Subaru was writhing in his cell after another visit by Felix and Julius and the other knights.
No matter how many times he has begged and cried and yelled. They would not believe him. They used all forms of torture on him to get him to spill out information that he never possessed.
The worst was by far Felix's torture. He would boil all of his nerves and smile as he started to heal them back up only to fry them again. While yelling.
"Tell me how to fix Crusch-sama! Tell me what the Cult is planning! Speak Cultist!"
"GAAAAHHHH!...I-I'm not a part of them...How many ti-AAARGHHHH! STOP PLEASE! I SWEAR I'M INNOCENT!"
"The more nyou resist the more this will hurt, Pride." Smiling in a cruel way as he healed him fully. Before doing the same line of questioning.
Then it would be Julius' turn where he would mostly just break his bones, it wasn't as bad as Felix but it'd still hurt. Starting with his hands, finger by finger. Then moving on to his toes. Then his wrists, elbows, ankles, knees, and so on.
"Archbishop of Pride, I will ask you once more. Give me the knowledge I seek to restore my identity and that of the man who looks like myself who suffers from the sleeping beauty syndrome. Do that and all of this will end."
"I don't... I don't know...ARGHH!..haah,haah... I'm.. I'm not! AHH! I'M NOT PRIDE GODDAMMIT! I'M INNOCENT!"
Every day For the first 3 weeks, all Subaru could do was beg and plead for them but nothing worked. He even tried killing himself but his save point would always return him back to this hell. There was no escape no matter how hard he tried and no matter how much he begged and tried reasoning with the knights.
After the third week of this hell, his eyes completely lost their shine. He started begging for the release of death now rather than escaping out of the cell.
Every day his thought would be:
'Is this the day I finally die? I really want to die. Please kill me. Please release me. Mom, Dad... I really want to see you again... I hope I get to see you when I die.'
But nothing happened.
------------------------------------------------------------
-2 months later-
Time passed by very slowly for Subaru. It was so slow that he didn't even know how long he has spent here. And in all that time nothing has changed.
He kept wanting to die a final death by any means necessary, in order to avoid this hell. He could feel his grip on sanity loosen up further and further with each passing day. The torture continued the same, the pain never once stopped and dying wasn't a relief either. The loneliness of his cell was as bad as any of their torture.
In a last ditch effort to keep his sanity and reignite his broken hope. He began to pray for all the gods in the hopes that one of them answer his prayers. Every day he would pray for a god from Japan. No answer came.
Moving on to the deities from other civilizations.
'Zeus'
'Freya'
'Osiris'
'Ishtar'
'Please. Please. Kill me. Take me away from this hell. Please.'
No answer. Even when he started praying for the gods who resided over death and the afterlife.
'Hades'
'Hela'
'Anubis'
'Ereshkigal'
Then when that didn't work he started praying to the evil gods of every pantheon that he knew of. But no answer ever came.
-------------------------------------------------------------
-4 months later-
By now he had run out of gods to pray to. He had already reached his breaking point and his mind had already shattered days before from all the suffering.
He began laughing manically while they tortured him. Laughing manically at night without stopping as he thought of the creative ways they'd torture him the next day, only to be bored as they used the same methods.
He had started seeing their cruel smile as a happy one and thought to himself:
'I should smile like that too. They seem so happy, I want to be happy too hahaha. I want to laugh like they laugh. I want to smile like they smile. I want to tell them good jokes like the one that happened to me. Ahh, but I also want them to tell me a good joke too. They never tell me any good jokes.'
At night when all the fun activity stopped, he started using the gods' names as a sort of countdown ritual until he falls asleep. The only name he now would pray to was Satella. She was the only one who was there for him in his dreams. Trying her best to comfort him.
Before Satella came along, he remembered how funny it was for him to pray and pray but no voice answered. They were playing a prank on him for sure. He didn't know when he started laughing at that.
------------------------------------------------------------
-6 months later-
Subaru now had become unordinarily calm. Nothing would faze him. When they'd come for him he would simply yawn or even pretend to doze off from the sheer boredom of it. He had experienced it all at this point.
Nothing would excite him. Even their cruel smiles had turned into frowns now, which did excite him for awhile. He even decided to joke with them to make them frown even more. It would be amusing for now at least. He had called this time 'Cracking open a funny one with the boys.', towards his two best buds. Julius and Felix.
He'd usually ask them for jokes but they would always just say the usual lines.
"Speak cultist! Tell me the cure for Crusch-sama and nyou will be out of here!" Felix spoke to him in a tired tone. He was getting really tired of this insolent archbishop who never told him the information he wanted.
"Hmmmmm~ but my good friend Ferris. I would really and I mean REAAAAAALLY~ miss your adorable presence and your loving touch~ Wouldn't you miss me too? Besides, those cute expressions of yours never fail to amuse me. Could you do a 'nya' for me? Maybe even a lick on the cheek? Oh hey, tell Crusch I said: "How's it hanging?", hahaha get it? Cause I'm hanging from the ceiling!" He sighed in satisfaction as he said his joke while his body was hanging upside down.
"Anyways, now it's your turn for a joke my good friend. Shoot your shot!" He winked at him. Making Felix very angry at the mere mention of his lady and how he's treating this as nothing.
Then it was Julius' turn.
"How long must this go on? Speak at once archbishop. Tell me what I wish to know and I will put an end to this. You have my word." Julius spoke to him.
"Tell ya what, Juli. Breaking my fingers but forgetting the nails is very rude, you know? Hey wait, I just had a million yen idea. When we have our friendly time each day, why don't you try breaking off some of my finger nails too? Long nails are pretty annoying when you try to eat or do other stuff, if you catch my drift. Help your best friend out, Jules." He said to Julius which made Julius' eyebrows tick in irritation and increase the force of his attacks until Subaru was nearly dead and needed immediate healing.
However, he always simply laughed without letting out a grunt of pain. It was quality time with his best friend. he thought. And the more intense it was the more fun it was!
Then at night whenever they'd leave him alone. He'd be so bored that he started to conjure up imaginations of his old friends again.
He'd summon a Beatrice who condemned him. An Emilia who yelled out "Stop villain!" at him. And a Reinhard who stood by and watched as everything happened, knowing he told the truth.
There would be more and more imaginations that filled the entire cell. Imaginations of familiar and unfamiliar faces who looked at him with hate in their eyes.
He wished they'd do something else anything else. But they would always only look at him that way and always only repeat the words of anger they shouted in his face.
After hearing those lines so many times, he started enacting the ways they would react to his jokes. Just like Julius and Felix, maybe it would finally bring him some entertainment?
------------------------------------------------------------
-8 months later-
"No...Th-that's not possible.. BY THE DIVINE DRAGON! THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE!" Julius gripped his face after memories returned to him. His entire reality threatened to collapse at the realizations of who he had been torturing.
"What have I done? What have I done?! WHAT HAVE I DONE?! WHAT HAVE I DONE?!" Julius repeated in yells, as the tears started flowing freely. Julius immediately ran all the way to the cell where a boy he wanted to call friend one day, was at.
"Subaru... " Julius spoke out his name with anguish written on his face.
"... I am truly, utterly, incomprehensibly sorry for what I have done... No apology will ever be enough for my actions." Julius gripped the cell's bars with failing strength. His face overcome with emotions at the sight of who stood on the other side. At what his own hands had done.
Felix was nearby and was hugging himself as he kept muttering. "Ferris is sorry. Ferris is sorry. Ferris is sorry."
"Morning, Jules! I think it's morning at least." Subaru greeted his best friend as he always did. "Hey, what's with the long face?" He worriedly asked about his sudden sadness.
"C'mon cheer up! You're visiting your best friend so tell me about your worries and I'll definitely tell you about mine, hahaha." He offered before his face lit up as realization dawned on him. "Unless...this is a new game? Oooh you truly are a good friend Juli! You noticed I was so SOOOO~ bored that you decided to change your demeanor. I like the tears too! So entertaining! Hey where's Ferris at? I wanna see some fresh new entertainment from him too." Subaru said happily. He was finally having something new to entertain him.
Usually they all frown or smile with cruelty, or even shout in anger. Today, they looked sad. They have to be setting up a prank!
Any words Julius' was going to say, instantly froze up in his throat at what he heard. He hung his head and looked dejected at what he had done to Subaru.
'I am a mockery to all those who call themselves a knight. I am the 'Finest' of scoundrels rather than knights. To reduce him to this state... My lack of virtues will forever haunt me.'
Julius's tearful eyes looked to the side, towards where another knight stood by who looked as distraught as all of them. His eyes begged the knight to speak up to Subaru, to tell him he can get out. The knight understood and approached Subaru with a heavy heart.
"N...Natsuki-dono, please hear my words. W...we could never be sorry enough for this. But please. Get out of this cell, you are a free man. We should all be lucky to get in a cell like that after all of this comes to light.." He pleaded with Subaru to leave, although the last words were in a hushed tone to himself.
Subaru thought they were playing a new prank on him. A new form of fun activity that they called... What was it called again? Emotional torture? That had to be it! Subaru thought to himself.
It was highly entertaining for them to think of that but he decided to not play it and stay in his cell to see if they could bring it to him, instead of him walking into it. That would definitely make it more entertaining.
"Hmmmm~ I do love good pranks but how about no? No offence guys, but I feel like there is a prank going on here and I don't wanna be no fool if you get what I mean. You could just bring it to me instead, I'll act surprised even!" Subaru told them. Which made them all frown deeply at what they had done. They realized they could do nothing to get him out other than plead with him. They couldn't force themselves to grab him and get him out either. The guilt was far too much.
"Here I am asking you to bring the prank to me, while I lazily stay around my home." He gripped his hair and yelled. "Sloth! This is Sloth! Ahhh how slothful of me!"
"What have we done..." Were words that were echoed by every knight within that prison.
------------------------------------------------------------
-At the Pleiades Watchtower-
As the Emilia camp, which consisted of Emilia, Beatrice, Ram (who brought an unconscious Rem with her), Garfiel, Meili and Reinhard, fought and killed the Gluttonies of [Gourmet] and [Bizarre Satiation] at the Pleiades watchtower. They started feeling something was wrong. Incredibly wrong.
A moment later and their mind was flooded with memories.
"Huh? Where am I? Who am...I?" A blue-haired girl asked herself as she woke up in a strange room. Her head was hurting as she tried to think back to the last thing she remembers.
Images and more images begin to form in her mind. All in the span of a second.
"My name is...Rem?" She asked herself in confusion, but that name sounded too familiar. The memories continued to play out. Detailing everything she lived through.
There was someone who looked exactly like her except with pink hair and red eyes. "Ram..." She spoke her sister's name.
Her sister was a prodigy of the clan. Her sister had a horn just like her. Her sister did everything better than her. Her parents favored her sister. Her clan favored her sister. Her sister should've had two horns.
Her clan was attacked. Witch Cultists. Fire. Her clan died. Her parents died. Her sister lost her horn. "It finally broke off..." She smiled in relief.
No! Why was she happy? She shouldn't be happy. She needs to atone. Sister always did things better than Rem. Rem has to do things that sister could do. This is what sister would have done. Rem is only imitating what sister could do.
Cut her hand peeling vegetables. Sister could do it with ease. Serving tea. Sister flawlessly mastered it. Cleaning and making food. Sister was perfect at it.
"I'm nothing but a replacement..." She said emotionlessly and robotically.
A boy. Black-haired, mean eyes. Smells like a cultist. KILL HIM! Wait, no. He looks peaceful while asleep. Hold his hand. Smells like a cultist. Kill him before he endangers sister.
"Reeks of the Witch..." she whispered hatefully. Her face frowned with disgust.
He becomes butler. Must keep eye on him. Mustn't let him get close to sister. Insists on doing everything. Overworks. Sleeps on Emilia-sama's lap. Smells like a culti-No. He looks too peaceful to be a cultist.
Village gets attacked. Mabeasts. Children kidnapped. Boy insists on going. Makes promise. Saves her. Gets cursed by mabeasts. Go off alone to save him. Wake up on his back.
He saves her again. He came back for her. He's her hero. He's Rem's hero. "Subaru-kun." She said his name with a pure smile.
The memories then continued on until she reached the last time she saw him.
She got up to walk around her strange surroundings with difficulty at first. Clutching the wall for support.
Until she came across some people nearby, some of whom she never expected to see. Such as Garfiel and the girl with blue hair that she remembered seeing once in Arlam village. Then there was Ram, Emilia, the Sword Saint as well as Beatrice who was out of her library.
They were standing near two corpses, one of which Rem recognized as the last face she saw. She turned her head away from him in disgust and focused her stare on the people that she knew.
They had a look of intensely deep confusion on their faces. Almost as if they were in a trance.
Rem approached her sister and touched her shoulder, which instantly woke Ram and made her confused look disappear when she saw Rem.
"REM!" Ram shouted and tearfully embraced her sister whom now she could fully remember.
"Nee-sama?" Rem asked, surprised at the sudden action and the intensity of her sister's hug.
"Rem, Rem, Rem!"
"Where are we? And why do you all look like that?" However, Ram didn't answer her. She was too overtaken by the joy of seeing her sister awake, and her remembering Rem, to care about anything else.
Rem had noticed a lack of a certain hero she admired. "Nee-sama, where is Subaru-kun? Is Rem's hero here too?" Rem asked in an excited tone.
Ram's joy evaporated. She remembered how Emilia and Beatrice had told her of a strange boy who kept claiming to be Emilia's knight and Beatrice's contractor, which was all a trick as he was in reality the Sin Archbishop of Pride. Her tearful eyes at seeing her sister awake, opened wide as shock came into her.
At that exact moment.
Emilia and Beatrice's faces were etched with horror once they remembered who that name belonged to and what happened the last time they had seen his face.
"N-no... Betty's S-Subaru?!" Her eyes opened wide in disbelief. "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! WHAT HAVE I DONE, I SUPPOSE!" Beatrice yelled with tears continuously flowing down her face. She fell to her knees from the shock at the horrible memory.
"Subaru..." Emilia's beautiful face formed into one of dreadful sadness. She could barely speak. Her mind kept replaying memories of Subaru until the moment she called him a villain.
Reinhard's eyes were wide open. How could he fail him like this? He was berating himself constantly in his mind over what happened. 'I truly am a failure...'
Garfiel clenched his fist until they started to bleed. He couldn't believe he forgot all about Subaru and for all this time too.
Meili was confused over their reactions. She was wondering what had happened and why did she suddenly remember the guy who made her dolls.
"Stand up! We have to hurry back! We have to go to Priestella now! HURRY! WE HAVE TO GO THERE NOW!" Emilia yelled out in desperation while carrying Beatrice. Ram immediately grabbed a heavily confused Rem to lead her back to the carriage.
On the way to the carriage, there was a colossal-sized Mabeast in the shape of a crimson scorpion that started shooting incredibly fast projectiles at them. But thankfully Reinhard had managed to block the projectiles and continued to block as they sped off from that place with haste.
------------------------------------------------------------
-Priestella-
Traveling took about 3 days for the Emilia camp, thanks to Reinhard's Divine Blessings massively increasing the speed of Patrasche and the other Earth Dragons.
No one would speak a word, their entire focus was getting to Priestella. Even when Rem asked none of them could speak a sentence to her.
Emilia and Beatrice were completely withdrawn and sobbing constantly as if they couldn't believe what had happened. Reinhard stayed silent the entire trip, a look of defeat was across his perfect face.
Eventually Rem had enough on the second night and outright demanded an answer from them. Emilia and Beatrice could barely find the words to tell her what happened.
The moment Rem heard what happened. She became so enraged that she was seconds away from killing Beatrice and Emilia who offered no resistance. The only thing that stayed her hand was her sister stopping her and reasoning that she should kill everyone else in the world that forgot about him, including Ram.
Rem would say that she was sorely tempted to do that but she decided to let their fate be decided by Subaru. For her part, even if Subaru forgave them, she would never forgive them for this.
She yelled and yelled at Beatrice for even daring to call her hero a witch cultist when he's the one who united the camps of Crusch and Anastasia against them.
Then she yelled at Reinhard for having the power to tell lies but not acting out on it.
Then she yelled even louder at Emilia for not believing in Subaru. Especially after he single-handedly led the charge against the Whale and even asked Rem to fly him up towards it through a large huma pillar. Sacrificing himself without care all in order to bring it down so it can be killed before moving onwards to fighting the Cult all to save Emilia's life.
Her throat was sore from yelling at them for so long. After all the yelling was done she shut them out and became completely hostile and cold to them. She even shunned her own sister after that, making Ram feel worse than she already did.
Finally reaching Priestella's garrison.
They came across a broken-looking Felix and a heavily devastated Julius sitting on a bench outside the jail. They had been on the way to the garrison when their memories flooded to them. And after Julius talked to Subaru, Felix and Julius both could barely move an inch afterwards from the extreme level of guilt they felt, particularly Felix.
"Julius? Felix? We're here for Subaru, do you know where he is?" Reinhard asked them with guilt being very obvious in his voice.
Once Julius saw the Emilia camp. He nearly took out his sword to end himself.
"Forgive Ferris. Forgive Ferris. Forgive Ferris. Ferris is sorry. Ferris is sorry. Ferris is sorry." Felix kept muttering
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO SUBARU-KUN?!" Rem looked as angry as she sounded. The air became much colder around her.
"Felix, please gather yourself... Let us take them to him..." Julius said in a heavy tone. Which made Felix open his tearful eyes and nod at this. It was the one moment where Felix felt sane since his memories of Subaru were restored to him.
He remembered Wilhelm visiting 3 days ago, but he disappeared shortly after that visit. Meanwhile, Felix hadn't stepped a foot inside Crusch's estate in Priestella, nor seen his lady ever since his memories returned to him.
Upon entering the jail. They noticed the smell and conditions of the cells they saw gradually became worse and worse as they walked. But they had to endure this.
Julius and Felix eventually lead them to a cell that smelled worse than anything they have ever smelled. They nearly fainted from how bad it stank. Blood stained every corner. Several rotted right hands and bones laid strewn all around the cell.
And at the center of that dark place lay a skinny figure with white hair. He looked as pale as a ghost yet one of his arms was black. He wore ragged tatters that barely held onto his skin. He was extremely dirtied with dried blood covering his clothes and his skin.
"That's right! It really does sound wonderful. As expected of a virtuous knight. You should definitely try using a hammer instead of a sword. Chopping a hand is one thing, but have you ever tried eating with a broken one? Very entertaining! I should know, hahaha." He deadpanned right after. "Wait, no, no, that's not enough to change expressions. I have a better joke to tell you than that one. Hmmm~ let me think, let me think."
He seemed to be talking to himself about what jokes to tell his good friends the knights when they came for their daily fun activity visit. Or maybe they were saving up a good joke for him.
The past three days had been very boring for him aside from when the knights came by to convince him to leave. He wondered what prank they were setting up.
Rem and Emilia brought their hands to their faces when they saw his state. Beatrice said nothing but openly wept. She fell down to her knees in horror at what she had done to her contractor. This was her fault.
"S-S-Subaru..." Emilia's lips quivered while saying his name all the while her eyes were wetting the floor with all the tears her body could muster.
"Subaru-kun.." When Rem saw her hero, she felt all her hope wane. He looked more dead than alive and were it not for his eyes she wouldn't even recognize him. Her thoughts drifted back towards the day he offered her his hand. She wished she could go back in time and take it.
Reinhard's gaze was transfixed on the ground at the sight of Subaru. He could have prevented all of this were it not for his inaction. If only he chose to speak up instead of staying silent.
Ram's expression was filled with heavy regret when she saw Barusu's state. She could not form any word towards him out of guilt.
Garfiel was a mess at the sight of his Captain and brother.
Meili was not present. She decided to stay in the carriage as she was too young to witness a thing such as this.
"Huh? Beatrice and... Emilia?" Subaru asked them in a curious tone. "What are you guys doing here?" He spoke before looking at certain blue-haired Oni.
"R..Rem...Is that really...?" He asked with a look of surprise adorning his face. It was almost as if he was dreaming.
"Yes...S-Subaru-kun.. it's your Rem..." Rem nodded at him tearfully before stepping closer and offering her hand to him in the exact same way he did to her back in the capital. "Subaru-kun, come with me please."
"I promise no one would ever hurt or even dare to lay a finger on you," She gave them and the knights that stood around a demonically inspired glare. "Take Rem's hand just like you asked me to take yours. We could go to Kararagi like you said, remember? We could go anywhere you want..."
Subaru looked at her hand. His eyes flashed with hope, he couldn't even remember the last time he felt something like that. He realized this is not possible. His unanswered prayers were always a prank by the gods. A good joke he thought.
"Hmmm~ pass. Must be my imaginations acting up again, you know? Although let me just say you look really good in that outfit, Rem-rin! It's been a while since I saw you up here." He knocked on his head as he said that.
She opened her mouth to speak but she had no strength for it. This is what they had done to her hero.
"S-Subaru.. I-I-I.. sorry.. I'm sorry.. I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, sorry.." Beatrice kept muttering apology after apology. There was no sign of her usual verbal tick.
'You should have let me burn in that mansion Subaru, I suppose. A great spirit to do this to her own contractor.. I wonder.. If I die right now while thinking of you would you forgive me, Subaru?' She couldn't finish her train of thought as she felt herself losing consciousness.
"Please come with us... Even if you hate me. Even if you want to kill me in the worst way possible. I won't stop you... But please come back with us.. with me.. let us heal you. You don't have to stay in this place anymore.. Please, Subaru.." Emilia's voice felt weak and hoarse. Almost as if she choked out those words. She couldn't stop remembering how he called out for her in desperation and how she instead abandoned him.
"Hate you? Not at all! I mean we've had our ups and downs, right? Like that one moment where I said I was your brave, honorable, gallant knight and you said... 'Who?', hahahaHAHAHAHA! What a great tease you are, Emilia-tan!"
'I did this to him. I deserve to be called a half-devil. I wish Puck never unfroze me..' An expression of anguish appeared on her face. The man whom she finally could admit that she loved was reduced to this. She hated herself even more than the world hated her appearance.
"EMT!" Subaru exclaimed with joy at how she looked. "You really are an angel, Emilia-tan." Subaru gave her an amused smile, before noticing someone else standing there next to her who looked as anguished as Emilia.
"Reinhard? Buddy, what are you doing here? I could barely even see you with how dark this room is! Ahh isn't this a wonderful day? An exciting day? A magnificent day? To see all my former friends gathered around in my current home is just... Pure ecstasy! Hahaha. Anyways what's up, Rein?"
Reinhard struggled to open his mouth to speak. He wanted to say any form of apology that he could think of but he couldn't.
"Are you finally going to speak this time instead of being silent?" He said the last words in a fake hurt tone, before taking on a more joyful expression. "I do miss your voice, you know?"
His words struck at Reinhard's heart.
'I wish I had never been born. Grandmother would be alive. Mother would not be in a coma. Grandfather would be happy. Father would be overjoyed. Subaru.. Would not become like this.. All because of my slothfulness...'
Reinhard remained silent with a look of shame on his face. He couldn't even lift his gaze to meet Subaru's.
Subaru thought this was all some sort of new emotional torture from Julius and Felix. He was even happier now that he finally figured out their prank.
"Oi! Felix! Juli! Come out you guys!" Subaru called out, confusing everyone. A moment later Julius brought a broken muttering Felix with him towards the cell.
Suddenly they heard clapping.
"I have something important to say to you, so listen up. I'm not going to say it again." He looked serious, very serious. Making them all listen in attention to him as they thought he was out of his madness.
"You...You really are..." He couldn't finish the sentence as he wiped off imaginary tears off his face. His lips formed a smile of pure happiness.
"You two really are my best friends! To go to such lengths just to emotionally torture me is just hmm what's the expression.. Chef's kiss? Yes, that's it! I was very VEEEERY~ close to falling for it!"
Every word made stung them more and more.
"Bravo! Although, I gotta ask. How'd you get Rem here? That's a neat trick, but I guess it's just pure creativity from you two! And the best part is this isn't even my birthday! I got such a good gift! I love you guys!" He smiled happily at Julius and Felix for their present.
Which made Rem clench her fists in anger and frustration at what they had done to him.
Subaru looked again at everyone's expressions, which confused him as they never looked like that but it didn't deter him. This was truly an entertaining joke.
"Hahahahaha! You finally did it! You finally gave me a good joke for once. I am thoroughly entertained!"
Author's Note:
Subaru has the best of friends.
Hello everyone! I'm kinda new to Wattpad. I've had this fic on Ao3 and FF.net and decided to upload it here as well for a change. I hope you enjoy the story!