-Trial Ruin-
Shadows.
Dark shadows.
Dark shadows that fill the entire Sanctuary. It seems the only place they haven't reached is the entrance to the trial.
"Why? No…how?" Subaru mutters out. "Why is Envy…?"
Frivolously shaking his head, he shouts as loud as he can, "Emilia! Ram! Otto! Ryuzu-san! Is anyone there?! Please, answer me!"
"S-Subaru-kun…hk! Ack!" Coughing violently, Rem weakly calls out his name.
"H-Hold on Rem! We'll somehow get out of this-"
"I love you."
That voice, that voice that Subaru has heard numerous times in that unknown space when he Returns By Death. It's the voice that keeps repeating those three words over and over to him. He even heard it not that long ago in the Castle of Dreams from Satella.
His blood turning cold, he slowly shifts his head towards the source of that sweet sounding yet terrifying voice. Somehow, the Witch of Envy has already arrived and is only fifty feet away from him.
"I love you." Envy repeats.
"N-No…" Rem mutters in the tiniest whisper possible before her body convulses and throws up repeatedly over and over in quick succession. Falling unconscious, she collapses face first onto the cold hard concrete floor that holds her internal body fluids. Staining both her face and dress in the nasty stuff, every time she breathes in her body involuntarily pukes again, as if she's rejecting the very essence of breathing. After a few rounds, the concoction on the ground begins to turn red as blood exits her mouth.
Seeing Rem enduring this horrible suffering, he faces Envy and shouts, "You're…go away!"
"I love you. I love you. I love you." Ignoring him, the witch continues to profess her love as she approaches Subaru.
He wants to run away. He wants to pick up Rem and run away as far as he can from this monstrosity. However, his limbs refuse to move. He feels bound to this place, like chains are wrapped around him and they are completely restricting his movement. Is this the innate fear he has of the Witch of Envy?
Reaching him, Envy wraps her arms around him and whispers, "I love you." into his ear.
"I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you."
Whispering those sweet nothings into his ear, all Subaru can do is widen his eyes as he feels himself being absorbed by the shadows. He understood nothing. Was this Satella in the real world? Was this the unstable Witch of Envy factor Echidna mentioned? Why is she appearing now, and never has before? What is she planning? Why is she saying she loves him?
These thoughts race through his mind as his will to fight against her rapidly deteriorates. What could he even do anyway? He's a puny little human who has no fighting ability and can't even cast hardly any magic. Not even Rem could do anything against her.
"Re…m…." He haggardly calls out. As the Witch of Envy hugs him tightly, a shadow begins to take the shape of a knife above the witch. The sharp point is directed at the center of Rem's chest.
"Quit screwin' around!" An angry roar comes from above. Suddenly, right before the knife can launch forward, something comes between Subaru and Envy, separating them. Subaru gets knocked into a pillar while the figure of the Witch of Envy dissipates.
"We're gonna jump!" The newcomer shouts as loudly as they can. They pick up Rem and Subaru and jump across the ruins and into the forest. Dozens of shadows attempt to pierce them. However, thanks to their agility, everyone manages to get far enough away from the shadows to take a breather on the top of a village house roof. The person drops both Subaru and Rem.
"It's you!" Subaru grits his teeth as he recognizes that he and Rem's savior is Garfiel, the very man who put him in that prison-like ruin earlier.
"What? Ya got a problem?" He retorts.
"I guess not, I just didn't expect you to save us." He replies. Didn't Garfiel want him dead? It's not like he outright stated that, but he had no idea how long he would've been in that prison-like ruin had Rem and Otto not come by to save him. Well, as long as he's not being hostile towards him right now, that's all he could really ask for in this situation.
"I woulda just saved Rem. But circumstances have made it to where we need all the firepower we can get! Important thing right now is findin' a way to bite off that thing's head! Nothin' else!" Garfiel says as he shifts his pupils towards where the figure of the Witch of Envy has reappeared. Those blue eyes are aimed straight at them once again.
"Damn! It's still targetin' us!" Garfiel curses.
"...I think I know why." Subaru says, shifting his gaze to the unconscious Rem beside him.
"Huh? Is it targetin' her specifically?" Garfiel asks, picking up the frown Subaru directed at Rem.
"I think so."
"What makes ya so confident 'bout that, huh?!" He angrily demands to know.
"...She knows something the Witch of Envy doesn't want her to know. Let's leave it at that."
"Gotta be all vague? Man, what a joke."
"She could be after me too. Nah, she's gotta have us both in her sight." Subaru says. After all, she came right up to Subaru and hugged him, saying she loved him over and over again. "What about everyone else?!" He suddenly shouts at Garfiel.
"What do ya mean?"
"Emilia, Ram, Otto, Ryuzu-san, Roswaal, the villagers, everyone! The shadow has engulfed the entire Sanctuary! They would've needed to escape!"
"They already got swallowed up! I was about to face off against that merchant brat and then that shadow came outta nowhere! I barely escaped alive! We gotta move!" Seeing the Witch of Envy begin to move towards them at a rapid speed, Garfiel knows they have no time to waste.
Wanting to ask what he meant by facing off against Otto, he instead is roughly picked up by Garfiel and thrown over his shoulder. Rem is picked up a second later and with that, Garfiel jumps to the ground and lets Subaru down while still holding Rem. They run for their lives.
"Wait…no. No, that can't be the case!" Subaru pleads, begging that what he said isn't true.
"It's true! If Ram hadn't sent us flyin' with her wind, I would've been caught up in it too! That merchant got the worst of it, gettin' knocked into a tree and fallin' straight into the shadow! I barely saw it happen!"
"I-It's just me, you and Rem…?" He mutters as he looks at Rem who is lying atop Garfiel's other shoulder. The amount of strength Garfiel has is staggering considering he's able to carry two fully grown people and run at high enough speeds to stay ahead of the Witch of Envy. Just what would Rem say if she knew Ram was dead? Would she plead with him to use Return By Death? Or would she try to keep the remaining people she cares about alive?
"How fast can ya run?" Garfiel asks as he begins to pant a little.
"About as fast as you I think."
Garfiel immediately stops and sets him on the ground, "Keep up if ya don't wanna die! The both of ya are too heavy to keep goin' at the speed we're goin' at!"
Subaru complies. They both begin to run once more. With no destination in mind, Subaru wracks his brain to think of anything, anything he can do to get out of this mess.
"Damn it! I can't come up with anything! Everyone's gone and we can't outrun her forever!" Subaru curses his awful predicament.
A minute comes and goes, at which point Garfiel comes to a stop.
"Why are we stopping?!" Subaru shouts, "We have to keep running!"
It's only after that he spots someone straight ahead of him. He calls out, "Ryuzu-san? Wait, what?! What kind of joke is this?!"
Initially seeing one small girl with pink hair and donning a white robe, dozens of girls come out from behind the various trees that share the exact same face, hair, and clothing as the first Ryuzu. Unlike the Ryuzu he met before, none of them have a staff in their hand.
Garfiel steps in front of him, "I was hopin' ya wouldn't have to see this."
"Why are there so many Ryuzu-san's? Don't tell me they're all…thirty-eight-uplets or something crazy?!" Even if Subaru has seen magic, walking demi-humans, a literal flying whale, and many other things that would simply be impossible to see in his original world, he couldn't fathom that a woman could give birth to this many kids at once!
"What the?" Garfiel has to take a moment to process his outlandish conclusion. "Stop speakin' crap. They're clones of the old hag. Don't worry 'bout 'em. They ain't really her. They're empty on the inside."
"What are you planning to do? She's coming up on us rather quickly!" Subaru looks behind himself and sees that while Envy is still a ways back, at the speed she's going at she'll be catching up any second now.
"Watcha think we're gonna do?! We're gonna bust through with sheer numbers and crush it!" Holding a small blue crystal, Garfiel declares the plan.
And now, it's time to utilize it, as the Witch of Envy has arrived. "I love you." She says, facing Subaru with her black veil that covers her entire face, minus her mouth.
"There you are! Now you, take her!" Garfiel tosses Rem, who's begun to throw up blood once again, to Subaru.
"Hey! Be gentler with her! Rem! Oh, I'm so sorry Rem. Please, bear with it just a little longer!" Subaru nearly tears up seeing just how much she's struggling with the miasma. Her face is covered in blood. Her nightgown, which she had been changed into by Ram a few hours earlier, is likewise covered in a mixture of stomach acid and blood. "What?!"
Subaru suddenly shouts this. The reason is that in front of him, Garfiel suddenly begins to grow larger at a rapid rate. His hardened skin gets replaced with orange fur on his back, and white fur on his belly. His arms and legs are marked with various black stripes. His hands and feet turn into massive paws. Finally, his head turns into the shape of a tiger. For all intents and purposes, Garfiel has fully transformed into a gigantic tiger. With a mighty roar, he charges after Envy.
"Wait!" Subaru tries to call out to him, but his cry falls on deaf ears. The Witch of Envy instantly binds his arms and legs in dark shadows like he's some annoying pest. Unable to move whatsoever, Garfiel commands with a snarl, "Go!"
The Ryuzu copies go forward and one by one, their target being the Witch of Envy. As each one reaches her, they self-destruct, providing a medium sized white and blue explosion. None of the explosions do a single scratch of damage, but Envy lets go of Garfiel in the confusion and chaos.
More Ryuzu clones charge, but Envy has caught onto their plan and begins to send out numerous shadows to pierce them, successfully self-destructing many of them from a distance.
Taking advantage of her being distracted, Garfiel attempts a sneak attack. Jumping high into the sky, he falls back to the ground with the intention of slashing Envy's face. It turns out Envy is not distracted, successfully puncturing him all over his body with dozens of shadows. In an instant, blood and guts spill all over the ground and surrounding trees.
"Ah…" Subaru mumbles a sound in despair. That gigantic beast of a tiger got killed in an instant like it was nothing. If he stood no chance, then Subaru has absolutely zero hope of ever defeating her.
"I love you." Envy says, uncaring to the murder she just committed.
"Shut up!"
Then, with another shadow that has a sharp tip, Envy aims it at Rem and strikes at the center of her neck, taking care to not hit Subaru's body with the same attack.
"Wha…" With that shadow that pierced her neck, Envy lifts her from Subaru's shoulder and brings her towards herself. Then, just like with Garfiel, Envy pierces Rem with dozens of shadows in the shape of knives. It's so quick that Rem has no time to cry out in pain. In an instant, she dies.
After killing her, Envy brings forth ten more shadows, also in the shape of knives. In a move that can only be presumed that Envy wants to destroy her off the face of the earth, she cuts, slashes, and stabs Rem hundreds upon hundreds of times. Lopping off her head, puncturing her eyes, slashing off each of her fingers one by one, Envy brutally and mercilessly tears her limb from limb. Joint by joint, bone by bone.
Subaru can only fall to the floor, horrified by what he's witnessing. Fear, terror, and anger all boil up from within himself. "STOP! STOP IT!" He screams the shadow. At Envy. At least, he hopes this is the Envy personality. He was told that Envy and Satella have separate personalities. Satella, while rather obsessive about her love for Subaru, otherwise seemed sane and was even willing to let Rem retain her knowledge of Return By Death. Envy, on the other hand, seemed to be yandere incarnate. A being that will utterly annihilate anyone who knows about Return By Death yet will tell Subaru she loves him. Over and over again she will tell him that, even while she murders the people he loves, like right now.
If Satella's personality was the one doing all this, then Subaru would regret telling her that he'd save her. It's one thing if there is an invasive personality forcing her to do things she'd never do otherwise. But if she's doing everything compliantly and without being manipulated or corrupted by the Envy Witch Factor, then that's a completely separate and even more disturbing situation.
"I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you." Envy keeps her head focused on Subaru as she continues to rip Rem into shreds, affirming her deep love for the boy in front of her. By now, hardly anything is left of her body. It's completely unrecognizable.
"Shut up!"
"I love you, Subaru-kun."
"Don't call me that!" He screams at the top of his lungs. He didn't want to be referred to by name by Envy. Not only did he not want to be referred to by name period, the fact she used what Rem calls him, the woman she just mercilessly killed, is beyond insulting. It's beyond insulting and unreasonable for her to expect that with a few simple "I love you" that he'd just suddenly forgive her for this grave tragedy.
"What the hell! I can't believe you! Just because she knows about what you inflicted on me you resort to this?! You know, the first real "I love you" I ever received in this world, from Rem, was so much more powerful and meaningful than the hundreds of "I love you's" I've received from you until now! That confession of love from Rem made me think a loser like me could become a hero! If you ever expect me to love you like I love Emilia-tan or Rem-tan, then you're very, very sorely mistaken! Especially after what you did to Rem and everyone else!" He yells furiously. Words cannot describe just how much he despises Envy at this moment. "In fact, loving Echidna or any of the other witches would be far easier than loving you!"
Envy, who has repeatedly stated her love for him even while Subaru was talking, finally stops and gasps. Subaru guesses he must've finally struck a nerve with her, being compared to the other witches like this. Gathering the shadows around Subaru, Envy wraps his entire body in them.
Deep in the shadows, Subaru's consciousness wavers. He watched as the shadows engulfed him, helpless to get out of the way. Feeling himself get yanked, he's able to open his eyes and sees Envy to some extent right in front of him. She's so close that he can nearly feel her breath on him. He tries to turn his head side to side, but all he sees is a neverending darkness in all directions. It's like the Witch of Envy intended to create a private space for the two of them alone.
"I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you."
Subaru tries to move his arms and lower body, but they don't respond. It feels like the shadows are binding them in place. The only part of his body he has control over is his head.
Hearing Envy shamelessly continue her confession of love for him makes Subaru's blood boil. How could she, even now after killing Rem the way she did, still proclaim how much she loves him?
Damn it. No matter how much…
"I love you. I love you. I love-love me."
Huh?
"Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me." For some reason, Envy has switched over from stating her love for Subaru to telling him to love her.
Hearing this demand repeatedly makes Subaru even more furious, but more than that, he becomes terrified. For the witch to finally say something else, and that something else being for him to love her, just how desperate is she for him?
He heard from Satella that he gave her everything, but that made no sense to him. They had never met before. He didn't give her anything. He never saved her or anything in the past. If he had saved her once before, then her love would be more understandable. After all, he fell for Emilia when she saved him from the thugs even when she didn't have any obligation to. Then Rem fell in love with him after he saved her, both physically and mentally. He would've understood if he had saved Satella once, but he doesn't remember ever doing so.
"Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me."
"I hate you."
She goes silent.
Since Satella was the one that got corrupted by the Witch Factor, Subaru felt that she was mainly the victim here. This notorious side of her, Envy, who destroyed half the world, came about simply due to that corruption. At least, as far as Subaru is aware. It isn't fair to pin Satella specifically for something her corrupted half did, as it was likely something she never even approved of in the first place. That's why he said he'd save Satella, and not Envy.
He would direct all his hate to Envy, the one who caused the calamity and killed Rem in such an abominable and brutal way. As he does, he begins to get various visual images in his mind.
The Sanctuary, the forest, Emilia, Rem, Ram, Otto, Garfiel, Roswaal, Ryuzu and her clones. Various images and memories pop into his mind, both his own as well as the others. It's overwhelming, he wishes that Envy would just kill him already. If everyone is dead and he's stuck in this shadow, then there's no point in continuing this loop.
I'm sorry Rem. I know you'll hate this. But to bring everyone back, I…
He has to die. Whether that be by her or by suicide, he has to die somehow. Perhaps the easiest method would be to just let the shadow swallow and suffocate him.
Wait.
A thought comes into his mind. Satella and/or the Witch of Envy was the one who granted his ability to Return By Death. If he let the one who gave him his ability kill him, then would she even allow him to return? And besides, it's very well possible she may keep him locked up in this shadow realm for forever. If he knew anything about yandere's from the various manga and anime he saw before being transported into this world, then some of them have a tendency to lock up their lovers forever, never allowing them to escape. They'd be at the mercy of their kidnapper and forced to cater to their whims. Subaru didn't want to have that be his fate.
Maybe if I bite my tongue hard enough, then I can bleed to death.
Not looking forward to the pain that'd accompany biting off a part of his body, an intense feeling of heat comes from the right side of his torso. Lowering his pupils to try to get a better view, he sees a bright shining light in the exact area he's feeling the heat, which is nearly hot enough to feel like it's burning his skin off.
The shadows surrounding the light begin to dissipate, freeing Subaru's right arm as it's right next to the light. Taking full advantage of the newly acquired movement, he reaches for the pocket that holds the source of this light.
Pulling the object out, he finds that it's a handkerchief. Not just any old handkerchief, this is embroidered with a gray cat. It belongs to none other than Petra.
Subaru received it as a gift from her not long before he and the others left for the Sanctuary. He decided to tie it around his right arm for good luck. Then after his first trial, Echidna decided to take it as payment so as for him to not forget about what happened in the trial or in the tea parties. Well, she never physically took it, and Subaru never fully understood what that whole payment process was. But now that he sees it glowing here?
Did Echidna…know this was going to happen? He wonders. I wish this could turn into a knife.
To his shock, the soft cloth transforms into the shape of a knife. The material solidifies itself, unable to be molded into any other shape anymore. Somehow, Petra's handkerchief transforms into a fully functioning knife.
"This will work."
Mumbling that to himself, Subaru uses his free right arm to lift up the handkerchief above his neck, with the sharp end pointed towards himself. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he plunges it straight into his neck. Immediately, blood spews out from the point of impact as well as from his mouth.
"Ah!" The Witch of Envy yelps at what she is seeing. This was not supposed to happen.
Using all the strength that is within his body, Subaru slowly lifts himself up as far as he can. With a trembling hand, he manages to grab ahold of the cloak Envy has been using to cover herself up with. Yanking it, he succeeds in pulling it off of her. Now, he can see her face.
Just like with Satella, Envy's face looks just like Emilia's. The resemblance between the two is uncanny. However, he's more shocked by how anguished she looks, to the point she's beginning to cry. Is she actually upset that Subaru chose the route of suicide? Could it be that Envy somehow got swapped with Satella and she's the one who's looking at him this way? He isn't too sure, the amount of blood he's lost by this point is already causing him to slowly fade towards unconsciousness.
Before he does, he says one thing towards the crying girl in front of him.
"I swear…I'm going…to save you."
With that, Subaru dies from blood loss.
-Small Plains-
"You're here, just as Onee-sama said." A young girl's voice says.
"W-What just…" Rem, sitting down on the ground and wearing her maid outfit rather than her nightgown, tries to make sense of what just happened.
The last thing she recalls is that the Witch of Envy showed up and she was able to detect her abhorrent miasma. It was like Subaru's, but much, much more intense. If she had to guess, the stench was probably about 100 times stronger compared to the strongest she'd ever smelled from Subaru. Due to it, she had begun to puke and that was when she blacked out. Anything that happened after that she has no memory of. Well, that's not entirely true, she remembers a piercing pain that occurred at some point. However, the pain went away just as quickly as it came.
Standing up, Rem takes in her surroundings. In front of her is a giant forest filled with numerous trees and bushes. Alongside all of that is a small young girl who is looking at her with a neutral expression. Behind her is a small circular plains field. Probably a few hundred feet in diameter at most. This all looks very familiar to her. The girl too she has seen many times by now.
"No…" Her eyes widen in horror. "D-Don't tell me…"
If she's back here, then Subaru must've died. Either that, or she somehow died and that was what triggered her to come back. However, she has a faint feeling that the latter case wasn't what happened.
"I failed…" She had failed to do what Satella told her to do, to protect Subaru. Granted, she would've done so regardless of whether she told her to or not. But, those words really resonated with her. "I failed to protect Subaru-kun. And now…now he…" Tears trickle down her face. "But it was me against her. What could I have done?"
"Then protect him. Protect him with all that you have. Protect him with the power of the oni god. That power I sensed."
"The power of the oni god. If I had that, then could I have killed her? But, that doesn't make any sense. Nee-sama was the only one who-"
"Hey." The young girl with the blue braided hair, Meili, interrupts Rem's monologue while putting her hands to her hips. "I'm not sure what the heck you're talking about nor why you're having a sob fest, but isn't it rather rude to ignore people trying to talk to you?"
Her eyes harden with resolve, "I have no time for you. Kindly forget about my existence." Standing up and turning around, she runs as fast as she can away from Meili. Her destination being the village where everyone is staying. If she can run in the direction where Subaru usually comes in to rescue her, then she'll be able to reunite with him sooner.
"Huh? Wait, hey! I'm not finished with you yet! Mabeasts, get her!"
At her command, about a dozen wolgarms and two wagpigs reveal themselves from within the forest and chase after Rem.
"Damn it!" Rem shouts, bringing out her horn and Morningstar. "El Huma!"
Summoning five icicles, she briefly turns around and launches them at the wolgarms closest to her. She scores a critical hit on each of them, killing them instantly. It's not enough though, the other wolgarms are quickly catching up to her. The wagpigs are much slower, but they are much more durable and stronger, so she can't let them get near her at all costs.
"Aaaaah!" She gives a battle cry as she whirls her Morningstar around and strikes more wolgarms that try to claw and bite into her delicate skin.
"Rem-tan!" A loud distinct voice rings out amidst all the growls and howls the wolgarms make.
"Subaru-kun!" Absolutely elated to hear his voice, Rem puts a little more power into her legs and speeds up slightly towards his voice.
"Grab on!" Once they meet, Subaru extends a hand to allow her onto Patrasche. She immediately takes it and climbs up.
Once she settles into the saddle, she tries to begin speaking, "I…I…"
"Hold on, before anything else, do you remember?" Subaru asks this in a more stern tone than he intended.
"Y-Yes! I remember everything!"
"Alright. We have a lot to do. But first, let's deal with this!"
"Yes Subaru-kun!"
Employing a strategy from a previous loop that they both remember, Subaru and Rem use Patrasche's great speed and Divine Protection of Wind Evasion to easily outmaneuver and run away from the various mabeasts Meili had sent their way while using Rem's ice magic to snipe them as they try to catch up. Eventually, just like before, Meili gives up in frustration and declares that she and her Onee-sama give back what they receive.
-En Route to Sanctuary Village-
Once they're certain that Meili isn't following them anymore, Subaru and Rem take their time to head back to the village where everyone is staying at. They have quite a lot to catch up on from that short period of time Rem was unconscious and then died in the last loop.
"S-Subaru-kun, I'm so sorry, I…I couldn't do anything. I let myself smell that miasma and…blergh!" Rem apologizes with tears in her eyes and nearly throws up, recalling just how terrible the Witch of Envy smelled to her. She remembers her throat burning extremely badly before passing out.
"No! Please don't blame yourself. I hate to say it, but there was no way we were avoiding or beating her. The entire Sanctuary was covered in it. But um, Rem? Do you…do you remember feeling anything after going unconscious?"
"Um…" She frowns as she tries to recall. "I think I felt something sharp at one point. It was so quick and gone in a flash I question whether I actually felt it or not. Subaru-kun? What happened after I passed out?"
"I…I don't know how specific I can be but…everyone was gone. Your sister, Emilia, Otto, everyone. The only one left with me was Garfiel"
She gasps, "No way…everyone? And he…did he…"
"He didn't. Actually, I learned a few things."
"You did?"
He nods, "Garfiel is able to transform into a giant tiger, so he's much stronger than I thought. I'd really like to avoid going into conflict with him."
"I see. I should've known." She mumbles in disappointment of herself.
"What do you mean?"
"Frederica-san is also able to transform into a beast. Specifically, a large leopard beast."
"Woah, really? Well, I guess that makes sense. They are siblings after all. Does that mean she's as strong as Garfiel?"
"I'm unsure as this is the first time I've seen Garfiel-san in years. However, I can say that Frederica-san's strength in her beast form is comparable to mine when I bring out my horn. Roswaal would occasionally have us do practice matches with one another to strengthen our fighting capabilities when we were younger. Our sparring matches often ended in a draw."
"Interesting." Is Subaru's response to that new information. He imagines Frederica being about the same size as Garfiel transformed and wonders how Rem would manage to get through such a gigantic creature. At first glance it would seem impossible, but Rem is very agile and has a variety of magic and her Morningstar at her disposal. So it would stand to reason she'd find some way to counteract her. "Anyway, remember Ryuzu-san?"
"That one who was involved with Garfiel-san in locking you up, right?" She responds in a low tone.
"Uh…yeah, her. Well, it turns out there are clones of her."
"Clones? I've never heard of someone having clones before. What does that mean exactly? Do they all think like her? Are they all her but multiple bodies? It doesn't make much sense to me." Rem tilts her head and frowns in confusion.
"I'm not too sure myself. I didn't hear a single one of them speak. All I know is that they follow Garfiel's orders. Also…"
"Also?"
"There's something else about Ryuzu-san I want to check out, but I'll have to go behind Garfiel's back, and he'll likely try to interfere."
"Don't worry Subaru-kun, I'll keep him away from you, even if I must use force."
Subaru nervously chuckles at how serious she sounds. "I appreciate that, but a non-violent approach would be better here. Actually, I already have someone in mind who can probably help us."
"Who?" She asks.
"Ram."
-Roswaal's Front Yard-
Just like last time, Emilia was given herbal tea created with the herbs found in Roswaal's home. Subaru had asked Ram to do this before he went off to get Rem. Now she's sleeping soundly in one of the guest bedroom in Roswaal's house. He spent a few minutes with her before stepping out to find Rem and Ram waiting for him. Subaru had asked Rem to find Ram and bring her here. That task was extremely easy for her as Ram was in the backyard.
"Barusu, it's rude to make us wait like this, reflect on your behavior." Ram greets him with a disapproving stare as he walks down the steps from the front door.
"Nee-sama, we've been waiting for only a short time." Rem replies to Ram's remark with a slight hint of melancholy. "I don't mind being patient."
"Thanks for coming. I need to talk with you about something." Subaru says to Ram.
"I figured that much. Otherwise I wouldn't be here. Now, out with it. What do you need?"
"It's about Garfiel. I'm about to do something behind his back and he'll likely try to interfere. So I want you to keep him here."
"I don't like that look in your eyes, Barusu."
"Yeah, yeah, I know they look nasty. Get over your weird suspicions." Subaru retorts.
She sighs, "Very well then. Do what you need to do."
"Thanks Ram, I greatly appreciate it."
"Ten favors in return will do." Ram crosses her arms and looks away.
"Sheesh! That's a lot!" He complains.
"She's just joking Subaru-kun." Rem smiles.
"Yeah, I know Ram isn't that harsh." He cracks a smile in return.
"You don't know me well enough to make such presumptions, Barusu. Even if it is true that I'm quite a benevolent individual. Now, go before I change my mind. Though Rem, what are you planning to do?"
"I will follow him."
"Alright, don't stay out too late."
Rem pouts, "I'm not a kid Nee-sama!"
Ram puts a hand to her mouth and chuckles, "Hehe, I know. Just stay safe out there."
"Of course, you too. See you soon Nee-sama."
As they part ways, Rem looks back at her one more time with a troubled look. I wish I could ask her about the book…
Ram notices her expression and wonders why she's looking at her like that. Is something on her mind that she's not speaking out about? She debates on calling out to her, taking a few moments to do so. By the time she decides to call out to her, they've already left.
"I hope this isn't Barusu's doing…" She mumbles to herself as she goes back inside Roswaal's house.
-Dirt Path-
"Where exactly are we going?" Rem asks as the two head into a separate section of the forest from where Rem encountered Meili.
"You'll see when we get there."
-Ruins-
Eventually, they arrive safely at a large set of ruins that the two have never encountered before.
"Found it." Panting a little, Subaru smirks and wipes his mouth free of the little bit of drool that piled up on his lower lips while running.
"I've never seen these ruins before. I like the pillars." Rem says as she observes. There is a large square hole in the center that must be the entryway into the ruins. On both sides of the entry are two cylinder shaped pillars, for a total of four pillars. They hold up a giant rock with no set shape. The rock has a lot of grass and moss growing on top of it. "Why are we here? It seems like you've come here before."
"Nope, never been here once in my life."
"Then how?"
"I…it's hard to explain. But I experienced a lot of memories from everyone that got swallowed. Among those memories is this place. If my hunch is right, then we'll be one step closer to cracking this Sanctuary mystery." Subaru explains. All those images that flashed by in his mind back when he was deep within Envy's shadow were the memories of everyone she had consumed.
Accepting the explanation, the two silently walk into the ruins and walk down a single narrow hallway. A few holes in the ceiling allow for a little bit of moonlight to illuminate what would otherwise be a very dark passageway.
Walking for about half a minute, Subaru comes to a stop.
"Subaru-kun?"
"Right…" Reaching into his pocket, Subaru pulls out a blue crystal. It's the same one Frederica gave him before they left for the Sanctuary. To his right there is a small carved out section of the wall that is rectangular in shape. At the bottom is an indentation that has the exact same shape as the crystal he's holding. He places it into the indentation.
"Ah!" Both cry out. It takes a second, but the crystal reacts by shining a brilliant blue and white light that forces them to cover their eyes with their arms. Once the light disappears, they uncover their eyes to find the door before them wide open. The room behind the door is very bright, but not so much as to be blinding like the crystal.
His curiosity exploding, Subaru slowly walks forward, with Rem following behind, likewise severely curious about what's in this room. The center of the reasonably sized room contains a giant blue crystal. That on it's own is a rather amazing sight. But that's further expounded by the fact there is something inside the crystal. No, it's not something, it's someone.
"No way…" Subaru mumbles in astonishment at what is before his eyes. In the crystal is none other than Ryuzu, the girl he's seen a number of times in the previous loops, and the girl who apparently has copies of herself.
"Is that…it can't be. How? Why? Why is Ryuzu-san in this crystal? And…naked at that." Rem feels a small bout of jealousy and frustration that Subaru is seeing another girl fully naked like this, but the mysteriousness and craziness of the situation is what primarily occupies her thoughts.
"I never expected you two to discover this only half a day after arriving here, Young Su and Young Rem."
They turn around to find not one, but two Ryuzu's standing at the entrance to the room. The one on the right is wearing a black cloak and holds a staff while the one on the left is wearing a white cloak and is not holding any staff.
Even though she has been told that there are clones of Ryuzu, she can't help but be shocked at what she sees, "There are two more of you."
Subaru smiles at them, "It was the memory. The memory of someone who was swallowed up by the Witch of Envy, someone who knew of this place. Is the girl on the left the one who led me and Rem here this afternoon?"
Rem recalls that the girl on the left wore the same clothing as the one who initially saw her and Subaru back when they first arrived at the Sanctuary. Following her, they eventually came upon the ruins where they met Echidna for the first time.
To everyone it feels like it just happened this afternoon. But to me and especially Subaru-kun, that felt like it happened days ago… Rem reminisces how much time has truly passed. According to the world, only a single afternoon has passed by. But between the trials and looping back in time due to Subaru's deaths, she feels like she's been here much, much longer than one afternoon.
The Ryuzu on the right responds, "That is unlikely. This girl is one of the guards assigned to this place. It was another who met you both in the forest. One of the Sanctuary's eyes, nothing more."
"There's something I want to ask you. After that, I'd like to possibly request your help in the future." Subaru says.
"I also have a question or two I'd like answered. The behavior you and your clones have shown is rather contradictory." Rem says. She has not forgotten about what one of the Ryuzu's did, assisting Garfiel in apprehending Subaru and imprisoning him in an abandoned ruin simply because they were suspicious of him.
Not like I can say anything. But I won't let that ever happen to him again, from me or anyone else. Rem thinks, feeling determined all over again.
"I shall not ignore either of your requests, Young Su and Young Rem. After all, both of you are Apostles of Greed. That is…what has been written in the contract that binds us, the copies of Ryuzu Meyer."
"Apostles of Greed?!" Rem shouts, "I don't want to be related to that Witch of Greed at all!"
"Calm down. It's not as bad as it sounds. Let's find a suitable place to talk." Ryuzu replies to Rem's outburst.
Subaru and Rem comply, following the two Ryuzu copies out of the ruins. Hopefully the mystery surrounding the Sanctuary as well as Ryuzu Meyer and her clones can be unraveled.
-Author's Corner-
A/N: Not much to say this time. The reveal of the Ryuzu clones largely goes the same as in canon, just Rem is present with Subaru this time.
I do have a question for everyone though. At first I started using Rem-tan as Subaru's nickname for her because I thought it would be a good idea for her to share the same nickname as what Subaru uses for Emilia. Now, I'm starting to wonder if I should've used Rem-rin as it's still a cute nickname but it's more unique to her. So my question is, which nickname do you think fits her better. Rem-tan or Rem-rin? Based on the answers I get, I may change her nickname to Rem-rin. Nothing's set in stone yet.
Dovahking2023: Yep, and that's one of the main things that sets the two personalities apart. And yes, Rem can recall every loop now, as shown in this chapter after Subaru died to suicide. And you're very right about Subaru's well-being at this point. At this point in time in the canon story, Subaru would've died by Envy and then cried out to Emilia right after RBD'ing. However, while Subaru's POV is not shown, I think you can get a pretty good idea of what happened since he came so quickly to get Rem. Finally, thank you!
danielsantiago4545: Thank you very much!
Guest: Haha yup, Envy ain't having none of it!
demon god noir: Thanks! The oni god power is a long ways off for now. And yep, you're absolutely right!
Maximum Rhapsody: I figured you'd like what I had in mind for Rem. Rem has the capability to become stronger than she currently is. However, of course, she has no idea how to tap into that power. While Rem did not have a violent confrontation with Satella, she certainly did have one with Envy. Or well, it was more like a one-sided confrontation that ended in Rem's total annihilation. If Subaru ever asks her, Rem would gladly tell him about her childhood. I won't say anything about my plans for Rem and how she'll get her oni god powers, but I will say it won't be a focus of arc 4.
The Crafter of Kings: I'm not sure myself yet what she'll go through, but it indeed won't be easy for her to tap into that power. I don't think what you're saying about the significant canon divergence at the end of the arc is outlandish. Depending on how things play out and what Rem's priorities are, arc 5 could end up being way different. As for Pandora, I have no plans to include her. She doesn't appear outside of Emilia's trial so far in the main story, and I don't intend to focus on Emilia's trial at all (as it would be no different from canon). Finally, thank you!
Deathenglegamers1144: Haha yep, Echidna hates Rem. Probably not too difficult to figure out why. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Boxmantm: I can see that.