Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

March, Dan Heng and Caelus were all exhausted. They had fought tooth and nail against the Voidrangers infront of them, trying their best to defeat as many of them as possible, however just as they defeated one, another ended up appearing from seemingly nowhere. 

It finally seemed like there was an end to the onslaught of enemies, but it didn't mean as much when they had to fight four Trampler's. Normally, they might have been able to overcome the Tramplers. However, they had gotten exhausted from the earlier wave of enemies and now their movements were a bit sluggish, their speed decreasing over time. 

“Dan Heng!” March provided another shield yet again, as he took on one of the arrows from one of the Tramplers. He let his arm get hit with the full brunt of the arrow, as he used his other to pull March herself away from an attack. 

She fired an arrow at the Trampler that attacked Dan Heng as he did so, the two continuing to move fluidly and narrowly covering each other, alongside Caelus himself. He could only admire the teamwork they had in battle, of which must've taken quite some time for them to properly build. 

Still, there was no way for them to properly beat the enemies in their current condition. They were far too tired and exhausted to properly defeat them, narrowly defending themselves time and time again. 

That was why as Caelus blocked an attack from one Trampler and saw another aim its arrow at him, he knew it was only a matter of time. 

It was released from its grasp, and the projectile flew through the air. He would be unable to dodge it, nor could he block it. It would kill him. 

He would die. After only just waking up, without a single memory of himself. All he knew of his own existence was his name. He had no clue how he knew to fight, but an understanding of the best ways to fight with the bat he grabbed earlier was instinctively understood by him. 

Would he die here, without ever realizing anything about himself or his past? Would he never get any answers as to what he was doing in this space station? Would the life he lived prior never be known to him, only to disappear among the countless other unknown truths in the universe? 

Suddenly, Caelus’ body fell from under him. His head hit the floor with a thud, and he groaned as he looked towards his legs to see a whip attached to it. 

As he followed the whip back to its source, he saw someone entirely unfamiliar standing a bit aways from them. 

A torn off sleeve from his coat was tied around his arm, blood seeping into the brown cloth and turning it a blackish color. His hair looked like it was combed up, but some sweat caused the hair on his right side to fall back flat on his face. Blood was flowing down his cut cheek, dripping onto the floor and yet, he grinned triumphantly. 

“I can re–” His body froze, and immediately all the Voidranger enemies turned towards him. 

As if whatever he stopped himself from saying was a trigger, all of them launched themselves towards him. Projectiles fired at him, and some even went to attack him directly. Though, they failed. Not because he released some sort of amazing attack that destroyed all of them, or being able to dodge all their attacks. Instead, it was thanks to March releasing a hail of her ice arrows towards the enemies. 

Caelus and Dan Heng were able to swiftly eliminate two of the Tramplers, however one of them was able to slip past the attacks. It approached the unknown male, body prepared to strike him and kill him. 

“Now!” With that shout, a shorter male jumped forward from behind the black haired one, a greatsword in hand that he used to slash the Voidrangers body in half before it could block. 

“Arlan! There you are! You had me and Dan Heng worried when we couldn't find you.” March quickly approached, calling out to the white haired male. 

The male with black hair plopped down onto the floor, sighing as if exhausted. “Aaah. To think I'm already tired just from the start, guess it always feels tiring no matter how many times.” 

“What do you mean by that?” 

“Oh, it's just me talking some nonsense. Just ignore that.” He waved off March's question, leaning on his arms before wincing, seemingly having forgotten about the injury to his arm for a moment there. 

“So, who are you?” Dan Heng asked, standing infront of the unknown male with his spear still clutched in his hands. 

“Wow, talk about unwelcoming. Well, I guess it makes sense in this situation.” He groaned as he pushed himself back up, and struck out a strange pose. A finger pointed in the air, hips jutted out and grin on his face. 

“The name is Subaru Natsuki. Not only am I completely lost, I am also broke beyond compare. Please take care of me.” 

The silence that echoed in the air was enough to where a person could hear a pin drop. Though it only lasted for a second due to a single person. 

Caelus himself grinned, copying the pose to the best of his abilities. “I am Caelus. Not only am I completely lost, broke without a credit to my name and I also have no idea what's going on at all.” 

Both Subaru and Caelus shook each other's hands in solidarity, while the three watching the interaction only seemed confused by it all. 

Though Dan Heng's gaze traveled to his own hands, a very slight tremble in them. Fear of what he might’ve tried calling on if Subaru didn’t save them surfacing in his mind. However, before anyone else could realize, he crossed his arms and let out a huff of annoyance. 

“I am Dan Heng and she is March 7th. Now let's go, we don't have much time.” With that, he turned to the elevator and everyone followed along. 

“Hey, how did you even meet up with Arlan?” March asked Subaru as the group all traveled down the corridor, just having fought off all the voidrangers there. 

Subaru grinned as he pulled Arlan to his side, who had yelped from the sudden action. “Well, the thing was that I was running away from those monsters and found him surrounded by even more of them. Then, I ended up drawing their attention away from him when I saw him so beat up. It would be a cool story if I beat them all, but in the end he was the one who saved my life.” 

“Don’t make it sound like that.” Arlan spoke as he separated himself from Subaru's side. “You did save my life by making them target you instead. If you didn't do that, then they would've killed me right then and there. I merely returned the favor and made sure you wouldn’t die for saving me.” 

“Aren’t you a good kid!” Subaru happily exclaimed as he ruffled Arlan’s hair. 

“I'm not a kid. I'm an adult, one who is the head of security here.” Arlan explained, though Subaru didn't give any reaction besides a small “Is that so?” with an accompanying grin. 

Of course, Subaru knew it to be true. Well, he doubted the adult part, but he knew people whose outwardly physical ages were deceiving, so he wasn't that doubtful of it. However, he knew without a doubt that Arlan was the head of security and just how capable he was.

“Please..take this with you..” His bloodied hands passed over a verification card, the blood escaping him coating the hard material of the card. His face was becoming more pale by the second, and Subaru stared in shame. Shame that this outcome only came as a result of him sacrificing himself to save Subaru's life--

“--No need to think about that stuff.” Subaru forcefully pushed those thoughts away, slapping his face to rid himself of it. Taking a deep breath, he gathered the conviction he needed. 

There was no need to feel remorse. No need to feel shame. Continue moving forward, until he’s able to make it back home. That was why he couldn't give himself time to slow down, to think about what happened. 

He would become too busy in his own mind otherwise. 

Now that it was all over, Subaru had time to himself to think about everything. And he found it to be quite overwhelming. To finally having overcome those brutal loops at the hand of Todd, to now being in a space station while there are those strange monsters called the Legion. It was like the show he was watching switched from a fantasy isekai to a sci-fi with no warning. 

“Are you alright?” An older man with a cane held in his hand asked, a smile on his face as he approached Subaru. 

“Yeah. Just taking in the view.” Subaru remarked, a smile as he turned to the glass. 

Currently, Subaru was staring outside the window of the space station, viewing the vast expanse of space laid out before him. It was a pretty serene view, to see the nearby planet and countless stars laid out before him. 

However, Subaru felt uneasy at the same time. Subaru was what some may call an astrology geek. He knew every single constellation, their connections to each other and the legends behind them. It was only due to him sharing a name with a certain star cluster, but it was a fact all the same. However, among the countless amounts of stars, there was not a single one Subaru could recognize. Not from back on Earth, nor from the other world. 

It could simply be due to the fact he might be facing them in another direction, that he can't recognize them like he normally could. However, it didn't abate his fear for the possibility that he was very far from home. 

“Do you mind if I can ask you some things?” The man, asked as he stood next to Subaru, looking outside the space station with him. 

“Go ahead. I don’t really know if I'll be able to answer them to be honest though.” 

“That's fine.” He nodded, and then turned to face Subaru, who followed suit and did the same. “Firstly, do you remember where you came from? I heard from March that apparently you were like Caelus, appearing on the space station without knowing why.” 

Subaru had debated to himself earlier if he should tell others the truth if they asked him. About where he came from, what happened to him and his circumstances. 

He knew he trusted Dan Heng, March, Caelus and Arlan without question. After all, how could he not after having gone through ten loops together with them? Especially when in each loop, the four of them always helped him and sometimes they even sacrificed themselves to save him. 

Particularly Arlan had a trend of that. Subaru might need to talk to him about his self sacrificial tendencies later. Though, he knew he couldn't really talk about that himself, with how hypocritical it would be. 

Nonetheless, he trusted them with his whole heart. So he figured after a bit of deliberating, that he would trust anyone they placed their trust in. That applied to the man standing before him, Welt Yang. Someone both Dan Heng and March placed an enormous amount of trust in. 

“Yeah. I knew I was in an entirely different world. In fact, the stars I remember from there aren't visible here at all.” 

“Do you wish to return to your world?”

“..Of course. I have a bunch of people waiting for me to get back. Though, I have no idea how to.” Subaru gave a half hearted chuckle at being reminded that he had no clue of a way to get back before much time passes. 

The most he could hope for was that there was a sort of time dilation between them, allowing for him to get back prior to that much time passing. He wouldn't want to return and see Ram having become a grandma. Even if the thought of it was pretty funny. 

“--Then how about you join the Astral Express?” Welt suggested to Subaru, making him widen his eyes in shock from the offer. 

Subaru knew Caelus had been given an offer to join himself, spending a couple days to ponder for himself which would be the best choice for himself. If he should try to find out the truth behind his memories and the Stellaron inside him, or maintain the comfort of a somewhat normal life at the space station as Herta's personal.. project , as she described. 

Still, Subaru didn’t expect an offer for himself. For all intents and purposes, Caelus was a special individual. He had a Stellaron inside of him, said to be a sort of ‘Cancer to All Worlds’ that was somehow contained inside a person's body. Furthermore, he apparently drew the gaze of an Aeon, which is pretty much a God, where people who follow the path of one gains special powers from that Aeon. 

Compared to that, Subaru was barely any different than a normal person. The most striking thing would be his request to Herta to create a device to allow him to use the magic he grew accustomed to. An idea he got after hearing about what Curios were from Asta and only permitted by Herta through the fact he possessed an extra organ (that even if broken) could be studied to Herta's content. 

“..Are you sure that it's fine for me to join? I don’t have any special qualities like Caelus does. Nor am I nearly as strong as the rest of you guys.” 

“Such a thing doesn't matter to any of us. We are willing to extend an invitation to anyone that wishes to Trailblaze across the stars together with us.” Welt extended his hand, a gentle smile gracing his face. “Now, are you willing to join us? You can leave whenever you wish, and we will no doubt travel through many worlds, one of which can be your own.” 

With a genuine smile on his face, Subaru took the extended hand offered to him. “I'll take you up on that offer. Let's travel across different worlds together, Mr. Yang.” 

Welt chuckled, the two of them shaking hands as he did. “It's fine to simply call me Welt, there's no need for the ‘Mr. Yang’ if we're going to be traveling together for quite some time.” 

“Then let me formally make my introduction to you, Welt.” Subaru let go of his hand and cleared his throat before once again, assuming his pose. “My name is Subaru Natsuki. I am broke beyond compare, unable to go home at the moment and excited to travel alongside you.” 

Welt let out a laugh, coughing roughly after having to reign himself back in from the introduction Subaru gave. It really helped to inflate Subaru’s ego on his comedy, to finally hear someone laugh at it instead of looking at him weirdly. 

“Well then, nice to meet you Subaru. We will depart in about a couple system hours. So if you want, I can take you there now or you can stay here for a bit longer.” 

Subaru looked at the people bustling across the space station with a smile, spotting a particular face among them. Arlan, the first person he actually met after being brought here. 

He originally ran into him while running away from some of the Legion, and despite being injured himself, he saved Subaru’s life. Of course to Arlan, Subaru was some random guy that saved him from being killed by a group of Legion, but that was merely semantics. 

“I think I'll try saying my goodbyes to everyone really quick.” Subaru told Welt, waving his hand as he walked away from the older man towards the people of the space station. 

“Are you sure about leaving? I can assure you that if you stayed, you would be properly taken care of and we could even help find your original planet, so long as it interests me enough.” Herta responded after Subaru informed her of his choice to join the Astral Express. 

Subaru could only sigh at her words. The image of someone he didn't really have a good relationship with came to mind after hearing her words. 

“I am sure. Trusting you for things like that would only end with me regretting my decision and wishing I took a different path.” 

Herta tilted her head, curiosity in her eyes. “How would you know that?” 

“Because I knew someone a bit like you back home. She was a horrible witch that would do anything to gain the knowledge she wanted.” Subaru's expression soured at having to recall Echidna's manipulation of him and what she did to Beatrice. “She's someone I cannot ever forgive for what she did to the people I care for.” 

“The way you said that made it sound like you would forgive her if she only harmed you.” 

“That doesn't matter. I hate her because of her twisted personality, and I can tell you're the same type of person.” Subaru didn't try to mince his words as he spoke with Herta, and it seemed that instead of getting mad, she actually smiled at it. 

“It's truly a shame, but at least I was able to study you for a bit before you joined them. Also, here is the item you requested.” Herta took a black bracelet from her pocket and held it out to Subaru. “It works in the way you wanted it to, however it's pretty limited due to the lack of knowledge held regarding your unique organ. A ‘gate’, I think you called it?” 

Subaru nodded, accepting the bracelet from Herta. It was not decorated with any designs or accessories, nor did some sort of strange hologram pop up when he touched it. Still, that was how he wanted it to be like, and reluctantly, he had to admit Herta delivered exactly what he wanted. 

Still, he had to ensure it properly worked, and a moment later, he sighed in relief when it did. 

“Before I go, tell me what is the price you wanted me to pay for this.” 

Herta's lips twisted into a grin, the artificial finger of the doll she used throughout the entire space station jabbing his chest. “Whenever you come to visit the space station, let me do some small experiments on you. Nothing that would harm you, and I'll even upgrade it as I learn more about your special organ. That's my payment.” 

Subaru let out a sigh of relief at hearing those words. He originally thought she would want to take his body apart or try to force an answer as to what drew all those Voidrangers towards him. He was glad that at least, she wouldn't go that far. Or maybe she just wanted to observe it from afar than forcefully get her answers. Possibly enjoying the process than simply getting the answers herself. 

That was the only trait he was glad she shared with Echidna. 

“I'm fine with that. As long as you don't create an evil clone of me or turn me into a robot.” Subaru tried to lift the mood with a joke, and let out a small chuckle with Herta. 

“Anyways, thanks a lot Herta. I'll be counting on you to upgrade it in the future.” Subaru walked off, waving a hand to her, smiling as he went towards the express. 

Natsuki Subaru had finally started on his trailblazing journey, to cross the stars that he had only looked up to in awe since he was a child. 

In the central car in the Astral Express, Subaru stood next to Caelus infront of the strange mascot looking character. 

Apparently, it was named Pom-Pom, and was the conductor of the Express. Ensuring that they reached their destinations and the very being that allowed travel between worlds. 

“And how come I wasn't informed of this new arrival?” Pom-Pom asked Welt, attempting to look intimidating, but only looking like a cute plushie. 

Subaru barely held in his laughter, covering his mouth so that the grin on his face wouldn't be visible to the conductor. 

Though, it was only because Caelus openly laughed originally, and then got a hard kick to his shin by Pom-Pom. It was apparently enough to where Caelus still felt some pain, though he was grinning as he played up on just how much it hurt. 

“Sorry. I had forgotten to tell you about the new addition.” Welt apologized, a sheepish expression on his face at the fact. 

“So, you're going to join us too? Then, let's all take a quick photo!” March took out a camera, snapping photos of both Caelus and Subaru before he could even give a response. 

It actually felt a bit strange for Subaru to have his photo taken. He could hardly recall the last time he had gotten a photo of himself taken. The only time he could think of in recent memory would've been his highschool entrance ceremony photo. After that point..he never bothered to take another one of himself. 

“Plus, what is it with his strange scent!? It's weird, and like nothing I've smelt before!” 

Subaru raised his hand as he walked towards the conductor, cutting off their triad towards Welt. “Yeah, I should probably mention this to everyone before I actually join you all.” 

Clearing his throat, Subaru stood in front of all the members of the express and their questioning gazes. 

“You see, I kind of have this sort of scent on me that attracts a couple of, rather dangerous, things.” 

Himeko hummed to herself, a hand holding up her chin as she sat on a couch. “Is that why the Doomsday Beast had only targeted you the whole time? It even narrowly killed you.” 

“Yeah, like you wouldn't believe.” Subaru spoke, bitter as his death from the hands of the giant monster came to mind. He quickly shook it off though before anyone could notice. 

“Thanks for that again man.” Subaru grinned as he pulled Caelus by the shoulder, bringing up the fact that he had pushed Subaru away from an attack and taken it in his place. It was apparently what caused Nanook's gaze to fall upon Caelus, and the Stellaron inside him almost ended up running wild if Welt didn't come in to save the day. 

Though, he could clearly recall the thought that came to him all too easily when he saw Caelus take the hit instead of himself. He both felt glad, yet angry at himself for it. 

“Is there a reason for that? If it's something that could harm the express, then it's my duty as the conductor to turn you away.” Pom-Pom’s gaze was sharp as they examined Subaru, sniffing the air as their expression contorted from what was most definitely a strange scent. Not that Subaru was able to smell the miasma coming off of him himself, but there's no way it wasn’t at least somewhat uncomfortable to deal with. Especially when Rem hated the scent of it with such intensity.

“To be honest, I don’t know too much about it myself. If anything, I guess it's because I just was dealt a bad hand.” Subaru gave an apologetic smile towards the conductor, holding out his hand to them. “But don’t worry. I’ll make sure that it won’t cause any problems for the express. You have my word on that.” 

Pom-Pom stared at Subaru, and sighed as they shook his hand. “I will trust you, but you better keep your word that it won't harm the express.” 

“Yeah. I swear to keep that promise. Even at the cost of my life.” Subaru said, a burning resolve in his words. 

He didn't say that due to some sentimentality towards the express, but because Subaru knew if the express was to be decommissioned or destroyed in some way, that may very well mean Subaru could never return back home.

Back to everyone he loves and cares for. In that world that held the people he hated, loved and cared for. In that world where he had changed and developed far beyond what he could believe back in his hikikomori days. In the world that held Otto, Garfiel, Frederica, Meili, Petra, Julius, Reinhard, Felt, Anastasia, Rem and Emilia. 

For the sake of returning to that world, he would not hesitate to put his own life on the line. That was the conviction and determination he possessed when he boarded the Astral Express. 

Only about a couple days had passed since Subaru and Caelus joined the Astral Express. It was barely any time at all, but it seemed like enough for the two to quickly take a liking to both the express and its inhabitants. 

For Caelus, it moreso seemed to be due to his lost memories and wishing for some sense of companionship, just as a child would with the people around them. It was pretty natural and understandable, however, that was certainly not the case for Subaru. 

Dan Heng had some prior guesses, in regards to him being a pretty friendly person in general, like March was. But, he knew that wasn't the whole reason. It could have potentially been because he missed his previous family and friends, a sense of loneliness that he may be wanting to ignore or some other reasons. 

Still, it was not like he needed to pry any answers out of him. The only strange thing was just how busy Subaru quickly became in those short couple of days. 

Dan Heng woke up pretty early himself and got some food as everyone else was asleep, but now it was Subaru who woke up the earliest. By the time Dan Heng would make it to grab a light morning meal, Subaru would be awake, chipper as he made some breakfast for everyone and told him to wait for it to be finished. He would talk just as much, or even moreso than March as he would be preparing everyone's breakfast. Yet strangely, it was not about some nonsensical topics like what Subaru may sometimes mention in conversation, but rather about asking things in concerns to the Aeons, curses, magic and other such topics. 

Additionally, every now and then, he would see Subaru cleaning a couple of rooms. Something he claimed was just a habit from his time working as a butler when Himeko caught him cleaning March's room for her. In spite of it being just a habit, he seemed to actively try to find places to clean, going as far as to ask Pom-Pom themselves. 

The last of which was the current situation. Late in the night, where a majority of the others were asleep, Subaru was awake. Eyes boring into the interface of the data bank, a cup of coffee in his hands. 

“Sorry for always taking up your alone time like this.” Subaru gave an apologetic smile, the exhaustion clear on his face. 

Dan Heng sighed as he took a sip of his own mug of coffee. While he certainly didn't enjoy the intrusion, he wouldn't say it was anything for Subaru to apologize over. 

“Don't apologize. If I didn't want to deal with you now, then I would've already made it clear to you.” Dan Heng's clear retort only caused Subaru to laugh. 

Dan Heng’s eyes peeked over to see Subaru's screen, as he went back to carefully examining the text. He had no idea what he was looking for, and looking into the searches Subaru had done previously didn't help either. It was a variety of things he looked through the database for. Names of people, like Satella, Echidna, Minerva, Reid, Shaula, Flugel and many others. Titles, such as Sword Saint, Witch of Envy, Stick Swinger to even strange terms like Od, Gate and a variety of other things. 

Dan Heng understood it was most likely a way to find his way back to his homeworld, but the most odd thing was the fact Subaru never searched up the name of that world. He did search the name of one particular world, one that Welt himself hailed from called Earth. Still, it was clearly not the same world that Subaru was looking for. 

Though..the obsession of having something to do, the desire to be liked by everyone on the express, not to mention those scars he would sometimes catch sight of from under his sleeve before he hid it. Dan Heng was sure Subaru was suppressing something, running away. It must've been something he truly fears , he wishes to not dwell on and run from, considering all the extremes he's gone to just to not deal with it. 

It was certainly not healthy. Running away and suppressing it won't work forever, one day it will catch up with him. 

However..Dan Heng knew out of everyone, he was not someone qualified to say that. Not when he himself is running, and will continue to run from his past. Running from that shadow that will forever chase him, from world to world, place to place, without an end in sight. 

Maybe that was why, despite their vastly different personalities and past, Dan Heng felt curious about Subaru. Because the two of them were so different, yet similar in their internal struggles to run away from their fears. 

“Here.” Dan Heng placed a bottle and a roll of bandages next to Subaru on the desk he sat at. Upon seeing that, Subaru turned to him with wide eyes, expression full of dread and nervousness. 

“I only noticed recently, so you don't have to worry. And I won't tell anyone else about it. Just make sure to use the medicine in the bottle when wrapping them up, and it’ll heal a lot faster. It helps make it less noticeable.” Dan Heng spoke up before Subaru could spout any excuses, immediately returning to his seat and putting new entries into the archives. 

“..You’re not going to say anything about it?” 

“No.” Dan Heng coldly replied as his fingers danced upon the keyboard. “I don't know what you have experienced in the past, nor do I intend to say something cheap like ‘You shouldn't hurt yourself’ when I don't know anything about it.” 

He turned to face the shocked face of Subaru’s, continuing his words. “If it's the best way you feel like you can deal with whatever you have going on, then it's probably better than me forcing you to stop. Just make sure you don't take it too far.” 

While those words were cold and seemed uncaring, that was the biggest form of kindness and consideration Dan Heng could offer. 

If Subaru’s self harm was what he used to cope with whatever he has in his past, then what right did Dan Heng have to deprive him of that? Not to mention, what if he ended up replacing that coping mechanism with an even worse one? Could he take on that sort of responsibility and deprive him of harming himself? The answer was a no. 

Maybe, if he had been determined enough to make sure he was okay, both physically and mentally, providing support to him whenever needed, he could’ve tried stopping him. However, he knew that he wasn’t willing to let anyone in like that. At least not anytime soon. 

“..Thanks man. I really mean it.” Subaru genuinely spoke, his smile strained with a bit of self loathing and guilt. 

“It's not something you should thank me about.” 

He could practically hear the demon plaguing his every dream calling him a coward for his choice, and he couldn’t even say anything against it. 

“Hey! What are you doing?” March asked, tilting her head curiously as she approached Subaru. 

“Why, is it not obvious? I am making the best condiment to grace the universe.” Subaru confidently puffed out his chest, grinning as he continued mixing the ingredients together. 

March peered into the bowl, seeing the practically finished product. “Isn't that just mayo? We already have some, so why are you making more of it?” 

“Tsk, tsk. Do you not understand that there can never be enough mayo.” Subaru chided March, wagging his finger, talking to someone who had yet to truly understand the greatness that was mayo. 

“Why do you even like the stuff so much?” March asked, curious why Subaru always seemed to use it to make himself some lunch whenever possible. 

“It's the condiment of the God's!” Subaru raised his hand up into the air as he shouted, but then lowered it as his expression melted into one of melancholy. “Well..I say that, but that's not the real reason.” 

“What is it then?” March asked as she saw Subaru's expression grow fond as he went onto the final touches of making the mayo. 

“To be honest, I like it a decent bit myself. But what really drew me to it was the fact that my parents loved it more than anything.” 

Subaru laughed to himself as he recalled the image of him and his parents obsessing over mayo when he was younger. “I am even willing to bet they would sacrifice the world for some good mayo.” 

Just as Subaru had a smile grow onto his face as he thought back to his parents, he heard flashes of a camera and turned to see March taking photos of him. 

“Why are you taking photos?” 

Subaru knew March liked taking photos of things, but he hardly thought he would make an interesting subject for photos. His eyes that he would admit were scary himself, face and body in general wasn't really anything in comparison to an ikemen like Dan Heng, Welt and Caelus. 

Wait, how come all the people around him were so good looking!? Was it a curse, that those around him would always be a bunch of handsome and pretty people. Just so that he could have his face displayed next to them and see the contrast!? What has his life come to for him to actually miss Julius, of all people!?

“Well, I don't really know, but I just feel like that smile is the best one you've had yet.” March grinned, looking at the multitude of photos she took a moment prior. 

Subaru didn't know how to respond to that. He had no idea what sort of expression he made when she asked him about it, but he knew it would've been one filled with his love towards his parents. 

“..Thanks March.” 

“I didn’t do anything!” March excitedly responded, smiling to him as he responded with one of his own.

Just as Dan Heng cared for him in his own way, so too did March. She was simply satisfied to see him smile genuinely on such a deep level for once. Truly, Subaru was blessed with those around him.

Maybe..he didn't need to obsess so much over gaining their trust anymore. Maybe, he could relax a bit more, loosen up and believe that those around him care and trust in him too. 

“Hey, what does your room look like?” 

Subaru raised an eyebrow in confusion at Caelus as he ate some toast, Caelus practically wagging a non-existent tail as he looked excitedly at Subaru. 

Subaru took a second to swallow the bread in his mouth before answering the weirdly excited Caelus. “It's a pretty normal room. Nothing really special about it. Why are you asking anyway? Are you going to do something to it?” 

Subaru has recently found that Caelus had a particularly strange hobby. He, without being mean about it, lived like a racoon. Subaru had seen how the room Pom-Pom arranged for him turned into a mess, having to clean it more than once already. 

“No, I was just curious about it.” Caelus shrugged his shoulders as he spoke, seemingly being fine if Subaru was not okay with it. 

Not like Subaru had any reason to not let him into the room. All of the evidence of his usual methods to calm himself at night was always cleaned up after he woke up. He swore to always clean it up without fail when he almost had Welt go into his room to wake him up after a particularly rough night of dealing with those nightmares. 

“Sure, why not?” 

With that, Subaru brought Caelus into his room, opening his door with a sigh to his rather normal room. 

There was nothing special about the room. It had the typical desk, stand, cabinet and bed that would be seen in Caelus’ own room. Well, not like Subaru really had a chance to even add that much more to the room, but he doubted he would add anything else to begin with. 

“Is there anything else?” Caelus asked, already having somehow opened up every drawer and thrown some stuff around without a care in the world, most likely wanting to see if Subaru was hiding anything. 

It was like those friends in anime who messed up the rooms of their friends just to see where they hid their dirty mags. A trope Subaru never really understood, both because of the fact he was a NEET and because it was a bit weird in his eyes. 

Subaru sighed as he sat down on his bed, patting down the spot next to him. Caelus sat down next to him, very obviously confused as Subaru just laid down flat on the side of his bed. 

“You want me to lay down in the bed? Well here I come!” Caelus jumped, trying to land on the bed, but ended up hitting his head on the bed frame. 

Subaru couldn’t help but laugh at the comedic event that happened. Caelus soon started laughing, before the two of them were laid down and staring at the ceiling, with Subaru having to push Caelus' feet away from his face. 

“Anyway, there's nothing much, but I did ask Pom-Pom to install this for me.” 

Admittedly, Subaru felt a bit lazy, so he just clapped his hands twice instead of getting up and closing the lights. Instantly, the lights of the room turned off. However, on the ceiling, lights shone, shining like far away stars in the vast expanse of universe. 

“What, is this?” Caelus asked, staring intently and in awe of all the stars lighting up on Subaru’s ceiling. 

“Well, these are all stars back from my home. I am a huge nerd when it comes to them. I bet I can even list all of the ones you can see.” Subaru spoke proudly as Caelus stared amazed at Subaru, crossing his arms with a smug look on his face.

Caelus moved to lay down next to Subaru, pointing at stars. “What’s that one? How about this one?” 

Subaru happily answered the questions, a fond smile on his face as he recalled the nights he spent studying the stars with his parents, getting so interested he even lost sleep learning about them at times. 

..It gave him a warm feeling. Maybe Subaru should repay Caelus one day, for reminding him of all he learned from his parents, that still exists in him even today. 

“It seems like he has finally calmed down, hasn't he?” Welt asked, taking a sip of his cup of coffee as he did so. 

The coffee Welt drank was not made by Himeko, but rather Welt himself. After all, despite Subaru’s efforts to have her coffee be drinkable to anyone else besides her, it still could not be consumed by anyone besides her without them coughing it up the instant it touches their lips. 

“Yes. It seems that those three managed to help him calm down a bit more.” Himeko smiled as her eyes shifted from her cup of coffee to Welt, who sat across from her. “Though, I thought out of everyone, you would be the first one to try and support him.” 

“Why may that be?” 

She smiled knowingly as her gaze traveled to the window of the Express, showing the worlds it traveled past and the stars all shining in the vast expanse of the cosmos. “I mean, are you two not from the same world?” 

Welt chuckled to himself as he heard Himeko’s words, filled with confidence that her words were true, and they were, in a way. 

“Well, I guess you can say that we are from the same world. But it’s pretty clear that..Earth is not the home he wishes to return to.” Welt took another sip of his coffee, his trusty cane appearing in his outstretched hand, which he looked at fondly. 

“I see. Have you told him that you two came from the same planet yet?” Himeko asked, her tone conveying she already knew the answer to that question. 

“Not yet, I’ll tell him soon.” 

“Still, it is good that those three had been able to help him relax a bit before it got out of hand.” 

Welt nodded, a relieved expression on his face as he thought back to Subaru’s behavior after he joined the express and how his insistence on being constantly busy had considerably lessened. “Yeah. If he continued going like that, then he would’ve broken down from the stress and anxiety of it all.” 

Welt himself was a man who considered himself to have a more special connection to Subaru. It was true they came from the same planet, after all the general populace wouldn't know a thing about the Honkai Beasts or anything of that regard. But there was another, more simple reason Welt believed this fact. 

It was the look in his eyes. Some believe that eye's are gateways into people's souls, and while Welt wasn't particularly in agreement, he knew you could tell a couple things about a person at times through it. 

Subaru's eyes looked as if he experienced a hell of his own, many, many times and had to still forge on ahead. 

It reminded Welt of a painful period in his own life. One filled with loss, and a sense of many responsibilities thrust onto him. 

Ultimately, Welt was thinking of approaching Subaru to help him with his issues, but it appeared that it was resolved before he got around to talking to him. 

“Well. I feel a bit bitter that we weren't the ones to help him. So, how about you try and help him out when he needs it next time?” Himeko asked, smiling as she saw through the feelings in Welt's heart. 

Welt could only chuckle at her words, as it seemed that this Himeko was a bit more mature than the one he recalled teaching many years ago. 

“Thank you, Himeko.” Welt sent a grateful smile for her considerate words, and stood up to get ready for bed considering how late into the night it's been getting. “Get a good night's rest. We'll be departing for the next world on our stop in the morning, after all.” 

Chapter Text

A world encased in ice. The idea sounded a bit uncomfortable and brought back some bad memories, but Subaru didn’t know. He didn’t know the view he would see, of the sun vibrantly shining upon the ice and snow as far as the eye could see. 

It made him forget how cold he was for a moment, as he was mesmerized by the sight before him. It truly was an amazing sight. If only for a moment, before he felt the cold settle into his body and remind him where he was. 

“I’m not dressed for this weather at all..” Subaru mumbled, cursing the fact he was stuck wearing the outfit that while was better for traversing the Augria sand-dunes, it was not built for this environment. 

Maybe he should get some new clothes later? The only other outfit he had was rest clothes and nightwear, courtesy of being some of Welt's extra clothes he didn't need anymore. 

“Hey, are you still listening to me?” An arm was draped over Subaru’s shoulder, and he turned to see the man they all recently met--Sampo Koski, a man buried underneath the snow for some reason. “I did go to explain just what the Silvermane Guards are after you asked, after all.” 

An over exaggerated frown was on his face, which Subaru had to give a light chuckle seeing. 

Since meeting him, Subaru got the impression he was the type of guy who you wouldn't be surprised if he was a sketchy con-artist, but had a weird charisma that made Subaru not really care too much. 

Subaru sighed, before feeling his foot slip and he face-planted into the snow. 

“Are you alright?” March quickly turned back to Subaru as he laid down flat on the snow, the cold seeping further into his body.

His breathing started to grow frantic, body starting to shiver and hands clutching the snow. 

Cold. His body was cold, and in that landscape popped up a small rabbit . A rabbit--pain, pain, painpainp--

“--Sorry about that, are you alright?” Sampo asked, pulling Subaru up from the ground as he did so and snapping Subaru away from his thoughts before he spiraled too far and had a panic attack. 

Subaru looked down at his own body, his hands tightly clasped around it as if to assure him that he was still in one piece--to remind him that he was safe and sound. Everyone was looking worried for Subaru as he took a couple deep breaths, before he smiled at them like nothing happened. 

“Anyways, let's all go you guys!” Subaru forged on ahead, with everyone else having some slight concern for him clear on their faces. 

“So..what was that?” Sampo asked, as if there was a joke he was missing out on. 

“Well..we don’t know either to be honest.” March sheepishly said, looking a bit uncomfortable from Subaru’s sudden shifts in personality. 

“Yeah. He seemed really weird.” Caelus bluntly stated as he tilted his head in confusion. 

“Just ignore it for now. If he wants to tell us, then he will.” With those words, Dan Heng and the rest of the group followed Subaru’s lead to the city of Belobog. 

“When I get my hands on him..!” March angrily muttered as all of them were led into the city by the Silvermane Guards, Sampo having disappeared from their group at some point prior and leaving them in a mess of trying to explain themselves. Gepard was a great help though, serving as someone who stopped the guards from assuming them as people on the run or dangerous. 

Though it was clear that even Gepard held some wariness towards the group, due to them being from another world. 

Thankfully, Subaru didn’t end up dying yet. If he did, he would’ve seriously beat up Sampo without hesitation. It didn't matter how weak Subaru was in comparison to him, he would find some way to. 

“So, is this the place? Looks fun.” Caelus said as they were directed by the Silverman Guards into a rather regal looking building. 

With the guard behind Subaru pushing him forward, the group had all entered the building and traveled through the hallways. 

Caelus gaped at it, the various designs etched into it and the structure of it looking straight up came from a fancy European mansion or something alike. 

The other three had been accustomed to this kind of thing already, so they didn't give much of a reaction themselves. Well, besides Marchs fingers twitching as if she was itching for a picture, but couldn't because of their perceived threat. 

Subaru highly doubted that her restraint would last long, if he knew anything from their time together. 

“So, mind helping a guy out here and give me some heads up on your leader?” Subaru playfully asked the guards, though all he got as a response was one of the guards sighing and holding his head like they were done with him. 

Which was fair, given he asked them questions of similar nature for the entire time they dragged all of them into the building, to this ‘Supreme Guardian’ . The name alone rings a bunch of alarm bells in Subaru’s mind. 

Gepard probably assumed as such, because he gave them all a smile as he turned to answer Subaru. “She is a rather kind and benevolent person, I am sure that she will be able to help you all. So try not to worry too much and just focus on being clear and concise when speaking with her. You’ll be fine if you guys follow that advice.” 

Subaru gave a grateful smile to the man, taking a deep breath before he stood infront of the doors to her office, or wherever else they were at. 

“--It seems you have all arrived.” A woman's voice boomed out as the doors opened to reveal what seemed to be an office, and a woman standing to face them. 

The woman had blonde hair and violet eyes, wearing a rather complicated outfit that Subaru felt would be quite a feat to put on and take off everyday. 

Her eyes traveled across the entire group, and Subaru felt as if her eyes stayed on him a moment longer than the others. 

“You are dismissed. Leave me here with our guests.” 

“As you wish, your majesty.” With that chorus from the guards present, they had moved out of the room and closed the door behind them. 

“I apologize for our misconduct. We have come to this world in order to assist you all with a great issue, a Stellaron that is running wild.” Thankfully, Dan Heng spoke up for the group, tone polite and speaking with a small bow. 

Subaru can only think of how badly March and Caelus would mess up if they had spoken first. He didn't want to end up accidentally angering her and end up dying some way or another for offending her. 

Quickly, before the other two could interject, Subaru gave a bow and spoke from the manners instilled in him after becoming a knight. “I wish to add on how the Stellaron is most likely the cause for the current state of this planet. If you allow us, we can work to eliminate it and this world will be free from its ice age.” 

“You may raise your heads. I had prepared for a time when visitors from beyond would come and seek to help us, so don't worry.” The Supreme Guardian, Cocolia smiled amicably and Subaru felt a sense of relief, though he did wonder how she knew about them. 

“Does that mean..?!” 

“We will work to help you, and we'll even get you all accommodated at a nearby inn.” 

March high fived Caelus after the news, and Subaru couldn’t help but join in too. Dan Heng even seemed to relax a little bit from the news. 

.

.

.

Cocolia had smiled amicably towards them all as they had disappeared beyond her doors, and when the thud of the large doors resonated in the room, her smile was immediately wiped off her face. 

She released a deep breath, as she felt it make itself known to her. Their presence serving as a comfort to the Supreme Guardian. 

“...”

“I understand. I’ll make sure to take care of them, and I’ll keep my eye out for him, as you requested.” Cocolia said, her words ringing out in the room that merely appeared empty outside of her, when in reality it was here with her. “I promise not to disappoint you.”

She spoke with such conviction and reverence, that it was like she was speaking to someone that she placed above the world itself. Not even noticing the way its presence continued to creep its way into her psyche, into her . 

Subaru opened his eyes, feeling sluggish as his sight started to clear up. The blurs of colors slowly returning to that of the regular world. Turning to look around him, he saw that he was what seemed to be a hospital bed and had those tarps covering his bed from sight. 

“..I am honestly surprised I survived that.” Subaru muttered to himself as he pushed himself up, recalling the near death experience he had that he believed would've caused him to end up using Return by Death once more. 

He honestly could've used a Minya on them to avoid the close call, but Subaru wouldn't permit himself to. The spell would kill them, and he didn't believe he had good enough aim to only hit their weapons while on the run. 

With a deep breath, Subaru prepared himself for what awaited him beyond the curtain. Whether it was news that one of them had gone missing, was left behind, captured or dead. He mentally prepared himself, already aware how quickly he would use his ability to save them in case they died. 

“--Ah, nice to see you're awake.” Subaru was stunned into silence, the man speaking to Subaru smiling as his eyes scanned his body. Most likely for any injuries, considering how kind he was. “I'll call over your friends, so just wait a moment–” 

Subaru stopped the man from moving any further, gripping his arm so tightly, he could feel his nails dig into him. But Subaru hardly noticed, his eyes solely gazing at the familiar face of one of his closest friends. With him looking confused, and surprised at the action from the man who was just passed out a couple moments ago. 

He wore different clothes now, wearing a white button-up shirt under a grey blazer that seemed to have an inner green color, a dark green tie and similar grey pants that had hints of a green accent to them. 

“--Otto?” Subaru spoke the name of the man standing before him. 

Otto raised his eyebrows at Subaru, wincing slightly as Subaru’s fingers unconsciously dug deeper. Subaru, snapping out of his trance, quickly let go of his arm and the man sharing Otto’s face grimaced slightly as he moved a bit away from Subaru’s intrusion to his personal space. 

“I’m sorry, but how do you know my name?” Otto asked, confusion clear on his face as he absentmindedly rubbed the area Subaru gripped with far more strength than he was aware of using. 

“I..” Subaru couldn’t find it in him how to explain to this supposed counter-part of Otto’s. He knew he should say something , anything really, but his brain couldn’t come up with a single idea, any semblance or clue of explanation. 

So he let the silence between them fester, and Subaru saw as a slight hint of wariness creeped into Otto’s eyes. As if he was worried about Subaru, more like he was a threat than his friend , and Subaru felt his breath get caught in his throat at the sight of it. 

To see someone with the exact same face, voice, body and name as his closest friend even have a hint of that in his gaze, made Subaru feel like he was punched in the gut. It was a sight he would never wish to see on his best friend’s face, and stabbed into him deeper than he ever thought it could.

He knew it made sense, he knew that was how anyone would react, but it still made him pause. His already prolonged explanation was pushed back even further, his face scrunched up and a heavy silence was held between them. 

“--Subaru? Are you okay now?” Dan Heng asked, approaching the two as he briefly gazed between them, as if he understood that Subaru got hurt emotionally, and trying to see why that may be. 

Subaru had still felt the pain, was still feeling like he was stabbed through the heart from this counterpart of Otto, but he plastered a smile on his face. He tried his best to cover it up, and let out a small groan as he stood up and stretched his body. 

“Sorry about that, I got lost in my head for a moment. But I just knew a guy who looked a lot like you.” Subaru finally got around to answering the Otto counterpart, smiling as he patted his shoulder. 

The man was stiff, and Subaru could feel his eyes trailing him as he moved to see that March was next to a slowly waking up Caelus. 

“Nice to see you're finally awake, sleeping beauty.” Subaru playfully remarked as he made it to Caelus' bed, and he lightly chuckled at Subaru’s joke. 

“You can hardly say that when you just woke up, mister.” March responded back at his remark, and Subaru fell back into the rhythm he grew familiar with between them. 

Really, it was nice for Subaru's ego to finally have someone that actually understood his jokes and laughed at them. Caelus truly was a one in a million. 

..Though, he did miss the way Ram would just ignore it entirely. How Emilia would give a small smile even if she didn't understand it at all and how Beatrice would sigh upon hearing them. 

He pushed those thoughts aside as he focused on the present. Using those stray thoughts to fuel him to solve the crisis in the moment. 

Before anything though, he needed to learn more information. 

Subaru had gone off a bit, with all of their little group separated for the moment. He didn’t really know what to do though, so he decided to just wander the streets. 

Normally, he might’ve tried to stay with either March or Caelus, considering he knew Dan Heng would prefer being alone. However, after what happened with the alternate Otto.

..Subaru wanted some time to himself.

He didn't really pay attention to his surroundings, his mind still stuck on Otto. 

For him to see a face he only saw both in his dreams and nightmares, in reality once again made some sort of weight on his shoulders he didn't know was there, feel a bit lighter. It simultaneously brought about a new revelation to Subaru. 

That he may end up meeting alternate versions of people he knew. 

The feeling was one that was both a comforting thought, but he also dreaded. As he knew he would be grateful, overjoyed and even burst into tears if he was able to see Emilia and Beatrice again. At the same time, he knew that in the end, they were not the version of them he would know. 

It was the same with Otto. Back then, when he saw Otto talking to him, with the same kind yet distant way he did whenever meeting others he was wary of, some part of Subaru felt like it was being torn apart. 

If he was this affected by Otto, then he didn't want to see Emilia or Beatrice look at him like that. He just hoped that if they did ever meet, he would never make them doubt him like he accidentally did for Otto. 

Subaru was broken out of his thoughts when he felt his stomach ache, reminding Subaru of the fact he hadn't eaten since he woke up. Which, from what Natasha said, meant he hadn't eaten for around a whole day. 

So, Subaru went to one of the stalls near him that seemed to be serving some sort of street food. It looked like there was a bit of selection for the food, but Subaru hardly paid much attention to what he ordered, mind still stuck on everything, trying to think of if he could handle meeting alternate versions of the people he loved. 

“--Hey, do you have the credits?” The words of the stall owner broke Subaru out of his stupor, and he smiled sheepishly as he went to grab the pouch of credits. 

Or well, tried . Because, Subaru quickly found that the small pouch of credits Welt gave to Subaru was gone. 

“Wait, give me a second!” Subaru quickly opened up the pockets where he kept it, giving an apologetic smile to the stall owner. 

After spending a couple seconds looking for it, but coming up with nothing as the stall owner looked unimpressed, Subaru gave a small bow to him and an apology. However, before he could walk off, someone moved to stand next to Subaru and handed the owner some credits. 

“I'll cover for him, and can you get me my usual order?” A guy asked, smiling at the owner brightly, who had responded with a nod and smile of their own. 

“Sure, I'll do that for you, Luka.” The owner then handed Subaru the item he ordered in his daze, which seemed to have been a kind of meat skewer. 

As the owner went to grab Luka's order, Subaru smiled at him with a bit of sheepishness. “Thanks for that. I seriously owe you.” 

“It's nothing. I just saw you needed some help and happened to be here.” Luka said, smiling that same bright smile and Subaru did his best to return it. 

The guy, Luka, was a fair-skinned man with bright red hair and blue eyes. He lost his right arm and has installed a gray mechanical one in its place, seemingly as a prosthetic. In a cool sci-fi kind of way that Subaru spent a moment just staring at, once again feeling that sense of whiplash, as he recalled Al and Ricardo’s situation with their missing arm compared to this guy.

He wore a red vest with a silver flame emblem embedded on one of the edges, a ripped white T-shirt and beneath it appears to be a tank top with molten designs. He wears a black arm band and a black glove on his left arm. His lower garments consist of brown pants, black shoes, a red belt with a golden buckle designed with a silver fist emblem, several thigh straps and a long black armor on his left leg, and a short red armor on his right leg.

Seeing him take the food from the stall owner with a smile, Subaru couldn’t help the smile that made its way into his face. Reminded of when he would end up visiting the village nearby the Roswaal estate, getting food and talking happily with them. When he had Rem go with him on his first week to the village, had dragged Emilia there for their first ever date and Beatrice after their contract. 

But now, such a simple thing felt so far , so distant that it made his chest ache. 

“So, who are you? I haven't seen you around here before.” Luka asked, a kind smile on his face with Subaru letting the man lead the way. 

If Subaru had been in his typical state of mind, he might’ve gone for his normal introduction to try and be friends with the man next to him. However, at the moment, Subaru was far from that state of calm. So, he ended up giving a smile, not exactly fake but not exactly genuine either. 

“I am Subaru Natsuki, I recently got dragged here by Sampo.” 

Luka chuckled at the mention of Sampo, shaking his head lightly. “Sorry you had to go through that. Sampo is a nice guy..but he can end up causing some accidents.” 

Subaru sighed to himself, recalling how they were left stranded because of the man. “Yeah, you don't need to tell me twice.” 

As the two found a spot to sit and eat, Subaru had ended up learning some things from his new friend. About how the Underworld worked, how they had been locked underneath the city of Belobog, without even seeing the sun. Something Luka seemed like he wished to change himself, showing the sight of the sun and sky to the kids who haven’t seen it at all. 

Just from learning that simple thing, Subaru knew that Luka was a truly kind person. That he is like himself, in that they are people motivated to try and help those around them, to make sure those they care for are happy. However, Subaru considered Luka to be a far greater man than himself, because Subaru felt like Luka was someone far more purehearted than himself, despite the circumstances surrounding him. 

“You’re a really good guy, aren’t you?” Luka asked, a smile on his face and Subaru froze for a moment from the comment. 

With a small chuckle, Subaru had to force a playful grin on his face. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, you have been listening to me the whole time, haven’t you? Plus, I just get the idea from looking at you that you’re a nice person.” The comment was so unexpected, Subaru couldn’t even reply to it, a moment of silence opening up between them that Subaru broke with a smile before speaking. 

“Thanks for that, nice to hear a compliment every now and then. Now, I should also say that I feel the same about you. You strike me as the kind of guy who would jump in to save a kid from a burning fire without a second thought.” 

It was inspiring, in a way, to see Luka’s blindingly pure smile. One Subaru didn’t know if he could even attempt to replicate, when his heart was so burdened every passing day that he wasn’t back to his home. That burden was not one that he could simply be rid of by talking to his current friends, it was one he knew he could never be rid of until he returned and saw everyone he loved again. 

Until he held Beatrice in his arms again, till he heard Ram’s banter that would leave others in tears, till he saw Reinhard’s picture perfect smile, till he had Garfiel smack his back hard enough to break it, till he could see Rem safe and sound regardless of how much she disliked him--till he could see Emilia chuckle with her silver hair flowing in the wind as she calls him a dunderhead. 

He would never be able to smile as purely and wholly as Luka until then. So, he both respected the man, and to his own annoyance, found himself jealous of him. 

However, his own internal self-deprecation was cut short when Subaru saw Caelus, chasing down a child running on the street with a grin. 

“Well, that’s my friend over there so I guess I should go and figure out what's going on.” Subaru let out a small stretch as he got ready to leave, waving to Luka as he ran after Caelus. “Let’s talk more later! See you around, Luka!”

With that, Subaru had rejoined Caelus and helped him succeed in catching Hook in some game he wasn’t even apart of. Which made the kid mad, at least until Hook seemed to find something about Subaru fun enough to pick on him. The trio of him, Caelus and March got dragged by the kid onwards to continue their journey.

Subaru's group had now an additional 2 members to it as they traveled through the Underworld of Belobog. The two of which were Seele, a member of Wildfire that would take them to their leader, and Bronya, the daughter of the Supreme Guardian. 

They were originally going to have a normal simple walk to meet the leader, but then some problems arose and now they were all traversing through a mine that had a fight between the miners and vagrants, who wanted to get some spoils of the vein the miners found. 

Subaru didn’t mind helping them much, but he was growing wary of just how lucky he's been. Well, lucky for him , by the fact he hasn't died a single time despite the fights he's been in since they landed on this planet. 

A large part was thanks to Herta's device and the skills of everyone around him, but he still felt on edge from the fact. 

It was always that sort of feeling within him, typically in the back of his mind when he spent long enough without dying. He would question where his respawn point is, a faint thought that in times of peace he would simply ponder, but now, when he was facing battle after battle, he was thinking a lot more about it than normal. 

Would it be before they got kicked into the Underworld? Would it be after? Or what about before they even stepped foot on the planet? What would his best course of action be if he did Return by Death in those situations?

It slightly unnerved him how he could think of those options so easily. 

“Someone who can withstand that, is not human! Monster! A monste~r ~tsu!” 

“Tch..” Subaru clicked his tongue, as the memories of that abhorrent individual made its way into his mind. 

Even just recalling her face was enough for him to feel that immense anger simmering in his chest. At least he hoped she died when he disappeared. That little clueless act of hers was annoying enough as is, he hardly cared for her safety. 

The only reason he would want her alive was purely for Rem's sake. 

“Are you alright?” Dan Heng asked, a wary look in his eyes as he spoke quietly enough to where only Subaru heard him. 

“Yeah. Just..thinking of someone I would rather not deal with in the future.” Subaru answered Dan Heng, his eyes turned away from the man in embarrassment that he was caught up with his emotions that he didn't notice Dan Heng. He seriously hoped that was the final time it would happen, but he doubted it. 

He just hopes that the man never directly sees Subaru when he's trying to.. deal with his pent up stress and emotions. Just having him notice it earlier was enough. 

“Haha, empty threat! Wildfire are stuck dealing with Svarog's minions--how are they gonna help you now? Unless you're planning on taking a bullet, hand over the supplies and equipment!” One of the vagrants' words broke Subaru out of his inner thoughts, and he realized that it seemed like a fight would happen any second now between them and the unarmed miners. 

“These scoundrels..Attacking them when they’re unarmed..!” Seele muttered angrily, her grip on the weapon she held in her hands tightening as she glared at the vagrants. 

Subaru took a breath, calming himself slightly as he flicked his wrist, and with the skill and precision Subaru developed throughout all his training with Clind, his whip struck the vagrant’s hand. 

The vagrant yelped in pain, dropping their weapon from the sudden and unexpected strike. Taking that opportunity, Seele moved faster than Subaru could see, knocking the other armed vagrant out while Caelus smacked the one who Subaru hit. Leaving the both of them to hit the ground with a thud and fall unconscious, hitting the ground hard enough for Subaru himself to wince.

Meanwhile, Bronya shot a bullet through one of the automatons while March froze another and Dan Heng eliminated two of them that were targeting their backs. 

“Seele! Thank goodness you were here. We all nearly..” A girl that Seele seemed familiar with trailed off, the words she didn’t voice obvious to everyone present. 

Though, as they talked, Subaru felt someone tug on his arm. Turning, he saw that it was March, who looked a bit worried. “Are you alright?”

The question was one he expected after a battle, but he was confused because it was very obvious to everyone that Subaru had hardly suffered any injuries from their fighting. After all, he was someone who didn’t fight as up close and personal as someone like Dan Heng, Caelus or Seele. 

“I mean, you kinda looked like you were in pain for a while. I can give you a shield for now if you want it.” March offered, though Subaru was a bit sad that his thoughts were so easy to read for her. If it was Dan Heng, he would understand having his thoughts seen through so easily, but it felt a bit sad when it was done by March. 

“Yeah. I’m fine, so you don’t need to do that for me. But, I didn’t know you paid attention to me that much.” Subaru grinned slightly, a jovial tone of voice as he continued speaking. “And here I thought that I would never get popular, seems like I was wrong.” 

March grinned back at Subaru, letting out a small chuckle as she remarked; “Like you’re popular with anyone besides those kids from earlier.” 

“Yeah, are you a little kid yourself?” Caelus added with a playful smile on his face upon seeing the chance to joke around with Subaru like this. 

“Hey, I don’t want to hear that from you! You’re the one who goes jumping headfirst into garbage bins!” 

Subaru happily joked around with them, a smile on his face as he did so, but his eyes turned to March for a moment. As despite the fact he played it off, he knew himself that March was right to worry for him. Not for any reason like him trying to plaster on a smile after using his Return by Death, but for a far more simple reason. 

Subaru, since the moment he awoke in that hospital bed on this planet, has tried to maintain his use of Cor Leonis. It was an authority that only could provide support for his allies, and that was what he did. 

In an attempt to try and force himself to become stronger, to be better prepared for any potential deaths, Subaru Natsuki has tried to maintain a constant use of his Greed Witch Factor. It slipped at times, when he relaxed himself or thought everyone was safe, but he tried to keep it running as much as he could. 

Because Subaru Natsuki is not the sort of person who could ever become powerful enough to defeat his enemies with pure swordsmanship like Julius, nor become as great a mage as Roswaal, or use his authorities to decimate his enemies even with a lack of combat ability like Regulus. The only way for the man named Subaru Natsuki to become stronger, was to focus on his role to support those around him. He must never relent, must never let himself slack in his duties nor let his allies get injured beyond the point of return. 

That sort of unshakable will is what he needed if he wanted to make it back home. That sort of drive was required to see the faces of everyone he loved again. He had to become someone that could at least provide some support to help those around him, so he could advance this journey and return to his loved ones. 

That was why even with the pain taken from everyone through his Cor Leonis, Subaru didn’t so much as break his smile. Though, at least the saving grace was that no one was injured enough to notice they didn’t feel the pain nor did taking on their injuries felt even a tenth as bad as when he used it on Ram and Meili. 

It wasn’t like he was back into his old mentality when he was in the sanctuary though. He hadn’t decided to go against the lesson he learned then and decided to abandon his life at the drop of a hat. He was still very set on this all being completed in a single loop, never needing to utilize his authority of Return by Death. It was just that, this pain happened to be his way of pulling his weight. He knew Satella would have liked it if he could value himself more, that she was most likely watching over him and wishing he stopped taking on that pain, but he figured that it was a necessary measure and it was fine as long as he didn’t go back to abandoning his life like in the past.

But, there was one thing that was a bit confusing for Subaru. The simple fact that, despite only briefly meeting after they arrived in the Underworld, Sampo had been someone Subaru’s Cor Leonis worked on . It was a bit hard to focus on locating him, but Subaru could notice a light when he closed his eyes that he knew originated from Sampo, away from them all. Yet, Subaru didn’t have a clue why Sampo would already consider them close friends, when he had given them up to the Silvermane Guards and didn’t seem like the type to get close to others. 

Ultimately, that was a question better left for later. 

After they had gotten further in the mines, fixing up a minecart with the help of the IPC machine they found earlier and advancing from there, the group had all found themselves meeting Oleg face to face. He was an old man with greying hairs, browned skin and had a mechanical arm that carried himself with the air of a leader. 

In a way, he had reminded Subaru of the one person that Subaru looked up to, and wished to be like back when he was first isekaid-- Wilhelm . Of course, there were some stark differences between the two, but they had undoubtedly shared the same sense of wisdom sharpened with age and experience. 

“This 'Stellaron' you speak of--I've never heard of it. But if it's a secret that even we locals don't know about, then one name does come to mind..” Oleg responded after hearing the story of how their group made it to the Underworld of Belobog, a grim expression on his face. 

“..Do you mean Cocolia?” Caelus asked, voicing the question left hanging in the air by everyone else. 

Oleg nodded in agreement, a bitter expression on his face as he spoke. “The current supreme guardian is a liar who uses sweet words to deceive the Underworld. She's never cared about our survival--”

“Stop right there..I..won't allow you to insult the madam guardian.” Bronya cut in, clearly disliking the disrespect towards the one who raised her and glaring at Oleg. 

He sighed, as if he expected it and spoke to her with a tone like Otto would use when trying to get Subaru to understand that he needs to have better manners when dealing with nobles. “Miss Overworld, my words may be painful to you, but every one of them is true. Go out into the towns and hear for yourself--see how the people here suffer.”

Bronya turned her gaze away, silent, as if understanding that she couldn’t deny any of his words. It made sense, considering how much she must’ve seen already in the short time she was stuck here that made her unable to find any retort. 

From then on, the conversation continued to the more important matters, but Subaru himself couldn’t help himself from looking at Bronya. Her face looked like she didn’t want to believe Oleg, but that she couldn’t find anything to deny what he said. 

Subaru himself faintly questioned if he made that sort of face, back when he found out Rem killed him all that time ago. Back when he felt his heart filled with betrayal as Rem stood infront of him with her weapon in her hands, and her murderous gaze directed at him. 

“If you're looking to pick up a thread..he may well be your best source.” Oleg spoke, his voice cutting Subaru away from his inner thoughts and back to the conversation. 

“Is he really that old? He looks pretty new.” 

“Don't judge a book by its cover. I myself have put a few centuries behind me. Would you be able to tell?” March puffed up her chest, smiling smugly to herself in response to Caelus’ question, and Subaru nodded with her. 

“Yup, you don’t know how old a person is by their appearance. I mean, my Emilia-tan looks like an angel--No, a goddess, and she’s about 100 years old!” Subaru exclaimed with a serious face to Caelus, letting him understand just how important it is to learn not to make assumptions on that kind of thing. After all, Subaru himself recalled how shocking it was to learn that little tidbit on Emilia. 

Plus, he just wanted to talk about how beautiful Emilia was for the most part. The other bit was just an excuse, if anything. 

Caelus nodded in understanding as Subaru ended up prattling on about Emilia and just how beautiful she was. It truly was great work, to spread the message of EMT, even in the far reaches of space. 

“..Is it too late to say I was joking or not?” March asked Dan Heng, no longer finding the opportunity to reveal it was just a joke of hers. 

“It’s fine. I mean, it’s not exactly untrue that you are an old woman.” 

“Hey! I’m not old!” March yelled, irritated at his words as she still considered herself young no matter her actual age. For her, she was the type of person who would forever consider herself a beautiful young woman.

Oleg watched the scene happening before him with a smile, glad that even if it detracted from their discussion, that all of them could talk and communicate like people in their youth should.

..But he was a bit concerned for how long Subaru was trying to explain how beautiful the girl he loved was. However, in the end, that was also a part of youth he could appreciate seeing in a man as young as him. 

“Now, now.” Oleg spoke up, breaking up the conversations they were having between themselves, with Caelus actually looking a bit grateful, most likely not wanting to hear Subaru talk about a woman he loved for too long. 

Though, Oleg had in actuality saved Caelus from a 30 minute explanation about everything Subaru loved and adored about Emilia spoken like it was a powerpoint presentation. One that Caelus had to deal with in the past, when after growing curious who this ‘Emilia-tan’ was, asked Subaru about her only to receive a thorough report on his love for her that made Caelus always try to avoid any conversation steering that direction ever again. 

“For robots, they don’t forget anything. So try to ask Svarog about this ‘Stellaron’. If he hasn’t heard about it, then no one has.” 

Now, they had all arrived at the Goethe Grand Hotel to rest for the day after they brought Oleg back, sent there by the man himself to get some rest. Everyone else had left to their rooms, with the exception of Subaru and Bronya. Bronya stayed out to keep watch for the night, in case something was going to happen during the night as they couldn’t be too sure that Oleg was truly their ally. 

Of course, Subaru did present the idea of doing it himself, but he was shut down. Not by March, who noticed his tiredness, nor by Caelus or even Bronya, but by Dan Heng. Maybe Dan Heng was paying more attention to Subaru than he realized, and he knew that Subaru was pushing himself. However it was, in the end he was unable to convince him otherwise and would have to rest up soon. Plus, Subaru himself could feel that he wouldn’t make it that far tomorrow if he didn’t rest tonight, so he had begrudgingly accepted it.

“I told you that I’m fine to keep watch. You should go get some rest.” Bronya tried gesturing for Subaru to leave, with a small smile on her face. 

Subaru returned the smile with one of his own as he leaned on one of the walls of the corridor in the hotel that led to their rooms. “Yeah, I know that and I’ll go get some rest myself in a bit.” 

“Just, do you want to talk for a bit? I am feeling a bit lonely right now.” Subaru asked Bronya, and with a sigh, she walked over to lean against the wall next to him, setting her gun on the wall with her.

Honestly, he knew that she most likely figured out that he was trying to talk to her about everything she learned, about the cruel reality she never thought existed. So, Subaru was glad Bronya was willing to talk about it, because he certainly knew he wouldn’t if the same happened to him, with him most likely trying to ignore any discussion about it before breaking down when he’s all by himself. 

“You know, I know this one guy back on my home planet. He was someone I didn’t know for that long, and he was pretty eccentric, but he was a guy I trusted a lot. I felt like I built a genuine bond with him, even if I was technically working under him.” Subaru smiled to himself as he recalled those days in the mansion, where he would joke around with Ram and Beatrice, have some fun with Rem and fawn over Emilia like he always did. Even if those days came about because of Roswaal’s manipulation, Subaru would always cherish that time when he didn’t have to worry about much besides how to get a date with Emilia. 

“But, later on I learned he wasn’t the person I thought he was at all.” Subaru felt the venom in his voice seeping in as he spoke those words, the pain of everything Roswaal put him through--put all of them through still fresh enough in his mind. “He manipulated me and those I care for, put us through so much pain that I don’t think I’ll ever truly forgive the man. He committed so many horrible acts, killed so many people..I can still see their bodies in my nightmares..” 

The village kids that were playing around with him before, the adults who watched them with a smile, the elders that Subaru would always greet with a smile, all dead. Their bodies burnt, the horrible smell of charred flesh entering his nostrils as they were piled up, like they were some sort of animal. Rem’s dead body stabbed by knives, Ram and Petra’s eyes gouged out while they held each other, the frozen bodies of the cultists and the cold of the air permeating into his body--

Subaru bit his lip, hard, enough to draw blood in order to ground himself in the present. He could hear Bronya trying to speak to him, but he couldn’t understand her, so he just lifted his arm to signal her that he was fine and to just give him a moment. 

With a deep breath in and out, Subaru was able to regain himself a bit. Smiling, he turned to Bronya, and while he felt guilty seeing her expression filled with concern, he was glad she seemed to realize he didn’t want to talk about his near panic attack just a moment prior. 

..Really though, Subaru was feeling like he was having to deal with it a lot more than usual. He knew that he wouldn’t end up nearly going full on panic attack normally, but he guessed that was just how much comfort everyone around him presented to him under normal circumstances.

“Anyways, I just wanted to tell you that because..I know how it is to have your trust in someone betrayed.” 

Bronya looked worried, but she knelt on the ground, her back sliding against the wall as she did so. 

“I..still don’t want to believe it. I know it's probably true, I’ve seen enough of it, but I don’t want to believe it. After all, despite everything she’s done..she is still the one who raised me..” Bronya’s voice was quiet, weak and feeble, like she didn’t want anyone to hear what she said. As if she wanted to keep that weak side of herself that wished it could all be a dream to herself and herself alone.

Maybe it was because of Subaru’s moment of weakness that she decided to share one of her own, or maybe his words really got to her. Either way, Subaru couldn’t fault her for how she acted. He knew how he felt, the shock and betrayal that coursed through him when he heard Roswaal admit he manipulated the events that Subaru went through so much pain to overcome. 

“It’s fine if you want to believe in her. It’s only natural.” Subaru had a bit of a lighthearted tone in his voice as he spoke, and Bronya’s face snapped to look at him, clearly surprised that he was fine with what she admitted. 

“But..isn’t it selfish..That I wish everyone is just lying to me..That I want everyone to be wrong..” Bronya asked hesitantly, like she was trying to figure out some sort of mystery, some angle for Subaru to react like she was merely describing the weather.

“Well, I would say you’re actually far better of a person than I am. If someone tried to say that about my parents, I would probably start fighting and punching them until I end up losing.” 

Bronya let out a small chuckle upon hearing Subaru’s words, asking; “Why are you already assuming you’d lose?” 

Subaru grinned as he pointed at himself. 

“It’s because I’m super weak, after all.” 

He watched as Bronya sat still for a moment, before standing up and grabbing her gun off the wall. She walked a couple steps forward, before turning back around to face Subaru directly and stared into his eyes. 

“So..what should I do then? Trust in madam--Trust Cocolia, or everyone here?”

Subaru knew from the way she was looking at him, her eyes simultaneously begging and dreading for his answer that she would take what he says to her now to heart. That she might be trying to use Subaru himself as some method to escape having to choose for herself. In a way, it reminded Subaru of Emilia. Back when Emilia was weak and unable to stand up on her own, hoping for others to make the choice for her. 

But, just like Emilia herself, the one who needed to make the decision wasn’t Subaru--it was her. 

“I don’t know.” 

--So, Subaru didn’t give her a proper answer. It must’ve not been something Bronya expected, as she seemed completely thrown off by it. But, Subaru wasn’t done speaking yet, so he held his hand up as a signal for her to wait as he moved onto explaining more. 

“If you want to believe in Cocolia, then believe in her. If you want to trust everyone here, then trust their words. All that matters is that no matter who you choose to believe in, that you learn as much as you can and in the end, make the choice that you think is one you won’t regret.” 

Subaru couldn’t offer her the answer she wanted, because she merely wanted him to convince her that Cocolia was the one in the wrong. She wanted that sort of pressure off her shoulders, but Subaru knew that he couldn’t play that role. He couldn’t take the burden from her shoulders, because he knew this moment was one that Bronya needed to decide for herself who to trust. 

It wasn’t a matter about logic or efficiency, it was a matter of the heart. For that reason alone, she needed to be the one to choose. 

“..Thanks. I still don’t know what I should do, but..I’ll try to keep your words in mind.” Bronya still looked unsure, like she had no clue what path to take, but also like she was relieved in some way. Maybe, she was hoping that Subaru wouldn’t choose for her somewhere deep inside, so she could still possess her own agency and make her own choice that she truly believes in. 

“Yeah, I hope you do. Anyways, have a good night.” With a smile, Subaru waved to the still thinking Bronya as he went to his room, ready to drop down on a warm bed and sleep the night away.

He hoped that he could dream of Emilia, and his peaceful days together with everyone, instead of his usual nightmares for at least this one day.

The group of Seele, Bronya, Dan Heng, March, Caelus and Subaru had finally made it past all the gates to get a proper audience with Svarog. Well, their group did include Sampo to show them the way, but he disappeared just as they made it past the gate all of a sudden. Now, in order to find Clara to advance in their quest to talk with Svarog, they had all gone to Rivet Town. 

As they hurried to the workshop, the location they believed she would be at, they all saw Clara, or who Subaru assumed to be Clara as he never met her, being cornered by a small group of Fragmentum monsters. 

“Murak!” Subaru felt the device on his wrist activate upon hearing his words, the faint feeling of mana being pulled from his body and just as expected, it seemed like all the weight of Caelus, who Subaru was holding the arm of, was gone.

Using the effects of the spell, Subaru threw Caelus forward, to one of the Fragmentum monsters and with a yell, Caelus swung his bat towards the monster's head with all the strength in his body, killing it in one blow. 

Subaru could feel a blow hit him, one that made him temporarily feel like he was punched in the gut, but he ignored the pain of an attack he took in place of one of his allies and swung his arm. His whip sailed through the air, and wrapped itself around Caelus, before Subaru flicked his wrist and brought him to the ground safely, letting him stay there as the effects of the spell started to wear off. 

Then, as Subaru saw one of the monsters get within striking range of Clara, he quickly swung his whip, and as it wrapped around what appeared to be the monster’s arm, he pulled in back just before it could swing at the little girl. That opportunity allowed for Seele to appear behind the monster in a burst of speed, as the monster fell apart into pieces the next moment. 

It didn’t even take another second for all the fighting from everyone else to wrap up, and Subaru sighed to himself upon seeing the remains of the monsters they fought. It reminded him of the difference in their strength, to see that they easily defeated monsters that Subaru was willing to bet he could barely even hold back. 

As they all went to Clara to check on her, after confirming she was fine, they then began explaining their reason for coming to Rivet Town. 

“His plan is to keep the Underworlders away from the source of the disaster, so they can survive for longer..” Clara explained, expanding more on Svarog’s thought process after dropping the bomb that was his apparent prediction that the Overworld of Belobog would be destroyed in the future.

“..Isn't that just putting us in a cage? It's ridiculous--what difference does it make if our death gets postponed a couple of days? How is that better than putting up a fight?” Seele remarked, sounding irritated as she spoke and displeasure clear on her face. 

With a smile, Subaru knelt to match Clara’s level, watching as she met his gaze, speaking with as much confidence as he could. “Well, I’m sure you don’t want to have that sort of ending either, right? So how about you let us meet him and we can rack our brains for some way to get over this. I’m sure we can figure out a way to stop it, I promise that to you. Can you help us in return, to realize that?” 

Clara’s shy and almost wary gaze met with the determined eyes of Subaru, with his hand extended towards her and a confident smile on his face. She stared at him for a moment, as if trying to recognize him and then her gaze dropped to his outstretched hand. 

“Who..are you..?” Clara asked, realizing Subaru was someone she never met before, his eyes and the glint in them being something she would surely recall if she did. Not to mention that since the Underworld was a place she could explore so freely and wasn’t as large as the Overworld, she doubted there was a single person she wouldn’t recognize at all if they stood out as much as Subaru did. 

With a grin, Subaru stood up to his normal height, pointing at himself with the hand he previously had extended for her. “The name is Subaru Natsuki! I am the knight of my beloved Emilia-tan, and I am a man from another world searching his way back home to her and everyone else I love!” 

That exclamation seemed to give pause, maybe in the way it was so playfully said as if it was all a joke, but Clara soon shook herself out of the shock from the introduction. She stared at Subaru, seemingly like she was angry at not being taken seriously. 

“I’m not a kid! I know it's only in stories that people would visit from other worlds!” 

“We really are. I can do a hat trick for you to prove it.” Caelus suggested, pulling out a hat from his pocket that Subaru was questioning where he got it from, probably from one of the vagrants they defeated earlier.

“Anyone can do that!” March retorted before Clara could even do so herself, sighing from the little comedy routine, but he didn't know if she realized Caelus was saying it as a joke. Not that it wasn't understandable, considering how he said some of the weirdest things with a completely serious look on his face. 

Subaru still recalls watching Caelus actually dumpster diving for the first time, and the utter shock that filled him upon seeing that.

Letting out a small laugh, Subaru turned back to Clara and grinned playfully at her, holding his left hand out to her. “Then how about I show you something that can actually prove it? Would you mind holding my hand?” 

She looked confused as she stared at Subaru, like she didn’t really think he was a danger but didn’t believe a single word of him being from beyond Belobog and he couldn’t say he didn’t blame her. She most likely was thinking they were trying to play some sort of trick on her or something, even Subaru himself would admit it sounds shady coming from him. 

From behind Subaru’s backs, Seele nodded to Clara and Bronya did too, trying to help Clara see that he wasn’t lying. 

“Okay, I’ll let you show me because you saved me earlier, but it has to be fast. I have to do something.” Clara resigned herself, placing her hand in Subaru’s own as he pat his chest with his other hand. 

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. I’ll make sure it’s done in less than a minute.” With that self-assured response, Subaru took his whip in his free hand and wrapped it around one of the large pipelines, tugging on it for a moment to check its integrity. “Though, make sure to catch us if anything unexpected happens.” 

Subaru didn’t wait for a response from the rest of the group after his ominous warning, and quietly watched the device on his wrist spring to life. “Murak.” 

After uttering that simple word, he could feel the spell activate and with a grin etched onto his face, he jumped into the air. The weightless bodies of Subaru and Clara flew into the air, high above the ground and Subaru winced in pain when Clara grabbed onto him so deeply he could feel her fingers digging into his arm and stomach. He had a firm grip on her before he even jumped, like he would have on Beatrice when he did the same things, but he did guess Clara was a lot more scared in comparison to Beatrice.

Though, he guessed he did deserve it, considering how scared she must’ve been from the sudden situation. Still, he felt a sense of awe fill him as he viewed the scene infront of him. 

“Hey, it’s fine to open your eyes.” Clara, slowly and hesitantly opened her eyes and saw the view below them. It was a beautiful sight, in the air above the Underworld, they could see the sight of it all below them, the lights and buildings dotting their line of sight. 

For someone like Clara, who has only known this place since she was born, having never once seen the sky before at all or what snow looks like when the entire planet is covered in it, Subaru wished from the depths of his heart that this can serve as some sort of hope for her. That seeing everything below them, looking so much smaller than it was, could help her realize that despite the Underworld being all she knew, that it was merely a small part of a much bigger world. 

“What do you think? Doesn’t everything look so small from here? Everything you’ve ever known is within sight right now, and it’s only one small part of an amazing huge universe. One that you can explore however you want once everything is over.” Subaru smiled at Clara, who was watching the view with wide, amazed eyes, though she turned to look back at Subaru with an expression of amazement and wonder. 

It truly was a better one for a kid like her to have, then the one she had on her face when she talked about their eventual demise. Like it was a fact she had to accept, that it was a fate she could only reluctantly accept. Seeing her face with that expression made Subaru decide that he would do everything he can to protect this child and everyone else in Belobog. He would help them overcome this incoming disaster. No matter what it takes.

“My friends and I aren’t apart of Svarog’s predictions, we are something he never expected. So, work with us and we can arrive at that future in a way that not a single person dies.” Subaru told Clara, smiling towards her in a way that was far more genuine than the plastered smiles he wore many different times since arriving on this planet. Because, as he held Clara and saw her face brighten upon hearing his words--he truly felt like he brought some sense of hope to the little girl before him.

This single moment, this memory, would fuel Subaru Natsuki to take on any threat in his way. Even if this moment is one that becomes one only Subaru can recall, he would use this moment that he felt like he finally had some weight off his shoulders and the eyes of a child full of hope to push himself forward. 

After helping Clara restore power to some facilities, they finally made it to their desired location, Svarog’s base. It was a bit intimidating for Subaru, considering he’s never really dealt with something like a machine operating on pure logic before. 

In the past, he dealt with a great many enemies, even overcoming Roswaal’s plans that spanned a total of 400 years in order to resurrect the Witch of Greed, Echidna. However, despite how cruel and cold hearted the man was, he was ultimately a human with emotions guiding him more than his logical mind. So, this new type of enemy was one Subaru was unsure if he could properly negotiate with. 

The only one to come to mind that he could compare in the slightest, would be Todd. He only faced off against the man himself for a brief time, having run away from the city with Rem alongside Flop and Medium before he woke up in Herta’s Space Station, but that cold ruthlessness was Subaru’s closest equivalent. 

Subaru took a deep breath in and out, steeling his heart for what’s to come as they entered.

“I see that the energy supply system is back online. Thank you, Clara.” A giant robot, considerately bigger than some of them and wearing a couple of clothes spoke. It turned away from Clara to face their group, its singular eye focusing on all of them, scanning them. “But.. why have you brought them?”

“Mr. Svarog..they want to talk to you about going to the surface.” Clara told Svarog, in which the robot stayed silent for a moment as it looked at Clara before turning to them.

“Analyzing... Analysis result: Target does not belong to Wildfire. Background: Unknown. Classification: Unknown.” The robot’s tone was neutral, unlike the sometimes choppy manner that the robot they picked up which assisted in the search of the minecart materials a day ago was like. “You have arrived on Clara's recommendation. I will give you an opportunity to speak.”

“Hey, sounds like he's willing to communicate! Quick, it’s up to you guys to smooth-talk him!” March said, slowly moving back as if to separate from Dan Heng, Caelus and Subaru who stood front and center. 

“Why is it on us?!” Subaru’s remark was only answered by March’s sheepish smile, making him sigh as he turned back to face the huge robot. 

“We're here about the future of the underground.” Caelus told Svarog, his typical playful demeanor completely changed to a far more serious and determined one. Seeing such a difference made Subaru smile, and actually helped rid himself of some tension, to see that everyone else was doing their best too and they were prepared in case it goes south. 

“An inadequate pretext. You are not from the underground. You have no right to represent Underworld humanity.” Svarog responded, its arms no longer crossing and Subaru felt himself grow more on edge. “Proceed with your central point. Do not waste this world's valuable time.”

Their attempts at negotiation continued on from there, though things got considerably worse upon mentioning the Stellaron. As Subaru saw the rest of the group try to handle Svarog’s perception of them as threats, he realized that was truly the worst mistake they could’ve made. 

The second he reassessed their threat level, Subaru had a sense of foreboding that no matter what they said, they couldn’t convince Svarog through mere words anymore. So, when it seemed like it was turning into a fight, Subaru wasn’t surprised that much. He simply grabbed a hold of his whip, prepared himself and activated his Cor Leonis. 

“Annihilation permitted!” Svarog exclaimed, his arm raised and Subaru saw as flames condensed, before they were launched forward. The blast arced forward, as fast as Subaru’s use of Minya, though thankfully Dan Heng dodged the hit. 

Svarog launched himself at Caelus, hitting him squarely in the chest and knocking him to the ground, the pain assaulting Subaru’s senses through the use of his authority. He felt the wind knocked out of him, and could feel the damage done to his own stomach, but he ignored that, gritting his teeth as he gazed at the fight before him. 

Seele and Dan Heng were unleashing a barrage of quick strikes to his body, attempting to flood him with the amount of times they were attacking him while March and Bronya fired projectiles at him from a distance, getting an occasional shot that seemed to damage him. Caelus himself had just gotten back up, ready to strike Svarog’s back when he was busy blocking everyone else. 

Then, his back expanded, the plates of metal on his body shifted as appearing on his back, were a bunch of rockets-- rockets that Caelus was in extremely close range of . March erected a wall of ice to block the attacks, blocking out Subaru’s vision to where Caelus was. 

He hardly registered any sort of feeling at all until a moment later. His head was rocked, his vision was colored bright-red and his sight was now purely gazing at the feet of everyone else. Confused, he turned his eyes, only to see everyone rush towards him, their expressions blurred due to his eye-sight and he could tell they were saying something but it was inaudible to him . He was beyond confused, before he came to a realization. One that only he, who was so experienced with death, familiar like that of an old lover or best friend, could in this situation--he was already dead. 

--Darkness. Darkness was all that surrounded him. The world was one covered in shadows. 

However, despite the desolate realm, there was no need to fear. There was no need to feel apprehension. 

After all, in this realm, he was himself. In the most true sense, he was himself. 

“I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.” She spoke, her voice sounding far better than any musical masterpiece. Her beauty far overcame any art piece, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. 

She was perfect in every possible way. Her amethyst eyes looking at him with such devotion, he couldn’t help but be drawn in. 

Who was ‘he’? The existence of ‘himself’ felt muddled in this realm, but it was like he was more of ‘himself’ than he ever felt before in this realm. 

The realm ‘he’ shared with her . 

“Is this truly the place to look so lovestruck you fool? I did not permit you to come here, and most certainly I expect only the most basic respect a human should be granted. So if you do wish to come here, I should expect you to respect my rights and at least greet me. But what else should I expect from the man who had done such blatant disrespect on the day of a sacred ceremony such as marriage, and stealing my rightful bride away from me. Not to mention the utter disregard for my own rights to merely live as a humble husband, going as far as to manipulate all my wives to turn against me and kill me in such a brutal way. It only goes to show how cruel the world is to let such a thing occur. It brings to question if you can truly be considered as a human to not even feel remorse over your actions, not to mention even going through the act of committing them. How utterly deplorable it must be for a man such as you to exist and be able to do whatever you please with your accused ability. Trampling on the rights of others with complete and utter disregard. It would make me furious at you if my anger hasn't already reached its boiling point. Then, you go as far as to desecrate my power and claim it as your own. What was it? ‘Cor Leonis’? How inane does a person have to be to kill another, take their power and declare that it's their own. If anything, you have degraded it far beyond what I could even begin to describe.” A selfish and utterly pathetic man had rambled on, but he paid no mind to the man, for that would be giving attention to one that doesn’t deserve it. 

“Ahhh~, to be so blessed!! It is truly such a waste that a man so slothful, so sinful, is one who receives her love!! Your sloth is truly appalling!! How dare you be the one to receive her love!! It makes no sense--!!!” The crazed man rambled, as if he was the one who deserved to be in ‘his’ position instead. 

“Love you. Love you. Love you. Love you. Love you. Love you. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me.” The woman’s words shifted, as she approached ‘him’, her existence itself seeming to be the very center of this realm. Or perhaps it was just that ‘he’ could only focus on her? Either way, nothing changed. 

However, as ‘he’ lost sight of ‘himself’ even more, there was a voice that ‘he’ could not ignore. That grabbed ‘his’ attention just as her voice did. It was the sound of THEIR laughter, echoing. Resounding, so much so that even should ‘he’ forget everything here, ‘he’ would still instinctually recognize it. 

“KAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAAKAKAKA!!!” THEY laughed, as if finding something amusing, entertaining enough for THEM to laugh so loudly and eccentrically. 

“--You are dismissed. Leave me here with our guests.” 

“As you wish, your majesty.” 

Subaru looked at his arms, his legs and where he was when he could see properly again. He could see the checkpoint for him this time was just as they arrived to visit the Supreme Guardian, Cocolia Rand. 

Upon this realization, Subaru couldn’t help but feel a sense of nausea flood his stomach. He was expecting death, every fight he was doing his best to ensure not a single person died, but Subaru felt sick. Not because of the pain from his undone relationships with everybody, or the pain from that particular death. But solely because-- that death was an easily avoidable one . 

It didn’t happen because Subaru was simply outmatched, nor was it because of an external factor that Subaru could write off. It only happened because of his excessive use of Cor Leonis, taking on the damage of point blank rockets fired at Caelus without even realizing it. Caelus was far more durable than Subaru himself, so he might’ve actually survived it, however Subaru’s desperate attempt to protect those around him led him to being the one who died-- and wouldn’t that be just like admitting he killed himself, that he forgot the lessons he learned in the sanctuary when he swore to do his best to save himself alongside everyone else?

Subaru felt sick to his stomach with this realization. 

“..alright? Subaru? Are you okay?” Subaru heard a voice calling him, and turning his eyes, he saw it was Caelus. He stood infront of Subaru, a hand raised as if he was waving it infront of him and a worried look on his face.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Subaru said with a plastered smile, forcing the words out his throat. It didn’t seem to really rid Caelus of his worries, but maybe the look on Subaru’s face made him not want to ask, as he just gazed at Subaru with concern without saying a thing. Or, it might’ve been that he didn’t know how to help him, considering he pretty much has no experience with this kind of thing due to his memory loss. 

“Come on, we were able to get a hotel to stay at! So, let’s go!” March exclaimed with excitement, pushing the two of them out as Dan Heng trailed after them. 

“..I don’t recognize this ceiling.”

Ultimately, Subaru decided not to change anything about their time in the Overworld. It wasn’t like he could even do much, only that he was aware that Cocolia was most likely keeping track of where they went. So, he did the same as he did prior, and it was pretty much unchanged. He did, however, try to keep himself awake during the night to be ready for their escape to the Underworld any second. 

And the second he opened his door, when it was around the time the guards would arrive, he heard something behind him before his consciousness dimmed and he was knocked out. Only to now wake up inside of an unknown room, similar to the old European style of the Goethe Hotel yet one still very much unfamiliar, and was a room lacking anything besides the bed he was laid on when he woke up. 

“..I don’t recognize this ceiling.” 

“I heard you the first time. There’s no need to repeat it.” Saying that, was none other than the captain of the Silvermane Guards, Gepard Landau. His voice was distinct and familiar even though the man was not visible from the other side of the door.

Subaru came to understand that his own failings to keep better control of his authority resulted in his death, and this subsequent loop led to Subaru being captured. It gave him reminders of his time in the sanctuary, when he abused Return by Death and was kidnapped by Garfiel, trapped inside of a dark enclosed room where he was unable to kill himself. 

He did have to admit that this was better in comparison, but he was also different from back then and wouldn’t attempt to abuse his authority of Return by Death. However, he didn’t know how much time had passed since he was taken by them, only that at the moment, no one besides Subaru was detained, judging by the fact Cor Leonis didn’t show any of them in the Overworld anymore. 

Subaru wasn’t going to do anything as rash as kill himself, nor would he make the same mistake and overuse his Cor Leonis. All he could hope for, is to talk some sense into Gepard and be able to get some things done in the Overworld that only he could do.

..Though, he did hope that he could make the same relationships with everyone again, after everything is over. That was why he was going to do his best, to resolve things on his end so that all the fighting could be over as fast as possible.

Chapter Text

--A blinding white light entered his eyes. It made him squint at the light, as his sight started to adjust. 

When his sight returned to normal, the first thing to greet him was an unfamiliar ceiling. 

Not a moment later, did he hear the sound of someone gasping and he lifted his gaze away from the ceiling, to see both March 7th and Dan Heng rush towards him. 

“Are you okay?” March asked as she approached, a worried look in her eyes as she stood next to the bed Caelus was laid down on. 

“Yeah. But..what happened..?” Caelus asked, his memories of what led to him to waking up from the bed he laid down on a bit dulled. 

“The Madam Guardian seems to have tricked us. By the time we woke up, the Silvermane Guards had tried to detain us and we only narrowly escaped by running into the Underworld of Belobog.” Dan Heng explained, his arms crossed as he did so with the same casual aloof attitude Caelus knew him for..Yet, the way he looked a bit more serious than usual, his eyes almost bordering on straight up glaring, was something unusual for the man. 

The same could be said for March, who was a lot more of an open book. A smile on her face upon seeing him all fine from the jump to the Underworld, but there was an underlying restless energy to her as she tapped her foot on the ground. 

Caelus tried to figure out what was the reason they were like that, but as his eyes traveled through the infirmary room, he came to a startling realization. 

“--Where is Subaru!?” Caelus jumped out his bed, craning his neck across the entire room to try and find the missing member of their quartet. 

Just as Caelus was about to set off to leave the room and continue his frantic search, he was stopped by a hand on shoulder. Belonging to none other than the always cool-headed Dan Heng, who forced Caelus to face him. 

“Caelus, calm down for a minute.” Dan Heng told the man, forcing him to stay still for a moment and he complied, taking a deep breath to calm himself down from the worry that flooded him. 

As he did so, Dan Heng watched and waited for him to calm himself down before letting go of his shoulders. “I will be honest with you, we don't have a clue where Subaru is. When we ran from the Silvermane Guards earlier, we didn't notice him anywhere. He wasn't in his room either, March even broke it down trying to wake him up.” 

“..So, where is he then?” Caelus asked, as he noticed March move to stand next to Dan Heng, a bit of a guilty look in her eyes. 

“Well, we think that he might’ve been taken by the Silvermane Guards. Maybe before any of us even noticed, it was pretty hectic back then.” March explained a bit sheepishly, scratching her cheek as she did so. 

“It's nothing we could've predicted. For now, we need to try and get a way back top-side. We will figure out what to do from there.” Dan Heng informed the two other members of the Astral Express present, and Caelus nodded as March proclaimed an ‘Of course!’ after hearing his plan. 

..Still, Caelus couldn't help but worry for Subaru. As while he possessed unnatural abilities that didn't seem to be typical, judging by Herta's interest in him as a research subject, he was undoubtedly very weak. 

It wasn't like he was intentionally disrespectful with that belief, but in comparison to the others aboard the Express, he was a significant amount weaker than them. So, it was a fair assessment, and true, for all intents and purposes. 

All that Caelus could hope for, is for Subaru’s strange ability for his near perfect timing to help him. 

“So..Is there anything fun to do here?” Subaru asked, after he shortly woke and realized the reality of the situation he was dealing with. Though, it seems like his question wasn’t appreciated by the person guarding him on the side of the door, as he heard the sigh of Gepard that signified he was growing tired of him. 

Though, despite the fact Subaru knew he was there, and their previously good relationship before they were apprehended, Gepard didn't so much as say a word to Subaru. 

Subaru sighed after the silence following his playful question, standing up and walking to the door. He already tried it before, when he first woke up and tried to force the door open, but it didn't budge at all. So, now, it was more to just get closer to Gepard to properly convey his heartfelt sentiments. 

“..Hey, Gepard, mind hearing me out for a moment?” Subaru asked the captain of the Silvermane Guards, for the first time trying to seriously talk with the man. “I know you're not as dumb as I am. You can tell something is wrong. After all, how come just the morning after we arrived here, you were ordered to detain us as criminals? We weren't here long enough to do anything, nor did we cause any harm to anyone or damage to your homes. I am willing to bet that she had someone keep track of us, and they can even verify that.” 

“So, what reason is there to treat us as criminals like this? I know that you can tell we weren't lying when we told you that we wanted to help you guys with the Stellaron. We want to help you guys get rid of the Eternal Freeze.” Subaru explained to the man on the other side of the door, being as open and honest as he possibly could. 

“..Is that all you have to say?” Gepard’s voice was cold as he responded, far different from the kind-hearted nature Subaru saw from him not even a day ago. Well, not that Subaru really knows how long passed from when the other three in the Express made it to the Underworld and him waking up in this room. 

Still, the undeniable fact was that Gepard didn't seem to respond much, if at all, to anything Subaru did. He didn't seem to even consider much of Subaru's words as things to think over, beyond the words of a criminal. It was one of the worst possible things for Subaru to deal with, because Gepard is the only one Subaru could even hope of helping him out of his current situation. 

“..Yeah. Just, try to think over why I was captured like this, instead of being put into a prison like other criminals, please?” Subaru asked, hoping that at the very least, the Silvermane Guard can come to a point where he questions Cocolia’s intent. 

“...” There was no response from Gepard, just the resounding silence from his request. 

Subaru sighed at the silence, and instead moved himself around the empty room. To be frank, it wasn’t looking like Subaru could do much, stuck inside while an admittedly fancy room, it was completely bare outside of the bed. 

There were no windows Subaru could hope to escape from, nor any doors or hidden exits that seemed to exist in the room. Subaru knocked on the wall of the room, hearing a thud that sounded pretty solid, which knocked out the idea of trying to break through the walls by crashing into a weak spot of it.

It was possible he could use a Minya to break through the wall, but that was impossible at the moment. Because, the device Herta made to serve as a makeshift gate for him, was taken away. Maybe Cocolia was aware of what it did, or maybe she didn’t, but that didn't change the reality of the situation. 

In the end, Subaru could only sit on the bed in the room, his thoughts turning to everyone he met, the people he got to know, only for all those relationships to just.. disappear . It was something Subaru had to deal with repeatedly, time after time, with no end in sight. He knew it was inevitable, but it still hurt him to have to deal with it. 

Though, his thoughts were broken by the sound of the door opening. Subaru shot up, eyes wide open with surprise as he saw a familiar figure make their way inside the room. 

It was the very person who Subaru knew to be the one manipulating everyone, who dealt so much damage to those in the Underworld of Belobog without a hint of remorse, Madam Cocolia. 

“--It's good to see that you are in good health.” She walked into the room, her voice distant, most likely saying those words out of courtesy than any real worry. Not that Subaru expected her to worry about him in the slightest. 

Trailing behind her and entering the room for the first time since Subaru woke up, Gepard stood with his hand gripping the weapon he used, which was strangely, a guitar case. It was something Subaru doubted he would notice, if he wasn’t already aware that his sister was Serval. 

“Well, thanks for the kind words. Glad you can make an appearance, I was just starting to get a bit lonely.” Subaru remarked with the same jovial tone that he always spoke in, trying his best to calm himself as much as possible, hiding his cautiousness and fear as best as he could. Because to Subaru, Cocolia was someone he didn’t know well enough to figure out what she might try to do. 

For all he knew, she could order to have him tortured and learn as much as they could from him as they did so. 

It may have been an exaggeration to say that, but he had no trust in her to not do something that horrible. 

“It’s nice to see you are not being.. difficult to deal with. I am grateful that you can understand the situation at hand.” She spoke with a smile, but Subaru could not sense any warmth in her words. “Now, I do wish I could better accommodate you, but considering the threat you pose, this is the most we can afford to you at the moment.” 

Hearing that, Subaru let out a small chuckle and smiled as he responded to her words. “Threat? Sorry to say, but I’m probably the most harmless out of everyone in our group. So if that was your concern, then you choose the worst person to capture.” 

Cocolia smiled in a way like she knew something he didn’t, and it made Subaru’s skin crawl. “Now, how come you know that none of your allies has been caught? I am sure Gepard, as the captain of the Silvermane Guards, hasn’t uttered a word to you of their current status.” 

“...” Subaru was silent, internally cursing his slip up. 

“Is that not proof enough of why you were captured? Why were you a priority?” Cocolia asked, yet despite the fact he accidentally messed up, he knew that couldn’t be all there was to it. 

To begin with, how would she know he had some secret to find out where they were? He hardly interacted with her, and they only met once prior. Even if she had people watching him, nothing he did would give an idea that the best chance was to target him specifically. 

“Well, I do not know how you did it, but it is all thanks to them that we took the precautions to capture you.” She said, her voice filled with what Subaru belatedly realized was infatuation . In a way that he only ever heard of once before, that he hated the person for what they did for the sake of the one they were infatuated with. 

In a way, that simple thing made him realize who , in the depths of his mind, that Cocolia reminded him of. That being none other than the man who Subaru could never forgive, in a million years for all the sins he committed--Roswaal L. Mathers. 

He felt the back of his spine tingle in an uncomfortable way, dread seeping into his bones as he realized a simple fact. One he thought of, but hoped wasn’t true. 

Cocolia Rand, the current Supreme Guardian, would not be able to have her mind changed. She could not be reasoned with, because for whatever she trusted in and acted with in mind, she would never betray it, no matter what he tried to do to sway her . 

“..And mind telling me who they are?” Subaru inquired, trying his best to glean any valuable information from her, paying attention to her with all his focus. From the way she slightly shifted her body to her words, he was trying to ensure he could gain any information he could.

“I may tell you another time, if they so wish.” She replied with, waving a hand dismissively, and besides the affection when she referred to whoever she was talking about, Subaru unfortunately couldn’t find anything else to use to help him. 

“Then, mind if I ask you a question? Why am I still alive?” Subaru asked, staring straight into Cocolia’s own as he practically challenged her. “If you believed I was such a threat, then why not kill me the first chance you got?” 

“It’s quite simple. They wanted you to survive, and bear witness to what is to come.” With those vague words that barely gave any hint for Subaru to work with, Cocolia left and ordered Gepard to continue keeping watch over him like the captain had been doing.

As she left, Subaru heard an echo of footsteps, most likely a couple of guards she brought alongside her that were behind the walls he couldn’t see past. 

Though, this time around, when Gepard moved to return to his position on the other side of the door, he momentarily froze. As if there was a brief hesitation within him, and seeing that opportunity, Subaru instantly tried to use it to his advantage. 

“--Gepard. I know I am a suspicious person to you, but I know you can tell something is wrong about your ‘Supreme Guardian’.” 

For a moment, his hand froze at the doorknob, and without even turning around he asked; “..Should I take this as you desecrating our Supreme Guardian?” 

His voice was cold, neutral and leveled as he spoke. Not in a way Subaru felt was unfeeling, but more, controlled, than anything else. 

“Come on, I know you’re not an idiot. It’s clear as day what she had done to those in the Underworld, and I am willing to bet you don’t even have a clue who is the them she kept talking about earlier. Please..just think about it some more..” Subaru trailed off, aware that despite the fact it seemed like Gepard held some doubts, the man was a fiercely loyal soldier, for better or worse. 

Just like before, Gepard said nothing, the only sound being that of the door shut behind his back. 

Like that, Subaru was once more confined to this room, sighing as he tried to come up with a plan for what to do. 

Gepard Landau. A man held in high-esteem amongst the Silvermane Guards, their captain who would readily give up his life for the sake of the people. 

He was a faithful soldier under the command of the Supreme Guardian, but he was not ignorant . He harbored doubts at times, like many others regarding certain orders from her. 

However, each time such thoughts crossed his mind, he only needed to recite the mantra in his mind. 

"Remember, Gepard Landau."

"Doubt breeds arrogance, and doubt breeds evil. As a model for Belobog, you shouldn't overthink."

By recalling those words she had spoken to him in the past and the oath he swore to the Preservation, he could reign in those absurd doubts of his and temper himself to serve her to the best of his abilities. 

Yet, despite repeating those words in his mind, he couldn’t help but recall the words of someone else. A person he cherished deeply, his sister, Serval Landau. 

It was a conversation from a while ago, where she had asked him what he would do in the case that he had to choose between his duty as a Silvermane Guard, or protecting the people of Belobog. 

Back then, his choice was clear. It was to uphold his oath to Qlipoth and protect the people, even in that nearly impossible hypothetical scenario. That was what he swore after all, not an allegiance to the Supreme Guardian or the Architects, it was an oath to protect the people. 

Now though, his mind held doubts concerning it all. He already had moments of doubt, where he would question the purpose of the orders Madam Cocolia gave, but with the presence of Subaru Natsuki in this world encased by frost, his questions grew by the hour. 

It didn’t help that he had tried to appeal to that part of Gepard, bringing up various questions he held in his heart with a gaze that was so heartfelt it was hard for Gepard to think he was truly the criminal Madam Cocolia believed him to be. 

“...” 

The silence from the room, outside the small sounds of breathing and pacing around the interior of the room was all the captain could hear. In a way, that was worse than when Subaru attempted to appeal to him, because at least in that case he could think of it as the ramblings of a criminal who wanted to be free, like what would often happen when Sampo was captured. 

However, the silence and the pacing steps only served to make Gepard’s mind return to those words, those doubts and questions that filled him. 

He had shrugged off those sorts of things in a lot more dire circumstances, when he saw his comrades die before his eyes and he couldn’t help because he was located elsewhere, when he jumped into the battlefield where the Fragmentum monsters were trying to rip people apart. In those moments, he could trust in his oath to Qlipoth, to protect the people no matter the cost. 

Now though, he could hardly determine if what he was doing was right. 

For the first time in centuries, people outside of Belobog appeared, and they even promised that they could bring an end to the eternal freeze that plagued the people of Belobog. That would prove to be the inevitable death for all born within it, something Gepard was well aware he couldn’t stop no matter how hard he tried. Madam Cocolia stated that they were actually from the Underworld, but the idea of pretending to be from beyond the sky was so outlandish that it was hard to believe that claim. 

The only one he could think of to make some sort of weird claim like that would be Sampo, but even then there would be no way he could convince 4 other people to go along with that sort of plan. 

They were stated to have plans to overthrow the Architects and harm the people of the city, and while it had some merit, there were various holes in the reasoning. They had not even been in Belobog for a day, had done nothing suspicious and while Gepard trusted Madam Cocolia’s intellect, he felt like it was a bit premature to consider them criminals. A bit of monitoring was understandable, yet only after a single day to consider them criminals, and even order Gepard himself to capture one of them when they were in the midst of sleeping felt.. strange to the captain.

The emphasis on him being the one to target for capture, and having Gepard handle it personally instead of assisting his fellow comrades to bring the group in as a whole was an order he found off at the time. Now, it felt like it was just another order that he felt like he couldn’t understand the thoughts that went through Madam Cocolia’s mind that led to it. 

Absent-mindedly, his hand traced over the edges of the weapon he wielded, Earthwork, a force-field device crafted by his sister. 

He knew her past with Madam Cocolia was.. complicated to say the least, but he could hardly think that either of them wanted to harm the people of Belobog. 

--He sees her head held high as she gazes into the blizzard, as if nothing in the city below has anything to do with her. Her people could not make her happy or angry, sad, or scared. There is only emptiness in those eyes.

A sigh leaves Gepard’s lips unprompted by the memory and thoughts that plague his mind. He knew that he had to trust in the Supreme Guardian, but he found it harder in more recent times. Like the very presence of those from beyond Belobog had prompted Madam Cocolia to make decisions that Gepard couldn’t even fathom the reason for. 

With a sigh, something he would never permit under normal circumstances yet couldn’t help now, Gepard moved to the door and opened it. 

Subaru’s expression displayed his clear shock and surprise, his footsteps faltering as Gepard closed the door behind him. 

“--I will listen to you, so tell me all you know. Just know that if I determine that you are a threat to those of Belobog, then I will not hesitate to do whatever Madam Cocolia wishes with you.” 

With that, Gepard Landau had made a crucial decision. To hear the words of this man who was imprisoned by the orders of Madam Cocolia, in order to determine what would be the best course to ensure the safety of all in Belobog. 

The group of Trailblazers, consisting of March 7th, Dan Heng and Caelus had decided to go back to Belobog’s Overworld. Traveling alongside the trio were 2 members of Wildfire, with Sampo serving as the one to help them return there considering he was the one who brought them to the Underworld to begin with.

As Caelus asked some questions to Seele concerning certain things, Dan Heng turned to the man next to him with an exasperated sigh. 

It was a man with grey hair and bright blue eyes, wearing a black suit, a black blouse with a dark green color running along it, opened to show a dark green inner button-up shirt and pants that matched the blouse, with a small pocket-watch in the pocket of the pants, peeking out and its silver chain connected to the vest of the suit. 

Of which was the clothes of none other than the man who was apparently Oleg’s second in command, Otto Suwen. Who, at the moment, had his hands on his knees as he was kneeling, pale-faced as he seemed sick. 

Though Dan Heng was well aware it wasn’t really sickness, but rather something else. Which was simply, that he was hungover from last night, where according to Seele, he drank more alcohol than he could handle and ended up nearly throwing up when she dragged him here this morning. 

With a sigh, Dan Heng took a bottle of water he originally got for himself and had yet to drink to the hungover man. “Here, take this. I don’t need this nearly as much as you do.” 

The man took the drink without hesitation, and after several minutes spent helping the man regain his bearings, he was no longer on his knees nearly about to throw up. Not that he looked all that better, he was still pale and looked like he needed to rest as he massaged his head to deal with the pain assaulting it due to his current state. 

“Sorry about that..I just planned to take a couple sips after work last night, and before I knew it I was woken up by Seele.” He apologized, nodding in gratitude towards Dan Heng as he took a couple of breaths and it seemed his complexion became a bit better. “Ask me anything you want, it’s only fair considering what we’re asking of you guys.” 

“Then, mind telling me what the plan is for the Silvermane Guards? There seems to be a lot of them. They were even the ones that chased us out last time around.” Dan Heng asked, hand on his chin, in thought of how to handle their forces. 

It was not the first time since he joined the express he had to deal with large groups like that, but it was definitely a situation more volatile than he dealt with before. Because now, they had a hostage in the form of Subaru, and unlike the others in the express that could probably at least force an escape, if they took the device he used to cast his magic, then he would be no better off than an average Pathstrider. Which, in the face of a fairly strong one like Gepard, he would not be able to defeat much less escape.

“The Silvermane Guards aren’t going to have all their forces, they do have a proper job of fighting the Fragmentum and apparently it's gotten a bit worse recently. Plus, it’s not like we are going to have some sort of all out assault, we are going to try and go through as undetected as possible.” Otto explained, a bit of color returning to his face as he seemed to regain his bearings. 

Dan Heng nodded in agreement, and let out a sigh as he gazed at the path to the Overworld, mind flashing to the moment he first discovered Subarus.. tendencies . 

He wasn’t willing to open up too much to the man himself, his own demons that haunted him being ones he never wanted to confront. So he tried to be as considerate as he could be, providing assistance without delving into his reasons for doing as such or steering him away from that sort of thing. It wasn’t something anyone should view as good, it was the same as running away from dealing with that subject.

Still, in spite of that fact, he hoped Subaru was safe. After all, in this far more tense situation, who knows if he would do that more.

From afar, the sly and shred man known as Sampo Koski stared at the sky hanging above the Underworld of Belobog. His eyes stared at a particular spot, which, if checked, was exactly where Subaru Natsuki would be detained in the Overworld. 

“..You know, it's a bit entertaining to see someone flounder about like that. Like a sad joke.” 

“Did you say something?” March asked Sampo, not really hearing what he said but aware he said something that she could barely hear a word of. 

“Why, it's nothing my dear March! Anything you want to ask before going to this grand finale?” Sampo asked, rubbing his hands together in the same way one would see a sketchy and sleazy con-artist would do with a grin on his face that only enhanced that impression. “I can make sure that all doubts are cleared before you all go on to save Belobog!” 

“I will ask then, and you better not lie to me mister!” March exclaimed, clearly not fully forgiven Sampo for what he did back in the Overworld not long ago when they first arrived on the planet. 

With that, the trio all asked the questions they had concerning what is to come before they set off to the final stage of this adventure. 

The group of Trailblazers, Seele and Otto were accompanied by Serval Landau, and with her help, they had all made it through the Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone. Apparently, her brother sent her a message asking her to take care of repairs for some things, and they used it to gain access to a place they would normally not be able to even touch. 

They advanced through the restricted zone, and now they stood at the frontlines, where standing before them was none other than the one who requested Serval to be there, Gepard Landau. 

He stood infront of them all, eyes scanning them as his hand tightened hold on the guitar case in his hands. 

“Serval..I didn’t think you would meet them like this.” Gepard spoke, his voice cold as he spoke and everyone in the group prepared to fight against the captain of the Silvermane Guards, getting into battle ready positions. 

“--Slow down everyone! Calm down!” A random Silvermane Guard ran up to them, sliding to a halt in between them as he extended his arms to both sides to attempt to pacify them. 

“Who are you? Are you trying to get in our way?” Seele asked, hand gripping her scythe harder and glaring at the unarmed Silvermane Guard. 

“I honestly should’ve expected this from Seele..” He remarked quietly, and he sighed as he moved to take off his helmet.

As the helmet was pulled over his head, they saw the unarmed Silvermane Guard that interrupted their fight was none other than the person they believed was a hostage in this situation, Subaru Natsuki. 

“Subaru!?” March exclaimed in shock, practically wide-eyed at the revelation before them. As not only was the one they believed was a prisoner actually free, but he exposed himself right infront of the captain of the Silvermane Guards. 

“Quickly, get behind me!” Dan Heng summoned his spear, preparing to attack Gepard so that the captain couldn’t score a hit on Subaru himself, but Subaru, unexpectedly, opened his arms out to shield the man. 

“I said wait a second guys! Gepard isn’t against us! I was able to convince him that we are only trying to help the people here!” Subaru quickly spoke up, and for a moment all of them stared at Gepard, with which he only gave a reluctant sigh and nodded along. 

“Yes, he was able to convince me that none of you seek to harm the people of Belobog.” Gepard stated, his gaze traveling through everyone in the group, but stopping at Serval. “Though, do not mistake that for me assisting you all. I will continue taking on my post, fighting against the Fragmentum and you will do what you can do.”

“Wow, that has to be some sort of miracle.” Serval muttered in shock, expecting that they would have to fight against Gepard to even get the smallest chance for him to budge on the matter. 

She turned to Subaru, and with a growing grin on her face, she patted him on the back, a bit roughly because of her excitement that he nearly fell over. “Who knew you could pull that off! I underestimated you!” 

“That feels..a bit underwhelming. Here I was expecting a boss fight.” Caelus muttered to himself, both glad to see Subaru again but feeling like he missed out on a boss fight because someone cleared it instead of him. 

“Hey! Don’t say that, you know how I had to convince this guy? I had to fight him in a one on one match after I already tried explaining everything..I still feel like I slammed into a truck.” 

“I am sorry for that, I didn’t expect you to not be able to handle that. But I felt it was necessary for me to truly understand if your convictions were true, that is the method I have the most faith in after all.” Gepard said, a bit of an apologetic smile on his face as he looked a bit guilty for overestimating Subaru’s strength. 

“Are you alright though? Like, did Cocolia do anything to you?” March asked as she approached Subaru, who gave a smile as she approached him.

“Not really, she came to me and talked for a bit, but that's it. It is a bit weird, but nothing to worry about.” Subaru informed them, a bit of confusion present on his face for what her plan even was to begin with concerning that talk between them.

He would’ve understood if she tried to pry information out of him, if she wanted to know the abilities of the others aboard the Astral Express or find out their locations through him, but she did none of that. In all honesty, she was someone he still hardly understood, even now.

Though, as his mind refocused to the present, he noticed someone there he couldn’t help but give a smile upon seeing, Otto Suwen. 

“Hey, who's this guy? I feel like he is the type to wake up hungover after overworking himself.” Subaru asked, a playful grin on his face as he pointed at Otto, who looked surprised at those words.

“This is the first time we meet and that’s what you say to me!?” Otto buried his face in his hands, as he turned his gaze towards his fellow Wildfire member, Seele. “Is it that obvious?” 

Without hesitation, Seele nodded to what Otto hoped she would deny, or at least defend him. “Yup. Honestly, it's embarrassing that someone you only just met could tell that about you.”

“My only true friend is my drinks..” Otto said to himself, a cloud practically hanging over his head over the fact everyone seemed to agree and no one defended him. 

“Well, moving on from that, we’ll tell you our plan..” With that, they informed Subaru of the plan they had in mind, and now rejoining with them, they all set off to go deeper into the Fragmentum. 

As the group had all traveled deeper through the Fragmentum, and saw echoes of the past solidified to allow them to gain access to memories of what occurred within them, all centering Coco--the Supreme Guardian, one way or another, Serval was silently witnessing it all.

The group of the people beyond the stars and the two that belonged to Belobog made commentary as they bore witness to those memories, yet even so they would gaze at her at times. As if unsure that they should say something to her, as she only silently gazed at the scenes she would normally never be able to see without the special circumstances in place.

And it was..hard to deal with the things she saw and heard. Serval knew Cocolia was no longer the woman she once knew, that she had changed after taking up the mantle of Supreme Guardian. So much so that she wouldn’t be surprised that if she tried to sing one of the songs she recalls them singing together in the past, back when they were younger and more carefree, when they didn’t have the pressure of the world on their shoulders, that the Supreme Guardian wouldn’t even bat an eye. 

The warmth they used to share, the fun times they had as they played around like there was no tomorrow would seem like someone else’s memories to her. 

So she knew well beforehand that she was no longer the Cocolia she knew. But still..she never expected what she heard. 

To hear the truth behind their world, the Stellaron and the Fragmentum they have been fighting since before they were even born. Even so, what truly bit at her, made Serval clench her teeth and fists, was the way the Supreme Guardian viewed the Stellaron. 

She viewed it like it was a god , like the thing could answer the prayers of the people. Like the outcome it desired, to wipe everyone away was fine if it was for the sake of some hypothetical new world . 

It was insane, no one with a good head on their shoulders would ever agree with that idea. 

She hated it, the dumb idea of this supposed utopia that didn’t seem to even have the slightest chance of happening, the way she couldn’t see past the Stellaron’s whispers, and most of all, she hated that she never noticed it . That she never realized what she was going through, what she endured till it drove her mad. 

She wanted to go back into the past to beat herself up for it, but Serval knew that it was too late to regret it. There was no way to return to the past, everything was set in stone already and there was no going back, no way to convince the woman she once considered the closest person to her otherwise. 

With the way everything has gone, she doubts that idiot would change her mind even if she were on the brink of death. There was nothing that could be done to save her, and that made it all the worse. 

“..If only you were like that because you were just a horrible person..” Serval couldn’t help but recall their memories together, the moments filled with joy and life, where they could party all they wanted in their own world with just the two of them, and all the bitter memories that followed. 

When she was thrown out of the Silvermane Guards, should she have tried to reach out more to her? Should she have done all she could to get through to her, to the person she once knew like her other half? Would that have avoided this worst case scenario from happening?

It was a question that burned within her, yet she had no answer for.

She didn’t even know that if she were to appear infront of Cocolia, would she still recognize who she was? Would the one who abandoned her identity as Cocolia, the person Serval could trust with all her heart to take on the role of Supreme Guardian even recall those late nights they stayed up together? 

“..If you guys have something to say then go ahead.” Serval spoke, her voice a bit irritated after being stared at for what felt like the 100th time the last couple of hours. 

“Are you..alright?” March’s voice was a bit hesitant, yet full with genuine concern as did everyone else, with an exception of Seele who looked like she didn’t really want to deal with this conversation and Otto, who just looked out of breath from the battle they just went through against one of those ‘echoes’ of the Supreme Guardian. 

“Yeah, I am fine. I have regrets about your history together, the choices I made and what led us to this point, but I know the past can’t change. I will..handle it later , right now, we have more important things to worry about.” Serval told them all, and while they hesitantly backed off, some of them also still seemed a bit concerned for her. Particularly the one her little brother had brought, having long abandoned that set of Silvermane Guard armor he wore, as he found it difficult to move in.

“So, what's that you have there?” Serval asked Subaru, pointing to the device attached to his wrist, which she had realized a little while ago was how he used those strange abilities of his in combat.

“Oh, this was made by Herta. She’s a genius, and honestly someone I don’t trust that much, but she made this for me so long as she could study my body. Not that bad of a deal, if I say so myself.” Subaru remarked, a smile on his face as he seemed to try to not let his obvious concern for Serval show, which she both appreciated and annoyed by. 

It was nice that he cared, but she hardly wanted to be treated like she was one bad moment away from crying about everything that happened. Still, she knew that he didn’t mean any harm with that concern, so she let it slide.

The group had then made it to Everwinter Hill, the freezing winds making even Serval, who had become somewhat used to the cold of Belobog shiver. It certainly didn’t help that there were various bodies frozen, of those that she believed to be the ‘Antimatter Legion’ that those from beyond the stars mentioned before. 

“It's f-freezing here - the blizzard's so fierce! The power from the Trailblaze Path isn't enough to stop the cold..” March shuddered, holding her arms together and rubbing them to get some warmth as mostly everyone else did. 

“S-since when did we get that sort of p-power?” Subaru asked, shivering far more than anyone else as he tried to heat up his hands by breathing on them. 

“Since you joined the Trailblaze, you were given some resistance to these sorts of conditions. But, it seems that we're getting closer to the Stellaron..and the heart of the Eternal Freeze.” Dan Heng commented as the group advanced, but with a grin, Serval took out an item from her pocket. 

“Here come’s Serval, with a great solution for you all!” With a click of a button on the device that was shaped in a way that looked like an elongated flash grenade, warmth started to radiate from the device, heating up the air around it in a space that covered the entire group. 

Instantly, Caelus got on his knees and started bowing, shouting, “Praise Serval! The greatest mind the world has ever known!” 

With a grin, Subaru followed suit and bowed to her alongside him. “Praise Serval!”

“Praise Serval! Praise Serval! Praise Serval! Praise Ser--”

“Okay, that’s far enough you two!” Serval quickly interjected before the pair could go too far, embarrassed by them as she could only sigh at their exaggerated frowns on their faces when Dan Heng and March pulled them to stand up.

Seriously, she felt like she was dealing with a pair of little kids at times when it came to the two of them.

“..Honestly, if I hadn’t sobered up from everything before, that cold sure did it.” Otto remarked absentmindedly as he moved a bit outside the range of the device, likely to test how far it could reach. 

Which wasn’t really that far, mostly just enough to cover their group as a whole. 

“Let’s continue further. We have no time to waste.” Seele told the group, already trying to hurry onwards, concerned for what may happen to Bronya. 

The group, now with something to provide them warmth so they wouldn’t constantly be freezing every second in this place, advanced up the hill. Passing by what Serval could understand to be a hand of some giant mechanical device, one that the people long ago used to help them. 

When they arrived at the summit of Everwinter Hill, they saw both the Supreme Guardian and Bronya standing there. 

“It is the conceit and cowardice entrenched in the depths of human nature - so difficult to efface. Cast them aside, break free of the chains that bind you! The Stellaron will lead humanity to evolve, and THEY will..”

Before anyone could do anything, Seele was already standing at the front of the group, her weapon in hand as she glared at Cocolia, declaring; “Your brainwashing ends here, you witch!”

Bronya turned to them, eyes wide with shock as she saw all of them. “..Seele?”

Cocolia’s eyes scanned the group, staring at all of them, and much to Serval’s dread, she hardly even gazed at her . 

“..You came. I thought the blizzards had entombed you all..”

“You wish! We're not going down before you do!” Seele declared, defiant towards the one who had lost their mind to the Stellaron, who only gazed at them all with cold indifference. “Bronya! I don't know what happened between you and them. Even if you explained it to me, I probably wouldn't understand all the crazy details. But there are two things I do know..”

“One: These guys have come through hell to get here - to seal this Stellaron thing.” She pointed back towards the group of Trailblazers, which both Bronya and Cocolia’s eyes lingered on before returning to Seele. “And two: Do you remember what I said? If anything happened to you, I'd save you.”

“Do you understand? Even if the damage is done - even if you've completely forgotten our promise, then..then I'm just gonna have to knock you out and bring you back myself!” Seele stated, boldly and with unwavering determination, a finger pointed towards Bronya who looked beyond shocked by it all. 

“We all need you..” Caelus added on, an expression on his face displaying it to be what he truly believes, that everyone needed Bronya, and the rest of the group nodded in agreement.

Bronya looked stunned, and then a small smile appeared on her face as she gazed at them all. “Seele, all of you..”

“..Finished? I think I've given you long enough to..bid farewell. It's time I told you my other reason for bringing you here, Bronya.” Cocolia spoke, turning everyone’s attention back to her as they all gripped their weapons in hand. 

“I want to witness your choice.” She continued on, seemingly not even caring that they all armed themselves, and Serval felt her hands dig into the guitar she held, hard enough that her knuckles turned white. “I have told you all the truths there are to tell: The deal with the Stellaron, the wish I made to it..There are no more secrets between us.”

With a bit of wistful look on her face, Cocolia turned to gaze at the sky above. “Many years ago, the voice of the Stellaron sounded in my ears for the first time. I was no different from the previous generations of guardians..I withdrew, refused to hear. I was as you are now — bitterly defending the Architects' so-called ‘Preservation..’ ”

“My conviction was once steadfast, unparalleled..until a sudden change arrived and threw everything into chaos. Another choice appeared before me - a subversion of the old order..and the welcoming of a new world.” Cocolia spoke with passion and fever, a smile on her face as if she had been enlightened somehow. “And compared to the illusory, evermore distant Preservation, this was so tangible..”

“I have agonized - long agonized over how to convey all this to you. Inevitably, the promised tomorrow will transpire..but if you were not there beside me, to watch over that new world..” Cocolia’s voice trailed off for a moment, her eyes meeting Bronya’s own and within the eyes of the Supreme Guardian, was a sort of madness. One that Subaru wouldn’t classify to be on par with a Sin Archbishop, but one that he knew would mean he could never truly understand the woman before him. “..Then I would descend into torment, Bronya - enduring torment!”

“Perhaps I should be thanking you, outsiders. The pressure you have imposed..has at long last compelled me to confront my final..weakness.” 

“Bronya, throughout your life, I have never forced you to submit to my will. You have always, will always have a choice..as then, so now.” Cocolia set her eyes filled with warmth towards the only person she would admit to be her weakness, to be the last person she held close to her heart in her current state of mind. The simple fact she was even providing her the chance to choose for herself was only a testament to her affection towards Bronya, and how deep their bond must’ve run.

“Choose, my daughter.”

Upon hearing those words, everyone was silent, awaiting Bronya’s choice. She turned back to the group, all filled with people who care for her and came here for the express purpose of saving her, and she smiled. 

Seeing the people assembled here to help her, determination filled her heart as she turned back to the one she considered her mother, Madam Cocolia.

“I am thankful for all you’ve done for me, for giving me the opportunity of choice, but I will not stand by your side.” Bronya proclaimed to Cocolia, declaring her choice to fight against her envisioned future. 

Bronya continued on with her words, stating just how far she had fallen from the intended purpose of what the mantle for Supreme Guardian meant, but as she did that, Serval had found herself trying to handle her emotions. 

She knew from the start that the woman named Cocolia was no more, that all there was left was the Supreme Guardian, but now she saw for herself, with her own two eyes how true that was. How she didn’t so much as linger her gaze on Serval for even a moment, staring at her with cold indifference. 

It.. hurt , a lot more than she expected it to. She would’ve preferred if she had glared hatefully at her over that uncaring stare, after all, the opposite of affection was not hatred, but indifference . And to see someone she had both grievances about yet still reminiscent of their days back in school together, it only served to provide proof that to her, Serval was someone not worth caring for anymore . It was to the point where she had not stared at the Stellaron she so desired to see since she first saw it, not that she could really see what it looked like with the cage surrounding it.

For Serval, that filled her with anger and frustration. To have their bond thrown away like that, discarded, was enough for Serval to feel her emotions swell up within her. And for her, she had a very simple way to vent her feelings, whether negative or positive.

Just as the battle had officially started, Serval wasted no time and let out a rip on her guitar, electricity flowing from the weapon towards Cocolia. 

“Rise, Engine of Creation!” Upon hearing her words, a giant robotic hand appeared from the sky above and blocked the attack for her, moving to sweep up the group as they all quickly ran away from its attack.

They all were able to escape, especially with Subaru utilizing Murak to drag himself and Otto as far as possible from the grip of the giant robotic hand.

As they all made it out of it, they saw Cocolia fly in the air, a lance of ice within her hands and the Engine of Creation behind her. Fragmentum monsters came to attack them, which were swiftly dealt with by Seele, Dan Heng and Caelus. Each killed in a single blow by the three of them while Otto took out a gun. The gun was a triple-barreled, triple-cylindered revolver, ornamented with patterns mimicking nature using a dark green color, capable of holding a maximum of 18 shots. 

As a new monster spawned from the Fragmentum appeared, a Frostspawn, attempting to strike down Subaru but just before it could, Otto shot it and its crystalized body shattered apart from the attack. 

“Thanks for the save!” Subaru grinned back at Otto with a thumbs up, who nodded and dodged a strike from an Everwinter Shadewalker, which was stunned by Serval when she strung a cord on her guitar and then finished off as Subaru aimed at the enemy and yelled out “Minya!” to create a projectile that corroded the enemy till it fell apart.

Quickly, March created a barrier of ice as an Imaginary Weaver tried to fire a beam of Imaginary energy towards them, the six-phased ice serving as good enough protection to block the attack and running towards it, Caelus jumped over it and attacked with the bat within his hands now a bright blue, with lightning arching off of the weapon. 

“Rules are made to be broken!” 

“This isn’t the time for your so-called ‘catchphrase’!” March yelled out at Caelus for his weird insistence on using that line when he attacked with his weapon. 

The hit from the bat had knocked the Fragmentum monster to their knees, before being shot in the head by March’s arrow. 

“Raze them to oblivion!” Cocolia ordered the Engine of Creation, aiming her lance towards the group as a laser was fired from it at them, but a fatal blow from it’s destructive power was blocked by March quickly creating a wall of ice, which did shatter but allowed them time to quickly avoid it.

“Damn it! How can we take that thing down!? It’s way too big!” Subaru exclaimed, no clue on how to even start on defeating the thing. 

For a moment, a horrid thought made its way into his mind, but he shook it off and decided that he will do all he can. If he fails and they fall, then, and only then will he resort to it. 

New enemies appeared, birthed from the Fragmentum with each of them defeated swiftly by the group. Then, just as Cocolia ordered the Engine of Creation to attack once more, so too did another Fragmentum creature attack where they were open, from the side opposite to the barrier March made to defend them against its laser, did one Decaying Shadow attack them. 

The staff the enemy possessed twirled in their hands, as Imaginary energy formed to attack March. Subaru’s whip swung out towards the enemy, pulling the staff the creature held away from them, with Bronya firing a shot at them which failed to kill them, but did succeed in knocking it down. Though, they were swiftly killed by Seele, who moved faster than Subaru could even see, and the enemy fell apart into pieces. 

Then as the Engine of Creation roared to life once more, its gears loudly turned as it lifted its arms, ready to crush them underneath its grasp. 

“Guys!” March called out to everyone, her six-phased trying to form into a dome as a desperate measure to protect them from the Engine of Creation, however just before it could doom them all and crush them under its fist, a laser blasted the arm of the giant machine. 

The arm it was going to use to crush them fell to the ground, unmoving now as they moved out from the partially finished dome created by March and she smiled excitedly. “Himeko! That was Himeko!” 

“Hello? Can you hear me? This signal is terrible..” The familiar voice of Himeko was heard by all of them, though it sounded like the connection between them wasn’t that stable from the sound quality. 

“Himeko! You finally spared a thought for us!” March remarked, a playful smile on her face and hands on her hips.

“What are you talking about - Welt and I have been up on the star rail missing you this whole time! You've got quite the Trailblazing expedition on your hands.” Himeko’s voice cut off a bit at times, but she sounded amused as she spoke. “So how does this big guy work..? Or more importantly - how do you stop him from working? Over to you guys, I guess!”

Upon hearing her words, as if to try and lead them to figuring out the answer on their own, they all turned to each other and nodded in agreement. As they all understood what needed to be done--for someone to reach Cocolia and bring an end to this. 

Though, as if she understood it herself, Cocolia descended from where she was atop the Engine of Creation.

“It is time to bring this farce to an end, let me show to you all, the power granted by THEM!” With that declaration, her body slowly became covered by frost and ice, until it covered her entire body and she shed her current form.

Her flesh transformed into a material that seemed otherworldly, like it contained the expanse of space itself, her hair longer than before with differing colors, eerily similar to that of Serval’s own and ice constructs hung in the air behind her, as if to give her a more divine presence.

“Listen to the power of the Stellaron surge..to it sing!” Cocolia spoke, her voice still human-like in a way that felt mismatched to her current form.

“Minya!" Subaru fired off his spell, however it was blocked by a lance of ice that took the hit for her, and she raised her hand to attack them all.

But, moving faster than anyone else, Serval had run towards Cocolia and threw something in the air. Only belatedly did everyone else realize, it was the exact same device that heated them up earlier.

Serval never told the group what the device was, mostly because of the fact that they were too desperate for warmth they didn’t bother asking, but it wasn’t a heater. It was a bomb , one that Serval brought specifically in case they had to fight against Cocolia.

It wouldn’t do as much damage, now that she gained some strength from the Stellaron that while intrigued Serval, was not what she expected at all when preparing to set out. Still, Serval Landau was not a woman to be trifled with.

So, with a string on her guitar, electricity arched from the instrument and reached the thrown bomb.

It was a makeshift method to increase the power of it by sparking it full of electricity with its state already being hot enough to heat everyone when that wasn’t even its main purpose. And, as Serval expected, the container burst apart, with an explosion occurring not even a moment later.

One so large that Serval could feel its intense heat, the edges of her clothes slightly singed even in this permafrost and a cloud of smoke erupting from the epicenter of the explosion.

“Is that all you have, Serval?” Cocolia’s voice rang out, as the cloud of smoke blew away to reveal that while the ground had now formed a bit of a crater, but the one it intended to harm, Cocolia, hardly had a scratch on her.

The only bit of damage on her was her crown being broken, but with a burst of ice freezing the air around them, even that miniscule amount of damage was repaired.

Though, even in the face of such a thing, Serval only grinned wildly as she gripped her guitar even tighter. She had felt many emotions since arriving here, and it would be hard to aptly describe her thoughts at the moment.

She felt like she was more of a mess than ever before in her life, but she knew she couldn’t let Cocolia do what she wants. Beyond the obvious reasons, Serval hasn’t gotten proper closure on her past, on what she went through. So no way would she waste this chance to vent all those feelings in the best way she knows how to.

“That’s nothing yet! I haven’t come close to venting out all my feelings yet, so you better hope you can rock with it!” Serval released strikes from her guitar after she spoke her words, the strikes hitting Cocolia but not damaging her much.

From the side, Seele appeared out of thin air to land a strike on her, but a construct in the shape of a large spear of ice struck down and she had to quickly pivot to avoid it, losing her chance to attack Cocolia

“Are you kidding me!?” Seele exclaimed as the ice constructs behind Cocolia flew through the air, all aimed towards the scythe wielder.

She did her best to dodge the majority of them through her abilities, but one had made it past her defenses, aimed at her head to kill her, if not for Bronya firing it and shattering the projectile in the knick of time.

“Thanks for the save!"

With that, all of them attempted to strike Cocolia as best as they could, with Bronya, Otto and March providing ranged attacks to her while Seele, Dan Heng and Caelus got into more close range but were foiled by either her temporarily freezing their bodies or creating constructs to take the hit for her. Serval and Subaru were also there, in the more mid range trying to hit her the best they could, they dealt some good damage to her, but she often deployed the same tactic to avoid getting hit with attacks that she thought of as threats.

Then, Cocolia started to fly high within the air, out of reach for any of them. The bullets fired from Bronya and Otto’s guns were able to make it there, but the winds that surrounded her deterred them from doing any actual damage.

So, they all nodded as they set a maneuver in action.

“Murak!” Subaru cast on both Caelus and Seele, throwing both of them higher in the air, as far as he could using his whip and in the air, Seele threw Caelus up higher in the air.

“Rules are made..to be broken!!” Caelus shouted, his baseball bat emanating energy as small bits of electricity arced off of it and they all prepared to see her get hit by it. It would be enough to break her guard, allowing them to finally be able to hit her with all they got. 

But, just a moment before that could happen--Caelus got impaled by Cocolia, his body falling to the ground limply.

When Subaru saw Caelus get stabbed through the chest, he found his teeth already prepared to bite his tongue off before he knew it. There was only one reason he didn’t go through with it, because Caelus was alive.

He thought he died, when he saw his body falling limply towards the ground, but before Subaru could act on his plan, Caelus regained control of his body.

He couldn’t see too well how Caelus was doing because of how far he was, but for some reason, the Engine of Creation used its operational hand to catch him. Plus, he could sense a drastic change, like a warm and secure flame burning from Caelus through Cor Leonis .

The battle had progressed in a way unforeseen beforehand, that Subaru found it hard to believe it was a fight he hadn’t even used Return by Death on once. As not only did Caelus have new abilities, capable of shielding allies and now wielding a flaming lance, which was far more effective than the bat, but the Engine of Creation itself adhered to Caelus’ commands. Using its large mechanical fists to strike down Cocolia when called upon, greatly assisting them.

That wasn’t to say the fight became easy at all, it was a hard fought battle where there were various times Subaru or the others almost died, especially when Cocolia drew upon the powers of the Stellaron more. Mixing together her ice abilities with that of imaginary energy, something Subaru only knew because of Welt displaying what imaginary energy looked like. 

Subaru knew he was growing tired however, aware that he was nearly out of mana to utilize as he had been trying to conserve the spells he used because he was well aware of how weak his gate was, but he had no choice to keep abusing it repeatedly. If he didn’t, then he was sure that he would’ve seen Otto already die before his eyes.

Now, they had finally knocked down Cocolia, her form falling apart to reveal the human one underneath it. Without hesitation, both Bronya and Serval ran forward, held back by Seele and Otto respectively.

Not that it mattered, as a moment later, as the Stellaron seemed to exit her body, she pushed it back into her , as if forcing it. A sort of invisible barrier stopped the two, with Bronya slamming her fists against it, her face twisted into an expression of worry, fear and anxiety.

“Mother! Stop, please!!” Bronya pleaded, watching as the one who raised her tried to let herself be consumed by the Cancer of All Worlds. 

 As for Serval, she struck it with bursts of electricity from her guitar, an anguished expression on her face as she did so. Most likely her emotions in turmoil due to the bond they had shared in the past, and the lingering emotions she held in her heart.

“--Cocolia!! Come one, don’t do this!? Let me fix this!” Serval yelled out, sounding like she was simultaneously pleading and also angry.

Now, Subaru Natsuki held no affection to the Supreme Guardian. He had not had even a single positive interaction with her that he could look back on fondly, nor had he cared much for her to begin with.

She was someone that he would not use his ability of Return by Death for. But, Subaru Natsuki was not the type of man who would let others die so easily infront of his eyes when he could stop it.

He wanted to see her pay for her crimes, make amends with those that she harmed, and most of all, he wanted for those who cared for her to still smile. For he cared for the people that cared for her.

So, he rushed forward to the barrier, not caring for the pain of his bloodied gut screaming out at him, burning his stomach. He slammed into the invisible barrier, but he didn’t care even when he felt his arm that felt like it had a broken bone snap from the impact.

He was as close as possible, so he called upon a power within him. One he hadn’t used yet once on his Trailblazing journey thus far, as it was a pretty useless power with too many drawbacks for him to think of using. At this point in time though, it was the power he needed the most.

“--Invisible Providence!” The arm formed from the Witch Factor inside of his body escaped from Subaru’s chest, plunging itself into the barrier, bypassing it. Reaching within, to the Stellaron, the Cancer of All █ordls.

He could feel a p█rt of █im being to█n awa█. A shar█ of his so█l ripped o█t of hi█. Pa█n, all h█ felt wa█ p█in, █othing el█e enc█mpass█d █is so█l but █ain.

F█r ex█sten█e w█s n█thin█ bu█ entr█py █s █he Bl█mi█hed O█e o█da█ned. █t sh█ll █ll fa█l t█ █he D█ST█UCT█ON.

P█IN is █EATH, █EATH is █ESTR█CTI█N, █ESTR█CTI█N is █NTRO█Y.  

E█TR█P█E██ROPYE██████████████████████████████████

Subaru, who was previously outside of the barrier in which Cocolia guarded the Stellaron as she was going to get consumed by it, was now inside it. His body spasmed, mouth handing open as something intangible seemed to be holding the Stellaron, trying to stop Cocolia from destroying herself along with it.

His eyes were rolled to the back of his head, and as Caelus tried to break into the barrier, he could only watch as lights seeped out from within the dome surrounding them, all his attacks to break into it not doing a thing. Ice started to corrode both Cocolia and Subaru, as Cocolia turned her gaze past the man infront of her towards both Bronya and Serval. She smiled at them, just as it appeared like the Stellaron would go out of control, just like what happened to Caelus himself.

Yet, just before that could happen, a familiar face stepped forward from behind them, and tapped their cane against the rampaging Stellaron--with it dying down instantaneously.

“I am glad I arrived on time. And here Himeko thought I was being paranoid..” Welt remarked as both Cocolia and Subaru slumped to the ground, bodies going limp.

Within an instant, the Astral Express crew went to Subaru while Serval and Bronya checked on Cocolia as Welt detained the Stellaron as fast as he could.

“Cocolia! Cocolia!!"

“Mother!! Mother, please answer me!!"

Bronya and Serval hastily checked Cocolia’s body for a pulse, and waited for a tense moment before they slumped to the ground with relief.

“He’s alive!” March loudly declared, tears practically in her eyes as she hugged the limp body of Subaru after she could feel his pulse beating, her hand holding his head as she was the one who caught it before it slammed into the ground.

Everyone let out a breath of relief after hearing the news, even Seele and Otto seemed to have some tension leave their bodies. 

For a moment, everyone took a breather, recovering from the battle and letting all the adrenaline from the battle leave their bodies as they did so. During that time, Otto vaguely noticed the older man with a cane’s eyes pausing on Seele and Bronya for a moment, before the man cleared his throat when it seemed like everyone recovered for the most part.

“Now..how about we decide our next steps from here?” 

“Now, will you tell me what was going on with the guy? I even felt a bit freaked out, and it’s me!” A playful voice asked, overexcentric as he spoke like he was trying to play a jester on a stage.

“..I guess it’s fine for me to tell you.” A cold voice sounding like a male responded, serving to sharply contrast the voice of the other person. “For that guy, he has a bit of a.. stalker , if you wish to call her that. Him and her were stuck on a planet untouched by the Paths, nor were there any equivalent powers serving as a sort of placeholder for them.”

“So, when the two were brought here, they gained power they never had prior. But for a person that has never had any sort of power like that, anything even remotely close to the power of a path, if they find that power flowing into them, what would occur?"

“Why, tell me my dear friend!” 

The voice on the other end of the phone sighed, as if regretting providing the information but having already started so there was no point to not explain it to the curious party. “Simply put, they would change , their bodies, mind and even soul could be altered. For Natsuki Subaru, it was simply that by becoming a Pathstrider of Nihility, he had been forced to deal with a severe whiplash in a way he couldn’t even comprehend himself.” 

“It will die down soon though, and he will return to his usual self. It could be considered to be like jet-lag, just needing time for him to adjust to the change, if that helps you understand it.” The person on the other end sounded like they wanted the exchange to be done with, and the fool could only let out a chuckle for the clear distaste towards him. 

“Why thank you for the explanation, my dear friend. It is always good to stay informed on these topics, is it not?”

Chapter Text

Seele was a person who belonged to the Underworld of Belobog, a person who hated and detested the vastly different ways the people of the Underworld and Overworld lived. She knew that part of her well, and knew how she could get into fights over it alongside her hot-tempered personality.

Not that she had that same mindset anymore. Directly meeting, talking with and working alongside Bronya Rand, the one next in line to be Supreme Guardian changed her mindset.

It wasn’t like her anger towards it disappeared, nor did she forget what those in the Overworld have done to the people in the Underworld. She knew that she would probably never forget that, but she could now understand that the people in the Overworld have their own share of problems. That just like those in Wildfire or working in the mines, there are many people who risk their lives everyday to protect the city they love and cherish so much.

That, in the end, all everyone tries to do is the best they possibly can.

“So..gonna admit I was right?” A voice, annoyingly smug asked with a grin on his face.

“What? You want me to beat you up?” Seele remarked back to the man, her eyes traveling to his bright blue ones and saw as he slumped his shoulders with an exasperated sigh.

“Seriously..why is that every time I try to tease you back you always threaten me? You say it so seriously I can’t even tell if you’re joking or not either.” The man, Otto Suwen responded with a defeated expression on his face as they walked through the streets of the Overworld of Belobog. “What sort of sins did I have in my past life to endure this..”

“Stop being a drama queen.” Seele waved and casually dismissed Otto’s heartfelt question to the world, her eyes watching the crowds around her. Mixtures of people from the Underworld and Overworld intermixing within the crowds of people, children who never saw the snow running through the streets with wide grins on their faces, adults who looked tired yet staring warmly at those children, others staring at the Overworld with familiarity in their eyes and smiles on their faces. Gentle smiles on the faces of who lived in the Overworld as they explained things to the people of the Underworld, mostly to kids and teens.

Yet, there were also those who looked wary, eyes frantically watching out for any and everything. People who stared at the Underworlders with caution and tightened their hold on their belongings.

There was joy to be found in the fact that the people deprived of snow and the sky could finally see it. Whether it was their first ever time witnessing it, or finally seeing it after years of not being able to see so much as a sliver of it.

However, there were also people who looked at the others around them with thinly veiled disgust and hatred. Who pulled their children away from interacting with the other.

Anger funneled up from within Seele, her hand tightened yet before she could march over to them, her hand was caught by the person she was walking with.

"Don’t.” His voice was serious, filled with warning as his grip tightened on her clenched fist. “I know how you feel. I hate to see it too, that even now people are like that, but you can’t do that.”

“Do you want me to just sit and watch!?” Seele hissed, her voice filled with anger and eyes glaring at Otto’s calm ones.

“No, I am not saying to just ignore it. But what will you going up and yelling at them do? Those from the Overworld that are scared of us will find even more reason to fear us, the people from the Underworld will think you’re betraying them for siding with the people of the Overworld and lash out.” His voice was low, a sign that he was serious and not playing around. Yet, despite the calm of his eyes and words, Seele could feel the slight tremble of his hands on her own, betraying the calm facade he put up. “I am asking you to trust me.”

Seele knew how capable Otto was. He was the right-hand man of Oleg, the one who would take on the role to lead Wildfire in the future and even trained by both Oleg and Natasha. She bore witness to some of his adventures, heck, she was directly involved in some of those nasty skirmishes he had dealt with in the past.

They had gone through thick and thin together. That was why she could tell, he was angry. Just as much as Seele, he was pissed by the fact there were people who couldn’t get over their own feelings and realize what truly mattered, staying cooped up in their negative emotions that they couldn’t appreciate the huge steps taken for both the people stuck underground and those above it.

It was just that, like always, he was looking at the bigger picture. He was pushing away those feelings of his and any desire to lash out for the sake of the wish he wanted to reach. The shared wish that everyone in Wildfire held.

For the people of the Underworld to be safe and live free of worries.

She took a deep breath in and out, calming her enraged mind as best as she could. Her voice was far more quiet and held a hint of guilt in it as she told him, “..I’m sorry.”

His hand that was clasping hers let go, and with a smile from him and a grumble of irritation upon having to move back on their path to their destination coming from her, the pair had now gone back on line towards their goal.

“..Wait, so what should I say to her? You know her better right? Should I quickly go get a gift, or would she take that as me trying to bribe her?” Otto hastily asked as he seemed to finally recall what he came here to do.

That being to negotiate with the new Supreme Guardian, Bronya Rand.

“..Seele, what should I do?” Otto asked, after listing aloud what he should do in preparation to meet with Bronya as the Supreme Guardian.

“You met her right? Why don’t you figure it out yourself?”

Seele watched with a smirk on her face as Otto sighed, cursing the fact he didn’t interact much with the new Supreme Guardian prior to her coronation. Of which only happened a day ago.

It did put into perspective just how efficient Otto was, trying to secure a formal agreement between Wildfire and the newly appointed Supreme Guardian so shortly after her taking the mantle.

Not that Bronya would have ever refused such a thing, Seele was sure of that. Though, she hoped Bronya wouldn’t tell Otto of the fact that she suggested they meet up to talk. She could only imagine him trying to use that against her when she tries to make fun of him.

“Please, Seele..” Seele smiled as she walked forward, the sounds of Otto’s pleading like music to her ears as he trailed behind her.

Natsuki Subaru woke up, to a ceiling that actually looked familiar to him. It was the same one he recalls for his room in the Goethe Grand Hotel.

For a moment, he simply stared at the ceiling, trying to recall what happened.

The door to the room he was in clicked, and it opened to reveal a familiar face. That being none other than the member of the Astral Express, Welt Yang, who looked shocked for a moment, but smiled upon seeing Subaru awake.

“—Subaru. It’s nice to see you awake.”

“Welt..? What are you doing here?” Subaru asked, pushing his body to sit up against the bed frame.

“I can explain that after. Mind telling me what you last remember?” Welt spoke softly as he approached, in his hands a small bag of refreshments that he put on the table next to the bed, grabbing a tangerine from it.

He idly started to peel the skin off, awaiting for Subaru to answer. It faintly reminded Subaru of how his parents used to do the same when he was a child when they were relaxing at home around New Years time. Relaxing in a nice heated room, watching TV with his dad as his mom peeled the skin of some tangerines for them to eat together..

Shaking those memories away, he tried focus. What he last recalled..

The last thing he could think of..

“Well..I guess being able to convince Gepard to help me escape from where Cocolia trapped me.” Subaru said, still confused on everything going on around him. “Did you come to help with Cocolia though? If you’re on our side, then I bet its going to a whole lot easier..”

Subaru sighed with relief, glad to have someone like Welt. As while Subaru isn’t exactly certain how strong he is, he saw Welt seal the Stellaron within Caelus and that single thing could mean that the issue of the Stellaron’s corruption could be nipped right in the bud.

“—Subaru.” Welt moved a chair to the side of the bed, and sat down in it. “I need to tell you something.”

From there, Subaru heard Welt tell him of how, apparently, Subaru had joined with the rest of the trio and how the group of Astral Express members alongside a couple people from Belobog went to fight against Cocolia. How at the end of the battle, the Stellaron was on a rampage and he was able to interact with it, before he was taken in by the powers of it.

According to Welt, he would’ve died if he didn’t arrive on time to seal it away.

“While it seems like your recent memories being lost is due to the damage done to you, there is also some..physical..alterations to your body.” Welt spoke, his eyes trailing to the parts of Subaru’s body still partially covered by the blanket, focusing on the area where his arms were.

Subaru, moved them, and his eyes stared in stunned shock at the sight he saw.

As on his hands, spread from the middle of his forearm to his hand and the fingers below it, even over his nails, were cracks on his skin that was a beautiful bright gold. The cracks of the pattern was like that of shattered glass or a broken porcelain item, as if his arms themselves shattered but were glued back together and the markings were the remnants of the incident.

The scars he knew would be on his arm, which were in the areas the cracks on his skin were, had seemingly disappeared. Healed, as if it was never there to begin with. Was that a blessing or a cruse? He had no clue.

Though the markings reminded Subaru of something he heard once, a long time ago. It was called kintsugi, a process where people would fix broken vases and pottery using a mixture of gold and something else he couldn’t really recall. He recalls it was used for more historical items, but the words of his younger self resounded in his mind, as if taunting his current self, who was far more of a broken and shattered person than he ever was in the past; “Why don’t they just get new ones? Broken stuff is useless.”

And right now, staring at the sight of his arms filled with golden cracks, it felt like his body was the broken pottery. Fixed and conjoined back together using that method, and he took a moment to simply move his fingers, as if thinking they wouldn’t respond. Yet, just like normal, his fingers responded exactly like he knew they would.

Delicately, Subaru tried touching the cracks on his right arm using his left. A slight touch at first, like he was scared that his arm would shatter apart with the contact.

Though, strangely, when he touched it, he could feel it pulse. As if it was alive, and only after keeping contact with it for around 20 seconds did he realize that it was his own heartbeat.

“Wha..”

“—That was the consequence of your idiotic move.” A new yet familiar voice spoke, and Subaru turned to the door to see someone he did not expect in the slightest.

Walking in, a sigh escaping her lips and shaking her head, was none other than Herta. Or, well, her doll that she used to communicate to others that was placed all over her space station.

“Your body has been altered by the power of the Stellaron, as no matter if it was for less than 10 seconds, you had made direct contact with a rampaging Stellaron.” Herta remarked, speaking casually like it was merely a discussion about the weather as Subaru could only stare in stunned silence as she explained further on. “Your body was affected by both the Nihility and Destruction while you were unconscious, leaving your arms in that state. Those golden markings now serve the same functions as your normal veins originally did, so I would recommend not trying to play around with it.”

Idly, Subaru’s head turned back to gaze at the cracks on his skin—No, at his veins.

It looked strangely beautiful, but the new understanding made Subaru feel a sense of disgust at the faint pulsing he felt when he touched it.

“Are you kidding me? Guess I traded one weird looking tattoo for another.” Subaru remarked, mostly to himself as he swallowed a lump in his throat concerning that new part of his body to gaze at Herta. “So, what’s the reason you’re here? Missed me already? My, I’m flattered but I’m sorry, I’m already taken.”

Herta stared flatly at Subaru after hearing his best attempt a joke in the moment, his playful tone of voice sounding forced, even to his own ears.

She shook her head, exasperated and sighing as Welt gave a polite chuckle, handing Subaru one of the peeled tangerines as he did so.

“Dang, tough crowd..Also, why do I feel so hungry?” Subaru asked as he ate one slice of the tangerine, trying to focus on other things besides the changes to his body—

“How to mourn, how to resist, how to live, you lost all of those? No way, no way, I couldn’t care less for however many dull excuses you come up with.”

That made her regret of not knowing how to mourn.

“Mourn, for my sake. Resist, for my sake. Live, for the sake of loving me.”

That made her regret of not knowing how to resist.

“If you’re saying that you’ve lost everything, forgotten everything, parted with everything, then I’ll just have to discipline you, won’t I? ――That’s a ‘Mothers’ Duty after all.”

He could hardly contain the bile that rose from his throat, rushing to stand up, he hastily ran out of the room. He moved in a frenzy, and he just narrowly made it inside the bathroom before throwing up.

Vomit left his lips, the tangerine he just ate leaving his body and he spent a while just dry heaving over the toilet.

He hardly knew how much time passed, but by the time it was over and he cleaned himself up as best as he could, Welt and Herta were waiting for him on the other end of the door.

“Are you alright?” Welt asked with concern and worry, and Subaru knew he couldn’t brush it off in this instance, so he only nodded towards the man.

“Yeah. Thanks, I just got..reminded of something.” Subaru said, doing his best to shake off the memories that came up, even though they were not ones that belonged to Natsuki Subaru.

For fact of his own body, his own form being forcibly altered, in such an alien way was enough to rouse the memories of another he stored within himself. To rouse the memories of the child assassin, Meili Portroute, that he experienced for himself back in the Pleiades Watchtower.

Welt gave one more concerned glance, and wordlessly gave a pat on Subaru’s shoulders to reassure him. Subaru could only feel a mixture of guilt, remorse and gratefulness for the consideration of those on the Express.

For not once, has any of them, Dan Heng or Welt, ever asked Subaru about these moments of his. It was something he could only be grateful for, but he felt far worse that they even saw him at those lows to begin with.

At least Dan Heng was the only one who knew of his self-harm.

“So..what’s Herta doing here?” Subaru addressed the question he had, gazing at the Herta doll infront of him as he faintly took notice that he seemed to be in the hallway of Goethe Grand Hotel.

“None of those in the Express had much knowledge on what was going on with your body, so they asked me to come over and examine you. In the end, it was just that the Stellaron damaged your body, with an outside force ensuring that your body didn’t end up completely destroyed.” Herta explained, her eyes staring at Subaru, but not truly looking at him in the latter half of her explanation.

He didn’t need to even ask what, or rather who that outside force was. He knew that it must’ve been her, the one who always watches over him and who he can call forth at a moments notice. Someone he held a complicated mixture of feelings towards. That he wished never granted him such a curse, who he was grateful for bringing him to Lugunica, who he wished to save, who he wanted to learn more about, who helped him start to love himself.

The connections and emotions Natsuki Subaru had towards Satella were not ones he could properly define, even if someone tried to ask him about it. All he could say was that it was..complicated, to say the least.

“Do you know how?” Subaru asked, his tone more questioning on if she was aware of the reason than one asking her to provide him one.

“Why, I have a guess if you want to hear it.” Herta remarked, a self-assured smile on her face and an analyzing glint in her eyes. “Not that I believe I ever met them before.”

“..No, that’s fine.”

With that, Subaru was able to tell that Herta knew it was a ‘someone’ that helped save him. Whether she knew anything beyond that, like how she looked like, the powers she held or even her name, he didn’t know. But the most important thing, that Satella being recognized by another was proven false.

Did that mean there was no alternate Satella? He had no clue, but Subaru could only be glad that he could keep that secret. As while it wasn’t like he didn’t trust those in the Express, the simple matter was he didn’t know how to explain it at all. He didn’t understand anything regarding that himself, of why it was him that Satella and her other self had loved.

It could’ve also been that Herta simply lied, but Subaru had felt that Herta was similar to Echidna. And one of the few things he trusted about Echidna, no matter how much he hated her, was that she would never lie.

She would manipulate and deceive, but it was never by directly lying to others, which Subaru felt was also applicable to the Genius Society Member, Herta.

Though, Subaru did come to realize that it was possible for others to be able to perceive Satella. Without him doing the same thing he did for Petelgeuse and relying on the taboo, someone else could sense Satella.

He didn’t know how to feel concerning that. Whether to be happy that Satella was still by his side and the idea he could one day talk to her directly, or fearful of the implications that meant for both her and anyone that can perceive her.

“Wait..you mentioned the Nihility, right?” Subaru asked, his mind finally coming to realize that detail he overlooked in concerns to Herta’s prior explanation.

She sighed, as if tired of explaining it and gestured to Subaru’s hands. “You see, whatever you used to make contact with the Stellaron had caused a backlash of the powers of Destruction within it to flow into your body. It unintentionally stirred up the powers of Nihility within you, and while it wasn’t like you became engulfed in IX’s shadow, the corrosive effects of Nihility started to affect your body. Leading both the powers of Destruction and Nihility to alter your body.”

Subaru silently contemplated from her wording on if that meant he made contact with the Stellaron using Invisible Providence, and if the Witch Factor itself contributed to what happened in any way.

“You should be glad that you didn’t end up making contact with IX’s shadow. You wouldn’t have escaped that, and even if you did, you would no longer remain as yourself. Plus, your body seems to have gotten a couple of upgrades in return, so you got a far better deal than most others.”

“Madam Herta, I am sincerely thankful for the help, but I don’t believe you should try and belittle what he went through like that.” Welt quickly spoke up after hearing her last comment, and the genius waved off the words with a short; “Yeah, yeah.”

“Anyways, your condition is stabilized for now but stop by when you visit the space station again. I’ll do check ups on your condition whenever you do, and see if there’s any prolonged effects.” Herta moved and grabbed an item from the pocket of her doll, holding out a new bracelet that looked identical to one Subaru had prior and while Subaru might’ve thought it was the same one, the fact it had no scratches was clear indication it was a new one. Alongside that, however, was a ring.

The ring was a clean and sleek one, without a single engraving or marking on it, colored the same orange as Subaru’s scarf.

“Take these, a new and improved version of the device you wanted alongside another device I made to monitor your condition, and assist in stabilizing your body.” Herta pushed them into Subaru’s unprepared hands, and he almost dropped them from the sudden action but narrowly avoided that outcome.

Just before he could’ve made a quip regarding the ring, Herta beat him to the punch, speaking with a deadpan look on her face. “And before you ask, no, me giving it to you in the shape of a ring doesn’t mean I want to marry you.”

Subaru chuckled upon hearing her words and turned over the items in his hand. They were well made, indistinguishable from being just regular pieces of jewelry that he doubted he would ever even consider the idea of their true purpose if Herta didn’t tell him. It was exactly like he wished, and so he could only commend her abilities to make such a thing, especially on such short notice.

He may have had certain misgivings concerning the woman, of her true nature, for how careless she seemed regarding the attack on the space station and the fact she gave him the impression of being like Echidna, but there was only one thing he could bring himself to say right now.

Bowing his head, eyes only gazing at the floor because of it, he spoke sincerely from his heart. “Thank you so much, Herta.”

“No need to thank me, rather to me it’s interesting to study your condition. Now then, I’ll be going now.” Herta said, and as Subaru stood back up properly, instead of the puppet moving to go and leave, its movements had merely halted and the arms that were in more of a natural position, now rested on her side in a more mechanical way.

“Umm..Herta?” Subaru went up to the mechanical doll and waved his hand in front of her face, only for there to not be a response at all. There was not even a single twitch of her fingers, staying in that stiff posture.

“It’s nothing to worry about. It seems Herta had just cut off her connection and now it’s turned offline.” Welt explained to the confused Subaru, who had yet to see one of Herta’s dolls be in it’s offline state. “She told us that we could simply leave it on this planet when she cut off her connection with it, but I think it’s best for us to discuss it properly with the newly appointed Supreme Guardian.”

Subaru whipped his head towards Welt upon hearing his words, confusion clear on his face. “Huh? New Supreme Guardian? Did Cocolia step down?”

Subaru could only guess she did so, probably as a result of her mind-control from the Stellaron being undone. Maybe she saw the errors of her ways and stepped down as a way to take some responsibility? Or maybe imprisoned herself?

Those were the only conclusions he could come up with. After all, Welt told him that Cocolia was able to survive being destroyed by the Stellaron thanks to Subaru’s own intervention, so he could only think that she decided to step down from her role as the planets ruler herself.

“Well..I think its best to see it for yourself.” Welt turned around, his expression hidden from Subaru’s eyes, but his voice seemed to be a bit more sorrowful than anything else.

It made Subaru feel a faint sense of foreboding as he followed Welt, with the offline Herta doll accompanying the pair.

“—Apologies for our intrusion.” Welt spoke up as both him and Subaru walked through a door inside the home of the Supreme Guardian, the light of the sun in the sky drifting through the silent room as they entered.

On the walk to the home of the Supreme Guardian, Subaru learned from Welt that instead of him being knocked out for a day or two, it was actually a full week. With him and Himeko requesting Herta for help after 3 days where he was stuck, unresponsive and looking like he may never wake up from his slumber.

He did text everyone that he was fine, and he could warmly think on how Caelus spammed the chat, Dan Heng’s one message wishing him well and to take care of himself, Himeko’s message containing her relief of his recovery and March’s messages filled with her worry.

Though, he was able to learn that Caelus somehow became responsible of a museum? Which, felt strange, but also the fact he handled that made Subaru feel like he was a lot more mature and responsible than he gave him credit for. Subaru couldn’t even imagine taking on that sort of responsibility for himself.

Still, he had no clue how that guy got wrapped up in that. Sounded far more like a dream, but he knew it was true because March sent a photo of it in the group chat. Apparently taking it as proof because she could hardly believe it herself, and Subaru couldn’t fault her for that, sharing the same sentiment himself.

Asta: I heard you recovered from what happened. Are you alright?

EMT: Yeah I’m fine

Asta: Are you sure? I trust madam Herta’s abilities, but if you want me to get you a professional licensed healer by your side I can arrange that for you

EMT: Thanks for the offer but I’m fine

EMT: Actually..mind trying to find out something for me? Can you ask around and see if there’s a person named Satella?

Asta: I’m fine with that, but why do you want to know about this person?

EMT: I think learning about them can help me to find my way back home

Asta: Okay, I’ll try seeing what I can try finding

Asta: Make sure to take care of yourself, okay! Both you and Arlan worry me

Subaru was grateful for Asta entertaining his request, but he was also filled with a faint worry towards whatever information she might find.

Whether there would be stories of her horrors, of her being a normal girl, of her as someone who reshaped the universe, or her simply not having a single record about her. Any of those possibilities worried Subaru to no end, and his mind churned so much that he didn’t comprehend the sight of the room he was brought into until he stood by the bed.

Belatedly, his eyes were able to recognize who was in the bed, unmoving and unresponsive as they lay in the bed within the room. It was one that seemed to not hold that many decorations like March’s room in the Express, the only ones being a variety of picture frames placed on the bedside table and desk, all containing Bronya in some way or another in them, with one actually being an image of Serval, younger than the one he knew.

There were also some medical devices in the room, next to bed and attached to the person laying within it. Making it feel more like a cold and sterile hospital room of a patient that was near the end of their life than anything else, with the cold temperature of the room not helping the impression.

The person on the bed was none other than the previous Supreme Guardian, the one who was consumed by the whispers of the Stellaron and who he apparently fought against. Cocolia Rand.

Her clothes were no longer the elegant clothes that she wore earlier, now it was a simplistic kind of sleepwear. But that was not where the focus of Subaru’s attention went to, instead, his eyes focused on her body. For the fact that like him, she changed, her body was altered.

It was distinctly different than the changes that happened to Subaru’s own body. Her skin had become a shade paler, her fingers ended in a sort of ice claw rather than the human finger-tips he knew of, the ends of her hair had the same highlights he knew Serval’s had and it seemed like her legs were encased in ice that made it look like it was a pair of leggings than her legs being frozen over.

“—I see that you have woken up. It is great to see you.” Turning around, Subaru saw Bronya enter the room, her face tired and bags under her eyes as she nodded politely towards the pair from the Express.

“It’s..a pleasure to see you too. I hope things have calmed down since your coronation.” Welt spoke, his voice kind and gentle like always, yet Subaru could also tell there was a sort of melancholic tone of voice and for a moment, it looked like he had a bittersweet smile on his face.

Though, not even a moment later it was gone, a more gentle smile gracing his face as he stared at Bronya. It confused Subaru, but he knew not to intrude on things like that, well aware of how..delicate it could be.

“Thank you for your consideration, and it does seem to have settled down a fair bit. I do hope that your accommodations have treated all of you well.” Bronya smiled, a kind and gentle one, yet also visibly exhausted. Her eyes turned to gaze at Subaru, stopping momentarily at Cocolia and eyes shining with a multitude of emotions, however she swiftly rubbed at her eyes like she was trying to stay awake and by the time she directed them back at him, any hint of that inner conflict was gone.

“Are you alright? I heard that you were bed-ridden for a couple days after what happened.”

Subaru swallowed a lump in his throat, his eyes traveling between the bed-ridden Cocolia and Bronya, the newly appointed Supreme Guardian.

He didn’t need to be told by them to understand the correlation between them, that unlike him, Cocolia wasn’t protected by someone like Satella, and thus the affects the rampaging Stellaron had on her was far worse than Subaru himself. Seemingly rendered comatose, and her body altered on top of that.

For a moment, it was like Rem was the one laying in that bed, and the tired Bronya, hiding her sadness with a kind smile made him feel like he was staring into a mirror.

Finally, he nodded at Bronya, feeling himself grow uncomfortable at the thought he believed she would have in her mind. How come he woke up yet Cocolia hadn’t?

“..I’m fine, thanks for the consideration.” Subaru answered Bronya’s question, ensuring there was a bit of a confident smile on his face so that no one could ascertain his inner thoughts. Because, he knew while he would sadly accept it if she did agree with his internal thoughts, he would feel so much worse if she didn’t.

If she genuinely was glad for him, not harboring even the smallest hint of resentment for his awakening when there seemed to be no hint of it for Cocolia, the woman who raised her, then Subaru felt like that would be a harder thing to swallow than her yelling at him in a fit of rage.

He could take a beating, he could handle her lashing out at him in anger, but kindness? Genuine kindness, that didn’t hold the slightest bit of resentment? That was harder for him to try and navigate right now, because he knew with certainty, if he was able to choose between him or her, he would forsake Cocolia and save himself.

He wouldn’t let her die, but if he had to choose who to leave in a coma like this, he knew that he would choose himself. Because Natsuki Subaru would do whatever it takes to return home to those he loves and cares for.

For that reason alone, Subaru wished Bronya could hate him. So he can have someone punish him for that disgusting thought, that horribly selfish realization that made him feel like the worst person in the universe.

Bronya Rand was a woman that had grown up in the Overworld of Belobog, raised by the Supreme Guardian Cocolia Rand, and she recently learned that she actually came from the Underworld of Belobog.

As she learned about her past, the memories so far away that she couldn’t recall anything concerning it prior to being stuck in the Underworld, she also learned of the harm Madam Cocolia had done. The way the people of the Underworld felt oppressed, restricted by the rules set in place by her, and that they couldn’t find comfort in the Silvermane Guards, a group meant to protect the people of Belobog.

She learned the truth of the world, how the architects of old used the power dwelling within the Stellaron to combat the threat of enemies beyond the sky, which granted their wish by causing the Eternal Freeze that plagued the people of Belobog for generations. How that very Stellaron had started to corrupt Madam Cocolia, as it tried to do with all the previous Supreme Guardians, and that Cocolia had ended up succumbing to its sweet whispers of a world free of any threats like the Eternal Freeze and the enemies beyond the sky.

It took a toll on Bronya to have to go through all that, and learn information that overturned all her previous beliefs. In the end, she arose as the new Supreme Guardian after confronting Madam Cocolia, and had to now act as the pillar for the people.

Still..Bronya could not deny the fact that no matter what Cocolia had done to her, she was still her mother.

The memories of days long gone, embraced in her warmth, learning from her kind and gentle guidance, how her eyes would soften when they gazed at her, and even more uncountable memories resided within Bronya. They were at odds with her own understanding of the truth, of the reality she had to face and understand not even 10 days ago.

That inner turmoil was the very reason she decided to keep her comatose body within Bronya’s home. In the very same room Cocolia once held as her own, and that to this day, Bronya could not think of as anyone else’s.

Sure, there was some attempt at a public display involved in it too, but Bronya couldn’t deny that while she felt conflicted, she also felt more relief that Cocolia would be in that room. Like she was glad that her mother was close to her.

Though, the emotions clashing within her heart was put to a pause when she saw people she did not expect within Cocolia’s room. One person, the small person that looked like a little girl, who she recently learned was apparently a puppet for someone named ‘Herta’ that helped notify them of Cocolia’s condition was someone she knew. The 2nd, of the man named Welt that sealed away the Stellaron and took it, allowing for the Eternal Freeze to finally be rid from their world and who, at times, looked at her with a strange warmth in his gaze.

The one she truly was shocked to see, was the member of the Astral Express she never actually talked to once, a man named Subaru Natsuki. While she was aware of his condition, he seemed to be fairing far better than that of Cocolia, his skin not any strange shade or off-kilter, with no obvious oddities concerning his body.

That didn’t mean he looked fine either though, as one could tell by the way the gloves she saw him wear before covered his hands, adjusted every few seconds in an attempt to hide his hands underneath it. A fact she knew because she had seen the markings on his hand prior to his awakening, and that anyone who bothered to pay attention to him could notice. Additionally, despite the long days of rest he had, his eyes looked tired beyond measure, not in the same way one would when physically exhausted, but when emotionally exhausted.

Still, he tried to be considerate to her and smiled, in a way that looked forced to Bronya, like he was trying to hide how he truly felt. She gave her own smile in response, well aware that she would appear just as tired as he did. Maybe she could take some solace in that fact?

“Well, I guess you must be confused, aren’t you? On Cocolia’s condition.” Bronya remarked, seeing the confusion he held when staring at Cocolia’s comatose body.

He stiffened up, as if expecting more, but didn’t say a word. So, she took that as his request for her to explain. Not that she didn’t understand why Herta didn’t do so, but it seemed like she wasn’t talking at all to begin with so maybe something happened to the doll. Or, well, that was Bronya’s best estimate of it, mostly because she didn’t know a single thing for how she could communicate through a doll like that, much less how it looks so human that she initially thought it was one.

“I am sure you already know she hasn’t woken up, or showed any signs of waking up anytime soon. Apparently, the power of the Stellaron had became too intertwined with her body and when she was nearly destroyed by it, the power from it attempted to destroy her from the inside. She was able to survive thanks to all of you, but it left her body in an unrecoverable state, and we were told..she may never wake up at all. That she it’s very possible that despite being physically alive, her mind may be dead.” Bronya spoke with the same candid voice she used when she reported Cocolia’s condition to the people, like she was reading it from a medical chart in a sort of detached way.

According to Herta, the Stellaron may have adopted properties of the Destruction by resonating with the Stellaron within Caelus, resulting in the changed to Subaru’s body and most likely the destruction of Cocolia’s mind. Not that Bronya really understood much of it, as the concepts were ones far beyond the knowledge of those belonging to Belobog.

However..Bronya didn’t feel much of anything when hearing that news. She knew Serval had a desire to overcome that high possibility, trying to use any of her free time to research the Stellaron’s, paths and anything to gain better insight on how to bring Cocolia back. But for Bronya, she simply accepted it.

Maybe it was a result of everything that happened, having to accept that her mother she had lied to Bronya her entire life. That she fell to the temptations of the Stellaron and ruined so many peoples lives, to where Bronya didn’t even think she ever knew the true Cocolia.

Nonetheless, Bronya found herself unable to view it the same way as Serval Landau does, as a trial to overcome through strength and wit.

“I see..I’m sorry for your loss.” Subaru said, a somber expression on his face and Bronya gave a small smile at him for his consideration.

“—Subaru. Why don’t you go meet up with the others? I am sure that they would love to see you.” The member of the Express that Bronya heard sealed the Stellaron, Welt Yang, had spoken up, a hand gently placed on Subaru’s shoulder, a kind and gentle gaze in his eyes as he urged Subaru to see the others who were worried about him. “And..don’t think you are at fault. It was something that none of us could stop.”

Subaru hesitated, his eyes widened in shock at the latter part of Welt’s words, eyes shifting towards Cocolia’s body. Then, with a deep breath in and out, he nodded and left the room.

That doll of Herta’s had left alongside Subaru, trailing after him like she could recall the automatons that the little girl, Clara, had back when she met the girl in the Underworld.

Though, unexpectedly, Welt did not leave at all. He stood in the room, hand resting on his cane and his eyes staring at the bed-ridden Cocolia with a strange glint to his eyes. One that was indecipherable to Bronya, but she had a feeling it was far from the gentle and warm gaze she saw him with so often.

After spending a couple moments staring at her, he brought his eyes over to Bronya, still standing inside the room and more curious than ever why he didn’t leave alongside his companion. His eyes sparked with some semblance of familiarity and warmth, that Bronya could hardly understand the reasoning of.

“I do apologize for our unannounced visit. I simply wanted him to understand what happened to Cocolia for himself for himself. Sadly, it seems like it might’ve not been the best option I could take with him.” Welt gave a bit of a strained smile, seemingly regretting his choice.

She shook her head in denial, a smile on her own face that felt a bit off, but the man before her hardly seemed to react adversely towards it, so she figured that she must’ve imagined that feeling. “No, it’s nothing to apologize for. I am grateful that you all decided to visit Madam Cocolia, and I am sure that he can tell you only meant the best when bringing him here.”

His gaze traveled to his cane for a moment as he held it a bit tighter in his hands, before returning his gaze to Bronya’s own, a soft smile, as if reminiscing a fond memory came to him. “Thank you for those kind words. I do hope you don’t mind it, but I would like to offer you some advice. Are you willing to listen to it?”

Bronya, a fair bit confused but willing, nodded in agreement towards his offer. She didn’t know what advice it would be, but being offered advice by someone who had seen a multitude of worlds and dealt with issues like her own at times was something she would treasure greatly.

Would the advice be on how to handle the aftermath of it all? On matters regarding the Stellaron’s corruption? On the Fragmentum? No matter what, she was opening her ears to pay attention to his words.

He gave a faint chuckle upon seeing her paying her upmost attention to him, before his gaze traveled to the bed-ridden Cocolia, his eyes furrowing when his eyes laid on her.

“..I know I am not a person who you know that well, but I don’t think you should lie to yourself. Madam Cocolia may have lied to you throughout your life, and I know you have many misgivings concerning her, but any memories of her you cherish and the joy you shared with her aren’t things you need to act like never happened.” Welt gazed at Bronya with a stare that was a mixture of warmth, kindness, sympathy and determination to convey what he wished to. Bronya wanted to interject, to move past the topic, almost speaking up, but the gaze in his eyes made her pause, being able to understand that he would convey what he wished to no matter what.

“Those memories may be tainted with the knowledge you now possess regarding the truth, and that may never change even if she miraculously wakes up one day with the people celebrating her recovery. However, I can tell from this room alone, the love she had for you was never fake.” His eyes landed on one of the multitude of picture frames set up within the room, only around 4 of them in the entire room, but all except one had Bronya.

The one on the bedside table was an old image, taken back when Bronya was first learning how to shoot a rifle. She recalls how she failed so many times, initially unable to handle the feedback of the weapon being fired, yet each time she was comforted by her mother Cocolia. With that photo, of her younger self standing proudly with a cardboard cutout of a Fragmentum creature, a bullet hole in its body and Cocolia smiling by her side.

There was another on her desk, of a picture from a time long past. Of a young Bronya, not even old enough to take lessons on the arts or revising documents under the scrutiny of a teacher. In the picture, she was held in Cocolia’s arms, holding onto a part of her outfit in curiosity while she smiled at the young Bronya.

The third and last picture containing Bronya was hung on the wall, a not taken through technology, but rather a painting. An official portrait of the two, the young girl held in her arms that Bronya could recall as one of the few they had together.

There was also a fourth picture frame, but that was one that didn’t contain Bronya. Rather, it was one that seemed to contain an old photo, the age showing through its condition from the wear and tear. The image depicted a young Cocolia, before she properly took on the helm of Supreme Guardian yet clearly in training for it, with a younger Serval Landau, wearing clothes that Bronya could recognize as the clothes of those among the Silvermane Guards. Serval had an arm wrapped around Cocolia’s shoulder, a grin on her face and a guitar in her hand not wrapped around Cocolia, and Cocolia had her arms crossed, but a smile was on her face.

“It’s not anyone’s place to say what you do or don’t feel. That is purely up to you, so I don’t expect you to start acting like nothing happened or that your world hadn’t been shaken up so thoroughly. I just want you to understand that despite the fact you hadn’t known her true self, that doesn’t mean all you experienced with her was a lie.” Welt moved, gently putting his hand on Bronya’s shoulder in an act of reassurance. “She was both the person that fell to the temptations of the Stellaron, causing immeasurable pain to those within Belobog, and the mother you cherished. Neither was her true self, because they both were parts of who she truly was.”

He gave a gentle squeeze to her shoulder, and moved past Bronya closer to the door. Leaving the room, which she could tell without turning from the sound of the door opening and closing.

Now, she was left all alone in the room with the bed-ridden Cocolia.

The words of Welt stung, because she could not deny it. Even now, aware of the truth concerning Cocolia, all the damage she has done, the people she hurt, Bronya always had memories of days that she used to look back on fondly in the back of her mind.

She would turn her eyes away from the pictures around her residence that had them, that reminded her of those days.

Bronya doubted she would ever truly look at Cocolia the same, she doubted she would be able to talk to her like before or smile at her like there was nothing wrong if she was by her side. Still..Bronya was also haunted by the past they shared together, of the person she loved as her mother.

She didn’t know if she could truly take to heart Welt’s words, his advice given out of goodwill towards her. But..she wanted to try.

To consider both the one who raised her, with kindness and warmth even while being so strict that she felt trapped, and the one who committed atrocious misdeeds because of the sweet whispers for a better world as the same person. She was neither fully good nor fully bad, just like everyone else, she was a person who tried to do their best. Yet for her, she failed in that miserably, mistaking destruction for salvation.

With her thoughts churning, mind full of a chaotic mess of emotions that she hardly knew how to sort, Bronya approached the bed. The bed she hadn’t stepped close towards since entering the room, and delicately, she moved her hand and grasped Cocolia’s—her mother’s hand.

Her vision started to blur, smidgen at the edges and her eyes started to feel warm. She knew she was crying, and she couldn’t stop herself.

“..I don’t know if you will survive, if I will even see you ever look at me again. But, if you do survive, I want to talk with you. I would want to hear you tell me why you did what you did, to hear my mother’s voice again. So please..live for me..” Bronya’s voice was hardly controlled, her emotions pouring out of every word, her desire for the woman she considered her one and only mother etched into it.

Bronya had to be strong, had to display an unmatched determination as Supreme Guardian at all times. Especially in such turbulent times, she could not show that weakness of hers. Now, this moment, was the first time she had shown such weakness since her taking on the role of the Supreme Guardian she was raised to be. In the presence of her mother, taking comfort in her, and simultaneously feeling dejected by her current state.

Since the events of Cocolia’s comatose state from the power of the Stellaron, a week has passed by. Many new things has happened within that time frame, the people of the Underworld had finally been able to come to the Overworld after so long, the ascension of a new Supreme Guardian in Bronya Rand, an agreement formed between Wildfire and the Supreme Guardian, the Belobog Museum had undergone some renovations and attracted a far larger crowd than it had prior.

Gepard Landau, captain of the Silvermane Guards was running around all over the place. Not only defending the people from the Fragmentum monsters that still persisted even after the Eternal Freeze has been put to an end, but also assisting with what he could to help the people of Belobog on the orders of the Supreme Guardian.

Now, he had finally gotten some free time off of work. It was not something he accepted easily, but rather he was forced to do so by his colleagues, his fellow Silvermane Guards, alongside the Supreme Guardian herself.

He hadn’t exactly known what to do, so he decided to fulfill a request while checking in on someone dear to him.

Which was why he was standing infront of a door to a laboratory, one that was a bit old but now renovated and music heard even from the outside of it’s doors. Without any delay, he turned the doorknob and entered to have his ears be blasted by what could only be described as an onslaught of music.

It was loud, blaring through the speakers set up in the room, posters were set up on the walls that seemed to be of various bands, one of which he recognized as his sister’s and that proved to provide a juxtaposition from the lab equipment within the room. Various test tubes, microscopes, drills, toolboxes, mechanical items he had no clue what the purpose for was. All of them were things that he knew were in the far more sterile looking laboratories he would often see on the job, and looked a fair bit out of place with how it contrasted the punk rock look of the accessories also laid about the room.

The reason for him coming here was present in the room, hunched over a microscope and seemingly not noticing him. It was none other than his own sister, Serval Landau, that he came here to visit.

Seeing her not register his presence in the room, most likely the sound from the door opening and his own footsteps drowned out by the music blaring on the speakers, he moved to the speakers and lowered the volume on them.

She immediately turned to see what caused the volume to dampen, and her face of concentration turned into a grin as she saw Gepard.

Swirling to face him on her chair, she grinned at him as she set the equipment she was using aside. “What are you doing here? I thought you ‘couldn’t dare to take a break in such a time’.”

Aside from her unflattering impression of his voice, he frowned as he stared at her face. Her eyes had a clear visible redness to them, her hair was slightly messy, her eye bags were darker than usual and her lips looked a bit more dry than he knows she typically likes them to be. Her clothes looked a bit crumpled, nothing major, but something he knew was irregular for her.

She paused and diverted her eyes away for a moment, before returning her gaze to him. Now though, she had a bit of a tired smile, still holding some happiness to see him, but very clearly tired and like she felt a bit anxious.

He felt his concern for her grow. After all, he knew she had not been fine after what happened at Everwinter Hill, not that he knew what did occur there.

Still, it was apparent to him something huge happened to his sister. As not only had she been granted this laboratory by the Supreme Guardian, she had further been given allowed access to any equipment she desired for her research. Which, she decided not to take any of the up to date equipment, but take old and broken ones, fixing them herself.

He was fine with that by itself, but the issue arose after that. Where, his sister had locked herself up within this laboratory. She had even put a pause on her band, going on an unspecified hiatus.

He would be glad if that meant she was taking a break, using this space for her to rest. But he knew his sister better than that.

She had a rather..complicated past with Madam Cocolia, one rife with hardships and bitter feelings but he knew that she would feel far worse than himself in regards to what happened to the previous Supreme Guardian. He was merely a soldier of hers, a pawn he would let her use time and time again despite the deeply burrowed fears he harbored, but to Serval, she was a very dear friend she could never truly forget.

Not even he knew the true extent of their relationship, at least before the events that left Serval sour regarding their entire relationship.

“Serval..” Gepard started, voice hesitant as while he wanted to address the issue, he felt it was difficult to even start on the topic. Unsure how to voice his thoughts, his word hung in the air and his eyes traveled to his own hands.

He wasn’t wearing his Silvermane Guard uniform, wearing a white shirt and a small sky blue coat with pants that were a similar color to his coat. His hands, rough and calloused from his years of training intertwined with themselves and he felt a memory bubble to the surface.

“..Why are you going so far?” He asked the man standing below him, his hands were clenched into fists and blood lightly coated them from the person that was kneeling on the ground before him.

The other person coughed, a bit of spit mixed with the faint metallic smell of blood as his hand rested on the ground to support his kneeling body while the other was held over his stomach. Where Gepard had struck the man, and while he felt a bit bad for his rough treatment of the person before him, he knew this was not a time to show weakness to a potential enemy.

“You..ask why I do this?” His voice was a bit hoarse, and he pushed his body to stand in spite of the fact Gepard has attacked the man a total of 15 times. Each one hitting harder than the last.

The strength he used overall would be enough to have defeated a Fragmentum monster already, yet the man before him had yet to truly fall.

The man’s eyes, strange with its shape in a way Gepard never saw prior to the man before him, burned with a fierce determination. It was a look the captain could recognize, for he saw it within his own eyes. The strength to put his life on the line, throw himself into the freezing cold, turn to ice and shatter apart if need be.

“I am doing this because I love everyone! I want to protect everyone, and I will do whatever it takes!” Subaru Natsuki, the one Gepard Landau was asked to monitor declared with eyes that were clear of lies or deceit. Even as he stood up, his body shaking, arms barely able to form a proper stance to fight and looking like the slightest hit could knock him out completely, he stood up to challenge Gepard once more.

All to protect those he loves, and this world Gepard would stake his life for a hundred times over.

“..I will believe your words. You have shown your conviction with your actions.”

Gepard found himself snapping out of his memories, and his eyes trailed to his sister sitting down infront of him.

He knew he would throw himself into the worst depths of the Eternal Freeze without a second thought if it was for the sake of his sister. He would take on any threat he could to protect her, to protect the people of Belobog. If that was the case, than how hard was it for him to think of words to comfort her?

“I know you’ve been struggling for the last week and I wanted to let you know..I’m here, if you need me.” Gepard knew his words were hardly the best, he was well aware he was not the best at this sort of thing, of comforting others in any way outside of his actions. But he didn’t care, he stared at his sister and tried to convey his true feelings to her through those words he felt were a bit strange and awkward coming from him. “Madam Cocolia was your friend after all, right?”

His worries for her, his concern, his love, he tried to put each of those emotions into his words despite how clumsy he felt they were.

She froze for a moment, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath in and out, slumping against her chair as she did so.

“..And here I thought I was the older sibling.” She remarked, her words playful but her tone not conveying that as well as she normally would’ve.

She sighed, deeply, like it was lodged in her throat and she couldn’t get it out until now.

“You know, I had long believed the Cocolia I knew was dead. That all left was the Supreme Guardian in her place, but maybe I had some hope that one day I could see the Cocolia I knew.” Her voice was wistful as she spoke, rubbing her arms lightly as if to try and soothe herself. “But, I realized that she was well and truly gone. On that day, on Everwinter Hill, all left was the Supreme Guardian. Even so, I can’t bring myself to say I don’t care about her anymore.”

“I want to yell at her, ask her why couldn’t we talk things through, ask why she never bothered coming to me, but that doesn’t change the reality. She is now bed-ridden, and no one knows if she truly will ever wake up again. Even if she does, will she be the Supreme Guardian or Cocolia? Will she even be either of them, or will she not have any memories left? What if her bodies condition worsens when she wakes up? What if she transforms into one of those Fragmentum monsters?” Serval opened her eyes now, blankly staring at the ceiling above their heads yet Gepard noticed the way her hands started shivering slightly with every word.

He almost told her that it was fine, that she didn’t have to say anything else, but she continued on before he could get a word in. “—I am just scared. I tried to drown in researching the Stellaron, because I don’t want to give into those fears.”

Her final sentence hung in the air, and for the first time, Gepard knew what to say.

“—Do it then.” Serval looked at him, surprise and shock in her eyes at his words. “If you truly want to, then do it. You wouldn’t listen to me much if I told you not to, so do it if you want to. Find out all you can about this ‘Stellaron’ thing.”

He knew himself well. He knew he values his duties to the people of Belobog above all else. He was an impenetrable wall, unwavering in his convictions. It was often a point of conflict between him and Serval, but now that unwavering stubborn adherence to his convictions would be able to help his sister in her moment of weakness.

He stared into her eyes, a determined expression on his face as he spoke. “If you fear it so much, then I will do all in my power to protect the people of Belobog from it. If she turns into a Fragmentum monster, then I will do whatever it takes to protect everyone.”

“—But when had Serval Landau been the type to declare defeat before the fight even begun?”

Immediately, her eyes sparked with anger and she glared at him for a moment. “What do you mean by that?”

He stood unfazed by her momentary outburst. “I meant what I said. The Serval I know is a genius, an older sister I am proud of and who I know can do whatever she wishes, even when I don’t agree with her. That Serval would be able to bring back Madam Cocolia if she wanted to, and if anything went wrong, she would be able to figure out a way to work around it.”

“Oh yeah, then just sit there and watch me!”

Gepard watched as Serval throw herself back into her research, a bit of relief in his heart.

He originally came here to help her rest, to take a break, but after hearing her reasoning for throwing herself into her research he couldn’t say something as simple as ‘take a break’. It would’ve simply devolved into another argument between the two, and he knew how it felt to run yourself raggard for the sake of another. They were far too similar in that regard, a thing Gepard truly wished she never was similar to him in, for he thought it would be better if he was the only one out of the two with that trait.

Instead, he decided to help motivate her. Entice her to find ways around the things she feared so much, and that even if she failed, that the worst case scenario were to happen, he would be there to put a stop to it. To place her trust within him, and the oath he held to always protect the people of Belobog.

He decided to trust her to take a break when she truly felt it was needed.

..Oh right, the other reason he came here, the request. It was an order of the Supreme Guardian, to have that unnaturally human-like doll be given to Serval to assist her with her research. Because of something about the creator knowing a lot about Stellaron’s, having housed one herself in the past.

Now he just had to take Serval and bring her to the mechanical doll..

Maybe he wishes he tried motivating her a bit later.

After a brief goodbye to everyone on Belobog, Subaru and the rest of the Astral Express had left to venture onto their next adventure. When they were still thinking of where to go, they had gotten a message from a Stellaron Hunter. A group of people who were very well known wanted criminals, and led by someone who claims to be able to see destiny. One of them by the name of Kafka had told them there was a Stellaron on a planet different than the one it seemed Himeko was planning on them going on.

It all left a bitter taste in Subaru’s mouth, and he could hardly find himself viewing the Stellaron Hunters in any positive light. It felt like he was dealing with another group of Witch Cultists, following the orders of the Gospel without question. Only this time, there seemed to be someone above them leading them more than he would believe one of the Archbishops would’ve done.

Either way, their destination had been changed to a place called the Xianzhou Luofu. One of six large ships that traverse the cosmos, apparently following the Aeon of the Hunt, Lan.

They had landed on the Luofu, everyone outside of Dan Heng leaving the Express because he was apparently banned from entry, so they left him with Pom-Pom and Himeko, who volunteered to stay.

The group of March, Caelus, Subaru and Welt had ran into a couple problems but they were able to meet a local by the name of Tingyun who helped direct them to meet someone with the title of ‘Helm Master’. When they had managed to make it inside of the Palace of Astrum, the location where they would meet this Helm Master named Yukong, Subaru froze.

His breath hitched, hands twitching and eyes widened. For conversing with the woman he could only assume to be Yukong based on Tingyun’s descriptions of her, stood someone that made Subaru’s stomach churn uncomfortably.

He had seemed to only be a fair bit older than Subaru himself, as if he was in his early 20’s. He had a lean body, obviously pretty physically fit yet still a fair bit slender with an extremely handsome face. With shoulder length indigo blue hair, two strands of hair a lighter shade than the rest of his hair, two eyes of a blue instead of the heterochromatic eyes Subaru was familiar with and skin that was pale enough that people may mistake him as a ghost.

He wore clothes that seemed to blend the elegance of ceremonial robes with the flair of a stage costume. Wearing a flowing top of white and teal accented with golden trim, its wide sleeves draping loosely in a theatrical fashion, giving him a sense of exaggerated grace. The robes seemed to be layered and fastened with a decorated belt from which jade like ornaments and tassels dangle, swaying like charms as he moves. His lower half dressed in voluminous pants that taper neatly into high boots, creating a contrast between the airy, layered upper garments and the structured footing. Where the insides of both the top and lower garments having an inner color of a dark navy blue and having accents alongside patterns of the same color spread on his outfit. Overall, an outfit that seemed simultaneously both elegant and over-eccentric.

Nonetheless, Subaru could hardly care for the clothing he wore. Rather, a singular name left his lips unconsciously as he felt his hands clench into a fist. “..Roswaal.”

He spoke so quietly that there was no way the man could’ve heard him, but the man turned to the group and smiled as he approached them alongside Yukong. However, Subaru could not take his eyes of Roswaal, looking so different from the version of him he knew, even seemingly uncomfortable with Subaru’s blatant staring. The Roswaal L. Mathers he knew would just smile in that infuriating way, like he found enjoyment in it, yet this Roswaal gave off a sheepish smile that looked like Subaru’s own when he felt uncomfortable.

Just thinking of that comparison twisted a knot in Subaru’s stomach, and he hardly even noticed his face twisting from the feeling. Far too overwhelmed by his own feelings upon seeing Roswaal to even register the fact.

“A pleasure to meet you all. I am Ruo Zhenli, the first and only Arbiter Colonel. Though, if that name is hard for you to say, you can call me by my real name—Roswaal A. Mathers.”

Omake (yes, this is for u ppl who ended up somehow shipping Seele and Otto lol):

Subaru had tried to visit Caelus after being told to visit the others by Welt. That somehow ended up with him being dragged into working at the Belobog Museum, greeting customers as they came with a smile and helping them when he could.

Idly, he adjusted the gloves on his hand to ensure it well and truly covered his hands, hiding any hints of the markings left on him by the Stellaron.

“This is starting to get boring..” Subaru muttered to himself, feeling a bit bored from the fact that he had not really seen anyone enter recently.

It was times like this that he missed being able to tease Otto.

Then, as if it was divine intervention, the door opened and in came none other than Otto Suwen himself. Though, it seemed like he was accompanied by Seele, or more like dragged by her.

With a grin, Subaru waved towards the pair as they approached, eventually coming to a stop infront of him. Though, Otto looked fairly out of breath.

Subaru felt like it was only right that no matter what version of Otto it was, that they were horrible at exercising. Like a necessary constant within every world that an Otto was present in.

“What are the two of you doing here? Out on a date?” Subaru asked the pair, very clearly trying to tease the two of them.

Seele sighed, shaking her head and looking like she was both tired and not amused by the implication. “Seriously, why is it that all you guys assumed that? Your friend even thought the same thing, have no clue what gave you that idea.”

Otto seemed to regain his breath, now standing up properly and turned to Seele. “Can you tell me..Why did you drag me out here?”

She crossed her arms, staring at him like he personally offended her by simply asking that question. “You forget to bother getting some fresh air. You’re like this every time you get busy, and it makes me feel like you would drop dead any second if I don’t force you to take a break.”

Her hands, crossed over her arms, tightened their hold on her elbows. Not enough for anyone other than Otto to notice.

“He really does give off that impression, doesn’t he? I bet he drowns himself in alcohol in his free time instead.” Subaru remarked playfully, grinned as he swung his arm around Otto in an overly familiar way.

“Seriously, does it seem that obvious..?” Otto slumped his head upon the accurate guess by Subaru, though Subaru knew it wasn’t truly much of a guess and more of something he was certain of due to his own Otto.

Though, before Subaru could play around and tease the human punching bag that was Otto, he got dragged away once more by Seele.

Sighing, Subaru waved the pair off as he resigned himself to waiting till someone else decides to visit the Museum.

Though..he really wanted to get closer to Otto. But, as much as he enjoyed being around him, it also made him feel all the worse.

Because it only served to remind Subaru of the people he missed so dearly.

Otto once again felt like he was a carry on bag more than a person after he was dragged into the display area of the Belobog Museum.

He normally would’ve made a remark about it and Seele’s constant rough treatment of him, but he stayed silent.

Perhaps she expected it, because she turned to him with a bit of a confused expression on her face.

“Seele..Thank you.”

She raised her eyebrows at him, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at him upon hearing his sudden gratefulness. “What’s up with you?”

Otto quickly checked to see if they were out of hearing for others and saw that while there were some people looking at the various displays, they weren’t close enough to hear him. Drowning out what he would say due to their own conversations, or by Pela, who was explaining the history behind certain artifacts to a group of people.

“Well..I wanted to thank you for looking out for me. I am glad to have you in my life.”

Otto’s words weren’t completely unwarranted. They were a bit sudden, but he felt a need to voice the sentiment after what happened earlier. Where, in that small interaction with the Nameless Subaru Natsuki, Seele had grown a bit tense.

Not for anything Subaru did, but because of the topic. Otto overworking, a topic that while he would be fine joking about, he knew it was a very real fear of hers. Of him taking it too far and overworking himself to death.

It was hardly anything unheard of in the Underworld, especially for Otto himself. With his parents dying from that very thing, leaving him and his older brother all alone.

Otto had gotten over that tragedy in his life, it was now merely an event in his past he overcame a long time ago. But maybe that aspect of his parents had been something he unintentionally inherited.

He knew how it felt to be on the other end, to be the one watching someone you love overwork themselves, yet he was hardly able to recognize where he stood on that line himself at times. Only breaking out of it thanks to both Oleg and Seele, who he trusted to break him out of that.

But he knew that also put a burden on them, a weight they felt on their shoulders. Yet, that was they reason he ran himself raggard so much, because he knew how much they loved him and he loved them in turn.

Maybe one day, he could take in the advice his brother often gave him. To take breaks more often outside of ones to drink.

“Wha..!” Seele’s face turned red, as if embarrassed and Otto realized far to late that his actual words had little context concerning his inner thoughts.

Before he could hastily explain himself, Seele spoke in response, her voice a little hesitant to voice her inner thoughts and looking at one of the displays instead of Otto himself; “..Me too.”

For a second Otto thought he imagined it, but her still looking a fair bit embarrassed and unwilling to look him in the eyes confirmed that it was truly what she said.

His face of shock turned to a warm smile after that. For while he knew Seele was a pretty prideful and hotheaded person, sometimes to a point where it was a detriment, she wasn’t unable to give thanks. She could easily thank others when the situation calls for it, and he figured she assumed she should return his gratefulness with her own.

Maybe it was for helping with negotiations when it went sour, smoothing problems over or even his dedication to doing whatever it takes for the people he cares for. But, right now, he figured it was something else. A thing neither of them voiced, of the companionship they provided each other.

For when the two of them first joined Wildfire, they weren’t on great terms. They were hardly buddy buddy, but overtime they had gradually gotten closer. Beyond the trials and tribulations they had underwent together during their time in Wildfire, they had been able to bond over many things they would’ve normally never done so. For what they endured since they were children, their stubbornness, though it often displayed itself far differently and being a presence they could find comfort in.

Outside of his mentors and his brother, the closest person to his heart would undoubtedly be Seele.

With a smile, he grabbed her hand and for the first time since he was taken away from his pile’s of paperwork and overseeing things, he was the one who dragged Seele away this time.

“Let’s go and have some fun then.”

They cared not for the fact that it was a Museum, a place neither of them would particularly enjoy much. But rather, that the both of them could take some respite from how much went on and the work they are going through together.

“..And here I was just joking about them dating. Are you sure they aren’t?” Subaru asked the person next to him, having seen that whole interaction with the two of them from the spot nearby the desk at the Museum entrance.

“A travesty, I know. They may actually not think of each other in that sort of light at all though. Who knows how they feel other than themselves.” The voice of none other than Sampo Koski spoke, sounding as shady as always. “But, may I interest you in a never before seen item..”

Subaru seriously had to question how he could have a business with how sketchy he seemed. But, he shrugged it of and decided to hang out with Sampo for a bit.

At least until someone he wronged ended up finding him and chasing him out and knowing his track record, that wouldn’t take too long.