Chapter 22: Stormterror

Subaru had been put through rigorous training with Eula, and he could safely say that even in those few days, his skills had marginally improved. He had begun to carry his polearm much more surely. He didn't have as much time to practice with his whip, however, seeing how it always unnerved Eula whenever he brought it out of his inventory. Outside of combat, his skills in flying had also improved. He imagined that if he were to continue his daredevil technique of riding up tornadoes, his flying level had to be much higher if he wanted to survive.

To Subaru, however, the most memorable part of his short training period would have been the day before the event; when Eula commanded him to defeat a mitachurl once again.

The three of them: Subaru, Eula and Paimon had headed to a nearby hilichurl camp. It was the first time that Subaru had seen one of that size. Spanning land big enough to fit a whole house, the entire camp was complete even with the construction of rudimentary housing. It certainly made Subaru wonder if hilichurls were the mindless creatures that everyone thought they were, or if they were simply occupying the space since no one else chose to enter it.

However, what stood out the most to Subaru was the giant monster in the centre of the camp, sitting and lounging as the hilichurls around it lived their lives. Another Mitachurl sat there, still bearing a menacing foreboding despite its then-calm nature. Subaru gulped as he saw the monster, feeling the back of his neck turn damp.

"You must not worry," Eula appeased him, making him turn to her for a distraction. "You've gained enough skill for this. All that you lack is a Vision, but even that can be substituted by sufficient skill."

"Are you sure that he's ready, Eula?" Paimon said, for Subaru couldn't. "It hasn't been long since he started his training."

"I would have liked it if he had more time, yes. Unfortunately, his own prediction of Stormterror's arrival is upon us, so we must make haste. Mr. Subaru, you can proceed straight to the Mitachurl. I will take care of the other hilichurls this time."

Subaru wanted to say something to appease his fear, to quench the quiver in his knees, but his voice failed him. The feud between his trained fear of the monster over so many deaths and his equally trained will to fight forced him to a standstill. His jaw locked up, refusing even the lightest of sounds from coming out.

"Mr. Subaru," Eula stated, noticing his distress. "You can do this. Believe in yourself."

So easily, Eula had introduced another element to this internal battle. His own belief in himself. Did he trust himself to survive against that monster again, without having to face the agony of death yet again?

He had defeated far too many hilichurls with Eula in the past few days; a small part of him that wanted a better challenge somehow won out over everything else.

Nodding, Subaru and Eula made their approach while Paimon vanished away. Subaru headed straight for the charging Mitachurl while Eula easily picked off the other hilichurls. It was a combination of both his knowledge of how Mitachurls fought and his new skills with a polearm that dealt significantly more damage than a whip which resulted in Subaru winning the battle much faster than he thought. A quick thrust to the throat of the monster was surprisingly enough to take it out.

"You see how far you have come now, Mr. Subaru? You already have enough natural strength to help you, so this additional skill and the sharp blade of the polearm are enough to help you complete your skillset."

Looking down at the crumbling corpse of the mitachurl, Subaru thought that he would feel resentment for the now wasted first loops he suffered. He was afraid that becoming so strong would spit on his past self who died so many times to one of these creatures. However, now that he reached that threshold, he chastised himself for that fear. It was because of that suffering that he got to where he currently was, after all. He wouldn't have been attuned to a Mitachurl's movements if it weren't for how experienced he was with them, and that certainly helped his efforts in defeating it once again so easily. As such, all he felt was pride in himself for overcoming his past, weak self… and one more thing.

"Eula-sensei," Subaru turned to Eula and bowed at the hip to her. "Thank you for everything you've done. I wouldn't have come this far without you."

Eula quickly turned red upon hearing Subaru's thanks, quickly turning away and hiding her face. "I-I-It was nothing," she barely managed to say loud enough for Subaru to hear.

Subaru looked up at her and slowly grinned. "What, can't handle a compliment?"

"W-Why, you?!" Eula barked as she scowled at him. She thrust her chest out, rested a hand on her hip and pointed down at him, her quivering expression belying her true feelings despite her demeanour. "Mark my words, Vengeance will be mine!"

Subaru, having long seen past her behaviour, simply shook the words off with a small smile. He looked back down at the now fully disintegrated body of the mitachurl. "Sure… of course you will."


A slight breeze brushed across the lands of Mondstadt. Despite it being such a common phenomenon, it made a shiver go through Subaru's spine. It would start with wind, after all.

After so many days, Subaru was able to see the gates of Mondstadt once again. Timmy was not present that day on the bridge; Subaru hoped that he was made to stay away because of the looming threat. Alongside Subaru stood not only Eula but a small army of loosely armour-clad knights. The Reconnaissance Team had come together for this expedition, temporarily granting Subaru access to their ranks.

The gates of Mondstadt past the bridge gave way to a small army of knights marching out. The glint of steel under the sun was only overshadowed by the emblem of the Knights of Favonius on their breastplates. At the helm stood the more important members of the expedition: Jean and Kaeya. Together, the knights crossed the bridge, approaching Subaru and the Reconnaissance Team behind him.

"Mr. Natsuki, Eula," Jean greeted him and the team captain. "I trust that you've done your work for the past few days?"

"All good, captain," Subaru cheered, wearing a smile. "We've been training super hard for this!"

"I can attest to Mr Subaru's progress as well, captain," Eula said. "He has made marginal progress. It would not be averse of us to grant him a position within our ranks soon after this."

Jean smiled and nodded. "I'm glad to hear it. However, Mr. Subaru, please understand that you are still a citizen amongst us. So please, make sure to stay out of the line of fire, and only intervene if you must."

Subaru frowned at the order, but after everything he'd experienced in his past runs, he knew that it was futile to challenge that. It was on the run that he fought against those orders that he was killed by Rosaria, after all.

"To make sure that you are following those orders," Jean continued, smiling mischievously. "Accompanying you will be our Outrider, Amber."

Subaru blinked at the announcement and quickly looked past the crowd of knights, seeing if she had walked out of the gate as well. A firm tap on his shoulder made him turn to Eula, who gestured behind them. Turning around, he saw Amber's brown hair slowly fluttering in the wind, her eyes glimmering.

"Hey, Subaru… been a while, huh?"

Paimon quickly shot glances at the two of them, then turned to Eula. "Hey, should Paimon go with you instead?"

Eula chuckled and shook her head. "Don't worry, you can stay with your partner."


The knights quickly divided into groups, having already been prepared for this matter. As the groups moved away and Jean started talking to some red-haired guy who approached them, Amber quickly dragged Subaru and Paimon up north, where they were designated to go. Amber, having not forgotten about Eula's presence, quickly bade her goodbye as they went their separate ways.

"So, uhh…" Subaru started once the trio found themselves alone. "How have you been?"

"Oh?" Amber barked. "Um, I've been good, yeah! How were you? I heard Eula was training you?"

"Y-Yeah, yeah, she was," Subaru said, feeling his cheeks flush ever so slightly. "I'm pretty strong now, you know?" he quickly bragged, hoping to cut through that weird tension between the two of them.

"Mhm," Amber nodded, looking to the road.

Paimon, who was hovering between the two, saw the tension between them and chose to smash it with a sledgehammer instead. "Okay, will you two shut up and let Amber say why she ran away so suddenly that day?!"

Being caught off guard by Paimon's words, Subaru was forced to cough up some spit that went down the wrong pipe, then quickly scuffed Paimon on the head with a quick "Owie!" from her.

"Why I left… huh?" Amber muttered, biting her lip. "Umm, Subaru? I want to apologize for that. I… didn't mean to leave you stranded."

"N-No, you were fine. You can go wherever you want, the fairy loli just didn't know what she was talking about."

"Hey, weren't you crying about how she was avoi – Owie!"

"No, it was still wrong of me," Amber decreed, holding a closed hand to her chest. "I'm really sorry for that, Subaru."

Subaru looked at Amber's determined expression before letting out a sigh of his own. "Fine. I accept your apology. But can you tell me what happened, at least?"

Amber paused while looking at Subaru, then gulped. "That's… that's still private, sorry."

Subaru's sigh deepened. "… Very well. Just… please tell me when you're ready, okay?" After his discussions with Eula, he already knew that it was something regarding his 'reveal' as an Abyss Order member. If it were about the Abyss Order, then it made sense that her secret was a heavy one.

Amber smiled at him. "Okay. I promise. But I will say that my little temper tantrum was not your fault, okay? So, don't blame yourself for anything."

Subaru had to admit, those words relieved him more than he'd imagined. "Thank you," he said, finally finding it in him to smile at her.

Amber, finally seeing Subaru's smile once again, couldn't hold herself back from replicating the expression. However, it quickly fell. "Actually there was something I needed to ask you. How sure are you about this Stormterror thing?"

Subaru's smile fell too. "Absolutely. As I said, Stormterror is supposed to attack today. I can't say if anything I've done might change things. Honestly, knowing the people of the Abyss Order, I was surprised they didn't move the attack to a day prior instead."

"Hmm… Maybe they had busy schedules?"

"Them? Yeah, maybe. I don't want to think of what they might have been doing, though."

"Hey, Stinky Space, Amber," Paimon called out to them. "Can you tell Paimon what we're supposed to be doing?"

"Oh, we're supposed to be looking for anything suspicious, really! Anything that can prove Subaru's claim."

Suddenly, the land around them grew dark for a moment, then returned to normal. Subaru, having been caught unaware by the sudden shift, jolted into awareness. Looking up, his skin crawled as he noticed the blue scales of Stormterror glinting in the sunlight, flying over them to another part of the forest.

"Subaru… I don't know how you guessed that… but after it!" Amber called out, withdrawing her bow and moving to a sprint. Subaru quickly did the same with his whip and spear, keeping both close as he charged ahead, and Paimon hid behind Subaru but still kept pace.

Hearing the beating of its wings sent constant thrums to Subaru's hammering heart. Being so close to the monster… he could possibly end the threat before it even reached Mondstadt! Noticing that the beating sounds came to a stop, the trio deduced that Stormterror had landed for some reason. Subaru quickly traced the source of the sound to a clearing bordered by a forest, which is where the three of them chose to hide.

Looking past a set of trees, they noticed the massive, imposing figure of Stormterror leaning low, bending its head far enough to reach the height of a young man in green clothes. The boyish man gently approached the monster as if he were approaching a rabid cat. "There, there," the boy said, reaching out to the dragon. "What did they do to you…?"

Stormterror flinched and snarled at the boy, making him step back in alarm. However, the sudden motion triggered Amber's sense of knighthood, for she reflexively stepped ahead and stepped on a twig sitting right in front of them.

The crackling sound spread through the clearing, letting their quarry know that they weren't alone. Stormterror roared in fury, making Subaru harshly recall his past deaths and stumble onto his ass in fear. Amber quickly dove back to help Subaru up, but at that moment, Stormterror spread its wings and took to the skies again, rushing away from the group of people.

Amber quickly turned to the boy, who was looking at them, stunned. No… Amber realized something. He wasn't looking at them. He was looking at Subaru.

"Wait, who are you?! What were you doing?!" Amber called out to the boy. The boy finally registered her presence, and suddenly his body flashed a green light, making Amber wince. When her vision cleared, he was gone.

"What… What was that?" Amber said, looking down at Subaru who was still struggling to get up.

"Something I hadn't seen before," Subaru said, belying his fear in his tone. He turned back to the location that Stormterror was on, grimly noting the large footprints where it stood, until he noticed something else there. A large glowing black gem, lying next to where Stormterror's face rested.

Subaru got up and slowly approached it. Amber, taking note of its presence, called him out on it. "Be careful! Those things spread Infection!" Nodding, Subaru still approached the gem. It looked suspiciously like a normal Infected Abyssal Crystal, but it was in the shape of a teardrop. Looking down at his own gloved right hand, Subaru removed the cover and revealed the veins running through it. Warily, Subaru bent down to the gem and touched its surface.

The black veins quivered under his skin as the Infection on that gem was absorbed by it, making Subaru shudder uncomfortably. Amber gasped behind him as the glow on the gem faded, but for Subaru, something about the energy he was absorbing was speaking to him.

A scream filled his mind. A scream filled with desperation, sadness, pain… no, it was no scream. It was a wail. A wail of fury at injustice. A condensed demonstration of sorrow. All within that one gem that was released by Stormterror.

Slowly, the gem revealed its clear, diamond-like colour. Subaru stood up, finally understanding that this gem had somehow come from Stormterror. That sorrow and pain that the gem held, was Stormterror's pain. To think that the monster that put him through Hell was going through a Hell of its own… Subaru found himself lost for words as he looked down at the Tear that Stormterror had left behind.

"Stinky Space?" Paimon gently shook him on the shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"What… did they do to you…?" he unconsciously echoed the boy's words to Stormterror.


It didn't take long for the masses of knights to return to their city after Amber got the word out. Apparently, the knights were able to communicate with each other through pigeons. As such, Amber, Subaru and Paimon rushed back to Mondstadt to see this scene; where Jean ordered the knights that had come in to move to their designated positions.

"Ah, you've returned," Jean nodded at the trio as the knights returned to the fortress, probably to scale its walls and guard the top. "Mr. Subaru, I once again apologize for doubting you in this matter."

"It's okay, I'm just a little glad that the Order didn't mess with me," Subaru said. "What's the plan, Captain?"

"Stormterror may be one of the Four Winds, but what we will see today is the dragon at its worst. As such, all we can do is hope that Barbatos will forgive us and allow us to execute the dragon as soon as possible."

Once, Subaru would have been delighted to hear those words. However, the weight of the tear that Stormterror left behind still burdened his left pocket. As much as he wanted to smile at the thought that it would finally be over, he could not. Not after feeling the pain that Stormterror had gone through.

"Captain Jean… there may be another way," Amber said. "Subaru, can you show me what we found?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah." Subaru pulled out the now crystal-clear tear that Amber pointed out.

Upon seeing it, Jean furrowed her brows. "Those crystals have been emerging far too often… they're the current source of the spike in Infection. How did you two stumble upon one?"

"It came from Stormterror!" Amber said. "The moment it lifted off, this thing fell from its eyes. As you said, it was covered in the Infection, but I think Subaru absorbed it."

"He absorbed it… Yes, that makes sense. Why are you mentioning this, Amber?"

"Because, Captain Jean, doesn't this mean that this recent outbreak of Abyssal Infection is because of these things that Stormterror is leaving behind?"

Jean nodded. "That is the natural connection. I'm asking how this connects to our job today?"

"The Infection has to come from somewhere, right?" Amber said. "What if Stormterror itself is Infected?"

Jean made to speak, but then stayed quiet at the theory, instead turning to Subaru.

Subaru bit his lip at the thought. He remembered how Rem mentioned the same thing once in his last run. "I think Amber's right," Subaru said. "Moreover, I know that certain people, and maybe even Stormterror now, can be controlled by the Abyss Order once they're Infected."

"You have made that point clear already, Mr. Natsuki," Jean reiterated. "Are you inferring that the Abyss Order is controlling Stormterror through its Infection?"

"Yes, that's what I'm saying!" Amber said. "And if that's true, then we don't need to kill Stormterror! We can just get Subaru to climb it!"

Subaru looked back at Amber, shocked. "Me? I mean, I'm not saying no, but why are you asking me to do this. As Jean said, I'm just a civilian, aren't I?"

"Be that as it may," Jean supplied, turning to Subaru again. "You are still our best chance of defeating Stormterror if Amber's theory is correct. I will be honest, I fear for the Knight's chances of outright defeating Stormterror. If we can somehow make it stop attacking instead, then we will consider that a victory. And if Stormterror is being controlled by an external party, it is our duty as protectors of Mondstadt to free him of that control. That is why I am willing to have even an unofficially trained citizen join such a dangerous aspect of this battle."

Subaru stayed quiet, keeping his gaze against Jean's. "… are you sure about this?"

"It is our only chance. Natsuki Subaru, I hereby anoint you as an Honorary Knight of Favonius. Your task for today's battle is to climb Stormterror's back, absorb the Infection from him, and most importantly, safely touch down and make it back alive." Swiftly, Jean bent down, kneeling before him, much to his shock. "Please, the life of every Mondstadtian rests on your shoulders."

"C-Captain Jean, please don't kneel like that!" Subaru yelled out, quickly crouching low to help her up. Once they both were standing and dusted off, Subaru carried on. "But… the life of every Mondstadtian, huh? I'll… I'll do what I can."

Jean nodded. "What else can you tell us about this upcoming battle? Don't worry, we will still remain aware of possible changes."

And so, Subaru explained all of it from his memories. How Stormterror would emerge. How the tornadoes would form and how the winds would pick up. He explained so many details that Jean wondered how he could have gotten them without infiltrating an Abyss Order camp at any point. But she didn't mind; Mondstadt was more important. Even if Subaru's origins weren't trustworthy, he was still a necessary evil. As such, Jean still accepted the words he said, despite being surprised at how precise he was with the details.

"Very well," Jean decreed once Subaru was done. "Now, we will need to come up with a plan of attack. First, Mr. Natsuki, you will need to wear this."

In a flash, a briefcase appeared in Jean's hands. Subaru eyed it warily, not knowing what it was. Accepting it from her, he opened it to see a weathered leather armour sitting within. At the breastplate of the armour rested the emblem of the Knights of Favonius, almost screaming at Subaru with what he was getting into.

"A knight's classic armour might be too heavy for the plan if it involves gliding, so this leather armour is all we can offer you instead. Use it well, Natsuki Subaru."

Subaru bit his lip and nodded, feeling the weight of his responsibility in that armour.

"With that, I must explain our plans," Jean said. "Our knights will mainly support at a range, for there isn't much that we can do to get close. We can shoot arrows in to keep Stormterror busy. If Subaru's information is accurate, none of our Vision Bearers will be able to land an attack against it, so this is what we are left with.

"However, this leaves us with a large hurdle. Mr. Natsuki, just how are you going to get onto Stormterror's back?"

Subaru took a breath, knowing just how ridiculous his next words were going to be, but he had to stick to his course.

"I was thinking… of riding the tornadoes up to."

Instead of Jean, it was Amber who spoke up. "Sorry, what?"

"Well, I would enter one of the tornadoes, let it carry me up… and when I'm high enough, I'll use my wind glider to break out and glide to the dragon's back."

"Subaru, that's insane," Amber supplied. "As the Gliding Champion of Mondstadt, I can definitely tell you that that is ridiculous."

"Look, you can tell me if you have a better idea, then?"

"Well, yeah! Captain Jean can send you up with her Vision, right?"

Jean paused for a moment. "… That may not be possible."

"Huh? Why?!"

"While it is true that my Vision allows me to do such a thing, we need to keep into account how fast Stormterror will be moving. I will not be able to send Mr. Natsuki that far up in the first place. For starters, the chances of encountering Stormterror so close to the wall while flying low enough is marginal. I would imagine that if we rely on my abilities, Mr. Natsuki will most likely fall down without even coming close to the dragon. As much as I hate to say it… Mr. Natsuki's idea is the best that we have got for now."

Amber gaped at her Captain. "Wait, so… are you really going to make him do this?" She turned to Subaru. "How could you even suggest something as risky as that? Do you really think you can do this?"

Subaru looked at Amber's anxious expression, so he smiled to appease her. "Don't worry. I'll manage it."

Amber bit her lip but nodded. "Fine. But if I see even a single sign of danger, I'm coming in, alright!"

Subaru nodded. "I wouldn't have it any other way."


Subaru looked over the horizon past Mondstadt, being granted permission to stand at the very front of the station up above the fortress. Nearby, several archers were setting their arrows and gunners were manning cannons. More importantly, Jean, Kaeya and Amber were alongside him, looking out past the wall. Moreover, Subaru was wearing the armour that Jean gave him. Surprisingly, it fit fairly well. Apparently, they were designed to fit most people in the first place, and Subaru's body type was not different enough from other people.

Sighing, Subaru hesitantly bit his lip. It was time, after all. All his work, all his suffering… it had all culminated to that day. He didn't care to admit it, but… he didn't know what he would do if he failed his current run as well. It was already becoming far too difficult for him to keep repeating his past actions, so he truthfully wanted to end his suffering then and there. More importantly, the thought of death still sent a shiver down his spine. He grimaced at the thought of his past deaths yet again. No more. Once this dragon was dealt with, then no more would he struggle. Everything would finally be done. Mondstadt would finally be at peace.

Jean stepped up, alarming him and making Subaru look ahead. Jean was looking up at the clouds, so Subaru followed her gaze. He saw shimmers of green past a small cumulonimbus of clouds hovering over Mondstadt.

The wind picked up, fluttering the bangs of Subaru's hair. Every thump of its strands seemed to resonate with his heart even though he remained focused on the clouds above him.

The clouds grew darker and darker, to the extent that one would think they were rainclouds instead. But that was true, for green flashes still appeared within the formation. Subaru drew a breath; it was coming.

A roar filled the skies of Mondstadt. The clouds parted and revealed turquoise scales descending over the land. Stormterror's wingspan covered nearly half of Mondstadt's radius. Every flap of its wings gave rise to turbulences that forced tornadoes to disrupt the land.

"To arms, men!" Jean barked, immediately sending the soldiers back on alert. A volley of arrows swiftly appeared, striking Stormterror's scales, albeit uselessly bouncing off them.

"Subaru!" Jean called out to him. "Do you need any help?"

"No," Subaru said, stepping over the fortress and looking down to see the swirl of a tornado forming beneath them. "I can do this."

Jean nodded. "… good luck."

With a nod, Subaru called forth the feeling of his inventory and summoned his wind glider. With Stormterror's roar, Subaru leapt off the walls of Mondstadt, letting loose his own wings to carry him down. The wind was turbulent, but he had no choice but to stay true to his course.

The tornado he was tracking picked up as soon as he reached its epicentre. Subaru felt himself picking up speed as the winds carried him up again. His ears popped from the rapid spinning of the wind, but he still kept an eye out for the blue scales of his enemy. As soon as he noticed them below him, Subaru unfurled his wings once again, letting the wind catch his body to push it away instead.

Send stumbling out of the tornado, Subaru forced himself to fight his lightheadedness and focus on the situation. Stormterror was still soaring over the skies, now peppering the lands with its breath. Arrows were still sailing through the skies, now threatening to break his approach as well. Subaru glided as fast as he could to where Stormterror was, hoping that he was fast enough to reach. When he finally reached over Stormterror's back, he was glad to see that the updraft from its wings was carrying him in place.

More importantly, Subaru noticed something on Stormterror's back. A contrast to its turquoise scales; a glowing black crystal rested upon the base of its neck. Subaru knew that was the place that he had to go to. So, Subaru grabbed the ends of his wind glider and pressed them lower, hoping to still catch the wind while falling down.

However, it wasn't smooth sailing. Arrows still peppered Stormterror's skin, and Subaru was quickly approaching the blast radius. He quickly looked to his side and noticed an arrow approaching him instead; he unfurled his wings fuller to narrowly miss it grazing his chin. However, a look to the other side showed that the end of his wind glider was nearly nicked by the arrow. Subaru quickly collapsed his wings to keep them from getting damaged, even though his body lurched low and span as it descended. He rolled himself into a ball, letting his armour take the incoming arrows instead of himself.

Once again, Subaru unfurled his wings to see another set of arrows coming his way. Yelping, Subaru dropped his wings yet again and stumbled to a fall, closer to Stormterror's back. Thankfully, the dragon let its wings beat upwards, letting out a quick burst of wind on either side to let Subaru align himself onto the middle of its back.

Once more, Subaru tried to unfurl his wind glider for the sake of a safe landing. An arrow immediately clipped his left wing. The dragon's wings were back down, so Subaru veered off course and barely grazed the dragon's back before being thrown past it. The one stray wing caught a current and spun Subaru away from his destination. He was taken far off course before he could finally withdraw his damaged wind glider back into his inventory.

Looking up now at Stormterror, Subaru gaped in surprise. He couldn't allow this! He couldn't let himself die again!

"Providence!"

Two black arms shot out of Subaru's chest and gripped Stormterror's legs. Subaru gasped as that something escaped him with his consistent use of that ability, but he ignored it in favour of holding on to his quarry. Using Providence Subaru was able to throw himself back up over Stormterror once more, and with another arm, he was able to grab onto its spine to hoist himself onto its back.

The sound of beating wings filled his ears as soon as he stood up, having finally reached his destination. Subaru clung onto Stormterror's spine for dear life as the dragon spun midair, lurching Subaru's guts in a way it should have never experienced.

"Like a roller-coaster," Subaru told himself, wanting to believe such a thing. Finally feeling the dragon stilling in the air, Subaru made his way further up his back. Still keeping two arms of Providence out, he allowed his arms to hold on to a previous spine as Subaru climbed ahead. As soon as he noticed Stormterror acting up in its flight, Subaru lashed out with another arm to grab a scale further away and held himself stably on its back, waiting for it to finish. Once it stilled, Subaru got up and carried on, fighting off stray arrows bouncing off his armour with every step.

Soon enough, Subaru finally found himself at his true destination. The stain of Infection was still attached to Stormterror's back, still leeching black veins onto its skin. From the way it was pulsing, Subaru could tell that it was active. Frustrated, Subaru knelt down and made to absorb the Infection –

"Subaru-kun!"

He froze at the familiar voice. Turning his head back, he noticed Rem standing behind him, still wearing the Abyss Mistress's garb while showing off those veins on her chest.

"Rem…" Subaru gritted his teeth. "Why are you here?"

"T-they put Rem here!" she carried out, wearing a terrified face. However, Subaru knew better, hearing her term of address for herself.

Stormterror's body rumbled once more, making Rem cry out in fear. Subaru stumbled ahead, away from the Infected site, and was forced to hold onto another spine for support.

Hearing another cry, Subaru looked down to see Rem slipping from the dragon's back and falling off. Subaru immediately leapt away from his place on its back to catch her, only to recognize his stupidity.

He'd already identified Rem as an imposter. If she was there and was falling off Stormterror's back, it must have been only to keep him away from the infected site. The Abyss Order must have been relying on his memory of Rem to expect him to throw his mission away when faced with her in danger.

And they almost got him too.

With a roar, Subaru summoned Providence and reached back to the dragon's spine. Catching onto one, Subaru reached out with another arm to Rem, securing her as well. With a grunt, he brought both of them back onto the dragon's back.

"S-Subaru-kun, you saved R-"

"Save me the theatrics. I know what you are."

As Rem faked another surprised expression, Subaru took a moment to take stock of his surroundings. The recent stumble had changed their positions. Unfortunately, Rem was now in between Subaru's path to the Infected site. He was certain that this was intentional.

"You always seemed to know things you shouldn't, Subaru-kun," Rem said, finally revealing her true face. "I am certain that was the trait that attracted Rem to you in the first place."

"Don't speak of her like that." Subaru immediately drew out his spear. "Not when you're wearing her face like the imposter you are."

"Oh, but I am Rem, you see. Times have just been cruel to me."

Subaru didn't say anything further, instead dashing ahead to attack Rem. Rem widened her eyes at the attack and said "Huma" without any hesitation. Ice spikes were shot at Subaru, which he swiftly deflected from the air. However, his skill with his spear wasn't enough, leaving his armour to tank some of the attacks.

Rem smiled despite the loss and instead formed another spike in her hand. She dove down and thrust it through Stormterror's scales, making it cry out in fury.

Subaru immediately grabbed onto the dragon's back with Providence yet again, for it suddenly flew raggedly, as if trying to shake him off. Drawing himself back to the surface, Subaru hugged its back to make sure nothing happened to his hold.

Looking up, Subaru noticed Rem still standing, feet frozen upon the dragon's scales. With a wave of her hands, blades of wind were shot at him. Subaru immediately pushed himself back up with Providence, however, the invisible arm was cut off by the wind. Silencing his cry of pain, Subaru forced himself to focus on the second blade of wind Rem sent his way and formed another hand to drag him back down.

Impaling the dragon's back with his spear to secure himself, only to be stunned as the blade was deflected by its scales, Subaru stumbled yet again. Stormterror swayed yet again, finally throwing Subaru down its back. The reverb from the deflection loosened Subaru's grip on his spear, letting it loose.

Subaru was now rolling down Stormterror's back with no way to stop now that he was rendered unarmed with the loss of his spear. Subaru made to use Providence again but cried in agony as his ability refused his call. It took him a few precious seconds to notice that he'd been relying on his authority far too much for that battle. That something that his ability relied on seemed to have run out.

However, there was one more weapon he had. One that he never focused on as much during his training, but it wasn't as though he had much choice left.

Subaru summoned his whip into his hand just as he was thrown off Stormterror's tail. With a grunt, Subaru lashed out with the whip and managed to catch the end of its tail, barely keeping himself on its back.

Gritting his teeth, Subaru mustered his strength and threw himself back onto the dragon's back, finally rolling to a stop. He immediately held onto a spine as Stormterror trashed about yet again. Looking up, he held on to his whip tighter. Rem was still there in his way, after all.

As soon as the dragon stilled, Subaru charged ahead with a yell. Feeling the whip flutter in the air, Subaru felt a sense of familiarity with it. That muscle memory he'd been reliant upon for so long… he felt as though that would no longer be the case.

Rem noticed him charging ahead; she smirked while shooting another volley of ice spikes. Remembering flashes of projectile training with his whip through the pangs in his head, Subaru re-enacted the motions and knocked away every spike in the air. Unfettered, Subaru kept moving ahead.

Her smirk now gone, Rem sent blades of air against him next. Subaru lashed Stormterror's side, making it roar and drop once again. With a drop, Subaru hugged the dragon's back and dodged the unstoppable wind blades. With a huff, Subaru rose again to charge at Rem.

Just as Rem made to throw another wind blade at Subaru, Stormterror groaned and plummeted for a moment, making Rem lose her balance despite her frozen feet. Subaru was sent in her direction, allowing him to get closer without consequence. With a whip, Subaru shattered the ice holding Rem onto the dragon's back. Fighting the deflection of the whip, Subaru finally struck Rem's torso with the whip as well.

Rem choked in surprising agony as the end of the whip brushed against the Infected portion of her chest. The veins within her pulsed uncomfortably as she was thrown away from Subaru, colliding against the crystal that helped them control the dragon. Subaru quickly kept pace with her, closing in on his own destination as well.

Something shattered in Subaru's mind, but he paid no heed to it, instead allowing Guiltywhip to strike Rem once more.

Rem ducked under Subaru's attack, making the whip strike the crystal instead. The sound of cracking filled Rem's ears, making her look up to see that the unassuming whip was somehow able to form cracks upon the surface of the crystal.

The dragon roared and thundered about, feeling a moment of reprieve from its control.

She could not let this happen any longer. With a yell, Rem released a wave of fire against Subaru, making him stumble back in confusion. Subaru fell into his back to dodge the burst of fire, barely singing his eyebrows in the process.

Past the fire, a shard of ice was shot at him, hitting him straight in the chest. Despite the armour, the strike stung more than anything that Subaru had experienced that day and sent him off footing. With the turbulence of the dragon, Subaru could no longer hold on to his place and was thrown off. Once more, Subaru thrust Guiltywhip against its scales to try and hold on, but Rem was much more aware of his presence. A shot of ice knocked the whip from its trajectory, finally leaving Subaru out of options to hold on to the dragon once again.

Subaru couldn't help but cry out in fury as he was sent to fall to his death again. Tears stung his eyes under the wind as he wondered if he'd ever be able to do things as he'd desired. Guiltywhip remained in his hands, but that was all that he had left. No spear, no Providence, no wind glider even… there was no way to keep himself from falling to his death. He would have to do it all again.

If anything, he was glad that he'd have more time to train. He was far too inexperienced with his spear, and it was only the sudden revival of his memories about Guiltywhip, his whip, that helped him at the latter end of that attempt. Looking down at the land of Mondstadt, he sighed, relenting himself to his next death.

"Subaru!" A voice called out. "Grab my hand!"

His body turned to face upwards, letting him see the red-clad figure of Amber falling behind him, reaching out to him. It was salvation. If he reached out, he would be able to survive.

But was that what he needed? If he died again, wouldn't he be able to do better next time? Wouldn't he actually succeed then?

However, a look at the fear-stricken face of Amber was enough to discourage him. She was not the knight he first thought she was. Once, he thought she was the type to do anything noble, to be Brave as a Knight. However, his previous run easily disproved that logic.

Her fear upon knowing of the endless night was enough to discourage any further notions. She was as afraid of death as anyone else. She was no longer some unreachable figure off in the distance, only to be admired from afar. No, she was far too human to be as such.

If Subaru died again, she would be sad. She wouldn't be brave then, all she would feel would be despair.

Subaru made to reach out to her but found that they were an inch too far apart. With a yell, Subaru flung his whip instead, letting Amber catch its other end and hoist him up. Now holding each other, Amber deployed her wind glider, slowing their descent.

"How did you get up here?" Subaru asked, finding a moment of reprieve.

"You made riding tornadoes look so fun, I couldn't help but follow you! Craziest thing I've done, let me tell you!"

Still high from stress, Subaru somehow harked out a laugh at that comment. Nothing else was discussed between the two of them until they finally touched the ground, making it safely back onto the land of Mondstadt City.

"We're back," Amber said, carefully dropping Subaru to the ground. She looked up to check on Stormterror but noticed something odd.

With a roar, the dragon was ascending higher into the sky, moving well away from the walls of Mondstadt. The dragon was finally fleeing from the city.

"Subaru, look!" she called out. "It's leaving! Stormterror is going away! You did it!"

In her excitement, she turned back to look at Subaru again, but only then noticed his state. His body was riddled with bruises, most definitely from the constant stumbling around on a dragon's back. Reaching down and undoing his armour, Amber unknowingly lifted his shirt and noticed a nasty purple welt on his torso.

"Oh, Subaru…" she muttered, frowning at his state, especially since she noticed that he was knocked out cold. Nevertheless, a small smile still graced her features. "You really are something, huh…?"


A/N: End of arc reached! With this chapter, I have officially taken 22 chapters to finish the first... 15... minutes... of the game. Still, I'm pretty sure that these 22 chapters is way better than the pew-pew game we got in those 15 minutes.

A lot of people have been asking me how long the rest of the story would end up being if the starting itself is this long. To that... I will be honest. I'll have no choice but to make some directive cuts in the story. I won't be covering the whole of Genshin true to the game. Instead, I will be making my own liberties here and there, mainly by taking out some unnecessary bits. For example, I won't be writing the temples, which should be coming after this arc. They're unnecessary to the whole story, instead serving as a tutorial and even an introduction to the Abyss Order, things I've gone well past already in this story.

My biggest problem right now is that I know what the next arc should be about, but I don't know when I have to implement it relative to the Genshin story. This arc will be separate to the Genshin story, but it can be squeezed into an element in the story as well. The problem is knowing when to implement it. Unfortunately, I can't take votes or anything on this matter because spoilers, so this is a problem that I'll have to overcome by writing alone. Wish me luck there.

Another problem with these 'budget cuts' is that I'm afraid of not including every single character in the story. Some characters like Razor and Diona are so obtuse to the main plotline that they cannot be seamlessly added into the story without making it a filler chapter of some kind. One idea is writing their stories for their birthdays, but I feel like that will become obstructive until I finish the main story. Think of me being in the middle of some serious situation in the main story, and I suddenly make a birthday chapter upload. I don't want to break the flow like that, so this is something I'll only do if I can.

The thing about writing this is knowing when to use Return by Death. People have mentioned this before in reviews, but Subaru cannot be expected to die to every little threat in the main story. Rest assured that Stormterror was merely the training wheels, and now that Subaru remembers about Guiltywhip, he'll be much more competitive in a battle. That being said, he will still die, don't worry about missing out on that. There are several major threats coming up that will force Subaru to die to come to terms with his situation. That's also why I'm so confused as to where I'm supposed to include the next arc. This next arc is supposed to be the 3rd of 4 arcs in this whole story, but I'm starting to think that this won't be possible anymore. There's just too many elements to take care of to compress it into so few arcs, unless I can be a little intelligent about how I handle things.

Now, onto the reviews!


Faldorion: Thanks for the advice! I am trying to do that, and I'm ready to play the next arc, but the download is taking way too long. I guess that gives me more time to starve for it, then.


Anon: Sorry about saying 'the loop ends'. That's my trick to make people think that he might still die, thereby not giving out spoilers. The loop still ends here, though; the loop breaks. Also, glad to hear that Eula was written well. I also do read comments on ao3, maybe it's been a while since I replied to them, though.


Spiritomb: Well, I get that now. Thanks for the head up, though.


kukuhimanpr: Well, the base Re:Zero still has its charms, even if the character introductions are done differently. Even if early introductions are better in Genshin, there are still too many characters to keep in mind.


Thanks3: That's what I was aiming for, so thank you for saying so. Also, Emilia was the biggest reason why I was hesitant about pairings in the first place. Thankfully, I will let you know that Subaru won't remember Emilia while in Mondstadt, so this matter is one for the future.


LinesLinesLines: A reading journey sounds really interesting, I wonder how that went overall? I am glad to hear that my story made it to your favorites, and I hope that this chapter lived up to your expectations as well.

Also, if you're going to make a post of your favorite stories so far, can you please send me the source once its done? I want to egosurf a little. Oh, and see the other stories you've enjoyed as well, of course.


Noragogoisverycool: Okay, so I have a lot to say here. The first thing is... thank you for being my first critical reviewer. Seriously, no sarcasm. I always leave critical reviews on stories I don't like as much, so I'm pretty glad to see someone trying to help me improve as well.

About Subaru being OOC, I'll have no choice but to agree. It's something I've mentioned as well in the earlier chapters: that Subaru has been acting too much like a coward compared to the normal Subaru. But their circumstances are different, so I've justified it to myself as such.

The timeline being weird... that's more creative license, really. I honestly didn't care about the 'correctness' of the timeline there, because this is my story in the end. As long as most of the elements are identical enough to call it fanfiction, I'm happy with it. And when it comes to fear, wouldn't you be terrified as well? If a dragon was going to attack your place in a few days, wouldn't you be panicked either? Sorry for the thought, I just don't see the logic there. Being killed in his sleep is pretty boring and too similar to the mansion arc in Re:Zero as well.

Amber's thing is part her gameplay and the way players react to her. It's a running gag that Amber is weak, so I was just going off that. Also, hilichurls are pretty weak on the spectrum of threats, and Amber only killed a mitachurl when her life was on the line. I like to think the last of her life fueled her burst in that attack, which was naturally absent in the final fight against the mitachurl.

Thank you for noticing that hilichurls aren't mabeasts. There is another reason as to why miasma attracts them, but that's spoilers. I thought more people would notice, honestly.

The whip I've justified to muscle memory, but yes, he shouldn't be able to use it so well. I'll give you that, but he did need more combat experience, so I just left it in.

Between Subaru and Amber, it's more of a case of idolism. Subaru saw Amber as an idol of bravery in the beginning, which was why he was trying to get closer to her. It was only through his deaths that Subaru noticed more about her to lose that mindset. Amber, meanwhile, is naturally extroverted. Subaru was a good guy in her eyes, so she had no trouble hanging out with him. She did it with Collei, after all.

Him dying for them... Sorry, but his third death loop was literally about him running away from these troubles? I don't get that. Also, Subaru hasn't committed suicide in the story, save for that moment he was running on the high of "Brave as a Knight" after Amber's death to the mitachurl. He's already been driven out of that mindset too. Moreover, he has the memory of 50+ deaths in his head, do you really think that won't change things?

Speaking of those deaths, practically speaking mind breaking was supposed to happen. I will give you that. That moment where he collapsed and fell asleep was the closest I could bring this about without stalling the whole story. In the end, I needed to continue to story, so I just called it Amber's Magic that brought him back.

"Early Subaru(which seems to be the one you are using) for as little he values his own life would prioritise it over a stranger as would all slightly normal people, this is his Sloth" I vehemently disagree with this statement. His Sloth was him trying to justify his own situation and make himself out to be the victim in the Sloth arc. True, he was the victim, but he made himself look like a rambling madman because he wanted others to believe it. His inability to turn things in his favour by understanding his situation was what lead to his downfall in those first few runs. Also, since when did he prioritise his life over others? Part of it was his infatuation with Emilia, but he never ran away from the situation. Even in the time when he left the mansion, he only did so in order to get a bird's eye view on the assassin. He 'ran away' only to help Emilia further, that's not prioritising his own life over others. Subaru sees himself as nothing, just as a waste of space, so he justifies it by helping others live even if he dies. I've done better than that in this story; I've included a moment where he actually helps himself instead during the time he ran away from Mondstadt. That had no ulterior motive, it was just, "I'm scared, get me out of here." I've included this moment only because Amber's 'hold' over him was not as strong as Emilia's. Subaru stayed in Mondstadt to honour Amber's code of bravery, he stayed in Roswaal's Manor to get Emilia to return his feelings. Of course, Subaru being the romantic he is, would choose to stay in the Manor more than in Mondstadt. That's my justification for his betrayal, at the very least, even though I believe it's a valid one. So please, don't call Subaru a coward by any means, especially not the canon Subaru. That guy has PTSD upon PTSD, it's difficult to know what he's truly thinking past all of that pain he's going through.

The rational thought while afraid... I'll admit, that's because of me. I prefer to write more thinkative characters. I am trying to overcome this flaw of mine, but sometimes I need to progress the story, so I leave it in without even noticing.

He doesn't cry as much? Sorry, but does he need to cry? He looks at his reflection and sees a bloodstained face. When he's swallowing that much trauma already, how can a few tears make it out? Also, anytime he goes through an episode, you can naturally assume that he's crying as well. I just don't make a habit of mentioning it as much; which is a flaw of mine, I'll admit.

About sins and virtues... yeah, I don't... I don't get it. Subaru is a human being, so he's flawed naturally. But he's not actively seeking to become worse. Maybe that's the case in the IF routes, but that's, once again, because of trauma. PTSD is a horrid thing that should never be underestimated. But we're not talking about IFs here, this Subaru is based on canon. Also, he never really migrates to virtues after sins, he's a Sage Candidate. The 7 Sins are a vital aspect of his personality, because without them he cannot attain his authorities.

I do agree that Subaru is an incredibly complex character, and I know I've not done a picture perfect comparison. But I think this is enough, honestly. The problem with fanfiction is that if characters remain too faithful, they lose their novelty. The story becomes a remake rather than something interesting, and one thing I hate over all else is remakes. There are fanfictions out there that are written transcripts of normal stories; I veer away from those with a passion. So, I made Subaru a little different in order to fit to his new situations and surroundings. I hope that you can see that.

As much as I don't like to accuse people of things, I should ask that you check on your own knowledge of Subaru's personality as well. A lot of what you're saying, especially in the latter end of the review, don't really add up with the truth of who he is or what he's done.

You have made several right points about how I've written the story, however, and I'm sorry to say that the answer to a lot of them was "I need to progress". That's just how it is, though. I'm not skilled enough to write a story that is completely true to reality, even though that's what I'm aiming for. That's why fanfiction is my practice. So, thank you for pointing out these flaws. If anything, they serve as a reality check for their existence, and a reminder to me to get off my ass and work on correcting these.


DatGuy1st: I'm not only Indian, I'm a Malayali. The Urumi is from my home state of Kerala, so I definitely know it that is. Heck, I've even seen it in action, something more than any other Mallu can say. They're traditional weapons, so they hardly exist out of our culture. I'd love to include characters in Sumeru that use an Urumi, but I don't think it will work out for Subaru. He is far too distant from my own culture for a connection to be drawn. Also, Urumis are bloody terrifying. The blade can flay your skin off if you aren't careful with it, even as a wielder. Whip wielders worry about the whip hitting their own body; if that happens with a Urumi, blood will be spilt.


I want to get back to weekly uploads, but including my other stories as well. If things go right, you can expect another chapter 3 weeks from now, but you can't really tell for certain with me at the helm. The next few uploads will definitely be for my other stories, and I'll get back to this if I get the time. Thankfully, no new story ideas immediately.

With that said, I'll see you next chapter!