Chapter Text
Chapter 1: The Pilgrimage of Two, After the Age of Ancients
The first thing Emilia knew when she woke up was the sounds of moving carriages, and the rumble that came with riding one.
Emilia's eyes shot open, immediately taking notice of her surroundings. She was on a carriage, with other people she didn't recognize. Her hands were bound together, likely to help prevent her from escaping. She looked around her, taking notice of the fact that they were prisoners, like her now.
The young man sitting opposite her was the most eye-catching. He had black hair, amber eyes in a somewhat scary look, and looked to be about her age. His skin seemed to be rather pale, but the strangest thing of all was his clothes.
The colors consisted only of orange, black, and white, with various stripes and patterns all over, but the fabric was unfamiliar. Maybe he was some sort of formal noble?
Suddenly, however, the black-haired stranger's eyes met hers.
"Hey, you, you're finally awake."
"Wha...? Where am I?" Emilia wondered aloud, trying to remember how she got in this situation.
For a split second, the young man looked… surprised? Regardless, he quickly regained his composure.
"We're on a boat, touring the Spanish coast!" Even Emilia knew that what he was saying was sarcastic. "C'mon, lady, what do you think?! This is a prison cart! We're being carted off!"
Suddenly, Emilia's eyes widened as her memories flushed back to her. She had been trying to cross the border to Gusteko, but was caught by the Imperial Guard, alongside many rebels of the infamous Stormcloak Alliance.
Suddenly, Emilia knew what was likely going to happen to them. "Where are they taking us? To a prison?"
"A prison? Probably for you, but for someone like me? An Undead Asylum," the young man said, looking to the approaching village.
"Undead Asylum?" Emilia repeated the words in confusion.
"Yeah, an Undead Asylum. Used to store immortals like me till the sun blows up," the black-haired fellow snorted, as he pointed to himself, and then it clicked for Emilia.
"You're an Undead…" she realized. "I thought they were just myths."
"Yeah, and most idiots would probably say the same thing for the supposedly "evil" silver-haired Half-Elf, but here we are," the nasty-eyed man said, gesturing towards her.
Emilia was silent for a few seconds, before she spoke again. "It's caused me a lot of problems... If it was up to me, I would have never been born like this."
"Well, you can't," the oddly-dressed stranger said with the most deadpan delivery. "You were born this way, and the only choice you have is to do the most with what you have."
Emilia stayed silent for a few moments. It's almost like he didn't care that she was a Half-Elf. She thought it over, and decided to ask for the stranger's name. "...Who are you?"
"Right, I haven't introduced myself, silly me!" he smiled, before pointing to himself. "Ahem… my name is Subaru Natsuki! Former shut-in, isekai'd straight from Japan of Earth, and currently your four hundred-year-old Undead prison companion! Nice to meet you!"
"Okay…?" Emilia was a bit put off by how he spoke, but common courtesy made her continue the conversation. "My name is Emilia... for whatever good that does…"
"Whaddya mean by that?" Subaru asked.
"Because of us." Emilia and Subaru turned to a blond prison sitting next to them. "Hello, friends. My name is Ralof, a proud member of the Stormcloak Alliance."
"Oh yeah, I heard about you guys," Subaru commented.
"We heard rumors of great importance that could help turn the tide in our favor, but instead it was nothing more than an Imperial trap. Before you is Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak, Leader of the Rebellion against Cyrodiil's control over Gusteko." Ralof gestured to the other man in the carriage, whose mouth was also bound as his hands. Unlike the others, Ulfric wore much thicker fur clothing made for colder climates.
"If you got captured alongside us, then you might be mistaken as Stormcloak Soldiers," Ralof explained.
"Can't we just tell them that we're not with Stormcloak?" Subaru asked. "Like, you know, actually admit to whatever "crimes" we're supposedly guilty of, instead of remaining silent?"
"Would they believe you?" Ralof asked, seemingly knowing how this would play out.
Subaru shrugged as best he could while in cuffs. "Wouldn't hurt to try."
Soon enough, the prisoner carriages made they're way into the village of Helgen. Once they reached the front of a watchtower, the carriage stopped and the Captain ordered the Prisoners to step out of the carts.
"Wait, why are we stopping?" Emilia didn't understand why they were stopping in the middle of a village.
"If I were to guess, they're gonna parade us to this village as an example to them not to step out of line," Subaru gave his thoughts on the matter. "Typical medieval intimidation tactic."
Ralof, in response, gave Subaru a questioning look.
"Is that what you two think?" Ralof questioned, gesturing to a block with an executioner next to it. "It's the end of the line."
"Nah, that's more of an inconvenience to me, if anything," Subaru admitted.
"Step towards the block when we call your name," one of the imperial soldiers shouted, before reading over the list of names. "Ahem… Ulfric Stormcloak. Jarl of Windhelm."
Feeling bored, Subaru opened his mouth again. "So, Emilia… what are you in for?"
Emilia decided to indulge him. "I was trying to cross the border to... get away from Lugnica."
"Ralof of Riverwood," the guard continued.
"What about you?" Emilia asked.
"My "crime" is pretty obvious, no?" Subaru deadpanned, gesturing to himself.
Emilia blinked as she realized what he meant. "Being an Undead is a crime?"
"Yeah, everyone thinks that it's some sort of bad thing, but that's just Gwyn's propaganda machine at work." Subaru huffed in exasperation. "Typical politicians…"
"Quiet it you two!" The imperial soldier shouted, before looking at his list and realizing something. "Wait a minute... you two, step forward!"
"Uhh… why?" Subaru asked, despite stepping forward as instructed.
Emilia did so as well. Why would she and Subaru be called out?
"An Undead and an Elf? What are your names?" The Imperial Soldier asked.
"Emilia. I have no family name," Emilia answered, hoping to not incur the soldier's wrath.
"And I'm Your," Subaru answered, confusing Emilia.
The soldier did a double-take before asking, "Your?"
Subaru smiled, before shouting, "Your mother's a WHORE! AHAHAHA!!!"
In response to Subaru's attempt to make fun of them, the Imperial captain suddenly pulled out her sword and stabbed Subaru in the gut.
"Accursed Undead! Just because you cannot die doesn't mean you're immune to pain!"
Despite the pain he was feeling, Subaru still smiled. "Big sword… you overcompensating?"
Irritated, the captain pulls her sword out of Subaru and slams the hilt onto Subaru's head, knocking him down, before shouting, "Be silent, monster!"
"Never!" Subaru shouted back. "Ever heard of the First Amendment, big and ugly?"
The Imperial soldier interjected before the captain could deal out any more punishment. "Captain, they're not on the list. What should we do?
"Get the Undead prepped for the asylum. The Half-Elf will go to the block with the other criminals," the captain ordered.
Emilia's heart dropped as she heard that. She knew exactly what they intended to do to her.
Subaru winked at the silver-haired Half-Elf. "Nice knowing you, Emilia-san."
"You as well, Subaru. It was... nice not being seen as a monster for once." Emilia said, starting to fully process that her time was now.
"Yeah… same here." For a second there, Emilia could have sworn Subaru's smile faltered.
Out of nowhere, an inhuman roar echoed throughout the valley, gaining everyone's attention.
"ROOOOOAAAR!!!"
"What was that?" One of the guards asked.
"Doesn't matter. We're moving as scheduled." The captain said.
"What was that?" Emilia asked, her voice shaking.
"A Dragon, probably," Subaru nonchalantly answered.
Emilia could only look on with concern before turning her attention back to the execution. One of the Stormcloaks was impatient and offered himself up first. As he was executed, she couldn't help but flinch and look away as the Stormcloak's head was chopped off.
"Next, the Half-Elf!" the captain shouted.
"Guess they're ignoring the Dragon…" Subaru grumbled under his voice.
Suddenly, the roar from earlier echoed again throughout the village, this time a bit louder and clearer.
"ROOOOOAAAR!!!"
"There it is again," one of the guards said.
"I said next prisoner!" the captain yelled.
As Emilia approached the block, her life flashed before her eyes. Her time in Elior Forest, being unfrozen, wanting to unfreeze the Elves… and meeting the being she considered a father…
Emilia tried to prepare herself for her impending death, kneeling down and shedding tears over the fact that this was how she dies…
…However, she noticed something flying in the sky behind the soldiers. First came the roar, and then, the thud. Suddenly, a black-scaled Dragon with piercing red eyes landed on the tower behind her executioner, which caused him to lose his balance and fall over.
"ROOOOOAAAR!!!"
Emilia's eyes widened in terror. "A... Dragon?!"
"No, a deus ex machina!" Subaru shouted.
The Dragon roared again, summoning a storm that rained fire from the sky. With the guards all focused on the Dragon, the distraction allowed Emilia and Subaru to get away from their would-be killers.
"ROOOOOAAAR!!!"
BOOM!
"DRAGON!!!"
"RUN!!!"
"AIIEE!!!"
"C'mon!" Both Emilia and Subaru noticed Ralof in the doorway of a nearby tower. "The gods won't give us another chance!"
The two ran in the tower as fast as they could, with Ralof shutting the door behind them.
Emilia struggled with the ropes in her hands, before suddenly…
"Hey, are your hands tied up?!" Subaru asked, appearing with a dagger.
"Yes, but I can't break them!"
"Here, use this dagger! I managed to grab it after the big explosion!"
Emilia and Subaru used the dagger to get their bindings off while Ralof talked to Ulfric.
"Jarl Ulfric, could the legends be true?!" Ralor asked his leader.
"Legends don't burn down villages." Ulfric responded, clearly in deep thought. However, it did not last as Ulfric focused on his surviving soldiers. "We need to move now!"
"Up through the tower!" Shouted Ralof.
After freeing Emilia's hands, the two ran up the tower to try to find a way out, but the wall was shattered from the Dragon forcing its head in the tower. However, what came next shocked them.
"YOL TOOR SHUL!!!"
The Dragon unleashed a torrent of flames, scorching the soldiers alive. The Dragon lept off the tower and took to the skies again. Subaru and Emilia lookout the opening and were welcomed to the sight of all Helgen on fire.
"What do we do now?!" Emilia asked Subaru.
Subaru grabbed her hand, before he screamed, "RUN, GIRL! RUUUUUN!!!"
After leaping to the opposite building to get back down to the ground, Subaru and Emilia ran as fast as they could away from the Dragon and the soldiers, but they were caught in the chaos multiple times. Interestingly, to an outside perspective, it almost looked like the Dragon was following them.
Strangely though, Emilia swore she heard the Dragon… speak, occasionally. However, she could not understand the words it was saying, and decided to ignore them.
Eventually, they ran into Ralof again, who gestured them over to a door to retreat, helping them to an underground network beneath the village.
Emilia panted, catching her breath. "That was close…"
Subaru suddenly gestured for the three to stop. "Hold up… something's not right."
"What do you mean?" Emilia asked.
Subaru analyzed the walls surrounding them, before saying, "These catacombs… they're way too big to house just human-sized creatures… something else is probably here with us."
"Well, it's our only way out, unless you want to take your chances with the Dragon," Ralof said, using his fire magic to light a torch.
Subaru eventually relented, sighing. "Fine, but everyone keep your eyes peeled. I don't wanna be caught off-guard like a couple of horny teenagers in some cheesy horror movie."
"You speak strangely, Undead. Where are you from?" Ralof asked curiously.
"An island nation to the east," was the only answer he got.
The group proceeded to move on, going through chamber after chamber, until they arrived towards the last chamber.
"Get ready for a fight, guys," Subaru said, in an unsettlingly calm manner.
Ralof quietly nodded, as he began to cast a Goa spell.
Meanwhile, Emilia prepares to cast El Huma.
BOOM!!!
On cue, a large creature fell from above. It was massive, with an overweight body, dark scales all over it, with small wings, red eyes, a long tail, and armed with a giant club.
Easily standing several feet taller than the three of them, this creature was hideous, with several horns long protruding from its head, lots of fangs, and its crimson eyes sclera only having its white glowing pupils to accompany them, as it stared down at the trio.
"DAMN, BOY! HE THICC!!!" Subaru shouted.
Ralof was shocked to say the least, never seeing anything like it. "What manner of creature is that?!
"It's a Demon! A Stray Demon, to be more exact!" Subaru shouted.
"El Huma!" Emilia fired off a barrage of icicles.
"Goa!" Ralof fired a powerful fireball at the Demon.
Subaru, meanwhile, um…
"LEROOOOOY JENKINS!!!"
…did that.
The Ice and Fire attacks hit the Demon, staggering it a bit, allowing Subaru to rush in with an abandoned sword he found lying around and slash at it.
The Asylum Demon plummeted its club into the ground, and when that didn't work, it jumped and landed on its ass, hoping its weight would crush the three of them.
"Scatter!" Ralof shouted, as the three moved out of the way,
BOOM!
While the Demon was still getting up from its fall to the ground, they prepared to attack again.
"El Goa!" This time, Ralof shot a powerful stream of fire at the Demon.
"El Huma!" Emilia unleashed another barrage of icicles.
"El Minya!" Subaru shouted, deciding to use his magic, creating dozens of purple crystals.
Eventually, the oversized Demon succumbed to its wounds, dropping its massive club and falling to the floor, before exploding into several gray-and-white sprites.
BOOM!
"I... think it's dead…" Emilia said.
"Ooh, souls! Gimme!" Subaru shouted, as he rushed forward.
"Souls?" Ralof asked, as he watched Subaru devour the sprites.
"Yeah, for Undead like me, souls are basically upgrade materials. You can use them to purchase materials from other Undead, or use them to empower yourself. Lucky me!"
"Huh, I had heard tales of Undead. I did not know they had the ability to devour souls."
Emilia commented, "Neither did I."
"Yeah, the living can't do much with them, sorry. Guess they're all mine!" Subaru smiled.
Ralof looked to an exit near the back of the cave. "Well, we should be nearly out."
A few more steps, and the light of the outdoors engulfed the trio, as they made it out. They did it. They escaped.
"Ahh, grass, sweet grass…" Subaru said, as he crouched over the patches of greenery.
As the trio stepped out of the cave, the Dragon that attacked Helgen flew by them, seemingly unaware of their presence.
"Where's the Dragon going?" Emilia asked.
Ralof, meanwhile, looked stricken. "Oh no... my hometown, Riverwood, is in that direction."
"Think we can outrun it?" Subaru asked, as he stood up.
"With how fast it's flying, I doubt it." Ralof grimly said, "But we should head that way to help save the people if we can."
"I'm with you!" Subaru pointed to the blond, before looking at the Half-Elf. "Emilia-san?"
The silver-haired Half-Elf nodded. "Let's go!"
The three escapees ran towards the direction of the village, which was at least an hour's journey on foot. Ralof would occasionally let out a small prayer, hoping that everything he cared for hadn't been violently burned to the ground. And after a while, they reached it, only to find…
"Huh. Didn't see that coming, to be honest."
…that it was completely fine? Ralof quickly went to his sister, Gerdur, and explained the situation. She allowed Subaru and Emilia to stay for as long as they needed, to which they tried to decline, only for Ralof to practically drag them inside.
Subaru decided to ask the question, sitting at the dinner table. "Sooo… where's the flying lizard?"
"Maybe it didn't notice the village?" Emilia suggested.
"Maybe? I mean, I know there's some Dragons that can talk, but that one seemed to be more on the animalistic side," Subaru said. "He certainly didn't act regal, like Volcanica."
Emilia looked at Subaru, confused. "Wait, you didn't hear it speak?"
"Speak?" the nasty-eyed man repeated. "Like, fluent Japanese?"
Emilia just looked confused. "I don't know what that is."
"Did it use words?" the black-haired man clarified.
"Yes, I could hear it say... something occasionally, but I couldn't understand the words."
"It was probably Dovahzul. It's the native language of Dragons," Subaru explained to the silver-haired Half-Elf. "I never learned it, so it just sounds like roaring nonsense to me and everyone else."
Emilia just looked even more confused. "Then why could I hear it?"
Subaru shrugged. "I dunno. I may know a lot, but not everything. If I did, I wouldn't be here."
"I see…" Emilia looked a bit downcast.
Subaru turned over to their host. "Any theories, Ralof-san?"
"I can't say for certain myself, but if anyone were to know at least something of this mystery, it would be Ulfric Stormcloak," the blond man said, as he sat down at the table.
"Great!" Subaru clapped his hands. "Who's Ulfric Stormcloak?"
Emilia just looked at Subaru strangely. "Did you not hear anything Ralof-san said earlier before we arrived in Helgen?"
"I did! But it just so happened that the first guy on the chopping block had the same name, so I was just checking he didn't…" Subaru then made a slitting throat gesture.
Ralof just chuckled in response. "Ulfric Stormcloak is the Jarl of Windhelm. Leader of the rebellion against the Gusteko Empire that seeks to bring ruin to this land."
"So… did the soldiers kill him before the Dragon attacked, or did he get lucky?" Subaru asked for confirmation.
"Trust me, Jarl Ulfric is not so easily killed. I saw him escape the chaos before I went to help you two. He should arrive back in Windhelm soon enough."
Subaru and Emilia looked a bit relieved. "Goody. So… how do we talk to him?"
"Once we have healed and rested, we can travel to Windhelm, but I'm afraid we must pass by Whiterun first. It is just to the north of us. They will need to send troops to guard Riverwood encase the Dragon comes back," Ralof explained.
"So, we'll have to do a Solid Snake, huh?" Subaru smiled. "Alright, I'm down for a stealth mission! Let me just grab a spare cardboard box, and we'll be on our way!"
"A what?" Emilia and Ralof were confused by Subaru's words.
Subaru simply gave her a thumbs-up. "He's a very stealthy guy, trust me."
Ralof merely shook his head in response. "Tonight, we shall feast and rest. Tomorrow, we will make way to Whiterun."
"Well, you two enjoy that!" Subaru stood up from the table, and prepared to leave.
Emilia looked surprised and confused. "You're not joining us?"
"I mean, while I can eat, I don't have to. And as for sleep, that's double impossible."
Ralof nodded at Subaru's logic. "Ah, I see. Well, if you want, you could stand guard and warn us if the Dragon makes its way back around."
Subaru just shrugged. "Sure, I've done more tedious things than that before, this should be fine."
After a nice dinner, Subaru and Emilia were staying in the guest room, getting ready for bed in the guest room.
Subaru, meanwhile, was covering his eyes, and chanting the same thing over and over again. "I'm not looking, I'm not looking, I'm not looking, I'm not looking…"
Emilia was confused why Subaru was chanting that. "Subaru, is everything okay?"
"My heart belongs to another!" he shouted.
"Huh?" Emilia was confused on what Subaru meant, before realizing that she was half naked, putting on a nightgown Gerdur offered her. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable!"
"Not uncomfortable! I'm sure you're beautiful! It's just… I'm already taken!"
Emilia was surprised to hear that. "Oh, I see. Are you two married?"
Subaru grimaced at that. "No… we never got the chance…"
Emilia realized she had touched a sensitive spot. "Oh... then you are... not together anymore?"
"No, it's just that… something bad happened… four hundred years ago…" he said, getting lost in the memories. "It's the reason why I chose to become an Undead…"
"I see... I'll drop the conversation if you want."
Subaru waved her off. "Ehh, it's your choice, really."
Emilia merely frowned at Subaru's nonchalant attitude. It seemed somewhat unhealthy. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable... truthfully, you're the only person who's treated me normally for the past few years, other than Ralof and his family."
Subaru just shrugged again. "Well, you seem pretty normal to me. Just a pretty girl with some bad luck."
"And you seem pretty normal to me as well... well, despite the constant string of comments you make that I don't understand," Emilia admitted, as she finished putting on her nightgown.
"Yeah, space-time barriers can be a real bummer. Major conversation killers."
Emilia was confused once again. "Space-time barriers?"
"I'm both from a far away country, which would be space, and four hundred years older than you, which would be time," Subaru explained.
"I see."
"Anyways, you rest up," Subaru said, as he got up from the part of the bed he was sitting on. "I'll keep watch over the village, and check in on you every now and then. See you tomorrow."
"Very well then. Good night, Subaru," Emilia said, as she drifted off.
As he closed the door behind him, Subaru said, "Sleep right… Emilia-tan."
For a reason only known to him, that last honorific felt bittersweet in Subaru's mouth.
Author's Note: Happy New Year! (Bet y'all weren't expecting this!) We've come bearing gifts of a new story that might last over a year, maybe two!
Do you like Re: Zero? Of course you do, let's move on. Well, what about Dark Souls? Skyrim (or the Elder Scrolls in general)? If the answer to those other two questions was yes, then this is the story for you! A story full of action, drama, and a story spanning across three whole universes! (Watch as destinies unfold and legends come to life as what we have planned for this story has been through months of planning!)
(Infinite here! I actually came to Erna with this idea a while back (in June of 2023) as a "What if this happened?" question, and it just blossomed into this! I was actually inspired by the recent Death Battle at the time of the Chosen Undead vs the Last Dragonborn. After a while, we decided "Let's do it!" So, we are proud to present what will likely be the longest story either of us will publish!)
I know that a bunch of you have been yammering for a new Re: Zero story from the two of us, and I know that this might not be what you were expecting (I know some of you wanted another react fic), but this is what you're getting! So, sit back, relax, and watch as the world ends in… The Elder Souls.
See you next time! (And hold onto your butts!)
- Ernalore and Infinite the Celestian