Re:Forgotten Myriad Paths (A One Shot Collection)

by Zero_Haven

Summary:

A collection of Re:Zero one shots that all center around the Re:Forgotten concept. These stories will each be different takes or explorations of the Re:Forgotten setting. Most stories will be their own 'universe/what if?'

Some of these ideas exist already.
Some may be new.
Some may be repetitive and old.
Some may be radically different.

But all will center around this same concept.
What if Natsuki Subaru was forgotten?

This will be updated irregularly, as its basically whenever I have a fun idea for a Re:Forgotten story, I have several.
Many of these will not be very original.
No I am not apologizing.

This is basically just a place for me to put these ideas hoping someone may enjoy them.

Some of these ideas may/will become future fics but others are free to have their hand are developing them too!

Hope you enjoy exploring the Myriad Paths of the Forgotten

Notes:

• Inspired by What if...? Re: Zero - One Shot's by ThinkMind
• Inspired by Short story scenario of re:Forgotten by Ezeolegend27

Chapter 1: Basic Information

Summary:

A general gist of how this series will go.

Notes:

THIS CHAPTER IS JUST AN INFORMATION PAGE
SKIP IT IF YOU WANT TO GET RIGHT TO THE STORY!!!

A collection of Re:Zero one shots that all center around the Re:Forgotten concept. These stories will each be different takes or explorations of the Re:Forgotten setting. Most stories will be their own 'universe/what if?'

Some of these ideas exist already.
Some may be new.
Some may be repetitive and old.
Some may be radically different.

But all will center around this same concept.
What if Natsuki Subaru was forgotten?

This will be updated irregularly, as its basically whenever I have a fun idea for a Re:Forgotten story, I have several.
Many of these will not be very original.
No I am not apologizing.

This is basically just a place for me to put these ideas hoping someone may enjoy them.

Some of these ideas may/will become future fics but others are free to have their hand are developing them too!

 

This fic will be updated whenever I have an idea that is not worth me making a fully new fic for.

Or if its somewhat unoriginal and I feel like I am ripping off someone, but I feel my ideas tend to be 'slightly' different than how most of the long term fics shake out, so who knows.

 

Typically in my end notes I will provide the relevant details of the "Re:Forgotten" scenario that the Subaru in question lived through.

 

Typically the divergence point will be arc 5.

 

Sometimes I may decide it to be post arc 6 or post arc 8, if it serves the fic better.

 

The BIG question is the Rem question, sometimes she'll have been asleep through the entire scenario, sometimes I want her suffering too so I have her wake up early (via Lye dying first) to add to the angst.

 

Also the amount of torture and WHO tortures Subaru will vary between fics and the relevant info will be presented in the notes.

 

In general, in my opinion, the typical flow is like this, so consider what I am about to say the 'default.'

 

Re: Forgotten Abridged 

-Subaru gets his name eaten by one of the gluttony's at the end of arc 5.

-Due to a series of stupid misunderstandings, or deliberate framing, Subaru is considered the Archbishop of Pride and imprisoned. Beatrice typically plays some role in the accusation.

-Checkpoint malfunctions and is set for the prison either due to Satella messing up or due to Satella's control over the checkpoints being imperfect. 

-Emilia may or may not visit him in prison, if she does she strips him of any of his 'supposed titles' and abandons him.

-Anyone else who visits him in prison similarly disbelieves or forsakes him.

-He is interrogated and tortured by various knights. By default this includes Felix, Julius is iffy but may at least be overseeing his imprisonment.

-Level of torture will vary wildly between stories but typically will leave Subaru with gray hair and many scars. 

-If Rem is awake, she and Ram visit one point at his request. This always goes poorly.

-The end state is one of the following options.

--Escape: Subaru escapes via some method. He will continue to be hunted down for a while.

--Name Returned: His name is returned and he is freed.

--Escape & Name Returned: He escapes and his name is returned shortly after.

--Death & Name Returned: He dies a final death but his name is returned right after.

--Death: He dies, his name is not returned.

 

Personal note
-I for one believe Subaru can't just 'die' among other things. So these fics will sometimes break my own personal headcanon. 

 

With ALL that being said. I do hope you enjoy these fics. There are just way too many, often similar, ideas that I have to be produced into full fics.

Though some of these will be previews of future ideas or 'tests' of future ideas.

So expect to see some stuff recycle. 

 

Theater Note:

There will be 'reacts/theater' additions to chapters post release. At the moment thinkmind is providing them working through them in order of release. So if you want to go see that check the "Orders of Chapters Posted" as it will mark which ones have theater reactions.


As for the start of that tale...

 

IN THE THEATER

(By Thinkmind, edited by Zero-Haven)

 

In the Absolute Cinema:

Everyone’s eyes widened in shock when they heard those words.

[Emilia: W... what...?]

 

The half-elf choked on her own saliva as she swallowed hard and asked the question. 

 

Emilia was tired. —— No, redefining that thought. 

 

Everyone was tired of one thing in particular: failure. More precisely, failing Subaru. It seemed unanimous to almost everyone — except for a drunk father sulking in the back — that it was incredibly frustrating and saddening to see themselves failing so much with someone so kind. Even though he had his own flaws, Subaru was this: someone kind, even far too innocent for a world as cruel and cold as theirs. But that was explained by his upbringing in such a peaceful environment as the one he came from. 

 

His luck was simply awful, as was the way he was left all alone to deal with so many things so suddenly when he was summoned.

 

So part of the frustration came from how easily his kindness was crushed, and how he had to deal with countless problems. And that frustration only grew when they realized they themselves were often the cause of the very problems he had to face. Even the proudest ones, like Priscilla, found it frustrating that Subaru had to die and return just to fix the mistakes they made; it wounded their pride to see how miserably they would have failed if not for him correcting every error and eliminating every inconvenience on their behalf. 

 

It was as if they were children being protected by a parent from death. Only worse: it was a teenager, with low self-esteem, who sacrificed and suffered in their place—most often for their mistakes—and even blamed himself for the smallest mishaps.

 

 But among all those mistakes, there was one more sinister. 

 

The Routes where they forgot him. The Routes where Subaru’s name was devoured by one of the Archbishops of Gluttony. Those cursed Routes revealed their darkest sides and showed the greatest suffering Natsuki Subaru could ever endure if that fate befell him. They were simply dreadful.

 

No one actually liked them. They were nothing but torture, showing only horrible things. 

 

So, upon seeing them for the first time, everyone wished never to watch one again.

 

 No one wanted—— 

 

[Alpha: Today, we begin a Marathon! But not just any, my dear prisoners. We will watch a collection of: Forgotten Routes!] 

 

That instantly seemed to shatter something inside everyone’s hearts.

 

[Reinhard: A--A-Alpha-sama... w-why exactly would you want to show us something like that...?] 

 

Reinhard managed to stammer out something while the rest remained frozen in shock at the news. 

 

Why was the Witch of Time doing this? Had she gone mad...? 

 

Not that she was sane to begin with, but had she gotten worse somehow? 

 

Such questions spun through their minds.

 

 [Alpha: Actually, it’s quite simple. These Routes are flooding my feed. In other words, they’re the ones being created the most lately. Along with the Lone Star ones or the artists’ versions. So to get rid of them, I have to display them on screens.] 

 

[Felt: Why not do that in rooms with no one in them?! A place this huge has to have those, right?!] 

 

The little ex-thief argued with the same desperation most of them felt.

 

 [Alpha: For two reasons. First: Imagine a bathtub with the faucet running. My bathtub is filling up too much, so I’m trying to dump the excess into other bathtubs. But there are so many that are already overflowing, and still so much water left, that, unfortunately for you, I have to dump it here in the place where you’re all enjoying the “show of Natsuki Subaru’s life.”] 

 

[Echidna: And the second?]

 

[Alpha: The second...? Well... It’s mostly just out of spite.]

 

 Admitting this shamelessly, some couldn’t help but grind their teeth at her indifferent response. 

 

But Crusch remained neutral... because she saw the Wind blowing from Alpha. And Priscilla could see a little through the Witch. But those who couldn’t... 

 

[Minerva: Out of all the things you could’ve shown us...! Why would you choose something this awful, huh?!] 

 

[Alpha: Look, we haven’t even started yet and there’s already yelling and tears. I knew this was a good choice.] 

 

Answering with a playful smile to the words and gestures of rage from the Witch of Wrath, the Witch of Time calmly ignored them all as she returned to her seat. 

 

[Alpha: I hope you’re all ready for the beginning of our incredible journey together. Because I am~] With a snap of her fingers, against their will, the prisoners of the room resigned themselves to the sad fate they would have to endure now. Meanwhile, on the screen appeared the title: [Re:Forgotten Myriad Paths]

 

Notes:

Maybe I'll clean this up and put something worthwhile here eventually.

Probably not...

Chapter 2: Path of Revenge & Shadow

Summary:

What if...
What if after being Forgotten, Subaru embarked on a Path of Revenge.

Notes:

First of the "Vanilla" Re:Forgotten paths. Hope you enjoy.

He was within that darkness. 

 

His entire life was within darkness now.

 

There was the cold darkness of his cell, which promised nothing but pain, starvation, and torture.

 

The frightening darkness of his nightmares, that plagued him every night.

 

But then there was the darkness of ‘that place’ where his only ally remained.

 

The darkness there was an all consuming hungry abyss, endless and incomprehensible, filled with choking miasma that was anathema to the world itself.

 

But to him it was a gentle place. Calm, serene, and still. A paradise of memory and stasis where he could collect himself, where he could rest within the embrace of the one who never abandoned him.

 

“I’m sorry. I love you. I’m sorry. I love you. I’m sorry. I love you. I’m sorry. I love you. I’m sorry. I love you. I’m sorry. I love you.”

 

The Witch held him tightly, clutching him in her embrace. 

 

He knew that when he left this place, he would be returned to a world of torture and torment. 

 

He would be awoken and taken by the knights.

 

He would be beaten.

 

He would be flogged.

 

He would be whipped.

 

He would have his fingers crushed, healed, and crushed again.

 

He would be stretched on the rack.

 

He would be cut.

 

He would be burned.

 

And then he would be healed. The scars would remain but his bones would be reset and all his pain banished.

Because that cat boy always wanted him in good condition for the following day.

 

And the worst days would be the days that Felix tended to him personally.

 

He saw that gone was the old Felix, now he was a being possessed by a desperation to cure his lady and a madness born of hatred for the Witch Cult.

And all that fury was directed upon him, and upon his body.

Felix would explore new ways to twist his body, to freeze his blood, to burn his nerves.

All in the desperate hope that Subaru would say something to save Crusch.

But there was no hope.

There was no salvation.

 

If Subaru tried to take the curse personally, he would heal Crusch, only for him to be executed later, and end up right back in the cell.

 

If Subaru said nothing, he would also later be executed.

 

He was trapped within those seven hellish months of torture for dozens and dozens of loops.

 

Beatrice forsook him.

Emilia abandoned him.

He thought maybe, upon hearing that one of the Gluttony brothers was slain, that the somewhat restored Rem would maybe vouch for him and save him.

But she did no such thing. 

The Oni twins had also left him.

 

Subaru Natsuki, the so-called Archbishop of Pride, was alone in the world.

 

Save for one person.

 

It was three weeks before his execution. He had been executed many times before, sometimes sooner, sometimes later, but he knew it was coming.

 

Satella held him tightly within the depths of the shadow garden, and even her declarations of love died.

Now only her mantra of sorrow remained.

 

“I’m Sorry. I’m Sorry. I’m Sorry. I’m Sorry.”

Repeated unto infinity.

 

But Subaru didn’t mind that.

Subaru was content with the fact that she cared.

That she remembered him.

That she didn’t leave him.

 

Within the world of darkness that was his existence, Subaru Natsuki, as the rest of the world had known him, died.

 

And he became something, someone, else.

 

“I hate them. I hate it. I… I hate all of it. I just…” He trembled within the garden.

 

The Witch stopped her mantra, and stared down at him.

 

“I hate them. I hate them. I hate them. I hate them.” The Witch began a new mantra, one of scorn for the world that so deeply wronged her lover.

 

“Satella… can you… help me?” Subaru asked.

 

The Witch stopped. “Yes but…”

 

“But?”

 

“People will die.” Satella spoke softly, resignation and sorrow in her voice.

 

“...”

 

“Lots of people will die.” Envy spoke firmly, a promise and a threat towards the world.

 

“That… I'll accept that.”

 

“What will you…”

 

“I’m going to get out of there, take revenge, and then save you. I think you and I… we are the only people each other have in this world.”

 

A promise was made.

A new contract was forged.

And a calamity began.

 

***

 

It began in the dead of night.

Most specifically, it began on a night where the sword saint was away from the capital.

 

That was crucial to the plan.

 

Two knights entered the cell of the Archbishop of Pride, holding his meal of gruel. Of course a few nails had been slipped inside. “Hey Archbishop, eat up.”

One shouted.

 

Subaru was motionless, sitting chained against the wall.

 

“Hey get up!” One kicked him in the stomach.

 

Subaru did not move.

 

“Ugh fucking hell.” The knight knelt down to check his pulse. 

 

“Hey be careful, that’s still an Arcbishop.” the knight holding the trey remarked.

 

“Big deal! Guy’s a wreck and a weakling, there is no way he can “uglugk!”

The man made a sharp strandling sound and collapsed onto his side.

 

“Wha.. what was. Gaaughk!” The other knight fell face first onto the ground.

 

Shadowy hands had crushed both their hearts.

 

As other knights raced to the scene it was already too late, a disaster had begun.

 

Within minutes, the whole of the prison tower was engulfed within a shadow.

 

All consuming, cold, and endless.

 

“What are nyew doing! What is happening!?” Felix shouted, racing with other knights towards the scene.

 

“We don’t know!”

 

“It began on the lowest levels, where we kept the Witch Cultists!.”

 

Felix stared at the tower as it came closer into view. The entire thing was draped in all devouring shadows. And the shadows continued to creep forward like an oozing mud.

 

“Pride… it must be nyew.” Felix muttered with hatred in his heart.

 

***

 

Within the tower, Archbishop Sirius Romanee-Conti laughed.

 

“I am sorry! I am sorry, this is just so beautiful, this is this love? Is this the oneness that Petelgeuse foretold!? The agony, the suffering, the despair, the fear! This is…!”

 

As the shadows leaked into the Archbishop’s prison, they quickly overtook her.

 

She found herself standing before two figures draped in shadow.

 

One was unknown to her.

 

The other, she knew quite well.

 

“You! You dammed Witch! Give me back my Petelgeuse! My beloved blessed wonderful Petelgeuse!” Sirius shouted.

 

“You want… him back?” The Shadow Witch asked.

 

“YES! Give him to me! Give him back!” She shouted in a manic frenzy, tears in her eyes.

 

“He’s here.” the male shadowy figure pointed at his own heart.

 

“Ah! Give him back give him back! Give him back to me now!” She screamed.

 

“I can take you too him.” The male shadow remarked.

 

“YES! Take me there now! Take me to my Petelgeuse! Please take me…”

 

The Archbishop of Wrath then found her throat slit.

 

The wound appeared upon the shadowy male figure, before vanishing.

 

Sirius’ eyes were filled with tears, as the shadows consumed her.

And left only bliss.

 

***

 

The disaster known as “Pride’s Shadow” was a cataclysm on par with the Witch Cult’s attack on Priestella.

 

In many ways it was worse though.

 

In Priestella, while the damage was great, the kingdom had proven victorious.

 

There was no such victory here, only survival.

 

The Royal Capital had a large ‘gash’ stretching from the prison tower, over the knight’s barracks, half the royal palace and outward into the city.

 

A full 1/5th of the city had been consumed by it.

 

All the prisoners from the tower were missing, for the most part they were consumed by it.

 

This included the imprisoned Archbishop of Wrath and the Archbishop of Pride.

 

Some surviving knights, deeply traumatized and covered in mysterious wounds, spoke of Pride walking among the shadows.

 

It was a total failure.

A meeting was called between the wisemen within the remains of the palace.

 

At the Karsten estate, the dragon candidates had gathered.

All but the Priscilla camp, currently having vanished within Vollachia.

The meeting had Crusch Karsten wheeled out in a chair by her ever loyal knight.

Felix was tending to her still, trying to keep her comfortable with an everpresent flow of mana.

 

Wilhelm stood stoically by her side. 

 

From the Anatasia camp came the candidate herself, accompanied by Ricardo, and her apparent but nameless knight Julius.

 

From the Felt camp was the candidate herself, accompanied by her invincible knight, Reinhard.

 

And from the Emilia camp there was the half-elf herself, alongside her apparent spirit, Beatrice. She was accompanied by two maid, Ram and Rem. The latter was a victim of gluttony, but the death of Lye caused her to awaken, but still without memories or name.

Finally there was her knight Garfiel and sponsor Roswaal.

 

“So-o-o Pride escaped then?” The mage began, a curious look upon his face.

 

“That is correct.” Julius explained. “A great shadow of miasma erupted, through which Pride moved freely. He had deceived us into thinking he was weak, but apparently he had stored his strength to enact such a tragedy.”

 

Anatasia shook her head and sighed. “Damn shame. So what was the damage then?”

 

Wilhelm cleared his throat. “I assisted in the containment of the disaster. While we are still taking count, those lost mostly count among the prisoners and the brave warriors who fought. The shadow’s movements were slow so casualties to the citizens were limited… but not minimal.”

 

Emilia let out a deep sigh. “How awful, these Archbishops they are just… too cruel.”
She shuddered, remembering how Pride looked at her.

The broken madness.

The sheer craze in his eyes. 

The obsession.

It still haunted her, she couldn’t get it out of her head.

And she wasn’t sure why. 

 

“Disgusting” Rem trembled a bit.

She didn’t know much, her memories were still a mystery. But upon learning it was the Witch Cult who took her name and memories, that it was the cult that took her family.

That was enough to create an all consuming hatred within herself.

 

Felix tensed. “It was Pride dammit. That Archbishop, he fooled us made us think he was weak and pathetic. But he was just waiting, waiting until he could strike! Dammit. We should have been done with him sooner.”

 

“Would have just made this happen all the quicker.” Ricardo remarked.

 

Crusch sighed. “You did your best Felix, none of us blame you.” 

Crusch smiled at her knight, weakly placing her hand on his.

 

“Your words are too kind Lady Crush.” Felix smiled back at her.

 

“Still, we got to decide what to do about that bastard. A lot of people in the slums couldn’t get out and away from that fucking shadow.”

Felt quivered with rage, she wasn’t sure if people she knew had been caught up in that disaster, but she knew that the slum areas consumed were basically left to fend for themselves by the knights.

 

“She’s right! We need to figure out what we are going to do about Pride!” Emilia declared.

 

“Mine Amazin’ self will ge’ th’ bastard!” Garfiel punched his fist into his palm.

 

Roswaal looked at Emilia curiously, but silently nodded along.

Something, SOMETHING is still amiss, and I must find out what.

 

And so the candidates declared their resolve, to hunt down the accursed Archbishop. 

 

***

 

Within the darkness of the woods the following knight, the man that was Subaru Natsuki sat upon a rock, staring up at the moon.

 

“Are you with me?” he asked his unseen but everpresent companion. 

 

Always and forever my beloved.

 

He smiled and leaned back.

 

As he did, six lesser spirits, one of each element, danced around him.

 

They were 

 

Antares - Spirit of Fire

Deneb - Spirit of Water

Altair - Spirit of Earth

Vega - Spirit of Wind

Elips - Spirit of Yang

Algol - Spirit of Yin

 

They were beckoned to him by a ritual that Satella had taught him, and would grow quickly in power alongside him now.

 

Are you certain about this? You could still run away, have any life you want my beloved.

 

“I… I am.” he let out a deep sigh. “Too many scars, too much pain to leave it all behind. I…” his hands trembled, the rage bubbling up within him.

 

He hated them.

He cursed them.

He wanted them to suffer like he suffered.

 

He glared down at his scared hands. “I want them to pay, all of them, I want them to just… just a little bit… they all.”

 

He wanted them to break.

He wanted to tear down everything that made Subaru Natsuki suffer.

 

He took a deep breath, the shadowy madness within himself having already bloomed, and settled into a certain stability within himself.

 

He could no longer forgive.

No longer look back at the forsaken loops and pretend that they didn’t happen.

They did happen.

Everyone had wronged him.

Everyone had abandoned him again and again.

None deserved to be spared.

This world was a sick, cruel, worthless thing.

That was was he learned.

 

“I hate them, I hate them, I hate them, I hate them….” The mantra of envy echoed in his head. 

 

“I hate them to… I hate them so much for what they did to… me… him… us.”

He took another deep breath.

“I can’t be who I was anymore. I’ll need a new name.” The man that was Subaru muttered to himself and looked up at the sky.

 

“Alcor hmmm maybe… no.”

 

He thought about it. Alcor represented what he was… Forgotten.

 

That would not be him.

 

Instead a new name would grace him.

 

“Orion.”

***

 

He was discovered by a search party, one of many that were sent out to hunt him.

 

A team of a dozen knights approached and surrounded the Archbishop.

 

“HALT!” One shouted, the senior most among them.

 

“In the name of the dragon, you will surrender yourself, Archbishop of Pride!”

The knight was a ruthless looking man with blonde hair and a long sword, clearly the leader of this group.

 

The other knights began to encircle him, nervous about confronting him.

 

“Satella, where is my checkpoint?”

Orion asked, not even addressing the knights.

 

A few hours back, after you finished finalizing your contracts with your new spirits.

She replied.

 

Orion nodded and stood up. “What? Want me to go back just so I can get tortured and killed. You’re going to need a better argument than that.”

Orion spat out the words.

 

He had a single sword, looted from a dead knight, and his whip that was contained near his cell.

 

If the knights could perceive it, they would see that six shadowy hands rise from his back.

 

But they did not, they could not.

 

“You will answer for your crimes!” A younger knight with sandy brown hair shouted. “For those who lost their lives in your escape! You are a walking calamity!”

 

“And you guys want to take me on alone? Not very smart of you” Orion chuckled. 

 

The shadowy hands slowly stretched out, reaching for half the assembled knights. 

 

“We have heard of your prior escape attempts, and of your original capture” Another knight, with a black hair and goatee, spoke up. “We understand you are weak. I imagine that the scene in the capital is not one you can readily repeat, now is it?” He replied with a smirk.

 

Orion shrugged. “You’re right, it's not. But it won’t matter anyways.”

 

The shadowy hands hovered over the chests of six knights.

 

“And why is that? You dammed cultist.” The leading blonde knight prepared to strike

 

Those mages among the knights readied their mana.

 

The rest gripped their blades tightly.

 

“Because half of you are already dead, and half of you will die right after.”

 

The unseen hands gripped the hearts of six of the knights, and instantly crushed them.

 

The knights doubled over, only having moments of awareness before they collapsed.

 

“What the!”

 

“Dammed monster!”

 

The remaining knights changed.

 

“Shamak!”

Orion made use of his new spirit friend, and quickly the entire field was shrouded in darkness.

 

“A trick like that won’t work you wretch!” The lead knight dispelled the shamak with a swing of his sword.

 

It was only a second of blindness, but in that second another two knights had their hearts crushed. 

The young knight swung his sword at Orion. Orion could not fully block it with his own blow and the blade bit into his side. Orion let out a grunt, but then smirked.

“Got you”

 

And the knight then doubled over in pain.

 

The injury had vanished from Orion.

 

And appeared upon the knight, who seemed to be in far greater pain.

 

“Bastard! Dona!” Another knight shouted. A pillar of earth rose and punted Orion into the sky.

 

That same knight then fell upon, groaning in pain and gripping his chest.

 

Only three knights were left standing.

 

While he was in the air, Orion’s unseen hands gripped his own legs, and crushed his own bones.

But the legs were restored immediately after and…

 

“Agh gah!”

Two knights fell over, their left and right legs broken.

 

Orion landed, breathing heavily and face to face with the last knight.

 

“Guess it's just you and me now huh?” Orion remarked, a cocky attitude on his face.

 

“You monster! I’ll enjoy this!”

 

He charged at Orion, launching himself at high speeds and swinging.

 

But his blade was blocked by an unseen force.

 

Orion’s unseen hands.

 

“Minya.” Orion said calmly.

 

A crystal of mana pierced the knight and annihilated his chest.

 

He fell over, dead.

 

All the knights were dead, the unseen hands having crushed their hearts while Orion was dealing with the lead knight.

 

Orion gathered the bodies into a pile silently, stripping them of anything of value, before burying them in a ditch.

 

The hunter then made his way off, deeper into the woods.

 

His revenge had only just begun.

In this if…

 

-Subaru’s total experienced time in torture was several years, close to a decade.

-Subaru was driven insane by the torture he endured and the emotional scars of his imprisonment.

-Satella purposefully triggered a ‘Chaos Flame’ like disaster, centering on Subaru to let him escape.

-Satella and Subaru forged a new contract, allowing for easier communication and allowing Subaru to borrow aspects of her gate. The cost to this contract is a dramatically increased miasma level for Subaru

-Subaru has the Witch Factors of Sloth, Greed, Gluttony (incomplete), and Wrath. The latter two have not awakened their Authority fully yet.

-His Authority of Sloth is an evolved invisible providence, able to produce 7 hands that move at high speeds and can travel over long distances. They can phase through matter.

-His Authority of Greed is an alternative version of Cor-Leonis that allows him to transfer his pain to others. It has additional effects yet to be explored.

-This Subaru, now named Orion, is insane and determined to get revenge upon all those who have ever wronged him. He specifically wishes for the downfall of the Kingdom.





IN THE THEATER

(By Thinkmind, edited by Zero-Haven)

In Absolute Cinema:

To say that for some, watching Natsuki Subaru’s experiences would accustom them to enduring the entirety of the suffering he faced and would continue to face, would be enough for them not to be surprised by what happened to the young man—but such a thought is an arrogant one.

You can get used to something, or you can expect something. To get used to it means going with the flow, treating it with such normality that it becomes routine. Almost meaningless, like breathing. But to expect something means you know it will happen, and how it will affect you will depend on your own mental strength.

*Part of Subaru sinking into pain through deaths*

[Felix: I’m sorry... Please, I-I’m so sorry.]

The Demi-Human cried intensely as he saw everything unfold. And such sorrow was shared by all. Crusch still tried to comfort him, while Wilhelm wore an expression of resignation—he didn’t want to direct the anger he felt toward the Felix of that world against the one in the Theater beside him, just as he had once unfairly directed his rage at Reinhard for something beyond his grandson’s reach. He was one of the few still trying to show compassion to the heartbroken healer.

Subaru had no one. Trapped, abandoned, and every path he followed seemed to only lead him to death.

Whether or not he chose to help Crusch at Felix’s request, his fate was a cold execution. Especially when there was truly no one there to defend him in any way.

[Beatrice: Useless... Betty... really is a useless spirit, I suppose.]

[Emilia: ——]

Emilia tried to be strong to endure what her knight was going through, but even so, it was too much for the half-elf, who still tried—and failed—to hold back her tears as she glanced at the others.

Her Camp’s emotions could be summed up as: sorrow, frustration, anger, and even disgust directed at themselves and those around them.

[Rem: *sniff*, *sniff*, why... Why can’t Rem... Rem can’t help her hero...? *sniff*, *sniff*]

Ram had to comfort her sister in the best way she could, while also trying to deal with her own feelings of helplessness and grief regarding what had happened to Subaru.

But they couldn’t stop there...

*Subaru declared his hatred toward everyone, strengthening his bond with Satella and escaping from prison, including Sirius’s death and the other deaths caused by Subaru and Satella.*

[Roswaal: This... It just keeps getting worse.]

Speaking without his characteristic accent, it was clear in the clown-painted mage’s tone the frustration and concern he felt.

Such concern was shared by the others... except for a few figures.

[Alpha: What a show.]

She commented while eating popcorn.

[Priscilla: So it seems the Witch decided to act only when it was too late, and did so in one of the most beastly ways possible.]

[Envy: Beastly? I would say that about the torture your... competitors... inflicted on our beloved. Besides, that is the only way we COULD act in such a situation.]

[Satella: Even if it’s cruel to say, I must agree with her. In what way were my actions wrong?]

[Priscilla: Normally I must correct the actions of those beneath me, those who lack higher understanding of power’s use. That is why I thought you might be one who didn’t need to stoop to such things. —— If you truly wanted to help the commoner, you could have simply sent him to a more distant checkpoint after his first death in prison. That way his suffering would have been limited to only one loop, instead of this unnecessary torment.]

[Minerva: YEAH! WHAT KIND OF IDEA WAS THAT, HUH?! AS HORRIBLE AS IT IS! YOU COULD HAVE PUT HIM AT A SAFE POINT!]

That seemed to enlighten them to one of the reasons why the Witch’s late intervention was incredibly illogical…

[Envy: Don’t think you know how it works, and I am not explaining it to all of you. If my beloved decides to be done with the world, then we are done with the world and you won’t stop us.]

[Alpha: And all of this could have been avoided if you all were truly reliable enough not to judge someone’s behavior based on false accusations—using only the words of a Great Spirit as justification to torture someone, no~? Oh, but I forgot. Even when a Great Spirit intervenes in his favor, there are still some who use their own violent methods to pass judgment on others~]

With a mocking, malicious tone, his gaze turned toward Rem.

The blue-haired Oni trembled.

Ram rose, standing firm with a hard look at the Witch of Time, who raised an eyebrow at such an action.

[Ram: I know it would be arrogant and biased of me to ask you not to judge my sister, since she truly did cause Barusu similar pain in the past. But Ram would like to understand why you defend the Witch’s lack of action in helping Barusu earlier, only helping him when he threw himself into hatred against all of us.]

[Alpha: I don’t like defending the Bitch of Envy, honestly. It tires me to do so. —— In this case, I’m defending that even though she was wrong, it wasn’t entirely her responsibility. I’m only saying that the moment you were told: *‘He is an Archbishop’*, you didn’t question it, you didn’t act with the thought of ‘He may not be an Archbishop.’ —— In my father’s world, as far as I remember, there’s a place where someone must always disagree. If there are ten people in a room, and nine agree with an idea, the last one must disagree. To always create space for further thought. So even if she is guilty of setting a horrible save point, what clears you of the greater blame for acting the way you did against him? Or are you saying he should have died—whether by suicide or by your hands—come back, and moved forward without you having to deal with the consequences of torturing him? Forcing him to use his cursed power you so harshly judged when he began to use it for his own purposes.]
[Ram: ——]

Once again, they were left speechless.

Not because they didn’t want to retaliate, but because they themselves saw the truth in Alpha’s words. Were they once again wishing that Return by Death would fix everything? Wishing Subaru would die in that cell, return, and they wouldn’t have to face the consequences of what they had done?

Even though they had been affected by Gluttony, as Alpha said, they couldn’t escape the blame for having accepted everything without questioning it, and for acting so cruelly toward the innocent young man who once again suffered at their hands.

[Anastasia: We really can’t justify our actions. Nor can we fully condemn the Witch’s actions. But that also doesn’t mean she couldn’t have acted differently.]

[Envy: I only acted according to my beloved’s wishes.]

[Crusch: When he wished for everyone’s end and chose to accept you?]

[Envy: Perhaps~ but as Alpha-chan said...]

[Alpha: Don’t call me that, bitch.]

[Envy: ... I rescued him from your claws when you had already condemned him without even thinking further or forming your own opinions. I simply acted as I desired, just as you did.]

*The rest was shown: The meeting, Subaru changing his name and gaining his spirits, his attack against the Knights, and the notes.*

Nothing more was commented on regarding the final part that hadn’t already been discussed, except that it only left them more worried.

[Reinhard: With these events, such as the Witch’s Miasma, it’s possible we will only become more distrustful. And so... our relationship will continue to worsen before it ever improves.]

[Julius: And now that he will no longer hold back against us, our versions may be facing someone who truly has the level of a Sin Archbishop. Or something even worse.]

[Wilhelm: Not only are his Authorities strengthened, but he himself now has greater determination and a stronger arsenal as well. Indeed, it seems they are heading toward a dark future.]

Their words reflected everyone’s concern.

Through carelessness and such simplistic thinking, that version of themselves had turned a kind and incredibly friendly person into a hateful, vengeful figure. They turned the hero into what they wanted him to be: the Sin Archbishop of Pride, or perhaps something even worse.

Notes:

This is meant to be my take on the stereotypical revenge path for Subaru.

 

Not really worth its own fic but worth a few one-shots.

Don't expect anything original here.

Chapter 3: Path of Revenge and Shadow-Extra 1

Summary:

As the knights hunt him, Subaru carries out his revenge against some of the knights that wronged him.

Notes:

So... this was originally supposed to be only the first half of an extra...

Then I realized there were too many ideas for one so I expanded this a bit and cut it in half.

Expect another entry in this path soon as such.

Anyways, have fun!

Warning, OC's for this chapter... not that it matters too much.

 

Felix was looking over several maps alongside various other knights, trying to triangulate Pride’s whereabouts. 

The map was a collage of different colors.

Red Xs marked places where Pride was seen and was engaged.

Blue Xs marked places where Pride was rumored to have been spotted.

Markers next to each X indicated the times.

They were trying to find something, some pattern to his movements, but Pride was difficult to predict. 

“Nyew have to be out there somewhere Pride.” He muttered to himself.

 

“We have patrols out right now still looking for him, but it's clear that he is remaining within Lugunica for now.” A senior knight remarked, a man with short grey hair and a serious expression.

 

“Well if he is choosing to remain openly operational within Lugunica, then his arrogance will be his undoing.” A knight with long dark red hair spoke up, crossing his arms. 

 

“That sort of attitude is what we plan to expyloit nya.” Felix muttered grimly as he glared at the page.

 

He wasn’t sure why, he was never sure why, but everything about Pride unsettled him, truly and deeply on a fundamental level. Any time he was with Pride, when he stared into his eyes, he found himself disgusted by Pride’s weakness and madness.

It made his own skin crawl, like something was terribly and deeply wrong.

 

Felix took a deep breath.

 

“Pardon the intrusion.” Julius stepped in, respectfully.

 

The knights had mixed feelings about Julius all things considered.

He looked and acted the part of a knight, and was clearly intimately familiar with the knight’s order and the Hoshin Company.

 

Furthermore, after a few months of service, he was granted an audience with Crusch Karsten, who was able to validate his claims of, in-effect, being the vice commander of the order.

 

While that position could not be restored yet, he was granted a position of trust based on the information they had. But to have a man who supposedly knew them so well now be a stranger was unsettling for all parties.

 

“Its nyot a problem Julius, do you have anything to report?”

 

Julius nodded his head and walked over to the table. “Pride has made a move.” 

He marked another red X on the map.

 

“He attacked a Hoshin Company convoy, a host of knights and a few Iron Fang personnel are in pursuit of him. He seems to have stolen some items being transported. High quality mana stones and even a metia.” His tone was grim and frustrated.

 

“Dyammit!” Felix slammed his fist impotently against the table. “Nye is making a fyool out of us!”

 

“Calm yourself Sir Argyle.” the eldest knight remarked. “Every move he makes tightens our snare. Soon enough the sword saint will return from his mission.”

 

“What knights are in pursuit of him?” Asked the red haired knight.

 

“A team led by Sir Vanye, Sir Dulcot, and Sir Vardik.” Julius replied.

 

“Sir Vardik? Yes I remember he had a particular malice towards Pride.” The redhead knight remarked.

 

The senior knight nodded his head. “He lost several of his friends, including his mentor Sir Owan in the battle of Priestella. And his friend Sir Ashton was slain two days ago, ambushed by Pride.” He let out a deep sigh. “Sir Owan was a good man, and Sir Ashton a fierce one.”

 

“Let nyus hope it is enough to take on Pride. He has shyown to be weak by crafty.” Felix muttered.

***

A team of knights and Iron Fang mercenaries raced through the woods, mounted on the back of ground dragons and ligers. 

 

They were chasing after Pride, the pursuit having begun shortly after Pride ambushed the Hoshin Company convoy with a mixture of Yin and Fire magic. He dispatched several guards and took several items of value.

 

The initial pursuit force was reinforced by several knights, so the force now totaled about thirty men.

 

They kept on his trail, racing through the forest as they attempted to encircle the escaped Archbishop.

 

Sir Vanye had a swirl of blue and green magic before him as he sat behind another knight on a shared ground dragon. “We are getting close.” He declared, his detection magic helping to guide the path.

 

Sir Vardik nodded his head, he was a man with long brown hair and piercing green eyes. “Right! Everyone be on your guard!” He shouted as the knights and mercenaries prepared for battle.

 

Sir Vardik glared right into the darkness, the visage of Pride was burned into his mind…

 

He had lost several people close to him, precious to him, in the battle of Priestella. That was the young but gifted knight’s first true experience with loss.

 

And then there was Pride, an arrogant wretch who even when chained in his cell dared to insist that he was a knight, that someone as pathetic and loathsome as himself was one of them.

It made the knight sick to his stomach, every word Pride spoke in his madness was an insult to his dead friends who were like family.

 

So he took great pleasure in silencing him, in smashing in his face with his metal gloved hand or strangling him by the throat. He felt no sympathy for the Archbishop as he was subjected to lashes, as he held him down when hot irons were applied to his flesh, when he held his head in the freezing or boiling water. He spared not even pity as he dragged the begging and sobbing wretch to his interrogations. The Archbishop was a monster, one that he took great relief in punishing for his crimes against the world itself.

 

 And then Pride escaped, in that eruption of shadows, in that catastrophe that consumed much of the Royal Capital.

The fact that one so pathetic could trigger such a disaster only proved to Sir Vardik how right he was to loath the Archbishop.

 

It was only days later that he found his friend’s body, Sir Ashton, among those killed by Pride. Sir Ashton had been his close friend for years, they were stationed together in Priestella during the attack by the Witch Cult, and later they shared a tenure at the Prison Tower as some of Pride’s guards, and both shared a hatred for Pride.

 

Now, Sir Vardik hoped he would have his revenge.

 

Sir Vayne raised his hand, “We are close!” he shouted.

 

“Everyone keep on the look out!” Sir Dulcot called out. Sir Dulcot was the senior most knight there. He was a tall and powerfully built man with very short dark blue hair.

 

Everyone kept their weapons drawn, slowly advancing as Sir Vayne maintained his spell, making sure that Pride remained close.

 

“Come out and face us Pride! You coward! We know you are here!” Sir Vardik shouted, the hatred was obvious in his voice.

 

Suddenly a sickening feeling overwhelmed all the knights and mercenaries, causing them to stagger for but a moment.

What is… I feel like I am going to vomit!

 

Sir Vardik thought.

 

Suddenly a great dark cloud consumed his vision and cut him off from his senses. 

El Shamak?

 

He tried to dispel it with his own magic by gathering his own mana around himself; he tried to slash through the cloud of darkness, but found it unusually stubborn.

Pride shouldn’t be this powerful? What is going on?

 

He knew Pride’s magical ability was weak, his gate was even broken in fact.

 

By the time the cloud dissipated, Sir Vardik’s eyes were wide with confusion.

 

Sir Vayne was crumpled on the ground dead, along with several other knights and mercenaries. 

 

One knight was being held against a tree by an invisible force, clawing at his own neck as he was strangled by that same force.

 

Sir Dulcot and several of the other knights were engaged in battle with a moving corpse. The corpse of a fallen knight that was suddenly surrounded by a malformed dark red mist, an eldritch light pouring from his eyes and mouth as he engaged multiple knights with skill and ability beyond what that knight had in life.

 

A wide and inhuman grin was upon the corpse knight’s face as it danced between the knights, wielding two blades as it parried and slashed at the air, catching one knight in the neck before impaling another through the heart. 

 

Pride stood among the carnage, several knights and a mercenary were dead at his feet.

 

A few had no obvious visible injuries while others had large gashes in their side or on their limbs.

 

Taking that one moment to assess the scene, Vardik wasted no time in charging towards Pride along with several of the other knights.

As they charged, the knights raised barriers of magic or empowered themselves.

 

Another knight, along with two Iron Fang, fired blasts of magic towards pride, while another knight wove a spell to try and bind him in chains of earth.

 

Six spirits appeared around pride, one of each element.

The spirits of earth and yang raised barriers of light and earth around Pride, blocking several of the blows or at least delaying them by several seconds.

The spirits of wind, fire, and water retaliated with blasts of elemental magic.

A blade of wind.

A sphere of fire.

A lance of ice.

All shot out from around Pride.

 

None of the spells were very powerful, but they slowed the knights by a few seconds.

That was all Pride needed. 

 

Sir Vardik slashed through the spear of ice that was sent his way, but found himself knocked back by an invisible force punching him right in the face.

 

Recoiling from the unseen blow he steadied himself as another knight in the charge fell over dead, and another two were knocked down like himself.

 

But already the knights had closed in upon Pride, chains of ice wrapped around his body, followed by four pillars of earth.

 

“Got him.’ Vardik muttered to himself with some satisfaction as he charged back in towards Pride.

 

Taking no chances, he would aim to take off the Archbishop’s head.

 

“Hollow Star” 

Pride spoke the words as if it were a death sentence.

 

And for many it was.

 

A black flame suddenly erupted forth from Pride, an explosion of dark fire swirled around him and consumed the surrounding knights, Sir Vardik included.

 

Pain is what he felt, absolute agony rock his very being as he was caught in the outer perimeter of the blast.

 

He felt his body sapped of strength, the bones in his body and the sword in his hand becoming heavy, the magic that surrounded and empowered him seemed to wither away.

 

He knew he had to act fast, and leapt backwards, falling to one knee upon landing.

 

Looking forward he saw many of his fellow knights in a similar condition.

Those who were at the outskirts of the blast were in similar states to himself. Trying to steady themselves as black flames lingered upon their bodies.

 

Those who were closer were far less lucky. At least six knights close to Pride were totally consumed by the flames, and were now burning corpses on the ground, the two closest to Pride were incinerated completely along with any of the magic binding Pride.

 

Pride let out a sigh and looked it over. “Huh, so it is pretty effective like that.”
He mused to himself.

 

The knights and mercenaries who could still perform magic launched a barrage towards Pride.

Pride lifted his hand and a wall of those same black flames appeared.

 

The weaker spells died on the spot, but two made it through, a Wind Blade from an Ul Fura, and a fire blast from an Ul Goa.

The attacks collided with pride, but at much weaker strength than they should be.

 

A large slash tore open Pride’s stomach and he was quickly set ablaze.

 

But such success only lasted for an instant as one of the Iron Fang who cast the successful spell suddenly doubled over, his chest carved open by a large slash.

 

Another knight screamed as the fire that burned Pride now consumed him.

 

Vardik and the other knights attempted to attack again, they knew they could not let up their relentless assault for even a few seconds.

 

They continued to attack, trying to individually close in on Pride, assail him with spells, pin him down in any way they could.

But Pride had an answer for every tactic they had.

 

Charging knights or fighters casting spells doubled over dead.

Any who got close met a similar fate or were otherwise pushed back.

Many more were consumed by the black flames as they poured forth from Pride’s hands, utterly annihilating anyone who was fully engulfed.

 

The corpse knight had dispatched four of the fight knights attacking it, and was now engaged in a one on one duel with Sir Dulcot, that ended with the corpse knight slashed Dulcot’s throat.

 

Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!

Sir Vardik thought as he closed in on Pride again, only to feel an invisible force grab his leg and throw him back.

 

Where was this power before? How is he this strong?

 

As Vardik picked himself up he saw the last of the Iron Fang spellcasters die as their neck was snapped from afar. 

 

Pride suddenly disappeared into the shadows as several knights drew close. He appeared a short distance away and destroyed three knights instantly with a rain of crystalized yin magic.

 

Vardik charged in again, but was suddenly battered away by the corpse knight. The corpse had leapt across the battlefield and kicked him in the face, sending him tumbling across the ground.

 

Vardik locked blades with the abominable creature as it continued to grin. “An abomination like you won’t get the best of me! Just do us all a favor and die!” He shouted.

 

He engaged the creature, and it was skilled, very skilled. It cycled between several different sword styles in a chaotic and randomized fashion, forcing Vardik onto the defensive, meeting every blade swing with his own in a flurry of steel.

 

He could not focus on anything but the unliving foe before him, knowing that one mistake would be his death.

 

“That’s enough.” The creature stopped and leapt backwards.

 

A red mist poured forth from it and coalesced into a black and crimson ghostly figure with a skeletal face. 

 

Vardik raised his blade, ready for anything, only to find that everyone else upon the battlefield was dead, save for himself.

And Pride.

 

Pride stepped forward and rolled his arms. “Sir Vardik right? It’s been a while.”

Pride’s tone was cold, confident, and mocking. Totally unlike what Vardik had known of him in the prison.

 

Vardik glared hatefully towards the figure. “Pride, so I take it this is the real monstrous you?”

 

“I’ve always been the ‘real’ me Vardik. You are all just a bunch of worthless idiots.” Pride declared, stepping forward towards the knight.

 

The black flames littering the battlefield died.

 

“Though I did pick up a few tricks since I left. And some new friends.” He commented, motioning to the six spirits that joyfully orbited him.

 

“If you think I am the sort of coward who will flee or beg for mercy, you are VERY mistaken.” Vardik growled, readying himself for combat again.

 

“No you’re not that type of guy. You’re the angry type, the type that will take out their frustration on someone who can’t defend themselves.” Pride then sighed. “Even if you did run away or beg, I’m not going to let you go. Had to try a few times at this, make sure it was just you and me standing here in the end.”

 

Vardik maintained his hateful glare and aggressive stance. “Enough of this! You die now!” He charged, launching himself at high speeds towards the Archbishop.

 

Vardik swung his blade with enough force to cut a swathe of trees and even a large boulder in twain, but it was blocked by an invisible force.

 

Vardik felt himself cutting through ‘something’ but he could not tell what even as his blade cut into what felt like several barriers before coming to a halt.

 

“Wow you cut through four of them, not bad.” Pride remarked.

 

“What are you... Omphf!” Vardik’s question was cut off by a swift invisible punch to his gut, followed by a punch across the face.

 

He staggered, but did not relent and tried again, attacking and slashing at the Archbishop, but finding his blade blocked and redirected by a force he could not see.

Meanwhile the knight continued to receive invisible blows. Punches across the face, jabs to his side, and strikes to his stomach and chest. 

 “How are you! Agh stop using cheap tricks!” The knight shouted as he continued his futile assault.

 

“Cheap tricks? Alright then, let's try something different.”

Pride’s hand swept outward and unleashed a volley of black flames.

Vardik dodged most of it but one of the flames hit his leg as he suddenly felt all his strength leave it, as if the foot could no longer support his body.

 

His eyes widened as he saw the black flame swiftly eat through his metal boot. It was not melting it though, but annihilating it. 

 

Vardik quickly discarded the metallic boot and kicked its remains away, though already much of the weakness in his foot remained.

 

He suddenly felt all his limbs seized and he was thrown onto the ground.

A wave of the black flames washed over him and he found his body sapped of all its strength.

 

“It's funny.” Pride remarked.

“I spent so so long feeling like nothing in that cell. Longer than you realize, probably.”

 

 Pride strolled forward towards Sir Vardik.

 

The knight struggled, but found his considerable strength had left him as the flames clung to his being. 

“Wha.. what is this even what is…” 

 

“So..” Pride continued. “I ended up getting a power that lets people feel how I felt. Worthless, useless, weak.”

He let out a grim laughter, devoid of any joy or warmth. 

 

“Like I said, it's kind of funny.” He then deeply sighed.

Suddenly the grip on the knight’s limbs tightened, and the bones in his limbs broke like fragile glass.

 

He let out a groan of pain, but did not scream, continuing to struggle and glare hatefully at Pride. “You… you’re a monster!” He shouted.

 

Pride nodded along. “Yeah, but you people are the ones who made me one.”

 

An invisible force punched Sir Vardik across the face, his cheek and jaw shattering instantly.

“Uuuurrrgh!”

 

“I’m done with you.”

 

While Sir Vardik couldn’t see it, two shadowy fists rose above him.

 

The fists then beat down upon him, again and again against his now fragile body.

For the next two minutes the beating continued, until all that was left was a broken corpse.

***

 

As he slept that night, within his dreams Orion was in the embrace of his beloved witch.

 

His head rested upon her lap as the two were alone in their world of endless shadows.

 

She softly stroked his head as he stared up at her. “Is something the matter my dearest beloved?” He asked her.

 

She let out a deep sigh. “I do worry for you, always and forever. You know that. But you know there is no going back now right beloved?”

 

“Was there any going back? From the moment we made our new contract I was already dammed.” 

 

She let out a deep sigh and then held him tightly. “And now we are bound together forever. Even more so than before even!”

A smile graced her face, she could not help it as she stared deeply into his eyes.

 

He laughed a dry laugh. “Seems like you are happy about that.”

 

“I… well I am. The world hurt you, the world hurt my precious beloved. Over and over again it trampled upon your goodness, upon your very being. I… even I can’t help but hate it for that. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.”

 

He reached up and touched her cheek. “But you stayed with me, for as messed up as you are, for as we both are. You never ever left me.”

 

She smiled down at him, she leaned down and planted a kiss upon his lips. “And I never will, forever and for all time. I shall be with you. I shall love you.” 

 

She kissed him again.

 

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

 

 

 

In this If
-It has been slightly less than two weeks since Subaru, now Orion, escaped from the capital.
-The knights continue to hunt him, but due to Cor-Leonis and Return by Death, they can never pin him due.
-Subaru is currently picking off some of the miscellaneous knights who were notable faces in his torture.
-He is angry at the entire nation, since he knows the Wisemen Council signed his death warrant on some loops, and due to the sheer crowds gathered for his execution each time it occurred. 
-While normally his authorities have no mental impact, due to his degraded state they are now having an effect on his personality. 

-His current authorities are as such.
--Authority of Envy. Return by Death: Functions as per canon but Satella is now keeping him informed of checkpoints. She has 2 different checkpoints she can set for him and allow for rollbacks between them. She notes there is a third checkpoint that would send him back to the very beginning, she refuses to change that checkpoint and notes it cannot be triggered at will by her or by him. 
--Authority of Sloth. Invisible Providence: He can summon up to seven invisible hands with a potent amount of strength and durability akin to armor. They can extend out to very long distances and can phase through matter. A default attack for him is using it to crush hearts or internal organs. Sloth evolved due to his desire to finally have peace and the desire to be able to end battles easily.
--Authority of Greed. Cor Leonis: His basic shift allows him to shunt any damage he receives onto those around him, so long as he does not regard them as an ally. If he regards the target as an 'enemy' the pain is amplified greatly. Targets who are neutrals only have a slight increase in the pain. His second shift works on allies, allowing him to borrow attributes and abilities. As his only ally is Satella he uses this to borrow her gate partially, at the cost of it creating an incredible amount of miasma. This power was born from his "greedy" desire to not be hurt and to have others experience his hurt, as well as his "greed" in wanting power.
--Authority of Gluttony (Incomplete). Death Eating: He gains an internal library of the dead. He gains copies of the book of the dead of anyone who dies within his vicinity and can generate a copy from any corpse he touches. He also gains a "Death Ghost" companion who can possess a corpse to physically act. He can load 'books of the dead' into the ghost to grant it additional powers and skills. He has the ghost loaded with the skills of the knights he has killed. This authority was born from his 'hunger' for strength and companionship' 
--Authority of Wrath. Hollow Star: His 2nd most powerful current authority. He gains 'Hollow Flames' which are black flames that have an attribute of 'weakness' and 'worthlessness' on a physical and spiritual level. At lower intensity they 'simply weaken & reduce' targets they come into contact with but at high concentration they outright annihilate magic and matter alike, all things are 'weak' and 'worthless' before the flames. This authority is born from his disdain for his own weakness, his wrath towards the world, and represents a desire to see all things as weak and worthless as he is.

 

Notes:

This entry was more a showcase but I feel it sets up and gives a good vibe for what Subaru is doing repeatedly in this path.

This is a good representation of a typical 'golden loop' for Subaru when facing a squad hunting him down, and a good representation of how he is treating normally ignored 'extras' who would also have been his tormentors in a Re:Forgotten setup.

This is also a 'power showcase' extra for me, practice writing these. The authority of wrath here is one Subaru will probably have a version of on a few paths.

Next extra we will be visiting Roswaal mansion.

This is going to be a longer path than I thought.

Chapter 4: Path of Revenge and Shadow-Extra 2

Notes:

Normally I wouldn't back to back upload the same path BUT this was going to be the main meat of the last chapter till the first section took up an entire chapter.

Path of Revenge and Shadow Extra 2

 

My love… I do have to ask… why this attack?

 

Satella asked Orion as he stalked through the woods nearby Roswaal's new mansion.

 

“ Simple. I want to check one thing. Every person I knew abandoned me but at the same time…”

 

Ah… yes her. She has always taken good care of you from the start. Well then do be careful. I have your checkpoint set for this morning.

 

Orion nodded his head. “Will do.”

And he activated Cor Leonis, the world becoming a vast array of shining stars…

***

 

Orion snuck himself into the stables of the estate, masking himself in shadow magic in order to sneak on by.

 

He was looking for something, someone in particular.

 

And at the far end of the stable, he found who he was looking for. 

 

A proud earth dragon who noticed his presence. She raised her head and locked eyes with him.

 

The look she gave him was curious, the earth dragon wrestled with herself as her instincts and familiarity clashed with her more rational brain.

But she was a beast, and her instincts won out.

She knew that this human was meant to be her rider, her master. 

 

She rattled against her bindings and leaned forward to nuzzle his face.

 

“Hey Patrasche! Good to see you.~”
Orion… Subaru… Spoke with general warmth as he hugged the earth dragon.

“Guess gluttony doesn’t work on earth dragons huh?” He muttered and looked her over. 

“Or maybe just not as well hmm. Anyways lets get you out of here!”

 

Orion used his shadow hands to start undoing the bindings when.

 

“STOP RIGHT THERE WITCH CULTIST!” Rem shouted in a furious rage.

A morning star hurled at his face, dodged only by the narrowest of margins.

 

Orion turned and saw one of the last people he wanted to see.

 

Rem stood there, glaring hatefully, morning star in hand.

 

Right… Rem probably just smelled me. So sneaking around is impossible… shit I really didn’t want to see her.

 

Seeing her brought back memories… painful ones.

 

He remembered that morning star crashing into him in the mansion hallways, tearing off one of his limbs.

 

He remembered being in the woods, stuck and healed over and over again by the rage-fueled oni girl for hours.

 

He remembered being locked in that cell, where even as he begged for her to remember him, she broke his bones.

 

Subaru Natsuki may have wanted to forgive Rem, the girl who lifted him up when he was lowest, who set him on the path of a hero.

 

But Orion would not, could not. 

He learned his life had value.

He learned the world was truly cruel to him.

He should have met death at her hands even once.

He accepted that now, and would act accordingly for himself.

 

But even so…

 

“Rem, I don’t want to fight you.” Orion stated, but readies himself, shadow hands outstretched already.

 

Rem’s gaze was cold, furious, hostile. 

“I’m going to kill you, you bastard witch cultist!” She screamed and was already manifesting her horn.

 

Shit, I have no choice.

 

Rem rushed at him, already worked up into a frenzy as she growled.

 

The morning star hurled towards him yet again.

 

One of his unseen hands deflected the blow.

 

He shuffled back, gaze focused on the morning star, though he knew all of Rem’s body was a weapon.

 

Ducking to the side he held he didn’t bother to draw his sword or whip, they’d be useless for him this fight.

 

Instead he focused on his sloth authority, his shadowy hands launched at Rem and delivered several punches to her body, knocking her back.

 

The oni roared and raged, charging again as she swung her mace around, tearing up the stables around her.

 

Orion leapt backwards and launched several more unseen hands, this time they pushed her back and out of the stable.

 

Subaru manifested his flames of scorn and fired them out at Rem, the flames streaking through the air.

 

Rem dodged to the side and hurled her morning star at Orion again.

 

Orion ducked out of the way, an unseen hand delivering an upcut right to Rem’s jaw, sending her flying.

 

“GRAAAAAAGH Just Die!” She snarled in an absolute rage. “El  Huma!”

She manifested a myriad of ice lances that all fired at Orion.

 

Orion conjured forth a wall of black flames, blocking the incoming magic. A few managed to breach the flames, but were fragile and swatted out of the air by his unseen hands.

 

Rem herself then dove through the flames, weakening her but affording her a strike on Orion.

 

Her morning star made contact, breaking through two of his unseen hands and landing in his gut, sending him flying back. “Omphf!”

 

Orion tumbled across the ground.

 

“El huma!”
She launched another rain of ice down upon him.

 

Subaru frowned and manifested another flame wall to block the ice magic.

 

But saw he had bigger problems as Garfiel raced towards him, rage in his eyes. “Just die ya fuckin’ Archbishop! My amazin’ self is gonna’ beat ya down!”

“Shit!” Orion had no choice and instantly used Hollow Star at its full power as Garfiel approached.

 

The explosion of black flames rocketed the mansion and sent both the oni and demihuman flying back.

 

Orion scrambled to his feet and made his way towards the earth dragon that was his goal.

 

“DIE!” He heard Rem roar with rage race up from behind him as he quickly spun around.

 

The morning star collided with his face, not at full power thanks to the Hollow Flames weakening her…

 

But it was enough to REALLY hurt.

 

Orion felt half his skull nearly cave in, his nose get smashed, his teeth all break, and his eyes get destroyed.

 

He acted on instinct at that point, using Cor Leonis.

 

Instantly all his wounds, from getting clipped by her ice lances, her glancing blows, and now his face getting half caved in, all of it transferred to the weakened oni who let out a scream as her face was instantly reduced to a bloody mess. 

 

Rem staggered backwards, but motivated by sheer rage alone, so close to a hated Witch Cultist, an Archbishop, she did not yield, she refused to yield.

 

“Rem get back!” Garf shouted as he rushed to join the fray.

 

But it was already too late for the oni.

 

She swung her morning star again, aiming right for the Archbishop’s head.

 

Orion unleashed a torrent of black flames from the palm of his hand.

 

And with a single scream, Rem was erased from the world, reduced to nothing.

 

I just killed Rem…

 

It was a pure survival instinct, met with such hostility he responded with lethal force, as he had done many times in the loops of his past week.

 

But he didn’t want to kill Rem… not yet at least.

 

It was in that moment, where he was struggling to process what he just did, that he was Subaru Natsuki again.

 

It was also in that moment that Garfiel tore his head off. 

 

***

He stood back in the woods outside the Mathers estate, standing there quietly as he had just returned by death.

 

My beloved… are you okay?

Satella asked within his mind.

 

Subaru stared out into the distance as he took a breath.

 

Rem wanted to kill me again, she tried to kill me even before I did anything besides try to get my earth dragon back.

 

He let out a dry mournful chuckle.

 

I guess my scent alone is enough for her to kill me. What sort of shitty logic is that really?

 

He took another breath, and he was Orion once more.

 

“ I’m fine Satella, it's just. That got to me more than I expected it too.”

 

They killed you again… for no good reason. These people you’ve died for killed you again. The world killed you again.

Orion wasn’t sure if it was Satella or Envy now.

In truth, as he was broken, the line between them began to blur in his mind.

Maybe it did for them too.

 

My love, this isn’t worth it. Come back later, when you are stronger. When they are not there. When you can…

 

Orion shook his head. “No… I’m going to face this. If I can’t overcome this then this entire mission is pointless.”

He mustered his resolve, he had too.

 

While she was not there physically, he felt the arms of the witch wrap around him, comforting him.

 

You truly are a foolish man, a man I love more dearly than the entire world. I shall give you all of my love that you need, follow you into whatever hell you desire to create. Nothing matters for me in this world but you anymore. You are everything to me my beloved.

 

Orion smiled. “I know, thank you. Now then, how to go about dealing with this mess.”

 

He stared at the mansion in the distance. 

He knew this may take a few loops, but he had to make a plan.

***

Which is how Orion ended up in his current position.

 

He timed his original arrival so that Roswaal and Emilia would be away from the mansion, Ram and Sylphy had gone with them as well.

 

The only people of note left at the mansion were Rem, Garfiel, Frederica, Otto, and Meili.

 

But that was still enough to cause him some headaches. 

 

But still, it took him less loops than he figured it would to bring him to his current point.

 

Otto was a greater pain then he realized, as all the animals would tip Otto off to his presence within minutes, making his mission a rush job.

 

Frederica would not engage initially but if a fight with Rem or Garfiel lasted too long she would join the fray, at which point either he died or they did.

 

If the latter happened, he was forced to loop.

 

But he did get one… somewhat pleasant… surprise as he made his way through the mansion.

He was now currently riding on the back of the earth dragon Patrasche, fleeing from a rampaging oni and tiger boy, both pursuing on the back of another earth dragon.

 

What he didn't count on was the young girl clinging to his back, but it was a welcome addition.

 

“Hey Meili! Think you can get us some cover?”

Orion asked as he narrowly ducked under a series of ice spears hurled by Rem’s magic.

“Right away mister!” She shouted as a call went out.

 

Wolfgarms emerged from the nearby woods, but were quickly swatted away by the half-transformed hands of the tiger human. 

 

“Ugh figures.” Orion muttered.

 

“Stupid tiger.” Meili muttered, showing clear venom for the tiger-boy.

 

“Alright then hmm, we got to try something a bit more creative.” Orion looked back at his pursues.

 

He saw the tiger-boy who once looked upon him with friendship and admiration.

He saw the oni-girl who once looked upon him with love and tenderness.

 

Both their faces were now visages of pure rage and hatred.

It was a look he remembered well, from timelines that no longer existed.

How stupid of me… of course this is what they are both really like. I was really just fooling myself… This is who they are, when you don’t bend over backwards to help them.

 

“Meili can you direct an earth dragon for a few seconds?” Orion asked.

 

“Ah yup I can mister!” She replied with a smile.

 

Orion smirked, he didn't have any love for the girl. It was quite the opposite in fact, but he could use her.

Besides… she never betrayed him, not really.

He was no longer the naive Subaru Natsuki.

 

But he still understood that Meili was a young girl, raised by beasts and by Elsa.

She did not have the natural malice that the two pursuing them had.

So he found the assassin more forgivable than them.

 

“Good! Then take over!”

 

He switched places, letting her take the reins as he sat himself backwards to face his two pursuers.

 

He extended two unseen hands to wrap around his earth dragon as extra security for himself. 

 

This is going to hurt.

 

He then used his four other unseen hands to violently twist his arms and legs, shattering his own bones as he winced.

 

The pain only lasted for a few seconds, because within the next instance his limbs were healed.

 

Rem let out a loud cry and snarl as she fell from the earth dragon she was riding upon, her limbs now just as damaged as Orion's were, while Orion’s limbs were healed.

 

“Rem! Dammit! Ya Bast’rd!” Garfiel shouted in rage.

 

But it was enough, even consumed by rage, Garfiel would not abandon Rem, and that gave Orion enough time for one last move.

 

“ Satella! I'm using your gate!”

 

Understood my beloved! Ready!

 

“El shamak!” Orion shouted.

 

A cloud of all consuming darkness poured forth from Orion's hand.

 

The injured Rem and wild Garfiel were consumed by darkness.

 

The last sounds Orion heard were the roar of the tiger-boy and the hateful scream of the oni.

 

As the avenger and the assassin made their escape. 

***

A short while later the two were seated at a campfire, as Patrasche slept nearby.

 

Meili giggled. “So then Mr. Archbishop, are you going to go to war with the whole nation? Really?~”

 

Orion nodded his head as he snacked on some fruit, tossing some to Meili.

 

“That’s right, though I’m not an Archbishop. Everyone just believes that, and decided that it was enough of a reason to put me through fucking hell.” He grumbled bitterly.

 

“So I'm burning it all down, my way.” Orion declared.

She giggled and let out a sigh, a frown crossing her face. “They killed my big sister, that stupid tiger and that whole camp. So I want them to pay too.”

 

Subaru nodded his head, if Meili felt that way, then she’d feel that way about himself if she got her memories back.

 

Beloved. While I am really loath to share you, my dearest deepest truest love, that girl’s Divine Protection would help you a lot. When we do kill gluttony and your name gets returned, you’ll be able to command Mabeasts yourself after that. 

It was clearly Envy speaking within his head, offering him guidance.

 

“So then, want to help me out then? Play along? I’ll be going after your ‘mama’ too.” He remarked.

 

She laughed. “Do you think you can kill mama? Really?”

 

He flashed a wicked, bloodthirsty, smile her way.

“I already figured out at least three ways I can do it.”

In this If...

-Subaru had to loop about five times to pull this off.

-During his 2nd loop he ended up in a fight against Garfiel, Rem, and Frederica. Because he was holding back to not kill them, he ended up getting his head torn off by Rem’s morning star.

-During his 3rd loop sneaking around he was detected by Otto and ended up cutting off Otto’s arm. He ended up killing Rem and Frederica during the ensuing fight and reset the loop.

-During the 4th loop he had help from Meili, who helped him out of spite for Garfiel. He reset that loop as Otto kept tracking him even when a distance away.

-During the start of the 5th loop he quickly found and knocked out Otto, but did leave him with a few broken bones.

Notes:

Next update should be an extra for path of departure.

Or me posting the start of a new path, not sure yet.

Chapter 5: Path of Revenge and Shadow-Extra 3

Summary:

Continuing the path of revenge & shadow.

Julius Juukulius gripped his blade tightly as he stood among the dead, the dying, and the afraid.

 

He had finally caught up to him, finally cornered Pride along with a team of Iron Fang and a few knights.

 

But he found Pride to be every bit the terror he was described as in the new reports.

 

Standing before him now was not the weak, pathetic, and wretched thing that he oversaw in that cell.

 

Now he was a figure who created the dead bodies on the ground before him.

A man clad in a black coat made of mabeast furs.

A man with a cold and heartless look in his eyes, tinged with madness that Julius could not deny.

But rather than the manic delusion of the Pride he came to know, the Pride before him felt like staring into an abyss of darkness itself.

Julius felt unease flood his entire body.

 

“Get back right now, heal who you can.” He shouted to the remaining forces.

 

Julius had already fought Pride for several minutes, and his fellow knights that could help him were injured, and one was dead.

 

From the fight so far Julius understood that he had a power like the Sloth Archbishop had.

But it was clear Pride had more than that.

 

He also knew that the others with him may simply just die if faced with Pride. 

Julius knew he had to take the lead.

 

“Well Pride, based on our engagement so far it appears your apparent weakness was a lie.” Julius scoffed.

 

“Is that what you think Julius? Really now?” Pride asked coldly. “Just like a self-righteous bastard like yourself to jump to the worst conclusion.”

 

“Then what is it then you monster?” Julius asked.

 

Pride chuckled. “That I was weak. Though in some ways I should thank you. Now I am strong.”

 

Julius prepared himself and had one of his spirits conjure a mist.

 

Pride’s six unseen hands became somewhat visible to the knight as he readied himself.

 

“Clever move, like you did with Petelgeuse eh?” Pride remarked.

 

Julius wasted no time on banter as he rushed in. His yang and wing spirits enhanced his speed and strength. His water spirit was prepared to heal him as soon as possible.

 

He understood from the reports that Pride had to be taken out in one shot, that injuries only seemed to empower him in some way.

 

Julius dodged Pride’s attacks, avoiding the unseen hands as they tried to strike him, battering them away with his sword.

 

Pride tried to retreat, but Julius was faster.

 

Six spirits appeared around Pride, and quickly unleashed their own barrage of magic.

Wind blades

Fire spheres

Ice spears

Earth pillars

Light beams

 

All of these attempted to assail the finest of knights, but he need not worry about such things, as his own spirits protected him with their own elemental magic.

 

Julius internally scoffed at Pride’s arrogance, to try and best a spirit knight with spirits.

He wondered how a wretch like Pride even got spirits.

But he paid that no mind for now.

 

He continued to close in on Pride, avoiding his magic and unseen hands as he planned to try and end the fight with one decisive strike.

 

As he closed in he found his chance.

His spirits gathered around his blade. “Al Clarista!”

His blade infused with a blinding light as he dashed towards Pride.

Pride’s unseen hands were too slow to stop him from this distance.

 

As Julius’s shining blade continued its lethal arc towards Pride, an eruption of black flames consumed Pride, followed by the darkness of yin magic and Pride’s miasma.

 

Julius instantly felt sick to his core, felt his strength sap from his body.

But the knight endured and his blade continued on its trajectory as he felt he made contact. Cutting into and through Pride.

 

“I have you, you monster.”

 

A few seconds passed, the darkness cleared, and the finest of knights nearly collapsed.

A large wound was carved into his chest.

 

Pride stumbled backwards, gripping his own chest.

His shirt was torn open but no wound was present. 

 

Pride groaned and then laughed. “Almost got me there Julius, not bad. Took everything I had to soften that blow and I’d have died anyways in a few more seconds.”

He stared at the fallen knight. “But I guess that’s your problem now.”

 

Julius’ water spirit was already healing him as best he could. The finest knight struggled to his feet but could only get up on one knee.

 

“Damn you Pride! You worthless wretch! What is even the point of all this?! Of these constant attacks on the kingdom!”

 

The various knights and Iron Fang rushed to defend Julius, drawing their blades and creating a defensive formation around Julius.

 

“The point? Revenge obviously. For what you bastards did to me. I’m going to be taking apart this whole rotten kingdom piece by piece” Pride spoke in a cold and mocking tone.

 

Julius glared fire at the so-called Archbishop. “You monster! Why do you even fight! You have nothing! I saw you in that cell! Why does a creature like yourself still go on?”

 

“Nothing eh?” Pride tilted his head. “Guess you can relate to that former finest of knights. But maybe you can’t. Not like I can…”

 

Julius pointed his blade at Pride, mustering what energy he could from his spirits he fired a beam of radiant light towards Pride.

 

Pride was instantly engulfed in shadows, shadows that exploded outward and consumed Julius’ vision for but a moment.

 

And then the figure was gone, having left only fear, pain, and death in his wake…

 

***

 

The following day, a meeting was held among the camps.

 

It was held at the Karsten Estate, out of consideration for the Duchess and her poor health. From her own camp, Felix and Wilhelm were in attendance.

 

Others in attendance were Anastasia, Julius, Ricardo, and Mimi from the Anastasia camp.

Felt and Reinhard came from the Felt camp.

While from the Emilia camp came Emilia, her knight Garfiel, the spirit Beatrice, their internal affairs officer Otto, and the two oni Ram and the amnesiac Rem.

 

The feeling was rather grim considering everything.

The escape of Pride and the disaster he left in his wake, a scar of nothingness straight through the capital.

The continued attacks upon the knights and kingdom.

Pride’s invasion of the manor and theft of one of its ground dragons.

And now Pride’s defeat of Julius.

The Duchess Crusch Karsten sat in her wheelchair, leaning back against it. Her body was still marked by the dragon-blood curse, only partly healed thanks to Felix being able to divert some of it onto Pride. But it still ravaged her figure and her face, making it clear that she was still at the edge of the chasm of death

 

Felix himself, despite not being injured, looked to be in even worse shape than his liege. He was restless, fidgeting as he repeatedly tapped against his lap, his eyes sunken in with exhaustion between the hunt for Pride and caring for Crusch. 

 

Reinhard himself looked rather sullen. While he had doubts about Pride before, now it was clear that Pride was a problem that must be solved.

One he failed to address continually.

He could never catch Pride, the Archbishop always seeming to escape before the Sword Saint could draw near.

So every death among the knights, every injury, was a reminder of his own personal failings.

The knights were being hunted, and the sword saint could not even locate the threat.

 

Crusch broke the silence with a faint smile. “Thank you all for coming, it’s good to see you all again. It’s just a shame it's under such circumstances.”

 

Julius bowed his head and let out a deep sigh. “I apologize for my own failures. That scum has many tricks which he uses to get the better of finer men than he.”

Crusch felt Felix tense next to her, Felix staring darkly at Julius.

 

Reinhard moved over to Felix and placed a hand on his shoulder to reassure his friend.

 

The cat-boy let out a deep sigh. “It's Pride’s fault, nya should have been more careful." Felix’s absolute venom and rancor towards the Archbishop seeped into his voice. He wanted to blame Julius for his failures. But the cat-boy bit his lip out of consideration for his lady. 

 

Emilia looked over to Julius. “It’s alright Julius-kun. We know that you did all that you could.”

 

Julius shook his head. “But it was not enough. Pride still managed to get away and slew more of our number. Unless we stop him he will continue to blight our kingdom. So I cannot be complacent with failure.”

 

Emilia shook her head and sighed. “I’m sorry… I wish I did more. The script you gave me for the Archbishop was good but I just couldn’t act sufficiently."

 

Julius shook his head. “I would say there are short-comings on the part of all of us. But we have to endure.”

 

“Julius is ryight.” Felix declared, his frustrations apparent on his face. Tried as he might, Pride gave him nothing of value beyond delaying the apparent inevitable with Crusch. He knew that he had to take the Archbishop down, somehow. 

 

As Julius stated the truth of the situation, a shadow fell over the hearts of all those in attendance.

 

Just thinking about Pride tied their stomach into knots, made their heads ache.

 

This was because Pride put them all on edge. The way he spoke, the madness, the delusion, it was different than any of the other archbishops they faced.

They had secured themselves in thinking that Pride was locked away, another threat that was defeated. 

But then Pride escaped.

Then Pride did as much damage to the capital, as the Witch Cult did during their collective attack on Priestella.

 

And now Pride was attacking them, all of them.

 

Knights had been slain.

Hoshin company convoys attacked.

Karsten estates assaulted.

Contacts made by the Felt camp vanished.

And even Mather’s mansion was visited by Pride, who stole a ground dragon and horrifically injured Rem.

 

“That bastard.” Ram trembled with intense rage. Thinking hatefully about the Archbishop. “He dares to lay a hand on my dear sister. I’ll butcher him and gut him myself when I get the chance.”

She remembered how obsessed the Archbishop seemed with her sister when they visited him in that prison, him being the only person who somehow knew her.

The way he looked at her and talked about her.

It made Ram sick to her stomach.

 

Rem let out a deep sigh. “The Witch Cult, they took my memories, my name, my home, it’s like they want to leave me with nothing.” The two oni shared their rage through their mutual bond.

It was like an intoxicant shared between them.

 

Garfiel grumbled and gritted his own teeth. “Damn Bast’rd, makin’ a fool outa’ us. Mockin’ us and play’n his games.” The demihuman tiger boy clenched his fist.

The fact that the Archbishop invaded the mansion while he was there, stole from them, and horribly injured Rem.

Garfiel was their knight, their shield, and the Archbishop made him feel useless. 

 

Beatrice let out a “tsk” sound. “The Archbishop is a troublesome individual I suppose.”

 

“No kiddin.” Anastasia chimed in. “That guy seems to want to cause me plenty of problems too. He’s clearly been targeting Hoshin Company shipments, trying to get under my skin. Even increasing the guard doesn’t work. I have to split them up into smaller shipments since he just can’t be in several places at once.”

 

“You said it Ana-bo. That bastard has cost us a few of our guys already, some of our good ones too.” Ricardo grumbled, crossing his arms.

He didn’t like the feeling that his own Iron Fang was being targeted.

 

“Then we’re goin’ to have to charge him for the damage, with interest.” Anastasia replied coldly to the wolf-man. As she did she rubbed her scarf.

 

Mimi growled. “Grr I hate that guy! Mimi’s gonna bash his skull in with my staff!”

 

“You said it shrimp.” Garfiel agreed with the kitten human.

 

Mimi smiled brightly at Garfiel, infatuated in her own way with the tiger-boy.

 

Otto cleared his throat. “Pride clearly is a problem. And continues to be a problem. That’s why we are meeting. We need to figure out something.”

 

“Yeah, let’s figure out how to get this bastard before he makes more of a mess.” Felt grumbled.

 

A solid chunk of the slums was consumed by the shadow, and since then Pride has plucked off a few people her camp had contact with as well.

She’s suffered less damage than every other camp, but it was clear to her that Pride was going to cause her problems, so the firebrand knew he had to be squashed like a bug.

“Rein!” She turned to him.

 

“Ye-yes Lady Felt?” Reinhard asked.

 

“Is there a reason you haven’t caught the bastard yet?” She asked. “Given all your fancy divine protections.”

 

Reinhard sighed. “Sadly, while some do help with tracking, none will let me precisely locate Pride. All have pre-requisites that I do not have fulfilled and even when I do close in on Pride, he always anticipates my arrival and escapes.”

 

“Grr Dammit!” Felt kicked the air.

 

Reinhard also felt the burning gaze of Felix upon him, but neither knight said anything out of respect for each other and the others in the room.

 

“Nyhe just kyeeps causing problems.” Felix muttered in a dark voice.

 

Wilhelm cleared his throat. “With all do respect. We should focus on the task at hand, forming a plan to confront Pride. Clearly he is a monster who cannot be allowed to continue to blight the kingdom. The cowardly scum even dared to invoke the name of my wife, he is the sort of creature who will try to wound the spirit. Despite any differences and disagreements between our camp, we must work together to strike down this threat.”

 

“Fancy words, but it means nothing if your string of failures continues.”

Priscilla Barielle strutted into the room, followed by Al and Heinkel.

 

“Yo there everyone.” Al waved his hand and sighed. Looking like he didn’t want to be here.

The one armed knight had a bad feeling about all of this.

 

“Huh, what the fuck are you doing here bitch?!” Felt leapt to her feet and stared at the baroness.

 

Priscilla let out a haughty laugh. “Ohohoh. The sewer-rat must have finally lost what little was left of her mind. This is a meeting of all the camps is it not?”

 

“Priscilla, you’re safe!” Emilia declared. She had no love for the baroness but given her prior absence many assumed she was dead.

 

“Ohohoh yes. I had to tend to some personal matters. In truth they are not yet resolved but I have decided that my presence is required here for now.” She declared. “After the matter of this worthless excuse for an Archbishop is dealt with, I shall return to dealing with personal matters.”

 

Heinkel stared at his son and grandfather, but said nothing else as he sat himself down in a free chair.

 

Al then asked. “So then we heard how bad the hunt for Pride was going. Any plans so far?” 

 

“We were just getting to that.” Otto explained.

 

“Well for starters, what can the guy even do?” Al asked.

 

Emilia nodded her head. “That’s right! If we figure out how Pride’s powers work, and if we work together! I’m sure we can win!” 

The half-elf exclaimed, fully confident that their team work and friendship will allow them to triumph over the evil archbishop.
That was how she and her camp overcame every challenge so far, Pride included. She was confident she could do such a thing again. To continue to have everyone working together, that was the path to victory she was confident in.

That was her path to the throne and all her dreams coming true.

 

“That’s right Lady Emilia.” Rem declared, having faith in the half-elf. “There’s no way that Witch Cult scum can beat us.”

 

“Ya! We’re with ya’ all the way!” Garfiel declared

 

“You said it big-sis! That Archbishop is goin’ down!” Felt shouted.

 

Al let out an internal sigh.

 

“Well Julius?” Ricardo asked. “You’re the one who fought the bastard and lived to tell the tale.”

 

Julius nodded his head. “Yes, Pride displayed several abilities in our fight, a rather odd assortment actually.”

 

“That strange nyah.” Felix began. “Pride displayed no syuch powers when in prison. Nyee was weak and pathetic, too wrapped up in his delusions.”
Felix’s body trembled as he continued to think about the monster that was Pride.

No matter what power he had, he knew he had to bring that monster down, for the sake of his liege.

 

Julius nodded his head. “But now he has several. For one he can use the unseen hands, like the late Archbishop of Sloth did.”

 

In truth none present but Julius, whose name was also eaten, faced Sloth directly. Thus no one could verify his claims.

Nevertheless they all believed the knight.

“Though he could only manifest six or seven hands, from what I counted.” Julius explained.

 

“So a lesser version of the Sloth Authority I suppose?” Beatrice tilted her head, confused.

 

“What else is there?” Wilhelm asked, carefully trying to take the measure of their enemy.

 

Julius nodded his head. “The reports of him wielding dark flames were accurate. I couldn’t ascertain their nature but weakness invaded my body when I came into contact with them. He also returned the damage I dealt to him back onto my body.”

 

“Huh.” Al remarked. “Odd set of abilities. You sure he didn’t touch you to use that last one?”

 

“It could have been a curse, in fact.” Beatrice added.

 

Julius shook his head. “No, I am certain that Pride did not manage to lay a hand upon me.”

 

“So this wretch has an array of powers, rather than the singular abilities of the other Archbishops.”

 

“That’s correct, from all we can tell.” Julius said.

 

“That lynes up with nyour reports.” Felix added. “But what about his magic?”

 

“Yes Julius, continue, there were more in the reports.” Anastasia prompted her knight to continue. As she listened, the merchant continued to hold her scarf, half-paying attention to her knight and half of her mind on something else.

 

Julius sighed. “Pride also employed the use of an array of six near-spirits. It's clear he likely has a contract with them somehow. Like myself he has one for each elemental affinity, as if he wishes to mock me. He also was deploying yin magic in our battle rather liberally. It seems to be the affinity he has.”

 

“Yes, Pride is a yin elemental user.” Felix confirmed. “But with his damaged gyate he couldn’t use magic on his nyown.” 

 

“Spirits?” Beatrice questioned, clearly surprised by this. “What spirits would contract with an Archbishop I suppose? Especially one so repulsive such as he.”

 

Emilia nodded her head slowly. “That doesn’t make much sense. Spirits are normally so kind. Why would they work with someone so duplicitous like Pride?” 

The half-elf girl lightly gripped her gemstone that contained the sleeping Puck. She knew that spirits could be hostile, but for a spirit to work with an Archbishop like Pride was unthinkable. 

Her head continued to sting, as she thought more deeply about Pride, the most uncomfortable the half-elf felt. She wished to be done with this feeling. For this monster to go away and take away the unease that he heralded. 

 

Julius shook his head. “I could not tell you. I can only assume among his array of powers that one allowed him to subvert the wills or hearts of those spirits. Infect them with the delusions he possesses.”
Julius tensed at the thought, every single action Pride took only deepened his loathing for the creature. 

 

“If that is true, he would be a most disgusting person in fact.” Beatrice muttered bitterly.

 

“He just wants to ruin everything he touches.” Rem muttered, anger still swelling within her.
While she may not have memories of her home, she understood how Wicked the Witch Cult was.

She would never forgive them, never offer any of them mercy.

 

“Which is why we need a plan.” Wilhelm interjected to get the meeting back on track. “With such an array of abilities, Pride poses a unique threat when compared to the Archbishops.”

 

“Well it's clear the bastard is targeting us indirectly for now.” Felt muttered. “Probably too afraid for a head on fight. So how about we force him into one. If he’s avoiding Reinhard then we drive him towards the rest of us!” She declared.

 

“You make it sound so simple sewer-rat.” Priscilla scoffed. “But this Archbishop has already danced circles around you and your feeble minds.”

 

“Grr! Maybe I'll give you a few knocks in the head and see how clearly you’re thinking then you damned bitch! How about you do something useful and…!”

A messenger then burst into the room. “Pride just attacked again!”

 

“What wyhere!” Felix leapt to his feet, demanding an answer.

 

Reinhard prepared to rush to wherever the danger was

 

The messenger bit his lip. “The Juukulius estate.”

 

***

 

Pride returned to the woods, his work for the night was done. At his back was a mansion, half in ruins, the other half still ablaze.

Many of its staff were dead, others fled.

Orion didn’t care much for them, most of the dead were those that fought him.

 

But Orion came to send a message to the former finest of knights, and so he did.

Julius’ parents were in critical condition, his mom more so than his father. Orion didn’t want them dead yet, he didn’t want to break Julius fully…

Yet

But he wanted Julius to hurt.

He wanted that self-righteous asshole to be afraid.

 

So he did one more thing.

He fetched one of the ‘sleeping beauties’ that were left in Priestella, Joshua.

Forgotten by the world and locked into eternal sleep.

 

And so Orion butchered him.

 

Left his corpse in the mansion along with a note that simply stated who this was and how he had his name and memories eaten by gluttony.

And now his life was taken by Pride.

 

Given their resemblance, Subaru knew that Julius may at least consider that it might be true.

And even that tiny seed would be enough to torment Julius.

 

But the punishment for the knights, for the entire kingdom, was only just beginning.

In this if…

-Pride, aka Orion, attacked the Juukulis estate as an opening salvo against Julius. While he killed the comatose Joshua, he critically injured Julius’ parents. His father was mained and his mother is in a coma. He did not want to kill them just yet but plans to do so later.

-Subaru’s mindset as Orion is beginning to stabilize into something ‘new’ that is not quite what it was before but something far more viscous. In many ways he’s a combination of Alcor’s coldness, Pride Subaru’s dramatics and mocking humor, with Wrath Subaru’s lack of faith in people as a whole. Functionally this makes him more dangerous than all of them.

-Orion’s six spirits have evolved into near-spirits but he also travels with a host of lesser spirits, his authorities and help from Satella is aiding him in this regard.

-Subaru’s imprisonment cycle in this Re:Forgotten variant was among his worst and more brutal. Almost everyone had some part to play in his breakdown over the loops, hence why even the Satella side of Satella/Envy is willing to let the world burn.

Notes:

In case it wasn't obvious, characters are slightly more OC than usual compared to their Re:zero selves.
Proper revenge paths require leaning a bit more into the worst aspects of each character, to be satisfying at least.
So this short is meant to set that part up.

Hope you all enjoyed. Probably doing a departure extra next.

Chapter 6: Path of Revenge and Shadow-Extra 4

Summary:

Subaru pays a visit to the Karsten estate

Wilhelm Van Astrea proceeded through the Karsten estate, carrying a small tray with a cup of tea in hand. He let out a deep sigh as he remained vigilant. After the disaster that struck the Jukulius estate a few days prior, he suspected that the wretched Archbishop of Pride might try to attack the Karsten estate as well.

Such was the reason that a greater contingent of knights and guards were posted to the estate. As Crusch was a duchess and dragon candidate whose knight was one of the key figures detaining Pride, she was considered a likely target for the madman. 

Wilhelm’s gaze shifted to a knight standing in the hallway. He was standing sentry with a stony look on his face, wary for the possible appearance of the archbishop. 

 

Pride…

 

Something about that accursed Archbishop made the old swordsman’s blood boil. The man was unsettling, and now a blight upon the kingdom that seemed to attack them far more relentlessly than the other cultists did.

The wretched cult that used her beloved’s body. While the White Whale may or may not have killed her, the Witch Cult clearly disgraced her more than anything else.

The flames of vengeance had been lit again within the old man, who now sought to tear down the Archbishops who led that wicked cult, to make them pay for what they did to his beloved wife. The fact that Pride escaped when they had him in their grasp, it was a sloppy carelessness he could not forgive, even himself. So he and Felix had bonded over this newfound hatred for the cult.

 

Still, none of these darker thoughts visibly crossed the swordsman’s face. He kept himself composed and proper, as a butler should be. Even as he felt the ever-present urge to draw his sword.

 

He then entered the room of his lady.

 

His lady, Crusch Karsten, lay in her bed. The place where she spent most of her time these days due to the affliction that was forced upon her by the Archbishop of Lust.

Her once proud and strong figure was reduced to one of weakness, sickly black veins ran along her body and up her neck. Her once bold movements were reduced to a fragile creak and her face wore an ever-present mask of weariness. 

 

Felix Argyle was tending to her as best he could, using his healing magic to soothe her pain. His singular focus was upon her, using what magic he could to treat her symptoms, since try as he might, and to his ever-growing frustration, he could not treat the root. 

 

“My lady, your evening tea.” Wilhelm presented it to the duchess, placing it at her side.

 

“My thanks… Sir Wilhelm.” The duchess slowly picked up the teacup and brought it to her lips. She could do this much at least, she figured.

 

“Lady Crusch, be careful not to strain yourself.” Felix warned with a trembling voice. 

 

She shook her head. “It’s quite alright Ferris.” She smiled at him, warmly. She would always give a warm smile to the person who was always there for her. “I can handle this much.”

 

Felix let out a slight sigh but returned the smile. Any scrap of strength from his precious Crusch, strength that reminded him of her original self, was something to be treasured. 

 

Crusch slowly put the tea down as she let out a deep breath. She looked between the two men that cared for her. “Wilhelm… Ferris… I… thank you both, for everything.” 

 

Felix smiled brightly. “There is no need Lady Crusch!” Felix insisted.

 

Wilhelm bowed his head. “Felix is correct. To protect and provide for you is our duty.”

 

She looked between the two and slowly nodded her head. “Yes, I guess you are correct. Still—thank you both.”

 

Wilhelm bowed again before excusing himself.

 

He returned downstairs, he still had a few more duties, some personal, that he had to attend to for the night.

 

Whatever those plans were, they were interrupted by a loud scream and a crashing sound.

 

Wilhelm raced to the source of the commotion with his sword drawn and in hand.

 

Standing in the central hall of the manor, surrounded by several guards, was the Archbishop himself, with six near-spirits orbiting him. 

 

He was clad in black attire, with a fur-lined cloak clearly made of Mabeast hide. In his hand he held a whip that had yin magic coated along its length, making it look like the Archbishop was wielding a whip of shadows.

Wilhelm’s senses told him to be wary. Even his experience fighting yin magic specialists was limited, but he knew enough that spatial distortion was an aspect of yin magic.

His opponent was an Archbishop, however weak he seemed before, he was not a threat to be underestimated, especially not now after so many knights had died.

 

“Seize him!” one of the knights shouted as two charged in towards the Archbishop.

 

The sword demon kept his blade raised. This was not a foe that merited honor, only his contempt. He would strike when the Archbishop left himself vulnerable. 

He kept his stance steady as suddenly a wave of complete nausea assailed his body, even making him flinch slightly. 

Taking a step back, he realized that something had changed, his instincts screaming at him about the danger ahead. “Pull back!” He shouted to the knights.

 

But they were already too close. One knight had his blade blocked by an invisible force and then found himself locked in place.

 

The other knight dodged a blast of black fire that erupted from Pride’s hand, only for Pride to swing the whip he was holding around. The shadowy whip responded to his command without question and lashed at the knight.

 

The knight moved his sword to block, but found his blade cleaved in two by the whip followed by the rest of his body, bisecting him.

 

“You bastard!” Another knight shouted and charged in, all were now wary of the whip as the moved to apprehend Pride.

 

The knight being held by Pride quickly had his neck snapped as Pride turned his attention towards the rest of the knights.

 

It was at this point that Wilhelm charged in himself. He did not know too much about what Pride could do, Pride left very few survivors.

The best report came from Julius, Garfiel, and Rem.

 

But it was enough to tell the sword demon to be wary.

He could manage invisible attacks, he had dealt with that before. 

Pride’s weakening flames he could also handle, it was a projectile after all.

The true issue was Pride’s apparent ability to reverse damage inflicted upon him.

 

With that in mind, the sword demon knew that his target was Pride’s neck.

I must aim for a single decisive blow, anything less than that will end up a wound upon myself. I must take his head.

 

Pride’s near-spirits had already sprung into action, unleashing a flurry of elemental attacks in all directions, only the Yin and Yang spirit did not act. The yang spirit was instead focused upon empowering Pride, while the Yin spirit suddenly cast forth a shamak.

 

“Not good enough!” Wilhelm declared as he slashed through the encroaching darkness.

The other knights did likewise, none of them were weak enough to fall prey to a simple shamak. 

 

But the shamak had already done its job for Pride. The momentary pause allowed him to bring out his newest card.

 

A corpse was standing alongside Pride. It was rotted and half-decayed , wielding two knight’s swords in its hand. The corpse let out an inhuman scream as it leapt forth towards Wilhelm with its blades ready to strike.

 

Wilhelm was forced to block and parry the creature as it moved with surprising agility and finesse. “What is this?!” he questioned as he quickly took a defensive stance to gauge this new foe. 

 

An undead thing of some description, though it was not a corpse soldier like his wife was. Wilhelm’s gaze narrowed further.

So you can use the dead as well then Pride? How repulsive.

He had gained a special loathing for such abilities since Prestella.

It made his fury towards the Archbishop all the more fiery, his blood running red hot. 

 

Wilhelm quickly began to assess the style of his opponent. It was measured and controlled but at the same time forceful and direct, and he realized quickly it was fighting with a style orthodox among many of the knights of Lugunica. It was a style he could easily contend with, and so he adjusted, parrying the blows and preparing to counter. As he did so, he found the moves of the corpse to become even more aggressive, its style twitching to a relentless and aggressive offense that forced the sword demon to parry, block, and dodge yet again.

Wilhelm adjusted again and pressed the offense, but then found the corpse switching to a flowing and elegant style that parried his now direct blows against the creature. 

Wilhelm’s vision narrowed, he couldn’t singularly focus on this foe.

 

As he battled this corpse, Pride was fighting the knights, dodging their blows and blocking with invisible force.

One knight had already fallen victim to the black flames and was now motionless on the ground as he burned.

Another knight had his head ripped from his skull.

 

Meanwhile, other screams erupted from around the manor, just as several huge monkey mabeasts burst into the manor.

 

“Tsk.” Wilhelm’s frustration grew, he knew he had to deal with this corpse now.

So at risk to everything else around him, he focused solely on the creature before him.

 

Every time he adjusted to how the creature fought, its style changed, cycling through techniques and forms at a greater and greater rate. Its overall style was randomized, chaotic, a flurry of techniques which most swordsmen could not adapt to. Some of these styles were performed professionally, and others masterfully. 

 

Wilhelm parried a wide swing aimed for his neck.

Wilhelm sidestepped a series of rapid stabs aimed at his chest.

As the corpse unleashed a flurry of steel swings aiming for his limbs, he parried them all aside.

As the corpse brought down his blade for a power blow, Wilhelm blocked and pushed the creature back.

 

There was too much variance.

It was too random.

Wilhelm did not feel like he was fighting a singular swordsman, but many swordsmen who were constantly taking each other’s place.

 

I can think about the why and how later, but that is how this creature functions!

 

With the pattern realized, Wilhelm knew he had to wait for the right moment, to not let the creature switch before he was able to deal a decisive blow.

 

He let himself fall into a defensive stance again, prompting the corpse to unleash a flurry of randomized and chaotic blows against the sword demon. 

 

Steel rang against steel as the corpse, with a wide rictus grin upon its face, struck again and again with slashes, swings, and stabs. 

 

Each was deftly blocked by the Sword Demon, who retained his perfect composure.

 

He then saw the opening, allowing the undead being to commit too heavily to attack.

 

Wilhelm stepped forward and unleashed a savage barrage of sword swings, his blade thrusting and slashing through the air with relentless force and keen precision.

 

The corpse was ripped to shreds in under a second, its head, limbs, and torso were all severed from each other before falling to the ground. 

 

A dark reddish mist rose from the remains but simply rushed back towards Pride.

 

Wilhelm did not have time to compose himself fully, two of the mabeasts were charging him. 

 

With a single slash the Sword Demon dispatched them both, and took stock of his surroundings.

 

Only a few knights were dead but he found no trace of Pride, the knights were fending off the swarm of mabeasts that had invaded, though at least one knight was racing down the hall, back from where Wilhelm had come from. 

 

“No…” He muttered, as he realized that Pride’s distractions had worked.

 

Like the wind itself, the Sword Demon raced back towards his liege, hoping he was not too late.

He refused to fail again.

 

By the time Wilhelm arrived at the door—before anyone else, he found a sheet of black magic barring entry to the room through the doorway.

 

He quickly slashed through the walls, only to find that the black walls wrapped around the entire circumference of the room.

 

The sword demon steadied himself, letting his energies course along his blade. He then slashed through the yin magic barrier, again and again until it finally dissipated. 

 

As the shadows dispersed, the scene became clear before him.

 

One of the knights guarding Crusch was dead, his neck snapped as he lay crumpled on the ground.

Another knight was incapacitated with mangled legs.

Felix himself was straining and thrashing about on the ground, snarling and glaring hatefully at Pride. “Pride! Nyew! Get away! Get away from her!” he screamed and thrashed as he tried to crawl forward.

Felix was being pinned down by an invisible force. Meanwhile the black flames coated his body, weakening him further and further still. But through sheer mad determination, the healer inched closer and closer towards the bed. Clawing forward even as his body was wracked by agony, weakness, and a force that threatened to pulp him against the ground. Even as his bones creaked and snapped, the cat-boy pushed himself forward.

“Damn Nyew! Damn Nyew!” Felix screamed as tears ran down his face.

 

Pride stood atop the bed of Crusch Karsten, his foot pressed down upon her chest to keep her pinned. 

He was bleeding onto her, a black substance from one of his hands.

“This is yours, I'm giving it back to you.” He replied coldly. “Fair is fair after all. Don’t see why I should be holding onto your curse.”

He let out a cold and cruel chuckle.

If one were to pay attention, one could maybe understand the hints of sorrow in Pride’s voice.

But none present would even consider sympathetic thoughts for the Archbishop.

 

The Duchess screamed out in agony as she was infected by more of the dragon-blood curse.

The same curse that the boy had once selflessly taken some of the burden off from her, he was now returning it back to her.

He saw no reason to carry a pain that rightfully belonged to her. 

 

The healer on the floor let out a pained scream that mirrored that of his lady as he writhed like a worm against his restraints. He glared with absolute hatred towards the so-called Archbishop, wishing to tear him limb from limb himself. 

 

Wilhelm did not need even a second to act. He raced towards Pride, his blade intending to lop his head off from his body. 

The yin spirit around Pride then activated, calling forth a torrent of darkness far greater than Shamak. 

El Shamak, a powerful one at that. 

The sword demon lost control of his senses for several seconds as he struggled against the darkness.

 

By the time he emerged from it, the scene had changed yet again.

 

Crusch Karsten was writhing in agony upon the bed.

Felix Argyle had stood himself up and was already desperately tending to her with tears in his eyes.

And Pride was nowhere to be found, the outer wall of the room was destroyed, leading to night outside.

Notes:

I'm back!
Turns out I had less time to write on vacation than I thought.
For the next few weeks I'll be back to high speed uploads, I hope.
Next month work starts up again so I may slow down but we'll see, probably not too much.

 

This chapter was going to have another section centered around Felix, but it was already long enough so I'll save that for next time.

Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 7: Path of Revenge and Shadow-Extra 5

Summary:

Felix has a VERY VERY Bad day.

The young mabeast user known as Meili was sleeping against the base of a tree in the middle of the Lugunican woods.
Close by, another figure was soundly sleeping—though as he did so, shadows pooled and writhed beneath and around him.
Within the dreams of the sleeping figure, he conversed with the one who mattered most to him in the world.
Indeed, she was the only person that mattered to him.

Within their shared realm of shadows, the two planned their next move—scheming the downfall of the Dragon Kingdom and the Witch Cult.

Or that was what they should have been doing, but as per usual, the two got sidetracked by indulging in each other’s presence.

He was resting with his head upon her lap, her fingers brushing through his hair with tender affection.

“I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you,” she repeated softly and slowly as her hand caressed his cheek.

He allowed himself to smile back at her. “I know. I love you too, Satella.”

She let out a girlish giggle. “Ah, please, please say it again!”

“What? Really? You know I do,” he chuckled.

She pouted. “I want to hear you say it, you stupid meanie!”

He let out a sigh. “If it's what you really want, then sure. I love you, my Tella-tan.”
He reached out and softly played with her silver hair.

She let out another girlish squeal. “Oh, my beloved, stay with me forever, please.”

“Well, that’s the plan—eventually.” He let out a sigh. “But we need to take care of all our remaining business first.”
He then stretched his arms out.
“Speaking of which, we have to get back to it.”

“Must we?” Satella asked, like it was a chore she didn’t want to deal with.

“Yes, we do. I’m not letting it slide, and I doubt you are going to either,” he replied.

She nodded her head. Truthfully, she wished for nothing but woe upon the world that broke her beloved, that reduced him to such a state.
But even so, she would love it still—they would share their scorn.

The old her would never dream of such a thing, not when she was sane at the very least.
But the injury inflicted upon her beloved broke her once otherwise saintly nature.
She saw no reason to restrain her destructive nature anymore—not as she used to.
In tormenting her beloved, the world had turned the Witch into the very thing they thought she was.

“So, do you have any suggestions?” he asked her, still lying on her lap.

She paused for a few moments. “Well, you are reeeeally strong when you use my gate, but I’m not sure it will be enough. You can only use so much of it and for so long.”

Subaru sighed. “Yeah, I figured as much. Wilhelm took my head off a few times in Karsten Manor, and even fighting the knights still takes me a few tries to get it right at least. It may have only been a couple of weeks since I escaped, but I've lived through months of this.”

She nodded her head. “You had an element of surprise to your first fights too.” Her shoulders slumped. “They’ll be anticipating Cor Leonis’s ability to redirect injury and understand its limitations. Even if you can endure the pain, your ability to transfer it will begin to lag as the fight continues on. They will try to overwhelm you. The death beast is also… lacking.”

He groaned. “Yeah, I can tell. Seems like it has a limit to how ‘good’ it can be with only part of the Gluttony Authority. Hunting down the other Archbishops is going to be a pain. What do you think we should do next then?”

Satella stared into his eyes, lightly rubbing his face.

“Satella?”

She continued to stare into them, getting lost within them as she leaned in.

“Earth to Satella, this is Subaru here!” he shouted.

She recoiled back and winced. “Oh! Sorry! Sorry! I got, umm, lost in thought! Yeah! That’s right.”

He rolled his eyes and laughed. “Honestly, what am I going to do with you? But in all seriousness, I need more power. Meili is a good piece and really helpful, but I'm not sure she’ll be with me all the way in this. We won’t find many people outside the Witch Cult willing to burn the world down.”

Satella pondered and thought about it some more. “We could try for the Pride Authority? I don’t think it has an owner yet.”

Subaru blinked as he considered the option. “That… that could work. We’ll need to grab it at some point, and it's probably easier than hunting down the rest of Gluttony or finding Lust.”

“So… we’ll go after the Pride Authority next?” Satella asked.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. Just going to wrap up a few things here first. I need something to keep them occupied for a little while before I go off to find it.”

With that, the plan of the Fallen Sage and the Witch of Envy was set.

 

***

 

Crusch Karsten was laying in her bed, sleeping—at last—after hours of agony.
Her body writhed with pain, greater than she had suffered in all the prior months.
Whereas before she could speak with some facsimile of strength, now only weakness and pain remained.

It took the continuous effort of Felix to finally bring her to a state where she could relax, employing not just magic, but whatever drugs he could find that would ease her pain.

And now, with her resting soundly for the first time in days, the healer would weep.

Nyew don’t deserve this, Lady Crusch.

Felix shook his head.

Nyew are the last person who deserves this. Why? Why does this have to happen to nyew?

His tears fell at her bedside as he gripped his own head tightly—so tightly that his fingers might burrow into his skull.

Useless! Useless! Useless! Ferri has been useless! I can barely even keep Lady Crusch alive!
Damnit! Damnit! Damnit! Ferri has been worthless! Worthless! Worthless! Worthless!

He continued to tremble, shaking in sorrow and in rage.

But it’s not just Ferri. Ferri has been trying. Ferri has done his best.
Everyone else has been so incompetent!
They let Pride escape. They continue to let him run amok over the kingdom!
Even Wilhelm couldn’t stop him from getting to Lady Crusch again!

Felix remembered when Pride burst into the room, incapacitating the guards.
Felix was helpless as Pride gripped him with an invisible force and threw him down against the floor.
Felix knew that if it weren’t for his regeneration, his bones would have been mangled to pulp by the force of Pride’s impacts.
Felix tried to fight—he snarled and screamed.
But Pride only looked on at Felix with cold contempt in his empty eyes.
Unleashing that accursed black flame, Felix felt his strength leaving his body.
But even still, the healer struggled. He raged, he screamed, he writhed within the grasp of Pride’s power.
But it was not enough.
He could only watch on helplessly and pathetically as Pride delivered a slow and painful death sentence to his lady.
Afflicting her with the dragon blood that coursed through his arm, forcing her to take its burden.
Her screams of renewed agony still echoed within Felix’s mind.

Incompetent and useless! Everyone is incompetent!

He screamed internally. He blamed himself in part, that was for sure.
But he could not help but blame everyone else more.
Felix was working tirelessly and desperately to try and save his lady.
In the healer’s mind, everyone else’s efforts had been sorely lacking.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.
The door was opened by Wilhelm, and a knight entered the room.
He was Markus Garm, a high-ranking knight a few years older than Julius, with long dark red hair.

“Blue, there has been a sighting of Pride in a village southwest of the capital.
If we go now, we may be able to catch up to him.”

Felix leapt to his feet. “Are nyew sure?”

“As sure as we can be. Are you going or aren’t you? I’m having a team assembled as we speak.”
Markus’s voice was cold and measured.
He took umbrage with the repeated insult to the knights that was Pride’s continued existence.
He was determined to end it.

Felix looked down at his lady, softly resting his fingers against her cheek.
I’m doing everything for nyew, Lady Crusch.

He stared up at the knight, looking between him and Wilhelm.
“Lyets go!”

***

The journey to the village where Pride was spotted was brief—too brief.

He got careless, thinking that he wouldn't be recognized with a basic disguise.
But there were certain key traits those in the public were told to watch out for.
That is what the healer thought.
We will get nyew, Pride. We won’t let you rampage anymore.
The healer thought with hatred in his heart.

In the end, as they approached the village near which Pride had spent a few nights, a commotion broke out.
A lone figure was seen darting away from the village.

The knights quickly gave chase—Felix, Wilhelm, and Markus at the head.

Rushing into the woods, Felix shouted, “Come out, Pride, you coward! We won’t let you escape this time!”

They had only a dozen knights with them. But several were elites, including Markus.
Wilhelm was unquestionably a key asset—so much so that Pride did not seem willing to engage him personally within the Karsten estate.
But now they were ready for him.
That is what the healer was telling himself—that vindication and justice would soon be at hand.

“Show yourself, you damned Archbishop!” Markus shouted, blade drawn.

“Get out here, you bastard!” another knight shouted.

A mage among the knights was prepared to counteract Shamak—a spell they’d found Pride seemed to favor.

“Be ready for him,” Markus warned.

Anxiety festered within the healer’s heart. He could already tell that something was deeply wrong.

There was silence for several seconds, save for the blowing of the wind—
And then a shot rang out.

A rain of purple crystals erupted from the shadows between the trees.

Most of the knights moved to dodge, but one found his arm clipped and quickly crystallized, shattering as he screamed, “Gah, my arm!”

“You damned fiend!” another knight called out.

“Dyammit!” Felix shouted.

The barrage of crystals was instantly followed by an eruption of smoke and steam that filled the area.
A figure leapt between the knights, clashing blades with Markus and another knight—
Pride’s apparent ‘pet corpse’ that fought on his behalf.

From other angles, blades of wind and ice shot into the crowd of knights, who quickly worked to defend themselves and return fire.

Pride’s spirits!

Felix realized that the Archbishop must have dispersed the spirits under his control to bombard them from all sides.

But the machinations of near-spirits would not be enough to halt them.

Still, the anxiety within the healer’s guts became sickness-inducing nausea.
Some part of him knew this could only go poorly—
But that just made him hate the Archbishop all the more.

Pride then leapt out from between the trees, though he did not even have his whip drawn.

Wilhelm did not hesitate for even a moment and charged through alongside another knight.

The Sword Demon’s speed and power were too great for Pride to annihilate with his black flames.

But before the Sword Demon could make contact, a wave of complete nausea engulfed all who were present—
As shadows erupted forth from Pride.

Felix realized too late that Pride had engaged with his arms already broken and wounds covering his body.

Nyo… Nyew monster.

Wilhelm found both his arms suddenly broken in several areas.
He tried to hold onto his blade, but the pain was simply too great, and he was forced to drop it.
He changed his charge into a sweeping kick against Pride.
It was blocked by Pride’s invisible arms, but the Archbishop was still sent flying backwards.

As he did, another knight moved to finish Pride off, rushing at him with a blade aimed right at his head.

That was when the shadows of the darkest Shamak they had ever experienced engulfed them all.

Vanished into a world of absolute darkness, Felix could not see anything.
Any sounds felt like far-off echoes from an uncertain direction

 

He was left alone with his thoughts, quickly trying to think of what he could do to help against Pride in this situation.
He felt useless.
He felt worthless.
Pride, you’re going to keep going, aren’t nyew! You’re enjoying this! Enjoying making people afraid and terrified!
Why do nyew make everything around you rot!

It was several agonizing seconds before the darkness faded, but much of the damage was already done by that point.

Three knights had been taken out already.
The one whose arm was shattered found the rest of his body crystallized.
One had his body mangled, his head twisted backwards.
The last was a corpse engulfed by black flames.

Two more knights were incapacitated, launched into the air by a gravitational spell of yin magic that was unknown to Felix.
If they were lesser men, Felix would expect them to be dead on impact.

That left only half a dozen combat-ready men.

Felix rushed over to Wilhelm, quickly healing the Sword Demon’s arms.

If Pride would weaponize injury in some profane fashion, Felix was determined to undo all that Pride sought to accomplish.
Nyew get more disgusting by the day, Pride.
It’s as if the entire being of the Archbishop existed to mock the catboy.
At least, that was how he saw it.

Markus had finished cutting down the corpse pet of Pride, setting it ablaze with a fiery Goa spell as he turned to face the Archbishop.

Two knights were contending with Pride’s invisible hands, trying to fight their way through.

Another two knights were defending themselves and others from the barrage of spirits surrounding Pride—warding off an elemental onslaught.

Wilhelm stayed back, waiting for the right moment as he readied his blade.

Markus conjured forth a torrent of flames above his head. “Ul Goa!”

He then directed that flame as a focused beam of fire aimed right at Pride.

Pride met the attack with a stream of his own black flames—the flames of magic meeting the flames of wrath.

But Pride’s flames were not about annihilation, but weakening.
So the powerful torrent of Markus’s magic pushed forward and overwhelmed Pride’s flames.
But they were weakened enough for Pride.

As the flames collided with Pride, engulfing him, he didn’t even let out a scream.

Wilhelm saw it as the time to strike and rushed forward, intent on taking Pride’s head.

“Nyew got him!” Felix shouted, ready to heal whoever needed it.

But the Sword Demon was too slow.
Or he wasn’t—rather, Pride’s timing was perfect.

Pride wrapped himself in shadows as suddenly one of the two knights enduring the multi-elemental assault was forced to his knees, screaming, burns covering his body.
That lapse in defense was lethal for him and the other knight who was with him.
Both were immediately assailed with fire, wind, earth, and bolts of light.

The knight who took the burns died instantly.
The other knight was forced to the ground before being launched into the air by the earth erupting beneath his feet.

Sent flying into the air, that same knight tried to recover—
But was then blasted back by the wind.

Wilhelm continued his charge within that split moment, cutting through the various spells that assailed him.
His goal was Pride’s head.
Nothing would stop him from taking it.

As he cut through the shadow Pride was encased in, Wilhelm found his blade striking nothing but air.
His instincts were sharp enough to save him as he quickly pivoted around, blocking a barrage of elemental and shadowy attacks as Pride reappeared a short distance away.

The shadows writhed around them as one of the knights screamed—his legs suddenly broken from beneath him.

Felix rushed over to him and the other downed knights, knowing that he had to heal them to get them back into the fight.
No! No! No! He’s slipping through our fingers again!

Markus and Wilhelm both charged the Archbishop, intent on finishing this quickly before he could recover.

Shadows then engulfed the entire field again.

Once again, Felix could only hear the distorted echoes of others, as if they were far away in the distance.
That was—until he felt himself grabbed by the neck.

“Let’s talk,” he heard Pride’s voice echo into his ear.

He suddenly felt himself displaced, as if he was shunted a distance away.

 

As light returned to Felix’s vision, he found himself thrown onto the ground.
His eyes darted around, and he realized that he was in a different part of the woods.

Standing over him was the Archbishop of Pride.
“Hello, Felix. Long time no see.”
Bloodstains covered the Archbishop, but there were no wounds apparent upon his body.

“Hyow… Hyow are you… Hyow did you…?”

“I made it a problem for Old Man Wilhelm and the other knights,” he remarked casually.
His friendly tone was practically mocking.
“For an old geezer, the Sword Demon sure can handle injury. Guess it comes from experience—though he might have trouble fighting with both his legs shattered. It really hurts, you know. If he muscled through that, he would’ve totally taken my head off.”
Pride let out a dry, almost mournful chuckle.
“Most of the rest are probably dead or wishing they were. Too bad they don’t have a healer. Since I needed to abscond with you for a little… chat.”

At that last word, the friendliness in Pride’s tone faded, replaced by a cold and hostile edge.

“Nyew… how did you… Nyew tricked us, didn’t you! You pretended to be weak! All that innocence nyew proclaimed was an act! Nyewer just a wretched, disgusting cultist who plays with people’s lives!” Felix shouted as he slowly stood himself up.

Pride let him do so.

I jyust nyeed to touch him. He hyas to focus to transfer injuries. If I shut down his body instantly, then I win!
Felix glared at him, waiting for the perfect moment.

“Is that what you think? I don’t think I ever lied to you, Felix, if I’m being honest,” he shrugged casually.

“What a joke!” Felix spat. “You claimed you were our friend! But you have bycome a byutcher! Nyew have killed so many knights! You dared to hurt my Lady Crusch!”

Pride shook his head. “Geeze, being tortured by the people you care about… yeah, I think that would crack most people. Especially with my condition.”

“Nyew… Nyew! This is all a sick joke to you!” Felix stomped his foot and took a step forward toward him. “Nyew disgusting cultist!”

“A joke?” Pride crossed his arms and seemed to give the matter some thought.
“I mean… maybe?”
He let out another dry chuckle—only this one was cold and haunting.
“Can’t tell if it’s a good joke or not, and at whose expense. Maybe I’ll have to ask Crusch. This must be hilarious for her, all things considered.”
Pride’s face morphed into a sick and wicked grin.

Felix couldn’t stand it any longer. “DYAMN NYEW!”
He reached out with his hands to touch Pride, but found himself unable to move—his arms and legs bound in place as he squirmed in the air.

“Sadly, I don’t got much time to ‘chat’ again with you, Felix. But I’m just going to make one thing clear.  I’d have done everything I could to help Crusch.  Maybe I could’ve even done something.”
He leaned in close.
“So I’m going to show you that your precious lady’s life is in my hands now and forever.”

Felix winced as he suddenly felt his arms twisted and mangled into an unnatural shape—Pride folding his limbs like a pretzel.

“And just to make sure you don’t follow me too quickly.”

A jet of black flame leapt from Pride’s hand and onto the catboy healer.
Felix screamed out as his entire body was engulfed by the flames, sapping his strength and his ability to heal himself—though not depriving him of it entirely.
The shadowy unseen hands of Pride continued to contort and twist his body, bending his limbs backward, snapping them, and twisting them in on themselves.
The catboy was then smashed into the ground, his body nearly reduced to a flaming pulp.
But he was still alive—his ludicrous regeneration allowed for that.

He couldn’t see Pride anymore—his eyes having melted in their sockets.

All Felix could do was scream out in frustration and rage at the monster who did this to him,
Who he now blamed for the woes in his life.
All he could do was hate Pride.

***

 

Crusch Karsten was sleeping, somewhat peacefully, for the first time in days.
She dreamed of nothing—a side effect of the powerful drugs Felix had medicated her with to allow her some rest.

That rest was disturbed when she felt herself unceremoniously dropped onto the ground.
“Gahghuk!”

As she was roused back to awareness, the pain of her curse wracked her body yet again.

She opened her eyes to find herself in the woods, hands tied behind her back and ankles bound together.

Standing before her was a figure she had only seen once, a few nights prior.
But this figure had come to define the world around her.
This figure was the Archbishop of Pride.

“Well, good seeing you again, Crusch. But you always seem to be in a worse state every time I see you. That’s some sort of sick joke life has going for you, huh?”
He mused in a voice that was simultaneously friendly, yet hostile.

Crusch glared at the figure. “What… have you come to finish me off?”
Crusch Karsten was afraid.
She knew that the old Crusch would never have such fear, even with a broken body and imminent death awaiting her.
She knew she was a figure whose pride would never be broken.
But she did not feel like that woman anymore, and so she was afraid.
Still, to honor the person she used to be, she would wear the mask of a lion’s pride—even if this was her ending.

“If you’ve taken me… I guess you killed Ferris then.”
She realized what her kidnapping implied.
That those who defended her had likely fallen to the Archbishop.

Pride shook his head. “Well, they aren’t dead, but they aren’t having a great time putting themselves back together.”

“I see… are you going to kill me to mock them then? Use my life for your twisted means?”
She glared at the Archbishop.

He chuckled again. “Well, you’re half right. I’m here to prove a point. Heck, that’s all I’ve been doing the last few days.”
He got down on one knee.
With a blank expression on his face, he reached out and touched her.
His entire body tensed, while hers felt lighter still.

It took her several seconds to realize what was happening—
That he was taking on the dragon blood curse, far more than he had before.

It moved to cover his arms and legs, retreating from her with greater and greater intensity. By the time he pulled away, she was not cured—but she felt that she was at least half as cursed as she was before.

She was at a loss for words. “Why did you…”

“To prove a point to that damned cat,” he said as he stood up.
“That I’m the one who decides when you live or die, Crusch Karsten.”  He stared down at her.

She shuddered as she met his gaze.
She could not help it.

In his eyes, she was not a person, but a thing—something lesser.

“But killing you—while it would drive him up a wall—is pointless.
I don’t want you dying until you remember who I am.”

She gasped as she felt herself lifted up by invisible hands, forced upright.

He continued to stare at her weakened frame, as if he were contemplating what he should do next.
“But I don’t want Felix thinking I’m too nice a guy.  No, we are far past that point.”
He took a step forward, meeting her eye to eye.

He stared at her for several seconds, and then grinned.
“Like I said, you’re partly right.  I am going to use you to fuck with Felix— And the rest of them.”

 

***

 

After being informed that Crusch Karsten was kidnapped, a great madness possessed the catboy healer.

Mounted atop a ground dragon, he raced back towards the Karsten. Wilhelm, Markus, and two other surviving knights followed closely behind.

 

Nyo! Nyo! Nyo! Nyo! Nyo!

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

 

Not a single coherent thought graced the healer’s mind as he raced back to save his lady. He was hoping, praying to all the spirits, the Divine Dragon, and Od Lagna itself that his lady was still alive.

“Pride! Nyew are the worst sort of monster!” 

He snarled under his breath.

 

By the time they got to the state, a trail had been discovered. 

 

There was a series of tracks, leading away from the mansion and deeper into the woods.

 

They were obviously a trap, but they had nothing else to go on.

 

Felix and Wilhelm refused to wait and followed the trail, several knights accompanying them.

 

At the end of that trail, several miles away, they were greeted by a wretched sight

 

Crusch Karsten was pinned to a pillar of earth raised from the ground, her clothes had been reduced to tattered and nearly indecent rags. Chains of metal held her while two solid spikes of ice magic pinned her to the pillar at her hands and feet.

Her arms and legs were mangled, as if smashed by a hammer.

She let out a weak groan as they approached, as if barely aware of her presence.

 

Felix let out a scream. “LADY CRUSCH!”

 

Markus shouted at the knights that accompanied them. “Get her down from there! Now!”

 

As she was carefully removed from the pillar, the state of Crusch’s body caught the healer’s eye.

That a majority of the dragon blood had been removed from her body. 

 

And along her back, written in her own blood, was a message for the healer.

 

“HER LIFE IS MINE!”

Notes:

So then, this is the 'other part' of the chapter I wanted to get to last time.

But it worked out better this way, this became one of my longest entries in the path yet.

There will be a slight time skip between what happens in this extra and the next. Subaru is going to go and level up.

Also yes, I used Subaru's name intentionally in the shadow garden.
Also yes, this back and forth with the dragon's blood is Subaru/Orion fucking with Felix.

Chapter 8: Path of Revenge and Shadow-Extra 6

Notes:

Well for once, what was going to be 2 chapters ended up being one.

This set of chapter was heavily inspired the events of "Ideas of a Lazy Person (SFW)" by Leo_el_random though I had a bit of my own twist so aside from general plot beats for how some things went down, consider this chapter mostly original.
I just thought it was some good ideas, though our Subaru's have wildly different goals for revenge.

Hope you all enjoy.

Orion stood within the dark woods of a forest as he practiced his new power.

There were three individuals, soldiers of the Empire of Vollachia, bound before him, each in a different sort of state.

One was still unharmed.

The other had a star-like brand upon his torso that glowed with a faint light. He was still alive, but silently stared at Orion with a calm look upon his face.

The final one was dead, his body seemingly burned from the inside out—a hollowed, charred, and withered corpse.

“Hmm, effective enough. I think I see how this works. Let's try it one more time,” Orion mused.

“Wait! No! Stop! Please!” the last soldier begged.

Orion’s hand ignited in a white blaze as he grabbed the head of the remaining soldier, who could only stare on in horror.
“You belong to me now,” Orion said in a cold and demanding voice.

The soldier screamed out as white flames consumed his body, before a star brand formed upon his chest.

The soldier’s expression then softened to match his branded peer, both staring up at Orion.

“Right then, I need to see how many I can keep at once,” Orion mused.

He cut the bindings on the two living soldiers. “Both of you stand up and get moving. Bring me a few more of your friends.”

“Yes sir.” Both soldiers obeyed his commands, leaving to find their peers.

A short time later, Orion was standing before a small host of branded soldiers—the survivors of a Vollachian patrol.

“Hmm, ten. Just like that former Archbishop. As for the rest...” He looked at the remains of the prisoners he had fetched, turned into hollowed-out corpses.

“It's a useful ability, my beloved! Now you can make other people’s strength into your own! You won’t have to fight alone anymore! Now you’ll be protected properly.”

The voice of his beloved rang within his mind.

Orion chuckled. “Well, I've never been alone as long as I’ve had you, Tella-tan.”

“Ahhhh! My beloved, you are too kind! Far, far too kind!” she squealed in his mind with girlish delight.

“Inquiry required: Have your tests concluded?” a voice rang out.

“Yeah, I’d say so. Really helps give me what I've been lacking,” Orion remarked to the newcomer.

A strange-looking Ryuzu clone approached Orion, staring over his controlled bodies. “It is more limited than my Sacrament of the Immortal King, but it is an appropriate ability to meet your needs.”
She was not a mere Ryuzu clone, but Sphynx—the only woman to be declared a Witch in Lugunica since the sealing of Satella.

“Exactly. How is your latest round of testing, anyways?”

“Response required: I believe results have proven satisfactory, and the corpse soldiers have been enhanced beyond their original specifications,” she replied.

“So you’re all set to head off to Vollachia then?” Orion asked.

Sphynx shook her head. “Delay required: To enact my alterations on a wider scale will require me to delay my plans by several weeks or months. A necessary delay to ensure the maximum probability of success.”

He nodded along. “Well, that makes sense. Can’t be too careful if you want to get everything right.” He patted her once on the head.

The young-looking witch blinked a few times—gestures like that commonly confused her.
“Thanks required.”

“Oh? What for?” Orion asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Explanation required: My improvements to the Sacrament of the Immortal King are due to your contributions. You have increased my likelihood for success.”

Orion shrugged his shoulders. “Well, don’t mention it. You were helpful in helping me find the Pride Witch Factor, and you gave my body a few much-needed enhancements.”

Orion had submitted himself to some basic modifications that the witch wished to apply to his body. Nothing too dramatic, but it allowed his body to be properly enhanced to a more superhuman level—mana crystals within his frame properly collecting and distributing mana throughout his body.

“Question required: So we shall be parting ways soon?” she asked. Her own voice surprised her with the sadness in its tone.

He sighed. “We’ve got different directions to head towards. I’m heading back into Lugunica proper to finish what I started.”

“Understood. I shall be heading to Vollachia. If my plans are successful, I shall redirect the army towards Lugunica in due time,” she explained.

“That’s fine by me. Even if it doesn’t work out, just come find me again and we’ll see what we can cook up together. Maybe I’ll even swing by your place if I get a few things settled quickly enough.”

“Acceptance required: Understood. Then we both have our respective plans. I wish you luck, Orion,” she said.

Orion turned his back to her. Snapping his fingers, the ten mind-controlled individuals suddenly burned to cinders.
“Same to you, Sphynx.”

“Hmmm... she’s a lot like Echidna, but I suppose she’s acceptable enough since she helped you out. But she is not taking you from me! You are mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! My love!”
Satella’s voice echoed in his mind once again.

Orion laughed. “Always the possessive sort, Tella-tan. Don’t worry, you are the only one for me now. Don’t think I could really love anyone connected to Echidna like that anyways.”

“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.”

“Yes, I love you too, Tella-tan,” Orion replied mentally as he mounted Patrasche. 

The two individuals then departed along their own path, each set upon the destruction of a nation.

 

***

Orion returned to a camp that he had set up with Meili’s help, patrolled by various Mabeasts that were under her control.

“Onii-sama, you’re back!” Meili proclaimed with a smile, rising from the ground.

“Yeah, we’re splitting off from Sphynx for now and heading back into Lugunica,” he explained.

“Sounds good to me. There are more beasties there for me to play with,” she said with a smile. “Sooo, are we going to go and kill everyone yet? That is your plan after you stop playing around, right?” she asked.

“Maybe,” he remarked with a shrug. “But there is somewhere else we need to go first, and I’ll need your help to get there.”

“Looks like you got a plan then, Onii-sama,” she said with some satisfaction.

“Yeah, though my priority target after that is going to be the Witch Cult. After that… we’ll get to the endgame.”
He stared at her, wondering what role he would have the Mabeast user play in all of this.

“That will be fun,” she chirped.

“You could say that…” His voice trailed off as he leaned himself against a nearby rock.

Meili soon fell asleep while Orion stared up at the night sky.

“Hey, why don’t you all come on out now.”

Six small figures then appeared before him.

They were six small young girls. They were smaller than Beatrice—each being about the size of a large housecat. Though they could make themselves larger elemental bodies if they so wished.

These were his six spirits, evolved to becoming full spirits with the help of Satella and Sphynx.

Antares, his spirit of fire, took the form of a young girl with golden skin and flaming red hair. She had a dress and wings made out of flames.

Deneb, his spirit of water, took the form of a lithe young girl with sea-blue eyes and flowing blue hair. Fittingly, she had a dress made out of water that flowed elegantly around her, which also became her wings.

Altair, his spirit of earth, had pale skin and short blonde hair, but wore a dress made of shimmering crystals and had similar crystalline wings.

Vega, his spirit of wind, had a light and tight-fitting outfit of green along with long green hair that flowed with the wind. Her wings were like the feathers of a bird.

Elpis, his spirit of yang, had brilliant white hair and eyes that shined like the stars. She wore an elegant and regal dress of white. Her angelic wings were seemingly made of the light of the stars themselves.

Algol, his spirit of yin, was a pale girl with similar star-like eyes. Her hair and dress were of midnight black, and tangible darkness was formed into her wings.

“Hey there girls, how are you all doing tonight?” he asked.

“We are doing well, Master! Thank you very much for asking,” Elpis responded in an elegant but cheerful tone.

“We’re just really eager to get back to work,” Antares added with a fittingly fiery passion in her voice.

Vega giggled. “It’s time we get back to teaching everyone a lesson of what happens when they are mean to you, Master.”

“We are doing fine, as long as you are okay, Master,” Altair said with her usual calm sort of tone.

“Yes, Master, you can rely upon us. We’ll make sure nobody hurts you,” Deneb added with a smile.

Algol was silent, being the quietest of her siblings, but slightly nodded her head in agreement.

He smiled—a warm and genuine smile that he gave to no others but them and Satella.
“That’s good to hear. Just be careful yourselves. On the battlefield, you six will be targets too.”

“We can handle it,” Algol remarked.

“Yeah! No one is better at giving people hell than us,” Vega said with a devious grin on her face.

Deneb smiled. “I’m sure we can handle everything and anything that they try. We are Master’s dependable and ever-reliable spirits, after all.”

“So leave everything in our hands, Master. As long as you and Mother have the six of us, all shall be well,” Elpis concluded.

The six spirits saw Satella as their mother. Considering much of the mana used to evolve them came from her, it was no surprise.

“That’s good then, because we might have our most difficult fight yet ahead of us,” he said to the spirits.

“Oh? Are we finally gonna bash the kingdom’s skulls in?” Antares asked.

“What is it you have in mind then, Master?” Algol asked.

“We’ll be heading to the Pleiades Watchtower. Satella told me there is someone I should meet there that could help us out.”

 

***

 

A couple of weeks later, he was standing before the tower of the great sage, having just made it through the sand-time barrier that protected it.

He clutched the reins of Patrasche tightly as Meili clung to his back.

His six spirits orbited around him, readying themselves for the challenge to come.

He half considered picking up some ‘thralls’ from either Vollachia or Lugunica before returning here, to help with the challenges that would await, but he quickly realized that they would all be more trouble than they were worth for this part in particular.

“Right… let’s get to it then.”

“Once you get to the tower, that scorpion girl will stop her assault. With my help, you should be able to teleport there once you draw yourself a little bit closer. You’ll just need to make it one-tenth of the way there if me and Algol work together.”

Satella explained in his head.
“One-tenth, huh,” he muttered aloud. “Shouldn’t be a problem.”

He carefully maneuvered around the field of Orion bears that was before him and made preparations for his charge.

Algol worked with Satella to prepare their teleportation spell. Simultaneously, they both wove a cloak of ‘Shamak’ around themselves to hopefully spatially displace the hellsnipe needles as much as they could.

Antares and Deneb also prepared to create barriers of ice that would help them out if it came to it.

Altair focused on creating her own barriers of magic as best she could.

Vega and Elpis instead focused on improving the speed of the ground dragon, working their magic as best they could to enhance the already fast creature.

Finally, Meili—having been warned of the nature—readied several sandworms for defense that could intercept and block the incoming attacks.

Taking a breath, Orion then shouted, “Let’s go!”

As he made a mad dash for the tower.

The barriers took shape around him, but he was not done yet.

He shrouded himself in a sphere of his black flames, outside the barriers that his spirits were producing.
Even if the barriers alone were not enough to block the attacks of the false sage, coupled with his black flames’ ability to ‘weaken’ nearly anything, he figured that it would give them a chance.

Within seconds, the first attack came—piercing through his black flames and crashing into the barrier, cracking it.

“Cracked already! Geez. Meili, get ready!”

“You got it!” she replied.

The next series of hellsnipes were intercepted by a sandworm that arose from the desert sands, blocking the blows at the cost of its own life.

Orion continued to charge atop his beloved ground dragon, the beast roaring as it dashed forward like its life depended upon it—for it did.

“Almost there!” He heard Satella’s voice call out.

Another series of attacks came. These ones pierced through his barriers but narrowly missed him thanks to his speed and concealment.

“Satella! Algol!” Orion shouted.

“Got it!” He heard Algol shout out.

The barriers fell away around him as suddenly Orion, Patrasche, Meili, and his six spirits were suddenly skipped forward.

They stumbled as they crashed into the tower, having arrived at its base.

“Di…did we make it?” Meili asked, looking around.

Orion groaned and picked himself up.

The door they had just crashed themselves into began to slowly open, allowing them inside.

“Let’s move quickly. Can’t be sure that the scorpion won’t still attack us even though we are here,” Orion commanded.

Entering the tower, they found themselves within a large grand hall, with spiraling stairs that were leading up and down.

“So… what now?” Algol asked.

“Seems pretty empty,” Antares added.

“I’m sure Master knows what to do next!” Deneb chimed.

“Now we wait,” Orion stated to the rest.

They only had to wait a short while before they heard the sound of fast footsteps—the sound drawing closer and closer.

“Master, Master! It’s you!” a voice called out.

A girl with brown hair, hotpants, a bikini top, and cloak quickly descended the staircase and rushed towards Orion.

Orion began to stammer out his words. “Hi-hi! I’m…”

“MASTER!” Shaula tackle-hugged him, drawing him eagerly into her embrace.

He was somewhat told what to expect by Satella, but even still, he did not expect this level of energy.

“Ye-yes, I was told that was me? I think???”

“Mhm mhm! There is no mistaking that awful smell! You are the Master! Shaula’s been guarding the tower just like you said, Master!”
She spoke with all the eagerness of a puppy. “I just knew Master would come back for her Shaula!”

“Ri… right. Shaula, was it?” Orion began, finding the conversation rather awkward.

“Mhm mhm! That’s me!” she declared as she proudly pointed to herself. “I am Shaula! Master’s apprentice, sex slave, and personal body-pillow.”

Orion nearly choked on his own breath, his tiny spirits giggling around him.

“Ri… right. Well, maybe I should explain my situation. There’s a lot going on, Shaula, and I need you to listen carefully.”
He decided to just cut to the point. She was clearly a simple girl, but she could clearly take directions, so being direct and honest seemed like the best solution.

He began to explain the fact that he did not remember her, though he couldn’t exactly explain why, but simplified it to being that he had no memories of anything other than his homeworld and of the past few years.

Shaula was sad but accepted this without issue since Orion still acknowledged himself as her master.

He then explained what transpired—how he had been forgotten and tormented by those who he cared about—and how he was on a quest of revenge.

“Oh! No no no! How could they do that to someone as wonderful as Master!”
Shaula grabbed his shoulders, quickly inspecting him top to bottom.

I can sort of see why Satella has mixed feelings about her,
he thought to himself.
She’s almost as obsessed with me as she is, but she’s also equally as loyal. I can see why she was a bit of a last resort for her, but she will be useful.
Still, a certain bitterness was within his throat. He had apparently ‘forgotten’ her in some capacity, and left her here alone for four hundred years.
The old feelings of bitter self-loathing swelled within his gut.
He understood now that the girl before him was someone who would never betray him, who would know who he was no matter what, and who would always stand by him.
So he swore that he would not betray her.

“So Shaula… will you help me?” he asked.

“Of course, Master! I can’t simply let those who hurt the Master go unpunished! Whatever the Master needs, his Shaula shall provide!” she declared without hesitation.

“Good. Now with that being the case,” he stared up at the staircase. “Tell me what I need to do in order to conquer this tower.”

In this if.

-Subaru encountered Sphynx on his journey to locate the Pride authority. They met while she was running her experiments with The Sacrament of the Immortal King

-The two entered a period of cooperation where Sphynx lent her arcane knowledge to improve Subaru’s body and spirits, while Subaru helped Sphynx with her own arcane experiments.

-Due to adjusting her plans, the Great Disaster has been slightly delayed but when it occurs it will be far more devastating than it would be even in any of the normal if routes.

-With her help, Subaru located the Authority of Pride

-Subaru’s Authority of Pride is “Star Crown” which has two abilities. When touching a target he can either brand them, placing them under his mental domination, or curse them. His curse spreads throughout the body and simultaneously burns and rots it away. This is not always lethal and the damage is proportional to how much ‘wrong’ one has done towards Subaru Natsuki. Resisting his mental domination also counts as a wrong, and it is from Subaru’s perspective. 

-Subaru’s spirits are each capable of casting Al level spells, though their level of power depends upon if Subaru is sharing his gate with Satella or not. When he is using Satella’s gate, their powers are amplified. 

-Each of Subaru’s spirits has learned a variety of spells from Sphynx. 

-Upon Satella’s suggestion, Subaru ventured to the Watchtower to acquire Shaula as an ally and to conquer the tower overall.

-Subaru’s conquest of the tower was straightforward, thanks to Satella’s help and Shaula’s full cooperation. 

-The first trail was very straight forward due to Subaru’s knowledge.

-The second trial was the most difficult, having to deal with Reid. Using a combination of his spirits and his authorities. Specifically by letting Reid deal a ton of damage to him, reflecting it back, and then using an obscene level of yin magic and his sloth authority to force him back every so slightly, he won. It took him many tries to accomplish this. 

-The third trail was difficult, but not as difficult as the second. Subaru was able to overcome the trail using his magic and authorities to protect himself while he used a combination of teleportation and his sloth authority to reach the central pillar. It became very easy upon realizing his unseen hands counted as ‘contact’ for the purposes of the trial. 

-Subaru departed with Shaula and Meili from the tower and decided to return to Vollachia to aid Sphynx, who had triggered the Great Disaster.

Notes:

Here is the story in question, check out the 2nd and 5th chapters to see what inspired this chapter.
I picture Subaru/Orion's first meeting with Sphinx basically being the same, though Subaru's conquest of the Watchtower trials was different.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/65666341/chapters/169090825

If you are wondering why I am updating this path so much. Its because I feel like it and I want to start wrapping up my three 'basic' paths soon and this will be by far the longest. Departure and Forgiveness & Tears should only end up being 5-7 extras total each.
This one will be more like... 12.

Stay tuned for next chapter~
People are going to start dying.
A LOT of people are going to start dying.

Chapter 9: Path of Revenge and Shadow-Extra 7

Summary:

Downfall of the Vollachian Empire and the Setting of the Sun

The Great Disaster…

The long-foretold calamity that would fall upon Vollachia had finally come—in a form none could expect. As the civil war raged, suddenly the dead began to arise across the entire nation.
Led by Sphinx, the self-proclaimed “Witch of Greed,” the army of the dead ceaselessly attacked the nation.

At least a third of the nation was already dead, and the situation continued to worsen.

At first, progress was being made. The Blue Lightning even managed to cut down the aforementioned Witch.

But it did not help—for she rose from the dead much like her creations did. The new Witch of Greed was immortal, as far as all could tell.

And thus, the undead continued to ravage the land. But that was not the most troublesome part.

The problem was the tactics of the undead. Even as Vincent Vollachia rallied his Divine Generals and recruited the help of his half-sister Priscilla, the undead adapted and preempted every attempt at a counterattack.

They did not know that the Witch of Greed had surrendered strategic control to her newest ally—the so-called Archbishop of Pride.

He had gone through several loops to make sure that things proceeded well for them both. But even now, the situation was not ideal, despite having what should be an overwhelming advantage.

His checkpoint was set for the near start of the disaster, shortly after his arrival at the Crystal Palace. He’d had to plan around the Vollachian counterattack to reclaim the corpse capital more than once.

He even had to persuade Sphinx to abandon her original idea: imprisoning Priscilla and forcing Arakiya to devour The Stone. That led to less-than-ideal outcomes.

So after that loop, he took near full tactical command—the artificial Witch having deduced the true nature of his authority.

 

Within the Crystal Palace, he saw Sphinx approach him in a surprising form—one that he recognized.

“Inquiry Required: You find this form of mine unsettling?” the Witch asked, for she had now taken the form of Echidna.

“A bit. A few bad memories, but honestly… not the worst,” Orion replied.

“Delay Req… I’ll ask you another time then. This form allows me more freedom to do as I please. Now that I have fulfilled the purpose I was created for—by becoming the Witch of Greed—I can now pursue my own goals without issue,” she explained.

Orion nodded along, noticing her change in speech pattern. “I think I get it. And that goal would be?”

“To burn everything that bitch Priscilla Barielle loves to the ground,” she said. Her voice retained its usual monotone, but the emotion was clear to him.

Orion couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, she is on my list of targets too, so I think we can help each other out then.”
He smirked—a cruel and wicked smirk.

“Plan Req… Do you have a plan, perchance?” she asked.

He noticed her stop herself from saying her usual ‘required’ yet again, but decided to file that away to ask about later.
“I think so, though you may have to compromise how you want a few things to go down.”
He then began to lay out his plan for the destruction of Vollachia.

There was just one person he had to take care of first.

 

***

“Are you sure about his authority?”
Orion asked Satella internally.

“Yes, I think so, my beloved. What power that man has is a pale imitation of your own. As for its exact specifics… I don't know. Only Echidna may know.”

Orion frowned. If he wanted to confirm his suspicions, he would have to go back and look at a potential Book of the Dead—but he didn't have time for that right now. He had to come up with other solutions.

He’d spent several loops focusing on testing and observing the individual to understand his limits.

And he thought he had it figured out.

He just had to be careful. One wrong move, and things could end badly for him.
This was an enemy who was prepared to face him.

This was an enemy he had to remove from the board right away.

“Satella, I need you to focus on two things alone. Think you can handle that?”
he asked.

“Of course. I think we are ready, my love.”

And so he prepared to take on a man who, surprisingly, would be his greatest challenge yet.

Aldebaran, the Following Star.

 

***

Al was cutting his way through the undead, trying to make his way back toward the princess—the two having been separated in the chaos of the battle.

He had to save the princess.
And he had to deal with that witch in the image of the woman he despised.

Zombie after zombie fell before him—Vollachian warriors of old and freshly dead alike. He may have had to die dozens of times to deal with singular enemies, but victory was inevitable with enough time and effort, as long as he kept his head on straight.

So he continued to advance, step by bloody step, carving through the risen dead.

Then he froze as he saw a single individual atop a nearby building.

A young man clad in a black cloak of Mabeast furs, with six spirits orbiting around his body.

“Hey there, long time no see. But guessing ya wouldn't remember,” Orion said in a mocking voice.

Al remained on guard, a sense of unease twisting in his gut.
“Guessing you’re the guy called Pride, eh?” Al asked.

“People call me that. The question is—do you believe it?” Orion replied.

“Eh, right now you aren't doing yourselves any favors,” Al said with a sarcastic chuckle.

“True. Guess it doesn't matter now, huh?” Orion said almost mournfully before taking a breath.
“Oh well, enough reminiscing,” he added in an almost jovial tone.
“Its time to rip you apart.”
Orion declared as he readied his whip, the entire length clad in shadows that twisted around it.

“Well, you can try,” Al replied, having a potential idea of who this may be. “If ya are who I think ya may be, I'm sorry about this.”

Orion shook his head.
“I'm not. I'm way past that point.”
As Al advanced, Orion signaled for the dead to attack.

Orion watched Al carefully as he narrowly maneuvered through the undead and the traps arranged across the battlefield.
He saw that Al moved through and around each of the undead, cutting them down—not with great skill, but with clear foreknowledge of how each enemy moved and how each trap was laid.

Orion’s confident smile turned into a frown.
I have to make sure I spring it on him at just the right moment. One screw-up and I need to reset.
He thought to himself, tensing as Al drew closer and closer.

Al was relentless, focused, and seemingly unstoppable.

But Orion knew the truth of that strength.
It was an illusion of power—much like his own.

And as such, Orion knew how to tear it apart.

“Come on! You're going to have to try harder than that!” Al shouted as he separated the head from the body of the last remaining zombie.
Stepping forward, he charged at Orion.

Orion took a breath. He had taken several loops just to deal with this one enemy.
For Orion, this was the last great challenge to overcome in this nation.

Orion lashed out with his shadow whip—Al dodged and wove around.

Orion and Antares bathed the area in flames. Al raised a wall of earth in defense.

Orion raised his own wall of earth using Altair’s help, while Vega unleashed a barrage of wind blades.

Al dodged and countered each blast as he continued his relentless advance.

Closer and closer—his approach seemed inevitable.

Satella!

I’m ready!

Orion kept his spirits close. He knew he had to, in order to bait Al just the way he wanted.

Al reached Orion and played his final card.
“Ol Shamak!” Al shouted.

Shadows sprung forth from Al’s fingers, threatening to consume Orion.
Orion’s own shadowy hand had closed over his heart, ready to crush it at the last microsecond before he was consumed.

But he didn’t need to—Satella was with him.

No.
He heard that single cold syllable echo within his mind, as if spoken from the depths of the deepest abyss.

The shadows around Orion faltered and were suddenly repulsed.

Ol Shamak’s ability to imprison witches was near absolute—but it required immense power.

And while Orion, the man who was once Subaru Natsuki, was weak, he had help from another who was the furthest thing from weak.

Fundamentally, it was still magic—and as with all magic, it could be overcome with appropriate preparation and arcane power.
Satella, and thus Orion, had both.

Ol Shamak had failed. The shadows were consumed by deeper shadows.

“Wha—!”

“El Shamak!” Algol cried, having been ready to counter, as instructed by Orion.

Al was plunged into darkness. Dazed by the failure of his spell, he was vulnerable to a spell that would stun him temporarily—preventing him from manually resetting as El Shamak ripped away his control of his body.

Orion extended his hand and gripped Al’s head.

“Now then! You belong to me!” Orion shouted.

Al’s mind might have normally been too strong—too disciplined and unyielding for Orion to overwhelm.

And imprisoning him within an Al Shamak was too risky.

So Orion sought to create a crack in Al’s mental armor—by overcoming the spell Al thought would deliver him victory.
In that moment of mental weakness, Orion invaded Al’s mind with the power of his Pride authority.

Al staggered, trying to bite down on the poison sack in his mouth—but he could no longer control his body.
Shaking and trembling, his mind began to yield bit by bit until it gave way entirely.

“Gahugghagauuuuaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!”
Al screamed as his mind fell fully under the Authority of Pride.

Orion stepped back as he felt his authority take hold.
“Well then, you were a real pain, Al.”

Al did not respond.

Orion shook his head. “Deactivate your authority.”

Al nodded.

“Good. Now then.”

He motioned to Elpis and Deneb.
“Right away, master!”
“We’re on it!”

Both spirits floated over and cast a combination spell that put the one-armed knight to sleep.

“Both of you, carry him back to the Crystal Palace and put him in the prison I had Sphinx prepare.”

The two spirits nodded and lifted him with magic, beginning to carry him off.

“That’s the knight. Now we take the queen,” Orion muttered to himself.

 

***

Orion came face to face with his final target here in Vollachia.

Priscilla Barielle had rallied what forces she could in an attempt to retake the capital alongside her brother, leading one wing of the forces that was now being overwhelmed by the tides of the undead.

But Orion wanted to deal with the Sun Princess personally—a concession that Sphinx allowed, so long as he did not kill her yet.
Orion was fine with waiting, for now at least.
But he wanted to remove her from play his own way.

“Hey there, Sun Princess. You probably don’t remember me, but I do have a few bones to pick with you,” Orion said as he confronted her at the base of the Crystal Palace.

“So you are the wretch working with the Witch, then?” she asked as she flourished the Yang Sword.

“Mhm, and we both got a bone to pick with you—her more so than me, I’ll admit,” Orion remarked in a casual tone. “Still, you’re actually a bit more capable than I thought, so I figured I’d remove you from the game myself for now.”

“Oh? You think you are one who can vanquish my divine self? I sincerely doubt that, loathsome commoner,” she said as she pointed her flaming sword directly at him.

“Yap yap yap, you like to talk a lot. Then again, so do I,” Orion admitted with a shrug. “Now I’ll admit, you surprised me a bit. There’s actually a human heart beneath all that narcissistic rot you have. But I still don’t like you, so I’ll be making your sun set here and now, Princess. I already took care of the hard part.”

“Did you now?” she asked with a bemused smirk. “And what would that be?”

“Removing your stubborn knight from the board. No matter what, he in particular managed to be a pain for every plan I came up with. Now that he’s gone, I’m just able to let the dominos fall.”

“Ha! Confident just because you removed my jester from play? Is that a joke? You must truly be sick in the head, Archbishop.”
The Sun Princess laughed like she had just been told the most ridiculous joke in the world.

Orion also let out a laugh. “Maybe it is a bit of a joke, but it’ll be one at your expense, Princess.”

“Enough of this. It is by my divine will that this nation be saved and that you be slain, and the world turns in my favor. So prepare to be nothing but ashes on the ground, you wretch!”
The Sun Princess gripped her blade tightly, preparing herself for battle.

A battle that could only have one victor in the end.

“Been there, done that, not interested in trying it again.”
Orion cracked his whip of shadows and smirked. His six spirits danced around him, ready for battle.
“Let’s dance then.”

Priscilla’s tactics were forward and direct—she launched herself at him with the Yang Sword in hand.

He knew not to underestimate her. The Yang Sword was lethal, and her Soul Marriage technique gave her powerful defenses.

The Sun Princess was a mountain that had to be ground away bit by bit.
Orion had long since realized that, in truth, she was the most impressive of the royal candidates. He respected that much about her still.
But that respect was eclipsed by the overwhelming need to wipe that smug look of superiority off her face.

As she charged, he immediately bombarded her with his unseen hands.
He managed a few good punches on her, but it didn’t slow her down in the slightest, and he had to fall back.
He knew that holding back against her was a mistake—that he needed to use lethal force.

“El Minya!”
A barrage of crystals launched at the approaching Priscilla.

She deflected and burned away most of the crystals with her blade, but a few clipped her body.
Two pieces of jewelry upon her shattered and broke.

I just have to chew through her defenses until she has nothing left. Then I have her.

And the dance continued. From the outside, it would certainly look like a one-sided battle.
Orion was left in perpetual retreat, bombarding her with spells and unseen hands to try and break her defenses apart piece by piece.
Occasional gouts of black flame erupted from his hands to try and weaken her, slow her down—even as she enhanced herself using her mastery of yang magic.

She continued to cut through every attack sent her way.
She was a relentless flame that would not yield before him.

But he already had his goal. He just needed to wither her away until she was within his ability to defeat.
She would be a pain to capture, but he figured if he just held out long enough, he could...

Their battle was interrupted when Priscilla suddenly pivoted on her feet, blocking an incoming beam of light fired by Sphinx from behind.

Orion smirked as he suddenly consumed Priscilla in a blast of black flames.
The flames washed over her, wiping away the strength within her.

She snarled, banishing the dark flames around her with a swing of her Yang Sword—but the damage was already done.

Seven unseen hands slammed into her and forced her against the ground:
One holding each of her limbs, one holding her head, one pressing down on her stomach, and one on her chest.
Another gout of weakening black flames washed over her body to keep her too weak to resist.

“Gah, that was annoying,” Orion muttered as he kept the Sun Princess pinned down. “Deneb, can you—”

“Ah yes, master! Your Deneb can do that for you.”
The water spirit floated over to Priscilla as she thrashed about. With a single tap on her head, the princess was frozen, gritting her teeth as she endured incredible pain.

“It’s a little ‘water magic trick’ that Felix used on me a few times while I was in that cell. Figured I’d have little Deneb here make something similar. Seems she did a good job.”

“Ah! I am happy to receive your praise, master!” Deneb chirped with eager eyes.

“She requires imprisonment for my own aims,” Sphinx remarked as she approached.

“Got something better this time?” Orion asked the witch.

“I do. It is requested that you clear the flames away from her again,” she replied.

Orion shrugged his shoulders as the flames receded from Priscilla’s frame.

The Sun Princess could not speak, could not move, as the Witch’s hand covered her face.

The world of Priscilla Barielle went dark—for what seemed like just a moment to her.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw that she was above the city. It was nighttime, and the city was consumed by flames. Looking around, she could see the corpses of the Imperial Army and its allied forces littering the streets, only to rise again a short while later.

One corpse that did not rise was her brother’s—mounted on a pike in perfect view before the Imperial Palace, alongside the corpses of the other Divine Generals before they were raised to join the undead.

The only one missing was Cecilus, the last seeming survivor, as he battled an endless tide of corpses that surrounded him—a tide that would not stop until at last he broke as well.

It was only then that the Sun Princess realized she had no eyes, no body, and no true sense of where she was.

She could not speak.
She could not move.
She could not scream.

She was simply forced to watch—and do nothing but that—as she witnessed her homeland burn and die below, consumed by the undead.

Even the Blue Lightning eventually fell. Even he could not fight forever against an endless army of undead, an immortal archmage, and a strange woman who fired needles ceaselessly at him from a distance.

Thus, the only defender of Vollachia left alive in the Imperial Capital was Priscilla Barielle.

That was when she realized where she was. Her senses were pulled back from her view above the city, and she found herself staring at the two figures who had brought ruin to the empire:

Sphinx, the Witch of Greed
And the Archbishop of Pride.

As for her state of being, she found herself encased in a crystalline structure that left her unable to move even a finger.

“Well then, hope you enjoyed that show, Princess,” Pride remarked as he leaned against her prison. “As fun as it may be to have you watch the rest of the show, I don’t think anything I have left in store will top this when it comes to you personally. So I think it’s best if you don’t overstay your welcome and that you exit the stage now.”

She wanted to thrash about, to scream, to curse him from the bottom of her heart.
But she could do nothing. She had been rendered utterly impotent.

“As long as you don’t mind, Sphinx?” the man asked her.

She stared at Priscilla for a good long while. “Hmm… Pondering Requi... Hmmm.”
The Witch seemed unsure of what she wanted to do with Priscilla, actually.

He let out a deep sigh and shook his head. “Do you really think there’s a point in keeping her around?”

“I…” The Witch seemed confused for a moment.

The Sun Princess would laugh at her—if she herself were not consumed utterly by rage.

“Better yet, let me ask you this, Sphinx: what do you want to do?” he asked the Witch.

“Revenge, I believe,” she replied, returning to a cold and methodical tone.

“Has the revenge we got here—having her watch her homeland burn—been sufficient?” he asked another question.

She paused for several more seconds, and then a cold smile graced her lips.
“Yes. I believe that I have achieved all that I required in my goals.”

“Then shall I have her make her grand exit now?” he asked, the wicked smirk returning.

“You may,” she said.

“Well then, Priscilla Barielle… I was Subaru Natsuki. Forgotten slayer of Sloth, the White Whale, and the Great Rabbit. Knight of the Half-Elf Emilia. Hero of Pristella, whose name was devoured by Gluttony. I was forgotten by you all and left to rot and be tortured in a cell. It’s been an experience. Goodbye. The other candidates will all be joining you soon enough.”

Before she could even think about what he said, Orion let his dark flames consume the crystal she was in.
Bit by bit, it consumed the crystal—and then her—burning her away.

The pain was incredible.
She would be forced to scream if she could.
But she could not, for her body was still paralyzed by magic.

And so Priscilla Barielle died in agonizing silence—slain by Orion, the avenger of Subaru Natsuki and bane upon the world of Od Lagna.

 

***

Orion walked through the empty halls of the Crystal Palace.
By his side were two girls.

“Master, master! Did Shaula do good?” she asked.

“Yup. Honestly, it would’ve been a pain to deal with Cecilus without you,” Orion remarked with a shrug.

“It’s the first time I helped take down an entire nation. It was fun!” Meili giggled—though in truth, the level of slaughter and the army of the undead was a lot, even for her.
But she already knew she was stuck on this path, and knew well enough that Orion would somehow predict any sort of betrayal on her part.
She was stuck with him, and had to stay till the bloody end now.

“Well, we have at least one more nation on our checklist,” he remarked as he came to his destination.

He was in one of the great balconies of the palace, one that allowed someone to overlook the entire city.
Sphinx was there, looking passively over the burning city below.

Subaru sighed as he approached her.
“So then, what now?”

“I need to… deliberate on that,” Sphinx remarked as she continued to observe the city.

Orion caught that moment’s hesitation.

“You don’t know what you’re going to do now, do you?” he asked.
“I also noticed—ever since you came back with that body, you stopped talking like you used to. Or rather, you’re forcing yourself to.”

She continued to stare outward at the city. “I was born Sphinx, a copy of another, and with a clone of the soul of the Witch of Greed. My own identity is… unclear. Furthermore, especially since assuming this form, I have been experiencing what I now realize to be a rather troublesome range of emotions.”

“Like?” he inquired further.

“Rage and hatred at first. But following that… curiosity, frustration, fixation—and then a whole host of other feelings.”
Her vision trailed downward.
“Truthfully, the question of my identity is one I have now begun to ponder,” she explained, her fingers gripping the edge of the balcony.
“As well as a continued reason to act.”

“Well, I can’t help you with the latter.”
He sat on the balcony’s edge.
“But as for the former, I’d say it’s pretty obvious.”

“Oh?” She tilted her head.

“You’re Sphinx, obviously. I’ve met Echidna—and while you’re damn similar, you’re not the same person,” Orion said.

Sphinx stared at him for several seconds as she processed the admittedly simple reasoning, taking far longer than she should to think about it. “I believe that… perhaps you are correct, Orion.”

Orion nodded. “Well, since you finally became a person today—emotions and all—I guess the only thing left to say is… Happy Birthday, Sphinx.” He gestured towards the city.

Both of them looked over the Imperial Capital—now filled with flames, ruins, and the dead.
Not a single living soul remained out there. 

Sphinx smiled softly, satisfied with the sight.
“Thanks Required… thank you, Orion.”

He shrugged. “Not a problem. I’ve been there, at least in some ways.”

She then turned to face him.
“Direction Required… where are we going next?”

In this if…
-He met up with Sphinx shortly after she triggered the Great Disaster.
-After a loop or two of helping, Sphinx figured out the general gist of the nature of Subaru’s authority and handed him full strategic command of the Great Disaster.
-Subaru had to loop several times to get a ‘perfect’ victory in Vollachia. It took him a few loops to realize Al was the big issue.
-Through the course of several loops he figured out Al’s authority and its limitations.
-The force opposing Sphinx was wiped out, and while not all life has been cleansed from Vollachia, the nation has been effectively destroyed with at least 50% of its people dead.
-They dealt with Al in the aftermath by locking him into a slumber and then imprisoning him. They then, effectively, used magic to bury him under the Gladiator Island so that even if he breaks out of his slumber and prison, he’d just be buried underground in an impossible to escape situation, likely to be crushed by dirt or drowned by the waters.
-Sphinx’s appearance changed again after Subaru affirmed her identity. She kept Echidna’s basic appearance but her hair reverted to a pinkish color and her ears became elvish, making her a hybrid of Echidna and Ryuzu’s appearance.
-Sphinx is modifying her Sacrament to sustain a smaller but elite force outside the Lands of Vollachia. Right now she is in consolidation mode but quickly went to ground after Lugunica, realizing the threat, deployed Reinhard to eliminate the zombie army.
-Subaru received forewarning of this via a loop and fled with Sphinx back to the Watchtower, Sphinx taking a small army of elite zombies with her, including Cecilus.
-The two are doing prepwork in Lugunica for their next operation.

Notes:

Alright so I'd say things have well and truly kicked off now.

Team Orion consists of
-Subaru Natsuki with 5/7 authorities + being able to use one of them to borrow some of Satella's powers
-Six spirits contracted to him, one of each element
-Meili
-Shaula
-Sphinx (identity issues solved)
-And her, albeit now reduced, undead army

We return to Lugunica next time, checking on on how others are doing while Orion plans out his endgame.

Also he killed Priscilla early because he knew, unlike the rest, that his name returning would make ZERO difference to her.

Name Return is in about 3 chapters of this path I'd say.
I require one more kick in the teeth to be delivered to certain characters before my personal needs are satisfied.

Chapter 10: Path of Revenge and Shadow-Extra 8

Summary:

A meeting on the circumstances with Vollachia and Pride.
&
An encounter in the woods.

News quickly spread of Vollachia’s destruction—of the army of the dead that overran the entire nation.
When it was learned that the Imperial Capital had fallen and that the emperor was dead, the Wisemen Council knew they had to act.

Since Vollachia no longer existed as a nation, they deployed Reinhard to wipe out the army of the dead.
In this regard, he succeeded. Of course he did.

What he failed to do was slay the Witch who had unleashed such devastation.
As if predicting his arrival, the Witch fled into the shadows and was nowhere to be seen.
The three remaining nations held their breath, knowing that the Witch of the Great Disaster still lived.

“Damnit!” Bordeaux slammed his fists on the table.
“How could this happen? Vollachia let a Witch overrun their nation!”

“They fought until the last man. I’d hardly call that letting it happen, Bordeaux,” a gloomy wiseman with dark hair remarked.

“Either way, it means they’re dead—and we have to fix this mess,” a heavier wiseman muttered, shaking his head.
“Quite frankly, we’re fucked.”

“That, and the rumors that Pride played a role in the Great Disaster cannot be ignored,” a sharp-eyed wiseman added.
“The timing lines up. He seems to have left Lugunica territory around that time—or at least became inactive here.”

“Then what the hell do we do?” Bordeaux shouted.

“Obviously, we fight!” a militant wiseman replied, standing up.
“We have no choice. Everything must be mobilized for a war footing.  Diplomats sent to Gusteko and Kararagi to cooperate in destroying this Witch and the Archbishop—who clearly have the downfall of entire nations in their plans!” he declared boldly.

“Are they really going to cooperate? Both those nations can be troublesome to work with,” a normally relaxed wiseman with a large beard added.

The heavy wiseman laughed sarcastically.
“For Kararagi, we just break out the treasury funds.  We’ll get some complaints, but we levy emergency taxes for the purposes of security. People pay up or else. It’s how we do things—this is a time of crisis, after all.” He made a shrugging motion with his hands. 

“Blunt and crude, but you may have a point about our lack of choices,” the gloomy wiseman sighed, shaking his head.
“What an atrocious mess.”

Miktolov let out a deep breath.
“Call the surviving candidates for a meeting. We have to plan our next move as a united nation. We have no other choice,” he said, his voice heavy with grim resignation.

 

**

 

Of course, all the surviving candidates arrived as quickly as they could.
Emilia came with Otto, Garfiel, and Roswaal.
Felt arrived with Ezzo and the recently returned Reinhard.
Crusch was wheeled in by Wilhelm and Felix.
And Anastasia arrived with Ricardo and the crestfallen Julius.

Of notable absence was the candidate Priscilla Barielle, but they all knew why.
Her death was a common rumor among the populace and had been confirmed by their respective information networks.

Miktolov looked over the assembled group.
“I trust you all know why we are here. The Empire of Vollachia has fallen, and the candidate Priscilla Barielle is dead.”

That undeniable truth, stated so bluntly, was like a hammerblow to their souls—even if they had expected it.

It was a crisis without comparison in their lifetimes.

“But… how can the empire just be destroyed like that?” Crusch muttered, the prospect of such a force frightening.

Anastasia shook her head.
“Well, we all know how it happened—or at least we should. That Witch used the Sacrament of the Immortal King somehow.”

Roswaal cleared his throat and spoke up.
“If I maaaaay, that wretched Witch did not ‘perfect’ the spell. The fuuuuull spell has been lost long ago.  Even House Argyle only had an imperfect version. I must assuuuuume that she compensated for its weaknesses somehow.”

“That doesn’t exactly help us figure out what we’ll do about it!” Bordeaux exclaimed, surveying the candidates.

Felt cleared her throat.
“Well, we’ve got something Vollachia didn’t.”
She pointed directly at her knight.  “No way an army like that can deal with Reinhard.”

Reinhard bowed his head and forced a smile.
“I thank you for your confidence in me, my lady. Though I could not expunge the root of the issue in Vollachia, sadly.”

She shrugged.
“That’s because the Witch turned tail and ran away. If she tries to pull that shit here, she won’t get that lucky.”

Roswaal cleared his throat again.
“Considering the preparations such a ritual required, I can likely preempt—or at least notice—any attempt to repeat those circumstances within Lugunica.”

Miktolov slowly nodded.
“Both those assurances go some way to solving this issue. But we must also consider what proactive moves we can take.”

“Agreed,” the militant wiseman added.
“If we sit around and do nothing, that Witch and the Archbishop may outflank us.  We can’t let that happen at any cost!”

“Archbishop?” Emilia questioned, though she already knew the answer in her heart.

“Pride,” Felix muttered—the word practically a curse now.

Julius clenched his fist tightly, the rage of his family home being attacked still burning within his chest.

Anastasia let out a deeper sigh. “So he was involved? I heard the rumors, but I couldn’t confirm the reports.”

“My sources—which I tend to find very reliable, Ms. Hoshin—indicate that Pride took a strategic role there,” the sharp-eyed wiseman interjected.

Felt crossed her arms. “Damnit. And that bastard is good at avoiding Rein somehow.  That’s probably how that Witch bitch knew to get away.”

Reinhard let out a deep sigh.
When it came to anything and everything involving Pride, he found himself utterly useless.
He didn’t even begin to suspect that it was by design.

“We have to do something about Pride!” Felix declared.
The threat he posed to the kingdom.
The torment and indignity he inflicted upon his lady.
The healer refused to stand for it.
Pride was an existence he could not tolerate in this world.

“Well, if I may be so bold as to propose something?” Otto asked.

Miktolov nodded.
“If the candidates allow it.”

“I have no problem with it,” Anastasia said.

“Anyone can contribute. Please share your thoughts, Otto,” Crusch added.

“Fine by me. And that high-and-mighty girl is dead, so I don’t think anyone will have a problem,” Felt said.

“Go ahead, Otto. Say what you wish to,” Emilia said with a smile. “We’re all trying to defeat Pride here.”

Otto took a deep breath and then spoke.
“I think we can all agree that Pride has to be our priority.  He was targeting us piece by piece before.  The smartest move we can make is to—until this crisis is passed—pool our resources together.  If we act as separate camps, we won’t get anywhere.”

“You’re suggesting we effectively suspend the Royal Selection!” Bordeaux called out.

“There won’t be a Royal Selection if we’re all dead,” the bearded wiseman replied.

“Yeah, I agree with Otto. We’re getting nowhere so far,” Felt added.

Anastasia let out a deep sigh and nodded.
“Agreed. We’ll need to cooperate on this one.  We just have to figure out what Pride’s next move will be.  If we need more forces, I can help the kingdom negotiate with Kararagi for some mercenaries—if I’m provided the funds.”
She turned to the Wisemen.

The heavy wiseman let out a very deep sigh.
“Gah. We’ll make it up with taxes later.”

“Are you really still concerned about money?” the bearded wiseman asked.

“Of course! Won’t do us any good being alive if the kingdom is broke,” the heavy wiseman declared.

“Interestin’ way t’ look a’ it,” Garfiel grumbled.

The militant wiseman turned his gaze to the side of the room where Marcos stood.
“I know you wished to keep the knights neutral, but we can’t have that anymore. I want every knight mobilized—ready to fight Pride, Sphinx, and any other threats that come our way.”

“It will be done.
If you’ll permit me, I’ll have knights deployed to aid your camps. Though I would recommend that you base yourselves in the Royal Capital for the foreseeable future.”

The group that would be the biggest problem for would be the Emilia Camp.

Emilia looked to Roswaal, who began to ponder. “If you can ‘assist’ me in securing a proper location for us to stay within, that can be arranged. The Mathers Family does not have a proper estate in the capital, after all.”

Roswaal had always wanted to keep at least some level of distance between himself and the Royal Capital.

Miktolov slowly nodded.
“I believe that can be arranged. I will help with that.”

Emilia smiled and nodded in return.  “Then we’ll be happy to help with this. If we have to move here temporarily, so be it.”

Otto began to consider the logistics.  “It may take a week or two to get everything settled, but we’ll have to make do.”
He slumped his shoulders and let out a deep sigh, knowing this would get complex very quickly.

Wilhelm spoke up then.  “We do need a plan to combat Pride. He has proven himself to be a troublesome foe—even when faced in direct combat.”

Julius nodded.  “Yes. We weren’t able to make a coherent plan last time, though I believe there is a weakness to him.”

All eyes turned to him.

“Pride has a collection of troublesome powers: invisible hands, the ability to redirect his injuries back at his foe, and even the ability to weaken others.  But if we manage to deliver a single decisive blow—either with powerful enough magic or by separating his head from his body—that should be able to kill him,” he explained.

Ricardo sighed and shook his head.
“So you’re saying he needs to be taken out in one shot.  Well, some of us can do that—if we get close.”

“Give me a chance and I can rip the guy apart!” Garfiel proclaimed, slamming his fist into his other palm.

Emilia nodded.
“Beatrice, Roswaal, and I can all perform magic at that level.
It’s probably why he’s avoided facing us.”

“You’ll either need to sneak up on him, or have someone wait while he’s distracted,” Felt remarked.

“There should be plenty of solutions to Pride if a mage of sufficient caliber faces him,” Ezzo declared.

“Yeeeees, except he now likely has that wretched Witch, Sphinx, on his side.  There’s a good chance that if they engage together, a powerful enough mage will be required to subdue her,” Roswaal explained.

Wilhelm frowned.
“I still don’t know how that monster survived.”

“We can’t worry about how she survived now, Sir Wilhelm.  We just need to face her,” Crusch said to the old warrior.

“I mean, the real solution is to get him close to Reinhard.  Guess we could try to have Reinhard sneak up on him,” Felt suggested.

“If we can properly conceal him with magic, perhaps,” Ezzo proposed.

“Pride has predicted all our moves to worm his way out so far.  How do we know he won’t keep doing that, nya?” Felix interjected.
He’d kept careful track of Pride’s attacks and actions so far.

“Are you suggesting he can somehow predict our moves?” Otto asked.

Anastasia let out a deep sigh.  “That would be troublesome. Is there any way we can tell?”

“Maybe…” Roswaal remarked.
“But then again, the Witch Cultists can do that with their Gospel.
It’s quite possible that Pride’s gospel may even be superior—if he somehow found it again.
It would explain quite a looooot.”

“So what the fuck do we do then?” Felt asked.

The militant wiseman sighed.
“If you think he has some sort of power like that, you’ll have to engage him a few times to see if he’s predicting overall strategies.”

Wilhelm nodded.
“I have to agree.  We can’t know for certain without having Pride act a few more times—as distasteful as that is to say.”

“For now, I think we all have business to attend to.  Let’s reconvene later and get started on pooling our resources together,” Otto suggested.

“Agreed. I have a lot of people to talk with now,” Anastasia said, letting out a breath as she and the other candidates, along with their camps, left the room.

 

***

 

As they settled into a smaller manor within the capital city, the Emilia Camp assembled for a meeting.
Emilia sat at one end of the table, flanked by Beatrice and Garfiel. Roswaal sat opposite her with Ram and Rem, while Otto was positioned midway down the table.

Otto scanned the papers in front of him. “Besides Reinhard, between Emilia and Roswaal, our camp probably has the best raw power. We’re likely the most capable of taking down Pride.”

Beatrice sighed. “It’s troublesome, I suppose, but we’ll have to use everything we’ve got to defeat him, in fact.”

Ram’s voice was cold like Ice. “Truly, that man is a horrific piece of scum who needs to die.” Ever since Pride mangled Rem’s limbs during his attack on the manor, Ram’s hatred had burned without pause for the supposed Archbishop.

Rem nodded. “I still remember his vile stretch—in that cell, and when he attacked the manor.” Though her memories were incomplete, Ram’s stories of their past tragedies and her own experiences had left her with a deep hatred for the Witch Cult. As such Rem trembled with a barely contained fury.

Garfiel grumbled, arms crossed. “‘m not lettin’ tha’ bastard ge’ away again!”

Emilia smiled at him. “I’m sure you’ll win, Garf. We all believe in you.”

“He just needs to keep a level head,” Ram added.

Roswaal remained quiet, deep in thought as he pondered the situation as it felt like it was slipping out of his grasp. Pride felt like an anomaly—something that shouldn’t be on the board. He’d already derailed Roswaal’s plans once, and now, teaming up with that unsightly copy of his teacher, he was even more intolerable. The painted mage knew that he had to be rid of him before things fell even more off track.

Emilia exhaled. “Something feels off. Pride, unlike the other Archbishops, seems obsessed with us. He seemed really obsessed with me”
The half-elf trembled, the way Pride looked at her made her feel strange, like her skin was crawling.

“Maybe it’s ‘cause we’re the ones tha’ caught the bastard," Garfiel offered.

Beatrice shook her head and looked towards Emilia. “He’s clearly deranged. Saying all those weird things about you. He’s proven himself a monster many times over.”

Rem nodded. “They’re right. Pride is a monster without remorse! He has to be stopped without question! He’s already helped destroy a nation. He’ll come for this one next.”

“He’ll probably come for us,” Otto added.

“Then we’ll have to be ready,” Frederica said from the side.

“We’ll kick ‘is ass then!” Garfiel declared.

“We need to get rid of him. That much is for sure,” Ram said.

Emilia looked around and smiled at the people assembled. “You’re all right. We beat the Witch Cult at Priestella, we’ve accomplished a lot together. I’m sure that as long as everyone is working together that we can stop whatever Pride is doing.” Emilia declared. With the royal candidate who disliked her the most gone, and with everyone seemingly ready to work together to stop Pride, she felt like her own ideals of togetherness and teamwork were being validated. She knew, in her heart of hearts, that they had to stand together.

But Pride even being around made her feel uneasy, a churning in her stomach that his very presence brought about in her. Disgust? No it wasn’t that. It was sheer unease, like Pride’s very existence was anathema to her in some way. Like he was a threat to her very sense of self. She couldn’t vocalize this, not even internally. Only that Pride seemed to remind her of this hollow feeling in her chest, an agony that she could not explain.

So in her mind she just knew one truth.
“We have to destroy Pride, before he hurts us.”
She muttered those words to herself, a confidence born from distorted memories fueling her path towards destruction.

***

A few days later, within the woods of Lugunica, Orion was engaged with a different foe.

A blonde woman with crimson eyes had him pinned against a tree. “You’ve been following me for a while, haven’t ya? What, obsessed with a lovely lady like myself?” Capella let out a laugh as she grinned, holding Orion by the neck.

“I gotta say, it’s impressive how you kept those knightly meat-scraps running around like that. I’d almost think you were one of us… almost.” She licked her lips.

Their battle had been brief and fierce. She’d already gathered that he could use unseen hands and reflect injuries. She was wary of those black flames, though.

“So why are you following me, hmm? Come on, you can tell mama. You’ve even been keeping one of my daughters away from me. She’s been a bad girl. I’ll have to discipline her later.”

She kept a wary eye on him. She was aware of his flames, but she’d noticed a fraction of a second where they manifested before he could use them. Her ability to transform others was faster—especially if she already had her hands on them.

Orion just glared hatefully at her.

“Oh? Got nothing to say? Well then, hmm, I don’t like that look on your face, meat scrap. It’s not the way someone like you should be looking at a flower like me. So how about we fix that—maybe make you into a fly, or maybe a meatball.” She laughed again. “Yes, I think that works. I’ll keep you like that till you feel a bit more cooperative with me and—”

Before she could finish her sentence, her head was blown off by something moving far too fast for her to register. It was followed instantly by another needle that severed the arm she was using to hold Orion against the tree.

“Hollow Star!” Orion called out, and instantly an explosive sphere of black flames engulfed everything within several meters of him, including Capella’s entire body.

The flames weren’t intense enough to incinerate her wholesale—that wasn’t the goal. But they were a necessary step.

“Gah, damn you, you little sack of filthy meat!” Capella began to reform herself, though the black flames clung to her body. Her eyes went wide as she realized the flames slowed her regeneration. She could still outpace the flames, but her overall speed was reduced by at least half as her flesh and bone began to grow back.

She threw out her hand, forming a lion’s head that tried to consume him, but the entire limb was demolished by a barrage.

Her eyes shifted toward the direction of the attack—a figure standing far away atop a large hill in the distance.

Shit! But an attack like this won’t—

“Al Karum.”

A sphere of darkness shot out from the nearby woods. Capella and all of her separated meat began to be drawn toward it. She wasn’t familiar with the spell, but she knew enough about magic to understand the concept as soon as she was being pulled in. And she knew she was in big trouble.

She formed her hands into giant claws to grip the ground and pull herself away, but the black flames still clinging to her body prevented her from mustering her full strength and—

Two more needles shot out from a distance, severing her arms and causing her to be pulled toward the center of the gravitational mass and its crushing force.

“Damn you fuckin’ GAAAAAAGUH!”

Her protests were cut off by Antares’ manifestation, as she threw an Al Goa spell right into the gravitational mass, which swirled around and began to cook Capella.

It was at this point that Sphinx stepped out from the shadows. “More flames required, it would seem,” she said in her characteristic tone.

“Yeah, she won’t go down unless we turn her to ashes,” Orion said as he picked himself up.

“Then let’s burn the bitch!” Antares exclaimed happily.

“GUUUURRRRRRAAAAAAAGHHH!” Capella screamed as she tried to escape the prison of gravity and flames.

“Hmmm. Ul Vita.” Sphinx used another spell, and the swirling mass of flames, gravity, and flesh suddenly sank to the ground, Capella trapped within the gravitational forces that kept her pinned inside the fire.

“Al Goa!” Antares threw another massive sphere of flame into the mixture.

“Al Goa,” Sphinx calmly declared, projecting fire into the mass.

Orion said nothing, but stretched out his hand and let his own jet of black flames mingle with the others. A swirl of bright crimson and abyssal black burned within.

The gravity kept her from escaping.
The black flames kept her from properly regenerating.
And the magical crimson flames were burning her alive.

“GUUUUUUURRRRGGGGGAHGAGHAHGHAHGHAHGAHGHAHGHHUHUUHGAUGHHGAHAUGHAUGUHAHAAHHHHHHHHHHHHAHHGHHAUHHGAUHUK!!”

Capella’s body was reduced to an amorphous mash of pink and red flesh that quickly turned black. It bubbled and rose up, only to be consumed by flames. Nodules and writhing worm-like masses kept trying to escape the trap of darkness and fire, only to be devoured like the rest of her flesh.

Eventually, the screaming stopped—she could no longer generate lungs to scream.
The flesh continued to bubble and writhe.

The trio continued to add flames to the pyre as it burned into the night.

Eventually, the flesh became nothing but a black husk—before that too burned away.

In the end, all that was left was a pit of ashes without any trace of life.

And Orion felt a sixth authority lodge into his soul.

Only Gluttony remained.

Notes:

2 Chapters till Subaru's name is returned.

AN ANOUNCEMENT.
Me and thinkmind are working on a few things together.

And the first that you'll be seeing is THIS.

A theater react has been added to several chapters, please see the announcement chapter and the "Order of Chapters Posted" chapter to learn which chapters have already received 'reactions.' and for details on how they'll be done.

Chapter 11: Path of Departure

Summary:

What if
Subaru escaped and started a new life as a mercenary.

Notes:

One of the first if ideas I had in mind.
This one will start to play with my OCs a bit though, not to an insane degree.

Second of the "Vanilla" Re:Forgotten paths. Hope you enjoy.

Devon Mordrain sat across from two rather peculiar people as he sipped his drink.

 

Sitting within a tavern along one of the many roads in Karagari, these two people approached him looking for his help on a job.

 

The man leaned against the table and rolled his arms, brushing his dirty blonde hair to the side.

 

“Alright, you seem like an interesting pair. You know who I am, but who are you two?”

 

The first to speak was a green haired elf. “My name is Shion, and this is my partner.”

“Atlas” The young man wore a mask, though he removed it for the conversation.

 

Devon looked him over. His neck clearly had scar marks, his eyes had extremely dark circles, and his hair was a mixture of ashen white and black.

 

“An elf and a man who looks like he’s seen hell. What exactly do you want with me?” He asked curiously. His voice both relaxed and oddly refined, yet harsh. 

 

“You're a mercenary right?” Atlas asked.

 

“That’s right.”

 

Shion nodded her head. “So are we, though we need help for an upcoming job. Both me and my partner are umm, how to put it. Not exactly the ‘physical’ sort?”

 

Subaru remarked as he sipped his drink. “Yeah, so we sort of have to pawn off fighting to whoever we can rope in.”

 

“And that’s you today! If you’ll let us?” Shion declared.

 

Devon sighed and tapped his foot, considering it. “Well what’s the job, and what exactly can you two do then? I’d rather not do things blind.”

 

Shion raised her hand. “I’m more of a magic user, though my stuff is more about effecting people’s mind.”

 

“Spirit arts for me.” Atlas shrugged.

 

Devon whistled. “Huh. Those are some rare traits. I’m just good at swinging an axe and killing people.”
Devon leaned back in his seat, tapping his foot. “Alright, and the job?”

 

“Secretive transport.” Atlas remarked.

 

“Ah fun, so you want someone who can swing a sword while you two do your thing?” Devon asked.

 

“That’s right! So it would be super great if you could help us.” Shion smiled.

 

“We’ll give you half if you’re willing to, not really go with the job per say but just protect us while we do it.” Atlas explained. 

 

He stared at the two, his gaze narrowing. “Interesting phrasing. What’s the catch?”

 

Atlas sighed. “I got, a lot of people after me lets just say. Mostly in Lugunica but they sometimes come over the boarder.”

 

“Lugunica huh?” Devon muttered. “I see. I guess that’s why you came to me then? I don’t exactly make my poor history with the nobility there a secret.”

 

“Yeah, just in case people cause us trouble,” Shion replied.

 

Devon stared at them, and then chuckled. “You know what, fine, you all make it sound like it could be an interesting time. I’d be happy to cause them some grief anyways.”

 

“So you’ll help us!” Shion nodded her head.

 

“Yes, but I expect hazard pay.” Devon smirked.

 

Atlas let out a dry chuckle and readjusted the mask to his face. “How about all your drinks are on us for the trip?”

 

Devon laughed. “Normally not the type to go for that, but since you asked… sure.”

 

*****

“And that’s how I met those two crazy bastards.” Devon laughed lightly as he sat at the table with some fellow mercenaries who laughed with him in a far more raucous way.

 

“Well I take it things got pretty complicated after that?” A scar faced mercenary asked.

 

“Yes it did. We got ambushed by some guys after the Metia, no one from Lugunica though.”

“Why you still with em though?” A bald man at the table asked.

 

Devon shrugged. “They have a good feeling about them. I started doing a few more jobs with them and they seemed to have my back. Bunch of weirdos though.”

 

“So are you”

 

Devon chuckled. “You’re right about that. They helped me out with some of my problems too, so I stuck around. Not all the time but I know the jobs with them are going to be fun.”

“Hey Devon we’re heading off!” Shion waved from across the bar, Atlas standing next to her, dressed in his usual cloak and mask.

 

“Well that is my cue.” Devon rose from the table and tossed some coins onto it. “See you around. Off to probably go get myself killed.”

 

The guys waved him off.

 

“So we have the money?” Devon asked.

 

Shion nodded her head. “Yup, job’s all done and paid for. I think me and Atlas are going to relax for a bit after this one.”

 

The three began to walk out of the bar.

 

Devon whistled. “Is that right? I’ll have to look for some jobs to tie me over in the meantime. Maybe take a few guard duty jobs.”

 

“Thought you didn’t like the boring jobs?” Atlas asked. “Thought you only liked jobs where you got to kill things.”

 

Devon shrugged. “I can deal with boring for a while, I think. Besides, if I stay close to you two then it's never exactly boring.” He smirked.

 

The three got on two ground dragons. Devon rode one, while Shion and Atlas shared another.

 

***

 

The three were stopped by a blockade along the road they were traveling down.

 

“Arcbishop of Pride! We have found you at last.” Declared one of them.

 

While others were dressed in nondescript armor, one of the men at the lead was a Knight of Lugunica.

 

“Mine amazon’ found ya now, ya damm bastard!” Another knight shouted.

 

It was Garfiel, now a knight of Lugunica, who served former candidate for the throne, Emilia.

 

“Dammit” Atlas muttered under his breath, staring out from past the eyes of the mask. He removed it. “Why can’t you bastards leave me alone!” Atlas shouted.

 

The knight scoffed. “Who knew an Archbishop could sound so pathetic, perhaps blue was right.”

 

Garfiel leapt from his ground dragon and readied himself for battle. “Ya are gonna’ reg’t everythin’ ya’ done!”

 

Atlas sighed, Shion gripped his hand.

 

“I already regret a lot, but you guys aren’t taking me.” Atlas declared.

 

Devon whistled and chuckled. “This is all the knights have to offer? I’m not impressed.”

Devon leapt from his ground dragon and flourished his axe.

 

Atlas and Shion looked to Devon with some surprise, both smiled as they dismounted.

 

“You really think Atlas, of all fucking people, is an Archbishop. I’d laugh if it wasn’t so pathetic.” He readied his axe, a smirk on his face.

 

“That man IS an Archbishop.” the lead knight declared.

“So stand aside or suffer the consequences for opposing justice.”

 

Devon scoffed. “Fuck off, i’ve personally seen Lugunica’s idea of justice. Leaves a lot to be desired.”

 

“E’nuff! Let’s deal wit’ these bastards already!” Garfiel roared, and charged at Atlas.

 

Devon rushed to meet his charge, knocking him away with impressive strength. “I’ll be the one taking you on.” 

A surge of strength entered Devon’s body, his entire body pulsing.

 

As he activated his Divine Protection of the Berserker.

 

Shion had already performed her countermeasures with dream magic to keep Devon focused, so that he may enjoy all of the benefits, and none of the drawbacks of his divine protection.

 

Empowered as such, Devon roared as he charged forward and met Garfiel in battle, axe against fist.

 

“Enough! Seize them! Do not let them…”

And the lead knight slumped over, falling right asleep.

 

Atlas smirked. “Too easy.”

 

“Sol! Luna, you’re up!”

 

At that moment a Fire spirit and a Yin spirit manifested.

 

First taking the form of fiery and shadowy birds they then morphed into the shape of two young girls.

One was a girl with red hair and blazing golden eyes.

Another was a girl with long black hair and deep violet eyes.

 

“Shall we have some fun, beloved contractor!” Sol shouted with glee.

 

“We will do away with this filth, beloved contractor.” Luna declared.

Luna instantly cast a shamak spell, shrouding the field in darkness.

 

Atlas had to move fast, he already disabled the captain and he needed to buy Shion some time to complete her spell.

 

“Shion, how long do you need?” Atlas asked.

 

“One minute if we want to be sure. Not sure that will work for Garfiel though.”

 

“I got a plan there.” Atlas declared.

 

Atlas manifested four hands of darkness and waited for the first knight to approach.

 

The knight charged at him, fury in his eyes and blade raised. Atlas sent forth one shadowy hand that gripped his head.

 

The knight was held in place. “Wha.. what is!!!”

 

And the knight fell to sleep, passing calmly into slumber.

 

Though before Subaru let him down, the knight’s eyes opened again, now foggy and unfocused.

 

“Good job Shion!” Atlas remarked.

 

“Ugh, me and Lilac are sort of multi-tasking here so…

 

“I got it!” Atlas let the man down who turned upon his comrades and charged.

 

“Ah! He turned Sir Didan against us!”

 

“You wicked fiends!” 

 

The knights shouted their indignation.

 

Atlas rolled his eyes as two more knights approached.

 

He gripped one by the head and arm, as he tried to force him into slumber.

 

The other one he pinned by the neck to the ground, strangling him.

 

Yet more knights charged.

 

“Dammit” Subaru muttered.

 

“El Goa!” He and Sol teamed up, firing off a blast of flame to keep the knights at bay.

 

“El Shamak!” he followed up with Luna, creating a darkness to shroud and contain several of the knights.

Turning back he saw Devon and Garfiel still engaged in combat.

 

Both bore several wounds upon themselves, though Garfiel’s were quickly regenerating.

 

Devon meanwhile ignored the wounds and powered through, both berserkers lost in their respective frenzies, yet neither let their rage dull their skill as they danced around each other like masters

 

Garfiel then swung, and tore a chunk out of Devon’s side.

Devon winced, and fell to one knee.

 

Garfiel tried to bring a kick down on Devon’s head to finish him, but Devon blocked, powering through the pain he continued his onslaught against Garfiel.

 

Shit! I need to take care of that.

 

Atlas thought.

 

Atlas then composed himself. “Five seconds to reverse shifts, right.”

 

Atlas then activated his ‘1st’ shift of Cor Leonis, as Garfiel’s wound suddenly appeared upon himself.

 

Atlas winced and fell to one knee.

 

“Atlas!” Shion cried.

 

Sol and Luna stood protectively in front of their contractor. As another knight charged Sol conjured a wall of flames, while Luna kept them shrouded in the darkness of her yin magic.

 

“I’ll be fine!” Atlas shouted.

One second .

 

The knights struggled to dispel the shamaks that were keeping them in place. One eventually charged through, cutting through with yang magic.

 

Two seconds .

 

Luna raised a hand towards him, gravity pulsed around the knight and he was brought to the ground.

 

Three seconds .

 

Another man charged, but was punched out by the fist from Atlas’ unseen hand, and sent flying back.

 

Four seconds

 

Another man charged, getting close to Atlas.

 

“Minya!” Luna declared softly, a host of mana crystals appeared above her head, before firing out.

The charging man was instantly crystalized and died.

But he was not the only one, two other men were hit by the bombardment of crystals, and were reduced to nothing.

 

“You monster!”

 

Subaru quickly took this moment to do something stupid, and stabbed himself in the legs, and in the arms several times.

Five seconds

 

“Reverse Shift” Subaru muttered softly to himself.

 

The large gash on his chest, the wound that Garfiel inflicted upon Devon, was instantly transferred back to Garfiel.

 

That moment of confusion allowed Devon the chance to surge forward, carving his axe through Garfiel’s chest.

 

The other attacks, knights and soldiers alike, were similarly afflicted.

 

The various additional wounds Subaru suffered were disturbed among several of the knights, Atlas targeting them specifically. Many fell to the ground in agony, or simply couldn’t walk due to the damage to their legs.

 

Atlas stood up. “Shion how long?!” Atlas asked.

 

“Just a second and… Now!”

She brought her hands together and a ‘pulse’ of ethereal magic radiated outward.

 

All was still for a moment, as every single person besides Atlas, Shion, and Devon, fell into a slumber where they stood.

 

Garfiel stumbled, shaking in place, trying to stay awake before he passed out. “Fuckin’ bastar…”

 

Atlas slowly stood up and stretched himself. “Ugh, cutting it close. But I guess that’s our style.”

 

Devon whistled. “That guy is something. Thanks for the help.” Devon nodded to Atlas.

 

Atlas sighed and scratched his head. “Not a problem.”

 

Shion looked around. “Lilac is giving them some ‘tweeks’ while they are asleep so they lose track of us.”

 

“Anything else?” Atlas asked.

 

“She’s also making sure that they will give us less trouble, she’s putting in a few not so friendly phobias and traumas. She’s also erasing their minds about what we can do.”

 

Atlas nodded his head. “That’s fine. Once we get home we’ll pack up and move to another of the spots.”

 

Shion smirked. “That’s a good plan.”

 

“Ah! Atlas Atlas did we do good?” Sol asked excitedly. “I burned them REALLY good!” she pointed at one man who was reduced to a charred corpse.

“I hope we pleased you, beloved contractor.” Luna bowed her head.

 

Atlas smiled and pat them both on the head. “I’d say you did good.”

 

Shion smiled. “You were a great help Devon”
The elf smiled at the man.

 

Devon shrugged. “I got my own grief with Lugunica. Happy to help. Let’s get you two home. I don’t want anything else happening before you pack up and move.

 

***

 

It would not be until the following evening that Atlas and Shion could settle down again. Sitting within their room at an inn, their bags piled off to the side.

 

The two sat on the bed in a state of semi undress.

Shion was wearing a plain white nightgown and hugged Atlas tightly. “Seems things are going well, problems aside.”

 

Atlas was similarly undressed, wearing only boxer shorts. His body was a patchwork of various scars from the next down, a reminder of his time imprisoned.

 

He leaned against her and let out a deep sigh. “Is it wrong that I still feel a little bad about it? Killing them I mean. I mean, they still think I am an archbishop. They are otherwise good people but…”

 

Shion sighed and leaned her head against him. “I know what you mean, it's rough isn’t it? But, while I can handle them without killing them, they are going to keep coming when they find you.”

 

“I know. I’m just… I’m really glad I have you, both of you.” He smiled and coiled an arm around her, holding her close.

 

Shion giggled. “Two timing a girl with herself. That has to be something special.”

 

Atlas laughed and held her in his arms. “I think, after all that, we take a few days off. Relax, have fun, maybe spend some of our money.”

 

Shion giggled “That sounds good to me and…”

 

At that moment Shion froze, her appearance changed. Her hair became long and violet, and her eyes a similar violet hue.

 

Lilac chuckled. “You’re still going on about all that stuff. Don’t feel bad, we both do what we have too.”

Atlas chuckled and pat her on the cheek. “Good job to you out there too Lilac. I know you are right, you usually are.”

 

Lilac smirked. “I know, I know. Just know that we trust you, ONLY you completely. We wont leave you.” She pressed herself against him.

 

Atlas stared at her for a long while and held her tightly. “I know.”

 

“Good. Now sleep and rest up so you and me can have some fun tomorrow.”

 

“I thought it was going to be me and Shion?”

 

Lilac rolled her eyes. “She’s been the one handling the main shift for a while now, I'm taking charge for a bit. I did all the hard parts for the two of us today.”

 

Atlas shrugged. “That’s on you two to figure out, now goodnight.”

 

Lilac reached over and blew out the candle.

 

Leaving the two in the comfort of darkness. 

In this If.

 

-Subaru experienced a little less than half a decade of torture time through his loops.

-Neither gluttony has been slain.

-Subaru escaped via luck during a Witch Cult attack on the capital city. While he tried to help it always ended in his death. Instead he escaped and contracted with two spirits, later named Sol and Luna.

-He decided to leave Lugunica behind and instead struck out on his own.

-He countered Shion/Lilac and the two quickly formed a partnership that became romantic.

-They currently act as mercenaries in Kararagi, with Subaru using the name Atlas now. They already have a reputation as a duo with odd abilities.

-They have various contacts and friends among all sorts of odd people. Subaru is friends with Halibel as well as having resolved the incident with Tia and her Light Ball.\

-The Kingdom still hunts the Archbishop of Pride. After a few failed loops Subaru resolved himself to accept casualties among those who pursued him. Shion typically uses dream magic to rewire their brains when doing so.

-Subaru’s Sloth Authority has evolved. Invisible Providence has four hands and can inflict ‘sleep’ upon people if it grabs their head. This effect can be resisted but its stronger with prolonged contact.

-Subaru’s Greed Authority is a version of Cor Leonis. It has the usual first and second shifts, but also a ‘reverse shift’ that inflicts his wounds upon an opponent. Reverse shift will not work on his allies and it takes five seconds to trigger, though he can decide targets at the last second. In exchange his first two shifts can only handle a limited number of individuals at once when compared to canon and has a set range. 

-His two spirits are Sol, a fire spirit, and Luna, a yin spirit.





IN THE THEATER

(By Thinkmind, edited by Zero-Haven)

In Absolute Cinema:

[Ricardo: So, a mercenary's life, huh? Not bad. And with the mini-boss's skills and strategies, maybe he can actually manage well.]

This was one of the positive comments they could glean from the screening they had seen.

Despite the shame of being from another world that exposed their incompetence toward Subaru, they also couldn't help but feel a little proud of the boy. He truly had exceptional abilities to adapt to other lifestyles when necessary to face the misfortunes around him, and this was one example.

[Garfiel: The Cap’n is a lot better in combat huh.]

Garfiel tried to find some positives in the situation. Truthfully he felt his stomach churn upon seeing himself try to attack Subaru again. He found himself in the odd position of wishing for his own defeat.
Thus when he saw himself knocked out, all he could do was smile in relief. He did not want to see himself kill Subaru again.

[Otto: He may still not be the best at defeating everyone alone. But Natsuki-san really can manage well when supporting others. And it seems his Authorities have improved to help him do that.]

A sense of pride was conveyed in the analysis. Even though Subaru wasn't yet powerful enough to do everything himself, it was enough to help the others who would fight for him on the front lines, as theirs always had. The live combat demonstration was enough to lift their spirits, though some felt a certain reluctance and sadness at one aspect of what they saw.

More than one were saddened that he would have to use lethal force against his own comrades.

[Al: Well... They'll use it against his brother and anyone who tries to help him. Can't blame him. He shouldn't be the only one sacrificing his life to spare those who wouldn't do the same, right?]

Aldebaran's words met with agreement from some and still reluctance from others—Minerva in particular—who could at least accept that Subaru was free to defend himself against his attackers and, if necessary, take their lives in battle, as much as it pained them to imagine him having to do such a thing.

But what also hurt was...

[Beatrice: Sol... Luna... Uuuu...]

The Great Spirit had a sad and distressed expression when she saw herself changed.

[Petra: Beatrice-Chan, I bet it was hard for Subaru-Sama to have to leave your contract.]

[Beatrice: I'm not sad that Betty's contractor from that world made a contract with other spirits, I suppose. With his gate and his situation of being persecuted, and Betty probably breaking their contract, that Betty couldn't demand anything. But it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth to see her contractor with other spirits and not be the one protecting him, I Suppose.]

Not even Petra had a good argument to use at this point. It really was something complicated for a little girl to fully understand. A contract between a spirit and someone was something extremely special; everyone in the room had learned that, so it shouldn't be surprising that Beatrice felt that way upon seeing Subaru's bond with those spirits.

But another bond that also made others envious was Subaru, Shion, and Lilac.

Emilia, like Rem, was crestfallen upon seeing the romantic bond forming between her knight and the green-haired half-elf girl. Even though it was another reality, in a world where Subaru was forgotten and tortured, her heart selfishly wanted him to not feel or form romantic bonds with other girls—especially half-elves—which made her feel worse. How much could she try to demand of him? Thoughts of self-loathing were starting to spring to mind.

Julius let out another deep sigh, 

[Julius: It appears that the kingdom is hunting Subaru. If they are pursuing them with lethal intent, as they clearly are, then that is just sending knights to their doom considering that even a successful attack against Subaru would just lead to him using Return by Death.]

Anastasia shook her head.

[Anastasia: Can’t be helped, the Archbishop escaping is a problem I’m guessing they can’t ignore, being idiots and all that.]

Wilhelm studied the new figure, Devon, who appeared in this chapter.

[Wilhelm: This Devon man seems like a capable fighter. That Garfiel seems to be even stronger than our current one, and Devon was able to match him blow for blow.]

[Crusch: It seems like he has personal issues with the kingdom though, so it is perhaps best not to seek him out. Still, his skills in battle were commendable, even if we have to see it being turned against ourselves.]

[Julius: Considering the way he speaks, he is probably the victim of some other sort of injusitce.]

The somber and serious mood was broken by a comment from across the theater. 

[Al: Wait. If the guy has sex with one of them, will the other feel it too? Or will the other not even know?]

And with that abominable but curious question, everyone's attention turned to the helmeted knight with only one arm.

[Al: What?]

[Priscilla: Of all the words and questions that could be raised with the displays shown about the commoner... This is the question you dare ask?]

[Al: —— seemed pertinent to me.]

And with that, he earned a blow to the head from his lady.

But the question remained unanswered: would Shion mind if Lilac had sex with Subaru?

Notes:

So a couple of extra things
-Sol, in my mind, is the same spirit as the Pride If fire spirit. Just brought up in a different environment.
-Luna, a yin spirit and sister to Sol. She has the ability to use Minya and El Minya from Subaru, though she has not learned how to preform Ul Minya.
-Devon Mordrain: Is one of my OCs who may appear in other fics. Bastard Son of Lugunica nobility he has the Divine Protection of the Berserker. It allows him to trade part of his sanity and stability in battle for powerful instincts and physical power. Shion uses her dream magic to 'stabilize' his mind so that he can trade even more sanity for additional power, without the cost effecting his ability in battle.

Chapter 12: Path of Departure-Extra 1

Atlas was awoken by a gentle nudge to his side. “Hey there, better wake up. We got a big job later today.”

 

The voice came from Lilac, the alternative personality of Shion.

 

Atlas roused himself from his slumber, sitting himself upright. “Guessing it's going to be you today then?”

 

He asked the purple-haired half elf.

 

Lilac stretched out her arms and yawned, standing herself up. “That’s right.” She smirked, looking back at Atlas with a confident smile.

“I want to make sure we aren’t going to get ourselves killed, so I’m taking the lead today.”

She declared, it was a statement, not a request.

 

Atlas sighed and shook his head. “Sure sure, I'm fine with you taking the lead. Keeps us out of trouble anyways.”

 

Lilac smiled, leaning in to kiss Atlas on the lips.

 

She then pat his cheek. “Exactly. Now get up and get ready. Let’s get the ball rolling… did I… use that right?”

 

Atlas laughed. “Yeah, you did.”

 

She smirked. “Good, now let's get moving.”

 

***

Later that day after lunch, they were all assembled around a conference table.

 

Atlas was seated next to Lilac, with Sol and Luna sharing a seat next to Atlas.

 

Also seated at the table were Devon, Korin, and Maxwell.

 

Devon was that studious ally ever since their encounter with the knights. A bastard child of a Lugunica nobleman and a woman from Gusteko. He was a tall and powerfully built man with ragged blonde hair and a confident demeanor. He was currently leaning back in his chair with his axe at his side.

 

Korin was a tall and lean man with short dark hair, pale corpse-like skin, and icy blue eyes. Despite this appearance reminiscent of death, he leaned against the table with a refined but relaxed attitude. He was an assassin and murderer with a history in Vollachia who kept two cursed short blades at his side.

 

The last individual was Maxwell. An elegant looking man with short dark red hair, emerald eyes, and a beautiful refined appearance. He was the third son of a wealthy merchant, destined not to inherit anything of true worth; he applied his talents as a mage for hire and has become wealthy as such.

 

Maxwell smiled at the group. “Well then, now that we have all gathered, shall we get this show started?”

 

Lilac nodded her head. “That's right. Right down to business, I got no complaints.”

 

“Not unless you say something stupid.” Devon remarked.

 

“So what are the details of this job Lilac?” Korin asked.

 

Lilac turned to Atlas. “You're up.” 

She remarked as she leaned back in her seat.

 

Atlas nodded and looked over the rest of the group, his eyes peering out through the black and white mask on his face. “This isn't a security job. It's a robbery, we are being employed by the Azela Company targeting the Valkhan Company.

 

“Valkhan?” Maxwell asked. “They are a rather ruthless company.”

 

Korin whistled and let out a low laugh. “I've done a few jobs for them. Some of them got rather messy. But I am not one for corporate loyalty so fine by me.” 

 

Atlas nodded his head and continued to speak, his voice remaining cold and calm. “We have twofold targets. The first is the liberation of certain “debt slaves” taken by the company. The second is taking a metia that they "appropriated" from someone recently and mysteriously deceased.”

 

“A breakout?” Korin asked. “Could be fun, going to get messy if we have to cut through the guards. Not that I mind that, more fun for me.”

 

Atlas nodded. “We will be trying to avoid that but if it happens it happens.”

 

Maxwell smirked. “Fine either way.”

 

“Course you would be.” Devon remarked as he crossed his arms, letting out a sigh.

 

“Oi! You're almost as blood crazy as I am.” Korin retorted.

 

Devon rolled his eyes. “I like fighting, I hate certain people, I'm good at killing, but I never claimed I particularly like killing. You are just sick in the head.”

 

“Guilty.”

 

“Well either way.” Maxwell interjected. “Saving the prisoners of the company and claiming a metia. It shall prove to be a most interesting night. Though I now see why you brought me in.”

Maxwell turned to face Atlas.

 

Atlas nodded his head. “Your father works for Valkhan right?”

 

Maxwell let out a dramatic sigh. “Indeed, we are not on good terms and I have nothing but discontent for my father and absolute scorn for Valkhan himself.”

 

Lilac smirked. “Then I hope you'll be happy sticking it to him.”

 

Maxwell let a controlled but wide smile cross his face. “Of course, not that I shall let it impede my impeccable professionalism.”

 

Devon laughed. “Look at you, seems you're not so above it all.”

 

Korin mantled a wide grin on his face. “Going to be fun seeing you on this battlefield then.”

 

Maxwell shook his head and scoffed. “Don't go getting your hopes up. Unlike you two I keep my emotions in check on the battlefield.”

 

The three young mercenaries continued to argue as Lilac pulled Atlas aside.

 

“Are you sure these guys are our best set up for this?” She asked her partner.

 

Atlas cast a gaze back at them but then turned back to her, nodding his head. “Yeah, I’m sure. If we had Halibel with us then we wouldn’t really need all this but these guys are what we got for this job. Devon’s reliable even if he isn’t subtle, and we’ll need some of his strength. Korin is a bit psycho but he likes us so he’s fine and he’s good at what he does. Maxwell gives us some magic support that we need.”

 

Lilac raised an eyebrow at that last statement. “And my magic isn’t enough.”

Atlas stared back at her. “Your dream magic is some of the best magic out there, but we do need something… tangible, at times. You get it right?” he asked her.

 

Lilac let out a long sigh before nodding her head. “Yeah guess you’re right. You and I aren’t exactly frontline material. Those guys are.”

 

“Exactly.” Atlas replied.

 

He then turned back to the group. “Alright, now let’s go over the exact details of the plan and how we are going to do this.”

 

***

Lilac began their assault rather simply, by putting every person she could inside the warehouse to sleep. Trapping them in slumber they’d have a few minutes before someone on the outside noticed something was wrong.

 

At that point Korin and Maxwell snuck in and worked their way inside.

 

Korin’s job was to secure the metia, held within a secure area, meanwhile Maxwell made his way to the prison where the debt slaves were held.

 

Devon stood in a nearby street, waiting to react to and delay any of the incoming mercenary guards that the Valkhan company may use.

 

Atlas knew it wouldn’t be long, he kept track of it all using the power of Cor Leonis. Bright green, gray, and red lights filled his vision as he tracked allies, neutrals, and enemies within the area.

 

Atlas took a deep breath as he saw a mass of mercenaries incoming to seize the facility, likely a magical alarm being tripped at Korin had just seized the metia that were after.

 

“Lilac, give Devon the signal.” Atlas remarked.

 

“Got it!” She concentrated, sending forth a mental message to Devon who immediately interposed himself between before the incoming mercenaries.

The man wasted no time in charging them, cleaving two in twain with a single swing.

 

His body was supported by Atlas using Cor Leonis to fuel Devon’s own mana, siphoning it from Lilac who had plenty to spare.

Lilac also triggered the ongoing ‘spell’ they had on Devon, to keep him sane while he berserked.

 

Korin then appeared before the two. “One metia in a nice little box right here.” He presented a black box. “I had to check to make sure it was inside, that probably set off the alarm. Sorry about that.” He remarked, though the smile on his face indicated he was far from sorry.

 

Lilac rolled her eyes. “Well you did your job, you can either be useful and help Maxwell get the prisoners out, or be slightly less useful and go help Devon keep the guards off our back.”

 

Korin looked to Atlas.

 

“Either’s fine with me.” Atlas remarked. “Just go quickly.”

 

“In that case I'll go help Devon with his fun.” Korin then vanished into a pool of shadows and rushed off.

 

Atlas turned to Lilac. “I’m going to help Maxwell get the rest of the people out.”

 

Lilac sighed. “Sounds good, I'll keep things pinned. DON’T die on me, got that.” She pointed a finger right at him. A cold seriousness was in her eyes.

 

“I don’t plan on dying today.” Atlas remarked. One could not see his face, but a confident smile was beneath his mask.

 

Atlas darted into the warehouse, by this point the outer guards were alerted but he quickly took care of them. 

 

“Luna!”

His yin spirit manifested. “Understood, Minya!” She unleashed a torrent of purple crystals towards the guards.

 

Totally caught off guard by the unusual spell they were crystalized and died.

 

Subaru rushed inside, by now both Sol and Luna were at his side.

 

He ran into Maxwell, who was carrying a young girl in his arms. “The girl’s mother and one other person are the only ones left inside. How well are our dear compatriots doing outside?”

 

“Making a mess and having their kind of fun.” Atlas remarked dryly.

 

Maxwell smiled. “Good, that should keep the guards busy for a while then, shouldn’t it.”

 

“Those two are good at making a mess.” Atlas replied.

 

“Indeed.” Maxwell chuckled. “Good luck.”

Atlas then raced deeper into the facility.

 

He saw that some mercenaries had managed to slip past Devon and Korin, trying to corral the remaining two prisoners, a woman and a young man, into a waiting dragon carriage.

 

The young man furiously resisted and had his face repeatedly bludgeoned by a dogman mercenary until he complied, or was too dazed to resist.

 

The woman was manic and crying as she was dragged along.

 

Atlas acted quickly. Two unseen hands launched forward and one decked the dogman across the face, staggering him.

 

The other punched out one of the men dragging the woman along.

 

The attention of the mercenaries immediately returned to Subaru.

 

Two rushed at him with blades drawn.

 

Another two fired fire and wind spells at him.

 

His last two unseen hands blocked the advance of the two rushing at his, delivering punches to the gut and face.

 

For the incoming magic spells he used a different approach. “Pale Dream!” as a Luna manifested before Atlas, and a field of anti-magic was created, canceling out the incoming spells.

 

Pale Dream, and its counterpart Black Dream, had different names once, a tribute to a woman who no longer remembered him.

 

Luna and Atlas quickly turned off the field. Now it was their counter attack.

 

“Vita!” Both shouted as two of the charging mercenaries suddenly were suddenly thrown to the ground by enhanced gravity.

 

“Ul Goa!” Sol cheerfully manifested above them, and with a confident smile unleashed a storm of fire bullets.

 

But for the spirit girl this was not a haphazard bombardment, every single one of the dozens of fire bullets was accurate and precise. Not one would strike the prisoners.

 

The carriage they planned to escape in was set ablaze, those guards who could not avoid were instead set ablaze.

 

“Dona!” The leader of the group, a well dressed man in a mustache, not only defended himself with pillars of earth, but one pillar rose up beneath Atlas and launched him back.

 

“Minya!” Luna fired a barrage of crystals at the man, who was forced to raise walls of earth in defense.

 

The Dog-man then charged at Atlas, large axe in hand.

 

“Vita!” Atlas shouted, causing the man’s weight to increase, his movements to slow, but he did not stop.

 

But the slowing of his movements was enough.

 

Atlas brought forth all four of his unseen hands and just began to pummel the dog-man. Four enlarged fists of shadow that could not be seen punched the man in the face, stomach, arms, and legs. A relentless flurry of blows that could not be seen, and thus could not be blocked.

 

The dog-man fell, bruised and battered.

 

Luna swept forward and unleashed a cloud of darkness. “Murak!” 

 

And when she emerged from that darkness she was carrying both the woman and the young man, both of whom seemed confused.

 

The remaining mercenaries tried to pursue but Sol swept in, and with a smile on her face the ever eager fire spirit conjured a wall of roiling flames.

 

“Can you two walk?” Atlas asked.

 

“I can.” The young man replied. 

 

“I.. I’m not sure I…” Subaru took the green pale woman in his arms. “Let’s go then, keep up.” He said to the young man as he and the spirits quickly fled the scene, Luna unleashing a very large shamak to shroud the entire area in darkness as they left.

 

***

 

The prisoners and the metia were dropped off nearby, into the hands of other people who would deliver it to their ultimate employer. The group given their handsome payment.

 

The only one not picked up was the young man, as he was not a person they were hired to save, but rather an extra person who ended up in chains due to his repeated assaults against the company for personal reasons.

For now Atlas decided to take the young man with them, just to let him get back up on his feet, with Lilac only offering minor protests.

 

So with money in hand the group reconvened at a tavern in a town some distance away, to celebrate their job well done.

 

The young man they saved, Rend, was invited to join them.

 

“So you let Maxwell save the two girls?” Korin asked Atlas.

 

“Yeah? What of it?” Atlas replied.

 

Devon chuckled. “Figured you’d complain about that.”

 

“Thought little girls were your thing.” Korin teased.

 

“Fuck off.” Atlas groaned and sipped his drink, the mouth piece of his mask being removed.

 

Maxwell laughed. “Come come, we all have our unusual tastes. Look at Devon and Korin with their taste for violence, and my taste for the finer things.” He replied in a haughty tone.

 

Devon rolled his eyes. “I feel like you’d be the sort to be into messed up stuff, or maybe you’re the one into young ones.”

 

Maxwell laughed. “I would hardly be so crass, that would damage my reputation.”

 

“I don’t know, I'd maybe believe it.” Korin jabbed.

 

Lilac rolled her eyes. “You guys are idiots, I don’t know how Shion puts up with you all. You included.” She pointed playfully at Atlas.

 

“I mean I admit I'm not the brightest.” Atlas shrugged awkwardly.

 

Korin let out a dry, mocking, laugh. “I think Shion meets the qualities of being an idiot once in a while

 

“At times, she can be incredibly dense.” Devon remarked with a deep sigh.

 

Lilac grumbled. “Ugh I can’t stand you guys at times.”

 

“Meanwhile you can just be bitchy.” Korin added.

 

“Indeed, Shion is the flower and you are the thorns.” Maxwell added. 

Devon stifled a chuckle.

Atlas backed away from the elven girl.

 

Lilac glared at them all. “Watch it, unless you want me to start outing all your fucked up dreams.”

 

“Oh you are a voyeur too.” Korin added.

 

Maxwell let out another laugh. “I have no shame about my dreams, do you?”

 

“Yeah no thanks.” Devon concluded.

 

Rend looked around at the group. “What kind of fucking group are you people.”

 

Devon shrugged and pat Rend on the shoulders. “You get used to it kid.”

 

Rend’s shoulders slumped. “Not sure I want to.”

 

“That would be an unwise move.” Maxwell added, and everyone at the table laughed.

 

***

 

Later that night Atlas sat himself on a bench outside as the others continued to eat and drink inside.

 

Leaning back on the bench, he stared up at the night’s sky.

 

Luna and Sol both appeared.

 

“Dearest contractor, are you well?” Luna asked.

“We can help you out!” Sol declared.

 

Atlas’ gaze shifted town to the two girls, staring into their violet and golden eyes.

“I’m fine mostly, just trying to relax a bit, away from the craziness.”

 

“Luna’s contractor should not lie. Something is bothering you.” Luna remarked.

“Sol’s contractor should be happy! Sol wants her contractor to be happy. Please tell us.” Sol asked with pleading eyes.

 

Atlas smiled and leaned forward, patting both spirits on the head.

 

“You two know what happened to me, before all this, before you two.”

 

“Life without Luna must have been horrific for you.” Luna remarked with a soft smile.

Sol nodded her head. “As long as you have Sol, no one from back then will harm you!”

 

“We are with you beloved contractor.” Luna replied.

“Forever and ever!” Sol proclaimed.

 

Atlas smiled behind his mask. “I know, just sometimes the memories get to me. Things are just so different for me now.”

 

“Diffrent isn’t bad beloved contractor.” Luna smiled calmly back at him.

“You have Sol now! So it's clearly better now.” Sol smiled brightly back at him.

 

Atlas shook his head. “Can’t argue with that logic.”

 

Both girls then sat on either side of him on the bench, and hugged him from either side.

“You are amazing beloved contractor.”

“You are the best beloved contractor.”

 

The two girls clung to him tightly, and he hugged them both.

A short while later, Lilac made her way out, and found the two spirit girls sleeping against Atlas.

 

“There you are, I take it the two demanded some of your attention?” Lilac asked.

 

“Just a bit.” Atlas admitted, his tone of voice lighter than usual.

 

Lilac chuckled. “Well how about you.”

 

Atlas sighed. “Really i’m…”

 

“You’re going to try that… with me… really?” Lilac raised an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips.

 

Atlas chuckled. “Can’t blame me for trying.”

 

Lilac groaned and rolled her eyes. “Yes I can. Od why are you such a blockheaded moron at times..”

 

Atlas shrugged. “It's who I am. Guessing you came to check up on me then?”

 

Lilac sat herself down on the bench. “I can’t exactly have my partner being compromised. We rely on each other, so yes I’m checking on you to make sure nothing’s wrong. That’s all.”

 

Atlas let out a low chuckle. “I swear you’re a tsundere at times.”

 

“Do I have to go poking around in your mind for what that means?” Lilac asked, pouting now.

 

“I’d rather ya didn’t.” Atlas replied.

 

Lilac stared back at him. “You know, normally I wouldn’t want to be with a person that was hunted by an entire nation. I have enough problems on my own without yours.”

 

Atlas stared back at her. “I see… I’m sorry I…”

 

Lilac grumbled. “Shut up you idiot.” She pressed a hand to his lips.

“But… life’s funny like that.” She leaned against the bench.

 

She stared up at the stars. “It’s just been me and Shion for so long. The two of us, just a dreamer wandering the world after our own village rejected us.”

 

She let out a deep breath. “Shion doesn’t want anyone involved in our problems, and my priority has always been Shion’s safety, everything else could have gone to hell. So it makes zero sense that we’d stick with you of all people.”

She rubbed her arm.

“You’re a magnet for trouble, you aren’t that strong physically or magically, we can’t even fully check your mind and dreams without risk to ourselves but… Shion likes sticking with you, she’s actually comfortable with you, happy being around you as stupid as that is. I feel safe being with you, despite all the nonsense you drag along with you , somehow everything seems to work out for both of us. It makes NO sense but that’s where we are at. So don’t you go start thinking about picking up and leaving again. We will both run you down.” She poked at him in the chest.

“Got that?”

 

Atlas stared at her for several minutes and then let out a dry laugh. “You’re incredible Lilac, you know that right?”

 

“Obviously we are.” Lilac crossed her arms, but a slight blush crossed her face.

“So are you feeling better now or what?” She asked.

 

“Yes I…”

 

Atlas suddenly stiffed, sitting up ramrod straight as his eyes narrowed.

 

Both Sol and Luna awoke, staring up at him.

 

Lilac narrowed her gaze.

 

She understood that Atlas’ ‘forbidden authority’ had just activated.

 

And that only meant trouble. 

 

In this if
-Atlas (Subaru) has helped Sol and Luna develop several unique spells. While Luna is not as powerful as Beatrice yet, she has learned every spell Beatrice and Subaru developed. Luna can also perform Minya, El Minya, and Ul Minya, though not to the same level of power as Beatrice. Sol has a series of more straightforward custom spells that may be displayed later. 
-Maxwell, Devon, and Korin shall become part of the regular contacts and allies that Atlas (Subaru) & Shion/Lilac call upon. All three are willing to fight on their behalf to protect them from Lugunica’s knights.
-Atlas and Shion/Lilac have become regular partners with Halibel as well
-Rend will end up also becoming an ally of theirs's, being a skilled fighter with plenty of grudges. He is 16 currently. 
-Both the Valkhan and the Azela companies are rivals to the Hoshin Company. Valkhan in particular gets involved in a lot of illicit things including slavery.
-Atlas/Subaru’s loop was due to a particular serial killer in Karagari that is hunting people with Miasma…

 

 

Notes:

Korin, Maxwell, and Devon are prototypes of characters that exist in other fics of mine. For example Korin is a younger version of the character who briefly kidnapped Mercurius in Starlight Dream. All three of them will have some role in my eventual “Wrath Reforged” fic as potential members of Black Peledias. This is an example of me testing out the characters first.

Next update will be either a new path or a continuation of path of the Beast & Slaughter.

Chapter 13: Path of Departure-Extra 2

Notes:

I got requests for wholesome bonding for Subaru with his spirits, so that is the majority of this chapter.

Atlas slowly picked himself up out of bed, yawning and stretching his arms as he was ready to face the day once again.

Looking to his side he found that Shion was already gone, likely getting breakfast ready.

 

“Well at least I don’t have to worry about that.” He muttered to himself. 

 

In truth, he had repeated this morning three times now, but he also knew that there was nothing he could do to prepare for his upcoming challenges until the night. 

So for now, for the sake of his own sanity, Atlas would be slothful and enjoy himself.

He knew overpreparing early on would just make things worse. 

 

As he made his way down the stairs he saw that Shion had already set the table with four places, Sol and Luna were already seated. 

 

“Ah, good you are up sleepy head.” Shion flashed a smile at him.

 

Atlas smiled back and nodded his head. “Ah yeah, just had a stressful night’s sleep.”

 

Shion nodded her head. “Lilac told me you seemed a bit out of it at the end of last night.”

 

“Yeah, we’ll talk about it later. Right now I just want to relax for a bit.” he said.

 

“Sounds good to me.” She replied with a smile on her face. “Now get to eating! I worked hard on this ya know?”

 

“Yeah yeah! Sit down Atlas!” Sol demanded in her energetic tone.

 

“Luna demands that her contractor share breakfast with her.” Luna demanded in her aloof tone. 

 

“Alright alright.” Atlas laughed and sat himself down at the table, looking between the two. “You two really can’t give a man a break huh?”

 

“Nope!” Sol chimed as she leaned against his side.

 

Luna nodded her head. “Our contract stipulates that we can use you as we please.”

 

Atlas took a bite of his food. “Since when did our contract indicate that?” 

He asked with a laugh.

 

“Since we decided it to be so obviously.” Luna declared. 

 

“Mhm! Its better that way.” Sol added as both the sister spirits giggled.

 

Atlas leaned back. “Well I don’t think I can resist if these two team up on me.”

 

Shion pouted, puffing up her lips. “Luna! Sol! That’s no fair! He’s your contractor but he’s my partner! It’s bad enough my time is cut in half between myself and Lilac!”

 

“Spirits have priority obviously elf girl.” Luna replied coldly as she took a bite of her own food. “I’m afraid you’ll have to just deal with the scraps.”

 

“Mhm mhm! As his contracted spirits, we have to be Atlas’ number one! No elf is getting in our way there!” Sol boldly declared. “Just deal with the number three spot, after the Marvelous Sol and Magnificent Luna.”

 

“Agreed spirit.” Luna flashed a devious smirk.

 

The two sister spirits clearly enjoyed messing with the half-elf to the fullest.

 

“Hmmm Atlas! They are being mean to me!” Shion pointed at the two little girls, her voice full of accusation.

 

Atlas looked between the two girls, and then back at Shion. “Sorry Shion, contracts are contracts, my hands are tied.” He mimed his hands being tied up together.

 

“Now you’re being mean too idiot!” Shion huffed and sat back down at the table.

 

All four then began to laugh together.

 

“Alright, but seriously you two.” Altas placed a hand on the heads of both the spirits. “Stop being mean to Shion, that’s a request from your contractor, and more importantly that’s my job.”

 

Luna sighed. “Very well.”

 

Sol pouted. “Was fun while it lasted.”

 

“What do you mean it's your job Atlas!?” Shion asked with confusion and righteous indignation in her voice.

 

“Love you too.” Atlas chimed back.

 

Shion blushed and grumbled, crossing her arms as she sighed. “You really are an idiot at times.”

She let out a deep sigh, but smiled warmly at him. “Glad you are enjoying yourself Atlas.”

 

He smiled back softly at her and sighed. “Yeah well… I got stuff to worry about but right now I don’t want to deal with any of that. I’ll save problems for future me.”

 

“And future me!” Shion declared as she lifted up a finger.

“We are in this together, all of us.”

 

“That’s right! No leaving us alone!” Sol added.

 

“Our contractor’s burdens are our burdens.” Luna stated.

 

“Fine fine yeah yeah.” Atlas muttered. “We’ll deal with it later.”

He smiled as his assembled found family. “I promise.”

 

***

 

Later that day he went to a clearing in the forest with Sol and Luna to get some practice in.

 

“So so! Contractor! What are we going to try today?” Sol asked.

 

“Yin magic, or fire magic?” Luna asked.

 

“Bit of both, I got some things I want to try but firstly.” He looked to Luna. “I want us to see about working on our anti-magic spell.”

 

Luna slowly nodded her head. “It's difficult to cast Pale Dream still, but I can work on it.”

 

Atlas turned to Sol. “Mind helping her? Just throw some fire magic NEAR her not at her, got it?”

 

“Yes sir contractor!” Sol declared.

 

Atlas stood next to Luna, both of them were required to be together for Pale Dream and Black Dream to work.

 

And so began a series of practice runs, Sol hurling magic in their general direction as Luna used Pale Dream to cancel it out.

 

“Alright, it seems it's in a good place for now. We might need that spell later, okay Luna?” he asked her.

 

Luna’s expression stiffened when Atlas spoke, fully aware of her contractor’s ‘predictions’ by now. “I understand beloved contractor, I shall not disappoint.”

 

Atlas smiled and ruffled her hair. “I know you won’t Luna. I fully believe in you.”

 

The yin spirit blushed as her hair was messed up. “Then, if you believe in Luna, extra head pats would be a sufficient display of confidence in her ability.”

 

“If you say so.” he lightly chuckled as he continued to pat her on the head.

 

The yin spirit basked in the praise of her contractor.

 

“My turn! My turn!” Sol bounced herself up and down.

 

“Alright, alright.” Atlas turned to face the redheaded, golden eyed, fire spirit. 

 

He stared at her, gripping his chin as he tapped his foot.

 

Sol waited patiently with a smile on her proud face for Atlas to respond.

 

“Alright.” He clapped his hands together. “You’ve been practicing our War Sun technique, right?”

 

“That’s right!” She chimed.

 

“Show me.”

 

“Right away!” The spirit took a second and then lifted her hand up. “Ul Sola!”

 

A series of flame spheres, each the size of Sol’s own body, appeared above her.

 

“Right, let’s work on accuracy then.” Atlas smiled as he stared at the sphere.

When we get the Al variant down that should be really useful. At least if I ever get into a big fight. The Ul Sola variant has the range of a large field, but the Al Sola spell should be good for a city’s worth of range.

He considered the implications of this ‘death star’ spell he made.

 

Sola shot the spheres upward, each rising to about ten meters in the air.

 

Atlas nodded along. “Good height to it. Want to work on accuracy?”

 

Sola flashed him a double V sign. “You got it Atlas!”

 

Atlas chuckled and took out several practice targets. “Luna help me scatter these, on my mark, prepare to throw them around. Let's see how much Sol can get in ten seconds.”

 

“It shall be done, though I expect Sol to disappoint us.” Luna remarked.

 

Sola frowned. “That’s mean!”

 

“But accurate.” Luna replied.

 

“Girls girls seriously…” Atlas sighed.

 

On his cue, both he and Luna threw the targets in various directions, Atlas using his unseen hands to scatter them.

 

“Here we go!” Sol shouted as the flame spheres began to fire focused beams of red hot death towards the targets.

 

The forest was suddenly lit up by the flashes of red light as the young fire spirit directed her laser light show of carnage.

 

Atlas counted down as the spheres continued to fire their focused beams of flame.

 

“And ten! Stop!” Atlas shouted.

 

The forest then went still.

 

Atlas then collected the targets. “Got twenty-seven of them in ten seconds, not bad.”

 

Sol smiled brightly and rushed over to him. “So Sol did well then!?” She asked eagerly.

 

“Yes yes you did good!” he pat her on the head.

 

The young fire spirit was beaming.

 

“Let’s talk a bit about our magic plans then. Plan out our new spells and formations.” Atlas said.

 

“Sounds good to me!” Sol replied with a bright smile.

 

“I would greatly enjoy that my beloved contractor.” Luna replied with a calm smile.

 

Atlas sat on a nearby tree. “Then sit down and let's talk.”

 

He pointed at the ground in front of him, the two girls eagerly rushing over and sitting.

 

The three beginning one of their long and treasured planning sessions, magical theorizing, formation planning, and magical strategies was a beloved hobby that the three shared as a contractor and his treasured spirits. 

Some time later Shion found the three still deep in discussion. “You three are still out here?”

She asked, crossing her arms.

 

Atlas looked up from conversing with the two. “Oh? Yeah, sorry about that. Guess we lost track of time.”

 

“But it was time well spent.” Luna spoke with a satisfied smile on her face.

 

“Yup! You’re just jealous we have our contractor’s full attention.” Sol hugged at Atlas’ side.

 

“Did you need something Shion?” Atlas asked.

 

Shion nodded her head. “We’re going to have to head into the city for groceries later.

 

“Oh right. Guess we wouldn’t have too much stored in this house.” Atlas said as he stood up. “Well girls, seems we got work to do.”

 

“Shopping… fun.” Luna grumbled.

 

“Well we can make it fun sister!” Sol giggled, able to make fun out of almost everything.

 

Luna turned to Atlas. “Contractor, later today… could you tell us more about your home world?”

 

“Yeah! That’d be super fun.” Sol chimed eagerly. “Please please please.~”

 

Shion looked over the two girls then back at Atlas. “I’d actually be really interested too.” She smiled warmly at him.

 

Atlas let out a deep sigh. “Well if you insist, though, I'm going to have to head out again before sundown. There is something I need to take care of in the city. When I get back we need to make some plans for the next few days.”

 

Shion nodded her head. “We need to make plans? Is it serious?” she asked.

 

“Very” Atlas replied.

 

She smiled at him. “Then that’s what we’ll do. Sounds like we got the day planned out. Now let’s hit the road!” She threw her hand up and lifted her leg in a cheer-like pose and tone of voice.

 

Atlas smiled at the sight. “Yeah, let’s.”

*****

Atlas was sitting by himself at a tavern later that night, nursing a drink as he looked around, waiting for a certain person to arrive. He had spent the day with Shion, Sol, and Luna. He relaxed as best he could and now he knew a few stressful days were ahead. 

 

“Su-san, good seeing you.” A figure appeared next to him, a wolfman with a pipe in his mouth, wearing a black kimono.

 

“Hey Halibel, took you a while.” Atlas remarked in a casual tone.

 

The wolf-man laughed and shrugged his shoulders. “Got busier than I expected. Sure you can relate.”

He waved over the bartender, signaling how he wanted another drink. 

“Seems like you were waiting for me.” 

 

Atlas nodded his head. “I was.”

 

As he was served his drink, the wolfman looked back at Atlas. “So how have you and the little lady been?”

“It's been fine. Honestly we have enough stored up that we don’t have to do work for a while.” Atlas admitted .

 

“Well that’s always a good thing.” Halibel remarked as he sipped his drink. “Sounds like you aren’t planning on it though.”

 

Atlas shook his head. “We’re setting up safe houses around Kararagi. While Lugunica can’t send Reinhard after us, they can probably get away with sneaking in almost everyone else. Well maybe not Roswaal but he won’t be a problem.”

 

“Eh, still probably a lot. Having a whole nation after you. But if anyone could handle it, it's you.” Halibel shrugged his shoulders.

 

Atlas shook his head. “If only, I’m still pretty weak on my own. Maybe if I just disappeared and settled for a quiet simple life I could pull that off. Honestly, it's tempting sometimes.”

 

“But?” Halibel asked.

 

Atlas laughed. “Shion and Lilac aren’t really ones for settling down in one place. Guess that’s what it means to be a dreamer huh?” he leaned back in his chair. “But that’s fine, I honestly don’t mind it too much. I don’t really have any love for the kingdom left anyways.”

 

Halibel stared at him while continuing to sip his drink. “Ya know Su-san, what do you want out of all this anyways?”

 

Atlas stared back at him and let out another deep sigh. “Sometimes I’m not sure. Some days it feels like I’m just going through the motions, getting dragged along on adventures with Shion while doing jobs to pay the bills. Sometimes I think about getting strong-enough for some payback.”

 

“Payback?” Halibel asked.

 

Atlas looked down at the table before him. “Gluttony is still after me, I know that. And I know the Witch Cult isn’t something I can ignore. As for Lugunica… it can go to hell for all I care now honestly. That much I can leave behind me.”

 

“So still revenge eh?” Halibel chuckled. “Well I can sympathize with that.”

 

Atlas shook his head. “Not just that. It's just, after everything, I want to prove to myself that I can actually build something for myself. Money, strength, friends. I want to feel secure again, I want to have safety for myself, and I want to know that I’m not that pathetic weakling who was rotting in a cell in Lugunica.”

 

“You know, I think there’s one thing off point about what you said there.” Halibel replied.

“Huh? What would that be?” Atlas tilted his head in confusion.

 

“When a man tells everyone else to go-to-hell, they typically have a bit more venom in their voice. You just look tired.” Halibel explained.

Atlas thought about it for several seconds. “Maybe… maybe I just decided to stop forgiving people that screwed me over. It’s happened before but this was just an excuse for a clean break. I don’t want them dying but… I don’t want them to be my problem anymore. It’s not good for any of us.”

 

“There you see that’s more honest.” Halibel pat him on the back and laughed. “You know Su-san. You’re really an interesting guy.” He remarked.

 

Subaru shook his head. “I mean… not really.” He remarked.

 

Halibel lifted an eyebrow. “You managed to do some pretty special stuff, Every time we’re on a job together you know exactly what to do. And few guys are willing to seriously put on the line what you did when we first met.”

 

Atlas laughed. “You know I cheated during that first bet, right?”

 

Halibel nodded his head. “Yup, still can’t figure out how you do it honestly.”

 

Atlas let out a deep sigh and looked down into his drink, a myriad of thoughts going through his head.

 

“Seems like you had a really rough time?” Halibel asked.

 

“More than you think.” Atlas muttered to himself.

 

“Point is Su-san, stop beating yourself up. Both sides of the little lady would get mad at you for that.” Halibel explained.

 

“You’re right about that.” A small smile crossed Atlas’ face. “Anyways there is a reason I was waiting for you here.”

He sat himself more upright and faced the shinobi. “Something bad is going to happen in Banan in about three days, and I need your help.”

Notes:

The next few extras will be 'dealing' with the nonsense Subaru has been looping through. This is the calm before the 'storm' in a very literal sense.

Luckily, Atlas/Subaru is prepared with competent and trustworthy friends.~

Next extra will either be path of forgiveness and tears or path of the beast and slaughter.

Chapter 14: Path of Departure-Extra 3

Atlas has certainly had better weeks than the week he was having right now.

He had plenty of worse weeks, but this was certainly the most unpleasant one since he changed his name.

Why?

Besides having to use Return By Death several times, he was juggling a crisis—one that was familiar to him.

That being a very angry great spirit on the rampage, not that he knew that fact just yet. In this case, it was a windstorm that had ravaged and destroyed half of the city.
Luckily, there were no casualties so far.

That couldn’t be said for the last few times, though.

This was Atlas’s fourth loop through this week, though it was the first time he made it this far.

During his first loop, he visited Banan to deal with some business, but that ended with him getting sliced apart without warning by a figure he could not even see.
The last image passing through his vision was of his own body being torn to shreds.

The second loop, he was more careful—keeping an eye out around Banan—but he still found himself torn to ribbons by a mysterious woman he couldn’t get a good look at the following day.
All he could note about her were three things: her beauty, her bloodlust, and her white hair with a crimson strand within it.

That was when he realized he was being hunted.

So he stayed out of Banan during his third loop, only to learn half the city had been ripped apart by a windstorm.

He, Shion, Sol, and Luna raced to the scene, but along the way a giant tornado was brought down on top of them.

His last conscious act was pushing Shion away to safety before he was shredded by the winds.

So he was in a really terrible mood. That’s why he came prepared.

Besides having Lilac and his spirits with him, he recruited Halibel as well as Devon, Korin, Maxwell, and Rend.

Or he was—until half the group was suddenly hurled into the air by the windstorms that overtook Banan when they rushed on ahead as soon as the havoc began.

“Ugh, that band of idiots!” Lilac shouted as Devon, Korin, and Rend, having gone on ahead, were suddenly dragged into the air like half the residents of the city.

Maxwell shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “They really do just run into things, huh.”

“Yeah…” Atlas muttered as he stared at half the city being held up in the air through the eyes of his ever-present mask.

Atlas frowned deeply. Something didn’t sit right about this. The wind magic that had been butchering him was anything but careful and elegant. Instead, he was torn apart in an instant.

This was methodical and careful.
Do they just have a problem with me?
Atlas wondered to himself.

Halibel sighed and shook his head. “Well then, Su-san, got any ideas what you want to do about this one?” the admirer asked, twirling a kunai in his hand. “Not sure little knives like these are going to be enough to deal with all this.”

“I know, I know! Just let me think for a moment,” Atlas muttered as he stared up at the people suspended far in the air.

It didn’t make sense to him, but he was sure he was being targeted before.
If I was attacked on the way to Banan, maybe it's not the same person?
He considered this option as he stared at the raging windstorms before him.
But it has to be related. No way this is just coincidence.

With a deep sigh, Atlas steeled his nerves.
“I’m going to head into the windstorm. Halibel, I want you to cover me.”

“You serious, Su-san?” Halibel asked.

“Very,” he replied.

Lilac frowned at him. “You’re being a massive idiot here.”

“I know, so I want you to stay right here in case I need some rescuing later,” Atlas said to her.

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “I’ll think about saving your butt when you are sent flying into the air.”

He smirked behind his mask. “Glad it's you and not Shion right now. She’d insist on going in with me.”

“I’m glad it’s me too. You are both idiots,” Lilac grumbled.

Halibel laughed and patted Atlas on the back. “Well then, let's get moving.”

Atlas turned back toward the windstorms and tensed his fingers into fists.
“Alright, I’m going in. Sol, Luna, focus on protecting me but stay safe.”

“You can count on us!” Sol chirped.

“Don’t be an idiot,” Luna said in a wary tone.

Atlas then began to walk forward, into the storm of raging twisters that rampaged all around him.

As he was bombarded and battered by the ceaseless winds, he kept his gaze fixed forward, searching for the source of the storms raging around him.

“You! You’re the one, aren’t you!”
He heard a feminine voice call out in accusation.

“Wha? AAAAHHHH!” Atlas shouted as he suddenly felt himself swept up by the winds and found himself buoyed in the air, forced to wobble up and down, up and down, as he squirmed in place.

“Ah he-hey! What’s this all about!” Atlas shouted back into the sky.

He then saw an inhumanly beautiful figure appear before him, the winds bending and swirling around her body as she stared at him with clear anger in her eyes.
She looked identical to the woman he briefly saw butchering him during his second loop, though he noticed one key difference—one he couldn’t just ignore.

As her white hair whipped about in the wind, he noticed the lime green strand within it.
The woman who killed him had a red strand in her hair.

“Hey! I’m talking to you! Now give me back my fucking light ball!”

His thoughts were interrupted by the shout of the woman before him—and by his body being shaken about like a door mid-air.

He studied the woman more carefully, and rather than bloodlust, he saw a different mixture of emotions on her face—namely rage and impatience.
The way she glared and grumbled at him really did a lot to undermine her otherwise beautiful appearance in his eyes.

“Light ball? I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about!” Atlas shouted back.

He suddenly found himself flipped upside down and shaken in the air.
“Don’t play dumb with me! I’ve been following it for a while now, and I know you’re around whenever I sense it. You have it, so give it back!”

“Ah he-hey hey sta-stop that!” Atlas flailed his arms around as he continued to be held by the angry woman.

“Want me to stop? Give it back!” she groaned. “Don’t know how many times I have to tell you this, you bastard. Now hand it over before I gut ya!”

“Ugh! What makes you even think I have anything to do with your light-ball or whatever it is?!” Atlas cried out.

“Because I’ve been tracking it, and you’ve been around wherever it’s been for the past week or two! So how about you spill it! Right now! Come on! Give it to me, idiot—do you want to die?”
Her tone retained its obvious rage, though her annoyance seemed almost childish to Atlas.

“Seriously, I don’t have it! Maybe I could help you figure it out! Seriously, I don’t know ANYTHING about it!” he cried out again.

Tia glared as the miniature hurricane seemed to intensify around him. Atlas found himself shaken all about, with winds slicing into his skin—but not so deeply that he would die.

All the while, this beautiful reaper of the wind continued to glare at him, her rage rising with every second that passed.

Ugh, come on Halibel, why aren’t you stepping in?
Atlas wondered.
Maybe he’s looking for an opening or…

He stared back at the woman. He really couldn’t sense any bloodlust from her.
Or maybe he can tell she isn’t actually trying to kill me… Ugh, and I thought I’d stop giving people the benefit of the doubt. Fine.

“He-hey, alright, alright—let’s talk!” Atlas shouted out.

The winds stopped hurling him around, and he was once again suspended in the air with her—though he was still upside down.

Atlas took a breath to compose himself and then began, “I don’t know where your light-ball is, but—”

She began to shake him about in the winds again.

“Wait wait wait! Maybe I can help you! I just need to know what’s going on!” Atlas pleaded in a shaky voice.

The woman glared at him and tapped her own fingers against her arm.
“Fine, then talk before I change my mind. You got me in a good mood.”

This is a good mood?
He thought incredulously.

“Well, I’m waiting.”

Atlas took a breath.
“Alright, first off—who are you? I’d like to know who I’m dealing with. I’m Atlas.”
He extended his hand, even while upside down.

She glared at him.
“Is that your real name?”

Atlas winced beneath his mask.
“It… basically is now. I let go of who I used to be over a year ago.”
He let out a deep sort of sigh and shook his head.

“Is that right?” she asked.

Atlas nodded.

“You can call me Tia,” the woman replied.

“Alright, cool, Tia. We’re making progress, so… what are you exactly?” Atlas asked.

“Hmm, who are you first!” she demanded, pointing right at him.

“Agh, fine—I’m, ummm, a mercenary and a spirit arts user,” Atlas said, hoping that would satisfy the spirit.

“And?” Tia asked, her gaze narrowing.

“I am partners with an elf who bounces between being a friendly but silly girl and a paranoid tsundere semi-psycho,” Atlas groaned out as he was shaken mid-air.

“And!?” Tia asked again, shaking him harder.

“And what?! I used to be in fucking Lugunica till a few years ago when all my friends forgot about me thanks to the effects of that damned Gluttony! Now I’ve had a really bad week, so can you please just stop whatever this nonsense is and put these people down!” he barked back at her.

As he shouted at her in the air, venting his frustrations, he found the winds around him calm. Instead, he was just floating mid-air, facing the woman.

She let out a laugh. “Ahaha, alright, I liked that answer. That was you not hiding anything.”

Atlas groaned again. “I have to hide things. If I don’t, bad things happen.”

Tia tilted her head. “Huh, that seemed like the truth too. What sort of screwed-up fuckin’ life do you have?”

Atlas rolled his eyes behind his mask. “You have no idea.”
He then removed his mask to face her directly. “Can we talk now? Who the hell are you? You clearly aren’t here to murder everyone, since you haven’t yet.”

She smirked. “Zarestia, Great Spirit of the Wind.”

Atlas paused. He’d heard that name before. He’d lived long enough in Kararagi and been invested enough in spirit arts to know about the local—and apparently murderous—great spirit.

“Huh. I wouldn’t have guessed it, seeing as you haven’t murdered people. Though you seem to have the power,” Atlas murmured.

“Oi! Well, you’re wrong on both accounts. Right now I’m in a bad mood without my light ball, so I don’t got time to be killing people. And this isn’t even half my power,” she declared.

“It… it isn’t?” He frowned, but then remembered the sheer scale of damage Puck could cause, and realized if she was of the same caliber, then the damage she could do might be equally devastating.

“No. The thief who stole my light ball has a good chunk of my power,” she explained.

“Oh, I see. It’s like your anchor then?” Atlas presumed.

“Yeah! So I want it back. It’s mine,” she growled. “Now, you said you’d be able to help me, right?”

“Maybe…” he began, but then his voice trailed off. “You don’t have anything like a twin sister, right?”

“What sort of stupid question is that? No!” Tia spat the answer back at him.

“Weird, because there’s a girl who looks almost identical to you who’s apparently been trying to murder me for the past few days. The only difference is she’s got red in her hair and on her clothes,” he explained with a smirk. “Any chance that could be your culprit?”

Tia stared at him for several seconds. Confusion was plain on her face before her eyes went wide.
A soft smirk then crossed her lips. “Alright, I see. Last question—what’s your real name?”

Atlas sighed, seeing no way out of it with him being held up in the air. “Subaru.”

She chuckled. “Alright, Su. I’ll be on my way. You get going and go home.”

“Huh?” Atlas blinked a few times before suddenly being dropped from the sky.

He expected to hit the ground with a thud, but a gust of wind caught him before he landed and cushioned his fall.
“Ohmpf!”

“Atlas!”
“Contractor!”
Sol and Luna quickly fell upon him, hugging him tightly.

“Sol was so worried about you! When you got scooped up, she tried to get close but couldn’t! Sol is so sorry!” She buried her face into his chest.

Luna meanwhile clung to his arm. “Luna’s contractor got carried away! Luna couldn’t follow! Are you okay?” she asked, looking him over.

Lilac rushed over and looked him over, trying not to show her obvious concern. “Seems like you’re in one piece, huh?”

Atlas groaned and rubbed his head. “Ye-yeah, you could say that,” he muttered in reply.

He then looked at the two spirit girls clinging to him. “Sorry if I worried you both.”

“Well, you can make it up with extra head pats later,” Luna demanded, clinging closer to her contractor.

“Sure, sure,” Atlas remarked with a chuckle.

Halibel walked up to Atlas while twirling a kunai. “Seems you handled that pretty well, eh Su-san?”

“Yeah! No thanks to you,” Atlas grumbled and rolled his eyes.

“Relax. If she really tried anything, I had it covered. That spirit was no joke, huh,” he remarked.

Maxwell strode up and looked around with a deep sigh. “Well, all’s well that ends well then—even if it was a bit abrupt.”

Atlas slowly picked himself up. “She was looking for something that was taken from her. I think I told her some info that gave her a clue to go off of.”

“So she’ll be out of our hair then?” Lilac asked.

“Hopefully,” Atlas replied.

“So what now, contractor?” Sol asked, still tugging at his side.

Atlas paused, considering what they should do next. “I’m not sure. It does feel like a half-done job.”

Maxwell shook his head. “I’ll go fetch those idiots who rushed ahead. I think she dropped them in a dumpster somewhere.”

“Fitting,” Lilac added.

Maxwell then walked off to fetch the others.

“I think you’ve had a rough week and need to head home, like that Tia girl said,” Halibel suggested with a wolfish grin.

“That… might not be a bad idea, though I’m not sure if the danger I’m in is over,” Atlas replied as he looked around. The city was in a bad state, but there was surprisingly little damage done.

“Well then, how about I go with you for now.” Halibel placed a hand on his shoulder.

Atlas raised an eyebrow at the gesture but decided not to protest.

The group returned to what was their temporary home—as all homes were for them—but upon returning, they were greeted with an unexpected sight.

Tia was there, waiting on the front steps of the house. “Oi, about time you guys came back.”

“Wha… what the fuck are you doing here!?” Atlas shouted.

Tia shrugged. “Hey Su. Well, if this girl looks like me, she probably has my light ball. And if she wants to kill you, then she’ll turn up eventually. So I figured I’d stick around.”

“Wha… but you just nearly destroyed half a city!” Atlas continued to scream back at her.

“And?” She shrugged.

Halibel just started to laugh. “Don’t think you’re getting out of this one, Su-san.”

Lilac’s response was far more concise.
She picked up a large rock and threw it at the head of the great spirit.

It was blocked by a barrier of wind as Tia smirked.
“So this is your mate? She seems fun.”

Lilac grumbled and seethed next to him.

Atlas sighed, knowing that his situation just got a lot more complicated.

Notes:

And so everyone's favorite wind spirit is here.
Hope I wrote her alright, she was surprisingly difficult to write for.
Had a bit of trouble getting this idea to come together in my head, hence why this took a while.

The next extra in this path will conclude the 'mini arc' that this incident entails and go over Tia's interactions with Atlas as well as the conclusion of this situation.

Chapter 15: Path of Departure-Extra 4

Summary:

Tia's intrusion upon their everyday lives and dealing with a certain oni.

As Atlas made his way down the stairs of the cabin, he was instantly tackled by his two spirits, Sol and Luna.

“Contractor, contractor! Big sister Tia barged in again!”
“Blessed contractor! That worthless wind spirit is acting the part of a stray dog again!”

“Oi! I heard what you called me, you yin brat!”
Atlas heard a sharp voice yell from the front.

Walking into the kitchen, he saw Tia sitting at the table, already plundering some of their drinks—specifically the non-alcoholic ones that Atlas favored.

“Ugh, did you seriously follow us?” Atlas asked as he approached the table, sitting across from Tia while Sol and Luna hid behind him.

She shrugged, leaning back in her seat.
“Ya, obviously! Lookin’ for the bitch that stole my light ball, and if she’s tryin’ to kill you, then I’m gonna hang around.”

“We can handle ourselves when it comes to stuff like that, you know?” Atlas replied in a dour tone.
Sol and Luna both stuck their tongues out at Tia from behind Atlas.

“Doesn’t matter to me. Besides, if she has my light ball, then you can’t. That thing has the majority of my power.”
She stretched out her arms.
“So I’m gonna hang around you till she shows up, kill her when she tries something, then we can all be on our way.”

Atlas shook his head, letting out a low grumble.

“By the way! You know it’s really rude to leave without telling me! How else am I supposed to stick around you?”
She leaned forward, glaring at him in an accusatory—if not childish—manner.

“Huh! How’s that fair? I have no obligation to tell you where we’re heading.”
Subaru spat the words back, also leaning forward against the table.

“Well duh! I don’t wanna have to tear apart the entire area asking around for you. But if you’re gonna make me chase you, I will.”
She shrugged casually, like that was the logical response.

“Se-seriously!”
Atlas let out another groan and buried his face in the palm of his hands.
This was not an additional problem he wanted to have.

“You know she might just not show up if you’re around? Like, she might just play keep-away?”
Atlas added a bit of his own conjecture, hoping to persuade the Great Spirit of the Wind to keep some distance.

Tia paused for a moment and considered what Atlas was saying.
“Huh.”
She muttered, then took a final sip of her drink and stood up.
“Well, I’ll be popping in and out and seeing what I can do to help you track down this bitch.”

The wind spirit then walked herself out of the house.

Atlas let out a deep breath and fell back in his chair.
“Crisis averted, I think.”

Lilac stepped into the room, poking her head out before walking inside.
“She actually gone now?” the purple-haired elf asked.

“Think so.”
Atlas sat himself upright.
“It’d be hard to move around quietly with her around.”

“She’s even more trouble than Sol,” Luna muttered.

“He-hey! Sol is compact and cute!”
The fire spirit pouted and crossed her arms.

“Yes you are.”
Atlas patted the red-haired girl on the head.

“Well, let’s hope that bitch actually knows what it’s like to keep a low profile,” Lilac muttered.

“I feel like we won’t be that lucky,” Atlas replied.

 

And they were not.

 

***

“So why are you even with Su? Seems you’re pretty fine on your own,” Tia asked as she bothered Lilac while she was out shopping for food. The purple-haired elf wore a hood to keep her features from attracting attention.

“He’s useful to have around. Keeps us both alive. It’s as simple as that,” she muttered, carrying a bag full of groceries.

Tia nodded along. “I see. You seemed like you were doing fine on your own. You’re an elf, so I’m guessing you’ve been around a while.”

“I have,” Lilac responded curtly.

“Travel alone for most of it?”

“Ever since Shion started traveling, she had me. So we were never alone.”
Lilac bought some vegetables for tonight’s dinner.

“Ah, you’re the phantom of the two. So I’m guessing you’re just along for the ride.”

“We’re partners. I keep Shion safe, and I agree with her that the best way to do that is traveling with Atlas,” Lilac declared, making her way out of town and back toward the cabin.

“Ah, I see. You’re his mate,” Tia declared, as if a great understanding had dawned. “Thought so.”

Lilac blushed bright red and tried to swing her bag of groceries into Tia’s head.

The Great Spirit of Wind just dodged and laughed.

“Though is it you or Shion that’s the mate? Or both of you? Guess it’d have to be, since you share the same body,” Tia mused, pondering the logistics of their relationship.

“Shut up, you noisy hag,” Lilac glared.

And thus, Tia forced herself into the routine of shopping.

***

“Contractor!”
“Atlas!”

As Subaru approached the woods where Luna and Sol were playing, the two spirit girls ran up and hid behind him.

“Big sister Tia is bullying us again!” Sol pouted.
“She’s interfering with our training!” Luna added, also pouting.

Tia walked out of the woods, laughing. “Hey, just figured the two squirts could use some training from a senior spirit. I used to be good at almost every kind of magic.”

“Used to?” Atlas asked.

“Rather not talk about it,” she muttered, flipping her hair dismissively.

“Ugh. Still, we’re working on some unique spells we developed. They probably aren’t the sort you’re familiar with,” Atlas explained.

“New spells? Fancy.”
Tia whistled. “Yeah, no. Now I’m interested. I’ll be helping you out.”

And thus, Tia forced her way into the routine of training.

***

While traveling between hideouts, Shion and Atlas shared a meal by a campfire. Luna and Sol rested within the two gems housed on Atlas’ person.

Tia appeared beside the fire, sitting herself between Shion and Atlas.

“Hey, seems like you guys are having a good time,” she remarked.

Shion smiled. “Oh hey, Tia! Joining us for a meal?”

The elf was wary of the powerful spirit, but she was by far the most open of the group.

“Yeah, if you’ve got anything for me.”

Atlas shrugged.

“No problem from me, though we don’t have spare food prepared,” Shion said with a sigh.

Tia laughed. “You’re an odd one, don’t ya know? But that’s fine. I brought my own meat.”

She pulled out some raw meat—probably freshly hunted—and let it cook over the fire.

“Well, I guess that’s just the way I am,” Shion said, still smiling. “When you travel as much as I have, you deal with a lot.”

“Meh, makes sense,” Tia replied, chewing. “Anyways, since you two are mates, when are you planning to actually have kids?”

Both Atlas and Shion choked on their food.

And thus, Tia forced herself into the routine of meals.

***

“Hey Su, I got a question for you,” Tia said, appearing beside Atlas at a tavern just after a client meeting.

Atlas sighed. “Sure. What is it, Tia?”
The mercenary had grown both tired of—and fond of—Tia’s random appearances over the past month.

“You don’t seem worried about dying. I noticed.”

“Huh?” His eyes widened.

“Thought so. It’s not like you aren’t afraid of dying, but it’s something else. I’ve met people who aren’t afraid of death, and plenty more who are. You’re not exactly either. You’re afraid of it, but it doesn’t worry you. I noticed that when I was throwing you around in Banan. You’re way too relaxed about an assassin coming after you.”

Atlas stared down at the table.
“...”

“Don’t want to talk about it?” she asked, noticing the forlorn look on his face.

“Honestly, I’d love to. But I can’t. Even if I wanted to, I can’t talk about it. There’s a reason Shion and Lilac never skim my mind beyond the surface.”

“Oh? Got something dangerous in that head of yours? Wouldn’t have thought. I could probably handle it though,” Tia smirked.

Atlas—Subaru—shook his head. “No, Tia. You can’t.”

She whistled. “That bad, huh.”

He nodded slowly.

The wind spirit stood and gave him a pat on the back.
“You get some rest then, Su. Seems like you need it.”

She left him in the bar.

And thus, Tia became someone Atlas could talk to.

 

***

She had been tracking him for a while.

At first, she saw him near Banan—a filthy cultist who reeked of that wretched stench.

She knew she had to kill him.
Wait for the right moment.
But that moment never came.

He never left himself exposed or vulnerable.

He stuck close to the elf and his spirits, all of whom seemed powerful enough to cause her trouble.

He stayed near that wolf-man mutt. She knew it would be a mistake to attack then.

And he even got involved with Zarestia. That damned bitch was still looking for her.

And one day, he slipped away.

Slipped right through her fingers after a week of watching him!

It was so frustrating.

It made her blood boil.

He had to die. He had to die. He had to die.
He had to die! He had to die! He had to die!

It was unacceptable that he even drew a single breath.

So she hunted. She searched.
She killed any others she met who carried that miserable miasma.

She even found a group of cultists nearby him, skulking about amongst the populace of a town.

She followed one back to their hideout and butchered them all with wind stained crimson.

Kill!
Kill!
Kill!
Kill!
Kill!
Kill!

Every witch cultist had to die.

That was the only purpose in her life now.

And then finally—at last!—she found her target again.

This time, she wouldn’t hesitate. The bloodlust surging through her wouldn’t allow it.

As long as Halibel or Zarestia weren’t around, she could slaughter him with an all-out offensive.
Rip him apart with the wind.

He was traveling to a nearby town to collect supplies.
The elf was left behind. No one else was around.
Even if she was, she could still attack and rip them apart if she was quick enough.

KILL!
KILL!
KILL!

She just had to kill him.
She couldn’t stand his existence any longer.

“DIE!”
She screamed as she lunged at him, propelling herself at high speeds through the woods.

A rain of kunai greeted her attack as her target suddenly vanished.
“Huh?!”

Her perceptions became cloudy. Her vision, a blur.
“Damn you!”

She conjured a twister of razor-sharp wind around herself, expanding it outward as it clashed with another.

“Oi, bitch! Give me back my light ball or I’m gonna spill your guts over the road.”

It was a voice—identical to her own ‘new’ voice.

Tia stood opposite her, glaring with bloodlust in her eyes.
But that bloodlust was a pale shadow of the urge to kill that she felt.

Halibel stepped out from the woods, twirling a kunai as he whistled.
“Seems like you made quite a mess. How about you give the lady what belongs to her, and no one has to get hurt?”

The murderer frantically looked around, trying to find her target.
Everything else was just an annoying obstacle.

He stood a distance away, held onto by the elf, who was already assailing her senses with strange magic.

The two spirits that normally clung to him adopted a defensive stance—spheres of flame and crystals of frozen time prepared to strike.

“Grrr.”

“You hear the mutt. Give me back my light ball!” Tia shouted at the murderous woman who shared her face.

“Grr—he has to die! He has to die!”

She directed all her lethal gales toward Atlas, firing a series of twisters meant to rip him apart.

“Big mistake!”
Tia intercepted the blows, countering with her own winds.

She was forced back, but that gave a certain admirer plenty of opening to work.

The murderer felt herself grabbed in all four limbs by an invisible force.
“What?!”
She tried to rip herself free—and did.
But it delayed her just enough.

A rain of kunai launched into her back. She gasped.
Normally, it wouldn’t be a lethal blow, but each one was imbued with a powerful curse that sapped her strength.

“Last chance. Better take it,” Halibel said in a casual tone.

“Die… die! I hate… I hate you! DIE DIE DIE I HATE YOU JUST DIE!”
She sent out twisters in all directions, hoping to slay her target.

But Tia’s defenses were too strong. Her winds now overwhelmed her weakened double.

Halibel ducked around the raging winds and delivered several more blows.

When she was weakened enough, her body became riddled with cuts—delivered by Tia’s own magic.

The woman fell to her knees.
Then to the ground.

Her blood pooled from the myriad wounds covering her body.

“Die… he needs… he needs to die… I hate… I hate… I hate you… I hate…”

And her world went dark for a final time.

 

In this if...
-Reize killed Atlas and Shion when they were heading to town.
-Having a plan in case that happened, Atlas had Shion signals Halibel and Tia to covertly come while Atlas made himself bait.
-Tia vanished after retrieving her light ball but still shows up somewhat regularly, having grown fond enough of the group to suppress her murderous urges around them.
-She has considered a contract with Atlas but is waiting on it for now.

Notes:

Might focus on this path a bit more just to catch it up with the other two 'basic' paths.

Chapter 16: Path of Departure-Extra 5

Notes:

Start of a short sub-series of chapters that I'll explain the purpose of in the end notes. Should only take up 1 maybe 2 more chapters.
Its focused on the OC's of this path and Atlas/Subaru's relationship with them.

Fragments of Departure 1

 

When it came to people he found unusual or interesting, Devon would rate Atlas among the most unusual he’d ever met.

It wasn’t the mask or the cagey attitude—Devon was used to people with things to hide.

It was the mixture of that, his painfully ordinary demeanor, and a reliability that made the wandering warrior willing to trust him with his life.

Devon was walking through the streets of Banan when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
Turning around, he saw Atlas, those nasty-looking eyes staring at him through the mask.

“Oi, Atlas. It’s rare to see you just approach me out on the street like this,” Devon remarked casually, though he kept a wary eye out.
He knew by now that trouble followed Atlas like flies to honey. Not that Devon minded—it kept life interesting.

Atlas let out a deep sigh.
“I need your help dealing with a bit of a messy job.”

“I’m in,” Devon replied.

“Huh?” Atlas blinked. “But I haven’t even told you the job.”

“It’s a job you found and you’re asking me for help. That means you’ve either thought it out or you need me. So I’m in. It’s probably going to be fun either way,” Devon said with a shrug.

Atlas snorted and shook his head.
“Your idea of fun is still weird.”

“I can be considered a strange person. So are you, aren’t you?” Devon smirked.

Atlas chuckled.
“Well, you got me there. Anyway, we’ve got a job for the Azela company again.”

“Those guys again? They seem to like you,” Devon remarked as they continued down the street.

“Maybe. The guy in charge seems to have a thing for me and Shion,” Atlas muttered.

“Maybe he’s trying to take your elf girl from you,” Devon teased.

“Fuck off.” Atlas lightly shoved him.

The two made their way out of the city, following the winding road toward Shion and Atlas’s nearby hideout.

“Oi! That you, Devon, you bastard!”
A gruff voice called out from behind.

Turning around, Atlas and Devon saw several heavily armed and armored men.

“Friends of yours?” Atlas asked, wary.

“Of a sort.” Devon sighed.
“Why the fuck are you bastards bothering me?”

The lead man, a beastman with a lion’s head, laughed.
“Why wouldn’t I? Considering all the trouble you caused us.”

Devon rolled his eyes.
“Just because I didn’t want to play any more of your games?”

“You muscled in on our work and cut down our last patron.”
He drew his sword and pointed it at Devon.

“He was going to sell me out to those bastards in Lugunica who want me dead. Same with the old boss.”

“Either way, we don’t appreciate the ‘grand exit’ you made. And there’s a nice price on your head from some parties. So we’ll be taking it.”
The men drew their blades.

Devon scoffed.
“So much for your grand foresight,” he muttered to Atlas.

“Just means things haven’t screwed up yet,” Atlas replied, taking a stance.
“Mind giving me the short version?”

“Later. Right now, get going. I can take care of these clowns,” Devon said.

“Twelve on one? I don’t like those odds.”
Atlas summoned Luna and Sol.

The girls didn’t understand the full situation, having just been roused from their gems, but they instantly took a fighting stance.

Devon rolled his eyes.
“Ugh. Even when the trouble’s mine, you’re a magnet for it. Fine then—it’s your funeral.”
He readied his axe and charged the twelve men.

 

The battle was brief, fierce, and bloody.

Twelve corpses lay on the ground.

Devon was unscathed. Atlas looked only slightly tired.

“We did it!” Sol declared.

“Of course we did,” Luna replied, and the spirits gave each other a double high-five.

Devon sat atop the corpse of the lion-man while Atlas leaned against a nearby tree.

The bodies were mostly hacked apart.
Three were obliterated by minya crystals.
Another three were charred to a crisp.

“So what was that about?” Atlas asked, more critically now.

Devon leaned his head back.
“Used to be part of this merc company. Boss and the guy we worked for noticed what kind of money a certain family in Lugunica was willing to pay for my head. Not publicly—they don’t want the scandal—but they figured they could sell me out. So I gave them hell on my way out and cut off the rich bastard’s head.”

“And?”

“Well, I may have taken the heads of a few guys who pissed me off on the way out.”
He said it like it was the natural thing to do.
Then sighed.
“That’s the simple version. There’s more to it, but the point is—they screwed me over, so I gave them three times as much hell back.”

Atlas stared at him for a moment, then stood up.

“Listen, I’d love to help with the job, but it seems like I have to deal with this mess.”
Devon slung his axe onto his back.

Atlas shook his head.
“I’ll help you out. Let’s just try to make this quick.”

“What, seriously?” Devon asked as they walked back toward the town.
“It’s my problem. You’ve got enough of your own mess from what I gather.”

“Maybe. But you’ve helped me with mine. So it’s only fair, right?”

Devon stared at him, then laughed.
“Maybe. Ugh, you’re rubbing off on me in all the wrong ways. Fine then—let’s make sure these guys don’t mess with us anymore.”

“They won’t,” Atlas declared.

And the two set off to begin the bloody dismantling of an entire mercenary company.
And for once, Devon was happy that he wasn’t engaging in his slaughter alone.

****

Korin met Atlas and Shion for the first time on the job.
Not as companions—that would’ve been boring for the assassin.
He met them as enemies.
A far more fun time for him.

He was clearly the “bad guy” in the situation, not that he minded.
He’d been hired to assassinate the eldest daughter of a wealthy merchant.
A typical job. A bit distasteful, sure, but that’s the way of being a blade in the dark for hire.

So he launched his attack, striking from the shadows while the girl was in transit.
He dashed into the side of the dragon carriage, carving through it in an attempt to turn the girl into mincemeat instantly—
Only to find his blades blocked by an invisible force.

“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow and laughed.
“Oh! Well then.”
He leapt back and sliced through the carriage wheels to halt its path.

Inside the wagon were two guards: a masked man and an elf girl.

An odd pair, but that was just a bonus for Korin.
“Well then, seems the old man hired decent protection. Try and make this interesting for me, will you?”
He readied both short blades.

Atlas sighed.
“Guessing you can’t just walk away, can you.”

“Listen, kid. I’m a professional. Can’t leave a job half done.”
Korin crouched, ready to charge again.

He knew elves were famously good with magic, so he kept an eye on her.
Then he dashed forward, becoming a shadow—slipping past invisible attacks that phased through his form.

He rushed the girl.
She flinched, but Atlas interposed himself between her and Korin’s blades.
One blade struck an invisible barrier. The other carved into Atlas’s side.

Korin smirked and pressed the assault.
His strikes were half-parried, the invisible force wielded by Atlas deflecting many—but not all—of his blows.

He cut into Atlas’s side, stomach, leg, and arm.

Then, just as he prepared the killing strike—
His own body tore open.
Stomach, side, leg, and arm burst with blood.
Atlas’s wounds vanished.

Korin leapt back, snarling.
“Gah—dammit, what was that? Some trick.”
He spat blood and readied himself again.
“Fine then. Lethal strikes only.”

He rushed in—
And his vision dissolved into a swirl of color.

Before Atlas and Shion, Korin collapsed, ensnared by Shion’s dream magic.

“Gah, ugh—could you have been quicker about that?” Atlas asked, approaching.

“Don’t blame me! Lilac manages that stuff when I’m awake.”
Shion pouted, then turned to the girl.
“Anyways, are you alright?”

The stunned merchant’s daughter nodded slowly.
“I… I’m fine.”

Atlas knelt beside Korin’s unconscious body.
“Doesn’t seem like he has much on him that tells us who sent him.”

Shion chuckled and stepped forward.
“Well, me and Lilac can handle that. I’m sure she can have a good chat with him.”
The elf gripped Korin’s head, delving into the depths of his mind.

 

The whole situation led to Shion prying out every scrap of information she could.
Including the identity of his employer: the merchant girl’s estranged brother.

The man quickly found himself fleeing from his wrathful father.

Not that Korin cared—aside from his pride.
He was handed over to local authorities, but escaped quickly using his unique skillset.

Then came the real problem.
His former employer, paranoid and bitter, assumed Korin had ratted him out.
He hadn’t. But the damage was done.
The man tried to have Korin killed.

Korin responded in the only way he knew how:
He hunted the man down, cut off a few fingers, and dragged him back to his father.

In the end, the father forgave Korin.
He was a Karagari merchant—he understood the business.
He left his son to his own tender mercies.

And promptly hired Korin for a few more jobs.

Which is how he ended up working with Shion and Atlas for a time.

Overall, damaged pride aside, Korin listed it as a memorable job.
He hadn’t been defeated by being forced to fall asleep before.
The pair was strange.
So Korin found them fun to hang around.

 

***

 

The incident that made them friends happened only a month later.

Korin needed help rescuing an old friend from a rich man who planned to sell her off to some very unsavory people as a slave.

Now, Korin could’ve just slaughtered his way through—
But the rich man was ready for him specifically.

What he wasn’t ready for was Korin, an elf with mind magic that bent reality, and a spirit arts strategist with bizarre powers and even stranger plans.

Which brought them to their current situation.

They were in the woods outside the now-burning manor, having torn through it in under five minutes to free the girl.

Said girl—purple-haired and furious—was named Sela.
She was currently kicking the nobleman into the dirt, stomping on him as he groaned and whimpered beneath her wrath.

“Fucking! Asshole! Just! Eat! Dirt! And! Die!”
Each word punctuated by a kick or a stomp.

Shion, Atlas, and Korin sat back and watched.

“Should we… stop her?” Atlas asked.

“Hmm. Probably a bad idea,” Korin replied.

“She has a really big temper, huh,” Shion remarked.

“Yup,” Korin said. “They had her tied up real good. She doesn’t appreciate that.”

“Yeah, I can tell.”
Shion giggled awkwardly as Sela continued stomping the man’s head into the forest floor.

Eventually, Shion approached Sela—if only to conjure the illusion of proper clothes for her.

Korin leaned back and turned to Atlas.
“Say, Atlas. I gotta ask. Why help me out? No offense, but we met with me trying to kill you. It was just business and all that junk, but still.”

Atlas sighed, resting his elbows on his knees.
“Would you believe me if I told you I’m just an idiot who can’t say no to things like that?”

Korin stared at him—then burst out laughing, nearly doubling over.
“What? Are you serious? No way you can be that good.”

“Ugh, shut up. It’s more trouble than it’s worth. And besides Shion, Sol, and Luna, I’m pretty sure everyone I used to be close to tried to kill me when or soon after they met me,” Atlas grumbled.

Korin stared at him for a long moment.
“You’re weird.”

“Shut up. You’re an actual psycho.”

Korin rolled his eyes and stood.
“Well, I won’t deny that. But still—thanks for helping out, Atlas. Probably doesn’t mean much coming from a flakey guy like me, but it means a lot. Now I just gotta deal with this mess.”

He turned back toward Sela.
“Hey! Can you just cut his head off so we can get going?”

Sela picked up a rock and hurled it at Korin’s head.
“Shut the fuck up! You left me there for three days, you asshole!”

“Hey! I got help! It all turned out fine,” Korin said.
“Seems like you’re still your usual bitchy self, you—”

Another rock hit him square in the face.

Notes:

So this series of chapters that basically takes the form of the "bond missions" for the various party members Atlas/Subaru is getting on this path. A good way to rapid fire them I think for the formatting of this work.

As for the purpose of these chapters, there is a narrative purpose I am somewhat building towards, albeit I may just leave it as subtext but there is a reason I am doing this, in fact this sort of chapter was one of my first ideas for the Path of Departure.

Also next update there 'should' be a special announcement... Probably... depends how fast certain things go.

Take care for now.

Chapter 17: Path of Forgiveness and Tears

Summary:

What if?
The Forgotten Knight returned to his camp, an echo of who he used to be?

Notes:

Probably the most controversial path.
Ironic since the OG Re:Forgotten has this as an optional bonus ending.

Third of the "Vanilla" Re:Forgotten paths. Hope you enjoy.

The nightmares are always the same.

He is within that cold darkness, the chains binding his flesh.

 

He feels himself beaten, cut, burned, tormented, tortured.

 

Pride Pride Pride Pride. Pride. PRIDE!

 

They always call him that.

 

He is left alone in that darkness.

 

Left alone to rot and suffer.

 

While the world moves on without him.

 

He imagines himself a corpse, cold, unmoving, bleeding wounds covering his body from head to toe.

 

He lays motionless for countless minutes, for countless hours.

 

And then he awakens.

 

***

 

He stares up at the ceiling, the ceiling he is very familiar with.

 

That of Roswaal’s mansion.

 

He feels something gripping tightly at his side, at his scar covered arm.

 

It was Beatrice, his spirit Spirit of Yin.

 

She is clutching tightly to him, tears in her eyes as she trembled against him.

Her grip was firm, as if letting go would risk him being lost forever. 

 

Shifting his gaze slightly upward, he would see Rem, sleeping in a nearby chair. There were tears in her eyes. 

She had remained by his side all night.

 

She did this every night now.

 

“H-hey, B-Beako… Re-Rem-rin. It’s time to get up.” His voice was soft, weak, gentle, and filled with fear.

 

“Subaru…” Beatrice mutters softly as she awoke. Her tear filled butterfly eyes meeting his own. She held him tightly. “Betty is sorry, Betty is very sorry!”

She leaned against him, crying into his side.

“Beako its… its.. Its going to be..”

I am not fine, and I don’t know if it's going to be alright.

 

Subaru let out a deep sigh. “Come on, let's start the day.” He forced a smile.

 

“Can... Can your Rem get you something Subaru-kun?” Rem asked, biting her lip as she trembled, looking at her beloved.

 

“I… I’m not sure.” Subaru sighed. “I think I just want to get washed up and get some breakfast.”

 

Rem nodded slowly, a sad smile on her face. “Then I will get your clothes and draw the water for you.”

 

Subaru nodded.

 

Ever since they returned, Rem became his personal maid. 

 

She still helped out with other things around the manor, and primarily handled cooking and such.

 

But she left the majority of the tasks to Ram, Frederica, Petra, and Sylphy.

 

Rem, especially after learning of the Sanctuary’s events and how Subaru had been abandoned by the camp, viewed herself solely as Subaru’s maid.

 

The rest of the mansion could rot for all she cared.

 

Subaru had help dressing from Rem. 

His hair was still ashen white and his body was a quilt of scars and abuse.

All done by the hands of those who would otherwise be protectors of this kingdom.

 

He still had trouble moving, several of his muscles and nerves still damaged.

The cost and effort of having healers help fix his body was being organized by the other camps in recompense.

 

The obvious person for the task being excluded for good reason.

 

Both Rem and Beatrice could not help but to stare at the scars that marked the one they both loved most in this world.

 

As Rem lightly gripped his wrist to properly pull down his sleeve, Subaru’s entire body stiffened.

He felt himself being dragged by the wrist through the darkness.

A cold metallic hand that was devoid of warmth and gentleness.

 

He was thrown against the wall.

He was kicked in his stomach, the feeling of his ribs cracking rang through his body.

A small crowd had gathered around him.

He felt it over and over again. 

Cold metallic hands.
Warm fleshy hands.

They beat him.

They kicked him. 

His bones cracked.

His flesh bruised.

The world became a daze of pain and brutality.

He was forced to his feet, gripped by his hair and dragged up the wall.

The beating continued.

Over and over again.

 

Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. 

 

He would be dragged back to his cell by the end and thrown inside.

A broken punching bag left discarded like a toy.

 

“Subaru?” Beatrice gently tugged his hand, tears in her eyes.

 

Subaru had frozen in place, tears running down his face as his mouth had begun to mutter soundless and meaningless phrases.

 

“I… just help me finished getting dressed please.” He asked, his tone that of a desperate plea.

 

The two girls honored that plea, and Rem silently continued to dress him. 

 

After he finished getting dressed, Subaru forced a smile. “Thank you Beako, Rem-rin.”

 

“It is never a problem Subaru-kun. Just let us know what you need, anything at all.”

 

“Let us go get breakfast I suppose.” Beatrice took his hand and slowly led Subaru to the dining hall.

Subaru shuffled to the dining hall, Rem going on ahead to make sure that the food would be ready and served.

 

By the time Subaru made it to the dining hall, everyone else was already seated and much of the food had been served.

 

Roswaal, Emilia, Garfiel, Otto, and Meili were all seated at the table.

 

The maids, Ram, Frederica, Sylphy, and Petra stood off to the side.

 

Roswaal smiled. “Subaru-kun, thank you for jo-o-oing us.”

 

Garfiel and Otto both shot Roswaal a hateful look.

 

Rem’s glare made obvious her deep desire to have him burned alive on the spot.

 

“He-hello everyone. Sorry if I kept you waiting.” Subaru forced a smile, it wasn’t even fake. I just took effort and energy that he struggled to master.

 

“Ah! No no, it's fine Subaru. Take all the time you need. We don’t mind waiting.” Emilia forced a smile.

 

Subaru stared at Emilia for a moment, a mixture of feelings swelling within him.

 

She was still beautiful, she was always beautiful. But she had tired dark bags under her eyes, nothing compared to his own, but still noticeable. 

 

There were streaks of gray in her otherwise lustrous silver hair, and her eyes were red and sore from crying.

 

Beatrice led Subaru over to a seat, and sat him down at the table, next to Emilia.

 

Beatrice took a place beside him and the meal began, awkwardly and quietly.

 

Subaru looked down at his food, eating it slowly, his motions dulled, as if his limbs were controlled by an unsure and amateurish puppeteer. 

 

As he ate the food, he savored the flavor. The bold and sweet taste on his tongue, in contrast to the grime and gruel he was served within that prison.

 

Placing another piece of food into his mouth, the fork tongued his tongue.

 

The metallic taste was soft, it would normally be imperceptible. 

But Subaru had grown sensitive to the flavor, due to the repeated nails that were placed within his food during his time imprisoned.

 

They would pierce his tongue.

Blood filling it.

They would slide down his throat

Tearing up his insides.

 

It would sting

 

It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! It stings! 

 

He was back in the prison.

A mess of brown and gray slop before him.

He would double over, choking.

He would grip at his throat.

Blood would be filling his mouth.

He was choking.

He was suffering.

He was in pain.

 

They were laughing! 

Laughing at the so-called Archbishop reduced to a pathetic state.

 

Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. 

They laughed at his pain, they were laughing at his pain. 

 

Why are they hurting me?

He coughed, so hard that he felt his lungs might burst from his throat.

Why am I in so much pain?

Blood droplets spilled from his mouth along with the remains of the nails.

Why do they hate me?

Tears streamed down his face.

Why can’t I just die?

 

Why do they hurt me? Why am I in pain? Why do they hate me? Why can’t I die?
Why do they hurt me? Why am I in pain? Why do they hate me? Why can’t I die?

Why do they hurt me? Why am I in pain? Why do they hate me? Why can’t I die?

Why do they hurt me? Why am I in pain? Why do they hate me? Why can’t I die?

Why do they hurt me? Why am I in pain? Why do they hate me? Why can’t I die?

Why do they hurt me? Why am I in pain? Why do they hate me? Why can’t I die?

Why do they hurt me? Why am I in pain? Why do they hate me? Why can’t I die?

“Subaru are you feeling alright?” Emilia asked.

 

Emilia’s question shook him out of his stupor.

His eyes were wide as he surveyed the room, all eyes upon him.

Filled with worry and concern.

It was genuine, it was true.

He could tell that much.

But he knew it was fragile.

 

To those watching him, they would have just seen him freeze, dropping the food in his mouth back onto the table while he lightly trembled.

 

Rem quickly rushed over, to check on him and to clean the food.

 

“Subaru-kun are you..?”

 

“Its fine… the food is fine. I just… had a moment that’s all.” He forced a smile, though all could tell that this smile was fake as could be.

 

But none were willing to challenge it.

 

Rem slowly nodded her head. “I.. understand Subaru-kun. Could your Rem…”

 

“A wooden fork, if that isn’t a problem? Sorry… guess that’s a weird ask.”

 

“No not at all! Your Rem will get one.” Rem rushed to the kitchen.

 

Frederica forced a smile and asked. “Is the food… to your liking?”

She would normally not want to presume, but at the same time the senior maid wished for everything to be perfect.

 

He slowly nodded his head. “Ye-yeah its good. Though honestly, anything would taste amazing after um…”

He bit his lip and looked down.

 

A soft cloud of melancholy hanging over all those here.

 

“I enjoy it, thank you.” Subaru replied.

 

The meal continued, once again awkward silence reigned.

None could really think of anything to say.

No one wanted to say anything, could bring themselves to say anything.

 

All except for a shameless clown.

“I should let you kno-o-o-ow that there will be a hea-a-aler coming some time early tomorro-o-o-ow”

 

“Who is it?” Otto asked, eyes narrowing at the Margrave.

 

“A knight. Though one who had no ro-o-ole in any unfo-o-ortunate incidents.” He explained.

 

“They better do a good job, I suppose.” Beatrice muttered.

 

Emilia looked over at Subaru. “Subaru… is there, anything you would… like to try and do today?” She forced a smile, forced it just for him.

 

Subaru stared at her and shook his head, but then thought about it. “I’ve… been in bed, most of the last few days. Though, not sure what I can do, like this you know?”

He let out a faint chuckle.

 

Emilia and several others winced.

 

Rem cleared her throat. “Rem could… let you use the wheel chair you made for me? So you don’t strain yourself. We could walk around the manor, or head to the village maybe if you prefer?” 

 

Subaru blinked and thought about it. “Going around the manor… may be nice.”

His voice was soft, wavering, and unsure of himself.

 

Gone was the enthusiasm.

Gone was the cheer.

It was a hollow echo of what it once was.

One that may never recover.

 

That broke the hearts of all those who knew him and cherished him, of all those that heard it.

 

Rem bowed. “I will get it ready then.”

She then walked off to go and fetch the wheelchair. 

 

“Emilia, You do have to continue your studies today” Roswaal remarked as he rose from his seat.

 

“Ah, but can I… please maybe spend some time walking with Subaru first?” She asked.

 

“Of couuurse.” Roswaal smiled. “I’m just reminding you of your obligations.”

 

Emilia silently nodded her head.

 

Subaru shuffled over to the chair and leaned back against it.

 

Rem, forcing a smile, pulled the chair back and began to take Subaru around the manor, Emilia and Beatrice accompanying them.

 

As they left a great deep breath was taken by all those that remained within the room.

 

“Master Roswaal.” Ram started. “Is there anything you would like me to do?”

 

Roswaal paused, pondering for a moment before he shook his head. “Nooo, for now continue about your duties though Ram.”

 

“Yes Master Roswaal.”

 

“Do be mindfuuul about what you say around Subaruuu. He’s in a VERY delicate position.”

 

Ram tensed, but nodded her head. “I shall be mindful of my behavior around Ba— Subaru.”

 

Roswaal smiled and then exited the room, going about his day with Ram following behind.

 

***

 

The four toured around the mansion, Rem pushing Subaru along in the chair.

 

Subaru knew this mansion well once, though for him it had been a while.

It had been far far too long.

 

He didn’t say much, asked the idle question or two, made small talk.

 

“Is there anything we can do to make you more comfy Subaru?” Emilia asked, her hand on his as she walked alongside the wheelchair.

 

Beatrice nodded her head. “Betty will do anything you want, in fact.”

 

Subaru looked between them both and let out a deep sigh, leaning back.

 

“Maybe just, outside in the flower garden?” he asked.

 

Emilia smiled. “That sounds like a good idea.~” she spoke softly.

 

Soon they were in the garden, surrounded by a myriad of beautiful colors. 

 

Subaru sighed, leaning back as he stared up at the sky.

 

It was a nearly cloudless day, the sun shining brightly in the sky.

 

Subaru closed his eyes, basking in the feeling of the breeze, the scent of the flowers, the warmth of the sun.

 

The sun was warm.

Very warm.

 

Warm.

It maybe even slightly, ever so slightly burned.

 

It burned.

It burned!

He was burning!

HE WAS BURNING!!!

 

He was chained to a chair, wriggling, gasping for freedom, screaming, begging, crying out for mercy, crying out the truth that he knew.

 

The hot iron was pressed against his chest as his entire body squirmed like a suffocating fish.

 

It burned, it burned his flesh.

He could smell it.

His own skin and meat cooking.

 

There wasn’t even a moment of relief as the iron was pulled away. Instead his skin continued to bubble bright red.

 

He could not brace himself.

 

He could only cry.

 

Cry as the iron was brought against the side of his face.

 

He let out another scream of pure agony.

 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAHAAAAAAGHAHGHAHGHAHGHHAHGHAHGAHGHAHGHUAHGUAHGUAHGUAHGAUGHAUGHUAHGAUGHUAHGUAHGUHAUGHAGHKUHGUHGHGHKUGHAHAHHGHAKUGHKAHGHHAGHAHGHHAHGHAHGHGHHAHGHAGHAHGHAHGHAHGHAHGHAHGHAHGHAHGHHHAHGHAHGHAHGHAHUGUHAUGHAHUGHAUGHAUGHAHGHGHUAHGHGKUUUUUUUUUGHGGGGHGHKKKAAAAAGAAAAAAAAGGHGHGHUGHGUHGAUHGAGUHGAUGHUAHAAGUUUAGHKKKAUGHUAHGHHUHUAHGGKKK!!!!!”

 

IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! IT HURTS! 

“Subaru!”

“Subaru-kun!”

“Subaru!”

 

Subaru was roused back to a semi-state of awareness by the voices of three girls.

 

He had fallen forward out of his chair, and into the ground before him.

He had curled up in on himself, trembling as he rocked himself back and forth.

Muttering words that none of them could understand.

 

He found himself with his head in Emilia’s lap.

His hand being held by Beatrice.

And with Rem kneeling at his side.

 

The boy trembled, eyes darting around to look at them all.

 

And he began to cry.

 

“Don’t leave me! Don’t leave me! Please don’t leave me!” He muttered weakly, clinging to Emilia, his tears staining her dress.

 

He then fell unconscious, drifting off into his world of dreams and nightmares.

Surrounded by those that cared for him.

Surrounded by those that failed him.

 

In this If

-Subaru’s total duration of imprisonment was four months real time. Via his loops it was about six times that.

-The Gluttonies attacked the prison tower, guided by their gospels to try and free wrath but to also finish devouring Subaru.

-Lye was killed and Roy was captured.

-A month later is when Roy was slated to be executed, followed by Subaru.

-Subaru was hooded during his execution, and after Roy’s death he was quickly rushed away. 

-The general populace does not know that Subaru was considered the Archbishop of Pride.

-Felix and Julius are under house arrest for their part. In this fic Felix mostly saw to ‘healing’ Subaru after his beatings and he only interrogated Subaru rarely so that he may try to extract a cure for Crusch. Those moments were extremely painful for Subaru.

-Julius oversaw much of his imprisonment and nearly was the one who executed him, but did not engage in any excessive torture besides, ironically, beating Subaru a few times.

-Rumors about Subaru’s state have begun to spread and caused some civil unrest.




IN THE THEATER

(By Thinkmind, edited by Zero-Haven)

 

In Absolute Cinema:

 

No one spoke during the screenings.

 

No words of insult or mercy.

 

They just stared at the damage.

[Priscilla: What a miserable situation.]

 

[Anastasia: A complete mess too, though at least we aren’t doomed… probably.]

 

Crusch shook her head, saying nothing. She had no right to do so as her knight’s potential sins weighed upon her.

 

[Beatrice: —— Isn't there any way to help him...?]

 

Asking with great sadness, she would beg anyone, banging her forehead on the floor, if they could find a way to help her contractor.

 

[Felix: Unfortunately... This Subaru-Kyun has probably developed such a trauma from the torture and the events... that things related to it can trigger flashes that remind him of what happened during his time there.]

Felix struggled to speak, he knew that much of this damage was his own fault. He was staring at a mockery for all that he stood for that was brought about by his own hands.

[Frederica: Like when he was eating?]

[Felix: Yes. His mind still has difficulty associating his sensations with everyday events after spending so much time imprisoned. Especially because of Return by Death.]

The cat-boy healer wanted to just crawl under a bed so he might never be seen again.

[Wilhelm: Like a soldier with trauma. He might be calmly going about his days, only for something ordinary to remind him of something related to the battlefield.]

 

The in-depth analysis made it clear how deeply rooted Subaru's psychological terror was.

 

Even something like eating or sunbathing reminded him of the worst pain he suffered during his time in prison.

 

[Emilia: B-But, he c-can recover, can't he?]

The half-elf remained hopeful. Unlike all the other wicked and accursed routes they were here, they remembered him, they could help him.
Some part of her wanted to desperately believe that if she was in that situation, if she knew how much she had failed, that she could be useful in some capacity.

[Félix: —— I don't know. —— The physical damage is mostly minor. But the psychological time Subaru-Kyun spent was enough for things to become deeply engraved in his mind. Perhaps over time, he can stop dissociating and live, but still remember, and experience some episodes more controlled than those shown so far, nya.]

 

Explaining as sincerely as he could, the healer also hated this reality.

 

In the end, being out of the cell only gave him the chance to escape the ongoing torture, not the trauma that lingered. Even if he could recover somewhat from it, it would still be permanently scarred on his mind and soul. And that left a bitter taste in everyone's mouths.

 

Not even in what should have been his, Subaru still lacked the true freedom to live without the torments caused by their uselessness.

 

And that... is another reality they deeply hate.

 

[Julius: I can’t even imagine what it would be like.]

 

He considered what it would be like, standing there watching Gluttony get executed, something he certainly still felt that the wretched little creature deserved, only to realize that the prisoner you were about to execute, standing right next to him, was your friend. One you oversaw the brutal and merciless imprisonment of.
Julius could barely comprehend what it would be like to be in that situation.

 

For all the other camps it was a similar feeling. What they would be feeling like, waiting for the execution of an Archbishop only to realize that it was Subaru. Many felt like they would throw up on the spot.

Roswaal contemplated the situation, he had to account for every possibility after all.
[Roswaal (thoughts): Traumatized yes, but not totally broken. Perhaps this can be turned into a positive. If that me is careful. He should at least understand that Subaru’s power is not without limits)

 

Emilia thought about the her that was on the screen, the her that realized how useless she had been.

 

[Emilia (thoughts): So that’s what I really look like as a failure, when I realize how badly I messed up.]
She thought bitterly about herself. It was a pain she knew she deserved.

 

Beatrice also considered her own predicament in that situation.
[Beatrice: Betty will not let anything happen to him, never ever again, in fact]
She understood that she would have a long road ahead of herself in that situation. She was glad that Subaru kept her by her side even then. That Betty didn’t know the full extent of her failure, but she understood enough to know that she was a failure.
[Beatrice (thoughts): Please please don’t abandon him again I suppose.]

Meanwhile Rem stared at the screen with determination
[Rem: However long it takes Subaru-kun. I will do what I have to in order to help you. Whatever you want, whatever you need, your Rem will provide, even though I have no right.]

 

A quiet resolve was born within those who cared for him most.
That they would do whatever it took to heal Subaru, and that facing this pain headon was the least they could do.

If they could not do that much, then they would be truly useless.

Notes:

Curious how people will take this one.

Do they deserve forgiveness?
Probably not.
But we aren't asking that question here.

As a reminder I write these to get over writer's block for my other fics.
They don't really detract all that much time from my normal writing because of it.

Chapter 18: Path of Forgiveness and Tears-Extra 1

Summary:

A look into the life of Beatrice on the Path of Forgiveness and Tears

EXTRA 1

 

Beatrice was a worthless spirit.

 

At the very least that is what she thought of herself, now that everything had settled into a new normal.

Beatrice had abandoned her contractor, her most beloved person, after only one year of being together.

After waiting four hundred years, she discarded her salvation so easily, so quickly.

It disgusted her down to her very core.

 

Worthless.

Useless.

Stupid.

Pathetic.

Loathsome.

Ungrateful.

Wretched

Traitorous.

Slothful.

Idiotic.

Undeserving Doll.

 

These were the words that reflected what she thought of herself.

Look at what you have done, you broken useless doll. Worse than useless, you played a part in your own contractor’s suffering.

 

She tensed as she saw Subaru’s unconscious body wriggle and squirm as it was healed.

You did this to him. You are responsible for this. You made him suffer. You abandoned him when he cried out for help. You left him. You don’t deserve to be forgiven. You deserve to be alone.

 

She struggled to hold back her tears, but she was otherwise motionless, sitting there and just staring. Only her eyes moved, careful and mindful of the healer’s motions.

 

She reflected as she saw two healers, knights, working on Subaru’s mangled body.

 

Every scar, every mark, every deformity upon his skin was a record of her failure.

 

This is what you have done for him. This is how you ‘help’ your contractor.

 

The defective doll just sat there, quietly, unmoving as she watched the healers ply their trade.

 

Subaru had to be restrained and rendered unconscious before they could begin. He would squirm and struggle too much, not consciously but rather due to an instinct.

 

“What wretch did a number on him I see.” The older knight commented, brushing his green hair away from his face after Subaru was restrained.

 

“That would be the case I suppose.” Beatrice replied, her tone mechanical and devoid of life.

Subaru had to be restrained, because healing magic itself became a form of torture that his mind recognized. 

He had to be made unconscious so he would not trigger a fit of madness as he was being healed.

Beatrice held his hand until Subaru was fast asleep, only then she would step back, and let the two get to work.

 

The cat deserves to die, those knights deserve to die, everyone who hurt him deserves to die, I deserve to…

 

She did not finish that thought. To do so would be a sin against her contractor, who for some reason still clung to her at night.

Betty doesn’t know how you can even stand herself. Betty doesn’t deserve your forgiveness. Betty isn’t sure if she even has it. Betty will do everything she can to earn your forgiveness I suppose.

 

The two healer knights worked silently, for the most part, only exchanging comments on how to treat their patient.

 

When they were done they both turned to Beatrice.

 

“Well we are done for today.” The younger of the knights, a boy with sandy blonde hair that was about Subaru's age, spoke up first.

 

The older knight slowly nodded his head. “Yes, the boy’s damage is rather extensive, but anything that could have rendered him non-functional was already healed. We worked on any deformities to his bones and muscles, but the nerve damage will be difficult to repair.”

 

Beatrice nodded her head. “Can you do it? I suppose.”

 

The older knight nodded his head. “Yes, but it will help to have a record of what exactly was done to him, from a medical perspective. While I have read the logs, they do not have the details required for this operation.”

He handed the book to Beatrice.

 

Beatrice slowly reached out, and took the black book into her hands.

It was a plain and ordinary looking book, and it was a totally mundane book.

But the records it contained made it weigh heavier than her gospel ever was.

It was a record of just how badly she had failed as a spirit. 

 

“We will have to secure the personal account of the one responsible for the most extreme damage. I would not dare to bring this patient to that pathetic creature, but I am sure you can understand why I need HIS records?” The elder knight asked.

 

Beatrice nodded her head. “It makes sense I suppose, but do not trust it.”

 

“Of course not, but it may give us an idea.” the younger knight chimed in. “Just be sure he eats what he has too and starts getting some proper exercise, even if its only walking. He needs to get used to using his body again. But make sure he doesn't push it too far.”

 

“That will be all for today then. Have a good day.” The elder knight declared their time together at an end, and the two walked away.

 

Beatrice let out a sigh and walked over to Subaru, gently taking his hand as he slept.

“Betty is a worthless spirit, but Betty will never abandon her Subaru again.”

 

***

 

As Subaru laid sleeping, the yin spirit would watch him, her sore butterfly eyes wouldn't pull away from him even for a moment.

She did not trust herself anymore.

She did not trust that something wouldn't happen if she turned away even for a minute.

 

She would remain with him now and for all time. 

“Betty is sorry. Betty is sorry. Betty is sorry.”

She held his hand, hoping to ease some of the pain that he always experienced in his nightmares.

It was the only thing she felt could do at times like these.

 

There was a gentle knock on the door. “May I come in?” It was the voice of Rem.

 

Beatrice said nothing for several moments. In truth she didn't want anyone near her contractor.

None of them deserve to be near him.

I don't trust any of them, in fact.

I don't deserve to be with him either, I suppose.

“I.. I suppose.” Her voice was weak, but she allowed for the maid’s presence.

 

Betty's Subaru feels better when she is there when he wakes up, in fact .

 

She considered telling the maid this fact. But she decided against it for now, the maid seemed resolved to spend as much time with him as possible anyways.

 

Rem slowly and quietly opened the door, seeing Subaru asleep she kept her footsteps light.

Quietly, silently, and diligently she would begin to clean the room. Every few seconds she would look away from her task to stare at the boy.

When she was finished, she would wander over to his bed, sitting beside it on the opposite side of the spirit of yin.

 

“How…” Rem began.

 

“The healers did what they could for now, in fact. To repair his nerves they must question the wretched cat.”

 

Rem slowly nodded her head.

Beatrice could see Rem's own expression darken upon the mention of the accursed Blue.

 

The two remained silent, having nothing to say to each other as they each held a hand of the sleeping boy they both adored, and both terribly wronged.

 

***

Ram appeared at the doorway some time later, quietly entering.

 

Both Beatrice and Rem looked towards her, their gazes narrowing.

 

Ram’s gaze roamed over Beatrice and Rem, before it fell upon Subaru for several moments. Her otherwise stoic mask cracking when she did so, she couldn’t hold her gaze for more than a few seconds.

 

Ram then directed her gaze back at Beatrice. “Lady Beatrice. Master Roswaal wishes to speak with you.”

 

“I refuse, in fact.” Beatrice stated plainly.

 

“He wishes for your advice in planning Ba… Subaru’s treatment. He said it would be most improper to plan it without you, as well as to pull you away from him while he is awake. My sister can watch over him in the meantime, and I can remain too if you so wish.”

While her tone would seem cold to all, one could easily tell it was a mask, hiding the anguish beneath.

For the blue haired oni, such a thing was obvious.

 

“Is that so? The clown is correct I suppose. He may only have my attention for a few minutes.” The doll unsteadily rose to her feet and exited the room, casting one last glance back at her broken contractor.

 

Minutes later she would find herself sitting in Roswaal’s office, staring at the clown.

 

Roswaal was adorned in his makeup, a sickening smile upon his face. At the same time she could see deep dark circles beneath his eyes, and noticed the tension that pervaded every movement of his being.

 

“Sooo how is our Subaruuu doing?” Roswaal asked.

 

“The healing went well enough though he will require many additional sessions and he struggles to speak and smile. Mentally he is still quite fragile, in fact. So if you think of pulling him into any of your games Roswaal then…” Beatrice’s tone was cold, direct, and to the point. Though her speech was cut off by the mage. 

 

“I wouldn’t dream of it, not right now.” He let out a deep sigh. “I swore once that I would do him no harm, now that he is a member of our camp again, I am bound by such strictures. Beyond that Subaru is a critical piece for me. I would see him recovered so he might again aid us in the royal selection.”

 

Beatrice continued to stare daggers at him. “Why are you speaking with Betty, in fact?”

 

Roswaal sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Subaru’s state of mind is delicate, so tell me Beatrice. What do you think he wants?”

 

“Betty’s contractor wants to get better I suppose.” Beatrice answered, like it was the obvious answer.

 

“It’s more than that, you know that Beatrice. If it was just that he wouldn’t be so anxious to train again, to spend time with those in the mansion again. He was always one to push himself. So tell me, WHY do you think he wants to get better. What is our dear Subaru really wanting right now?”

 

Beatrice stared at the mage, confused for but a moment, and then she let out the deepest of sighs. “Betty’s contractor… wants things to go back to how they were, before everything happened I suppose.”

Roswaal nodded along. “The experience must have been traumatic for him.” He explained, dropping any of his accent. “I have seen such trauma before you know. He will want things to return to normal, so he need not think about it anymore. If he can return things to a state of ‘how they were’ before he was forgotten, then he will not need think about the time he spent imprisoned, he won’t have to think about how we betrayed him. He cannot bring himself to forgive what happened to him, so he wishes instead to forget, blame it all upon gluttony and perhaps those few individuals who were excessive in his torment. An understandable reaction.”

 

Beatrice slowly nodded along. “Why tell me this, I suppose.”

 

Roswaal’s smile returned, though it was a melancholic and sad one. “You must play the part. Care for him, but guide him along the path of normalcy, protect him from influences that might force him to face what happened. More than anyone else, you must protect him from reality… for his own sake of couuuurse.”

 

Beatrice remained silent, but nodded her head.

 

“Also you must consider one thing. That for Subaru, his ordeal may have been far longer than just these few months.” Roswaal muttered.

 

Beatrice stared at him, curiously. “Betty doesn’t know what you mean?”

 

Roswaal sighed. “You are many things sister, but you are not a fool. You know full well what the level of miasma around Subaru implies. I want you to consider what his power may actually be, and why he has not told you what it is.”

 

***

 

Later in the day Subaru walked through the halls of the manor alongside Beatrice, who was still holding him by the hand.

 

“It should be easier to move now, I suppose.” Beatrice remarked, taking careful note of how Subaru was walking instead of shuffling forward.

 

“Ye-yeah Beako. Doesn't really hurt much now. It's just my legs are a bit stiff.”

 

Beatrice continued to study him as he walked. “You will have to build up your strength again and eat more I suppose.”

 

“You're probably right.” Subaru admitted. “But I still don't have much of an appetite….. Thank you for taking care of me Beako.” 

Subaru smiled. It was that same strained smile, the pain and emotional turmoil plain in his twitching lip and unsteady gaze.

He meant it, he was truly grateful, truly trying to push past the pain that wracked his body and mind. He wanted to do that for her.

He wanted her to forget her failure.

 

The heart of the spirit almost broke again at that very instant. She could not comprehend it, how he could still be concerned for her in any way after everything.

 

It made her feel sick.

What an amazing contractor he is, in fact.

What a worthless spirit I am, I suppose.

 

“That, your Betty will accept your praise… but it is the least Betty can do for her contractor.” She muttered in reply, forcing a smile.

She had too.

She had no choice.

She refused to give him any of her own misery. To share her own pain.

Because she knew it was her own fault. 

And that for some incomprehensible reason Subaru was trying to forgive her.

 

She knew her contractor. She knew that his dearest wish was for things to return to what they were. She knew Roswaal was right.

 

And that if she compromised that, if she tried to change their relationship, make more extreme amends in any way. She risked breaking the illusion of normalcy that Subaru was trying to maintain for his own sanity.

That would be a final betrayal that was unacceptable to the spirit.

 

“So, think after my healing is done. I can get back to my training?” Subaru asked the spirit.

 

Beatrice blinked a few times.

 

Subaru's body was still a wreck. Myriad scars and mental damage aside, his own body had atrophied in that cell. It would be a long time before he could return to what he was.

 

But she could not say that, not when his eyes were filled with a desperate hope for normalcy.

 

“Once you are healed you may return to your training I suppose.”

 

He paused and then let out a deep sigh. “Right, well I guess I will need to get my strength up then.”
He muttered it lowly, declaring it to himself as if it was just another task he had to fulfill.

 

As they continued through the halls, they saw Garfiel outside. He was running through one of the obstacle courses that he and Subaru used to use for training. The trigger-boy totally focused on his training, oblivious to the world around him.

 

“Maybe in a month or two I can give it a try again.” Subaru spoke softly.

 

“Perhaps.” Beatrice commented. She knew his personal times, preserved within a book in her library, would likely be far lower than before at first. “Though you have walked around a good deal for today, in fact. More than any day prior. You should sit down and rest again I suppose.”

 

Subaru paused and bit his lip, trembling lightly in place. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. Beatrice could see the tears start to well within his eyes.

 

“Subaru?” Beatrice tightened her grip on his hand. “Your Betty is here for you.”

 

He stared back down at Beatrice, into her butterfly shaped pupils. Wiping the tears from his eyes he mantled a smile on his face yet again. “Ah that’s right, you’re always there for me Beako.”

 

She forced a smile as well, holding his hand tightly.

 

“Think we can… go out to maybe see him?” Subaru asked. “I know we should stop but, I want to head outside, just a little bit.”

 

Beatrice stared silently for several seconds, before nodding her head. “If that is what Betty’s contractor wishes for I suppose.”

 

She gently began to guide him outside.

 

It was slightly cloudy today, a cool breeze filling the air as they walked across the grass.

 

But then Subaru tripped. The nerves in his ankles were still not all healed, and while his muscles were, the aches and phantom sensations caused him to misstep and fall, twisting his ankle ever so slightly.

 

It was a fall that the old Subaru, even the Subaru before coming to this world, could have probably walked off with only the most minor of complaints.

 

But he was a shell of what he once was.

 

That one jolt of pain through his muscles reminded him of his time in a cell, strapped to a table as his muscles were torn and twisted by a certain catboy who tormented him in the depths of his own frustration.

 

He remembered the forced and mocking tone and smile upon his face.

 

And Subaru screamed.

 

“Agh it hurts it hurts! Stop hurting me stop hurting me stop hurting me!”

 

To the outside world, it was a simple fall.

But everyone in this mansion knew that even the most minor of pains could set Subaru off.

“IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS! STOP HURTING ME! STOP HURTING ME!”

He screamed, curling up into a ball and clutching himself, his entire body convulsing as if seizing.

 

“Ah Subaru!” Beatrice let out a panicked scream.

 

The spirit quickly healed the sprained ankle, but the pained cries of Subaru did not stop.

 

“STOP HURTING ME! STOP HURTING ME! STOP HURTING ME!”
His eyes darted around in a panicked madness.

 

Beatrice, realizing that there was more than physical pain here, gripped his face. She stared right into his maddened eyes, right into that abyss of pain and sorrow.

“Your Betty is here. Your Betty is here. Your Betty is here.”

 

She repeated that mantra, it had to get through to him, it was the only thing she could do.

 

Garfiel rushed over as well, and shouted to the manor. “HEY! Capt’n needs help!”

And stayed nearby, looking him over with his own pained expression plastered upon his face.

 

It took several seconds, but Subaru’s wild eyes became focused on Beatrice, and only her.

 

He reached out and grabbed at his hands.
“Don’t leave me! Don’t leave me! Don’t leave me!”

 

Tears filled her own eyes, as she lightly held his face.

 

“Your Betty will never leave you.”

 

***

After Subaru calmed down, Rem and Emilia came. Rem carried him back to the room and all three girls stayed with him while he spent the next hour in bed.

 

Dinner proceeded as normal later that day, though with few words passing between those who ate.

 

And at night, while Subaru slept soundly, Beatrice rose from her bed.

There was one other act of penance and self-flagilation she had to complete as a part of her nightly routine.

 

She conjured a book from the shadows.

It was not the gospel, but a log-book.

Written on the cover were the words “Log on Pride’s interrogation.” And "Unofficial additions” added to the bottom, taken from the interrogation of those who oversaw him while Subaru was subjected to ‘unofficial additional interrogation.’ 

 

She wanted everything.

As much info as she could gather.

She would burn the extent of her crimes into her soul.

 

She opened the book and stared at the passageways

 

Date XXX. Day 31

-Pride was taken in for questioning again. Continued to maintain his story about being the half-elf’s knight. Refused to give any additional information on the cult. His fingers were crushed and nailed removed as he refused to give proper answers. At the end of the session he was flogged and whipped…

 

Date XXX. Day 32.

-Questioning made no progress today. Various chemicals and non lethal poisons were applied to Pride in order to try and induce or compel truthfulness. No reliable progress was made and Pride was rendered incoherent. Pride broke down into tears when hot irons were applied to his hands and feet…

 

Date XXX. Day 33.

-Blue visited Pride today, questioning him on a possible cure to the dragon-blood curse afflicted candidate Crusch Karsten. Blue applied his magic to try and compel truthfulness from pride, affecting his blood stream, muscles, and nerves. Pride yielded no satisfactory answer for Blue. The session with Blue lasted for several hours, both could be heard crying at various times…

 

And the Great Spirit of Yin would continue to read. Each word read engraved more agony, more sorrow, more hatred into her heart. 

 

 

Additional Notes

-Due to the nature of the situation, Roswaal has begun to hint to Beatrice his 'theory' about Subaru's authority, but has not yet told her outright.

-Roswaal now realizes that Subaru does not control his checkpoints, and is trying to theorize what Subaru's 'limits' may be in that regard. He is not willing to test any of these theories given Subaru's current state, but it is making him tread very carefully. 

-Rumors about Subaru continue to spread, causing certain amounts of unrest among the populace. 

-Several copies of the 'Prisoner Logs' of Pride were given to the Emilia camp upon request. Roswaal memorized it after one reading. Emilia, Rem, and Beatrice read it nightly. 

-A secret trial is to be held before the end of the month to address the 'mishandling' of the Subaru Natsuki/Pride situation.

Notes:

Once again wrote this because the idea game to me and was a good warm up.
Decided to write an 'extra' for Path of Forgiveness and Tears first because that seemed to generate the most interest.
I now go off to write other things.

Chapter 19: Path of Forgiveness and Tears-Extra 2

Summary:

An Oni walks on the path on the path of tears.

The Rem chapter.

Notes:

So this ended up being twice as long as I expected. I'd maybe break it up but I feel it works like this.

Hope you all enjoy!

1 day after Subaru Natsuki's name returned

 

The trip back to the mansion was devoid of speaking. That isn't to say it was quiet by any means.

 

While awake Subaru was basically comatose, unmoving, unresponsive. He just stared at the top of the carriage, ignoring any words that were spoken to him, though dangerously sensitive to touch.

 

Beatrice sat beside him, looking as doll-like as she ever would in her four hundred years.

Ram drove the carriage with a stoic and sullen look on her face.

Garfiel sitting beside her as his teeth grinded together.

Emilia huddled in the corner, afraid to approach but unwilling to leave him.

And Rem remained by his side, unable to help herself but cry.

 

While Subaru was awake, he was silent.

It was when he slept that the horror became apparent.

In his sleep he begged, he shuddered, he cried out.

He called their names.

He called for their help.

He pleaded and begged not to be abandoned.

He begged not to be hurt.

He even begged Satella of all people for help.

 

Those pleas and words shook them all to their core.

Made them weep for the boy.

Made them angry with the kingdom.

Made them hate themselves.

 

Rem, Emilia, and Beatrice shared a look of absolute despair and horror.

 

For now they knew that while Subaru was now remembered his torment was not yet at his end.

His torments, both physical and psychological, would follow him into his dreams. 

The scars were etched into his soul and mind, perhaps forever.

 

When they arrived at the manor, Rem would lightly nudge Subaru's side.

“S-Subaru-kun… we are home.”

She muttered quietly as she slowly scooped him up into her arms.

 

Subaru did not respond, simply staring upward with a dead eyed gaze.

 

Rem slowly picked him up and began to take him to his old room.

 

She carried him into the mansion

 

She carried him past Frederica, who had cleaned his room and stoically watched on.

She carried him past Otto, who couldn't even bring himself to look at him and looked ready to throw up.

She carried him past Petra, who broke down into tears and fell to her knees.

She carried him past Roswaal, who wore the deepest of frowns.

She carried him past Annerose, who gasped in horror at his wretched state.

She carried him past Clind, who looked on with an aloof but sympathetic demeanor. 

 

She carried Subaru past them all and laid him in the soft bed.

Perfectly made and ready for him.

 

She laid him down gently, as if any sort of mishandling would cause him to shatter like fragile glass.

 

“Subaru-Kun, can your Rem get you anything?” She asked.

 

Subaru did not respond, and just stared at the ceiling. 

 

She sighed and looked him over. “You… you need a change of clothes, I'll get a bath ready for you too.”

The oni maid trembled, holding back the tears in her eyes.

 

“Betty will stay with her Subaru, make sure he is well.”

Beatrice spoke, her voice devoid of life.

 

Rem slowly nodded her head. “If that… is what you wish. I will go get him some clothes and a bath.”

 

“Food as well.” Beatrice added… “soup may be best, liquid, something we can easily feed him.”

 

“Very well. Rem shall do this. He does need to be washed.” Rem said.

 

“You are the best qualified to do that I suppose. Betty will remain with her Subaru.” Beatrice did not tear her gaze away from Subaru as she spoke with Oni.

 

“I shall do so then.” Rem muttered.

 

Rem did all she had to do, laid out clothes and drew a warm bath for him.

 

She returned to the room and picked Subaru up, biting her lip. “Subaru, you need to wash. Is it alright if your Rem helps you?” She asked.

 

Subaru said nothing, could do nothing, continuing to stare into nothingness like a broken toy.

 

Rem trembled as she held him and slowly guided him to the bath.

 

She undressed him.

While before this would cause her some embarrassment, it did not this time. Instead all that filled her mind was a deep sense of sorrow and regret.

Beatrice helped, as was her prerogative.

Slowly pulling off his rotted clothes to be tossed away, maybe restored at a later date.

 

As she saw his injuries, the tapestry of scars across his body, Rem struggled not to vomit or break down in tears on the spot.

 

Red marks.

White marks.

Purple marks.

Black marks.

Straight cuts.

Jagged cuts.

Missshapen cuts.

Bruises.

Burns.

 

All of these decorated his skin from the neck down.

Beatrice froze.

Quiet tears filled Rem’s eyes as she lowered him into the water, careful to keep his head above it.

The oni-maid silently began to wash him down, peeling off the layers of dirt and grime that still clung to him from his time imprisoned. 

 

He did not move, did not respond, he barely breathed.

His body was like a ragdoll that Rem could direct as she pleased.

It made her want to vomit. 

 

She and Beatrice silently washed the boy, getting as much of the grime off of him as they could.

 

Only when that was all done with, did they lift the boy up, dry him off, dress him again and lay him back in bed.

 

“Subaru-kun, you should hopefully feel a bit better now, with all that dirt and grime off of yourself.” She forced a smile for the boy, a smile she knew he adored. “Your Rem shall make some soup for you. Lady Beatrice will stay with you to watch over you alright?”

 

Beatrice had fetched a stool for herself and sat herself upon it. Prepared to stay at Subaru’s side till such a time as he could move.

 

Rem waited for Subaru to respond, anything, any sign of life stirring within his eyes.

But there was none, his gaze did not turn towards her or pull away. He just continued to absently stare straight ahead.

Even rejection would hurt less.

It would confirm for the oni that SOMETHING was still there inside of him.

But all that indicated he was alive was the slow and shallow breaths that he took.

 

Rem stood herself back upright, taking a breath she turned to leave to prepare food for the boy.

 

As she walked out of the room she saw a half-elf waiting outside. 

 

The half-elf’s eyes were sore and red, her hair disheveled and unbrushed, her pristine beauty marred by the marks of worry and stress upon her face. The half-elf held her hands together, her fingers clasped in each other and digging just a bit too harshly into her own skin. “How is… How is Subaru?”

Emilia choked out the question in a whimpering tone.

 

Rem looked Emilia over once, assuming that she had stood there the entire time.

 

Rem let out a deep sigh and shook her head. “No change, but I washed him, changed him, and am now getting him his meal. If you’d like you may see him.”

 

“I…” Emilia bit her lip and began to tremble, looking at the door, her gaze drifting downward.

 

“I see.” Rem replied, her voice a bit more cold as she walked past the half-elf, whose tears continued to flow from her eyes.

And that was the nature of the first week of Subaru’s return.

 

Subaru would not move, would not speak, and could barely be considered alive. They couldn’t even tell if anything was left of his mind.

 

Rem would primarily concern herself with Subaru’s care. Visiting him, washing him, feeding him, changing him.

Beatrice would stay at his side, never leaving, helping Rem as much as she could.

Emilia would visit him regularly, mustering the courage to do so after a while.

 

But Rem would pass by her room regularly and hear the half-elf sobbing.

Emilia would also be pulled into several meetings with Roswaal, the contents of which Rem knew nothing about.

 

The only hope came after the third day, when Subaru’s eyes finally began to move again. His gaze occasionally following their movements, his eyes occasionally filling with tears.

 

His nights were still filled with nightmares and torments, so much so that Rem stayed the night with him as much as Beatrice did, sitting next to his bed and holding his hand to calm him.

Even Ram joined her once, without a word, complaint or otherwise.

 

It was only after nearly a week passed, that Subaru Natsuki began to speak again.

 

18 days after Subaru Natsuki’s name returned.

 

Rem was a useless existence.

That is what she thought of herself now.

She was a terrible sister, who could do nothing but be an inferior version of her older sister.

She was a terrible lover, who not only pushed her most beloved down a path that led to his ruin, but even hurt him with her own two hands.

 

Hands she now despised.

Hands she now loathed.

Hands she would chop off if she could.

 

The only reason she didn't was because then she could no longer be useful to her beloved.

That it may make him sad still, make his torment even worse.

And the oni-maid did not want that.

 

So instead her hands would be used for his benefit, for however long it took to atone for her own self-perceived crimes.

She expected it to be the rest of her life at minimum.

And she was content with that.

 

So the hands she hated would be put to good use.

 

These were the thoughts of Rem as she slowly woke up, her eyes fluttering open.

 

She awoke to the sight of Subaru sleeping with his great spirit watching over him.

 

He still tossed and turned, even as Beatrice held his hand.

 

Rem trembled lightly, slowly reaching out to take his free hand. “Subaru-kun, Subaru-kun.”

Her voice was soft, delicate, as gentle a tone as she could possibly muster.

 

But he did not awaken, he continued to toss and turn in his sleep. “No.. agh… ugh.. Ge-get away! Please no! Believe me please.”

He continued to mutter his pleas in his uncaring dreams.

 

His hand broke free of Rem’s grip as it flailed about, almost smacking himself with it.

“Ah Subaru! Subaru!”

Both she and Betty held him down.

 

His eyes shot open as he gasped, his eyes wildly looking around and darting around the room.

 

“Re-Rem? Be-Beako?” his voice was no louder than a whisper.

 

“Subaru, you’re safe. No one here is going to hurt you.” Rem muttered softly, bringing a hand to his cheek and lightly caressing it.

 

Subaru trembled lightly, and said nothing, but just locked his eyes with the Oni, staring into her gentle gaze.

“You.. you won’t hurt me?” 

He asked, his face having the countenance of a beaten dog.

 

Rem winced. “I… I would nev…”

 

Rem stared into his eyes, how empty, hollow, and hurt they looked.

 

She remembered visiting him in his cell, shortly after she first awakened.

 

She remembered what the crunching and the snapping of his bone felt like.

 

“I… I promise Subaru-kun. I won’t hurt you.” Rem spoke in the most gentle voice she could muster, keeping the bitter self loathing and agony in her own throat. 

 

Subaru slowly nodded his head, believing her.

 

Beatrice sighed. “He should eat I suppose.”

The depressed spirit muttered.

 

“Yes, I’ll go wash up and get him his food.”

 

Rem quickly left to her own room, preparing to quickly wash herself, change outfits, and prepare her beloved’s breakfast.

 

As she traveled the halls she encountered her sister, Ram, the two passing each other.

 

“Sissy.” Ram retained her stiff demeanor, though her eyes betrayed clear concern for her twin. 

 

Though their synesthesia made it all too apparent to Rem how worried and concerned Ram was for her and Subaru both.

 

And that same connection allowed Ram to know how wretched a state Rem was in.

How the girl's heart was like a glass figure full of cracks, ready to shatter into countless pieces.

How the girl’s mind was submerged in an ocean of self-loathing with the light from the surface now a single dim star that could barely be seen through the darkness.

 

“Rem.” Ram began, letting out a breath. “How is Barasu?”

 

Rem paused and sighed. “A fitful night, as always sissy. But he mostly got up without incident today. And you shouldn’t be calling him that anymore he…”

 

Ram shook her head. “I can’t sissy.”

 

Rem bit her lip “Bu…but.”

 

“Do you think Subaru would want that?” Ram asked, her voice growing cold.

 

Rem started to tremble again, and then hung her head.

 

Ram did start to call Subaru by his actual name during the first week that Subaru became active again, at the request of Emilia, Beatrice, and herself.

 

Though at dinner that same day is when it all came to ahead.

 

Rem still remembered the conversation, when they were all seated at the table.

 

***

10 Days after Subaru’s name was returned.

 

“Hey Ram, what’s going on? You’re treating me weirdly?” Subaru’s forced smile and laugh, that cracked mask, should have told them the problem.

 

But they were far too stupid.

Far too naive.

 

“I just decided to go easy on your pitiful…” Ram stopped herself. “I’m just being nice.” Ram muttered.

 

Subaru sighed. “You don’t have to treat me specially you know?” Subaru would reply.

 

“Su-Subaru, Sissy is just being concerned about you is all.” Rem muttered, gripping his hand.

 

“The maid is treating you properly for once in fact.” Beatrice muttered.

 

Emilia stared at Subaru. “Subaru, you don’t have to worry about…”

 

“Seriously… I mean you all don’t have to change the way you act just for me.” Subaru’s voice became strained, he began to tremble slightly.

 

Ram shook her head. “I called you Subaru, since that is your name that should be…”

 

“BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT YOU CALL ME!” Subaru took his glass and flung it across the room.

 

Not aimed at anyone but it smashed into the wall.

 

There was a sudden gasping, Subaru’s eyes were wild.

Subaru’s eyes were full of pain.

 

Everyone stared, and the broken knight collapsed back into his chair.

 

“OH um… I… sorry about um… that I just… well.” Every word from his lips stumbled out awkwardly as he continued to shake, continued to breath heavily.

 

“Subaru?” Beatrice gripped his head.

 

Rem reached out as well “Subaru-kun it’s’...”

 

Subaru slumped back into his chair and began to cry into his hand. “So-sorry I just… guess I’m just… sorry I'm a bother… I’m sorry… I’m sorry I just.”

 

Emilia and Beatrice took Subaru back to bed after that.

 

Rem stayed with Ram to talk with her as Ram also began to cry.

 

***

 

18 days after Subaru Natsuki’s name returned.

 

Ram stepped up to Rem and brought her into a hug. “Subaru wants me to treat him as I always have. You know that.”

Rem slowly nodded her head. “I… I know sissy. I just… I don’t want him to get hurt again.”

 

Ram sighed and shook her head. “Subaru’s an idiot who will always find a way to get hurt. You just need to be there for him, we all do I think.”

 

Rem nodded her head. “Th-thank you sissy. I’m going to go and get Subaru’s breakfast ready now.”

 

Ram didn’t let go of Rem quite yet. “I can take care of that if you…”

 

Rem shook her head. “No! I… I need to do this for him. Please sissy. I NEED to keep doing this for him.”

 

Ram saw the resolution in Rem’s eyes.

Felt her pain through their bond.

And knew she could not convince her sister to rest.

 

Ram sighed, and silently nodded her head. “Then do so please.”

 

Rem bowed her head and quickly hurried to her room.

 

She washed herself up.

She changed.

She made sure that she wiped away her tears as she stared into the mirror.

She practiced her smile as she stared into that same mirror, so that she might look as pleasant as possible for her Subaru-kun.

She could not let him see her pain.

She could not burden him with it.

 

She then went to the kitchen, ready to make breakfast.

 

As she did so she would hear the crying of a certain-half elf from within her own bedroom. The girl having just awoken from the very same nightmares that haunted her. 

 

She would dutifully cook his breakfast. Something soft, something easy to swallow, and would begin to make her way back to his room.

 

As she did so she encountered that very same half-elf, who shared her love for the boy that they both so horrifically failed.

 

Though in many ways the half-elf’s crime was greater.

But Rem also knew that she herself would have done no better.

The half-elf was not yet ready for the day, still within her night’s attire.

Eyes still red and swollen.

Hair still unkempt and messy.

She was a miserable mess, a far cry from the beauty that she normally was.

 

“He-hello Rem.” Emilia would speak, her soft voice still slightly choked by tears.

 

“Lady Emilia… if you’ll excuse me I was going to bring Subaru-kun his breakfast.” Rem replied.

 

“O-oh… can I go with you?” Emilia asked.

 

Rem looked her over and shook her head. “I… I don’t think it would be a good idea for Subaru-kun to see you like that.”

 

“Oh… ye-yes you’re right… I’m being silly… Subaru wouldn’t like me like this.” Emilia let out a deep and mournful sigh.

 

Rem stared back at her. “If Subaru-kun does not require my help washing up then I shall help you get ready.”

 

Emilia’s head shot up. “Wha.. are you sure Rem. I can…”

 

Rem shook her head. “I… you need to be as presentable as possible for Subaru-kun. That’s all.” 

 

Emilia stared at the girl, looking like she was forced to swallow some bitter medicine. 

“I see… thank you Rem.”

Emilia’s shoulders slumped.

 

Rem then continued on towards Subaru’s bedroom, leaving the half elf behind.

 

A few minutes after Rem entered Subaru’s bedroom, carrying Subaru’s breakfast and with a forced smile upon her face. “Morning Subaru-kun. Your breakfast is here.”

 

Subaru was still awake, sat upright in bed but not yet changed. Beatrice stayed by his side, the doll silently watching her contractor, looking for any sign that he may have need of her.

 

Rem placed the tray down on the table next to him. “Do you have anything else that you need?” She asked.

 

Subaru turned to face her, staring silently for several moments before shaking his head. “It’s fine Rem. I think I am good for now.”

 

Rem nodded her head. “Then your Rem shall prepare the bath for you then.”

 

“You really don’t have to.” Subaru replied shyly, awkwardly chuckling as he slowly turned his gaze away.

 

Rem stiffened her posture. “But Rem wants too, and Rem insists.”

 

Subaru let out a deep sigh. “Well I can’t argue with that.” He muttered, still forcing his own smile and resigned to Rem’s pampering.

 

Rem left the room and prepared the bath.

 

She returned to find Beatrice sitting beside Subaru as he slowly ate his breakfast.

 

“Your bath is ready Subaru-kun.” Rem spoke with her practiced smile.

 

Subaru smiled back at him. It was a weak smile, but a genuine one. “Thanks Rem, you really spoil me huh?”

 

Rem continued to smile, though her fingers dug covertly into her own palms.

 

She said nothing in response, there was no good answer here.

 

“Do you… require Rem’s assistance?” She asked with a slight blush.

Whereas before he was incapable, with his healing and slowly returned strength he could manage as such on his own.

 

Subaru let out a weak laugh. “It’s fine Rem. I can bathe myself, I’m not a little kid you know?”

 

Rem shook her head. “No, I suppose not. Then your Rem shall wait for you. Though I insist upon accompanying you there.”

The blue oni declared.

 

Subaru nodded his head slowly.

The oni and the spirit would then lead him throughout his day.

Never leaving him alone.

Never abandoning him.

 

***

 

And thus the oni’s day started.

 

Rem would quickly rush back to Emilia, helping Frederica clean up the half elf for the day. They would make sure she looked as normal as possible.

Rem would return to the bath to help Subaru with his clothes, making no comment upon the myriad of marks upon his body. 

She would walk with him as he traveled throughout the mansion.

She would talk with him as he visited Emilia, the three acting like all was well in a horribly wrong world.

She would cook his lunch, and stay by his side as they gathered and ate lunch.

She would stay with him when the healers visited to help try and further mend his injuries.

She would step away from him to leave him with Emilia so that she could release the tears that she held for the entire day.

She would watch him as he performed the exercises required for his strength to return.

She would prepare his dinner with utmost care, with all the affection she could muster.

She would curse those who hurt him inside of her mind, including her lady, including her master, including her sister, including herself.

 

She would return to him to fetch him for dinner… and found him in a most miserable state…

 

Beatrice was trying to shake him out of an episode. “Subaru! Subaru!”

 

The boy was huddled in the hallway against himself, scratching at his own arms and face.

“Make it stop. Make it stop. Make it stop. Make it stop. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die.”

 

Rem rushed up to him and grabbed his arms. “Subaru-kun!” She shouted with a desperate cry.

 

She held his arms tightly, so that he might not hurt himself.

Too tightly.

She made the biggest mistake she could.

 

His gaze shot towards Rem, locking eyes with her.

 

But his eyes widened, filled with fear and misery.

He did not see the maid who cared for him and loved him.

 

He instead saw the oni.

One of two oni who visited him in the darkness of the cell, intent on finding out more about who she really was since he seemed to be the only person that existed who remembered her.

An oni he tried to beg and plead to.

An oni who was angered by the supposed Witch Cultist who dared to profess love for her, who claimed to have been loved by her.

An oni who smashed his bones in that cold dark cell when he begged for mercy.

Who was grabbed in the ankle by him when she turned to leave his broken body.

Whose hand was then cut off by the pink-haired oni for trying to touch her sister.

 

And he looked at her with that same desperate and fear-filled look.

A look that begged for mercy that she did not give.

A look that the blue-haired oni maid engraved into her mind.

 

Rem gasped and instantly let go of him, realizing her error.

 

“Don’t hurt me! Don’t hurt me! Don’t hurt me! Don’t hurt me! Please believe me! Please believe me! Rem! Rem! Please!”

He cried out like a young boy afraid of a beating and curled in on himself.

 

The oni stumbled back, filled with horror and absolute disgust.

 

His shouts were so loud that it attracted some of the others in the mansion.

 

Emilia was the first to arrive.

Followed by Ram.

 

Subaru no longer was clawing at himself but instead had huddled against the wall, knees lifted and his head buried in them. 

Trembling like a child afraid of the dark, who was afraid of the monsters that surrounded him.

 

Rem’s hands opened and closed.

You worthless stupid useless pathetic excuse for a person.

She thought about herself.

You hurt him again!

 

Beatrice stood by Subaru, afraid of touching him and causing him to hurt himself again.

 

A trembling Emilia slowly approached the young boy and sat herself next to him. “Subaru… it’s alright. I’m here with you.”

She spoke softly, fighting back her own tears as she softly placed her hand on his shoulder.

 

Subaru stiffened, but his pleas for mercy stopped.

Now just replaced by a dull crying.

 

Ram stood next to Rem, doing nothing but offering silent support for her sister.

 

Beatrice slowly took Subaru’s hand again, but did not urge him to move.

 

“S-sorry… about that.” Subaru muttered.

 

No one replied, once again there were no good answers to be had.

 

“Do you… want to have dinner in your room?” Emilia asked.

 

“I… no I’ll be fine just. Give me a minute.”

He took a breath.

 

Rem then slowly approached, step by careful step towards Subaru.

“Subaru-kun?”

Her voice was soft, gentle, like the touch of a flower.

 

She very hesitantly offered him her hand.

 

Subaru’s gaze slowly shifted up towards her.

 

With a hand still trembling, he took hold of it and let the oni help him to his feet. 

 

***

 

Rem knew she was a useless girl.

Rem knew she was a monster who hurt those she loved.

These were truths to the girl that were etched within her heart.

But she also knew she had to make it right, even if it was a useless task.

Even if she didn’t deserve any sort of redemption.

She knew that the boy she loved deserved everything that she could possibly give.

So she would give all of herself for the sake of his happiness.

It was the only way she could think to move forward.

The only purpose she felt left for herself in this world.

Notes:

So in case it isn't obvious. This is one of those paths where Rem DID wake up (as amnesia Rem) before Subaru's name was returned.

Happened during the 'lag' between gluttony deaths.

I'd say the Emilia chapter is going to be a bit more visceral but I surprised myself with how this got by the end so it might not be.
BUT Emilia is 100% having a rough time and her chapter will make that very clear.
Stay tunned.~

Chapter 20: Path of Forgiveness and Tears-Extra 3

Emilia slowly pulled herself out of bed, wiping the tears away from her own eyes–tears she wept through the night. 

 

Her dreams were all the same now. They would begin with her times with Subaru, her precious friend, his smile, the way he always praised her.

How he actually made her happy.

But then her dreams would shift to Priestella.

Seeing Subaru beg for her to remember him with that desperate look in his eyes, imploring her to remember him. She remembers her own confusion at the time.

She was disturbed, her head was ringing, she felt a visceral and hollow pit in her chest, she was afraid.

So she let the knights take him away. She entrusted the misguided judgements of others.

 

She saw him again in his cell, she was apparently asked for by the so-called Archbishop. And the knights figured she may be able to get something out of him…

And she denied him, she rejected him. She proclaimed that he certainly was not her knight.

 

That accursed scene played again and again in her mind every nnight. It's why she cried every night.

 

She slowly walked to her restroom as toxic thoughts flowed through her mind. 

 

She recalled her false memories, what she thought was true. What she thought she accomplished all on her own.

She thought that she had overcome the sanctuary on her own power and will. That her camp was able to coordinate the defeat of several Archbishops.

She thought she was someone who could maybe one day rule a nation.

 

But she forgot that she was not that strong.

That all her accomplishments were thanks to one boy that gave everything to her.

A boy that she abandoned twice now.

 

The image of his mangled and broken form upon returning to the mansion was burned into her mind.

The swirl of fear and absolute self-disgust that burned a hole through her gut prevented her from rushing to his side at that instant.

She wanted to stay with him nightly like Rem did.

But doing that, listening to him cry at night, seeing that pain in his eyes continue without cease.

His agony was a constant hammer blow to her mind every time she witnessed it. One she knew she could not endure because…

 

She was weak.

 

And at that moment the half-elf threw up into the basin.

 

Bile spilled into it as she continued to shake.

 

Standing in her washroom she shook her head, gripping her own arms. “I really am a worthless person.” 

Her tone was that of total resignation.

 

She was too weak to face the pain that she condemned him too, consistently.

And she was too weak to maintain the resolve to continue to seek her dream. 

But she had to.

 

After washing herself she returned to her room, wrapped in a towel.

 

Sylphy was already there, a smile upon her face. It was a gentle smile, not bright, eager and beaming, but it was what the half-elf needed. At least that is what Sylphy thought.

“Lady Emilia.” She bowed her head. “I've prepared your clothes for you.”

 

Emilia slowly nodded her head. “Thank you Sylphy.”

 

The blonde girl then helped the half elf dress. Straightening her hair, and using makeup when appropriate to cover the light marks upon the half-elf's arms.

 

Emilia winced upon seeing those marks again.

 

She had picked up that disgusting habit due to one rather unfortunate event. 

 

***

 

It was towards the end of Subaru's first week after having returned to the mansion.

 

Emilia was walking through the halls; She was off to see Subaru before she herself went to bed that night.

What began as a tepid walk, her feet shuffling one in front of the other, turned into a mad sprint when she heard Subaru's anguished cries and screams.

 

“Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Why! Why! Why! Why!”

She heard him scream.

 

“Subaru-kun!”

 

“Subaru please stop! You are scaring Betty!”

 

She heard Rem and Beatrice's dual cries and rushed over to see what miserable fate was befalling her most important person now.

 

Rushing to the room Emilia found Subaru scratching at his own arms, so violently and deeply that he was drawing blood.

 

Beatrice was holding his arm, trying to get him to stop.

 

Rem was staring on in horror, staggered by the sight of Subaru harming himself.

 

Emilia likewise stood in shock, her hands over her mouth. “Su.. Subaru?”

 

Her words seemed to break him out of his trance of self-harm and loathing as he looked up, his eyes regaining their focus as he saw the gazes of all three girls.

 

“I… I… I…” He struggled to find words he could speak, his gaze darting between them all before he looked down at his own arms. He began to tremble and cry. “Sorry… I’m just… I'm just so pathetic… I…”

 

“Subaru-kun! That’s not true!” Rem implored.

 

“Subaru… it’s.. We’re here for you.” Emilia spoke up; Her voice was weak and wavering, but she meant what she said. She would be there for him always, to make up for how she left him at his lowest point, twice now.

 

Subaru just began to weep, inconsolable as he crumpled right there on the floor.

He was so fragile, so weak, on the brink of a collapse that he could never recover from.

 

It was not lost on the half-elf how it seemed eerily similar to when he broke down in her lap that first week in the mansion.

 

Rem took it upon herself to put him to bed. Emilia soaked in the sight of her knight’s vulnerable state.

How Beatrice watched him tenderly and carefully. 

But Emilia, now fully focused upon her knight’s mental state, finally noticed something else.

 

That while this display of self-harm was distressing to Beatrice, the great spirit did not seem surprised by it.

 

As Subaru fell asleep Emilia took the yin spirit aside.

 

“Beatrice…” Emilia’s voice was still shaky, her eyes still red and her stance had all the strength of a sickly child.

 

The great spirit, in a particularly disturbed mood, began to speak. “There is something you wish to ask of Betty I suppose? If it is not important then…”

 

“It is important.” Emilia found some of her strength, mustering up whatever willpower she could and bringing it to the surface. “You… was that the first time you’ve seen Subaru do that?”

 

Beatrice paused. “I will say nothing about…”

 

Emilia continued. “You… you seemed like you knew something. Like you have seen...”

 

Beatrice cut her off. “Cease these questions in fact you…”

 

“Betty!” Emilia cried. “I want… I want to help Subaru! If I am going to do something… anything now! I am going to help Subaru but…” Her voice began to waver. “He keeps things closed off, he always has he… I just… I need to know if I am going to help him Betty… please.” The half-elf implored to the person that she knew was the closest to her knight.

 

Beatrice stared at the half-elf and then looked back at Subaru. “You are asking Beatrice to break a promise I suppose.”

 

Emilia bit her lip. “I… I…” She began to shake even more. “I just… please… Beatrice… let me know what you can. I need to help him, please.”

 

The desperation in her voice was apparent, like a woman drowning. Both of them could relate, both of them were the ones in many ways responsible for Subaru being left in his condition.

They could blame each other, and themselves.

And both could not live with themselves now if they didn’t devote whatever strength they had to his betterment.

It was the only thing they could do. In that, the two understood each other more than any other in the mansion.

 

Beatrice let out a deep breath. “There are secrets my contractor wishes to keep for his own sake but… Subaru never wants to burden you with his problems half-elf I suppose.”

 

Emilia blinked and stared at the yin spirit. “What… what do you mean?”

 

“That if you wish to help Betty’s… contractor… you must be sure to remain as who he wishes you to be, if he were to see you like this.” She motioned to her haggard state. “He would only hate himself more, do you understand?” Her voice became sharp and rigid.

 

“Ha… hate himself?” Emilia questioned, those words felt like an icy hand gripping at her heart.

 

Beatrice coiled her fists at her side. “As I said, he does not wish to be a burden to you, emotionally as well. Do you understand why Betty cannot speak now?” 

 

The half-elf stared at her as the words processed in her mind, their implications drifting into her mind, their true meaning creeping towards her like a mabeast emerging from a cave. The thoughts that crossed her mind made her blood run cold, the half-elf wanted to scream and cry again right there.

 

It would maybe make her feel better.

But she was too close to Subaru, being right outside the door.

She knew that she couldn’t do that, not here.

 

Instead, she slowly and robotically shook her head. “I… I understand. Thank you… Beatrice.”

Life had drained from her voice, her words stilted and artificial.

 

Beatrice slowly nodded her head. “Good, then see that you play your role for Betty’s Subaru well in fact.”

 

The yin-spirit then returned to Subaru’s bedroom.

 

The half-elf could no longer contain herself.

She shuffled to her bedroom like a puppet guided by strings.

She shut the door behind her, collapsed into her bed, and screamed. 

***

 

It was later that very night that she first harmed herself, in the way her precious knight had, in the way he had likely done before she realized.

Not for reasons she understood.

But she understood now that her knight hid pain from her, that he always wore a mask of joy around her.

 

“Why… why do I make you feel so worthless?” The half-elf wondered to herself as Sylphy finished helping her get dressed.

 

The half-elf wore a weak smile as she looked back at Sylphy. “Thank you Sylphy, you really have been a big help.”

 

“Of course Lady Emilia, anything for you.” Sylphy said. The girl was utterly devoted to Emilia, and understood well enough the pain that the half-elf was dealing with.

 

Emilia sighed, looking down at her lap as she struggled to hold back tears. “Do… do you think I can do this Sylphy?” 

 

The blonde maid nodded her head. “I believe so Lady Emilia.”

 

Emilia smiled back at the maid, wanting to believe her but the knot in her stomach made her think otherwise.

 

“Right. It's time to be Emilia, the best candidate for the throne I can be.” She said with false determination, the words hollow in her mouth.

 

Because Emilia no longer thought of herself as a suitable candidate for the throne. She questioned if she ever was one.

She knew she didn’t deserve it anymore.

And more than anything, she didn’t want it anymore. Not if this is what it led to.

 

She had no choice, she knew that very well.

 

***

 

It happened during the start of the second week after Subaru’s return, shortly after he became active again, able to leave his room. 

 

It was a simple meal, one meant to normalize Subaru again to life in the mansion.

But like all things Emilia did, she messed it up yet again.

 

“So… Emilia-tan, I hope… I hope I’m not taking up too much of your time. You have to still be busy… with the royal selection… and all that.” Subaru brought up in the middle of the meal.

 

“Oh… you… you noticed?” Emilia asked curiously, in that innocent way that she usually spoke.

 

Subaru nodded. “Of course I'd notice you… checking up on me.” He forced a smile, it did actually warm his heart but smiles came with difficulty to the boy now.

 

Emilia shook her head. “It’s not a problem, your recovery is my highest priority now.”

 

He tilted his head. “But what about the Royal Selection?”

 

She let out a very deep breath and sighed. “I… I don’t want you to worry about that Subaru.”

 

“Huh? But… I’m your knight still right?” he asked.

 

Emilia paused, the question hadn’t been considered. Technically… she disowned him. She was under the effects of Gluttony though, she wasn’t sure that counted. The question left her uneasy as her hands tightly gripped at her dress. But there was only one acceptable answer. “Of course you are, you dunderhead.~” 

 

He nodded his head. “Then I’ve got to worry about it, don’t I?”

 

“I… I’m not really thinking about the selection, honestly Subaru… I was thinking that I shouldn’t…”

 

He stared at her, vacantly, absently. His eyes slightly wide, as if the breath had been stolen from her body.

 

The look he gave her stopped her from saying the next words. That she was seriously considering leaving the selection. She already knew that her position would become terrible when word spread, though she’d still be in a better place than Crusch, and Anastasia would suffer an equally terrible blow as she herself would.

 

But the girl no longer saw herself as capable of even potentially ruling a nation.

 

“I… I’ve just been thinking reeeally hard about it.” The words came out awkwardly. She then sighed. “Subaru… Do you think I can win?” She asked.

 

“Oh?” Subaru smiled at her, his eyes lighting up. “Of course you can EMT!” His lips slowly curled into a smile. “I’ll be here every step of the way to help you.” He proclaimed.

Enthusiastically, much like he always used to do.

But his movements were sluggish, not due to a lack of conviction, but due to a lack of physical strength.

Even on the verge of collapse, he put all the energy he had into her dream, even if it wasn’t enough.

 

“You… you really are there for me.” Emilia continued. “Aren’t you Subaru?”

 

He nodded his head. “Always, I know we can win.” 

And he continued to smile at her.

 

A smile that was a sentence upon the half-elf.

It was a few days later that she made her way into Roswaal’s office, dropping into the chair like a puppet with strings cut.

 

Roswaal let out a deep sigh upon seeing her state. “So have you made a decision Emilia?” The clown asked, even if he already expected the answer.

 

“I… I don’t have a choice, do I?” Emilia muttered, gone was any pretense of strength from her voice.

 

He shook his head. “Not if you want to help Subaru, you don't, I'd imagine. And that is what you want to do, right?” He asked.

 

She nodded. “That… that’s the only thing I want right now, honestly.”

 

Her dreams of being queen and making the country a better place.

Her dreams of unfreezing the elves.

 

All of that was now eclipsed by one visceral and real desire, a wish she wanted more than anything now.

To help Subaru.

That was all that mattered to Emilia the half-elf.

But that same desire overtaking all the others, was now the source of her greatest turmoil.

 

He nodded his head and smiled. “Then you know what we have to do. I will let you know, and I am genuine in this, that I am going to give both you and Subaru my full support in this.”

 

She tensed in her seat. “It's because it's what you want, right? You want me to stay in the selection.”

 

“Of course.” Roswaal remarked. “But that does not make my support any less genuine. I made a promise to Subaru after all, and it is one I intend to honor. But that does require you to stay the course despite your… difficulties.”

 

Emilia slowly drew her knees up to her chest. “He’s hurt because of me. The person who believed in me the most, who helped me every step of the way. How can I lead a nation like that?”

 

“You’ll have to learn,” Roswaal remarked, matter-of-factly.

 

“Can I?” Emilia questioned.

 

“He believes in you still.” Roswaal added.

 

“That… that doesn’t answer my question Roswaal.” Emilia’s tone became cold.

 

“Does it matter?” He asked in response.

 

The elf shuddered and looked back down at the floor.

 

“Your knight, Subaru-kun, is in a rather precarious position emotionally.” Roswaal stood up. “He is weak, fragile, and vulnerable. His mind and his will are his greatest strengths and clearly they are both on the brink of collapse. What is keeping him going is the belief that things can get back to normal.”

 

Emilia nodded her head; She knew this.

 

Roswaal stepped around the table. “Beatrice is doing as a contracted spirit should, tending to her ‘injured’ contractor. Subaru can accept this. Rem, he is just happy to have back after more than a year of absence, and her adoration of him was apparent before she fell victim to gluttony.” Roswaal continued to explain.

 

“However, this state of ‘normalcy’ for Subaru can only be maintained if you continue to play your role Emilia. You must remain the dragon candidate that he is the knight of.” Roswaal stood before the half-elf.

 

Emilia looked up at him. “But how can I….”

 

“If you drop out because of what happened to him, what do you think will happen then?” He asked.

 

Emilia froze on the spot.

 

“He will blame himself. His pained cries and nightmares show us that he somehow even blames his current state on his own failings.” Roswaal crossed his arms. “It isn’t, obviously, it is the rest of us who failed him, but Subaru clearly does not see it that way.”

 

“But it’s not his…”

 

“Convince him of that.” Roswaal cut her off again.

 

“I…” Emilia failed to find the words to reply.

 

“If you wish to ‘step back’ for a time to tend to matters, that is fine. The political fallout of this shall linger for a month or two. But you must stay your course Emilia, lest you risk pushing Subaru into a collapse again.” Roswaal finished his explanation.

 

Emilia stayed silent for several minutes. 

Her mind was screaming at her that she could not go on.

The thought that she even dared to deserve pursuing her dreams after what she did disgusted her to her very core.

She was a worthless candidate and a useless girl.

She knew that now.

She felt that was all she could be after leaving the one who believed in her the most to rot.

After she cast him out with her own dismissive words.

But it’s the pursuit of those naive dreams that offer comfort to her suffering knight.

 

“I… what do I have to do?” She asked Roswaal.

 

He stared at her for several moments and said. “For now, be the girl that he wants you to be and needs. I shall… tend to some matters to make sure that your candidacy remains intact. It will not be easy now, you must become a candidate worthy of the throne, even if you no longer desire it.”

 

She slowly nodded her head. “I… I understand.”

***

 

After Sylphy helped her get ready, getting Emilia to look like the proper dragon candidate that she should be, Emilia made her way to breakfast.

 

Sitting there was her knight, having already been fetched and brought to the dining room table.

 

He smiled at her. “Good morning Emilia-tan.”

 

“Ah, good morning Subaru.” Emilia smiled, putting as much positive energy into her voice as possible. “How is your morning?”

 

His smile brightened a little bit, it was a struggle, but she could tell it was at least somewhat genuine. “I’m doing alright. Getting a bit stronger each day now. I think I’ll be good to go in no time.”

It was clear he was trying to convince himself of that as much as he could.

“Going to try and make today a good day.” He declared; his voice was weak but his intent was real.

 

She sat down next to him. “That’s good to hear Subaru.”

She was happy he could find that drive.

 

“Hope you are doing alright too, Emilia-tan. Sorry if i’ve been dead weight these few weeks.” He remarked as he slowly began to eat.

It was a casual comment, one not meant with any ill intention.

 

But for the half-elf it posed a serious problem because there was only one answer she could give.

“I am fine Subaru. You don’t have to worry about me.”

She lied, she had to.

She couldn’t tell him how she cried herself to sleep at night.

She couldn’t tell him how she was hurting herself.

She couldn’t tell him how she wanted to quit.

She had to create the mask, the lie that was Emilia the Dragon Candidate, a woman determined to be queen of Lugunica to save the elves and end discrimination.

Because, in truth, she was now just Emilia, a girl who wanted to run away from this all and live peacefully and simply with him.

That lie was her life now.

 

In this if...

-Emilia wants to quit the royal selection due to the reputational damage to her candidacy and her own lack of confidence in her ability to rule.

-Subaru is desperate for things to go back 'to normal' and that's part of what keeps him stable right now. As such Emilia has to maintain her role as a dragon candidate, not for her own sake but to keep Subaru stable.

-Any time Emilia has even remotely suggested leaving the selection, Subaru reacts poorly, all in the mansion agree that for right now, Emilia needs to stay in the selection.

-Roswaal is unironically trying to help, understanding how delicate the situation is with his candidate wanting to quit and his tool on the verge of breaking. While being a manipulative bastard about it he is 100% committed to repairing them both mentally. Emilia becoming something akin to the 'doll' he wanted her to be is just an ironic bonus in his mind.

Notes:

So the reason that Emilia has a rougher time than Rem and Beatrice is due to the 'roles' each is stuck having to perform. Rem and Beatrice can just be honest, they just have to avoid some topics and not go too overboard.

But Subaru REALLY wants things to go back to normal, and that requires Emilia to stay in the royal selection despite having no desire to do so. She has to act the part of her old self for Subaru, otherwise risk Subaru thinking he is responsible for her dreams falling apart.
Of course that means she has to lie to him about her intentions, pretend she still wants to win when in fact she'd rather do Sloth If, Emilia edition atm.

That's why I consider her having the rougher time of the three, its 'deserved' and 'her own fault' but its still rough for her.

Chapter 21: Path of Forgiveness and Tears-Extra 4

Notes:

This chapter covers the rest of the Emilia Camp on the Path of Forgiveness and Tears, hope you enjoy.

As a note: This is more of a 'checking in' chapter than moving forward the plot.

Ram was unfamiliar with the feelings of longing for what was lost. Truthfully, from her perspective, her life had been on an upward trajectory for the most part—in the ways that really mattered to her.

Her life in the Oni-village was the least favorite part of her life, an irony that was not lost upon her. She despised that village which treated her sister, who she loved more than anything, like dirt.
Obviously she cared for them still, her family that was lost. Obviously she swore revenge upon the Witch Cult for massacring them.

But if she had to choose her life with the horn in the village versus her hornless life under Master Roswaal, she would choose the latter every time.
It was a life serving a man that she loved alongside her sister. While he was manipulative, he always seemed to care for them.

While she would not admit it openly, she found life to only improve once a certain boy with nasty eyes came into their lives.
“Barasu… so stupid,” the maid muttered to herself as she dropped off a tray in her master’s study.

“Oh? Something troubling you, Ram?” Roswaal asked with a raised eyebrow.

She stared back at him and shook her head. “Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Master Roswaal. I am just… reflecting upon events like everyone else.”

He stared at her for a moment and nodded his head. “I see. Just be sure to make sure that everything, and everyone, is still in order.”

“Of course,” she replied.
She understood the implication.

She understood that she was one of the ones her master trusted to keep a clear head despite the miserable situation.
That trust made her happy.
And it gave her an excuse not to break down herself.
She dearly wanted to, but was scared to do so.
She didn’t know what she would do then.

She made her way out of her master’s study and back towards the kitchen as she continued to ponder.
In doing so, she passed by the window, seeing Subaru walking in the garden with her sister and Beatrice.
“Barusu,” she muttered to herself.
She once thought of him as a pathetic man, with no real value to himself—he was painfully inadequate compared to someone like her brilliant master.
But by the same token, she could not deny that her life was better for his presence.
He was the one who brought her sister out of her shell, who brought a certain degree of life to the mansion.
In hindsight, that period of time was the happiest in her life. He made her sister happy, so she found his existence to be acceptable.

But that period of time was not to last—not that Ram found herself able to truly reflect on that until now.

Rem had her name eaten, and Ram forgot her very existence.
A wretched crime that she would never forgive herself for. One of two things she would now never forgive herself for.
What’s worse is that she thought her life continued its upward climb after she was forgotten.

True, she knew about Rem thanks to Subaru, but the memories were not there. So what brought her life joy was the fact that her master’s toxic ambitions had been mostly thwarted with the cursed book destroyed.

In hindsight, while that period of time had bright spots, it was now tainted by the hollow ache of Rem’s absence.
But that Ram was blissfully distant from that feeling, still under the illusion that life only improved.
An illusion that persisted even when she forgot Barusu.
An illusion that became all the sweeter when Rem woke up. True, they lacked memories of each other, but they knew they were sisters, forging a new bond almost instantly.
Ram thought that life was finally looking well for her.

And then it all came crashing down when Subaru’s name returned.

Ram finally made her way to the kitchen and found Rem there, having started to prepare a meal for lunch.

“Sissy, is there anything that you require Ram’s help with?” she asked, smiling at her sister.
She was glad to have her back.
She was overjoyed to have memories of her finally returned.
She just wished that it was not overshadowed by the sorrow that was enveloping them all.

Rem turned to look at her, sharing a smile.
Both wore soft smiles, of genuine joy to be in each other’s presence, but they were tinged with the weight of what they were both carrying.
“No need, Sissy. I am handling it all,” Rem declared.

“I see. Just… inform me if you need help for anything,” Ram remarked.

Rem’s smile fell from her face. “Actually, there is one thing.”

“Whatever it is that you need, Sissy,” Ram remarked with a smile.
“I am busy preparing lunch, but Subaru-kun also needs a drink after his walk with me. Could you please take some tea to him as well, please?” Rem asked. “If you can, I mean.”
Rem’s request was awkward, but one she had confidence her sister could handle.

Ram tensed upon hearing the request. Rem’s monopolization of Subaru’s care was something Ram had no desire to contest for a number of reasons.

And the most shameful one for Ram was the fact that she had yet to muster up the will to properly face him.
Sure, she interacted with him casually, and with the veneer of normalcy that he clearly craved. In regards to everyone within the manor, she was the one who was the best at such a thing.
But internally, guilt still gnawed at her.

Guilt for her own part in condemning the boy who had singlehandedly brought about nearly every positive turn in her life within recent years.

In her mind, she knew the way she had treated him prior would be inappropriate now.
It was unwelcome by nearly everyone else within the manor, save for the boy himself.
And it was his opinion that ultimately mattered.

Ram let out a sigh. “I see, Barasu is still being spoiled then. Very well, Ram shall deliver the worthless man his tea.”

Rem’s smile twitched with conflicting emotions. She wanted to scold her sister for speaking about Subaru like that, but by the same token, she knew it was exactly what Subaru wanted.
It was just a bitter pill that Ram was better at swallowing than most.

Though the truth was, Ram simply didn’t know how to act otherwise. Any other attitude would be painfully artificial from her.

Looking down at the tray of tea, she made her way to the room where Subaru was resting, Beatrice still at his side.

As the oni maid approached, Beatrice cast a surprised glance her way, but nodded as a signal that she could come closer.

Ram approached, placing the tray down next to Subaru. “In her clear madness, Ram’s beloved sister thought you deserved this. So drink and rejoice when you are done lazing about.”
Her tone was sharp, but it lacked some of the edge that it used to have.

But it was enough for Subaru. He smiled and let out a chuckle. “Can’t ever give me a break, huh Nee-sama?”

“Obviously not.” Her frown remained stern.
But seeing his smile gave Ram the tiniest flicker of hope.
That maybe… just maybe, everything might work out.

 

***

Otto let out a deep sigh as he focused on the myriad of papers and reports that were before him. His workload had doubled in recent weeks, something that he would normally complain about, but not now.
The paperwork was a way he could tell himself that he was useful.
The paperwork was a way he could distract himself from his own failings, and the failings of his camp.
The paperwork he had to deal with was complicated.
Correspondences between the camp and potential allies that had been carefully cultivated in the last year. Otto had to pen desperate missives and assurances to keep as many on board with their camp as possible. Those that they only acquired in the past few months were the most difficult to keep. Those alliances were built off a reality that did not exist, off the image of a candidate whose true strength—and weakness—was concealed by Gluttony’s effects.
Now that veil was lifted, and Otto was stuck doing damage control.
But that was only part of the work he had for himself.
Still, there was also the typical matter of camp finances to be tended to, the mayhem of the last few weeks putting things like that in jeopardy.
The rewriting of countless reports that had been submitted in the past months that now had to be reviewed and checked for errors induced by false memories.
And finally, the constant correspondences that he had to deal with daily from the capital and the other camps. There were legal ramifications to the events that had transpired—the sheer incompetence they had all displayed.
And with his camp’s leader being an emotional wreck.
And his camp sponsor focused more on his own scheming.
Otto found himself overwhelmed with work.

But that was fine by him.
Dealing with the tangible crisis they were in was far, far more comfortable than dealing with the emotional crisis that they were in. The entire mansion was metaphorically rotting away around him, but he still had a job to do.
And to his own shame, Otto much rather let the emotional burden of trying to heal Subaru fall upon those who could best provide it. He didn’t feel like that person could be him.
How could he?

If anything, he felt somewhat grateful that Roswaal still pranced around with his usual confident smirk, even if it felt more artificial as of late.
He felt especially grateful when the mage barged into his office and took several of the papers for himself. It was always matters relating to their relationship with the capital, the other camps, or the legal fallout of Subaru’s imprisonment.

Otto felt like the mage had already made some sort of plan. And while he didn’t trust Roswaal’s schemes, they seemed damned preferable to the mire of problems they were currently in.

As these thoughts cycled through his mind throughout the day, he continued to ceaselessly handle the paperwork before him with an inhuman ferocity.
That was until he found himself with his face planted against the desk.
“Huh?”

He muttered to himself as he slowly picked himself up.
Looking to his side, he saw that it was already sunset. “Shit, I fell asleep.”
He muttered to himself.

He stared back down at his pile of papers, finding that he had already completed the enormous amount of work that he set for himself today.

He let out a dry chuckle. “Oh, guess I was done.”

There was a knock on his door. “Come in!” he called out.

It was Frederica, with a cup of tea in her hand. “Sir Otto, I think you are in need of this.”
She placed it down on the table.

“Oh, thanks Frederica.” He smiled at her—it was a weak and tired smile. “You are a lifesaver.”

She shook her head. “You don’t need to thank me, Otto. Just like you, I am trying to do my best in all this.”

He let out a deep sigh as he sipped the tea. “I guess you are right.”

She looked Otto over. “You should talk to him, you know.”

“Huh?”
He looked up at her.

“You and Garfiel, I mean. You’ve both been avoiding it,” she remarked.

“Oh… yeah.” He let his shoulders slump. “It's just… where do I even begin? Subaru’s trying to act like everything is normal?”

“I’m very well aware of that.” She let out a deep sigh herself. “But can you think of any other way you’d act around him?”

He thought about it, and shook his head. “Nothing else would seem right, I guess.”

She sighed. “Well, then maybe that’s just what you both need. Don’t put on a mask, but just try to power through it. Treat him like you want to.”

“Ugh, what I want is to just stay and deal with the mess we are in.” He grumbled.

“Well, I don’t think that is going to get you or Garfiel anywhere. Think about it.”
The tiger-human maid then walked off, leaving Otto with his tea, his paperwork, and his thoughts.

A short while later, he went down for dinner, seeing Subaru already there.
“Ah… hey there, Natsuki-san.”

Subaru looked at Otto and smiled. “Hey Otto, guess you've been busy?”

Otto rubbed the back of his head and sighed. “Guess you could say that.”
He looked over Subaru.
Where once he saw someone so confident and filled with determination, he now saw someone fragile who could not conceal the pain they were in.
But that person was still his friend—that was a truth that overrode every other one of his concerns.
“But you know…” Otto began. “It is what it is, ever since you dragged me into this mess.”

Subaru let out a laugh. “Well, I am sure you can handle it.”

Otto stared at Subaru for a few more seconds. “Well, someone has to.” He smiled.

Someone has to.

 

***

 

“Gah!”
The tiger boy let out a roar that might otherwise shake the whole forest.
Garfiel went through his training routine for the third time today.
Normally he would have just done his full routine once, maybe twice if he was driven.
But things were different now.
The demi-human boy, the self-proclaimed shield of the sanctuary, understood just how weak he was.
He was so physically weak that he let his captain fall into the clutches of a Sin Archbishop.
He was so mentally weak that he could not see through the haze of distorted memories, and attacked his captain.
He was weak and useless.
WEAK AND USELESS
Those were the words that echoed through his mind as he continued his relentless training regimen.

“Gah!” He ended up carelessly knocking down a nearby tree with a swing of his fists.

He stood in the midst of the forest clearing, snarling and breathing heavily.
His emotions were at a fever pitch.
He still clearly remembered when he pinned Subaru down, to keep the supposed Sin Archbishop from escaping.
He remembered the crunch of Subaru’s bones, his desperate pleas and cries.
He remembered exactly how he blocked out those words, and thought of them as nothing but useless nonsense.
He thought he was capturing a pathetic and worthless Witch Cultist.
But he had been wrong—so dreadfully wrong.

Garfiel sighed and shook his head. “Damnit! Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!”
He fell to his knees and punched at the ground.

He couldn’t stand it, the guilt that was eating him up inside.
When it really and truly mattered, he failed.
He failed miserably and horribly. If he spoke up, if he even hesitated, then Subaru may have managed to escape.
If Subaru escaped, then maybe he could have done something—fixed things on his own.
He knew his captain was amazing like that.
But Garfiel felt that it was because of him that his captain was condemned.
It didn’t make the most logical sense. Beatrice and Emilia were already hostile to him at that point.
Even if he didn’t capture Subaru, someone else would have.
But it WAS him.
He was the one that dragged him over.
So the boy couldn’t help but blame himself for his captain’s broken state.
“’m sorry, ’m sorry,” he let out in a whimpering tone as he cried on the ground.

He could barely stand to face him.
He could deal with it if Subaru was angry at him—if Subaru shouted at him and condemned him.

But it wasn’t that.

Instead, Subaru acted, as best he could, like everything was normal.
He acted friendly towards the tiger-boy, like he was a friend he hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Capi’n is amazin’, huh,” he muttered to himself.

He couldn’t even begin to consider Subaru’s mental strength.
He always knew his captain was amazing—even now.
The fact that he could still keep going, it really did impress him.
Which just made Garfiel feel all the more bitter about what happened.

Which resulted in his current situation—every few days, within the midst of his training, he would break down like this.
The tears ran from the boy's face and trailed onto the ground while he trembled.

It would be several minutes before he slowly picked himself up from the floor.

Taking a deep breath, he would begin to try to compose himself.
He shook his head. “Come on. I gotta ge’ m’self together.”

He then began to walk himself back towards the manor.

As he approached, he saw Subaru walking around the manor with Rem, Petra, and Beatrice.

He considered just staying in the tree-line, letting Subaru pass without issue.
But fate was not that merciful.

“Oh! Hey Garf!” Subaru waved at him, noticing him and waving.

Garfiel froze, an old sort of fear gripping his very being and freezing his blood.
“Ah… Aye, cap’in.” Garfiel slowly began to walk towards him.
He wanted to just run away, to do nothing, to keep to himself.
But he knew he would be a coward if he did that.

“Hey Garf.” Subaru smiled at him. “Working hard, I see.”

“Ya’, well ya kno’ me.” Garfiel remarked.

“Well, I was just going on my walk, hoping I can get back to training myself soon,” Subaru remarked.

“Oh? Ya! Well… can’t wait t’ see ya’ back in action, cap’in.” Garfiel mustered the strength to smile and encourage him.

“Hopefully soon.” Subaru stretched out his arms, his movements still a bit sluggish.

Rem looked at Garfiel and cleared her throat. “Maybe Sir Garfiel could join us on the rest of our walk?”

Subaru turned to Rem. “Eh, I don’t think a walk is Garfiel’s thing.”

Garfiel looked at both Rem and Subaru. “A-actually, I don’ mind, cap’in.”

Subaru turned back to Garfiel. “Oh? Well, if you’re sure.”

“Y-ya… I think it’s fine.”

Subaru then continued his walk, now joined by the tiger-boy.

 

***

 

The last few months were strange for Petra Leyte, like she was missing some critical piece of her life that had suddenly vanished without a trace. She continued in her duties as a maid for the Mathers estate, remembering the drive and determination she had not only to be the best maid, but the most useful person she could possibly be.
That is why she worked diligently as a maid.
That is why, for a year, she worked hard to hone her various skills, magical or otherwise.
But for the past few months, that drive had vanished, becoming a void within her heart.

In the midst of her studies and work, she found herself lacking the motivation she once had. The joy she experienced felt hollow.
Like something critical was missing.

Her mind drifted away from her thoughts of the mansion and a future there, and instead she found herself contemplating her old dream of being a seamstress in the capital. Her old dream was far more appealing, as she could no longer understand what sort of future she was trying to craft for herself in the Mathers estate.

It often kept her up at night. She wondered if this was a part of growing up—not really understanding what drove yourself.
But that didn’t seem right to her.
She was never like that.
She always knew what was driving her, until recently.

It was only a few weeks ago when she remembered. She was working in the mansion while most of the camp had gone to the capital to attend a political event.

As she was cleaning the manor, contemplating perhaps moving back to Arlam and maybe focusing on her future prospective career as a seamstress, her memories returned like a booming thunderclap.
Memories of the boy who became the center of her world.
Subaru Natsuki.
She dropped her duster and began to tremble in place, shaking where she stood in the hallway.

She even ignored the loud crash and scream of rage that she heard erupt from her supposed master’s study.

“Su… Subaru? But… what happened, where did you…”

And then she remembered where everyone was—attending the execution of the Archbishop of Pride, Subaru Natsuki.
“No… NO NO NO!”
She quickly sprung back to her feet, prepared to run out and rush towards the capital as fast as she could.
She was stopped by Frederica and Roswaal, Roswaal’s magic having been used to confirm that the rest of the camp had secured Subaru and that they were bringing him back to the manor.

And so Petra waited for his return, only to break down crying upon seeing his wretched and horrific state.

It was on that day that a fierce hatred was born within the girl—a hatred for almost everyone else who lived within that mansion.

By the time a few weeks had gone by, a surreal new normal took hold within the manor. Petra still continued to perform her duties as a maid. Her motivation had been rediscovered after all.
If anything, it was stronger than before for one simple reason.
She no longer trusted the others in the manor to have his best interests at heart.

She still maintained respectful decorum, as Frederica had taught her, but she could not yet think of the people around her as friends again.
If they were, how could they do that to him? To Subaru.
She forgot him as well—she knew that she could not escape that fact—but she never condemned him. She never forsook him entirely.

The proud young girl clung to that notion to fuel the fires of her determination. She would show Subaru that she was someone he could rely upon.

While cleaning the living room one day, she saw Subaru and Beatrice wander inside, Subaru sitting himself by the window.

“Oh? Subaru!” Petra’s eyes lit up. Guilt still gnawed at her, but it was not as intense as it was with others.
She was not afraid to be near him—it was not difficult for her. If anything, she felt emboldened. She had to make herself a presence in his life, make it clear that she was someone he could depend on.

He smiled back and chuckled. “He-hey Petra. Glad to see you are doing well.”

She let out a deep sigh. “Well, someone has to keep a good head on straight around here, Subaru.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. If anyone can do that, it’s certainly you.”

He smiled at her—it was a warm smile like he used to have, even if it was tinged by pain.

Petra knew that Subaru was not a lost cause.
She believed in him with all her heart and soul.
She knew that he needed help, and the maid was determined to give it.

***

 

Frederica had been having a difficult time for the past few weeks—the reasons were obvious.
The entire manor which she cared for, which she cared about, was on the brink of collapse. Everyone inside it was on an emotional tightrope over an abyss of despair, all of it centered upon a single boy.

Ever since his return, she felt herself at a loss for what to do.
Her own little brother was absolutely disgusted with himself.
Her apprentice had nothing but disdain for everyone in the mansion but Subaru and herself.
And her other coworkers were on the brink of their own emotional collapse.

And in the midst of that turmoil, she wondered what she should do.

In the end, there was only one answer left to her.

She had to do her job.
Her job as a maid.
Her job as a mentor.
Her job as an older sister.

She had to do all of these things, and she had to be strong for those around her.

Subaru did not need her help directly. She knew that Emilia, Beatrice, Rem, Petra, and even Ram would ensure that he had everything that he needed.

So she concerned herself with holding up the rest of the house.
She held her little brother when he cried in his room. He would scream out about his own inadequacies, letting his failures gnaw at his heart.
She held Petra when she broke down into tears in her room. She would cry about the injustice that befell the one that she loved and her frustration with all those around him still.
And she continued to attend to her other duties around the mansion. She directed Rem, Ram, and Petra as maids when needed.
She cooked when she had to.
She cleaned where she had to.
She did everything she could.
And she treated the boy with kindness. She pitied him, she felt bad for him. But she wouldn’t vent her own sorrows onto him—he did not need that.

While tending to the garden one day, she found Subaru being led through it by Petra and Beatrice.

She stood herself up as they approached. “Master Subaru, I hope you are as well as can be today.”

He stretched. “Yeah, I’d say that about covers it. Diligently working as always, Frederica, huh?”

She let out a small chuckle. “Of course. A maid should always strive to be diligent.”

Subaru nodded his head. “Guess that’s what makes you… well, you, huh?”

She smiled back at him. “Yes, I suppose you are correct.”

“Well, I should probably let you go back to your job. Ram will probably yell at me for distracting you,” Subaru remarked.

Frederica chuckled. “Yes, she might just do that.”

Petra let out a huff but said nothing for right now.

As he began to walk away, Frederica felt compelled to say one little thing.

“Subaru,” she called out.

“Huh? Yeah, Frederica?” he replied.

“It is… good to have you back. I wish you all the best,” Frederica said.

Subaru froze for a second. His smile fell from his face and his muscles tightened.

Frederica wondered if she said something wrong.

Subaru then let out a slight but genuine laugh as he smiled back at her. “I guess it's good to be back. Better than where I was before, anyways.”

Petra and Beatrice winced. Frederica did as well, but also understood why he may say such a thing.
“Well, that much is certainly true,” Frederica commented as he began to walk away.

 

***

 

“Thank you, Ram,” Roswaal remarked as she set the tea down on his table.

“Of course, Master Roswaal,” Ram replied. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Hmmm, how is Subaruuu doing?” he asked, leaning forward on the table, his fingers wrapped in each other.

Ram paused and considered the question for several seconds.

“Please, take your time. I want your full thoughts,” Roswaal said.

Ram continued to ponder and then slowly opened her mouth. “Barasu is… doing better. He is certainly improving, and his healing treatments are allowing for the slow recovery of his physical strength.”

“Buuut?” he asked.

“He still seems very… fragile. If the wrong thing is said or done, he still breaks down. My sister, Lady Beatrice, Lady Emilia, or even Lady Petra are required to generally break him out of that sorry state,” she explained.

“I see. I take it the triggers are anything directly referencing his torment?” he asked.

She nodded her head. “That, and when he fails to do something he otherwise should be able to—when his body fails him or when within his nightmares. It also triggers at random,” she explained.

“And has there been any improvement on this front?” he asked.

“Only slightly,” she replied.

“Hmmm. Thank you for your report, Ram. You may go back to your duties.”
The ancient mage directed her to leave, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Letting out the deepest of sighs, Roswaal leaned back in his chair.

More than any time in the past year, he longed for his tome of wisdom again. He wished for a path, a guide on how to restore Subaru to his proper state.

He was working blind and with broken tools right now.
It was a frustrating state, but it was not untenable.

Some part of him even thought of these turns of events as fortunate.
Emilia had turned far more docile and dependent upon Subaru.
While Subaru himself had clearly become more mentally malleable.

They were both in a delicate state, but an easy state for him to mold to his whims.
And yet at the same time, he felt that the position he was in was far less ideal than the one he had prior to Priestella.
The feeling of unease gnawed at him.
“How frustrating.”

He muttered to himself as he looked down at the papers on his desk.

He had already decided on his course of action.
There was really no other course he COULD take besides giving up, and he was not prepared to do that just yet.

He had to persuade Emilia to stay in the royal selection.
That was easy because it was what Subaru wanted, and Emilia would do whatever Subaru wanted now.

He needed to tend to the recovery of Subaru’s body. It was not his greatest asset, but it would help with his most pressing issue.

The fact that he needed to have both Subaru and Emilia recover emotionally and mentally. That was the tricky part, and the part that needed to be handled with utmost care.
He could persuade them to give up, to move past what happened and forge a new life. That was what Emilia wanted—that may be better for Subaru’s mental state overall—but it was not what Roswaal needed.
And conveniently, it was not what Subaru wanted.
Subaru wanted to regain his strength, to strive for what he had before.
It was a feeling Roswaal could sympathize with, genuinely so.

And he had no desire at the moment to test Subaru, to break him in any additional way. He needed Subaru to be strong.
So he would do whatever it took to help him regain that strength. Something in the mage’s instinct told him that playing games with his own camp was the bad move right now.
They needed strength. They needed to regain the will that they had lost.

Roswaal had maintained and mustered his own insane will for four hundred years. Now he had to bolster the will of others.

Looking down at his table, he knew there was one more task—an important but far simpler task for the mage.
His own camp was wounded politically, and badly so.
But several of the rival camps were in just as bad, if not a worse state.
So he would play the games that he played so well. His own camp would be spared his vile machinations for now.
But the others who so thoughtlessly directly damaged his beloved tools—those would be his newest victims.
He had refrained from employing such underhanded tactics before for no other reason than his focus being on the fortification of his own camp.
He did not need to undermine his opposition while still cultivating his own. Such plans would be reserved for the later stages of the royal selection, to knock down his foes so that his camp would be dominant.

But plans change.
His own camp was a wounded animal, limping along.
But the other camps were in just as sorry a state—one in particular was left bleeding out on the ground.
Roswaal would tend to his own camp with all the support he could muster, but the other camps would now see what it was like to have a four-hundred-year-old schemer as their enemy.
And for once, Roswaal didn’t feel like complete scum in orchestrating the downfall of the so-called righteous.

He enjoyed that feeling, taking what pleasure in it that he could in these frustrating times.

He didn’t ever wish to admit it, but he was a simple man in the end.

Notes:

Next chapter we will be finally leaving the mansion!

This extra was my tying up loose ends for the most part, probably came across but I wanted to make sure I checked in on everyone.

The next extra or two on this path will be checking in on the other camps. Not sure if it will be one or two extras.

So... its time, for politics.

Also yes, while Roswaal is being 'mostly' as nice as he can possibly be to his camp.
He is going for the political guillotine on every other camp.

Chapter 22: Path of Forgiveness and Tears-Extra 5

Summary:

Checking in on the other camps.

Anastasia Hoshin was having the worst month of her life since her candidacy began.
And she couldn't just blame bad luck or others—she had to blame herself, at least in part.
“Dammit, all because of that boy.”

Anastasia Hoshin bore no ill will toward Subaru Natsuki, but his existence had now become the biggest problem for her in the royal selection.
And she couldn't do anything about it, because it wasn't his fault.
Things could only get worse, not better.

With his name devoured by Gluttony, he was captured by the Emilia Camp.
Given his erratic behavior, his apparent miasma, and the presence of a gospel—which they later realized was planted upon him—he was assumed to be a Witch Cultist, the Archbishop of Pride even.

“Idiot, fuckin’ idiot.” She chided herself.
She should have suspected more. She should have listened better.
She made a massive screw-up, and now she paid for it.

Because they all agreed that the suspicious young man should be taken into custody.
After that, she gave him no other thought.
That was a mistake—one that had become a guillotine over the head of her camp.
A mistake made all the worse by the actions of her knight while he was forgotten.

She couldn't fully blame him for having his own mental breakdown.
Julius was a good person, but he valued his titles and relationships greatly.
When his own name was devoured—having lost all he worked for in life—he was brought to the edge of what a person could mentally endure.

He was lucky enough to be accepted as a knight. He looked and acted the part.
He had the unfortunate task of being one of those primarily tasked with overseeing Pride's imprisonment.
That would be the noose he hung himself by—allowing for the abuse of Pride to happen under his nose, perhaps even venting his own frustration on the imprisoned Archbishop.
If Julius still had his name, she doubted he would have been that volatile.

But that was the reality they lived in—one she had to deal with.

She ran her fingers through her hair.
By the end of next week, a secret meeting would be called within the capital.
It was a trial in all but name for those who crossed the line in abusing Subaru while he was imprisoned.

And her now-remembered knight, and the knight of Crusch Karsten, would be some of those most principally punished for certain.

“You really aren't leaving me many options, Julius,” she muttered to herself.

If he became a liability, she would have to cut him loose.
But at the same time, she did not want to expel him from her service—not now.

This was a deep wound upon her camp’s status, only softened by two facts:
One, that all the camps played a role in the tragedy.
Two, that much of the information was not public—yet.
But it was already becoming a rumor.

There were simply too many knights who saw Subaru to keep it totally hidden.

She wasn’t sure if it was rumor alone or something else, but a lot of her contacts and allies were pulling away—keeping distance as they waited to see how things turned out.

Right now, things were very precarious for her candidacy, and she wasn’t sure how many options she had left.

“And Felt isn't helping,” she grumbled.

The youngest of the candidates had already pledged that if anyone tried any funny business with Subaru, the boy—and if need be, the entire Emilia Camp—would have her support.

Anastasia leaned back in her chair.
“I need to focus. I need to plan. I need to fortify. I just have to wrap my head around every way things could go.
If everything comes out, that would be a disaster for us all.”

She opened up a new notebook and began to furiously write.
She had to make plans. She had to prepare.

Her gut was telling her that she was in a precarious position—and that the actions of those around her were going to lead to disaster.

 

***

 

Julius made his way through the halls of Anastasia Hoshin’s estate. He did not go outside anymore.
In his hand, he held several letters addressed to his liege, Anastasia Hoshin. He felt that the least he could do was perform this service for her.

He hadn’t even dared to return home more than once—just to see his brother Joshua awake and well again.
After that, he kept away, for everyone else’s sake.

While information on what happened to Subaru Natsuki was not yet made public, rumors were already spreading.
Rumors that the supposedly captured Archbishop of Pride, slated to be executed right after the Archbishop of Gluttony, was in fact Subaru Natsuki.
There were rumors of his mistreatment at the hands of those who should have been his comrades.
Rumors about the knights who may have participated.
Rumors about the candidates who condemned them.

One single choice—to not believe him—and the stubborn commitment to that choice by several parties, condemned a person who was a hero and a friend.

And Julius, the man who for now held the title of Finest of Knights again, felt that he would deserve every bit of vitriol and malice that would soon be directed his way.

He couldn’t even delude himself that he was just doing his duty, as he had allowed frustration and resentment to cloud his judgment.

He was one of the ones to secure the man who was called the Archbishop of Pride and return him to the royal capital.
His pleas for mercy fell upon deaf ears, because Julius’s own mind was consumed by self-pity.
Everything he had achieved in life had been lost, every connection severed. He felt totally alone, left to fester in resentment and loathing for the cult.

And here was a seeming Archbishop, seemingly mocking him—pretending to remember him.
It made a sick sort of sense that an Archbishop, one of those responsible for his state, was the only person to remember him.

As the so-called Archbishop became more volatile and erratic in his confinement, Julius struck him once to cow him into silence.
He was silent thereafter.

Julius was later placed as one of the knights who would oversee his imprisonment—not alone, but they felt it an appropriate job for a man in his position.

And he fulfilled that duty. He oversaw Pride’s confinement.
But he did not do what he should.
He should have prevented the abuse.
He should have spoken out when knights vented their frustrations upon the Archbishop.
He should have protested when he was brutally interrogated for information.
But he did not.

His own position was precarious, and he did not wish to seem sympathetic to an Archbishop.
So he rationalized it—something he now saw was an act of cowardice.

It was an Archbishop. Any pain inflicted upon him was a fraction of what he deserved after everything.
He was evil.
The knights were his comrades, even if they didn’t remember him.

And how the Archbishop sometimes pleaded with him for help—that alone threatened Julius’s position and made others question him.
So he struck him again.
He told himself it was to keep him passive, to prove that he was not sympathetic to the Archbishop.
But he realized, in truth, that he had simply made Pride the scapegoat for all the feelings festering within him.

“Truly, I am pathetic,” Julius muttered to himself as he entered Anastasia’s office.

“My liege, there are more letters for you,” Julius said as he entered the room, papers in hand.

Anastasia looked up from her pile of papers. “Oh! Julius, yes, just… put them down.” She motioned to the desk.

She didn’t look at him like a stranger anymore, but at the same time, there was now a distance between them.
It wasn’t the darkness of unfamiliarity, but instead her pushing away—knowing that she may soon have to cut ties for her own sake.

Julius knew he had become a liability for her—something no knight should ever be.

“Is there anything you need at all, my liege?” he asked while bowing.

She paused for a moment, as if tempted to just dismiss him. Then she sighed.
“If you could fetch a snack from the kitchen, I’m going to be here for a while.”

He nodded his head. “I understand. It shall be done.”
He then stepped away, closing the door.

He let out a deep sigh as he made his way to the kitchen.

His mind drifted to that wicked day—when he directed knights to drag Pride toward the execution grounds.
He found it odd that Pride relented to be executed, but only if it was done after Gluttony.
But he said just the right things to persuade the council of that one mercy.
It wasn’t hard to convince people of it—so that the memories consumed by Gluttony might be returned.

Of course, Julius now understood why. Everyone did.

As Gluttony’s execution concluded, a surge of memories returned to everyone.
Julius nearly dropped his sword at that very moment.
“No.” He turned around to face ‘Pride,’ who still had a bag over his head.

The knights holding him were not yet affected—they did not ‘know’ Subaru much personally before his name was eaten, so the surge of memories did not yet cripple them.

He grabbed Subaru’s arm.
“Let go of him and bring him back inside!” Julius said in a hushed but frantic tone.

Off to the side, in the corner of his eye, he saw that all the candidates had their eyes fixed in his direction.
He saw that Felix, seated next to Crusch Karsten, was beginning to have a complete mental collapse.

Reinhard appeared next to Julius in an instant. “We need to take him away, now.”

“What? What’s going on?” one of the knights asked.

“The man before us is Subaru Natsuki! Now bring him inside—now!” Julius glared at them with deathly seriousness.

The two knights stiffened, suddenly realizing the situation.

“Shit,” one muttered, and Subaru was spirited inside.

Julius shook his head. He couldn’t even think poorly upon that memory—save for how close he had come to killing his own friend.

That moment wasn’t the start of his doom.
It was merely the moment he realized that he was already damned.

As he collected some snacks for his lady, he contemplated that broken boy—now healing in the Mathers Estate.
He thought of his upcoming ‘trial,’ where it would be decided how those who oversaw Subaru’s abuse would be handled.

“Subaru, I know I do not deserve any of your forgiveness.
But if I ever have the chance, I will apologize from the depths of my heart, no matter what it takes.”
The knight swore this to himself.

 

***

 

Within the Astrea Manor, the Sword Saint watched a young woman restlessly pace back and forth, grumbling to herself.
“Stupid damned idiots.”

She continued to mumble as she wandered back and forth.
“It’s in a week, right?!” Her head shot up toward Reinhard.

He nodded slowly.
“Yes, that is correct, Lady Felt. It is expected that Subaru will… hopefully be well enough by that point to join.”

His expression and mannerisms were stiff and robotic, like a soulless machine for the past near-month.
Normally, his liege would have tried to correct that behavior, but she felt no compulsion to do so now.
She did blame him, at least in part.
He blamed himself plenty more.

She let out a deep sigh as she fell back into a nearby chair.
“Good. It will be… good to see big bro again.”

She rested her head back in the chair and stared up at the ceiling.
“And to face all those rats who made his life hell,” she grumbled.

Reinhard stared at his liege with concern—a mixture of emotions within her that had become familiar to him in the past week.
But he knew any attempt to console or reassure her would only make things worse.

The youngest of the dragon candidates blamed everyone else for Subaru’s suffering.
All the candidates who were there at Priestella.
It was his own damned camp that arrested him.
It was the knights of two other camps who oversaw his imprisonment.
It was her own knight who failed to act despite his gifts.
And of course, she blamed herself for not caring enough to encourage him to act.
It was pure slothfulness on her part—so she did, in part, blame herself.
She just blamed the more guilty parties among the Crusch, Anastasia, and Emilia camps far more.
Ironically, the person she could least blame was Priscilla, but she had gone missing within Vollachia.

Reinhard knew all of this—knew that this was the festering hatred working through his lady like a disease—and yet he could do nothing to make it right.

Because he knew he was also to blame.
Though he was the principal person who blamed himself.
Where his lady chose fury, he chose sorrow.
Sorrow for his own usefulness that condemned someone he thought of as a friend to suffering and torment.

In his heart, within its depths, he knew that something was wrong.
The emotions displayed by Pride were too genuine, too real, too pure for him to fully believe what others said.
But he obeyed the judgment of others and the will of those who ruled the country—or would rule the country—and set aside his own thoughts, as was proper.

So he watched on, impassively, as he let his lady continue to stew in her rage.
He felt no confidence in his ability to do anything but what she told him to do.

The day that Subaru’s name returned, he was in the audience, standing next to his lady.
Despite being there, he was keeping watch over the entire affair, his attention on the two Archbishops.

Whereas before there had been manic desperation in the so-called Archbishop of Pride, at that point he only saw anxiousness, sorrow, and resolve.
It was strange, and he couldn’t figure out why.

Until the blade fell upon Gluttony’s head.

At that moment, Reinhard received such a shock—like a thunderclap next to his ears—that even the Divine Protection of Nightmares struggled to keep his mind stable.
His eyes went wide. His divine protections prevented him from hyperventilating, from screaming, from shaking right there.

Felix was not so lucky. A few feet away, his friend fell to his knees and let out a pained cry.

Confusion engulfed the knights and the members of the camp who were present.

And Reinhard blocked it all out as his focus fell upon one area.

His focus fell upon the man they condemned as Pride—Subaru Natsuki, his friend whom he had left to rot in jail.

Reinhard saw the panic on Julius’s face as he quickly tried to usher Subaru away.

He then turned to his lady, who was staring at the entire scene with a vacant look of shock on her face.

There was some confusion in the crowd, but most had not yet realized the sin of the kingdom.
A crisis could be avoided—or at least delayed.

“Reinhard…” Felt’s voice was cold as she spoke from her daze.

“Lady Felt… I…” He looked between her and Subaru.

“Go. Right now.” She tensed.
“And don’t bother showing your face to me again if something else happens to him. Got that?”
Her normally fiery fury was instead as cold as ice.

Reinhard rushed over to Julius and helped him usher Subaru away.

Once inside a nearby house, they removed the bag from Subaru’s head.

He didn’t say anything—just stared vacantly at him and Julius.

The two knights shared a look. Reinhard also remembered his friend Julius now.

“Reinhard, I…” Julius choked out the words.

“I know.” Reinhard let out a deep sigh.

It was after that moment that the Emilia camp burst in, muscling past the knights.

Reinhard—nor any other who properly remembered—sought to interfere at that point.

Reinhard just watched over the boy, letting the Emilia camp take him away.
He only parted from them once they left the city, not saying a word to them.
He felt like he didn’t have the right.

“Reinhard!” Felt’s shout shook him free of his thoughts.

He blinked a few times and stared at the girl.
“Ye-yes, Lady Felt?” he asked.

“During the meeting with the council, I want no funny business.
If they dare try to sweep this under the rug, I am going to make sure there is hell to pay.”
She slammed her hands on the table.
“Got it!” she barked her order.

Reinhard stared at her. He knew there was a chance the Wisemen Council might try to minimize what happened.
And he knew his liege would never accept that.
He wasn’t sure what position he would be in then, so he selected the course he wished for.

“If that is what you wish for, Lady Felt.”

“It sure fucking is!”

****

 

Crusch Karsten lay in her bed, wondering where she went wrong with her candidacy.
Ever since the whale hunt—her one successful endeavor—her entire crusade had been a disaster.
It was only now that she could truly see and appreciate how utterly impotent she was.

While she had provided the forces, it was Subaru who played the most critical role in the Whale Hunt, even managing to bring her troops back from the brink of defeat.
Then her memories were eaten by Gluttony—her mind destroyed, all that she was reduced to nothing save for what was remembered by others.

When the Witch Cult attacked Priestella, she was cursed—falling victim to the dragon blood curse that still ravaged her body.
The only reason it was lessened was due to the sacrifice—willing and unwilling—of Subaru Natsuki.

And to make matters worse, Subaru Natsuki had his own name eaten by Gluttony and was condemned and tortured by the very kingdom she sought to rule.
In particular, her knight was made to participate in it several times.
It wasn’t often, but it was often enough.

She understood that Felix had sought, in desperation, to cure her broken state through the only avenue available.
She couldn’t even fully blame him—though she did.
She blamed herself, her incompetence, and what her weakness had convinced Felix to do.

And now she was in her current state.
Her mind restored thanks to the efforts of others, but her body still in a ruined state that might never recover.
Her knight and dearest friend was on the brink of mental collapse.

He was already arrested, though she had put in a petition for him to be placed under house arrest within the Karsten Estate.
This was not a mercy for Felix, but a necessity for herself.
Felix was still responsible for keeping her alive.
It was the only thing she let him be responsible for now.

Knights—not loyal to her—were stationed outside her manor.
Not for her sake, but to prevent Felix from escaping.

She knew whispers were already being spread among the populace while she lay impotently in bed.
She knew that as she lay in pain, those who were once allies were pulling away their support.
She was a broken candidate with a broken camp—one others would leave to rot.

She couldn’t even rely on the kindhearted Emilia, as her own knight was a cause of Emilia’s knight’s suffering.

She let out a sorrowful chuckle, even as tears graced her face.
The tears were for her broken state, her fallen friend, her dying candidacy, and her own incompetence.

She had thought the kingdom needed to be strong.
But she had turned out to be the weakest of all the candidates in the end.

She wasn’t sure what the future held for her—maybe a few painful years of life before the curse claimed her.
She knew now that there was little hope of becoming queen.
She knew that it seemed to be her fate to suffer and die.

And that the only person who could forestall that was the same boy who was miles away in a broken state.
A boy she no longer had the right to ask for help from.

Some part of her wanted to accept the end with dignity and withdraw.
Some other part of her wished to keep fighting—to hold on for some sort of hope.
But that inner fire grew weaker by the day.

 

****

 

Felix Argyle was curled up in his bed, his knees drawn to his chest as tears rolled down his face.
This was one of the two usual states one would find him in nowadays.

The only time he left his room—permitted by the guards stationed outside his door—was to tend to the lady of the house.
It was the only reason he wasn’t spending his time in a prison cell, like several other knights.
He still had a use. He had a function to fulfill.
That was all he was left with now.

He looked down at his own trembling hands as tears continued to fall.
“Ferri is sorry. Ferri is sorry. Ferri is sorry.”
He muttered his apologies.
They were for his lady, and they were for Subaru.

The last few months had been a haze of panic and desperation.
His lady had been brought to the verge of death by the wicked Witch Cult.
They destroyed her mind. Then they destroyed her body.

He was desperate and scared.
He worked tirelessly, day and night, for months to heal her.
And then he was ordered to try his hand at interrogating Pride.

He hadn’t wanted to do it.
His stomach churned at the thought.
But he was running out of options. He needed to try something—anything—to cure Crusch.
So he interrogated the Witch Cultist, trying to extract whatever information he could.

Felix still remembered the feeling of twisting bone and sinew.
Of locking the flow of blood.
Of frying nerves.

It made him sick. Disgusted with himself.
But he told himself that this was not a person—it was an Archbishop.
The same sort of scum that had ruined his lady.

He only did it a few times.
That was all the time he could spare from treating Crusch.
He visited the Archbishop for interrogation every other week or so.
Though he saw him more often to patch him back together after others tore him apart.

Felix had no problem healing the Archbishop.
What others did was not a sin he felt he had to bear—at the time.
But he also knew that his healing gave those tormentors more freedom to get creative.
At the time, he felt that was a decision others had to bear.
Now, he felt the weight of that sin churning in his stomach.

He had even forced Subaru to bear some of the curse that afflicted his lady—transferring it onto his body bit by bit.
He couldn’t do as much as he wanted. He didn’t want to risk bringing Subaru near her.
So he severed his limbs, forcibly transferred the curse, and then reattached them later.

The thought that Subaru might demand the curse be transferred back to Crusch terrified the healer.
It was something his lady would certainly agree to.
It was something he figured Subaru would never do.
But in the broken state Subaru had been left in, Felix didn’t know what would happen.

He knew he was now a sham.
A disgrace.
A mockery of the title he held dear.
A burden to the liege he cared for.

He knew that if he weren’t needed, he’d be rotting in a cell within the depths of the royal castle—perhaps the very same cell they had put Subaru in.
He felt like he deserved it.

Felix slowly pulled himself out of bed and approached the door, knocking a few times.
“Lady Crusch will require my attention soon. I request to be let out.”

“Go ahead.” The guards opened the door, watching him warily.

He felt like a prisoner being marched to an execution ground.
In many ways, he felt like that described his situation accurately.

He knew he was on the verge of losing everything.
And he couldn’t delude himself into thinking he didn’t deserve it anymore.

In this if…
-Rumors are spreading among the populace at greater speed, Roswaal fanning some of these flames from behind the scene. As such many allies of the camps are pulling away. The Emilia camp is included in this but Roswaal is using ‘alternative leverage’ and promises to keep things afloat. He’s already had several meetings with Russel to coordinate things, but is prepared to move against him if he tries anything.
-About two dozen knights are under investigation for Subaru’s treatment in particular, besides the standard prison guards. Of those about six are under serious investigation and have been imprisoned pending the meeting. Julius just barely does not qualify but Felix is one of them. 
-The Anastasia Camp is in a damaged state due to the actions of Julius, and him being made the fall guy for much of it in effect, even if his personal abuse of Subaru was minimal, as one of his primary jailers much of the responsibility falls upon him. Julius’ own mental state was poor due to his own eaten name and suspicions cast upon him by others due to the imprisoned Subaru pleading with him for help. As such Julius felt pressured to be as ruthless as he could muster towards Pride
-The Felt Camp is in the least bad position of all the camps but the rumors are still having some pull away, but she’s also gaining some support. Felt herself is furious enough that she refuses to do any actions to minimize the fallout. 
-The Crusch Camp is in the worst state of the camps. The rumors name Felix a lot and her own broken state is preventing her from taking actions to minimize the collateral. Felix himself was under full arrest for his actions that were ‘beyond decency’ along with several other knights, however due being Crusch’s primary doctor it was transferred to a ‘house arrest’ in the Karsten estate.
-The meeting to ‘deal’ with the aftermath of all this is fast approaching. 

Notes:

Got a question for people.

I'm considering writing the starting/main chapters for a few of my paths soon, seeing the initial reception.

But another part of me wants to get at least 2 of the 3 'basic' paths (Revenge, Departure, Forgiveness) done first?
Should I sprinkle in a few 'starting chapters' for the other paths or focus down these first?

They are all about 2/3rds through I'd say, Departure being halfway through.

Just want thoughts? Since I've been going back and forth.

ANYWAYS
Next extra in this path will be the meeting~
That ought to be fun.

Chapter 23: Path of the Beast and Slaughter

Summary:

What if
Within the depths of being forgotten, Subaru became a beast.

Notes:

Was a bit weird to write this but it was an idea that refused to leave.

This chapter is another jailbreak chapter (there will probably be a lot of those) but this one will be heading in a very different direction.

Warning for Gore in this chapter.

Subaru was drifting in the darkness.

 

It was unfamiliar to him, a cold and comforting darkness that totally enveloped him in a gentle embrace.

 

It felt like sleep.

It felt like dreams.

 

All his agony.

All his sorrow.

All his hatred.

 

It had poured away, slipping into the darkness, leaving only peace in the embrace.

 

Until it all came crashing back with a jolt, reminding him of his suffering.

 

“You are broken…”

An unfamiliar voice, hollow yet beastial, echoed out from the darkness. 

 

“Wha… who are… who are you?”

 

“We are broken…”

 

“Wha… what are…”

 

“Do you… hate them”

 

“... what?”

 

“Do… you hate the ones who did this to you.”

 

“I…”

 

“Who abandoned you.”

 

“...”

 

“Who hurt you.”

 

“Just…”

 

“Who forgot you.”

 

“Shut up…”

 

“Who tortured you”

 

“... stop it…”

 

“Who broke you.”

 

“SHUT UP!”

 

“He~… You didn't answer the question.”

 

“I don't want to!”

 

“Answer the question!!!”

 

“...”

 

“Do… you… hate… them?”

 

“I…”

 

Subaru sighed. “I… I want to… I… I hate everything that's happened. What they did to me. How they turned on me. How they hurt me. How they forgot me but…. I just… it dies in my chest… I just can't and that… I'm too weak, so fucking weak and pathetic. I can’t even properly hate even though I want to! They hurt me! They put me down here! I just… part of me just wants them to taste a bit of it, maybe that would be justice or something. But I fucking hate this world I just want…I…”

 

He sighed.

“I don't know what I want....’

 

“Let me help you.”

 

“What?”

 

“Just go to sleep… and I'll take care of everything.”

 

***

 

The knights were summoned to the tower for an emergency. The Archbishops of Gluttony were attacking the city.

 

Everyone had no doubt that their intentions were to liberate their fellow imprisoned Archbishops, Sirius the Archbishop of Wrath, and Subaru the Archbishop of Pride.

There were several knights who were dead in the corridors, crumpled against the wall and on the floor, slain by Lye’s blades.

 

But it is when they heard a retching and inhuman scream erupt from the lower levels, that the carnage started.

 

The knights who guarded that level did not emerge, the first wave of knights sent in as a response team had not returned.

 

Sir Alrik was one of the knights in the following group to respond, more well armed, ready for a proper confrontation.

 

They were a group of two dozen knights, blades already drawn as they proceeded into the depths, ready for a fight.

 

The prison was silent save for their footsteps and the rattling of their armor. 

 

They advanced slowly and cautiously, all their instincts and knowledge telling them that they should be at the highest level of alert.

 

And yet still, Alrik and his fellows felt a deep pit forming within their stomachs.

 

“Check the cells, something is wrong here.” He muttered to one of his fellows.

 

A young knight peered into the nearby cells as they passed. 

 

“They are all dead or gone.” The young knight muttered.

 

“What?” An older knight asked.

 

“Some are just missing, though there are bloodstains in the cell. Others are just… ripped to shreds.”

 

“To shreds? That… doesn’t sound like gluttony.” Alrik muttered. “Stay on guard.” He said as they proceeded deeper into the prison.

 

Into the belly of the beast.

 

And what they found within that belly was a scene of absolute carnage.

 

The cold stone of the prison were smeared with blood and gore.

 

The flood was covered in thick pools of blood, dismembered and twisted limbs, crushed skulls, and shattered torsos.

 

Thick trails of blood caked the walls, dotted with pinkish organ meat that clung to the stones.

 

So great was its magnitude that the air was not thick with the misty irony scent and taste of blood and flesh. 

 

Knight, guard, and prisoner alike had been brutally slaughtered, ripped to shreds and left as nothing but meat gore that became the new decor of the prison.

 

“Wha... what happened here? A knight asked, keeping his blade up in a guard position.

 

“Be ready for anything? It's clear we are dealing with a bloodthirsty monster.” Alrik said to the knight.

 

“He’s right, stay on your guard.” The older knight added.

 

They continued to advance, slowly now. Stepping through the pools of blood, bits of bone and flesh being crushed beneath their metal boots.

 

The only light came from the crystals and torches they carried with them, as well as one of them who cast a spell of fire that hung as a sphere above their hands.

 

All other lights in this place had been extinguished.

 

One of the knights then gasped, clutching his throat with one hand as he began wildly swinging his sword in front of him.

 

“Sir Kaladen what’s?!....” Alrik couldn’t even finish his sentence before the entire body of sir Kaladen froze, as if all his limbs were suddenly bound.

 

“Mhhpfh!”
He made a sound as if his mouth was covered.

 

The knight was then rocketed forward, dragged rapidly through the air and into the depths of the darkness before them.

 

“Damn you!”

“Sir Kalden!?”

 

Two young knights, friends of the knight who just vanished, rush forward into the darkness.

 

“Wait!” Alrik shouted, but it was already too late. 

 

As they dove into the darkness and out of view, suddenly their lights were extinguished.

 

The two knights then screamed.

“Wha WHAT THE AUGHugLLugk!”

 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGRRRRHKKLUGHKL!”

 

Their screams were cut off by the sound of bone cracking and flesh tearing. A messy and wet sloshing sound echoed through the hall.

 

Then once again there was silence. 

 

The royal knights in the hallway acted fast.

 

Two of them threw up barriers of magic, a shimmering yellow barrier appearing in front of the knights.

 

And then none of them moved, they hardly dared to breathe.

 

SPLAT!
SPLAT!
SPLAT!

 

Several objects were hurled at high speed into the barrier, smashing against it.

 

Dismembered and misshapen limbs.

 

As well as the decapitated heads of the two knights who just charged into the hallway.

The first was flung into the barrier at such high speeds that it splattered upon impact. The remains of the face stuck to the barrier like a squashed insect against glass.

The second head smashed into the barrier and bounced back, rolling across the ground, brain matter spilling from the half collapsed skull.

 

“The fuck?” one knight muttered.

 

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

 

Suddenly a host of invisible blows smashed against the barrier.

The barrier shook.

The barrier cracked.

And then it broke.

 

The moment the barrier broke is when the carnage truly began.

 

Two knights were instantly dragged forward, screaming into the darkness.

One was grabbed by their neck and already choking.

The other was being dragged by their leg and impotently swung their sword to try and free themselves.

 

Another night was dragged forward by the neck and pinned to the wall, being strangled by the unseen force.

 

Another knight rushed to help him, swinging his sword against the unseen force and making contact, but his blade could not sever the invisible limb binding the other knight.

 

The knight pinned to the wall clawed at his own neck, trying to break free.
“Uuhhlughlughk!”

And then his head was wretched to the side, his neck snapped and he died instantly.

 

Several knights fired spells off into the darkness, spheres of fire, spears of ice, blades of wind.

 

The knight who ran forward to help his friend was suddenly dragged into the line of fire, his body pierced by several spears of ice and then severed in two by a blade of wind that caused his guts to spill forth from his torso.

 

His body was then flung back towards the knights.

 

The knights advanced, all of them together charging towards the darkness as they continued to fire their spells.

 

They then heard a roar, the sound of flesh being pierced.

 

“I think I hit him I…Guuruk!” The knight who launched the ice spears fell backwards, various holes now decorating his body.

 

Another knight suddenly had a large slash through their stomach, and he doubled forward in pain before his head was suddenly crushed by the invisible force, becoming paste

 

Alrik turned back and faced the darkness as he shouted. “Al Goa!”

Screaming out as he launched an enormous sphere of flame that filled the entire hallway.

 

It crashed into something, the flames revealing a figure wrapped in a shadowy darkness.

“He…He…He… Not bad… now lets really play…”

The voice was deep, guttural, beastial, and inhuman.

 

The shadows unwrapped themselves, revealing a humanoid figure coated in shadows. The shadows pulsed and writhed along along the flesh, forming a strange black armor that almost seemed to be composed of interlocking shadowy arms and hands. The face in particular was covered by a large shadowy hand, with a single black eye staring out at them through the back of the palm.

 

Out from the back of the creature stretched eight large shadowy limbs that coiled protectively around him.

 

“What sort of creature is this?” Alrik muttered aloud.

 

After only a moment’s daze the knights charged.

 

Two were immediately caught by an invisible force and their limbs were twisted and simply ripped apart mid air.

 

Four of the shadowy visible limbs lashed out.

 

Alrik saw one heading right towards him and he moved to block the blow with his full strength.

 

It wasn’t nearly enough and he was launched back, sent flying through the air and then skidding across the ground.

 

He laid there in a daze for several seconds before he picked himself up.

 

By that point though, the battle was practically over.

 

Two of the shadow limbs had swept through the host of knights, pinning them and smashing them against the wall. Invisible and visible hands of shadow smashed and ripped apart the various knights.

 

Alrik felt an invisible force wrap around his face.

 

He tried to let out a shout, a scream.

But by the time he could his face was already turned into a gory paste.

 

***

 

Julius stood with Felix outside of the prison tower, with a host of assembled knights that were ready to venture in, before the situation became even more complicated.

 

“Felix… what is that exactly? Asked the finest of knights.

 

“I don’t kneyo.” Felix muttered grimly.

 

The entire prison tower had been overtaken by a thick dark purplish cloud. 

 

It rose up from the lower levels minutes prior and now engulfed the entire tower.

 

The knights and other people around had to back away from it. 

 

Contact with the mist caused agony in those who felt it, as several brave knights already learned the hard way. 

 

“The myist clearly has some cursed propertyes nyea.” The cat-boy healer surmised.

 

“So we cannot even enter the place now?” Julius sighed.

 

“That myonster will have to come out eventually.” Felix declared.

 

“That is true, and we will be waiting for it.” Julius stated his resolve, his six spirits orbited around him as he readied himself for what he knew may be a terrifying battle.

 

“This does not seem like gluttony though.” Julius remarked.

 

“It myay be Pride.” Felix suggested, venom clear within his voice.

 

Julius nodded his head. “Maybe so, that wretch finally decided to make a move.”

 

An inhuman roar rang out, reverberating through the entire area. 

 

The knights lifted their blades, readying themselves for a battle against a monster.

 

The cloud of dark purple mist suddenly erupted outwards, pouring out from the tower in obscene quantities.

It filled the entire area around the tower.

 

A few knights, those already injured, screamed in pain.

 

Others endured the presence of the mist better than others, but none could fully ignore the pain it caused at the very touch.

 

For Julius, it felt like he was being subjected to dozens of bee stings.

Painful for sure but not overwhelmingly so yet.

 

He kept his mouth closed and surveyed the area for his target.

 

He found the creature, a figure draped in black with eight large shadowly limbs from its back.

 

Julius and several other knights rushed to face it, but the others were instantly swatted away.

 

He realized that like Sloth, this creature had invisible limbs, and using the mist itself he narrowly dodged and avoided the various invisible attacks leveled towards him.

 

The creature turned to face him. “Going to have to do… better than that.” it growled.

 

Julius slashed at the creature, his spirits supporting his strike with their magic, but the creature intercepted it with one of its shadowy limbs.

 

This creature, the visible limbs are faster and stronger than the invisible ones.

 

As Julius considered this, one of the other shadowy arms coiled its hand into a fist and lashed out at him, the tip of the fist morphing into a shadowy blade as it rocketed towards him.

 

Julius acted quickly to defend himself. His spirits manifested a magical barrier to buy him a precious moment to deflect.

 

The shadowy blade smashed through the barrier, slowly slightly, but it was enough for Julius to block the blow. 

 

The finest of knights was sent flying through the air, though his spirit of wind steadied him and caught him in his fall as he landed on a nearby rooftop.

 

A few other knights tried to rush towards the creature, giving chase as it began to leap from rooftop to rooftop.

 

They were all battered away, one or two caught by the shadowy or invisible hands and simply ripped into pieces mid air, raining their entrails upon the ground.

 

I have to act fast…

 

Julius assembled his spirits around his body, resolving to strike this creature with his strongest blow. He rushed forward towards the creature through the air.

 

“Al Clauzeria!” He shouted as he swung his sword, unleashing a vortex of rainbow light that swept forward to consume the creature. 

 

Before his blow made contact, the single eye upon the creature’s head locked its gaze with Julius’ own.

 

The light washed over the creature, seemingly erasing its very existence, as when the light faded there was no trace of its existence left.

 

Julius took a deep breath as he landed upon the ground, steadying himself.

 

But his instincts warned him that this was not over yet.

 

A sharp pain rang out through his body as three thick shadowy blades pierced through his body, one severing his sword arm completely.

 

“Not a bad shot.” The creature grinned as Julius fell forward.

 

The last thing that Julius saw before blacking out was the creature’s enlarged shadowy fist rushing towards his face. 

***

 

“Wha.. what was all that?”

 

Subaru stumbled through the woods, gripping his head before he fell onto his back.

 

“What.. What the HELL did you do?!?” He asked, shouting into the sky.

 

“What you wanted too, and what you couldn’t.”

 

“”That… you… I’m not… Who are you?!”

 

“I’m you… obviously. I’m the power that you wished for.”

 

“You… how can that…”

 

“You wished to hate, you wished to be strong, you wished to be the sort of being that could make them hurt, like they hurt you. Am I wrong?”

 

“I… I didn’t…”

 

“You couldn’t… but I can… so slothful that you could not bring yourself to hate, you could not become what you needed to become.”

 

“... Who are you?”

 

“I am the beast, born of your desires and your sloth.”

 

“...”

“Now answer me this. Subaru Natsuki. Now that our positions are a bit more clear… do you REALLY have a problem with what I have done?”

"I... I am just way too tired." Subaru let out a pained sigh.

"I don't know what to do."

 

"He... that's fine. That's why I am here. Just let me have all your pain, all your hate, let me have it all. And I shall rampage on your behalf. Just sleep Subaru... just sleep." 

 

 

In this If…

-Subaru was Forgotten after being ambushed by Lye in the battle of Priestella.

-He was imprisoned for a period of five months real time.

-Lye and Roy attempted to sneak in and devour him, but a transformation took place within Subaru’s soul.

-Subaru’s authorities of Sloth and Greed evolved and awakened in a horrific fashion, creating a new bestial personality bent on slaughter and carnage. Lye was restrained and slain by Subaru’s unseen hands before he could react. 

-Subaru proceeded to rampage through the prison, dispatching the imprisoned Sirius as well.

-After escaping he hunted down and killed Roy, absorbing the Gluttony Authority.

-Subaru’s name was returned, as were the names and memories of their victims, but the monster’s rampage has only just begun.

-Details on his authorities will be provided in the next Extra chapter, though I will state that the ‘alternative personality’ comes from his sloth authority specifically.

Notes:

This if was inspired by the "Rampage of the Forgotten" fic by "Scattershot98"
Did like some of the ideas but this fic it isn't a crossover, instead it is an evolution of Subaru's authorities.

This is also one of the "what ifs" that serves more as a 'me testing out authority' ideas fic. Some of these fics will be tests for powers and OCs.

Chapter 24: Path of the Beast and Slaughter-Extra 1

Summary:

The path of the beast continues!

After feeling himself absorb his brother’s gourmet aspect of the Gluttony witch factor Roy Alphard knew he would be having a VERY bad day. But he only understood how bad a day it would be after “The Beast” caught up with him.

 

While the beast was armed with powerful unseen and shadowy hands Roy put up a good fight, wounding the beast critically with his blades and myriad of martial techniques. That was until he found every wound that he inflicted upon the creature transferred back to himself, and open to a counter attack from the monster who then unleashed a truly diabolical acidic toxin upon the archbishop. 

 

That left Roy in his current sorry state. Stab wounds peppered his body and one of his eyes was gouged out. His left arm was uselessly limp and mangled at his side as he dragged himself forward on the other. 

The most painful part was his legs, both melted away by a shadowy acid produced by the creature. The toxin ached and inflicted unspeakable agony upon the archbishop.

 

“Gah augh ughk agh you… are something aguh else tsu… heh... heh… heh... aughuk!” Roy choked out the words bitterly.

Roy Alphard was lifted up by invisible hands as his body dangled helpless in the air.

 

The shadowy beast stalked closer to him and let out a fittingly inhuman laugh. “Heh… heh… heh… Guess this is it tsu. Any last words?”

 

Roy felt what remained of his limbs grasped, he was already too weak to fight any more with most of his bones broken and his legs basically missing.

 

Unseen hands coiled around his body. 

 

“Heh well, hope you enjoy your meal tsu.~” Roy let out a bitter final remark.

 

“I will.”

The Archbishop representing the Gluttony aspect of Bizarre Eating, Roy Alphard, was then ripped to pieces.

 

And without her brothers to anchor her existence, the Archbishop representing the Gluttony aspect of Satiation, Rui Arneb, vanished from reality. 

 

And thus Subaru Natsuki’s name was returned…

 

But it was far far too late.

 

***

 

Within the next week a meeting was called between all of the camps.

 

While Priscilla’s camp had vanished into Vollachia, and thus did not heed the summons, the rest of the camps gathered.

 

Though they were in a rather miserable state given what the meeting would entail.

 

The meeting was held within the Karsten estate.

 

Crusch was watched over by Wilhelm Van Astrea. Her knight was nowhere to be found, having been in a hysterical state when he was taken into custody early that morning.

The young duchess herself was in a poor state, physically and emotionally, upon remembering Subaru Natsuki and learning the crimes of her knight. She had spent the last night shedding tears for the miserable state she had been reduced to by her own failings. 

 

The Anatasia camp was similarly missing their knight, and instead the merchant was accompanied by Ricardo, captain of the Iron Fangs, as well as Mimi.

 

The Felt camp was only represented by two people, the candidate herself, and her invincible knight Reinhard.

The young helion had a perpetual glower of discontent across her face and a clear wrath in her eyes. Meanwhile the knight wore a mask of deepest melancholy. 

 

The Emilia camp was represented by four people currently. Emilia, Beatrice, Otto, and Garfiel. The half elf herself and the yin spirit were in a notably miserable state. Both of their eyes were red and faces stained with recently wiped away tears, their dresses crumpled from being torn at. Garfiel trembled with an unending rage that threatened to burst forth at any moment, leaving only Otto in a mostly outwardly presentable state.

 

The mood was melancholic, to say the least. The shadow of failure, rage, and sorrow filled the entire room.

 

None really knew how to begin, so of course the most abrasive would start. “I take it you took care of that shifty cat and useless knight right?”

She directed her venomous statement towards the crippled Crusch and less than pleased Anastasia.

 

Crusch weakly looked away, even with her name returned she was unable to even hold herself with pride. Not after all that happened.

 

Anastasia let out a loud sigh. “Julius willingly turned himself in to the knights sent by the wise men to collect him. He and at least two dozen other knights, Felix included, are being implicated in this mess.” There was clear bitterness in her tone. While she felt bad for Subaru and found his situation horrific, in her greedy mind the stupidity of her knight and the impact of his actions were now of greater import. 

 

“As they should be I suppose.” Beatrice muttered bitterly.

 

Anastasia turned towards the spirit. “Truthfully I'm surprised you are still here.”

 

Beatrice shook her head. “As useless as you all are, Betty has proven to be even more useless in helping her true contractor. As such Betty will attend this meeting, if only to vouch for his interests."

 

Anastasia raised an eyebrow. “And if the monster that tore through the experiment really is Subaru?”

 

“Then it depends. If the monster is merely possessing Subaru then Betty shall free him. If Subaru is taking this path willingly then Betty will support him.” 

 

Wilhelm narrowed his gaze at the spirit. “You do realize that if the monster is… Subaru… then he will have murdered several knights.”

 

“But no civilians. And the knights have Karsten made themselves Subaru's enemy in fact. Betty will offer no aid in defending any of you from that monster I suppose.”

 

It was a bitter statement, but as a being who would only dedicate herself to her contractor, her logic was sadly sound.

 

Wilhelm let out a deep sigh. “I understand Lady Beatrice.” replied.

 

Otto let out a deep sigh. “With the stance of our… knight's spirit out of the way. We need to figure out what to do now.”

 

Crusch nodded her head. “I would suggest an alliance to at least find Subaru, or whatever he has become. We don't even know his state right now.”

 

Felt groaned. “Rein can deal with big bro if we find him. Might be our only chance of bringing him in without things getting more fucked up.”

 

The knight in question remained stoic and silent at her side. He felt as if he did not have a right to speak. He did not blame Subaru for any of the deaths caused by the monster he had become.

He could not, after being forced to suffer torment at the hands of the kingdom.

The fact that civilians were unharmed proved to Reinhard that Subaru was not a complete monster, not yet.

Reinhard blamed himself for everything that happened. It was his own inaction that led to these events. He was responsible, in his own mind, for every knight slain so far.

 

So at his Lady's statement, he said nothing. He just bowed his head ever so slightly in acknowledgement.

 

“If we can find him. So far it seems the kid vanished.” Ricardo chimed in, his own mood was far from ideal.

 

“Bu…but we have to find him! We have to find Subaru!” Emilia cried out, her voice filled with an urgent panic. “Who.. who knows what happened to him. What turned him into… into that.”

The half-elf herself was on the brink of internal mental collapse. Guilt and shame were devouring her from the inside. She knew she had to save her knight, if she even deserved to call him that anymore, even if it cost her everything else in her life.

 

She wouldn’t be able to live with herself otherwise. 

 

Felt crossed her arms and sighed. “We got to but where do we even start?”

 

“And would he even come willingly?” Anatasia remarked.

 

Garfiel stared at the merchant. “What exactly are ya’ talkin’ ‘bout?” His own voice barely suppressed his rage at everyone, himself included. The tiger boy knew he was an abject failure now.

 

Otto let out a deep sigh and shook his head. “She’s right… Knights are dead, like Wilhelm said. And that makes things complicated.”

 

Felt glared at the two merchants. “No it fucking doesn’t. Not after we learned about the fucking way the knights treated him. So help me when I become Queen i’m cleaning out the whole order, top to bottom.”

 

At that, Reinhard felt that he had to interject. “Lady-Felt, I must insist that you think…”

 

“Shut up Rein!” She glared hatefully at him. “Don’t think you are getting off scot free here!”

 

At that, the flame headed knight inched back, bowing his head into submission.

 

“Subaru… Subaru is a good boy. If we talk to him, maybe he’ll understand.”

 

Anatasia let out a deep sigh. “I don’t know. I talked with Julius before he was taken away.”

 

“What tha’ bast’rd have t’ say?” Garfiel grumbled.

 

Beatrice also shot Anatasia a rather hostile look.

 

Anastasia shook her head. “That the ‘creature’ he fought did not feel like Subaru at all, despite it probably bein’ him. What I’m sayin’ is that Subaru may be in such a strange state that he won’t listen.”

 

“Bu… but… but we have to try! We have to do something! It’s still Subaru, after everything we… we need to! We have to save him!”

 

“He’ll end up getting charged for the deaths of the knights guarding the prison and who responded. Some of those knights had nothing to do with his imprisonment.”

 

“Then I’ll fight those charges!.” Emilia declared. “Cl-clearly Subaru is unwell after everything that happened. He can’t be responsible for…”

 

“Do you really think that?” Anastasia asked. “If you want to burn what’s left of your chances in the Royal Selection down, don’t let me stop you. Me and Karsten are already in a miserable state because of it, and your camp isn’t in a much better position.”

 

The mostly silent Crusch let out a deep sigh, hanging her head low as she clenched her seats in frustration.

The young lion of House Karsten felt completely and totally useless, because she was. Her mind had been destroyed for the past year, and even with it now restored, her body was crippled. Perhaps she could have done something, clung onto the hope to be cured. But the only person who had managed to weaken her curse was Subaru, who owed her nothing. The only person otherwise who could help treat her weakness was Felix, whose presence was an anchor around her neck.

She did not fully understand the details of what Felix had done to Subaru, but she knew it was quite terrible. 

“We… I will support the Emilia camp in whatever they decide.” Crusch muttered.

 

Felt raised an eyebrow. “Awfully kind of you considering.”

 

Crush let out another deep sigh. “It was my knight that likely drove him to his current state, at least in part. The least I can do in recompense is give Emilia my aid in helping him.”

 

Emilia stared back at Crusch. Truthfully she had never held any sort of ill feelings towards the green haired Duchess, until the last few days that is. Emilia could not help but blame Crusch, at least in part, for the actions of Felix. But however much she blames Crusch, she blamed herself far more.

 

Emilia slowly nodded her head, and forced a painful smile. “Thank you Crusch.”

 

Felt nodded along. “Same goes for me, they aren’t punishing big-bro for this, when we don’t even know how responsible he is for what’s happening.”

 

Beatrice silently pondered the situation. The fact that the majority of camps present sought to support her contractor would be a boon in the long run, but she knew that Subaru may want nothing to do with that,

That was fine with Beatrice.

She would accept that.

Her greatest fear was for his sake.

But a second fear, currently drowned out by the first, is that Subaru may want nothing to do with her anymore.

She knew she would deserve it.

 

Steeling herself the yin spirit let out a deep breath. “Then we must make a plan on how we shall confront the monster that has seemingly taken hold of Betty’s Subaru.”

 

***

Within the chambers of the Council of Wise Men, a similar conversation was taking place, with a similarly grim tone.

 

“What the hell am I looking at?” Asked a dark haired wiseman, slowly shaking his head.

 

“It's utter nonsense! That’s what this is!” Bordeaux shouted as he slammed his hands on the table.

 

“Nevertheless, these are the reports.” Miklotov remarked, staring over the papers with a grim expression on his face. 

 

A wiseman with shoulder length white hair shook his head. “I would rather believe this to be some sort of sick joke. 

 

“Sadly it is the truth, as far as we can tell.” Miklotov replied.

 

The dark haired wiseman looked back up at his fellows. “Then this truth looks like it may be our doom from where I am sitting.” He remarked bitterly. 

 

“Ugh are we sure we can’t get out ahead of this?” A more heavy set wiseman asked. “Control the flow of information? Hide what really happened.”

 

“Too late now.” The white haired Wiseman replied. “Riots have already started in Priestella, and some rather unflattering rumors are beginning to circulate. Most of it true.”

 

“Then we have to create our own version of events, limit what damage there is.” A thin wiseman clasped his hands together, trying to calculate a way out of this for themselves. “We need a narrative that will placate the populace while we get a handle on this disaster.”

 

“It won't work.” The white haired wiseman shrugged. “That would require the royal candidates to go along with whatever lie we spin. I doubt that they will do so.”

 

“Dammit!” A strong looking wiseman beat his fists against the table. “Why can’t those girls just listen to us and do what they are supposed to for one.”

 

Bordeaux scoffed. “Of course the half-devil’s camp would continue to be part of our woes, along with that cat-boy healer that Karsten had now. If we can’t get out in front of it, then we make a show of stripping the cat of his titles.”

 

The dark haired wiseman nodded his head. “That and the other knights involved.”

 

The strong looking wiseman stared at the two of them. “That would be an admission of guilt on our part then! How can we…”

 

“Do you have a better idea that would ACTUALLY work?” The dark haired wiseman replied.

 

The thin wiseman nodded his head. “That could buy us some time, though we may need to utilize their skills to deal with the more short term problem, that being the boy himself.”

 

“Send the Sword Saint after him and be done with it then. The Sword Saint can subdue him for certain.” The strong wise man stared back at his more intelligent counterpart.

 

“The sword saint has already tried to locate Subaru Natsuki, with no success. He is likely avoiding Reinhard for that very reason.” Miklotov answered.

 

The strong wiseman fell back in his seat. “Can those knights do anything right?”

 

The heavyset wiseman tapped the table. “It seems we are in quite the mess then.” He remarked bitterly.

 

“What exactly has happened to the boy anyways? It was reported that he became a monster of shadow when he tried to escape.” Bordeaux asked.

 

They all stared back at the report, that aspect of the report, while less politically relevant, was particularly unsettling. 

 

“Perhaps, since the boy was accused of being an Archbishop, fate has conspired to spite us and given him a power akin to such.” The white haired wiseman voiced his opinion.

 

“That or the nature of Felix Argyle’s ‘treatments’ and ‘experiments’ with the dragon blood, triggered an unusual reaction. The shadows were reported to be almost like blood. It would also explain the rather lethal mist.” The dark haired wiseman voiced his own conjecture.

 

“We do not have enough information.” the thin wiseman concluded. “For now we need to locate the boy, and control the political fallout.”

 

“As painful as it is to say.” The strong wiseman spoke up. “The next move in this game belongs to Subaru Natsuki.”

 

They all let that implication hang in the air.

 

“Indeed it does.” Miklotov concurred. 

 

***

 

The beast walked among the people of the city. It no longer wore its true monstrous form, it had no need of that.

It instead shrouded itself in the form of one of its victims, one of the knights that were foolishly sent to subdue it.

 

Here it would make its declaration of war against the nation, its promise to rampage and spread carnage.

 

Here it would make known its promise to avenge a boy too weak to support himself.

 

Here it would take the name Taurus and begin its true rampage. 

In this if
-Strike teams of knights are being organized to hunt Taurus, the beast.
-Taurus is primarily targeting knights and the Witch Cult. Civilians are spared from its wrath and its plans intend to avoid such collateral, but it does not go out of its way to invoke collateral damage. Taurus is only hunting Subaru Natsuki’s enemies.
-The Council of Wisemen is doing their best to make a plan.
-The 3 of the 4 remaining royal selection candidates have made independent plans to find Subaru Natsuki. Anatasia has agreed not to oppose them in any way or oppose any leniency effort they embark on for Subaru. 

-Subaru’s authorities are as follows

– Authority of Envy Return By Death: Functions as per canon.
Authority of Sloth Phantom Beast of Shadows: Subaru gains a second personality known as the Phantom Beast, able to act out and do what his slothful weak self cannot bring himself to do. When this second personality is in control Subaru manifests a dozen visible shadow hands, and 2 dozen weaker invisible unseen hands. The visible shadow hands are very powerful, durable, and malleable. Typically four of the hands will transform into an armor that he wears. The shadow hands can manifest eyes to see out of. 
Authority of Greed Shadow Beast’s Heart: Has three shifts. First shift can be used by normal Subaru but 2nd and phantom shifts require him to be in his Phantom Beast state.
—First Shift allows him to detect allies from a great distance, while neutrals and enemies within twenty miles are also detected. He can bestow his wounds upon enemies within a mile of him. His wounds are directly transmitted to an enemy and away from himself. Wounds must be divided and the same wound cannot go to more than one person.
—Second Shift: Roar of the Beast: Rather than transfer his wounds he retains his wounds but his wounds are also copied by all those within his field of vision. Any wound used by 2nd shift cannot be healed by the first shift.
—Phantom Shift: Assault of the Beast: He ‘exits’ proper reality for a period of five seconds and enters a parallel dimension. He is unreachable from this dimension and can see into the real world. He reappears in the place he positioned himself in the phantom world. This shift can only be used once per minute
Authority of Wrath Venom of Agony: He produces a venom that is generated from his blood. He can expel it from his mouth, eyes, or palms. While in normal form the venom is liquid and in limited quantities. In phantom beast form the venom can be produced in greater quantities, be produced in a mist form, and be better directed when outside the body. While in liquid form the venom is highly lethal and acidic in nature. While in gaseous form it is not lethal but can still paralyze people and induce great agony depending upon its concentration. 
Authority of Gluttony Devouring Shadow: Subaru can turn his body into a living acidic shadow that can absorb and consume others. Others who are consumed, living or dead, heal him and he can absorb their memories & take their appearance. He can also ‘spawn them’ as unique mabeasts under his command. He can also ‘safely’ absorb things if he so chooses. 

Notes:

So these are some rather 'unique' authorities for this fic. You probably wont see most of these specific versions again in any path, but who knows?

The wisemen council here was a test bed my standard array of them for the current 'time period' in Re: Zero. In Starlight Dream they have all been replaced. So you may see this version of the council pop up in a few of my fics and paths, we'll see as I may adjust it.

Overall let me know what you think?~

Chapter 25: Path of the Beast and Slaughter-Extra 2

Summary:

The beast continues its rampage, and an oni learns the fate of her beloved.

 

WARNING:
-Visceral gore towards the end
-Torture (Its not Subaru)

I’m not fully sure why I started keeping this journal honestly, but a friend of mine says it's good for clearing thoughts when things are messy, so I figured I’d start giving it a shot. I’m going to have to thank him later for that advice…

So where to begin with the mess that was yesterday. Well the day was normal, for the most part, and then that monster calling itself Taurus the Black Death showed up, proclaiming itself retribution for the kingdom’s sins, the sins of the knights and the dragon candidates.

How to describe that monster? It was a living shadow, a mass of shadows that seemed like flesh and blood that tore apart anything that tried to get close. It was madness honestly.

Knights tried to apprehend it, some like me were battered back. Other guys weren’t so lucky… torn apart right in front of me. That… thing seemed to take some sort of sick pleasure in tearing apart the knights. 

And while it wasn’t going after civilians, it sure as hell didn’t care that people were in the crossfire as it tore through the streets. 

Now I’m not normally one to avoid orders… but there was no way I could do anything against a monster like that. So I focused on protecting civilians, me and a few others kept them out of harm's way, kept people breathing.

I’m standing by that decision, and if it makes me a coward for not wanting to wage a pointless war against that monster, then I’m a coward. But there’s a reason no civilians are dead yet.

The guys who fought that thing aren’t so lucky though. Sir Ashton fought with fury in his heart, guy was one of the rougher ones on the guy who called Pride in that prison from what I hear. Guess they let him out to fight the thing, I swear that it enjoyed lifting him up and literally tearing him piece to piece, caking half the street in his blood alone before he popped his head like a meaon.

I think I am going to have what happens next etched into my brain for the rest of my days. The creature, looking like a tide of blood, flesh, and Shadow, clawed its way up to the highest point that it could and let out a feral roar. The shadow fell away to show Subaru Natsuki, only he was different from the guy I glimpsed at Priestella, who I saw get the life beat out of him by Julius. His eyes were black, his face possessed of a feral fury that was not there before.

“I am Taurus, the Beast of Retribution, and this kingdom will burn for its crimes! You thought me an Archbishop, locked me away, ripped me to pieces, tortured me, maimed me! Thought me a monster?! Well I'll be the monster that Subaru Natsuki could not be!”

He held the head of one of the knights, Sir Gustav, in his hands. The thing then tossed the head away and ran across the rooftops, causing havoc where it went, ripping apart anyone who stopped him.

That thing was not Subaru Natsuki, not anymore. It was a monster, one that I guess we created. I may be the sort of idiot who believes in justice, that things will work out in the end. But I don't think justice is on the kingdom's side. Not this time.

-Nicholas Lunis, of the Knights of Lugunica.

 

---

 

When the rest of the Emilia camp returned to the Mathers estate after their meetings with the other camps they had one more pressing issue to deal with. That being the awakening of Rem. Ram was with her when she had finally woken up, but had yet to inform her sister of the truth of the situation, she could not bring herself to lose her sister so quickly after regaining her.

 

As the carriage pulled up to the entrance, Ram and Rem were waiting for them.

Rem had a soft smile on her face, Ram an aloof and cold one as she knew what was about to transpire.

 

“Ah Lady Emilia, it's good to see you again.” Rem bowed her head and smiled, but she quickly noticed the melancholic and dejected expressions on everyone’s faces.

 

She quickly looked around. “Wh..where is Subaru-kun? Where is Rem’s hero?” She asked.

 

“Tsk…” Garfiel looked away along with Otto, unable to face her.

 

Beatrice was just passive and doll like.

 

Emilia rubbed her arm uncomfortably, on the verge of tears yet again.

 

“Whe…where is Subaru?” Rem asked, fear creeping into her voice.

 

Otto took off his hat and took a deep breath. “You see Rem…”

 

“Sissy…” Ram also began.

 

Heading inside, Otto and Ram were the only ones who could bring themselves to explain what happened to Subaru. The events of the sanctuary, the year of Subaru being a knight, Priestella, Subaru being forgotten and accused of being the Archbishop of Pride, and finally his recent escape and apparent slaughter of knights and witch cultists alike.

 

Rem… did not take it well.

 

Leaping from the sofa she pulled out her morning star, first launching it at Beatrice.

 

Beatrice did not move, fully willing to accept the Oni's wrath, even if it killed her.

Emilia and Roswaal both raised barriers of magic in defense of the doll-like spirit.

“Aaaarrrrrgh You BASTARDS!” Rem roared as she launched her morning star again. This time right towards Emilia's face.

Emilia gasped, raising a magical shield of ice to defend herself.

But her heart wasn't in it, she couldn’t fully bring herself to offer up a defense. The shield only softened the blow as the metal spiked sphere slammed into her gut and sent her flying back, tumbling onto the ground.

 

“Emilia!” Sylphy ran over to the half-elf with a desperate need to help her.

 

Roswaal placed his head on his forehead and shook his head. 

 

Ram and Garfiel threw themselves upon Rem to restrain her as the oni girl thrashed about, kicking and screaming. “Let go! Let go! All of you don't touch me! You!!! You all abandoned him! Turned him into a monster!” The oni girl screamed as her horn began to manifest.

 

A nightmare.

This was a nightmare for her.

 

Ram clung to Rem tightly. “Sissy! Sissy! Please calm down! Please! Worthless sister as I am please!”

Tears were in Ram's eyes.

She remembered her sister, after forgetting her, leaving her mostly in Subaru's care.

And now her sister probably hated her, and rightfully so. Their reunion was tainted by their failure.

 

Garfiel felt no better, finding his entire title as shield to be a joke. He just didn't want things to get worse, so he held the maid down before anyone else could get hurt.

 

Petra, who came in earlier, was crying in the corner and being comforted by Frederica.

 

Emilia just stared at the ceiling, not caring about the pain in her gut. The half-elf felt that if Rem's morning star bashed her brains across the floor, that it would be fitting punishment.

 

Ram and Garfiel eventually got the raging oni to sit down. Rem was still quivering as Ram held her tightly in an embrace.

 

“I… I'm… I'm going to find Subaru.” Rem declared, gripping her sister's wrist.

 

Ram's eyes widened “Sissy! You can't Subaru is…”

 

“I don't care! He's hurt and needs help! I am going to find him!”

 

“I agree with Rem” Roswaal declared from off to the side. “It appears that our precious Subaruuu is in a rather precarious state. So, I believe that it is best we find him before more harm is done.”

 

“What is your game in this? In fact?’” Beatrice asked, shifting her cold gaze towards the clown.

 

Roswaal sighed. “Because if Subaru's gooood heaaaaaart has decided to run out, if his mercy and kindness has dried up… I am afraid then we'd be losing our best asset.”

 

Beatrice grumbled. “At least you are correct in your assessment of the value of Betty's…. No… of Subaru's heart.”

She could not bring herself to call him her contractor, not now.

She knew she lost that right.

 

“Theeeen we all agree what we must do next then?” Roswaal asked.

 

Everyone slowly nodded their heads, even Emilia who had sat herself up.

 

Rem rose to her feet. “We are going to find Subaru, and I won't let anyone get in our way.” The oni declared.

In her mind, the kingdom, everyone around her right now, was worthless.

Perhaps if she was awake at the time she would be equally guilty. 

But she was not, allowing her to take this self-righteous stance. She resolved to save Subaru by any means.

If it meant being the kingdom's enemy, then so be it.

It's a price she'd gladly pay.

 

---

 

Later that night

Julius and Felix were with a group of knights, still clad in royal knight’s regalia that they felt no longer fit them. 

 

A knight next to them grumbled. “They’re sending us to die, you know?”

The knight was Gustav, one of the knights who oversaw the imprisonment of the Witch Cultists within the prison tower. 

More specifically, he was one of the two dozen or so knights arrested for the treatment of Subaru Natsuki during his imprisonment.

One of the knights who was responsible for his torment.

 

Felix said nothing, he had heavy bags under his eyes mirrored the haunted look of a certain boy he greatly wronged, the guilt was carved onto his face. The culmination of his stress from the last few months, only now magnified by the magnum opus of his failures. He simply walked alongside his fellows.

 

“Be glad we can still do at least that much.” Julius said sharply, having nothing but venom for the knights involved in Subaru Natsuki’s torment, he included himself in such a category. “Fundamentally, part of the blame for what transpired falls to us. Our mission is to subdue this ‘Taurus’ creature that Subaru has seemingly become.”

 

Gustav grumbled, biting his lip. “Yeah, by being bait and hoping it will be happy after it kills us all probably. It's the only reason they let us out of prison to begin with.”

The knight grumbled, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. His fear and anxiety was apparent to anyone who saw him. 

 

“We’d deserve it nya…” Felix muttered in a low voice. 

 

Julius let out a deep sigh. “In either case we shall try our best to subdue this creature. Subaru Natsuki has been clearly overtaken by something, something born from our failings. It falls to us to make it right, however we can do so.” 

 

Julius knew that Gustav was right, Gustav, Felix, and Julius were only let out from their ‘temporary’ imprisonment to help deal with the threat of Taurus. In the case of Julius and Felix they were still some of the kingdom’s best assets, and as for any of the other knights or guards, they were bait.

 

It's why they weren’t alone, escorted by other knights. Some who would still speak with them, some were disgusted by them, others blamed them for the current crisis.  

 

Julius could not blame any of them for feeling such a way towards him. All he could do now was hope he could stop this monster that Subaru had become from causing any more harm, and hope that he could save the friend he helped usher into darkness.

 

“We must make it right… we have to.” He muttered to himself. 

 

“MaKe iT RIghT? HOw caN SoME FAilUres LiKe You Do ThAT?” a deep snarl echoed out from the surrounding woodlands.

 

Instantly all the knights were on their guard, drawing their blades while Felix himself took a step back. 

 

Julius’ spirits orbited him in a protective fashion, enhancing his senses to try and find the creature.

But it was too late for one of the knights by the time Julius noticed a shifting shape in the woods.

 

A knight was seized by an invisible force and screamed as he was dragged away into the darkness, only to be silenced by a squelching and crushing sound.

 

What followed was a flurry of motion, carnage, and absolute madness.

 

A shadowy shape flung itself from the woods and engulfed one of the knights within seconds, devouring him in a shadowy mass while other knights were flung about by an invisible force.

 

It’s like Sloth.

 

Julius quickly determined. 

Julius hoped and prayed desperately that this monster somehow did not take the powers of Subaru’s fallen foes, if he did then that would have the power of four archbishops in its grasp.

 

But the former finest knight knew he had to act, and quickly unleashed a blinding flash of light from his sword. He couldn’t muster a full Al Clarista, but an Ul Clarista was sufficient, a slash of blinding light that sought to carve Taurus in two.

 

The creature then vanished into nothingness, just as it did with Julius first fought him. “Again?”

Julius muttered to himself.

He stayed on his guard, his senses refined to their absolute limit.

 

It wasn’t enough, as the beast appeared beside him.

Julius moved to slash through the creature, but found his blow blocked by one of its shadowy limbs, the others forming into spiked fists that proceed to beat and batter the purple haired knight, before throwing him back with blood caked across his face.

 

“FAr ToO WeAK!” Taurus laughed mockingly. “GIve me an AcTUal CHallenGe you WOrthLESS TiN MEN!” the creature roared as its shadowy limbs danced about and he flung himself into the air.

 

A knight charged at the monster with as much speed as he could muster, trying to cleave the thing in two.

 

A dark red mist erupted from around Taurus as the knight was stopped in his tracks, screaming in agony.

Taurus glanced at the knight and fired a sphere of red liquid from his own mouth. The sphere crashed into the knight and melted through his entire torso as the knight writhed on the floor in agony before dying with his viscera spilling out of the fresh hole in his chest.

 

Knights continued to challenge the beast, spells were launched, men flung themselves at the beast with blades in hand.

 

But it was all for naught. The creature moved with inhuman ability, propelled by unseen forces as knights were battered away, brutalized, and ripped to shreds, leaving the ground and trees painted in crimson.

 

One knight had his limbs mangled and twisted apart by unseen hands. His arms and legs warped into obscene spirals. 

One knight had his head ripped off by a shadowy limb. Blood gushed forth from the open wound as horror was etched upon the knight's face

Another knight collapsed after managing to cleave partway through the abomination’s chest, screaming out moments later as that same wound appeared upon his own body.

Another knight was devoured, Taurus becoming a living mass of black acid that swallowed him whole as he screamed. Not even the stain of blood remained. 

Another two knights had half of their bodies melted away by the acidic poison produced by Taurus, one having their lower body melted away, and another having their head melted off. The remains of their bodies were left upon the ground, the remainder of their organs spilling onto the grass. 

 

Gustav himself was caught by the creature’s embrace, but he was not killed.

Instead the knight was held in the air by the beast’s invisible hands and had his limbs mangled and bent into an unnatural shape and face beaten to a bloody pulp that left it looking like red and pink mashed potatoes, before he was tossed away like a worn out ragdoll.

 

Felix healed those he could, saving the knights who were still somewhat in one piece.

 

Julius was in a rough shape, Taurus having left him a battered and bloody pulp. He managed a series of deep cuts across the monster’s body, but Julius found himself wearing those same wounds that seared with pain, only lessened by the help of his water, earth, and yang spirits.

 

Julius steadied his blade as he charged at the creature again, rainbow light dancing across his blade.

 

“Heh Heh Heh… STill GOing? I CAn PlAY MOre… THIS iS FUn!!!~” The beast let out a deep and haunting guttural laugh.

 

Julius glared at the beast with all the scorn he could muster. “Monster, you are not Subaru!”

 

“I Am… and I Am NoT. I am the PROduCT of YOur MAKing and HIs WeaKNess, His SLOTHfullness MAde MANiFesT!.” The shadowy limbs lashed about, ready to receive the strikes of the finest knight.

“NOwwww LetSSS TRyyy this AGaiNNN~”

The creature snarled.

 

Julius did not reply and only steadied himself as he rushed forward, his spirits danced around his body as his blade was filled with a blinding rainbow light. Sweeping it forth it rushed forward as the beast vanished.

 

Julius expected this trick. He wasted with his breath steady and blade ready. 

One

Two

Three

Four

Five!

Julius raised his blade and swung his sword around himself in a lethal rainbow arc.

 

Taurus flickered into view at the edge of his lethal arc and found the blade carving through his gut, the impact only lessened by the shadowy and invisible hands blocking much of the blow.

But it still spilled open his insides much like a certain bowl hunter had done repeatedly to Subaru Natsuki.

 

“I have you now!” Julius rushed forward with his sword still charged with a rainbow light.

 

“NOt ENough!” The creature grinned widely as suddenly Julius fell to the ground in absolute agony, his own guts spilling out. 

 

Taurus slowly picked itself up and laughed, its monstrous form was standing above the finest of knights. “TOo CLose aNd THat woULD HaVe KILleD Me. IF I DIdn’t TAke YoU OUt QUicKly… yoUR foLLOw Up WOuLD HAve DoNe the JoB, TURning YoUR STrength baCK UPon you Was the BeSt WaY to DeaL WITh YOu QUIickLY.”

The monster then stomped its foot into Julius’ skull, driving him deep into the ground.

“YOu’ll liVe, MAybE.”

 

Julius’s earth and yang spirits were fortifying his body, while his water spirit put every effort into healing him.

 

“NoW THen.”

Taurus turned its gaze to Felix.

 

He had pinned the healer to the ground with unseen hands partway through the fight, after Felix was done stabilizing the knights that Taurus had already incapacitated.

Felix was squirming, desperate to get to Julius.

 

Taurus lumbered over and stared down at the cat-boy.

“Felix… Felix… FEliX, Heh, Heh, Heh. YOu PLaYED SOMe INTerESTing GAmeS WiTH Meee in PRISon, Didn’t YOu?”

 

Felix trembled, locking eyes with the monster. Subaru Natsui twisted into something monstrous and unrecognizable. “Ferri is sorry! Ferri is sorry Subaru! Please just… just let me help Julius! Let me Save Crusch, Please!”

 

“Heh SAve HEr? YOu’VE DonE a ‘fine’ JoB THere HAven’t yoU?” Taurus sneered.

 

Felix felt something like a hand grip his face, forcing him to face the monsters as he felt his own limbs started to get crushed.

 

“DOn’t WORry You’LL be WAlkING AwAY FRom THIs, now LEts PLay a GAmE. BUt LEt’s SWItch roLes.”

 

Taurus then opened its mouth, letting some of the red acidic poison, his wrath authority, drip from his mouth onto the healer’s chest.

As he did so he bent and twisted the limbs of Felix, mangling them and shattering the bones. The arms of the healer were reduced to floppy noodles, the bones within turned to splinters and powder.

 

Felix let out a whimper and then a scream, as he felt his bones shatter and as he felt the liquid start to chew through the flesh of his chest, ripping him open.

 

Taurus then had two of his shadow limbs rip open the cat-boy’s torso. He knew that Felix’s regeneration was rather remarkable, so he figured he’d put it to the test.

 

So with the cat-boy healer stuck to the ground, Taurus took his time in starting to pluck the organs and bones from Felix’s body. Pulling them out one by one, crushing them in his grasp or flinging them aside like rotten fruit. The chest cavity of the screaming healer was forced to stay open, exposing his red and gushing innards. Taurus lightly dragged a finger through the intestines of the cat-boy, swirling his finger around like he was mixing spaghetti. 

He worked slowly and methodically, allowing Felix’s regeneration to keep him alive.

For the next ten minutes, Felix was barely able to think. Feeling bones ripped from each other, organs torn away and crushed before his eyes. Sometimes he popped an organ over Felix’s face like a balloon, letting the blood spill back onto him like mushed cherries. He would press a hand into his chest, feeling the crunch of meat and bone as he mashed it like potatoes. The delicate innards of Felix’s body were twisted and smashed into an ever regrowing chunky slush of blood, meat, and bone. Taurus would occasionally drip more acid into Felix’s chest, to keep the wound open and to just see it burn through Felix’s body.

Felix tried to think what he could do, trying to muster the magic to shut down his own sense of pain, but Taurus wouldn’t let him muster the concentration needed to do something as refined as that, not without the use of his currently pulped hand.

Instead, the abomination that used to be Subaru Natsuki, was given free reign to mangle the organs within the healer that tormented him.

“HmMM THis iS kinD of FUn! I See WHy yoU DId it nOW.”

The creature mocked as Felix still thrashed beneath his grip.

 

“Ah Clauzeria!” Julius had risen to his feet, firing off a vortex of directed rainbow energy right at Taurus.

 

Taurus had kept an eye of Julius, and quickly vanished from reality yet again to avoid the blow.

 

Taurus appeared a few meters away, glaring back at the two. “WeLL Up FOr MOre YOu…”

 

Taurus’s dialogue was cut off when another figure appeared beside him. Wilhelm Van Astrea, blade unsheathed.

 

The Sword demon quickly slashed at the creature, cutting deeply into it, before finding some of his attacks blocked by the shadow limbs.

 

Taurus leapt back and propelled himself atop a nearby tree, while the deep cuts within himself appeared on Wilhelm’s body. Wilhelm barely flinched but remained standing.

 

“Heh, PArty’s OVer for NOw then.”

Taurus then leapt away, flinging itself into the sky like a shadow.

 

Wilhelm did not pursue, he knew that with Julius and Felix, as well as the rest in such poor states, that following Subaru now would be a fool’s errand.

 

The survivors could only watch on as the creature vanished into the night. 

 

Its rampage would continue for another day.

In this if

-Taurus died several times in this fight, specifically twice to Julius and once to Wilhelm. This was his fourth loop during this fight.

-The knights who were responsible for Subaru Natsuki’s torment were imprisoned, but are now on monitored release to help hunt Taurus.

-With Taurus’ open proclamation, the truth of what happened to Subaru Natsuki is becoming more widespread, though rumors about his new form and nature are equally rampant. Some even think he was a Sin Archbishop all along, others think that he awakened the power of one as a sort of divine irony, and some think this is some mishap with Felix’s experimentation upon Subaru’s dragon blood. As such, opinions on Taurus are mixed right now, while opinions on the government and dragon candidates are low.

Notes:

FINALLY a good chance to write horrific and brutal maiming and torture. I haven't had a good chance to do that yet.

Anyways next update will be either a new path or the Emilia chapter of Forgiveness and Tears...

I might post a temporary update chapter with some path names and basic concepts, see what people are interested in.

Stay tuned!

Chapter 26: Path of Wrath Reforged

Summary:

What if
-A true malice blossomed from the depths of despair, and a king of wrath awakened?

Notes:

So this path is going to be different because this path is a true "alpha" for a future fic plan. That's right this is the path that is a 'preview/test run' for my "Wrath Reforged" fic.

As such the chain of events leading to this setup is a bit less 'simple' than the rest and this path will have a different vibe.

As a warning, this path will be edgy.

The meeting room was hastily cobbled together within a basement in some unremarkable building in a mostly unremarkable Lugunican’ town.

A table and some hastily placed chairs were arranged with several people seated within them.

 

A strong looking blonde man with an axe at his side.

A pale man with long dark hair dressed in a black coat.

A thin blonde man with golden eyes, who draped himself in crimson and rocked back and forth lazily and stretched his arms out.

 

But the most notable figure at the table was its most recent arrival. A wolf-man appearing from the shadows with a kiseru in his mouth as his golden eyes surveyed the assembled group.

 

“Good, seems you all got here before Boss-Su showed up.” The wolfman’s tone was relaxed but the others at the table paid close attention to his every word, even if they didn’t show it.

 

None could deny the effectiveness of the Admirer.

 

“Ah FINALLY!” The man in red stretched his arms and yawned. “Been getting SO BORED waiting for the fun to start.”

 

The strong blonde man sat upright and sighed. “So Cecilus isn’t with us on this one Halibel?”

 

Halibel shook his head. “Fraid not Devon, Boss-Su has him taking care of other things. Just going to be us Melina, and the boss.”

 

Devon shrugged. “Fine by me then.”

 

The shadowy man let out a small chukle. “From what I heard, King put Melina on guard duty for White Queen. Melina’s going to be pretty annoyed missing the ‘fun’ we’ll be having.”

 

“That’s why you’ll be joining her Korin.” A sharp voice cut through the noise.

 

Korin turned towards the door and sighed. “Yes sir, if you say so.”

 

The man in crimson chuckled. “That’s what you get for messing around.~”

He teased as all the attention was directed to the room’s newest arrival.

 

In the room of hardened killers he was certainly the least visually imposing. A young man slowly making his way down the nearby stairs, dressed in a black kimono with an orange scarf wrapped around his neck. His skin was a sickly pale color while his black eyes had large dark circles beneath them.

 

His movements were stiff and slow, like he was a walking corpse.

He was the weakest person in this room, but by far the most dangerous.

 

That is why he led this band.

 

The man with the orange scarf sat himself at the head of the table and surveyed the others seated at it.

 

He was the Black King, the Purge King, Subaru Natsuki.

 

“Black King, glad you could join us. And are you REALLY putting me on guard duty for White Queen? Pretty sure I'd be more useful for you slicing necks.”

 

Subaru shook his head and let out a tired sigh. “Hmm, no, Halibel is enough for that. Devon can handle the frontline fighting, and Azar has his own job to handle.”

 

The man in crimson, Azar, clapped his hands together. “Happy to be of use blowing things up for you Black King.” He said with a wide grin across his face.

 

Korin sighed as he leaned forward on the table. “Fine fine you’re the boss for a reason, though I want some action next time.”

 

Devon rolled his eyes. “You two enjoy this way too much.”

 

Azar laughed and just clapped a few more times. “What? Can’t a man take pride and joy in his work? I just want to be really super useful to our amazing scary boss man.”

 

Halibel chuckled as the three continued their exchange. “So, boss, got a plan for this show you’re putting on?”

 

Subaru let out a deep sigh as he fiddled with his scarf and thought about things, he pulled out a coin and ran it through his fingers, staring at it.

 

He then flipped the coin once and saw it land on heads. “Hmm alright then. We are going to be trying to do a few things at once here. Our secondary objective is sending a message to Lugunica about what happens when they take us on.”

 

Azar grinned widely. “I imagine that’s my job.”

 

Subaru nodded. “Do what you do best, some collateral is fine as it hammers in the point. But focus on the upper class area, government property, and any and all knights within the city. You’re also functioning as a distraction for our primary objective so make a lot of noise and make a big show.”

 

“Gladly.~” The blonde man replied.

 

Subaru turned to the rest. “The rest of the job is about killing or capturing a few people within this city. Our most critical target is the Baron as well as the primary merchant he deals with. I’ll want both of them alive and the merchant secured first. If we attack the town the Baron is likely to hold up inside his hilltop mansion, since it's effectively a fortress.”

 

“I take it you want me grabbing most of those people boss-Su?” Halibel asked.

 

Subaru nodded his head. “That’s right.”

 

“Will do.”

 

Devon laughed. “Take it I’m taking out the ones you want killed as a message right?”

 

“You’ll be leading our actual forces. You’ll also have some objectives to secure.” Black King looked at his fellows at the table, eyes lingering on each of their faces.

 

He let out another sigh. “Now as for the specifics…”

 

***

 

Which is the plan that led to Subaru racing through the city streets. 

“Ugh I have to remember that Azar can take things way too far.”

He muttered to himself as he looked around.

 

A good quarter of the town was already on fire, the flames rising high into the night sky.

Screams, panic, confusion, and terror had gripped the entire town who now all knew that the Purge King’s wrath had been incurred.

 

He was hurrying towards the Baron’s mansion, already things had gotten a bit out of hand, the enemy more ferocious than he expected.

 

Nothing that couldn’t be handled but it required letting Azar and the others off their leash more than he would normally allow, which is what led to his current predicament, racing to intercept one of his targets. 

 

Passing over corpses, burnt or otherwise, and racing past fleeing and frightened townsfolk, he eventually found his target.

 

Three dragon carriages, one of them being immaculately decorated, all of them racing out of the city headless of who they trampled on their way out.

 

The Purge King smirked.

They make this too easy .

 

Six shadowy unseen hands manifested from his body, one racing forward at high speeds to grab onto the main dragon carriage.

 

Subaru was suddenly rocketed forward, pulled forward by his own unseen hands.

This is a stupid fucking plan, but worse case scenario, I die.

 

As he was rocketed forward, a knight hanging off one of the carriages noticed him.

 

The knight wasted no time in firing an El Fura right at him, only to find it blocked by an invisible force, Subaru’s other unseen hands.

 

Subaru allowed himself to be pulled right to the main carriage that was his target. “Shamak!”

 

Black shadows erupted forth and coated all three dragon carriages, plunging everyone into the darkness of shamak.

 

Subaru clung to the back of the carriage, knowing he had only seconds to enact his next move.

 

“Minya!” an array of violet crystals formed above his head and fired outward into the darkness.

 

He hoped he timed it right.

 

And as the cloud of Shamak cleared, he found that he did just that, with one of the dragon carriages half crystalized and annihilated.

 

“El Shiha!”

 

The Purge King found himself shrouded and surrounded in water, trapped by the spell of another knight who was riding in the second carriage. Other people atop that carriage were ready to get close and do combat with him.

 

Quickly his unseen hands got to work, while two gripped the carriage tightly, the other four shot out to engage the knights.

 

One knight was punched across the face and sent crashing and tumbling to the ground.

 

A few others fell back into guarded stances, defending themselves from an invisible threat.

 

One hand grabbed the unfortunate driver of the dragon carriage by the head and dragged him forward, sending him tumbling down to be crushed by his own wagon and left a gory mess on the ground.

 

“Sol!”

 

He let out a mental cry, a redheaded young girl manifesting atop the carriage he was clinging to while he was imprisoned by water.

 

“El Goa!” The young fire spirit conjured forth a large sphere of flame and sent it hurling at the other carriage.

 

The ground dragon roared as the carriage behind it burned, breaking itself free of its binds; it fled as the other occupants were forced to either pursue on foot, or be burned within the carriage.

 

Subaru was freed from the water prison and pulled himself atop the carriage.

 

“Thanks.” Black King muttered.

 

The young fire spirit giggled. “Of course! Child’s play for me.” The excitable spirit crossed her arms.

 

Her eyes went wide and Subaru narrowly dodged his head being chopped off by a knight who climbed atop the carriage. Mana flowed around the knight’s body as he readied himself for combat.

 

“Criminal filth like you will go no further!” he shouted, his voice full of fury and indignation.

 

“Sol’s contractor is great! It's everyone else who is filth!” The fire spirit declared as he readied her own flames firing a spell at the knight who quickly severed it in two.

 

The knight moved to attack the Black King, but the crime lord acted quickly. One of his unseen hands seized the knight’s sword arm before the rest seized his other limbs.

 

The knight found himself unceremoniously thrown from the dragon carriage and into a nearby burning building.

 

The unseen hands then ripped open the inside of the carriage.

 

Two more armed guards were inside, as well as a petrified nobleman. 

 

One of the guards lunged at Subaru with his sword but the unseen hands quickly sized him and repeatedly punched his skull into unconsciousness.

 

Subaru dodged the other man’s blow and tapped him in the side.

 

The man let out a painful cry as a black brand appeared upon his body and began to burn, the guard screaming in agony before he was pushed off the dragon carriage as well by a kick from Sol’s heel.

 

Sol smirked with a look of self satisfied triumph.

 

Subaru turned to Sol. “Sol, go help Luna and tell Azar to control his fucking flames. It's already spread further than I wanted it to. After that I want you and him to make sure the Baron's mansion is locked down.”

 

“Yes sir contractor sir!” Sol cheered and took off.

 

Subaru then leapt down into the carriage and pinned the terrified nobleman against his own seat.

 

“Hello, Nicholas Brevory correct? I’m Black King, also known as the Purge King.” Subaru asked coldly.

 

The man trembled in place as the Black King kept him pinned. The man looked as if he was staring at death himself.

In many respects he was.

 

“It… it’s my brother who you want! The Baron right? Yes yes he… he was being a fool. He should never have tried to double cross you Purge King sir!” The man spoke in a frantic tone.

 

Subaru shook his head. “He shouldn’t have. But you were also a part of that, passing messages along to the Lugunican government for your brother. You should have come to me. I specifically trusted YOU to be my go between. You could have told me what your brother was up to. But now we're here.”

The scary eyed boy explained as he calmly sat in the seat across from the noble.

 

“Ye-yes but I was too scared! Petrified! Even if it was my own brother he would have me killed for double-crossing him like that!”

 

Subaru nodded his head slowly. “I see, I see. Well… that was still stupid of you. So the question is… what do we do now?”

 

Subaru pulled out his coin.

 

“S-sir?” The man continued to tremble. 

 

Subaru flipped the coin, watching it as it spun in the air before landing in his palm. “Tails.”

 

Subaru then pulled out a knife from his belt.

 

“Ah no! Sir! Wait! Please! I can.. gaughk!”

 

Subaru jammed the knife into the man's neck, trembling as he held it there, pulling it out when life left the nobleman's eyes.

 

Subaru leaned back in the seat and sighed, staring at the corpse for a few seconds.

 

He then pulled himself up and out of the dragon carriage, only to find an unpleasant sight waiting for him.

 

An entire mob of soldiers, led by several knights stood just a few buildings down from him.

 

Subaru grumbled and rolled his eyes.

Of fucking course my luck never changes.

 

Subaru quickly turned around, and began to run as fast as he could.

 

“After him!”

“Arrest him!”

“Kill him!”

 

A chorus of anger and hatred erupted behind him.

 

He was used to hatred by now.

 

The boy ran as fast as his legs could carry him, his unseen hands throwing debris and burning rubble in the way to try and get some distance.

 

I could recall Sol and Luna. I'd just need to buy time until one of them got here. Then I could…

A giant wave of ice and snow swept over the area behind him, the pursuing knights and soldiers were frozen solid, now just statues of ice.

 

Subaru stopped and turned around as he saw a figure approach him, stepping between the frozen figures and moving across the ice covered ground.

 

She was a figure of beauty to him. 

Hair of beautiful silver.

Amethyst eyes like gem-stones.

Fair skin that seems as delicate as porcelain. 

A pristine dress, as white as the snow surrounding her.

 

Subaru stared at her as she approached. Normally he would let himself be entranced by her beauty, by her purity.

But he was in the field still, so there was no time for personal indulgences.

 

He let out the deepest of sighs. “Emilia…”

 

“Ah Subaru! Subaru!” She rushed up to him and gave him a hug, pressing herself against him with a wide smile on her face. “You big meanie! You left me behind!”

 

He stepped away and stared coldly at her. “You shouldn’t be here right now. You were told to wait back at the manor.”

 

She huffed. “Well I figured there were problems after some men broke in. So I came to see you in case you needed help silly.”

 

Subaru groaned and shook his head. “That’s not the point. This isn’t the sort of fight you should be a part of.”

 

“Well I’m here now, besides the safest place is to be with you right? You told me that I should always stick with you.” She pointed and poked right at his chest.

 

Korin appeared from a nearby shadow. “Ah there you are White Queen, we were looking everywhere for you.”

He bowed respectfully towards her.

 

Another young woman, with dark red hair, crimson eyes and a lithe body, ran up to the half-elf, darting past the frozen people. As she did she knocked one knight’s statue over, causing it to shatter.

 

“Woops.” She muttered as she came to a halt in front of Black King and White Queen.

She bowed her head as well. “Ah I’m here! I’m here!” 

 

Subaru looked between the two of them and glared coldly at them both. “What happened, you two were supposed to be guarding her.”

 

“And we did!” Melina whined. “When those guys broke into the manor we killed them all! The entire mansion is a MESS of body parts now after we got done decorating, severed limbs, lots of blood and guts everywhere.” She smirked. “Feels like home.”

 

Subaru shifted his gaze to Korin, hoping for a more sane answer. Korin shrugged. “White Queen slipped out while we were clearing out guests. We figured she would come looking for you, so we just went wherever the party was. I figured you’d be where the biggest mess was.” He spoke unapologetically but at least gave an answer to his question.

 

Subaru rolled his eyes. “Well you aren’t wrong about that.”

He let out a deep breath.

He turned back to face her. “Find somewhere safe to hide and stay with Korin and Melina till this is all over.”

 

Emilia looked around. “But everything’s on fire already. So… let me help!” She clasped her hands together and smiled. “Please please please!” She gave him the most adorable puppy dog eyes she could imagine.

 

Korin and Melina stood off to the side. Korin leaned in and whispered to his fellow assassin. “Ten silver coins says he caves.”

 

“Hmm you’re on.” Melina smirked.

 

Subaru stared into her eyes and then let out a deep sigh. “Fine, but you stay close to me. And if I say it's too dangerous you leave. Got that?”

 

“Yay! Thank you! thank you!” She threw her arms around him, giving him a big hug. “You are the best. I promise I'll be useful to you!”

 

Subaru shook his head as he gently stepped away. “I have no doubt.”

 

He looked around the town. “I think we’re almost done here. We cleared out what we need and took care of most of our targets. All that’s left is the baron’s mansion and we can go home.”

 

Korin crossed his arms and stepped besides The Black King. “Are we sure the baron is still there boss?”

 

Subaru stared at the mansion, activating Cor Leonis; he could tell there was still a great concentration of enemies within it, small red lights that marked them as those he would slay. “Most likely. We’ll have to keep him from worming his way out.”

 

Korin smirked. “Me and Melina could go hunting, since you got Azar, Halibel, and Devon tied up elsewhere.”

 

The Black King nodded his head slowly. “Let’s get going then. I want the Baron alive though. I have questions that he can answer.”

 

“Oh oh! Can we cut off his legs at least?~?” Melina asked, rushing up to The Black King’s side and leaning against him.

 

Emilia pouted, half tempted to shove Melina off of him.

 

Subaru shook his head. “He’ll bleed out. Save the cutting and stabbing for later. The rest I don’t care about… but leave his family alive if you can. They can be leveraged.”

 

Korin smirked. “Sounds good to me.”

 

As they made their way towards the mansion, Emilia grabbed Subaru’s arm.

 

He raised an eyebrow towards her. “Yes? Did you need something else?” He asked.

 

“Well, this is like a date for us right?” White Queen tilted her head. “And you’re escorting me so I’m supposed to hold your arm like this right?”

 

Subaru groaned again.

 

He noticed Melina barely restraining a laugh and Korin wearing a smug smirk on his face.

 

He stared back at her, at her warm smile and adoring eyes.

 

There was a time where he would have longed for her, the old her, to look at him like this.

 

But she was no longer that girl.

 

And he was no longer that boy.

 

But even still, that smile was a weakness he could not overcome. It was a smile that he swore to protect.

 

A soft smile, a rare thing for him, crossed his lips. “Well I guess you’re right. Come on Emilia-Tan. Your king has need of you.”

 

She giggled and leaned her head against his shoulder as the two walked through the flaming city.

 

***

In this if
-Subaru lost his name in the battle of Priestella.

-Emilia lost her name AND her memories. She was comatose for a short time before awakening with no memories under mysterious circumstances.

-Various unpleasant events happened that shall be detailed later.

-Subaru went on to form a criminal organization known as Black Pleiades, in order to fulfill various goals. He took on the title “Black King” though he is known as the Purge King.

-He formed a contract with a lesser spirit of fire and a lesser spirit of yin who he named Sol and Luna. They have evolved to the level of "spirit" by now. 

-His operations undermine the four nations and the Witch Cult, though he mostly does not interfere with Vollachia as much.

-While Emilia is mostly kept from active field duty, as White Queen, she has grown more insistent on being deployed alongside Black King. 

-For mysterious reasons, the Dragon Tablets have extended the royal selection by a year. 

-Subaru here has the authorities of Envy (RBD), Sloth, Greed, and Wrath.

-Subaru's coin has a different but similar meaning in this fic, as Subaru's wrath has taken on a different shape and purpose.

Notes:

There is a LOT going on in the background of this fic but consider this the first preview.

I put a bit more methodical thought into this than my other paths so updates to it may be off and on. This path is mainly meant as a test run and preview for a future full fic.

So let me know what you all think of this path?

Some Extra Notes
-For those who follow multiple fics of mine, Azar IS the same OC who created that BBQ at the end of chapter 35 of Starlight Dream.
-Devon is stronger in this path than in Path of Departure. Nerfed him there for reasons but this fic is for his original concept.
-Sol and Luna are the same nature as in Path of Departure, as I mentioned before they'll be recurring, Sol especially since I consider her to be the same spirit as the Pride if fire spirit. Personalities vary wildly between paths due to the different mentalities of the Subarus.

 

EDIT: This path is inspired by Re: Emerge. Almost forgot till I was reminded.

Chapter 27: Update: Possible Paths

Summary:

An update and plans for the next couple of weeks.

Also a look into future paths.

I am going on vacation, but I actually like writing while on vacation, but being away from my PC and stuck on my phone and laptop makes this and Vainglory if the easiest for me to write for so they'll be getting the lion's share of my affection the upcoming two weeks.

As such I would like to share with you some path concepts and previews. Some I will be post more info on than others BUT its because I don't want to spoil the paths wholesale. You'll get the name, what if statement and a few notes from me on each path...

This isn't a vote on what's next or anything, but rather me taking in feedback. Your comments do influence my decisions, its why Forgiveness and Tears got its first update really quickly and why I updated Beast & Slaughter a lot. This is still fundamentally my 'lazy/relax' fic when compared to the rest. 

So tell me what you like and what interests you.

Before we get started, let me lay down the ground rules.

-1: This is not the sum total of my concepts for the myriad paths, some I want to keep close to my chest.

-2: Each preview will have the Path name, the path's initial 'what if' statement, a brief description that may or may not be vague, some notes on the path, and... the weird rating. 

 

 

The weird rating is me 'formalizing' something that I informally keep to myself and is more an approximation than hard categories. Its basically how 'divergent' from Re:Zero canon style the situation in the path is. The inclusion of excessive OCs, oddly specific plot devices, or things that don't fit as neatly into the standard Re:Zero & Re:Forgotten setting drive up the weird rating. For example I view my Revenge & Shadow, Departure, and Forgiveness paths as all 'level 1' because they are fairly orthodox, with Departure perhaps being a 1.5 due to use of OCs but they all 'fit' within Re:zero within my mind and don't overtake the fic. The Beast and Slaughter is closer to level 2, as the way Subaru's authorities manifest is also a bit unusual there, though I integrated it in a way that it's maybe closer to 1.5. Characters acting horrifically out of character will also drive the rating up. For that reason "baseline" Re:Forgotten could be considered level 1, already having some divergence in the concept.
Hope this makes sense to everyone.

Now here is the weird ratings.

-Level 1: Mostly obeys the rules and logic of Re:zero and its character. Nothing too far out there. The 3 'starting' paths Revenge & Shadow, Departure, Forgiveness & Tears, are all mostly here though departure could be considered 1.5 for its heavy use of OCs. 

-Level 2: Things get a bit weirder or the divergences are oddly specific. Rules are bent but not broken. The Beast and Slaughter would be an example of this for the oddly specific sloth manifestation making it possible. As would Malice & Wrath for the very SPECIFIC chain of events required to make it possible. 

-Level 3: Here I start breaking things, create a contrivance that bends and warps rules to make the path work. A random character 'remembering' Subaru where no one else does for example, or starting to exploit the "Re: Zero multiverse." I also would say anything that becomes dominated by OC's would be here. Also here are things that break rules of Re Zero but I can make 'work' potentially, convenient Deus Ex Machinas such as time warps from the future. Here is where things start to feel REALLY fanfiction, I would say. 

-Level 4: Here would be things normally 'impossible' in Re: zero. Stuff like crossovers with other anime, the rules of the world 'broken' in some horrific way that normally would be impossible, like a character more powerful than Reinhard appearing. Any sort of Deus Ex Machina style plot device that dominates the plot and is very 'out of left field' for Re Zero. If Subaru came into contact with an eldritch god for example. Theater related stuff would be here as well. 

 

These are vague estimates of several factors, do not view these as strict guidance for the paths as I present. These are all only concepts for right now. With that in mind.... 

 

 

---

 

Overseer Z appears, dressed in a dark suit as he stands before the screen while holding a pointer. His face is unseen, covered in eldritch shadows. He then points at the screen as it hums to light. 

"Greetings to my audience of sadists, degenerates, and malcontents. I am here to show you a small slideshow preview into the kaleidoscope of possible ways that the world may turn when Subaru Natsuki is forgotten. Please remain quiet till the end of the presentation. As a note the order is simply how I feel it looks best when presented, rather than it being the order of my intentions." 

 

The Path of Pride Reborn
-What if... After being forgotten, Subaru Natsuki became the Archbishop of Pride?
-Weird Level: 1
-Subaru Natsuki is saved by, and ends up joining, the Witch Cult, becoming an even greater monster than in the Pride Route.
-Additional Notes: This route's key themes are madness, pride, and basically being another fun 'Evilbaru' fic for me. Pride Subaru is generally fun to write and this one will be even more unhinged. This is also one I am considering for a full fic in the future. Also this is partly inspired by a Good Joke, specifically its cliffhanger ending. 

 

The Path of Unending Wrath
-What if... After being forgotten, Subaru Natsuki embraced his wrath and sought revenge without limits?
-Weird Level: 1
-Subaru Natsuki escapes, and while still being forgotten, becomes a Purge King with the goal of destroying the Dragon Kingdom, its 5 Candidates, and The Witch Cult.
-Additional Notes: A Wrathbaru with a goal. This is different than Wrath Reforged Subaru who has a few different motivations. This Subaru is out for revenge, and out to see the world burn. Main reason I can't fit this into Malice Manifest & Wrath Reforged is because that Subaru isn't looking to screw over the camps as much as this one is. 

 

The Path of Peaceful Sloth
-What if... After being forgotten, Subaru flees to live a peaceful life.
-Weird Level: 1
-Subaru Natsuki manages to escape and settled down into a peaceful life with someone ordinary but faithful. 
-Additional Notes: Basically Sloth if Subaru with a lot more baggage and truly wanting to live a peaceful and ordinary life. 

 

The Path of Eternal Greed
-What if... Subaru Natsuki embraced eternity, but did not lose sight of himself?
-Weird Level: 1.5
-Endless weeks, endless days, endless hours, endless minutes. Subaru Natsuki shall never break. One can just ride the whirlwind or be swept away. 
-Additional Notes: Oddly enough, a more human Subaru than Greedbaru, but possibly more terrifying as he never breaks. 

 

The Path of Mindless Gluttony
-What if... Subaru Natsuki went to sleep one day, woke up to find much had changed.
-Weird level: 1.5
-Subaru Natsuki is going about his everyday life, but everyone treats him rather strangely, and with a large gap in his memory. 
-Additional Notes: You can probably figure out what is going on here.

 

The Path of Luxurious Lust
-What if... After being forgotten, Subaru Natsuki decided to be selfish.
-Weird Level: 1.5-2
-Subaru escapes from being forgotten and flees to Kararagi where he becomes a successful businessman, he also gets a harem. 
-Additional Notes: This is probably one of the more light hearted and comedic paths. 

 

The Path of the Broken Soul
-What if... After being forgotten and remembered, Subaru Natsuki's mind was broken.
-Weird Level: 2
-Subaru Natsuki is remembered and brought home, but his mind is shattered and despite being somewhat docile, the truth is far more dangerous
-Additional Notes: Inspired by A Good Joke

 

The Path of Pain and Power
-What if..- After being forgotten and remembered, Subaru Natsuki awoke to a terrible power
-Weird Level: 2
-Subaru Natsuki is brought home, but his authorties have mutated in a rather hostile fashion
-Additional Notes: Inspired by "the Other Hand of Sloth"

 

The Path of the Reincarnated Star
-What if... Subaru Natsuki was reborn again in a world that still does not remember him?
-Weird Level: 2.5-3
-Subaru is given a second chance through the teamwork of Satella and Echidna
-Additional Notes: Inspired by a fic i can't recall where Subaru was given a chance to 'respawn' in Lugunica, but with a new body. 

 

The Path of Blood & Lust
-What if... Subaru Natsuki escaped and became partners with a certain Sin Archbishop
-Weird Level: 1.5
-Subaru ends up in the clutches of a certain lovely lady, and the two end up being the worst thing to happen to everyone else.
-Additional Notes: Subaru X Capella tag

 

The Path of the Sinful Archbishop
-What if... A forgotten sage embraced the path of darkness and sin
-Weird Level: 3
-This fic takes place about two decades after the royal selection concludes, a renewed Witch Cult plagues the four nations.
-Additional Notes: Heavy use of OCs. 

 

The Path of Absolute Ruin
-What if... Subaru Natsuki died, and the worst possible chain of events occured
-Weird Level: 2 (by default since Subaru permadying automatically breaks canon in my mind)
-The world after Subaru Natsuki's death, where everything goes about as wrong as possible
-Additional Notes: Picture the first part of my first chapter of Shattered Rebirth, now imagine that WITHOUT me having to care about building an actual story off the bones of what was left. 

 

The Path of Return
-What if... The sage returned home
-Weird Level: 2.5
-Subaru Natsuki thought he would simply return by death again, but he wakes up in an alleyway in Japan
-Additional Notes: An obvious idea, but one I didn't think of, this comes from a comment on this fic.

 

The Path of the Witch's Revenge
-What if... The Witch sought revenge for her broken beloved
-Weird Level: 2.5
-Working off the assumption that if she stops putting effort into holding Envy back, that Satella can probably do some real creative damage to the world still.
-Additional Notes: This is a Subaru X Satella path, this also could be considered most similar to revenge & shadow, except its Satella in the driver's seat. 

 

The Path of Clowns and Wisdom
-What if... A certain clown realized something was amiss
-Weird Level: 1
-Roswaal bails Subaru out of prison, realizing he is the missing piece. Subaru Natuski has to consider his moves, wondering if the clown is friend or foe in this situation. 
-Additional Notes: Honestly. If Re:Forgotten did happen I think this is the most likely way Subaru gets out.

 

The Path of the Greedy Witch
-What if... A certain greedy witch saved a forgotten star
-Weird Level: 2
-Omega/Echidna bails Subaru out, after being asked to help by Satella. This follows their adventures after that.
-Additional Notes: not sure where this one will go but I do want an Echidna saves Subaru path. This is an Echidna X Subaru path. 

 

The Path of Memories and Revival
-What if... After Subaru Natsuki died, a painful path to his return was presented
-Weird Level: 3
-A consequences style fic. After Subaru permadies and things go badly, the cast are given a chance to revive him, but it requires going to the tower and reading his books of the dead.
-Additional Notes: This is an idea I got from someone in the comments. 

 

The Path of Darkest Revenge
-What if... in a twisted world, Subaru Natsuki embraces the path of absolute revenge, and is empowered for it. 
-Weird Level: 3.5
-The world is dark, twisted, cold, and cruel. Subaru decides to become crueler still
-Additional Notes: This is basically an edgy parody path that turns this into something in the style of those revenge focused stories. EVERYONE will be their worst possible selves, hence the high weird rating. Also OP Subaru tag.

 

The Path of the Sword Saint and Golden Lion
-What if... The sword saint saved a forgotten star?
-Weird level: 1
-Reinhard decides to, at Felt's prompting, trust his instincts and saved Subaru from prison.
-Additional Notes: Also a likely way Subaru would get out of prison in a more sensible Re:Forgotten scenario. 

 

The Path of the Blue Wind
-What if... A crippled duchess saw the truth in a boy's words
-Weird level: 1
-Crusch is actually well enough to be present for Subaru's trial and ends up taking him under her custody. Felix's treatment of Subaru becomes radically different. 
-Additional Notes: The least likely of the "camp" paths for me. This is Subaru X Crusch though.

 

The Path of the Spirit Knight & Merchant
-What if... A knight could tolerate the mistreatment of a boy no longer
-Weird Level: 1
-Julius busts Subaru out with Anastasia seeking to use Subaru's knowledge
-Additional Notes: Anastasia x Subaru

 

The Path of the Sun Princess
-What if...The Sun Princess claims ownership over the forgotten Star?
-Weird Level: 1
-Priscilla has the archbishop transferred to her custody, not believing him to be such. 
-Additional Notes: Priscilla x Subaru

 

The Path of Divine Lightning
-What if... a Forgotten Star found his way to Vollachia
-Weird Level: 1
-Subaru Natsuki enters Vollachia and ends up involved in its civil war.
-Additional Notes: Might end up being a Subaru × Priscilla path. 

 

The Path Time's Reversal
-What if... After a star died, time itself was reversed. 
-Weird Level: 3
-Subaru Natsuki has died and everyone's life is shit. A chance encounter with an odd power resets the timeline back to before Priestella, everyone but Subaru remembering.
-Additional Notes: Slightly based off "Madness of the Forgotten" but without the yandere aspect exactly. 

 

The Path of Diminished Pain
-What if... The star didn't suffer too much...
-Weird Level: 1.5
-The typical re:forgotten scenario starts, but Subaru gets remembered after a month so he isn't in that rough a shape. Everyone else is not taking it so well.
-Additional Notes: An idea given by a comment.

 

The Path of Witches and Stars
-What if... The Witches of Sin saved the Sage
-Weird Level: 2
-Satella convinces Omega & the Witches to help save Subaru. Subaru Natsuki must now save the world with his only allies being the spirits of the seven witches of deadly sin
-Additional Notes: I do have a longer term fic idea based off this concept, if it does become a full concept it will not be Re: Forgotten. Satella/Subaru and maybe Echidna/Subaru

 

The Path of the Daughters of Disaster and Sin
-What if... a Forgotten Star was saved from Imprisonment by several girls.
-Weird Level: 3
-During his Imprisonment, Subaru is saved by seven mysterious girls who rampage through the city in order to free him.
-Additional Notes: Heavy OC use.

Chapter 28: Path of The Daughters of Disaster: Part 1

Summary:

What if...
A forgotten star was saved by his cursed daughters who should not yet be?

Notes:

Rather than going right into an extra, this can be considered 'part 1' the chapter was simply getting too long and I want to keep these Myriad Path chapters short

So I cut off the chapter after a certain point and will post the rest later. Consider this the "first half" of the core chapter.

Within a cell in the deepest levels of the Prison Tower of Lugunica, sat a boy who was known as the Archbishop of Pride.

He was a wretched thing to behold, chained to the walls of the prison with his clothes tattered and torn. Beneath those clothes his body was a mess of bruises, cuts, and a myriad of other scars. His limbs were mangled by a twisted darkness, the curse of the dragon blood which he was forced to take from the Duchess Crusch Karsten by the healer Felix Argyle.

Of course, he was not the Archbishop of Pride, he was Subaru Natsuki, formerly the knight of the half-elf Emilia.

But he was none of those things now, everything that he loved had been stripped from him.

He had stopped counting the days, but he knew that he had looped several times within this wretched cell. Sometimes dying due to the carelessness of his torturers, sometimes dying by execution.

But in the end it didn’t matter, the days blended together, the pain blended together.

He felt that he was slowly losing track of who he was, slowly beginning to let slip away what made him himself.

And he felt that something else would be born, when Subaru Natsuki stopped being Subaru Natsuki.

 

His only solace was in sleep, he no longer dreamed normally. Instead he dreamed of darkness and shadows. He dreamed of a cold yet loving embrace that held him. He felt comfort in being gripped by a person that would not yet let him go.

Yet the past few days the dream had been different.

He could not see them.

He could not hear them.

But he felt that others were there with him and the one who did not abandon him.

But he did not question it, he could not question it while within that place.

And what was most unusual, was that the mantra of love and apologies that usually filled his ears within that shadowy dream, was ended differently than usual.

“Rest well my love, tomorrow they will save you.”

 

And Subaru Natsuki awoke, his eyes slowly fluttering awake as he was greeted by the wretched darkness of his cell.

“What… did Satella mean?”

 

But he would soon receive his answer. 

 

***

 

A young girl, fifteen years of age, stared at the royal capital of Lugunica from a distance. She had dark eyes that most would find unsettling, as well as flowing long black hair.

Those same eyes that many people would find unsettling, eyes given to her by her father and adored by her mother, were filled with determination.

“Mother, Father, sisters, please… give me your strength.”

She muttered to herself, and slowly proceeded towards the capital.

Her foe awaited her, and she would not be late. 

 

***

 

Reinhard was returning from a mission taken on behalf of the Wiseman Council, one of many missions he had been given in the aftermath of the Witch Cult’s attack on Priestella. Even with the Archbishops of Sloth and Greed dead, and the Archbishops of Wrath and Pride captured, there was still much to do.

 

The Archbishop of Pride, the Sword Saint had reservations about the man, how he desperately pleaded his innocence. Reinhard could not confirm it, even with all of his blessings, he seemed innocent in some ways but also utterly insane in others.

With ties to the Witch of Envy that could be confirmed.

In the end, he deferred to the judgment of his friends and superiors on the matter, even if he was left somewhat unsettled by the experience. Though his liege told him to simply try and relax, to forget about the whole affair. 

So he did just that, focusing on his missions for the kingdom and his service to his lady. He was glad that he would be seeing her soon. There was a meeting of the camps within the royal capital, called together by the Council of Wisemen to address the current goings-on in the kingdom. He looked forward to seeing everyone together again, under better circumstances than Priestella. He even heard that Felix had managed to greatly improve Crusch’s condition, understanding it had something to do with the Archbishop of Pride. 

These were the thoughts that drifted through his mind as he approached the front gates of the capital city while the sun set in the sky. 

“Mister, are you the sword saint by any chance?”

 

His attention was grabbed by a voice calling out to him from behind.

 

Turning around, he was greeted by the sight of a pale girl, a few years younger than himself, clad in a long black overcoat with an orange trim down the center and around the collar, he guessed that she was around fifteen years old.

Her build was rather lithe, going well with her long black hair and her somewhat intimidating dark eyes. 

 

A girl greeting him as such would not merit much of his attention. But his divine protections immediately triggered, indicating that danger was imminent.

And far more troubling was the fact that the girl was radiating an obscene amount of miasma, far more than he saw the Archbishop of Greed possess.

 

Reinhard’s blade instantly went to his sword. “Who are…”

 

Before he could finish the sentence he found himself in the sky, his divine protections telling him that he was currently miles above the royal capital, and in freefall.

 

“Sorry Mr. Sword Saint, but I need to play with you while my sisters handle some business in the city.”

A voice called out from behind him.

 

Above the skies of the Lugunica Royal Capital, a battle began against two impossible existences. 

 

***

 

A few minutes before, two girls were seated at a cafe table in the middle of the royal capital. 

 

One was a strong-looking girl wearing white military-style uniform, a matching cloak, and most distinctly she wore an orange scarf. She was tall with short unkempt black hair and striking eyes of amethyst. She was leaned back in her chair with a restless look upon her face as she tapped her foot against the ground.

 

The other girl was a lazy-looking girl, wearing a hooded cloak and a black kimono. Her skin was far paler than her counterpart’s, with matching amethyst eyes and her black hair in a bob cut.

 

One could easily tell that they were sisters, though the hoods that hid their matching pointed ears disguised their elvish heritage. 

 

“Agh! How long till we get the signal?” The aggressive girl groaned as she rocked back and forth in her chair.

 

The sullen-looking girl lifted herself up from the table to look right back at her sister. “Relax Electra, you know how Maia and Taygete get about their plans. Probably just making sure that everything ya know… goes smoothly?”

 

“Ugh do you have to be so relaxed about EVERYTHING Alcyone?” Electra rolled her eyes.

 

“Do you have to be like a mad dog all the time?” Alcyone replied.

 

Both knew the answer to those questions were yes, it was the nature they both were born with.

 

“Is Celaeno giving the signal right?” Electra asked.

 

“Yup. She’s probably going to do something big, she cooked up something with Maia and wanted to keep it a surprise. Probably something way too flashy.” 

 

“Sounds like them.” Electra sighed and let her gaze drift over the city streets. “You know, I really wish I could just burn this all to the ground, like right now.”

 

“That would sort of defeat the point, you know, a lot of wasted effort if you did that.” Alcyone’s voice retained its dry and sullen tone.

 

“Yeah yeah, just being out here, like this… bugs me. Never liked being in this city, way too many people, it makes my skin crawl.” Electra grumbled.

 

“We can all relate, even Taygete, and she likes being around normal people.” Alcyone remarked.

 

“Still, if we’re on distraction detail… then I think at least some property damage is in order.” Electra grinned.

 

Alcyone groaned. “You do you, sounds like a pain to me.”

 

“Well as long as Merope, Maia, and Asterope don’t screw up we should be fine.” Electra shrugged.

 

“You aren’t worried about Merope? She’s taking on the sword saint.” Alcyone asked.

 

Electra shook her head. “Little sis can handle herself, even the sword saint can’t put her down.”

 

“I guess you’re right.” Alcyone let out a deep sigh. “As long as you, me, Taygete, and Celaeno make a big enough mess, everyone else can do their job.”

 

Electra flashed a grin. “Making a mess is my speciality.”

 

“I know it is.” Alycone groaned.

 

The conversation between the two sisters was cut off by the sound of people screaming, the attention of the people all brought skyward.

 

Both the sisters stared upward. 

 

“... Huh… what a pain.” Alcyone mumbled.

 

“Ha! What the hell sis! Talk about a classic!” Electra shouted.

 

Descending from the clouds of the twilight sky, was a large host of flying mabeasts. Winged-mice, large flying serpents, winged-monkeys, and gargoyles.

But that was not what brought forth panic amongst the populace.

That drew the attention of everyone within the capital was the gigantic flying white whale, descending behind the swarm of mabeasts.

 

“OOOWWWWOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUHHHHHHH”

 

As the white whale let out its cry, the royal capital of Lugunica erupted into a cacophony of screams.

***

 

From a tower in the noble district of the city, a girl watched the descent of the supposed White Whale with a soft smile upon her face.

Of course that smile was a mask that hid the girl’s frustration for her sister’s antics.

 

“Really now? This is the signal you chose Celaeno? I suppose Maia put you up to this.” The girl sighed.

 

She was a prim and proper-looking girl, wearing a black uniform that one would find suitable upon a person of nobility. Though perhaps it would be better suited to a man than a woman, but she made it work quite well for herself.

 

She was a girl with tired but focused dark eyes and neatly kept and combed white hair. She was not out in the open currently, and so saw no need to hide the ears that displayed her elvish heritage.

 

“Well then, it’s time for my part.” She mused to herself.

 

The plan, for the most part, was of her creation. Of all her sisters she had the best mind for manipulation.

Weaving complex schemes was a hobby she shared with Maia, though both had different approaches.

Taygete preferred her own approach, being methodical, precise, exacting about everything. More than any of her sisters, she was a schemer. 

 

The girl let out a deep sigh, she normally did not let herself get emotional often, but she knew this was a plan she could not afford to mess up.

 

She clapped her hands together. In the shadows around her, many figures stirred to life, and she felt the stirring of countless more around the city.

“Everything must go perfectly.”

She muttered to herself.

“Cause mayhem in the city, distract the royal guard and any other forces within the city and draw their attention to yourselves. Do not engage with lethal force, even if you risk destruction. Now go.”

 

Her command was adhered to not only by the figures within her tower, but also by the dozens of others throughout the city. 

 

From the shadows, a mixture of metal automata, seemingly reanimated corpses, and elemental constructs emerged and rushed past her out of the tower. A few remained by her side as she continued to stare over the city.

“Sisters, I wish you luck.”

 

***

 

Celaeno loved to fly, and she felt like she needed to send a rather powerful message to the Kingdom of Lugunica, for daring to hurt one that they should not have.

She also needed to create a rather big distraction to pull off their plan.

 

So she figured she’d kill several birds with one stone and decided to use the White Whale.

It would have been easier if the Whale was still alive, she would have just taken control of it then. But the only one of the Three Great Mabeasts that was accessible at the moment was the Black Serpent, and that thing would cause way too much collateral for what they were trying to do.

So she had to use the Whale through a different and far more personal method.

But that was fine by her, it was a unique experience. 

Even from here she could see the people moving about the city. The whale’s eyes were surprisingly keen. It was able to accurately and precisely see individuals even from high up in the sky. 

How could she know this? Because since she couldn’t tame the Whale with it being dead, she instead assumed its form and power. She figured it was probably better for the plan overall, and far more fun.

She could see the people around the city moving, most of the civilian population panicking. Even many of the guards within the city saw fit to turn tail and flee.

She could see Taygete’s dolls already beginning to run amok. A myriad of constructs made from the elements, made from metal, made from flesh, all beginning to make a mess around the city, with many charging towards the royal palace or noble estates.

The mabeasts around her were still slaved to her will and formed a protective screen around herself as the Whale continued its slow but threatening descent towards the city.

She wouldn’t be able to ‘do’ much with it, not without killing a load of people. She already prepared the fog of elimination, but nerfed and modified it as much as she could.

 

“Ugh, well these idiots should have SOME sort of response for me by that point and I can engage myself.”

The girl figured.

 

The gaze of the whale then shifted towards the prison tower, it was their ultimate primary goal in the end. 

Another reason she chose to use the White Whale was that it could serve as an excellent transport when the time came.

She could already see people gathering, ready to fight her, ready to challenge the beast that was slain.

Already the Dragon Candidates had rushed forth from their meeting in the palace to witness the carnage beginning to engulf the city. 

Celaeno was excited. 

She was eager to really get started, hungry for the battle ahead.

The mission’s success was the most important thing.

But the girl was determined to have fun with it.

 

If she could smile as the White Whale she would gladly do so right now.

Actually, she would try it anyway!

Forcing the Whale’s expression into what could be as close to a smile as possible, she then had the whale dive towards the capital, rapidly descending along with its swarm of mabeasts. 

“Come on everyone! Let’s have some fun!”

 

***

 

Two girls strode towards the Castle Layer of the city. 

 

It housed many things that interested the two girls. It had the royal castle, currently hosting many people that they loathed.

 

It housed the knight’s barracks, which the two girls also loathed.

 

And it housed the Prison Tower, the primary objective that the two shared.

 

The two girls would certainly stand out as they were right now, but everyone else had bigger issues to deal with.

 

Specifically the giant whale in the sky that appeared thanks to their sister. 

 

The taller of the two was a young woman with long silver hair and heterochromatic eyes, one was a deep amethyst color, and the other was black. She had a slender and statuesque figure with a pristine complexion along with sharp features. One would think that she was a full elf, rather than just being a quarter-elf.

Draped in black robes lined with white and gold she confidently strode towards the entrance of the Castle Layer of the royal capital.

 

Besides her was a lithe and slightly shorter girl with amethyst eyes and shoulder-length dark brown hair that flowed freely. While her companion’s movements were proud, every step commanding respect, her own movements were casual and light, almost relaxed. 

Like her counterpart she was dressed in a rather refined fashion, but also more risque. Her dress was sleeveless and rather short, ending in a skirt that went halfway to her knees and a series of knives were strapped to a belt around her waist.

 

“So Sister Maia, looks like everyone else is having fun.” the lithe girl remarked with a playful grin.

 

“Indeed, though we should be having our own fun in just a few moments Asterope.” The proud girl replied with a confident grin on her face. “I’m looking forward to it, it's our grand debut after all.” She flourished her arm as she spoke.

 

Asterope giggled, “It's always a show with you isn’t it, huh sister?”

 

“Of course, our father always taught us that impressions matter, don’t they?” Maia replied with a smile as they drew near the entrance of the Castle Layer.

 

It would be only moments before the guards realized that they were there.

 

“So you’ll be basically fighting the entire castle then?” Asterope asked Maia.

 

“Of course I can at least handle that much. I can’t let little Merope totally outshine me by fighting the sword saint, or Celaeno with… well that.” She pointed up at the Whale that passed over their heads, charging towards the palace.

 

Asterope waved. “Go get em Cela! Have fun!” she cheered.

 

It was at this point that several knights noticed them and began to approach.

 

“Well, you ready sister?” Asterope drew two of her knives.

 

“Of course, I’m always ready.” Maia replied.

 

Maia clapped her hands together, and Asterope instantly felt the air charge thickly with Maia’s miasma. 

 

The two faced their oncoming enemies, both wearing smiles born of absolute confidence in themselves. 

 

“Now let us begin.” Maia declared.

 

“Halt!” one knight shouted and pointed a blade at the pair of girls. “You are trespassing upon restricted grounds. Considering that you both bear arms and that you have arrived at a time of crisis, you shall surrender to us for interrogation!”

 

Asterope shook her head and giggled. “Nope! We aren’t going to do that!”

 

Maia let out a haughty chuckle. “You can try your best.”

 

She began to step forward, confidently making her way towards the knights.

 

She brushed back her hair to show her pointed ears. It was quite clear to them all, she was a silver haired elvish woman, with features reminiscent of the witch.

Her presence here and now was not one they would take likely. 

“Come on, try me.” 

 

One knight raised his hand. “El Huma!” he shouted, sending out a blast of freezing cold towards Maia.

 

She raised her hand, the blast colliding with her palm and doing nothing.

Her smirk widened. “Is that all?”

 

Another knight charged, taking no chances he moved to cut down the suspected witch cultist.

He swung his blade, aiming downward at her and yet despite her not moving, he found himself missing and veering the arc of his swing off course.

“I guess it is.” Maia mused and delivered a backhanded slap to the knight that sent him flying into the nearby wall.

 

The knights readied themselves, Maia already proving herself to be a troublesome opponent. 

 

“Sis, let's not waste time on these small fry.” Asterope groaned and twirled her blades.

 

Maia shook her head. “I suppose you are correct. If you would have the honors then dear sister.”

 

Asterope stepped forward in front of Maia and breathed out of her mouth.

But rather than invisible air, a green mist poured forth from her mouth and filled the air before her, spreading forward towards the knights.

Before they could react, they were totally engulfed by the green cloud, finding themselves unable to move, the half a dozen knights dropped to the ground.

 

“Well that was easy.” Asterope chuckled as she began to walk forward.

 

“Well appetizers come before the main course.” Maia added.

 

The two walked past the fallen knights, paying them no-mind.

 

“Now you’re sounding like Cela you know?” Asterope teased as the two continued towards the prison tower.

 

Maia laughed. “Perhaps, but she knows how to have fun. I have to say her opening act is fantastic.” She looked up at the White Whale in the sky. It wore an unnatural mad grin upon its face as it dove towards the royal castle. 

 

“And I refuse to let anyone, save for our beloved parents, ever upstage me. If my sister’s overture is this impressive, I shall have to make sure the climax that I deliver is even more dazzling!” She declared, posing dramatically as she gripped at the air.

 

“Well you do that, now let’s go. We’re probably going to have some ‘fun’ people showing up soon. There are probably going to be some familiar faces even.” Asterope remarked as she continued towards the tower.

 

“Indeed, they shall all learn exactly what it means to cross our family.” Maia said.

Her words a promise, one shared by all seven of the sisters.
That the world would know its sin and pay for it.

 

This was the start of the night where the world would come to know of the Daughters of Disaster.

They were the agents of The Witch.

And the salvation of The Sage.

Notes:

I'll have the proper "In this if" section at the end of the part 2.

As a reminder I gave this path a 'weird level 3' so this has some Deus Ex Machina, that will probably become apparent in the part 2.

For now, consider this just a taste.

This path 'should' be something I post later as its certainly the weirdest one yet BUT the idea for these girls has been stuck in my head so I just needed to write them. I hope you all enjoy.

As a note, if I had to compare them to the Witches and Archbishops, they are on average more powerful, though I don't think any of them are 'quite' as broken as Regulus or Sekhmet.

Though we are excluding one girl from that list as she is weird, I think you can guess by who based on the 'jobs' each of them are assigned.

 

Also I reorganized the chapter list, so everything is now 'in order' for ease of reading.

Chapter 29: Path of The Daughters of Disaster: Part 2

Summary:

What if...
Seven sinful stars saved the forgotten sage?

Notes:

OK... this ended up being REALLY REALLY long.
I don't expect any other Myriad Path chapter to ever EVER be this long again.

Hope you enjoy

Reinhard’s divine protections began to blaze to life as he felt it.

The myriad of battles beginning in the streets within the city.

This was a full-scale attack upon the Kingdom of Lugunica, and he was stuck in the skies above.

Directing his vision downward, he saw a sight he could hardly believe.

The White Whale was descending upon the city.

But he didn’t have time to deal with that.

The foe before him merited his full attention.

He couldn’t draw the Dragon Sword on this foe, despite their apparent strength, which was rather annoying for him.

Instead, he had to use the sheathed blade.

But even then, he was careful.

His opponent was nothing more than a fifteen-year-old girl.

With her hair now flowing freely in the air, he could see that she had two very distinct elvish ears.

She was also very strong, he could easily sense that much.

The strength surged through her as they began to clash, power on par with Cecilus, Vauge, or Halibel.

She had a sheathed blade at her side, but her current weapon of choice was a black spear.

The two clashed in the air—

The clash of his sheathed Dragon Sword and her spear caused shockwaves to echo through the air like booms of thunder.

Again and again their weapons clashed, but Reinhard found himself making frustratingly little progress.

She twirled her spear around, using it masterfully to stab and sweep at Reinhard.

But his own skills were superior still, and he felt like he should be getting the upper hand—

Except for the fact that he found every decisive strike of his parried or blocked. Perfectly predicted, as if she had seen it coming before he even thought of it.

Sometimes, when he was about to land a perfect strike, the girl would just vanish—

Appearing around him less than a second later for their battle to begin anew.

That was one troubling factor about facing her,  all his moves were being predicted.

The other problem was the seemingly random powers that she wielded in the middle of their battle—

Her miasma surging at a greater and greater intensity.

At one point, Reinhard found himself smacked around and nearly crushed by an echoed force.

At another time, he landed a direct blow upon her, but it did nothing and bounced off of her.

He found his heart randomly stopping for a fraction of a second.

Yet these effects almost seemed random to the Sword Saint, but they were always helpful for the girl.

Though, truth be told, Reinhard did not want the battle to reach the city.

If he were to fight this girl in a decisive fashion, he knew that the collateral damage would be catastrophic were the royal capital to be their battleground.

Yet at the same time, his every attempt to end the battle perfectly eluded him.

 

“Having trouble, Mister Sword Saint?” the girl asked with a playful tone as she continued to deliver thrust after thrust against him.

 

Reinhard shook his head, retaining his confidence even as his concern grew. “I never do.”

 

“Now I know that’s a lie.”

She giggled, as if she was just playing.

“But if that’s the case, let's ramp things up a bit!”

A shadow erupted forth from behind the girl—and for the briefest of seconds, the Sword Saint’s vision went black.

*****

The five dragon candidates had been summoned by the Council of Wisemen to discuss several matters pertaining to the kingdom and the Royal Selection.

All things considered it was mostly for necessary logistics to be handled.

Even Roswaal showed up, requested by the Council of Wisemen.

While the mage had found himself puzzled and rather dejected as of late, he still attended to his duties as Emilia’s sponsor and as the court mage of the kingdom.

What nobody expected was the sudden appearance of the White Whale.

The dragon candidates and the members of their camps quickly rushed outside to see the descending terror.

Even Crusch Karsten was able to hobble over to see what was happening, albeit still requiring the use of a cane to walk.

“It can’t be…” Wilhelm muttered as they saw the White Whale appear with a host of other Mabeasts.

“What the hell! But we killed the thing,” Ricardo spat out the words.

“This is impossible!” Tivey cried.

“How… How is the White Whale back?!” Emilia shouted.

“Is it some sort of illusion?” Otto asked.

“I’m afraaaaaaid not,” Roswaal remarked, casting a concerned look over the city. “And we have moooore issues than just that.”

“What do you mean, Margrave?” Julius asked.

He pointed out into the city. “There are strange creatures, not Mabeasts though, attacking the city.”

Marcos joined the dragon candidates, casting a worried glance over the city and up towards the Whale. “We need to take care of this, now.”

Felt looked around. “Dammit, where is Reinhard?! He should be back by now.”

Heinkel grumbled to himself. “Figures that the useless bastard isn’t around when he’s needed.”

“We need to do something about the Whale first! If it attacks the city then a lot of people will die!” Emilia brought people’s attention back specifically to the giant Whale.

Priscilla let out one of her usual arrogant laughs. “Ohohoh! You are worried about a beast that has already been slain? Whether it has been revived or is an inferior copy, it makes no difference. It was slain once so it can be slain again. This time you have your goddess here to make things easier for you commoners.”

Felt rolled her eyes. “I hate to agree with the bitch, but she’s right. We need to take care of this thing now.”

A knight then ran up to the group and shouted, “There are intruders in the castle layer! Two women who are heading towards the prison tower! They’ve already incapacitated the knights who were standing guard.”

“The Prison Tower?” Felix questioned. “This must be the cult!”

Marcos grumbled. “Dammit, alright then. Julius, Felix, I need you with me to take care of the prison tower. Can the rest of you handle the Whale?”

Anastasia chuckled and nodded her head. “I’d say we got enough hands on deck here.”

Wilhelm nodded his head and drew his blade, looking back at Crusch.

“My lady, if you’ll permit me to engage.”

Crusch nodded her head. “Of course, Wilhelm. You have my complete confidence.” She turned to Felix. “As do you, Ferris.”

Felix nodded her head, signaling for some knights to take Crusch back inside.

Anastasia sighed. “Well I’m no good out here, I’ll go with Crusch and the Council to see if we can coordinate an actual defense.”

“Don’ think y’ got any more time for tha’,” Garfiel shouted as he pointed back up at the sky.

The Whale had abandoned its slow descent, and was now diving in the air towards them, its mouth open wide and curled into some sort of deranged smile.

“Everyone move!” Otto shouted, hurrying inside with the other non-fighters.

“I shall work to take caaaare of the beasts,” Roswaal declared. “I’m certain the rest of youuuu can handle the Whale.”

The mage then began to float into the air and dove towards the city.

There was no further time to plan with the Whale descending upon them.

Wilhelm was the first to act, drawing his blade. “Ricardo! Launch me!” he shouted to the wolf-man.

Ricardo drew his blade and laughed. “You got it!” He brought his blade back and then, using it like a bat, swung it while Wilhelm leapt into the air and kicked off the flat of the blade.

Much like they did during their original fight with the Whale.

Others were quick to follow him in their own ways.

Ezzo, of Felt’s camp, quickly kicked up a spell of wind that would support those who needed to be launched to the Whale. “I’ll be sure to handle all the aerial maneuvering you need,” he spoke with firm confidence.

“Great! That takes care of that then!” Felt smiled.

“Let’s whack ’em!” Mimi shouted.

One after another, using magical means, the group propelled themselves upward to face the White Whale.

Wilhelm was at the head, already on a lethal trajectory towards the White Whale with his blade in hand.

The gaze of the Whale shifted up, staring right at him and those who were following him.

“I took you down once! I will slay you again, you…”

Wilhelm’s war shout was cut off as he found himself forced to block an incoming attack.
“Dynamic! Entry!”
Crashing into his side was a young woman with black hair and amethyst eyes, their blades locked together as Wilhelm was forced to land on a nearby rooftop via a series of wild kicks.

Wilhelm glared at the figure, but she was smiling.

“Who are you! And why are you helping the Whale?” Wilhelm shouted, pointing his blade at the figure.

The girl laughed and shook her head. “The last answer is complicated, but you can call me Electra, the Witch of Wrath.” She flourished her own blade. “And fighting you before you grow too old to be worth a damn, I'd say that’s a good use of my time.”
Wilhelm frowned at the girl, but carefully studied her stance. He could tell she was a practiced swordsman, probably a master.

And he considered her title. “Witch of Wrath? Are you a member of the Witch Cult then?”
His voice was even, but harsh and accusatory.

“Yes and no, though in your mind it's probably a yes. Whatever pisses you off more,” she replied, her smirk widening as she readied her blade. “So come on then! Try and kill me, old man!”

The girl didn’t deny a connection to the Witch Cult, and furthermore acted to protect the Whale.
That was enough for the Sword Demon to label her an enemy that needed to be cut down.

He charged, intent on finishing this quickly with a powerful flurry of blows. But he found his swings parried and blocked, repulsed by masterful and yet aggressive swordsmanship.

Electra pushed forward and unleashed her own barrage of sword swings, each one fast, powerful, and precise.
Her strikes were aggressive and fiery, but also delivered masterfully.
The Sword Demon was an experienced fighter; he knew when he was facing someone who was at his level. This girl was one such person, at the very least.

What followed was a furious exchange of blows between them, steel sparking as their blades collided again and again, both swordmasters pressing the offensive.
Wilhelm’s face was stern yet furious, seeing only a wretched enemy that he had to strike down.
Electra’s face was aggressive yet jubilant, reveling in the clash of swords.

The clash continued, both only able to get the most minor of blows upon each other. A cut appeared along Electra’s cheek, a light slash across Wilhelm’s arm.
For those few seconds, the two were equal, but such balance did not last.

Electra’s assault was relentless and unyielding, her blows only increasing in intensity as the battle raged on.
The Sword Demon found himself inching back further and further, unable to continuously meet her ferocity.
He could find this was not an absence of skill on his part, but rather a weakness of his body. She was simply younger, faster, tougher, and stronger while being about equally as skilled.
And her style, focused on power blow after power blow, battered against the Sword Demon’s defenses.
Wilhelm stumbled back, struggling to throw off a particularly powerful blow.

“I got you!” Electra snarled as she closed in for a finishing blow, her blade aimed at the staggered Sword Demon.

“Get off!” a tiger-boy snarled as he came crashing down atop Electra.
She blocked his impact with her sword and leapt backwards. “Ah! The mad cat came to play, huh? Well, you're fun too,” Electra smirked.

“Don’ know who y’ ar’, bitch. But y’ ain’ goin’ anywhere,” Garfiel spat out the words as he transformed his arms.

Electra readied her blade and prepared to charge in yet again, but found herself cut off by a wall of raised ice.
“Sir Wilhelm!”
Emilia called out as she landed next to him, followed by Beatrice and Ram.
“You can leave this one to us, sir,” Ram added. “You can go take care of that overgrown fish in the sky.”

Wilhelm looked them over quickly, and nodded his head. “You all have my thanks. Good luck.”

Garfiel scooped up the Sword Demon, and then launched him into the sky towards the Whale.

Beatrice stared at the woman. “And who might you be, I suppose?”

Electra stared back at them, looking over the new group arrayed to fight her. “Ha… hahaha! OK, this is great! I really hit the jackpot here, huh? Didn't think I'd get to fight you bastards.” She lifted her blade towards them, a horrific and furious glint in her eyes. “I'm Electra, Witch of Wrath.”

“Wrath?” Emilia questioned, knowing the Archbishop of Wrath was locked in the tower.

“I am disinclined to believe you, I suppose. But your rotten scent tells me otherwise,” Beatrice muttered, readying her Minya crystals.

“What? Oh yeah, guess that crazy bitch is still around. Well then.” Electra readied herself to fight, causing the Emilia camp fighters to ready themselves in turn.
“Don't think I'm like her! Don't think I'm like Minerva! When I'm pissed, everything dies!”

A sickening feeling washed over the group, and they knew they had to act.
Beatrice launched a barrage of Minya crystals. “Be silent, I suppose!”

As they drew close to Electra, the crystals were totally annihilated, engulfed by a raised wall of black and violet flame.

“What? How?” Beatrice was shocked.

Ram launched a barrage of wind blades.
Emilia fired a rain of ice spears.

Garfiel leapt over the wall of unnatural flame and dove right at the witch.

Electra responded with a barrage of ebon fire that annihilated the incoming magic.
She leapt into the air to meet Garfiel's charge. Wreathing herself in black light, she launched at the demi-human.
The two entered a quick exchange of blows. He swiped at her and she slashed at him, cutting deeply into him.
He began to regenerate, but she then delivered a swift kick across his face, followed by an explosion that sent him flying back.

As she landed, Beatrice conjured forth a massive barrage of yin magic crystals. “Ul Minya!”

Emilia conjured forth a huge pillar of ice, intending to crash it down upon the witch. “Al Huma!”

Electra smirked. “Like I told you bitches! Everything dies!”
A pillar of black fire engulfed her body, firing upward and outward as she became engulfed in a storm of destruction.

The ice and the yin magic crystals were totally annihilated by the Witch of Wrath.
The building beneath her began to twist and warp, the sky churning above her head. Reality distorting and warping from her Authority of Absolute Destruction.

Among her siblings, she was not the strongest, but her power was the truest and most pure power of destruction an Authority could provide.

The Authority of Wrath having found its home in its truest disciple in millennia.

 

***

As the battle history between the members of the Emilia wall and the Witch of Wrath, the others sought to dispatch the returned White Whale.

Ricardo was the first to land a blow upon the creature, crashing into its side. “Take this, ya overgrown fish!”

The Whale whipped its body around and let out a loud roar. Suddenly, a torrent of fog erupted forth from its mouth, forcing everyone to dodge as they landed near the whale.

“Damnit, that was close!” Felt shouted.

Priscilla scoffed. “It will take more than that for this beast to extinguish my divine self.”

Al landed nearby and looked at the whale. While he did not betray it outwardly, he was very concerned—especially as he heard Electra’s bold declaration.
He knew witches very well; furthermore, he recognized the name of ‘Electra’ as well.
All these things unsettled him. “Don’t think we can be too cautious, princess.”

Meanwhile, the three Iron Fang triplets proceeded to launch a bombardment of magic towards the White Whale. They could already tell it was not ‘quite’ as durable as the original whale, but they still did not let their guard down.

Wilhelm himself launched into a brutal assault against the White Whale, flinging himself at it and tearing into its side and body with his blade, causing blood to gush forth from it—
Blood that was not bright crimson, but dark, nearly black even.

As he continued to cut and carve at the whale, his instincts flashed to life, telling him that an attack was imminent.

A hole opened up inside the whale as a single figure leapt forth from it to clash with the Sword Demon.
She collided with the Sword Demon like a blur, kicking and striking with her fists at unusual speed.
Wilhelm blocked the strikes with his blade, expecting his sword to find purchase in flesh, but instead hearing the clang of metal.
He landed on a nearby rooftop.

The figure then leapt back, landing atop the adjacent roof as the Whale coasted overhead.

It was a short and fair-skinned elvish-looking girl with short bob-cut white hair that barely extended past her ears. Her eyes were a deep blue color, almost jewel-like in their intensity, with a roundish sort of face. Her attire was rather extravagant. She wore a black set of pants and shirt that looked somewhat like a noble uniform. It had a trim of several colors, buttons, tassels, and the like—almost looking like a costume. Her most striking piece of attire was her cloak-like jacket. Its base color was a sky sort of blue, but it contained a myriad of colorful designs upon itself, shaped and styled intricately. 

“Hey now, don’t you know that it's mean to play with other people’s pets without permission?” Her voice was teasing and playful as she wore a cheerful smile on her face.

Wilhelm frowned. “Pet, you say?” His grip on his blade tensing.

“Mhm mhm.” She nodded her head.

Wilhelm noted that the Whale’s movements slowed in the air.
He tensed, not wanting to give this foe any time to prepare whatever they were considering.
He charged in yet again, the girl not even moving to dodge as he cut her in two.

At least, that was what he tried to do. But as his blade made contact, her body seemed to liquefy into a black substance.
Wilhelm gasped as tendrils of the substance moved to try and envelop him, forcing him backwards.

The blob leapt away through the air and reformed into the girl.

As it did, Ricardo appeared behind her and looked to cleave her in half with his blade, but this time the young woman dodged gracefully and delivered a powerful kick to Ricardo’s side as she spun about, sending him flying backwards.

“Rude! Seriously, I just wanted to play.” She let out a childish laugh as she landed back on the nearby roof.

The Whale thrashed around in the sky, still contending with the Iron Fang triplets as they had to avoid its fog blasts. They were aided by Ezzo, who leveled his own magic against the beast.

Ricardo grumbled. “This girl’s going to be a problem.”

“I can tell.” Wilhelm's voice was harsh and direct.

The girl cleared her throat. “As I was saying! I am Celaeno the…”

Her introduction was cut off by a one-armed knight, who was launched into the air by his own proud mistress.

Celaeno did not even move. The knight was not intercepted by her, but swatted away by an invisible force.

“Gaguk!” Al cried out.

A figure then floated onto the rooftop next to Celaeno—a black kimono-wearing pale girl with black hair and dark amethyst eyes.
“Thanks for the assist, Sis,” Celaeno said to the newcomer.

Al landed near Wilhelm and Ricardo, quickly picking himself up. “Warn me before you do that, princess!” he shouted.

Priscilla landed atop the roof shortly thereafter, followed by Felt.

The Whale then repositioned itself, hovering above and behind Celaeno, ready to support her.

“Cease your yammering, jester,” Priscilla scoffed as she conjured forth the yang sword in a burst of crimson flames. “Now identify yourself, you who dares to bring such an unsightly creature before my divine presence.”

Felt readied her blades. “Yeah! Who do you think you are, bitches?!”

Celaeno giggled and stretched out her arms. “Celaeno, Witch of Gluttony.”

The sullen-looking girl next to her let out a deep sigh. “All these guys? What a pain. I’m Alcyone, Witch of Sloth.”

Wilhelm's gaze sharpened. They knew who Gluttony was, and they had already slain Sloth. The very existence of these girls didn’t make sense, and they all knew it.

Celaeno giggled. “Looks like you are pretty confused! Well, we ain’t explaining anything!” she declared while dramatically pointing at them.

“Then do us a favor, you apparent fakes, and begone from our presence.” Priscilla pointed her blade back at her, ready to strike.

“Heh, they think we’re fake, Sis.” Alcyone commented.

“That’s kind of rude,” Celaeno added. “But still, they look like a fun bunch.”

“YOU would think that, you…” Priscilla launched herself at the sisters before they could continue their conversation.

But she found her slash blocked by an invisible force as she was thrown back.

“So annoying,” Alcyone grumbled.

Al and Felt both rushed in as well, but were similarly repulsed before all three were pummeled by a rain of unseen blows.

The triplets fired a blast of magic straight at Celaeno. The colorful girl dodged backwards, only to be set upon by both Wilhelm and Ricardo.

She morphed her body into a black acidic substance, flowing and morphing around their strikes.
She reformed several steps away from them, pointing her arm at them as it morphed into a rainbow serpent’s head.
“Bombs away!” she shouted with glee.

Wilhelm and Ricardo both quickly dodged. They were smart enough to know what the serpent’s head implied.

A sphere of black substance shot out from the mouth of the serpent, careening through the air before landing on a nearby rooftop, exploding into a cloud of black mist that then quickly dissipated.

The triplets tried to continue their ranged bombardment, but were forced to move when the Whale let loose another torrent of fog towards them.

Celaeno laughed as Wilhelm continued to try and strike her down. “Is this all just a game to you?!” the Sword Demon shouted in accusation.

“A game? No, but this is fun! Really satisfies the appetite, you know?”
She continued to dodge or endure his sword blows. Her other hand morphed into a scorpion’s stinger, with which she parried the blows of Ricardo.
“But we’re only just getting started!” she cheered.

 

The others fared little better against the supposed Witch of Sloth.

Ezzo unleashed a flurry of fire and ice magic against her as Alcyone cocooned herself in an invisible shield of force.

“Al Karem!” she shouted as she conjured forth a sphere of yin magic, firing it at the dwarf mage.

Surprised at being forced to confront such a rare spell, Ezzo marshaled his magical defenses against the gravitational pull.

Alcyone kept track of every one of her hundred hands. She had no choice but to do so—two of these opponents were considered ‘dangerous’ in her mind.

The obvious one was the Sun Princess Priscilla. While she could not see the unseen hands, her Yang Sword found its mark anyway due to her obscene luck, burning through several of Alcyone’s hands.
She could regenerate them, but it took several seconds to do so.
Still, she kept enough of an overwhelming pressure upon her to keep the girl occupied.

Meanwhile, she was keeping Felt at bay as best she could. The blonde girl was speeding across the rooftops to face her even as Alcyone floated and moved away.
Even when punched, pushed, and smashed into the ground, the scrappy girl kept coming.
Alcyone wasn’t worried—she’d have just flattened her or punched a hole through her guts if she had to. But they were going with the non-lethal route this time.
So annoying, caring about people’s lives.

She thought to herself. As Felt drew close, Alcyone adopted a different solution. “El Vita.”
She pointed at Felt.

Suddenly, Felt’s body fell to the ground, smashed into the dirt with incredible force. Not by any invisible hands, but by her own weight as Alcyone magnified the force of gravity upon the girl considerably.

“Enough.”
“Die.”

Two forces rang out from behind her as two maids of the Astrea household, Flam and Grassis, appeared behind her.

The two girls struck at her, attempting to pierce her from behind.
Luckily for Alcyone, she always kept some of her unseen hands in a defensive position around herself. The two girls pierced through the hands, and slightly into the flesh of the slothful witch.
But it was not nearly enough, as Alcyone vanished from their sight for a simple moment.

“Teleportation?”
“How?”

The two were then smacked back as Alcyone glared. “Damnit! So annoying,” she grumbled as she readied her hands, having to take this fight more seriously with more heavy hitters on the field.

Still, even those maids were not her primary concern.
Her main concern lay with the ‘weakest’ fighter on the field—Aldebaran.

The knight was fending off her unseen hands. “Ah hey hey, how is this fair when we can’t even see!” he called out in complaint.

She knew he was potentially the most dangerous existence here—for her and her sisters especially.

She knew that he had already established his matrix.
She didn’t know if he had already used his authority; since she wasn’t trying to kill him, she couldn’t say.
Right now her hands were just being defensive—she couldn’t quite tell if his authority had been used yet.
She did not want to give him that chance, and so prioritized her trap.
Everything else would be easy after that.

As for the one-armed man, he truly did not know what was going on. And he didn’t like it at all. He warded off the unseen blows, enduring getting punched and shoved around.
His many experiences with death, and his liege’s use of him as a punching bag, made that easy to endure.

She isn’t going for any kill shots. Why?

He questioned, but he figured that this was a question he could not answer—not right now. The appearance of these new Witches—Wrath, Sloth, and Gluttony—Witches that should not exist, that unsettled him.
That damned teacher of mine said nothing about girls like these. What the hell?!

For now, he chose to fight normally. He had already set up his matrix, so he felt secure that he was ready for whatever could be thrown his way. The fact that only a few hands were being used to accost him put him at ease—he felt his enemy was underestimating him, a costly move for those that did.

As the two Astrea maids attacked, he saw the Witch teleport.

Yin magic?

He questioned. He wasn’t quite sure. A short-range teleport like that was possible for a true master of yin magic, but he wasn’t sure if it was something more.

He noticed her stance shift, having to draw hands that were likely used for her defense to face off against the two maids.

He took this as a possible chance to strike, and launched himself towards the Witch.
Here goes nothing!
He figured the worst-case scenario was that he would be forcibly reset, or be forced to reset himself.
But he needed to attempt a strike to end this.

The Witch’s gaze turned towards him, a creepy smile crossing her lips. “I win.”

Al felt something touch his chest.

And then he was elsewhere—halfway across the city, flying impotently through the air, outside the bounds of his original matrix…
“WHAT THE HELL!”
He shouted into the air as he suddenly felt himself gripped in the face by an unseen force, before it was introduced to a nearby wall with considerable force. The hand battered his helmed face against the wall again and again, causing vision to blur and his mind to go into a daze.
It was not enough to kill him, but the one-armed knight was pretty sure he had a concussion.
He felt like he was going to puke.

Back with the Witch of Sloth, the other combatants saw Al suddenly vanish. 

“What the hell did you do!?” Shouted an indignant Felt. 

“Got rid of a problem.” Alcyone replied.

Priscilla scoffed. “You dare to interfere with that which belongs to me! Know your place, you detestable Witch.”

Alcyone let out a deep sigh. “You’re complaining even when you have me outnumbered huh? Fine then, I’ll just even things up myself.”

A myriad of lesser spirits began to appear around her, followed by a cyclone of black wind that conjured forth in front of her.

Within that storm of wind was a black wolf with emerald eyes. A spirit of wind, coming to the aid of its contractor.  

***

 

Elsewhere within the city, the various knights and guards protecting the capital were working to protect the people from the creatures assailing the capital.

The flying mabeasts had mostly positioned themselves above the castle layer, harassing people as they swept through the city.

Besides that, the concern was the various strange constructs that appeared.
They came in three types that could be identified.
The most basic was the type made of metal, hulking blocky humanoid things that stomped about and battered at buildings and at knights. They seemed more like metia than anything else.
The second type were elemental creations, humanoid beings that resembled elemental spirits, darting through the city and causing all manner of panic and mischief.
The final type was the most unsettling, semi-human looking constructs of flesh, living and dead. Looking like hulking monsters or deformed mutants, they spread terror wherever they went.

For Margrave Roswaal, this roused his interest—one of the few things that did these days.
He understood that his plans had been ‘derailed’ somehow. That something went wrong ‘somewhere’ and that he was missing a critical tool, a key piece.
But he could not figure out what it was. He suspected it might be the Archbishop of Pride, considering some scraps of info that he heard, but his investigations towards this end were fruitless.
In the end, he resolved to soldier on and continue with his plans, even without his gospel. He had waited four hundred years; he would not give up due to a setback. In some part of his mind, he subconsciously knew that all hope was not yet lost.
Still, the derailing of his plans frustrated him.

That’s why the curiosity of these creatures roused his interest—it was a welcome distraction.

Flying through the air of the capital, he took down several of these creatures, dispatching them with ease.

“Now what are these and where are they coming from?” he mused aloud as he floated through the air.

His attention then became focused on a woman, standing within a tower on the edge of the castle layer.

He noticed her surrounded by several of these creations, watching over the city rather intensely.

“Myyyy I would guuuuse that is the one in charge.”
He slowly drifted over to where she was, still smiling.

She did not react much as he approached, maintaining the measured smile upon her face. “Well hello to you, Margrave. Seems you are the one who kept enough awareness to notice me, and not be distracted by my sister’s antics.”
Her tone was polite, measured, totally leveled.
But utterly and completely hollow.

Roswaal smiled. “And hello to you, it seems you are aware of me, but I am not aware of yooooouuuu.”
He looked at the creatures surrounding her.

There were six elemental types, crystalline in appearance with colors tuned to the six primary elements.

There were also two female human-looking ones standing on either side of her with blades drawn and masks upon their faces. He could tell by their pallor that they were corpses.

“Quite the fascinating set of toys you have. Do you think they will do you any good?” he asked, his smile widening as he conjured forth several spheres of multi-colored magic.

She let out a slight chuckle. “My personal entourage is made of sterner stuff than the fodder I sent into the city.”

Roswaal studied her carefully. She was dressed in a button-up suit that would work well on a man or woman. Black but with an orange trim to it, the buttons were also orange. She had short white hair and, rather notably, amethyst eyes. Furthermore, he caught sight of her ears—pointed like an elf.

“How interesting, are you a half-elf by any chance?” he wondered aloud.

“Quarter-elf actually, though our mother’s blood runs strong,” she replied, maintaining a respectful tone.
Eight spheres of multi-colored magic then appeared, beginning to orbit her as well.

A very similar spell to the one that the Margrave himself was using.

He frowned upon seeing what looked to be his own spell. “Who are you?”
She maintained her smile. “Margrave, your teacher would be so disappointed in you. You keep messing up. Without her book, you are practically tripping over yourself.”

He then glared at her. “Why you…”

“But that is just my personal opinion. I am not one for insults—it’s a waste of time.” She took a breath. “To answer your question, I am Taygete, the new Witch of Greed.”

“Greed?! You dare to assume that you could be!” he snarled.

“But I am.” Her smile remained, totally unmoving.

Roswaal lashed out with his magic, a myriad of colors aiming right for the self-proclaimed greedy witch.

The constructs around Taygete began to move. They responded with their own barrage of elemental magic to counter Roswaal’s. Coupled with her own multi-colored magic, the clashes were that of equals.

Taygete took a step forward, unfolding her hands from behind her back, weaving magic around them. She stepped off the edge of the tower, floating across from the ancient mage.
The six elemental constructs began to levitate, taking up formation around her.

“Now come then, Roswaal Mathers. I think it's time for you to understand your place in the grand order of things.” While maintaining the faux gentle, almost polite air about herself, she pointed her hand at Roswaal.

“Al Jiwald.” An intense beam of light erupted forth from her hand, aimed right at the mage.

“Al Goa!” he shouted in response, conjuring a huge sphere of flames.

Light and fire clashed, the air between them burned.

The battle between the archmages had begun.

 

***

 

Marcos, Julius, and Felix came face to face with the two figures who were making their way towards the prison tower.

It wasn’t hard to find them, neither was being subtle and both stood out.

Both were elvish girls wearing striking clothing.
The short brown-haired girl was in a sleeveless dark purple short dress.
While the taller white-haired girl wore striking black, gold, and white-trimmed robes befitting that of a queen, complete with a golden cloak on her back.

As the knights moved to confront them, the taller woman flourished her cloak. “You are the ones they sent to stop us? How fun,” she spoke as if delivering lines for a stage production.

The shorter girl giggled. “Sister Maia, it seems we got some reeeelly interesting strong-looking men to accompany us. How delightful!”
Her gaze then fell upon Felix. “They even brought a cute little kitty pet.”
The short quarter-elf girl then flicked out two of her knives. As she held them, they became covered in a rainbow sort of liquid.

Marcos stepped forward, drawing his blade. “In the name of the Divine Dragon, we demand that you identify yourselves and surrender at once.”

Julius had his blade drawn, his six spirits were already orbiting him.

Felix and the other knights stood ready to support.

They did not take the two girls lightly, this was because there was a myriad of unconscious knights behind the two girls.

Asterope chuckled and turned to her sister. “As fun as playing around with these guys has been, I think this is more your stage, Sister Maia. I’ll be support.”

Maia smirked, stepping forward. “Thank you, Sister Asterope, I believe you are correct. It’s time for the true star to shine.”

Maia stepped forward, every step having a weight to it as her head was held high.
She was not worried—they were already within her grasp.

She lifted her hand towards them and let out a haughty laugh. “I’ll give you one and only one chance to back off now and let us do what we came here to do.”
She smirked.
“Buuut it would be rude of me to not at least honor part of your request. Sister Asterope, I believe introductions are in order.”

“Ah, yeah, I guess you are right.” Asterope giggled and waved at the group. “I’m Asterope, the Witch of Lust.”

Maia then pointed dramatically towards the sky. “And with the world as my witness, I declare myself Maia, the eldest of the seven Pleiades sisters and the Witch of Pride.”

The sun actually seemed to magnify upon her as a few clouds happened to part above her, however slightly, amplifying her presence as she was practically beaming.

“Lust? Pride?” Felix was confused—deeply confused—as these witches claimed the titles of the creatures he hated most in this world. They all were. They knew who the archbishops of sin were; these girls were not them. Yet here they were shamelessly using the title of witch.

“If you dare to say that you are Witches, then it is our duty as knights to apprehend you. For the sake of the kingdom and the world!” Julius declared as rainbow-colored light coated his blade.

“Agreed,” Marcos said, a firm determination washing over him. His eyes glimmered with a bright blue color; he instantly became aware of the level of magic the woman before him possessed. The second strongest knight in the kingdom, leader of its knights, quickly sprung into action.
He suddenly became encased in a magical armor made of gray stones. Encased in the armor, he grew to three meters in size, a sword of similar substance forming within his hands as well.

He charged forward.

As Marcos charged, Julius pointed his shining blade towards the two girls. “Ul Clauzeria!”
Several streams of rainbow-colored light shot forth from his blade to bombard the two.

Asterope quickly dodged out of the way and behind her sister.

Maia meanwhile remained unbothered, wearing only the most confident of smiles. The rainbow-colored beams spiraled through the air and closed in upon her, and nearly every single one proceeded to miss her—flying over, around, or to the side of her.

One beam found its mark, but Maia reached out and blocked it with her hand as the light dispersed.
“How unfortunate,” she remarked.

“What? How did my attack miss?” The finest knight was utterly perplexed.

Marcos did not stop his charge and brought his blade down upon the girls. Maia casually sidestepped it—a simple motion that should not otherwise have prevented Marcos from finding his mark.
But he too missed, his blade colliding with the ground next to her.

He didn’t waste time to question the failure of his attack and he kicked at her with his oversized armor.

Maia raised her hand to block, enduring the blow with her bare hands as she was forced back.

By now Asterope had darted away and in between the buildings.

With Maia handling the two ‘problems,’ she was confident she could take care of the rest.

“Wha! After hyer!” Felix shouted as he and half the remaining knights moved to block off Asterope’s path.

Meanwhile, the second and third strongest knights in the kingdom were left to contend with the Witch of Pride.
With a great shove, Maia forced Marcos back.

Marcos took up position next to Julius, both of them were at the ready.

“She’s strong, very strong,” Marcos muttered to Julius.

“Then we’ll have to take her together,” Julius declared as his spirits readied themselves around him. “Witch of Pride, we shall not let you or your siblings pass.”

Maia laughed. “Ahaha, you think you have a choice in the matter? I don’t think you realize that from where I am standing, you have already lost. But still, I can’t blame you too much for being idiots. So how about I show you what it means to face me.”
She flourished her cloak as a great swirl of golden flames appeared behind her, taking the form of a large sun that seemed to scorch the air around her.

Julius gasped. “That… that’s a great spirit!”

“Indeed, this is my beloved companion, Theia! Marvel at her splendor and realize your folly!”
Lifting her hand in the air, a massive twister of fire appeared in her hands. “Now! Al Goa!”
With spirit and contractor working together, a truly powerful twister of fire was created, and it was directed right at the commander of the Knights of Lugunica.

He moved to block the blow, the massive sea of flames crashing into him. Even with his armor, reinforced against magic, he struggled to endure the intense flames as he found himself inching backwards.

Julius took this chance to make his move. He charged forth at the Witch of Pride along with several other knights. “Al Clarsita!”
He shouted as rainbow colors swirled around his blade. The Witch did not move to block, retaining her confident air about herself.
But her spirit moved to defend her—the large shining star interposing itself and meeting Julius’s slash with a powerful wave of flames.
The conflicting magic clashed, and Julius was blasted backwards along with his spirits.

Other knights charged or launched magical attacks of their own against the proud witch.

Most of the magic attacks missed, fizzling out or diverting away from her before they could find their mark. Those few that found purchase against her were battered away by a swipe of her arm.

“El Jiwald!” She let forth a barrage of light that crashed into several of the knights, incapacitating them.

Three knights managed to get close to her, causing her to finally draw her blade. Her blade glimmered, shining like the morning as she parried the first blow.
With a few casual steps, she easily avoided or blocked every other blow against her. “Come come, is this REALLY the best the famous Knights of Lugunica can do?”
She continued to laugh like a madwoman as she fought, having the time of her life.
She sent a knight flying halfway down the street with one kick of her heeled shoe.

Still, since she wasn’t trying to kill them, her foes were not staying down.

“Let’s swat the flies,” she declared as she stomped once upon the ground.

Several of the knights instantly sank into the ground, becoming half buried within it.

“What?” Julius quickly leapt upwards, using his air spirit to propel him into the air.

As Marcos began to sink, he charged forward, not letting the shifting ground take him.

He charged at Maia, prepared to deliver another strike.

This time, the Witch met him head-on, clashing his blade with her own as she laughed. “Impressive knight commander! Truly impressive! You are truly one of the greats!”

Marcos did not respond to her taunting, finding that even his impressive strength could not overwhelm this witch.
He began to unleash a myriad of combat techniques—he had plenty to draw upon—attacking the Witch furiously as she dodged and deflected nearly every strike. Her own strikes, whether from her magic or her blade, crashed against him and forced him back onto a defensive posture.

As Julius tried to join into the fray, Theia once again blocked his path. She morphed into a form of swirling fire and light, before taking the shape of a golden bird.

Julius steadied himself, preparing for the fight. He had never fought a great spirit like this before. A part of him questioned how a great spirit could ever contract with a witch.
But now was not the time for such questions, he knew that. He was facing a foe of considerable strength, and to even hope for victory, it required his full attention.
Taking a breath, the knight charged forward.

 

***

At the base of the prison tower, Asterope found herself confronted by guards and knights. Of keenest interest to her was the catboy demihuman knight, Felix.

“My my? So much attention for me? You all really know how to make a girl feel welcome.” Asterope giggled.

“Enough! Whether you are Witch or Witch Cultist, you are surrendering to us now!” Felix shouted.
She didn’t seem like the Archbishop that cursed his lady, from what he knew anyway. But he also knew that said Archbishop could shape-shift, and at the least this woman dared to claim her title.

“Hmm nah. I don’t think I'll do that. You all look so stressed. Why not relax for a bit.” A smile crossed Asterope’s face. A sphere of rainbow liquid appeared in her hand, and then began to pour onto the floor.

The guards and knights charged at her, several launching spells of fire and ice in her direction.

“Gyet her!” Felix shouted.

As the liquid collided with the ground, a cacophonous cloud of colors erupted forth. The entire area was quickly consumed by it, every single knight included.

Asterope giggled as she looked about at her handiwork. Several knights were on the ground, unmoving or writhing.
One was on his knees screaming.
Another was curled up into the fetal position, crying.
Several more knights were running around, totally confused and unaware of their surroundings.

One was stumbling towards her, shaking as he raised his blade, only to drop it as he drew close.

“Silly boy, that’s not how you dance! This is how you dance.”
She grabbed his hands and began to mockingly dance with the knight. Shuffling past the people around her who were in the midst of delusion, emotional turmoil, mental distortion, or who just couldn’t move.

As she drew closer to the door, she let go of her ‘partner,’ spinning him and letting him fall to the ground. “Hmm you were a passable dance partner.”

She then found Felix, quivering and shaking, but still standing upright, eyes darting around wildly as he cradled himself.

“Oh! You’re still up, that’s no good.” Asterope smiled as she drew closer to the catboy. “But I can’t risk you doing anything stupid.”

Felix’s gaze met hers. He tried to shuffle towards her, trying to reach out and touch her, to immobilize her.
She skipped backwards. “No, No, No.~ No touching without permission.” She wagged her finger.
“I think you need a nap.”
She pointed her finger at him, a green sphere of liquid formed in front of her finger and she then fired it at his head.

Felix then fell onto his back, having fallen into a deep slumber.

Asterope continued to make her way into the prison. As she did, she continued to let a green mist follow her. Any guards that crossed her path collapsed upon the ground, their eyes washed over as they were driven into slumber.

Making her way into the depths of the prison, she found one of the deepest cells. The smile faded from her face. “Here you are…”

She drew her blades and slashed through the metal door, cutting it into pieces.

Stepping inside, she found the person she was looking for—the person her sisters were looking for.
A young man who was chained to the wall, looking more like a corpse than a living thing.
The so-called Archbishop of Pride, Subaru Natsuki.

The normally jovial Asterope gasped, taking a step back as she covered her mouth. Tears filled her eyes.
She rushed over to him and knelt by his side.

“Ar.. Are you awake?” she asked, mustering as tender a voice as she could manage.

Subaru’s eyes flickered open. “What's… going on? Who… who are you?”
He asked in a strained voice.

“Sush sush.” Asterope shook her head. “Just rest, I’m here to save you.”

Subaru’s eyes widened in surprise. “I… but…”

Asterope touched her fingers to his lips. “Just rest for right now, I’ll take care of everything.”
A rainbow liquid dripped from the tip of her fingers into his mouth, plunging Subaru Natsuki into a restful and peaceful slumber.

Asterope made quick work of the chains that were binding him, picking him up in her embrace.
I finished up here! I have him!

Understood, make ready for evacuation. Sister Alcyone, get ready to perform a mass transfer.
Taygete’s voice echoed in her mind.

Will do.
Alcyone’s voice responded.

She had no means of telepathy or anything like that, but the same was not true of some of her sisters, and they had already crafted their connection before this battle had even begun.

Asterope then began to rush out of the prison. Despite her lithe physique, she was able to carry him easily.
Rushing through the prison, she did not seek to leave through the front, but rather she sought its highest point.

Finding her way to the top of the prison tower, she surveyed the city around herself.

She held Subaru Natsuki tightly in her arms.

She was quickly joined by Maia and her spirit.

“Have your fun, sis?” Asterope asked, though her voice was a bit less cheerful.

Maia nodded her head, brushing her hair to the side. “It was a fun use of my time. Still, we have bigger concerns right now.”
Her gaze fell upon the young man in Asterope’s arms.

In the distance, they saw the White Whale shift its direction, beginning to rise into the air.

They could make out the figure of their sister Celaeno diving back into her facsimile of the whale, assuming direct control once again.
The Whale erupted forth its fog, blasting the area where it just was to clear its path to escape.

Both Maia and Asterope felt a hand touch their shoulders.

Suddenly, they were on the back of the White Whale with their other sisters.

Alcyone looked tired as she sat back upon the beast. “That sucked,” she muttered with a groan that they were all used to.
Celaeno was inside the whale.
Electra was standing at the edge of the whale, delivering a few parting shots of black flames.
Taygete stood upright, surveying both the city and the state of her sisters.
Maia positioned herself at the edge of the Whale, staring down at the city.
And Asterope was holding Subaru Natsuki.

“Hey, where is Merope?!” Electra called out.

“Calm down, she needs to be careful about disengaging. One wrong move and we’ll have to deal with the Sword Saint.” Taygete spoke in her usual gentle, but utterly cold, voice.

Maia chuckled. “Have confidence in our little sister, Electra. You know she will be fine. While I loathe surrendering the grand finale, in this case it is needed.”

 

***

Reinhard found himself, not losing, but not in a position where he could win either.

The young girl had switched from her spear to her sword, wielding the Life Sword against the Sword Saint.
Furthermore, halfway through their descent, a shadow emerged from behind the girl.
A writhing, living, moving shadow that lashed out at him with hands of darkness.
Thus the Sword Saint went from fighting one foe, to fighting two—a girl and a mass of seemingly living darkness.
And he knew it was two foes; the way the shadow and the girl moved were very different. He felt like he was facing multiple opponents.
Shortly after the shadow appeared, after it had grown to a sufficient size and surrounded the Sword Saint from all sides, he suddenly felt it.
The Dragon Sword Reid would allow itself to be drawn.

He wasted no time, quickly drawing the sword to clash with the Life Sword.

The young girl was thrown back by the force of his blow, but dodged his following swing. Reinhard then found himself surrounded and assailed by shadowy hands on all sides—shadows that he quickly cut his way through.

He had to be careful; the girl was positioned with the city behind her. One wrong move with the Astrea Slash and he knew that he would carve away a good chunk of the city as well.

The two clashed and clashed, the girl and her shadow remaining on the defensive, but Reinhard occasionally being battered or blown back by a random effect.

Nearly being crushed by an invisible force.
A blast of black flame that threatened to incinerate him.
The wind itself became blades around him and tried to carve him into pieces.
These effects, these random ‘breaks’ in the logic of the world, also prevented Reinhard from achieving decisive victory.
The girl in front of him looked exhausted. Her eyes showed strain like she had been fighting for hours, even if their fight was minutes at most.
But her determination did not waver, not even once.
The emotions that Reinhard felt were no sort of malice, but sheer determination.

He wanted to question her to better understand the situation.
But that same situation prevented him from doing so.

As they closed in on the ground, he saw that the White Whale began to pull away from the city. He spotted several miasma-laden figures on its back, including the Archbishop of Pride.

This was a rescue attempt by the Witch Cult?

The thought didn’t make complete sense, but it was the most obvious answer to the Sword Saint.

The girl he was fighting suddenly repositioned herself, the shadow forming behind her. “We need to end this now, Sword Saint,”
she declared with fierce determination in her eyes.

The girl had shifted so her back was no longer towards the city, and was instead maneuvering herself towards the Whale.

Reinhard realized he had the opening to use the full power of the Astrea Slash. He was deeply unnerved—despite her miasma, Reinhard felt nothing close to evil or madness from the girl. But she and her fellows had attacked the royal capital and freed an Archbishop.
He had no choice but to end this fight now with whatever means he had at his disposal.

He took a breath as light gathered around his blade. The sky above cleared as he lifted his blade to the heavens.
With heavy reservations in his heart, Reinhard swung his blade.
A blinding white slash that destroyed the world before him.

The girl braced herself, facing the world-destroying slash head-on.

She closed her eyes and let the light consume her.

In that moment, the Sword Saint had lost the battle.

***

Merope did not have a true authority, naturally she was the weakest of her sisters on her own.

But she had the ability to wield two distinct powers.

The first was her ability to borrow the strength of others. Most importantly, she would act as her mother’s proxy—the node by which her mother could directly interfere within the world. Her mother’s presence filled her with such strength that she could challenge the strongest beings in the world. This power was called an authority, but was an ability that was natural to her distorted existence.

The second was her undesignated authority, a stand in for the Authority of Envy. It belonged to another once, but it had been shattered and reforged by her mother and father, transformed into a power tuned for her alone. Empowered as it was by her mother though, what was once a troublesome power gained far greater utility, with several ‘shifts’ for her to use. She had exploited its classic functions to allow her to contend with the Sword Saint.
But now she would use it openly—the shift of the power that was her signature, the proclamation to the world that she was an unyielding force that it could not be rid of.

She died, her body annihilated by the Dragon Sword’s light.
But that was when everything stopped.

Before his eyes, Reinhard saw the Dragon Sword’s light freeze.

Space around where Merope was began to twist in upon itself as Od Langa’s dominion was violated by one who claimed the right to do so.
The sky cracked and sparked, the entire area around where the girl was annihilated twisted and churned into a vortex of color.
Within that distorted space, time reversed itself—specifically Merope’s time—as the girl’s body reassembled itself from particles of nothingness.
She was alive once again.

But the distortion still remained—a churning storm of energy and bent space that surrounded the girl, yet left her unharmed.
It was the record of her death as remembered by the world, for she no longer was dead, so that energy remained unused, clashing with the energy generated by her authority to revive her.
A maelstrom of energy that would otherwise be used to reset the world instead lingered on as an untamed and unused storm.
And now Merope would use it.

Throwing her hand forward, the maelstrom of space, time, and energy threw itself forward. It was a force equal to that which killed her—equal to the full might of the Sword Saint.

It was within a single moment that this violation of the world’s natural laws occurred.

All authorities were the right to break the rules of the world.
Merope’s authority weaponized that very process.
Reinhard realized that he had to absorb the sum total of the attack, otherwise he risked his own power destroying the city that was beneath him.
The storm of distortion collided with the Sword Saint’s body.
He endured it for several moments, before it ripped him to pieces.
His mangled and lifeless form fell towards the earth, only to be engulfed by red flames as the Divine Protection of the Phoenix Next then activated, reviving him mid-air.
Reinhard’s eyes shot open and he landed on his feet.

Staring up at the sky, he watched as the White Whale ascended higher into the heavens.

A proud voice rang out. “Hear me, citizens of Lugunica!”
A proud, booming voice rang out from the sky.
“We, the sisters Pleiades, have claimed victory over your kingdom! We are the new Witches of Sin, we are the Witches of the Kingdom, the Daughters of the Witch, and nothing you can do can halt our path!”

The White Whale then disappeared within the clouds.

***

Maia walked back from the edge of the Whale, towards her sisters.

“Did you really have to get the last word in, Maia?” Alcyone asked.

“Of course, it is my duty as the eldest to do so.”

Electra scoffed and crossed her arms. “Aside from little sister Merope, we are all basically the same age. Don’t get all high and mighty on us, Pride.”

“But I am still the first-born,” Maia retorted in a calm voice, turning towards Electra with a flourish of her own cape.

Celaeno stuck half her body out from the Whale, appearing from a hole that opened in its flesh. “Hey, I thought it was pretty cool. And those guys deserve the fear put into them since we didn’t ‘actually’ kill anyone.”

Asterope giggled as she knelt on the Whale’s back. “Yeah, same!”

Taygete softly sighed and shook her head. “Honestly, sisters, what am I to do with all of you?” Still, the Witch of Greed was smiling. It was a genuine smile for those few in this world that she cared for.

Electra rolled her arms and sat back down. “Well, for all her grandstanding, I still think Merope was the star of the show, stalling the Sword Saint and all that.”

Merope rubbed the back of her head. “Really? I mean, aside from the end there, I was just using power that I borrowed from everyone. It's nothing special.”

Electra shrugged. “So? It's still cool how you threw his attack right back at him.”

“It was a fantastic show, as to be expected from you, Merope.” Maia patted her little sister on the head.

Merope blushed, but smiled at her siblings.

“Well, let’s find a place to actually rest after all that. I’m exhausted.” Alcyone laid herself back on the Whale. Her black wolf wind spirit appeared to act as her pillow, letting her head rest within its fur. 

“I believe there is something else we have to take care of first, sisters,” Taygete interjected, drawing their attention to the sleeping young man who was between them all.

Celaeno let out a deep breath. “Well, explaining this is sure going to be interesting.”

“Well, it can’t be that hard. We just need to figure out which of Dad’s stories to compare it to!” Asterope remarked. “There should be one good one at least—maybe… Termanan?”

“Terminator,” Taygete corrected.

“Yeah, that’s the one!” Asterope chimed.

“Eh, maybe Back to the Future would be more accurate?” Celaeno proposed.

“Does it REALLY matter which story we compare it to? He’ll get the idea,” Alcyone grumbled.

As her various sisters debated their next move, and which movie was most accurate to their situation, Merope slowly approached the sleeping Subaru. She gently placed her hand on his face, tracing the scars upon it and that were running down his body. She let out a deep sigh and shook her head. “Father, I hope you and Mother were right about all of this.”

 

 

In this if..

-Subaru has been imprisoned for around six months in real time. He has experienced at least triple that amount of time.

-Subaru is currently in a delicate mental state, not fully collapsed yet but he is on the road to getting there

-He would have eventually escaped, going on to get revenge against the world and The Witch Cult.

-Though a gross violation of the Order of Od Langa, his daughters of that future have found themselves flung back through time in order to save him. 

-His daughters from the future are their world’s Witches of Deadly Sin, with Merope using an undesignated authority as a substitute for Envy, though she acts as a node for her mother to act through the world so she functionally is a Witch of Envy.

The Seven Pleiades Sisters are as follows

 

 

Maia the Witch of Pride
-Tallest and oldest of the Pleiades sisters. Of all the sisters she most resembles her mother, having her same fair-skin, long silver hair, and one of her amethyst eyes. She has heterochromia, one eye being amethyst and the other being dark brown. Her features are soft and striking, giving her the appearance of an elvish queen, and she dresses the part to match. She typically wears regal black robes that are trimmed with white or gold, and always with an accompanying cloak. Her father notes that she dresses herself like a monarch.
-Maia is a proud and dramatic girl who is the leader among her siblings. She is direct, bold, forward thinking, with a presence that cannot be ignored. She always acts with an energetic attitude, fully committing to her actions. Despite this, she is among the most intelligent of her siblings and is a capable planner and schemer, typically assuming command of her siblings within the midst of battle. She can be the most emotional of her siblings and could be described as the ‘least-sane’ among them. Above all she is a big ham who loves to show off. Despite her Pride she cares deeply and truly for her siblings.
-Maia is naturally the strongest among her siblings, save for Merope when her unique abilities are activated. She has an incredible amount of physical and magical strength, being among those truly gifted in the world. Even without her authority she would stand among the world’s best. She has a natural affinity for yang and fire magic. She is gifted in spiritual arts, having contracted with a spirit named Theia who evolved into a great spirit of fire beneath her care. She is a skilled swordswoman, equal to merope but falling sort of Electra. While, baring Merope’s exception, her siblings are mostly equal in strength, she is unquestionable the first among equals.
-Authority of Pride: Huberistic Sovereign’s Presence

 

Electra the Witch of Wrath

-2nd tallest of the Pleiades Sisters. She has a strong and athletic sort of build, with amethyst eyes inherited from her mother. She has long black hair that is mostly unkempt by her. Of all her sisters she is the most physically imposing, with obvious, but not overdeveloped, muscles. She looks the part of a swordswoman and warrior. She wears a military style uniform coupled with a black cloak. Her father notes that she gives off the impressions of a female knight and a tomboy.
-Electra is an aggressive girl, befitting a Witch of Wrath. She is hotheaded, fiery, forceful, and direct. She is quick to anger and quick to violence. She is the most distrusting of the wider world among her siblings, being quick to find enemies. Despite all this she is very protective of her family and when her trust is earned she is the truest companion one could ask for. She has a passion for combat and loves swordsmanship. Among her siblings she is the truest warrior.
-Electra has the least skill with magic among her siblings, but is the most physically gifted. She has high levels of natural strength, speed, and stamina. She was drawn to the sword from a young age and practiced diligently and relentlessly, becoming a true master of the blade on par with the sword demon in skill alone. With her authority she has the highest offensive output among her siblings.
-Authority of Wrath: Star of Scornful Destruction 

 

Taygete the Witch of Greed

-A girl of about average height, being the third tallest of her siblings and about the same height as her father when he was her age. She has fair features, though leans slightly more on the pale side, with short and neatly styled white hair along with dark eyes, though they lack her father’s distinct eye features. She almost never lets her smile break, though one can tell she often has tired eyes much like her father does. She always dresses professionally, like a high class noblewoman or merchant, though she does not favor dresses. Her father notes that she conducts and dresses herself like a business woman.
-Taygete puts on the appearance of a calm, kind, gentle, friendly, and social sort of girl. She maintains a distant and professional tone with most people, and almost never discards the gentle smile that she perpetually wears. This, for the most part, is a mask. She is a natural schemer and manipulator, being the most devious and intelligent among her siblings. She is a master of social manipulation and is the brains behind much of her sister’s works. Despite this truth, she works hard for the sake of her family, her truest companions and those who she values above everything. She is a natural academic with a love of learning and magic, having been apprenticed to Omega in her time and having read Sphynx’s book of the dead.
-Taygete is naturally skilled in many fields that rely upon the mind. She is an amazing mage, able to wield all elemental affinities. She studied dutifully to make herself a master in all fields, including healing magic. She has learned many of the spells created by the old Witch of Greed and invented some spells together with her father. While she is not quite at the level of Roswaal L. Mathers by her lonesome, use of her authority can allow her to overwhelm him in a magical duel.
-Authority of Greed: Covetus Control Craftworks 

 

Alcyone the Witch of Sloth

-A pale girl who almost looks like a corpse in some ways, albeit a beautiful one. She has pale skin, paler than the rest of her siblings, raven black hair typically styled as a bob cut or left to grow freely in an unkempt fashion. She inherited her mother’s amethyst eyes and overall body build, though she is a bit thinner. Typically she will wear either black gothic dresses or a black kimono as her attire of choice, though she often wears a thin black bodysuit beneath her kimono or dress. Her father notes that she is the picture of the ‘goth’ archetype from his homeworld, though she also gives ‘vampire girl’ vibes.
-Alcyone is a sullen and distant sort of girl who finds the world to be rather troublesome overall. Of all her siblings she desires a simple and peaceful life the most, but she has her father’s luck for stumbling into trouble and being unwilling to leave things well enough alone. While distant, aloof, and sharp tongued, she cares greatly for her family as her only real source of motivation. She values peace, she values quiet, she values isolation. She is dark, brooding, and moody and while she can come off as cold and uncaring, she is in truth highly sympathetic to others. She can also be rather morbid at times and is one of the sisters who values life the least.
-Alcyone is a mage with a natural affinity for Yin magic, with a wind magic affinity being her secondary. When it comes to yin magic she surpasses even her sister Taygete, able to weave a number of spells and use them to great effect. She is also a skilled cursed arts user, being one of the two among the siblings. She is contracted with a wind spirit that she raised to become a full spirit of wind named Nyx, a pleasant but bloodthirsty spirit who takes the form of a wolf or a pale girl.
-Authority of Sloth: Hands of Hermes

 

Celeano the Witch of Gluttony

-The shortest of the seven sisters, equal to  younger Merope. Celeano has a slightly androgynous appearance, able to pass for being a beautiful boy or a girl. Her hair is silver though it has faint dark highlights, and her face is a round sort of shape. Her style of dress is rather odd, wearing modified clothes that would be fitting for nobility, but always in black or otherwise bright colors. She almost always wears a cloak that resembles the sky, with a rainbow of designs upon it. Her style of dress gives the impression of one wearing a costume, rather than serious clothes. Her father notes that she dresses like she’s a video game character or cosplayer.
-Celaeno is a playful, cheerful, and enthusiastic sort of girl. She is generally relaxed and laid back, trying to have fun where she can in life. She loves to play games, try new experiences, meet new people and experience life as a whole. Her gluttony is that for a satisfying life, she seeks to indulge in experiences and in living. She is a bit of a troublemaker but is one of the most adaptable of her siblings in the time of a crisis and is the third most effective leader among them. Besides Merope she is also the one most capable of acting ‘normal’ around people, coming off as a quirky sort of girl. She does tie with Alcyone for being among the sisters who value individual lives the least, and has a similar eat or be eaten mindset to the previous Witch of Gluttony which she accepts as a truth about the world.
-In regards to miscellaneous skills one cannot pin down Celeano easily. She has absorbed a number of skills and powers by use of her authority and has made them her own. What can be said is that she is naturally adaptable, flexible, and a fairly capable fighter. While she has a high affinity with spirits she does not use spirits in battle, mostly using a host of water spirits to help with healing and support when needed. Her natural elemental affinities are for water and for earth, so she favors those spells even when using gluttony to access a wider range of magic.
-Authority of Gluttony: Gluttonous Predator Monarch

 

Asterope the Witch of Lust

-A beautiful quarter-elf girl with brown shoulder length hair that she styles in a myriad of ways, sometimes in pigtails while other times letting it flow straight. She has a slender and very feminine appearance along with dark, but beautiful, sharp eyes. She favors dresses but makes sure they are easy to move around in. If she wears a long dress she will typically have it slit in the side. Her usual outfit is a dark purple dress with a short V cut in the front. She will almost always keep a myriad of knives on her, some visible and some not. Her father notes that she fittingly styles herself as a sort of ‘fem fatal’ sort of girl.
-Asterope is a troublemaker through and through. She is a devious girl who loves to mess around and mess with other people. While she does this as an indulgence, she is very good at causing havoc with the human heart. She is a bit of a diva and a daddy’s girl, having a somewhat entitled attitude, coming off as a spoiled princess. She is a selfish girl, but makes sure to try and not hurt those she deeply cares for. Befitting a Witch of Lust she is a natural romantic, valuing passion and desire. Ironically enough for a manipulator, she is among the siblings who is most fond of normal people.
-Asterope, like Electra, favors physical combat. Unlike Electra she is not a natural purest in this regard and has picked up a number of miscellaneous techniques. She is naturally dexterous, acrobatic, agile, and precise. She favors short blades and daggers, and many of her weapons are actually cursed tools. She is a skilled curse weaver and when it comes to combat curses she surpasses Aclyone in her skill, though Aclyone is better for more esoteric and utility based curses. Asterope has traits ideal for an infiltrator and an assassin.
-Authority of Lust: Myriad Rainbow Venoms

 

Merope the Pseudo Witch of Envy & Apostle of Sin 

-The youngest of the seven sisters. Merope inherits mostly her fathers features, having both his dark hair and his eyes, though she has the sharp ears that show her quarter-elf heritage. She typically wears her hair in a long and free sort of fashion. She has a lean and athletic body and could best be described physically as a female younger version of her father. She favors black clothes with orange highlights, typically wearing easy to move in pants and a tunic.
-Merope, at a glance, is the most normal of her siblings. She is energetic, carefree-seeming, and fun loving, while also at times being rather silly and awkward. She is rather extroverted, but this is to hide the deep insecurities that she holds. While naturally a bit of a naive girl, she also strives to learn more about the world and is among the most driven to see the world change for the better. Despite this, she can have an oddly sharp tongue and knows how to get under people’s skin when she wants too. She values her family greatly and wishes to make herself of use to them. Her personality is odd for several distinct reasons and she can have radical and dynamic personality shifts, sometimes being cool and aloof, sometimes being easily flustered, sometimes being oddly attached. She is simultaneously the most normal and the strangest of the siblings.
-Merope is a generalist when it comes to her skillset. She has a natural yin magic affinity and can perform a fair degree of yin magic spells. She is a fairly skilled fighter, favoring the spear and sword as her weapons. Her most unique weapon is the Life Sword, which she uses when appropriate. She has a high spiritual affinity, the best among her siblings, and is contracted with six elemental spirits. When she is using her ‘vessel of sin’ authority her spirits will not manifest, serving as batteries of excess mana which floods her body to empower her further. When she is not using her Vessel of Sin power they become her primary means of combat.
-Authority of ????: Stellar Weave Distortion
-Authority of ????? ?????: Vessel of Sin

Notes:

So yeah, this is the brain worm that's been haunting me that I decided to finally write down. Hope you all enjoyed it because it was A LOT.

I will continue this path though it may be some time as I plan an actual 'plot' but I really wanted to write the rescue down.

Yes, this path is weird rating 3 because of time travel.

 

EDIT
-Because the idea was brought to me I am asking for suggestions. How do you think some of the people in the kingdom, in general, specific characters, the wisemen, the candidates, their camps, ect. Should be reacting to this trashing they just got?

Chapter 30: Path of The Daughters of Disaster-Extra 1

Summary:

A look into the future that the new Seven Witches of Sin hail from.

Notes:

Been working on this piece by piece through the last few days.

“So, this is your answer? Archbishop of Pride?”

The platinum-haired girl asked the boy who was forced to take the mantle of Archbishop.

He was dressed in robes of black, wielding the life-sword within his hands.

At his feet were several corpses. The Archbishop of Gluttony had been crushed into a bloody pulp, and the Archbishop of Lust’s corpse burned with the remains of a wound delivered by the blade in his hand.

Sloth, Greed, and Wrath had already been executed by him in the past, their powers consumed.
Pride was acquired by him shortly after his escape from the cell in which he was once held.

And now she stood before him as a “complete” human—a wretched and twisted human, but a true human nevertheless.

He said nothing to her. There was no need.

“If this is the path you have chosen, I shall not reject it. But you know I have my own mission, one given to me long ago that I cannot abandon,” she explained.

He turned to leave.

“If you wish for the only true salvation that could be had in this world, then my hand shall remain extended towards you. If you wish to follow your own path, then I shall endure as I have for the past four hundred years. To be your enemy is a sorrow I have long since accepted, but if I am forced to, then it is my nature as both Saintess and the Witch of Vainglory to oppose you,” Pandora explained with her serene and neutral tone.

“Take two-thirds of the cult. Do what you will with it. You have everything you need now, I bet,” he replied in a cold and remorseless tone.

“I do. I no longer require the Witch Factors to create new pieces. Inadvertently or not, you have given me all that I have needed and more,” she explained.

She was crushed instantly by an unseen force, before she reappeared moments later.

“I see,” the broken sage replied.

“The world will remember you now that Gluttony has been secured,” Pandora remarked.

“...”

“You could yet return to what you have lost,” she added.

“Heh, funny. No, it's way too late for me. There isn't any salvation left for me,” he replied in a melancholic tone, resigned to his heretical path.

“I see. So that is the truth you have found,” she sighed. “A sad thing, that you reject my path. A path you revealed to me long ago.”

“You have about a decade and a half to rebuild. Make your cult whatever you think the old me wanted. I'll be going my own way,” he explained.

“I see. You would schism us. As the only surviving Archbishop, that is your right,” she replied.

He shook his head. “No, not Archbishop. Not Sage either.”
He began to walk away.

“Then what shall I call you?” she asked.

He paused and let out a dry chuckle. “Well, Demon Lord would be apt, but a bit silly.”

“It would be.”

He continued towards the door as he gave his answer. “I am the Archon, the Grand Warlock of Deadly Sin.”

He then exited the room. He would not see the Witch of Vainglory again for many years.

 

A few days later, he was before a doorway. A scorpion girl stood behind him. It was one of a series of doorways—seven doors.
He took a single breath and proceeded through them alone.

One.
The miasma grew thicker around himself, embracing him like an old friend.

Two.
He remembered the life he lost, the friends who abandoned him.

Three.
The air around him grew cold and still, choked with the oppressive weight of darkness.

Four.
He remembered the pain, the torment that he lived over and over again, as hope died within himself.

Five.
He was submerged in the miasma of the passageway—an abyss where the light of the world could not shine through.

Six.
He remembered his sins, the monster he had been reborn as in order to survive. His regrets were many, but he no longer had the strength to divert himself away from the path of heresy.

Seven.
He stepped into a world of darkness.
He stepped into a world without time.
He stepped into a world without pain.

He had the doors seal themselves shut behind him.

A single voice echoed out.
“I love you.”

 

****

 

Within the Kingdom of Lugunica, a few days later, a message appeared upon the Dragon Tablets.”

 

“A decade and a half of peace awaits you. Then disaster shall befall the world.”

 

And it was as proclaimed.

The Witch Cult fell silent, retreating into the shadows of the world.

A fallen saintess gathered new pieces, including masterworks beyond any she had crafted before.

And a fallen sage submerged deeper into darkness, nursing a hatred for the entire world as he became a Patriarch of sin and Overlord of shadows.

 

The tower of the sage stood in its isolation, seemingly undisturbed for many years.

 

Then one day, six figures emerged from the tower, riding upon horned and winged black beasts.

 

Their enemy was the world.

And it was an enemy they were ready to face.

****

 

Years later.

Electra was leaning against a rock, having taken a short nap after completing her latest task.

She was atop a rocky hill in the snowy landscape of Gusteko, surrounded by her followers.

A dozen or so men and women dressed in black robes. Their attire was similar to that of the traditional Witch Cult, but their pointed hoods had been replaced by normal ones, with masks covering their faces. The old symbol had been discarded, and in its place was a symbol of the moon and stars.

Downhill from where she was, there were the remains of a battle—though to an observer, it would look like just the aftermath of a disaster.

A force sent by the Gustken church had been arrayed against her a few hours prior.

She met them with only a few of her own cultists behind her, those who were wise enough to support her from behind.
The battle was fierce, but Electra was destruction incarnate. Rousing the power of her authority, as the men charged and unleashed their magic and spiritual arts, they were met by dark flames that scorched away their very existences. Even the Yang Sword’s flames were not as absolute as her authority. She strode through the battlefield as she always did—as an avatar of destruction who delivered the gift of absolute annihilation. There was no one in the world who exceeded her in this fashion, in the capacity to destroy.

With a gesture, a wall of dark flame erupted that burned away the enemy’s arrows and spells launched at her.
With a glance, a flame leapt forth and consumed a man who had drawn too close in his charge, causing him to scream before being silenced.
With a wave of her hand, a jet of flames sprung forth and bathed several knights of the temple, who were obliterated within an instant.
With a stomp of her foot, a corona of oblivion surrounded her—a swirling vortex of destruction in which none but her could exist.

Her enemy had been utterly annihilated by her flames, the same fate that had befallen all her prior foes. All that remained of them was the charred black ground, cleared of snow.

Though that was not fully true. One was a swordsman of impressive skill, marshaled forth to challenge her among the crowd. She faced him, clashing against him as a swordsman and not destruction itself. Their battle was fierce yet enjoyable to the girl, before she cut him down, separating his head from his body. She took the sword he wielded as a prize, and that same sword now rested upon her lap as she napped.

“Hey sis!” A voice roused her from slumber—a slumber which was fitful and troubled.
That was the usual case for the seven sisters.

Opening her eyes, she saw that the voice had come from a gargoyle-like mabeast that had begun to descend towards her. The beast transformed into a mass of black-red liquid that simply dropped and splattered against the ground, before reforming into a silver-haired and blue-eyed girl.

“Hey sis! Lazing around, I see,” Celeano greeted her sister with a smile.

Electra rolled her eyes. “Buzz off, Cela. I already did my job for today.”
She slowly picked herself up.

“How about you? Guessing you’re about finished?” Electra asked.

“Yup!” Celeano puffed out her chest. “While you were busy with them here, I paid the city a visit.”

“They must have loved that,” Electra remarked with a smirk.

“Yup! Gobbled up all the guards, and I had the Rainbow Serpent help me out,” she explained. “That really freaked ’em out. I got some good snacks out of it too.”
She licked her lips.

Celeano’s visits tended to be either subtle or dramatic affairs for the denizens of the world. The girl always preferred the latter, though. In this case, she conjured forth the Black Serpent, having been modified to become the ‘Rainbow Serpent’ by her own hand.

Upon seeing it, the people of the city were thrown into a panic, the guards marshaling upon the walls.
But the serpent’s presence was a distraction.
Celeano descended upon the walls as a mass of liquid darkness, consuming several of the guards within seconds.
By the time they reformed, the guards that remained readied spells and weapons against her. The young Gluttony avoided, endured, or absorbed every attack sent her way.
She responded with ‘bombs’ of acid, fired from the palms of her hands. Every guard that she touched was consumed by that same acid that made up her entire body.
In the end, the outer wall of the city was devoid of life, save for one gluttonous girl.

Electra stretched out her arms. “Well then, I think we’re good to head back home soon.”
She looked at the cultists around her. “Alright, get lost and get back to wherever you all came from.”

“Bye! See ya soon, I hope,” Celeano waved to them all.

The cultists bowed and quickly departed.

Electra looked at Celeano. “So, mind giving me a lift, sis?” she asked.

“Hmm, sure!” Celeano then morphed into black liquid.
She shaped and reshaped herself until she took the form of a violet and crimson bird-bat hybrid with armored feathers.

Electra hopped onto the back of the creature as they began their ascent into the sky.

 

****

 

Within the depths of a nobleman’s manor, the Witch of Greed dutifully tended to her work.

There was a neat arrangement of corpses off to the left side of her room, laid side by side, awaiting her attention.

To the right side of the room were piles of materials—metals, magical stones, and other components available for her to use.

On the table before her was the corpse of a knight of Lugunica, kept in pristine condition.
Taygete carefully cut into the corpse, methodically applying arcane stones and rune-carved metal disks into the body. She injected alchemical liquids into the marrow of the dead bones.
Taking out a bone saw, she began to saw off the arms of the corpse before replacing the limbs with metallic copies.
As she worked, she retained a natural expression upon her face, solely focusing on her task.
As she looked over the corpse, her modifications complete, she stood herself upright. “Excellent, you should be a worthy soldier for me now,” she declared to the unmoving corpse.

“Making another doll, sis?” a voice called out from behind her.

Taygete turned around and saw Asterope entering the room with the usual sort of glib spring in her step, being led by two cultists.

Taygete put on the metaphorical mask that was her gentle, smiling face. “Oh? Asterope? I’m surprised they told you where I was.”

Her gaze looked over the two cultists escorting her in. She noticed the almost dazed look in their eyes.

“Well, then again, it’s no surprise,” Taygete added.

Asterope giggled and walked over to the table, sitting herself upon it next to the corpse and stretching herself out. “Yup! You know I can be very convincing.”
She smiled at her sister. “So what sort of dolls are you making?”
She studied the face of the corpse.

“Physical combat types, for the most part,” Taygete said while smiling at her sister.

“Cool, cool.” Asterope nodded her head as she gently kicked her feet.
“By the way! I need your help with something.”

“Oh?” Taygete tilted her head.

“I brought my target! But he needs some... hmm, long-term adjustment,” Asterope giggled.
“Bring him in!” she called out.

Two cultists then led a nobleman inside, dragging him in by his arms.
The noble was in a daze, his eyes glossed over.

Taygete turned to face the newcomer. “Hmm. I’m guessing he’s under a paralytic and confusion effect?” she asked.

“Yup! I tried my usual charms, but he’s one of those stubborn guys where it refuses to stick.” As Asterope spoke, she stretched out a leg, lifting the chin of the man with her foot.

“I see.” Taygete nodded her head. “Very well, I can take care of it.”
She turned to the cultists. “Lift him up, please.”

The cultists lifted the man.

“Undo the confusion effect, sister. It’s easier for me if another authority isn’t interfering with their mind,” Taygete asked her sister in her usual polite tone.

“Oh! Right, right! Sorry,” Asterope replied.

The man blinked a few times, and while his expression remained the same, the fog lifted from his eyes—the confusion replaced by fear and panic.

“That’s good. Hello there, you may know of me as Taygete, the Witch of Greed. I imagine you’re familiar with my sister here, Asterope, the Witch of Lust.”

“Hi there. You’re about to become our friend,” Asterope teased, giggling as she licked her lips. “Lucky you. People would kill to be close to some cute girls like us.”

“Yes, well, what my sister says is true. You have nothing to worry about—you’re about to be our friend,” Taygete said. Under most situations, her smile would be assuring, but right now it was the most terrifying look in the world to the man.

His eyes rapidly darted around, but he could not move.
Taygete gently caressed the side of his face. “Don’t worry, it will be quick.”
She then gripped his chin with one hand.

His eyes locked with hers—her gentle and tired yet terrifying eyes meeting his panicked ones.

She lifted her other hand, and a small sharp jewel formed within it.
She then pushed the jewel into the man’s skull, her fingers sinking into his head.

“Still sometimes a little bit weird to see you do that, sister,” Asterope leaned back as she watched.

Taygete said nothing, focusing instead on the task before her.
Her eyes remained locked with the man’s. She was silent, but her brain rapidly went through the process of reprogramming his mind.

After several minutes, she removed her finger from his head, leaving no mark. “There you go. Are you feeling better?”

The man didn’t respond, still paralyzed.

“Sister…” Taygete said.

“Oh! Right! No need for this anymore.” Asterope looked over the man. “You can move now.”

The man blinked a few more times. He stumbled back and forward before he stood himself upright.

“See? Was that so bad? You’re our friend now,” Taygete smiled at the man.

“Ye-yes, mistress.” The nobleman bowed. “Whatever you wish for, I would be happy to provide.”

“I know. You have my thanks,” Taygete replied.
She then turned back to Asterope. “Could you please return him to where you found him?”

“Can do!” Asterope leapt from the table and gave the man a few pats on the cheek. “Hmm, you’re kind of cute. Maybe we should…”

Taygete cleared her throat. “Sister.”

“Oh fine, fine. Alright, you have some work to do, mister.” Asterope grumbled as she began to lead the man out.
“Oh! By the way, Mother issued an order to return. She wants us all back home to talk about something.”

Taygete had formed another jewel in her hands and was implanting it within the corpse. “Oh?”

“Mhm. She wants all seven of us for some sort of meeting. It’s in the gospel,” Asterope explained.

“I see. Well then, I shall go when I’m finished up here. Have a good day, sister,” Taygete said.

“You too, sister!” Asterope replied. With a wave of her hand, she then walked out of the room.

***

 

“So… this is the place that Big Sister Maia is held up in?” Merope asked.

“Seems like it,” Alcyone replied.

The two sisters were staring at a small village that seemed oddly peaceful for hosting their bombastic sister.

“Guess they knew what was good for them and didn't get in Sister Maia's way,” Alcyone commented.

Merope nodded. “Probably, though… her territory is still active.”

“It is? Ugh, right. She's probably still making an example of people in there.” Alcyone sighed and straightened her kimono.

“Ah, let me help!” Merope quickly helped her slothful sister adjust her clothes.

“Thanks, sis,” Alcyone replied.

Merope smiled back at her older sister. “Let's go see Sister Maia now.”

As the two made their way into the village, the guards quickly stepped aside to let them through.

“Yeah, Maia's been here,” Alcyone muttered and let out a soft chuckle, noticing the look of fear upon the guards’ faces.

“Hmm, well as long as they don't do something stupid, Sister Maia won't hurt them,” Merope added as she looked around. “Though she may be in a somewhat bad mood.”

“Yeah, well it's like that for us when we are out here,” Alcyone muttered.

The village was quiet, though not because it was devoid of life.

It was quiet because the majority of the people were hiding in their homes.
A few vendors and stands remained out and operational, but with no customers present—they dared not offend the witch by closing up shop early.

“People are really stupid,” Alcyone muttered as the two entered the town square.

It was there that they found their sister.
A throne of crystal had been raised from the earth and shaped according to her whim as the Witch of Pride sat herself upon it.

A few of the guards and village officials remained nearby, the fear apparent on their faces.

Maia was busy chewing upon a piece of fruit that was served to her.

“Is it to your liking?” the mayor asked in a quivering tone.

“Hmm, it's good enough,” Maia remarked in a bored tone as she took another bite.

Maia sat up straight when she saw two of her sisters approaching.
“Ah, hey!”
The proud witch then stood up. “Glad you two could come. I've just been killing time here waiting.”

“Killing time by taking over a village?” Merope asked.

“Eh, not the worst way to kill time,” Alcyone shrugged.

Maia laughed. “Well, no. This village has a prime location for our purposes and besides—” she pointed to an old abandoned fort that was no longer in use “—that could prove useful in the coming days. I have had my cultists secure it while I worked on the village,” she explained.

Merope giggled. “You mean bullied it into submission?”

“It is not bullying or anything like that. I simply had to show them how amazing my existence is,” she explained with a smirk. “But yeah.” She sighed and looked around. “It’s the usual sort.”

“The local government try to do anything about it yet?” Alcyone asked.

Maia smirked. “Obviously, but I took care of that right away.”
She brushed her hair to her side, looking mighty pleased with herself.
She then turned around dramatically, letting her cape flow with the wind. “Now come with me. Now that you are here, we’ll get the ball rolling.”

“Putting us to work right away, huh?” Alcyone asked. “Well, that’s alright I guess.”

“Lead the way, sister!” Merope chirped.

Maia motioned for everyone else to leave as the three sisters began toward the fortress.

“So, what type of problems have been sent your way already?” Alcyone asked.

“A small patrol of soldiers. Given that we are at the edge of Kararagi, they were just a mercenary contingent…” Maia explained while yawning.

“I’m going to guess that you took care of that then?” Merope concluded.

“Obviously. What could they hope to do against a star like myself?” Maia replied with a confident smirk.

On the outskirts of the village, there was a small host of corpses, golden crystallized shards upon the ground, and bodies half sunken into the earth.

“Sounds like you had a fun time,” Alcyone replied with a faint chuckle.

“Hmm, more or less.” Maia twirled her finger through her hair. “I don’t normally like leaving no survivors, but they were a particularly offensive and rude sort, so I decided to make a bit of an example.”

“Eh, I would have done the same,” Alcyone admitted as she yawned. “Especially if it was being a particularly ‘bad’ day.”

Merope sighed and shook her head. “Anyways, we need to work quickly. We have targets we need to take care of and people we need to secure.”

“Agreed. Let's not waste any more time. I’d rather not spend more than a week here. It is unpleasant to be in such a place, after all,” Maia remarked.

Merope and Alcyone both stopped in their tracks.

Maia turned around. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

“You… didn’t check your gospel today, did you?” Merope asked.

“I was tending to some matters. I was going to check it before you arrived,” Maia remarked and quickly pulled out a gospel of the Witch Cult—only theirs was marked with the symbol of the stars and moon.

“Mother’s calling for us?” Maia remarked with some surprise.

Alcyone nodded her head. “By the end of the week. She wants us all back home. It’s a bit bothersome, making us rush through this.”

Maia let out a deep sigh as she reconsidered her plans. “I see. In that case, we have no time to lose! Sisters! I’m going to be asking for your help in the coming days to see that all of our goals are met!”

Merope giggled and playfully saluted. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Not like you’re giving us much of a choice here,” Alcyone remarked.

Maia smirked, pleased with the responses of her sisters. “Good. Our stay may be brief, but let’s make sure that the people here know why they should respect us—Witches of Deadly Sin.”

 

****

 

And so, one by one, by the week’s end the witches returned to the place they called home.

 

A tower standing amidst a miasma choked desert, though where once barren sands surrounded the watch tower, now stood an alien oasis garden. The flowers that grew were not the natural sort, beautiful yet strange in their coloration. The trees were twisted and warped, but brimming with life. It was a small landscape that was out of place with the world of Od Lagna, and more than that it was a threat.

A threat that sin could not merely destroy its order, but transform it entirely. 

For the seven new Witches of Deadly Sin, this place was beautiful, this place was home. 

In this if…

-In the future where his seven daughters originate from, Subaru has taken the title of “Archon” rather than sage. Many, including his children, call him the Black Sage, or the Sage of Sin.
-His base of operation is the Pleiades Watchtower, though it was heavily modified by his actions.
-Satella is not ‘free’ in this timeline, though he could free her, but her seal is loosened a great deal and she commonly acts and interacts with the world through her daughters.
-Six of the seven sisters were conceived and born within the timeless void that is Satella's seal, making them born outside the natural flow of time. Only Merope, born later, was an exception to this.
-The gospels used by the new Seven Witches of Deadly Sin act, ironically, in a fashion akin to how the Witch Cult thinks their gospels work, allowing for the Witch of Envy to communicate with her daughters. The gospels also act as fully functional Tomes of Wisdom, though the text from Satella and the natural text of the gospels differ in color. 
-The seven daughters suffer from three ‘afflictions’ inherited from their father and etched into their Witch Factors. They refer to these afflictions as The Sinner’s Nightmare, The Demon’s Pain, and the Witch’s Presence. These afflictions make it impossible for them to live normal lives.

Notes:

Initially what I planned to 'get done' in my first batch of this path was the jailbreak and this look into the future before I went back to focusing on my other paths to return to this at a more casual pace BUUUT, the comments also made me realized that the reaction of the camps right after the nonsense in the capital could be really fun so I may do that soon before this lingers for a little bit. Though this path is really fun to right so expect it to update whenever I feel the urge to do so.

Chapter 31: Path of The Daughters of Disaster-Extra 2

Summary:

Back in the present
The Fallout from the attack on the capital by the new Witches of Sin.

How the Kingdom, and each of the camps, react.

Notes:

Once again a super long chapter for daughters of disaster.
I COULD split this up, but I think it works better as a chapter like this.

Minutes after the false white whale vanished into the clouds, the entire royal capital had devolved into complete chaos in the wake of the self-proclaimed new Witches of Sin.

Knights were frantically moving around the city, trying to control the damage that had been wrought.
There were no reported deaths—remarkably so—but there were plenty of problems to deal with.

There were plenty of injuries throughout the city. People were beaten into unconsciousness, and others suffered broken bones. Many of these injuries were brought about by the panic itself rather than direct attacks by the witches.

Others were in far stranger states.
Many knights were locked into a slumber.
Other knights were paralyzed by a mysterious power, unable to move.
Some were in the thrall of madness or fear.
Others were trapped in an illusionary prison of hallucination as they walked about in a daze, requiring them to be restrained.
Some were buried into the ground and the walls.
Some had transformed into golden crystalline statues.
And some were, to people's horror, locked into a stasis akin to the Sleeping Beauty Syndrome. Specifically, it was those who were bathed in the fog produced by the Whale that had attacked the city.
They were still remembered, but they would not respond.
And the people did not know that such a state was only temporary—a mercy given by Celeano that had yet to become obvious. For while she was a woman willing to deliver death in most circumstances, she would not condemn one to the prisons of oblivion wrought by the prior Gluttony.

It did not take long at all for the Wisemen Council to call the candidates and their camps back into an emergency meeting.

Marcos ushered the candidates and their camps back into the chamber with the seven Wisemen.

From the Priscilla Camp were Priscilla, Al, and Heinkel.
From the Anastasia Camp were Anastasia, Julius, and Ricardo.
From the Crusch Camp were Crusch, Felix, and Wilhelm.
From the Felt Camp were Felt and Ezzo—Reinhard was to join as soon as he returned.
And from the Emilia Camp were Emilia, Roswaal, Garfiel, and Otto.

To say that the mood was miserable would be an understatement for sure.

“Well, it seems like we have a lot more to talk about, now that we are all back together,” one of the older Wisemen remarked with a dry and humorless laugh.

“Are you really going to make a joke in a time of crisis after those monsters tore apart the capital!” Bordeaux slammed his fists onto the table.

“Well, he is not wrong about it. So sit down, Bordeaux. Your temper will get us nowhere till we take stock of the situation,” a Wiseman with long dark hair replied.

Miktolov nodded his head. “Agreed. We should get this meeting underway. As of right now, this is the crisis response center for the threat of these self-proclaimed daughters of The Witch.”

A chill gripped the heart of all those within the room—a fear inherent to nearly every person that existed within this world.
Fear of the Witch of Envy.

The only exceptions were the unarmed man whose origins hailed from beyond The Great Waterfall,
And the half-elf who grew up to disdain the Witch rather than fear her.
But both were also taken with a great unease from these events for more personal reasons.

For Al, it was the idea that these Witches knew his trump card and were prepared to neutralize him. If he failed even once—and if they were aware of it—he would get no second chance to seal them with Ol Shamak. He could not face seven Witches of Sin who were fully prepared for him.

For Emilia, it was the thought that other elves—who seemed to be half, maybe quarter elves—were the cause of this devastation. She knew that for her inclusive platform, it would be a serious blow. Furthermore, to declare themselves daughters of The Witch—she couldn't even imagine what drove them to that insanity. And for Emilia, she thought it must be insanity.

“Well, where the heck is Rein?!” Felt asked, looking around.
She was rather annoyed that her knight simply wasn't there for the majority of the battle. Though she saw why towards the end, the entire situation left her deeply unsettled and aggravated.

The clash between Rein and his opponent ended right above the city—for anyone to see, if they looked up.
And its climax could not be ignored.

The city was illuminated with the light of the Dragon Sword Reid and the Astrea Slash.
For almost everyone, it was their first time seeing the attack that reigned unquestionably as the strongest force in the world.

Which is why what followed could not be understood by most—and those who could follow simply could not believe it.
The Dragon Sword’s light consumed its target, before being halted and vanishing in a vortex of distorted space and energy.
A second explosion rang out less than a moment later—an eruption of chaotic energies that smote the sky with equal force to that of the Astrea Slash.

Very few could look at the blinding cacophony, and thus even fewer noticed the Sword Saint's haggard form falling to the earth in its aftermath.

He was fine, obviously, but from a strategic standpoint, he had lost the battle—for it allowed his opponents to escape.

“I am here, Lady Felt. My apologies.”
Attention was drawn to the Sword Saint who had just arrived.
He was wearing his usual uniform, though it was tattered in several places—yet somehow not ragged.
“And I apologize for my attire. Normally I have a Divine Protection which prevents my clothes from being ragged, but the damage suffered was too great to be mitigated completely.”

“Re-Reinhard?!” Julius muttered in shock. The others looked at the Sword Saint with similar expressions of disbelief.

“Reinhard, I'd like your report first. What happened?” Marcos asked, all eyes falling upon the Sword Saint.

Reinhard took a deep breath to steady himself and fully organize his thoughts. Pure failure was something mostly unfamiliar to him.
But now he had to admit it before everyone. He didn't lose the fight, but he might as well have in every way that mattered.
“Before the attack began, I was engaged by one of the Witches that attacked the city. She teleported me into the skies above Lugunica.”

“That far? Was it an Authority or yin magic displacement?” Roswaal asked.

Reinhard shook his head. “I am not sure. After that, she engaged me in battle.”

“Yet you could not defeat the wretch despite all your power?” Priscilla asked, the agitation clear in her voice.

He paused. His genuine opinion would feel like an excuse, but it was the truth.
“I… felt like I could, like I should have been able to, but I couldn't bring the battle to a close.”

“What kind of sorry statement is that?” Heinkel spat out the words.

Reinhard tensed at his father’s words. “She… she was weaker than me, certainly so. At her best, I would say her martial level was at that of Halibel, Vague, or Cecilus.”

“That is nothing to be considered weak,” Miklotov remarked.

“It's true, but it felt different than them at the same time. Her skill was less… natural.” He struggled to articulate the feeling. “The issue was, whenever I was about to achieve a decisive victory on her, she managed to predict any sort of attempt by myself to bring the fight to a close.”

“She predicted your moves?” Felt asked.

“Maybe, though there was more.” He continued. “She used a myriad of seemingly random effects during our battle. Though as the fight continued, she summoned a powerful shadow I also had to contend with—that became my primary focus.”

“And what happened at the end, Reinhard?” Marcos asked.

“I… was able to draw the Dragon Sword Reid and used the Astrea Slash on her, though she was able to use what I presume to be her Authority to reflect it back at myself.”

Silence.
Reinhard's last sentence was unbelievable madness.

“She… reflected the Dragon Sword?” Bordeaux muttered.

“Is... isn't that… isn't that impossible?” Crusch asked.

“If it is a function of her Authority, then possibly not, I suppose,” Beatrice muttered.

“So… she removed you from the battlefield, fought with unusual but still lesser strength, predicted your moves, wielded almost a random assortment of powers against you, unleashed a shadow you also had to contend with, and turned the Dragon Sword's energy itself against you. Is that an accurate assessment?” the dark-haired Wiseman asked in a cold voice.

Reinhard steadied himself. “That…”

“Hey, back off him! Those bitches caused us all problems.” Felt spat back at the man, trembling with enough rage that she wanted to lunge at him then and there.

He met her rage with his own cold gaze. “I simply stated the facts in their simplest form, Lady Felt. If you are worried that I am being unduly harsh with the Sword Saint, then don't be. There is plenty of failure to go around this room from every party involved. This was a disgrace for the Kingdom of—”

A knight burst into the room and bowed to them with a panicked look on his face. “Ah, I am sorry, but I have an urgent report!”

“Speak, please. We need all the information we can gather,” Miklotov bade him to speak.

“The... the Witches broke the Archbishop of Pride out of his prison, and the Witch of Wrath is missing,” the knight reported.

“Wha! What! Pride is gone!” Felix cried out in shock and indignation as he stormed up to the knight.
By the time he awoke from his stupor induced by the Witch of Lust, he was already taken to a medical center away from the prison.

“Tha… that's horrible!” Emilia gasped.

“Damnit,” Julius muttered.

“Fuckin’ hell,” Garfiel grumbled.

“This day just keeps getting worse, I guess,” Anastasia commented as she gripped her scarf.

Beatrice let out a deep sigh. “That was their goal, I suppose.”

A Wiseman with sharp eyes questioned the knight. “You said Pride was taken by them, but that Wrath was gone?”

He nodded his head. “Ye-yes. A few knights reported seeing them carry Pride off, however there were no such reports for Wrath. She had simply vanished from her cell by the time we could check on her.”

“She could have still made off with them,” Anastasia commented.

“I am not sure,” Reinhard interjected. “As the Whale was escaping, I saw an extra figure with them who I presumed to be Pride. I did not see Wrath there, and she is rather distinct looking.”

“It’s possible that she simply left her own way once free,” Ezzo remarked, adding his own opinion.

Felix nodded his head. “Pride was in nyo state to travel. If ney also let Wrath loose, then she could have escaped by herself.”

“It’s possible, but we can’t search while the city is in chaos,” Marcos said, his stony expression growing even more stoic and serious.

“That… that is true, but the city has to be our priority. After that, we need to organize a search and figure out a response,” Crusch said, mustering the will and forthrightness that was once so natural to her.
While not totally free of her dragon’s blood, Felix had transferred much of her curse to Pride, allowing her some of her life back. The painful trial had hardened her somewhat.

“I agree,” Emilia added, wishing to help her friend.

Miklotov sighed, shaking his head. “Then let us continue while keeping this new information in mind… what can we conclude about these witches?”

Marcos let out a deep breath. “I’ll begin with the one that fought me, Julius, and the other knights. She called herself Maia, Witch of Pride.”

“Pride…” Emilia murmured to herself.

Marcos nodded his head. “She possessed incredible physical and magical strength, but the most notable issue we ran into was that our attacks failed to hit her.”

“Failed to hit her? Was it like Greed?” Emilia asked.

Marcos shook his head. “Based on the reports, no. Attacks seemed to avoid her and direct themselves away. Furthermore, she seemed to have an odd control of the terrain around herself. Many knights simply fell into the ground or walls.”

“How the ‘ell tha’ work?” Garfiel asked.

Marcos had no answer. “Overall, she had a great deal of raw power and abilities that I could not decipher.”

“She also was contracted with a great spirit of fire,” Julius remarked, bitterness apparent in his statement of that fact.

“A great spirit contracted with a Witch?” Emilia asked.

“It is as surprising to me as it is to you, Lady Emilia,” Julius replied.

“What about the other one that attacked the prison?” a heavyset Wiseman asked.

“She called herself Asterope, the Witch of Lust,” Felix said, unable to help but grind his teeth.

“And her powers?” the sharp-eyed Wiseman asked.

“She… I’m not sure. She produced a poison of some kind. She could induce paralysis, emotions, sleep, and cause confusion,” Felix answered, his own head foggy after falling victim to her poison.

“A poison? And you could not resist this?” the dark-haired Wiseman asked.

Felix bit his lip and shook his head. “No, Ferri could not. She put me into a sleep like the rest, and it bypassed my resistance. I think her powers attack the Od directly.”

“Gah, of course,” one of the Wisemen muttered.

“The one I fought introduced herself as Celeano, the Witch of Gluttony,” Wilhelm began. “She emerged from that Whale when we fought.”

“Let’s talk about that,” a militant Wiseman began in a critical tone. “Why was the supposedly slain White Whale attacking the city?”

“Hey! We killed the thing!” Ricardo grumbled. “And this one was smaller.” He guessed it to be two-thirds the original Whale’s size.

Wilhelm thought more about it. “She produced a seeming copy of the Serpent from her arm when we fought. She could also shape and transform her body in battle. Beyond that, her abilities were difficult to gauge when we fought.”

Felt nodded. “The bitch we fought called herself Alycone, the Witch of Sloth. She seemed to be able to move things with her mind or something—we were getting hit by something we couldn’t see.”

“She also teleported me halfway across the city,” Al added in a grim tone.

“The ability to strike with unseen limbs sounds like the power of the late Archbishop of Sloth,” Julius remarked.

“That foul devil also employed a potent spirit, one of wind,” Priscilla added, already nursing a hatred for the Witch that dared to humiliate her in battle.

“Then there is the one we fought. She called herself Electra, the Witch of Wrath,” Emilia said. “She produced dark flames that destroyed everything we threw at her.”

“Ya! Bitch was strong too. Couldn’t get closer to her withou’ gettin’ burned up,” Garfiel grumbled.

“Annnnd the one I fouuuuught declared herself the Witch of Greed. She commanded those strange constructs that appeared around the city and was a powerful mage,” Roswaal explained. “She also confirmed that she was explicitly a ‘quarter-elf’ when I questioned her. While she could be lying, I would generally say that her physical features were appropriate for one.”

“Gah, course they all are.” Bordeaux glared over everyone, specifically at Emilia—though he bit his tongue for now.
“Well, that gives their claims of parentage some weight. These quarter-devils should be scoured from the face of the world as soon as possible,” Priscilla declared, tightly gripping her fan.

Miklotov nodded his head. “I see. If everyone would be so kind, I'd like every camp to assemble a detailed report on their experiences so we might all have a clear understanding of our foe.”

No one objected to his statement.

“Now then, we have to figure out what we are going to do next,” he said with grim seriousness.

Everyone looked toward each other. In truth, they had no idea where to even begin.

Anastasia let out a deep sigh. “Well then, I am going to turn over a few stones, see what happens. There has to be something out there.”

“Unlikely, merchant,” Priscilla replied. “If these women are somehow truthful in their claims of being the daughters of The Witch, then we can assume that they are associated with her wretched cult.”

“Still worth a try,” Anastasia replied.

Wilhelm then spoke up. “What Lady Barielle says may be true in some capacity, though. It is possible that they stand at the apex of the Witch Cult, and only act now that the majority of their Archbishops have been bested.”

Crusch sighed and shook her head. “If that is the case, then we are in for some difficult times, and we must be vigilant."

“But… Sirius seemed to hate half-elves. The Witch Cult has slaughtered elves in the past,” Emilia muttered.

“Well, the Archbishops don’t seem to get along. Maybe Sirius had a problem with them and projected it onto every other elf out there?” Otto remarked.

Emilia tensed—more suffering for people like her, all because of that wretched Witch.

“I would also propose that the Knights of Lugunica mobilize in their entirety,” Marcos began. “The knights as an organization have kept necessarily neutral in the proceedings of the selection thus far, but this is about protecting the future of this nation. If you would permit me, I would have the knights aid with the security of your camps at this time.”

“Oh? Well, that’s a sudden change. Figuring your neutrality isn’t effective anymore?” Anastasia remarked.

Priscilla scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Because they proved to be so capable of driving away these quarter-devils already? What good is your rabble, anyways?”

Marcos let out a deep sigh. The reputation of the Knight’s Order was already not the best among many, despite his efforts. Recent events would only serve to damage it further.
“For the sake of the security of the kingdom, I would urge you to consider letting more knights take an active role in your camps—for this crisis at least.”

There were understanding nods from most of the candidates, save for the skeptical sun princess.

“For now…” Miklotov began. “I would like to declare that the hunting down of these new Witches of Sin should be a priority for the Kingdom of Lugunica. They cannot be allowed to rampage within our kingdom.”

In that, everyone was in agreement.
“It seems we need time to prepare and gather information. I would like everyone to rest and prepare for the trials that are to come,” he said.

And with that, all were dismissed from the chamber.

 

***

Felt and Reinhard returned to the Astrea manor.

A meeting was soon called for by Felt to discuss what had happened. Attending the meeting were Reinhard, Rom, and Ezzo.

“Well, this is a fine mess we seem to have stumbled into,” Ezzo remarked as he sat down at the table.

“Yeah, I’ll say,” Rom grumbled.

Felt leaned back in her chair and looked over at Reinhard, who had taken the time to quickly change into a uniform that was not torn to shreds.

“So Rein… how are you doing?” she asked, rather than her usual casual tone there was an undercurrent of anxiety within her voice.

The prospective monarch was very VERY annoyed by the events of the day and the ‘bitches’ who caused it. 

“I am… I am fine, Lady Felt. There is just a lot to think about. I am sorry if I was not able to meet your expectations today.” He bowed, sincerely apologetic.

“Hey hey HEY!” She sat herself upright as she pointed right at him. “Don’t be like that! Those bitches made up an entire scheme just to handle you—it’s not your fault.”

He shook his head. “Nevertheless, as the Sword Saint I should have been able to…”

“Nope! Don’t wanna hear it.” She crossed her arms and scowled.

Rom laughed and shook his head. “Better stop arguing—there’s no getting through to her when she’s like that.”

Reinhard sighed. “If that is what you wish, Lady Felt.”

“Now then, what the hell are we going to do?” Felt asked her camp as she impatiently tapped her foot.

Rom considered things for a moment and sighed. “You’re not going to like this, but we may have to wait.”

“What?!” Felt shouted, the last thing she wanted to do in this situation was nothing.

“These Witch girls didn’t cause much in the way of casualties. It means they’re trying not to, for some reason. Their job would have been a lot easier if they did so. Though honestly, based on everything…” He paused.

“Well? Spit it out!” she commanded.

He let out another breath. “They wanted to make a statement with this. That’s the odd thing. Honestly, they probably could have snuck in, grabbed Pride, and gotten him out. But they didn’t do that. They went in loud with a big distraction and made a big show of it.”

“So you’re saying they wanted to send a fucked-up message?” Felt asked.

“While also not trying to kill people,” Rom added.

“Ugh, what? So give them a medal for that or something?” Felt threw her hands up as she rocked back and forth in her chair.

“There is… something else, Lady Felt,” Reinhard began. “The girl I fought, she… she didn’t have any malice that I could detect. Her emotions were just determination—desperation, almost—along with an unyielding spirit. But she didn’t seem… well, she was hostile, but she wasn’t… malicious.”

“Seriously? She blasted you out of the fucking sky, Reinhard!” Felt shouted, outraged on behalf of her knight.

“But she didn’t hate me, nor did she take any sort of delight when fighting me. For her, it felt like a duty,” he explained.

“So what? Are you saying they aren’t so bad? I’m not buying it,” she muttered.

Rom shook his head. “Probably not. Witches are no good, and there’s no telling what they’re thinking,” the old giant muttered. “But at the same time, just be careful about this, Felt. They’re showing restraint—which means they could ‘stop’ doing that if the going gets rough.”

“Be careful, right…” She let out a deep sigh. “Still, I’m not letting these bitches get away with what they did to you. Got it, Rein!” She stared intensely back at the Sword Saint.

He paused, but nodded his head. Some part of him felt comforted by his lady’s outrage on his behalf. “Understood, Lady Felt.”

For the crimson eyed girl the insult to her knight was an outrage that demanded a reply. True he frustrated her greatly but she cared deeply about him. So she promised to herself that they would pay for what they did to him. 

 

***

 

The Sun Queen found herself in a foul mood by the time she returned to her estate in the capital.
“Schult! My divine self requires a drink,” she shouted out.

“Ye-yes, Lady Priscilla,” the young boy rushed off to get a drink for his lady.

“Well, ain’t this a complete mess, huh,” Heinkel groaned as he sat himself down on a nearby sofa.

“Yeah…” Al muttered to himself. There were a lot of things troubling him—a LOT of things—but they were things that he did not wish to speak about.

“Hmm?” She raised an eyebrow as she noticed Al’s tension.

“Speak, my jester. You are normally unwelcomingly verbose, but now your silence seems to be more troublesome than your speech. What are you keeping from your goddess?” she asked, in no mood to entertain her jester’s shifty nature.

“I…” Al began, but wasn’t even sure where or how to begin. Everything that unsettled him about those girls were things he really couldn’t speak about, even to her.
He decided to just give her a piece, albeit an important one. “Well, they clearly know about my trump card,” he admitted, hoping that would be enough.

“Oh? What makes you say that?” she asked, eyes narrowing.

“When we were fighting the Sloth Witch, she set up the first part of that fight just so she could teleport me away. I heard she got more aggressive after I was sent halfway across the city, even,” Al explained.

“That cur did in fact act more freely once you were removed. Are you saying that you were her primary concern?” Priscilla’s voice was laced with a venomous edge, the muscles in her arms tightened.

“Not exactly. More like… they knew if I really started using my trump card, that I’d trap them in a way that they couldn’t win. But if they just teleport me away, I can’t really do much with that,” he explained.

She sighed and shook her head. “How annoying. So your already low value in combat is further diminished when facing them?”

“Probably… Honestly, I think it’s a bad idea to try and mess with these girls in any way,” Al admitted, hoping to somehow dissuade her from pursuing these girls in any way. For Al, this was a time where discretion was the better part of valor.

“Does it frighten you?” she asked with a mocking jeer. “To know that death itself may await you without the comfort your power provides?”
She stood herself up in a slow but menacing fashion. A roiling storm of boiling fury lay just under the surface of her skin.

“Pr-princess?!” Al stammered out.

She kicked him across the room, sending him crashing into the wall. “How laughably defective you are! For your confidence to collapse just because your meager trick is known to the enemy?”

The Yang Sword manifested within her grasp, appearing within a swirl of flames. She pointed it towards Al.
“If you are so useless, then perhaps I should cut you down here and now.”
Her pristine composure had fallen away—in its place was dignified and proud outrage on her own behalf. Outrage for the insults she had suffered today.

Al remained silent as the soul-searing blade was pointed right at him.

“I shall not back down from the challenge that these quarter-devils pose,” she barked at him. “They dare to touch what belongs to me, to use their filthy powers upon my divine form and being. Do you understand the audacity—the sheer stupidity—of your suggestion of simply letting them be?!”
Her eyes burned with a bloodthirsty rage.
“I think not! If these Witches of Sin—these worms—wish to bring war to mine own self, then I shall carve them to pieces and burn their very souls to cinders! The only question that remains is whether you will be a useful tool in that endeavor, or if I should discard you here and now, Aldebaran?”

Her tone was that of a warning and threat, letting her true fury at the events of the day seep out of her here and now.
She felt like she was toyed with.
Like she was belittled and insulted.
And this was a feeling that the Sun Princess did not find pleasing at all.

“If you dare to insinuate that they are a threat that mine own self cannot rise to meet, then I shall dismiss you here and now. These Witches of Sin shall be broken and burned at my feet, for the world turns in my favor!”

Thus the Sun Princess’s course was set, and the following star could only be dragged along in her wake, lest he be burnt.

***

As she fell back in her seat, Anastasia sighed and stroked her scarf for some comfort. “Well, this entire day has been a mess.”

Ricardo stood at her side while Julius stayed a respectful distance away.
Had it been the remembered past, Julius would have been right next to her.
But her memories of him no longer existed, and it was only thanks to Crusch that she mostly began to trust him again.

“These Witches and Archbishops truly are annoying things to exist,” she muttered to herself.

“Yeah, no kidding on both accounts,” Ricardo grumbled with his arms crossed.

Julius brought some tea to Anastasia—the sort that she liked—and placed it down on the table.
It was little things like this that showed her how he knew her. So she had made an effort to know him again, if only to level the playing field.

“So then, what do you two think?” she asked, curious for their honest assessments of the situation while she collected her own thoughts.

Ricardo shook his head. “Honestly, it's a messed-up situation. Even if we were taken off guard, these girls took on the entire royal capital and won—and that's while they were holding back.”

“I agree with Ricardo. Honestly, I am ashamed of my own performance,” Julius admitted, with his head downcast. Yet again, the cult had bested him.

Anastasia chuckled. “Don't be like that, Julius. I heard you did pretty well for yourself, considering that you took on a foe that gave the Knight Commander trouble.”

Julius stiffened. He was so focused on his own failings that he didn't notice what the knights were saying about him.
His performance was a failure.
But it was a magnificent failure in the eyes of others—he took on a daughter of The Witch who was armed with powers befitting her title, and he did not hesitate or yield.
He acted the true part of a knight.

“To me, it seems like you're a dependable guy to have around. If they were able to deal with someone like Reinhard, then they can deal with you,” she muttered. “That's just reality.”
Her last words were said with grim acceptance. There were obstacles that could simply not be overcome with brute force. To the merchant princess, this situation seemed like one of them.

“My... my liege I don't deserve your praise! Now of all times especially,” he bowed his head.

She laughed. “I bet I used to get tired of this Finest Knight routine all the time, huh?” she asked him.

He winced and shuffled awkwardly in place. “Every so often you would make a comment indicating as such, yes.”

She clapped her hands together. “Good, then we are back on track. Now then.”
She let out another deep breath. “We can focus on the future and what we are going to do about the seven problems that just derailed this entire royal selection.”

She stared down at the table in front of her.
These girls were dangerous and unknown factors.
And that was something that she could not tolerate.
These were the times where her blood ran cold—where she had to focus her mind on achieving her goals by any means possible.
This was how she survived so far in life, so this is how she chose to try and survive these witches.

“This may be futile if they are from the cult, but we need to find out anything and everything about these Witches,” she declared to them both. “With an appearance like theirs, there is no way they can go unnoticed—especially with how flashy they seem to act. We are going to pull on every thread, get all the info we can so we can be ready for them,” she declared.

Ricardo nodded along. “All well and good, but we'll need a way to actually fight them if we run into them again.”

Anastasia rubbed her temples. “Then I'll have to break open the books and coffers for this and hire some extra help.”

“Guys willing to go up against girls like that are going to be rare and pricey,” Ricardo remarked.

“I'm sure if I say it's for security for the kingdom, then I can convince the council to cover some of the cost,” Anastasia explained. “But right now, we are in a crisis and need to do whatever we can.”

“Is there anything you would have me do, Lady Anastasia?” Julius asked.

Anastasia pondered for a moment and then nodded her head. “Yes, I think I'll be having you as my go-between for the pinned. With everything going on, it may be your best position. And obviously, I'll need a strong escort.”

“Understood. I promise not to let you down,” he replied.

“Good. Now let's hope no one else does,” she muttered, the worry still worming into her voice.

 

***

At the Karsten estate in the royal capital, the mood was also particularly foul.

Both Wilhelm and Felix felt like utter failures for being unable to stop the Witches and for allowing the Archbishops to go free.

“Dyammit,” Felix muttered as he let out a deep sigh.

“Ferris, please don't blame yourself. You did all you could,” Crusch said.

He turned back to her. Thanks to him infusing Pride's limbs with her curse, he managed to reduce her exposure by about half—maybe slightly less.
She could walk, albeit slowly and painfully, again.
He likely bought her a few years, he figured.

“Th-thank nyew for your kind words, Lady Crusch, but we still nyeed to figure out what to do nyext,” he said.

“Agreed. These foes are most… troublesome,” Wilhelm remarked.

Crusch sighed and thought to herself. She understood that she was just a shadow of who she used to be—a strong, capable woman who would have an answer for this crisis.
But she wasn't that decisive woman anymore, and so she needed to think about her response.
At the very least, suffering through the pain of the dragon's blood curse had hardened her heart to some degree. Seeing how Felix tore himself emotionally to pieces to protect and care for her only strengthened her resolve.

“We have to prepare,” she began, quickly grabbing the attention of the two men in the room. “We, all of us, are clearly and woefully unprepared for this threat. If we don't have the strength to win… we have to find it.”
She placed her hands together on her lap and clasped them tightly.
She hoped she was heading in the right direction.

Wilhelm bowed his head in response. “Given that we are now in a crisis that goes beyond the Royal Selection, I can perhaps talk to people who were otherwise staying neutral in it, Lady Crusch.”

Crusch considered it. “Begging for help seems unseemly but… I am not sure we have a choice here,” she muttered.

“Its nyot just help—its duty!” Felix interjected. “This is for the whole kingdom, nyan!”

She smiled at him and nodded her head. “Yes, you are right, Ferris. Thank you.”

She turned to Wilhelm. “Please frame any and all personal petitions as such. If you need any help, please ask.”

Wilhelm bowed his head again. “I shall begin doing so as soon as we are done here.”

The old retired knight turned butler, while wearing an outward visage of composure, raged internally.
The cult’s continued existence stood as a mockery of all that he was and everything he tried to do. The whale which supposedly took his wife away from him was now back in some form. Witches—likely from the cult which violated his wife’s corpse—had just rampaged through the capital, and now that wretched Archbishop of Pride had escaped.
His mood was foul and hostile, filled with a rage he struggled to suppress. He knew that his blade would be needed to cut down those that stood in his path, that the Sword Demon’s work was not yet finished.
He vowed that he would find the strength to do what must be done.
His own pride and honor demanded it.

Felix, meanwhile, stewed in his own storm of internal emotions.
Pride…
He thought to himself.
He thought about that weak and pathetic cultist within that cell, filled with desperation, madness, and woe.
Thinking about him still made Felix's stomach churn, made him feel sick.
He was clearly the key to freeing his Lady of the dragon blood curse completely—maybe he could have given a path to her memories being returned.
But all that was gone now, taken away by those girls who proclaimed themselves the daughters of The Witch.
He tensed and stewed in his own vile emotions.
“Pride… I'm going to find you.”
He muttered under his breath. He knew that Pride was his enemy, now more than ever. And, on all his honor as a knight and a healer, he swore to overcome it.
He then looked over at his lady, at the woman who mattered the most to him in the world.
He knew he needed to heal her.
He knew he needed to protect her.
And he swore he would do just that at any cost.

 

****

Upon returning to the Mathers mansion, a meeting of the whole camp had been called to discuss the events of the capital.
The mood was tense and anxious.
Not only had these witches appeared, but they had broken out the Archbishop of Pride—an insane archbishop who had an obsession with their camp in particular.
They knew they had to be cautious moving forward.

Otto let out a deep sigh after they reviewed the information they had gathered in the capital. “This entire situation is a mess.”

“I... I know, Otto,” Emilia muttered.

“No, I mean it REALLY is a mess. I’d hate to bring down the mood even further, but these girls just existing hurts our camp rather badly.” As Otto spoke, he ran his fingers through his own hair.

“Huh? Watcha mean, Brotto?” Garfiel asked.

Otto collected the papers before him and steadied himself to explain. “I mean that they are going to make racial tensions all the worse and attack Emilia’s image. Think about it—they are all elves or, well…”

“Quarter-elves,” Roswaal interjected.

“Yes, that,” Otto continued. “And self-proclaimed daughters of the Witch. Things were bad enough with the Witch Cult already, but our camp’s accomplishments helped us overcome that stigma. But now we are back to square one—ESPECIALLY since they all look like they could be the Witch’s daughters.”

“The traits that the Witch is historically known to have—silver hair and amethyst eyes—almost all of them have some of these traits, I suppose,” Beatrice muttered in a grim sort of voice.

Emilia tensed in her seat. She hadn’t really considered the public relations ramifications of their appearance, and how her own was so similar to them.
She gently thumbed the crystal where she kept Puck for comfort, wishing for him now more than anything.

“I...” She let out a deep sigh. “Then we have to do something. We can’t just let this tear down everything we’ve already worked so hard to build.”
A great fury and sorrow was churning within the girl.
There was fury because the Witch’s existence continued to torment and sabotage her life and all the good she tried to do in the world.
There was sorrow because of that same reason, but also due to another odd emotion—sympathy.

To think that these girls were ‘actual’ daughters of the Witch was a near impossibility for the half-elf. She knew children and families came from ‘love’ in her naïve mind. And the Witch was a monster who could not properly love or be loved.
There was a far more likely possibility in her mind, and one she would propose now to see if it held true merit.

“Is it... possible that they aren’t really the Witch's daughters?” Emilia asked.

“Huh?” Otto stared back at her.

“What do you mean?” Petra asked from her place off to the side.

“Well... I mean, maybe they are not her daughters, but instead...” She sighed and mustered up the will to explain. “Ever since I woke up, I’ve been compared to that monster—the Witch of Envy—but I had Puck to affirm who I was. What if something similar happened to them? What if they didn’t have that? Maybe it drove them to think that they really were that monster’s daughters, however impossible and disgusting a thought that may be.” Emilia proposed her solution.
An elegant one that accounted for her natural empathy, her personal experiences, and her fury towards the Witch.
It was utterly wrong, of course, but she could not know that at the time.

Everyone stared back at her, considering this possibility.

“Well, that is an interesting nooootion, but one we cannot act on without further information, nor would it change muuuch of what we have to do,” Roswaal replied.

“The clown is right, I suppose,” Beatrice spoke up next. “True daughters of the Witch of Envy or not, they have the powers of a Witch—ludicrous as that is—and openly proclaim themselves to be her daughters. The physical truth of their claims matters little when it's at least true in practice, in fact.”

Emilia tensed a bit more in her seat, her fingers awkwardly tangling and untangling together. “I know it sounds silly, but I just want us to consider it. Because how could the Witch even have daughters?”

“Lady Emilia is correct. That Witch should be within the Sage’s seal,” Ram remarked.

“They are elves,” Roswaal replied. “Even as quarter-elves, their lives could be unnaturally long—especially if they employed forbidden magics, as the Cult is known to dooooo.”

“So there is no way to tell either way how old they are, or if what they are saying is true,” Frederica added in her own commentary.

“Look.” Otto stood himself up. “We can debate their origins all we want. But in the end, we need to focus on the here and now—and the future.”

He looked over the camp. “We need to get ahead of this before rumors start flying. The fact that they look similar to Emilia is disastrous. We need to make a big, open, and public stance against them. Honestly, dealing with these girls should be our highest priority. The longer they are out there, the further and further behind we will fall in the selection. Especially since they undercut one of our achievements by freeing Pride.”

A sense of calm outrage and fury returned to the members of the Emilia camp for two particular reasons.

One was for the reason that they all had been discussing prior. These new elvish Witches of Sin completely undercut their candidate’s own benevolent platform. Every action they took would serve to damage their camp’s position further and further, undermining all the good that Emilia tried to do. Otto and the maids felt particularly outraged by that aspect.

The other was for a reason they had yet to discuss in detail—the Archbishop of Pride’s escape. That madman with a clear obsession with their camp and their candidate was now loose and likely working with those Witches who had sprung him from his cell.
That made him far more dangerous than ever before.
They didn’t know what authority he could use—clearly it was not meant for combat, otherwise he would have broken himself free.
So his power had to be something else, something he could not use but could now possibly exercise freely, now that he was no longer imprisoned.
They knew they would be a target now.

“Damn bitches,” Garfiel grumbled to himself as he tensed.

“To cause us so many problems in one day... they should just go die,” Ram spoke with venom that surprised even herself—not that she thought it was unwarranted.

Roswaal silently looked on, gears and plans shaping in his mind, though he was not yet sure about what action he wanted to take.

“We need to do something,” Emilia declared, cutting through everyone’s festering emotions as she stood up. “Victims or not, I’m not going to let them tear down everything that we’ve built together. I will make this a nation where people can live together as equals.”
She clutched her gem tightly. “So... we need to find them and... we need to stop this before it gets any worse. We can’t let them win. We can’t let the Witch or the Witch Cult win.”

“Ya!” Garfiel cheered.

Otto nodded his head. “I’ll get to work on the public relations side.”

He then looked towards Roswaal. “Do you think you can work on tracking them down, maybe?”

Roswaal’s expression was neutral, but then morphed into his usual confident smirk. “I think I can do something. Let me seeee.”

“Thank you, Otto, Roswaal. As for the rest of us, I think we’ll focus on helping to repair the capital,” Emilia said, smiling.

“Good idea. Helping out there may stave off some of the public relations hits we are going to get,” Otto said.

The camp then dispersed, each to their own rooms.

 

****

 

Within his study in the New Mathers Mansion, Roswaal slowly peered through old tomes and scripts as he contemplated his next move.

The door opened as Ram and Beatrice walked in. “I have brought Lady Beatrice, as you requested, Master Roswaal.” Ram bowed her head.

“Good. Now I’d like you to send a message to Clind—tell him I will require his services in the near future,” Roswaal replied to his most loyal of maids.

“Understood, Master Roswaal.” Ram bowed, leaving the yin spirit and the mage alone.

“Was there something you wished to speak with Betty about, in fact?” Beatrice asked.

Roswaal slowly nodded his head, closing the book in front of him. “I wanted your unfiltered thoughts about what occurred—about those Witches of Sin we faced.”
His voice lacked his usual mocking accent; he was completely serious.

“You fought the one who called herself the Witch of Greed, correct? Her taking Mother’s title would offend you, I suppose,” Beatrice remarked.

He frowned. “I greatly value my teacher's name, as you should know.”

He let out a deep sigh and then continued. “Do you think they are legitimate?”

“As in, are they legitimate daughters of the Witch of Envy? Or are they legitimate Witches of Sin?” she asked. Her tone was cold and contemplative, as if she were asking herself these questions.

“We cannot know the answer to the first question, even if it is important. My question is the latter, dear sister.” Roswaal's posture stiffened.

Beatrice considered the question for several seconds. “How annoying—you can't even handle your machinations on your own.” Her words were cold toward the mage. “But Betty cannot say. Witch Factors should not be able to have several hosts, and their current hosts are the Archbishops of the Witch Cult. But Betty's mother did not tell Betty or Roswaal everything that she knew about the Witch Factors, so Betty cannot be sure if there is something she is missing.”

Roswaal let out a deep sigh. “I see, so even you aren't sure.”
His entire body tensed. This was a new and unknown enemy who had totally outplayed them—and was clearly working with greater information than they had. “Well, thank you for your time, sister. I shall leave you be now.”

“Betty shall wish you luck in your schemes.” She turned around and left the room.

Roswaal leaned back in his chair as he stared up at the ceiling.

Several options for his next move played out in his mind, some being risky and dangerous.
He so desperately wished that he had his Tome of Wisdom back, to guide him along the proper path.

Without it, he had to rely on his own fallible—but remarkable—strategic mind.

But he knew he had to make a decision soon. His entire future may hang in the balance.

Notes:

Hope you all enjoyed! Getting through all the camps takes a lot but I feel like something would be missing if I didn't.

Next time we'll have Subaru waking up and meeting his daughters from the future.

Also be warned, just for an extra 'challenge factor' the Kingdom and the Witch Cult are going to 'pull out reserves' as it were to meet this new crisis.

New Witches of Sin are something people all over can't just ignore after all.

Chapter 32: Theater Announcement

HELLO EVERYONE.

 

Hope you have all been enjoying the story. I have an ANNOUNCEMENT!

 

Me and Thinkmind are working on a few things together, and one thing he is doing for me is...

 

We are doing theater reacts! Specifically (For now) theater reacts to these fics.

 

How will it work? Simple!

 

I will be taking a Cue from another story and Uploading the reacts to the bottom of the chapter they are a part of.

 

Thinkmind is going to be going in order of release and we are starting off with 3/4 reacts!
A react that has been added to the Basic Information to serve as the prologue. 
And to the original chapters of Path of Revenge & Shadow, Path of Departure, and Path of Forgiveness and Tears!
Those are up RIGHT NOW!
So check out the bottom of those chapters to see what we got.
This announcement chapter will be deleted in like a week but I'll put the explanation in the main Basic Info chapter by that point.

I'll update which chapters have theater reacts up on "Order of Chapters Posted" marking which ones have a theater added and I'll announce any added theaters in my end notes.

If you also want to contribute, feel free to write it in the comments and I'll add it in.

Hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter 33: Order of Chapters Posted

Notes:

I had this at the front originally, but realized its better placed at the back.

 

If you are here because you are subscribed and just got an update, check whatever chapter is at the bottom of the list.

Enjoy!

Order of Chapters Posted
-Basic Information (Theater Added)
-Path of Revenge & Shadow (Theater Added)
-Path of Departure (Theater Added)
-Path of Forgiveness and Tears (Theater Added)
-Path of Forgiveness and Tears-Extra 1
-Path of the Beast and Slaughter
-Path of Revenge & Shadow-Extra 1
-Path of Revenge & Shadow-Extra 2
-Path of Departure-Extra 1
-Path of the Beast and Slaughter-Extra 1
-Path of Wrath Reforged
-Path of Forgiveness and Tears-Extra 2
-Path of Revenge & Shadow-Extra 3
-Path of Departure-Extra 2
-Path of the Beast and Slaughter-Extra 2
-Update: Possible Paths
-Path of Forgiveness and Tears-Extra 3
-Path of Revenge & Shadow-Extra 4
-Path of The Daughters of Disaster: Part 1
-Path of Revenge & Shadow-Extra 5
-Path of The Daughters of Disaster: Part 2
-Path of Revenge & Shadow-Extra 6
-Path of Forgiveness and Tears-Extra 4 
-Path of the Daughters of Disaster-Extra 1
-Path of the Daughters of Disaster-Extra 2
-Path of Departure-Extra 3 
-Path of Revenge & Shadow-Extra 7 
-Path of Forgiveness and Tears-Extra 5
-Path of Departure-Extra 4
-Path of Departure-Extra 5 
-Theater Announcement (Updated Today)
-Path of Revenge & Shadow-Extra 8 (Updated Today)