"Ahh, Subaru Natsuki, such a flavorful name, tsu~! A rare delicacy, perfect for Louis, tsu~! And the memories—oh, we can already taste them, tsu~! Such a feast, such a gift, all for her joy, tsu~! We'll take it all—your name, your memories, your everything, tsu~!"
A long-haired child stood before the half-elf knight. A deep grin plastered on the archbishop's face, excited for the banquet waiting for him. Lye stared into the sharp eyes of his meal, his sight reaching the depths of Subaru's soul. The longer Lye admired, the hungrier he became. His hunger, his gluttony consumed his mind, as if a mist of the world's peak delicacies blinded him.
Though the influence of his authority is strong, the love for his sister was far greater.
"We don't have the time to prepare you properly, Subaru Natsuki, tsu~! Such a fine name, such exquisite memories, and yet—we must be quick, tsu~! Louis needs us, yes, yes, she needs us, tsu~! But worry not, we will still take them! Your name, your memories—delightful, even unprepared, tsu~! What a shame we cannot savor the moment!"
Subaru's heart pounded in his chest as he stared at the small figure before him. His instincts screamed at him to run, but his legs felt frozen, rooted to the spot by the intensity of Lye's gaze.
Images of a sleeping beauty entered Subaru's mind, shifting his heart from dread to a boiling, burning rage.
Natsuki Subaru.
Once irrelevant, Subaru's name now symbolized hope for Lugunica. This name led the subjugation of the White Wale, removing the burden of vengeance from others; This name orchestrated Sloth's demise, shattering the Witch Cult's illusion of invincibility and proving that even the untouchable could fall; This name inspired the people of Priestella against the great evil of the Witch's Cult, surmounting him as a Hero.
To Lye Batenkaitos, his only goal was for his sister to be happy. Such hope, such joy from a unique name would surely make Louis extremely satisfied.
The memories of such legendary events should bring the siblings to greater heights.
Lye licked his lips, his sharp grin widening as he stepped closer. His voice was soft, almost reverent, but the unyielding hunger in his gaze sent a shiver down Subaru's spine. Before Subaru could reach for his whip, Lye was already upon him. Still looking at Subaru's eyes, both of Lye's hands reached for Subaru's chest.
"Subaru Natsuki~", with an amused tone, Lye held the memories and name of Subaru.
Without an identity and sense of self, Subaru's brain shut off, falling forward. Lye caught Subaru before he could crumble to the ground, his small frame pushing against Subaru's taller self.
"Ahh, such a graceful fall, tsu~," His arms and hands steady as he gently rested Subaru against a wall within the shade. He gazed at Subaru with a look of satisfaction and gratification. "Your name, your memories—they'll bring Louis such joy, tsu~. You should feel proud, yes, proud, tsu~. You've given her the perfect gift."
Lye brought his left hand to his mouth, consuming his name. All the association that [Natsuki Subaru] had were consumed. The Half-Elf Knight, Lolimancer, Cap'n, Barusu, Hero, and many more. The hope instilled in his name brought a fulfilling warmth, which he quickly passed to his sister. Although his eternal hunger starved for more, a different feeling of satisfaction rose within him; One of gratitude to Subaru for giving such pleasant feelings to his family. The idea that he could give such a gourmet to his sister was enough to quench his eternal hunger, showing that his villainous path was not wrong.
Without Evil, there could be no Heroes. And without Heroes, there could be no Hope. Without Hope, Lye could never give proper satisfaction to his sister, making her suffer for eternity. He will be the Villain to create Heroes. This is a chef's preparation for the greatest of delicacies. Lye's preparation for his sister who he loves.
"Ah, Subaru Natsuki, you've given us a gift beyond compare, tsu~. Such a perfect feast for Louis, tsu~. We'll treasure it—no, she'll treasure it, forever, tsu~," Lye whispered, almost tenderly, as he continued to admire Subaru.
Slowly raising his right hand, Lye consumes the second entrée.
Instantly, lighting strikes flooded his brain.
Lye has consumed many names of multiple different Heroes. Their memories that followed were also filled with pain, however there was always a payoff. This payoff is what Lye savored the most in his meals. After all, true happiness could only be accomplished with suffering, and typically the more you suffered the bigger the payoff would be for these 'Heroes'.
Lye expected Subaru's suffering would correlate to his accomplishments. He would suffer, but his accomplishments would give him great pride and satisfaction upon completing them. The satiation gained would be because of the suffering. If Subaru was not satisfied, it was because he didn't suffer.
Yet, the enjoyment, laughter, pride, love, all of it. It was all missing. Only pain adorned his memories.
A name so admired, so celebrated—it should have been perfect, tsu~! But it's not! It's—it's—it's... rotting! Filth! Garbage! Tsu~! Why does it hurt so much? Why does it feel like we're swallowing despair itself, tsu~?
To the Archbishop of Gluttony, representing Gourmet, this meal had no payoff.
Just pain, so much pain. The darkness of Subaru's experiences swallowed Gluttony whole, pushing them into a deep pit of abyssal gunk. For Subaru, the idea of a 'happy end' shined hope within this abyss, pushing him forward. This hope would allow him to ignore his torment, continuing on and pushing through this darkness.
No one understands, no one sees it—no one sees me! They cheer, they clap, they call me a hero, a tactician. They think I'm brilliant, a savior. But I'm not—I'm not, tsu~! I'm just—just a useless, pathetic idiot trying to play the part! Tsu~? Wait... no. That's not us. That's—Subaru. Subaru Natsuki, tsu~?
However, unlike Subaru, Gluttony was no fool. The entire fact that Subaru is held up by a simple 'idea' is crazy to them. They have consumed many memories of different individuals. Their wisdom, although shattered, was enough to realize the truth of this deep darkness.
Stop it! Stop! His thoughts, his voice, it's in our head, tsu~! Why does he hate himself so much, tsu~? No, no, no, no! We are Lye Batenkaitos! Not him—never him, tsu~! We consume, we savor, we are gourmets! But this—this is poison, poison coursing through us, tsu~! It's too much! Too much guilt, too much self-loathing! Is this what he feels every second? Every moment? Tsu~?
Louis—Louis, why are you crying? Stop crying! Subaru's memories are yours now, and they should make you happy, tsu~! But they don't, do they? They burn, they ache, like a festering wound that won't heal, tsu~! No, no, no, no, no—this isn't how it's supposed to be! This isn't a feast—it's a nightmare, tsu~!
Lye was on his knees grabbing his head, trying to find any type of payoff. His vision was blurry, his consciousness fractured. The longer Subaru's memories stayed in his stomach, the more he felt his body melting. The wind on his skin felt like the sharp bites of small animals, feasting on him. There had to be a payoff, one for all this suffering.
His body was being consumed by multiple rabbits; His psyche felt increased fear and pain; Murder, betrayal, being treated as useless, worthless, irredeemable.
Subaru's determination was relentless, even affecting Lye's mental state. The only thing that reminded Lye who he was, was Louise. Her suffering stung Lye's heart. This was his fault, and he had to fix it.
How... how can someone live like this, tsu~? Why do you choose to live like this? No, no, no, no! We cannot take it anymore, tsu~! This banquet of despair is killing us, killing Louis, killing everything, tsu~! Make it stop!
Vomiting, Lye urgently threw Subaru's fully intact memories back to him. What was once respect and admiration, Lye could only look at Subaru like he was a monster. This wasn't because of Subaru's ability to Return by Death or even Subaru's suffering itself. To Lye, Subaru was an insane man.
Lye was on his knees, grasping at as much air as possible, each breath felt like he was inhaling ash. His vomit lay between him and Subaru. His previous confidence minimized; his palette stung with toxins as if he just ate feces. His frame exuded a weakness in the air that relayed his inability to properly think.
Lye Batenkaitos. One who took the experiences of many warriors, truly understood the meaning of hope and pain. Their memories shaped his fighting and confidence, allowing him to understand things past his body's age. So, Lye understood truly, that Subaru Natsuki was an insane man. It wasn't that Subaru had no payoff, it's just that his payoff wasn't granting him anything.
To Subaru Natsuki, his payoff is that no one slices him, guts him, mutilates him, eats him, and betrays him.
To Lye Batenkaitos, this was insanity, almost as if Subaru is condemning himself to hell.
Slowly regaining his footing, he looked at the laying man in front of him. One with no name.
Lye looked upon this pitiful boy with disdain and fear. A self-hatred burned within Lye at how he damaged his sister. Lye shouted his despair to the monster,
"We are cursed, tsu~! Shackled to hunger, drowning in agony! And you—Subaru Natsuki—you are free. Free to walk away, tsu~! But you choose this madness, this torment! Why? Why do you cling to this suffering? What kind of fool are you, tsu~?
"And your hope, your light amidst the darkness—what a joke! The people you surround yourself with, your so-called friends... they've hurt you, betrayed you, killed you! Their madness rivals that of the Cult you despise, tsu~! And yet, you forgive them, justify them, even cherish them. You are either blind or insane, Subaru Natsuki! What kind of fool finds comfort in the very hands that bring him pain, tsu~?!"
Lye's voice shouted at the space around them, almost like trying to prove a point to a friend. To Gluttony, Subaru was the most disgusting existence. One who has all the freedom to be happy but chooses pain. This is the opposite of Gluttony as they are all shackled by hunger, unable to escape it.
Within Lye's mind, a lone crying girl was calling for her brother.
I need to go to Louise.
Lye, with a shattered mind, still thought of his sister as he quickly departed from the scene.
