Chapter 12: Heads Will Roll

After arriving back at the mansion, even later then last time, Lyra and Subaru had both settled in for the evening. After supper, they were both supposed to be getting their respective tutoring sessions, however, Ram had decided to retire for the night before visiting Subaru, allowing Emilia to take over his evening lesson.

Lyra and Rem had an un-noteworthy time studying together. Rem had once again returned to her cold tone and attitude, leaving Lyra feeling vacant on the inside.

She keeps flipping in-between the two, being herself and being distant with me. The derailment really must not have worked. She knows I'm acting strange, but how can I not? It's not like I can tell her about Return—

Lyra hadn't exactly considered telling anyone about Return By Death. It wasn't like anyone would believe her about it, anyways. Lyra contemplated letting Rem in on her and Subaru's "secret".

I would have to tell her about it probably being Subaru's doing, and that we just don't know yet at this juncture. But I can keep it at that. I won't tell her more than what I need to. She can just ask Subaru if she has any other questions about it, I think he would understand quite a bit at that point.

Around this time, Emilia had just finished helping Subaru study, finishing earlier than when Ram would have, which gave Subaru some extra time to prepare for bedtime.

But in reality, Subaru was trying to focus on staying awake so that he could figure out just exactly what had happened this same night, on the previous loop. He was determined to see the night through.

Lyra, meanwhile, had given a yawn while writing her next line of repeated words on her parchment paper.

I want Rem to trust me. Lyra thought. I just need to find an opportunity to tell her... The sooner, the better—

Rem: Lyra appears to be tired. Perhaps we should wrap up for tonight.

With Rem cutting off her thoughts, instead of fighting it, Lyra decided to put it off and just let Rem retire for the evening. Provided that both herself and Subaru get past tonight...

"Telling her will be my reward." she told herself.

Capping her inkwell and closing the books that she had open, she was surprised to notice that Rem hadn't left yet.

Turning around in her chair, Lyra saw Rem standing by the door, as if she had gone to leave and decided not to. The gaze she had was unlike her normal, cold, formal attitude. This gaze was... predatory.

Lyra felt a chill run up her spine once her and Rem locked eyes.

Rem: Can Lyra answer a few questions?

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Lyra croaked out her response, fear building in her voice from the atmosphere that Rem was emitting.

Lyra: S-sure, Rem. O-of c-course...

Feeling the atmosphere lighten ever so little with her complying answer, Rem poised her question.

Rem: Yesterday, when Lyra helped wash the bathing area, Nee-sama asked you if you had completed the tasks she had set aside for you to complete. How did you know that was the extent of tasks she would want you to complete that day?

Confused by the question, Lyra had an easy answer to it.

Lyra: That's because she told me about them before. She listed them—

Rem: Which brings Rem to her real question. Nee-sama told Rem that you knew your tasks before she had finished listing them when she gave them to you, Lyra.

Gulping, Lyra knew right off the bat that she had messed up. She recalled exactly what she'd done.

...

Ram: Raly, I took the liberty of writing down tomorrow's duties for you that need doing, like cutting the grass—

Lyra: Edging the walkway, trimming the shrubs, and sweeping the back porch.

Ram looked up at her note, moderately surprised that he knew exactly what she had listed.

...

Rem took a few more steps towards Lyra, the threatening atmosphere returning in force.

Rem: And just how did you know that Nee-sama and Rem's workload was more than usual, and that dinner was going to be late?

Lyra: Well, I—

Rem: Lyra has only been here for three days, so there's no way that it was just a lucky guess...

Taking evenmore steps towards Lyra, it was as if every unsatisfactory answer that Lyra gave her caused her to inch closer to her and behave in an even-more threatening way towards her.

Rem: And Subaru.

Slightly caught off guard by her next prompt, Lyra almost slightly relaxed, as if she had changed the subject of her anger now.

Rem: Subaru had broken a vase. While Rem was upset that he could be so careless with Roswaal-sama's property, he is new at his job, so it is to be expected.

Rem had said this, eyes closed, as if containing herself. But as she continued, her eyes opened back up, her thoughts directed right at Lyra.

Rem: But Subaru had replaced it with a new vase, trying to keep his mistake hidden. Meaning Subaru knew where the extras were. When Rem asked Subaru how he knew where they were, did Lyra know what Subaru said?

Still turned around in her chair, Lyra shook her head.

Rem: He was shown by Lyra.

Another chill ran down Lyra's spine due to yet another overlooked detail. Of course she wasn't the one who perpetrated it, but maybe she should have been more thorough with remembering to cover all of her bases, including Subaru.

Rem: Rem is also curious about one last thing.

At this point she was halfway across the room. Step after slow step, her head tilted down and her eyes looked directly at Lyra.

Rem: Lyra had asked Subaru about the injury on his hand while we were returning to the mansion.

Oh shit , she HAD noticed! The derailment didn't work...

Rem: Subaru distinctly said it 'happened again' to Lyra. Do you know what Rem finds odd about that?

Her mouth began metaphorically filling with cotton, Lyra couldn't possibly choke out an answer for Rem. The best she could do was shake her head for her.

Rem: Rem had asked Subaru if he had ever been to the village, before Lyra showed up, out of breath from trying to catch up before we left. Subaru said he had never been to the village before.

Another blunder. What else had Rem noticed? Why was she taking into account every little mismatched detail? What had the two of them done differently this time around to make her this suspicious?

Lyra: Rem, don't you think that—

Rem: How did Subaru know where the children were playing? How did he get along with them so well and know all their names?

Rem was only an arms length away from Lyra now where she had stopped. This was optimal for her. Close enough to keep her options open, yet also far enough to evade Lyra should she have some sort of ace up her sleeve.

Rem: Do you know what Rem thinks? That was a lie. Lyra knew Subaru had slipped up, and tried her best to distract Rem from thinking about it.

A bolt of fear ran through Lyra's mind. Things were falling to pieces quickly.

Rem: That expression lets Rem know all she needs to know.

The glint in Rem's eyes had changed. They had turned to something different. Something more, wrathful.

Not wishing to see such things, Lyra closed his eyes in response, almost flinching at her very expression and dark aura she was omitting.

Thud* *Thud*

Hearing two footsteps right in front of her, Lyra opened her eyes back up. Keeping her head at the same angle it was when looking at Rem right before closing them, right in front of her eyes was a black and white apron.

Slowly moving her vision up, she soon realized just what the thuds had been.

In the time that she had had her eyes shut, Rem had closed the gap between them almost entirely, spare only enough space to not be intimately close.

Her vision crossed her chest, and soon after, made eye to eye contact, looking almost directly up at Rem.

Peering down at Lyra, her eyes pointing downward as if looking at trash, she asked her final question, with anger on her lips.

Rem: What do you have to say, Lyra?

Closing her eyes and lowering her head back down, she wracked her brain for answers.

What can I say? Deflect? No. If derailing didn't work, deflection won't... I can't lie, It would just be putting myself into a larger hole. The only thing left is—

She could only come to one conclusion.

Why is she going at this alone? Why was Subaru her only confidant? What if she just came out and said it?

Lyra: Rem... I—.

Rem: — — — —

Lyra could not see it, but Rem was holding herself back, keeping only her scowl of disgust pinned down on her as she waited for Lyra to give her plea.

Lyra: Me... and Subaru, we can... a-and you're probably not going to believe me when I say this but... in a way we can...

Rem: — — — —

Opening her eyes back up and looking up, past her chest again, and into her eyes, which were filled with anger and contempt, Lyra tightly shut her eyes and got to her confession.

Lyra: Subaru and I can Return by D—!

She couldn't finish. She hadn't stopped herself, rather she was cut off by something she didn't understand.

Opening her eyes once more, she still found Rem glaring down at her. She couldn't move her mouth to make a sound, or move her arms, or any part of her body, not even close her eyes once again.

Was this Rem's doing? No. She wasn't moving either. She wasn't blinking or breathing either. Just how long had she been stuck for? Had she even been listening to Lyra try to tell her before she too was cut off?

Then, Lyra noticed it.

A black mist started to envelope the room. While everything else was forced to remain frozen, Lyra could see this mist of darkness begin to cover the room. The walls, the floor, the ceiling, all clad in a black cloud, leaving her and Rem stranded.

Just as it had arrived, the cloud behind Rem had parted, and a black figure made its way through.

Its expression was hidden behind Rem from the angle that Lyra was sitting at, she could not make out just what the phantom was doing.

It appeared as if it were reaching for Rem, but just as Lyra had noticed, her attention was taken back to Rem's chest.

Through her chest, a black spectral hand made its way through, continuing as if Rem herself was not even there.

The hand continued down into Lyra's own chest. Despite it appearing as if it would have no feeling should it pass through him as it had just done to Rem, she could feel the hand itself working its way through her chest.

Past her shirt, past her skin, past her ribs, and stopping right as it got to her heart.

She could feel the hand caress her vital organ, beating as it squirmed in the phantom's hand.

A squeeze was felt. It was painful. Very, very painful.

Lyra wanted to yell out, to rip the hand from her chest, grab herself, and breathe in a deep long breath, however, she was too powerless to do so. Is this what drowning felt like? Or maybe this was more like a heart attack? Lyra sincerely didn't know.

She only wanted to breathe, to empty her lungs and then fill them back up again once more.

Her eyes could not even water. The feeling of her heart being squeezed along with the need and current struggle to breathe were overwhelmingly strong. Lyra was utterly and truly at the constriction of the black mist and the phantom's hand.

Finally, after having what felt like an eternity of pain and desperation engraved into her very soul itself, the phantom's hand retreated, left her chest, and went back out its own way through Rem's. The phantom's hand retreated back into the dark fog, leaving alongside the phantom itself. As soon as the last bit of darkness retreated, it was as if time had begun to tick again.

Lyra's eyes immediately burst into a bloodshot, watery mess. Her arms spasmed their way to her chest.

Lyra, taking the smallest amount of consideration she could, leaned back, away from Rem, keeping her arms from frantically crashing into her own figure as they reached for her chest. Her hand trying desperately to dig their way into it, Lyra expelled her breath and brought more wind back into her lungs, all as fast and as much as she could muster in a split second.

Time began to move again for Rem as well, as she was unaware of the presence of the phantom that had reached through her or the black mist, Lyras sudden actions and gasp for air appeared to be entirely unprovoked.

Rem continued to look down on Lyra as she sent herself into a fit, wildly clutching her shirt on her chest.

It was only when she began to wonder just what had prompted this, that she smelled it. She smelled THAT.

That very first thing she smelled when Lyra had woken back up in the guest room.

Stronger than ever before, Rem was infuriated by the smell.

This smell, which had been what had brought her and her sister's lives nearly to their end, absolutely infuriated her, and with it being THIS strong, it was making her finally lose her temper.

Kill.

She must kill. End the source of this smell. She couldn't contain it any longer.

Lyra was just finally getting herself under control. She hadn't fully understood what had just happened, but she understood one thing.

Do not tell others of Return By Death.

Lyra: Rem, *huff* did you see the *cough* the—

Lyra's thoughts were cut off by the strong shock of a sudden jerk.

Seeing her surroundings suddenly move with a fuzz, she found herself face to face with Rem.

She had grabbed her with such strength, her fist wrapped in her shirt's collar, that it felt as if the chair she sat on had tipped her toward her. Speaking through her clenched teeth, Rem's anger fizzed out as she spoke.

Rem: Why... It's just like when Lyra first arrived here... in the guest room...

Finally realizing what kind of position she found herself in, Lyra ignored the feeling of being raised up, and could only focus on the emotion conveyed in the single eye of Rem's that she could see.

It was murder. An utter, and complete will to kill.

Rem: Why do you reek? Why do you reek of the Witch!?

The Witch?! Lyra's mind asked. Don't tell me... That blackness was the Witch, and Rem can—

Rem: Answer me!

Shaking Lyra while she was still in her grasp, in her interrogation of her, she went completely limp.

Lyra: Rem! I have no idea—!

Cutting off the words that she was choking out, was what sounded like a vase being broken down the hall, right outside Lyra's door.

Though the sound was small, all of Rem's senses were on full red alert. Snapping her head in the direction of the sound outside the door, Rem spun her head back around to Lyra and shook her already limp body by the collar of her shirt once more.

Rem: What are you two planning? What is Subaru up to?!

Lyra was confused as to what Rem was asking. When had Subaru gone back to being the subject of Rem's questions?

Another speechless moment passed before another muffled sound found its way into the room.

?: Someone...

Rem's head spun around again. This time, even Lyra could hear exactly what the sound was. It was a familiar voice, coming from just down the hallway.

Subaru (muffled): Someone... please... help me.

Rem looked back at Lyra one more time, an even more murderous glint in her eye.

With one last look into her eye, Rem threw Lyra to the side, just hard enough to hit the wall but not enough to crash through.

Landing back on her bed, Lyra was in a state of shock. What in the world was going on? How did this situation go from one to one-hundred in less than ten minutes?

Holding her head with one hand and her shoulder with another, Lyra opened her eyes back up and saw what was the final moment of Rem leaving her room.

Lyra: R-Rem?

Lyra's mind was a flurry of unanswered questions. She had no idea what was going on.

There was the sound of a crash along with Subaru's voice calling for help... It's the fourth night, which means...

Lyra: Shit! I've gotta go help Subaru!

The incident that happened on the fourth night! It might be a killer...Someone entered the mansion and...Rem!! I've gotta help her out, too!!

It was possible that with Rem leaving the room, she was in just as much danger as Subaru was. With Subaru more than likely still being alive since the world hadn't reset, Lyra knew that she still had time to act.

Getting up off the bed and nearly falling over from the pain in her back caused by it hitting the wall, Lyra stumbled to the door and looked in the direction that Rem had gone off towards.

Catching just the tail-bit of her rounding the corner to head to the next hallway, Lyra called out to her and hobbled after her.

Lyra: Rem! Wait! It's not safe! It's dangerous out here! I don't want you to get hurt!

Realizing that Subaru was being silent-TOO silent-all of the sudden, she called out his name as well, only to end up receiving no response whatsoever.

Upon reaching the corner that Rem had just rounded, Lyra looked down as her foot had stepped in something.

Lifting her shoe up, she saw that it was a yellow liquid. One whiff of said liquid told her everything she needed to know.

Vomit. Gross.

Lyra: Eck, what the hell? That's disgusting! Wait..I-is this Subaru's?! Damn, he must be suffering like hell right now... I have to find both him AND Rem, fast!

Not wanting to lose track of Rem or let Subaru die too soon, Lyra continued down the hall as fast as she could. As she rounded the next corner to get to the main hallway, however, she heard yet another unfamiliar sound.

The image of what sounded like iron pipes being drug across the floor by chains filled her ears and mind.

Lyra: Wh-what...the hell...

Lyra spun around to the other direction of the hallway with the corner that she was looking out from.

The sound had come from the opposite direction that she believed Rem had went towards.

I've gotta find out what that is. I haven't heard of THIS happening yet. It HAS to be related to the events that are set to happen tonight.

Fumbling down the hall and past another corner, Lyra swore she saw Rem rounding the corner on the opposite side of that hallway.

Lyra: Rem! Wait! I need to-

Hearing what sounded like more chains and pipes coming from the same direction, Lyra picked up her pace.

Getting almost halfway down the hallway at her still-slow speed, she stopped again the instant she heard another sound, this time coming from the direction that she had just come from.

Subaru (distant): AAAGGGHHHHH! AHHHHHHH!

Spinning around so quickly that she nearly fell over, Lyra hobbled towards the screams of Subaru, pain filling them as they echoed throughout the mansion.

Lyra: Subaru?! SUBARU!!

Just as she arrived at the end of the hallway and went to turn to investigate the sound just around the corner, something made a large sound, like a melon being crushed, a large splat.

Stopping for a moment with a new sound being heard, Lyra saw it roll towards her from around the corner.

A small white ball, almost like a golf ball.

Barely crossing the corner to be in Lyra's line of sight, it stopped at an almost comically good spot.

It was no golf ball.

But an eyeball.

Only one person she knew had eyes like that, piercing and mean- looking at times.

That was Subaru's eyeball. Popped right out of his head, rolling around on the floor.

Lyra: N-no...way...

Lyra was absolutely horrified out of her mind.

If that's what I think it is...then that means...!!

Her thoughts were instantly cut off, her vision went blank. No sounds, no images, no feelings. Nothing.

Only a weightless feeling in a field of darkness.