Not far from the scene, Tiamat stood quietly, her pale figure cloaked in shadows. From a distance, she watched as shimmering lights began to gather spirits converging around the small, weathered house like fireflies drawn to a flame. A fight had already begun inside, though the crumbling walls concealed it from mortal eyes.
But not from hers.
She took a slow step forward, her expression unreadable as her gaze pierced the structure. Within, she saw the shapes of combat glimpses of Subaru, Emilia, and danger intertwined. Her steps were silent as she moved closer, a drifting presence beneath the twilight sky.
Then, a gentle tug on her sleeve halted her.
Tiamat turned her head, meeting a pair of crimson eyes staring up at her—eyes filled with fear and fatigue, framed by the trace of dried tears on flushed cheeks.
"Miss… don't go there!" the girl pleaded, voice cracking.
Tiamat tilted her head, studying the small figure. So fragile. So desperate. Was this the one called Felt? What a pitiful child… and yet so brave, standing alone in fear to protect others.
Another thought passed her mind: Why does everyone look so tall? Or… am I truly that small now?
She shook her head, brushing the notion aside.
"It's fine, young child," Tiamat said gently. "I only wish to see my daughter."
Then she stepped forward again.
But the girl didn't move.
Felt planted herself firmly in Tiamat's path, eyes wide, trembling as she raised her arms in a feeble attempt to block her way. "Don't! I don't want anyone else hurt because of me… not again!"
Tiamat paused, surprised not by the resistance, but by the conviction in such a tiny voice.
She smiled softly.
"What a sweet child," she murmured, raising a hand.
Felt flinched, uncertain, but Tiamat merely rested her palm atop the girl's head and gently patted it.
"Your name is Felt, isn't it?"
The girl's eyes widened further. "H-how do you kno—?"
Before she could finish, Tiamat wrapped her arms around her.
A warm, enveloping embrace. So sudden, so complete, that it left the girl speechless.
"Hush now, child," Tiamat whispered, her voice low and soothing. "It's not your fault."
Felt struggled at first, startled and confused. She tried to pull away, but the woman's embrace though gentle was unyielding. Not out of force, but as if it was nature itself that refused to let go.
"Hush… hush…" Tiamat murmured again, stroking her back with a tenderness Felt hadn't known in years.
And with each word, each caress, the tension in Felt's small frame began to melt.
The fear gave way to something warm.
Safe.
Unfamiliar.
She didn't even realize she had started to cry again until her tears soaked into the stranger's shoulder. And yet, for the first time… it didn't feel like weakness.
It felt like healing.
Tiamat looked down at the trembling child in her arms, her expression soft and serene. Her hand gently brushed aside a few strands of Felt's messy blonde hair as she whispered.
"Child… would you like to be mine?"
The question hung in the air like mist, ethereal and strange. Felt blinked, still caught in the warmth of the embrace, her lips parting as if to respond.
"I… I…" she stammered, eyes flicking uncertainly between Tiamat's face and the sky beyond. She repeated the sound again, caught between confusion and....
Tiamat said nothing more, simply watching her with those star shape pupil pink eyes.
But then her gaze shifted.
Her head turned slowly toward the looting house. A flash of blue light tore through the structure, its force obliterating half the building in an instant. Dust and fragments scattered into the twilight.
In Tiamat's arms, Felt flinched.
"Old Man Rom!!" she cried out, her voice panicked, breaking with emotion.
But Tiamat only murmured, "My child… he is safe."
Her calm was absolute. She turned back to Felt, their eyes meeting again.
And something in those eyes… made Felt believe her.
Since when… did I start trusting this woman? Felt thought, stunned by the certainty welling up in her chest. Since when did I… start become her child…
Tiamat gave a small, knowing smile.
"Let's go, then," she said gently, beginning to walk toward the ruins of the battle.
"W-wait! I didn't agree yet!" Felt yelped, running after her, half stumbling in confusion.
But even as she protested, her feet moved on their own. She followed close behind.
Tiamat's steps were slow. Her expression, though peaceful, held focus. She could feel it again.
A gaze.
It lingered only for a breath.
But it vanished as quickly as it came, like a shadow slipping between cracks in the world.
Tiamat's eyes narrowed slightly. The Bowel Hunter…
She could feel the killer's presence drifting farther and farther away, like blood washing off a blade.
But she wasn't concerned.
Her focus returned to the house and to the children she had claim as her own.
-------------------
As Tiamat stepped into the clearing, the aftermath of the battle lay stark before her.
Reinhard stood silently behind Emilia, his expression shadowed with quiet guilt. Before them, Subaru lay unconscious, blood soaking through his clothes, a deep wound in his abdomen still weeping despite Emilia's desperate efforts.
Tiamat's arrival, alongside Felt, was first noticed by Reinhard. His gaze met hers—no words passed between them, but the weight in his eyes spoke volumes. He blamed himself.
Felt broke away, rushing toward the fallen giant nearby—Rom. Her voice trembled with worry as she knelt beside him.
Tiamat, meanwhile, moved with slow, deliberate steps to Emilia's side.
Emilia noticed her presence, but didn't look up—her hands glowed with fading magic, her face tight with panic. The spirits she summoned flickered weakly, barely clinging to form. She was running out of strength.
When Tiamat gently placed a hand on her shoulder, Emilia finally faltered.
"S-subaru, he… he's not healing…" Her voice cracked as she looked up, eyes wide with helplessness.
"You've done enough, my child," Tiamat said softly. "Let Mother handle it."
With that, she knelt beside Subaru's still body. Her presence alone seemed to change the air around them. Reinhard felt it first, a soft ripple across the place. Then Emilia noticed it too.
The spirits, once scattered and dim, began to gather again. Small flickers of light bloomed from the air itself, drifting gently toward them. The entire space pulsed faintly, as though the world was exhaling after holding its breath.
Tiamat opened her mouth and began to hum a gentle, wordless tune that resonated like wind through crystal.
Green light began to gather.
Spirits flocked to Subaru's side, weaving through the air and sinking into his wounds. Slowly, the blood receded. The deep gash sealed with a soft glow. His breathing steadied. The pain eased from his face.
Emilia let out a shuddering sigh of relief, shoulders slumping.
Tiamat looked down at the boy—Subaru. A strange boy. A boy destined to die, again and again. But now… because of her presence here had changed that. Perhaps his fate had begun to shift.
She lifted her gaze, scanning the surroundings.
Emilia noticed her searching.
"Mom? What are you looking for?" she asked softly.
Tiamat's eyes stopped as if finding the answer. "Your companion," she replied. "Where is he?"
"Ah—you mean Puck?" Emilia said, wiping her eyes. "He's exhausted. He used too much mana… He's resting now."
"I see," Tiamat nodded. Her tone was unreadable.
She glanced once more at Subaru.
Tiamat's thoughts were gently interrupted by a soft, uncertain voice.
"Um… is Nii-chan going to be okay?" Felt asked, stepping forward. Old Man Rom followed behind her, a silent shadow at her back. Her crimson eyes flicked to Subaru's unconscious form with concern.
"Yes," Tiamat replied without hesitation.
"Thank goodness…" Felt let out a breath, her tense shoulders finally relaxing.
Reinhard, who had remained quiet since Subaru's healing, finally spoke. "Now that things have settled, we should move him somewhere he can properly rest."
His voice was steady again, the grim weight from earlier gone. The warm confidence returned to his face.
"I suggest he come to my residence," Reinhard continued, his tone laced with quiet guilt. "He was injured partly because of my misjudgment…"
Emilia, still kneeling beside Subaru, shook her head gently. "No… Subaru was hurt while trying to protect me. I think… I think he should come back with me to Roswaal's mansion." Her eyes shone with firm conviction.
Reinhard looked at her, then nodded solemnly. "Very well. I'll leave him in your care, Miss Emilia."
His gaze shifted to Felt, standing just beyond the edge of the group. Something about her tugged at his memory red eyes, golden hair, her age… Could it be?
"And this child," Reinhard said, stepping toward her, "will come with me."
"Huh? Me?" Felt blinked, clearly caught off guard.
"You will participate in the Royal Selection," Reinhard declared. "Your presence is required in the capital."
Before Felt could properly protest, he turned toward Emilia and Tiamat. "I'll be taking my leave now. Until we meet again, Miss Emilia. Madam Tiamat."
Just as he prepared to depart, Felt struggled in his arms. "Hey! What are you doing?! Put me down! I don't want anything to do with those stuck-up nobles!" Her voice rose with frustration. "Mom, help me!"
Before Tiamat could respond, a large hand reached out and stopped Reinhard.
Old Man Rom stood tall beside him, face serious.
"Please take me as well," Rom said firmly. "I… I need to be there for her. She won't last five minutes surrounded by nobles without me."
Reinhard studied him briefly, then gave a small nod. "Alright. Let's go."
"Wait! Hey—stop! I said put me down!" Felt continued flailing in his arms. "Mom! Say something!"
Tiamat met her gaze with a calm, knowing smile. "My child… don't you have something you want to achieve? Something you want to protect?"
At her words, Felt froze. Her expression shifted.
"I…"
She couldn't say it yet but the seed had been planted.
Tiamat simply watched, her expression gentle, as Reinhard, Rom, and Felt disappeared down the street and into the fading light.
Beside her, Emilia carefully trying to lift Subaru onto her back, straining with effort. Tiamat stepped forward, extending her arms.
---------------
Inside the carriage.
Somehow, Tiamat had ended up riding along with them though, truth be told, even without an invitation, she would have followed. She had one goal in mind.
Beatrice.The little spirit guardian of the mansion library. Tiamat had decided. she would become her next adorable daughter.
She glanced out the window briefly, then turned her gaze to Emilia, who gently dabbed a cloth along Subaru's forehead. The boy remained unconscious, but his breathing was steady.
"Yaaawn…" A tiny yawn rang out. A small creature stretched in the air like a lazy feline waking from a nap.
"Good morning, Emilia…" Puck muttered groggily as he rubbed his eyes. Then his gaze drifted across the carriage and landed squarely on Tiamat.
"?!"He flinched instantly, shooting behind Emilia's hair like a child hiding behind his mother's legs.
"What is this monster doing here?!" he demanded, glaring at her from the safety of Emilia's shoulder.
Emilia blinked and gently scolded him. "Puck, don't be rude. She's… my mother now. You can't talk like that to her."
"WHAT?!" Puck shouted, ears twitching in disbelief. "You actually recognized her as your mother?! You—you're serious?! This has to be some twisted nightmare. My daughter's been—stolen!"
He peeked out again, locking eyes with Tiamat. "I won't lose," he declared, voice full of dramatic resolve.
Tiamat simply met his gaze in silence, her expression unreadable. She said nothing.
To break the tension, Emilia changed the subject.
"Ahem… Mom," she started, cheeks warming at the word, "what did you do back there? With the spirits? After Reinhard's attack, they were completely exhausted… but somehow, they recovered and more even showed up."
Tiamat tilted her head slightly, as though the question were simple.
"Those children were just being naughty," she said calmly. "I only needed to remind them... and they helped."
"That's it?" Emilia blinked. "Just… reminding them?"
Tiamat nodded. "Mm. Sometimes, a mother's voice is enough."
Puck's ears twitched, eyes narrowed. "Don't look at me," he muttered, catching Emilia's glance. "I was asleep when that happened. I missed the part where reality itself bent to a lullaby."
Emilia giggled softly. "I guess even spirits need a little guidance."
Tiamat leaned back slightly, folding her hands in her lap, gaze still distant.
Soon, she thought. Soon, I will meet Beatrice.
And that stubborn little spirit wouldn't know what hit her.
(A/n: fewer and fewer comment is the factor I rarely update my fic... I really enjoy reading my reader comment and, uh, sometimes I unconsciously peek at you guys profile too… I swear I'm not a stalker!)