Death Once More

Subaru woke up drenched in sweat, her chest heaving as though she'd run a marathon. Her silver hair clung to her forehead, damp from the humidity in the room. Wide, frightened eyes—almost violet in hue—darted around the dimly lit space. Moonlight seeped through the curtains, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Her heart raced, pounding so violently in her chest she thought it might burst.

'I can't move.'

Panic set in. Her limbs felt like lead, completely unresponsive to her frantic commands. She tried to shift, to even twitch a finger, but her body was frozen in place. Subaru's mind screamed at her legs, her arms—'do something'—but it was useless. The familiar weight of sleep paralysis had her trapped again, like a prisoner in her own skin.

Her breathing grew shallow. Every second stretched into what felt like minutes, each passing moment more torturous than the last.

Suddenly, the door at the far end of her room creaked open.

Subaru's stomach dropped. Her throat constricted. She couldn't call for help. The door swung wider, and a tall, dark silhouette stood in the doorway, its form shadowed against the dim light from the hallway. The figure didn't move at first. It just...stood there, watching.

'No. No, no, no, no!'

Her mind screamed at her to get up. To run. To hide. But her body refused to cooperate. She was completely helpless, pinned beneath the weight of terror.

'Puck? Beako? Rem-Rin? Ram? Ros-chi?' she called out in her head, desperately willing someone—anyone—to hear her. But no one came. The figure at the door began to move. Slow, deliberate steps echoed in the silence of her room. Each footfall sent icy chills down her spine.

Subaru's breath hitched, her heartbeat quickening as the figure crept closer and closer. She could make out its form now—a looming, shadowy figure with broad shoulders and a menacing presence. The silhouette was impossibly tall, its face obscured in darkness.

She tried to scream, but no sound came out. Her voice, her strength, everything was gone. All she could do was watch as the figure approached, its steps slow but steady, deliberate as if it had all the time in the world to reach her.

And then, as suddenly as the paralysis had taken hold, it broke. Subaru gasped, sitting bolt upright in bed, her heart thudding in her ears. She clutched the bed sheets in her fists, panting, her wide eyes darting around the room.

"H-ha-ha," she let out a shaky laugh, her voice trembling. "It was just a dream… Just a dream..." Her voice was a whisper, almost as if she was trying to convince herself. Her shoulders sagged in relief as the tension slowly drained from her body.

She had been through this before. Sleep paralysis. Ever since her parents had died in that horrible car crash, she'd been plagued by it. Every time, it felt the same—terrifying and suffocating. And each time, it left her rattled, no matter how many times it happened. It never stopped being horrifying.

But this time, something felt off.

The air in the room seemed to thicken again. Subaru froze, her body instinctively tensing once more. Something wasn't right. She glanced to the side, towards the shadow that should've been empty—

And there it was.

A figure stood by her bedside.

Her blood ran cold. The same dark silhouette she had just seen in her nightmare. But this was no dream. The figure didn't belong in her waking world. It was real.

She barely had time to react before the figure lunged. Its hands—cold, rough—clamped around her head with an iron grip.

Subaru's scream was cut off by the sudden, violent twist of her neck.

Snap.

Her vision blurred, darkness closing in around her as the pain—sharp and instantaneous—overwhelmed her senses. In that instant, she realized what had just happened.

And just like that, Subaru died once more.

Û~Û

It was eight in the morning, and Ram made her way down the quiet hallway toward Emilia-sama's room. A silver tray balanced in her hands, holding a neat arrangement of biscuits and tea. Normally, the half-elf would already be awake by now—around seven, perhaps eight at the latest. But today, the room remained eerily silent.

"What a sore loser," Ram muttered under her breath, her pink hair swaying as she shook her head. She had no deep fondness for Emilia, though she respected Roswaal-sama's decision to sponsor the girl. It was strategic, if not a bit reckless. But the truth was, yesterday had been a grueling day for the half-elf. Losing the insignia and spending the entire day scouring every inch of the kingdom had clearly taken its toll on her.

Pausing in front of the heavy wooden door, Ram raised her hand to knock.

Then she heard it.

A scream—piercing, unnatural—ripped through the stillness of the mansion. Ram's breath hitched. Her heart leaped into her throat. The tray clattered to the floor, the sound drowned by the violent wail coming from within the room. For a moment, Ram stood frozen, her sharp instincts on high alert. What in the world was happening?

She slammed the door open and rushed inside, her eyes scanning the dimly lit room in a panic.

There, on the bed, was Emilia. Her silver hair—once so pristine—was now matted and wild, sticking to her pale skin as she convulsed violently beneath the sheets. Her violet eyes, usually gentle, were wide open, clouded over with fear and madness. Her mouth hung open in a scream so guttural, so animalistic, it barely sounded human.

Emilia's body thrashed, her delicate limbs jerking as if possessed by some unseen force. Her white nightgown twisted and bunched around her legs, her fingers clawing at the sheets with such ferocity that Ram thought she might tear them apart.

"Emilia-sama!" Ram gasped, rushing forward, unsure of what to do.

The sight of Emilia writhing and screeching sent a chill down Ram's spine. She hesitated for a second before reaching out to grab Emilia's wrist, hoping to calm her down. But the moment her fingers brushed Emilia's arm, the half-elf let out a guttural snarl and lashed out, her nails raking across Ram's skin with surprising force.

Ram yelped, stumbling back, clutching her bleeding hand. She stared at the crimson streaks on her pale skin, shock numbing her pain.

What is happening?* she thought, her mind racing. Emilia-sama was no fighter—she wasn't violent, not like this. But this...this was something else entirely. It was like she wasn't even herself.

Before Ram could figure out her next move, a small, ethereal light began to glow from Emilia's necklace. A chilling wind swept through the room as Puck emerged, his small form hovering above the bed. But there was no warmth, no playfulness in his eyes this time. Instead, his eyes narrowed, glowing with a dangerous, icy blue light.

"What. Did. You. Do?"

The words, though softly spoken, were laced with a murderous edge. Ram's blood turned to ice. Puck's aura filled the room, suffocating and cold. Gone was the friendly, lighthearted spirit she had grown used to. This was something darker, something far more dangerous—the Beast of Destruction.

"I-I didn't…" Ram stammered, instinctively stepping back, her body tense with fear. Puck's normally small and adorable form began to grow, his body swelling with anger. A foot taller. Then another foot.

"Did you curse her?" Puck growled, his voice low and menacing. His eyes burned with a fury so intense that it felt like they were boring straight into Ram's soul. "Did you poison her?"

Ram's breath hitched as she stumbled back again, her instincts screaming at her to run, to flee from the deadly aura that now filled the room. Yet her legs refused to obey. She was frozen, rooted in place by fear. This was no ordinary spirit. This was a force of nature, a being capable of unfathomable destruction. And it was directed entirely at her.

Just then, a soft but firm voice cut through the tension.

"Bucky."

Ram turned, her heart still pounding, to see Beatrice standing in the doorway, her small figure calm and composed. Behind her, Rem entered, her face a mask of concern. Beatrice, with her drill-like blonde curls and those large, tired eyes, approached the bed with a confident stride.

As if sensing her presence, Emilia's convulsions began to slow. Beatrice reached out and touched Emilia's forehead, her mana flowing gently into the half-elf's body. Slowly, Emilia's screams faded into whimpers, her body relaxing as the spirit's calming energy soothed her.

"This naïve brat of yours has no curse on her," Beatrice said, her tone as sharp as ever, though her eyes softened as she glanced back at Puck. Then, she shot Ram a cold glare. "And this Oni with her mediocre knowledge cannot do anything like this, in fact."

Puck, though still tense, began to shrink back down to his original size, his icy rage simmering beneath the surface. He floated over to Beatrice, his gaze never leaving Emilia's still form.

"What may have happened to Emilia?" he asked quietly, his voice trembling with concern now that the immediate danger had passed.

Beatrice studied Emilia for a long moment, her small fingers brushing gently across the half-elf's pale cheek.

"I don't know,"

Author's Note: This is Subaru's first morning in the mansion after being killed and resetting the timeline.

I'm open to requests for adding extra scenes or details, so let me know in the review section what you'd like to see! As long as it doesn't contradict my plot, I'd be happy to write them in.

Also, don't forget to check out my other stories. I just posted an RWBY fanfic where Jaune has the Wood Release. If you're into that, give it a look!

Till next time!