Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Another Happy Landing
Her breaths were ragged. She had no strength, no power.
Both the Dragon Sword and her Divine Protection had abandoned her.
All Theresia could do was stare at the monster before her.
"Don't be afraid. There is no point in fearing the inevitable. Wouldn't you agree?"
Theresia glared at the platinum-haired bitch. "Damn… you…"
"Very well. Farewell, Theresia Van Astrea. May your legacy be more favorable than your life."
With a snap of Pandora's fingers, the White Whale responded to her command, and flew down to devour Theresia whole. But she couldn't think about her end. All she could think about was…
Reinhard… my little angel… Theresia closed her eyes, waiting for the end. She wouldn't come home to her husband, her son, her daughter-in-law, and her grandson... this was her end.
Forgive me… she mentally begged them. I failed...
All she could do now was accept her death –
"GOONGALA!!!"
Theresia opened her eyes when she heard a... frankly absurd battle cry. What the...?
There, in front of her and to her side, between Theresia and the Witch, a hole in space opened up, and launching out of it came… a boy? Even Pandora seemed to be shocked by this.
"Subaru?" she murmured. "This is... unexpected…"
"GANGWAY! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!
"What the –?! OOF!" Before she could even comprehend what was going on, the boy slammed into Theresia, sending both of them through a second portal that opened in front of them.
Before Pandora even knew what happened, the portals closed. The Great Mabeast roared in displeasure at losing its meal, while the Witch was just stunned. He wasn't supposed to be here for another fourteen years, and she would have definitely noticed if he was here before, so...
"What... just happened?"
Elsewhere, in a dark tower, in a room full of bricks, the portal opened up, sending the recently-disowned Sword Saint and her kidnapper tumbling down onto the floor.
The nasty-eyed boy groaned, getting up. "Agh... gotta work on the landing…"
WHAM!
Suddenly, the boy was clocked square in the face, as Theresia scurried away from him.
"Ow! Fuck, lady! What the hell?! Is that just how you say "thank you" in your world?!"
"Who are you?! Where am I?! Why did you abduct me?! ANSWER ME, NOW!!!"
"Ugh, fine, just give me a damn minute…" The young man sat up and grabbed a mirror to inspect his injury, rubbing his cheek. "Could've knocked a damn tooth out or something…"
"I DON'T CARE! NOW, TALK!!!" she screamed.
"Fine, fine, jeez. My name's Subaru Natsuki, I have no idea where we are, maybe the Watchtower, and I brought you here to save your life from the platinum-haired bitch and her pet."
Theresia blinked. "Watchtower? Wait, you mean the…?"
"Pleiades Watchtower, yeah; try to keep up."
"How…? How did you do… that…?"
"My Authority," he answered.
"Authority…?"
"You know, the Authorities of Sin? The powers of the Witches and Sin Archbishops?"
"YOU'RE A WITCH?!" Theresia yelled.
"Technically, I'd be a Warlock, since Witch is a female term."
"THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT BETTER!!!"
"Better than being a Sin Archbishop if you ask me," Subaru said.
"Fine…" Theresia sighed. "Which one do you have…?"
"Envy."
"ENVY?!"
"Little something from Tella. She's kinda like my sugar momma, now that I think about it…"
THAT was the last straw. But before she could do something violent, Theresia was blasted away from Subaru by a bunch of winds, and then heard, "Lay a hand on him, and you'll lose it."
Thereisa looked up from the floor to see a woman in a white kimono, glaring at her.
"Right… Miss Sword Saint, meet Tia. Or Zarestia as you probably know her as," Subaru grumbled, as Thereisa made the connection that this was the Great Spirit of Murder.
"Why is she here?" Zaresita asked.
"Babe, it was an accident. I was just universe-hopping when I ran into her, literally."
"Then I will throw her out," the Great Spirit said.
"Whoa! Isn't that a bit extreme?"
"I'm showing remarkable restraint for not severing her head."
Theresia stared at the two of them, dumbfounded. The boy and the Great Spirit… They were arguing… like an old married couple?! There's no way! Did he... is she... ARE THEY...?!
"Master! Are you back?" a new voice called out.
"I'm here, and with a guest! So, please don't shoot her!" Subaru shouted, as entering the room was… a woman in a scantily-clad outfit, her brown hair braided like a scorpion's tail.
"...Huh?" Theresia stared at the woman, dumbfounded.
"MASTER! You are back! Yippee!"
"Soft hug! Soft hug!" Subaru shouted. His words went on deaf ears as the girl tacked him onto the ground in a hug, causing Zarestia to smack the brown-haired woman in the head.
"Let go of him, you harlot."
"No! He's my master, and you don't get to be the only one to touch him!"
"Phrasing, Shaula!" Subaru wheezed, still being crushed. "Good God!"
"Not like that, silly Master!"
Theresia's brain nearly snapped. Shaula... the Great Sage... was a woman... and Subaru... was her master...? The only thing that came out of her mouth was, "What the hell is going on…?"
"Oh, right. Kinda forgot people take stuff like this pretty hard," Subaru said.
"Stuff," Theresia deadpanned. "That's what you call all of this? Stuff?"
"How would you describe it?"
"How 'bout as a mindfuck, Su-san?" As if there hadn't been enough surprises, a third newcomer entered the room, one with a masculine voice. A kobold in a kimono with a pipe in his mouth.
"Ehh…" Subaru shrugged. "Yeah, that works."
"And who are you supposed to be…?" Thereisa asked the wolfman.
"Nam'es Halibel, th' Eternal Playboy, m'lady."
"You gonna freak about that, too?" Subaru asked. Theresia, meanwhile, was just stunned in silence, not knowing what to think anymore. "I'm sure you've got questions…"
She could only nod slowly. Subaru took that as a "yes," as he said, "Alright, let's start with the basics. Long story short, you're in an alternate universe. More specifically, our universe."
Theresia blinked. "Huh...?"
Subaru rubbed his temples with his fingers, groaning. "Alright, let's try this again... You know about the existence of your world, and all those inhabiting it, as a concept, yes?"
"Yes...?"
"Well, there are more worlds, just like yours, with all the same people, but… different. And these differences range from small to big," the black-haired boy said, as Shaula nodded vigorously.
"Yep yep! Whenever you make a choice, knowingly or not, it creates a branch in the timeline. One where you chose one thing, one where you chose the other, and one where you didn't choose to either," Shaula said, as Subaru continued from where she left it off.
"Then, you make more and more choices, creating more and more timelines, and they end up creating more timelines from their choices, and so on and so forth. As Owlman put it, "Billions of people making billions of choices, creating infinite Earths." That's how the multiverse works."
"…I don't believe you," Theresia said.
"Believe us or not, that's the secret of the multiverse. It's how things work, and we just have to live with it," Subaru said. Theresia thought it over for a bit, before she nodded.
"Alright, then. Prove it. What makes my… universe… different from yours?"
"In this universe, my universe, my Authority developed into the ability to create portals to other universes, instead of what it normally is," Subaru said, as Halibel raised his hand.
"An' since you're still alive, our universe's a' least fourteen years ahead.
"What...?" Thereisa stared at the wolfman. "Fourteen years? How's that possible?!"
Subaru shrugged. "Dunno. My current theory is that younger universes are "born," replacing the old ones, but there's no set time for them. Wait, would this also count as time travel...?"
Thereisa shook her head. "Whatever! Look, as... strange as this has been, I need to get home right now! My family is probably worried sick about me, most likely thinking I'm dead!"
"I mean, yeah, you usually are."
"I... alright... forget it... just take me home," Theresia said.
Subaru shook his head. "Sorry, I can't do it today."
"...What?" Theresia stared at Subaru.
"First, while I can create an unlimited amount of portals to any part of whatever universe I'm currently within, I can only create portals that hop between universes only six times a day."
She sighed. "Fine, just... let me know when you're able to do it again."
"And there arises the second problem."
"Second problem?"
"I've only had this power for a few months, which means I'm still getting used to my Authority, sooo… unless it's my native universe, I don't exactly know how to go where I want…?"
There was a silence, before Theresia slowly asked, "You mean... that you just randomly hop to whatever universe your portals take you to six times a day... and you took me from mine?"
"Not something I wanted!" the nasty-eyed boy yelled at the woman who was no longer the Sword Saint. "But considering what the alternative would have been, I'd consider you lucky!"
"But yeah, until Master figures it out, you're probably never going home," Shaula said.
Theresia's eyes widened, as her entire world came crumbling down on her. So, in summary, she was either dead, or stranded so far away that her family may as well consider her dead.
She was now stranded in a world far from her own, and her only potential way back was an apparent servant of Satella, who was dating the Great Spirit of Murder, somehow the master of the Great Sage, and a friend of the Admirer, and his random fucking portals. Fucking brilliant.
"Hey… are you okay?"
"Okay...?" Theresia never heard that world before; she understood what that word was supposed to mean, but she found it hysterical that he was asking. "How could I possibly be okay? I'm stranded in a world where my only hope of getting back can only make six random portals a day, and I'm probably never going to see my family again, who all likely think I'm dead!"
"Okay, yes, I know that sounds bad, but you can't give up! You will go back home!"
"How? Keep rolling the dice over and over again for years on end trying to get me home?"
"Kinda. While we will be doing that, I'll also be learning how to master my Authority without having to sit around here," he said. "And if we find your home universe before then, win-win!"
"Yeah!" Shaula nodded. "Master can do anything he puts his mind to!"
"It'll definitely be fun ta watch…" Halibel admitted.
"But if you can behave yourself, Subaru will get you home," Zarestia said.
Theresia couldn't believe it. These guys were serious. They were going to help her.
As she comprehended that, Subaru offered her a smile. "And besides, it is technically my fault you're in this mess, so what kind of asshole would I be if I left you all high and dry?"
Theresia let out a small chuckle. "You're definitely right about that…"
"Mhm. So, what do you say?" he asked, as he offered her his hand. Theresia stood up, took his hand, and nodded. Subaru smiled, as he said, "Perfect. Shaula, show her to the Green Room."
"You got it, Master! This way!" the brown-haired woman said.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Theresia said, as she followed Shaula.
A few hours later, the five of them were now in the Green Room having dinner around a small fire, courtesy of the wolfman. Theresia was impressed. "It's... actually really good…"
Halibel smiled. "Ya flatter me, lady."
"About the only thing the mutt's good for," Zarestia murmured.
"Ya wound me, Tia," he said, as Subaru got up.
"Alright, you all get some rest. I'm gonna go say goodbye."
"Good-bye? To whom?" Theresia asked.
"You probably don't wanna know," Subaru said, as he made his way downstairs.
Theresia looked over to the others. "Do any of you know?"
"Ooh! I know!" Shaula raised her hand. "It's probably Mom."
"Oh? Who's that?"
Zarestia rolled her eyes, as she said, "Satella."
"…Because of course," Theresia grumbled. "Why not?"
Down in the basement of the Pleiades Watchtower, Subaru waved off the miasma from his nose, before reaching the Witch of Envy's seal. Sighigh, he said, "Hey there, Ella."
He didn't know why he came down the first time around, outside of morbid curiosity, but he had made it a ritual at this point. "Sorry I gotta break this to you, but... I gotta leave for a while. Try and fix one of my fuck ups. I'll be back when I can, but... I don't know how long that'll be."
The seal didn't say anything. It never did. Probably for the best, from what he learned. "I just wanted to say good-bye for the time being. Just... try and break the ice, I guess… I dunno…"
Sighing, Subaru stood back up. "I'm sorry that I... can't reciprocate whatever it is you feel for me. Guess it just isn't meant to be here. Maybe once I get a hold of my Authority, I can... send you to a version of me that really needs you. You could do more good there than stuck in here."
And with that, he walked back upstairs, leaving the sealed woman alone once again. Subaru sighed once he reached the ground floor, where Zarestia was waiting for her contractor.
"Why do you keep doing this?" she asked.
"Well, she's been lonely for hundreds of years. The least I can do is come down to talk to her occasionally," Subaru said, as he held his contracted spirit-slash-girlfriend's hands.
"You're torturing yourself with non-existent guilt every time you go down there."
The nasty-eyed man looked into the yellow eyes of the spirit. "Maybe, but even if I don't feel the same way she does, I can't just forget she exists and leave her down there with nothing."
"Her beloved died four hundred years ago. You're not obligated to see her."
"True, but I can give her hope for a new life with someone else she can be with."
Zarestia sighed. "Still the same sentimental fool…"
Subaru smiled. "You know me too well."
"I should, I'm contracted to you."
"C'mon. Let's get some sleep," Subaru said. The smile on Tia's face deepened at that.
The Watchtower was silent once again as night fell, and its inhabitants fell into sleep.
Well, all except for one. Theresia.
She wasn't able to sleep.
She was too focused on how her family must be feeling. How devastated would they be? Are they comforting each other? What if Louanna somehow woke up to be greeted by that news?
Along with that, there were a few other things that were eating at her. Something Subaru said, that the others were also inferring to. Just... how does he know all these great beings...?
And that was not all. Traveling between worlds. Different times.
The fact that she was supposed to be dead, as if it was preordained?
he knew she would have died if not for Subaru, but... did that mean that...
She died... in every other universe, with only the rare exception...?
Thereisa frowned, as she also remembered… Reinhard…
By the Od... what was going through her grandson's mind...? He was barely five years old...
What if she never returned? Would Reinhard remember what she looked like? Would her family be able to move on? The loss of Louanna was hard enough for their family, but this…?
"I have to get home…" she whispered to herself.
No. She was going to go home.
When morning arrived in the Watchtower, Theresia prepared herself to head back home. She didn't know how long it would take, but she would do anything to return to her family.
She was still curious, though.
"So, how long should this take?" Theresia asked.
"Like I said before dinner last night, what universe I open up a portal to is completely random," Subaru explained. "Could be instant, or it could take us nineteen entire years to succeed."
Shaula nodded. "It's like Master always said, randomness is more fun! Yup!"
Halibel sighed. "Shaula, please don't say tha' when th' mean lady is next ta Su-san."
"Don't worry, Master! If she tries to hurt you, I'll tear her spine out and hang her corpse! Just like in The Predator movies. Yup!" Shaula said, as Zarestia looked at the half-naked girl with pride.
"She's growing up so fast…"
"Well, being in tha' tower fer centuries did kinda stunt 'er growth," Halibel said.
"Alright, you guys ready to get your acts together?" Subaru asked. "I just finished packing."
The wolfman gave him a thumbs-up. "We're all ready, Su-san."
"Alright…" Subaru said, adjusting his bag. "You ready, Theresia?"
The former Sword Saint nodded. "Let's just get it over with…"
Subaru nodded, as he summoned a bright circular portal, and the five of them stepped through.
Author's Note: The original title for this story was "Theresia van Astrea's Guide to the Multiverse," but given that TFTM (that was being published when I first thought up of this story) already uses the word "multiverse," I decided to be a little bit more original.
So, with this, one of the oldest ideas I've ever had is coming to life! This is gonna be the shortest of the mini-series (so far) that I've made, consisting of only eight chapters, so be sure to make your comments count on each one! See you guys again on Wednesday!
So! You all know, I have created my own website where I've posted a bunch of my art, so, if you're interested in seeing that, visit https://eowen5.myportfolio.com/! And I'm pretty sure as you all know now, I have also made a Twitter account to post my art, so if anyone is interested in checking it out, https://twitter.com/ErnaloreProf is the link.
If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is https://discord.gg/3PFYSt8Dqz. You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules.
Thanks for reading, and once again, see you next time!
- Ernalore