Archive of Our Own

Can Scars Heal?

The cells of Guaral were uncomfortable, to say the least.

Not that Arakiya would be familiar with them. This was her first time being thrown in one, after all, but she could come to respect whoever built them. They embodied the true Vollachian spirit: utilitarian and indestructible. Sure, her cell was at least big enough to fit three people, but that was really the only good thing. Her only entertainment now was staring at the dull beige walls and counting the seconds.

She got up to about…three-thousand-fifty-something when the commotion outside grew loud enough for her to hear. By itself, that was nothing notable: as a demi-human, her hearing was enhanced, and she could pick up things that most would miss…which Cecils used against her, with that damn whistle of his. Where did he even get it, anyway? It did not matter. Once she got out of here, she was going to find him, get that whistle, and sho-

Again, the racket outside intensified, and Arakiya was kind of tempted to ask her guards to shut up and let her count in peace.

Before she could do that though, something went flying right in front of her cell's bars, and it took her the length of a heartbeat to process that it had been a human body. A body. Which had been sent flying. A body which had worn the uniform of the Vollachian army and had been sent flying right in front of her.

This piqued her interest, so she slowly scooted over to the bars and peeked outside.

The flying man was laying on the floor to her right, all twisted but breathing. Still, he seemed to be unconscious. There was little to note about him apart from his eyepatch, which Arakiya disliked. It was nowhere near as fancy as hers, hmph!

On her left, she heard the sound of metal scraping against something, and turned just in time to see another soldier dropping his axe. The soldier, this one with bright orange hair and a bandana, was facing several Sudrak warriors, and clearly realized he was outmatched. With a forced chuckle, he raised his hands and shrugged.

"I can tell when I'm beaten," he spoke, but Arakiya was unsure if he was talking to the warriors or to himself. "Better to live another day, right? No hard feelings?"

Again, he laughed, trying to ease the tension. In response, one of the Sudraks hit him in the knee with her staff and, once he fell, hit him again in the chest.

Arakiya involuntarily winced. Ouch…to think he surrendered hoping for mercy…oh, well, it was simply an issue with the soldier's skill. Any true Vollachian would have gone down fighting.

Wait, then why was she in a cell?

The question came with a sudden burst of pain that ran down her back, and she relived – however briefly – the moment the Yang Sword slashed her.

Hesitantly, she touched the wound with her hand, and was not surprised at all when she felt the scar was much warmer than the rest of her body. It hurt, too, so not much time had passed.

How long had it been?

She snapped out of her thoughts when the Sudraks shoved the coward and the flying soldier in a cell across the aisle from hers, but mostly out of her field of vision. The last she saw of them was the coward's bright hair.

Just like her princess's…

If, seven years ago, someone had told Arakiya she would be living in a shack next to the man she hated the most and working for one of her enemies, she would have…well, not really laughed it off, since she did not laugh a lot, but something akin to that.

Now, her situation was worse: not only did all those things come true, but she was also thrown in a prison that – somehow – restricted all magic.

Ah, she also had a giant scar in her back where a sword made of literal fire had slashed her, no big deal.

Was the Yang Sword even made of fire?

That had to be wrong. If it was made of fire, it would have been named the "Fire Sword."

That name's not really too catchy…

Yeah, the name was a big issue. Maybe…"Flame Sword Vollachia" was more intimidating?

Sounds like something a kid would come up with.

Arakiya nodded to herself. Naming things was a bit difficult. Being stuck in a cell must have hampered her creativity.

What about…"Yangbreaker?" Too…hm. As if a self-respecting emperor would wield something named that.

"Hey, Todd. Todd! C'mon, are ya really sleepin' right now!?"

"Shut it."

The other prisoners' voices irritated her.

I don't want to talk to them. One's a coward and the other looks weird.

"Todd…fuck, are ya gonna make me break out of here alone!?"

"I told you to shut it, Jamal. Didn't one of those girls send you flyin' through a hallway? You wanna get more bones broken?"

There was a sound that Arakiya could not really recognize, but it resembled someone walking. Most likely one of the two pacing around their cell.

"Od damnit, you orange prick! I'm getting' outta here! Who's gonna take care of Katya if not me!? Hell, at least you get back to her!"

"Jeez, Jamal, don't you get it? Either both of us get out of here or neither of us do."

"Ya got a plan?"

"Yeah, wait till they free us."

The weird one, Jamal, groaned audibly and – from what she could hear – sat down with a thud.

Good. Maybe now they'll keep quiet and leave me in peace.

"Fine, I'll bite," she heard the coward, Todd, say, and she sighed. "What's got you lookin' at me like that?"

"Oddly suspicious that ya wanna work with the enemy, is all…"

"I don't want to, but Katya needs us, right? Want to get out of here alive and see her again? Wait, then."

"Ah, you wanna see Katya? Seems to me like ya were fine enough with these 'Shudraqians' or whatever they're called."

In response, Todd banged the metal bars, and the clang reverberated through the hallway of cells. "Oi, anyone else in here? If you've got somethin' to shut my pal up with, I'll pay you when this is all over."

Strange. They broke in here but don't know if there's any prisoners? If Goz could see these two, his hair would turn white…

The thought of Goz Ralfon with white hair made her…not fully smile, but it put her in a good mood. Just imagining an old man clad in the hundred layers of armor he wore was a humorous image, that then led to her imagining Chisha Gold.

Just Chisha.

Arakiya could think of no changes that would make the man somehow look more ridiculous than he did now. Sure, when they had first met, he was clad in all black and moped around Vincent like a schoolboy whose crush broke his heart, but his new getup? Atrocious, and that was an understatement. The man was white enough to blind anyone in the room, and Cecils had more than once suggested he get a tan or something.

Cecils Segmunt.

The smile that almost materialized on her face vanished. Words alone could not describe her hate for the "Blue Lightning," a hate which had origins that even the 2nd Divine General herself had forgotten. She just hated him and wanted him dead, and that was good enough for her.

What's with everyone trying to justify themselves these days? Some things just happen because they do, not because they have a reason. Wind blows, rain falls, and the stro-

"Oh, my Od, Jamal. Stop starin' at me like I burnt down your house."

Agh, can these two keep quiet?

"What?" she heard Jamal answer, incredulously. "Fuck ya mean!? I ain't starin'!"

"Then why're you looking at me like that?"

"How else am I supposed ta look at ya with one eye!?"

"I dunno…aren't you smart enough to figure it out?"

Even across the hallway and many cells away, Arakiya could hear Jamal make a sound like a choking goose and fall quiet.

Finally.

With a self-satisfied huff, the Divine General resumed counting the seconds.

Arakiya found herself in a grand bedroom.

It was gigantic, so massive that she felt inconsequential, like she could knock down as much of the furniture as she wanted and it would never leave a mark.

She found herself slumped over an ornate wooden desk, and quickly deduced she must have fallen asleep on it. Someone had draped a scarlet coat over her, and it was surprisingly warm.

With a hazy mind, she kicked her chair back and stood, almost falling in the process.

Ah…right. Never stand up too fast…

After waiting a few seconds to let the mild headache pass, she looked around the bedroom.

I recognize this, right?

It was Vincent's bedroom, which she had seen on a certain occasion that had nothing to do with the incident in which his clothes were found all torn in a ditch near Cecils's shack.

Yeah, it definitely had nothing to do with that. Who would ever think her guilty of such a thing? Arakiya was the very picture of subservience, after all.

Except for when she tried to kill Cecils several times, and when she tried to kill the emperor, and when she tried to ki-

Alright, fine, maybe she was a little more rebellious than she let on.

Still, her presence in the room bewildered her. She could not remember where exactly she had been just a minute ago, but it definitely was not here.

Looking for answers – and still too groggy to walk – she stumbled toward the door and opened it, finding the grand hallway on the other side completely empty.

Yawning, she rubbed her eye and looked around. The hallway was also just as she remembered it.

How did I get here?

"Lady Arakiya, my lady."

The voice startled her, and she all but turned ready to fight.

It was a messenger who had spoken. He seemed familiar, and his bandana and orange hair made her feel like she had clearly met him somewhere before, but she could not exactly recall where or when.

"Are you alright, First-Class General?" the man inquired, perplexed. "If you're fine, then empress Priscilla wishes to see you."

Empress…Priscilla…?

Seeing that she was not understanding, the man nodded. "Indeed. Her Majesty has requested that the Divine Generals assemble in the throne room. Sirs Ralfon and Dunkelkenn are already there, but the meeting can't start until the first Divine General has arrived, my lady."

Arakiya put her hand to her chin. "Where's Cecils, then?"

Now, the man frowned. "You might not be feeling fine, First-Class General. Cecils Segmunt perished several years ago…by your hand. You have replaced him."

For a fair amount of time, she remained dumbfounded by that statement.

That's wrong. Just yesterday, Cecils broke into my house and rearranged the furniture, and the day before that blew on that annoying whistle of his a little after midnight.

"Who are the other Divine Generals?" she asked the man.

"The first position belongs to you, First-Class General. Under that is sir Dunkelkenn followed by sir Ralfon, sir Gumlet, lady Mishigure, sir…um…Mogro Hagane, and lady Eschart. The eighth and ninth positions are currently vacant in the wake of Cecils Segmunt's defeat and…Chisha Gold's execution."

"Chisha…?"

"Indeed. Chisha Gold was executed for aiding and abetting Vincent Abellux in his rebellion against the empress."

This whole situation was off, and Arakiya needed answers. "Take me to Pri-…Her Majesty…and give me your name."

With a curt nod, the man spoke, "I am Third-Class General Todd. Please, follow me."

And follow him she did.

"Child of war…how did you manage this!?"

Arakiya could feel the cold, hard, and awfully-smooth floor of the cell against her cheek.

I…fell asleep? What was that dream?

"'Child of war?' How'd you even come up with that name!? Jeez, I thought you'd fled when the city fell…"

"Imperial soldiers don't flee!"

"But they surrender?"

She could hear Todd groan. Whoever was speaking to him, they clearly did not like each other.

After yawning, Arakiya stood up and dusted herself off, pleased to find that there was not a single speck of dust in the cell. Clearly, they had given her a room fit for a royal…

Once again, she tried to use her magic, but it failed like always.

Great, another day of counting seconds…

Before she began, she took a peek into the hallway again.

In front of a cell, the one in which those two soldiers had been tossed into, stood two people. One of them she recognized: Zikr Osman, a Second-Class General and the man in charge of running Guaral. Truthfully, she expected him to be…intimidating. Seeing a short and practically round man with a mop of hair was anticlimactic.

The other person was a man probably about her age, with black hair much like Vincent's and mean eyes, and clad in desert clothes. He seemed to be the one taunting Todd, so she immediately held a slightly favorable opinion of him.

Alright, so today seemed eventful for everyone but herself.

Great…

Just like yesterday – or whenever it was before she fell asleep – the Divine General began counting, but she did not get very far.

Her thoughts kept going back to that dream. Whatever it meant, she did not know, but…it seemed both beautiful and bleak.

A life of luxury as the first of the Divine Generals. No more Cecils or Vincent. Her princess finally sitting on the throne she deserved.

However…life without Cecils seemed bland, and Arakiya did not even want a life of luxury, just to finally be with her princess…with Prisca again.

It was her goal, the only goal she had. The goal for which she had lost an eye and gained a horrific scar. And even then, when she had finally come so close…

"Arakiya, why are you trying to come to me now? Did you really think that I would be so excited to see you again that I would take you in my arms? If that's the case, I can't help but be disgusted at your naivete."

The memory hurt more than the Yang Sword's strike.

"Prisca is dead. ―Time has passed and I've acquired a position, do you think nothing has changed?"

If she had just thrown the Sudrak at her…if she had just dodged…

Do you hate me so, princess?

If only she had never betrayed Prisca…

If she had just killed Vincent right then and there, when he offered that deal…

If she had not been a coward, a weakling…

As the thoughts came to her one by one, she lay on the cell's floor and looked at the dull ceiling.

Why did she let me live?

"…n't let appearances fool you, she's really dangerous!"

"Yes, Zikr, I was there when she tried to kill us all."

Even if she heard the voices right outside her cell, the Divine General remained on the floor, simply staring at the ceiling. Those two could talk about her all they wanted, but she was not going to react. She did not feel like it.

"Zikr, you were born here, right? In Vollachia?"

"Yes, I was. Is there something you need to know?"

"Hm, something important: why is every person here half-naked?"

"That's…!"

Despite her mood, Arakiya found herself amused by the newcomer's attitude. Not that she showed it, though.

"The Sudrak tribe dresses like that because they live in a jungle, and lady Arakiya is a Spirit Eater! She needs to dress like that!"

"'Spirit Eater!?' Phew, guess I'm not bringing Beako here anytime soon!"

"Indeed! Spirits are usually attracted to individuals wearing less clothing, and as a Spirit Eater, the General must always have some nearby!"

"What kinda messed-up logic is that!?"

This time, Arakiya actually smiled…just a little bit.

Apparently, it was not too small a smile for the newcomer to miss it, because she heard him say, "Hey, she's awake!? She's not gonna bite my throat off, is she!?"

Zikr chuckled, but he was too nervous to make it sound natural. "The cell restricts her abilities, don't worry…I think."

"You think!?"

"Well, we never put a Divine General in there to test them!"

With an exasperated sigh, the newcomer spoke, "Hey, General? Arakiya? You're not going to kill me, right? Can we let bygones be bygones?"

Being bored yet entertained, Arakiya decided to remain quiet, acting as if she was still asleep.

Come on. What are you going to do?

There was a strange sound, high-pitched, and then something clicked into place. Not even a second after that, the metal bars at the front of her cell opened, forming a narrow door for anyone to go through.

Finally, she sat up, astounded that anyone – even the enigmatic newcomer who she did not recognize – would be naïve enough to open the cell door.

Sure enough, that was what he did. Without a care in the world, he strolled into the cell, and Zikr locked it behind him. There was a moment of silence, for which everyone held their breath, until he turned to Zikr and spoke.

"Go take a walk, Zikr," the newcomer ordered, giving a thumbs-up. "I think I'd like for this to be between…us."

The Second-Class General stared at him. "Are you insane!? What if she kills you!?"

"Well, you still have the keys. Just don't give 'em to her."

Begrudgingly, and muttering something, the round man walked away, his footsteps echoing through the hallway until they could not be heard anymore.

The man just sat in front of her with his legs crossed, and she mimicked him.

For minutes, neither spoke. To say it was awkward would be an understatement: less than a day ago, they were in a fight to the death against each other.

When it became clear that she was not going to viciously maul the newcomer, he visibly relaxed and spoke, "So, uh…you kinda ruined my bloodless conquest."

Arakiya furrowed her brow. A bloodless conquest? In Vollachia, of all places? Was he insane or just stupid?

"I guess I can't blame you," he went on, scratching the back of his head. "It was mostly those two guys' fault…Todd's especially. Just…uh, I wanted you to know that, I guess…?"

Instead of responding with words, she just tilted her head.

His eyes widened, and he looked as if he had suddenly realized something important. "Uh…you can understand me, right?"

She nodded. Whoever this man was, he was really new to Vollachia…or to this world in general.

"Alright," he sighed, letting his shoulders droop. "I'm…uh, I'm Natsuki Subaru. I wanted to talk with you."

"There's nothing to talk about," she muttered, startling him a little.

"Oh, then…let me clarify. I want to ask what your connection to Priscilla is."

Oh…

The many responses ran through her thoughts in quick succession.

I was her friend. I was her sword. I was her most loyal servant. I was hers. I helped kill Lamia Godwin and Palladio Manesque, and I almost killed Chisha Gold, for her. I would have slaughtered Vincent Abellux if she gave the order to.

Her mind gave her one final answer to give.

I betrayed her…

"It's not your business," she replied with a scoff.

A pause, and then he chuckled apprehensively. "Well, I almost got killed over it, so it'd be kind of nice to know."

"I'm not telling you."

"Aw…pretty please?"

"No."

Putting an end to the conversation, she laid back down on the cell's floor, staring at the lifeless ceiling again. She could see him in her peripheral vision, so she just closed her eye and pretended to go to sleep again.

Surely, this would get the message across.

"I know how you feel," he said, and she sighed.

This time, though, she made no effort to sit up, and instead remained sprawled out on the cold floor. Subaru could talk all he wanted, but she was not going to give him a second of her attention. Even if she did, she would not show it.

"Back in the war room, you seemed…happy to see Priscilla," the newcomer continued. "You even kept calling her 'Princess.' I mean, that's what Al calls her, so are you guys related or something? Anyway…I'm guessing you two didn't part on good terms? Are you old friends that drifted apart?"

You could say that.

Arakiya just groaned and turned to lay on her side.

Out of either ignorance or disregard, Subaru kept talking. "If that's the case, then…I can relate, you know? Trust me, I know how it feels to finally reunite with someone you care for only for them to…"

She waited, and when it became clear he would not continue, she asked, "To?"

"To…hurt you," he replied, putting his head in his hands. "I can't blame Rem, though. She doesn't know better. I'm sure she didn't mean anything bad by it but still…if anything, it's Louis's fault."

Whoever "Louis" is, they sure left a mark on him.

Finally, she sat up again, and sighed. "How troublesome…"

Turns out, there was someone who understood how she felt, and look where he had been hiding all along.

"This 'Rem' you speak of," Arakiya half-whispered. "Did you…hurt her, before this?"

Rubbing his eyes, Subaru gave a mirthless laugh. "Well, I told her I loved another girl when she confessed to me, if that counts. I think that's it…I hope it is."

"Then, how are you even in this situation at all?"

He hesitated before answering, "One of the Sin Archbishops erased her memories. She has no clue who I am whatsoever and…when I tried to hurt that Archbishop…she thought I was hurting someone innocent."

Slowly, Arakiya shook her head. "We're not the same, Natsuki Subaru. Leave."

He looked dumbfounded – even insulted – by her statement, as if he had just realized he unknowingly offended her. "I'm sorry if I got it wrong! It's jus-"

"Leave."

The single word seemed to strike him like a hunter's arrow, and he even flinched a little. "Fine, I'll go. When I come back, though…can we resume this conversation? Oh, also, do you need anything for that injury on your back?"

The Divine General shook her head, and he stopped talking.

He sure talks a lot.

Just like before, she began counting the seconds. If there were more entertaining ways to pass the time, she was unaware of them.

"Arakiya?"

She glared at Subaru, who remained sitting across from her. "You're still here?"

"Zikr has the keys…"

Taking a deep breath, she attempted to maintain her patience. The cell already made her pretty irritable, and some people had pointed out that she was just naturally quick to anger, so this idiot's questionnaire had definitely not improved her mood.

Still, he was not entirely terrible. He had lost someone he cared about, and when he got them back, they had hurt him. It did not match Arakiya's tale word-for-word, but she could see the impact it had left on him, and he could clearly see the scars she bore as well.

At the moment, she was not in the mood to hold any further conversation with…well, anyone, but she would be interested in talking to him again. Maybe once she got out of the cell, if she ever did so. Yeah, after she tried to talk to Prisca again, she would find Natsuki Subaru again and ask him about the scars he hid.

Unless Prisca forbade it, of course.

From nowhere, she felt something on her head, and snapped out of her thoughts only to find Subaru patting her head.

She stared at him, completely baffled. What was he thinking!?

Judging by his expression, he was completely unaware of this. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, and that only puzzled Arakiya more.

"Sir! What are you doing!? Be careful!"

Only when Zikr yelled did she notice him standing on the other side of the bars, pure panic on his face. She could understand that: it was not everyday that some random man touched a Divine General and got away unscathed.

"Ah?" Subaru muttered, finally coming back to reality. "Zikr? Oh, you're back! We finished here, so you can open the door."

Silence spread for a couple of heartbeats until he realized why the Second-Class General was so horrified. Sheepishly, he retracted his hand and murmured something that Arakiya did not pick up on. Not that she did not hear, but she was paying attention to other matters.

"Sorry about that," he smiled, fidgeting with his hands. "I…I kinda blanked out there for a second, sorry."

Without another word, he got up and strode toward the door, which Zikr quickly opened for him and then promptly shut once he was out while retaining that panicked look.

Abruptly, Subaru took off his leaf-green jacket and slid it through the cell bars before giving Arakiya a thumbs-up. "You know…in case it gets cold!"

The only thing that broke the ensuing silence was a mocking laugh coming from the soldiers' cell.

He ignored the laughter and walked away with the round General in tow, leaving Arakiya once more by herself.

When they left, she grabbed the jacket. Not for any particular reason, really, but she just wanted to grab it, so she did. Besides, when was it ever cold in Vollachia? It was only hot or hotter.

Still, she draped the jacket over her shoulders. It was light and comfortable even if it was a few sizes too big for her. There were a few places in which it was torn, and she could not fix it, mostly because she lacked both the tools and the knowledge to do so.

It's not a bad jacket…

With the jacket on her shoulders, the Divine General lay back down on the floor and closed her eye, not even attempting to hide her smile.

The Vollachian throne room in the imperial castle was a marvel of the world, but it was nothing compared to the woman sitting on the lavish throne itself.

Priscilla Barielle, born Prisca Benedict, and now the seventy-eighth ruler of Vollachia.

Arakiya could talk about her for hours and to anyone who would listen. She could recall every time she braided her princess's fiery-orange hair, every time she hanged her crimson dresses on the closet, every time she saw her self-assured smile whenever some commoner dared to question her.

The Divine General was obsessed, but she would never admit it.

In front of the empress were two men: one in golden armor and the other in white and black robes. Generals Ralfon and Dunkelkenn, respectively.

When she walked into the room and left Todd outside, Prisca covered her face with her fan, though Arakiya knew full well that she was smirking behind it. "Hmph, you took quite the nap. You value your own sleep over my orders?"

The demi-human stuttered, tripping over her own words in search of something to say.

"It is clear that mine nobility has left you speechless," the empress laughed, lowering her fan and revealing the smile Arakiya had seen enough times to engrave in her memory. "A common mistake for peasants, but I expected more from you."

"I'm sorry, princess," she whispered, averting her gaze.

"'Princess?' Hah! Mineself is no longer a princess, fool. Remember that, because Vincent didn't."

At the mention of the former emperor, Ralfon grimaced while Olbart Dunkelkenn gave a maniacal snicker Arakiya herself felt a blush of shame spread on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry…Your Majesty," she amended, giving a small bow.

The empress seemed pleased, and she motioned with her fan toward the door. "You two jesters have served your purpose. Consider yourselves dismissed, and remember to up your performance next time!"

Ralfon and Olbart bowed, though they did with unwillingly, and left the room without a word.

Now, the demi-human was left all alone with the empress, looking up at her from the base of the ornate throne. She could barely process words, let alone sentences. Here was the princess she had worked so hard to serve, to protect, to elevate to the throne she now sat upon, and she could only stare.

She had waited on hand and foot for Prisca, and this was her reward.

"Are you employed to stand around like a tree?" the fiery empress spat, her smile disappearing. "If you are, then you might as well look the part."

"Yes, Your Majesty…"

"Do you know why mineself called you here?"

She could only shake her head with embarrassment.

On the throne, Prisca sighed. "Of course. Mineself can expect you to follow orders, not think for your own…nonetheless, I summoned you for an overdue conversation."

"Overdue?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Indeed. You're going to tell me something I want to know."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The empress's eyes bore into the crown of her head as she tried her hardest to not make eye contact. The temperature seemed to go up a few degrees when Prisca finally spoke.

"Why did you drink that poison?"

Arakiya's whole body froze, and she could barely utter, "Wh-what poison?"

She can't mean…

"You know," the empress spat. "Did Chisha Gold pay you? Was my brother charismatic enough to win you over? Perhaps you finally learned to use your brain and decided to act for yourself. If it was the latter, then mineself commends you."

She could not explain herself. Now that she had finally gotten her dream, the thing she wished for the most, Prisca was going to dig that up!? She was really going to revive this conversation!?

"Princess, I-"

"I told you not to call me 'Princess,' did I not? Time has passed, and I've gotten the highest position of all. Which part of that can you not understand?"

"Prisca, wh-"

"Did mineself give you permission to address me by name? Hmph."

Arakiya was a second away from yelling at her, from screaming as loudly as she could that she had sacrificed her eye and Prisca's status to keep her alive. For the first moment in her life, she felt unfettered rage at the one she served.

She wanted to explain herself, but Prisca would not let her.

"As amusing as it is to watch your reaction, mine time is precious," the empress claimed. "If you find yourself unable to speak coherently, then perhaps I should replace you with someone more eloquent."

Standing there, facing the one she so admired and cared for, Arakiya could only ball her fists and make small, meaningless sounds like a whimpering dog. There was more than one reason for her betrayal, but she realized than only now, only when it was too late to explain correctly.

"I…I…couldn't…"

"Hm? Your attempt is piti-"

"I cared…"

Those words were the only thing she could say, the only way she could word her feelings. Try as she might, she could find no other ways to word it.

Finally, she looked up, and gazed into the empress's ruby-red eyes, which were anxiously awaiting her explanation. The world lost focus as her gaze filled with tears, which never seemed to fall.

"I…loved you…"

It was a few weeks before she saw Natsuki Subaru again.

Her daily life in the prison while he was gone was rather uneventful: every day, she was brought some military rations to eat and remained unbothered. Even Todd and Jamal quieted down after a while, bickering with each other less and less. Whatever conversations they held now were whispered, as if they were conspiring.

Arakiya did not care. Let them plan and scheme all they want. She would remain in her cell anyway. Even if she could leave, why would she?

Her princess did not want her, so why did she even care anymore?

The dream weighed heavily on her mind for those weeks, often taunting her from the depths of her memory and vanishing shortly after. It struck her again and again, repeating how Prisca had been the one that almost killed her, when she had shown the crimson princess mercy.

She just wanted to sleep all day and forget about the terrible realization.

Much to her surprise, when Natsuki Subaru returned, she found herself looking forward to seeing him, at least to return his jacket if nothing else. Something about him made him…interesting.

He's more bearable than the rest, at least…

He returned wearing a scarlet coat and hat, the uniform of a female officer. As if that was not enough, he was wearing a long wig the same color as his natural hair. It was as if he was trying to impersonate a woman.

Wait…!

He was trying to impersonate a woman! Such tactics were not unusual among the nobility! Arakiya had seen such a thing before, but this was the next level! He looked like a whole new person!

"Hello, Arakiya," he smiled, his voice sounding a tad higher-pitched than the last time they had spoken, which he noticed and fixed by clearing his throat. "Did it get cold in here?"

She shook her head but could not stop the faint smile that her lips formed.

"That's great, but…then why are you wearing the jacket?"

It was true she had currently put on the jacket, but her only response was a shrug.

With a genuine grin, he sat down on the other side of the bars. "Sorry, but I don't have the keys today. Chaosflame was already enough to worry about and…heh. Have you ever met Yorna Mishigure?"

A nod.

"You…wouldn't happen to know what she wants, right? We had to all but arrange her marriage to get her on our team, and even still she acts like a freeloader, laying down on mattresses and smoking from her pipe."

"Is she here?" the demi-human inquired.

"Nope," he answered. "She likes Chaosflame too much to leave. Well, between us though? You're kind of my favorite Divine General, and I only met three of you."

With a tilt of her head, she implored him to continue.

He sighed. "I met Olbart in Chaosflame. He kinda sucks. Seriously, turning people into kids? I thought ninjas were supposed to live in sewers and eat pizzas, not do that!"

Despite not understanding half the sentence, Arakiya chuckled slightly and gave a weak smile.

Subaru, in turn, looked amazed that she had the ability to show expressions beyond anger and confusion. "Yeah! You know what I mean!? Like, what's his deal!? And then he laughed all weirdly like 'kakakakaka' and then ran away with a Vincent lookalike! Yorna did nothing!"

His excitement was contagious, and Arakiya soon found herself smiling genuinely at his antics. She was in a bad place right now, and yet he managed to cheer her up so easily.

"So…enough about whatever happened over there. Can I talk to you about…what we mentioned last time?"

Apparently, he was also terrible at reading the room.

With her smile fading, she responded, "I don't want to…"

"That's alright," he said. "But in my experience, talking about your problems is not a bad idea. It's not a sin to rely on others, you know?"

Her only response was a whispered "Mhm."

"C'mon," Subaru sighed. "I…yeah, I want to help you. Alright, fine, I know how that sounds, especially after you almost murdered me, but I'm being truthful."

Arakiya just remained where she was, giving no indication that she even heard him.

His smile grew, and suddenly, he said, "Come on, Kiya. You kno~w you wanna talk with someone. Are you really so gloomy?"

"'Kiya?'"

"It's like a pet name! Where I'm from, friends use them with each other! Whenever they're not calling each other 'dumbass' or something like that, I guess."

A "pet name?" It's…endearing.

The Divine General stood and walked over to the cell bars, sitting down against them with her back to him. Subaru, in turn, looked bewildered by this, but she nodded for him to come closer, and he obeyed. When he was sitting right behind her, she laid her head back against the bars and closed her eye.

It took him a while to react but, as expected, he began to pat her head.

"Then, when I was in the capital, the Sin Archbishop of Sloth attacked."

Really? This guy had it rough…

It had been almost half an hour since Subaru had began telling Arakiya of his past, and everything he said made it seem less and less believable. He was just conveniently trapped in the capital when a Sin Archbishop went after his home? And the White Whale was in the way? And he somehow managed to slay both of them?

Even the Divine Generals had not managed to kill any Sin Archbishops…

As he ruffled Arakiya's hair, he continued his tale. "The guy was creepy! He was all green and sickly and stuff…and he bit his own fingers for some reason. Anyway, so I had to find out that Crusch was hunting the Whale, and then I pushed Ana into the deal too. In the end, all three of our camps ended up fighting it by Flugel's Tree, and we had to drop the tree on it at the end!"

"Hm?"

"Yeah! It was so cool, but I was terrified at the time! What if it ate me or something!?"

The thought that this man, who had no clue what a Divine General was until a few weeks prior, was responsible for such a feat was both comedic and worrying to Arakiya. How had some nobody achieved what the Vollachian army could not?

His voice took on a somber tone as he recalled the next part. "After the fight, Rem pretended to be injured so that I would confess that I loved her. Truthfully, that was scarier than the fight itself. Hah…and then, she said she was going back to the capital with Crusch and the rest in order to carry the Whale's carcass. During the trip, their convoy was attacked…by the Archbishops of Greed and Gluttony."

"Garkla," she muttered.

"No, one of them was called Regulus," Subaru replied, frowning. "I think the other was either Lye or Ley. Maybe it was his brother."

In a better mood from the headpats, Arakiya chuckled. "Garkla, the city. Greed destroyed it."

"Right, I remember! Julius said something about that. There was an eight-armed guy there, too."

"Kurgan. He evacuated the civilians."

With a sarcastic grin, he said, "Hey, really? I didn't know there were nice Vollachians."

She groaned and let him continue with the recollection.

"So, the convoy was attacked," he repeated. "And Rem didn't flee. Crusch lost her memories, and Rem did so, too, but she was also forgotten by the world. No one could remember her, only I could. She woke up not too long ago, after we conquered the Watchtower, but…yeah, she hates me."

The 'Watchtower?' Does he mean…?

He sighed with false enthusiasm. "Alright, that was it! What about you? Why does Priscilla treat you like that? I mean, sure, she's really insufferable and always treats people like that, but you two knew each other, right?"

As he asked that, he lowered his hand and began scratching behind her ears, making her smile.

"I know it might be a bad memory, but maybe you'll feel better if you talk about it," he added.

She took a deep breath before speaking. "I used to serve her years ago. I poisoned myself and forced her to leave Vollachia forever, but it was for her own safety."

A couple of seconds passed as he waited for her to continue, but she remained silent and enjoyed the pats.

"Well, that wasn't so hard, see?"

Truthfully, it was kind of relieving to mention it. It felt like it was no longer just her problem, like he could somehow help her find a solution to something that happened years ago.

"This might sound mean, but I wouldn't worry too much about it," he chuckled. "Seriously, Priscilla is so unpredictable that she might be acting like that just to test you or something."

She felt a sliver of hope begin to appear, as diminutive as it was. "Really?"

"Yeah! I mean, she treats Al like garbage, but she probably cares for him, you know? I'm sure that, behind all that horrible attitude, she doesn't hate you. If she did, you'd be dead."

Why didn't I think of that?

His words made complete sense! If Prisca really hated her, she would not have left her to be captured here! All she had to do was talk to her for a minute and clear all this up! Surely Prisca would take her under her wing again…

In the wake of this joyous realization, Arakiya lay on her back, like she had done so many times before. This time, though, she grabbed Subaru's hand and put it on her stomach. After that, she closed her eye in hopes of getting some sleep.

Contrary to her expectations, Subaru did not keep talking. She was surprised: he often ran his mouth about random things and nagged her until she answered. Not that she was complaining, though.

They remained like that, and the silence reigned for long enough that she felt herself slipping into her dreams.

And then it was broken.

"Oh, hey, brother. Didn't think I'd find ya here."

She recognized the voice: it was Prisca's new attendant, that one-armed man with the weird helmet. Why did he call Subaru "brother," and what was he doing here?

"Hey, Al," she heard the younger man respond. "I wanted to have a chat with Kiya here. You didn't come to fetch me for another table/war/empire meeting thing, right? Because they suck."

"Nah, nah, we're all good for now. Hey, are you giving a Divine General…belly rubs?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

Al whistled and gave a short chuckle filled with amazement. "First the lolimancer thing, now this…you're full of surprises, bro."

"I like to think it's part of the Natsuki charm," he said, speaking with false self-satisfaction.

"Hey, Yorna and her? Let's pray that this Madeline girl isn't naturally immune to your charisma. We'll have this coup cleaned up in days."

"Yes, we will, Al."

A second passed with neither speaking, until Al said, "Well, I'll get goin' back to princess. She just had a fight with Vince and…well, she almost gave Zikr a haircut. I just came down here to chat a bit, but…you two seem kinda busy."

Subaru asserted with a "mhm," which made Al sigh.

"Alright, brother. When you're finished up, come find me…if princess doesn't kill us all, that is."

"Got it."

Again, there was silence for a second before Al began to walk away, and Arakiya draped her arm over her eye.

Beside her, Subaru laughed.

"Sweet dreams, Kiya."

Two days later, Subaru returned, but he was not alone this time.

He was being escorted by a small group of soldiers, all clad head-to-toe in bright and spotless armor. Each carried their own sword as well as another weapon, such as a mace, axe, or…well, another sword.

Arakiya had seen soldiers like these before. They were honor guards, most likely working for Zikr. It was not unusual for Generals to have their own detachment of troops loyal only to them. The honor guards usually served as more than just bodyguards: they were scouts, spy-hunters, and emissaries.

In this case, they were jailers.

One of the soldiers held the prison's keys in his hand, and he was the one that walked forward and opened her cell. She waited, expecting Subaru to come in like he had done the first time, but the soldier with the keys nodded his head, stepped out of the way, and let another soldier who was carrying purplish metal handcuffs approach the door.

They were letting her out, but why?

"I know this isn't the warmest welcome ever, but Zikr is a little scared of you," Subaru chuckled. "Truthfully, I think everyone is. Everyone except Al, maybe…I don't know what he's scared of."

One of the soldiers, despite wearing a helmet, managed to somehow give him a glare of annoyance. Why he did it, though, Arakiya did not know. Maybe admitting that the General was afraid in front of his most loyal enforcers was not too good an idea.

She stood and made her way to the door, where the soldier placed the handcuffs on her. They were flimsy, and she had little doubt she could easily snap them if she really wanted to.

Apparently, the soldier who handcuffed her knew that, because he said, "Don't even try it. These were made specifically for you."

She tilted her head, but the soldier did not say anything other than that, and she did not ask. Whatever they wanted to do with her, wherever it was they were going, she did not really mind.

As they led her out of the prison, she passed Todd and Jamal, who were lazing around in their cell. The latter did not even look at her, but Todd gave her a grin and nodded, as if they were old friends sharing an inside joke. She noticed that most of their armor had been removed and they retained only their basic uniform. They did not even have boots.

At least Vollachia took its prisons seriously.

The honor guards stuck around her, forming a circle, while Subaru accompanied her just a bit farther than arm's reach and never spoke a word besides his initial comment. That was very unusual. She had seen his amicable personality first-hand and expected him to at least try chatting up the soldiers, even if they conveyed their annoyance through the various layers of armor they had on.

Together, their group walked through the many hallways of the City Hall. Arakiya found the decision to build a prison underneath the city's most important building confusing: while it made sense to put high-value prisoners within the best-defended structure, if they escaped, they could cause major problems for the commanders occupying the Hall. If the prisoners belonged to the attacking faction, then said attackers would be hesitant to reduce the building to rubble with a powerful strike, but that did not always hold true.

Like every other decision ever made by the military, it had its advantages and its disadvantages. The decision to spare her life and imprison her was probably also made by weighing the benefits and the drawbacks. Maybe Vincent was hoping to pry information out of her, whether by torture or some other method. He seemed to be after Chisha, and she was a good way to get to him given that she was one of his comrades.

If that was the case, then he really underestimated her.

Chisha had warned her that Vincent would do anything in his power to reclaim his throne and lull Vollachia into "lethargic complacency," whatever that meant. Vincent was, after all, the man who murdered his own siblings to acquire his rank in the first place. Bringing Prisca here to manipulate her was child's play for him.

She had no doubt about it. Either they were leading her to her execution – which seemed doubtful as they had not left the City Hall – or they were taking her to the now-deposed emperor. "His Majesty" could pull every trick up his sleeve, but she was prepared. Her only weakness had been her loss of will after her defeat, but Natsuki Subaru had remedied that. Ironic, given that he was apparently one of her enemies as well.

Wait…

Her step faltered as she unveiled the truth, prompting the honor guards to glare at her. Subaru had worry on his face, worry that she would have found genuine just a second ago. Worry that, if she had not faced Vincent and Chisha personally nearly eight years ago, she would have considered normal.

Had she been too obvious? Did he know she knew?

Did Subaru know that she had, at last, discovered his manipulation?

One of the honor guards pushed her from behind, but she paid it no heed. She had been a fool, trusting one of her enemies. Natsuki Subaru was not her friend: he was one of Vincent's men, who had managed to persuade her into…wanting to be with Prisca again…

That made little sense, but Vincent's plans were rarely simple. If he could hold Prisca under his thumb, he could also put a leash on her and therefore remove his most dangerous enemy. Of course, she had fallen for it. She had been an idiot. She had been naïve, just like Prisca had said.

It was unsurprising: she was a warrior, not a strategist.

Men like Chisha, Vincent, Zikr…they could sit in their war rooms all day and move troops like game pieces, but they lacked the strength to actually fight. That did not make them weak. She was stupid to assume that. If Vincent's little ragtag team had already recruited Yorna Mishigure, then that only spoke to how cunning he was. Yorna had annoyed him ever since she was recruited, and he had swayed her over to his side…with Natsuki Subaru's help.

Suddenly, that "child of war" thing doesn't seem so far-fetched.

She snuck a sidelong glance at the black-haired youth. Vincent had recruited Chisha for the latter's renowned intelligence, but his new strategist seemed even more dangerous, more devious.

When Subaru noticed her looking at him, he gave her a smile, one in which she saw Vincent, not the man who had talked her out of her spiraling uncertainty. In his odd clothing, fit for the desert, she saw Chisha Gold and his atrocious garment, which fooled those who would dismiss him as a jester.

She did not see Natsuki Subaru: she saw a shrewd young man willing to do anything for his goal.

Lost in thoughts, Arakiya was brought back to reality when the honor guard in front of her stopped walking and she all but ran into him.

"Hello Arakiya. Long time no see."

With those words, Vincent Abellux greeted her as he sat on a common chair in the center of a shattered room.

"How familiar are you with the Collar of Submission?"

Vincent's tone was nonchalant, like he was asking her which type of tea was her favorite.

Arakiya sat a couple chairs away from him, at an almost perfect right angle. On the seat to her left was Subaru, who leaned on the table with his elbows. Zikr was two chairs to the former emperor's right, sweating profusely.

The room itself was the main hall of the…well, the City Hall. It was the City Hall's hall. If the room had not been torn apart by the force of a raging tornado, she would have appreciated its architecture. She kind of did appreciate it a bit before wrecking it beyond repair.

"It seems you are having trouble with your hearing, Arakiya," the deposed emperor mused without a smile. "If your ears do not work, that calls into question your health. If your health is ailing, then I cannot keep you in my employ."

Her only response was a grunt of anger, which caused him to look at Subaru with a deep frown.

"You had told me she was tamed. Perhaps I should take out your right eye for such blindness, or your tongue for spouting such lies."

With a mix of fear and irritation, the younger of the two replied, "Hey, no! I never said that at all! I said we were…becoming friends, but I didn't sa-"

"That is enough, then. I do not have time to listen to your blabbering claims."

Exasperated, Subaru threw up his arms and looked at her with an expression along the lines of "He may be paying me but I can't wait to drive a knife into his lung."

I know the feeling.

If Arakiya had not realized his true goal in coming down to talk with her, she would have sympathized. Dealing with Vincent's attitude was by no means a simple matter. The only one who could do so efficiently was Chisha, and he ended up being a very fervent traitor, so…

Turning back to face her, Vincent spoke, "I asked you if you had heard of the Collar of Submission, Arakiya."

She glared at him and nodded.

"Good, then that saves us time. The Collar serves to restrict the wearer's powers. For centuries, it has been in Vollachian possession. Those handcuffs you wear are a type of technology developed from incessant research of such a device."

It was not something she was aware of, but if the handcuffs truly restricted her abilities, then all she had left was her physical prowess, and she was as thin as a twig.

Right beside her, Subaru chimed in with a sigh. "Dude, she has a horrible scar down her back and she's missing an eye. I don't think you can intimidate her or anything. In fact, I read something about prisoner rapport or whatever some time ago and it said that the best way to do something like this was to be nice!"

Although Zikr looked offended, Vincent remained stoic. "Your proposition is to befriend the woman who attempted to kill us? Prisca…Priscilla was right: you make a good jester, indeed."

Arakiya could easily see the provocation in his words. He was not being a bastard just because he could; he was doing it to gauge Subaru's reaction. If the younger man lashed out verbally, it would only cement Vincent's belief that he was a fool. If he took the words silently, he would make himself into a punching bag. The only way to respond was with a well-worded retort that wou-

"Piss off, you boyband reject."

There was a stunned pause in the room as Zikr's mouth fell open and Vincent's eyes narrowed. Arakiya, despite herself, felt a smile on her face. She could hate Subaru for betraying her trust, but she could also laugh at the former emperor's silent rage.

"Thank you for your input," Vincent responded. "Now, Arakiya. As you can see, your best option at the moment is to cooperate. Zikr."

Zikr stammered for a second before talking. "Yes! Y-yes! Ahem, Arakiya, lady Arakiya, your best choice is uh…well, if you cooperate then…His Highness is willing to…you see…"

"Forgive Zikr," Subaru interrupted. "He's not used to talking to pretty, fire-slinging, magic-wielding, warrior women. Luckily, I am, though most of the women I've talked to that fit such criteria tried to murder me."

He gave a mirthless chuckle and shook his head like some old acquaintance had shared a great joke with him.

"I'll tell you those stories another day, though," he continued. "Anyway, if you work with us, we promise to get you everything you had: your rank, money, house, all that stuff. Also, there's a tiny chance that this Cecils guy you hate so much will trip on a pebble and die so…"

Even if his argument was far from eloquent, his tone made him seem honest and trustworthy. Arakiya could not really blame herself for falling in his trap when he was such a smooth talker.

"Our mission right now will be to recruit Madeline Eschart," Vincent said. "She is currently in Serena Dracroy's land. Will you assist us? Or do you prefer death befitting a lowly dog?"

She narrowed her eye and opened her mouth to respond…

Just then, someone barged into the room: a short, blue-haired woman with a cane. There was clear panic in her expression that matched Subaru's.

"All of you!" she yelled, earning their attention.

"Those two soldiers have escaped!"

Even if the City Hall's hall – quite a mouthful, yes – was ruined beyond repair, it was still the safest room in the building.

The honor guards from earlier received aid from a handful of Sudrak warriors, who seemed awfully underequipped. Arakiya would have laughed if she was in the mood: she ripped those tribal hunters apart with ease. What good were they?

Although she could tear such a flimsy defense team apart before their heartbeats reached double digits, the situation now was different. They were facing two imperial soldiers without weapons or armor, and it was extremely likely that they just chose to flee instead.

Arakiya had seen Todd surrender. He was not the type of man to stake his life on a suicide attack.

Jamal, on the other hand…

The brutish, one-eyed Jamal would no doubt try to at least bring some of them down with him. It did not matter how many, so long as there were more corpses than when he started.

She turned to her left. Subaru had stood up and was in a corner away from the guards, talking to the blue-haired woman with the cane. Much to the Divine General's surprise, he seemed terrified, and was even trying his hardest to hide it. There were rumors and jokes that Arakiya could smell fear, and now even she believed them.

On her right, Zikr was melting into a crowd of honor guards, seeking the most protected location available. It was a primitive instinct, a variation of fight-or-flight that allowed him to fulfill both. Zikr Osman was a coward, and he was spineless, but at least he was subtle about it.

Vincent, on the other hand, was just sitting on his chair, looking at his nails.

When she looked at him, he spoke without meeting her gaze. "Prisca…Priscilla is in Chaosflame."

What a sly monster! He even knew what she was going to ask!

Just how much of this did you anticipate, liar?

She hated him, she despised him, she wanted to dye that crimson suit of his even redder with his own blood, but she had to admit he was more intelligent than she could ever hope to be.

Instead of being normal and thanking him, she just groaned and made her way to where Subaru stood. Even without her enhanced senses – even with only one eye – she could see he was panicking and trying his best to hide it.

Hide it like you hid your true intentions?

"If Louis isn't here, she's not safe," he was all but shouting at the woman. "Todd will do anything to get to me…even if he has to kill innocents!"

"You say that as if you cared for her!" the woman shot back.

"I don't! But you do, and I care about you, Rem! I won't let that psycho cave your skull in just because you ran to help her!"

"I've told you already: I'm not someone you need to be saving all the time!"

Subaru balled his fists and seemed ready to grab her by the shoulders and shake her. "That's not…! You…! Agh, damnit! You killed two of Jamal's men! I led Todd into a trap and got his squad killed! They're coming for us, Rem, and they're going to slaughter us! Remember last time they came after us!? I do!"

Arakiya took a good look at Rem. This was the person he had spoken so much about. Now she felt kind of bad for almost blowing her to pieces on their first meeting.

"Back then, we only had Medium and Flop!" she replied, stamping her cane on the floor. "Need I remind you that Flop can barely lift a chair? Now, look around you! We're in the safest place possible!"

Subaru looked at Arakiya as if he had just noticed she was standing there, only a couple of meters from him. "'Safest place possible'…it sure wasn't when someone set Mizelda on fire…if it wasn't for that bi-, Priscilla we'd all be ash."

Arakiya caught the comment he tried to stifle, but just observed silently.

Rem put her hands on his cheeks and moved his head so they were looking into each other's eyes. "Listen to me. You worry too much about things like these. I already told you: you're not a hero, and you don't have to be."

Even she, the Divine General who had only heard the story a couple days ago, could tell that such a comment's well-meaning implications were…not what the raven-haired youth understood.

With an imperceptible wince, he grabbed her wrists and took her hands away from his face. "You don't know the half of it."

Those words were the last in their conversation, as Subaru walked away toward another corner of the room, one that Arakiya had demolished in her previous rampage. The City Hall had been punched outward there, like a god with a battering ram decided to renovate that particular spot and that one alone. In her opinion – and not to brag or anything – it looked quite beautiful in the way that the moonlight streamed down from the night sky and illuminated that spot.

Funny. I didn't even know it was night.

How long had it been since she had seen the moon?

"You must be Arakiya," the Oni beside her said in a somber voice. "He mentioned you a couple of times."

If her ears could perk up, they would have done so then. "Mhm. He mentioned you too."

"I'm flattered that he tells stories about me to prisoners. At least that way, Vincent doesn't have to get his hands dirty torturing them."

"The liar can try," she snarled, a frown on her face.

Rem seemed confused, but she just sighed instead of asking any questions. "Subaru is…he's an idiot at times, especially when he's panicking. Yeah, it's pretty clear he's freaking out. He's an idiot who's probably hiding more secrets than the entire Vollachian royalty…but…"

The blue-haired woman looked away in the middle of her sentence.

"But he's a good person," she finished. "I can't forgive him for…something he did, but he's not a villain. He's not…Vincent."

They both glared at Vincent, who brushed dirt off his pants without a care in the world.

"I doubt anyone can be like him," the Divine General mused, nodding at the deposed emperor.

Rem nodded. "Well, you know what I meant."

There was silence as the two shifted their gazes from the scowling royal to the brooding man in the destroyed corner.

Arakiya forced a frown onto her expression. Despite her belief that Natsuki Subaru was a manipulative child of war, he had been the only one to visit her during her imprisonment…and willingly, it seemed. He did not seem to be lying about his relationship with Rem having soured: that much was clear.

She was conflicted.

When she looked at the figure in the moonlight who seemed to be muttering to himself, she did not know what to see…who to see. His black hair was dark like the night, and – try as she might – she did not see a troubled man taking some fresh air after fighting with an old friend: she saw a haughty emperor who deceived and assassinated at his whim or convenience. His expression was not troubled, it was calm, because the ruler of Vollachia never showed weakness of any kind. Whatever thoughts went through his mind were not panicked and frantic, they were calculated lies and tactics for eliminating an obstacle in his way with the same relaxed but prideful attitude that he would use to ask for a cup of tea.

But she also saw beyond that, and she saw the man who was stupid enough to think she would be cold in a tropical country. The man who left her a flimsy jacket in an attempt to make her feel comfortable. The man who treated her like a normal person and – if she was wrong about him – did not play any twisted mind-games with her. While everyone in Vollachia was scouring for signs of weakness in the most random ways they could think of to gain a minuscule advantage and exploit it, he looked for weakness in others to help them. He even willingly told an enemy prisoner about his love life…which she really did not need to know about, but it was free entertainment.

She saw Natsuki Subaru standing under the moonlight, but she saw Vincent Abellux in his shadow, and she did not know if she could turn a blind eye to such a thing.

The crimson emperor had a way of reaching beyond his own soul and into that of those he spoke with. Whoever dealt with Vincent and survived did not walk away as the same person they once were. They become more like him, more cunning and devious. More willing to use others as pawns.

He was reaching out of Subaru's shadow, trying to remake him in his own image, and Arakiya was unsure if he would succeed.

But she was not going to just stand around and let it happen.

Vincent had already won too much. He had taken everything from her just to dangle it back in front of her like bait. He lived by stepping over the corpses of those he ruined, used, and discarded. He was a cruel man – no, he was not a man, he was a monster – and she was not going to stand on the sidelines and watch him win again.

Arakiya would not let him wield another person like a tool the same way he had wielded her.

Before she even realized it, she was walking toward the moonlight. Subaru heard her coming and turned, but he just gave her a short nod and kept muttering to himself over and over. Once she was finally at his side, she waited for him to begin the conversation, but he continued to ignore her.

"I haven't made a choice," she said, and he all but jumped with fright.

For a short pause, he froze, and then he stammered out some unintelligible reply.

Again, silence passed before them, and then she walked over within his arm's reach and lay her head on his chest.

He hesitated, not reacting until she spoke again. "What His Majesty offered…I haven't decided."

Very slowly, he lowered his arms and embraced her. "It's not…don't worry about that right now. When we beat Todd, you can take as long as you want to answer, ok? I mean, I'm very patient when it comes to waiting for answers, but I don't know if Vincent's the same…it doesn't matter. I'll talk to him about it. He's kind of an ass, but sometimes he can be conv-"

"Don't," she interrupted. "I…he toys with people, makes them think they're getting what they want from him. He did it with me. You won't beat him."

Again, he paused. "You mean…he's manipulating me?"

"You can't beat him," she repeated, pressing her face against his chest. "But you don't have to lose."

"Then what do I do?"

"Leave the game unfinished. Don't become who he wants you to be."

She broke away from the hug and gave him a tiny smile.

If she had done this right from the beginning, she would never have drunk that poison so long ago, but she had, and all she could do now was prevent someone else from falling into the same trap.

"Thanks for the warning," he chuckled. "I'll keep him at arm's length from now on, Kiya. Natsuki Subaru isn't known for playing other people's games! More often than not, he flips the board, throws a couple pieces in the trash, and claims he won!"

With those words and a warm pat on the back, he left her in the ruined corner, calmly striding toward Rem.

Arakiya, for the first time in so long, felt the moonlight wash over her in peace, and was finally at ease.

Her serenity lasted a minute and three-quarters, because one of the doors to the hall opened, and in came a young Sudrak with long, verdant hair. She was dragging along an imperial soldier.

Todd, beaten and bloodied.

Arakiya hated Todd, and it was in the same way she hated Cecils.

She could list a thousand reasons: his bandana was stupid, he was a coward, he was weak, his hair looked funny, his smile was irritating, his boots were squeaky, etc. Even then, though, she could not really say why she actually despised him so much. He just rubbed her the wrong way.

Now, up close and personal, she still found him unlikable.

After the Sudrak sat him on a chair and gave him a beating that would have made some Divine Generals wince, Todd only grinned and spat both blood and pieces of a tooth in Subaru's general direction. Even after that, Arakiya found him annoying.

Goz Ralfon would have been proud, though. Very proud.

Subaru only sighed with something akin to relief and pinched the bridge of his nose before stepping a little bit away from the injured escapee. Arakiya herself joined the crowd gathered around Todd, which also included Rem and the green Sudrak.

"You couldn't make this easier on all of us?" Subaru asked the still-grinning soldier. "I mean, sure, Kuna here has anger issues and would've beat you up, but why even escape in the first place? Aren't we all working for the emperor? You know, this guy right here with the red suit and the weird hairdo that looks way too slick for some reason?"

With a scoff, Vincent shook his head. "Was the description truly necessary?"

"That's not the emperor," Todd replied, smiling like he had just been proven right on some ongoing debate. "Emperor Vincent is in Rupghana. And if that right there was His Majesty, then…why did he need to conquer Guaral? Why the secrecy?"

He sat up a bit straighter and made something in his ribcage crack audibly.

"Child of war," he gasped. "You and your group of rebels won't win. I won't let you."

In response, the raven-haired youth put a hand to his forehead and turned to the deposed emperor. "You gotta give it to him: he's pretty damn loyal. I mean, I don't know many people who'd go so far as to do all this for some dude they don't even know. It's like facing some Gustekan super-assassin in a slum for a girl whose name you don't know."

"Strange analogy," was Vincent's response as his expression turned suspicious.

"Strange, sure, but it was true," he affirmed, and then looked at the injured Todd again. "You know, when we took the city, we did it without a single casualty on either side. You just had to go and kill some people, did you?"

"You killed them," Todd hissed, his smile vanishing. "You did it. If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have had to kill them, so it's your fault."

"What kind of logi-"

"Child of war, do you think you'll win? You and your fake emperor and your tribal comrades? I am Vollachian…you think I take joy fighting on the soil of my homeland, killing my countrymen? When this is all over, you'll have nothing to show for yourself. You'll only have blood and gold. That's all you'll have."

Leaning forward, the bloodied soldier made his final proclamation.

"If you hadn't come, I never would have lost all that I have, so I'll take everything from you in exchange. And I'll do it to protect Vollachia."

"Where's Jamal?" was all Subaru said in face of this threat.

Todd only smirked and weakly wiped off some blood from his face.

Subaru's expression turned into one of panic and rage as he took a step toward the prisoner. "Where is he!? What are you planning!?"

She saw Rem reach for him, trying to reassure him, but Vincent warned her against it and mentioned some nonsense excuse about him being volatile and not in his right mind. It was that little excuse that connected the dots for Arakiya, and she felt anger building up toward the former emperor, not toward the escaped prisoner who had been smeared with blood.

This is what Vincent wants.

The emperor could have been grinning and cackling maniacally, but he did not need to be in order to convey his glee at the unfolding situation. Even as Subaru took another step forward, Todd gave another vague response, and their face-off grew tenser, she kept her glare on Vincent until he spoke up.

"This is not working," he muttered for everyone to hear. "If he will not talk, make him."

The temperature seemed to drop below zero as Subaru stood perfectly still for a second, and then nodded. With obvious effort, he raised his hand and balled it into a fist, ready to strike the defenseless prisoner.

Even in the face of a clear threat, Todd just smiled that same shit-eating grin that he had wore on his face so many times.

Arakiya felt herself walking forward, but she did not really understand why until she saw that she had grabbed onto his shirt like a child begging their parent not to leave. She did not need her enhanced senses to see him stiffen in response to her touch and then relax.

He lowered his arm.

"You scare me, Todd," he said. "You make me lose sleep. So long as I'm in this stupid country, I'll be terrified of losing my friends to some plan of yours because you just can't let bygones be bygones. But…"

Sighing, he turned away and looked at Rem.

"I won't become like you, Todd. And I certainly won't stoop to your level."

As he said that final sentence, he looked Vincent in the eyes, and the latter merely turned away with a "Tsk."

"I refuse to play any more of your political mind-games, Vincent," Subaru stated with a determination that made it at least sound true.

Just to add insult to injury, Arakiya gave the emperor a mean smirk, and she really enjoyed seeing him roll his eyes and shake his head while whispering how idiotic they all were.

"How pathetic."

It was Todd who spoke up as he stood, his knees struggling to support him after the beating he received. Weakly, he lifted his right foot out of his boot – a boot he had to have acquired after he escaped, Arakiya thought – and picked it up. A faint light shone within it.

"You don't know how hard it was to smuggle this out of the barracks," he mused. "I had to beat an old man with a stick to get it…but it's here."

The moment he finished speaking, he threw the boot upward.

It turned in the air, drawing everyone's gazes to it…and to the fire crystal that fell from within.

Everything right after the explosion was a blur to Arakiya.

She found herself on the floor, with pain all over her body. There were small pieces of something, most likely wood, stabbing her all over. That damn crystal turned into a fragmentation bomb, and it seemed she was paying the price.

Voices rose around her alongside a myriad of sounds that resembled metal, and she realized that it was weapons clashing. A fight had broken out while she slept soundly on the floor.

Slowly and steadily, she drew herself up and looked around.

Vincent was nowhere to be seen.

Zikr was cowering under the table and was surrounded by the corpses of his honor guards.

Rem and the green Sudrak – Kuna, apparently – were facing Jamal under a giant flag of Vollachia.

That left…

She spotted Subaru and Todd entangled in a lazy fistfight in the ruined corner. Subaru was injured as well, but Todd held the advantage of having been born and raised in the Land of Wolves. They were in an even fight against one another.

In a fit of worry, she put her hands on her head and thought of what to do. She did not have her wand, and the only person armed in here was Jamal, who wielded twin swords. She could use her magic if it was not for…

With a gasp of awe, she realized that the explosion had broken her handcuffs.

Finally, after weeks of imprisonment, she could use her magic again. She could be of use again.

The first thing she did was run toward Jamal. Her magic allowed her to blend into shadows, and that was something she took full advantage of. He could not even hear her coming and, by the time she was at arm's reach, it was too late.

With a gust of wind, she blew Jamal away and into a wall with a sickening crack, though whether it was his body or the wall that broke she did not know.

As Rem and Kuna looked at her in either amazement or bewilderment, she saw Subaru lift Todd to his feet and toss him away, making the orange-haired man trip and fall on his back. Subaru ran at him and grabbed him on the floor, but Todd kicked him in the shin and dropped him.

She was far away, but if she used her magic…

Using his newfound advantage, Todd put a knee on Subaru's stomach and pulled a knife from his remaining boot. The weapon's metal shone in the moonlight and, in another place at another time, Arakiya would have found it mesmerizing.

Now, she could only think it was terrifying.

Her despair and fear pushed her to use her magic, and just as she willed it, a gust of wind strong enough to rip apart the walls blew from where she stood. It was the same attack she had used before, when she first faced everyone here, but less focused. She could not focus it properly without her wand.

The wind did exactly what it was expected to: it struck Todd with a force he could never have anticipated and threw him out of the building and right through the large hole she had made in the wall last time.

As the attack was unfocused, however, she threw Subaru with him too.

She immediately rushed over to where the two had just been fighting, beating Rem to it by seconds. Looking down into the dark streets of Guaral, she could not see either of them. They had fallen from way too high, and by now, it was not unlikely they had become merely splatters of blood on the City Hall's ground floor.

"I'm going!" Rem said to no one in particular. "He might need healing or…or something!"

The Oni had not even finished speaking when she ran out of the room and left Arakiya by herself.

She sank to her knees and grabbed her hair. What had she done?

The tears that came soon after reminded her of the first night she slept with only one eye. She had cried herself to sleep then, running thousands of imaginary scenarios in her mind about how she could find Prisca and apologize for her betrayal or somehow go back in time to fix everything. All night, she heard the busy coming-and-going of Vincent's attendants right outside her door, a couple of them no doubt keeping their watch over her. She was a prisoner back then, too. She had always been a prisoner. Every day of her life for the past nearly eight years, she had been trapped in Vincent's games, in her own mind, in Cecils's rivalry with her, in so much.

And she had just thrown the one man who helped free her right out of a massive hole.

Even through her sobs, she heard a jagged shriek of agony come from below, and it sounded so distant yet so close.

Through a tear-blurred eye, she looked into the dark streets again, and then she caught the two figures barely moving.

Todd took the brunt of the impact. His left arm was bent at a horrifying angle that would have made lesser men faint, and there was a bone-deep gash down his knee. He seemed unable to walk.

Subaru had not escaped unscathed though. He was limping and had some fingers pointing at strange angles, along with a couple of superficial injuries that could kill him if left unchecked. His right hand held the Vollachian knife with which Todd had almost claimed his life.

"I'll kill you, child of war!" she could hear Todd yell. "I'll kill you and bury you so completely…that the sun will rise millions of times before you're found! You drove me to this! You made me do all this! If I let you go, you'll take Katya from me too!"

If Subaru had heard the words, he paid them no heed. He just kept limping toward the wounded soldier.

"This is your fault!" he continued. "Yours! A snake must be killed for the greater good, and you're worse than a snake! If I had killed you back at the camp, I never would have lost my comrades!"

Now, Subaru was within spitting distance from him, and he turned the knife in his hand as if he was considering selling it or not. With an overdramatic sigh, his shoulders drooped.

"You can't fight, Todd. You lost. I won't become like you."

After saying that, he made his way to Todd's side and offered his hand, not out of anger but out of pity. He saw something in the orange-haired soldier that made him want to spare the man, even if they were archnemeses.

Todd looked at the hand his enemy was offering and took it, but only to drag Subaru down next to him. Now that they were both on the ground, he climbed atop his rival and pummeled him with blow after blow, using only the arm that had not been so terrifyingly mutilated. As he raised for another strike, he stiffened.

Subaru had driven the knife hilt-deep into his lung.

The next seconds passed in slow-motion. Todd was pale, as if he had already become a corpse. He slumped and fell to the side from the wound, gasping with his remaining lung. Subaru crawled to him and took out the knife from his chest, then raised it again.

When the knife came down, Todd's life was extinguished forever.

Afterward, Subaru was inconsolable.

From the moment Rem brought him back and seated him on a chair by the table, he did not move. All he did now was shed tears and look around like he had been woken up from a nap. None of his actions had any soul behind them. It was as if he was a puppet.

Arakiya sat next to him for a long while. She knew it was a long while because the sun was starting to rise, and its light shone through the hole in the ruined corner.

She was startled when he wheezed, "Kiya."

"What is it?" she replied, looking into his dead gaze.

"I'd never seen your eye," he explained with a tiny and mirthless chuckle.

The statement was cryptic, puzzling even, but she realized it when she touched her face searching for clues as to what he meant. Her eyepatch was gone.

She only realized that he had reached out to touch her when his hand was on her left cheek, right below her lost eye.

What is he doing?

Subaru was the first to see her without her eyepatch ever since she put it on. It was like a religious ritual that she performed for herself only. No one knew what her lost eye looked like, only her. Did it make any sense? No, but it amused her, and that was enough.

Gently, the raven-haired youth caressed her cheek as if he was trying to calm a dog he found on a street. Arakiya did not care, though. She would not even dare interrupt him, and so she sat without moving for minutes as he caressed her cheek and then patted her head.

While the sun rose outside and dawn turned to morning, she lay her head on his lap and let herself enjoy his touch. Not even a day ago, she had almost lost him after finally realizing that he was exactly what he seemed like: a broken man caring for his friends.

And he considered her a friend too.

He was scratching her ears when he half-whispered, "I killed a man."

"You killed Archbishops before," she pointed out sleepily.

"But they're monsters," he complained. "Archbishops aren't human. Todd was. He was a person. Whoever this 'Katya' was, he cared about her."

A pause.

"I can't get it out of my mind. He was…why? I was ready to let this all go. Why did he…"

"He wasn't thinking. I know what it's like."

"That still doesn't make it right. I told him I would never become like him, but I ended up doing just that."

She could hear him fighting against himself to not break down completely. "He killed out of fear. You did it to protect. You gave him a chance."

A couple of seconds passed in silence as he processed the words and thought of how to respond. "I knew…know a girl who said murder could become a habit. Once, it almost became one for me. I don't want it to happen now."

"You did more good killing him than he would have done killing you," she pointed out, involuntarily wagging her tail as he went back to patting her head. "Murder is only murder when it's not justified. If he had killed you, I would've killed him."

After that, he did not speak for a while, and Arakiya did not delve into the matter any further. It was a fresh wound on his psyche, and she had no intentions of prodding him for an emotional response. Besides, she did her job: if he had any other doubts about all this or felt the same gloom he felt now, he could come talk to her. She was always going to be in her cell.

With her head on his lap, the Divine General let herself drift off into sleep, and for once slept soundly.

Arakiya found herself in a grand bedroom.

It was gigantic, so massive that she felt inconsequential, like she could knock down as much of the furniture as she wanted and it would never leave a mark.

She found herself slumped over an ornate wooden desk, and quickly deduced she must have fallen asleep on it. Someone had draped a scarlet coat over her, and it was surprisingly warm.

With a hazy mind, she kicked her chair back and stood, almost falling in the process.

This again?

Although she could admit that she was not very intelligent overall, she recognized the bedroom as the same one she dreamed of weeks ago. Even the scarlet coat was the exact same. It was like reliving in a loop.

Man, being stuck in a time loop would suck…

She picked up the coat, which had fallen on the floor when she stood from her chair, and put it over her shoulders again. Instead of making her way to the door like last time, though, she decided to explore the room. It was undeniably the emperor's quarters, yes, but something about it felt off.

As she approached the nightstand, she realized why the whole room felt weird: it was really lacking Vincent's touch. The whole experience was like visiting an old friend's home and seeing it in perfect condition, but lacking any kind of furniture. The room felt like a hollow carcass of its past self.

The nightstand was empty. The walls that surrounded her had no decorations. The bed was made and seemed unused. Even the desk on which she had been napping was completely devoid of any tools. It was just an ornate wooden desk.

Seconds passed, but there was no knock on her door, so she went to open it herself. The hallway outside was the same one she had traveled many times, but it was wholly empty. Not a single sound bounced off its walls.

This time, Todd did not come fetch her.

Without her orange-haired guide, Arakiya wandered the Crystal Palace by herself. She saw and heard no one, and even her enhanced sense of smell could only pick up on the usual scent of soap that always permeated the air outside Vincent's room. It was all empty.

Step-by-step, she traversed the labyrinth-like halls of the palace, having no set goal in mind.

Through her wandering about, she came across the entrance to the throne room. Whoever decided to put a giant wooden door in a room filled with statues and other historic icons lacked taste, really. Even the dozen door guards, who were all huddled in a corner and embroiled in some childish debate of magic and glaives, wore some of the finest armor the smiths could produce. In such a luxurious room, someone – many years before she was even born – decided to put a plain wooden door as the gate.

Alright…function over form, maybe?

The guards ignored her when she approached, clearly too invested in their argument to notice her. Someone was in the throne room, and she could pick up bits of a conversation unfolding within. Whoever was speaking had a habit of saying "mineself" quite a lot.

Arakiya did not even need to guess who it was.

This time, though, she chose to not enter. Her last meeting with Prisca, even if it had been in a dream much like this one, did not go well at all. Whether it was fear or sorrow that led her to leave the throne room behind and walk toward the palace's front entrance, she did not know.

She had only walked through the palace alone a couple of times, and it was a small enough number to count on a single hand. The sheer scale of such a building left her feeling…awkward. Like it could come to life and crush her. Having met Mogro Hagane, she felt that her fears were not entirely unfounded. If a pile of metal could come alive, so could the palace.

It was an intriguing thought, and one she should ask a scholar…if she ever found one in Rupghana.

After minutes of walking, she found herself on the front entrance to the palace. It was open, and she could see a small caravan loading up right outside. Someone important was leaving, then. No reason for all this fanfare if it was just a merchant.

Each step took her closer to the caravan, and she could see that it was surrounded by Vollachian soldiers, including even a member of the Sky-Riders and a sky dragon. On the center carriage, arranging some boxes and equipment, was a short, blue-haired woman.

Once Arakiya was within earshot, she called out to the woman. "Rem?"

In the carriage, Rem turned to her and smiled. "You're here just in time. The soldiers say that our trip has to leave today if we're to get there by the end of the week. You know, what with the new border policies and all."

Finally, she remembered that Subaru – and Rem as well, most likely – was a foreigner. He was not Vollachian, and he most likely wanted to go back to his home. Back to…she forgot the name of the mansion he was living in, but it was something with an "m." Ah, also the Court Mage was there. Was it "Mathers?"

"Where are you going?" she inquired, tilting her head like she always did.

"The Miload manor," Rem answered. "Subaru said it was where all his friends…and my sister…are living. It's apparently near Costuul so…long trip."

Arakiya nodded, but she was more focused on the realization that Subaru was going back to Lugnica, to Vollachia's oldest rival and most despised enemy. He was leaving, and possibly forever.

Without another word, she left Rem and walked toward the front of the caravan, looking for him. If this was truly their last meeting, then…

Subaru was a short distance from the lead carriage, gazing into the horizon with a beaming smile. He looked like a complete opposite of the last time she saw him, when he was soulless and ashen over having killed Todd.

When he heard her, he turned and said, "Hey, Kiya! I thought you'd sleep all day! Oh, did you like the coat?"

"I did," she replied, looking down at her feet. "I liked it."

"Those were wild times," he chuckled. "And I thought the 'Natsumi Schwartz' thing would be enough to fool them…oh, well, you can't ask for everything."

A moment of silence passed as she fidgeted with her hands. "Are you going to come back?"

With a sigh, he responded, "I don't know. Vollachia and Lugnica don't seem to get along, and I can see why. Besides, I doubt I'm wanted here. If history class taught me anything, its that countries don't like it when others meddle in their internal affairs. Man, politics suck…"

"Vincent once said that politics were like trenches."

"Huh, I guess he was right."

They did not speak. The dawning realization that this could be the last time they talked with each other made Arakiya want to plead with him to stay, but she knew it was cruel. Like he said, one cannot ask for everything. She had gained the life she wished and now she wanted even more than that. She wanted to tell a man not to go back to his friends and family because she would be sad about it.

"You could visit," he proposed. "Roswaal's got some influence, and he kinda owes me some favors. Maybe Lugnica wouldn't get too freaked out if you came to the Miload estate. Besides, you could meet my friends."

She considered it, and then nodded. Maybe she could do just that.

He put his hand on her head and began patting her. "C'mon, don't look so sad! I'll make sure to write, ok?"

Arakiya's response was to hug him, just like she had done to warn him about Vincent's influence. After a second, he reciprocated the embrace. Even if there were things to do, she just…enjoyed the hug.

She enjoyed it until she awoke.

A month after the whole escape attempt thing, Arakiya's worst enemy re-entered her life, along with her old friend.

She was laying down on a comfortable bed made for high-ranking officers. If it had belonged to Zikr, she would never know, because he gave no complaint when she stole the room for herself.

Subaru was sitting beside her, examining a giant map of Vollachia that he had laid on the bed. It covered half of it, but she did not mind. The map's size gave her an excuse to scoot closer to him and put her head on his lap.

After the two prisoners' escape attempt that night, Subaru apparently threatened Vincent with quitting if he locked her up again. Not wanting to lose his best – and only – tactician, the former emperor agreed to give the Divine General her freedom back, on the condition that she follow his orders and that any insubordination would lead to both her execution and Subaru's.

It was not much of a choice, but she took it anyway.

This new room was the one she took for herself right after that. While it was spacious enough for a couple of people to be inside at a time, it was also not as terrifyingly large as the Crystal Palace. It was perfect, and she spent her free time lazing around in it, reading books or taking naps. Subaru came over often, too. Once, he brought Louis, the girl he mentioned quite a few times. He did not seem too happy about the young girl's affection for him, but he accepted it.

Occasionally, during his visits, he would give Arakiya some headpats or belly rubs. She liked those visits more than the others.

That day, though, his visit was strictly business. As a foreigner, Subaru had very limited knowledge of the Vollachian landscape, and he wanted her advice on which road to Rupghana was the easiest to traverse without warning Chisha and his mooks. Vincent had a plan to slip in some spies or saboteurs to weaken the defenses before a final strike that would end the war once and for all. He had managed to recruit more than half of the Divine Generals by now: Arakiya, Yorna, Mogro, Groovy, and Madeline. Olbart and Chisha remained hostile, while Cecils was just missing.

Not for long.

Just as Subaru was asking about a particularly swampy area near Rupghana, the door to her room burst open fast enough to knock the map against the opposite wall. A gust of wind accompanied a blur of blue as it rushed into the room and picked her up from the bed faster than she could process.

"Anya! Anya, how long it's been! Have you worked on your acting skills like I told you to!? How've you been holding up!? Never mind, you've probably cried to sleep missing dear old me!"

It was Cecils Segmunt, the "Blue Lightning" and first of the Divine Generals.

"Oh, Anya!" he laughed as he spun her around. "It's been a while! I can't wait to tell you about all I did in Ginunhive! A merchant there was giving away some of these kinomos, right!? And so I tell hi-"

He stopped spinning her and tossed her on the bed. In less than a second, he was standing right in front of Subaru, smiling his usual dumb smirk.

"Ah, His Majesty told me about you, yes! You're the man who killed the White Whale!? Fantastic! But how did you do it!? If it flies, how did you hit it with a sword!? Oh, and you killed some Archbishops too! What church did they belong to!? Are you gonna kill a cardinal next!?"

Subaru stammered for a second, and Cecils took it as an opportunity to keep talking.

"Well, Prisca tells me you and Anya have become friends! That's right, Prisca's still alive! Who would've believed it, right!? I can't believe it myself! Her bodyguard is a little creepy but he's a cool guy! But anyways because that doesn't matter, how did you manage to become Anya's friend!? I've been trying for eight years now and she just tells me to fuck off and die in a ditch! All I do is try to give her some acting tips, you know!? The world is a stage after all, and we're all judged by how we act!"

In the blink of an eye, he shook Subaru's hand and ran back to the open door fast enough to make it look like he teleported.

"Well, I'll leave the two of you for yourselves!" he said, taking out a bundle of poorly-ripped flowers from his kimono and tossing them at her like he was throwing a used tissue away. "Enjoy!"

And with that, he vanished faster than light.

It took Subaru a moment to speak up. "Well, uh…is he…is he high?"

"Sometimes I think he is," she replied. "The fact that he isn't…scares me."

"I refuse to believe they haven't given him something to make him that way."

"Someone out there should study him."

He nodded sagely. "Well…he may be a little too hyper, but he's our best warrior, right? Priscilla brought him back from Ginunhive, too. Chisha still holds that city. Maybe they know something we don't…

At the mention of Prisca's new name, she frowned.

"What's wrong?" he inquired, reaching down to pat her head. "Oh. It's Priscilla, right? You wanna talk to her?"

"It's fine," she replied.

Seeing through her vague answer, he smiled and helped her get up from the bed. "Come o~n. It's been almost a month since you said you wanted to talk with her. This is your chance!"

She made some noise of complaint, but it was weak and unconvincing. He pulled her along by the arm, motivating her to come along and meet with her old friend.

She let him guide the way.

Prisca was downstairs, lounging on a sofa in the common room.

She was laying face-down but with her head high, smiling like a queen as a young pre-teen with pink hair served her some very expensive wine on a fancy glass and her one-armed bodyguard massaged her back. Just like every other time Arakiya had seen her, she seemed perfect and untouched by anything that might mar her appearance.

Beside her, Subaru spoke, "Hey, Anya? I'm gonna call you that from now on, it's much cuter. Anyway, I think this is between you two, so…if you need me, I'll be with…ah, that's right. Yorna said she wanted to see me…shucks. Well, just follow the smell of whatever the hell she's smoking and you'll find me, ok?"

He patted her on the back and walked away, leaving her to confront her fate alone.

Arakiya dreaded every second from the moment he left to the moment she finally arrived right next to the sofa.

"Hey, little lady," Al greeted her, not even looking up. "Welcome to princess's personal spa. Got an appointment?"

The little pink-haired kid looked up at her with confusion as if awaiting an answer.

"I…wanted to talk to princ…ess for a minute," she stammered, feeling herself almost break down in panic right then and there. "There was…something I wanted to tell her…"

Prisca let out a "Hm" and swirled the wine in her glass. "Mineself must admit: I am interested that you came to me. Are you done crying over the past?"

She did not let the words' impact show. "Yes…I'm done. I wanted to ask…to tell you something, prin…Prisca."

The fiery-haired princess made no sign of having heard her, but Arakiya kept talking nonetheless.

"Prisca…I…when we were younger, I…I never told you this bu-"

"Your foolish word games do not interest me," she spat. "Either talk or leave, serf."

"I loved you."

Maybe it was just her wishful imagination making her hallucinate, but Arakiya could swear she saw a tiny twitch in Prisca's face, an imperceptible wince brought about by a memory she suppressed.

"The past is past," Prisca said in the same tone she would use to say that the sky was blue. "If something has already happened, why should it interest me?"

"Because…I never meant to hurt you," she explained. "I never…I wanted you to live happily…because I loved you. What I did…I'm sorry."

With those words, she gave a small bow and hung her head.

"That's all?" the fiery princess remarked. "Fine. Your words are noted, Arakiya. At least you were able to go beyond your past."

"One last thing…princess. I don't…want to serve you anymore."

"You haven't served me in eight years, fool. Does your memory work correctly?"

She took the jab without complaining and went on. "Prisca…I'm not going to serve His Majesty anymore. When this ends…I want to leave. Maybe it will be forever, I'm not sure."

"Let me guess," her old friend mused. "You're going with that bumbling commoner? How low you've stooped."

Arakiya was about to retort when she noticed Prisca's smile. It seemed…genuine. It was not mocking or anything. She was just smiling like she used to so long ago. She was smiling like she used to before Drizen Vollachia died and everything went downhill.

Subaru's words came to her mind.

"I'm sure that, behind all that horrible attitude, she doesn't hate you."

She gave a genuine smile of her own. "Thank you, Prisca."

The princess nodded and said nothing as she walked away.

It was time.

The day came from nowhere. Vincent just announced one day that the siege on the Crystal Palace would begin and gathered his generals around Guaral's City Hall's…hall. Again.

Many meetings had taken place here. Arakiya could see exactly where she had stood on the fateful day that Zikr Osman surrendered and she set out to fulfill an eight-year-old vendetta. She could find, on the wall, the very same place against which she had tossed Jamal like a toy.

This was also the same room where she had first met Madeline Eschart after her recruitment. The half-dragon girl was tiny compared to some others, but she was feisty enough to keep up with Groovy. Her knowledge and control of sky dragons served Vincent's cause and the loyalists in many ways.

This was also the same room where Yorna Mishigure had once joked with her that she was only here because Subaru had agreed to marry her. At the time, it had not seemed as a joke, and Arakiya almost believed it right up until the fox-woman's tales became fantastic and unbelievable.

This was also the same room where they fought off Groovy and Mogro, who followed Chisha's order to dispose of the "false" emperor. They came pretty close, and her intervention was a saving grace. It took a couple of days in the prison cells for them to reconsider their alliances.

Only three months ago, Arakiya was serving as just another Divine General in the roster. She enjoyed her daily spars with Cecils (whose presence she most definitely did not enjoy), received orders once in a while, and just lazed around doing nothing. Three months ago, she had not even heard of Zikr Osman beyond his reputation as a womanizer. Three months ago, she had never hoped to see Prisca again.

But that had all changed. She was not the same person she was a measly three months ago. Now, when she sat at the table with Subaru to her right and Cecils to her left, she looked at ease. When Vincent met her gaze, she did not back down.

"You all know why you are here," he said with a touch of pride. "I will skip the long-winded speech and tell you what will happen: Rupghana, and Chisha Gold, will fall today. Take him alive. I have some questions for him."

The Divine Generals gathered at the table nodded.

He continued with his orders. "This attack needs to be timed perfectly. Zikr and his troops will be blockading the city for as long as they can while Madeline gets the Sky-Riders to secure air superiority. Yorna, I want you to lead your followers to the main barracks in the city. Do whatever you want there, but keep those soldiers busy and scattered."

Yorna responded by taking a long drag of her pipe.

"Groovy and Mogro. You two are fighters. My agents say that Goz Ralfon is being held in the Crystal Palace's prison. Get him out and cause as much chaos as you can. The less order Chisha can keep over his troops, the weaker he will be. If you come across Olbart Dunkelkenn, feel free to take him down…if you can."

Vincent's eyes met hers, and she nodded.

"Arakiya…and Subaru, you have the second most important mission: find and capture Chisha Gold. He will most likely be in the Crystal Palace, but if he is not, find him. Bring me a corpse and I will send you two to the afterlife with him."

Subaru gave him an annoyed thumbs-up and he rolled his eyes.

"Cecils," the former emperor called, and the Blue Lightning grinned like a cat. "You will be my bodyguard. Chisha is nothing if he loses the throne, so we are going to take it from him."

"Ah, finally, my time to shine!" the Divine General mused overdramatically.

"This is all you have to do," Vincent clarified. "Follow your orders and succeed. If you fail, then you best consider finding a new identity. As this is our most important fight, I will give you one warning."

His voice was smooth and calm, but that only made his statement more impactful.

"If I do not see you out there, I will kill you myself."

"How're we coming along?"

Subaru crouched beside her. The air in the catacombs was warm and smelled like other people's breath, but it was all they had. Besides, that was not as annoying as the wet ground they were stepping on.

Overall, the catacombs sucked.

But now, Arakiya was in them to find Chisha. Madeline sent a report a short while ago that all the Sky-Riders in service to Chisha had been either killed or neutralized, so his escape options were by ground only. With a blockade around the city, he had to flee discreetly.

And that meant the catacombs. For hours now, they had been combing the place diligently, relying on her enhanced senses of smell and hearing to find the traitor.

Holding up a lamp, Subaru illuminated the path ahead. "Do you smell him or anything?"

"He's close," she replied. "Can't tell how close."

"That works for me. Sooner we get out of this stinking place, sooner I can take a nice, long bath and relax. You know what's so great about Vollachian baths? I know for a fact that Roswaal won't show up and get in them while I'm relaxing."

He held up a finger to his chin, as if he was in deep thought.

"Well, Yorna once tried to join me," he said with a smile as if he was reminiscing on a glorious past. "It was…very awkward. Very. She smoked in the bath too."

For some reason, the thought of Yorna violating his privacy in such a way made her angry. If she was the one doing such a thing, however…

Not the best time, right now.

Chisha's scent felt stronger. He was near, and they both had to be ready. It was extremely possible that he predicted their arrival or something. As a master tactician, it would only make sense for him to have placed traps in the catacombs.

They walked in silence for a few more minutes, until the path in front of them stopped being catacombs and became the lowest floor of the Crystal Palace. There was a reinforced door in the way, but she would have no trouble blowing it open. Finding Chisha in the chaos that would ensue, however, was going to be a major challenge.

She turned to look at Subaru, who was analyzing the door like it was a puzzle he needed to solve. He seemed so…confident with all this. Ever since the day he took Todd's life, he had an…an aura of sorts that made him seem less like the naïve youth he had once been and more like a hardened soldier.

Arakiya felt like she could look at him forever.

"So," he sighed. "It's here, right? I mean, big, bad, evil door with an eviler dude behind it? Cliché. Wanna do the honors?"

A funny thought crossed her head.

What if either of us dies now?

It was a stupid thought, because he was with her, and she was the second most powerful Divine General. If anyone was going to die now, it was Chisha, and definitely by accident. There was no reason to fear death.

Still, Arakiya herself could admit she was not very smart. She left the thinking to all the big shots and their incredibly complex games. She was happy to follow orders and, when there were no orders, her instincts.

If someone called her simple-minded, they would have been right.

It was precisely this simple-mindedness that made her hesitate on opening the door, and it was precisely that very same simple-mindedness that made her take a step closer to him.

Her simple-mindedness was what made her kiss him on the lips without warning.

At first, he flailed his arms and seemed surprised, but soon calmed down. When she broke away, she put her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his torso, taking in the moment as he patted her head.

When she left his embrace, she did not say anything, and just smiled at him. It was enough. Words could not convey the same message.

Not a second later, she summoned her magic and cast a wind spell powerful enough to rip the door apart.

The room within was demolished all around, and the gusts of air threw things off shelves and even cracked walls. Chisha Gold, who resembled Vincent in every sense except scent, widened his eyes and raised his hands, but Subaru reached him and swept his legs from under him.

"Chisha Gold!" he yelled, taking out a pair of handcuffs exactly like those that had been used on her long ago. "You're a traitor to the Vollachian Empire. Surrender peacefully and I won't have Arakiya shove her wand where the sun doesn't shine!"

"Get your hands off me!" the impostor screamed. "Who are you to order such a thing!? Arakiya, help me out!"

She shook her head, grinned, and shrugged, precisely in that order.

Once Subaru handcuffed the traitor, they both escorted him out through the broken door and into the catacombs.

It was going to be a long day.

Arakiya's worst nightmare had come true: there were two Vincents now.

Not one, no. Two. Double the number that there should have been. Even one Vincent was too many for her.

The real Vincent, the scummier of the two, was sitting on a carriage's driver box, which served as his temporary throne from which he could oversee the siege on Rupghana. The back of the carriage had been remade into a sort of war room, with maps and other critical items that could be stored if the carriage needed to move.

The fake Vincent, Chisha, looked like a caricature of the real. He was handcuffed and kneeling in front of his emperor, wearing not the typical crimson coat that Arakiya had gotten so used to seeing, but the all-white getup that the fourth of the Divine Generals was usually clad in. He looked as if the emperor had decided to play dress-up.

Chisha's expression was one of pure rage and some thickly-veiled fear as Vincent silently looked him over, determining whether the impostor was worth his time. Around their little camp, the sound of explosions booming permeated the air as mages on both sides fought for their respective monarchs.

She did not envy the poor fools in Rupghana who fought for an already-lost cause.

"I am disappointed, Chisha," the rightful emperor spoke. "Your rebellion was an outright failure. Even Yorna's little tantrums are better than this."

Chisha made a sound half-way between a chuckle and a gurgle. "Disappointed? And what do I care what you think? Just like before…you have twisted the minds of those loyal to you. They follow you out of misguided loyalty or fear."

His expression was almost pleading and sympathetic when he turned to Arakiya.

"I showed you his lies! Is he not your enemy? Why do you aid him now!?"

Even if she was tempted to answer him, she just did not feel like it.

"Do not deviate this conversation," Vincent warned him. "Why my Divine Generals choose to follow me is their own matter to deal with. I plan to make an example of those who disobey. Any moment now, Olbart Dunkelkenn's head will be brought here to pay for his carelessness."

He looked at his nails and stayed quiet for a moment.

"Of course, Chisha, you too will pay. But you will speak first. The alternative is a very unpleasant remainder of your life."

To Arakiya's surprise, the traitor actually laughed. He laughed with despair in his voice, as if he was mocking his executioner right before they tightened the noose around his neck.

"Please, 'very unpleasant!?'" he mused. "I failed! It does not matter if you torture me or not! The moment your pet dog took me in handcuffs, I was doomed!"

Subaru made a sound as if he was deep in thought. "Someone's out to silence you, then? It'd have to be someone capable of getting to you before Vincent, and someone you fear more than him…"

"Scarier than His Majesty?" she commented. "Is he afraid of…them?"

"Who's 'them?' Are we really gonna play the pronoun game?"

Vincent's eyes narrowed as he replied, "The Observers."

A pause, and then Chisha laughed. "Is that it!? You think I am scared of some myths! Truly, I was the real mastermind behind your rule!"

"Not them, then?" the emperor asked. "Who do you fear, Chisha Gold? Because I promise you, I can be much worse than them."

"A baseless promise," he responded. "What could you know of what sh-, they can do!? Do you know what it feels like to be ripped apart and remade!?"

Vincent put a hand to his chin in thought, while Arakiya just stood there. She was not thinking much about this whole interrogation. Her job was to look menacing, not to find clues.

That was Subaru's job.

"Holy shit!" he practically yelled, his voice louder than the fireball's boom as it roasted a group of soldiers only a couple dozen meters from their location. "You! Elsa!"

Chisha's face went pale, comically pale, whiter than his normal skin color. "No! I meant nothing! What are you even saying!? How could yo-"

"Vincent! He's working for a Sin Archbishop!"

"A Sin Archbishop?" the emperor repeated, grinning. "From bad to worse, then. How sure are you of this?"

"I know. I met someone once who was tortured by the same Archbishop, the one of Lust. She turned her into a million frogs and broke her mind to turn her into a slave. If Chisha went through the same thing…I'm not sure I can blame him."

"Your blame is unnecessary, Natsuki Subaru. I will blame him myself."

Behind Chisha, in the city, a massive explosion the size of a city block went up, ripping buildings atom-by-atom and turning them into ash.

The traitor himself was muttering in a half-whisper. "No no no no no no no no no no no…"

"Vincent," the raven-haired youth said. "Keep him under the heaviest guard you can manage. Only put guards you trust and whose identities you can confirm. Capella is a shapeshifter."

To their surprise, the emperor laughed. "I have known Subaru for merely months, but he is doing your job much better than you, Chisha. We will continue this conversation later."

He waved his hand, ordering Arakiya to take the traitor away.

"Believe me, Chisha, when I say I can be much worse than a measly Sin Archbishop."

Subaru was sitting by himself in the carriage's war room, trying to make sense of a map.

When Arakiya joined him, he turned to her and smiled wearily. "You know I suck with these maps. Priscilla and Al are taking on a little garrison at the southern end of the city, but I can't find it."

She looked over the map and pointed at a triangular building. "Here."

"Oh, that's it?" he sighed. "Come on, at least you can say 'Don't worry about it, Subaru, being geographically illiterate is fine and you don't need to read a map for us to like you.'"

With a giggle, she leaned on his shoulder. "Why Prisca?"

His face turned gloomy when he replied, "Rem is with her."

Well, that explains it.

"Yeah," he went on. "They became…well, I don't know if Priscilla makes friends or not, but they're something like that."

Neither spoke for a short while as Subaru kept looking at the map without interest.

"I'm leaving," he said after the short pause. "Vincent owes me for all this, and I want to go back to the camp. To Emilia. To Beako. Hell, I'm getting kinda nostalgic when I think of Ros with bandages telling me he'd walk through hell with me as he tries to slaughter everyone I care for."

Arakiya remained silent for a short minute. "I'll go with you."

He raised his arm and put it around her, bringing her head to his chest. "Thanks, Anya. I just…what if Rem wants to stay here? Vollachia is all she's known. Her sister is back in Lugnica waiting for her and…"

"She'll go," was all she could offer as support.

"I hope she will. We've come a long way, haven't we? I mean, it seems like yesterday that you showed up in the City Hall and tried to murder me and my friends. Seems like just an hour ago that…that…Todd…"

He took a deep breath.

"I'm not sure of what happens next," he finished. "Whatever happens, though, I want to go through it with my friends, and you're one of them."

That statement made her very happy, but she just managed a tiny smile.

"Since we're reminiscing on the past…how's your back? Scar healing nicely?"

"Scars don't heal," she muttered with amusement.

"Sure they do," he countered. "They just take a bit longer."

"Wounds heal. Scars don't."

"Whatever you say. Just remember I'm the one with more medical knowledge."

"I'm the one with healing magic. Scars don't heal."

"Fine, fine," he conceded. "You're my go-to healer from now on. Second I stub a toe, I'm right next to you asking for a heal, alright?"

She nodded and put her head on his lap.

After a pause, she finally revealed her feelings.

"Love you."

The Vollachian throne room, at the center of the Crystal Palace, was a marvel of engineering.

Everything, from the curves to the sheer size of the room, served to emphasize the lush throne at the center and make anyone not sitting on it feel inconsequentially small, like they were in the stomach of a great leviathan.

Where rows of soldiers once stood, corpses lay scattered about, maimed by surgical cuts. Their remains adorned the floor and their blood served as a new coat of paint upon the walls. They had met their end in the exact same way: facing the Blue Lightning of Vollachia and defying their rightful emperor.

Now, there was a figure upon the throne: one whose crimson coat matched the color of the bloodshed scattered about the city.

Vincent Abellux was finally Vincent Vollachia, as he once was. The Yang Sword's flame was with him once again, searing all those who would dare oppose him in any way. His mere presence was a statement to all who knew what had just happened: not even coups last against him, as all rebels eventually surrender out of fear.

Beside the throne stood Cecils Segmunt, his blue kimono stained beyond what anyone could clean. "Splendid! Oh, Your Majesty, how magnificent! Even as the lead actor in this play, I can recognize a rising star! Maybe you'll get your own play someday, yes indeed!"

"I have not missed your incessant ramblings, fool," the emperor said, a smile on his face. "Neither have I missed Yorna's thirst for attention or…"

He turned to face Arakiya, and their gazes met.

"I have not missed your irritating hostility, Arakiya, though I can learn to live with it."

She responded with a sarcastic bow. "Thank you."

Now, Vincent sighed. "This is all back to how it should be, so why are you just standing there? Am I incorrect in assuming that holdouts remain in the city?"

"Ah!" Cecils replied, clapping his hands like a schoolboy. "Yes, Your Majesty! I'll get to it right away, and then you'll compliment my stellar performance, yes sir! I have no doubt this has been my finest work thus far!"

"Quit your bumbling and get to work, or it shall be your last. You too, Arakiya."

The demi-human fidgeted with her hands. "Your Majesty…"

With a raised eyebrow, he asked, "What is it?"

"Your Majesty…I want to leave."

"Gah!?"

Cecils's yelp of surprise was the only sound in the room besides the constant drip of blood coming from his clothes. Even his usual dumb smile vanished to make way for a completely stupefied expression.

"Leave!?" he asked, as if Arakiya was suggesting that he walk on spikes barefoot. "You can't! How will you get stronger if you leave!? You have the potential to surpass His Majesty as a star an-"

"I'm right here, Cecils."

"And if you go away, you'll lose it all! Anya, I thought we were friends! Friends forever, right!? Didn't you say you'd stay with me forever!?"

"I said that as a threat," she clarified.

"And what about when you said you'd take me out!? I'm still waiting for that date, ya know!"

"I said that as a threat," she repeated.

Cecils threw up his hands in frustration and turned to Vincent as if to say "Are you hearing this?"

The emperor just nodded. "I suppose I…owe you, as much as I dislike being indebted in any way. You had the chance to kill me, and did not take it. If you wish to leave, I will provide you a means of doing so."

She nodded with relief, though her expression remained stoic.

"Alas," he went on. "It is a shame to lose three Divine Generals in such a short span of time. Should you wish to return, I will not stop you from doing so. I am sure…Cecils will be…glad to see you again."

Next to him, Cecils made a mock kissing sound to show his agreement.

"Well then, Arakiya. Complete the siege of Rupghana, and I will allow you to leave as you wish. No…"

He lowered his head, gave a smug grin, and raised his hand as if giving a command.

"My venerable self will allow you to leave."

Arakiya allowed herself a smile as she bowed and stepped over the corpses toward the throne room's door.

The carriage ride was bumpy and very uncomfortable, but she did her best to pay no attention to it.

She sat on the same seat as Subaru, laying her head on his lap like she had done so many times before. On his right was a young child with flowing blonde hair who seemed exhausted and put her head on his shoulder, seemingly asleep. Across from the three of them was Rem, who was examining her cane as if trying to find faults in it.

"So," Subaru said dramatically in a poor attempt to break the silence. "I'm the only one who's been to Lugnica, right? Trust me, you're gonna love it. Not gonna love Roswaal, though…"

"You mentioned him before," Rem spoke. "He's my sister's employer, right?"

"Mhm. And he's a snake. I wouldn't let him out of my sight if I were you."

The girl laying on his shoulder shifted a bit but remained asleep.

He put up his hands in apology. "Sorry, sorry, I'll keep my voice in check. Don't want Louis all sleepy and grumpy, right?"

"She's not a baby," Rem countered.

"Oh, great, so you don't know who I am, but you know how a baby acts?" he chuckled. "What, did Priscilla hand you a baby during your adventures with her?"

"It's common sense! Everyone knows how babies act!"

He sighed and conceded the argument. "All right, Rem, you're the one with amnesia here. I'm going to trust your judgement."

In response, she puffed out her chest and gave a self-satisfied grin.

Arakiya moved, trying to find a comfortable position in which to rest. "What's Lugnica like?"

"It's pretty temperate," he responded. "Calm, mostly. Roswaal's land is apparently the best for demi-humans, so you two don't have to worry about that. Only problem is that the whole monarchy went kaput a while ago and now there's a selection of sorts. Emilia's one of the candidates, and Priscilla as well."

"Is it cold?"

"Not too cold. In winter, it gets a little chilly, and there was this one time…ha! Once, this spirit we had with us froze the whole manor, and we held an ice statue competition! I hear the snow reached the capital! It's been a while since it got that cold, though. You might still want to get some more…clothes. Real clothes."

She looked at Rem and shook her head. In response, the Oni shrugged.

"Don't tell me you two invented a sort of code!" he protested, making them both laugh.

"It's just…you're a little insistent on the whole clothes thing," Rem explained. "Do you have some sort of issue with how others dress?"

"A scantily-dressed serial killer went after me twice, and…a friend I knew dressed in only bikini and hotpants. It's just weird to me how no one has like, any laws for public decency."

Arakiya yawned. "Vollachian laws are just suggestions."

"Ok, don't bring that mindset to Lugnica," he warned, wagging his finger. "Seriously, none of that 'laws are meant to be broken' stuff."

She made an exaggerated pout in a weak attempt to garner some sympathy, but it failed.

"Yes, Arakiya," Rem added. "Vollachia's mindset when it comes to laws is…too lax."

"I promise not to break the law," she sighed, curling up to get comfortable.

"Also," he spoke. "No eating spirits without provocation, alright? Beako can be a little…mean at times, but she's just a tsundere, ok? And as much as I dislike Julius…no eating his spirits either. No spirit-eating in general!"

She whined, prompting Rem to laugh.

Crossing his arms, Subaru added, "Besides, I'm not sure eating spirits is even healthy. Eat some fruits or vegetables instead, jeez."

His banter ended there, and silence held for a while. The girl was fast asleep, and Arakiya wanted to take the opportunity to rest as well. It had been less than a day since they set out from Rupghana, so their trip to Costuul was just beginning. They would be on the road for days.

It was not too late to stop the caravan and go back to Vincent, to the old life she had lived for eight years. She was still able to run back to her old shack and wake up to Cecils's annoying voice every morning, then go do the emperor's dirty work in the afternoon.

But, as the Vollachian capital slowly got further and further away, she realized that she was right where she wanted to be.