Blood slowly dripped down the protruding mana dagger's handle in thick droplets. It had pierced cleanly through his hand, like a hot knife through butter. The purple handle shook lightly in his grip.
Toyota felt pain.
And heat.
It burned.
It burned, just like the sensation of his, of Subaru's, first death.
He couldn't help but grin.
If anyone had been there, if anyone had seen the boy smiling warmly at the sight of his hand impaled, they would've shuddered. The pure creepiness of the scene was enough to curdle blood.
But that was when something… anomalous occurred.
The blood trailing down the mana dagger's handle was absorbed, drawn into the shimmering purple mana as if being sucked through a straw, being devoured. Slowly, the deep scarlet of fresh blood began to spread through the pink and purple materialized weapon, veins of crimson tracing through the blade.
[Notification]
Origin Mana: Purity: EX- has combined with ?????????? (Locked)
A passive skill that has yet to be unlocked. Requirements unknown.
[Notification]
Skill name has been forcefully unlocked
Currently Sealed- Bloodline of Khahrahk (Locked)
Then it happened.
The subtle aura of black and purple, the miasma of the Witch of Envy, her scent, began to spike. It was a manifestation of her possessiveness, a territorial haze marking Toyota as hers, screaming ownership to anything that dared approach.
And now, that miasma flared.
As if trying to hide her property from something.
Something indescribably powerful.
Something searching.
It thickened rapidly, growing in density and putridity, an invisible cloud reeking of Protectiveness and obsession, with the choking thickness of a thousand deaths all in succession.
Beatrice, who was within close proximity, felt it immediately as an artificial great spirit.
The scent. The corrupted mana. The oppressive weight of miasma.
Her knees weakened. Cold sweat beaded and ran down the side of her pale cheek as she hugged her still-groggy contractor tighter.
"N-no... She couldn't be descending… That calamity should still be sealed, I suppose…"
But this... this was far too powerful to be a mere fragment.
Burying her face into Subaru's chest, she whimpered. Her small fingers clenched his coat in fear.
Even sealed, the Witch of Envy, just fragments of her, had enough power to destroy the world.
Subaru, still only half-conscious, blinked groggily and placed a lazy hand to his forehead. Then, sensing the trembling girl in his arms, he gently moved his hand down and ran his fingers through her hair, voice soft.
"What's wrong, Beako? Why are you shaking? If you are that cold, you are welcome to use my body as a heat pack, but becoming a mole is a bit much."
He stroked her head gently, trying to comfort her. She didn't answer. She was too focused.
From the castle, she knew, there were only three people tied closely to the Witch, their scent twisted by her influence.
Al… Subaru… and Toyota.
And given that Subaru was right here, that left only two possibilities.
Unaware of this, Toyota mindlessly looked up, lost in thought.
Then—
A barrage of notifications rang out.
[New Skill Unlocked]
Passive Magic Skill: Mana Permanence
Any constructs or mana created now have the capability to exist outside the caster's awareness or control—without supervision.
Current Usefulness: Forbidden
Potential Usefulness: Forbidden
[Warning]
— Siblings are aware of VOA's existence.
— Due to partial unlocking of the Sealed Bloodline of Khahrahk, your position has been transmitted.
— Witch's Scent has been forcefully removed.
— Protection of the Witch of Envy is now insubstantial.
— Guardian Quest now priority.
— Invasion time limit has been decreased by 2 days due to outside interference.
[Priority Quest Updated]
Become Reinhard van Astrea's friend.
2. Help Reinhard overcome her guilt.
Reward for completing both quests: Unique Ability.
***
Inside the soul realm, two souls sat huddled near a pulsating scarlet orb of pure energy. It radiated two conflicting sentiments, hatred and love, opposites bound together like two sides of the same coin.
The two souls, the sociopath Greed, and the psychopath Pride, sat near the orb, but not too close, as if it were a fire they were trying to warm themselves by without getting burned.
Pride turned his head toward Greed with a curious glint in his eye.
"Big bro, what are we gonna do about that?"
Greed sighed out of routine, his tone reproachful but flat.
"It was bound to happen sooner or later. There's not much we can do from here. Looks like that angry child ate too much at once... so we won't be digested for a while."
Pride swung his legs childishly, kicking the air.
"Ughhhh, I'm soooo annoyed. I thought the kid would've gone after Emilia after getting our memories."
He giggled, a twisted little laugh.
"Would've been hilarious to see him get NTR'd by Subaru in this timeline."
Greed glanced at him. Pride might joke, but it was clear from the way he buried his face in his arms that the mention of her still stung.
"No matter what he chooses," Greed said, "the healthiest thing for him is to treat our memories like tools. If he clings too tightly to any one of us… He'll only inherit our mistakes."
Pride coughed lightly, understanding the truth but unable to accept it. His attachment to Emilia, obsessive and irrational, ran too deeply.
"He's got the Gender bent Reinhard as a knight now. She's one fine bitch, they should just-" he made a circle on one hand with his thumb and index finger, with the other hand he extended a finger, pulling it in and out of the created hole with increasing intensity.
Greed gave a deadpan expression as if being next to this man was his punishment ordained by the divine.
"But something about her feels off." Pride suddenly said, suddenly turning serious
Greed leaned back, stretching lazily.
"Yeah. She unnerves me. Her mind's too volatile. I never understood how someone with that much power hasn't snapped. Whatever this 'System' is, it's far too sadistic for its 'priority mission'... though I'll admit it's probably necessary."
Pride tilted his head, eyes narrowing.
"Speaking of that, why does the Witch even care about the kid?"
Greed gave him a tired look. Despite their appearances, these two were ancient beings, older than comprehension, their minds far beyond human. Still, Greed was clearly getting sick of being the only one thinking critically.
"The Witch doesn't give a rat's ass about the kid."
Pride blinked, his finger twitching as he processed that.
"What? Then... if that's true, the 'points' or whatever positive energy he's getting from her is a lie?"
Greed licked his lips.
"You're mistaking the treasure chest for the treasure."
Pride froze, then slowly broke into a wide, dawning grin.
"You mean... she doesn't care about the vessel. She cares about what's inside it. And what's inside—"
"—is us," Greed finished.
Pride chuckled darkly, the revelation electrifying him.
"So... she's trying to protect the kid from his daddy's spawn because we're in here."
Greed gave a shallow smile.
"Bingo."
"Not gonna lie, I'm kinda turned on. I'm so valued and appreciated." Pride shivered dramatically, hands on his shoulders, licking his lips.
Greed, hearing those words, subtly inched away from the self-proclaimed sin arch bishop of pride.
***
Toyota, entirely unaware of the blaring notifications, was too lost in thought.
He had to accept it.
His goal had never changed. He just needed a change of perspective.
An unknown soul had told him, " Don't lose your emotions," which didn't mean to let them run rampant, or suppress them.
Happiness wasn't a goal to achieve; it was a mindset.
He would save everyone. Reality or not.
He couldn't keep clinging to others' failures.
Even if he wanted to bring back Sloth's children… even if he wanted to recreate Rigel and Spica, he couldn't do that by chasing the same relationship Subaru had with Rem. Not biologically. Not spiritually.
If there was even a possibility of that future of bringing back his kids… he'd have to play matchmaker. He'd have to get Subaru together with Rem and Emilia. As painful as it was, the evidence was undeniable: whenever Emilia wasn't part of the equation, he couldn't gain new Return by Death checkpoints.
No matter how much it hurt him, if he truly wanted a good ending, then playing Subaru's wingman was worth it. If supporting Subaru helped him get there, he'd do it. Gladly.
There was another side goal he'd kept buried in his heart.
Subaru's parents.
If possible, he wanted to bring them here.
Toyota still remembered reading that sad post years ago, a forum thread buried deep in an old archive, describing what happened to Naoko and Kenichi Natsuki after Subaru vanished. How they endured the slow, agonizing disappearance of their son. How the police had no leads. How people whispered behind their backs.
"He must've run away."
"He probably killed himself."
But they never gave up.
They cried every day.
Spent all their money looking for their boy.
They were amazing parents, ones who truly cared for their son.
The reason why Subaru never talked about his parents was cause he thought seeing them again was impossible. That was why he was grateful to Echidna. During the trial to free the sanctuary, he thanked the witch of greed for making illusions of his mom and dad so that he could say the goodbye that he was unable to.
And if he could… Toyota wanted to give Subaru what he lacked: support. A family. A safety net he'd never had.
He couldn't help it.
A pang of bitter envy twisted in his chest.
How lucky…
How lucky Subaru was… to have a family like that.
Pushing the thoughts aside, he activated his Grey World. Even with his eyes open, he scanned the surroundings to focus himself.
That was when he noticed something.
Rei was gone.
She had actually obeyed.
Giving him time.
Shock flashed across Toyota's face.
His perception had changed.
Before, his Grey World could barely scan a third of the castle. Now? Now, he could see beyond that, clear into the castle gardens.
His clarity. His range. Everything had… expanded.
And he had no idea why.
"Gyhhaaaaaa!"
Toyota jumped, startled by the sudden shriek right beside him.
A girl with short, shoulder-length blonde hair had crept just a few feet from him, her hands covering her face, though the gesture was completely defeated by the fact that her cat-like red eyes were clearly peeking between her fingers.
"Why is this kid stabbing himself? So freaky…"
Toyota's mouth dropped open in disbelief. He turned to face her, not bothering to hide the pure confusion on his face.
How had his Grey World not noticed her?
The girl, eyes still glued to his impaled hand, slowly tilted her head up, meeting his gaze directly.
They stared at each other.
Blankly.
Red cat-eyes met cold silver crosshairs.
A long, almost sibling-like silence stretched between them.
And then, at the exact same time, they both shouted:
"Felt?!"
"You can see me?!"
***
Felix, with an imperceptible limp, wordlessly sat down beside his lady in the VIP seats overlooking the training grounds.
Crusch turned to him with a warm smile, but the expression vanished the moment she got a good look at him.
"Felix. What happened?"
Her knight's robe was torn, dirtied, practically dragged through dust like a makeshift mop. Felix tried to keep his composure, but the shame in his heart was clear.
"I tried to do what you asked," he muttered. "I offered to heal his injury and…" he paused, swallowing hard. "He used that Divine Protection of Telekinesis to throw me into a wall. Just for offering."
Any trace of doubt in Crusch's eyes disappeared as she took in his battered state. Her jaw clenched, fury rising.
"I tried to extend an offer of truce, and he spits in my face?" she said, her voice sharp with anger. "Did he have any reason to attack you?"
Felix, trying to regain his usual charm, flicked his tail and stuck out his tongue with a sheepish grin. "Well… I was a bit pushy."
Crusch's fury only deepened at his honesty.
"Don't worry," she said coldly. "I'll pay him back for what he did to you. Tenfold."
She turned to a nearby knight and politely requested, "Could you please bring my attendant another coat?"
Then, leaning over, she pulled Felix into a warm embrace, his face pressed against her chest.
"I'm sorry. It seems my judgment was wrong."
Felix, in classic shameless fashion, nuzzled his face deeper into her cleavage. "What are you planning, my lady?"
Crusch's expression darkened.
"I want to have a word with his knight, Reinhard, about her lord's brutish behavior."
At that, Felix visibly flinched. "I don't think that's a good idea," he muttered. "It's clear she and he are in cahoots."
Crusch nodded slowly, naively accepting her knight's words. "I suppose… you're right."
Then, folding her arms with a huff, she leaned back in her seat.
"For now, let's just watch Anastasia's knight kick his ass."
(AN: There's a lot of hidden lore behind this chap that I released early. I did that because I felt I needed to include more system aspects, as I had not done that for a while. I will try not to do any more recaps from different POVs, as I got some comments about that. As promised, I made Felix more of a jerk.
I don't know if I will be able to keep up this same release schedule because I start college in two weeks, and I will be busy most of the time, but give me your thoughts on this chapter.