16 (part 1)

Describing the humiliation wasn't worth it for her. The woman would watch as the people passed her by without a hint of acknowledgment, some would give her looks of pity for her attire alone.

"... Miss Naoko." Finally, a voice to speak with her after hours of being ignored.

"Oh, Mister Kiri-san. How are you this fine morning?" Naoko moved her lips in what she remembered was a smile, but the man standing above her wasn't affected so she gave up on keeping it.

"It's the afternoon, Naoko-san… Please… You need to go home." The man murmured with a solemn expression.

On any day, like many others before this one, Naoko would fiercely decline the man's words, she would fight to be pushed out of this spot on the street, before his shop.

But today… She was more tired than usual.

"How long have we been at this song and dance, Naoko-san?" He asked with a tired gaze that made the woman look away. "I only have that footage of him exiting the store after buying from my employee… Nothing else was left."

"I know… Kiri-san… You've been most helpful for helping fund the search effort…" Naoko's voice trembled as she began standing up from the floor.

"It's been a year… You should tell your husband to—"

"I'm not calling the search party off, Kiri-san," Naoko's tired, weary voice grew in strength for that second. "I can't…"

The old store owner looked down at the frail woman with nothing but understanding and sympathy in his eyes. "Putting your fate in the hands of that corrupt guy will only lead to—"

"You've told me all this before, Kiri-san." Naoko brought her eyes to meet with his, bringing an end to their repeated discussion that had been closed and reopened a thousand times before.

"Both of you are killing yourselves…" Kiri had actual tears growing in the corners of his eyes, meeting the empty, dead ones of Naoko's. "Please… For the sake of your son."

"My son…" Naoko chuckled for the first time in a long time. "My son's been missing for a year and a few months now… And you think reminding me of him will change my mind about this?" Her voice didn't break, didn't wane, and simply stated what she wanted with a smoothness that felt unnatural for her to possess.

"It's your only hope for a life out of this pit…" Kiri didn't meet her eyes anymore, he refused to watch the tragedy continue like it did every day since that night. "I wish we could've been more help than just… This."

Naoko looked down as he handed her a bag, a simple plastic bag that felt different in form.

"You changed the look of the plastic bags…" She muttered, earning a sigh from the man.

"This is some food to last you the week. Please come if it runs out for you and Kenichi-san. I promise to do my best to help, even if it's not store policy." The old man looked at her with firm determination, but Naoko never saw it as she still kept her eyes stuck to the plastic bag.

"Why did you change the look of it?" Naoko had a small hint of hidden emotion as she questioned, rudely.

"..." Kiri sighed, bringing a look of shame on his face as he looked away from the woman. "I… Don't know what to tell you."

"My son's last moments in that footage," Naoko's voice finally showed her natural, tired, and despondent state as it broke while she held on to the plastic bag filled with various foods and drinks. "S-Subaru's last moments outside of your store… He had that bag with him…"

"With some instant noodles and chips…" Kiri muttered under his breath, clenching his eyes shut. "I'm sorry… I couldn't keep looking at the bags in my store anymore."

"They reminded you… Of him?" Naoko asked bluntly with a frozen expression that the man couldn't see because he was closing his eyes tightly. "Kiri-san…"

"I know you've only been coming here to see anything that reminds you of your son… Especially after those sharks took the house with everything in it." The old man's voice took an edge at the memory.

"They let us keep a manga he loved to read…" Naoko had to give a broken chuckle that only tore the man's heart open. "I-It's… The only thing I have of him left…"

The old man decided to turn his head away, opening his eyes to look at the street where that final sighting had occurred. "Run away from this city," he told her. "Let that idiot Kenichi know that I'll help with anything you two need, but after all the debt you two have taken… There's no longer a place for you here. Neither will there be for your son."

"Kiri-san…"

He finally turned to look at the hurting woman, eyes filled with shame as he took in the sight of his failures to help her and her family after their son disappeared right beside his store.

"..." His shock came, not from the hug, but from the happy tingle within the woman's voice as she spoke softly with desperate relief. "Thank you… For still being hurt this much by memories of my son…"

It's this moment when the old storeowner couldn't but let his tears fall down his cheek. He realized that the woman was begging for anyone else to still remember or care that her son was missing.

He wrapped an arm around her, letting his tears fall as she sobbed.

A few hours later, in a small apartment with little furniture, the door opens and a man walks through.

"Honey, I'm home," the man had a cheerful smile on his face as he walked in, carrying a bag in his hands. "I got us some leftover foods from the restaurant that employed me last week! Didn't I tell you that it wouldn't be useless to branch out my expertise, hm~?"

"..."

"Honey?" The man looked at her as he settled the food on the table. "Oh… You went there again didn't you." His voice lowered as he stared at the plastic bag on the floor, filled with supplies. "Geez, that Kiri-san. He's such a bleeding heart."

"He changed the look of them, the plastic bags…" Naoko muttered without much emotion, keeping her eyes on the book that lay on her lap. "He… Remembered him, Kenichi."

The man's glasses shone in the dark room with the reflection of the little light that entered through the windows, hiding the hurt behind his eyes at the despaired tone filling the woman's voice.

"Dear… We're doing our best." He began the same routine once more. For months, he'd said these same words to her every single day: "I can work harder and faster to pay off the debt so the search party can continue. We can find him."

"They stole our house… Our son's clothes and games… His pictures even…" Naoko's voice showed no hatred, no animosity, simply crushed his heart at how defeated she sounded. "All we have left is this book he used to read… I wish I could've been able to do more."

His hands trembled for a second before he moved to sit closer to her.

"Honey… We did what we had to do, and the attornies warned us about taking this step. It's not the loan sharks' fault the politicians of the city were corrupt and didn't want to fund any search parties for us." He tried to sound reasonable even though the words he was saying filled him with a magnitude of negativity. "We just had bad luck. And they were respectful to our situation even, they've been waiting and are still waiting for me to pay it all a few years from now."

"They took the house… His room…" Naoko trembled as he held her hand, she looked up at her husband, eyes watering.

Kenichi found his will to smile as the reflective light left his sunglasses to reveal his exhausted eyes, ones that were filled with self-discipline, yet still haunted by intense darkness that was offset by his small smile.

"And we will get them all back." He said without a hint of hesitation. "All of it. The house, the room, the games, his worryingly adult figurines and posters—"

She had to chuckle weakly at the memory of how those would be welcomed into their household with constant ridicule and mocking by her husband.

"And most of all… Him." Kenichi held the hand of his wife firmly, pulling her into him as he wrapped his other arm around her shoulders. "I will do whatever it takes to get him back… I promise."

Her body trembled against him but she gave in to the warmth that he offered. "D-Do you have another job to work on today?"

Kenichi felt disappointed that she wasn't that comforted by his hug, so he pulled back and settled his glasses back properly. "Uh… I didn't get a reply back if the other four need me on site yet."

Naoko gave a small nod, looking around at the food and settling the small book she was hugging so tight to the table's surface.

"Let's eat something and… Walk outside for a while."

Kenichi had the tiniest urge to smile at the determined tone of his wife.

"Whatever you say is my command, love."

Naoko's lips moved on their own to show her first smile in months.

They'd be okay.

-x-X-x-

-x-X-x-

-x-X-x-

The theater lights are low as the cast slowly trickles back in, stretching and chatting, each group settling into their seats. It's been a long time since they last gathered here, and there's a palpable excitement mixed with a hint of nostalgia in the air.

"Can't believe we're dragged back 'ere! Thought we'd all said our goodbyes already." Felt leans against the back of a chair, crossing her arms with a smirk. "I had fun playin' with ya guys though~."

Trickling to his seat in the same row as her, Garfiel's grin was wide as he punched the air. "I'm ready for 'nother round! 'Specially if it's got more fight scenes." He glances over at Wilhelm, who chuckles, giving a nod of respect.

Frederica, standing nearby, watches with a soft smile. "Some things never change, do they, Garf?" She said while looking at her brother fondly. "You need to be softer when you play with ladies next time."

"Ain't my fault Cap'n taught me kickball too well!" Garfiel looked more proud than ashamed.

Mimi bounces over, practically glowing with energy. "Hey! Tiger-san! Are we watching another lovey-dovey scene? 'Cause I'm totally ready for some romance! That last one with Boss and Emilia-sama was sooo cute!"

Otto groans, scratching his head as he enters. "Can we ease into it this time? Not everyone here thrives on high drama," he says, casting a glance at Al, who's leaning back in his chair after making his way to it.

Al grins lazily behind his helmet. "Drama's all part of the fun, Merchant-kun. Plus, you know we're all suckers for the big romantic confession scenes." He wiggles the fingers of his one good arm teasingly at Emilia, who blushes.

Anastasia clears her throat with a small smile. "I think we're all curious to see how things unfolded from the point where we stopped a day ago. Besides, it's been a while since I've seen such a dedicated crowd." She glances at Rem, who is adjusting her seat quietly, her gaze occasionally drifting over to Subaru.

"Still asleep…" Rem sighed with sadness in her eyes as she sat down, her need to be close to the sleeping boy forcing her to move over and hover above his head from the back.

"Thank you for not taking him like last time, I suppose," Beatrice says to the maid, nuzzling Subaru's neck from her spot on top of his lap. "Betty's had a fantastic sleep, in fact."

Emilia nods, smiling brightly. "I think everyone's been through so much… it feels nice to be together again, just for a while. Right?" She had her eyes squarely on Subaru, feeling happy with how things had ended for the both of them after so long of continued repetitions that had him suffer, over and over again.

Priscilla yawns dramatically from her seat, waving a hand as if she's already bored. "It's only because of this spectacle's charm that mine divine self-entertained watching the half-wit's worthless answer to a heartfelt confession. Don't expect mineself to shed any tears."

Roswaal, seated nearby, gives a theatrical smirk, tilting his head with that familiar gleam in his eye. "Oh, Priscilla-sama, do you truly believe you're ab~ooo~ve all the passion and drama here?" He chuckles. "Even the mighty can be swayed by… ahem… heartfelt conf~ee~ssions, yes?"

Julius steps in, his expression calm but amused as he returns to his seat beside his lady in the second row. "If we're recounting heartfelt moments, then we'll likely be here a while." He glances at Subaru with a fond smirk. "But some of those moments are rather worth it, don't you think?"

Ram, rolling her eyes, crosses her arms. "You're all far too sentimental." She moves to sit back beside Roswaal in the third row.

Beatrice huffs and moves herself to fix her ornate dress. "Sentimental, maybe, but even you were watching, in fact." She smirks as Ram rolls her eyes but doesn't deny it.

Petra, seated next to Frederica, beams at the group. "It's nice to see everyone smiling… Even if I had a lot of things to dislike about people in this room… But Subaru managed to win in the end… I remember everything he went through and will help him as much as I can."

Frederica put a hand on the girl's head, giving a proud smile.

"Ain't that the truth! It's good to see everyone in high spirits, though I gotta say, it feels a bit strange without all the fightin'." Ricardo gives a hearty laugh, his voice echoing through the theater.

"Perhaps there was good in my idea after all, hm?" Crusch steeled as ever, entered with a wide grin on her face as she made way for the spot she had obtained from Rem back in the first viewings. "Only a night went by from what we had calculated… Still sleeping?"

Crusch stood over Subaru's form, preparing to sit at his side opposite Emilia as she asked Beatrice.

The spirit nodded her head silently, giving Subaru a loving smile with a hint of concern showing in her eyes.

Just then, Heinkel grumbles from a few rows behind. "Let's hope it's not 'nother drawn-out lovefest. We could do with a bit more action and a bit less… tear-jerkin'."

Schult, beside him, pulls at his sleeve. "Heinkel-sama, please… let's just enjoy it. Everyone seems happy." He gives a timid smile to the others, who wave back, mainly Petra and Tivey.

"We are indeed, Schult-kun." Reinhard gave the boy a pleasant smile that would put a light into the room had anyone focused on it. "I had fun playing with you and Felt-sama."

"Oi, what's with this guy forgettin' mine amazin' selfs?!" Garfiel grits his teeth at Reinhard's purposeful teasing.

"I apologize, messing with you is fun, just like Felt-sama taught me." Reinhard rubbed the back of his head and sat down beside his lady who was eyeing him proudly.

"But the Sword Saint-sama is correct though," Tivey earned attention by showcasing his curiosity once more, his notes were by his side as he looked upwards at the ceiling that was once burned by Roswaal's magic during a past viewing. "Shouldn't the Warden speak to us? He's been silent, even durin' the last few sessions we've had with this window."

Most looked at the tactician with nodding heads. "Yeah, he's been more quiet than usual." Otto put a hand on his chin.

Crusch scowled at the thought of the Warden as she looked at Subaru. "He's either forgotten about us or is waiting for something to happen."

"I-I don't think he would do any of that." Emilia seemed unsure as she interjected from Crusch's side. "Isn't it more appropriate to think that he's stuck somewhere? He seemed to be dealing with a lot."

"... Worthless dog." Priscilla clicked her tongue, remembering her last interaction with the man before he had teleported away from her kick.

Petra, remembering when he had allowed her the choice between leaving the room to go back to her world or staying to watch what would happen to Subaru, looked at the darkened window with a frown.

"What happened to you?" She whispered under her breath, not allowing anyone else to hear. "Can't you reply to anyone?"

-x-X-x-

"You've been at this for months… You won't get me."

Warden sprinted through the battered, crumbling streets of Priestella, his movements swift and tense. He glances around, fury etched into his expression as he takes in the destruction of the once-thriving Watergate City. The buildings lie in ruin, canals clogged with debris, and the air thick with dust and ash. With each breath, his frustration grows.

"The city didn't deserve any of this, damn it."

It's been weeks since this siege began, he was dodging a blazing strike from above.

"There's no way that you'd be involved with Flugel too. You hateful Witch." His gaze flickers upward, where Echidna, riding a colossal Great Spirit from Gusteko, launches beams of raw magical energy in his direction, each one shattering cobblestone as it lands.

He grits his teeth, dodging another attack. "First the dragon, then Flugel, just had to ruin their plans to make sure this city didn't fall under them. And now… this." He rolls to the side as another beam crashes where he'd stood.

"I'm so tired," He wheezed, lungs nearly collapsing from how far he pushed them. "They will get me sooner or later… I can't keep the fight contained to just Priestella any longer, I need space."

"YOU WON'T GET ANY UNTIL YOU GIVE ME BACK MY FAMILY!"

From his left, a sudden rush of wind forces him to leap back. He spots Hetaro in the distance, the boy riding atop Patrasche, pushing the dragon into a steep dive in a clear attempt to intercept him.

As they plunge through the chaos, Patrasche's powerful muscles strain to close the distance between them and Warden. Hetaro's face is set with fierce concentration, holding on to his wand and shooting toward the hooded man who took away his family.

"Trying to rescue your brother and sister, are you?" Warden mutters, his voice edged with a twisted sympathy as he sidesteps yet another magical blast. The barrage of attacks grows more intense around him.

Just as Hetaro finally nears, Warden is forced to halt as a wall of writhing mabeasts surges between them, blocking their path. Snarling and snapping, the creatures form an impassable barrier. "What the hell's… No way…"

"NO!" Hetaro's face pales, and he pulls Patrasche to a halt, looking up to see none other than Meili perched above the chaos, her face a mixture of defiance and smug satisfaction.

She calls down to Warden with a cold smile. "Hand over the orb, Hoodie-sama~. Mama wants it. And if I bring her what she wants, Elsa Onee-san'll be back." Her voice softens briefly, a flicker of pain crossing her face. "She promised?"

Warden stares up at her, his jaw clenching. "A promise, is it?" he growls. He knows Meili's desperation for her "Mama" and her promise to Elsa's memory, yet he can see the trap as it closes around him.

The mabeasts tighten their formation, hemming him in as Flugel and Volcanica once again summon the earth to rise, forming barriers that encase him further. Stone and rubble rumble upward, blocking every escape, and the walls begin to close in, sealing off the only paths out.

"Shit…"

"Oh~! Now ya can't escape my little friends, Hoodie-sama." Meili giggled as she waved her hand from above him and Hetaro. "Ya reeeeally missed up with the enemies you've made. Dragon-sama hates you badly, y'know."

"I-I don't know who you are, but this isn't looking good for us. He's escaped from this trick before!" Hetaro points at Warden while shouting to Meili from his place on the Patrasche.

"Hm~? It's alright, this time I'm here to finish the job right~!" Meili flashes a grin and commands her beasts forward on the hooded man.

But suddenly, the entire sky darkens, the air growing thick with an unsettling, frigid energy. Warden looks up, and his heart drops as he sees a mass of writhing shadows flooding the heavens.

"This is overkill."

Satella, the Witch of Envy herself, floats above them, her expression devoid of warmth, her eyes locked onto Warden. Her hands stretch outward, and a million shadowy arms snake down toward him, reaching, grabbing, unrelenting.

Meili and Hetaro, trapped with him, stare upward, terror painted on their faces as they realize the unstoppable force descending upon them. Meili's smug confidence dissolves, her voice trembling, "W-Wait… Wait… Mama said that the Witch-sama is helping me… This will…"

"This… this wasn't supposed to happen! The Witch doesn't come to this sector due to the remains below the city… The guild owner told me so…" Hetaro's voice shakes, eyes darting for an escape. "There's nowhere to go… I'm gonna die here…"

Patrasche nudges the boy's face as he closes his eyes and sheds a few tears.

"I'm sorry," Hetaro apologized to the dragoness as he gave up the fight. "I'm not smart like Tivey-san… I…"

Warden takes a sharp breath, glancing at the two of them with a mixture of pity and resignation. Without hesitation, he draws his weapon, pointing it first at Meili, and then at Hetaro.

"Sorry, kids," he mutters. "This fight's mine alone."

The shots ring out in quick succession, and within a blink, Meili and Hetaro vanish, leaving behind the faintest echoes of their surprise as they're ejected from the scene and into the safety of the theater.

After the light passes, Warden stands alone.

"I'm so fucking tired." He whispered, his body sluggish but awaiting the coming black sky of shadow hands, a new attack that would probably swallow the world whole just to get to him.

"GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK!GIVEHIMBACK—"

"How much I hate you, Envy." He prepares himself to be swallowed but something unexpected happens.

The cobblestone road beneath Warden's boots shatters unexpectedly. It split like fragile glass rather than solid stone. His eyes widen behind his goggles as he stumbles, arms reaching for balance, but it's too late, the ground crumbles entirely beneath him, and he feels himself slipping.

He falls, tumbling into a void that opens up like a hidden chasm within the heart of the city.

The light shifts around him as he plunges downward, and instead of the shadows and earth he expects to see, he finds himself surrounded by a strange, serene expanse. It was a blue sky stretched infinitely around him, soft clouds drifting lazily, seeming to beckon him as he fell deeper. He's falling through the open air, but he doesn't feel the expected rush of wind or panic.

The entire experience feels eerily calm, and dreamlike. Until the shadows followed through the crack.

"No…"

-x-X-x-

-x-X-x-

In a quiet park at dusk, a nostalgic haze settles over the area as Naoko and Kenichi sit side by side on a worn wooden bench.

They were comfortable. and watched the park's playground with expressions of nostalgia.

A memory that was special to both of them was remembered by the couple. One that took place in this exact playground.

In the memory, a little Subaru was crouched before them. He was looking at a small bug that was on the grass with a determined expression. His tiny fingers reached out with care as he tried to push the bug forward on a leaf. Afterward, he would carry it to them, thinking his parents were expert doctors for bugs.

Kenichi chuckles softly, a mixture of pride and sorrow in his voice. "He was so stubborn, even then. Always fighting for the underdogs, the kid was a menace."

Naoko's gaze softens, her hand reaching out to cover her husband's. "No matter what happens, I'll always love him," she says quietly, her voice trembling with emotion. "And I'll always love you. We did everything we could for him. Always."

"And we will keep doing so…" He leaned over to kiss her forehead, each enjoying the warmth of the other. "I promise we will… Nothing's going to stop me from getting him in a headlock."

Naoko's sob was the only answer he received as she helped herself to press closer to him.

Kenichi sighed and looked up at the sea of orange above them. "Huh… Is the sky looking a bit weird? My eyes must be too blurry because of that casino job with all of its lights."

Naoko moved her head to look upward, blinking rapidly to move the tears away. "I… I see it too."

But just then, the sky above them ripples, darkening in an unnatural shift, and they both look up in shock. The sky breaks, splitting open with a jagged crack. The couple could only stare in shock as dark tentacles revealed themselves from the crack as if it were raining shadows.

"What the hell?!" Kenichi stands up, pulling her with him as both stare at the sky.

Alarms sound, earthquake and tsunami preparation systems ringing out together for the population of the city, and possibly the entire nation itself.

As they stood there for a couple of minutes, observing what was happening to their skies above, Naoko would point towards houses in the distance, where the first black shadow had finally reached ground zero.

"Oh god… Kenichi."

"Stay close!" Her husband held her body tightly as they both watched the buildings of the central city melt away like salt touching ice.

"This is… Oh my god… Those people! There was a woman I knew from high school working in that building!" Naoko cried out, holding a hand to her mouth as they watched the dust settle in place of what was a large business building.

"..." Kenichi could only fix his jaw into place and stare upwards with a horrified expression. More drops of shadow oozed towards Japan through the crack. "We have to run… We have to go!"

Fighter jets roar overhead, the deafening sound snapping them out of their trance as missiles and weaponry are deployed, streaking through the sky toward the rift.

The pilots meet with hundreds of blackened shadow hands that fill the air with an oppressive, all-encompassing darkness. It was a battle for the ages as metal birds evaded and shot towards the tentacles in black.

"Run!" Kenichi shouts, pulling Naoko to her feet. They take off, dodging debris as the shadows loom closer, missiles exploding in the skies above, the ground trembling beneath their feet. The world they know shatters into chaos, their hearts pounding with a horror they can barely comprehend. Building after building, Envy's shadows would destroy and consume whatever was in sight.

As they flee, the scene shifts to Warden, suspended between worlds, floating in the vast blue of the sky as he watches the unfolding battle while freefalling.

He was stuck with his limbs in the air, as the hands of the Witch descended from Priestella's heart. Sooner, he noticed the fierce blasts of Japan's defense systems and the roaring military fighting back against the hands that reached for him.

"Japan… Is fighting back?"

A swirling battlefield of light and darkness stretching on all sides in the sky. He feels oddly detached like he were a mere observer as purple hands are being blasted away by missiles and air munitions.

Then, without warning, his orb—the strange, ever-present relic he's carried so long—tugs free of his grasp, pulling away as if it has a will of its own.

Warden's eyes widen as he watches it, powerless to stop it, wondering just what it's about to do. The orb glows brighter and brighter, surging through the air toward the ground below.

"What…? No… Wait… What the f—"

On the ground, Naoko and Kenichi stumble, breaths coming fast as their minds reel from the nightmare unraveling around them. With each step, it feels as if the world is collapsing, shadows begin to overtake the city as many hands pass by Japan's military systems.

When they reach their road, they see the apartment complex where they have their things stored. "Subaru's Mangaka…"

Only for a dark cloud to swallow the entire block of the city, making everyone who was inside scream in agony.

Finally, Naoko stops, her shoulders heaving with sobs as she clutches her husband. "Kenichi… there's nothing left. This… this can't be real. I don't know what's happening…"

Kenichi pulls her close, his voice cracking. "I don't know either…" But his own voice wavers as the darkness grows thicker, edging toward them.

Naoko closes her eyes, a single wish forming in her heart, clear and simple, cutting through the confusion and terror. "I wish… I just wish I could see him. Our Subaru… just once more before it all ends."

At that moment, the orb, glowing with an intense white light, collides with them. Naoko and Kenichi feel the warmth spreading through them, the chaos around them fading as their world is bathed in pure, blinding light.

In the last moment before the light overtakes them, they reach out, grasping each other's hands. In their final thoughts, they focused on their son, the light filling their vision, erasing everything else around.

-x-X-x-

Before anyone could react, the theater flared with three dazzling lights, blinding everyone in the room. The orbs exploded into brilliant, sparking storms, forcing hands to shield eyes. Gradually, the light faded, transforming into shimmering fireflies that danced briefly before disappearing, leaving behind a strange calm.

In the aftermath of the three lights, there was a sight that all in the theater began realizing would be a new addition to their lives in the prison they'd been in for so long.

"Oooohhhh~~~" one of the newcomers groaned, pushing herself up from where she'd landed atop a young man. "My head is reeeeally killing me…" she mumbled, rubbing her temples.

"M-Meili-chan?!" Petra's voice was the first to break the silence, a mix of shock and perhaps horror as she recognized the assassin now stuck with them.

"Huh? Petra-chan?" Meili, the blue-haired girl who now had all eyes on her, gave a look of genuine surprise. "I didn't think you'd be back so soon… Wasn't there a council meeting with that clown-sama?"

While Meili had expected a more cheerful greeting from her only friend in the basement of the Miload mansion, the glare Petra shot at her was icy.

"Did I do something wrong, Petra-chan?" Meili asked, tilting her head in mock innocence. "I didn't spill any tea this time~."

"Meili-chan…" Petra's voice was laced with a growling hostility, though her surprise seemed aimed at more than just Meili.

Meili blinked, feigning childish confusion as she looked around. "Why am I in this room now? Some kind of magic from clown-sama, perhaps?" She gestured toward a curious Roswaal, who watched her with interest.

"I like this room faaar more than the basement~!" Meili sang while turning on her heel to inspect the other faces in the room. "So gloomy~"

Everyone had been glaring at her, even the people she didn't know, which was quite the list within this room.

"Shut yer fuckin' mouth ya little twerp," Felt growled at the little girl with her teeth bared. "Yer that mabeast user, ain'tcha?"

Meili was a little surprised by the name, "Oh ~! That's just not fair! Why would you tell people about a lady's specialties? It makes me feel vulnerable~!"

"Stop it…" Rem glared at the little girl with even more hatred than Felt, making Meili take a good look at her.

A glint of recognition sparked in Meili's eyes. "Oh! You're the one Mama didn't count when Elsa took the contract! It's so nice to finally—"

"You better stay away from my sister and not bring your filthy eyes upon her again, mabeast user." Ram brought a glare upon Meili, forcing the little girl to look hurt for just a few seconds.

"Hmmmm… Scary nee-san is angry at me too?" Meili looked around, this time a lot more observant. She locked eyes with Emilia specifically out of everyone, her smile widening as she noticed the look of apprehension on the half-elf's face.

"Onee-san?" Meili tilted her head once again, giving Emilia a small and teasing smile. "Am I hated by you also for some reason?"

"... Why did you do it?" Emilia's soft voice was heard throughout the quietened theater as if a needle in the silence. "Why did you kill him?"

Listening to Emilia's tone, Meili's eyes grew into a colder emotion than anyone could attach to a childish face like hers.

"Kill who, Onee-san?" she responded, a hint of amusement tinging her voice. "Seeing you now makes me feel special~."

"You're feeling special…" Emilia's voice darkened while staring at her with nothing but ice in her eyes. "Because of my anger towards you, Meili-chan?"

"Mhm! Exactly!" Meili twirled in place, reveling in the anger etched on Garfiel and Rem's faces.

Julius's voice rang out, cutting through her performance. "You show no remorse, no empathy, for what you've done… Have you no shame for the lives you've taken?"

"I didn't count any of them, so I'm afraid this talk won't mean much, Knight-sama~." Meili grinned, her gaze sliding to Beatrice, who glared from Subaru's lap.

"Oh? Did Onii-san finally meet his end, despite all his promises in the basement?" she mocked. "Elsa Onee-san would be disappointed if he went down so quietly."

"Betty knows not of any promises he made to you, in fact. But after what you've done, there will be no mercy for you in this prison or any other where you will end up, I suppose!" Beatrice glared with fire in her eyes, but Meili only enjoyed the attention more than realized the danger she was putting herself in.

"I still don't understand why you all are mad at me though~. It's not like I've kept an ugly secret about my talent~"

With that, she stepped onto the head of a dragon lying nearby, using Patrasche as a makeshift stepping stone to reach a chair in the back, balancing on one leg with her arms spread wide.

Just then, Patrasche woke up, screeching within the theater as she stood on her hind legs.

"SCREEEEEEECH!" The Diana seemed more agitated than ever, feeling the new environment and the people around her closing in as if she was in a cage. The only thing that seemed to stop the dragoness from exploding on the nearest person beside her, was her eyes falling on the spiky hair at the front of the theater.

"SCREEEEECH!" She jumped across the room and landed right in front of Emilia and Beatrice, right infront of Subaru.

Patrasche cooed with her mouth inching closer to Subaru's hand, craving his warmth and being near her rider.

"She's missed him," Otto whispered to the others, eyes softening at the sight of the dragon's connection with her beloved. "A lot."

"That's clear to anyone watching, Otto-san." Reinhard had a small smile at the sight as well, his heartwarming. "Subaru's a lucky man for her."

Rem had to glare a little bit towards the reunion but shook her head in understanding.

"Ah… My head…"

Everyone looked to the third newest attention within the room, not realizing who it was since he's been buried underneath the hulking mass of the dragonness and overshadowed by the presence of Meili.

"Hehe, you look so stupid on the floor~" Meili giggled with delight, seeing the boy's painful rubbing of his head as comedy.

The moment of humor ended abruptly as those who recognized him rushed forward, enveloping him in a fierce hug from both sides.

"Hetaro!" "Onii-chan!"

Hetaro's cat ears shot up in surprise as his siblings clung tightly to him. The embrace was so forceful that he might have shot up to the ceiling like a popped cork if he were any lighter.

"Whoa! What's going on, Tivey, Mimi? Why are you guys being so clingy all of a sudden?" Hetaro, the third of the triplets, looked at his siblings with concern, their hold so tight he could barely move.

"Hetaro… You're here… You're back… I knew you'd make it back to us! Tivey almost gave up on you!" Mimi stammered through tears, hugging him even closer.

From the other side, Tivey, uncharacteristically emotional, sniffled into Hetaro's shoulder. "S-She's lying. I knew you could handle yourself! I never doubted you for a second!"

"Guys…" Hetaro's voice faltered, overwhelmed when a pair of large, furry arms lifted the triplets off the ground. With a soft thud, they found themselves wrapped in Ricardo's embrace.

"Happy to have ya back, kiddo," Ricardo murmured, his gruff voice softened by emotion. He gently patted each of their heads, nuzzling them with his muzzle. "Ya didn't scare us fer a second, ya tough little twerp."

Hetaro blinked, feeling tears well up. Once Ricardo set him down, his siblings reluctantly released him, giving him space to look at them all more clearly. "Why… why am I crying? It's only been a few seconds since I last saw you guys… There was a flash of light, and then…"

His voice broke as the tears spilled over. "I-I feel like my heart's been crushed a thousand times over… I don't understand…"

Julius stepped forward, his expression one of deep sympathy and something harder to read. "You remember nothing, then," he said quietly. "You're strong, Hetaro. Don't doubt that."

Hetaro's face twisted with confusion. "What… what is this place, Julius-san?" His desperate gaze pleaded for answers. "Why do I feel like I've missed everyone for ages?"

Then he felt a pair of arms envelop him from behind, a familiar warmth that soothed his shivering. He looked up, and his breath hitched as he recognized the gloved hands and coat.

"My lady…" His voice cracked as he looked up into Anastasia's gentle smile. "I don't know… I don't know what's wrong with me, but I'm so happy… You, Mimi, Tivey…"

Anastasia nodded, her arms tightening around him, a tear slipping onto his head. "I'm glad yer back with us," she whispered, nuzzling his hair. "Welcome home, Hetaro."

"I-I still don't understand," Hetaro stammered, glancing around the room with growing urgency. "What happened? We were just together a moment ago, and then…"

"Suddenly you were here?" came a voice from nearby. Schult, the pink-haired boy standing by Priscilla's side, watched Hetaro with understanding. "You remember only being with your friends, and then there was a bright light?"

"Yes! That's it! And now everyone is saying things I don't understand…" Hetaro rubbed the back of his head, letting Anastasia keep him close as he struggled to piece things together. "But… somehow, I feel like they're telling the truth."

"They must've been brought here from the outside world… But why?" Julius murmured, his gaze shifting thoughtfully from Hetaro and the dragoness to Meili, who was humming to herself with a faraway look.

"Why has she been brought in here!" Rem asked the question once again, glaring directly toward the assassin, obviously getting agitated by the attitude of carelessness Meili was displaying.

"Hmmm~?" Meili smiled brightly at being the center of attention once again.

"... I think we need to take things calmly, Rem." Crusch tried to reason with the maid, though the duchess had an eye on Meili herself.

"I can't do that, Crusch-sama!" Rem's voice was a little louder but not too much as she responded with firmness. "I don't trust a murderer who worked as a contracted killer to harm the people of the village… She killed Subaru!"

"She killed my sister…" Ram whispered hatefully, remembering the loop where her sister was dead on a bed. "She was toying with them, knowing all the time that the mabeast bite would lead to the death of her target… I had to put the blame on Barusu which led to him jumping off of a cliff…"

"Hey… heeeey~" Meili continued to sway in her seat while looking down at everyone with her grin. "I don't get what Angry nee-san and her sister are talking about! It's a little annoyin'~."

"This little shit…" Garfiel grumbled, glaring at the little girl spitefully but having a much more neutered behavior than the others.

"Anyway!" Meili smiled and stood in her seat while pointing at Subaru and Rem. "You don't have to be mad at me! These two are alive and well as you can see~. Though I still don't know why Onii-san is asleep~."

"That's not—" Emilia was about to respond to the little girl's mistaken assumption that she hadn't succeeded in killing Rem and Subaru, but the half-elf was shocked by what happened next.

A searing light filled the theater, more intense than anything before. It exploded with a force that sent waves of blinding radiance throughout the room. Shadows shrieked and fled overwhelmed by the blazing brilliance. Everyone had to close their eyes and look away.

The darkness would return like a curtain on the theater. It was Beatrice who adjusted first. Blinking her eyes rapidly Her heart raced, and she moved instinctively, reaching out to her side for Subaru—for his familiar presence.

But she grasped only empty air.

She looked down and realized, with a growing panic, that she was sitting alone. Where Subaru had been, there was only an empty seat beneath her. The warmth of him was gone, the comforting weight of his presence vanished as if he'd never been there at all.

"Subaru…?" Beatrice's voice was barely a whisper, her small hands clutching the edge of the chair.

"W-Where…" Emilia's voice trembled, barely a whisper that showed her crushing fear. Her expression shattered as she looked around, searching, her eyes wild with disbelief. "Where's Subaru?..." Her voice grew louder, fraying with desperation until it twisted into a raw, agonized scream. "WHY DID YOU TAKE HIM AWAY?!"

Subaru was gone.

And in that instant, the fragile peace in the room imploded. Emilia's anguish sent a shockwave through everyone. How could they not? Her beautiful face now darkened with a rage so fierce that it left those around her stunned. None had ever seen her like this. None have seen this unrestrained fury.

"Where… is he?" she demanded, her voice lower, shaking with a raw intensity that echoed in the hearts of everyone present.

"Screeech!" Patrasche's loud shriek was the only one to rival Emilia's mood shift for panic over her rider's whereabouts. The ground dragon aimed her snout directly toward the screen above the first row.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

We move on to a small and unfamiliar room. Kenichi and Naoko stood side by side in the middle of it, glancing around in bewilderment.

There was no door, no window, just four walls enclosing them with a couch and a king size bed. They exchanged an anxious look, each instinctively checking that the other was safe, as if reassured by simply being together.

"Are you okay?" Her husband asked with a worried face, checking her body over with his eyes. "You're seeing this too, right?"

"After seeing that…? Our world… It was being attacked…" Naoko looked around slowly, her lips trembling weakly. "I don't know whether to laugh or cry… I don't know where we are… I don't know what's going on anymore… I-I…" Naoko put a hand on her mouth, feeling the earth gave away from beneath her feet.

"Naoko…" Kenichi whispered in a low voice. "Please… Keep it together."

"I just want to see him again!" Naoko's voice grew louder as she tapped her husband's chest weakly.

A soft light glowed in one corner, earning their immediate attention. The light gradually dimmed, revealing a person on the couch of the room. That person made them both stop in their tracks.

There he lay.

Subaru, was asleep, his face calm and undisturbed. There was a faint rise and fall of his chest as the only sign of life.

For a long moment, Kenichi and Naoko could do nothing but stare. Both emotionless, both frozen. The realization settled in at a slow pace.

Water began to fill Naoko's eyes. Her hand rose to her mouth as she tried to suppress a sob. She reached out, touching Kenichi's arm, as if afraid that he might vanish too at any moment. But her husband was still there, his own eyes glistening, his breath hitching as he looked down at his son like he was an alien.

"Subaru…" Naoko's voice was barely a whisper, tears spilling down her cheeks like a waterfall. The tears of an entire year of struggle and the inner killing of her emotions. A year of nothing but false hopes and pitfalls where she lost her soul at every turn.

Her soul, the one that began reviving its light within her now that she's seeing the one thing she's wanted to be next to for this whole year.

Kenichi reached for her hand, squeezing it tightly, his own voice choked with emotion. "He's… he's really here." He knelt down in front of the sleeping boy.

His eyes fixed on Subaru's face, inspecting all the details he could. The intensity born of months spent aching for this exact moment. Subaru's peaceful expression, the faint crease at his brow, the way his hair fell messily over his forehead, each were small details but the feeling of relief that flooded his heart by seeing them was immense.

The tears fell before Kenichi could stop them, not that he cared to do so.

"My boy… Subaru… S-Son…" Kenichi's hand trembled as it shook the boy's body.

"Please…" As if Subaru was fragile enough to break like glass or disappear like a cloud of smoke. "Please tell me this isn't a dream, Naoko… Why isn't he waking up?" He begged his wife without taking his eyes off Subaru for a single moment.

Naoko knelt beside him, a soft, broken smile tugging at her lips. She gently brushed Subaru's hair away from his forehead, her fingers light, as if afraid to disturb him. She let out a shuddering breath that was instilled with her relief and happiness. "Our boy…" she whispered, "our Subaru… he's safe."

They both wept openly. Finally, after months of worry and grief, they had done it. They held one another while overlooking the son they had thought was lost to them.

"Please wake up… Subaru…" Kenichi begged, still feeling afraid that this was all a dream within his mind.

And yet no answer came for the father's desperate plea.

Not when the large black square that had sat by the end of the room began activating different flashes of various images for the two parents.

"W-What is that?" Naoko, still trembling and on her knees before Subaru looked at the small-scale TV screen that she had ignored. "Why is it turning on by itself?"

"... Those images… That's Subaru…" Kenichi muttered as he moved to the side, still on the floor beside his sleeping son. "What…" He asked the only question that he could.

And in another room, completely different in scale and attributes, another person asked that same exact question after her large-scale window was activated.

"No… Not without Subaru… What is it showing us?!" Emilia looked on with outrage with everybody in the room following in her footsteps in looking upwards toward the activated theater screen.

[Season 2 Teaser. (Find it on YouTube.)

Begin.

The scene opens on a cloudy sky with tranquility as its main focus. A swift breeze passes the screen with leaves being swept in the current of wind to showcase its strength.

As the airwaves echo in the room, the scene pans down to show Subaru standing alone in the middle of a grassy plain field. His face was darkened as if a shadow stood over him.

It pans down to his body, removing his face from view.]

With jaws dropped and eyes wide, Subaru's parents stared at the screen with their minds struggling to process what they were seeing.

Naoko's gaze flickered between the screen and the couch, where her son lay asleep perfectly still. She whispered to herself in confusion and dread. "What…?" she breathed, eyes darting between the two images of Subaru, one before her and the other on the screen. "Why…?"

"Naoko… Honey…" Kenichi muttered, the words more for himself than for Naoko. He reached out to touch her arm, grounding himself in the reality of her presence. Yet as he looked around the sealed room, he found no explanation.

"I don't know, Kenichi…" Naoko's voice wavered, barely above a whisper. Her gaze remained locked on the screen, her heart pounding with a blend of fear and awe. "I don't know what's happening… Or if this is my dream and I can't wake up."

With nothing else to do and no one to trust, not even each other to confirm if any of this was real, they continued to watch.

The occupants of the theater watched the broadcast around the same time as the parents in another faraway room. Rem was the first to break the silence. Her voice trembled, her blue eyes fixed on the screen as she whispered, "He's… he's walking on another plane?"

"This is like the first time we were in this prison, in fact…" Beatrice looked more frightened than ever as she watched without any warmth to hold on to.

"What is this?" Hetaro asked, noticing how intently Tivey and Julius watched the screen. "Why is it showing Subaru-sama of all people?"

"Onii-chan must have made some veeery powerful enemies," Meili chimed in from above, her tone disturbingly casual, as if the mystery of Subaru's presence entertained her. "Wonder if Mama's behind all this~."

"This isn't right," Emilia muttered, frustration and fear darkening her expression as she bit her lip. Her voice cracked with barely suppressed emotion. "This… this isn't where Subaru and I were. This doesn't make any sense. Just… please, give him back…"

Ricardo sighed, placing a large hand on Hetaro's shoulder in an attempt to ease the boy's tension. "We'll explain it to ya later, kiddo. For now… let's just keep watchin'."

[He begins to walk deeper into the field, the sound of his steps being the loudest thing in the eerie quiet of the biome.

The camera pans out and circles Subaru's form as he starts walking deeper and deeper. The vast open plains are shown to stretch out for miles and miles all around him. Mountains and hills are stretched abnormally to the point they mix with the textureless plains.

His face remains darkened out of view.]

"Why is his face hidden?" Kenichi asked, looking back over at his son's sleeping form with pity. "What is being hidden here?"

"Were there people filming you, Subaru?" Naoko held a small frown of worry, watching the environment her son was in. "Is this where you've been for so long? Why don't you wake up and tell us?"

"Naoko…" Kenichi winced at the pleading look his wife was giving the unresponsive Subaru. "I already tried… He's not waking up."

"But why?!" Naoko's question was louder than she had realized. "I just… We have him… If that thing attacking our home was the reason we got stuck in this room… Was he attacked too?" Naoko started shaking Subaru a bit more physically rather than calling for him this time. "Did anyone hurt you? Subaru? Subaru!"

Kenichi could only look on with a small frown on his face.

[The scene comes closer to show his upper torso with half his face being shown. His mouth was emotionless, zipped into a thin-lipped frown.

He kept walking.]

"Expression hidden… This means he's dealing with something of utmost importance." Crusch muttered while glaring at the screen, earning nods from the most analytical in the room like Otto, Anastasia, and Julius.

"Where is he?" Hetaro questioned with an unsure look.

"We dunno…" Garfiel grumbled begrudgingly, leaning back in his seat. "That ain't where we saw Cap'n last time."

"Last time? You were watching him before? On this weird window of visions?" Hetaro's voice was filled with wonder at the screen above.

"It's all about him, Onii-chan." Tivey broke through Hetaro's concern with a firm tone, eyes still stuck on the screen above them. "Subaru Natsuki is the reason why we are all here."

Hetaro's eyes widened as did a certain bluenette's eyes in the back row.

"Onii-chan…" Meili found herself looking at the place where Subaru used to sit for a moment. Her frown was deep but her focus pulled on the window above her, a bit more serious this time.

"Screeech!"

[The scene moved to be beside his feet as he walked on the grass. You can see the open fields on his right from this view and his sneakers crushing the blades of grass below, creating the suffocating sound that fills the air around him.

*Crunch, Crunch, Crunch.*

Every step had the same sound of grass being crushed.

In the background of Subaru's shoes… A blade was shown.

Impeded into the grassy hill, blood covering it and pooling underneath it to mix with the brilliant emerald of the land.]

Naoko's eyes widened and a hand came to cover her mouth instantly at the sight of the blade.

With various thoughts expelling into his consciousness, Kenichi focuses more on what is happening on the screen while standing up to his family's side.

"Witch Cult blade…" Reinhard earns some nods from Petra and Otto, both more accustomed to the sight of that blade than many others.

"It's the same blade left on my carriage in the loop where I… betrayed Natsuki-san," Otto sighed, yet giving the screen a glare of distaste. "This isn't a normal occurrence."

"It ain't a secret that we aren't seein' Natsuki-kun's full 'adventures'," Anastasia muttered in continuation to Otto's thought process, both merchants immediately catching on to what the screen was showing.

"Are you talking about the Shadow scenes we watched last time?" Tivey looked to his lady as she nodded in response. Hetaro looked as confused as ever, not knowing what any of this meant, but the boy waited patiently with eyes full of curiosity toward Subaru on the screen above.

"How come it changed now?" Roswaal mused to himself with a small grin of curiosity. "Would it be… No, this is too early for him to meet her." He shook his head in rejection of that idea, keeping his classic grin as he watched with interest.

"Mine amazin' selfs gotta bad feelin' 'bout all this," Garfiel grumbled, glaring at the screen as he saw the blood on the blade.

[Subaru's foot continued walking. Until it started stepping on a larger pool of blood that had mixed with the grass to the point it became reddish brown.

The sound changed from a distinct crunch into a skin-curling squelch that served to make the stickiness of the blood apparent to all who heard.]

Many in both rooms winced at the sound.

"Ew… I don't like the sounds," Meili kept swaying from side to side even with the annoyed look she gave the screen at the uncomfortable sounds coming from Subaru's steps. The little girl showed no reaction to the gore in the scene, unlike everyone in the room who started looking with more focused faces.

"I hope he's going to be alright…" Hetaro sounded a lot more worried than the others, most of them remaining silent and watching with hardened expressions for some reason, which he noticed.

"I-It's… Going to be okay, I think." Schult, realizing what the other boy was thinking, wanted to be able to support Hetaro by at least reassuring him. "This guy's been through far worse, right Al-sama? Heinkel-sama?"

"I don't care what's happenin' on that screen right now," Heinkel grumbled from his seat, already having a headache from the sight of the blood. "I can't believe he's gonna go through somethin' new just after all he did. That's some unfair karma."

"..." Al was the only one who was silent, uncharacteristically so, which made Schult look at him for a moment longer.

The one-armed knight was sitting in a rigged, obviously alarmed, way that made his body ooze an uncomfortable vibe for Schult.

"Al-sama?" Schult repeated his call out with a gaze of concern.

But Al didn't hear him from beyond the helmet on his head.

[Petra's body could be shown, blood covering it as it lay face first into the grass.]

"Just like the first time we were here…" Emilia said with a sad frown, looking back to see how Petra was handling the image of her corpse on the screen.

"Petra-chan…" Meili's usually giddy tone disappeared completely at the sight, her eyes growing colder and her body visibly tensed. "I wonder who was responsible for this~..." She didn't try to hide the animosity in her voice.

"I'm so sorry you're seeing this… I don't know why this glass window would show such a horrible image…" Hetaro looked at Petra with condolences and sympathy, thinking the little maid was going to burst into surprised tears at the sight of herself on the screen.

Yet, everyone didn't give the same worry or reaction. Instead, the focus was on the screen, where even Petra seemed to care less about the sight of her own corpse.

Like she's seen this before.

"What the hell happened to them?" Hetaro gulped as even his sister seemed a lot less cheerful and closer to him than he realized.

"Please hold me close, bro." Mimi squeaked a little bit more shy than he thought was possible for the little girl.

He expected abuse from her like usual but instead… This was pure support she was asking for…

"Mimi…" Hetaro looked down at his sister with a dim expression, understanding that he was out of his depth.

[Subaru's foot passed her as it stepped on more blood-covered grass.]

"He ignored it?" Schult seemed to be offended by the disrespect of the dead girl. Yet Petra simply denied any objections to Subaru's slight towards her body.

She merely observed with a hardened glare. "Gotta know what happened," Petra whispered, her trust in Subaru clear. "Learn what you can before she can get to you. Don't worry about me." Her hands shook while saying this to herself, and though she wanted to appear strong, her eyes threatened to spill tears of anguish at the feeling of uselessness that overwhelmed her.

"It's okay, Petra-chan." Frederica held on to Petra's body tightly, giving the little maid a small sympathetic kiss on the head.

[Otto's body comes into view, his mouth bloodied and his entire form unmoving from the pool of red that tainted the grass.]

Hetaro looked immediately to see the reaction that the merchant would have at the sight of his own corpse.

Otto merely glared at the screen with a focus that scared Hetaro from asking any questions.

"It's the first time I've seen my body in one of his loops…" Hetaro heard Otto say under his breath, making the little boy notice the nods Julius and Garfiel gave in support.

[The screen pans from the point of view above Subaru's darkened face as he walks through a lane of green grass with pools of blood tainting the brilliant color from both sides of the field.]

"Come on… Seriously?" Ricardo's teeth grit with animosity at the tragic sight, as did many in the room with him. They all watched in silence, which was noticed by Hetaro and Schult specifically.

The third person who noticed was most unconcerned by the screen's visions. "They're all waiting for something?" Meili tilted her head adorably while scanning the room's expressions, her interest didn't at all seem to be captured by the amount of blood around Subaru. "Wonder why Onii-chan is not caring about the dead people either, hmmm…"

Priscilla's head perked toward Meili for a moment, her face removing a glare that she had adopted and instead placed a thoughtful expression.

Patrasche's eyes widened in surprise at the sight next to her master, though she sat back in front of Subaru's seat, on the floor, to keep watching from the comfort of where he was. It was clear that the dragoness herself was interested in the viewing and wanted to keep watching her rider.

[Ram and Crusch's bodies are on his left.]

"The candidate to the throne!" Hetaro gasped, not quite believing what he was seeing. He looked to his lady, Anastasia, as if to see whether she would react more openly about one of her rivals dying in such a way. "Is this a vision of the future?"

"We don't know at the moment, Hetaro." Anastasia had a focused gaze that told him nothing and everything at the same time. His lady didn't believe what was being shown was of real consequence, she merely focused on understanding a hidden message beyond what they saw.

He knew his lady was a calculating and cunning woman but there were limits to one's humanity that Hetaro cherished more than his brother.

And when Hetaro looked towards Crusch herself… He only saw a look of anger reach her resolved face.

"Having my body on the field once more isn't considered a loop but it does bring spite within me," Crusch said smoothly, moving on from the sight of her corpse which Hetaro respected even in his confusion.

"Sister…" Rem glanced at the pink-haired maid in the back with a look of sadness, but Ram waved her off with a small smile.

"Barusu's not going to allow anything to happen to me," Ram crossed her arms. "No one would be there to satisfy his perverted need to be insulted if Ram nee-sama wasn't there."

"I… she joking? About her death?" Hetaro asked Schult with a weird look aimed at Ram.

"She's always been scary." Schult, equally out of his depth but knowing a bit more than Hetaro, found himself calmly shrugging his shoulders and offering a kind smile.

[Frederica and Roswaal's bodies face first to his right. And the blood ran deep beneath.]

Petra's hand reached for Frederica's through their hug and she squeezed it tight, giving the older maid a warmth that wasn't expected.

"Petra-chan…" Frederica whispered softly at the feeling, but Petra looked at her mentor with a confident glare.

"He's not going to let this happen. Subaru's too cool to let any of this be the ending for us… Trust him."

Frederica could do nothing but be taken by her student's firm hope and smiled.

"I know, Petra-chan. I watched him… I will help him…" Frederica looked toward Anastasia for a moment, rethinking about what she had done to offer Anastasia the advantage, but kept watching in silence soon after.

Hetaro found himself eyeing the eccentrically dressed lord in the back row. "He's not reacting with any malice or sadness by his own death either… But he is…" Hetaro looked beyond uncomfortable while whispering to himself as he inspected Roswaal's reaction to his corpse.

"... Would you look at that, Subaru… I wonder which one you're meeting this time around. Envy… Or the one I've waited for so long?" Roswaal mused under his fingers, giving the best of smiles at the sight of the bodies around Subaru.

Hetaro noticed that the magic lord didn't seem to be worried at all. The level of disinterest towards the tragedies around Subaru seemed to be on a level of its own when compared to the rest of the room.

[The body of a pink-haired elf was shown.]

This leads to the first emotional reaction from one of the occupants in the room.

"Bastard…" Garfiel growls with a fierce gurgle coming out of his throat as he glares with a bestial, inhuman glare towards the body of the elf. "Granny… I wanna know how the hell ya got there before I go crazy… Give me yer strength to hold on…"

Hetaro couldn't believe that the merchant and Julius didn't back away from the beast sitting between them. His eyes roamed Garfiel's tense back and he swore he could feel the earth from within the theater provide a life force for the blonde warrior to charge himself.

[The screen changed to show corpses with blades stabbing into them as Subaru walked across the piles of unmoving bodies.]

"My god… Oh my god…" Naoko gasped, her stomach turning at the sight as her face whitened from the horror.

"Why is Subaru in the middle of all of that?!" Kenichi, face equally as horrified but growing more anxious, looked between his sleeping son and the screen. "There were no reports about a mass casualty event like this! Much less having—" The father had to hold his hand on his mouth to keep his breaking voice intact, at least with physical action to make him feel his limbs after what he was seeing.

"Please don't tell me Subaru went through this," Naoko begged, her heart breaking as she looked at the boy's hidden face. "Oh, how I wish you didn't have to see a drop of this blood… Subaru…"

"But who are these people?" Kenichi brought his hand down from his face and blinked in realization. "I have never seen such a weird collective of people with so many different hair colors and weird dresses…"

"Maybe this is…" Naoko's heart seemed to steadily calm down as she widened her eyes with some hope. "Honey… Maybe this is just a play?"

"What are you… No." Kenichi looked at the screen with scrutiny. "I don't think these people are real myself… I uh…"

"But we heard nothing on the news… I cannot imagine Subaru walking beside so many dead people without breaking down. He's a strong boy but his heart is still fragile, Kenichi…"

The husband didn't respond as he looked on with a fiercely anxious expression.

[Beatrice's twin-blades could be seen amongst the pile.

He continued walking, face darkened from view.]

"Subaru…" Beatrice couldn't help but hold her hand to the spot where his heart would've been, a broken expression on her face. "Betty will get you back… No matter what, I suppose."

"More dead?" Hetaro found himself frowning, noticing the expression on the blonde's face. "I wonder if she's too young to see this like the maid…"

"Beatrice-chan too…" Meili seemed to be in a bit of a surprise, "why would Mama want her gone? Hm…"

[The screen passed to show Rem and Emilia, blood covering their hair as they both lay without a sign of life at Subaru's feet as he walked above them.]

"His lady…" Hetaro had a heartbroken expression, giving Subaru his sympathies, even if the knight didn't show it on the screen. "He sacrificed so much just to save her from Sloth's side of the cult…"

When he looked at the half-elf to see her reaction to this vision, he found that Emilia gave no care at all to her own corpse, and remained staring directly toward her knight with a look of concern aimed just for him.

"Please show me his face… Just let me see what his eyes are burning with…" Emilia whispered while unconsciously gripping her hand so much it turned into a fist in her lap.

The blue-haired maid put her head on the headrest of the chair Subaru used to be on before he was taken away. "Bring him back… Please…" Rem pleaded with a shaken voice.

"Now I know whoever's done this won't survive…" Ram muttered under her breath, giving a glare of hate on the screen. "No one touches my sister. Barusu won't let this be his reality."

[The screen panned behind Subaru, showing the brilliant strip of green he walked upon as each side of him was filled with the bodies of bleeding villagers. Dead children, women, and men.]

"Oh my god…" Kenichi dropped to his knees in front of the screen, his wife and son behind him as he held his mouth once again. He kept his back hunched forward with his eyes closing to shut his vision from watching anymore.

"I… It's real… This is…" Naoko brought a hand to Subaru's face and pushed her son toward her so she could hug him as tightly as possible. She refused to watch anymore without putting herself as close to Subaru as possible, feeling her heart break for every second she missed without him.

"Please just tell me you were never harmed." She begged in a whisper that only he could hear from beyond his sleep.

[Numbered by the thousands or more, Subaru walked on his green lane without hesitation. Slow, methodical steps that ignored all those at his feet.]

"What is this…" Hetaro repeated the question, his face aghast at the horrific sight. "I-I see so many… Are those the villagers Tivey and Mimi helped save…?"

"They are…" Tivey analyzed every face with a cold expression, noticing familiar looks and hairstyles. "I thought this was a continuation of the very first viewing we had when we all arrived."

It wasn't Hetaro that asked the next question, but a disgruntled Heinkel.

"Ya lot watched this shit before? Wasn't this supposed to be a happy endin' for a damn fool who doesn't know when to give it up?!" The anger on the Astrea's face showed no mercy for Subaru's situation, but rather annoyance at the change of pace. "He went through all that shit, just to have them all end up dead?! What the fuck?!"

"I understand your outrage, father," Reinhard interjected with a firm look. "But what Tivey mentions isn't related to what we are seeing… The people we saw included us—"

"What? Included ya amongst the dead?" Heinkel had to snort as he pointed at the piles of dead around Subaru. "Ya sayin' that you of all people were layin' on the ground with blood coverin' ya?"

"... I'd like to imagine that you see enough humanity in me to believe that I can bleed, Father." Reinhard had a disappointed expression, his shoulders slumping while Heinkel forced a chuckle.

"Can ya? Can ya bleed like the kid's been bleedin' to get outta a bullshit situation like this?!" Heinkel spat but his reply came not from Reinhard or Felt, who was glaring at him.

"How can you be so heartless?" Hetaro questioned, his voice filling with justice and rebuke as he stared Heinkel down.

"Huh?" Heinkel looked at the boy with a glare, but Hetaro met him head-on.

"So many dead people… Yet the things that interest you are insignificant…" The triplet looked at the drunkard with a glare of admonishment. "You should rethink your priorities, mister."

Heinkel found himself at a loss because of the boy's fierce fire, merely keeping himself silent as Hetaro turned around to glare upwards at the window.

"Let me understand…" Hetaro whispered pleadingly. "I want to know what my lady and siblings are dealing with."

[And the screen moved upward to show what lay at the end of his road.

A figure sitting underneath an umbrella.]

"Who is that?" Naoko asked, making her husband open his eyes and try to overcome his sickness from the sight of the corpses. "Why is she at the end of it all?"

"..." Kenichi looked on with his hand still clasping his mouth.

Back in the theater,

"Who is that?" Crusch questioned, her eyes hungry for any details on the figure at the end of the mountain of corpses.

Hetaro noticed a new wave of differing expressions that shocked him since it's been so long. The vision played for a few minutes only so far but it felt like a decade had passed him by due to how confusing and heavy it all felt.

But he noticed the new wave of reactions coming from only a select few people within the room.

And it started with Emilia herself, who responded with a look of surprise.

"Echidna?" Emilia whispered to herself, not gaining much attention but looking with a renewed sense of understanding. "This could be him meeting with her… For the trails…"

[The screen moved to show the woman in a brilliant black dress enjoying a cup of tea.]

"Ah, such a copycat." Roswaal sighed under his breath, earning a look of interest from the pink-haired maid next to him.

"Isn't that her… Your precious woman, Roswaal-sama." The maid asked briskly from her lord. But Roswaal merely chuckled in response.

"Don't be so jealous and be calm, Ram," Roswaal said, at ease with everything he was seeing. "She's no threat to you or Subaru-kun for that matter. This is the lesser version of my Teacher."

Ram's eyes widened in surprise. And Roswaal began relaxing in his seat, watching with interest as always.

[She sipped from it slowly, without a care in the world to the mountain of corpses beyond her hill.]

"Who's this?" Garfiel looked curiously toward the woman, tilting his head. "Ain't ever seen 'er before…"

"We will understand the more we watch," Otto said pointedly with a focused glare, quieting Garfiel.

"Mother…" Beatrice whispered under her breath, her eyes wide and quickly filling with tears that she could not control. "What… No… Subaru and Mother?"

[Finally, Subaru's face could be seen with clear intensity as the camera zoomed in on him. His eyes glared with a focus that spoke a million words about his rage at this moment. Bringing no thought to the people behind or around him as they lay in their blood.]

"..." Naoko put a hand to cover her mouth which had hung immediately once the face of her son was uncovered on the screen. "Subaru…"

"Why does he…" Kenichi's entire face crumbled due to the amount of things being told to the both of them through just a small expression from their son. "I've never seen his eyes shine with such conviction…" Kenichi's head lowered, earning a sob from his wife which hadn't taken her own eyes off of the screen for a second.

"No… Please…" Naoko kept a hand on her mouth as she sobbed, feeling her emotion winning over everything else. "I don't want him to look this way… There's no kindness in those beautiful eyes of his…"

Naoko's hands trembled as they moved over to Subaru's face, she had her tears spilling onto her son's sweatsuit, the same one he wore the last time they ever saw one another for a year.

As a matter of fact, Naoko couldn't help but start to notice all the differences she can, now that she looks at the face Subaru was pulling on the screen.

"As if he's seen hell itself… My son…" Kenichi looked as if he was in disbelief and denial. "That ain't the manliness I taught you, idiot."

"And there it is," Priscilla found herself taking delight in the expression shown to everyone in the room. "Finally thine eyes feel worthy of mine amusement." She plucked herself forward to be at the edge of her seat, expecting more to see from Subaru's expression.

That fire in his eyes made everyone around the room flinch back, unlike Priscilla.

"Hkkis different from that time after the cave…" Emilia showed remorse for Subaru as she saw him meet with Echidna for the first time ever. "She's so cruel… Doing this to him right from the start."

"Doing what, Emilia-sama?" Rem asked, overhearing the half-elf's whisper since she was trying to sink further into Subaru's headrest which was right beside Emilia.

"... Use everyone's death against him from the start… And him withstanding the test in such a way…" Emilia mumbled under her breath.

"Who is this?" Rem whispered to Emilia with curiosity, "It's clear you know who this is… And you know what she's doing to Subaru-kun. She could be tied to the demon from the first viewing since the entrances are similar.

Emilia went thin-lipped, noticing Crusch's eyes on Beatrice as well as Hetaro who was watching everyone from up above.

"I'll speak with you after this, Rem. But don't be afraid… It's a harmless friend."

Rem could only frown in slight disbelief but she reluctantly trusted what Emilia was saying.

"..." Beatrice heard what was being said and couldn't help but crumble her dress at the face of the woman above Subaru on the hill. "Mother…"

"Who's she?" Julius asked, gaining more nods from Otto, Garfiel, Felix, and Reinhard.

"You don't know who she is?" Hetaro asked the people below in surprise. "This looks to be something of the cause of all the bloodshed.

"You there," Wilhelm pointed toward Meili with a determined expression. "Please state who this woman is if you know anything about her."

Meili smiled at the old man with a look of innocence that unsettled him.

"I dunno why you think I'd know who's the cause of all of this~..."

[Slowly, Subaru was able to reach the lady as the screen showed her brilliant smile once she opened her deep black eyes.

There was a sudden cut to a black background with words engraved in white:

"I see. So that is the root of your desire."

Season 2 teaser, end.]

"Fuck off…" A voice said with an impossible degree of hatred that couldn't be hidden no matter how many times the speaker tried to do so. "You lousy ass Teacher…"

Priscilla looked to her side with an amused smirk that burned with absolute enjoyment and excitement. The only one in the theater aside from the mysterious, amused one of Roswaal's.

"Aldebaran… Even with your helmet covering your sorry face, thy pathetic rage is clear."

The one-armed man sitting by her side didn't even honor his lady with a response more than a grunt underneath his helmet.

"This is going to be a tiring adventure, pal… Especially since now she's involved…" Al mused cryptically, looking down at the floor and sighing to himself.

Priscilla kept her amused eyes on him but a pleading voice from the front earned her attention for a moment. Her eyes narrowed as Emilia spoke.

"Why… Why are you showing this now after taking him away?" Emilia asked what was on the mind of everyone in the theater, more or less. "Why change things like this?"

Priscilla's amused smile widened when the screen refused to honor Emilia with a response.

Instead, everyone watched the window above them flash through images once more.

"A new one…" Julius grunted in surprise, glaring at the window's disrespect for Emilia's wishes. "Tell us what you've done with Subaru!"

"... This must be the continuation…" Otto looked at Anastasia as both came to the same conclusion. "Natsuki-san will be used as bait for us to continue watching something specific…"

"Why doesn't he tell us that then?" Rem spat with a look of pain on her face, glaring at the chair where Subaru used to be, but now only held a dejected Beatrice.

"That is a very good question," Crusch, who had settled her expression on one of steeled resolve, glared upward and thought back about the entity she hated most amongst the theater's occupants. "Where's Warden?"

Petra also looked up, wondering the same thing.

To no one's surprise, Meili was raising her hand with an unsettlingly, unbothered smile.

"Um, hehehe… Sorry to interrupt the important conversation but… Who's Warden-sama? Is he a -sama, or do we hate him~?"

She only received looks of contempt and tiredness from the rest of the cast.

In another room,

Kenichi and Naoko stared at the screen, bewilderment thick in the air as they looked around, desperately trying to grasp what was happening.

"What… what's going on here?" Kenichi asked aloud, his voice hoarse with confusion and a thread of fear, glancing from the screen to his wife, who looked equally lost.

"I… Why? Why did it show us all of that?" Naoko sobbed into her palm before she turned to her son's sleeping form. "Please wake up, Subaru… I missed you so much…"

Both parents looked at their child with a sense of desperation, trying to remove the confusion they both were riddled with.

The screen in the room would start flashing new images that both parents couldn't comprehend.

"Please," Naoko begged as she ignored the loading images and hugged her son tighter. "Please just let your mother look at those eyes again, Subaru."

But neither Subaru nor her husband who let his head fall into his hands behind her could reply to the mother's plea.

As the screen loaded its final image and began playing the next scene.

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