The zenith sun bathed the landscape in an overwhelming light. A verdant plain stretched as far as the eye could see, swept by a gentle wind. The sky was clear of clouds, the sun shining like a burning core. The blue of the sky and the green of the earth stretched infinitely, until they blended with the haze on the horizon. This world, devoid of reality, was a place of peace and infinite wisdom, contrasting brutally with the two individuals settled on a slight hill for tea.
A man with piercing, glacial crimson eyes, those of a corrupted soul, with black hair and a body of agile musculature. His dark, blood-stained robe gave his silhouette an authority that commanded respect and fear. Opposite him sat a woman with eyes black as the void, devoid of all emotion, a reflection of the chaotic and perverse state of her soul. This coldness contrasted with her outer appearance long, magnificent, snow-white hair cascaded down her back. Dressed in black, her thin lips brushed against her cup, which was covered in a strangely exciting sheen. She was a silhouette of diabolical beauty, capable of stealing hearts.
Echidna: Don't stare at me like that. It's just a joke from an innocent girl.
Trizz (Hand on forehead, looking exasperated): You, "an innocent girl"? You are the most devilish person I've met to this day. Your horrible experiments only serve to satisfy your stupid greed.
Echidna (With a small smile on her lips): My stupid greed? You are also a monster, frizz. You sacrifice children, women, and even the elderly in your own camp and the villagers you're supposed to protect, simply because your Pride forbids you from asking for help, and you justify it all by claiming to have been ignored and used as a decoy...
Her void eyes fixed on Trizz, the scarlet eyes, with a look of twisted compatibility and understanding, as if she had found a soulmate.
Echidna (Set down her teacup with a genuine smile, her gaze darkening): ... That is also a form of greed taken to the extreme sacrificing all kinds of lives like tradable coins for knowledge... We are not so different in truth, even if your dominant Sin is Pride. We are two monsters who seek knowledge to satisfy selfish desires.
We are two monsters who seek knowledge to satisfy selfish desires
Echidna's bloody truth struck Trizz like a whip. The strangest thing was that she wasn't judging him; she seemed to be encouraging him on this twisted path.
Trizz (Frowning): Yes, I am a monster! But a monster who saves lives in his selfishness! You, you are a demon who sacrifices people to satiate your cursed greed. You create pure chaos and annihilate the lives around you. Mine is chaotic, but it saves thousands of innocent lives.
Echidna (Placed her hand on her cheek and closed her eyes, flattered by the accusation): What a bloody truth! I admit to being the more horrible and monstrous of the two... Anyway, what do you plan to do now? The secrets of your world have already revealed the basic plan to me.
Trizz gradually regained his composure, but remained wary of Echidna, who had become twice as dangerous thanks to his memories of the anime and novel. He was forced to talk to her; she could now search his mind, and he might draw some information from Echidna, but the risk was enormous.
Trizz: My plan is to go save the mansion from the clutches of Elsa and Meili. I will be accompanied by Garfiel and Subaru. Garfiel will attack the Mabeasts and Meili, I will take care of Elsa, and Subaru will join Beatrice so she recognizes him as "that person" she is waiting for.
Echidna (The teacup to her lips, then set it down): Your plan is a perfect copy of the true anime plan, but with a small modification... I'm quite shocked to be just a fictional character in your world, just like my poor Witches.
Trizz (Stared at Echidna, his gaze much more serious): At first glance, yes, but you are not completely fictional. I've noticed that this world has acquired its own autonomy. For example, the more scornful relationship between Julius and Subaru, or the more recent Anastasia Hoshin coming to the Karsten mansion after the Archbishops' attack. That wasn't in the original scenario, was it?
Echidna: Your point of view is... valid. Reality seems to bifurcate at the border of your memories. However, by searching your memories, you have already used those two assassins as throwaway tools. They have great respect, tinged with fear, for you. There is a risk that they will change their plan for the mansion attack. They will prioritize seeking you out to kill you.
Trizz (With an authoritative but neutral tone): Yes, I know. The risks were already calculated, but I was forced to use their talent to destroy the Cult. It was the only way. Subaru is no longer capable of creating strategies by himself because of the panic and trauma I spared him.
Echidna (Playing with a lock of her hair with a small smile): Subaru, hmn... I think you are mistaken about that subject.
Trizz: What do you mean? Subaru has become completely useless! I know he's intelligent, but he constantly needs to be given orders so he focuses his brain on this problem, otherwise he risks collapsing and annihilating the loop.
Echidna (Hands on her cheek, as if interested in the subject): I know, your friend is useless for now, but... (She pauses to drink her tea, her black eyes lighting up with malice). You have decreased his deaths and trauma. Certainly, he would be useless for now, but you have ironically and unintentionally improved his long-term strategy in the future.
Trizz: What is this now? Explain yourself, Echidna! Be more precise!
Echidna: What I mean is that his strategic potential has been slowed down, but you've left him with good, healthy foundations so he learns more effectively than under panic. In addition to that, he will learn directly from your method. There is a high probability that he could organize deeper and less emotionally-based plans. You've planted a seed of a "calm strategist" instead of a seed of a "desperate strategist."
Trizz: That was unexpected from you. So, the whole scenario is not yet ruined. Thank you for the advice, Echidna, but I have to leave you, I'm expected outside.
Echidna (She pushed her teacup on the table, then stared at him): You're welcome, I should be thanking you! You gave me a ton of juicy information! To thank you, here, take this tea on the table... (She slowly licked her lips, perversely). I put a special ingredient in it for you. In your past, I glimpsed some of your fantasies about my tea. I leave you the privilege of drinking this one. You would be the first to drink this part of Me.
Trizz looked at her, disappointed. He thought she was only interested in the failed loops and information from his world of origin, but she was only digging into the most twisted memories of his former, normal teenage life.
Trizz (With great disgust): Echidna, go to hell! What a lack of respect for the Library of Pride! You went digging into my intimate life! There are thousands, no, millions of exclusive information in my memory! But you have the stupidity to go search in the low life of my existence! You are not the Witch of Greed! You are rather the Witch of Lust, but in the most degenerate and perverse form and morality!
The young man abruptly stood up from the chair, the wood creaking. He began to descend the hill, frustrated and disgusted.
Echidna (Stands up abruptly, knocking the teacup onto the flowers near the table, hands flailing): I'm joking! I'm joking! I assure you I didn't put anything strange in that tea! Listen, I also admit that my curiosity pushed me to go too far, but understand me! Your memories are fascinating!
The world began to fracture. Trizz continued on his way without turning back to listen to Echidna's apologies. The mysterious Witch of Greed from the legends had been reduced to an ambulatory, large-scale pedophile he would have to monitor 24/7.
Echidna: Wait, please, come back! I can explain everything!
Trizz left the Castle of Dreams, his Pride broken by the ridicule, but with the satisfaction of finally being free from Roswaal's yoke
Trizz left the Castle of Dreams, his Pride broken by the ridicule, but with the satisfaction of finally being free from Roswaal's yoke.
The air was cold and the darkness dense in the Stone Tomb. Trizz, his body still pale, eyes closed, lay on the icy stone. The fresh memories of his humiliating soul contract with Echidna still struggled against the need to regain his senses.
Suddenly, he felt something heavy, warm, and soft weighing on his chest, almost strangling him. His mind, still clouded, struggled to understand the situation, but when he opened his crimson eyes, he discovered the cause: a silver-haired woman with amethyst eyes, trembling with terror, was holding him tight. She was whispering broken, incomprehensible phrases.
Emilia (Whispering in a broken, weak voice): I didn't do anything... I didn't do anything wrong... It's not my fault... I'm so sorry... I couldn't save them...
Trizz gently sat up, calmly regaining his composure so as not to frighten her further. He slowly caressed her silver hair, as if to soothe a child after a terrible nightmare. His tone, usually biting, became strangely soft, tinged with the false sincerity dictated by his strategy.
Trizz: I'm here, Emilia. No one is going to hurt you. Breathe. You haven't made any mistake. Everything is fine. It's just a nasty little nightmare. Subaru, Puck, and I are here now. Calm down.
Emilia (Her grip loosened a little, but her eyes remained wide with shock): You're here? You're never going to abandon me? You'll stay my friends? You don't hate me?
Trizz: We are your friends. Friends are meant to stay together and protect each other. We love you (the lie came effortlessly, cold and smooth). We will always stay with you. Now, rest. Puck is waiting for you.
Emilia (Her eyes slowly closed, relieved by the mention): Puck is here too... He didn't abandon me?... (A tear rolled down her cheek, the murmur almost inaudible) Puck, I miss you...
She fell asleep in Trizz's arms, her mind serene and relieved. Trizz remained still, aware of a major problem Emilia's psyche was surprisingly fragile since Puck's departure. He still wondered how she could succeed in the Trials. He was missing a crucial piece of the puzzle.
His gaze instinctively turned to a man in a tracksuit, with black hair and frightening eyes. It was Subaru, sitting on the stone, hands on his head, trembling too. His death had been extremely violent, and his psyche bore the scars.
Trizz gently lifted Emilia, holding her like a bride.
Trizz: Barusu, are you okay? You look like a poorly maintained sack of potatoes.
Subaru (Trembling, eyes fixed on the cold floor of the ruin): Els... Elsa is back, frizz... She attacked the mansion with accomplices. They burned and killed all the inhabitants with monst... Centaur-shaped monsters...
Trizz frowned. In his memories of this arc, there were no Centaur-like Mabeasts, nor was the mansion burned in the first loop. He was beginning to question Subaru's mental health, but no longer had time to dwell on it. He would have to ask him for more details tomorrow.
Trizz: I understand, Barusu. We'll talk about that tomorrow, understood? (He approached Subaru with a determined step). We're going to exchange rooms for today. Your room is much quieter so I can think about the information you just submitted to me.
Subaru remained perplexed by his friend's strange request, but accepted it with a nod. If it could prevent another horrible death, he would do anything.
(Time Skip...)
In Subaru's room, the young man lay on his friend's soft, fluffy, and comfortable white bed. The room, slightly larger and airier than his own, was equipped with yellow-curtained windows, a small library, and a desk. But the comfort of the place was not the main subject of his thoughts.
Trizz (Lying down, eyes closed, reflecting): The plan worked. Subaru should be with Emilia, traumatized, in his room, and he would be humiliated by Ram the next day.
He returned to the main problem: the divergence of the scenario formulated by Subaru. A centaur, a mansion in flames... Wasn't this supposed to be the first loop? It was improbable. Based on the anime's memories, he had to remain on his guard.
Trizz: Elsa is the most serious problem. Her superhuman speed, plus her instant regeneration, make her a formidable opponent. But her weakness is that this regeneration is not infinite and exhausts her more and more with each wound. Meili, the Mabeast tamer, must be captured. Even though I would prefer her dead, I must follow the scenario...
Trizz opened his eyes and made his three quasi-Spirits appear.
Trizz: I still haven't managed to master Ul Aka. My only Earth Magic formula that I master is Dona. I need a superior spell to create walls against Elsa's extremely fast attacks. Nini (Yin quasi-Spirit), Styler (Yang quasi-Spirit), and finally, the famous Earth quasi-Spirit... I still wonder why it chose me despite the fact that I was completely filled with hatred and disgust during the cult massacre.
He put his hand on his forehead. Another mystery he could not solve. But he was forced to learn Earth Magic. This magic gave him skills for earth and stone shields, or creating weapons from these materials, which would be very useful with Ul Aka, which improved the user's body and weapon.
"Aren't you tired of thinking constantly, frizz? Your mind looks like a draft sheet."
Trizz suddenly stood up, even falling out of bed. An unpleasant voice abruptly resonated in his head.
He looked left and right, seeing no one in the house. The window was closed, the door locked. There was no one in that room but him. Maybe he was going crazy? After all, in this loop, his mind was not completely recovered after the war meeting and his arrival at the Sanctuary.
"Don't you recognize me? It's rude to forget your contract partner after such a juicy exchange."
Trizz (Confused): But who are you, exactly? And why are you talking in my head? Echidna, is that you? But how...
Echidna (Internal, cutting him off): I forgot to mention it, but I can now talk to you by telepathy thanks to a little gift I gave you. Look in your pocket.
Trizz put his hand in his robe and found a hard, black crystal attached to a thin, black chain. Trizz placed it in the middle of his face to analyze it better.
Trizz (Frowning): That wasn't in our Contract! I said my memory in exchange for my freedom, not a high-security surveillance from you!
Echidna (Internal): Calm down. I admit not warning you about this, but anyway, thanks to this pendant, I'll be able to see everything you see, and I'll help you in this loop. Plus, you don't need to talk to me externally, you can talk to me directly with your thoughts. Isn't that fascinating?
Trizz (Internal, stood up then sat on the bed, rage bubbling): What sadism! Not only did you dig into my intimate life, but you want to tell me you monitor my every step and gesture! You're turning me into a study subject! You deserve to be dead!
Echidna (Internal): Don't be so hard on me. Besides, I'm here to advise you and prevent you from taking the wrong paths. Furthermore, I could help you with your spells. You also come out victorious! Think of all the knowledge we will accumulate!
Trizz (Internal): Cursed be your greed! I'm looking for sleep. Don't bother me! Stay mute as a stone! When I need you, I'll call you!
Echidna (Internal, pouting): What a miser! Is this how you treat your only ally?
Echidna (Internal, pouting): What a miser! Is this how you treat your only ally?
(Time Skip: Day 2)
Trizz found himself in a large meeting room. Small windows let in a soft light, illuminating a long table surrounded by several wooden chairs. The place was surprisingly warm, airy, and clean, contrasting with the gloomy atmosphere of the previous days. Trizz was confused as to the reason for his presence in this room, which also gathered Garfiel, Subaru, Ram, Otto, and Emilia.
Ram, standing at the end of the table, lightly clapped her hands to capture attention.
Ram: Ram summoned all of you here because Barusu had something important to tell you regarding the progress of the situation.
Subaru, sitting on a wooden chair, cleared his throat. He displayed an expression of unusual gravity, a mixture of lingering fear due to his last death and a newly found determination, fueled by his desire to protect Emilia.
Subaru: Thank you all for coming here. I gathered all of you to talk about the Trials. As some people have noticed, I was selected by the Witch of Greed to take the Sanctuary's Trials. That's why I would like to... take Emilia-tan's place.
The atmosphere in the room immediately became heavy, cutting with a knife. Perplexity and disapproval were readable on almost all faces, with the exception of Trizz, who observed the scene with a cold, detached gaze, as if watching animals in a zoo.
Garfiel (Standing up abruptly, his voice rumbling and his tone filled with contained rage): WHAT?! You damn shrimp! Have you gone crazy or what? Who do you think you are to interfere in the Sanctuary's affairs, to steal Emilia-sama's place?
Emilia (Eyes wide, visibly hurt and confused): Subaru... Why would you do that? I know I failed... but I can't let you take that risk! I... I know I let you see my useless side, so now you think you can't entrust the Trials to me?
Otto (Waving his hands, his usual panic taking over): Subaru! No, wait! It's the Tomb! It's not a simple hike! Didn't you say the Trials show your worst memories?! You're going to go crazy! Don't be so reckless! Think a little about your safety!
Ram (Sipping her tea, a sarcastic smile and glacial contempt on her lips, aiming at Trizz): Barusu is always good at making stupid choices. But I understand. He has an excellent role model to follow. Ram is curious, Barusu, who gives you the authority to take away Emilia-sama's burden? Was it your... dear friend frizz-sama who breathed this idea into you? It seems that promises of friendship have an expiration date for him.
Trizz, who had remained silent until now, slowly rested his elbow on the table, observing Ram with a menacing calm.
Trizz (His voice is dry, but incredibly composed): Ram, don't waste your time addressing me. Your sarcasms are as worn out as the carpet. And Barusu doesn't need me to "breathe" ideas into him. I am not the cause of his madness. Take care of your disabled master.
He stood up abruptly, taking everyone by surprise. The chair loudly scraped the parquet floor. His body, strained by the exhaustion of the loops and Echidna's surveillance, emitted a palpable aura of danger. He had cut his contract with Roswaal; he no longer had to play this "good friend" role.
Trizz (Authoritative, almost threatening tone, sweeping the room with a crimson gaze): You had the nerve to make me waste my time for this masquerade? Barusu cannot take the trials in Emilia's place.
Subaru: But frizz, you saw her state? She can't take the trials! I have to do it to prevent her from suffering more. I was chosen to take the trials! You know that!
Trizz (Hand on his forehead, exasperated): I was also chosen to take the trials, but that's no reason to replace Emilia! Anyway, no one would let you take the trials. Garfiel, watch this idiot.
Garfiel, annoyed by Trizz's orders, but sharing his opinion on Subaru's recklessness, accepted immediately.
Garfiel: Don't worry, the cool me will watch him like a dragon egg. Stay calm, shrimp!
Trizz left the room with a dry tone, leaving Emilia slightly relieved (because someone believed in her), Otto still panicked, and a raging, determined Subaru to take the trials without others' permission.
"What a lack of style. You could have given an inspiring speech about Pride, my dear Trizz. Disappointing," Echidna's mocking voice resonated in Trizz's mind.
(Time Skip: Day 3)
Trizz was lying on the cold stone of the Tomb, his body exhausted after several hours of intensive training on the spell El Dona. Certainly, he now managed to create earth walls and projectiles, but he could not maintain his balance, his concentration, nor stabilize the image he had to visualize directly in his head. It was torture. As for the Ul-level Yin spells (a superior level), they remained an intellectual hell for him. He had even abandoned the idea of mastering the Ul level of Yin Magic for fear of going mad.
Echidna (Internal, in a playful voice): You're improving better and better! That's already a good start to understanding this magic! You are on the right track! Why don't you try Ul Jiwald? It's much easier than the other spells of this level, but remains also complex to master.
Trizz stood up, annoyed by Echidna's voice which constantly resonated in his head. She was a real plague.
Trizz: Shut up, Echidna! I need silence to concentrate! You haven't stopped bothering me for hours! You are a real incorrigible!
Echidna (Internal, pouting like a child): You are really unpleasant as a contractor. I feel lonely in my castle with no one to talk to! Besides, you're the only person who doesn't completely judge me on my methods!
Trizz: If you feel so lonely, go talk to the other Witches! And if you don't want to be judged, go talk directly to the Witch of Sloth. She would be too busy breathing to judge you!
Echidna (Internal): You wound my heart with your bloody remarks, naughty boy!
Trizz: You, "a heart"? You lost it 400 years ago. Don't talk to me about morality!
Author : Okay guys, when I started this fanfiction I was at the beginning of arc 7. It turns out that after finishing the arcs and reading the theories (spoilers for arcs 8 and 9), returning by death doesn't belong to Satella, and she can't remember all of Subaru's loops when she's separated from him, like in the famous chapter 53 of arc 7. I unwittingly made the authority much more powerful than anticipated...
Echidna (Internal, defeated by Trizz's arguments, her tone suddenly became serious): OK, OK, I get it, I'll stop. But I have a remark to make about your Witch Factor.
Trizz (Voice lower, but still frustrated): What remark? Is it about my regeneration?
Echidna (Internal): No. It's about Return by Death. This power does not belong to the Witch of Envy, Satella.
Trizz froze, his breath caught, his body tense with incredulity and fear.
Trizz: What?! What are you telling me? This power doesn't belong to Satella? But to whom does it belong, exactly?
Echidna (Internal): I don't know. Only Satella holds this secret... and more. Satella herself does not remember all of Subaru's loops if she is separated from him. So, you who have no direct link with Satella or this power...
Trizz: Where are you going with this? Is my Authority more powerful than Typhon's itself?
Echidna (Internal, her tone filled with insatiable greed): Exactly! But the problem is not its power. Your Witch Factor not only allows you to have incredibly useful and precious buffs, but... it can also break reality itself to remember the death loops. That explains why, after our first meeting, you kept the memories of our discussions in my Castle of Dreams, while the mechanism should make you forget our discussion...
The atmosphere in the Tomb became heavy and silent. The fatal revelation Echidna had just transmitted to Trizz confirmed that his Authority of Pride was more than a simple bodily improvement, it was an anomaly capable of corrupting time itself through Subaru's loops.
The heavy silence was brutally broken by the sound of hurried footsteps. Subaru appeared in the entrance of the Tomb, running towards Trizz, his forehead bathed in sweat and his face drawn with fatigue.
Subaru (Voice muffled by lack of air and fatigue): Finally! I found you, frizz! I've been looking for you for more than thirty minutes! Garfiel would never have told me if I hadn't tricked him!
Trizz (Dry, contemptuous tone): Be quick, Barusu. What do you want? You already gave me information about the previous loop and that mysterious blue-haired man. My time is not infinite.
Subaru: I understand, "Mr. I'm Too Busy." But seriously, how do you do it with Emilia-tan to be so close to her?! I chase after her everywhere and compliment her like an angel, but she sees me as a clumsy guy! Give me your secret, a pro tip!
Trizz: Barusu, go away. I don't have time to waste on your silly love story nonsense. I'm in the middle of a training session on fundamental spells.
Subaru: Silly love story nonsense? Remember you wanted to have a relationship with Ram and Rem, but you quickly gave up on that idea! That means... you're interested in Emilia-tan?! You sensed her weakness and you struck!
Subaru sat down heavily next to Trizz, looking desperate and pleading, his gaze full of juvenile anxiety.
Subaru: Please, don't steal her from me! I'm unlucky enough in my previous life! Leave Emilia-tan to me! Besides, I noticed she appreciates you a lot. She looks at you with such confidence. Are you two dating?!
Echidna (Internal, in a voice full of philosophical greed): Fascinating. The emotions of possession. I never felt love. My main goal was to feel it, at least once in my life. Your memories are so rich in emotions, frizz...
Trizz (Ignoring Echidna's words, focusing on Subaru, his tone becoming coldly factual): Listen, Barusu. I have no liaison with Emilia, that's ridiculous. My mind is filled with survival strategies, not romance. She sees me as an older brother... so you still have your chances with her.
Subaru: "An older brother"?! She's practically dozens of times your age, frizz! What are you talking about? Are you making fun of me? Come on, you're hiding the truth! You're the crimson-eyed man who fears no one, she must be attracted to your charisma!
Trizz (Completely irritated and tired of Subaru's obsession with Emilia): It's not because of our biological age that she sees me as an older brother! It's because of the mature state of our psychology! For her, I am the figure of stability: the older brother who "protects her from the bad guys" like during the most recent war meeting and who takes care of the "adult stuff" she is incapable of doing, like strategy or politics. I am a stable crutch, Barusu. I am her psychological comfort zone. Nothing more.
Subaru: That's why she sees you as a brother? (He sighed pityingly, shaking his head). I pity you. You have the charisma of a hero, but all the women interested in you are psychopaths like Elsa, or selfish royal candidates (Priscilla and Anastasia). You deserve better, my old frizz.
Echidna (Internal, a dry, amused laugh resonating in Trizz's skull): You are a magnet for problems, frizz. A true catalyst for chaos and interesting women. Don't worry, I'm also available, you know?
Trizz (Internal, frustrated, clenching his fists): Go to hell, Echidna!
In the distance, a familiar silhouette appeared. A woman with pink hair and red eyes was approaching, her stride slower and more measured than usual. Her beautiful face remained a mask of cold neutrality, contrasting with the warmth of the afternoon, but her eyes betrayed an unusual heaviness. It was Ram.
Ram: Ram observes that the idiot Barusu and the incorrigible frizz are reunited again. A team of broken arms as inefficient as they are noisy.
Trizz (Pressed tone, wiping sweat from his forehead): What do you want from me, Ram? Keep the insults brief. I have training to resume, and my time is limited.
Ram: Ram is not here for the pleasure of your company, frizz. I came to get Barusu. Emilia-sama is requesting his presence immediately.
Subaru (Instantly lighting up): Emilia-tan wants to see me?! It must be to thank me for my efforts! (He started running towards the houses with renewed energy). See ya, frizz! Don't strain your brain too much, or you risk overheating!
Trizz watched Subaru's silhouette disappear, a mix of annoyance and weariness on his face. More time wasted because of his interruptions.
Ram: That's Barusu, after all. Nothing can be expected of him. (She paused, her gaze fixing on frizz with a strange intensity). Now, you, frizz. I have something to tell you.
Trizz: I'm listening. I hope it's important, Ram. I'm not in the mood for guessing games.
Ram (Strangely irritated, slightly averting her gaze): Ram wants you to follow her. What I have to tell you cannot be heard here. It is... crucial. It concerns the safety of the Sanctuary and the barrier.
Trizz (Sensing the unusual gravity in Ram's voice, straightened up): If it is that critical... Very well. I'll follow you.
Ram, without another word, turned on her heel and began to walk towards the edge of the woods. Trizz followed suit, his mind already calculating the possible scenarios, determined to correct this unforeseen error in the loop.
(Time Skip)
In the forest, nature seemed indifferent to the intrigues of men. The wind blew softly, rustling the leaves of the trees in a soothing melody. Birds were feeding their young in the high branches, and a few dead leaves were waltzing on the ground. It was a tableau of peace.
In front, Ram walked without a word, her back straight, her gaze coldly fixed ahead. Trizz followed a few steps behind. Despite her constant sarcasm and bloody remarks, she was one of his most loyal pawns. He had a calculated trust in her. She was rational.
Echidna (Internal, playful and mocking voice): Oh là là, frizz! Maybe this is your chance? A romantic stroll in the woods... Maybe she wants to declare her love for you! I'm going to be an aunt! That's moving!
Trizz (Internal, frustrated): Shut up, Echidna. You know as well as I do that she's obsessed with the sadistic clown. She only sees other men as tools or nuisances.
Echidna (Internal): How complex! You are interested in Ram, but Ram is in love with the Clown. The Clown is obsessed with me, and I am in love with you... What a delicious romantic triangle... no, quadrilateral! It's worthy of a literary tragedy!
Trizz (Internal, mentally sighing): Let's recap for your Witch brain you are "in love" with my memory and my knowledge of another world, not with me as a person. And I have no feelings for Ram, just forced respect for her intelligence and dangerousness.
Echidna (Internal): What does that change? Your memory is part of you, isn't it? Your experiences have forged your soul. Therefore, by logical extension, I am in love with you! Q.E.D.
Trizz (Internal): I understand why the other Witches hate you. Your jokes are so disgusting and twisted...
Echidna (Internal): Still so frustrated... You risk ending your life alone if you don't accept the small flaws of your mental companion!
Suddenly, Ram stopped abruptly, rigid as a wooden plank. The silence fell heavily between them. She slowly turned to face Trizz. Her gaze, usually so piercing, was strangely unreadable, a troubled mix of contained frustration and a sadness she struggled to hide.
The wind began to blow harder, a lugubrious whistle. The birdsong suddenly stopped. A deathly silence violently imposed itself. The atmosphere, peaceful a second earlier, became suffocating. Trizz's Instinct, his Authority, began to scream a warning, but his logic, his trust in Ram, made him hesitate a second too long.
Trizz: Why did you bring me so far, Ram? You know very well that I hate being interrupted for futile subjects. Speak.
Ram: ...
Trizz: What are you doing? Speak, now!
Ram (Tears began to flow down her porcelain cheeks, her voice fragile and broken): friz... frizz... I'm... so sorry. Forgive me.
Before Trizz could understand the meaning of these apologies, a blinding, absolute pain exploded in his chest.
A wet, sickening sound. Blood began to spurt, staining the mud and dead leaves, quickly turning into a crimson puddle. Trizz vomited his own blood, paralyzed by shock.
His gaze remained fixed on Ram, as if fascinated by a tragic tableau. His crimson eyes slowly began to lose their spark of life, incomprehension mixing with pain.
Behind him stood a tall man with blue hair. His heterochromatic eyes-the right yellow, the left blue-shone with a demented glint. A satisfied, cruel smile was plastered on his lips. It was Roswaal. He was not wearing his clown makeup, revealing the naked coldness of his features.
His hand had pierced Trizz's chest from the back, passing through flesh and bone to grasp the vital organ. With a swift movement, he withdrew his hand, holding Trizz's still-beating heart, before mercilessly crushing it.
Trizz's body collapsed heavily into the mud, like a puppet whose strings have been cut. His eyes remained open, staring into the void, lifeless.
Roswaal (Wiping his bloody hand with a handkerchief, his voice drawn out and melodious): Beaauutiful work, Ram! That's excellent. The way you lured him here like an animal to the slaughterhouse... It shows that he had blind trust in your qualities!
Ram (Averting her eyes from the corpse, trembling): Ram knows, Roswaal-sama. But... why kill him? Emilia-sama risks collapsing if she learns he is dead. He was her pillar.
Roswaal: Too many questions for a single little answer, Ram! (His voice suddenly became serious, icy, losing its singing tone). He managed to break the Soul Contract that bound us. He has become an uncontrollable variable. He is a danger to my Gospel's scenario and to the future of the Kingdom.
Ram (Confused, frowning): frizz? A danger to the Kingdom? He is much more intelligent than normal, admittedly, and arrogant, but... is he truly a threat of such magnitude, Roswaal-sama?
Roswaal (Eyes fixed on Trizz's inert body, with a morbid fascination): Ram... This man you see on the ground is not a simple strategist. He is an Archbishop. Or, as he calls himself, the bearer of the most dangerous Sin Authority in this world! Pride.
Ram (Eyes widened in shock at the revelation, stepping back): Pride... Pride? (Her gaze fell back on frizz, with new horror). But Roswaal-sama, is frizz an Archbishop of the Cult?!
Roswaal: No, Ram, don't worry. He is not an Archbishop in the traditional sense. He is just the bearer of this thing called an Authority or Witch Factor. The problem is that I don't know how he managed to break our Contract, nor how he knows the events of the future with such precision. He is an anomaly that I cannot allow.
He turned to Ram, his gaze becoming neutral and calculating again.
Roswaal: Throw his body somewhere, far from the Sanctuary. In a crevice or a cave. Avoid any witnesses. You will then go explain to the others that our dear Trizz-kun left hastily for the Hoshin mansion to settle urgent affairs. The despair of his absence will be an excellent catalyst for Subaru-kun.
Roswaal ascended into the air with majestic grace after wiping the blood from his hand on his fine coat. He did not spare a final glance for Trizz's prone body, leaving him there like worthless trash.
Ram remained alone, frozen, her heart crushed by a mix of dread and melancholy. Roswaal's cold revelation about Trizz's true nature, coupled with the horror of the act she had just committed, paralyzed her.
Regaining her composure, Ram began to drag Trizz's body with all her might, struggling against the man's dead weight. Sweat beaded on her pale face. Questions echoed incessantly in her mind, like a death knell.
She had killed the man who had brought balance to the camp. He was the only one who had the intelligence to create sustainable funds thanks to the Merchant Princess's company, and he had woven colossal influence among the other camps Anastasia Hoshin, Felt, Crusch, and the great Russell Fellow. By killing him, Roswaal had annihilated all the strategic advantages Trizz had provided. Even if he was an Authority Bearer, he had shown no hostility towards the camp members or anyone in the kingdom.
Ram (Blank gaze, filled with melancholy): Ram wonders if it was a good idea to have killed you, Frizz. Even if you were an arrogant and contemptuous man, you placed the balance and the lives of everyone above your own mental and physical health. That is the very essence of... a protector.
She continued to drag his body through the woods. Regret, hatred for Roswaal's madness, and self-disgust were omnipresent in her mind. Was Roswaal losing his sanity? Couldn't she have used Trizz to destroy the Gospel and free her master from his obsession with a woman dead for centuries?
She arrived near the edge of a deep river with a violent current. It was the ideal spot to dispose of the body without leaving evidence. How long had she been dragging this corpse? She no longer knew herself. The sun had significantly changed position. She had to hurry to throw the body in, return to the others, and lie about Trizz's disappearance.
But when she turned around to grab the body... there was nothing. Only the crushed grass from the corpse's weight.
Before panic or questions could set in, a sharp, burning pain struck her arm. When she turned her horrified gaze, she realized that her left forearm had disappeared, leaving only a vapor of cooked, cauterized flesh in its place.
Before she could scream, a brute force slammed her violently onto the cold, damp ground, right by the riverbank.
The person towering over her was a man with black hair and crimson eyes, burning with cold rage. A mad, sadistic smile stretched his lips. His crimson pupils seemed devoured by a dark, deep black dot, like an abyss. In the place where Roswaal had ripped out his heart, there was only a hole in the fabric over intact skin. It was... Trizz. Completely healed.
Ram's eyes widened in horror and terror
Ram's eyes widened in horror and terror. Even if she wasn't surprised by his strength, she knew she was incapable of fighting Trizz; she was trapped. Her severed left arm lay a little further away, bleeding profusely.
Trizz (His voice a cold, menacing growl): Oh la là, Ram... That was the stupidest idea I've seen from you. Luckily my regeneration is much more powerful than before, otherwise I would have been dead... Truly dead.
Ram tried to speak, but Trizz's hand was squeezing her throat too tightly. The strangest, most terrifying thing was that Trizz had the strength to kill her instantly, but was visibly taking pleasure in seeing her suffer, seeing her struggle for every breath.
Trizz (His grip tightened further, his smile widening): You're wondering why I'm doing this? Know that in this camp, I have no sentimental attachment to you. You are all tools to me. Even your supposedly idiotic master, Roswaal. He's just a pawn who rebelled. I'll straighten him out later. I promise.
She tried to cast a wind spell to strike him, outraged by the insult to Roswaal and the inhabitants of the Domain, but it was impossible. The pressure on her windpipe shattered her concentration. She was slowly suffocating.
Trizz: Listen, Ram. I trusted you. You broke that trust. You are now a worn-out, broken tool. I no longer need you. Don't worry, the same will happen to your sister.
At the mention of Rem and his emotional detachment, Ram was now convinced of Roswaal's fears: Trizz was far more dangerous than an Archbishop of the Cult.
Trizz (His voice became loud and violent, spitting out his accumulated frustration): I TRUSTED YOU! I HELPED ALL OF YOU! I SAVED YOU REPEATEDLY WITHOUT ASKING FOR ANYTHING IN RETURN! AND AT THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY, TO SAVE YOUR MISERABLE LIVES IN THE MABEAST FOREST, YOU USED ME AS A DECOY! RAM, YOU REMEMBER THAT DAY, DON'T YOU?! I THOUGHT I COULD TRUST YOU AGAIN, BUT YOU BETRAYED ME AGAIN! YOU ARE ALL HYPOCRITES! AFTER ALL THE SACRIFICES I MADE FOR YOU, YOU ALL DESERVE DEATH!
His grip tightened on Ram's neck with unprecedented violence. Her body struggled frantically for oxygen, white saliva beginning to drool from her lips. But the most terrifying thing was not Trizz's mad laughter, it was his crimson pupils in the middle of each, that black dot was growing, like a void sucking up all light.
Then, in a second, she no longer felt Trizz's grip on her neck. Maybe he didn't want to kill her? She could finally try to manipulate him, then flee to ask Roswaal for help.
All those ideas were brutally dispersed. A sharp, intense pain slammed into her abdomen, making her spit out saliva. Incessant kicks began to rain down.
Trizz (Screaming, his face contorted by hatred and madness): I HATE YOU SO MUCH! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE, RAM!
He smashed her non-stop, from head to toe, raining punches and kicks upon her. He ignored his own bruises, his own pain. He ignored everything. His anger was far too great, fueled by the resurgence of all his past traumas. Bones snapped. Skin tore and bruised. One of Ram's eyes was gouged out by the impact's violence. He kept going. His sole purpose was to make her feel what he himself had suffered on the first day he set foot in this world pain, shame, helplessness, hatred, guilt, despair.
After the relentless assault, Ram's body no longer resembled a human being, but a broken, dislocated toy. Half of her teeth were torn out, her fractured skull, with severe hemorrhaging, allowed a glimpse of her brain. Her right arm hung at an impossible angle, warped like rubber. Her face was shredded, her neck fractured, both feet flattened by broken bones. Massive muscle trauma, a pierced eye, her gaze was empty, mouth open, staring up at the sky.
Trizz looked at the body. His anger and the fear of his traumas suddenly subsided. Ram's body was an abomination he had caused. He had killed her after long and painful torture. He could no longer contain his nausea and vomited onto Ram's lifeless body.
This loop was doomed to fail. Roswaal was now an active enemy. Ram was dead. Emilia was traumatized. The mansion was under attack.
Trizz (Confused and disgusted, wiping his mouth): Why... Why can't I still kill without vomiting? I've already killed hundreds of people... indirectly, during the Cult massacre!
Echidna (Internal, her philosophical greed tone barely masking a certain horrified fascination): I didn't know you were so sadistic, Frizz. Another bad habit on your bad boy list. You are not far from surpassing me in cruelty.
You are not far from surpassing me in cruelty
Trizz ignored Echidna. He began to dismember Ram, limb by limb, using the El Jiwald spell (Yang Magic) which he managed to channel into his arm, transforming it into a golden blade of light. Blood and flesh flew everywhere. The river and grass were stained crimson, forming a pool of blood around his boots. After the brutal carving, the smoke of cooked, rotten flesh hung in the air.
He threw Ram's limbs one by one into the river, watching them disappear into the current.
He had to return to the mansion to test the enemy's strength, evaluate the power of Elsa and the Mabeasts, and then use the next loop to annihilate them all.