Subaru dreamed.
And in that dream, she saw herself.
Not this self—not the Witch, not Satella—but himself.
The real Subaru.
The one with messy black hair, normal brown eyes, a lanky, imperfect, human body.
And Satella, standing before him.
Silver hair cascading down her back, violet eyes gleaming like amethysts, a black gown flowing around her delicate frame like shadows given form.
They stood together.
Close. Too close.
And the way they looked at each other—soft, adoring, worshipful—
No.
No, no, no, no.
But they loved each other.
It was undeniable. It was primal.
A love beyond reason, beyond understanding, beyond the constraints of the world.
Subaru felt his hand reach out, fingers brushing against hers—
Their faces drew closer—
Their lips almost touching—
And then Subaru jolted awake.
She gasped, water sloshing around her as she sat up, chest heaving, skin slick with sweat despite the heat of the bath.
Her heart was pounding.
Her stomach twisted in horror.
Okay. Okay, now this was getting fucking disgusting.
The urge to love herself—kiss herself—was becoming too much. Too overwhelming.
It wasn't just a stray thought anymore.
It was instinct.
It was a need.
A raw, carnal craving.
Her hands trembled beneath the water. Her lips tingled with the ghost of something that should not exist.
She needed to fight it.
She needed to reject it.
But it was so strong.
So Subaru did the only thing she could do.
She leaned back, staring at the ceiling, and started muttering to herself.
"I love you (me). I love you (me). I love you (me)..."
If she just said it, if she kept saying it, then maybe—
Maybe she wouldn't need to do it.
Ē~Ē
Subaru was in deep, deep shit.
Because the last thing Subaru should be doing right now was giving a speech.
To cultists.
To fanatics.
To actual, literal terrorists.
And yet, here she was, standing on the church's dais, staring down at the countless robed figures waiting—expecting—begging for her words. The Sin Archbishops sat in the front row, each of them reacting differently.
Regulus looked annoyed, arms crossed, tapping his fingers against his arm like he had better things to do.
Gluttony sat perfectly still, but their grins were too wide, their hands twitching like they wanted to sink their teeth into something.
Capella looked bored at first, but her body shifted slightly, her eyes gleaming with dark amusement.
Sirius was already trembling, chains rattling as she clutched her chest, as if she was preparing to absorb every emotion Subaru was about to pour out.
Betelgeuse, of course, was devotedly still, waiting, breathing in every second of anticipation like a prayer.
The normal cultists were behind them, kneeling, eyes wide, lips whispering silent praises.
Subaru stood there.
Silent.
More silence.
Even more silence.
Regulus yawned.
Pandora coughed delicately.
Subaru swallowed hard.
What the hell was she supposed to say?
She wasn't a leader. She wasn't some godly figure meant to guide people. She was just some random idiot stuck in a nightmare.
But Pandora expected her to speak.
The cult expected her to speak.
They wanted something grand. Something powerful. Something that would shake their souls and inspire madness.
And if she hesitated too long—if she stumbled, if she failed—
Then they would start wondering why.
And Subaru could not let that happen.
So, as her mind scrambled for anything, for something—she latched onto Madara.
Yes.
Yes, that would work.
Slowly, deliberately, she took a breath.
Then, in a voice that resonated through the church, smooth, eerie, absolute, she spoke.
"Wake up to reality."
The whisper of cultist murmurs ceased immediately.
Nothing but silence.
She continued, stepping forward, letting the black mist around her curl ominously, her voice steady, filled with something dangerous, something final.
"Nothing ever goes as planned in this accursed world. The longer you live, the more you realize that the only things that truly exist in this reality are pain, suffering, and futility."
A shudder passed through the crowd.
Some of them gasped softly.
Sirius let out a choked sob, her hands clutching at her own heart, chains rattling violently.
Gluttony grinned wider, as if savoring every word.
Subaru lifted her chin, voice stronger now, commanding, almost cruel.
"Everywhere you look in this world—wherever there is light, there will always be shadows. As long as there is a concept of victors, the vanquished will exist as well. The selfish intent of wanting to preserve peace initiates wars. And hatred is born in order to protect love."
Capella let out a delighted laugh, kicking her legs up onto the chair in front of her, resting her chin in her palm. "Oooohhh~! Now this is interesting~!"
Sirius was shaking violently, letting out short, gasping breaths.
Regulus' lips pressed into a thin line.
The normal cultists?
Some of them were crying.
Subaru spread her arms slightly, letting the mist flare outward, covering the floor, swallowing the light beneath her feet.
"These are nexuses. Causal relationships that cannot be separated. They are the truth of this world."
Her voice dropped into something low, something deadly, something dripping with finality.
"I want to sever—the fate of this world."
Dead silence.
Even Regulus had stopped moving.
Subaru took one last step forward.
"A world of only victors. A world of only peace. A world of only love."
She let the words settle, linger, before delivering the final blow.
"I will create such a world."
The mist swirled violently around her feet.
"I am the Witch of Envy." She finished. "For truly this reality, is a hell."
The tension snapped.
The church exploded.
Not literally, but the reaction was instant, unstoppable.
The cultists erupted in cheers, in cries, in sobs, in madness.
Some were screaming in devotion, others were collapsing into the ground, clutching their faces, weeping at the sheer beauty of her words.
Sirius howled, chains flying around her as she trembled in ecstasy, her emotions bleeding into the followers behind her, making their joy, their pain, their insanity multiply tenfold.
Capella clapped like a delighted child, laughing, twisting her own face into a mockery of Subaru's.
Gluttony shook violently, fingers digging into their own arms, their bodies quaking with raw, unfiltered excitement.
Even Regulus, the most indifferent one here, let out a quiet exhale, muttering, "Hah… so you do understand."
And Pandora?
Pandora just smiled.
Graceful. Poised. Triumphant.
Like she had known all along that Subaru would succeed.
Subaru stood there, heart hammering in her chest, watching this horrific, uncontrollable display of devotion.
She had done it.
She had nailed it.
She had delivered the best villain speech she could think of.
But—
Oh fuck.
She might've motivated them too much in killing people.
TBC