*A/N* Yo, haven't been feeling writing for a while but recently found the want to pick it back up again so here's another chapter. Working on the next one now, it won't be that crazy long again for the next one for sure but thanks for the people that have favorited and followed, warms my heart to see people enjoying the story I'm writing! */A/N*

Emilia immediately put up an ice wall, blocking Petelguese's new host from view. The ice held from the initial onslaught, then began to crack and splinter.

The group jumped back just in time for the ice too break with a sickening crunch, and Subaru saw countless black hands swarm toward them.

"Look out!" he yelled to those around him. But they couldn't dodge what they couldn't see, and the three were impaled mercilessly by the hands, eliciting screams of pain from all of them.

"No!" He shouted, unable to do anything but dodge the hands even as the floating appendages raised the three high into the air.

"So… it is only you that has the power to see the Witch's gift for me…INTERESTING." The woman with the multiple sprouted hands walked into view, head tilted at an odd angle.

"Subaru-kun… run. Please." Rem slowly said, each word forcefully and painfully ejected from her mouth in the only way she could. The pain was overwhelming, she just wanted it to be over. Next to her, Emilia and Ram struggled as well.

"Let Lia Go." A presence was felt behind Subaru, chilling the air drastically around him. He turned around to see Puck, growing in size and aura, several ice shards appearing around him and directed at Petelguese.

She seemed unconcerned. "Oh, little kitty wants to play does he? I'm afraid I don't know of any 'Lia' so I'll just have to let them all go now won't I?" She said, nonchalantly throwing all three directly at the ground. Puck swooped in and cushioned Emilia's fall, and Subaru managed to throw his body underneath the two maids, for the most part, though his back screamed in pain at the effort.

"…You didn't need to do that…idiot." Ram weakly muttered at him, though directly after that Subaru could have sworn he heard a whisper of a 'thank you'.

Subaru quickly sidled out from underneath the two and grasped Rem by the shoulders. "Rem, speak to me. Rem?" There was no answer, but Subaru did note she was breathing shallowly. He looked back at the monster that had caused this.

She looked back with a wide smile. "Aren't you going to thank me for handing you back your loved ones? If you aren't properly grateful I might just decide to take them back. It's important to have good manners when someone does you a favor after all!"

Subaru looked over at Ram. They shared a moment of silent communication, then she grabbed his arm. Subaru grabbed Rem tightly, then directed a glare with as much hate as he could muster at Petelgeuse. "I don't know how, but we're going to defeat you. Whatever it takes, we're not going to lose anyone we love ever again to you. Let's go, Ram."

Ram smiled weakly, then summoned up the rest of her life force, and called a spell into being. 3 heads were split from their bodies, leaving Emilia and Puck looking horrified at their corpses. "Why did you leave us… I don't – WHYYYYY?" Emilia screamed, her broken body hurting with every syllable as the tears poured out.

Petelgeuse meanwhile, stared at the spot of the triple suicide with a blank expression on her face. "What."

Subaru took a deep, shuddering breath, falling to the floor. He vaguely registered Rem nearby in a similar state. That means she came back with me at least even though unconscious, a detached part of his mind registered.

He began to think of the pain Rem went through prior to death and began to hyperventilate. It was because of him that she went through such a terrible ordeal, and now he was going to have to ask her to face that monster again… How terrible was he, to do that to someone he loved?

He sat in that way for several minutes before feeling someone guide him gently by the arm, pulling him up and bringing him to a room. He vaguely registered a calming presence pulling him down into a one armed embrace, and felt his mind begin to unclench. Subaru began to calm his thoughts down while being held enough to be aware of his surroundings again.

Subaru looked up at the figure pulling him into their side, and saw Ram. "Ram… what…?" He half-asked, confused.

She smiled at him wistfully, tightening her hold on him. Subaru saw Rem cuddled into her other side, seemingly asleep. "We've been through a lot Subaru. I could tell we needed companionship, or else we might just go insane from this." Ram whispered, to not wake her sister.

Subaru was quite comfortable, but didn't know how to feel about that. "You may be right… I'm sorry, Ram. I keep trying my best, but it's not enough." Tears threatened to well up again in his eyes.

Ram sighed, and gently rubbed his back, startling him. "Let's talk about this after we've rested a little, and given our minds some time to heal."

He relaxed into her touch, gradually allowing himself to nod off. Once his breathing transitioned to slow, deep breaths she allowed herself to drift off as well, still holding Rem and Subaru close.

Rem awoke to a comfortable warmth on her side. She brushed the sleep from her face, yawning as she did so. As she woke up, she took stock of her surroundings. It appeared to be the middle of the night, and she was in an unfamiliar bed. And she wasn't alone.

Next to her was her sister, which was already odd. But what elevated her suspicion to new heights was that Ram's other arm was wrapped around Her Subaru. She felt an instinctive flair of anger and jealousy, before quashing it immediately. She wasn't going to be like that, letting her temper rule her.

Instead, she gently shook her sister. "Ram… Ram, can we talk?" She said, whispering to try to keep Subaru from waking up. After a few tries, Ram blearily gazed at her sister for a few seconds before her gaze sharpened. She delicately extracted her arm from around Subaru, and then extracted herself, placing a pillow in her stead.

Ram motioned to her sister to join her at the other end of the room, where they would have less chance of waking Subaru. Once there, she turned and embraced Rem. Rem was confused, but returned the hug with equal force.

They broke apart, and Ram smiled at her sister. "I'm glad you are okay. This has been almost more than I can take, to tell you the truth."

Rem stared at Ram. "Is that why you were holding both Rem and Subaru-kun? Rem was… very confused when she first woke up."

In the low light it was difficult to tell, but Ram looked slightly abashed. "When we came back, I was very out of sorts. I knew where you two were, and went to you. You both looked like you were suffering greatly. No one should have to go through the pain we have multiple times now, and I fear it is taking a toll on our minds."

Rem immediately understood. Rem had been operating under the assumption that Ram was above such things as mental strain, but she was wrong. A flood of sympathy for Ram entered her, and she grabbed her sister's hand and squeezed it. "I understand. You were providing comfort to Subaru-kun and Rem. Rem was asleep it appears, were we able to help you?"

Ram hesitated, then nodded. "Rem, there is something you have to know. These strong emotions you've been having lately have been seeping over to me through our connection."

"Rem already knew that, that's how we decided to let you know when we needed help."

"…Not just the negative emotions. All of your strong emotions, including your feelings for Subaru. I can't control it, but a part of them has taken a hold in me as well. Because of that, I felt some modicum of joy in comforting Subaru. I have tried to distance myself from these emotions, but I was weak and instead lost myself in it. I'm sorry Rem."

Ram looked away. She couldn't bear to see her sister's face as she processed her words, what she might say or do. She would be justified regardless. Seconds passed that felt like minutes. Then, Ram felt a hand caress her cheek gently. She turned in shock to meet Rem's gaze.

Rem looked uncomfortable, but smiled slightly when Ram met her eyes. "I don't blame you Sister. I didn't realize you were being affected in this way. "Her eyes flickered to the still sleeping Subaru on the bed, "I… I just need some time to think about this."

Ram's shoulders sagged in relief. "I was afraid you would hate me. If you want me to keep my distance from him, I will do so in the future."

Rem shook her head. "I could never hate you. You're my only sister who I love more than anything in the world. That includes Subaru-kun. And if you feel even a little bit of what I feel for Subaru-kun, then it wouldn't be right."

Ram put her hand down on top of Rem's head, giving her a light pat along with a slight smile. "Always taking care of me, always thinking about my well-being. I'm going to need to do better, or everyone will start to think you're the older sister."

Rem jerked her head up. "No, that's not true! You're the one that – "

Ram covered Rem's mouth with a hand. "You wouldn't want to wake up Subaru now would you? Just accept that's how I see it for now."

Rem looked as if she wanted to argue for a moment, before sighing. "Understood Sister…" Her gaze drifted to Subaru's sleeping visage, seemingly unplagued by the nightmares of the day. A soft smile crept across her face as she watched him.

Ram felt a brief tinge of jealousy, before realizing and crushing it. She shook her head to clear her mind, getting Rem's attention again.

"What is it Sister?" Rem asked, concern evident in her eyes.

"I just… am feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation." Ram said, looking away.

Rem nodded. "Rem knows how you feel. However, I feel that Subaru-kun will come through for us. He'll think of something; I can just feel it."

Ram paused at that, a thoughtful look on her face. "Or perhaps, we have been relying too much on Subaru and neglecting some unique options we may bring to the table…" Her face grew determined, and she made her way to the door. "Stay with Subaru, watch over him please. I have someone who I want to talk to."

Rem nodded, confused watching as her elder sister left the room. Rarely had she seen Ram so focused, but Rem trusted in her sister. There was nothing she couldn't do when she put her mind to it.

Ram stood in front of a random closet, her hand on the door knob. "Oh Great Spirit Beatrice, please grant me an audience. I have a matter of life and death I must discuss with you." She waited a few seconds, then turned the knob and opened the door. The Forbidden Archives awaited her, along with a slightly confused looking Beatrice inside holding a book.

Ram came in and shut the door quietly behind herself. "It's not often someone requests an audience with me, nor so politely or urgently. Speak maid, what is this matter of life and death I suppose?" Beatrice addressed her from the middle of the room, making no attempt to stand from her seated position.

Ram bowed slightly. "I have received knowledge that an Archbishop of Sin is nearing Arlam village along with the brunt of their forces. If left alone the village under Roswaal's protection will be destroyed."

Beatrice closed her book. "I see. You would have Betty help to hold off these intruders under the guise of it being for Roswaal. But, I am under no obligation to assist him. My loyalty lies in protecting these Archives alone."

At this proclamation Ram shook her head. "No Lady Beatrice, you misunderstand. We will fight to preserve the safety of the village but we do not want to ask you to fight. Instead, I wish to ask this: Do you have the means to send me quickly to the Sanctuary?"

Beatrice's mouth hung open in amazement. To think, they weren't even asking to use her power in this battle? She didn't know whether to be grateful they weren't trying to guilt her into it or insulted they didn't think she could help. And this request instead… "So you intend to use the infatuation of that boy to your advantage do you?"

Ram looked off to the side, mixed emotions on her face. "That may play a small part in it. We need his strength, and it is time he experienced the world for himself instead of being shut away playing hero. It just so happens the timeline lines up perfectly for when we need his assistance." Ram finished, looking haughtily away.

Beatrice couldn't get a read on the maid. Indeed, it was tiring for her to try to figure out her true motives. Irritated, she made a shooing motion in the general direction of the maid. "Fine, Betty won't grill you on your true intentions I suppose. I just don't care that much in fact. When you leave this room you will find yourself in Sanctuary."

Ram felt a smile unconsciously creep onto her face before she could stop it. She bowed again. "Thank you Beatrice-sama. I know you did not have to help us but it is most appreciated."

Beatrice made a half shrug, opening her book again as she pretended to read. "Yes yes you're welcome, no need to gush about it. Do what you need to and don't take up any more of my time."

Ram took the clear dismissal for what it was and made for the door. Upon opening it, she did indeed find herself in Sanctuary, coming out of what appeared to be Garfiel's house in the woods. She closed the door behind her after a quick wave to the occupant inside, breaking the connection to the forbidden archives.

A quick sweep of the house saw Garfiel not in, so Ram was going to have to go to town. Which was fine with her, and would definitely speed up the search. With that thought in mind, she headed toward the direction of the Sanctuary inhabitants.

As she approached, a few of the denizens recognized her and waved their hands out in greeting. Not wanting to appear rude, she bowed back to them as she made her way over. "Hello there Ram! It's been a little while has it not?"

Ram nodded. "Indeed it has. Are things well here?"

The villager flashed a toothy smile. "Indeed they are, I would even say we're thriving here! But, without Roswaal-sama in tow I'm going to guess this visit isn't purely on the behalf of your master. Would you be perhaps looking for Garfiel?"

Ram was embarrassed how easily they figured that out, but kept the same stoic look on her face. "I did want to talk with him while I was here, yes. Do you know where I might find him?"

The man chuckled. "You'll find him in Dottie's house, he's healing an injury her boy got."

Ram bowed again. "Thank you, I will look for him there."

He waved after her as she left. "Make sure not to crush him too badly this time!"

She made her way toward the house in question, noting the happy residents as she passed. It appeared that Garfiel had been taking good care of everyone, just as he said he would.

After a few minutes of walking she found herself in front of the door. Without hesitation she knocked, and heard a voice from within. "Please come in!" Ram wondered at the insecurity of allowing just anyone into their house before they identified themselves, but concluded if she was a bad person she wouldn't have knocked. She wondered if that was what the villager thought as well.

"Please excuse me." Ram said, quietly slipping into the house and shutting the door behind her softly. Inside, she saw Dottie, the woman who owned the house looking worriedly at her son. There was a large gash at shin height on his left leg; the boy for his part was putting on a brave face but she could tell he wasn't going to last much longer before he started bawling.

Then, her view of the injury was obscured. A blonde haired youth put his hand over the injury, closing his eyes. Though Ram couldn't see the wound any longer, the relief on the child's face was more and more noticeable as the seconds passed. Ram stood quietly, watching him work.

After a few minutes the healer opened his eyes, removing his hand from the boy's shin. Where there was once a rather nasty looking injury, there was now plain smooth skin. The child's eyes grew wide with wonder as he touched his unblemished leg.

"Oh thank you Garfiel! I always tell him not to climb in those tall trees and look what happened… It was a good thing you were around to heal him, thank you so much!" Dottie expressed her gratitude toward Garfiel, half sobbing as she did so.

The blonde haired youth, Garfiel put both hands on his hips in a pose as he smiled. "I'm happy to have been able to help." He looked down at the boy. "But you need to listen to your mother from now on, you hear me kid? If she says it's too dangerous it's time to listen up."

The child nodded several times, emphasizing the point. Ram watched the byplay with amusement before deciding to interject. "So… are you a doctor making house calls now? Has the warrior constantly proclaiming to be the strongest decided to change his profession?"

Garfiel turned confused toward her voice, jumping as if burned when he spotted her. "Ram! Wha- When did you even get here?"

Ram scoffed. "You've could have kept me waiting for hours and you wouldn't even have known. Come, say goodbye to these nice villagers and let us talk." She bowed to Dottie and her son and left the house.

After a few moments, Garfiel barreled out of the house and down the street toward Ram. "If you wanted to talk to me so bad why didn't you wait!"

Ram continued walking. "I've recently come to understand that my time is very valuable, and I don't have enough of it. I can't be expected to wait for you to come to your senses fast enough from my dazzling presence."

"Well I will agree on the dazzlin' presence part…" Garfiel said with a slight blush, looking away. Then he frowned. "The rest of that though… is there something going on? I notice the clown isn't with you."

"He is unaware of my visit here. In truth, he has been rather unhelpful regarding the situation I find myself in." Ram stopped, turning toward him. "In less than two days I am going to die, along with everyone at the mansion and Arlam village."

The silence that ensued the declaration felt oppressive to Garfiel. He scanned Ram's face for a hint of a joke, but there was only a blank slate. Not that there was any change from the norm there.

"...Damn you. If you've decided just now to get a sense of humor you better tell me right now all right? This ain't something to joke about!" Garfiel said, starting to get angry at the lack of follow-up after the equivalent of a word bomb.

"Why would I joke about something like that? Has your sense of humor changed so much from the last time I visited?" Ram responded, sneering.

"So you're not joking… Tell me what's going on." Garfiel said, a serious look on his face.

"The witch cult is headed toward the village. They are led by an Archbishop who is stronger than any foe we've faced, and has powers beyond our understanding. Our strength isn't enough to overcome this obstacle." Ram said somberly. She had seen it first-hand, not that Garf could know that.

"And why isn't Roswaal helping with this? That village is his responsibility, isn't it? Not to mention the people in the mansion!" Garfiel asked, his eyes blazing.

Ram just shook her head. "Master Roswaal has been… unusually unhelpful regarding this problem. It doesn't appear that he will help us, so I am forced to turn to alternative methods of support."

Garfiel turned to look at her directly, seeing the glint in her eye. "Wait. You want my help in stopping this bastard? Is that why you came all this way and told me all that?"

Ram nodded. "I'm glad you picked up on everything so quickly." She turned around and resumed walking. "Make sure to get what you need and meet me at the old house. You know the one."

A hand grabbed her arm, stopping her from moving forward. "Now you just wait a goddamn second… This just isn't fair you know. You saying you'll die if you don't have my help, expecting me to leave Sanctuary KNOWING how I feel about that? You really don't feel any shame about it, do you?"

Ram turned around to face the blonde haired youth. He appeared conflicted, raw emotions undulating and changing on his face.

He opened his mouth to say something, paused, then closed it again. Then seemed to decide on something. "You really can't do this without my strength?"

Ram sighed. "I thought that was already abundantly clear. But if you need me to spell it out for you then I will. Yes Garf, we need your strength to take on this enemy. If things were not desperate I would not be reaching out to you, I can assure you."

Garfiel chuckled weakly, releasing her arm. "Man, you really don't hold back do you? Fine. My amazing self'll help you, and all it'll cost you is one small smile! So what do you say?"

Ram appeared to think about the request, putting a finger to her lips. "Hmm… denied. That is to say, perhaps after services are rendered I'll think about it."

Garfiel sighed dejectedly. "I knew I shouldn't have got my hopes up. I need to stop off and get something, then I'll meet back up with you shortly. If time really is against us here we'll need to move fast to get there in time to do anything."

At that, Ram's visage held a superior look. "Now that is one thing we shouldn't have to worry about."

Garfiel looked confused, but ran off anyway, leaving Ram on her own.

Managing to secure Garf's cooperation was vital to the overall success of the plan, but he was just one piece of the plan. This time, Ram wasn't going to force the burden of planning all on Subaru's shoulders. It was time to show the witch cult what happens when they cross paths with the wrong Oni.

With that thought, she half smiled, and made her way toward the aforementioned meeting point. There was still more to do, after all.