The night had swallowed the world whole by the time Subaru realized just how far she had gone.
There was no moon. No stars. Only a thick blanket of clouds that pressed low against the sky, turning everything into layered shades of black and muted gray. Even the horizon was gone, erased by distance and darkness. If she had still been human, she would have been exhausted, trembling, desperate for rest after walking so far.
Eighty kilometers. At least.
She knew that not by a map or marker, but by a strange internal sense that had grown sharper since her arrival in this body. Distance, direction, mana flow. Things she never learned, yet now understood without knowing how. Her legs should have burned. Her lungs should have begged for air.
Instead, she felt… fine.
Not refreshed. Not energized. Just unchanged, as if the march had been nothing more than a stroll through a park back home. That realization unsettled her more than fatigue ever could. It reminded her again that this body was not human. That whatever laws governed her old life no longer applied.
The wind picked up without warning.
At first it was a low whisper that tugged at her clothes and slipped through the grass like something alive. Then it grew teeth, sharp and cold, biting through the thin fabric of her dress. Subaru pulled her arms closer to herself and adjusted the cloth wrapped around her head, tightening it instinctively.
A few minutes later, the drizzle began.
Thin drops fell, scattered and light at first, barely enough to matter. Then they multiplied, dotting her sleeves, darkening the ground beneath her feet. The smell of wet earth rose quickly, rich and heavy. Subaru stopped walking and looked up at the sky, though there was nothing to see.
“Great,” she muttered.
She focused, reaching inward, to that strange place where thoughts turned into form. Erfassen answered immediately. Mana stirred, obedient, familiar now. In moments, an umbrella took shape in her hand. Simple, dark, functional. It felt solid, real.
Too easy.
She opened it and continued forward, scanning her surroundings more carefully now. Rain in a forest was not just uncomfortable. It was dangerous. Slippery ground, hidden roots, poor visibility. And she had no shelter, no supplies, no plan beyond putting distance between herself and the place she had died again and again.
The forest thickened as she went on. Tall trees crowded together, their branches forming a tangled ceiling that trapped the sound of rain. The ground sloped unevenly, rising and falling in gentle but constant waves. She cursed herself quietly for not thinking ahead back in the village.
I could have bought something. A cloak. A bedroll. Anything.
She could try to make those things with Erfassen. She was not fully sure if she could really do that. Even if she could, creating large objects or anything too complex felt like lighting a beacon in the dark. Mana did not exist in isolation. Others could sense it. She had learned that lesson the hard way when that light beam had disintegrated her yesterday.
So she walked on, rain tapping steadily against the umbrella, boots sinking into damp earth. Her thoughts drifted, unanchored, circling the same questions without answers. Why this body. Why this power. Why that boy. Why the loops.
Why her.
She almost missed it.
A shadow at the base of a hill, darker than the darkness around it. Subaru slowed, squinting, then stepped closer. The hill rose sharply from the forest floor, its side scarred with rock and sparse vegetation. At its base was an opening.
A cave.
Relief hit her so fast it almost felt like laughter bubbling up in her chest. She did not hesitate. Folding the umbrella away, she slipped inside, boots crunching lightly over gravel and stone.
The air inside was dry.
That alone felt like a miracle. The cave was shallow but wide enough to offer real shelter. The walls were rough and cold to the touch, marked by natural grooves and faint mineral streaks. No bones. No nests. No signs of recent habitation.
If there were bears here, she did not care.
Two days ago, the thought would have terrified her. Now it barely registered. Death had a way of recalibrating fear.
She moved deeper into the cave, far enough that the rain became a distant sound rather than a constant assault. She leaned her back against the stone wall and exhaled slowly, letting herself relax for the first time since night fell.
At least until a voice spoke.
“Well, well, well.”
Subaru froze.
Every muscle in her body locked at once, as if someone had flipped a switch. Her heart did not race. Her breath did not hitch. Instead, a cold clarity settled over her mind, sharp and immediate.
“Looks like I am not all alone tonight.”
The voice came from behind her.
Slowly, carefully, Subaru turned her head.
A girl sat against the far wall of the cave, legs bent, posture casual as if she had been there for hours. She wore a black dress that clung to her frame without restricting movement, paired with sturdy black boots marked by wear. Her hair was green, cut short, pulled back into a loose ponytail that brushed her neck. Her eyes were purple, bright even in the dim light, watching Subaru with open interest.
She smiled.
“That’s a nice headwear there.”
Subaru said nothing.
Her mind worked furiously, cataloging details. No visible weapon, though that meant nothing. Mana presence was good, though slightly depleted, like a blade held just out of sight. Not a villager. Not a traveler. Something else.
A mage.
Danger.
The girl tilted her head slightly, unfazed by the silence. “My name is Übel. What’s yours?”
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