Chapter 118: I'll Follow You Into The Dark
The Great Spirit that guarded this Secret Library via her ability of Door Crossing had answered back to YN; a look of grave discontent on her face while doing so.
Beatrice: Betty would ask what you hope to gain by continuing to stand there like a slack jawed fool, I suppose.
Truthfully, what kept YN frozen in place was a deep internal conflict.
Wait... If Beatrice is still here, that means Subaru hasn't found her yet.
While YN was certain his desire to get Rem out of the Mansion dwarfed even Subaru's same desire for Beatrice, because of those motivations, he found it rather troublesome that the course of events had now led to him finding the great spirit first of all things.
Beatrice: Well? Out with it or Betty will end this conversation.
Knowing how stubborn the spirit was, YN had heard how she refused to evacuate when the Witch Cult threatened the Mansion. But would she be willing to see the truth of the threat now? Clearly, for whatever reason, she was also a direct target of Elsa's now as well, since there was no other explanation for all the doors having been opened in the Mansion.
But the decisiveness that ate at YN wasn't his worry of being able to get Beatrice out. No... What worried him was—
—every second I'm trying to convince Beatrice to come out, is time I'm not using to save Rem...
Beatrice was a fickle matter for YN. Her dislike for him was apparent, so much so because it dwarfed the amount she had for Subaru.
It feels like a fools errand, with me of all people trying to convince her to leave.
But could YN face Subaru and tell him he had left Beatrice behind? Or that he hadn't tried? Could he try? Would it be such a dead end impossibility to do so he knew Subaru wouldn't blame him?
No.
Subaru would...—
He knew his dear friend. He knew what Subaru would do if he were in his shoes. He was the one who always had a solution to the problems they faced. The one who always figured out the clues and solved the puzzle.
The Reclaimer of Emilia's lost evidence of her Selected Status. The True Hero of the mabeasts fiasco. The Thwarter of the dissidents in Saluzzo. The Great Uniter who pulled together rival factions and formed an alliance to bring down the White Whale. And the Subjugator of the Sin Archbishop of Sloth.
YN knew what was expected of him as well, given he made Subaru the standard he now had to meet.
—Subaru would save them both.
Reaching out a hand to the drill-haired girl amid the silence he still held, he finally cast that away, and spoke to her as he closed the door behind him.
YN: I know you don't like me, but I need you to trust me.
Beatrice: 'Trust' is something Betty only has with very few people, regardless if they are in her favor or not.
Already off to a bad start, YN did his best to calm his nerves and speak sincerely.
YN: Right now, the Mansion is under attack, and—
Beatrice: —The tall maid that returned only a few days ago is currently dealing with her. Betty is aware.
YN: ...Then do you also—
Beatrice: —From the amount of doors that are currently now unable for Betty to utilize was her first clue there was something amiss. The door you stepped through was the second to last, in fact.
YN: So you already understand the danger! Beatrice-sama, please come with me so we can escape.
Shutting the black book she held, she glared more intensely at YN.
Beatrice: Why should Betty? She is not even the one you truly wish to save the most.
YN: —hk!
Stunned silent, YN cursed himself in his mind.
Was I too obvious about it? Could she tell or something?
Feeling the threat of failure was near, Beatrice went on, and as she did, her words were like salt in his wounds.
Beatrice: It would be wise of you to decide quickly if you wish to save the mystery blue-haired girl. Betty has already had to move her Library to the only other door so that we are to remain safe.
YN: —! Do you mean—?!
Thinking the spirit must have somehow sensed Elsa must have returned nearby, YN quickly spun around to the door he himself had closed.
Gone was the simple bedroom door, and now what was in its place were a set of double doors he recognized, but couldn't tell from where.
Beatrice: Go on then. Abandon Betty like everyone else does. It is safer for her in here anyway.
Turning back to the spirit who was now uncharacteristically clutching her black book so intensely now, YN felt the pain in the words she spoke.
Unable to process how he could ever hope to respond to that, he didn't need to.
?: I won't let you stay here... —Ack!
Accompanying the new voice was the sound of the door opening behind YN. Stumbling in from outside, was a battered and beaten Subaru.
YN: —!
Beatrice: — — —
His jacket torn and bloodied, the rest of his body was covered in dust and debris. The alabaster white plaster the walls were covered with had been destroyed into fine particles, and coated his sweat stained face, giving him a ghoulishly pale complexion, which was starkly contrasted by the trail of red running down half his head and over his eye and cheek.
Subaru: —Although... I didn't expect you to hide behind the bathing room's main door...
Finally able to identify the door, that lent YN the final clue as to where Subaru had come from.
Shambling forward, past YN, Subaru outstretched a single dirty hand.
Subaru: I'm not abandoning you here, so come along.
Beatrice: ...What could you possibly do once we leave?
Putting that same hand to his chest, Subaru heaved his breath heavily before answering.
Subaru: I know better than anyone, there's not a lot I can do... But—!
Beatrice: '—But' what, in fact? If Betty wished to be saved, she would save herself. Yet here she is, saving you.
Subaru: —?
Changing his entire posture and demeanor, Subaru questioned the drill haired girl.
Subaru: Wha—...? What do you mean 'save—?'
Beatrice: You were about to be killed, were you not? Betty so selflessly moved her library to where you could escape.
Subaru: — — —
Silent in reply to that information, YN could see the hands still on his chest ball into a fist of pain and anger.
And pain and anger, Subaru did have.
Subaru: If you could save me...—!
Roaring in frustration, Subaru's voice echoed throughout the Library.
Subaru: —then why didn't you save Frederica! —Or Ram! —Or even Petra!
While Subaru clenched his teeth in great tension, YN could only feel all of his courage be lost all at once. His knees, nearly giving out from under him, began to shake as he finally spoke up.
YN: S-Subaru... what do you...? W-Why would they need to be—?
—'saved?'
Snot and tears now joining the blood running down his face, Subaru could not even focus his sights on YN.
Subaru: —They're dead.
Flatly saying it, the horror of the reality they were experiencing sunk in for YN finally. Gone was his adrenaline rush from his desire to rescue Rem.
YN: — — —
As they each were silent, unable to move or think or speak, Beatrice remained as such as well. Even to her, this was a great tragedy.
But breaking this unending silence, was Subaru finally falling to his hands and knees, the blood forming a small handful of puddles from the thick droplets that fell from his head at his feet.
Beatrice: —!
At the sight of Subaru in such mental and physical anguish, this had finally prompted Beatrice to get up from chair. With just a few brisk steps, she was at the black haired boy's side, and hovering a hand above him, she began to use her healing magic.
Seeing the injuries subside before his very eyes, YN watched Subaru's condition improve slowly.
But even as his body's pain went away, his soul's pain remained.
Subaru: Why... Why are you healing me? Why did you save me?
Sounding as if he spoke between clenched teeth, the spirit answered him calmly.
Beatrice: —Because Betty would have nightmares if you were to die in here.
Angry he was being saved from a slow death, perhaps Subaru was beginning to think the same as YN; that this Loop was already out the window.
Finishing her healing, Subaru kept his head hung low.
Subaru: I asked... why?!
Beatrice: Betty does not need a reason to save anyone, in fact.
Subaru: Then what the hell was the reason you saved me then!? Or YN?! Why us?! Why not anyone else!?
Beatrice: — — —
Even more unable to voice her reason for saving the both of them versus the much simpler task of saving just Subaru, her silence only served to frustrate Subaru more.
Subaru: I never asked you to heal me either!
Beatrice: Betty could not stand to see you in that state!
Subaru: You don't get it! You'll never get it! Everything might be ruined now because I won't die!
Referencing Return By Death without naming it, admittedly the same worry was on YN's mind too.
If they failed to save Rem already when Gluttony attacked, who's to say it wouldn't also fail them to save Ram, Petra, and Frederica? The Return point could move at any point. It followed no clear logic.
But, as YN was afforded the time to dwell on such things as—
Subaru: This could be all rewritten by now, but here I am still! To hell with this!
Startling Beatrice out of the way, Subaru violently grabbed the wooden chair she had been perched on before she had decided to heal him. Picking it up over his head, Subaru used all his strength to smash the piece of furniture against the ground.
While Beatrice thought of this as little more than a tantrum of anger, YN knew better as to what Subaru was trying to do.
Grabbing a sharp, splintered off piece of the four legs, a perfectly convenient spike had been rendered off the broken chair. Holding it to his throat, Subaru was prepared to end it all right here and fall upon the crudely made death stick.
Except—
Beatrice: —No!
Reaching him before the deed could be done, the butterfly-eyed girl desperately clung to his arm, trying to spare him the fate of death.
Beatrice: —I won't let you die!
Subaru: Get off!
Managing to free himself, Subaru had in turn lost his stake. But as Beatrice caught herself with the weapon now in her hands, she had dropped the black book she had also held, it's cover exposing itself for the first time.
Free of any attempts to stop him, Subaru scrambled for another broken piece so he could reattempt his "solution." In doing so though, he was too distracted from what YN had seen.
The black book Beatrice had dropped wasn't just any old tome.
No.
YN: W-What...?
As Beatrice picked herself back up to stop what would be Subaru's second attempt, they each halted as YN lightly spoke for the first time in a while, his horse voice croaking out the only words that could come to his mind.
Limply pointing at the fallen black book, his attention to it caused them both to stop and look at it as well.
YN: What is a... gospel doing here? Why do you have one?
Flatly speaking amidst his disbelief, Subaru also in turn recognized the book as well. Being the first to move though, Beatrice scrambled to the fallen book, and embraced it in a tight chest hug.
Subaru: Hey... Hey. Hey, hey!
Pointing a shaking finger of his own at Beatrice as she lovingly embraced the black book, Subaru's voice rose again.
Subaru: Why is one of the Witch Cult's special books in your possession?!
Beatrice: I have not been instructed to answer that question, I suppose.
Subaru & YN: —?
Each not expecting such a robotic response, Subaru hollered out more questions after a brief silence of disbelief.
Subaru: What's in that book!?
Beatrice: I have not been instructed to answer that question either, I suppose.
Subaru: You... You're kidding me right now, right?! Are you trying to say you can't do a damn thing unless it's written in that book?! —Just like that crazy madman Petelgeuse?!
Only able to recall the Archbishop of Sloth's inane ramblings on "duty" and what it had to do with following his Gospel, Subaru's anger was rising again.
Beatrice: Betty does everything, and only the things the book tells her to do. That is Betty's life purpose, I suppose.
Clenching his teeth in anger, it was clear what Subaru felt was as if he had been lied to from the very beginning. —As if he had just experienced some extreme betrayal.
Subaru: So that damn book told you to save us and not anyone else!? You expect me to just sit here and accept that?!
Beatrice: Do not judge Betty so unfairly! You humans have no clue what Betty has endured in her bid to follow this book's instructions!
Subaru: —Bullshit!
Always being one to argue on the topic of who had "suffered" the most, YN had a hard time imagining if Beatrice really could tout that against Subaru, all things considered.
Beatrice (whisper): Most certainly... do not act as if you could ever manage to sway Betty's heart.
Pouring salt into Subaru's already seeping emotional wound, Beatrice's whispered words finally shut him down.
Seeing as things were at an impasse now, YN decided that even if they now left Beatrice behind, it didn't seem as if Subaru was in much of a position to not overlook all this.
Kneeling down by his comrade, YN put a hand on his shoulder.
YN: As much as I hate to ask this, if we leave now, we might be able to still save Rem at least.
Slightly perking up at the notion that such an important end was still loose for YN, Subaru nodded his head and began to stand with his friend's help.
Managing to get upright, the two turned to leave without paying any further mind to Beatrice until—
Beatrice: —the mystery girl... She has already disappeared.
Halting in place, YN stopped dead in his tracks. Just by standing next to him, Subaru could feel the change in the entire atmosphere of the Library due entirely to YN now.
Halfway glancing over his shoulder, anger entered into YN's voice as he spoke to the Great Spirit.
YN: No. You're wrong.
Taking another step towards the door, YN was fully prepared to disregard anything Beatrice said at this juncture.
Beatrice: Betty can sense everything occurring within the Mansion. If you leave here, you'll both surely—
YN: —Shut up!
Beatrice: —!?
Roaring out in anger, it was the first time Beatrice had ever seen YN be so direct, and frankly, threatening. With her butterfly-eyes opened wide in her speechless response, YN spat more venom at her.
YN: I won't believe a damn thing you have to say!
Turning fully to face her, Subaru could tell YN had enough with staying quiet.
YN: It's no surprise you refuse to save anyone! That stupid book has you dancing to its every word like you're some kind of puppet!
Beatrice: Do not insult Mother's teachings! Everything Betty does is for Mother!
Firing back at YN, Beatrice raised her voice with an intense, personal anger now to match YN's.
YN: 'Mother?!' Is that what you call whatever Witch Cultist who wrote that sorry sack of lies?!
Beatrice: —tch?!
Gritting her teeth, Beatrice's malcontent with YN was reaching a fever point.
Beatrice: 'Mother' is Betty's own mother, in fact! Mother's word is above all else! It is most important!
Realizing there was nothing left he could say to that, YN began to turn to leave once more.
YN: Well? I guess the appa doesn't fall far from the tree. Say whatever helps you sleep at night. You both act no different than any Witch Cultists. Whether you want to recognize that or not is none of my business.
Taking his first steps away from the enraged spirit, his final words crossed a line for her.
Beatrice: —?! Betty will not tolerate being lumped in with such a group, I suppose!
With his back still turned to her, only Subaru saw Beatrice raise her hand up, summoning several dark, flaming, crystals of Yin magic.
Beatrice: —Especially when it involves Mother, Anomaly!
About to launch her attack, the spirit had her attention tunnel visioned thanks to her rage towards YN, which was to his benefit as—
Subaru: —Beatrice!
Now taking his turn to prevent the drill-haired girl from doing anything drastic, Subaru dove right for her, scooping her up in his arms and holding her. Losing her concentration, the Minya she had poised to shoot at YN either fizzled away, or shot out in whatever random direction at low velocity.
Beatrice: Unhand Betty now!
Struggling against Subaru and taking several hammered fists and elbows to the face, he called for YN to act.
Subaru: —The door! Break it down! We're leaving!
YN: Fine!
Springing into action at Subaru's request, Beatrice quickly changed her tone.
Beatrice: W-Wait! Do not damage that door! The Library will be lost if you—!
*Crash!*
Bashing through the door, a sudden and intense wind picked up from YN's back.
Subaru: W-W-Woah!
Lifting them all off their feet, the gust prompted them all to become airborne just long enough to fly through the newly opened door.
Projected out of the Library, Subaru and YN both landed hard outside in whatever hallway they were now in.
*PPPPhhhhhhhssssshhhh*
As they recovered, the sound of a strong magic dissipating could be heard.
Beatrice: No...
Still held in Subaru's arms, and unharmed from the ejection she herself had caused, Beatrice watched the Forbidden Library give way to the door and room that properly occupied the space she had borrowed.
With no other doors left in the Mansion, or for some unknown reason, elsewhere even, The Forbidden Library faded from existence.
Absolutely dead pan, Beatrice stared on at the empty doorway while the two boys went to stand, brushing themselves off.
Letting go of Beatrice now that she was outside the Library, the drill-haired girl fell to her pinstriped knees. Her lip quivering and her eyes glassing over with tears, she remained silent.
Subaru: Beatrice... hey. Come on, we gotta get going.
Despite all that had just been found out and said, Subaru, in his good nature, still tried getting the spirit to her feet. Whether that was because he still cared, or simply wanted more information out her, YN couldn't tell. At this juncture, he admittedly felt this was a lost cause, and was now entirely focused on getting to Rem as quickly as he could.
To Subaru's words though, the spirit remained motionless.
Subaru: Beako, please—!
Beatrice: —Betty has no purpose to continue her existence. Abandon the one who abandoned your friends, I suppose.
Not about to let her say such things, YN could see Subaru mustering up words of encouragement in his chest, something he did best.
Subaru: Now's not the time to—
?: —Ara~~, if you say such gloomy things, I think I'll have a real disappointing time.
Cutting off Subaru's words, the voice of a familiar femme fatale echoed from down the hallway they were in.
Stood at the end, was the gut huntress herself.
Elsa: I've never had the chance to see a spirit's insides before, so I'd like it to be memorable.
Brandishing her signature kukri, the assassin approached them slowly. Step by step, her hips elegantly moved in tune to her pace. Dressed in her usual attire that seemed more appropriate for an exotic dancer than a deadly killer, it was hard to not notice her exposed midriff and ample chest.
Yet from what little clothing she did have on in all reality, it was entirely soaked in blood. None of it though, was hers.
Elsa: It was so much fun playing with everyone else, they all had such lovely bowels.
Subaru: Elsa!
With an extreme anger in his voice, Subaru's roar of frustration was loud enough to echo heavily in the hallway everyone now stood in still.
Elsa: Oh, so furious. There's no need to be mad though, is there? I'm making well on my promise after all. Will you be able to do the same for yours?
Winking to Subaru, he was utterly disgusted by the gesture.
Subaru: I told you... I'm going to kill you.
Elsa: — — —
Looking to both YN and Beatrice, Elsa deemed no one here a threat to her continued mission.
Elsa: I say, it does save me the trouble of finding these other two I'm supposed to kill as well. Were you hoping that they would be able to stop me?
In reality, Subaru knew they didn't stand a chance at halting Elsa. The only strategy now would be to run and that was also a nigh impossible task. But meeting that challenge—
YN: —I have someone I need to get to. And you're in the way.
Elsa: Ahh, so much determination. I can smell your body heat rising~~
Licking her lips in rapacious anticipation, Elsa went on.
Elsa: Your bowels are beginning to fascinate me~~.
Ready to fight to the last breath, YN could feel mana coming into his body thanks to Algol, who had decided to make a timely appearance.
Raising his hand to get in the first blow, YN charged his mana for a Jiwald that he hoped she had no means of evading, as he would be engulfing the entire hallway in hopes that if he hit everywhere, there was no way he could miss. Yet as he did, a new spiritual presence stood to his side opposite of Subaru.
Beatrice: No. You will go while Betty stays. Once you see she is correct about the girl, you will retract your earlier words about Mother and Betty.
Stepping before YN as she said this, Beatrice's resolve seemed as strong as ever, despite the way she had just been moments ago.
Elsa: Ohh? If you wish to die so eagerly, I may grant you that privilege.
Twirling her kukri about, on the verge of pouncing at them, Elsa taunted the spirit.
Beatrice: Silence, human. Betty will not allow those who have slandered what is most important to her to not see the error of their ways before she is ripped from this world.
Elsa: Then by all means~~
As if falling forward to begin with, the assassin's walking pace lasted for only fractions of a second before lunging forward, fully sprinting towards them with deadly intent.
YN: —S-Shit!
Subaru: —Get ready!
As if still trying to believe they could make it out of this, and before any of them could mount any sort of defensive move; their side made an offensive one.
Beatrice: El Minya.
Holding her palm out, the butterfly-eyed spirit commanded her Yin magic.
Immediately, a volley of crystals, identical to the ones that YN had just been faced with from before, were launched at their enemy.
Pulling a second kukri from somewhere behind her, Elsa met the projectiles with a dance of death. Smashing each with her blade, the crystals met their end before being able to impact her. All the while, she was advancing. Getting closer and closer, it wouldn't be long before she would make quick work of them all.
But, unrelenting in her attack, Beatrice kept the free flow of Minya going. A bead of sweat had begun to run down her forehead as the assassin approached, unphased by her efforts to halt her.
Twirling and spinning, Elsa spun her blades like a top as she met every single crystal with a swing. It seemed of little difficulty to her.
Subaru however could see this arrangement would not last much longer.
Subaru: Damn it, we need to up the pressure on her!
YN took this as his call to action. Holding a palm out like Beatrice, he imparted his Yang magic into his finger tips.
Beatrice: Betty would like to remind you that your Yang magic will only supersede her own Yin magic and allow that vile woman a chance to lunge forward. It is a bad idea, I suppose.
With an inkling of a plan in his mind, YN could only build a frame for loose teamwork on the hope he had.
YN: The one I'm going to use won't do that. Just be ready.
Beatrice: — — —
Almost as if gauging if she should trust him or not, Beatrice sighed and looked to YN out of the corner of her eye.
Beatrice: Fine, what is your plan?
YN: Simple. Stop when I fire, build up a few crystals while that happens, and when you see the opening, fire for effect.
Beatrice: To think Betty is taking instructions from an Anomaly...
Letting the mana in his fingertips reach a boiling point, YN unleashed the carefully aimed attack.
YN: El Jiwald!
Five lasers of Yang magic immediately propelled themselves towards Elsa.
While the hallway was narrow, Elsa was extremely evasive. YN could not hope to hit her with the magic in a way she could not dodge. Had he even paired it with Beatrice's volley, the two's magic surely would have collided, giving Elsa just a long enough of a chance to close in on them.
Yet, this was why YN hadn't seriously aimed for her.
With all five beams being aimed for her waist and below, spanning the width of the hall, this had forced Elsa into the air as the only place safe from the Yang magic.
Airborne, Elsa's options now were much less. And seeing the opportunity YN had spoken of, Beatrice launched the built up collection of Yin crystals in the few seconds of the break in launching them had afforded her.
Beatrice: Do Betty a favor and die painfully, I suppose.
With half a dozen or more crystals launched at once the assassin still in the air, the reality of the situation was apparent to Elsa.
Bracing for impact, two of the crystals met her blades in a vein attempt to lessen the damage, while two or three others met her forearms in sacrifice. The onslaught, though, collided with her in results they expected.
*SHINK-SHINK-SHINK—*
Skewering her with such velocity while still not planted on the ground, the inertial energy they crystals possessed sent her flying to the hallway's back wall.
Firing perhaps a few dozen more crystals in pursuit of the bowel hunter, Beatrice took no chances.
*SHINK-SHINK-SHINK-SHINK-SHINK-SHINK—*
Long pinned to the wall with the Yin magic, the remainder of the crystals impacted her body all over. Like a reverse Iron Maiden, the assassin's body was massacred in a most gruesome way, and in that gore, no motion remained.
YN: — — —
Subaru: — — —
Beatrice: — — —
At the end of the hallways, there remained no movement.
The three who stood opposite of the bloody mess could barely believe it, especially the two who had faced her before. Looking at each other with Beatrice's short stature between them, Subaru and YN seemed to be silently inquiring to each other if they should believe their lying eyes.
Without hesitation though, Beatrice walked forward to get a better look. Not wishing to have their courage outdone by the little girl though, Subaru and YN followed.
Subaru: Is... Is she really dead?
Beatrice: For all of our sakes, Betty can only hope so. With the Library gone, she has very little remaining mana she can pull from.
Approaching the corpse of Elsa Granhiert, the three looked over the fleshy, skewered remains.
As if getting their assurance she was indeed dead, Subaru timidly spoke up.
Subaru: I really do wonder if we should cut her head off, or drive a wooden stake through her heart.
YN: I don't think she's a vampire...
Looking up at them both with a raised brow, the small spirit turned away from them and the corpse.
Beatrice: What odd things to say, I suppose.
At the end of the hallway, YN looked to his side to the corridor that led back to the main foyer. With his mind finally capable of writing Elsa off as a threat, he had other pressing things to attend to.
Walking off in a brisk pace to go find the one he loved, he left the other two who continued to gawk at the dead assassin.
Beatrice: It is useless to prattle here.
Being the next to leave, Subaru followed her.
Catching up to YN, they each knew where he was going. Careful to avoid the same ruined path this time though, they avoided the hole Elsa and Frederica had made in their fight.
Frederica... Ram... Petra...
The weight of their deaths were heavy in his mind. He hadn't seen any of their bodies, and he hoped he sincerely wouldn't stumble upon them on this more roundabout way to Rem's room.
At least we got some revenge for them...
With his soul clinging to that one facet as the one thing to keep him from completely breaking down, his mind had almost wandered into darker thoughts. Just as he was going to contemplate how cruelly Elsa would have gone about their deaths, the door he was searching for came into view.
It stood halfway off its hinges, broken on the top and bottom as if something had crashed into it. Perhaps damaged just enough to not qualify for Beatrice's Door Crossing, it still served as a door nonetheless.
Staring at its damaged state, YN felt his mouth go dry. Any number of possible horrors, reliefs or anything in between could be behind that door.
He could simply choose to not look.
After all, this Loop no longer mattered. He and Subaru both knew that. However, the human spirit longs for life. And for YN, that included the truth.
The truth of what happened to Rem.
Beatrice: —the mystery girl... She has already disappeared.
With both the one responsible for saying these words YN did not wish to believe, and the one who possessed the means to undo them should they prove factual finally catching up to him, they each looked on to YN, now having caught up to him as he slowly approached the door.
Placing his hand on the doorknob, he took a deep breath.
Whatever it is... I have to know. For Rem's sake, and my own.
Twisting the handle, the mechanism inside the door gave way, allowing the latch to undo itself.
Before he could push it open however—
*—ba-dum-ba-dum-ba-dum-ba-dum-ba-dum-ba—*
?: Ara~~, you were all so determined to reach this place.
Before he could react to the beating of the drum he heard only in his head, a cruel voice reentered his ears.
With all heads turning to the source of the voice, their worst fears were realized; stood at the opposite end of the hall, was the gut huntress, sans her usual sangria cloak.
YN: —?!
Subaru: No way...
Beatrice: — — —
In utter disbelief, Elsa was alive and well. And not a scratch remained on her. Only her minimal clothing she wore bore any evidence of her previous condition. Slightly torn, slightly bloodied, it was now somehow more revealing than it had been before.
YN: How... How are you alive?!
Smiling widely at his question, the assassin pulled a kukri out from behind her back and spun it at a great speed, but acted like it was no large feat.
Elsa: My, that's a trade secret. Unfortunately I can't answer you~~.
Subaru: Damn you... I know what you are.
Pointing an accusatory finger at her, his declaration had caused her spinning blade to halt, as if prompting him to go on.
Subaru: ...You're a damn vampire, aren't you?
Elsa: Hmm, while I have been called that before, I can assure you, I am not.
Finding his question amusing, Elsa denied the theory. Looking to YN now, the bowl huntress smiled smugly at him as he continued holding the handle of the door.
Elsa: I'm afraid you'll find nothing in that room you could appreciate~.
YN: — — —
By her words, it seemed an ominous aura creeped from the room Rem was supposed to be in, and an even darker one seemed to slowly swallow up YN's hopes and fears.
Subaru: Elsa...
Elsa: It is rare I kill anyone I don't have to, or am tasked not to, but it looks like I was correct. That girl was truly loved, so I couldn't restrain myself~~.
YN: — — —
A fear unlike any he had ever felt before brewed inside YN now. Had the unthinkable actually happened?
Elsa: Wonderful~~! I can smell the anxiety growing in you! Every single one of you came here first, you missed all the other beautiful works I had created on the way here; you bypassed all your other comrades just to come see this one~~.
Beatrice: —And what sort of 'works' would those be? Traps, I suppose? Why would you announce a trap you set in this room?
Elsa: I'm afraid you misunderstand me, spirit. All that remains in that room—
With a glint of madness, insanity, and arousal, Elsa spoke with great enthusiasm.
Elsa: —is a work of art~~!
No longer could YN bear to hear such things.
Hastily, and in a grand panic, YN threw the door to Rem's room open. Breaking the rest of the door off in the process, he then witnessed his beloved.
Still, asleep in her bed, her expression remained peaceful as it once had.
Yet—
YN: R-Rem...
The one, undull color his vision remained in possession of, had continued to be the calming azure blue of Rem's hair, but for the first time, this was not the case.
Gone was it's vibrancy, it's hue, and most importantly, it's life.
A new color rather, painted bright by his eyes and mind, highlighted the cause of this.
Tucked in her sheets still, they had remained undisturbed except for one spot, where the bright, unsettling richness of red drew YN's eye in.
One fine, wide cut had been made in the sheets.
Where his precious Rem laid, the color red, the only color he seemed he could see now, stained the sheets of white.
Rem, his lovely, beautiful maid, the one he cherished above all else had become a victim to Elsa's sick method of death.
YN: — — —
YN could not bear to see the sight further, to know the most gruesome of details. His vision became fuzzy, and breath shallow. Falling to his knees, the two behind him were offered a glimpse at the horrors inside the room.
Subaru: —!
Beatrice: —Such a detestable thing...
Saying this to Elsa, Beatrice began a brief exchange of words involving Subaru to the bowel hunter. While Subaru wished to comfort his friend, he felt if he moved, surely Elsa would lunge after him before these words could be exchanged.
All the while, YN sank deeper and deeper into this hellscape he now found himself within; his mind and soul were plagued with dark thoughts and emotions.
Panic-breathing, it felt as if he was about to puke. His body was hot, and ravaged in aches as his muscles tensed and flared. He couldn't open his eyes any wider as he stared at the wood planks that made up the floor.
The one thing he swore he would protect had slipped through his fingers. Rem's fragile, precious, defenseless self had been more than irreparably harmed; she had been killed.
A harsh ringing played in his ears, drowning out every word of the exchange behind him.
Inside his mind, his thoughts were a mess.
—I let Rem die. I let Rem die. I let Rem die. I let Rem die. I let Rem die. I let Rem die. I let Rem die. I let Rem die. I let Rem die. I let Rem die. I let Rem die. I let Rem die. I let Rem die. I let Rem die. I let Rem die. I let—
His heart felt as if it were about to explode and give out it was beating so hard. Mucus, tears, sweat, and spit all fell from his face onto the floor.
Rem was defenseless! She was relying on me to protect her! And I failed! —I failed her!
It felt at any moment his body would just give up, and he'd cease to be, dead from the shock of it all.
Rem would have never let this happen to me! If I was in a coma, she'd never have left my side! She'd give her own life before she let even a scratch hurt me! So why—?!
Forming words finally, he whispered to himself, under his breath, with teeth clenched so hard, any more and they would crack and fracture.
YN (whisper): —Why wasn't I better at protecting her?
But even as the seconds ticked into a minute now, that sadness, that dread, that despair... something else began to grow from it.
The heat in his body became so hot, it felt like the pain in his body was beginning to be boiled away. Although he could not see it, a heatwave had begun to raise off his entire figure. Like a smoldering ember in a field of dry grass, the heat grew and grew.
But, as this power welled up inside of him, he felt a hand touch his shoulder as he remained on his knees.
Quickly removing her hand, it felt as if she had just touched the side of a boiling cauldron, but the momentary pain did not deter her words.
Beatrice: Betty... apologizes. She never wished to have caused you so much dread when she informed you of this... She only wished to inform you of the truth when it had occurred...
Perhaps actually moved by the visual anguish YN was in, the spirit's words were the only thing since falling to his knees his body had acknowledged in the world around him. Hearing her message, YN wanted to lash out at the spirit. To lay even a sliver of the guilt and pain he felt upon her would be tons off his shoulder.
He wanted to yell, scream, and roar at the drill-haired girl. He could fill his lungs over and over again doing that but it wouldn't be enough. It would never be enough.
Raising his head, his vision unfortunately crossed the one he loved again.
All over again, the pain fueled the rage, like fuel on a fire. Except as he did, he looked only at her face.
Her beautiful, peaceful, calm face.
The face that had begged for forgiveness upon learning her sins.
The face YN told there was nothing to forgive.
The face that always, no matter what, always put him first, and cared for him no matter what happened.
No...
Feeling his expression soften, YN exhaled his first calm breath, one of great heat and steam.
Turning to the spirit next to him, she gave him an uneasy look, and actually flinched when their eyes met.
Beatrice was ready to be yelled at. To be spat at, even to be blown away by an explosion of Yang magic.
Yet—
Rem wouldn't want me to be mad at Beatrice.
The face of his beloved reminded him of this fact. This wouldn't be what she wanted of him.
Still though, the heat of rage brewed on in YN. While Beatrice was deterred from its wrath, it needed an outlet still.
This anger still...
Not unlike what he had felt in the cave, seeing Rem's body be twisted so by the long dead Archbishop, and similarly again when Garfiel had rocked the car Rem was a passenger in, YN felt unbridled, unrestrained, raw power at his fingertips.
His fingers itched, his hands trembled, and his arms ached.
This is more potent than my mana has ever been before... It feels so strong, that if I really cut loose, I'd damage my body beyond repair if I used it.
How much mana could YN dump into his strength—, into his actual muscles? Enough to strain them? Tear them? Blow them out? Could he break his own bones from so much strength?
I guess it doesn't really matter now... Nothing really matters actually. This Loop is forfeit.
Picking himself up off the ground, YN clenched his fist and looked down at it.
To his own surprise, a white, almost silver in color aura, —a dense heat-wave, faintly danced around not only his fist, but his entire arm.
No, his whole body.
Enveloped in a sparkling air, YN realized his entire being was radiating a high temperature, one that almost seemed to give off its own light. He felt weightless. Intrinsically, he knew this feeling and the indignation in his heart were one in the same.
Taking a step back, Beatrice too could feel the expansion of his Yang magic radiating outward. While YN couldn't explain it, he somehow felt more attached to the world around him, as if for the first time, he was truly understanding it. And with that sensation—
Algol: — — —
Coming out, his contracted spirit also glowed brighter than usual as well.
This is your doing, isn't it?
As if familiar with the pain, Algol seemed to be taking the unrestrained strength YN had, and was refining it.
Unclenching his fist, he had made up his mind as he looked not to Rem's dishonorable injury, but to the reassuring face that always believed in him.
I won't put this power to waste... No. I'll make the person who did this to you pay.
Turning to face the broken down door and those still out in the hallway, Subaru still remained as timid as he was before, having to face Elsa alone, even if only through words. But as YN stood, the gut huntress too had her attention fixated back onto him.
Elsa: I can see you're clearly not a fan of my tastes.
Perhaps not the taunting, sultry remark he had come to expect out of Elsa, seeing Subaru had reminded YN of one thing.
I could just do what I did on the Lifaus highway when I found out about Rem... If I kill Subaru, this will all go away...
Knowing that was true, a second opinion in his mind began to form.
Turning only his head back to the window Rem's bed sat near, YN surprised everyone with what he had to say.
YN: —Subaru. Take Beatrice and go back to the Sanctuary.
Elsa: — — —
Beatrice: — — —
Subaru: ...I figured that's what the plan was... but it sounds like you think it's extra important to do that.
As he still felt more "connected" and aware of the world in this heightened state, there was one thing YN certainly couldn't ignore, even given the threat of the bowel huntress so near.
YN: There's a lot of mana moving in the direction of Sanctuary. Something of significance is happening there.
Subaru: — — —
Turning his gaze back to Subaru, YN continued.
YN: There might be more answers to our questions over there.
Definitely better at controlling his rage then he had before, YN's words carried not only a weight to them in their importance to Subaru; words that might help steer them closer to clearing this Loop, but they also carried a deeper purpose.
Even if Subaru garners the smallest bit of information that helps us overcome this, it will mean Rem's death will at the very least, not be in vain.
Not about to let Rem perish for nothing, YN forced his resolve to steel itself.
Beatrice: ...Betty is surprised to hear you noticed the irregular mana flow as well... She was going to say something, but then the assassin appeared.
Giving YN a sincere look for the first time, her butterfly-shaped eyes yielded a distinct lack of disdain in them.
Beatrice: —Perhaps you have garnered even the smallest amount of respect from Betty due to your affinity with spirits, I suppose.
While the change in attitude was welcoming from Beatrice, this moment was nothing but a calm before the storm in the fight that was to ensue.
Elsa: It is sweet that you all want to make peace with each other before your deaths, but I'm afraid my patience has run thin.
Spinning her pair of kukri 's again, her posture changed. Ducking down low, the bowel huntress began her hunt.
Like a black blur moving across the hall towards them, YN was the only one who seemed to notice it in time to at the very least, react. Pouring mana into his palm, he mentally weighed his options.
If I can guess right, that cloak of hers seems to be a sacrificial garment for magic. Since she's not wearing it, it must be used up, meaning that's an option now.
While Elsa had crossed half the hallway's length towards them, YN had only managed to get one step past Subaru to make himself the closest target, to which it seemed neither him, nor Beatrice had realized the danger yet in these fractions of a second.
Time seemingly was moving slower to YN. He wasn't sure, but this still felt like a side-effect of his newly heightened awareness this elevated state gave him.
I feel strong enough now that if I were to really use this strength, I'd end up hurting myself more than Elsa, but—
Knowing he had no time to cast a worthwhile Yang magic attack, given Elsa's speed, YN switched his strategy. Clenching a fist tightly around the mass of mana in his palm, he struck his fist true.
—that's an easy sacrifice to make!
Striking low to reach her favorite target, the lower abdomen, Elsa reached out with her kukri.
YN: —Hah!
With time still feeling slower, YN sidestepped the inhuman attack, and hooked the fist he had balled up around his mana.
Fist meeting face, YN sent the huntress's inertia into the opposite direction.
Floundering midair, she began to twist more as she recovered, sliding to a stop on her heels and single hand as she was now practically back to where she had begun her charge.
A look of surprise was on all their faces from the display.
Subaru: H-Hey! How did you—?!
At first wanting to know how YN had managed to pull that off, as Subaru looked at him, he paused.
With the white hue still dawning YN in a faint radiance of warm light, combined with that punch, Subaru was at a loss for words. Knowing the danger was still about though, they turned to see the results of the punch.
Wiping a bit of blood from her face, the bowel hunter cracked her neck left and right before speaking.
Elsa: That one hurt a little. Can you tell me where you were hiding this power back in the Capitol?
Unsure if she were taunting him, noting his improvement, or genuinely curious, Beatrice's plea cut off any answer YN could not think of immediately.
Beatrice: That Gate of yours is pulling in too much mana for its own good. Here—
Extending a hand out to YN, the drill-haired girl seemed to be more concerned then surprised at the power overflowing from him.
Beatrice: —give Betty some of it! She promises to help this time... —to use it to help fight this vile woman. If you do not, this much mana will poison you, or worse, I suppose.
Wide eyed at her desperate request, YN was now just as shocked at Beatrice as everyone seemed to be towards him.
First Beatrice had apologized to him of all people, then praised his skills... And now she wants to help him too?
Offering out a hand in reply, YN was set to actually cooperate with her for once.
YN: Beatrice-sama...
About to touch hands, a third party disagreed on the partnership.
Elsa: —Too bad I won't allow it~~.
Having silently begun her second charge, with YN's guard having dropped, Elsa had caught a clear opening.
The dark-haired beauty had clearly heard Beatrice's words too, and as such, was targeting the spirit now as she instinctively wished to not fight two opponents at once. With his hand meant to reach Beatrice's, YN was left little in the way of being able to properly counter Elsa.
Sorry, Beatrice.
Pulling his hand away from her outstretched ones, YN yelled to Subaru.
YN: —Grab her!
Her knife only fractions of a second away from meeting Beatrice, Elsa had bypassed YN in favor of the only other threat.
Yet as she had done this, YN raised his knee up as high as it could go.
YN: —Gah!
Slamming his foot down as hard as he could in this strengthened state, he took the floor out from underneath everyone around him.
Narrowly missing its mark thanks to this, Elsa's slash had cut only a few hairs upon Beatrice's head as Subaru too had grabbed her and pulled her back.
But as all four were falling, given the structure under them was now compromised, two of them managed to clear the splintery, wooden mess YN's stomp had made.
Beatrice: Murak!
As if halting gravity's effect on them, Subaru and Beatrice actually managed to float upward whilst YN and Elsa continued their crash below.
Stirring up dust, debris, and other particles into the air, and now on the ground floor, YN looked up to the two who remained hovering above him that were now set to land gracefully on the opposite side of the second floor.
YN: Both of you run! Take my car! I'll handle things here!
Subaru: —tch!
Unable to argue with him as Elsa had easily spotted them, Subaru had no choice but to unfortunately agree. Taking Beatrice into his arms, Subaru began the run to the next staircase.
As Elsa had already recovered though, she moved to leap up after those who were feeling, except—
YN: —Rah!
Taking a fist hold of something, perhaps a picture frame or some other structural component that now laid ruined on the pile of debris both he and Elsa found themselves on, YN threw it at the assassin.
Elsa: —Gh!
Knocking her back down, YN made it clear that she was to fight and defeat him first before she could have a chance at pursuing either Subaru or Beatrice.
Having fallen down into the foyer of all places, they had landed near the main staircase, meaning the ruble they stood on had to be covering the slain guiltylowe.
Squaring up to each other, the assassin and the groundskeeper were set to continue their exchange of blows. Twirling about a pair of kukri, Elsa charged towards YN, keen on ending this fight quickly lest Subaru and Beatrice managed to escape her.
Seeing his opponent was armed, YN did what he could to match that.
Managing to pick up a relatively intact wooden support he had knocked loose with his stomp, he still wasn't afforded the opportunity to use it.
Narrowly dodging one swing of her knife, and sidestepping a follow-up thrust of her second kukri, YN surprised himself at just how well he was able to dodge them.
It's odd, I can almost sense the mana in the atmosphere move before she does, but just barely.
Somewhat evenly matched now in reaction speed which had to be due to his "overflowing mana" as Beatrice had put it, YN couldn't deny he was already beginning to feel the sensation weaken.
This was most apparent with the third swing Elsa had taken at him now. Without enough time to dodge, YN simply had to meet the blade's impact, and he chose to do so with the wooden beam he had managed to lift. Nearly cutting right through it the kukri had made it more than halfway through the hardwood's thickness. Taking the opportunity to strike with her second knife now though, YN narrowly blocked it as well with the opposite end of the length.
With both her knives now embedded in the wood, and the angle Elsa still held the kukri at, YN took that to his advantage.
Twisting the timber piece, he had hoped to get Elsa's knives away from her possessions, yet she held on resiliently.
Damn it, just like in the small fight I had with Garfiel, I can already feel my strength rapidly depleting. If I was as strong as I was when I first punched her, I could have thrown her across the room just now.
Seeing as her opponent was trying to separate her from her weapons, which she could not get a good enough angle at to remove from the wood, Elsa utilized her inhuman dexterity.
As if dislocating her own shoulders, the assassin, while still holding onto her kukri, rotated her body and used both of her stiletto'd shoes to kick at YN.
Hiding behind the timber still, her feet impacted the middle section, between where her two knives remained and broke the wood in two. Not expecting the sudden change in grip, YN lowered the two pieces he held, forcing Elsa lower too, where she met the toe of his shoe in a rough, retaliatory kick.
Elsa: —Gah!
Freeing her hands from the knives, Elsa worked quickly to counter as she was now at a disadvantage again.
Fully expecting YN to remove a knife of his own from the timber, or just throw them as far as he could to fight her hand to hand, she hadn't expected him to go an even different route.
*BONK*
Still holding to the two lengths of timber, YN used the one in his dominant hand as a blunt weapon as he originally intended. Striking Elsa hard in the head, she staggered backwards from a combination of poor footing, and disorientation.
This afforded YN just enough time to drop the now smashed length of timber and grab the second kukri from the opposite length he still held.
Now in a proper knife-fight, Elsa leaped towards the now discarded timber length, which when she had been hit by it, had freed her first kukri.
With a break in the fight now, each worked to catch their breath.
Standing up straight, Elsa picked out the large, pencil sized splinters from the side of her face she had been hit.
Seeing her body morph and self-heal, it was as if the splinters had never been there. Sinisterly smiling at YN as she did this, he only grew more disgusted with the gut huntress
YN: You're a freak.
Elsa: That's quite mild compared to some of the other things I've been called.
Holding the captured kukri out to her, YN had no intention of letting the fight stall, for the longer it went on, the more of a disadvantage he was at.
But as he went to move in, a glimpse of pink caught his eye.
Dashing past the fight, was Subaru and Beatrice making their escape.
Seeing what YN had noticed, Elsa moved to disengage and pursue the two weaker targets, but still atop the rubble, her motion was somewhat delayed as—
*Snap*
—her heel broke.
Not letting such a small, trivial thing affect such a trained assassin though, Elsa faltered for only a fraction of second, yet that was all that was needed.
Beatrice: —Vita!
Casting Yin magic of some sort again, Beatrice waved her hand as Subaru princess carried the spirit past the rubble.
Unsure of what the magic did, although it seemed to have made Elsa's footwork falter more seriously, given she had no heel to fall back on, YN took the chance he had been given.
*Cling!*
Blade meeting blade, YN put himself between Elsa and the two that were still fleeing.
YN: We're not through!
Barely managing to meet his surprise blade attack, Elsa did manage to stand back up nonetheless. Deciding she didn't wish to be on the defensive though, Elsa swung her blade by back at YN.
*Cling!* *Cling!*
Meeting each of her swings with a swing of his own, YN utilized his still fading strength to its full potential. Making her recoil with each hit, YN moved in closer, a dangerous gamble for sure, to try and put an end to the fight.
YN: Ha! Ha! Uha!
Swinging harder and faster than Elsa could manage, he used his brute strength to beat back the bowel huntress.
YN: —Gah! Ha! Uha!
Sparks flying from the metal biting into each other, Elsa was forced to keep stepping backwards, but took no other action due to her poor footing she could just barely maintain.
Seeing which way the fight was headed though, Subaru changed directions in the way he ran.
Closer and closer, YN beat Elsa back towards the foyer's main entrance door, the exit Subaru had been forced to take due to Mabeasts surrounding every other exit.
Getting near the large, double wooden doors, soon Elsa would have nowhere left to back into. Seeing this opportunity, YN put everything he had into what he hoped would be a deciding blow.
YN: Ha!
Edge on edge, the two metals met in a flurry of sparks, but as they did—
*Crack*
The repeated impacts and the larger final one had finally caused irreparable damage to the kukri YN held.
Breaking the blade he held, YN had still caused Elsa to falter back against the door. With only taking a sparse glance at what he was left with, YN thought quickly and threw the still sharp bit square at her.
YN: —Ugh!
Elsa: —Tch!
*TACK*
Pinning some cloth and flesh to the door with the thrown knife, Elsa was made immobile.
Raising his hand to her, YN pointed his fingertips, choosing to only truly aim one at her in desperate need to be as time efficient as possible. He did so because he feared Elsa could easily manage to free herself before he was done pouring all his remaining mana; all his strength and awareness, into those fingertips.
Feeling the fatigue, stain, and pain already overtaking his body in retaliation for using so much mana, YN prepared his spell that he hoped would end Elsa by taking out her heart.
YN: El Jiwald!
Firing off his Yang magic, as the blinding light and heat of his own spell hit his eyes, the last thing he saw of the assassin was a cold, calculated smile.
Before he knew it, YN felt an immeasurable pain in his gut.
YN: —Gah!
Tasting blood, he couldn't fathom what it was that just harmed him.
Instantly canceling his spell, a burning sensation made him keel over, his hands reaching for abdomen.
Looking at Elsa, as she was clearly responsible, her held out kukri bore no blood on it, yet it was steaming, and glowed red as if extremely hot.
S-She didn't gut me... So what happened?
In utter disbelief, YN hadn't a clue what had happened until he looked down at his bleeding wound.
It was not a slice that had wounded him, but rather one singular hole.
No... No way...
Collapsing to his knees, YN felt the pain magnify upon his realization.
Elsa had managed to reflect the one beam aimed to her using her kukri, and had done so right back at YN.
YN: D-Damn you... That's cheating...
Smiling smugly at him, Elsa was now in a position to easily free herself. Pulling the broken blade from the door, she looked over it.
I was so close...
From his knees, YN fell backwards onto the pile of rubble behind him, slightly propping him up so he could still see Elsa.
Now unstuck, she casually opened the large, ornate wooden front door.
Down the steps from it, Subaru and Beatrice had just managed to slip by the fight through a nearby window, and had just reached YN's awaiting car down below.
Holding the broken kukri YN had thrown at her, Elsa turned to him and spoke.
Elsa: I truly hate doing it this way.
With a simple flick of her wrist, Elsa threw the knife while not even looking at her target.
Unable to see the results of what she was trying to do, YN heard the result through the cry of his dear friend.
Subaru (far off): Huh?! N-No! BEEAAATRICE!
Too far off for YN to see, just as she had gotten the car door open, Elsa's flung knife pierced the spirit's tiny body.
Fading away before he could even reach her side, Subaru screamed out to the heavens.
Subaru (far off): ELSA!
Worried blind rage might overtake his critical thinking, YN braced his gut for pain as he yelled back over, hoping he could be heard.
YN: SUBARU! —Gah! R-RUN! DON'T FIGHT! —ugh! GET OUT OF HERE!
Feeling the burning sensation flare up, YN compressed his wound in vain hope the pain might subside.
This is all for not if he gets himself killed now. I know you're mad Subaru... So am I. But you gotta get back to the Sanctuary...
While Elsa only watched on, YN heard the distant sound of his car start, and a second later, the tires peel out and away.
Watching as the assassin only observed the fleeing, dragonless-carriage, YN midst his pain questioned Elsa's lack of action.
YN: You aren't going to chase after him?
Turning back, Elsa walked slowly over to him, smiling wryly as she did.
Elsa: I was only contacted to kill the residents of this Mansion, not him specifically. But, that doesn't mean he's safe. Either from me, or my associate.
YN: 'Associate?'
Only keeping her thin, wide smile, Elsa didn't elaborate any more specifically.
Elsa: Let's just say, he'll likely become mabeast grub.
YN: —?
Confused as to what she meant, only one theory made sense to YN.
Is her 'associate' a mabeast? Or some kind of mabeast tamer?
But before he could think any longer, more immediate questions needed answering, especially as his blood kept seeping from his painful wound.
YN: ...So are you just going to kill me now and get it over with?
Truly fearing the worst when it came to Elsa, YN considered if he had any final gambit he could play to at least take Elsa out with him.
Finding his question amusing, the assassin leaned down next to him as she spoke.
Elsa: I don't have to lift another finger for you to perish. With that wound, you are very close to death as is.
Taunting him, YN was powerless to deal with her.
YN: Aren't you some creep who likes guts?
Instinctively putting both hands over his bleeding abdomen in a vain attempt at self preservation, Elsa moved her kukri towards him.
Poking his hands with the sharp tip, they fled at its touch. Sticking just the end of her blade into the wound, YN winced in pain at its cruel touch. His body refused to move out of pure fear of the pain he felt he might have to endure now.
But, rather then lacerate him further, Elsa gave YN a look of disappointment as she stood and put the kukri on her body's backside, sheathing it.
Elsa: The moment you became enraged, you lost all your meaning to live, and with it, I lost all desire to see your bowels.
Turning to leave while saying that, Elsa looked over her shoulder back at YN.
Elsa: —Besides, they're ruined now. They're burnt and mangled.
Walking towards the open front door of the Mansion, her shoes made an uneven clacking noise as they stepped across the white tile floor of the foyer, as one heel of her's was still broken. Shrugging as she reached the exit, she spoke more but did not turn to look back at YN.
Elsa: If only I hadn't cut into the blue haired girl, I might have gotten more enjoyment out of your innards instead~.
Sighing as she said that, Elsa departed down the steps of the Mansion, and went completely from view.
At the mention of Rem, YN's anger did flare back up, but was quickly snuffed out by the pain it not only brought his body, but his wound too.
YN: —Gah... Elsa—!
Powerless to do anything, his weak mind lingered back to the horrid images he recalled of what had been done to Rem, and how he had failed to prevent such a cruel fate for her.
Rem...
A renewed guilt shuddered his entire existence. His mind and body felt extremely weak as is, but this only compounded his condition. His vision began to fade slowly, and his breathing stiffened. He felt a vague calling to be whisked away to slumber; to let his heavy eyelids fall shut.
YN: Rem... I just wanna see you... one... last... time...
Passing out, YN's consciousness was lost.
It was cold.
Very cold.
His skin stung sharply at the wind blowing across his face from the open door.
He needed to get up, he needed to wake up.
Letting his tired eyes open, his mind was half gone.
YN: Gah...
From his mouth, frozen drool clung to his cheek and chin as the bitter cold clung to his eyelashes, eyebrows, and any other hair strands on his face.
There was only a dim amount of light in the area he was in, but all around him, the light reflected well on the white blanket that crept in from the still open door of the Mansion, covering himself and most of the foyer.
A tremendous snow storm had moved in.
YN was covered in it, and with holes having been made in many of the exterior walls and windows of the Mansion, much of it was blown inside. Truly, the Mansion had gone from looking reputable and occupied, to that of a neglected and abandoned one in such a short time.
But even despite the fact he was clearly alive and that a Return hadn't been triggered yet, only one thing was ever present on YN's half-functional mind.
YN: R...—
With his blood flow down to near lethally low levels, very few things made cognitive sense to him.
YN: Re...—
The frozen conditions had halted his heart rate so low, and packed so much ice into his wound, it had cruelly kept him alive. Yet, it also was allowing him to keep one thing in his mind, the most important thing—
YN: Rem...
Using what little strength he had, YN craned his head towards the stairs behind him.
It's cold... which can only mean...
Breaking the thin layer of frost over his worn body in his delusional state, YN crawled towards the stairs over the pile of rubble he had created in his fight with Elsa.
...Rem is cold too...
Crawling, crawling, YN pulled himself across the snow covered ground. While it had eased his trip across the floor, it made the stairs an entirely more difficult task with how hard it made to grip anything.
Snow had blown everywhere inside it seemed. Everywhere there was at least a light dusting of it. But, pulling himself along across the floor, the deranged groundskeeper still only had one goal in mind.
Rem...
Driven by guilt. Driven by insanity. Driven by pain. He pulled himself ever closer to the blue-haired girl's room.
Finally rounding the corner, her room came into view.
YN: Rem...
Straining his dying body, he pulled himself to the doorway.
No snow had found its way past the door-frame, but looking up from where he crawled, YN could just make out the silhouette of her face through the steamy air his labored exhales made.
Seeing the tinge of blue in an otherwise dull world, it inspired his body to move forward still with its goal in sight.
YN: Rem...
Reaching her bedside, YN forced every fiber of his being to pull himself up and onto it with her.
Agitating his wound, it began to bleed more profusely again.
Yet, at the sight of the woman he loved, the adorable maid, the pain meant nothing.
YN: Rem...
Having warm tears fall down his cheeks, only to quickly freeze again, he gently laid his hand on her cheek, the peaceful expression still adorning her pale face.
YN: You're so cold...
The girl he laid next to felt absolutely fridged.
YN: Don't worry... I'll warm you up... I'll keep you warm... Just like last time...
Pulling at the bloodstained sheets, YN tried in vain to cover the poor girl, despite her being long gone. Laying atop the sheets, much like she would to wake him up every morning, YN wrapped his arm around her cold body.
Recalling the time she had come to warm him up on the morning the Mansion had laid frozen for cheerier reasons, YN's delusional mind tried to comfort his dying body as much as it could.
Pulling her close, YN knelt his forehead against the side of her soft, azure hair.
YN: Rem...
With the faint smell of lavender still on her, it prompted YN's strung out mind to still recognize the reality of the situation.
YN: ...Let's die in each other's arms, okay?
While he knew he would never get a response from her, YN nonetheless was prepared for the inevitable. With his wound still pushing him closer to death, both of their bloods now stained the bed.
Feeling the whisk of death crawling at his mind, seeking to take him to the void, he struggled to keep his vision of Rem.
YN: Rem...
Taking his final breath, YN used it to profess his one regret.
The one regret he feared he would never get to correct.
YN: —I wish I could I have told you...—
His eyes shut, the force of life drained from body, YN passed on.
YN: —that I... love you... too...
A/N: Next chapter I'm actually going to make an announcement for, as it's my favorite chapter in all of this ACT so far. Please look forward to it, and if my beta-readers had anything to say about it, have tissues ready too.
Thank you all again for the kind words you leave! Till next time!