On the forest path where the ice had just melted, two thin figures huddled together, struggling forward.
Melted snow dripped from the branches, refracting a crystalline light in the sun, but it couldn't penetrate their hollow eyes.
Ever since Carlisle turned into dust and dissipated, Subaru had been like a puppet with its soul extracted, remaining curled up and motionless, letting the melting snow soak her clothes and freeze on her knees.
The moment the blizzard stopped, Rem walked into the Mansion alone.
The horrific scene inside made her breath hitch: Ram lay at the room's entrance, villagers were sprawled haphazardly in the courtyard, and charred bodies were piled up like hills, rustling in the cold wind.
She knelt beside her sister, mechanically smoothing that familiar pink fringe.
Strangely, even though her heart ached as if it would burst, her eyes were dry and burning.
It turned out that when grief surpassed the limit of endurance, even tears would dry up.
How wonderful it would be to just go with them...
This thought grew wildly in her mind, but when her Fingers touched the bag of gold coins in her embrace, and Carlisle's instruction, "Take good care of Subaru," her body automatically began to move.
While packing, her hands accurately found Subaru's change of clothes, the knight novels Carlisle often read, and even didn't forget the jar of mayonnaise Subaru had left over.
When she returned to the original spot, Subaru was still in that curled-up posture, as if she would turn into an ice sculpture right there.
Rem silently draped the cloak Carlisle had left over her.
They thus stepped into the melting forest, blood seeping from the wounds cut by ice shards, but compared to the emptiness in their hearts, this pain was not worth mentioning at all.
"Rem..." Subaru's voice was so soft it seemed it could dissipate in the wind.
"Can you... kill me?"
Rem's steps paused slightly.
"No," her voice was terrifyingly calm, "Carlisle's last wish... was for you to live."
Subaru's lips curved into an awkward smile.
"...Last wish?" Her voice began to tremble, "Does that mean... Carlisle... is dead?"
Silence spread between the two of them, with only the sound of melting snow dripping.
"...Why aren't you answering me?" Subaru suddenly stopped.
"Carlisle is dead? That's not true, is it?"
Her fingers dug deep into Rem's clothes, yet she felt no warmth.
"Hey, Rem..." Subaru's voice suddenly became light, as natural as discussing the weather, "If this is one of Carlisle's magic pranks... can you tell me?"
Rem's lips trembled, but no sound came out.
"Why aren't you speaking?!" Subaru clutched the lapels of her chest tightly with both hands.
"It hurts so much... my heart... I can't... completely... accept it..."
Her expression was twisted, she should have been crying, but her eyes were dry and aching.
"Carlisle... is already dead," Rem finally spoke the cruel truth.
"Kill me."
"No..."
"Why not... How am I supposed to live the rest of my life?"
"Go find Lady Crusch... then find the Sword Saint... and then go to Kararagi... to live... the rest of your life..."
Each word spoken was like being torn from flesh and blood.
"...I see."
Her fingers convulsively clutched the fabric over her chest, crumpling it in her palm.
She should have been crying, but her eyes were dry and aching.
"So... this is the 'future' he arranged..."
"...A future without him..."
A fierce war was raging within Subaru: her rationality clearly understood his departure, but her emotions stubbornly refused to accept it.
If she acknowledged this fact, her world would fall apart.
So... before her superficial consciousness completely collapsed, she instinctively sought release.
"He did... confess to me, didn't he?"
"But that way of speaking was too cunning... 'Come to my side'... can that be considered a confession?"
Melted snow dripped from the branches, splashing muddy water at her feet.
Suddenly, she laughed hysterically, "But... I really succeeded, didn't I?"
"Finally... I entered that knight's heart..."
"So where... is he now, exactly?" Subaru looked up at the cruelly blue sky.
"Ah... right..."
Her voice suddenly became terrifyingly light, "He's dead, isn't he? To protect me... and in the end, he still had to say 'live'..."
"It's too cruel... for me to start over in another country, as he said?"
"I can't do it... I want to see him so badly... I want to see him now..."
Rem suddenly hugged her tightly, their trembling bodies resonating through their pressed backs.
"Rem... understands," her choked voice carried the same madness.
"Rem also... wants to go see him so badly..."
"But" She suddenly bit her lip hard, the taste of rust spreading in her mouth, "If Carlisle saw Rem in that world... he would definitely look sad."
"Rem... must fulfill his last request..."
"Please... at least... at least live this life well..."
"Until your hair turns white... until you've seen enough of this world..."
"Then... will you go see him... okay?"
"How wonderful, love is truly wonderful."
An ethereal voice suddenly echoed in the forest, as if coming from far away, yet also as if reverberating directly in their minds.
Subaru and Rem froze simultaneously, slowly turning their heads towards the source of the sound-
Snow-white hair flowed like moonlight, gently floating in the breeze.
Blue hair ornaments dotted it, shimmering with an unnatural cold light.
It was a small girl, her skin so pale it was almost transparent, her delicate face so beautiful it seemed unearthly, like a phantom from a dream.
However, the moment they saw her clearly, Subaru's and Rem's blood almost froze.
An instinctive fear shot up their spines, like small animals encountering a predator; every cell in their bodies screamed danger.
The girl's smile was sweetly chilling, and in the depths of her blue pupils, an endless void seemed to spin.
"I can fulfill your wishes," her voice was as clear as a silver bell.
"But before that-"
She extended a slender finger, pointing at Subaru's chest.
"Can you give me that sword?"
T/N- Can you guys guess, Who's that?
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GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.