The bedroom door opened with a faint creak, revealing the simple yet tidy interior. Hestia walked in first, quick steps leading the way, pulling Luki by his good hand. He looked exhausted, but let himself be guided without protest.
— Come on, sit here. Slowly. — she said, already grabbing a pillow from the bed and placing it behind him as she helped him sit.
Luki sat down with a soft sigh, letting his body sink into the makeshift support.
— Hestia-sama, I am fine. No nEEd-
— Shut up. — she cut him off impatiently, already grabbing two more pillows from the corner of the room. — Rest your back here. Yes, now lift up a little… there!
She adjusted everything with brisk efficiency, stacking the pillows behind him like she was building a nest.
— There. Now you're set. Comfortable?
— It's fine.
— Fine what? You thirsty? Want some water? Wait a sec.
Without waiting for an answer, Hestia was already on the other side of the room, grabbing a jug from the dresser. She poured a cup, brought it over, handed it to him, and waited while he drank.
— More?
— No.
— Hot?
— No.
— Cold?
— No.
She crossed her arms, unconvinced, staring at him for two whole seconds. Then, out of nowhere, she dropped to her knees beside the bed, resting her arms on the mattress.
— You're a lot of work.
Luki chuckled.
— And yoU, for some rEAson, aRe LIking it all.
— Unfortunately. — she replied with an exaggerated sigh. — Hmph… So, is there something you do want?
Luki hesitated. Looked away. Scratched his cheek with his good hand.
— …Falna.
Silence.
Hestia's face shut down instantly. Her shoulders slumped, and the forced smile vanished without a trace.
— Seriously, Luki-kun? — her voice came out quiet, but heavy. — You almost died. Your arm is broken. You just barely made it back from the Dungeon. And the first thing you ask for is this?
He lowered his gaze.
— It's… important.
— You have no idea how much this hurts me sometimes. — she went on, not yelling, but not hiding anything either. — I spend hours imagining the worst. Wondering if you'll come back in one piece. And when you do, before you even sit down, you're already asking for numbers. You don't care about my feelings?
She took a long, deep breath. Closed her eyes. Then exhaled slowly, like she was letting go of all the frustration bottled inside.
— …Fine. — she opened her eyes again, weary. — Turn around.
Luki hesitated for a moment, realizing how disappointed she was in him right now. She only wanted the best for him, and they both knew it.
Maybe he could have waited a little longer before asking. Maybe. But since things had already gone this far, all he could do was obey.
— Just one thing. — she said while preparing the materials. — After this, you're going to promise me you'll actually rest. No secret training, no thiking about the future. A bath, hot food, and sleep. Got it?
— I promise...
— Good. Because if you break another bone, I'll break the other one myself.
Without ceremony, Hestia tugged up the hem of Luki's shirt, revealing his back and the divine blessing etched into it like a tattoo.
With a light prick, Hestia bit her finger and touched the mark with a drop of blood. Instantly, the design glowed, and a magical projection formed in the air — translucent and vibrant. Rows of letters and numbers floated in an orderly display, shimmering with a silvery-blue light, like someone had opened an interface made of glass and magic.
She leaned closer, furrowing her brows, her eyes scanning the data.
— Hmm… let's see… how much Excelia did you gather, huh?
Seconds later, Hestia's eyes flew wide. The Excelia count just kept climbing.
— EHHHHHHHH?!
Her shriek was so sharp and sudden that Luki almost leapt out of bed.
— W-what?! What is it?!
She nearly toppled backward, hands flailing in the air like she'd just been electrocuted.
— T-this is wrong! Impossible! H-how did you collect this much?!
Luki blinked, confused.
— How many...?
— Almost four hundred points! — she snapped, shoving the glowing projection toward him like a report card. — Luki-kun!! What the hell happened down there?!
His eyes widened. He stayed quiet for a few seconds.
— A lot of fiGHt, a lot of dANgER... it's kinda mAkes sense to be so muCH
Hestia was still struggling to process the absurdity when her eyes drifted back to the projection. And then-
— EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?! — this time her scream was even louder, so sharp it nearly shattered the window.
Downstairs, a furious voice bellowed from the kitchen:
— HESTIAAAA! ARE YOU THROWING A PARTY OR SLAUGHTERING A PIG UP THERE?!
Hestia froze on the spot like a child caught red-handed.
— J-just updating the Falna, Mia-san! Sorry!
— What now? — Luki asked, tense, still recovering from the first outburst.
Hestia pressed a hand to her mouth, her eyes still huge.
— T-there's also… some High-Level Excelia…
Luki frowned.
— High-Level?
She stared at him like he'd just asked if the sky was blue.
— It's AMAZING! That kind of thing only happens when a major feat is achieved! It's used to sublimate the Falna to the next level, unlocking even more potential.
Overcome with excitement, Hestia threw herself at him like a missile.
— O-ow, the arm! — Luki protested, not in pain but still beign carefull.
— Shhh! Be quiet! — she snapped, not even budging, pressed against him while her eyes darted back to the Falna.
Her expression shifted from shock to intense focus. She leaned in, face close to his back, as if trying to peer through the magical light itself.
As the goddess of the Familia, Hestia had a unique connection to the Falna of her Childrens. Thanks to it, she held a rare privilege: the ability to see the hidden feats behind the numbers.
And there, among the living characters and ever-shifting symbols, they appeared:
"Without map, without guide, without order, this was the first mortal to set foot into the new depth of #######, where none had dared tread before. A pioneer before the unknown."
"Cornered, unprepared, and overwhelmed, he used his cunning to defy all expectations and triumph over his enemies, later facing an Elite Goblin - Hobgoblin, tearing victory from death's hands with blood and grit, even if aided by an unexpected and mysterious force."
"By gazing into the abyss, he grasped part of what its depths conceal. And by grasping, he was grasped in turn. He drew the attention of #######, which shall never forget him."
Hestia froze. The usual sparkle in her eyes was gone.
"'Grasped… and was grasped'?"
Her pupils trembled.
This wasn't normal. Not even close.
She reread the last line, trying to ignore the chill crawling up her spine.
"He drew the attention of #######, which shall never forget him."
The name wasn't written. Of course it wasn't. As if the very rules of the Falna refused to record it.
But to her, it was obvious.
— …Dungeon… — she whispered, barely aware she'd spoken.
Her gaze flicked back to the earlier feats. Alone, each one was a milestone. But together?
A pioneer. A survivor. And a… target?
'Luki… what happened down there, for you to have done all this?'
Her fingers clenched tightly against the sheets. Her chest felt heavy. This was her fear. The thought that, one day, without warning, he just… wouldn't come back.
For a moment, she considered erasing that part. Falsifying the record. Pretending she hadn't seen anything.
Luckily, only she, the goddess of the Familia, could access such hidden details. But even then, she didn't want to risk it. Not with that third feat.
Unseen, Hestia's eyes glowed faintly. Yet within them, something sharp gleamed. A serious, cutting look completely unlike her usual self.
Her fingers traced along her Child's back. Wherever they passed, the Falna's lines writhed and twisted, until they vanished altogether, erased like footprints on the beach swept away by the tide.
'There. Now, not even Ouranos could force his way in without alerting me.' she thought, finally relieved.
That's when Luki spoke up, his voice muffled but filled with curiosity.
— Hestia-sama?
She blinked, as if waking from a troubling dream. And in an instant, the world returned: the room, the warmth, the smell of old wood and cheap wine rising from downstairs.
And Luki, back turned to her. Waiting for an answer.
Without meeting his eyes, she said:
— Divine business. Quiet.
The reply was dry. Final.
Luki opened his mouth to ask again, but stopped.
Silence.
Then, with a sigh, she forced a smile and pulled back slightly.
— It's nothing, I was just really surprised. — she lied with practiced ease. — Shall we take a look at your stats now?
She shifted the subject with shameless boldness, her smile leaving no room for debate.
What it all truly meant… only Hestia knew. And for now, she intended to keep that answer to herself.