Chapter Text
"Tch! I can't keep this up much longer! How much more time before it's ready!"
In an empty wasteland, a man flies faster than the eye can see. He's in distress, one of his eyes bashed and an arm seemingly disabled.
"We just need about another minute Ed! Hold out just a little longer!" No. 17 exclaimed through an unseen intercom device. The instant after Edward receives this confirmation, he's hit with a fireball-like projectile, sending him barreling out of the sky and straight through a mountain with earth-shattering force. As he continues to collapse, scorched by the blow, a man with green jade gauntlets and a raging fury in his eyes appears above Edward and latches onto his collar.
"Don't have anything witty to say now, don't you!?" The man said as he looked at Edward with a frenzied expression before hitting him with a bone shattering roundhouse, sending him to the ground and shattering it on impact. Edward lays motionless, coughing up blood profusely. Before he even manages to muster the strength to move, the assailant quickly capitalizes, and grabs Edward by the neck before darting into the atmosphere of the planet with him in hand.
"What happened to the damage control?! What happened to you putting an end to this?!" The assailant says with a devious grin as he changes direction, heading straight toward the ground through the massive, flaming atmosphere at beyond lightspeed.
"EDWARD!!!" Everyone watched as Edward was slammed into the oncoming city, hitting the ground almost like a hydrogen bomb before everything goes to black. As the dust clears, the enemy towers over Edward, hand still gripping his neck. Blood begins to pool underneath as he hangs from the assailant's hand. From above, 2 greyish-white robed individuals accompanied by a large mecha droid descend from the sky before Edward's dropped to the ground. One a petite woman with neck length jet-black hair and jet black eyes, the other being an average height man with brown hair with a medium long middle part and glasses.
"Doesn't look like the underdog's making it out of this one, hm." said the woman in a spiteful tone as the mech lowered her to the ground gently.
"With this, the legacy of the legendary Doombringer finally comes to an end. You have taken something that is mine, and you know it. Katheryn, you take it from here." The brown-haired man said, looking toward the woman and her mech.
"Need me to rip it out of em hm? Gladly." Katheryn says, wearing a gleeful smile. As she slowly approaches Edward, he tries to lift himself up to no avail.
"Oh, that little bomb seemed like it hurt, perhaps you'd like some assistance, hm?" Katheryn whispers as she kneels down to Edward's level.
"I'll be seeing you in hell, b-" Edward was interrupted before he could finish, letting out a loud scream as the woman stomped on his broken arm multiple times. The brown-haired individual steps forward to Edward's body, beholding the product of their efforts.
"Still got a mouth 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 big even while in your abhorrent state? 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝘂𝘁𝘁, 𝗶 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂!" She yelled maniacally as she stomped on his arm continuously before coming to a sudden stop, halting all actions.
"Ah! I almost forgot, so silly..." Katheryn kicks Edward in the face one more time before focusing her attention on his mind and soul. She visualizes a hand reaching into Edwards head, and it begins frantically scrambling through his memory.
"No!... You...." Edward struggled to mutter as he flared his energy attempting to break free from Katheryn's influence.
"You damned mutt, just give up already!" She strained her body attempting to resist the pushback to no avail. The hand breaks, and they both snap back to reality. The droid darts to Katheryn's aid as she falls to her knees. The other 2 assailants stand there, watching the entire ordeal play out.
"Go ahead Elliot, he's all yours. But seriously, is all of this for that child?" The man wearing jade gauntlets said with his arms crossed, surrendering the finishing blow.
"Correct, I came for my subject. Killing Edward was simply a necessary but satisfying step to achieving that." Elliot said. No. 17 and Edwards' team watch helplessly as Elliot readies an attack to kill Edward.
"I'll see you in hell." Edward said, accepting his fate. Edward closes his eyes, and everything goes silent. Sure that it was all over for him. He wondered if he taught his adopted-daughter enough. He had wondered if he had lived up to the expectations people had of him. He wondered, and wondered, and wondered, until he wondered too much and thought to himself...
"Wait, how am I still here?" The sound returns to his ears, and the light shining on his eyelids blinds him. He opens his eyes to see himself surrounded by people, but seemingly all different kinds of people. He notices a beast-woman, but a specific race of demi-human he's very familiar with. Edward, in shock and confusion, completely zones out when he catches a glimpse of the gigantic castle at the peak of the town. He instantly realizes he's been here before, and the realization shakes him to his core. "I-I'm back?" —---------------------------
Late at night, a boy readies to leave his apartment complex. A woman, seemingly his mother, waves to him before he leaves.
"Love you!" She said, but the boy said nothing as he exited the apartment. In a convenience store, the boy wearing a black jumpsuit with orange highlights is seen buying a bag of chips. With a drowsy look he scans his items and exits the store.
"What time is it..." the boy said as his vision suddenly began to blur. He stands there rubbing his eyes trying to regain his composure for the walk back home. He blinks once, and then again, until he realizes that his surroundings have completely changed.
"W-what the..??". In an instant, his surroundings went from a dark, empty lot to a bright beaming street with people of all types walking around. He stands for a moment, absorbing all that's happening.
"This obviously is reality... so could that mean... I've been summoned into a parallel world!?" He begins to walk down the busy street as people in carts pulled by giant lizard-like beasts pass by.
"Well, by the looks of things I'd say this is some kind of fantasy world with medieval style culture. A world where demi-humans are commonplace, there's always a war and adventures to go on! And in this magical world, I must've-" before he could finish geeking out, he's interrupted by the sound of a woman's scream and a man riding a lizard-beast yelling at a kid who fell in the street.
"Hey watch out!" People in the street watch in horror as the kid is seemingly about to be hit by the beast, but our guy here thinks differently.
"This is it, it's totally happening! This must be an event popup where I'll learn to produce magic! Natsuki Subaru, this is your moment!" He kneels down and puts his hand out as if he's about to shoot a ki blast and yells
"HA!". But unfortunately, nothing happens. Before the beast can trample the child, a knight swoops in and grabs him from harm's way. Everyone cheers as the knight lets out a triumphant laugh. Subaru, feeling quite stupid, just sits there for a moment, embarrassed.
"I guess it's a little early for me to use magic in this world" As he's walking, he notices an apple stand. It's here that Subaru notices the sign depicting the price of the apples.
"I can't read any of this" Subaru thinks to himself as he catches the shop owner's eye.
"Hey boy, you're not from around here are ya." the man asks.
"So are these..." Subaru points at the apples, curious to see if apples have the same name in this new world he finds himself in.
"Appas, the freshest you'll find" the shop owner says. Subaru thinks to himself that at least they speak the same language.
"Lets see if" he thinks to himself as he reaches into his pocket for money to buy an appa.
"Huh? Where's that money from? You can't use that stuff out here in Lugunica, and if that's all you've got then you're flat broke... so don't waste my time freeloader get outta here!" the shop owner exclaimed, pushing Subaru to leave.
"Well that explains that. Guess I'll have to stick to good ol' information gathering." He thinks to himself as he unknowingly walks into a washroom where demi-human women are washing their hands. They all let out a yell, shocked by what they are witnessing. Before Subaru can explain that he doesn't know how to read any of the signs, he is slapped in the face, promptly making him leave. He wanders around more till he stumbles on a bar. When he enters, he's met with the stares of dozens of lizard-like demi-humans.
"This place is for demi-humans only!" the shop owner yells before another demi-human grabs and shoves Subaru out of the way as he was entering the bar. Subaru palms his eye as he stumbles away from the bar.
"Ouch! Dammit my eye!" he said as he trips over the side of a small bridge and falls into the water. After getting himself together, he wanders into an empty alley to get away from all of the chaos.
"Is this how it's supposed to be, cause none of this makes sense! This is a different world summons, right?! Where's my main character setup and status bar!? Damn.." Subaru contemplates for a moment before pulling his phone out and scrolling through his contacts.
"Looks like my cell phone still works... but there's no point in even having it now!" He says noticing he has no service.
"And the gear they started me off with is a joke. If you're gonna summon lazy ass kids like me to your world, you'd better overhaul your crappy welfare program! Start me off with an Excalibur sword or a magic cloak!" Subaru sighs, disappointed thinking about his situation, but before he can fully gather his thoughts he's startled by the sound of approaching footsteps. When he turns his head, he sees the man who was approaching. He has white, jagged hair with striking purple eyes with some kind of purple streak crossing the skin on the outside of his eye, almost looking like a lightning bolt with a pinpoint at the top. Subaru thinks to himself, scanning his attire.
"This guy's wearing biker clothes and a black fur coat in this 90 degree weather. He can't be from around here either." Subaru sits there feeling slightly uneasy as the man stares him in the eye, not sure what he's thinking.
"Starter gear and a world summons? What do you think this is? Some kind of MMO?" Edward says in a snarky tone, embarrassing Subaru to his core.
"H-hey where the hell did you come from! Y'know just eavesdropping on a guy in an alleyway can be taken multiple different ways!" Subaru shouted before pausing at the realization.
"Wait, you know what an MMO is?" he says, rightfully confused.
"That's the exact reason I came back here. When you scream stuff like that at the top of your lungs, it tends to attract attention." Edward said, looking Subaru up and down.
"Just looking at you, I can tell you aren't from around here. Look, in a world where people still use dunderhead as a real insult, you are here with a convenience store bag of chips and a flip phone. It's quite obvious to anyone who's familiar with that stuff that you aren't from around here at least." As Edward scans Subaru, he notices a spark of energy, one he feels nothing but malevolence from.
"What the hell, looks like coming to this place did get him something after all." As Edward attempts to gain a better understanding of the ability Subaru has, he comes to the realization that there's some kind of "barrier" blocking information on his ability.
"Well this is a first, ah what the hell we'll figure it out later." Edward thought to himself. Subaru sits and thinks about the situation and considers telling Edward the full extent of his own situation. Before either can say anything, Edward notices 3 people begin walking from the shadows of the alley.
"Now would you look at that, the world really did send you a starter quest." Edward told Subaru as he stood on guard as the 3 men emerged from the shadows. Edward almost laughs seeing their figures. The grey haired grunt steps up to Subaru and grabs him by the collar.
"If you don't wanna get hurt, cough up whatever you've got!" Subaru and Edward are genuinely shocked by what's happening. Subaru tries to regain his footing before everyone's attention shifts to the opening of the alley, where a short girl with blonde hair and red eyes is shouting while running their way.
"Move it, move it! Move it you guys! Outta my way!" She says while bolting through the alley. Subaru's eyes light up, finally believing he's found the one who summoned him.
"Yes! I knew you'd find me, the cute girl who summoned me!". She paused, staring at Subaru with a confused look.
"Summoned? I don't know what you're talkin about but I'm really busy. Sorry, now live strong, okay?" she said before leaping up the walls and onto the rooftop before bolting off. Edward takes a mental note of a small trinket the girl is carrying, specifically of the red gem that's placed in the middle of the trinket.
"Wow, that was supposed to be the person who summoned you? Some summoner that was." Edward said while standing there, truly amazed by the randomness of the whole situation.
"Well of course I did, that's how it goes in every show and game!" Subaru exclaimed before the grip around his collar tightened.
"You've got your own problems to d-" before he could finish, he was on the floor face down, out cold. Subaru does a double take before he yells...
"My powers, they finally kicked in!!" before Edward steps by his side, putting a hand on Subaru's shoulder.
"Heh, I wouldn't be too sure about that. Let me handle this." He said with a cocky grin on his face. The remaining grunts stammer in shock. Their friend was just gripping Subaru's collar, and in an instant, faster than their eyes could see, he was on the floor, out cold.
"W-what the hell did you do to him!" "You'll pay for that!" Both grunts draw blades and rush Edward, but he just stands still all while grinning. The taller grunt swings his blade at Edward's neck, but it's abruptly knocked from his hand by an unseen force. A moment later, he's suddenly hurled into the alley wall by the same unseen force and knocked unconscious. Subaru looks at Edward in awe. Edward turns around and looks at Subaru's expression, taking note of Subaru's reactions.
"You aren't from this world, aren't you." he said as he casually flicked the remaining grunt in the head, promptly knocking him out.
"What you were saying made it obvious, but now I'm certain.." he said as he approached Subaru casually.
"You are amazing, like how'd you do that!" Subaru asked, excited at the thought of being able to do stuff like that.
"Well, it's a very long story that nobody wants to sit and listen to. Long story short, I'm not from this world either, but that much is very obvious now. Both of us look like foreigners." Subaru looks at Edward before thinking about how different they both are.
"Obviously we aren't from the same world, seeing as you can knock people out without touching them while I was almost pressed by one of them. Regardless, you're the first friendly face I've gotten to meet. Name's Subaru, Natsuki Subaru." he said, reaching out for a handshake.
"Edward Grenore, but some people call me Add. I don't mind either honestly," He said, shaking Subaru's hand. As the two finish introducing themselves, yet another silhouette appears in the light, casting a shadow on both Edward and Subaru. Edward's nerves begin to tense up, knowing something's up while Subaru looks at the person with anticipation.
"Hey, you two stop what you're doing!" The girl steps into view, and from Edward's perspective, time just froze. Memories of a time long gone begin to flicker in his head like some kind of fast forwarded movie.
"This isn't real" Edward thought to himself as he stared as though he had seen a ghost. Subaru says nothing, but could only note how beautiful this girl was. She has silver hair and purple eyes, glimmering like a perfectly cut amethyst.
"Woah" is all Subaru could mutter before he was interrupted by the girl's abrupt order.
"Don't move." She said as she gazed at his eyes. Subaru nervously looks away, confirming her erroneous assumption.
"Aha! You avert your eyes due to your guilty conscience. My judgement was spot on as always." she said as a small cat-like being floats from her hair, immediately questioning her judgement.
"You sure? I think it was just an instinctive male reaction to avoid tension or rudeness. I didn't sense any malice at all-" The girl interrupts the cat creature before he can finish.
"Oh you be quiet Puck!" Edward regains his composure, chuckling a little after getting a hint at the conclusion she had come to.
"You aren't off the hook either!" the girl turned toward Edward, turning her attention toward him.
"You can't assume someone is guilty of a crime based on evidence as shoddy as an averted gaze." Edward says as he looks toward the floating cat creature, who's currently eyeballing him. Both of them glare at each other momentarily before the girl breaks the tension.
"Don't try to weasel your way out of this. I know one of you has it!" Subaru raised his hand silently before asking...
"Okay, soo.. what do we have exactly?" Subaru and Edward both look at the girl with confused expressions, before the realization clicks to Edward.
"Wait, you wouldn't just so happen to be looking for a small dark blueish trinket with a little red crystal on it, would you?" The girl stammered for a moment, finally gaining a real lead to where her stolen trinket is.
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm looking for. How'd you-" Before she could finish, Edward cuts her off.
"Ah i see now, so you got robbed. Some kid ran past us and up that wall there with it." The girl turns around, embarrassed but glad to have finally made some progress. She clears her throat before Puck explains the situation to Edward and Subaru.
"Her insignia was stolen, and it's really important that we get it back." Subaru steps in to speak, both trying to impress the girl, but also genuinely trying to help.
"Well hey, we both got a good view of what she looked like. We could help you find her!" The girl looks at Subaru in suspicion, prompting Edward to step in to add his own input.
"I don't wanna be that guy, but based purely off of the fact that you saw us and instantly thought we were prime suspects tells me you're not the greatest at the whole detective thing. Besides, what really is the downside to having 2 extra sets of eyes?" The girl is still apprehensive, and decides to ask one final question.
"You both have already given me more than enough information and I have nothing to give. There's nothing in it for either of you, so I can't understand why you'd want to help." Emilia said. Subaru, with a warm grin on his face, looks her in the eyes and simply says...
"In that case, I'm gonna help you for my own sake, too. Hmm, we should set a goal Ed... say... 1 good deed per day!" Edward just grins while Puck decides to take this moment to step in.
"Again, I'm not sensing malice from either of them. They bring up great points too, I think the help would be greatly appreciated. But just for one moment, let me speak with the one with white hair for a moment in private. I'd like to ask him a couple of questions myself." The girl looked confused, as they had just met moments ago. She thought to herself if something was wrong, but ignored it as she was more focused on getting her Insignia back. Edward and Puck step away, deeper into the alley to speak alone. Puck's expression angers a little while Edward waits to hear what he has to say.
"You sure took your time, Edward. If 100 years is how long it'd take you to come find her, you shouldn't have come back at all." Edwards expression doesn't change at all, he looks blankly at the ground.
"We thought she was gone." Edward said before Puck quickly interjects, his anger flaring.
"And where were you all this time, huh? While she was here alone, what were you out doing?" Edward turns toward Puck, his expression switching from blank to serious.
"I had no way to come back. If I could have, do you seriously think I wouldn't have come back?!" They both pause for a moment before the tension begins to die down. Puck looked down, thinking about his next words.
"What is it that you want to do now?" Puck questioned as Edward thought about it. Edward looked at Puck, and from the bottom of his heart he said...
"I want to support her, I want to see her grow. I want to be there this time." Puck hears what Edward said, and takes a moment to think.
"Can I trust you to be there for her, even if I'm not around?" Edwards face turns to a wide grin, he puts a fist out, shocking Puck.
"I'm not anywhere close to the same person I was all that time ago. I swear it, I won't fail again. After all, what kind of older brother fails to protect his baby sister twice." Puck grins, happy to have some peace of mind.
"I can tell you've gotten a huge glow up! Glad to have you back Eddie" The two bump fists and return to Subaru and the girl, who are waiting for the two to return.
"And what are you two grinning about?" the girl said as Puck and Edward stepped out of the alley.
"I'm just happy, I checked our guy here's resume and he seems fully qualified!" Puck said gleefully while returning to the girl's hair. Edward's eyes begin to focus as he scans the entire city for the energy signature the thief left behind.
"Who would have guessed, I believe I have an Idea of where the thief went off to." Edward told the two, shocking the silver-haired girl.
"How about we get moving, we don't have all day" Edward gestured for Subaru and the girl to follow him. Subaru followed without a second thought, and though the girl hesitates, she follows seconds after. In the next hour or so, the gang finds nothing and ends up looking from a high vantage point at some kind of large home complex. Edward, seemingly locked in, continues to scan the area.
"Shit, I already know where the runt is but damn being back feels so nice! This place is not at all the same as when I lived here!" Edward thinks to himself as he scans the distance with a totally focused expression.
"So I know what you said before, but isn't this town too huge to find one little thing in?" Subaru asks the girl as she scans the area as well.
"This "town" is the capital of Lugunica, did you seriously not know that?" the girl asked before she was interrupted by Puck who was exiting her hair.
"Hey that right, how rude of us! We haven't asked their names yet! Shouldn't we all introduce ourselves formally? Puck said, snapping Edward back to reality.
"Oh yeah, I guess you're right. I might as well get the ball rolling then!" Subaru said as he stood up getting ready to introduce himself.
"Ahem.. my name is Subaru Natsuki! Not only am I totally clueless, I'm also broke beyond compare! Nice to meet ya!" Subaru exclaimed while pointing towards the sky before extending his hand for a shake.
"He actually just did that. I just had to witness that." Edward stands there, the second-hand embarrassment almost makes him turn away.
"If that's how you introduce yourself you really do sound hopeless. Well, my name is Puck, it's nice to meet you!" Puck said as he flew into Subaru's hand, shaking his hand with his entire body.
"It's very unusual to see someone who can touch a spirit so casually like that, where are you from exactly?" The girl asks.
"Well if things follow the usual pattern it's a small island nation to the east." Subaru said with his arms crossed and a cheeky grin. This catches Edwards attention before he's reminded Subaru has no idea where or what this world had in store.
"But if i recall there isn't even a-" before he could finish his thought, the girl affirms the exact thought he had.
"Hmm, but Luginica is the easternmost nation on our continental map. There are no countries in that direction." she said as Subaru stammers upon the realization.
"W-what? No way, there's nothing East of here??" he said, looking as if he just made a new discovery.
"Not very geologically gifted aren't ya. You likely mean Kararagi, the westernmost country on the map. Yeah going east from here will lead you to nothing, it all ceases to exist." The girl tenses up, hearing Edward begin to speak on this topic.
"What!? It doesn't exist anymore??? How does that even happen?" Subaru exclaimed now invested in the lore of the world he now inhabits.
"Well, we can talk more about that later.. long history lesson that nobody has time for right at this moment. I'll go ahead and introduce myself. My name's Add, just Add. I just recently got here from Priestella, though I've been traveling for a while." Edward says while extending a hand, in which Puck happily launches himself into the handshake.
"Had to improvise that one, I almost couldn't remember the damn place's name! Please don't ask me anything about modern Priestella" Edward thought to himself as a nervous sweat fell down his forehead. Truly a risky move after not inhabiting this world for a little over 100 years, so much could have changed!
"Ah so you're traveling! No wonder you seem to be in good shape. Subaru, what do you do? You also look like you're in good shape." Puck asks, causing Subaru's face to light up at the chance to impress the girl.
"I do try to work out every day. You see when you're the shut-in protector of your own house, you've gotta stay fit as much as possible." Subaru said while remembering what his life was like back at home.
"Shut in protector are you? Now that's a new one." Edward said before giving Subaru a light smack on the shoulder.
"I'm not sure if I exactly understand what a "shut-in" is, but I assume it means you're from a reputable family right?" The girl asks as she approaches Subaru, lifting his hand to inspect them.
"Hey, what're you-" Subaru stammered before being interrupted.
"Your fingers too, they're very pretty. They don't look like the working hands of a peasant at all, and your muscles don't look like the kind you gain from doing field work." the girl said. Subaru, visibly flustered, quickly moves back a little before he remembers he wanted to ask her name.
"Uh, so yeah I know your cat's name now but I still haven't heard you say your name yet." The girl stands for a moment, before she decides to answer.
"My name? It's... it's Satella. No family name, so that's the way you may address me." Edward and Puck stand shocked before Edward decides to interject, feeling that he should take this time to be what he was supposed to be for her.
"Hey, if that's your name, that's your name... But something just gave me the feeling that you felt a little conflicted saying that." Edward says, stepping forward toward the girl. Puck and Subaru stand by, Subaru is confused at why he's questioning her name, and the girl just stands there silent.
"Look, if you don't trust us enough to tell us your real name now, that's fine. It's kinda funny though, I wasn't really truthful with my name either... well Add is a common nickname of mine but it's not my real name." he said, looking at the girl's now slightly saddened face.
"My name is Edward, just call me that if you'd like." The girl's eyes widen, a sudden flash of a forgotten time crosses her mind. Suddenly she feels warm and calm, the name bringing back an old feeling of safety and asylum. Her expression changes to a slight grin. Subaru stands there, shocked and slightly confused, while Puck has a content look on his face.
"That's what she needs." Puck thinks to himself. Emilia, feeling a lot better, decides to be truthful. She laughs a little before finally beginning to speak.
"You got me, my name's Emilia, just Emilia." Edward smiles at Emilia, gesturing to Puck and Subaru to come closer.
"That's more like it." Edward said to Emilia, again sending a rush of relief through Emilia.
"I see, Emilia it is then. That's a nice name!" Subaru says with a smile on his face, feeling like they are all now truly acquainted.
"Now that that's all done, let's get moving. We still have work to do." Edward said as he began to descend the staircase, the gang followed along. Some time passes as they continue to follow Edward. Edward, now feeling as if they've done enough, decides to just begin leading the gang toward the girl who they saw as he's known her location from the start.
"Do you guys think that girl is lost?" Emilia said, pointing toward a child in the street. As they walk down a busy street, the gang notices a little girl who seems to be in distress. She has tears in her eyes, looking around as if she's lost. Maybe, but what about our questioning? Subaru asks Emilia, questioning if they should stop their search to help the girl.
"That's also important, but if she's lost we have to do something." Emilia replies. Edward watches, simply wanting to see what the two decide to do.
"I'm in no place to talk after you saved me, but do you fully comprehend the position we're in?" Subaru says, again questioning rather stopping is worth their time.
"I do, but there's a little girl who's crying. You can see that, right?" Emilia says with a serious tone. Subaru is shocked, not knowing what to say next. Edward, observing, grins hearing the decision Emilia is coming to.
"If you don't want to do this with me that's fine, thanks for your assistance, Subaru. I'm sure I can handle things on my own from here on out, but first, I'm gonna help that little girl." Emilia says as she begins to walk toward the girl.
"That's what I'm talking about." Edward thinks to himself as he looks toward Subaru. As Edward follows, Subaru follows along behind as they move in to see what the problem is. The girl is still looking around frantically, before she notices Emilia approaching. She lets out a big smile before retracting as Emilia leans down in front of her.
"Hey there it looks like something's the matter, maybe i can help you. Did you come here on your own or with your mommy and daddy?" Emilia says looking at the girl face to face. Unexpectedly, she begins to break down into tears after being asked.
"Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you cry! I'm just here to help, not to do anything bad i promise-" Emilia says trying to console the child before being interrupted by Subaru, who interjects himself into the situation holding a coin.
"What you see before you is a rarity around here, a jagged edged, ten yen coin. Observe closely as I take this coin and clutch it tightly in my hand, tight, tight, tight!" Subaru says enthusiastically as Edward, Emilia, and the little girl watch.
"Just like that! Now, where'd it go?" Subaru asks the little girl as she looks around, confused as to where the coin went.
"Well take a look at this, I figured out where the coin was hiding." He said as he pulled the coin from the girl's hair, successfully lifting the girl's mood.
"Here you go, it's yours. Now like I said, it's rare, so take good care of it." He said giving the coin to the now happy child.
"Thank you sir!" she said with a big smile on her face.
"One person's trash is another's treasure. Way to make the most of a 10 yen coin" Edward thought to himself before the gang began to guide the girl to her parents. The gang figured out that she was in fact separated from her Mom as she was shopping. Luckily, she sees her mom soon after and darts to her.
"Would ya look at that, we've completed our daily goal" Edward says.
"I'm glad she was able to find her mother." Emilia said, feeling relieved.
"Now that that's all out of the way, let's continue our search. We don't have all day now do we?" Edward said as he continued forward followed by Subaru and Emilia. Before long, Edward leads them to a run down part of the city. People watch them as they walk through the street, but Edward pays them no mind.
"I know that it's kinda late to ask, but are you sure this is the correct place? This place looks like dirt and smells horrible" Subaru whispers to Edward.
"I'm sure of it, trust. Bandit's like the one we saw don't tend to live in the most fancy places." As they walk through the slum, Edward picks up a malevolent aura. As he turns to see the source, the person seemingly vanishes.
"Someone was just there, I'm sure of it." Edward thinks to himself before his thoughts are interrupted by Emilia, who noticed his sudden change in demeanor.
"Is everything okay?" Emilia asks.
"Yeah, everything's fine. I'm just making sure we aren't being tailed, never know who's watching in a place like this." Edward said, reassuring the two who were now slightly on edge. The gang continue through the slum, eventually reaching a shack.
"There's our place guys!" Edward says enthusiastically as Emilia and Subaru take a good look at the place.
"This place? Are you positive?" Emilia worryingly asks.
"I'm, 100%" Edward says as he begins to knock repeatedly on the front door as if he were trying to break the door down.
"Wait, we're really just gonna knock like we aren't about to encounter the person who took her insignia?" Subaru asks, now on guard.
"Hey hey let's not make any assumptions now, I'm sure whoever is behind this door is a very reasonable person." Edward said, before bolting into guard as the door begins to open, revealing a large dark-skinned older looking man.
"Who the hell are you people, and why are you knockin at my door as if you're trying to break the damn thing! It's already old, you're making it worse!!" The 3 stand at attention, Edward, thinking off the top of his head, figures out the best course of action.
"Hello kind sir, our girl here has had a very important item stolen and we believe this location is the most probable location of said item. Look, we just want to talk, it's very important and we need it back as soon as possible, pretty please." Edward said while bowing his head and holding his hands together as if begging him to peacefully give it back.
"Oh you people must be here to negotiate for your... what is it you're lookin for now?" The old man asks, the gang now very confused as to what he means by "negotiate". "Wait wait wait, so you guys steal something, and then expect us to negotiate for it back? WHAT KINDA BULLSHIT IS THAT?!" Subaru exclaims, livid at the idea of having to trade for a stolen item. Before the situation can escalate, Edward grabs Subaru, pulling him into a whisper.
"Okay, just as I thought he does in fact seem to be a reasonable person. I say we just negotiate" Edward whispers.
"Seriously? Can't you just like, beat the guy up and take it back?" Subaru asks, wondering if this whole thing is worth it.
"Well no shit i can't just beat the guy up. It's not like he did anything wrong, nor do we know if he even has it." Edward retorts. Emilia, feeling left out, decides to step between the two to add her own input.
"And what are you two doing, I'm here too y'know. Don't leave me out, its my insignia." Emilia says with a slightly annoyed look on her face.
"Listen all of you, are you here to negotiate or not! You guys are looking for Felt, she should be on her way here soon enough. When she's here, you guys will have to bargain for your item back or leave with nothing." The old man announces.
"Listen, I have an idea. Emilia, I know you just asked us not to leave you out but you've gotta trust me here. The thief will know your face, so what we do is have me and Subaru go in together to wait for her to appear. You hide somewhere so you aren't spotted, and wait for us to come out with your insignia. I'm very confident in our ability to win this bid, we have a very valuable item on hand." Edward whispers to Emilia.
"What is this item you speak of?" Emilia asks, before Subaru very conveniently pulls out...
"Here, we have a rare artifact, only one of this type exists in this world. Meet the model Docomo 503i flip phone!" Subaru quietly announces to Edward and Emilia. Emilia, never seeing this kind of device, looks at the device as if she was looking at 2099 futuristic tech.
"Well, I guess it is valuable since it technically IS the only model of that phone in existence here. Now we're gonna get bailed out by a flip phone? This has gotta be some kind of joke." Edward thinks to himself with a sigh.
"Okay then, but If I suspect anything happening I will come in." Emilia says, Edward and Subaru giving approval. Edward and Subaru nod to each other before entering the shack, followed by the larger man. Emilia moves out of sight into a large patch of brush and overgrowth next to an abandoned building.~~~~
The three enter, and the large man goes and grabs 2 wooden chairs. He sets them at a table in the center of the shack.
"Felt will be here in a couple minutes, you two just sit tight and wait for her to arrive. Originally we were going to trade, but since you two seem to also want the item you will bid for it. She'll be arriving with the original trader soon enough." the man said.
"Someone else was already planning on trading for it? Hm, that's odd." Edward said, catching Subaru taking note of this.
"Well, sir, uh we don't really know what to call you." Subaru said.
"Ah, my name is Rom. Y'know, you two are some odd-balls. If y'all came to this slum looking for something, it had better be important. Show me, what do you two have to bid? I'll be the judge of value after all." he said.
"Here, a new commodity! Only one model of this type exists. I present, a flip phone! With this, you can take moments like these, and capture them in a frozen moment of time. Here, let me show you" Subaru said, before taking a picture of Rom's face. He shows the picture to Rom, intriguing him deeply.
"Ah, this is one of those metia! I hear they're currently something only nobles and people in positions of high power have. Wow, I'd probably value this at more than 20 holy coins." Rom said.
"Well I'm no stranger to places like this, but 20 holy coins seems like life changing money here" Edward said. Rom laughs, finding his words very amusing.
"Well you two sit tight, she'll be arriving any moment now and we'll see what our original client has to offer." A couple minutes pass, and there's still no sign of Felt or the original client.
"Hey, now that we have a little time I've been meaning to ask. When you saw Emilia, you seemed to zone for a moment. What was up with that?" Subaru asked.
"Well, truthfully, I was planning to keep this under wraps for as long as possible. Though, after seeing we're both here under similar circumstances and we've already become friends i suppose i could tell you. This has to stay between me and you though, at all costs." Edward says, almost confirming Subaru's own superstition.
"This stays between the two of us, I swear it" Subaru replies.
"Well, in that case, there's a lot I'd have to speak about but I'll try to keep it as simple as possible. But I've been to this world before. I've lived in this world in the past, and Emilia, she's my little sister." he said. This confirmed Subaru's first idea as to what Edward was going to say, after all they do share a lot of features.
"Well, white hair and purple eyes isn't a trait you see every day walking down the street. On top of that, judging from your original reaction I had felt you'd known her. That's actually so awesome! How will you tell her, do you plan to?" Subaru asked. Edward thought to himself for a moment, as if gathering the correct words in his head.
"Well, I can't do that, or at least I don't think it'd be ideal. You saw her, she's grown so much from the last time I saw her. I don't want to, potentially stunt her growth if you know what I mean. She's seemingly doing well, and I want to support her, but I don't think she's quite ready for this kind of information." Edward said.
"Ah, well, in that case I'll do everything i can to help. After all, we've started this together, right?" Subaru says, Edward looking him for a moment.
"You've got a good point. We're in this together, partner." Edward says. Before anything else can be said, someone begins to knock on the door. Rom get up and heads to the door, and asks for the password.
"For a rat?" "Poison." "For a white whale?" "A harpoon" "To the noble dragon lord we are?" "Shitbags". Subaru looks confused, while Edward is on guard.
"This is who was behind us." Edward thought to himself. Rom opens the door revealing the thief, Felt, and her client. A woman with black hair and dark purple eyes.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Old Man Rom. I bought the- eh? What're those two doing here?" Felt asked.
"Ah don't worry, these two have come with valuables and they'd like to bid for an item. It's the same item your original client here was coming for, so i decided to allow a bid to be held instead." he said.
"Well, I have no problem with it. Sorry, that's just how it's gonna have to be." Felt told the original client.
"Oh that is no problem for me, I'm sure what I have will be more than enough. My name is Elsa Granhiert, you may call me by that name." She said.
"Alrighty then, and you two?" Felt asked.
"Call me Add." Edward said.
"Subaru, nice to meet you." Subaru said.
"Alright! Now we can begin. Elsa, please take a seat. The goal is clear, the two parties will be bidding against each other. I don't really care who gets the insignia, so by rule I'll sell it to the highest bidder." Felt explained.
"I think I like that personality of yours. So how much will you two be bidding?" Elsa asked.
"Well, I'll be putting up this metia. It's a rare item, probably the only kind in this world. The muscleman tells me it's worth no less than 20 holy coins." Subaru explains.
"Ah, a metia. As it happens, the client sent me with some extra funds, so I'd be prepared to sweeten the deal." She says.
"Her client? Someone paid her to steal from Emilia? Okay, this trip is turning out to be far more worthwhile than I thought." Edward noted to himself.
"The client... So you were asked to fetch it, too?" Subaru asked.
"That's right, the client is the one who wants it. Would you happen to be in the same business?" She asked. Edward, who is seemingly just sitting there, is preparing for something.
"Her intent, what's she trying to do here. Her words and tone don't match her presence at all." Edward thinks to himself.
"Being in the same business as me would mean they're unemployed!" Subaru says. The room goes quiet for a moment, the silence is loud.
"So, this unemployed guy has named a price that puts him far in the lead. What price is your master putting on it?" Felt asks. Elsa grabs her pouch and empties holy coins onto the table. Felt shutters at the sight of all the coins. Rom counts them all 1 by 1.
"Twenty exactly." Rom says. "These are all the holy coins my employer sent with me. Are they not quite enough?" Subaru is now nervous, unsure if he can win the bid.
"You're a man, don't make that pathetic face! I told you, your metia is worth no less than twenty... as i see it, victory in this deal is leaning toward the boy. Sorry for you and your employer, but you'd better bag up those coins and leave." Rom said. Subaru begins to fill with excitement, Edward pats Subaru on the shoulder with a grin on his face.
"YES!" Subaru shouts.
"Oh, uh sorry Elsa. You'll probably get in trouble, huh?" Subaru says apologetically.
"It can't be helped. It was my employer's fault for trying to underpay. Well, the deal has ended in disappointment for me, but I'll be taking my leave now. By the way, what do you intend on doing with the insignia?" Elsa asks Subaru.
"Oh, I'm going to find it's owner and return it to her." Subaru says. The room turns tense, Felt and Rom shudder hearing those words. Edward's eyes darted toward Elsa, analyzing every miniscule movement she was making. Subaru begins to sweat, feeling the pressure of the room begin to intensify.
"So... you're with them, then." Elsa says. Her face turns into a sinister smile and before Subaru knows it he's shoved to the floor and Edward is standing directly in front of Elsa, her hidden blade being clutched by his hand.
"I felt you were stalking us, but I decided to let things go accordingly. You're gonna have to try harder than that." Elsa kicks herself off of Edward's arm, breaking loose of his grip. She begins to dart around the shack, becoming faster with each ricochet. Edward stood still, seemingly unfazed by her speed.
"All of you just stay out of the way, I'll take care of her." Rom grabs Felt and stands guard. Both Felt and Subaru are behind the counter, watching the events unfold. We switch to Edwards point of view and see his eyes are working like some sort of super camera. His face turns from unfazed to a smug grin.
"Now this is what I like to see." Edward thinks to himself before entering an almost flash-time like state. He easily matches Elsa's speed and throws a punch toward her face. Elsa narrowly evades, jumping back to her guard a few feet away from Edward.
"I've never killed anyone like you before. You're worth the effort." Elsa says.
"Well, ever think to yourself that you haven't killed anyone like me cause there is nobody like me?" Edward says with a smug tone. Rom, Felt, and Subaru stand there in amazement.
"Wait, that one didn't make too much sense, shit..." Edward thought to himself.
"Hell yeah! You're amazing Ed, kick her ass!" Subaru yelled. Elsa and Edward begin close quarters combat, clashing fist with blade. As Edward dodges a slash, he goes low and sweeps Elsa off her legs. As she's swept, she keeps her composure, and positions herself to slash him with a hidden blade while upside down. Edward blocks the slash, the dagger shattering from the force, before he punches her in the stomach. She coughs up blood before hurling through wood, shattering through the pillars into the wall.
"I was worth the effort was I?" Edward says, sounding disappointed.
"What's going on here!?" The front door of the shack bursts open, Emilia kicking through the door. Emilia hesitates as Edward raises his arm, signaling her to stop where she is. Before Emilia could react, Elsa bolts from the rubble straight at Edward, dagger pointed directly at him.
"Edward!" Felt yelled as she watched Elsa line Edward up for a direct stab. Very quickly, Edward grabs Elsa from the air and plants her on her two feet in front of himself.
"No really, you were fun, but..." as he says this, Elsa's body slams into the ground. Seemingly as if gravity were amplified by 10, she was pinned to the ground unable to move. Edward kneels down, and lifts her head up off the ground.
"You don't seem to be worth my time." Elsa's face turns bitter. Released from the pressure, she gets up to swing her fist at Edward one last time.
"Bad move" Edward said. In the blink of an eye, she's sent flying through the roof and blasting off into the distance. The dust clears and Edward is standing with his index finger extended, purple electricity-esque energy emanating from his finger.
"What the hell did you do to her!?" Felt exclaimed as the 3 came out from behind the counter.
"Just gave her a tap on the forehead is all. Thankfully that problem is solved. Everyone here okay?" Edward asked.
"Well, yeah! She didn't even scratch you, you're awesome!" Subaru exclaimed. Emilia stands there, puzzled.
"Who was that? What did you even...?" Emilia asked.
"No idea, her name was Elsa Granhiert if that rings any bells for you. Had me scared out of my mind I thought it was up for me. Got lucky and was able to fend her off though." Edward said dramatically.
"I don't have a clue who that is, but what's important is that you all are safe." Emilia's confusion converted to relief.
"Well that's done, how about we- who the hell..." Edward senses a massive mana signature heading directly toward them. Everyone turns to see a Red-Haired man with striking blue eyes and flawless form, he seemed almost too perfect to be real.
"This guy doesn't give off any negative feelings at all. That sword... It's radiating with energy. Could this guy be the "center" of this world?" Edward thought to himself.
"I sensed a great mana from this location, so I came as quickly as I could. I'm glad to see nobody is hurt. Edward steps directly in front of Reinhard, seemingly sizing him up.
"Y'know, if you're gonna show up after the bad guy is already beaten, at least properly introduce yourself." Edward said.
"Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Reinhard Van Astrea, but please just call me Reinhard." he says.
"Edward Grenore, but call me Add if you'd like." Edward replies.
"Ah, you're Emilia, it's nice to finally meet you in a more casual setting if you could really consider this one." Reinhard says. Subaru quickly steps to Reinhard attempting to get in between him and Emilia.
"Hey, Hello! My name is Subaru, Natsuki Subaru. It's nice to meet you." Subaru shakes Reinhard's hand, noting how he could tell there was something different about him. Felt introduces herself and Rom, and after that Subaru explains what happened to Reinhard.
"Ah I see, you guys encountered the bowel hunter it seems. She's been wanted for a long time now." he says.
"Bowel hunter? What the hell kind of evil villain name is that?" Subaru asks.
"Wow, well I can guess the kinds of crimes she commits. Tch..." Edward says, thinking about the gravity of his decision. He thinks about how he shouldn't have let her go, but now because he wanted to show off that woman is already long gone.
"Well, everyone here is fine, and that's what matters. Felt, please return the insignia to Emilia." Reinhard says.
"Well, after all that we've been through, I don't even mind. If it's that important, I suggest you keep it hidden so nobody can steal it." Felt said.
"I appreciate the advice, though it's a little strange to hear it from you." Emilia responded. As Felt held the insignia, Reinhard caught a glimpse of the red gem at its center glowing while Felt held it. Reinhard gasps, and suddenly grabs Felt's wrist.
"What are you doing??" Emilia asked, worried about Felt.
"Hey, you're hurting me! Let go of my arm!" Felt said.
"Hey, let the kid go, what the hell are you doing!" Subaru yelled.
"This can't be possible, what's your name again?" Reinhard asked.
"What? It's Felt, why do you-" Felt said before being interrupted by Reinhard.
"Family name, and just how old are you." Reinhard asked.
"Look, I don't have anything fancy like a family name. I'm about... 15 if i had to guess, I don't know my birthday. Just let me-" Felt exclaimed before being interrupted once again. This time, Edward has grabbed Reinhard's wrist, clutching it tight.
"You heard her, let go now." Edward increases his mana output, engulfing the entire building with his presence. Reinhard, to avoid losing his footing does the same, and the entire building begins to rumble and shake violently.
"Wait guys! Calm... down... please..." Subaru said weakly, before the clash of mana knocked him out cold. Edward and Reinhard notice this and immediately end their clash. Rom, bat in hand, charges at Reinhard.
"Hey! All 3 of you calm down! I'll go, stop this and I'll just go with you!" Felt said.
"Where are you taking her, and what do you plan to do!" Rom exclaimed.
"I promise, I'm not taking her to a cell or anything of the sort. But if I overlook what's unfolding before me, that will be the biggest crime anyone has committed today. Miss Emilia, I will likely be calling upon you again very soon. I hope you understand." Reinhard looks toward Edward and grins, but Edward's face does not change.
"Please take good care of Subaru, I can tell you're strong." Reinhard hands Emilia her insignia, and in an instant he vanishes. ~~~~~~~