"Weird," that is how Subaru would describe the world, not because of the repeated use of the word 7 because according to Paimon there are 7 main nations, 7 gods, and 7 elements to control, or the fact that the seven nations have names from different languages in Subaru's world.
No, the main reason to think of this world as weird was because of a lack of a Sacred treasure , one that Subaru and his family could never live without, something so important that nation's fought over it (the spices that it possessed, to be precise), the life-altering substance also known as mayonnaise.
Like what the hell , you can a have a city named Mondstadt in another world which in german means Moon city and also inazuma which mean lightning , pretty sure the nation we are in right now sumeru has a meaning but he didn't know about it but NOOOO mayonnaise , he would just have to educated this world with the wonder of it later .
Speaking of weird things, Subaru, or to be more precise, his body , it was more toned out and muscular than he remembered; it also felt lighter and more flexible than before, which, mind you, wasn't anything special but was pretty good for a shut-in like him. While he usually would have been happy at the prospect of getting a physical power up, the skull splitting headache was very getting in the way.
At first he thought nothing much of the, probably the side effect of listening to Paimon's explanation of this world for so long. Don't get him wrong, he is glad that she is here to help him, but OHHH GOD, does her voice get tiring after a while. But anyway, even when she stopped talking, the headache didn't stop. In fact, along the way, he suddenly started to hear whispers that seemingly came from all directions, it was impossible to make sense of it as a collective mess of mixed voices.
"Agh " Subaru sighed catching a worried look from paimon . "huh the headache didn't go away , we should probably get you doctor as soon as we get to a city " paimon said .
"It's alright, not a big deal anyways , Besides, we don't even have the money to afford a doctor, do we?" Subaru responded. "Well, Paimon still thinks you should get checked out. Wait! I know we should go towards a nearby statue of seven; it might be able to stop your headache." Paimon suggested
"That's actually not a bad idea " Subaru remarked " well then where can we find one " he asked .
Paimon flew a bit higher in the air in response to his question and started to look around for the statue flying a circular manner when suddenly " THERE ! " she screamed from above while flying down toward him " it really nearby, quick follow me"
As they made their way toward the statue, Subaru noticed a few odd details , the luscious green rich colour of the plants begin to fade to a more dull yellow as reached closer to the statue instead of relief or calm he felt more and more anxious as they went towards it until both he and Paimon were near face to face with it .
" Well this is the statue of the seven ,this one of Sumeru and the person you see there is the god of this nation , its said that being near a statue should slowly heal you of minor injuries and sickness as well bring a sense of relieve to your body …."
"But Paimon feels like something is not right , Paimon doesn't feel relief or calm at all in fact something feels wrong doesn't it Subaru … Subaru ?" paimon asked Subaru .
Subaru perfectly understood what paimon was talking about, in fact he could see what she was talking about as a black goo that constantly morphed with faces of agony like it wanted to set free but was held down by the statue.
it looked as though the black doo was draining the energy from the statue and the surrounding environment , instead of any relief or calm , he only felt a wave of laziness or Sloth wash over him urging him to just let down let someone else handle it , that it doesn't matter what he does in the end so he should just rest ,what harm would that be ?
But he resisted that voice with all his might , his body wanted to get out of their , to get as far away from he could but his very own soul had other wishes .
Without thinking he started to slowly walk toward the statue catching a worried look from Paimon to tried to speak to him but her voice never registered in his head instead the call of the black goo intensified almost as if it was happy at Subaru's presence ,when he reached arm's length the black goo shifted again to revel a palm size opening to the surface of the statue ,taking the invitation Subaru pulled his arm towards the opening and toched the cold stone surface of the statue ,for a second nothing happened .
Nobody said anything and even the black goo had stop shifting , coming to his senses Subaru quickly tried to pull his arm out but the black goo was quicker and latched itself on his arm .
He tried shacking it off but the black goo quickly started to sink into Subaru's skin , his body tried to reject and fight the foreign substance but strangely he felt his soul happy except it like it was a part ot it that it was missing for so long and had finally reunited .
After a few more seconds of futile attempts by Subaru the black goo had fully merged with him and suddenly spreading a wave of tiredness throughout his body causing him to fell on his knees, during all this Paimon was constantly at his side trying to help but in end nothing worked and Subaru lost conscious, the last thing he heard was Paimon's cry and from a distance a male voice saying " HEY ! WHO IS THERE " before passing out .
…
…
…
Nothing .
That was all that was there .
Not even the crushing darkness that had taken him away from his world was present there.
Then suddenly a projection emerged in front of him ,at first it was a blank white screen ,then slowly it zoomed toward a women that was wearing a kimono and had long blue hair , next to her was a boy hardly 7 or 8 years old who also had blue hair ,"Rigel" Subaru thought ,that was the boys name ,how did he know ?,well why wouldn't he? he was his father and the one who had name him after a star. Wait what? .
The boy then turned around as if he felt subaru's presence and looked at him for a second , the women noticed the boy and also turned around to see him and when she did , Subaru's heard sank . she had blue eyes like her hair and simple but elegant face full of kindness, in her arms was an infant wrapped in a blanket ,"Spica" was her name ,his daughter that he didn't even remember having .
The women somehow noticed subaru's pain and started to walk toward him , each step gave him a flashback of what happened between them , *#m was her name , she was the girl Subaru had asked to run away with all because he was too weak ,too stupid and too slothful to do anything , HE was the one who took her away from her sister ,the one whom she always looked up to and now, here she was ,his wife ,married to a pathetic man who couldn't even protect what mattered to him .
#m finally reached him and raised a hand, Subaru tried to reach it but then realized he was just viewing it from a place god-know-where , instead a different hand emerged from his POV that answered her . Then it hit him, HE was not the one they were looking at but rather at their Natsuki Subaru , the one who ran away from everything , the one too slothful to do anything useful.
The dream? Then ended leaving him more confused then ever.
Slowly he opened his eyes, returning to the waking world.
"Huh I don't recognize that celling " Subaru said in low voice and just registered the load crying noise next to him .
"Oh what the hell " Subaru sighed as he woke up to a crying Paimon hovering next to him . "OH YOU FINALLY WOKE UP "she cried.
"hey give the man some rest he just woke up " a male voice said behind paimon .
"Paimon sorry, Paimon was just worried for him , btw Paimon never got thank you for help " Paimon said. "No need for any thanks, it come with being a forest ranger btw the names Tighnari , the chief officer of the forest ranger. Nice to meet you too " Tighrai greeted them.
"The name's Natsuki Subaru , Nice to meet you as well , I would usually strike a poses but current you can why I won't do that " Subaru said to him. "Good decision , right now all you do is now rest , I don't know why you fell conscious tho , I mean recently the statue have not been in the best shape but to knock someone out , that unheard of " Tighnari responded .
"You know what don't worry about that just rest for now , I have do something else right now in 1 hour or so my student collie will come here and take you to meet me at the city gate ok , we will go Gandhavar Ville from there since I have all my Equipment there . Tighnari said .
"Oh its ok you don't bother with it , I am fit and fine see " Subaru shuggerd off Tighnari concern by getting out of the bed and immediately standing up but just as quickly stumbling causing Tighnari to quickly caught him and sat him down on the bed .
"OK there please listen, this is not just about you if there a phenomenon causing people weakness and lost of conscious near a statue of seven a place where a lot of people go rest and pray , then its imperative that we find the cause of it . " he said in a stern voice . " Usually I would have left this at the hand of the academia but right now its …. Look it doesn't matter you are coming with me ok , I will be leaving now ok , rest and when my student come go with her . he said as he closed the door and left the two in the room .
" ha " Subaru gave a slight chuckle at the absurdity of the situation , " what at you laughing at huh ?" Paimon questioned him .
"Nothing its just that not even 3 hour in a new world and I am already in some shit , although given my luck it should be much of a surprise " he commented .
"Well then we got like what ? an hour or 2 to waste , do you have anything to do " Subaru asked Paimon .
Chapter 2 chat gtp ( unedited)
"Weird."
That's how Subaru would describe this world—not because of the obsession with the number seven (seven nations, seven gods, seven elements) as Paimon had eagerly explained, or even the fact that the nations all had names borrowed from different languages in his own world.
No, it was weird because this world lacked something sacred. Something so vital that wars had been fought over it. A treasure so glorious it could elevate any meal to divine status.
Mayonnaise.
Yes, mayonnaise.
Like, come on. You could have a city called Mondstadt—which literally means "Moon City" in German—and a nation called Inazuma, which clearly means lightning in Japanese. He was currently in a place called Sumeru, and while Subaru was sure that had some meaning too, he didn't know what.
But no mayonnaise?
Outrageous.
He would have to enlighten this world. One jar at a time.
Speaking of weird things, his body felt… off. Not in a bad way. Actually, it was in a good way—too good. It was more toned, more flexible, and definitely lighter than he remembered. While that wasn't saying much for a former shut-in like him, it still raised questions. Normally he'd celebrate a surprise power-up, but the pounding in his head was killing the vibe.
At first, he brushed it off. Probably just a side effect of listening to Paimon talk non-stop about elemental systems and Archons for the past hour. He appreciated the help, really—but her voice had a way of drilling into the back of your brain like a mosquito with a megaphone.
But even after she stopped talking, the headache remained. Then came the whispers. Indistinct murmurs that crept into his ears from every direction, impossible to decipher, yet impossible to ignore.
"Ugh…" Subaru groaned, rubbing his temples. Paimon immediately noticed.
"Your headache isn't going away?" she asked, clearly worried. "We should probably get you to a doctor once we reach the city!"
"It's fine. Not a big deal," Subaru replied. "Besides, I doubt we can even afford a doctor, right?"
"Well... Paimon still thinks you should get checked out," she insisted. "Oh! Maybe the Statue of The Seven nearby can help! Those are supposed to heal you!"
"Not a bad idea," Subaru said, rubbing his chin. "Alright, lead the way."
Paimon floated upward, scanning the surroundings before spotting something. "THERE!" she shouted, pointing. "It's really close! Follow me!"
As they approached the statue, Subaru noticed something off. The vibrant greens of the forest were fading into a dull yellow. The air grew heavy. Instead of relief, anxiety crept in with every step. By the time they stood before the statue, Subaru's unease had fully taken root.
"This is the Statue of The Seven—Sumeru's Archon," Paimon explained. "Being near it should heal you and make you feel calm…"
Her voice trailed off. "But… Paimon doesn't feel calm. Something's wrong. Don't you feel it, Subaru?"
Subaru didn't answer. He was too busy staring at the inky, black substance oozing from the statue's base—its shifting form morphing into pained faces, as if hundreds of voices were screaming beneath the surface. From the looks of it Paimon wasn't able to see it only sense its affect.
It was like the statue was being drained. Not just of energy, but of life itself. Instead of calm, a crushing wave of laziness washed over him—Sloth. A desire to give up, to rest, to let someone else deal with it all.
But Subaru knew that feeling. He had fought that feeling before. And he would again.
His body screamed to run, but something deeper—his very soul—was drawn to it. Unthinking, he stepped forward.
"Subaru?" Paimon called, but her voice sounded distant, like it was underwater.
The black goo shifted, revealing a small opening on the statue's surface, just big enough for a hand. Entranced, Subaru reached out and touched the cold stone.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then the goo lunged.
It wrapped around his arm like a snake, sinking into his skin. Subaru staggered back, trying to shake it off—but it was too late. His body resisted, but his soul… welcomed it. Like a long-lost piece returning home.
A wave of exhaustion crushed him. His knees buckled.
Paimon cried out, grabbing his shoulders. "SUBARU!"
Then, darkness.
And a voice.
"HEY! WHO'S THERE?!"
Nothing.
Not darkness, not light—just nothing.
Then, like a flickering film reel, an image appeared.
A woman in a blue kimono. A young boy with matching blue hair. Rigel, Subaru thought. That was his name. His son. How did he know? Of course he knew. He named him.
Wait. What?
The boy turned toward him. The woman followed, her eyes gentle. In her arms was a baby girl, wrapped in soft cloth. Spica, his mind whispered. His daughter.
Subaru's heart clenched. The woman stepped forward. Her name was…
#m. He didn't want to remember it. But he did.
The one he'd begged to run away with him. The one he stole from her family—because he was too weak, too scared, too slothful to fight for her.
And here she was, smiling sadly at someone. But not at him.
He realized with a jolt—he wasn't seeing from his own eyes. He was a spectator. They were looking at someone else. Another Subaru. The one who had ran away from everything he loved , everything he wanted to protect but was in the end to SLOTHFUL to do anything.
And then—
Subaru awoke with a gasp.
"Huh. I don't recognize that ceiling," he muttered weakly.
"SUBARU!" Paimon shrieked beside him, tears in her eyes. "YOU'RE AWAKE!"
"Hey, give the guy a break, he just woke up," said a new voice from across the room.
A young man with large ears and a composed demeanor approached. "I'm Tighnari, Forest Watcher of Gandharva Ville. You're lucky we found you."
"I'm Natsuki Subaru. Nice to meet you," Subaru replied, then added with a grin, "I'd usually strike a pose, but I think you can see why I won't."
"Wise choice," Tighnari said with a small smile. "Whatever happened at that statue… it's not normal. Statues of The Seven aren't supposed to knock people out. We'll need to investigate further."
Tighnari handed him a bottle of water. "Rest up. In an hour, my student Collei will take you to meet me at the city gates. We'll head to Gandharva Ville together."
"You really don't have to go to all that trouble," Subaru said, getting out of bed—only to nearly collapse as his legs gave out.
Tighnari caught him. "Exactly why I do. This does not only effect you , it effects everyone in the city, if the symbol of our faith in our gods suddenly starts to knock people out left and right it will cause widespread panic and chaos across the nation not just Sumeru, in all honesty this type of things are usually handled by the academia due to recent events…you know what forget it . He turned to leave. "Rest. My student Collei will be here soon , till then I will advise you not to make any sudden movement or try anything funny ok , I deeply apolagise but for now you have no choice but to accompany us." He gave the final command shutting and then locking the door by the looks of it.
Subaru leaned back into the bed, exhaling.
"Heh…" he chuckled softly.
"What's so funny?" Paimon asked, frowning.
"Just… three hours in a new world, and I'm already knee-deep in another mess. Guess my luck hasn't changed."
"Well, we've got an hour or two to kill," Paimon said. "Got anything in mind?"