What is Justice?

by Goofy ahh writer

The last Great Quest was a fiasco. Zeus and Hera were ruined and exiled from the dungeon city of Orario, also know as the labyrinth city. Luke Adria, an elf outcast; shunned by his own race, lost everything that fateful day. Now he must decide his path forward, while living amongst the only family he had left.

10. Regrets and Solace

A/N: Disclaimer: This chapter contains heavy themes that might be triggering to some - including rape implications and child abuse. Please, read at your own discretion.

Edit: Corrected a few formating errors in the chapter.

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The late morning sunlight pierced through the crispy white-curtains adorning the window frame, bathing the room in a faint vivid light. The rays that poured from the gaps in the window's basked her child and herself in a comfortable warmth as it tenderly kissed their skin.

Brighter than the light that came from outside, was the one produced from her children's shining falna ingrained on his exposed, toned back.

The sword and wings of justice shone brightly in a bright blue hush as she carefully concluded their daily status update.

Her child and she, sat on a comfortable sofa as they had gone through the same process hundreds of times since he received her blessing.

After another minute, she diligently scribbled down on a sheet of paper in her hand. Finishing the update with a soft hmm that came from her throat, the dazzling symbol of their intimate connection as goddess and child died down as the process was concluded.

She pried into what she wrote one last time.

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Luke Adria

LV 4

STR: I 0 — I 20

END: I 0 — I 4

DEX: I 0 — I 35

AGI: I 0 — I 34

MAG: I 0 — I 21

Development Abilities:

Swordsman - H : Increased dexterity and strength when wielding a sword.

Mage - H : Improves power, widens effect range, and makes mind usage efficient. Creates a magic circle under the user that supports the magic.

Spirit Healing - I : Automatic mind regeneration. Begins regenerating mind at a slow rate after magic use.

Magic:

Deus Tonitrui: Enchantment magic that envelopes the user in lighting. Increases the users basic abilities depending on how much mind he puts into it through an active trigger.

Ardenti Caelo: Creates an intense beam of lightning with the spell having three levels scaling in power, mind consumption and chant length.

Shinra Tensei: No chant spell that creates a repulsive force that has the user as the epicentre. Range and power varies on mind usage when the spell is cast.

Skills:

Sixth Sense: Alert the user to any incoming danger and grants increased reaction time and reflexes.

Maratona: Accelerated growth on Agility and Dexterity. (Allows user to break aforementioned basic abilities limits.)

Zeus Ichor: Manifestation of one's true potential and dormant talent, allowing him to grow above what's usually possible for a regular mortal. Also grant's immunity to any type of curse.

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Making sure it was all according to her children's current status she just witnessed but a moment ago, she handed the sheet to him.

Luke took his time gazing at its contents, his eyes going back and forth along the paper. Letting out a heavy breath through his nostrils, he lowered the Status Sheet.

"Got my sides torn open and nearly died to those freaks yet, my endurance barely went up…"

Astraea looked from over his shoulder at the piece of paper on his hand.

"You told me it was a recurrent problem, is it not?"

"Indeed, ever since I was blessed with a falna."

He raised the sheet again, glaring at it with a certain hint of frustration on his gaze.

"It only got worse with each new level I reached…"

He was almost burning the paper with his glare alone the longer he stared at the measly four points he obtained in the endurance attribute.

"If that's the case, then perhaps your unique skill is to blame?"

"You mean Zeus Ichor?... Yeah, my teachers theorized as much. But it never got to this point, not even close. Even if the growth rate of my endurance lagged behind the other attributes, I still managed to keep it steady and feasible. Going through all that should have given me more than four points."

Luke faintly passed his hand over his bandaged ribs, the result of his confrontation with Evilus just the day before.

"Guess my innate talent is lacking in that regard… still, I must try."

Astraea noticed when his eyes landed on his development abilities, they gained a more enthusiastic glint to them that shooed his previous tension.

"On the bright side, Spirit Healing is a sending from the heavens."

"Most certainly, it is."

That much they wholeheartedly agreed. The moment he leveled up and unlocked this development ability for his choosing, he didn't need to think twice before picking it up. Completely ignoring the existence of Abnormal Resistance and Chain Attack.

For some time now, they have been planning to make him obtain Abnormal Resistance for his DA's. He even exposed himself to the Purple's Moth poison to safely raise his chances of getting it upon his level up.

The appearance of this extremely rare development ability threw a wrench in their plans.

Not even Chain Attack and its increased damage output after each consecutive attack - perfect for Luke's fighting style - could make up for Spirit Healing's unique special effects.

It was the perfect countermeasure for the mind expense his spells took on him. Furthermore, it's rarity was too much to let it pass.

With her full support, he postponed his plans and chose the rare, mind regenerative DA.

'A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one.'

Astraea thought with a smile on her lips, seeing Luke wearing one of his own as he read his newfound ability once again.

His smile faltered a bit as he gazed upon his basic abilities again.

"I need to find a way to remedy this… It can easily become a hindrance in the near future."

She walked up to his side, prompting him to look at her.

Her indigo eyes looked sharply into his own.

"I do hope you don't plan to expose yourself to even more danger. If it comes to that, I will forbid you from delving solo in the Dungeon."

Despite speaking in a calm and collected manner, her tone carried a subtle, veiled warning. One that he would be wise to heed.

"Worry not, Lady Astraea. I won't do anything stupid, I swear upon my old geezer up in the mountains."

The humorous tone of his words did nothing to undermine the honesty he passed through his mismatched eyes. After all, as a deity herself, she could catch any lie spoken to her.

His words didn't ring any bell, whatsoever.

"You better be. Sometimes the means are not worth the ends."

His gaze fell to the side, right back to the Status Sheet as he pointedly avoided her own.

"Does it hold true when facing the enormous task of killing a legendary beast?"

"Yes, it does."

….

Silence filled the room. The sole male amongst her children kept staring at the paper in his grasp. Yet, his eyes were unfocused, distracted.

A whole minute passed with Luke staring through the sheet itself, not at the contents written there.

"I can see there's something on your mind. I'm here to listen."

Luke blinked at her words, his troubled gaze becoming clearer as he glanced at her.

"Hmm ?"

"I can see it in your eyes, something is eating at you. This is not the first instance I caught you distracted with something today."

He averted his gaze, looking out towards the window.

"... Is it that obvious?"

"Yes… don't be afraid to open up with me. As your goddess, that's the least I can do for my children."

Luke kept his eyes in the window's curtains, avoiding her expectant look.

A minute passed, then two had gone by as he looked anywhere but at her. Astraea wasn't even a bit impatient, giving him all the time he wanted as she kept her eyes on his face.

Just as she began to think he would remain silent, Luke let out a heavy sigh.

He finally met her gaze.

"... I don't know if it solves anything."

"It doesn't hurt to try."

A chuckle escaped his throat.

"Yeah… It doesn't."

Astraea moved her hair behind her left ear, resting her hands on top of each other in her lap right after as she waited for him to commence.

"You know… this isn't the first time I've witnessed death up close. Not only as it came at me, but to all those around me as well."

She listened to his words with utmost attention and care.

"I've seen people die in the past. I even got accustomed with the thought of having to take a life if the situation called for such measures. But… nothing stuck with me like what I saw yesterday."

His eyes became distant as he stared forward.

"It keeps coming to the front of my mind, every single time. What these bastards did to the civilians. The mangled corpses. The brutality and cruelty of their actions… No matter what I do, I'm always drawn to those same images every time I close my eyes… even in my dreams I'm painfully reminded of it."

Luke ran his right hand across his onyx hair, looking up at the ceiling as he took a long breath.

"... I have no idea how to solve this."

Astraea nodded to herself as she closed her eyes.

"I see… Do you feel better taking that off your chest?"

"I guess so…"

"That's a start. Holding that to yourself would amount to nothing."

….

"Luke…" Astraea trailed off, gaining his attention as she called out to him with a soft, tender voice.

"I care about you–I care about each and every single one of my children. If you're experiencing a difficult situation on your own and don't know how to proceed, don't hesitate to rely on me."

She gave him the most soothing smile she could muster.

"Sometimes, a caring shoulder and a friendly ear is all you need to get through a dilemma."

A smile of his own slowly crept its way into Luke's lips.

"Is that so? Perhaps there's some truth to it…"

"I can't make you forget what you have seen or stop those intrusive thoughts from troubling your mind. There isn't a clear solution to all of it… However, there are a few things I can do to help you, at least a little bit."

Luke's eyebrows raised slightly upwards as he looked intrigued at her, tilting his head.

"Only time will make you learn how to deal with those haunting memories. Though, while at it, taking your head out of it and pushing them away is one way to help you through the process."

"So, you want me to dive headfirst into something? Well, Evilus and my training fill those shoes more than I'd like them to."

"Don't be silly, I'm not referring to your duties or your training regime. While they may take up your mind for some time, the nature of it will inevitably drag you back to those sentiments. I'm talking about other things, hobbies and such; activities that leave you at peace and relaxed from all the pressure you endure day by day."

"Like your knitting?"

"Sure thing. Cooking, gardening or just enjoying an entertaining book with a good tea. All of those would suffice."

" Hmm… I was always more of a coffee guy."

Luke let out a short breath through his nostrils, holding his chin afterwards as he stared intently at the wall.

Astraea eyed him as he seemed to ponder her suggestion for a minute. A chuckle escaped her throat as he threw his hands up in the air and rested the back of his head on the sofa they currently sat at.

"Ahhh!—There's no helping it. I can't go out anyway, not until Maryuu finishes treating this tonight. I really don't want to get on her bad side… she can be scary when she's angry, especially with how tired she's been since all that happened yesterday."

He stole a glance to his patched up sides as he talked about the Familia's main healer.

Indeed, the cult's assault had been particularly more burdening on her with the horrible toll of wounded during and after the whole ordeal was over. As a healer, she naturally volunteered to help save as many innocents as she could.

Astraea couldn't be more proud of her child as she helped her tend to the wounded all throughout the day before and this morning as well.

"We got the whole evening to spare. The girls got their hands full with everything that's going on around the city."

Luke flashed her a bright smile. "I'm all up for anything you come up with, Lady Astraea."

Astraea's smiled stretched even further as her eyes shine with enthusiasm at the sudden opportunity of sharing her own passion.

"Of course! Then why don't we start with your first suggestion?"

Astraea stood up, the sole of her shoes clacked against the wooden floor of her room as she calmly walked to a chest near her bedside.

Opening it with a click, she began rummaging through it as she hummed a song to herself. Finding what she was looking for, she turned towards her child.

She held a knitting kit in the basket at her hands - A pair of blue and red yarn balls and knitting needles.

"Do you know how to do it? If not, then I'm more than pleased to introduce you to the magnificent world that is the art of creating stitches!"

Astraea's voice carried an energy, an enthusiasm she rarely displayed. After all, knitting was her favorite pastime activity.

Luke blinked at her display of passion for the beauty of interlacing rows of yarn over each other.

"... Can't say I'm proficient at it. Hera and Meteria teached me a few times but I rarely practiced it afterwards. Sewing was where I truly shined at, seeing I needed to give my clothes special care and attention with how much damage they took every day."

Her eyes shone even more as she held back from squealing like a young girl in front of him.

'I'll show him the true beauty of knitting!'

She rejoiced at the prospect of enlightening and sharing with someone else the peaceful and relaxing hobby she always adored.

With a vivid beat to her step, Astraea headed back to the seat beside Luke.

Her child was buttoning up the last part of his dark blue shirt, eyeing her with a hint of amusement of his gaze as she took the same spot in the sofa as before.

"You sure look excited. The girls don't share the same interests as you?"

"Unfortunately, no. Only Iska recognizes the importance of knitting, being a part of her own love for fashion."

She handed him the red yarn ball and a pair of wooden knitting needles.

"Is that so?… Guess you can feel quite lonely when we're always out on patrol and stuff. Doesn't surprise me that you have developed quite an extensive list of hobbies, Lady Astraea. You are always doing something different whenever I look at you."

"That's not true, I only do a few things here and there as a pastime."

He gave her a blank stare.

"Lady Astraea… You literally take care of the entire garden on your own. You even help Maryuu and me in the kitchen. I doubt there's something you don't know how to do around here."

She sighed in resignation.

"You got a point… But back to the magic of knitting!" Astraea held the yarn and the needle firmly in her hands as she changed topics with a burning passion in her voice.

She looked at him intently, letting all her passion and fervor show in full display.

"Do you know where to start? The first step is to—"

"Casting on."

He spoke at the same time as her, having his sole attention on his hands as he began to add a series of simple half hitch knots to his needle with the yarn line.

Astraea smiled at the scene.

'I see, so he does have knowledge on the matter.'

This would make things flow even smoother. Though a part of her wanted to teach him from the basics, experiencing the feeling of being the one to introduce him to it.

Finishing the stitches along the whole body of the needle, he showcased it for her to see.

"Is it like this? I may have missed something…"

"No, that's good. Very good for someone that doesn't have the habit of knitting, in fact. Though there are other methods you can use as well."

"This is the single cast-on if my memory serves right. There's also knit-on cast-on, and… long tail cast-on?"

" Chuckle … That's to name a few. But yes, you are correct."

Astraea raised her index finger.

"You see, casting on is where everything begins. It's a family of techniques for adding new stitches that do not depend on earlier ones. In summary, we gain an independent lower edge with it."

Luke nodded, giving her his whole attention.

"The method we use will also affect the whole result, so you need to plan it beforehand what best suits our goals. After we do this then we begin with knit stitch!"

"Knit stitch… That's the most basic stitch, isn't it?"

"It is. After all, it's the namesake of the craft we're learning. Master the knit stitch and you become a bonafide knitter yourself."

"I see… let me see if I still recall it step by step."

"Go ahead."

Luke paused for a second. His eyes seemed focused as he looked down at the needles in his grasp with a sharp gaze.

After a few seconds, Luke held the casted-on needle on his left hand. He carefully Inserted the right needle into the first stitch of the left one, bottom to top.

He pushed the right needle into the stitch, grabbing the line attached to the yarn ball. Slowly wrapping the yarn around the needle, he pulled it down. The yarn poked through the first stitch of his work. Gently pulling the right needle down, he picked the yarn on the one on his left hand.

Finally, he pushed the right needle into the loop.

His eyes looked from what he'd just done, right towards her own. She could almost hear his questioning through his expression alone.

"That's it, you made a new stitch!"

He looked down at the needles.

"Just do it nine times over."

"Got it."

So he did. Following each and every movement he has executed in his first try. One after the other, stitch after stitch, Luke was completing the first row of his piece.

It didn't go unnoticed by her how after each new stitch his hands became smoother, lighter than before.

He was gaining confidence; his movements becoming faster and more precise.

It was true that her blessing increased his coordination and dexterity by a far larger amount than a regular person. Yet, his focus and dedication to better himself, even if he was still getting accustomed to the process were commendable nonetheless.

Soon enough, he finished the first row of many to come that would be the foundation to the next final step.

His eyes fell on her again.

She nodded.

….

Luke stopped, staring intently at the yarn that now stood at the left side of his row; the end of the row, so to say.

As a whole minute of watching him glare a hole through the thing went bye, she leaned over towards him.

"Pardon me."

Astraea spun his needle around.

Luke's eyes widened.

"... I'm stupid."

He stated, eyeing as the working yarn, or simply the yarn attached to the ball, was now back in the right side of the row with a simple flip of his work.

"Foolishness, you're doing great. Even if you've done it a few times in the past, this craft is a skill that needs to be practiced time and time again to maintain it."

His inquisitive gaze was met by an honest smile.

"Most people take quite a few tries before something decent bears fruit; so now, don't berate yourself."

A light chuckle reached her ears.

"You know you're just reinforcing my point, right?"

Astraea shook her head from side to side.

"You know what I meant. Now, repeat the same thing until you are satisfied with your piece. Since this is just a trial you don't need to be too intrinsic with details, just focus on finishing it even if it ends up looking simplistic."

"Leave it to me! I won't screw up twice in a row!"

A small smile adorned her face after his poor attempt at humor.

And so Luke was at it again, going stitch by stitch on the second row. Faster than before, he created another collection of stitches with remarkable agility.

Stitch after stitch.

Row by row.

He was binding his way to flourishing in knitting as a whole.

Astraea watched the calculated pattern of his hands with a smile on her face. His eyes remained glued on the task at hand, letting her see his determination without pause. Less than ten or so minutes passed, and the yarn piece he created covered most of his lap, going just past his knees. Truly, the rate he could keep up with was amazing.

He didn't show any intention of stopping.

'Ah, I know that too well.'

After all, she did get too engrossed in her hobby that she ended up losing track of time or going overboard at times.

"Luke, don't you think that's enough?"

"Hmm? Oh, you're right. Should have gone for something smaller, hehe…"

"On the contrary, this is excellent for your muscle memory. But I guess it's time we step into the last part; casting off."

Luke wrinkled his eyebrows slightly, seemingly pondering something. That is until they curled up after a few moments.

"Ah, I remember now. This one was the most tricky one to pull off."

"It certainly is. You need double the caution and concentration."

His gaze moved in between her and the rectangle cloth above his thighs.

"...You know, If I do this fast enough and without committing any mistakes, it can serve as some really good training for dexterity and reflexes."

'Really… always aiming to get stronger. This child.'

"If it suits your goals, then it can help you both mentally and physically as well."

Astraea pointed her eyes towards his work.

"But now, let's get back to knitting. You see, casting off boils down to a job well done. This technique is my favorite because it means that your project is complete! It's all grown up, ready to fly off the needles and enter the real world!"

The enthusiasm in her voice enacted an amused look from him, yet he didn't say a word.

"First off, remember; when casting off you always need two stitches on the right needle to cast off. No more and no less. Casting off is a game for two."

She pointed at his yarn piece.

"Now then; knit two stitches on the right needle."

….

"... Ok."

He did as told; nimbly moving his fingers, he snatched two knits onto the right needle.

"Good, now; slide the left needle into the first stitch."

Again, he followed her every command diligently.

"Pull the first stitch over the second stitch. Then, continue to pull the first stitch over the second stitch and off the needle."

…

"Done."

"Excellent. Now there's only one stitch on the right needle as the other has been cast off. To conclude it all, repeat the same process until only stitch remains."

He nodded at her with resolution.

Just like before, he dived headfirst into the work. One by one, the stitches were set free until only the last still clung.

"Good work. You'll need to cut off a tail of at least 10 cm from the yarn line connected to the ball. Hold on, I'll grab a scissor–"

Tlink

Before she had the chance to stand up, something audibly snapped the line of yarn beside her.

Much to her surprise, Luke used his own nail to cut the line.

Astraea blinked twice, getting her thoughts back on track and choosing to ignore her child's straightforward solution.

"Eh… now, then… wrap the yarn around the needle. After that is done, pull the stitch over the yarn tail."

"Roger, roger."

Once more, he heeded her words.

"Great, now; pull the yarn tail through a needle and tighten it up."

This time he didn't respond, staring at what his first try at knitting under her tutelage amounted to as he followed her instructions.

"And now?..."

Astraea clapped both of her hands together.

"Congratulations; your knitting is safely and securely out of the needle and being finally free for the first time."

Luke set both needles aside; lifting his small, rectangular shaped yarn he created.

"Now, this was… interesting to say the least."

"Did you enjoy it?"

"This may seem boring to most, but there's a certain… peace to it? I don't know how to explain it. You just… feel lighter as you do it; like nothing else matters other than this. Kind of like how I feel at ease while cooking."

The corners of his lips curled up into a smile.

"I liked it."

Astraea's eyes shone. The smile that was plastered on her face threatened to reach her ears as she bobbed her head up and down in quick succession.

"Excellent, excellent! Finally someone understands the joy of knitting!"

Luke sent her a strange look as she shamelessly broke her composure; letting her love for the crafting grip her completely.

"What about another one? There's more than one way to knit. The methods, the pieces you can produce with your own hands, the different techniques; the possibilities are so vast!"

She faced him at her side, being greeted by a blank stare.

"So, what do you say?"

He blinked once.

Then twice.

"...Your passion for knitting can rival Zeus' own… though his is for less than savory things."

He muttered the last part, though her ears caught it nonetheless.

Her smile faltered for a bit.

" Chuckle …Don't get me wrong, that's not a bad thing. Also, I'd love to learn everything from you, Lady Astraea."

It circled to what it was before in a second as her eyes shone.

"Marvelous! There's so much I can show you. Perhaps we shall start with the different methods of casting on? These will expand what you can manage to knit as we go."

Luke grabbed both needles again, setting his concluded work at his side while placing the yarn ball on his lap.

He met her energy with a small smile.

"Whatever you say, I'll follow through, sensei."

Completely ignoring his jesting, she grabbed her own needles and held a thread of yarn on her hand.

"Then let's commence with the cable cast-on. It's very similar to a single cast-on, in which a new loop is drawn through the space between the two previous loops and then added to the needle. The edge becomes firm and has a neat, corded look; although it may be too bulky with thick yarns."

Illustrating her words, Astraea got to work; all the while her child maintained a keen eye on her every move.

Her lessons in knitting got both of them immersed in the matter. Time flew by as she helped him through various types of hand knitted pieces.

Each doubt or mistake of his doing being promptly addressed and remedied by her watchful tutelage.

The seriousness Luke was giving to all of it was a pleasant surprise. One that kept a soft smile on her lips throughout the whole ordeal.

No matter how silly this may look to most, especially with him being an adventurer and the usual rough nature of most men that partake in that; Luke became genuinely interested as she expanded upon his rusty, basic knowledge on the matter.

But above all.

The intrusive thoughts never seem to torment him.

Not once as they spent the whole remainder of the evening indulging in one of her favorite hobbies.

This only served to make her smile widen ever so slightly as she saw how at peace and unbothered her child seemed to be at her side.

Unfortunately all good things came to an end and as the sun began to descend upon the horizon, the time to begin preparations for dinner had come.

With Maryuu's absence until later, Astraea gladly worked alongside Luke in manning the kitchen and preparing the dishes for the whole Familia.

As they diligently worked on the food, she saw how the things that weighed on his mind seemed to be cast away… at least for the time being.

'I just hope he gives himself time to heal and finds a way to live with this… Sadly, he's not the only one that's been shaken by recent events.'

She stole a glance his way as he carefully marinated the pork he was preparing. A somber look passed through her features.

'At least both of them opened up to me… I can only be there for them as they pass through such trials.'

With one last hopeful note inside her head, Astraea focused back on chopping the lettuce at the balcony in front of her. Though, her thoughts still lingered at the aftermath of the last Evilus offensive against Orario and the consequences of it on her children.

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Annoyances.

The object of one too many stresses that piled up at anyone that was bothered by it like a stream of mud. Little things that most people gave way too much attention to in her opinion.

Inconveniences that plagued all future endeavors of her own Familia in their humble goals, after all, not every detail goes accordingly to what they would initially expect; therefore failing into that exact category.

One must learn how to circumvent that and accept that it's simply how the world operates, failing to do so leads to nothing but unnecessary suffering and headaches.

These inconveniences were something she grew used to handling ever since she was raised by the Gojou family in the Far East.

Trained in the art of the sword ever since she could hold one; therefore raised to become an exceptional and loyal justice enforcer for the Far East ruler Amaterasu, and the Imperial Court.

The perfect tool to bring order to the chaos that ravaged her war-torn home country.

The perfect killer.

She was aimed to become an obedient weapon… nothing more, nothing less.

But she doesn't think about her past; not if she could help it. She left that life years ago when she met the justice goddess and came to Orario.

Yet, her upbringing followed her nonetheless; whether she wanted it or not.

After all, her job remained mostly the same.

Right now, the lessons and skills ingrained into her very soul through exhaustive training and years of practice came into play.

Despite her keen eyes having been hardwired into following whatever information was given to her, not sparing the smallest of details; she was still rather surprised by her usually loud and obnoxious companion's odd behavior. Even though she already suspected something was wrong ever since the incident with Evilus.

A surprise that quickly turned to irritation the longer their current patrol lasted.

Kaguya was currently observing her fellow Familia member to see if he would perceive the mistake he would soon be making but in a few moments.

A mistake he committed more than once already.

As he continued strolling without a second of hesitation or thought, it didn't seem it would be the case.

With a click of the tongue, she reached out her hand, grasping the tail of his dark cloak as she halted his steps with a pull.

Luke turned his head in her direction, wearing a questioning look on his face.

" Hmm ? What is it, Kaguya?"

"You really hadn't noticed that you were heading out of our patrol area?"

"I was?"

"Yes, again. Pay attention to where you are going, idiot."

"My bad, sorry…"

Luke scratched the back of his head; an awkward apologetic smile was plastered on his lips.

The tiredness on his eyes and the barely noticeable bags under them weren't missed by her.

The third member of their party stepped forwards, showcasing the same nonchalant demeanor as always as she crossed her arms.

"What's the matter, big guy? You're acting off today."

She looked at his face; her always present sly smile diminished as she met his eyes.

"Also those black spots under your eyes… Didn't sleep well lately?"

"Oh, that… It's nothing to worry about, just having some trouble with my sleep, that's all."

"I wouldn't call that nothing… You look tired."

"I'm serious, it's nothing."

Kaguya's gaze remained on his sleep deprived features.

"Continuous lack of proper sleep leads to exhaustion, delayed response and an unfocused mind. All these can turn you into a liability in combat."

Her eyes became slit, staring him dead in the eye.

"This is no matter to brush aside."

"Couldn't put it better into words myself. You've spaced out a few times already."

He didn't respond to their reasoning, switching his gaze between Lyra and her.

Kaguya smiled mischievously at his lack of words. "Nothing to say? That's unusual."

Luke let out a sigh, taking a dejected hunched posture as he began walking forward down the street.

"Fine, we'll talk about it later once we–"

Kaguya grabbed him by the hood of his robe.

"Wrong way, stupid."

He spun on his heel, taking the opposite path as she threw him in the right direction.

"Got it!—got it…"

Kaguya shook her head as she trailed after him.

'Really, this moron…'

The trio returned to their patrol duty, though both Kaguya and Lyra paid close attention to their colleague; his slip ups till now being shed a new light upon.

The mood was downtrodden and gloomy around the street ways. It couldn't be any different, after all, this was the epicenter of Evilus' last raid.

The whole district was a mess.

The folk were salvaging any goods left that could be repaired or sold. Any leftovers that weren't burned down by the fires or pillaged in the chaos that ensued after the attack, that is. Most houses were partially or completely burned down beyond saving. The ones mostly intact seemed to have been vacated or ransacked already.

Hopelessness and hatred were evident on the people's faces.

Anger that was being directed both at the foul group that was to blame for the destruction, but also at them as well.

More than once she caught the civilians sending hateful glares and curses under their breath as they passed by.

It came as no surprise to her, honestly.

They were supposed to stop Evilus.

They did.

But they couldn't stop what had already been done.

Despite all the death and destruction the evil fanatics brought upon this part of the city; the swift reaction and the sacrifices the adventurers made greatly reduced the death toll and the range of the damage caused by the cult.

She was satisfied with the outcome in the end; seeing they were caught completely off guard, they did a good job with the situation they were forced to handle.

Though in the end, they couldn't prevent it from taking place altogether, that was more than enough reason for the populace to harbor misfilings against them.

Kaguya was used to bearing witness to such somber scenes; even the disdain from the people they protected with their lives was something she experienced more than once in her lifetime of fighting against disorder trailing far back from the time in her home country.

As long as it stayed at mere ingrate words and accusatory looks, she would bear it all in strides.

Her male companion didn't seen to share the same pragmatic view on the matter.

Luke's voice all but died down as they walked through the district. Not opening his mouth at least once unless directly spoken to. The easygoing demeanor he normally showed was completely overtaken by a rigid and silent posture.

Each time his gaze wandered towards the bloody leftovers of the death Evilus brought, each time without fail he would quicken his steps and lower his head bit by bit.

She saw all of it.

How he seemed to want to be done with the patrol and get away from the place as soon as possible once their duty was over.

It only got worse once the people began looking at them with—

"You incompetent bastards! I lost everything because of you!"

–contempt.

Of course, there were the more vocal ones in regard to their sentiments at every similar disastrous occurrence she experienced thus far.

Today was no exception.

Kaguya paid him no mind as she continued forward while being scorned by the random civilian; Lyra did the same. Luke's reaction was indescribable from her angle as she couldn't gauge his face, though he did stroll without stopping, seemingly ignoring the emotionally distraught man.

"My brothers died because you couldn't do your fucking job! How can you even say you protect anything, you frauds! Do you hear me!? You are the ones responsible for all this!"

Standing a bit forward in the three man formation, Luke suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Don't ignore me you fucks!"

The man hauled something at them, or more precisely, at the only male in the group.

Luke caught the rock that was soaring towards his forehead, turning towards the berating man and giving his back to Lyra and her.

Crack

Looking back at the one that belittled and tried to hit them, he effortlessly crushed the rock into mere dust under his palm.

She couldn't see Luke's face from her angle. She could, however, see how the man cowered and ran away as her companion kept staring his way.

' Hmm… Interesting. This is more serious than I previously thought.'

The barely hidden killing intent seeping out of his form was hard to miss by her trained, amethyst eyes.

Turning back towards their current path, his facial expression was completely blank, neutral; devoid of any emotion as he simply stared forwards without uttering a word about what just transpired.

Her eyes lingered upon him as they continued on their current duty. Glancing at her prum colleague, she seemed to be eyeing him with a mixture of curiosity and concern in her rosy eyes.

Lyra caught her line of sight. She began to pointedly glance and swerve her head towards Luke.

Kaguya understood her intentions, giving her nod; one Lyra returned in kind.

After a reasonable distance from any prying eyes and away from the past commotion, the two held him by the cloak, tugging him backwards as he seemed to have been lost in his own thoughts.

Luke turned towards them, keeping his balance as he spun on a single foot.

"What is it!?—Also, stop pulling my robe! Use words like normal people do because I have ears in case you didn't notice!"

Irritation seeped through his words, but above anything, stress was clear as day on his face. The two of them met his tempered attitude with nonplussed expressions.

"Okay, spit it out. What's bothering you?"

"This somber attitude of yours is getting on my nerves already. This is getting out of hand, so don't become our weak link, you dumb elf."

"Didn't I say we wait till we are back home? We still haven't finished our patrol."

Kaguya stepped to the side, keeping her gaze on him.

"Oh, but we aren't shying away from our pre-established duties. Don't you see?"

She gestured with one arm towards the street before them, and especially towards the citizens that strolled further back where they just passed through but half a minute ago.

"We are safeguarding the people's safe passage through the streetways; after all, Evilus next strike could be anywhere."

A group of armed individuals approached the bystanders. Fellow adventurers, to be precise.

"Besides, we aren't the only ones tasked with it."

Her eyes landed back on him; his own switched focus between the common folk, Lyra and herself. A sigh of resignation and a few steps sideways till he leaned his back against the wall, was his answer to their pressure on the matter.

Both of them stood firmly as he hung his head low, placing his hands inside his trousers' pockets.

….

"Go on. We're all ears!"

Lyra prompted him after a brief silence. Luke raised his right hand out of his pocket, pointing its index finger directly across the street.

Following the direction, Kaguya saw a half crumbled wall with old dried blood stains all over it.

His finger pointed towards the right, dragging their gazes alongside it.

All the walls had similar stains.

Luke's finger swerved up after doing an arc around the street, pointing directly above his head.

Another noticeable blood stain rested on the wall further up.

"These were all innocent people these monsters murdered… "

He lowered his hand, closing it into a fist.

"No… people they toyed with!"

Kaguya closed her eyes, finally grasping hold of the wider picture.

'So that was what they saw back them… then it's no surprise he's been distraught.'

She heard about the things the cult did en masse in certain places of the raid. Her party even bore witness to some examples of the fanatics' cruelty first hand, though not in the scope it was reported from the others once the dust had settled.

Mutilated victims hanging from the walls, decorating whole passages with Evilus' sick pleasure in people's suffering.

It seems her captain and the elf weren't as fortunate to avoid that scenery.

"Geez, so you saw those macabre scenes people were speaking about. No wonder you can't sleep."

Luke lifted his head at Lyra's remark; she was met with an almost blank expression plastered on his face.

However, the hollowed out light in his eyes was something Kaguya didn't like to see, not in the slightest.

"Every now and then I'm caught thinking about it. No matter what I try I always come back to that sight… especially after coming back here."

Kaguya clicked her tongue. His eyes landed on her.

"Then why didn't you say anything? We could have tasked you with other patrols around the city if that was the case."

Some of the light returned to his eyes as he faced her question head on.

"I don't want to become a dead weight because of that; I don't have the right to it! How could I look at myself in the mirror if anything happened here while I was somewhere else just because I don't want to remember it all again!?"

' Tsk….he really is an idiot. Doesn't he see he's not looking at this from the right angle?'

"Hey, then tell me! What if Evilus appears again somewhere not here, then what? You wouldn't be there because you were being a stubborn thickhead for no reason by staying here with us."

Lyra brought his attention to her with the supposed scenario, looking expectantly at him with her usual sly smile.

"That's…"

….

He trailed off, losing his words as he couldn't seem to be able to refute her.

Now was the perfect opportunity to get across his nonsense.

"You can't be responsible for everyone's lives. No matter how strong you are, you can't be everywhere at once. I thought you already knew that, despite how moronic you seem to be."

He lowered his head, letting his bangs obscure his face from their view.

"Trying to exert yourself in such an impossible task will amount to nothing but frustration and despair in the end."

….

Silence. That's all that came from him.

"Listen to your second-in-command, she's being the voice of reason… for now at least."

"What is that supposed to mean exactly? I'm always a calm and reasonable person."

"Are you sure about that? Then why were you throwing hands with Lion last week at the dinner table after she called you a 'false maiden who enjoys disturbing those in peace', huh?"

"Well, that was the appropriate response to such a scandalous claim on my person. I never pick on someone like that without good reason."

"That's where you're lying. Didn't you set Luke's underwear on fire once after you two got into an argument?"

"Like I said, not without good reason."

….

Pufttt!

"Hahahahaha ha!"

The conversation was cut short as the previously silent elf broke into a sputter followed by a sudden laughing fit.

The two watched in equal confusion at the sudden outburst.

"hihihi… aaah, that was a good one Kaguya. You really know how to get back at someone." Luke wiped a tear from his eye as he looked at her, his gloomy and downtrodden past-self being completely overshadowed by a newfound surge of joy.

It was like witnessing a cloudy day that suddenly gave place for the sunshine to pour through the gaps.

It caught her off guard. Though what else caught her unaware was how much she preferred the current grin on his face instead of the blank expression and the depressed aura he exuded till then.

Unbestknow to herself, the ghost of a smile crept his way to her lips.

It seemed like they succeeded in getting through him and dragging him out of the hole he dug himself in, or most of it at least.

Seeing the brightness of her normally upbeat and insufferable companion, unintentionally brought a memory to the front of her mind.

A memory from the Far East.

Where Luke stood now with a big smile on his face was suddenly replaced by a young boy from the Rokujou family, one of the previous nine families that ruled the far away land. A boy who wore a smile as bright as his whenever the two conversed years ago.

He was the first person that saw her beneath the half mask the Gojou Familia used in service, who saw her truly for who she was. The only one she could truly open herself to without any reservations.

But that was a long time ago.

Before the revolt.

Before she…

As red stained and washed all over her memory, she blinked; the image disappearing altogether as only a somber smile lingered on her face.

The grin on Luke's face morphed into a pretentious smile.

"Though I guess waking you up with a cold bucket of water in the middle of the night was enough to make us even, isn't that right?"

And so her pensive mood was thrown to the wind with his shenanigans. Kaguya grit her teeth as she remembered that all too well.

"Wait! So that's what all that ruckus was about!? Guess that explains why she hasn't told anyone why she placed her bed to dry in the garden."

Kaguya's death glare switched from Luke towards the pretentious prum at her side, who rudely launched her index finger her way.

"Haha! He got you pretty good!"

Drawing her breath to calm herself down, Kaguya slowly recomposed herself.

"That's none of your concern, sassy queen. And you!" she pointed a finger at Luke. "The next time you sneak into my bedroom, you're dead."

"So, I'm still sleeping on the couch, dear?"

"Fufufu… Old couple." Lyra uttered as she covered her mouth, looking mischievously as ever.

Kaguya's left eye twitched in annoyance.

"Since you two are in such a good mood to bug me, then I'm certain we can head back to our patrol."

Kaguya turned to leave.

"Wait!"

Something grabbed her forearm, almost making her lash out on reflex. A quick glance at her back showed the obnoxious elf holding her in place.

"Thank you; the two of you. Honestly, It's nice to know I can count on you guys."

The sincere smile and the honesty coming from his words made her building up rage at the jesting subdued by the second.

He wasn't trying to insult or mock her… like he usually did.

Before she could respond, Lyra stepped next to him.

"You idiot, of course you can count on us! We're a Familia after all."

Kaguya shook her head at Lyra's words. The two of them spoke in the same tune more than she'd like to admit.

"By getting those self-blaming thoughts out of your empty head is more than enough for me. At least I won't see your pathetic self whimper by the corners. You embarrass yourself enough to add that to the pile."

Luke eagerly nodded at her.

"Sure do. I'll do my best to keep my head away from all of it, don't worry. I won't let it drag me down anymore."

Kaguya nodded in return at his words.

"Then, shall we proceed?"

Her companions all shared a collective nod as her answer before she began taking point, this time with Luke standing by Lyra's side.

They resumed their patrol once again.

Not even half a minute passed since they began descending the street when she heard Luke unexpectedly groan behind her.

"... not again. Doesn't she give up?"

As she turned to question his meaning, she catches the sight as Luke sidestepped out of the way of a figure clad in blue who pounced at him from the rear.

The figure let out a girlish scream as she lost her balance at the unpredicted dodge, going face first towards the pavement below.

Luke extended one of his hands, catching the person by the back of their clothing and saving her from the fall.

"Can't you greet me at least once like a normal person would, Ardee?"

Luke held a certain slate blue -haired girl from Ganesha Familia by the hem of her shirt as her feet dangled frantically above ground.

"How is that possible!? Do you have eyes in your neck?"

"No, you're simply too predictable. You'll only catch me if I want you to."

" Sigh … Fair enough. Can you put me down?"

He did as she asked, gaining a small 'thank you' from her.

"I see that you guys are also working day and night as well. Evilus' latest push was on a scale much greater than anything they usually do. We're being pushed to our limits these past days."

"Yeah, it was… at least we could drive them out before they could decimate the whole District."

"It was a stroke of luck that this one and our captain were so close when all hell broke loose. The response to the attack was great considering the circumstances." Kaguya entered the conversation.

"Rare to see any compliment from you, Kaguya." As expected, Luke responded with his usual sarcasm.

"From how you usually are, it's not difficult to see why."

Lyra stepped up, clicking her tongue. "Gotta agree with her on some of that, big guy."

"Geez, can't let me take a win…"

Ardee spun on her heel placing herself in front of him.

"You did amazing from what I've heard, Luke! You fought the Dis Sisters and held them back all on your own! Even if it was dangerous you managed to pull it off in the end."

"More like survived rather than battled against these two lunatics. I'm lucky I'm still here in one piece."

"No matter, you and your group did a good job despite it all. I doubt we could've amounted to any better. "

"If you put it like that, hehe he…" Luke said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"But then, how are you holding up?"

"Fine, I guess… now that you showed up things will certainly get even more interesting."

"Really, I could say the same thing."

Kaguya and Lyra shared a knowing look. Both girls started to slowly blend out of the conversation, stepping away towards their current patrol pattern.

A fair bit away from the two acquaintances who descended into simple casual topics, Luke glanced at them over Ardee's shoulder, noticing their absence from where they previously stood. The girl beside him looked perplexed at the gesture until she saw them as well.

As he lifted one arm high in the air to gesture at them, the pair responded with dismissive waves of their hands.

Kaguya parted her lips.

'We'll meet later.'

Those were the words she mouthed at him.

Luke faced them with confusion on his face, though it slowly morphed into his usual calm one as he looked between them and Ardee. With a thumbs up and a resolute nod, he turned to speak with Shakti's younger sister and more than likely to clarify things with her.

Even if she didn't find the company of the young girl to be too bothersome to her taste, Kaguya knew the two friends were more at ease doing their usual shenanigans and nonsense between themselves.

At least she wasn't, for the most part.

Besides, they still needed to cover their patrol sector. It was for the best to let the two put their conversations up to date with the most recent events as they covered for them in the meantime. That stubborn elf needed that kind of distraction for his mind.

As the pair were at a significant distance down the street and the conversing duo wasn't more in sight, Lyra began cackling lightly beside her as they walked.

"What's the laughing matter?"

The prum held her laughter, looking at her with a cheshire-smile on her face.

"Don't know…Perhaps you of all people being sweet and caring about Luke for once."

Kaguya's eye twitched. "Oh, shut it would ya! You know why I was comprehensive on the matter."

"No kidding, when the mind falters the whole person falls along with it no matter how strong they are."

"Most certainly."

….

"Though you two still act like an old couple."

Woosh

Swish

Kaguya's hand grazed Lyra's hair as she managed to jump away at the last second and avoiding the double swipe towards her head. Her face was split into a grin as she seemed to expect the result of being purposely obnoxious.

"Calm down, would ya? Can't your refined self take a joke?"

"Beating that smile off your face seems very comical to me."

"Only if you catch me, Miss sympathy."

"Is that a challenge?"

"What do you think?"

….

A group of civilians passed by the street, being escorted by another pair of adventurers as the two bickering came to a halt. The entire entourage had somber and dull expressions as some didn't even pay attention to neither her nor Lyra, though a few eyed them in a mixture of confusion, hopelessness and anger amongst their faces.

Kaguya glanced at her colleague.

"Later?"

….

"Later."

The two then quietly recomposed themselves and carried on with their duties with a more reserved and serious attitude after being reminded of the tragedy that had fallen in the vicinity for them to be fooling around… for the time being at least.

.

---

Stay here.

That's what mom told me before she left.

'Don't move sweetheart, the evil men will go away soon.'

Mom told me to stay quiet and don't leave no matter what I heard or saw.

Obeying the last thing mom said before she hid me in the chest of her room, I did my best to make as little noise as possible as I cowered in fear of what would happen.

If mom said so, then everything will be fine.

I dragged and hugged my legs close to my chest, hearing the screams and explosions outside our home continue without stop. They've been like this ever since mom closed me here.

'The adventurers will come. They will come! They'll defeat the evil people and get me and mom out of here.'

I gave my best to tune out the horrifying sounds coming from the streets.

I saw the evil men that attacked us. The mean people wearing white robes and holding swords in their hands.

Mother and I were coming back with groceries from the market when we heard a loud boom that shook the ground we stood at.

Before I could even understand what was happening, mom grabbed me and began to run, dropping all the groceries in the streets without a care.

The people around us seemed to have the same reaction as mom as they began to run away as well, pushing each other as they ran in the opposite direction I had seen the smoke rising from behind us.

Another deafening boom filled my ears, this one even closer and further down ahead, making mother change her path as she continued running while holding me close to her.

"Don't worry sweety, everything will be fine. Everything will be fine."

Mom kept repeating next to my ear all the while. She hugged me tightly to her chest, not letting me see anything but her face as I tried to look at her.

Mom began running faster as the cries for help became even louder behind her. I also heard some strange metal sounds as various screams stopped out of nowhere behind us.

'What is going on?'

I manage to look below her arm in the gap of her armpit.

That's when I saw.

The people in white, sticking their swords at the people that lie at their feet.

I looked away once I saw the red liquid flying away from them.

I shoved my head against my mother's chest, trying to forget what I just saw.

Her mother ran and ran without stopping. Her breath came out ragged as the screams began to grow more distant.

Mom almost threw the door of their home off its hinges as she came to a stop once they arrived. Without missing a beat, she ran towards her room and placed me in the chest I'm currently hiding in and waiting for everything to simply… go away.

'I'm sure it will be over soon and me and mom will be fine!'

Yes, that's right. This was a brewing storm that would eventually give way to a peaceful sky full of rainbows and golden light. They always did.

Mom always told me the sun shines brighter after the downpour.

Everything would be fine! I'm sure of it!

'Huh?'

The noise outside grew quieter and quieter as I held my breath. After a minute or so everything seemed to calm down, the terrifying noises ceasing completely.

'Did the adventurers arrive!? Are we finally safe!?"

*Blam*

A loud slamming sound came from the direction of our home entrance, making me flinch and slam my head on the chest's roof.

'W-What is happening?'

I slowly lifted the opening of the chest, just enough to leave a gap for me to see.

I almost couldn't see the closed door in the dark room.

Clack

Clack

Clack

Clack

The wooden floor shook and squeaked as various heavy steps walked through the house.

Many shattering sounds came from outside the room, making me flinch on instinct.

"Leave me alone! What do you—"

Crack.

Crash.

Mom's scream was cut off with the sound of wood splintering and a loud crash coming from outside the room.

Something was hitting against something else, like a hammer against nails when father used to do maintenance around home.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Plaft.

Plaft.

The loud, unnerving noise repeated a couple of times before it started to sound wet after each time it was made again.

It stopped.

…..

'Mom?...'

Blam

The door of the room was blown open as something crashed against it violently.

I ducked, holding my breath and placed my hands over my mouth.

I couldn't see what happened or what slammed through the door, almost breaking it down entirely. All I could do was follow mom's words and stay quiet.

Shuffle.

Shuffle

Something scraped along the ground near the chest, barely noticeable after the loud crash.

Thud

Thud

Thud.

The footsteps entered mom's bedroom.

My hands began to shake over my mouth as my vision became blurry, as if I was underwater.

The tears began to roll down my cheek as I continued to hold my breath.

The steps grew closer as the rustling became even louder. A gurgling, wet noise echoed nearby like someone was choking on juice or something of the sorts.

It wasn't juice.

I know it wasn't…

it wasn't!

The heavy steps walked in the direction of the shuffle.

" Hmph–Useless bitch."

Slash

Something yet splashed over my hiding spot, washing over the top of the chest.

My heart stopped for a moment.

'Mom…'

Stay quiet!

I need to be quiet.

Listen to what mom said and everything will be fine.

Yeah, everything will be fine!

Shuffle

Thud Thud Thud Thud

Something was being dragged away from the room.

I closed my eyes.

'Everything will be fine! The adventurers will save the day—a hero will come. He'll–"

Creak

My eyes shot wide open with the creaking noise above my head. A pair of chestnut eyes looked down at me through the slit gap of a white mask.

The lips below the mask stretched so wide I could see it from over the red stained tissue that covered the man's face as its cheeks curled up.

The way those bloodshot eyes peered down at me… it made my heart freeze completely.

"Look what I've found here!"

The man sneaked a hand down the chest in an instant. He moved so fast I could barely see what happened as I felt an immense pressure grip my right arm.

The man tugged my arm, bringing my whole body along with it. He pressed even more, as I heard something crack in my forearm.

A searing white, hot pain jolted through my entire arm in a second.

The scream that tore through my throat did nothing to ease the excruciating pain. I grit my teeth, managing to look at the evil man that grabbed me.

" Sob… P-Please, let me go–"

The words died on my lips as I looked at the door. Mom was on the ground, being dragged through the leg by another man.

A thick red trail of liquid followed her.

'Mom! …'

"M-Mom! Mom!"

The man who held me chuckled.

"She's dead, stupid child. You can scream all you want. No one's gonna hear you, brat."

"N-No, the adventurers will–"

"Ha! Like that will happen. We'll be done with you before these good for nothing morons can even figure it out what's going on."

He pressed down on my throbbing arm, showing a strange look in his eyes.

"~ We'll have loads of fun till then, girl."

I didn't like his tone.

I didn't like what he said.

What does he mean by that!?

Squirming under his grasp, I tried to pry his hand off me.

"N-No, let me go!"

"Hahaha ha! Cry some more!"

The man began to take me through the same bloodied path they took mom. He shoved me to the ground as he began dragging me across the floor. My clothes splashed against the red colored trail mother left behind, soaking me as I tried to break free. The man walked out through the broken down entrance of the home as the door was completely ripped apart.

Stepping outside, a whimper left my lips at the scene.

Various people, wearing the same clothing as the man who carried me, were dragging other people that were sagged like puppets without strings from their homes and across the entire street.

They were oozing out blood.

Reddish lines painted the whole path as they gathered everyone at various spots across the street.

Some of the ones still alive were all thrown at the side of the street; screaming, cursing and pleading desperately as they were lined up against a wall. Sheer terror spread through my veins once the men in white began hitting every single one of them with their swords.

Amongst the despairing scene I saw the glimpse of something odd. A few of the women that were still alive were dragged to a dark alley instead of joining the others.

'What are they doing?...'

"Don't worry. Soon you'll join them." The man that carried me chuckled as I desperately tried to break free.

"Someone, help me! Anyone!"

Tears stained my cheeks as the sobs drowned my thoughts. The man continued walking in the same direction as the others while I dangled from his clutches.

Emptiness slowly gripped my insides after each step the man took. Hope slowly seeped out at each sob that escaped my throat.

"... anyone."

No one responded.

Not a single person came to my pleas.

'Where are the adventurers?... They were supposed to help us…'

They didn't come.

Not as they dragged me.

Not as I whimpered at the man's crushing grip.

Not as I was left completely at their mercy.

My worst fears came true once as the man tossed me near a pile of bodies in the middle of the street.

Stars filled my vision as I hit the ground face first. The skin of my chin painfully burned against the pavement as my body hauled along the pathway.

I came to a stop.

As I tried to bear the pain and stand up with one arm, something stomped down on my back, making the air blow out of my chest. Both my hands were violently jerked behind my back, as something bonded them together.

My wrists ached as they were tightly embraced against each other. Something yet slippered down my forehead as my head throbbed with a burning sensation.

Fighting through the pain, I pried my eyes open through the tears.

Mom laid in front of my face, unmoving.

"Mom?..."

She didn't respond, even though her eyes were open and her head turned at me.

Mom didn't blink.

Not even a single time.

Her body stayed completely still as a red pool caked the cobblestone below her.

"mom…" a whimper escaped my throat.

"Hehehe–this will be entertaining."

The man's voice brought my attention back to him. Multiple ones dressed in white, just like him, stood by his side.

One of them stepped forward. He grabbed the slings of my dress, forcibly ripping them off. The one that did it had a strange look on his eyes as he laughed.

The man that brought me here stepped forwards, placing his hand on the other's shoulder.

"Calm down buddy; I was the one that found her. I'll have my kind of fun first. You lot can do whatever you want afterwards"

The man shoved his hand off from him as he turned around.

"Tsk… Whatever. Just don't kill her yet." He and the others clad in white backed away.

The lone evil man right in front of me looked down at me. His eyes gained a disturbing glint as he seemed to smile behind the veil that covered his face.

'No, someone… help…'

As I contorted my body, the binds at my hands burned and scraped against my skin as I tried to get away from the man.

Yet, I continued.

I had to!

Something screamed in my head for me to get away.

Away from this evil man.

Even as something wet and warm washed over my wrists down to my fingers, an agonizing ache set my skin ablaze with each struggle I made; I kept rubbing my wrists against what held them nonetheless.

'I need to get away from here!'

I had to escape. I had to flee by any means and ignore all the pain.

'I need to run. Run towards anywhere else but here! Someplace safe where the adventurers will take care of me!'

The burning pain was excruciating as my efforts doubled as the evil man stepped forward.

He stretched his hand towards my head.

I closed my eyes.

'I don't wanna die… I don't wanna die!'

A hand was placed over my face, its nails digging deep into my skin as I saw him lifting a knife with his other hand.

'Anyone!—I don't wanna die!'

The sharp knife slowly made his way towards my face as the man cackled sinisterly. I squirmed and trashed with every ounce of strength I had left.

Tears fell down freely like waterfalls on my face as despair filled all the thoughts in my head.

I broke down.

'I don't wanna die!'

'I don't wanna die!'

'I don't wanna die!'

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Í̷̢͚̝̦̗̦͚̘̑́͊̓̈́̕̚͜ ̷͉͔̻̞͔̆̋͌̍̀̊̍̔D̷̨̡̛̼̱̥̱͔̤͘ͅO̵̢̪̮̻̮̤̅N̶̨̨̜̹̣̤̟̺̈́̿̇̔ͅͅ'̷̨̧̨̫̰͂̌͝T̷̡͚̫͙͔̥̹̥͍̯͂͋̕͠ ̵̡͙̠̮͔̖̼͚̒W̴̭͉̼̪̍̀͜ͅA̸̞̋̈́̾̇̅Ṅ̴̰̞̞͚̣̘̟͑̀̇̕N̵͍̳͖̦̥̥͚̥̜̼͊́̉̈́A̶̡̡̘̫͓͉̲̤͑̅͋̒̀̐̉͘͝ͅ ̷̡͍̄̽̄͂͋̊͠͝D̷̨͚͖̭͋̑͛͘I̷̘͌̾͑̒̋̔͘̚Ḙ̸͉̼̻̣͌̐!̷̗̖̲̳̅̈́͒͛ͅ'̵̡͍̗̤̞̗͈̫̩͒̀͒͗ ̶̢̲̮͖̺̻̦̹̣̾̋̈̔̆͝

.

---

A silent cry tore through his mouth as he jolted his body upright in an instant.

He had no idea where he currently was, his instincts taking over completely as sought for the enemy.

Swerving his head rapidly from one side to another, he looked frantically around him for a chance to escape.

Once his vision quickly adjusted to the darkness, Luke found out he was in his own bedroom. Yet, his senses were still sharper than a blade as his body was on full aler

Luke tried his best to calm himself down as the reality of the situation came upon him.

He wasn't in danger. It had been only a nightmare… one of so many.

His throat was drier than the sand of a desert below the scolding sun, his mind raced with a fuzzy jumble of barely coherent thoughts as he had just been violently pulled out of his slumber.

Once his vision quickly adjusted to the darkness, Luke found out he was in his own bedroom. Yet, his senses were still sharper than a blade as his body was on full aler

Gasping for air, Luke threw the covers off from him as he sat by the bedside. Sweat trickled down from his forehead all the way down to his chin as his whole form was drenched by it.

Getting his breathing under control, he pressed the palm of his hands over his eyes.

'What was that!?–It's always that same, fucking dream!'

Again.

He saw it again.

The girl he'd seen after Evilus had their way with her.

Why?

Why did he keep seeing that?

As white stars appeared behind his eyelids, Luke stopped pressing his eyes. His hands moved to his forehead instead, diving into his damp hair above as he rested his elbows over his thighs.

"I can't sleep…" He mused out loud to no one but himself.

Five whole days had gone by since that fateful day that Evilus raided the East District. Five days he'd gone by without resting his eyes at night.

While most would be affected already by the sleep deprivation, his Level 4 status made such adverse effects have minimal effect on his body and mind… for now at least.

However, ever since that patrol through the aftermath of the skirmish, he became self-conscious of how the memories themselves were taking a toll on his head.

Be it through lingering thoughts or nightmares. Just like the one he'd just experienced… again.

Still, it was becoming a recurring issue night after night. One that would certainly cascade all of a sudden upon him the more time passed if he didn't find a solution to it.

Something that couldn't happen in their line of work.

But… What was he supposed to do?

He didn't choose to have those images haunt his mind, nor the unslept nights.

"I'll ask for Lady Astraea to help me prepare some medicine in the morning… Sigh … I still need to head to the Guild to alert Rose about that possible development Alise and the others concluded after the assembly. "

Luke spoke to the wind, sprawling himself back on his bed with a heavy sigh.

It would be wise to solve this issue as fast as possible, even if he didn't know how. He would have to attend to his duties tomorrow morning. Evilus wouldn't care if he got some shut-eye in his bed or not.

The others counted on him after all, and he wouldn't let them down.

Not until–

knock

knock

knock

Luke's pointed ears perked up at the soft knocking sound coming from his bedroom door. He swerved his head towards the desk at his bedside, or more precisely, at the clock that laid on top of it.

'Just past midnight… Who could it be at such an hour?'

Luke slowly dragged himself off from his bed, the support of the same emitting a brief creaking sound as he shifted his weight away from it.

Standing on his feet, he made his way to attend to whoever stood at the door. As he approached with an extended hand towards the doorknob, his barren arm was in full display in front of his eyes.

Looking down in a quick glance at himself, he was reminded he still lacked any cover for his upper part; a habit he grew accustomed to in his daily bedtime ritual.

"One moment." he said in a low tone, lest he disturb his bedroom neighbor, or simply Kaguya, for the intimates. That's the last thing he needs right now.

Luke quickly grabbed his shirt who rested at the chair in his desk. Putting it on as he walked, he stood again at the door.

He turned the knob.

A mop of red hair perked up as he opened the door.

"... Alise?"

"Yo! I hope I didn't wake you up or anything, that would be bad, hehe…" Despite having the same energy as usual, her voice was hushed, more than likely to respect the others' rest time.

"No, you didn't. I was already awake."

"Really? That's good to hear…Say, can I borrow some of your time?"

Luke held back a chuckle, sporting a reserved smile instead.

"Sure, as long as you give it back."

She let out a light chuckle at his usual attempt at humor.

"You can count on that… so, will you invite me in?"

He maintained a straight face at her question, blinking a few times at her expectant features.

"Isn't it inappropriate for a lady to enter a boy's room… especially at this hour?"

"Well, first of all– I trust you. Second; the others would skin you alive if you ever pulled anything like that. Also, you're not that kind of guy, I know you."

" Sigh… Fine by me then. Just don't blame me if gossip floats around that you entered my room alone… the walls have ears you know."

He gave room for her, opening the door fully and presenting his room with his free arm.

Alise strolled inside.

"Don't worry, if it comes to that I'll take responsibility."

….

Luke blinked at her words.

'Why does that phrase sound kind of weird?'

Luke let that thought escape his mind as his friend, and captain, walked up towards the center of his room as he closed the door. Her neck cranked from side to side as she looked around the place with interest in her emerald gaze.

"Quite simple and modest. Not gonna lie, it fits you perfectly… though I expected a boy's room to be a bit more messy."

"Not every man likes to live in a dump where he can never find a pair of matching socks. Now, why the late night visit, Cap'n?"

Alise turned towards him, her carefree smile being replaced by a more subdued one.

"You know, these past few days have been quite hectic with everything we've been doing. Not shifting blame to anyone, but we barely got time to rest since the last Evilus raid. With it, we didn't have that talk, did we?"

'So, that's why… kind of unexpected.'

His gaze fell to his feet with a tired sigh.

"... Yeah, we didn't. Why now though? Wouldn't it be better to wait for a more appropriate moment?"

"As adventurers, who's to say we'll have one?"

"True…"

Alise scurried her way to his bed, taking a seat and making herself comfortable. She patted the spot beside herself.

"Come, come!"

Holding back a smirk at his friend's usual straightforward attitude, he made his way there.

Taking his seat, he leaned back, resting his hands behind him as he stared at the ceiling, gathering his thoughts for a moment.

After a few seconds of silence, his lips moved again.

"... If you're worried I haven't spoken up with someone about it, then don't be. Lady Astraea is already filled up on it… most of it at least."

"She was the one that confronted you about it, wasn't it?".

A curt nod was all that he answered.

"Ha! That's just like her." Alise let out a small giggle as she seemed to imagine the scene playing out in her head.

"Though she's not the only one. Kaguya and Lyra also know after we wandered through the epicenter of… that."

The smile on her face dropped as she looked at him again, her expression gaining a serious edge.

"You know… I really meant it when I told you to pass that one. You might have been prim and proper physically, but all… that was still fresh in your mind."

Swerving his head, Luke met her gaze with unrelenting eyes.

"I won't shy away from my obligations… No matter what happens, Alise." His voice was firm and unshaken, carrying all the determination he mustered ever since he saw the state of the city he grew up in.

"Good grief, you can be as headstrong as Lion sometimes; be it for bad or good. Though I can't blame you myself, we have Lady Astraea's justice to uphold after all."

Despite appearing exasperated at first glance, her voice also carried a sense of… empathy, perhaps? Almost as if she agreed and understood the sentiment more intimately than simply being the oath they made to their goddess.

Something more.

Or maybe it was simply acceptance of his mindset, despite all the consequences of it.

Luke couldn't tell for sure as he looked at her face.

Alise perked up suddenly as a curious expression overtook her seriousness.

"What about Maryuu? With how much time you two spend together she must have figured it out already?"

"No, not entirely at least. Despite all the heavy load she's been carrying on her shoulder with assisting the victims of the raid, and the little chances we had to talk, she still saw there was something wrong. Chuckle … Maryuu is too perceptive not to."

Luke adjusted himself on the bed, gazing out through the window.

"But, I don't want to bother her with my problems. She has enough on her hands already."

….

As no response came from his captain at his side, Luke's eye fell on her again. The barely concealed worry on her features was palpable, too much for him to not get the message.

'She thinks I'm trying to shoulder everything on my own.'

In a way, he definitely was, though his goddess was certainly volunteering to help him. Even Kaguya and Lyra did so in their own way.

But, he had his more than justified reasons to do so.

Everyone had their fair share of problems they'll need to solve with the recent events. Luke's stomach made knots just thinking about adding his own burdens to the other's piling up troubles.

Still making no comments at his previous explanation on their healer's case, her gaze lingered on his face.

"Say, why is your hair clinging to your forehead? You didn't wash it at such an hour, right?"

….

(Cue - Danmachi III OST - Beast Dream)

Luke's own gaze avoided hers, looking at the night outside through the window instead. He pondered about speaking up about the nightmares he's been experiencing.

He made up his mind with a sigh inside his mind.

'There's no reason to withhold that, not from her… she was here, trying to help him; she promised to after all, and he agreed back then. She understands better than anyone.'

Luke shifted his weight as he sat straight. Once he looked back at his friend, he was met with the expectant look he'd imagined she'd worn.

"...That has to do with why I'm still awake. It's quite simple; I can't… the nightmares won't let me."

"Guess this also explains the damp marks on the mattress in the spot you've slept behind me."

"...Yes."

Alise adjusted her weight on the bed.

"What are those dreams like?"

"I know you have a better idea than anyone else, Alise…"

The sincere worry in her eyes still remained as he glanced at her.

"But to answer that; it's the girl. The girl they've…"

The words gobbled up in his throat as he recalled that same disturbing sight. His fingers popped with how hard he clenched his hands remembering the pleasure those bastards took in slaying their victims, the cruelty and lack of care. To kill and torture indiscriminately.

Luke grit his teeth in anger.

He hated how they couldn't stop them. Letting those people suffer and wail in agony at their hands.

He hated how he couldn't have killed all those bastards before they—

"...!"

The spiral of dark thoughts came to an end as he felt something soft clasp his trembling hands.

"Hey, it's alright."

Alise's soft voice reached his pointy ears. As his head got clear from those memories, he pointedly noticed how his breathing spiked without him noticing. Feeling pulled towards her, his eyes were presented to a warm smile as she caressed his hand.

"... t-thanks." he barely managed to croak out as he controlled his breath again. It crashed down upon him how easily he lost his composure and forced her into calming him down.

Luke's head fell to his feet.

"I look pathetic don't I?"

"Nope! Not in the slightest. You do look like an idiot for thinking you're one."

"heh…I guess I'm one after all."

"We all are to an extent. It's admitting it that makes us more intelligent; at least I think so."

Luke squished back on her grasp, glancing at her.

"Yeah, it seems you're right."

Alise slowly retracted her hand, giving him a last clutch before she rested her arms at her side.

"Things like these aren't easy to handle; I know how bad it can get. But… we can only move on. Rely on those you hold dear and face the next day like any other."

"Easier said than done…"

"It is… but try and follow this motto: To feel sorrow is to be human, to drown in it is self-betrayal."

His eyes widened at her words.

He looked at her again, his mouth half open as he pried into her emerald orbs. He found nothing but sincerity in her gaze.

"That's…"

"I know, even I struggle to follow it at times. Yet, it's one of the best pieces of advice I've heard. Perhaps it can help you."

She blinked, her eyes becoming even more earnest.

"Not everything that happens is your fault. Not even we, as a Familia, can stop all evil that lurks in the shadows. As hard as it is to accept, we aren't almighty. The sooner we embrace this harsh reality, the sooner we'll adapt to it and how the world works; in the good ways and bad ones as well."

He avoided her gaze, focusing on the palms of his hands, instead, he grit his teeth yet again.

'I hate it… I hate how sound her reasoning is.'

Luke closed his eyes as he took a breath to ease his mind, lest he spiral down again into self-deprecating thoughts.

Anger slowly crept up towards his chest nonetheless the more he reflected about her line of thinking. After all, he had thought about it one too many times already.

They couldn't save everyone, and that irked him to no end.

(End soundtrack)

(Cue - Danmachi II OST - Bonding with Friends)

"However-"

He was drawn out of his thoughts, opening his eyes as he focused on her again.

"We can't stop trying to save everyone regardless!"

Alise shoved a fist at his chest, barely managing to push him back. She grinned in a bright, toothy grin.

"How could we call ourselves defenders of justice if we don't! Ain't it right!?"

A warm feeling bloomed on his chest after she pushed him.

'Of course… That's so obvious! I really am a fool.'

"Despite all the trials and tribulations along the way, that's what's the way of the just and righteous; the way she should trail through as a Familia. We can't cower against evil!"

She blinked, her emerald gaze being reflected by the faint moonlight.

"Our failures must be a source of motivation for ourselves to strive to be better; not shackles that hold us in place."

That's right.

They were the ones who held the banner of justice.

The Familia who helped hold the line against evil and disorder.

The ones who fought for peaceful times in the renowned Center of the World. The place that contained the sprawl from the depths; the Dungeon.

They couldn't be content to fail the folk that counted on them. Every life mattered, even the ones lost. The souls they couldn't save would be used as fuel to feed the blaze of justice's wrath against the perpetrators.

They needed to give their all despite everything. Throw logic to the curb and do the impossible; piercing the very heavens to cast a light upon the darkness that wrapped itself around Orario.

No matter the foul.

No matter how hopeless the situation seemed.

No matter if no one believed they could make a difference.

They would fight on to protect the weak and innocent!

A sly smile crept his way to Luke's face as his line of thought reached its apex.

'After all, failing them was failing justice itself, wasn't it?'

He couldn't let the horrors he witnessed hold him back from his goals.

Not anymore.

As Alise raised her fist towards him with an expecting look on her face, Luke promptly pumped it with his own. He held a small smile on his face as he pried into her amused eyes.

"You're right, Cap'n. We have a job to do, and we can't let everyone down!" Despite the enthusiasm in his voice, his tone was still reserved to respect the nighttime at their home.

"That's the spirit!" Alise pumped back, grinning like a madwoman at his response.

He rested his hand on his lap, looking at the shining moon outside his window with a new light in his mismatched eyes.

"You're one of a kind, you know that?" Luke turned his head at her, smiling in all honesty he could muster. "I couldn't wish for a best Captain—No, for a best friend."

She met his smile with one of her own.

"Don't make such a fuss, you're embarrassing this lovely maiden; everyone would've done the same!"

"That's not true and you know it."

"That's not—" She paused for a second, looking up in contemplation.

"Okay, you won. Not everyone would, happy now?"

"Why would I be? The world needs more people like you. I wish I could keep a smile like you no matter the situation."

"It's not easy, I tell you! But I do my best nonetheless!"

"You sure do… and I'm thankful for it"

(End soundtrack)

…..

Silence settled between them as Luke's gaze settled on the moonlight again. The only sound that filled the room was the slightest adjustment they made at their spots in the bed as the seconds passed by in quietness.

That is until Alise perked up, prompting him to look at her.

"Say, why don't I stay at your side tonight!?"

…

…

…

'Eeeh!!?'

Luke almost fell from the corner of his bed once he registered her words. Sputtering and barely managing to think about an answer to that, he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"What!?—" He half muttered, half screamed at her as he placed a hand over his mouth.

"Well, you are having trouble sleeping, and I'm here right now. Perhaps if I stay at your side I can keep the nightmares away?"

"N-No way!–Not happening! Get out, please!" Luke quickly grabbed her wrist, pulling her along towards the door in a hurry. He opened the exit for her, placing her in the corridor outside.

"Goodnight–" Luke began closing the door without a second thought.

Thud

Alise placed her feet at the door frame gap, making him stop lest he hurt her.

"Don't be an idiot! It's not like that!" She muttered only for him to hear, yet her irritation was clear as a sunny day.

"But–"

"But what!? I'll just make you company, nothing else. What's the matter with that?"

Luke's response got stuck at the tip of his tongue as he pondered her reasoning. After a few seconds under her scrutinizing gaze, he let out a sigh, alongside the truth as well.

"... It's embarrassing."

She rolled her eyes.

"It's only embarrassing as you make it up to be; I'll only stay at your side, nothing more. There's no reason for being so shy; aren't you a man?"

'That's exactly the problem here…'

Despite his reservations with her proposal, he saw in her fiery look she wouldn't budge on her idea; not without bugging him to no end afterward because of it. With a heavy heart, he made his decision.

"... Fine."

Alise almost shoved him inside as she strolled in again, barely containing her excitement for getting her way with him… yet again.

She walked towards the bed like she just collected a Jack Bird's golden egg on the first floor in the Dungeon.

Luke sagged in defeat, resigning himself to his fate as he slowly walked to the opposite side of the bed. He set himself at the leftmost side of it, staring at the white ceiling with a blank face.

A noticeable shift in weight at his side made him steal a glance at it.

Alise laid there, making herself comfortable under the white blanket as she removed the flower shaped hair clip from her head, letting her bright fiery hair flow freely as she placed the object in the desk next to his clock.

She turned towards him as he looked straight at the floor above their heads again.

'Come on, keep yourself together. This is nothing special, she's just going to sleep there and nothing more.'

Luke could already picture Zeus giving him a thumbs up with tears in his eye; much to his dismay at the current moment he found himself in.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself the best he could; becoming as tranquil as he usually was in his relaxing ritual before sleep every night so it came easier to him; even if it was failing him recently.

"You know… this is the first time I've done this with someone that wasn't family. No, we technically are now, aren't we? Silly me."

' Hurgh…You're not helping, Alise.'

Luke eyed her from the corner of his eyes, doing his utmost to quench the awkwardness that clutched his very being.

"Are you sure this will help?"

"But of course! Who the hell do you think I am!? This worked all the time with my parents when I was little!"

"Is that so…"

Now, thinking about it, his mother held him in her arms as he slept whenever he had a bad dream; every time, without fail. Even Hera, despite her show of annoyance, did the same in the couple of months following their exile from Orario.

In a way, this put his uneasiness to rest for a bit at the current situation he found himself in.

A smile slowly made its way to his lips as he looked at his friend's curious gaze.

"Oi, Cap'n… just don't cling to me at night. I can kick you off from the bed without notice."

A grin split her face in half.

"Okay, but I don't promise anything."

" Chuckle … Typical!... Goodnight, Alise."

"Goodnight. Oh, and remember, if anything disturbs your sleep, I'll be right beside you!" She gave him a thumbs up along with a wink.

Luke shook his head from side to side as a smirk crossed his face. She really was something else.

"…I'll be counting on you then. Sleep well." Luke turned the opposite way, pulling his covers up to his collarbone as he closed his eyes, trying his best to get his head away from the fact he was sharing a bed with a beautiful girl.

"Sleep well… have nice dreams." was the last thing he heard from her as she seemed to adjust herself on the bed yet again.

The quietness now was absolute.

The noise from outside was almost unheard by him as he tried to relax his whole body from head to toe. Alise's rhythmic, slow breath alongside his own was the only thing that broke the silence in the bedroom; besides the occasional swift in weight as one of them slightly moved their forms on top of the bed.

Time passed as he still struggled for sleep to come to him.

Despite the nightmares that tormented him earlier and the still awkward position he found himself in with his friend, sleepiness slowly caught up to him as each blink became heavier than the last.

Stealing a glance at his uninvited guest for the night, he was met with her form fast asleep on the other side of the bed . Her chest rose and fell softly after each breath; the features of her face frozen in a content expression.

The sweet, citric aroma of her perfume filled his nostrils. It was a surprisingly soothing scent to feel as he attempted to enter a relaxed state.

Despite how embarrassing it was to have a stunning girl sleeping right next to him, against all his embarrassment, a sense of comfort washed over him the more he looked at her and thought about her good intentions for staying despite the oddness of it all.

At peace, was the sentiment that better described his being at the moment; toppling over the awkwardness in his mind.

…..

After an unaccounted time ticked by as he watched over his friend, everything began being consumed by darkness as his eyelids slowly closed without his consent.

Once again; despite everything, the same nightmarish scenario played itself again. Yet… it was different this time, shorter; ending differently than before and without notice.

As the bad dream seemed to head to yet another despairing conclusion as it always did, an unknown soothing warmth spread through his whole body; dragging him away from that horrendous sight.

He didn't know why or how, but the nightmare ceased as he was pulled away from it. His dreams now being replaced by memories of his time with Zeus and Hera in the mountains alongside his teachers and his surrogate brother.

Sometimes changing to his living with his current Familia and their convoluted, daily life together.

He finally had the peace of mind he lacked every time he closed his eyes before sleep.

In the end, a good night of rest was what he got; and that's what mattered.

And so, he rested in the company of his stubborn captain, until the time to wake inevitably came to him.

After an unknown time deep into his dreams which didn't fill him with despair and inevitably led to him waking suddenly in the middle of the night in a startle, Luke was awakened by his own biological clock instead, around the time he usually got out of bed before the crack of dawn.

He slowly pried his eyes open as he looked at the bedside his head was facing, straight towards his wardrobe and the window at the corner of his vision.

As usual, the sun hadn't risen at the horizon yet. Cleaning his eyes as he let out a yawn to energize himself up and wake his body, he prepared for another day ahead of him.

The feeling around his body became clearer to him as he finally woke up while beginning to stretch his limbs, with such, the sensation of something clutching his abdomen and the warmth that emanated from it became pointedly aware to him.

With a confused face, Luke removed the covers from his form.

There he saw it. The one thing he asked her not to do yet, she did nonetheless.

Alise was holding him in a tight embrace, staying in a state of blissful slumber in dreamland as she snuggled her head against his sides. Luke stood rigid as a rock as she turned him into her own personal body pillow, pressing a certain soft pair against his form.

Yet, this wasn't the worst part.

What also was as sturdy as him was a condition that always plagued any man in their sleep, no matter the situation at hand. That being what was infamously called a "morning wood".

A silent scream echoed inside his head at the current predicament he found himself in.

Keeping his cool, Luke quietly calmed his racing heart as he focused on staying as still as he possibly could, lest he accidentally wake Alise and ends up dooming himself to dying of embarrassment.

'What did I get myself into?… Kaguya would never let this die down if she knew about It. Scratch that! All the girls wouldn't let him live this one down!'

He did his best to ease himself, breathing in and out to calm himself and the flow of his blood to control his faithful comrade. Alise pressing herself against him did nothing to help in the current pinch he found himself in.

As his partner slowly but steadily moved from 'attention' to 'at ease', a relieved sight left Luke's lips.

Not wasting a second more, he calmly began to squeeze himself out of Alise's clutches. With gentle and careful movements, Luke slowly untangled himself from her hold of him, doing everything to not disturb her in the process.

"...huh?"

His gaze previously focused on the way his hands as he pried her own hands off from his body, who soon turned to the right as he gave his back to her as he now faced his side of the bed while sitting at the bedside, soon switched back to her as something tugged the hem of his shirt.

For a second he thought he might have failed on not waking her, but a quick glance at her face told otherwise. Still fast asleep, she clung to his garment as she seemed to have moved purely on instinct.

The force behind her pull intensified.

Concern grew inside his head as she began to grunt and shake slightly, all while tugging even harder than before.

"...Paul… Don't leave…"

Luke blinked as a light of understanding flashed in his eyes.

'She's having a bad dream… it seems I'm not alone in that.'

He thought, eyeing her as she kept her hold on him still.

"Everyone... I didn't mean to… Don't leave me again… Please…"

Somberness clouded his mismatched gaze as he registered her last mumbled words.

The image of the day he saw his parents for the last time before they departed to their own demise in an attempt to complete the Last Great Quest filled his mind. He spent a long time reviving that same moment in his dreams time and time again till this very day.

Alise appeared to have her own burdens from the past as well.

"I'm not your Paul… but it will have to suffice."

Luke gave in to her pleas.

Following her pull, he took back his spot lying beside her as she now took hold of his whole arm, tightly holding onto it while pressing herself against him once more.

A faint warmth traveled through his cheeks and ears at the touch, though it became of no matter to him as he looked at her face once again.

The distress was completely gone, being replaced by a serene peace in her features as she rested herself against him.

'I'll stay a little bit longer… now we're even, Alise.'

His gaze rested on her face for half a minute more, soon switching to the window and outside, appreciating the last remnants of the long night that had passed, which would soon be replaced by the first rays of orange sunlight that pierced through the horizon.

All while relaxing under the tender embrace of his captain as he rested alongside her for a bit more to shy her nightmares away.

No.

Not merely his captain.

His friend; his lousy, shameless touchy friend that always got through even the most stubborn of people. Someone he'd do anything to protect; just like everyone else.

Anything.

That much he swore to himself from the very day he joined their side in the fight against Evilus. To fulfill his promise, he needed to get stronger. To be unwavering against the enemy and shield his mind from any harrowing sight he might see.

He couldn't let himself get bogged down by nothing… not anymore.

His race started again today without regrets holding him back as he would descend the Dungeon alone. Marking the return–

Shuffle

"So warm ~…" A certain clingy girl snuggled her face against his shirt.

'Sigh…After I deal with this of course…'

.

---

Another day at the office for the bored employee.

Another group of adventurers stood across the balcony.

Another fake, half-hearted smile was plastered on her lips… for the one too many times since she joined the Guild years ago.

"Good morning. How can I be of help today?" The same pre-established greeting was spoken.

"We want to trade these." The rugged looking man lifted one of the various pouches he carried on him, giving her a sly smile. His colleagues did the same with backpacks and sacks.

She didn't need to think twice to know what he meant by it.

Her hands gestured to the booth to the right.

"That way… If you have any further questions my colleague will answer them. Have a nice day." She spoke bluntly and without formalities.

Like she always did, Rose tended the Guild tertiary 'employees' with a clean professional tone at best. Always wearing the same forced smile she performed to exhaustion in the four years she worked under the Guild.

That's when she did it at all, of course.

The man's lips broke into a grin as he looked her up and down, his eyes noticeably, lingering on her midsection.

' Sigh–Typical!… disgusting bastard.'

Her anger at the man's shameless ogling didn't show in her face as her non-interested posture remained.

With a last glance at her, the leader of the party moved towards the exchange area, his companions trailing right behind him. The lustful eyes of the whole group of male adventurers wasn't missed by her, though they at least had the decency to not be so upfront as their colleague.

Keeping the facade, she eyed the group as they headed to be greeted by one of the other staff.

Once the attention of the bunch of reprobates was fully on trading, her ghost of a smile dropped. She sagged on top of the wooden balcony, leaning on her elbows as her temple rested on her hand, making her stare at the furniture below.

'It's not even mid-day and I've been stripped down by one too many gazes already… these people have no shame.'

As problematic as it may sound, she was getting used to being stared at. She knew she was beautiful, the looks and words she received couldn't fool her; she was recruited into her current job mostly because of her looks after all. While it was a nice validation and a stroke to her ego; to be envied by her peers and desired by the opposite sex, it got to a point it was uncomfortable to receive such looks every day at work in the Guild.

As she leaned on the balcony, her body was cushioned by a certain well endowed pair that touched the furniture.

'Especially because of these two… Argh! can't these men keep their desires in check!?'

They could at least show some respect for her person, couldn't they?

She was a respectful–

Clack

Clack

"...!"

Her werewolf ears flickered as footsteps neared across from her, making her line of thought come to a halt. Lifting her head slightly, her vision was blocked by a figure clad in black standing before her.

Searching for the figure's face further up, she was met with a familiar one.

The face of her designed adventurer as a guild advisor; a face who wore an unpretentious smile on his lips and a curious glint to his mismatched eyes.

"Bad time, Miss Fanett?... I can come back later if you want."

Rose got out of her stupor, recomposing herself as she stood straighter. The same facade was on again.

"No, kind adventurer. What can I do for your assistance today?"

The smile of the 'problem adventurer' with a death wish under her guidance for the past couple of years, faltered a bit at her formal greeting.

"Still giving me the cold shoulder I see… I deserve it, I know."

"I'm sorry, mister. I fail to see what you're referring to."

A sigh escaped Luke Adria's lips.

He removed his backpack, opening the top with a click and showing her the multiple magic stones of various sizes and drop items.

Without a word, she gestured to the same area she guided the previous adventurers to. Luke wore his backpack again on a single sling, glancing at her as he walked towards the booth. She stared back with a neutral face and a small smile.

He took his path to the exchange area, choosing an empty booth besides the group that ogled her. As one of her colleagues counted the valuables he collected from the Dungeon, Rose kept her eyes on the one she wasn't currently speaking to, not after what she heard from the Evilus raid a week ago.

He was the one person that always managed to get on her nerves every day on her shift, making her job even more stressful than it needed to be… and being a source of constant concern, even if she would never say out loud.

He stole glances at her multiple times through the few minutes the process took, gazes she met with her strictly professional side of her persona.

With a few quick words of gratitude to her colleague, he stored the Valis bags he traded safely inside his backpack, quickly slinging it back on afterwards as he turned in her direction.

He began to walk towards her, his smile from before completely gone as he approached the reception.

"I know I worried you, Miss Fannet, but how long will you keep this up?"

"I apologize, but I fail to see what you are referring to, dear adventurer."

"Cut it out! This 'kind advisor' act of yours is unsettling, it doesn't suit you at all!"

He clasped both of his hands with each other, shaking them back and forth as his gaze became pleading at her.

"I want my rough and stern advisor back!" He screamed without an ounce of shame.

"Perhaps you should have thought about that before jumping headfirst into certain death, you idiot!... Sigh —Why did they assign me such a troublesome adventurer?"

Rose whispered the last part, pinching the bridge of her nose as she shook her head from side to side.

"Oi! You know I can hear you, right?"

She scoffed at him.

"It sure doesn't seem like it with the stunt you pulled off a week ago."

Luke sagged, letting out a breath through his nose. Taking a step further and closing the gap between the balcony and him, he leaned on it with one of his elbows, letting the side of his face rest in his hand.

The way he carried himself and the semblance on his features changed alongside the gesture, gaining a new edge that wasn't there but a second ago.

"What would you suggest I do in that situation? Leave my friends to die as I'm busy fighting those monsters?... Huh?"

Rose's golden eyes pried deep into the serious gaze his rubellite and azure ones gave her. Lo

She wasn't deterred one bit by it.

"Perhaps not getting in that situation in the first place?"

"hmm?" he inclined his head at her probing.

"I saw the reports. You and three companions headed there without any support, knowing nothing about what Evilus had in storage… You should have died with how careless you handled it all."

"Yet I didn't."

"Does it change anything of what I've said?"

"It certainly does not…" He moved away from the balcony, standing in defeat against her points.

"Then–"

"However!..."

Or so she thought…

Her hopes of the adventurer across from her getting the message diminished as he cut her off; an action that made a small vein pop on her forehead.

".…This is what I had to do."

Rose's gaze slithed at his words.

"It's my job to protect the city and its people. I couldn't let the civilians, and the adventurers who went after them deal with everything all on their own… it wouldn't befit a follower of justice, would it?"

Rose had to hold herself back from smacking her own face, hard.

Or perhaps his for that matter, but she had her doubts it would bear any fruits trying to get through his thick head.

'There's no saving this guy… I just wish he doesn't die a slow death.'

She saw enough throughout the years to know how it would end up for him, experience taught that harsh lesson to her after all; not only for her, but for all the staff that spent enough time as advisors.

Selfless people with a Martyr complex were the best fit for an early grave, more so than the average adventurer.

One could gauge her as cold and heartless; yet they couldn't be further from the truth.

She used to believe that adventurers were a brave bunch for undertaking the important task of delving into the monster infested hell-hole that was the Dungeon.

Her younger self also admired those that fought against Evilus rule of terror; in a way, she still did.

She didn't think they were wrong for any of it, she even thought it was a dangerous yet noble act on their part. However, that was the harsh truth that she had to face as she assisted them as an advisor.

They didn't live long.

And the one adventurer right before her most likely wouldn't be the exception to that… despite outliving all the past adventurers under her care. The last conflict with the infamous leaders of Alecto Familia told her more than enough.

"It's useless trying to get through you… so, do you need anything else, problem child?"

"I'm not that younger than you, miss Fannett…". A sly smile crawled his way into Luke's face. "We'll, at least I got through you and got my advisor back–"

"—Have a nice day."

Rose turned on her heel, walking away from him and towards the paperwork due at the end of her shift. She had better things to do than entertain him with his usual nonsense.

"W-Wait! I'm sorry, come back! I still need your help with something, Miss Fannet!"

Rose froze on the spot as she heard his loud, obnoxious pleas.

Her werewolf ears perked up, catching multiple noises on instinct.

The pleas from him started causing a small commotion around the hall, drawing the eyes of staff and adventurers alike towards the two of them. Much to her chagrin as a guild worker.

Her ears flicked to her left, catching two voices whispering to each other.

"Hey, who's that guy? Isn't he bothering our older coworker… Rose, isn't it?"

"Nah, don't delve too much into it. They are always bickering like this. Don't tell her I told you this, but some people are betting how long it will take for the two to start–"

A murderous glare she sent their way made her coworker swallow his next words. The two quietly went elsewhere, running from the promised wrath it would befall on them; yet she wouldn't let that one go so easily.

She would have a word with them later about this supposed 'bet'.

The sharp werewolf hearing she possessed since birth, eavesdropped multiple voices coming from the hall as well.

"What's happening? An argument?"

"Perhaps the guy disagrees with the stock prices of the stones…"

"Ha! Did Rose reject another poor soul brave enough to court her?"

"He'd be one lucky bastard to pull it off!"

Her hair stood upright in anger as the murmurs around the Pantheon descended into a cascade of misunderstanding at her adventurer's words.

She was forced to address the source of it directly.

"I swear! I won't bother you any–"

"Be quiet! Don't you see you're making a scene?"

He glanced to his sides, witnessing some of her colleagues whispering amongst themselves, while adventurers looked in a jumble of curiosity and confusion at the scene.

Luke nodded enthusiastically at her demand, making a gesture of closing a zipper over his lips.

'Good grief, he's a complete buffoon.' Rose though, making her way back towards the front balcony.

"What do you want? you tactless bald-faced idiot! Stop wasting my time with utter nonsense!"

He held up his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright; I promise I'll make your time worthwhile."

He leaned over closer to her in the counter, blocking the side of his mouth with the back of his hand that wasn't facing her as he whispered. "Could we get a room first?"

Rose blinked.

"Pardon me?"

"I mean privacy. Somewhere without more than your ears and mine listening to the conversation."

' Sigh… Really, this guy.'

She began walking towards an adjacent door at the left side of the balcony end. Luke's eyes trailed behind her steps before he followed her without a word needing to be spoken.

They entered through a wide and rather spacious corridor with doors to both sides of it. Rose stopped at the nearest one to her right, turning towards it.

She stole a glance to her right as she held up a fist in the air, hovering centimeters away from the door. The annoying adventurer was standing there… eyeing her with a calm and collected posture as he rested his hands inside his trousers' pockets below his cloak.

'Let's get this over with…'

She knocked on the door.

….

No response came from the other side.

She turned the knob, opening the door whose frame creaked subtly at the action. Rose stepped inside, holding the door for him as he walked in, mouthing her a brief "Thank you".

Closing the only entrance to the private room with a catchunk , she made her way towards one of the comfortable sofas in the middle of the room.

She took a seat across from Luke, being separated by a small table which was normally filled with documents at the regular meetings between advisor and adventurer.

"So, spill it out? What do you want to talk about that called for all that ruckus in the reception?"

He crossed his right leg over his left one, scratching the back of his head with one hand while exuding an apologetic demeanor.

"Sorry about that, really—Though I was afraid you'd leave for good; you did so before after all."

" Sigh … Okay; now get to the point."

His carefree demeanor disappeared in a heartbeat, being replaced by a serious and rather tense posture. Sometimes, she still found herself swept off her feet by how rapidly he could swap attitudes on a wim.

It was similar to a switch being turned on his personality.

The mismatched gaze that pried her down from across the meeting room became sharper.

"Do you have any information on why Freya Familia was on an expedition to the Deep Floors days before the attack?"

She met the sharp look with one of her own.

"You know I can't give information on registered Familias to third parties without their consent on the matter."

"Kind of a dumb move from the Guild to not inform anyone of pertinent information, huh? Perhaps the lack of one of the bulk of our security forces wasn't a matter of much concern for Royman… or am I wrong?"

"You know damn well why this information was withheld from public knowledge. Revealing a weakness in our forces would be of no help in case–"

"—Evilus decides to attack. Yeah, I know… Funny how they seemed to have that intel regardless."

"What are you insinuating?"

"Who knows? Perhaps the fact that they could be spying on the big players and their every movement; which are hard to hide, let's be fair."

Luke's eyes flashed her a dangerous glint.

"Or perhaps you lot have a mole feeding them information."

"But that's—"

"Yeah, it's rather improbable, I'm aware. Royman tends to keep their subordinates on a tight leash from what I've seen. However, the chances aren't null."

Luke crossed his legs over each other, resting his left knuckles on the side of his face.

"I've debated that with myself and my Familia the whole week. These two were the most plausible possibilities on how Evilus could plan an assault before such a window of opportunity to all but guarantee their success."

His gaze softened ever so slightly as he looked her dead in the eyes.

"I'm not making accusations, at least not yet. But you should keep your eyes peeled to who you share things with, Miss Fannett."

Rose's mind went haywire as she tried to process everything he just told her.

Could they really have someone infiltrated amongst their ranks?

'Could there be an imposter among us?'

But that brought another question into her mind.

"Why are you telling me this?"

He looked as calm as ever as he smiled softly upon hearing her pondering.

"So you are filled in on a possible danger lurking nearby of course."

"That's… not what I meant. What if I am the traitor amongst the guild staff? Didn't that go through your head?"

"Of course it did. In fact, your surprised reaction just confirmed to me you certainly are not!"

"That makes no sense! How can you be so sure!?"

"That's easy enough. It's because I know you!"

She stood up from her seat, her confusion taking hold of her composure.

"But you don't know me! We've only met almost two years ago!"

"I'm aware… yet I trust you all the same, Miss Fannett."

The next words died in her throat as her mouth hung open at his reasoning.

'It doesn't make sense! He doesn't know who I am outside the Guild; without this uniform!'

Then why?

Why does she sense no lies in his words; in the way he expressed himself?

"After all…"

His next words brought her attention back to him.

"No Evilus spy would hit me across the face and refuse to address me like they would normally do because I almost died."

….

She had no response to that but silence.

Rose still remembered vividly when she was informed of the unfolding Evilus attack on the East District.

.

---

The Guild descended into absolute havoc and chaotic mess, with people being hastily assigned duties to respond to the cultists' assault; such as contacting all familias able to assist and calling up emergency orders, while also mounting up treating centers and evacuation points alongside the adventurers who were available at the moment.

The Guild descended into absolute havoc and chaotic mess, with people being hastily assigned duties to respond to the cultists' assault; such as contacting all familias able to assist and calling up emergency orders, while also mounting up treating centers and evacuation points alongside the adventurers who were available at the moment.

Estimated costs in goods lost to the fire and the fighting.

Repair budgets that would need to be sent and time estimations of conclusion.

The Guild descended into absolute havoc and chaotic mess, with people being hastily assigned duties to respond to the cultists' assault; such as contacting all familias able to assist and calling up emergency orders, while also mounting up treating centers and evacuation points alongside the adventurers who were available at the moment.

As the paperwork drained her energies for the rest of the day and certainly would for the foreseeable future; one thought lingered on her mind.

'Where was that moronic elf?'

That's what she was always catching herself pondering despite the massive workload thrown under her responsibility. After all, he still fell under her responsibilities as well.

Luke fought in the frontline against Evilus and any schemes the cult would perform, be it on the surface or in the Dungeon as well. Naturally, he more than likely had partaken in driving the cultists out.

As he became more of a source of stress than he regularly was, Rose made use of her established authority to personally deal with the casualties reports that came in.

Seeing the rising number of deaths at the hands of Evilus did nothing to quell her distress.

She felt a small clench in her heart as two names came up on the mounting list of deceased that she had to properly organize.

Palmer Klink

Hannes Junker

They were both rookie adventurers whom she advised over for a few months already.

As it was common amongst young folk who came to Orario to seek to become adventurers in search of fame and glory. She still has memories of their warping about going on a "big adventure" and proving themselves for some nonsensical pride.

As she expected, they didn't last nearly long enough to accomplish any of that. Not even close.

She wasn't surprised by it after witnessing it so many times across the years, yet it still brought her mood down whenever her predictions came true once again.

Unlike with most things in her life, this… was not something she felt any ounce of joy or pleasure in coming out correct.

In fact, why was she even worrying herself over that stubborn elf with a death wish?

He was no different than the other ones she saw come and go. It was true that he was the one that lasted so long, but still.

She had no reason to be as concerned as she was. In the end, if he wasn't dead already, he would probably be in the near future.

As she finally decided to put this matter to rest, Rose started her work without a certain elf on her mind. However, her eyes widened as she saw the name of the one that started it all on the next paper from the pile of reports.

Her heart stopped, in a second being swallowed by shock, disbelief, and above all, a sadness she hadn't experienced since her first adventurer died under her care.

The swelling emotions were gripped by relief as he was only listed as wounded and out of action by his Familia's reports.

Despite the brief scare, the information he was still alive brought her much needed peace of mind as she resumed her work with newfound energy, but with a conclusion she was forced to accept.

Rose couldn't lie to herself anymore; she couldn't be dishonest with herself.

She broke her promise of never attaching herself with an adventurer after that fateful day she wailed in sorrow and despair after she committed the same mistake.

She vowed to herself she would never grow close as to spare her from the inevitable pain it brought her. Luke Adria made her betray all that, whether she liked it or not.

The next day, the Guild was still messy and in a hurry with the events of the past day. However, between all her duties for the day, she heard tales from both her colleagues and adventurers alike about the "dark haired elf from Astraea Familia" and how he seemingly faced the Dis Sisters all on his own.

Adventurers, deities and the Guild staff alike avoided her like the plague throughout the whole day after she became aware of the reason her adventurer was injured and out of commission, lest they face the full wrath that would be aimed at her adventurer when she would see his face again.

The following day, the bane of her existence walked through the Pantheon's double doors as she was about to head out; still wearing the same nonchalant smile and carefree attitude, acting like nothing had happened as he waved at her.

That was the last straw.

Before he could utter a word, Rose already flung her first towards his face. A move he easily sidestepped without effort.

"Calm down, Miss Fannett. If you hit me you'll only injure yourself in the process."

He dodged another swipe across his face.

"I don't care! You suicidal, egotistical moron!"

….

"Okay then, I deserve as much."

Clack

Her fist met him squarely in the nose. She felt nothing but a numbing pain on her knuckles that spread through her whole hand; yet her rage made her feel almost none of it as she bared her teeth at him.

As she was fuming with anger, Luke maintained a reserved smile on his face as he gave her one of his eye-smiles.

His face held no semblance of being even slightly bruised by the blow, which only infuriated her even more. As someone without a falna, she couldn't dream of even scratching him.

She was well aware of it, yet the strike released her pent up stress straight on the one to blame for it and sent him a clear message.

"You're the worst adventurer I've ever been assigned to! The lowest of the low! You prick!" she snarled at him.

"I'm sure there's nothing I can do to tranquilize you but… I'm sorry if I've worried you, Miss Fannett. It wasn't my intention."

"I'm sure it never is."

"I prefer to live rather than prove you right…"

A playful smile crossed his face, making her eyes slit.

"Also, if I really was the worst one I would be dead and not standing be–"

Thud.

Once Rose's knee met the most sensible area in between his legs, the smile on his face faltered as a bead of sweat ran down his cheek.

His hand protected his parts without hesitation before the blow even connected, even if he let her strike him out of his own will.

"That one would have hurt, even if I probably called for it, hehehe… "

.

---

Since that day, she refused to treat him normally or even attend to him if she had a good enough excuse not to or his reasons were trivial at best.

That is until today, of course.

"The anger you displayed came from a place that's more akin to concern rather than genuine hatred. You worry about me despite all your claims not to, Miss Fannett."

Rose sat back down on the sofa with a heavy sigh as she placed one hand over her face.

'I really let my emotions show, haven't I?'

"That's nothing bad of you; on the contrary I'm flattered."

The smile on his face dropped. A dangerous glint shone through his mismatched irises.

"Besides, if I'm wrong in my judgment I'll personally make sure you regret ever associating yourself with the cultists. Though Royman will do his own investigation on the matter after the last reunion between the top Familias."

Rose felt a coldness run down her form as she pried into the sudden change in his behavior. Her instincts screamed at her that mortal danger lied ahead of her if she didn't tread lightly.

A flash of annoyance passed through his features. "I have a hunch the spy is well aware of that already, though by what means it remains unknown."

Just as fast as it came, the menacing aura around Luke vanished completely as a smile was plastered on his face again.

"Then, there's nothing for you to worry about besides the traitor… see?"

"Fine, I believe you. I'll keep your theory in mind. Do you have anything else for me?"

She cut the conversation short, not wanting to delve into that matter any further than it already did now that the rabbit was out of the hat.

He seemed to get the message as he recollected himself and appeared to ponder his next words.

"I have a favor to ask you, Miss Fannet. It's important to me. "

Rose looked back at him as she recomposed herself from the previous conversation, the tone of his voice catching her attention as it lacked any hint of jesting.

"Can you share the current whereabouts of Vana Alfi; or any updates on her state after Freya's expedition?"

'Vana Alfi?… The sister of Vana Freya, the fastest adventurer in Orario?'

"It's none of my concern why you want that information in the first place, but that information is not of your concern as well."

Luke let out a tired sigh through his mouth.

"I know, but… she's a friend of mine. Ever since the expedition arrived back on the surface I haven't managed to see or hear anything about her."

The fabric of his gloves stretched as he tightly closed his hands into fists. "I'm afraid something might have happened to her."

He looked back up towards her, his mismatched eyes pleading."Please, miss Fannett…I'll be indebted to you."

Rose sighed at his request, dragging a hand over her face.

She was forbidden from giving any information on Familias registered under the Guild without their previous consent on the matter; unless it was knowledge already released to the public. That was one of the most important rules for the staff to abide by. Failure to do so would see harsh consequences to anyone involved if anyone caught light of it.

"You know the weight of what you're asking, don't you? Even if she's an acquaintance of yours the rule is still in effect."

"I'm well aware. That's why I'll compensate you wholeheartedly. I'll do anything, you just have to ask!"

Rose pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes as she thought about the repercussions of what she was currently considering.

She could lose her job at the least for following through with this.

"I beg of you." Luke's sincere tone and honest concern for the reason behind the request didn't help in this case.

" Sigh …Fine. However, not a single word leaves this room, got it?"

"Thank you, Miss Fannett. My leaps are sealed."

Rose's professional demeanor was back in full display as she recalled the information he sought.

"From the official reports by Freya Familia, nothing serious happened to her in specific, nothing worth mentioning by them at least. She should be at Folkvangr alongside her Familia from what I know."

The concern in Luke's face was wiped clean in a heartbeat by the news. "That's a relief."

Rose's eyes sharpened despite delivering him good news. "However–Her brother was gravely wounded and will be out of action for a short time until he's recovered. He'll be spared from any further quests delivered to his Familia for the time being. She's more than likely by his side as we speak."

Luke placed a hand over his chin.

"Allen… Anya really looks up to him. I don't know the guy personally, but she talks highly of him and spares no effort in trying to make up to his expectations. I'm sure she must be worried sick about about him."

"So, anything else?"

"No, you made more than enough already. I'm glad." He said in a grateful tone, standing up afterwards.

"I'll be going then. I still have matters to attend to back home and don't want to occupy any more of your time. Thank you again, Miss Fannett."

"Farewell, I guess my utility has come to an end; finally. Perhaps I can now delight myself with one of my novels."

Luke swerved his index-finger from side to side as he shook his head.

"Not in the slightest! I'll still come back a bit later alongside my captain to solve a few things regarding taxes."

Rose groaned inside her mind at the mention of more work heading her way.

"The paperwork… it never ends."

"For neither of us; it doesn't. Certainly not when taxes come into play."

.

---

The bright light of the high noon cast a warm, golden hue inside the pub. The cheery and hospitable feeling inside the place was still palpable for any to see, including the owner.

The tables that were filled to the brim with customers and the waitresses who kept a steady inflow of orders around the bustling midday rush of the tavern, were slowly becoming empty as the rush died down.

Despite the diminishing flux of people, the jovial conversations and cackling was still prominent.

Mia Grand delved into straying thoughts as she observed the sight from behind the counter.

A big grin was plastered on her face at the sight. After all, another good day of work was another day she'd sate her greed for more money under Mia Grand's name.

One could say whatever they wanted, she wouldn't give them a time of the day. Mia never backed off from a good investment, that was a part of herself she'll never let go. That's the mindset she followed through most of her life, and that led her to where she was standing today and to the name she upholds.

Though, despite her selfish ambition, she still was a woman of her word and with her own set of morals.

Just like she was unwavering against those who were indebted to her, she also held the same bar against herself. One must make an example if they wanted to be worth their salt in her eyes and not just a scummy hypocrite.

That was the standard that led her to leave her previous life behind decades ago when her youth was still flourishing and she held greater ambitions. All for the sake of joining Freya under her banner as the leading figure in the Familia, below only to her after the goddess sought after her for the role. Despite her initial reservations, Mia was in great debt to the goddess, and her request was more than reasonable given the favor Freya granted her in the past.

Even with how the famous goddess of beauty seemed to be distant, indifferent and unreachable for the common folk at first glance, she does care about others below all that divine front; even if only to sate her curiosity as a select few tended to catch her eyes more often than not.

Despite the way she held herself, Mia managed to see through her mask and gaze at the scared and lonely girl Freya truly was. After she comforted the goddess once her facade shattered and she wept till her eyes couldn't anymore, Mia had one more reason to stay by her side.

Freya was a complicated individual.

Nonetheless, the unexpected compassion at the time saved Mia's skin in a way that made the subsequent offer years later to be irrecusable to her; not if she wanted to keep her pride intact that is.

'Still, I enjoyed some good times there… Most of it anyway.'

It was the perfect opportunity for her to teach someone sense into the young and brash who sought to impress, retribute and gain their beloved deity's love.

Under the alias Demi Ymir, Mia ruled Folkvangr with an iron fist and the stern love of a caring mother during her time as captain. Despite all the troubles and migraines that bunch gave her, she still remembered those times with fondness.

"Hey, Silas. Thanks for saving my ass back there. That kobold pack caught me off with my pants down."

"Really you dumbass… Be more careful from now on. You might not be so lucky next time you slip up like that; isn't that so, Riko?"

"Precisely. We just got to the 7th floor, we need to be even more cautious than before."

"Sorry guys, that won't happen again; promise!"

At the corner of the tavern, a group of young blokes chatted happily as they enjoyed their meal. The gear they carried on themselves gave a good hint at their occupations.

Novice adventurers.

A bunch that by judging the topic of the conversation and some of the equipment and their quality, pegged them as some brats that were yet to get wet behind the ears and become closer to what a true adventurer was.

Still, a smile stretched across her lips at the younglings enthusiasm that reached her from across the distance.

She might give them a word or two of advice before they leave her place for good. Who knows? Perhaps her experience being shared yet again with the unseasoned can be what separates them between life and death down in the Dungeon.

It sure saved many under her guidance in the past… Most of them, at least.

….

"tsk…"

The smile was wiped off her face at the line of thought. The faces of those she lost surfaced in the back of her mind in a myriad of flashes to painfully dig out why she left after all those years.

The setbacks that happened in Freya's most recent expedition to the Deep floors was something she'd experienced many times back in her days; serving as a harsh reminder of how things worked in dungeon diving.

For every student and stubborn brat she managed to build into a proper adventurer, one or more perished to their own recklessness or just… bad luck.

One couldn't predict everything that would happen and how to properly remedy the situation. Life itself, and not only the Dungeon, was volatile and uncertain. The fate of one being left to pure chance more than anything else.

Yet, in all these years, she learned how one could do its best to take the reins of its own destiny by simply doing whatever he could to adapt to any circumstances.

Learn from everything, be it from a bitter defeat or a triumphant turn of tables. From the most grizzly and experienced folk sharing their knowledge, to the minor things in the daily routine of one's life, like a shipping trip or a casual conversation.

Knowledge is a tool that can save one's skin, no matter how trivial it may seem at first.

One must better themselves anyway possible within their reach so they could make up their own luck; break the binds of fate and destiny to carve his own path forward.

However, Mia had to admit that her mentality had its limitations despite it all.

The corpses she could retrieve from the jaws of the unforgiving labyrinth below Orario were more than the proof she needed.

No matter how much she grew fond of taking care of the rascals who so eagerly pushed themselves in the name of their patron goddess, the toll of witnessing the same cruelty of fate falling upon her pupils slowly withered any joy she found in the position of captain.

Not even by seeing the astonishing progress of some, like that boaz who used to trade brains for muscle when he was just a little brat.

The small, angry and devoted kid who was beaten to a pulp almost every day back then by the kinds of Zeus and Hera Familias, slowly built up his body and mind under her care into the position of the strongest amongst adventurers… even if he was a bit slow to comprehend certain things she tried to teach him, like why the need to have proper meals on top of all the excruciating training he undertook day and night in the trials of fire at the grounds of Folkvangr.

Though, even if she was proud of how he and many others turned out in her time there, the time to stop was approaching.

She was getting sick of so much death.

Though, the last thing that drove her to quit it all and seek another path—

"hmm?..."

The double doors of the entrance were pushed open, drawing her attention there for a moment.

A figure clad in a dark cloak strolled inside with a relaxed posture as it held its hands inside its trousers pockets.

The figure had a face she was very familiar with.

The snarky elf with onyx hair she met barely 6 years ago. Right into that tumultuous night, Zeus and Hera were stripped of their thrones of strongest Familias and thrown into the dirt before being kicked out like mangy dogs into the wilderness, never to show their faces again.

With a blink of an eye, an intrusive memory came to her, washing over the boy before her. The grin on his face as he casually waved at her from the entrance, turned into hateful eyes full of bloodlust as blood caked his hair, pouring over his furious expression back from that day.

Deep below all the blinding anger he showed, Mia hadn't missed the fear that flashed over his gaze once Ottar moved to restrain him. At the time, she moved without a second of hesitation to prevent any more harm on the boy; but once questioned afterwards, the boaz claimed it was unneeded, stating the kid was in no shape to react as he ended the fight in a single move.

Being honest to herself, Mia didn't care about performing a coup against the ones that ruled Orario for millennia, after all, both Familias were already done for once the bulk of their forces was destroyed in the subjugation effort against the Black Dragon; their once mightiest warriors forever lost to the blaze of the great beast.

Freya had only moved to naturally take her place amongst the sun once the seat was open for the next in line.

But the way she acted about it rubbed Mia the wrong way. Especially once she started humiliating Hera and showing no care for Luke's well being at the time.

Once Ottar struck the boy and Freya made the now disgraced goddess beg for her to spare him, that's when she was done with her games. Even if she knew the frail and scared girl that lay deep inside her former goddess, shackled by her divinity; Mia simply couldn't stand certain actions she took throughout the years.

The fiasco in Zeus' former home was only the last straw in a series of disagreements between the then captain and goddess throughout her stay.

For how ironic fate seemed to be, the same boy she saved and being the last known ex-member of Zeus Familia, became a loyal customer of hers.

Ha! At least she earned more than simply gratitude or a clean consciousness from all that.

She waved back as she giggled to herself. 'This one not even I could have foreseen. Guess I was just lucky on that.'

The kid casually approached the balcony she rested on.

"Yo! Mia."

"Aye, brat. Thought ya wouldn't show up today."

"Was busy with some Familia matters. Gotta get rid of Evilus after all." He leaned on the wooded support, the friendly smile never leaving his lips.

"True that. Those bunch are no good for my business." Mia grinned as she patted her voluptuous biceps under her uniform. "Though I doubt they'll personally seek trouble with this dwarf. I guarantee you they'll see I'm retired only on paper."

"I certainly wouldn't want to be in their skin…."

Mia noticed how the elf was a tad bit more reserved than usual, though it was barely noticeable under the front he pulled up.

She decided to delve into whatever it was.

"So, still in one piece after facing off against those odds last week, kid?"

"Luckily, yes."

"Don't sell yourself short, something like that took more than dumb luck. Besides, I know you make your own luck, don't ya?"

"As you instructed, I do my best to prepare and learn from everything."

"That's the spirit! You can go far with that thought on your mind."

Mia leaned into the balcony, pointing her thumb towards the menu at her rear.

"So kid; would ya like to order something as we chat for a bit? The food is still hot."

"I appreciate the suggestion, but I ate at home today. I'm just about to head to my patrol but I decided to check up here for something."

"Oh, and why would that be? Can't miss spending some time with this lovely lady?"

"Not exactly, hehe…" he said timidly, scratching his cheek with his index finger.

"Perhaps the party your Familia reserved in two days?"

He shook his head. "No, that is still within what we've previously arranged. I didn't come here because of that."

"Then, spit it out already, kid. I'll help with anything that might be troubling you; within reason of course."

Luke's awkwardness dropped off from his face as she straightened himself, leaning off from the balcony.

"Do you have any news about Anya?"

'Ahhhh, so that's what it is. Seems he finally caught up to the rumors, even if they barely started to spread from within Freya's residence.'

Mia stood up, resting her hands on her hips at her sides.

"Guess you heard it from somewhere already, huh?"

He nodded.

"As her employer, I was informed by one of their errand boys about what happened down there not too long ago. They only met the surface yesterday after all."

Luke's eyebrows scrunched up into a frown, his posture becoming more rigid by the second as she could see his arms tense.

Really, this brat really cares about that dumb cat.

Mia grinned as she waved dismissively with her hand. "Wash that look off ya' face; she's A-okay, boy! She's only caught up in the hassle of dealing with that Familia; she'll be back in a day or two."

Like a switch, he relaxed with a deep breath as soon as she finished her sentence.

"I'm glad…. I was worried sick ever since I heard she took part in the expedition. I was going to head towards Freya's residence afterwards if your answer didn't soothe my mind… though I'm sure it would be less than ideal to do so."

"Don't tell me; I was already preparing to personally give an earful to that goddess if anything happened to my employee. She's still one of my girls despite her clumsiness."

Mia lifted her index finger as her features became stern and serious.

"She's an airhead. But she's my airhead!"

"I see… I don't doubt it one bit, Mia. Your nickname of Mama isn't only for show. I know it's more than that."

Mia slapped the counter in front of her. "You can bet ya' sweet bippy it is, boy! I won't let anything happen to those under my care, be it customers or my girls."

"Guess you can see why I like this place then."

"I thought from the beginning it was for the excellent service and the master chef before your very eyes."

" Chuckle … That's part of it." He laughed it off before glancing over his shoulder.

The double doors opened outwards with a slight creak as some people who previously paid for their meals left the pub as they were escorted by one of her girls.

"It's been nice talking to you, but I'll need to leave in a short time; duty calls as they say… Though, I have another question if you don't mind."

Mia could already imagine what he was referring to; he'd ask the same thing every time he came through that door so, how could she not?

"Is it about that little girl you brought here that time?"

As she expected, he nodded in confirmation.

And as he should expect, the answer was the same as before.

"Sorry, but she hasn't shown up around here ever since."

"I see… I had no luck searching for her in Soma's residence. Those bastards didn't tell me anything."

A sour expression overtook his features. "I couldn't find her even when I sneaked there in the cover of the night."

It seemed it was one of those situations where the harsh reality was more than likely inevitable.

" Sigh … I can't tell you to keep your hopes up with the time that has passed, kid. You know how bad things are for children like that little prum."

"I know… however, I don't like it one bit."

"You're not obliged to, especially in your current position. Though you must accept that some things can't be completely changed, especially if it already happened. Letting regret and self-doubt grip your heart will only hold you back."

He croaked out a light chuckle at her words.

"Funny; I've been hearing that a lot lately."

"No harm done in reinforcing the idea. Even I need that to keep myself centered from time to time."

"True that..." Luke looked to the sides, before his gaze met her once again. "Guess I'll take my leave then. "

Mia nodded. "Come back anytime! It's always a pleasure to talk to a young good-hearted bloke like you."

With a subtle nod, he turned his back to her, that is, until he stopped halfway through as if he remembered something.

"Can you tell Anya I want to talk to her once she shows up? If I don't pass by then she can find me at the Stardust Garden."

He faced her again, this time bowing respectfully as he came to a stop.

"Thank you for clearing me in regards to those two; it will certainly ease my mind."

She waved away his gratitude.

"Don't mention it kiddo. You're a good lad."

"Still… thanks nonetheless. I'll be taking my leave." He spun around, resting his hands back on his pockets as he walked towards the entrance.

That is until he stopped suddenly, staring outwards for a second before spinning himself back towards her.

A tender smile was placed on his lips as he leaned forward and swerved his arms to the side in a refined salute.

"Have a nice day, Mama Mia."

Really, this brat.

"Likewise, kiddo."

Standing back up with one last wave towards her, he left her establishment.

….

A soft laughter hummed through her throat as she leaned on the balcony again.

'That guy is one of a kind compared to the average, foul mouthed and gruff adventurer.'

Mia pondered about what lies ahead for such a jovial soul bustling with youth. Perhaps he'd survive these turbulent times and continue to grow, becoming one more kid for her to watch as they ran after their dreams and held on to them with all their hopes and prayers.

Or perhaps… He'll join the massive grave that was a well known landmark in the Center of the World, especially once the time for the Elegia festival arrived.

Despite how much she's been proven wrong on her expectations more than she liked to remember, and she did so vividly, she still wanted this kid to thrive in the path ahead of him.

She wished him all the best.

"Mama Mia; the plate is ready. Do you want me to serve it myself?" One of her girls called from the kitchen's window frame, dragging Mia back to the real world.

"Nah, I'll do it myself."

"Okay, Mama." the cook then retreated back into the kitchen as she left the dish on the board at the serving window.

Mia grabbed the plate without ceremony as she left the cover of the balcony. However, Instead of heading towards any of the tables still awaiting to be served before they closed for the evening, she headed towards the flight of stairs towards the second floor.

Her boots thumped along the boarded floor as she kept walking until she stopped in front of a door in the corridor.

Knock

Knock

Knock

The banging at the door received no response from the other side. With a sigh, Mia opened the door without any regard for anyone inside as she barged in.

The curtain was closed as well as the window, sinking the bedroom into a gloom as barely any light made it through the fabric. The illumination from the outside cast her shadow deep into the place with how poorly lit all of it was.

At the corner of a bed frame various bags, sacks and backpacks lay untouched. On top of the same bed, a figure was curled up into a ball, completely covered by the white blanket save for a small gap that faced towards the other side of the room.

Glancing in that direction, Mia saw as a high-quality spear with a golden design was thrown about on the floor.

She took a long breath seeing the depressive feeling that loomed over the entire place.

'This one won't be simple to tackle subtlety. Not if I want to drag her out of this hole after what happened.'

Mia tapped into the door beside her with her knuckles. "Didn't you hear me knocking?"

….

No response.

That wouldn't do.

Mia stepped further into the room, keeping her eyes on the cleavage amongst the blanket that kept staring at the spear lying about, not even once looking her way.

She stopped herself right in front of the blanket-clad figure, breaking her line of sight and forcing it to notice her.

"I brought your meal."

….

Still nothing.

"I'm speaking to you, girl!" Mia raised her voice this time, making the one below the covers flinch.

….

"thank you, mama…"

The frail voice came out so quietly it was barely above a whisper, though she heard it loud and clear.

Mia swerved her head towards the small table beside the bed. An empty plate was on top of it along with the cutlery.

She calmed herself down, the girl had eaten her previous lunch at least.

"It seems that even now you still remember what wasting my food will bring you, huh?"

….

Mia let out a sigh at the persistent lack of responses from her. She walked up to the table, switching the warm and nutritious full plate with the empty one.

"I'll leave it here. You better eat it all, understand?"

Something ruffled against the fabric of the blanket near the gap, moving back and forth slightly.

"Good. I'll check up on you again before dinner is served."

….

Mia huffed as she met only silence again. This time she turned away from the girl, her heavy steps echoing towards the door.

As she grasped the handle to close the entrance on her way out, she halted on her steps.

"Your friend from Astraea Familia stopped by today… he was looking for you."

*Rustle*

Mia glanced over her shoulder as she heard the faintest movement behind her. The sulking girl was finally looking at her out of her own volition.

"He was concerned something might have happened to you down in the Dungeon with your absence. The brat was one step away from knocking into Folkvangr for your sake."

….

"I won't be able to fool him much longer, nor do I want to. You need to get a hold of yourself or I'll bring him here to do it for you. Your brother is not the only one that should be of mportance for you right now… not after kicking you away like a stray cat with your tails between your legs."

The girl flinched under her covers before looking out towards the curtain hanging over the window.

"Sigh … You have today and tomorrow as a day off from work. I'm expecting you to be prim and proper to the feast both Loki and Astraea have planned here. I need all my staff, including you, dumb cat."

Anya nodded, the bobbing of her head making the blanket that covered her head fall to her back, revealing the disheveled brown hair hidden beneath, alongside her ears who rested flat on top of her head.

The now excommunicated member of Freya Familia faced her spear on the ground.

Through her angle, Mia could vividly see the bags below her eyes, alongside the dried tears that crossed her cheeks like adjacent rivers from the reddish eyes that were the result of all the weeping throughout the time since she was sent here - in definitive.

"... yes, mama mia."

"Good. I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything."

Her waitress didn't even acknowledge her words, simply staring blankly towards her signature weapon which was so much similar to the one her brother possessed.

Mia closed the door once she left. Leaving the poor girl with time to grieve and accept how things would be from now on between her previous Familia, and more importantly, her brother who cut all ties with her.

*Sob*

*Sob*

*Hiccup*

She stood still for a second behind the door as the girl broke down inside her bedroom.

'There's nothing I can say to take the pain away. The best I can do is be there and force her to come out if she chooses to wail in despair and get shackled by what happened instead of moving forward. She'll recover, but how much she'll suffer till then?'

Mia walked off towards the stairs.

Luke might indeed be crucial to fill in the emotional vacuum her brother carved into Anya's heart, that much she was certain of. After all, Anya wasn't a person with much close friends besides the staff that worked here.

'If it comes to it, the kid can help her get back up again more efficiently and smoothly than I ever could.'

Mia could only watch to see what would happen next as she took the best course of action she knew of.

Just like she always did.

---

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A/N: Another chapter done. Hope the wait was worthwhile; life caught up to me. Hopefully chapter 10 won't take nearly as long, seeing all do a rewrite after it.

Serious question for you guys: Do you prefer I pair Luke with Anya or Alise?

I've decided to settle for these two after discussing with my Beta and a few other authors.

As always, feel free to leave your honest thoughts and criticism on the Reviews. Until next time! Stay safe people!

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