The Past
- The Next Morning -
Bell slept well as the use of his skill completely exhausted him. After waking up, he went to check on Ais in her patient room.
Loki and Riveria were already there.
Loki "Bell, was Ais responsive yesterday?"
Bell "She was conscious for a short time. She was very confused and talked about the black flames"
With that, Loki took Bell and Riveria outside the room.
Loki "Bell, I will tell you a little about Ais' past, as you need to know."
Loki "First, she is Albert's daughter."
Bell stayed calm "I did suspect there was something about Wallenstein and Waldstein"
Loki "I will not tell you anything about how she came to the Loki Familia. But the second key fact is that Ais has spirit blood"
Bell "Well that would explain her strong wind. Is that related to the Great Wind Spirit Aria"
Loki "Yes, Aria is her mother. And Ais wants to save her from the OEBD somehow"
Bell "I see, so that is why she wants to get strong so badly"
Loki "Also have you heard about the corrupted spirit?"
Bell "A little but not much"
Loki "Spirits used to protect civilization. But as they were injured in battle, somehow they became corrupted. We believe a major spirit was corrupted and is the source of the jewel fetus and the demi spirits. That corrupted spirit is probably very deep in the dungeon"
Bell "I see. How is Ais linked to the corrupted spirit?"
Loki "I am afraid that Ais may be being corrupted by her traumatic experience and her history. Those linked to the corrupted spirits can feel Ais' presence."
Riveria "You should remember the demi spirit called out to Aria - thought she was her mother"
Bell "OMG, I understand. I will do whatever I can."
Loki "Remember these facts when you try to save her"
Bell "I understand. This information does help me."
At that time, Finn, Tiona, Tione and Gareth returned.
Finn "Lefiya is in a state not much different than Ais"
Loki "OMG"
Riveria "Bell, we may be asking you to help Lefiya also"
Bell "I understand. I will spend time with Ais now, and then I will go to the Twilight Manor afterwards."
Finn "No need. We are bringing Lefiya here. Save your time, strength and energy"
At that time, Lili, Haruhime and Welf came by to visit Bell.
Welf "Hey man, how are you doing? I heard you took down one big monster"
Bell "Yes, we did it together, but Ais is not doing well."
Lili "We are sorry to see you sad, Bell sama"
Bell "Thank you, Lili"
Haruhime "Bell sama, we brought some potato snacks for you"
That gave Bell an idea as potato snacks are Ais' favorite. After talking to Loki and Finn, they agreed to Bell's suggestion.
Bell then had his private time with Ais. Everyone just waited outside again as the session continued. After about an hour or so, they thought they heard Ais sobbing, but were not totally sure.
Another hour later, Bell came outside with his face all red. It took a few minutes to collect himself.
Bell looking down "She is stable right now. I still don't know how to get rid of the problem. I will try more later this afternoon."
At that point, a short goddess with twin ponytails and a lot of cooking equipment came into the hospital. Finn and Raul were helping her with all the cooking equipment. Seeing that his requested equipment had arrived, Bell asked them to set up the cooking equipment right next to Ais' door. After a short while, the potato snacks were cooking, creating a wonderful aroma. When the first ones were ready, Bell took some freshly cooked snacks into Ais' room.
A few minutes later, Bell came outside looking a bit happier.
Bell "She woke up with the smell and ate something. She is sleeping again"
That brought some optimism to the group, though they realized the fundamental problem was not solved.
Riveria "Bell, do you think you can try to spend a little time with Lefiya?"
Bell "Yes, I will go in now"
After Bell went into Lefiya's room, they locked up and waited for any response. Minutes went by, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, half hour, and an hour passed. Still no response from inside. Another 10 minutes later, there was a loud scream of "AHHHHHH, what are you doing!". Then it was all quiet again.
Tiona "That was Lefiya, but it is quiet again"
Riveria "Well, he is definitely having an effect..."
Tiona "What is argonaut doing? I want to try it.", earning a whack on the head with Riveria's staff.
About half an hour later, there were a lot of crying sounds for a while, but then it was quiet again.
Another half hour later, Bell came out really red in the face.
Bell looking down "I believe Lefiya will be able to respond to you again. I believe her difficult situation has passed."
Really happy, everyone went inside.
Riveria "Lefiya, are you alright"
It was hard for Lefiya to talk, but she simply said yes with tears in her eyes. They all went to hug her.
Loki "Are you hungry?"
Lefiya was hungry so they also got her some potato snacks.
All this time, Bell and Lefiya were really red in the face and unable to look at each other. Seeing the strange mood between the two, no one asked about it, even Tiona.
They were just happy that it worked, whatever Bell had to do...
