The pre-dawn air was crisp, a welcome change from the stifling tension of the city. The road stretched before us, a ribbon of gray winding through fields of tall grass and wildflowers, the promise of a new beginning hanging in the air.
But the weight of the city's fate, the knowledge of its inevitable destruction, still clung to us, a shadow we couldn't outrun.
Rem and Ram walked ahead of me, their strides long and purposeful, their anger a tangible force that crackled between them. They were furious with Emilia, with her betrayal, with the callous disregard she'd shown for the lives of those she'd claimed to want to protect.
But as the minutes stretched into hours, the anger in their eyes seemed to flicker, replaced by a gnawing uncertainty.
"Something's bothering you," I said, catching up to them, my enhanced senses picking up the subtle shift in their emotions. "What is it?"
Rem paused, her gaze fixed on the distant horizon, her brow furrowed. "It's just… I can't believe it," she murmured, her voice full of anger and disbelief. "Emilia-sama… she always seemed so kind, so compassionate. I can't imagine her willingly agreeing to such a destructive contract."
Ram snorted, her anger still simmering. "Kind? Compassionate? She condemned an entire city to death! Actions speak louder than words, Tereda."
"But maybe there's an explanation," I countered, hoping to ease their pain, even if I wasn't sure I believed it myself. "Maybe she was forced into it. Maybe she didn't understand the consequences."
Rem shook her head, her blue eyes filled with a pain that mirrored my own. "I want to believe that," she whispered. "But- I really don't know what to think!."
She stopped abruptly, her body stiffening, her gaze snapping to mine, the intensity of her emotions burning through her usual reserve.
Tears streamed down her face, her voice trembling with a mixture of rage and despair.
"Do I even want answers, Tereda?" she cried, her words a raw, anguished plea. "Do I want to confront her, to demand to know if the person she showed us was a lie? If all those smiles, those kind words, were nothing but a cruel deception?"
My heart ached for her. I couldn't erase the pain of betrayal, the shattering of trust, the realization that the world wasn't as simple, as black and white as she'd once believed.
"We have time, Rem," I said, stepping closer, my hand reaching out to gently cup her cheek, wiping away a stray tear. "We can find the answers. We can confront Emilia. We can demand the truth."
I pulled her into a hug, her body stiff at first, then relaxing against mine, her trembling subsiding.
"Whatever you find, Rem," I whispered, my lips brushing against her hair, the scent of lavender a calming balm amidst the storm of our emotions, "you have me. I'm here for you. Always."
We turned back, the city was only an hour away now.
—
The city gates loomed before us, their imposing stone archway a stark contrast to the peaceful serenity of the countryside. The morning air, usually bustling with activity, was eerily quiet, a reminder of the impending doom that hung over the city like a shroud.
"We should have arrived at five," Ram said, her voice tight, her gaze fixed on the carriage parked just inside the gates. "We would have been here, waiting for Emilia-sama to return from her errands. I wonder what happened to our previous selves."
I owed it to Rem, to Ram, to find the truth, no matter how painful it might be for them, they had to know.
I would be here for them.
We approached the carriage, our footsteps echoing on the cobblestones, the silence amplifying the tension that crackled between us.
The carriage door swung open, and Emilia emerged, her silver hair shimmering in the morning light, her violet eyes wide with a mixture of relief and concern.
"Rem! Ram!" she exclaimed, rushing towards them, her voice laced with genuine worry. "Where were you? You vanished last night! I was so worried!"
Even with my enhanced senses, my ability to perceive the subtlest nuances of expression and body language, I couldn't detect a hint of deception in her demeanor. She was worried. Truly worried.
Ram, her arms crossed, her expression skeptical, stepped back, avoiding Emilia's embrace. "We had… business to attend to," she said, her voice clipped.
Rem, her gaze wary, remained silent.
The next three hours were a blur of strained conversation and carefully veiled accusations.
Emilia, oblivious to the true source of our tension and seemingly ignoring the double meaning, chattered about her errands, her plans for the day, her hopes for the future. She was kind, compassionate, genuinely concerned for our well-being.
It was maddening.
Either she was the world's greatest actress, capable of feigning sincerity with Oscar-worthy skill, or… something else was at play.
—
9:30 AM. The marketplace, bustling with activity, a symphony of sights, sounds, and smells. We were escorting Emilia, at her insistence, on a shopping trip, a bizarre attempt at normalcy amidst the impending doom.
A blur of motion, a whirlwind of wind, caught my eye.
A girl, her blonde hair flying, her body wrapped in a swirling vortex of air, darted past us, bumping into Emilia, knocking her to the ground.
I caught a glimpse of something in the girl's hand - a black stone, its surface smooth and cold, a single ruby-red gem embedded in its center.
Some kind of Insignia.
The girl, with a mischievous grin, pocketed the stone.
Emilia scrambled to her feet, her face pale, her voice shrill with panic. "No! My insignia! We have to catch that thief!"
I didn't hesitate.
With a speed that surprised even myself, I surged forward, my hand shooting out, grasping the girl's arm in a grip that made her wince.
"Give it back," I growled, my voice low and dangerous.
The girl, her eyes wide with surprise, struggled against my grip, but it was no use.
I was too strong, too fast.
She reluctantly retrieved the insignia, her defiant gaze meeting mine.
"Only if you don't tell anyone!" she demanded.
With a scowl, I made no promises and yanked it from her grip.
I handed the stone back to Emilia, who clutched it to her chest, her breathing ragged, her eyes filled with gratitude.
"Thank you," she whispered, her voice trembling.
I watched the girl disappear into the crowd, her wind magic fading, a sense of unease that was always present since the first loop utterly vanishing into thin air.
Was this it?
Was this the catalyst for the chain of events that led to the city's destruction?
A stupid girl stealing a stupid token that causes a stupid girl to go to the stupid slums and then stupidly die causing everyone else to die?
My eyes narrowed.
With the insignia recovered, with the potential calamity averted, I turned back to Emilia, my gaze hardening.
It was time for answers.
—
Emilia clutched the insignia, its smooth, cold surface a stark contrast to the warmth of her gratitude. But as her gaze shifted, meeting the combined intensity of our stares - Rem's cold fury, Ram's simmering resentment, and my own unwavering scrutiny - her smile faltered, replaced by a flicker of confusion.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, her voice hesitant, her brow furrowed.
The innocence in her voice, the genuine bewilderment in her eyes, was almost enough to make me doubt my own suspicions. Almost.
"You ask that?" Rem's voice was sharp, laced with a bitterness I'd never heard from her before. "You, who condemned this entire city to death? You, who unleashed that monster upon the world?"
Emilia's eyes widened, her face paling. "What… what are you talking about, Rem?" she stammered, her voice trembling. "I would never do such a thing! I don't understand…"
"Then explain this," Ram interjected, her voice cold, her gaze piercing. "Why would your familiar, your spirit, turn into that… that thing upon your death? Answer that, Emilia-sama."
Emilia's confusion deepened, her eyes darting between us, searching for answers in our hostile expressions. "Puck?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "But Puck would never… he's my protector, my friend…"
"Friends don't unleash city-destroying ice monsters," I muttered, my gaze hardening.
"I… I don't remember what I put in the contract," Emilia stammered, her voice cracking. "It was so long ago… but I would never agree to something like that! I swear!"
A swirl of icy mist materialized beside Emilia, coalescing into the form of a small, cat-like creature, its fur a pristine white, its eyes a piercing blue.
Puck. But not the monstrous, city-destroying lion we'd encountered before. This was Puck in his usual, harmless form, a playful, almost childlike spirit.
"What's all this commotion about?" he chirped, his voice light and cheerful, oblivious to the tension that crackled in the air.
"Puck," Rem said, her voice tight with barely suppressed rage. "Do you remember the contract you made with Emilia-sama? The one that binds you to her?"
Puck tilted his head, his blue eyes blinking slowly. "Contract? I don't remember making a contract, even if I'm bound by it. Do you, Lia?" I could tell he was acting shiftily though.
He was definitely hiding something.
Emilia shook her head, her face pale. "I… I don't remember either."
Puck floated closer to Emilia, nuzzling against her cheek. "Don't worry, Lia," he purred. "I'll always protect you. Even if I don't remember why."
A shiver of unease ran down my spine. No memories? Both Emilia and Puck claimed to have forgotten the details of their contract. Was it possible? Could they truly be innocent pawns in some larger, more sinister game?
Then, Puck's casual words shattered the fragile hope that had begun to flicker within me.
"Although," he mused, his voice taking on a thoughtful tone, "now that I think about it, I can totally see my past self slipping in a clause about well, you know, freezing everything if Lia got hurt. I was always a bit overprotective."
He paused, a ponderous glint in his eyes. "Actually, I probably would do the same thing now, if I'm being honest."
The animosity, the anger that had momentarily dissipated, the blame that had seemed to vanish with their shared amnesia, now focused on the small, seemingly harmless spirit.
Puck.
The true architect of the city's destruction.
Even without his memories, his inherent nature, his possessive love for Emilia, remained unchanged.
Wait, did he even forget or was this just an excuse for Emilia to not hate him.
Whatever it was it seemed to backfire, because an extremely horribly betrayed look, directed at her contracted spirit, came directly from Emilia, "Puck! You! The person I knew the longest! How could you?! Even if you don't remember, if I were ever to be harmed you would just- destroy everything?!" she fell to the cobblestones beneath her and started to sob. "Do I even actually know you?!"
He was a ticking time bomb, a disaster waiting to happen.
I drew my sword.
Rem drew her morningstar.
Ram started to fulminate with an aura of wind as her twin blades appeared in her hands.
She then paused, and then her aura of wind disappeared, followed by her new gauntlets appearing on her arms. "I actually think I want to beat this one to death." She stated matter of factly.
Puck, with a panicked look on his face, retreated to Emilia's crystal, clearly not wanting to fight in a diminished form that requires the draining of mana from Emilia instead of the atmosphere.
—
The air hung heavy with the weight of revelation, the silence punctuated by the soft sobs that escaped Emilia's lips as Puck, his words echoing in our minds, retreated into the depths of her crystal, leaving behind a chilling emptiness.
Rem, her gaze fixed on Emilia, her expression a mask of cold fury, spoke, her voice devoid of its usual gentleness. "Go back to the Mathers estate, Emilia-sama," she commanded, her words sharp, final. "We will not be accompanying you."
Emilia, her eyes red-rimmed, her face stained with tears, looked up, her voice trembling. "But- but where will you go? What will you do?"
"That is none of your concern," Ram interjected, her voice laced with a biting disdain. "Tell Roswaal that we have found a… more suitable source of mana. All previous agreements are null and void."
Emilia, her confusion deepening, opened her mouth to protest, but Ram silenced her with a glare that could freeze fire.
We escorted Emilia back to her carriage, the journey a silent procession, the air thick with unspoken accusations and a shared sense of betrayal.
As Emilia climbed into the carriage, her gaze lingering on us, a flicker of pleading in her eyes, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for her.
She was a victim, in her own way- manipulated by a spirit whose love was as possessive as it was destructive.
But sympathy wasn't enough to erase the chilling reality of what we'd witnessed, the knowledge that her innocence, her naivete, was a weapon that could cover the world in ice.
We watched the carriage roll away, its wheels clattering against the cobblestones, a symbol of a past we were leaving behind.
"So," I said, turning to Rem and Ram, my voice quiet, my gaze searching theirs. "Even after finding out that Emilia wasn't responsible, you still want to stay with me?"
Ram, her eyes narrowed, her expression thoughtful, met my gaze. "Naivety of that level can be a crime in itself, Tereda," she said, her voice sharp, pragmatic. "Staying near a being that would willingly force itself to kill everything around it upon the death of a single person? That's not just stupid, it's suicidal."
Rem, her gaze distant, nodded in agreement.
—
The open road stretched before us, a ribbon of gray winding through rolling hills and dense forests, a stark contrast to the looming walls and bustling streets of the capital city. The air was fresh, the scent of pine needles and wildflowers a welcome change from the stench of fear and decay that clung to Lugunica.
We walked in silence, each lost in our own thoughts, the weight of our recent revelations and the uncertainty of the future pressing down on us.
"Where to now?" Ram asked, her voice breaking the silence, her gaze fixed on the distant horizon.
"Away from here," Rem replied, her tone firm, her eyes reflecting a newfound determination. "Anywhere but Lugunica."
My gaze drifted towards the west, towards the distant mountains that marked the border with Kararagi. It was a land of samurai and spirits, of ancient traditions and powerful magic - a world both familiar and unsettlingly alien.
"Not Kararagi," I said, my voice tight, a wave of unease washing over me. "Anywhere but there."
Ram and Rem exchanged a surprised glance.
"Why not?" Ram asked, her brow furrowed. "It's said to be a land of great beauty and powerful magic. Surely it would be a better choice than wandering aimlessly."
"It's… complicated," I muttered, my gaze dropping to the ground, the memories of another life, of a world lost, surfacing unbidden.
"Explain," Rem insisted, her voice gentle but firm.
I hesitated, unsure how to put into words the turmoil that churned within me. How could I explain the strange familiarity of Kararagi's culture, the echoes of a world I'd left behind, the unsettling feeling of looking into a distorted mirror, a reflection of what could have been?
"I'm… from another world," I said finally, the words tasting strange on my tongue. "A world of technology and science, of heroes and villains, tinker- of a society teetering on the brink of self-destruction."
I looked up, meeting their gazes, bracing myself for disbelief, for mockery, for the dismissal I'd come to expect whenever I spoke of my past.
"I don't blame you for not believing me," I added, my voice laced with a self-deprecating humor that felt hollow even to my own ears.
"We believe you," Rem said, her voice quiet but firm.
"People from beyond the waterfall are a known quantity in this world," Ram added, her usual smugness replaced by a thoughtful frown. "They're either incredibly powerful or… well, let's just say their arrival doesn't always end well. More the latter than the former, actually."
My jaw dropped. "You- you know about people from other worlds?"
"Of course," Rem replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It's rare, but it happens. There are stories, legends, whispered tales of those who have fallen through the cracks of reality, who have brought with them knowledge and power both wondrous and terrifying. The royal candidate Priscilla Barielle even enslaved one. She is a horrible person so don't worry yourself about being enslaved by anyone sane in this country though."
I nodded and then continued my explanation. "Kararagi is like a funhouse mirror of my country, Japan, except the portion of Japan I lived in was sunk by a monster we called Leviathan, one of the three endbringers, when I was only 9. Even if it's been another 9 years and at least 4 years worth of loops for me, it would just make me feel ill to walk those streets."
Rem and Ram nodded with sympathy.
Ram hesitated at first, but latched herself on my left arm, while Rem wrapped herself around my right arm with no hesitation.
We walked silently from then on.
We really didn't have anywhere to go here did we?
But we weren't alone.
—
The inn was a cozy haven, its timbered walls and roaring fireplace a welcome respite from the chill of the autumn air. We'd arrived exhausted, our bodies aching from the long journey, our minds still reeling from the events of the previous day.
After a hearty meal and a few tankards of ale, we retired to our separate rooms, the silence a welcome balm after the constant tension of the city. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, I slept soundly, my dreams undisturbed by the chilling specter of the ice creature or the weight of the city's impending doom.
The next morning, I awoke feeling refreshed, a sense of optimism bubbling within me. I made my way downstairs, the aroma of freshly baked bread and savory stew filling the air, a welcome assault on my senses.
"Morning," I greeted the innkeeper, a jovial man with a bushy beard and a twinkle in his eye. "A bowl of your finest breakfast stew, please. And a pot of strong tea."
He chuckled, his eyes twinkling. "Coming right up, young sir. You and your companions look like you could use a hearty meal after your long journey."
I settled into a corner booth, enjoying the warmth of the fire and the cheerful chatter of the other patrons. Thirty minutes later, Rem and Ram joined me, their appearances transformed.
Gone were the maid uniforms, replaced by more practical attire. Rem wore a white turtleneck sweater and a red skirt, her slender legs encased in sturdy leather boots. Her blue hair was still adorned with her signature butterfly ornament, a touch of elegance amidst the practicality.
Ram, her eyes still slightly sleepy, sported a similar ensemble, a pale pink sweater and a brown skirt, her pink hair held back by her usual flower hairpin. They looked… different. More relaxed, more themselves.
They both ordered bowls of stew, and we ate in comfortable silence, the weight of the previous day's events momentarily forgotten.
After breakfast, we checked out of the inn, our packs lighter, our spirits buoyed by the promise of a new direction.
"I have a surprise for you," I announced, a mischievous grin spreading across my face. "But we need to go… somewhere a bit more private."
I led them away from the town, following a winding path that led through a dense forest, the sunlight filtering through the leaves, dappling the ground in shades of gold and green.
Finally, we reached a clearing, a secluded haven surrounded by towering trees.
"Alright," I said, turning to face them, my grin widening. "Before I show you my surprise, I need you to drink these."
I pulled out three vials from my soul storage, each filled with a different colored liquid - one a shimmering silver, one a deep emerald green, and one a fiery crimson.
"What are they?" Ram asked, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"Just a few… precautions," I replied, my voice deliberately vague. "Immunity to disease, harmful chemicals, and pollutants. Trust me, you'll want these where we're going."
They exchanged a wary glance, but their curiosity, coupled with the trust we'd forged over countless loops, won out. They drank the potions without hesitation.
I waited a moment, letting the potions take effect, then stepped back, my hand outstretched.
"Ready?" I asked, my grin widening.
A crackle of energy, a ripple of distortion, and a swirling portal, its edges shimmering with a kaleidoscope of colors, materialized beside me.
"Would you like to go beyond the waterfall too, ladies?"
Rem and Ram stared at the portal, their eyes wide with a mixture of awe and apprehension. They spoke to each other in hushed whispers, their words too low for me to decipher.
Finally, Rem turned to me, her gaze steady. "We're ready," she said, her voice firm.
We stepped through the portal, the familiar world of Lugunica dissolving behind us, replaced by a dizzying rush of colors and sensations.
Then, just as abruptly, the swirling vortex subsided, and we found ourselves standing in a vast, sterile chamber, its walls gleaming white, its air filled with the hum of machinery and the faint scent of ozone.
On one wall, a sign, its lettering both familiar and alien, proclaimed:
Arasaka Corporation Lab NC-14-32-B
Below it, in Japanese, the same words stared back at us.
I grinned, my heart pounding with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.
"Welcome to another unique world!"
Bonus: Whispers
Ram whispered to her sister, "How the hell is he doing this? I know his potion making skills are something else, but this complete nonsense!"
Rem responded just as quietly, "He seems completely oblivious to how his potions should be absolutely impossible, let's keep it that way, what if informing him will make it stop working?"