(AN: While the change technically occurs in this chapter, it takes until the end of chapter 2 to become apparent.)

Arc 1- Be Careful What You Wish For

"I swear, I will definitely save you."

Subaru could barely feel anything expect the pain in his stomach, and the blood wetting the front of his clothes, yet he still found the strength to reach out and grab the girl's hand.

Had he been in less pain, he might have realised there was nothing he could do, bleeding out on the floor as he was. But, in his desperate madness, he reached out for something, anything he could use.

I'll find a way to make all of this right.

In that moment, a darkness lying dormant inside him responded to his wish, blossoming into something dark and twisted, granting him authority over the world, over time itself.

But power has a price, and for such a powerful wish, there could only be one worthy payment.

On the floor of the loot house, Subaru Natsuki died.

The sun shone brightly overhead, and the air was filled with the sounds of the capital, as people bustled about on business, shopped from the various street stalls, or chatted with friends.

Subaru Natsuki pulled his hand down from rubbing his tired eye, bag of groceries in hand.

"Huh?"

His gaze flitted around, trying to place where he was. He was in pain, then he wasn't, was in darkness, then wasn't, and…

Satella!

He had been with Satella, but when he turned around wildly, he couldn't catch a glimpse of her. The passers-by who noticed him gave him a wide berth, eyeing him warily.

Subaru forced himself to calm down, and looked around more carefully, trying to place where he was. He didn't recognise the area, which wasn't odd, considering that he had only spent a few hours in the city. However, it was clear that this was nowhere near the loot house, located in the slums.

And…

He gingerly felt his stomach, and when he found nothing, he risked looking down at himself. His tracksuit was intact, and underneath, his skin was unblemished, without any trace of the slash that had brought him down.

Did I imagine that? Or did someone heal me, and bring me out here?

He shook his head to clear out the thoughts. "None of that matters right now, I need to save her."

He set off down the street, following the main road. That would bring him to the outskirts, near the slums. He glanced up at the sun, shining directly overhead.

It looks like it's around midday, judging from the sun. Have I been unconscious all night? Satella might be long dead by the time I get there!

He picked up his pace, and kept his eyes peeled for any landmarks he recognised. The castle up on the hill was an obvious one, but it was too far away to give him anything other than the general direction he was supposed to be heading.

He spotted some shady looking people peering out from an alley, and he steered clear of them. He couldn't risk getting jumped again, since he had to get to Satella quickly.

Puck was there as well. Maybe he used healing magic to patch us up, and dumped me in the middle of the capital, since I was clearly horrible at keeping Satella safe. Yeah, that must be it! It's not like people just fix themselves up for no reason.

He felt a wave of relief course through him, though he kept up his pace. It wouldn't hurt to check, and Satella might have left a message for him there. He'd like to at least apologise for failing her.

The surrounding buildings became less refined as Subaru marched on, giving way to single story shops, and a larger amount of alleys and shabby looking houses.

He stopped, and turned to look back at the castle, sitting up on its hill, trying to judge his position. I'm definitely close. It should be right down one of these side roads.

He chose to take one of the larger roads, and within minutes, he had entered the slums. Somehow, it looked worse in daylight, without the darkness to hide the poorly maintained shacks, and garbage littered the streets.

He moved on quickly, trying to retrace his steps from yesterday. He vaguely recognised some of the buildings, and soon, he spotted the building, right against the city walls.

He approached the door, and raised a hand. He hesitated.

No, I need answers. I'll see if anyone's home, and if not, I'll ask around to see if anyone saw what happened here yesterday.

Mind resolved, he knocked, and called out, "Anyone home?"

No response came.

He knocked harder. "Hello? I need to talk about what happened yesterday!"

"Cut it out! You're trying to break down the door when you don't even know the password."

The door slammed open, revealing an enormous old man, angrily stepping out and looking down on Subaru.

Subaru's mind reeled. This old man… He was dead! I saw him! So Puck must have healed him as well. Maybe he has a message for me.

The old man gave him an odd look. "You ok, boy? You look like you've seen a hollow."

"I'm fine." Subaru denied, shaking his head. "Just remembering a recent brush with death. I was wondering if someone left a message for me yesterday. I'm Subaru Natsuki."

"Rom." The old man replied. "I didn't have anyone wanting to leave messages yesterday. Who was it you were expecting?"

Subaru was struck by a sense of disappointment. "A silver-haired half-elf, named Satella. Or her spirit, a talking flying cat named Puck."

Rom froze, his eyes narrowing. "I'm going to give you one chance to take back that awful attempt at a joke."

"Eh?" Subaru stepped back, lifting his hands defensively. "What joke? I'm a friend of hers! Or was, until I failed at the one thing I was supposed to do. Puck is probably really mad at me."

Rom didn't take his eyes off him, not even blinking and he seemed to gaze into Subaru's soul.

Then he relaxed, and sighed, scratching his head with his oversized hands. "You must be an idiot or something. Who told you that was your half-elf's name?"

"She did. What's wrong with that?"

"You didn't see anything wrong with someone introducing themselves as the Witch of Envy?"

"Witch of Envy?"

Rom looked at him with a mixture of disbelief and pity.

"This might take a while. Come in, I don't want to have this conversation without booze in me."

With the midday light pouring in through the windows, the loot house looked far more hospitable. The tables arranged throughout the room and the bar at the back wall made the place look more like a rustic fantasy bar than the warehouse of a vendor of stolen goods.

Rom took a seat behind the bar, and chugged down a bottle of foul-smelling liquid.

"Want some?"

"I can't believe you would willingly drink some of that! And I'm underage anyway, you shouldn't be offering drinks to minors!"

"Ha! No, I suppose giving this stuff to someone as crazy as you would be a bad idea."

"Crazy? What did I do?"

Rom sighed, then took another swig of his bottle.

"You're not from around here, are you kid?"

"It's my first day here. Or, second now. Usually I would say I'm from a small island nation to the east, but I've been told that there isn't anything to the east of here."

Rom nodded thoughtfully. "So you have no common sense, no idea where you are, and don't know anything about the world."

"I kind of feel like you're insulting me without explaining anything." Subaru pointed out.

"First off, don't use the name Satella. People might assume you're the wrong type of person, rather than just an idiot."

He raised a hand to stop Subaru's indignant reply. "Wait a bit longer before interrupting. Your 'friend' that you mentioned… her name is probably not Satella. That name belongs to the Witch of Envy, which is a story I don't want to get into. Visit a bard or something if you want the full tale. All I'll say is that she was a terrible calamity, a silver-haired half-elf who destroyed half the world a few hundred years ago. She's still alive, sealed by the three great heroes back when she rampaged."

"So, Satella is like the devil or something?" Subaru murmured to himself. "But why would she tell me that was her name?"

"Most people would run in fear if a silver-haired half-elf called themselves Satella to their face."

"But that would mean she wanted me to…" The realisation hit him suddenly. "She wanted to drive me off, so that I wouldn't get caught up in her business."

Rom didn't answer him immediately, gulping down a mouthful of his poisonous bottle.

"Well, I don't remember any half-elves leaving messages here. And trust me, I wouldn't forget someone like that."

"What about last night?" Subaru asked, desperate for any lead, to explain what happened. "Do you know who healed you?"

"Healed me?" The tension Rom had been carrying during their discussion melted away, replaced with uproarious laughter. "Ga-ha-ha! Sure, I drunk a bit more than usual last night, but I'm a long way off poisoning myself! There wouldn't be any work for a healer."

"So you drank so much that you forgot everything!" Subaru exclaimed. "Honestly, I should have expected this from a crazy old man like you!"

"Who you calling crazy, idiot kid?"

Subaru ignored him. "Well, anyway that means Sate— she might be back, to get her insignia. Did a small girl named Felt come by recently? She would have had a small triangular insignia, with a jewel in its centre."

"Haven't seen Felt in a few days, but I'm expecting her tonight for a deal. She stole this insignia from the half-elf?"

Subaru nodded. "If she hasn't come back yet, then I might be able to meet up with her again!"

Rom huffed. "You act all excited, but you'll still need to buy it back from her. And if it's got a jewel in it, it won't be cheap."

"Ha-ha! Sorry to disappoint, but I'm completely broke, and hopeless beyond compare!"

"Then get out of here, idiot kid! Don't hang around obstructing my business!"

"Ah, ah. Don't be so hasty. I don't have any money, but I do have things worth money! Behold, the cellphone!"

"Gah!"

A short while later, Subaru was sitting out on the porch, having been unceremoniously kicked out, and told he couldn't come back in until Felt arrived.

He fondled his cellphone in his hands. Apparently they had similar items in this world, known as 'Metias', and Rom had estimated that his phone would sell for at least twenty holy gold.

Only time would tell whether that would be enough to buy back the insignia, he didn't have anything else he could trade, now that Rom had eaten his corn pottage. Not that he'd have been able to sell that for much, even if it was unusual, small, non-replaceable foods wouldn't attract buyers.

Now that he had some time to himself, unable to busy himself with finding his way back here, he was being forced to confront the events of the last day. Despite his words inside, he didn't truly believe that someone could just forget their injuries, especially ones as severe as the ones he had seen on Rom last night.

Yet Rom had laughed it off, not remembering a thing. There was no way he could have faked that. Subaru was still trembling from the pain he had gone through. The old man truly didn't remember the attack.

And it had been an attack, he vaguely remembered a voice before his stomach got cut up. Then had Puck fought them off first? The cat spirit was pretty powerful, he could have easily beat any attacker that needed to strike from ambush. But…

His mind went back to what he had seen of the inside. It was cheap looking, despite clearly being well-maintained by Rom. Still, there hadn't been any sign of a battle, and Subaru was sure Puck wouldn't bother with preserving the surroundings if Satel- if his contractor was in danger.

He couldn't help but be hurt that she hadn't given him her real name. He tried not to dwell on it, she had done it in an attempt to protect him. Though it was unusual that she hadn't picked up that he had never heard the name before. Perhaps she was so used to the hate, that the thought of someone who had none of the normal prejudices was utterly inconceivable.

He felt his hand absentmindedly feeling at his stomach. There was no pain whatsoever. He'd have to thank Puck if they- when they met again. And maybe clarify the few things that were still bothering him.

He looked up to judge the sun's position, furrowing his eyebrows in disappointment. It would be hours yet before Felt arrived. Well, he was a shut-in, and his skills as a layabout were not to be underestimated! He could wait patiently for a few hours.

"Hey! You're in my way!" A girlish voice called out to him in irritation, which then switched to incredulity. "Are you sleeping?"

"Nuh?" Subaru replied drowsily, blinking his eyes, and trying to place where he was.

"Ah!" He shouted, and sprung to his feet. "I wasn't sleeping! And even if I was, it's completely understandable! I lost a lot of time yesterday to the isekai jet lag!"

"Get lost! I've got important business in there!"

"So do I! I want to buy something from you, an insignia with a jewel in it."

Felt's suspicion melted away, and she smiled mischievously. "Oh, is that it. Well come on in. Better to discuss these things over a drink, don't cha think?"

Rom had gotten drunker in the few hours since Subaru had last seen him. He went through the demonstration of the cellphone's camera again, and Rom once again estimated it's value at twenty holy gold coins.

Felt was thrilled with the offer, but wanted to wait for her client to see if she'd get a better one. It seemed she wanted the two of them to try and outbid each other to raise the price. She was a greedy little thief. Not that Subaru could blame her. It must be dreary living in the slums one's whole life.

"But do you really not remember me? You passed by me yesterday, leaving me to get mugged!"

Felt had the conscience to look guilty at that statement. "Sorry bro, don't remember it at all. Still, looks like you got out ok. Live strong."

"You said that to me yesterday as well. I guess it's a motto around here." Subaru said, slinking in his chair.

Still, she doesn't remember yesterday properly either. It could be a coincidence, or there could be something else going on. Puck has some serious explaining to do.

Further pondering was interrupted by a knock on the door. "It's probably for me! I forgot to tell them the password."

As Felt rushed to the door, Subaru shook his head in mock disappointment. "Honestly, what's the point of having a password, if you don't even use it."

Rom shrugged. "One time won't hurt."

"This is why she's so lackadaisical about manners, you probably spoil her rotten like this."

"Can't deny that. She's like a granddaughter to me. That's why I appreciate that you're trying to solve things peacefully."

"Eh?"

He raised an eyebrow at Subaru's confused look. "Your clothes aren't normal kid, and no one just happens to be walking around with a rare metia like that. My guess is that you're from a noble family, and need to get that insignia back quietly."

Subaru coughed into a hand. "Well, you're not entirely wrong." Satella, or whatever her real name was, had wanted to keep the authorities out of their search.

Rom nodded sagely.

"Yep, I was right, it was for me. This is my client. Elsa, this is the person you'll be bidding against."

"That's right! I'm Subaru Natsuki, unemployed and completely hopeless! Nice to meet you!" The black haired woman who entered after Felt paused at his declaration.

"You don't seem used to this line of work. My name is Elsa Granhiert."

A short while later, after Subaru had demonstrated his phone's capabilities for the third time, and Elsa failed to outbid him, he finally got his hands on the insignia.

"You seem quite thrilled to have that." Elsa remarked as she got up from the table. "I imagine it must be quite the item."

"I have a massive debt to the former owner," Subaru replied absentmindedly, trying to think of a place he could carry it. It had already been stolen from one set of pockets, and…

His brain finally caught up to the words he had spoken, and began thinking a little more carefully. Surely, that would imply that he intended to give it back? And Elsa hadn't been all that put out by having being outbid, implying that she only didn't want Not-Satella to have it.

A great force struck Subaru from the side, and he was thrown to the floor.

"Wha—?" He gasped.

"Idiot! Get out of the way!" Felt screamed at him, as she stood between him and Elsa. The black cloaked woman was standing with her arm outstretched, and had a large knife in hand.

"Oh, you managed to dodge that?" She sounded surprised.

Rom roared, swinging his club at her.

This is my fault. Subaru thought, with growing horror.

Elsa dodged the strike, and Rom's arm went flying.

If I had just kept my mouth shut, had said I needed it for something else…

Felt screamed in denial, as Elsa rammed a broken cup into Rom's throat.

She would have left. None of us would have gotten hurt.

"You're loved by the world. I'm envious." A whistling of her blade, and a slash, too fast to be perceived. Felt fell to the floor.

I screwed up.

"Have you given up already?" Elsa asked. "How disappointing."

He got to his feet uneasily. Rom was dead. Felt was dead. There was no chance he'd escape their fate. "Shut up." He managed to say. "I still have my pride."

"Ah, that's better. Come, I'll send you to meet the angels."

She leapt forward, and in the instant before she struck, Subaru remembered the previous night again. Rom laying on the ground with his throat slashed. A voice talking quietly before he was attacked. And a slash aimed at…

He stumbled backwards, barely avoiding the strike to his stomach. He recovered his footing, and lashed out with his leg, landing a kick on her side.

He raised his hands in an approximate of a fighting stance, but something felt off. He felt his stomach, and it was… wet?

He looked down, and the pain hit him. It hurts.

He collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath. He heard Elsa's voice, but he couldn't make out what she was saying. It hurts.

She knelt down beside him, her voice murmuring softly. Am I going to die? I'm going to die. I'm going to die. It hurts.

But he had already died, hadn't he? With Not-Satella. But Puck saved him then, maybe he'll save them again. His thoughts grew foggy, the pain blotting out everything else.

It hurts it hurts it hurts.

His vision was fading, everything swimming around him. He raised his hand to rub his eyes, and when he opened them, he saw the royal capital again, just as it had appeared that day.

"Huh? Wha?"

The sun shone brightly overhead, and the air was filled with the sounds of the capital, as people bustled about on business, shopped from the various street stalls, or chatted with friends.

The pain was gone. He felt his stomach, and found his other hand was holding his grocery bag, the snacks within unopened and uneaten.

His stomach hadn't been sliced. He wasn't dead.

It all proved too much for Subaru. He fainted.

"Hey kid, you alright?"

"Huh?" Subaru bolted upright. "What happened? Where am I?"

The second question was easily answered as he looked around. He was in the capital's merchant district once more, as he had been yester— no. It hadn't been yesterday, had it?

"You collapsed in the middle of the street. You've been out for a couple of hours. A few of the guard checked you over, but said you had nothing wrong with you, so the local stall owners have been keeping you company."

Subaru looked up at the man who responded to him. He was lean, and had a head of pale blue hair. He was standing at a stall filled with rolls of cloth, looking down wryly at him.

"Eh, thanks." He picked himself off the ground, and his hand brushed something soft. He had been laying in a bed of cloth, arranged to support his head.

"Is this yours? I'm very sorry for causing you trouble."

"Don't worry about it. It's mostly scraps destined to be sold at discount for patching. I'm Jonas. I've kept your bag here, though you'll have to check nothing was stolen. I'll day, it caused quite a stir when you fell down all of a sudden."

Subaru accepted the bag from glancing at its contents. Everything was still there, but the important thing was in…

He patted his pocket, and sighed in relief when he felt his cellphone safe within.

"Thanks. I don't know where I'd be if I lost these."

"Don't worry about it. In uncertain times like these, everyone's got to work together." Jonas said with a smile.

After thanking the other merchants who looked after him, Subaru was on his way, walking idly through the capital.

Rom was dead, then he wasn't. I was dead, then I wasn't. Both of these could just be really powerful healing, but then there's this.

He pulled up his bag, so he could eye his corn pottage.

Rom ate every last crumb of this, but here it is again, still in its packaging. Which means…

"I can go back in time when I die. Talk about a lame power. It's only of any use if you assume you're going to lose."

He sighed and slouched as he walked. "I'll call it 'Return by Death'. In any case, it's better than the version most people get, 'Die by Death'. Personally, I'd rather have gotten 'Win and Live'."

He was finding it difficult to think while avoiding the people on his path, so he manoeuvred around them, moving to the less crowded streets.

If this is the same day as when I arrived in this world, then Not-Satella never saved me. I don't owe her anything. I could sell my phone, and earn enough money to keep me out of poverty. If I invent a few things from my world, I'm sure I can earn enough of an income to live a well-off life.

"But…"

Not-Satella wouldn't have left him if she knew he was in danger. Even if she didn't remember him, she wouldn't leave someone to their fate like that.

"And I'm a guy from the modern world. I don't have the sense to just leave people I know are going to die. I'll get the insignia before Elsa shows up, and save everyone!"

"What're you blabbing on about?"

Subaru looked up, and was greeted by the sight of the three stooges that had attacked him in his first loop.

"Ah, I have the worst luck, don't I? I spent so much time asleep that I've triggered this event again."

The middle one stepped forward. "Hand over all your valuables, and you can go back to your ramblings."

Subaru thought for a moment. He wasn't weak, he had kept in shape throughout his time as a shut-in. But these three had weapons, and he wasn't high on his isekai fantasy anymore. Now that he was thinking clearly, he didn't think he'd be able to catch all of them off guard.

In which case…

"Guards!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Help! Guards!"

His shouts echoed slightly, and the three stooges recoiled. They waited with baited breath, listening for anyone who would answer.

Slowly, the middle one started chuckling. "I almost got scared there. Just a little bit."

They pulled out weapons, and Subaru felt his life flash before eyes. Again.

"That's enough."

The stooges' eyes widened, and Subaru turned, to see the most outrageously fantasy hero character he had ever seen. He had flaming red hair, eyes as blue as the ocean, and a face that would make anyone swoon.

"It can't be… the Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea?"

"Ah, so you've heard of me? I'm not particularly fond of that title, it's much too great for me."

The thugs' demeanour cracked, and they looked like they were on the verge of running.

"You don't look like you want to fight, so I'll let you go this time. However, if you insist on accosting this person any further, I will have no choice but to intervene."

They fled, not even looking back in their haste to get away.

"Thanks for the save! I'd have been a goner without you." Of course, it was likely that soon after, he'd be back, just like the last two times he was a goner.

"I didn't do much." Reinhard answered. "They lost their advantage in numbers, so they were less sure of themselves."

"I would usually believe anything said by someone with a face like yours, but in this case, I did just see them scatter like they had seen the devil, and I heard something about a sword saint. Sir Reinhard, was it?"

"Please, just call me Reinhard. My situation is a bit unique. The title of Sword Saint is passed down within my family. I'm always crushed under their expectations."

"Ah, I get that. Oh! Sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Subaru Natsuki, recently saved and raring to go! Pleased to meet you. Er, have you seen a silver-haired half-elf around today?"

"Half-elf? I can't say that I have."

"Well, if you do see her, could you tell her that she should stay away from the loot house, I'm going to try and recover what she lost."

"As you wish. If you like, I could accompany you, if you need any assistance."

Subaru almost accepted the offer instantly, but he remembered that Not-Satella had desperately wanted to keep the guards out of the search.

"I'm sorry, this is a bit sensitive. I'll be sure to run for help if I need it though!"

"Well, if you're sure. If you mention my name at a guard station, they'll be able to point you towards me. I'd love to help you out."

"Eh? When did we grow so close? Did I accidentally start down the Yaoi route?! I'm very sorry, but I don't swing in that direction!"

Reinhard only smiled in confusion as he watched Subaru retreat.

The plan had been simple. Find Felt, and get her to trade the insignia for the phone before they even went to the loot house. That had failed because she refused to trade the insignia for strange item that only had his own word to back up it's worth.

The next plan had been to rush them to the loot house to get it appraised, and trade it then and there. That had failed when Felt began to get suspicious as to how he knew Elsa wouldn't be able to match his bid.

Lastly, he had tried to convince the two of them not to open the door and let in the crazy killer. That plan had failed because it wasn't Elsa, but Not-Satella who walked in the door.

"Oh, thank the gods."

"That's not usually the reaction when a thief meets the owner of an item they stole. You aren't working together?" Not-Satella looked genuinely confused.

"I guess you didn't run into Reinhard then. For a second there, I thought you were a murderous knife-wielding lunatic." He looked over at Felt. "Well, looks like the game's up. She caught you, so return the insignia, and no one gets hurt."

"You've been working with her! I knew something fishy was going on!"

Felt was livid, perhaps understandably so, but to be fair, she had stolen a fairly important item. That probably wasn't a small…

Out of the corner of his eye, Subaru saw a shadow sneak up behind Not-Satella, and a glint of steel.

"Puck! Behind her!"

There was a whistle, and a crash of knife against ice.

"Hah! Nice one Puck!"

"I should be saying that to you. If you hadn't called out, it would have been bad for us."

"A spirit? I've never seen the insides of a spirit before. I can't wait."

"Hey!" Felt shouted. "You're supposed to buy this from me. Killing wasn't part of our deal!"

"Our deal has ended. You can't sell me something that the previous owner has already reclaimed, now can you? I'll be taking it from your bloodied corpses!"

Subaru was terrible at plans. He was certain of that fact after today. He distracted the assassin long enough for Puck to blast her with ice, but she had broken out like it was nothing. Then he just stood around while the better fighters around him fought for their lives.

Puck's time ran out, then Not-Satella was hit, and then Rom went down bleeding.

Subaru had distracted Elsa enough to let Felt escape to call for help. He didn't hold out much hope. He had a nagging feeling since the beginning of the fight, that only grew stronger as it went on. He'd have to reset, and actually make a good plan next loop. But he didn't want to die again. It hurt. It hurt.

"You seem distracted. You'll never land a strike like that."

Elsa's blade carved his chair-shield in half. She slashed at him, but pulled back to deflect the icicles flying at her.

"Even if I land a hit, I doubt it'll do anything." He took the chance to swap out for an unharmed chair. "I'll survive as long as possible. Behold the strategy of the cockroach, an entity so disgusting even the most brave-hearted run in fear."

"Well, aren't you spirited?" She readied for another charge, but before she did, the roof exploded.

"I'm glad I made it in time. Now then,"

A red-haired hero had descended upon the battlefield.

"I can hardly believe it! I still have all my arms and legs! All my innards are where they're supposed to be, and no one is dead. Perfect clear!"

Admittedly, he had panicked a bit when Elsa had burst out of the rubble unharmed, but he had managed to shield Not-Satella with Rom's club.

On that note…

"Hey, I saved your life just now! Subaru Natsuki, unlikely saviour and unpleasant cockroach! So please, I would like for you to grant me one request!"

She smiled, like an angel come down from heaven. "Of course. I'll grant anything that is within my power."

"In that case, I want…" He raised his hand, and clicked his fingers. "…to know your name."

She giggled, from surprise or disbelief, he couldn't say which.

"I'm Emilia. Just Emilia."

The sight of that made all the pain Subaru had suffered through seem almost worth it. Even now, he could feel the ache in his stomach where…

Reinhard held up the club, or rather, the half of it still attached to the handle.

They all looked in horror at his stomach, as a red line opened up.

Ah, she's even cute when she's panicked. Next time, I suppose I'll have to tell Reinhard to deal with Elsa.

He collapsed to the ground, blood spurting everywhere, and darkness claimed him.

AN: Hello all! This is my first time publishing something, so please don't expect too much :) I'm speed-running the early story to get to the bits that actually change, but please let me know if the pacing is terrible. Thanks for reading!