Inaction and Consequence

One Day and Eight Hours since the Last Death (Four Deaths)

"Blergh!" Unable to keep the contents of his stomach within himself, Subaru watched in horror as the intestines of the two men who had come for him, were now covering much of the floor in the room. There, right at the entrance, was the person he least wanted to see again in his entire life; Elsa.

"Now no one will interrupt us…" Closing the door to the room behind her, Elsa looked at Subaru like a beast would look at its prey.

Feeling chills run through his body, Subaru vomited up the little bile that was left in his stomach, again. What came out of his mouth was nothing more than a greenish-yellow liquid, which added to the list of fluids that bathed his futon and sheets. Blood and feces covered much of his futon, while the sheets and his clothes were full of his vomit and urine.

Subaru wanted to escape from there. Subaru wanted to find Anastasia so that he could escape the fate that was chasing him. With the help of the girl's best knight and the leaders of her mercenary group, Subaru was confident that his life could be saved. But that was no longer possible. Now that Elsa had found him, all he had left was to screech like a pig wallowing in his misery while accepting another gruesome death.

"Aaaahhh… you're definitely not what I expected. Our client asked us to be cautious when dealing with you. But it seems that, beyond having to separate you from the guards of the royal candidate you accompany, there will be no other complications. I don't think you can even defend yourself. You're so afraid and so bathed in your own contempt... I don't believe that I'll gain anything by torturing you, since it seems to me that you're already a tortured soul…"

"Agh... Agh... Agh..." Digging his nails with increasing force, pieces of meat began to be ripped from his arms. Subaru, who was on the verge of losing himself completely in madness, only wished that Elsa stopped talking and decided at once to finish him off.

"You know, your fear was interesting at first… but you're really giving a pretty pathetic display. If this's how you want people to see you, I have no problem with that. But depending on others like a newborn baby, while throwing a tantrum at ending up abandoned... Don't expect everyone to be willing to sacrifice for someone as unpleasant as you."

"Argh! Argh! Argh! Argh!" With his nails nailed deep into his flesh and desperate for his assassin's endless monologue, Subaru started shaking his head. With his eyes that couldn't stop overflowing with tears, Subaru looked at Elsa. Which was looking at him with a slight expression of disgust staining her always kind semblance.

"What do you expect of me? Do you want me to be like that girl?" The sound of Elsa's heels enveloped the silent room as she slowly approached him.

"Hnk!" Scared to death, Subaru's heart skipped a beat as he saw the woman approaching him. Each of Elsa's step was a click clack. Each click, his heart felt closer to collapse. Each clack, his mind felt closer to breaking completely.

"We were watching you, waiting for the right moment to attack. As long as that royal knight and the captain of the mercenaries were together, and you were next to the royal candidate, reaching you would've been almost impossible. So we watched you patiently, waiting for our opportunity, it was then that we saw how you acted. Just witnessing such a display of cowardice and filthy dependence, would be enough to convince someone to want to get rid of you..." The sound of her heels was replaced by the sound of blood and flesh being stepped on. "So I won't give you the quick death you want. Before, I wasn't going to do it by contract, but now I'm not going to do it, for pleasure. I'll make sure to enjoy tearing you apart slowly... You know? I don't understand why someone like you hasn't been abandoned by everyone around you ... You really were so lucky..."

Elsa finally stopped. Her disgusted gaze focused on Subaru, who kept shaking his head and ripping his flesh with his fingernails. She, who was born in misery. She, who was never loved. She, who was never lucky. She, who got nothing until she did something for herself. She, who didn't know what it was like to live her life, until she gutted the pig that was about to rape her. Seeing someone like Subaru, worthless, being protected and loved, made her jealous, envious.

"K-Kill m-me… no-now." Desperate, Subaru forced himself to plead. His mind was fragmented, his soul was tainted, his spirit corrupted. His death was just the natural course of things, dying is what he should do; of that he was sure. His death was the next step, of that there was no doubt. But if it were possible to avoid the tortuous prelude, Subaru would be willing to do anything.

"I already told you, right? I'll see to it that you expiate your wretched existence through pain... No, that sounds like I'm doing all of this for a just reason. And that's not my goal. You were someone loved by the world, that's why you weren't abandoned, even when you're just a despicable and sordid being. And that's why I'll take care to fulfill to the letter everything my client has prepared for you. I'm gonna do your last minutes in life, the hell I wish you had lived."

"De-despicable?" Just as Elsa was about to start her work, Subaru spoke to her with a firmness that she didn't expect to hear from someone like him. Just by looking him in the eye, she knew that something had changed inside him; It was like seeing a completely different person from the person just a moment ago. "M-Me? Des-picable?"

"Hmm?" Confused, Elsa looked at Subaru closely. It was true that Meili at the moment must have been making time for her to torture their target. However, she was a free woman, and at that moment her curiosity needed to be satisfied.

"You call me despicable?" His eyes with dark pupils looked at her with hatred. Her arms, which had previously been pierced by his own fingers, now dangled at his side, shedding blood incessantly. His posture had changed, and now he was propped up on his knees. What had once been fear had now been replaced by unadulterated anger. "What do y-you know about m-me? You came to mu-murder me, so you've no r-right to talk about my li-life as if you kn-knew me. The only thing that con-concerns you is my d-death. Nothing else!"

"What are you talking about? After all this time in silence, just exchanging plaintive words with the royal candidate, you decide to talk to me like that. Don't you think it's too late to claim an honorable death?"

"I d-don't care! Don't talk about m-me as if you know me, b-bitch! What do y-you know about me? N-nothing! No one in this damn w-world does! You don't k-know ani...! The you of t-this moment doesn't know anything I w-went through! So I refuse to accept your fucking judgment, damn bitch! That I look pathetic?! That I'm pitiful?! Despicable?! I didn't ask to end like this! I just wanted to reach my damn happy ending! I never hurt anyone! I never did anything to anyone! I never did anything at all! I was always a disgrace, I know that! But I refuse to accept my death for something like that! Something that only concerns me and my parents! The only ones with the right to fucking judge me!"

"Hmm ... Interesting. It seems like you managed to escape the fog that was clouding your mind. I would congratulate you, but I don't have time to continue with these games. I don't care if my words got to you or not, or if you decided to stop acting pathetically just before your death. None of that will change your destiny, which is to die from the cut of my knife. And your change of attitude won't change that I'll enjoy it. Additionally, now that it seems that you are willing to fight, I may enjoy it even more."

"D-Damn bitch!" Raging, Subaru decided to bite his tongue, just as he had done during Elsa's torture before his previous death. At that time, dying or living was secondary, what Subaru would not accept was to please Elsa and end up suffering a tortuous and long death. But just like the last time, Elsa kicked him in the jaw, making that withdrawal impossible.

"I see it was true that you were willing to die. Maybe I misjudged you. You're a pathetic but determined boy." With his jaw dislocated, Subaru glared at the assassin. His eyes were still watery, his nausea had not gone away, and his body wouldn't stop shaking, but his anger and hatred were strong enough to keep him afloat. This time he wouldn't allow himself to escape the world of madness again.

"Ih don plan toh giv' hup!" Speaking with difficulty due to the state of his jaw, Subaru leapt toward the shattered body of one of the mercenaries. Stretching out his hand, Subaru tried to take the sword that carried the corpse ...

Frowning his face in pain, Subaru crashed into the tatami wall, crossing two rooms in the process. Before he could reach the sword, Elsa, at the speed of the wind, had kicked him in the middle of his chest. His body ached and part of his mind pleaded him to accept defeat. However, Subaru wouldn't accept it.

His death was inevitable, he knew that. His death was the way, that was true. But he vehemently refused to die again by the assassin's hand. Never more. Never, never again... The torture he suffered at the hands of Elsa broke him physically, psychologically and emotionally. Even so, after returning from death, the first was reversed; but it was not the same with the other two.

Subaru was traumatized, his body was barely responding, and his mind was messed up. So for that reason, Subaru would never allow himself to suffer the same torture again. If he suffered it again, there may be nothing left after returning from death; just an empty shell unable to interact with others.

Regardless of the time it takes, Subaru was willing to recover from the results of the torture and continue to fight for his happy ending. But to do so, he would first have to die without being tortured again; die by his own hand. Regardless of the method he had to use, achieving a quick death was his goal. After returning he could start looking for a way to stop Elsa and Meili, and after that he would lick his wounds, so to speak, and focus on healing his mind and spirit.

"I ha-have to h-hurry up and ..." His jaw had returned to its place after the blow. And although he now felt a sharp pain at the base of his mouth, he couldn't care less at that moment. For a moment he considered trying to bite his tongue again, but he knew that time would not be enough. And he was right.

"Time is running out; for you and me too. So… It's moment to begin." Licking her knife, Elsa brushed off her long braid and approached Subaru intending to finally begin the torture. With his watery eyes looking at her, Subaru's psyche began to collapse again. The despair that shook his heart was so great, that it could kill him; unfortunately for him, Elsa would not allow it. Pulling out an emerald stone pendant from her black dress, Elsa stopped next to him. "With this, your spirit will hold on to your body no matter what. Now…" After placing the rock around his neck, Elsa took his hand and brought her knife to his fingers. By the time, Subaru had again lost every bit of strength to oppose.

"Darn it! W-What happened 'ere?! They're the guys Julius sent for Natsuki-kun... Mimi, a-are they dead?!"

"Sorry, miss... Mimi's sure they died"

"If they died, what happened to Natsuki-kun…? Natsuki-kun, do ya hear me?! If ya can do it, call me by my name. Please!" However, before Elsa could begin the torture, a female voice called out to Subaru from the room they had been in just a moment ago.

"Hmm… It seems like I took too long." Sighing, Elsa released his hand. "Okay. I'll take care of those annoyances and then continue with you. Wait for me, anxiously..."

"Anastasia ..." Ignoring the assassin, Subaru muttered the name of the owner of the voice that called him. At that moment, his despair, which seemed to have peaked, further increased.

"Miss, it looks like they went through the wall on that side. Mimi's gonna investigate, wait here." Hearing Mimi's voice, Subaru understood that his destiny was inevitably going to directly affect those who had helped, accompanied and supported him during his mental decline.

No, that thought had come too late. The entire inn had been attacked, and with it, scores of lives must have perished by that time. And the only culprit was him. He, who fell silent out of fear and did not reveal what was about to happen. He, who stupidly hid himself in his emotional shell, while hoping that not separating from Anastasia was enough for Elsa and Meili not to attack him. He, who ignored everyone's lives except his own.

Cowardly, selfish and self-centered; those traits well described his current state. Where was that humility that he believed he had acquired the day he arrived in that world? Accepting the existence of his weaknesses had never been enough. Trying to fight for his future in a supposedly realistic manner, either. His mediocre, half-assed humility was but an excuse not to fall under the weight of his own guilt.

Subaru knew it, that's why he admired Anastasia; because he also wanted to learn to truly accept his weaknesses and genuinely enhance his qualities. Because everything had been a facade, deep down, he was still the same Natsuki Subaru as always. The cowardly, useless and proud Subaru. His inaction, in the end, had condemned everyone at his side.

And it is true that the day Subaru met Reinhard, he accepted that he would be unable to help and, believing himself to be humble, he left everything in the hands of the knight. But that day, he had been nothing more than a coward who, finally becoming conscious of all his weaknesses, fled from his promise, from the responsibilities that he himself had decided to carry. His was nothing but an indulgent humility, with which he had shamelessly excused himself.

In the end, Subaru was only aware of his weaknesses, but it was impossible for him to accept any of his supposed qualities, so that's why he had escaped. Following what would be the easy way for him, he decided to reinvent and recreate the works of truly diligent people in his world, in search of an easy life. But now he was able to understand it; no path would be easy.

That which he fled from, now had returned to haunt him. And since this time he was the target, it was impossible to escape without being chased for life. This time it was not him meddling in the problems of others, it was his problems meddling in the lives of those around him.

And since Subaru had vowed to go all the way with his Reinvention Project, and he didn't have an escape route anyway, all he could do was fight to get by with the cards he had in hand. Getting ahead with Anastasia, Julius, and the Fang of Iron was truly his only option. And making sure to avoid negatively affecting them by his actions, pledging to help them in any way possible, would be his only form of payment.

But first, he had to make sure not to tarnish his minimal honor, by preventing the people who endured his pathetic post-torture attitude, without understanding what was happening to him, cruelly perish at the hands of Elsa. Understanding what to do, Subaru was about to start yelling at Anastasia, Mimi and whoever else was accompanying them. However, his inaction once again had been too expensive.

While he had been deliberating in his mind and fighting his doubts and fears, completely alone, Elsa was already prepared for the attack. The first word had not begun to vibrate in his vocal cords, when Elsa's knife sliced through the abdomen of the three mercenaries who entered the room where he and Elsa were now. The three men fell to the ground, releasing agonized moans.

"Miss, it's a trap, run away!" Mimi, who had reacted on time, and thanks to her short stature, was able to avoid Elsa's murderous cut. Backing away, the little mercenary was about to return to her mistress, when a knife was stabbed into her small back.

"M-Mimi..." Whimpering, Subaru, who had accepted too late the course of action he must take, cursed his eternal inaction. The consequences of his lack of mettle accumulated before his eyes, which had never stopped spilling salty tears of frustration and fear. Why is it so hard for me to get psyched up? He questioned himself, cursing the slowness of his mind to process situations, information and feelings.

"Waaaaaaaahh!" Spinning over her body, Mimi screamed to where Elsa was. The woman, who had confidently gave Mimi up for dead, was caught by a powerful sound wave that sent her kicked out of the room by the roof. Elsa disappeared, leaving behind a hole in the ceiling, through which a little moonlight filtered, which barely illuminated the room; leaving it in a kind of twilight gloom.

"Mimi?!" Shocked and scared, Anastasia entered the room followed by three other mercenaries, who seemed ready to attack. The merchant bent down and, with tears in her eyes, took the girl in her arms. "Whoever knows how to use healin' magic, heal her immediately!"

One of the men, a mercenary with feline features, crouched down beside Anastasia and stretching out his hands, began to emit light from them. Another of the mercenaries, a lemur-like demi-human, crouched down on Anastasia's opposite side and carefully began to pull the knife out of Mimi's back; the process was facilitated by the fact that Mimi had passed out. Subaru had doubts about how deep that long knife had penetrated the girl's small body, but decided to just watch.

"The cut is too deep, Anastasia-sama... I'm not sure I can-"

"Just k-keep healin'! Please... Do e-everythin' ya c-can." In a broken voice, Anastasia pleaded with the healing-focused mercenary to strive to save the girl.

Subaru, who had grown a little fond of the energetic little girl, wanted to say the same. But did he have the right? Probably the three mercenaries who were there had spent more time with Mimi than him, so his words would not only be out of place, but also completely worthless.

"Hnk!" Unable to keep lying around watching, Subaru tried to get up to at least go where Anastasia, Mimi and the mercenaries were. The distance between them was not more than about thirty feet, but due of the complex situation, and the gloom that surrounded the room, they had not yet noticed his presence. However, his body was totally numb, so he collapsed before he could take the first step.

"Who-?! Anastasia-sama, take the vice-captain and run away from 'ere!" The mercenary who was not busy treating Mimi, reacted upon hearing him, preparing to attack.

"I-It's me... Anastasia, it's me, Subaru." Although each word caused powerful pain to surge from his dislocated and then forcibly reassembled jaw, Subaru managed to make his presence clear.

"Natsuki-kun? Are ya okay? What happened 'ere? Do ya know who killed three of my mercenaries and attacked Mimi?" Anastasia's voice reached him and, by its tone, it was clear that she mistrusted him at the time. Did she think he was someone else? Or was she just suspicious of him for everything that had happened? After the attack on the inn amid his insistence on being near her, it wouldn't be surprising that Anastasia had her doubts about him.

"I'm fine… At least I've no fatal injuries. And all I know is that an assassin was hired to kill me, and that's why all this happened." Deciding to be honest, Subaru revealed the truth of what was happening, to Anastasia. "Sorry Anastasia… I've been nothing but a nuisance. Because of me the inn was attacked. The two mercenaries who came for me were killed. And now three more died and Mimi was attacked…"

"Natsuki-kun ... All that has happened, does it have somethin' to do with your condition of the last two days...? Did ya know that somethin' like this was gonna happen, and ya didn't tell us anythin'?" Her voice, Anastasia's voice ... Was she angry? Sad? Disappointed? "And now it seems that ya feel better... Natsuki-kun, are ya workin' for the enemy?"

Anastasia's voice conveyed quite a few feelings. And even with that intense flow of emotions, it was clear that she felt betrayed. Had she really come to see him as part of her company? No, doubting it, would be being unfair to her after all she did for him all along. Whether for business or not, for greediness or for kindness, Anastasia always treated him with cordiality. And now that she doubted him, she was expected to feel betrayed.

"I know I've no way to prove it, especially now that I'm alive despite being attacked, but my fidelity belongs to you and the Hoshin Company; I signed our agreement with that in mind. I swear!" It might sound corny or cliche, but at the moment, with everything he had in mind, it was all he could think of. Furthermore, it is true that after all that had happened, he owed at least some loyalty to Anastasia and her company; especially her.

"I don't know if I can believe ya, Natsuki-kun. Just a few hours ago ya couldn't speak to anyone but me, ya kept stammerin' and tremblin', and your eyes were red from crying. And although I can't see ya well, it seems that ya're out of the dazed state ya were in... Also, ya were in the same room as the person who murdered at least five of my employees and stabbed Mimi. And from what I can see, it's true that ya haven't fatal injuries. It's too fishy... Still, I wanna believe I didn't misjudge ya and ended up placin' my expectations on the wrong person; call it merchant pride if ya want. So, for now, let's focus on gettin' out of 'ere."

"T-Thank you, Anastasia-sama. When we get out of this situation, I'll make sure to pay your trust." Subaru, who listened silently as Anastasia spoke in a voice laden with conflicting feelings, thanked her for finally deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt. Dipping his head to hide his embarrassment, Subaru regretted more strongly than before that he had allowed his weakness to prevent him from thwarting Elsa and Meili's attack.

"Natsuki-kun, can ya stand up? I'd like to help ya, but it's impossible for me at the moment." With Mimi in her arms, whose bleeding had not yet been fully stopped, Anastasia stood up and asked him that question.

"I may have some broken bones, but I believe if I try hard enough..." Before he could continue, the mercenary who had not been focused on Mimi's treatment, approached him and offered his hand. Apparently, Anastasia had already instructed him that Subaru was not a threat and to help him up. "Thank you." Taking the mercenary's hand, Subaru managed to get to his feet. As he did so, strong pain ran through his entire body; several of his ribs were broken, of that there was no doubt.

"Terrific… Let's get out of here and find Ricardo. Julius's probably occupied with a horde of mabeasts, so Ricardo's definitely the best option we've. I'd like to believe that the assassin died from Mimi's attack, but somethin' tells me that it won't be that easy. Anyway, receiving a shout from Mimi at point-blank range, should be enough to knock her unconscious for several minutes."

Agreeing with Anastasia, since he himself saw how Elsa was thrown from the room when receiving the powerful impact, Subaru walked to where she was with the help of the mercenary. Once there, the six of them crossed the hole in the wall. Out of the corner of his eye, Subaru noticed the demi-human's gesture of pain for leaving behind the corpses of his companions. Gesture that added weight to the guilt he already felt for being unable to avoid everything that was happening.

"Olaph, could ya continue to apply healin' magic as we go along?" The mercenary in question nodded at Anastasia's question and touched Mimi's body with the palm of his hand, which again began to emit light.

They were entering what had previously been Anastasia's room, through the hole Subaru had left behind after being kicked by Elsa, when he felt a change in the environment. The smell of blood and feces was the same as before, the sounds of combat in the distance were still audible, everything remained the same as before; however, the tension in the air had increased again.

"Aaaaahhh, that attack did hurt ... It was incredible. To think that such a small body would have so much power." In her torn and bloody dress, Elsa emerged from the shadows; unbelievably, despite the state of her clothes, her body seemed to have little damage. Her pace was slow and calculating, but the smile on her face had only intensified. "I really need to see what the guts of that demi-human kid are like. I'm sure they're completely beautiful!"

"Attack her!" Without hesitation, Anastasia ordered her mercenaries to attack Elsa.

Leaving Subaru by himself and stopping Mimi's treatment, the men pounced on the woman in sync with their ready swords. But none of that mattered against a woman with Elsa's speed, agility, and strength. Subaru knew this, for neither Felt's speed nor the Old Man Rom's physique had been sufficient to cope with her.

"Ohh, it seems that today I met very capable warriors, of course I did... So I apologize, but my playing time's over a long time ago!" With a nimble movement of her waist, the woman dodged all three attacks, and in one fluid movement, two hands, one leg, and a cluster of intestines flew through the air.

Screaming in pain, the gutted man collapsed into a huge puddle of his own blood. Squealing, the man who lost one of his feet launched himself at Elsa with his sword raised. But she finished dismembering him and cut him along the neck in a single movement.

The last mercenary, the one who lost both arms, stared in terror at the woman, who simply beheaded him and cast him aside as she was bathed in his blood. With the terrifying whistle of the wind being cut by the edge of her knife, Elsa shook the blood that was pooling in it. Satisfied with the result, she returned her focus to Anastasia and Subaru.

Subaru's gaze met hers, and his body by then was already shaking non-stop again. From there everything was extremely confusing for him. Anastasia... No, her scarf moved, as if it had life. Something was supposed to happen, the scarf wanted something from its owner, but before anything could happen between them, a knife pierced the body of the scarf.

The white scarf became specks of light that scattered through the air. And at the same time, Mimi's body fell to the ground, along with Anastasia's arms. Screaming, Anastasia tried to protect the little girl, despite having just lost both arms. But Elsa, as if she were the wind, slid her knife vertically down Mimi's body, splitting her in two. Her brain, esophagus, lungs, liver, stomach and of course, bowels, were now scattered on the wooden floor.

Anastasia, finally falling into shock, collapsed like a puppet whose strings were cut. With her lost gaze, she began to babble things that Subaru would not have understood, even if he were in a position to do so. Blinking, Subaru, who was barely holding himself up, watched with his tear-clouded gaze as Elsa delighted in Mimi's scattered innards.

He was scared, but mostly wrathful. He wanted to flee, but above all he wanted to fight. He hated himself, but he hated Elsa more. However, he had already assumed it. He was aware of his weaknesses, from that day that Reinhard took over his own-made promise, Subaru understood that he would never fight again. So it was useless. No matter how much he wanted to do something, no matter how much the hatred burned within him and his desire for revenge scorched him inside; he couldn't do anything.

"I fucking hate you..." Unable to contain the feelings of frustration within him, Subaru muttered as he hunkered down with difficulty near Anastasia. The girl was still staring blankly, babbling incomprehensible things.

"Aaaaahh... It's a pity, of course it is. And I was having such a good time..." Elsa spoke to him while still looking at Mimi. "I told you that you would suffer, didn't I? Now that you let the people who offered you kindness die… Now that you failed to the woman who didn't turn her back on you when you let out your most pathetic and unpleasant side… You finally are completely and truly alone."

"How did you get here? This city is completely fortified, how did you get in with all of your mabeasts?" Subaru had managed to see them when Julius went in search of Anastasia. It was just an instant before he could cover himself with his sheet. Even with his mind on the verge of collapse, Subaru could see the horned monstrous beings. As far as he knew, those were mabeasts; the beings created by the Jealous Witch. In addition, he heard Anastasia talking about Julius fighting against them, so that confirmed the presence of hordes of mabeasts at the inn. And if he remembered correctly, Meili was the girl who commanded them.

"Hmm...? It seems you lost your mind again... What a strange change of topic. Are you trying to escape the nightmare you are living? But if it has only just begun..." Elsa, smiling, looked at him again. The friendly glance was gone, leaving only perversion and wickedness. "Whatever... Nothing will change that you're about to die, so I don't mind telling you. We entered through the sewers; in a city full of canals like this, the sewer system is as spacious as it can be... Perfect for assassins like us, don't you think?"

"Thanks, bitch... I'll make sure to put that information to use when I get back from this hell!" Smiling back at her, Subaru quickly and without hesitation pierced his neck with one of the short swords that had belonged to the mercenaries, while with his other hand he ripped the emerald stone pendant from his neck and threw it into the next room through the hole he had left.

Everything had happened very quickly; while Elsa had been watching Mimi's guts, Subaru seized the rare opportunity, to take up the sword as he knelt down beside Anastasia. After that, he had hidden it behind him, holding it with what little strength he had left in one of his self-flagellated arms.

"Aaaahhh... It can't be-" Subaru felt the breeze generated by the woman's movement, but it was too late for both of them. He felt how the cold steel of the sword was piercing his neck from the right side to the left. He could also feel the rivers of blood running down his throat, flooding his esophagus, lungs, and stomach.

"Ih toh-ld yah soh... Ih re-fu-seh toh di-eh tor-tuh-red... byh yah." Spitting out gushes of blood, Subaru collapsed next to Anastasia.

By that time, his sight was already darkening, making him physically impossible for him to observe Elsa's reaction. But he was confident he had taken her by surprise. Now that he had foiled her plan, he might actually consider that he had finally stolen a victory from Elsa the assassin. By that time, his mind was already short-circuiting and his neck was in enormous pain, numb from the sensation of death.

The thought of dying continued to terrify him, and his heart and mind were being etched with deep scars. He would probably return with trauma as profound as those scars, after his now fifth death. Five deaths, but, death was still painful, death was still lonely, death was still tormenting him... However, paying his life as a price to avoid suffering the torture of the erotic killer again, for him it felt like cheap in that moment. That's how desperate he felt...

"I-I-I d-don't wa-nna di-e... y-yet... I'm s-sca-red... Echidna, he-lp m-me... Ju-lius? Ri-cardo? M-Mi-mi? He-taro? Ti-vey? I h-had a l-lot to li-ve... f-or... m-me a-nd... f-for... y-ya... I thou-ght I cou-ld do i-it... b-ut... I a-am sti-ll in-compl-ete... I'm mi-ssing... a l-lot... Echidna… I-I do-n't wa-nna go ba-ck the-there... I d-don't wa-nna g-go ba-ck to t-the gar-bage du-mp... I'm s-sca-red... I-I do-n't wa-nt... to die... in-comple-te... Sa-ve m-me... p-pleas-"

It was in his last seconds of life, when everything was darkening, that Anastasia's visage was engraved with fire in his retinas. The cunning and confident person she had been in life was now a fragile and scared girl. At that moment, Subaru was able to appreciate the weaknesses of the woman who had overcome them. On his deathbed, Subaru was able to understand what had previously been the babbling of a dying girl. And he felt identified; on their deathbed they were both the same...

When Subaru was unable to continue listening to Anastasia's delusional babble, his sight had long since vanished. In the end, only his thoughts and Anastasia's pleas remained. Subaru couldn't begin to understand everything he had heard, because it had been confusing and because he was in no condition to understand it. However, she had conveyed her feelings to him. And her wish to be saved, although it wasn't aimed directly at him, had also been conveyed to him.

For this reason, a deep sense of guilt invaded him in his last moments of life. He knew himself to be the great culprit after all the catastrophe that occurred in the inn; the consequence of his inaction. But hearing Anastasia's depressing death made him feel even more guilty, made him feel responsible. So Subaru promised himself something…

I will make sure to help you, Anastasia... If my ideas and my presence can help you achieve your dreams... Then I will make sure to give my all to it... I won't abandon you... I won't let you have a death like that again... I will save you... I swear it... This time I will comply... This time I won't run away... This time I will truly overcome my weaknesses and reach my happy ending... And I will make sure that you also fulfill your dreams and reach your own happy ending... I swear it...! Anastasia...

Parallel to how it was during his first death, Subaru felt the need to save this girl who died from his inaction. In order to clear the weight of the consequences of his actions and pay the kind treatment of Anastasia, who saved him, with her presence and actions, of losing himself in despair and madness, Subaru re-committed himself to saving someone; vowed to save her.

But this time, he would make sure not to give up. He would not abandon her like "Satella", like Emilia. This time he would make sure not to let his weaknesses be an excuse to escape. Melting into the darkness of death, one last thought flashed through his mind: This time... I'll make it! I'll help you... Anastasia! And I'll live up to your expectations!

With his mind and body becoming one with the jealous shadows, Subaru once more left behind a world filled with his failures. Once Again, Subaru vowed to save someone apart of himself. However, deep within himself, he knew he was not mentally prepared for the challenge of doing so. Subaru, oblivious, was walking a tightrope bearing the name of his mind.