Chapter 13 – Soul
A bargaining chip.
The phrase hit Beatrice repeatedly, bouncing around her skull. It seared into her like a brand, literally defining her purpose in life.
That was all she was. A bargaining chip. An object. No wonder Echidna never thought of Beatrice as a daughter...
The voice of her contractor brought her out of her thoughts. "Implied Rule Number One of our contract: No sadness allowed."
She looked up, annoyed. "What, I suppose?"
"Don't you remember?" Subaru asked with feigned disappointment. He mimicked a tear falling down his face. "Why, I'm hurt, Beako!"
She scoffed. "Of course, I remember, in fact," she shot back. "Betty just thought it didn't apply when my contractor is such a crybaby, I suppose!"
He put a hand on his chest and gasped loudly. "Such harsh words from such a cute face!"
He ruffled her hair and she half-heartedly batted his hand away with a huff. "Tell me," he began with a smile, "what are we doing right now, Beako?"
She glared at him, and said, "You're right here, I suppose. You don't need me to answer that question, in fact."
"Please? For me?" he begged with a pout, and she recoiled.
"You're not cute like Betty is, so puppy-dog eyes don't work, I suppose!" Her contractor didn't let up, so she relented, grumbling, "We are discussing Subaru's memories, in fact."
"And yesterday?" he asked, encouraging her to continue.
She closed her eyes in annoyance, and said, "We turned a dragon into a black hole, in fact."
Ignoring the "Wait, what?" from Puck, Subaru continued, "That doesn't sound like something a bargaining chip would do."
Cracking a single eye open, Beatrice glanced at Subaru. He was smiling at her with a look that said, "I know I'm right, and I'm about to show you why."
Resigning herself to her fate, she asked, "What do you mean by that, I suppose?"
"I mean that the circumstances of your birth or bloodline do not dictate your future," he said like it was obvious. He turned to Emilia. "You heard that too, right?"
She nodded, confused. "Yes, but –"
"Good. Remember it." Ignoring her pout at being interrupted, he brought his attention back to Beatrice, saying, "You may have been born with a purpose, but you freed yourself from that. You can live your life as you please."
Free...
She'd never been free before. Why did that sound so nice?
She choked up slightly. "B-Betty can tell that Subaru –"
Subaru's arms wrapped around her. "It's okay to ask for a hug, you know." He twirled a lock of blonde hair around his finger. "Anytime you need it, I'll be right here."
Her contractor was an idiot. A frustrating, powerless, annoying idiot... but she loved her idiot.
He was wrong, too. Beatrice didn't free herself.
He did.
Satella didn't believe Subaru when he told her about Beatrice's true purpose.
"Look, I was right there," he asserted. "It all adds up, and Echidna kept dodging the question."
"Exactly," she said stubbornly. "She dodged the question. She didn't give you any answers."
Satella was right, but that didn't stop him. "I'm right, Satella, and you know it," he insisted. "We could leave this instant and everything will be fine."
She stepped closer and jabbed a finger into his chest, eyes flaming with anger. Subaru reeled back in shock, having never seen such a look on her before, but she remained in his face. "You know what, Subaru? You're selfish," she spat.
"How am I selfish?" he shot back, his voice rising steadily. "I'm just looking out for you!"
He intended for that to calm her down, but if anything she looked more upset. "If you were looking out for me, then you'd know how I'd feel in this situation!"
"How can I when you won't tell me?" he yelled. "I've known you for over a year and I didn't know a damn thing about this mess!"
"Because I knew you wouldn't understand, and I was right!" she said angrily, her face red with fury.
"Damn right, I don't understand!" he snapped. "Why the fuck are you letting her do this to you? This isn't how a mother should act!"
She scoffed. "How would you know? You've never had any parents!"
"Neither have you!" he shouted, ignoring her flinch. "That bitch does not get to call herself your mother!"
They were aiming to hurt, and they knew that. They were both at their wits end and couldn't do anything but yell.
After all, it's not like anyone taught them how to handle their emotions.
"Don't you dare say that," she seethed. "I'd be dead if not for her!"
"So would I," he callously reminded her, "but I don't have a bunch of runes carved into me, do I?"
"Because I don't need it!"
He sneered at her ridiculous statement. "So, if you needed it, I'd find a million scars on my body?"
She threw her hands up in frustration. "I don't know!" she cried. "Maybe? Who knows what I'd do?!"
He stepped closer, their body heats increasing alongside their ire. "Bullshit!" he yelled. "It's impossible for you to hurt someone! That's not who you are!"
"And how would you know that?" she screamed in his face.
"Because I love you!"
"That just means you're blind!"
Subaru's aura flared, but it was nothing compared to Satella's. Her magic lashed out, destroying the furniture around them and raising the temperature drastically. They were like two schoolchildren, heads butted and screaming nonsense. They needed to show the other person how wrong they were, even if neither knew the point they were trying to make.
"I'm not blind! You're blind!"
"No, I'm not! I'm doing the right thing!"
"How? How is this right? Don't you see you're hurting me?"
"I'm not hurting anyone! You're hurting me!"
Subaru's bed lit up in flames, but he paid it no mind. The fire in his eyes was infinitely more intense. It locked their gazes to each other as they screamed.
"That's it," he decided. "If you're not going to listen, then I'm taking you out of here by force." He grabbed her roughly by the arm, ignoring the unbearable heat. "I'm not letting her touch you ever again!"
She squirmed away, her eyes an inferno of anger. "I'm not leaving!" she snapped. "I won't let anything happen to her!"
He scoffed as he mockingly asked, "What the hell would happen to Echidna if you were gone?"
"Not her!" she yelled, frustrated that he wasn't understanding her thoughts. "I'm talking about Beatrice!"
He clenched his fists and sneered. "This again? I told you that she's fine, but you won't listen to me!"
"I'm not risking it!" she screamed. "That poor girl did nothing wrong!"
"Neither did you!" he spat.
The flames leaped from the bed and onto his arm, and he yelped in pain. Satella, no longer trapped by his angry eyes, finally noticed the destruction she was causing. She doused the room in water, extinguishing the flames.
But the damage was done. Subaru's arm was a charred mess.
"I-I'm so sorry!" she cried. "Here, let me heal it." She reached out, but Subaru flinched back, whimpering as he cradled his mangled arm to his chest.
"Subaru…" she whispered, her broken heart evident in her tone.
"I was only… looking out for you," he hissed through the pain.
"I know you were, and I'm sorry!" She began to hyperventilate she begged, "Please, let me heal you!"
She tried to get closer, but he backed up against the wall. "Please, Subaru," she whimpered, desperately trying to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry. I love you so much. Let me heal you. Please."
He refused to look at her but eventually nodded. She approached him slowly, not wanting to startle him. She broke his trust, and she'd be damned if she did it again.
She hurt the man she loved. Mother was right: she was pathetic.
She pushed down her self-loathing for the moment and focused on the issue at hand. Channeling her magic into him, she slowly repaired the damaged tissue. The muscle and skin twisted around his veins, attempting to revert to their original, pure form.
A few moments later, his arm was healed, but the scars remained.
Some of those scars were physical.
"I'm so sorry." She gently traced the new scars on his arm as crystal tears fell from her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I love you. I'm so sorry."
Subaru's other arm shakily wrapped itself around her. "I'm sorry, too," he murmured. "I love you, Ella."
The dam broke, and she began to cry in earnest. "What are we going to do?" she asked, begging for comfort that he could not give.
"I don't know." He closed his eyes and let out a quivering breath. "I just don't know."
They clung to each other throughout the night. Finally, Satella's breathing evened out, and she fell into a restless sleep. Subaru stroked the silver hair he loved so much and made a promise.
"I will save you," he whispered into her ear. She buried her head in the crook of his neck, her hot breath sending shivers down his spine. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms tightly around her, whispering, "I love you, Satella."
He didn't sleep a wink that night. All he could do was plan an escape.
Physically leaving was the easy part. The mansion had no security and was right next to a village, not to mention that Echidna was often traveling. So, the real challenge would come from convincing Satella to come with him.
If he could prove that no one else would be hurt if they left, then everything would be okay. They could run away and forget about all of this.
Subaru had seen Echidna carrying large piles of notes from her lab on multiple occasions. Of course, he thought Satella had written them, but that was beside the point. The important thing is that there could be evidence that Echidna needed Satella specifically and not an artificial spirit.
So, the next morning, he snooped around the master bedroom, searching frantically. "They should be around here somewhere," he muttered to himself. "Maybe it's in here?" He opened a drawer and found a bunch of socks. "That's not –"
"What are you doing, I suppose?" asked a high-pitched voice.
Subaru jumped, his heart beating a mile a minute. He turned around and saw no one. "Was I hallucinating?" he wondered aloud. The stress must have been getting to him.
"Down here, I suppose," said the same voice, clearly annoyed. He looked down to find a small, blonde girl with butterfly pupils.
Easily the most adorable thing he'd ever seen.
She crossed her arms and glared at him. "What are you doing in Mother's room, I wonder? Are you searching for her panties, I suppose?" Her accusation held all the weight of a judge, jury, and executioner. "You are a pervert, in fact!"
He waved his arms in front of him in a panic. "Whoa, whoa, back up there, lady!" he cried. "I'm not doing anything like that, all right? I'm just looking for stuff." He glanced behind him and mumbled, "Probably not gonna find them in the sock drawer anyway."
"Find what, I wonder?" she asked with marginally less hostility, but her glare didn't waver.
"Don't worry about it," he said dismissively. Realizing something, he cast her a wary look. "Wait, did you just refer to Echidna as 'Mother'? You wouldn't happen to be Beatrice, would you?"
It was rhetorical, of course. It was obvious who this was.
Deep down, he knew he should probably resent Beatrice. She represented everything that was keeping Satella here.
…But she was so damn adorable.
"I see you know Betty's name, I suppose," she said grumpily. Ah, so this was one of those tsundere lolis that spoke about themselves in the third person. "I presume you're the annoying pest called Flugel, in fact?"
Subaru felt a momentary flare of indignation at how Echidna referred to him behind his back, but he often said far worse about her. Sticking his thumb to his chest, Subaru proudly declared, "Yep, that's me! Flugel's the name and pissing people off is my game!"
Beatrice didn't look impressed in the slightest. "I'll be sure to remember that, I suppose," she deadpanned. "Now, leave Mother's room, or else."
He laughed and patted her head, mockingly saying, "A cute little kid like you shouldn't be bossing around your elders." He smirked down at her. "Why don't you go play with dolls or something?"
A vein throbbed on her forehead. "Grr, just leave already, I suppose!" She thrust out her hand, and the next moment, Subaru found himself on the floor of his room, feeling like he'd been hit by a truck.
Perhaps it was best to avoid pissing her off.
He decided that a walk outside would help. The mansion was beautiful, and the morning air always managed to cool his head. There was just something about the Lugunican atmosphere that was…
Smoky?
"Hello, Flugel. You shouldn't sneak up on a maiden; she might get the wrong idea."
Echidna was standing in front of a fire, but there was no pit. The ethereal flames stayed level with her waist, flaring up whenever she put something in it.
He approached her hesitantly. "What are you doing, Dona?"
"I'm preparing for a simple memorization exercise," she said like it was obvious. "You know I'm always one for sharpening my skills."
"And torture devices," he muttered darkly. "All right, I'll bite. How does fire help?"
She clucked her tongue. "Silly boy," she scolded gently, like a mother to a child. "It's not the fire… It's what goes in the fire."
He narrowed his eyes. "Is that… paper?"
She dropped another piece in the fire, watching the smoke rise with disinterest. "It's utterly dreadful having to constantly refer to my notes, so it's much nicer to have it right up here," she told him, pointing to her temple and giving the smallest of smiles. She picked up the top paper and sighed fondly. "Ah, this was a fun one to write. It says in clear terms the exact reasons I created Beatrice and how it relates to a certain half-elf."
With a jolt, Subaru lunged towards the document, arms outstretched, but it was too late. The paper became nothing but ash, floating towards the ground.
That was his chance. He could have freed Satella with those, and now they were gone. In a rage, he threw a punch at Echidna.
"Goa." A single word, calm and collected, was seared into Subaru's mind that day. His torso erupted into flames, burning the skin, and destroying the muscle underneath.
A serene smile complemented Echidna's empty eyes. "You forget who you're dealing with," she said, almost playfully.
He couldn't respond through his screams of agony.
"Lo Huma," she incanted. Water coalesced around his torso, stopping just at the shoulders, and froze. The ice shrunk into a skin-tight bodysuit, extinguishing the flames, and putting pressure on the damaged flesh. Throat raw from screaming, he could only wait until the ice melted away.
"All done," she cooed. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"
His entire torso was a charred mess. Exposed flesh and burns littered his chest and stomach. No damage was done to his shoulders or neck. Everything could be easily concealed with a shirt.
No one would know unless he told them.
Empty, dark eyes smiled at the screaming boy. "Now, if you will excuse me, I need to continue Project Sanctuary."
With that, the Witch of Greed walked past the fallen Subaru, no longer interested in him.
Subaru took a shaky breath. "Those wounds never healed," he said with a faraway look. "That fire wasn't normal. There was something… cursed about it."
"That's horrible," Emilia whispered as she wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so sorry, Subaru." She cupped his cheek and looked into his eyes the way Mother Fortuna always used to do whenever Emilia cried.
He tried to melt into her touch, but he was too tense. "I tried to forget about it, but…" He trailed off as his breaths became shaky and his hands began to tremble.
Emilia, still intent on relieving his sorrow, laid him down in her lap and stroked his hair, exactly like the book told her to. She caressed his lips with her thumb, idly noticing how soft they were, as his breath began to return to normal. It was as if that book was written specifically for him. "But it still hurt," she asked sadly, "didn't it?"
"Every moment of every day," he croaked.
Subaru couldn't tell Satella about the burns.
On one hand, it would prove that Echidna didn't hurt Satella exclusively. On the other, if they left, there was a chance that all of Echidna's 'love and attention' would be directed towards Beatrice.
…But Subaru would be hurt if they stayed, and Satella wouldn't want that, either.
In the end, Subaru acknowledged that Satella knowing about his injuries would only make things worse. So, he suffered alone.
Six months passed. Satella saw Echidna every day.
Every day, Subaru healed her injuries. Every day, he felt even more useless.
Satella said that she'd feel safer knowing that he was far away, so he promised her that he would never interrupt Echidna's experiments.
Every day, he came closer and closer to breaking that promise.
Most of their free time was spent either practicing magic or studying in the Forbidden Library. He may have hated Echidna, but he had to admit, her book collection was amazing.
If Subaru was being honest, that was no longer the only reason they spent time in the Forbidden Library.
"What are you reading today, I wonder?"
Despite their rocky start, Beatrice had become quite close to Subaru and Satella. The latter was more of a mother to Beatrice than Echidna ever was. It was a shame that neither of them could see it. They both were too loyal to that Witch.
Subaru and Satella had dropped hints and asked many questions, but Beatrice had no idea what Echidna was researching. She honestly thought Satella was a notetaker.
That innocence made them want to protect her more. Echidna's scheme was working wonders.
Satella turned her book over to read the cover, allowing her to answer Beatrice's question. "'Tis called 'Alternate Incantations for Elemental Magic.' Apparently, a skilled magician can create their own spells aside from the usual El, Ul, and Al variations."
"That's fascinating, I suppose," Beatrice said with an attentive nod. She turned to Subaru with disinterest. "What about you, I wonder?"
"I have a name, you know," he grumbled good-naturedly.
"Your name is 'you' if I want it to be, in fact," she deadpanned. Satella giggled and he rolled his eyes. Again, Beatrice asked, "What are you reading, I wonder?"
"It's about the stars," he told them with a sigh. "It's kind of disappointing: Lugunica has a fairly primitive understanding of –"
"I don't care, I suppose," she admitted. "Betty was merely being cute and polite, in fact."
He put down the book like a father would his newspaper. "I don't like your sass, young lady," he chided. "There's no need to be such a tsundere."
She glared at him. "Is that a swear word, I suppose?" She pointed at him accusatorily, saying, "Satella warned me about your potty mouth, in fact! You shouldn't be so rude to me, I suppose!"
Satella let out a long-suffering sigh. "That's enough, you two."
"My apologies, I suppose."
"Sorry, Ella."
They all read in silence for a moment before Satella stiffened. With the voice of a dead woman, she informed them: "Mother is calling me."
Subaru stood up and blocked her path. "You know you don't have to do this."
He said the same thing every day.
"I do," she responded, just as she always did. Her eyes flicked to Beatrice as her voice lowered. "Even assuming our other reasons were not valid, I still owe her."
He shook his head vehemently. "You don't –"
She held a hand over his mouth. "Not here," her eyes pleaded.
Beatrice was watching them, a question on her face. Subaru sighed but didn't push further, choosing instead to gently grab Satella's hand and move it away from his face. "Of course," he muttered with resignation. "I'll be waiting for you in our room."
It hadn't been "his room" for a long time.
"Thank you." She gave him the smile he adored so much and pecked him on the lips.
"W-wait, hold on!" cried Emilia. At everyone's questioning look, she flushed. "I… Uh, golly, this is weird."
Subaru rolled his eyes. "No one says 'golly' anymore."
"Just hear me out," she pleaded. She wrung her hands together. "Look, I'm, uh, I'm not mad that you and Satella are, uh, close… Th-that's still weird to think about, and I'm starting to wonder if you only… I mean, but, um, gee, this is –"
Beatrice crossed her arms. "Get on with it, I suppose," she grouched. "I want Subaru to finish the story."
Emilia took a deep breath and let it out, putting her whole body into it. "Okay, um… Subaru? Am I… your descendant?"
Silence filled the room. Everyone was too stunned to move.
"What," Subaru deadpanned after a minute.
Emilia began to sweat with nervousness. "L-look, it makes sense, okay?" she defended. "You know how, in my memories, Pandora called me the 'Witch's Daughter,' right?"
"No," he said bluntly. "I panicked and disappeared, remember?"
"O-oh, yeah, um, well, she did, and, um…" She blushed as her voice rose in pitch. "I-I didn't know what it meant back then, but now I think it means I'm related to the Witch of Envy specifically, and… Oh, this is embarrassing."
Her face turned even redder. "You and Satella j-just…" She gulped and, speaking so quietly even Puck struggled to hear, whispered, "...made a baby.
Subaru gaped at her but didn't say anything.
"I thought I was okay with all this," she muttered sadly, "but now it's reeaally weird and – what are you doing?!"
Subaru shot out of his seat and slapped Puck out of the air, sending the great spirit careening into a wall. "Damn it, Puck!" he shouted. "That's it, I take back everything good I said! You suck at parenting!"
"It's not my fault!" Puck defended, but everyone could tell how flimsy it sounded. "There was this other maid who gave her the wrong idea!"
"And you didn't bother to correct her?" Subaru asked incredulously.
"Lia's too young!"
"She's eighteen!" he shot back. "Kids learn when they're, like, ten!"
"But mentally –"
"No! You don't get to use that excuse anymore!"
"H-hold on," Emilia interrupted, utterly bewildered. "You're saying that kissing… doesn't make babies?"
Subaru held his head in his hands and moaned in existential pain. "See, Puck? You're ruining my chances of kissing Emilia-tan!"
Puck reeled back as if Subaru had struck him again. "I don't want you kissing my daughter, you pervert!"
Emilia, on the verge of fainting, muttered, "B-but I'm not ready to have a baby…"
Beatrice clapped her hands together, generating a shockwave to silence the arguing trio. "You're all hopeless, I suppose," she grumbled. "Now, Emilia, because my contractor is a shameless pervert –"
"There's nothing wrong with kissing!"
"– and Bubby is a failure of a father –"
"Raising a child is harder than it looks!"
"– I will be giving you the lesson you should have learned years ago, I suppose."
"Um… o-okay?" Emilia, the poor thing, looked hopelessly overwhelmed.
Subaru paled. Horrorstruck, he cried, "I can't do this! I can't be in here while you ruin Emilia-tan's innocence!"
Puck waved an accusatory paw in Subaru's face. "See? It's harder than it looks!"
"But you're the parent!" Subaru said emphatically. "It's your job to give her The Talk!"
Beatrice shot them a glare. "That's enough, both of you, in fact." Directing all her ire at her contractor, she said, "I'm warning you, Subaru. If you do any of this before you're married, then I will castrate you, I suppose."
"M-marriage?" whimpered Emilia. "Oh, dear…"
Subaru looked at her with utter betrayal. "That's the part that worries you?"
"Quiet, I suppose," Beatrice snapped. "We're getting this lesson out of the way, so we never have to talk about it again, in fact. Got it, I suppose?"
A chorus of fearful nods answered her question. "Good, in fact. Now, we start with –"
What followed was a lesson that scarred them for life.
"Oh, my," whispered Emilia in horror. "That was, um…"
"The most embarrassing conversation of my life." Subaru's finished for her, his face as white as chalk.
Puck looked like he'd been punched in the gut. "I can pinpoint the exact moment Lia's innocence was destroyed."
A moment of silence passed for Emilia's innocence.
"W-well…" she said shakily, looking like she'd rather be anywhere else. A certain distance was now between her and Subaru, and she refused to look at him. "...at least we know you're not my ancestor."
He shivered at the mere thought. "Gee, good to know I don't have the hots for my granddaughter."
"To be fair," interjected Beatrice, ignoring Subaru's scathing look, "we don't know that, in fact. All we know is that you didn't have a baby at that moment, I suppose. You could still be Emilia's ancestor."
Subaru sobered. "Trust me. Not an ounce of my blood runs in Emilia-tan's veins." He shifted uncomfortably as he admitted. "Satella and I never… yeah."
Puck frowned. "You didn't have…" He waved his arms frantically as a euphemism. Subaru shook his head, so Puck asked, "But weren't you together?"
"We were, but…" Subaru scratched roughly at his arm through his sleeve and Beatrice's eyes locked onto the abrupt action. "...neither of us felt comfortable revealing any skin."
The room went quiet.
Emilia gazed at him in pity. "The scars," she realized.
He managed a nod. "Even though I'm not burnt anymore, I don't… My arms have…" He took a shuddering breath as self-loathing overtook him. "Let's just say I'm not much better than I was before. An experience like that…"
"It left an impact," she whispered in understanding.
He nodded. There was nothing else to say.
Despite her prior embarrassment, she took his hand. No matter what, she cared about him, and she would be there for him.
That's just who she was.
It was midnight. Satella was never out this late.
Normally, Subaru waited in their room, but he had a bad feeling about that night. Something was dreadfully wrong.
It was like she was calling for help.
Eventually, he gave in. He burst open the door and made his way through the lab.
He broke his promise to Satella. He didn't give a shit.
The mana permeating the air was enough to overwhelm any normal human. Luckily, Subaru did not have a human body.
It had been torn to shreds long ago.
"It's beautiful!" he heard Echidna exclaim from the back room as he darted towards it. "The love of the world itself, so purely concentrated in this one girl!"
He reached for the doorknob but stayed his hand. He wanted nothing more than to go in.
…But now he had a chance to learn what the hell was happening here.
"The forbidden magics despised by the Od Laguna, all possible because of this girl! True soul transcription, resurrection, immortality! The butterflies in my stomach… The thumping of my heart… If this is not true love, then what is? Finally, I can –"
A pause. Subaru's breath hitched.
"It's not nice to eavesdrop on a maiden in love," Echidna said serenely as if she hadn't been raving like a lunatic. "Please, come in, Flugel."
He creaked open the door. He hadn't known what to expect, but it wasn't… this. The room was clean, sterile. It looked like an operating room instead of the den of a mad scientist. There, laying on a table in the center of the room, was Satella. It looked like she was sleeping peacefully, and not a single cut was visible.
But he knew better.
"What did you do to her?" he angrily asked as he focused his ire on the Witch in front of him. She didn't look at him, choosing instead to gaze intently at the two gently glowing vials in her hand. "Answer me, Echidna!"
"Oh, nothing much," she said flippantly. She cradled the vials - one silver and one purple - like a woman would her lover. "Right now, Satella is merely... a conduit."
"A conduit?"
She nodded, though her focus wasn't truly on him. "You see, the Od Laguna, the heart of the world, forbids certain magics," she lectured. "As a Witch, I am loathed by the world, and can therefore overcome those loved by it, but even I cannot violate the Od Laguna's sacred laws."
Still not looking at him, she continued: "But this girl… She violates all the restrictions. She is not merely loved by the world... She is above its jurisdiction. So, if I wanted to perform a soul transcription without blood relation to the vessel, I could simply use Satella.
His eyes widened. "You don't mean–"
"First, I need to perpetuate her soul through her bloodline." She focused on the silver vial and gazed at it with devotion. It didn't look like anything was in it, but he could feel that something was there. He lunged for it, and she blasted him back with a quick "Fura."
It was not enough to truly hurt him, but it didn't need to be. It was merely a warning.
"None of that," she scolded. "Do you know how difficult it is to take half a soul? I've worked for a decade to get this."
"You wasted your time." He smirked despite the fear coursing through him as he mocked, "Bloodline? Gimme a break. Satella doesn't have any kids."
"That doesn't matter." She held up the purple vial, this one with a viscous fluid splashing inside it. "Satella's blood, carefully curated over seven lunar eclipses. A simple bonding ritual with another female elf will do the trick. The perfect recipient has already been found; one that is already with child."
Echidna held the vials to her bosom, stroking them like one would a lover's cheek. "It's quite simple. If the blood bonds, we sever the vessel's soul from the body – a much easier process than half a soul, mind you – and replace it with half of Satella's soul. I will perform a ritual to stabilize her, for one cannot live for long with only half a soul. After completion of the ritual, I will transcribe my soul and the remainder of Satella's into the vessel, encapsulating mine within hers.
"Don't you see?" She spread her arms wide, basking in the glory of her success. "True soul transcription without any blood relation to the target! An immortal existence with my maidenhood intact! Is there nothing more lovely, more perfect? My soul is in complete control while Satella's powers the body! My Od will never decrease, whereas hers is replenished with each new body! Never again will I be limited by the Od Laguna!"
She took a breath as if she'd never tasted fresh air before. "Ahh… True perpetuation of the soul. No longer am I limited by the passage of time." She turned to Subaru, grinning like a newlywed. "Wonderful, is it not? I have an eternity to learn and discover anything I wish."
Deep down, Subaru knew that the proper reaction should be "You're insane!" or running in fear from the obvious psychopath, but that's not what came out of his mouth.
"Why are you even telling me this?" he asked incredulously. He waved his arms around frantically, trying to get his point across. "It just makes it easier to stop you!"
Echidna stepped closer and he instinctively retreated. "And how would you do that?" she mocked. "Beg Satella to run away with you?"
"Yes!" he wanted to yell but couldn't. He'd been trying for six months, and it was clear that Echidna was aware of his pathetic attempts, and even more aware of the hold she had over Satella. "I-I'll fight you myself!" he shouted instead. "I won't let you get away with this!"
"Truly?" She seemed interested now, as her eyes locked onto his for the first time. "You think a child with rudimentary training can stand up to a Witch?"
Subaru had seen genuine emotion on Echidna's face twice before. The first, when he walked in and saw her lovingly gazing at the vials she cradled in those delicate fingers.
The second was being directed at him. It was like she had never seen him before, but now that she had, she was utterly enthralled.
"You have no idea what I'd do for Ella," he hissed, trying to convey as much hatred as possible. "I would die a million times for her."
"A bold claim," she murmured, a gloomy expression marring her otherworldly beauty. "I long for the day you will say such things about me."
He reeled back in shock, or perhaps disgust. "What the hell are you talking about, you Witch?"
"If you spoke about me like that..." she murmured distantly, "...Why, I'm not sure my poor, maidenly heart could handle it."
He didn't know what he felt more of: rage, desperation, or confusion. One moment she's raving about immortality, casually discussing her plans to murder the woman he loved, and the next she's some lovestruck schoolgirl? Did she suddenly think he was someone else?
What is it that she saw in his eyes?
Unfortunately, he would receive no answers. "It's a shame I have to leave now," she said wistfully. "Things were just getting interesting."
With that, she turned and walked away, resuming a businesslike manner. "Project Sanctuary is complete and at near-maximum capacity. I must go there and prepare the vessel. Upon completion of the soul transcription, you and I shall live out our days there."
"W-wait!" he called out. Wasn't this where they were supposed to have their ultimate showdown or something like that? The bad guy isn't supposed to walk away! He could –
Nothing. He could do nothing.
Fire filled his mind's eye. Even though he wanted to, it wasn't like he could stop her. For all his talk about dying for Satella, he only had one life.
So, what? He was supposed to let Echidna murder Satella?
Like hell, he would.
Echidna stopped by the door, her pale hand resting on the frame. "Goodbye, Flugel," she said with genuine sincerity. "I look forward to learning from you."
The door shut behind her with a soft click, and Subaru finally allowed himself to cry.
Useless. He was completely and utterly useless.
He gathered Satella up in his arms and carried her back to their room. Cradling her limp form to his chest, he reaffirmed his promise, albeit with more urgency attached to it.
"I will save you."
He set her on the bed and prepared to dress her wounds. He lifted her sleeve and… and…
"A-and so I… when I –" Subaru couldn't do it. He broke down. Just thinking about the wounds on her body was too much. "Th-there were so many that day… and the b-blood…"
Emilia held him close, drawing circles on his back. "I think that's enough for now," she said quietly. "Don't you agree? We can finish this over the next few days."
Subaru nodded. A break sounded nice.
"I second that," said Puck, shaking his head to clear it. "This is a bit too much. I mean, are you sure this is the Witch of Envy we're talking about?"
Subaru shook his head. "I haven't even gotten to the Witch. We're talking about Satella."
Puck furrowed his eyebrows. "I thought there was no difference."
"There is when incompatible Witch Factors are involved," said Subaru, refusing to meet Puck's eyes. "It's not Satella's fault."
Puck shook his head to clear it. "I've heard tales of people going mad from Witch Factors… I must have never considered that Satella would be included. I believe I've heard enough to make a fair judgment of her character."
Subaru raised his eyes to look at Puck. "And? What's the verdict?"
"Let's just say I wish I remember her." Puck's eyes flicked to Emilia for a moment before snapping back to Subaru's. "Is she…"
"Yeah."
"…Huh." Absorbed in his thoughts, Puck barely managed to wave goodbye before floating out of the room.
Instead of saying anything aloud, Beatrice came up to Subaru and grabbed his hand. Too ashamed to speak the words aloud, she told him, 'I'm sorry for not seeing the truth, I suppose.'
'It's not your fault,' he soothed, unable to stand such a look on the spirit's face. 'We kept it from you.'
She didn't look happy per se but seemed mollified for the moment. She vanished, leaving him and Emilia alone.
"Um…"
"So…"
They looked at each other for a moment.
"Can we agree that Beatrice's lesson never happened?"
"What lesson?"
The two shared a grin before Emilia turned solemn. "I know I said we were done for today, but –"
"You want to know how we got out of there," he finished for her.
Her eyes widened. "How did you know what I was going to ask?"
"Because I like you," he said cheekily.
She blushed, stuttering out, "That's not a real answer!"
He put a finger on his chin and pretended to think. "Hmm... How about 'EMT is cute'?"
She huffed as she lightly scolded, "Stop teasing me and tell me what happened."
He took a deep breath. "All right, fine. Just… give me a moment. Confronting her was… Well, she didn't take it with a smile."
Satella was heartbroken.
Every day, Subaru worked as hard as he could to convince her to leave the mansion with him. He was on the verge of a breakthrough, he could tell. After all, Beatrice wasn't in danger. The only one who would be hurt was Satella.
They would miss Beatrice, sure, but Subaru was selfish. He cared about Satella first and foremost, and he would destroy the world to protect her.
Still, it wasn't enough. Every time he took a step closer to freeing her, she ran three steps back. "You don't understand," she would stubbornly declare, though her voice had begun to waver. "We wouldn't even be having this conversation if not for Mo- Echidna."
He'd tell Satella that she was sacrificing herself for a madwoman. She simply felt she was paying her dues.
He'd that her life had value and that she shouldn't throw it away, but she didn't believe him.
One day, Subaru wondered if he was the problem. He told her to run away on her own and leave him behind. After all, as long as she lived, everything would be okay.
He had never seen somebody cry so much. He promised himself then and there to never suggest anything like that ever again.
Still, there was one thing left to try. Something he'd been thinking about since their first date and finally decided on a couple of months prior. Something that, as soon as he told her, convinced her that maybe, just maybe, life was worth living. Something to give her light after a life of darkness, guiding her to the freedom she so desperately wanted.
Something that Echidna was incapable of understanding, and as such, could never have foreseen.
"Marry me, Ella."
"So, uh…" He refused to look at Emilia. "Yeah."
"That's…"
He couldn't begin to imagine how she must be feeling. "I mean, I'm not going to apologize for getting married in a past life, but, I mean, I'd understand if –"
"That's so sweet!"
He whipped around to face her. Tears leaked from her eyes as she stared off somewhere into the distance. "Saved from the depths of despair by the love of her life, escaping the evil Witch's clutches… It's so beautiful!"
He rubbed the back of his neck, muttering, "Since when is my Emilia-tan such a hopeless romantic?"
"I want a knight in shining armor to save me from danger!" she gushed.
"We're literally talking about me, right?!"
She giggled. "Speaking of knights, Roswaal is taking waaay too long to set up your ceremony."
"I mean, it's only been about a week," he pointed out.
"Meaning you earned it a week ago." Decisively, she said, "That's it; I'm making you my knight, whether Roswaal is ready or not!"
He laughed at her enthusiasm. "Well, when you put it like that, how can I refuse?"
She grinned and pulled at his hand. "Come on! We need to get ready!"
"Hold on," he said, stopping her before she got too far ahead. "I need to tell you one last thing."
She turned around and beamed at him. "I know what it is."
"Y-you do?"
"Mhm. I don't understand all of it," she admitted, "but I'm descended from that vessel, aren't I? My soul is Satella's. Or, well, half of it."
He gawked at her. "H-how did you know what I was going to say?"
"Because I like you, dummy," she echoed, blushing slightly but smiling as wide as ever before.
His mouth flopped open and closed like a fish out of water. At length, he cried out, "How are you not having an existential crisis? This is a life-altering revelation!"
She shrugged. "What can I say? Things are easier to accept when you're around."
He chuckled nervously, and said, "I'm not sure if that means I'm comforting, or you're used to my bullshit."
A sly smile spread across her lips. "A little bit of both." She tugged on his hand. "Now, come with me, my knight. We have a ceremony to attend."