So... Long time since I've been here. SciFi Maker here, unfortunately reduced to writing one-shots or so for the time being. College is hell. That is a fact that is as undeniable as Freya's beauty. Expect some slow updates, but I'll do what I can when I have free time... if I gain free time. Well, enjoy.
It's dark. I can't see. I can't move.
"Bell!"
That voice...
"Don't hurt him!" *Clash*
I don't recognize it... I feel like I should... it feels important.
"Sorry, H̷̥̱̎̋ḛ̴̛̼͍̋͆̀s̶̨͈͎̺̦͒́̈̅t̴͍͐͆̉̕ḭ̴̧̢̯̲̰̑̔̽̒a̷̢̛͚͍̥͚̘̅̇̈́̅, but his time has come."
I feel scared all of a sudden. Why?
"No! Bell!"
What's going on? I don't feel safe. I feel weak.
"What are you intending to do to him!?"
"A̵̡̛̘̣͋̽͛r̴͔͉̩̹͌̄̅̌̕͠g̸͖̺̈́ȯ̶̡̧̬̭̜̓̂̉͛̕n̶̰͎̳̳̯͋̌̐̌͋ą̸͓̈́͛͌̎͝u̸̢̝̱͎̒͊̉́͠ͅţ̷̤̤̘̮͗͘-̴̗̤̬̗͛̎͋͊̉ͅk̴̗̩̗̇̍̒ú̸̡͎̳̩̫ͅň̴̨̲͉̲͉͠ͅ!̷̧͕̱̗̔͋̍̔͝ Hang on!"
I don't want to be here! But how...
*A pained yelp.*
"I won't let you take him!"
*The impact of metal against cobblestone.*
... how do I escape? I can't move!
"Bell."
What-
"Calm yourself."
This voice...
"Listen to the sound of my voice."
A light...?
"Forget the chaos within your mind."
It's comforting...
"Come to me."
The light's coming closer.
"Rest in the comfort of my embrace..."
I feel my strength coming back... the light is right in front of me...
"Become mine..."
Yes... this feels...
"And be born anew."
Slowly, Bell's eyes adjusted to the light. His vision began to clear. He saw an familiar ceiling, but he couldn't properly recall what it belonged to. Sections and pieces, but never whole.
'What was it...' Bell thought. 'I feel like the answer is on the tip of my tongue...'
He tried to get up, but felt a weight on top of him.
'Is there something on my chest?'
He craned his neck and saw a girl. His prior movement had woken her up, and she got off of him to stretch. It was at that moment he saw her face.
When she introduced herself. "My name is Syr Flova." Handing a box to him. "Here's your lunch." Making a sad puppy eyes face. "Is that not okay?"
Memories he couldn't recall suddenly flooded into his mind, the pieces coming together naturally. He had to rest his head back on the pillow as he groaned, a headache having popped up as a result of some of his memories returning. The girl- no, Syr, looked down to him when he groaned.
"Bell?" She asked with doubt at seeing his current state.
"Syr..." Bell managed to say. Syr's eyes widened, soon followed by tears welling up in the corners. She then enveloped Bell in a hug.
"Bell!" She yelled, as she began to sob. "I thought you'd never wake up... after that incident..."
'Incident?' Bell thought. 'What is she talking about?'
"Wait, wait, what incident?" He asked.
"... You don't remember?" Syr asked.
"I... don't remember anything properly, really." Bell responded.
"Oh, no..." Syr said as she hugged him again. "I'm so sorry... I should've noticed the danger sooner..."
"Where am I?"
"The Hostess of Fertility. Ryuu and I brought you here; you were still conscious. Do you really not remember?"
The door to the room suddenly burst open, surprising the two, as an elf and a girl with cat ears ran in.
"What's going on, nya!? I heard yelling and came as quickly as I can, nya!"
"Syr, are you alright?"
"Anya, Ryuu, calm down," Syr answered. "Bell just woke up, so please..."
Bell felt his headache once again as he saw the two, but unlike Syr, there was only a sense of having met and interacted in a friendly manner, with nothing truly standing out. Ryuu took notice of his reaction.
"Syr, what's wrong with Cranel-san, aside from what we already know?"
Syr's face showed sadness upon being asked, but she answered nevertheless, "Bell's lost his memories..."
"Nya?!" Anya exclaimed while Ryuu displayed mild shock.
"I've lost all my progress, nya! Start all my flirts from zero again, nya!"
"Anya, your flirting would make Bell's situation worse right now," Ryuu said. Anya deflated in an exaggerative manner in response.
"That aside, memory loss is serious. We can't just try to explain everything to Cranel-san. A slow recovery in which he can focus on sorting out his memories gradually might be best for him."
"Right," Syr said, "Bell, you rest, okay? You must be famished. I'll bring you something to eat." She then smiled at him as she left, and Bell felt something new. Somehow, Syr was important to him in a special way compared to others he may have interacted with. That whatever he had been doing was for her in that special bond. Was it for her attention? Seeing her smile like he did just now? Even just plain goofing around? He couldn't delve into it now, but the feeling remained in his heart. He was sure the answer would come to light... eventually.
"Mama Mia and Chloe made some soup for you," Syr said as she returned to the room. "Will that be okay?"
"Oh, uh, yes. Thank you, Syr," Bell answered. He was going to take the bowl of soup when he felt pain course through his chest.
"Be careful. You didn't just bump your head in that incident," Syr warned. Bell hadn't noticed he had bandages wrapped all over his chest until now.
"Here, I'll feed you." Syr then took a spoonful of the soup and pointed it towards Bell, making the latter blush.
"S-Syr! There's no need-"
"I insist. Say 'ah!'"
"O-Okay... ah..."
Bell opened his mouth and Syr placed the spoon of soup in.
"I worked extra carefully with this. Does it taste good?"
"It's great!" Bell exclaimed, and he saw her give that smile a second time. It felt so special, in a way that words could not describe.
"Bell, you're staring..." Syr hid her face behind her free hand.
"Ah-ah! I'm sorry!" Bell responded.
"We'll leave you two alone, nya! Do tell us all the exciting things, nya!" Anya hollered out as Ryuu pushed her out the door and into the hallway. Bell chuckled slightly at the sight. Now would be a good time to ask what was on his mind.
"Hey, Syr?"
"Yes?"
"Before I lost my memories, did we have a... special bond of some sort? I feel different around you, though I don't know if we were best friends, or lovers, I can't tell."
Syr breathed deeply a few times, as if mentally preparing herself. Then she spoke.
"Before you lost your memories... we decided to go on a date that day. We knew each other for quite a time, with you going on about being an adventurer who would fight monsters and save everyone, becoming popular, and me giving you bentos every time you went to the dungeon. We went to different places, talked about what we enjoyed, trying out other things that we both had fun with... and at the end of our date, I confessed to you. I had wished to fall in love with the perfect hero, to live the happiest life with him. You became that hero for me."
Bell's eyes widened. Did he really become a hero...?
"You looked so happy. You were about to say something back... but then... then-!"
'That's when the incident happened...'
"A group of adventurers attacked you. They struck you in the back of the head and you fell, and kept beating you no matter how much I begged them to stop... as if they hated you with every inch of their being..." She started sobbing again. "Ryuu showed up and fended them off. We brought you here since the clinic was too far away. You went unconscious after that, and stayed that way for two weeks... I honestly thought you'd never wake up to give me that answer."
Bell looked down at his hands, before he brought them up to wipe the tears off of Syr's eyes. She grasped his hands in response, holding them close to her.
"Syr... I don't know how to respond to that," Bell said, "and I'm not sure what I intended to say back. But with what little I can remember, I know you're special to me in... in that way. Just saying 'I love you too' wouldn't be an appropriate answer, and I still don't remember what exactly I did to make you see me that way-"
Syr hushed him by tapping her forehead against his, hugging him close yet caringly, as a lover would.
"It's okay, Bell. You shouldn't push yourself. I've come to realize that how people see us is determined by how we make ourselves now. So don't hurt yourself trying to put everything together. If it comes to the worst and there are memories you can never recover... then we can make new ones."
That smile... third time's the charm. He didn't have the whole picture, but Bell truly believed that he became a adventurer just like any other in order to fight and become popular, but mainly, to make her happy. He must've fought to grow stronger, making achievements, all to see her smile grow stronger alongside his strength and will as their relationship drew closer. To go into the dungeon as she watched and come back to the Hostess of Fertility to see her and enjoy their time together. It made sense. It felt right. He would find the whole picture one day, but right now, between the two of them, what he had right now was enough.
Several days have passed since then. At the top of Babel Tower, Freya sat on her throne, gazing out to the city, focused on one thing not so easily spotted with the naked eye.
"Ottar, how is Bell's recovery going so far?" Freya asked, unmoving from her throne.
"He has made a complete physical recovery, but his mental recovery is slower than expected, according to the local physician, Lady Freya."
"That is to be expected. Such a grievous injury takes time and precision to heal; it is not something to be rushed."
"Lady Freya, if I may."
"Is it Hestia and Loki?"
"Yes. Lady Hestia and her Familia in particular are growing impatient, and the Loki Familia is starting to press on the matter, but are withholding. We cannot convince them to hold on their visits with Bell Cranel forever."
"I will handle it, Ottar. Focus on your task in preventing any forceful intervention towards Bell. Our involvement in his recovery is most sensitive."
"As you wish, Lady Freya."
Ottar left the room and Freya resumed staring out into the city. Her eyes squinted slightly.
'Now then, my Vanadis Odr... soon, you'll be ready to take the next step. I eagerly await the results.'
She looked down at her lap where an open book sat, detailing a complex rune.
Bell looked over to the door as it opened, revealing Syr and Ryuu with several other people that gave him a sense of deja vu. He had been told the basics about his Familia, but concerning post-memory loss, this was his first meeting with them. One of the shorter figures jumped at him with the intent to glomp.
"Bell-kuuuuuun!" The figure Bell soon recognized from prior explanation as goddess Hestia tackled him to the bed behind him.
"Goddess, please, you're crushing me," Bell said. Hestia got off and started checking him.
"Sorry, sorry, but I'm so happy to see you awake." Bell felt the pieces add on to his memory slowly, and he bore the headache.
"Yo, Bell," a man stood in front of the others waiting, "I was told about your memory loss, so I'll reintroduce myself and the others. I'm Welf, I would fix everyone's armor. These two are Lily and Mikoto." He pointed to the pallum and eastern girl respectively.
"Ah, nice to meet you...? I'm supposed to know you, but-"
"Bell-sama is strong. I know Bell-sama will remember someday," Lily said encouragingly.
"Ah, thanks."
"Bell-kun, has W̷̧͕̯̆̓̋ą̶̪̹̻́̓̂̂̚l̶̥̼̉̆̄̊̚ͅl̶͚̥̞̙̩͐̎è̸̦̖̋́̆n̸͍̬̍͛̐͠w̶̼̺͕̓̑́h̷̥͍̙͇̻̊̈̑͛̕ą̵̪̠̣͈̔̽̕t̴̗̲͙͍̗͇̽̃͑̎͒̊s̵͙̹̟̻͒̈́̊ͅỉ̶̡̫̥̫͆ẗ̸̨͍̯̦̥́̾̾̀̑͠ or any other thieving girl shown up here?" Hestia asked.
Bell suddenly felt like a nail had been hammered into his skull. Whatever his goddess said had triggered something painful in his mind. He reached up and rubbed his temples.
"Ah! Bell-kun, what's wrong?"
"Just a twinge of pain, nothing I can't handle." Bell didn't want to worry anyone, so he shrugged it off to the best of his ability.
"Also, Syr told me the Freya Familia has been guarding you," Hestia continued. "As much as it annoys me, it was either her or Loki and W̷̧͕̯̆̓̋ą̶̪̹̻́̓̂̂̚l̶̥̼̉̆̄̊̚ͅl̶͚̥̞̙̩͐̎è̸̦̖̋́̆n̸͍̬̍͛̐͠w̶̼̺͕̓̑́h̷̥͍̙͇̻̊̈̑͛̕ą̵̪̠̣͈̔̽̕t̴̗̲͙͍̗͇̽̃͑̎͒̊s̵͙̹̟̻͒̈́̊ͅỉ̶̡̫̥̫͆ẗ̸̨͍̯̦̥́̾̾̀̑͠. And I really don't trust the latter to not pull any tricks around you."
"Well, it was good seeing you, Bell," Welf said, "...wait, where's Haruhime?"
"She had to finish something quickly. She'll be here soon," Mikoto responded. "See you next time, Bell."
Within the main hall of the Hostess of Fertility, Ais, Lefiya, Tiona and Tione were waiting at a table. They had recently heard from Loki and Fynn that Bell had woken up and was able enough to see visitors. Ais showed a rare face of concern, Tiona and Tione simply wanted to see how Bell was doing and maybe tease a little, and Lefiya was only accompanying Ais; it's not like she was worried about Bell's state of mind or anything. Ais took notice of a certain fox girl making her way out of the kitchen.
"Haruhime?" Ais called out.
"Huh... the Sword Princess?"
"Is Bell taking visitors?" Tione asked in Ais' stead.
"Ah. Yes, but Naaza-sama said he should avoid seeing too many faces at once, since it could have a negative impact on his recovery. He can only take in so much information at a time."
"Haruhime, you going to see Bell or not?" Welf called out from the hallway.
"Just a moment. Ais and her companions are here to visit Bell-sama as well."
"Alright, it should be fine. Lily, Mikoto and I are heading back."
"Stay safe." Haruhime waved goodbye to them before turning back to Ais' group. "Bell is in the first room upstairs. Follow me."
Upon reaching the specified room, Ais saw Bell sitting up in bed, with Syr at his side, rubbing his back. And Hestia at the doorway staring daggers at Ais for some reason unknown to her.
"Hey, A̵̡̛̘̣͋̽͛r̴͔͉̩̹͌̄̅̌̕͠g̸͖̺̈́ȯ̶̡̧̬̭̜̓̂̉͛̕n̶̰͎̳̳̯͋̌̐̌͋ą̸͓̈́͛͌̎͝u̸̢̝̱͎̒͊̉́͠ͅţ̷̤̤̘̮͗͘-̴̗̤̬̗͛̎͋͊̉ͅk̴̗̩̗̇̍̒ú̸̡͎̳̩̫ͅň̴̨̲͉̲͉͠ͅ!̷̧͕̱̗̔͋̍̔͝"
That name, whatever it was... Bell felt like another nail was being forced into his mind. He felt that twinge of pain, before the word he heard dissolved into static. He found Syr looking at him with concern. A knock on the door signaled Haruhime's arrival and a few others he had yet to recognize, though Hestia's gaze at the blond knight girl seemed to suggest he had been at least acquainted.
"Bell?" The blond knight girl asked.
"Oh, hello-" Bell suddenly went silent upon seeing her face.
Then he felt the pain. It was as if a wedge was hammered into his mind instead of a nail. Memories that he didn't recognize. Interactions that didn't make sense. Actions that felt off place. It all felt foreign. It felt invasive. It felt wrong.
He found himself in darkness. In front of him, he saw a reflection of himself. A feminine figure covered in shadow draped it's arms around his reflection, covering the eyes and the general area of the chest where the heart would be. The reflection reached out, the wedge of pain receding the closer the reflection's hand reached. The moment the hand touched his forehead, everything turned into static around Bell.
Then he found himself back in the room within the Hostess of Fertility. Disoriented, and vision blurry, Syr kept him stable until he regained his senses. He couldn't recall what just happened. As if it was some bad dream to promptly forget about.
"I'm okay, just a bit dizzy," Bell said.
"Dizzy my foot!" Hestia yelled. "You looked like a Level 5 adventurer slammed a hammer against your noggin!"
"Hestia, calm down..." Syr said with a sweat drop.
He looked at the blonde knight girl's face again...
"I don't think I've met you before. What's your name?" Bell asked.
This time, nothing showed up in his mind. To him, it was his first time meeting her.
To Ais however, she felt her heart drop when Bell didn't remember her.