Nearly didn't made it, fucking 5,070 words.
//
The golden rays of the morning sun slowly pierced through the seams of the wooden window shutters, cutting through the dim remnants of the night.
Hestia's eyelids fluttered open, but she didn't sit up. Her body felt completely battered, as if her life had just run her over, shifted into reverse, and leveled her all over again.
With a weak groan, she remained flat on her back, her arms thrown carelessly above her head, tangled in her messy, unbraided black hair. Her skin was a map of the previous night's intensity, decorated with red marks, flush patches and clear bite marks from her collarbone down to her chest... and all over them as well.
Her torso was completely bare to the morning air, only covered by a warm, dried and thoroughly sticky pool of mixed fluids, clinging to her skin. The pink babydoll nightgown she had materialized with a simple snap of her fingers just for last night was gone, where it ended up, only God knew, because she certainly didn't care to look.
"What... where am I...?" she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.
Her vision swam as she blinked at the ceiling, completely dazed and disoriented. The sheer ferocity of the past few hours must have completely scattered her thoughts.
But as her soul slowly anchored back into her body, a distinct, unfamiliar sensation made itself known between her thighs.
Curiosity getting the better of her, Hestia gathered what little strength she had to lift the heavy blanket, poking her head underneath to check.
'Oh, dear gods...' she thought, instantly regretting it.
It was an absolute war zone down there. Her legs were completely splayed out, wide open and covered in matching red marks. They felt as heavy as lead, so numb and exhausted that she couldn't even twitch her toes.
But the space between them—now that was quite a sight; she couldn't even bring herself to describe it in anything but obscene terms—a shameless, messy testament to their wild hours together.
Suffice it to say there was a lot of "it", and those sheets ought to be burned.
Slowly, the vivid memories of the night flooded back into her brain. Hestia's face instantly caught fire, burning a bright as embarrassment took over. But the shame lasted only a second. Slowly, a silly, utterly helpless smile spread across her lips.
"Hehehe~" A breathless, quiet giggle escaped her as she stared at the ceiling, her mind looping through every touch.
Completely infatuated, she rolled her head to the side to look at the culprit who had destroyed her so beautifully.
Luki was dead to the world, snoring softly. The sheet only covered him from the waist down, leaving his chest bare, while his wing-ears rested gently against the white pillow.
Hestia carefully dragged her heavy upper body over, wrapping her arms around him in a tight, content embrace. She leaned in close to his ear and whispered playfully:
"My tireless little monster... mommy is so proud of you~" She pressed a soft, lingering kiss against his cheek.
Basking in his warmth and holding him close, a wave of bittersweet memories washed over her—not just of the passionate night they had shared, but of everything they had built together before this moment.
There was nothing Hestia wanted more than to collapse back onto the mattress, wrap her arms tightly around him and sleep tangled with her love, even if she was completely covered in sticky fluids.
But that was impossible.
Slowly, her expression shifted into a resigned, heavy smile as a soft sigh escaped her lips. This was it... the time had come... it was over.
Hestia reluctantly pulled away from him, feeling her skin almost unsticking from his due to the dried fluids, which brought her back to her senses.
'I can't go out looking like this...' she thought, her smile fading into a melancholic curve. 'It's a shame; I was actually liking the feeling...'
SNAP!
Everything changed.
There was no sound, no blinding flash of light or distortion in the air. One moment, the room smelled heavily of the raw, intense aftermath of their lovemaking; the next, it was pristine, organized, and filled with a fresh breeze, as if it had just undergone a thorough cleaning.
On the bed, everything had returned to normal. Both Luki and Hestia were now fully dressed and clean, looking as fresh as if they had just stepped out of a bath.
Feeling the numbness and stinging ache vanish from her waist down, Hestia dragged herself to the edge of the bed and stood up. A familiar hair ribbon materialized out of thin air into her hands, and she efficiently tied her long hair back into her signature pigtails.
"The sun is high... I slept for too long, they must be waiting already," she murmured, her eyes fixing on the bright window.
Once her hair was tied, there was nothing left to do. No more excuses to delay the inevitable. Hestia felt a profound, crushing sadness weighing on her chest, but she refused to cry. She had prepared herself for this.
She would walk out of this room with her head held high, full of dignity, without showing a single ounce of weakness to the clowns who she called kin.
Hestia took one last look at her companion, memorizing every single detail of his sleeping face, wanting to lock this image in her mind forever.
"I'm so sorry, Luki," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly as she gently brushed her fingers through his blue hair. "I know we promised we would go through this together... but I wouldn't be able to bear saying goodbye to you like that."
Leaning down slowly, she pressed a small peck against his lips.
"Sleep..." she murmured against his mouth.
The moment the command left her lips, Luki's breathing slowed, and his internal rhythm shifted instantly, sinking into a state of deep slumber.
'This way, he won't wake up until well after noon, long after everything is already over.' she thought, turning toward the exit.
'See you later, my love...'
Hestia turned and walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.
...
Inside, Luki remained dead to the world, exactly as she had left him.
But suddenly... one of his wing-ears twitched.
...
Hestia walked down the silent hallway, her steps making no sound against the wooden floorboards. The entire house was wrapped in a heavy, suffocating quiet, as if everyone were still deeply asleep.
She eventually reached the staircase and slowly made her way down to the ground floor.
"Took you long enough," a voice suddenly cut through the silence.
Hestia glanced over and found her friends from the Hostess gathered around a single table. None of them were wearing their usual uniforms or eating anything. They just sat there as if they had been waiting for her.
"Aren't you going to talk to him one last time?" Mia asked. Her tone lacked its usual aggressive edge, replaced by something much more restrained and deeply worried, though her voice remained as strong as ever. "Don't go doing something you'll only end up regretting in the future."
Hestia smiled softly at the sight. Looking at them brought back the very reason she had decided to descend to this lower world in the first place: she wanted real friends. She wanted a family.
For an eternity, she had been entirely alone, A common thing that all the god share because they are fundamentally incapable of feeling true, impulsive mortal emotions. Their divine "friendships," even when sincere, always lacked the warmth she and many others were desperately searching for.
Only now, bound within a fragile mortal vessel, could she finally experience what it truly meant to be loved. Having friends who genuinely cared about her well-being and having a person with whom she could share unfiltered, passionate feelings... it was simply magical.
Moving her to her very core, a single tear pooled at the corner of her eye, though she refused to let it fall.
"Good morning, girls," she said softly, completely ignoring Mia's question.
They all smiled back in acknowledgment.
"We came to say goodbye, there is no way you were going to sneak past us like this," Anya spoke up, completely dropping her typical childish 'nya' from her speech
"Exactly, you are family now, Hestia-sama. You didn't honestly think you could shake us off that easily, did you?" Lunoire chimed in.
Then, as if they had planned beforehand, they all stood up at once, closing the distance to wrap Hestia in a tight, group embrace.
"We're going to miss you, shorty."
"The tavern is going to feel incredibly dull without you."
"Just make sure you don't forget about us when you're back up there."
"No matter what happens today, and no matter where you are, Hestia-sama... will remain in our hearts forever."
"We'll take care of everything down here, so don't even waste a single thought on the customers. They'll get over it."
"Thank you for being my friend, Hestia-sama. Thank you for bringing so much light into our daily lives."
"And Lili will keep her promise and look after Luki-sama. I won't let any hussy get near him."
Hestia remained utterly silent, her eyes darting from one face to the next as each girl spoke. The heavy tear pooling at the corner of her eye grew larger, weighing down her eyelashes. The wall of stoic dignity she had tried so hard to build around herself was rapidly crumbling.
.
"Girls..." Hestia choked out, a small, breathless sob escaping her throat as she desperately tried to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand. "You're... you're completely ruining me here..."
"That was exactly the plan. We kinda practiced this so we wouldn't step on each other's lines!" Anya chirped proudly, ruining the emotional atmosphere in a heartbeat.
Mia's hand instantly came down on Anya's head, though without any real force. "Shut up, Anya."
"What?! But it's true!"
"Pff~ Hahahaha!" A sudden, bubbly burst of laughter broke through Hestia's tears, her shoulders shaking as she let out a genuine smile.
"Thank you, everyone, I can depart in peace, knowing I have so many wonderful friends who cared for me," Hestia whispered, her voice thick with emotion but stable now.
They shared one last, tight embrace, a long moment of heavy silence stretching between them before they finally pulled apart.
As they stepped back, a strange, suffocating atmosphere settled over the room—that awkward, painful barrier where there was simply nothing left to say.
Breaking the stillness, Mia placed a large, calloused hand on Hestia's shoulder, repeating her earlier question with a solemn gaze.
"Are you absolutely certain you don't want him by your side? The boy is going to take this incredibly hard."
Hestia gently placed her smaller hand over Mia's, offering a bittersweet but resolute expression. "It's better this way, Mia-mama. I wouldn't be able to leave without making a scene if he were standing there with me. Luki will understand."
"That's a low blow, Hestia. He might end up hating you for this."
Hestia smiled, a sudden flash of absolute confidence radiating from her. "He won't. At most, he'll be upset for a few minutes, but he'll soon find something else to occupy his stubborn mind. I know my man."
"If you say so..." Mia sighed, slowly pulling her hand away from the goddess's shoulder.
With everyone aside, the path to the tavern's entrance was completely clear. Hestia wiped her face one last time to compose herself, took a deep, centering breath, and walked out the door without looking back.
The girls remained frozen in silence, their eyes fixed on the empty doorway. A deep, depressive aura rapidly filled the tavern.
"Well... she's really gone," Anya murmured, staring blankly at the floor.
"It was her choice," Chloe muttered, leaning against a table. "There is absolutely nothing we can do about it."
"I know... but what is the point of being strong if we are always so completely powerless?" Anya replied, her shoulders slumping.
"If it feels this heavy for us, imagine how it must feel for her, that is a Goddess," Lunoire added darkly.
Ryuu stared at the closed door, her eyes cold and distant. "We are entirely at the mercy of their whims. If a god decides to ruin everything we love, we can only watch in absolute impotence."
"Or we could just lose our minds and kill them first..." Chloe whispered darkly.
An uneasy, suffocating silence fell over the veteran adventurers. Killing a god was a taboo of the highest order, but as the bloody history of the terrorist group Evilus had recently proven, it was terrifyingly possible. Yet, those who dared to commit such a sin rarely lived to tell the tale.
Crash...
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the first floor, shattering the grim atmosphere. Anya and Chloe snapped their heads toward the staircase, their ears twitching.
"Did something just fall up there?" Chloe asked, frowning.
But before anyone could process the thought, a body came tumbling down the stairs, rolling haphazardly down the wooden steps until crashing onto the ground floor.
"Luki-sama?!" Lili shrieked in horror, breaking from her quiet corner and sprinting toward him, with Ryuu moving right behind her.
They both quickly rushed to his side, hooking their arms under his shoulders to help him up. With their support, Luki began to force his trembling body off the floor, his limbs shaking violently from the sheer strain.
He was trapped in a brutal internal war against the crushing weight of Hestia's divine command. His eyelids fluttered heavily, an invisible force desperately trying to drag his soul back into deep slumber. Yet, through pure, stubborn force of will, he resisted.
"Where... where is Hestia...?" Luki gasped out, his voice raspy and strained.
...
The city was strangely, unsettlingly empty, as if the metropolis itself felt the weight of the moment and had gone quiet out of respect.
Hestia, however, didn't seem to care. She walked serenely, a gentle, bittersweet smile playing on her lips. One moment she was entirely alone; the next, the sound of multiple footsteps surrounded her.
She glanced around, recognizing the familiar faces of Hephaestus, Loki, Takemikazuchi, Miach, and Hermes, who had just joined her from nowhere.
"What a triumphant entrance, for a second, I would have thought you all came here to arrest me," Hestia joked softly, her voice light.
"We wanted to talk to you one last time, but you disappeared completely last night," Hephaestus said, her single visible eye softened with genuine worry.
"Were you hiding, shorty?" Loki chimed in, crossing her arms. "If my Arcanum wasn't sealed, I would have found you in a heartbeat."
Hestia flashed a wry smile, internally recalling the divine barrier she had erected to protect her final hours with Luki. Her expression then turned deeply serious, her playful demeanor vanishing as she looked at the powerful gods around her.
Without a hint of shame, Hestia smoothly changed the subject. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your divine presence, then?"
"I simply came to say goodbye," Takemikazuchi replied, giving her a light punch on the shoulder. "I didn't expect you would be forced to return to Tenkai so soon."
"None of us did, I suppose that's exactly why we place so much importance on the fleeting moments we share down here," Hestia murmured, looking up at the towering silhouette of Babel ahead.
"Others wanted to join—like Artemis—but since everyone's situation is unique, in the end, it was just us, only the faithful ones. Orario won't be the same without our little troublemaker," Miach said gently, offering her a warm, comforting smile.
"Troublemaker, my ass. You bastards are the ones who can't handle your own problems, and it ends up falling on me." She said this in a light, joking tone.
They laughed a little, and silence settled in; Hestia felt a sense of déjà vu—or something close to it, considering this had actually happened just two minutes ago. And just like before, that awkward atmosphere needed to vanish.
"I need to ask a favor of you all, it's about Luki. He is going to catch a massive amount of unwanted attention. Please, keep an eye on him. Protect him from the vultures."
The gods fell silent, trading heavy looks.
"You don't even need to ask, Hestia, he will always have a place with us."
"I am already his master; it would be shameful if I did not protect my disciple."
"Hmph, the brat is a magnet for trouble, but I won't let anyone lay a finger on him."
"Needless to say, I've already promised to take care of his gear no matter what. Speaking of which, I'll need to make some adjustments to his sword after you get back..."
Hermes adjusted his fedora, a sharp, knowing glint in his eyes. "You can count on me too; I'll guide the kid through the shadows. I'm eager to see where he ends up."
Hestia's eyes narrowed instantly, her serious expression twisting into an angry pout as she pointed a sharp finger at him.
"Don't you get cocky with me, Hermes! I still haven't forgiven you, you shitty mailman!" she snapped, raising her voice.
Hermes immediately made a resigned, defeated face. He knew she was entirely right. Even though everything had technically worked out in the end and he had already taken his physical beating for it, the mess was completely his fault. He couldn't even defend himself.
"Oh, come on—you already hit me over this; you know I didn't do it on purpose. It's my job." He pleaded with mock anguish.
Glaring at him for a second longer, Hestia finally sighed, crossing her arms. "Fine... I might reconsider your case, but only if you do a perfect job. If anything happens because of Ouranos's nonsense, I'm coming down there and smacking the hell out of both of you."
"I will not fail you," Hermes replied with a rare, solemn bow.
As they finally reached the grand plaza at the base of the Tower of Babel, the other gods stopped in their tracks. They couldn't be seen entering alongside her at this moment; the godly political shits.
With a few final, quiet nods of farewell, the group of gods seamlessly melted back into the surroundings, disappearing from sight. Only Loki remained behind, leaving Hestia alone with her at the entrance.
"Loki?" Hestia called out softly, not exactly surprised by her presence.
Loki remained silent, her back turned to Hestia so her expression was hidden. However, the tense posture of her body, her frustrated groan and the irritated way she dug her fingers into her own red hair made it obvious that she was frustrated.
"I'm sorry, Hestia, this... this shouldn't be happening to you." Loki whispered, her tone sounding uncharacteristically bitter and helpless.
Seeing her rival and friend look so genuinely serious and worried, Hestia couldn't resist teasing her one last time.
"What's this? Is the washboard actually worried about me?" Hestia giggled playfully, stepping closer to her. "Aww, you really didn't have to."
"I am serious, damn it!" Loki snapped irritably, throwing her hands over her eyes as if nursing a massive headache. "Shit... just look at how all of this turned out."
Loki couldn't find the right words, perhaps because she always struggled to open up, or because the person standing in front of her was Hestia. Yet, both of them knew exactly how much she was hurting. Despite their endless bickering, they were great friends, and Loki cared deeply for her.
Now, Hestia was about to leave everything behind to return to the curse that was that apathetic, stagnant life in Tenkai—doomed to feel nothing but an eternal yearning for the mortal world she was forced to leave.
Only the gods, who have lived there, know how horrible it is—especially now that she has tasted the sweetness of mortal life.
It was a truly bitter pill to swallow.
Suddenly, Loki felt a soft, comforting warmth press against her back as two small arms wrapped gently around her neck from behind.
"Why are you the one looking so frustrated? I'm the one who got screwed over here." Hestia murmured close to her ear, speaking as if her own impending doom didn't even matter to her.
"That's exactly why! You barely just got down here, and now you have to go back and throw everything away... You even found a guy who actually loves you. Hell, Hestia, you didn't deserve any of this."
"You're talking as if it's your fault, Loki."
"In a way, it is. I promised I would help, didn't I?" Loki muttered, looking down.
"And you did."
"But what good did it do?" Loki countered sharply. "We didn't save the brat; he did it himself. We just threw away resources and lives of several others... Man, now I get why they're so hell-bent on screwing you over."
"What can I do? I sympathize with them and the children they lost—and so do you. But my family is more important."
"As it should be... it's just that... I'm one of the two big factions in this city, and I can't even help my friend properly..."
Hestia looked at her from the corner of her eye. Seeing Loki so genuinely sad on her behalf filled her heart with a deep, profound solace. Leaning in, Hestia pressed a warm, affectionate kiss against Loki's cheek.
"Stop with the depressing sob story," Hestia chided gently, a soft smile on her lips. "If you really want to help me right now, then keep a close eye on Freya. You're the only one who can match her around here anyway."
Loki blinked, the tension leaving her shoulders. A fierce, determined smirk slowly returned to her face. "You can count on me, girl. As long as I'm breathing, I won't let any god touch a single hair on his head."
Turning around, Loki extended her closed fist toward her. Hestia smiled warmly, raising her own hand to meet it in a silent fist bump.
With a final, understanding nod, Loki turned on her heel, took a few steps and seamlessly vanished.
Hestia stood still for a few moments, staring at the empty space. She shrugged her shoulders lightly, turned around, and finally stepped into the towering shadow of Babel, heading toward the upper floors for her final judgment.
...
High above Orario, the packed amphitheater atop the Tower of Babel hummed with the impatient chatter of dozens of gods. In the absolute center stood Ouranos, wearing formal purple robes with a golden cross, waiting patiently with a heavy ledger in his hands.
"She's late, do you think she ran?"
"Where would she even go? There is no escaping us in this lower world."
Suddenly, the heavy iron doors ground open, and an absolute silence fell over the room as every divine eye locked onto the entrance.
Hestia stepped into the light, walking forward with a solemn pace and her head held high. Ignoring the mocking grins and glances of pity from the stands, her posture radiated an unyielding dignity.
She walked straight down the central path and came to a halt directly in front of Ouranos, staring up at the massive god without a single trace of fear.
For a long, agonizing moment, Hestia and Ouranos simply stared at each other. The ancient god let out a deep, heavy sigh that seemed to echo from the very depths of the earth, before raising his voice to address the arena.
"Let the final judgment begin," Ouranos announced, his booming voice cutting through the whispers.
The amphitheater fell dead silent as every deity leaned forward. Opening the ledger, he looked down at the and began to read the formal charges with absolute neutrality.
"Goddess Hestia, you stand accused of the following high offenses against the sacred covenant of Genkai."
"First: The unauthorized use of Arcanum inside the Dungeon on multiple occasions.
Second: Threatening and attacking fellow deities.
Third: The unapproved and excessive deployment of divine power in the lower world.
Fourth: Suspected orchestration behind the deaths of hundreds of mortals across dozens of different Familias."
It was all utter bullshit, and every single god in that room knew it.
Misuse of divine power? Deities threw their weight around whenever it was convenient, but now that she was on the chopping block, they suddenly cared about the rules.
Threatening other gods? They spent eternity playing mind games, waging War Games, and stealing each other's children. All she had done was threaten to break the world if they didn't help.
Attacking a god? She had beaten Hermes, but the bastard completely deserved it, and nobody had even tried to stop her.
As for orchestrating hundreds of mortal deaths? That was a massive stretch. At most, a few Familias had lost some units to the Dungeon's natural disasters—unpredictable events they were already used to. They were just using her as a scapegoat to vent their own frustrations.
Using Arcanum inside the Dungeon, however... okay, that one was reasonable. That was a taboo nobody dared to cross for fear of awakening a Black Monster Rex and destroying everything. But the rest?
Pure lies and slander.
Ouranos turned the heavy page, his deep voice dragging everyone back to reality. "Ten days ago, by a majority vote of this council, the offender Hestia was granted a final grace period due to this being her first official infraction. That period has now expired. It is time for the final verdict."
The ancient god closed the ledger and fixed his gaze entirely on her.
"Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth, the Home, and the Sacred Fire, do you have anything to say in your defense?" Ouranos called out solemnly.
"Oh, yes," Hestia replied, a sharp, confident smirk pulling at her lips. "I certainly have something to say."
She turned around, slowly scanning the stands to face every single deity who had gathered to gloat over her downfall. Yet, for some reason, she was the one who looked victorious.
"To all you idiots who think you can just get rid of me and go after my Luki," Hestia called out, her voice ringing clear through the arena. She threw a very loud, indiscreet glare directly at Freya, who sat elegantly in the stands. "Or those who think they can puppet the fate of the world from the shadows using other people's children..." Her gaze snapped right back toward Ouranos. "I strongly suggest you watch your backs from now on. My love can be incredibly violent when he wants to be."
For a split second, the amphitheater was dead silent. Then, the entire room erupted into a violent, chaotic uproar of furious shouting.
"Who the hell are you calling an idiot?!"
"Who does this busty shorty think she is?!"
"I'm going to hunt down that boy of yours to make up for everyone I lost! He'll help me become one of the next kings of Orario!"
The stands quickly devolved into a childish, pathetic tantrum. Amidst the shouting, Freya simply brought a delicate hand to her lips, concealing her usual, amused smile. She clearly found the entire spectacle deeply entertaining.
Hestia smiled, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Ouranos. The ancient god let out a long, exhausted sigh at the pathetic behavior of his own kind.
"Silence!" Ouranos commanded.
Instantly, a crushing, suffocating pressure fell over the entire arena, causing the very air to darken. The gods slammed back into their seats, shutting their mouths in pure terror beneath the absolute weight of his divine aura.
Once the room was completely quiet, Ouranos drew back his pressure and continued as if nothing had happened.
"According to the laws agreed upon by all deities the moment we descended to this lower world," Ouranos spoke, his voice booming with authority. "The standard punishment for these offenses is exile to Tenkai for a duration of one thousand years. However, as this is her first official infraction, she is granted a first-offender mitigation, reducing her sentence by three hundred years. Is the council in agreement?"
A chorus of unison "Yes" echoed through the stands. Hestia rolled her eyes, casually chiming in right after. "Yes, whatever."
Ouranos paid her no mind, raising his hands. "Then, by the authority granted to me as the leader of the Adventurer's Guild, the first god of this world, and the representative of this high tribunal-"
"Oh, just get on with it already," Hestia interrupted, waving her hand dismissively. "I have places to be."
Ouranos paused, throwing a profoundly tired, done-with-everything look at her. Closing his heavy ledger with a dull thud, he muttered unenthusiastically, completely out of patience: "Goddess Hestia is hereby ordered to release a fraction of her Arcanum and allow herself to be forced back to Tenkai by the natural laws of Genkai."
Without another word, the ancient god turned on his heel and walked away, grumbling under his breath.
Hestia let out a soft laugh at his irritation. She then looked straight up at the open sky, gently closing her eyes as she prepared to unleash her hidden divinity.
'See you later, Luki...' she thought, a final, peaceful smile gracing her lips.
And then, a sudden, blinding flash of divine light erupted.
...
Out on the quiet streets of Orario, Luki was dragging his heavy body forward. He was barely moving, his legs so entirely numb and unresponsive that he couldn't even take a proper step on his own. Ryuu supported his weight with her arm hooked under his shoulder, while Lili wrapped herself tightly around his waist, desperately helping him stay upright as they moved toward the center of the city.
Suddenly, a massive, brilliant pillar of sky-blue and golden light pierced through the heavy clouds, shooting straight up from the top of the Tower of Babel and illuminating the entire sky.
The girls froze in their tracks, their breaths catching in their throats as they looked up at the unmistakable signal of a deity's forced return to Tenkai.
Luki's eyes widened in absolute horror. The color completely drained from his face, leaving his expression thoroughly shattered, pale, and deeply beaten. The realization hit his chest like a physical blow, crushing whatever strength he had left.
"Hestia..." he choked out, his voice a broken, agonizing whisper as he stared helplessly at the receding light, a wave of pure, suffocating sadness washing over his soul.