"Oh man, what should I do. . .?"
Subaru muttered to himself, his hand lightly scratching his scalp in what could only be described as a nervous twitch. He'd briefly considered carrying over the unconscious bodies of Julius and Kadomon and simply sitting beside them until they woke up, but leaving these two unknown people alone didn't sit right with Subaru.
In fact, something instinctual told him it would be best to watch over them, as they likely were responsible for what happened. He had no proof to back up this assumption, but there were hardly any leads left for him to follow. Julius was down for the count the last time Subaru saw him and Kadomon wasn't doing much better. It was likely these two girls were the only ones who could tell him where they were.
"I wonder if Reinhard's alright?"
Subaru posed this question to himself, trying to distract himself and steady his breathing. The capital had been in ruins last he could remember. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that destruction could've reached the Manor.
"N-No, what am I thinking? Reinhard is fine! Felt too!"
He smacked both cheeks with his hands and let out a long sigh. He realized too late that thinking about the Manor would only result in more stress. It would be better if he found some way to focus on his current predicament rather than worry about things he had no control over.
Before Subaru could realize it, his attention had drifted back to the two unconscious girls laying in front of him. Up until now, he hadn't taken particular notice of their appearance, but for some reason, he couldn't look away.
'Just who are these two. . . ?'
One of them was dressed in white and purple, regal colors no doubt. The other was in a frilly dress, decorated by vibrant reds and yellows. The two of them looked almost ethereal in the middle of this field, at least compared to the dingy cloaks that Subaru, Julius, and Kadomon were wearing. Maybe he should try waking them up?
Subaru studied their appearances a little longer, his eyes widening as he saw one of the girl's ears had pointed ends.
'A-An Elf. . !?'
He was immediately enraptured with the prospect of meeting one of these mythical peoples. If Subaru could see himself through another's eyes, he'd no doubt think the long stare he was giving them was creepy. However, it was mostly a result of culture shock and less so impure intentions.
"U-Uh. . . C-Can either of you hear me. . ?!"
Subaru spoke aloud, trying to avoid yelling but remaining loud enough to jostle them awake.
". . . ."
"Looks like that didn't work. . ."
Subaru felt slightly dejected, and mildly concerned, with the fact that nobody else had woken up yet. If shouting wasn't enough to wake them up, should he be worried for their safety?
'I-I haven't checked their vitals yet.'
Once again, Subaru felt a twinge of fear in his chest. Had he been too quick to ascertain everyone was alright? It was a bit presumptuous to assume that because he woke up that everyone else would too.
"I-I should at least check if they are alive."
Turning away, Subaru slowly extended his hand until it made contact with the elf's neck. He didn't want to risk causing a scene if one of them woke up, so he looked away to grant himself some kind of modesty.
Subaru soon found his answer, as the faint feeling of a pulse against his hand caused him to let out a sigh of relief.
"Then we really are safe now. . !"
While he pondered different ways to deal with this situation, a worrying possibility loomed in his mind. One that he hadn't considered yet, but nonetheless was something that could be possible.
'C-Could these two actually be enemies. . ?'
The woman in bandages did appear to have some kind of elf ears beneath her disguise. He briefly poked the elf's forehead, and for the first time, saw a brief squint of her closed eyes.
"Don't tell me I jinxed it. . !"
Subaru jumped back, his hand slightly shaking and his breathing ragged again. He immediately got up to go check on Kadomon and Julius, nerves fried at the prospect of fighting Sirius again.
". . .S-Subaru. . ."
The elf muttered softly in her sleep, which went unheard as Subaru tended to the injuries of Kadomon and Julius.
It had been several hours since Subaru woke up, with the sun beginning to set.
All that could be heard was a soft wind current accompanied by the slightest rustling of surrounding trees. It was a relaxing atmosphere, perhaps a reward granted to them for all the stressful loops they'd experienced a short time earlier. It was a long enough rest that Julius's spirits had re-emerged from their sleep and began to swirl around their unconscious contractor. However, they quickly changed their target to Subaru, approaching him eagerly.
"H-Hey now, don't heal me! Heal Julius!"
Subaru swatted at the multicolored orbs, but was ultimately unable to prevent them from casting their healing magic onto him.
"I-I'm not your contractor right. . .?! Go heal him quickly!"
He gestured over to Julius again, but the orbs moved left to right. Even though they couldn't speak, it was clear to Subaru what they were trying to say.
"H-Hey, I don't care if its what Julius ordered. . ! He needs it way more than me!"
All of his spirits seemed to react indignantly to his command. It was definitely some kind of back sass they were directing towards Subaru, however he gave them a stern glare and continued to point at Julius.
"Go on. . ! I know you all want to make sure he's ok!"
Five of Julius's spirits began to heed Subaru's order, but Kua remained still. It was as if it was pouting at him, which caused Subaru to choke down a laugh.
". . .kgh. . ."
A voice moaned out behind Subaru.
"E-EEK. . -!"
In an instant, Subaru leapt behind the nearest tree and held his breath. No doubt, that voice had belonged to one of the two girls who'd accompanied them to this odd forest. If they were potential enemies, the last thing he wanted to do was get stuck in a 2 versus 1.
He peeked around the tree and surveyed the situation from afar.
It looked like it was the elf girl was waking up, the other girl seeming like she was gaining lucidity a bit slower.
". . .kgh. . ."
Emilia groaned quietly as she felt the cold ground on her back. She, for a brief moment, had no conception of what was going on around her. The only thing she was aware of was the buzzing headache and the pitched tinnitus in her ears.
After a couple seconds waiting for her internal senses to register, her primary senses followed in rapid succession. The pain inside her body faded, giving way to a more clear sense of touch and smell. It felt like she was laying on a bed of grass, and she could smell the fragrant scents of flowers in a meadow.
The next stimuli she noticed was a bright light, enough to radiate even through her closed eyes. It was from this, Emilia surmised she must be staring up into the sky.
She wasted no time in lifting her hand to shield her face as she started to open her eyes. It was meant to briefly keep her eyes from being blasted with sunlight, but when she opened her eyes, the sky was nowhere near as bright as she was expecting. It looked like a significant amount of time had passed since she was last awake, likely nearing sunset.
". . .A-Ah."
It was only then that Emilia's recollection of what had just happened finally clicked in her brain. What she'd seen just moments before this 'sleep' of hers was. . .
"W-Where am I. . .!?"
She shot up off the ground, looking rapidly across the strange scenery that surrounded her in a growing panic. She was in a forest. Only seconds ago, she was with Beatrice and. . . !
"N-No. . .N-No this can't. . !"
Emilia started to feel herself hyperventilate, a hand on her chest and her pupils shrunken into pinpricks. The last time she'd experienced this was when she was awoken by Puck. In her fury, had she unleashed another blizzard upon Lugunica? Was this all that remained of the capital? How many years could have passed?
"I-It can't. . . !"
Her chest heaved as tears built in her eyes. If what she believed happened was the truth, it would mean she'd killed everyone.
'Felt, Crusch, Garfiel, Otto, Wilhelm, Meili, Ram, Rem, Reinhard, Beatrice. . .S-'
She was on the verge of a breakdown, but the last name she didn't dare even think. Emilia couldn't, she was too afraid to. She'd just held him in her arms! Felt his pulse! If she'd lost control of her powers again, that would mean that, once again, she was responsible for. . . !
". .hk-. .!"
Right before things escalated out of Emilia's hands, in the corner of her eye, she spotted Beatrice. The relief she felt at that moment caused her to briefly fall backwards onto the ground.
'I-I didn't. . . ! T-Thank the Od!'
She let out a trembling breath and steadied herself once more. If this wasn't a result of her own actions, there must be something she didn't remember yet.
"W-What happened? This can't be the capital. . ."
Emilia spoke this to no one in particular, her shaking voice doing little to hide her feelings of uncertainty.
'Think. . ! What happened right before I fell asleep. . .'
She went over and scooped up Beatrice in her arms, the motion itself bringing her comfort in its familiar feeling.
The image of what she'd last seen was triggered immediately by her grasp of Beatrice's unconscious form. Her body remembered the feeling of carrying the two of them around during their fight with Sirius, and that in turn, triggered her direct memories. Before they'd been teleported, something had struck Subaru's body. . . ! Then, a wall of shadows came bursting forward, enveloping everything in darkness!
". . .W-Wait. . ! Subaru! I-I need to find Subaru. . !"
Behind the tree where Subaru was hiding, his voice caught in his throat, and he felt the hairs on his head stand on end. This girl knew his name already? Perhaps this really was Sirius! Even if this voice was more pleasant on the ears, he couldn't take any chances!
"S-Subaru. . !"
Emilia's eyes bolted all over the place, finding two others lying beside them. However, she immediately understood that they were not Subaru. Her heart began to race again, and she called out loud enough for the whole forest to hear.
"H-Hello. . !? Is anyone there?"
She yelled this out, hoping that anyone would break through the eerie silence she'd been experiencing since her awakening. Beatrice was still down for the count, but Emilia quickly realized that calling upon the local spirits might help her ascertain her new location.
"A-Ah, wait those are. . ."
Emilia suddenly caught view of the six spirits huddling around Julius's unmoving body. Almost immediately the spirits reacted and dispersed away before Emilia had a chance to speak to them. From the short glance she had of those spirits, she knew they were beyond the lesser spirits she normally communicated with back in Elior. They were likely contracted with someone.
"Perhaps these two. . ?"
The half-elf began to walk towards the two remaining unconscious bodies, their faces still obscured by their cloaks.
'S-She discovered Julius and Kadomon. . .!? What should I do!?'
Subaru once again felt his body weighing him down. He absolutely did not want to risk getting into another battle in his current state, but he also couldn't just allow her to attack Julius and Kadomon!
Emilia took another step, then another.
His time to intervene was getting shorter by the second!
'W-What should I do?! Maybe I could launch a sneak attack?'
Worst comes to worst, he could use Invisible Providence to briefly distract her and run to get their bodies. It wouldn't be impossible for him to get away with how dense this forest was. He soon found himself vetoing this idea though.
'N-No, without knowing her intentions, I might be attacking someone completely innocent.'
He shook his head, uncertain again as to what should do.
'B-But she knows who I am. . ! I've never met her before and the whole world thinks I'm dead. . ! How could she know my name!? Or that I'm even alive. . !?'
This person was a total enigma! If he stepped out from the tree line, he'd be completely at their mercy. It wasn't an exciting prospect at all! It'd be a different story if Julius was awake, but right now, he was absolutely certain he would lose to this person.
". . . !"
Emilia started to reach down to remove Kadomon's hood.
'D-Damn it. . ! I've got no choice. . .'
As Subaru ran out from behind his cover, the resultant cracking of leaves and rustling of branches was enough to briefly divert her attention away from Kadomon's body.
". . .O-Oh! P-Please wait a moment. . !"
He felt his hands trembling, even as he clasped them together underneath his cloak. Almost immediately, when their eyes made contact, he saw her irises waver and her mouth open slightly.
"P-Please, don't attack us. . !"
As that voice once again passed through her ears, the calm breeze of the forest came to an immediate halt. Well, perhaps it did not. Maybe her mind had merely been redirected in that moment so thoroughly away from her surroundings that she didn't care to hear the gusts of wind anymore.
The sight that blessed her eyes was one she wouldn't have dared to dream of only a month ago. It was a sight she'd imagined countless times in her dreams, although it was often meant as a curse. Truly, not being able to lay eyes on him again was a curse to Emilia.
In that respect, to accurately depict the feelings in Emilia's heart, it'd be less accurate to use emotional terminology. No, with her eyes just now, a very real curse had been lifted.
". . . . ."
"P-Please, don't attack us. . !"
The words that Subaru spoke ran a shiver down Emilia's spine.
"A-Attack. . . ? H-How c-could I-I. . . ?"
Emilia tried to speak, but suddenly she broke eye contact with Subaru and stared at the ground. She could not bring herself to look him in the eye now. It only made sense for him to think this way. After all, that was exactly what she'd done to him before he died. Wasn't she the one who apprehended him in Priestella? She'd been one of the first to levy accusations against him when their memories were stolen! Despite his pleas. . .
The weight of her guilt reigned so heavy on her now, she really wanted to lay down and disappear. She dared to pursue him, to trap him, and look him in the eye after everything she'd done to him? He must really want her to die.
"I-I. . ."
Emilia tried to speak but her voice broke and she found herself nauseous with regret. This whole journey was one of self-serving wish fulfillment. It was all so she could get here. So she could say 'I'm sorry!' and continue to live with herself. Subaru didn't need their apologies at all. He was doing just fine. All she was to him was a reminder of everything terrible in this world.
"I-I'm. . .*hik* . . .sorry. . ."
She barely managed to squeak it out before the tears and her lack of breath prevented any further words from escaping her lips.
"W-What. . ? I wasn't expecting that reaction. . ."
Subaru saw the half-elf fall to her knees, shoulders hunched forward in a ball. The girl looked like she was genuinely having a panic attack at the sight of him!
"I-I. . . !"
She sputtered out another sound, but quickly reverted back to quiet sobs and haggard breaths. Emilia wanted nothing more than to run away from Subaru's gaze, but her body was unmoving.
". . . ."
Subaru could only look on in astonishment as he realized his assessment had been completely off the mark. This poor girl looked like she was absolutely terrified of him! Almost immediately, he began to walk over in hopes of clearing up this misunderstanding.
". . .-hk!"
Emilia flinched as Subaru put his hand on her shoulder, which made him briefly recoil away, but he quickly found himself putting his hand there again.
"P-Please don't cry! I'm sorry if I scared you!"
". . . !"
It appears his words finally had an effect. Emilia's sobs, if only for a moment, ceased, and gave way to a shocked expression. Why should he care how she felt? It was beyond unreasonable for him to comfort her in this situation.
"My father always said that a beautiful girl crying all alone is a sign of a broken world."
Subaru's pats on her back and light reassurances made Emilia finally lift her eyes off the ground and establish eye contact again. If only for a moment, her fear had been eclipsed by something else, something she couldn't understand.
". . .b-beautiful. . .?"
That word. There was nothing about what she'd done that was 'beautiful'. In fact, the very idea of it being directed at her now was reprehensible. However. . . for him of all people to be the one to say it. . .
"Well of course. . .Even I'm not so blind as to deny that. . !"
And for the first time since that horrible day, Emilia saw an expression she never thought she'd see again. The edges of Subaru's mouth curved upwards, his eyes softened, and a smile as radiant as the sunset behind him beamed its way into her view.
". . . !"
With that, the floodgates broke.
"Subaru. . !"
Emilia leapt at Subaru, arms outstretched and her sobs momentarily overtaken by joyous cries. Before Subaru could even realize what was happening, he found himself locked in an embrace tight enough he almost considered it an attack!
"Subaru. .*hik* . ! Subaru. . . ! Subaru. . . ! Subaru. . .*hik*. ! Subaru. . . ! Huaghhhhh. . . . . . . ."
She repeated his name over and over, between the sobs rubbing her face into his chest with her ears grazing his neck. The whole time this was happening, Subaru's own hands were outstretched in front of him, merely hanging in the air. He was too surprised to react, and he didn't feel comfortable enough to return the hug with this woman he didn't even know.
"T-There, there. . ."
He awkwardly patted Emilia's shoulder, but this only seemed to energize her hug even more.
"I'm s-sorry. . ! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm Sorry. . ! Please. . . *hik*. . . I-I'm sorry! It was all my fault. . !"
Subaru's eyes widened, still uncertain as to what this woman was talking about. He wanted to ask her about how they got here, so he assumed she was referring to that.
"I-It's fine, p-please calm down. . ! We'll figure things out from here, a-alright?"
He said this offhandedly, as they clearly would need to work together if they wanted to figure out where they all were. However, it was soon apparent that his words had a much stronger impact on the half-elf than he'd intended. . .
". . .*hik*. . . F-Fine? ! N-Nothing's fine about this. . ! Huaghhhhh. . . . !"
She tightened her grip on him even more and he felt his arms beginning to lose circulation.
"W-Well, I'm not going to argue with you. . !"
"S-Subaru. . . I-I'm so sorry! I-I. . . !"
Emilia wasn't sure what she was about to say next, but the feelings in her heart were spilling out at an alarming rate. The logical part of her knew that the only thing she had the right to say to him was 'I'm sorry'. But the rest of her had something else, something she'd wanted to say to him even before that tragic day.
"I-I love you. . !"
". . .-hk?!"
It was with this declaration, she finally pulled herself off him and looked at him face to face.
". . . . ."
The anticipation Emilia felt was palpable. She felt disgusted that she uttered those words to someone she'd wronged so horribly, but even so, if she didn't tell him now, she felt she would regret it for the rest of her life.
". . . . ."
Subaru stared at her in shock, his own eyes wavering at the prospect of such a beautiful girl confessing her love to him in such an unexpected way. He brought a hand to his cheek, scratching with his finger and looking away from Emilia's expectant gaze.
"W-Well, we're moving a little fast aren't we. . . ?"
At this utterance, Emilia bit her lip and clenched her eyes shut, having interpreted his answer as a sarcastic mocking of her proposal. It was to be expected after all, she couldn't be upset with him for not loving her anymore.
"How about we start with introductions? My name is Natsuki Subaru! Not only am I clueless, I'm also broke beyond compare! Nice to meet you!"
". . . . . ."
With this, Emilia's shrunk back, her mouth agape and her eyes glossed over with a bewildered look.
"Emilia-tan. . ! Did I ever tell you the story of Ozymandias?"
It was a random discussion, nothing particularly of note. Emilia had just finished her studies for the day, and Subaru, with his impeccable timing, had burst into her study to relieve her.
"Hmm, 'Ozzee' – 'mandee' – 'uss'. . . ? No, I've never heard that one I think. . . ?"
Emilia put a finger to her chin and thought pensively at Subaru's question. While she did this, Subaru made a hand gesture of a camera and pantomimed a 'click' sound effect, pretending to stash the photo in his pocket.
"Ah! EMT – Emilia-tan Major Detective. . !"
The half-elf saw this and looked confused, but quickly smiled and wrote it off as another 'Subarism', as was expected of her knight. She might have to ask Beatrice about it later. . .
"Well, I'm a bit busy with some paperwork. . .perhaps it would be best if you came back later. . ."
Emilia looked down at her desk, embarrassed to have to turn Subaru away, but facing a backlog of work that came from indulging Subaru the day before.
"E-Emilia-tan, Emilia-tan. . ! I promise I'll be quick. . . !"
Subaru put both his hands together and bowed deeply, making Emilia turn red with abashment as she begged him to raise his head. If she had the chance to hear another one of his stories, Emilia figured she should cherish the opportunity.
"A-Ah, ah, yes! Please tell your tale expressly!"
Subaru looked at Emilia for a second, his mouth opening and closing before he coughed into his hand.
"I'm not sure people say any part of that sentence anymore. . ."
Emilia puffed her cheeks out and looked away, but slightly smiling.
"W-Well anyways! Ozymandias! To give some background, this takes place several thousand years ago. . ."
Subaru starts off his story with a line that sounded quite ridiculous to Emilia, but delivered in a way so casual that she can't help but believe it.
"It's based off an old Egyptian ruler, who we called a 'Pharaoh', but who we called at the time, Ozymandias. He designed many large structures that outlasted his empire by thousands of years. Some of which even survive to today!"
Emilia nods her head, but seems to be getting slightly less interested in his story.
"W-Wait, stay with me. . ! A famous poet from a few hundred years ago came across these structures and used them to write a famous poem, one which I still remember pretty well!"
Subaru smirks, proud of himself for somehow remembering this lore from his Literature classes. It was certainly not something he'd thought would've been important when he was learning it, but as a steward of his 'old world's' culture, it was especially valuable now.
"Ah, so you wanted to tell me this poem. . ?"
"Yes, I felt it might have some extra value to you, who shall become Queen someday!"
Emilia blushed at Subaru's bold declaration, hiding behind a paper stack that she held up in front of her face.
"So, if I remember correctly, the poem goes like this. . ."
Subaru stretched out his arm, preparing to deliver each line with as much gravitas and showmanship as he could muster.
"I met a traveller from an antique land, Who said—"Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand, Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read, Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed; And on the pedestal, these words appear: My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings. . . !"
Right as he reached that line, Subaru froze up.
"S-Subaru. . ? A-Are you alright?"
Emilia could see he looked quite ashamed, as Subaru leaned back, coughed into his fist and turned around.
"H-How does it go again. . ? I know the general gist of the line, but if I say it wrong, I'll look totally lame in front of Emilia-tan. . ."
Subaru muttered to himself, scratching the back of his head as he said the line internally a hundred different ways until he could get it right.
"W-While you think of the line, how about you tell me the moral of the story?"
Emilia tried to cheer up Subaru, in the hopes that distracting him might make the line come to him more naturally. He grumbled a bit, but eventually decided to turn back around and delve into the moral of the story.
"Ah, ok. . .The moral of the story! So basically, Ozymandias was a ruler who believed his empire to be above the passage of time. He put engravings to flaunt his wealth and power so that future generations would know and fear him. However, after several thousand years, there's nothing left of him besides those small notes. It's meant to be a warning to all those who wield power of the fragility of life and the dominion of time over all empires. Those who are prideful and arrogant enough to believe themselves above time will find themselves destroyed and forgotten like Ozymandias!"
Subaru nodded to himself, but then thought about it for a moment and realized that was actually quite a dark lesson to teach Emilia.
"N-Not that you would need that lesson, of course. . !"
He laughed uncomfortably, as Emilia reflected on his story, entranced in the narrative he'd spun.
"A-Ah! That's it. . .!"
Subaru contacted his fist with the palm of his other hand.
"D-Did you remember the next line, Subaru. . . !?"
This time, Emilia looked really engaged with what Subaru was about to say.
"Yep! It goes like. . . ."
"How about we start with introductions?"
Subaru extended his hand out to Emilia, who looked at it, trepidation filling her heart.
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Author's Note
Emilia's become her own Ozymandias, how tragic!
Man it's been awhile. Please forgive me for the slow updates, at this point, all I can think about is how I want to continue this story. I don't normally have a lot of free time to write nowadays, which sucks, but is also good for me too. . .? All of you, in the comments, feel free to vent about how slow I am to update, I get that its annoying, as I also read fics so I know what it's like to have to sit and wait forever. This chapter has been built up throughout the entire fic, and I can only hope I delivered for you guys. I think it turned out really well. I still have so many more amazing scenes I want to write, but this has been a chapter I've been wondering how to tackle for a long time, and I think I finally got it to a point where I want to share it with you all.
As for the poll on this chapter, I want to ask you guys which fic you want updates for the most? I have WIPs for all three, so its really a question of which I switch my attention to.
A. Another Chance
B. The Secret
C. Cast Reacts to Arc 7 Shenanigans (This will be a huge undertaking XD)
Here's my typical plugs that I normally put at the end of each of my chapters:
I also have a discord server for anyone interested in getting updates for when new chapters are releasing. We've got roles, a lot of active members, and an overall good vibe going on. It's pretty decked out by this point, so I suggest you check it out:
/tgMtCvdasb
I also do have some other announcements though! My server members have been really active recently and we've actually done a couple live reads of my chapters. Since it turned out pretty decent, I thought, why not just do them for all my stuff? Anyway, what I'm trying to say here is that I've begun setting up a backlog of live readings for people to listen to (if they're interested in that kind of thing). If you want to participate in those, then join the discord!