I am that person.
This line reverberated within Betty's skull, bouncing and flooding her mind. Memories of a burning library showed themselves.
A fool stood in front of Betty as she hugged her mother's tome. As the library burned, the scent of ash permeated in the air, filling her lungs with soot. However, she didn't seem to care. With the burning library, her promise to keep it safe has fulfilled her contract, breaking her shackles. The sound of raging flames danced around each book, invading the pages of her mother's knowledge.
In front of her, the fool stood calm within this burning mess, asking to be heard. Betty, now free from fate's grasp, decided to hear this pitiful boy before departing from this world.
Looking at her with sharp determination in his eyes, he asked Beatrice a question that confused her.
Beatrice… Please save me.
She had spent centuries waiting for someone to save her, clinging to the hope of liberation. Yet now, standing before her, this foolish boy wasn't offering salvation—he was asking for it. Betty thought her ears had failed her as she stared at him in surprise.
Continuing, the fool said that he thought about how he was going to save her from loneliness, only to realize that they were useless words. Words that had no meaning, made up in the heat of the moment to please her.
You don't need me to save you. You don't need my help at all.
The fool spoke about her smarts, her strength, and most importantly, her cuteness. She didn't need him whatsoever, for he was dumb, weak, and scary to look at.
Taking a deep breath, a sad determined voice emitted from him as he continued talking about how he could never save her. That even someone as smart, strong, and cute as her, was afraid of living alone. Just like him.
It was hard… you were sad, weren't you?
Betty felt a pang at her heart, hurt that he understood her loneliness. He spoke how he didn't blame her for clinging to the idea of that person to fill her loneliness.
With anger at the fool rejecting her reason for being, rejecting her four hundred years of loneliness, Beatrice shouts at him.
What do you know about Betty?!
Her eyes glistened with tears, as if showcasing the small hope held in her soul.
The boy looked at her and with a smile said, I do know you.
Contrary to his determined gaze and confident smile, his voice was grim, as if he understood her completely. It was like he was looking at a reflection of himself, holding back tears, trying to save himself from his past.
He spoke about how she was a kind girl, someone who would hold a stranger's hand when they were tormented by nightmares.
The insolence of acting like he knew her enraged Betty, but he continued.
I don't have any strength, so I can't be of any help to you. But if there's anything I can do because I don't want to leave you alone, it's to just hang on and keep begging.
He calmly approached Beatrice. Reaching his hand to her, he proclaims, Beatrice, please save me.
The fire danced with more passion, consuming the Witch of Greed's carefully preserved knowledge. As the flames consumed the library, reducing centuries of knowledge to ash, Beatrice's walls crumbled, baring the depths of her heart. The fool spoke of how instead of panicking thinking of his departure, she should live in the present with him.
In a self-condescending tone, the boy cursed himself about how he was weak yet not hesitating to dream, wanting to achieve his grand ideals. His ambition and greed so great that she would be so busy taking care of him, not able to think of her own sadness and loneliness.
Those words struck Beatrice's scars. The loneliness expelled from her body in the form of small sobbing.
Choose me, Beatrice.
Through trembling tears, Beatrice voiced her fear that he would leave her. The fool was only mortal, while she was a spirit.
Nothing is eternal. The future that you fear will one day catch up.
Beatrice didn't want to be left alone anymore. Her heart squeezed at the idea of latching on to someone, only to be left alone again. Loneliness hurt.
Even still! Let's be together! Let's live and act together! Let's create so many good memories that you'll always think of them with a smile! Enough memories so that you can forget your four centuries worth of bad ones!
Beatrice with a staggered breath, cried to him that he would leave. That even if she had these great memories, he would leave her alone. Like an open dam, tears flew down her cheeks onto her mother's tome. The heat of the fire rested on her damp cheeks, slightly burning her.
The boy approached as he talked about that between an immortal like her and a mortal like him, his lifespan was just an instant for her. With an honest voice, he proclaimed,
In that case, every second I spend with you, I will engrave in your soul.
Beatrice looked up at him in confused sadness, her tears showing the loneliness coming from the depths of her soul. He looked down at her with a determined look, one that was full of love for her.
The existence of Natsuki Subaru will mark you so profoundly that all the time we spend will never break, not even after eternity!
The flames reaching peaking in intensity, toppled the bookshelves. The Forbidden Library was full of flames, the only safe place was where the spirit and the fool stood. In just a few seconds, they too will be consumed by the fire.
Choose me, Beatrice! It's because you wanted someone to take you out of here, to save you! Isn't that why you always sat in front of the door?!
These memories were extremely precious to Betty. Thinking about how her contractor's selfish greed of wanting her to save him, to live with him, and to be happy with him, healed her scars of loneliness.
And now, those precious memories, the moments that healed her scars and gave her hope, were at risk of being taken away.
Finishing his report to the Garrison Captain, his mind analyzed the potential troubles.
First, Lust and one of the Gluttonies have escaped. The other, Roy Alphard, has been captured, along with Wrath. Then, there's the issue of Dragon Blood contaminating the drinking water. And finally... this letter.
In his hands, Reinhardt held a piece of parchment stating that he must report immediately to the capital. An annoyed feeling in his gut failed to spread through his body as he took a deep breath. Leaving his lady Felt in a place with unconfirmed dangers did not sit right with him. As the personal knight of a royal candidate, he should answer her first, but due to his unique disposition, he also answered the kingdom. The kingdom of course meant the council.
The letter took care to convey that this was an urgent matter and that he should leave immediately. Folding the paper, he placed it in his coat pocket as he made his way to where his liege was.
Felt wasn't far from the garrison as she stayed in a secure building along with the other candidates. The walk between the two should have taken Reinhardt ten minutes at most, though for the Sword Saint, he reached his lady in an instant.
Appearing behind her, he bowed to Felt. "Felt-sama."
The sudden appearance and call of her name surprised her, making her jump a bit. "Shit!" Turning around with a slight frown of annoyance appearing on her face, she takes in Reinhardt's knightly presence, "Don't scare me like that!" Mockingly she continued, "What? Did you get lonely or something?"
Looking at her ruby eyes, Reinhardt replied with a warm smile, "Of course. It is my greatest wish to remain by Felt-sama's side at all times."
With a puff of her nose, she smirks at him, "So? You showing up outta nowhere means something happened, right?"
"Perceptive as always Felt-sama." Taking out the parchment in his pocket, he presents it to his lady along with the proper knightly etiquette that follows. "It seems I have been summoned to the capital."
The longer she read the council's commands, the more of a disgusted face she made. Her frown grew when she finished reading. "Those old geezers…" With anger, she crumbled the piece of paper. "After everything that happened, they treat you like this? What the hell is wrong with them?"
"Lady Felt, I must kindly remind you that such language does not—"
"Yeah yeah, I got it." Sighing in annoyance, her fatigue escaped her lips. "You need to under—"
"OTTO!" A scream reverberated the halls of the safe building. This shout threatened the safety all the inhabitants as it shook the building. Deep anguish emitted from the shout, as it entered the duo's ears.
Due to all this fighting almost everyone in Priestella had their senses heightened, ready for any potential danger. This led to Felt commanding Reinhardt to head towards the noise. Whatever it was, it only meant trouble for everyone.
I hope it's nothing. Felt sincerely wished that there would be no more fighting. Her fight with Gluttony already exhausted her. That was her first encounter with the Witch Cult and wished it would be her last.
Reinhardt disappeared, creating a short burst of air, though Felt understood that it was just a result of his immense speed. Looking at the wide-open door in front of her, the blonde-haired girl ran down the hall, towards the direction of the shout. Her worry over took her as she thought of the possibilities.
That was Big Sis' shout! I hope nothing happened to her. Damn cultists, always going after her...
Felt knew that the Witch Cult was after her due to her resemblance of the Jealous Witch, making anyone that laid eyes on her fear for their life. However, Felt wasn't so closed-minded. As someone who has seen and even lived through unfair discrimination, a half-elf's appearance didn't fully scare her. Furthermore, Emilia has already saved the life of Felt at the loot house, even forgiving Felt for stealing her insignia.
She fought Elsa with her spirit, protecting her and her grandfather, buying time for Felt's escape. Felt admired Emilia's compassion and bravery on that day, and wondered what would have happened if they weren't so lucky to find Reinhardt.
Rushing down the stairs, Felt was quick to reach the lobby, where she noticed Emilia hugging a crystalized man. Tears of rage were aimed at a small blonde child, sharp ice crystals pointing in the same direction. Emilia's heart twisted as she held onto Otto's crumbling form, anger bubbling at Beatrice's audacity. But behind that anger lay something else—a quiet voice whispering that Beatrice wouldn't act without reason.
That's Otto! Felt saw the image of the grey-haired merchant, he wasn't fully crystalized. Parts of him slowly turned to purple dust as he struggled to breathe properly, however it seemed his vital organs and limbs were left mostly undamaged.
Reinhardt stared in shock at the spirit, his mouth slightly agape. Before he could even process the situation, his lady shouted commands, "Reinhardt! Take him to Felix, quickly!"
In an instant, the injured man was grabbed by the Sword Saint, soon disappearing an after image. Wind blew past everyone as the knight's blessing worked to increase his speed. Tensing her legs, the wind pressure pushed against Felt, threatening her to the floor.
It only took a couple of seconds for the sudden winds to die down. As Felt stabilized herself, she looked in front. A despairing spirit faced off against an angered half-elf.
"Beatrice! Why—" Emilia voice was rough, mainly due to her shock at Betty's betrayal, but also because of her knight being hurt.
"Spare Betty your foolish thoughts, half-elf. Betty has no interest in the nonsense your meager mind can conjure, in fact. That wasn't your knight—just an imposter." Beatrice wasn't focusing on Emilia's anger; her mind fixated on her missing contractor. A broken contract meant betrayal—or death. The thought shook Betty to her core.
Please, please, please, please, don't leave Betty alone. Please, please…
Her vision blurred as she thought of the worst-case scenario. Her arms trembled, and the room seemed to close in around her, her thoughts spiraling into a chasm of despair.
Felt didn't fully understand the situation, but the tension in the room was suffocating. Her sharp eyes that took in Otto's crystallized skin and Beatrice's trembling form, pieced together the fragments of the confusing situation in front of her.
"Hey, Big Sis, chill out, alright? The shorty's probably just confused. No need to do something we'll all regret." Caution permeated her body. One misstep and the clash between yin and ice would erupt, maybe catching Felt in the aftermath.
"Deep breaths, deep breaths." Felt looked into Emilia's betrayed eyes.
Emilia closed her eyes and followed Felt's advice to calm down. Oxygen filled her blood as she tried to understand Beatrice. Her heart rate slowly came down as her veins stopped tightening. Gazing back at Beatrice, Emilia tried to understand the spirit's actions.
"Beatrice, why did you attack Otto?"
"Are you ears for show, little girl? I told you that wasn't him, in fact," Betty snapped back at Emilia, the spirits aura of confidence invaded the half-elf's soul.
Beatrice certainty slightly shocked Emilia, "R-really?" Taking another deep breath, she asked, "How are you so sure?"
"Betty doesn't need to explain herself to a child who can't even see what's right in front of her, in fact," the spirit retorted sharpy, her confidence still oozing in the air. In response, looked slightly angered that Beatrice made no effort to tell her why she attacked her knight.
Otto was her first friend. When Emilia was alone, constantly under attack through Ram's patronization, burdened by the responsibilities of being a Royal Candidate, she truly felt like giving up. Going back to Elior Forest felt liberating to her. No longer would she be chained by Roswaal's manipulative attempts or by Anastasia's antics to profit from her.
Emilia had no friends, much less allies, for that matter. Not even Puck as he constantly monitored and controlled her every action, fighting with Ram and Roswaal at any opportunity. Before Otto joined, the Emilia camp was in complete internal turmoil.
The fact that her Otto, the one who defeated the Great Rabbit, saved the Emilia Camp, and proclaimed his love to her, would be dying in front of her, much worse, by his own contracted spirit, enraged Emilia.
Felt, feeling her intuition speak to her, interrupted before anything bad could happened, "Hey, Betty, if you just tell Emilia, we can all work together to find the real Otto. He could be in serious trouble right now, you know!" Sweat formed on her forehead, as she spoke to the Great Spirit. Felt knew not to anger a Great Spirit, considering what the royal candidate knew of her capabilities and the newfound lethality that Beatrice unleashed onto Otto, Felt did not want to risk anything.
Seriously, it's one after the other with these people!
Backing Felt's point, Emilia pressed Beatrice for an answer, "That's right Beatrice. If my knight is in danger, I need you to tell me. Please." An uncharacteristic serious tone overtook Emilia, slightly surprising Felt. Felt had only heard Emilia speak in a childish tone, though the look on her eyes spoke of her accomplishments, Felt could never imagine her big sis with a serious expression.
Beatrice took in the desperate stare Emilia gave Beatrice, as if she starved for an answer. In a low tone, Beatrice answered Emilia, "Our contract was severed."
Confused, Felt thought, That's it?! The blonde candidate wasn't too familiar with the specifics of spirits, making her not fully understand the meaning behind Betty's words.
Emilia on the other hand looked at her, as if to urge her to go on, to keep explaining. Her eyes were slightly curious but worried about what she meant. Taking a deep breath, Beatrice continued, "He didn't have a single trace of the contract within him, in fact," Beatrice stated coldly, her arms crossed tightly. "Unlike Betty, who carries the remnants of something lost, his gate was intact—completely untouched, in fact."
"That's why you attacked him?!" Emilia shouted in rage at the lost spirit. Yes, it was suspicious that his gate was in such a state, however it shouldn't warrant his death either.
"Betty would appreciate if you don't attempt to shatter Betty's eardrums, in fact." A cold tone overtook Beatrice, as she locked eyes with the half-elf.
The lobby's temperature, slightly decreasing, made Felt shiver slightly. Just when the ruby-eyed candidate was going to intervene, Emilia stormed out of the building meant to protect the other royal candidates.
Looking over the spirit with caution, her muscles tensed as she stood still, unmoving like a statue, scared that any action would anger Beatrice.
Meanwhile, Beatrice was thinking, analyzing. She had to find her contractor, or at least, what remained of him. She purposefully didn't fatally attack the imposer for that exact reason.
Betty supposes that the cat healer had better be able to fix him first, in fact. Only then will Betty ask her questions, I suppose.
Beatrice hoped her show of dominance would scare the imposter, so that the next time he saw her, he would only fear. This would allow Betty to reap the rewards of her intimidation in the form of information on her contractor.
Facing in the direction of where the half-elf girl and red-haired knight left, Beatrice filled her heart with resolve, promising that she would find her contractor, no matter what.
Even if the world itself stands in Betty's way, even if Betty must face the Witch of Envy herself, Betty will find you, in fact!
A woman clad in all black stood motionless within the endless expanse of darkness surrounding her. The dark wasn't a new thing for her, as she endured its presence for four hundred years. Yet, the loneliness gnawed at her soul, each second peeling away at her resolve like shards of glass scraping skin. It cursed her with searing desires for freedom, only for reality to crush them.
Within this endless expanse of shadows, only one granted her solace. Love. Love for her beloved. The idea of her having someone to call a beloved embraced her heart in a warm embrace, one that she never wanted to let go of.
Each memory she could reminisce of her beloved would carry her forward, longer in the abyss. It was easy to give up, to let go of Envy's desires, letting it consume the world. How much freedom would she feel, finally free, not having to put in any effort, consumed by her desires?
Thoughts like these would surface in her mind, but thinking of her beloved always pushed her for more. She had to be strong, if not for herself, but for him. He was her beloved. Her lover. Her husband. Her everything.
He was her –
Wait, who was he again?
The thought left her empty. A hollow ache filled her chest, a gnawing emptiness where something vital had been torn away. Each memory was there, each time he would laugh, cry, and get mad. It was all there. Even the times when he would return to her after sacrificing himself for the people he loves, she remembered it all. Yet, who was he?
She loved someone but couldn't remember who he was. Of course, she knew why this happened. She saw it all happen.
Lye Batenkaitos, holder of Gluttony.
Her only hold over her beloved was broken as well, not even Envy had the motivation to come out. For the first time in four hundred years, Satella admired her body as her own, and not as host for an evil entity.
Wanting to test the limits of her new freedom, she slowly gave up her body to her split personality. Satella waited in caution of what was to come; A shadow of malevolence and envy that would take over, reigning terror on the innocent, proclaiming her love for her beloved. Maybe only then would she remember his name.
However, there was nothing.
Envy, always a shadow at the edges of her mind, now sat still, silent. Not even malevolence stirred in the darkness. It was as if the void had devoured them both, leaving only a fragile shell behind.
How ironic, the Witch of Envy being defeated so simply.
Like Envy, Satella sat within the void, holding her legs close to her chest. Closing her eyes, she rested her forehead on her knees. She could feel the taunting of the void, its shadows caressing her cheek, reminding her of her loneliness.
This time, however, she truly was alone. No beloved, no desires, not even Envy herself wished to be with her. Only accompanied by her thoughts and a never-ending abyss.
Tears slipped through her closed eyelids, tracing cold paths down her cheeks. A frail breath of despair escaped her lips, as if her only route to salvation had been destroyed.
Her trembling lips parted, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Beloved... p-please... don't leave me." The void swallowed her words, offering no echo, no answer—only silence.
