VOLUME 3 BEGINS FROM HERE
[WARNING: Chapter contains a lot of info dump and mind boggling concept, if you hate such complicated stuff then better not read it... Afterall, it will be the choice of the steins gate]
...
{3rd Pov}
Before the era of the current Four Great Nations of the world, there had existed an earlier set of four dominant powers that shaped the balance of the continent.
The first of these Great Nations was Vollachia, a militaristic empire known for its strength and aggressive expansion.
It was followed by Gusteko, the second Great Nation, a land defined by its harsh climate and strict religious structure.
The third was Lugunica, a kingdom that would later become central to many major events in history.
Finally, there was Magrizza, the fourth Great Nation, which held its own influence despite being less commonly discussed compared to the others.
Between these four major powers, numerous smaller nations and territories existed, scattered across the land. These minor states often found themselves caught in the shifting political and military dynamics created by the larger nations, constantly adapting in order to survive.
In the midst of all this, Natsuki Subaru now effectively taking on the identity of Flugel was deep in thought, carefully analyzing the current circumstances of the timeline he had found himself in.
His situation was far from simple.
The version of Subaru that had originally come from another world had only watched Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World up to Season 4 in his previous life.
Beyond that point, his knowledge became increasingly limited.
He only had a vague understanding of later events, mostly gathered through scattered spoilers, and even that information only extended up to around Arc 9, though he had managed to find out many higher ups of Lugunica had been replaced by Capella or the Beloved Child, through his abilities but again he knew nothing else beyond that hasn't happened in front of his eyes.
Because of this, his understanding of the future was incomplete at best.
He knew some things but not nearly enough to rely on with full confidence.
However, Subaru had come to realize something important about the timelines of the Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World world. Each timeline seemed to originate from some kind of major deviation, a critical divergence point that led to entirely different outcomes.
At this point, Subaru himself wasn't even sure whether the timeline he had previously traveled to where he helped another version of himself could be considered the "original" timeline or not. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he began to doubt that such a concept even existed.
Perhaps there was no single, definitive original timeline.
Instead, it was more likely that every timeline was simply a result of different deviations that had occurred roughly 400 years ago, each one branching off and developing in its own direction based on those changes.
From that perspective, the original story of Re:Zero whether in anime or light novel form might just represent one possible timeline among many. A version where the deviation point differed significantly from the one Subaru himself was now experiencing.
Otherwise, too many things didn't make sense.
For example, there would be no logical explanation for Reina existing in place of Reinhardt if everything followed the same path. A change like that implied a major divergence somewhere in the past.
And that wasn't the only inconsistency.
Even in the Pride IF timeline, when Subaru had killed the Sin Archbishops, he still hadn't obtained their Authorities. By all logic, he should have acquired them after defeating their holders but that hadn't happened, even if he didn't hadn't Echidna's tea, the appearance of those authorities shouldn't have taken that long.
That suggested that the rules governing these timelines weren't as fixed or straightforward as they initially seemed.
There were variations, exceptions, and possibly entirely different underlying mechanisms at play.
'I see… all of these timelines share one thing in common their existence depends on a major difference in the past… such as a timeline where Natsuki Subaru never appeared at all,' he thought seriously, his expression growing more focused as he pieced things together.
After all, the identity of Flugel had always been confusing.
There were too many contradictions surrounding him. According to what was known, Flugel had been summoned from Japan long before Subaru ever arrived in this world. That already created several possible explanations, none of which could be easily confirmed.
Perhaps Flugel was Subaru himself, displaced in time.
Or perhaps he was Subaru's past life, existing before his reincarnation into his current self.
There was also the possibility that Flugel was an ancestor of Subaru, someone connected to him by blood rather than identity.
All of these possibilities were valid, and each one could naturally give rise to a different version of the Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World world, depending on which interpretation turned out to be true.
For Zero, if he had to analyze his own situation logically, then the reason his current timeline had deviated so drastically wasn't simply because Subaru himself and Flugel, the Great Sage, were the same person.
No, the difference ran deeper than that.
In this timeline, Natsuki Subaru had existed before the Great Sage.
Yes, perhaps contrary to the other timelines, that was already a major deviation, and when combined with several other significant differences, it ultimately resulted in the creation of his current timeline.
In simple terms, the first Great Sage of this world appeared as Subaru himself, and then he traveled back into the past, effectively establishing the very history of the Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World world. That would mean Subaru's story did not begin from zero like it was supposed to, but rather from a point where everything had already been influenced by his own actions.
It was a paradoxical situation where Subaru had, in a way, become the starting point of the world's recorded history, rather than just a participant within it.
However, Subaru was now facing a problem.
If things were truly that straightforward, then there should have been no reason for his abilities to be restricted the way they currently were. The suppression of his powers did not align with the idea that he was simply fulfilling a role that had already been established.
This inconsistency pointed toward another issue entirely, something deeper that he could not ignore.
It was connected to his meta knowledge and also to his ability to grow stronger after each death, effectively doubling his strength every time he returned.
Apparently, no version of Natsuki Subaru was ever supposed to know that their world might exist as nothing more than an anime in some other world. That was a disturbing thought, and Subaru couldn't help but wonder whether this world truly existed as a form of fiction somewhere else, or if there was something far more complicated happening behind the scenes.
Up until now, he had been focused on a much simpler goal. He wanted to return to his original world, to reunite with his parents, and leave these kinds of existential questions for later. However, now that he had been sent into the distant past, he no longer had the luxury of ignoring these thoughts. The situation forced him to confront them directly.
After thinking about it for a while, Subaru came up with a basic theory.
According to his reasoning, the Re Zero world and the human world where his other past self had lived might exist as entirely separate dimensions, or possibly even as distinct multiversal planes. In other words, they were not directly connected in a simple or linear way.
The world governed by Od Laguna and Subaru's Earth could exist in different dimensions while still being part of the same broader multiversal framework. At the same time, there could be other worlds, such as Ayan's world, that existed within completely separate multiversal frameworks altogether, making them even further removed.
If he tried to simplify the idea using a comparison, then something like Marvel and DC would be the closest example he could think of. In those cases, each universe or multiverse existed independently, yet in certain contexts, one could be treated as fictional within the other.
In simple terms, within the Marvel world, DC could exist as comics or stories, and the same could apply in reverse. Because they belonged to different multiversal planes, they were unable to directly interfere with each other under normal circumstances.
By applying that same logic, it was possible that the Re Zero world and Subaru's original Earth had a similar kind of relationship, where one could be perceived as fiction from the perspective of the other, even though both actually existed in their own right.
Of course, there had also been numerous crossover-like interactions between such worlds, which led Zero to develop the next part of his theory regarding this kind of multiversal coexistence.
According to him, these interactions were only possible because of entities that existed completely outside the framework of any single world or multiverse. These would be omnipotent beings, or at least beings that operated on a level far beyond the limitations of ordinary existence, regardless of what their true nature actually was.
Such entities would have the capability to allow two otherwise separate worlds or multiversal planes to interact with each other.
And, in his case, something like that had already happened.
For reasons he still did not fully understand, the Natsuki Subaru of the Re Zero multiversal plane had somehow come into contact with Meta Knowledge Ayan. That interaction, which should not have been possible under normal circumstances, had ultimately resulted in the existence of Zero.
This was not just a simple anomaly.
It had caused a noticeable disturbance in the flow of time and narrative consistency itself.
Because of that disturbance, conflicting records now existed. For example, Satella, for some reason, remembered the Great Sage as Zero, while others continued to remember him as Flugel, following the established timeline narrative of the original Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World as written by Tappei Nagatsuki.
This contradiction suggested that the timeline itself had been altered or overwritten in a way that allowed multiple versions of the past to coexist, even if they did not fully align with each other.
'No… it's more accurate to say that Satella and I belong to a specific probability where I exist as Zero, while everyone else continues to exist within a timeline where Flugel is the one who is remembered,' Subaru thought seriously, refining his own understanding as he tried to make sense of everything.
In truth, all of this was still just a theory. By combining his limited scientific understanding with his otaku knowledge, he had managed to piece together something that was, at best, only partially reliable. It wasn't a perfect explanation, but it was the only one that fit the inconsistencies he was observing.
If his reasoning was correct, then this version of the Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World world was still relatively close to the original narrative. However, the presence of Zero had caused a significant deviation, altering the flow of events enough to create noticeable differences.
Because of that, the narrative itself seemed to be trying to correct the imbalance.
It was as if the world was forcing him to align more closely with the role of Flugel, adjusting his existence so that it would better match what was "supposed" to happen in the timeline. That would explain why his abilities were being restricted and reshaped in a way that pushed him toward that identity.
From that perspective, what he was experiencing wasn't random interference.
It was a form of correction.
A response from the timeline itself.
And that only reinforced a thought that had been lingering in his mind for a while now.
When you interfere with time, time doesn't just stay passive.
Eventually, time interferes with you in return.
Subaru now possessed two distinct sets of self-awakened Authorities, each corresponding to different aspects of his existence his past as Natsuki Subaru and his identity as Ayan Ghosh.
However, there was no clear separation between the two anymore.
The current Subaru, or rather Zero, was not divided into two individuals. Instead, he existed as a fusion of both, with their traits and abilities intertwined into a single identity.
Because of that, the characteristics of both sides had influenced each other.
For instance, due to the influence of his past as Subaru, the Ayan side of him had also become the Great Sage, gaining the capability to awaken and handle multiple Authorities. This resulted in a set of abilities tied more closely to that aspect of himself.
These included the Authority of Greed: Soul Mirror, the Authority of Lust: Life and Death Manipulation, the Authority of Wrath: Satan, and the Authority of Gluttony: Pig.
In addition to these, there was also an enhanced version of the Authority of Envy, which, unlike normal cases, possessed two abilities simultaneously.
On the other hand, there were the Authorities that aligned more with Subaru's original nature.
These included the Authority of Greed: Cor Leonis, the Authority of Sloth: Invisible Providence, and the Authority of Lust: Black Mud.
However, since Zero was not two separate individuals but rather a unified existence, these Authorities did not function exactly as they originally should have.
Instead, their characteristics had been altered and influenced by his current self, blending traits rather than representing purely Ayan or purely Subaru.
For example, in the case of the original Subaru, Invisible Providence had been relatively weak and limited in its application.
But due to Zero's significantly current higher compatibility with Authorities estimated to be thousand of times greater this same ability had become far stronger and more versatile.
Similarly, Cor Leonis had also evolved beyond its original function. Instead of merely taking on the burdens of others or transferring them, it now more powerful capability of sharing abilities between individuals even if they are authorities, making it far more flexible and powerful than before.
Overall, these changes made it clear that his Authorities were no longer bound by their original definitions.
They had adapted to his current existence, reflecting the fact that Zero was not just Subaru or Ayan, but something that combined both into a single, more complex entity.
Perhaps the Authority of Lust, for both his Ayan self and his Subaru self, existed in a mutated form rather than reflecting what their pure versions would have been if they had remained completely separate individuals.
It was entirely possible that, under normal circumstances, both Subaru and Ayan would have developed different Authorities than the ones he currently possessed.
The mutations likely occurred because the two identities had merged, creating something that was no longer standard or predictable.
This also explained why Subaru's Authorities were so unusually strong.
When combined with his extremely high compatibility with all Witch Factors something that was estimated to be thousand of times greater than normal Subaru due to his 10 multipliers, the influence of both his past selves had reshaped his abilities.
Instead of remaining stable and defined, his Authorities had evolved into altered versions that reflected both sides of his existence at once.
Because of this, the Authorities that were more deeply connected to his Ayan side had ended up being suppressed.
From the perspective of the timeline, those abilities did not align with what someone like Flugel was supposed to possess, making them incompatible with the role he was now being forced into.
On the other hand, the Authorities that were closer in nature to Subaru's original self were still recognized by the timeline.
Since they could reasonably be associated with Flugel, they were allowed to function.
However, the situation was not entirely one-sided.
Due to the interference caused by an external factor something that existed outside the standard framework of the world his Authorities remained stronger than they logically should have been, even after being restricted.
This imbalance ultimately resulted in the current version of Zero 'Flugel'.
A version that, despite all the limitations placed upon him, was still significantly overpowered compared to what should have been possible.
Yes, Natsuki Subaru as Flugel was not weak by any normal standard.
Even though, according to the historical narrative, Flugel was not as weak as Natsuki Subaru from the timeline associated with Tappei Nagatsuki, he was still considered the weakest individual within the group he had formed to save the world.
In fact, he was even more likely to die in dangerous situations than Alec Hoshin, which only highlighted how weak he was originally was even despite being the Great Sage.
However, there were still many questions that Subaru needed to answer.
The first was about Flugel himself. Why had Flugel formed a party to save the world in the first place?
From what Subaru understood, Satella had been part of that group, which meant she could not have been the original reason behind its formation.
At that point in time, she had not yet become the Witch of Envy, so the purpose of the group must have been tied to something else entirely.
The second question concerned the seal within Elior Forest.
What exactly was sealed there, and why was it considered important enough to remain hidden for so long?
There had to be a deeper reason behind it, something that connected directly to the larger events of the world.
The third question involved Hector and Pandora.
Why were they referred to as Valiant and Saintness who had failed their missions? That implied that they once held roles or responsibilities very different from what they were known for later, which raised even more questions about their origins and objectives.
The fourth question was less immediately relevant, but still important.
How exactly had Ayan and Subaru combined to form his current self?
That kind of interaction suggested something operating on the level of narrative manipulation itself, which was far beyond what he could properly analyze at the moment. For now, he decided to set that issue aside and focus on more immediate concerns.
At the same time, Subaru had come to another realization.
His timeline might have already deviated even before the point he was currently in, which was roughly 400 years in the past. If that was true, then even if he had knowledge extending up to later arcs, that information might not be reliable or useful in this version of events.
In other words, his meta knowledge could no longer be trusted completely.
Whether this timeline had originally followed the version associated with Tappei Nagatsuki or had already diverged before he arrived, it had now undergone another major deviation after Subaru gained his meta knowledge.
And as far as he could tell, only two beings were aware of this change.
Subaru himself and Satella.
Both of them now existed as versions that were different from what their roles should have been within the original timeline.
'Fuck it… this is way too complicated. It's just questions piling on top of more questions, and there are no clear answers anywhere,' Subaru cursed inwardly as he rubbed his forehead in frustration, trying to organize his thoughts.
The more he thought about it, the clearer it became just how bad his situation actually was.
In simple terms, he was most likely trapped in a timeline that had already deviated once in the past.
Then it had deviated again after he became the new Subaru, and now it had undergone yet another deviation because he had been sent back into the past.
On top of that, the timeline itself seemed to be actively forcing him into a position where he would not contradict those existing deviations, as if it was trying to maintain some form of unstable balance.
But the problem was obvious.
That kind of balance shouldn't even be possible.
The narrative of Flugel already existed, and at the same time, the narrative of Zero also existed. Both of them were real, both of them had influence, and yet they contradicted each other.
Right now, however, Flugel's narrative was the one that held dominance.
The only one who seemed to support Subaru's existence as Zero or even recognize it properly was Satella.
Which meant Subaru was effectively alone in this conflict of narratives.
So now, what he needed to do was something that sounded completely unreasonable.
He had to somehow make Zero's narrative become the ultimate truth, while at the same time preserving Flugel's narrative instead of erasing it.
Yes, it sounded insane.
Because what he was essentially trying to do was take two fundamentally opposing existences and force them to coexist without destroying each other.
It was like trying to combine matter and antimatter and expecting the result to be something stable instead of total annihilation.
'This is a serious problem. I can't just step into this world and start acting freely until I figure out how to resolve this situation. Right now, I've been teleported to an uninhabited place, so none of my actions have caused any noticeable changes yet,' Subaru thought as he bit down on his nail, his frustration steadily building.
He understood that his current isolation was actually buying him time.
But that time wasn't unlimited.
'The problem is… time is still moving forward,' he continued thinking, his expression tightening.
'Eventually, I'll reach the point where Flugel is supposed to interact with others and move the story forward. If I don't come up with a solution before that happens…'
Subaru shuddered slightly.
It wasn't just fear...it was his instinct.
His sixth sense was warning him that something would go terribly wrong if he failed to act in time.
'How…? How am I supposed to deal with this?' he thought, his mind racing at inhuman speeds as he began running through one possibility after another.
Dozens of theories formed and collapsed within seconds.
He considered different approaches, different ways to balance both narratives, different ways to manipulate the timeline without breaking it but every single idea came with flaws.
There were always inconsistencies, always risks that he couldn't account for.
Hours passed as he continued thinking, going over the same problems again and again, trying to refine his approach, trying to find even a single viable solution.
But no matter how much he thought about it he couldn't find one.
There was no clear path forward.
No safe method or guaranteed solution.
In the end, he was forced to accept a harsh truth.
There was no easy way out of this situation.
"Haa—" Subaru exhaled sharply, suddenly realizing how pessimistic his current state of mind had become. The more he thought about it, the clearer it was that continuing down this path wouldn't lead him to any solution.
So he resorted to something that, in his own twisted way, all versions of Subaru were familiar with.
Self harm.
Without hesitating further, he slammed his head against the nearest tree.
The impact was brutal.
In the next moment, he collapsed onto the ground, blood slowly dripping down from his forehead. The pain should have been distracting, overwhelming even but instead, his mind felt strangely calm, almost unnaturally so.
'How ironic…' he thought with a faint, almost hollow chuckle.
'My body is being fooled into thinking that it's weak… and because of that, it has actually become weak.'
He hadn't expected that something as simple as smashing his head against a tree would genuinely injure him this much. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have even registered as damage.
But now, things were different.
Then suddenly his eyes widened.
"Fooled…?" he muttered out loud, the word lingering as something clicked in his mind.
In an instant, he pushed himself up, forcing his body to move despite the lingering pain. He winced slightly, realizing just how hard he had hit his head, but he ignored it.
Because the idea forming in his mind was becoming clearer with each passing second.
"Yes… that's it," he said, his voice steadier now.
"I don't actually need to become Flugel."
He paused briefly, as if confirming the thought to himself.
"I just need to fool the timeline into believing that a version of Flugel exists."
'That means… as long as the most critical events from the original story still occur such as the emergence of the Witch of Envy, the establishment of Kararagi, and the deaths of the Witches then everything else can vary without completely breaking the timeline,' he thought, his eyes widening as the idea took shape more clearly.
The realization hit him all at once.
He didn't need to erase himself.
He didn't need to replace Flugel either.
He just needed to make the world believe that Flugel was the one responsible.
In simple terms, he could allow Zero to exist while presenting everything to the world as if it had been done by Flugel. He could act from the shadows, carrying out actions under a different identity, manipulating perception rather than reality itself.
He would do what needed to be done but make it appear as something else entirely.
In other words, he would fool the world.
And by extension he would fool the timeline.
For the first time since arriving in this situation, Subaru finally saw a way forward.
A path that, while risky, was at least possible.
"Very well…" he said quietly, a grin slowly forming on his face.
"Let's begin."
He paused for a moment, then raised both of his hands, forming a peculiar and familiar pose.
"After all—"
[Image]
He held that stance with confidence.
"It is the choice of Steins Gate."
Time to deceive time itself.
To be continued...
(A/N: The hiatus isn't over, and technically I am unable to update this fanfic even in Patreon, after like writing three chaps per day(Fr, Fr). The danmachi people are having a feast, the patreon chaps increased from 20 to 30, all the while public releases are going on. Mushoku Chaps are also gonna increase to 30. Only then I can focus on some other fanfics.
Here is clear road-map that I have made for now, this month (Danmachi), next month (Versatile Mage), October (Sloth if, Pride if, Fake Sage, Wives reboot), November(Mushoku Tensei), December (Re: Zero: The Great Sage). It is basically the run time of major fanfics.
However it is not like as if only these fanfics will be uploaded during these months. I will basically try to stock up chaps of other fanfics in Patreon while uploading these major fanfics, to a respectable degree.
Once it is done, then from next year it will be (Fanfic of the month having 5 chaps per week) + all other fanfics having weekly or bi-weekly updates alongside it.
I have only 21 advance chaps of great sage, I need to reach 35 to meet Patreon quota... Yeah fuck me.
Pride if, Sloth if, Wives Reboot, Fake Sage needs to reach 12 to 15 chaps at minimum before they start getting weekly or bi-weekly updates.
So the updates of extra fanfics which are not (Fanfic of Month), will be updated very slowly for this year so I can stock up chaps properly.
I though about just giving a notice, but you all will get salty after not getting chaps for week, so I uploaded this chap.
Another thing. The major fanfic of the month will have 5 releases per week than 7 as before. It is so I can have time to write other fanfics meanwhile, and bonus chaps will be only given if the fanfic performs good. Each fanfic will have different standards. For Great Sage you need to take it top 20-30 for bonus chaps, while for danmachi taking it to top 50 will suffice. Mushoku Tensei is new, so for now I expect top 20 for bonus chaps.
Wives if, Sloth if, Pride if will need to be in top 50 for bonus chaps. That's all.
And yes, updates of Patreon and Public will be different. If major fanfic here gets 5 updates, Patreons will get 7 as long as i am not burned out. I have planned this, otherwise there is no way my fanfics are getting proper updates due to the huge number of them.
Next year, I plan to finish Sloth if, Wives Reboot and Fake Sage, maybe even Pride if. So they may get updates continously for months as Major Fanfics, but we will see.
Anyway, join my Patreon if you want advance chaps of my fanfics.
However, if you have joined before and don't read my mushoku or danmachi fanfic, then skip patreon until the month where your favourite fanfic update arrives. Or else you can join, you still will get faster updates and some amount of advance chaps.
WARNING FOR VERSATILE MAGE READERS, THERE ARE NO ADVANCE CHAPS IN PATREON FOR VERSATILE MAGE: INFINITE RESOURCES, SO DON't JOIN UNTIL NEXT MONTH. MY REFUND POLICY INCLUDES BANNING YOUR ACCOUNT AFTER PROVIDING THE REFUND, SO REMEMBER THAT.
Now, for the story. This is going to be Flugel Arc, this arc is AU due to Fake Sage prequel and again Flugel being powerful here. I will still try to keep things same as canon from bare knowledge we have of four hundred before, but for most of the part it will be different from Tappei's unreleased version.
Also crazy lore drops are happening, that is why I scheduled great sage at the end of year as major fanfic. Hopefully Tappei doesn't slaps my face with some absurd lore drop when I am finished about writing that part.
Hopefully 😭
Pray for me peeps.)