for teams. I do use her for navigation, though. Her skill is epic for desert travel especially. Oh, and I got Nahida. I've got 3 archons in my roster, and I'm not really looking to get Venti anyway. I've got Kazuha already. I finally got a viable 5 star weapon: The Skyward Harp. It's with my Yoimiya, who's turned into a serious damage dealer in my kit. Sure, it isn't the best in slot for her, but spare me the words. I already know, I'm just an F2P player making do with 5* weapon choices like the Summit Shaper and the Skyward Atlas otherwise.
Now, uhh. Review time. Shit, this will take forever.
Aib and Bob: Maybe someone else can do it? I've already got my hands way too full with this project. I'd definitely read that, though.
Yuma911: Thanks, that's actually what I'm trying to do with this. I have way too much respect for Nagatsuki-sensei's work to abuse it too much.
Mr Anon: Hmm, seems interesting. Problem is how would she make the witch cult in Lugunica if she is stuck in Celestia?
TheBigChong: I never read that 4-death rule before, but I'd already been following it. Maybe I abused it when I first started, but the mitachurl was a short interval event until Subaru learned why it was happening. It also served as a good introduction. In the end, when it comes to writing, rules are only to stay safe. Sometimes you'd have to break rules to best support your story, which is what I do. Other than that, I've already been following that rule even without knowing it, funnily enough.
As for how this loop turns out, just wait and see.
The Shard of Flame Ice: I've not played Honkai for fear of getting hooked onto another gacha game, so I wouldn't know. If there is any relation, it's definitely coincidental.
artem-abramov-2204: Not if I have anything to say about it. Hehehe...
Alright, I haven't replied to every review, but I do need to sleep soon. I'm going to the gym tomorrow morning, so I need to catch enough sleep to make sure I don't doze off while pumping weights or doing cardio.
I will try and regulate my schedule a bit from now on, but I will be working on this and my High School DxD and JoJo's Bizzare Adventure crossover story. I'll need to dedicate time into both, so if you want to read more of my work, feel free to read that. Heck, I'm even holding myself back from starting a Danmachi fic as well.
Ah, and I hope you don't mind the cliffhanger at the end there. In the meantime, I'll see you next chapter.
