The sun, once high in the sky, hinting at early noon, had dipped down a bit. Not evening, not yet, but enough that the shadows stretched longer. Using a trick I'd picked up in my last life - back when clocks weren't much of a thing - I gauged the time by the sun's position.
Two hours. A whole two hours of chasing half-leads, asking vendors if they saw a weirdly dressed, black haired, dumb-looking kid with no common sense and a nasty ass stare.
Still nothing.
He better not have gotten himself killed. He's still the only person I know from the modern world.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair as I glanced around. And then, yep, there it was. The familiar sight of a fruit stand a few stalls down. His green hair stood out like a sore thumb in the crowd, swaying as he haggled with some lady over buying some apples.
and it's the dick head apple guy.
I watched as he successfully made the woman buy an entire bag of apples. no wait, "Appa's" still a bullshit naming system.
I turned around, ready to leave the scene and get back to hunting down Subaru. Turning a corner, I slipped into the crowd and kept moving. After another minute of half-hearted searching, though, my stomach made its opinion known, and I decided to get a snack. But feeling petty and wanting to show off, I also decided.
You know what. i feel like proving the asshole wrong and that i was not broke.
So, with a lazy grin, I strolled back toward the stand, and just as I reached shouting distance, lo and behold, the idiot I'd been chasing for hours decided to finally show his dumb face. I heard the oh-so-familiar voice before I even saw him, cutting through the market noise like an unwanted alarm clock.
Oh, you've gotta be kidding me.
"And then she told me it was right around here," Subaru was saying, standing there like some half-rate sleuth with his hand on his chin, dramatic as hell. "So after I insisted she leave everything to me, I valiantly came back to this fruit stand to look for some clues."
I resisted the urge to slap a hand over my face.
And of course, Mr. Asshole Appa Vendor himself wasted no time jumping in, his voice sharp with irritation. "I thought I had a customer, but it's just that broke kid from earlier," he sneered, sending Subaru a look that could curdle milk.
Subaru, undeterred - because of course he was - squared his shoulders like he was about to deliver the comeback of the century.
"You really wanna take that attitude?" he shot back, pointing a thumb at his chest. "Haven't you noticed I'm not who I was before?"
The vendor blinked, unimpressed. "What?"
"Just look who I brought with me!" Subaru declared, stepping aside with a smug grin and gesturing dramatically to the person standing next to him like he'd just unveiled a prize cow at a market. "I brought someone who might just become a regular!"
It was only then that I noticed the girl standing there. White hair, soft features, and a kind of awkward nervousness radiated off of her. The girl spoke up, voice small but clear. "Um… Subaru… you seem to have some weird expectations of me, but… I don't have any money either."
"…Huh? Seriously?" Subaru's smug expression shattered in an instant.
The girl gave a sheepish laugh, scratching her cheek. "Yeah… sorry."
I could practically feel the vendor's satisfaction. "So what did you want to say to me now? That I have two broke customers, boy?"
Hah, this is hilarious, but damn. Who's the cutie? didn't think he'd actually find someone wanting to be with him. Though she does look a bit timid, she's probably one of those naive types. Hmm,
my gaze sharpened as I noticed something. She definitely had something about her that made her give off a sense of power. But she definitely is strong, may- I paused, as I took notice of her ears. And I felt a sense of awe. holy shit she's an elf... but... hmm, cat girls are better. ahem. I guess it makes sense considering demi-humans exist in this world.
Anyway, I figured I should step in and see what was going on.
Walking up to them, I called out, "Yo, kid."
Subaru spun around, shock plastered across his face. "That's what I was forgetting!" he exclaimed when he saw me. I shot him a flat look. Come on, really?
"Woooow, you're breaking my soul. This hurts really bad," I said, clutching my chest like a kicked puppy. "I leave you for ten whole minutes, and you vanish. Now that I've finally found you, you say that? You're lucky you have a loud mouth."
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, the moment you left, stuff happened that I'd rather not get into. Plus, I was helping her get back something stolen from her, so my mind was preoccupied."
I stole a quick glance at the girl and smirked. "Oh my gaaawd, is she the one? The legendary woman who summo—"
I playfully jabbed him in the elbow, but the living tomato that was Subaru quickly cut me off, "Stop, stop, stop! Not another word!"
I couldn't help but chuckle, laughing softly at his flustered state.
Glancing to the side, I noticed the apple vendor's irritation growing. The fact that a couple of broke losers like us were still hanging around was clearly getting on his nerves. Just as he opened his mouth to snap at us, I pulled out a silver coin and held it up.
"Could I get five appl-appa's, please?" I asked, my tone formal but casual, as I quickly corrected myself.
His eyes widened, caught off guard. Given how currency worked around here, there were probably copper or bronze coins at the bottom, with 100 copper making up a silver, and 100 silver making up a single gold coin. How much an appa costs, fuck knows. Probably not much. Either way, a silver was more than enough.
The vendor blinked, hesitated, then quickly nodded. "Sure, five apples it is." Just like that, his whole mood shifted.
A moment later, I was handed a small bag with five shiny apples and a pouch clinking with "90 coppers change."
I grinned, feeling a small, petty victory settle in my chest.
Turning toward Subaru, I called out, "Here. Catch." I tossed one of the apples his way.
Right on cue, it smacked him in the forehead with a satisfying thunk before he fumbled to catch it as it fell. He shot me a sharp glare, rubbing the spot.
"You did that on purpose," he grumbled.
I smirked, tossing the bag of apples over my shoulder. "Course I did. Builds character."
He opened his mouth to fire something back, but I cut him off, stepping in with a grin. "But mostly revenge for ditching me. Don't think I forgot."
Subaru's face twisted, torn between sulking and admitting defeat. His shoulders slumped as he sighed in exaggerated misery.
"Seraphina, L. Ashveil," I added with a mock bow to the white-haired girl beside him. "Full-time victim of this idiot's nonsense."
She blinked, a little caught off guard, and mumbled, "Full... time...?" before shaking her head and smiling softly. "Nice to meet you, Seraphina. My name is…" she paused, visibly hesitating. Her fingers fidgeted for a second. She glanced at Subaru, then quickly back to me, like she was weighing something in her head.
Weird.
Before I could pick at that, Subaru, completely oblivious, jumped in with a grin. "Oh, nervous? Don't worry, she doesn't bite. Despite how she acts," he teased, obviously referring to the apple I'd lobbed at his head.
I rolled my eyes. The girl shook her head, waving her hands frantically. "No, no, no. It's not that, it's just…" She trailed off again.
Okay. Once is nothing. Twice is suspicious. And with those glances toward Subaru, did she give him a fake name or something? Before I could voice the theory, a new voice cut in — small, high, and feminine.
"Hey, mister!"
I turned my head to see a little girl with neon green hair tugging on Subaru's sleeve, her mother a few steps behind. She gave a small bow and smiled up at him. "Thanks for your help earlier."
I took a step back, folding my arms and watching the scene. No clue what this was about, but it seemed like Subaru had stumbled his way into something again.
"Oh? What brings you here?" he asked, crouching down a little.
The woman gestured toward the apple vendor. "Ah, it's my husband's shop. We were just stopping by."
Subaru's eyes went wide. "Husband?" he repeated, turning back to apple guy with a shocked expression.
Plum, the little green-haired girl, ran up to the merchant and threw her arms around him as much as a kid her size could.
The fruit vendor smiled warmly, rubbing her hair. "There's my girl."
He then looked up at us, pointing a finger in a light, friendly tone. "You know these two?"
"She got lost, and they found her," the woman said.
Plum walked shyly over to Elfy — still no clue on her real name, so that's what I'm sticking with.
Plum lifted her hand up and opened it to reveal a small flower with red petals and a bright yellow centre.
"Please accept this," the mother said softly. "She wants to thank you in her own way."
Elfy blinked, clearly surprised by the gesture, but accepted it with a polite smile. "Thank you," she said, pinning the flower on her dress and giving Plum a gentle smile.
Well, I suppose Elfy isn't malicious... Maybe just careful. Then again, I was going to keep my name from Subaru at first, too, so I shouldn't be judging.
Apple guy cleared his throat, catching the attention of the two of us. "Thank you for helping my daughter. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
well isn't that a nice story? didn't think subaru was the one to help children... or was it elfy the one who did it?
Hearing the merchant's words, Subaru and Elfy exchanged smiles, their mouths open like kids sharing a secret.
Then Elfy struck a semi-smug pose, hands on her hips. "See? That totally came back around and worked in our favour," she said, pride practically radiating from her.
It was elfy. makes sense, Subaru is probably too focused on being an isekai protagonist to care about children. Though maybe he would, dunno yet.
"Ahem, I guess it did," Subaru said, before looking towards Apple guy "Well, we wanted to ask..." and Subaru gave another quick explanation of his situation, and what they were looking for, and who they think took it.
Hmm, I see, so a thief stole Efty's insignia, and Subaru, wanting to help her after finding out, went out to search with him. sounds like an isekai plot ngl, what is she? the heroine?... but what would that make me?
Apple guy stared at the pretty meh drawing of a girl said "you said a nimble blond girl right? You must be talking about felt, she's well known in the slums, don't know where she lives though."
So their target is a short blonde girl, and she is infamous in the slums. alright.
Subaru and Elfy thanked the Apple vendor and went on their way, I following suit after finishing all 4 of my apples. what? i said I was hungry.
Walking into the slums, I saw what I expected: a dirty and dusty place with many buildings built out of unstable materials created through desperation rather than convenience. having been through... many of these types of places before, I've learned how it works.
Considering how she most likely lives in the slums due to her being knownly active in there, and considering she steals, she most likely stole it for money, probably for food or shelter. meaning the best place to look for it is a fence.
But just as I was piecing together my next step, something strange prickled at the edge of my senses. A large source of energy, flaring to life right in front of me, moving alongside Subaru and Elfy like it had always been there.
I instinctively tensed, narrowing my eyes. What the hell was-
"Is that a cat? And why is it so strong?" I blurted out, as I couldn't contain the shock that a cat? floating... cat? That was talking to the 2. I mean, out of all the things I was expecting to be the cause of the energy, a floating, talking cat wasn't one of them.
Because floating there, without a care in the world, was a cat. A small, grey, smug-looking thing with a fluffy tail and ears too big for its head. And it was talking. Casually chatting with the two of them, like floating, talking cats, were a perfectly normal thing to have around.
Out of all the things I expected to be the source of that energy, a cat wasn't even on the list. Well, I mean it ain't the craziest thing I've seen, but it's pretty cool.
The cat lazily glanced my way, one eye half-lidded in mild interest. "Hmm? Who's this?" it asked, tail swishing like it didn't have a care in the world.
Subaru turned toward me with a grin, motioning in my direction. "Ah, that's Seraphina. She's… just tagging along."
I rolled my eyes, quickly closing the distance between us and giving him a light smack on the back of the head."More like cleaning up your messes," I shot back, making him wince.
"Hey, what was that for?" he groaned, rubbing his head.
Elfy chuckled at the exchange, and surprisingly, so did the floating kitty.
"So you can sense mana?" he asked, raising his eyebrow a bit, interested in that aspect. "Not bad."
I crossed my arms, watching it warily. "You're radiating so much I'd have to be blind not to notice."
The cat gave an amused chuckle, tail flicking. "Name's Puck. And you are?"
I let out a sigh, waving a hand dismissively. "Call me Seraphina. Like the idiot said." I jabbed a thumb toward Subaru for emphasis.
"Puck, is my spirit. And no, you can't pet him."
Spirits, guess that makes sense, but.... That was… an oddly specific thing to say. My eyes narrowed, glancing between her and Subaru. He flinched under my stare.
"W-Well, I mean—look at him! He's so soft and-" Subaru started rambling, his words digging his grave deeper with every second.
I couldn't help it. A laugh escaped me, short and sharp, catching him off guard. But what I didn't expect was for Puck to float over, flipping upside down in midair to hover in front of Elfy.
"Don't be jealous, Lia. You can pet me anytime you want. Subaru's entitled to it too" Puck teased, his voice carrying a mischievous lilt.
Elfy - Lia, apparently, giggled at that. "You really are weird, Subaru."
So that's her name... ok Lia does not sound like a name... a nickname perhaps? my eyes flickered in her direction. a small narrowing as I thought.
"Hah! What's that supposed to mean?" Subaru grinned, but she only laughed harder.
After she finished, I leaned in slightly, playing casual but keeping my tone deliberately curious.
"So that's your name, huh? Lia." I gave a crooked grin. "Before this, I was just calling you Elfy in my head. Good to know you actually had a name, considering how much you struggled to tell me before~"
A simple prod. How she responded would tell me everything I needed.
Elfy - Lia - blinked, her grin faltering for just a split second. Then she crossed her arms, an amused smirk tugging at her lips.
"Well, it's Emilia, actually. Lia is just a nickname Puck calls me."
puck... just face palmed. tail flicking in exasperation.
Ah. There it was.
I smiled. "Huh. Good to know, Emilia."
Subaru, on the other hand, looked utterly dumbfounded, pure confusion mixed with a hint of betrayal. Well, maybe not full-on betrayal; he probably didn't have the mental capacity for that much. But the shock was real. The name he'd been given wasn't the truth.
A quick glance at him gave me all the amusement I needed.
"Ah... right, Emilia. I figured as much. But, you told me your real name, didn't you? I believe you told Subaru something different, right~?"
Puck let out a small chuckle, clearly entertained as he caught the stunned expression frozen on Subaru's face. "She got you there, Lia," he said, turning playfully toward Emilia.
"I-I-I…" Emilia stammered, suddenly realising the massive blunder she'd just made, her cheeks flushing a deep red.
Subaru opened his mouth, about to scold her, but then folded immediately. "Why wou—" He stopped, eyes landing on her embarrassed expression and her futile attempt to form a reply. All he could think was how cute she looked right now.
I just stared, dumbfounded. Yeah, he really does have a crush. folded instantly.
"You must have your reasons," Subaru said quietly, the faintest smile tugging at his lips. "Maybe I just wasn't trustworthy enough."
Emilia's blush deepened as she looked away, fiddling with the hem of her dress. "It's… complicated. I thought if I told you that my name was satella, you'd run away, b-because I didn't want you to be troubled by my problems," she tried to hide a little as she spoke more and more.
Yeah, there is definitely some lore I am missing... since the name was satella, it must mean that there is a person with the same name as it, who is feared upon. hmmm, strange though, even if hearing the name, if it was some to be feared, then Emilia would be the complete opposite of that... so maybe there's another factor why that name works with her. But I don't have the information to go off of right now. So I'm stuck.
i quickly thought through what I learned, with a hand on my chin. before looking back up again.
"Hehe, you're so kind, Emilia-san, maybe you are an angel. Isn't that right, pu-Hey!?" Subaru stopped mid-sentence as Puck flew over and bonked him lightly on the cheek. "This again?"
"You're so naughty, Subaru ~ always making me feel like this, bullying Poor Lia. tsk tsk tsk."
Emilia made a strange sound in her throat, before suddenly turning away from Subaru, finding the nearest wall, kneeling beside it, and holding her silver-haired head in her hands, she held this for a second, before standing up and staring at him with a glare.
"Subaru, you are such a Rascal", she said
"Nobody uses the word 'Rascal' anymore, and what did I do this time to be insulted again?" said the clueless dense motherfucker.
Why is it always the dense ones with the greatests of rizz?
"Hmpf, fine, if you also don't know why this time, I guess you'll never figure it out. now, come on, we've wasted enough time doing this." And with that, she ran ahead without a second thought. her face still tinted red.
cute, like an in-real-life rom-com. Though I suppose we'll need to catch up with her.
Subaru, the confused one, ran after her while shouting, puck following suit. Looking above the sky, it was no longer the usual blue, as it had turned into a deep orange. It was late evening now. probably an hour till sundown.
Hmm, I guess our first day will be ending soon. What an amusing day it has been.
Watching them disappear ahead, I decided to split off and search on my own for a while. I wouldn't mind some solo fun before regrouping and trying to find whatever we're after.
—
After quickly catching up with them, I explained that I'd be going my own way to look around, and that they could have their fun together. Without waiting for a response, I turned and left.
---
"I guess wasting my time playing a random card game with strangers was pretty fun. Now, from what they said, it should be right over here." After I said that, a large building, it was quite dark out, and the only reason why I could see was because of experience, trauma, and well, it's always better to attack at night.
In front of the building stood Subaru and Emilia, with Subaru holding a lantern.
Walking closer, I caught the end of their conversation.
"Anyway, I won't be out too late, but you can have dinner without me."
"Don't say silly things like that! Be careful," Emilia replied, concern lacing her voice.
I was completely out of the loop and wanted in. What exactly did that mean?
"Sure, sure," Subaru said. He paused at the door, then added, "Make sure not to come in until I say so," before stepping inside.
.
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(██████ ██ █████)
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.
"Um… Is anybody home? …Er, wait—the door's open."
A sour, spoiled smell drifted out from the entrance. Peering inside, Subaru was met with nothing but darkness.
He stepped in, the wooden floor creaking beneath him. He kept his eyes peeled for Emilia's insignia… until—
"Hmm?"
Subaru froze. Something felt wrong under his shoe. It wasn't hard—it was soft, sticky, and clung unpleasantly to the sole of his sneaker. He lifted his foot and touched the bottom, grimacing as his fingers met a strange, viscous fluid. It stretched like glue between his fingers.
"What the hell…?"
He brought it close to his nose, but the stagnant, rank air inside made it impossible to tell what it was. And unsurprisingly, he didn't have the guts to taste it.
Wiping the rest off on the nearest wall, Subaru raised his makeshift lantern and pushed deeper inside. That uneasy feeling in his gut twisted tighter.
Then he saw it.
"…Huh?"
The flickering light caught a limp, pale arm on the ground. Its hand stretched toward something, but it ended abruptly at the elbow. Subaru's stomach churned as his gaze followed the trail, finding a leg and then a body. A large, old man lay there, throat slit wide open, one arm missing.
"Eek!" Subaru yelped, stumbling back.
His mind blanked, body locked up. Thoughts failed to come. Then-
"Oh... You found it. What a shame, Now I have no choice… no choice at all, you've forced my hand ah ha~." A low, cold voice. A woman's voice. Amused, but devoid of kindness of any kind.
Subaru whipped around, but before he could even see her, something slammed into him with bone-crushing force. His back smashed into the wall, his lantern flying from his hand and clattering into the darkness.
He wasn't thinking about that, though.
All he could feel was-
"Gu… it's… h-hot."
A searing, hellish heat bloomed in his gut. It wasn't pain, no, pain would've been a mercy. This was pure, merciless torment, like molten metal was being poured into his stomach, flooding his insides, setting his organs ablaze. His limbs twitched uselessly as his body instinctively tried to reject what it couldn't escape.
From the doorway, muffled voices slipped through the haze clouding his mind.
"What was that?"
Emilia.
Then another voice, sharp and cold. Sera's, but stripped of its usual warmth.
"Don't enter, Emilia.... I SAID DON'T ENTER. There's someone-"
His hearing faltered. The words bled together, lost in the throbbing, wet squelch of his own heartbeat hammering inside his skull. Everything was too loud, and yet so distant.
The door creaked again.
A shout. A crash.
He turned his head just in time to see Emilia fall, a gory burst painting the air around her. Her torso split open from collarbone to navel like a butchered animal, intestines and glistening loops of pale pink viscera slithering free and splashing wetly to the ground. Blood frothed from her lips as her body hit the floor with a sickening smack.
Subaru's trembling hand reached out, but she was already dead.
Then came that voice, the woman, the monster. Low, and disappointed. like when a child, wins a game, knowing it was fake.
"██ ████ █ █████."
The words meant nothing to him. His fading mind could no longer understand.
The door opened again.
A heartbeat of silence.
Then - a shout. "████!"
A gunshot.
The force hurled the woman's body across the room, her frame crumpling against the far wall with a sickening crunch.
Subaru barely managed to turn his head. His vision blurred, blood streaming from his mouth. His stomach split wider, something thick and serpentine unravelling from the gaping wound - a coil of intestine, still twitching and alive. The stench of blood and bile filled his nose.
He felt his spine give as his legs spasmed, warmth soaking the floor beneath him. His lungs filled with liquid. Blood.
He choked.
The last thing he saw was a pair of
Then, darkness.
A heavy
suffocating void
And Finally, silence.
[---]
Arc 1 - to us, a new life we desire, from zero.
Death count: 1
A/N :) :D
(sorry if there was any mistakes, please comment if you liked it or disliked parts. maybe OOC? i am a dumbass.)