The trio stared at Subaru for a long moment.
Then Ram rolled her eyes. "For a moment, I actually thought that you were going to say something clever. I suppose I should have known better."
"Rem, your backpack had manacles in them but no food. How come? Not even a snack? You normally pack a lot more carefully than that for any potentially long trip," Subaru pressed. "You guys were at the Sanctuary before us this morning so you haven't eaten in at least twelve hours at this point. Not hungry at all?"
Rem frowned, pondering that. The twins gave each other a worried look. "We've had other concerns today than our stomachs," Rem said weakly.
Ram sniffed. "If this were a dream that you were having, wouldn't Sister and I both be naked and begging for your cock?" She said acidly.
"Not even in my dreams, Ram," Subaru snorted.
"What does this have to do with the books?" Delta demanded.
"Reading is impossible in a dream," Subaru said. "I actually remember first hearing that in an old TV show but I was curious so I actually looked into it. Apparently, it's true. You read with the right side of your brain but dreams come from the left. I entered that doorway to find the Book. This isn't the future. This… this whole thing is some kind of magic trial that Echidna set up to prevent people from claiming the Book if she didn't think that they were worthy. This whole world is carefully designed to be a nightmare. My personal nightmare."
"What?" Delta asked in confusion.
"This world is being destroyed by witchcraft. Witchcraft that I unleashed in my greed and stupidity," Subaru grumbled. "Everyone that I cared about is either dead or they resent me for ruining their lives. My power is gone and I'm completely helpless. This whole nightmare world is some kind of test that Echidna set up to protect the Book and to make sure that only the worthy could recover it!"
Delta frowned, digesting that. "Our Lady was the Witch of Dreams, " She admitted.
"Lady Ryuzu, you don't really believe this nonsense, do you?" Rem scoffed.
Delta didn 't answer right away. "Do either of you remember the last time you bathed? Or what your favorite song is? The last time that you had a really good meal?" She asked.
The twins ' expressions both grew flustered and even a bit afraid.
Delta looked at Subaru. "Assuming that you're right," Delta said slowly. "What now?"
Subaru took a deep breath. "If this really is some trial like the ones that Emilia took in the Sanctuary then I don't need to worry about finding my way back to the real world. The magic will send me back when I complete the trial which I assume means finding the last page of the Book. "
"Which page is that?" Delta asked.
Subaru made a face. "It was Emilia 's but the demon got to it first," He admitted. "And that makes everything in this mess wonky. Sycorax isn 't a natural part of this trial. It 's a demon from the real world and it's a foreign body in this trial who's trying to ensure that either it gets the Book or at least that I don 't . It already killed Puck and then stole the page from Emilia. And I have no idea where it might have left that last page! For all I know, it 's already destroyed it and made this entire ordeal impossible to complete!"
Delta digested that. "No. I do not believe that, Subaru. Our Lady would not be outwitted so easily. The demon has not rendered this trial unwinnable. The final page is still out there, somewhere. Even if our Lady were unable to prevent an outsider such as Sycorax from seizing the page, I am confident that she would certainly have arranged for a copy to be left somewhere that no foreign entity could possibly reach. "
"Like where?" Subaru said.
Delta rubbed her chin and then her eyes lit up. "Wait! I know what's going on! Did you-"
Delta 's words trailed off with a scream as an enormous claw ripped out the front of her robe.
The twins leaped away as the demon emerged from the floor. It lifted the squirming Delta off the floor, the monster 's entire arm thrust through her back and out her chest
Subaru saw the grotesque wound in Delta 's chest and knew that she was beyond saving.
"Run," Delta croaked at Subaru and the twins. With a defiant gasp, she roared, "Attack!"
The library was suddenly flooded with Ryuzus wearing white robes.
The twins bolted away. Rem tripped over the chains between her feet. Ram stopped to try and help her but Subaru desperately grabbed Rem and threw her over his shoulder.
Subaru and Ram bolted out of the library as the Ryuzus, with no expression on their faces at all, flung themselves bodily at the demon.
Subaru 's last glimpse of the fight before they escaped was Delta's body twitching as she hung from Sycorax's claws while the other Ryuzus piled on top of the monster. They seemed to be doing no damage to Sycorax whatsoever but the sheer mass of bodies on top of it was slowing the demon down.
Subaru and Ram burst out of the tunnel and found that the pair of Ryuzus had finished hitching a dragon to a wagon.
Subaru leaped onto the driver 's platform and then handed Rem to her sister.
He snapped the reins and the dragon took off at a charge.
"Run!" Subaru shouted back to the two Ryuzus.
The pair just stared at him incuriously.
Subaru winced but dismissed them from mind. He drove as fast as he dared for the valley exit.
Subaru suddenly howled in pain and clutched his heart. It felt like his chest was going to explode.
Subaru fought to hold the reins but it was like his arms wouldn 't move.
Ram made a desperate grab for the reins. "What's wrong?!" She demanded, steering the wagon. "We're nowhere near the barrier yet!"
Subaru fought to breathe and slowly the pain began to recede although his body felt fragile and like it would only take a sharp bump in the road to crumble to dust.
Subaru gingerly took the reins back from Ram. "I think… I think that Sycorax just killed Ryuzu. I felt the same pain when Sycorax killed Felt and Beatrice. Maybe even Roswaal."
Ram digested that. "If this truly is a magical trial, then perhaps the people you were close to represent something here. Perhaps you get weaker for each one that Sycorax kills."
Subaru took a deep breath. "Sounds like that might be it," Subaru admitted.
Subaru looked behind them and gasped.
Sycorax had emerged from the tunnel to the witch 's sanctum and its mist surged after the wagon like a tidal wave.
"The barrier is still up!" Subaru shouted to the twins. "Can you two get through?"
"Yes. We're both pure-blooded Oni. Let's just hope that Sycorax can't get through," Ram muttered.
"Somehow, I doubt that we'll be that lucky," Subaru muttered, reaching inside his bag. "Here," He handed Ram a key.
Ram looked at him in surprise.
Subaru snorted. "If you two want to kill me now, fine! But you might be able to protect yourselves better if you're both unlocked."
Ram nodded and quickly undid her chains and then her sister 's.
Subaru looked behind them and saw that Sycorax was surging forward and the forest was disappearing under a tidal wave of mist. Behind them, they could hear the sound of trees falling as the mist engulfed them. It was as if the trees were being dropped into a vast pit.
Subaru suddenly sensed Rem hovering over him. He looked up.
"Try to avoid the village," Rem ordered him. "Maybe the demon will chase us and they'll all have a chance to run!"
Subaru made a face. "Not sure if that's a good plan for us but OK! " He shouted back.
I doubt that Sycorax would be distracted by innocent people at this point anyway. It wants these pages and nothing is going to stop it from taking them.
"Your wand and your mace are in the backpack! Grab them!" Subaru shouted.
The twins scrambled for their weapons.
We 're almost at the barrier! Maybe Sycorax really will be trapped inside of it!
Subaru looked back and saw the demon gliding through the air above the surging wave of mist like some evil spirit, floating closer and closer to the wagon.
Subaru instinctively ducked as he saw a blade of emerald light sliced through the air behind him.
He looked back and saw that Ram was standing up in the wagon with her wand in hand.
The blade slammed forcefully into Sycorax.
Sycorax staggered, and its robe became dented by the blade 's impact. A moment later, the demon shook off the impact and once again set off in pursuit.
Ram flung blade after blade of bright green wind magic at the monster.
Each blade struck the monster which was clearly staggered by the impact but none seemed to be damaging or hurting it.
Ram panted for breath as she tried to summon the strength for another blade.
She wobbled on her feet and might have fallen from the wagon if Subaru hadn 't reached back and caught her.
"Thanks," Ram whispered, sounding exhausted as Subaru gently helped her sit down in the wagon.
Thanks?! From Ram?!
Subaru frowned and his eyes widened as he suddenly found a new reason to worry.
The 'dream' must be breaking down now that I recognize it for what it is. Or maybe Sycorax has already done enough damage to this 'world' to destabilize it. Either way, I probably can't count on people and places being the way that I'd expect from now on.
Subaru had needed to drop the reins to help Ram take her seat. Luckily, Subaru didn 't really need to steer anymore. The dragon was running flat-out along the road, it knew that it was being chased by a monster and that escape was its only hope.
"We're almost there!" Subaru shouted to the twins.
Subaru heard a clinking sound and glanced back to see that Rem was shaking out her chain mace.
Subaru jerked his head down, fighting to stay underneath the chain as it whipped around and around the wagon.
Rem slammed her mace into the creature again and again.
But she seemed to be doing no real damage. The demon absorbed every blow and was knocked back but then it recovered, none the worse for wear. It was like beating a sheet hung up on the clothesline with a baseball bat. The blow landed with a devastating impact but it had no effect.
"Keep it up, Rem!" Subaru shouted in desperate encouragement. "We're almost to the barrier! Just another minute or two!"
I sure hope that crossing the barrier means something! If this creature isn 't trapped inside it, I'm going to feel pretty silly for my final six seconds of life!
Rem fought like a woman possessed, crushing the demon with her mace over and over again. But the demon was steadily getting closer in spite of her best efforts and the strange mist spread by the monster 's presence was beginning to catch up with the wagon as well.
Finally, Rem swung her mace just a little bit too hard. The spiked mace got caught in a tree branch and the chain was jerked out of Rem 's hand.
A guttural echo came from behind the wagon as if the demon was laughing.
Rem looked down at her sister who was clearly too exhausted to move.
Ram looked desperately up at her.
Rem quickly knelt down and kissed her. "I love you, Sister," She whispered tenderly.
Ram 's eyes opened wide. "No!" She gasped without breath.
Rem ran to the back of the wagon and leaped out. She caught the shocked demon in midair, wrapping her arms and legs around its flimsy form, and then dragged it crashing to the ground.
"Rem!" Ram gasped. Ram was too exhausted to scream but Subaru heard the piercing shriek of loss anyway.
He dared to look behind them and saw that the demon was struggling to get free of Rem 's desperate grip as the racing mist engulfed them both.
"Rem!" Ram wailed in despair as the wagon finally left the forest and the barrier behind.
Subaru grabbed his chest with a scream. It felt like molten metal was running through his veins.
Subaru dropped the reins, his trembling hands refusing to close or to grip anything.
Subaru felt a hand slam into his shoulder with a pathetic strength born of desperation. "Go back!" Ram croaked. "Go back!"
Subaru took a ragged breath. "I can't," Subaru whispered.
Even if I wanted to, I 'm not sure if I could move right now.
Ram struggled to reach for the reins that were dangling on top of the dragon 's harness. She finally managed to grab them and jerk the dragon to a halt.
Subaru panted for breath. "Ram," He whispered.
Ram struggled to pull herself out of the wagon. She got her feet under her and tried to run back to the Sanctuary but she just flopped bonelessly onto the ground where she lay panting.
Subaru fought to get up with every ounce of strength that he had left. He sidled across the driver 's platform to Ram's side of the wagon and tried to lean down and help her but he just pitched off the wagon face first and collapsed onto the grassy dirt road.
Subaru slowly dragged himself forward to where Ram was fighting to get up and he grabbed her ankle.
"Get off of me!" Ram tried to shake him off. "Rem!" She cried, fighting to take another faltering step back toward the Sanctuary.
There was a sound like thunder.
The pair looked up and saw Sycorax standing behind the barrier which shimmered with emerald light. The creature beat on the barrier with its flimsy fists but the barrier held strong. The entire valley behind it was completely engulfed in black mist like an enormous snow globe.
"Is it trapped?" Ram whispered.
Sycorax stood there for a long moment.
Then it vanished and all the mist disappeared with it.
Subaru sighed. "I'm worried that that means 'no,'" Subaru muttered.
Subaru slowly climbed to his feet. He could only rise by pulling himself up Ram 's body but she didn't seem to notice or care, even when he brushed parts of her body that would normally have earned him a severed hand.
When Subaru was finally standing on two rickety feet, he put his arm around Ram. "Ram, we have to go," He whispered.
"We can't," Ram whispered, tears streaming down her face. "We need to go back."
Ram looked at him, her face imploring.
Subaru gently shook his head.
Ram 's face twisted in hopeless misery. "Rem!" She cried out in a despairing voice.
Despite her spoken opposition, she didn 't resist at all as Subaru gently pulled her back to the wagon and made her sit down.
"Rem," Ram whispered, her eyes filled with tears.
Subaru stared at her sympathetically. She knows. She knows that Rem 's already gone. She just doesn't want to admit it.
Subaru looked at the sobbing Ram. I have barely any energy left. Losing both Ryuzu and Rem was nearly enough to cripple me. I doubt that I have the strength to control a wagon but Ram is clearly in even worse shape. Emotionally, anyway.
"Let's… Let's get out of here," He said gently.
Rem 's death almost broke me. If Ram's theory about me having a bond with Sycorax's targets is true then maybe that means I have a stronger relationship with the real Rem than I thought…
I wonder if there 's still any way left for us to come to understand each other and to salvage that relationship…
Subaru drove the wagon down the road to where he 'd left Emilia.
"Mili!" He shouted hoarsely.
She immediately popped up out of the bushes. In the full light of day, her bumps and bruises from yesterday looked even worse.
"Subaru? What… What happened?" She muttered, looking at Ram who was crying and refusing to look at anyone.
"It's… a long story," Subaru sighed. "We need to get moving. Um, Mili, I think you need to drive," He muttered, holding up a shaking hand.
"So you think," Emilia said slowly. "That this is all a dream…" She finished skeptically.
Subaru sighed. "Not a dream, Mili. A magical vision. A trial that Echidna set up to test the people who came looking for the Book."
Emilia digested that as they rode the wagon down the road.
Subaru had no idea where they were going next but he knew that Sycorax would be back before long and that a moving target was harder to find.
Emilia struggled to control the wagon at first but she was learning and the docile four-legged dragon pulling the wagon was much easier to handle than the proud and temperamental Patrasche.
Ram sat in the back of the wagon, crying silently. She hadn 't said a word since their escape.
"So now what do we do?" Emilia asked. "Sycorax has the last page! We can't possibly fight the demon to get it back."
Subaru took a deep breath. "Delta told me that she didn't believe Echidna would let an interfering agent screw up the trial like this. And frankly, I think I believe her."
Emilia squinted at him. "Subaru, you're operating on pure faith!" She objected.
"I know," Subaru admitted. "I do that when I don't have anything else to fall back on."
Emilia sighed and rolled her eyes heavenward.
Subaru continued, "Delta told me that Echidna would be sure to leave a copy of the page somewhere Sycorax couldn't get to."
"Where's that?"
Subaru made a face. "That's the thing, I have no idea," He admitted. "Delta was about to say something but Sycorax killed her. I don't think that that's a coincidence either."
"What do you mean?" Emilia asked.
"Sycorax showed up right before Delta could share her theory with us. The timing is too precise to be chance. I think that Sycorax was watching us and that it attacked Delta before she could say something that it didn't want us to know."
Emilia mulled that over. "I don't know, Subaru," She said. "If Sycorax really is watching us that closely, why not just kill us and get it over with? I mean, even if for some unexplained reason, it was trying to use us to collect the pages for it, we have them all now. Except for the one that it already has. Why hold back? "
Subaru shook his head. "I don't know. That's a good question." He took a deep breath. "I wonder if part of it is just that Sycorax wants to try finishing me off a piece at a time."
"You mean this strange weakness that you've been feeling?" Emilia asked.
Subaru nodded. "As far as I know, you and Ram are the only ones left. I don't even want to imagine what shape I'll be in if anything happens to you."
"Don't think that way, Subaru. We need to figure out where to search for the last page while we still have time," She said.
Subaru coughed. "Any suggestions on where Echidna could be sure Sycorax could never get to? If the Sanctuary doesn't count and the island's been destroyed then what's left?"
Emilia thought hard for a time and then her eyes lit up. "Subaru! I have an idea! There's one place that I bet Sycorax could never reach! "
"Where's that?" Subaru asked.
"Your world," She said simply.
Subaru blinked. "What?! How the hell would we get there?"
"I don't know but if this is a dream or a vision like you said then there must be a way! I bet if we go back to where you first came to this world then we'll find a way back to yours!"
Subaru digested that. "And you think that the final page would be there?"
"It makes sense," She said.
Subaru sighed. "Well… I guess I don't have any better ideas. "
It took them less than an hour to reach the capitol from the Sanctuary.
It was night and the city was misty.
I don 't like this. The more time I spend in this world, the more artificial it feels. And right now it feels like a child's sand sculpture that could fall apart from a strong gust of wind.
I wonder if when Sycorax isn 't trying to attack me directly, it's trying to just tear the whole world apart.
What would happen to me if I failed Echidna 's trial because Sycorax ripped the world to shreds? Would I be ejected back out into the real world or would I fall into an endless void forever?
Subaru reined in the dragon and then unhitched it. He stroked the beast 's head and said, "You get moving, pal."
"What are you doing?" Emilia asked as the dragon ambled off.
Subaru shrugged. "We don't need a dragon. Right now, this whole world feels like it's roughly the size of a golf course."
"How are we going to get past the demi-human alarm?" Ram asked, these were the first words that she'd said in hours.
Subaru raised an eyebrow at the 'we' but replied, "We'll sneak across the river," He said. "Felt showed me how."
The trio started walking down toward the shallow part of the river.
"Hey, Ram, can I ask you a question?" He said slowly.
Ram sighed. "What?" Ram muttered.
"Do you think that there's any chance that you, me, and your sister might find a way to be friends again?" He asked.
Ram didn 't answer right away. "Why in the world are you asking me that? " She sighed.
Subaru gave her a curious look. "Who better to ask?"
Ram sighed. "You really are a fool, Subaru Natsuki. Assuming for the moment that your mad theory about this all being some form of dream projection is true, I'm not the real Ram! I'm just some magical construct made out of your own mind and the witch's magic. If that's true then I can't tell you anything other than what you want to hear or what you expect to hear."
Subaru 's eyes widened as he considered that possibility. If that 's true then the horrible things everyone has said to me…
"But as a general word of advice," Ram continued in a grumble. "Perhaps you should actually take action and stop waiting for a gift from heaven."
"What the hell does that mean?" Subaru asked.
"If you want to be friends with the real Ram and Rem again then take action to make that happen."
Subaru gave her an incredulous look. "And how am I supposed to do that?! You heard what Rem said to me! She's already found me guilty of a thousand crimes that I didn't commit. And she insists on blaming me for everything."
"Hm. Who are you trying to convince?"
Subaru grumbled something under his breath.
"If you want things to change for you, Subaru Natsuki then change them. If Rem's criticism of you is unjustified then show her by your actions that you're a better man than she gives you credit for. If her criticism is justified then accept it and work to become a better person that she can respect. But you must make these choices yourself. Nothing will change for the better unless you personally make it change."
Subaru frowned. "Ram, you're… acting pretty strange right now."
"Need I repeat my 'I am not the real Ram' comment?" She asked with an exasperated sigh.
Subaru sighed, "Just forget that I said anything."
The misty city seemed deserted except for the guards.
The trio sneaked out of the slums, avoiding the patrols.
Subaru led them to the street corner where he 'd met Reinhard all those months ago.
"We don't have long," Emilia worried. "These patrols are everywhere."
"Well, this is more or less the spot where I came to this world," Subaru said, looking around.
Emilia frowned. "Let's split up and search the area," She suggested.
Subaru made a face. I never like splitting up but Emilia 's right, we don't have time to spare. Sycorax will be back at any moment. Or the world could just disintegrate around me at any time.
And beyond that, I might just collapse from exhaustion if this goes on for too much longer.
"Alright but let's make it quick. Meet back here in ten minutes," He said.
Ram didn 't say a word as the trio walked away in three different directions.
What would a path back to my world even look like? A portal?
Or would I just stand here and 'Echidna's will' would automatically send me back?
How did I even get here in the first place? All these months and I never even found the time to answer that fundamental question.
What brought me here? And why?
Subaru started to walk past a store but then he paused.
He noticed a small alley that he 'd never seen before. He frowned and tried to make his way through it. It was a tight squeeze but as Subaru made it through, he found himself on a misty street with… cars and streetlights on the other side.
Subaru 's heart leaped. Mili was right! I need to go find them.
Subaru squeezed back through the passage. As soon as he reached the street, he heard the sounds of screaming.
Most of the city was engulfed in mist and guards were running toward the source.
Subaru pitched forward toward the ground and blacked out.
"Subaru!"
Subaru heard Emilia 's voice screaming at him. He opened his eyes and stared up at Emilia's haunted face.
"Mili?" He whispered. "What happened?"
"Sycorax is here, Subaru!" She said, desperately trying to help him up.
Subaru fought to rise but his muscles struggled to move and Emilia ended up having to lift him all on her own.
"Subaru, the guards were trying to fight it but then it disappeared back into the mist and I don't know where it is now!"
"What about Ram?" Subaru whispered.
Emilia bit her lip. "Subaru, it… got Ram. I saw it attacking her but I… I ran away," She whispered, shamefaced.
Subaru gave her a quick hug. "There's nothing that we can do about that right now. Come on! I found a way back!"
Subaru took a step and his leg collapsed underneath him. Only Emilia 's desperate grab stopped him from breaking his head on the hard stone.
"The portal is there," Subaru pointed a trembling hand. "Mili. I'm not sure that I can walk…"
Emilia picked him up. "I've got you, Subaru. Just tell me where to go!"
The pair made their way through the tight alley. The world on the other side looked just like Subaru remembered. The streets were lined with parked cars and streetlights. But not a soul stirred and the world was filled with mist.
I recognize this place. I 'm five minutes from home, Subaru thought.
"You come from a… very strange place, Subaru," Emilia whispered, looking around. "Which way do I go?"
"That way," Subaru said, pointing down the street.
They reached Subaru 's home and Emilia carried him up a short flight of stairs.
Subaru opened the screen door while Emilia looked curiously into the window.
"Shit!" Subaru hissed. "I just realized that I forgot my keys! They're in my satchel!" He sighed. "Let's find a rock and see if we can break a window."
"Maybe the door isn't locked," Emilia suggested.
Subaru blinked and then reached for the doorknob.
The door swung open.
Subaru stared at her. "Emilia, how did you-"
"This seems like a nice place," Emilia explained. "Weird but nice. No mabeasts or monsters around. Why would anyone need to lock their doors?"
Subaru hesitated. "That's a really long conversation that we'll need to get into another time. Can you help me get inside?"
Emilia carried Subaru as they cautiously entered the house. "Mom? Dad?" He called out but no one answered. The house and the whole city were as silent as a tomb.
His home was just as he remembered it, it was neat and orderly and everything was in its proper place.
A flood of memories washed over Subaru.
"Subaru, now what?" Emilia asked.
"Let's just look around," Subaru took a deep breath. "That's my room over there. If a page is here, it's almost certainly there."
Emilia carried Subaru to his room and gently sat him down on the bed.
Subaru looked around but there was no sign of a page.
Subaru 's breath started to come faster. "No!" He hissed in flat denial.
"Subaru, I don't see any sign of one of those pages," She whispered in despair.
Subaru shook his head. "It has to be here! There's no other place left to look!" Subaru grabbed the old lacrosse stick that he had used when he'd played the game for roughly four months and turned it into an impromptu cane, using it to lift himself off the bed.
He hobbled to his desk and began to open the drawers, frantically going through it.
Emilia 's face twisted in despair. "Subaru," She whimpered. "It's over…"
"No!" Subaru snapped. "No. There's still a way out! We just aren't seeing it yet! I-"
The crutch slipped and Subaru went crashing down on the floor. He bit his lip and tasted blood. Subaru panted for breath.
Oh, God. Everything hurts …
Emilia gently helped him climb back to his feet and watched as he slowly caught his breath.
Subaru shook his head. "This must be the wrong place. We need to head back. Mili, help me get back to the portal."
Emilia gave a long sigh. "And go where, Subaru?"
"I'm not sure yet," Subaru admitted.
"Subaru," She said softly. "You can barely walk right now. I'm not going to help you tear yourself to pieces anymore. You don't even have any new ideas of where to look…"
"Well, we definitely won't find the place to look by just staying here!" Subaru reminded her.
Emilia closed her eyes. "Subaru…I… I'm sorry but it's time to face reality. The game is over and we lost."
Subaru took a deep breath and then took a step toward Emilia but he slipped, crashing to the floor before she could catch him.
Subaru took several long deep breaths and then with Emilia 's help, he used his cane to force himself back to his feet.
"Let me," Subaru began, before a coughing fit cut him off.
He spent a few seconds struggling for breath and then he started talking again, "Let me… Let me ask you something. Something that I've been thinking about."
Subaru turned to face Emilia, "Why didn't Sycorax kill you ? It 's murdered anyone else who could have helped me. And another thing, this whole world is a nightmare! I would have assumed that when we met in the forest either I would be forced to deal with an Emilia who despised me or I would have been forced to watch you die. Instead, you're the only person in this entire nightmare that was happy to see me. Why is that? What makes you so special, Emilia? What exactly is your purpose in this little trial? " Subaru asked pointedly.
Emilia shrugged with an uncertain expression on her face. "I don't know, Subaru. You tell me."
Subaru took a deep breath and hobbled over to Emilia, staring up into her face. "I don't think you represent any part of this trial! I don 't think that you belong here at all! Which leaves me with just one question: Who are you? "