Chapter 26: Festering Desire

Even though it was still cold, the rest of the weather conditions in Dragonspine let it get warm enough for an outdoor shared exercise like radio callisthenics. What made this better was the small group of people that joined Subaru in his work.

"That was fun!" Joel cheered as soon as he let his hands down after the last cry. "Thank you!"

"No, thank you for joining! And thank you guys too!"

Amber waved him off. "Nah, it's just fun to work out like this with you guys! I can't do my morning jog here, so something is better than nothing, right?"

Eula nodded somberly, swinging her torso back and forth. "It is not impossible to run across the mountain. It will be difficult, but it could be considered a challenge."

Amber shrugged. "It's not like we know what the condition of the place is like. Otherwise, I'd have joined you for sure!"

Eula smiled and nodded back at her.

"Count Paimon out for that!" Paimon cried out, still sitting on Subaru's shoulder. "Paimon can't stand this cold! Brr…"

"I told you to wear something warm, you fairy loli…"

Despite his comments, Subaru was quickly distracted by Joel who approached Amber and Eula.

"Thank you both for playing with us, Aunty Amber, Aunty Eula!"

Amber chuckled. "Just call me Big Sis Amber, you know? I'm about Subaru's age too!"

Meanwhile, Eula stared wide-eyed at the boy. "Aunty… Eula?"

Paimon jerked back. "Oh no! Eula's gonna say it again!"

Eula looked down at the boy, her expression softening as she looked at him. "It's okay. You can call me that if you like."

"… Huh?"

"Okay, Big Sis Amber, Aunty Eula!"

Subaru still chuckled at the nicknames Joel gave them. He wasn't any better at first, giving everyone the -san suffix. He didn't remember when he stopped using that term, save for certain times he wanted to annoy people who still named him incorrectly, i.e. Kaeya.

"Hey, Joel, want me to make you breakfast?" Amber asked, immediately sending three of them into alarm.

"No!" Paimon suddenly cried out.

Subaru shivered, remembering the 'steak' she'd made the day they'd met.

Eula shook her head as well, knowing her friend's demerits well. "Amber, it's better if you ask Harris what's for breakfast instead. Joel might be more used to that food."

"Huh?" Joel questioned. "But –"

"That's right! Joel'll be perfectly happy with Harris's food!" Paimon assisted. Meanwhile, Subaru immediately pulled Joel closer to him and whispered in his ear. "Don't eat Amber's cooking. It's awful."

Joel's eyes widened, then nodded. "S-Sure! M-Mr Harris it is, then!"

Amber frowned at the lost opportunity, but she wasn't one to turn down a child's request. She happily took the boy to the other side of the camp. Meanwhile, Eula was left alone with Subaru.

"Aunty Eula…" she muttered to herself.

Subaru smirked. "What? Still embarrassed by that name?"

"No, it's just… it's the first time I've had such an endearing title attached to my name."

Subaru's grin vanished as he cast her a quizzical gaze.

"I don't think you know about the Lawrence Clan yet," she continued, looking ahead at Amber and Joel talking to Harris. "We're one of the original aristocratic families of Mondstadt. After Vanessa's revolution, however, Mondstadt became a free nation with no leaders, thereby destroying the name of the Lawrence Clan."

Subaru hummed at the news. "Your name was Eula Lawrence, right?"

"Is." She steeled her gaze at him. "Despite everything, I am still a Lawrence. I was raised under their ideals, despite how much I disagree with them. Even though I have joined the Knights as a means to defy my family, most people still see me as an oppressor, a Lawrence, first."

"And that's why nobody's called you Aunty before," Subaru realized.

"That's… that's so sad!" Paimon cried out, immediately moving to Eula. "Paimon's sorry to hear that!"

Eula shook her head. "It's okay. I'm certain Subaru has some understanding of this, considering how he was once shunned as an Abyss Order member."

Subaru grimly nodded. "I'm still glad Jean-san helped me out of that. And…" Subaru looked back at her. "I hope the people can see you for who you are as well, Eula."

Eula held his gaze for a while, appearing stunned by the comment, then looked away. "I'll… be waiting for the day."

"Hey!" Amber dashed to them. "We've got portions for both of you too! Come on, join us!"

"Ooh, food!" Paimon cried out, following behind Amber as she ran back. Subaru chuckled as he watched them. "We should get going, then," he told Eula before following behind.

Eula looked back at Subaru and smiled. "Yes. Let's."

"Alright, you both ready?" Cyrus called out as Paul and Steven hoisted their bags onto their backs.

Paul shivered and winced. "Looks like we're doing this again… Shouldn't be as bad this time, though."

"And what about you two, Subaru, Paimon?" Cyrus turned to them. "All packed?"

"Mhm! All set and ready to go!" Paimon called out.

"Great!" Cyrus roared out. "In that case, Expedition Team, head out! Next stop, uh… Paul! What's our next stop?"

Steven chortled. "Didn't get it yet?"

Paul shook his head. "We don't know the precise spot yet, but we're to head to the researchers first to find out."

"No need, we've already found you here," a voice called out, revealing itself to be Stevens, the head researcher at Dragonspine. Following him was Sucrose, holding her hands to her chest warily.

"Ah, my namesake," the adventurer Steven called out, ignoring Stevens's groaning. "What do you have for us?"

"How many times should I tell you there's a difference to our names? And I'm not named after you, you're younger than me!" the researcher Stevens chided, only to fold his arms and hiss to himself. "Anyway, we've found the next spike for you to resolve. It's within Starglow Cavern."

"Hmm… that's the opposite side of Dragonspine," Paul wondered out loud. "We'd have to travel around the mountain to get there."

"You ought to travel northward first," Stevens supplied. "There are still irregularities to the south. However, ensure you don't travel too far north. There's some unusual activity there and we're asking the knights to investigate that instead."

"Understood," Cyrus remarked. "So, Starglow Cavern! Onwards, men!"

"W-Wait!" Sucrose stopped them before they could leave. "Um, Mr. Subaru? Could I trouble you with a favour?"

Subaru blinked in surprise. "Uhh, sure. What is it?"

"It's… Master Albedo. He's…" Sucrose bit her lip. "Before this incident, he mentioned that he found something… unusual. He didn't mention anything more than that, though. I found it extremely odd, as did my partners. I think… Master Albedo went back into the mountains last night. Could you check in on him? I trust Master Albedo to take care of himself, but if anything happened…"

"Something unusual?" Subaru quirked a brow. "What is it?"

"I-I don't know," Sucrose hung her head low. "B-But if you visit him, you could probably find out?"

Subaru chucked at that. "Sure, we'll look for him."

Paul nodded as well. "I know where his camp is, and it's on our way. I won't have to make any modifications to my chart."

Cyrus nodded. "Then if we're all done, let's get a move on! Ad Astra Abyssosque!"

Subaru looked down from the ledge against the mountain to have one more look at the red tree that grew from the first batch of broken ice. It stood regally amidst the ice forming a stark border around it, almost as though it were fighting against the weather conditions itself. The only reason it would be there, however, was them. Balling his fists to reaffirm himself, he nodded and turned back to the path to see Steven finish melting the ice in the path ahead.

"Huh, who knew there'd be fruit sitting here," Cyrus muttered, moving to a cleared section of the path and picking up a Sunsettia that was sitting under the ice. He lightly prodded it. "It's still fresh too." He guardedly took a bite, then nodded to himself.

Subaru smirked. "It was covered in the ice, right?"

Cyrus turned back at him. "Huh? Yeah, it was." Cyrus tossed the half-eaten fruit at Subaru. Subaru then handed it off to Paimon who wordlessly accepted the donation.

"It's like you're leaving food in a freezer here," Subaru realized as he watched Paimon gorge herself on the Sunsettia. "But why doesn't frostburn affect any of this? Is it like… huh. Cryopreservation? But even then - "

"What are you saying, kid?" Cyrus asked.

"No, it's nothing. Just wondering about the fruit you gave me, is all." Shrugging, Cyrus turned back to the rest of the group.

Paul took the lead once again, walking up to the edge of the path, frowning as he peered down the cliff beneath. "That looks like a steep fall…" He turned back to his team. "Wind Gliders."

Wind Gliders sparked behind the backs of the team. United, they leapt off the broken ledge and glided through the biting cold to touch down at a new patch of soft snow. Returning their Gliders to their homes, the group marched on, tugging their coats a little closer.

With the scrunch of their boots on the ice and the woosh of the gale around them as their only background music, it didn't take them much longer to feel a new wave of warmth. Turning past a cliff they noticed a gap within the mountain emitting a hazy light. Paimon perked up at the sight of the cave. "Is that where we're heading?"

Paul ruffled through his map and checked, soon nodding at her. "We're here."

Cyrus rapped on the stone before entering the cave, leading the others to follow. Subaru kept pace to find a series of bookshelves along the wall of the cave. White snow still covered the ground of the cave as the same Albedo that encountered him earlier used a shovel to push it to the side. And yet, the snow coated nearly everything: the shelves, the tables, the blank canvases nearby, even.

"Oh, you're here," Albedo wiped his head despite the lack of sweat and huffed. "Can you quickly help me with this? It shouldn't take too long."

Cyrus and the others cast each other questioning looks. Steven stepped forward and held up a hand, a fireball roaring above it.

"No, no fire, please," Albedo immediately held his hand out. "There are tests here that would react poorly to such a change in temperature." Sighing, Steven sizzled out the fire and sparked a shovel instead.

Just as Albedo said, it took only a few minutes for all of them to clear the snow. As they were working, Albedo excused himself to check on his equipment. He cleared a table that seemed to have several runes on it, stopping to shuffle through the objects on the desktop for a moment. Then he checked its insides, opening drawers and rummaging through their contents. He then turned to the books on the walls as well as the few chemicals in flasks sitting alongside them. As soon as the group was done clearing the snow, Albedo nodded and turned back to them.

"Thank you for the assistance," he bowed to them. "If you don't know already, my name is Albedo. I am the Chief Alchemist of Mondstadt."

Cyrus shrugged. "The only one here who doesn't know you is Subaru here. Sure you know of him, though, him being the Hero of Mondstadt and all."

"No, we've met," Subaru clarified, taking the chance to cross his eyes at Albedo. "I still remember our first meeting."

Albedo shook his head. "As I'd mentioned then, I don't mean to be as inhospitable anymore. I've had a while to think about our last conversation and I will come to my theories soon enough.

"Now," he turned to the rest of the group. "I assume Sucrose sent you all to find me?"

Cyrus nodded brusquely. "Yes. How'd you know?"

"Her worry, while respectful, was noticeable. I was merely concerned about the state of the things I'd left at this camp, and it would seem that I was right to worry."

Paimon, now out of hiding from within Subaru's jacket, put a finger on her chin. "Huh? What happened?"

"There are several research notes I'd been working on that are now missing," he shrugged. "Nothing substantial, thankfully. More observations about different alchemical reactions, but it is concerning that things are being stolen from my camp. Once you move on, I will send a signal back to the main camp to ask the knights to assist me."

"Surely we can help you instead?" Steven asked with a cocky grin. "We're pretty good fighters, after all."

"You still need to complete your current task, I wouldn't wish to impede. I've had the chance to investigate, and your destination is Starglow Cavern, yes?"

"That's what Stevens mentioned, yes," Subaru supplied.

Steven grinned and clapped his hands together. "Three cheers for my namesake!"

Albedo chose to ignore the comment and retreated to his research table. "Thank you for the assistance, but you may move on now. However, I will ask Natsuki Subaru and Paimon to stay behind. There is something I need to ask of you."

Looking back at the duo, the three other adventurers shrugged and walked out. Cyrus patted Subaru's shoulder before leaving. "We'll be right outside, don't worry."

Once they were out of sight, Albedo turned to the wall of the cave. "I'm glad I secured this a little differently. The consequences would have been much worse if they had laid their hands on it."

"Who?" Subaru questioned.

"The ones who stole my notes." Albedo walked to the wall and summoned his shovel yet again. He began to dig at the ground, clearing the dirt as if unearthing treasure. "Before this weather calamity, Dragonspine was home to several camps of groups that chose to study the secrets hidden within. Not too far from here, in the north, you would have found Fatui camps and regular patrols from their members. They've not returned yet, from what I know, but it's still good to be wary of them, especially once they figure out that you are here."

His shovel hit something solid, making Subaru and Paimon flinch. Albedo nudged them, and Subaru summoned his own shovel and started digging through the other end of the area while Albedo kept on working. Together, they eventually revealed the surface of the chest. Nodding to Subaru, Albedo then held his hand over the chest. Suddenly, it rose to the air, suspended by something sitting underneath. Subaru briefly noted the glow of Albedo's vision.

"Why'd you clear the dirt if you could do that?" he asked.

"It's therapeutic," he riposted, willing the object beneath to pull the chest over the clear ground. Subaru tsked at the unnecessary work but chose to focus on the moving chest instead. As soon as it rested on the ground, the object beneath vanished and the chest banged on the ground.

"Consider this an apology for my past actions, even though it was remarkably fruitful for me," Albedo opened the chest and presented the opening to Subaru and Paimon. The two walked ahead to marvel at what sat within.

A partisan-style polearm. Almost similar to the ones Subaru had used before, but from the design and the colour, Subaru could tell it was something different. The shaft was made of a deep black scaly material and it was adorned with purple gems across its body. The spearhead had a centrepiece of a large purple gem, just like the first, surrounded by an arch of purple-lined steel with protrusions along the opposite ends. The gem extended into a singular point of purple-lined steel that caved in at the middle, only to be braced by two black bands made of some scaly material.

"I had discovered this weapon at one such Fatui camp," Albedo confessed. "However, the camp it was situated in was completely wiped out."

"Huh? Wiped out?" Paimon repeated.

"Yes, I too was confused. It was upon closer observation of this weapon that I understood how." Albedo turned back to the polearm. "It feeds off the Ley Line energy housed within Teyvatian individuals. It is a highly toxic weapon to whoever wields it."

Subaru, who was about to reach out for it, immediately pulled back his hand. "Why didn't you tell me this was a death trap sooner?!"

"I had specified that this was the case for Teyvatians, but not for you, Natsuki Subaru," Albedo revealed. "You do not have any Ley Line Energy within you, so this weapon must theoretically let you wield it safely."

"Huh." Subaru turned back to the weapon. "So… how accurate is that 'theoretically'?"

"At worst, it should react with you differently, but upon initial contact, the chances of devastating consequences are very minimal. In other words, you have nothing to worry about."

"A tiny chance of dying isn't something to worry about?!" Paimon cried out.

"There is a tiny chance of dying in every moment. You walk around without worry because you ignore that small risk. That is the same level of risk to this weapon as well. Its primary factor of risk poses no threat to you, and I have not detected any additional effects. You will be fine. Just in case, try touching it first."

Subaru never took his gaze off the purple weapon. Not bothering to remove his glove in his wariness, he gently approached the shaft and prodded it. "That… wasn't too bad."

Looking back at Paimon, he nodded at her. Paimon, whose lip was still quivering, quickly rubbed her eyes and nodded back at him. Subaru looked back at the weapon, took a deep breath, and then reached down to grab it.

It didn't react as Subaru lifted it into the air. Subaru stood the base on the ground and admired the blade closer. Save for the slight glow of the gem in the centre, nothing else about the weapon seemed special.

"A complete success," Albedo smiled, lightly capping his hands. "You surprised me, Natsuki Subaru, choosing to hold a death-bearing spear like that."

Subaru immediately faulted at that. "Didn't you say the risk was small?!"

Albedo shrugged. "I had a strong theory, and you would not have helped me otherwise. The prod at the start would have, at most, rendered you unconscious. That's why I felt confident in your abilities."

"What a dirty trick!" Paimon immediately stomped her foot. "You could have killed Subaru!"

"He would not die, that I am certain of," Albedo insisted. "However, now that we have confirmed that you can safely wield this weapon, I need to task you with further data collection."

Subaru went limp. "You want me to be your errand boy?"

"You will be facing several enemies on the road to the next area, yes? Use this weapon against them. By its nature, it should grow stronger with every kill. I wish to study it more extensively. If times were more fortunate, I would have given you more controlled experiments, but I have no choice but to leave you alone with it for now. As such, simply use it against any enemies you come across and remember to keep count of the monsters you defeat."

Subaru nodded. "Understood." He looked back at the purple spear, marvelling at its craft. He had no idea what Albedo meant by it getting stronger, but if this thing killed any other person who touched it, it meant that he had to be exceptionally careful with it.

Their feet squelched against moist snow, the sickening sound seeming serene in its simplicity. Subaru drudged on, Paimon hiding herself in his hood because of the cold. The wind wasn't so bad as to warrant its use, so Subaru held no qualms with his partner hiding away there.

"We're almost at the camp," Paul managed to speak, keeping his map steady as he kept another eye on the road. "Are you sure we need to stop there?"

"We need to eat before heading to another battle!" Cyrus remarked as though it were common sense.

Nodding at his reasoning, Paul kept heading the way to this new camp at the west end of the mountain. Meanwhile, Subaru was finally able to look away from the mountainside to see a new patch of land he'd never encountered before. From that height, he could see the occasional towering buildings in the area amidst the vast patches of greenery. Looking a little further, a port city was visible. Looking a little higher up, Subaru could swear he saw a flying saucer.

"That's Liyue," Steven supplied, noticing the drift of his eyes. "The neighboring nation to Mondstadt. I've heard the boss lady of that nation lives in a flying castle."

Subaru gaped at the sight of the saucer in the distance, now having the structure atop it clearer. "That's a castle?! In the sky?!"

Steven grinned. "I know, right?! Sadly, it's more of a VIP-only thing. As much as I'd love to see Teyvat from up there, I guess I won't get up there anytime soon."

Subaru chuckled. "Yeah, a meathead like you won't make it there for sure."

"The hell's that supposed to mean?!"

A hand came between them, revealing itself to be from Cyrus. He held a finger to his lips and then pointed ahead.

Subaru could make out that a camp was once there, only if it could be better seen without all the snow atop the tent. Unfortunately, white hilichurls were digging through the snow before it, apparently looking for something.

"They've been more active since the weather returned to normal, it would seem," Cyrus explained. "Be careful with them. These white variants are attuned to Cryo energy, and can occasionally use Cryo energy of their own."

"Oh?" Steven grinned. "Wanna leave this to me?"

Subaru tapped his hood, telling Paimon to remain quiet before she could reappear by his side. Thankfully, Paimon listened to him and cowered away upon seeing the hilichurls. Meanwhile, Subaru took a quick note of the creatures there. There were only 5 of them. It was certainly an easy task for them.

"Hey, can you leave it to me instead?" Subaru broke in, catching Steven's attention. "Albedo wanted me to test something."

Steven furrowed his brow at Subaru but easily let go of it. "Sure. Not like this is the last time we'll find hilichurls."

Nodding gratefully, Subaru walked ahead of the group, holding out a hand to let Paimon know to stay back. After he made some distance, he drew upon his inventory and sparked out the purple spear he'd received earlier.

The hilichurls, upon looking around, spotting him approaching slowly. One immediately called out to the others, letting them all stand against him. Two in the back pulled something from their back: a crossbow. As they loaded it with what seemed to be arrows, the three in the front charged at Subaru with clubs made of whitened wood.

Subaru noticed one gaining ahead of the others and one falling back, the three of them forming a line in their upcoming attack. He assumed this was a way to chain their attacks together and make it easier to defeat him. He held his spear a little tighter. The purple gem atop the spear began to glow, a black mist beginning to emanate from it which connected back to Subaru's arm. Subaru immediately thrust his spear at the first hilichurl.

The spearhead deflected the club in the way. The moment it touched the hilichurl, the monster dissolved into ash. The lack of resistance forced the spear to move further ahead, easily grazing the unaware hilichurl behind. To Subaru's shock, even the second one dissolved, dying almost immediately upon contact with his weapon.

The third hilichurl jerked away from the sudden-death spear, making to run away instead. Subaru dashed ahead, surer about his actions before easily cleaving through the third. It was far too ridiculous how easy it had become. Subaru, once again, looked down at the spear in awe.

Hearing more cries from the hilichurls, Subaru looked up to see the remaining two archers scrambling away from him in fear, holding up their crossbows against him. Seeing the white energy appearing on the tips of their crossbows, Subaru knew they'd shoot if he took a step, so the only way to reach them would be to throw the spear at them. However, they were too spaced apart to get them both in one throw. If only there were a way to hold on to the spear as he threw it… Subaru couldn't hold back his grin.

Disregarding their fear, Subaru hoisted the spear over his shoulder and threw it at one of them. However, just as it left his hand, an invisible black arm appeared from his shoulder and held onto the spear instead. With a swish, Invisible Providence slashed through both monsters, sending them to their deaths before returning the spear to Subaru's hand.

"… woah," Cyrus remarked. "That was… terrifying. What is that spear?"

"Don't touch it!" Paimon suddenly cried out. "Albedo said that Subaru's the only one who can use it and that others will die if they touch it!"

Steven grimaced. "That's really freaky."

Subaru smirked and tilted the sharp end of the spear at Steven. Yelping, Steven dashed away, fueling Subaru's laughter at his reaction.

"That was not funny, Subaru," Cyrus scolded him. "You could have killed him with that."

"O-Oh, don't worry, I wasn't going to hurt him," Subaru held a hand over his mouth to quell his laughter. To appease the others, he returned the spear to his inventory. "There, see? Nothing happened."

Cyrus shook his head, refusing to take his little prank in stride. "Never do that again."

Subaru frowned, but still hung his head low. "Fine. I won't." He looked at Steven who was finally gathering his bearings. "Sorry."

"I-It's okay. Just don't do that again."

Seeing his reaction, Subaru felt bitter. He scolded himself. Why did he do such a thing? He looked back to the ashes that were once hilichurls and felt as though it was the lingering adrenaline from defeating those monsters.

It had never been so easy before. What he held in his hands was an Insta-kill weapon, and its power was honestly addicting. Subaru balled his fists as he watched the dust slowly merge into the snow beneath. He had to be careful with how he used that spear.

It didn't take the group too long to melt the snow covering the camp. To their surprise, there was a bag sitting by the pole of the tent. Paul immediately laid claim to it, hoping to find more materials for his maps, while Cyrus and Steven went to the fireplace to get it started and cook something.

Subaru and Paimon sat down on the snow as the others worked. Subaru took out some vegetables, a cutting board and a knife he had stored in his inventory and started cutting them for their stew. Camp food tended to be unimaginative, more of a mash of whatever ingredients you had to spare at the moment into a soup. It would still be hearty with diverse ingredients, and Cyrus had a knack for making the soup as good as possible. Or else, it could have been the bone-chilling cold of the mountain fading with every sip that made the experience so much better.

"Hey, so, there wasn't much in that bag," Paul approached the rest of the group. "But I found this note."

Cyrus looked up from the stove while Steven remained fixated on replacing the wood. "Read it out loud."

"Sure," Paul opened the note in his hand and began reading it. "Nothing untoward happened on the way here. The weather remains fine indeed. It seems that my luck has turned at last. Perhaps I can make a run for the summit after all… I'll just give it a little go. If anything happens, I'll turn right back away."

"Some kind of suicide note, then?" Cyrus remarked with a frown. "The shift in weather was too sudden to predict. I feel bad for this guy, but he's probably long dead by now."

"Dead?!" Paimon cried out. "Aren't we going to help him somehow?"

Cyrus shook his head. "If we find his body, we can burn it and bring it back after taking a photo, but there's no need to move out of our way for it. Everyone who enters these mountains knows the risks very well. Remember that form Katheryne had you sign before you joined us? It's a form that states how you're entering this place of your own choice and are completely aware of the risks. This adventurer certainly knew the risks but went to the summit anyway."

Subaru set his knife down and stood up. "Can I see that note?" Nodding, Paul handed the neatly-creased note to him. Subaru inspected it and felt his blood run cold. "This…"

"Huh?" Paimon questioned. "What is it, Stinky Space?"

"This handwriting… it's just like that last note we found. Joel's dad wrote this note."

Paimon gasped, recoiling in horror. "So… So, he's dead?!"

Subaru set the note down. "… I don't know. But… we can't tell Joel about this yet."

"It's better to tell that kid what happened now," Cyrus countered. "Rip the bandaid, so to speak."

Subaru shook his head. "There might be more notes. Let's keep a lookout for any other camps. We need to bring him the full picture. If not…" Subaru balled his fists and gnashed his teeth. "Then he'd have no reason to have stayed here for so long."

Cyrus frowned but nodded. "I'll leave it to you, then. Just be careful."

Subaru looked up and nodded, pocketing the note. "I will."

The stew was wonderful and creamy as always. With their bellies full and their will warm, the group climbed up a short path to reach an opening within the mountain.

"Okay, everyone, we're at the entrance," Paul announced to them. "We still have a bit to walk through before we can descend into the actual cavern, but remember to stay on your toes. This cavern has a history of loose stalactites that can easily fall at the slightest vibration, so everyone should remember this: No Sounds. Even speaking will trigger the fall of those spikes and could risk our lives."

"No talking?!" Paimon yelped. "Then what's Paimon going to do?!"

Subaru grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and shoved her into his jacket, zipping her up and trapping her inside. "Just stay in there for now," Subaru said, looking through the entrance. His body shivered; it was already getting colder. "This is going to be difficult anyway."

Paul nodded. "Yes. Everyone, brace yourselves and prepare for the worst."

As soon as they tightened their jackets and constricted their hoods onto their heads, they proceeded. Paimon moved about against his chest, but Subaru immediately rested a hand atop the lump to shut her up. As silently as possible, they jumped down a gaping hole, avoiding the icy water with their gliders and entered a snow-covered cavern. Thankfully, there was no need to melt any snow from their path. However, upon looking up, Subaru shivered at the sight of multiple spears of ice loosely dangling on the ceiling of the cave. From what he remembered, stalactites would not fall so easily from the ceiling, but seeing how these ice spears slightly shook in the wind, Subaru didn't want to take any chances.

A sharp ring sent shivers through Subaru's spine. The group stopped and looked ahead as one of the stalactites fell and shattered on the ground before them. Paul grimaced and nudged his hand ahead, telling everyone to proceed. The group went through the shattered ice making sure not to step on any of the glass.

They took a left at the intersection as the right led to a dead end. This choice led them to an unprotected ledge leading down into an open cave.

Subaru felt a chill as he rubbed his arms together. He exhaled in exhaustion, only to flinch as mist shot out of his mouth. Feeling movement, he reached for his chest only to feel Paimon chattering under the cloth. Frowning, he looked at the others and found them reacting to the cold just like him. He gently stroked Paimon, reassuring her to help her through the cold.

Subaru hissed and looked down. Looking up, he confirmed there were no stalactites above any of them. Even then, he ensured his voice was as hushed as possible. "We need to go down there. That's the best way to deal with this cold."

Paul nodded despite his shivering. "You're right. Let's not drag this out. It'll hurt for a bit, but it's best to glide down instead of taking the long way around."

Nodding, Subaru took the lead and leapt off the cliff. The rush of cold wind battering against him made him groan, the slow descent of the glider only making that pain worse. Despite that, Subaru held himself firm and kept his arms up. He and the others landed safely, and Subaru unzipped his jacket only to reveal Paimon, immediately resealing his dress as soon as she was out.

"S-So cold…" Paimon muttered, not caring for how the others were facing the full brunt of the cold for the whole time. "W-Where are we?"

As Subaru was about to put a hand over her mouth, Paul waved him off. "It's okay. As long as we speak quietly, the stalactites shouldn't shake too much from our voices. They're too high up right now."

Subaru nodded and quickly looked around to take stock of their surroundings. Right before them, in the middle of the snow, was a sheet of ice that spanned across the middle of the cave. Subaru looked around and noted several blue plants around too, probably having discolored from the climate.

"That's a frozen lake," Steven realized. "Be careful. Don't step on it."

Cyrus looked past the lake, however. "Isn't that what we're looking for, then?"

Right across the lake was another large spire of the same ice they had trouble with the last time. Subaru shivered, feeling colder from the sight of it.

"Where's the quartz here?" Paul wondered out loud.

Subaru frowned. "We probably should have brought some of those down here."

"It won't work," Cyrus said. "I tried that. Those things last barely minutes out of the ground before breaking down. Even putting it in my inventory didn't help, for some reason."

Subaru looked grimly at the ice on the opposite end. "What matters now is getting there. Can anyone tell where this ice ends and the snow begins?"

"I can try melting it," Steven suggested, turning to Paul and Cyrus.

"It should be fine," Paul shrugged, looking up and seeing how far up the ceiling is. "We're mostly out of danger, after all."

Paimon looked back at the ice. "Do you think… there's be something like that Lawachurl here too?"

"We can't tell for certain," Cyrus replied. "Whatever comes, we'll handle it."

Nodding, Steven flashed out a stream of flames and melted the snow on his path. Walking along the path, the ice quickly melted to reveal water within, marking a border they should not cross while circling around the pool.

However, the entire ice sheet over the pool cracked under Steven's fire. Shards of ice sunk and toppled over, slowly shifting the entire lake to seem like it was covered in random slabs of ice instead. This only helped the group even further as Steven didn't have to use his fire as much to reveal the path, as actual snow gave way to solid ground instead.

As the group moved past the pond and reached the ice, Cyrus walked right up to it, ignoring the numbing cold emanating from it. Upon a step, however, Cryus was immediately shot back into the group, stumbling over the snow. The others were immediately sent into alarm.

"What…" Cyrus groaned out. "What was that?"

Subaru reached down and grabbed some snow. Balling it into a snowball, he tossed it at the ice. Before it even reached, the snow bounced off some kind of invisible barrier between them.

"What the hell is that?" Steven muttered. Forming a fireball, he threw it at the barrier, only for it to dissipate as soon as it made contact. "How're we gonna break the ice this way?"

Subaru looked around for a moment, hoping to find some clues. However, all he could see around him was the snow and ice of the cavern. There was no sign of anything that could make a barrier like that.

"Umm…" Paimon started. "That ice… isn't it kinda… round?"

Raising a brow in confusion, Subaru followed Paimon. She pointed at the lake, at a certain bit of ice that seemed to mound over the pond's level.

Subaru chuckled. "Ice can melt under that water, you know? It's not surprising to see something like that."

"Still, it's good to inspect," Cyrus countered, having finally gotten up and dusted the snow off his body. Despite how he was rubbing his cheeks to keep warm, he still looked at the ice that Paimon pointed out. "Steven, throw a fireball there. Better to be safe than sorry."

Nodding, Steven threw a fireball and the rounded ice. The ice easily caved in, forming a hole on the top.

Subaru sighed. "See? Nothing. Let's keep a lookout for something else."

The group sighed and turned away, missing how the iceberg toppled over, revealing another rounded portion beneath. What caught their attention was the sound of gurgling that came from it.

They immediately shot back to see the now restored surface of the ice. Steven shot a steady stream of fire at the ice, melting it completely. Once he was done, a new type of hilichurl appeared above the water, almost dissolving in it, only to lift up a staff with a skull on it and immediately rise to its full height, a plate of ice suddenly appearing under its feet.

"Samachurl!" Cyrus cried out. "Steven!"

"Got it!"

Steven shot out another stream of fire at the so-called Samachurl, only for it to hold out its staff and form a shield of ice before it.

"Hiding under a frozen pond… you don't see cunning like that in Samachurls," Paul said, tightening his backpack and summoning a sword. "Does help that they don't need to breathe, I see…"

The Samachurl took advantage of the steam that rose after Steven's attack to wash away to the opposite end of the pond. Still standing on ice, the Samachurl slammed its staff onto the ground, recreating the ice above the pond. Suddenly, white hilichurls crawled into existence over the ice.

"That many were hidden?!" Cyrus cried out, looking at about 20 hilichurls that suddenly appeared over the lake. "Steven!"

Steven immediately pulled his hand back and thrust it out, only for him to be surprised as nothing came out. Looking at his hand in confusion, his eyes widened in alarm as he immediately checked his hip. His Vision was gone!

Looking ahead, he watched a tendril of ice pulling his Vision away, putting it in the grasp of the Samachurl. Steven cried in shock and was about to dash through the frozen water, only to be held back by Cyrus.

"Those things are tricky, don't blame yourself for losing it," Cyrus commented, summoning his own greatsword. "We need to hold them off! We can get it back later!"

Steven kept his eyes trained on his Vision for a while, then frowned and nodded. Standing up straight, he summoned his own sword. Paimon hid behind the group while Subaru called out his new spear, ensuring he was some distance away from the group.

The hilichurls charged, easily treading over the ice as though it were land. Cyrus immediately cleaved through a group of hilichurls that came to him, while Paul and Steven held off the clubs with their own swords. On the other hand, Subaru easily touched the hilichurls with his spear and watched them dissolve into ash. The ease of his killing made him able to observe the situation a little more.

More and more hilichurls were coming out of the water, the number reaching nearly 50 by then. Subaru immediately gripped onto his spear and threw it ahead, leashing it to him with Invisible Providence as he slashed through the new wave of hilichurls. However, he immediately had to pull the spear up as Cyrus dashed in his path, not realizing how he stepped on the ice to cut through the creatures.

With a slam of the Samachurl's spear, the ice under Cyrus's feet caved. Cyrus immediately leapt onto another set of ice, only for it to shatter while the ice he once stood on froze over. Jumping back and away, every step he took would lead to more shattered ice. Gritting his teeth, he switched tactics and sidestepped, choosing to dash ahead instead.

Suddenly all the ice to the opposite shore vanished, making Cyrus stagger back in shock. The ice under him caved yet again and Cyrus clambered away, only to fall on his butt and send his entire body underwater. Just then, the ice refroze over him. All the while, the Samachurl danced with its staff on the other end of the pond.

"Cyrus!" Paul cried out, about to move into the pond –

"Stop!" Subaru called out to him. "You'll only fall in like him!"

Groaning, Subaru resolved to lose that precious something whenever he used it as he manifested two new hands of Invisible Providence and had them shatter through the reformed it. The two new hands immediately pulled Cyrus out of the water, making him heave and shiver over the ice. The remaining hand returned the spear to his hand. Before the Samachurl could break the ice again, the two hands dragged him back into the grass on the opposite end.

The Samachurl frowned at the development, turning to Subaru almost immediately. It danced again and whips of ice manifested around him, immediately grabbing his limbs. One of those whips stole his spear and the rest threw him into the ice. Subaru was sent spinning in the air, left unable to gain enough balance to use his ability again. However, by chance, he happened to get a clear view of the Samachurl on his way. Willing himself to use Invisib – a wall of ice suddenly appeared in front of him, knocking on his head and sending him into the water beneath.

Despite how the collision on the ice knocked him out, the fall into freezing cold water was sharp enough to wake him up again. The cold water forced his eyes shut, however. As such, he had no more choice but to use all he had.

He didn't want to die.

A wave of black shot out of his body, manifesting into a hundred different arms that found the bottom of the pond he sunk into. He didn't know it then, but he crushed the spawning circles under the water in his endeavour. Using them as support, he shot his body out of the water and finally opened his eyes.

Paul, who was doing everything he could to keep the hilichurls away from Cyrus who was currently facing hypothermia and shivering on the ground, couldn't help but gape at how every hilichurl in the area vanished at once. Moreover, the sound of ice shattering caught his attention as Subaru shot out of the water and started hovering over the pond. Extending a hand, the spear lying nearby shot back into his hand as he stared down at a now cowering Samachurl on the other side.

"Invisible Providence."

More black arms shot out of his body, moving to crush the Samachurl. The monster immediately forged a shield of ice over its body, only for it to shatter as though it were paper-thin. The Samachurl shrieked and scrambled away, not knowing what it was that broke his ice. Hoisting his staff up, circles appeared before him and hilichurls began to spawn out of them en masse.

Subaru shot to the other side of the pond, facing the small army of hilichurls single-handedly. The black energy of his ability resonated with the spear in his hand, forging a connection between them. At that moment, Natsuki Subaru personified the bloodlust of the Festering Desire in his hand.

With a mad cackle, Subaru swung his spear down, immediately dissipating a small group of hilichurls. Using a hundred arms of Invisible Providence, he grabbed every hilichurl there and threw them to his spear, feeding it.

It wasn't done. It wanted more.

The Samachurl stammered at the sight and created more hilichurls, only for Subaru to easily swallow them up as well. Once the hilichurls were gone, Subaru slowly walked to the Samachurl. Shrieking, the Samachurl shot out a volley of ice spikes at him, only for him to easily bat them out of the air with Invisible Providence. Subaru tugged at the collar of his jacket as he sauntered to the Samachurl, scratching his neck casually while he grinned at it.

The Samachurl immediately turned away, waving its staff around before forming a spark of blue around itself. Subaru frowned. It was clear that it was trying to run.

Just as soon as the Samachurl intoned the last syllable of its spell, however, the end of a purple spear appeared on its chest. With its energy disrupted, the Samachurl dissolved and was fed to the spear like all the others. Subaru didn't take a step forward as a black hand took his thrown spear and handed it back to him.

The Festering Desire was happy. Subaru's grin fell as he finally realized what happened.

"What… what the hell was that?!"

"Paimon never knew you were so strong, Subaru!" Paimon immediately blinked to his side and did a midair jig.

Not wanting to see it again, Subaru immediately retreated the spear into his inventory. "That was… I wasn't myself."

"Subaru!" Paul yelled at him from the other side. "You did great! You never told me you could do all that!"

Subaru couldn't say anything back. While it was true that he single-handedly defeated that threat, it didn't feel like him that did so. The spear… the Festering Desire took over him. Just like how Subaru somehow knew its name now, Subaru could still feel its influence over him. It made things so much easier. The cold became so much more bearable with it. He hadn't even noticed how much easier it was for him to use Invisible Providence until that last moment when he went berserk.

"Stinky Space?" Paimon started. "Paimon never knew you bite your nails when you're nervous. That's a bad habit, you know?"

"Biting my-" Subaru paused as he felt something in the way of his speech. Looking down, he was alarmed by his nails being in his mouth. He hadn't even noticed that. That was not a habit he had; he had no idea where it came from. Once again, he assumed it was the spear. He needed to return it as soon as possible.

"Hey, Subaru!" Steven called out to him. "Could you grab my Vision?!"

"Sure!" Subaru immediately used Invisible Providence to pull the red Vision from the ground, then caught himself. Once again, he used that ability. While it should have drained him at once, he remained unaffected. He looked down at his fist. That power… maybe it wasn't so bad, then? As long as he remained in control of the spear, then he could probably use that power to make this journey of theirs so much easier. He imagined future threats being taken out with no trouble at all. Stormterror would be taken out with ease. He could restrain and save Rem with no trouble at all.

Most importantly, he wouldn't have to die again.

No, he needed this ability. He couldn't surrender it just yet. If it would be so useful to him, he has no reason to give it up. This was Fate's sign that things were looking up for him, after all.

"Subaru?"

"Y-Yeah, here you go!" Subaru immediately used Invisible Providence to levitate the Vision over to Steven, who accepted it with a smile.

"Seriously, if you didn't have this ability, we'd have been goners by now."

Subaru couldn't help but grin bashfully, flicking his nose in pride. "There's more where that came from, you know?"

"Hey!" Paul called out. "I found the Quartz!"

Subaru and Steven grinned and nodded at each other, both relishing in the ease of the completion of their quest for the day.

A/N: Your next words are: "Festering Desire too OP, pls nerf." I know, but do you really think that power like that comes without consequence? Especially for Subaru of all characters? Hell nah, he'll get his reckoning soon enough. The price the Festering Desire is accosting will prove to be something Subaru can't quite pay willingly.

I've mentioned this in my last DxD: The Red Star chapter, but I've decided to employ monthly uploads. This is one general upload from me per month, not a story update per month. That means that this story would take about 2 months for the next chapter, as I'll be updating my DxD fic next.

However, this time it'll be 3 months. I'm planning on publishing a new story, but I don't know if I'll stick working on it. This is a purely original story with mere elements from the fanfiction source, which is why I don't know if I want to continue it. While I'll enjoy writing it, there's no point in putting in so much effort if it won't be appreciated in the end. And yes, I'm building character profiles, investigating original locations and neighboring locations, studying about places I know nothing about, learning things that would've never interested me if I didn't have this story on the line, etc. Writing a book is way more work than one would think, and I don't want to spend so much effort for minimal reception. So, I'll be uploading a single chapter, albeit a mega one I'm estimating to reach about 15-20k words, and I'll check the initial turnout. If it isn't taken well, I won't continue it. It'll be pretty easy for me to take out the fanfic elements and turn it into an original story in the future, which is when it'll deserve the work I'm currently putting into it. The name of this story is Persona XX, and it is a Persona Game fanfic. A purely original story that emerged out of a discussion with a friend about what Persona 6 would be like. It's nothing like the leaks we've gotten so far, so don't worry about that. Even the Persona summoning method is new.

I'm sure you're all excited for Re:Zero Season 3. If it's a single running season, which I don't think it'll be having read the WN for this arc, anime-only fans will be able to relate to the end of this arc in Re:Teyvat a little better. Before you come up with ideas of what it'll be, keep in mind it's only tentative. What I'm most excited for in the season... probably the speech. Won't elaborate for the sake of anime-onlys, but WN readers already know what I'm talking about. LN readers too, I think.

How've I been? Well, nothing new. Playing Wuthering Waves while suffering through awfully choppy gameplay because I had the bright idea to join the Asia server despite not being in Asia. Practicing my coding skills for uni in two months. Still writing Persona XX while investigating different character creation ideas and studying up on myths to source new Persona from. Keeping in shape. Pretty busy, yeah.

Anyway, now you can expect the new chapter to be here 3 months from now. I'll see you next chapter.