Wish Upon a Sin

Arc 1 - Chapter 1

Arc 1 - Be Careful What You Wish For

"I swear, I will definitely save you."

Subaru could barely feel anything expect the pain in his stomach, and the blood wetting the front of his clothes, yet he still found the strength to reach out and grab the girl's hand.

Had he been in less pain, he might have realised there was nothing he could do, bleeding out on the floor as he was. But, in his desperate madness, he reached out for something, anything he could use.

I'll find a way to make all of this right.

In that moment, a darkness lying dormant inside him responded to his wish, blossoming into something dark and twisted, granting him authority over the world, over time itself.

But power has a price, and for such a powerful wish, there could only be one worthy payment.

On the floor of the loot house, Subaru Natsuki died.

The sun shone brightly overhead, and the air was filled with the sounds of the capital, as people bustled about on business, shopped from the various street stalls, or chatted with friends.

Subaru Natsuki pulled his hand down from rubbing his tired eye, bag of groceries in hand.

"Huh?"

His gaze flitted around, trying to place where he was. He was in pain, then he wasn't, was in darkness, then wasn't, and...

Satella!

He had been with Satella, but when he turned around wildly, he couldn't catch a glimpse of her. The passers-by who noticed him gave him a wide berth, eyeing him warily.

Subaru forced himself to calm down, and looked around more carefully, trying to place where he was. He didn't recognise the area, which wasn't odd, considering that he had only spent a few hours in the city. However, it was clear that this was nowhere near the loot house, located in the slums.

And...

He gingerly felt his stomach, and when he found nothing, he risked looking down at himself. His tracksuit was intact, and underneath, his skin was unblemished, without any trace of the slash that had brought him down.

Did I imagine that? Or did someone heal me, and bring me out here?

He shook his head to clear out the thoughts. "None of that matters right now, I need to save her."

He set off down the street, following the main road. That would bring him to the outskirts, near the slums. He glanced up at the sun, shining directly overhead.

It looks like it's around midday, judging from the sun. Have I been unconscious all night? Satella might be long dead by the time I get there!

He picked up his pace, and kept his eyes peeled for any landmarks he recognised. The castle up on the hill was an obvious one, but it was too far away to give him anything other than the general direction he was supposed to be heading.

He spotted some shady looking people peering out from an alley, and he steered clear of them. He couldn't risk getting jumped again, since he had to get to Satella quickly.

Puck was there as well. Maybe he used healing magic to patch us up, and dumped me in the middle of the capital, since I was clearly horrible at keeping Satella safe. Yeah, that must be it! It's not like people just fix themselves up for no reason.

He felt a wave of relief course through him, though he kept up his pace. It wouldn't hurt to check, and Satella might have left a message for him there. He'd like to at least apologise for failing her.