Hello everyone. I am currently in the process of writing chapter 4 and 5 of this story. I want to do as much as possible for this story before moving back onto the others. I'm not sure if I'll finish this story completely before going back but I will continue writing this for a while since the plan is much more concrete compared to other stories.
Don't worry I'm not dropping any of the other stories.
And just a reminder this is Ray x Bell only all other characters will get friend or sister zoned by Bell. I feel bad for them but it is what it is.
Chapter 3 – A Black Heart
–Several Years Later–
The once little bunny was now a young teen in his fourteens. His white hair had grown a little longer and all the more soft. His body had grown along with his age and was no longer the little bundle of joy you could pick up in your arms, much to the disappointment of many girls in the village.
One thing that never changed however, was his personality. Kind, pure and innocent. That had never changed, the only slight difference was that he was now a fool and a hero. He had promised the Xenos Ray and grampa always said that a promise was meant to be kept.
Thinking about the possibility of meeting Ray excited him to no end. Speaking about Ray, she was the reason why he was going back to the labyrinth city of Orario this day. A few days before, the boy had a horrible nightmare of Ray being in danger. As the nightmares continued, the boy grew worried and began wondering if perhaps it wasn't a nightmare buy a premonition or a warning. Not being able to stay still and do nothing he spoke of his wish to go to Orario to Zeus.
The old man was surprised at first but having known him over the course of the past fourteen years, he knew well that Bell was too kind to overlook it. Without a choice, the God allowed Bell to begin his path as a hero and start his adventure.
Like Ouranos said he gave Bell a fair chance at every path, in the end, he selected the one of the hero. Though worried, Zeus couldn't be more proud of the once little Bell. The only thing that sadly didn't stick to Bell was his perversion and wish to create a harem. As an infamous pervert it was a little disappointing.
'But perhaps that's for the best.'
There was also the fact that the friends he had made in Orario back when he had first visited all missed him dearly. Ardee and Ais in particular seemed to be pretty vocal about wanting to see him again. Bell too wanted to see them, mostly after hearing that Ardee and Alise, along her Familia, nearly lost their life in a massive attack from Evilus on Orario seven years prior.
Both Bell and Zeus could still remember how difficult it was to leave due to Ais, Alise and Ardee not letting go of Bell. Ais even began crying which made it very hard for the members of the Loki Familia to handle as the little tempest wouldn't calm down. The God later learnt in a letter that it took days for Ais to reconcile with the rest of the Familia, particularly Loki.
"Are you sure about this Bell? I taught you what little I could in the past few weeks. I certainly didn't expect you to leave for Orario so suddenly."
"I know, but I have a bad feeling and my nightmares won't go away until I see Ray."
"Hahaha, you really make me proud Bell. To think you're doing all this for a girl."
"!"
The bunny turned into a tomato almost instantly. Zeus only laughed harder at that. While it was difficult at first to learn that Bell, albeit he wasn't aware of it, had a monster girl as a friend. Not only that but he had an inkling, a feeling that Bell would eventually fall in love with her. Over the years however, as he learnt more about them from Ouranos and Hermes, he came to accept them.
"Stop it grampa!"
"Haha, alright then. Go on Bell. It is time for your journey to start. Remember it will be an arduous and challenging journey. No matter how many times you are defeated it won't matter as long as you get up. It is not the one who takes up the shield or the sword, not the one who uses the flashy magic nor the one who heals others. It is the one screams out their wish and are willing to put their lives on the line for said wish … that will make you the greatest and coolest of all heroes."
Bell smiled fondly at Zeus as he finished preparing. He put on his brown jacket then his backpack before setting his eyes on the road ahead. Zeus had trained him for a few weeks and with his rapid learning he had the basics down but there was a long road ahead of him. With a last look and wave at his grampa, Bell set out to begin his adventure.
.
Bell set out on foot, leaving the village he grew in behind him. His destination, despite it being kilomeders away, already in sight. Soaring through the skies and piercing the heavens above, was the tower of Babel and its base was the city he sought to reach.
However, there was another adventure to be experienced before his journey could truly begin in Orario. In a city that laid halfway between Orario and his village. Clad in snow and frost on a mountain ridge. Bell would put his skills to the test and experience war and a battle between warriors and monsters. A prologue to his grand legend.
.
It had been a hundred kilomeders and seven days since he left his village. The path had long since changed to a snowy trail. He now traversed the mountains where the terrain was rough and narrow. The blizzard blinded him, the gales threatened to throw him over and the frost made the climbing perilous.
When he could have gone around, when he could take a carriage, why push oneself in such a way? Because he wanted to experience it all. The challenge and the hardship. He would not take the easy routes, back away from a challenge nor would he wait for the opportunity, no he would make one himself. He was a fool but he promised to be a hero and thus couldn't give up. That's just who he was in spirit and heart. Whether that would change or persevere in the future is a different story.
The bunny now covered in snow panted heavily as he trudged his way through the mountain area. His body although covered in many layers was beyond exhausted and cold. Pushed over its limits it gave out, only moving out of his own sheer will, but with no end in sight, even his mind grew dark and heavy before finally passing out.
.
"Ugh."
Bell began stirring from his sleep, his eyes slowly opening to a wooden ceiling. He looked around the room. The walls were made with large stones while the rest was made up wood. The whole interior was lit up by the large fireplace. He took off the thick blankets off of him and stood up. Last thing he remembers was walking in the snow before passing out. Then the door creaked open.
"You're awake!"
Bell turned to the source of the female voice. The girl who just entered had golden hair and bright blue eyes. Looking out of the window he noticed that it was still snowing, despite that, the girl's outfit looked pretty light. A blue skin tight suit, a short mantle and silver … armour?
"I'm sure you have many questions. First of all, its nice to meet you, my name is Lux. The place you find yourself in is an outpost of Frostreach, a fortress deep in the mountains. And yes, I'm a soldier. I am a mage of the Ullr Familia. The God who resides here. My brother happened to find you passed out on the way so he brought you back."
The boy was overwhelmed with the sudden information and by the oddly friendly personality of the blonde girl.
"I see. Umm, thank you … for saving me. I'm Bell Cranel."
"Nice to meet you Bell. So, what were you doing all the way out here. Don't you know how dangerous it is around this area?"
"I am trying to cross the mountain range. Sure the narrow paths are dangerous but nothing so far seemed that concerning."
"What? You haven't met any monsters?"
"There are monsters here?"
The surprised look caused her to sigh. He was lucky he hadn't run into any of the monsters. He'd be dead otherwise. Bell had no weapons on him after all.
"Oh well. I suggest you rest for now."
"Umu, thank you."
With that Bell returned to the bed, still not feeling his hands that had went numb from the cold earlier when he passed out. With nothing else to do, Bell took out a book from his bag that had been deposited right next to his bed and began reading in silence.
It was only around an hour after he began reading that he heard shouting outside his room. Quickly dressing up, Bell ran outside of his room. The circular fortress housed a massive inner ward and all rooms were situated on the perimeter of the building. As soon as Bell was out of the door he found himself on a wooden balcony that circled around the whole fortress and overlooked the inner ward.
Looking down he spotted a couple dozen of soldiers all wearing the same silver armour and blue clothes as the girl he met earlier, except they all had helmets. Speaking of Lux, she stood at the head of the soldiers right before the gate of the fortress. Every members had their sword unsheathed and looked ready to fight. Archers and mages positioned themselves behind the vanguard, on the walls or on the towers.
A large man then approached Lux. He wore a much different armour compared to everyone else. One which reminded Bell much of the Vikings he read about many times. He was a buff man with blonde hair and a long blonde beard. On his head and shoulders wrapped like a mantle was a long grey fur which made him look like a true warrior. In his hand was a silver long bow and if it wasn't for his divine aura he never would have thought that he was the God Ullr.
The gates opened as soldiers came rushing in, some of whom looked injured. The last to enter was a large man, just like God Ullr. He wore full plated armour and had a large sword on his back. From where he was, Bell could see the look of relief on everyone's face before Lux's turned to shock. Just then before Lux could warn them the gate burst open, the large doors shattered in a thousand splinters, sending flying the few soldiers that were still close to the gate.
'What is going on?'
From the cloud of frost kicked up by the explosion a humanoid shadow walked forwards. What emerged however, couldn't have been any further from being human. A monster, with a devilish grin, walked out, razor sharp claws as long as swords. Its body raven black clad with shiny scales. Its blood red eyes promised death and suffering.
The being looked like a shadow, a symbol of destruction. Death incarnate. Behind it, dozens of monsters came rushing in, spreading out to attack anyone in their sights. Goblins, kobolds and even minotaurus', which Bell had only ever heard of in Orario or in fairy tales.
'Why are there minotaurus' here?!'
Bell watched as the soldiers frantically regrouped and charged forwards meeting the monsters head on. Arrows and magic spells filled the air, pinning down and killing monsters left and right. The bunny watched the chaotic battle go on.
"Garon wait!"
Standing out during the fight were the buff man and God Ullr. The two of them aimed straight for the unknown black creature. Lux shouted at the large armoured man who didn't listen and charged forwards anyways. Countless monsters got in the way only to be sliced apart or sent flying by the man's large shoulders.
As he arrived at his target, Garon jumped spinning around in the air, his greatsword raised above his head. As he reached the monster he slashed at it with his blade, with enough strength to slice through a tree. The raven being however, crossed his claws and completely blocked the powerful strike.
"?!"
It grinned with mad glee before pushing back. Despite that, Garon didn't relent and slashed again and again. The monster easily dodged and deflected each attack. It joyously toyed with the buff man before slashing upwards, knocking the weapon out of Garon's hands. Displaying skills and techniques that a human would use, it pivoted on its foot and made a full rotation to land a powerful kick straight in the warrior's gut, sending him flying back.
"Garon!"
Lux watched in horror as the man was knocked to the ground, while the God quickly reacted by using his bow to shoot an arrow at the monstrous being. The raven humanoid flicked the arrow out of its way with a smirk before setting its eyes on the man he just downed.
'Come on Bell. You can do it. Remember what you have been taught. You are a knight. A warrior. A fighter. A hero.'
He slapped his cheeks to snap himself out of his trance, his eyes locked onto the monster. Fear gripped his heart but the boy forced himself to move. He owed them his life and he couldn't in his good conscience hide while they were fighting. With a surge of courage, the boy looked around and spotted a bow laying by.
'Remember your training. The lessons as a hunter. Be one with nature. Mask in the environment. Blend in and diffuse your consciousness. Feel your surroundings.'
Bell kept reminding himself of everything his grampa had taught him. Grabbing the bow, he cocked an arrow and steadied his breath as he set his sights on the monster. Calm and collected, he concentrated and emptied his mind.
The noise of the surrounding battle seemed to fade as the only things that existed in his mind were now him and the beast. His let go of the target that sailed through the wind. It flew across the battlefield, unnoticed by everyone. Feeling the slight whistle the monster turned around but too late did it see the danger and the arrow struck true its target.
"RRRAAAGGHH!"
The monster yelled in pain as the arrow pierced through the eye and into its head. It couldn't process in its mind how it was possible. It hadn't felt anything, it heard and saw nothing that hinted to him that the danger was coming. Its eyes then noticed those of Bell. Rubellite and blood red exchanged looks. In that moment it realised. The bunny was like a ghost. Invisible to those who didn't look for him, no presence, no bloodlust, no fear and no hate.
With a hateful glare it let out a pathetic screech before falling to its knees. His blood red eyes dimmed until they lost all its colour. The monster's body stopped moving as it drew its last breath and died in place. Seeing the leader fall, the Ullr Familia rallied, pushing back the monsters.
"GET THEM!"
With a mighty battle cry, the soldiers turned the tables on the invading force. Garon, Lux and Ullr himself joined the fray and made short work of the remaining monsters. Bell from his place simply watched, still surprised that he had managed to kill his first monster.
.
"Everyone, gather the bodies of our fallen brethren and dispose those of the monsters."
Ullr began giving out orders to repair the base and clean up the place. Meanwhile, Garon was sat on a nearby bench while Lux healed him using her magic. Seeing them Bell decided to approach them and see how he was doing.
"Are you two okay?"
Garon and Lux turned to Bell and nodded.
"Thank you Bell. You really saved my brother there."
"Eh? He's your brother?"
The girl nodded with a bright smile.
"Yup."
"Bell was it? You pulled off one hell of a shot there."
Bell scratched his head in embarrassment at the praise.
"A-ah, thank you. Right, thank you also for saving me when I passed out before."
"No problem. Guess we're even like this."
The bunny boy nodded before the God called for everyone's attention.
"I know we just had a tiresome battle but now is the time to rally. With the leaders of the monsters gone, now is the best chance we have to strike at their den. Come my children, let us put an end to this!"
The soldiers all roared in agreement, leaving only Bell confused.
"What's going on?"
"We'll be striking the home of the monsters that had just attacked us. Will you come Bell?"
The bunny boy looked at him surprised before revealing that he was not blessed.
"What? You're not?"
"No. That's why I was heading to Orario."
"I see. But with your skills I believe you will still be very useful. Please Bell, we need all the strength we can borrow."
The blonde haired girl looked at him with desperation to which Bell's kind soul couldn't say no.
"Alright."
The girl cheered as the troops all regrouped and began marching out of the fortress towards the den with Ullr at the head of the battle group. Bell, Garon and Lux followed close behind the column of soldiers.
"While we get there allow me to explain."
Bell gave Garon his attention as he began explaining who they were, why they were there and what their goal was.
"At the base of this mountain on the on the opposite direction of where you came from, lies a town called Frostreach. Ullr-sama is a God who has settled in the town and has been giving blessings ever since. Everyone you see here is a member of his Familia and we have the task of guarding the town."
The white haired boy listened to the story with interest.
"The den we are heading towards now, is a cave that has housed monsters for nearly a millennia."
"A millennia?! Why hasn't anyone destroyed it then?"
"That's because it was deep in the mountains and since the monsters didn't bother the town in the past three hundred years no one believed it was worth the effort. Then things suddenly changed. About fifteen years ago, the monsters in the vicinity suddenly grew in number and began attacking the town. Relentlessly draining our defences.
That is why shortly after Ullr-sama decided to pick the best soldiers and create a fort here. For the past fifteen years this fortress has been the shield of the town. Everyone here has battled day and night against those monsters. My sister here joined us just about five years ago. However, throughout this time we could never gain the advantage, until today that is. Thanks to you, who killed the leader, we may have a chance to put this all to an end."
Hearing that made Bell embarrassed but he also felt a sense of pride. His journey to become a hero had begun much sooner than he had initially expected and much better as well.
"I will do my best to help you!"
"Haha, thanks Bell."
.
"We're here."
The God announced, garnering everyone's attention. Though they was still a substantial distance between them and the cave, the entrance was big enough to be seen. As expected of a monster's den, it was a dark opening that seemed to lead you into the darkest abyss where you would be swallowed. It gave everyone watching an eerie feeling and the scent of blood and death was musky in the air.
"What are those humanoid lizard looking monsters?"
Garon, Lux and Ullr turned to Bell with surprised looks.
"Wait Bell, you can see that well from this distance?"
"Hm? Yes."
Garon proceeded to answer his question.
"Anyways, those lizards you talk about are probably lizardmen."
Hearing the man's answer, caused Bell to tilt his head in confusion.
"Weren't they meant to spawn only in the dungeon?"
"Right I forgot to tell you. Ever since the monsters began attacking fifteen years ago, all kinds of monsters, even ones that are supposed to be restricted to the dungeon began appearing out of nowhere. Like the few minotaurus' you saw back at the fort."
Bell nodded before Ullr once again grabbed everyone's attention.
"Everyone! The time has come! Let's strike down the monsters once and for all!"
The soldiers roared and followed their God who charged forwards towards the monsters.
.
The battle ended successfully. Being the only level two of the Familia, Garon took charge of the vanguard and faced the minotaurus' alone. Luckily with the support of Bell and Lux he was able to finish off the level two monsters with relative ease.
The rest of the Familia spared no effort to destroy the den and kill the remaining monsters. By the end of the gruesome battle countless corpses littered the battlefield, with most being those of the monsters. Despite the cold climate everyone allowed themselves to relax while Bell, Ullr, Garon and Lux explored the interior of the den.
"Hm?"
The rabbit look alike spotted a shiny glint at the centre of the main room. Letting his curiosity guide him, Bell approached the object and picked it up in his hands. In his hands, he held a heart shaped faceted crystal. The gem was black like a void where no light shone. A terribly dark and ominous aura enveloped the gem and the wisps of evil energy flowed through and around the gem.
The moment he touched he felt terror and darkness unlike anything before. Like a corrupting force he could feel it trying to take over his mind but his heroic spirit did not let it take over. With an unsteady breath and shaky legs he slowly calmed himself down and took back control of his feelings, banishing the darkness from his soul.
Little did Bell know of the catastrophe that he had just barely avoided. Seeing nothing else of interesting in the den, he made his way back to where Garon, Lux and Ullr were gathered and talking about what to do now.
"What is that Bell?"
Lux's curiosity was immediately peaked as she spotted the black gem. Bell almost missed the bated breath of Ullr but the God seemed to recognize the item in his hand.
"I don't know. I was hoping that you knew."
"I see. What do you think Ullr-sama?"
The God looked to be deep in thought, his worried gaze hinting that perhaps the heavenly entity knew something about the crystal. It almost seemed like he was contemplating whether or not to tell them what he was thinking. With a sigh the God gave his answer to the three set of curious eyes.
"It possess a nefarious energy. It's a unique and rare gem indeed but unfortunately I don't know much. But I believe I heard you were headed to Orario, no?"
Bell's eyebrow arched up but he nodded.
"Umm, yes. But what does that have to do with this gem?"
"Well. I believe that its best if you keep it then. Who knows maybe it will be useful to you in the future."
The God was awfully cryptic all of a sudden and Bell had a feeling that the God knew more than he was letting on. There was definitely more to the gem and he knew, but without knowing what it was Bell could do nothing but nod and accept the God's advice.
"In that case I'll keep it with me."
Tucking the gem into his pouch, the four made their way out and upon officially announcing the success of the attack they were met with cheers from all the Familia members.
.
"Leaving already?"
Garon along the rest of the Familia were at the gate to bid their goodbyes to Bell as he prepared to set off towards Orario once more.
"Yes. I need to reach Orario as soon as possible."
"We could give you a ride, you know? It's only a few days away."
The rabbit however shook his head.
"Though I want to get there as soon as possible I wish to do so on my own. To make as much as I can from this experience. I will need everything I have in order to become a hero."
"A noble path befitting of your kindness."
The God then handed a large pouch full of valis over to Bell.
"This much?! I couldn't!"
"Trust me Bell, you will need it, mostly in Orario. Plus think of this as a reward for helping us defeat that black monster."
Bell bowed and bid goodbye one last time before setting off. Behind him Ullr and his Familia kept waving as his form vanished over the horizon.
.
Bell watched amazed at the tall walls that surrounded the centre of the world, much more imposing and impressive than the fort of Frostreach. The sheer size of the city was something he didn't remember as the ecstatic child he once was.
As of now, he was currently waiting for his turn to enter the city in the long queue that had formed long before his arrival. How there always were so many people and such a wide variety of racess amassing every day at the gates really amazed Bell.
"Next!"
Bell walked up to the guard and followed the usual procedure. Luckily it went pretty rapidly for him and was quickly let free to roam the city as he wished. Looking around, Bell realized that the city was pretty different from what he remembered, then again there was a large assault by Evilus nearly a decade ago. He had no doubt that the change in layout must have been due to the massive destruction caused by them.
'So much for all that exploring.'
He made a mental note to explore the city once more when he had the time. The main goal at the moment, however, was to find a Familia. Then he'd go look for his friends to reunite with them before truly starting his journey as an adventurer and possibly, as a hero.
"Alright!"
Bell was making his way down the main road thinking about which Familia to join. He could try asking Astraea, Loki or even Ganesha but they were powerful Familias, making him wonder if he really could join them. Then again, according to Zeus he had to meet with Astraea to get her divine weapon.
The white haired boy had no idea what that meant, but the sound of divine weapon sounded very cool to him. He also had to meet Alise and given she was a member of the Astraea Familia gave him all the more reason to meet the Goddess.
'Alright time to find a Familia.'
Bell decided to try Familias that he didn't have ties to first, rather than going to Loki, Astraea or Ganesha Familia. As a hero, his dream was not to join a powerful Familia but rather to start from the bottom and show his heroics by rising through the ranks with his own strength.
However, just as Ullr had told him, he really needed the valis. Finding an accepting Familia turned out to be harder than expected and the prices were beyond ridiculous. That's when an idea came to his mind. Rather than pay some ludicrous amount for an inn that might as well scam him, he decided to go visit someone he could trust. That someone was Sam.
After spending a few hours searching, he was happy to see that the inn was still there and upon opening the door he was even more glad to see that Sam still worked there. Katherine was also still working as a waitress albeit they looked a little older. Then again it had been around nine years since he last saw them.
"Hey Sam, Katherine."
The two turned to the boy and took a moment to observe him. His white hair and red eyes however, were quite the unique and unmistakable traits and soon recognized the boy. The same boy that was barely as tall as a stool now stood taller than Katherine.
"Bell!"
Katherine didn't hesitate to bring the white haired boy in a hug before ruffling his hair.
"Look at how much you've grown."
"It's been a while."
"It sure has boy. Here for a room?"
"Yes, until I find a Familia."
For the rest of the day, Bell would chat with his two acquaintances telling them of his past nine years as well as the journey from his village to Orario. He also asked them to keep quiet and not tell anyone that he was in town, he wanted to surprise the others after all.
"Sure thing Bell."
.
He awoke the following morning, his hand immediately finding the feather he had turned into necklace. Ever since Ray had given him the feather he always kept it with him and never let it go. Wherever he went so did the remind of Ray.
'Time to go look for a Familia once again.'
He greeted Sam and Katherine, but only took a few steps outside before he stopped once again and his nose picked up a very distractingly delicious scent. It was a very familiar one at that and once he followed it to its source he understood why. His eyes locked onto the crispy golden form of a jagamarukun.
'It won't hurt anyone if I stop to get a snack.'
Handling the stall was a petite rave haired girl, who was almost too short for the stand. Bell went up to her and excitedly ordered two jagamarukuns. She watched as the boy happily nibbled on the two potatoes while looking around, wondering where to go from there.
"Are you new to the city?"
"Hm?"
Bell turned to her while still nibbling on potato.
"I guess. The city changed a lot from what I remember."
The moment he finished speaking Jagamarukun was back in his mouth. It reminded her a lot of a certain child of a Goddess she hated the guts of.
"You came here before Evilus assaulted the city didn't you?"
The nod from the bunny look alike confirmed her guess. Then a brilliant idea came to her head. Bell watched as the little woman's face before him, which was no doubt a Goddess, turned hopeful and ecstatic. This only caused him to raise an eyebrow before she suddenly shot an offer out of nowhere.
"I am Goddess Hestia and I'm currently trying to start a Familia. If you're looking to join a Familia, will you join mine and become the first member of the Hestia Familia?"
~To Be Continued
This took a while to make I hope you enjoyed.
For those who are not aware Garon and Lux are from League of Legends.
As usual questions are welcome in both comments or DM's (PM Same thing.)
Cu next time :)