fleeting moment, she starts to consider confessing to the boy, who held immense strength in his own way...

A small gulp, before she begins to speak—

Amongst a crowd of Mabeasts, Ram's breath gets labored as she runs on fumes of mana, easily blowing through the reserves she got from the Bokko Fruit.

Caught with their own problems, Emilia and the others fails to notice her dilemma, as Ram begins to have trouble standing on her own two feet.

The hellhounds have no mercy, as one lashes out at her direction.

Sluggish and enamored, Ram tries to hold out a hand to cast her magic—

"Ghhhhggg!" –Only to have her arm being chewed on, like a toy, as blood was sprayed in the air.

The cry from Ram finally catches Emilia's attention, as she turns with horror in her eyes, "Ram!"—

Rem, who was beside Emilia in an attempt to take down the boss, immediately breaks away from her and dashes to her sister, Morningstar flying right behind!

"Get away from her! Huma! !" A desperate cry from the maid, as spears of ice are shot at the hounds, hitting their mark with deadly accuracy.

The hound that managed to attack Ram was also slain, releasing her onto the ground.

Rem slides on the grassy floor, immediately looking over her sister's wounds.

Ram had her eyes closed, her breathing was shallow and quiet, and the wound on her arm continued to pour the crimson liquid she needed to survive.

Rem's chest got tighter and tighter, as her mind ran a thousand miles a minute. How could she let this happen? Why didn't Ram tell her she was struggling sooner?

"Rem!" Emilia catches the maid's attention, "Take her and run to somewhere safe! We can handle the rest!"

Rem's lips purse. Run? After what these Witch-loving mutts did to her sister?

It would just be a repeat of what happened, back at their village...

Her eyes fall onto the big Cerberus, the commander. The Mabeast returned the stare...

Was it... smiling...?

These Mabeasts were the same as the Witch-cult... Nothing but a bunch of demons, each and every one of them...

A crackle of pink energy sparked around Rem, catching the beast's attention.

What do I do...?

The Cerberus makes a movement, and Rem felt the energy in the air spike—

"Rem, move!" Beatrice, finally saying the maid's name, calls out in urgence as she quickly notices the blotch of mana beneath Rem and Ram—The Cerberus was going to attack them from below!

The mana glows bright, giving Rem a better look at her sister. The sheen of light reflecting off Ram's skin indicated that she was sweating, profusely. Exhausted, she won't be able to fight any time soon.

"Nee-sama..." She whispers, and in that moment, her mind and heart were made up.

I need to save my sister. No matter what.

*FwwwaaaaAAA—*

Before the mana could explode in a violent wrath, Rem's body crackles a violent pink, and she kicks away from the danger zone, Ram in tow.

*PMMMMMmmmmmm! ! !*

The resulting explosion was much stronger than before, as if the Mabeast was convinced that he could land the final blow on the maids.

Rem lands gracefully onto the ground, carrying Ram like a groom would carry a bride.

Her face was eerily calm, rubbing Emilia and Beatrice the wrong way... until they notice it.

A horn was seen on her forehead, gently humming with energy.

Beatrice clicks her tongue, "Emilia, Bubby, stay far away from that maid."

Emilia's eyes widen in recognition, "R... Rem?"

"Heal her..." Rem speaks, in a calm—almost chilling voice, as her eyes stared at the Cerberus with intent.

Emilia, hearing Rem's demand, makes a small gulp as the tension in the air was thick.

"We better do as she says..." Puck, understanding where his daughter was in terms of strength, gave her advice, "Betty, you too. I'll watch out for the small fry.

"...It's for the best, I suppose." Beatrice nods, carefully watching Rem as she moves around to heal her sister.

Rem pays no attention to Beatrice's stare, as she begins to walk forward, her Morningstar dragging behind her. She passes Emilia, facing the Cerberus.

The beast makes a huff through his nose, cocky about his strength... He puffs out his chest, before leaning over—

"ROARRR! ! !" –To intimidate the maid with a fierce roar, as hot air rushes past her small figure.

Rem stands, unabated by the beast's attempt to make her flee.

(WIP: Animation might be finished (or deleted) within the next week.)

"...Tsuuuuu..." She makes a whistling noise, as she breathes in air through her teeth...

The humming in her horn grows louder and louder, like a small reactor creating fissions as it grows brighter. Darker—almost Vermillion.

Rem's conscious falls into darkness, as the Oni within takes over.

"RrrrrrrrRRRRR̶R̵R̷A̸A̶A̷A̴A̷A̴A̸̳̣̍͝Ả̸̱̠̈́͛A̴̽̉ͅA̶̢̱͎̟̐͋̕Ä̶̰̺͈̮́̇̉Ȗ̷̧̝̲̎̃͊̚ͅG̶̮͕̘̓H̶͔͓̹̗͌H̶̢͇̮̫̿̓̕H̴̠͍̝͔͚͒Ḧ̸̥̗̲́̈́̀͝Ḧ̷̱͕́H̵̭̝͙̗̑!̷͙̉̊͊̓͝ ̵̱̰̗́̎̏͐̈!̵̰͑́͛̚͝ ̸̥͙̬̟̔̚!̷̫͛̓̋"̶̩͉̻͚̄͐̍͜

And a violent burst of mana explodes outward, toward the forest, and furthermore.

"RrrrrrrrRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAUGHHHHHH! ! !"

The blood-curling scream from Rem was heard all the way to Subaru's location, as his hairs stand up in response.

He turns to look behind him, the forest wall blocking his sight, but he could feel the energy rushing past him and Meili.

That was... Rem...!?

Meili's sudden movement catches the boy's attention, however. Subaru turns to see Meili leaving him, "Wait—!"

"It's pointless!" Meili stops to yell this, shaking her head, "The damage is done! I've hurt your friends! Don't you get it!?"

Meili turns her head to Subaru, and tears were budding, "So please... just stop trying to help me, alright!?"

Subaru, seeing the disdain Meili had on her face, tightens his knuckles.

If she left right now, this entire mission would've been for nothing.

"Meili..." Subaru stands up, trying to stay calm, "It isn't your fault. You didn't hurt anyone."

"You...!" Meili's voice was estranged, as she suddenly looks up to the sky,

"Come out!" She exclaims, her voice holding a certain quality that Subaru couldn't comprehend...

Until he sees three Mabeasts walk up from Meili's side, growling at Subaru.

"M... Meili...!?" Subaru has red flags go off on his head, as Meili once again turns to face him,

"If you don't believe me... then..." Her face was a mix of frustration, and one of deep regret, "I have no choice... but to prove it to you...!"

"Hold on! Don't do this!" Subaru exclaims, his own face falling into despair, as he summons his Unseen Hands, preparing for the worst, "Meili, please!"

"I'm sorry..." Meili's whisper cuts into Subaru like a knife, as tears finally fall from her face, "Mother is watching... I can't disappoint her."

His heart falls, hearing about 'Mother' once more.

Both her and Elsa... they were forcing this kid to do awful things—

But Subaru wasn't able to emphasize with Meili, as she pointed her finger at him.

"Attack."

And with one word, the dogs immediately rush Subaru, with the intent to kill.

"Khh!" Subaru grunts, twisting his Unseen Hand to make a counter—

But it was fruitless, as the Beasts could see the hand, dodging swiftly towards his right—

"NnnGAAAAAHHH! ! !"

—And taking a wide bite on Subaru's thigh, making him lose balance.

Losing focus, the Unseen Hands disperse before Subaru hits the ground. The beast's teeth hit crucial nerves on his leg, screaming to his head in pain.

"Ngggh! Ghhhh!" Subaru tries to push the beast off, but the beast would chomp again and again, spilling more blood and lighting his nerves on fire!

The other dogs immediately rush over, mawing on other, tender points in Subaru's body—His shoulder blade, and his ribcage.

"Ghhaaahhkk!" Subaru, bent by the force of three Mabeasts, is unable to properly pull them off.

Losing feeling in his leg, and his body gradually getting colder from the loss of blood, he cracks one eye towards Meili.

Meili's face was full of tears, shaking as she avoided looking at him.

"...I'm sorry..." she whispers, "...I'm sorry..."

His killer was shedding tears for him.

...Killer?

...Was he going to die?

"...ghhk... hhah..." Subaru felt his consciousness fade ever so slightly. The pain gradually started to fade.

...Was this it? Was he going to experience Return by Death soon...?

The pain had faded, and an eerie sense of warmth flooded over Subaru's body. His drowsiness grew more, and more, and more...

...He was dying...

...He was dying...

...He was dying...

Subaru, despite his condition, his failing body, and his ever-growing need for air, blood, and life itself...

Grits his teeth... and lets out a cry... To the person he needed the most!

"SATELLA! ! !"

His cry makes Meili recoil in shock. The beasts ignore him and continue continue to chew onto Subaru—

Until they stop.

Everything stopped.

The world falls into an ashen shade of grey, and the air stagnates around him.

And Subaru could feel her presence, once again.

"Authority of Envy." He felt a hand on his chest, the corners of his vision beginning to grow white, "Everlasting Love."

Like a shot of morphine, Subaru was 'robbed' of his death almost immediately, the eerie sense of warmth gone like a bad dream.

"...ghhhh..." Subaru takes a sharp breath of air in his lungs, being re-kindled to the pain of the three, frozen Mabeasts chomping on him.

"...kuhh..." Satella makes a similar noise, sharing the pain through their link.

However, Subaru felt the pain only for a second, as Satella reacted immediately afterward—

"Stupid!" –One beast thrown, by Subaru's Unseen Hands, controlled by Satella herself.

"Disgusting!" —Another one, tossed like paper machete, made easier thanks to her magic freezing the entire world, sans herself and her loved one.

"Vermin!"—And just like that, Subaru was freed from their restraint, all the Mabeasts tossed in meaningless directions.

"...Hahh... Hahh..." The boy was making small pants, being so close to death only moments prior, as he relished his freedom from the beasts.

His eyes closed, and his heartbeat finally slowing down as he took time to process what had happened—

"Guh!?" —Until he felt a new weight press onto his chest.

Subaru looks to see Satella, suddenly sitting on his chest, like it was a natural thing to do!?

"...Paah..." Satella lets out a sigh, hovering her hands above her 'seat' as she looks at his torn jacket, "Good riddance... Don't you agree, Beloved?"

Subaru cracks an eye on Satella, easily being able to distinguish between her two 'sides' now. This was no doubt Envy, once again.

"C... Could you please get off me?" Subaru cracks a weak smile, "Kinda... short on breath, at the moment..."

Satella responds with a rather smug look,

"I~ don't~ want~ to~!" Satella sings in a cheery voice, hopping with every word, illicting small grunts of discomfort from the boy.

She gave him a toothy grin, "C'mon, at least let me have my fun. I saved you, right? It's fair game! Fair game!"

Subaru's gaze lifts from her, seeing how Satella brazenly ignores the problems around her, just to focus on him and only him.

"Well... where's the other Satella?" Subaru looks at the sky, trying to keep his breathing on track, "I just... I need something, here... Meili's going to run the moment you disappear—"

"Rude..." Satella cuts Subaru off, crossing her arms and pouting, "So rude... Asking for the lesser me and talking about another girl... I didn't even get a 'Thank you!' So rude!"

Subaru, hearing her repeat her frustration over and over, immediately looks at her with shock, "'Another Gi'—She's just a kid! What's your problem!?"

Satella starts to actively glare at Subaru, "Problem!? What's your problem!? I'd still love you even if you were just a baby!" she responds, and Subaru's skin crawls a bit.

He didn't think Satella was referring to 'Motherly' love when she said that...

"Get..." Subaru suddenly sits up, and pushes Satella off his body, "Off of me!"

"Uwaah!?" Satella lets out a yelp, landing onto the ground, before continuing her glare, "Mnnngggg! Rude, rude, rude, rude, rude!"

"We're getting off track here!" Subaru tries to change the topic, seeing how heated the witch was getting, "My friends' lives are at stake here! Focus!"

"I've been nothing but nice this whole time...!" –Satella, however, kept the topic nice and hot, her glare getting dangerously dark, "I've saved your life, and I've given you more power... The least you can do is let me have my way!"

Satella's exclamation rubs Subaru the wrong way, and his breath cuts short when he is reminded of the 'blessing' he was given by Satella in her last visit; The one he couldn't control.

The 'blessing' that risked Rem's life, as well.

"Nice!?" Subaru's voice was a few notches higher, forgetting about his current dilemma to address that blessing of hers, "The 'power' you've given me had almost set me over the edge! I was terrified! I thought I was going to kill Rem!"

"Will you shut up about that stupid girl!?" –Satella's voice boomed, matching Subaru's tone as she, herself, was livid, "Why is it always about someone else!? Why are you never focused on me when I'm around!? I'm all that you will ever need!"

"Maybe if you actually take me serious for once, I could return the favor!" Subaru yells back, "I asked for your help, not for some 'Monkey's Paw' bullshit! Am I just some toy for you to mess around!?

Satella's eyes widen, as she grits her teeth, "Th—that's what I should be saying! I'm the toy, here!" Satella starts to cover where her heart was, "Why do you play with my heart like this!? Why can't you just love me, already!"

Subaru felt a burning sensation in his throat. It was overlapped by the angry flame in his chest, and it only grew brighter as their spout kept going.

"...Is that all it is to you...!?" Subaru's voice was low, as she stared at Satella like she was a bug,

"There's more to life than just life than 'Love' you know! I'm here trying to make things right—trying to save everyone! And yet, all you say is "I love you, I love you!"—Don't screw with me!"

Satella's intense glare suddenly changed into one of regret, "Y-You—"

"On and on, over and over, and yet I can hardly believe you sometimes!" Subaru shakes his head, "I doubt you even love me for me! Or if you just love the idea of me—Whatever the hell that is!"

Satella's body starts to shake, "St-stop it—!"

"But even if you love me, you'll still try to kill me! Me and every other person I care for if I ever look their way! What kind of love is that, Satella!? Huh!?"—

Subaru takes one step forward. Satella takes one step back.

If he wasn't so engulfed in fury, he'd be impressed on his ability to intimidate the Witch of Envy.

But he was keen on the current look Satella was wearing. She was deeply saddened by his words.

"If that's your definition of love," Subaru's throat is dry, but he continues to speak, like he was driven by the other Subarus that have perished before him, needing validation,

"Then you can keep it!" Satella stiffens up, her eyes widening terribly, "I don't need it! You're better off saving that love for yourself!"

Subaru's fury fizzled out, and all that was left was disappointment and bitterness. Subaru just watches Satella, who was shaking—

"You are..." Satella's voice was a whisper, but her tone sent red flags in Subaru's head—

"The WORST! ! !" –Satella exclaims, hysterically, as Subaru feels a sudden