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Chapter Text

Prologue :

It was cold. 

A blanket of soft snow fell on what seemed to be a never-ending ocean of treetops spanning across the surrounding mountains. Despite the dark, ominous clouds and the howling winds laced with frost, there was peace, almost as if tranquility itself had come to rest.

Yet inside a lonely cave on a barren cliffside, resided something sinister. There, smothered in the blackness of his robe, stood a man surrounded by a large number of other hooded figures, all of them basking in the lack of light. The man took soft, erratic breaths as he flipped through a black tome filled with pages of illegible script, occasionally whispering frantically to himself like a child plagued by nightmares. 

“Th-the writings… The Ordeal…” The man’s voice scraped along the walls like a knife.

The words on the pages were squirming almost as if they were alive, changing form or disappearing entirely. The man shook with horror as his trembling fingers softly caressed the pages.

“Why…” He suddenly slammed the book shut and screamed. “Why… why why why whywhywhywhywhyWHY”

The surrounding figures seemed slightly startled as the man started to grab at his fleshy, chalk-colored face and thin green hair, his nails tearing into his own body like a ravenous beast.

“All of my PREPARATION... THE GLORIOUS ARRIVAL WAS ON THE HORIZON.” He leaped at one of his robed audience and shoved them into the hard walls of the cave. Screaming, the man repeatedly slammed the now-limp body into the cold rock. “WHY HAS MY DILIGENCE BEEN NEGLECTED?”

The man, now covered in dust and blood, slowly arose and turned back to the rigid listeners. His book now glowed a purple hue, emitting a faint hum. Looking at it, he wore a look of shock, but then his eyes widened suddenly in realization. “No…  it is not negligence we have received from her, but ACKNOWLEDGMENT…” He bent backward, his torso contorting as he exclaimed loudly to his followers. “We have been selected for an even greater ordeal… by… her LOVE… 

As the snow began to clear and the sun began to fade, the cave echoed with the screeches of the deranged maniac “LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today was a relaxing day by all accounts for Natsuki Subaru. 

It had only been a couple of weeks since the incident with the Wolfgarms, but Subaru had been thrust into a daily regimen of household chores that far surpassed his initial workload. On top of that, just a couple of days before, they had held a snow festival, which Subaru had planned himself, in the manor’s gardens as a way to have fun during the Great Spirit Puck’s magic release period, which froze the area around the mansion. “I guess it’s still a more fulfilling lifestyle than the one I led on Earth,” he thought to himself. In the recent weeks since his summoning, his home on earth hadn’t really come to mind much. For him, each day he had spent in his old world had offered less and less as time went on. 

He had just finished doing his morning radio calisthenics and was lying in the grass, trying to enjoy the sun that had been absent for a few days. The warmth of the sun, like a blanket, and the softness of the grass beneath made him begin to doze off. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard a bell-like voice chiming out to him from across the yard.

“Oh, hi there Subaru, I hope I’m not interrupting something”, Emilia said as she strolled up happily to where he was lying down.

Subaru rubbed his eyes and yawned before standing up to greet her properly. “Hey Emilia-tan. No, I'm just enjoying the sun, and now I have your beautiful face to go along with it.”

Emilia blushed slightly, but then shook her head and stared at him intensely. “You know it's reeaally not good for you to just lie around too much.”

Another voice popped up into the mix as Puck, Emilia’s contracted spirit, flies up to Subaru “Yeah, Subaru, I wouldn’t want Emilia to cry when you get too fat and can’t fit into those strange clothes of yours anymore… although maybe a wardrobe change wouldn’t hurt.”

“Hey! I won’t get fat,” Subaru whines as he reaches out to the floating feline with a single finger and starts petting his fur, tickling him. “And my tracksuit is fashionable and very convenient!”

Emilia giggled at the two as Puck recoiled away from Subaru’s touch, floating up to hover near her shoulder.“You’re lucky I’m so forgiving, Subaru.” Puck said, fluffing his tail. “Otherwise, I might just let Lia scold you more often.”

Emilia sighed softly as Subaru started to chase Puck around and play with him, subtly looking up at the clear sky. “It really is a nice day, though”. She glanced over at Puck. He was laughing at Subaru, who had looked directly into the sun and was yelling about his burned eyes. She wanted to laugh with them, but refrained when she remembered what Puck had told her before. “ The wound on his belly, the wound he got when the mabeast bit him... All the scars he carries are the result of your actions. I know you wouldn't forget that, but you need to remember it.” She had been surprised at Puck’s words, but she understood them. “I want to keep him by my side, but I’m going to need to try reeeaally hard to keep him safe from any more harm.”  

Subaru saw Emilia deep in thought and stopped messing with Puck. He walked back up to her and waved his hands in front of Emilia's face. “You ok, Emilia-tan?” 

She blinked, then nodded in response with a little more resolve in her voice. “Mmhmm I’m alright… but Subaru I-”

“What are you doing, Barusu?” Ram’s sharp voice cut through the moment as she approached. The pink-haired maid’s lips were knotted into a scowl, and her arms were crossed in obvious disapproval. “It’s not even midday, and you’re already slacking off. Ram believes making you do all of her chores today would be a sufficient punishment.”

“Now now, nee-sama,” Ram’s blue-haired twin sister, Rem, chirped up from behind her. “Go easy on Subaru-kun, he's had a rough week after all.” She looked at Emilia. “Emilia-sama, we have an urgent message to deliver to you concerning the arrival of some emissaries from the Crusch camp.”

“Ha,” Ram huffs in agreement. “Yes, Rem, you are correct. Barusu should apologize for his blatant disregard of Emilia-sama’s time.

“Hey, that’s not even close to what she-” 

“Emilia-sama,” Ram continued, completely ignoring Subaru’s protests. There has been an urgent call for you to go to the capital immediately. A representative from the Crusch camp will be arriving today to elaborate further on the situation and bring you there. The negotiations that were discussed will be postponed until said situation has been resolved. We will pray for your safety.”

Emilia tilted her head in surprise, “I see… well then I’d better go and get prepared.” 

Puck flew up, following behind Emilia as she began walking back to the mansion. “See you later, Subaru… Ram, Rem”

The two maids bowed politely as Subaru grinned and gave a small wave to the spirit.

Ram turned to Subaru, “Barusu, make sure you stay out of sight. We don’t need you making a fool of yourself in front of our guests.” Subaru opened his mouth to protest again, but she held up her hand. “There will be no arguing this, Barusu. You shall help with preparations, then let Rem and me handle their arrival.”  

The rest of the morning was spent preparing for the arrival of the representatives. While Rem helped Emilia get ready for her departure, Subaru’s “preparations” consisted of him helping Ram clean every room in the mansion, save, of course, the Forbidden Library. While cleaning Roswaal’s study, Ram came to scold him for his “inadequate” job in cleaning the rest of the gargantuan house. 

“How can you expect me to make every room perfectly spotless in just a couple hours?” Subaru grumbled, “Also, aren’t they just coming to pick up Emilia? Why would they even come in?”

Ram just turned her head and huffed at him, “Of course your puny mind doesn’t understand Barusu. It’s a common expectation for a guest to arrive at a clean house.” She wiped a finger across Roswaal’s desk and frowned at the dirt that came with it. “And since you can’t seem to clean anything properly, you’ll be doing everything again.” 

After Subaru cleaned the entire mansion once again, Ram called his work “barely satisfactory” and sent him outside to straighten up the garden. Some of the bushes had been cut into shapes that could only be described as malformed monstrosities. Subaru let out a sigh of anguish. “Unbelievable. She complains about my work, then sends me to fix her mess.” He grabbed a pair of shears from the toolshed and got to work on reshaping the foliage.

“Finally,” Subaru sat down as he finished pruning the last set of bushes in the gardens. He wiped away the beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead. “I can't believe Ram made me clean up her mess in the garden after cleaning the entire mansion again.” He slammed his hands on the bench he was sitting on. “What the hell does she mean by saying that I'm going to make a fool of myself? I just want to be there for my sweet Emilia–tan!”

Ram had always been slightly mean to him since he’d first arrived, butchering his name and constantly exaggerating his shortcomings, but it had always carried an air of insincerity. Today, that was not the case. “Maybe something’s wrong. She did say there was an urgent message… “ He nodded to himself confidently. “Whatever the case, I’m not going to let Emilia-tan face it alone.  

Just as he finished his thoughts, he heard the sound of hooves and carriage wheels coming from the manor’s entrance. “That must be them.”

As Subaru walked into the mansion’s courtyard, his eyes fell upon the carriage, which was unmanned. The guests had already been escorted elsewhere. “Dammit!” Yelled Subaru. “What am I supposed to do now?” He turned to walk toward the manor, but just then he heard a gruff voice calling out behind him.

“Having trouble, are we?” The voice belonged to an old man. His clothes were formal and well-tailored to fit his tall, well-built form. His ponytail swayed as he walked out from behind the carriage. 

Subaru’s face held a look of shock. “N-no I mean… u-um sorry. I was just hoping to catch Emilia-tan while…” He looked at the carriage and remembered what Ram had said. “Well, I guess they really did go inside then.”

The old man raised an eyebrow. “Tan, you say… An interesting name for a royal candidate. But I see…” He sighed wistfully, and his sharp eyes softened ever so slightly. “It is a steep path you climb, young man.” 

Subaru blinked, caught off guard by the comment, but before he could respond, the man stepped closer and gave a small, respectful bow.

“I am Wilhelm,” he said, his tone steady and composed. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Subaru returned the gesture with an awkward bow. “Natsuki Subaru…” He looked back at Wilhelm, who had pulled out a handkerchief and was polishing the side of the carriage. “Sorry if this is rude, but why aren’t you inside with the others? Aren’t you a little… bored out here?” 

Wilhelm let out a small chickle. “No, I’m quite alright. My purpose at this moment is to wait here until my company and Emilia-sama are ready to depart…” He turned to look at Subaru, his gaze piercing into the boy, making him gulp. “ …and yet I sense that I am more in place here than you are currently.”

“N-no I mean… aaaaagh you’re right.” Subaru hung his head in dejection. “I don’t know what’s going on and I… I can’t stand it.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “But I do know this,” He looked up at Wilhelm with a newfound resolve in his eyes. “I want to protect her. All of them… From whatever danger they might be facing.”

Wilhelm’s eyes widened as they looked at the determined Subaru. Lowering his voice, he spoke softly, “...And are you truly certain of this? Will you strive for your goal even if it means horrors untold and staring death itself in the face? To protect them?”

Subaru hesitated, the gravity of Wilhelm’s words pressing down on him like a heavy weight. He recalled his numerous horrific deaths at the hands of friends and foes alike. He remembered that feeling of losing everything he worked hard to gain. A feeling he never wanted to experience again. “Will I really do it? Even though I say I will, I… I don’t want to get hurt. I’m afraid .“ As doubt settled in, his mind drifted to the loot house—the first time he died. He had sworn to save Emilia then. And again, at the cliff, he chose to save Ram and Rem even if it meant dying again. “ No.” Any reluctance in his head was pushed away. “‘I’ve come this far, I’m not going to back down from this.”

“I am certain,” he said firmly, his voice unwavering. “No matter what I have to face. I’ll do it for them. I’ll protect them.”

Wilhelm nodded in satisfaction. “I see… Your resolve is clear.” He cleared his throat and spoke tentatively. “There is but one reason for Emilia-sama’s hasty move to the capital. The Witch Cult has threatened to attack. And it seems that Emilia-sama is their main target.”

“The Witch Cult?” Subaru’s spine shivered as he remembered that night and that question Rem had asked him before he was killed. “Are you affiliated with the Witch Cult?”  Recalling her expression of pure hatred made his stomach churn. “But why would they be after Emilia-tan?

Wilhelm lowered his eyes. “Unfortunate as it is, Emilia-sama bears a strong resemblance to the Witch of Envy. It’s likely the cultists view this as blasphemous, although their true intentions are unclear.” “Seeing as they have never once announced their intentions so blatantly before, such boldness suggests a far greater scheme.”

Subaru clenched his fists tightly as Wilhelm continued.

 “With all of this in mind, the capital has been deemed the safest place for the Royal candidate to reside until the threat is dealt with. The kingdom is mobilizing to defend against a full-scale attack.

“I need to go too,” Subaru said, his voice firm. “I can’t just sit here while Emilia-tan’s in danger.”

“Subaru?” A voice cut through the air. “What are you doing here?” 

Subaru glanced over to see Emilia, followed closely by Roswaal, the eccentric Margrave who sponsored her. Behind him was a demi-human with cat ears and a frilly blue dress whom Subaru didn’t recognize. “Most likely the emissary from the capital,” Subaru realized, wondering how such a flowery-looking character could hold such a fancy-sounding position. Lastly came the maids, who were carrying what Subaru assumed to be Emilia’s belongings.

Ram wore an irritated look on her face. “Pathetic,” She began to scold Subaru. “Barusu, I told you to-” 

“Emilia,” Subaru fully turned around. “I’m coming with you. You’re in danger, and I won’t stand by and watch.” 

Emilia was taken aback by his sudden statement, her eyes widening in shock. Her mouth quivered ever so slightly in fear as she remembered Puck’s words once again “All the scars he carries are the result of your actions.” 

Emilia had already hurt him too many times. She couldn’t let it happen again. “S-Subaru this isn’t-”

“Now, nooow Emilia-sama, Subaru-kun seems quite determined. You wouldn’t dismiss his resolve so heartlessly, would you?” Roswaal had come up behind Emilia and put his hand on her shoulder.

Emilia tensed up. “Roswaal I-”

“In faaact, I believe that the forces in the capital woooould have great use for a young man like Subaru-kun.” Roswaal looked over at Subaru, whose mouth was open in shock, and gave him a quick wink. “Don’t yoooou agree, Felix?”

The cat-eared demihuman spoke up. “Oh my, bringing this boy along? Yes, I suppose we could make use of him. I nyow Julius is looking for people to receive basic training as soldiers for the upcoming battle.” Felix’s head tilted slightly. “But does he have what it takes to keep up nyah?”

Wilhelm, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. “I can attest to this young man’s mental fortitude and resolve. I believe leaving him behind would indeed be a grave mistake on our part.”

Roswaal clapped his hands together. “It’s settled then. Suuubaru-kun will accompany Emilia-sama to the capital city, where he will assist the knights in preeparation for the attack.”

Subaru blinked, stunned. “Wait, what? I mean—yes! I won’t let you down!” His heart pounded, but a determined smile spread across his face.

Emilia hesitated, her hands shaking. She looked at Subaru, the determination in his eyes unwavering. “Subaru…” 

Puck floated up next to her shoulder, a concerned look on his face. “Don’t worry Lia,” He ruffled her hair with his tiny paw, trying his best as a father to reassure her, “He’ll be fine, just have a little faith and everything will turn out ok.”

Emilia gave Puck a weak smile and nodded lightly. Her gaze moved to Subaru, who was dancing excitedly in circles around the maids.

“Yeah,” she stifled a giggle. I’m sure that things will be back to how they are soon enough.”

Little did she know how wrong she was.

Chapter Text

Today was the fateful day.

In the grassy plains outside the great walls of the capital, an army led by a platoon of ground dragons trotted slowly. Atop these beasts were the Royal Knights of Lugunica, clothed in pearly white armor. Each of them was adorned with an emblem depicting two gold dragons, which signified their sworn allegiance to the kingdom.

Riding one of the war lizards was Natsuki Subaru, sporting leather armor and a white cape. His sharp eyes looked out over the horizon at a massive war encampment in the distance.

“The Witch Cult is attacking.“

“They are fanatical. Merciless. Unstoppable.”

“We are an untrained force, standing against a power we barely understand.”

“Today, I will fight to protect my new home.”

“Are you ready, Subaru-san?” The voice came from the man riding alongside Subaru. He sat upright and proud, his cape billowing behind him while his shoulder-length purple hair danced freely in the wind. This was the man Natsuki Subaru called his mentor, Julius Jukuulius. Julius was considered by many to be the most chivalrous of the knights, and was normally a polite and gentle man. 

That said, his demeanor at the moment was unnaturally firm.

Subaru looked over at Julius and breathed deeply. He had suffered much up until this point, this had to be his big break right? Even just imagining the look on Emilia’s face as he walked triumphantly through the city… Oooh he couldn’t wait. With a slightly goofy smile, he gave a response that for a boy like him seemed appropriately cliche. “Ready as I'll ever be.”

It had only been a couple of weeks since Subaru had arrived in the capital. After Wilhelm referred him to the army, he began his training as a soldier amongst other recruited citizens. Julius, who was overseeing the training, had been observing him and, to his surprise, seemed to have taken a liking to him. For the following day, he was given an offer to become an apprentice knight. The time he spent training with Julius had flown by quickly in comparison to his time at Roswaal’s mansion, but even so, the two were able to bond in a way that Subaru hadn’t experienced since long before arriving in Lugunica. Not just as knight and apprentice, but as brothers. 

Even with his slight incompetence and inability to read a room, his lightheartedness often served as a remedy to Julius’ habit of becoming overly serious in certain situations. Whether or not this particular event required a certain level of seriousness, Subaru still managed to make Julius smile, if only a little.

As they continued, Subaru looked at what seemed to be the temporary war camp of their adversaries. Various carts had been parked close to each other similar to a campground, with many tents placed in orderly lines throughout the area. Subaru couldn’t make out many details, but he noticed one especially odd thing.

“Despite its enormous size, the camp seems oddly empty.”

Before Subaru could question it further in his mind, the platoon suddenly ceased their advance, and Julius made his way towards the front with Subaru following behind. At the very front leading the force was Marcus Gildark, the Captain of the Royal Knights, and a strong leader by all rights. He had a well-chiseled face and a body that Subaru would describe as “Built like a tank”. At his side was the heroic Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea. A young man whose fiery red hair and devilish good looks would make a goddess blush. 

The Sword Saint was a title given to those in the Astrea family who inherited the divine blessing of the Sword Saint. Every one of them was a renowned warrior of the Kingdom and was said to triumph against impossible odds in battles throughout history consistently. Reinhard was no exception. Tales of his heroic deeds were told in every corner of Lugunica. At his waist was the legendary Dragon Sword Reid, which had been passed down from the first Sword Saint.

Marcus swiftly hopped off of his mount, his boots hitting the floor with a loud thud. He slowly turned to face the army behind him. They were apprehensive. Many of the newer military recruits were quivering slightly in their armor, for they had not seen true battle before. There was an awkward air of negativity surrounding the soldiers. Subaru could feel a chill running down his spine. Before, he’d had a more lighthearted attitude about today. After all, the entire kingdom was facing off against a Cult. , but today could go horribly wrong. He caught the eye of the Captain, who seemed to understand his fears just by looking at his eyes.

“That’s Jukuulius’ trainee huh?” The captain thought to himself, “Must be his first combat experience outside of training.” He looked at the faces of numerous people, each wearing the same look that said “This could be it” .

Marcus was a wise and experienced general. He knew that if the soldiers could not find it in their hearts to be brave and face death with a fearless attitude, the upcoming battle would not go favorably. With this in mind, Marcus cleared his throat and began to address his soldiers, his voice booming like a lion’s roar. 

“Today we face the Witch Cult. They are armed with magics beyond our comprehension and weapons that can end life in an instant. They come for our livelihood, our people, and our Royal Candidates. I say let them come!” He raised his fist into the air proudly. “We are the Army of the Dragon Kingdom, and with the power of the mighty Volcanica flowing through us, we will beat back these damned cultists!”  

A cheer erupted from the crowd. Marcus’ short but impactful speech had successfully aroused the army's waning morale. 

Marcus turned to the Sword Saint, who had a faint smile on his face. 

“It seems you’ve managed to raise their spirits quite a bit, Captain,” Reinhard said coolly.

Marcus gave a quick nod, then looked out at the battlefield-to-be. Three figures were approaching slowly. Each of them had their own distinct appearance, with only one of them wearing the witch cult’s signature black robe while the other two had more unique styles.

The one who wore the classic attire was a green-haired pudgy-looking man. His back was arched like an old man’s, and his face was twisted into a deranged smile accompanied by wild eyes. 

Next to him was what looked like a young boy. His long brown hair was so disheveled that it covered any noticeable features about him, and his slow shuffle made him look menacing, even with his small stature.

In the forefront was a young, plainly dressed man with white hair. He was the type that could blend into a crowd fairly easily, but at the same time, he carried with him a certain regality. The very air around him seemed to bend as if to make way for him. Like subjects making way for a king.

Marcus gestured at the distant figures. “I’ve raised our spirits, now go break theirs.”

“As you wish captain”

The knight took off at an unnatural speed, becoming one with the wind. His feet glided across the ground, parting the long grass into a miniature valley behind him. He came to an abrupt stop in front of the three cultist leaders, the wind creating a shockwave that broke through the air with a resounding crack. 

Subaru’s expression was beyond shock. He quickly looked at Julius, who was staring in awe at the red-haired swordsman.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reinhard raised his head to look at his opponents as he spoke. “I am the Sword Saint Reinhard van Astrea.” He put his hand on the hilt of his sword. “And I am sworn to protect this kingdom and its rulers. Today, you will go no further.”  

The cultists didn’t seem to be all that intimidated by the display. If anything they seemed even more smug than before. 

They responded to Reinhard in unison. “We are Sin Archbishops of the Witch’s cult…”

The misshapen green-haired man tilted his head and gave a psychotic grin, announcing his title. “Representing Sloth, Betelgeuse Romani-Conti at your service.”

The young boy followed suit, his eyes glittering with untamed hunger. “Gluttony, Lye Batenkaitos-tsu..”

The white-haired young man in the front smirked at Reinhard. “And Greed, Regulus Corneas.” He spread his arms out to Reinhard in an open gesture. “Now that we have given you the privilege of knowing our names, would you kindly surrender the half-elf?” 

A couple of seconds passed and Reinhard stood still as a pillar. Whether he intended to speak or not, Regulus promptly took the opportunity. 

“Now what is this huh?” Regulus raised one of his eyebrows angrily, his thin lips contorted, and his mouth opened in shock. 

“We have been nothing but courteous, introducing ourselves and asking politely, and we don’t even get a response?” He swept his hand to the side with evident annoyance, as if he was attempting to brush away a reality he couldn’t even fathom. “How dare you insult my patience like that you ungrateful swine, I should slaughter you where you stand…I-“

He paused abruptly, for the air had grown extremely cold. 

“Calm yourself, Bishop Corneas.” Seemingly out of thin air had appeared a girl. Although short in stature, she floated above the ground. Her face and thin features were young yet ageless, her skin a pale shade of white. Her eyes were an ethereal shade of blue and her hair was white with a platinum sheen. She was otherworldly, and at the same time very plain. Alive, but at the same time beyond death. Inhuman, but not monstrous in any aspect.

Pure hatred rested on the face of Regulus, but just as he was about to open his mouth to speak, his eyes widened and he abruptly conceded his protest. Nothing of note had transpired, but his egotistical manner of carrying himself had disappeared entirely.

Reinhard stood in shock at the small girl. He narrowed his hand and tugged lightly on the sword at his waist as if expecting it to come loose without resistance...

And so it did.

Reinhard narrowed his eyes and tightened his hands. He bent his knees slightly, preparing to move.

The floating figure looked over at the knight and smiled with a lack of emotion. “Well, now we can’t have that…”

Her form disappeared and before Reinhard could react, she reappeared behind him with her small hand resting lightly on his head.

“..can we”

Reinhard froze, his entire body quivering. His eyes widened in shock as he realized the witch was somehow holding him there. Throughout his whole life, Reinhard had never struggled with anything related to combat. Regardless of whether his opponent was faster, stronger, or smarter than him, they inevitably reached an invincible wall when it came to the Sword Saint. It was because of this that in this moment of weakness, he had never felt more shocked in his life… but he wasn’t afraid.

He struggled as he tried to turn his head backward, hoping to offset her grip and attack her with his sword. The Sword Saint had never been under sheer pressure of this caliber before. His body felt like it was about to break, but he wasn’t the kind of man to let that stop him. 

Ever so slowly, his body began to move. Just as he managed to turn his body around, the resistance ceased, and he swung his sword at a speed that defied the laws of speed. The last thing he saw was his blade slicing through the air, about to connect with the mysterious being, then…

…

…

…

…

“You were never fit for this world, Sword Saint.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A silence akin to that of a graveyard at night fell upon the battlefield. Any hopeful thought or prayer voiced by a poor soul was suddenly and utterly erased from existence. A man who the army of honorable warriors had considered a legend among men, their saving grace in the gruesome dance that is combat, had vanished without a trace. Not a spec of blood nor strand of hair remained in the empty void where the Sword Saint had stood but a moment before.

That great presence of hope that had cast its great light upon the land, giving quietude to the raging terror within the hearts of troubled men and women, faded away as if it was never anything more than a dream.

There was no call to attack, no cry of anguish, only the suffocating mist of dread.

And just as soon as the Sword Saint disappeared, that dread collected and took form. Black-robed figures of different dimensions apparated into being throughout the ranks of the army, creating the likeness of a painting of a neverending war stopped in time.

There was peace, for nobody moved an inch.

Then a voice rang out, finally breaking through the atmosphere of horror.

“Ngh.. AAAAAGHH!”

The scattered focus of warriors and cultists alike singled in on the pained yell. 

Captain Marcus was standing upright, his dragon nowhere to be found. Multiple knives jutted out of the chinks in his armor, and blood was pouring down from his wounds onto the field. Surrounding him were cultists led by Regulus, who had regained his vigor. As the archbishop raised his hands, Marcus Gildark yelled his final command.

“a-ATTACK-urg!”

The commander's head was shredded into a red-tinted mist, his mouth gurgling as his last words were released to the wind. His corpse slowly fell from his mount, hitting the ground with a thud.

The painting came to life.

Cultists and soldiers alike drew their weapons, and a massacre ensued. Several loud explosions rattled ears as dust and blood flew up the air, and the lush grasses of the Lugunican plains were sprayed with gore and littered with corpses. A residual dark cloud quickly settled in the area making it extremely difficult for the ambushed army to react; as a result, many were quickly cut down by the cultists. 

As these events unfolded, Subaru had also been abruptly thrown into the fray. Due to the lack of visibility, the platoon of knights had been all but scattered, leaving only him. His mount reared up, preparing to charge forward toward the groups of cultists. He was still in shock, for the two greatest warriors of Lugunica were both just defeated in front of him. The only things that convinced him that he wasn’t in one of his horrific dreams were the screams of his comrades being massacred. Regardless of his fear and confusion, he began to ride on through the battle, not letting himself run away…

At least not yet.

Suddenly he heard something whip through the air. He turned to see one of the cultist infantry firing blast after blast of wind blades at the soldiers around. No words came from the mage, but the potency of his magic was great. Subaru thought it looked similar to Ram’s Fula, maybe even a little bit stronger. 

“KKKKYYAAAAKKKK” A spell directed at him barely missed his left leg and tore through the tough skin and flesh of the ground dragon below him. Blood sprayed from the wound with a hiss as the steed collapsed on the ground, the life fading from its eyes as it croaked helplessly. Subaru, who had somehow managed to land safely on his feet, looked up at the spellcaster who was now advancing toward him while preparing another attack. Others zipped into formation behind him and drew their weapons, daggers with a peculiar cross shape. 

Blood rushed in Subaru’s ears as he pulled his sword from its sheath. Numerous cultists rushed through the dust. They attacked him in a calm yet ferocious manner, their blades moving with their bodies in unorthodox strikes.

Subaru was still green as a warrior, but he hoped his basic training would miraculously save him. He tightened his grip and readied his stance. Another blast of wind came at him swiftly, threatening to tear him in half like the dragon before. Subaru dodged quickly, but the spell nicked his torso. 

His hopes were slowly fading away as they swiftly surrounded him. He tried to stand his ground and find balance, but his attempts to gain any sort of advantage or stability were futile. 

His mind began to panic like a young boy afraid of the dark, and he began to swing his sword frantically, trying to inflict any damage on his opponents. Unfazed, they closed in, bombarding him with attacks of an unmatched tenacity.

He tried desperately to remember his training again as he struggled under an onslaught of blows from all around him. “Block counter block step parry strike block counter block block block survive survive survive survive live live live live live DON’T DIE.” 

His mind went into overdrive, his limbs moving erratically as he tried to escape from the cultists. One? Two? Three? He couldn’t even tell how many were after him, ready to rip out his throat. He shuffled backward, his shaking legs attempting to repeat the footwork that had been drilled into his head the past weeks, but his efforts proved futile when his unsteady feet met with one of the many littered corpses. 

He fell, the ground bruising his already tired body. He tried to get up but he could no longer move. His frantic eyes looked up and came upon what was to be his end. A ball of flames, swirling in his adversary's hand, was expanding rapidly. Energy weaved and circled within it, creating heat waves that distorted Subaru’s senses. 

“Damn it! If I die here… who knows how far back I’ll go.”

“...”

“Haaaaaaaaah!”

“Huh?” Subaru thought he had been separated from Julius in the battle, but there he was, standing right above him. The knight quickly shouted something and raised his hands, producing a colorful, dome-like barrier around them which effectively negated the magic being aimed at Subaru.

“Julius!” Subaru yelled in relief, breathing heavily.

Julius raised his sword, pointing it at the cultists. They had been burned from the spell backfiring, but it hadn’t seemed to faze them much. 

“Ul Goa” Two of Julius’ six Quasi-spirits, little spirits that took the form of small colored orbs, flew to the tip of his sword, glowing with energy. They followed as he swiftly swung his blade at the cultists, fire shooting in arcs where his blade kissed the air. The cultists, caught by surprise, could not defend against Julius’ flurry of blows and were torn apart by the red flames of his spell.

“Amazing!” Subaru had trained with Julius and seen his graceful swordplay before, but he had never seen him wield such power as he did now. He began to call out to his teacher once more, but Julius beat him to the punch.

“Are you alright Subaru-san?” He helped Subaru up with one hand, not lowering his sword for a second. 

“Yeah I’m good, you really saved me there Julius-san.” Subaru’s pleased demeanor adequately covered up the sheer terror he exuded before.

”Good.” Julius looked around before finally sheathing his sword. Our forces are being decimated. And with Marcus and Reinhard gone…” He gritted his teeth; his eyes were cast downward. I have to rally our remaining forces before we suffer too many losses.”

The two began to make their way through the battlefield, cutting through the endless swarm of enemies one by one. With Julius at his side, Subaru had a much easier time fighting, and soon they were able to find a small group of knights and soldiers who had survived and were taking cover in the reduced visibility. 

As they saw Julius a few of them smiled. One knight with long brown hair and a gash on his right arm came forward. “Nice to know you’re still in the fight Jukuulius.” 

Julius nodded to him. “Let us work together to take down the Archbishops. Additionally, that girl from earlier disappeared but I fear she is not gone forever.”

One of the soldiers piped up. “What can we even do against them? They took out Reinhard and Captain Marcus like it was nothing! Ngh” The soldier pointed to a large cut that went down across his stomach. “You see this? This was from one of the grunts. What am I supposed to do when I’m already half fucking dead?!”

The majority of the others looked down awkwardly, not wanting to say anything that might make somebody more angry.

Subaru was angry. “ Who the hell does this guy think he is? We’re all injured in one way or another, why is he so special?”

Julius’ eyes narrowed at the soldier’s statement. “If you want to run away then run away.” 

“Wh-wha…” Subaru was surprised. He had never thought his mentor would ever say something like that, especially when his sense of dignity was off the charts.

The soldier who had spoken threw down his sword. “Damn right. I can’t die, I’m the only one my kids have left… I can’t just leave them to starve.” With that, he began to run away from the battle. “Anyone else who wants to live follow me!”

A couple of other soldiers turned to look at Julius. “We can’t just leave him to get slaughtered, plus we have people waiting for us too.” 

After the last of them had run off, Julius looked at the others who had stayed. About 3 knights and 6 soldiers remained in the group, and they all had grim expressions. 

Julius bowed to them. “I thank you for risking your lives for the safety of our kingdom.” 

Subaru was gritting his teeth as Julius lowered his head. “ How could you be such a pushover Julius, you’re always talking about duty and honor, but you just let them throw it all away!”

They continued onward and were quickly thrust into battle again. Julius and the other three knights led the charge, cutting down cultists left and right. Subaru and the others were farther back in the formation, fending off any attacks from the side or back.

“Gyaaahhhhh!” A soldier next to Subaru cried in agony, a knife protruding from his chest. His body was flung aside and the culprit swung his bloody knife at Subaru. The knife sliced his arm deeply and he dropped his sword. 

“Guh! A-a-agghhhgk!”

“Ugh it hurts.” He was similarly tripped and thrown to the ground roughly. “ Dammit why did I have to AG-” He felt a sharp pain in his back. “Somebody help me!” His eyes looked frantically around for one of his comrades.

Only Julius remained alive. 

Subaru saw him fighting Regulus alone, weaving between the rapid waves of energy being shot at him, all while channeling his spirits to attack. His sword glowed with colorful light as he moved in to attack, but his sword shattered as if made of glass. Julius stood dumbfounded as Regulus waved his hands at him. “No! I have to get up.”

“Hk! The knight grunted loudly as he was forced to his knees, his body bleeding from several places. 

Subaru tried to crawl toward Julius to no avail. “ GET UP” 

Regulus raised his hands for a final time, his smile wide like a toddler. 

…

…

“Now now, remember what the gospel has decreed, this little knight comes with us.”

A soft voice like frost came from the little platinum-haired girl. She again appeared out of thin air. Her presence was so subtle that Subaru hadn’t noticed until she spoke. It was as if she didn’t exist… Or maybe she had been there all along.

Regulus lowered his hand, his face livid while turning to find her. He raised his hand once again, reality was bending around his fingers as he prepared to flick at the floating girl. “His wild eyes widened when he looked at her. Whereas before she had held a sweet-like smile, now her lips were stretched into a grin far calmer, yet also far more insane than Betelgeuse. 

Regulus looked mildly afraid for the first time. “Yo-”

And he was gone. 

“Poor child… You should have learned the first time.”

Julius’ tired eyes widened as they looked up at the girl. 

…

“Who are you?”

The pain in Subaru’s back had increased and he could feel his consciousness slipping away from him. “Julius…” He fought with all of his will to stay awake, he wanted his master to save him. The dust began to grow thicker around Subaru, completely blocking out his vision. He didn’t know where he was crawling anymore.

Then it came. Her voice. That chilling tone of eerie calmness would keep him awake for many nights to come. In his ear, he heard a whisper that sounded like it came from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The painful grunts of Julius had stopped and the wind had ceased its howling around Subaru, leaving only the little girl’s words for Subaru to hear.

“I am Pandora, and I am a Witch.”

Subaru’s consciousness fell into darkness.

Chapter Text

Pandora.

As Subaru drifted into a dreamless sleep, that name rang in his head over and over.

Natsuki Subaru.

Being named after a star, it was given that Subaru would develop an interest in them. To the average person, the stars were small little lights in the sky that didn’t make much of a difference in everyday life, but for Subaru, they were a lifeline. A connection. Something that made him feel special.

Following his interest, he became well-versed in the many names of the stars, which often came from monsters or figures from mythology and old stories from other cultures. 

Pandora.

He remembered that name from stories he’d heard long ago.

A woman sculpted by the gods, able to fool mortals and monsters alike with her unparalleled beauty and charisma. Though she was perfect in every way, her story was one of sadness, as Subaru recalled.

By the gods she was given a cursed box, being told not to open it. After days of agonizing, she disobeyed the gods’ request and opened the box, thereby releasing all of the most vile forms of sin into the world. As a result, she destroyed the peace humans had created for themselves. 

How funny for that girl to be her namesake. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subaru awoke to a soft feeling underneath him. 

“Haaaa…” He yawned as he blinked his eyes open. 

Above him was a night sky, the stars were sparkling like gemstones and the moon was a tiny sliver of light cutting through the darkness. He looked around momentarily, trying to make out his surroundings. From what he could tell, he was in a small clearing in a forest. There were a few shapes around him, which he assumed to be rocks, and the air smelled very faintly of smoke. 

He began to prop himself up but was quickly met with a jolt of pain coursing through his body.

“Ngh!” He looked down at his body, which was bandaged around his arms and torso. “Somebody saved me…” 

After his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he struggled until he was sitting up. Beneath him was a makeshift bed made up of a bedroll placed on a bunch of sticks and leaves. A couple of feet away was a burnt-out campfire. Smoke rose from the ashes slowly, indicating to Subaru that it had been put out recently.

“I wonder who did all this. They patched me up pretty well, but where did they go?” He struggled to his feet and began to walk around the site. The only other things there were a pile of bloody rags along with a satchel and some half-eaten food.

Subaru heard his stomach growl as he looked at the food. There was a bit of a roll of bread and a bowl of soup that looked cold and had been mostly eaten. “A little can’t hurt, I mean after all whoever’s this is worked so hard to save me.”

He picked up the roll and promptly bit into it.

…

“Ugh… That’s disgu-”

“Is that how you thank your savior? Pathetic.”

Subaru choked mid-chew, nearly dropping the bread. He turned, wide-eyed, at the familiar voice reprimanding him from the darkness.

“Stealing someone’s food and then calling it gross. How very Barusu of you.” Ram, who was standing a few feet away from him, huffed as she jerked her head to the side in dramatic disdain.

“R-Ram how did you…” His mind scrambled for an answer as to why she had just appeared there but none came.  “What happened to… Wasn’t I supposed to be… Wha-wh-how?

“Calm down Barusu” She walked up to where he was crouching. “I found you a little ways away from here bleeding out in the dirt.” 

“But that’s…” He thought about his last moments of consciousness. “That’s impossible, there wasn’t a forest in sight at the battlefield…”

“Unless” 

Ram narrowed her eyes at Subaru. “What’s the matter? You should be thanking me for saving your life.” She continued to glare at him as he stared in shock before she ultimately sighed. “Anyhow, now that you’re up and about again, we must continue moving.”

Ignoring her, Subaru walked over to his cot and sat down. “Hold on Ram, something’s not right here.” He took a bite of his bread and chewed it while he thought. “I don’t remember this place at all so…” He took another look at the area and Ram. 

Through his experience there thus far, he realized one thing.  A small relief in the recent chaos. 

“I can’t have Returned by death…” 

With that possibility out of the way, he racked his brain for any possible ideas. Anything to make sense of something. “I don’t know how I’m here.” He thought back to when he blacked out. The voice. The Witch, Pandora. “Does she have something to do with this…? If nothing is making any sort of sense right now, then there’s the possibility that…”

Abruptly Subaru looked up at Ram, who was skeptically eyeing him. “Ram, when I die, I-”

The world froze. 

Darkness came into being, pouring out of thin air and slowly spilling onto the ground, engulfing the entire area like a thick mist. It swirled and weaved around him, beginning to produce dark black hands that reached for his body. 

One by one they crawled towards him through the air, soundlessly assaulting him. One of the hands crept up to his torso, phasing through his chest and gripping his heart fiercely.

… 

…

A howl echoed through the forest. 

“Ack!” Subaru yelled loudly as the world unfroze. He gasped for air, holding his chest in fear. 

“I was wrong.” He winced again trying to calm himself. “Earlier I could feel the pain of my injuries, but this was the only way to make sure.”

“Barusu if you’re just going to scream like a baby from your injuries then I cannot be bothered to-”

“Sorry.” Subaru got up and walked over to her and smiled. “I just had to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.”

Ram’s eyes widened for a moment before she resumed glaring. “Disgusting.” 

Subaru opened his mouth to protest but Ram cut him off. 

“Let us depart.” She threw the extra food into the firepit and began to pack up the bedroll. “There is currently a much bigger issue at hand than your degeneracy.” She paused before looking over at him, her eyes looked tired and worried. “The Cultists… They attacked the mansion.”

Subaru blinked before yelling again. “Wh-what!” He ran over to Ram and grabbed her by the shoulders. “What the hell happened? Roswaal-”

“He was absent at the time of the attack. There was nothing to be done.” 

“Dammit…” He looked into Ram’s eyes which were trembling slightly. “Rem-”

“She’s gone. They took her.” Ram stared at him with a deep sadness he hadn’t seen from her since the loop where Rem was killed by the Wolfgarm. The only difference was that she wasn’t crying. She just looked empty. “She’s alone, Barusu, in pain… I can feel it.” 

Subaru stared at the ground. Hearing this from Ram reminded him that the Witch Cult had won the battle. They had already attacked his home and hurt his friends… If they had made it into the capital then there was a very real possibility that Emilia was hurt… or dead. 

He had thought that by becoming a warrior he could save her, but he was the one being saved while all of his friends were missing or in trouble. He felt useless. After all he couldn’t do anything to help his friends. He needed to do something about the one in distress right in front of him. 

He raised his head to look at her. “Ram, I…” He stopped when he saw her face.

Any trace of sadness was gone. It had all been replaced with anger.

All of a sudden Ram pushed him to the ground roughly, then swiped her hand through the air where he was standing.

“Fura!” A blade of wind promptly cut through something that had been right behind Subaru. “These damned mabeasts are everywhere.”

Subaru still hadn’t realized what had happened. He looked over at the squelching sound of severed flesh squirting blood and recognized it as an Ulgarm’s corpse. 

He quickly squirmed away as the pool of blood slowly seeped toward him. “Ack! Didn’t Roswaal kill all of these? Also where the hell are we getting attacked by mabeasts like this…?”

Just as he finished yelling, another howl, this time much louder, came from deeper in the forest. 

Ram, who had returned to her senses, pulled Subaru up from the ground and quickly grabbed the satchel. “Come on Barusu, let’s get out of the forest. I’ll tell you about what happened while we go.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As they traversed through the thicket the howling began to be less and less frequent. Nevertheless, they continued at a steady pace, as well as being careful not to make too much noise.

“Where the hell are we going?” Subaru had been walking for a while in the dark and was beginning to feel his legs give out. “And you still haven’t told me where we are!”

Even as he asked, the answer already sat in the back of his mind. There was only one place that Subaru knew Ulgarms roamed… Near Arlam village, in the Mathers domain. “How did I get all the way over here? This has to be the Witch, but why? What’s her game?” 

“Oof” He bumped into Ram, who had stopped moving.

“Wha-”

They had arrived at their destination. 

Arlem village was nearly burnt to the ground. Everything was covered in a thick layer of white ash. In the dead of night, the only lights were a few lit torches held by

“Cultists.” Subaru narrowed his eyes, his face contorting in anger. “Those bastards…” He remembered the little kids he used to play with, the villagers who put their faith in him, and praised him as a hero. “They burned it all…” His urge to scream was almost too great to control, but he didn’t want to alert the cultists there.

Ram whispered as she looked onward. “They brought Rem here right after the attack. I saw them.” She crouched down and began to silently sneak over to one of the buildings, motioning for Subaru to follow. 

The house they approached was more intact than most of the others, with only its second floor being decimated. The outside wooden walls had scorch marks and bloodstains scattered over them, and some of the windows had been shattered. 

Ram walked up to a broken window and stopped, looking around for anybody inside. She huddled on the wall before slipping in. Subaru, who had also been crouched next to her, followed suit just afterward.

Once they were inside Ram and Subaru made their way over to a crawlspace underneath the now-ruined staircase and sat there.

“I followed them here… I hid for days, watching as they-glk.” Ram choked on her words, taking a deep breath. 

Subaru had never seen her so discombobulated before. She normally was the epitome of composure, but now she acted like a mouse who had just been on the verge of getting eaten by the house cat. 

“They tortured the villagers. There was somebody, the one who attacked us, performing some sort of blood ritual on them.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “They were transformed.” Her finger twitched slightly. “Turned into these grotesque creatures and then encouraged to devour their fellow prisoners… I escaped then, knowing I couldn't save Rem without help. I found a settlement and some people merchants who helped me. After about a week I headed back to see if they had lessened their forces, but I don’t sense her here anymore.” She grimaced and looked at Subaru. “And that’s when I found you. Now we just need to steal some supplies and we’ll head off to look for her.”

Subaru was utterly speechless. Everyone he cared about in the village. All of them were captured or killed or worse. “Is this what they wanted? I thought they were after Emilia-tan. Why would they come here? Why did it have to be like this?

“H-h-how do we find her?” He stumbled over his words, trying to stay focused. He tried to remember anything that could help the situation at hand. “Julius-san!” He remembered the Witch’s words, that Julius would be spared. “We need to find Julius Jukuulius. He can help us.” 

“The knight?” Ram stared at him. Her blank expression exuded pity for the boy. “Barusu you were there. All of the knights are-”

“NO! JULIUS IS ALIVE.” He froze, realizing the volume at which he had just spoken. He quickly huddled next to Ram in the corner, squeezing his eyes shut and not making a sound. 

…

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, Ram finally tapped him on the shoulder, letting him know it was ok. 

They then began to search the house for any rations they could take. Most of everything was destroyed, but they were able to salvage some supplies and food. They soon vacated the house and hugged the wall. They moved along the outside of the village, being careful not to alert any cultists. 

While they made their way, Subaru saw the full extent of the destruction. Houses were torn apart and burned to ash, and human skeletons were piled high on top of each other, their bones blackened and bitten. 

Subaru resisted the urge to throw up when he saw the beasts. They were black with various limbs sticking out of their malformed torsoes. Their head held no eyes but were adorned instead with wide grinning mouths covered in blood. They moved unnaturally, feeling out the area around them and clicking softly every once in a while.

One of these beasts in particular was feasting on a tied-up corpse. It had been crucified, tied to a stake protruding from the ground.

This villager had multiple deep gashes in her small abdomen, which had torn apart her torso and bloody dress like confetti.

“No…”

Her legs had been entirely removed by some method, two thin stumps protruding from her body. 

“No…”

Her skin was burnt black and her face was burned beyond recognition.

“No”

Her only distinguishing feature was what little remained of her light orange-brown hair.

“No”

Subaru’s stomach lurched as he recognized the mutilated girl who had played with him for weeks, the little girl who he had met in his first week.

“NO-” Ram put a hand over his mouth, muffling his yell. Little teardrops started to form in the corners of his eyes as she looked at him. 

Her grip trembled. Her eyes said what her mouth couldn’t. 

“Later . Not now.”

He gasped as Ram let go of him. He began to take slow deep breaths, but his body didn’t stop shaking. 

“Ha… haaah… aah-huh?” He flinched at the sensation of Ram’s hands touching his.

She looked at him and rubbed his hands, trying to calm him down. She whispered softly before finally turning around. 

“It’s ok, Barusu.”

They continued until they reached the far side of the village. There was a shabby gateway that led out of the town. Next to the gate were the stables with some older ground dragons. Various carriages were lined up in front of it. 

There were no cultists around so the two made their way over to the Carriages. Inside there were a bunch of bags filled with weapons, magic crystals, and some looted valuables from the village. 

Subaru quietly rummaged through the weapons. Some of them looked like the ones that the Lugunican soldier had wielded. “ Looks like all of this is from the battlefield…” He remembered his fallen comrades. “Everyone…” He remembered those soldiers in the army, the ones who had a family to return to, the knights, who had all put down their lives, and himself, who had survived just to be injured and useless. Why did he have to be the only one…

“No, not right now. Maybe I can find something…” He continued to search until he saw a silver sword glinting in the light. “Ah, what are the odds?” It was a knight’s sword, wielded by the honorable warriors of the kingdom. It had a very special crest on its hilt. Subaru looked at the weapon in awe, free for a moment from the horror around him. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hyyaah!!” Take that… and that…!”

It was midday and the sun was shining brightly over the courtyard of the Jukuulius mansion. Subaru swung a silver sword awkwardly as he shouted, trying to copy the moves that his mentor Julius had shown him the previous day.

“Well done Subaru-san, I’m sure none will dare to cross you,” Julius spoke from behind Subaru, surprising him.  “But… you still lack control.”

“I-I was practicing… Sensei.” Subaru looked down and offered his sword to Julius, who took the weapon in his hand, examining it. 

“With the treasured sword of house Jukuulius no less…” He patted Subaru on the shoulder. “And please, call me Julius-san.”

Subaru looked up at Julius as he continued speaking. “This sword has saved lives, culled rebellions, and ended wars. It’s nothing so prestigious as something like the Legendary Dragon Sword, but It means something to those belonging to my family… Me in particular.”

…

“Sorry…” 

Julius smiled at the repenting Subaru. “No matter. Now, I see that you have been hard at work.” 

Subaru shrugged his shoulders. “Kinda, it was more just messing around. You’ve been gone all day at that candidate meeting so I wasn’t sure what to practice.”

Julius gave a small chuckle. “Well that problem has been solved now, hasn’t it? He walked over to the weapon rack and pulled two wooden swords from it. “How about we go through the motions as I taught you, yes? We’ll spar and the winner shall choose what we‘ll  dine on tonight.”

Subaru smiled back. “Sure thing Julius-san.” He took one of the swords that Julius was holding.”I hope you like spaghetti because Natsuki Subaru will not go down easily!”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I lost that fight.” Subaru thought as he looked at Julius’ sword. “I was no match, but even so he still let me choose dinner. He told me that a knight’s most important virtue was their honor…” He remembered what Julius had asked during the meal. “What does honor mean to you?” His response was quick but from the heart. 

Creeeaaaak. Subaru whipped around to see a cultist with his blade ready.  He pulled the sword out of its sheath with a blinding speed. His arms weren’t very strong yet so his swing was weak, but he still managed to inflict a shallow cut on the cultist, staggering him back.

Blood seeped down the body of the enemy, coating their already dirt-and-blood-stained robes. Subaru thought about the slaughtered villagers, the monsters they turned into. Poor little Petra…

“Oh yeah… That’s right.” He remembered those words he had confidently shouted back.

He grabbed his sword with both hands tightly and plunged the full blade into the injured cultist’s chest.

“To fight… To protect the ones I care about.”

Blood sprayed as the cultist dropped to the ground, his hands reaching for help that wasn’t there. He fell out of the cart with a final thud, his body twitching as blood began to pool around him.

Subaru slowly approached, changing the grip on his sword. He crouched down, gripping the convulsing cultist’s head.

“There was a girl in this village… Petra. She was just a kid.” He looked at the cultist with pure hatred. “And you bastards murdered her.” He stabbed the cultist in the neck, ending him at last.

Drip 

Drop

Tears and blood hit the ground in small droplets as Subaru began to cry softly over the now-dead body. “I’m sorry everyone…” He sniffled and then dried his eyes. Looking at his work his soul was lit aflame like never before in his life. ”I wasn’t strong enough, so I’ll become stronger… To save everyone.” 

He heard footsteps running towards the carriage entrance. He readied his sword, raising the hilt to his head. 

“Barusu?” He sighed in relief as he heard Ram whisper from outside. “Are you alright?”

He lowered his sword and took one last deep breath, then exited the door to find Ram standing outside. He held the reins of a ground dragon that was next to her, its eyes peering at Subaru like pools of pitch black. 

Subaru pet the dragon’s head. “This is our ticket out of here?”

Ram nodded and began to quietly walk over to the gate. There she mounted the dragon and reached out her hand, helping Subaru up. “We’ll have to be quick and hope the cultists don’t notice us.“ She noticed his red eyes. “We’ll find somewhere to stop… Just hold on for now ok?”

Subaru nodded and wrapped his arms around her torso. Ram flicked the reigns and they were off, riding away from their decimated home.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hours later they were still riding. Despite Ram’s promise, they hadn’t yet found a place to rest. Normally the path from The capital to Arlem village was about half a day’s journey, but according to Ram that road had been blocked off due to earlier reports of the “white whale” being active in that area. 

Into the night they went on, what felt like miles upon miles passed beneath them as they continued onward. Subaru took this time to reflect on the present moment. 

The army had been destroyed, Arlem was burnt to a crisp, and he really wasn’t sure what had become of his friends. His only solace at the moment was Ram, who was distraught herself. 

“Ram?” Subaru spoke for the first time in hours.

“Yes Barusu?” She faced forward. Subaru had become more and more concerned about her mental state since they had met in the forest.

“What happened to the capital? I was starting to meet a lot of really nice people and…” He struggled to get the words out of his mouth. “I-I’m worried about them.”

Ram waited a moment before responding. “Hmmm… The capital remains standing as far as I know.”

For the first time in a while, Subaru felt a sense of hope. “Thank god… or whatever they have here. She’s alive.”

“At the time of the attack, we hadn’t heard anything from Emilia-sama, which was strange. That said it’s entirely possible she was moved somewhere entirely different when the army was defeated.”

As she spoke Subaru noticed a faint light in the distance.

“Hey Ram what’s that?” He pointed past her shoulder to the light that was beginning to become much brighter. 

Ram looked for a second, “A fire… It’s too big for a campsite.” She stiffened, gripping the reins tightly and spurring the dragon onward with a flick of her wrist. “It’s an attack.”

“More Cultists?”, Subaru exclaimed. 

Ram nodded her head in front of him. “It’s possible they know where Rem is.” She pulled a small wand out of her pocket while keeping one hand on the reins. “Are you healed enough to fight Barusu? It disgusts me to admit it but I’ll need your help to take them.”

Subaru gave a faint smile at Ram’s subtle comment. “There you are, Ram.” He brought his hands back to his sheathed blade. “You can count on me,” he said firmly, preparing to fight once again. 

Once they were close enough the situation became clear. They had arrived at a merchant stop of some sort, with multiple enflamed carts parked outside of a large single-story building.

There was no sign of any people, but Subaru noticed that other than the fire, there was a lack of excessive damage to the place. “Seems like they just got here.”

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of screaming from within the main inn.

Chapter Text

“Ram, we have to hurry!”

Their dragon halted just a few meters away from the building, and Subaru and Ram got off their mount, running quickly toward the building. Subaru was still having a bit of a hard time moving, but his injuries felt much less painful than before. 

Reaching the door, Subaru pulled out his sword and waited while Ram pointed at the door with her wand, wind spiraling towards the tip. 

Subaru noticed that her magic was significantly weaker than before and that her brow was furrowed and sweaty. Yet, when she flicked her hand at the door it shattered, sending wooden shards of all sizes flying inside the building. 

Subaru turned to Ram with a surprised look, “A bit much no?”

Ram swept her hair to the side and smirked slightly. “Pathetic. Was that weak little spell too much to handle?”

Subaru cringed a little at Ram’s insult. She had been nice to him given his sorrow and the gravity of their situation, but she had now finally reverted to something resembling her level-1 state. 

Her sassy act was what she always put on around Subaru, and of course, he didn’t mind, but really he had no clue as to why she acted that way.

She now looked at him with hard eyes. “Well, are you just going to stand there like an idiot?”

Ram was confusing.

Subaru grumbled slightly and ran inside.

“EEEEEEEKK NOOOOO!”

Subaru tripped over himself in shock. Two cultists had been impaled by pieces of the door, they both weren't moving. Beneath them was a young girl.

“U-Uh…”

“I TOLD YOU WE’D GIVE YOU EVERYTHING’, PLEASE!”

Subaru sheathed his sword and ran over to her. She looked to be in her mid-20s and was trembling, curled up in a ball under the counter.

“Hey, calm down.” Subaru crouched down so she could see him properly. He showed his crested white scabbard to the girl. I’m not a cultist, I'm here to help.” 

The girl looked up at him as he reached out his hands and raised her eyebrows quickly. She looked around before scurrying out of her hiding place. 

Her clothes were tattered, and her hair was disheveled. Blood streamed slowly from a cut on her lip. 

“Y-You’re a… a knight?” She looked him up and down. Her grimace slowly morphed into a smile as tears began to well up in her eyes. “Thank you.” 

Subaru turned his head to the side and blushed a bit. “Well, it was really nothing.” He reveled in his happiness until he heard Ram mutter something that suspiciously sounded like “pervert”. 

He tossed a quick glare at her then turned back to the girl. “What’s your name? And why are you here alone?”

The girl’s smile faltered a bit but remained nonetheless. “My name is Natalie.” She motioned to the wall across from the door where a young scruffy-looking man was lying unconscious. “My husband Kaenin and I are refugees from Flanders. We managed to get to Fleur but….” She paused and took a breath. “The town was raided by the Cult. We made it all the way here until they caught up and, well I guess you can see what happened.

Subaru looked at Natalie’s husband on the wall. “I have a bunch of questions, but first, is he alright?” 

Natalie laughed, “He’s alright, he’s a werewolf so he won’t go down that easily. He looks like he’s sleeping soundly.” She looked warmly at him while Subaru’s jaw dropped.

“A werewolf? Does he transform into a scary monster at night?” He shook his head in disbelief. “Since when were there werewolves in this world?” He turned to Ram, whose look of disdain quickly shut him up

“A-Anyways, why were you running from… Uhhh… Flanders you said?

Ram interjected. “Flanders is one of the five great cities, located just southeast of the capital. Really Barusu? You can’t even remember basic geography?” 

Natalie giggled while Subaru huffed at Ram.

“Haa! You two are adorable… but yes, Flanders was also taken by the Cult. They weren’t able to mount an attack on the Capital city because of Barielle-sama’s and Karsten-sama’s camps defending it so they went for the next city down.”

Subaru’s brain clicked as he got an idea. “The main force of the knights was wiped out, but we must have really weakened them.” He looked at Ram with a smile on his face. “That means they're probably using it as a base camp, and maybe they keep their prisoners of war there!”

Ram's eyes widened. “You… might be onto something. Maybe Rem-”

“I don’t think Rem will be there,” Subaru shot down Ram’s hopes quickly, “But I think Julius might be there, along with other knights. With that kind of force, I’m sure we can save Rem from wherever she is.”

Ram stared, contemplating the idea. Suddenly she turned to Natalie. “Will you be alright from here on out? It seems we need to hurry.”

Natalie nodded. “We’ll be alright. We’re going to head to Costuul. It’s a safe haven in the chaos right now.” She chuckled, “Ironic huh? Given its rate of crime.”

Subaru frowned as he was confused again. “Damn, I know nothing about this country’s cities. I’ll make sure to ask Ram about that later.” He walked over to the door and began to wave. Well then, I hope you get there safely. See you again Natalie!”

Mounting their dragon again, Subaru looked at the burning house, which was now being put out by Natalie and Kaenin. “So I know I should know, but how far is Flanders from here?”

Ram flicked the reigns and started the dragon in the direction they were headed before. “It’s morning now, so by the next sunrise we should be close.”

Indeed, the sun had risen, making it much easier to see. Trees and animals flew past as they sped down the road, onwards to the fallen city.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flanders, the Grand City of Dragons, loomed in front of Subaru as he and Ram approached. Its walls and canals were built intricately out of stone, and its buildings were made in a typical medieval style, giving the city a very fantastical look to Subaru. 

He was in awe of the view. The city’s location was on top of a plateau, where he could look out and see the world below for miles. It sort of reminded him of Yotei Mountain from back home, if not a bit warmer and flatter. “Must be nice when it’s winter huh…” He looked up at the night sky, “Some more light would help as well.”

Turning back to the city his eyes scanned for destruction but were surprised to find none. In his experience, the cultists were brutal, and merciless, and rarely left things fully intact. 

“There must not have been much of a struggle here,” Subaru remarked.

Ram nodded in agreement. “The three governing bodies of Flanders are constantly at odds with each other… That fact alone is what probably led to such a victory for the Cult.”

The entrance consisted of a tall metal gate that opened into three parallel drawbridges all leading into the city across a giant flowing river moat. The gate was opened, but in front lay a group of carts all organized in neat rows. The torches on the carts and the gate were all lit, except for the two giant ones on either side of the bridges.

Subaru could see a line of them entering through one of the drawbridges each piloted by cultists. Also near the carts were a large number of ground dragons tied up inside a stable that stood off to the side.

They guided the dragon off the road into the thicket, hiding it a ways away from the grand entrance. They dismounted and then began to approach on the right side of the gates, toward where the carts were.

Ram motioned to the carts, which were being stopped, and inspected one by one. “We’ll sneak in there, then sneak our way into the city.” She looked at the city across the river. “I’ve never visited, but I should be able to recognize a pris-aaagh!”

Ram clutched her hands to her head as she yelped in pain. She reached into her pouch quickly and brought out a light blue crystal. Groaning, she held it to her forehead and soon, began to breathe more steadily.

The crystal quickly lost its fluorescent color and Ram put it away. She turned to Subaru, who was reasonably shocked. “Don’t concern yourself with that. Without Roswaal-sama to satisfy my daily need for mana, it weakens me significantly.”

A low humming sound rang through the air, and many torches lit on top of the gate.

“Shit! Ram they spotted us.” Subaru drew his sword as the humming grew more intense. 

Ram looked down in slight shame. “I’ll draw their attention Barusu, you sneak in the main gate.”

“But Ram-” 

“I know, Barusu,” Ram interrupted, “I’ll wait it out for a few hours then try and find a way in, also if I leave they won’t search for you.”

Subaru blinked for a second. He decided not to argue when the sirens were already ringing. “Okay, good luck then. If you can’t make it in, don’t worry… I’ll do this on my own.” 

He handed her his tattered knight's emblem from his cloak. “If this goes badly, take this to the capital. Some of the people there will help you find Rem.” He got up from his seat and began to maneuver around the thicket. The now-approaching torches followed the sound of Ram, who had loudly made her way in the opposite direction. 

Looking at the gate, he saw three cultists, each with knives and torches. “No way I can sneak around them”

He gripped his sword lightly with two hands and prepared himself. 

Sword technique was always a big thing for his master Julius. Day after day he spent hours teaching Subaru the basics of traditional Lugunican combat. It was very upright and presented the body to the opponent while still guarding it.

Subaru moved his feet, right slightly forward and left ready to step quickly. He shuffled closer to the gate, facing the cultists as they noticed him. 

Two of them promptly raised their weapons, approaching Subaru. His left foot was shaking, itching to take the step and swing, but Subaru waited. 

The cultist sped up,  bringing his blade up above his head. He reached Subaru and began to swing when Subaru let go.

His body moved quickly from his built momentum, and he cleaved through the cultist with one quick strike, blood spraying from the wound. The cultist fell on the ground behind him, dead.

In that moment Subaru felt powerful. He quickly stepped forward again as the other cultist walked slowly toward him. The third had pulled out some sort of device that emitted the low humming sound and was raising it into the air.

Subaru studied the device, its circular shape not giving away much about it. “It must be some kind of alarm. I need to shut it off before the rest come here.”

Subaru stepped forward, slamming his feet on the ground like a sumo wrestler. “Stand like a stone.” He would not be moved from his position until he swung his blade true. The attacking cultist zipped side to side, trying to throw him off, then tossed a blow at his left side, where his sword wasn’t guarding. 

But Subaru was ready. “ When they attack your weak side, pivot.” He pivoted on his right foot and slammed his sword down, parrying the strike. His hands were already moving upward when the cultist regained his balance, his sword slicing an upward cut through the black robes.

He turned to face the third cultist, who had already reached him. The cultist threw the device own, and the humming sound amplified, ripping through Subaru’s ears. He covered them quickly and kicked the device away, but it was too late. Several other cultists began to surround him as he stumbled away towards the gate. They walked after him, seeming to relish their victory, but then his savior came once again. 

“Huma!” A tired-looking Ram fired a strong gust of wind at him, pushing him through the gate and gaining the other cultists' attention. “Go!” She screamed as the wind spiraled around her. 

Subaru turned and ran as fast as he could through the gate. The bridge in front of him was empty, aside from a couple of corpses. Subaru looked on at the city and saw another gate at the far end of the bridge, this one closing steadily. Out came two figures. A cultist who was holding chains, and Julius Jukuulius. 

“Julius!” Subaru shouted and began to run to his master. Julius’ eyes widened when they saw Subaru, and a small smile came to his face. 

Julius’ clothes were dirty and stained, his hair was messy, and his face was weary and tired. Subaru was thankful given the circumstances, because he didn’t look like he had been hurt all that much.

Nevertheless, he was still in the hands of the cultists.

Subaru drew his sword again and sprinted towards Julius’ keeper, ready to strike again. “Julius! Let’s-” He slowly came to a stop, because in front of him was a girl. A very familiar girl. The cause of all of the pain Subaru had just experienced.

“Pandora.” He gritted his teeth in anger. “How dare you take Julius hostage!” He pointed to the cultist. “What reason do you have to take him?” 

The witch smiled at this. “Well, you see young one, he is part of our dream.”

Subaru only grew more angry at this. He raised his sword at the girl’s neck. “Our dream? What the hell do you gain by serving another witch?”

Pandora giggled. A haunting sound that didn’t belong anywhere in the world. It was like a soft tinkling bell and the force of a sonic blast. A laugh that made everything else obsolete. Subaru shook as the girl giggled softly, terror radiating off of his skin and seeping from his eyes. Why was he so afraid?

The witch’s dark blue eyes glittered like stars as she spoke again. “You came here a bit too early didn’t you… Well, that is what affection does to a person, is it not?”

“AAAHHG” Subaru screamed in anger, raising his blade at the witch. He huffed as he swung downward-

“Stop!” Julius yelled from his shackles. “Subaru stop.”

Subaru looked at his mentor. His eyes were pleading with him to save himself.”

Pandora tilted her head as if thinking about something amusing. “Ah yes, affection. Self-sacrifice. Such a beautiful thing to pair with Vainglory.”

Subaru felt his body move. Puppeteered as if held by strings, he was raised in the air, his limbs flailing helplessly. He felt a sharp tug as he was thrown off of the bridge. He fell, down into the water, and lost consciousness. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A dark place, utterly devoid of light.

A haven for the dreamless sleepers.

A garden of shadows for the soul to rest.

The boy looked although he did not have eyes.

He heard although he did not have ears.

Most importantly, he felt, although his body had left him.

He felt the tender embrace upon his skin as the words were whispered into his ear.

“I love you”

Over and over and over he heard those words as if they were the only words he knew.

“I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you…”

He was loved. That was all that mattered. 

The love, of that warm embrace, in the middle of that beautiful garden, in the realm of shadows, dominated.

“I love you”

He heard

“I love you”

He felt

“I love you”

He knew

“I love you”

He loved her too. Like he always had.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

“I’m sorry.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subaru looked up at the rising sun, its beaming rays piercing his eyes, which shed tears of sorrow. “Dammit, why?!” He banged his fist upon the coarse sand on which he lay, his hands still shivering from the cold. He was lying on the shore of the river, relatively unharmed. He had crawled his way onto the shore, freezing from the water and brisk air. 

He shouted to the sky. “Why do you keep doing this to me?” He sat up and continued, his voice cracking as he poured his anger out. “Why can’t I…” He whispered as he curled up in the sand, the cold getting to him.

“Why can’t I even die…?”

The cold wind blew strongly, howling across the river and into the forest, blowing over Subaru like he was just a rock.

He whimpered softly until the sun began to warm him up. Lying in the sand he focused on the feeling of each grain on his fingertips. “What is wrong with me…” The sand fell, scattering in the wind as it blew past him. 

“KKYYAAAKKK” Subaru heard a screech from further in the nearby forest. He looked up slowly, trying to see what the source was. Soon enough, two ground dragons led by Ram began to walk past the beach. 

Subaru got up and brushed himself off. He walked over to Ram who had just noticed him. “Heya, glad to see you’re ok.

Ram looked at him with disgust, pity, and a bit of concern. “I’m assuming that your plan went to the gutter.”

Subaru looked down sheepishly, not in the mood for arguing. “I didn’t have much of a plan to begin with. Julius was there and alive but…” He thought about the witch. “We’re gonna need a lot more help to free him.”

Ram nodded and motioned to a ground dragon. “I picked up one of these for you. We can go our separate ways for the time being.”

“W-What?” Subaru held out his hands. “Why do we need to split up?”

Ram sighed. “Because Barusu, we have different priorities. As much as I hate to say it, you need to go find others who can help you before you can help me. I’ll look for a lead in my own way, then I’ll find you again.”

Subaru wanted to protest but decided against it. “I guess I could go to the capital, I think Natalie mentioned that Crusch’s camp was there.”

Ram nodded. “Sounds like you have your work cut out for you.” She got on her dragon and began to ride off. “Meet me at the inn where we found Natalie when you’re ready, I’ll be staying there in the evenings.”

Subaru watched as Ram finally disappeared into the trees, silently hoping for her safety. He turned toward his own dragon. This one was black and wore a fierce look. “I wonder what your name is…” He flicked the reigns and took off, the dragon bounding across the forest floor with a surprising speed. It wasn’t long until they broke into the clear fields of common Lugunica

As he rode on Subaru’s eyes drifted up. The sun had begun to rise in the orange-painted sky as smoke rose around him in the distance in multiple large plumes, giving a post-apocalyptic look to the world. A strong wind blew at Subaru’s back, egging him onward as he entered this new chapter of his journey

. 

Everything he knew had been destroyed, he had been too weak. But this time he would be strong. 

He would start anew, a warrior in a cursed world.

 From zero.  

Chapter Text

Since he had arrived in this world, Natsuki Subaru had spent a great deal of his time in the capital city of Lugunica. It was a city of grandeur, bustling at every corner with life and interest. The fairy-tail adventure aspect of the city, which would only have been noticed by an outsider, had encouraged Subaru to explore the ins and outs of each part of it. 

He had resided in the Jukuulius mansion, which was in the Nobles’ district, where all of the nobles, dukes, and margraves had their “second homes,” large mansions that towered over the rest of the city. If not for the gleaming castle that rested at the very height of the city, Subaru would have called this place the most beautiful part of The Royal Capital.

In the middle of the city were the Commoners’ and the Merchant districts, each lively and busy throughout most of the day and night. 

The merchants had their stands lined up, selling food, drink, exotic items, and jewelry. Each one had caught Subaru’s attention like it was reeling in a fish, feeding into his already massive curiosity about the world he was now living in. 

The Commoners’ district had beautiful big houses crafted carefully out of stone and wood. Although they were all made of the same material, each one had Subaru utterly enchanted.

They were the Slums, also known as the outskirts of the Capital. They were made up of old and broken houses squished against the great towering walls, which were populated by the city’s unfortunate. Subaru found this place to be a bit uncomfortable, but at least it wasn’t fully dead. Even on his first visit there, he had seen children playing and people talking amongst one another. The Slums arguably had the greatest sense of community in the whole city.

Where before the city had been lively, it now exuded the negativity and strictness of a military base. 

After traveling for a couple of hours, Subaru and his new steed had reached the great walls of the Royal Capital. Approaching hadn’t been much of an issue, but as he reached the massive gates, he noticed the platoon of guards at the front. 

There were humans and demihumans alike, all wearing the same silver armor with the same crest. Two of them came over to him, weapons drawn. 

“As decreed by the council and the Royal candidates, I must stop you here,” one of them called out to Subaru, “There is an emergency lockdown currently in place, so unfortunately we must ask you to turn back.”

Subaru stopped his dragon and pulled out his sword, showing them the insignia on the sheath. He pointed to himself and smiled. “I am Natsuki Subaru, a survivor of the battle against the witch cult.”

The soldier in front raised his eyebrows and looked at him carefully. “Natsuki Subaru? I don’t think I’ve heard of you.” He took the sword from Subaru and examined the insignia, “This sword belongs to Jukuulius-sama where did you get it?” 

Subaru got off of his dragon slowly, “Julius is my one and only sensei. He was taken prisoner by them, but I managed to find his weapon.” He turned and looked over in the direction he had come from. “Right now he’s stuck in Flanders, so I’m here to find somebody who can help me.”

The second soldier, who was taller and bulkier, leaned close. “Are you saying Jukuulis-sama is alive?”

Subaru nodded. “Yeah, I can guarantee he is. I saw him just a while ago when I fought my way into Flanders.”

The larger soldier looked taken aback at his statement. “Y-You said you fought your way into Flanders? The city of Dragons?” He turned to his friend. “This guy might seem like he’s messing around but I think he’s the real deal.” Looking at Subaru the other soldier offered him the sword back. “At ease then. Welcome back Subaru-sama. Please let us escort you inside. I’m sure the Sword Demon will want to hear what you have just told us.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The streets of the city were virtually empty, only a few guards and carriages roamed around the main road where Subaru was walking. His dragon had been taken in by the guard and he had excused himself and begun to walk over to the Karsten Manor. He had been let go without anybody causing him trouble, but he still felt as if he was being monitored by the guards he constantly passed on the street. He wondered why he was getting special treatment, but decided to just go with it. The guard station was already near the Nobles’ district, so it wasn’t very long until he reached the grand house of Crusch Karsten.

Subaru had wondered what Crusch Karsten was like. He had only met members of her camp so far, and the only thing he had heard from Julius was that she was a warrior at heart. 

“They did mention something about a Sword Demon being here, so maybe she’s some sort of legendary warrior like Reinhard.” He thought about how the Sword Saint had just disappeared. “Is he dead or… Just somewhere else?” That battle had gone so poorly afterward; the loss of the greatest warrior in the kingdom had been the beginning of their swift defeat. 

“And what was it all for? The candidates were safe anyways even though we lost…” He stopped in his tracks. “Wait. If the capital is safe then…” He turned to the castle on the top of the capital hill. “Emilia.” He took a step to the right, towards the grand road leading up the hill. “No. I’ll go find her later. For now, I need to stay focused.”

When he reached the iron gates of the Manor, he noticed a lack of… Anybody. “It’s… too quiet here.” He walked through as the gates were ajar but stopped when he reached the end of the courtyard. 

Spatters of blood littered the neatly trimmed grass, painting it a deep crimson red. Littered around the area he saw pieces of black cloth. In front of one of the fountains, the cut-up body of a cultist lay dead. “Dammit!” He ran towards the door, knocking on it furiously. When nobody answered, he stepped back, braced himself, and swung his leg at the door…

It came so fast that Subaru didn’t realize what had happened. In an instant, the door had been opened and he was thrown to the floor, a sword held to his throat. Above him stood an old man whom he recognized. 

“Wait wait! Wilhelm-san!” He pleaded with his assailant as he scooted away from the blade.

Above him, Wilhelm frowned slightly realizing who his prey was. “My apologies Subaru-dono.” He sheathed his sword and then helped Subaru up. “I was not aware that you were still alive.”

Subaru dusted himself off. “Yeah, you know we could have used you there at the battle.” He pointed to the sword at Wilhelm’s waist. 

Wilhelm nodded. “Yes, although I am a retired warrior I intended to join the battle, but there was an emergency here.” He pointed to the bloodstains. “The capital was infiltrated by assassins from the Cult at the same time. The candidates’ lives were endangered, but the issue was resolved. I have since dedicated myself here to rooting out the problem.”

Subaru grew worried “What do you mean? Are the candidates alright?” His mind was instantly flooded with scenarios of Emilia skewered and broken, tortured by the cult just like the people from Arlem. 

Wilhelm, sensing Subaru’s terror, put a firm hand on his shoulder. Worry not Subaru-dono, The candidates have each been moved to remote, safer locations.” He looked down slightly. “After almost failing to protect my liege, I was encouraged by the council to send my candidate elsewhere secretly, but the other four followed suit and quickly, the secret became semi-public… I cannot say that my heart does not hold some amount of worry, but I truly believe them to be safe.”

He began to walk over to the entrance again, motioning for Subaru to follow. “Now then… what news do you bring?”

Subaru held up his sword. “Julius-san is alive, I saw him in Flanders. Those damned cultists have him as a prisoner…” he looked at the ornately decorated hallway they were walking through. Gold-trimmed green wallpaper adorned with various paintings and displays. “I was hoping to find someone here who could help, but it seems like you guys have your hands full.”

Wilhelm stopped at one of the many doors and pulled a set of keys out of his jacket. “While that may be the case, I would think it extremely important  if not necessary to help one of our most coveted knights in his time of need.” He unlocked the door and opened it, revealing a balcony with a small round table. 

Subaru hadn’t noticed before but night had begun to fall. Many lights began to turn on while Subaru looked, reminding him that this ghost town was still full of people. Desperate people who feared for their lives and their kingdom.

“Yeah…” He stared at the glowing city, entranced for the moment. “I’m really worried about the guy.” Subaru thought of his friend all alone in Flanders. He still felt the immense regret of leaving him behind, of being too weak yet again.

“It feels like a problem out of my control. Maybe I should just accept that…”  

He remembered Elsa, the mabeasts, his training, the battle, the village, and now his defeat at the hands of the witch.

“I’m weak”

Wilhelm spoke as he sat down at the table, breaking Subaru’s spiraling train of thought. “Fear not Subaru-dono, for I know more than most that Julius-dono can handle a difficult situation.” He looked out at the city as Subaru sat down with him, sighing deeply.

“Although first, I must find my wife,” he said to no one in particular.

“Your wife? What happened to her?” Subaru didn’t want to touch on a sensitive subject, but his curiousness won out. After all, Wilhelm had brought it up.

Wilhelm looked back at Subaru, tensing a bit in his chair. “Yes, my wife. Theresia van Astrea… She was a victim of the cult.” 

Subaru wasn’t sure in this light but he thought he might have seen Wilhelm’s eyes begin to crease and water up.

Wilhelm put a hand to his head and leaned slightly on his chair. “She disappeared when the cultist assassins attacked, and I would like to track her down as soon as possible.”

Subaru felt sorry for Wilhelm. After losing some of his closest friends to the cult, not to mention being ripped from his old wife, he could understand a bit of Wilhelm’s pain. “Hey I mean, it’s just like you said to me no?” He smiled and spread his hands in front of him. “Nothing is ever guaranteed, but I believe your wife’s okay.” He reached forward, offering a hand to Wilhelm. “I’ll help you find her alright? Then we’ll rescue Julius.”

Wilhelm looked at Subaru in surprise, then chuckled. “It seems you’ve used an old man’s advice on him Subaru-dono,” he sat back, relaxing. “We’ll begin the search soon, but for now I could use some good rest.” He motioned to the door. When we’re finished here I’ll show you to a room. You can stay there for the night, and we’ll head out bright and early. 

Considering the circumstances, Subaru slept rather comfortably. He hadn’t dreamed but woke up feeling energized, his injuries over the past few days finally healed fully. “Did Wilhelm-san give me some premium guest room or something?”  

His bed was much softer than the one he had been assigned at the Jukuulius mansion. He had always liked a softer bed, but so far this world had proven that its technology wasn’t advanced enough for a sink-in comforter.

Walking through the house on his own felt like being back at the Roswaal mansion. Not unfriendly, but the walls around him carried a sense of eerieness that nagged at him constantly. 

He found Wilhelm in the courtyard, preparing two ground dragons for travel. One of them was…

“Hey girl! Long time no see.” Subaru walked over to his familiar black steed and petted its head. It growled softly and shook in his hand. He turned over to Wilhelm “Morning Wilhelm-san, where’d you find her? I thought the soldiers took her somewhere else.”

Wilhelm gave out a chuckle. “Why Subaru-dono Patrasche belongs to the Karsten family. Although she is known for being… Rowdy to say the least.”

Subaru laughed as the dragon shook its body. “Really? She never gave me any trouble.” 

Some time later the two had exited the noble’s district and made their way over to the east gate of the city. On the way, Wilhelm told Subaru about the military outposts, small stops around the outside of the city each placed a certain distance away. The Witch Cult had had no trouble taking these, as all of them were now under their control.

The assassins had likely come from one of them, and so they would check the most likely one, the one nearest to the castle side. The battle had taken place all around the walls, but when they began to near their destination Subaru could tell the fight here had been rough.

“Did you fight here Wilhelm-san?” Subaru saw destroyed carriages and burning corpses littered among potholes in the ground. The smell of ashes and blood stung his nose as he continued, making him raise a hand to cover it. He hadn’t seen the aftermath of the battle he had participated in, but he imagined it would be just as bad as this if not much much worse.

Wilhelm had been riding silently next to him for most of the journey, but now spoke softly. “I am truly glad you survived, Subaru-dono.”

Subaru wasn’t sure what to say. Since he had woken up he had gone through nightmare after nightmare, terrified of what would happen to everyone else in his life. He had never really thought before what it would be like to lose them. 

He had always been alone, so he figured this wouldn’t be much different.

So when Wilhelm said those words, Subaru wasn’t really sure what to think of them. Yes, he knew Wilhelm, but they hadn’t formed much of a relationship. Hearing that someone who was merely an acquaintance cared about his safety was slightly surprising.

Before he could awkwardly respond, however, Wilhelm spoke once again. “You know when I first met you back then, you had a special kind of light in your eyes, the light of resolve. It makes me happy to see that these recent horrors haven’t taken that away from you.” 

“Wilhelm-san…”

Ah, I apologize if I got too sentimental there.” He looked out over the battlefield as if searching for something. “I lost my grandson that day when the cult attacked.”

Drawing his sword he looked at the blade, thin and sharp and pristinely forged. “My name, Astrea, comes from a long generation of the Sword Saints. My wife used to be one of them.”

He looked forward solemnly while Subaru glanced at him. The boy had made the connection that Wilhelm and Reinhard were related in some way, but he never imagined that they were family He wondered why neither had mentioned the other nor their families all that much. 

The most Subaru had heard from Reinhard was that his family had expectations. He was curious what Wilhelm had to do with that, he seemed like a man who would be rough but kind to the young Sword Saint.

Wilhelm continued as they went on, talking about the sword saints and their code. “They dedicate themselves wholly to the sword. They live by the blade… and die by it.” He shook his head and turned to Subaru with a sad smile. “I suppose in the end I was too harsh on my grandson, so maybe that’s why I’m happy to see you…”

Subaru was taken aback. “Your grandson… Me?” He, Natsuki Subaru, and the unkillable hero who could cut buildings in half and effortlessly beat the bowel hunter to a pulp. They were similar?

Wilhelm sighed. “Ah, you can ignore all my talk, it’s all just words to satisfy myself. But yes, you were both kind and determined… ” 

Subaru had always looked up to Reinhard after he had saved them all in the loot house, but he hadn’t had an opportunity to talk with him since then. 

From the first impression, he seemed like just another normal guy, but talking to him was enough to figure out that he was an isolated human who was only expected to be what his family was before. In that sense, they were alike.

Wilhelm had treated Subaru in a supportive way before back at the mansion. At first, when Subaru found out Wilhelm was a coveted warrior and a member of a Royal candidate’s camp, he wanted to learn from Wilhelm. However, he had been turned down and Subaru had accepted it without a fight. Now though, he wanted to know.

“You know Wilhelm-san, I’m a bit curious, is that why you didn’t want to train me?”

Wilhelm put away his sword and shook his head. “I would not wish for someone with so much determination as yourself to be hindered by me, who couldn’t even care for or protect his own family”

As he spoke, the air became unnaturally still among the two, a slight queasiness made its way down Subaru’s stomach, adding to the discomforting vibe around them.

Below Subaru, Patrasche grew uneasy, moving more erratically and quickly. Wilhelm noticed his dragon doing the same and became alert. He looked up and his eyes widened, causing Subaru to follow his gaze. Wilhelm quickly got off of his ground dragon and drew his sword. “Subaru-dono…” 

“Yeah,” Subaru drew his sword, preparing to dismount his steed. “I see them.”

Cultists, at least six or seven of them, were on the path coming towards them. To Subaru’s relief, none seemed to be out of the ordinary, with each wearing the classic black robe and wielding the cross-shaped daggers.

Subaru jumped off, readying his sword. Two Cultists stayed back while the others came forward, spreading across the plane in a wide arc. Just as Subaru was about to take a step forward, he felt something rush by him.

With blinding speed, Wilhelm glided at the cultists. One after another fell as his blade carved through the air fluidly. Wilhelm’s body was a blur cutting up the attackers. 

Subaru knew that Wilhelm was a warrior, but he had never expected him to be so fast. He wove effortlessly around the battlefield, keeping up his ridiculous speed with momentum from the blows. Each strike, each angle was planned to boost his efficiency and power on the battlefield. In all his time in Lugunica, Subaru had never seen a warrior quite like this.

Subaru joined in after his initial shock, running towards the two in the back, who were now charging up some sort of spell together. 

Water appeared out of thin air and began to weave around their hand as they chanted unintelligibly, gathering into a long tangled weapon resembling a whip. 

As Subaru approached it tore through the air, blocking his path as he tried to get close. His reflexes weren’t fast enough to dodge and look for an opening, so he fell back. 

“Aaagh!” Even with his retreat, the whip still caught one of his arms, tearing at his skin-like teeth. 

Julius had taught him that the key to fighting an enemy with range was to close distance, but Subaru was having a hard time trying to keep his feet planted in a proper stance while he ran around avoiding the strikes of the water whip. The fear of getting his had enveloped him fully, and was preventing him from going any further.

In his panic, his eyes darted around the battlefield, looking for something to help, when they rested on Wilhelm.

Wilhelm fought like a demon in the metaphorical sense. He wove in and out of the enemy ranks, picking them off like he was a whip himself. His fluidity completely contrasted Subaru’s steady pace and style of fighting, but he still seemed relatively grounded. To put it simply, it was like watching a whirlpool fight. 

Subaru had been taught to hold his ground and keep rigid. It was how his master fought. It was how the knights fought. But something deep inside Subaru told him that holding on would hold him back, and he had never been much of a grounded person anyway.

So he let go. 

As a kid, Subaru was a fast runner. When he wanted, his legs could take him as far and fast as he wanted. He channeled that feeling, that long-buried memory, and began gliding. He kicked off and ran, so fast he felt like he was in a race. Out of instinct of excitement, he leaped. His body flew through the air, carrying the momentum forward as he gripped his sword with a single hand.

His hands had always been relatively strong, but never before did it feel this right to swing. They slashed at him as he swung from the side, cutting through the water. He slashed to the side and picked up the sword again, carrying the momentum back into another slash, cutting the whip once again. He kicked off his feet, feeling lighter than ever, and spun again towards the spellcasters. He tensed his arms, readjusting his sword grip and swinging full force, cleaving through the cultists before him. 

He quickly turned to the others but noticed that Wilhelm had dispatched them all. 

“Well done Subaru-dono, you fought admirably.” Wilhelm wiped the blood off of his sword as he walked over. 

Subaru smiled and swung his blade, cleaning it off in one swoop, and then sheathing it. “I saw you and got inspired, what can I say? You moved so fast I could barely even see you!”

“Ah yes well, It takes a lot to maintain this old body of mine… And a technique that took a long while to master.”

Subaru was curious. “Technique?”

Wilhelm whistled and the dragons began to ride over. He looked around one last time then at Subaru. “Well, the technique I use is called the flow method. The way of the master swordsman.”

Chapter Text

Wilhelm van Astrea was in shock.

He looked at the boy before him, eyes wide and curious. The boy who, as Wilhelm never could have imagined, had proved himself to have a potential far greater than most the old swordsman had encountered, and a determination that surpassed that of the most hungry predators. 

What he had just seen, what he would likely see again, had to be controlled. Or it would break loose in a most horrifying fashion.

Natsuki Subaru had something untapped within him, held up by an unstoppable will and a knack for adaptability. This had been shown to Wilhelm firsthand, all in a familiar form.

Mana had surged through Subaru’s body, wild and unrestrained, yet for an instant, it had taken form. What had taken the greatest warriors years to master had just been crudely mimicked—by a novice who had no idea what he had done.

“Truly Subaru-dono, you are one of a kind.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Well, the technique I use is called the flow method. The way of the master swordsman.”

Subaru raised his hand, mimicking a student in class. “The flow method?”

Wilhelm nodded. “Yes, the art of channeling mana throughout the body.” He studied Subaru for a moment. “To be frank, I believe you could master the Flow Method one day.”

“Channel mana throughout the body huh… Sounds like something out of an anime.” 

Wilhelm patted his stomach lightly, “How much experience do you have with using your gate Subaru-dono?” 

Subaru looked away slightly embarrassed. “Not much to be honest, I’ve only cast magic a couple of times, and every time I do it goes ballistic.” He put a hand over his own midsection and continued. “Puck told me before that my control over my gate is pretty bad, so it’s a bit of a last resort get-out-of-jail-free card.”

Wilhelm nodded, putting a hand on his chin. “I see… Then your path will only be that much more difficult.” He looked up at the sun, which had reached a high point in the sky. “I suppose it’s high time we rest…”

Wilhelm stared at the sun for a bit before blinking and smiling at Subaru. “After everything that’s happened today, I now see that I was wrong in rejecting you as my student Subaru-dono.”

He pulled out his sword slowly, putting it on the ground. “If you are willing I would like to take it upon myself to teach you.” He knelt before Subaru, “ If you wish, I, Wilhelm van Astrea, will act as your mentor in the ways of combat.”

“Ehh?” Subaru was taken aback. He hadn’t done much in front of Wilhelm, and all he had done was fail or get lucky. His constant losses and shortcomings were all that was visible.

And even so, this legendary swordsman was kneeling before him, offering to be his teacher. Not out of obligation or pity, but out of genuine interest.

Why?

Subaru looked at the old man beneath him. Ever since Julius was taken he had struggled to survive and been thrown into battle after battle. This was his chance to get stronger, even if he didn’t think he deserved it. “I need to get stronger.”

He picked up Wilhelm’s sword and offered it to him.

“I accept… Sensei.”

…

…

…

“Ughh” A little while later, Subaru was holding his stomach after losing most of the mana in his body.

“When you release the mana into your body, do not let it spill.” Wilhelm had watched as Subaru opened his gate, only for mana to come bursting out in a large stream. In previous attempts, he couldn’t keep it consistent and he ran out of energy within seconds, always falling to the ground nearly dry.

Subaru refused to give up, but he knew he would run out of stamina soon. He ate a Bocco fruit, which Wilhelm had given him, to replenish his mana then closed his eyes. 

“Imagine your gate as a door, and start to open it,” Wilhelm said.

He saw his gate as a spiral portal, which opened and closed like a lens. He twisted the portal, opening it slightly and letting a small stream of mana through. So far he hadn’t lost control, but he could feel the gate wavering, fighting to break free of his control while also threatening to destroy itself altogether. He felt like he was playing tug of war with a glass rope, and the one who broke it lost. 

His gate opened fully, and his mana burst out yet again. “Dammit!” He yelled, scaring away some demented-looking blackbirds who were sitting near the dead cultists. “I can’t control it. It seems like every time it’s fighting me.” He breathed deeply, then looked at Wilhelm. “Gimme another fruit, I can get this.”

Wilhelm smiled and gave him another but raised his hand. “This time Subaru-dono, focus on the feeling.” He tapped his head. “What you feel in the heat of combat when your mental limitations are tossed to the wind.”

Subaru paused for a second, nodded, then popped the fruit, swallowing down the bitter taste and closing his eyes once more.

“Focus on the feeling”

What did he feel? He had thought about running before, how he had loved to run and leave everything else behind as if his only care in the world was how fast he could go. 

As he thought about it the feeling resurfaced. The feeling he had while he ran as a kid, of being solitary and free, flooded his brain as he reached toward his gate. It responded quickly, beginning to open as Subaru tried to hold it down. He could not feel it, but he could tell that it was writhing under the pressure, mere moments away from breaking.

So he let go once again.

A euphoric feeling came over him as mana flooded out, his mind screaming as he struggled to stay focused. He unconsciously tensed up, and he attempted to close the portal before everything left… To no avail.

“Shit! He grabbed the closest thing he could find, his sword, and launched it in anger at the dead cultist near him. “I can’t do it, Wilhelm! I’m not strong enough. I can’t do this and won’t ever be able to-.” He clutched his stomach in pain, trying not to faint from the lack of mana. “Aaagh! My gate is just too broken!”

Wilhelm narrowed his eyes. “Subaru-dono…”

“What.” Subaru looked at Wilhelm, who was looking behind him to where he had thrown his sword. Subaru turned around and saw it impaled in the ground, sticking out of the cultist’s now-severed head. 

“You’ve taken great strides.” Wilhelm walked past the stunned Subaru. “I will collect a few things for us, and then we must depart for the outpost.”

For the next while as they rode, Subaru practiced a certain breathing exercise to stabilize his gate. Wilhelm had told him it was like flexing a muscle; every time he took a breath in, he contracted his gate mentally, and every time he exhaled, he opened it ever so slightly. The natural feeling of breathing helped regulate his gate’s opening, but every so often he had to hold his breath or inhale strongly to prevent mana from spilling out again.

As they rode onward, the outpost became visible. A tall wooden wall covered most of it, but Subaru could see the top of a watchtower sticking up. There weren’t many places to take cover near the structure, so when they arrived, Wilhelm and Subaru dismounted in a small cluster of trees a fair distance away.

Subaru looked at the looming wall. “How will we-”

“Get in?” Wilhelm looked toward the currently closed metal gate on the side of the outpost. “That patrol from earlier likely came from here. When they realize their men have not returned, they will send another force to retrieve them.” He shot his hand forward, “And that’s when we strike.” 

Wilhelm turned back to Subaru. “This ambush will be difficult, and will require a significant advantage on our side.” He pointed toward the base where a couple of carts contained numerous bags with an emblem on each one. “Those bags are used by the Lugunican army to contain explosives. We can use that to our advantage.”

Subaru looked skeptically. “How will we get over there?” He motioned at the watchtower. “Won’t they see us?”

Wilhelm walked over to his dragon and began rummaging through his large satchel. “That, Subaru-dono, is where these will prove useful.” He pulled out two wooden bows, fairly small but sturdy. “This is a weapon more commonly used in Vollachia, but it seems the cultists have included them in their arsenal, as I saw but a little while ago.” He picked one up and held it in a firing position. “I’ve used these on a few occasions… They’re quite versatile, to say the least.”

“Oh yeah, I’ve used a bow before.” Subaru had done a couple of archery classes when he was younger, but he didn’t mention to Wilhelm that he had never really used proper arrows.

Wilhelm handed him one, “Well then that saves us precious time.” He went back to his satchel and pulled out several arrows, all of them in decent condition.  He walked back over to Subaru and gave him a single arrow. “Now, recall the breathing exercise I had you do.” He pulled his bowstring back and released it, making a twanging sound. “I want you to imagine the draw and release of this bow as the equivalent of the inhale and exhale of your breathing, and try to flow your mana into the bow.” He pointed at a tree that was further away from the outpost. “Aim for that tree.”

Subaru nodded and knocked the arrow. It had been a while but he still remembered the basic form of using a bow. He began to breathe in a pattern, relaxing his tense gate with each cycle. He drew the arrow back as he took a longer inhale, stopping when the arrow was all the back.

He released, the air in his lungs escaping in one short and controlled breath. He felt his gate tug, threatening to break open, but it reached a barrier at the end of his breath. He looked up to see where his arrow had landed…

He had missed. The arrow was stuck in a bush a couple of yards away from the tree, sticking upright. Nevertheless, it had gone the distance.

“Aagh, I thought I was better than this! I’m performing at bot-level.”

Wilhelm patted his back from behind. “Take more time with the shot, and focus with your eyes.” He handed him another arrow. “Again.”

Subaru took another arrow from Wilhelm and knocked it, staring at the tree for a moment before releasing the arrow. It flew straight and true but reached about halfway to the tree.

“Really? I forgot to use my gate? Wilhelm must think I’m an idiot.”

“Remember your breathing Subaru-dono, the flow of mana into this weapon makes it much more useful than without.”

…

…

The sun was lowering in the sky as Subaru finished his training. After airballing two more arrows, and accidentally almost letting his gate burst open again, Wilhelm had made him do more breathing exercises for the next couple of hours, before instructing him in archery again. Subaru had only managed to hit the target once, but Wilhelm seemed appeased enough so he let him rest. 

Subaru was tired from the day’s training, but as he was about to doze off, Wilhelm told him to prepare for the attack.

“There they are.” Wilhelm pointed to the now-opening gate, as a group of cultists numbering around ten came out. Wilhelm grabbed the two full quivers he had saved and handed one to Subaru. “Remember your training Subaru-dono, and release your mana sparingly.” He knocked an arrow as the cultists turned, walking past the carts. “On my mark, we fire at the explosives… 3… 2… 1… Fire!”

Subaru released the arrow he had knocked, staring directly at the cart as his arrow shot true. It punctured one of the bags, causing it to glow a bright red. 

Subaru’s heart beat wildly, his breath becoming shaky as he saw one of the cultists walk over to the cart, noticing the glare. Blood pounded through his body, making him shake as he waited.

The next moment, it exploded.

Air rippled in a shockwave that nearly knocked Subaru over. He closed his eyes for a second at the bright flames shooting upward.

“GHAAah!” Most of the cultists were knocked off their feet as dirt and wood flew everywhere, further obscuring their vision. 

Wilhelm’s arrow had hit another cart further back, taking out the rear force and blocking a retreat. The disoriented cultists looked around for the assailants, but Subaru and Wilhelm seemed to have sufficiently kept their cover.

At least they thought so.

An arrow whizzed past Subaru, narrowly missing his arm. He looked at Wilhelm, who nodded before knocking another arrow and firing, skewering the cultist who had gotten back up. More arrows rained down on them as surviving cultists approached, and Wilhelm fired arrow after arrow to keep them from getting too close. 

Subaru had just managed to knock another arrow in the chaos and was preparing to shoot. He drew back the arrow, breathing in sharply.

Crack!

Another arrow hit his notched bow, shattering the arrow completely as Subaru lost control of his gate. Splinters of wood shot their way into Subaru as he fell from the impact, his mana now depleted. 

He got up slowly, his face and chest warm with blood as he shouted to Wilhelm. “There’s too many of them!” 

“I’ll draw their fire, you take their remaining forces inside in close combat.” He looked at Subaru before running off, “I believe in you Subaru-dono. Fight with all your strength.”

Subaru nodded then took off, panting as he sprinted through the line of trees, breaking out into the field. He ran toward the gate behind the cultists and entered the outpost. 

Inside, there was a small building with a stable next to it, the few cultists that were standing in the courtyard were caught off-guard by Subaru’s sudden entrance, scrambling to get weapons and allowing Subaru to get close.

He ran towards them. He had fully run out of mana at this point, so he instead relied on his natural speed. The first cultist fell instantly, Subaru’s blade cutting cleanly through. As he stepped back two more surrounded him, each one of them brandishing a dagger. 

As he straightened his posture and prepared to dodge, another cultist turned the corner. 

This one was wielding a longer curved sword and sported a slightly more decorated robe with gold linings. This one had an air of authority, as seen when the other two cultists hesitated for a second. 

The cultist raised their sword, pointing it toward Subaru as if challenging him. 

Ignoring the two around him, Subaru ran towards the apparent leader, his sword catching the wind as he prepared to strike. 

He swung his blade downward but only connected with metal. His weight was thrown off behind the cultist as his sword was parried faster than he could react. He turned around quickly but the cultist’s sword was arcing, already two-thirds of the way to his neck. He managed to deflect the blow with his hilt, then swooped in for another counterattack. 

His blade met air, as the cultist had used their sword’s momentum to swoop backward towards their allies. The three approached him in sync.

“Huh,  He moves with his sword instead of the opposite.” He released his grip on his sword, raising it with one hand. “It’s almost like a dance…” He held his blade firmly above his head horizontally, clenching both his fists and puffing up his chest. 

For a second the cultist leader hesitated, as if curious about what Subaru had just done, but he soon regained his composure and swung yet again in a wide arc, his blade whistling through the air.

But Subaru was ready. He spun back, just outside the strike zone, then lunged forward with all his strength. 

The cultist, already moving back, had anticipated another counterattack and lost balance trying to swing upward at the open Subaru. Subaru smiled and turned, time seemingly slowing down as the blade ran past his face showing his reflection. He stepped in again and swung his arm, striking lighter but faster in a series of slashes, cutting up the front of the cultist until his robe was shredded. 

The leader stumbled back, blood pouring profusely from his wounds as he began to cackle from behind his gilded mask with a high-pitched voice.

“Hehehe… hehehahaHAHAHAA–Urg.” The cultist choked on his blood, his voice a murmur behind his gags. 

Subaru gritted his teeth. “You’re all insane you know that?!” He took his sword and swung it one final time, slashing the leader's face. His mask was torn, revealing an unrecognizable visage from the battle and covered in blood; Subaru could barely even recognize it as human. The leader finally fell, his body thudding against the dirt. Blood and spit frothed at his mouth, gurgling as if he was still laughing.

Subaru wasted no time, turning quickly to a second enemy on the left and feinting a swing downward. 

The cultist flinched, putting up his blade to block the top and leaving himself open for Subaru to then butcher his torso as he had done with the leader. 

Subaru turned to the third, who was on the ground, struggling to get away. As Subaru approached he got up and ran, screaming incoherently as he sprinted towards the gate. Subaru took out an arrow and knocked it, preparing to shoot him.

He fell to his knees, his heart pounding as he gasped for breath. He had fought hard, but it had taken the life out of him. Subaru looked at the battlefield, the bloodied corpses, and dismembered limbs, and realized one thing.

“I did this.”  

He got up again, picking up his sword which he had dropped earlier, and wiped the blood and dirt off of it using his clothes. He gave a big sigh, a testament to his feelings of relief.

He had gotten just a little bit stronger.

“For the first time I… I won.”

When he returned outside, Wilhelm was wiping a handkerchief over his sword, standing over a mountain of corpses. He had already collected the used arrows and put them into quivers that lay on the ground.

He looked up when he heard Subaru coming, smiling as he walked over. “Well done Subaru-dono, you fought magnificently.” He looked behind Subaru, “At least that’s what your escapee led me to believe.”

Subaru chuckled, “Yeah I had to let at least one get away right?” He looked at the ground for a moment before speaking again. “Listen, thanks Wilhelm-san, I can’t imagine how this would have gone without your training…”

Wilhelm looked at Subaru “Nonsense. You were a warrior long before I decided so.” He began to walk toward the entrance to the outpost. 

Subaru followed him as he walked in, keeping an eye out for anything that might indicate the presence of his wife. He assumed she had white hair as well, but really he didn’t know much about her at all.

Wilhelm looked up at the watchtower. It had surprised Subaru too but nobody had been up at the top. 

“Curious…” Wilhelm and Subaru went inside the building to search for more clues. The only things they could come up with were several packed training dummies and a couple of robes thrown here and there. To them, it seemed, the place had been a temporary hideout rather than a military stronghold.

While they were looking around the back room, Subaru heard a cry from outside. “Wilhelm-san!” He ran outside as quickly as he could and looked for the source of the noise. Eventually, he found a man, bleeding out on the floor on the other side of the courtyard.

 He was missing both arms and had been tied to a post. He still was yelling loudly at Subaru. Wilhelm came up behind him and spoke softly to the man.“Stay calm sir, what happened here?” He untied the rope around the man. “Were there other prisoners?”

The man looked at Wilhelm, his face contorted in pain. “They were all slaughtered by… That swordswoman.” He nodded his head to a pile of corpses off to the side. Subaru noticed blood pouring out from them like a fountain. “That’s strange, the cultists weren't killing anyone when I came in…” Each one of them had been cut to pieces, mutilated.

Wilhelm’s face hardened. “What swordswoman? Did you see her face?” 

Subaru was confused at first but realized what Wilhelm was making sure of. It seemed like Wilhelm had not told him everything about his wife. He stood in shock as the man groaned again. 

“She wore a cultist robe… She was young with lively red hair… But her eyes.” The man coughed up blood “They were… Dead… Uncaring as she slaughtered them. My wife…N-no…”

The man slumped backward, dead. His eyes leaked tears stained with crimson, and his wounds dripped blood onto the ground. Wilhelm closed his eyes and then put his hands together in a small prayer. 

Subaru looked at Wilhelm and shouted. “What the hell was that about? Is your wife killing people?” 

Wilhelm didn’t open his eyes. “Subaru-dono, just what are you-”

“TELL ME!” Subaru screamed at the sky. He took a deep breath. “They kill people Wilhelm-san… They’re merciless and I can’t forgive them…” Subaru clenched his fists. “So please tell me. I couldn’t take it if you were one of them too.”

Wilhelm sighed. “When I said I was attacked, I didn’t only mean the cultists…” 

He opened his eyes and looked at Subaru, his face scrunched up and angry. Just for a moment, Subaru felt afraid. “My wife has been dead for 14 years Subaru-dono.” His breath hitched and his fingers trembled. “But I saw her, young again, wearing a cultist robe along with those heretics, intending to murder my lady and her company… I had to do something.” 

Subaru looked down for a moment, processing Wilhelm’s words. 

“Anything else you want to tell me? Are the candidates even alive?”

Wilhelm flinched at this. “Yes, I believe they are. Felix is currently with Crusch-sama in the main Karsten Manor up north… But I have no news on Emilia-sama.”

He bowed his head. “I deeply apologize for misleading you Subaru-dono, I would be glad to assist you in promptly freeing Knight Jukuulius.”

Subaru looked at the old man. He felt a sense of pity. After all, what would he have done if he’d lost Emilia…?

“Don’t sweat it. Wilhelm-san.” He looked out toward the gate. “I suppose I should be on the move for other allies… After all, It can’t be just us storming the gates of Flanders.” 

As he began to walk past, Wilhelm stayed bowed, his brow creasing further.

Subaru turned back and gave a wide smile at Wilhelm. “And that way, you’ll have more time to look for your wife right?” He ran onward, waving to Wilhelm as he went, and yelled back at him. “Let me know if you ever need any help with that Sensei!” 

Wilhelm stood upright, laughing happily as he looked upon the young knight who was running into the setting sun. What a wondrous young man he had met. 

“Truly Subaru-dono, you are one of a kind.”

…

“Your heart knows no limits, does it.”

Wilhelm looked at the bloody ground around him, the corpses of innocents scattered and piled like trash. 

The wind blew, carrying with it the scent of flowers, masking the bloody tinge of the air. 

Wilhelm closed his eyes once again, taking in the breeze, before looking up at the red sky. He placed a hand on his chest, gripping his shirt tightly. He had let her go too many times, never again.

“Wait for me… Theresia.”

Chapter Text

The morning sun shined down on Subaru as he woke up from the night’s sleep. He rolled around in the grass, blocking out the light with his hands and sitting up. 

After leaving the outpost on his own and heading north, he managed to find a group of refugees who were camping for the night in a hidden grove. After telling them he was a knight who had survived what they had called the “Battle of Lugunica Plain”, he was treated with much less apprehension. 

They had given him general directions and a map to the Karsten Manor and had even offered him food. He wasn’t sure how he felt about receiving all of this just for being a knight, but he figured that they weren’t doing it out of fear. “Please” They had said while handing him a basket of food, “Take this and help save our home,”

He hadn’t stayed with them, he didn’t want to waste too much time in getting to his destination, and on top of that, thoughts writhed in the back of his head telling him to get away as soon as possible. After all, bad luck seemed to follow him wherever he went.

The basket of food, as well as supplies and arrows he had taken from Wilhelm had begun to weigh on Patrasche, and they had stopped for the night to rest.

Now, Subaru was munching on a piece of bread while Patrasche gulped down some cured meat. He turned to his steed and smiled. “Excited to get home Patrasche?” He threw her another piece of meat and petted her head. “I hope your master will help me…” 

He looked out into the distance. He wasn’t sure where the Manor was, but from what he could tell they hadn’t gotten close yet. 

“Kyaaaaakkk!”

Subaru chuckled, “Kinda weird huh… Just us traveling together.” This was the first time he had been on his own this frequently since arriving in the new world. 

It wasn’t anything new for him, but he had kind of gotten used to being amongst friends most of the time. Patrasche, who was his only company, was talked at by the lonely boy for most of the trip.

He tossed her the rest of his bread. “Alright time to go! Can’t be wasting too much time here.” Patrasche caught it and looked at Subaru skeptically. 

He hopped onto her and grabbed the reins, trotting onto the path that winded in and out of the surrounding sparse forest.

Subaru thought about Ram. 

Aside from Wilhelm, she was the only person he had managed to find in this whole disaster. He had agreed to find and help her after he had gathered some allies, but he wasn’t sure how long that was going to take. The last thing he wanted was to take too long and return to find Ram gone or worse. 

“She’s already suffered enough… I can’t be too slow with this.”

As for allies, he had only found Wilhelm so far. The Karsten camp and the Barielle camp were the only ones he had heard about, and the rest of his friends were still missing in action.

With the amount of information he had, he likely wouldn’t find anybody else until he talked to Crusch Karsten. 

…

…

…

It was late evening by the time Subaru found himself approaching the Karsten Manor. The map he had received had shown him the general territory but wasn’t so detailed as to show him the exact location of the manor. He continued to follow the road until he reached a crossroads with a checkpoint. 

The station had been fully abandoned, but being fully intact, Subaru was able to use his basic reading level to figure out which direction to go. 

“That’s strange”, he remarked as he trotted off. “I thought there would be more security than normal…” 

As he continued on the wind grew stronger, almost urging along his path. Patrasche began to move faster without her master directing her to do so, nearly bucking him off from the sudden change in speed. “Wooaah girl what’s up…” He looked up, finally seeing what had spooked his mount so much. 

The lands leading up to the Karsten Manor were destroyed, flaming buildings and wrecked carts littered the hills, and the manor up ahead was covered by a thick veil of smoke. Subaru narrowed his eyes and pushed onward, worried that something might have happened. 

Reaching the gates, he jumped off of his horse and sprinted towards the gates, sword in hand. “Dammit, just how many have these bastards killed?” The gate, which had been blasted open, led into a courtyard that was almost completely empty. Plants and structures alike had been or were in the process of being burnt down, and blood was scattered across the floor. The entrance, unlike the Karsten manor in the capital, had been shattered, the wall around laden with thick cracks and extensive burns. 

Before entering the building, Subaru noticed the stables, which had been mostly untouched. The gates were all ajar, with no mounts remaining. “That’s strange, did some people manage to escape?” He approached the stable doors and saw footprints, mostly from dragons but some humans. 

One particular set of dragon prints that he almost missed led in a different direction than the rest. 

“Interesting.” Subaru decided he would look into that more later, but for now, he focused on the human footprints leading into the building. He stared at them. There obviously had been more than one person, and they all seemed to have been bunched up. 

He remembered how the cultists had tended to spread themselves around him, cutting off escapes and entrapping an opponent. They were also a lot quieter and didn’t leave behind many tracks such as these.

“Hmmm.”

“Did some run back inside?” The broken door didn’t leave much hope for him, but he decided to investigate anyway.

Subaru walked towards the door, taking out his sword. He stepped inside, looking around him at the burnt wallpaper and wrecked walls, then seeing a door closed on the other side, he approached. 

“Is there anybody in there!?” he shouted once but was met with silence other than the crackling of the flames outside. 

He sheathed his sword and put his hand on the door handle, “Better hope it’s not more corpses,” he mumbled, he had seen enough death already to last anyone multiple lifetimes.

He pulled on the door handle. “Locked…” He shook his head and rattled the handle, leaning down to pull on it. “Dammit, can you just open!”

As he realized his repeated pulling was mundane, the boy began to feel at the door, hoping for some secret mechanism that he knew wasn’t likely to exist. 

Then he heard it. An eerie humming so quiet, he would not have noticed it if he had continued shouting. A radiation of frequency that started as soft as a kitten's silent mewling during its sleep, that turned into a drone reminiscent of a wasp. He listened carefully, trying to identify this strange sound.

It grew louder and louder, but it didn’t seem to be moving… 

But then it abruptly stopped. For a second, Subaru relaxed, looking around. When it didn’t start up again he slumped against the door and rubbed his forehead, wondering if he was hallucinating from the thinness of the air around him.

BOOM

An indescribable pain hit Subaru as his back and the door behind it were both obliterated by flames. He screamed, his vision going red as blood and pink matter ran from the top of his head down over his eyes. 

He crawled, each tiny movement making him grunt and cry as out as pieces of his spine squirmed inside the muscles of his arms that reached blindly for the exit. 

The roaring of the fire around him grew louder and he gasped with relief, knowing he had dragged himself out of the main entrance to the safety of Patrasche. 

He touched the cold and smooth floors of the garden…

No…

Subaru felt a sharp sting as a hot liquid was poured onto his back, bubbling as it mixed with the blood and fluids that poured out of him. 

The fire howled, meeting his own wails of protest as it began to lick at his sides and creep up his legs. 

“Ah ah aaah aaha aahaaaa no no no no noNONONNO GGHHEEEEEEEAAAHHHHHHH!” 

The heat multiplied, the roaring and intensity of the flames growing exponentially larger as they consumed Subaru from the inside out, ravaging his already shredded organs. 

In all of that chaos, he wondered how he was still alive. 

There was no sight, no scent, even his hearing had been shot. 

The only thing that remained, was the feeling of being devoured alive by the blazing inferno. 

His mind broke, its contents figuratively and literally leaking out of him as his body unconsciously tried to kill itself by bashing its head in over and over again. 

The last thing that Subaru felt was his flaming skull cracking against the floor.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

…

…

Flames.

“A-AAAgh!” Subaru’s eyes shot open as he suddenly squirmed, the blades of grass beneath him poking into his shirt. He saw the sun rising in the sky, and his ground dragon looking at him with curious eyes. “W-where is my…” He ripped off his shirt, tearing the side in the process as his hands shot to his back.

“O-oh…” He rubbed his back softly. “My skin, it’s back.” The rubbing got rougher. “It’s back it’s back it’s back.”

Blood dripped onto the ground as his nails ripped through his skin, opening wounds that stung albeit far less than mere moments ago. He stopped and gripped his face, staining it with blood as he pulled down on the skin surrounding his eyes. “It’s back again!” 

“Kyaaaaakkk!” Patrasche screeched as Subaru began to roll in the grass, staining the ground further. 

“I… returned by death.”

As he became still on the grass, he felt a nudge on his side, making him twitch with justified exaggeration.

“Kyaaaaak!” Patrasche nudged him again, this time rolling him over onto his back. Subaru didn’t even wince as his wounds were pierced by the long blades beneath.

He sat up slowly and stared at the dragon, her large yellow eyes filled with concern. 

Subaru blinked, then sighed.

…

“You’re right… What am I doing?” 

He stood on his feet and walked over to the dragon, petting her head. “Thank you Patrasche.” He climbed on top of the ground dragon and leaned down to her head. “Sorry, but we have to skip breakfast. I need to get to the Manor sooner.” 

He grabbed the reins and flicked them, his eyes narrowing as the dragon took off down the road at a more lively pace than before. 

As he rode panic still festered in his chest. “What if I’m too late?” 

…

…

…

This time when they reached the manor, it was still reletively light out. The sun was low in the sky, but it hadn’t begun to set yet. 

The damage was still done, as shown by the plumes of smoke rising into the sky from the mansion. If anything, the clearer sky made it seem like there was more fire than the last time. Subaru stopped at the gates leading into the courtyard and got off Patrasche. 

“Hey girl, if I yell, I want you quickly get ready to leave.” He nodded at Patrasche one final time and walked inside the inner grounds. 

Blood was strewn on the floor, and fire covered most of the surrounding buildings. Subaru noticed bodies of attendants thrown into plants and strewn in fountains. He looked over to the stables, which had previously been emptied. The dragons were still not there, but this time, he realized something. 

Given that there were cultists inside the building, and the dragons had all gone out at roughly the same time… “They’re hunting someone…” He looked at the many footprints leading inside, made to look as if they were in a hurry. “...and they expect them to come back.”

He made his way to the main door and peeked inside. The door into the hallway was still firmly shut, and the rest of the room was wrecked. Subaru snuck towards the door, listening for the humming sound again…

…

…

“They don’t know I’m here.”  

He looked at the doorknob, wondering if he could break it with his sword and force the door open. As he looked he noticed a small string, connecting from the doorknob to below the door to the other side. 

“So that’s how.” He stepped back outside quietly, shaking as he realized the tiny trigger that had led to his brutal demise.

He pulled out his sword. He could probably walk in and tug the doorknob, or cut the string with his blade, but the sheer fear of death by fire trumped any notion of him trying to run out in time.

Looking around the courtyard, he noticed a crate nearby. Several small knives were laid out on it. They were most likely for some sort of decoration, double-edged and ornate, and didn’t look to be very useful in terms of combat. 

“Hmmm, could be used as throwing knives…” He picked one up and flicked it around, making slices in the air.

They reminded him of kunai, Japanese throwing knives used by shinobi to distract or lightly injure an opponent. “I guess these are kind of similar, shinobi didn’t really fight too much anyway. If I remember right”

He grabbed the rest, shoved them in his pocket, and walked back over to the building entrance, looking over the rubble at the door. “I wonder if…” He pulled out a knife and aimed it steadily at the doorknob.

He stopped. “No way am I going to hit this…”  

He remembered how suddenly the door had exploded. There were people behind there too. Maybe if he caught them off guard… “They’ll kill me just like they did last time.” He looked back at the gate where Patrasche was waiting. 

Why didn’t he just leave?

He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. Wilhelm’s words came to mind as he tried to calm himself down “You were a warrior long before I decided so.”

A warrior did not turn back.

Subaru exhaled, releasing air in front of him, then pulled up his knife. He took an inhale, drawing his arm back to the side of his body and bending his wrist backward. His gate within him fluctuated, seemingly happy to be activated again. He held his breath in as he counted.

“3”

“2”

“1”

“Release.” 

He let the air escape his lungs as he flicked the knife at the door, his eyes locked on unwaveringly to the string. 

Thud

The knife embedded itself in the wood as it sliced through the string, finally disarming the trap.

Subaru smiled as he approached the door, pulling out his knife. He put a foot on the door and pulled out his sword, readying it to strike the doorknob.

Then he heard it, the same humming sound again. His eyes widened and he quickly kicked off of the door, his body turning to sprint away. He managed to get around the corner when-

BOOM

The room inside lit up as pieces of wood and stone flew everywhere. When Subaru looked inside he saw three silhouettes walking through the dusty room slowly, their weapons raised high. 

His heart raced but his breathing remained calm. He readied another dagger and peeked around the corner. He hoped he was also obscured enough that they couldn't fully see him. 

His gate pulsed again as he threw it, drawing mana from within to increase its effectiveness. It wiggled awkwardly in the air but its trajectory was true. 

One of the figures gagged as the knife cut into his chest, and the other two quickly turned, looking for the assailant. Subaru took the opportunity to move. 

He had already stepped out into the open, showing himself as he threw his weapon, and he gripped his sword with one hand, raising it above his head in an offensive stance. 

He rushed in, first swinging down his sword at the injured enemy. He cut into his chest, severing the fingers that clutched it and digging through his skin and bones. 

He swiped with his leg, pulled his sword out, and tripped the dead body as he turned around to face the other two who now were charging at him.

It was difficult for Subaru to see, so he didn’t notice the first strike until it connected with his torso, leaving him with a nasty cut right on his side. “Ngh” He grunted in pain as he countered, forcing the blade upward with his own and semi-blindly swinging in. 

A voice cried out in pain as his blade hit one of the two, their flesh making a squishing sound as he drove home, pushing his sword in further. The figure staggered, falling back into the rubble, his bones crunching on the hard stone. 

Subaru turned quickly to the third, who was yelling as he swung wildly at Subaru. 

“Gah!” Subaru raised his sword to block but winced as his pain grew stronger throughout his body. 

He parried the incoming strike clumsily, throwing the last attacker off balance. Subaru quickly turned, and kicked, knocking his opponent to the floor.

The smoke had begun to clear up, and Subaru saw the features of his assailants, tall burly men with longish hair and scraggly uniforms. Seeing all of this, he now registered that his attackers were not cultists but-

“Civilians?” He crouched down as worry raided his mind. “Shit! What have I done?” he yelled, slapping his face with his free hand.

The last attacker, a man with a scraggly beard and a face tattoo, spat blood on the ground as he got up. 

“Civilians?” The man laughed, “You idiot!” He picked up his sword, his face oozing with forced emotion. “You killed them both” 

Subaru began to speak up “I-I’m”

The man gave a wide grin. “Not that I care that much.” He launched at Subaru, swinging his sword again in another frenzied strike. 

Caught off guard, Subaru suffered another blow to the same wound. 

“UUURgg.” Blood escaped his mouth as he staggered, stepping backward. 

The man approached him, brandishing his weapon once again-

“Kyaaaaaak!”

The man was suddenly slammed into the wall by Patrasche. 

Subaru yelled as the man struggled to get up. “Good one girl!” 

The man yelled loudly as he stood up. His arms had broken and had begun to bleed out of various crevices as he walked again toward Subaru, his chest creaking with every step like a weak tree branch.

“You… Will all… Die.” He spat a couple of dislodged teeth out of his mouth and continued, “We’ll… Come for them all.”  He stopped, standing as he accepted his fate. Blood ran down each of his limbs as his tattered clothes stained red.

Subaru stood dead still. He stared at the man, his eyes not blinking not flitting away as his mouth opened slightly. 

The man’s hardened features fell, and he gulped as he looked down at the face of his killer, whose eyes betrayed his true soul to the man before him. “What…”

Subaru raised his sword and swung it downward one final time. 

“Are you?”

It cleaved through the man’s neck, killing him.

The young boy sighed as he looked at the damage he had done. His mind relaxed, fixated on the fact that they were not just innocents. This man had known combat, at a base level, and was waiting there to kill whomever returned.

He had also fought until the very end and had openly accepted his loss.

“At the very least… you died with honor.”

…

…

Subaru flicked the blood off of his blade, sheathing it back away. He looked towards the now-destroyed door and walked inside the hallway.

Plip

Plop

Inside, he saw a massacre. The walls had been painted in a grotesque and colorful combination of blood and innards. 

As he walked forward he had to avert his eyes upward, as every time he looked at this sight his stomach lurched, threatening to spill its contents. Even as he avoided the worst of it, he still was forced to stare at the various appendages hanging from the chandeliers on the ceiling. 

He reached the end of the corridor and heard splashes at his feet. 

His throat contorted as he gulped down the building saliva in his mouth, pushing the forming vomit further down into his body. His eyes glazed over and froze, refusing to look as he opened the next door quietly.

He took a deep breath and slowly moved his gaze downward.

Inside was a bloodied chair, surrounded by slaughtered maids and wrecked furniture. Each person’s body was mutilated and utterly indistinguishable from the ones adjacent, and they floated in a multicolored pool of something that Subaru couldn’t even figure out.

Nor did he want to.

The chair was ornate and built for comfort while also maintaining a posture. Although tainted, it hadn’t been scratched in the slightest. 

The combination of blood loss and excessive exposure to gore had Subaru’s mind threatening to shut off. Feeling himself beginning to faint, he began to run out of the hallway, trying to reach the entrance. His steps caused waves and splashed in the pool, covering his clothes in the mixture.

He stumbled through the courtyard, groaning weakly. “Patrasche…” His mount had gone back to the exit and was waiting for him. He soon reached her, his feet failing at the last second as he tripped onto her scales. 

“Kyaaaak! Kayak!” Patrasche motioned her head toward the stables. 

Subaru shook his head. “Sorry girl, I can’t ride you right now.” He showed her his cut, which had stained the entirety of what remained of his shirt. 

He pulled it off of his head and tied it around his waist. Whenever he had gotten cut as a kid his parents had always said to put pressure on the wound. He wasn’t sure a bloody tattered rag would do the job, but he figured it couldn’t hurt him more.

He walked slowly over to the stable, again spotting the curious trail of footprints that led away.

He began to follow their path, taking a small trail that ran behind the manor and into the surrounding hills. 

The tracks slowly grew more rugged and staggered as he went on, and the sky had fully darkened, so it was fairly difficult fot him to see.

The setting was eerie and kept Subaru on edge; nonetheless, he continued, pressing onward even though he felt like he was about to collapse. His wound had started to finally close, but each step threatened to reopen the cut.

A little ways down the path, he came upon a ground dragon, dead. Its corpse was left just in the middle of the road, and strange insects had gathered around it, buzzing as they ate through the corpse. Subaru waved his hands, swatting them away, and looked closely at the corpse. 

The scales had been ravaged and torn through by blades and other weapons alike, the dried skin underneath having been crumpled and shredded in some places like paper. 

Out of the sides of his eyes, Subaru saw a glint flicker in the light.

Fwip-

Subaru turned around as a kitchen knife propelled at an astounding speed, piercing through the dragon’s corpse. Subaru fell, his wound aching as he looked at the source of the attack. 

His eyes widened, “Wait! It’s-”

Fwip.

Chapter Text

Birds chirped sweetly in the sky as the sun glared brightly through the clouds. A demihuman knight walked slowly but directionally through a vast and decorated courtyard. 

Even though he was male, his stride was enhanced with a daintiness that emphasized his already feminine appearance. He looked at the many maids in the garden as they tended to the flowers and bushes, trimming them to perfection while humming with the birds. 

He saw a small group of soldiers sitting over in a tall and wide gazebo, drinking tea and laughing with each other. 

As he approached, one of them called out to him loudly. “Hey Blue-sama!” 

The man wore a pitch-black helmet that covered his entire head and scraggly clothes that befitted a bandit more so than a knight, the latter being his genuine occupation albeit by unusual circumstances.

The knight got up and walked over, his dagger nearly slipping out of its sheath as he stepped clumsily over the stones of the pathway. He raised his hand, “Nice day today no?” 

He motioned over to the table, “Why don’t you come over man, give some of the guys some fun knight stories.” He put a hand to his helmet as if whispering, but still spoke at a relatively loud volume. “They’re pretty worn out… Survivors of that battle.” 

Blue looked at the man with some apprehension. He was the “knight” of that Barielle woman and a true nuisance. The only productive thing Blue had seen him do his entire time on their journey, if it even counted, was scrub his lady’s feet. 

On top of that, he was constantly called a fool, only adding to the pungent aura of incompetence that surrounded him.

His companions, who couldn’t have been more than hastily gathered militia, were sitting together huddled slightly but overall in good spirits. Blue, on the other hand, was in a sour mood at the deaths of his many comrades and friends, and the last thing he wanted was to hear about their tragic downfall from cowards who had run away.

“I have much more dire things to attend to than entertaining your petty collection of deserters nyah” 

No matter how much he tried, which to be honest was not a lot, Blue had never been able to shake his particular speaking habits.

He crossed his arms. “I knyow both your lady and mine would have something to say about you just sitting there while the kingdom is under attack.”

The helmet man nodded his head in exaggerated thought. “You’re right about that…” He shrugged his shoulders “But hey what’s it hurt to have a bit of downtime now and then?”

Blue was about to respond when he heard a bell sound from the nearby tower. He looked at the helmet man, “Something at the gate. I’ll go check it out.” 

He walked over towards the entrance of the courtyard, where a couple of soldiers waited. “What’s going on nyah?” 

He motioned to the open gate, where a group of people were huddled together and grouped. 

“Why are you sounding the bell for this? I already told the head of the guard that refugees are meant to go to the temple sanctuary.”

One of the soldiers, a man with long brown hair and a scruffy beard smiled. “I think they are from the temple sir, they said something about delivering supplies or something like that.” 

Felix shook his head, “Tell them to return. I already told that historian earlier that we aren’t taking outside supplies at the moment.” He gave a disapproving look to the guard.

The guard shrugged, “Sorry about that Blue-sama,” as he pulled out his long axe, “We’ll fix the problem immediately.”

Blue was slightly taken aback. “Umm sorry nyah? There’s no need to be so drastic-”

BOOOOM

A series of explosions rocked the walls of the courtyard, sending stone flying and setting the walls ablaze. Blue looked around in shock as he started to realize what was happening. Many of the refugees had thrown aside their cloaks and were brandishing weapons of all different sizes. 

Near to the tower, lazily thrown into a bush was a body that had been stripped of its armor, evidently the set the false guard was wearing now. “Dammit!” He quickly delivered a punch to the gut of the man in front of him, then ran back into the courtyard. 

He saw the peaceful garden he had passed, now filled with blood as the maids were cut down by bandit-like attackers.

The sound of wailing hit the air as Blue saw the carnage that was occurring. Men dressed in similarly-colored outfits had come through holes in the walls and were attacking the staff brutally, kicking corpses aside as they cut down one after another. 

Helmet-knight had gotten to his feet and was quickly cutting through any who attacked him while his companions from earlier were scrambling away from the scene.

Another explosion burst from within the mansion, with white flames shooting out of each window and spreading outward. As it moved it burnt any assailants who touched it, leaving nothing but ashes in its wake. 

“Crusch-sama!” The knight shouted as he ran towards the building, only to be blasted back by an even greater force.

His vision turned white as a sonic boom echoed from within the building. A beam of light shot up into the sky. 

Never before had he seen magic so potent as this, the last time was when he had seen a demonstration of a spell that could destroy armies which had been shown by Roswaal L Mathers, but not even that came close.

Each body in the courtyard was thrown back, and most of the remaining fighters were killed immediately as they were pushed into the hard stone walls and metal statues surrounding them. 

Blue groaned as he got up from a pile of wood. He had landed near the stables, where the ground dragons surprisingly had been mostly unharmed. He crawled towards one of the doors, releasing the beast into the open. 

“AAGh!” He applied healing magic to his leg, which had been all but destroyed. The mansion continued to collapse as smaller beams of light flew around, killing soldiers and maids alike who still took in breath, expertly severing their lifelines in an almost merciful fashion.

He stood, stepping up onto the ground dragon as he looked at the mansion one last time, tears streaming down his face. “I’m sorry…” He kicked the side of the lizard and began to ride around the hidden side of the mansion, off toward the trail he had walked with his lady so many times. 

He heard a broken scream from behind him within the mansion, followed by another flash of bright light that shook the trees around. 

He sobbed and screamed as he rode away, blood and tears dirtying his once-tidy dress.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’M SORRY!”

A final flash of light came from behind, followed by a wave that blew him off of his mount.

Blue barely had time to orient himself before an arrow lodged itself in his just-repaired leg. He began to limp off the path before tripping on a small rock. His face hit the ground as he fell, his wrists screaming in pain as he tried to push himself back up.

He settled for healing, and he began to apply magic to his wound, slowly pulling the arrow free.

Yells sounded from behind him as arrows flew through the air, piercing the hide of his dragon. “KKYAAAAHHHHG” He crawled away slowly into the grass as the ground dragon was slaughtered behind him. 

His eyes, half-lidded and red from crying, closed as he fell unconscious, tumbling forward and down the hill, away from the stench of death.

“I’m… Sorry.”

…

…

…

…

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fwip.

Natsuki Subaru rolled to the side as another knife was quickly thrown at his face. He raised his hands, waving them in surrender as he looked up at the familiar face who was attacking him.

“Felix-san! It’s me, Subaru.” He slowly lowered his hands and propped himself into a sitting position. “I’m getting tired of almost being killed” He muttered.

Felix, who stood a little ways away on top of a rock, squinted down at him before his eyes widened in realization. “Nyah, you’re that boy… The one that caught Wilhelms eye back then.” He hopped down, his gaze stern as he quickly strutted toward the boy.

He grabbed Subaru’s collar and growled. “What are you doing here?” His grip tightened “Are you with them nyah? Are you here to finish me off nyah!? Are you, are you…?” His grip slackened as he slumped to the ground in front of Subaru.

Subaru was surprised to see Felix so distressed. His first impression of the knight had been that he was a pretty composed person. He had felt sort of intimidated sitting in the carriage with him and Wilhelm on the way to the capital. Wilhelm alone had been a scary sight, but at least he had been much more approachable.

“Felix-san… Are you alright? Is Crusch-sama-”

“Dead.” Felix stared at the ground, his eyes hollow. Subaru couldn’t tell which question he was answering. Maybe both. “Barielle-sama too… everyone.” He blinked, not moving his gaze. 

“Well, maybe that helmet guy survived…” He chuckled dryly.

Subaru grimaced at the sorry scene as he spoke again. “That’s… Horrible to hear.” He slowly stood up, looking around before he noticed. A trail of blood led down the hillside near them to a riverbank the blood had been there for a while. “How long…”

Felix didn’t move. 

…

“Two days.” 

He suddenly stood up quickly, getting in Subaru's face, spitting as he yelled. “For TWO DAYS I was stuck here…” 

He motioned down to the riverbank. “I waited, slowly bleeding out until my mana came back.” He shook Subaru’s shoulders, emphasizing each word that came out of his mouth as he stared blankly.

“I can still hear her screams in my head.”

Subaru was speechless, his only sounds were slight grunts of pain from his leg. He was devastated by the fact that Crusch was dead, and he really didn’t need more problems on his plate, but he had faced death before and it had shaken him. This guy had just seen way too much of it for his own good.

Ram hadn’t been nearly so broken when she had confided in him, and she had lost her twin sister. Subaru had to do something about this knight’s mental state, and quick.

“I promise, we’ll find the ones who killed her.” He grabbed Felix’s shoulder and stared into his eyes, the cat-human looked away from him, scowling at the ground. Subaru huffed as if he took this as an act of defiance.

“Please.” He exhaled loudly “For both of our sakes, get a grip on yourself dammit!” Felix looked at him in shock as he continued. “Everyone I’ve cared about has been hurt too! Most of them are probably dead!”

Felix said nothing but his expression turned to one of slight shame.

“I’ve suffered for days, trying to find anything that can help me!” He sighed, calming down from his outburst slightly. “So don’t be the guy who ruins it all. We all have gone through something ok?”

Felix flinched, his face unreadable. 

“I… I get it nyan.” His expression hardened, Subaru thought that it didn’t fit him. He suddenly felt slightly guilty for losing his temper so easily.

Felix growled. “I’ll find them, and I’ll kill them for what they did.”

Subaru nodded, but his heart wasn’t in it.

…

They soon walked back to the burning mansion. Subaru carefully watched Felix’s expression, searching for any sign of him getting angry again. He had managed to shock him out of his despair, but he was still worried he had gone too far.

They stopped when they reached the entrance door to the ruined foyer. Subaru put his hand in front of Felix and slowly shook his head. “You don’t want to see it.” 

Felix pushed past. “Yes, I need to.”

Subaru stepped fully in front of him. “They didn’t leave…” He gulped and looked into Felix’s eyes with empathy. “They didn’t leave anything.”

Felix’s eyes widened, and then he shuddered staring at Subaru before him. Moving his gaze inside the building, he noticed the semi-fresh corpses that were scattered across the floor, their wounds still leaking blood even now.

Subaru was caught off guard when Felix began to relax his shoulders. The cat-boy sighed as he lowered his arms, slapping them against his side. “Well… I guess there’s nothing left to do here nyah.” He turned around and walked over slowly to one of the many stone benches in the garden, Subaru following behind from a distance. 

He sat down, admiring the flower next to him that had managed to survive. He picked it up and examined its petals, which had been slightly eaten by insects. 

He tossed the flower to the ground as Subaru reached him. “Sit down Subaru-kyun.” He turned his head to the sky and closed his eyes. “Let’s wish everyone here a peaceful journey back to Od Lagna.”

Regardless of his understanding of the phrase, Subaru complied, sitting down next to Felix and closing his eyes. 

There was no magic nor spirits, no voices of the departed, nothing but a sense of peace that washed over him as he sat there under the starry sky, listening to the crackling of the flames.

…

…

Flames.

…

Flames.

…

Flames.

…

Fire.

…

Fire.

…

Burning.

…

Hurt.

…

…

…

Death.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning sun shined down on Subaru as he woke up from the night’s sleep.

He rubbed his eyes softly, swiping away the crust that had formed as he adjusted to the light.

The grass beneath him was soft and comforting, and the wound in his side seemed to have completely healed. He tried to go back to sleep, but his energized body felt the need to sit up. 

Patrasche quietly munched off to his side, cooing slightly as she noticed Subaru awake.

…

Subaru bolted up, his eyes shooting open. He turned his head in panic, taking in his all too familiar surroundings before realizing-

“You’re pretty spry this morning Subaru-kyun.” Felix was sitting off to his other side, silently looking at the flailing boy. He munched on a piece of cured meat, likely from Subaru’s bag. 

Surprised wheezes left Subaru’s mouth as he stared at Felix, who raised an eyebrow.

“What’s gotten into you nyah?” He swallowed his breakfast and wiped his hands on his already dirty dress. 

Walking over to Subaru he raised an eyebrow. Subaru’s legs were shaking uncontrollably and his hand had unconsciously grabbed his sword which lay next to him.

“Did you think I would kill you in your sleep or something?” He said this with no humor in his tone. “Sorry to say, but your wound is mysteriously gone.”

The two stared at each other for a moment before Felix shrugged, walking past Subaru towards Patrasche. “Well sort yourself out quickly nyah. I have an idea of how we can find some of those bastards.”

After Subaru had packed everything up and joined Felix at the entrance, they set off down the road in a new direction, with Felix at the reins and Subaru sitting behind him.

“We’re going to the temple sanctuary,” Felix answered Subaru’s question before he could even ask. “It’s a safe place for people who are looking for refuge.” Felix flicked the reins, causing Patrasche to speed up. “There we’ll find something of mine, and possibly someone who might knyow more about the attack.”

The trees around them began to turn yellow like fall had come. Golden leaves fell to the ground in whirls, covering all but the path forward. 

Subaru looked around in awe as a gentle breeze ruffled his hair. “This place is magical…” 

Felix nodded in front of him, “This place is known for being in tune with the spirits nyah.” He held his hand out, cutting through the breeze.

Subaru could almost hear the chattering of the wind as it blew by them, giggling as leaves flew into them. 

After some time had passed, the winds had died down and the two had reached the top of a steep hill. 

Further in was a clearing with a large light-grey obelisk in the center. The obelisk seemed to miniature some sort of energy, almost glowing even in the daytime.

Around it were many tents and stalls, each with many people inside selling and buying various items or just sitting or even sleeping. 

On the far side of the obelisk were two tall buildings, both intricately made with a combination of darker-colored stone and the distinct light-colored wood from the surrounding trees. The roofs were made in a style that was not quite Japanese but not quite Western either, with each floor having a protruding balcony of bright golden color.

“Woah…” Subaru marveled at the sight. “Don’t you think this should be called golden temple?” 

Felix stopped their dragon just outside of the clearing, veering slightly off of the path. “That’s its other name nyah.” He dismounted and straightened his clothes. “Ok. I can’t go in, but there should be an armorer somewhere in there. Tell her you’re there to pick up my order.”

He pointed to the rock in the center. “This place is run by historians who are obsessed with that white rock. Find the one named Grent.”

Subaru nodded his head. “Armorer, Grent. Sure thing.” He got off of Patrasche and followed the path into the clearing. It was like he had passed through a bubble, immediately the sound of loud chattering hit his ears. 

Where several people had been before, at least double were there now. A large group stood around the obelisk, admiring its majesty as they listened to a young blonde man who stood on a raised platform, singing in a loud voice. As he reached the epicenter, the man stopped, handing off the melody to one of his friends as he stepped down.

He walked directly towards Subaru, a big grin on his face. The boy looked around him, then stepped backward as the man reached him. 

“Natsuki Subaru!” The man straightened his yellow robe and bowed politely. “My name is Kendall, or Ken if you prefer.” He spread his arms, gesturing to the clearing around him. “Welcome to the Golden Temple, it is an honor to have you here.”

Subaru blinked, then gave a quick bow in return. “Thanks… Ken, but how do you know-”

“Who you are?” Ken flashed another grin, looking at the people around him. More than a few were staring at Subaru with wide eyes. Merchants exclaimed in delight while children whispered amongst themselves, trying to secretly spy on the two. 

“Well aside from your erm, clothes, there’s nobody else who you could be!” Ken put a hand on Subaru’s shoulder, slowly leading him toward the obelisk. “The refugees here have heard stories from their fellows, stories about your heroism.” 

He shouted to the sky. “The man who makes the witch cult run in terror! The man who saves refugees across the land!” 

He pointed at Subaru, touching his chest. 

“The only surviving knight from the dreaded Battle of Lugunica Plain.” He gestured gracefully back to the people around, “And a survivor. Just like us.” 

Smiling, he bowed once again. “My, Liliana will have a heart attack when she meets you.”

Subaru waved his hands in front of his face. “Wait-wait, I’m not all that!” He sighed and reached for his shirt, only to remember he had finally thrown it out. “I’m here to find some new clothes…” He leaned in, looking right at Ken. “And I need to talk to Grent, now.”

Ken nodded, gulping at Subaru. The boy didn’t realize it, but his naked torso was still covered in small scars and blood that speckled his skin, giving him a fairly barbaric appearance. 

“Grent should be in the East Temple Building.” He began to walk, dragging Subaru along. “As for the armorer, I can lead you there right away Subaru-sama.”

…

The armorer was a buff demihuman woman. She had a hammer in each hand and two anvils with which she worked simultaneously. Her face morphed into a slight smile when she saw Ken, then fully turned to surprise when she saw Subaru behind him. “We-e-el look who the Ken dragged in!” She laughed heartily. “So what can I do for you today Subaru-sama?”

Subaru shook his head at the honorific, but let it go. “I’m here to pick up Felix’s order.” 

The armorer swung her arms, her muscles rippling in the heat of her forge. She stared at his chest, her eyes lingering before blinking and lighting up again. “Sure thing.” She pointed at his tattered garb. “I take it you want both?”

Subaru shrugged. “I don’t even know what I’m picking up.” 

The armorer grinned. “Well then come to the back. I’ll get you fitted.”

Subaru followed her to the back of her tent, looking curiously at the various sets of armor that lined the cloth walls. They all seemed to be in a particular style. Fitted, but flexible. 

They stopped at the end, where two sets of clothes rested. One, a knight set, was presumably for Felix. The other was similar but had accents of green and was less decorated, suited more for combat than formalities.

“Alright then!” The armorer pulled off the two sets and folded each one carefully. She handed the combat gear to Subaru. “This one’s for you.” Her eyes lingered on his chest again. “Although I guess you’ll be wanting to change now no?” 

She began to walk towards the entrance back to her stall. She winked before drawing a thin curtain over the opening.

…

Subaru looked in the mirror that sat next to the wall, admiring his new getup. The armor fit him nicely, its straps adjusting to his broad shoulders. He turned, admiring his fresh look. 

He had a thin scar that decorated the side of his cheek, but other than that he looked brand new.

“Nice.” He grabbed the other set of clothes and exited the tent. As he left the stall he waved to the armorer, who was helping another customer. She winked one last time before turning back to her anvil.

Subaru shook his head and began to walk to the East Temple Building. On the deck surrounding the base floor was a man, sweeping slowly with a makeshift broom. He looked up to see Subaru and smiled. “Welcome to the Golden Temple sir… What can I do for you today?”

Subaru, who had become used to being recognized, paused before answering. “I’m looking for a Grent-san.”

The man bowed, his long white hair swooping over his head. “That would be me, sir. He looked back up with a smile. What business do you have with me today?”

Subaru frowned, thinking about what to say. “Well Grent-san, I’m here from the Karsten Manor.” 

Grent’s eyes twitched as he looked downward. “I was saddened to hear about that tragedy.” He blinked and then met Subaru’s gaze. “There weren’t any survivors, I hear.” 

Subaru shook his head. “No, I met up with Felix-san. I’m here to pick up some supplies for us.”

…

Grent’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Oh, well… that’s a delight to hear.” He bowed once again. “My duties here at the Temple keep me very occupied, but I would appreciate it if you told Blue-sama he is more than welcome to stay here with us.”

Subaru smiled thinly. “I’ll be sure to pass that along.”

Grent nodded quickly and began his work again, silently ending their conversation.

Subaru bowed slightly, then walked away. He shuddered as he entered the market area again. “Man, that guy was weird.” He waved to Ken as he passed by the obelisk and made his way out of the clearing. 

He met Felix a little ways down the path, leaning on a tree.

“Well, did you find Grent nyah? He stood up fully and smiled at the garb Subaru now wore. “You finally look like a proper fighter Subaru-kyun.” He tugged at the cape that fluttered behind him. “Fits pretty well too.”

Subaru nodded. “I’m assuming this is yours.” He handed the second pair of clothes to Felix, who went and stuffed them in his bag. “And yes, I found the guy.”

Felix pulled out a few long daggers from the bag. “So what did he say?” He motioned for Subaru to follow him, then began to circle the clearing, walking towards the East Temple.

Subaru followed slowly, curious at Felix’s sudden movement. “He acted pretty damn weird when I mentioned you were alive… but he was nice enough to offer you a place to stay.”

Felix spat. “So those bastards can know where to find me… He was their scout last time as well nyah, came just a few hours before the attack to confirm everyone had made it back alive,” He stopped at another path that led away from the East Temple back down the hill into the forest. “Look at that nyan.” He pointed to a man who was walking out of the Temple, waving off the young boy who was trying to tell him something. 

Subaru’s face hardened. “Grent. What is he…”

Felix began to move forward, using the surrounding trees as cover. “Let's follow him quietly Subaru-kyun, that traitor will lead us right to Crusch’s killers.” 

Subaru followed, choosing to not say anything about Felix’s optimistic observation.

Grent began to walk much faster as soon as he was out of the view of the temple. 

Subaru couldn’t see his face, but by the way his arms were shaking as he moved, he could tell that the man was worried about something.

The two followed him down the winding path of the hill, shedding softly among the leaves careful not to make a sound. 

A couple of times one of them made a sudden movement or snapped a twig, causing Grent to turn around and fear. But ultimately the man had no idea he was being followed.

At the end of the trail was a medium-sized wooden house. Grant walked past the fence that surrounded the yard area and began to speak with the two men who were standing at the door. 

Subaru couldn’t hear everything they said, but he could gather enough to figure out what they were talking about.

“Blue… Alive… Knight…” Grent slid his arm across his throat in a fatal motion. 

“Kill them.”

Felix growled next to Subaru as they watched Grant into the house. 

Before the door closed two more men and three women exited the building each of them wielding smaller weapons and wearing relatively ragged clothes. They could easily be mistaken for innocents if not searched properly.

The second the door was shut, Felix stood up, strutting into the courtyard where the bandits were shouting as he drew one of his daggers. 

“Dammit, Felix-san!” Subaru followed suit, drawing his sword behind. 

The now-approaching enemies hesitated slightly as they saw Subaru reveal himself, but they all quickly came to meet him as he stood side-by-side with Felix, holding his sword ready.

For a moment they all stood still, ready for the slightest movement to erupt. Subaru stared into the eyes of the woman in front of him as she held her small knife ready.

The silence broke his. Felix lunged toward his opponent. He was swiftly blocked and parried to the side. 

The woman in front of Subaru suddenly gained a smirk of confidence, spun her knife in her hand, and launched towards Subaru, aiming to stab through his newly gifted clothes and into his beating heart.

Shkkk

At a blinding speed, the blade of house Jukuulius sliced clean through the enemy, cleaving her chest in half. Subaru had been building up momentum and mana by keeping his stance steady and breathing in sync with his gate. 

He had, as Wilhelm had taught him, waited for the perfect moment to strike.

The rest of them stepped back as their comrade fell to the ground, blood spraying from her wound. A few of them shifted their attention away to Felix, while others continued to challenge Subaru.

Subaru met them with vigor. After finally getting some decent rest and being fully healed, Subaru was in a much better condition to fight. 

Compared to the cultists or even the bandits in Karsten manor, the enemies he faced now were nothing more than a nuisance. 

His mind was filled with images of Ton, Chin, and Kan from the alleyway. He remembered how much of a burden they had been at the time and smiled at the thought that they were finally below his level.

The battle was anything but long. Felix had no trouble fending off his attackers while Subaru cut them down swiftly. In the end, everyone had been slaughtered, except for a few who ran away during the fight.

Subaru cleaned the blood off of his blade, sheathing it with special care. 

Felix looked at him, chucking. “You treat that sword better than your nyew clothes.”

Frowning, Subaru looked down. His fresh white clothes had been stained almost completely red. Felix walked up next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright Subaru-kyun, that color suits you better anyway.”

Subaru scoffed at the remark, pulling his sword out and turning around. He looked at the house with interest. “How long do you think he’ll…”

Felix walked past him and into the house, shouting. “Grent!” Subaru heard a crash from within. “Where are you?!”

Subaru entered as he figured the guy wouldn’t survive too long without him. 

…

They found Grent sitting on the top floor, admiring a dagger that he twirled around his fingers. “Ah, Blue-san, or should I say Felix-san… Welcome to my humble abode.”

Subaru drew his sword and stepped close to Grent, eyeing the knife. “Try anything and I’ll cut your damn arms off,” he said smugly.

Grent was unfazed. “Go ahead. It won’t bring you any closer to Lady Karsten’s killers,” he flashed a grin as he said this, staring right a Felix. 

The demihuman began to growl deeply behind Subaru, threatening to pounce at any moment.

Subaru made a disgusted face, then brought his sword to Grent’s throat. “Who ordered the kill on Crusch-sama?!”

Subaru could hear Felix’s teeth grinding together behind him. 

“Oh, that? It’s not really important.” Grent’s grin extended to his cheeks, giving him an eerie look like a clown or a doll. “What’s important is that our world is changing fast.” 

He looked right at Felix again. 

“And people like that bitch weren’t keeping up well enou-URG”

Subaru was knocked over as Felix rushed forward, throwing his hands around Grent’s neck and screaming incoherently. 

Grent’s face held its grin, smiling deeply at his succeeded aggravation. His throat still moved softly, mimicking a laugh that went unheard…

And then his eyes began to bulge out of his head. 

Grent screamed as his skin pulsed violently, visibly bubbling as it turned from brown to red to transparent, revealing his sensitive and beating innards being boiled.

As Felix released his grip on Grent, he opened his mouth one last time, beginning to yell his final words. “You damn mutt-”

Felix kicked his head in.

Subaru watched this unfold as he lay on the wooden ground. His face was stuck in a shocked stare as he watched Felix mutilate the man who helped kill his loved ones.

“Do I…”

Subaru remembered his various kills. Bandits and cultists alike, none had escaped his brutality. He clearly remembered each of their faces as they died. How could he forget? After all, he knew the terror of death better than anyone.

“Do I look like that?”

Subaru asked and yet he knew the answer. The angry face, the bloody visage, all of it. He was, in the flesh, a brutal killer. Was he ok with that? 

He wasn’t sure yet.

What he did know is that his kills were justified, at the very least in his head. To him, he was a martyr, a slayer of evil. Unlike his enemies, he fought with honor and a sense of justice that rivaled his mentor’s. 

So long as he stayed on that path, he would be alright. So long as he was true to his code, he would never become like them. That’s what he was taught, and that’s what he truly believed.

Subaru finished his thoughts as Felix threw the body to the ground, spitting on the corpse as if it were the most detestable thing in the world. He walked over to Subaru and sighed. “I’m… sorry.” He looked at least a little bit guilty for brutalizing the man. 

“I just couldn’t help it.”

Subaru nodded as he stood up, patting himself on the shoulders and stretching his sore muscles. “Believe me it’s hard enough to hold in that urge, especially when the guy killed your friends.”

Subaru continued as Felix’s eyes widened. “I don’t think I ever really said this properly but…”

Subaru thought about Emilia, her smile, her laugh, her pretty hair. How would he feel if all of that was taken away from him? He would not be as tolerant of bullshit as Felix had been, that’s for sure.

“I’m sorry.”

Felix stared as Subaru apologized. “You’re… Sorry?”

Subaru nodded slightly. “Yes. I’m sorry you had to go through all of that, with Crusch and everything. I can’t imagine what losing the one closest to me for good would be like.”

Subaru waited for the screaming, but it never came. He closed his eyes, almost hoping that Felix would just hit him. He felt like a complete asshole for calling any attention to the topic, but he couldn’t just say nothing. 

It wasn’t in his nature.

He waited, then opened his eyes slowly. Felix stared for a couple more seconds before giving Subaru a slight smile.

 “Let’s hope you never have to.” He then exited the room, leaving Subaru more confused than he had been before.

…

…

…

Later that evening, Subaru and Felix sat by a fire in the Golden Temple. Upon their return, they had notified Ken about Grent’s betrayal, and as an apology, had been offered all of the free supplies and food they needed. 

Subaru was munching on a piece of meat on a stick, spitting the fatty bits into the fire whist, savoring the flavor of the tender flesh.

Felix ate his share, taking hefty bites out of his full steak.

“So Subaru-kyun, I never fully asked why you came to find Crusch-sama…”

Subaru finished eating his piece of meat, then threw his stick into the fire, picking up another one and putting a few different vegetables onto it. Since when had he liked vegetables?

“Well,” Subaru ignored his inner questioning and raised his stick over the fire. “Julius-san is being held by the witch cult in Flanders.” He propped his stick up in the dirt then leaned back in his chair.

“He’s alive?’ Felix paused his eating and raised his eyebrows.

“Yes… I couldn’t free him alone so I went to the capital looking for help.” He pointed to Felix. “Wilhelm-sensei told me I could find you here.”

“Wilhelm-sensei huh…” Felix thought for a bit before speaking. “So he’s on board with your plan then nyan?”

He raised his own stick high in the air. “Consider me an available soldier for the time being.” He frowned as he lowered his stick. “If killing those cultists and freeing the finest knight isn’t some sort of justice for Crusch-sama, I have no idea what it would be.”

He looked over at the Eastern Temple, watching a single lantern fly into the air, lit aflame by an oil lamp. “I have no more leads at the moment, other than this.” He pulled out a rolled-up piece of paper that had a few names on it. As his Subaru looked at it, he recognized the name on the bottom.

“Grent. This is a list of people who helped?”

Felix nodded. “At least I think so… I know some of the names on this list. This top one… Sabo. He’s the head of the main farmstead in the Karsten Duchy. If his farm hasn’t been destroyed, that's where I'll look next.”

Subaru gave a thumbs up as he bit into a carrot. “Yeah, it’s high time I head out anyway.”

Felix smiled “Got friends waiting for you?”

Subaru chuckled. “You could say that.” He bit into his second carrot as he looked up to the rising moon. “I think I’ll stay here the night, around people.” He gave another small laugh as he thought about his habits on earth. “Never thought I’d say that out loud.”

He pulled a small box out of his pocket, a gift from the armorer. He opened it slowly, careful not to damage the wrapping. “I got this from Aurora, the Armorer.” 

He pulled out a small trinket, a thick piece of cloth with a metal plate attached. “A headband…” It had something inscribed on the metal, but Subaru couldn’t read it. 

Felix walked over and looked at it. “Strength… written in an ancient script.” He looked at Subaru’s surprised face. “Almost nobody can read this. Well, maybe those damned cultists can, with their gospels and all.”

Subaru wrapped the cloth around his forehead, his tousled hair falling over the top of it. He felt good, like a real warrior rather than an apprentice or novice. 

Felix nodded in approval, then ruffled his hair, slicking it back. He had already gained a more masculine appearance with his new knight’s attire, but his visage had hardened to the point where it was more obvious.

He threw his stick into the fire as he finished his steak. “I leave at first light. If I don’t see you…”

Subaru waved a hand. “Catch you next time, Blue.” 

Felix smiled a genuine and warm smile. “You too, Subaru-kyun.”

Later that night, when Subaru arrived at his tent, he found a number of other items waiting for him. A knife, a rock, a note of thankfulness. “These people… They really think I’m something huh?”

He set out his bedroll and fell into it, relaxing his body after the long day. “Nice and soft… I don’t deserve this.”

His jest stuck in his head as he drifted off to sleep, “Don’t deserve this…”

“That’s right, I’m no hero.”

…

…

…

Darkness filled his head as his body floated in an ethereal space. His head pounded even though he could not feel nor move. The pitch black that smothered him slowly began to collect into a form. 

A black veil covered a figure who rose from the shadows, moving toward Subaru’s consciousness. Everything warped around him as the very concepts of vision and hearing were intermixed and mingled. He felt the figure embrace him, leaning into his soul with an unrivaled passion.

He felt it get closer, and closer, trying to become one with him.

Then just as before, he heard those special words.

“I love you.”

…

“Ok?”

…

It was soft and sweet. Almost a direct contrast to the psychotic yearning of the previous occasion. He had completely forgotten about that until now… Why was that?

Subaru felt warm. He wasn’t sure why, he couldn’t think properly regardless.  His head and everything around it spun, weaving the darkness into itself until the figure was gone, and all that remained was Subaru.

He spoke.

“Y-you…”

“Love” 

“Me?”

…

The darkness crashed back down on him, drowning him in pleas and confessions alike.

“IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyou…”

Subaru’s thoughts were scattered, leaving only his body to love.

“Love me”

He didn’t respond.

“Lovemelovemelovemelovemeloveme love… me.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subaru woke up, just a little more at ease than he was the night before. 

The morning was well on its way when Subaru was all prepared to go. Ken had offered him even more gifts, but Subaru had managed to refuse them on the promise that he would return to spend some more time with the refugees. 

He was bid farewell by the guards as he rode off back the way he came. The Karsten manor was but a 30-minute ride from the temple, and from there he knew the road well enough to reach the meeting place he and Ram had agreed upon. 

Along his journey westward, he saw many different sights that he had not been privy to the last time he had taken this route. 

A giant tree that cut through the clouds, standing tall over the horizon and looming over the plains.

A herd of strange, mouse-looking creatures that had long ears, and two tails. They ran alongside Subaru, squeaking loudly as if saying hello. Subaru waved to them as they passed, laughing as they chittered.

A giant whale off in the far distance, dipping ever so often below the clouds as if it was hiding itself.

As it neared midday, Subaru was back on the road to Fleur and the inn where Ram was supposedly staying. In the back of his mind, he worried about her safety, even if he knew she would berate him for even having her in his thoughts.

He saw plumes of smoke rising into the air as he rode along the path, none seemed to be obstructing his path, but he was well aware this was damage done by the cult. 

At some point, after he rescued Julius, he would need to start cleaning things up around the area. After all, he still partially blamed himself for everyone’s misfortunes, even if all of it wasn’t really his fault.

At last, the inn came into view.

The doors had been replaced, and the fires from before had been put out. Considering the state he had last seen this place in, it looked pretty damn good.

As he dismounted and walked toward the door, he was able to hear a strange grunting sound inside, followed by a yell that was unmistakably Ram’s.

“Ram!” Subaru ran toward the door, kicking it open.

Inside was Ram, sitting on top of a cultist, pounding his head in with her fist. Around her, a family huddled in the corner, cuddling their child close and covering his eyes.

“Ram!” Subaru yelled again, drawing his sword. 

Ram looked up and got off of the dead cultist, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “Haaa… Look who decided to finally show up.” She huffed and kicked the cultist’s beaten head before walking over. “You manage to find any allies?”

Subaru nodded. “Yeah… Wilhelm-san and Blue,” he shook his head. “The bad news is that Crusch is dead and the others are still MIA. 

“Ram does not know what you mean but MIA, but she gathers that you couldn’t find anyone else.”

Subaru pouted as he confirmed her guess.

Ram looked over to the family. “You people can stay here for the time being…” She turned to Subaru. “I found her.”

Subaru’s mouth opened slightly, a small gasp escaping his lips. “That’s great!.” He suddenly felt a huge sense of relief. “If we can find Rem then that means-”

“Yes, one more ally for your merry band.” Ram frowned as she began to walk out of the broken door.

Subaru gave a small wave to the family and walked out the doorway. As Ram guided out her dragon, he got a good look at her. 

Her clothes were ruined–dirty and bloodstained and ripped in multiple places. Her eyes looked tired, but not without hope, and she had lost her hairband, allowing her shoulder-length pink hair to fall into a pixie cut.

“What is it Barusu?” Ram raised an eyebrow before covering her body with her arms. “Just you looking at me that way makes me feel violated.”

Subaru shook his head in dismay before mounting Patrasche. “Where are we headed?”

Ram pointed down the path from which he had just come. “Fleur. That’s where Rem is.”

As they trotted down the path, Subaru caught Ram up with his adventures thus far.

“So what you’re saying Barusu, is that you spent almost a week messing around when you could have been helping my darling sister?”

Subaru yelled defiantly. “Hey! You were the one who split ok, and it wasn’t for a week! Also, when did you even find out where Rem is?” 

Ram blinked. “The family in the building idiot, who else would I have talked to?”

“I don’t know! I was gone for a week!”

“Ah, so the piece of trash finally admits it.”

“Y-Y-Aghh.” Subaru shook his fist at Ram, but quickly stopped. She was right, he had taken longer than he should have. 

Ram took a turn at one of the forks, moving into the forest and towards the village. They rode until they found a clearing, and were able to see the entrance. 

They scouted the area, looking for a place to break in. The wall around the village had been repaired, but the main gate had been broken down. The only guards that Subaru could see were a lone cultist. It was beginning to get dark again, so he figured the cultist would have a tough time spotting them. 

Even so, he held a small amount of fear.

“We have to break in the front, take down the guard, and fight our way through… How are we gonna do that?” He turned to Ram.

She shook her head, “We have to kill them silently.” She pulled out a thin knife with an etched blade. “Cut their throats and break Rem out secretly.”

Subaru frowned. “Like a thief, not a knight.” His knightly code prohibited him from killing without honor, a rule he was constantly reminded of by Julius during his training. “I fight with a code, a system. Assassinating them is a no-go.”

Ram shook her head. “We have to, or they'll kill all the prisoners, including Rem. Can’t you just break your code? Not like anything is ever really that important to you anyways.”

…

“I apologize, that was a bit too far.”

Subaru dismissed it and sighed. “It means something to me…”

“And Rem doesn’t?” Ram put her hand on Subaru’s shoulder. “What good is this code if somebody dies for it? Especially my sister.”

“We do die by it.” Subaru pierced Ram with his gaze. They held it for a while, trying to read the other, and figure them out, when Ram finally spoke.

“Then… Don’t break your code, but bend it.”

She twiddled her fingers nervously, pausing before getting her words out. “A life should be the most powerful reason for that no?”

Subaru thought for a minute, closing his eyes before deciding.

He had made this promise to the knights, to Julius. He was expected to follow the code, through life and death…

But use was it if it didn’t protect anyone?

He opened his eyes; they shined with his classic determination.

“Let’s go find Rem.”

Chapter Text

The Knight’s Code. 

A set of rules that defined what it meant to be an elite warrior of Lugunica. Some followed it to the letter, some were more lenient in their promises, but none outright disobeyed.

This is the reason why even though Ram had reassured Subaru that breaking his code of honor was needed for the safety of her sister, he still felt the shroud of doubt over him. He wondered why Ram wasn’t willing and insisted that she was much stronger than he was, which she surprisingly denied and forced him to go anyway.

Subaru didn’t notice Ram nearly pass out as he walked away.

He was but feet away from his target, standing with a dagger at the ready. He took a deep breath as he stepped slowly toward the cultist, careful not to alert him. His mind screamed in fear, telling him to turn back or else face some kind of terrible consequence. 

He stared at the hood-shrouded neck of his target, gulping ever-so-quietly. Hesitation was still ravaging him as he brought out his blade to head level.

When Subaru was in the midst of a fight, there wasn’t a lot to think about. 

Sure there was a roller coaster of emotions that hit him in the face whenever he hurt and killed others for his own good, forcing him to look at the carnage he caused every time and little by little poking at his psyche… 

This was completely different.

Here, Natsuki Subaru had a choice. He was given the opportunity to kill instead of the necessity to defeat. He was able to choose, and for him that was devastating.

He could already see the body in front of him, blood spraying violently out of its neck as limbs twitched and life faded slowly in front of him. He didn't want to see. He didn’t want to feel. He didn’t want to live with that weight in his heart.

But it was for Rem, right?

He grabbed the head of the cultist, jerking him backward as he exclaimed in surprise, and plunged the dagger into the hood of the robe.

“Hkkhh!”

He heard the cultist choke and begin to flail in his arms, so he pulled the dagger out… and stabbed again.

“Hghgk.”

And again.

“Hghk.”

And again.

“Hhh.”

And again. 

“...”

And again until the enemy finally stopped moving.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Over here, Subaru-san!”

About a week before the fateful battle that would forever change their fates, Julius Jukuulius and Natsuki Subaru walked together on the outskirts of the Lugunica forest that just brushed with the plains of the central regions. 

They had gone out on an excursion together after Julius had received an urgent message from Anastasia Hoshin, the candidate who employed him, about members of their camp, specifically a group of merchants, being attacked mysteriously by mabeasts.

Upon their arrival at the nearby village, there remained of the party a lone man who had survived one of the ordeals and was recovering in the local clinic. 

He informed them that there had been only one mabeast. It was called a guiltylowe which, according to Julius, was too large of a threat to leave un-dealt with.

And so they went out into the forest, searching the dense thickets and deep groves for traces of the fearsome monster. After hours of looking, they had finally found signs of an injured mabeast, which Julius had identified as the one they were hunting.

“What is it Julius-san!?” Subaru dragged himself through the bush that scratched at his bare arms as he went, ripping his tracksuit and drawing blood through the skin.

He shook himself off as he went through. “Can this guilty-low-thing smell blood?” He frowned as he pulled off his tracksuit jacket, “Agh this thing is ruined now…”

Julius smiled as he pointed to something on the ground ahead of them. “Blood or clumsiness,” he said with no amount of malice, “This foul beast would have never found us.” He pointed his sword at the corpse of the guiltylowe ahead.

“It’s dead…” Subaru shrugged with a smile. “Well, less work for us right?”

Julius shook his head slowly as he knelt by the corpse. “We must determine the cause of death here…” He clicked his tongue as he observed a stab wound in the side of the guiltylowe’s neck. “There’s a chance that something much fouler is on the prowl.”

“Hyaaaa!” A figure rushed out of the bush on the far side of the corpse, quickly slicing Julius’ arm with a silver knife before either of the two could react. 

Julius winced, but stood his ground, taking out his sword and brandishing it as he rushed forward. With a single cut, he disarmed the assassin, leaving him kneeling on the floor and bleeding profusely. 

The attacker was a witch cultist, and although Subaru had never seen one until then, he still got the creeps from this man just by standing near him.

“This is-”

“A witch cultist.” Julius spat the words with about as much disdain as he could muster at the moment. “Here to kill a knight of Lugunica…”

Subaru instantly felt an unreasonable amount of anger arise. These were the people who threatened Emilia, his Emilia. 

They had to be dealt with. 

Subaru unsheathed his sword and approached the assassin. “How dare you attack us, you ungrateful bastard!” Subaru didn’t really know what words were coming out of his mouth, but they sounded in-character enough that he just continued on.

“Disrespecting the knights and my EMT!” He stepped closer, his arms shaking as he brought the sword closer. His expression was stuck between shock and anger as he raised his weapon high, ready to strike down this killer.

“Subaru-san, enough!”

Subaru turned as Julius yelled, releasing his iron grip on his sword as he stepped back. “What is it Julius-san, isn’t he an unforgivable sinner or something?”

Julius stared intensely with disapproval. “We never deal with a threat like that.” He pointed a single finger at the cultist. “When you kill for the sake of killing, you are no better than them. Even if they are heinous criminals, you must end their lives with the utmost respect fit of a warrior.”

He continued as Subaru nodded profusely, distracted from the situation by Julius’ unusually sternness. “Now take your weapon, and give him the death he deserves, honorably.”

Subaru turned to the man who knelt before him, patiently awaiting his death. He brought his sword to the cultist’s chest and quickly punctured his heart. 

He sighed with relief as he had never felt before, looking at the first man he had ever killed, his life spilling away like sand from a broken hourglass, he thought at that moment that he understood why Julius loved being a warrior.

“This feeling… It’s so…”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wrong.

The blood squirting onto his body, the dirty ground around them both, and the cold night air.

Everything felt wrong to Subaru as he lay side-by-side with the horrifically disfigured remains of the man he had assassinated.

He stared at the moon above him, focusing on its brightness as he breathed deeply. In and out, trying to find some solace.

“Damn…”

…

“Barusu.” The moon was suddenly covered up at Ram’s face appeared above his head. “How disgus-” She shook her head subtly. “Are you… Alright?”

Subaru slowly sat, then stood up with Ram’s help. “I’m ok Ram…” He looked at the town inside. A few small houses and a slightly larger town hall. Not big at all, but not very lit either. “Let’s go find her.”

The way into the village was relatively straightforward. The entrance led to a main road that passed through the entire thing. Other than an inn, only a few houses lined the rod, whist others were connected by alleys and smaller pathways.

Ram and Subaru had no trouble finding easy ways to avoid the cult, especially because there didn’t seem to be many there.

It was mostly smooth sailing, aside from the few enemies they did encounter.

…

“Hlkk!”

Subaru pulled a cultist around the corner and stabbed his bloody knife into his head, killing him quickly.

“Two”

With little to no experience, he had just decided that hacking at their heads and necks was the best way to kill them. As a soldier, he had been instructed on the basic vitals of the human body, learning weak points for a sword to aim at, but at the moment he didn’t really trust any other part to get the job done.

The thought felt like a poison in his mind and he hated it. Already he was considering better ways to slit his enemy's throat. 

What did that code really mean to him if he was already thinking about killing a guy silently in the dark again?

Was he even a warrior if he betrayed his promise?

The two had made their way around the entrance and the main road, sticking to rooftops and alleyways, and were just now heading to the more well-lit side, where they figured the prison block would be.

Fortunately for them, the town seemed to be mostly asleep, so they only ran into a few cultists, all of which Subaru was able to dispatch without much commotion.

“Five”  

Subaru sliced through the neck of a cultist holding a torch near some cages, dropping the enemy to the floor and catching the torch before it followed suit.

He motioned for Ram to go investigate the cages. They were metal and each occupant was asleep. The torchlight didn’t reach over to them, so Subaru couldn’t see anybody inside, but he hoped with all his heart that they would find Rem there.

As he stood he heard a quiet clicking. He jumped, then remembered it was likely just the cage-

Fssssssss… 

BOOOM

Subaru was on the ground again, the torch lost as his body was blown to pieces.

Flesh and bone flew everywhere. His head rolled across the dirt, landing with a sickening thud, right beside a bloody eye staring blankly back at him.

It was his.

He tried to scream, but no sound came. The world twisted, fire licking the edges of his vision, again burning, again dying, again melting, again, and again until a voice cut through the void.

“Barusu.”

Subaru gasped, the illusion shattering. His eyes were wide, glazed with fear, hands trembling above the torch he had dropped. Ram stood before him, her voice heavy with concern. Next to her was another man, a scar lining his bare chest.

“Does your friend do that often?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. Subaru’s first thought was that he recognized him.

Ram shook her head. “No, I…” She looked at Subaru with slight concern before glancing at the man beside her. “He’s lost many people like I have, he’s afraid. Although he should still be more aware of his surroundings in a dire situation like this.”

Subaru nodded, his eyes still blank. “Rem wasn’t…”

Ram looked downward.

Sighing, Subaru began to walk over to the cages. All of them were empty, with only one having been opened. 

Behind him, the man came and spoke quietly. “I was captured recently after cutting ties with the new rebellion force.” He pointed to one of the other cages. The girl that looks like your companion over there was in this cage until they moved her about a day ago.

Subaru slapped his head, fighting the urge to scream. “A day huh?” 

Ram had come over to them while he was talking. “Don't even think about it Barusu. I just got my info about her being here today…” 

Regardless of Ram’s pleas, Subaru couldn’t help but blame himself for their failure. What if he had been just a little bit faster? 

The other man spoke up. “Well, I know they took her to Cramlin.”

Ram gasped. “Cramlin? That idiotic town with that worm?”

The man chuckled. “Looks like their luck ran out for them, It’s been captured by the cult. My old companions are actually there right now, clearing out the nearby highway for refugees to pass through.

“Good, then we can find some more allies, and finally find your sister.” Subaru smiled at Ram. “Then we can plan to free Julius.” 

A horn blew in the distance.

“Shit.” The man took off running with Subaru and Ram at his heels. Subaru heard yelling behind them towards the entrance of the village, but it was distant enough that he knew they hadn’t been spotted yet. 

They found a damaged point in the wall and fell through, running out into the forest. After a few minutes, they stopped. “I guess this is where I leave.” The man began to walk off as he waved to Subaru.

“Are you sure you don’t want to help us?” Subaru panted, reaching out his hand. “We could use the extra muscle.

The man shrugged. “I’m not much of a fighter, more of a coward… Anyways, I’ll see you around.”

He turned and walked off, fading into the trees and the darkness.

“Dammit, I was hoping he would stay…” He sat down on the ground, leaning on a tree log that lay there. “Well Ram, I guess It’s just you and me.”

…

“Ram?”

Subaru turned around, only to realize Ram wasn’t there. 

“Ram!?”

He jumped on the log, squinting into the dark to try and look for the path they had taken. Then he spotted it. Pink hair lying on the ground a little ways away.

“Ram!” He ran over, nearly tripping on the roots of the tree trunks. He reached her body and turned it over. Her eyes were closed and her skin was cold and clammy. “Shit… Shit!” He frantically began to shake her, trying to wake her up.

Her chest moved, but very softly. Her breath barely left her mouth and her eyes and nose were unmoving.

“Dammit what…”

He remembered their conversation at Flanders.

“Crystal.” He searched for Ram;’s bag, digging through her clothing until he gave up. “Dammit! It’s with the ground dragon.” 

…

…

Leaves rustled as Subaru blindly made his way through the forest, carrying Ram in his arms and trying not to scratch her up too much. Despite his efforts, he was scraped by invisible needles in the form of branches and leaves, all of which seemed to wish him harm as he ran

He had no idea where he was going, no clue where he needed to go, and no sense of direction to help him. All he could do was scream helplessly. “Ram, Ram, Ram!”

He stumbled, falling to the floor whilst croaking Ram’s name over and over. His head hit a rock, cutting it open viciously while Ram’s body tumbled from his arms, slamming against the trees in front of him. 

“N-no… Ram…” Her twisted form in front of him lay still, and he could no longer tell if she was breathing. He crawled to her, forcing his eyes to stay open as he clawed at the tree.

He arrived, pulling Ram into his arms and curling up into a ball. With all of the strength in his lungs, he shouted to the night air, a helpless cry that carried through the wind.

“PATRASCHE!”

Subaru’s eyes closed as he screamed for his faithful dragon, the pain of his wound disappearing as he was pulled into the dark.

Chapter Text

Small sparks of dying flame flew into the night air from a dimly lit forge that rested in the heart of a half-dead town shrouded by clouds overhead and mists all around.

There at the anvil, a young woman worked, the surrounding yard flashing a deep and dark red each time her little hammer connected with the hot metal she worked upon. 

Her shorter blue hair flowed in the cold winds. She breathed quickly and deeply out of exhaustion, but no sweat lined her arms or forehead, for the cold was too strong to allow that. 

In truth, her only solace at the moment was her work, her strikes giving her a taste of the heat from her unremembered dreams in a time before her imprisonment, not that her tired mind currently had any capacity for that. 

The only thoughts she could find were those of cold.

She wondered if death was warm. If the sayings were true, and one was able to live their entire life all over again before the instant of their demise, shouldn’t one finally be able to find comfort? 

If that wasn’t the case then maybe it was life that was cruel one.

The fiery forge had simmered down to nothing as the woman finished her creation. A piece just like the countless others she had been forced to make. Over and over she had struck their metal, hoping that that time would be the last, with no desire to finish but a yearning to end. 

She slowly stepped across the yard to the extent of the distance permitted by her binds. She needed not to do this, but she felt the need to try, to attempt to escape no matter how futile.

She sighed as she felt the pull that said she could walk no further, accepting that her flight to freedom was only in her dreams.

And so she dreamt. She imagined in her mind her chains falling from her legs as she rose into the dark sky, the wind playfully blowing around and through her, until it could no longer, and she fell. 

Her body became ravaged by cold once again as she plummeted down, the air screaming at her. 

She fell and fell, flailing about as the world around her began to mirror itself, becoming a soft and ominous tunnel surrounding her as she dove downward, piercing the ground and breaking through into a new sky, clouds below and above, leaving her in the in-between.

She spun, waving in the air until she found her footing, slowly floating down to the sea of clouds that were her only foundation. 

Her body was freed of strain, the soreness and pain being instantly alleviated from her tired muscles.

She felt like she was in someone else’s body… Or someone was in hers.

Without a sound nor movement of her eyes, she began to dance, softly spinning in place as her body turned with a mesmerizing and regal grace. 

The cold wind blew once again, sweeping past as she herself glided across the clouds in a breeze, flitting her arms as she spun and weaved, her steps shifting the blanket beneath her.

Despite her attempts she could not shake the wind nor the cold, slowing down and she began to succumb to the force against her. 

Her feet stopped twirling and her arms ceased twisting as she came to a stop, resting atop the clouds.

There was nothing. No dance, no freedom, no beauty, no escape. She was alone in the dark once again.

Until she felt it, a warmth that began to creep up on her, first taking her back, then slowly encompassing her entire body. It didn’t feel smothering nor like the fires of her forge.

It held her close, cared for her, and protected her.

It felt like love.

What love felt like she had always been curious. She had received love in large amounts, from her sister and parents, and from the many people she had met along the course of her life, but she had never taken it as love. 

And so, she decided that no matter what the intent or the feeling was, she would interpret this feeling as love.

His love.

His love that she had hoped would one day reach her, as hers did for him. 

His love that, at this moment, took her by the hand and silently reassured her that she would be alright, just as it had always done.

She closed her eyes, and let it overtake her.  

Her body began to move once again along the sea of clouds. The sky above cleared as she danced once again, now revealing the bright twinkling stars that were hidden behind. The soft clouds below her feet condensed into an ocean with no horizon that mirrored the glistening sky.

The warmth began to take form behind her, grabbing her waist and steadily carrying her along with it.

She now knew for sure that it was him, dancing slowly as he held her close. Whatever the reason, whatever the cause, Natsuki Subaru had come to be with her.

The demon called Rem danced above, below, and among the stars, smiling as tears spilled from her closed eyelids.

The two carried onward, losing themselves in their silent movements and holding each other close. 

Subaru spun Rem and she blindly twisted away, before spinning back to him and burying himself in his arms. 

She reached away, bringing him with her as she stepped outward, but then he stopped.

She turned back to him, tilting her head in question even though she could not see.

She felt a hand caress her cheek softly and a voice whisper in her ear.

…

…

…

“N-No… R##.”

The last thread of connection snapped.

“#########!”

Rem opened her eyes. 

She woke in the middle of the forgeyard, her hands reaching out to an unseen partner. 

A partner she may never see again.

Rain began to fall from the dark and cloudy sky, making the low flames of the forge completely sputter out. Rem quickly became soaked as she ran for cover underneath the half-broken roof of the forge.

She sat down in a corner, her already dirty rag dress further ruined by the grime and dust on the ground. Her legs shook from the cold and the wet once more.

She began to softly cry once again, her face burying itself in her arms while streams of tears ran down her pale cheeks.

“Please… My hero.”

“Come for me…”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A light rain fell in the early morning, brushing the sleeping face of Subaru as he tossed and turned. As his eyelashes were dampened, his eyelids flitted softly before they opened very slightly. 

Feeling returning to his body, Subaru regained consciousness. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. Around him, rain fell with a lack of intensity to the point where it created a sort of mist. 

As he sat up, he saw plains around him. He had somehow made it back onto the main highway that led out of the Mathers domain.

“Kkkk…” 

Subaru turned to see Patrasche, sleeping alongside Ram’s ground dragon. Next to them was Ram, who had balled up against the underbelly of her dragon.

Subaru immediately remembered what had happened.

He felt his head, trying to feel for the injury he had gotten. He didn’t feel lightheaded or concussed, but he could feel a line of dried blood that cut right through his eyebrow. 

He sighed, shaking his head as he stood up slowly and walked over toward Ram. He crouched in front of her, checking for any wounds. Surprisingly, her only notable difference was that her clothes were now even more ripped, and even her breathing was pretty stable.

He checked his own, to find that one of his sleeves had been slightly ripped as well. 

“Patrasche did you…?” He took in his surroundings once again, noticing that they had at least gone a couple of miles away from the village offshoot. He smiled at his ground dragon. “Thanks again…”

Suddenly he spotted the bags that the two dragons had been carrying still attached to them. Subaru stepped closer to Ram’s dragon and began to search for her pouch of crystals. “Where…”

He pulled out the pouch that he had seen Ram carrying, but it was empty. 

Subaru slapped his forehead, wincing as he hit his cut. “Agh… Ram why did you…”

He was slightly upset that Ram hadn’t told him, but was more surprised that she was still alive. From what he could tell, those crystals contained mana which, for some reason, she needed fairly often.

Although he hadn’t really registered it yet, her condition was very much better than the night before, with her breathing noticeable and stable, and her cheeks colored as opposed to clammy.

Then he realised it. After beginning to train his gate, Wilhelm had told him that he next steps would be to exercise it constantly, and even regulate it while sleeping. 

Now of course, Subaru wasn’t one to learn anything well in less than a week, and he had never really gotten used to the feeling of working his gate constantly, but he thought that maybe, just maybe, he had managed to open it.

“I guess I was holding her close enough that I… Ugh, I hope she doesn’t remember any of that.”

Subaru shuddered, already picturing Ram’s scolding. 

“How dare you Barusu, fondling my precious body like a lecherous dog while I was sleeping?”

“B-But I…”

“You should prostrate yourself before me this instant and hope that I have the generosity to-”

Subaru shook his head, not wanting to imagine the scenario any longer.

He sat down next to where Ram was sleeping. He remembered what that mercenary-rebel guy had said, that their next destination was a town…

Subaru tried hard to remember the name, but it seemed his brain had finally caught up to his injury. “Corpus… Crispy…”

He wracked his brains for a while before giving up. Instead, he looked at Ram’s sleeping face. 

He hadn’t realized it before, but she was a much more troubled person than he had first thought. He knew something had happened to her in her childhood, and that she had lost her horn, but he had always assumed that she didn’t really care all that much about it.

Like Rem, she had always seemed calm and composed, never really showing lots of a personality other than insulting Subaru. 

When he had first arrived, he had thought that she was the more approachable and even friendlier of the two to an extent. After all, she had been willing to help him read and write, and they now had begun to form a bond over bickering with each other.

But recently, she had shown much more than he had ever expected out of her. She had cared for him, worried for him too. She hadn’t just been irritated the entire time like Subaru would have originally expected.

He thought now that maybe when he had first arrived at their lonely mansion, he had fallen spectacularly for her front.

…

…

It was late morning when Subaru heard Ram begin to rustle in the grass beside him. He looked at her red eyes as they opened. The rain had stopped and the sun now shined brightly behind him, so Ram blinked a few times before putting a hand to her forehead and looking up at Subaru.

“Barusu…”

Subaru smiled, moving to block out the sun so Ram could adjust. “Yup, good old Barusu.” He chuckled softly, “Did you sleep alright? I was worried you might have been too drained of mana to wake up at all.”

Ram stared at him, “Uh-wh…” She blinked her eyes before looking around. “How did Ram…”

“The dragons brought us here.” He pointed behind Ram and she turned to look at them. “You fell unconscious and we had gotten lost, so I called out to them for help.”

Ram quickly turned back to him.

“Hey, don’t worry Ram, no cultists followed us. I think I got close enough to the main road that they didn’t hear.” He looked at Patrasche, who had woken up as well. “But I couldn't have done it without her.”

Ram nodded slowly. “But my mana… how did you…?”

Subaru blushed and turned to the side slightly. 

“Barusu…” 

He twiddled his fingers, as he stared at the ground. “Well, you were very cold… and I had fallen and was about to black out, so I…”

Ram raised a tired eyebrow, “So you…”

Subaru blinked. “Sorry. I cuddled you super tightly so you didn't… roll away or something.” He sighed, feeling slightly relieved at Ram’s nonchalant reaction. “Yeah, and I think my gate must have somehow activated while I was asleep, it’s something I've been practicing, and so maybe you stole my mana…?”

Ram was honestly surprised by Subaru getting those words out of his mouth. “Huh, so you ‘cuddled me’ and I ‘stole’ your mana, is that right?”

Subaru sighed again, slightly more breathless this time. “Well I put it terribly but yes, that’s what happened… I think.”

Ram exhaled softly. “Well, at least you admit that,” she mumbled, “Well then, we should head to Cramlin… ahh?

Ram had tried to stand up, but her legs folded beneath her, sending her falling back to the ground. Subaru, who had been cautious of this, caught her as she fell. “Woah there.” He placed her down on the ground. 

“So that’s what it’s called. Cramiln.”

Ram tilted her head, “You forgot?”

“Yeah…” He pointed to his head. 

Ram stared at the cut that almost hit his eye and went all the way up to his hairline.  There were a few other small scars on this face, but this one would be prominent once it healed.

He gestured to her legs. “I can see those aren’t but… Can you move the rest of your body at all?”

Ram lifted an arm and sighed. “I can… But truly I shouldn’t be. You probably gave me such a small amount of mana that I barely managed to stay alive.”

Subaru frowned. “Well sorry.”

He stared at her before walking away.

“Don’t go…” She almost whispered, but her pride kept her silent.

Even so, Ram reached outward. 

“Wait, I…”

“I didn’t mean to sound that way…”

Subaru had already reached the grass where Patrasche was now waiting for him. “I’ll get everything ready to go. Just wait there and rest for now.”

Ram closed her eyes and hit the ground with her fist softly.

His injured head, his torn and dirty clothes… 

“I’m sorry, Barusu…”

…

…

When they finally packed up and left, Subaru placed Ram on top of Patrasche and then climbed in front of her. “You’ll want to hold onto me, as disgusting as it is…” 

Ram silently winced as she wrapped her arms around Subaru’s torso.

He grabbed the reins and began to move down along the oath. Behind them Ram’s ground dragon carried all of their supplies, save for Subaru's bow, which he had tied to Patrasche, and his sword, which hung at his waist.

They walked at a steady pace, barely more than a walking speed. “We’ll only go this fast until your legs are fine.” Subaru pointed in the direction they were going. “I’m not sure how far Cramlin is, but it’ll probably take a couple days at this pace.”

“Rem…” Ram shook her head. “I understand.”

Subaru nodded in front of her. “We’re going to save her, Ram… I know it.”

As they continued riding onward, Subaru didn’t once notice the smile on Ram’s face.

…

…

Night had fallen and the two had set up another camp in the plain. From here they could see the massive tree in the middle of the area, looming over the rest of the area. 

Subaru sat on a rock and stared at the tree in awe as Ram sat next to him.

They hadn’t talked much, but Subaru seemed to be in a better mood than earlier. 

“Barusu…” 

“Uh huh?”

Ram shifted in her seat. “I… Well, you already know about this…”

Subaru looked over, his eyes soft and kind. 

He smiled, “Your mana. I know.”

Ram nodded. “Yes I… It’s uncomfortable for me to ask you about this, but Ram has no other way to-”

“Don’t sweat it.” Subaru suddenly grinned. “Plus it feels nice for you to owe me one.”

Ram blinked as Subaru shifted so he was facing her. “So, how do we do this?” He rubbed his hands together. “I’m assuming I don’t need to squeeze you to death again?”

Ram coughed, slightly flustered at his comment. “N-No… You just need to touch your hand to my forehead and flow mana into me.”

Subaru softly poked her forehead once, still grinning. “Like this?” 

The stupid look on Subaru’s face and the fact that he was obviously messing with her made Ram laugh.

“No…” She grabbed his fingers and touched them to her forehead, keeping them in place with her hand. 

“...”

Subaru pulsed his arm while making sound effects. “Is it working?” 

“No, I can’t feel anything.” Ram frowned but then Subaru stopped. 

He retracted his hand and began to breathe slowly. Ram could see his muscles rippling and his hair brimming with energy as he closed his eyes calmly. He reached out his fingers once again and touched them to Ram’s forehead.

Ram gasped as she felt mana pour into the void in her soul. A warmth enveloped her as she relaxed on the rock. Subaru grabbed her as she began to slip and brought her next to him again. 

“You gotta stop doing that…” He continued to pour mana into her until his breathing quickened and he stopped. “There. My gate’s not all that big so that’s most of the mana I have.”

Ram felt reinvigorated as she smiled at Subaru. “Well, it was just barely enough.” She turned her head with an exaggerated huff. 

Subaru laughed, “Glad I could help. Is this going to be a daily thing?”

Ram clicked her tongue. “Yes, until we find more mana crystals.” She began to slowly stand up from the rock, her legs shaking as she did. “I am able to walk now, but I am likely still too weak to travel quickly like this. 

She looked over at Subaru. “I’m a burden, and for that, I apologize.”

Subaru shook his head. “No…”

He stood up, beginning to walk with Ram towards their fire, where they were roasting some meat. “It’s much better than being alone again.”

“Again?” Ram sat down on a log Subaru had rolled over earlier. 

She remembered that she had abruptly split up with him just after he had lost Julius. 

“Oh… Sor-”

“Not what I mean” Subaru sat down and picked up one of the sticks of meat, offering it to Ram. “It’s cool to have someone to finally talk to other than Patrasche.”

Ram bit into her food, savoring the taste. “Hmmm… After all, Ram is much better company than a ground dragon.”

…

…

The next couple of days passed similarly, the two traveling for most of the lit day, and Subaru giving Ram her daily dose of mana each evening.

The two didn’t talk too much during their rides, but at night Subaru would tell Ram about his plans for rescuing Julius. The two agreed that Subaru would need to enter the city more inconspicuously, but they weren’t entirely sure how. 

Whatever the case, they would have to make do with the minimal forces they had.

After five total days of traveling, they finally reached the point where Mount Cordor, a mountain that Ram had said was near the village, loomed in front of them. It had been visible in the distance for a while, but now Subaru could see caves that dotted the sides of the mountain and a village beneath, slightly hidden among the forest.

According to Ram, they had now traveled to the kingdom on the other side of the capital, the southern part that neared the border of Vollachia and that housed many regions such as the Barielle domain. 

They had talked about recruiting one of the candidates, Priscilla Barielle, but after SUbaru mentioned that the candidates had been scattered and some were dead, Ram thought it better to not get involved with another situation.

Priscilla wasn’t known to be a very agreeable person in the first place, but Subaru still thought she may be of use, so they came to the agreement that they would travel to the Barilelle domain to request her aid.

One simple fact that Felix had forgotten to mention to Subaru before was that Priscilla and her entire camp had been at the Karsten Manor when it was attacked. 

And that they too, had most likely all been murdered.

Another topic of discussion during their trip was the so-called “Rebellion”. Neither of them was sure how it had come up, or who was in charge of such a movement, but they both agreed that they would be an easier force to seek out. 

After all, surely citizens who wanted to fight back would want to free the finest knight from captivity.

Now, as they approached the mountain, the stench of blood was heavy in the air. Corpses of civilians and cultists alike lined the sides of the roads, and plumes of smoke rose around them from various lone houses in the area. 

On the highway, they eventually ran into a wrecked cart. The drivers had been cultists, as made evident by the dead driver. What Subaru found strange was the fact that no other people were to be found near the scene. 

The body of the cultist driver was fresh, blood still spilling from the chest wound he had received, and there was a trail of stomped grass that led into a grove of trees nearby. After telling Ram to be careful, Subaru got off of the dragon–Ram was now able to hold herself up at this point–and walked down the path laid before him. 

A trail of corpses led him to find a straw hat, sitting in the middle of a tiny clearing. 

Subaru observed the hat. It was Asian in style, and very crudely made. It wasn’t an uncommon sight at this time of year in Japan, but in Lugunica, Subaru didn’t even know that these things existed. 

“Weird…”

He picked up the hat, examining it and he twirled it in his hands, only to be startled by a yell from in the grove.

“Haaah! Damned rodents!” 

He saw a rugged-looking man step out from among the trees, engaged in combat with a cultist. He wore beige linen clothes paired with an ugly yellow mantle. His black hair was styled back in a ponytail, and his face was obscured with what Subaru saw as some kind of Kabuki mask.

His weapon was a lade curved knife. He wielded it with precision, cutting down his opponent in seconds like he had done it a million times before.

He flicked his blade once, cleaning off the blood, then sheathed it sighing. He caught sight of Subaru and waved. 

He ran over, “He here kid, these parts are dangerous…” He stopped just before, looking Subaru up and down. “Never mind, I see you’re fully equipped.”

“Yeah,” Subaru nodded. He held out the hat he was holding. “This yours?”

The shabby man chuckled, “Yep, I’d really like that back. Used to rock a helmet… But that got blown up.”

He put on the hat, further obscuring his visage. He held out his hand, offering for Subaru to shake it. “The name’s Al.”

“Natsuki Subaru.” Subaru took Al’s hand. “Nice to meet you Al-san.” He noticed that Al’s outfit was extremely dirty and bloody. Not unlike his own after a long battle.

He looked around, now noticing many corpses among the trees and bushes. “You did all this?” 

Al nodded, adjusting his hat. “Yeah, and look not even a scratch on me.” He chuckled to himself again. “Except for this hat, of course, can’t believe the damn thing keeps falling off.”

Subaru laughed, tapping his forehead. “Yeah, I stick with this headband nowadays, although it doesn’t look as cool.” He pulled out his sword, swinging it around in the air. “You look like a ronin… Well, I guess you don’t know what that is.”

Al tilted his head to the side. Subaru couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but to his surprise, he didn’t respond in confusion. 

“Ronin… huh.”

“Aaaah!” 

A yell echoed from the woods, causing Subaru to narrow his eyes. “We have more company…” 

A quickly drew his blade and turned his back to Subaru.

As he did, cultists stepped out of the woods into the clearing. They met Subaru and Al’s challenges, stepping to greet them silently. Subaru readied his sword, raising it above his head and pausing. “You ready, Al-san?”

Chapter Text

It had been too long, and Ram was beginning to worry. 

Of course, she knew that Subaru could handle himself in a tough situation, given what he had gone through before, but for all she knew, he wasn’t very strong at all. He wasn’t one to give up easily or back down from a challenge, but that strength could also prove to be fatal.

And so Ram followed after him. 

She brought her ground dragon, whom she had decided to call Rose, and tied her up with Patrasche behind a group of trees a little ways off the road. 

She took her long, branch-like wand out of her pouch and gripped it tightly, readying herself for a potential battle on her hands. 

Slowly, she tread the path that she had seen Subaru take before, looking carefully for any signs of a struggle. She noticed the forest around her increasing in density, but she also noticed a fair amount of damage: wide gashes in tree trunks and flattened bushes along the sides of the trail. 

She quickened her pace when she saw the corpses strewn among the trees. Soon enough, she made it to a small clearing. Cultist bodies littered the ground, cut down or burnt, with arrows sticking out of a few. Across the clearing, she saw Subaru resting with a masked man she did not recognize.

Subaru waved when he saw her approaching, getting up off the ground to meet her. “Ram! What are you doing here?”

“Tsk.” Ram kicked the approaching Barusu in the leg, making him yelp loudly and grip his knee, falling to the ground. 

The maid shook her head, scoffing at Subaru’s cry. “You abandoned me so you could go die? How pathetic.” 

Ram kicked the downed Subaru repeatedly while he whined. “You’re lucky Mask-sama was there to save you, you disgrace.”

Mask-sama, who had walked up behind Subaru, gave a quick huff. “Huh, the name’s Al. Who the hell are you?” His grumbling did nothing to help Ram’s already deteriorating mood.

She smiled thinly. “...Well, I apologize profusely, Mask-sama, and I thank you for so generously helping my idiot companion here.” She bowed with exaggeration. “I am Ram, a humble maid of the Mathers household.”

Ram could tell that Al was scowling beneath his mask. 

Al shrugged and looked around. “Ugh, well, your friend did most of the work here.”

Ram paused. 

“Subaru did this?”  

She figured he had at least contributed to the skirmish, but she wondered if he really was able to take on so many skilled enemies. There had to be at least 15 in the clearing alone.

She stared at the boy who lay in the bloody grass, groaning and rolling around goofily, the same boy who had never shown an ounce of skill or competence in anything, much less fighting. He had always seemed fairly lucky, but luck had nothing to do with this.

“Is he… Really that strong?”

She decided to think about it later and instead went back to berating Subaru. Al had retreated and now watched unseen from a distance, his face still morphed into a frown.

…

A little while later, the three of them were walking back to the main road, an awkward silence settling around them. Subaru, with his impulsiveness, could only last so long before trying to break the tension.

“So… Al-san, what are you actually doing here? Are you with those rebels I keep hearing about?”

Al looked over. “Kinda, I suppose we are warriors without a purpose. We don’t really fight for freedom, we just kill whoever seems to be in our way of surviving.”

“Huh,” Subaru thought. He turned back forward, unsure of what to say next. The witch cult’s attack had definitely gotten to some people worse than others. This was a prime example.

“I suppose we are like ronin in that sense.” Al piped up from behind him. 

Subaru nodded before his head shot around. “What did you say? I thought there were no ronin here?”

Ram sighed loudly at the front, cutting through the conversation before Subaru could speak any more. “What, praytell, is a ronin?”

“It’s a rogue warrior, a masterless samurai,” Subaru smirked, happy with how cool his description sounded. He had always liked ronin more than samurai anyway, in the manga he read, he found the samurai too uptight for their own good.

“And what, praytell, is a samurai?”

…

Instead of answering Ram, Subaru quickly turned back to Al, who had fallen silent. “Ronin… Are you…”

Subaru hesitated, looking at the hidden face of his newfound friend. Behind Al’s mask, he could just barely see his eyes. Dark and unreadable

After averting his face from Subaru’s gaze, Al pointed a dirty thumb at himself. “You figured it out fast. I would have mentioned it anyway, so fine. Yes, I am from Earth.”

…

“Wha-a…”

Subaru’s eyes widened. Finally, he had found someone like him. “Earth?” He suddenly had a million questions in his head, unsure where to start, he began shooting them out quicker than Al could process. “Where were you from? How long have you been here? Can you-”

“Woah, settle down there, bro.” Al scratched the back of his neck. “I’m from America.”

“America?” Ram was unheard by the two.

Subaru was practically glowing with awe. “Really? America? You speak great Japanese for-”

“Kidding.” Al’s tone was dry. “I’m from Japan like you.” 

He poked his mask. “And although I've been here for a long time now, I don’t have the patience to learn a new language.”

Al looked off into the woods as he continued. “It’s rough here, bro. You have to be a cutthroat to get anywhere. I’ve been here for most of my life at this point, and my best advice is for you to settle down with that girl there and ignore everything else happening in the world. Contrary to popular belief, being a hero or a knight sucks.”

Ram nearly tripped in front of Subaru. Her face, invisible to the other two, was stuck in a look of horror. 

Subaru laughed. “Well, Ram has been nicer to me lately…” He could hear the maid gag in front of him. “...But no, Emilia-tan is the only one for me.”

“Emilia… Like the Royal selection candidate?”

“Yeah, she’s gone missing… Actually, I was hoping you guys could help me find her and some others who have been captured.” 

Al shook his head. “Ohhh no, no. I’m finished with all of this virtuous knight stuff… and my lady, unlike yours, is dead.” He paused before pointing to his hat. “Plus, I’m ronin now, I have to fend for myself and my people.”

“Your people?” Ram questioned, her voice was unusually harsh. It was justified, of course, after being ignored for so long. If there was one thing Subaru had learned about Ram, it was that she treated others how they treated her to an exponential degree, and Al hadn’t exactly been nice to her.

Al brushed the hostility off with a simple “Yeah,” as he twiddled with the loose straws of his hat.

“My lady, the one who first helped these people, was kind, unlike me.” He paused, stopping in his tracks. “Even so, as her knight, I continue to protect them.”

As he finished, they reached the main road. “Well,” Al said, “I can offer you to come back to my camp for a while, but I can’t help you further, we’re starving, and have no strength or numbers to spare.”

Subaru nodded in agreement, then looked at Ram. Her face held obvious disdain for the situation. “I don’t like it,” she said, “but it’s currently our best option. There’s no point in hiding out in the forest any longer.”

…

…

…

The ronin had set up a camp in the rocky hills nearby, using the terrain as a cover from the main road. They were all men, most of them younger or middle-aged. They wore shabby clothes and torn armor. Their eyes told of their pain and their hunger, but when Al and his companions arrived, their faces brightened up, if only a little. 

Al gave a brief holler when they reached the main center of the camp. Concentric circles of tents surrounding a few spread-out campfires held more than 80 rebel-ronins who all stood and approached to meet their leader. 

A young man in a green cloak and hat who was tending to his dragon waved enthusiastically at the group. Many others waved too, with many of the younger men yelling heartily at their leader’s return.

“Damn there’s a lot of people here,” Subaru remarked, he hadn’t seen a gathering of warriors this large since the battle, although there were many more there. 

“Yeah,” Al waved to one older man who had set down his tea and bowed. “They’re all runaways. Cowards who fled battle or refused to fight at first.” He looked back at Subaru, whose face had turned sour. “Don’t get mad, bro, these guys are trying their best to atone. And hey, when you’re trying to achieve something, it’s easier to have an army of 500 behind you, no?”

“500??” Subaru hadn’t even imagined that there were this many of them. “There had only been around 1400 people at the initial battle. How many of these guys had been a part of that number?”

Behind him, Ram raised her eyebrows. Before, she hadn’t really been paying attention to the conversation, but it was almost impossible to ignore when neither of the two would stop talking. The entire trip, they had talked about their homeland, not even sparing Ram the knowledge of what half of the words they spoke meant.

Al nodded as he dismounted his ground dragon. He had taken Ram’s for the time being, as Patrasche wasn’t as privy to letting him ride her.

“Give or take.” Al said, “There are more camps like this one, and many of us are out scouting right now.”

Subaru got off of Patrasche, leaving Ram to tend to her and following Al through a large crevice in the stone around them to a tall cliff that overlooked the mountain. 

He walked up next to Al, who was staring off the edge. Mount Cordor loomed like a tall giant in front of them. The tip was hidden above the clouds, and the mountainside was barren and riddled with holes. 

Below lay a sparse forest surrounding the settlement known as Cramlin. It wasn’t a quaint town in the least, but not nearly as large as Flanders or the Capital. The town was fairly intact, with massive stone walls standing around the edge, blocking any intrusion.

Beside him, Al began to speak. 

“Veiled peak hums with age…”

“Coiled beast whispers in still earth…”

“Dreaming beneath stone.”

Subaru sat in silence as Al took a deep breath. “Poetry. Picked it up recently. Helps with everything going on, y’know?”

Subaru nodded slowly. “I kinda get it. How’d you come up with stuff so fast?”

Al thought for a minute. “Well, I just look at what’s around me and relate to it.” He shrugged his shoulders as he turned to face Subaru. “It’s not a gift or anything… Why don’t you give it a try?” He turned back to the mountain and sat down, Subaru following suit.

A minute went by, and Subaru realized he was supposed to say something. 

“Ah, shoot.” He looked down at the village and the smoke surrounding it.

“Uhh, S-Smoke veils the future…”

He looked at the mountain in front of him and its crooked form.

“Hmm, the… the mountain shows the past?”

He looked around frantically at the view, trying to find something to make a metaphor about, but all he found was the empty sky and plain fields.

He looked at Al, who sat perfectly still, then he looked at his own hands. They weren’t still; they were shaking, and his voice was cracking and stuttering as he spoke. 

Even since his first death, he had been afraid.

“And Death erases it all.”

Al patted his chest in a soft clap off to the side as Subaru let out a disappointed sigh. “Interesting…” He chuckled as He and Subaru got up. “You’ll get better with practice. Doing it over and over was how I learned.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be a poet quite like you, Al-san.” Subaru joked.

Al looked up at the sky, raising his hand to his forehead. Subaru hadn’t noticed until now, but Al was missing his left arm from the shoulder down. 

“Hey bro, I just enjoy doing what I can. I’ve been at it for a while, and I’ve realised that just enjoying myself is better than trying to be the best.”

They stood in silence before walking back to the central area. Subaru had found the conversation slightly odd. For a guy who didn’t care, he had been awfully open with a stranger like Subaru. Even if they were from the same world, it weirded him out. 

Deciding not to think about it, Subaru instead directed his attention to the man who was now talking with Ram. It was the green-clothed man from before.

“I can’t help you, Ram-chan! There’s just no way I’ll risk it.” The man exclaimed at Ram as he spoke, his hat barely staying stable atop his grey hair.

“Why not?” Ram smirked coldly, “You’re already a slave to those bastards, you pathetic merchant, at least do me the service of helping us rescue her.”

The man gripped his face. “Aaagh dammit! I hate it as much as you do, but it’s just not a good plan. You’re going to die if you do that. Do you have a death wish, Ram-san?”

His words infuriated Ram. Her face distorted in anger and shock, “H-How…”

“Hey…” Subaru began to run towards Ram, trying to intervene, but it was too late.

“How DARE you, you bastard!” Ram kicked the man’s side, sending him flying. “My little sister has been captured by the Witch cult , and you, the dog of Russell Fellow, who can just walk into the place, won’t even help me rescue her?”

The man got up and walked back toward her slowly. “I’m just saying it’s not a good-”

-BOOM. Ram sent a gust of wind at the man, blowing him backward into a bale of hay.

“Ram, stop it!” Subaru ran up to her and stood in front of her outstretched hand.”What the hell is happening?”

Ram pointed to the man. “This idiot is refusing to help us infiltrate the town. Deal with him accordingly.” 

The man, who had approached yet again, looked at Subaru when Ram said this. His eyes widened. “You…” 

“I’m sorry!” He prostrated himself in front of the duo. “Please don’t kill me!” He smacked his head into the ground as he begged, “I’ll help you, I’ll help you, just please don’t…”

“Chill out, man.” Subaru grabbed the man’s arm and hauled him up. “I’m not gonna kill you. What’s your name?”

The man straightened his hat and bowed again, his face showing relief. “My name is Otto Suwen. Humble merchant and servant of Russell Fellow.”

“Russell Fellow?” Subaru asked.

“Yes, sir. Russell Fellow, an international merchant and business owner.”

Ram chimed in from behind. “And an ally of the witch cult.”

Otto’s face fell as he saw Subaru’s expression darken. He began to sweat profusely. “Wait wait wait. We don’t have much of a choice here… At least I don’t. It’s just trade to stay alive. We’re not killing people, just feeding them.”

Ram stepped next to Subaru. “So use your forced labor to assist us. I see no reason why you would even think of refusing when I have-”

“Ram, calm down.” Subaru interrupted.

Ram only became angrier, ready to yell at Subaru. “Calm down? How d-”

“Ram.” Subaru looked back at Otto. “Otto-san, I understand that you’re afraid, I really do.” He pointed to his headband. “This says strength. I wear this because people gave it to me. They believed that I, a boy who had nothing a couple of weeks ago, could be strong for them.”

He hadn’t really believed these facts at the Golden Temple when everyone was showering him with their praise, but here, with Otto, he knew them to be true.

He took off his headband, handing it to Otto, who took it gingerly. “Here. I promise we’ll make sure you’re safe. So be strong for me. For everyone who believes in me.”

Otto looked at him with awe, gulping as Subaru stared him down. 

After a while, he nodded once, storing the article in his pocket. “I’m not a fighter, not am I really much use…” 

Subaru smiled. “It doesn’t matter. Just stand up with me.” 

The merchant smiled slightly. 

“I’ll do it… For once in my life, I’ll be strong.”

Subaru turned back to Ram, who was smiling with approval. “Well done, Ba… Barusu. That was the most inspiring thing that’s ever come out of that mouth of yours.”

Subaru stared at her. “What? D-Did you just-”

“Shut it.” Ram quickly turned her head and began to walk away. The warriors around the two began to chuckle. One of them shouted out. “Hell yeah, man!” 

Subaru stood frozen before Al came up and patted him on the back. “So I suppose this means you’ll be heading out?” 

Subaru nodded toward Al.“Yeah, we’ve got a way in with Otto, so we’ll move now while it’s starting to get dark.” 

Al adjusted his mask. “Okay, good luck, bro.” He snapped his fingers, and one of the warriors, a young boy who looked around Subaru’s age, brought a shabby straw hat. “It’s not much, but your head needs something else now that you’ve wasted that headband on the merchant.”

Subaru put it on. “How do I look?”

Al chuckled. “You’re not as handsome as me.” He posed slightly with his mask. “But you look pretty damn good, it suits you.”

“Barusu!” Ram called from where the dragons were. Subaru looked and saw Otto standing next to a large carriage. Ram was standing in front, waving to him. 

“Alright, Al, I gotta go. And hey, if you have a change of heart…”

Al shook his head. “I won’t, bro. Good luck.”

The leader of the ronin looked on as Subaru entered the carriage with Ram and Otto began to drive off.

“Just this once, I hope the stars are on your side.”

Chapter Text

When one is strong, their fall hurts more than anybody else’s.

A lone carriage went steadily along a road towards the tall wooden gates of a town. The town was Cramlin, a settlement with a long, arduous history and a tough crowd. Their general belief was that a strong foundation can survive a storm, as represented in their people and craftsmanship. 

Despite their resilience, they had been attacked and swiftly conquered by the masses of the Witch Cult, followers of the Witch of Envy, Satella. Now their homes had been raided and their livelihoods had been stolen. They were tortured, killed, and enslaved, many of them forced to work at the forges or surrounding farms, supervised by the terrorists. 

This was abnormal because, as was commonly known to the world, the Witch Cult did nothing but kill and plunder, going from one place to the next and sacrificing entire civilizations for their sinister purposes. Of course, nobody had said or known anything about the organization, and for this reason, this assumption came to be.

In actuality, the cultists were not a bunch of savages who attacked on a whim, hiding when they felt too weak to act; they were cunning and meticulous to the point where they had faced minimal opposition in all of their endeavors, and since they had gone completely unnoticed for so long, not a single one of them held the concept of loss in their minds.

So they invaded without abandon, which nobody, not even the strong townspeople of Cramlin, could stop.

Now, the effect of an entire kingdom would be considered catastrophic in any medium, but as of this moment, neither the economic nor the political dynamics had changed one bit. The capital still held, and trade went on as normal. Even with the usurpers. 

That reason alone was why this carriage rolled steadily on this night. Food, drink, and weapons were all being supplied in massive quantities to the cultists by anonymous sources vying for their survival via this method.

Indeed, this cart carried food and drink for an entire town to live for a week or two, but that was not all. Natsuki Subaru, the ever-popular knight, hid among the crates with the ex-maid Ram, waiting for quiet entry to Cramlin. They had been stopped a few times by patrols and outposts alike, but had continued on thanks to the charismatic silver tongue of their driver, Otto Suwen. 

Previously a wandering merchant, he was now an indentured servant to the wealthy businessman Russell Fellow, a man who had privately been dealing with cultist camps in exchange for safe passage. 

The carriage stopped just inside the gates as Otto called to a cultist guard. “Hello there, uh… Sir, here is a shipment of the foreign delicacies and beverages that your company seems to enjoy so much. 

He shrank back as the cultist approached, the red eyes of their robe peering into Otto’s own. Then the cultist removed their hood, revealing a young woman no older than 20 with a sharp face. She smiled thinly as Otto gulped. 

“Ah, yes, we’ve been expecting you.” She walked over toward the stables, beckoning for Otto to follow. He drove the carriage after her slowly. 

“Stop here. We’ll unload the cargo.” She began to walk towards the back of the cart, whistling for others stationed around the gate to join her. 

“I, ah…” Otto tried to speak up as she entered, but his mouth wouldn’t move.

“Shit.”

After a few moments, the cultists exited. “Seems all is in order, we’ll begin moving the product immediately.” The woman nodded in thanks.”

“Huh? Oh sure. Always a pleasure.” Even through his slightly dead demeanor, Otto couldn’t hide his surprise. “Guess they hid pretty well.”

…

About twenty feet away, Ram and Subaru lay hidden just behind the stables. They both had their eyes on the cultist woman, who was now carrying a torch and walking away towards the main road of the town. The two slowly followed, crouching in the grass next to the stables.

“Cargo’s in, nothing out of the ordinary. I’ll head over to the holding area. The prisoners are beginning to get active due to the disturbance.”

The second cultist near her nodded their head and walked off to fully unload the carriage.

Ram looked to Subaru as the woman walked off. She motioned for him to follow her and began to approach the house adjacent to the main road. The road went all the way through the town, reaching the other gate and offshooting into neighborhoods and the town square in the center.

Subaru nodded silently and gripped the side of the house, pulling himself up onto the shorter roof. He helped Ram up, then they began to climb next to the road, following the cultist. Along the road, the two saw many cultists beating prisoners. They protested as they were whipped viciously and cut with knives. In the center of the road, dead civilians had been strung up in a crude crucifixion, their bodies exposed for all to see.

Subaru grimaced at the sight, averting his eyes while Ram silently gagged behind him. Meanwhile, the cultist had stopped and was not talking to another patrol of cultists in the center of the road. The yells of the tortured made it hard to decipher, but Subaru was able to hear a little bit. “...square… prisoners…”

He leaned in closer, but his feet slipped from below him.

Ram caught him just before he fell, but the sound of him slipping was enough to attract attention. 

The cultists looked up at the roofs around, but lost interest and soon went back to their duties.

“Phew. If I’d fallen…”

Subaru let out a deep breath and continued moving as the woman below walked over toward the large town center near the main road. He saw many other cultists with their hoods up, standing still with their torches like statues as the new one approached. In the middle, several prisoners sat, their backs to one another. 

One prisoner, who was struggling, called out when he saw the cultist approach. “Please! Please, I-I can work for you guys, make armor, weapons, whatever you want!”

The woman smiled and took out a knife, crouching toward him and moving it toward his throat. “We already have that oni working the forge, why should we let you, who has no purpose, much less value, take her place?”

The man gulped, his eyes glued to the blade about to slice through him. “Ah… B-Because she’s a liability! She could break out with her horns and kill you all!” He let out a yelp of fear as the blade moved closer. “I, for one, s-suggest that you kill her, b-b-before she kills you…”

“Bastard.” Ram’s tone betrayed her lividity at the man, “Now they’ll kill Rem before we can get to her.”

The woman smiled as she removed her blade. “Well, Archbishop Emeralda-Lugunica never told me what to do with her, so I suppose we can be rid of the animal once and for all.”

Ram was blinded with anger. “Animal ?” She growled as the woman began to walk across the square. “Who are you calling animal you bitch?”

Subaru sighed and looked around the road. There was no easy way across, and they were losing their target fast. He looked at the carts that lined the left lane, each once manned by a cultist. Another cart on the right side, Otto’s, was moving towards them from behind.

“Come.” He slowly climbed down to where the stationary carts were and climbed on top of one. Ram followed him, understanding his plane. 

“Ok… 3, 2 1.”

Subaru and Ram hopped on the top of Otto’s cart as it passed, using it as a stepping stone to the other side. They quickly made their way along the rooftops around the square, trying to find the woman who had walked off.

Thankfully, they only needed to follow the torchlight and soon spotted her conversing with another cultist. She walked off before Subaru was close enough to hear anything, but after she walked off, the cultist she left looked over the rooftops, searching for something.

Subaru ducked behind the top and waited until the cultist turned away. He and Ram lay there, waiting for the cultist to lose interest, but the guard showed no sign of pausing, and the woman was getting farther and farther away. 

Subaru looked at Ram, who gave him a questioning look. He silently told her to wait, then crept to the edge of the rooftop. The cultist’s head was turned the other way, but Subaru’s shadow was projected onto the wall in front of him. The cultist paused for a moment, gazing at the picture of the crouched killer behind him, and slowly turned around.

Immediately, their eyes were clouded by darkness. They fumbled around as a black mist enveloped them, struggling alone without voice or sight. For but a moment, they saw it. The dark realm where their lady resided, alone. 

Subaru climbed up to the rooftop as the cultist’s body fell to the ground, their chest spewing blood and their head convulsing.

“So you were finally able to cast that basic spell, were you?” Ram glared at Subaru, who wiped the sweat off his face.

“Shamak. It functions a bit like a smokescreen. I wasn't sure it would work, after all, Julius-san told me that I would pretty much never be able to use magic to much extent.” He shook his hand and cleaned off his bloody knife. He stared at it, remembering his master's preaching of honor. 

“I’m sorry, Julius.”

They continued to move between and on top of buildings until they reached a small courtyard with a lit forge next to a large stone wall. There was a roofed area near the forge, wet from earlier rains and breaking down. Inside sat a familiar face.

“Re-” Subaru covered Ram’s mouth before she could speak, pointing to the cultist who had pulled out her dagger. 

Ram’s tired eyes widened when she saw the woman approach. “N-No,” She croaked, “Please don’t kill me…” 

Without a word, the cultist grabbed the battered oni and cut her loose, moving her to the center of the small yard. Rem closed her eyes and whispered something to herself, holding her head upright as the cultist swung her knife.

Thwack.

The cultist fell backward as an arrow jutted from her stomach. Ram gasped and opened her eyes, looked around, before her eyes fell on her sister, who was running to greet her. “Nee-sama? What are you doing…”

Her eyes glazed over as she began to laugh. “I’m dead. Haaaaaahahaha…hehe”

“Relax, Rem, I’m here to save you.”

Rem looked at her sister with a crazed look. “No. Nonononononono. Nee-sama,” She shook, her movement rapid and random. “Is gone. Dead!”

“Rem, I’m not gone, I’m right here, you can feel me.” Ram cupped Rem’s cheeks, trying to force her to snap out of her delusion.”You could always feel me.”

Ram struggled in her sister’s grasp, then stopped, looking for a minute before her face went back to mostly normal. 

Her eyes and cheeks regained the tiniest bit of color as she finally saw her sister. “Nee-sama?” She began to cry softly. “N-Nee-sama”

“It’s ok, Rem,” Ram hugged her sister tightly. We’re here now. 

Rem looked up. “W-We..?”

She looked behind her sister at Subaru, who was muttering to himself, not having noticed Rem’s episode. “Ugh. Basically point fucking blank and I almost missed.”

His eyes lit up when he saw Rem looking at him. “Rem! It’s great to see you-ah?”

Rem moved in a blur, her feet sprinting across the ground as she enveloped Subaru in a tight hug. “Subaru-kun!” She smiled at him. “Thank you.” 

Subaru shied away slightly, but let Rem hold onto him. “It’s no problem?”

Ram raised her eyebrows as Rem chuckled slightly. “Rem was so afraid she’d die and never…” She wiped her eyes, sniffling as she let go of Subaru. “I’m so happy.”

“I’m happy too, Rem.” Subaru glanced back at Rem, who looked impatient. “Let’s get out of here first, then we can catch up.” He walked over to Ram. “You think we can climb that wall?”

Ram looked behind her at the wall. “I think Ram and her adorable sister could climb that wall, leaving Barusu to die alone.”

Subaru cringed at the statement, but walked over to the wall. He climbed on top of the shack, then leaped from it onto the top of the wall. He was able to make it, grabbing the edge and pulling himself up, but the wooden hovel below fell to pieces from his leap.

“Shit.” He reached down his arms, attempting to help the girls up, but they both leaped over the wall, landing behind him.

“Since when did you two have so much energy? There's no such thing as sister power where I come from.”

Ram shrugged, “I guess you’re just a weak little boy-”

“Nee-sama, let’s get out of here first.”

“You…” Ram glared at Rem, who had crossed her arms and was smiling smugly. 

Subaru and the two oni began to run away from the town walls into the forest. Soon enough, they heard the distant sound of the town bell being rung. “Damn…” Subaru wondered if he had just doomed all of the other citizens to death. There had been a lot of them from what he had seen, and it was likely that the cultists would just slaughter them all. 

Subaru slowed down. “I can leave. I was here for Rem.”

Then the Battle of the Plain came to mind. The soldiers who had run away for their sakes, ignoring their comrades to protect only those who mattered to them. 

“No.”

He stopped in his tracks. “I have to go back.”

Ram and Rem looked back at him, skidding to a stop as well. “Go back?” Rem frowned. “But Subaru-kun, it’s too-”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let them all die. Ram, get her away from here.”

Ram nodded, taking her sister’s hand. “Come on, Rem, he can handle himself.” 

“W-What? Nee-sama! He can’t possibly-”

“He can handle himself. Let’s go.” With that, the two sisters, one willing and one not, ran away into the night.

Subaru sighed, alone again. He sped off back toward the village wall. When he got closer, he noticed some cultists searching the grounds outside. “Nope.” He circled the town, finally reaching the gate he had entered from. There were no cultists, but there was an entire outpost facility at the entrance of the town. “So this is where Otto came from… Brave guy.” He snuck towards the pathway leading out, waiting for a sign of cultists nearby, when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

Instinctively, he pulled out his knife, snapping himself around and stabbing toward his opponent’s neck. To his dismay, the knife was caught between two fingers. “Whoa there, buddy.” Al let go of the knife and patted Subaru on the shoulder. “Be careful with that, you could seriously kill someone if they weren’t ready.”

“You were ready for me to kill you?”

Al shrugged. “Well, no, but yes. Anyways, I’m here.”

Subaru nodded in appreciation. “I’d hoped you would come.”

Al pulled out his knife, brandishing it. “At first, I didn’t want to. I thought we’d just be killing ourselves.”

Subaru hadn’t noticed, but behind Al were around 50 other warriors. “But the other ronin decided to help, and I have to keep up a good example,” the soldiers behind him each grinned, obviously feeling good at having manipulated their leader. 

“Hell yeah!” One of them piped up from behind, “Just like you said, Sir Natsuki, we have to be strong for them!”

“Persistent guys… Plus, I also decided for myself.” he stuck his one hand out in an offering. “I’ll help you. Whatever your goals are, I’ll help you see them through, bro.” He looked out at the village. “The food they have in storage will be good for us, too. Even with our merchant trades, we’re low on money and sustenance.”

Subaru took it. “I appreciate it, bro.”

Al nodded again. “And I brought some villagers who had escaped the town. They’ll be a big help with learning the layout.”

Some rugged-looking men and women stepped out from behind the ronin, bowing slightly in their tattered clothes.

“Perfect.” Subaru glanced at the gate. It was still unmanned, but Subaru could now hear screams echoing from inside its walls. 

“Come on, everyone, let’s kill these bastards.”

Chapter Text

The plan was fairly simple.

The knight, Natsuki Subaru, would enter the town stealthily through an opening in the town walls, which Al had found. 

He would make his way along the main road to the main southern gate, killing as many as needed to get there.

He would open the gate by working the pulley mechanism that kept it closed, and let off a signal that told Al and the ronin that they were in the clear to attack.

The final goal was to secure the prison hold, free as many as he could find, and trap the cultists between the two groups, crushing them utterly.

Subaru had to admit that it sounded foolproof. The only problem was that all of it depended on him. Now, was that really a problem? No, but Subaru couldn’t rely on himself enough to think otherwise.

And so, as he waited among the trees for his perfect opportunity to enter through a break in the wall, he began to doubt whether this plan was as foolproof as Al had previously assured.

“Don’t sweat it, bro, just focus and you’ll be fine.”

Subaru wiped sweat off his forehead. “Focus…”

Soon enough, the light shining from beyond the opening dimmed to where he almost couldn’t see it. He exited his hiding place and shimmied up to the entrance.

“Here goes…”

He took a deep breath and entered.

Before him was the back of a house, its windows and shutters closed. He hesitated, then pressed his ear up to the wall…

Nothing.

He sighed, then moved onward. He circled the house, into an alleyway that went on to the main road. He didn’t want to step out into the open yet, so he looked around at the walls. There were crates stacked high enough for him to climb, and so he made his way to the rooftops.

The view around was relatively familiar. A few houses down, he recognised where he had crossed with Ram during the previous visit. He had passed the square that had held most of the prisoners. 

“Ok, so the holding area is most likely near there.”

He made note of that and looked over toward the forge, which was visible on the other side of the town. The courtyard was empty, and the forge had been put out.

He looked over towards his destination, the southern gate, and assessed the pathway there. The rooftops towards the gate were sparse and low to the ground, not enough cover for him. He could make his way to the stables, but there was less cover from carriages this time.

He guessed that the town would be on high alert, but the streets and alleys around him were mostly empty. Of course, he could see torchlight in various places and a few cultists lining the main road and gates, but there were only about ten he could see around. 

“Strange…”

He decided that he could move along the rooftops, so long as he stayed on one side, he probably wouldn’t be in sight of them.

Soon, he made it to the end of the main house line. Below him was the small courtyard that housed a large building that looked like an armory or barracks, the stables, and the gatehouse. A total of seven cultists were visible to him there, and he assumed there would be more. Additionally, he knew that if he attacked them out in the open or even approached them poorly, he would be spotted, and the entire camp would be on him in seconds.

So he crept toward the wall line and lowered himself off the roof near the stable.

There was a small gap between the two structures, so he looked around the corner, spotting a cultist right in front of him, facing the other way.

Subaru gulped quietly and waited, readying himself.

He quickly stepped through the gap and behind the nearest stable. They were all mostly empty, so he didn't have to worry about any noise from spooked dragons as he traversed the wall behind. He crawled to the side, peeking around the corner. Two enemies were near him, and four more were visible near the main road. 

He looked toward the gatehouse. It had many crates and other carrying items around it. 

“I can probably use those boxes for cover…” Subaru looked toward the cultists again. They had begun to walk toward him slowly, their body language skeptical.

“Huh? Did they spot me? The guy before wasn’t even holding a torch!”

Subaru silently swore and quietly moved behind the crates toward the gatehouse.

The cultists stopped approaching the stable.

They looked around slowly, their faces almost eating the air with their sharp movements.

They turned to one another, then all looked directly towards Subaru’s hiding spot.

Subaru, who could see them coming, didn’t know what to do. He desperately tried to think of something as they approached, sweating profusely as he fumbled with his knife. 

It made a clinking sound as it hit against the outside of his sheath.

“Damn.” His eyes darted to the cultists, who were now fully aware of his presence and drawing their weapons.

He looked around, trying to find a way around or out, but he was trapped.

“Sh-Shamak.”

Black mist exploded from his hand outward in a huge puff, obscuring everything around him. He felt something pull from within his chest, making him reel in pain.

“Dammit, I strained it… Should’ve readied myself first.”

The darkness around him took hold of his mind, a loud voice calling out to him as he struggled to feel his body.

“Agh!” He tore out of the illusion, panting as he escaped the cloud.

Ztt” A cultist teleported in front of him, their red eyes of their cloak peering at him curiously. 

“Eh?”

fwip.

“EEEEGHH!”

Subaru screamed as his left arm was torn off by the cultist’s swift blade. Blood cascaded from the stump, covering them both fully. Subaru crawled backward, screaming as he slipped in his blood. The cultist, who was now joined by his friends, crept creepily toward him. 

“AAGH GET AWAY FROM ME!”

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, sending more and more blood out of his arm like it was crying. All Subaru could feel in that moment was pain.

He heard the slash of another blade and a stinging sensation on his chest. His vision blurred as he struggled.

Somehow, he managed to get to his feet. He ran clumsily, stumbling toward the gatehouse as blood streamed down his head. He entered, nearly slipping in the doorway and slamming the door behind him. 

“Agh,” He groaned as he held the stump of his arm. “Urg… T-There.” He spotted the mechanism.

The door behind him opened again, cultists waiting behind it.

“No!” He glimpsed the rope holding the pulley in place.

He held his knife up, pointing it toward the cultists, but he quickly redirected as he swiped at the rope.

His knife rips through it just as a cultist readies a ball of flame in their hand.

He turned back, his eyes widening. “No-”

“El Goa.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aldebaran was impatient. It had been well over an hour since he had sent Subaru out. He figured he would have to wait for the right time to enter, but by now, all he wanted to do was sleep.

His plan was doable, but difficult. He probably would have taken just as much time, having never been to Cramlin before. 

“Of course, he would have no… Nope, he’s been there before, like three hours ago. Ugh”

He had guessed that Subaru could handle his part, but now he wondered if he had misjudged him.

“C’mon, bro, give me something.” He squinted at the gate, which was a few hundred feet away.

“And… The gate is still closed…”

He turned to his men behind him. “Seriously, how long-”

BOOM-

The gate exploded into flames, the wooden beams at the top being blown off completely.

Al stared in shock at the explosion as the people behind him cheered. “That wasn’t the…Hahhh.” He turned back to the ronin. “Alright, he’s cleared a path. Time to fight, everyone.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subaru awoke suddenly, gasping and coughing as he tried to orient himself. His eyes mouth were both covered, and his feet were dangling in the air. He could barely hear, for his ears were burned and filled with dry blood, but the faintest sound of hideous jeering made its way into his head, rattling his skull.

His hand, which he had now realised was pinned above him, throbbed uncontrollably, and he felt a warm liquid seeping down his arm onto where his hair should have been.

He struggled, wincing as his hand continued to pulse in pain.

All of a sudden, the cloth was ripped from his eyes, granting him a sight more horrific than anything he had seen thus far.

He saw villagers, strung up on posts in a semicircle in the courtyard, silent in their shock as cultists lashed and burned them.

There were people of all ages, from elders who were in their final years to children who would have just begun to learn to read, all bleeding and broken, displayed to the world like a disgusting trophy.

In the center of the semicircle was a peculiar cultist. He could tell it was a woman. Her robe was tight enough that not everything was left to the imagination, and it was detailed with golden patterns all down the sides.

Wordlessly, she walked directly toward Subaru, her feet nearly dragging as she tilted her covered head. She came close, close enough where Subaru could almost see through the slits for her eyehols, then backed off swiftly. 

She paused, nodded, and turned to the person next to Subaru, a young woman with her legs completely missing.  The woman was sobbing, staring at a burned clump beneath her. The cultist put a hand to her mask, almost as if she were a high schooler giggling, then snapped her fingers. 

Instantly, the woman was lit aflame. Red and orange flames ran along her body, slowly disintegrating her skin and turning her to ash while she stared at the ground. Even as her eyes melted out of he head, she said nothing.

Subaru screamed as he witnessed this execution by fire, unable to look away. He continued to yell into his gag as the cultist walked to the next person in the circle, an older woman whose eyes leaked with tears and blood, and proceeded to burn her alive as well. 

For what felt like hours, Subaru witnessed villager after villager get burned, and just when he thought it was over and they were all dead, a new batch was brought out for slaughter. 

Subaru’s voice no longer worked as they brought out a new batch of innocents; his eyes were glazed over and cast downward, and his hand felt like it was about to be ripped off.

But then he heard a familiar grunt. 

He glanced up to see that this new batch was not villagers, but the Ronin who had been waiting for his signal. 

Once again, he tried to scream and beg them to stop, but nothing more would come out. He shook his body, trying to free himself, but the iron rod moving inside his hand caused him such pain that he had no choice but to stop. 

He began to cry dry tears as his newly made friends were slaughtered one after the other, each of them staring him in the eyes as they died, almost as if they were bringing his message to be strong with them to their graves.

As the last one burned, Subaru saw another figure being carried out, Al. His eyes widened as he recognised his friend, and he once again flailed about in an attempt to free himself from his crucifixion. 

Al’s walking slowed when he saw Subaru, causing the cultist guiding him to push at his back. Al nodded and continued, onward toward the pole next to Subaru.

SLAM. Al kicked the cultist’s knees behind him and grabbed their head. He quickly killed them by twisting their neck, then grabbed their dagger as they fell. In a second, he was running towards Subaru, his dagger poised to cut him from his ropes. 

Cultists backed away, still in shock from their comrade’s brutal death, giving Al just enough time to reach him.

Subaru heard it before it hit, a pulse followed by a sonic boom.

A yellow jet of flames shot directly at Al, incinerating his head and instantly killing him. His body fell to the ground, hitting the stones with a thud.

Subaru couldn’t yell or cry. All he could do was look at the burned stump and whimper in fear. 

He had failed everybody. His friends, his fellow warriors, even the villagers whom he had come to save, were dead and gone, piled up and left to rot, or burned to ashes that flew away in the wind.

He wondered why all of this had happened. He had trained too much and fought too hard for this to happen. In the end, his effort had amounted to nothing. Everything amounted to nothing. 

He thought of his family back on earth, of all of the friends and acquaintances who had compared him with his genius and charismatic father. “Oh, you’re just like your father! You really are Kenichi’s son.” He had always felt that he was inferior and that anything he did would always be overshadowed.

That was it. There was no point in even trying. He wasn’t his father, he wasn’t even really sure who he was anymore, and he couldn’t do anything right or save anyone…

He saw the cultist leader approach him, and he closed his eyes, accepting his death. A little part of him hoped it would be his last one.

“But, then who will…?”

No. He had come for a reason. He would live on and fight to see the next day. That was who he was, not Natsuki Kenichi, not even Natsuki Subaru, but him.

As the leader reached him and raised her hand, he looked down at her hooded face. In one last act of defiance, he stared her down, engraining a message into her memory that he hoped would scar her for the rest of her miserable existence, even though it could not transcend the boundaries of return by death.

“You will die.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The plan was fairly simple.

The knight, Natsuki Subaru, would enter the town stealthily through an opening in the town walls, which Al had found. 

He would make his way along the main road to the main southern gate, killing as many as needed to get there.

He would open the gate by working the pulley mechanism that kept it closed, and let off a signal that told Al and the ronin that they were in the clear to attack.

The final goal was to secure the prison hold, free as many as he could find, and trap the cultists between the two groups, crushing them utterly.

Subaru had to admit that it sounded foolproof.

But he had no intention of following it.

The cultist’s torch flickered as the knight stepped through the crack in the wall, sword in hand. Their hand reached for their sword quickly, pulling out the blade faster than Subaru could follow. 

Flick.

Two throwing knives flew through the air toward the cultist, piercing his chest deeply. 

Subaru sighed as he swiped his sword, cutting the scout’s hand clean off. 

“No durability. Classic.” He grabbed the falling torch and held it to the staggered cultist's robe, standing as flames leaped upon the cultist and danced until their screams died with them.

Subaru sighed and walked into the alleyway. He slowly climbed the crates, still holding the torch in one hand, and looked out at the main road.

He sat down on the roof, thinking to himself as he watched cultists slowly walk towards where he had killed the first one.

“They’re finding me so quick…”

He watched them slowly peer at the rooftops, trying to catch a glimpse of him. Within seconds, they had spotted him, even as he had set his torch aside.

He waved to them and began running toward the south end of the town over the rooftops. “At this point, it’s probably even worse, but I think you guys can smell me.”

He stopped when he reached the open yard with the gatehouse. Now there were about fifteen cultists, all staring at him from below.

He stared at them, then threw the torch in his hand. 

“From what I know, none of you guys should be able to make an explosion that big, so I wondered how you did it with just your normal fireball spell.

The torch hit the crates below, setting them on fire.

“I guess I’ll have my answer soon.”

BOOOM-

The crates exploded, obliterating the gatehouse and stables. The gate fell before him, the ropes holding it together quickly burning away.

The cultists were thrown by the blast directly into the building beneath Subaru. The knight nodded to himself, then ran back the other way.

“Hmmm… They didn’t notice me when I came to save Rem…” He looked around him as he ran.

The cultists had gone to the scene where Subaru had attacked, presumably to find where he was hiding.. 

He jumped down to the now-clear road and crossed, climbing back up to the other side to the larger shop buildings.

The central plaza was completely empty, with no prisoners or cultists in sight. 

“There were more of you earlier… But you went somewhere.”

…

…

…

After a little while of searching, Subaru found the town jail next to the mayor’s house, which was much larger and fancier than the others, with various elaborate lanterns and decorated wooden pillars.

He hopped down from the roof, approaching the jail, which had one entrance. The two cultists who were in front of the building hadn’t fully spotted him yet.

He stepped toward them.

And raised his sword. 

The two cultists glanced at him for a moment, then drew their blades to meet him.

Subaru took a deep breath in, letting mana flow through his body, feeling the push and pull of the energy he held inside.

The two spread outward, attacking him in a pincer formation. 

He dodged the first swipe, moving deeper into the path of the second, but countered the strike using his own sword. 

The cultist’s arm flew downward, and his grip loosened, allowing Subaru to kick the blade out of his hand. The cultist’s head turned to look behind Subaru.

Noticing this, the knight sidestepped to avoid the incoming attack.

“Not this time.” He lowered his sword and cut upward, nearly severing the arm of the cultist before him. He screamed, holding his bleeding wrist as his partner fell in shock, crouching backwards. 

Subaru quickly dug his blade into the cultist’s back, then kicked him to the side.

“When will you all learn?”

He leaned down toward his remaining enemy and stared into where their eyes would be. “I’m the one who is going to kill you all.”

He grabbed the cultist’s head, bashing it into the ground and stabbing it with his sword.

He stood up, leaving it on the ground as he faced the now open door.

More cultists poured out from the building, but were all met with death within mere seconds of getting close to Subaru. By this point, the young man had fought against the same people with the same fighting style, and he was starting to find them predictable.

His movements weren’t expert in the least, but his foundation was grounded, and his ability to change his stance and point of attack so quickly made him a demon in close combat.

One by one, the cultists fell to the knight, and their leader in the back began to step backward into the jail once again.

Subaru’s gaze locked onto him. “No…”

Subaru walked quickly toward the cultist, finishing off the last cultist struggling on the ground as he approached.

The ladder stumbled into the building, and Subaru followed him. Inside, there were 10 cells, each with around 8 people all squashed inside.

Subaru grunted at the sight and turned back to the leader. He reached out his hand and pinned the cultist to the wall by his robe.

“Die.”

After finishing the leader off, he turned to the cells. There was a keychain on the desk, and was quickly able to figure out which key fit each one.

The villagers looked at him with a mix of fear and gratitude.

“W-Who are you?

Subaru looked at the man who had spoken. Older in age, probably in his last few years of life. This man had lived through easy and rough times, seen many battles, and taken in many scars.

“I…” For the first time in a while, Subaru felt confident in his answer.

“I am nobody.”

Chapter Text

 “I am nobody.”

Subaru did not speak these words because he hated himself, nor because he had tossed away his pride.

He had simply been born anew, a phoenix from the ashes.

“You’re a knight.” A young woman stepped out from the group of prisoners. She was clutching a newborn baby in her arms, cradling it as it cooed softly. “Are you… Him?”

For a moment, Subaru’s mind returned to the death cleansing. He examined her for a moment, then felt a pang of guilt as he recognized the identity of his questioner. Her features were quite common, nothing that you could pick out of a large crowd, but her voice had stirred something in him, a memory his desperate mind had tried to abandon to preserve its sanity. 

She had been one of the sacrifices in his previous loop.

“You…”

While responding to her, he found it difficult to wipe the bleeding eye sockets and burning skin from his mind.

“I’m here to free you, and I’ve brought some friends here to help retake the town.” He looked at the others, trying to guess how many were there. “How many of you are in shape to fight?”

The response was disappointing. “Only a few… We’ll have to work with it.” 

A loud battle cry echoes outside the building, making everyone look up in awe. 

Subaru smirked and made his way back outside. “If you can fight, come with me. Everyone else, stay hidden or in your cells.”

Four young men and women stepped forward and followed him out the door. They were considerably more chipper than their older companions, but they too held expressions carved by loss. 

On the road, there were a few ronin warriors scouting the area. Subaru noticed a couple more cultist bodies strewn across the concrete. “Hey! Where’s Al?”

One of the three ronin looked up at the voice and responded. “Natsuki-san. Al is in the main square, clearing out the remaining cultists.”

“Really?” Subaru paused to look in the direction of the square. Although obscured by houses, he could see flashes of light coming from the back of the alleyways. “It was empty when I… Never mind.” He turned to the villagers behind him. “Everyone follow me! We’ll have to be careful, but we might just be able to finish them off.”

The small crowd went off towards the square, the ronin following closely behind. Once they passed through the smaller streets, the town center and the main road behind it came into full view.

Everything had been mostly untouched, with all of the buildings mostly intact, a few bloodstains and scorchmarks littered the ground, but it seemed that nothing overly significant had happened.

Al was nowhere to be seen, but there was one other figure whom Subaru recognized. Their robes were cultist style with gold embroidery along the sleeves and head, and they were slightly tighter, which accentuated the cultist’s feminine features.

Subaru narrowed his eyes and drew his sword, beginning to approach, only to stop in his tracks when a horde of other cultists came out of the shadows behind their leader.

“Fight me!” He shouted at the leader, who had started to remove her hood. Brown hair fell out and over her round shoulders as her face was revealed. Young and pretty, above average for a human, but that wasn’t important. Her smile was twisted and raw, and her eyebrows were upturned slightly.

“My my, look at you…” Subaru felt chills reach across his chest as he heard the cultist speak. “Quite the butcher aren’t you.”

“Stop…” Subaru raised his sword high above his head, pointing the tip upward, which made his image slightly more threatening. “Stop comparing me to you, you’re all monsters.” 

The cultist’s smile widened at his words. “Ah, yes, we are murderers and pillagers, but you are much worse than any individual follower of the Witch. You’re loved beyond any of us; you reek of the witch herself. One would think you were connected more intimately than even a sin archbishop.”

Subaru wordlessly continued his approach, ready for the cultist to stop rambling and finally attack him. They circled each other, their eyes piercing into their opponents like talons.

“Wait for an attack, then lure them in.” Subaru was like a tiger ready to pounce as soon as his prey was brave enough to bite.

And bite she did.

The leader brought out her sword from seemingly nowhere and dashed in to attack. As she swung, the tip of her sword about to skin Subaru’s arm, the knight countered, sending her blade upward and toward his eye.

He leaned backwards, barely avoiding the attack. He brought his sword up to slice at her unprotected arms, and smirked as he saw blood spray up into the air, followed by a flash of orange.

“Gah,” Subaru grunted, clutching his right arm. He had thought he had hit the leader’s neck, but had somehow narrowly missed while getting hit himself. 

“Some sort of reflect ability maybe…?”

He looked down at his injured arm; his sleeve was singed, and there were burn marks where his cut had been. “No…”

“Burned.” Subaru winced as he touched the wound.

His adversary paused, smirking with delight. As she swung her blade back, a trail of fire followed her swing. “Exactly, young murderer, my fire will eat you up completely.” She dashed forward again, preparing to strike.

Subaru assumed an offensive stance so he could counter quickly. As the blade screamed toward him, he swung his sword down to block, only to realize he had been feinted, and his now open stomach was a target for the cultist’s black boot. 

“Oof!” Subaru was hit in the gut by the cultist. She laughed as he stepped backward, clutching himself and breathing heavily.

“Oh, and that wasn’t even an attack worth wheezing to… Pathetic.” The cultist shifted he feet and swung her leg at Subaru’s side, a trail of fire streaming behind. As her long limb made contact, Subaru was launched sideways into a house on the corner of the plaza. 

SNAP

Wood and stone flew everywhere as his body broke through the outside wall of the place. Slowly getting up from the rubble, he heard the two pieces of his now-broken bow drop to the floor. He dropped his quiver and then picked up his sword, stumbling back out into the courtyard.

The house behind him had been lit ablaze, and sparks flew from behind him, following the wind, floating past his face in the wind.

The cultist, not sparing another second, came crashing down towards Subaru, flames coming out from behind her like arms of a spider; wood and duct burned as they licked whatever came close to them.

Subaru deflected her swing, then ducked at the secondary slash. The cultist’s eyes met his for a moment, and all Subaru could see was pure ecstasy. 

“Hah.” He grunted, sped off to the side, leaping up on rubble and landing on top of the house line. The cultist followed him, burning the pathway behind her. “I’m going to get you little butcher…” Her words faded fast behind the roar of the flames.

Subaru ran across the rooftops, down the main road, and toward the flaming gate. He stopped just before, and ducked, deflecting the leaping strike at him up and over his head, sending the cultist off the rooftop and crashing into the building below.

The wooden walls fell as whips of fame pulled them down. The cultist climbed up, her body being let my her magic as she cackled furiously. “Heheehaahaha! Burn, all of you!”

Tendrils of red-hot fire were shot quickly at Subaru, forcing him to deflect them away from him as he stepped backward, nearly losing his solid footing. The blasts echoed into the forest around, lighting the trees on fire and scorching through them as quickly as the houses around.

“I can’t let the forest burn again,” He thought as he saw ashes begin to fly up into the air around him, “I have to kill her quickly before the forest becomes a wasteland like before.”

He jumped back away from the line of fire, his feet landing on the edge of the roof behind him. He bent his legs and propelled himself forward, piercing through the flames that came from the cultist, and crashing into her directly, throwing her through another stone wall and leaving her form broken. 

“HaaaaAAAGH! AAAGH!” The leader convulsed as fire propped her up again, this time fully taking control of her body’s movements. Out of her robe spilled a familiar black book with a rough leather binding.

“T-The gospel… My gift.” She watched as the book was lifted away from her and placed at the feet of Subaru. “A-Am I not good enough? Does she not love me? Why has she chosen him?” She glided toward him slowly, walls of fire now erupting beside her. Her eyes glowed with a wild intensity and her pupils were nothing more than slits.

“Die.” She hissed, her arms twisting as the fire around her swelled as if taking a breath.

Subaru imitated the fire and inhaled sharply, covering his mouth from the smoke, and gripped his sword tightly, tensing his arm and winding it back. He stepped forward as the cultist reached him, swinging upward and cutting through her cleanly.

Blood spurted and turned to liquid fire as the cultist screamed in front of him. She finally crumpled in front of him, the flames overtaking her completely and burning through clothes and skin alike, leaving a charred skeleton.

Even as their conjurer died, the flames showed no sign of receding. They seemed to be glowing brighter as they spread out from the wrecked houses. Subaru looked outward at the road and saw two carts on fire in the middle. Behind the fabric walls, he saw a red glow that overpowered the orange.

“Shit.” He clumsily stood and began to run away towards the town center. His legs carried him a few hundred feet before he heard an explosion behind him. 

“Haha… Whew!” Subaru sighed in relief as he saw the town plaza, now decorated with the corpses of the remaining cultist forces. In the middle was Al, cleaning up the damage and trying to put out some of the fires. He stood when he saw Subaru and jogged over to him. “Hey bro!”

He stopped and panted, putting a hand on Subaru’s shoulder. “Glad to see you’re in one uncooked piece, I honestly didn’t expect you to be able to take out that crazy flame bitch, but good job.”

Subaru scoffed at the underhanded compliment. “Huh, and where were you, Al? I’m glad you saved these guys, but I was worried about you.”

Al shrugged. “Like I said. Crazy flame bitch. Went flying and I ended up near the storage house, but all of the damn food’s been moved.”

Subaru winced at Al’s words. “All of it? Where the hell do you think it could have gone?”

“Natsuki-san!” 

Subaru turned as he heard a familiar voice call over from the main road. He waved at the young man and twin girls who stood there. “Hey there Otto!” He turned back to Al. “I’m going to go catch up with them.” He began to turn his back but paused. “Oh, and Al?”

“What’s up, bro?”

“Thank you.”

Subaru strolled over to where his companions were. He saw Rem, beaming at him, and returned the sentiment with a smile. “Hey guys, glad to see you made it out alright.”

“We were just fine, Natsuki-san,” Otto bowed his head, showing off the headband tied on his forehead. “I met up with these two and we made our way back to the ronin camp, only to find that most of them had left! These two, especially Ram-san, absolutely insisted that-”

“Enoguh, cretin.” Ram stepped forward and gave Subaru a nod. “I see you were somewhat successful in securing the town. At the very least, I hope nobody died.” As she spoke, the building behind her collapsed into flame.

“Yeah,” Subaru nodded, “We seem ok on that front-”

“Knight-kun!” Subaru turned to see the young woman with the baby from the shelter. Instinctively, he shuddered, before shooting her a smile and a wave. “Damn, everyone’s looking for me today.”

The woman frowned, “Don’t swear in front of the baby… I’m sure he can still hear.” She looked back up at Subaru, her eyes trying to gauge him. “Who are you? Why are you here?”

Rem crossed her arms proudly. “This is Natsuki Subaru, and he is the best-”

“I’m just someone who wants to fight.” Subaru interrupted both the maids’ confusion

“Fight?” The woman tilted her head. “You don’t look like you’re old enough to be fighting something like this.”

Subaru’s smile faltered. “I… I might be young, but inside, some small part of me is dead. I fight to keep that from happening to anyone else.”

Rem and Ram both gave a quiet gasp at his words.

The woman looked at Subaru’s averted eyes. Even a moment ago, when he had been smiling, they were devoid of any bright light. “You truly mean that, don’t you…” 

“How sad that you’re just a boy, yet already a ghost…” She looked to her infant child. “My son is… thank you for saving us.”

…

…

Hours later, Subaru sat in his tent, alone. They had set up a base camp in the town square, but before they could get started on repairs, a sea of clouds had washed through, and the rain doused out all of the fire and made the area difficult to work in.

He fiddled with his dagger, which he had been sharpening with some tools a younger ronin had given him. “Finally… After two deaths and who knows how many days…” He put down his dagger and lay back, listening to the pattering of the rain on his tent. 

“It didn’t rain last time… Strange.” He slipped the covers of his bedroll over his legs and rolled onto his side, now staring at the side wall. “The fire was caused by that cultist leader, but I still don’t understand… Why does this place keep getting destroyed? Even if we attack or stay away, we all end up dead in the end, and the entire landscape is razed.”

He closed his eyes, letting the darkness around envelop him. “Al will have a plan, he’s the one I can count on…”

And so, Natuski Subaru drifted into the realm of sleep once more, entering the domain of nightmares that now plagued him. As he tossed and turned, reliving his worst memories of painful death, a kind eye watched over him, silently praying for him throughout the night.

Chapter Text

It was morning, and Subaru and Rem were together in the central plaza, checking on the recently freed prisoners. Subaru was fairly groggy from his abysmal rest, but Rem, having slept well, was fairly chipper, especially considering her recent torment.

“So, Subaru-kun…”

Subaru glanced over at Rem. He felt a little bit awkward being alone with Rem after spending so much time with Ram on their journey. The two had gotten along well before, but now Subaru had changed a lot, and Rem had noticed.

“Are you… Um…” Rem shook her head. 

Subaru glanced at her but continued walking. He wanted to say something, but couldn’t find the words.

As they strolled, villagers waved from the merchant buildings in the plaza that were now being rebuilt. Subaru waved back with enthusiasm. He thought that he should try and raise the morale, as it was the only way he could be of any use at the moment.

They stopped at a bench next to one of the sites and sat down. Subaru sighed as he stretched his arms and leaned back. “Nice weather this morning… It was raining last night, so I was worried we might not see the sun today.” He smiled and sat up a bit straighter. “Regardless, I need to talk with Al and find out our next step. We need him and the other ronin on our side if we want to free Julius.”

Rem nodded. “A smart decision, Subaru-kun.” She looked at him curiously. So far, he hadn’t shown any of his usual goofiness or even his unyielding positivity since they had reunited. 

“Subaru-kun seems more… Mature than before.” She looked down at her hands on her lap. “But… even adults need time to play now and then.” There was a silent plea in her words.

Subaru blinked, put off for a moment. After a couple seconds, he patted her on the head and grinned. “Wow, that’s pretty out of character for you.” 

Rem looked up, a slight blush on her face. “Out of character?” 

“Like not something you’d normally say…” Subaru leaned back in his seat again, his eyes squinting at the sun. “I guess we’ve both changed a bit.”

“Yes… Oh, look.”

Subaru looked down across the plaza where Rem was now pointing. He saw Ram walking towards them with a look of disdain on her face. 

“Nee-sama has been happier than usual, too,” Rem said. 

“I guess she’s been a bit nicer.” Subaru looked at her face again. “Happy? Really?”

“Oh yes… Nee-sama!” Rem called out to her sister as she arrived. “Good morning!”

Ram’s scowl softened a bit. “Good morning, Rem, Barusu.”

Subaru nodded. “Have you seen Al-san at all, Ram? I need to talk to him about something.”

Ram didn’t say a word and instead stared at the confused Subaru. 

“Ram?”

Ram continued to stare, tapping two of her fingers together subtly like she was waiting for his head to explode.

Subaru groaned internally before trying again. “Um… Hi, Ram, do you know where Al-san is?”

Ram smirked and crossed her arms. “Why yes, Barusu, I do happen to know where Al-san is.”

“Then…” Subaru blinked a couple of times and sighed, staring at Ram’s lingering smug expression. “Can you tell me?”

Ram’s eyebrow twitched, and she looked like she wanted to yell, but managed to refrain from it. “He’s over by the gate getting ready to leave.”

“Oh, thanks. See you later, Rem.” As Subaru walked away, Ram hung her head slightly. 

“There, there, Nee-sama.” Rem patted her sister’s head gently. “I’m sure he’ll say good morning to you eventually.”

She snickered as Ram huffed and turned her head upwards. “A mabeast would be more polite than him.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Subaru reached the gates, he caught sight of Al, who was helping to load up two carriages full of weapons and men.

“Hey! Al-san!”

Al turned his head toward the approaching Subaru. “Hey there, bro, shouldn’t you be with your maid-harem right now?”

Subaru rolled his eyes. “They’ll live.” He looked at the scene around once again and raised his arms. “Where are you headed off to? I had something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh yeah?” Al turned to look at the mountain behind him. “There’s a fort up there, originally built to contain the Mabeast that lived up there. I’m pretty sure the cultists took all of their stolen supplies there, and we’re in pretty desperate need here.”

Subaru couldn’t help but be disappointed by this. He felt like Al was someone who would stay and fight with him. After all, they were from the same world.

Seeing Subaru’s expression, Al put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You’re welcome to come with, you’re a better fighter than most of my men.”

“I suppose… Huh, I sound like Beako.” He walked past Al and looked into one of the carriages. “You sure you should be taking all this? The villagers aren’t exactly capable.” He saw various armaments and magic crystals all jam-packed into boxes and crates. “You’re leaving them unarmed…”

“We’ll give them back. I just don’t feel like robbing more cultists around the area for low-grade weaponry. At least the smiths here are excellent.”

“Smiths?”

Al nodded his head. “This village makes some of the best weaponry in the kingdom. The knights often commission their family heirlooms and other decorative weapons from a Cramlinite artist.”

“Interesting.” The thought had crossed Subaru’s mind that he would have to give back Julius’ sword at some point. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he muttered.

Al shrugged. “Come, don’t come, it doesn’t matter.” He sat in the driver’s seat of the carriage, taking hold of the reins. “Although, if you did, I’d be more inclined to hear you out…”

Subaru glared for a moment before taking the seat next to him. “We’ll talk on the way then.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The journey up the mountain was a quick one. The ground dragons that Al had taken were of a breed that Subaru hadn’t seen yet, and they traversed the rocky uphill road with ease. 

Subaru had once again tried to convince Al to help him in his quest, only to be turned down. He understood why, but the fact that he was being rejected by the one person who he could relate to the most upset him.

They then began to discuss the plan of attack. Al had been to the fort before with his mistress and knew the layout well. 

“The carriages will enter the front gates and pose as traders. When we get close, you and I will hide inside and wait until they’ve been brought in. They’ll likely take it to their storage house. Once we’re there, we’ll take as much food as we can carry in a spare carriage we brought, and ride out without incident. The key here is stealth and speed.”

Subaru nodded. He was looking at the massive holes in the ground littered around them. “So that’s why you took the weapons. You needed a way in.”

Al waited before answering. “We use what we have, right?” 

“Yeah.” Subaru looked back at Al. 

“Right.”

“...”

“It’s tough, bro, leading a life like this…” Al adjusted the reins in his hands. His face was hidden, but Subaru imagined his expression to be wistful.

“We didn’t have much of a choice. Even I, who prefers things simple and calm… Had no choice,”

“Because of your men?”

“No.” Al looked onward up the mountain trail. “Because of anger.” 

His hands were turning white as he gripped the reins harder. 

“And jealousy.”

“Jealousy…” Subaru was curious but decided not to press the issue further. 

Al shook his head. “I’m sorry bro, I tried to make you feel better, but ended up upsetting myself… Whatever. The point is, don’t feel bad for decisions you were forced to make.”

“Thanks, Al-san.”

“No problem.” Al pointed ahead of them. “Look, that’s it.”

A little while ahead of them was a small fort with stone walls that looked old and weathered. The two got out of the carriage and headed into the back of the trailer. 

“Alright, bro, find yourself a comfortable crate.” Al shimmied into a box full of arrows and other ammunition. He was able to cover most of his body, but a part of the mask was still visible.

Subaru hid behind a large container in the back, further covering himself with a layer of drapes that had been hung up on the wall.

After what felt like almost an hour, Subaru finally felt the carriage stop. He heard voices approaching and held his breath as they became loud enough for him to guess that they were right outside.

He heard them enter, and a few crates moved. After about a minute, the sounds stopped, and he heard footsteps leaving.

The carriage continued for a bit before stopping once more. Subaru got out of his hiding place and looked over to Al, who had also left his.

Al made a shushing motion over his mask and began to step toward the exit. He looked left and right out of the back, then gave a thumbs up to Subaru.

They both left the carriage quietly and made their way over to a long wooden building with double doors. Al slowly opened the doors and entered, signaling for Subaru to stay and keep watch. After a moment, Al came back out and shook his head, motioning back to the carriage.

“What was that?” Subaru asked as they quickly reentered the trailer. “ I thought that was supposed to be the storehouse.

“It was…” Al slammed his forehead and leaned back. “It was completely empty… They must have moved it somewhere else.”

“Where? What other use would they need it for…”

Al shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t imagine…”

Subaru sighed and tried to think. The likelihood was that it had been moved ot another base, but he wasn’t sure why they would take weapon orders if that was the case.

“Wait…” Subaru suddenly snapped his fingers. “Does a mabeast live here?”

Al grunted in slight annoyance, “What do you mean does a…”

“Those holes, all around the mountain. I figure something made them no?”

Al nodded in shock. “How did you… Never mind. Yes, there is a lone sand earthworm who lives within this mountain. Dangerous, but dormant…”

He suddenly hit his fist on the seat. “With all those cultists here, the air must be thick with the scent of the witch, causing it to awaken… So all of that food…”

“Is likely gone or somewhere else.” Subaru slumped in dejection.

“That seems to be the case…” Al suddenly went to the back of the carriage and tapped on the closed window. The man who had taken over driving opened it and leaned back. “How many people were there when we came in?” Al asked. 

“Not sure,” The driver responded. “The two at the gate and maybe five inside?”

Al nodded. “So the place is nearly empty, and the food hasn’t been restocked, which means…”

Subaru’s eyes widened. “They’re going now.”

“Right.” Al turned back to the driver and whispered something in his ear. The driver nodded, and Al walked back to the entrance. “Alright, time to go. I’m having him meet us at a rendezvous point.”

“Woah, wait.” Subaru grabbed Al’s shoulder, making him flinch. “Do you even know where we’re going?”

“Yeah, I’ve been there before.” They exited together, and Al pointed to the top of the mountain. “The worm-viewing point.”

Subaru wanted to question why anyone would look at a worm, much less a mabeast, but kept it to himself. “Right.”

They made their way sneakily out of he fort, scaling the wall near them. They came out amongst rock and trees, a sparse forest. 

Al whistled, and a few moments later, a ground dragon came up to them from within the forest. “Had this one hidden in case things went sour.

Subaru nodded, and the two mounted their steed. They rode quickly and out of sight, making sure to be on the lookout for cultist scouts. 

Once they got close to the summit, Subaru could hear the screeching. It thundered down the mountainside, shaking the few trees there and making the pebbles vibrate on the ground.

They dismounted and began to walk the last bit of the path. By now, Subaru could see two massive wooden containers full of what he guessed were crates of food.

When they arrived, he saw cultists gathered on a wooden platform that stuck out over a large pit beneath. It gaped like a volcano crater, except without the lava.

Subaru crouched behind a rock formation and counted the cultists. “Eight bodies.”

Al nodded and pulled his knife. “Eight to go.” He stepped out and snuck towards the first container, Subaru following close behind. They reached the wooden platform-

SKKKRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

A loud shrieking sound echoes, making the two, along with the cultists, fall to their knees and hold their heads in pain. Subaru nearly fell over, using his sword to brace himself on the ground.

The wooden platform suddenly shattered and was replaced by the gaping jaw of what Subaru assumed was the worm, its horns and teeth blocking his view.

The two containers, along with many of the cultists, were enclosed in its bite, disappearing as the creature closed its mouth and dropped back into the abyss. 

“Wh-What the fuck?” Subaru tried to stand but stumbled back in shock. The remaining cultists, although disoriented, noticed his exclamation and turned to face him, drawing their weapons quickly when they saw him.

Al stood and gripped his knife. “Goddamn it.” He stepped towards the cultists before another tremor and screech rocked the mountain.

SSKRREEEEEE!!!

Parts of the ledge began to crumble and fall into the crater, and the worm jumped out again, lashing its mouth toward the group. 

Subaru was barely able to dodge, and began to run around the edge as the worm devoured the land he stood on a moment before. He couldn't see, Al, but he guessed that the cultists were gone. 

He looked around. “What do I…”

He saw on the inside of the carter a jagged rock pointing directly up. The worm was now sliding down the side of the crater, but Subaru knew it would be back. All he had to do was control where it went.

“Okay… Please be alive, Al.” He took a deep breath and shouted. “I CAN RETURN BY DE-”

He stopped out of habit, for there was no feeling of dread nor hand caressing his heart.

“What…?” He muttered, staring at his chest.

“I can… return by death?”

The mountain across the crater exploded, and Subaru shoved the thought aside. He ran around the crater back to where he came from, drawing his sword and gritting his teeth.

“…”

“El Dona!”

The worm was suddenly thrust away from the cliff, over toward the other side where Subaru had been. He watched as the beast was impaled on the cliffside, black blood spurting from its wound.

“Woah…” Subaru turned to the source.

Al stood, panting wth his hand raised. “Not bad huh br-”

KKKKYYYYYAAAAAAAAAA!!

The worm flew back at them, its liquids flying everywhere as it slammed its body against the side of its deep abode.

The rock that had impaled it had been removed, and there was now a gaping hole in the side of the worm. 

Subaru ran, Al behind him, as the worm screamed and began to chase them across the edge. 

“Dammit,” Subaru looked back at the worm. Its weak point was facing right at Al. “If I could just distract it…”

He came up with a stupid idea.

He stopped running and yelled. “Al-san, keep going!” 

Al turned and yelled back. “The hell are you doing, bro?” He grabbed his knife and raised his hands. 

“Stop.” Subaru turned toward the beast, which had begun to slam against the side again. “Al-san! If I don’t make it out, tell Ram to find the others and save Julius!”

“Are you stupid?! Just run away and we’ll get out of here.”

Subaru braced himself and readied his sword, watching the worm carefully. “It’ll just come down the mountain if we leave it. It might hurt the village, too.” He turned back and smirked. “This isn’t just for you, you bastard!”

Al scoffed but started to run. “Bastard…”

Subaru turned around at the work who was now facing him head-on, rushing at an incredible speed.

As the worm got close to him, its mouth wide open, Subaru jumped towards the beast and sliced. A gash appeared where he cut from his mouth upward, nearly cleaving his face fully in two and making the worm shriek in pain.

Blood and flesh cascaded from the opening, and some loose teeth fell away. The beast tried to scream, but it only tore its wound open more, letting out more blood as well as pieces of bone. It kept attempting to open its mouth and shriek, but Subaru could see that the movements and vibrations from the attempts were shattering its inner structure.

Al stopped and looked soundlessly as the worm slumped on the edge and fell into the crater. 

“Holy shit…”

After a few moments, he walked up next to Subaru, who stood looking down the crater and patted his back. “Hey, bro?”

“Yeah?” Subaru turned his head slightly, not entirely showing Al his face.

“I’ll help you out.”

Subaru turned in surprise. “What? But you said….” He stopped, then turned around again, walking down toward their ground dragon and the trail. “Thanks, Al-san.”

He reached the edge of the cliff, and his eyes widened as he saw the view. “Al-san!”

“What?” Al groaned.

“The village… something’s wrong…”

Subaru ran to the ground dragon and mounted it. “Meet your friend at the rendezvous point, I’m going back to Cramlin…. It’s been attacked again.”

Al ran up next to him, looking at the settlement at the bottom of the mountain. Fires now littered the area around, and smoke nearly obscured the entire thing, leaving only the dozen large carriages outside. Ones that hadn’t been there before.

“I’ll see you again… You know where to find me, I guess.” Subaru smiled and rode off down the mountain, going to save his village once again.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ram sat silently in her tent. The whole day, she’d been working with the villagers on rebuilding. Her demon-strength had helped, but without Subaru to give her mana, she felt very tired, very quickly, and was no longer in a place to do much of anything.

She looked at the depleted mana crystal in her hand and sighed. Its energy was enough to get her through the day, but it had been her last one.

“When will Barusu return? How inconsiderate of him to leave and be late for my mana intake!”

She glared at the door until her eyes felt weak and her arms felt like 100 pounds each. She had just lain down to rest when Rem came bursting in. “Nee-sama Nee-sama!”

“Yes?” Ram got out of bed and stared at her obnoxious sister. “Wha-”

“Cultists!”

Ram quickly got out of bed and left the tent, Rem at her heels. Outside, the sky was grey with smoke, and the scent of burning wood filled her nose. She looked around and saw villagers all running in the direction of the forge yard.

Rem tapped her shoulder and pointed. “There’s a safehouse that the cultists didn’t find the first time beneath the forge. There were some still hiding when we freed the village.”

Ram nodded and looked toward the main road, where some villagers had gathered with makeshift weapons. Rem held up a hammer next to her. “Unfortunately, their entire weapon stock is gone, and there’s not much to fight with…”

“Pitiful. These cultists don’t even have enough weaponry of their own.” She raised her hands, sighing again as she considered the toll this battle would take on her. “Barusu…”

“Rem-chan!” One of the villagers in the group yelled, “The first wave is here!”

Rem steeled herself and looked at Ram. “We have to make it out of this… For Subaru-kun.”

Ram glared at her sister but ultimately conceded a smile. “It might be nice to see his idiotic face once again.” They walked to the front of the group to see over a dozen witch cultists slinking down from the end of the main road towards them. Behind them was a wall of smoke that slowly moved towards them, likely caused by the destruction of the forest outside the damaged gate. 

“This many already…” Ram closed her eyes, raising her face to the smoky sky. “Aaahh…” She raised her hands, gathering a wind current around them and reaching outward. 

Badump…

Ram gasped, and the magic around her hands dispersed. Her heart felt cold as ice, and her breath shortened. She clutched her dress tightly, looking up at her approaching opponents. She looked back at the villagers, who reacted to her with looks of pity and despair.

“I’m sorry… I-”

Fwwwwwwwww…

Behind Ram, a shadow appeared from the rooftops. She turned her head to see a familiar face smiling at her. “You… Where were…”

She shook her head and sighed. “Thank you… Barusu.”

Subaru smiled a bit wider. He looked back at the smoke behind him and leaned back, falling into it. 

“Let’s go! Attack!” The villagers behind drew their weapons and ran past Ram into the fray. She followed, making her way into the obscured battlefield.

A few seconds went by, and Ram began to hear the dying screams of their attackers. She could see his shadow, effortlessly killing them nearly without a sound, using his knife and sword in tandem.

When one attacked, two of them fell, and soon enough, the air began to smell of blood and grime. 

She didn’t see a single cultist, and the villagers around her stared in awe at the man who was saving them once again. 

“It's him, that boy…”

“The one who…”

A man behind Ram spoke. “It’s him… The boy who saved my daughter…”

Ram turned back to look at the man. Old and big, but far from being dead himself.

“He cuts their throats.” The man nodded curtly. “Killing them quietly like a vengeful spirit, come to save us from the witch.”

“Vengeful spirit…” Ram quickly fired her magic at a cultist who had come into view. “Yes, I suppose he is like that in a way…”

“A ghost.”