The White Whale had terrorised the citizens of Shinryoku (Japanese for Fresh Green, not the actual name of the continent, the name wasn't referred about in the novels) for four centuries. There have been many attempts to slay it, but each campaign ended in failure and each soldier faded out of existence, gone from the world's memory for all eternity. If someone said that the magical whale would be slain by a single man, ten out of ten times, he would be labelled as crazy. That was just a fact, the previous Sword Saint, Theresa Van Astra, who had slain a medium size army alone in Demi-Human civil war forty years, was killed by the beast. No one could kill the White Whale single handedly. It was simply impossible.

But Subaru had done so. A man who was thought to be weak, pathetic and helpless had sliced the whale in half like a fish. Most would be in disbelief, as they only saw the man who caused a ruckus at the Royal Election. Rem thought differently, to her Subaru Natsuki was a hero that could defeat any foe, no matter their strength. Sure, it might not be with his own strength, but he was always behind those victories. He had saved Emilia from the bowel hunter by leading Reinhardt to the Loot Cellar with a carefully placed hint. He saved the children of Arlam, carrying them on his back, but most importantly he had saved her.

A woman whose time had stopped completely. A woman who no longer cared about anything but her dear sister was saved by the man who she thought was her enemy. He had thawed her frosted heart with a kind smile and light laugh, claiming her affections almost immediately. In return for giving her such feelings that she thought she would never feel, Rem would give him undying support and loyalty.

He floated in front of them and the merchant they had just hired pulled their carriage to a complete stop. He had a sword in his grasp, the blade and hilt white, lightning crackling around the blade. His hair was ruffled by the wind at such a high latitude, but his clothes remained clean, despite the bloodshed he had caused. "You guys alright?" He asked, sorry for them filled his tone, his hand shook, as if to curse his false slothfulness. She wanted to console him, to hold him close and tell him that she was fine.

Unfortunately, Otto beat her to the punch.

"We're fine, Subaru-sama. Although I want to ask if you're okay, did you suffer any wounds from the White Whale." The blue-haired demon didn't miss the way the merchant added 'sama' to her loves name. Was Otto trying to curry favour with the Subaru? Would the merchant potentially use him for his own gains? Subaru however smiled, waving his left hand in the air to ease their concerns. "I'm fine, although I used a little bit more mana than I was meant to- my control over my gate is still too lax, tsk." He complained, rubbing his neck and clicking his tongue in annoyance. Rem's eyes widened and her body shook like a leaf in the winds. She knew how small Subaru's gate was, only being able to cast one Shamac spell before rupturing. Although, what he had done just moments ago wasn't just a beginner yin spell. He had flown!

Roswal was only capable for that feet because of his high affinity for all six elements. Particularly the elements earth, wind and water that allowed the theory of flight to be produced, but it wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for his large gate that was enhanced from birth by his divine protection of sorcery. Subaru however had no affinity with any other element other than yin.

Although rare and sought after in both war and small internal conflicts for its uses, Subaru was not all that efficient with it. He had only been using magic for a month, so his lack of control over his gate to be expected. He was neither talented nor hardworking in the magical arts. In the amount of time that the blue-haired demon had known him, she could only count the amount of times he had used Shamac on one hand. That was to be expected, for he only used it to distract opponent or as a trump card.

Instant worry overtook her. "Is your gate alright? Killing the White Whale and flying should have broken your gate?! Do you need medical attention?!" Her tone was laced with worry, she was almost in tears and her worried rambling continued. Subaru looked guilty, but he just floated towards her effortlessly. He came close enough that she could hear the subtle inhales ad exhales of berates that left his mouth. He lightly gripped her hand and gentle led to his chest, where his gate was located. Her eyes widened once more, not in worry or concern but honest surprise.

"H-how?" Her voice wavered, her normally clam and observant blue orbs met his small, scary amber irises. Her hand felt warmth, a warmth that was much warmer than what it had been only two days ago. While his gate beforehand only had the warmth of lukewarm water, it now had the warmth of a red hot flame. Subaru smiled softly, gripping her delicate hands carefully. "Please don't worry about me," he asked her, his voice kind, but despite his plea to stop her worries, she could not do so. Her love for him was too strong and she could not handle the stress of not being with him. Awful thoughts plagued her mind, images filled with both suffering and pain. She did not wish for him to suffer again, emotionally or physically.

She wanted to protect him, but she did not possess the strength to do so. The one only thing she could do was to worry and support him. Abandoning her worry would be her accepting that Subaru can handle everything alone, Rem could not do that. She may see a hero, but she knew that he too was human. Subaru was far from perfect, he bleed, cried and suffered through life. She couldn't let him do that alone, for her love for him was not that shallow to be swayed by simple words. Her blue eyes showed her resolve as she looked into the amber eyes she would gladly die for. Subaru smiled, although it was quite bittersweet.

"Okay, stop here," Otto stopped the carriage in the middle of nowhere, the forest surrounded them. Arlam wasn't for another twenty kilometres, Otto opened his mouth to say this, but Subaru didn't allow it. "Alright, I'll see you guys later." Rem, with her mouth agape in both shock and confusion could only reach out to grab the sleeve of his tracksuit.

"Where are you going?" Her tone was quiet but her eyes looked at him with a need to know. The young man looked at her, smiling gently before gaining some distance. "Just need some air, I've skipped my morning jog, so there's that too," Subaru drawled on, his tone light and full of enthusiasm. Rem, having known him for a long enough to know that what he was sprouting was bullshit. He often did this whenever he was worried or facing danger.

"Please don't g-" Subaru didn't wait to hear the the blue-haired demons protests, nor to see the tears that were about to leave her beautiful blue eyes. He flashed in a bright green light, disappearing from sight. Otto consoled her, a hand on her shoulder before he tugged in the reins. The dragon carriage moved once more.

Subaru appeared in front of cave that he had been tormented in a previous loop. He remembered damp smell and Petelguese's cruel laughter. He remembered Rems death in his own arms and the weakness he felt. In this loop, he only felt angry. He hated that insane man, he heart calling out to avenge the wrongs he had committed to countless people. The madman walked out of his cave smugly, grinning madly with his hands up in the air as to praise the bitch who had caused this whole mess in the first place. "Why are you here, Pri-" Subaru didn't wast a second, using Psychokinesis to cause the cave that contained the the Archbishop's minions to cave in. The cultists inside were either heavily wounded or dead.

"Why, why, why, why, why, why! Why do this Pride?! Why cause such conflict?!"

Subaru didn't answer, his glare narrowed even further, installing the realisation to a Petelguese that he was indeed an enemy. The young man raised his left hand before giving it a soft wave, as if to say hello. Petelguese confusion was furthered for a single second before he was pierced with spikes of solidified dirt. Coughing blood while looking done at his grievous wound, the madman only sprouted one final sentence with a sick smile.

"Oh... my brain... trembles." Petelguese died a painful death, a death that could never justify the wrongs he had committed. At least, Subaru Natsuki thought this until a hand made of black fog slapped his rib cage. The young man was sent flying, or that would be have been case if he had not met his predecessor. He used Levitation almost instantly, gritting his teeth as he coughed blood, but despite the obvious da,ga Ethan was dealt, Subaru was able to stop his momentum.

"Pride, my brain trembles!"

"Fuck you! Psychokinesis!"

Petelguese's torso was sent flying and his legs fell limply to the bloody earth. Falling to knees, Subaru held a hand to his ribs, feeling the pain of a broken bone. Although, it didn't faze him much, as he was used to pain. His body having been torn apart on a near daily basis. He felt a surge of new pain that was not present half a second ago. This pain was not caused by a physical attack, but a mental one. The young man knew that the madman was trying to take control of his mind almost instantly, the notification's from Clairvoyance told him so.

How could he stop it? How could he stop his own body from being used to kill those he cared for. Grabbing his head, Subaru could feel Petelguese slowly take control, destroying his weak resolve. Within a few minutes, the madman would use his own body to commit heinous deeds. Tears pricked the young man's eyes, asking himself if he had to resort to killing himself to prevent unnecessary deaths? Subaru's eyes widened, not from pain, but from realisation. He could flush Petelguese out at this very moment, the witch he hated so much would do so without hesitation. All he had to do was say five words.

"I... can... return by death."

Subaru felt Petelguese scram within his mind in both shock and emotional hurt as a feminine voice reprimanded him for the wrongs he had committed to the young man. However, Subaru didn't stay awake to hear the feminine voice speak three words with affection. He had already lost consciousness.