Re:Zero - Reincarnated on a Co-op Route

[Kaoru POV]

When Kaoru opened his eyes, the first thing he felt was a crushing emptiness. The air was heavy, suffocating, as if the atmosphere itself was crushing him. He looked around, but all he could make out was darkness. An infinite abyss that seemed to stretch out in all directions. However, as his eyes tried to adjust, shadows began to take shape.

All around him, the place began to look like a garden. A garden made of shadows. Misshapen trees, black leaves that fluttered without wind, flowers that seemed to grow and wither in an eternal cycle. The site was haunting, like a broken echo of something once beautiful.

His body trembled uncontrollably. Kaoru tried to take a step forward, but his legs were not fully responsive. Every movement felt clumsy, as if he was fighting against an invisible force that was dragging him down.

"What is this place... Where am I...?"

He thought, his mind foggy and confused.

Then the memories came.

The sound of the chain cutting through the air. Subaru's piercing screams. His own chest ripped open, his sternum visible through the torn flesh. His exposed belly, the relentless lashes of Rem's Morning Star. The torture they had endured together came back to him like an avalanche, every detail so vivid he could almost feel the pain again.

Kaoru brought a hand to his chest, as if expecting to find it still open.

"What did we do wrong...?"

He thought, his mind desperately trying to find an answer.

"Did we really look so suspicious... Why kill us in such a cruel way?"

Tears began to gather in his eyes, but he couldn't cry. His vocal cords were not working. He wanted to scream, but his voice was stuck in his throat. He could only ask himself, silently, as the phantom pain continued to course through his body.

---

Kaoru tried to move his head, his eyes searching for something, anything, in that strange shadowy garden.

"Am I dead...?"

The question filled him with dread. The other times he had died next to Subaru, he felt like time was turning back almost immediately. Everything would restart, and although the pain remained in his memory, he had never been trapped in this void.

"What if this time I can't go back... What if this is it... What if I just disappear...?"

The thought made him shudder. The thought of ceasing to exist, of not returning, of not being able to help Subaru or Emilia, crushed him with an unbearable weight. "Subaru... are you there? Where are you...?"

And then, something changed.

Out of the shadows, a figure began to walk towards him. It was a woman, her silhouette made up entirely of moving shadows. Her presence was overwhelming, as if the very air trembled around her. The figure walked slowly, with an unnatural elegance, each step echoing like an echo in the dark garden.

"Why do you smell just like him?"

The woman asked, her voice echoing in the void. Kaoru felt a shiver run down his spine. The voice was soft, almost melodic, but it was imbued with something unsettling, something that put him on the verge of collapse.

Kaoru tried to respond, but his mouth moved without producing sound. Nothing. His vocal cords were still blocked.

The figure moved closer. Now he could see her in more detail: her silver hair fell in cascades, covered by a black veil that hid much of her face. But what disturbed him the most was how her voice resembled Emilia's. It was as if Emilia was there, turned into something completely different.

"Who are you, and why are you impersonating him?" The woman asked, her tone now more confused but also more aggressive.

Kaoru tried to step back, but his body was unresponsive. He was paralyzed. "What do you mean by 'impersonate'?" he thought frantically.

"Who are you, who are you, who are you?"

The woman repeated, her voice echoing in his ears like an endless echo. Each repetition was louder, more accusatory.

"You're a copycat. You are not him. You are not him."

Kaoru tried to scream, but the sound wouldn't come out. His body began to shake violently, and an overwhelming pressure surrounded him. It was as if the air itself was trying to crush him, to erase his existence.

"Him? Who is 'him'?"

Thought Kaoru, in despair. But there was no answer. Only the echo of the woman who kept repeating the same words.

"You are an impostor. Imposter. Get out. Get out. Get out. GET OUT."

Kaoru felt her mind snap. His body was paralyzed, and the pressure was building. It was as if something was pulling at him, trying to tear him away from this place, from this reality. "I'm going to disappear..."

Then, the woman came even closer. Her presence was overwhelming, as if the whole world was leaning towards her. A tentacle made of shadows emerged from her body, moving slowly toward Kaoru. Before he could react, the tentacle pierced his chest, piercing his heart.

The pain was indescribable. It was as if his very soul was being torn apart. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't even cry. He could only feel the absolute cold spreading from his heart to the rest of his body.

His vision began to fade. The darkness enveloped him completely. His eyes slowly closed as the last spark of his consciousness was extinguished.

---

[Returning to Reality]

Kaoru lay motionless. His body lay in the grass, his empty eyes staring up at the sky. There was no life in them, only a terrifying emptiness.

"Kaoru... Kaoru? Are you okay?"

Emilia's voice was soft but full of concern. She knelt beside him, shaking his shoulder in an attempt to wake him up. But there was no answer.

"Kaoru, please tell me something..."

Emilia insisted, her tone more anxious. Her face showed genuine concern as she looked into Kaoru's vacant eyes.

Puck, hovering beside her, watched the scene with a much more carefree attitude. "Hmm... I don't know," he said as he spun in midair. "It looks like I've seen the face of death or something."

"Puck, this is no time for joking!" exclaimed Emilia, looking at the spirit with a mixture of frustration and fear. "What's wrong with him?"

Puck shrugged, his carefree expression unchanged.

"I don't know, Emilia. But if he's like this, it's probably not a good thing."

Kaoru remained motionless, his mind caught between the terror of the garden of shadows and the reality around him. The echo of the woman's words still echoed in his mind.

"Imposter. You are not him. Get out."