ul~X~

"Have a seat. I'll get some tea," Katie said, unaware of my inner freakout.

She left the room, and I took a seat across from Bell. Bell was curiously staring at me and about to ask a question, but his grandfather spoke first.

"Well, hello there. My name is Zen, and this is my grandson, Bell," Zeus said politely.

"Ithil," I said shortly, still trying to calm myself down.

"What brings you here?" Zeus said when he realized I wouldn't offer more.

"Uh…" I looked at Zeus and then flicked my eyes at Bell and back at him.

Zeus slowly nodded as he got the message that the reason I was here was not for a child to hear.

"Bell, why don't you head outside and play," Zeus suggested.

"But you said it was almost time for dinner," Bell said, confused.

"Katie and I have some things to talk about. Head on out for a bit," Zeus told him this time.

"Okay, Gramps," Bell ultimately agreed and left.

Seconds after Bell left, Katie returned from the kitchen with a pot of tea and some cups.

"So, can you tell me what happened?" Katie went straight to the point.

"I'm not sure I can. I have amnesia," I revealed. "My earliest memory was waking up after the attack, and everyone was gone."

Zeus' eyes widened at the news. Katie looked at Zeus, and he slowly nodded, and then Katie grimaced.

I think Katie just silently asked Zeus if I was telling the truth, and he nodded that yes, I did. Gods in this world can tell if a mortal is lying.

…And Katie asked Zeus if I was lying…

That means she knows the real identity of 'Zen.' Or at the very least that he's a god.

"Can you tell us what happened after you woke up?" she asked. "How did you know it was goblins that attacked?"

So, I explained everything. Or… almost everything. I left out the part with God and didn't mention the Bag of Holding.

"You're a magic caster? Actually, I shouldn't be surprised," Katie said, probably alluding to the fact I'm a dark elf.

Then, there was a knock at the door, and Katie got up to go answer it. I glanced at Zeus; he was still observing me like he was trying to figure something out. It might have something to do with the Special drawback.

Katie walked back in with someone new. "Ithil, this is Cloud, the captain of our guards here."

I had to do a double-take because Cloud looked a lot like Diluc from Genshin Impact. He was even wearing Diluc's Red Dead of Night outfit. The only difference was that Cloud had shorter hair that went up to his shoulders.

"Is something wrong?" Cloud said when he noticed my reaction. Jeez, he even sounds like Diluc.

"S-Sorry, you reminded me of someone, but there's no way you can be him," I said.

"Oh? Did you regain some memories?" Katie asked.

"A bit," I went along with it. "Seeing Cloud here reminded me of someone named Diluc."

"Hmm, I don't know anyone by that name," Cloud mused. I could tell he was telling the truth. "You said I look like him?"

"Yeah… your hair is shorter, but your face… looks exactly like his," I said.

"Well, you now remember a name," Zeus spoke up. "That's someplace you can start on the road to recovering your lost memories."

"...Maybe," I slowly nodded at him.

"Let's move on. Kaite, bring out the map," Cloud walked to the table as Katie brought out a big map from a chest at the side of the room and spread it out on the table.

The four of us spent the time speculating where the goblins came from. Since the goblins live in caves, Cloud wanted to check out these cave systems that go into a cliffside.

"Tomorrow, I'll head out and check these caves," Cloud said as Katie rolled up the map. "I would like to go now, but the sun is already setting."

"By yourself?" Katie said, surprised and a little worried.

"We only have ten guards, including myself. If the goblins are bold enough to raid a town instead of attacking outside of it, then I would sleep easier knowing my home had all the protection it can get while I'm out there looking for their nest," Cloud said.

"Still…" Katie looked worried. "I know you're strong, Cloud, but you could still end up overwhelmed by their numbers."

"I'll be fine. I am at Level 6, after all," Cloud said.

"Level 6?" I asked, surprised that he is Level was so high.

What's a Level 6 doing in this farming village?

"Oh, I guess you wouldn't know," Katie said. "I'll explain it to you."

And then Kaite, with Cloud chipping in a bit, explained everything about Orario, the dungeon, Familias, and the Falna to me.

"Are you part of a Familia?" I asked Katie. "You seem to know a lot about this."

"Yup. I'm a Level 3 adventurer part of the Demeter Familia," Katie confirmed. "We're in charge of the agriculture of Orario, which is why I'm in charge of this village."

"And you, Cloud?"

Cloud tried to hide a wince, but I caught it. "I… was a part of the Astraea Familia,"

"Was?" I raised an eyebrow. As far as I knew, the Astraea Familia was an all-female group in canon.

"It's… complicated," Cloud looked away with a frown. His hands were at his sides, in fists, and slightly trembling.

Okay… So, it's a touchy subject.

The Familia was nearly wiped out five years before canon. Ryuu was the only survivor.

Bell looked to be eleven. So, I'm about three years before canon.

Was Cloud there when it happened?

~X~

"Well! I'm feeling pretty hungry! Who's ready to eat," Zeus spoke up in a boisterous manner, trying to move everyone past the awkwardness in the air.

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea," Katie said with purposeful cheer. "I'll go get the food," and she left for the kitchen.

Cloud took a deep breath to calm himself and sat at the table.

I followed suit, trying to figure out what to do at the moment.

"By the way, Old Man-" Cloud said.

"Hey! I'm not old enough to be called that yet," Zeus hotly retorted.

"Old Man," Cloud said with a slight smirk at Zeus's twitching eye. "Where's Bell?"

"I sent him out to play," Zeus said. "He'll be back soon with his mom."

I had to stop myself from jumping in surprise at that.

Bell's mom?!

I thought she died giving birth to him!

What else is different about the world I'm in and canon?

Soon, we heard the front door open and close.

"Grandpa!" Bell came running into the dining room and toward Zeus with a smile.

"Bell, you're too noisy," said a woman who walked into the dining room.

Bell flinched and apologized. "Sorry, mom,"

I turned to get a good look at the woman.

She was a fair-skinned woman with silver hair, and heterochromatic eyes, with her right eye being green while her left was grey.

She was dressed in a dark goth-like dress that spanned all the way down to her feet. Around her neck, she had a necklace with a green gemstone decorated. She also wore dark, semi-transparent gloves.

"Hey there, Alfia," Zeus greeted.

"Tch," Alfia clicked her tongue and glared to the side. "The noise you make is still annoying. Stop talking."

"So cruel!" Zeus moaned. "You'd think, after all these years, you'd lighten up a little."

"I will blast you to the mountain," she threatened.

"No, you won't. This is Katie's house, and you don't want to cause trouble for her," Cloud said with certainty. "On the other hand, if we were in the Old Man's house… I'd say go for it."

"Really, Cloud? You too?" Zeus said.

I just sat there and watched their byplay as Cloud started setting the table, but I was mostly focused on the one named Alfia.

So, that's Bell's mom? They do look a lot like each other. The only difference is that Bell has the red eyes that he got from his father.

Wait a minute…

Cloud has red eyes! And he seems close to Alfia if the way they keep looking at each other is any indication. Could he be…

No, that can't be right. It was said that Bell's father was in the Zeus Familia, and that's one of the reasons why Zeus took care of him.

"So, who's this?" Alfia said, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"This is Ithil," Cloud introduced me. "She's from Westend. It was raided by goblins today."

"Goblins directly attacked a village?" Alfia asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah, it surprised me too," Cloud said. "It's too late to go out now, so I'm going to deal with it tomorrow."

"Hmm…" Alfia hummed and took a seat.

Katie then came out of the kitchen with the food on a dining cart. It looked to be a lot of meat, carrots, potatoes, and rice. They were placed in the center of the table, and everyone started getting their own portions. Though, Alfia was helping Bell with his plate.

I… just stared on, sort of, unsure if I could get some food.

"It's fine," Katie smiled at me.

I nodded and used the serving utensils to make myself a plate of a little bit of everything. I took some bites of food but was a little self-conscious about the quiet eating atmosphere. So, I spoke up. I had a question that's been burning in my head for a while ever since I pointed out that detail.

"So, Cloud," I said.

"Hm?" Cloud took a bite of rice and meat.

"Is Bell your son?"

The reactions were instant.

Cloud started choking on his food.

Alfia choked on the water she was drinking.

Katie brought her hand to her mouth to hide her chuckling.

Zeus loudly guffawed.

Bell looked up, then went back to his food.

"W-Why would you think that?" Cloud said while still coughing.

"Well, Bell looks like his mom, and you seem close to her," I pointed out. "On top of that, he has red eyes, and so do you. So… it seemed obvious."

"No! No, Bell's not my son," Cloud said while blushing. Alfia was blushing too.

Hmm. Makes sense. As I thought earlier, Bell's father was said to be in the Zeus Familia…

…There is one way to confirm.

"Then, who's his father?" I asked.

"His father was my son," Zeus said after he reigned in his laughter.

"Oh," I went back to my food, now that was confirmed.

I noticed Cloud and Alfia were still blushing while stealing glances at each other when the other wasn't looking.

Okay, so I may have been wrong about that, but there is something there between them.

The rest of dinner continued with some small talk happening here and there.

~X~

~ The Next Day ~

Katie lent me a guest room in her house during my stay in the village. I woke up just as the sun was coming up, and I decided to walk around for a bit. Since it was still early morning, there was no one outside.

To my surprise, I saw Cloud walking toward the exit of the village with a pack on his back and a sword on his left and right hips. I ran to catch up to him, and he turned around since he heard me running.

"Ithil… I was expecting someone else," he whispered to himself as I came up. "You're up early."

"So are you," I said. "Leaving already?"

"The sooner I get this done, the better."

"Why the rush?"

"I'm sure you noticed when we were talking yesterday. It's not normal for goblins to attack villages," Cloud started to explain. "The fact that this group did worries me."

"Why?"

"Because he can't help but worry about these kinds of things," a new voice said. "That's just who he is."

Cloud and I turned in the direction of it, and Alfia walked out from behind a tree.

"I was wondering when you'd catch me," Cloud sighed.

"You're too easy to read," Alfia responded. "I'm going with you. I'm curious about this."

"It's not like I can stop you," Cloud sighed, but he had a smile. "I'm assuming you already packed?

"Of course."

"I want to go, as well," I said.

"I don't think that's-" Cloud started.

"Bring her along," Alfia interrupted.

"What? But… Haah," Cloud started to argue but stopped because he knew it was pointless to argue with Alfia. "Do you at least know how to fight?"

"I can use swords and magic," I said.

"I see," Cloud said. He removed the sword on his right hip, leaving him the one on his left. "This is my spare sword. You can use it."

I nodded and used telekinesis. Cloud looked surprised, and Alfia raised an eyebrow when the sword glowed blue and floated to my left hip, where I put the sword on.

Cloud blinked. then shook his head. "Right then, when we're out there, stick by either me or Alfia. Don't go wandering off on your own,"

I nodded.

"Then, let's go,"

The three of us left the village.

~X~

It's been some time since we left. The three of us were walking in silence, but I had to speak up. Something was bothering me.

"Something I can help you with, Alfia?" I asked since she kept staring at me.

"You're very quiet," she tilted her head. "I didn't think that was possible."

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone makes noise. You do not."

I felt my face scrunch in confusion.

"Alfia has always been sensitive to noise. It's why she likes silence," Cloud explained. "Although, I think at this point anything that annoys her is 'noise'. Like the multiple times when the Old Man tries to peep on her."

*BAM*

Cloud's head looked like it got slapped. "Owww…" he said, holding his cheek.

"Too noisy," Alfia glared, and her hand pointed at him. "Don't remind me of that man."

Cloud gave me this look that said, 'Do you see what I mean?'"

What was that she hit him with? I didn't see it at all. Maybe some kind of psychic blast?

"Could you explain what you meant when you said I make noise?" I asked, getting back to the original topic.

Alfia glanced at me, then back forward. "You make no noise. No breathing even though you are, no heartbeat even though you can feel it, no magic flowing through you despite the fact you know some. You don't even make a sound when you walk on the dirt."

Cloud and I stopped when she said that, and he stared at me with the same question I had. I started walking, and we both paid attention to my footsteps. Sure enough, I made no sound.

"Huh," Cloud raised both eyebrows in surprise and looked at me.

I shrugged. I have no idea why I don't make sound, and I don't want to think about it. It's not like it's a bad thing if it makes Alfia find me more tolerable.

"So, Cloud. Can you tell me more about yourself," I said, moving on to another topic as we continued walking.

"What would you like to know?"

"Hmm, what about before you joined a Familia in Orario?" I said. "What was your life before that?"

"Before Orario…" Cloud had a distant look in his eyes. "Well, I grew up in a farming village, much like where I'm living now. I always thought I would be a farmer growing up."

"A farmer?" I said. It's hard to see someone who looks like Diluc as a farmer.

"Yes. I didn't really have any ambitions to fight. That was more for… my childhood friend. She wanted to be a knight," he said. I noticed a slight grimace when he mentioned his childhood friend.

"Childhood friend? What's she like?" I asked.

"She… was my friend. We spent a lot of time together… but our lives took us in separate directions," Cloud seemed to struggle to find the right words.

His face was blank, but I saw a myriad of emotions pass through his eyes.

Sadness.

Longing.

Confusion.

Betrayal.

Hate.

It's pretty clear that Cloud's childhood friend hurt him deeply in some way.

"What led you to be an adventurer?" I said, moving the topic away from his former friend.

"Ah…" Cloud struggled to keep from falling.

Uh-oh. Did I step on another land mine?

"Enough. You two are being too noisy," Alfia said, and Cloud let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Oops. Sorry Cloud. It seems I made you remember some bad memories.

Still… What the heck have you gone through in your past for you to have such pained reactions?

~X~

Author's Note:

Well, that's Chapter 3.

I would've finished it sooner, but as you know, retail and the Christmas Season make for a terrible and soul-draining combination.

I know Alfia is Bell's aunt and not his mother, but I never played the mobile game where she was introduced. I didn't find out about her until I started researching Danmachi beyond the anime for this story.

Because of this, Ithil has no idea about Alfia and who she is. She sees someone who was introduced as Bell's mom, and he looks a lot like her. So, she has no reason to disbelieve it.

Cloud is a character from the web novel Inside an Adult Game as a Former Hero.

Spoilers Ahead:

He was the main protagonist of an NTR game in the story. The main character of the web novel, Han Ji-Soo, isekai'd into Cloud's body.

Cloud had ritualistically sacrificed himself to summon a hero from another world to take his place. That's how Han Ji-Soo found himself isekai'd.

And now Real Cloud somehow found himself in the world of Danmachi.

His backstory and how he got here will be explored as the story goes on.