Authors Note1: This is the prolog of my new story. More infos after the chatper.
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Sometimes the world can be a cruel place, bad things can happen, evil things maybe. War, murder, devastation...all these things and more happen sometimes. But sometimes some of these things happen for a greater good or out of good intentions.
Maybe creating havoc to let other people become stronger...to defend themself against an even greater danger.
Sometimes minor things can happen and don´t change the fate of a person at all, maybe the person used a different kind of boots on that day, decided to eat something else for breakfast...it wouldn´t matter.
But sometimes...something as small as a simple question or a tiny information could change the fate of many people...
What was meant to be cruel and devastating for one could be prevented, maybe others would suffer then...only time would show.
When the world was done with a single person, that had fulfilled it´s fate...would it be okay then to do something else? To live a more simple life?
Perhaps it is not directly the question that will change fate, but the tone or the choice of words in which it was asked? Maybe it's just the person asking...or the timing. Or maybe...simply because it was a second question after a first...causing a rupture in the armor of resolve...time would tell.
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It was in an abandoned church somewhere in Orario...where the question was asked. Three people were inside the church, two men and one woman, two mortals and one god.
A sturdy man in a massive armor looked at the woman.
"Are you sure you didn´t have to go to see the boy?"
The other man in casual clothes looked a bit surprised.
"Wait. You had a child, Alfia? You absolutely don´t have the figure of a woman who´s given birth to a child."
"No. He´s talking about my sister´s child. He´s in the bloodline of Hera Familia...and at the same time, a descendant of Zeus."
"-Okay? So his father is a Zeus Familia member, huh?"
A few sentences followed, the two mortals explained to the god about the child, and his parents.
Erebus smiled. "You two tell all about the power struggle between Zeus and Hera. So what happened to that child? Don´t tell me he´s with Hera, is he?"
Alfia gently shook her head. "No. My sister had him follow Zeus. He´s living somehwere in the mountains."
What she didn´t said, Alfia knew where Zeus went...the perverted, old god had told her...she didn´t knew why.
"I see...in fact, Zard has a point. He´s your nephew, a child of your immediate family. Do you not miss him? You did love your sister afer all, didn´t you?"
"I had nothing to say as death came near my sister. I didn´t challenge the perverted god so that I could take in her child either. I chose to delay the clock of apocalypse over my sister´s child. I do not deserve the right to take care of him."
Zard crossed his arms, out of consideration for Alfia, he and Erebus talked not very loud.
"Alfia. I do not believe that blood ties are powerful. At the same time, I do not believe that you need the right to become a family. If there´s a little bit of love within your heart-"
"You´ve got it wrong, Zard. Talking about rights might beautify this whole thing, but it´s meaningless."
She smiled wryly. "I´m just not comfortable with the idea of being called Aunt. It makes me feel older.
Zard started to laugh.
"...Bwaahahahahahahaha! Right! I guess there´s nothing we can do then!"
Erebus chuckled. "How about "Aunty"?"
Zard only laughed louder, while Alfia showed Erebus "that" glare.
And then...came the question that would change the fate of so many people.
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"And what would you do if you survived what follows?"
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"What do you mean, Erebus?"
The god smiled. "Just saying, in case you survive, wouldn´t you like to go to him, when our job is done? Be the mommy or the aunty for the poor boy, who lost his parents so early, that he won´t even remember them? To tell him about his real mother? A young boy needs a mother figure."
"Don´t tempt me, Erebus."
"Erebus is right, Alfia. The boy can´t become a good man when the perverted god is the only one that raises him, he needs a mother figure! Ha! If that happens, you can use my savings in the guild to help that boy!"
Zard wasn´t the type to dote on children, but when he was dead, he had no need for money anyway.
"Except for these of course!"
The bulky man held up a leather pouch.
Erebus looked curious. "What´s in there?"
"Three coins, two for my eyes, one for the tongue. For the ferryman."
Blinking surprised at first, Erebus laughed.
"You want to offer Charon that much? You really do believe that? And that you go down to Hades?"
Zard grinned. "I´m a Zeus Familia member. And do you believe I´m going to heaven? I doubt it."
"Ah right, I forgot for a moment."
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This conversation...the question of Erebus...and the information from Zeus...would change fate.
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Would it even be possible to survive these events?
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For something to change, at first things have to happen how they are meant, to a certain degree.
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Zero distance-I can´t move!
The 18th Floor was a blazing inferno, Alfia´s clothes were tattered, as was her body...the Astrea Familia didn´t looked any better.
Alise Lovell and Ryu Lyon combined their strength for one last attack.
"Alveria!"
"Luminous Wind!"
It was the strongest and most fearsome combination attack of the Familia of Justice.
"Gwah...! Ngh...!"
Blood splattered from Alfia´s wound and her mouth...this wound was surely fatal. They didn´t blew up her body or pierced a hole into it, for that her body was still too strong...but still...
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Everything happened like it should be...Alfia muttered her last words and congratulated Astrea´s children...while she stumbled to the enormous hole in the ground.
The wolf woman, Neze yelled to her.
"That path leads to the hole dug by the monster! There´s a huge inferno burning down there!"
My corpse is to become ashes...just like yours...Meteria..
Alfia turned her head slightly towards the Astrea Familia while she walked.
"-Farewell, Justice Familia. So long, Orario. The future is withing your grasp."
Finally...silence. You are all so damn noisy...
Erebus saw how Alfia let herself fall into the hole.
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Alfia fell and fell...the fire seemed to be getting closer...it would be over soon.
What would you do if you survive what follows?
That boy needs a mother figure!
I´m going with Bell to *****
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Why did Erebus´, Zard´s and Zeus´ words came to her mind just now out of all times?
What would I do? Go to him? Go to...Bell?
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Darkness enveloped Alfia...her job was done...the path of the new heroes started.
Erebus is right, Alfia. The boy can´t become a good man when the perverted god is the only one that raises him, he needs a mother figure!
Zard...curse you...why did you say that...
She heard a female voice in her head.
Alfia...this is your nephew, isn´t he cute? Look at his tiny hands and feet. Would you help me protect him...big sister?
Maybe it was her subconciousness...but as her mind waved away, Alfia raised her right hand without intending to and mumbled two words.
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Where...am I...
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Everything was dark...everything silent.
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Is this death? It is so quiet...so...nice.
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Was there a slight sound of wind? Maybe just the air moving...but why would air moving in death?
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Meteria...I hope you forgive me...
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Alfia just lay there and waited, if her wounds wouldn´t kill her, her sickness would surely...but her body hurt like hell.
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It hurts so much...wait...pain? Does that mean...
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It was the most difficult fight in her whole life, to just open her eyes.
How...Why...
Alfia knew her environment...the deep levels...the 39th Floor...a safe zone.
Somehow she had managed to blast a hole through the tunnel that the monster dug and catapulted herself through it...by sheer luck she landed in the 39th Floor...she fell twenty-one Floors deep...and had survived.
Curse this body...
Getting slowed down by her magic, a portion of luck big enough to fill an entire floor and the sheer strength of a level seven body...even with her sickness...let Alfia survive...with more than one broken bone.
Curse it...Meteria...I´m sorry...
Alfia let herself get consumed by the darkness of unconciousness...but death spared her from his scythe...even if she could feel the chilly touch of it´s metal.
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Time went by, the fight against Evilus continued...until...
The Dungeon cried.
This was not the cracking sound of a monster being spawned...this was something else.
Every adventurer present felt it...something was coming.
It was the final trap of the Rudra Familia, a last try to kill the Astrea Familia. They had used around one hundred inferno stones to kill them but it didn´t work...
A loud crack.
A deep, wide, long fissure ran down one of the massive crumbling walls...a strange purple liquid gushed out..
As if the opening were breathing, a scalding steam came out...and something writhed its way out...as if it were crawling free of a womb.
Ryuu´s eyes met the piercing gaze of...something...
In a second...a fierce slash cut trhough the air..
"-Huh?"
A life ended before one adventurer could react, not even the one herself.
A deep purple claw flashed a second and a girl´s body was cut into three parts.
Head and torso danced through the air...the legs didn´t followed.
"No-Noin?!-Uargh?" The dwarf Asta had just called out her friends name before her chest was pierced by a long razorsharp claw from behind, no one saw the movement.
Thankfully her death was swift.
Two lives lost.
That something whirled around with murderous speed...a third body was cleaved in half.
"Celty!"
Warm fluid splashed on Ryu´s face and long, pointy ear.
The noble blood of her friends, that should be flowing through their bodies...now clung on Ryuu´s body instead.
"Aah..."
It took a moment for her to realize what just happened...that she lost three dear friends in a few seconds...
Ryu´s face went white and her pupils became small.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"
A wild rage filled her, Ryu flew towards the monster.
"Leon, no!"
Alize´s words didn´t reach her ears, as she brandished her sword against the monster.
Crimson eyes glittering in the dark...giant claws wet from the blood of her friends...a bony body unlike anything she had ever seen..
Ryu Lyon screamed wordless as she struck down her wooden sword...it hit nothing but air.
"Huh?"
The beast kicked the ground and landed on the crumbling ceiling, it didn´t stop there, leap after leap it moved so fast, Ryu´s brain couldn´t handle the situation.
Whatever it was, it´s speed was beyond everything they knew, no monster or adventurer they had ever seen were that fast, it completely disoriented Ryu.
It landed behind her, terror filled Ryu instead of fury...she had seen what that thing did to her friends. She managed to dodge the first claw attack, only to be struck by another incredible attack.
Like a third arm, the beast´s tail lashed down on Ryu, who had no chance to evade.
She was smashed to the side, her left arm broken. Ryu rolled a few meters across the floor. The beast´s club-like extension landed directly on Ryu, breaking several ribs and painted her lips red with her own blood.
"Buharg!"
Her mind became hazy and she saw lights flash before her eyes. She didn´t saw the second claw coming.
"-Idiot!"
It was Kaguya who saved her, she rammed Ryu out of the way of the crushing claw...but it cost the far eastern girl something.
Kaguya´s right arm flew through the air, more blood rained onto Ryu´s face, as the crash send both girls flying.
"Kaguya! Ryu!"
Alise screamed helpless, as she saw Ryu and Kaguya rolling over the ground.
The dungeon had unleashed it´s mostly deadly offspring...a monster so strong and fast...it only existed for one reason and one reason alone.
The Apostle of Murder had come.
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The Juggernaut.
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And so, death laid aside the scythe and mounted the combine harvester, for slaighter was on.
Would fate recreate itself? Or would something change?
What saved them...some may call it luck...maybe fate...or the roll of a dice... or perhaps three damaged inferno stones in the ceiling exploded and sent tons of stone crushing down. The "thing" jumped out of the way to evade it. Dust and stones filled the air, a rock hit Ryu´s leg and broke it with a moist crack.
A new wall separated them from the thing, they heard screams from the other side...it was captured with the Rudra Familia...and it was still harvest season.
"Get them! We have to run!"
The remaining members of the Astrea Familia rushed over to the wounded, one took up the dwarf Asta...the other dead members just layed in too many places at once...as much as it hurt them...the only things they could take with them from Noin and Celty...were their heads.
"Run!"
As fast as they could the Astrea Familia ran for their lives. Three of them were dead, two badly wounded, all they could think of now was to run. While they rushed through the tunnels, the prum Lyra took potions out of her bag and splashed them onto Kaguya´s shoulder...her arm was cut off right beneath her shoulder. Ryu screamed from the pain of losing her friends and every time her broken bones moved, never before had she been in a worse state. One may call it luck, but due to the massive damage on the floor, no new monsters spawned before them, the few they came across were struck down by Alise and Neze.
Normally they would take a rest at the stairway to the next floor...but they were filled with such terror and fear, that they just kept running. Tears ran down the cheeks of those that carried the dead.
It broke their hears to not avenge their friends, but the number one rule of the dungeon was, if you encounter something irregular and unknown...run...survive...flee...fight another day.
Floor after floor they ran...until they reached the safe point of the 18th floor...they ran until they reached a glade in the forest...they just had to stop now.
Exhausted they broke down to their knees, still shaking from the terror. Immediately they helped Kaguya and Ryu as much as they could, Maryuu, the sisterly human used her healing magic.
Thankfully Kaguyas bleeding had stopped...but she had lost consciousness.
"Uuuuh...*hic*"
It started...they had escaped imminent danger ... certain death...now they began to understand what had just happened. Tears ran down their cheeks when they looked at their dead friend.
Ryu clutched her sword "Alf´s Lumina" with her good hand...she stared at Kaguya...her shoulder...she had sacrificed her arm to save Ryuu.
"""Waaaah!"""
The surviving members of the Astrea Familia cried over their dead members.
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Unnoticed by them...what saved them was indeed a roll of the dice. Since the ceiling didn´t collapsed by chance, a block of sound had smashed into it.
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"You are so noisy..."
The Juggernaut turned around, it´s eyes gleamed in the darkness. The wall separated it from it´s prey...the Rudra Familia except for one member that managed to flee was slaughtered. A woman with silver hair and a tattered, black, goth-style dress stood before the towering monster.
By sheer luck, she had landed close to a hidden depot of healing items and potions that Evilus had set up on the 39th Floor...it was enough to save her life, heal her bones...
"Rrrrrrrriiiii!"
"So noisy..."
Even if she wasn´t in her peak condition...the Juggernaut had spawned on a floor above the deep levels...so it was much weaker than it could be...
A titanic duel started between the Apostle of Murder...and a woman that didn´t wanted to see all her effords become ash.
Since the Juggernaut was caught off guard by her, it wasn´t able to finish her in a few seconds...so...
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Hours later...
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The Astrea Familia wrapped the dead in cloaks, they were filled with deep sorrow when they reached the exit to Babel. It wasn´t an unfamiliar scene the people at Babel saw...often enough adventurers returned like they did know, especially in these dark times. Unnoticed in the huge tumult, a single, female adventurer covered by a cloak also went outside of the dungeon into the city...she planned to never return.
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The Astrea Familia went over to the already filled hospital, they needed a real healer. Ryu was carried by Neze, Iska the amazoness had Kaguya on her back. What happened to them was a huge tragedy...
or maybe luck that nothing worse happened ?
On that day the Rudra Familia was wiped out by the Juggernaut...except the man Jura who was responsible for the whole incident...he rescued himself by hiding and letting his comrades die.
When the goddess Astrea got the message, she rushed to the hospital to see her beloved children...three had found death in only a few seconds, one had lost an arm and another nearly a leg...but it could have easily become worse.
Healing in a magically induced sleep, Ryu thought she remembered a faint yell just before the cave's ceiling had collapsed...two words she had heard before...from a familiar, female voice.
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Weeks later.
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knock...knock...knock.
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Far away from Orario, a seven years old boy looked up as he heard faint knocking from the door of his grandfather´s house.
"Grandpa!"
"Yes?"
"Someone´s knocking."
"I´m coming."
"You said I shouldn´t just open the door."
"And you did right."
The old man didn´t needed long to walk through the living room. The small boy followed his grandfather curious.
With a slight creak, the door got opened. The young boy didn´t saw the person due to the legs of his grandfather, only a black travel coat.
"You."
White hairs moved slightly as the boy looked up to the back of his grandfather, his tone sounded strange.
"Yes."
"Why are you here?"
"I...I..."
"Lost your voice?"
"No...I´m sorry...I...shouldn´t have come..."
"Did you come to take him away?"
"No..."
"Then why did you come?"
"I...for him...for my...I don´t know...my sister...I..."
The soft voice of a woman let the boy move closer to his grandfather´s legs, the voice sounded somewhat familar.
"You didn´t said anything, back then."
"I didn´t."
"Then why?"
"Old man.*Hic*..I..."
The boy couldn´t fight his curiosity anymore, he moved around his grandfather´s legs to look at the visitor.
"Grandfather, who is th-"
He stopped, looking up to a woman, that was indeed clad in a dark travel coat. She had her hood pulled back, revealing silver hair, her left eye was grey, her right green. Again...she seemed somewhat familiar to the boy.
And she was crying.
Immediately, both adults looked at the boy. His grandfather gently put his hand on the boy´s head.
"This is your..."
The lower lip of the woman trembled heavily and she sobbed stronger.
"Bell."
"Huh?
His grandfather continued. "Your aunt."
Bell Cranel looked up perplexed. "My...aunt?"
"Bell!"
He got more surprised, the woman dropped down to her knees in front of him, suddenly hugging him gently and cried heavily.
"Bell, I´m so sorry! For everything!"
For the first time in a long while, Alfia raised her voice to more than a faint mumble.
The young boy was confused when the crying woman hugged him, he looked up to his grandfather.
"Grandfather...did I make her cry?"
"No, Bell...she is just happy to see you."
The old man smiled.
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"*Hic* *Sob* *Sniff*"
Alfia sat in the living room, a cup with tea in front of her. She had stopped to cry, seeing Bell broke the dam inside her...while she thought that her first decision was the right one...another part of her hurt very much.
"Aunt Alfia...are you okay?"
Bell sat next to Alfia, looking up to her, he was worried because she had cried so much. But she wasn´t the only one, Bell had small tears in his eyes on his own...while he didn´t rememberred his mother much...Alfia looked similar to her.
"Yes...Bell...I´m sorry for worrying you."
"You are really beautiful...I like your hair."
"Eh?"
Alfia blinked a bit.
Bell looked to the other side of the table, where his grandfather sat.
"Grandfather said I should praise and cheer a girl up when she is crying...was that wrong?"
"I-"
The old man grinned. "That was perfect, Bell."
When she saw Bell´s pure smiled, Alfia swallowed...he really was cute.
"Thank you, Bell. I feel better now."
"Ehehe."
The old man crossed his arms. "What do you plan to do, now that you came here?"
Alfia looked uneasy. "I...ahm..."
"Will you stay here?!"
Both adults turned their faces to Bell when he yelled out his excited question. His expression was...precious. He looked so happy, so hopeful...there was no way that his grandfather could refuse his wish.
But Alfia looked also a bit troubled...she really didn´t thought what she would do, once she came here.
"Grandfather! We can let her stay here, right?! We have room for a girl! I can sleep on the couch!"
"But your bed is too small, Bell."
"Geh!...But we can´t let a girl sleep on the couch."
Is he already deciding that I move in?
Now his grandfather grinned.
"My bed is big enough for tw-!"
He stopped when he felt an icy chill running down his spine and noticed a murderous glare in the corner of Alfia´s eyes...but only for a moment.
"I...don´t want to be a burden."
Bell looked at her excited. "You won´t be!"
"I...don´t know..."
"Please!"
It pained her heart to see Bell´s expression...her own heart threatened her to never make this boy sad.
"We do have enough room, when I build another on to the house."
"You would do that, grandfather?!"
"Of course...when she decides to stay here."
Alfia didn´t needed to look into Bell´s direction to feel his intense stare from him. It was more than excitement...there was a very faint shine of fear and sadness in his eyes...this boy longed for his mother...or...a mother figure...
"If you two...are okay...with having me..."
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And so...the course of the world started to change...
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Authors Note2: So a bit of informations. This story started at a point way earlier than my other ones and it will take a bit before Bell moves to Orario, so we will see a bit about his childhood with a mother figure this time.
In the next chapters I will jump a bit between Bell´s home and Orario, to follow the Astrea Familia. Why? Because they will be important later in the story and I want to show a bit about Orario, that still has the Astrea Familia in it.
I will say as much, Bell won´t have Ais or Ryu as his lovers, since both have their own stories, which don´t mean that both won´t be important for him and/or the story.
At first I wanted to finish "Spirit Child" before I start here, but I decided...neh...so that I won´t start to hurry with Spirit child and bring it to the end it deserves.
And that much can be said, Bell´s power level will probably the highest in Spirit Child, in this story here I will let him grow a little bit slower than he did in the original story.
Also...there will be adventures outside of Orario...and Bell will have two lovers in this story.
Next chapter will be for Blood of Zeus.
The Ero one will also get "Elf (S)layer", I finally came up with how to do it and will say as much, Laurier and a certain elf that starts with A from the Loki Familia will also be in that chapter.