Chapter Text
The journey was harsh; it wasn’t forgiving at all. How many fell, they had long since lost count.
But to finally bring it to an end, the person entrusted with this weight, along with his friends, made their way to the END.
“Subaru… are you nervous?” Emilia asked, placing her hand on his shoulder.
“Emilia?” Subaru looked back at her. Her eyes were a much darker, deeper colour than the day he had first met her.
It was a sign that she had grown up as a person, but despite how necessary that growth was, he still hated the cost of it. “Don't you worry, it's all going to be okay,” he reassured her in a much calmer tone, holding her hand gently to reassure her.
“Emilia, do you trust me?” he asked, looking into her eyes.
“Absolutely,” she answered, but there was a slight hesitation.
“Why the holdback?” Subaru asked with a soft laugh.
“It's just… promise me that we will all put an end to this together and return back home together,” she asked, a much more serious expression on her face, demanding that he abide by her rules.
Though it made things much harder for what he had to do, he smiled. “Yes, I promise.” After all, refusing to rely on your own friends wasn't really the Natsuki Subaru style anymore.
They stood in front of a large underground chamber, a few meters deep under the watchtower. Emilia's expression was etched with worry as she watched Subaru's frame getting farther and farther away.
And then, the doors closed behind him. Subaru stopped as the heavy doors shut. Looking back, he recalled Emilia's words. Putting his hand over his chest, he walked cautiously forward. The chamber was so completely empty that each of his footsteps echoed loud and clear.
His wary eyes scanned the surroundings. Even the slightest movement, even the tiniest sound, put him right on edge. Natsuki Subaru had gone through far too much to let his guard down now.
To finally be able to get the answers he had forever longed for, he needed to make sure this opponent wasn't missed.
He was finally at the end of the room, or, to be more precise, the seal. The surroundings were damp, and the air felt suffocating.
His heartbeat increased. He started to sweat, slowly reaching out toward the seal. In that single moment, as he placed his hand onto it, he forgot to breathe.
Crash!
A loud screech echoed, and the seal shattered into a thousand pieces, raining down onto
Subaru, who crouched down, huffing for breath and violently vomiting.
The suffocating tension vanished, leaving behind an awfully sweet, hypnotising smell.
Subaru felt dizzy and lightheaded. He stood up, looking straight ahead.
Standing in front of him…
Was none other than the damn Witch. The one starved for love, the most envious of them all. She reached out, having yearned for him all these years.
Subaru kept staring at the silhouette carved by the shadows, his mouth open, salivating and bleeding from his nose.
A smile was carved on his face, like a mad lover.
The silhouette grew closer and closer….
I love you… I love you… I love you…
I la…?
“Ha?” Subaru stopped smiling. An awkward pause struck him right out of the illusion.
“I la… la… la…” the shadow stuttered.
“La la?” Subaru wiped his nose. Confused yet terrified, he tried to decipher her ramblings.
“I LAUGH YOU!!” she screamed.
“What?” Subaru stood completely petrified.
“Huh… eh? What does that even mean?” He ran through all possible meanings in his head, trying to be incredibly cautious with his words.
“……” The shadow went awfully quiet.
The tension died down… no, it was completely murdered, as if the suffocating pressure had never even existed in the first place.
“Satella…” Subaru reached out, calling her name. Hesitating, he pointed at the shadow.
“Just like I promised. I have come to save you.” Subaru smiled, his face riddled with vomit and blood, his signature track jacket soaked with dirt and sweat.
Wiping his face once more with his hands, he swept back his bangs. “Let's put an end to this, together.”
Suddenly, the entire chamber began to shake in a violent outburst. Terrified, Subaru looked everywhere for a place to hide as small chunks of rock started to rain down…
“Wawawa…” He looked away for just a split second, and that was the exact chance she had been waiting for.
“M-M-My beloved…”
“Heya!”
Subaru looked back at the shadow. That was a moment he would never be able to forget. Satella, with her hands pushed forward and her legs straight out, was flying. No, she was falling, her eyes squeezed shut.
“Shit?!” Subaru sprinted ahead, his arms extended to catch the falling maiden.
She kept free-falling, tears slipping from her eyes.
“Satella…!” With a loud cry, Subaru jumped.
“Yaaaah!” Grabbing her mid-air, he let his legs take the full impact. His knees buckled under the weight, but looking down at the scared Witch in his arms, he felt something shift.
“Gorgeous…”
“Mmhmm.” Satella still kept her eyes tightly closed, scared, holding herself in a protective hug.
“Tella… are you Tella? Open your eyes.” Slowly, she blinked them open.
And in that exact moment, her eyes witnessed the wonder she had dreamed of forever.
Her hand reached out to touch his face, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Suba…ru…”
Subaru looked at her, completely dazed. “Oh no…”
Until he recalled the side effects of the miasma. He quickly moved his face away, though he kept holding onto her safely.
“Suba… weeeeee, I’m so sorry!” She teared up, pouting. Jumping out of his arms, she dashed to the farthest corner of the chamber and crouched down, staring intently at the floor.
A visible aura of gloom settled over her.
“Uh… um, Satella…” Subaru tried to calm her down, slowly making his way toward her.
“No, stay away! Even though Subaru did his absolute best, I wasn't even able to do the bare minimum, and… and…” She sobbed, hiding her face from him.
“And?” Subaru asked, deeply worried.
“And I stink!” She snapped her head around, her eyes completely swollen with tears.
“Eh?”
Subaru stood there, utterly dumbstruck. Once the meaning of her words finally clicked, he chuckled. “Pfft,” he snorted, quickly covering his mouth.
“Mhm, well, miasma technically is called the Witch’s scent, pffft…” He kept joking about it in his mind, desperately holding back his laughter.
“Waaaa!” Satella’s crying only grew louder.
“Aah, there, there! My Tella-tan is a strong girl, ain’t she?” Subaru panicked, doing his absolute best to soothe her.
“What in the hell is this situation?!” he screamed internally, looking up at the cavern ceiling. He couldn't help but wonder if his entire journey, everything, all of it, had really amounted to this.
