Chapter 13
Subaru didn't waste a second. The moment she understood the danger, she bolted out of the mansion, feet slamming against the floor as she sprinted down the halls, nearly slipping on the polished wood. Her lungs burned, her muscles screamed, but she didn't stop. She couldn't. She had to get to the village. Now.
Behind her, voices shouted in confusion. Ram, Emilia, even Puck. But none of them mattered. Not right now. There was only one person who mattered in this moment, and that was Rem. Because if anyone was going to follow her, if anyone was going to try and stop her, it would be her.
And, of course, Subaru wasn't wrong.
Within seconds, she heard hurried footsteps behind her. Rem was following, her presence steady, her breathing calm. She wasn't running at full speed like Subaru was, but rather keeping pace with ease, as if simply watching, observing, waiting for an opening.
"You seem to be in a hurry, Echidna-sama," Rem said, voice even, almost pleasant.
Subaru didn't answer, too focused on keeping herself upright. She could already feel her body failing her. Her legs were shaking, her chest felt tight, and she was beginning to taste blood in the back of her throat. Damn, this body was weak.
Back then—back when she was still Natsuki Subaru—this wouldn't have been a problem. As a boy, she was strong, fit, energetic. She could run without feeling like her ribs were caving in. But now? In this new body? With this pale skin and these thin limbs? She might as well have been made of paper.
It wasn't fair.
Rem picked up speed, closing the gap slightly. "Where exactly are you going in such a rush?"
Subaru forced the words out between desperate gasps of air. "Mabeast… as a puppy…!"
Rem's expression barely changed, but Subaru could feel it—the shift in her demeanor. Not quite understanding. Not quite believing.
And then Subaru collapsed.
Her body hit the dirt path with an ungraceful thud, her arms barely catching her before her face could meet the ground. Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it! She could hear Rem's footsteps stop just beside her, could hear the faint sigh that escaped her lips.
"So weak," Rem murmured, as if stating a simple fact.
Subaru clenched her teeth.
She knew.
She knew Rem wasn't here to help her. She was just waiting for the right moment. She wasn't stupid—she could feel the weight of Rem's gaze, could see the way her fingers twitched slightly, itching to summon that morningstar and end this foolish, desperate attempt at… whatever Subaru was trying to do.
But she didn't have time to care about that.
Because she still had a chance.
The village wasn't far, just a little more—
A rustle of movement.
People.
Subaru lifted her head and saw them. Villagers, drawn by the sight of her collapsed on the road, already hurrying over. Some carried baskets, others were mid-conversation, but all of them stopped what they were doing at the sight of her.
"Are you alright, dear?"
"What happened?"
"She looks exhausted, we should get her some water!"
Subaru seized the opportunity, scrambling up onto her hands and knees, sucking in a sharp breath before forcing her words out. "The puppy. Where is the puppy?"
The villagers exchanged glances, confused by the urgency in her voice.
One of the men rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, the kids took it into the forest this morning. Why?"
Her blood ran cold.
The timeline was different.
Why? Why was it different?
It didn't matter.
No time to think.
Subaru pushed herself up, her body screaming in protest, but she forced it to move. She had no choice. The kids were in the forest. The puppy was with them. That wasn't a puppy. That was something else. Something far worse.
She stumbled forward, barely catching herself before she hit the ground again, her breath coming out in sharp, wheezing gasps.
"Hey, slow down!" one of the villagers called, concern evident in his tone. "You're going to collapse again!"
But Subaru didn't listen.
She ran.
Or rather, she tried to run.
Her body didn't cooperate. She tripped. She tipped over. Her feet caught on every possible rock and root in the path. Every few steps, she was forced to correct herself, barely managing to stay upright.
Rem, still following, was watching with thinly veiled amusement.
Subaru could see it in the way she tilted her head ever so slightly, in the way her lips almost—not quite—curved upward.
Enjoying this, huh?
Enjoying watching the 'witch' struggle?
Fine. Whatever.
Subaru didn't have time to care.
Her hair, usually free-flowing, was already tangled and sticking to her face from sweat. It was getting in her eyes, making it harder to see, harder to focus. Frustrated, she reached up and quickly twisted it into two messy buns, barely securing them before pushing herself forward again.
The forest was close now.
Almost there.
She could feel Rem's gaze still locked onto her, studying her every move, still uncertain, still waiting.
What was the witch thinking?
Subaru didn't care.
Because if she didn't make it in time…
Then those kids were already dead.
Y—Y
Subaru and Rem found the kids easily enough. Too easily. That was the first bad sign. The second was that they weren't playing, weren't running around, weren't making a mess like kids should. No, they were sprawled across the grass, unmoving.
Subaru's heart slammed against her ribs as she rushed forward, knees hitting the dirt as she grabbed the nearest child, shaking them slightly. No response. Damn it. Her hands went straight to their neck, fingers pressing down. Pulse. Alive.
She exhaled in relief, quickly moving to check the others. Same. All of them were breathing, just knocked out. But for how long? And what had done this?
She already knew the answer.
"We need to find the MaBeast, Rem-chi. Now!" Subaru's voice came out frantic, her body already pushing itself back up, ready to run, ready to move—
Only to immediately trip over her own damn feet.
For the second time that day, Subaru ate dirt, face-first, her already filthy hair dragging against the ground.
Rem sighed.
A long, heavy sigh. The kind that said she wasn't surprised in the slightest.
"Echidna-sama, can't you fly?"
Subaru coughed up grass, pushing herself back onto her knees. "Do I look like a bird to you?!"
"A crow, to be exact," Rem muttered, unimpressed. "But no, I mean using Wind Magic to propel yourself."
Wind magic.
Subaru frowned.
She had never really used Wind Magic before. Emilia had taught her Ice Magic, Beatrice had given her some pointers, but Wind? She had no clue where to even start.
But she didn't have time to hesitate.
The MaBeast was somewhere nearby. The kids were unconscious, vulnerable. They needed to act fast.
Iron Man, Subaru thought. Iron Woman. Whatever.
She braced herself, focusing, imagining. Wind beneath her feet, wind pushing against the ground, forcing her upwards, lifting her into the air—
Boom.
A blast of force exploded beneath her, launching her straight into the sky.
"Gaaaaaaah—!"
She was going up. Higher. Higher. And she couldn't stop.
Her arms flailed, her stomach twisted, and the world blurred around her as she kept ascending, weightless, helpless, completely at the mercy of gravity.
Holy crap, she was flying.
No—she was falling with style.
Or rather, she was falling with absolutely no style whatsoever.
She needed control.
Subaru forced herself to focus, arms outstretched, feeling the wind against her skin. Okay. Okay. Wind Magic. She had Wind Magic. She could use Wind Magic.
Maybe.
She tried to angle herself, tried to direct the flow, tried to shift her trajectory—
And that's when she saw it.
The MaBeast.
Not as a puppy. Not even remotely close.
A massive creature, its form barely recognizable as canine anymore. Its fur was thick, dark, and bristling, muscles rippling beneath the surface as it prowled the forest below. Its eyes burned, glowing an eerie red, its mouth filled with jagged, glistening fangs. This thing wasn't just a MaBeast. It was a monster.
And Subaru was heading straight for it.
No. No, no, no, no, no—
She twisted, trying to slow herself, trying to change course, trying to do literally anything except crash directly into—
Impact.
She landed hard, but not on the ground.
On fur. Thick, surprisingly soft fur.
Subaru blinked.
She was on its back.
Oh.
Uh-oh.
Y—Y
Rem found Echidna-fucking-sama running. Sprinting. No—bolting across the forest with all the grace of a panicked deer. Her long white hair whipped behind her, her expression twisted in pure, undignified fear. And behind her, shaking the earth with every massive step, was a beast. A huge MaBeast.
Rem almost smiled at the sight. It was disgusting, really, how this so-called Witch of Greed, this conniving, manipulative, insufferable creature, could look so pitiful. Pathetic. Maybe this was it. Maybe this was where the witch met her end. A fitting punishment for all her sins.
But then, Rem saw it.
The tiny blonde head cradled in Echidna-sama's arms. A child. One of the village kids.
The smirk slipped from Rem's face.
Why?
Why would Echidna-fucking-sama risk her life for a normal human? What was her angle? What was she planning? There had to be something. No way would a witch like her—
And then she tripped.
Like an idiot.
Again.
Rem didn't even blink as Subaru went tumbling across the dirt, rolling with all the force of a ragdoll thrown down a hill. It would have been hilarious—should have been hilarious—if not for what happened next.
The MaBeasts moved in.
Not just one. More. Four. Five. They emerged from the trees like shadows given form, all snarling and growling, their sharp teeth glistening under the moonlight. The biggest one, the pack leader, loomed above Subaru, its glowing eyes locked onto its prey.
Subaru scrambled, still holding the child tightly to her chest. She lifted a shaking hand and cast a fireball, the bright flame illuminating the darkened woods. It exploded against the beast's side, making it snarl, making it flinch. But it wasn't enough. Ice shards formed next, sharp spikes of frost aimed at the others, but again, it wasn't enough. They barely slowed down.
And then Rem saw it.
Echidna-sama… wasn't running anymore. She wasn't dodging. She wasn't even protecting herself.
She was shielding the girl.
Taking the bites. Taking the claws.
Rem watched, frozen, as blood splattered across the dirt. As sharp fangs dug into the witch's flesh. As claws ripped into her back, her shoulders, her arms. She wasn't screaming. She wasn't even making a sound. Just gritting her teeth and curling over the child, taking every attack head-on, refusing to let even a single wound touch the small, fragile girl in her arms.
Why?
Why go so far?
Rem's grip on her morningstar tightened.
This wasn't right. This wasn't logical. A witch should never—could never—do something like this. Was it a trick? A ploy? Was she trying to manipulate Rem into trusting her?
No.
No, that wasn't it.
This was real.
The way she bled. The way she trembled. The way she kept moving, despite the pain, despite the wounds, despite the fact that she was already halfway to death.
Rem's heart pounded. Her mind raced.
Echidna-sama wasn't supposed to be like this.
She was supposed to be evil. That's what Rem always believed. That's what she always told herself. That's what everyone said. That's what made sense.
But Roswaal-sama didn't see her that way. Beatrice-sama didn't either. Emilia-sama, Puck-sama, they all spoke of her as if she were good. As if she were kind. As if she were worth something.
And now…
Now, Rem was starting to understand why.
She hated that.
Hated the confusion twisting in her chest.
Hated the doubt creeping into her thoughts.
Hated that, right now, despite everything, she didn't want Echidna-fucking-sama to die.
Just this once.
Only once.
She would give her a chance.
Just one.
Without another thought, Rem summoned her morningstar and leaped.
Y—Y
Rem struck first. Her morningstar whirled through the air like a meteor, the spiked head colliding with the nearest MaBeast in a brutal crunch of shattered bone and torn flesh. The beast yelped, its body folding inward as it was sent flying into a tree with enough force to splinter the bark. Blood sprayed, hot and dark, staining the ground. But there were more. Too many more.
Subaru barely had the strength to register what was happening. She was still crouched over Petra, her arms locked around the tiny, trembling body, her own blood soaking into the girl's clothes. She blinked through the haze of pain, her coal-black eyes wide with shock as she watched Rem fight. Rem. Helping her. Fighting for her. The same Rem who, not too long ago, had been watching her every move with suspicion, who had been waiting for an opportunity to end her life.
It didn't make sense. But none of this did.
Rem moved like a blur, a streak of blue against the darkness of the forest. Her strength—her real strength—was unleashed. Her Oni blood boiled in her veins, her single horn glowing with an eerie, unnatural light. She was faster now, stronger, each swing of her morningstar carrying the weight of ten men. She crushed another MaBeast's skull, the impact sending a shockwave through the clearing. Another came from the side, lunging for her throat, but she twisted mid-air, dodging with impossible agility before slamming the beast down so hard its spine snapped on impact.
Still, it wasn't enough.
There were too many.
More poured from the trees, their glowing eyes like embers in the darkness. They surrounded her. Surrounding Subaru. Petra.
Rem gritted her teeth, breath ragged, her body already bruised and bleeding. But she didn't stop. She wouldn't stop.
Subaru's fingers dug into the dirt, her body screaming in protest as she tried to rise. She couldn't just sit here. She had to help. Had to fight. She reached deep, summoning the last dregs of mana within her exhausted body. A fireball flickered to life in her palm, weak, unstable, but she threw it anyway. The flames struck a MaBeast in the side, making it howl, its fur igniting in an instant. It stumbled, thrashing violently before another of its kind lunged forward, taking its place.
Subaru gritted her teeth. No use.
This was bad.
The MaBeasts were adapting, changing their strategy, pressing in tighter, working together. They weren't just mindless monsters. They were hunting.
Rem slammed her morningstar into the ground, sending a shockwave of raw force outward. It knocked a few of them back, buying them a second. But a second wasn't enough.
Subaru saw it before Rem did.
The leader.
Looming behind her, massive, towering, its fur like midnight shadows, its jaws stretched wide, fangs glistening with saliva. It was too fast. Too close. Rem had no time to dodge.
Subaru's mouth opened, a scream forming—
Boom.
The world exploded.
A massive orb of crackling energy crashed into the clearing like a divine judgment, obliterating everything in its path. The force alone sent Subaru tumbling back, her ears ringing, her vision swimming in white.
When the dust settled, she saw him.
Floating mid-air, shrouded in magic, his flamboyant robes billowing as if caught in an unseen breeze.
Roswaal.
His golden eyes gleamed, sharp and unreadable, as he surveyed the destruction below. His gaze landed on her, lingering for a moment before flickering to Rem. Then to Petra.
And then, to the bodies of the MaBeasts, now nothing more than charred remnants of their former selves.
His expression barely changed, but there was something in the way his lips parted, the slight tilt of his head—shock. Disbelief.
His master.
His supposed master.
Lying on the ground in such a pathetic, bloodied state.
Subaru barely had time to register his reaction before the weight of exhaustion slammed into her all at once. Her limbs felt like lead, her head spinning, her breath shallow.
But Petra was alive.
Rem would live.
That was enough.
Her vision blurred. Her body went limp. And then, darkness.
Y—Y
Author Note: Can we say— Sasugōi desu, EciBaru-sama!
Noticed how the events change from loop to loop? I wonder why.
Thanks for reading this chapter. Drop your thoughts in the review section. Your words motivate me to write better, larger and with more depth.
Until next time!