"What the hell is this place?"
The sword led me to Betty's trail, using its magic as a link to find her. When I was creating the dimensional rift, a mental image of this place came to me, and that's what helped me get here, but...
"How am I supposed to find her?"
All that existed was a seemingly endless expanse of darkness. It wasn't an absolute void, because there were still certain things. For example, there was 'light' to reflect colors and 'air' to carry sound, or at least that's how I should explain why I could still see my body and hear my voice.
Otherwise, there was no floor, ceiling, or walls. I found myself floating in a seemingly weightless space. The appearance of this place reminded me of Echidna's dream castle when she stripped away all the decorations, leaving only the cosmic background.
Perhaps that was it: a pocket dimension or something. In any case, I wasn't going to find out by speculating, so I started moving. Since I couldn't walk or kick to propel myself, I used the power of sloth to get around.
As I flew around, I felt time flow differently. I couldn't tell if I was wandering for seconds, days, or centuries. I think I lost track of time because I had no reference point in the earthly world.
The Yin sword had stopped working when I arrived, but at some point it came back to life and began pointing me in a certain direction again. Once more, I spent an indefinite amount of time wandering around that place.
So...
"Betty!"
My eyes lit up when I saw the girl's figure, floating adrift. I accelerated my flight to reach her as quickly as possible, as if she would disintegrate if I didn't.
But Betty didn't disappear, neither before nor after I held her in my arms. I was so relieved that she had survived, that I had been able to find her... I also felt incredibly guilty, since all of this was part of the butterfly effect of my actions.
"Is that you?" She woke up, though she seemed very weak and barely moved. I realized this could be due to the library's destruction. In the first place, I had no idea how or why Betty had been transported here. Perhaps, when that dimension collapsed, the universe didn't know what to do with her and sent her to another dimension at random? I had no idea, but I definitely wasn't going to get the answer with such poor information.
"Yes, it's me. I came to save you."
Betty looked at me with her beautiful eyes, a mix of blue and pink. I could see the pain and sadness in her expression: a feeling accumulated over centuries, fueled by fear and loneliness.
"I... I thought I would finally be free." She murmured, her voice breaking. "Why...? Is it my destiny to suffer like this forever?"
It pained me deeply to see a little girl lamenting that she hadn't been able to die. It made me feel even worse than before, and my desire to comfort her grew stronger.
"Death is not a solution, Betty. Yeah, right, look who's talking. You have to learn to love life."
I wasn't exactly an example of that doctrine, but the important thing was to convey the idea.
"It's never too late to learn. As long as you're alive, you can try as many times as you want."
She closed her eyes for a moment, frowning with an old anguish.
"But that person..."
"There is no such person. You choose your own destiny."
Upon hearing my words, Betty began to cry. I had no idea what was going through her mind, so I simply hugged her silently while she let it all out.
"God, I look like a struggling dad."
Finally, she calmed down enough to speak again, although she was still sobbing and clinging to my chest.
"I hate being alone and I hate feeling this way!"
I understood her perfectly. I was in a different world, where everything was new and strange. I didn't have a home, my old friends, or my family, so I was working hard to build new connections and something that felt like home.
Although Betty was born here, she didn't really know the world: all she understood was that the vast majority of people lived much shorter lives than she did, and she didn't know how to connect with them. The few close relationships she had ended in loss and pain for her.
"I know: that's why I'm here. I don't intend to leave you alone."
"You will eventually! You're human! You'll grow old and die..."
According to Mother Nature, that's what would happen. However, it turns out this world has many contradictions, and the greatest of them is magic. With some luck, I could use various spells and curses to extend my lifespan indefinitely.
But longevity had too many implications, and I didn't know if I wanted to live that long. However, showing doubt now would mean losing my chance to convince Betty and use her (it pains me to say it, but it's the truth) to save the others.
"That's not entirely true." I denied with a smile. "You must have realized by now that I'm not a normal human."
"So what?" Betty asked in a tearful voice.
"I'm not going anywhere, no matter how many years pass." I forced myself to say, even though I had no idea if I could keep my word, which only reinforced my self-loathing. "I'll be with you as long as it takes until you're no longer afraid."
"Will you stay? Will you live a long time?" She looked at me with a mixture of fear and hope. "Really? Do you promise?"
"Of course." I nodded, extending my hand to take hers.
Obviously, I hadn't planned to do such a thing. My intention was to change Betty's mindset quickly, avoiding having to take care of her for ages. Right now, I was just overreacting a bit to resolve this matter as soon as possible.
I was hoping to be able to help her with her problem, otherwise I would have no choice but to keep my promise.
Betty smiled and took my hand; her eyes sparkled with excitement, as this gesture was the beginning of everything: the foundation of our union.
"Leandro..."
The sentence remained unfinished. Suddenly, a glow illuminated the emptiness around us. I felt a chill run down my spine as I saw a colossal figure materialize out of nowhere in front of us.
From its aura, I guessed it was a very powerful entity, as it emitted an overwhelming pressure: it made me feel like an ant staring at an elephant. Its appearance was indistinct, enveloped in a shimmering mist that only revealed the outline of its humanoid body.
I was petrified. I was too shocked to speak or move, and apparently, so was Betty.
Right after that, a polyphonic voice resonated everywhere, with a piercing sound that gave me a mild migraine.
"AN INTRUDER... I MUST ELIMINATE..."
The unknown creature raised a hand, and a bright orb appeared within it. Suddenly, however, it raised its hand again, and the sphere grew several times larger than its immense body. Even from this distance, the heat and energy emanating from the sphere made me realize that it was a miniature sun.
"Holy shit." I muttered.
"What is that?!" Betty didn't recognize the entity either.
"I have no fucking idea!" I started flying away from that thing, but I wasn't getting away from it at all, as if physics had stopped working.
To make matters worse, the entity hurled the mini-sun at us like a beach ball. I immediately recalled the scene of Bardock being engulfed by Frieza's supernova. If that fireball came any closer, Betty and I would surely die.
Then I remembered I now had a convenient portal-opening weapon. I quickly summoned the Yin sword in my hand and opened a dimensional rift, stepping into it with Betty just before the fire engulfed us.
***
When we reached the other side, we fell and rolled on the ground. My heart was pounding wildly, as if my body still hadn't realized the danger had passed.
"What the hell was that?"
I had the uneasy feeling that I'd seen that creature before. Even though the place seemed familiar, I couldn't remember anything about it.
"Master Leandro! Miss Beatrice!"
I heard Frederica's voice and realized she had returned. I was right where I had opened the previous portal: in the middle of the mansion's ruins.
"So I just need to think of a place to open a portal that takes me there. Well, I guess it won't work with places I haven't visited before."
That increased my suspicions. I had been in that place and had seen that entity. I was very curious and wanted to unravel that mystery, but it wasn't a good time for introspection.
It wasn't just Frederica: everyone had come here. They probably followed me when I started looking for Betty.
"How is this possible?" Frederica was very surprised to see her in my arms. "I thought she was..."
"It's complicated." I repeated my excuse to postpone any explanation. "I'm going to the Sanctuary with Betty. You two stay in town in the meantime. That goes for both of you, too."
My index finger pointed at Elsa and Meili, who both shrugged and did not reply.
"Okay, let's get this over with!" I prepared to open a dimensional rift, but my legs gave way and I fell to my knees, my hands on the ground as nausea washed over me.
Everything was happening so fast and I felt like I was going to faint from all the effort I had made, but I still couldn't rest.
Betty squeezed my hand, observing my appearance with concern. Exhaustion must have taken its toll on my face.
"Leandro... Are you okay?"
"Yes... We're almost there. We just have to deal with the Big Rabbit..."
After taking a few seconds to gather my strength again, I swung the Yin sword once more, creating a new portal to the witch's graveyard.
Now, I walked through the dimensional rift and arrived at a place quite different from what I remembered. The Sanctuary was covered in snow, just as I had expected. I could also sense the Great Rabbit's miasma in the surrounding area.
"Damn, I hope I'm not too late."
According to the plan, everyone was to take refuge inside Echidna's tomb. I flew swiftly with my authority, and when I arrived at the location, I smiled with relief.
"They're here."
The Great Rabbit looked like a vast, raging white tide. Its bloodshot eyes shone like tiny rubies.
It seemed that everyone had gathered around the grave, which made the work much easier. Suddenly, I noticed something strange.
"That 's strange. Emilia should be here, keeping them in check. Why isn't she? And how come those animals didn't get into the tomb if she didn't stop them?"
Looking closely, I noticed a thick wall of ice blocking the entrance. That explained my second question, at least.
"Betty, I have to get rid of these little bastards. Do you think you could help me with that?"
The girl looked at me with a mixture of indignation and pride.
"Who do you take me for?! Of course I can!"
"Very well. I'll gather them up and you kill them."
I slowly lowered myself to the ground. The rabbits that were nearby tried to bite me, but I easily crushed them with my authority.
"Come on, come and get me!" I provoked them, releasing a large amount of miasma to attract them.
The strategy worked quite well, because the rabbits began to get desperate to devour me and piled up, forming a small white mountain.
Once I had gathered them all, I broke the ground beneath them to form a platform, which I then floated into the air. Next, I stepped back and left the rest in Betty's hands.
She had had enough time to prepare and didn't keep us waiting, unleashing a powerful yin magic that I was not yet able to perform on my own.
"Al Shamak!"
Darkness swallowed the Great Rabbit and brought this odyssey to an end. Although it only lasted a week in real time, the number of restarts I did was equivalent to almost two years to finish this story arc.
I stared into space for a few seconds, processing the fact that it was all over. I wanted to faint right then and there, but I still needed to check that everyone was okay. I knew I was overreacting, and yet I couldn't rest easy until I did.
However, the others shouldn't have had any problems with the plan. I approached the ice wall and destroyed it, revealing the interior of the tomb, which was packed with people.
"Oh, it's Mr. Leandro!" The villagers of Arlam came running when they saw me.
"Don't call me that." I complained under my breath.
"It's so good to have you back, young man!" Old Milde greeted me. "Has the storm passed? I'm worried about Lady Emilia."
"Isn't she with you?" I frowned.
"He left not long ago." She explained. "We haven't seen the Lord or the maids either..."
"Garfiel and the old lady haven't returned either." Said a demi-human with a serious expression.
What happened with Roswaal and the others made sense because the 'rebellion' I organized had to be kept secret, so obviously no one would know what was happening with him. But I didn't understand why Emilia separated herself from the others.
According to my calculations, she should have finished the trials and helped both villagers and residents take refuge in the tomb, staying with them to protect them. Meanwhile, Rem, Ram, Garfiel, and Ryuzu would quickly deal with Roswaal, taking advantage of his weakness from the weather spell.
Had I made a mistake? Had I misinterpreted things? Anxiety began to gnaw at my mind, and I was filled with remorse at the possibility of having made an error.
"I'll go look for them." I turned around and left.
Apparently, the storm had not stopped.
After flying for a while, I reached the settlement and stopped dead in my tracks. It didn't look good.
The land was surrounded by a wall of ice, and the buildings had been destroyed as if a war had been fought there.
"Shit."
Until that moment, I had thought I was being paranoid, that the plan to neutralize Roswaal couldn't have failed. At that moment, my insides felt heavy.
Did I really think it would be so easy to set a trap for the most powerful magician in humanity, a man with four hundred years of experience?
Suddenly, my plan seemed ridiculously naive and arrogant.
"Why was I so lazy as to plan such an important and dangerous move?! I put this whole damn loop at risk! That psychopath could have murdered any one of them just to force me to reset!"
I accelerated to the maximum, searching for any sign of my allies, or of Roswaal himself. The wall must have been built by Emilia when the rabbits arrived, so she couldn't be far away.
I wasn't wrong. I saw her in the distance with Rem and Ram. Garfiel and Ryuzu were behind them, while Roswaal stood at the opposite end, facing the rest of the group.
"I'm afraid you're late, Leandro." Said the magician when I got close enough. "But I applaud your effort: you came very close to beating me."
Confused, I looked closely at everyone. Then I noticed a terrifying detail.
A red stain was gradually spreading across the pure white of the snow. Although I was afraid of what I would see, I forced myself to follow the trail of blood to find its source.
Slowly, my eyes moved upwards, and then I saw what I didn't want to see.
Ram held Rem in his arms, staring at her in shock. She had a hole in her chest, a wound that was still bleeding. Her face was expressionless and motionless, and her eyes lacked the beautiful sparkle that had greeted me just a few hours earlier.
Rem, my Rem... She was dead.
I didn't know how it happened, but it didn't really matter. After all, I wouldn't want to live in a world without her.
"Haa..."
That was my last breath. With that slow, painful exhalation, I let go of my attachment to this cycle. I would have to redo everything, even if it meant suffering again or giving up some things.
As long as I could keep everyone I cared about alive, I'd be okay.
I closed my eyes and used my authority to crush my own heart, ending it all quickly.
"..."
The RBD experience was no different this time. My stomach churned with disgust, and I felt the lingering pain of my previous demise. I didn't pay much attention to it; I'd grown accustomed to it by now.
But when I opened my eyes, I refused to believe what I saw.
Snow, blood, pain... And Rem dead.
Everything remained the same.