Moonlight silvered Orario's rooftops as Ryuu Leon moved like liquid shadow. This isn't stalking, she told herself firmly, the familiar weight of her Gale Wind outfit a second skin.
It's… efficient reconnaissance. Her shift at the Hostess had been grueling, thanks to May's terrifyingly efficient "kitchen tyranny" – a revelation almost as shocking as Syr's heartbroken tears after Bell Cranel stormed out.
Ryuu needed answers. And Mr. Cranel, disturbingly absent since his confrontation with Syr, was the key.
She'd waited patiently outside the Wish Cafe, sipping tea until Hestia emerged at closing time. Ryuu followed at a discreet distance, her Elven senses tracking the petite Goddess through winding streets towards the city's outskirts.
The scene she finally witnessed, hidden within the skeletal remains of a collapsed building, froze her blood.
Madness. Bell Cranel knelt in the mud, head bowed like a broken doll. Ottar, the King, stood guard nearby, cradling a trembling Syr protectively.
Ais Wallenstein knelt beside Bell, her hand resting awkwardly on his back in a gesture of startling concern.
Hestia was crouched before him, her small frame radiating palpable anguish, her dropped bag forgotten. Riveria Ljos Alf and other Loki elites lingered nearby, their expressions grim.
The air crackled with unspoken tension, grief, and something darker… something that made Ryuu's shadow-woven cloak feel thin.
"What in the Nine Hells…?" Ryuu whispered, her breath frosting in the chill air. Why were Loki and Freya's pillars here? What catastrophe had befallen the white-haired boy to draw such power into one ruined place?
A heavy hand clamped onto her shoulder.
Ryuu whirled, dagger half-drawn, only to freeze. Mama Mia stood there, her usual gruffness replaced by deep worry lines etched around her eyes. Mia's gaze flickered past Ryuu to the scene below, then snapped back to her.
"Pub's closed, locked tight," Mia stated, her voice low and gravelly. "Anya's watchin' the back. Now…" Her eyes narrowed, traveling pointedly down Ryuu's dark, combat-ready attire – the hood pulled low, the reinforced leather, the hidden sheathes.
"Mind tellin' me why you're wearin' the outfit, Blondie? On your night off? Headin' to a fancy dress party I didn't hear about?"
Ryuu felt cold sweat bead on her temple, trickling down her neck beneath the hood. The lie she'd rehearsed evaporated. Mama Mia's gaze was a physical weight.
(Scene Change: Hostess of Fertility )
The familiar warmth of the Hostess of Fertility felt like a suffocating lie. Anxious silence hung thick, broken only by Mimiji's choked sobs as Tiona and Lefiya tried, unsuccessfully, to console her.
Tione had vanished, dispatched to find Finn. Ais stood rigid near the bar, her golden eyes fixed on Bell with unnerving intensity as he paced like a caged beast, the crumpled kidnapper's note clenched in his fist.
Syr sat isolated at a corner table, her usual vibrancy dimmed, Ottar a silent, intimidating statue beside her.
Hestia and Lili were locked in a hushed, fierce conversation near the fireplace. As Lili finished speaking, her voice trembling as she recounted the ambush, Zanis, the deaths… Hestia's small frame seemed to swell.
Divine aura, raw and furious, leaked from her – a palpable heat that made the air shimmer. Her eyes, blazing cobalt, snapped towards Syr, radiating pure, unadulterated hatred before she wrestled it back under control, though her glare at Ottar remained icy.
She was painfully aware of the disguised goddess nearby.
Mama Mia slammed a tray of steaming mugs onto the bar, the clatter startling everyone. "Drink," she commanded, her voice cutting through the tension.
"All of you. Calm yer nerves." Her gaze swept the room, lingering on Bell, Syr, then Hestia. "Not even a year in the city, Brat, and you're already neck-deep in the kind of trouble that sinks ships.
Makes me wonder if Syr'd be better off never layin' eyes on ya." She directed the last pointedly at Bell.
Bell stopped pacing, a harsh, humorless laugh escaping him. "Maybe she would," he sighed, the sound heavy with exhaustion.
"Would certainly give me some peace of mind." He didn't look at Syr.
Syr flinched as if struck, shrinking into her chair. Ottar's gaze intensified, a silent promise of violence radiating towards Bell, but the boy ignored it utterly, his mind clearly miles away, plotting Kaeda's rescue.
Riveria, seated regally but with visible strain, cleared her throat. She gestured to the note Bell still held.
"The Eldorado Casino. I know of it. Some… elements… within Orario frequent such dens.
The Coliseum mentioned is undoubtedly the underground fighting ring – illegal, brutal, fueled by blood money. An invitation to enter unarmed and unarmored? It's a death trap, Cranel. Plainly."
"How did we miss the assassin?" Riveria mused, more to herself than anyone, her emerald eyes flicking to Ottar.
"We were all… distracted. By more immediate concerns." The unspoken accusation – by Freya's presence – hung heavy.
Hestia finally broke away from Lili, stepping protectively in front of Bell. Her voice trembled slightly. "Bell… is it true? Everything Lili just told me? The ambush? The assassin? Zanis…?"
Bell met her gaze, his own crimson eyes bleak. "Yes," he rasped. "The assassin was waiting outside the dungeon.
Gloating. He killed the others? I don't know. I left them to their fate after… after Zanis. I defended my life. Lili's life. There was no choice." His voice was flat, devoid of inflection, chilling in its certainty.
Syr gasped, leaning forward. "Bell… you killed again?"
He turned his head slowly, giving her a sidelong glance that was unnervingly cold. "Were you watching that time too, Syr? Or just the bits that amused you?"
"No! I was… I was looking for you! But I didn't think… I should have paid more attention! I'm sorry, Bell! I should have…" Syr's voice cracked, her eyes pleading. She turned desperately towards Lili. "…done something about the one who started it! Zanis was–"
CRACKLE.
The light didn't fade. It was eaten.
One moment, the tavern was bathed in warm lamplight and firelight. The next, utter, suffocating darkness swallowed everything.
Not just absence of light, but a negation of it. A chill deeper than any dungeon draft seeped into bones. Hestia, Riveria, Ais, Tiona, Lefiya – all experienced adventurers – felt primal terror lance down their spines.
Even Freya, disguised as Syr, jolted upright, a flicker of genuine shock crossing her features in the consuming blackness.
Then, piercing the darkness like cold stars: Eyes.
Two points of icy, malevolent blue light, focused with terrifying intensity on Syr. The same eyes Freya had glimpsed before, but now prominent, unveiled, radiating ancient, predatory hunger.
Ottar moved instantly, a blur even in the unnatural dark, placing himself squarely between the eyes and Syr, his own form radiating golden power like a beacon against the void.
Simultaneously, twin orbs of deep, dangerous purple ignited where his eyes were.
A voice, Bell's voice, but layered with a chilling, resonant depth that vibrated in their chests, cut through the oppressive silence:
"You. Will. Not."
"BELL!" Hestia shrieked, her small hand clamping onto his arm with desperate strength. "Get a hold of yourself! NOW!"
Ais moved with Windswift precision, her hand landing firmly on Bell's shoulder. Riveria was only a heartbeat behind, stepping boldly in front of Ottar, her staff raised, its tip glowing feebly against the devouring dark.
"What is the meaning of this, Ottar?" she demanded, her voice tight but controlled, channeling her fear into authority.
"Why does the strongest adventurer in Orario stand guard over a mere tavern waitress? Should you not be attending your Goddess, Lady Freya?"
"Some questions are bettered off Unanswers, I have no obligation to answer you or your familia. I am simply following what my Goddess wills me to do" Ottar said in a gruff tone.
Bell's voice cut in again, the unnatural resonance fading slightly, leaving cold steel. "He said it best, Lady Riveria. Some questions are better left unanswered.
Given the current… delicacy… antagonizing a rival Familia is unwise. As Vice-Captain, you know the dangers." He paused. "He's saving you from a war you cannot win."
Riveria's gaze snapped from Ottar's murderous glare to Syr, who was visibly trembling, her eyes wide with a fear that seemed too deep for Syr Flova. "Is that a threat, Cranel?"
Bell shook his head, the movement barely visible in the gloom. "No. A warning. A pragmatic one. Please, Lady Riveria. Take your Familia and leave. It's dangerous for you to linger here."
Riveria drew herself up, her emerald eyes flashing. "He is facing the strongest adventurer in Orario, Cranel. Alone."
"I don't care," Bell stated flatly, the blue eyes flaring brighter for an instant. "Saving that girl comes first. He'll deal with Ottar later if he must. Probably 8 months later"
"We can help!" Riveria insisted. "Loki Familia has resources, experience–"
"Too high profile," Bell interrupted. "Too easily recognized. You lack the necessary skills for this kind of infiltration. Subtlety isn't Loki's strong suit." He ignored Ais's slight flinch.
"Do you have a plan?" Riveria pressed, her voice tight.
"Yes. But it requires time. And… specific methods."
"How do you intend to locate her within that den of thieves and killers?"
Before Bell could answer, he simply… vanished.
Not like Argonaut's speed. Not like teleportation magic. One moment he was there, a silhouette against the oppressive dark, the next – nothing. No displacement of air, no fading image. Pure, utter absence.
Hestia gasped, clutching empty air. Riveria staggered back a step, her senses reeling.
"W-What?! His presence… his magical signature… it's gone! Utterly erased!" Her analytical mind scrambled. This defied known magic, known Skills.
Syr (Freya) paled, a tremor running through her that had nothing to do with the lingering chill. Impossible. Her divine sight, her ability to perceive souls – the brilliant, unique soul she coveted above all others – was suddenly blind to Bell.
The entity within him… it had learned to hide him? From her? Panic, cold and sharp, pricked at her divine composure.
If he could vanish from her sight… could he vanish from Orario entirely? Her game was unraveling dangerously fast.
She needed leverage. Kaeda. Find the Humbling, use her to draw Bell back, regain control… earn his trust? The thought felt hollow, desperate.
Riveria fought to steady her breathing. "So… he intends to infiltrate unseen. But how will he locate the girl without leads? Eldorado is a labyrinth!"
Syr seized the opportunity, her voice regaining some of its usual composure, though strained. "Leave that to me."
Riveria's gaze snapped to her, suspicion hardening into near-certainty as she looked from Syr to the fiercely protective Ottar. "How so, Miss Syr?"
Syr stood, brushing imaginary dust from her apron. "It's time we left, Ottar." She nodded towards the door, ignoring Riveria's question.
Ottar looked deeply reluctant, his furious gaze locked on the spot where Bell had vanished, but he moved to flank her.
Lefiya blinked, confused. "Leaving? But… the girl?"
Tiona looked up from comforting Mimiji. "Aren't we gonna save her?"
Riveria watched Ottar's protective stance around Syr, the pieces clicking into place with horrifying clarity. She held her tongue, the political implications too volatile.
"We… reassess. At home." Her voice was tight.
As Ottar moved towards the door, Mama Mia emerged from behind the bar. She shoved his massive arm, surprisingly making him budge.
"Go on, Brat. Get yerself outta my bar. I got this mess." She then fixed Bell (who hadn't actually reappeared, her words aimed at the space he occupied) with a glare that could shatter stone.
"And you! Don't you ever pull that darkness stunt in here again, or I'll smash yer head like a rotten melon! Scared the ale flat!" She stomped back towards the counter.
A snort came from the empty space near Hestia. A disembodied voice – Bell's, sounding marginally more like himself – replied, "Tell her to stop playing games then."
Syr pouted, turning towards the voice. "I'm right here, Bell! You can talk to me!"
Hestia snorted derisively. "Fat chance."
The petite Goddess closed her eyes, concentrating. Her divine intuition flared, her innate sense piercing the mundane. She looked at Syr, then through her.
Her eyes snapped open wide. She opened her mouth, closed it, rubbed her eyes fiercely, and then looked sharply upwards, towards the distant peak of Babel Tower.
Her hand flew to her chin. "So… that's how it is. Smart. Very smart." She murmured, her voice a mix of awe and disgust. She narrowed her eyes at Syr. "Damn clever vixen." The last words were a venomous whisper.
Syr clicked her tongue in frustration, glaring back at Hestia. The silent communication crackled between them – Goddess to Goddess.
"Ais, Tiona, Lefiya," Riveria commanded, her voice regaining authority. "Flank Miss Renard. See her and her… safely to the Home of your familia.
We wouldn't want a repeat of tonight's little… snatching incident." The implication – humiliation for Freya Familia – was clear.
With a final, deeply frustrated sigh and a lingering, searching look around the room (and the empty space where Bell had been), Riveria led the Loki contingent out, Ottar following under the watchful eyes of the Loki princesses.
Mama Mia slammed the door shut behind them, the sound echoing in the sudden, heavy quiet.
"RIGHT!" Mia bellowed, turning towards the stairs. "Get yer furry backsides down here, you three dunderheads! I know you're eavesdropping!"
A startled chorus of "Nya?!" and thuds followed as Chloe, Lunor, and Anya tumbled gracelessly down the stairs, landing in a heap of limbs and wide eyes.
Anya scrambled up first, her ears twitching nervously. "W-What's happening, Nya?! Why's White-Haired-kun hurting Syr? Is Syr back? Is she okay?" Her gaze darted around the tense room, searching for her friend.
Chloe untangled herself, immediately rushing to Syr's side. "Syr! Thank the gods you're alright! We were so worried!" She threw a venomous glare towards the space near Hestia. "What did that idiot do now?!"
Lunor nodded vigorously, her tail puffed up.
Bell's voice materialized again, weary and flat, from near the fireplace. He leaned against the mantle, head down. "Syr," he said, the word heavy with finality. "Do they know?"
Syr flinched violently, looking away. "Know… know what?" Her voice was barely a whisper.
Chloe laughed nervously. "Know what? That you're the best waitress in Orario? That Bell's a blockhead?"
Hestia rolled her eyes skyward. "Oh, they don't know. Of course they don't.
It's all part of the game she's playing." Her voice dripped with sarcastic venom. "Won't be much of a game anymore if they knew the rules, eh, Syr?"
Syr glared at Hestia, a spark of defiance amidst her fear. "You don't understand–"
Anya stepped forward, her voice small and trembling. "Lady Goddess… what do you mean? What game? Why was Captain Ottar here? Protecting Syr? It doesn't make sense, Nya…"
Bell finally lifted his head. His crimson eyes, bloodshot and exhausted, met Anya's confused gaze. There was no anger left, just a profound, bone-deep weariness.
"It's because she isn't just Syr, Anya." His voice was quiet, cutting through the tension like a knife. "She's your Goddess. Freya. In disguise."
Silence. Utter, deafening silence.
Chloe's nervous laugh died instantly. Lunor froze mid-nod. Anya stared, uncomprehending.
"W-what?" Anya whispered. "Syr…?"
Syr looked at Bell, a myriad of emotions flashing across her face – fear, resignation, a flicker of pleading. Finally, she sighed, a sound of infinite weariness that seemed too old for Syr Flova.
"For how long, Bell?" she asked, her voice losing its Syr-like lilt, gaining a deeper, more resonant quality. "How long have you known?"
"Since the night I ran," Bell said, his voice flat. "After the incident with my supporter and soma familia. After I saw what you truly were."
Syr closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, the familiar warmth was gone, replaced by an ancient, luminous depth. She reached up and threw back her hood.
PURPLE LIGHT.
It wasn't an explosion, but an unveiling. A blinding, majestic radiance, the color of twilight and deepest amethyst, erupted from her, filling the tavern, washing over everyone.
It pulsed with divine power, ancient and overwhelming. Anya, Chloe, and Lunor cried out, shielding their eyes.
Mama Mia grunted, squinting. Hestia stood firm, her own divine aura a tiny, defiant spark against the tide.
The light subsided as quickly as it came.
Where Syr Flova had stood, now stood Freya. Utterly herself. Silver hair cascaded like moonlight, flawless skin seemed to glow, and her eyes held the vast, captivating beauty of a star-filled sky.
She wore simple clothes, yet they seemed like royal robes on her. The air hummed with her presence.
Anya fell to her knees with a choked sob. Chloe and Lunor stumbled back, their eyes glazed, caught between awe and utter confusion – their minds struggling to reconcile the friend they knew with the Goddess now revealed.
From the kitchen doorway came a sharp crash. Ryuu Leon stood there, having returned moments before, a dropped tray of clean glasses shattered at her feet.
Her Gale Wind hood had fallen back, revealing her face etched with pure, unadulterated shock. She stared at Freya, then at the distraught Anya, her world view fracturing.
Freya sighed, the sound echoing with divine weight. She looked at Bell, her expression unreadable. "Are you happy now, Bell? Is this what you wanted?"
Bell laughed. It was a harsh, brittle sound. "Happy? You tell me,Lady Goddess." He pushed himself off the mantle, his movements heavy.
"What Happened to you bell, you seem changed?" Freya asked
"What changed? Everything. In the few days since I stumbled into this cesspool you call a city." His voice rose, raw with pain and fury.
"I died down there! Stabbed on an altar like a sacrifice! Somehow, I'm breathing, but I remember the cold! I killed fifteen men who ambushed me! Not monsters! Men!
Because they wanted revenge or my gear or just because they could! I got tricked into buying watered-down poison they called a potion! I've been hunted by assassins hired by a petty thug!
I saved someone only to see her friend snatched away! And all the while… I've been stalked!" He whirled, pointing a trembling finger at Freya.
"Stalked by the Goddess of the most powerful Familia! For what? Your amusement?!"
He raked a hand through his disheveled white hair, his bloodshot eyes sweeping over the horrified faces – Hestia, Mia, the shattered waitresses, Ryuu frozen in the doorway.
"Sometimes I think I should've stayed on that damn farm! Because this city? This glorious Orario?" His voice cracked, reaching a crescendo of anguish and rage.
"IT'S GIVEN ME NOTHING BUT BLOOD ON MY HANDS AND SHOWED ME A CESSPOOL OF PEOPLE WEARING MASKS FOR THEIR OWN SICK AMUSEMENT! HIDING GODS KNOW WHAT UGLINESS BEHIND THEM! I AM DONE! DONE BEING YOUR HUNTED AND BEING A TOY OF AMUSEMENT, LADY FREYA! DONE WITH THE LIES! DONE WITH THIS WHOLE DAMNED CITY!"
The silence that followed was absolute. Hestia flinched, tears welling in her eyes. Freya's flawless composure finally cracked, showing genuine shock and… something else? Hurt?
Mama Mia looked at the boy, her usual gruffness replaced by profound sorrow. Anya sobbed openly.
Chloe and Lunor clung to each other, trembling. Ryuu remained frozen, her knuckles white where she gripped the doorframe.
Mia spoke into the void, her voice low and heavy. "Looks like the city's darkness finally caught up to that boy." The words hung in the air, a grim epitaph for Bell Cranel's shattered innocence.
~(Scene change Freya POV)~
Freya watched Ottar walk away from the Hostess, the cold night air biting sharper than any blade as the door opened and closed.
What did I expect? she mused, her divine mind replaying the kidnapping. She'd sought her Odr—a pure, radiant soul—but found a shattered boy draped in shadows instead.
And that abduction… a crude, mortal stunt unfolding before her like a bad tavern play.
Through Horn's whispers in her mind, she'd tracked the kidnapper's carriage swaps. The Eldorado Casino's insignia glared back like a taunt.
How did Bell draw their ire? Riveria's clipped report and the pallum supporter's tearful confession filled gaps: Soma Familia's rot, Zanis's ambition, Bell's desperate kills to survive.
Freya's nails dug her shoulder she was clutching. I should have burned Soma to ash when I first saw that milky guilt in Bell's eyes outside the dungeon. Her panic had blinded her—a rare lapse for a goddess who'd danced through eons of schemes.
Then came the rebuke. When she'd threatened the pallum, those twin lights—blue ice and purple void—had pinned her.
Not anger. Not fear. Judgment. For the first time since Odin's stern gaze, a mortal dared draw a line against her. And the presence behind it…
Darkness. Not the grimy sin of Orario's thieves or the cloying lust of her supplicants. This was an ocean of pure stillness, wrapping around her divine essence like a shroud.
It silenced the cacophony of mortal souls she perpetually saw and felt—the pride, the fear, the rot.
For a heartbeat, Freya knew peace. The kind only death's edge could offer. Beautiful. Terrifying.
Now, Bell's soul was veiled.
Where radiant white once blazed, only layered shadows remained, pierced by those unwavering purple eyes.
Like gazing into the abyss… and the abyss stares back.
The entity within watched her—not as a goddess, but as Freya. Her core laid bare. No adoration. No desire. Just… assessment. How dare it? Yet the audacity captivated her.
This paradox—light fighting shadow, yet forged by shadow—was a masterpiece she couldn't ignore.
The boy she'd loved was gone. In his place: an enigma wrapped in dark flame. Will I meet the being inside? Or is Bell becoming it? The question burned brighter than her faded obsession.
~(Scene Change: Farewell to Syr)~
Back in the Hostess's heavy silence, Freya rose. Every eye snapped to her—Hestia's suspicion, Anya's tears, Ryuu's shattered trust.
She let her gaze settle on Bell, his shoulders slumped but eyes burning with exhausted resolve.
"I will help you," Freya declared, her voice stripped of Syr's warmth, yet softer than her divine command.
"My pursuit… caused this." She gestured to Anyas sobs, the tension choking the room.
"The man I loved—that pure soul—is changed. But I would still witness your journey. Savior or destroyer, it matters not."
Hestia snorted. "Since when does Freya play friend?"
"Since I loved Bell Cranel's soul," Freya countered, her amethyst eyes lingering on Bell's shadowed form.
"I thought he'd be my Odr—my answer to an ancient wish." She shook her head at Hestia's unspoken question.
"I'll share that tale only when fate allows. But tonight…" She turned to the staff—Anya trembling, Chloe and Lunor clinging together. "I'm sorry."
The apology hung like thunder. Anya gasped. Ryuu's stoic mask cracked.
Freya faced Mia, her regal poise faltering. "Give them rooms. Baths. They need rest." Her eyes found Bell again, sorrow bleeding through.
"I never wanted this end. I wanted… freedom. With you." Bell stiffened, his Sacred Insight flaring—truth.
"Perhaps one day," Freya whispered, "when you've made peace with your darkness… Syr can meet you again."
She nodded to Ryuu. "Help him tomorrow. Horn will find the girl's location. Consider it… my farewell gift."
With a final, lingering look, she called, "Ottar."
The door opened. Ottar lifted her effortlessly, his warning glare at Bell sharper than any sword. One leap—and they vanished into the night.
Crash! Lili toppled from her chair. Chloe and Lunor collapsed to their knees, dazed. Anya crumpled, wailing, "Syr… Syr wasn't real?!" Ryuu stood frozen by the kitchen door, her knuckles white.
Hestia sighed, rubbing her temples. "I almost had to explode myself back there."
Mia drained her tankard, slammed it down.
"Rooms upstairs. Two keys." She tossed one to Bell. "You—" She jabbed a finger at him. "—broke a goddess's heart. Good luck when her familia hears."
Bell's laugh was hollow.
"I'll be gone before dawn in a few days."
He glanced at Lili—still glassy-eyed.
Alarm(!)
[Charm - 32% Strength. Source: Divine Aura - Freya].
Hestia raised a hand. A gentle pulse washed through the room—divine purging.
Lili blinked, clarity returning. Chloe and Lunor shook their heads, confusion lifting. Ryuu whispered, "Syr…" into the void.
Mia turned to the staff, voice rough but warm. "Talk tomorrow. Mama's here—always. Leave if you must, but remember that."
Bell trudged upstairs, Mia's words echoing: "You look like shit. Clean up." Guilt gnawed him.
Could I have handled this without burning it all down? Without the System's cold calculations, would Syr's lie have become something real? Love between mortal and god was impossible—Hestia was family, Lili and Welf comrades, Ryuu a mentor.
But Freya? A cosmic enigma.
He locked the bathroom door, stripped, and dumped his armor into the System's inventory. Cool water sluiced over him as he cranked the shower handle.
Dungeon altars, assassins, charmed friends… The System demanded strength, isolating him. A curse? He leaned into the spray, shutting his eyes.
Tomorrow, he'd save a humebunny.
Then he'd leave this city of masks forever.
~(Scene Change) ~
The bathroom pipes groaned upstairs as water began to run. Mia Grand wiped down the counter with unnecessary force, the rag squeaking against the wood.
"That boy," she grumbled, not looking at Hestia perched on a nearby stool, "lands in more trouble than a goblin in a the dungeon.
Few days in Orario? Feels like years' worth of drama. If things weren't so gods-damned tangled, I'd have him chained to a mop right now. Pay off the stress he's caused scrubbing floors."
Hestia managed a tired chuckle, tracing a knot in the countertop. "He would make a good waiter. That earnest face disarms people."
She pictured Bell fumbling with a tray, tripping over his own feet – a simpler life that felt galaxies away.
Mia paused her wiping, fixing Hestia with a sharp, appraising look. "Hmph. That fond tone. You in love with the brat too?"
Hestia's smile faded into something profound and weary. She met Mia's gaze without flinching. "Love? Yes. But not like her.
He's my child. My first, my only. I will love him fiercely, protectively, until the stars themselves gutter out. That's a Goddess's vow to her Familia."
Mia poured two generous measures of a dark, smoky spirit into chipped mugs, sliding one to Hestia. "Quiet the resolve. But what of my Goddess? Is her resolve not just as firm? To love?"
Hestia took the mug, her small hands wrapping around it for warmth she didn't truly need. Her expression wasn't angry or jealous, but stern, etched with deep concern.
"I've seen what Freya's 'love' does, Mia. It consumes. I don't stop her out of rivalry or as a 'Virgin Goddess' guarding chastity." She took a small sip, the liquor burning.
"I fear it because it devours. It strips souls bare, remakes them into reflections of her desire. Bell's soul… it's already changing. Freya's obsession? Her sheer, unyielding persistence? That's what terrifies me most.
When Freya wants something…" Hestia gestured vaguely towards the door Ottar had carried her through, "...she takes it. And the world burns around her until she has it."
Nearby, Ryuu, Chloe, and Lunor sat huddled at a table, nursing identical mugs Mia had silently placed before them.
Their faces were pale shells of their usual selves. Chloe stared blankly at the wood grain. Lunor traced the rim of her mug with a trembling finger.
Ryuu… Ryuu looked hollow, her gaze fixed on the spot where "Syr" had stood moments before Freya unveiled herself.
The revelation hadn't just broken their trust; it had shattered the foundation of their daily lives. They'd all drained their mugs in unison moments before and now sat with foreheads resting on the cool wood, utterly spent.
Mia sighed, a deep, resonant sound filled with centuries of understanding burdens.
She watched Ryuu especially, the elf who had carried so much darkness already. Mia pushed a fresh mug towards Ryuu.
"Hardest for you, Blondie, wasn't it? Trusting again." She reached out and ruffled Ryuu's golden hair, a gesture surprisingly gentle from the formidable elf.
"But hearts broken tonight weren't just upstairs." She nodded towards the stairs where a stifled sob echoed faintly – Anya, fleeing to her room. "Or out there."
Mia refilled Hestia's mug. "My Goddess… she's persistent, aye. But she's also desperate. Lost. She's searching for an Odr. A partner. An equal."
Hestia nearly choked on her drink. "A husband? Freya?! Do you have any idea what kind of goddess she is? Her history? The chaos she sows?"
Mia shrugged, a massive roll of her shoulders.
"Doesn't matter a whit to me. All I see is a goddess who showed up one day, crying her eyes out in a field of wildflowers behind the old market district."
She glanced at Ryuu, whose head had lifted slightly at this, a flicker of something other than devastation in her eyes.
"She wasn't Beauty Incarnate then. Just… lost. Scared. Wanted someone to help her, to be with her.
Not worship her. Not serve her. Just… understand her. Be her anchor." Chloe and Lunor were listening now too, drawn out of their stupor by the unfamiliar image of their goddess vulnerable.
Hestia set her mug down slowly, her divine perspective shifting uncomfortably. "Gods… we are vulnerable emotionally atleast.
Emotionally. Detached from eternity, yes, but also… profoundly alone in it. We invent amusements."
She traced the rim of her mug. "For me? It was books. Became 'Wisdom' incarnate before anyone noticed.
Then… the pages lost their magic. I slept. I drifted. Alone in my temple. When others descended… the loneliness bit deeper.
I came down not just for novelty, Mia. I came to make a family. To find love, affection… adventure… connection.
But watching Bell…" Her voice hitched. "I feel so useless. Naive. Passive. If I'd been bolder, smarter, stronger… I could have forged alliances.
Gotten him proper gear from Hephaestus on installments. Found him a solid party with Takemikazuchi's kids. Stopped the Soma rot before it touched him.
Instead? I sat. I worried. I failed him." Tears welled in Hestia's eyes, not of self-pity, but of fierce, burning resolve.
"No more. I won't be useless anymore. I will become reliable. Someone who shares his burdens, not just cries over them.
When he leaves…" She looked towards the stairs, imagining Bell packing, "…I'll go too. To Altena.
To the world beyond. I'll gather children. Build a Familia not just of love, but of strength. Influence.
So when Bell walks his path – this shadowed path – he doesn't walk it alone. So he doesn't come home broken… or not come home at all."
Mia studied the tiny goddess. The despair was gone, replaced by a steely light Hestia rarely showed. Mia snorted, but it was approving.
"About damn time. Get started now, Little Goddess. Build your strength. Gather your fledglings. Make them strong.
Then bring them back. Face Orario's darkness head-on when you're ready. Doesn't matter who's stronger now.
The victor is the one who survives and comes back. So survive." She raised her mug. "Face the darkness. Don't let it eat you. Your battle… it's barely begun."
Hestia met Mia's gaze, the fire fully kindled now. She raised her own mug. "I'll drink to that." They clinked mugs.
The sound seemed to break a spell. Ryuu sat up straighter, the hollow look replaced by a fragile but definite determination.
Chloe squared her shoulders. Lunor wiped her eyes, a spark of her usual mischief trying to rekindle.
Mia watched the change ripple through her girls and allowed herself a small, fierce smile. Good.
They're not broken. They'll drag that stupid girl Syr back from whatever divine drama she's wrapped in.
Hestia yawned, the adrenaline fading, leaving bone-deep exhaustion. "Gods, I need a bath too."
Her gaze fell on Lili, who had been sitting unnervingly still and silent at the end of the counter, staring into her untouched mug. "Miss Supporter? You've been quiet. Are you alright?"
Lili slowly lifted her head. Her eyes weren't tear-filled or distant. They were burning. Literally.
The faint crimson glow of her Blood Geas skill flickered in their depths. Her voice, when it came, was low, intense, stripped of its usual careful cadence.
"Lili… also wants to get stronger." She clenched her small fists on the counter. "Strong enough to never be a burden.
To Master Bell. To… anyone. To herself. Never again." The unspoken memories of Zanis, the ambush, the helplessness – they fueled the fire in her eyes.
Hestia nodded, reaching over to gently ruffle Lili's hair, mirroring Mia's gesture to Ryuu.
"We will, Lili. We will get stronger. But first…" She gestured to Lili's dusty, tear-streaked face and travel-worn clothes. "...we clean up.
Bell wasn't the only one who had a hell of a day. Let's get you–"
A loud, synchronized gurgle cut through the heavy atmosphere. Hestia and Lili's stomachs rumbled in perfect, embarrassing harmony. Both their faces flushed crimson.
Mia let out a bark of laughter that shook the glasses behind the bar. "Food? Ha! Not on the house tonight, Little Goddess! Paying customers only!"
Lili coughed, her business sense momentarily overriding her fervor. "We… we can pay. We made… quite the killing today." She emphasized 'killing' without flinching.
Hestia's eyes instantly transformed into sparkling valis signs. "How much?"
"Five million," Lili stated flatly.
Hestia practically vibrated on her stool. "FIVE MILL–"
Mia laughed again, slamming a meaty hand on the counter.
"Spend away, Little Goddess! Order whatever your valis-filled heart desires! On the house? Hah! Make it rain!" She winked at Lili, whose mouth twitched in a near-smile despite herself.
Lili hesitated, glancing towards the stairs where the shower still ran. "If… if Master Bell is alright… should we wait? Order for him too?"
Hestia's sparkling eyes softened. "Order for him, Lili. Something hearty. He'll need it."
She looked towards the stairs, listening to the water, a silent prayer for her wounded child echoing in her heart. Clean the blood away, Bell. We face tomorrow together.
~(Scene change)~
Bell emerged from the steamy bathroom, the scent of cheap soap clinging to damp skin. He'd swapped his ruined clothes for simple black system-bought shirt and pants – utilitarian, unremarkable.
The shower had been a blessed blank space, water drowning out the echoes of screams, Freya's unveiled divinity, and the suffocating guilt.
His body thrummed with unnatural vitality from the System's passive enhancements, but his mind felt like cracked glass, held together only by the desperate need for sleep after yesterday's emotional carnage.
The mental exhaustion was a physical weight, dragging at his limbs.
Footsteps approached – light, hesitant. Hestia and Lili stood in the hallway. Hestia held a laden tray: thick sandwiches stacked high with roasted meat and cheese, steam rising from a bowl of rich stew.
The aroma hit Bell like a physical wave, momentarily banishing the phantom queasiness that had threatened to make him retch.
Yet, the hunger felt distant, mechanical. The thought of food was ash in his mouth, even as his stomach clenched.
"Thanks," Bell managed, his voice rough. He forced a small, tired smile, feeling it crack at the edges.
"I will take bath now, Master Bell," Lili announced, her voice subdued but resolute.
Her eyes, though still shadowed, held a glint of the fierce determination she'd shown downstairs. "Then prepare supplies for tonight."
"All that can wait until after sleep, Lili," Hestia chided gently, shifting the tray. "Both of you need rest."
She turned her gaze fully to Bell. Her usual sparkle was dimmed by deep concern. "It'd be stupid of me to ask if you're alright," she murmured, stepping closer.
"I know you're not." Her small hand found his, warm and grounding amidst the chill numbness threatening to reclaim him.
"Let's go to our room. Then… you can say whatever you want. Or say nothing at all. Just… be."
(Scene Change)
Bell sat slumped on the edge of the simple bed in the small guest room Hestia had claimed, mechanically chewing the last crust of his sandwich.
The taste was bland, texture dry. He washed it down with a long pull of chilled water from a sleek, unfamiliar plastic bottle conjured from his inventory – another oddity from the System that still startled Hestia.
"Still amazes me," she whispered, perched beside him, watching the condensation bead on the alien plastic.
"That thing gives you such strange wonders." She kept her voice low, the room dimly lit by pre-dawn grey seeping through the shutters.
Bell nodded absently, finishing the bottle. He set it aside, the hollow clatter loud in the silence.
He stared at the worn wooden floorboards, the events of the past days crashing over him like a tidal wave: the ambush, Zanis's lifeless eyes, the Black Cat's sneer, Freya's blinding revelation, Anya's shattered sobs, Kaeda's terrified face… The weight settled on his chest, crushing, suffocating.
He'd held it together through action, through rage, through the chilling detachment the System sometimes offered. Now, in the quiet, with Hestia's unwavering presence beside him, the dam broke.
A ragged sob tore from his throat. He slid off the bed onto his knees, burying his face in his hands.
Hestia was there instantly, her small arms wrapping fiercely around his shaking shoulders, pulling his head against her chest. Tears welled in her own eyes, mirroring his anguish.
"It's okay, Bell," she murmured, her voice thick with emotion. Her hand stroked his damp hair. "It's okay.
You're not a bad person. You're a good person who got dealt terrible hands. You fought to survive, to protect Lili, to save those girls…" She held him tighter.
"I didn't want this for you. I never wanted you to suffer like this. Never." She pulled back slightly, cupping his tear-streaked face, her eyes closing briefly.
When they opened, they shone with a soft, divine light – not power, but pure, empathetic connection.
"If not for that System… I don't know if you'd be here. And that terrifies me. But… I'm also selfishly grateful it gave you the strength to claw your way back. To give me… give us… more time."
She wiped a tear from his cheek with her thumb. "I know I'm not amazing. I haven't been strong enough, smart enough, bold enough for you.
But I promise, Bell… once we're away from this poisoned city… we'll build anew. From the ground up. A real home. A safe place." Her voice cracked. "Just… please hold on."
Bell choked back another sob, nodding against her shoulder. Words failed him. The guilt, the horror, the bone-deep weariness – they were still there, but Hestia's fierce, unconditional love was a lifeline. He clung to it.
Hestia gently guided him back onto the bed. "Sleep now," she whispered, her voice taking on a soothing, melodic quality.
"No more talking. Just rest." She climbed onto the narrow bed beside him, curling against his chest like a protective, warm weight.
Then, softly, she began to sing. It wasn't a grand hymn, but a simple, ancient lullaby from her homeland, her voice a gentle hum vibrating against him.
The melody wove through the lingering tension, a balm on his frayed nerves.
Exhaustion, deeper than any dungeon dive, finally pulled him under, dragging him into unconsciousness just as Hestia's humming faded.
(Scene Change)
Smoke. Thick, acrid, choking. It blotted out the sun, turning the sky a bruised, angry orange. Bell stood amidst utter ruin.
The once-proud spires of Babel lay shattered like a child's broken toy, monstrous silhouettes – twisted, larger, pulsing with unnatural black energy – circling its broken peak.
Distant, agonized screams echoed, punctuated by earth-shaking roars.
He looked down. His hands were slick with blood, viscera smeared across his tattered armor. Horrified, he saw his own guts spilling onto the rubble-strewn ground.
Pain was a distant throb, drowned by sheer terror. Around him lay a grotesque mound of bodies.
Recognition hit like ice water: Ryuu, her face pale and still, a broken sword near her hand.
Mia, massive frame crushed beneath debris. Anya, Chloe, Lunore – huddled together, lifeless. Further away, the impossible: Ottar, the King, lay broken, his mighty sword snapped.
Ais, Riveria, Lefiya – the proud Loki elites, scattered like discarded dolls.
Stumbling forward on unsteady legs, one dragging uselessly, Bell reached the epicenter of the destruction.
A shattered, familiar sign lay half-buried: Hostess of Fertility. He clawed through the wreckage, desperate, finding Lili. Only half of her remained, crushed beneath a fallen beam, dried blood a dark halo around her pallid face.
Nearby, Maria – the woman whose children he'd saved – cradled the severed heads of her children, her own body torn asunder.
Bell's scream tore through the nightmare silence, raw and guttural. Is this real? It feels too real…
He lurched forward, drawn to two small figures near Ais's body. A boy and a girl, blonde and white-haired, unnervingly familiar.
Lifeless. Clutched in their tiny hands were simple, tarnished hairpins – the ones he'd gifted Hestia.
The sight unleashed pure, primal terror. "HESTIA!" he screamed, voice cracking, scanning the apocalyptic landscape. "HESTIA!"
A cold, mangled hand clamped onto his shoulder. He whirled. Ais stood, half her face a ruin of bone and scorched flesh, her remaining golden eye fixed on him with chilling intensity. Her voice was a death rattle: "You could have saved them all. You could have saved your children."
Bell recoiled, bile rising in his throat. "NO! NO! It's not real! A DREAM! A SICK DREAM!" He clawed at his face, trying to wake himself.
Clang. Clang. Heavy, metallic footsteps echoed through the smoke. Bell froze, slowly turning towards the sound.
A figure emerged – a man with fiery red hair, clad in ornate silver armor with blood-red greaves. A deep scar ran vertically through one eye socket.
He stopped, pointing directly at his own scarred eye, his lips moving, but no sound reached Bell.
Then, the figure began to change. Bones cracked, flesh warped, armor straining and melting. Scales erupted, wings unfurled with a leathery snap.
Where the man stood, now loomed a colossal Red Dragon, dwarfing the ruins of Babel.
Its maw opened, revealing a furnace glow deep within its throat. The heat hit Bell like a physical wall, searing his skin. The dragon inhaled, the glow intensifying to blinding white…
"AAAAAAAGH!"
Bell jackknifed upright in bed, a scream tearing from his lungs. Hestia shot up beside him with a startled "WAAAH! Enemy attack?! Where?!"
Sweat drenched Bell's shirt and hair, plastering it to his forehead. He gasped for air, trembling violently, the phantom heat of the dragon's breath still scorching his senses. The images were seared into his mind: Ryuu, Mia, the children, Lili's broken form, Hestia's hairpins clutched by dead hands… and Ais's accusing, ruined face. Too real. The pain… the horror… felt lived.
"Bell?" Hestia's voice was small, scared. She reached out, her small hand trembling as she touched his sweat-slicked cheek. "Bell, talk to me! What happened?"
He flinched, then turned to her, his eyes wide with residual terror. He needed proof. Needed to feel she was real. His hand shot out, cupping her face – warm, solid, alive.
His thumb brushed her cheekbone.
Hestia froze, then flushed crimson from her neck to the roots of her hair.
"B-B-Bell! Not here! It's morning! What if someone sees us?! W-wait…" Her voice dropped to a scandalized whisper, eyes wide with a mix of shock and sudden, flustered excitement. "...I mean… I-I wouldn't mind giving my virginity to you! Especially after seeing those wonderful abs you've gotten!"
The sheer absurdity of her words, delivered with such genuine, flustered fervor, shattered the lingering horror of the nightmare like glass.
Bell blinked, staring at her flushed face, her sleep-tousled hair, her white nightdress slipping slightly off one shoulder.
A choked, disbelieving laugh burst from him, followed by another, genuine this time, washing away the last dregs of the dream's grip.
He pulled her into a tight, desperate hug, burying his face in her hair, breathing in the scent of her – real, alive, here.
"You're okay," he mumbled into her hair, relief flooding him.
Hestia squirmed slightly, her face still burning. "O-Of course I'm okay! I need to go to work soon! Now let go before I decide you are serious about the virginity thing!"
Bell chuckled, the sound rough but real, finally releasing her. He ran a hand through his damp hair. "Bad dream," he admitted, the understatement vast. "Guess yesterday finally caught up."
"Trauma," Hestia corrected softly, her earlier flustered state replaced by concern. "It's… it's okay. You should skip the Dungeon today. We have the money Lili mentioned. Rest."
Bell shook his head, the familiar resolve settling back into place, tempered by the nightmare's warning. "No. Need to complete the daily quest. Need to prepare."
He needed the routine, the focus. Needed the strength the System offered, nightmare fuel or not. He also hadn't checked today's rewards yet. Mentally, he pulled up the System screen:
Quest Rewards(!)
[Rewards: Status Recovery (Full)
Stat Points +50,
Skill Unlocked: Critical Strike (Passive)]
A small sigh escaped him. Useful. Necessary. Critical Strike. A grim name for the grim path he walked.
"I need to freshen up again," Bell said, looking down at his sweat-soaked shirt with distaste.
Hestia pouted dramatically, flopping back onto the pillow and stretching, her nightdress riding up slightly. "Or…" she drawled, a mischievous glint returning to her eyes despite the lingering worry, "you could stay here.
With me. Have some… fun." She gave him a look that was equal parts playful and genuinely alluring.
Bell choked, coughing into his fist, his ears burning. "Hestia! People are awake downstairs!"
"So… you're not refusing?" she asked, propping herself up on an elbow, an amused smile playing on her lips.
Bell chuckled, shaking his head. He reached over and gently ruffled her hair. "If only it were that easy," he said, his voice softer now, the affection genuine.
He swung his legs out of bed. "Self-Recovery." A subtle energy washed over him, instantly banishing sweat, grime, and the lingering physical fatigue. He felt sharp, alert.
Hestia watched, pouting again. "Cheater. I wish I had that. Still sleepy…"
As she grumbled, Bell's enhanced hearing picked up the distinct, rhythmic swish-thud of a blade cutting air.
He moved to the window, pushing open the shutters. Below, in the small garden behind the Hostess, Ryuu Leon moved.
Bathed in the pale dawn light, she was a whirlwind of controlled fury. Her Gale Wind outfit clung to her, sweat glistening at her temples, darkening the fabric under her arms.
Her movements were a lethal ballet – precise, powerful, each strike flowing into the next like water over stone.
She looked less like an elf and more like an avenging spirit, pouring her shock, grief, and newfound resolve into every swing. Beautiful. Terrifying.
Hestia padded over, peering out beside him. "Hmph," she grumbled, crossing her arms. "Stop staring at the pointy-eared fairy and look at me! I'm cuter!"
Bell smiled, a real one this time. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close for a brief, reassuring side-hug.
"From now on, I'll always look at you," he promised quietly. "I'll keep you close. Always."
Hestia's cheeks flushed pink again, but this time with pleased embarrassment. "S-Stop being so manly all of a sudden!" she stammered, swatting his arm lightly.
Below, the rhythmic sounds stopped abruptly. Bell looked down. Ryuu had frozen mid-strike, her intense gaze locked directly on him through the window.
Her expression was unreadable, but her posture radiated grim purpose. Slowly, deliberately, she raised her free hand and pointed a single finger at him. Then, she made a sharp, unmistakable gesture: Come down. Now.
Bell winced, offering a wry smile. His previous teacher wasn't asking. She was summoning. And judging by the set of her jaw, it wasn't for tea.
He turned back to Hestia. "Teacher wants a lesson."
Hestia's eyes widened, then narrowed in exasperation. "WAS YESTERDAY NOT ENOUGH ACTION FOR ONE LIFETIME?!" she whisper-yelled, throwing her hands up.
Bell flinched slightly, the phantom screams of his nightmare echoing. He glanced over his shoulder towards the garden, then back at Hestia, his expression sobering.
"Tonight will be chaotic." The rescue. Eldorado. The kidnapper. The trap. The nightmare felt like a grim premonition.
Hestia sighed, deflating. "Just… don't go overboard. Please." The worry was back, deep in her eyes.
Bell nodded, a silent promise. He pulled on his boots. "Understood." He headed for the door, the weight of the day settling firmly back onto his shoulders.
Ryuu's silent challenge awaited. Kaeda needed saving.
The System demanded its due. And the chilling vision of a ruined Orario and a scarred man turning into a dragon hung heavy in his mind.
Today is going to be another long day.
~(Scene Change) ~
One day. One day. That was all it took for Ryuu Leon's carefully reconstructed world to fracture into irreparable shards. The foundation – her trust, her purpose, the quiet peace she'd clawed back from the abyss – lay in ruins, pulverized by the blinding purple light of revelation. Syr. Freya.
Her mind replayed the chaos like a broken record. She'd seen Bell Cranel's initial cold fury towards Syr, his recoil.
She'd dismissed it then – the understandable trauma of a gentle soul stained by his first kill. She hadn't believed that earnest, white-haired boy capable of true cruelty.
But then came the chilling darkness in the tavern, the accusation in his voice, the way he'd looked at Syr… not with anger, but with a profound, wounded betrayal that resonated deeper than Ryuu wanted to admit.
We were discarded, the bitter thought had echoed in her, shared by Anya, Chloe, Lunor.
After everything Syr did for him, he throws her away? Us? Anger, hot and righteous, had burned. Syr, who had pulled Ryuu from the precipice of vengeance after the Astrea Familia's fall.
Syr, who had offered the Hostess not just as a hiding place, but as a home, a purpose in simple service. Was that all a lie? A masterful act? The question was a knife twisting in her gut.
She remembered Bell confronting Syr in her quarters weeks ago, his quiet intensity: "Are you hiding something?" Syr's evasion, her perfect, compassionate mask… had Ryuu been a fool?
Mama Mia's words about a goddess crying in a field clashed violently with the terrifying, possessive obsession Ryuu had witnessed in Freya's unveiled gaze last night.
Which was real? The kind waitress who tended flowers and offered silent understanding? Or the ruthless Queen of Beauty who stalked a mortal boy with divine hunger? The dissonance was maddening.
Sleep had been impossible. Instead, Ryuu found herself in the garden Syr had lovingly tended, swinging her sword not with Gale Wind's lethal precision, but with raw, frustrated fury.
Each swish-thud against the training dummy was a blow against the confusion, the betrayal, the terrifying uncertainty.
How did level sixes and sevens lose a hostage? The practical part of her mind grappled with the absurdity, a desperate anchor in the emotional storm.
Then, a scream tore through the pre-dawn quiet from above – Bell's room. Her Level 4 senses, honed by years of survival and sharpened by Elven ears, picked up the ragged edge of pure terror in it.
Before she could process that, softer sounds followed… Hestia's flustered voice, scandalous words about virginity and abs.
Ryuu's ears burned, a jarring counterpoint to the lingering horror of the scream. Dealing with goddesses… playing with fire, Cranel.
She looked up, her gaze locking onto the window. Bell stood there, looking down. His eyes – those same eyes that had held the abyss last night, radiating chilling darkness and lethal intent – met hers.
For a heartbeat, the terror she'd felt then threatened to resurface, a suffocating pressure. But Ryuu Leon was no stranger to darkness.
She didn't just see the void; she saw the immense, ancient power coiled within it, the secrets it guarded. It was terrifying, yes, but also… undeniable.
Grief, anger, and a desperate need for answers crystallized into resolve.
She stopped mid-swing, raising her free hand. Her finger pointed directly at him. The gesture was unmistakable, honed by command in a lost Familia: Come down. Now.
(Scene Change: Broken Promises)
The cool morning air did little to soothe the tension crackling in the garden.
Bell stood opposite her, Rasaka's Fang held loosely but ready. His expression was a complex tapestry – sorrow etched deep, resilience holding it together, and a bone-deep weariness beneath it all. He knew what was coming.
Ryuu's own wooden practice sword felt like lead and lightning in her grip.
Ryuu broke the suffocating silence, his voice low and rough.
"Sometimes I wonder… if Syr never revealed herself… would my life still be that sweet lie? Unaware. Peaceful days passing by."
She looked around at the flowers Syr had nurtured, symbols of the life she'd offered. "What's true? What's fake? Like you said… a city of masks hiding pain." She met his gaze, his crimson eyes searching.
"I belonged to Astrea Familia. Righteous. Like Ganesha after Zeus and Hera fell."
Bell stiffened. The fall of the great Familias… the chaotic power vacuum that followed. "Yes," she confirmed, her voice tight.
"After that Freya and Loki rose… chaos. Factions." She paused. "Have you heard of Evilus?"
Bell shook his head, genuine confusion on his face. Naive still, in some ways, Ryuu thought bitterly.
She began to circle him slowly, her steps silent on the dew-damp grass, her gaze tracing the petals Syr had touched.
"A chaotic group. Their goal: reduce Orario to ash and fire. Unleash the Dungeon upon the world."
Bell recoiled, shock plain on his features. "Why? That'd bring back the Chaotic Era!"
Ryuu's lips thinned. "Who comprehends the minds of gods? Some crave chaos." A flash of memory – a grinning, bloodthirsty deity amidst carnage.
"I met one. Rudra. He… reveled in it. Called the blood on my hands 'beautiful' as I slaughtered his own children." The words tasted like ash.
Bell looked genuinely sickened. "His own children… How?"
Ryuu stopped her pacing, studying him. A flicker of something almost like pity touched her hardened gaze.
"Good. That disgust… that light still flickers in you." She looked past him, towards the rising sun, her voice distant.
"The world is gray, Cranel. Light and darkness coexist. But boundaries blur… what is justice? What is vengeance?" Painful memories of her Familia's internal strife surfaced – arguments fracturing their unity before the end.
She shook her head, dispelling the ghosts. She raised her wooden sword, the point unwavering towards his heart.
"So, Bell Cranel. Which path will you walk? The light in your heart? Or the darkness you unleashed last night? Will you add another kill tonight? Or…" She left the alternative hanging, a challenge.
Bell looked down at his hands. Ryuu saw the tremor, the weight he carried.
He spoke then, not of glory or harem dreams, but of loss – his grandfather, the suffocating darkness that followed.
His dream of heroism, naive and bright, colliding with Orario's grim reality. Rejection. Perverse offers.
The small, vital light of Hestia. The realization that gods, like mortals, were complex. That people weren't inherently evil, just twisted by hardship, like Lili.
"But I refuse that darkness," he stated, his voice gaining strength, his gaze lifting to meet hers with fierce resolve.
"I won't bend. I won't be anyone's puppet." He echoed his grandfather's wisdom, a lifeline.
"Yes, the world is cruel. People can be terrible. But I believe… everyone has good buried, warped by bad hands, hardship, darkness."
His eyes blazed with a conviction that surprised her. "People can rise above! Like heroes! Even with blood on my hands… I'll follow my own path. I'll use this pain. I'll fight to protect those I care about.
We'll forge a path together through the hardship."
It was a declaration Ryuu hadn't expected. Raw, idealistic, yet grounded in terrible experience. It resonated with the ideals Astrea had once espoused, ideals she thought buried in ash and blood.
But one name remained unaddressed. "And Syr?" Ryuu demanded, her voice sharp. "She wanted to be close to you too."
Bell sighed, the weariness returning. "It's not simple, Ryuu."
"Make it simple!" The dam broke. Grief, betrayal, fury – all the emotions she'd channeled into her sword erupted.
She lunged, not with Gale Wind's finesse, but with raw, punishing force. The wooden blade cracked against Bell's guard.
"You hurt Syr!" she screamed, striking again, driving him back.
"You ignored her!
You didn't let her explain!
You broke down and tore apart our lives!"
Each accusation was punctuated by a blow.
"You showed us the lie, shattered our family! Syr is my friend! She always will be!"
Tears, hot and furious, blurred her vision but didn't slow her assault.
"She pulled me from the darkness! Was it all a lie? Why did you have to come and ruin it?! I would have lived that lie! I would have died in it happily!"
Bell didn't retaliate. He parried, dodged with bursts of unnatural speed (Sprint, she recognized), but never struck back. He absorbed her fury, his eyes holding hers, reflecting a storm of regret and understanding. Ryuu saw it – the traumatized boy reeling from his first kill, his lifeline (Syr) revealed as a divine deception. He'd lashed out, too raw, too hurt to be patient.
"I'm sorry," he gasped out, blocking a particularly vicious swing aimed at his shoulder. "If I'd been mature… patient… cooler… Things might be different."
"THEN TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!" Ryuu shrieked, the final blow knocking Rasaka's Fang wide and sending Bell stumbling back.
He caught his balance, breathing heavily. "How can I? Emotions are too high. I was too cold, too bold against a goddess. If I go near her now, Ottar will turn me to paste."
Ryuu lowered her sword, her chest heaving. Tears streamed freely now, washing tracks through the dust and sweat on her face.
The fury was spent, leaving behind a hollow ache and a desperate plea.
She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, smudging the dirt. "Then promise me," she whispered, her voice raw but steady.
"Promise me… when you get stronger… truly stronger… you will meet her again. Make amends. Say you're sorry."
Before Bell could answer, the back door slammed open with a force that rattled the windows.
"OY! Enough with the dramatic soap opera!" Mama Mia bellowed, filling the doorway, hands planted on her hips.
Her gaze swept over them – Ryuu tear-streaked and trembling, Bell breathing hard, the garden scuffed from their clash.
"Boy! Get your head in the damn game for tonight! You got a rabbit-girl to save!" She jabbed a thick finger at Bell.
"And after? You vanish. Get stronger. Much stronger. If you wanna drag that foolish girl Syr back from whatever divine drama she's wrapped in, you gotta be strong enough to stare down her whole damn Familia and win."
Her eyes narrowed. "Pissed off Ottar? You're a bug under his boot right now. So go. Train. Come back when you can actually stand a chance against the King without turning into a red smear."
She looked at Ryuu, her expression softening imperceptibly.
"And you, Blondie. Inside. Kitchen duty. Work off the angst." Mia turned and stomped back inside, leaving the heavy silence of her pronouncement hanging in the air.
Bell sank to his knees in the grass, the fight draining out of him, replaced by the crushing weight of Mia's pragmatism.
Saving Kaeda tonight was just the beginning. Surviving meant facing the wrath of a goddess scorned.
Surviving meant becoming strong enough to challenge the pinnacle of mortal power. Ottar.
He looked up at the brightening sky, the promise to Ryuu echoing in his mind, mingling with the specter of the King's fury and Freya's wounded obsession.
He raised a hand, not in defiance, but in a silent vow to the uncaring heavens.
Stronger. I need to get stronger.