Bell POV
"Oof" I felt the air blow out of my lungs as someone ran into me. Their arms wrapped around me and I felt them bury their face in my chest. But I also felt tears soaking my shirt.
"I found you. I'm so glad I found you" she said over and over again. I looked down and saw the top of her head. Her hair was brown and she had brown cat ears.
"Anya!?" I yelled in surprise. I grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back a little so I could see her better. "It is you," I said picking her up in a hug. She laughed as I lifted her in the air. I was able to since I was a little taller than her now.
I set her back down and put her at arm's length. "I didn't know you worked here. If I did I would've been here sooner" I happily said.
"I didn't even know you were in the city. I mean just you look so different. You grew" she said back.
"Of course, I grew I was seven when we met. But my god look at you. You became a beautiful young woman" I complimented. Grandpa would be proud of her looks.
She blushed and giggled a little. "Hey where's my hug," Regis said as he stood next to me. I let go of Anya as she leaned down and pet him. "Still have your talking magical dog I see" she joked.
"The best magical dog. They're none other like me" he bragged.
"Oi brat!" Mia yelled from across the bar. I turned and looked at her as she smiled. "Glad to see you're ok. Now sit down and order something" she said.
"Alright alright. Glad to see you too Mia" I said putting my hands up. I walked over and took my seat as Regis was still being petted by Anya.
"You need to eat more kid. You're too skinny" Mia said.
"I'm not a dwarf Mia. I'm not supposed to be ripped with muscles at 15" I responded. I then pointed at Aisha. "Imagine it later" I already knew what was going through her head. "No fun," she said.
"Sir Bell should you have broken out of the hospital. We could've waited another day" Mikoto asked. I chuckled at her nervousness.
"Don't worry Airmid said I was fine"
"She also said she'd do a check-up on you in the morning and then clear you," Regis said walking up to me.
"I'll worry about that later. Not the first time I've been in trouble surely won't be the last" I waved off.
Anya then stood next to me and gave me a plate of chicken with some orange juice. "I remember it being your favorite. I hope it still is" she said.
"It is but I'm old enough for heavier stuff," I said as I took a bite out of the tender. "You're right. It's been what? Six? Seven years?" She asked.
"It's been eight. Just turned 15 a few weeks ago" I said. "Man time really flies. However, I don't like these scars on your face. You're too young to have them" she said tracing the one on my eye. I saw Laurier's ears droop from the corner of my eye.
"Nah I look badass with them. Besides, the old man would be proud of how I got them"
"Right I remember him. He was a kind man I'm sorry for your loss" Anya said placing a hand on my shoulder.
"It's alright. He went out on his terms and I think that's the only thing he wanted" I replied.
"Oi lazy cat you're bringing down the mood!" Mia said.
"Sorry mama," Anya said.
Anya then went to go do her job and I promised we would catch up later. "So Bell care to explain," Miach asked as he leaned forward. He was on my left and Nazha was next to him. Next to her was Laurier and next to Laurier was Mikoto. On my left was Welf who sat next to Haruhime. Who sat next to Aisha who sat next to Lena. At the other end of the table was Lili.
"Remember the story of the slaves in the cage," I asked. They all nodded their heads and some had a look of realization. "She was one of them," I said nodding toward her.
"Oh. So it's like two friends seeing each other after a long time" Miach asked. I nodded my head in response.
I looked over to Laurier who had her head down and was looking at her plate mindlessly playing with her food. "Hey Laurier" Her head perked up as she looked at me. "I don't blame you for this," I said pointing at my scar. "I got it from saving you. You can ask Aisha about these ones later" I said pointing to the ones on my cheek. That seemed to brighten her mood a little bit as a small smile formed on her face.
"Now Bell. As the birthday boy, it's your duty to get drunk. But first, there are presents" Welf said as a longsword was put on the table. Its blade was purple and was three feet long. The hilt of the blade was ivory with engravings on it. The engravings were faces of my familia with room for more. The pommel was a Ruby.
"This looks awesome. What'd you use to make it" I said as I picked it up. I traced the blade with my finger but it didn't feel like metal.
"I used the spikes Uto stabbed you with. That way when you meet him again you can give him payback. Here's the scabbard to" he said tossing me a leather scabbard.
"Holy shit kid nice sword," Mia said as she slammed a mug of ale on the table. "Here's my present. My most expensive ale on the house. But drink it after you open the rest of your presents"
Miach and Nazha then reached under the table and put a box on the table. "Now Bell this wasn't easy to get and it took us a while to track this down. Hope you like it" Nazha said sliding a box toward me. I opened the box and saw a white checkered scarf. However, when I picked it up I could feel traces of aether in it.
"Uh, what's the scarf made of?" I asked.
"Dragon scales. You should know which dragon scales" Miach said. I looked back at the scarf wide-eyed. These were scales from an Asura of the dragon clan. "Well these will be sturdy" I joked.
"Why don't you try it on," Nazha said. I threw the scarf around my neck and realized I felt like a dragon slayer. I took it off and set it back in the box.
"Feels nice but I'm not gonna wear it right now," I said. I put the box next to my sword and waited for the next gift. Haruhime then walked up with a small box in her hands. She nervously handed it to me with her ears pressed against her head.
"H-here you go, Master Bell," she said. I smiled at her noticing the redness on her cheeks. I took the box and opened it seeing a bottle of cologne. I took the top off and gave it a sniff.
"Smells good thanks Haruhime," I said smiling at her. She didn't say anything except nod her head and go back to her seat.
Next to give me a present was Lili who had to walk around the table to give me it. She handed me another small box and waited for me to open it. When I did I saw three green stones. Yet I could sense magic coming from them.
"Lili are these healing stones," I asked. She nodded her head. "Yup Lili thinks your need those with how much you get hurt. It'll also put Nazha at ease" she joked.
"Ha ha, very funny Lily go sit down," I said in fake anger. She giggled and went back to her chair.
"Oh, my turn my turn" Lena cheered as she rushed over. She then dropped a giant box in front of me. I was shocked by its size. It was even bigger than the longsword.
"Open it open it," she said practically bouncing. I did what she said and my eyes widened. Inside the box were a halberd, a great axe, and a spear.
"W-where did you get these," I asked. "Don't worry about it check under them" she said. I moved the great axe to the side and saw knuckle dusters under them.
"That way you'll pack more of a punch when fighting people," Lena said. I looked at the box and thought for a second. "Hey, Lena mind if I give the spear to Rye," I asked looking at her.
"I don't mind it's your gift do what you want with it," she said. She then went back to her seat and started chowing down on her food.
That just left Aisha, Mikoto, and Laurier. Aisha looked at me and smirked. The looks in her eyes told me I was her prey.
"Oh, I'm sorry Bell I must've left your gift at home. I hope you can wait that long" she said.
"I have a feeling I know what your gift is," I said giving her a suspicious look while also blushing a little. That just left Laurier and Mikoto.
"Here sir Bell. I had some extra throwing knives and thought you could use them" she said sliding a box of them over. "Thanks, Mikoto I'll make sure to put them to good use," I said. Laurier sensing it was her turn walked up and gave me a small box. I opened the box and saw another high-end elixir.
"Laurier where did you get this," I asked shocked. "I have my own connections as well Bell," she said putting a finger to her lips. I set all the presents aside and out of the way then grabbed the mug Mia gave me and took a sip.
I felt my throat burn slightly as I tasted it. I coughed a little causing Mia to laugh. "My own special brew kid. Now eat up put some meat on those bones"
The party lasted well into the night. I made sure to not drink as much so I could talk with Anya after. We ate and drank and just had a good time. Regis was talking with Anya for most of it.
I didn't think about Uto or the alacryians. I didn't worry about my falling out with the Astraea familia. All I focused on was celebrating my birthday with my family.
"Bell what's wrong," Miach asked. I looked at him confused. "You're crying" he pointed out. I brought my hand up to my cheek and felt it was wet. I wiped the tears away and gave a smile.
"I'm just so happy I found a new family" Everyone let out a series of coos at that.
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The party lasted for another few hours before everyone headed back to our new home. I told them I was gonna hang back and talk to Anya for a bit. Miach gave me the directions to our new home and said goodbye along with everyone else. They knew that this was a reunion and decided not to intrude.
"So what stage is your mana core in now," she asked. We were sitting next to each other at the bar while Mia poured drinks and listened to us talk.
"Dark silver. Reached it right before I left for the wargame" I answered.
"That was scary to watch," she said referring to the wargame. "I thought you were gonna die a couple of times"
I put my hand on her back and rubbed small circles on it to comfort her. "Don't worry Anya I'm not dying anytime soon. How else would I become a hero"
"You still have that childish wish," she asked an amused look on her face.
"Hey, it was you that inspired me to be a hero. So this hero business is your fault"
"Oh right how could I forget my hero? Goes off and saves any damsel that needs help" she joked.
"Hey, you were one of those damsels" I joked back.
"That I was. That I was. But it'll never happen again I'm a level four now. So I'll protect you" she said flexing her arm a little.
"Level four that's amazing. What familia did you join" I asked. Her mood seemed to change and she looked away from me.
"F-Freya familia" she mumbled. I felt my grip tighten on my mug a little before I calmed down.
"Wow pretty impressive to join the strongest familia in Orario at this time," I said. I was actually impressed.
"Y-you're not mad," she asked now that she knew my past.
"Nah you weren't around when Freya and Loki did their little power grab. Besides I need you to tell your, goddess, to stop looking at me. It's annoying feeling her gaze from a top Babel" I said taking a sip of my drink.
"Freya's watching you. Since when?" Anya worriedly asked. "The day after I arrived in the city" I replied.
"I um I kind of left the Freya familia," Anya said. I set my mug down and looked at her.
"Why?" I asked.
"I just didn't fit in with everyone else. Also Allen kind of alienated himself from me" she said rubbing her arm.
"Need me to go punch him for you," I asked. "No no you don't need to do that," she said waving her hands in the air. "He's a level six and I don't know how'd he react to you," she said.
"Well, as long as you're happy here that's a good thing. Is Mia taking good care of you" I asked as Mia gave me a side-eye.
"Yes, Mama Mia takes excellent care of her waitstaff. She's like all our mamas" Anya happily said.
"What about you does lord Miach take care of you," Anya asked.
"He's tries his best but I keep getting into trouble" I joke.
"You always were a trouble magnet"
"So how's working here been? You have any friends here" I asked. She nodded her head while drinking.
"Yup I have a few friends here. Chloe the other cat girl is my best friend per se. We cause a lot of mischief. Then there's Lunor who's a quiet girl at first but once you get to know her she's a sweetheart. Then Syr who always seems to beat all of us at cards. She likes to mess around a lot but she's a good person. Then there's May the cook she's another cat girl. Her cookings good. Almost as good as Mama Mia's. Last but not least is Ryu. You should know her as your friends with the Astraea familia right" she said. I flinched a little when she said her name.
"Eh let's just say we had a falling out," I said.
"Huh, what happened," she asked.
"Ryu and her familia fought against my aunt during the dark ages. They've helped me out a lot since I've come to the city and once they found that out they felt hurt. I didn't help anything by saying I never saw them as friends but as acquaintances" I replied.
"Oh well, I'm sorry to hear that. Want me to talk with her"
"Nah it's probably better for everyone if we spend some time apart. I've been relying on them too much. Still friends with her goddess though. But any matters dealing with them someone else from the familia will have to deal with it"
We then sat there for another hour before I decided it was time for me to head home.
"Well, it was good seeing you again Anya. I'll make sure to stop by more in my free time"
"Ok Bell I'm glad you're ok and I'll be looking forward to your visits. Also if you hear me speaking with a cat-like accent when you come over pay it no mind" she said hugging me. I returned the hug and we stayed like that for a minute before letting go.
I then started my walk home. I didn't have to carry a bunch of presents since my familia took them home for me. I walked for a few minutes enjoying the night's breeze. Soon it would be snowy and Orario would be covered in it. But it was still a few months off. When I rounded the corner I saw a man standing about 7 feet tall at the front gate.
"Hmm, they said this was the place. Is anyone home I wonder" the man said.
"Um excuse me can I help you?" I asked as I approached him. He turned to face me. He had dark brown hair, gray eyes, and scars on his face. He wore a full-body black armor along with a dark red cape.
"Bell?" He asked his face contorted in confusion. I quickly drew my knife and got in a defensive stance.
"How do you know my name," I asked. He put his hands up to show he meant no harm.
"Easy lad I knew your parents and aunt. Names Zald I've been looking for you" he said. I put my knife down a sheathed it.
"Zald. Weren't you one of my grandpa's adventurers? Aren't you supposed to be dead?" I asked.
"I was. But it seems the old man brought me back see" he said handing me the letter. I read it and my eyes widened with each paragraph. I looked back up at him and he gave me a nervous smile.
"Yeah, the old man wiped what I did from everyone's memory except for yours. I think so that way you could know I don't mean to harm you" he said.
"Well, why don't you come inside? I need to explain this to Miach as I tell him everything" I said opening the gate.
"That's quite alright lad. Isn't this Apollo's place?" He asked.
"Not anymore we beat him in a wargame and stole his mansion"
"Ha ha ha" he let out a hearty laugh. "Good job kid. About time someone taught that pervert a lesson"
I then opened the door and saw Miach waiting by the door. "What trouble did you get into now?" He sighed.
What a touching chapter. I also did a little trick with it having two people finding Bell. Anya and Zald. I hope I did the reunion somewhat well. That was the part that stumped me the most in writing this chapter. Also whoever guessed that the mysterious stranger was Zald. Good job my mouth was open when you guessed right with like one of two clues that I gave.
Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed it because I'm gonna give some facts about the asuras for the people that haven't read TBATE.
The Asuras live in the land of Epheotus. They live for hundreds of years easily dwarfing elves' life spans. They are made up of seven clans with the head clan being the dragons as they're to only ones that can see aether. Aether I'd you haven't already put together is practically reality itself. That's why Bell laughed when Regis who is made of Aether held up a table with it. As essentially Regis was using reality itself to keep the table up.
Anyway, Agrona is also an Asura of the Basilisk clan. I won't say much about him as it'll be spoiler stuff for the story.
Also if some of you were confused about the mention of the name Grey last chapter that was Arthur's old name before he reincarnated.