Maria POV

News of what had happened to Bell reached my ears not too long ago, luckily it hadn't reached the kids, but I didn't know how to tell them their big brother might be dead, so I kept quiet, and I waited, and waited, yet I could never find the strength to tell them, I didn't even know if Bell was dead or not. That was until I heard a knock on my door.

I walked to the door and opened it, seeing Lena and Haruhime on the other side. I felt my heart sink a little, scared of the news they were about to tell me.

"Is he dead?" I asked.

Lena shook her head, her face had a solemn look on her face, and Haruhime looked sad as her ears were pressed down a little bit.

Lena then let out a sigh. "He's in a coma, and we don't know when he'll wake up."

I felt my heart break a little hearing the news. What would I tell the kids?

"Please come in...I'll go get the kids," I told them. I couldn't keep hiding the news forever, and now knowing that Bell was alive eased the burden a little. He was alive, but no one knew when he would wake up.

Lena POV

"How do you think the kids will react," I asked Haruhime.

She looked at me out of the corner of her eyes before looking down at the ground. "Not well, they adore Bell, and Rye wants to become just like him. I think it will make them really sad."

I crossed my arms and leaned back, pressing against a wall. "Who's gonna tell them," I asked.

Harubime's tail wagged in a way that signaled she was nervous, but she answered all the same. "I'll do it. I was there when Rye got shot and comforted them while he was in his coma. They might react better if I tell them."

I nodded my head. "Yeah, you're more gentle than I am. Sorry to drop this on you. I'm not good with bad news stuff, none of its fun or cheery," I grimaced.

Haruhime put her hand on my shoulder. "It's alright, Lena. We each have our ways of coping. Yours just happens to be looking for the positives in a bad situation."

I sighed. "Still, I always saw Bell as a guy who could pull a victory from even the most dire of situations, seeing him being tossed around like he was nothing. I won't lie to you, It scared me."

Haruhime sniffled a little. "Yeah, it was hard to watch. Especially since he's done so much for me."

I put my hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "It's alright, Haruhime. He'll wake up eventually."

She nodded her head before looking up and seeing the kids in front of us. They could tell something was wrong, so they didn't run up like they usually did as Maria brought them down.

"Kids, there's something these two have to tell you," Maria said, her voice serious. The kids heard the seriousness in her voice and grew worried.

"W-where's big brother Bell" Fena asked, looking around. The two did as well.

Haruhime kneeled down so she was at their level and gestured the kids to come closer. They hesitantly did what she asked, looking more and more nervous.

She gulped before speaking. "Kids, your big brother was in a fight...he didn't win, and he's in a coma...we don't know when he'll wake up."

The three kids looked heartbroken at the news as tears started to pool in their eyes. Haruhime grabbed all three of them and wrapped them in a hug, letting them cry as much as they needed. She didn't care that they were getting her kimono wet.

Maria walked beside me and leaned in close, whispering in my ear. "How close was he to death."

I looked at her out of the corner of my eye. I leaned closer so the kids couldn't hear us. "Close. His heart stopped a few times, and his mana core nearly shattered. It was up in the air if he was going to live or not for a couple of hours."

Maria wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and she nodded her head. "Well...it's good he's alive. These kids have already lost too much. They don't need to lose their older brother as well."

Haruhime and I spent the night at the orphanage, ensuring the kids and Maria had the comfort they needed.

Miach POV

I awoke feeling the other side of my bed empty. Nazha and I had started sharing a room together after the wargame, but she hadn't been in it much recently. Bell had been in his coma for about two weeks now, and Nazha was trying all types of potions to try and wake Bell up.

I let out a sigh and got out of bed, walking to the lab Nazha had in the house. It was recently put in before the whole Xenos incident but wasn't used because of the Xenos incident.

I walked through the living room and took a left, walking to the end of the hall. I opened the door and entered Nazha's lab and saw her working at her desk. She was mixing some medicinal herbs together in a mortar and pestle with a lamp shining down.

Her lab wasn't massive, but it wasn't tiny either. It was, however, state of the art, with all the latest equipment strewn about the lab. I walked up to her and put my hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump.

She looked at me with a shocked expression before it turned into a tired one. "Go back to sleep Miach. I need to finish this," she told me in a tired voice.

She tried to turn back around to work again, but I didn't let her.

"Nazha, you need to sleep. An otherworldly power is keeping Bell asleep, I hate to say this, but no earthly potion will wake him up. He'll just have to wake it when he's allowed," I told her.

Her ears drooped as she put her hands on her face trying to hide her tears and sobs. "I just feel so useless, he's done so much to help us, and now when he's weak and vulnerable, I can't even help him. How am I supposed to pay him back for all he's done for us."

I picked her up out of the chair and held her as she cried. Airmid said Bell's brain activity was like he was in a dream-like state. He would wake up when it was time to wake up, and there was nothing we could do about it:

I patted Nazha on the back as she kept crying. "I feel useless as well, Nazha, but with Bell, I've learned that he wouldn't want you to lose sleep over him, or try and create a potion that could wake him up at the cost of your health."

Nazha let out a sardonic chuckle. "So he gets to be worried about everyone and not care about himself."

I let out a chuckle as well. "He wouldn't be Bell if he wasn't like that."

Nazha sniffled as she pulled her face away from my chest. "He's so unfair."

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Zald POV

Clang

Clang

Clang

The sound of metal hitting metal came from Welf's forge. He had been working nonstop since Bell was put into a coma. I've had to drag him out of his forge multiple times just to get him to eat and sleep. But I've had enough of this. He's taking the day off whether he wants to or not.

I walked up to the forge and opened the door, seeing him hammer away at a chest plate. I cleared my throat to get his attention. He either didn't hear me or was ignoring me, so I walked up and grabbed his shoulder, forcing me to stop.

"Welf, that's enough," I told him.

He turned his head and looked at me, his tired eyes glaring at me. "I'm not finished."

I smacked the back of his head. "Damnit, Welf, we've had this conversation before. You starving yourself and not sleeping doesn't help, Bell."

Welf shot to his feet and punched me. It didn't even phase me, but I would let him do this. He needed to get his anger out.

"And last time I did, he nearly died" he punched me again.

"His armor shattered before his fight with that bitch"

Another punch. "He was defenseless against her."

Another punch, this time to the stomach. "My armor, which is supposed to keep him alive, failed."

Another punch, this time a little slower. "The one thing I'm supposed to be good at, the one thing I'm supposed to do right, I failed at"

Another punch, slower and weaker. "I failed him, the one thing my brother counted on me for. I failed him."

His punches were now sloppy and slow, and tears were streaming down his face. "So I need to make an armor that will never break. I have to, right?"

Welf was questioning himself as his punches stopped, and he fell. I caught him and let him cry.

"And I believe you can do that, kid, truly I do. But this isn't the way to do it, ok" I told him.

He nodded his head, still crying. Bell and Welf loved each other like brothers. They were like two peas in a pod since they were two of the four guys out of the familia.

They would always hang out in Welf's forge, talking about random topics and things that didn't really matter. But it was their time to be alone and unwind from the stress of being an adventurer.

"We need to make her pay," he sniffled.

I nodded my head. "And we will, but right now, we need to be strong and take care of ourselves. Bell wouldn't want us to beat ourselves up over something out of our control."

Welf chucked. "Yet he does the same thing. How unfair"

Welf let go, his tired eyes barely staying open.

"Want me to go get Hephaestus" I teased.

He shook his head. "No, last time you guys called her, she chewed me out."

I laughed. "That's because you kept punching a wooden post till your knuckles bled."

Welf's face turned a little red in embarrassment. "Yeah…not my proudest moment"

I ruffled his hair. "Now come on, eat and sleep, else I'll beat your ass unconscious," I threatened.

He then started to quickly walk back to the house, muttering how he'd go eat.

I chucked to myself. "Good kid, dumb kid but a good kid"

Alfia POV

"You went a little far, Alfia," Enyo said. I lazily turned my gaze and glared at him.

"I did what was necessary, he will not die, but it will be a lesson to him not to get a big head."

Revis rolled her eyes. "Yes, beat up your nephew so his ego doesn't get too big, Aunt of the Year right here."

I turned and looked at the monster woman who didn't shy away from the glance. "You should be careful, girl. The only reason I'm with you people is to further my own goals. If I felt like it, I could wipe you all out in an instant."

"Now, now Alfia, you're here to further your goals. We're here to further ours. It just so happens our goals align for the time being," Thanatos stated, trying to avoid inner turmoil.

He then turned to Valletta and spoke. "How many did we lose with the attack on Daedalus Square."

Valletta pushed herself off the wall and answered. "About 35 plus the Elderwood. Kids got some talent Alfia. I know you're the incarnation of talent, but maybe your cute little nephew is the reincarnation of talent."

I glared at the pink-haired woman in front of me. "You try and touch him like that, and I'll leave you in the deepest and darkest pit of the dungeon I can find," I threatened.

Valletta didn't seem phased at all. "Oh, now you care for him. What did nearly killing him melt some of the ice in your heart she mocked."

Before I could offer a rebuttal, Enyo cut me off. "Valletta, knock it off. For the time being, your orders are to wait in the shadows. Once the time is right, we attack. Lucky for us, I have a new toy you could play with."

We all turned to the alacryian mage that was tied up in the corner. Seems Agrona has his spies everywhere.

"Get as much information out of him as you can, then either dispose of him or whatever else you want with him," Enyo lazily waved.

Valletta licked her lips, thinking of all the possibilities, and started to walk over. "With pleasure"

She then grabbed the mage by his collar and dragged him deeper into Knossos as he struggled. Having enough of this crowd, I walked to my room and entered it. When I did, I saw the only possession I brought with me. A picture of my sister.

"I'm sorry, Meteria, but I couldn't bring myself to love him, not when he's related to that man, but the world needs a hero, and a good hero needs a villain."

Well, this chapter took a while to get out cause work was busy. Not much happened here besides more emotion being let out and a small timeskip. Anyway I hope you enjoyed later.