Chapter 42:

Elwin was sitting on the floor of his room, trying to meditate like Riveria had taught him. His newest experience in the Dungeon had made one thing readily apparent to the elf, that things were not going right in his brain. Even though his eyes were closed, he could feel the presence of Filvis. He knew that if he opened his eyes, her ghostly figure would be staring back at him.

"Just try to ignore me," she said, guiding him through meditation. "Focus on the inner turmoil. Listen to what your heart is trying to tell your brain."

So, that's what Elwin did. He turned his gaze inward, searching for something. He wasn't sure what he was looking for; all he knew was that he needed to find his fear. Elwin needed to find his emotions. Or else, he felt like he would lose himself. And that was supposed to be scary, right?

Unfortunately, he did not find any of them. He ran through his memories and tried to remember what he had felt at the time. Elwin knew what that had felt like at the time, but now he had trouble picturing and remembering those same emotions. But he refused. He didn't know how long he was meditating for, but eventually, he was stirred from his thoughts by a knock at the door.

"Come in," he called.

Hestia popped her head inside, a tiny and tentative smile on her face. She stepped all the way through, nodding her head to Elwin and then turning to nod at Filvis. The two discovered that due to Hestia's falna on Elwin's back, she could use that to feel and sense where Filvis was whenever she was outside of Elwin's body. It was a little disconcerting at first, but the half-elf could always feel Filvis's joy at being recognized by someone else. If only he could feel the same.

"What is it, Goddess Hestia?"

The Goddess sat down on the floor across from Elwin, legs crossed. Her twin-tails bounced as she sat, and toes wiggled and curled. Elwin noted that she was in a new azure sundress with white trim. Her smile was as bright and benevolent as ever.

"I just wanted to talk to you and touch base about what's been going on with you." Her smile turned rueful. "I have been hearing some worrisome things, after all."

Elwin looked away until he felt a spectral poke to his cheek. He looked over to find Filvis glaring at him. The ghost-elf gestured with her head to the side, towards the Goddess.

"Now come on, tell us what's wrong," said Hestia. She reached out to take his hand.

"I just…I thought it was only my fear that I lost," began Elwin. "But the more that I try to focus and meditate like Riveria told me, but I'm having so much trouble finding any of my emotions. I can't remember how I felt about anything…it's like there's this great big pit."

"That's because you haven't been looking for your emotions," replied Hestia. "You've been looking for fear. You've been trying to think about when you were afraid."

Filvis's eyes narrowed.

Elwin hung his head. "Yeah, ok, I was looking for my fear. But what's your advice, then?"

Hestia chuckled. "I don't know much about meditation, so take what I say with a grain of salt." She held up a finger. "But, I've found that trying to remember a direct emotion isn't easy." She looked him in the eye. "You children are so unbelievably complex that just trying to think of a simple emotion will never work." She took his hand spread his fingers against her own. "It's never just one emotion with you lot; there's always something else going." She wiggled her little pinky. "When you're happy, you're also excited, or maybe you're sad. Maybe something happened with Lefiya, and you're feeling the joy of love." With each word, Hestia wiggled a finger. "If you want my advice, never look for your emotions head-on; look at the fringes. Look for where the memories overlap." Elwin nodded along as Hestia continued. "If it's fear you're looking for, think about what emotions you'd be feeling at the same time." Hestia's smile changed, and Elwin felt incredible warmth seep into his very soul. "Think about Riveria and how anxious but excited you were. How angry you were at her, but how sad you felt that she didn't know you." She shrugged, and the silly little aura that he was used to returned. "At least, that's just my opinion."

She made to get up, but Elwin reached out.

"How do you know all of this?" he asked.

Hestia rolled her eyes.

"Ok, one more quick story." She pointed out the window towards the sky. "When I was in Heaven, it was my job to receive the offerings of all the children of the world. I had to use them to keep all the Godly flames going." Her eyes gained a far-off look, and Elwin was suddenly reminded of just how old Hestia really was. "With each offering came your feelings at the time. There was reverence and anger that you had to give up food to beings you did not know. Some were sad, offering up food to try and guarantee safe passage for someone that they loved who had passed away." Hestia shrugged. "I didn't have much to do, so I always had a lot of time to think about what those emotions meant."

Suddenly, she turned shy. Her cheeks turned pink. Her hands went to play with the ends of her raven-black hair.

"Honestly," said Hestia, "part of the reason I came down here was that I wanted to understand these emotions even more." Hestia smiled, and Elwin's heart melted. "I wanted to feel the same way that you all did."

She left him alone after that, telling him that he had an hour before Lili would bring everyone together for the next step.

Filvis nodded along. "She's a lot smarter than she seems, and I have a feeling that she's right." She narrowed her eyes again. "So, shut your eyes and do this properly."

"You seem awfully invested in this," said Elwin. He expected a snide remark.

"Of course I am, even if we've only been around each other for a bit," Filvis's words failed her for that moment. "You're important to me too. We're part of the same Familia, aren't we?"

Elwin smiled. "Yeah, I suppose we are in the same Familia."

Then, Elwin turned inward. The half-elf went searching for fear at the edges of love and sadness. The next hour was going to be long and probably very difficult. Thankfully, he would never be alone anymore.

With the Dauntless:

Lili sat in front of the gathered members of her Familia the next day. She had decided against going over the whole plan. Instead, she used the Familia meeting to explain how they would be split up for the expedition army. Before she could speak, though, Hestia had an announcement for them. The Goddess of the Hearth had a grin going from ear to ear.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please say hello to the newest level six of Orario!" Hestia gestured with a hand towards Ryuu. "The Faerie Princess is now at the same level as the Sword Princess. We really do have a top-tier adventurer here to protect us."

Ryuu turned an absolutely adorable shade of red as she did her best to avoid looking anyone in the eye. That plan failed horribly when she felt Mikoto grab her in a crushing hug. Her apprentice was shouting some kind of congratulations, which was echoed around the room. Honestly, though, Ryuu only cared about the opinion of two other people. One was a waitress and not currently here. The other was her Captain, who was sitting in front of her. Bell was smiling, but he was also studying her, and Ryuu saw confusion in his eyes.

"I thought you were waiting, Ryuu?" asked Bell.

The elf nodded. "I was, but then Bors died." Her gloved hands clenched, and the happy mood of the room died. "A friend died because I wasn't strong enough or fast enough to be there." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "And then…I had the awful thought of what it would have been like if it one of you." She looked at her Familia. The steeliness in her blue eyes was gone, replaced with a deep sky-blue melancholy. "I got so scared that I just couldn't wait anymore. I needed to be stronger."

The mood was sombre until Welf finally nodded along.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." He crossed his arms. "We all have to get stronger, for each other." He gave Bell the side-eye. "And our love lives, right Captain?"

Bell gave a rueful grin. He also turned a light shade of pink.

"Yeah, you're right; we have to get stronger." He looked over at Ryuu. "So, I guess we all have to catch up to our Vice-Captain, right?"

There was a resounding yell throughout the house. Hestia Familia reaffirmed their commitment, but their jubilation was stopped by a loud fist slamming on the coffee table. They looked over to find Lili, looking over them with a steely gaze. They all got sheepish as she stared them back into their seats.

"While Lili is glad that everyone is so enthusiastic, she would like to return to the meeting," said the prum. She brought out an extensive collection of papers. "This is the rescue operation for the Xenos being held by the Sun Seekers."

Bell sat up. "Wait, we know where they're holding the Xenos?"

Lili shook her head. "We have a strong idea. Mister Finn believes that they are being held in Knossos." She explained how the guess was made, with Otohime chiming in occasionally. "Lili is inclined to agree. Holding the Xenos anywhere else runs the risk of them all escaping." Lil shrugged. "That said, Mister Finn wanted to make it clear that it's Master Bell's choice to move forward." She raised an eyebrow. "He knows that saving the Xenos is your agreement to move forward. If you trust his judgement and the judgement of Lili and Otohime, then we can begin. If not, then we can take the time to continue gathering intel. However, it'll all be dangerous." She shrugged. "Your choice."

Bell did not respond immediately. Internally, he struggled around his choice, which Lili saw and understood. She was Bell's supporter and would continue to support him.

"For now, the plan will remain the same. For this operation, most of Hestia Familia will be operating separately from the main force. We will be joined by Miss Aisha and Miss Lulune, who have much more knowledge than us about the layout of Knossos," added Lili.

Elwin raised a hand. "Pardon my ignorance, but what in the world is Knossos? Everyone keeps talking about it, but I'm still unsure about what it actually is."

"It's a man-made Dungeon," said Welf. "Some whack-job took the real Dungeon as a challenge and decided to make his own. It goes down around twenty-four floors if I remember correctly." Welf turned to look at Lili, who nodded.

"Who in the world would do that to themselves?" asked Elwin. "Seems just a little bit obsessive, right?"

Mikoto nodded. "Obsessive is correct, and so would be mad. The original architect was Daedalus, who built the labyrinth street in Orario."

Elwin blinked in surprise.

"Wow, so one man made all of that? Didn't he make Babel as well?"

Haruhime shook her head. "He made Babel, but he only started Knossos. For centuries, the project has been carried over by his descendants." She brought her hands together as if in prayer. "It's as if the madness of his obsession has carried forward, infecting everyone who came after him."

"It's also where the Xenos were being held captive originally, back when we first met them," said Bell. The boy looked up, a fire in his eyes. "I don't know it is, but something is telling me that they're being kept there again. Knossos was almost refurbished into a monster holding den, wasn't it?" Lili nodded. "My instincts are telling that you and Finn are right, Lili, so you can tell Finn that I'm on board with whatever plan he has." Bell nodded, more for himself than anyone else. "I want to save my friends."

Lili clapped her hands together, excited for what came next.

"Ok…so here's the plan…."

With the Adventurers:

A large crowd was gathering in front of the entrance to the Dungeon. It had only been several days, but already the very idea that adventurers weren't allowed to go down into the depths was starting to cause unease throughout the city.

Adventurers were supposed to do their job and go down in the Dungeon. Ever since the Guild had closed it off, all these powered individuals had nothing but time on their hands. It had only been a week, but street-side brawls had seen a significant uptick. Ganesha Familia was trying to do their best to keep the chaos to a bare minimum, but people were getting fed up. Already, the lack of magic stones was starting to cause disruptions in Orario's production and sales. Most high-end Familias kept a repository of valis in case of emergencies. Those same Familias were now having to dip into their savings. And those would not last forever. And those Familias that had no emergency funds were now suffering. They did what they could to get part-time work throughout the city, but the pay was different. Demeter had never seen so many volunteers work in her fields.

There was a problem in Orario, and the Sun Seekers were bringing it to light. For centuries the city had been able to protect its monopoly from outside forces. The Guild and its adventurers had gotten so complacent that they never even thought of the Dungeon being taken away from within. The worst part was that with the Guild's silence on the matter, all that was left was rumours.

The survivors of the eighteenth floor did not help these rumours, even if the Guild had sworn them to secrecy. After all, these vagabonds had been drinking just as much as everyone else, and their lips were loose. Unfortunately, none of them even knew a fraction of the truth. So, things were exaggerated and blown out of proportion, especially regarding Hestia Familia. People could be seen standing outside of Hearth Manor, demanding answers from Bell Cranel and his family.

The city was on edge now, even more so than when there was trouble on Daedalus Street. Even when Freya had taken the city hostage over a year ago, people had known why it happened. The mysteries surrounding the problems now were ones that none of the citizens were used to. Fear ran rampant.

This is why when Loki Familia took to the streets, led by their executives, people were quick to follow. One of Orario's strongest Familias attracted quite the crowd. And it only grew when Bell Cranel joined them on one of the main boulevards.

The whispers built into almost crushing sounds. Bell looked like he was trying his best to ignore them, and Ais was there standing close, trying to protect him. People did not notice, though, that the rest of his Familia were nowhere to be found. He walked alone, but that wasn't on anyone's mind. After all, many still thought of Hestia Familia as only important because of Bell. They ignored the rest of its members.

Even Freya, who was watching the proceedings of these silly puny mortals, did not see the missing piece of the puzzle. Such was the strength of her obsession with Bell Cranel. And as she watched on, Freya smiled because all the players were in their proper places. Eventually, the demands of the citizenry would require the Guild to storm the Dungeon. The Sun Seekers would execute their prisoners, and Bell Cranel's soul would rage. He'd burn through the Dungeon like a true war hero of legend. The battle would be long and costly, including the loss of one annoying Sword Princess, but Bell Cranel would return to her purified. His body might be broken, but Freya would be there to take care of him. She'd nurse him back to healthy, safe in Folkvangr, and the rest of the city would be too injured to do anything about it. Not to mention that if anyone did try to stop her, she'd just charm them. The only one who could stand in her way was Hestia, and as much as Freya respected the little Goddess's love and devotion to her children, it wasn't worth much in the end.

Freya would have her Odr, with his pure transparent soul intact, and all would be right. And anyone who stood in her way would fall. She knew this to be accurate because she was a Queen, and she got what she wanted. She motioned for Ottar to do his work, ensuring that they would guard the city when the time came and then kept her eyes focused on the hero named Bell Cranel.

And watching her was the loyal attendant, Ottar. For this woman who he admired with everything he had, he would go to the ends of the Earth. But watching the obsession that built inside her, and how the rest of the world would burn to see her will fulfilled, he was reminded of what the boy Bell Cranel had said to him all those weeks ago. And one more question floated into his mind, why wasn't he enough?

With the Braver:

In front of the Dungeon, Finn Deimne planted his feet and waited. His best guess was that someone would come. These Sun Seekers seemed too wise not to have someone ready and waiting at the door. Negotiations were a vital part of a siege, after all. Or a hostage situation. Whatever the historians would call this battle. That wasn't what was on Finn's mind, though. Because he understood that the historians wouldn't be speaking about this part. Maybe in only brief passing.

Yes, he had to hand it to the little pallum girl; she really was becoming a contender for the hero of his people. It was a shame that she refused his marriage. Oh well, maybe Tione was right, and they could adopt some children…?

These rambling thoughts were cut short. Because out of the shadows of the doorway strode a monster walking on two legs. It was a variant of the gargoyle monster, with white marble skin instead of the usual dark granite. The assembled crowds all gasped in shock and horror. Many began to back away slowly from the sight of a monster on the surface.

"Do you have a name?" asked Finn.

The monster paused. Then, to the astonishment of everyone around, it spoke in a deep gravelly voice.

"This one does not carry a name that disgusting humans should speak," it replied.

Finn smirked. "I am not a human, though; I am a prum."

The gargoyle let out a low rumbling sound.

"And I am more than a monster, but you would never call me as such."

Finn nodded, conceding the point.

Off to the side, Bell watched on. His whole body was trembling with nerves, but only Ais was paying enough attention to notice. She reached and took his hand, and she gave it a firm squeeze. Bell appreciated the gesture, which is why he held in his grimace of pain from when she crushed his bones a bit.

He wasn't worried for anyone in the square, though; he was worried about everyone else.

With Hestia Familia:

In Daedalus Street, the rest of Hestia Familia, with Lulune and Aisha in tow, made their way to one of the doors to Knossos. They passed through buildings, all of them wearing one of Fels's invisibility cloaks. Lulune had one of the maps that had been drawn up from the last time a Familia had been in there. And Ryuu held a ring clutched in her fist. Lili had given the mission and the strategy, but with Bell not here, she was in charge. She felt her level six strength coursing through and felt like she could take on the world. Every minute, she made sure to take a couple of breaths to keep herself calm.

Ryuu checked her back to find Mikoto and Otohime standing close behind. The three of them would be the spear to pierce Knossos as quickly as they could. In the middle were their mages, Lulune, Welf, and Lili. They were putting their faith in the Crozzo magic swords to protect them. Finally, bringing up the rear were Urashima and Aisha. They were the rearguard. Their mission was simple. While all eyes were focused on the spectacle in front of the Dungeon, Hestia Familia would break into Knossos and free the Xenos.

The Day Before:

"Wait, so Finn and the rest are going to be the distraction?" asked Bell.

Lili had just finished explaining the plan. The others nodded along while in slight confusion. They would probably need to ask some questions about the details, but it all made sense.

"Not just Finn," added Lili. "You need to be there as well, Master Bell. Freya could be watching for us. So, we need to guarantee that her eyes will be focused on the Dungeon." She gave a roguish grin. "Then, when everyone underestimates us without Master Bell, we'll cut through Knossos, find our friends, and save the day."

"…wait, I'm not gonna be there?" asked Bell. He was frowning.

Lili shook her head. "If we are going to have any chance of pulling this off, we need to keep everyone's eyes on the front of the Dungeon. The best way to do that is with you, Master Bell. You are the city's hero, and you catch everyone's eyes. Especially the women, and most importantly, Freya. She's the one we need to distract." Lili sighed. "If she really is working with Sun Seekers, then she could find us and report us missing to the Xenos."

"…I see…" said Bell.

He was still frowning, though. He hated the idea that he was abandoning his allies. Especially when it involved the Xenos. And it wasn't that he didn't trust his Familia…but…he didn't totally trust his Familia with Lyd and the other's safety. Apparently, it showed on his face. The others looked a little hurt but didn't say anything.

"Don't trust us; trust the plan and our ability," said Lili. "We want everyone as safe as possible."

Bell took a moment. He felt everyone's eyes on him, and he felt the unease shiver through his body. None of them looked hopeful, but they did look pleading. So, not genuinely believing himself, he nodded along. He would go with their plan for now. But he was still unhappy about the situation.

Inside the Dungeon:

Hestia Familia made their way through Knossos. They took the smaller passages and did what they could to avoid any patrolling monsters. They hid behind corners and moved as quietly as possible. This was the other reason that those in the van and rearguard were picked. They moved with almost perfect stealth and precision. The only weak link was the middle. However, Haruhime was not even carrying a supporter sack for that very purpose, and Lili had only the bare essentials. And in those moments that they had to move quickly while still being quiet, the others would pick up the supporters on their shoulders to carry them. Haruhime went on Mikoto's, which they were both secretly happy about, and Lili went on Otohime's. Welf and Elwin were just good enough to keep quiet and take care of themselves with a bit of coaching from Urashima.

"Ok, so the map says that we just passed the tenth floor. If your hunch is right, Dauntless, then we need to probably get to the twenty-fourth floor," said Lulune.

They had paused at a quiet intersection and listened to the dog girl talk. Her ears twitched back and forth, checking for incoming monsters. They had been careful not to be caught or kill anyone. If they killed one mind-controlled monster, then the Xenos controllers wouldn't be far behind. The hard part would be what comes after the liberation, but Ryuu wanted everyone's focus on what was in front of them.

"Any idea where on the twenty-fourth?" asked Ryuu.

Lulune bent back down to the map, studying the hieroglyphs in front of her. She mumbled some words while tracing her finger over the page. Eventually, she stopped.

"Yeah, right here. This big room in the middle of the floor should have everything we need," she said.

Ryuu nodded. "Alright then, let's keep moving. I want to be down here as little as possible." She looked over everyone. "And if you see anything resembling a main base or settlement, let us all know. That is the number one place we must avoid."

The others nodded before they started their journey again. They dived deeper and deeper into the man-made Dungeon, intent on freeing their friends. But more importantly, they wanted to survive the next battle.

With the Hero:

On the surface, Bell stepped forward. He felt like he should know the monster gargoyle standing in front of him. He knew the odds of it being the gargoyle he once knew were low. Still, ever since Filvis and that moss huge reincarnated, Bell couldn't be sure about anything regarding the way of the Dungeon.

"Why did you come to talk to us?" asked the March Hare. His tone was not angry but curious.

"We knew you would come. Our King wanted to see what pathetic deal you would offer," came the raspy voice. "But know this, the end is near. The safest thing you can do is take your people and leave this city." He raised his voice. "Abandon your homes and abandon all hope, Orario! Your time of reckoning has come!" His eyes homed in on Finn again. "And there's nothing your precious little adventurers can do about it."

Slowly, the crowd that had followed them to the front dispersed in the face of this significant threat. They had all backed away, even while many were still entranced by the vision in front of them. Many had only heard rumours of the talking monsters. And some had heard nothing at all. But here was undeniable proof. Not only were there monsters that could think, but they could talk just like humans. Bell flinched as he heard the terrifying gasps behind him. There was nothing to be done for it, though. In fact, they had to keep as much attention as possible.

"Why are you holding the Dungeon hostage? Why not just try to trap us inside?" asked Bell Cranel.

The gargoyle paused and considered the question. His head looked back at the Dungeon as if he was in communication with another entity. Then, he looked back. His eyes were on Bell. The boy heard someone try to step forward, probably Ais, but then he heard the angry whisperings of Riveria. Bell wanted to tune it out, though. Right now, he needed to focus on the monster so that the monster would focus on him.

"We are not all strong enough," came the gargoyle's eventual reply. "Our king, in his wisdom, knows that we must be even stronger."

"My, that's quite the weakness to reveal," chimed Finn, thrusting himself back into the conversation.

There was a movement at the monster's shoulders as if he was shrugging.

"We are the Sun Seekers. We must live in reality and be honest about our positions," said the Xenos. "That doesn't stop the fact that we will destroy you soon. Our army will wash over this city like a great wave. So, I tell you again, run from here and never return."

Finn shook his head.

"No can do, I must become the saviour of my people, and your Dungeon is the best place for me to do it," said the Braver.

Apparently, that had struck a nerve. The monster growled and opened its mouth. It then began to lecture the pallum and the human. From the corner of his eye, Bell saw Finn wink. Apparently, things were still going according to plan.

With the Saviours:

Back in the Dungeon, things were going fast. Everyone seemed to understand that the deeper they went, the greater the chance they would die. They also knew that Bell could only keep the monsters distracted for so long. They all loved the Captain dearly, but lying was probably one of his weakest points. So, they propelled themselves to the twenty-fourth floor at full speed. Typically, it would take longer, but with everyone at least level three, minus Haruhime, who was carried, the floors blurred by. It also helped that Lulune knew all the short-cuts.

"Ok, we're down here; where do we go next?" asked Otohime, leaning her bisento on her shoulder.

Lulune looked down at the map and then up at one of the three passages in front of them. She glanced left and right before finally pointing down the far-right passage. The others made to follow. But then the sound of pattering came down the left aisle. A small group of hellhounds, all with the telltale purple eyes, came trotting out. They stopped to look at Hestia Familia, and Hestia Familia stopped to look at them. The monsters opened their mouths to howl and alert the rest of the guards when a flash of purple cut right through them. The monsters exploded in a silent poof. Standing over the piles of ash was Otohime.

"I'm guessing we don't have long," she said. "Now, it's time we got out of here."

The others nodded, dazed by her speed and efficiency. Ryuu took particular notice of it. This was the second time that the usually loud and boisterous warrior got quiet and contemplative. The elf did not understand why the warrior was getting so extreme these days, but it was a little disconcerting. So, Ryuu left a reminder in the back of her brain to check on her Familia member after this mission.

"Let's move everyone," ordered Ryuu.

The others jumped to it, and they all took off down the right passage. All around them, the sounds of monsters began to ring in their ears. Things were going to be getting very complicated indeed.

With the Uneasiness:

On the surface, the distraction seemed to be working. Finn quickly taunted the gargoyle Sun Seeker whenever his rant slowed down, and so the monster kept going on and on. Bell was not doing so well, though. The dark thoughts in his head continued. He needed to see with his own eyes that the Xenos would be ok. His eyes darted away from the Dungeon to the floor where Knossos sat and finally out towards Daedalus Street. And eventually, the gargoyle noticed.

"What are you staring at, Bell Cranel," it said.

"Oh! Umm…nothing!" replied Bell, jumping at the attention. He looked around wildly. "I was…staring at those birds!"

Internally, Finn slapped Bell.

The gargoyle growled.

"Why are you here! Why are you listening to me?" He turned back to the Dungeon. "What are you doing!"

Then, he roared. It was a loud, piercing sound that was then echoed back from the entrance to the Dungeon.

"The deception is your last!" screamed the gargoyle before it took off back to the Dungeon.

Finn frowned. "We need to buy them more time." He looked back. "Everyone, forward! Don't pursue too far, but don't let the Sun Seekers and their pets escape!" He looked back at Bell, shaking his head. "Well, you can go find your Familia, I suppose. But take Ais with you."

He walked his Familia, who was now in combat. And Bell felt Ais approach more than heard her. She didn't say anything.

"I know Ais," said Bell. "Now, let's go after my Familia."

With the Writer:

While this all happened, the Hostess of Fertility shut its doors. Mia could hear the storm brewing and she wanted to make sure that her place could be a sanctuary when it broke. Which also meant that the waitresses and most of the other staff had the day off. Lunoire was trying to use that time to get her man to take her out for a date.

"Sorry, but I think I'm finally onto something," replied Dixen, scribbling in his book.

"I am quite literally lying-in bed, waiting for you to ravage me," said Lunoire, falling backwards as she threw her arms in the air.

At that, Dixen turned around.

"And while I do most certainly plan on that, I have a song I have to finish," he said.

"About what? What song could make you ignore your partner so much?" asked Lunoire, sitting up.

She moved to take a peek, but Dixen anticipated it. He hid the song sheets in a large pile.

"Sorry love, but I can't tell anyone. It's my Familia stuff."

Lunoire huffed but left him alone. Her cuteness in that moment was too much for Dixen, who got no more work done that evening.

Another Bitch of a chapter is done! Thank you all for your patience! I hope you all enjoyed the writing and the character issues put forward! I promise we will be getting to the action of this supposed war arc soon enough! On to responses!

Review Responses:

mairsarmy321: Happy to give another one! We will see Ryuu and Welf's journey at one point

KingDiamond: I am a firm believer that Lili is underappreciated. She is the definition of 'the one braincell'