Hey everybody, A new chapter is out for Sylphid's Happiness. I hope you all enjoy it, I will be honest the vast majority of the and the previous few chapters have been done from my phone as I have more time to write if I use my phone. Sorry, rambling. The hunt begins. Let me know what you think. - EG

P.S. I'm really tired as I am finishing this up. I should have gone to be several hours ago. But I really wanted to finish this chapter as I was almost done. I hope you enjoy this chapter regardless of my digressions. - EG

Chapter 23 The Hunt

Bell, Ryu, Hestia, and Ottar all ran straight towards Babel Tower. Hestia needed to see with her own eyes if what she thought was true. To help speed things along, Bell carried her in his arms knowing full well that she would never be able to keep up with the top-tier adventures. Hestia couldn't help but blush slightly despite the serious situation as her first child carried her like a princess. Within five minutes they were at the base of the tower, quickly barreling past everybody they took the elevator up to the top floor. The journey up took just as long as their dash there, much to everybody's annoyance. The door opened to show a grand pair of doors that seemed to open of their own accord as Ottar approached.

"Helun, any change in our ladies' condition?" Ottar demanded as they rounded a corner to see a female standing guard, her grey hair whipped around as she snapped her head towards the sound.

"No change, I can sense. But why have you brought them? It's partially their fault that our lady is like this." She spoke softly as she narrowed her eyes at the site of Hestia and the others.

"Why you…" Hestia started but was cut off by Ottar.

"My guess was correct that they would know this symbol, and Goddess Hestia seems to know what's going on.

Bell paid no attention to them talking, he saw it. A shadowy aura surrounding Freya as well as a silver shimmer that leaks off of her then fades into the atmosphere. "What's that shadow aura?" He muttered, catching everybody's attention.

"What do you mean, what shadow aura?" Ottar questioned, causing Bell to look at him in confusion.

"Bell… you can see it as well?" Hestia softly asked, to which Bell could only nod in affirmation. Hestia sighed, "What about you Ryu?" She remained silent but shook her head in the negative. "It seems that only those with divine blood can see it." The room immediately fell silent.

"Goddess…" Bell whispered, somewhat in disbelief that she would tell his secret like that. Though it's not like he is one to talk, as he told Riveria before they even were allies. Ryu winced in sympathy as she felt his string of emotions.

"There is no point in hiding it any longer. You said you can see the aura." Hestia looked and watched Helun and Ottar for a reaction. Helun could only sputter in surprise, Ottar remained quiet but she could see the surprise in his eyes. "Right, let me take a closer look. I'm not a healing Goddess, but I might have some insight. Bell come here and help me. Tell me what you see as well." Hestia was uncertain if it was a good idea for Bell to take a closer look, but she trusted the boy.

Bell silently approached, as he did a gentle throbbing in his head, he had since the dream he had last night, grew when he was no more than a foot away he had to grab his head as the pain grew until it felt like his mind would split in half from the pain. He fell to one knee, Ryu and Hestia rushed over to help him. But he didn't notice their cries of concern. Memories flashed before his eyes, through the blur of memory he spotted the symbol. He lurched forward nearly vomiting.

Hestia couldn't understand what happened, she felt normal perfectly fine. Why had it affected Bell so much? She turned to question Ryu, "Has anything happened that I don't know about? No matter how small.!" She watched as Ryu looked towards her, the fear plain her eyes then she looked between Ottar and Helun.

Ryu hesitated to reply but knew she shouldn't hide the truth. But even so, she hesitated, "Bell… he had a dream last night. He was sitting around a campfire talking to an Elf known as Ryulu, which called him Argonaut. He didn't tell me the specifics of the dream. I told him to rest before he could…" She thought for a moment. "You've read the letter that his grandfather gave him correct? Do you think it has something to do with that?"

Hestia thought, "It could be he was having a dream from a past life… It is almost unheard of because the souls get purified before being sent back down to the lower world. But the strength of the soul must have taken longer than normal and the way it was forced down might have made the purification incomplete." Hestia theorized as she watched Bell shaking slightly.

"The… broken arrow but never be reformed…" Bell said, catching everybody's attention. He was shaking violently clutching his head with one hand the other on the floor to steady himself.

"What do you mean Bell?" Ryu frantically asked, Ottar and Helun only could watch in a mixture of horror and curiosity.

Bell ignored her as he continued rambling, "Broken… arrow, will destroy the only sanctuary of mortals…" He spoke again, his voice changing slightly.

Ryu couldn't watch anymore she closed her eyes and focused on the connection they shared. As she focused, her own thoughts ran wild. She was blocked, she couldn't feel his mind. The link was still there just as strong as before. She heard a voice call out muffled as if echoing through the barrier, 'Don't Ryu… you shouldn't feel what I am right now… it's taking all my strength to prevent this…' She didn't listen she grasped the connection and wormed her way through the barrier. It seemed to crack as she grew closer, then it shattered the flood of sensations that assaulted her mind was unimaginable.

Hestia watched in horror as Ryu moved closer and gripped Bell holding him close. Then she reacted much the same way even as the shaking of Bell became less violent. Ryu began to tear up shortly after as if sharing in his torment. Hestia didn't know what to do, so she decided to place her trust in the elf and continued to observe Freya's form. "Let's see here…" She couldn't use her divine power but she was still a goddess, she placed a soft hand on the mark, closing her eyes. But to everybody watching, nothing seemed to happen but as Helun was about to pull the tiny goddess away from Freya she noticed that Hestia began to sweat.

"What are you…" Helun was asking but was cut off.

"Silence Child, give me a minute of silence." Hestia interrupted with force nobody thought was possible from the goddess.

Lili had been running for several minutes, unfortunately, Twilight Manor was on the opposite side of the city. But gradually she approached ignoring the general populous, she had a mission she could fail at. The gate of the manor came into view, gasping for air she approached the guards knowing who she was demanded to know what she wanted. "An… emergency… Loki needs to know…" great gasps of air flooded her lungs as she waited.

The first guard a female human nodded, "Come with me then."

Leading Lili through the main entrance, the guard knocked on a door as Finn answered, "Come in!" He ordered as the female guard opened the door leading Lili through the door. "What is this about?"

"She approached the gate out of breath from running asking to talk to Loki as soon as possible." The guard responded.

Loki who was in conference with Finn approached the exhausted Prum, "Well what is it?" She asked not rudely but more impatient.

"Lili needs… to talk in private with… executives and you…" Lili managed through gasps of air.

"Go get Riveria and Gareth immediately!" Finn ordered taking charge of the situation.

"Daedalus Street, of course, it's obvious." Hestia finally managed to pull her hand away from the mark, now with deep bags under her eyes looking exhausted.

"What about that labyrinth?" Ottar was the one who questioned.

"It's not my specialty, but I managed to track where her divine power is leaking to…" She was exhausted, the idea of tracking a divine signature was very similar to how every deity knew if one had used their power. But the problem was, she wasn't using her power it was being drained. "It's in the labyrinth, I don't know where but that is where it's going. I think someone like Hermes could say better, but I don't know." She let out a deep sigh, then turned to face Ottar. "You said the Freya familia is searching for whoever did this right?" He nodded, "Send several to that portion of the city. They might be able to find something but I doubt it."

Ryu grimaced as the memories filled her mind as well, but while she expected to feel his past life, she didn't expect to feel his crushing guilt as memories surfaced, Dancing with Artemis, how the divine power had been siphoned from her. Bell learning the truth learning what he would have to do. The divine light that rose when the job was done. "Bell…" She managed through their connection, time passed she couldn't tell how long days, or was it minutes? She couldn't tell, but eventually, the pain began to subside as she could feel Bell beginning to lose consciousness. She mentally yelled his name, her voice echoed louder than the pain the filled both of them.

Bell heard her yelling, his name being called. The darkness that wanted to expunge his continuous began to waver as with a massive force of will. He placed a stopper in the flood, causing them to slow and eventually began to stop. The stopper bulged under the pressure of the memories, but Bell forced it down as it subsided. The pressure faded and he opened his eyes. He first noticed the feeling of being held tightly, then his sight became less blurry as he moved his head seeing an exhausted Hestia looking at him with joy in her eyes. "What happened?" he managed to try to stand but failing as a wave of dizziness filled him.

Hestia embraced him even as Ryu was, "Please never do that again…"

Bell didn't understand, all he could remember was a mind-splitting headache, the side effects still lingering, Then a memory only a single clear one. "I… I saw a continuation of the dream I had last night. I warned Ryulu about the Broken Arrow, as Zeus warned me. Then it flashed as if I blinked and was elsewhere. I battled a monstrosity made from shadow, it seemed to target divine blood." He coughed a few times as he looked towards the others. "I need to get moving, I need to talk to Ouranos. He might know something, wasn't he the first God to come to the lower world?"

"He was, but Bell you need to take a moment to breathe. I don't know what happened but it seemed to have taken a lot out of you and Ryu." Hestia commented, acting more like a concerned mother than the clingy goddess he was used to.

Ottar approached, causing the trio to tense, "I agree with your Goddess. Head outside, take a few minutes to decide what to do next. I will organize the Freya familia."

Bell paused for a moment, before finally relenting "Fine!" He said with an exasperated tone. Deciding to play along he started to make his way towards the elevator door.

"Bell," he turned to see Ottar who gave a small smile, "Thank you and sorry for everything."

Bell only sighed, "I cannot make any promises for a happy ending." He entered the elevator followed by Hestia and Ryu.

"Bell!" He heard a voice call out. He sighed and turned to see Eina, Mikoto, and Haruhime. He gave a tired wave as they approached.

"What's up, any news?" He questioned as he tiredly sat on a nearby bench.

"Nothing new, we let Take understand what's happening. After that, we came as quickly as possible." Eina gave her report to her captain.

"Good, now if only I had an easier way to talk with Ouranos." He said thinking about going through the Guild to get to him. Thinking for a moment, "I might be able to get a hold of Fels through the Xenos. But I don't even know where they would be. Other than that, the Guild would be the easiest way."

Eina flinched slightly at the mention of the Guild, she wanted to avoid Royman as much as possible. "If we must, I might be able to get us through the guild faster. I still have a few friends there." Eina offered, though she would rather not.

Bell noticed the look of hesitation, "That is an option, but I know you would prefer to avoid it." He placed a hand on his chin thinking of all the best options to them at the moment, "If only we didn't give the communication jewels back to Fels, or have them destroyed fighting in my case."

"True enough, but let me go to the guild and find out if I can get an audience with him," Hestia stated as she started to make her way towards the guild followed closely by the familia.

They noticed Welf, Cassandra, and Welf approaching the guild from the opposite direction. "Well look what we have here." Welf joked trying to lighten the mood.

"How did it go on your side?" Bell asked as they joined the rest of the familia now only missing Lili.

Welf sighed, "After the performance last night, Hesphistase didn't want to assist her. But considering the risk of what might happen, she will lend her support and already has Tsubaki working on weapons. I should be doing the same soon…" he softly said.

Bell gave a grin, "Go ahead you forge head… we plan on trying to talk with Ouranos to see about possibilities."

"Alright leave the weapons to me, I might be able to make a few magic weapons fairly quickly." Welf chuckled running back to their home to begin working.

XX

Loki just sat in silence for a second having difficulty believing it. But after seeing what happened last night she could believe it. "Alright, so where did everybody go?" She asked Lili.

"Welf and a few went to Hephaestus, Eina, Mikoto and Haruhime told Take. Bell and everybody else went to see Lady Freya for themselves. Who knows where they are now." Lili concluded by looking at the executives and Loki.

Loki could only sigh, "Alright, thank you for letting me know right away. I need to plan a few things and speak with Ouranos. I suspect he knows something, he often knows much more than he should."Loki concluded standing preparing to leave with her executives.

Hestia managed to persuade the guild employees to let the familia through, when I say persuade I mean yell at them as a message arrived to let them through. Hestia huffed as she led the march down the long tunnel that led to the throne room of Ouranos.

Ouranos sat there silently as they approached, "Sorry for causing trouble, if I had an easier way to communicate then I would've used that instead." Hestia politely spoke as she approached the throne. To her surprise, Hermes was there as if they were talking before the interruption.

"It's fine." Ouranos glanced at Hermes for a split second, "Now what is the emergency this time?"

"After the incident at the ball yesterday with Freya being attacked. We went back to our home to rest and discuss what to do in the morning. But when morning came we found Ottar knocking at our door asking to talk with us. He explained that the symbol of three broken arrows showed on her body where she had been run through with a spear. He came to us hoping we would know something. Bell and Ryu both have run into this symbol before when they were doing a mission for you. Anyways, he stated that her hair was less lustrous than normal." She paused to gain her breath and to judge the reaction of Hermes, 'He actually wasn't at the ball last night. Maybe he didn't get an invitation because Freya knew he would try to pull something.' Hestia thought.

Hermes had a thoughtful expression on his face, "If I'm not mistaken that could only mean one thing."

Hestia nodded, "After he told us, I had to confirm with my own eyes what he was saying. We arrived and Immediately myself and Bell noticed a shadowy aura that seemed to be absorbing her divine power. But only myself and Bell noticed the aura." She repeated herself to place emphasis on it.

Hermes broke in, "I had an inkling that your grandfather did something, but not enough to…" he fell silent again, even more, a thoughtful expression both interested and concerned.

"Anyways," Hestia said as she continued, "I was able to determine that her power was being siphoned to somewhere in Daedalus Street more than that I don't know," Hestia concluded.

Ouranos narrowed his eyes, "Anything else? I cannot help but feel you're hiding something."

Hestia took a step back in Hesitation, she fell forward in defeat. "Yes… but… it… Bell had a dream last night, and when he approached Freya and saw the symbol… it triggered something in his mind. Like a long-lost memory resurfacing warning about the Broken Arrows." She gave an apologetic smile to Bell who only nodded.

"Is this true Cranel?" Ouranos asked, with an emotionless face.

After a moment Bell spoke, "It is, my Goddess was skipping over some personal details but in short yes." He thought for a moment, "I know you're going to ask, so I'm going to tell you." He stood a little straighter and retold his original dream and the memory he had during the visit.

"So it's true… you're the reincarnation of Argonaut. That's the only explanation. We have been doing some research on our side since you told us about it a few months ago. As Fels was relaying detail about his findings I remembered an event from ancient times shortly before I descended. A monster appeared, seeming to have the blood of a god that had fallen, not descended. It gained a portion of the god's power and destroyed a good portion of civilization. Only stopped by a select few Heroes of old." He was about to speak more, but it was Cassandra who spoke for the first time.

"Was it a massive shadowy monster roughly shaped like a human?" There was a hint of panic in her voice.

"It was…" Ouranos confirmed her suspicion, "Why would you know that? It's not written in the books of your history."

All the Deities looked at Cassandra in weariness. "Yo, Ouranos, we need to talk." A voice echoed off the walls as Loki entered the hidden chamber followed by Lili, Finn, Gareth, Aiz, and Riveria. "Wow, looks like there is quite a crowd in here today."

"Be a silent Jester for once." Ouranos snapped, surprising everybody, "Now… how do you know of the Arbenjure?"

Loki was about to snap back, but hearing that name she immediately went silent. "Nobody believes me… but I have dreams… Dreams of the future… always terrible… I had a dream of… a massive shadowy figure… it towered over several buildings in the city… it started attacking… hundreds of lights returned to heaven… the figure attacked the tower… causing it to shatter… breaking through a barrier in two hits… I heard a scream from a fairy leaning over a Rabbit… soon to be silenced by a shadow spear…" Cassandra was in tears sobbing violently.

Hestia went over and hugged the crying girl. The room was stunned silent for a minute. The sound of sobs was the only sound. "I understand… Hestia, please take her somewhere more comfortable. But before you do, is there anything else you have to add?" To which she shook her head in the negative, "Alright you may go." To which, Hestia, Daphne, Haruhime, and Mikoto left to help comfort the girl.

A few hours passed as Bell, Ouranos, and Hermes caught Loki and the ones that joined her up to speed. Loki was passing back and forth trying to figure everything out. "So what you're saying is that the Broken Arrows are taking the power from Freya to possibly resummon the Arbenjure? Do you think this has anything to do with Artemis and what happened to her?" Only Ryu noticed the tenge of emotion and the hung head of Bell. She inched closer and wrapped her arm around his own in comfort.

"Right now that is our best guess, if it is related to Artemis, well that is unknown. Maybe that was a trial run to see if it was still possible with our powers sealed up." Ouranos explained as he looked around the gathered people. "I think our best option is to evacuate the city, and every adventurer level 1 should leave as well. We don't know exactly when or if something will happen. But I would rather be safe than sorry. I will need to speak to Ganesha and explain to him. As for now… we need to start scouring Daedalus Street. I doubt we will find much, but it would be for the best to start searching."

Hermes and Ouranos were the only two left in the chamber. "Tell me… do you truly believe the Broken Arrow is not only back but also trying to bring back Arbenjure?" Gone was the playful nature of Hermes now all that was left was God who was finally taking things seriously.

Ouranos didn't reply for a second, "It's hard to say, Cassandra wasn't lying about having a dream like that. But it's still hard to believe. As you know I'm a cautious one and would rather take this seriously than cause a catastrophe."

"Fair enough." Hermes began to walk towards the exit. "I need to let my familia know about the situation."

It had felt like hours had passed since Hestia familia left their conference with Ouranos. They had immediately begun to scour the man-made labyrinth. Hestia familia split with Loki as they reached Daedalus, Loki would start in the center and work their way out while Hestia would work their way in.

Despite the situation, Bell felt glad to have his allies close as a memory of the last time he was here flashed in his mind. The Xenos, the desperate escape towards the dungeon for the Xenos. Having to resist his then idol. Fighting Aiz had broken a part of him then and even now he felt uncomfortable around her 'I knew this feeling would be here but I had wished it wouldn't.'

Ryu's ears twitched slightly as she moved her eyes from the wall she was examining and turned to face Bell who was examining the opposite wall. 'Which feeling?' She thought as she noticed Bell stiffen slightly.

'This is going to take a long time to get used to.' He chuckled slightly, 'But as for your question, it's a feeling of hesitation, the feeling of caution. And the feeling of a broken heart after my last time here.' Bell knocked against a wall to see if it was actually a wall and not a secret door.

Every member of Hestia familia was doing something similar in various positions down the alley completely oblivious to their silent conversation. 'Have you tried talking to Aiz after that situation? I mean more than having a dance.' She half-joked.

Bell paused for a moment, 'No, I doubt I could even if I did want to.' He continued as they entered a square, a small fountain in the center. "Alright everybody takes a quick break. We have been at this for a couple of hours." He looked up towards the sun and noticed that it had been closer to five.

Bell and Ryu moved closer to each other as they stood and watched the building for a few minutes. 'Someone is watching us.' Bell thought so only Ryu could hear.

'From where?' She was tempted to start looking around but knew better as it would let whoever is watching them know.

Bell adjusted his position slightly to get more comfortable, 'North East, but I'm going to wait. They don't seem to be doing anything immediately, only keeping their eyes on us. I'll act and let you know if something changes with the stare.' He couldn't help but sigh and look towards the sky catching a glimpse of the area the stare originates. 'Plus, we can use this to our advantage. We can catch whoever by surprise.'

Ryu had to admit he was correct. 'Alright, but we should let the others know before it might become a problem.'

'I'll take care of that.' He agreed it would be best. 'But for now, it would be best to let them rest while I can.'

Ryu couldn't help but give an internal chuckle. 'Like your one to talk about resting.' He only waved his hands in defeat.

Ten minutes passed before Bell started to move more. "Alright everybody, that should be good for now. Let's get going." He started to move towards the eastern exit to the square.

"Wait Bell, didn't we agree on heading west first," Daphne questioned, not knowing what he knew.

"We did, but trust me in this. I have an idea." He said mysteriously, still continuing east.

"Alright then." She only sighed but followed him all the same.

The party continued exploring like they were before. Checking for secrets until the alley they currently in widened as they saw an old building that looked slightly run down. "Ah, here it is, the first place I wanted to stop."

Everybody was suspicious of the change in expectation. "Sorry Bell, but what's here?" Hestia asked, confused.

Making his way towards the front door, "This is an orphanage I found when following Syr one time. But we can talk here." Bell proceeded to knock on the front door.

After a few seconds, the door opened with the sound of a child calling out, "ONII-CHAN"

Bell chuckled as we kneeled down to greet the human boy, "Hi Rye, do you mind if we come in?"

Rye practically beamed with excitement, "Of course Onii-chan. You're always welcome here! Who is everybody else?"

"They," He waved towards his familia. "Are all members of my familia, this is my Goddess." Bell waved Hestia forward.

Who after a moment of hesitation decided to approach. Giving a warm smile Hestia rubbed the child's head. "Your name is Rye, right? My name is Hestia, it's nice to meet you."

Rye was momentarily stunned silent, before finding his voice. He bowed deeply, "Welcome Goddess Hestia. I'll let Maria know, I'll also grab Fina and Roux they would be overjoyed to see you, Onii-chan." He then left running and turned down a small hall on the left.

"Bell?" Haruhime asked, noticing a small sad smile on Bell's face.

"Sorry, come on, let at least enter the building." He almost ignored the questioned remark of Haruhime.

As the Hestia familia fully entered the orphanage. They heard a voice of an older lady, "Sorry it's a bit crowded, we may not have much room but you're all welcome here." As she approached being half dragged by Rye followed closely by the other two younger children, Maria softly said.

The half-elf Roux moved closer in surprise, "Bell is that really you? After you protected that monster I didn't think I would ever really see you again."

"I'm sorry it's been so long, I planned on coming sooner to visit, but I've been very busy." He gave an apologetic smile and noticed the slightest motion of a tail swishing back and forth behind Maria, "Come on out Fina, there isn't a reason to be shy." Giving a reassuring tone, a chienthrope emerged and ran over and gave Bell a tight hug.

Fina looked around at the mass of gathered people, her eyes widened in admiration as she spotted Haruhime. Rushing over she spoke for the first time, "You a Renard, aren't you? Your golden hair and tail are beautiful!" Fina's open praise for Haruhime caused her to blush slightly.

"I am, but I think your cream color is much more adorable." This time Fina blushed as well.

Ryu looked at the children and couldn't help but feel a strange emotion she only felt two maybe three times in her life, yearning. To which Bell noticed through their connection causing him to chuckle slightly. Causing Ryu to blush however slightly.

"Why are you laughing, Bell?" Roux questioned.

"Sorry, I just had an interesting feeling. That and I'm glad to see everybody again" he quickly replied.

This time Ryu approached and stood beside Bell, she looked at Roux and realized that Roux might look like a child she and Bell might have in the future. Except with Red eyes instead of a similar sky-blue that she had. Even the hair was a very similar color to her own. "Hello, my name is Ryu. He said your name was Roux? That's a nice name." She waved her hand and moved a lock of hair behind her long ears.

Roux looked at the beautiful elf that stood before them, "You have the same eye and hair color as I do." He then noticed the ring on her finger as well as the one on Bell. "You're married?" He asked Bell and Ryu.

"Yes, we haven't had a proper ceremony, but by elven tradition we are." Bell gave a gentle smile.

"Congratulations," Roux replied blankly.

Maria spoke up catching everybody's attention, "Do you all want something to drink? We have some water that we can draw from the well out back."

"We appreciate your offer, but unfortunately we don't have much time. We are looking for something in this area, and really should get going soon." Bell hated to say it, but he and everybody else knew it was the truth.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Can you tell us what you are looking for? We might be able to help you." The caretaker offered.

"Again thank you, but I will, unfortunately, have to refuse. It might be dangerous and we don't know exactly what we are looking for." Bell replied again but noticing the downcast faces of the children. "But as soon as I am free and finished with what's going on, I'll come back and spend a day or two here. I'm sure everybody else would be willing as well if you want. I'll even try to bring Syr next time." He noticed a flash of hesitation in Ryu but decided to wait to ask her anything.

"You promise!?" Fina asked sweetly and hopefully.

"I promise." He held out his pinky which she quickly grabbed with her own.

"You made a pinky promise, that means you have to," Fina said quickly before Bell could take his promise back.

"I know, and I will," Bell swore as Fina hugged him as he returned it gently.

After getting released from her embrace, he stood and said his goodbyes to everybody else. Making their way out they noticed that Rye had followed a little bit as he called out. "Goddess Hestia, when I get a little older would you take me under your wing as an adventurer? Bell is my hero and I want to follow in his steps." Everybody turned to the human boy who now had a slight blush of embarrassment.

"Of course Rye, just be careful until then," Hestia replied as she nudged Bell with her elbow.

Half an hour passed as the Hestia familia started searching again, Bell noticed the eyes still watching them but not when they entered and exited the orphanage. "Mikoto, can you use your detection skill to see if there are any hostels here?" He moved closer and whispered, "Just to be safe, we are being watched, and have been for a while."

Mikoto hid her reaction well, but everybody noticed her fist clench slightly, without even a moment of hesitation she cast her skill. "Nothing right now, at least nothing I can sense."

"Good, use it every once in a while just to be safe. If you notice anything, wave me over and let me know." Bell ordered.

To which she just nodded. In a similar method, he gave similar orders to everybody else, normally instructions to investigate an area with a whispered warning as well. They repeated this process for another couple of hours as it was really starting to become night. The shadows stretched as a nearly full moon filled the empty sky. He noticed something, something strange, "Everybody, head home. It's too late to be searching now." He ordered but Ryu noticed something was off, he said it with a commanding order, not a tone she never noticed being used in good situations. 'You go as well, it's dangerous and they will need you to escort them.' Before Ryu could reply Bell continued. 'I'll be fine, that gaze has gotten much closer and more dangerous. They need you to protect them.'

'No, I won't leave you to fight alone…' she was going to continue but Bell cut her off.

'As captain of this familia, I order you. Take them and leave.' He gave his order and felt the urge to argue, flooding their connection. 'Ryu…' he said in a much calmer voice. 'Now isn't the time to argue… I don't want you to leave, but you know, as capable as the others are, they're much weaker than you and me.'

'Fine, but if you're not back by midnight. I'm coming for your ass.' She threatened, using language Bell knew she would never use.

'Alright, I'll be quick.' Bell nodded and subconsciously reached for a dagger. Which nobody seemed to notice in the darkening road they were on.

"Come on everybody, let's head home." Ryu also nodded towards Bell.

As everybody started to leave, Hestia noticed Bell staying behind, "Bell, come on. I know you're still tired from everything."

Bell only shook his head, "Not yet, I need to check one more place before I leave here. You all head back, I'll join you shortly. You won't even notice my absence." He darted forward into the shadowed street, faster than even Ryu could chase after.

Hestia was about to call out and order him back, but Ryu stopped her. "Let's go, he knows what he is doing."

"Ryu follow him!" Hestia ordered, but to her surprise, she shook her head to say no.

"I want to, but he ordered me to escort everybody home just in case… besides, with the speed he is going, I doubt I could catch up to him now," Ryu stated and started heading in the direction of their familia home.

"Goddammit Bell," Welf swore, and with a heavy heart, he began to take his leave.

"I wish he would've to me, I could've cast my magic on him to help," Haruhime said as it sounding like she wanted to cry slightly.

Hestia started to complain about leaving until she was lifted by Welf and forcefully carried out of Daedalus Street.

As Bell traveled he could slowly feel the connection to Ryu straining until eventually, it vanished, the distance too far. 'Good to know. From what I can tell roughly six hundred feet. I wonder if it's a hundred per level.' For a second, he had expected a reply from his lover to hear her insight, but nothing came. No emotion, no voice in his head. Nothing, he realized that he already was used to it and expected it. His heart sank slightly, but he continued running all the same. He began to chant his spell, it was his first time concurrent chanting, but it was similar enough to charge Argonaut that it was possible, but a bit harder. "By the blessing of my love, protect my allies from an unfortunate demise, by providing them a smoothing Sapphire Barrier. Sapphire Burst" As he finished his chant a small sapphire gem emerged floating in front of his field of view, it shattered spreading its protective dust onto his skin and armor. He could feel his mind very slowly ebbing away. 'I could keep this up for a few hours I think. I just hope the cost from damage isn't too much.' Twenty minutes passed and yet nothing happened. He could sense the hostility of a nearby person but no direction. So he stopped and just stood there and waited. As he stopped, A black shadow spear flew through the air at him, it was too quick for Bell to react as he didn't expect it right away. The shadow collided with his barrier, stopping it a fraction of an inch from his armor. But the cost in mind was nothing to scoff at. It instantly ate up a tenth of his available mind. "I was beginning to wonder how long it would take for you to confront me," Bell said to the air. He could feel the gaze of the hostile drilling into his back. A sound wooshed as Bell twisted sideways, another spear collided with the wall on the opposite side of the ten-foot courtyard he found himself in.

"I'm surprised you came here. By yourself no less. The last time we met. I doubt you're strong enough to challenge me. Even if that elf was here I doubt it would be enough." A familiar slim figure approached seeming to appear out of the shadows. A person wearing a short trench coat with a full mask covering his face only showing a set of blood-red eyes. The mask a dulled silver, but what caught Bell's attention was yet another shadow spear resting on his shoulder. "Though that being said you seemed to have gained a new spell, that barrier is new, it's not on your file at least." A course chuckle filled the night sky. The slim figure got in a ready position, Bell readied across from the figure in the square.

Bell drew out his pure white knife, and the Divine knife. This seemed to catch the attention of the enemy. "That knife… how interesting, I should have realized it during the last encounter we had. The more the merrier. It seems you have a latent power in you, something divine that I can sense… all the more interesting." He twitched his spear so slightly Bell questioned if he had actually seen it. A blast from his left, a collapsing shadow fell to the ground another spear had collided with him.

'The spear… I bet it's something closer to a spell, something that uses the surrounding shadow to generate weapons, and it's dark… so an endless stream of shadows.' Bell thought trying to come up with a plan. "You seem to be underestimating me a bit." Bell jibbed trying to judge the personality of his enemy.

"Oh, quite the contrary. I know you are stronger than most know if you wish something dead. It can happen. Not to mention you fight at the strength and speed a level or so higher than you actually are." The figure twirled the spear in the air above him. Even as he did waves of spears erupted out of the shadows. They had traveled faster than the Iguazu swarm he faced during his first expedition. So he decided to take similar action, using his white knife to slice the air destroying the spears as they came. This continued for a couple of minutes, he had taken several hits costing his precious mind, but during that time he realized that whichever way the spear moved the others would follow. So if the figure swung left, they would fly left. This gave Bell several ideas on how he could deal with it. But his ideas would leave a little opening for him to attack the wielder. "You're more agile than I thought… Interesting. But we both know you cannot keep this up forever, and judging from your breathing I would say you are running out of stamina quickly. I'm curious as to how you plan on getting out of this situation." The figure pondered out loud.

"Looks like I have no choice…" Bell took a breath and released his hold on his defensive magic. The dust began to fade as the magic faded. 'Without focusing on maintaining my magic, I should be able to increase my speed a bit.' He thought, as his dark thought began to fill him. No longer did he care about keeping this person alive, he needed to be taken care of.

"Really? You're removing your main line of defense against my shadows… I suppose you just want to die don't you." The figure asked as he resumed his wave of shadow spears.

Bell was able to increase his speed by about ten percent, it let him deal with the spears much easier than before as they had been moving at his limit. Now he had to focus on trying to find the best way to attack before this takes too much longer. "I don't plan on dying anytime soon. Let's see how you do." The sound of a small bell filled the air, only then did Bell notice that the shadows were truly silent as they collided with the various walls. The only sound was the air being forced out of the way.

"Do you really think I would allow you to use that, I'm not some simple monster for you to fight? I know what it does. I saw it during the ball." The figure scoffed.

"Well, only time will tell." He said, but he doubted he could even finish a minute at the moment.

"Really now, this is starting to ruin the mood of this glorious night." As he spoke, Bell saw his eyes turn from a blood red to an electric blue.

Pain filled Bell as he was momentarily distracted by the change, a spear sliced a portion of flesh from his right thigh. He realized his mistake too late, as another wave began to flood towards him. His leg didn't allow him to maintain his speed, soon another slash. This time it wasn't a spear, but instead, it was a scythe. As it collided with his stomach denting his chest plate. Pain flared once more, but still, the bells rang quietly as he maintained his skill charge. He smiled internally, he rushed the man but only managed a few feet before he stumbled as a shadow grabbed his leg. "What."

"Really, this is a disappointment, I was hoping for a little more effort. But have no worries I won't kill you… You're needed, that power you hold with be a flame that ignites the inferno." The figure approached as another shadow pierced Bell's hand to hold him in place.

Bell roared in pain, but still, he held the charge. Bell waited for the figure to stand right next to him, even so, he could feel his mind beginning to shut down, "Firebolt!" He roared but with hand pierced it erupted as it impacted the ground, the explosion made Bell fly into the wall of the building next to him.

His body erupted in pain. He couldn't move anymore, maintaining the charge despite the damage he had been taking was a colossal effort, and it consumed almost all his remaining stamina. He sighed as he looked at the shadow wielder, stunned as half his left leg was missing. Bell wasn't much better his arm felt like it was hanging on by skin alone. He spared a glance and saw his arm looked alright, perhaps the muscle had been damaged, Bell wondered.

The figure approached with a slight hop in his gate, "Really now, I must admit I never thought you would attempt an attack like that. Not with the risks of your own body like that. That is duly noted."

As he was inches away from Bell, a hand around the neck of the human rabbit. It happened a giant sword cut the arm off. Followed by the shout of "Hildis Vini" A wave hit the slim figure. The other arm flew, that was all he could do not to die instantly. It was at this point Bell's mind faded, it turned to a field of black. Like the darkest of ink, he could hear a voice. "Bell is not for your hands." Than nothing.

One thing before the Replies, I am actually working towards an ending of this story. I have a couple of ideas as to how, but that is still a couple of chapters away. I would like any opinions or insights.

Review Replies:

Karlos1234ify: Thanks, but why?

Echoh: I'm glad, the whole thing with Argonaut and Ryulu, I wish I had actually done more for that portion. But at last, it is what it is.

Aetd556: I'm glad, but why?

pix25: I'm glad, and to be honest. We are going to be getting close to the climax of this story soon. As for Hestia, it was revealed in this one.