Chapter Text
After the incident in Pristella, the Emilia camp and the Anastasia camp decided to temporarily join hands and make an attempt to visit the legendary Sage in the『Pleiades Watchtower』to ask for his assistance in reversing the effects of the Authorities of Lust and Gluttony.
As a result, the Knights Natsuki Subaru and―now forgotten―Julius Juukulius , the Great spirit Beatrice, the Roswaal mansion's prisoner Meili Portroute, Royal selection candidates Emilia and Anastasia Hoshin―the latter of whose body was currently under the control of the artificial spirit Echidna, the maids of the Mathers's domain Ram and Rem―the latter of which was in a coma like state―and the ground dragons Patrasche and Gyan, were presently passing through the Great Augria Sand Dunes to reach the Sage in his Watchtower.
They were able to successfully pass through the 『Sand Time』using their wit, intellect and persistence, but now, they faced another great hurdle―The flower meadow. They were already aware of its existence as the bartender at a bar had told them of his experience with this place. But, the sheer amount of trouble that this obstacle would cause in the path, was far beyond anyone's imagination. The path seemed to be full of vegetation and even taking a single step seemed impossible. And, the Witchbeasts―Courtesan Bears― hidden in this vegetation served as the cherry on top.
As such, they had to halt their journey for a while to allow their Witchbeast expert―Meili―to analyze the situation, and formulate their course of action. After a great deal of time passed, she finally gave a response,
"For now, it seems everyone is sleeping."
Having heard that the Witchbeasts were asleep was―without a shred of doubt―a relief. Even if it didn't solve all of their problems, it was still a boon nevertheless.
But, before anyone could even breathe a sigh of relief, the entire area around them was suddenly covered by a sand storm―the size of which seemed to be on par with the 『Sand Time』.
"I thought had already passed the 『Sand Time』!?" Someone's shout was heard, but it was too muffled by the sand in the storm to be recognizable.
"What in the name of Od is going on, I suppose?!"
"AAAAAAHHHH"
The confusion seemed to have caused a lot of panic, and now, they suddenly found themselves in a place with absolutely no sand at all. Rubbing his eyes, Subaru decided to voice his question, "Where the hell are we?" ―The answer to which was given immediately when he opened his eyes, "N-no way! There's just no damned way. HOW?!"
There was no way Subaru could ever forget this place. The concrete road, the fresh air, the moving vehicles, the electric bulbs, THE convenience store he disappeared in front of. He was certain that this was his hometown―Japan.
"Hey Barusu, quit your gawking and tell us where we are." Ram was the first to recover from the sudden shock, so she decided to ask the only person who seemed to have an idea of where they were.
"Why would you think that I know where we are?" Subaru, clearly astonished by her perceptiveness, asked a question even if the answer was more than obvious.
"Your face says it all, I suppose," came the response from his contracted spirit Beatrice, "and stop crushing Betty's poor little hand, I suppose. It's unpleasant, in fact," she added. Subaru clearly hadn't noticed his action as his mind was going hay-wire―quite literally.
"Yes, Subaru, please tell us if you're aware of this place," came the voice as sweet as the chiming of silver bells.
They were presently in front of the convenience store Subaru had disappeared in front of. The cemented road, the lights, the moving cars, they were all unfamiliar to the people in this group―excluding a certain nasty eyed boy with black hair, that is.
"Well, uhh, you see―" before the young lad could continue any further,
"I seem to have lost my Divine Protection of Gathering Spirits, though, I'm glad that my buds haven't lost their affection for me." The purple haired knight said with a look that was not bothered at all but rather confused. Yes, apparently, the six Quasi Spirits that were contracted with Julius had also gotten swept up in this unpredictable incident. Anyhow, this took the attention off Subaru and onto Julius. Subaru thanked him in his head (though begrudgingly) for the random and― most probably― accidental save.
"Oh, I can recognise ya now, Julius-kun! Ya might've lost yer blessin' but ya've regained that Name of yers!" The knight's mistress, Anastasia Hoshin ― under the temporary control of Echidna the Spirit ― seemed to have realized this before anyone else, that the most elegant knight of Lugunica―the one who lost his name to a Sin Archbishop of Gluttony―Julius Juukulius, has now regained his name through this mysterious turn of events.
Wait… is Ana waking up?
What do you mean? Argh, it feels weird. Was I out for som― WHERE ARE WE?!
"I-is that really true Anastasia-sama…? No, forgive me for asking. My lady never lies,"
During that time, Anastasia ― having regained control of her body ― simply stood with her head clutched, not even listening to what Julius had said.
Echidna slowly explained to her what had happened to her after she blacked out in Pristella, and that they had been on their way to meet the Sage of the Watchtower before they mysteriously got teleported here.
For now, Anastasia just tried to keep a calm and collected face, while analyzing her surroundings to the best of her extent, and listening to Echidna's story.
"Yo, isn't that nice, Julius!" Subaru exclaimed as he patted Julius's back (with as much force he could muster). Julius was a little hurt because of the nature behind the force but didn't seem to mind it.
"Julius-kun, this is suuuuch a great news! This mysterious place has somehow returned your name to you! I'm so glad," the silver haired half-elf, was happy that even in these strange circumstances, things did not look too out-of-hand.
"But this must mean," glancing at the blue haired sleeping beauty, Emilia thought of a scenario that would bring immense joy to both Ram and Subaru. Just then, she heard a feeble voice―
"Sister! Oh, my Od, that really is you, sister! I can't believe I forgot all about you this past year! Please forgive me, I'm a terrible elder sis― huh…?" Ram suddenly stopped her silent―almost whisper-like―sobbing, and looked surprised. The reason was simple: Rem's fingers were weak but unmistakably moving, they had suddenly twitched against the fabric of her dress and Ram had been the first to notice. Her sharp eyes had caught the subtle motion before anyone else, and her body tensed as she leaned forward. "...Rem?"
The moment the name left her lips, something inside Subaru cracked open. From the moment he heard that Julius has regained his Name, he started suspecting that the one thing that he had been dreaming of for over a year now, might become reality.
He turned so fast it almost hurt, his heartbeat hammering in his ears. Emilia, standing close by, gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in shock. Even Beatrice, normally reserved, stiffened, her butterfly eyes widening slightly with curiosity. Rem stirred. Her head shifted slightly to the side, blue lashes fluttering as if caught in a dream. Then—slowly, weakly—her eyelids lifted.
A deep, endless sky.
The same shade of blue that Subaru had once thought lost forever. For a moment, no one spoke. No one breathed. Then, "—Subaru-kun?"
His heart nearly stopped. The voice was soft, weak, but unmistakable. A voice he had feared he might never hear again. Emilia gasped, her amethyst eyes shimmering with relief. "She—she's awake…!" Emilia was overjoyed that her thought had become a reality.
Ram's lips parted slightly, her fingers tightening against the fabric of her dress. A single tremble betrayed the emotions she refused to show. Beatrice, still in disbelief, muttered, "Impossible, in fact..."
But Subaru—Subaru couldn't move. His hands trembled. His throat was dry. He had imagined this exact moment a thousand times before, but now that it was real, he couldn't find the words.
Then, as if sensing his hesitation, Rem's gaze softened. Her pale fingers, still weak, reached out from beneath the pink cloak—toward him, "Why do you look… so troubled?"
At those words, Subaru broke. A choked sound left his throat as he practically fell forward, embracing her so tightly as if afraid she would disappear again. His embrace was tight, desperate, his palm pressing against the back of her head.
"You're awake," he whispered, his voice shaking. "You're really awake…"
A small, warm chuckle escaped her lips. She didn't understand what was going on. Why they were all acting like she came back from the dead. Where they were. What had happened after the fight with the Sin Archbishops of Greed and Gluttony. What the condition of lady Crusch was. But she knew one thing―her hero's happiness upon her return was incomparable. "Of course. I promised I'd always be by your side, didn't I?"
At those words, the tension in Subaru's chest finally unravelled. A strangled, half-laugh, half-sob burst from him, and he squeezed her tighter, as if grounding himself in reality. Emilia smiled, brushing away the tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes. "Welcome back, Rem."
Ram, still composed, let out a slow breath. "...Took you long enough, stupid sister of mine." But despite her tone, the relief in her voice was undeniable.
Beatrice, arms crossed, huffed. "Hmph. I suppose this means Betty won't be getting as much peaceful and quiet time with her Subaru anymore, I suppose." But even she couldn't completely hide the small smile that formed at the corner of her lips.
Rem, still weak, simply smiled back at all of them.
"Well, that was a very sweet reunion with onee-san, wasn't it?" The only member of the group that had been silent thus far and only continued observing the scenario― Meili― spoke up.
"Subaru-kun, who's this little girl?" Rem, the only one who had slept through the Sanctuary incident, was unaware of the sheer amount of chaos this 'little girl' had brought onto them before. "Oh," Taking a look around her, she also noticed the merchant Royal selection candidate and her knight― Anastasia Hoshin and Julius Juukulius. "Please forgive me for my rather rude behaviour up until now, lady Anastasia and sir Julius. I'm a maid serving under the house of Roswaal L. Mathers. I'm truly honoured to make your acquaintance."
"No need fer such fo'malities, ya know? We've curren'ly joined hands and 're workin' together. An' we we're already aware of yer situation." Saying such, the merchant patted her white fur coat. After barely a month of travelling with Subaru, something inside her had changed― Something that only the nasty eyed boy and the Sword Saint were aware of― had been reversed. "This place truly does wonders," she muttered under her breath.
The only thing was, she didn't realize that the blonde Spirit had already noticed the change being reversed.
Interesting, I suppose.
"More importantly," Julius said coughing into his fist to gain everyone's attention, "there are quite a few things we don't understand yet." He added, "Firstly, we have suddenly been transported by some mysterious force to this 'unknown' place while travelling to the Watchtower;" he gave a small glace towards Subaru, "secondly, we have been stripped of our Divine Protections;" he looked towards the surrounding area, "thirdly, we have no idea about the whereabouts of our ground dragons― Patrasche and Gyan; and most importantly of all be―" he glanced at Rem, "― the effects of Gluttony's Authority have been negated upon our arrival here." He said with finality.
"Oh man, what the hell could've happened to Patrasche and Gyan…" Subaru muttered under his breath, "I really hope they're safe." Should he use Return by Death? No, the Witch of Envy will probably find him in due time and pull them back, so there's no need to be impatient, right? With such thoughts, he decided against using Return by Death, for the time being.
"Wait, what about you, Meili?" Subaru turned to her, "Do you still have your blessing?"
"I can't te~ll, Onii-san. There seem to be no Mabeasts around for me to che~ck!" She replied nervously. Her only strength were Mabeasts after all.
Makes sense, Subaru thought.
"So, this place is somewhere that we don't know about?" Rem asked as she had presumed everyone already knew the place.
"That's right, I suppose, but Betty's Subaru probably knows something." Beatrice said pointing towards Subaru. Rem was confused by the way the Forbidden Library's Great Spirit addressed her hero, but she decided to put those questions on the backburner for now.
"Uh, yeah, I do." Subaru said, gaining everyone's attention. His emotions had finally calmed down quite a bit after witnessing Rem wake up, so he was ready to reveal this place to them. "It's my hometown, Japan." He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"So, uh, where's this Japaaan?" Emilia asked making a confused face. The confusion was evident on every one of their faces.
"Oh, you've heard stories of people coming from Beyond the Great Waterfall, yes? It's something like that. This is a different world. This world has no Lugunica, Pristella, Kararagi or Vollachian Empire." Subaru stated recalling some of the many stories that he's read during his stay at the new Roswaal Mansion. From what he was able to learn, there were many stories of people who got transported form Earth to that world. They were said to come from beyond the Great Waterfall.
"Wait, wait, wait, I suppose! Betty knew that your origins were mysterious, but this is beyond her expectations, in fact!" Beatrice said waving her hands. They were all confused.
"So, yer telling me that ya're from the same place that only a rumoured few are from?" Anastasia said musing, "I did research on yer background after that success'ul whale hunt of yers, but I couldn't find anythin' beyond the day ya met the Sword Saint in a back alley."
"That's pretty much the day I was transported there. You sure did your homework." Subaru said closing his right eye.
Meili decided to ask the obvious, "So, do you know how we can go ba―"
"What's a cosplay group doing out here so late at night?" But she was cut off.
It's just another usual day for Mr. Koizumi Orochi, a convenience store owner. He was a retired gentleman in his 60s. Before noon, he takes care of the store and after that, the part time employs and his children/grandchildren take care of the shop for him.
But since over half a year ago, this routine has experienced a little change.
The Natsuki family, that lives close by, recently had their son gone missing. They claimed that their son had gone to a convenience store to get some snacks but never returned. As this was the closest store to their house, they asked him to check the CCTV cameras. And, as expected, their son did appear in the recordings. But, after he left the store, he just suddenly vanished as a car passed by in front of him. There was no explanation. Some thought that he was hit by the car but nothing was found on the road, not even a drop of blood, so the possibility of an accident was ruled out. The case was certainly a mysterious one.
Anyhow, as a result, the Natsukis practically begged him to check the CCTV every night, just to know whether their son reappeared or not. He had known them personally and was aware about their nice hearts and that they loved their son a lot. Their condition sounded miserable and he felt bad not doing anything. So, Orochi did this much for them every day at 9pm.
Still, even after the police got involved, they weren't able to find a single clue about their son.
Today as well, he was simply skimming through the security footage when he noticed something fishy going on outside his store.
There was a group of kids doing fantasy cosplay at this hour just beside the road. From what he could make out, the group even had a few elementary schoolers. They seemed to be doing practice for some sort of a play. To him, they seemed to be doing a pretty good job considering he felt the sadness and grief in their actions even when he was so far and couldn't hear a thing that they were saying. But, even still, it was pretty late and they should probably head home. Maybe the kids didn't notice the time as they looked pretty immersed in their play? With such thoughts in mind, he decided to remind them to go home.
"What's a cosplay group doing out here so late at night?" An unknown man who appeared in his 60s suddenly asked them.
"Oh, we're so sorry to cause you any trouble, please forgive us," Subaru decided to respond first with a bow, "we were just practicing for a play and lost track of time. Could you just tell us what time and, uh, day it is right now?" he said smiling sheepishly.
"I thought you kids were weird, but this is beyond abnormal. How did you even manage to forget the day's date?" The man was clearly confused by the nasty eyed boy's question. Subaru just gave him a nervous chuckle and scratched the back of his head. Orochi thought he's seen the kid's face before, nevertheless, he answered the question. "Whatever, today's the (Author here, there was no exact date mentioned when Subaru was first transported to Japan, so, just imagine the date to be about 6-7 months after his transportation) and it's around a quarter past nine, got it? Now, scramble home, it's getting pretty late!"
"Sure, thanks for the help, sir!" Saying such, Subaru bowed at him and gestured for the rest to follow him. The moment he did that, the old man suddenly realized something―
"Wait! You're the Natsuki kid that disappeared over half a year ago, aren't you?" Orochi said while glaring at him, "Please kid, just go back to your home. Your parents really miss you; I've seen that firsthand. Go home or I'll have to call the cops to drag you there. If you want to leave home, then at least tell them first." He spoke with sincerity in his voice.
"Yes, I'm sorry; I'll go home right away," saying such Subaru and his group disappeared into the darkness of the night.
On the way to his home, Subaru pondered about the unequal passage of time here and in Lugunica. He had been away for over a year now, but only about half a year had passed here. Anyhow, he put that on the backburner for now, and everyone slowly explained the situation to Rem― who knew nothing about what was going on. He also explained to the others that he had no clue about how he got transported to Lugunica that day― he was simply out shopping for snacks when he suddenly got transported. To prevent things from getting too hairy, he deliberately left out the part about the Satella and his promise to her. He also skipped the existence of Return by Death, as he didn't want to face any penalties at the moment.
With the basic explanations being done, he wondered how he should greet his parents after all this time. He was very well aware about the love his parents had for him― and just knowing how they might've mistaken his disappearance as a sign that he didn't love them― tore his heart.
With that, they finally arrived at the front door.
Nervously, but determinately, Subaru pressed the doorbell.
*DING* *DONG*
In the Natsuki residence, Naoko and Kenichi were sitting on the couch. Kenichi was having the usual talk with a police officer, "Ok sir, thanks for your hard work." With that, the call finally came to an end.
"So, dear," Naoko said giving Kenichi a hopeful look. "Sorry honey, the police are still giving it their best." Kenichi said looking down with hopelessness. "Oh dear, will we ever see our son again?" Naoko said with tears in her eyes. Kenichi couldn't do much to help as his condition was no better, still, he put his arm around her shoulder saying, "Don't you worry, the police said they've got a clue, it won't be too long before our son returns home." He tried his best to give her hope.
"But you've been saying that since a month!" Naoko sobbed clenching her fists. Her nails digging into her skin, "How can I not worry when our one and only child― our Subaru― is nowhere to be found!" She said breaking down into silent sobs. Kenichi could do nothing but watch in silence. He knows that anything he says now will only cause her more grief.
*DING* *DONG*
Someone had rung their doorbell. Who could it be at this hour? All their neighbours were already aware of their plight, so they wouldn't dare disturb them at this hour. Did something serious happen? Kenichi slowly went to open the door.
"Yes, who is― huh...?" Kenichi opened the door but was left speechless. Their son who had disappeared many months ago― who many presumed to have committed suicide due to his mental state― was standing in front of the door. What perplexed him more (even more than the kid's fashion choice) was the fact that his son was― though nervously and sheepishly― smiling! "Er, um… hello dad," the figure in front of him said making a piece symbol with his left hand and scratching the back of his head with his right. "Uh, long time no s―" before the kid could continue any further, he was embraced in a hug that squeezed the life out of him. "DAD, YOU'RE GOING TO SQUEEZE ME TO DEATH;" to the response of which, he received "SUCK IT UP SON; YOU DESERVE IT FOR LEAVING US ALONE OUT OF NOWHERE."
Sensing the commotion, Naoko decided to peek outside and see what the fuss was about, but before she did, Kenichi dragged Subaru to the living room, put his arm around the poor kid's shoulder, patted― no, rather smashed― his back, and exclaimed, "Look dear, our pride and joy finally decided to come home!" He said flinging― the now almost dead― Subaru.
There was no way Naoko wouldn't respond upon hearing such a bold exclamation by her husband. She looked up and saw Kenichi holding Subaru by the shoulders while the boy was barely holding on to dear life. She giggled at the usual sight she had missed so much.
Seeing her mood lifting, Kenichi threw Subaru on the sofa, "Go kid, your mother needs you." Leaving his dad's dangerous clutches, Subaru finally came to his senses, but before he could even get a word out, he was taken into another embrace― unlike the one before― this one felt soft, soothing and healing. "Please son, let your mother stay like this for a little while," saying such, Naoko's embrace became tighter. Subaru could feel the grief his parents must've been through during his disappearance and the immense joy they felt upon his return.
"You don't have to tell us what you were up to during the past few months unless you want to, you know?" Naoko said noticing the serious expression on her son― Subaru's― face. Although traces of tears were clearly visible on her face, she gave Subaru one of the brightest smiles she could.
"Yeah son, we're just glad you're back home, safe and sound." Kenichi said giving Subaru a warm smile and crossing his arms. Noticing all this love radiating from his parents, it was impossible for Subaru to hold back his emotions and not explain the situation to them; they deserved to know about it. "Of course, I'm back safe and sound. Whose kid do you think I am?" Subaru said pointing his right thumb towards himself winking and beaming brightly. But he did not get the response he had expected, "What's wrong, mom, dad? "
"Uh, son… just tell us you haven't been doing some strange sort of drugs," Kenichi said with a confused look. "Of course I haven't!" Subaru pouted. "Then what's that on your right hand?" Naoko said pointing towards Subaru's right arm, which looked like a mass of black rotting flesh. He had totally forgotten all about this as it didn't feel any different from his usual skin.
About a month or so ago, Subaru had absorbed this from Crusch in Pristella after she had been― forcefully― made to absorb this dragon blood by the Sin Archbishop of Lust, Capella. Back then, he hadn't minded doing this to ease her pain as he was somehow not much affected by the dragon blood, so he doesn't regret it one bit.
"Well, it's a long story, basically, I got cursed." Noticing the suspicious look his parents were giving him, he quickly waved his hands in front of him, "Wait, wait, wait. Don't get me wrong, I swear I'll explain everything in more detail later!"
"Sure son, no need to sweat the details." With that, the Natsuki family's reunion was complete.
"Uh, well, could I ask for a tiny favor?" Subaru asked sheepishly, "I've got some friends with me, could they spend the night here?" After a few seconds passed in silence, "Uh, why did everything suddenly get so awkward…?" Subaru mumbled.
"Honey, I can't believe it! Our son brought friends over!" Kenichi said smiling proudly.
"The dinner today needs to be the most delicious meal I've ever cooked in my life!" Naoko said brushing away the tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes.
"Hey hold on a second here! I'm not some lonely friendless kid anymore, you know!" Subaru gave them a warm smile, "I'll go get them in just a second." He headed outside to the door where he had asked everyone to stay for the time being. Although they had heard everything that had transpired inside the house (the front door was left open by Kenichi as he forgot to close it in the excitement), no one dared to ask Subaru about it. They had never imagined the origins of the nasty eyed boy, they were all so fond of, could be so mysterious and simple all at once.
Either way, they followed him into the house.
TBC