Chapter Text
New York - May 4th, 2012
New York City, The Big Apple, The City That Never Sleeps.
This city is not new to big events or disasters occurring right in the middle of Times Square, but to say that the events of this day would be historical... that would be an understatement.
For 2 hours and 47 minutes, the entirety of the city was in a state of war.
An army arrived at the city, killing, subjugating, and destroying everything and anyone in its path, causing an immeasurable amount of damage.
The army that attacked the city had a name: The Chitauri. A powerful and numerous army.
And most worringly of all, they were not even from this world.
Aliens.
Extraterrestrial creatures that descended upon the city, causing devastating damage in their wake.
They were commanded by one Loki, Prince of Asgard, Laufeyson. The God of Mischief. Just like his titles entail, he is a god-like entity. Hailing from the faraway world of Asgard, the home of the Aesir, and a part of the greater nine realms.
This rogue deity, hungry for power and adoration, sought to obtain the power of the tesseract, a powerful source of unlimited energy that allowed him to mobilize his army via a wormhole towards Earth, thus bringing war to the world, and ultimately, he would conquer it...
Or he would have... if it weren't for the combined might and will of 6 brave, heroic individuals.
This 6 would fight off the entire army for 2 hours and 47 minutes.
For 2 hours and 47 minutes, the world could hold on by the might of these 6.
For 2 hours and 47 minutes, Loki and his army were pushed back by these 6.
For 2 hours and 47 minutes...
The AVENGERS were assembled.
And now... nearly 3 hours after the battle had finally concluded, the assembled team of heroes...
...
...were sitting down in a disheveled restaurant, eating shawarma...
...very... awkwardly...
"..."
*clink*
"..."
...
*tap... tap... tap...*
...
*Clink clink*
...
*Clank*
"..."
*tap.. tap....*
...
"..."
*Clank... Clink*
...
"..."
*tap...*
"..."
...
"..."
"...good shawarma, right?"
After some very long, awkward minutes of eating shawarma, finally, a goateed genius, billionaire, (former) playboy, and philanthropic man decided to break the ice.
"You know, Tony, I usually wouldn't mind you going on to joke and stuff, but--" A second, much more soft-spoken man spoke to the billionaire. Although it was quite clear from his tone of voice that, for once, rather than being always angry, at this moment, the man was simply really, really tired.
"You want to decompress after a long day's work, I know." The goateed man responded with a quick quip, "Just wanted to try and converse now that I'm done eating, not good to speak with a full mouth and all that."
"If you're done already, let us finish eating too before we start talking about today's aftermath. I'm sure I can speak for all of us when I say that we all need to rest after what we've lived through today." A third man spoke out, his voice both firm yet cordial, befitting that of a leader; his tone, despite being calm and friendly, made everyone around him listen.
The goateed man simply sighed and rested his nape on the not exactly comfortable top rail of the chair he sat on, "right..." that's all he could respond with, pushing some air through his lungs in a heavy exhale that spoke way louder than any words.
With the rest of this supposed team of heroes eating in more awkward silence, the genius man, without much else to do for the current moment, just chose to look around the place. Destroyed countertop here, broken windows there, a tired team of superheroes eating shawarma after a long day of saving the world, just the works.
After some time, his eyes landed on a single briefcase lying on the ground next to him.
Bored, the man took the case by the handle, rested it in his lap, and for a brief second or two, he took a peek inside of it.
A luminous blue hue illuminated his face, not at all getting noticed by his already exhausted team of heroes... definitely not.
An entire alien war started by a god trying to take over the entire planet, fighting against the world's biggest circus show that Earth has ever seen... all started to get a shiny blue cube from space, ha! The man, Tony Stark, couldn't help but be amused by the whole ordeal.
Just a few hours earlier, he, wearing a high-tech suit of armor, flew off into a wormhole with a nuclear missile that was aimed originally at the city of New York. And out in outer space, within inches of death, he managed to get out of the wormhole and, miraculously, he survived.
The hero Iron Man, or rather, the genius inventor Tony Stark at this current juncture, shook his head slightly, trying to dismiss the events of earlier that day and simply enjoy the fact that he was still here, eating shawarma with his team of fellow heroes...
A team that was now observing him, bemused at what exactly he was doing opening the briefcase that contained the tesseract. AKA: The exact item that led to that entire previous mess in the first place.
"Are you closing that, or do I need to take that off your hands now?" a feminine voice spoke out loud to Tony in a half-teasing, half 'I'm seriously going to punch him if this ends in disaster' type of tone.
"Yeah, I'll close it... Guess I'm reminiscing already." Tony quipped once more before, in one swift move, he closed the briefcase and sealed it shut in a loud and satisfying...
*CLICK*
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"Ah, I see. This is where they suck you in."
Japan - 2012
Inside a small konbini right before midnight, a young man stood next to the store's window, absentmindedly flipping through manga pages without saying anything of much significance.
After some time, the young man lifted his gaze from the manga, and instead he shifted his gaze straight out the window, with the first sight met by his eyes being that of a young student couple much his own age walking happily down the street.
The young man couldn't help but follow them with his eyes, and after a few seconds of watching them, he simply took a look at himself in the window's reflection, and gave himself an almost defeated sigh, before placing the manga back on the shelf from where he had taken it.
Walking through the aisles of the store, he stopped and took a look at a red container of natto.
"Nah, not natto."
Instead of taking it, he continued walking, and he grabbed a plastic bag of chips just down the aisle.
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"So, you all finally done, or should I get you all some dessert?" Tony Stark addressed the team as he stood up, briefcase in hand.
"Yeah, yeah, we're all done," another man in the group spoke, his tone much more relaxed as he spoke. He also stood up, taking in hand a recurve bow and a large quiver previously lying on the ground, "though I wouldn't mind a dessert right about now."
Tony couldn't help but give a quick chuckle at his response, quickly quipping, "Well, one person's interested. Any more takers?"
"Right now, all we need to do is head back to S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters and ensure that both Loki and the tesseract are ready to send off, right to where they belong." The firm voice of Steve Rogers spoke once again as he too stood up, his mythical shield placed firmly on his back. As Captain America, he is the undisputed leader of the Avengers, and therefore each command he gave carried a form of authority not many could simply brush off, especially with a track record as pristine as his to back him up.
"That's right, now that peace has finally settled in your planet, taking my brother and the cube back to Asgard is our safest bet to ensure this never happens again." The large, imposing figure of the almighty Thor stood up next. Without a doubt, the most powerful avenger amongst them... though arguably not the strongest, he certainly lived up to his divine origins as the Nordic God of Thunder.
"I just want to rest... so the quicker we get done with dealing with Loki, the better." Bruce Banner was a tired man. While he always tried to avoid trouble, and he wanted nothing more than to just live a quiet life, today was simply not one of those days for him, having to 'suit up' as Tony so charminly put it... It did tire him out for the day, and all he wanted was to shut eye for a long while.
"Well, looks like you've been outnumbered boys, though I do agree with wanting to clock off for today." Following behind Bruce was Natasha Romanoff. A lass whose assassin's skills certainly lived up to her codename of Black Widow, skills that, while having a bloody past, certainly helped her in making her ledger just a little bit cleaner after these days' events.
"Well, dang... guess I ain't getting any dessert." With a quip and a shrug of his shoulders, Clint Barton made his way along with the rest of his team. While Hawkeye was not the strongest or most stylish hero of the group, his bow skills in the field and the sharp eyes of a hawk made him an essential part in coordinating and giving recon to the rest of the group.
"Guess so Everdeen." Tony Stark jokingly called Clint, while casually leaving a Bankroll of money worth more than some people's salaries on the table as a 'tip'. "Though really, we could take a quick stop and get some--"
"Pass me the cube, Stark." Thor cut Tony off as he extended his hand, trying to prompt him into giving him the briefcase.
"Heh. What? Don't trust me to handle it with care--" Tony began joking, shaking the briefcase slightly. An act that very quickly proved exactly what he was jokingly saying, as everyone on his team gave him a deadpan stare. "--...right... catch!"
While making it look like he was about to hand over the briefcase to Thor, Stark threw the case over to Steve, who caught it with graceful ease, lightly surprising the god before he gave Tony an unimpressed look.
"Sorry, butterfingers. Should have seen your face, though." Tony joked, tapping Thor's shoulder in jest whilst going past him.
Despite the stunt being in rather poor taste, the group couldn't help but quietly laugh at his usual antics. After the harsh battle they all went through, and after almost losing Stark himself at its climax, having the chance to joke with each other felt wonderful.
"Alright, had enough fun now, Tony?" Steve asked.
"Yeah, yeah, had today's fill, time to go back to the office, people!"
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"Umm... hello...?" As the young man walked towards the counter. He quickly noticed that it was empty, with no employee to charge his order.
"Anyone there... huh? Oi!" The young man looked around for any employees in the area, and after a few seconds, he quickly found the store's worker sitting on a chair watching something on his phone.
"Oh... sorry! Just... Watching the news." The worker said, standing up and approaching the counter, having a somewhat relieved look on his face.
Huh... Probably news on that crisis happening in America... The man thought to himself. Will check on it later... Those superheroes most likely won if this guy's face is anything to go by.
"...I see..." The young man dryly replied, before setting the items he wished to purchase on the counter.
"That'll be 363 yen." The worker said.
The young man took his wallet and began looking for change, before encountering an intriguing enough sight: "Oh, a grooved-edge ten."
The young man quickly pocketed that coin for no real reason other than the slight amusement it brought him. Finding another coin to use and swiftly giving it to the employee.
The worker bid the young man farewell, with him simply taking his purchased items and wordlessly departing the store. As the young man got to the konbini's parking lot, he stopped for a minute, a car passing by the road as he stood.
Heroes... Superheroes... They're real now, I guess... The young man began pondering to himself. Heroes who can save people... People who need them...
People DO need them...
...
...
Could I ever be...
The moment that thought passed through the young man's head, an immediate feeling of loathing overcame him, self-loathing, truthfully. A feeling the man only indicated out loud with a self-deprecating laugh.
"Right... Like people would need me..." The young man said aloud, almost as if those words were directed to himself. His next words said with a form of self-imposed finality, "I'm not needed."
With those words spoken, the young man began walking with a form of... miserable tranquility. Left was the young man to go back home, to end the day just like any oth--
The fabric of reality split, and shadows of the one who loves him most stretched out toward him.
His vision became unexpectedly warped. His surroundings became nothing more than a mesh of color and shapes... Before quickly returning to their initial state.
Bewildered by this sudden phenomenon, the man simply looked at his surroundings. He looked left. He looked right... Before merely dismissing that phenomenon.
"I guess anyone's eyes would be tired after holing up in their room, gaming all day." He expressed.
The young man slowly began rubbing his eyes.
...
And then he opened them, or more so, he tried to, since his vision was immediately blasted by a bright light, and his ears began to hear all sorts of noises around him.
After a quick set of blinks, his senses finally adjusted, and the first things he saw...
Was that of people... Animal people, walking alongside other normal-looking humans, all of them walking through a stone pathway, talking to each other as if it were the most common of things.
A fountain sat in the middle of a seeming plaza, surrounded by buildings, buildings not too dissimilar to those of medieval-style structures. Down the roads going outwards to the plaza, little stalls of apparent goods could be seen getting sold.
"What's going on?" That was the first thing the young man could muster out as his brain finally began to process what his senses were telling him.
"...This stuff obviously isn't fake." After a few seconds, the man spoke again. Finally, his brain wholly acknowledged all the information it needed.
"Which means..."
The man's eyes, ones that once could only be described as loaded with meaninglessness, were finally filled with a glimmer of realization.
"So does this mean..." Raising his voice out to the world...
"...THAT I'VE BEEN SUMMONED TO ANOTHER WORLD!?" ...Natsuki Subaru decisively declared, celebrating this as his first steps in starting life in another world.
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As the team of heroes got out of the restaurant, Tony took a tiny earpiece out of his pocket and placed it into his ear.
"You alive, J.A.R.V.I.S?" Tony spoke aloud clearly.
"Of course, Sir. I'm currently making some repairs to the Mark VII, as well as getting the Department of Damage Control ready for cleaning the post-battle damage." A voice spoke in Tony's earpiece, that of the ever-trustworthy and extremely useful AI of Stark, J.A.R.V.I.S.
"Good as always, J.A.R.V.I.S. If you could also get in contact with good old Nick and ask for tomorrow's preparations for Loki and the cube. And about the Mark VII, how good are we on the repairs? Also, Pepper... Is she... I only called her for a few minutes--" Stark asked his AI companion, his voice losing some of his bravado the moment his partner, Pepper Potts, was mentioned.
"Mrs. Potts is alright, Sir. I got a message from her to keep a tighter eye on you and prevent you from doing any other 'startling stunts'." J.A.R.V.I.S informed Tony, his professional "voice" sounding caring for a moment, despite his existence being nothing more than an artificial construct of data.
"Sounds about right..."
"I've already gone ahead and arranged the details with Sir Fury. 'Tomorrow, 10 AM, Bethesda Terrace in Central Park, bring Loki and the Tesseract.' His words, sir," the AI explained, "and about the Mark VII, only minor repairs have been done at this point. The overall power of the armor has been charged at 40%. The weaponry has only been reloaded at 15%. And the armor itself was not repaired beyond 5%."
"I see... should be good enough for a quick transfer of the trickster..." Tony mumbled to himself.
"Sir?"
"Oh, nothing, just make sure to send it my way if uhh... something happens later-- or you know? just watch my back 'k J? send it if needed." The man simply ordered his AI.
"...Alright, sir."
Tony sighed to himself, a strange feeling of... vulnerability creeping up from him. Though the man himself was unable to tell why this was, so he simply ignored it. At the same time, Steve aproached tony, placing a hand on his shoulder in a reassuring gesture.
"You all right?" he asked Tony, a friendly yet concerned tone in his voice.
"Huh, yeah, yeah. I'm fine, just tired-- or, exhausted more like. Let's just get this done already." Tony asured steve, hurrying him along to the rest of the group, putting up the earpiece back in his pocket.
Steve just looked at Tony for a few seconds before nodding in agreement, not wanting to bring up whatever Tony was struggling with at this time, "Right, come on." He walked with Tony and the rest of the team towards the current S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters, where Loki was being held.
After a few minutes, as the team kept walking, engaged in small talks with each other, none of them were able to notice the faint pulse of blue light emanating from the briefcase containing the tesseract, as well as the rather strange shadows coming from it.
Well... all of them except for a very perceptive AI.
The sudden sound of something flying through the air was heard, with the team of heroes reacting immediately. They looked at the sky... only to see Tony's armor flying towards him.
Seeing this, Tony put his earpiece back on and spoke to his AI, "J.A.R.V.I.S? What--" but before he could question his AI, it spoke first in an alarmed tone.
"Sir! The case is emitting sudden high levels of energy waves!"
"Huh!" Tony took a sudden head turn, directly setting his sights upon the case, which was increasingly gleaming with a brighter and brighter blue hue, "THOR! THE CASE!"
As the god was about to make a move for the tesseract inside... The case suddenly opened violently, with not just cosmic energy rays emanating out of it, but also strange, sudden, and mysterious shadows casting their way out of the tesseract.
The startled team of heroes, already tired from their massive battle against the Chitauri, couldn't react swiftly enough to the sudden action these shadows did towards them, as 6 separate hands, covered in darkness and gloom, arose from them and reached fast towards the heroes.
Each of those hands grabbed a hero and pulled them forcefully towards newly made portals from the erratic tesseract, with each of these portals also beaming with strange purple-ish energy and the enigmatic shadows.
"No you don't!" The only hero who was capable of reacting quickly enough to avoid getting caught by the shadow hands was Thor, using his electrofied hammer to slam the hand away.
For a moment, the shadows veiling the hand dispersed slightly, offering a sight to the delicate and feminine-looking fingers of the hand that attempted to take the god away, before shrouding itself in shadows again.
Thor only gave the hand a passing glance before switching his sights immediately towards his team in an attempt to aid them, but it was all too late, as all of them had nearly been through the portals fully.
"J.A.R.V.I.S!" Tony called to his AI, as his suit of armor was just a few feet away from reaching him before he was completely engulfed by the closing portal.
Thor, in one last-ditch attempt to help his friend, fired out lightning from his hammer directly towards the portal closing in on Tony, miraculously leaving it open for just enough time for the armor to go through, along with its owner.
Once all of that was over, an eerie silence fell over the area. Thor, the only Avenger that avoided being taken by that mysterious shadow, took a quick turn towards the hand that attempted to take him. Said hand swiftly disappearing into its shadows just as quickly as it appeared, leaving the Norse deity alone and utterly perplexed.
"Just what was..." Thor muttered, not fully understanding what had just transpired.
Taking a glance around the now quiet area one more time, he thought back at the glance he was able to see at that unveiled shadowed hand.
He could not identify whose hand that belonged to, apart from the hand most probably being that of a woman. He could also make no connection to any known realm that possessed any individuals capable of not just creating such profound shadows, but also seemingly having the ability to manipulate the tesseract from a remote distance.
Thinking about every realm he knew, every world he's visited, he just couldn't think of any of them that could provide any link to what just transpired, until a certain train of thought crossed his mind.
Father... could it have something to do with...
Back in his younger years, he remembered his father, Odin Borson, telling him and his brother Loki tales about how, after his subjugation of the nine realms, he heard from other worlds and known civilizations about a planet unlike all others, one that had, allegedly, separated from seemingly the universe itself into its own dimension for reasons utterly unknown.
From what his father told him, fueled with a desire for knowledge and plain curiosity, he embarked on a journey to find a pathway into said dimension, but after centuries of searching, he simply couldn't find any path to that world, at most, the only thing he located about that dimention was an unnatural barrier that encapsulated it, one made of a mix of strange shadows, pure magical energy and something he quickly and dismissively called "a horrific miasma."
"If that hand is connected to that realm... then father most likely knows something about it." Thor said, coming to that conclusion, "But first, I must head to S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters and tell Fury to send me and Loki back to Asgard."
Grunting with annoyance, Thor took his hammer by its leather lanyard, spun it around at impossible speeds, and once he released it, he clutched his hammer tightly, and the sheer force from the previous spins allowed him to take flight.
And, in less than a few minutes of flying through the city, he had already arrived at his desired location.
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"...Hey, mister..."
"Huh?"
"How many times have you seen me now?"
In one of many merchant stalls in the shopping district, Natsuki Subaru stood still as a statue, blankly staring at the rugged merchant holding an apple, or appa as he called it, out to him, before asking that strangely specific question.
The merchant looked at him strangely, and who could blame him? It's not every day that a random kid comes up to your store asking about how many times you've seen him, so, to at least humor him for enough time to see if he'll buy something, he played his game and answered him.
"What do you mean? I've never seen you before," he answered him. "Well? You want the appa or not?"
Subaru, seeing the... rather reasonable reaction that anyone would give if they were asked such a peculiar question, quietly smirked to himself, before he not so quietly struck a pose, pointing a finger at himself and proudly declaring: "Sorry, but I'm broke beyond compare!"
"Get the hell outta here!" The merchant angrily yelled, furious that he wasted his time entertaining a seemingly delirious kid.
After getting kicked out of the stall, Subaru took a seat at a random staircase entrance to a house. After doing so, Subaru made a quick checklist of the items he had on himself after being transported to this new and strange world: "Wallet, cell phone, corn potage snack, cup noodles... My tracksuit and sneakers are intact, too."
"And naturally..."
Subare made a move to lift the back part of his tracksuit, allowing him to look at his lower back.
Sighing, Subaru spoke relieved, "Thank god. A wound to the back is a warrior's greatest shame." Seeing that his back was... perfectly fine as it should be, Subaru lifted his head, and he took a good look at the new world around him.
Now, to an outsider listening in on Subaru... what he said might appear really strange. Of course, he's fine; it hasn't even been a few hours since he appeared in this world, so why even mention a stab to the back?
"Well... with this much circumstantial evidence, there's no denying it."
However, for Subaru, these observations one could make at the moment are the exact pieces of proof he needed to finally assemble the puzzling series of events that he had lived up to until this point.
"It's hard to believe, but this has to be..."
"...A time-looping ability."
This day... he lived this day 3 times... and he's gone back to the exact same place in time every time, back in front of the appa seller. He didn't want to believe it, but given the reactions of the people around him, especially hers last loop around... There is no more denying it...
"And each time I die... it activates... I return back in time..."
...he died, he died 3 separate times in this world, and every time he died, he went back in time, as if nothing happened.
"...I think I shall call this power..."
"Return by Death."
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Subaru contemplated every single event that had occurred to him ever since he had arrived in this world, and to say he was dealing with a lot would be an understatement.
"Actually getting a superpower... only for it to be time-looping through literally deadly means is... just like my rotten luck to be completely honest." Subaru half muttered to himself, chuckling a bit at his usual bad luck.
After sitting there looking up at the bright blue sky, he thought back to the first person he made any connection with back in this world.
Technically, Satella hasn't helped me in this life... so the debt I owe her should be null and void... He thought of how he promised to help her get her insignia back, the item that was stolen from her, all to make up for her saving him from getting beaten to death in a dark alley by some thugs.
Which means that I can forget all about that, go ahead and sell this... he thought whilst looking at his phone, save up some funds... and use all my knowledge from the modern world to live like a true isekai king! He thought excitedly, already imagining all the stereotypical isekai tropes that any teenage boy would imagine.
"This really is a dream taking form in front of my eyes! Don't cha think so, mister!" Subaru exclaimed towards another fruit vendor who, clearly, had no clue what answer he should give to the enthusiastic kid.
"W-Why are you asking me? I've got no clue what you're talking about."
"Gee... bit cold much..." Subaru answered a bit dejected.
"I'm just not trying to get involved in other people's problems. So don't bother me, will you?" The vendor replied pragmatically.
Huh, guess the phrase "let sleeping dogs lie" applies in any world. Subaru thought as he walked down the street, his eyes set on the stony pavement.
But still, there are always those who'll help others regardless, even when they don't need to or even can't afford to. Subaru began to ponder, his thoughts going back to the two most recent instances he could think of such acts.
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When the attack on New York first began, he didn't even believe the news. At first, he thought it was some sort of internet troll, but...
As the hours of the night stretched on, he saw more and more footage, live footage, of the events happening in the city.
Flying alien ships?
Humongous, elongated flying creatures defying all forms of reason?
A guy calling himself a god, more specifically, Loki, the Norse god of mischief?
It was ridiculous, but every news broadcast around the globe was talking about it...
But what Subaru thought was the most astonishing thing of all was...
The other side of the conflict, the ones confronting this alien threat, were...
6 people. Only 6 people were fighting off the entire army.
And they, these superheroes, they were winning.
Superheroes. That's what the media called them.
And Subaru couldn't help but agree.
He was looking at the footage live. These people, they were incredible. They were brave, heroic. They were...
Special.
That's the only way Subaru could describe them: Special.
Exactly what I'm...
...
...I just don't get it.
At that moment, Subaru turned off his PC, deciding that a nightly walk to the konbini to get some snacks wouldn't do him any wrong right about then.
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She's An Angel.
Remembering the face of his saviour, the pale skin on her features, the pointed ears that would look abnormal on a human, yet looked so natural on her, her silver hair flowing in the wind, her amethyst eyes that could enchant anyone, her voice that sounded like the chime of silver bells. Those were the first thoughts Subaru could make when he first placed his sights on her; no other words could describe her better than that.
Just when he was at his lowest, beaten like a dog in an alleyway, lost, confused as to why he was even in this world to begin with.
She appeared, not like a knight in shining armor, or like some sort of savior here to rescue him.
She saved him... for no real reason at all.
She'd just had something precious stolen from her, he thought. She didn't have any time for me. Yet she still saved some useless stranger, and even went out of her way to heal him...
...I just don't get it.
Why would any...
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...one?
As Subaru came to a stop, his thoughts got stopped short when he saw a happy family of 3 pass by him.
Seeing the happy family walking while holding hands stirred a memory within Subaru. On his first loop around, he'd helped "Satella" out with getting a child, Plum, back to her parents after getting lost.
The memories of them 3 messing around, his failed attempts at "flirting" with "Satella," the happy look on Plum's face when he pulled off his coin magic trick on her, "Satella's" happy expression while bantering like friends... They all slowly but dreadfully merged with the current crushing reality.
As a tomato from the mother's bag fell onto the ground, rolling into the street, a passing merchant's carriage rumbled over and...
*SPLAT*
Ack!
...
Even if Satella doesn't know me... Felt still stole her insignia, and Elsa will...
It all came crashing down on Subaru. The fact that once "Satella" reaches the loot house to retrieve her insignia, Esla, the person who was sent to "buy" the item, would not just slaughter her, but the original thief, Felt, and her grandfather figure, Rom, as well.
No matter how many times I repeat this, that won't change.
He remembers how painful it was to die, how Elsa, on his second loop, cut open his stomach and gushed over his guts. His fear, his thoughts of death. And how Felt and Rom too met their end right before him.
...They say history is a compelling force, right? An image of the Half-elfish girl who saved him showed in his mind.
Before Subaru had begun to realize it, his legs took their first steps towards the previous merchants' district, his walk quickly turning into a full-on, determined run.
If I have the knowledge that people I used to know will die...
"Satella," Felt and Rom, all the people he got to meet in this new world. Regardless of what "attitude" they like to put up in their exterior, they all acted to save him in their own way for his mistakes, and that's not something he can easily forget. No matter what.
"I can't just ignore it!" he exclaimed, a new sense of purpose in his step guiding him.
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After making his way to the merchants' district of the capital to stop the robbery, only to find out that he was too late, he made his way down towards the slums again for the third and hopefully last time.
"I guess I'll have to buy the insignia from Felt again before Elsa comes to the loot house, and then return it to Satella!" He muttered to himself... before coming to a quick realization.
"Wait, 'Satella' was just an alias, wasn't it?" he thought of her reaction back in the third loop, how calling her "satella" ended up making a huge scene and everyone's faces of disapproval and... other stuff he'd rather forget.
"Then I'll make sure to get her real name this time!" Subaru exclaimed to himself excitedly, as if nothing could possibly stop him from fulfilling this personal mission!
Which is why this was the exact moment he encountered three faces that came to know quite well at this point, despite his own wishes of knowing so.
The TonChinKan trio of punks.
"What are you babbling about?" The shortest of the trio, Camberley, spoke first.
"If you don't wanna get hurt, cough up whatever you've got!" The middle guy of the formation, and the de facto leader of the group, Rachins, threatened Subaru.
"Ya know... I'm getting real sick of seeing your faces, Ton, Chin, Kan, and after doing this four times, I've now learned my lesson!" Subaru proudly declared to his opposers, who were looking at him, quite confused by his words.
Taking a deep breath in, Subaru prepared to make his first move against the triad of assailants.
...
...
before he begrudginly stomped his foot on the ground in defeat, and, to the shock of the thieves, he yelled at the top of his lungs.
"GUARDS! HELP ME!"
"What the hell are you doing, you bastard?!" Camberley shouted in sudden panic.
Heh! Seems like my memory of before was right, there is a police force here! Subaru thought to himself, proud in his stroke of sudden brilliance.
"Please, somebody! I need a man~!" Subaru, deciding that if there was ever a time to lose some of his manly pride, this would be the time, comically decided to continue yelling in a much more damsel-like voice for extra distress points.
"Shut it damn it!" "Oi! shut your trap!" "Shut up, bastard!" The trio couldn't help but panic even more at Subaru's sudden move.
"N-no! Don't touch me! I'll sue!" Subaru continued his tirade up, keeping the act up until someone, anyone, came to help him.
And help did indeed arrive.
*Thud* *Thud* *Thud*
"Huh?" All four men in the alley turned their heads towards the newly arrived individual, only for them to see the illuminated silhouette of a man and the alleyway's end.
"Alright, that's enough." A firm voice came from the man, not harsh yet not kind either; he was the absolute voice of authority the moment his presence was known.
Taking a few steps forward, his person was now in full view for all to see clearly.
He was a swole, muscular man, strong and standing tall with his back completely straight, making his already 6’2 self look even more imposing and commanding. His short blond hair, blue eyes, and fair complexion gave him the look of an earnest man, which was complemented nicely by his imposing body and posture. All in all, just one look at him was enough for anyone to come to the conclusion that he was an unabashed good guy.
But what immediately caught the eyes of all who were looking was the... unorthodox outfit he wore, made of a material none of the natives of this world could identify, a strange bright blue costume with red and white highlights, along with a set of red boots and gloves, and a big silver star right on his chest.
To most onlookers of this world, he was a kind-looking, if not strangely dressed, man who was just doing an act of kindness by stopping a robbery from happening.
However, for one person, this man's appearance gave him a sudden and unrelenting feeling of astonishment.
"A-Are... Are you..."
Because for Natsuki Subaru, the appearance of one of his world's superheroes, one of the recently fabled Avengers, brought nothing more than confusion towards his own situation in this world.
"Why was Captain America brought with me into another world?!"