Patching together, patching together, continuing to form its shape.
Patching together, patching together, continuing to mould its shape.
Patching together, patching together, continuing to fill in the colours.
Patching together, patching together, patching together――
――Even now, Natsuki Subaru found his patchwork soul weighed down by everything he had built thus far. Emilia's voice, Beatrice's words, Ram's condescension, Petra's small hand squeezing his, Frederica's cool admonitions, Julius's fairness, Anastasia's calm scheming, Garfiel's robust sincerity, Otto's unwavering devotion, and so many, many others echoed in the back of his skull.
Still, Subaru continued to move forward with single-minded resolve. As always, he clung to Shaula's side, for her presence was indispensable. She was the blade by his side, an unwavering accomplice whose motivations made no sense to him―and yet, that baffling devotion was the one thing that did not threaten to swallow him up in guilt. Everyone else existed in the ragged edges of his vision, conjured up by the haze within his left eye; each ghostly form reminded Subaru of the monstrous sin he carried.
Subaru:「Just a little farther… the end should be near.」
Shaula:「Heheh, Master, your voice is so serious. I can always tell when you're about to do something big!」
She coiled around his arm as if to cheer him on, that same off-balance sweetness in her tone. Touching her cool skin, Subaru's chest tightened with contradictory emotions.
――They stood on a forgotten path running along the boundary of the forest, a dirt trail that had likely once been used by travellers before the road's maintenance was abandoned. Beyond it, the forest darkened like a yawning chasm.
Amid that looming silence, a soft wind rustled branches overhead. The leaves flickered with a subdued hush. Then, inevitably, the hush broke.
?:「Subaru.」
A voice called out from the depths, quiet and clear. At once, Shaula's playful fingers went rigid around Subaru's arm. She had not sensed anyone approaching; that alone spoke volumes. There was only one man who could step forward so naturally without Shaula noticing in time.
Subaru:「――Reinhardt.」
Subaru spoke his name with no hesitation, ignoring the bitter chord it struck within him. Through the gaps of the swaying foliage, the red-haired knight emerged without a sound. His posture was even and serene; he did not lay a hand upon the Dragon Sword at his waist, yet he exuded a quiet intimidation that made Subaru's spine tingle.
Reinhardt:「It has been a while… since Pristella.」
Subaru:「Guess so. You've been busy… I've heard about that village. And about the girl, Amue Sears. Thanks for letting me buy time back then by sending you running to her side.」
Reinhardt remained silent. Subaru wasn't sure if it was anger, sorrow, or pure exasperation in his calm, unblinking stare. The fact that Reinhardt was difficult to read was not surprising: he was the man hailed as the greatest knight of the Kingdom.
Heedless of that silent condemnation, Subaru cast his gaze down to the ground. The moment had come at last. A confrontation he could not flee from.
Shaula:「So then, Master, is it final-round time with that red-haired handsome boy? Oh, oh, oh, I can't wait to show him how unstoppable I am…!」
Reinhardt:「Shaula. I cannot say I fully understand your devotion to Subaru, but you've done unimaginable harm under his orders. Even if your loyalty is genuine, it has destroyed so many lives. There must be a reason you still stand by him.」
Shaula:「The reason is… love! There's no big complicated puzzle. And if you try to stop me, I guess we'll have to settle that with big, bright flashy attacks, yep!」
She answered almost sweetly, but the air brimmed with tension. Reinhardt's gaze shifted from her to Subaru.
Reinhardt:「Subaru. Please tell me you haven't come here to—」
Subaru:「To kill you? I told you before. There are no lies in my intention. But I never said I'd do it right away, remember? You were always a tricky one, a 'piece' that's nigh impossible to corner. So… I made enough preparations this time.」
Reinhardt:「――――」
Subaru breathed in, trying not to falter as he felt the presence of so many 'shadows' behind him.
――Julius stood with a slight frown, reminding Subaru in a lilting voice of Reinhardt's unstoppable feats.
――Otto, his eyes full of sympathy, telling Subaru not to flinch in the face of the impossible.
――Ram, crossing her arms with an exasperated sigh, calling him "Barusu" at every turn.
――Petra, shyly encouraging him to keep going with small, hopeful eyes.
――Frederica, gently smoothing out his collar as if to steady his resolve.
――Emilia, bright amethyst eyes shining with compassion, murmuring that he can do it…
――Beatrice, that tiny hand gripping his, whispering,『I suppose it can't be helped, in fact.』
All of them were illusions. And yet, all of them were real. Their existences, bound in the "Books of the Dead" he had read, had become woven into his being. They rallied him onward, to the final step of his savage plan: the severing of the mightiest bond.
Subaru:「Reinhardt, do you remember? The first time we met. I basically collapsed in the Royal Capital's streets, and you helped me out. Then, the wedding fiasco came after, and all that… We overcame a lot of obstacles together, so many silly stories I only know second-hand now… But they're precious. Precious enough that I'll kill to retrieve them.」
Reinhardt:「You want them, yet you throw them away…?」
Subaru:「I want them because they belong to『Natsuki Subaru』, not me. I'm just the stand-in, the defective copy, the incomplete shape. …But if I can patch everything that was lost, piece by piece, I'll resurrect him. The real Subaru, the one who can undo all of this. And that means I need what's inside you, too.」
A flicker of agony surfaced in Reinhardt's eyes. Slowly, he placed a hand upon the pommel of his sword.
Reinhardt:「If your plan is to read my life from a "Book of the Dead," then you intend… to kill me.」
Subaru:「Yes. Because I can't truly find the final piece of Subaru's memories if you remain alive. Julius told me your influence on me was deep. Emilia told me… you and I had a strong bond. Even Otto concluded that destroying you was near-impossible, so every path demanded the greatest cunning.」
Reinhardt's shoulders tensed. Yet even then, his expression was compassionate, as though reaching out to an old friend who had clearly gone mad.
Reinhardt:「…I cannot let that happen. But I also cannot allow more people to die while we speak. That is why I must—」
Subaru:「Stop me, right now? That's fine. Try.」
Shaula:「Master, I'll protect you from Mr. Handsome there, no matter what. Even if he's that unstoppable "Sword Saint," if I snipe him from every angle, maybe…!」
Reinhardt:「――Haa!」
He exhaled once, darted forward in a blur that not even Shaula's keen eyes could fully catch. The forest floor erupted in a shockwave. In the same instant, Shaula's leg arced upward, meeting the flash of steel with a resounding crash. Sparks scattered from the collision, and Shaula let out a short yelp, skidding backwards.
Subaru:「Hk…! He blocked you head on, even with that speed and power… Shaula, you okay!?」
Shaula:「O-of course I'm okay. I'm Master's unstoppable partner, right…? …But wow, that stung. This guy's crazy strong! And that was only a half-swing from him, right?」
Reinhardt:「Enough. There's no need for a drawn-out battle if you intend to do more harm. I will end this in a single blow.」
His gaze was unwavering. Subaru's hand shook. His breath came hot and rapid. A single blow from Reinhardt might truly be unstoppable.
――But that one blow came with a weakness.
Subaru:「Shaula… you know what to do.」
He had consulted Roswaal's knowledge, Ram's cold logic, and Julius's precise assessment. If he forced Reinhardt into choosing between delivering a finishing strike and sparing an innocent life, there would be a single heartbeat of hesitation. A chance.
That was the key that had allowed them to repel the "Sword Saint" once before in Pristella, though it had not ended in victory. This time, though, they had prepared further.
Shaula:「Right… I see them, Master. They're… around him, right? Those illusions. That itty-bitty kid, that old man from the bar, that scarred giant of a man… they're all behind him, trembling. All survivors. You weren't lying about the plan.」
Yes―everyone dear to Reinhardt had been quietly guided or threatened here. The ones who had survived Pristella's cataclysm. The few who had scattered, forcing Reinhardt to keep vigil.
Reinhardt:「Subaru, you… you even set them as hostages…?」
Subaru:「I told you, I'm not underestimating you. That includes your compassion. …Reinhardt, I'll kill you. But I can't do it if you come at me head on. So, I'm sorry, but… I'll make you choose. Save them, or guard yourself.」
Reinhardt's lips pressed into a grim line; his gaze flickered, almost imperceptibly. It was all the opening Shaula needed. In a blur, she leapt away from his sword's reach and raised her arm.
Shaula:「Master's order: Fire! ――[Citadel Break]!」
A dense, white-hot beam scorched the air, streaking not towards Reinhardt directly, but towards the figures behind him. The explosion of sound roiled in Subaru's ears, and the forest canopy lit up like midday.
As he predicted, Reinhardt vanished from in front of them in a single breath. The Sword Saint dashed to intercept the destructive beam. Subaru could see that split-second. Reinhardt's blade was still sheathed; he was forced to block Shaula's attack with the flat of his hand, or the intangible "Divine Protection" that enveloped his entire form.
Even so, the raw shockwave erupted behind him, blasting the ground with scorching force. And that single instance of distraction was what Subaru had waited for.
Subaru:「――Now!」
Following a meticulously planned script, Subaru drew out a crude "stone bullet launcher" that Meili had once used for taming beasts. Ram, inside Subaru's mind, had told him how to replicate it. Petra had adjusted its delicate alignment. Julius had tested the projectile's magical balance. Roswaal had infused it with mana. Frederica had polished the components. All illusions, yet all real.
He aimed not at Reinhardt himself but at the battered trunk of a tall, towering tree. And with one jerk of his elbow, he released the special bullet.
It struck the trunk, unleashing a swirling wave of condensed mana that burst upward. Slivers of wood and bark shot out in every direction; the entire giant trunk crashed like an avalanche.
Reinhardt, still reeling from Shaula's unrelenting beam, turned, and saw the collapsing tree threatening to bury the innocents behind him. He had no choice. He had to shield them.
Reinhardt:「――Kh!」
He charged to protect them, brandishing an invisible shield of wind or magic. The thunderous crash shook the forest to its roots. An opening was created, not even half a second—but, for Subaru, half a second was everything.
Shaula launched forward, her right palm outstretched, forging the lethal close-range technique that had felled Garfiel. Subaru sprang in from the other side, left arm braced. They were in perfect sync, attacking the Sword Saint's flank.
Reinhardt swung around at blinding speed—yet his body was still twisted from blocking the giant trunk. The near-simultaneous blow from Shaula and Subaru's improvised mana bullet battered him with unstoppable ferocity.
But even that wasn't enough. Reinhardt's defenses were inhuman. Another moment, and he would have rebalanced himself. This was all or nothing.
Subaru:「――Now, die, hero!」
Screaming, Subaru drove forward the cursed dagger Ram had once described, forging a blade that might pierce even the mightiest foes if done under perfect conditions. A relic from one of Roswaal's unseemly caches, rummaged up in illusions from the "Books." A trick of secondhand knowledge.
The tip of that dagger bit into Reinhardt's side, slipping past the swirl of his "Divine Protection" for the briefest of instants. Crimson spurted. Reinhardt's eyes flared wide, shock mingling with sorrow.
Reinhardt:「Subaru…!」
Subaru:「Don't… say my name with that tone. I'm not… him.」
He pushed deeper, until the dagger hilt struck Reinhardt's body. A ragged cough escaped the knight's lips. Shaula's hand clenched, aiming to crush his heart from behind—but even as she struck, a flash of unimaginable speed erupted from Reinhardt's free hand.
Shaula:「――Ghh!?」
Something gave a savage crack. Shaula hissed as her wrist was fractured. Yet she did not yield. She pressed with all her might, burning every ounce of her monstrous strength.
For an instant, time froze. Reinhardt, pinned from the front by Subaru's blade, from the back by Shaula's crushing palm, mustered his dying resistance. The sword at his waist glowed faintly, but its seal refused to break without his stable will.
Blood filled the clearing's air with a sticky heat. Subaru felt Reinhardt's breath on his cheek. Their gazes met.
Reinhardt:「…Did you… find it? The piece… you wanted… Subaru…?」
Subaru:「――――」
He felt the weight of memory swirl around the dagger. The illusions in his left eye howled in unison, crying out not to do it. Emilia's silhouette reached for his arm. Beatrice's tiny voice tried to stop him. Otto's pained expression was there, too.
All of them, illusions he must forcibly push away. Because he had to finish this.
Subaru:「I said… I'm not… Natsuki Subaru. So… die.」
With trembling arms, he ripped the dagger out of Reinhardt's side, then stabbed again, twisting it into the center of his chest. Blood spurted. The "Sword Saint"'s knees gave out.
――Silence.
A violent wave of nausea racked Subaru. The illusions around him flickered. Shaula's breathing was ragged. She withdrew her palm from Reinhardt's back, leaving deep, mortal wounds. Unable to speak further, the knight collapsed.
Subaru:「Ha… haha… hhaah…!」
His entire body shook as he knelt by the dying hero's side, eyes wide and hollow. Cautiously, he placed two trembling fingers against Reinhardt's neck, confirming the diminishing pulse. Then, with shaking hands, Subaru removed a worn leather notebook from his coat.
――The "Book of the Dead" that was Reinhardt van Astrea.
Subaru:「It… it's right here, right…?」
He had planned, meticulously, for this single kill. Now that he had succeeded, he simply had to read the final piece. With this… with this, 'Natsuki Subaru' would be complete. And then, all of it—every irreversible atrocity—could be undone.
Subaru:「…I can finally bring everyone back… Otto, Garfiel, Anastasia, Julius… all the others… make it like it never happened.」
Gazing at the motionless Reinhardt, Subaru swallowed the bile in his throat. He wanted to scream, wanted to weep, but he did neither. There was no time.
He opened the "Book of the Dead" and pressed his hand on the page. Immediately, scorching heat flooded his mind. Streaks of memory, heroism, unwavering justice… a tranquil boyhood spent training, that promise he made to Felt, to protect her… kindness to a lost traveler… Natsuki Subaru, smiling at him after a ridiculous farce of a wedding interruption…
Subaru:「Gh— Ghaa… ghaaaaaaa!」
The memories poured in, threatening to drown him. The knowledge of how Reinhardt saw 'Natsuki Subaru.' A trust that overcame every difference. A respect for the friend who was not bound by destiny, but overcame with heart.
It hammered into his vacant soul, each vivid recollection burning deeper. He glimpsed the quiet vow Reinhardt made to Subaru:
――I will stand by you, as your sword, your shield, until the future you seek truly becomes reality.
Subaru:「Stop… Stop it…! I said… I'm not him…! Don't… fill me with this… hope!」
Tearing at his hair, Subaru felt the "patchwork" swirl inside him. His left eye thrummed, illusions flickering violently. Emilia, holding out her hand; Beatrice, crying with worry; Otto, looking anguished; Ram, scowling in silent regret.
Even Reinhardt's shape flickered. In the swirl of chaotic memories, Subaru glimpsed a faint, final smile from the knight he had just murdered.
Subaru:「Don't… Don't smile like that… Don't…!」
A hollow scream cut through the hushed forest. Shaula's arms wrapped around Subaru from behind, steadying him as he convulsed.
Shaula:「Master!? Master, is it too strong? I… I can't do anything about your mind, but… I'm here. Just… I'm here.」
Subaru:「Ghkk… so bright, so heavy… so… warm… I… I can't… hold it…!」
He squeezed his eyes shut, collapsed to his knees, head spinning. All around him, the illusions of the ones he loved… the ones he killed… pressed forward with gentle eyes.
Emilia:『Subaru, we've all been waiting for you. You can do it. You always do…』
Beatrice:『That's right, in fact. Subaru's a man who can never give up, no matter what. Betty… we all know that, I suppose.』
Otto:『I told you, I'd always be by your side, didn't I? I guess even in your illusions, that stays true.』
Garfiel:『Captain… the hell are y' doin'? Pull yourself together…!'』
Ram:『Don't look so pathetic, Barusu. You're the one who decided this. You have to own up to it.』
Julius:『It is your choice, Subaru. But the time to face it is now.』
Roswaal:『Oooooho, how do you intend to deaaaaaal with it? Weeeeeee can't bail you out this time. After alllll, you're the one who forced this ending.』
Anastasia:『Come now, that's enough banter. It's Natsuki-kun's turn, yeah? We're all waiting to see what you'll do with the power you've stolen.』
Subaru:「I… I'll… fix it, of course… That's why… that's why I…!」
With trembling limbs, Subaru clutched his own chest. He tried to tap into that intangible phenomenon, that absolute "Return by Death" that the real Natsuki Subaru could supposedly invoke. If only he became "real," then maybe, maybe—
Subaru:「――Reset! I'll go back! Go back and fix everything! So I can… bring you all back!」
His shout reverberated without an answer. Nothing responded. A jagged silence pressed against his ears. The illusions parted, forming a circle around him, eyes expectant.
In the center, Subaru knelt, chest heaving. He waited for the world to shift—waited for that cosmic rearranging that was supposed to whisk him away into the past, to a "save point."
But the air remained still. Dead leaves tumbled in the breeze. There was no sign of "Return by Death."
Subaru:「What… what's going on…? Why… why can't I…?」
He could practically hear the illusions exchanging worried looks. Even Shaula, tightening her hold on him, sensed something was wrong.
Shaula:「Master… are we going to… jump back in time now…?」
Subaru:「We should be. That's what 'Natsuki Subaru' always does… that's the power that's always saved… them…! I have all the pieces, I have them, I put them together… so why… why isn't it…?!」
He opened the "Book of the Dead" again, as if searching for an answer. The pages glowed faintly, filled with Reinhardt's final memories. But there was no swirl of blackness pulling him away, no whisper that would reset fate.
Emilia:『Subaru…?』
Beatrice:『Subaru… what's… happening, I suppose?』
Ram:『Barusu, you… don't tell me you believed so blindly.』
Their voices, overlapping, seemed to sublimate in the gloom. Subaru's vision blurred. His breathing turned ragged as the realisation tore into him.
Subaru:「I… I was sure… if I got everything… I'd become 'Natsuki Subaru'… That's what I… convinced myself…! And then… I'd be able to redo it… all. So that no one… would have to… die… again…!」
His sobs choked out. Slumped forward, Subaru clutched the silent book. No matter how many shards he had collected, no matter how many "Books" he had read, no matter how many murders… he was never truly "Natsuki Subaru."
That undone power, "Return by Death," had never been his to command.
Shaula:「M-Master…? Please, don't cry. Master, please don't…!」
She touched his cheek anxiously, but Subaru could no longer quell the black wail that rose from the pit of his stomach. A swirling meltdown of regret crashed over him.
Garfiel:『Captain! Keep yourself together!』
Otto:『Natsuki-san… get a grip…!』
Frederica:『Subaru-sama, breathe. Calm down. You must… not fall apart here.』
Roswaal:『Well, well… you must have known, soooooomewhere, that this was always a possibility, hmmmm?』
Subaru:「――Gh, gu… gaaaaaaaah!」
He screamed into the emptiness of the forest. The illusions flickered, drawing back in sorrow. And lying on the ground before him was the one man who had believed in him until the bitter end, the unshakable hero: Reinhardt van Astrea, murdered in vain.
Subaru:「All of you… I… This can't be the end…! It can't… there must be… must be something else…!」
No reply came, save the forlorn rustle of leaves.
At length, Shaula hunched over him, her broken wrist trembling, tears sliding down her pale cheeks. Her lips quivered; she had never seen Subaru in such hopeless distress.
Shaula:「Master… I'm so sorry… I… I can't… fix this… I'm not… good at anything except… fighting… and loving you… That's all I can do…!」
Subaru:「Yeah… you can't fix this, Shaula. No one can. I… I… cursed myself. I believed so blindly… that if I took everything from others, I'd gain the power to bring them back. That I'd… be able to start over.」
He pressed a shaking palm to his face. Blood still coated his fingers; Reinhardt's final warmth lay sticky on his skin.
Subaru:「I deserve… everything that's coming. I took so many lives… your life, too, eventually… all for a lie. …I… I… might as well… break.」
Shaula:「Don't say that…! Master, please, if you give up, I… I don't know what to do…!」
There was no answer. The illusions were silent. The forest breeze carried the faint smell of ash and blood.
With trembling limbs, Subaru slowly turned to face Shaula. Her eyes, dark and wet, pleaded with him to keep living. That was all she had wanted. To be loved, to serve, to remain at his side until the end.
Subaru:「Shaula… you said you wanted me to cry for you, if you die, right?」
Shaula:「Yes… that's my… that's all I want. …Master, what are you…?」
Subaru pressed his forehead to hers. Warm tears dripped down his face. It was not the proud, strong posture of a victor. It was a broken boy clinging to the last human being who refused to abandon him.
Subaru:「I'll cry for you… I promise. I have nothing else left to give. …I'm sorry. So, so sorry.」
Shaula:「Master… that's… more than enough for me.」
Trembling, she hugged him. They stayed like that for a handful of seconds, time drifting away in mournful hush.
Then, Subaru took one shuddering breath, his nails digging into his palm. He pressed a kiss to her temple, almost gentle.
Subaru:「――But it's not over. If I can't turn back time… then I'll walk forward.」
Shaula:「Master…?」
Subaru:「I can't be him. I'll never be 'Natsuki Subaru.' So I'll take my worthless self and… I'll keep going. …I can't fix any of this. But maybe… maybe I can find a reason to bear it. That's what the illusions… what they'd say, right?」
As if responding to that faint hope, the illusions flickered anew. Emilia, with tears beading at the corners of her eyes, nodded once. Beatrice, arms folded, looked aside with a haughty sniff. Otto's expression clenched in quiet sorrow, while Garfiel spat out a trembling curse.
They did not vanish. They did not say goodbye.
Subaru shut his eyes, inhaled, and rose to his feet. Shaula rose with him, though her body trembled with the aftershock of the fierce battle and her broken wrist. Ahead of them was only the dark forest, a path unknown.
No reset, no chance to undo his sins. Only a forward path strewn with blood and guilt.
Subaru:「Let's go, Shaula. We'll bury the dead. Then… we walk.」
Shaula:「Yes… Master.」
Their footsteps were hushed. Leaves crunched beneath their feet. Behind them, Reinhardt's lifeless body lay amid the fallen trunk and broken earth. The "Book of the Dead" containing his life was clutched against Subaru's chest, silent.
He had tried to patch it together, and now he carried its impossible weight.
Patching together, patching together, continuing to form a new shape.
Patching together, patching together, continuing to mould a new shape.
Patching together, patching together, continuing to fill in new colours.
Patching together, patching together, patching together――
――Even if no power could return them all, he would bear them.
Subaru took another step forward.
He walked on, carrying the countless voices in his heart, continuing to live.
――That was all that remained for the hollow Natsuki Subaru.
Fin.