Natsuki Subaru has only one goal in life: to protect his daughter. He is ready to do anything for this. After all, who can defeat the strongest father?
Subaru continued to tread carefully along the rocky path, scanning his surroundings. The cool breeze of the wind caressed his hair, while white clouds drifted across the sky. As the sunlight played on the road, dark clouds of the past swirled in Subaru's mind. "Where are you now, Yuji?" he murmured to himself.
Suddenly, he felt a shiver of unease and quickly leaped backward. The sharp pain on his shoulder reminded him of the threat, igniting anger and determination in his eyes. "So, you've finally come, huh?" he growled.
Standing before him was a man with flowing blue hair, and his black and blue kimono swayed effortlessly. The two katanas in his hands looked like dangerous weapons. "How are you, Boss?" the man asked in a friendly tone, but the resentment in his eyes was unmistakable. "It's been a long time since I've seen you. Marriage seems to suit you well," he added with a smirk.
"Hmm, Cecilus," Subaru's face twisted into a mocking expression. "They finally felt desperate enough to send you, huh?" He flexed his muscles, displaying his confidence. "Do they really want me dead that badly?" He sighed. "Some things never change."
Cecilus looked at Subaru with a friendly smile. "Your transformation seems quite remarkable. I must admit, marriage seems to have done you good."
Subaru furrowed his brow slightly at Cecilus's words. "Marriage, huh," he said thoughtfully. "Anyway, why are you here? To kill me?"
Cecilus straightened his back and crossed his arms, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Oh, I don't want to kill you," he replied. "But business is business, Boss." He continued to scrutinize Subaru from head to toe. "I haven't seen you in a long time, so I thought we could catch up."
Cecilus looked at Subaru from head to toe, his eyes carefully analyzing. "You really look different. You've gained quite a bit of muscle," he murmured, with a hint of admiration in his voice. "And the anger in your eyes seems to have disappeared."
"I heard you killed the Most Beautiful Reaper," Cecilus said with a slightly mocking tone, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. "When I last saw you, you were nothing but a nobody, could have died with a simple punch. But now, you're definitely a different person."
"Change is necessary," Subaru shrugged, the scars of past battles still visible on his body. "Becoming a father created a lot of responsibility. I realized everything had a greater meaning."
Cecilus smiled mockingly and nodded his head. "Yes, yes, I like hearing that everything has a greater meaning," he said, a hint of mockery in his voice. "But when I knew you, you only had a dark past. Now, you're a family man. Quite a big change, isn't it?"
Subaru smiled calmly in response to Cecilus's mocking tone. "Yes, time changes everyone," he said with a relaxed attitude. "Maybe one day, even you will change, Cecilus."
Cecilus pondered Subaru's words for a few seconds before responding in a mocking tone. "Ah, of course, Boss," he said, his eyes twinkling with cunning. "Perhaps I should become a bit more of a tough guy to compete with you. Who knows, maybe I'll even earn the title of 'Great Killer.'"
Subaru chuckled in response to Cecilus's words. "I like your imagination, Cecilus. But the title 'Great Killer' is already reserved for me."
Cecilus lunged forward quickly and exchanged blows with Subaru. This time, Cecilus aimed for Subaru's head. Subaru quickly dodged the attack by leaning backward. "Red," he murmured, his eyes shining with determination.
Cecilus managed to block the red energy ball with his swords but was pushed back. Quickly regaining his balance, he launched another attack. As he deflected the red energy ball, one of Cecilus's swords grazed Subaru's shoulder, leaving a cut, but Subaru seemed unfazed by the pain.
The two continued their battle. Whenever Subaru found an opportunity, he cast his magic, attacking Cecilus with red energy waves. Cecilus responded with sharp and swift strikes of his swords, ready to counter every move Subaru made. Their struggle filled the air with high tension.
Subaru leaped back a few steps, before words could escape his lips, Cecilus swiftly moved, slashing Subaru's arm with a sword motion, followed by a large horizontal cut to his abdomen.
Subaru collapsed to the ground, bloodied and in agony, his eyes beginning to darken. Cecilus stood silently, watching him. "Impressive," he murmured, a hint of admiration echoing in his voice. "There are few as strong as you in this world."
Sheathing his sword, Cecilus silently departed, leaving behind a wounded and powerless Subaru. Despite the pain wracking his body, Subaru managed a strained smile. "I'll kill you next time," he said, his voice resolute and firm. With his ability to return from death, he could try again. Even if he were to go back a few hours, he could strategize to win. As his eyes slowly closed, he fell asleep with one final thought: he had time to prepare for the next battle.
When Subaru's eyes opened heavily, he realized he was once again covered in blood. "No," he murmured, filled with despair and hopelessness. He prepared himself to die again, entering an endless cycle. Each death dragged him back to the same bloody spot.
Every death felt like being sucked into the same nightmare. He felt trapped in an endless loop, with no escape. Again and again, he was engulfed in the darkness of death, but with each rebirth, hope remained undiminished.
Subaru's soul felt lost in this endless cycle, yet his determination never wavered. Perhaps one day he could find a way out of this darkness. But for now, he had to surrender himself to this repeating nightmare.
A long-forgotten feeling resurfaced within Subaru: despair. This dark emotion spread through him like a consuming fog, gnawing at his insides and weighing down his soul. When he opened his eyes and found himself once again covered in blood, despair overflowed within him.
He knew he had to stand up for Elara, Ram, and Yuji, but this time, the dark emotions within him had taken hold. The cycle continued relentlessly, and nothing changed. Every effort, every struggle, amounted to nothing. He began to believe that everything was futile, feeling the pain of his own weakness and failure deeply.
As he struggled to save his loved ones, the despair of the cycle overwhelmed him, dragging him into a pit. He replayed past mistakes over and over, realizing his own helplessness and weakness. The despair within him extinguished the light of hope completely, imprisoning him in the clutches of darkness.
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Griffith's True Dream
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