A/N
Okay, I'm sorry, I took WAY longer than I thought I would to make this and the fairly short first chapter of the Freya spin off.
Again, I apologize.
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I know there will be many people who don't like this chapter for one reason or another, so please go into this with two bits of information -
- The first half was kind of weird to me, I'm not good at romance stuff, and felt this roadblock needed to be dealt with sooner, rather than later.
-I am sorry if the second half of the chapter is… Weird.
I know it won't be for everyone, and I am sorry, but this was the plan from day one.
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If you're reading this, you might be interested to know that the Freya Familia Spin-off has been published!
I hope you guys like my little side project, and I have no intentions of abandoning this story for that one.
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Again, I am sorry.
5,776 Words in total.
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(Day of the Apollo-hosted banquet of the gods.)
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The midday sun was all that illuminated the room, dust lay over areas of the library left untouched in recent weeks.
The various tables coated in books, or simply left clean from disuse.
Twilight manor was a sacred place to the Loki Familia, it was where they went to be safe, it was their home.
The library door rested, closed, only moving from the rowdiness of the building's occupants as they walked by, remaining vigilant in its duty, until someone sought the knowledge held within.
One of those occupants turned the door handle, pushing forward to enter, followed by several others as they did.
No particular words worth noting came about, their hello's long given. They instead moved a table to the center of the room, placing the appropriate chairs along it.
The host of this elven congress was none other than the next in line for the Alf throne, Riveria Ljos Alf.
She spoke calmly and with purpose. "Thank you all for taking the time to come together, I greatly appreciate it."
Riveria sat at the table's head, Ryuu and Eina were to her left and right, Alicia and Lefiya just past them.
"So, what is the purpose of today, Lady Riveria?" Eina asked, not typically calling her by such a formal title, but others were present, so she played it safe.
She breathed in and out. "We believe Bell Cranel may be more than he's led us to believe, I wanted to get a few more opinions, and you both are acquainted with him, so I deemed each of you best for this."
Ryuu took in her words. "T-Thank you my Lady."
"Yes, thank you." Eina followed.
Riviera took another breath.
"To be clear, I do not suspect anything horrible or grim, but I do think he has been avoiding the truth around all of us."
Eina and Ryuu both seemed confused.
"Even before the events of the Eighteenth Floor, there were several concerns from his time learning about magic with me, Lefiya and Alicia." Riviera motioned to the girls.
"To be quick about it; Bell had outdated and borderline unheard of ideas on magic, had oddly specific information on ancient and lost magic, and was even caught reading a book written in ancient elvish."
Questions were forming as the two were brought up to speed.
"He knows ancient Elvish?" Came Eina in slight concern.
Ryuu spoke up. "I'm sorry, but, could somebody remind me what that is?"
Lefiya clarified. "When the last age ended, there were a good amount of peace deals going around, because of this, our people realised how different Elven writing was from the rest of the world's.
Everyone else either used the same writing, or could easily translate to the newly conceived common. We, Elves, were unable to do this, so an entirely new written form was created.
Since trade relied on both oral and written language, the old faded away, only really used by royalty and religious groups."
Ryuu nodded, not confused, but still sorting the information.
Riveria waited a moment before continuing.
"The next few concerns originate from our time with him on Floor Eighteen. During this time, his ears grew back from intensive healing, shared a good deal of information about himself, demonstrated knowledge beyond the norm, and most importantly, used magic that doesn't exist in modern texts."
Ryuu's brow furrowed. "What do you mean about his magic?"
Riveria turned, pointing to a nearby table, one of many covered in stacks of books.
"That table has every book in this library that describes the various magics currently known about-" She turned back. "-That spell, Dark Matter as Bell called it, is not in a single one of them."
"C-Could it have been created in his Falna, like his 'Firebolt'?" Lefiya asked, having thoughts of this solution last night.
Riveria sighed, thinking. "No, I believe that Firebolt is just a variant of any number of 'Fireball' spells. The 'Bolt' part might just be an affinity conflict with his soul, it's rare, but not unheard of."
They all sat back in contemplation.
"So, what type of things are we trying to figure out exactly?" Eina asked.
Riveria shifted her jaw to the side, looking at the table, then to her.
"There are most certainly secrets he's been keeping, nobody I've spoken with knew that Bell had anything besides 'Firebolt' before the unfortunate Pass-parade incident, not even his own party."
Eina was somewhat shocked by this. 'Neither of them knew?'
"The other thing is his ears."
Ryuu and Eina both spoke in near perfect unison. "Ears?"
"Yes, it's clear by them alone that he isn't a traditional Elf species, we speculate that he may be a High Elf of some kind."
This was certainly news to the waitress and guild worker.
"This would be the only real explanation for how he could read Ancient Elvish." Alicia added on.
Riveria sighed quietly, looking between the two as they thought of the implications.
Eina was worried. "Do-do you really think Bell would hide that from us?"
"Well it's not like he ever told us he was an elf in the first place." Lefiya spoke for them all.
Eina looked surprised, then it dawned on her, resting her forehead in her hand.
They all looked at her.
"Did you know Eina?" The High Elf questioned.
She was slightly muffled but no less understandable. "I can only say this because everyone present knows already, but his Adventurers Registration has said he's an Elf since day one."
A general look of surprise came.
"Why would he list that if it was such a secret?" Lefiya commented.
"Perhaps Bell wasn't confident in his ability to keep that secret?" Alicia tried to answer.
Silence rained for a few moments.
"Let's move on, I don't think this is worth looking into as much as the others. What else was there?" Riveria bowed her head in thought.
Alicia leaned a bit forward. "Perhaps the oddities surrounding his magic knowledge before his first lesson?"
Riveria looked up. "Yes, that would be good." She turned to Lefiya. "Do you recall them?"
The short Elf nodded. "He spoke about relatively unique takes on Ignis Fatuus, saying that it could both freeze and overheat the caster as a consequence of their use.
He seemed to believe that there were two distinct branches of magic, that being 'Utility' and 'Attack' magics.
Bell also had a reasonable amount of knowledge on information that was relevant to today, like the differences between 'Acquired' and 'Congenital'.
It was like he learned it all in one place, like he's read a book about magic through the centuries but assumed it was all relevant today."
They nodded along.
Riveria nodded as well, before speaking up. "Yes, to add on, the 'Utility' and 'Attack' magics were debunked, Bell had apparently heard about them in stories from the first adventures. These distinctions had existed when pre-'Age of the Gods' magic interacted with Falna."
"And about these things you learned in the dungeon?" Eina asked.
Riveria's eyes raised. "Yes, we learned a good deal about him. He claimed to be from a northern forest, one cut off from generally known elven culture.-"
'That tracks.' Ryuu thought, nodding.
"-He supposedly had visited a human town in the region.-"
'Yup.' Ryuu continued to think, a more grim expression taking root.
"-And his people didn't take this very well, not approving of interactions with 'outsiders'." The High Elf finished with mild disgust.
Eina sighed heavily. "I see, he told me of that too, I just needed to make sure you knew, Guild confidentiality and all."
'Huh?!' Ryuu's mind came to a screeching halt. "What?!" She voiced her confusion.
They all turned to her.
"Oh! Did you not know about this Ryuu?" Riviera was concerned there may have been a reason he hadn't told her.
"He told me a different story." Ryuu spoke out.
"..."
"..."
"What?!" They all asked her.
"He said- uh- it was the other way around, that the human town was highly segregated, and that he couldn't stay there unless they thought him human. He cut his ears so he'd not freeze in the winter storms of the north."
They were all staring dumbfounded.
Ryuu accidentally voiced her thoughts. "D-did he lie to me?"
Riveria jumped in, trying to comfort the girl. "I-It's entirely possible that he told us the incorrect version, please don't worry about it!"
Eina saw how hurt she was by this possible revelation. "I-If what's been said here is true, he may just have sympathized and said something to calm you!"
Ryuu looked up a bit, her emotions hanging in her words. "H-How would that've calmed me?"
"Uh-eh… Bed choice of words. There has to be a reason for this though." Eina spoke with finality.
"..."
Ryuu forced her emotions back down. "Al-alright then, what could be the reason behind hiding his past... If the one you all know is fake."
"...Well, I'd need to give that boy a stern talking to." Eina lifted her nose in what would have been a cute pout, if not for the previous atmosphere from Ryuu.
Riveria teased. "My-my Eina, have you two been getting closer behind our backs?"
"Eh-?!" Eina squeaked, a blush slowly growing. "That would be inappropriate!"
Riveria and Ryuu eyed her closer.
Eina didn't know why, but she could swear she saw feint jealousy from Ryuu and Riveria, though they hid it well.
'Has Bell been stealing hearts behind my back?'
Eina was pouting again, though nobody knew why.
"S-so where do we stand with Bell now?" Lefiya tried to break whatever tension there was between them.
They all came back to reality, the princess at the head of the table took the reins.
"I don't think there is much to discuss, it is increasingly curious that he has told different stories as to why he didn't have ears, both equally concerning."
Riveria looked between her two guests. "Is there anything either of you can think of?"
Ryuu hung her head in thought.
"Have you looked into lost Forests since beginning this investigation?" Eina asked.
"Can you elaborate?" The High Elf asked.
"Have his people.. By chance…" Eina looked for an appropriate word for it. "Been 'forced' from their Forest?"
Riveria sighed and nodded sadly. "There are several cases of this in the north, however, I don't believe any of these cases happened during the extent of his lifetime."
Ryuu formed her thoughts, though reluctant because of its implications.
"Perhaps-" All eyes turned to her. "-He lied about his age as well?"
"What do you mean?" Alicia asked.
"Well… What if he just looks young, but is older, maybe... The northern Elves age slower than the southern ones." Ryuu shrugged.
Riveria scratched her head. "It's possible."
"By how much could we reasonably assume?" Eina asked.
"...A few years, maybe ten, perhaps more?" Ryuu figured.
"The only way to find out would be to ask." Riveria couldn't see this as the reason, but took it serious nonetheless.
"Maybe we're just looking too far into this?" Eina tried to steer them in a new direction.
"..."
"Perhaps... " Eina didn't want this to be true, but it should be put out there. "Perhaps he's being chased, and is trying to not be found?"
Nobody liked the sound of that, Bell, though a liar to at least somebody present, was at the very least kind and considerate, he was not the type to be wanted for crimes or any other reason.
"Be-... Bell said- he's killed before…" Ryuu spoke quietly.
Every eye widened at her.
"He said it was self defence, but I can't be certain now…" Ryuu sounded more and more defeated.
"Did he say why?" Came Riveria.
"H-He said his friend was sick, and that they tried to stop them from getting to the doctor."
"..."
"Then that's what he did." They looked to Eina. "Bell wouldn't do something like that without reason." Her hands were shaking with uncertainty.
Slowly, everyone agreed, Bell wasn't a killer, he had too much compassion to scoop as low as mindless slaughter.
"Is there any other reason he'd be chased?" Lefiya asked.
They racked their brains.
"Maybe he isn't being hunted.. And more like he's just trying to avoid a less than desirable fate?" Riveria tried to find the words but they were hard to put together.
"Like how you were being forced into the royal way of life, before Loki Famila helped you escape?" Alicia added.
"That's… Very possible if he is a High Elf…"
'Is Bell royalty?' They all thought, Ryuu having calmed down somewhat.
"..."
"..."
"I'm sorry if this is something you were wanting to avoid, Lady Riveria-" Eina said it again, Riveria subtly rolled her eyes. "But shouldn't we just ask him all this?"
Riveria sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "At this point, that may be our only option."
The High Elf sighed again, shaking her head. 'Days in this stuffy library, opening dusty book after dusty book, getting nothing but more questions, and no answers.'
"Then we should do it soon, perhaps tomorrow when everybody meets at the Guild?"
Everyone looked at her in confusion.
"Who's meeting at the Guild?" Eina asked, wondering if Bell had made plans with someone else after rejecting her.
"The reason is secret, but he along with others will be meeting there before noon, he has a tendency to arrive early, so we should have the time if we can beat him."
They all looked between each other, everyone agreeing to this.
"I can bring him to a meeting room so he can't run away." Eina offered a plan.
"That's good, he has a nasty habit of that." Riveria spoke offhandedly, getting a few curious gazes before bruising them off.
Riveria looked at the clock, seeing hour hand had just passed one.
She stood. "Let's go get some lunch from the kitchen, shall we?"
All but Eina stood up, her heart beating faster with nervousness. "C-Can I have a word with just you and Ryuu?"
Riveria looked at Ryuu, getting a single nod. "Of course. Can we get some privacy?" She called to the two other Elves already on their way out
Lefiya and Alicia curtseyed to her, then turned away, bound for the kitchen as planned.
.
The doors closed.
Riveria sighed, taking her seat again. "Is everything okay Eina?"
"Y-Yes!" The Half Elf was exceedingly nervous.
"..."
"..."
"Is this about something?" Ryuu broke the silence, bringing Eina back to reality.
She looked down at the table, hands shaking in her lap. "Do the two of you… Like Bell…?"
Ryuu reacted slowly, but became flustered.
Riveria was still in denial.
"What do you mean?" Riveria asked, louder than she'd meant to be.
"Y-You both s-seemed to be concerned, when- ah- when I reacted to Bell lying… more specifically… How we interact with one another…"
Riviera reflected back on the teasing of both her fellow executives and that lowlife pervert Loki. She has been acting strange lately, even doing and saying things she couldn't explain at the time or even now.
Perhaps they were right...
Ryuu was not faring well, blushing noticeable. Having come to the conclusion of having at least some degree of feeling for the boy.
Riveria spoke fast, stuttering. "S-So? Why is this important?!"
Eina looked down, a sad expression becoming clearer.
"...Bell's spoken for." Eina sounded sad, crushed even to say the words out loud.
They both looked to her in worry and fear alike.
"...What?" Ryuu asked softly.
"...Bell said he was waiting for her, that he couldn't be with anyone else... Until he fulfilled his commitment to her… This unnamed mystery woman…"
"..A-are you sure?" Riveria asked, surprising herself.
"Yes." Eina fought her stronger emotions back. "I just… Don't want the two of you… To be hurt… Like I was." She whispered the last, but they heard.
"..."
"..."
Ryuu's heart fought her back, not wanting to speak out about the topic, but felt she needed to.
"I don't want to give up on him."
Ryuu blushed madly as they looked at her, wishing she could jump in hole and escape.
"But-" Eina was cut off.
"S-So?! I can still try…" Ryuu was sinking back into herself.
The silence was deafening.
"S-So will I." Riveria crossed her arms, closing her eyes as to not let her nervousness be any more evident than it had to be.
"B-but, I was-" Eina rambled worriedly.
"Are you trying to steal him out from under us?" Riveria opened one of her eyes, teasing the blushing Half Elf.
Eina fell in on herself, before just letting her mouth talk without thinking.
"I won't let you take him from me!" She had an embarrassed determination in her, one unseen till now.
Riviera was actually surprised, never before hearing Eina talk like this. But then again, today has been a long one already.
"..."
"..."
"So what now?" Riveria ended the silence.
Eine spoke. "We hope he finds her sooner than later."
"Then what?" Ryuu asked.
"...He said that once he finds her, and proves himself, only then could he move on."
"That's only if he doesn't stay with her." Riveria added, rather pessimistic.
"We'll figure it out, one way or the other, even if we are forced to share him with her." Eine retaliated against the Level Six.
Both the other two's eyes widened, surprised at her boldness.
Riveria smiled. "What's gotten into you, Eina?"
"W-Well!" Eina was flustered all over again, losing the confidence which had been building, then motioning to them both. "L-Look at my competition! Both a literal Elf Princess and a cute barmaid co-worker!"
Ryuu and Riveria looked between themselves, a goofy smile spreading between them.
"You'll do fine Eina!" Came Riveria.
"He has always talked highly of you, I'm sure he wouldn't overlook someone such as that." Ryuu added.
Eina just sat there blushing to herself.
I assume you've talked to him about your feelings to get such information, correct?" Riveria asked slowly.
"Y-Yes…"
"Aaannnddd-?" Riveria teased.
"...He said he didn't mind it…"
Riveria and Ryuu we're both confused by this.
"Didn't mind what?" Ryuu asked.
"..."
Eina needed to find the courage, speaking almost inaudibly. "T-t-the kiss…"
"..."
"..."
"WHAT?!" They screamed, standing instantly and no longer trying to conceal their surprise and jealousy.
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Bell and Hestia readied for the first day of the trial, and yes, something like this would unfortunately take multiple days to get through.
He tugged on the laces of his boots, leaning forward while sitting center on the couch.
It was unfortunate to Bell that something to this degree couldn't be handled any swifter, but the gods are the gods, he was obligated to honor all of them, even if he truly only respected a handful.
Hestia fixed her own shoes as Bell stood.
Bell glanced at her sitting on the beds end, trying to tie her shoes while Trje yowled, two paws on the bed, two on her back.
She found it amusing enough to giggle, losing grasp on one of the strings.
Bell smiled as she lightly pushed him away, but he came back and started again.
He made his way up the stairs, ready and waiting for Hestia, he wanted to get some fresh air.
As the door opened to the interior of the abandoned church, Bell would normally take in the scattered beams of morning light, the dew which settled on the pews, or the crisp air of a new day.
Bell froze for an unnoticeable time.
Stepping forward, running a finger over the closest pew and gathering a drop of water. Then turning back and loudly closing the door behind him.
Only once the door was fully closed, did Bell's heart begin racing.
'The shadows… they were different.' Bell tried his best to find a viable reason for this.
The sun was different because of the season, no.
A bird, maybe, but too many light beams were missing.
Clouds, again, unlikely for that pattern.
"..."
"..."
"Bell?" Hestia called from the bottom of the stairway, seeing his panicked face. "What's wrong?"
He stared for a moment, before moving forward, getting a tight hold of her wrist.
"Goddess, we need to go."
"Bell what's-?"
They got back up to the door, Bell didn't hesitate to swing it open. Trje hustled out in front of them, equally desperate to leave the underground home.
He paid the cat no mind as it disappeared behind a pile of existing rubble.
Bell and Hestia made it to the center row of the church, Hestia confused, before Bell turned to the statue at the front center of the altar.
He saw the worn and weathered face of the depicted deity, one he'd seen dozens of times before the age of the gods. Most commonly in villages he was passing through, she was the universal deity of water. In other words, you could pray to this statue, and any and all water gods would hear those prayers.
It was unfortunate, Bell could remember the eyes full of hope as farmers prayed for good rain.
It brought a pang of guilt that washed away instantly as he became refocused on his current mission.
Keeping Hestia safe.
She almost gasped as Bell raised his hand, shouting-
"FIREBOLT."
.
General shock filled the ranks of the waiting Apollo forces as an explosion rocked the area, the back of the church they waited around collapsing, seen from their positions at the front.
Hyakinthos watched the cloud of dust and debris, a set of figures emerging already in full sprint through the unwatched alleyways, there was no exit on that side, so they didn't bother to station anyone there.
The Apollo captain was the only one who knew of Bell's level up, the guild having posted the information just a few hours ago, but he was still confident he could beat the boy in a fight.
Hyakinthos blood pressure rose. "FOLLOW THEM!"
.
The alleyways, or more accurately described, ruins, went on as far as the eye could see. This area of Orario was abandoned due to how outdated and 'not up to structural code' every other building was.
The stonework was cracking but still good after eight-hundred or more years, they may not have had the same 'code' as nowadays, but they knew how to do their jobs well.
The smoke from burning wood supports climbed, carrying a sizable amount of the grey dust to the sky with it. This could be seen from anywhere above building level, and the main roads that went along the sides of the older district.
The Ganesha Familia would be arriving soon to put out the fire.
.
Bell carried Hestia in his arms, knowing he was much faster than her.
He turned, now heading down a perpendicular street, several blocks away from the actively collapsing church. Heart pounding as he saw shadows cross over head, pursuing their last known direction.
'Somebody was there.' He had his answer.
Hestia was also in shock, scared by what was happening, she had only been petting Trje a few minutes ago in their home, this was insanity to her.
"What's happening?!" She called to him.
He didn't look down, not wanting to waste any more thought on answering her than he had to.
"We're being chased! Where can we go?!"
Hestia trembled, she had figured that out, but she hated the slight fear coming from him.
"T-The Guild! They can't touch us there!" She had to scream, the wind blowing through the unobstructed street paired with Bell's speed made it difficult to understand when not.
He moved on autopilot, thinking of which Guild building was closest.
There were several, one on each cardinal point of the city and the center, there was also the actual 'Pantheon' where all the affairs of the various branches were kept together.
The closest to them was West, the branch which specialized in agriculture imports and exports.
Bell's pace quickened, an actual plan giving a goal to strive for.
Several Apollo grunts came from around the corner, all ready to fight.
Bell let Hestia go.
The goddess slowed herself down to a reasonable speed for her, barely not falling.
Bell pulled his knife, ready to fight.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
An air of seriousness hung over them.
Riveria, Ryuu, Alicia and Lefiya sat in one of the Guilds meeting rooms, all nervous about what might happen in the next few minutes to hours.
It was around 10:30 AM, they were anticipating Bell to arrive early at the meeting point.
.
Eina was still at the front desk, nervous as could be for his arrival.
Misha and Rose were anxious about Eina being nervous, it was never a good sign after all.
Ais, Asfi, Bete, Horn, Freya and Loki sat in two different booths, the gods and their guards (Ais and Horn) present beside their goddesses. Bete slept in the booth, Asfi across from him, reading to calm her nerves.
The conversation was light if at all, both goddesses curious at the disappearance of Riveria and her associates.
Freya and Horn were keeping their cool, both were nervous about today, both for Bell's sake, and their own if Hermes was to somehow get out of punishment.
Freya currently wore a full body cloak, tring her best to look inconspicuous, drawing many gazes for the outfit in the heat of summer, but compared to normal, it was a noticeably smaller crowd.
Freya was getting more and more worried, Bell was expected to arrive by now.
The silver haired goddess turned to the stained glass window beside them. This design choice by the guild was to give privacy, returning to normal glass just a few feet above.
"Do you suppose they ran into trouble?" Freya asked.
Loki sighed. "That's four times now that you've said that! He's fine, send your kid here to check on him, if you're so worried!"
Freya pouted angrily to Loki, who was obviously nursing a hangover from last night/this morning, same as Bete.
Freya sighed from the ever increasing boredom, again looking at the colored glass beside her.
Time passed…
And passed…
And passed…
The faint scratching of pens on paper, conversations between attendants and visitors, and the tapping of feet on the tiled floor.
.
Ais was getting just as bored, having been sitting in the booth for almost an hour.
The Guilds doors opened, nothing special about it, but Ais couldn't help but glance over. To her surprise, it was Tiona.
Ais poked Loki's shoulder, motioning towards the short amazon.
"Yea, whatever." Loki was trying to keep her eyes closed, not much of a change visually.
The golden haired girl got up, walking over towards Tiona who was now casually talking with Rose at the counter.
"Well I got this other version from Gareth, but- Oh, hi Ais!" Tiona smiled as she came up next to her.
"What are you doing here?" The Kenki asked.
"Oh, well I was just talking to Rose about the hero book I lent her."
"Hero book?" She asked.
Rose spoke up. "I borrowed her copy of the tale of Albert Waldstein."
Ais' eyes lit up. "Did you like it?"
Rose found this somewhat funny, but chalked it up to the boredom collected from sitting with her not typically silent goddess.
"Yes, I suppose, though there were a few moments that seemed odd."
"How so?" Ais asked, that story being the only one not related to the dungeon she'd ever read.
"Well, there were a handful of parts that didn't make sense. Like the battle of 'Black Field', when the Mercenary army took the land we're on now.
There was one part where he was being beaten and battered, but then some random person who the book didn't name, came and got Albert to his feet, sending him off with a new strength for the battle."
Ais listened on, never having really thought much about that part.
Rose shrugged. "Well, it just doesn't seem like the type of thing that just anybody could have done, ya know?"
Ais was in thought, starting to see it the same way.
Tiona smiled, raising her hand in the air triumphantly. "I know that one!"
They looked at her.
"That's one of those weird things about the Albert story, there's two different telling's of it, but the widely accepted one doesn't include their third member aside from him and Aria."
They both looked at her, both curious, but Ais notably more so than Rose.
"There's no name for him, which is why people think he might not have actually been real, but Gareth has one of the other versions of the story."
Ais and Rose cocked their heads, wanting her to get to the point.
"Ah- Well apparently the third person was an Elf-"
Ais' mind stopped for a second.
"He had red hair and white eyes- oh, ah, wait, it was the other way around! Yeah, in the book he's called the 'White Haired Elf'!"
Ais blinked, the words reached her, but were slow to process.
Rose started asking questions, both girls forgetting about Ais as her mental ceiling collapsed in on the poor girl.
She was getting too much information out of nowhere.
But soon, names filled her thoughts as she recalled a time playing in the fields her parents always took her to.
'Uncle' - 'Big Brother' - 'Little Ai'
Her emotional blockade crumbled, finally finding why she had recognized him.
Just when the first signs of her emotional tidal wave hit the surface.
A moment passed with Ais in her own little, happy world.
Two.
Three.
The door burst open, drawing all attention to the Ganesha Familia guards as they rushed to the counter.
.
Eina burst through the meeting room door, scaring the four women inside.
Riveria was the first to gain her wits. "Eina what-?!"
"They're being attacked!" The half Elf fought for her breath.
They all stared at her, confused.
"T-The Hestia Familia is being chased in the west abandoned district! The Sword Princess and Vanargand are already on their way!"
Eyes widened, a moment of shock passed by.
Riveria and Ryuu got to their feet, Ryuu going on ahead.
The other two girls were still in shock, as Riveria turned to them.
"Keep the building and the gods safe! We're counting on you!"
She ran off to join Ryuu in her pursuit.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bell was again in the shadow of a building to his east, eyes disoriented from the shift in light quantity.
He accidentally kicked a crate, stumbling but staying upright.
Bystanders crossed quickly ahead, seeking safety from whatever it was that was happening.
His foot splashed into a puddle, leaving it just as quickly.
The puddle splashed two more times behind him and Hestia.
He hoped that they were getting closer to the main road, he wasn't familiar with the area.
Bell glanced back past Hestia.
He let her hand go, turning in the same moment, catching the two pursuers off guard.
He pressed back into their space, a spearman and swordsman.
Bell grabbed the spear, fighting for control with the man.
The swordsman readied a lunge.
Bell pulled the spearman in between them, a sword ramming through the side of his core.
Bell kicked the injured man forward landing both on the ground.
Bell stared them down, but the swordsman looked away, choosing to help the injured spearman.
Bell went back to Hestia, pulling her along once more.
As they turned, the light at the end of the path was bright, contrasting the shadows of people going about their days.
Bell felt they were almost to safety.
He tightened his grip on her hand.
Shouts came from behind, people ahead of them looked, then ran for cover wherever it could be found.
The various people who were coming to their aid, like the Take Familia, Naaza and Welf, lagged behind significantly.
An arrow buzzed by the opposite side from Hestia, catching Bell's arm.
He didn't stop, but held his arm forward to see the artificial wound bleeding.
They burst into the light of the Western Main Road, Bell looked both ways.
Twice the distance from Babel as the wall, he went towards the wall and it's associated Guild.
.
Hyakinthos came running out of the same street Bell had.
The man had come into this day expecting an easy and overwhelming victory, to place his boot on Bell's defeated and battered self.
Hyakinthos was infuriated, he couldn't stand this outcome.
Even as the chase moved onto the Western Main Road.
He chased on, disregarding the words of those his lesser, warning him to stop.
Hyakinthos believed that only he could be the one by Apollo's side; it disgusted him that his precious god wanted somebody else.
He couldn't stand it.
He wouldn't stand it.
"My name is love, precious child of light.-"
.
Cassandra did all she could, desperately dragging Daphne down where they were in the back alleys of the abandoned district.
"LET GO!" Daphne screamed.
They had been in this push and pull situation for maybe ten minutes, Cassandra's arms wrapped around Daphne's legs.
She refused to give in, she valued her too much, the only person the dark haired girl considered a true friend.
"NO!" She cried out.
"CASSANDRA!" Daphne had her hand on the girl's face, trying to force her off.
They squabbled for a few more moments, until both froze as someone landed beside.
They were both harshly lifted up by the golden haired warrior.
Daphne was separated from the vision seeing girl, Cassandra looking up as her dear friend was slammed harshly against the stone brick wall.
"Where is he?!" Ais shouted her question, Daphne gasped from the impact. "ANSWER ME!"
"I-I don't know!" Daphne shouted, terror in her voice.
Bete landed a distance away.
"Ais, cut it out, he's to the south!" He shouted angrily.
She turned to him, gaging his words.
Ais let her Daphne go, she slid down the wall.
The Sword Princess began to move.
But Cassandra grabbed her sleeve as she passed, latching on tight.
"You can't!"
Ais turned to her, anger all across her.
Bete spoke for her. "What? You gonna stop us?!"
Cassandra felt like her mind going haywire.
"Nothing. Nothing can stop it!"
Bete was confused and angry. "What the hell does that mean?!"
They stared each other down, Ais and Daphne looking to the desperate girl as well.
She began to break down. "S-So much-"
They waited, not knowing what was happening.
Tears ran down her face. "S-So m-m-much death-"
.
.
Just behind the crying girl, on the West Main Road.
.
.
A pillar of golden light reached up to the heavens, as Bell felt Hestia's hand disappear from inside his own.
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Definition of - "Butterfly Effect"
: a property of chaotic systems (such as the atmosphere) by which small changes in initial conditions can lead to large-scale and unpredictable variation in the future state of the system.