The streets of the capital buzzed with life.
Subaru walked with slow, deliberate steps, his black cloak brushing against the dusty cobblestones. Around him, the medieval city thrived—shops called out with their colorful goods, food stalls filled the air with sizzling scents, and laughter rolled from the mouths of carefree children darting between adults.
Carriages rumbled past, but it wasn't horses pulling them—it was dragons, their scales gleaming under the afternoon sun, smoke curling lazily from their nostrils.
Subaru barely registered it. It was noise. Movement. Life. Distant.
He turned right into a narrow alley, seeking a shortcut... or maybe something familiar. His boots echoed softly against the tight stone walls. The shadows deepened around him.
Then, movement.
Two figures stepped from behind crates, blocking his path. Another emerged from behind, trapping him in the alley.
Subaru stopped, studying them.
One was massive—purple eyes glinting from under tight braids, a green vest stretched across his broad chest. Another was lanky, with messy blue-gray hair and a prisoner's rags clinging to his thin frame—chains still dangling from his wrists. The last was short, mushroom-cut hair sticking out from under a red cloak, twitchy hands fidgeting at his side.
The prisoner-looking one pulled out a pair of chipped daggers, brandishing them with an unsteady grip.
"Hand over everything, pretty boy," he sneered. "Or we'll gut you like a fish."
Subaru blinked slowly. He didn't feel fear. He didn't even feel threatened.
They were nothing but insects buzzing in his path.
A hollow voice left him:
"No."
A simple word. No anger. No bravado. Just a rejection of their existence.
The thugs snarled, their egos bruised, stepping closer—but before any of them could speak again, Subaru felt a sudden weight land briefly atop his head.
He looked up, catching a flash of blonde hair.
A girl stood on the roof, red eyes gleaming mischievously. She wore a sleeveless black top and a battered red scarf fluttering in the wind. Her left pant leg was missing, and a red ribbon danced around her ankle.
She gave a mocking salute.
"Sorry not sorry!"
And then she was gone, leaping across the rooftops, vanishing into the maze of the city.
Subaru stared after her, mildly curious.
Then the thugs charged.
Subaru sighed silently. He considered drawing his sword — but what was the point? Killing them would gain him nothing.
Instead, he moved.
One smooth sidestep, an elbow to the temple. A swift sweep to the legs. A sharp blow to the ribs. Three heartbeats later, all three men lay groaning on the ground, clutching at fresh bruises.
Subaru straightened his cloak.
A voice cried out from behind him:
"Halt!!"
Subaru turned, silver eyes cool behind his mask.
A girl sprinted toward him, her long silver hair streaming behind her like a comet's tail. A white and purple dress fluttered with each hurried step. At her side, a small floating creature—a cat with an irritable frown.
The girl skidded to a stop, looking at Subaru with wide, frustrated eyes.
"Please! Hand over the insignia you stole! It's very important to me!"
Subaru tilted his head slightly, confused. His voice, when it came, was steady and low:
"I didn't steal anything."
The floating cat floated closer, squinting at Subaru with narrowed eyes.
"He's telling the truth," the cat muttered. "And from the looks of it, he was about to get mugged."
Subaru glanced back at the unconscious men—only to find the alley empty. The thugs were scrambling away in a panicked retreat, vanishing around the corner.
Subaru turned back to the girl, his gaze utterly flat.
The girl flushed pink in embarrassment, biting her lip.
"I-I'm sorry for accusing you," she stammered, bowing her head slightly. "Is there... is there any way I can make it up to you?"
Subaru shook his head slowly.
"No need."
His voice was quiet, almost gentle despite its coldness.
He paused, studying her panicked expression, the way her hands trembled slightly with anxiety. She was desperate. Lost.
He exhaled, a soft sound behind the mask.
"You're in trouble. I'll help you get your insignia back."
The girl blinked, startled.
Subaru's silver eyes, visible through the slits of his mask, softened just a fraction.
"Your name?"
The girl hesitated. Fear flickered across her features. Then she forced a smile, awkward and sweet.
"Satella," she said.
Subaru heard a faint voice in the back of his mind — cold, certain:
Liar.
But he said nothing. He only inclined his head slightly.
"Subaru," he answered simply.
And thus, without knowing, the two of them stepped onto a path of fate—where numbness, lies, and broken hope would collide.
The city was alive with the waning sun.Shadows stretched long across cobblestones as Subaru and Satella moved through the streets.
Subaru stopped every few corners, asking passersby with short, clipped words:
"Blonde girl. Red scarf. Seen her?"
After a few tries, a merchant pointed down a crooked street.
"Ran off toward the slums," the man grunted, jerking a thumb behind him.
Subaru turned to tell Satella—but his voice caught.She stood a few feet away, head bowed, as a group of townsfolk sneered and barked at her.
"Filthy witch—!""Get outta here before we call the guards!"
Their voices were sharp, ugly things cutting the air.
Before Subaru could move, a cold pressure pulsed through the alley.
The floating cat—eyes narrowed to slits—hovered protectively at Satella's side. Its voice was a low growl, freezing the words in the townsfolk's mouths:
"Speak that way to my daughter again... and I'll freeze your throats shut."
The temperature around them dipped. Breath misted.The townsfolk scattered with hurried, stammering apologies, vanishing into doorways and behind carts.
Satella stood there, clutching her arms, a quiet sadness weighing on her delicate features.
Subaru approached silently and placed a gloved hand gently on her shoulder.
"We have a lead," he said simply.
Satella looked up, startled.The sadness cracked, replaced by a blooming urgency—and a small, genuine smile.
"Thank you," she breathed, her voice trembling. "I never would have made it this far without you."
Subaru said nothing.He only nodded once, turning back toward the path the merchant had pointed out.
Above them, from a rooftop, someone watched.
A girl with fiery red hair tied into a loose braid, blue eyes sharp as tempered glass.She leaned casually against a chimney, but her gaze drilled into Subaru's back.
Her thoughts churned.
That man... he's practically drowning in miasma.
The thick, choking aura around Subaru writhed and shimmered under the sunset light, black tendrils invisible to normal eyes.The girl's lips pressed into a thin line.
I'll have to keep an eye on that one.
Below, Subaru and Satella continued forward, unaware of the storm silently forming behind them.
The capital's bustling life slowly withered away as they walked.The homes grew shabbier. Windows were broken, doors hung crooked, trash littered the streets.
At last, they stood in front of a battered, crooked tavern. Its sign swung limply in the evening breeze, squeaking on rusty chains.
Satella hesitated.
"Are you... sure about this?"
Subaru looked at her, his mask reflecting the dying sunlight. His voice was calm, almost dry:
"Watched enough crime dramas. Bad guys always hide somewhere obvious."
Satella blinked, clearly not understanding.
"I... don't know what you're talking about."
Subaru just shrugged, cloak rippling faintly.
"Trust me."
Together, they pushed open the tavern door. It creaked loudly, drawing a few tired glances from the handful of patrons inside.
At the back of the room, near a cracked window, they saw her.
The blonde thief.
She sat at a table, a battered leather-bound book open in front of her. Her red scarf was slung lazily over one shoulder.Her face was twisted into a scowl as she jabbed a finger at the pages.
"Tch! What is this garbage? I can't even read this crap!"
Next to her sat a towering man—a mountain of muscle wrapped in a sleeveless vest, crimson symbol etched into the side of his bald head.He loomed without moving, the room seeming smaller around him.
The girl and the giant both turned as Subaru and Satella approached.
Subaru's expression was unreadable behind his mask—just a single, deadpan stare.Satella, on the other hand, looked fired up, her hands balled into trembling fists.
She pointed accusingly.
"I caught up to you, thief! Give back my insignia!"
The thief blinked.Then grinned.
The giant cracked his knuckles, the sound sharp in the silent tavern.
Subaru sighed quietly through his nose.
Things can never be easy.
The blonde thief crossed her arms, smirking.Behind her, the towering man—Old Man Rom—stood up fully, pulling a thick, battered club from beside his chair. The wood creaked under his grip.
Satella, despite the rising threat, stayed firm.The thief laughed lazily, shrugging.
"Haven't you heard? Finders keepers," she said. "If that little trinket mattered so much, you wouldn't have let it get swiped so easily."
Subaru watched from behind Satella, silent.His hand gripped the hilt of his sword under his cloak, the blade humming faintly with restrained energy.
A few patrons were edging toward the door, sensing trouble.Others stayed, eager for the show.
Satella and the thief bickered back and forth—emotion flaring on one side, apathy on the other—until the thief finally tilted her head.
"Tell ya what. You want it back?" she said, grinning like a fox. "Trade me for something better."
The giant loomed beside her, club resting heavily against one shoulder.
Subaru's gaze swept the room once, making sure no one was trying anything.He stepped forward, voice cutting through the tension like a cold knife.
"I'll handle it."
Satella hesitated—but Subaru gave her a small, nearly invisible nod.She stepped back.
Subaru approached the thief and the giant, but kept a safe distance—close enough to talk, far enough not to threaten.
Without a word, he reached into his pocket under the cloak.
The small, black rectangle slid into his gloved hand: his phone.
He held it up casually.
"This," he said. "Does this have value?"
The thief's eyes widened.Old Man Rom leaned in, squinting.
"Oi... is that a Metia?"
The old man's voice cracked with disbelief.The tavern's air tightened. Even the onlookers leaned forward, seeing the rare, expensive nature of the object.
Subaru clicked the power button.The screen lit up, a cool, ethereal glow in the dim tavern.
He flipped through a few pictures—trees, clouds, buildings—then turned it to show them.
"This device freezes moments in time," he said flatly. "Captures what you see. Perfectly."
To emphasize, he lifted the phone, aimed it at the thief, and snapped a picture.The shutter sound echoed in the silent room.
The thief's face appeared crystal clear on the screen a second later.
Her jaw dropped.
"Old Man Rom! This thing's crazy! We could sell it for a fortune!"
Subaru saw the opportunity and pressed the advantage.
"You want it?""The insignia. And the book. Both."
The thief glanced at Old Man Rom, who scratched his chin, muttering.Finally, the giant gave a slow nod.
"Deal."
The trade was quick.The thief fished the insignia from her pouch and set it on the table, alongside a weathered tome—the one she had stolen from Subaru.
Subaru tossed the phone onto the table with the same casualness one might throw a stone into a pond.He picked up the insignia and book, tucking them carefully away.
He turned, walking back to Satella, and placed the insignia into her trembling hands.
"Here."
Satella looked at him, stunned, then smiled—soft and luminous.
"Thank you so much," she said, voice full of honest relief.
Subaru shrugged slightly.
"Nothing. Just... watch your stuff next time.""Or a little girl might steal it again."
From behind them, the thief's voice shot back:
"Hey! Who're you calling little?!"
Subaru didn't even glance back.He simply moved to stand beside Satella again.
But before anyone could relax, a new voice curled through the tavern like smoke.
Soft. Mocking.Deadly.
"Well, well... looks like you made my job very easy, little girl."
Every head in the tavern turned.
Standing at the entrance was a woman—no, a predator—draped in black and purple.
Her skin was sickly pale, almost translucent.Her long black hair was braided and fell over one shoulder, decorated with a single purple flower.Her eyes were violet, half-lidded, dripping with an unnatural calm.
She moved with a fluid, unsettling grace, her revealing dress whispering against her curves.
Subaru's instincts screamed.The miasma around her was thick—suffocating.
Elsa Granhiert.
The Bowel Hunter.
Subaru's hand drifted slowly back to his sword.
Beside him, Satella stiffened, clutching the insignia tighter to her chest.
The tavern seemed to shrink around them.
Subaru just wants to go home.