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As the sun began its slow descent below the horizon, casting long, stretched shadows across the city, Subaru and Satella finally arrived at their destination. The change in atmosphere was impossible to ignore. Here, only a stone's throw from the main road, everything felt different—like a layer of thick, suffocating fog had settled over this part of the city. This place felt tired, forgotten, and strangely lifeless, as if it were sick and simply waiting for its last breath.

The streets they walked down had become eerily quiet. Gone were the busy sounds and vibrant colors of the main market; instead, the area was filled with dim alleys and narrow passageways. A handful of people milled about—mostly ragged-looking adults and a few children dressed in torn clothes, peeking out from dark doorways or from behind crumbling walls. It was like they were in another world entirely. The pristine, clean buildings of the city center were now replaced with crumbling shacks and grimy streets that smelled of damp and decay. The silence was almost unnatural.

Subaru looked around warily, her voice low as she leaned toward Satella. "The air here... it's just... oppressive. Are you sure she's here?"

Satella's gaze swept across the abandoned alleyways, the broken windows, the dark corners. She nodded with conviction, determination etched into her face. "It has to be. The shopkeeper described her perfectly: a nimble, blonde girl who moves like she owns these streets. If Felt's hiding, it'd be here."

They'd spoken to a shopkeeper a few streets back—a gruff, thick-set man with tired eyes.

"You again?" He had said as he looked at Subaru. "The broke kid? Get lost."

Subaru gave him a cheerful smile as she said, "Hey, I brought someone with me today who might become a regular!"

"Um…Subaru…" Satella spoke with concern. "I am not sure what you want to say but…"

Subaru had given her a prideful smile only to falter when Satella said. "I have no money with me…"

The shopkeeper yelled at them. "You brought another broke in my shop?" He was ready to kick them out when a girl behind him peeked.

"Papa, these missies helped me today!"

His daughter had clung to him, a small green-haired child who watched Subaru and Satella with quiet curiosity, peeking from behind her father's shoulder. The shopkeeper sighed as he looked at the rough sketch of the girl they were after.

"Felt," he muttered, his brow furrowing as he studied the paper. "She's known around here. But these slums… they're not a place for folk like you. I'd turn back if I were you." His tone had been firm, almost warning, and Subaru had felt an uncomfortable chill at his words.

But Satella had insisted, and now they found themselves here. They stopped in front of a small, broken-down house, paint peeling from the walls, its windows dark and empty. Subaru frowned, glancing over her shoulder at Satella. "Maybe we should call the city guard or something. This isn't exactly the safest place."

But Satella had only shaken her head, pleading in her voice. "No. Not here. Not now. We can't involve them." Her eyes held some secret—a reason she wasn't ready to share. And with that, Subaru reluctantly gave in, brushing off her own unease.

A silence settled over them as they continued down the narrow street, the quiet deepening with the fading daylight. Subaru swallowed, feeling a growing dread tugging at her chest. The sun was setting. The shadows stretched longer, creeping like dark fingers along the cobbled streets.

"We'll figure it out," Satella whispered, her eyes scanning the sparse, gray buildings as they walked. "Maybe someone here will help."

"You don't know this place," Subaru murmured, casting another wary glance at the looming, shadowed alleys. "People here don't turn on their own."

Suddenly, a soft, tired voice interrupted her thoughts. "Decide quickly, or you'll run out of time."

Subaru looked up in surprise. Puck, Satella's spirit companion, was perched on her shoulder, his little face worn with exhaustion, his fur a faded shade of its usual brightness. Satella's hand came up to steady him as he swayed.

"Time?" Subaru echoed, frowning. "What do you mean, you're 'out of time'?"

Puck's eyes drooped, his small body almost sagging into Satella's shoulder. "I'm a spirit, Subaru. It takes a lot of mana just to appear like this, especially at night. I can only stay like this from morning until the sun starts to set."

"So... you're saying you're, like, a nine-to-five spirit? Like a civil servant?" Subaru forced a smile, hoping to mask the anxiety building in her chest. The idea of losing Puck here, in this place, made her nervous.

But Puck only yawned, his tired eyes closing as he snuggled into Satella's hair. "That's one way to put it... but yes. And right now, I'm at my limit." With that, his small form began to shimmer, growing translucent until he was nothing more than a soft glow hovering by Satella's shoulder.

"Be careful," Puck murmured, his voice growing faint as he looked at Satella. "Call me if you need me."

Satella's fingers touched the crystal around her neck. "I will. Rest well, Puck."

"And Subaru, don't try to molest my sweet daughter. I hold grudges, y'know." And with that, he disappeared in a scattering of golden light, flowing back into the pendant.

As they stood there, a soft, golden glow remained in the air where he'd been. Subaru felt a strange ache watching it, her fingers tightening on the strap of her bag. Seeing Puck like this—so delicate and tired—only reminded her of how far she was from home, from anything familiar.

They continued, eventually stopping on a narrow bridge overlooking a shallow, muddy river. Satella paused, glancing around before she closed her eyes and began to murmur something under her breath. Subaru leaned closer, listening, her eyes wide as tiny lights appeared around them—softly glowing, like little stars hovering in the air. They floated around Satella, like a tiny constellation, flickering and sparkling in the gathering darkness.

"Lesser spirits," Satella explained softly, opening her eyes. "They're not full spirits yet, not like Puck. But they're here, guiding us."

Watching the magical display, Subaru's thoughts drifted, carrying her back to her own life, to the world she'd left behind. She remembered her time in preschool, the way her classmates would tease her because of her long hair. Back then, people often mistook her for a girl, and she would laugh it off. Now, in this strange world, she wondered if she'd ever return home, or if her parents would even recognize her. The thought weighed on her, pressing like a heavy stone against her chest.

As the last of the golden lights faded around them, Subaru pulled out her white book—the one that seemed to hold cryptic clues to her fate in this world. She turned to the next page, her heart skipping as her eyes fell on the text. But this time, instead of directions or answers, the page was filled with strange, broken lines of text:

[SYNCHRONIZATION ERROR]

[REDACTED]

[SYNCHRONIZATION NOT MATCHING]

"What…?" Subaru whispered, her fingers tracing the words. Her heart raced as she flipped through the following pages. They were all like this—jumbled lines, cryptic symbols, as if the book itself was malfunctioning.

She closed the book quickly, her mind racing. It was just another mystery layered on top of all the others, leaving her feeling more lost and uncertain than ever.

Ō~Õ

By the time they entered the heart of the slum, the sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving the city cast in deep shadows. The only light came from a pale, rising moon, shrouding the alleyways and crumbling buildings in an eerie glow. The emptiness of the place was oppressive, as if the life had been drained from it entirely. Even Satella, usually calm, seemed uneasy. She glanced around, her voice wavering as she tried to break the silence.

"It feels like we're walking into a graveyard," she whispered, almost to herself. "Are we sure she actually lives in a place like this?"

Subaru nodded, though she, too, felt a knot tightening in her stomach. "The lesser spirits think they saw someone who looked like Felt come this way… at least, that's what I could gather from their signs." Her voice was barely audible, swallowed by the stillness of the night.

Ahead of them, a lone figure emerged from the shadows—a man with scruffy brown hair and a red scarf wrapped tight around his neck. Subaru hesitated, then, summoning her courage, called out, "Hey! You wouldn't happen to know where we could find a girl named Felt, would you?"

The man paused, his eyes flickering over her, then shrugged. "Felt, huh? Only place up that way's Old Man Rom's loot house," he muttered, his thumb pointing vaguely over his shoulder. "If she stole something from you, well… good luck. Best try and talk it out, if you've got the nerve." His words hung heavy in the air as he disappeared back into the darkness.

They exchanged a look, a silent understanding passing between them. This was it. As they continued down the deserted street, the path grew darker, the shadows thickening around them, oppressive and heavy, as if pressing them closer together.

The "loot house" was a crumbling structure at the end of a narrow alley, looming in the dim light. Subaru held up her phone, its flashlight flickering weakly. Satella glanced at the small glow skeptically. "Why should I have to pay to get back something that was stolen from me?" she muttered, frustration in her voice.

"I'll handle this," Subaru assured her, feigning confidence she didn't feel. "I'll do the negotiating, okay?"

Satella looked unconvinced but nodded reluctantly. "Fine… but if things go wrong, just come back. Don't try to be a hero," she said, her voice tight.

With a small, shaky smile, Subaru turned to the door. "Don't worry. Just… don't come in unless I call for you."

The door creaked open, and Subaru stepped inside, immediately enveloped by the suffocating darkness within. She tried to peer around, illuminating what she could with her flashlight. Rusted armor and broken weapons littered the floor, along with strange artifacts that looked like they belonged to another world entirely. She was fascinated, if only for a moment, by the odd assortment.

Then she saw it: a dark stain pooling beneath an enormous, unmoving hand. Subaru froze, her heart racing as her flashlight trembled. The corpse of a giant lay sprawled across the floor, his lifeless eyes staring blankly into the void. She backed up, a scream caught in her throat, when a woman's voice cut through the silence like a knife.

"Oh… so you found it," the voice drawled, cold and indifferent. "What a pity."

Before she could react, a figure darted from the shadows. She felt a searing pain slash across her stomach, and she fell to the ground, clutching her abdomen. Her hand came away wet and sticky with blood, her breath catching as the realization hit her.

Her voice was barely a whisper. "S-Satella… run."

A shadow shifted in her vision, and she glimpsed Satella stepping inside, her face pale with horror. "Subaru…? What happened?"

In a daze, Subaru raised her hand, instinct taking over. A strange heat welled up within her, and suddenly, a small flame flickered to life in her palm. It shot weakly toward her attacker, who swatted it aside like a mere annoyance, but it was enough to stop her advance.

"Subaru!"

Satella's voice was the last thing she heard as her vision dimmed. The cold overtook her, and she closed her eyes, the last remnants of warmth slipping away with her final, fleeting thoughts.

Ō~Õ

"Lo... love... love you... no matter... what... Lo-"

The words drifted through Subaru's mind, faint and broken, as if they were echoes from a distant dream. She floated there, suspended in a void, weightless and numb. The darkness around her was deep and endless, swallowing everything.

Then, cutting through the silence like a jagged blade, another voice broke in. It was a voice that sounded like her own—only twisted, mocking. "Well, that performance was... disappointing. I expected more, Natsuki Subaru."

The warmth faded from the first voice, dissolving into nothing as this other presence seemed to seep into the void, surrounding her. This second voice held no sympathy, only a faint, hollow amusement. "Oh well," it drawled, almost lazily. "I calculated you'd fail on your first try anyway. Fate has its grip on you... but now that you and I are almost fully synchronized..."

The words hung in the air, taunting, as if savoring her helplessness. Subaru remained still, frozen in the dark, unable to fight or speak back.

"You should've just died quietly," it continued, sounding almost bored. "Would have made things simpler. Instead, you wasted precious time trying to help that pathetic half-elf retrieve her trinket."

A sigh followed, cold and empty. "Fate is inescapable, you know. It always catches up. But I'll admit, I find this game amusing. We're nearly there—98% synchronized." The voice shifted, an almost gleeful tone creeping in. "It's so close now..."

The presence seemed to press closer, whispering in her ear. "Take good care of my body until then, okay? I'm... curious to see how you'll manage alone. And I am more eager to see how we manage together…" A pause, the amusement thickening. "And what you'll do when it all starts over again."

Subaru felt the words cut through her as though each one carried a weight all its own. Her stomach twisted, but she remained trapped, the darkness pressing in on her from all sides.

"Welcome to this world, Natsuki Subaru," the voice finished, each word heavy with promise and threat.

Ō~Õ

"Hey, miss. Do you… need something? you're making my customers…hey?!"

Natsuki Subaru's vision slowly adjusted itself, in front of her was the green-haired vendor, his left hand was clutching his stomach, and his right hand shielding his mouth… in short, the person before her looked like he's about to throw up.

Subaru fell to her knees from the shock as memories from the previous encounter forcefully invaded her mind, like something pushed past through her brain despite her pain to fill her with knowledge.

Subaru's wide haunted eyes looked down toward her abdomen, her shaky hands shakily went to the hem of her tracksuit and shirt, raising it up to see her wound. However, to her shock, there was nothing on her flesh, no bloody scar, no open wound, only unmarred pale flesh.

"Stop trying to drive away my customers... And get out of my store!...ughk"

The store owner yells, snaps her attention away from herself as she shakily stands up. The store owner looks one step away from puking his food out. And Subaru noticed that people have been staring at her action, and they too look uncomfortable, like physically ill.

"I-I'm sorry!"

With that Subaru ran away from the fruit shop, her mind running through thousands thoughts.

'Did I die? Or was that all just a dream? Wasn't it night just now? What was that reaction?'

Subaru also feels like she'd met someone somewhere, but she can't recall it. Like a dream that can't be recalled after waking up. She shook her head as she buried those thoughts away.

The Book that predicts the future comes to her mind, if the thing that she experiences was indeed real…

Subaru didn't know what was going anymore, she just ran as everyone around her seemed to avoid her now, and that's what hurts Subaru the most.

Ō~Õ

Subaru found herself back in the same dim alleyway, slumped against the cold stone steps. Her breathing was jagged, each gulp of air sharp and shallow as she tried to steady herself. Her whole body trembled, hands clenched into fists. She didn't understand any of it.

What... what just happened?

Taking a shaky breath, she tried to focus, grounding herself. Her white hair was a tangled mess, damp with sweat and clinging to her face from the panicked sprint she'd made from the marketplace. She could still feel the strangers' eyes on her, that hard stare as though she was some kind of outcast—a feeling that dug up old memories she'd tried so hard to bury.

With a heavy sigh, she gazed up at the sky, watching the clouds drift lazily across a deep blue. The sunlight felt strange, unreal. She knew for certain that, not even thirty minutes ago, she had been staring up at a night sky, the moon hanging high amidst a shroud of darkness. The abrupt shift from night to day was just too... unnatural.

It was like when she first arrived in Lugnica. Back then, she'd left her world at night, stepping out of a convenience store, only to find herself suddenly in broad daylight here. It was the same confusion, the same disorientation. Her mind reeled, trying to piece it together.

And then there was... the other thing. Her hands instinctively went to her abdomen, her fingertips pressing against her clothes where she remembered feeling that cold, slicing pain. She could still sense it—a phantom ache where her stomach had been torn open, where her life had seemed to bleed out, moment by moment, into the shadows of that night. She'd felt it all: the cold seep into her bones, the slow fading of warmth, and the haunting emptiness of dying.

A shudder ran through her, and she hugged herself tight, feeling tears prick at her eyes. The fear clawed its way back, sharp and relentless, as though it wanted to consume her from the inside out. She shut her eyes, willing the awful feeling to go away, to silence the dreadful whispers of death that lingered in the back of her mind.

It took her three full minutes to calm down, to breathe without gasping, and to steady her heartbeat. Wiping away the tears that had slipped down her cheeks, she forced herself to focus. She needed answers. And the one thing that might have them was within reach.

Her gaze drifted to the worn, white book she carried. She'd hoped it might tell her something—anything—that could help make sense of this nightmare. Carefully, she reached into her bag, her fingers brushing the familiar hardcover as she pulled it out. It felt heavier now, as if the very answers she sought weighed it down, pressing against her with a mix of dread and anticipation.

She opened the cover, her eyes landing on the first page, where her own name was written in clean, neat Kanji: Natsuki Subaru.

But the next page was... blank.

Confusion flooded her. Last time, this book had warned her, written in clear, black ink. So why was it empty now? Just as she started to question it, inky letters began to materialize, snaking across the page in lines that danced like smoke, forming words in Japanese characters.

[SYNCHRONIZATION: 99%]

[MATCHING FOUND]

[NEARLY COMPATIBLE]

[ERROR: AUTHORITY OF GREED NOT FOUND]

The words lingered, vivid against the white page, then faded, leaving the page bare once more. Subaru flipped through the book, hoping for more, but each page was blank, as if mocking her with its silence.

Frustration rose in her chest. She glared at the book, her fingers gripping the edges so hard her knuckles turned white. "That's it?" she spat. "Is this thing broken? All that buildup for... this? Is this even useful?" Her voice cracked with the weight of her anger and disappointment, her mind a chaotic storm of unanswered questions.

But she couldn't shake the strange, cryptic message that had appeared: Authority of Greed. The words felt foreign, yet significant. She muttered to herself, her voice filled with frustration, "I just wanted to know if... if any of that really happened..."

And suddenly, without warning, a series of vivid images slammed into her mind. Her body went rigid, the book slipping from her hands as memories—clear, horrifyingly clear—flooded her senses, one after another. She saw everything, exactly as it had been. The loot house. The dark alley. The black-haired woman.

She could feel it all again, the panic, the despair, as the memory of that woman's face loomed before her, sharp and ruthless. Subaru's breath hitched as she relived the moment that woman had ambushed her, her movements swift as a shadow, faster than Subaru could register. There was no escaping her, no chance to fight back. It was a slaughter.

And then, Satella, rushing into the room. Subaru saw the shock in her friend's eyes, the horror as she took in the sight of Subaru lying on the ground, blood pooling around her. Satella's magic surged forward, frost and ice spreading through the room as she desperately tried to save Subaru. She could feel Satella's voice, that desperate cry, echoing somewhere in her mind.

But the assailant—Subaru now saw her more clearly—simply sidestepped, her speed making it seem effortless, her expression utterly devoid of mercy. And Subaru... even with her last bit of strength, she had tried to fight, conjuring a weak, flickering ball of flame. But it had been nothing more than a flicker—a useless, desperate attempt.

Her breathing grew rapid, her face twisted in agony as the memories played on, forcing her to relive that final, terrible moment. The sensation of her life draining away as the darkness closed in, Satella's cries fading to a hollow echo, and then... the end.

Subaru's body spasmed as she jerked backward, dropping the book from her grasp. She fell onto her back, clutching at her abdomen, where the phantom ache of that terrible wound throbbed, even though there was nothing there. Her head pounded as her breathing became rapid and shallow, each gasp laced with raw fear. Blood slowly trickled from her nose, a thin line that ran across her face and pooled at the edge of her lips. The memory—the awful memory—forced its way into her mind with unrelenting force, searing itself into her thoughts.

If anyone had seen her, they'd have thought she was having a seizure, her body twitching and convulsing violently as the remnants of that memory tore through her. But this was no ordinary fit. In mere seconds, she was forced to relive that small, horrific window of her life. Only five minutes of memory, but in reality, her mind processed it all in the blink of an eye, leaving her exhausted, her very spirit feeling bruised.

And then, it stopped. Just like that, her body went limp, her chest rising and falling weakly as she lay there on the cold ground, unmoving. A few seconds passed before she managed to sit up shakily, clutching her head as if trying to hold her mind together. Her tracksuit, once clean and comfortable, was now covered in dirt and grime, streaked with blood from her nose that dripped onto the ground beneath her.

She groaned, her voice strained and weak, rubbing her temples with trembling fingers. Her whole head throbbed, the pain behind her eyes so sharp it felt like it might split her skull open. She gritted her teeth, clamping down on a scream.

"W-what... what the hell was that?" she choked out, her voice barely more than a whisper as she looked at the book lying beside her feet. Her gaze, though foggy with pain, was filled with dread. "It... it felt like someone tried to fry my brain. I seriously thought I'd die... again," she muttered, wiping the blood from her nose with her sleeve, watching the smear of red as though it could explain any of this.

The truth clawed at her mind, unsettling and undeniable. She'd died. And then she'd come back, right here, right now. The book had shown her. It had etched that death into her memory, ensuring she would never forget what had happened. She'd died. Not a dream, not an illusion, but an actual death that ripped her back to this moment.

Subaru wrapped her arms around herself, a shiver crawling up her spine. Even now, she could still feel the echo of that wound, a ghostly ache that seemed to coil and throb in her gut. It was terrifying. The thought of it alone made her feel small, fragile, and painfully mortal. She sighed heavily, as if trying to breathe out the weight of that awful reality.

"The conditions of that ability were... pitiful," she whispered, almost to herself. Her voice was tired, her heart heavy. "I think… I'll call it 'Return by Death.' It sounds morbid, but... I don't know. I think it fits."

The name felt right, a strange mixture of hope and dread tied into those three words. Return by Death. An ability that let her cheat death... but at a terrible price. She would come back, yes, but everything she'd done, every person she'd met, would reset. And those who'd known her, those she'd come to care for, would be gone. The shopkeeper, the faces on the street—they hadn't known her anymore. They'd looked at her like she was a stranger, some dangerous outcast they couldn't bear to be near.

Am I… am I really that horrible?

She swallowed, glancing at the book lying on the ground. The thought of picking it up again filled her with dread. Her mind was already so battered, the memory still raw and unhealed. But there was something more—an urge to look deeper, to turn the pages again, to see if the book held more secrets. It was a lure she couldn't ignore, a whisper promising her more if she only dared.

Hesitantly, she reached for it. Her fingers hovered just above the cover, her mind torn between dread and curiosity. She wanted answers, something that could help her understand. She had to save Satella. She couldn't bear to see anyone else die, not the old man in the loot house, not that little girl. She knew she was being greedy. She'd already failed once. But if the book held even the smallest clue, she had to try.

Slowly, she opened the cover again. Her heart raced as she turned the page, bracing herself for the pain, for another onslaught of memories. But instead of the blank page from before, she found words written in delicate Japanese script. A story, told in the third person, chronicling her death as though it were a tale within these pages.

A breath escaped her, one she hadn't realized she was holding. Relief washed over her, soothing her frayed nerves. She didn't have to experience it again. She could read it like a story, at her own pace, safe from the sharp, merciless bite of memory.

"So… after I 'read' a page, it just... records it?" She let out a low sigh, relief mingling with confusion. "That's… better," she murmured, wiping her brow. Her fingers brushed against her temples, trying to ease the tension in her mind. But then she paused, frowning.

Her mind wandered to the old man she'd seen in her memories, the dark-skinned giant with the blond-haired girl, Felt. She knew the giant's face, his mannerisms. In those brief glimpses, she'd seen his kindness, his gruff protectiveness toward Felt, who was practically his family. And as she thought of him, the book shifted, its pages turning on their own, and once again, she felt the flow of memory.

This time, the memory was gentler, seeping into her mind like a trickling stream. It wasn't the violent assault from before, but a steady flow, familiar and almost comforting. Even so, a dull ache pulsed in her mind as blood dripped from her nose. She could see it—the life of the old man and the girl, the laughter, the struggle, the bond they shared. And then… the future, where Felt handed him the insignia. She saw herself, talking with them, showing them her cellphone. The images faded, leaving only the ache behind.

Subaru groaned, clutching her head as the pain grew sharper, her mind pulsing from the raw influx of information. It was still painful, this experience of "reading," as though watching herself from a third-person view, but she could handle it—barely.

"He's... close to her," she whispered, rubbing her temples. "Practically family. So, this book… It works when I need to know something. It's like... medieval Google." She huffed in pain, a bitter chuckle slipping from her lips.

"At least... this time, it wasn't as bad as before," she muttered, her voice heavy with exhaustion. "But... it still hurt."

She held the book in her hands, feeling its weight, its presence, as though it was something more than just paper and ink. There was power in these pages, a quiet, dreadful power that held her fate in its hands. "I'll call it... the Book of Wisdom," she said softly, her lips curling into a tired smile. "Since it... it has so many 'wisdoms' to offer. Or better…Gospel. Yeah, that also fits."

Her gaze drifted upward, to the sunlight spilling into the alley, casting a warm glow over her battered form. It felt like a promise, a tiny glimmer of hope in the midst of this strange, frightening world. She couldn't wait to show this book to Satella, to reveal its secrets and the insignia. Maybe this time, things would be different.

Sliding the book back into her bag, she took a steadying breath. She stood slowly, brushing the dirt from her clothes, her resolve hardening. She was afraid, yes—death still held its cold grip on her heart. But the desire to save those she cared about outweighed the fear. She was determined to protect Satella, the old man, and Felt. No matter what it took, she wouldn't let that dark-haired woman end their stories prematurely.

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TBC

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