Re:Zero - Reincarnated on a Co-op Route

Subaru removes the weights with a heavy sound, falling to the ground in a dull clatter. "Finally, some relief. I'm pretty fatigued..." he mutters as he takes a deep breath, feeling his body momentarily relax.

He begins to move his arms, testing their flexibility and speed. "Mmmm, I feel a bit more limber," Subaru thinks, feeling a spark of confidence. "Well, I guess that suffering was worth it... I've been doing well so far. Rem and Ram are starting to like me. Also, I haven't detected anything strange so far at the mansion."

"Kaoru hasn't reported anything to me either, and everything seems to be in order. I'm a little jealous of him. He told me that he can control the flow method or something like that in a better way. As I've also seen him take a whole lap around the mansion running with those weights. Well, it's something to know I'm not the only one suffering," Subaru snorts, feeling glad for the shared agony.

"I guess I'll go to sleep now. Maybe if I keep things like this, I'll be able to get stronger. Get to have a relationship with Emilia-tan and gain Rem and Ram's trust."

Suddenly, a gag reflex hits Subaru. "Ugh, what the fuck?!" 

He staggers, feeling dizzy all of a sudden. His heart beats faster and hurts. "AGH! What's wrong? I—I feel so cold..." he mumbles, before vomiting on the floor, acid and the contents of his stomach splashing out with a foul smell filling the room.

"Help.. I need help... Kaoru... I need to tell him..." Subaru staggers out of the room, his mind spiraling.

"Agh, shit, they poisoned me? If they suspected us, what happened?..." his mind churns, and despair consumes him. "If I die again, then none of this made any sense."

Subaru grits his teeth, determined to live. "H-help, someone..." he cries, climbing to the second floor in a hoarse voice, each step hurting him more than the last.

And suddenly, chains are heard.

"Chains?" wonders Subaru as he covers his mouth, holding back the urge to vomit, listening to the sound intently. The echo of the chains echoes in his mind, like a harbinger of what is to come.

"This is not going well... If they saw me suspicious, then someone..."

The sound of the chains gets louder. Subaru looks around like crazy. "If I'm going to die, I should at least collect as much information as possible when I come back from the dead... No! I don't want to die! It's horrible!" He thinks frantically, as his heart beats harder, and the stress causes what little mana he has to circulate frantically through his body subconsciously, quickly exhausting himself and aggravating his discomfort.

Suddenly, a giant spiked ball hurtles towards him, trying to hit him. Subaru dives aside, dodging the attack just in time. The ball impacts against the wall, destroying a chunk of it and leaving debris flying everywhere.

"What the hell!" he shouts in his mind. Subaru is running frantically at full speed , feeling the adrenaline pushing him forward.

"Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, I'm going to die! It's not fair... To fight weakened like this!" He screams in his mind as he runs towards the stairs to go down to the second floor, but something else happens.

Chains are heard again, and frantic footsteps approach Subaru. Once again, the giant spiked ball lunges straight at his back. Subaru manages to dodge the attack, but inertia causes him to fall from the second floor. The raw thud on his back echoes through the place; crunching bones fill the air as pain engulfs him.

"AGH! This is crazy!" Subaru screams hoarsely, feeling the world go dark around him. "I can't die here... Not now!" 

"HURTS!!!" groans Subaru in a hoarse, raspy voice, the pain piercing through every fiber of his being. "Shit...shita..." 

He crawls across the ground, his skin cold against the cold marmol floor, leaving a trail of blood and gore. "Kaoru! Emilia! Help!" His voice, an echo of desperation, is lost in the gloom.

Kaoru, hearing the commotion, cautiously peeks out of her room. "Ugh, what was that sound? I should go check..." he mutters, heart pounding. With the flow method activated, his speed increases approximately 30 percent, each step making him feel lighter, but the tension in the air is palpable.

A piercing scream echoes in the distance.

Suddenly, the spiked ball impacts Subaru, tearing his flesh and exposing ripped bones. A choked scream escapes Kaoru's lips at the sound.

The figure in chains slowly advances towards Subaru, who is consumed with pain.

"I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, want to die, I want to die, I want to die, I want to die..."

He whispers, tears flowing as pain engulfs him.

Kaoru feels the urgency tightening in his chest. Without thinking, he runs to the railing, propelling himself forcefully. He leaps from the second floor, the air hissing around him as he descends in a controlled spin, landing with a thud on the first floor. Instantly, a sickening crunch echoes, and his heart stops for an instant.

"Shit, shit... I hope that's not what I'm thinking," Kaoru thinks, a shiver running down his back as he advances towards the sound.

In the gloom, he comes upon a grotesque scene in the distance: a body has been crushed, turned into a bloody mass. The darkness hides its identity, and an inert eye glows faintly, rolling on the ground. 

"Subaru?" he asks, his voice trembling. The lack of light means he can't fully discern the body, but helplessness settles in his chest. "What the... hell...?" 

Kaoru draws his long daggers, the blades reflecting the dim light. He settles into a fighting stance, his body in tension and stress in every muscle. He crouches slightly.

The figure with the chain approaches, the sound of the chains echoing like a dirge....

____________________________________________

"AAAAGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Subaru screams almost jumping off the bed with his heart pounding, adrenaline still coursing through his veins.

Rem and Ram, hearing his screams, freeze in front of the bed, holding hands, their eyes wide open, frightened by the man's sudden outburst of terror.

Subaru breathes heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he looks around frantically, as if searching for a way out of the imminent danger. "I-just died?" he says to himself. "It hurts... a lot..." He hugs himself, trying to calm the trembling in his body, but his eyes soon fall on the two frightened girls in front of him.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to scare you," Subaru mutters, his voice shaking. "I was having a nightmare, hehe..." He tries to smile to ease the tension in the air, but his effort feels a bit forced. He gets out of bed with renewed energy, striking his signature pose with a twinkle in his eye. "Can't start the day off on the wrong foot! I'm Natsuki Subaru. Nice to meet you!" he says, making an exaggerated gesture with his hand as if to distract from his recent terror.

The two girls look at each other for a second, their faces still pale. Rem frowns, while Ram looks more intrigued than frightened.

"Are you all right, Subaru?" asks Rem, his voice soft with some concern. "You seemed... in a lot of pain."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. It was just a bad dream," Subaru answers quickly, trying to lighten the mood. "Nothing to worry about, how about we start the day?