Hours later... a fragile body stirred in Subaru's arms, drifting from the edge of sleep back into reality. Hikari slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, her memory foggy, but that final moment was still etched into her mind: a man with white hair... a sharp strike... and then, darkness.
Now... there was warmth. Not just heat from the sun or a nearby fire—but the warmth of life, of presence. A heartbeat close to hers. Arms around her, strong and trembling. Safety. Security. Someone was holding her. Someone she knew. Familiar, and yet impossibly so. Slowly, hesitantly, she raised her head, her breath hitching. And there he was—Subaru. Her brother.
Her eyes locked onto his face. In that instant, time bent backward, memories bursting like shattered glass returning to their original form. His expression was calm but pale, his lips parted slightly as he breathed shallowly. Subaru… wasn't supposed to be here. Not in this world. Not in her reality. And yet, here he was, as vivid as the tears stinging her eyes. It felt like a hallucination born from longing.
"This... must be a dream," she whispered. Her voice cracked under the weight of disbelief and aching hope. Her lips trembled. Tears welled up, clinging to her lashes, then slipping down her cheeks one by one.
She clenched her eyes shut, trying to wake herself up. Maybe this was just a fevered illusion, conjured by exhaustion and despair. Maybe, if she tried hard enough, she'd return to reality—the lonely, painful reality she remembered. But then—
—a single drop of warmth landed on her cheek. It didn't vanish. It lingered. Sticky, metallic.
Her eyes snapped open.
Blood.
Subaru's blood.
The realization struck her like lightning. She gasped and jolted upright, panic flooding every corner of her body. Her pulse surged, her chest heaving. Subaru's face was ashen, his breathing weak and uneven. His shirt was soaked with blood. His weapon—what was left of it—lay broken beside him. Around them, the forest was a desolate battlefield. Trees had been splintered like matchsticks. The earth had been scorched and torn. Smoke curled in the distance, rising into a sky smothered in grey.
"Nii-nii! Wake up! Please—please wake up!" she cried, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him with all the strength her trembling arms could summon. But he didn't respond. His eyes stayed shut.
She looked around. There was no one. Nothing. Just ruins and silence. The wind howled through the remains of the forest, whipping ash across her face like falling snow. Panic clenched her chest, breath catching. After all this time—after all the pain and the waiting—her brother was finally here, finally real. And now, he was slipping away.
Her hands pressed down on his wounds, desperate to stop the bleeding. Her fingers were soon coated in red. Her own heartbeat was loud in her ears.
"Please! Somebody, help us!" she screamed, her voice cracking. It echoed off the lifeless trees, but no answer came. The world responded with silence. Empty, uncaring silence.
Tears streamed down her face, hot and fast. Her hands trembled as she tried to keep Subaru grounded to the world. She didn't know how. She didn't know what to do. And so she prayed—not to a god, not to a witch, not to anything specific—but to existence itself. To anything that might be listening.
Then, from the shadows of the ravaged forest, a voice floated forth. A woman's voice. Gentle, melodic, and yet laced with something unsettling. Something ancient.
"Don't cry, little girl."
Hikari froze. The voice sent shivers down her spine. Slowly, she turned toward its source. Her heart beat wildly, pounding in her chest like a war drum.
"W-Who are you?" she stammered, barely able to get the words out.
The voice returned, clearer now. There was a smile behind it. Hidden, knowing.
"I am Lunaria, the Witch of Purification. I see now… the forest where my body rests has been disturbed. Shattered. It seems reverence for the dead is no longer in fashion. No matter... This chaos, it stirred my soul. Pulled it back from the silence. And you... you were the one who made that possible."
Hikari's eyes widened. Her breath caught. Witch? But witches were legends—stories told in whispers. Warnings. They weren't real. They couldn't be.
Lunaria's voice returned, tinged now with interest. She was studying them, analyzing.
"The souls I sense... yours and the boy's. How peculiar. How rare. You carry something extraordinary. That uniqueness may well be enough to disrupt fate itself."
Hikari's tears didn't stop. She tilted her head up to the sky, where clouds hung low and heavy like sorrow itself. Her chest ached. Her breaths came sharp and shallow.
"Souls...? I don't care about that! Not now! My brother—he's dying! Please! I'm begging you! Help me!" she screamed. Her voice fractured like a mirror thrown against stone. Her cries weren't just desperate—they were raw. Real. Every part of her soul stretched thin and laid bare.
The air shifted. From deeper within the forest came another voice. This one was different. It echoed as if spoken not from a throat, but from the forest itself. It carried with it the scent of rain, the chill of old power.
"Ah... so the one who fought the Archbishop is your brother, is he? Intriguing. He also opposes Pandora? Even better. I might be inclined to assist after all. I despise that woman."
Hikari barely had time to comprehend the words. Before she could even look for the source, light exploded around her. Blinding, warm, overwhelming.
She held Subaru tighter. Her arms wrapped around him protectively as the world folded in on itself. Space distorted. Time fractured. Gravity unraveled.
And everything—everything—changed.
They had been transported to a new place, far removed from the ordinary world. It felt detached from reality, as vague and fleeting as a dream woven from silver mist. The air shimmered with a delicate, ethereal glow, as though steeped in moonlight, and the ground was blanketed in stardust that glittered like countless tiny jewels. The silence around them was so complete it felt alive, humming with hidden energy.
Standing before them was a woman with long, flowing hair as white as fresh snow, cascading down to her waist. She wore a gown the color of pale blue ice, fabric rippling like water in the faint, magical breeze. Crowning her head and draping around her neck were intricate ornaments fashioned in the shapes of crescent moons and delicate stars, which seemed to pulse gently with light. Her eyes were deep and endless, twin pools of midnight sky, and her posture held the elegance and authority of a sovereign queen.
The woman inclined her head gracefully, a gentle, knowing smile curving her lips.
"Welcome. Allow me to introduce myself again: I am Lunaria. It's a true pleasure to finally meet you, Hikari."
Hikari blinked rapidly, rising unsteadily to her feet. A mixture of shock, confusion, and lingering fear played across her face. Tears still clung stubbornly to her lashes, catching the silvery glow of the surroundings, though she no longer trembled. Her entire body felt taut, as if coiled like a spring, and her mind churned, frantically searching for answers in this impossible place.
"I… I really don't understand what's happening. One moment, someone kidnaps me… then I wake up and find my brother dying right in front of me… And now a witch has brought me into some strange world that doesn't even feel real. Please… before we talk about anything else, can you heal my brother? I'm begging you."
Lunaria let out a soft, musical laugh. Her laughter was like the gentle rustling of leaves under a night breeze, yet it carried an ancient weight, as though she had witnessed centuries pass in the blink of an eye.
"I cannot heal him, little one. But… you can. It seems I have slept for an age, drifting in dreams while the world changed around me. Now that I am awake, I must choose a new heir. That is why I am offering you a contract—a bond that could alter your fate."
Hikari's eyes widened, her pupils dilating with both fear and disbelief. She stumbled back a step, pressing her hand to her chest as her heart raced wildly.
"A contract? What kind of contract? Are you going to devour my soul or steal my life or something? No way! I've only just found my brother again—I can't let some creepy witch eat me or use me for something awful!"
A flicker of deep sorrow crossed Lunaria's luminous eyes, though her expression remained soft and compassionate. Slowly, she lifted her hand and rested it lightly against Hikari's forehead. Her touch was as gentle as falling snow, warm and soothing, carrying a sense of quiet, ancient power.
"Oh, sweet child. I would never harm you. Quite the opposite—I wish to help you. I want to grant you my blessing. Through it, you will gain the power to heal your brother, and you will never have to be parted from him again. This power comes at a cost, as all true power does, but I believe the love that burns in your heart is strong enough to endure it."
The warmth of Lunaria's hand on her forehead felt achingly familiar to Hikari, stirring memories from a time when life was simpler and filled with gentle laughter. In her mind, she saw herself as a child, holding her mother's hand tightly as they walked under a moonlit sky. Slowly, the icy fear clutching her chest began to melt away. She bit her lower lip, drew in a trembling but determined breath, and finally nodded, her eyes shining with fierce resolve.
"Hmph… Then I'll do it. I'll accept your contract. No matter what happens, I'm going to save my brother. I refuse to lose him again."
Lunaria's smile softened, her eyes glittering with approval. From her palm blossomed a radiant, pure white light. It rose and curled around Hikari, embracing her like a warm tide. It was a light filled with something ancient and mighty, thrumming with secrets older than the stars. Silver particles sparkled and danced in swirling patterns, wrapping Hikari in a delicate cocoon, as if the very fabric of fate were being rewoven around her.
"From this moment forward, you are my heir, and the new candidate to inherit the mantle of the Witch of Purification. There is only one thing I must ask of you: never approach the Witch Cult. If you had not come here when you did, Pandora would have arrived to strip me of my authority. Entrusting it to you… was the only path left to me."
Hikari felt the gravity in Lunaria's words pressing on her chest, but her spirit remained unshaken. She tilted her chin upward defiantly and let out a small, almost playful laugh.
"Alright then! I wasn't planning to leave Nii-nii's side ever again anyway. I'm going to protect him no matter what. I'll never let him be alone."
At that moment, the realm quaked as if the very bones of the world were shuddering. The sky overhead split with jagged cracks, glowing with veins of silver moonlight, and the ground beneath their feet fractured and splintered, as if reality itself was breaking apart. The air around them shimmered and shattered like glass, and time, which had seemed suspended, suddenly surged forward again.
Lunaria gazed at Hikari one final time, her eyes luminous with the gentle affection of a mentor for her beloved student, and the deep, protective love of a mother for her child.
"We will meet again, my child. Until that day comes… take care of yourself. And guard the light in your heart, no matter how dark the world may become."
With those last words, Lunaria raised her hand, sending forth a brilliant flash of light that wrapped around Hikari, lifting her from the moonlit realm. Silence fell like a velvet curtain. Lunaria lowered her gaze, her expression thoughtful as she turned to address the surrounding shadows.
"There's no need to be so cautious, Flugel. As you can see… the girl is my heir now."
A figure emerged slowly from the shadows, each step echoing like drumbeats across the starlit ground, as though the stars themselves were recoiling in fear. The heavy cloak clung to their silhouette, radiating a dark aura that seemed to choke the very air around them and even bend the faint moonlight. Flugel's voice, weary and ancient as shifting tectonic plates, resonated with an icy sharpness that cut through the silence like a blade.
"I'm tired of dealing with witches. But… you're marginally less insufferable. At least you're not putting on a grand show."
Lunaria gave a wry smile, tilting her head playfully, eyes glimmering with crimson sparks.
"Ara-ara~ How sweet of you. If I still possessed a living heart, such words might have swayed me. Sadly, I'm little more than my memories now, echoing like ghosts in a hollow hall."
Flugel sighed, his ancient eyes glimmering with unseen burdens and hidden tragedies. "Isn't that just perfect…"
A weighty silence fell between them, thick and electric, crackling with the tension of countless bygone ages and the trembling uncertainty of the future. A faint breeze stirred, carrying whispers of secrets long buried and countless untold stories yearning to be spoken.
When Hikari opened her eyes, she felt an unplaceable weight in her chest, a mingling of fear, wonder, and a sharp jolt of adrenaline. Lunaria's gift pulsed faintly inside her, like a secret song thrumming in her veins, every note carrying mystery and peril. Questions tumbled through her mind like falling stars: What was this power? Why her? How could it save Subaru from whatever cruel fate awaited him?
A year prior, upon first setting foot in Kararagi, she'd encountered a warrior of demi-human descent who spoke endlessly of hidden magics, lurking beasts, and veiled conspiracies. Kararagi was more than untamed forest—it was a realm thrumming with living mana, ancient contracts, and secrets older than any nation. Even then, Hikari displayed a rare gift for channeling mana, prompting her to train in secret, determined to forge herself into something stronger, someone who could protect those she loved.
And now, she held the blazing essence of Yang magic.
Hikari knelt beside Subaru, breath shuddering as she gazed at his pallid, almost translucent face. Tears welled and spilled down her cheeks, catching starlight and glinting like shards of crystal. Carefully, she pressed glowing hands against his chest, summoning Lunaria's teachings to mind. Once, magic felt like fire raging out of control in her veins; now it was like a warm tide, surging and retreating in precise rhythms. Power streamed from her, brilliant and potent, yet she could feel her own reserves draining as fast as the magic flowed.
Subaru's color gradually returned, his chest rising and falling in steadier breaths. Relief flickered across Hikari's weary face. Yet she knew that if she pushed her gift any further, it might tear her apart from the inside. With trembling resolve, she withdrew her magic and collapsed beside him, chest heaving and eyes half-closed.
She clasped Subaru's limp hand, refusing to abandon hope. Tilting her head to the heavens, she summoned a brilliant beacon of Yang magic. Golden light spiraled upward in rhythmic pulses, each wave radiating warmth and piercing the forest darkness like a second sun. The light spread across the treetops, sending shadows fleeing and casting strange, shifting patterns on the forest floor. Each flare whispered a desperate plea for aid.
Meanwhile, Kararagi City was a cauldron of chaos. Anastasia's convoy, navigating the labyrinthine streets, had been ambushed by Witch Cult zealots screaming oaths to their unseen masters. Blades flashed, spells detonated in bursts of color and heat, and terrified citizens scattered into the dark. Thankfully, the convoy carried seasoned warriors ready to counter the cult's vicious assault. One by one, the cultists fell beneath expert swordplay and fierce magic, though the real question loomed: Why attack now, and what were they after?
Julius raced through blood-slick streets to relay news to Anastasia, Rem, and Beatrice. Subaru's sudden disappearance left a hole in their plans, an unexpected void none of them could tolerate. Alarm bells rang through Kararagi, prompting an emergency declaration. Through rapid communication channels, Julius and Anastasia uncovered a startling lead: a colossal beam of light spotted near Banan, blazing skyward like a signal fire at the very edge of Kararagi.
Elsa, driven by the ruthless instincts of a killer, vanished into the shadows to scout the unknown. Anastasia and Meili remained behind to hold the city together, coordinating defenses and tending to the wounded. Julius, Rem, and Beatrice, following faint traces of Subaru's lingering miasma, steeled themselves to track him down, no matter the cost, determined to bring him back safely.
In a crumbling, half-forgotten house within the withering outskirts of Banan, they found the first true sign of him—Subaru. The place was soaked in the scent of decay, not just from time, but from something darker. Faint, yet undeniable, traces of miasma still clung to the structure like stubborn shadows refusing to lift with the dawn. Every crack in the wall, every broken plank seemed to breathe remnants of a curse that hadn't yet finished its work. But what awaited them deeper in the forest—far beyond this place—was worse. Much worse.
A presence loomed there. It was not simply powerful; it was suffocating, immense, and grotesquely unnatural. The concentration of miasma in that place was beyond anything they had ever encountered. It didn't need to be seen or smelled to be recognized—its sheer pressure bent the air around it, making the world feel heavier, slower. It was the kind of aura that announced itself like a scream across a still lake, disturbing everything it touched.
Elsa, driven by instinct and sharpened senses, had likely detected the looming dread long before the others. Without waiting for confirmation, she had moved, slipping into the forest's depths with her characteristic silent resolve. Julius, Rem, and Beatrice, upon realizing her intentions, wasted no time. They secured a faster dragon carriage—one not meant for comfort but for speed—and bolted after her, the wheels kicking up dirt as the horizon swallowed their silhouettes. Subaru's life was no longer measured in days or hours. It was down to seconds. And every passing second throbbed with urgency, threatening to alter the course of destiny itself.
Several long, grueling hours later, Elsa stood at the forest's edge. The sky overhead had transformed into a blanket of restless grey, the moon barely piercing through the turbulent shroud of clouds. A storm brewed in silence. The trees were not standing; they were mangled, ripped from the earth like weeds torn in rage. The ground bore the scars of violence—deep craters smoldering with fading heat, blackened roots reaching up like clawed hands. The air was thick, each breath tasting of iron and ash.
Elsa inhaled slowly, her lungs protesting the toxic weight of the atmosphere. Something had happened here—something immense, something feral and impossible to ignore. It wasn't just a battle. It was a rupture in the natural order.
From deeper within the cursed woods, a flickering light pulsed erratically. It stabbed through the darkness, bright and chaotic like a flare from another world. It was unmistakably magical, but far from stable. It beckoned and threatened in equal measure. Her instincts sharpened. The waves it emitted were wild, untamed. They reached outward like fingers, disturbing every lurking creature in the region.
Already, the forest had awakened. Shapes shifted in the shadows. Glowing eyes watched from behind bark and bush. The demonic beasts, drawn by the dense miasma and now this sudden burst of magic, were organizing. Even beasts familiar to Kararagi knew better than to tread this far in—unless driven by something stronger than instinct. They gathered in silence, guided by hunger and rage, preparing for the signal to strike.
Elsa's breath grew shallow. This place—it would soon become a blood-soaked battlefield. Or worse, a graveyard. But she had no choice. Turning back was never an option. Her steps accelerated. Every time a monster lunged, it was met with a slash so fast, so precise, it never even cried out. Her daggers danced like moonlight—silent, elegant, and fatal. Their bodies fell to the earth like forgotten leaves, the soil drinking deep.
Then, the light's source came into view. And for a fleeting moment, Elsa—who had seen death in every form imaginable—felt her breath catch.
A young girl knelt on the ground, swaying with exhaustion, the magical glow pouring from her like water from a broken vessel. She was barely conscious, her small form trembling. Beside her lay a boy, pale and motionless—Subaru. His chest barely moved, each breath an uphill battle against death.
Elsa's eyes widened. Emotions swirled inside her chest—fierce, unfamiliar ones. Concern. Urgency. A strange fear she didn't understand.
She dropped beside Subaru, kneeling quickly. Her fingers reached for his shoulder, firm but not rough.
"Hey! Subaru! Wake up! Come on, DAMN İT—WAKE UP!"
Nothing. No flicker in his eyelids, no change in his breath. His skin was clammy, his pulse faint. Elsa bit down a curse. Her eyes darted to the girl.
The child stirred, her gaze fluttering open just slightly. Her voice was nothing more than a cracked whisper.
"Are you... the enemy...?"
Elsa rose just enough to give herself space, her hands still holding her daggers, but loosely. Her posture was cautious but not aggressive. Her expression softened.
"No," she said, voice low and calm. "I'm not your enemy. I'm here... for both of you."
A flicker of trust—too fragile to last—crossed the girl's face. Her lips parted in the faintest smile. And then, her body slumped forward, resting against Subaru, and her consciousness faded.
Elsa remained still, watching them both. This girl—this child—what had driven her to come this far into hell? What burden had she carried through this chaos?
With practiced care, Elsa slipped Subaru onto her back and cradled the girl in her arms. The return journey had begun, but the forest behind them was not finished. Growls echoed from the void. Shapes moved in the dark. The beasts were closing in.
By the time she neared the forest's edge, a pack of demonic creatures had already descended. They blocked the way like sentinels of the abyss. Elsa didn't slow. Her daggers flashed. One, two, five, ten—the bodies fell as fast as they came. Her steps never wavered. She danced between teeth and claws, bleeding but relentless.
Her arms ached. Wounds burned. Her vision blurred once. But she didn't fall.
Because this time, she wasn't just fighting for survival.
She was protecting someone. Then— a sound. Faint at first. Then louder.
Wheels. Carriage wheels. A dragon carriage was approaching, the familiar rhythm of hooves against soil like salvation's drumbeat.
For the first time in hours, Elsa felt something stir in her chest.
Hope. But it came with a price. With the sound of rescue came the certainty of confrontation.
They would see her. They would know. And she couldn't hide anymore.
The dragon carriage surged down the road with unrelenting speed, the hooves of the earth dragons pounding the dirt like thunder. The reins creaked, and with a final tug, the carriage came to an abrupt, screeching halt, sending a small cloud of dust into the air. The moment the wheels stopped spinning, Rem leapt from the front seat with almost inhuman agility, her heart racing as her eyes locked onto the figures ahead.
"Elsa! Subaru-kun... and this little girl...!" Her voice cracked with a mixture of horror, confusion, and raw concern. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to move faster as she sprinted towards Elsa, who stood there with her usual unsettling calmness. The sight of Subaru lying limp and unconscious on Elsa's back froze the air in Rem's lungs. For a second, her body refused to move, overwhelmed by the surge of fear tightening around her chest.
Elsa, as if oblivious to the growing tension, tilted her head slightly, her pale lips curling into a faint, ambiguous smile. "Yes... I believe this small one is the Natsuki Hikari we've heard whispers about," she said, her voice as soft as silk but edged with exhaustion.
Without giving herself the luxury of doubt, Rem stepped forward and scooped Hikari from Elsa's arms. For the briefest of moments, their eyes met—blue clashing against deep violet. In that glance, a storm of emotions churned within Rem: gratitude for Hikari's rescue, suspicion for Elsa's motives, burning anger for all the times she had fought this woman... and, buried deep beneath, an odd sense of trust she hadn't expected to feel.
Cradling Hikari close, Rem turned and bolted back toward the dragon carriage. Behind her, Elsa remained motionless, her gaze now fixed on Subaru. The boy she carried had stopped breathing minutes ago, but she had kept moving, unwilling to let him fall. The weight on her back wasn't just muscle and bone anymore; it felt like she carried an entire timeline's worth of failures and hopes.
A thought brushed against her consciousness, quieter than a whisper but sharper than any blade: "Maybe this time... this time I didn't mess it up. Maybe... just maybe... it's worth something."
Just then, Julius's sharp senses locked onto Elsa's figure. His entire body tensed as the memories of past battles resurfaced like a flood. His brow furrowed deeply, pupils dilating with instinctual dread. Almost before he could process the situation, his hand shot toward his sword hilt, his muscles coiling for a strike.
"The Bowel Hu—"
Before the dreaded title could fully escape his lips, a sudden flash of light erupted beside him. A miniature mana crystal, pre-prepared and charged, flared to life in Beatrice's hand. Without even a spoken incantation, a ribbon of binding magic shot forth, wrapping itself around Julius's arm and freezing it mid-motion. The temperature of his skin dropped as the minor stasis spell rendered him unable to even twitch his fingers around the hilt.
"Tch... Seems like Elsa's part of Subaru's ridiculous little entourage now," Beatrice said, descending heavily from the carriage with all the regal weight her small frame could muster. Her voice carried the usual blend of irritation and intellectual sharpness, but there was something else too—an almost imperceptible softness hiding beneath her words. "A knight... especially one of royal standing... should know better than to act before understanding the full picture, in fact."
Rem let out a trembling breath, both from relief and lingering fear, as she carefully climbed into the carriage and laid Hikari down on one of the cushioned seats. The girl's face was ghostly pale, but the slow rise and fall of her chest proved she was still clinging to life. Wasting no time, Elsa knelt and lowered Subaru from her back, laying him on the ground as though setting down something infinitely precious. Her expression was unreadable—a blend of fatigue, resignation, and a strange kind of peace.
Without exchanging a word, Beatrice and Rem moved in unison. They extended their hands toward Subaru, twin sources of mana erupting from their palms. From Beatrice's fingertips, threads of deep blue light emerged, intertwining with the soft green glow of Rem's healing magic. The two energies spiraled together, forming a protective, luminescent cocoon around Subaru's battered and broken form. The wounds along his body began to close, raw gashes knitting themselves together, and the bruises on his skin slowly faded. His shredded mana circuits, dangerously close to collapse, started to mend under their combined efforts.
Throughout the healing process, an uncomfortable silence filled the space between Julius and Elsa. Julius stood frozen, eyes narrowed with suspicion, fists clenched at his sides. Elsa, on the other hand, remained still as stone, her face carved with stoic indifference. Yet beneath that mask lay a stubborn, silent resolve.
And then... a flicker of life. Subaru's eyelids twitched, fluttering weakly before slowly lifting open. His chest rose and fell with a sudden, strained breath as air rushed into his lungs. At first, his vision was little more than a haze of colors and shifting shadows, but little by little, the faces surrounding him came into focus. His entire body screamed in protest—his nerves burned like fire, his mana reserves felt like an emptied vessel, and every muscle throbbed with dull, lingering pain. Yet none of that mattered.
He was alive.
"Subaru-kun!" Rem's voice split the air like a thunderclap, her emotions spilling over after being held back for far too long. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks as she dropped beside him, wrapping her arms tightly around his trembling frame, burying her face into his shoulder.
Subaru's mind, sluggish and battered, struggled to process it all. But the scent... the warmth... the familiarity of the person holding him... it was unmistakable. Even in this haze, his heart knew: this was Rem. Her embrace felt like home—like safety in a world where such a thing rarely existed.
With immense effort, he lifted his arm and wrapped it around her small back, pulling her closer with what little strength he had left.
"Don't cry, Rem… I didn't leave... I'm right here."
His voice barely rose above a whisper, but it carried more weight than any roar. The sincerity in those few words shattered the dam inside Rem's heart. She held him tighter, her sobs muffled against his neck.
Slowly, Subaru turned his head, forcing his heavy eyes to wander across the small clearing. His gaze found Julius standing nearby, frozen mid-step, still grappling with the reality of what he was witnessing. And then, just a few feet away, lay Hikari, resting peacefully despite everything she had been through. Alive... she was alive.
A wave of relief flooded through him, stronger than any exhaustion. Subaru exhaled softly, letting his eyelids drift shut once more.
"Finally..." The thought echoed inside him like a quiet prayer, as though it were the answer to countless desperate nights.
Julius took a hesitant step forward, the stiffness in his posture betraying the war of emotions raging inside him. When he spoke, there was something raw in his tone, something unfamiliar and genuine.
"Subaru... seeing you awake... it's... truly a relief. I'm sorry. I should have been there. You shouldn't have faced this alone. We should've gone together."
Subaru opened his eyes again, blinking away the lingering blur. Even with fatigue dragging at every fiber of his being, he managed a tired, crooked smile. "It's alright... Really. Nobody died... and... my sister's safe. That's what matters."
Julius's shoulders sagged, guilt and regret softening his stance. "Even so... I owe you an apology, Subaru. And... when you're ready... I want to hear everything. About the Archbishop... about your fight... and about why... the Bowel Hunter... is standing here among us as if she belongs."
His words hung in the air, unanswered... but for now, that was enough.
For a long, stretched moment, Subaru remained silent, standing as still as a statue amidst the quiet aftermath. The weight of countless memories—those long, torturous hours spent on the edge of life and death, the suffocating despair that had gripped him with each step closer to the abyss, the blood-soaked chaos of battle, the temporary and unlikely alliance with Elsa—all of it swirled like a violent storm inside his mind. Each thought felt like a shard of glass scraping against his consciousness. The air felt thick around him, as if time itself was pausing to watch him gather his strength.
His breathing slowed, deep and uneven at first, then steadier as he closed his eyes and forced himself to inhale. The cold air filled his lungs, grounding him in the present moment. The ache in his muscles, the burning of his depleted mana, the bruises across his body—they all served as painful anchors to reality.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was only a few heartbeats, Subaru opened his eyes. There was a flicker of something hardened there—resolve forged in suffering. "I'll explain everything... once we're in Kararagi," he said at last. His voice, though raspy, carried a steady, almost defiant edge. "Seems like I owe everyone here a separate conversation. One by one... I'll answer for all of it. Everything that happened... everything I did."
Beatrice, standing nearby with her arms folded tightly across her chest, gave a sharp huff. She tapped her small foot against the ground as if to punctuate her irritation. "Hmph. For once, that's an observation rooted in reality, in fact," she said dryly, her tone carrying its usual bite. Yet despite the scorn in her words, her eyes softened—just slightly—as they lingered on Subaru longer than necessary. It wasn't just disappointment she felt. There was relief too... though she'd never admit it aloud.
Rem, still kneeling by Hikari's side, wiped the lingering tears from her cheeks with trembling fingers. A soft, bittersweet smile began to form on her face, cracking through the remnants of her earlier terror. Her eyes, red and swollen from crying, sparkled with fragile hope. "If possible... I'd like that," she said quietly. "But please... don't disappear like this again, alright? Not like that... not without a word..." Her voice wavered at the end, her plea laden with emotion that she struggled to fully contain. Her gaze on him was both tender and scolding, like that of someone who had come far too close to losing something precious.
A short distance away, Elsa had already taken several steps back, placing a deliberate space between herself and the others. Her posture seemed as relaxed as ever—arms hanging loosely at her sides, her shoulders languid—but there was an undeniable tension in the way she stood, as though ready to react at a moment's notice. Her dark eyes stayed fixed on Subaru, following his every small movement with silent intensity. Yet the usual glint of bloodlust was absent. Gone was the predator she had once been. Instead, her gaze drifted somewhere far off, locked onto memories only she could see, entangled in regrets she'd never speak aloud.
"When we're alone..." Elsa murmured at length, her voice low and almost inaudible against the gentle rustling of the night breeze. Her words were slow, weighted with meaning, as though each syllable had to be carefully chosen. "...we'll have a lot to talk about."
Her words left an invisible mark on the air between them, lingering like a promise—or perhaps a warning.
Above them all, the night sky stretched wide and vast, a heavy ceiling painted in muted grays and deep blues. Thick, restless clouds rolled slowly across the horizon, obscuring the stars and hiding the moon behind their endless folds. The wind, though tired and sporadic, still drifted lazily through the clearing, brushing past skin and hair like a weary traveler making one last round.
Despite the exhaustion that hung on every face, in every breath... something was undeniably different. The atmosphere had shifted. There was still fear, still lingering pain, still unanswered questions... but beneath it all, woven like a fragile thread through the tension, was something new.
For the first time in what felt like ages—after too many close brushes with death and failure—the air carried not just the cold breath of survival, but the fragile, flickering hope of setting things right. Of moving forward. Of changing fate... even if only a little at a time.
And standing there, with everyone's eyes on him—some hopeful, some wary, some skeptical—Subaru knew: that hope, however small... started with him.