This was supposed to come out yesterday but my laptop said "Haha no, fuck you ima start tweaking." I'm back just gotta get back into the swing of things kinda been getting lazier recently. Okay, so I'm going to make it to where I update on weekends so like today it'll be Re:Zero next weekend will be Frosted Mirror and then I'll alternate so updates EVERY weekend. The only thing that'll stop me is school work, sickness, or other real life stuff. Or I need more time to make the chapter but a week should be enough.
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The moment Subaru stepped out of the door, he squinted against the sudden shift in lighting. One second he'd been surrounded by towering shelves and the scent of ancient pages—the next, he was blinking at familiar wooden walls and polished floors.
And standing in front of him: Ram.
Arms folded. Eyebrow raised. Smile—icy.
"Well, well," she said, voice smooth as ever. "If it isn't Barusu, the mansion's laziest dog."
Subaru's expression flattened. "Ram…"
"I assume your legs still work?" she said, tone sharpened. "Because the moment you think you're done with your chores, you slink off to your room, leaving two hardworking maidens to pick up your slack."
Subaru blinked. "My room?"
Ram motioned behind her and walked over to the door he'd just exited. "Don't play dumb. This is the door to your room. Shall I show you where the lazy mutt lies?"
She opened it.
Subaru's heart sank.
Inside wasn't the towering, magical library with its countless shelves and pink-eyed loli librarian.
Nope.
Just his room.
His worn cloak hung neatly from the hook. His nail rested against the wall like a sheathed sword. A bed, still half-made.
"…No way," he muttered. "I was just in a library… there was a little girl… Beatrice… she called me insufferable and—"
Ram closed the door gently.
Then turned to him, looking completely unimpressed.
"You're not only lazy," she said coldly, "but a liar, too. And a dumb one, at that."
Subaru eye twitched then he opened his mouth. Closed it. Then opened it again. "I—Ram, I swear—"
"Enough." She waved him off like a bothersome fly. "Rem has gone to Arlam Village for shopping. You're going after her. Use this opportunity to fix your non-existent friendship."
"But I—"
"She's already halfway there. Be a good dog," she said, eyes narrowing, "and go."
---
The hall darkened.
Ram's smirking mouth moved—but no words came out.
Subaru's face twisted into shadow. Two glowing white dots blinked open from beneath the mask's eyeholes. Black mist leaked out, curling along his cheeks like ink in water.
The floor cracked beneath his feet.
Void energy flared around his fist.
"DEATH BLOW!!"
One swing.
A black shockwave tore through the mansion—walls shattered, rooms exploded, birds scattered from trees outside.
Ram's pupils shrank as the fist struck.
She screamed, launched like a missile through the roof, sky, and stars.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH—"
"...Team Rocket's blasting off agaaaaaain~!" ✨
A twinkle in the sky. A final sparkle.
---
THWACK!
Subaru winced, rubbing the top of his head. "Ow! What was that for!?"
Ram looked mildly disturbed. "Stop staring at me like a pervert."
Grimmchild, landed on Subaru's head, hissed lowly—a flash of embers flickering across her mouth.
The Weaverlings gathered by the door, clicking quietly before crawling up to Subaru, carrying his cloak and nail. They placed them gently at his feet, as if presenting weapons to a knight.
Subaru took them, giving a little bow. "Thanks, girls."
He put on the cloak, slinging the nail across his back. "Alright. I'm going."
"Try not to humiliate yourself in public," Ram said, voice laced with thorns.
Subaru gave her a mock salute and turned the corner.
Ram didn't watch him go.
Not at first.
Only once he'd vanished from sight did her expression begin to crack. Her hand slowly rose to her chest, fingers brushing against the fabric of her uniform.
Ba-dump.
Her heart was pounding.
Hard.
Not from annoyance—but something else.
Fear.
She remembered it clearly—how he looked at her the moment she called him a good dog. His face had gone dark. That mask—already unsettling—had somehow bled shadows. The white dots had pierced her soul. The world around them felt like it was sinking into the void, inch by inch.
It only lasted a few more seconds. But Ram… Ram wasn't sure she'd imagined it.
"…What is he?" she whispered.
The hallway was silent.
Only her heartbeat answered.
---
Subaru took one last look at Ram, her sharp eyes burning holes in his back.He exhaled. Grimmchild hissed once more. The Weaverlings tugged at his cloak gently.
Just before he turned away, he heard it. A pulse. Like a heartbeat made of gravity and darkness.
A voice. Quiet. Ancient.
"She disrespects the vessel."
Subaru stopped. A chill ran up his spine.
"Shall we unmake?"
"No." Subaru responded even though he didn't know who he was responding to.
The voice faded, returning to the depths — silent once again.
---
The wind whistled past Subaru's ears as his body cut through the air, the Crystal Dash carrying him like a bullet across the fields. Grimmchild clung tightly to the top of his head, wings flapping furiously against the pull of speed, while the three Weaverlings nestled securely in his arms chittered nervously, their silk trailing like ribbons behind them.
Up ahead, a familiar figure in blue came into view.
"Rem!" Subaru called out, his voice carrying across the dirt road.
Rem turned at the sound, her eyes widening as Subaru blurred toward her. In a heartbeat, he dropped the dash, boots digging furrows into the dirt as he skidded to a halt a few feet away. The sudden stop sent dust curling around his cloak.
He exhaled sharply, then quickly walked up to her, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry about the… flashy entrance. Ram thought it'd be a good idea if I tagged along. You know—'bonding' time. I hope you don't take offense."
Rem's lips pressed into a thin line. For a moment, she said nothing, only studying him. Subaru felt the weight of her eyes—still sharp, still distrustful—but not as suffocating as before. The hostility was there, yes, but dulled, as if some unseen conversation had lessened the fire.
"Guess I'll have to thank Ram later," Subaru thought, though he could already hear the smug tone Ram would use if he ever dared to say that aloud.
They started walking side by side, the road stretching quietly before them. Rem's silence lingered long enough for Subaru to think this "bonding" was going to end in more awkward air than actual words. But then—
"…Your homeland," Rem said softly, almost surprising herself.
Subaru blinked, caught off guard. "My homeland?"
"Yes," she said, glancing at him briefly before her eyes flicked away again. "You speak… strangely. And your mannerisms are not those of Lugunica. So—where are you from?"
For a beat, Subaru was quiet, unsure if this was genuine curiosity or just another test. But the faint openness in her tone nudged him to answer honestly.
"Japan," Subaru said, and for the first time since he arrived in this world, the word felt both foreign and comforting on his tongue. "It's… completely different from here. Cities filled with lights, buildings that touch the sky, people everywhere. No dragons pulling carriages, no spirits flying around—just trains, cars, convenience stores… vending machines on every corner."
As he spoke, his voice shifted—less aloof, less guarded. Passion slipped through in the way he described the neon glow of Tokyo streets, the sound of cicadas in the summer, the smell of fresh ramen on a cold night. His expression softened, his words carrying a quiet nostalgia he hadn't shown to anyone since his arrival.
Rem found herself watching him, studying the faint changes in his voice, the way his eyes seemed to hold flickers of light even behind the shadow of his mask. For a fleeting moment, she could almost believe his story—believe he really came from such a strange, faraway land.
Her chest tightened.
She remembered what Ram told her the night before:"You cannot judge a man only by his smell. We work under Roswaal, who saved our lives. And we serve Emilia-sama, who bears the Witch's face. If you can trust them despite what they remind you of, you can try to trust him too."
Rem swallowed, burying the instinctive urge to let her hatred boil over. The scent was still there—faint but undeniable. The same scent they carried. But if her sister could endure contradictions, then so could she.
For now.
"…I see," Rem murmured, her voice quieter than the crunch of their footsteps.
And though her words gave little away, Subaru noticed the tension in her shoulders had eased—just a fraction. Enough to give him a sliver of hope that this wasn't the dead end he thought it was.
The dirt road gave way to the bustle of Arlam Village, a simple farming settlement with clustered wooden houses and lively chatter drifting from the market square. Chickens darted between fences, and the smell of fresh bread wafted from a baker's stall.
Rem paused at the edge of the square, her blue hair fluttering in the breeze. "Stay here, Barusu. I'll handle the shopping."
Subaru raised an eyebrow beneath his mask but only shrugged. "Fine by me. I'd rather not be the guy haggling over turnips."
Grimmchild, however, had other plans. The little flame-winged spirit wriggled from Subaru's shoulder, chirped sharply, and zipped after Rem, who didn't even turn to acknowledge her new companion.
"Traitor," Subaru muttered, watching the red glow disappear into the crowd. The Weaverlings scuttled in closer, weaving a small hammock of silk at his side as if to keep him company.
He found a bench near the square's fountain and sat, stretching his legs. For once, the world didn't feel like it was waiting to kill him. For once, he allowed himself to just… breathe.
That peace didn't last long.
"Hey! Mister!"
A gaggle of children rushed him, their laughter spilling louder than the clatter of merchant stalls. Subaru blinked as the Weaverlings perked up, their little legs twitching.
"You've got weird pets!" one boy shouted."Are they bugs?!" another gasped."Can they play tag?!" a girl asked, eyes wide.
Subaru raised his hand slowly. "Alright, alright—names first. Then we'll talk about tag."
The children practically shouted over each other in excitement, but among the chorus, two voices caught his attention:
"I'm Petra!" said a girl with reddish-brown hair tied neatly with a ribbon. She stood primly in green leggings and a cream cardigan, but her eager smile betrayed her attempt at being "grown up."
"And I'm Meili," chirped another girl, younger, her short blue dress swaying as she hopped forward. Her sandals slapped against the cobblestones, and her large eyes twinkled with innocence—or maybe something practiced.
Petra grabbed one of Subaru's hands without hesitation. "You'll play with us, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, sure." Subaru chuckled despite himself. "Guess I'm your dog now too, huh? Just don't expect me to fetch sticks."
The Weaverlings scurried out from his cloak, chirring as the children squealed in delight. Silk trailed behind them as they darted across the square, weaving harmless webs between barrels or creating impromptu swings for the kids to play on.
For the first time in days, Subaru laughed. It was clumsy, quiet, but real. Playing tag with a pack of squealing kids and three spiderlings wasn't how he imagined spending his afternoon, but it was—strangely—a relief.
Still, as Petra giggled on his shoulder and the Weaverlings wove a little crown of silk for one of the boys, Subaru's eyes flicked toward Meili.
Something about the girl gnawed at him.
Her smile was too steady, her gaze too sharp for a child's. And when she looked at him—just for a moment—it was the same kind of smile Elsa wore right before she carved through the tavern. A smile that hid teeth.
"…You're imagining things," Subaru muttered to himself, shaking his head. "She's just a kid. No way she's anything like that woman."
But the feeling didn't leave.
Not even when Meili laughed with the others, her voice high and sweet.
Not even when she waved at him like any innocent child.
Something in his gut whispered otherwise.
The sun had shifted lower in the sky, casting the square in long golden beams. Most of the children had already scattered back to their homes, laughter echoing faintly down the village lanes. Only Petra lingered, perched happily beside Subaru on the bench, gently cradling one of the Weaverlings.
The small spider chirped and clicked, its threadlike legs brushing against her fingers. Petra giggled. "They're so cute. I like them a lot."
Subaru leaned back, arms folded loosely. "Careful. They'll get used to you, then I'll never hear the end of it."
Petra puffed her cheeks in mock annoyance. "Then you have to bring them back! You promised!"
Before Subaru could answer, the steady clip of footsteps reached his ears. He looked up to see Rem approaching, a basket heavy with food slung against her hip. Overhead, Grimmchild darted through the air, leaving faint red trails as she circled like a vigilant hawk.
Subaru stood, brushing dust from his cloak. "Well, guess that's my cue. Time to head back before someone writes me up for loitering."
Petra's face fell into a pout. "Already? But we were just getting to the good part!"
"Hey, I'll be back," Subaru assured her, lowering his voice slightly as if sealing a pact. "Best friends, right?"
Her pout melted into a beaming grin. "Best friends forever!"
He gave her a lazy two-finger salute, then turned to leave with Rem—
"Wait!"
Meili came jogging from one of the side streets, her small arms curled protectively around something. As she reached them, she held it up with a proud smile.
A puppy.
Except this wasn't like any normal pup. Its eyes glowed faintly, and nestled in the center of its forehead was a small, curved horn.
"This is my doggy," Meili chirped sweetly. "Isn't he cute? Do you wanna pet him, mister?"
Subaru tilted his head, eyeing the horn. A memory of Elsa's grin flickered through his mind. His instincts screamed, his pulse pounding louder as Grimmchild hissed faintly from above.
Still, he forced his shoulders to relax. It's just a kid with a weird dog. Don't overthink it.
He extended a hand, slow and steady.
Then—
Crush it.Kill it.It's wrong. It's not right.
Whispers tore through his skull like knives, the Void gnawing at the edge of his mind. Subaru clenched his jaw, drowning it out. Shut up. It's just a pup.
But the moment his finger brushed the pup's nose, it snapped forward with lightning speed.
"—Tch!"
Its tiny teeth sank into his finger, sharp enough to draw a bead of blood. Subaru jerked his hand back, shaking it off.
Meili gasped, eyes wide. "I'm so sorry! He doesn't usually do that!"
She bowed quickly, then turned and bolted down the lane, the puppy tucked against her chest.
Subaru stared after her, expression hidden behind his mask.
"Barusu," Rem said flatly, stepping closer. "You're bleeding."
"Yeah. Nothing serious," Subaru muttered, flexing his hand. The bite stung more than it should have.
Rem's gaze lingered on him, searching, but she said nothing more.
Together, they started down the dirt road leading back toward the mansion.
Behind Subaru's mask, his brow furrowed.
That wasn't a normal dog. And that girl…
His footsteps grew heavier. The whispers hadn't left. They still echoed faintly, promising that this was only the beginning.
---
By the time they reached the mansion gates, Subaru could barely keep his balance. Each step felt heavier than the last, his cloak dragging like it weighed a ton.
"Barusu, you're pale," Rem said coolly, though her eyes flickered with a trace of concern.
Subaru waved her off. "Probably just caught something in the village… Don't worry about it."
But inside, he knew it felt different. Wrong. His limbs weren't just tired—something was draining him. A sickness that clung to his bones.
He trudged to his room without another word. The Weaverlings scurried anxiously at his feet, weaving frantic little threads in circles, while Grimmchild fluttered low, her glow dimmer than usual. Subaru managed a half-smile at them before sinking into bed.
"Relax," he muttered, voice hoarse. "It's just a nap…"
Darkness swallowed him.
When his eyes opened again, Subaru blinked up at the sky.
Not the painted ceiling of the mansion—no, this was open air. He was lying on a bench. The same bench from Arlam Village.
"…The hell?"
He sat up, and immediately his breath caught.
The village was gone.
The lively market, the bustling laughter of children—replaced with smoldering ruins. Homes splintered into kindling, blood streaking the dirt paths. The air reeked of smoke and iron.
Screams echoed through the wreckage—sharp, panicked cries cut short by guttural snarls.
Then he saw them.
Massive wolves, their fur bristling like thorns, horns protruding from their foreheads like jagged blades. Their red eyes gleamed in the dark, feral and hungry.
They ripped through villagers with ease, dragging bodies through the mud, leaving trails of torn limbs.
Subaru staggered back, bile rising in his throat—until his eyes froze on a figure in the middle of it all.
Meili.
The little girl stood calmly amidst the carnage, her sailor-like dress pristine despite the rivers of blood. Her expression was cold, detached. At her feet lay Petra—her throat slit, eyes wide and glassy in the dirt.
"Petra…" Subaru's voice cracked, disbelief clawing at him.
Meili tilted her head, finally noticing him. Her lips curled faintly, not in a child's smile—but in something far colder.
"You're still alive?" Her voice was sharp, adult in cadence. "The curse should've killed you. Guess I underestimated you."
Her hand lifted lazily, pointing toward him.
As one, the horned wolves turned their glowing eyes on Subaru.
A guttural growl rolled through the pack.
Then, with a thunderous roar, they charged.
Subaru's body moved on instinct. His hand flew to his side, unsheathing the Nail in one smooth motion. Shadows rippled from his grip, the void responding to his fear with hungry whispers.
The Weaverlings skittered to his side, hissing and ready to fight. Grimmchild burst into flame overhead, wings blazing crimson.
Subaru steadied his stance, his mask gleaming in the firelight of destruction.
The first wave came like a tide of claws and fangs, but Subaru slid forward in a burst of black, his body dissolving into nothing for a heartbeat as he passed through them. Shade Cloak shimmered off him like water rippling across stone. He reformed behind them, spinning in a low arc, his Nail cutting through three beasts in a single sweep. Their blood hit the dirt in thick spatters before the Weaverlings pounced on their twitching remains, stabbing and binding with threads.
Another lunged for his throat. Subaru twisted aside, one hand snapping up as a bolt of void erupted from his palm, slamming into the wolf's skull and blowing it backward in a haze of bone and shadow. He didn't stop moving. His sword rose to parry another bite, the impact sparking against steel, then he rolled under a leaping beast and came down hard, Void bursting around his strike as the ground cracked and sent shockwaves through the dirt. The wolves closest to him shrieked as their bodies were shredded apart, tendrils of shadow curling into their wounds.
Grimmchild shrieked at his side, spitting fireballs into the horde. Each explosion scattered beasts in showers of burning fur, forcing them to stagger just long enough for Subaru to carve through their throats. The Weaverlings darted and wove, their silk tangling legs mid-pounce, leaving snarling wolves helpless to Subaru's killing thrusts.
But the pack pressed closer, endless. For every beast he cut down, more leapt from the smoke. Their claws raked the ground, their howls forming a chorus of bloodlust. Subaru's chest burned with every breath. His body shook with the strain of channeling too much Void, but his movements only sharpened. The battle slowed around him, instincts fusing with memories not his own—echoes of Ghost's endless duels. Every feint he saw coming, every slash was already answered. His sword became extension, his will became rhythm.
A wolf lunged at his back. Subaru vanished in a flicker of black, reappearing behind it and driving the Nail clean through its spine. Another came from the side—his free hand snapped upward, releasing a flood of shrieking Void that tore the beast apart mid-air, its body disintegrating in a storm of shadow. A third barreled headlong, but Subaru twisted, slashing upward in a cyclone of steel that ripped its body from chest to jaw, blood spraying across his cloak.
Still they came. Still they howled.
Subaru's mask cracked faintly at the strain, a thin line glowing white. His movements only grew more violent. His Nail slammed into the earth, Void bursting outward in a dark explosion that flung beasts aside like ragdolls. He dragged the blade through the dirt, rising with a slash that cleaved through the necks of two more. A wolf's teeth closed around his arm—he snarled and crushed its skull with a burst of Void at point-blank, blood splattering across his cloak. Another wolf leapt for his throat, only to be ripped out of the air by silk threads as the Weaverlings dragged it down screaming. Grimmchild darted past him, crimson flames blasting holes in the ranks, its tiny body trembling with effort but refusing to falter.
Then the ground shook. The alpha appeared.
The beast towered above the rest, its horn glowing crimson, eyes blazing with unnatural mana. It charged, tearing a trench in the dirt as its jaws spread wide. Subaru's body blurred, dissolving into black as it passed through him. He reformed beneath it, the Nail rising in both hands. His strike cleaved upward, shadow bursting along the edge of the blade as the wolf split apart mid-leap, blood raining down in steaming arcs.
The pack froze for a moment, their snarls breaking into a low growl. Subaru stood amidst the corpses, his cloak soaked, his mask cracked, his chest heaving. Two white dots glowed faint in the sockets of the mask, his body ringed in black tendrils curling from the ground. Grimmchild landed on his shoulder, screeching a challenge, the Weaverlings hissing in unison at his feet.
The wolves broke their hesitation with a unified howl and rushed again.
Subaru lifted his Nail, Void already boiling in his veins. His body screamed in protest, his mind cracked under the strain, but he moved anyway. The night became a storm of shadows and blood, every strike a blur of steel and Void, every spell a thunderclap of death.
And still, he fought.
The mabeasts howled, their horns glinting in the firelight, a circle of red eyes closing tighter and tighter around him. Subaru's chest heaved, his cloak torn and mask cracked at the edge, but his grip on the Nail didn't waver. His whole body thrummed with Void, the air around him trembling with its pressure. Grimmchild darted overhead, fire spilling from its wings, while the Weaverlings scurried along his boots, silk threads lashing outward to snare the legs of beasts lunging too close.
And then Subaru raised his hand.
The ground beneath him shook, his palm pressed into the dirt as shadows boiled outward, swallowing the soil. In the same instant he leapt, flipping into the air above the pack as if the Void itself carried him. The wolves leapt after him, jaws open wide—
—and the world went black.
Descending Dark slammed into the earth like a falling star. A deafening blast of shadow erupted outward, tendrils of writhing Void lashing in every direction. Wolves were shredded mid-pounce, their bodies ripped apart in a storm of shrieks and blood. The ground cratered, stone and soil torn apart, black flames licking along the cracks.
When the haze cleared, dozens of bodies lay broken in the crater, charred and twitching, their glowing eyes extinguished. Subaru staggered out of the impact, smoke trailing from his cloak, his mask dripping with beast blood. The horde shrank back, growling uncertainly.
He pressed a hand against his side, blood leaking through torn cloth. Pain throbbed sharp and heavy. Subaru gritted his teeth, dragging the Nail into the ground for balance. He closed his eyes, inhaled deep—and the Void surged. Pale, glowing energy seeped from his wounds as his soul energy flared, knitting torn flesh and scorched skin together. Slowly, the pain dulled to a manageable burn.
The reprieve didn't last. The pack howled in unison, rage overtaking fear, and surged forward once more. Subaru lifted his Nail, stepping into their rush.
One came from the left—fangs like daggers. He ducked low, spinning as his blade carved through its legs, blood spraying in arcs. Another barreled in head-on. Subaru's palm flared, unleashing a torrent of shadow that detonated in its chest, ripping it open mid-charge. He didn't wait to watch it fall. He stepped into the next strike, his sword sweeping in a blur, deflecting a claw swipe before pivoting to stab clean through the beast's throat.
The wolves came faster, frenzied. Subaru's mask turned with every snarl, his body moving as if guided by something older than himself—echoes of battles long past. His blade sang as he shifted from defensive parries into ruthless counterstrikes. He dashed forward, his body dissolving into shade for a heartbeat as a beast lunged through him harmlessly. He reformed at its flank, his sword already stabbing upward into its chest.
Grimmchild swooped low, spitting fireballs that burst against fur, setting beasts ablaze as they shrieked and rolled. The Weaverlings scuttled up Subaru's arms, leaping from his shoulders onto wolves' backs, weaving silken snares around throats and muzzles before plunging their tiny fangs into exposed flesh. The air was chaos, fire and shadow dancing with snarls and screams.
Subaru's breath came ragged now. Sweat mixed with blood on his skin beneath the mask. His muscles screamed, but the Void drowned it out, flooding his veins with power. Every swing of the Nail left a ripple in the air, every pulse of shadow left corpses in its wake.
The beasts circled again, slower this time, warier. Subaru's cloak fluttered in the hot wind, the cracks in his mask glowing faintly. He straightened, tightening his grip on the Nail, and let the silence stretch for a moment.
Then he lunged.
The world dissolved into movement—shadows, steel, fire, silk. Subaru tore through the pack like a storm given flesh, every strike a blend of instinct and sorcery. His blade split bodies, his fists pulsed with eruptions of Void, his cloak swallowed blows before they landed. Grimmchild shrieked above him, a crimson comet. The Weaverlings darted in his wake, dragging down stragglers with silken snares.
By the time the howls faded into silence, the ground was slick with blood and charred fur. The last wolf collapsed at his feet, its throat spilling onto the cracked soil. Subaru stood in the middle of the carnage, chest rising and falling like a war drum. He lowered his sword, its edge dripping, and let out a slow breath.
The mask hid his expression, but behind it, his eyes burned—tired, but alive.
After awhile Subaru finally clears all the monsters but it was all pointless.
The silence in Arlam was deafening. Smoke drifted over broken roofs and blood-slick stones. Subaru stood alone amid the corpses of beasts and villagers alike, Grimmchild hovering beside his head with its ember eyes dimmed, the Weaverlings pressed close against his boots as if seeking safety in his shadow.
He tried to steady his breath, but each inhale tasted of ash.
Meili was gone. Vanished into the chaos the second her little army collapsed. Subaru's hand tightened on the Nail, the wood biting into his gloves. He should pursue her. He should—
Then he noticed the air.
Colder. Each exhale a visible plume. The hairs on his neck rose. White specks drifted down, settling over scorched earth. Snow. Too early, too sudden. His instincts screamed.
He pivoted, gaze snapping to the direction of the mansion.
"...No."
Subaru didn't wait. His cloak flared as Void surged into his legs, and in the next heartbeat his body shot forward in a streak of shadow and speed, the crystal dash tearing across dirt roads and ruined fields. Wind burned his eyes. The Weaverlings clung tight, Grimmchild trailing like a red spark behind him.
The closer he came, the colder it grew. Snowflakes thickened into a flurry, then into a storm. The landscape blurred into white. The Void pulsed unsteadily in his veins, warning of something ancient, something vast.
And then the mansion came into view.
—or rather, what was left of it.
The manor of Roswaal L. Mathers lay shattered, a ruin of collapsed beams and jagged stone. Fires hissed uselessly against ice that had crawled up its walls. The courtyard was broken earth painted in blood.
Subaru staggered to a halt, his boots crunching into frost. His mask hid his face, but his hands trembled.
Bodies.
Ram and Rem lay torn apart, their forms mutilated beyond recognition save for the tools still clenched in their hands—Ram's wand snapped in half, Rem's chain-mace lying slack beside her. They hadn't gone down quietly.
And Emilia—
Against the far wall, her silver hair fanned across red-stained snow, her torso separated from her legs. Her intestines spilled in a grotesque trail, violet eyes forever frozen wide in horror.
The world tilted. Subaru's chest heaved. For a moment, the Void roared in his ears like a tide ready to drown him.
A sound pulled him back. A growl, deep and primal.
From the wreckage, it emerged.
A colossal beast — twenty feet tall, fur like midnight, eyes glowing molten gold. Its body was mangled, one leg gone, patches of flesh torn away, yet its presence smothered the air like a mountain pressing down. Snow spiraled thicker with each rumble of its breath.
The monster's lips peeled back in a snarl, and its voice rumbled, ancient and venomous.
"Ignorant pest…"
Subaru froze. The sound wasn't natural. It was thought and rage given form.
"You dare…" the beast's words shook the ground, "to slay my daughter, and think yourself fit to contend with the Beast of the End?"
The title echoed in Subaru's skull like a curse. Beast of the End. His instincts screamed at him to run. To fight was suicide.
The snowstorm howled, and in the distance the earth convulsed. A fissure split the land, and from it burst a tide of black—some force like a living flood, surging toward the ruins with the roar of a tsunami.
Subaru's grip tightened on the Nail. His cloak rippled. The Void surged in response, half-formed, desperate to protect him.
He never got the chance.
A flash of blue cut through the storm.
The impact was instant, merciless.
An enormous ice crystal, jagged and glowing, pierced through his skull.
Pain obliterated thought. His body jerked, vision shattering into white static. The Nail slipped from his fingers. The Weaverlings screamed in tiny, desperate chitters. Grimmchild shrieked, flame sputtering out.
And then—
Darkness.
The world fell away.