– AAAAAAAAA!
With a cry of pain, he woke up. His body immediately jumped on the spot, he barely managed to get into a sitting position and quickly looked around.
His gaze caught on everything around him, he slowly began to realize what was happening. His head was buzzing with thoughts, but it didn't hurt, there was no physical discomfort, only psychological. It confused him a little as realization crept into his head.
He could feel his own heart rate, feel his own breathing, could move all his limbs, close and open his eyes, stick out his tongue, move his jaw, speak. That's why everything fell into place for him. Natsuki Subaru realized what had happened last time, and even though he felt bad from such thoughts, a slightly different feeling arose in him.
Of course, the semblance of death disgusted him, but it was immediately replaced by almost shock at the thoughts he had come to.
– ... I d-d...d-di-ed and came back..? Am I.. immortal?
He examined his hands, there was no dirt. I looked around the whole place, everything is as before. I felt the top of my head, and there was nothing wrong with it either. There are no cuts, no abrasions, no bruises, no burns, let alone a huge wound from an axe blow. He's alive, definitely alive and well.
– I am immortal! Unbelievable! I can come back after death..!
However, his joyful exclamation was stopped by literally nothing. Time itself seemed to have stopped moving and frozen over. However, Natsuki Subaru could see, could hear, could feel. Every part of his existence felt by itself that something was wrong. He realized that time had stopped, realized that for some reason he understood it, but it didn't end there.
Suddenly, the stone walls of the cave around him became even darker than before. Now he can't see anything around at all. Natsuki Subaru tried to move at least a little bit to get a better look at what was happening, but he couldn't. He also froze in this unnatural moment, when the darkness around him is gaining strength. He doesn't have the strength to speak, but he does have the strength to feel, and the growing fear inside him is proof of that.
And soon the darkness took shape. Like hands made of shadows, they all reached out to Natsuki Subaru. He couldn't avoid them, couldn't hide from them, he had to watch in silence as they all reached out to him. One lightly patted the top of his head, as if caressing him, the other gently rubbed his cheek, the third began to gently stroke his lips with shadow fingers, as if playing with him. And another one gently pressed her palm against his chest.
It would be nice if it wasn't so scary and unusual. Moreover, Natsuki Subaru felt every touch in the places where the hands caressed his body. He was pleased by the very gentleness of the touch, but it also carried a feeling of coldness that permeated his body to the bones. And then one of the hands that was gently stroking his chest suddenly moved forward, but no longer touched Subaru's body. Instead, the shadow limb went straight into his body in an unnatural way and did not even touch his internal organs, muscles, bones or skin with its fingers.
– ..!
He would like to cry out in horror, fear, and even an unnatural feeling, because for some reason he felt that a dark hand gently touched his only organ, touched his heart. Why is this happening? Why is this happening? How does this happen?
But he couldn't have asked, even if he had the chance, because the next moment, a sharp and intrusive pain shot through his chest. A hand made of shadows squeezed his heart with force. There was no trace of the old tenderness, only strength, only power and pain.
Subaru heard his pulse, heard his heart beg for mercy in the terrifying cold hands, but the shadow was not kind. The fingers of this incarnation of darkness forcefully clenched and crushed Natsuki Subaru's heart.
Darkness enveloped his eyes, enveloped his body, he didn't see, didn't hear, didn't feel, it became nothing. Was the whole world empty in an instant? All that throbbed in him was the endless pain that accompanied his crushed heart. This feeling was there, it was present, it caused him suffering when he didn't even understand where he was or what he was. And then…
– I-is it over..?
The pain suddenly stopped, the rest of his senses returned, his eyes allowed him to see, and he could breathe. His body trembled, even after the cold had gone and the pain had receded. He clutched his chest with hands, trying to feel his heart rate and gently checked body for anything unusual. But everything was fine except for one fact.…
– Why did I have to be naked..?!
All his clothes were gone. He could admit that there hadn't been much of it when he'd awakened earlier, but now he'd lost it altogether. Moreover, there was something else, something completely abnormal for his current position.
– Why am I.. back in my body..?
He looked at himself from head to toe, and even though he was embarrassed that he wasn't wearing any clothes and had to shine his manhood in all directions, Subaru still returned to his body. His arms, legs, chest, groin, stomach, hair, eyes, ears, mouth, lips, cheeks, nose, forehead, temples, cheekbones, nails, neck, every mole on his skin, it all belongs to him. This is what he has been since the moment he was born and has remained for the past seventeen years.
– But still... where am I..?
However, when he looked up with joy and embarrassment and looked around, it became clear that this wasn't the right place at all. It's dark, but not dark enough to don't see anything. In this place, it feels like he isn't where he should be and at the same time where he should be.
– You..?
However, there was nothing shapeless like emptiness ahead. More precisely, this shapeless something was there, but in front of this dark background, in the distance, something else was visible, or rather, someone else.
– …
– Uhm…
A young girl, about Subaru's age, maybe a little older. Her eyes are pale amber, her scarlet hair is long and loose, her skin is delicate and slightly pale.
– Umm..!
And he turned away from her, turned his head the other way. Subaru couldn't look at this girl, not because she made him feel bad about her appearance, but on the contrary, she made him feel a completely different kind of feeling just by her appearance.
It was only because she was as dressed up as he was. That is, she wasn't wearing an ounce of clothes, which confused Natsuki Subaru much more than his own lack of clothes. But as soon as he remembered that there was nothing on his body either, he immediately bent his legs slightly and hid the part of his manhood with hands down there.
–H-hey... hi... heh-he-he…
He tried to lighten the situation somehow, but it didn't help at all that this girl was silent. Subaru glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and noticed that she wasn't embarrassed at all, just stoically looking straight into his eyes. Because of this, he began to feel even more uncomfortable, although the reason was now different, and doubt crept into his mind.
– L-listen... where are we...? A-and who are you? Which of these should I ask first?
She hadn't said a word to him since he'd been making a fool of himself for nothing. However, after this question, she closed her eyes and sighed significantly. All this time, the girl seemed to be evaluating him and now seemed disappointed with the result of her observations. If she had looked like a beautiful doll before, now her figure had shifted and she had to raise her hand to demonstrate the formless, endless emptiness around them.
Was she the one responsible for the recent pain he had suffered? If so, then…
– This place is... lonesome dark, endless never-ending, peaceful frighteningly calm...
Subaru swallowed hard as he listened to her monotone voice. She seemed to have little interest in what she was talking about, but still paid enough attention to the best and most complete description of everything around her, even if it didn't make much sense. And then she finally got to the main topic.
– ... I don't know what this place is.
– Huh..?!
Subaru didn't expect this. He thought she knew what she was talking about, but it turned out exactly the opposite. However, she didn't give him time to come to his senses and continued to speak, this time more seriously.
– My name is Morgana, I am the Deputy Supreme Archbishop Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti of Witch Cult.
– ..?
– And you stole my body!
She said the last part with incredible malice in her previously calm voice.