An- forgot to mention that Regis has red eyes and horns sticking out if his head so my bad about that.
Bell POV
I opened the door to the cabin. Regis and I went out hunting again and we had taken down this big ass brown bear. Didn't know they lived out this way. Just goes to show you how big the world is.
"Hey, we're back" I called out.
"You guys missed it he almost got mauled by a bear" Regis laughed as he walked inside.
"That's not something you should sound happy about," I said.
"Eh, you were fine" he brushed off.
Once I washed my hands and turned around I saw we had some guests. One was Uncle Hermes. The other was a woman I had never seen before.
"Ah, young Bell good to see you again, now what's this about a bear," he asked his cheerful attitude making me smile.
"Oh, you should've seen it, Uncle Hermes, we were after this buck and lost track of it so we were on our way back when this huge bear just came out of nowhere. Regis was terrified so using my strength and my wits I took the bear down with my bare hands" I said giving the story a little flair.
"It jumped out next to him and scared the fuck outta him. Then he wrestled it" Regis clarified. "Screamed like a bitch as well"
I kicked him in the side causing him to jump and yelp.
"Quite the tale young Bell. But I have brought a visitor to test your mettle against womanly charms" Hermes stated his showmanship coming out.
"Huh? Why, all I have to do is say no" I asked confusedly.
"Against normal women, yes, but against goddesses of beauty, you could very well be putty in their hands, now please allow me to introduce the lovely Aphrodite" Hermes gestured his hands toward her. The woman he gestured to was short. She had medium blonde hair that reached her shoulders and emerald green eyes. Her outfit was a pink dress-like skirt that reached her knees. Oh and she was pretty to
"Hmmph so this is the boy I've been called all the way out here to test" She took a further look at me and a small smile appeared on her face.
"Well, he doesn't look too bad. His eyes are really pretty" I heard Alfia grumble off to the side.
"Very well I've decided. Boy look into my eyes" she demanded while pointing at me. I looked at Gramps with a confused look on my face.
"Just do it Bell," he calmly asked. I shrugged my shoulders and looked at her. Her eyes glowed.
.
.
.
.
"You sure you wanna come with me Haruhime," I asked her as I was getting ready to walk out the door.
"Yes, Master Bell. I wasn't able to go last time you went to the orphanage and I wanna meet the kids. You make them sound so sweet" she excitedly replied her tail wagging.
"Alright. But just know they will most likely ask if we're dating"
"Wah w-why would they do that" she cried.
"Did the same when I went with Lena"
"O-oh. Master Bell why are you carrying a spear with you" she asked her curious nature peeking out a little.
"Because I'm giving this to Rye so he can practice with it"
"You sure that won't piss Maria off," Regis asked.
"It probably will. But hey we can always use Haruhime's pureness to calm her down" I joke.
"Why are you using me?" Haruhime asked with a noticeable edge in her voice.
"I mean look at you. Who could stay mad at someone as kind as you" I complimented. I saw her face flush red and her tail wagged again to signal she was happy.
We then arrived at the church and I knocked on the door. "Oh shit I just remembered we haven't talked to the kids since before the wargame" I panicked.
"Too late to back out now" Regis chuckled. The door then opened and Maria looked at me for only a second before she wrapped her arms around me.
"I'm so glad you're ok dear boy" she mumbled into my shoulder. I patted her on the back.
"Yeah, I'm alright Maria no need to worry," I said giving her positive reinforcement. After a few minutes, she let go.
"Come inside the children will be happy to see you"
She then saw Haruhime and a gentle smile spread across her face.
"You must be another friend of Bell's, and you're also beautiful Bell where do you find girls such as her," Maria asked as she grabbed Haruhime's hand to lead her inside. I followed the both of them while nervously chuckling.
"It's a long story"
We went into the main room of the church and it looked a lot better. The renovations were done and this place looked like an actual church now. The carpet was red and covered the entire floor. The room was also no longer dusty and looked clean for the first time in a while. The pews were removed and replaced with chairs and couches set up in a circle with a table in the middle. The door that lead to the courtyard also had a red carpet leading towards it. I was able to look out the window and see that all the debris was cleared and it made the courtyard looker nicer.
"Place looks a lot nicer than last time," I said.
"That's all thanks to you Bell, because of you these children have a stable roof over their heads, better food, and an education, so thank you Bell, although now I know where the money came from" Maria had a knowing grin as she spoke.
"Eh yeah secrets out, you're not angry?" I asked.
"Oh heavens no dear boy, you've proved to me time and time again that you're not your aunt"
"Thanks, Maria, it's good to hear that, I don't know what'd I do if you or the kids hated me"
Before Maria could respond I heard the sounds of little footsteps running down the stairs. They turned the corner and without even saying anything jumped on me. I of course didn't lose my balance since I have a falna and they don't.
"Alright you little ankle biters you can let go now, your big brother is fine and dandy" I joked. When they didn't let go I sighed and wrapped the three of them in a hug.
"Alright kids, I guess we can stay like this for a little bit" I mumbled as I sat down on one of the couches. We stayed like that for a few minutes. Off to the side Regis, Maria, and Haruhime were watching with smiles on their faces.
The kids were scared that much was obvious. They had to watch as I was brutalized and practically tortured for Uto's amusement. So we would stay like this as long as they would like.
"Were you three scared" I calmly asked? I felt their three heads shake in the positive.
"Yeah I guess it was kinda scary, but no need to worry, you're big brother is not gonna go down that easily, so there's no need to worry ok" I gently comforted pulling them closer. We stayed like that for a few more minutes before they let go.
"Big brother Bell who was that guy" Roux the elf tilted his head.
"And are you really a Leywin" Fena the blonde hair chienthrope looked at me expectingly
Rye was silent as he had his arms crossed and stared at me also wanting an answer.
"Yes I'm a Leywin, that guy was an old enemy of my great grandfather, but no need for you kids to worry he shouldn't bother me again" I replied brushing off how Uto made me feel.
"So he won't bother you again" Fena tilted her head.
"No, he won't" I rubbed her head causing her to smile.
"Now say hello to Haruhime, you already know Regis so don't mind him"
The three kids looked at Haruhime and were immediately enamored. They rushed at her and she leaned down to hug them. I felt a smile spread across my face.
"Woah a pretty fox lady" Rye beamed.
"She looks like a mom doesn't she, maybe that'll be your kids one day" Regis teased as he moved next to me. I promptly kicked him in the side. Haruhime also heard us as I saw the blush on her face.
.
.
.
.
"Alright Rye you ready," I asked handing him the spear. He held it in his hands and looked at it in awe. We were outside in the courtyard while everyone else watched on the sidelines.
"It's heavier than I thought" he mentioned as he messed with it.
"You'll grow into it, now I saw your report card and you're doing good in school, keep those grades up and we'll practice a lot more"
He swung his spear a few times to get used to the weight a little more.
"Big brother Bell why did you give me a spear?"
"Simple, you're short and the spear has a lot of reach while also being light"
"I just haven't hit my growth spurt yet" he pouted.
"And the spear will still be useful even when you grow" I chuckled.
"Now try and hit me," I said.
"What? You want me to hit you?" He raised an eyebrow.
"I said try"
Rye then got ready in the stance I showed him and charged. His form was sloppy and he was stumbling over himself as he wasn't used to the extra weight. With a simple side step and a trip, he was on the ground.
"Well two things you did wrong, number one you got too close, number two you didn't account for the weight of the spear while running making your footwork sloppy" I explained helping him up.
"Ow, dang I thought I was gonna get you" he rubbed his back he was in pain.
"Alright, Rye get in the stance I showed you" I ordered. He did as I said and had both his feet spread apart and his spear pointed forward.
"Now thrust the spear forward"
He did as I said and thrusted it forward before coming back to his ready stance.
"Again"
He did it again and again for about an hour before he was out of breath. I walked up and handed him a glass of water Maria gave me.
"Here drink this, how's the spear feel now," I asked.
He gulped the water down quickly before panting.
"Still feels heavy, but I'm getting used to it" he panted.
"As I said earlier you'll get used to it, just remember to keep practicing with it every day, and only use it to practice, Maria's gonna be keeping it under lock and key until I think you're ready for it"
"But how come I'm not ready for it now" he complained. I sighed before I kneeled next to him and put my hands on his shoulders.
"Rye what is this spear to you" I calmly asked.
"A weapon to kill my enemies" he mumbled.
"Oh? And who are your enemies" I asked.
"Monsters, they killed my parents, they killed Fena and Roux's parents, I hate them. I want them to die" his body trembled in anger.
"Ok, so monsters are your enemies, but do you truly know what a monster is Rye"
"Those creatures from the dungeon, they slaughter and eat us and cause misery everywhere they go and I hate them for it"
"That's a valid reason, but what if I were to tell you that humans were monsters to what then?
He looked at me wide-eyed and in shock. His mouth was also slightly agape
"Humans have been killing each other long before the monsters came, hell we still do it even now that we have a bigger threat to worry about, so are we technically not monsters as well"
He didn't say anything and looked down at the grass. He brought his legs up to his chest and huddled into a ball.
"I'm not saying any of this to put you down, you're just a kid so I don't expect you to have an answer to this age-old question, but I will ask you one I want an answer to"
His head shot up and he looked at me waiting for the question.
"If a monster were to talk or have feelings like you and I, if it could feel happiness and sadness, even laugh and have a fear of death, if it begged you not to kill it because it was scared, what would you do"
We sat there in silence for a few moments. Rye opening and closing his mouth multiple times but saying nothing. He was thinking hard about this. Finally, after what seemed like forever he spoke.
"I-I don't know" he softly answered. He looked like the wind had been knocked out of his sails. Like everything he had ever thought in life didn't matter or have meaning anymore. I gave his shoulders a soft comforting squeeze before I ruffled his hair.
"We'll take your time and think of an answer, once you have one then you'll be able to use your spear whenever you want, deal?"
"Deal" he nodded his head.
I then patted him on the back and stood up helping him to his feet.
"Good now let's go get some lunch I know a place," I said as we walked back to the others. The other two kids were gushing over Haruhime as they found her quite interesting while Maria and Regis were having a conversation about Uto and who he was. It seemed Maria was still worried about what happened to me and Regis seemed to help calm her down.
"Hey Maria is it alright if I take you and the kids out to lunch, Rye did good in his training and I set a few ground rules with the spear," I asked.
"Yes I heard, he can only use it for practice and won't be able to own it until he answers your question correct?" she asked.
"Yup, now let's go get some lunch I'm hungry"
.
.
.
.
We were walking through the streets of Orario heading to the hostess. Fena was on my shoulders wowing at how far she was able to see. Roux was holding Haruhime's hand and Rye was bickering with Regis. Maria tailing behind us and I could hear her giggling.
"What's so funny" I turned my head to face her.
"Nothing, you just look like a parent"
"I'm too young to be a dad" I rolled my eyes.
As we were walking people were taking side glances at us and some woman cooed at the adorable scene. The whole time however we were being followed. I didn't bring it up however as I knew who they were. We arrived at the Hostess of Fertility and Anya was by the front door.
"Welcome to the hostess of fertility Nya, please come with Nya and I'll take you to Nya's seats" she meowed. Like actually meowed.
"Oh my god you were serious," I said. I thought she was joking when she said she spoke like a cat.
"Nya nya nya, of course, nya was serious nya nya nya" she giggled.
We followed Anya as she led us to our booth. The lunch rush seems to have just ended so the place was rather empty. I sat on the outside of the booth next to Roux who was in between Haruhime and me. Across from us was Rye on the outside like me Fena in the middle and Maria at the end. Regis was on the floor under the table.
"Hey, Bell I just thought of something" Regis's voice came from under the table.
"Oh yeah, what's that?"
"Fena looks like a kid that would come from you and Haruhime" he teased. I promptly kicked him in the side causing him to yelp.
"Ignore him"
It was then Ryu showed up to take our order.
"Welcome to the hostess of fertility, my name is Ryu and I'll be taking your order" her voice was monotone and flat. She either didn't want to be here or was being professional. I felt Haruhime's tail wrap around my hand to comfort me.
"Oh hello ms Ryu, I'll have a salad please" Roux set down his menu.
"I'll have a burger and French fries" Fena cheered.
"I'll have chicken and fries" Rye also put down his menu.
"And the adults," Ryu asked writing down the kid's orders.
"I'll take the spaghetti" Maria smiled.
"I'll have the chicken curry," Haruhime asked. Her normally cheerful and kind voice was replaced by one of disdain? It wasn't anger but it also wasn't happy. Could it be disappointment? Ryu then looked at me her eyes had a look of regret but they also look conflicted.
"I'll have a burger and fries, oh and can you make sure Regis will have something to eat as well" Regis's ears perked up from under the table.
"Oh yeah I want something to eat, the food here is good"
Ryu wrote down our orders in her notepad and closed it putting it back in her apron.
"Alright I'll take these orders to the cook, can I get you anything to drink"
The kids, Maria and Haruhime either ordered water or juice while I ordered something a little stronger.
"Something wrong Bell," Maria asked. She picked up on the subtle shift in my mood when Ryu appeared.
"No, I'm fine" I answered. It's not something she needs to know about. Before any other words could be said three coloring placemats were put on our table for the children.
"It's about time you swung by, was starting to wonder if you forgot about little ol me," a greyed-haired woman said. I recognized her.
"You're the woman from the alleyway, Syr was it"
"Yup that's me, Syr Flova at your service" She gave me a playful smile and a thumbs up.
"Big sis Syr" the children cried out. Wait a minute big sis?
"Hello you three, have you been behaving for Maria" Syr had her hands on her hips.
"Yes Syr the children have been behaving quite well, Rye especially" Maria chuckled.
"Well that's good, I have to get back to work now it was good seeing you again, I'll try and stop by sometime soon" Syr then walked away after waving goodbye.
.
.
.
.
After finishing our lunch we walked around the city. I bought everyone ice cream and watched as the kids and Haruhime had it for the first time. It brought a smile to my face seeing their smiles. I felt the memories of what happened to me at the wargame being slowly pushed to the back of my mind. I know I told Airmid I was fine but that was a lie. Not a day goes by when I don't flash back to that day. The spikes pinning me down and my secrets being revealed. Then Agrona himself showed up. Seeing a being of such power. It scared me.
The only people who know of it are Miach, Zald, Nazha, and Aisha. I hope to keep it that way. There's no need for everyone else to worry about me when they can smile and have fun like Haruhime is with the kids right now.
"You're thinking something stupid right now aren't you" I heard Regis say through our mental link.
"I sometimes hate how you can read my thoughts"
"I'm your bond, of course, I'm gonna know what you're thinking"
"You gonna tell me to go talk to a shrink," I asked a hint of sarcasm in my voice.
"No, Aisha seems to be helping you calm down whenever you wake up in cold sweats"
I let out a wry chuckle.
"You think you're funny don't ya"
"I know I am"
We sat in silence for a few minutes before I turned my head and saw an elf with golden yellow hair trying to hide in the crowd.
"Shall we hi to our watcher" I joked.
"Go ahead you're a hit with the ladies" Regis responded.
Using my illusion magic I made it seem as if I still had my back to her. She seemed to take the bait and didn't know I was behind her until I tapped her on the shoulder. Since she was an elf I made sure to tap the part that was covered to not touch her skin. She jumped and turned around looking at me in confusion.
"So, wanna explain why you've been following me all day," I asked.
"Wha- well, you see um I um uh" she sputtered.
"Calm down Lefiya I'm not mad" I reassured. She sighed in relief before collecting herself and taking a deep breath.
"I was trying to get you alone and talk with you, but you've been hanging out with those kids and their caretaker all day so I didn't see a good opportunity" she mumbled.
"So you stalked us all day" I questioned.
"Well yeah, sounds bad when I say that out loud" She rubbed the back of her neck.
I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose laughing a little.
"Alright, what is it you want to talk about," I asked.
She seemed to need a minute to collect herself before she spoke.
"I just wanted to say, that even though you're related to the silence and only saw us as acquaintances, I'm still gonna trust you" Her eyes were full of determination.
"Oh, why's that?"
"Because I've seen what you do, while I may not agree with it sometimes you do it for good reasons, also ms Laurier trusts you, if she trusts you then so will I"
I gave her a genuine smile and saw a small red dusting on her cheeks because of the sun.
"Thanks, I'm glad to hear that, now you should probably head home, don't want your familia getting worried about you," I told her as I walked back to my group.
My illusion was still there so only Regis knew I was gone. But one thing I didn't know. Was that one sentence would give me a much-needed ally. An ally that would help me win one of my hardest battles.
Orario somewhere close by
"The path of a hero is hard. One must go through heartache and strife and come out on top to be stronger"
An arrow is notched into a bowstring.
"Sometimes it's through death. Sometimes it's through a humiliating defeat. But what every hero goes through is a loss of innocence"
The arrow is loosed striking true with its target and a scream is heard.
"Take heed, young child, I missed on purpose"
Bell POV
Once I walked back to where I originally was I dispelled the illusion.
"So I take it your talk went well," Regis asked.
"Yeah it was just one of Astraea's girls saying she trusted me and didn't care that I'm Alfia's nephew"
"Lucky you another elf for the harem" he joked.
"Shut up Zeus" I laughed a little at his joke.
I then saw an arrow hit Rye in the chest and felt his blood splatter on my face.
"R-RYE! RYE!" I yelled catching him before his body hit the ground. He was limp and his eyes were closed but he was alive. I looked around on nearby rooftops trying to find the shooter but to no avail.
"REGIS, TAKE HARUHIME AND THE OTHER BACK TO OUR HOUSE, I'LL GET RYE TO AIRMID" I yelled.
I didn't wait for his response as I imbued mana into my legs and took off. I carried Rye's limp and bleeding body to the hospital as fast as I could. It took me less than a minute to reach it. I busted open the door and Airmid glared at me before her eyes widened.
"He needs help. Help him please" I begged.
"Give him to me" Airmid ordered as she marched up to me. I quickly gave him to her and she took him off to an operating room. I sat in the waiting room. My shirt covered in my little brother's blood.
That's a wrap. Sorry, this took a while I was taking some lessons on how to write better to not make the story seem as clunky. Anyway, Rye's been shot, and in the middle of Orario no less. I wonder who did it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the little family section of this chapter before Rye took an arrow to the chest. I'm thinking of writing one or two more chapters of this arc before moving on to the Xenos. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed later.
Also it says Lefyia's hair color is blonde even though it looks red.