Chapter 13:

The last day of the tournament was a strange one for Hestia. She woke up before everyone else, which never happened. Now with some free time, she went about setting up a pot of tea. When that was done, she pulled out a book she had been reading. The story was about a distressed mother who adventured to save her children. Hestia had read it before, but she liked rereading it.

Since Hestia was sitting in the lounge, she could see the rest of her Familia start to wake up. The first one up was Elwin.

"Where are you going?" asked Hestia, who closed her book.

Elwin smiled, "Riveria invited me to breakfast. I'm meeting her at Twilight Manor. Is that ok?"

Hestia nodded, "For sure! I think the more time you spend with her, the better; I'm happy for you."

He nodded and walked out the door. After he left, Hestia returned to her book.

The next people up and about were Urashima and Otohime. Urashima was off to the clinic, and Otohime insisted on joining him. The Princess was making quite a fuss.

"Princess, I promise you, I'm fine. I have my spare arms in. You don't have to worry so much," complained Urashima affectionately.

"I don't care what you say," responded Otohime, "My Ura was hurt and needs to get a check-up, so I'm going to worry all I want. Thank you very much."

The two argued as they left, waving at Hestia as they went. The Goddess happily returned the wave. Then it was Welf and Lily, whose turn it was to cook breakfast. Hestia explained the situation to the two of them about who was actually going to be there. Next up were Haruhime and Mikoto, mostly because Haruhime was starting her maidly duties and Mikoto got up with her. The last up were Ryuu and Bell.

"Well, well, well, you two never sleep in. What's the special occasion?" asked Hestia, eyes glinting. She didn't like that the two of them woke up at the time and the implications behind it.

The two blushed as Bell stammered, "We-we-we were up to nothing!"

"Oh, so you two were together?"

"NO!"

Ryuu chose to keep walking.

Hestia smiled and patted the spot next to her as she closed her book. Bell took a seat, still beet red.

"Yes, Goddess?"

Hestia shrugged, "Nothing important, I just wanted to talk with my favourite child, is all. What are you up to today?"

Since it was the doubles level four tournament and they didn't know anyone personally, they were taking the day to themselves. Ura and Otohime were at the clinic, Elwin was with Riveria, and the rest were just trying to figure out how to spend the day.

The level four tournaments also worked differently. Since there weren't many level fours in Orario, the melee happened in the morning, and then the top eight began the tournament in the afternoon. Better for time-saving, apparently.

Bell seemed to consider Hestia's question, "I don't know. I wasn't thinking of anything special. I might do some training in the yard, but that's it."

Hestia rolled her eyes, "All you do is train. I'm not going to say to not do it, but at least try and think of something else to do over breakfast," Hestia stood up and stretched, "I don't know, visit Naza or something. Talk to people, Bell!"

The tiny Goddess then dragged him off to the dining table. There they learned that Welf was going to be trying to repair Urashima's arms, Haruhime and Mikoto were going to spend time with Chigusa, Lily was doing book work, and Ryuu was spending the day helping out at the Hostess.

"Mamma Mia asked if I could help her out. There are many more adventurers in the city right now," Ryuu turned to Hestia, "Is that ok?"

Hestia nodded, "For sure! The Hostess has always been nice to us…even if Freya was hiding there…"

Bell decided that he was going to say hi to Miach Familia, and maybe Eina too. He had spent so much time training and fighting and worrying that he had forgotten about his other friends. After breakfast, he left with Ryuu, since they were travelling in the same direction.

"So Bell has anything interesting happened with the sword princess?" asked Ryuu.

Bell blushed but shook his head.

"Oh, so are you…interested…in her?"

Bell sighed, "I don't know. There's so much that's confusing me…I have a lot to figure out…"

Ryuu nodded, putting her own feelings aside to help her friend, "Do not be afraid. People are here standing with you. And I am sure, whatever you decide, Ais will still stand by your side."

Bell almost said more, but he held himself back. There was so much more at stake than his love life. His Familia was in danger. Ryuu, Hestia, and everyone else shouldn't have to waste time listening to him. It was better to keep everything tucked inside.

'If I could only find someone to talk to,' he thought.

"Ah! Bell!"

The voice shocked both members of Hestia Familia into stopping. They turned to find Hermes sauntering towards them. For once, he was alone. Asfi was nowhere in sight.

Even though Bell didn't like the God, he bowed, "Lord Hermes, what are you doing here?"

Hermes smiled, but unlike his usual jester's face, this one was brimming with sincerity, "I'm here to repay an old favour to a friend."

The God held out his hand, "Bell, you have no reason to trust me, but I would like you to come with me. If only for a minute."

"I must insist that you leave Lord Hermes," replied Ryuu, stepping in front of Bell. "Bell, you do not need to help this charlatan," she turned back to the God, "Also, shouldn't you be at the arena?"

Hermes nodded, "You're right, Ryuu, but this isn't about me, I promise. And I got someone to take my place for today."

"Then who is it for?" asked Ryuu.

The God shook his head, "This is something only Bell should know. If he chooses to come with me and decides to tell you, that will be ok. Until that time, though, I will only tell him."

Ryuu glared at the God, "That is absurd!"

"I'll go."

Bell was confused. His emotions were a mess, and he thought that he didn't have anyone to confide in. He needed a distraction, and it seems that Hermes was willing to provide one. Maybe logic said not to trust him, but Bell's intuition said that he should walk with the God.

Bell bid his goodbyes to Ryuu and followed Hermes. The God did not make conversation. Instead, he led Bell to the Adventurer Graveyard. Then Hermes led him past some bushes to a small clearing. Bell remembered this spot. This was where Hermes had shown Bell those three unmarked graves.

"Lord Hermes, why did you bring me here?" asked Bell, completely lost.

"Bell, you feel like you can't talk to people right now, correct?"

Bell's eyes almost popped out, "How did you know?"

Hermes gave a rueful chuckle, "I know you'll hate me for saying this, but we are in similar positions," Hermes squatted down at one of the graves, "There is much that I know, that I cannot say. There are even more secrets that I hold, grasped at my heart," he sighed, "It truly is a hard journey ahead."

Bell stood next to Hermes, studying the grave in front of him, "What does that have to do with these graves?"

"If you can't tell anyone alive, then why not trust your secrets with the dead?" replied the God. He nodded towards the unmarked tombstone in front of them, "This one especially, I am sure she'll be happy to hear from you."

Bell got down to get a closer look, "Hermes, who was she?" Something clenched the boy's heart, "Why do I feel so sad?"

Hermes looked at the ground, "Bell, I'm going to tell you something, but only if you promise that you won't ask any questions. I can't tell you anything else right now, but this one little fact."

He put a hand on Bell's shoulder, giving a firm squeeze, "Bell, will you trust me this once? For her?"

Bell nodded, compelled by some divine force.

Hermes turned back to the grave, "This marker is for a woman named Alfia. She was a member of Hera Familia and a level seven adventurer. She was also your Aunt."

Bell fell silent, and then he cried. No, he wept. For the boy who only ever had an adopted grandfather, something in him cracked. Maybe, he should've been shocked, but he was crying instead. Tears of joy fell to the ground; he had a family. For so long, he had sat in the dark. His grandfather had never even told him the names of his parents. He knew no mother or father, nor any loved ones. Eventually, he had found a family, a Familia, but hearing he had an aunt was…indescribable for the little boy. He had not been alone or sprung up from nothing. Bell Cranel had found that he had a history.

Hermes watched the boy cry for a minute before he spoke again.

"Speak to her, Bell. Tell her everything that happened to you. Tell her your problems and your woes. She won't respond, but she'll listen, Bell."

"Wait! Lord Hermes! Does this mean…you know about my parents?" asked Bell.

Hermes held a finger to his lips, a sad smile tugging at his lips, "No questions, remember?"

The God left then, and the boy sat in front of the grave.

At the same time, in front of Twilight Manor, Elwin was let through the gate. His hair was in a bun that was plonked on the top of his head. As he walked in, people stopped to stare at him. The worst were the elves, who bowed. He stopped in front of one of them to tap them on the shoulder.

The elf woman seemed to throw herself up, her pointy ears swaying.

"Yes, Lord Elwin? How may I be of service to you?"

Elwin's head tilted, "Lord? What do you mean?" He shook his head, "You know what, never mind, I'm here to see Big Sis Riveria, any idea where she is?"

The elf, named Alicia apparently, pointed him towards the garden and bowed as he left. The interaction left him confused. Since he was still watching and pondering the worship these elves gave him, he didn't notice the other person walking down the hall.

There was a familiar-sounding 'eep' as Elwin knocked into something soft. He was faced with Lefiya, still in her pyjamas, as she came back from the bathroom. The tired little elf girl had been rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, so she didn't see him. She began to panic, trying to find something to say as she blushed.

Elwin hadn't noticed that, though, because his brain had stopped working. Apparently, the sight of Lefiya's legs beneath her nightgown was too much for him. The bastard prince stared for an obscene amount of time at the pale thighs beneath the sheer gown before someone finally snapped him out of it.

"Oi! That's a bad look on your face, elf boy!" said Tione, walking down the hall. As she glared at Elwin, ready to give him a piece of her mind, Alicia came running.

"Please, Tione, wait! You mustn't hurt Lord Elwin!" Alicia took a protective stance, hands extended, in front of the half-elf, "He is Riveria's little brother."

When Elwin tapped her on the shoulder, Alicia blushed and turned to face him, "Yes, Lord Elwin?"

"Why are you calling me a Lord?" Elwin's brow furrowed, "I'm just an adventurer and a bastard son…"

Alicia shook her head, "No! You are the handsome Lord Elwin, a descendant of the King of the Elves! You are royalty!"

"Handsome?"

Lefiya's brain started working in overdrive then. She felt her blood boil, "Excuse me, Alicia, but please take care who you are speaking to!"

"What do you mean?" asked Alicia with feigned innocence.

Lefiya's eyes narrowed, "You know exactly what I mean!"

Now, Tione started putting the pieces together. She looked at Elwin, who had no clue what was happening, and dragged him away by the wrist.

"Those elves can fight like amazons when they want to," she explained. Elwin nodded, still confused, but resigned to being at the mercy of powerful women.

Tione let go once they were out of sight and asked him why he was visiting. When Elwin explained, she nodded and led him to the garden.

Riveria was already at the table, playing with her cutlery. The typically regal high elf was fidgeting and was constantly looking around the area. When she spotted Elwin, she smiled and rose to meet him. She pulled her little brother into a hug.

When she pulled back, she frowned, "What took you so long?"

"Some of your Familia decided to be weird," responded Elwin.

Before Riveria could ask another question, Tione explained the situation. At the end of it, Riveria sighed and pinched her nose.

"I swear, these children…" Riveria looked to Tione, "but can you let Lefiya know that she's welcome to join us?"

Tione nodded and left. As she did, the Sword Princess came in, a blank look on her face. She walked up to the table and faced Elwin.

"Do you know where Bell is today?" she asked.

Elwin shook his head, "I was the first one out of the house."

Ais turned to go hunt down her bunny before Riveria stopped her, "Give the boy some space, Ais."

Ais faced Riveria and pouted. She nodded though and marched back inside to look for Tiona and Tione.

Elwin chuckled, and Riveria raised an eyebrow. The two took their seats before he spoke. As he did, Riveria poured the tea.

"It's just nice to see that my Familia isn't the only weird one."

Riveria nodded, "Oh yes, I don't think there's a Familia out there that isn't a little weird," she smirked, "We do end up taking after our Gods and Goddesses after all."

Elwin rolled his eyes, "I've definitely been eating more potato puffs," he grabbed a pastry, "This is definitely a welcome change."

"Does Hestia Familia not provide good food?" asked Riveria, her protective instincts showing.

Elwin shook his head, "Not at all. Just depends on the day." At Riveria's confused gaze, he explained, "We take turns cooking. Any day Mikoto cooks is the best, Bell and Haruhime are good too, same with Urashima. Ryuu's ok. Otohime is…trying her best. The rest, though?" He shrugged, "Welf likes meat a bit too much, Lily needs to stop being so cheap, and Hestia just brings food from her work stall."

"Well, if you ever want a change, let me know," Riveria smiled, "I'd be happy to go out for dinner with you. We do have a lot to catch up on after all."

Elwin smiled back, "For sure, whenever you want."

Riveria reached for a small cake, "I have to ask, though, why come to Orario now?"

Elwin studied the table, "Well, I always knew that you were out there, but there weren't a lot to do about it, you know? No opportunities to leave Carien. Then Welf and Ryuu showed up," Elwin grinned, "That was a good day. They came to visit Lady Hecate on behalf of Hestia. Apparently, they knew each other up in heaven. When I heard where they came from…I may have begged them to tell me everything they knew about you…"

Riveria felt her cheeks warm, but she tried to dismiss it. She pressed what she hoped was a convincing frown to her face, "I hope you didn't bother them too much."

Elwin chuckled, "Only enough to let me join them. And then to convince Hestia and Lady Hecate to let me convert."

"How did you convince Lady Hecate? I don't think many Goddesses would let a level three adventurer leave their Familia, especially outside Orario," replied Riveria.

Elwin's grin grew nostalgic, "Mother helped, same with my old captain. They argued that it would be unfair to not let me meet you."

"Old Captain?"

Elwin nodded, "Yes, Morgana. She's the strongest mage I know," Elwin smirked, "Or should I say, the second strongest?"

Riveria didn't rise to the bait; instead, she looked up to the sky, "I think I would like to meet them one day."

Before the conversation could continue, though, they heard a polite cough from the archway. Standing in its shadow was Lefiya. When she stepped into the sunlight, Elwin's jaw dropped. She only wore a simple pink and blue dress and let her hair down, and it was too much for him. He stood up to pull out her chair, which she accepted with a stammered thank you.

Neither could make eye contact, so Riveria helped them along.

"Elwin, doesn't Lefiya look wonderful today?" she asked.

"She's stunning," replied Elwin in wonder before he added in the same tone, "but she's beautiful every day."

At Lefiya's stunned silence, Riveria nodded, "Too true. That's a very kind thing to say, though, don't you agree, Lefiya?"

Lefiya nodded but didn't add anything.

Inwardly, Riveria groaned. These two were unbearably thick. The only reason she kept helping was that they both deserved some form of happiness.

Back in the graveyard, Bell was lifting the weight from his shoulders.

"But then, Mikoto stood up! She was able to win the fight! Which meant she doubled her level! It was incredible, Aunt Alfia!" exclaimed the boy, lost in the joy of talking to a real family member. He had been talking for hours now.

Bell grinned, "Really, everyone in my Familia is incredible," his face became serious, "Which is why I'm scared, Auntie. These people are incredible, and I'm just me. I'm weak, stupid, and a coward. Not to mention, Freya is after me…why are these people standing in the way? Why are they protecting me?"

Silence was his response.

Bell was happy to talk without worrying about who heard him, but he also wanted a hug. He wanted someone to hold tight and tell him that everything was going to be ok. As if in response to his thoughts, a warm breeze stirred. It was nothing but a coincidence, and Bell knew that, but for just a second, he pretended that it was his Aunt.

He stayed a little bit longer before he made his way home. He was trying to be home for dinner but was met with his Goddess and supporter waiting outside. Hestia did not seem pleased, and neither did Lily.

"So, I hear from Ryuu that you went off with Hermes?" asked Hestia.

Bell hung his head in silence.

Hestia tapped her foot, hands on her hips, "Well? What did he want to talk to you about?"

"I can't tell you," mumbled Bell.

"Master Bell, you're going to have to speak up," replied Lily as she glared.

"I can't tell you," said Bell.

"As your Goddess, you have to tell me," answered Hestia, "You can't keep secrets, Bell, not when we're all in danger."

He didn't completely understand why, but Bell trusted Hermes. The God's warning not to tell anyone rang through Bell's head, and he chose to listen to the God one more time.

Bell shook his head, "I can't tell you…please."

"Why not Master Bell?" asked Lily, outraged. Why was Bell keeping a secret? Didn't he trust her? She was supposed to be his supporter.

Bell felt himself trembling, "Please, stop asking." If they kept prodding, Bell would break. He would spill all the secrets, and he didn't want to. He wanted to keep Aunt Alfia to himself.

"Bell, please look at me," asked Hestia. Her voice was soft.

Slowly, Bell looked up and met his Goddess's eyes. She frowned, "You've been crying, haven't you?"

Hestia came down the steps to rub her thumb over Bell's tear tracts. The Goddess studied him for a second before sighing.

"Can I trust that this has nothing to do with our Familia or our situation?" asked Hestia.

Bell nodded, "I swear, it's just something for me… I'm sorry."

Hestia shook her head and smiled, "Hey, we're all entitled to secrets, right? I just want you to know, though, I'm always here. But can you at least tell me what the secret's about?"

"It involves my family," replied Bell quietly.

Hestia nodded, the pieces falling into place, "Ok, well, if you ever feel comfortable enough to talk, let me know. I'm a pretty useless Goddess, but I'll always try to listen!"

Hestia stepped back and clapped her hands, "Alright then! Time to get ready for dinner!" Hestia smirked, "Since Bell had us all worry today about where he was, he won't mind cooking, won't he?"

Bell smiled, "Leave it to me, my Goddess!"

Lily looked on incredulous. As Bell left for the kitchen, she pulled Hestia to the side.

"You're really not going to try and learn what happened, Goddess Hestia?"

Hestia shrugged, "I mean, we're keeping a secret from him too."

"Yes, but we have a reason!" replied Lily.

"And I'm sure Bell does too," Hestia placed both hands on the prum's shoulders, "We just have to trust him."

Lily frowned, "Lily doesn't like it. This is Hermes, and Master Bell is easily fooled."

Hestia walked off, "Hermes is manipulative, but not intentionally cruel. Besides, he cares about Bell, too, in his own way. I'm sure he had some reason."

Lily disagreed with the Goddess, so she went about dinner fuming. She was quiet while everyone ate. Urashima and Otohime returned from the clinic and joined them, but Elwin sent along a note saying that he would have dinner with Riveria. He would be back later that night.

That meant that Elwin was the only one who didn't pick up on Lily's foul mood. She hated when Bell kept secrets. She was supposed to be his supporter! She was supposed to help him and carry his burdens. How could she do that when he kept secrets from her? Maybe she was being unfair, but she wanted to be there for him, always.

After dinner, while she was studying some ancient strategy books at her desk, Bell came to visit. He knocked on the door to her room and poked his head inside.

"Lily, can we talk?"

Lily grunted, not putting her book down. Bell grabbed the spare chair and sat down, facing her. He didn't seem to know what to say, though.

"If Master Bell has something to say, he better say it. Lily doesn't have time for his indecisiveness," replied the prum, scratching away with her pen as she wrote notes.

"Lily, you know that I have no family, right?"

That made Lily stop moving. The little girl nodded as she set her pen down and closed the books arrayed in front of her. She turned her body towards Bell, motioning for him to continue.

Bell wrung his hands, "Well, I think Hermes knows something. He told me about someone…close to me…" He looked her in the eyes, "It's not that I don't trust you, I just want to…have this. To have a family…"

"I thought we were your family…" whispered Lily.

Bell smiled, "You are Lily. I love you all so much it hurts, but this is different. I swear, I'm not trying to hurt you or hide something. I just want to have this just for me." Bell looked down, "I know I'm being selfish."

Lily shook her head, her messy hair bouncing, "Lily doesn't think so. Master Bell is allowed secrets; it just hurts Lily because…"

"Because what?"

Lily's eyes barely held back tears, "Lily is Master Bell's supporter. It's selfish for Lily to say, but Lily wants to be the one to bear Master Bell's burdens, all of them."

"That is selfish, but I'm being pretty selfish too. I promise Lily that there is no one in this world besides the Goddess I trust more than you. It's going to sound terrible when I say it, but I'll always want you standing by my side, supporting me."

They both started crying then. After an intense session of hugging, the two sat together and talked well into the night.

At that exact moment, below Daedalus Street, Freya stood in front of a great door. Her executives were arrayed behind her.

"So, this door will open tomorrow, and our allies will begin their assault?" asked the Goddess.

Hedin nodded, "It will be the mindless underlings, but apparently, he's sending one of his captains too. To get the job done."

Freya smiled, delusion oozing from every pore, "How wonderful! This will most certainly be a beautiful event!"

The next day was also the last day of the tournament. And Hestia Familia had someone to root for in the level four single's tournament, apparently.

"I can't believe Hermes would let Aisha fight…if she wins, she becomes a level five top tier adventurer…and his Familia rank shoots all the way up!" said Hestia over breakfast.

Haruhime smiled, "Miss Aisha said that she didn't give him a choice. She forced the God's hand."

Ryuu grinned, "That sounds like her."

"We'll have to cheer our hearts out for her then!" declared Welf.

After breakfast, they all left for the arena. Partway, Urashima and Otohime split off to head to the clinic. Urashima was most likely ok, but Airmid wanted to make sure. She would be washing his stumps today and resewing some old scars, so he would be under heavy anesthesia all day. Otohime was going to keep him company and protect him, naturally.

Initially, the plan was just to find some seats in the stands. Hestia Familia didn't want to abuse Loki's hospitality. That changed, though, when they saw Riveria leading Lefiya, Ais, and the amazon twins. The high elf was rather insistent that they join her and the others.

When they got to the booth, Riveria pulled Hestia to the side and started her interrogation. The elf royalty wanted to make sure that Hestia was behaving properly for her little brother. Meanwhile, the Sword Princess was growing very frustrated.

"Bell…" said Ais for the fifth time.

And for the fifth time, Bell didn't hear her. He was too busy chatting with Lily. After last night, Bell realized that he hadn't spent enough time with the rest of his Familia. So, he promised himself that he would talk to Lily, Welf, and the others all day. However, this meant that a certain blonde adventurer was thoroughly ignored.

"Master Bell! We should see if we can find some crepes later!" said Lily.

Bell nodded along, and Ais pouted. She wanted to get crepes with him too…

"Oh, Sir Bell, I believe Haruhime was planning on looking for some new books. Would you like to join her?" asked Mikoto for her childhood friend.

"Of course! I'm sure we'll be able to find some great ones!" replied Bell.

Internally, little Ais was fuming with anger. Every time she tried to get Bell's attention, he didn't seem to notice.

Down in the arena, Aisha was kicking ass. Even though she hadn't been a level four for long, she still trounced most of her opponents. After everything she had been through, these little adventurers didn't scare her. Besides, unlike them, she had something to fight for. Her dumb little sister was in danger, and if Aisha was going to do something about it, she had to become much stronger.

The melee was over relatively quickly. In the level four tournament, there weren't many Freya goons. Any Familia with a level four was usually too smart, careful, or powerful to get totally bullied by Freya. This meant that this was an actual battle between adventurers.

As everyone broke for lunch, Ais went to Bell.

"Bell, do you want to go get some lunch together?" she asked.

"Sorry, Ais! I promised Welf we'd go hunt down some meat skewers!" replied Bell. To his credit, he did seem sorry that he wasn't going with her. Before Ais could ask to join, he had already left. She had a deep pout on her face. Instead, she ended up with Tiona and Tione. Lefiya wasn't with them, though. She had left to go get food with Elwin and Riveria. The half-elf and regular elf hadn't said much to each other though, they were both too enraptured with how the other looked.

Riveria sighed inwardly.

The three ate lunch, but conversation was rough and stilted. Eventually, Riveria had had enough.

"I am going to return to my seat," said the high elf. When the other two started to get up, she waved them off, "No, I want you two to finish. Lefiya, why don't you show my little brother where the best pastries are?"

The little elf looked between the two royals, "Are you sure Lady Riveria?"

"Please, be my guest," was Riveria's response.

She left then and was pleased when no one followed her. She made her way back to her Familia along.

When the fights resumed, everyone noticed the absence of their mages and smiled. There would be some wonderful teasing to be done later.

Ais was left confused and a little upset. How come Lefiya got to have such an easy time hanging out with Elwin? Why couldn't she just do the same with Bell?

After the quarterfinal matches, Ais was finally able to corner Bell.

"Bell, why are you ignoring me?" asked Ais, straight-faced.

Bell spluttered, "I'm not! I didn't mean to! I'm sorry!"

Ais kept pouting, "Well, you did, and I don't forgive you. I want to spend time with you too. You're getting dinner with me tonight, ok?"

Bell cursed her naivety then. He thought that she didn't fully understand what she was implying. But Ais did understand…a little bit. She had spent a lot of time working to figure out what exactly she was feeling. She had asked Riveria why her heart kept beating so fast around Bell, and Riveria explained that it meant that she cared a great deal about him. Ais wanted to know more, but Riveria insisted that the best way to understand was to talk to Bell herself.

"Woah there Wallenwhatisit! Back off!" cried Hestia, jumping in the way. The two had a stare-off than before Riveria thumped Ais.

"That's enough. Deal with that problem later. Our priority right now is to cheer on our fellow Familia members," replied the high elf.

"Lady Riveria is correct," added Ryuu, "Miss Wallenstein, you may talk to Bell later."

Ais didn't like it, but she nodded. When she tried to sit next to Bell, the rest of the women from his Familia took her spots. She was left to sit by herself, with Tione and Tiona comforting her. She caught Bell looking at her from time to time, though, and that made her happy.

Down in the arena, Aisha made it all the way to the finals. Her opponent was a large half-dwarf man who wielded a mighty battle axe.

"Haha!" said the dwarf, "To think I would be facing off with Antianeira! How wonderful! Now come at me!"

Ganesha rang his great gong, and the battle began.

Aisha pushed off with her foot, propelling herself forward. She swung her great padao down and was met with the haft of the dwarf's battle-axe. A few more swings confirmed her fears; she was outmatched strength-wise.

She hopped back then, trying to get some space. Her opponent didn't let that happen, though. He came after her, axe whistling as it traced great looping arcs.

Aisha got pushed onto the defensive. Her padao became a tool for parries and blocks. Eventually, she was forced to back up all the way to the arena's wall.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! It looks like the mighty Golin has cornered Aisha Belka! Is this the end of the proud amazon?" cried out Ibri, "Any comment on your child's situation, Hermes?"

"Not at all! Aisha got herself into this situation; I'm sure she'll be able to get herself out of it," replied the God.

Indeed, Aisha was able to get out of it. She jumped and pushed herself off the wall, sailing over Golin's head. When she came down, she swept her leg out, bringing the great dwarven warrior to the floor. She brought her padao down, but he was able to roll out of the way. However, the force of the padao was enough to crack the ground. All either fighter needed was one good hit to win.

The two danced then, twirling around each other, their weapons knocking. Golin planted his feet, turning in place to try and hit Aisha. He had both hands wrapped around his mighty axe, and Aisha was constantly moving around him. She began chanting.

"Oh! It seems Antianeira is trying to get her magic off!" declared Ibri.

That was the moment Golin had been waiting for, though. No matter how good one was at concurrent chanting, they had to dedicate at least a little bit of their attention to the task. This attention split meant that Golin could finally land a solid hit. His axe came down. Thankfully, he had turned it so that its face hit Aisha, not a blade. However, the blow still brought Aisha to dirt. Her face slammed down, and Golin used the opportunity to stomp on her with his boot.

As Aisha laid there, drifting into unconsciousness, she got angry; no, she got pissed. Aisha Belka was tired of losing. She had lost to that braggart wolf, Bete Loga, multiple times. That boy Bell Cranel defeated her once and only kept getting stronger. And before all that, Aisha had lost to the disgusting toad and her miserable Goddess. Aisha's rage at Phyrne and Ishtar built. Her anger at losing fuelled her. She crushed the hard-packed dirt of the arena in her hands. She was done with it. She wasn't going to lose ever again. When Golin brought his boot up for one final blow, Aisha pushed herself up to tackle him.

When she brought him down, she knew she could win. When it came to something like wrestling, where two bodies were knocking into each other, Aisha was the most experienced person in Orario. She grappled with the half-dwarf and wrapped her legs around his waist. Then one of her arms snaked its way around one of his. She started to restrict his movements with her body. Eventually, she got behind him and brought her hands around his throat.

She held him for what felt like hours. He tried to break free and rip her off, but she was undeterred. Her will was steel, and her spirit blazed as brightly as ever. As he started to pass out, she bent down to kiss his cheek.

"My my, what a fire you have inside of you," whispered Aisha. Even though Golin lost, he ended up a happy man.

Orario cheered then, and as the cheering died down, Aisha's God walked out. Hermes came to give her her last level four status update. As he stepped forward, Aisha smirked.

"You must be pretty pissed. Our Familia rank is going to shoot up now," said Aisha.

In reply, Hermes shook his head, "Not at all, my dear. Actually, I have to say, I'm quite proud of you."

Those last words were quiet and sincere. Aisha was shocked at the earnestness on Hermes's face. She had never heard those words before. Ishtar certainly never bothered saying that she was proud of her children. Warmth bloomed in Aisha's chest as Hermes updated her status. She called herself a fool for believing him, but she was happy for the moment.

When they finished, they got up to walk to a private room for Aisha's level up. As they left, though, a series of shuddering roars rose through Orario. They were the sounds of monsters crying out for all to hear.

With that, chaos ascended.

And another one bites the dust! Thank y'all for reading! Let me know what you think, and what kind of predictions you have! They're honestly a lot of fun to read and I always enjoy hearing from people! Thanks to everyone who favorited and followed! Hope you have a nice weekend!