Re:Zero - Reincarnated on a Co-op Route

"So, Subaru, can you tell me about this enemy that will attack? Were you able to see his face or his complexion?" asked Kaoru, crossing his arms as he looked at his companion.

"No... I couldn't see his face. I only heard a clinking of chains," Subaru replied in a frustrated tone, letting out a snort. "The mansion was really dark, and the fact that they apparently drained my mana to leave me dying didn't help either."

"Wait, they drained your mana? Can that be done?" asked Kaoru, bringing a hand to her chin, almost as if she was processing a new and terrifying concept.

"Yes, or at least something like it. The first day I arrived at the mansion, I met Beako. She did that thing with me; she froze me to the ground. She said something like I wasn't a threat... and then I fainted," Subaru explained, remembering the shiver he felt at that moment.

"So, if Beako doesn't consider you a threat, it means she had nothing to do with your murder. Besides, I'd rather not believe that she'd be capable of doing something so gruesome to you," Kaoru commented.

"I don't want to think that either..." Subaru averted his gaze towards the mansion in the distance. "And well, the other suspect I had is Roswaal. I mean, he's the best mage in the kingdom. It wouldn't be weird if he knows how to do something like that too, would it?"

"I hear you," Kaoru replied, leaning her back against a tree. "Roswaal is... strange. He definitely falls into the suspect range."

"You don't have any more information?"

Subaru shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, but no. I couldn't see anything that was really suspicious. This is all I got."

An awkward silence fell over them. Subaru stared at the ground, while Kaoru turned his gaze to the horizon. The sunset was accentuating, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. The tension between the two did not disappear completely, but the calmness of the landscape seemed to give them a break... at least for a few seconds.

Kaoru, arms crossed, noticed a slight tremor in Subaru's hands. "Are you nervous?" asked Kaoru with a smile intended to be reassuring.

"N-No! I'm just... psyching myself up" Subaru quickly replied, straightening up a bit.

"Relax, Subaru," Kaoru said with a more genuine smile. "We'll get this done."

"How can you be so relaxed?" asked Subaru, sighing.

"I'm not," Kaoru admitted, holding up his hands. "I'm just as scared as you are. My hands are sweating like I'm about to fail a final exam."

"I see," Subaru muttered, feeling a little less alone in his anxiety.

But before Kaoru could reply with anything else, a faint, almost imperceptible sound broke the quiet of the moment. Both boys instantly tensed, their bodies reacting before their minds could process what was happening.

---

A split second later, both moved on instinct. Kaoru threw himself to the ground, covering his head, while Subaru, with the reflexes of someone who had experienced too much danger, threw himself straight towards the cliff. Just at that instant, a ball of thorns attached to a long chain impacted with brutal force against the tree where Subaru had been sitting. The explosion of wood and bark filled the air, leaving a massive hole in the trunk that nearly split it in two.

"Aaahhh!" shouted Subaru as he plummeted. The rope attached to his waist tightened with a strong tug that stopped him before he could crash to the ground. The impact jolted him, wrenching a grunt of pain from him as the rope pressed around his waist. His vision blurred for a second, but he quickly caught his breath.

With the knife he had stolen from the kitchen, he cut the rope around her waist, freeing himself. He resumed his fall, but his feet landed on a sloping rock. The momentum sent him sliding uncontrollably, slamming his shoulder into the ground before finally landing with a loud thud. "Agh! Emergency escape..." muttered Subaru, his body shaking from the effort.

At the top, Kaoru did not hesitate. He saw how the ball of thorns, bigger than two men's heads, had shattered almost the entire thickness of the tree.

"That thing is lethal"

Without a second thought, he launched himself after Subaru, also toward the cliff. 

As he fell, Kaoru reached out and grabbed the rope Subaru had used moments before. The friction burned into his palms, tearing the skin and making him grunt in pain. "Aghhh!" he screamed through his teeth but did not let go of the rope as he slowed his descent.

Finally, Kaoru landed with a thud against the ground. His legs shook from the impact, but he quickly got up, ignoring the burns on his hands. Subaru was a few meters ahead, already running.

"Subaru!" shouted Kaoru as she started running after him.

"I saw it!" exclaimed Subaru, turning his head briefly towards Kaoru.

"Me too!" added Kaoru, speeding up to stand next to him.

They both looked back as they ran. The ¨Morning Star¨, that monstrous iron ball filled with thorns, glowed faintly in the evening light as it swung at the end of a long chain. The weapon seemed to move with terrifying precision, as if it had a life of its own.

"It can't be!" gasped Kaoru, his eyes widening at the sight of the weapon. "Who the fuck uses something like that?!"

"It doesn't matter who uses it, what matters is that it doesn't kill us!" shouted Subaru as he dodged low branches and protruding roots from the ground. His heart was pounding, and fear was coursing through his veins like liquid fire.

Suddenly, a metallic sound echoed behind them, and both boys fled without thinking.

"Run faster!" shouted Kaoru, feeling cold sweat pouring down his back.

"You don't have to tell me, you idiot!" replied Subaru, trying to ignore the burning in his legs as he increased the pace.

The spiked ball was thrown again, cutting through the air with a deadly hiss. Both boys lunged in opposite directions, rolling across the ground just as the weapon impacted the ground between them, kicking up a cloud of dirt and debris.

"This isn't going to end well!" muttered Kaoru as he stood up, his palms bloody and his heart about to burst out of his chest.

Subaru, panting, raised the knife he still held in his hand. "Kaoru, we have to think of something! We can't just run!"

"I'd appreciate a bright idea right now!" shouted Kaoru.

They both knew they were in a critical situation. But they couldn't give up. Not now.