The Sword Saint
It was official: Reinhard van Astrea had no idea how to take a day off.
The captain's order was very clear: "You work too damn much. Take a vacation or your hair'll turn gray." Perhaps it was vain of him, but Reinhard liked his hair color. It reminded him of his dear grandmother.
So, he donned his uniform—it wouldn't do to stray too far from his routine—and walked the streets of the Royal Capital. No, he wasn't patrolling. He was simply...strolling casually. If his posture was stiff and his eyes were constantly looking for anyone up to no good, well...What the captain doesn't know won't hurt him.
A few citizens recognized him and waved, so he waved back. It was his day off, so maybe he could be slightly less diligent. He walked over, prepared to start some friendly conversation, and was promptly tackled to the ground.
"What the—" he turned his head to find a boy in strange clothing on his back and a small crowd forming around him.
"You idiot," the boy berated Reinhard. "Don't you watch where you're going?"
Reinhard looked a bit insulted. "Of course, I do."
"Then why did you almost get run over by a ground dragon?"
"What ground dragon?" Reinhard sat up as the boy got off him, turning to see a dragon-drawn carriage on the side of the road, the driver looking a bit spooked. "I see," he muttered. Then, with a bright smile, "I must thank you, then, for saving my life." Of course, his multitude of Divine Protections would have allowed him to take the hit without feeling much of anything, but the boy didn't know that; he just selflessly risked his life to save a stranger.
It was times like these that reminded him of why he served Lugunica's people.
"Heh, it's no problem," the boy mumbled, suddenly a bit sheepish. He must have realized there was a crowd staring at him. "I'm Subaru Natsuki, and you're—Wait a minute, Reinhard?"
"I see you're familiar with me." Reinhard bowed his head and respectfully said, "Thank you, Subaru Natsuki. I am in your debt."
"Debt, huh," said Subaru with a hand on his chin. "You know, I might need your help with this thing in the slums tonight…" He shook his head. "Actually, you know what? Don't worry about any debt. I don't need anything, so I won't take it."
"That's not—" Reinhard began, but Subaru must have seen something behind Reinhard because he took off running.
"Don't worry about it," he called over his shoulder. "Nice meeting you, gotta go, bye!"
"What a strange boy," said Reinhard to no one in particular. He grinned. "Sorry, captain, but it looks like I'll be patrolling the slums tonight."
It was unfortunate, mused Reinhard, how one's birth dictated their social status. He was an Astrea; he was revered from birth, had contacts with the Royal Guard before he could walk, and would never have to worry about money.
The poor souls in the slums had nothing.
Still, the Royal Selection was fast approaching. Of the five, two were unknown: one was not revealed and the other was yet to be found. Perhaps one of them could bring justice to this place—the Dragon knew Priscilla wouldn't.
"Help!" a call rang out. "We need a healer!" A giant of a man (or perhaps he was a giant) was sprinting in the direction of the capital, a young girl in his arms. Reinhard jogged over to intercept them.
"I'm a knight; let me help you," he said, arms out in a calming gesture. "It looks like this young lady needs some medical attention. I don't mean to brag, but I have some skill in healing."
"I don't care," the giant snapped. "Just stop ramblin' and heal my granddaughter."
Ignoring the disrespect (the man was under a lot of stress, so it was perfectly understandable), Reinhard bent over the blonde girl in the man's arms. There was a nasty bump on her head; she probably had a concussion. A simple hand gesture and the bump vanished. Another wave and the multitude of cuts on her body disappeared as well. Her breathing evened out and she relaxed in the giant's arms.
The Divine Protection of Spellcasting was quite a useful skill, especially if one had a broken gate.
"The hell…" breathed the giant. "I've never seen a healer work so fast." He looked at Reinhard, gratefulness in his eyes. "Thank you. Afraid I got nothin' to repay you with."
"That is no issue," he waved off. "My name is Reinhard. And yours?"
"They call me Old Man Rom." He jerked his head towards the girl in his arms. "This one here is Felt."
"Felt, hmm?" Leaning over to get a better look at the girl he healed, Reinhard's eyes widened. "There actually is something you can repay me with, and at no cost to you. In fact, it may be mutually beneficial."
"I told you already," Rom grumbled. "I got nothin'."
"You don't need anything," Reinhard assured him. "Go to the capital and head to Astrea Chateau. Tell them Reinhard sent you and that the two of you are to be treated as honored guests."
Rom paused. "You're shittin' me," he deadpanned.
"No defecation involved, I assure you," Reinhard stated without a hint of humor. "I would greatly appreciate it if you could do this for me."
"Bwahaha!" laughed Rom with a face-splitting grin. "You rich folks are nuts, but I'm not complainin'. Thanks again for healing Felt." He began to walk away before he seemed to remember something. "By the way, mind checkin' up on my bar? Some things went down south with a client, and there was a bit of a tussle. Nothing major, but it's bad for my heart to worry about those two."
Reinhard narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps this is an odd question, but was one of them named Subaru?"
"Somethin' like that," Rom grunted. "Weird kid, but seems to be good in a fight. How did you—"
But Reinhard was long gone.
"If this is 'nothing major,'" he muttered upon entering the run-down establishment, "I shudder to think of what constitutes significance in his eyes." It was utterly demolished. Not a single table or chair lay intact and barrels of liquor were punctured, their contents wasted on the floors. The walls were covered in splotches of blood.
'What in the Dragon's name happened here?' he thought. No tavern brawl caused this much carnage.
"S-Subaru," a whisper came from his left, only audible in the silence of the wreckage. He whipped around to find a silver-haired girl laying in a pool of her own blood. Fresh scars littered her midriff, but no major wounds were in sight.
He knelt down to her level. "What happened here, miss?" he asked softly. "I can heal you. Where does it hurt?"
"D-don't, not me, Subaru, help Subaru," she pleaded, and with that, the poor thing lost consciousness.
Despite her request, he gave her a quick once-over, assuring himself that her condition was stable. It seemed someone must have already healed her. He uttered a calming spell; it wouldn't do for her to wake when her body desperately needed rest.
Reinhard scanned the perimeter looking for Subaru, finding him towards the back. He frowned; he saw now why the silver-haired girl was so concerned. Subaru was deathly pale; a stark contrast to the blood splattered on his skin. His right side was wide open, his entrails visible. A knife was embedded into his leg, and open wounds littered his body. If it wasn't for the slight rise and fall of his chest, Reinhard might have pegged him for a dead man.
He ran to Subaru's side, immediately getting to work. Not for the first time, he cursed his own arrogance. When Old Man Rom told him there was trouble at the loot house, he walked. When the silver-haired girl—who was clearly in a stable condition—begged him to save her friend, he ignored her.
It didn't matter how much power he had; if he was too slow, he couldn't save anyone.
But now was not the time for self-pity. A good person was going to die on his watch if he didn't act fast. He tore off part of his coat (mentally apologizing to the captain, of course) and began cleaning the wound on Subaru's side; there may be a knife stuck in his leg, but infection would kill the poor kid if even an ounce of dirt got in there. He was methodical in his ministrations; taking the time to make sure that not a single square centimeter went untouched was paramount. He cast one of his most potent healing spells, watching with grim fascination as the wound closed in upon itself.
Reinhard grimaced when he was finished. It would leave an ugly scar, but at least Subaru wouldn't die of sepsis.
Next was the knife in Subaru's leg. Compared to his other injuries, it wasn't too bad. The knife acted as a barrier; dirt and toxins would not come in, and blood would not leak out. Reinhard ripped it out like a bandage on a child and quickly used a spell to close the wound. All that remained was a thin, white scar.
The rest of Subaru's wounds were superficial and were easily dealt with. He was no longer bleeding, and his breathing had evened out.
Despite that, he was dying.
Reinhard could feel it; the Od leaking out of Subaru. It was not an injury of the body, but of his very life force.
Reinhard knew of only one solution to a problem such as this. It was risky for both parties involved and a massive invasion of privacy. If he did it, Subaru would undoubtedly hate him. However, if he didn't, Subaru would die.
In the end, was there even a choice to make?
Reinhard closed his eyes, reached out with his mana, and plunged.
I can't feel anything.
Was there anything?
No breath, no air, no heart, no lungs.
Reinhard tried to ground himself, but there was no stone to stand on, no himself to ground.
He tried wiping the sweat off his brow, but he had no face.
He tried to clench his fists, but he had no hands.
He tried to scream, but he had no mouth.
For a terrifying moment, Reinhard van Astrea, the legendary Sword Saint, ceased to exist.
"I can't overlook what's going on here!"
His eyes shot open as his senses returned to him. Delirious, he crashed into a wall and collapsed. The world in front of him was spinning. Through hazy vision, he could make out a wisp of silver, a powerful aura flaring around it.
He squinted as he slowly regained his bearings. That aura...it was surrounding the girl from earlier, except there were no scars, no blood. Determination shone on her face as she blasted nearby thugs with ice crystals, causing them to flee.
With the threat gone, the girl kneeled in front of the boy, which Reinhard recognized to be Subaru. Even from the side, the look of adoration and awe on his face was visible to any onlookers. Reinhard couldn't help but feel like an intruder.
Which, of course, he was.
To heal Subaru's Od, Reinhard needed to confront what made Subaru...Subaru.
"It should be around here somewhere," he murmured. He closed his eyes and reached out with his mana. He felt it, just barely, inside the girl. Or, rather, it was the girl.
Could one person truly leave such an impact?
Reinhard thrust his arm out and pulled. The recoil almost knocked him off his feet, but he held steady. In his arms was a thin, shining string: a fraction of Subaru's Od.
He kneeled down beside Subaru, gripping the glowing strands of life tight. He steeled himself, pulled back his arm, then thrust it forward as fast as he could, straight into Subaru's heart.
White.
While before, there was nothing, not even blackness, now all Reinhard could see was an endless white. The was no sensation except an unfathomable cold. His sense of direction was warped; no right, no left, no north, no south. All he could do was move forward.
It was impossible to know if he had walked for a few seconds or a lifetime, for time itself had been wiped out in this forsaken place.
A lesser man would have been driven to insanity, but he was no lesser man. He forcibly grabbed what little mana remained in the surrounding ether, demanding that the universe bend to his will. There, in the distance, shone a pinprick of light. It was not visible to anyone, let alone him, but he saw it, nonetheless.
"Sleep," it was saying, "along with my daughter."
He suppressed a shiver at the emptiness, the soullessness of that voice. Truly, one could not speak like that unless they lost everything, and what greater pain was there than of a parent losing a child?
He struggled forward, exerting his power over this illusory realm. It was not his to command, but he subjugated it anyway. The universe obeyed, clearing his vision, and he knew his life would never be the same.
Ahead of him was Subaru Natsuki, covered in snow and cradling a dead woman in his arms. However, it was not the woman that frightened him so.
It was Subaru's head leaving his body that shook Reinhard to the core.
He wanted to stand there in shock, to blather at the absurdity and impossibility of it all, but he could not. His selfish need for knowledge could wait until his friend was saved.
Reinhard pressed on, marching towards the monster who was proclaiming the end of the world. With a stray thought, he manipulated the surrounding blizzard into a set of stairs. Of course, not just anyone could walk on stairs made of water vapor, but Reinhard was never one to follow the expectations set upon him.
One step at a time, he pushed forward. With every passing second (or whatever constituted a 'second' in this hellscape) his mana was further depleted. Soon, he would have naught but his Od and his will.
The great beast lay ahead. Reinhard gazed upon its massive form, and golden eyes stared back.
This was a memory: Subaru's memory. Reinhard was not 'here,' and the beast should not be able to see him. Then again, Subaru shouldn't remember dying in the apocalypse.
A voice, filled with grief and rage, thundered across the landscape. "Why are you here?"
The great spirit wasn't truly asking, but Reinhard answered anyway. "To save Subaru Natsuki."
"A fool's errand," said the spirit. "The boy is selfish and weak. He is not worth saving."
He saw it differently. "His selfish desire is to save others and he is strong despite his weakness."
Glowing eyes pierced into him, unimpressed. "You do not know the boy but you claim to understand him."
He shook his head. "I claim no such thing. All I know is that this boy, this man, has a dark power; one that can tear apart his very Od if used in excess. It is because of the dark power that I trust him unconditionally. An evil man would not recklessly use that power to save a friend. Subaru will always choose the selfless path, even for a stranger like myself."
The Sword Saint unsheathed the Dragon Sword, recognizing a worthy opponent. "I know who you are, Beast of the End. I warn you: stand down and give back the essence of Subaru Natsuki or perish."
But the Beast of the End was grieving and did not listen. "I care not for the boy who let my daughter die," it growled, its aura lashing out. "As per my contract, I will destroy this world. It is nothing without my beloved daughter."
Reinhard bowed his head as he gripped his sword with both hands, his knuckles turning white as he solemnly declared, "So be it."
To call it a 'fight' would be inaccurate; even 'massacre' did not describe what happened. A single swing of the Dragon Sword and the Beast of the End was wiped from existence as the sun returned to Lugunica.
All that remained of the conflict was Subaru's headless body and the glowing strands of life in Reinhard's palm.
Reinhard waded through a sea of grass and sunflowers, the sunlight hitting him at just the right angle. It was a stark contrast to the wasteland he left behind, that's for sure. However, it was not the landscape that changed a man, but the people in it.
He found Subaru and the silver-haired girl from earlier laying in the field, although they looked older—somewhere in their early twenties instead of seventeen or eighteen. Subaru looked a bit different, but the eyes, voice, and soul were identical. Without a doubt, this was the same man as before.
"You don't have to stay here," Subaru told the girl. "We could run away. Just you and me."
"You know we can't, my love," said the woman, her black dress swaying softly in the breeze. "I'm doing this for Mother, and we wouldn't even be having this conversation if not for her. I owe her so much."
"You've paid her back a million times over," he growled. "All you do is give and all she does it take. But this?" He shook his head vehemently. "It's too much."
The woman propped herself up on her elbow, gazing at him with a mixture of love and sorrow. "'Tis sweet that you care, but do not concern yourself with me," she said tiredly as if they'd had this conversation dozens of times. "I've already accepted my fate."
"And that's wrong," he insisted with grief in his eyes. "Your life has value. You shouldn't throw it away for that madwoman." He put his hand on her cheek and spoke with such conviction that it brought her to tears. "You don't have to suffer through this anymore. You need to love yourself, and you can't do that here. Please, run away with me."
The woman wouldn't meet his eyes. "B-but—"
"You saved me when I was alone in this world. You took my dying, mangled body, and brought it back to life with your love. You've given me everything, so let me give everything back. I want to give you light. I want to take you by the hand and show you the world outside. Whenever you're having nightmares, I'll kiss the tears away, just like you do for me. You'll never be alone because I'll always be by your side. I love you, and I promise to prove it every day for the rest of our lives."
Her eyes glistened as she allowed hope to creep into her voice. "You...would do that for me?"
"That and more," he said earnestly. "I love you, and I'd do anything for you." He smiled and stood up, pulling her along with him. "Tell you what: I'll prove it to you, right here and now!"
The woman choked out a laugh, not bothering to hide her tears. "How do you plan to accomplish that?" she asked in a whisper.
"Like this." He got down on one knee and pulled out a silver ring with an amethyst in the center. With love in his eyes, he uttered, "Marry me, Ella."
As she returned his love and slipped the ring on her finger, Reinhard took his chance and pulled the glowing strands of life out of the amethyst.
He had intruded more than enough.
Reinhard found himself in what could only be described as a citadel of shadows. Tall, purple spires held up a ceiling of stars, the miasma dancing around them. There was no floor; only a field of darkness prevented him from falling to oblivion. The was a sense of pressure in the room as if the shadows themselves wanted to exert their dominance.
Subaru was nowhere to be seen, meaning this was not another memory, so why was Reinhard here?
Perhaps, he mused, the better question was 'who brought him here?'
He grasped the pommel of his sword, only to discover it missing. The legendary Dragon Sword Reid, forged by the Sword God himself, was gone.
Needless to say, he was immediately on edge.
From all around him, a voice whispered, snaking through one ear and out the other.
"Seen too much seen too much seen too much seen too much seen too much seen too much too much too much too much too much love him love him I love him I love him you can't have him you can't have him mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine"
"Who's there?" Reinhard called, scanning the room. The sense of pressure from before had doubled. "Are you the one who brought me to this place?"
From nothing coalesced a mirage of shadows; the haunting visage of a woman draped in darkness.
"All mine all mine all mine all mine you can't have him can't can't leave this place leave this place he's mine"
Reinhard felt it more than saw it: a barrage of miasma in the shape of an arm barreling towards him at unfathomable speeds. He didn't bother moving; after all, his Divine Protection of Avoidance would—
"Ack!" he cried as he clutched his throat. He was lifted into the air, and no matter how hard he struggled, he was not released. He wished for a Divine Protection to help him escape, but the Od Laguna could not reach him in the Witch's domain.
He had no weapon. No power. No hope. Nothing.
"You can't have him have him can't have him die die die won't take him from me he's mine mine mine"
The Witch's Hand tightened. For the first time in his life, Reinhard was afraid.
The woman—no, the monster approached him as he desperately clawed at his throat. He wanted to beg for his life, to cry for help, but he couldn't breathe couldn't breathe couldn't breathe—
"I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HIM FROM ME"
"P-please," he managed to gasp out, "just let me save Subaru." The woman froze just a few feet away from him as the pressure on his throat decreased ever so slightly. He gasped, taking in as much air as possible and using it to plead for his friend's life. "H-he's in danger, his Od is damaged, I-I just want to help him."
He looked at the woman but was unable to see her face; all that was visible was silver hair and shadows. "If...if you won't let me leave this place, that's fine. You can kill me, but it's not fair to let Subaru die when he didn't do anything wrong."
Suddenly, the hand on his throat released him and he fell to the floor, collapsing in a heap. The great Sword Saint, the undefeatable Reinhard van Astrea, lay beaten and pathetic before an unknown foe.
The woman kneeled beside him as he flinched away, hating the feeling of powerlessness he felt in her presence. She reached out, clearly aiming to choke him with her own hands instead of her magic—
Only to find it gently placed on his shoulder.
He looked up, bewildered. "What are you—"
"Save him," she whispered, her voice like a silver bell.
"I don't understand," he tried to say, but couldn't.
"He deserves to live," she continued softly. She was gentle and sweet—a stark contrast to the monster from before. "To laugh. To love. The one I love...needs to love himself."
For just a moment, the shadows around her face dispersed and he gasped.
"Tell my love...to kill me."
The woman disappeared, the citadel crumbled, and Reinhard was left with the glowing strands of life.