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Rating:

Not Rated

Archive Warnings:

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive WarningsGraphic Depictions Of Violence

Category:

Gen

Fandom:

Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 | Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World (Anime)

Characters:

Rey Alaraph (OC)Louis ArnebLye BatenkaitosRoy Alphard

Additional Tags:

POV First PersonDysfunctional FamilyThe Gamer Ability (The Gamer Webcomic)Fluff and AngstThe gluttonies are terrible childrenThe Author Regrets EverythingWhy Did I Write This?This was entirely an excuse to fit as many self-indulgent things into one fic as possibleSpoilers for Re:Zero season 3Lots of struggling to change canonDescent into MadnessNot Canon CompliantThere is more than one playeroc is a fourth gluttony siblingprobably the most 'normal' but compared to the others that's not saying much

Language:

English

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Published:2024-10-28Updated:2026-01-07Words:246,117Chapters:58/?Comments:1,238Kudos:848Bookmarks:113Hits:41,077

A Dog in the Cradle of Od Lagna

TheGimbler

Chapter 16: Releasing Hunger and Hungering, Still

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

In the end, we were forced into action once more. If we didn't have this damn system constantly forcing our hand, then we wouldn't be in such conflict!

A swirl of air slammed us to the ground, and we grunted with the pressure. The ground dragon's talon came down on our head, and we instantly leapt through space right above it.

The Shadow Sword dug into its shoulder, though only by a manner of an inch, and we swiped it along its flank as we ran across it. It screeched in agony, a stream of red leaking from its wound, but it wasn't deep enough to be more than just a stream of blood.

The Yin Blade was powerful, undoubtedly. But we were very, very incapable of using it to even a fraction of its potential. Memories of the Enchanted Swords filtered through our memory, and their amazing combat prowess simply didn't happen when we used one.

It's just a crutch for ya.

"Tch!" We gritted our teeth, slashing a wave of shadow at Ram and forcing her to duck, and we quickly leapt to the stairs, rushing up them as fast as possible. Defeating Ram would take too much time, and we had all of…

00:08:34

We'd almost run through almost a fifth of our time, and we weren't even out of the tower yet.

"Fula!" A wind blade raced for my leg again, and we jumped above it, launching another wave of shadow at Ram, who was angrily shouting at us. "Ram will not–!"

Our mana was low.

[MP: 3,420/6,358]

It looks great, but that's through the effect of Lunar Eclipse. Our mind will need to hold Lunar Eclipse the entire way to SandTime, while also the constant drain of holding the Yin Sword steadily lowering it. We also need to cut through with whatever mana we had left, and we need to deal with the many mabeasts that are in the desert while preserving as much as we can.

Looking at it like that, we have no time to spend on a hornless Oni.

"We don't care!" We shouted at her, racing up the stairs, three steps at a time. The quiet exertion of our muscles didn't feel much like we were going to be fatigued, which was a bonus from our STR stat, most likely.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry…" We whispered, leaving Ram and the two ground dragons behind, even as we heard them shouting and roaring, trying to give chase. "Stop being angry, we know, we know, tsu…"

The sword in our hand shook aggressively, upset that its battle was being evaded and cut short.

"We had no choice, you have to understand. No prerogative, no possibility!" It felt bad. We hated it. It didn't taste good at all. Our sharp teeth dug into our lip, giving us a sensation to truly focus on, not on the anxiety in our belly. "Believe us, believe us– You have to believe us, tsu!"

It wasn't our decision. We had no choice. Staying captured sounded nice, then we wouldn't have any responsibility for what happens. But we took responsibility over Louis, could things have worked out properly?

Failure: Death.

It remained seated at the edge of our vision, reminding us of the consequences for failure. Something needed to break open SandTime and let our brothers into the mix. It wasn't fair. If there were more Villains to help loop Natsuki Subaru, then it was only beneficial, so what was this awful foreboding feeling in our chest at the thought of them getting involved?!

"No choice, no choice, no choice, no choice~!" We bemoaned. Every single one of us.

We reached the top of the stairs, and the stench of the desert's miasma struck our nose, even through the thick metal door.

We rushed toward it, seized the handle and ripped it open, making it swing without much sound at all.

"...That's it, then."

We heard a quiet voice and couldn't help but freeze.

Behind us, Natsuki Subaru stood with a quiet acceptance of what he was seeing. It was just him, and there were no other people around. Yet, the unspoken regret in the air was stronger than any blade of wind or slash of steel.

He scratched the back of his head, "This was my mistake."

"You saw us leap earlier, out of restraints. You should've used the Evil Sealing Stones and taken us to another place, tsu." It wasn't much of a reprimand, more of a reminder.

He nodded dejectedly, his gaze lingering on the floor. "Beako was out of mana. She would've needed to use her Od if she wanted to conjure some. It's my fault for having a broken gate."

"...We're grateful," We offered, but that made his face fall. An almost pitiful expression was on him, and we didn't like that. "Your options were to try and restrain us, and kill us. So thank you for saving us, Natsuki Subaru."

"Hah," He winced. "That… is something I never expected to hear from a Gluttony."

"We have no choice," Our voice was quiet and pleading. "There's nothing we can do but this."

Our gazes met, disappointment and sorrow.

"Sorry."

Subaru shook his head, "Thanks for waking Rem. You didn't have a reason to do that."

We remained silent. We truly didn't have a reason.

"Rey Alaraph," His gaze steeled, a decision made. "You're my enemy."

And we ran.

There was the pounding of feet, and Ram reached the top of the stairs, sweat and strain prevalent on her features.

She saw Subaru seated on the steps leading up, and she cautioned: "Barusu! Gluttony has escaped! She could be anywhere, put your guard up!"

He was simply staring at the doors ahead, opened and showing the sunny day out in the desert.

Ram followed his gaze, cautious, then gritted her teeth, "She already fled into the desert."

"Did I do something wrong?" Subaru asked, a frown on his lips. "Should I have done something else?"

Ram's face softened as she saw him not move an inch, continuing only to stare. Gluttony had escaped, which meant their ticket to waking up her victims would no longer apply.

Regaining Rem's memories didn't look to be possible, either.

"Ram agreed with your sentiments, if only a little," She offered, knowing her own emotions didn't matter in the moment. "She had greater use alive than dead. But… Perhaps we were too naive."

A flash of memories fell over his gaze, and Ram watched him relive something, most likely their confrontation the previous day.

"Naive. Yeah, that makes sense," Subaru shook his head and ridded himself of the sight. "I despise Gluttony. I don't know why I thought she was different."

"Ram understands, but it was deception," The Oni steeled herself. "Rem is awake, so there's a chance for everyone else."

"We'll have to capture her again, and that barely worked the last time," Subaru rubbed his face, getting to his feet.

"Capture?" Ram asked, and he paused, slowly turning to face her.

His gaze was determined, and Ram's own was steeled.

"I won't ask that of you. If you kill her, then I guess that's that," He began walking back up the stairs. He paused, thinking for a moment, then turned to Ram, "Do you… remember Meili?"

"The–" Ram's eyes widened, and she swore. "That's right! She said something to the Sin Archbishop that Ram didn't hear! Gluttony broke out immediately after that!"

Subaru whirled around, eyes narrowed, "Then I guess we have a conversation due, huh? At least Gluttony didn't eat her."

"Depending on what she said, she might wish she did," Ram said darkly.

"Uh," Subaru paused, and Ram stared at him. "We're not going that far, Ram. Meili's still our ticket out of here, remember?"

"Oh."

You're my enemy.

The protagonist declared it so. There would be no more attempted understanding, nor was there going to be any more wishful thinking.

You're my enemy.

"We know," We whispered as we dashed along the desert. "Neither of us wanted to believe that about the other, but…"

Act VI:

The Hall of Memories.

You are… A Villain.

Villains are the enemies of the Protagonist.

From the very beginning, there shouldn't have been any doubt. Thinking clearly, we were never going to find a resolution. There was no chance of it, and our goals were in-line with forcing him to reset thousands of times.

"Fuck…" We whispered, eyes squinted from the sun and tearing up because of the light. "Fuck…"

From the light, nothing more.

You're my enemy.

There was nothing left to do but follow through on that. We were a villain, and together, with my siblings whom are loathed by the world, we would have to clash. We even said to him we were willing to sacrifice Natsuki Subaru for their sake, so why were we so stupid and incapable of simply accepting that?

The answer was our too-good heart.

"It's not so simple, tsu," We addressed the thought. "It can't be that simple. No way, inconceivable, incomprehensible, not a chance that's the case. Ghhk! "

We threw the thought out, and focused on the giant sand storm in the distance.

00:03:27

We had time.

[MP: 2,841/6,358]

And we had mana.

So why did it feel like we lost?

"The penalty is DEATH!" We shouted, slashing through the arm of a bear and beheading it with a wave of shadow.

+237EXP!

-100MP!

"We had no CHOICE!" We continued through, jumping through several flower patches where the flower bears were laid, running past them too fast to catch up.

Well, those were our thoughts. It certainly didn't feel good.

"No, no, no, no, start panicking, tsu!" We roared at our mind, which merely remained processing everything at an absurd rate. It was quite alright, of course, our heart thundering in our chest like something was wrong was correct. We'd die if we didn't cut through SandTime. We continued shouting, "Not about that– Not about that at all! What are you thinking, you stupid idiot, tsu! The system shouldn't be doing this at all! Think about it, consider it!"

Hm. The system doing that… is certainly not good. Death, or do what we want? We didn't like it. No, we certainly didn't. Hate it, even.

"Tch, later, later, later, panic about it later!"

00:01:58

The great distance between the tower and SandTime was more than twenty miles. To run more than four miles in a minute was an absurdity that we could never have accomplished if not for the system. We think the system knows it's barely possible for us, so the timer was planted accordingly.

To run that distance so quickly, through a desert that was already more strenuous than running through a more solid ground, left our legs burning. The blood from the wound Ram gave us had already caked and became solid from the heat. We panted like a dog, and sweat fell off our body as we continued zooming through the desert.

Leaping, as a technique, squeezes your body through invisible spaces like a vacuum. If you use it over and over, eventually the pressure on your internal organs will cause them to explode.

That was why our hand was over our rapidly squeezing heart, beating well over 200 times a minute, and our breathing had long since gone out of sync with it. Without Lunar Eclipse and this mental calm, we would have likely long begun blacking out.

"Not yet, not yet, notyetnotyetnotyetnotyet!" We drew the Yin Sword back, finally in reach of the swirling sands.

I heard roars behind me of the bears I left behind, but they were far enough away for me to slice open the barrier and then… then…

"Oogh…" We felt faint. Our hand slapped against the side of our head, and we swayed in place. The heat was getting to us, but we didn't have any more time.

00:00:23

"Hahh– Hahh–" We breathed, raising the Yin Sword and gasping for breath, feeling our muscles twitching and throbbing from the race across the sands. And that was only to SandTime, which was 20 miles. The total expanse of the Augria Sand Dunes was more than 200 miles in diameter.

We would collapse somewhere along the way, and the wounds we've sustained over the course of each day… We could feel the rattle of our lungs against a fractured ribcage, even now.

Oh, was that why our breathing wasn't helping? Did we puncture a lung?

No, definitely not. The system hasn't said anything.

"Relying on it, even after being forced to do this~~!" We cried out, focusing our mana into the Yin Sword. The bright overhead sun made it look like obsidian, a solid form rather than a writhing soft shadow within our hands.

[Flow method(1/100) activated! +1% to all physical stats!]

[Flow Method has leveled up! 1/100 → 2/100!]

[Flow method(2/100) activated! +2% to all physical stats!]

Mana began to swirl within our veins, pushing us beyond the tiniest limit we ever had. It didn't flow throughout our body, we simply guided it up towards our hands and into the Yin Sword, just like before.

All around us, a dark cloud began to gather, and light leaked from the scene, swallowed by shadow. Just around us was a veil of darkness that ate away the color from the sands and the very air. Unlike in the Cradle, where everything was white, there was color, and now, the Yin Sword was leeching it away.

We didn't know a damn thing about the Yin Sword, after all. No wonder Reid called us fucking stupid.

-2,500MP!

And we brought the sword down on the swirling sands.

There was no resistance as the Shadow Sword split everything in twain, slicing through the looped space of SandTime and obliterating a path through the sandstorm it created.

The magic screamed and strained to hold itself together, but the Shadow Sword was one of the most powerful swords in the world, a mere fraction of its realized power was enough to split space itself, and nothing within could resist. With a finality that almost crushed us, we saw the sandstorm slow down and settle in a few seconds, owing to its supernatural nature.

00:00:02

Quest Complete!

Quest: Destroy Sand Time and allow entry to the Villains outside!

Reward: Addition of Roy Alphard(NPC), Ley Batenkaitos(NPC), to Act VI, greater understanding of your Witch Factor, 1,000 EXP

You have leveled up!

You are level 51.

20 Stat points allocatable!

But we didn't even look at the pop up from the system.

Because, there, right in front of our eyes–

"Ahh! Finally! How much longer did she think it would take, tsu. Ah, so annoying, how annoying, very annoying, super–" The youth that spoke those words paused, looking at us with wide eyes. His brother, still seated, was similarly staring at us.

Face-to-face, I met my brothers for the first time.

"Ah~! Perhaps, could it be?!" Ley jumped to his feet, lengthy brown hair covered in sand. "Sister of ours, is that you? Ah~, how wonderful, tsu! You're–"

He paused.

"Uh oh."

And he was by our side in an instant, catching us as we fell forward, unconscious.

Ley looked at Roy, who was similarly baffled.

"Guess she was hungry?"

Roy shrugged, nonplussed by Rey's physical state. He didn't have nearly the same worry in his gaze that Ley radiated freely, but he groaned and rubbed his face, "Guess… this means we have to wait for sister to wake up?"

"Of course!" Ley snapped at him, making Roy fall onto his back with a sigh, bored out of his skull. Ley gently pulled her to a giant sandworm, massive and blocking out some of the sun, and laid Rey down. The obsidian black sword in her hand caught his eye, and he stared at it in curiosity.

"Ooo~," Roy peeked over Ley's back and immediately grabbed his unconscious sister's hand, beginning to pry her tight grip on the weapon apart. "Sister has a cool sword? She won't mind if we–"

"Brother!" Ley slapped Roy's hand, and the boy hissed, swiftly pulling his appendage away. "Is thievery really the first thing that comes to mind with you? Always? Even when it comes to our sister who is clearly so hungry that she collapsed?"

"She can't eat like that, brother," Roy scoffed, fluidly plopping back onto the sand and leaning against the stationary sandworm. "If you're so worried, why not just wake her up?"

"Want us to wake you up when you're sleeping, tsu?" Ley squinted at him with a challenge. "We seem to recall you enjoying your egregious amounts of resting, tsu. Lazy, terribly lazy, super lazy, we're calling you lazy since you laze and sleep. Snoring brother."

Roy gave him a glare, nearly a pout, but he broke off his look and looked down at the sand with a huff, offering no rebuttal.

"That's what we thought, tsu," Ley grinned, then turned back to Rey, and the strange sword she was still holding. He searched his memories, but came up blank on whatever it was. Whatever it must've been gave him a few theories, though, and he hummed in interest. "Brother, what do you suppose the sword in sister's hand must be? The Shadow Sword, right?"

"Huh?" Roy looked back over at the obsidian in Rey's hand. "We dunno. Probably. Why would sister have one of the Enchanted Swords, though, tsu? Swords are too lengthy and awkward, it's better to have something like these, tsu." His fangs were revealed as he lifted his hands and showed off the steel-tipped claws at the ends of his fingers. "This is how battle must truly be fought, unlike how you think, brother."

"Back to this?" Ley groaned, Roy having immediately derailed the conversation. "Brother, you'll get slashed by a good swordsman because your reach is too poor. Your hands are too small compared to a sword, and no amount of crawling around will change that. Isn't that why you have a dagger on you? Not many techniques use claws, tsu."

"We're hungry," Roy complained.

"You've–" Ley gritted his teeth, shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Brother. We are having a conversation."

"You have any food to eat? Didn't you bring some?" Roy continued without addressing a single thing Ley said.

"Oh, no, we ate that."

"WHAT?!" Roy exploded, jumping to his feet with wide, fearful eyes. "You ate all of it?! What about us? Nothing for us? Brother, seriously, you don't have a single bit for us?"

"We were hungry," Ley shrugged, nonplussed.

"Uuhhgh," Roy made a sound close to a bird being choked and ground into paste at the same time. "We're so hungry, though…"

"Eat one of the mabeasts."

"Guess we could… Why didn't you, then?"

"They taste nasty. Not gourmet at all. For you, who eats all manner of slop and mud, it fits, tsu."

"Whatever, tsu," Roy rolled his eyes. In an instant, mischief appeared in his gaze. "Then we'll be back!"

"Huh–?" Ley barely had time to say anything before Roy grabbed the sword in his unconscious sister's grasp and took off, cackling. Ley watched this happen in a split second, before crying out, "You stole sister's sword, tsu~! Roy, you– Ooh, you–" He slumped, already knowing Roy was far out of earshot and destroying the very mabeasts that surrounded them, judging by the sounds of cut meat and… strange black waves that were flying everywhere.

The eldest brother looked down at his sister, who began to breathe heavily, a grim countenance on her face. He lightly laid a hand on her head, and said, "Huma."

Her grim complexion vanished almost immediately, and that was when Ley felt the numerous wounds lingering underneath her skin.

"Mm?" His tone immediately turned dark as his full attention was taken by his sister, and he saw the half-healed cuts and the deep slice into her leg, the blood still fresh. The numerous breaks in her ribcage that described improper healing by a healer that didn't care about their patient brought numerous dark emotions over the brother.

"Who…" Ley seethed, his face contorting into the picture of righteous fury. "Who would dare touch our sister in this way?!"

And he began pouring healing into her body, already plotting the thousands of ways to torture them before eating the various parts of their body and finally their soul.

Off in the distance, Roy paused in his eating, hearing his brother roar over the screams of dying mabeasts. Blood covered his body, disgusting meat in his mouth, and he hummed, "Huh. Guess he was hungry, too, tsu."

Notes:

I really wanted to get them together, I find them really fun to write

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Entire Work ← Previous Chapter Next Chapter → Chapter Index Comments Share Download

Work Header

Rating:

Not Rated

Archive Warnings:

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive WarningsGraphic Depictions Of Violence

Category:

Gen

Fandom:

Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 | Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World (Anime)

Characters:

Rey Alaraph (OC)Louis ArnebLye BatenkaitosRoy Alphard

Additional Tags:

Language:

English

Stats:

Published:2024-10-28Updated:2026-01-07Words:246,117Chapters:58/?Comments:1,238Kudos:848Bookmarks:113Hits:41,077

A Dog in the Cradle of Od Lagna

TheGimbler

Chapter 17: Brotherly Shenanigans

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The westernmost country in the world was the Kararagi City-states. A collection of numerous large cities. Due to its great diversity in people, culture, and law, it held opportunity nowhere else in the world allowed.

It hardly mattered to Tosu Furidue, raised as an elusive shinobi by a secret culture somewhere amongst the sands. A shinobi's only purpose is to slay their target, or protect their quarry. Techniques that excel in shadows, movements that are hard to understand upon first sighting, and to kill and disappear like the wind.

If you don't strike and kill in a single blow, then your target may flee.

That was hammered into the shinobi at every moment, but even the greatest shinobi wouldn't be able to have a perfect record, what with the monsters in the world. Halibel the Admirer, for example, used curses to kill with a single scratch, and while it may be absurd to consider, even his track record wasn't perfect at all times.

He did, indeed, kill all of his targets, but some were given the opportunity to flee from him.

Maximize your first strike, and learn to track your wounded prey, is the second lesson taught to all shinobi.

Tosu wasn't capable of this. Whether through divine intervention, a terrible habit of sneezing at the wrong moment, or improper footing that always seemed to land him on his face as he gave chase, he was unable to track down his target. His ability with wind magic was exquisite, and his high rate of killing his target on the first strike was amazing enough that he wasn't ousted from his society as a failure.

So he changed methods. He was awful at giving chase, so naturally he would never let his opponent flee from him. That was the revelation the one known as the Wind Samurai had undergone.

"Hmm? Say, dude, what's your name?"

There was a strange lull, and Tosu looked over in confusion to see a young boy, wearing green clothing that would've once been stylish, but had been torn in several places and restitched. His sharp teeth, made for ripping flesh from bone, had blood dripping off them as he grinned.

It was then that Tosu realized the corpses that littered the town square. Even in this town, which he'd remained for some time, there should've been no one he didn't know. Yet, when he looked over the bodies littered over food stands, walkways, and even through open doorways, he didn't recognize any of them.

The boy was clearly the cause of these random people, and the death that suffused their corpses.

"I see," Tosu turned back to the boy, not particularly panicked. "You are not my target."

"Think you can run~?" The boy grinned wider, and Tosu could see flesh between his teeth. "You can try, dude. You may try, you might want to try. Go ahead, try. You have our permission to try. Try as hard as you can, but we don't think you can get away, tsu."

"You desire conflict, then? Against a defenseless man?" Tosu continued, already prepared to fight to the death.

"We are a Sin Archbishop of the Witch's Cult, Roy Alphard," The boy bowed, offering an outrageous statement.

"I see," Tosu didn't offer a warrior's custom, as he didn't care about it. He was an assassin.

"Mmm? Not going to say your name? That's fine, we can just force you to speak once we defeat you, tsu~," Roy licked his molars, and Tosu took that as the best time to strike.

He pressed a hand forward, and a wind blade shot through the air.

Roy's eyes widened, and he dodged to the side, the attack screaming through the air past him. A thin cut lingered on his cheek, and several strands of brown hair floated to the ground. Roy's smile disappeared, and his gaze became more wary, "...You're different than what we thought. How different, though? We'll have to test it, and make sure!"

And Roy launched himself at Tosu, hand outstretched. Tosu noted the steel-tipped claws on the ends of his fingers, a rather unorthodox weapon, one that would give him no advantage in this slaughter.

In a split moment, Roy's arm, up to his elbow, exploded with blood.

The boy yowled, eyes wide with more surprise than pain, and reversed his momentum and jumped back. His gaze was no longer euphoric or mocking; there was a rapidly calculating sheen behind his eyes, trying to make sense of what was happening.

"Don't slow down," Tosu said as he began walking forward, and a shift in the air was felt by Roy, who sweated nervously. "Slow action is too fast of a decision to make. Flee, or not? Fight, or not? Down an arm, unable to see what should be right in front of you, you are too slow to process what occurs, and then…"

He stepped right in front of Roy, who looked up in shock, like he hadn't casually walked the entire distance. Tosu opened his palm, and Roy jumped back into the air, evading a slash of wind aimed for his neck.

As he lifted farther and farther through the air, Roy's back suddenly exploded with blood.

"EYAHH?!?" This time, he screamed in pain. He hit the ground with a splat, his back having been dug into by Tosu's magic, and he got to his hands and knees with wide, uncomprehending eyes. "W-what is this, tsu!? We don't understand, shit!"

Roy reached into his clothing, and Tosu watched as he pulled out an iron dagger and threw it with perfect accuracy toward his throat. Then, the truth was revealed, as the weapon reached about a foot away from Tosu and then was cut apart, like it was pushed through a laser grid. Another gust of wind blew the fragments off-course, and the weapon was harmlessly countered.

"Tsu…" Roy stared. "Ah. Ahh~! Ah~! So that's it, tsu. Is that possible? Did you have this all set up before? Were you watching? If so, then how do you remember the danger, tsu?" He placed a hand on the side of his head with a wince. "Ahhh~, Lunar Eclipse."

The air shifted, and Roy lifted his arms to the sides, "El Fula!"

Everything around blew away, the wind blades, and the thing that kept striking Roy when he jumped around. Yet, it refused to budge.

The wind current once past a certain point would stop moving entirely, even with his own magic raging around. This box that Roy could see–

"Suspended wind blades?" He muttered in amazement, looking around at the trap he was boxed into. Every time he fled, attacked, or moved too far, he would step right into a severing wall of wind. His durable body was the only reason why he hadn't lost his arm and his back wasn't torn open.

Tosu tilted his head in surprise. The boy had figured out his technique on the first sighting? He must've been a genius, which made it a shame that he was a Witch Cultist. As a shinobi, he didn't have many moral quandaries, but it felt like it was his duty to murder this child before he became any stronger.

He lifted a hand, and Roy vanished. Tosu jolted in shock when Roy somehow appeared on the other side of his wind barrier, right before him. He tried to react by jumping backward, but Roy's clawed fingers stabbed into his belly and easily slid through his intestines.

"Ghahk!" Tosu coughed, then screamed as Roy gripped his organs and pulled them freely from his stomach. His large intestine was plain to see, and Roy pulled it up to his mouth with a grin and slid his tongue along it.

Monster. Cannibal. Man-eater.

"T-TCH!" Tosu clicked his teeth, keeping his head cool only through the countless hours of pain training he underwent as a shinobi, and blasted wind straight into Roy's face. The boy vanished again, teleporting through the odd technique he used.

Tosu immediately jumped into the air, dodging another swipe of the Sin Archbishop's claws. He saw the boy ready another claw, waiting for Tosu to fall back down to the ground. But, as the seconds passed, his eyes widened into disbelief.

"Flying?" Roy said in amazement as Tosu stepped higher and higher into the air, like there was a flight of stairs that no one would see.

One hand held his guts in place, and his other pointed downward, " Al Fula. " He spoke in a quiet tone, though he knew the boy heard it.

The suspended walls of wind he laid out exploded toward Roy, and his eyes widened from the attack, turning to face his impending death. The devastation split through houses and stone, scattering everywhere to catch wherever the boy would teleport to. He was dead, there was nothing he could do against the ultimate technique of the Wind Samurai.

Roy lifted his uninjured arm and spoke, almost casually, "Twilight Mage."

And an equal force met Tosu's technique. Wind met wind, and the rampaging destruction that would've assuredly destroyed the Sin Archbishop was nulled.

"...What?" Tosu stared down in abject shock, having seen none of it.

"Gluttony is the ultimate Authority, tsu," Roy said, already standing atop his shoulders with a monstrous smile. "Enough abilities, and a deep level of understanding… Do you think there's any technique we wouldn't be able to conquer?"

"UWAH?!" Tosu looked up at the boy who teleported up to him, only to see two claws jabbing straight into his eyes. They slid through his ocular organs easily enough, and the leaked vitreous fell from his skull as he began screaming.

His sight was no more, and Roy dragged him down from the sky and slammed him into the stone, causing his spine to shatter. Tosu howled in agony, feeling his body splinter as the battle ended, yet he was somehow still alive.

"What's your name, dude?" Roy asked again.

"W–W-what do you– c-care?" Tosu coughed and sputtered, screams being halted by deep-throated whines.

"What's your name, dude?"

And Tosu felt his intestines get pulled around, and he screamed even louder.

"What's your name, dude?"

His feet were smashed into the ground, every bone broken.

"What's your name, dude?"

Roy slipped his kneecaps from his legs and began to crunch on them, the sound somehow more tortuous than the pain.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey hey hey, hey. Hey!" Roy continued, lightly opening more wounds along his legs with his claws. "Just say your name, and it'll all be over, tsu. Don't you want this to end?"

"G-GAHH?! G-GO TO– HELL!"

"Hmmmm~?" Roy hummed in curiosity.

"Once we finish cutting you up, we'll be sure to heal you over and over and over and over and over again, until it's over. Once it's over, it'll happen all over again. Once again, then again, and another time will result in it happening again. This'll happen until you give up your pesky little pride, tsu. Just the name, that's all we want."

"G-GO TO–"

Roy kicked him between the legs, and the pain exploded onto another level.

"...What's your name, dude?"

"See? You were never going to prevent us from eating, tsu."

It felt… pleasant. A warmth I never understood radiated through my very being, and I wanted to hug it close.

I could breathe, and it didn't hurt. I hadn't realized how much breathing didn't hurt until it did, and now that it didn't, I was grateful.

"Sister? Wake up, sister, tsu."

A voice called to me, and I groaned, feeling all too hot and uncomfortable to merely roll over and ignore it.

With a herculean effort, I popped open one of my eyes to glare at the offender, and was met with the excitable gaze of one Ley Batenkaitos.

I stared at him, and he slowly tilted his head, awaiting some kind of reaction from seeing him. It didn't take long for me to tackle him, "Brother! Ahahaha! Brother of ours! It's so great to see you!"

He caught me with his wiry frame and wrapped his arms around me with a snort, "Well, we didn't take you to be like Roy, and assumed you wouldn't care about being awoken after healing, tsu. Say, sister, are you hungry? We…" He pulled away slightly, a sour expression on his face. "...Well, we don't have anything tasty. But mabeasts are around us."

"It's okay! We're just glad you're here!" I giggled and hugged him even tighter, making him grunt.

"Oh– Owow! Ow! Sister, please be gentler!" His smile didn't make me worry about actually hurting him. His hand came down on my head, and he ruffled my hair.

I pulled away and breathed deeply, feeling no ache in my chest, and asked, "Ley, did you heal me? My breathing is so… smooth? Eugh, saying it like that is a little weird."

"We did, no need to worry, Rey," Ley released me and nodded. "Fixed up your ribs, healed your cuts and bruises. It wouldn't do for our cute little sister to be scarred, tsu. Ah, and speaking of," Ley's smile immediately melted and he growled. " What adult did that to you, sister? Who would break you apart and not fit you back together again? "

"H-huh?" I eeked out, surprised by his sudden change. "N-no, it was– Well, I was attacked and…"

"By who? "

"Those in the–" I looked over at the spiraling watchtower in the distance. "Those in there. But it's okay!" I turned back and waved my hands. "It was my mistake! Honest! Honesty is a virtue and we stuck to it, even when I shouldn't have. Wouldn't have. Couldn't have."

"Would it make you feel better if your big brother were to go and offer all of them to you on a platter?" Ley pressed.

"What? No! That's– That's okay, Ley. It's fine," I reassured him, and the murderous look in his eyes only slightly abated.

"...Okay," He huffed. "If that's fine with you, Rey. So…"

He tentatively looked around, and I followed his gaze. We were still in the desert, and there were mabeasts all around us, docile and unmoving. Off in the distance, I saw Roy sitting atop a sandworm, over a dozen meters in length. I happily waved at him, and he lazily jerked his chin at me.

"...Where's Louis?" Ley turned back to me, puzzled.

I froze.

"Uh. She– uh." I swallowed nervously. "Louis couldn't come with me. Or– She refused to. I don't know, I didn't understand why."

"So you were able to escape the Cradle?" Ley leaned in, a fervent look in his eyes. "Could you do it again? To get our sister out? To pull her out? To gift her freedom? To offer her release from her bindings? From her servitude? Are you able to destroy her shackles, sister?"

"Yeah," I nodded, and his smile stretched wide. "If I can find her again, I'll be able to cut open another hole for her to escape. But she…" I frowned. "...She didn't want to. Even if I offered her freedom, she didn't escape with me."

"Oh, then that's fine," Ley waved me off, and I looked back at him with a gape.

"What? No– What? How is that fine? She didn't want to leave with me, and now she's stuck in the tower with people around that'll hurt her!" I professed my complete objection to Ley's nonchalant attitude. "Ley, that's bad. "

"Sister'll be fine," He shrugged. "She doesn't make mistakes, tsu. She gets…" He winced. "Upset? If we care too much about her, it's best to let her make the decisions, no?"

"Ley~!" I whined, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him.

"Ababababa~," Ley made noises as I shook him, then turned to Roy. "Brother, get down here and greet our sister! She made a long journey to get to us, tsu!"

"Yeah, yeah," Roy hopped down and landed on the sand, walking towards us with a strange gait and bored expression.

He looked totally different when seeking a name to eat. And with his teeth clean, it was almost difficult to recall that he was willing to torture people to eat their souls.

Not that I cared. Not really. I was a terrible person.

"Yo." Roy met my gaze with all the lethargy Ley didn't have.

"Hey, brother!" I gave him an excitable wave.

He snorted and rolled his eyes, "We see you're out of your prison, tsu."

He raised the Yin Blade, "So~! Where'd you get this, tsu? Hey, sister? What is this? The Shadow Sword, ri~ght, tsu? It must be, has to be the Shadow Sword. Where'd you get an Enchanted Blade, Sis? Hey, hey, hey! Tell us~!"

I blinked at his sudden change in demeanor, and the excitement he had was—

"You took my sword?" I frowned at the blade in his hands, then blanked.

[MP: 0/6932]

[INT: 693.2 → 188. WIS: 401.2 → 118]

"Owowow…" I held my head as I undid Lunar Eclipse, feeling a terrible headache pulse through my skull. "That– did not feel good."

"Sister?" Ley lightly tapped my shoulder in concern. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I think I might need to sit down and drink some water, but I'm fine," I smiled at him, grateful.

"Water?" Roy tilted his head, lifting a hand.

"Wait– Brother, no!" Ley cried out, but it was too late as Roy already spoke, 'huma.'

Water splashed over me, completely soaking my lengthy hair and getting into my clothes.

"... Brother, " I hissed lightly, looking up at him with narrowed eyes.

"What? You said you were thirsty! Should've drank it if you didn't want it all over yourself, hmm?" Roy excused himself immediately, looking not a bit guilty for soaking me.

I closed my eyes and huffed, deciding to drop it. We were in the midst of a scorching hot desert with the sun blaring overhead. Sure, the miasma smelled rancid and almost made my eyes water, but being wet wasn't a big deal.

I opened my hand, forcing the sword in Roy's grip to disappear and reappear within my shadow, where it would stay for now. Without the constant drain on my mana from having the sword materialized, mana would begin to return to my gate. Not very well, since the miasma, but you know, it was a little better than nothing. Roy looked down at his empty hand in surprise, and then gazed upon me in wonder.

"We're glad you're here, sister," Ley smiled lovingly again, and I returned the expression. "What will you do after this? Are you going back to the tower, tsu? We have business there, so you're free to come along!"

He practically vibrated with hope that I'd join them.

"I…" I tried to lightly steer him in the opposite direction. "I don't think the tower is safe right now. There are people there that…" I didn't know how to explain it without sounding weird. "...that hate us."

Roy perked up, "Oh? Us, specifically? That's rare. No, more than that, that's different! Not many people hate us for us, because of the memory loss thing. No one ever remembers us, tsu. Interesting. You say there are some in the tower, right now?"

Similarly, Ley was even more interested in the tower, my words having the opposite intended effect.

"They'll– They'll kill us if we go there. Hey, brothers… Can we not go? That's not something we should do, so let's leave. Hey, let's leave?" I implored, almost desperate.

"Sister, we'll be fi~ne!" Roy vibrated in place. "We're starving, and there's something tantalizing in the distance? As if we'd pass on the opportunity, isn't that right, brother?"

"Mmm," Ley frowned, looking at me with a hint of concern. "Rey… You're not saying that because they hurt you badly, are you? We understand, indeed, we do. We understand so completely, so thoroughly that we get where you're coming from. We do understand, don't we? That when you're hurt, you want nothing more than to run, tsu." He placed a hand on my shoulder. "Your big brother will go kill them, how about that? Then, you don't have to be scared!"

"Ooo!" Roy nodded enthusiastically. "We get it! Killing two ground dragons with one spell!"

"No–! No, that's not–!" I tried to say, but they were already getting ahead of themselves.

"Chew and crunch them down, brother, then we'll have all that's needed!" Roy vibrated with excitement. "New, and many, so many dishes in one place! There's no reason for concern, sister! Once we win our bet, then even brother will understand our methods!"

"Bet?" I inquired, feeling a stone plummet in my stomach from their complete disregard of my warnings.

That was a mistake, apparently, as both immediately turned to me with wide, fervorous eyes.

"Sister!" They both barked, making me flinch.

"Your stance on Gluttony! You like to eat the tastiest dishes, right?" Ley nodded twice. "The rarest, the most eccentric, what is most obtuse, tsu? To feel such flavors on your tongue is bliss, right?"

"Of course not! What matters is feeling your stomach close to bursting!" Roy immediately denied Ley, thrusting a finger at him. He turned to me with a wide smile, "You already had a taste, right, sister? That was our gratitude to you for saving us, tsu! You understand already, then. You understand, come close to understanding, stand at the precipice to understand! It's better than Gourmet, isn't it? That terrible eating."

"Gourmet is better in every regard!" Ley boasted, upturning his nose. "Bizarre Eating? The hell is that? Garbage, lame, stupid, just shoveling mud and slop into your mouth until you feel queasy from overeating? Then eating more? Brother, are you stupid?"

"You just don't understand brother," Roy rolled his eyes. "Why eat good food when there is so much less? It's not like we don't understand eating high quality food, but ignoring the many different plates for so few excellent dishes… You understand, right, sister?"

"Sister, tell Roy he's an idiot, tsu!"

"Rey, Ley clearly has issues being inferior. Please get it through his thick skull that his way of eating is stupid!"

Both of them were up in my face with wide eyes, demanding I take their side in what was clearly a long-standing argument they were having.

I raised a hand, "Actually, I prefer not to eat at all."

They both stared at me.

Slowly, they met each other's eyes, and they nodded in agreement.

"Sister," Roy began, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Sister," Ley repeated, putting a hand on my other shoulder.

I swallowed nervously, "Yes?"

"It's no good if you starve yourself, you know?"

I slumped.

"That was not what I meant."

"Ugh, you want to wait more? "

"Until tonight, brother. So many mabeasts would be difficult to conceal in the day, no?"

"But we're so hungry… At least that'll make the first bite tastier, hmm, tsu?"

"See? There are positives to it."

I absent-mindedly listened as I went through my stats and skills.

Rey Alaraph LVL 51

Race: 25% Demi-Human (dog)

Affiliation: Witch Cult (Sin Archbishop), -99% Reputation with non-affiliated members.

Magical Affinity: Yin, Earth

Health: 4,160/4,160

Mana: 212/1,880

Exp: 731/5100

STR: 363

-The weight of your blows, the ability to exert force in numerical form.

VIT: 104

-Your constitution, the vitality you carry in numerical form.

DEX: 359

-The litheness of your body, the speed at which you can actively react to in numerical form.

INT: 188 (+50 for one week)

-Puzzles, memory, knowledge in numerical form.

WIS: 118

-Understanding, thoughts, and the ability to comprehend in numerical form.

LUK: 11

-Chance, and the odds it's in your favor in numerical form.

20 Stat points allocatable!

It was a bit frustrating to see how my status compared to Roy's was so much less when I'd reached the same level. It was possible I could get lots of stat points from simple quests, but since I was stuck in an Act, those haven't been popping up at all. The incredible boosts to my status would come from looping Natsuki Subaru, which was very dangerous, even with my brothers helping me do that.

I almost wanted to leave them to the tower and Natsuki Subaru, but I knew he'd have no mercy for Gluttony. He wouldn't have any mercy for me, either.

And even if I wanted to…

My eyes lingered on the popup that appeared.

Plot Quest!

Return to the Pleiades.

What, you thought you could just leave? Your development of the plot has ended, and once you finish this quest, there won't be anything forcing you to stay! Feel free to leave after that, but you won't do that, will you? Complain all you want, but you're too invested in the NPCs to simply leave them to their fates.

Quest: Return to the Sage's Watchtower.

Reward: The end of your Plot Punishment, 500 EXP

Failure: Death.

23:45:43

Yeah. I got yet another 'Do it or die,' quest.

Granted, I knew I wouldn't be leaving permanently, since I had too much stake within the tower. Not just Louis' fate, but I wanted to ensure my brother's safety. Meili was probably in trouble, too, so I'd be checking up on her. I didn't care much about the girl, but she has a bit of my respect for sticking true to her deal. Not to mention…

Well, she was talking like my sister for a bit, which was odd. She probably knew where to find Louis, so that was a second reason.

I was beginning to think the system had it out for me. But the punishment for ignoring the Plot Request and pushing Shaula off the tower would apparently end with my return to the tower. That meant, logically, the end of the Act was nigh-upon us.

It was only a full day, so it wasn't like much could happen in the tower without me being there, right? I just hoped this 'do it or die' thing wouldn't become a recurring thing once I got past the punishment phase of this whole thing.

Moving on, I had ignored the popup that appeared when I reached Level 50.

Congratulations! For hitting level 50, you have strengthened yourself beyond the norm of this world! Regular soldiers will be unable to scratch you, and you will always be a factor in deciding any battle! The blood within you rages, and you have succeeded in tapping into its potential!

Partial Demi-Human transformation(Dog) unlocked!

-The ability to tap into your second half and wield a more primal power. +20% to DEX/STR, depending on what part of your body you transform.

I seemed to have forgotten I was demi-human, so this came as a surprise. I was a dog, and my partial transformation was… odd, to be certain.

My hands, up to my elbow, transformed into claws and grew dirty blonde fur. My hair grew thicker, and it puffed out a bit like an animal trying to seem bigger than it was. I also felt my nose strengthen even more dramatically, which led me to have a coughing fit and undo my transformation as soon as possible, because the miasma still smelled like shit.

In other words, it was a neat tool to have in my back pocket, but being more capable in mere fisticuffs wouldn't be super helpful because I'm treading on the path of a swordsman. If the day ever came where I ran out of mana in a fight and the Yin Blade became useless, or, god forbid, broke, then the ability to turn my hands into claws would be helpful. The name of 'partial' also led me to believe I'd be getting a full transformation at some point. My brothers had eaten the memories of many demi-humans, so it wasn't the most surprising thing that I'd be capable of this, but the power upgrade it could give me was interesting.

Not that it'd matter all that much when it came to using the sword, but it's always good to have options.

I yawned, feeling tired from all the excitement that overtook my life in the past… two days. Oh god, it had only been two days?! The amount of healing being coaxed into my body through magic had a certain fatigue to it, leaving me almost lethargic in my actions. I was hungry, too, so that didn't really help much.

I closed my eyes to take a small nap in preparation for the final day of the Act. Or at least, the final bit that I'd be a part of.

Then, almost mockingly, I heard the ping! Of a popup alerting me.

I cracked an eye open, almost dreading what I'd see.

Cause Natsuki Subaru to loop! (29/50)

"Huh," I mumbled, feeling a bit of relief that the popup wasn't so bad. "Wonder what that's about."

Notes:

I'm running out of interest for this story, hence the wait time between the updates. Been doing other stuff too. Maybe next chapter will reinvigorate my writing, who knows.

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Creator Chose Not To Use Archive WarningsGraphic Depictions Of Violence

Category:

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Fandom:

Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 | Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World (Anime)

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Rey Alaraph (OC)Louis ArnebLye BatenkaitosRoy Alphard

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Published:2024-10-28Updated:2026-01-07Words:246,117Chapters:58/?Comments:1,238Kudos:848Bookmarks:113Hits:41,077

A Dog in the Cradle of Od Lagna

TheGimbler

Chapter 18: Change, but just a Little Bit

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

She didn't know why she did it. Or, rather, it was so obvious that she didn't have to think about it.

Rey Alaraph, a Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, confirmed it. The only power capable of slaying an immortal like Capella was that of Reid Astrea, or someone similar. An ability might work too, but she didn't have something like that.

So she read a book, and now Elsa would never leave her. It felt… nice. A second life pushed into her mind, filled with memories and a personality she cared for. This brought changes to her own demeanor, and she finally understood Elsa's past with incredible clarity.

If she left it there, then things would be incredibly simple. She got what she wanted, and the sounds of combat down the stairs was exactly as Rey had foretold. She was found out rather easily, since she barely tried to hide her position, and was now in conflict with Natsuki Subaru and his friends.

These things, Meili was prepared for. Elsa speaking to her, offering advice, and examining things in a way that suited her was unexpected, but she was glad to have Elsa again, even if only she could see her.

What Meili didn't expect to find, however, was the book titled, 'Reid Astrea.'

He held power, and nothing would ever change Meili Portroute into a powerhouse even approaching him. But–

But–

If I were to read that book, then maybe… maybe Meili Portroute could change, just a little bit.

She wasn't the same after reading Elsa's book, and her thinking had grown more critical and cold. She understood how to fight, to a degree, but she neither had Elsa's Cursed Doll body, nor did she even have the bodily proportions similar to Elsa. She was just a little girl with a useful Divine Protection.

But–

If there was even the slightest chance I can kill Mother, it would be in that book.

Elsa couldn't kill Mother. She couldn't even try, and Elsa was Elsa. She was so strong, beautiful, and smart. She was everything Meili looked up to, and she was reduced to the same level as Mother's child. Elsa would have no answer to Mother's immortality, but maybe Reid Astrea would.

A chance. Something incredibly miniscule, rested within that book.

And Meili read it without a second thought.

Amongst the plain of where memories go to be dumped, there stood two girls.

"Mm? It's been a long time since we've gotten a visitor in our little hall~."

One, who thought she was going to acquire a power capable of slaughtering an immortal. And another, who had always remained within this space, never leaving as herself.

"Say, how'd you even get in here, tsu? We understand mages, scholars, and wisemen, sometimes they reach a bit too close to the Od Lagna that they find us here, but you… Hm." The blonde haired resident tilted her head, a faint muse playing across her lips. "You don't seem to be anyone special. What's your name?"

"Mmgh…" Meili pressed a hand to her head, fighting back a headache. Elsa lightly tapped her skull.

" Meili. This one feels familiar, doesn't she? "

"Mm?" Meili looked up at the girl. Pale skin, long blonde hair that reached the ground and coiled around her, a sharp-toothed smile. "May~be? Wait, hu~h?"

Meili looked around in confusion, seeing an endless white void, bereft of any detail or marker, save for the girl across from her.

"Where is this? I opened the book, so why am I not in his memories?"

"Book?" The girl across from her echoed, a thoughtful look on her face. "Book… Book! Aaa~, we get it! Those books in the library, no? Our sister has seen them, so naturally we've seen them, too. So that means…" She wrapped a strand of blonde hair around her finger, face scrunched. "Meili~. Meili Portroute. That's your name, tsu!"

"A-ah!" Meili took a step back with wide eyes, seeing the blonde girl grin widely as she began stalking toward her with the gait of a predator.

" She looks like that other girl. The Sin Archbishop. She needed your name. " Elsa hastily appeared at Meili's side, trying to calm her with her presence. " Make an excuse. Explain how she can't eat you. "

"Y-you— are you Rey's sister?" Meili asked, trying to stop herself from backtracking, knowing it was futile to run. She hadn't the power or the speed to deal with someone so terrifying.

"Mm?" The girl paused, a few feet away, and tilted her head. "Oh. We didn't introduce ourselves. We are a Sin Archbishop of the Witch's Cult, representing Gluttony, Louis Arneb, tsu. Remember that, for however long you have left."

"Y-yes, but–!" Meili said, but Louis already stepped up to her, and tapped a hand onto Meili's chest.

"Meili Portroute," Louis said lazily, before her tongue stretched from her mouth to lick her palm. "Lic–"

"She'll be sad if you eat us!" Meili blurted out the first thing that came to mind to give Louis any pause at all.

It worked, and Louis stilled, her tongue pressed against her palm, something Meili didn't understand or like. Whatever she was doing, Meili would be the victim of something incomprehensible. Any fate was preferable, especially lying.

"Sad, you say?" Louis looked up, eyes narrowed and contemplative. "Why? For who? For what reason? By what degree? Rey, our sister, would be upset if you were to be eaten? You know this, how, tsu?"

"We're friends!" Meili explained quickly, a tentative smile on her face. "A-and if her sister were to take her friend away, she'd be sad. S-so…"

"So she'd be upset if we ate you," Louis gave her a flat look. "Well~, you're wrong. Rey has no friends. She only has us, and our brothers. That's all she'll eve~r have. Will ever have. Shall ever have. Could ever have, tsu. You think we'll fall for your plot, Meili Portroute?"

" She's still talking. She's uncertain and trying to get you to slip up, " Elsa continued to whisper into Meili's ear. " Be absolute. Don't let her think you're uncertain. "

"And how would you know that?" Meili frowned in response, feeling a bit of unrest in her chest at the thought of Rey having only a mean elder sister like Louis. "You weren't there. And she's looking for you, you know. She thinks you're still gonna be mad at her for something. I dunno what, though."

"Obviously we're still going to be mad, do you know what she did?" Louis complained immediately, rolling her eyes and slackening her posture. "She tried to force us out of here without any sort of happiness waiting for us afterward. She offered herself. Herself! That's stupid and dumb, we hate her, tsu."

Louis frowned, her eyes trailing to the floor.

"That's sad," Meili commented. "She likes you a lot."

"That's the point, tsu," Louis looked back up. "A doting elder sister to get her younger sister to care for her. To rely on no one but her sister, forever and ever." Louis grinned, causing Meili to swallow nervously. "So, why would we care if she lost her only friend? "

The high-pitched end to her sentence only caused Meili's nerves to soar. But Elsa's firm hand on her shoulder kept her from shaking, knowing only the end would occur if she showed any weakness to Louis.

"So why haven't you eaten me yet?" Meili challenged, putting on her most determined face. "Why would you stop in the middle if me being her friend didn't matter at all?"

Louis merely narrowed her eyes.

Meili continued to press. "If you're trying to isolate her to only rely on you, then– then wouldn't that only give you more reason to eat me? I think you're lying."

Louis' eye twitched.

"She cares about you a lot. And she's trying to find you, wherever… wherever this weird place is."

Louis met Meili's determined face with a frown, even if Meili was panicking inside. If this didn't work, then Meili gambled completely wrong. She'd be eaten by Rey's elder sister and no one would remember her. She just got Elsa again, so she refused to die!

As the seconds ticked by, Louis' frown decidedly melted, and she groaned, stepping away and raising her hands to her face.

"Ughh… Annoying. Annoying. Annoying! Annoying, annoying, annoyingannoyingannoyingannoying! So damn annoying! No fun, not a hint of excitement, nothing new, nothing new, nothing new at all!" Louis whirled and thrust a finger at Meili. "Who the hell do you think you are, befriending our sister like that!? Trying to come onto her, are you!? We won't allow it, won't allow it, will never allow it, cannot allow it! Stay away from her, if you know what's good for you, tsu!"

"Wh– huh?" Meili stared.

Louis growled at Meili like a defensive animal, "Stay away from our little sister. She doesn't need someone like you! She only needs us to keep her safe. Just us. Only us. Suppose it's just us. Only we care about her the way she needs it! That way, that way, that way–! She won't have to deal with being so damn lo–" Louis stiffened, eyes widening a fraction.

"...Lonely?" Meili tried to continue Louis' sentence, before Louis launched a hand forward and clamped her fingers around her mouth, preventing her from speaking.

"A trick, hmm?" Louis leaned in and whispered, anger flickering over her eyes. "Keeping us distracted while our sister was attacked. Smart. Indeed, we call it smart. So smart. That's incredibly smart, especially since we didn't know anyone knew about where we were. To create such an opportunity to kill our sister. We applaud you!"

Meili's heart thundered so loud, surely Louis was able to hear it. She rapidly shook her head to say that she didn't know. She had no idea. She was just as confused as Louis was, she didn't know a thing!

"So what, so what… Hmmm," Louis frowned in contemplation. "She's unconscious, half-dead. Her body will fall apart if we take over now, tch." After a moment, her gaze slowly slid to Meili, who shivered under her grasp. Louis' eyes lit up with a terrible idea, "Well, well, well. It seems we can slay two ground dragons with one spell, hmm? Meili Portroute, tsu. Tell us, how did you get into here? Finding your way into this place is quite difficult, you know? It's not expected of a little girl like you who has nothing special about her except a mere fraction of the ability we possess."

Louis pried her fingers away from Meilis' mouth. "Tell us~."

"I-I read— Reid Astrea's book…" Meili whispered hoarsely, trying not to shake or cry. "I-I don't know what happened, but I was here after t-that."

"Book of the Dead, eh?" Louis pondered. "Our sister knows about that. She… went to the library with you to find Elsa Granhiert's, didn't she? Hm. Hm. Strange, she's acting so familiar with you. She even told you about being Gluttony."

Louis continued speaking, eyes glazed as she sorted through her sister's memories with quick precision. "So you were. So you were her friend. Ahh~, so frustrating. Can't eat you, then, tsu. Can't take sibling's meals, otherwise they'll be ma~d. So then, so then, so then~, hmmm. The book– Strange." Louis' gaze snapped up to Meili. "What did reading the book do? Explain."

"A-ah, I saw…" Meili tried to speak, but her gaze caught onto Elsa, who stood directly behind Louis. Her elder sister shook her head, telling her not to say a word. "A-ah… nothing more than– Just– Uhm…"

Louis placed her palm onto Meili's chest as a warning.

"Memories…" Meili eeked out. "I saw memories. All of them. I saw Elsa's everything."

"Through your eyes?" Louis had a strange tone in her voice, like she was near grasping the truth of the matter.

"T-through Elsa's?" Meili said, confused.

"Ahhh~!" Louis laughed. "So that's it, so that's it! Memories shape the person, but to truly experience it as them! What an idea, we never thought about changing the memories to suit someone like that!" Louis practically glowed as she giggled malevolently, a crazed light in her wide blue eyes.

Meili took a step back, feeling a terrible weight in her stomach.

"You see, a soul can fit many, many, many, many memories into it, tsu," Louis latched onto Meili's shoulder, preventing her from fleeing. "So many. If you were to live ten thousand lifetimes, then even then, it wouldn't burst. If you consider a soul to be a plate and the memories atop it, then adding scraps to it wouldn't make it a part of the plate. Gluttony can eat each person once, completely consume the scraps atop, the plate, or both."

"A-ah?" Meili gasped as Louis' skin began to bubble. A hand split from her shoulder and a sickening squelch sounded out.

"Don't worry," Louis' comforting smile was more horrific than any other expression so far. The snapping of bones permeated the space as a head pulled out of Louis' body. "Giving birth is always disgusting. But we are good at preparing for it, tsu."

Meili was unable to tear her gaze away as a second Louis pulled out of Louis' body, falling onto the floor with the sound of wet meat. She opened her eyes, and stood up, right beside herself.

"When it comes to memories and souls, we can do anything. If it's us, then it's possible, you see," The second Louis placed a hand on Meili's other shoulder, securing her in place. "The plate of Meili Portroute, replaced with the plate of Louis Arneb. If we did such a thing, what would happen, do you think, tsu?"

"N-no! S-stop! Don't do this–!" Meili screamed, trying to fight back, but it was impossible and far, far too late.

"It won't hurt. Not even a little bit." Both Louis' said in tandem, grinning like the monsters they were.

"Louis Arneb." The first spoke.

"Meili Portroute." The second continued.

"Lick~."

Meili shot up and released a scream, hands clenched on the book in her grasp. There was a shift. Something was wrong. Something was wrong. It was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong!

She looked around the library with wide, fearful eyes, and saw nothing. The bookshelves all sat tidy and neat. However, the single book in her lap felt like magma, scalding and burning like she was exposed to something impossible and couldn't remember.

"A-ah…" Meili looked up, and saw Elsa leaned against a shelf, looking worried in the way she does.

" Are you okay, Meili? "

"Y-yeah… I'm okay, tsu," Meili slapped a hand over her mouth with a gasp. "Wha– Huh? What–? Why did I–"

" Well, we didn't expect to meet you like this, tsu," A voice ruminated, one Meili felt deep dread over hearing.

Appearing from nowhere, a girl with lengthy blonde hair stood beside Elsa, and Meili's elder sister looked down with a sharp glare. The girl was out! She'd escaped and was alone with Meili in the library!

Meili shot to her feet, frightened.

" Meili, " Elsa's authoritative voice washed over her, immediately calming her nerves enough to prevent her from running off. " Calm down. She's like me. "

" Mm, quite smart, when you aren't panicking, " Louis commented, looking over at Meili with a curious expression. " Very odd life you've lived, too. If only we had the chance to eat you, tsu. What a waste that our sister already claimed you. But… If we'd known you were so new, then we would've ignored that and ate you anyway~, tsu. "

Her nonchalant admittance caused Meili to switch her weight between her feet nervously, looking at the Sin Archbishop.

"W-what…" Meili mumbled. "What do you… want?"

" You want to help our sister, obviously, " Louis crossed her arms with a sneer. " We're just memories implanted into you. You have no power like we do, but memories and memories of being Louis Arneb. Don't think about them, otherwise you'll fall apart. "

" She's right, " Elsa, her calmest rationalization, confirmed Louis' words. " She's just the memory of Louis Arneb, Meili. She has far more than you and I combined, so you'll lose yourself if you prod them. But… " Elsa paused, looking somewhat guilty, which made Meili ever more nervous, knowing how rare it was for Elsa to look that way.

" If you don't think about our memories and get them sorted out, we'll be a mainstay in your mi~nd forever, tsu! " Louis snickered. " To think memories could be weaponized like this. Maybe this could be done to everyone! That would be interesting, tsu, don't you think? "

"A-ah…" Meili fell to her knees, shaking. "No– No, no… Anything but that! Please, please no. I don't want– We don't want—" She slapped another hand over her mouth, tears beginning to form.

" Anywa~y, " Louis hummed. " Let's help our sister, shall we? "

"Y-yeah…" Meili whispered, even as something felt incredibly wrong about the whole situation. Her rational mind, Elsa, and her instinct felt incredibly alien all of a sudden, and now she couldn't stop shivering.

Elsa and Louis disappeared, but Meili could still feel the memories both of them represent hugging her mind. It was just Meili. It was always just Meili.

She got to her feet, slid Reid's book back into the shelf, and left.

If she pretended nothing was wrong, then maybe there wasn't.

That always worked, right?

" Didn't you cry over Elsa's death like an idiot, tsu? " Her self-deprecation now had a very familiar voice attached to it.

"Shut up," Meili hissed, licking her lips as she did. "Go away. I don't want you in my head."

" Help our sister, and maybe we'll do that, hmm? "

" She won't. " Elsa cautioned.

Meili left the library, shutting the door behind her and meeting the gaze of the titanic form of Shaula.

"...I know," Meili whispered.

Thankfully, Louis was quiet. She rarely talked inside Meili's head, and the girl was grateful for it. Her presence was always felt, and the memories she implanted into Meili's head were something Meili would likely never touch. But, if she did, then she would know everything there is to know about the Sin Archbishop.

Meili wasn't stupid, nor insane, so she'd left that tightly winded bundle in her brain alone. She had one encounter with Rey's sister, and would now have a memory-version of her running around in her mind until she died.

That's what she gets for overstepping her bounds. She should've just remained small forever, and never dared hope for anything more. Mother would say something like that to her as she melted Meili's face off.

Elsa would always give her encouragement when she thought about that kind of thing, which helped immensely.

Regardless, Meili did as Louis wanted. She told Rey some strange things about her brothers, who were definitely more Sin Archbishops of Gluttony, and then Rey immediately broke free and escaped.

Even Louis was surprised by that, seeing Rey act immediately and break through her restraints to run.

This led to a very long-winded talk from Subaru about trust and to tell him everything she knew.

If you want us to trust you, blah, blah, blah. Louis leaned against the wall beside Subaru, who was asking Meili to share what she said to Rey that caused her to escape so suddenly. He doesn't understand your predicament. No one can. Just us, our sister, and our brothers.

"--So please," Subaru smiled down at her, pleading with Meili. "What did you say? I don't want to have to put you under watch, but this is getting ridiculous, Meili."

"...I–" Meili sighed. "I read–"

And two hands clapped over Meili's mouth. Her eyes widened, and she looked up to see Louis and Elsa, both covering her mouth with disappointed expressions.

" Telling him you had contact with a Sin Archbishop and then causing their only lead to escape with words you refuse to say would only incriminate you. " Elsa said stoically.

"They'll kill you to read your book of the dead, if they learned we're in your head," Louis closed an eye and put a finger on her lips. "Stay silent, tsu. But tell him about Reid's book. Take him up there, and let him read it for himself. Tell him you found something amazing within it. That should suffice, tsu."

"Meili?" Subaru asked, worried. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Meili blinked, and both of them were gone. "Yeah~. Sorry, I wasn't thinking. But I came up with something you'll want to read, Onii-San." Meili offered a hand with a tentative smile. "Come to the library with me? You'll understand when w– I show you~."

Subaru narrowed his eyes a fraction, suspicious, "The library? Why would you want to go there?"

"Haah," Meili took a deep breath. "There's a book there that I read. Rey– Or I guess, Gluttony showed it to me."

"A book?" Subaru considered it for a moment. "Show me."

Meili's hands shook, and she quickly placed them behind her back, "Okay~."

"Mm? Two visitors in one day? How rare, tsu."

"--"

"-------"

"--"

"----Natsuki Subaru. Lick~."

Notes:

Rey: yeah I'm sure nothing important is happening.

Also, I'm probably going to quit with the other POVs for a while unless it's Subaru. We all know what happens after this so it doesn't matter.

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Chapter 969 - 16-18