With everything having been decided, and a night of rest behind the city. The dawn had come. And out by the northern gate, a large gathering had appeared. Alfia held Meda's hand, Meteria held her sleeping son. Hera, and Zeus were talking with some of the other gods who'd managed to show up to see them off. Zald, and Shurry had a moment just staring into each other's eyes… Both seemingly realizing something had changed about the other.
"It seems you've decided, haven't you, boy?" Zald smirked. He knelt down, and handed Shurry a book. "You should know what this is."
"I do, but, won't you need it for Meda, and Bell?" Shurry asked, slowly taking the book.
"Everything that's in there, is something I already know. Besides, I'm sure she would have wanted you to have it. That's Lyca's old copy."
"I- Thank you, Uncle Zald."
Zald flinched. That's the first time he's said that properly. Am I really just going to run away from that thing? "You're welcome, little nephew. Grow up strong, noble, and proud."
"I'm not training to just kill that thing. I'm- I'm going to make it suffer first."
"Ahahaha! That's the spirit! Alright, I won't distract you any longer."
Shurry practically cuddled the book now in his arms. Aunty, were you my real aunty? I didn't think about it until you mentioned it… But, I… "It killed those in my pack, I'll make it pay for this." He whispered under his breath.
Zald, having heard it, smirked, and stood up. "It looks like we're all set to leave now-"
"Hold on, just a moment. Zald, the glutton. I heard what happened to your weapon. This might not be good enough to replace it. But, a warrior without a weapon-"
"Stop, it's fine. I still have my hands, and if that is gone, I can kick, and if I can't kick, I'll bite the enemy to death."
"Even so, this weapon was made to wield by you, and no other."
Zald sighed, realizing he'd been beaten. "A sword without a partner. Truly a shameful thing." He said, receiving the weapon… Hmmm, this sword is actually rather good. "Oath."
"I knew you'd guess the name!" An excited Tsubaki cheered from behind her goddess. "How do you like it?"
"You made this?" Zald questioned, inspecting it. As memories flooded his head. A smile appeared, and he started chuckling. "It's well made. I'll try to limit my strength to keep it around as long as possible. But, you're well on your way to making some powerful weapons. Whatever you're doing, is working. Keep it up, try to make something that even I can't break."
"YES!"
"Zald, it's time we take our leave." Zeus called over.
"Yeah, let's head out." Zald attached the new sword to his hip, and turned, his cape flickering as he did. We killed two of them. But that last one, we didn't stand a chance. Even with my maxed out stats, and buffed by consuming a piece of the leviathan, we might have made a dent. But that would still require Shurry's moon, and even then it would have been a gamble…
The remnants of the Zeus & Hera familias to include their patron gods left the city, beginning their new life. And understanding that while their easier life was ahead of themselves, a much harder life remained ahead for the boy. Material felt guilty to her core… I hope nothing too horrible happens to him.
"Don't worry too much, Meteria. If something really bad happens, I'm sure he'll find a way through it. The look in his eyes, it's changed a lot. If he had a good reason, he may even slay a god."
"Little brother… I'll miss you. And thank you for saving my life that day."
…
Back at home, Shurry spent time reading the book he'd been given. After he finished it, he started making a copy of it. The copy was later given to Bokhoir, in a rather awkward exchange.
"Huh? What's this for, Shurry?"
"It's their training method. To pull out the full power of the falna."
"Didn't they give you this for yourself?"
"I'm not letting anyone else touch my aunt's book. So I made that copy. Make more for the ease of studying, and practice. I'm going to the dungeon."
Shurry ran out before Bokhoir could even say anything. "I guess this is really hitting him hard…" He sat down at the table, his anger rose to heights he couldn't contain anymore, and so the table broke under the force. "This isn't right, he was so happy, and cheerful, like a puppy. Now, he's bearing the weight of the world on him."
Hathor, and Nernatti came in after hearing the table turning to nothing more than rubble.
"So, what are you going to do about it?" Hathor asked.
Nernatti looked at the book in Bokhoir's hands. "Let's all get stronger. He just gave us the tools to do so, right here in your hands." She took the book, and started reading it… Her eyes widened with fear, and gulped. "Hathor… Lady Hathor, just how strong were they? This training is insane. I can't find a reason why any of them would be matched."
"They were truly a force to be reckoned with. Empress, even with a conservative estimate, was capable of level 14 combat. They were the ones to first encounter the monsters in the dungeon, and gave their personal ratings. Which unfortunately stuck for a really long time." She explained. "Goliath used to be rated as a level high level 2, it's now a low level 4. That should give you some idea as to their true strength."
Bokhoir took the book back. "I see, it looks like he's about to train harder than anyone else… It's not fair for the world to put so much pressure on a single boy." He stood up. "I won't allow it. Nernatti, we're going to start the familia training in full, starting now. No more delaying, no more falling behind the curve!"
"Yep, let's get strong enough to help my precious little brother with that ugly dragon."
"Before you go do that, it would be a good idea to clean up this mess." Hathor pointed out.
"Oh, yeah, I did do that… I'll clean this up, and replace it soon." He said, blushing, his strength having got the better of him.
…
A few days later, Alfia, Hera, Meda, Meteria & Bell, Zald, and Zeus, all arrived in a mountain farming village, where they were quickly accepted as villagers. Meda was shy with the others, and spent most of her time with Alfia, and Meteria learning magic. Alfia, and Zald, both achieved level 8, Meteria achieved level 5.
…