Bell waited in Ganesha's office, pacing back and forth. He was nervous. Extremely nervous. He had been in Orario for around seven months now.

He had built up friendships with a lot of people. He didn't really expect to make friends, much less a girlfriend.

He had come to this city with expectations to kill Alfia and Zald and then leave. Wander around the world helping out where he could because he wouldn't have a place he belonged.

But now he did. Orario was where he belonged. The Astraea familia is where he belonged. He belonged here. With them.

But that could no longer be the case. He was about to tell them everything. Who he is, where he comes from, what he's here to do.

Everything would be revealed.

No more lies. No more secrets. Bell was done burying his past. Done hiding from the fear of who he truly was.

He wasn't just the nephew of Gluttony and Silence. He wasn't just the last surviving member of the Zeus familia. He wasn't just the Grandson of Zeus.

He was Bell. Bell Cranel. The boy who had killed Gluttony and signaled a turning point in the dark age. The boy who would end the dark age.

The door to the office opened, and Bell looked up. Ardee and Astraea were leading the rest of the familia plus Haruhime inside.

Seeing Bell's fidgety attitude, they knew something was up. But a look from their goddess kept them quiet.

Ganesha followed in behind them and shut the door, locking it in the process. Once the door was locked, the god spoke.

"Please have a seat. You'll need to sit down for this."

Everyone but Ardee did what he said as she walked over to Bell and grabbed his hand. "You've got this." She softly said.

Bell took a deep breath while everyone else looked confused.

"Bell, what's going on?" Alise asked.

"Yeah, you actually seem scared for once." Lyra joked.

"Is everything alright, Bell?" Ryu asked.

"How about we wait for what he has to say before our questions." Nezhe stated.

"Yeah, he looks nervous enough as it is. No need for us to bombard him." Kaguya added.

Once the room quieted down, Ardee squeezed Bell's hand for comfort. He looked over to her and nervously smiled. He then took a shaky breath and spoke.

"I ask that you hold all questions until after I'm done talking. There's a lot to go through, and I don't want to stop once I start. Because there's probably a good chance I won't pick up again."

Bell looked to the familia and saw their nods of agreement. Taking another shaky breath, he took his sunglasses off and set them on Ganesha's desk.

His hand slightly trembled, but he kept his breathing calm. He rubbed his eyes and let go of Ardee's hand. Then spoke.

"My name is Bell Cranel. My father was a member of the Zeus familia, and my mother was a member of the Hera familia. I was born shortly after both familia's were wiped out by the One-Eyed Black Dragon. My father died during the battle, and my mother died during childbirth. Leading my Grandpa, aunt, and uncle to raise me."

Bell took another shaky breath as the Astraea familia plus Haruhime leaned in.

"My Grandpa is Zeus. My aunt is the Silence, and my uncle is Gluttony. For 13 years, we lived peacefully in a mountainside cabin. But right after my birthday, I found out what they planned to do. So I chased after them down the mountain in hopes of convincing them otherwise. I failed, and as a result, those two left me half-dead on a mountain. Zald was the one to give me my scar."

The room started to grow cold, and the silence was deafening. But Bell continued.

"I was then in a coma for 11 months. Once I woke up, I immediately made my way here while my Grandpa made his way to the Empire. My Grandma, Hera, had gone quiet since crossing their borders. I haven't heard anything from him since. There's a good chance they're both dead. I wouldn't know. What I do know is that I'm here to kill my aunt and uncle. I've already completed the first part of my quest. Now, I will complete it."

Silence filled the room. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. No one knew what to say as their words were caught in their throat.

Alise looked over to Astraea and shakily spoke. "Is he-is be telling the truth, Lady Astraea?"

Astraea nodded. "He is. He told me of this when he first arrived. The only other two who knew at the time were Ganesha and Ouranus. Our original plan was for Bell to use his infinity to take out Zald and Alfia. Once that plan was proven to fail, we knew he had to get stronger."

Iska looked over to Bell. Her eyes filled with betrayal. "Were you ever going to tell us?" She asked.

"At first, no. To be quite honest, Astraea and, in turn, all of you were a means to an end. I simply wanted to do what I came here to do and then leave. But as time passed, that changed. I started to care for all of you. I grew attached."

"Is that why you always kept your infinity on? Was it because you didn't trust us?" Kaguya inquired.

"Yes, and I was afraid of physical touch. But I guess it's time for me to explain my powers as well. My eyes and my powers are all inherited from a long-dead clan I have ties to. I'm the first one in 400 years to have the six eyes. Now, this stuff isn't magic but cursed technique and energy. The more negative emotions I have, the more power I have. It's all very hard to explain, but just know with my infinity, I can't be touched, and with my reverse cursed technique, I can heal almost any wound."

"So you're the equivalent of a god right now?" Noin asked.

Bell looked to Astraea and Ganesha, who both nodded.

"I'm the closest a mortal will ever get to a god. I mean, I can destroy this entire city with a flick of my fingers."

This seemed to slightly unnerve everyone there. But the questions kept coming.

"I want to bring the focus back to your family. You're a child of the two strongest familia's to ever exist. But doesn't that mean you're angry at Loki and Freya familia?" Maryuu asked, her voice filled with trepidation.

Bell nodded. "I am. But right now, they serve a purpose needed for this city. Once the purpose is gone, I will confront them."

The room filled with silence once more. But Alise spoke up.

"Are you going to kill then?" Alise hesitantly asked.

Bell turned his gaze to her. His red eyes still looked like the blazing sun. They were brighter than last time. But she could see the weariness and exhaustion in them.

"I don't know. Right now, they serve as a means to an end. If they die before this dark age ends, I won't care. Well, if Gareth dies, maybe I'll care. He doesn't seem too bad."

"Is this who you really are? Was the person who's lived with us for nearly a year just a fake?" Ryu asked, her voice shaky.

"At first, yes. To be honest, I didn't expect to grow attached to any of you. I only wanted to end this dark age and leave. But as time passed, you all seemed to grow on me. I think everything I felt about all of you hit me all at once when the Juggernaut appeared. I was filled with so much anger about what it did to you that I went on a rampage. That's when I realized I cared for all of you."

"So your scar came from Zald?" Nezhe asked, her voice flat.

Bell nodded. "It did. That's why I didn't want to grow close to people if my own family could do something like that to me. What could a stranger do?"

Ardee squeezed his hand as a comforting gesture. Then she spoke up.

"I know all of this is hard for you to hear. But you also need to see this from Bell's perspective. The only family he has ever known tried to kill him. Now, he's already killed one of them and will soon kill the other. Imagine how this feels for him."

"Is this why you barely slept?" Lyra asked.

"It was a part of it. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Zald's blade going down my chest. I saw Ardee looking at me after she was nearly killed. I saw all of you being hurt by the Juggernaut. I'm not good at processing things. I've had to push them to the side to finish my mission."

"Which, in turn, leads you to hide it with humor, Master Bell?" Haruhime timidly asked.

"Hit the nail on the head, Haruhime." Bell chuckled.

The room was quiet once again as most didn't know what to say or how to react. Bell took this as his opportunity to end this.

"I'll leave you time to process this. You can hate me, be mad, be furious. Anything you feel I think is justified. Just stay alive. That's all I care about now."

Bell couldn't bear to see the looks on their face anymore.

Bell then walked out of the office with Ardee following him. The Astraea familia sat there in silence with shocked looks on their faces.

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Bell and Ardee entered his room, and Bell sat on his bed. Ardee sat down on his lap and wrapped him in a hug.

"That must've been tough," Ardee whispered, her hand running through his hair.

"They all looked at me like I was a stranger. I guess I technically am." Bell mumbled.

"No, you're not. You just haven't allowed yourself any time to process anything. Now that you have your moods changed. You're still the same Bell."

Bell sniffled as his eyes watered. "I still see him, ya know. Zald, I mean. I see him standing there. That stupid, proud smile on his face as he died. Every time I close my eyes. Why did he have to do all this?"

Ardee kissed his forehead while still running her hands through his hair. "Shhh, it's alright. You're alright. I'm here. Just let it all out. It's ok." Ardee cooed.

Bell held onto Ardee tighter. His tears rolled down his cheeks and onto her shirt, getting her chest wet. It had only been two days since he killed Zald, and even though he was trying his hardest to push through, he couldn't.

He was still human. Despite being so powerful, Bell was still a kid. A kid who had killed the closest thing he had to a father, and now he'd have to do the same to Alfia. The woman who was his mother most of his life.

No one should have to undertake a task like this. But Bell did. He had to. No one else would be able to beat Alfia. Even if the entire city banded against her, they wouldn't last five minutes.

The truth was it was always Bell's fate to do this. No matter how much he hated it. Alfia would die, and it would be by his hands.

"Shh, you're ok. I'm here, and I'm not leaving you. I love you, and I'll be by your side. So, just let it all out. I'll take away all your pain." Ardee cooed.

Bell spent the next hour crying into Ardee as she held him. He was grateful she was here.

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Alise stood outside their room, about to knock. She didn't, as she heard the crying and words of comfort. She looked at the sunglasses in her hand and then back to the door.

She turned and walked away and went back to where everyone else was. They were all gathered in Alise's room with looks of shock and confusion on their faces.

Astraea was with them, standing in the corner, her hands folded in front of her. Once Alise returned, she set the glasses down on her nightstand and spoke.

"Well, we have some things to talk about. Before we start, does anyone hate Bell for this revaluation?"

Nobody said a word.

"Good, so we see him as his own person and not the nephew of the Silence. Now, are we mad that Bell hid this from us?"

Everyone but Haruhime raised their hand. Alise turned her attention to the fox girl.

"Haruhime, why aren't you angry?" Alise asked.

"Because Master Bell saved my life and every other slave in the pleasure district when no one else would. He gave me a new life with friends and a purpose. If he has secrets he wants to keep, he's allowed to keep them."

Alise nodded and noticed Nezhe's hand was raised as well.

"Nezhe, what do you have to say?"

"Look, I get Bell technically lied to us. He really didn't cause he never mentioned anything about who his family was. But none of you have told him about your past. I mean, Kaguya's a literal assassin back in the Far East, and Lyra was raised in a prison camp. Hell, I haven't told him that my entire pack was slaughtered before my eyes. Why are we mad at him for not telling us anything?"

Alise sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Because his family is the reason Orario has been in a Dark Age for almost three years."

"That's true, but Bell's not the one who told them to do it. Hell, Bell nearly died trying to stop them the first time."

"He said he saw us as tools, Nezhe. That hurt to hear." Ryu said.

"I'm not excusing him for that. But you're being mad at him for the wrong things. I'm mad at him as well, but not because he didn't tell us who his family was. I'm mad he saw us as a means to an end instead of his friends and teammates."

"Girls, if I may say something," Astraea said.

Her familia turned their attention to their mother figure, who held an aura of calmness and power.

"You all have a right to be angry at Bell. You have a right to be angry at me for keeping all of this from you. But what you really need to see is Bell did not process his emotions before coming to Orario. Which in turn led him to thinking more jaded and cold. All of you helped break Bell out of that shell. I look at him now and see a completely different person."

"Lady Astraea, we get that. But Bell didn't call you a tool." Maryuu said.

"Yes, he did. That night, after he rescued Haruhime from the pleasure district. When I had to punish him, he'd thought he was going to be kicked out. He told me to my face he didn't need me and that he would be welcome elsewhere."

"Oh. We had no idea, Lady Astraea." Iska said.

"I know because I never told you. I only offered Bell my comfort because he needed it. You all know Bell is a very kind boy. But Bell has the weight of the world on his shoulders. I mean that, literally. Bell will have to fight the OEBD and, after that, a threat much stronger."

"What would that be, Lady Astraea?" Lyra asked.

Astraea took a deep breath before answering. "The king of curses. His seal will break in three years, and it will be up to Bell alone to stop him."

Alise felt her knees weaken, and she had to sit down. "He exists?" She breathily asked.

Astraea nodded as looks of horror filled everyone's faces. "He does. Bell is the only one who'll be able to stop him. So I'm asking you this. Go easy on him. Bell is going through so much right now, and he has to kill the woman that raised him. You can be angry at him, but cut him some slack. I implore you."

The room once more filled with silence as everyone there contemplated what Astraea was saying. Looks of fear and horror filled their faces, as well as sympathy.

After a minute of more silence, Alise spoke up again.

"Ok, Lady Astraea, we'll take it easy on Bell. I sometimes forget he's still a kid. He's just done so much in this war it's hard to remember he's younger than all of us."

"He did also save us from the Juggernaut. Without him and Gareth, all of us would be dead." Ryu said.

"And he is pretty fun to be around," Iska added.

"He also trusts us completely now that he's told us everything," Nezhe added.

"Plus, he is really good at fighting. It's like watching the wind beat up bad guys." Maryuu said.

"And he has a lot of stamina. Ardee must've had the time of her life when she had sex with him. Wonder if she'll share." Kaguya mused.

"Kaguya!" Ryu yelled as she and Celty blushed.

Astraea cleared her throat as her cheeks were a bit red as well.

"Alright, enough about that. Look, girls, I understand you all process things differently. But at the end of the day, we all know how kind Bell is. You shouldn't be so hard on him as the circumstances made him think he had to be emotionally shut off to complete his mission. But now that he's finally let everything out, I'm excited to see where he goes from here."

The room's atmosphere began to fill with a warm vibe as everyone started smiling. It would take a little bit to get used to who Bell really was, but they wouldn't shun him away.

He was their friend, after all.

"Now, let's leave Ardee and Bell alone for a while," Alise said.

"You sure you wanna do that? Remember what happened last time." Lyra joked.

"Well, maybe we'll have little blue-haired babies running around soon." Kaguya joked.

The elves blushed while everyone else laughed at the joke. They were happy the dark age was almost over.

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Bell had fallen asleep in Ardee's arms, and the girl gently stroked his hair. The two were lying in their bed, and Ardee's shirt was drenched with tears. But she didn't care. Bell was vulnerable and needed her, and she was here for him.

"I'm here for you, Bell. I love you so much; I want you to know that. I'll help you get through this, and after that, we can have so many babies. Then we'll be the best parents ever."

It was then Ardee remembered his deal with the Amazon sisters and sighed.

"Right, you'll have to uphold that deal with those two. I do wonder if you'll take them at the same time. Will that be your first threesome? Well, I wanna do your first threesome, so we'll have to find someone willing."

The image of a smiling Far Eastern popped into her mind. "Yeah, she would work. Ooh, maybe I could get Ryu in on this two? Oh, the possibilities." Ardee thought.

Bell had awoken the secret perverted side of Ardee after their first time together. If he heard what she was planning, he would swear his Grandpa would be cheering.

Ardee kept muttering off perverted fantasies and kept stroking Bell's hair. This was one of the nights where he was able to get a full night's sleep. Something he couldn't remember what it felt like.

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Standing on a rooftop across the street from the Ganesha manor, Alfia held her staff in her hand. The moonlight shone brightly in the sky, and the cool autumn air nipped at her skin.

She could sense Bell's presence in the room right in front of her. Yet she remained where she was. She held onto a small pendant, which held a picture of her sister.

She brought it up to her lips and gave it a soft kiss.

"Soon, sister, I will see you again. Soon, I will help birth the hero this world needs. Then I hope to finally rest. I'm sorry it has to be you, Bell. I love you."

Then, like the wind, she was gone. Leaving an empty rooftop and her near-broken nephew.

Quick announcement: I have a new story out that's a Danmachi x Star Wars crossover, so feel free to read that if it interests you.

Well, again, another somewhat laid-back chapter that's more depressing than the last. But the final battle is almost here.

Will Bell be able to kill Alfia? Will she live and be arrested? Will Ardee get her foursome?

Find out next time on this story. I'm still surprised you're reading.