["So what are you doin' here, anyway? "
" O h… I'm looking for an insignia. It belongs to a silver haired girl that helped me out. I don't know why but it's important to her."
"An insignia. Sorry but I ain't got anything like that."
"Are you sure? Try to think! You're old and senile!" Subaru pressed with a desperate look on his face.
"If I can't remember it when I'm at my best, with booze in me then the only explanation is that I don't know. But… I've got someone bringing in goods later. I'm told its some fine loot. There is a chance its what you're lookin' for." Rom smirks at the boy.
"Is the one bringing it in a girl named Felt?"
Rom seemed surprised. " What, you even know who swiped it? Of course, whether you'll be able to afford it is another matter."
"Ha! It's no use trying to size me up. I'm broke as they come after all." Subaru pointed at himself proudly.
"There ain't no use talking about it then." The old man shrugged and sighed in disappointment.
"No, there is the option of trading." Subaru clicked his tongue and wagged a finger at the man.]
"Oh? He seems to still go by the plan he made in the vision." Anastasia hummed carefully, starting to like the power more for this advantage in trading goods.
"He's using what he saw to his advantage," Reinhard noted with a bit of a saddened look.
He didn't get to meet Subaru this time…
Wait…
"Wait, Felt-sama!"
Looking at the desperate knight, the little blonde raised a brow at him, "What's up?"
"Did Subaru meet you inside of the loot house?"
Felt blinked in confusion, "Uh… No, I met him when he was rummaging through my hideout."
Perhaps the little girl was too focused on the lovely interaction between Rom and Subaru, her happiness and relief for their lives not being taken was clouding her senses of judgment, so the only one who saw exactly the frightening outlook of this entailed notion was none other than Reinhard alone.
The knight looked back at the screen with a terrified face, he must be wrong about this or else… his lady may not be able to handle it.
[Rom looks at Subaru's bag with interest.
"Now that you mention it, you've got some unusual stuff there. "
" That's right, for example this is a corn potage snack." Subaru picks a small bag and points at it.
"It's super tasty!"]
"That's the prize he gave me in the snow festival!" The little maid shouted in outrage, not wanting anyone else to take the treat away from Subaru since it was a special gift given to her.
"Was it tasty?" Mimi asked innocently.
Petra nodded her head.
["Tha's food?" Subaru hands him the bag and Rom pops it and eats the weird yellow pieces coming out of it.
"I see! What an odd flavor! These would go great with booze!"
"Right! Right!… Hey! don't just start eating them!"
"We l l, I dun n o what you plan to t r a de bu t you'l l hav e to com e a f t er Felt ge t s he r e, m m, t hat' s g oo d! "
T he screen shows Subaru sitting on the steps of the loot house waiting as the sun was setting. He was looking at two poor kids that were eyeing him up from afar.
"I guess, in any world, there are people with money and people without. It sure is easy to see here."]
Julius and Reinhard flinched a bit at this, now that the boy's fantastical origins were understood his words held a bit more merit to how broken their country actually is.
"Easy to see… Anastasia-sama will make this much harder, I assure you, Subaru." Julius nodded his head firmly, placing faith that his lady's rule would bring prosperity to remove the slums and elevate their peoples to the middle class.
["Hey what're you doing there? You're in my way."
"Felt!"
"You know me?"
"Of course I do! I've been waiting for you!"
"What for?"
"Wait, are you saying you don't remember me?"
F elt looked to inspect him. " Have we met? You know I'm a busy woman so unless they leave a good impression I don't remember most people I meet."
"I'd say that was a pretty huge impression… well, forget that. I want to negotiate for the insignia you have."
Felt smiled at that. " Oh so that what it is huh? Alright, I'll hear you out."]
"I don't remember this happening… This didn't happen!" Felt suddenly exclaimed in anger, her face contorting to panic.
"I-It's okay! I can still be on my way and help," Emilia hurriedly spoke out.
"You weren't much help in the vision, and I doubt that you will be now." Anastasia shook her head as she shot the half-elf down, Emilia felt that sinking feeling again.
She didn't understand what it was…
"The boy's in this situation just because he wants to help ya." Anastasia drove her point in firmly, wanting to make the half-elf see how incompetently she was handling all of this.
["For a rat…"
"Posion."
"For a white whale…"
"A harpoon."
"To the noble dragon lord, we are… "
" Shitbags."
Subaru watched as Felt and Old Man Rom recited the password in front of him. Opening the door was the old drunk.
"Sorry to keep you waiting Old Man Rom. "
Felt is given a glass of milk to drink. " Hey Old Man, did you water down this milk? It tastes nasty."
"Hey, I give you something outta the goodness of my heart and you call it gross?" Rom ruffled her head.
"You two are closer than I had either hoped or expected. I'm feeling left out, over here." Subaru sigh ed from the side as he watched the two.
"Don't talk like a wuss, when you have a face almost as scary as Old Man Rom's." The little blonde said as she drank more of the milk.
The screen moves from Felt to Subaru as he twists his face into an insane expression.]
"Revolting!" Priscilla couldn't hold her tongue at the distaste.
"That's a scary look!" Petra shrieked over the blonde maid's lap.
["People have said many things to me, but you say I can compete with this old guy? " Subaru growled out as he adopted an intense expression to show off the sharpness of his features.
" Okay I went too far that time. Sorry, bro." Felt smiled and bowed to Subaru.
Rom was just looking at them with a deadpanned stare. " You two aren't in some conspiracy to try to piss me off, are you?"
]
Many chuckled weakly at that.
"Old Man Rom asks about him from time to time you know?" Felt meekly told the group.
"When we go back to the capital, we'll make sure Subaru-kun has the opportunity to play with you and Old Man Rom." Rem gave her some reassurance.
"T-Thanks." Felt seemed to perk up a bit.
Rem smiled towards the girl as she rubbed Subaru's hair, wanting nothing but for the boy to see how effective in bettering people's lives he was.
["Okay, well, why don't we get down to business? How much will you pay for it?" Felt suddenly asked as she turn ed to the boy.
"You don't waste time… before I answer, you do have it right?" Subaru asked in suspicion.
"Of course I do. There." Felt showed the stone with its ruby glowing in her hand.
" This one's got a jewel on it so I had to work really hard to get it. If you pay me enough to match my effort, we'll both be happy."
"I have no money." Subaru shrugged while eyeing the jewel.
"Then we have nothing to discuss!" The girl yelled out while stomping her foot on the stool.
Subaru waved his finger smugly at the girl.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I don't have money, but I have things worth money."
Subaru showed his phone to them. " What I have here. Is a magical device that can stop time for everyone, everywhere… A Cell Phone!"]
"He's giving up the metia?!" Anastasia shouted in outrage while eyeing the precious item in the boy's hand.
"He did offer it up for negotiations when I met him, this seems a little different though…"
"Betty's contractor is giving up one of his only home bound items for something stolen from a stranger… what a fool, I suppose." The blonde spirit loli shook her head with a small protective glare on her face, knowing how much Subaru actually misses his home and how hard selling this item must've been for him… She did recall that he sold it way later in his time as a servant in the mansion tho, during his stay in the capital shortly after Emilia returned alone to the mansion.
Emilia couldn't help but recall the words spoken to her by the merchant queen, that feeling seeping through her and filling her with small pricking nails all over her heart.
Guilt.
["What is that?" "I've never seen anything like it."
Subaru tapped the phone and aimed at them. " Take this, nine continuous shots!"
The phone flashes at them and blinds them.
"Whao! Hey! What's that sound, and that was too bright! "
"Are ya tryin' to kill me?!"
"No, hold on." Subaru showed his phone to them and on it a picture of their faces.
"Those are our faces! What kind of magic?" Rom exclaimed in astonishment.
"I told you, it's a mystical item that can freeze a moment in time. With this you can capture moments in time and store them in here."]
"Oi! Tha's so cool!" Garfiel exclaimed truthfully with a wide smirk.
"Are we even close to creating such magic?"
Beatrice scoffed at the small child sitting beside his twin and Ricardo, "That's not even magic, in fact. Betty's contractor has superior knowledge in science, nothing mystical."
"Which do you think is more useful, Spirit-sama?" Julius asked politely, wanting to be enlightened.
"Magic was hard to come by in Subaru's world, so you won't be able to use your information of the mystical talents everywhere you go… Science however… that's just in the fabric of everything everywhere." Beatrice smugly delivered her answer, making a few people ponder the true difference between science and magic.
["That's amazing!" Felt exclaimed as well.
"Is that one of the metia I've been hearing bout lately?" The old man mused while eyeing the device in Subaru's hand with great interest.
"Metia?" Subaru blinked.
"It's the name of the devices that let people who haven't the gate to use magic like real magic users." Felt explained from the side as Subaru turned to the old man.
"What can I get out of this metia?" He asked.
"No doubt more than that insignia." Rom answered firmly and with a nod.
"Then that settles it! This cell phone for the insignia! Negotiations complete!" Subaru reached to take the jewel but Felt took it in her palm.
" Nope. Not yet." Felt closed her palm and swiped her arm away.
"Why not?" Subaru fell and stared at Felt in disbelief.
"You're not the only one I'm negotiating with for this."]
Felt winced and looked away, realizing that the events were too similar to what happened in reality. She will make Subaru stay until that vampire comes around. The blonde was hyperventilating again.
"Felt-sama!" Reinhard held her in his arms once more, looking worried and concerned for his lady.
"You were contracted to do this?" Julius sternly called, his eyes hardened. "We must find who sent for Emilia-sama's insignia at once!"
"Relax, Julius-kun. It's probably one of her many haters, and besides, the Sword Saint himself couldn't find out who sent this assassin, right?"
Stuttering under Anastasia's shrewd smirk, Reinhard looked confused for a moment, "Y-Yes, Anastasia-sama. You're correct. I tried my best to find who laid out the attack but I've never been able to track them. Elsa's organization is more invisible than the Witch's Cult itself."
"That is very concerning, Roswaal-sama." Ram jutted in with firm lips, earning a nod from the lord.
"Indeeeeed it is."
Roswaal's tone was empty.
"How did you know that the Sword master couldn't find out who attacked Emilia-sama?" Turning to the merchant princess, Crusch asked with a surprisingly tame expression of curiosity.
"Hmm, it's obvious from the lil' ones reactions." Anastasia mused while pointing at Felt's trembling form as the girl held onto the red-headed knight.
"Ah, that's a good point." Crusch relented and looked back at the screen.
"It's gonna be okay, Felt-chan. You don't have to worry!" Seeing how heartlessly Cursch and Anastasia ignored Felt's pain even though they were conversing about her, Emilia took it upon herself to comfort the poor girl.
Felt's scarlet eyes stared into Emilia's brilliant amethyst, "This isn't something that happened to me! Elsa could be on her way and she could hurt all three of us since neither you nor Reinhard will come to save us!"
Emilia immediately shook her head, "I'm sure it won't come to this, I've made it to the loot house on my own, remember? And Reinhard-sama as well! I'm sure things will go slightly different but they will be okay since we're coming."
"Subaru will be hurt tho… He might be seeing another vision where something bad happens… that's what the pattern of these has been showing us since we came here."
The half-elf lost her hopeful smile at Otto's interjection, the merchant head of the interior stared at the silver-haired lady with stern acceptance.
Emilia's face changed to a determined pout, "I'm sure nothing bad will happen… and even if it did… "
Beatrice narrowed her eyes at the girl as she paused…
"Even if Subaru was to go through a bad vision once more… it will only be just that… a vision… He won't feel pain at least." Emilia whispered waveringly, trying her best to rationalize that her knight wouldn't be going through actual death because of her idiocy.
"You're just disgusting, I suppose." Beatrice seethed under her breath, not letting anyone hear. The little spirit kept her grip on her contractor's arm strong yet tender, thinking about all of his nightmares and clearly hidden trauma that she's been wanting to help him with for the longest time.
The half-elf's deliberation away from the boy's suffering was infuriating to Betty.
["Huh?"
"Besides, I nabbed this insignia because I was asked to. My client told me I could get ten holy coins for it. "
" You already have a deal with the one you stole it for? I don't know what ten holy coins would be worth, but… "
Rom interrupted Subaru.
"That metia you've got is worth at least twenty holy coins… no, there are probably fanciers out there who'd pay more for a thing like that."
"That means we can get away with overcharging for it!" Felt shouted with an excited expression.
"So when is the client coming?" Subaru shook his head and asked.
"Don't worry. Negotiations will be held here. If I tried to handle them alone, I'd be sunk if a client decided to bilk me. But with Old Man Rom here, I don't have to worry."
As Felt nodded in satisfaction, a knock on the door sounded, gaining everyone's attention.]
"She's here… " Otto winced as Garfiel held his shoulder and unconsciously gripped it too hard from how nervous he was.
"It might be big s-sis tho! There's hope Old Man Rom will be safe after all of this!" Felt tried to sound positive and optimistic…
[Felt went to check who it was. Leaving Subaru and Rom together.
"Are you okay with letting her use you like this? " Subaru whisper ed , as Felt left them to check the door.
" I've known her for a long time, so I'll help her out."
Subaru chuckled at the sight of Old Man Rom holding a giant Bat.
"You know, it dr ie s chuckles when someone looks like such a barbarian. "
" Well, look at where we are. Eve r yone around here is just as desperate to survive. It's common for youngsters to join forces with other s in similar situations, to keep themselves alive. But Felt ain't cut out for that. T hat's why I gotta look out for her." The old man spoke wistfully as he stared at the little blonde.]
"That's what the old man thinks?" Felt whispered with heartbreak… though it made her more fond of the old man.
Reinhard nodded his head in respect to Rom, he had helped Felt through so much and for that, Reinhard would always regard him as part of his own family.
"How horrible… the conditions of those people…" Frederica couldn't help but whisper her sympathies for the slum dwellers.
[Subaru looked at Rom with pity.
"I was right. It was for me. "
Felt entered and with her…
Was….
"There seem to be several outsiders here. "
A seductive, smooth womanly voice spoke pointedly as the owner of it entered behind the little blonde…
A black-robed lady with violet eyes and jet-black hair stood before the three with a stretched smile.
"Well, I'd be in trouble if you bilked me. We weaklings have our own brand of smarts."
"I know this older fellow, but who is this young man?" The lady inquired swiftly and smoothly as she stared over Subaru's form.
"This is your rival. He's the other person negotiating with me." Felt answered sternly and introduced the two.
A chill ran down his spine as he stared at the smiling Elsa.]
"That's that bitch!" Garfiel writhed in anger. He wanted to transform and rip her face off the screen. He wanted to avenge his Captain. More importantly, he wanted to save his Captain.
"The Bowel Hunter..." Reinhard had a noticeably angry tone. Not only did he let her get away, he now had to watch her kill his friend, and his master, for the second time.
Garfiel gave a low and venomous growl to agree with Reinhard's disdain for the woman.
"He's going to die again…" Julius was the only one in the room who could voice the upcoming truth. Bracing the others for the force of the wave that will soon hit them.
"Run, please, just run." Felt began to tear up as she watched the insane woman of her nightmares once again enter the loot house.
Felt grabbed a hold of Reinhard's loose clothing for comfort, he sat still beside her, his eyes fixed on the screen laced with worry for both the old man and Subaru, but his heart was wrenching for what might happen to his lady.
"I-I'm sure I'm coming in this vision as well… I'm sure of it!" Emilia desperately begged that her words were true.
[Elsa is shown to be drinking a glass of milk while the other three sat at the table with her.
"I see. " The lady muses as she licks her moisturized lips.
" So that means you two will be bidding against each other. I don't care who gets the goods, as long as there is a highest bidder t he y will be the winner. " Felt finished explaining.
" I think I like that personality of yours. So how much did this young man bid?" Elsa nodded her head and decided to take her place in the game.
"I'm putting up this metia. Its the only one of its kind in this world. I'm told that its worth more than twenty holy coins."
" Metia? Hmm, as it happens my client provided me with some extra funds so I'm prepared to sweeten the deal."
"The client… so you were asked to fetch it, too?" Subaru inquired with narrowed eyes.]
"I wonder who that may be." Ram seethed inwardly as she glared at the crowed below her to identify any suspicious reaction from the candidates or their camps. They were first suspects when an assassination attempt is carried on lord Roswaal's domain, ever since he began harboring... the most hated candidate in all of Lugunica.
"Things seem a bit too chilled out 'ere. The lady doesn't give off any killer vibes," Ricardo noted with his arms crossed and a confused look grazing his bestial face.
"Not yet." Garfiel growled in correction while glaring at the screen.
[" That's right. The client is the one who wants it. Would you happen to be in the same business." Elsa asked with her own narrow-eyed look aimed for Subaru.
"Being in the same Business as me would mean they're unemployed!"
….
….
…
..]
"Hahaha, okay that's funny, come on." Mimi laughed along with Petra at Subaru's idiotic nature.
But the adults just watched quietly. Sweat on the back of their necks. Waiting for all of this to go horribly wrong.
["So this unemployed guy has named a price that puts him far in the lead. What price is your master putting on it?" Felt decided to move things along and passed Elsa the ball.
E lsa dropped a bag filled with holy coins on the table making everyone look at it in shock, Rom counted the coins.
"Twenty holy coins exactly. "
" These are all the coins my client sent me with . Are they enough?"
Subaru looked down in disappointment, assuming that he had lost.
"You're a man! Don't make that pathetic face! I told you, your metia is worth no less than twenty… "
Subaru looked at Rom with a hopeful expression.
"As I see it, victory in this deal is leaning toward the boy. Sorry for you and your employer, but you'd better bag up those coins and leave. "
" Yes!" Subaru jumped up in excitement, making everyone look at him weirdly.
" Wh-What? What's wrong with a little v i ctory pose? I'm psyched!" He defended himself with an insecure look.
"No one said anything. Go as crazy as you want. I don't care as long as I get my profit." Felt shrugged and looked bored.
"Uh, sorry, Elsa-san. You'll probably get in trouble, huh?" Subaru smiled sheepishly at the lady and rubbed his head.
"It can't be helped. It was my employer's fault for trying to underpay." She sighed in disappointment and shrugged her shoulders. Standing up, and drinking the last of her milk, the dark-clad woman placed the glass on the table and sighed once more.]
"Is she… actually going to let it go?" Frederica exclaimed her shock, not liking how comfortable this interaction with the person that had tried to kill her seemed.
["Well, this deal ended in disappointment for me, but I shall take my leave now." Elsa licked the milk on her lips and glanced at Subaru .
"By the way, what do you intend to do with that insignia?" She asked the boy.
Subaru simply smiled and opened his trouble hole, " I'm going to return it to its owner. "
…
…
...
Rom and Felt looked at him with shock and distress.]
No.
"Stupid Barusu!" Ram was the first to shout her belittlement of his actions.
"Idiot!" Emilia screamed as she finally broke into tears and hugged her Subaru tight.
"Run, please just run! You'll die!" Felt screamed.
"Come on, Cap'n!" Garfiel roared. His breathing started to pick up. He couldn't take the death of his Captain again. Despite his demeanor, he didn't like watching people die.
Especially not the man that saved him from himself.
[Subaru realized what he just said and started panicking as Elsa pitched a sinister smile of twisted madness on her face.
"So… You're with them, then. " Elsa' s voice oozed darkly.]
"Ah, there it fuck'n is! Shit!" Ricardo yelled, grinding his teeth in anger.
[F elt pushed Subaru to the ground. As he was focused on the dark grin the evil woman was giving him he didn't see the blade the was aiming for his stomach.
" Wh-What?"
"Do you want to die?!" Felt shouted at him in anger.
"Oh, my. You dodged my strike." Elsa is shown holding a blade to where Subaru once was. Her attention was caught when Rom picked up the bat and started smashing the place where she once stood. Elsa jumped high and in the air to dodge the strikes, leaving Rom to crush and break the chairs and tables she would jump off of.
"This is my first battle to the death with a giant!" Elsa giggled childishly as she avoided all contact with the heavy strikes the giant was giving.
"Quiet, little girl! I'll grind you up and feed you to the rats!" The man shouted gruffly.]
"Run, Old Man Rom! Please just run!" Felt screamed in panic, the events of Subaru's previous vision showed her just what to expect as an outcome of a fight between her old man and Elsa.
"Emilia-sama, you're close to the loot house right?" Rem asked, her tender voice filled with fear yet her expression displaying a hardened look of anger, she wanted to jump in and help them so badly.
"I-I'm supposed to be close! I reached the loot house without Subaru right when the sun began setting which is now!" Emilia stuttered as her nerves flared with panic for her knight.
[S ubaru and Felt watched as Rom and Elsa engaged in a battle of strength versus speed as the dark dressed woman dodged and jumped out of the way of the old man's impressively strong hits.
"This is bad! " Subaru looked worried as he knew that Elsa was merely toying with the old man.
Felt, however, was confident. " Don't worry. T here's no way Old Man Rom will lose."
A s she said this, she watched in horror as Old Man Rom tried to attack Elsa with another aimed strike.
"TAKE THIS! " But before he could land the hit, Elsa attacked him with her blade, cutting his arm clean off his shoulder.]
"NO!"
"Hold me close Petra-chan, don't focus on anything else!"
Petra nodded and obeyed her teacher's orders, hearing nothing but the heart wrenching screams of Felt echo through the theater.
"Weakling." Priscilla commented dryly but a look of pure distaste could be seen clearly aimed towards the assassin on the screen by her beautiful blood-red eyes.
["Old Man Rom!" Felt shouted in despair as his arm fell near her.
The old man struggled with the pain as his blood covered the floor.
"Damn it! " Rom charged at the lady, "At least I can take you with me!"
He was met with a smile and raised hand that held a broken glass.
Elsa stopped his charge by merely stabbing the old man in the neck with his own glass.
"Thank you for the milk, " Elsa smiled sadistically as the man bled from the wound on his neck.
Rom fell on his back, dead.]
"By the Od glass." Julius grimaced and balled his fists in anger, vowing to avenge this killer's cruelty.
"NO! NONONO OLD MAN ROOOOM!" Felt screamed and cried while holding both hands to her knight's arm, never realizing that she would be seeing her own last family member die in such a way when she had woken up this morning.
[Elsa bowed and placed the broken cup she stabbed him with on the floor, " I shall be returning this."
Felt stood up from beside Subaru with a glare so heated and scary. " You bitch… How dare you?"]
"N-No… Don't get involved too Felt-"
"I WILL FUCKING KILL THAT BITCH! KILLHERKILLHERKILLHER!"
"W-Where the hell are you, Princess!" Garfiel shouted in distress, begging to have someone capable of fighting her off to show up.
"I-I… don't know." Emilia choked out in grief, slowly looking away from everyone in shame and staring at the screen with a pleading expression.
["Oh? It seems you have more courage than your friend there." Elsa pointed at Subaru in clear amusement.]
Beatrice growled with gritted teeth, wanting nothing but to fill Elsa with Minya spears until she becomes nothing but a crystal statue.
[" But if you resist then you might as well get hurt."
Felt wiped some of Old Man Rom's blood from her face as she glared at the killer. " Like you don't intend to kill me either way, you psychopath!"
Elsa is shown toying with a purple blade. " If you move around, my hands might slip. I'm quite rough at handling blades you see."]
"You're a brave young girl," Crusch noted gravely, her expression forlorn.
Wilhelm nodded his head but held a firm frown, "Yet quite reckless."
["Sorry you got caught up in this." Felt whispered with a look of remorse aimed at the trembling boy behind her.
Subaru uttered out an, "I…"
But Felt didn't hear him as she unsheathed a dagger and dashed at Elsa with insane speed, she could barely be seen.]
"What the…?!"
"Is that a divine protection?!"
Otto and Garfiel shouted their surprise over everyone's at the girl's ability.
"It won't be enough, gutter rat." Priscilla clicked her tongue as her glare hardened on Elsa.
[As the girl turned into a gust of whirling wind around her, Elsa only smiled with amusement. " Blessing of the wind." She muse d as she watched the wind turbo, spinning around her.
Felt stopped and swiftly derived a downward slash at Elsa….
But the killer simply avoided the blade by a hair's width with a smile.
"How wonderful. I can see you are loved by this world. I envy you! "
Elsa simply turned around and made a slash that cut the little Felt in half right before Subaru's eyes.]
"No…" Whilhelm slowly looked over towards his grandson. He watched as he winced in pain and a tear appeared in his left eye. He wanted nothing more than to hug Reinhard and console him. The boy has been through too much because of his mistakes.
Reinhard just hid his lady in his embrace and kept her from seeing the rest. He failed. He failed… I failed... I failed.. I failed!
The blonde girl simply sobbed relentlessly into the knight's chest.
Anastasia and Crusch glared hatefully at the assassin, this could've been any of the other candidates, any of the candidates' friends or family, they couldn't help but feel wrathful for the little girl's death.
"N-No… No… This has to be nothing but an apparition too! This is only a fake!"
"Emilia-sama please calm down!" Ram tried to comfort the silver-haired lady from the back but she couldn't get to the firghtened princess.
Holding Subaru's arm tight, Emilia had the most horrified expression anyone can muster as she realized that Subaru was now on his own against Elsa.
"Subaru-kun!" Rem screamed in fury for the boy she loved so dearly, her fists balled up and her breathing heavy, trying to find a way to get in there and protect him at all costs from the assassin's blade.
["The old man and the girl have fallen, yet you aren't moving. " Elsa turned around to meet the cowering boy.
" Have you given up?" She mused in a smooth yet pitying tone.
Subaru is shown struggling to stand with a look of pure fright filling his face .
" D-Damn it…" He gritted his teeth and gathered up the courage to stand on his feet.
H e glared at the killer, though a bit of fear was shown clear in his eyes .]
"No, wait Subaru, please!" Beatrice yelled with tears appearing in her eyes.
Roswaal closed his eyes and balled his fists with his lips pursed.
[Ah you finally stood up. It's less fun since you took so long. But still, not bad."
Elsa and Subaru stand off with her smirking and him scared out of his wits.
That's when he suddenly yells and charges at her with his fist raised.
Elsa simply hits him with the hilt of her blade breaking his nose and kicks his stomach making him roll away from her for a few feet.
"But it's no use. I can see you are a novice, and your movements are rough. You have no blessings or techniques. I had hoped to squeeze wisdom out of you, but you lack that, too. " Elsa snorted as she completely destroyed the boy's charge without using a flick of effort.
Subaru starts to get up. " Shut up! I do have my pride! After you've put me through all this…" Subaru lets his nose bleed and glares hatefully at the killer.]
"Barusu, you idiot! Run! This is no time for such a useless thing like pride!" Ram, once again quick to belittle him, began to shed tears surprisingly enough.
"He's a gonna get butchered, nyan!" Felix called in distress, not being able to keep his cheerful facade with how serious this has become.
"The boy can't face her alone," Wilhelm narrowed his sharp eyes striaght at the assassin, wanting to help the young man who helped him avenge his wife yet knowing how useless it all was to try.
"Subaru-sama must have something up his sleeve, he must!" Crusch distressed, not giving up and nervously believing in the boy's capabilities.
A certain merchant boss hummed thoughtfully, "I wonder if he does, he looks to be desperate… yet I don't see what he could possibly do to delay such a vision any further."
[Elsa notes this. " I do acknowledge that you have extraordinary determination. If only you could have found it sooner , things might've gone differently for these two."
Elsa looks at the dead bodies of Felt and Old Man Rom. She then licks her lips as she stares into Subaru's rag e-filled eyes.]
"It doesn't matter about me! Run!" Felt uselessly screamed.
[But then he remembers the past time he was here. When it was night. When Emilia died beside him. He remembers where he was bleeding last time.
His expression lights up as he gets an idea.]
"What're you doing now Subaru?" Crusch noticed his look and watched carefully.
"Oh? He got something from the obscure death?" Anastasia raised her brows in surprise and leaned in to see what the boy had noticed that could help him here from his last death in the darkness.
["I think it's time to end this. " Elsa excitedly spoke as she charged at him.
"I shall send you to meet the angels. "]
"Subaru!" Petra screamed as the scary nightmare woman attacked him.
"Bitch!" Garfiel screamed in fury.
Otto, Beatrice, Rem, and Emilia watched with shocked expressions and withheld breathes.
[Subaru readies himself in a fighting stance with a look of patience on his bleeding face.
Elsa charged and swiped her blade in a sideways slash towards the area of his guts.
Subaru changes his stance before she hits him and narrowly misses the blade that was about to cut him in half by an inch.
Before she could react, Subaru spins and delivers a really hard kick that actually lands and pains the killer.]
"He used the previous life to attack her?!" Anastasia watched with wide open eyes at the scary situation this useless boy got in.
"He managed to remember where she struck first during his first vision… I don't think I would've seen that as useful either," Ricardo admitted with dry humor covering his voice.
"It won't be enough…" Julius closed his eyes, an expression of withheld anger.
He wanted to jump in and save him too.
["Ah… I certainly felt that one." Elsa smiled with a creepy blush on her face.
She stares. With a smile.
Subaru… looks down.
His bowels. They were cut open.]
"My god…" The old butler simply looked on with a heated and wrathful glare. If Elsa wasn't already dead, she'd be Wilhelm's next hunt. He would put her in more pain then he did the Whale.
"Subaru!" Beatrice and Emilia shouted at the same time, holding on to the sleeping boy's arms for dear life as if he would disappear any second. Both girls completely shattered by the vision of the boy's wound.
Rem simply her hands to her mouth and couldn't contain her furious mutterings, "I'llkillherI'llkillher!"
["Are you surprised? I opened your belly when we passe d by one another. This is the one thing I excel at. "
Subaru tries to hold his guts in place as he falls on the floor and bleeds out of the cut belly he now possess. As his blood forms a pool on the floor around him, Elsa takes delight in stepping closer and kneeling beside him to watch as his soul was leaving his body.
She removes a piece of his cut clothing just to see his innards. " Ah as I thought. Your guts have such a lovely color!" she smiles sadistically.
Subaru struggles to stay conscious as he looks up at her through pain filled eyes.
It hurts… it hurts… it hurts… it hurts]
"I-It's hurting him?!" Reinhard shouted in distress, now finally realizing that this couldn't be a simple vision Subaru was living through after all.
"Shit!" Al was the one to shout out as he too caught on to what this meant.
"The boy's truly dyin'!" Ricardo howled while slamming a fist on the armrest in rage.
["It… doesn't hurt? In pain? Do you want to die? " Elsa teases.]
"GET OFF OF HIM!" Beatrice screamed in blinding rage, her twin-tails flaring with bursts of mana she let loose by her anger, now completely understanding what Subaru's ability truly was.
"That's his ability?" Roswaal asked softly with nothing but shock showing on his makeup-covered face.
"No...No… It's not supposed to be like that… Teacher…"
"W-What the hell is going on anymore?" Otto cried tears of anguish for his friend's struggle with his shoulders slumped in tired defeat.
[Die? Am I dead? Am I still alive? When will I die? When will I die?
"Slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly… " Elsa is smirking down at the dying boy.]
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Rem screamed with all of her power, wanting to rip the whore on screen apart for torturing the boy she loved so much.
[I' m scared… I'm scared.]
"Barusu…" Ram gave a painful mutter for the boy, her fists clenched.
[I' m gonna die! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!]
"What is this… what the hell is this…" Garfiel chocked with tears running down his face as his nerves gave out and he slumped in his chair with his face looking up, watching. Seeing how his captain was dying and begging for help.
[" Yes, you're slowly losing body heat… You' re slowly growing cold… "]
Emilia simply stared at the scene with her jaw slackened a small bit and her beautiful purple-eyes widened… no tears, no other facial expressions… She just stared and took the scene in… Watching the boy who'd save her time and time again bleed out on the floor, crying from the pain and panicking in confusion, desperately trying to understand what was happening but simply unable to do anything because of his wound, dying, dying… all while the killer sadistically made fun of his predicament in his last few moments…
"S-Subaru…" Emilia whispered softly… before her face contorted to one of pure anguish and horror, held under her palms as she covered her mouth and sobbed the sobs of a heartbroken widow.
[As the window shows Elsa's smirking face, memories of all the previous events that lead him here played out. It was as if his life flashed before him.
Until…. Darkness.
Oh… I'm dead.]
Emilia cried. She just cried.
Hugging her Subaru and crying like a little child.
The other Camps were either crying with her, or looking at her in pity.
Rem and Beatrice simply remained frozen with tears and stunned expressions staring at the black screen.
What were they watching? Why were they being shown these things? Exactly how much suffering did this boy endure?
(You don't want to know)
[A faint voice. A blurry image.
"What's the matter, boy? You look like you've seen a ghost. "]
"It's…" Otto began to realize what was going on.
[Subaru is shown to be in the same place as before. in front of the fruit stand with the same man saying the same thing.
His eyes blinking in confusion and his skin yellow in nauseousness… Subaru's frozen face only showed a great amount of confusion and bewilderment towards nothing at all as he gave an unfocused stare.
"Boy? You okay? " The shop keeper asked in a worrying tone as he noticed Subaru's state.
" A h… " The boy uttered as his unfocused eyes rolled into his head. " I have no idea what's going on anymore." Subaru fainted as the man looked on with shock.
Scene change…
Subaru was splashed with water in the face. He quickly opened his eyes and looked at the man.
"Are you okay, boy? Here , forget the money. Just take these. " the man was worried for Subaru as he handed the boy an appa and a cup of water.
Subaru was about to take them but then he noticed someone walking behind the merchant…
A silver-haired girl…
His eyes widening, he stood up but fell on his knees from the weakness. Gritting his teeth, He stood up again and ran after her, ignoring the appa man.
"Wait! P-Please wait! " Subaru shouted as he ran after the silver-haired girl, gaining the ire and attention of the many people standing around him in the marketplace.
" Wait! Satella! " Subaru didn't notice how everyone looked at him in complete shock and horror as he ran after the silver-haired girl. ]
"NO! Please no! Why did I tell him to call me that?!" Emilia looked at the screen in shock, tears running down her cheeks for the boy and what he's been through because of her actions.
What did she do to this boy?
How many times has this happened?
["Please don't ignore me! Dying and not doing what you said were my fault! But I was desperate! "
Everyone was looking at him with wierded out looks and shocked expressions.
Emilia stopped walking and kept her head down. Subaru caught his breath and continued to ramble.
"I went back to the loot house after that, but I couldn't find you… "
Everyone was looking at them. Emilia didn't turn to him.
" I'm sorry for only thinking of myself. " Subaru said as he regained breathing and smiled sincerely to her.]
"Thinking of yourself?! You just died, in fact! How's that not effecting you?!" Beatrice shouted in despair, trying to understand why her contractor wasn't trying to think of himself in this moment.
Emilia shook her head and sobbed while holding it with both hands, "I'm so sorry!"
[Emilia didn't turn to him… keeping her head down.
"I'm glad you're all right, Satella." Subaru spoke softly with a tone of happy reminiscence and gratitude… But his expression changed to one of hurt and confusion as soon as he saw the way she looked at him.]
"Poor kid…" Al just looked away from the scene. The boy didn't even know that he was earning the ire and hatred of every demi-human on the street.
"I told you it was a bad idea!" Anastasia snarled, her shock overplaying her emotions quite a bit and making her more bitter towards the half-elf's idiocy.
[The silver-haired, elven beauty finally turned and looked back at him with an intense glare filled with hatred.
"What are you thinking? " she asked pointedly, rigidly, and in a heated tone.
She was completely furious with him.
Subaru recoiled in surprise. What?
Everyone was looking at them as she spoke with him.
"I don't know who you are but don't call me by the name of the Jealous Witch! What are you thinking?! " Emilia spat with an angry tone, staring at Subaru with focused hatred and surprising fury.
Subaru just looked confused now.
His reflection in her eyes.
Her reflection in his.
Title card:
"The End of the Beginning and the Beginning of the End. "
Credits song: Stylix Hylix (Acoustic Version)
Episode 1 Directors cut end.]
Emilia just stared at the black screen in shock at the situation she had put Subaru in.
"I wonder why he still helps you after all that?" Anastasia asked softly as she wiped some tears away.
"So this is how he accomplished all of his achievements… what a disgusting power." Priscilla looked away in distaste.
"Subaru-kun… died." Rem simply looked catatonic at the screen.
Beatrice hugged her Subaru's side as tightly as the little spirit could.
The Emilia camp was in shambles. Words could not express the various emotions filled with pain, anger, and regret looming around them.
Crusch's camp was defeated as they saw a very dear friend in such a situation. Felix may not have shared the same sentiment as Crusch or Wilhelm. But, it still hurt him to watch someone go through that pain.
Felt's camp was just broken, Felt was still crying into Reinhard's embrace while he sat there stoic, clearly hiding his shock.
Anastasia's camp was simply… deeply saddened by this. Subaru was a hero in the eyes of Ricardo and Mimi. Julius stood there as elegant as ever, trying to hide his anger. While he would be the first in line to chastise Subaru for his idiocy, he was still a knight. His instinct to protect those who could not protect himself was tarnished with his inability to help a victimized Subaru.
And the Priscilla Camp wasn't affected at all, save for Al who felt remorse for his bro.
"Let's see where this power takes him." Priscilla glared at the screen in disdain finally understanding what this power of the boy's truly was. And the lady was never more revolted at someone's existence than she was of the boy at this second.
.
.
.
.
(I am skipping the director )
[Episode 2…. Arc 1 continuation….
Start.
]
-x-X-x-