Chapter 15: Interrogation
Still staring in absolute disbelief, Lyra asked her question.
No response.
Puzzled and maybe questioning what she was seeing, Lyra began to walk up to her, slowly, but not taking her eyes off of her for the first few paces.
Almost halfway to the silent, non-responsive Ram, Lyra thought that she should see if Subaru himself was watching this as well.
Subaru, are you seeing this?! Lyra wondered.
Going to turn her head up and behind to see if Subaru was visible on top of the cliff, her head only made it about halfway around before another gust of wind made her stop looking.
She hadn't heard this gust coming...and it was so sudden that ... something was definitely off...
Turning her vision back towards Ram, in the short time that Lyra had gone to turn her head, Ram had advanced with that breeze. She stood only a few paces away, and now both of them stood right in the middle of that clearing at the bottom of the cliff.
The two stood there, staring at each other, waiting to see who would make the first move.
With tension rising, Lyra made a rather large gulp, hoping to swallow her anxiety.
In response, Ram snorted.
Feeling as if the tension was finally broken, Lyra knew that this was Ram in front of her. Putting her hand on her chest to help expel the air trapped within her, Lyra sighed a sigh of relief.
Lyra: *sigh* You were spooking me there, Ram. But... What are you doing out here?
With an unchanged expression and a tone that almost conveyed an air of utter contempt, she answered.
Ram: That's a better question for yourself, isn't it?
Lyra: ... —Hk!
She truly hadn't thought of this that way. To Ram, it would be rather suspicious as to why she was still nearby the mansion. She really did have a reason to be so on-guard.
Ram: Out with it. Why are you still here?
Lyra: Well, it's really complicated...but I promise it's for a good reason, I just can't—
Ram: Can't what? Can't tell me? Do you honestly think I'd believe whatever you have to say?
Lyra: Ram...
Ram: Save it. I won't be the one you have to 'explain' things to.
Lyra: — —? 'Explain'? I-I don't understand—
?: AHHHHHHHHH!
Cutting off Lyra, a loud yelling noise rose from the cliff behind her and Ram.
Off to the very far edge of the cliff from where the two stood, Subaru had made his escape, jumping off the cliff edge with the rope still tied around himself. Not hesitating for a moment, he cut himself loose and fell another two feet down, almost face-planting but rolling right up and sprinting off, into the brush, totally oblivious to the presence of the two people who were standing on the other side of the clearing.
Lyra: Suba—
Ram: It's pointless!
Snapping her head back to Ram who had shouted over her, she couldn't figure out why it would be "pointless" to shout over to him. Obviously he could explain all this to Ram and—
Ram: Barusu was to be dealt with first, but it looks like you'll be the first instead.
With complete contempt for Lyra, Ram spoke these words. It was a tone only used for those she bore absolutely no sympathy for. A near lament for her very existence.
Lyra: Ram. What are you talking about? Fill me in here...help me understand...because I'm getting real—
SCRAAAAAAAAPE*
Stopping her words cold, her eyes widened to the familiar noise.
SCRAAAAAAAAPE*
It was the same noise.
SCRAAAAAAAAPE*
The very same noise.
SCRAAAAAAAAPE*
The sound of dragging pipes and rustling chains from the night the mansion was attacked. The thing that had killed Subaru. She was hearing that here and now.
Bending her knees, almost as if anticipating a strike any moment, Lyra began to plead to Ram.
Lyra: Ram. We need to leave here. Now.
Shaking her head, Ram replied.
Ram: You're not going anywhere.
Steadying her voice, Lyra stiffened her attitude and narrowed her eyes.
Lyra: You don't understand. We aren't safe here. We need to find Subaru and get back to the mansion. Everyone there is in danger and so are we right now.
Still giving Lyra her stare of contempt, Ram waited before responding to Lyra, but before she could—
SCRAAAAAAAAPE*
Ram: What are you going on about? Are you trying to weasel your way out of this?
Lyra: That... that, sound! Ram! Don't you hear it?!
Ram: What sound do you mean?
Lyra: What?! One of rustling chains and iron being dragged! THAT sound! It means we're in danger and we need to leave. Now.
How would she know what it sounds like? There's no way she should have heard it before. Ram's thoughts raced through her mind now at this very moment, confused as to how Lyra was familiar with what the noise was. Unless she's being serious—!
Lyra: Ram! We need to go! Please! That's the sound the attacker makes with their weapon!
A small gasp left Ram's mouth.
She thinks that... SHE'S the attacker? Were we wrong about—?
Cutting off Ram, the sound intensified.
What had been the sound of pipes dragging and chains rattling, had turned into what was clearly a launched attack. Sounding as if an anchor was just tossed from a mighty ship, the chains screamed from their own velocity. from somewhere., headed for one of them.
Lyra: RAM GET DOWN!
Still having been stuck in immediate thought, Ram finally came to as Lyra was charging at her, closing the distance and being more than halfway to her, only an arms length away and closing.
Their eyes met before the inevitable collision. Ram saw a tenacious mix of desperation, concern, and ultimately, honesty in Lyra's eyes. Lyra saw the look in Ram's eyes as well. Surprise, astonishment, and almost a hint of what she may be thought was regret of all things.
Finally colliding, Lyra grabbed a hold of Ram and continued going, twisting her body to take the brunt of the fall. As she did, the impact of the metal weapon could be felt hitting the ground behind her with a massive thud.
With the two finally falling, Lyra let go of Ram right before they had landed, hoping to prevent herself from crushing her, but also to give her more energy to get as far from the weapon's impact point as possible.
Rolling, Lyra recovered and bounced back to her feet, while Ram was slower to get back up. Dirt covering them both, Lyra looked to where the impact had been.
A large spiked ball, a morningstar, the size of a beach ball, laid half buried in the ground where it had impacted with great force. Noticing a chain attached to it, Lyra was too worried for Ram's well-being to visually trace it back to its origins.
Lyra: Ram! Are you alright?! Say something! Are you hurt?!
Having just got back up, Ram still wore the same expression that she was before, one of worry and confusion.
Just as Lyr had called out to her though, the morningstar launched back to life, retreating to some place Lyra couldn't follow. Taking the opportunity, she called out Ram's name and began to approach her once more.
Is she paralyzed with fear or something? That's very unlike her, but why else would she not be trying to evade that thing? Lyra thought.
Holding her hand as if she should take it, Lyra beckoned to her.
Lyra: Ram! We have to go! We're in danger. Let's get a move on and — —!
Just as Lyra was within arms-reach of Ram,with her intention being to grab her and run if need be to save her, an almost explosive impact erupted from the ground between them.
With dirt and grass and other debris showering the area, Lyra flew backwards. Landing on her back, he took in one big gulp of air and coughed out the dirt he had inhaled.
Not allowing herself to take too long, Lyra sat up, worried about how Ram had fared during the last impact.
Almost not believing her eyes, Ram continued to stand in the same spot, unmoved and unfazed by the shockwave that had sent Lyra flying backwards.
The morningstar also had to have been recalled almost as soon as it hit, as the crater it left was empty.
Ram continued to stare at Lyra, almost as if she were in disbelief to her actions. Lyra didn't know why she was acting so strangely given the situation, but before she even had time to get back up, she could already hear the wind-up for the next throw.
A sound of chains clashing violently, grinding, and coming uncoiled.
Waving her arm to get Ram to move, Lyra called out once more.
Lyra: RAM! Run! Move! Hide! Do something— —!
Again, before she could finish, the morningstar returned, this time passing both of them and wrapping its chain around a tree, uprooting it and breaking its thick trunk.
Falling, the tree landed right between Lyra and Ram, obstructing Lyra's view of Ram.
Lyra: Ram! Shit...SHIT!!
Stumbling up to her feet, Lyra ran to the fallen tree, dust still mixed in the air from the mighty tree's fall.
Please...please!!! Don't let her be stuck underneath this!!
Reaching the tree and coughing up dirt, Lyra looked over the tree's trunk, which was now laying sideways on the ground.
Frantically, she looked up and down the tree for any sign that Ram might be trapped.
Looking just forward, further ahead of the tree where Ram had been... remained the crater that had separated them...meaning the tree had not fallen close enough to Ram to impact her...yet—.
Lyra: She's not here... where did she—?...!
Again hearing the whine of chains being violently handled, Lyra saw the morningstar coming again, directly for her.
With only fractions of a second to react, Lyra dove back behind the fallen tree, narrowly missing the impact. The morningstar continued its destructive path, bashing through the freshly fallen tree, sending shrapnel and splinters everywhere.
Getting right back up, Lyra broke for the woods, towards the direction that Subaru had run towards Behind her, she heard the continued rattle and whine of the chains, almost like a rattlesnake's tail. This let her know that it was ready to strike yet again if need be.
Lyra ran. She ran as hard as she had ever run before. Jumping over stumps, fallen trees, rocks, whatever was in her path, she hesitated for nothing.
She knew not where she was running, only that she MUST run. As she ran, her thoughts began to rationalize more.
She had not seen Ram, she had disappeared. Had she runned? Did she hide?
Lyra's run slowed to a jog, devoting more of her energy to thought. She hadn't heard the chains since she broke for the trees, so was this person still aiming to attack her?
Suddenly a cold realization came over herself.
Did I just abandon Ram to the attacker?! She theorized.
Stopping where she stood, Lyra turned back in the direction that she had just run from.
What should I do?! I'm powerless to do anything... but to just leave her? Could I let myself do that?!
Lyra's mind raced with questions. Should she go back? Should she run? If so, where to? The mansion? Not a bad idea... but how? The road was the quickest and most sure way to find her way back, but she would be out in the open... Running in the forest might be safe, but could take much longer...she had also gotten all turned around while running. Just what direction was she even going at this point?
Lyra needed the sun. Before it had set, she could tell where she was headed based on its location. However, under the thick canopy of trees that she was under, it was impossible to tell with the sun where it was now. She needed to reach a clearing.
Taking off running again, Lyra was on a mad dash to see the sun before it set. Ram and Subaru's lives might both very well depend on getting help from the mansion.
Running, Lyra heard another noise. A noise like the one she was making. The noise of someone crushing sticks, impacting the ground, and kicking up rocks. Someone who was running like she was.
Looking to her right, she saw what-or rather, who- she hadn't expected to see.
Subaru. Running in the same direction she was, beat with exhaustion, he had been running for a while.
Cutting through the foliage, Lyra ran up to, next to, and matched pace with Subaru.
Lyra: Subaru! Hey!
Turning his face to see Lyra, a look of pure panic played out across Subaru's face. He had seen something very concerning.
Shouting out, Subaru answered Lyra as soon as she called.
Subaru: The attacker! *Huff huff* the attacker is—HCK!
Just as Subaru was going to tell Lyra about his discovery, a razor-like sound shattered the air around them. This sound was unlike the sound of rattling chains and dragging pipes from before. This was a new weapon, a new foe.
Just as soon as the sound had rung out, Subaru had expressed a sound of pain. He had been hit by something. Lyra didn't know what he had been hit by. She was too busy being knocked over by a falling Subaru to observe the extent of the damage.
With Subaru crashing into Lyra, both lost their balance and went tumbling to the ground. With whatever had hit Subaru, it had given him further inertia, the impact of the crash and the distance they both flew because of it was evidence enough.
Rolling and floundering on the ground, Lyra rolled and flipped till she hit the trunk of a tree back-first, knocking the wind right out of her, and slumped down.
Now sitting and her vision blurry, she huffed for air, desperate to not pass out.
In her blurred vision, she could make out Subaru against the ground, laying sprawled out.
Only...did he look taller by any chance...or was it just her?
Trying to concentrate on breathing, taking in short small breaths, all that her body would allow her to, she couldn't devote the energy she'd like to in order to clear up her vision.
Laying still, Subaru's seemingly longer body in her warped vision began to have a new color, almost halfway down his body...red...
With Subaru's body starting to rustle back to consciousness, or at least awareness, only half of what Lyra thought Subaru was floundering about.
Subaru: aaaaaaaaaagggghhhhAAAAAGGGHHHH! MY LEG!
With Subaru violently flipping and turning, Lyra's vision began to clear up, unblurring. The scene was slowly painted for her.
The "long" Subaru that she had seen was due to his knee having been severed right from the rest of his leg, and the red was the blood gushing from the wound.
As her vision cleared up more, it became more apparent as to why they had tripped and fallen. Something had blown Subaru's leg clean off, launching him into Lyra in the process.
The wound was a clean-cut one, almost as if done by a guillotine, yet it had such velocity that it had propelled them both. Bone and muscle was visible when it faced Lyra as Subaru thrashed about.
Subaru: AAAGGGHHHHH!
Subaru's shouts and screams continued. Too writhed in pain herself, however, Lyra could do nothing but watch and suck in what little air her body would allow her to
As the gruesome scene before Lyra laid out, a figure emerged from where they had been running from.
Stepping into the evening light that broke through the trees where the two laid battered and torn, blue hair caught the brilliance of the sun's farewell rays.
Her maid outfit, covered in dirt as if she had fallen, also made its appearance into the light. Holding something in her arms, Lyra's vision hadn't quite gotten back to where it could see that far quite yet, but she wouldn't have any trouble knowing exactly who this was.
Not being able to see her face, only her rough outline and color, Lyra strained herself to get a glimpse of her in sharp vision, just to know she was okay, she was unhurt and the attacker hadn't gotten her as they may have gotten Ram.
Working her eyes and lungs as hard as she could, as Rem approached the fallen Subaru, Lyra croaked out her shallow words as loud as she could muster, not to waste a single breath. He had to inform her. The attacker had to be close.
Lyra: R- *wheeze* Re- *wheeze* Rem!
Having gotten her attention, she stopped in front of Subaru, her face obviously pointed at Lyra, however, her expression, along with the rest of her, were still quite blurred.
With speaking greatly helping her breath capacity, Lyra found herself being able to use more words in one go.
Lyra: There's a- *wheeze* an attacker! They're after the- *wheeze* mansion! You gotta get help! *wheeze* They might have already got Ram. *wheeze* Please, Rem. You've *wheeze* gotta be careful.
Without a response, Rem set what she was holding onto the ground, making not a sound. Placing her hand next to Subaru's gaping wound, a blue aura emanated from her hand. Reciting a chant, her words healing Subaru's wound.
Picking what she set down next to her back up as she rose, Rem finally directed words to the two broken and battered former guests of the mansion.
Rem: If you die so easily, Rem cannot extract the needed information from either of you.
Such utter contempt was in the tone of her voice.
Lyra strained her vision. She had to focus on it and get a clear picture of what was going on. Something wasn't right... something DEFINITELY wasn't right...
Dropping what she held in her hands, the oh-so familiar and dreadful sound of dragging chains echoed throughout the forest.
Lyra was completely stunned.
Why?
Why why why why why why why why why did that awful noise just sound like Rem had made it?
Lyra denied what her senses were telling her. The noise had to mean that the attacker was close...right?
RIGHT?!
Facing Subaru, Rem spoke.
Rem: I ask you this. Are you a member of a faction that is a rival to Emilia-sama's royal candidacy?
Lyra was extremely confused by this entire exchange up to this point.
Why is she asking questions like that at a time like this?! We're in serious danger!
With more of her vision returning, definition to the scene also began to refill. As Rem continued to hold something in her hand, Subaru, still in pain, but no longer dealing with anything life-threatening, croaked out a response.
Subaru: My heart only belongs to Emilia... —ACK!
With the sound of chains filling the air once more, Rem had made a motion as if striking Subaru.
Hearing the sound of iron striking flesh, and a shout of pain, Lyra's vision finally restored itself out of panic to the scene before her.
Before her stood Rem, arm raised, hilt in hand. From the hilt followed a thick, spiraling length of iron chains. Following them down to the ground, laid a pile of more of them, coiled, ready to be raised again to lash out at Subaru once more.
Next to the pile of chains...laid a morningstar...
Lyra couldn't believe her eyes. Surely this was false. How could Rem of all people be the attacker? None of what Lyra saw made any sense.
Writhing with pain, Subaru held his forearm where the chains had met his skin.
Rem: Who hired you? And under what conditions?
Subaru: Emilia-tan's smile... and it was priceless— AAACCH! AHHHH!
Again, Rem lashed Subaru. Lyra gasped in horror. Why was Rem being so outrageously hostile?
While Subaru rolled and howled in pain, Lyra brought up the courage to speak her voice to Rem to ask her why she was behaving this way.
Lyra: Rem! What are you doing?! What... what's going on?!
Turning her head to Lyra, Rem had an eerie aura about her as Lyra could not see her eyes due to her hair blocking them from where she sat.
Reaching her arm with the hilt in hand back, Rem strung the chains out, and delivered them in a deadly launch, directly at Lyra.
Flinching from the impending impact, Lyra tightly shut her eyes and braced.
Hearing the chains hit, Lyra felt debris hit her face and arm.
Opening her eyes back up, she looked to her side and saw the slashes in the ground next to her. The dirt and grass that were once in that very spot were now covering her. Moving her head, splinters of wood fell from her hair to her lap. Brushing it off, Lyra looked at the tree behind herself before looking back at Rem.
It was as if a mighty beast had taken a huge bite out of the bark and wood that made up the tree.
Lyra's eyes were wide open, full of fear towards none other than Rem.The one person she had vowed to protect from this attacker...had ended up being her...
Looking away from Lyra, Rem turned her attention back to Subaru, who was finally beginning to calm down and manage his pain in some respect.
Rem: — — —
Raising her arm once more, Rem readied another strike for Subaru should his answer be what she didn't want to hear.
Rem: Are you... Are you affiliated with the Witch's Cult?
Subaru: 'Witch Cult'? No... I don't know what that is... My family has been secular for generations— AAAGGHHHH HOOOOO!
Delivering another blow to Subaru's arms, this time they had taken all they could. Both of his arms bent in a new location, the crack of shattering bone could be clearly heard.
Subaru tossed and turned on the ground, squirming in pain and agony, hollering and screaming continuously.
Rem: LIES! How can you make such bald faced lies when you... BOTH of you...smell so much like the Witch herself!
Rem's voice boomed over Subaru's screams of pain. Even as she had quit her yelling, Subaru continued to roll and thrash about in pain.
Subaru had been broken. Mad with pain he screamed and wailed without reason.
Noticing that there would be no more effective interrogation methods for Subaru, Rem snapped her head towards Lyra, eyes filled with rage and disgust.
Fear, exploding within Lyra, told her to run. Her conscience screamed for her to pick herself up, and run far far away.
Placing her hand out to brace herself for balance to lift herself off the ground, Rem immediately knew her intentions and took action, launching her chains once more at Lyra and striking her
With the hand she had hoped to help get herself up, Rem delivered a crippling blow. The thick iron chains smashed the fingers of that very hand.
Lyra's pinky, ring, and middle finger were completely shattered and torn to bits. Her pinky finger only remained attached by the flesh that was still connected to her hand, the bone for it completely shattered and detached. Her other two fingers had suffered broken bones and deep tissue wounds.
Lyra: AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHGGGGGG!
Bringing the critically wounded hand to her chest and covering it with her uninjured hand, Lyra rocked her body in pain as the blood from her severely wounded hand dripped into her lap.
In the moment of Lyra's dispatch, Rem turned and struck at the still-wailing Subaru.
Chains aimed for his head and made their mark, causing blood to fly from his skull. Subaru was out and silenced.
Lyra, disregarding the amount of pain that she was in, suddenly remembered something.
She remembered the ability that Subaru had started calling "Return By Death". She remembered how the last time Subaru was killed, everything reset in the blink of an eye. Why hasn't that happened now? That would have been their easiest ticket out of this suffering...unless...
Lyra: No...
Subaru wasn't dead, but merely knocked out. This meant that there would be no reset just yet.
With the reality sinking in that she was to be interrogated next, Lyra prayed that Subaru would die and activate a reset before it began.
To be tortured is one thing, but to be tortured by Rem? Nothing could be worse. With Subaru indisposed, Rem walked over to Lyra, dragging her chains as she approached.
Pure panic filled her. She dared not run or fight.
Rem: Now...
Immediately reacting to her speaking to her, Lyra threw her arms up and covered her face, waiting for an impending chain-whip.
Shutting her eyes tightly, Lyra waited for the pain.
But nothing happened until she felt her arm grabbed.
Kneeling down, Rem grabbed her arm with the injured hand, which was still bleeding and slashed.
With her other hand, she grabbed the still-barely -attached pinky finger and tore it the rest of the way off.
Lyra: —ACK!
Though her hand was somewhat numb from pain, she could still feel some pain from the removal of her already-mostly-gone finger. Still holding her arm, Rem then used her other hand again to place a blue aura of magic to her wounds.
Feeling a warmth fill and flow through her wounds, they miraculously began to close and heal, taking the pain away. The feeling of her nerves returning calmed her down quite a bit.
Though her pinky had not returned, her other three digits returned to their original condition.
Seeing that her healing had stopped the wound from becoming more severe, Rem stood, towering over Lyra. She held her hilt and chain, ready to use them if she deemed necessary.
Rem: Are you a member of a faction loyal to one of the rivals that opposes Emilia-sama's royal candidacy?
Shaking her head slowly, Lyra replied in a shaky voice.
Lyra: N-n-no...
Staring down at Lyra while she sat slumped against the tree, Rem waited a moment after she gave her answer.
Taking her foot, still in her maid shoes, Rem placed it on Lyra's kneecap, standing on it, yet not putting any weight onto it.
Rem: Who hired you? And under what conditions?
Taking in air to answer, Lyra slightly whimpered before giving a response.
Lyra: No one has hired me.
Rem again took a moment to react to Lyra's answer, almost as if she was checking it against some sort of lie detector.
Steadily, she placed more of her weight onto Lyra's kneecap, an intimidation technique to get her to spill information that she, unknown to her, simply did not have.
Lyra: Arrgh! Hk!
Giving her a further look of pure disdain, Lyra knew the next question she was to ask.
Rem: Are you... are you a member of the Witch's Cult?
Despite the pain in her knee, the fear she had for her answer, and the fear of having to deal with even more pain, Lyra gave Rem an answer as honest as she could.
Looking her straight in the eye, Lyra spoke her reply.
Lyra: No. I am not a member of —ARRRGGGH! UGH! WHAT THE HELL, REM!? CUT THIS SHIT OUT ALREADY!
Having given Rem an answer she did not want, Lyra heard and felt her kneecap being crushed under immense force. The cracking and popping of bone was overpowered by the sound of her yelling and shouting out of both pain and frustration towards Rem's actions.
It was as if a car had just run over her kneecap. While there was no blood, she could already tell it was a serious injury.
Lyra: REM WHY!? WHY?! I'M NOT YOUR ENEMY, DAMN IT! CALM YOUR ASS DOWN, ALRE-
Rem: LIES!
Stepping off her knee, Rem whipped her chains at the tree that Lyra was slumped up next to.
Smashing its truck to pieces, the tree fell backwards away from the two of them, allowing more of the evening light onto them, bathing them both in a hue of orange.
Feeling the now-stump that she was laying next to vibrate from the fallen tree's impact with the ground, Lyra grabbed her knee in pain.
Rem: Why are you two so insistent on hiding the obvious truth?! You both reek of the Witch!
Lyra: I'm telling you the truth Rem! I know we have the stench! There's nothing we can do about it!
Rem: Do you know what it's been like for Rem to hold herself back everyday while you walk around the mansion smelling like THAT?! Do you know what it's like to have to CONSTANTLY be reminded of the group that hurt Nee-sama so much!?
Lyra: Rem I'm sorry! There's nothing I can do to change it... I would if I could, Rem... Believe me I —UGH!
While Lyra had her eyes lowered, begging to Rem, she had apparently been infuriated with what she had been saying and had given her a taste of her iron chains...
The strike had been right across her abdomen, slicing her garments open on her stomach area where the impact started and was thus the spot hardest hit. Blood splattered all over Lyra and some even on Rem.
Lyra slumped over to her side, her body writhing in pain from head to toe. Her breathing was hard and shallow.
Wiping the blood spatter from her face, Rem looked down even further at Lyra. Lyra was laying down like an abused and broken animal, shaking, and covered in blood and dirt.
Rem: If you reek of the Witch's scent, then you must know where it comes from. Don't you?
Lyra wanted to tell her. She wanted Rem to know that this wasn't her doing, but the consequences were serious...
Do I risk it? How much more painful can it be than this? If I can just manage to get the words out...
Lyra: It's... *huff* I want to tell you. But I can't. *cough* It won't let me...
Snorting almost exactly like how her sister would, Rem responded.
Rem: How convenient. You say you are not Rem's enemy, yet you refuse to tell Rem why it is you reek of the Witch!
Feeling a wash of anger at herself fill her, Lyra gritted her teeth and prepared for the worst.
Lyra: FINE! You know why I stink? Why do I smell like such literal SHIT to you? It's because me and Subaru can Return by D—!
As soon as she had tried her hardest to utter the words, no matter the pain, she was cut off by that very same pain. Pain was so unbearable that all her wounds felt like scratches in comparison. A pain wallowed in her chest so extreme that it felt as if her eyes would pop out if they were forced open anymore.
Feeling the pain in her chest begin to subside, all her other wounds multiplied in pain, as if the pain from her chest had relocated itself to all these places.
Huffing and coughing and wheezing, Rem continued to look down at her until—
Rem: *sniff sniff*
Looking up through her pain, Lyra saw a new look in Rem's eyes. One of pure hatred and contempt. A beastly presence filled them.
From Lyra's botched confession and punishment from the Witch, the scent had been not just renewed, but multiplied. Letting Rem smell this had obviously been a terrible unforeseen consequence.
With this look of hate in her eyes, Rem stood above Lyra.
Rem: You disgust Rem.
Finishing the only words she could find to describe the feeling she now had, Rem raised her leg backwards, and impaled a kick into Lyra's abdomen as she lay on the ground still.
Lyra: HYCH! *cough cough*
The kick had knocked her right onto her back, thankfully so, taking the weight of her body off her now-broken set of ribs.
Still in massive amounts of pain, Lyra coughed herself hoarse. Each cough sends shooting pains from her ribs throughout her body, and each cough brings up bits of blood as well. Her entire body had begun to go numb. No longer did her body wish to be in pain.
Walking a few short paces over to where Lyra now laid, Rem began to ask even more questions.
Rem: Why?! Why do you continue to deny being Rem's enemy, and yet have the audacity to taunt Rem like this! What do you gain for this? From any of this? Asking to be a guest of the mansion, yet you still wish to help me and Nee-sama with our work! What is it that you want?!
Getting her cough under control, Lyra laid on her back, looking directly up to the evening sky. Its hue of pink had turned orange. Now it had begun to turn purple, and then soon it would be black.
Hearing Rem's question to her, it had been the first he could answer in whole. Tears beggining to flow from her eyes, her body was so numb that she couldn't even feel the tears running down her face.
Lyra: What do I want, huh, Rem? Is THAT what you want to know?!
Rem: — — —
Lyra: I wanted to help you two. I wanted to be friends with you. With Ram AND you. I wanted to laugh and eat meals together and work together. I was just having so much fun here. Compared to my life before, this was fulfilling...
Rem was silent for a while. She knew Lyra was not lying but still did not truly understand him.
Rem: ...Why would you want to be friends with people who only pretended to be nice to you?
Taking the little energy she had, Lyra shook her head.
Lyra: Now you're the one who's lying...
There was a long pause between the two of them as they stared at each other, both unsure of what to say next.
It looked as if Rem was about to come up with something else, but she was cut short.
Subaru: Uhhgg. Uhhhgggg! UUUUAAAGHH-AAAAHHHH! MY HEAD! MY HEAD -AAAAHHH!
Snapping her head around, Rem's attention was taken back to Subaru, who was now awake and screaming out in pain. Lyra continued to look upward to the sky, trying to imagine what was going to happen next.
Hopefully Subaru will die soon, Lyra thought.
Stopping herself. Lyra reconsidered her previous thought.
What a cruel wish that was...She closed her eyes and slightly shook her head at herself
It was only when she heard Rem's footsteps begin to take her away from where she was laying down did she hear her speak finally.
Rem: Nee-sama...
"Nee-sama?" That means—
Opening her eyes and trying to raise her head to see if Rem was actually addressing who she thought she was, a ribbon of crimson shot up from where Subaru laid.
Even with Rem's figure blocking most of what she saw, Lyra could tell exactly what she had seen.
Natsuki Subaru had been killed.
Before his blood, launched upward by some kind of strike, had even reached the ground, the world paused. Slowly, but also instantaneous because of the stopped nature of time, the whole world was enveloped in a dark inky abyss.
Again feeling her senses leave her body, Lyra's consciousness drifted along, devoid of sight, smell, feeling, everything.
The pain from her wounds subsided, it was not a relief from pain, but rather simply the absence of feeling.
Into the dark abyss she fell.