As Emilia and Subaru walked toward the exit, Subaru wrestled with the voice of Flugel echoing in the depths of his mind—a ceaseless hum, like static seeping into his very thoughts. Emilia's delicate hand was wrapped tightly around his arm, clutching as though seeking reassurance. Her palm trembled faintly, betraying the storm hidden beneath her gentle smile. Yet Subaru's focus was so consumed by the shadows in his head that he could hardly feel her warmth.
Every step forward felt like a step into quicksand. The world around him blurred—the cold stones beneath their feet, the flickering light on the walls, the way Emilia's silver hair caught the dim glow—all of it reduced to fragments lost in the noise of his mind.
Flugel's words slithered through him like a silhouette dancing in the ceiling's shadows, laced with both mocking sharpness and unsettling tenderness: "Why not die and return already? I could even grant you a painless death. Wouldn't that be easier than this chaos you're drowning in now?"
Subaru's lips never moved, but inside, his mind screamed back. His throat was tight, his body rigid, every muscle locked to maintain the facade of being nothing more than an ordinary boy walking beside Emilia. Yet an invisible weight pressed mercilessly against his shoulders. His lungs strained with every breath, as if the air itself had turned against him.
"No… that's too risky. My return point feels like a gamble now—I don't know where I'll wake up or what I might lose. And Mili… she's clearly in a bad place right now. I think… no, I hope she'll get better with time. Please, God… please, not now. Don't take this from me."
Flugel drifted down to Subaru's eye level, his presence filling the space like wings of shadow stretching into every corner. His gaze pierced Subaru's pupils, as though clawing at the deepest part of his soul. The shadows stretched and curled, whispering, urging, tempting.
"Look. As you say, she's already near her breaking point. If her self shatters any further… you know what that would mean, don't you?"
Subaru's heart lurched into his throat. A tide of fear rose inside him, dark and suffocating. He wanted to deny it, to shut his ears, but the truth gnawed at him relentlessly. As he swallowed, memories forced themselves into his mind—blood smeared across white snow, agonized screams piercing the air, and that day when everything crumbled. The vision was still seared into him as vividly as yesterday. "…The Witch of Envy descends."
Flugel's form flickered, half-absorbed into the shadows, but his voice grew heavier, like the tolling of a final bell. He raised a hand, fingers extended like the decree of an executioner. "And then—game over." There was no trace of jest in his tone. "So tread carefully, Natsuki Subaru. One more mistake, and it's the end."
The words reverberated through Subaru, digging deep into his chest, leaving behind a cold hollowness. With that, Flugel vanished. The shadows collapsed, leaving only Subaru's ragged breath in the silence, as if he had never been there at all.
Subaru pressed forward with Emilia still holding tightly to his arm. They reached the exit, descending the steps into a silence so oppressive that even the stone walls had lost their echo, as though the world itself was holding its breath. His ears rang with the absence of sound, and Emilia's fragile breathing became the only anchor to reality.
Emilia tugged gently at his arm, whispering in a voice as fragile as glass: "Subaru… where is everyone?"
He kept walking, but turned his head slightly toward her. His eyes were hollow, like a well without a bottom. His voice, when it came, was steady, but beneath it ran a river of exhaustion. "I finished the trial before you. I went down and told them to leave. I said I'd stay with you… that I'd be at your side."
Emilia's eyes widened, a flush blooming across her cheeks. Her gaze shimmered with childlike brightness, her expression lighting up with unguarded joy. The weight she carried seemed to lift, if only for a moment. "Really? I-I'm so glad, Su~ba~ru!" Her voice softened, breaths catching as her chest rose quickly. She leaned closer, unable to hide the pounding of her heart. "Being alone with you… it feels so comforting."
Her words pierced him deeper than any blade. Subaru's chest constricted, torn between the warmth that sped his heartbeat and the storm of dark questions that narrowed his mind. He wanted to reach out, to let himself bask in that innocent joy, but the shadows of Flugel's warning coiled tightly around him. He fought to keep his face blank. If he let even one emotion slip through, everything felt like it might unravel.
They walked on, step by step, into the bleeding colors of dusk. At last, with the sun sinking in crimson hues beyond the horizon, they arrived at Ryuzu's home. Night pressed against the sky, draping the world in uneasy weight. The trees whispered with the wind, carrying with them a chilling foreboding that clung to Subaru's skin.
Subaru opened the door slowly; the creak of the hinges was the only sound daring to break the silence. Together, they stepped inside.
The quiet shattered instantly with a bright, cheerful voice: "Onii-chan! Welcome back!"
Hikari came bounding forward, eyes sparkling with delight. She crashed into Subaru with the full force of her small frame, wrapping him in a fierce hug. The suddenness nearly pulled Emilia off balance, her grip on Subaru's arm faltering. The tension between them rippled outward, swelling like an unspoken wave.
Subaru gently freed Emilia's arm, his touch careful and considerate, before turning to his little sister with open arms. His expression softened instantly, a tired but heartfelt smile spreading across his face as though all the weight he carried had melted away in that moment. His voice was rich with both relief and the tender warmth only family could bring. "There there… You really missed your onii-chan, didn't you?"
Hikari wasted no time. She buried her face into Subaru's chest, inhaling the familiar scent that reassured her of his presence. Her small hands clutched him tightly, nails pressing into the fabric of his clothes as though she feared he might vanish if she let go. Her muffled voice trembled with both love and urgency. "Of course I did! But that's not the important part right now." She tilted her head upward, her wide eyes glimmering with genuine curiosity and concern as they met Subaru's. "What about you two? How did the trials go? Please, tell me everything—I've been so worried."
The sight of Hikari holding Subaru so closely pierced Emilia's heart like a shard of ice. A venomous fire of jealousy ignited in her chest, sharp and suffocating. The thought, cruel and intrusive, hissed within her mind: freeze the girl where she stands, banish her, and take Subaru for yourself. The temptation crept like a poisonous echo through the corners of her heart, whispering that only she had the right to stand at his side.
Yet clarity returned with crushing weight. Hikari was Subaru's little sister. That truth struck Emilia like a cold slap, forcing her breath to catch as she wrestled the darker parts of herself. She bit down hard on her lip, trying to contain the surge of icy rage before it manifested. Her body trembled subtly, and though she forced the storm down, the bitter taste of jealousy lingered, leaving a faint shadow flickering in her violet eyes. For a fleeting second, the warmth in her gaze faltered, replaced by a chilling, fleeting darkness.
From the farthest corner of the room, Flugel had seen it all. Concealed by his veil of invisibility, he drifted silently along the edges of the chamber, every step deliberate, his eyes locked on Emilia. His gaze was sharp as blades, scrutinizing, predatory—like a hawk awaiting the falter of prey. His lips curved into a thin, menacing smile as a low whisper slipped past them, the sound vibrating like a blade against stone: "One wrong move… and I'll take her head."
The words were not an idle warning. They were a vow carved into his soul, a promise forged in years of silent watchfulness. In those eyes, there was no room for hesitation—only ruthless certainty. Flugel was a guardian forged by patience and necessity, a shadow lurking at Subaru's side whether acknowledged or not. Emilia remained oblivious, but the tension had already strung itself tight around her spirit. She fought to restrain the bitterness, to silence the fragile doubts twisting her heart, yet she could not shake the gnawing ache. She clung desperately to Subaru as though he were a lifeline, biting her lip until it nearly bled, averting her gaze in shame, unable to quell the turmoil that writhed deep within her chest.
Subaru, blissfully unaware of the storm of emotions colliding around him, continued to smile at Hikari. There was exhaustion in his features, yes, but also a light that had not been there before. A fragile, precious pride swelled inside him now that the ordeal had been conquered. Every stumble, every bruise, every near collapse—he had survived them all, and this victory, however small, was a step forward. His voice rose, filled with the uncontainable joy of that accomplishment. "Yes! Onii-chan and Emilia passed the trial together! The first test—cleared!"
The declaration struck the air like a stone thrown into a still pond. The sound bounced from the stone walls, spreading outward in ripples that shattered the silence. For one breathless moment, it felt as though the entire mansion itself had frozen, ears straining, hearts pausing. Then came the murmurs, the skeptical whispers, slithering through the hallways like a rising tide of doubt. The atmosphere grew heavier with every breath, the air laden with disbelief and unease.
Without warning, the doors slammed open so hard they rattled the frames. Garfiel's voice erupted, thunderous and raw, shaking the room with its force: "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?! THE TWO OF YA PASSED THE FIRST TRIAL?! FOR THE LOVE OF THE GODS, TELL ME THAT'S TRUE—DON'T YA DARE JOKE ABOUT THIS!"
The sheer disbelief and fury in his tone unbalanced the atmosphere instantly. His body was taut, muscles rippling beneath his skin, and his teeth ground together with a sound like grinding steel. Rage and desperation blazed in his eyes, and the sharp edges of his emotions seemed almost tangible. Subaru and Hikari both flinched, instinctively covering their ears against the roar. Their eyes darted toward each other, childlike fear flickering across their faces. And yet, in that fleeting glance, a quiet strength sparked between them—an unspoken promise that they would face whatever came next together. Their bond, fragile yet undeniable, shone in the silent exchange.
Subaru exhaled slowly, his chest rising and falling as he steadied himself. With a gentle tug, he guided Hikari toward the hall, his hand firmly wrapped around hers. Each step forward felt weighted, the air thickening around them with every creak of the wooden floorboards beneath their feet. The oppressive silence pressed down on them, their own heartbeats echoing louder than any sound. As they crossed the threshold into the hall, the atmosphere shifted once more.
Before them stretched a tableau of familiar faces, every gaze heavy with expectation, doubt, or curiosity. The air was suffocating, alive with unspoken questions. In that tense silence, the next words and actions would decide more than just the outcome of a trial—they would shape the fragile trust of everyone standing in that room.
Garfiel still stood before them, his entire body trembling with a mix of anger and bewilderment, every muscle taut as if preparing for a fight that never quite arrived. His clenched fists shook, his teeth ground audibly, and his sharp eyes darted from one figure to the next, unable to reconcile what he was hearing with the storm raging inside him. Roswaal's expression, by contrast, was veiled behind a carefully sculpted counterfeit smile. His golden eyes narrowed, reflecting not surprise but calculation, as though he were already scheming how to twist this development into another one of his elaborate games. In the corner, Ryuzu remained still, serene like an ancient sage carved in stone, her small frame radiating a calm that cut across the turbulent emotions in the room. Her gaze, though gentle, saw far deeper than most would ever realize.
Beatrice, perched elegantly in her chair with her teacup balanced in dainty fingers, exuded a different sort of detachment. Her arms crossed over her chest, and her crystalline eyes carried a mocking gleam as if she had been expecting all of this and found amusement in watching the others scramble to catch up. Ram and Rem stood like statues, shoulder to shoulder. Neither sister betrayed an emotion outwardly, but their attention was sharpened to a razor's edge; they absorbed every detail, prepared to act the moment it became necessary. At the far edge of the chamber, the shadows deepened, and in that darkness lurked Elsa and Meili. Their stillness was a presence in itself—a quiet but lethal weight that reminded everyone they were predators merely biding their time. Even without moving, even without words, their existence pressed down upon the atmosphere like the edge of a drawn blade held to the throat.
Subaru broke that suffocating tension with a deep bow, raising his voice in a tone that seemed to waver between bold assertion and fragile self-persuasion. "Exactly. You heard right. We both passed the first trial." His words carried determination, yet beneath it lay a quiver of desperation, as though he needed to speak them aloud just to believe them himself.
The silence that followed was deafening, thick enough to choke on. Then Ryuzu, breaking through with a softness that felt almost like a blessing, brought her hands together in a delicate clap. The sound, light though it was, pierced the heavy air and shattered the stillness. "Splendid. Young Subaru, young Emilia—you have my congratulations. The first step is always the most difficult, and you have taken it with courage." Her words wrapped the moment in grace, yet even they could not wholly erase the heaviness that loomed.
Ram clicked her tongue, the faint sound like a pin prick in the silence. Her lips curled in disdain, her eyes glittering with her usual sharpness. "So Rem was telling the truth after all. Tch… Barusu. You continue to surprise, though rarely in ways that impress." She folded her arms, turning slightly aside, though her sharp gaze never left him.
Roswaal, caught off guard only for a heartbeat, swiftly returned to his gaudy theatrics. With a grand sweep of his arms, he poured exaggerated delight into his voice, stretching every syllable until it trembled with artificiality. "Maaaah, how wooonderful! Subaru-kun, this is truuuuly delightful news! And Emilia-sama, my heartfelt congratulations to yooou! What a spectacular turn of events, hmm?" His voice rang out like an actor playing to the balcony, yet no one in the room was entertained by his act.
Across the room, Elsa and Meili shared a fleeting glance. The faint nods they exchanged were nearly imperceptible, but the effect was heavy. Their silence was laden with acknowledgment more chilling than any spoken approval. Smirks tugged faintly at their lips, but in their eyes remained a dangerous gleam that whispered of violence restrained only by whim.
Beatrice lowered her cup, setting it back onto its saucer with delicate precision. A soft sigh escaped her as her lips curved into the faintest smile, one that carried neither joy nor comfort. "Betty had no doubts to begin with, I suppose. The path was always yours to walk… though whether you reach its end is another matter." Her words, though cloaked in casual indifference, carried weight enough to pierce.
Behind Subaru, Emilia stood with her posture straight and her expression carefully composed. To an observer, she looked the image of poise and control. Yet inside, she was breaking. Her heart was fractured into countless shards, jagged memories of the trial twisting together in a fog of screams, shattered images, and haunting voices. Every recollection pressed against her chest until she felt it might burst apart. Her breath trembled, her vision blurred, and at last, in a voice so faint it barely reached her own ears, she whispered, "Why… do I feel this way?"
The weight of her memories was relentless, hammering against her spirit like a merciless chisel against stone. She had not yet broken entirely—but the cracks spreading across her soul ran deep. And should those fissures shatter into ruin, nothing of her would remain the same. Her hands shook, fingers curling into trembling fists as she tried to cage her unraveling heart. Her breathing came in uneven bursts, every inhale a battle, every exhale a surrender she refused to allow.
Time itself seemed to slow. From the hidden edges of the room, unseen by all but aware of everything, Flugel's gaze never strayed from Emilia. Shrouded in darkness, he lingered like a predator, patient and calculating, his presence as suffocating as the night itself. His eyes bore into her with unflinching focus, unyielding, merciless. At the corner of his lips stirred the faintest trace of hatred—restrained, yet waiting.
And Subaru—ever oblivious, ever desperate to maintain some fragile illusion of normalcy—kept weaving flimsy threads of false cheer. He forced smiles across his face as if trying to stitch together a fragile world where everything remained ordinary. But within him, the truth pressed heavier and heavier, a stone lodged in his throat that suffocated every word he spoke.
Though he refused to see it, everyone else could feel the storm raging within Emilia. Her turmoil was an unspoken truth, reverberating through the air itself. Garfiel, unable to endure the tension, drew in a sharp breath and opened his mouth to shout—but before the sound could escape, Ram and Ryuzu moved in swift unison. Ram's hand covered his mouth with unyielding force, while Ryuzu's presence settled around him like a calming weight. They restrained him together, halting the eruption before it could ignite. Even so, fire still blazed in his eyes, and his muffled growls carried through the room, echoing the fury he could not unleash.
Eventually, as the hours dragged on and shadows lengthened, night fell upon the mansion. One by one, they retreated to their chambers, yet not a soul carried peace with them. The corridors echoed with restless footsteps, each sound stretched into something ominous beneath the hush of night. Darkness clung to the walls, thick and unyielding, as though the house itself had become a vessel for unease. Sleep, when it came, was shallow, fractured by anxious dreams and broken breaths. The night dragged on, cruel and unrelenting, until at last dawn painted faint streaks across the sky. And yet, even then, the shadow did not lift. It merely sank deeper, coiling itself in silence, waiting with dreadful patience for the inevitable moment when it would break free again.
Ryuzu carried herself with a delicate grace that belied her age, every movement wrapped in a timeless politeness. Clearly, she had caught on to the fact that Subaru and Emilia had been spending their nights together, and so she arranged a private chamber just for them. Her words were courteous and laced with formality, yet the subtle implication beneath them pierced Subaru's chest like a knife. Even the smallest jest about two young people sharing a bed was enough to pry open the door to nightmares that had long haunted him.
"What… what is that supposed to mean?" he stammered inwardly, panic crawling up his throat. His tongue felt paralyzed, his mouth as dry as sand. Thoughts clashed against one another, chaotic and violent, while the pounding of his heart reverberated in his ears like a war drum. In his imagination, a single wrong move would be all it took for him to wake up the next morning frozen solid, his body entombed in cruel ice. The fear clung to him so strongly that when he confessed it to Flugel, the sage threw back his head and laughed—long, loud, and mercilessly mocking.
"I doubt things will unfold like that," Flugel said, eyes glittering with mischief. "But I understand why you feel the way you do. After all, you've already endured that nightmare once. Rest assured, I will not let you taste it again. I refuse to hand you back to that bleak, endless solitude."
Against his will, memories clawed their way to the surface like demons breaking free of chains. The Beast of the End. Puck's merciless frost, tearing his soul to shreds. His body turned to stone in an instant, his breath locked within cruel shards of ice. Pain and fear, despair and suffocating loneliness—they still lived inside him, echoing endlessly. The wound carved into his spirit never closed; it remained forever raw, forever aching. Subaru exhaled sharply, the sound trembling as if dragged from the depths of a void.
He reached for the door handle with a shaking hand. His fingers hovered, hesitant, caught between the yearning for Emilia's comfort and the terror of what lay beyond that wooden barrier. For a long moment he stood frozen, then forced himself forward, pushing open the door to the chamber that had been set aside for her.
The sight that met his eyes sent his heart into a frantic rhythm. Emilia sat upright on the bed, her silver hair cascading over her shoulders like moonlight. Her gaze was distant, hollow, yet sharp enough to pierce him through. A faint smile lingered on her lips—sweet on the surface, but beneath it, an inexplicable darkness stirred, an unsettling chill that coiled through the room.
Flugel, standing beside him, winced. He turned away with a scowl and muttered in a voice laced with disdain. "Yandere Emilia unsettles me. Still, good luck with that. If something truly dangerous happens, I'll step in. Until then… don't summon me." With a whisper of air, like a passing gust, he vanished, leaving Subaru alone with his racing pulse and shallow breaths.
Subaru's lips parted, but no sound emerged. The silence between them grew heavy, pressing down on him. Fear clawed at his insides, yet a strange anticipation twined itself around it, pulling him forward even as it suffocated him.
Emilia tilted her head, her eyes glowing faintly with a mysterious light. Her voice came soft, almost musical, but carrying an edge of command. "Subaru, Subaru… come here." Her pale fingers tapped her lap with deliberate insistence. The gesture was both gentle and commanding, an invitation and a demand rolled into one. "Lie down here."
His body resisted, trembling with hesitation, yet his feet betrayed him. Step by step, as if dragged by invisible threads, he crossed the room until he sank down, resting his head upon her thighs. The warmth of her body seeped into him, but with it came a strange unease. The familiarity was undeniable—comforting, yet burdened with echoes of pain. "Weird," he murmured, his voice soft and broken. "I remember… dying hundreds of times for something like this. Just… just for a lap pillow." His laugh was faint, brittle, hovering somewhere between bitter humor and unbearable sorrow.
Emilia's hand descended, her fingers sliding gently through his hair. The touch was tender, yet beneath the surface lingered something possessive, something that claimed him as hers. "Subaru," she whispered, her tone sweet as honey, but trembling with something deeper, something nearly imperceptible that vibrated in the stillness. "You promised me a reward… for passing the trial."
Subaru lifted his eyes, meeting her gaze—and felt himself drowning. Those amethyst eyes threatened to consume him whole. He tried to speak, to push himself up, to regain control. But before he could rise, Emilia's hand pressed down firmly on his shoulder, guiding him back with a strength that was gentle yet absolute. She pinned him to her lap, her will wrapping around him like a silken chain.
"Ow, ow…" Subaru muttered weakly, squinting as if the light itself pained him. "Alright, Mili… tell me. What is it you want from me?" His words were thin, fragile, slipping out like the last remnants of breath. His eyelids grew unbearably heavy. The sleep encroaching upon him was not born of fatigue but of magic—her magic, flowing into him like a lullaby. His thoughts blurred, unraveling at the edges, as waves of darkness surged up and pulled his consciousness into their depths.
He tried to cling to wakefulness, to resist, but Emilia's touch was inescapable. The warmth of her lap, the rhythm of her stroking fingers, the gentle pressure on his shoulder—it all pulled him down into a dream he could neither flee nor embrace. And as the last sliver of awareness slipped away, Subaru wondered if this was solace… or a new nightmare in disguise.
Subaru forced his eyes open with all the strength he had left. His vision blurred, the outlines of the world dissolving into indistinct shapes, but one thing remained vivid, piercing through the haze—Emilia's voice. It wrapped around him like a whisper at once gentle and unsettling, a sound close to his ear and yet echoing as if spoken from within his chest.
"A family, Subaru…" she breathed, the syllables trembling with a resonance that cut deeper than any blade. "What I want from you… is to be my family."
Those words lodged themselves in his faltering heart, burning into him with the last embers of his consciousness. As his eyes fluttered shut, the final image he carried into darkness was Emilia's face descending toward him—her lips inching closer, radiating warmth that was not entirely tender. It was a closeness laden with both compassion and shadows, a paradox of light and possession crushing down upon him.
When Flugel drifted back to the doorway, having sensed a strange upheaval within Subaru's spirit, he halted at the sight before him. What stretched out in that room was not the natural world—it was the uncanny scenery of a fever dream, grotesque in its intensity, like a vision spun from obsession rather than reality.
Emilia was clutching Subaru with a ferocity that seemed almost animal. Her silver hair spilled down in disarray, framing eyes lit by a blazing glow. That glow no longer resembled affection; it had been reshaped by something darker—jealousy, longing, hunger. Her lips moved ceaselessly, repeating the same incantation with mounting fervor: "I love you… I love you… I love you…"[1]
Each iteration sharpened, high-pitched and grating, as though the words themselves were slicing the air into fragments. The aura around her shifted from warmth to suffocation, from devotion to obsession. Subaru, limp and defenseless, teetered on the fragile edge between consciousness and surrender, unable to resist the weight pressing down on him.
Still cloaked in invisibility, Flugel drew a deep, weary breath, the sound soft but laced with regret. Under his breath he muttered: "Ah, Subaru… You never fail to stumble into calamity. Truly, you are cursed to find trouble even when you seek none. If only the wheel had turned another way…"
He stepped closer, each word curling into the air, cooling it further as though carrying frost. "Forgive me, Subaru… but if I don't erase this girl's memory now, this spiral will twist beyond even my reach. Better you be angry at me later than be swallowed alive tonight."
At that instant Emilia froze. Her body tightened, as though she had felt a chill crawling over her skin. Something unseen pricked her instincts, a phantom weight in the room. With a sudden surge she pulled Subaru closer, entwining her arms around him like iron chains. Her gaze pierced into the surrounding darkness, trembling yet steady with a strange mix of fear and defiance. "Show yourself, Sage," she demanded. "I know you're here. Don't think you can hide from me."
Flugel's lips curved, the ghost of a grin slipping through, followed by a low, bemused chuckle. "So… you sensed me after all. Impressive. Little elf, perhaps I misjudged you. You're sharper than you look."
The veil of his concealment unraveled, dissolving like smoke. Where there had been emptiness now stood a figure: the Sage, robed in black, hair white as snow, his shape wavering between solidity and shadow. He looked less like a man and more like a fractured memory come alive, an illusion spilled straight from Subaru's mind.
Emilia's face twisted with fury, envy, and pain. Her voice lashed out, dripping venom and sorrow in equal measure: "What do you want, Flugel? Why must you always wedge yourself between us? Haven't you interfered enough? Haven't you stolen enough already?!"
Flugel crossed his arms across his chest with the serenity of one unshaken, though his tone carried an edge of condescension. "Do not mistake me, little Lia. I have no desire to pry Subaru from your grasp. But…" His eyes narrowed, voice darkening with a sharp humor. "If you crush him much tighter, you'll wring the life out of him. Perhaps that's love in your eyes, but to me it looks like strangulation." He lifted a finger, gesturing lazily toward Subaru's limp body, the warning draped in mockery.
For the briefest of moments, Emilia faltered. She glanced at Subaru, pale and motionless in her arms. Her grip slackened, though only slightly. The fire within her eyes still roared, untamed and stubborn. Her lips quivered as she cried out with a fervor that bordered on hysteria: "It doesn't matter! He belongs to me! I love him—only me! And nothing you do will ever take him away!"
The shadows swirled around Flugel as his expression hardened, his features carved into a mask of disapproval. He leaned forward, his words falling sharp and cutting as shards of ice: "And what makes you so certain of that, half-elf?"
Emilia's eyes widened, glistening with a brilliance that was both radiant and unhinged. Her voice shook with feverish intensity, trembling at the threshold of madness: "Because I'm carrying Subaru's child. He is the father of my baby! And that means he belongs to me now—forever! He can't abandon me, he can't leave me, he can never throw me away again!"
The room convulsed under the weight of her declaration. The air thickened, cold seeping into every corner. Frost bloomed across the windows, icy veins spreading outward. Each breath became mist, heavy with despair. The very walls groaned under the suffocating aura that poured from her, obsession turned into a tangible storm.
Flugel's body stiffened, his brow furrowing for just an instant. Then, without meaning to, a muffled sound slipped out—a suppressed laugh, half-snort, half-exhale. He covered his mouth with one hand, shoulders trembling with restrained mirth. "Well, well, Subaru… I truly underestimated you. Who would've thought you'd move so fast?"
Slowly, he turned his gaze back toward Emilia. A sly smile curved across his lips, equal parts amusement and unease. "Then answer me this, Half elf… If your bond is so unshakable, if your claim is so absolute… why, then, did you feel compelled to put him to sleep?"
Emilia's gaze softened like a thawing winter frost. Her eyes lingered on Subaru's sleeping face as though her very look could caress him, her affection so palpable it seemed to brush tenderly against his skin. In that moment, it was as if her entire being existed only to protect this boy before her. A faint, wistful smile tugged at her lips as she whispered, her voice heavy with unspoken sorrow. "Because he's so tired… Subaru always tries to shoulder everything on his own. He believes he must carry the weight of everyone's pain, everyone's hopes, as if he were the only one strong enough to bear it. But if he keeps stacking those burdens on his back… one day he won't be mine anymore. He'll be crushed beneath it all, and I'll lose him. That's why… that's why I put him to sleep. If he sleeps, even for a short while, the responsibilities disappear. And in that quiet, fleeting moment… he belongs only to me."
The words trembled with both love and possessiveness, a confession fragile yet dangerous. For the briefest instant, Flugel's expression hardened, his ancient instincts urging him to intervene. He considered reaching forward, shaking Subaru from his slumber, tearing him away from the fragile clutches of the girl who held him as though he were both salvation and possession. Yet when his sharp gaze truly settled on Emilia—her trembling form, her desperate vulnerability, her unsteady breaths masking something volatile—he froze. What he saw was not merely a girl, but a storm wrapped in the body of a saint. She was fragile, yes, but like a glass orb filled with flame: break her, and everything would ignite. The thought stilled his hand.
His eyes narrowed, sharpening with the cold precision of a hunter's blade. The shadows surrounding him stirred as if alive, restless and ready, whispering at the edges of the room. An oppressive aura bled from his presence, filling the air with a suffocating weight that pressed against the walls themselves. For an instant, it seemed the chamber would collapse beneath the sheer force of his disdain. Yet all at once, he released a long, weary sigh, letting the tension bleed away like smoke on the wind. His shoulders rolled back, a parody of casualness, as he spoke with quiet venom. "Very well, little Lia… if that is truly your desire. But heed me—do not harm him. Do not let your weakness turn into cruelty. After all…" His lips curled, his tone twisting into mocking derision. "…he is your 'husband' now, isn't he?"
The word struck like an arrow. Emilia's pale cheeks ignited with warmth, betraying her embarrassment. Yet beneath that flush was an unshakable resolve, a light in her eyes that no mockery could extinguish. Her voice quavered, straddling the line between shame and unwavering loyalty, every syllable edged with the steel of devotion. "Yes… that's right. He is mine. I won't hurt him. I'll never let him go." Her hands curled into fists, her nails biting into her palms as though sealing a vow in blood. Then, almost too soft for the world to hear, a fragile whisper slipped past her trembling lips, carrying both longing and fear: "As long as he never chooses someone else over me…"
The room stilled, her words hanging heavy in the silence. Flugel's gaze lingered on her, calculating, weighing the madness and devotion entwined in her heart. Then he drew in a slow breath, exhaling as though expelling centuries of weariness. Without another word, he turned, his form unraveling into the unseen void, fading into the cracks between existence itself. But his departure left more than emptiness behind. As his presence dissolved, something else was taken with him. The crystal pendant swaying at Emilia's throat—the sacred sanctuary where Puck slumbered in silence—had vanished into that abyss as well, spirited away without a sound.
The chamber was left hollow, saturated only with biting stillness and the frantic rhythm of Emilia's heart. Her pulse hammered like a drumbeat of obsession, her breaths shallow, ragged, the weight of solitude closing in. She reached instinctively for her neck, finding only the bare skin where the crystal once lay, and her eyes widened in a mixture of shock and dread. Yet even as despair coiled within her chest, she clung to Subaru's sleeping form, tightening her hold with a trembling fierceness. In the silence that followed, her whisper was lost to the dark, but her vow burned brighter than ever—she would not lose him, no matter the cost.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yo!
Emilia really thought that kissing could make babies, so that's how I got this idea.
Weird, isn't it? Haha!
Anyway, enjoy!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] No, it's not Satella, these are really Emilia's words.