Late that night, Subaru was awakened by a massive collision that shook the world.
Subaru, still not entirely awake, heard the sound of concussive thunder. He found himself falling out of the bunk. His face hit the floor with a stunning impact.
Moments later, he felt something land on top of him as Emilia also crashed down to the floor.
"What's happening?!" Emilia shouted in a panic, climbing off of him. "Is it the draugr again?"
"Out in the middle of the ocean?" He asked incredulously.
The pair quickly pulled their clothes on and dashed out into the hall. Subaru only paused long enough to seize his satchel with the precious Book and talisman inside. Outside, they found a disheveled Felt and Garfiel emerging from their cabin with terrified eyes and pale faces.
"What the hell just happened?" Felt shouted, her eyes large and terrified in the dark hallway. "Did we crash into the rocks?"
Moments later, there came another thunderous crash, and the entire ship lurched sharply to port. The corridor tilted onto its side.
Subaru found himself flung into the wall. Felt landed on top of him as Emilia and Garfiel fell to either side.
The battered hull and stressed timbers gave a low moan as the ship slowly righted itself again.
"Let's get up on deck!" Subaru gasped.
The foursome scrambled up the dark steps and onto the deck.
From on deck, Subaru could see that the sea was churning wildly. They were caught in a terrible storm. The wind howled, and enormous waves slapped the side of the boat. But rather than responding to the harsh weather, the sailors all gathered at the sides of the boat, their faces terrified as some argued with one another while others just stood there, letting out wails of despair.
"Where's the Captain?" Subaru shouted, struggling to be heard over the enormous din.
One of the sailors looked at him with haunted eyes. "He was thrown overboard," The man said in a barely audible whisper.
Subaru stared at him. "Then why aren't we trying to rescue him? " He demanded.
"Rescue him?!" The sailor echoed as if the words made no sense. "No. No! We need to get out of here!"
Before Subaru could question him further, the seas suddenly ruptured a hundred yards away as if a mountain was being born. A colossal shape shot straight up into the air, dwarfing the fragile wooden ship many times over. A pallid form flew high up into the air like a rocket, then arched in a sharp arch and dove back into the sea, causing an enormous wave that surged toward the ship like an avalanche would rush down a mountain.
"Everybody, hang on!" Subaru shouted in terror.
Subaru, Garfiel, Felt, and Emilia all desperately took hold of the handrail as the mountain of water bore down on the starboard side.
Subaru wrapped an arm protectively around Emilia 's waist to ensure that they stayed together.
The wave approached them at breakneck speed, and the massive wall of water lifted the tiny boat high into the air. The ship began to tip over on its side as the enormous wave crested and then broke atop the ship, driving it down into the sea like a bath toy.
Subaru held on to both the railing and his wife with desperate strength as the ship tipped over and dumped them into the sea. Everything was upside down, and they floated in the dark and turbulent ocean. Far away, across the clear water, Subaru saw a great creature in the distance, bearing down on the tiny boat with relentless fury. Even in the dark ocean at night, the monster 's unwholesome pallor was easy to see. A colossal white beast with a maw of sharp teeth, each larger than a man.
The White Whale.
Subaru stared at the monster in shocked disbelief, and somehow, he knew that the monster was staring specifically at him as the beast charged toward them with all speed.
The boat hung suspended upside down in the water for an eternal moment, and then it ponderously started to swing back toward the surface.
The boat 's wooden supports groaned in protest as the ship popped back out of the water and its mast swung upright in the tumultuous sea.
The foursome gasped for air, coughing and spitting out salty water from their lungs.
"That's… Impossible!" Garfiel gasped. "That thing is dead! I saw its head rotting in the capital!"
"Well, there's another one now!" Felt screamed in a shrill voice.
An incredible force slapped the underside of the ship, and the boat flipped halfway over. The deck smashed into the sea, Subaru and his friends hanging on for dear life before the ship quickly righted itself again.
Just beneath the violently churning sea, Subaru saw the whale surge away from the ship with great speed. By sheer luck, the battered craft 's erratic motions caused the whale to only strike a glancing blow.
Now that Subaru looked closer, he saw that the front part of the whale glowed an eerie blue, and its great head was almost transparent. Its tail had huge holes in it, and immense bones could clearly be seen through the great rents in its pale flesh.
This isn 't another Whale , Subaru realized in shock. This is the same one that Red killed. It 's still dead. Somehow, someone used magic or something to bring it back to life. Or to turn it into some kind of zombie.
We need to get out of here.
Subaru took a deep breath. "Who's in command?" He yelled at the sailors, fighting to be heard over the tearing wind and rough seas.
The sailors didn 't answer. They all seemed to be holding on for dear life and screaming in terror.
Subaru grabbed the sailor who had previously spoken to him. The sailor stared out into the churning waves where the monster had disappeared, his face a study in raw terror. He seemed to not notice Subaru 's grip on his shoulders.
Subaru violently shook the man. " Hey ! Which way to shore? " He bellowed into the sailor's face.
The sailor stared at him with a kind of befuddled wonder for several precious heartbeats. Then, he tentatively raised a hand and pointed to the left.
I sure hope he knows what he 's talking about!
I have no idea how to sail! I don 't know how to set a course. I don't even know for sure if grabbing the steering wheel would let me steer this tub! But if we stay here, we're dead! We have to get back to shore as soon as possible!
"Everyone! Sail toward land!" Subaru shouted, pointing in the same direction.
The sailors all stared at Subaru as if he was speaking a foreign language.
"All hands!" Subaru bellowed. "Hard to port! Get on your feet and set sail before you end up at the bottom of the ocean!"
A hundred yards away, the whale burst out of the sea again, shooting straight up into the sky with a great moaning roar. The monster 's eyes, bigger than wagons, narrowed as it marked its target. The beast swung about, and it dove straight toward them.
The sailors all screamed in terror. Garfiel, Felt, and Emilia seemed too shocked to make a sound.
Subaru gave the closest sailor a hard shove. "Hard to port!" He roared again. "It's our only chance! Get us back toward shallow water!"
A few sailors did spring into action, and one grabbed the steering wheel, spinning as hard as it would go.
The diving whale missed diving on the battered craft by inches, but as it knifed into the sea, it struck a hard blow against the side of the hull with its enormous tail.
The ship tipped over again, and the waves rushed across the deck. Everyone was thrown off their feet, desperately holding on for dear life as the ship somehow righted itself.
The tiny ship tumbled and bobbled through the turbulent sea. All the sailors leaped to their feet this time and started adjusting sail. The craft swung left and began to make a desperate flight toward land.
"How close is the shore?" Subaru shouted to the sailor at the wheel.
The sailor just shook his head, either not knowing the answer or not liking it.
The whale shot into the sky again, only a few yards off the starboard side. The sheer force of its eruption made the ship 's wooden hull groan in protest. The foul smell of rotting fish washed over the deck like a pestilence.
High above them, the whale 's huge maw of teeth gaped wide, and its enormous yellow eyes blazed with frustration. As the monster shot upwards, it spun in a tight circle, and the great holes in the creature's flesh were revealed to everyone. Enormous bones were clearly visible through the wounds, and the flesh around them had gone from red and bloody to brown and putrescent.
The whale flew high overhead, then … slowed and came to a halt. The creature flailed its fins and tail as if struggling with something, and then the monster simply fell out of the sky with a deafening wail of frustration.
Instead of another smooth dive, the monster did a graceless belly flop onto the water and sent another colossal wave toward the craft.
"Hang on!" Subaru shouted again as the wave sped toward them. Fortunately, this wave was not breaking, and it lifted the craft high, then lowered it again as they sailed toward shore.
"Did you see that?!" Felt demanded. "That's… that thing's a zombie! Or something like it, anyway!"
Subaru nodded. "I think that's the only reason we're still alive!" He shouted back.
"What do you mean?" Felt shouted.
Subaru shook his head. "The whale isn't acting the way it did when Reinhard and I chased it. You guys just watched it fall out of the sky! Whatever brought it back to life, they didn't do a very good job. It's not the apex hunter that I remember fighting! It's more like a windup toy that wasn't built quite right."
"Subaru, I didn't understand that reference!" Emilia complained.
"It doesn't matter right now!" Subaru yelled back. "We need to focus on getting back to shore!"
"How?" Garfiel snarled in visible frustration. "There's literally nothing we can do to help in this situation!"
Subaru bit his lip. Maybe not …
"Here, hold this!" Subaru said, throwing his satchel around Emilia's neck and pulling out the talisman.
"What are you going to do?!" Emilia shouted.
"No idea," Subaru said honestly, racing to the rail.
Subaru looked out at the crashing waves. Where are you?
The whale surfaced right next to the ship, lifting its tail high into the air and then bringing it down on the ship 's railing with a mighty crash.
The ship was driven underwater, spinning around like a windmill. The mast spun until it pointed straight down. Everyone was left floating in the dark water, desperately trying to hold on for dear life as they saw the monster charging toward them, its nightmarish mouth gaping hungrily.
As the beast closed in, the buoyant ship began turning toward the surface again. The boat broke the surface, and as if by a miracle, it still pointed more or less toward its previous course. The whale surged out of the water just beyond them with a howl as it took flight. The ship 's erratic motions allowed it to barely elude the behemoth.
Subaru tried to clear his lungs and nose of the salt water as he desperately lifted his hand.
"Pridebreaker!" He shouted in a voice barely audible over the sound of the winds and the waves.
Subaru felt the great surge of magical power arc out of him like a huge wave. It engulfed the nightmarish beast, which let out a roar of mingled pain and fury. The monster hung suspended in the air high overhead, twisting like a bug caught in a spiderweb, thrashing and convulsing as Subaru 's power demanded that it obey.
And then the moment passed, and the beast surged into motion again, flying overhead and preparing for another attack.
"It didn't work!" Felt screamed.
"I didn't think that it would," Subaru said matter-of-factly. Subaru peered through the driving rain and saw the shadows of mountains far in the distance. Swimming to shore across this distance would be an act of desperation, even ignoring the angry undead sea monster come back for revenge.
Felt stared at him incredulously. "Then why-" Felt was silenced as a ball of emerald light shot over her shoulder and took up orbit near Subaru. Then, two more emerald orbs bolted out of the sky, joined by three cerulean orbs. They took up orbit around Subaru, each one joining in song, proclaiming his glory.
"Subaru, are you going to try to blow us to shore?" Emilia asked in a worried voice.
Subaru had considered that approach, but the ship was barely holding together as it was. He had no real confidence in his ability to get the spirits all committed to the same course of action, especially since he 'd be forced to make them work so quickly. If the spirits tried to get the ship to shore, they would almost certainly try to push and pull the ship in multiple directions, and the boat would break apart before Subaru could stop them.
This time, the whale dropped low, its belly almost skimming the water as it shot directly toward the ship.
Subaru concentrated with all his might and pointed at the beast with the talisman. "Fire!" He screamed.
The spirits launched a barrage of magics at the creature: bolts of fire, razor edge winds that could slice through flesh like swords, razor-sharp ice crystals, and unyielding spears made of rock. They threw all this and more at the beast as it dove toward them. The beast was bombarded by an avalanche of magic that a whole army of mages couldn 't have conjured.
Subaru 's grin faded as the monster grew larger and larger in Subaru's vision.
This isn 't going to work! The thing has got to be two hundred feet long, and it's undead! It doesn't feel pain! It's too wet to set on fire, and cold doesn't hurt the undead! The cuts that I'm making in its skin aren't even bleeding!
The whale dove so low that everyone was forced to drop to the deck in terror as the monster snapped the mast off in its jaws as neatly as a man might bite a toothpick. The whale dove back underwater.
I need more power! And there 's only one place out here where I can get it!
Subaru took a deep breath. I 'm going to have one shot to make this work. And there's good odds that it won't work at all!
Subaru looked up at the stormy clouds overhead and then flinched, closing his eyes as a bright bolt of lightning flared across the heavens.
Subaru and the others were thrown to the deck as the stern was lifted up in the air. Subaru grabbed desperately for the railing and found himself looking into his own reflection displayed inside an enormous yellow orb just beyond the ship. The whale had seized the rear of the boat in its jaw and was lifting the craft clear out of the water.
As the ship approached the vertical, it started to slip free of the whale 's maw, but the whale snapped its jaws shut, crushing the rear of the boat and dropping it back into the stormy sea.
Everyone landed on the deck with a bruising impact.
"We're taking on water!" A sailor screamed as the ocean surged into the crushed rear of the ship.
There came a terrified honk. Subaru saw Patrasche leaping into the ocean from below decks and start paddling her way toward shore.
Subaru looked at the monster high overhead, its bloated, discolored white belly plainly visible as it flew in circles over the ship.
Subaru thrust his hand heavenward. Now! He threw his thought at the spirits. Be like links in a chain!
I need to think about how to express this. I need to make sure that this plan is entirely clear to them.
Like this! He thought desperately. Think of … Subaru suddenly found himself thinking of Christmas decorations. Specifically, Christmas lights and the long hours he had spent with his father, searching for the one bad bulb that made all the others go out.
"Go!" Subaru shouted.
The tiny glowing orbs shot skyward, forming a living chain of spirits, each a few hundred yards away from the last. The spirits shot past the massive beast that circled high above them as they made a great chain leading up into the heavens.
The whale paid the spirits no mind even as they zoomed right past it. It opened its maw hungrily, grinning down on the craft with a malicious smile.
Then the beast dove, its enormous black mouth growing ever larger as it plunged toward the craft, seeking to seize them all in its terrible jaws.
High above the diving monster, the clouds crackled, and the lightning flashed across the sky. But this time, the lightning was caught and harnessed by the spirits.
The entire night sky lit up a thousand times brighter than the sun, and everyone on board the ship was forced to avert their eyes as the lightning engulfed the heavens and then flew down along the chain of spirits like a million burning arrows. The lightning fully engulfed the monster and then swept it aside as if it was no more than a minnow caught up in the current.
The lightning followed the chain of spirits and speared the ocean surface, dissipating harmlessly.
High above the ship, the whale roared in agony. Electricity flowed over and through the whale 's rotting body. Its luminous, ghostly head grew misty, and its eyes seemed to swell up like overinflated balloons. Its eyes popped in its sockets as the whale 's roar of pain slowly faded away in the distance.
The whale 's ghostly head began to defuse and drift away like mist. In seconds, all that was left above the ship was the back half of a whale. Half of a rotting and scavenged carcass that was very much dead again.
Subaru 's eyes opened in horror as the whale's remains continued falling straight toward them.
"Abandon ship!" Subaru screamed. The sailors needed no prompting, leaping overboard. They had already seen doom descending.
"What?!" Felt gasped.
"Swim for shore!" He shouted, pulling and pushing them over the railing. A rain of fetid blood and rotten corpse juice began to drizzle on them. "It's our only chance!"
"I can't swim!" Felt screamed, fighting Subaru.
Subaru quickly stuck the talisman back in the satchel that Emilia carried. "Don't worry! We'll-" Subaru's voice cut off as he looked up in horror, the massive carcass eclipsing the stormy heavens above like an enormous island of flesh.
No time!
"Go!" Subaru shouted, triggering Indomitable. Subaru gave the trio the gentlest push he could. He shoved them over the railing and they went flying far out into the ocean and toward the distant land.
Subaru made a desperate leap for the water, and he barely avoided the whale 's corpse falling full upon the boat, obliterating it on impact. The massive whale's body crashed down on the fragile craft like an elephant falling on a mouse.
Subaru was driven underwater. He swam for the surface, but the suction of the huge object falling toward the bottom dragged him down behind it. Subaru fought to break free with all his might, but he knew that he was still sinking and not getting closer to the surface.
Subaru 's lungs burned in his chest. His heart hammered.
And then his vision began to fade.
Felt awoke feeling a terrible pressure in her chest. She bolted upright and burst into a coughing fit, coughing and vomiting up a river of water that flowed down her chest.
Felt slowly caught her breath, her throat feeling as raw as sandpaper.
Felt looked around and saw Emilia sitting beside her. The elf 's face was terrified. Emilia's long hair hung in damp tangles around her face. She looked half-drowned.
The pair sat on a small sandy beach, and Emilia had created a small fire out of driftwood. It burned an eerie lavender color. The storm still raged overhead, but at least the rain had stopped.
"Emilia?" Felt rasped hoarsely.
"Felt, are you alright?" The bedraggled elf murmured, not bothering to look at her. She stared out to sea with a desperate intensity.
Felt nodded. "How did you get your magic back?" She coughed.
"I didn't," Emilia said absently, touching the satchel at her side. "I don't know why that fire is burning purple. I used a fire crystal that I found in the satchel to start it, and the wood just burned that way." She fervently scanned the stormy ocean.
Felt shivered in the evening chill. "Where are Subaru and Garf?" She asked.
Emilia bit her lip.
The blood drained from Felt 's face.
Felt clambered through the sands to look Emilia in the eye. "Where are Subaru and Garf?" She asked again in a horrified whisper.
Emilia swallowed hard. "I… I don't know," She said almost inaudibly, still scanning the ocean for some sign.
"You left them behind?!" Felt shouted in outrage.
Emilia whirled on Felt with such a look of rage that the slum girl involuntarily jumped backward and landed in the cold sand.
Emilia 's violet eyes burned hotter than the fire. " You were unconscious when we hit the water, " Emilia said in a deadly hiss. "If I'd left you behind to look for Subaru, you would have drowned . I had to get you to shore and trust that Subaru and Garf …" She trailed off and went back to scanning the stormy horizon with an anxious expression.
Felt swallowed hard. "Garf is a strong swimmer," She said uncertainly. "What about Subaru?"
"He… he told me that he can swim," Emilia said in a worried tone. "We did cross the Tigracy by holding onto an ice floe…"
Felt blinked. "You did what ? "
Emilia didn 't even seem to hear her. "If they found some driftwood to hold onto…" She whispered.
A creeping sense of horror began to wash over Felt. "Well… What the hell are we doing sitting here?!" She demanded, leaping to her feet.
A moment later, Felt grabbed her head as a wave of dizziness sent her crashing back down onto the sand. "They… could be anywhere along this beach! We need to get out and find them! " She muttered, fighting her way back to her feet.
"That's why I started the fire," Emilia said in a small voice. The elf looked like the only thing holding her together right now was a fragile hope. "On a dark night like this, you can see the fire from miles away. So they should see it and come toward us."
Felt hesitated and then looked around frantically. "Come on!" She said finally, her voice tinged with desperation. "We can't just… sit here … right?" She asked plaintively.
Emilia bit her lip. "I think-"
Felt nearly jumped out of her skin when a hulking figure lurched out of the dark night.
She sighed in relief when she recognized Garfiel 's muscular figure. The huge demi-human looked soaked and bedraggled like a cat left out in the rain.
"Garf!" Felt shouted in relief, leaping to her feet and rushing over to him.
Felt threw her arms around the demi-human, feeling like she was trying to hug a tree. Garfiel wearily wrapped his arms around her, panting for breath.
Felt 's eyes filled with tears, but she angrily dashed them away with the back of her hand and then slapped his bicep as hard as she could.
"You idiot!" Felt shouted up at him. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?"
"Garfiel," Emilia whispered in fear. "Subaru?"
Felt blinked, and she looked up at Garfiel 's haggard face in growing horror.
Garfiel closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "I… I looked for him as long as I could," He said in a numb voice. "The whale obliterated the entire ship. There's nothing left out there. I… I think that maybe…" He trailed off.
Felt saw Emilia 's face twist in horror.
Then, the elf violently shook her head. "No! We don't know that yet! We need to search the beach! He could have washed up anywhere!" Emilia struggled to her feet.
Felt took a deep breath and nodded. "That's right. This is Subaru that we 're talking about! Remember when he faced the Bowel Hunter? Everyone told us that he was going to die, but he pulled through! He escaped the Archbishops! He…" She trailed off, staring out at the stormy ocean. "He…" She choked.
A pair of massive arms wrapped around Felt and held her close.
Felt trembled in his arms, drawing strength from Garfiel but then she pushed him away. "Alright. Let's just get searching," She said in a growl.
When Subaru regained consciousness, he was standing on one foot in a broad palatial courtyard. An enormous and ornate stone building rose up over the region like a mountain. It appeared to be a temple or a palace located deep in a temperate forest. Crowds of people in robes gathered everywhere, talking and waiting. Many of them appeared to be meditating or praying. Some chatted and joked with their companions. Not a few were standing around preaching or listening to sermons.
Subaru was standing on one foot in the vast stone courtyard. There seemed to be no real purpose behind him standing on one foot. He was just standing that way to see how long he could.
A moment later, Subaru realized that he was wearing a dress.
Oh, not again! Subaru howled, frustration yanking up out of the vision. Why do I keep dreaming about this little girl?
There must be hundreds of people who 've held my Authority over the years, right? Why do I always dream about Typhon?
I 'm tired of being three feet tall and wearing a dress. I know that the Authority is trying to mold me into a witch or something, but I was hoping that doing that wouldn 't require a literal sex change!
"Typhon," A voice murmured from behind him.
Subaru 's consciousness was utterly submerged in the dream as Typhon spun around and beheld a slender blond woman that Subaru remembered seeing in another dream.
"Hi, Auntie Nerva!" She said happily, rushing off to embrace her. "Did you talk to Auntie Milla?"
Subaru felt himself pulled into Typhon 's thoughts. Her mind felt like warm sunshine.
Auntie Nerva 's always so nice to Mama and me, Typhon thought, tightly wrapping herself around Minerva 's ample thighs. Auntie came to get help with … something , but Mama was busy, so she told Auntie that she could take me instead! That way, Mama could finish her work while Auntie and me could go off and have fun together!
Subaru was so deeply buried in this dream that he was having difficulty separating his own thoughts and memories from Typhon 's.
Maybe it 's just me, Subaru thought awkwardly as he studied Minerva 's resigned expression in Typhon's memory of their departure, But I feel like Minerva wasn 't exactly on board with 'Mama's' plan.
The dream swiftly reabsorbed Subaru 's mind.
"Did you talk to the Archbishop? Are we going to see Auntie Milla now?" Typhon asked eagerly.
Minerva let out a slow breath, a look of tranquil fury on her face. "I wasn't able to even speak with the Archbishop, " She muttered. "Since I can't risk telling them who we really are, I was stuck dealing with assorted flunkies. Apparently, I'll be waiting for weeks just to get an appointment with the Archbishop. And if I want to actually meet with Carmilla , they suggested that I come back next summer, " She finished in a growl.
Typhon 's face hardened with righteous indignation. "Then… these are bad people, and they should get out of our way right now before I make them get out of our way! "
Before Minerva could say anything, Typhon leaped into action, charging toward the ornate stairs that led up to the temple like a tiny juggernaut.
Tall men in suits of armor that were polished to a mirror sheen stood in front of the stairs, inspecting all entrants for weapons and for proper authorization to enter.
They noticed Typhon 's charge at once, but aside from a few quizzical glances, they did not react to the little girl bearing down on them. They had no idea that their own deaths were only a few yards away.
Before Typhon reached them, she felt herself jerked up off the ground. Minerva had grabbed her by the back of her dress, and now Typhon dangled helplessly from Minerva 's powerful grip.
"No, Ty!" Minerva said firmly. "We can't do that!"
Typhon blinked and looked at Minerva in surprise. "But why not?" She asked in honest confusion.
Minerva sighed. "Typhon," Minerva said patiently, putting the girl back on the ground. "These aren't bad people. They 're just following the rules. They don't understand who we are and why it's so important that we see Milla. They don't understand these things because we can't tell them these things. "
Typhon digested that, thinking hard for a moment. "But what's the problem? My powers only work on bad people, anyway. I 'll just blast the bad people apart, and then all the good people will get out of our way so that we can go see Auntie Milla."
Minerva shifted awkwardly. "Typhon, dear," She said slowly. "Your powers don't work based on whether someone is a bad person or not. They work based on whether a person feels guilty about something or not. "
"What's the difference?" Typhon asked innocently. "If you feel guilty, that means that you did a bad thing. So if you don't feel guilty, then that must mean that you didn't do a bad thing."
Minerva looked extremely pained by this childlike analysis of human nature.
Typhon waited innocently while Minerva struggled to come up with a clear way to explain the problem.
Ultimately, the woman gave up. "Alright. This… This isn't important right now," Minerva sighed. "We need to get in and see Carmilla."
"Um. How are we going to do that?" Typhon asked.
Minerva rolled her eyes as she knelt down and helped the excited Typhon scramble up on her back. "The same way we seem to do everything else, Ty: The hard way. "
"Whee!" Typhon screamed in delight as Minerva vaulted through the air.
The slender woman was leaping forty feet in the air without showing the slightest sign of strain. Minerva had gone around to the back of the temple, and she 'd simply proceeded to leap up into an alcove in the temple stonework, which was three stories overhead. Through a mix of jumping and climbing, she scaled the immense tower as easily as a child would climb a young apple tree.
"I feel a hundred feet high!" Typhon cheered from her perch on Minerva's back.
Minerva sighed. "Just don't get so excited that you forget to hang on," She reminded the girl as she peered into an open window high up in the tower.
Minerva abruptly shushed Typhon before she could answer. Curiously, Typhon looked through the window.
Through the window, Typhon saw a luxurious throne room and audience chamber fit for a king.
On a raised dais, there was a massive stone throne that had been carved into the shape of a lovely swan. The swan 's head dangled over the throne, and its wings stretched out protectively around the seat.
Swans were depicted everywhere in the throne room; candle holders and shutters all shared a swan motif, and even the curtains had been stitched with a feathery pattern.
In front of the throne were dozens of huge stone benches, like pews at a church. Each seat in the throne room was filled, and the people all wore purple robes. They all stared up at the throne with expressions of rapture on their faces.
A bored, somber-looking young woman with long pink hair sat on the throne. She wore a plain, white robe.
A beautiful woman wearing glasses held a scroll beside the throne. "Next, my Goddess," She murmured to the enthroned, morose girl. "We have Daniels of Tantervale. He wishes to offer you a gift."
The woman on the throne made no reaction. She just looked bored and miserable.
A young man got up from the pews and came forward, carrying a small bundle in his arms, wrapped in a thin sheet. His expression was that of a man who couldn 't believe how lucky he was. He neared the throne, and then he dropped to both knees.
"Goddess," He whispered in rapture, "I am a sculptor."
The girl sighed, but she managed to give the man her attention. "Why did you come here?" She asked indifferently.
"I've finally finished my magnum opus, Goddess! My finest work ever! And it's all thanks to you, my precious muse!" He cried out.
The girl on the throne shook her head. "I had nothing to do with it, " The girl said in a glum voice.
The young man didn 't even seem to hear her. "I knew straight away that I had to bring it to you, Goddess. Please! Accept my work as a tribute!"
The girl sighed again and seemingly couldn 't even be bothered to reach out and take the gift. After a moment, the woman standing beside the throne did it for her.
The woman unwrapped the object. It was a small statuette but one that was uncommonly detailed. The carving was a work of incredible craft and skill. It depicted a woman of heart-stopping loveliness, emerging from the sea and stepping out of a breaking wave that had been flawlessly captured in stone.
"It's you, Goddess," The young man whispered, like a child desperate for praise from a parent.
Subaru 's mind briefly shook free of the dream as he studied the statue.
The depiction was incredibly lovely, but it looked nothing like the woman seated on the throne, even allowing for flattery and artistic interpretation.
I 'm not sure that I'd be willing to tell someone that the work depicts them if it clearly looks nothing like them, Subaru thought.
The girl sighed pensively. "Why did you make this? Why did you decide to bring this to me? " She complained, looking earnestly at the man.
"You don't know me. You know nothing about me. Tantervale must be full of beautiful girls. Why didn't you carve an icon for one of them and try to win her heart?
"You could try to make a real connection with someone. You could fall in love with a real person. Not just the illusion of who you think that I am. I don't know you. I can do nothing for you. I can be nothing to you."
The man squealed in rapture. "Oh, Goddess! Thank you!" He said, tears of joy streaming down his face. He looked as if all his wishes had come true at once. "I… I don't know what to say! Of course, I'll join you!"
The girl fell back onto her throne in despair. The young artist seemed to have not heard a word she said.
The woman standing beside the throne looked at the girl in concern. "Please, go to the back," She said calmly to the artist as the girl on the throne wallowed in helpless misery. "The Acolytes will… tell you what to do."
The artist quickly dashed off, his face exalted and adoring.
The woman delicately put the statue aside and looked at the clearly miserable girl. "It is a very beautiful piece, Carmilla, " The woman said in a comforting tone.
"And it's of me, Leda," The girl said, her face twisted in misery. "A 'me' that doesn't exist. A 'me' that only exists in that man's delusions. And the Gods only know what the poor fool thinks that I promised him."
"The Acolytes will coax it out of him and explain to him that the situation has changed," Leda said in a soothing voice.
"And they'll probably break the poor fool's heart doing it," Carmilla shook her head in despair.
Typhon 's nose itched, and she sneezed. She felt Minerva stiffen beneath her as Carmilla turned in her throne to look out the window. The pink-haired girl's eyes widened in shock.
Carmilla immediately turned back to Leda. "Audiences are over for the day," She said firmly.
Leda looked confused. "Goddess, you usually do several more hours-"
"I am not feeling well," Carmilla said flatly. "Convey to everyone my regrets when you clear the throne room."
"Oh no," Leda said in surprise. "Can I bring you something?"
Carmilla hesitated and thought it over for a moment. "Perhaps some of that corn chowder you make," She allowed. "I always enjoy your cooking."
Leda 's face flushed. "Oh, Goddess! That makes me so happy!" She squealed in delight. "I'd always hoped that one day-"
"Leda!" Carmilla snapped. "You're slipping!"
Carmilla 's words had the same effect on Leda as a sharp rap between the eyes. She blinked and looked around as if suddenly waking up from a dream.
Leda 's face flushed. "Oh. Forgive me, Goddess. I… I must have misheard you," She said in chagrin. "My… control slipped."
"Don't worry, I'm used to it," Carmilla covering her eyes with a weary hand. "Just out of curiosity, what did you think I said to you?"
Leda turned bright red. "Oh! Nothing, Goddess! Nothing at all! Excuse me, I- Excuse me," She said hurriedly as she raced off to explain that audience hours were over.
Subaru watched as the gathered faithful needed to be poked and prodded before they would depart. Leda even needed to get the guards to help remove a few visitors who were utterly certain that this abrupt dismissal simply could not apply to them.
In a matter of minutes, the vast audience chamber was empty, and Carmilla was alone, seated atop her throne.
Carmilla looked back to the window as Minerva pulled herself and Typhon through it and dropped to the floor.
"It's good to see you again, Sister," Carmilla said warmly, getting up off her throne.
"You too," Minerva said, helping Typhon climb off her back. "I-"
"Auntie Milla!" Typhon squealed with delight and dashed off to catch the young woman in a big hug.
For the first time, Carmilla 's somber face broke into a warm and genuine smile as she caught the little girl in her arms and held her close.
Minerva smiled as walked over to the pair. "I can't even remember the last time I saw you smile, Milla," She said.
Carmilla let go of the little girl with reluctance. "It's been a very long time, " She admitted. "Especially since I don't get to spend much time with you girls anymore. If Flugel had his way, I'd never leave this prison! " She said bitterly.
Minerva looked uncomfortable. "I… I don't know if it's Flugel's fault exactly , " She said awkwardly. "He's just trying to protect you."
Carmilla 's fury vanished instantly, and she slumped. "I know that, Nerva," Carmilla said in defeat. "Everywhere I go, people look at me and see… whatever they want to see. They listen to me speak, but they only hear what they want to hear. I can't even go for a walk in the country without being mobbed… Men and women see me glance at them, and they're suddenly certain that I want them to ravish me just as much as they want to do it …"
Minerva winced. "No luck in learning to control it?" She asked quietly.
"None," Carmilla sighed in a dead voice. "Flugel keeps trying to teach me, but it's hopeless. Even Leda and the other Acolytes who spend their days with me aren't immune. As soon as I show one of them the faintest hint of affection, they fall immediately under my spell."
Carmilla shook her head in abject misery. "I still remember the day when I first got this cursed Authority. Suddenly, everyone was completely captivated by my body. It was the exact same body that I'd always had. The body that nobody ever paid any attention to before. But suddenly, whole armies were hopelessly captivated by it! Staring at me with lust in their eyes…"
Typhon was looking back and forth between Carmilla and Minerva, trying to parse the complex conversation. "I don't understand what you're saying, but I'm sorry," She said awkwardly. Typhon knew that there was a serious problem being discussed, but not what it was or how she could help fix it.
Carmilla gave her a sad smile. "It's nothing that you need to worry about, dear," She whispered, catching Typhon in another tight hug as if afraid that the girl would be torn away from her all too soon.
Eventually, Carmilla let the girl go, and she looked at Minerva in confusion. "Minerva. Why did you feel a need to come in through the window?"
Typhon fumed. "Because they wouldn't let us in through the door!" She cried indignantly. This problem was something that she understood.
Carmilla blinked and looked up incredulously at the flustered Minerva. "They wouldn't let you in?! " She said as if the words made no sense.
Minerva rolled her eyes. "This isn't an official visit, Milla," She explained. "No one except the most trusted are supposed to know that we're here. So, I couldn't reveal my identity to the acolytes or use my powers. This is supposed to be a clandestine mission."
Typhon was listening to Minerva attentively, so she missed how Carmilla 's gaze flickered incredulously onto the child. Subaru interpreted her expression as It 's a covert mission, but you brought Typhon along?!
"What's this mission that you're talking about?" Carmilla asked.
Minerva 's face was grave. "It's Pandora," She said shortly. "She's at it again."
Carmilla 's eyes widened in alarm. "Well… there blows an ill wind," She whispered.
"She's moving openly this time," Minerva added. "A few days ago, Hector attacked the Sanctuary. Dona only barely got away."
"Hector's working with her?!" Carmilla gasped.
Minerva sighed. "He is. And frankly, I'm not sure that I can blame him. None of the Conclave has shown any desire to help him with his problem. All they do is lecture him on how his goal is sinful if not flat-out heretical."
Carmilla 's face darkened. "I can certainly understand how he feels," She growled. "The next time those old fools try to lecture me about the wonders of my precious 'gift,' I'll…" She trailed off and just shook her head.
Minerva nodded. "I understand how you feel. And I understand how Hector feels. No one else was willing to even try to assist him with his problem. Pandora would certainly have been willing to help him in exchange for his assistance with her plans. Or at least she 'd promise him that she would, " She added darkly.
Carmilla shook her head. "I thought that she had learned her lesson the last time," She said.
"We all thought that," Minerva growled. "I knew that she didn't care that the entire Conclave was unanimous against any more of her experiments, but I figured she'd back off simply out of self-preservation. The last Ritual nearly got us all killed."
"But what is she doing now?" Carmilla asked. "I thought that she needed all of us for any more of these experiments."
"Dona isn't sure, but she says that all of Pandora's recent activities only make sense if the witch thinks that she's found a loophole in that particular requirement."
"What are we going to do?" Carmilla asked plaintively.
Typhon could see that Carmilla looked scared, so she gave her another hug.
Carmilla hugged the little girl appreciatively but then turned her attention back to Minerva. "Nerva, I wanted to ask you…" Carmilla trailed off hesitantly.
"About what?"
"About… some rumors that I'd been hearing. Are you… are you really trying to befriend the monster?"
Minerva gave Carmilla a stony look. "She's not a monster," She said firmly.
"I'm sorry," Carmilla said, backpedaling instantly.
"She had no more say than the rest of us in how she came into this world," Minerva continued sternly. "What matters is what she chooses to do now. And yes. I'm trying to make friends with her. She's just as desperate for love and acceptance as the rest of us are."
Carmilla looked skeptical. "Yeah, but she's not even a…" She trailed off at Minerva's foreboding expression.
Carmilla shook her head in disbelief. "Nerva, you're amazing . I truly mean that. You love everybody. Some days, I think that you 'd even try to befriend Pandora."
Minerva snorted. "That witch has rendered herself entirely unlovable. However, I think that, with a little time and mutual goodwill on all sides, Satella really could become a part of our strange little family. "
Carmilla looked doubtful, but she didn 't say anything.
Minerva sighed and shook her head. "Getting back on topic, Flugel is working to call an emergency meeting of the Conclave."
"Will they listen?"
"I don't know," Minerva said in a clipped tone, folding her arms across her chest and looking down at Carmilla with an angry expression. "For some reason, Flugel doesn't have as much influence in the Order these days."
Carmilla winced and looked up at Minerva apologetically. "I am so so sorry, Nerva, " She said in a broken voice. "You were right all along. We never should have listened to that lying witch. She came to us, and she promised each of us exactly what we most wanted and… She played us all for fools. We should have listened to you and Flugel…" She finished in defeat.
Minerva fumed for a moment and then shook her head, letting it pass. "Dona wants to get a posse of us to go check out some leads she'd found."
"Us?" Carmilla asked in surprise.
Minerva nodded. "This is going to be dangerous," She said simply. "We can't ask the Acolytes to go on a mission like this. And if we encounter her or her allies, it 'd be best for all of us to be together. I came to get you and Sekhmet. Dona is meeting up with Daphne."
"Where is Sekhmet?" Carmilla asked in confusion.
Minerva made a face. "Apparently, a war started while she was away, and now she's trying to head it off. She can't leave her people until the negotiations are over. But she did let me take Typhon to help out," Minerva finished in dolorous tones.
Typhon beamed.
Minerva and Carmilla shared a resigned look. They both knew that Typhon, an explosive powder-keg masquerading as a little girl, was not going to be very helpful at a peace conference. Typhon would be far more apt to give the delegates brand new reasons to start fighting each other.
Carmilla smoothed the hem of her robe. "Minerva," She said uncertainly. "Don't get me wrong, I'd love to get out of here and do absolutely anything else, but I 'm worried that my going with you would just add more problems for us to deal with."
Minerva nodded. "Because of the way that you'd charm everybody that we'd encounter?" She said knowingly.
"Yes! But not only that," Carmilla said earnestly. "I'm worried about the impact here.
"If I vanished, nothing could convince all the people who come here to worship me that I wasn't kidnapped and stolen away. They truly think that I belong to them and that I'd never willingly leave them for any reason. They'd form an army that would strike out at whatever target they felt most likely to be culpable for my disappearance. And then when I wasn't there, they'd just move onto the next target and then the next."
Minerva raised an eyebrow. "You've… seen them do this before? "
Carmilla sighed. "Why do you think that I stay here instead of finding myself a nice, quiet cottage in the woods and just hiding there? " She asked in a dead voice.
Minerva shook her head. "You and Sekhmet have some very heavy problems to work out."
"Tell me about it," Carmilla sighed.
"So… you're not coming?" Typhon asked in disappointment.
Carmilla gave her a sad smile. "Not today, little Ty," She said fondly. "But you'll come over again soon, and we'll play all day."
"Yeah! Tomorrow!" Typhon cheered.
"Well, maybe not tomorrow," Minerva murmured as the dream world fell apart.
Subaru moaned. His body was a burning web of agony. Suddenly, he bolted upright and vomited a river of water out onto the wet sand.
As if this had taken the very last of his strength, Subaru collapsed back down on the cold beach. His muscles refused to move.
"Try not to move too much," A girl's voice murmured.
"Korë?!" Subaru whimpered. His body ached and throbbed. He could barely move. He was lying on a dark and cold beach somewhere. "Is that you?"
Kor ë sat somewhere out of Subaru's line of sight, and he was too tired to even turn his head.
"You really should try to keep still," She remarked clinically. "You've been through an awful ordeal. Honestly, had I gotten here even a few moments later, I doubt that you would have survived."
Subaru suddenly remembered the whale 's attack and how, with its final act, the beast had tried to take Subaru down to the sea floor with it.
Subaru struggled to move, but none of his limbs would obey. He couldn 't even feel them. All he could do was lay there and look up at the stars overhead.
"What's going to happen to me?" Subaru wheezed.
"You should make a full recovery," Korë said. "But it may be a day or two."
"What about Emilia?!" He asked desperately.
Kor ë paused. "Your friends all made it safely to shore. I wouldn't know precisely where."
Subaru heaved a sigh of relief even though it burned like fire in his lungs and throat.
"Tell me, Subaru Natsuki," Korë said quietly. "Where is the Book and the Talisman?"
Subaru opened his mouth and then hesitated.
Wait. She knows about the Talisman? …That means that she was watching me in Girali.
I 'm certainly not going to tell her that Emilia has it. I need a better story.
"Hidden," Subaru rasped. "We were worried that the Emperor might try to take the Book from us. So we buried them both beside the road during our travels. Someplace safe, close to the border, where we could easily get them later."
Kor ë didn't answer right away. "How clever of you," She said finally, giving no sign of whether she believed him or not.
Something tells me that I should be very happy I don 't have the Book on me right now. I might not have it for long if I did.
"Hm," Korë mused. "I must admit… Thus far in your journey, you've performed above my expectations. You reached the island and recovered the Book. Granted, nearly dying to that arisen whale was not exactly an exceptional success, but you did manage to kill it again."
Subaru 's eyes narrowed. I exceeded her expectations? Does that mean that she never expected me to find the Book at all?
"How did the whale come back to life?" Subaru whispered. "I saw it die. Reinhard cut its head off. How could it come back to life? What kind of magic does that?"
"Well, I'd hardly call that mockery of existence 'life,'" Korë murmured. "But to answer your question, resurrecting the dead is solely the province of those blessed with the Divine Exousia. Necromancy has a long history among Authority wielders. Witches of a certain… caliber have always been drawn to it."
"Are you saying that a witch brought it back to life?" Subaru asked incredulously.
"No. Not precisely," Korë said calmly.
Subaru struggled to breathe. "I thought that all the witches were still sealed away! Or… is this that enemy you mentioned?"
"Neither one," Korë said, her tone growing clipped. "And there is no point in feigning ignorance. I am well aware of the events in Girali."
"Girali?" Subaru asked in real confusion. "What does Girali have to do with anything?"
Kor ë didn't answer. Subaru sensed her studying him, trying to figure out if he was disassembling.
Subaru got a flash of insight. "Wait a second. Does this have something to do with that monster that was buried under the city?" Subaru asked. "The… 'Desiderate,' they called it?"
"Who called it that?" Korë asked in a chill voice.
Subaru hesitated.
I still don 't know what Korë's game is. But revealing to her that the Witch Cult or at least a Witch Cult Renegade contacted me in Girali might be a bad idea.
"Just… something that I heard somewhere," Subaru said dismissively. "Korë, I accidentally stopped Brendig from resealing the monster," He said, determined to take all the blame for this disaster without mentioning Garfiel and Felt. "Do you know how long until it breaks loose?"
Kor ë sniffed. "It already has," She murmured.
Subaru closed his unseeing eyes. "What kind of monster is the Desiderate? What will it do now that it's free?"
"'The Desiderate,'" Korë echoed with a mocking sniff. "I suspect that someone has been playing mind games with you, Subaru Natsuki. Whoever they are, I very much doubt that they have your best interests at heart."
Kor ë saying that is almost funny…
"What do you mean?"
"There was no 'monster' beneath the city. Not unless you wish to broaden the term to the point of absurdity. The city of Girali was the resting place of the Voracious Witch. Now, she has broken free, and she walks the earth again."
"A witch?!" Subaru gasped. "A real witch has broken free?!"
"Yes. Fortunately, Daphne is not causing any real problems at the moment. Her escape has exhausted her, and she now wanders the Kararagi wastes seeking to recover her power."
"Daphne?" Subaru echoed. "That's… kind of a weird name for a witch."
"She was a very strange sort of person," Korë reflected. "Daphne was a powerful being, to be sure. Although in the end, she proved to be no more than a slave to her own appetites."
Subaru 's eyes narrowed. "You knew her? Were you friends?"
"We… had a relationship," Korë said awkwardly. "We are not and never have been 'friends.' Daphne had great confidence in her own abilities, and it infuriated her to no end that her talents and cleverness were always considered secondary to my own. Still, her talents were undeniable. She was able to create virtually whatever she desired. She was the creator of all mabeasts on this world."
Subaru mulled that over. "So she revived the whale?
"That… is possible," Korë admitted. "But truthfully, I doubt it. Daphne is likely still too weak to attempt such a feat. And her perfectionism would work against her. If she had intended to send the whale after you, I suspect that she would have waited until she could have revived it fully and made it once again the terrible predator that it once was."
"Sent it after me?" Subaru echoed.
"Did you not realize that the beast came here to hunt a specific target?" Korë asked, sounding faintly amused. "Someone decided that the whale was the perfect tool to send after you, Subaru Natsuki."
"But who? You said that only a witch could bring the dead back to life."
"I did say that. But what that abominable beast possessed was not 'life.' It was merely a crude mockery. It seems that someone familiar with the secrets of the Exousia has found a means to animate, if not revive, the dead."
"You mean Sphinx? You think that Sphinx sent it after me?"
"I have no evidence to support that theory, but she does seem the most likely candidate: A person in Vollachia who is familiar with the secrets of the Exousia and who means you harm."
Subaru shook his head. It took great effort. "I think that your theory is flawed."
"Oh?" Korë asked curiously.
"A few nights ago, we were attacked by a draugr," Subaru explained.
"That disproves my theory?" Korë asked skeptically. "You do realize that Sphinx has been working diligently to gain control of all the draugr in the jungle."
"But the draugr was focused on Emilia," Subaru whispered, feeling exhausted. "It wasn't paying any attention to me. The Whale was absolutely fixated on me."
"Not to belabor the point, but if someone wished to gain power over you, I would hazard a guess that kidnapping your bride would be the surest way to do so."
"Probably," Subaru admitted. "But then why the change in strategy? Why would Sphinx send the Whale to kill me?"
"Again, I would remind you that we're speculating as to Sphinx's involvement, but I very much doubt that she did want you dead," Korë remarked. "I suspect that she would simply desire to give you a demonstration of her power. A small 'encouragement' to remind you that she can be a powerful ally but a deadly enemy. You see, there is one element that you've failed to consider. Witches all suffer from a very predictable and unfortunate malady: Our reach often exceeds our grasp."
"What does that mean?"
"Just because you can access certain magics does not mean that you are capable of controlling them. If it was Sphinx who was behind this, then she would invariably discover that even if reviving the whale was not beyond her powers, controlling it most definitely was. The beast would have been driven mad with fury at the sight of its killer, and it would have snapped its master's leash."
Subaru panted for breath, and each one made his entire body ache. "Korë, what are you doing down here anyway?"
"You mean beyond saving your life? Among other things, I came down here to investigate Sphinx's recent actions. As I said, she has always reached beyond her grasp. I suppose that I owe some responsibility for that. I… played a hand in making her… the person whom she is today," She finished awkwardly. "But reviving the dead in this way will lead to nothing but chaos. Children playing with matches never fully understand that they will start a fire. And now, she's playing an even more dangerous game."
"What's that?"
"It appears that she seeks an ancient weapon hidden somewhere in Vollachia," Korë said ominously. "A treasure of the Old Kingdom that even the witches feared. She knows that their seals begin to break due to your recent actions, and she is determined to obtain a weapon that could protect her from them."
"A weapon that can fight witches?" Subaru asked in disbelief.
"An ancient and immeasurably powerful weapon," Korë replied. "I suspect that may be part of her desire to wage war against the Vollachian Emperor. According to tradition, only he knows where the weapon is and how to access it. I have come here because I seek to prevent her from acquiring it."
Subaru studied her closely. "Korë, who are you? And where do you fit in with this mess?" He asked pointedly.
Kor ë didn't reply.
Subaru fumed. "When we met in the forest, you said that you didn't want to answer my questions because that would signal that you were 'aligned' with me. Well, by your own admission, you just saved my life. That screams alliance. So, I don 't suppose you'd also be willing to answer a few questions."
Kor ë gave a deep chuckle. "Very well. I suppose you have earned some wisdom due to your trials. I will answer one of your dearest questions: A path to the Od Laguna can be found buried deep under Priestella. "
"Priestella?" Subaru said in surprise.
"Yes. The way is locked and barred below the city, but the city councilors know where it can be found. I doubt that you'll have much trouble 'persuading' them to tell you where it is."
"And what do we go when we get there?" Subaru asked.
"You must bring the Book to the very heart of the Od Laguna. But you must be careful. The Od Laguna is the center of all possibilities for this world.
"The Od Laguna is the Engine of this world that creates reality from the chaos of Storm. In the depths of the Od Laguna, all possibilities war against one another. As these conflicts resolve, the Od Laguna discards away the impossible, exalts the most likely, and finally weaves truth from possibility. Such is the nature of the Od Laguna.
"Its depths are a maelstrom of chaos where reality arises from conflicting impossibilities. You must bring the Book to the very Heart of the Od Laguna. The World Soul is not infallible and it may be tricked and manipulated by guile or by sheer power. But the Book separates the Remembered from the True. Take the Book to the World Soul and it will remember what has been forgotten.
"The path to the Heart leads ever deeper. Follow the path as you would any other, but keep well clear of the edges, for impossibility by its very nature is unstable and incomplete. To wander off the edge of the path is to risk becoming lost in an endless nothingness. I speak of this from dread experience… "
Subaru thought that Kor ë shuddered at that comment.
Subaru took a ragged breath. "That's very useful and all, Korë," He grumbled. "Thank you for that. But is there any chance that you're ready to tell me who you really are and what you actually want?"
Kor ë chuckled. "All in due time, Subaru Natsuki," She murmured. "I still need a bit more evidence before I vow my fortunes at thy foot I'll lay and to follow thee, my lord, throughout the world."
Subaru started to argue, and then he frowned. A memory came back to him.
Wait a second … "My fortunes at thy foot I'll lay And follow thee, my lord, throughout the world."
"Korë," Subaru whispered. "Where did you hear that phrase?"
Kor ë chuckled. "Romeo and Juliet, Act II Scene 2, I believe."
Subaru gasped.
Kor ë sounded amused. "Come now, Subaru Natsuki. Surely you did not think that you were the first to come here? "
"Korë! Are you… from my world?"
She shook her head. "Oh no. But I have companioned with many people over the years who came from your world and some who came from elsewhere. I even once visited your world. Long, long ago, the passage through the Storm between these realms was not so treacherous. "
Subaru stared at her. "…You can go to my world?" He whispered.
"Would that interest you?" Korë whispered archly, and he could hear the smile in her voice. "Would it please you to be able to open such portals? To return to your homeland and then come back as easily as another man might step across a brook? Such powers do exist, Subaru Natsuki, and I can teach them to you."
"How…" Subaru struggled for breath. His body was exhausted, and he struggled to keep his eyes open.
"All in good time, Subaru Natsuki, all in good time. Remember, there is more in heaven and on earth than is dreamed of in your philosophy," Korë said, and he heard her walking quietly away before he blacked out.