Ē~Ē
The deeper Subaru moved into the castle, the more guards she encountered. Some tried to fight, but the moment her gaze fell on them, they collapsed. Not dead, not harmed—just... asleep. Their bodies crumpled to the floor, weapons slipping from their hands as unconsciousness overtook them in an instant. She didn't need to raise a hand.
And yet, some didn't fall.
A few clutched at their chests, gasping, choking. A terrifying sound. Their faces paled, veins bulging in their temples. Then, just like that, they collapsed—lifeless. Heart attacks. Their own fear had killed them. Subaru stared at them, a twisting feeling gnawing at her gut. She hated this.
She hated herself.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
This wasn't a battle. This wasn't a fight. This was slaughter.
And the worst part?
The thought of devouring them kept slithering into her mind.
It was getting harder to push away.
She had already taken the existence of those knights outside, had already let that disgusting, stomach-churning sensation sink into her soul, and yet—it hadn't been enough. It would never be enough.
Because she wasn't just her.
She was something more.
Something cursed.
Something hungry.
The Half-Elf.
She was close.
The halls of the castle twisted and stretched, long corridors filled with fear and silence. The few remaining knights she encountered either charged with desperate shouts, swinging weapons that never touched her, or they dropped to their knees, shaking, unable to meet her gaze.
She let them live.
She told herself she wasn't here for them.
She told herself it was mercy.
But if she was being honest with herself—she was afraid that if she let her power take one more life, she wouldn't be able to stop.
Her feet carried her forward, past them, past the halls lined with shattered vases and overturned furniture, past the rooms filled with the lingering presence of people who had fled the moment she entered.
Until—
A presence.
Not a knight.
Not a warrior.
Something else.
A room, doors heavy and sealed shut, but it didn't matter.
She could feel them inside.
People.
Civilians.
Hiding.
Their fear was so tangible she could almost taste it.
The panicked breathing. The hushed whispers. The way their hearts pounded in their chests like war drums.
She could hear it all.
Subaru squeezed her eyes shut, inhaling sharply.
She needed to walk away.
She needed to not be here.
Because if she opened this door—
No.
She turned her back to it.
She forced herself to move.
Because if she lingered even a second longer, she might not be able to stop herself.
And she was not a monster.
Not yet.
The Half-Elf was close now.
Ē~Ē