Why...?
Why won't his feet move?
"Oh," they're frozen to the ground, stuck in place as he helplessly looked at the now enormous Greta spirit that was Puck for the second time. The air was dangerously cold, threatening the life of any being within its reach. Its raging furry of cold spikes bites through his jacket and pants, freezing his skin. Rem, the blue-haired demon that he called a friend was held close to his chest, his arms carefully wrapped around her. She was dead, cold, and frozen, her eyes closed in eternal sleep.
"Ahh, I'm going to die," it wasn't a question but a statement, Subaru Natsuki knew better than anyone how hopeless his situation was. There was no escaping death this time- not that he would have wanted to if he even could. Emilia, Ram, Petra, and the villagers had all been brutally murdered by Witch Cultist for the third time. The boy couldn't help but think that this was all his fault, that his lack of strength had doomed his friends.
There was no choice...
No choice but to shoulder these memories as a heavy weight upon his heart and to keep moving forward. He'll succeed in the next loop. He'll have a plan ready and he will save everyone. If he had to die a hundred thousand times, just so that everyone he cares for can smile at a bright future, then he would gladly make that trade. His life was worthless- meaningless in the big picture. The boy had learned this, that the only ability that he can make use of in this would be his unusual ability to rewind time after each death. His desired future will come to be, it may just take a hundred deaths to figure out the solution to this incredibly hard question, but he'll get there.
And so will everyone else.
Everyone will live.
Everyone will be happy.
He'll use his undesirable ability to fix everything.
"Rest with my daughter," almost painlessly, Subaru felt a sharp blade loop his head off, but he died instantly. The cat he once called a friend ending his life once more, although that didn't matter. It would all be forgotten when he reset, the memories he gained would only be his own, but anything he learned about a previously unknown situation was priceless and only he could pay that steep bribe. New things can lead to plans previously thought impossible and can change the course of fate for the better. Subaru returned to the black abyss that was all so familiar, he floated within these cold, endless walls that entrapped his soul for a time. He'll appear at his last save point, like the market street with Rem. He'll have another chance to fix everything.
But the abyss didn't fade, it didn't let him go. At first, the boy was calm, but as the minutes passed, Subaru began to feel even more helpless than ever before. Has he reached the absolute limit of Return By Death? Has he lost the ability to reset? Fear overtook that helplessness, his soul pleading- no, begging for another chance. Everyone he cares for will die and that fate will no longer be able to be changed.
He needed to leave.
He needed to fix everything.
"Funny, isn't it? Everyone once begged me to save them, to be the hero, but I only wanted to save those I care for," A voice spoke throughout the abyss, the darkness faded to give way to a white light that caressed the once terrifying abyss. "Although you're different, no one's begging you to save them, but yet you try. You grasp at empty straws, hands bleeding to take that perfect fantasy, and make it into a reality so that the ones you care for can smile for all of eternity. We're no different, guess that comes with having the same soul."
A young man stood before, his hair dull, but his eyes were even duller. Snort could be seen from his nostrils and his body was covered in a hooded jumper and shorts with large pockets that reached past his knees. "I'm Dongtae and I guess you're my reincarnation." Subaru looked down at the young man, he no longer floated, but stood among what he presumed was white flooring. The silence was unbearable, uncomfortable to the extreme, but the boy knew that this man desired his name. Swallowing his fear, he introduced himself to Dongtae "Subaru Natsuki."
"Is that Japanese?" nodding his head, the young man smirked a bit, his eyes closed in what Subaru presumed was nostalgia, although this reminisce didn't last long and Dongtae continued "Well, there no point beating around the bush, is there? Here's an important question," he pointed a finger, taking a deep breath before the question he wanted to ask left his lips "What do you desire?" Flinching, Subaru was briefly taken aback, his eyes wide at the unexpected question. His mouth ran dry and his thoughts were thrown amuck. He had no idea why Dongtae would also such a thing or what he had to gain by doing so.
Anastasia had taught him that no one did an act for free. Everyone had an ulterior motive, a goal to achieve. Whilst Subaru's motive was to allow everyone to live happily at his own expense, not everyone possessed such goodwill. Anatasia had consoled him in the hopes of gaining information and Crusch only allowed the boy to stay within her manor because of the contract with Emilia. Eyes narrowed, Subaru tried to logically think what Dongtae would gain from asking such a question. Although, with only a couple of minutes worth of knowledge of the young man's personality, the boy came out dry.
"You're confused, although that's to be expected. I was too when I was given my first dice, but this isn't about some knockoff version, it's about gaining The Final Dice!" Spreading his arms out, Dongtae smiled widely, although it looked somewhat weird when he did so. This piece of information seemed vital to the whole conversation, but none of it made sense. Final Dice? Knock off version? What did these words refer to? Unanswered questions bounced around Subaru's head, trying to piece everything together.
"The Final Dice allows any wish to be granted. Whether it be world peace or total oblivion, The Final Dice does not show discrimination to any desire. So, Subaru Natsuki, the reincarnation of myself, what do you desire? Fame? Glory? Woman? Power? Or is it something greater than all of that? All you have to do is utter your desire under these white walls, and it will come most definitely become truth!" Dongtae stretched out his hands, towards the roof, his movements reminded the boy of Petelguese. Although, Subaru knew that this was an opportunity that can only be taken once. If what the young man said was to be believed, then this opportunity was a game-changer. The power to change the coarse of fate- to save those he cared for.
"Dongtae, how did you die?" Dongtae may have not said he had passed, but it is heavily implied. Reincarnation only occurs if one dies, Subaru has read enough Isekai manga to know this. "Someone who has died many times asking me how I died, that's a bit selfish, isn't it? For all you know, I could have been betrayed by a dear friend," an image of a blue-haired maid, her uniform caked in blood standing before him, a please grin on her face. Shaking his head, the boy was able to get the image out of his head "I killed everyone that stood in my way, friends and foes alike and when I eventually beat that child, I had an epiphany," the young man spat out the word child like it was a sin, pure hatred filled his words "I realised that I didn't want to live, so I destroyed the entire world."
"Pardon?"
"That was my desire, the oblivion of earth, a total restart for the cause of humanity." Fear filled Subaru's heart, stronger than any he had felt before, for he now knew that this young man was just as crazed as Petelguese, maybe even more so. He killed billions of people just because he didn't want to live, how fucking messed up is that! "Enough about me, today is all about you! Speak your innermost desire, for I will not judge you." Mouth dry, anticipation filled Subaru's brain and heart, adrenaline filling his veins. The young boy already knew what he desired, as he hated the feeling of his own weakness, as he stared at the people he cared for perishing.
"I desire absolute power," his voice was soft, but the emotion in it was deep, as if flowing like a sea that he had only heard of in class. Dongtae clicked his fingers, the white light crumbling like a cookie being crushed in one's hand. "You desire has been fulfilled, The Final Dice is now in your possession, to be passed on to your own reincarnation. I genuinely wish you luck, Subaru Natsuki." Dongtae faded, a small smiled in his face, but the white floor crumbled pass where he once stood, darkness replacing it. The white floor crumbled under his weight and the boy fell into the abyss, a sense of excitement within his heart.
He could only hope that the power he had gained was enough to save those he cared for.
A/N
I used the word 'Promotion' from chess, a move where the pawn reaches the opposite end of the board and is allowed to become everything apart from the king. In this story, Subaru will be powerful, as he will have all six A-Rank abilities (Abilities will be explained further in the story). I'm about a third of the way done with 'Level Up's' second chapter, just trying to maintain the motivation to keep writing it. Online schools been giving me lot air free time to do so, although I've been addicted to reading other stories on this website. Stay Safe out there.
Sincerely, Haydos