Bell POV

Zald and I had spent the rest of the night talking. When the sun had come up I knew it was time to face the music, and a part of me just wanted to run away, but I knew I couldn't. With a sigh, I stood up and Zald led me inside.

Walking into the dining room I could see everyone eating breakfast and talking. The atmosphere in the room seemed gloomy and the talking was just something to break the overwhelming silence.

The first one to notice me was Haruhime. Her ears had picked us up when we walked in. Her head quickly spun around to where we were standing and without even saying a word she catapulted into me.

Her arms were wrapped around me as fresh tears stained my shirt. I had to hold her up as her legs gave out from her joy.

I felt a pang shoot through my heart as everyone else did the same my knees collapsing under all their weight from the joy and happiness they felt.

I truly was an idiot to think they would shun me for killing someone. Such a fool.

"Alright alright give the kid some room," Zald said as he picked up half of the familia in his arms.

The remaining few were Aisha, Lili, Haruhime, and Laurier. Oh god if Grandpa saw me like this he'd lose his mind.

After a few more seconds Zald got the rest of them off me although Aisha struggled a little bit, he eventually got her off.

Once I was able to stand up I looked at everyone and sighed. "I know we have a lot to talk about, and this will make me seem like an asshole but it has to wait, the Xenos are in the city and we need to help them get back to the dungeon, after this I promise we'll sit down and have a nice long talk, you can yell at me, hug me, or punch me, but it has to wait til after we help the Xenos, ok?"

Everyone agreed to this and it seemed we would be having a long talk after this. That's when Miach cleared his throat.

"While I'm glad you're back, Hermes and Ouranos have already come up with a plan"

I took a seat at the breakfast table as Miach started his explanation.

"Since there are multiple groups of Xenos we'll be splitting you up, Welf, Mikoto, and Lili will escort the first group, Daphne, Cassandra, and Lena will escort the second group, Aisha, Laurier, and Zald will escort the final group while Nazha, Haruhime and I will help navigate everyone, we have Daedalus's notebook so we know about two hidden entrances to Knossos, any questions"

I raised my hand. "Yeah what am I doing"

Miach looked at me and gave me a cheeky smile. "Well since you've done the job of making the general populace hate you, you get to be our distraction"

I rolled my eyes. "Yay lucky me" I then let out a yawn because it had been about a day since I last slept.

"Well I'm off to bed, wake me up when it's my time to shine" I got up from my chair and began to talk to my room.

"Bell" Miach called out. I turned to face him.

"Glad to have you back" I nodded before going to my room and sleeping.

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I was awoken by Aisha when the sun was setting. When I opened my eyes I saw the look in hers telling me we would talk later. Once she left the room I started getting ready putting on my armor and strapping my weapons to me. My knife was attached to my belt behind me. Basilisk tear was strapped to my back and Dawns Ballad was strapped on my left hip.

I looked at my right hand and saw the green oculus Welf had put into my armor. These were made by Fels and weren't available to the general public, it would also make communication with everyone easier since it could help us talk from long distances.

I decided not to wear a cloak as I wanted everyone to see me, if I was to serve as a distraction might as well make it to where everyone could see me.

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Finn POV

"Alright everyone listen up, for the past three days monsters have been on the surface, we know they only have a few places left to hide and we're slowly closing in on them now, we have all entrances to Knossos locked down, if you all look at the tubes you were handed those contain a single flare, just pull the cord at the bottom and aim the tube at the sky to shoot it, now since Bell Leywin has been released from jail he was spotted entering Daedalus street to most likely help the monsters, I need someone fast and strong to keep an eye on him in case he tries something, any volunteers"

I finished my speech with a question and saw Alise raise her hand. "I'll do it Finn, Bell's full of surprises and my skills might be able to contain him if needed"

I nodded my head signaling for her to go. She jumped from the tower we were standing on and headed toward Daedalus Street. Yet as I watched her leave my thumb was hurting, something was going to go wrong.

"Alright the rest of you know where to go, and you know the procedure if you spot a monster, shoot up the flare and the team closest will come running, alright you're all dismissed"

Once my adventurers were dismissed I looked at the map of Daedalus Street and where the flags that marked the entrance were. The monsters would need to go to one of these four to escape back into the dungeon, and once they tried we would stop them.

I looked over to the tower on the western side of Orario, where Raul and the others were, he was in charge of that section and I was putting a great deal of trust in him to maintain it.

"Good luck Raul, I'm counting on you"

"Yo" Bell's voice startled everyone.

I quickly turned around and saw Bell sitting crisscrossed on the ledge of the tower. His hand was raised as if he was waving. He put his hand down and just stared at us with a blank face.

"Isn't Alise supposed to be following you, how'd you give her the slip?" I asked.

"Oh she's following me alright, question is, is she following the real me" he cryptically replied.

My instincts were on high alert and my thumb started to hurt even more. Where was the real Bell?

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Bell POV

I was walking down Daedalus Street my head held high so everyone could see my face. I had sent two illusions of myself to the towers the Loki familia occupied, and many more were on standby. I knew Alise was following me as I stopped walking.

I turned and faced her as she stood atop a roof. I gave her a mocking wave to say my 'hello's' and kept walking.

Many other adventurers had spotted me at this point and were following me, all according to plan, now it was time to give them the slip and watch them run around like headless chickens trying to find me. I took a turn into an alley and found Asfi waiting for me.

"I've been told to assist you" she whispered. I nodded and handed her a stink bomb and without even telling her she knew what to do. She put on her Hades head and turned invisible right as the adventures turned the alley. Once the stink bomb was thrown I held my breath to not inhale the smell.

The other adventurers were coughing and holding their arms to their mouths to block the smell, which allowed me to grab the tubes around their belts and shoot multiple flares in the air.

I then took off running down the street knowing Alise was still on my tail, my little trick didn't fool her, she was too smart to fall for something like that.

I looked back over my shoulder and saw her chasing me. Her bright red hair made her stand out in the moonlight.

I was about to turn back around until I was clotheslined causing my back to slam on the ground. I coughed a few times as I tried to get up but was kicked in the stomach. I then felt someone grab my collar and throw me into a wall.

When I was finally able to look up I saw Alise being batted away like a fly, but it was who did it that made my heart drop, and for one of the only times in my life, I started death right in the face, and nearly blinked.

Because standing before me, was a woman dressed in all black and a hood covering her face.

"If you couldn't see that coming, it shows you're still weak" she sighed.

I didn't respond instead I conjured a lightning bolt and threw it. She easily dodged it as if expecting it.

She punched me in the gut. "Still predictable"

She then grabbed me by the collar and lifted me up, I assumed she was looking me in the eyes but couldn't tell as the hood seemed to cover her head no matter how I looked at it.

"I will not help you in this fight, you do what you want with these monsters of yours, but after this, we will fight Bell"

She then tossed me aside like I was trash, and she threw me far, I landed on a roof tearing a few shingles off as I slid. A second later Alise landed next to me with her eyes closed.

I quickly pushed myself up and checked her pulse. I breathed a sigh of relief feeling one, it seemed as if she was only unconscious.

I heard Miach's voice through the oculus. "Bell, can you hear me"

"Yeah I hear you" I replied bringing the oculus closer to my face.

"Wiene got separated from the others, I need you to go and get her, Haruhime was about to go after her but I stopped her, head up the street you're currently on and take a left"

I hated myself for having to leave Alise here, but Wiene took priority. But before I left I used a rejuvenation magic to help speed her waking up.

I jumped off the roof and landed on the ground before I took off running. Thanks to Miach's directions I was quickly able to find Wiene after a few minutes. She was surrounded by debris and adventurers which I quickly took down using static void.

When they all collapsed unconscious Wiene ran to me and gave me a hug. "I was so scared papa," she cried into my chest plate.

I patted her head to try and calm her down. "It's ok little dragon, I'm here now"

"Bell"

My head whirled around and I saw Fena looking at me with wide eyes. "Fena, it's ok she won't hurt you" I tried to calm her down.

Fena's eyes shot back and forth between Wiene and Me before Fena hugged me as well. "I heard you were in jail"

I patted her head too. "I was but I'm fine, you're not scared of Wiene"

Fena pulled back and shook her head. "No, she saved me from that falling debris"

Fena pointed to an archway that was damaged. A part in the middle had fallen off.

I gently grabbed Fena by her shoulders and gently spoke to her. "Fena I need you to go to the square, I don't know why you're here and I won't ask but I need you to go, it'll be safer there, find an adventurer and see if they can take you ok"

Fena nodded her head and picked up her doll. Before she left however she gave me one final hug before running the opposite way.

"Papa, what does arrested mean," Wiene asked. I grabbed her hand and started running.

"Tell you later, right now we need to get you back to the others"

As we were running my mind flashed back to the woman in black. Who was she? She spoke as if she knew me. She was also able to predict me so easily.

I hope Alise is ok.

As Wiene and I reached some sky bridges I stopped feeling a familiar presence in front of me. I heard footsteps drawing closer and closer as I put Wiene behind me and motioned her to stay there.

After a few seconds of waiting to see who was coming out the other side I finally got my answer. It was Alise, awake and with her hand on her rapier.

"Step out of the way Bell, please" she begged

I put my hand on Dawn's Ballad. "I can't do that"

We stared each other down, it was obvious that neither of us wanted to fight each other. But she wanted to hurt Wiene…and I couldn't let that happen.

"Do you really want to do this?" she asked hoping I would say no.

"I don't, but I have to"

We both unsheathed our swords and stood there. It seemed I would have to fight Alise to protect Wiene.

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Finn's POV

I watched as multiple flares went up in the sky. It seemed as if Bell had made many illusions of himself to throw off our teams. We would be stretched too thin if we responded to them all. Which seemed to have been his plan.

"Hmm, that's a lot of flares, they're all red though," Bell said. I didn't know if he was an illusion or not so I had to play along.

"Well they were meant to signal where the monsters were," I said through gritted teeth.

"I know, it must suck being outplayed by a 15-year-old" he joked.

Seeing as he was in a talking mood I decided to ask him why he was doing all this.

"Why are you doing this Bell"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Can't tell ya, and even if I did I'd doubt you'd help me"

I jumped up to where he was and sat next to him. "And why is that"

He let out a yawn. "Because you care more for your image than helping people, all because you want your dream of a strong prum future to be realized you will sacrifice anyone and anything, which makes you a false hero"

"And you're a real one" I bit back.

He sat up a little straighter and chuckled. "Last I check I ran into a burning pleasure district at level 1 to go save someone, last I checked I moved Laurier out of the way of a fatal strike and nearly lost my eye, last I checked I saved orphans from poverty and sent them to school, I also saved one of the orphans from and silverback and got a broken shoulder because of it, I've barely been here four months and I've already saved a shit ton of people, what exactly have you done since you helped get my mother killed" he coldly said.

"Me? I've kept Orario safe, I've kept it safe from the darkest parts of its underworld, and I've apologized for getting your mother killed, I'm sorry ok"

He then leaned back and looked at the stars. "You wouldn't have had to do that if you didn't banish Zeus and Hera, and I already forgive you for getting my mother killed"

Before I could respond our attention was drawn to a single red flare farther from all the others. "You might want to send the Astraea familia over there," Bell said.

"Why," I asked.

"Trust me, Finn, they're needed over there" he cryptically responded.

I told a messenger to get the Astraea familia there quickly. I watched as the messenger dashed off and when I turned my attention back to Bell he was gone.

Well, it seems Bell has finally met the woman in black. Wonder what will happen when he takes care of the Xenos, I also wonder what monster she has in store for him to fight.

Alise and Bell are about to fight and it seems the winner has already been decided. Wonder who won?

Anyway, hope you enjoyed, later.