Hello everyone, and thank you for tuning in to read this story!

I never really saw or heard of a Danmachi fanfic where Bell had actual time-manipulating abilities rather than just being sent back in time, so why not make one of my own? A lot of the time-travel mechanics were inspired by the movies Interstellar, Tenet, the video-game Warframe, and the concepts of Eternalism, Feynman's theory of antimatter, and tachyon particles.

I will admit, writing about time travel in any capacity is a pain in the ass to do, what with all the many, many different ways it can be written, and the inevitable scrutiny that comes when you try to unravel how it works. I'm not gonna bore you with the details or try to give a lecture on quantum gravity, the nature of time, and special relativity, so I'll just give a general description of how it works in the story and further expand upon it as Bell learns more about his new abilities. That said, try not to think too deeply about the physics of it all, or else you'll just get a massive headache. The real scientific theories used for inspiration are just that: inspiration for this story.

Also just a quick disclaimer, this story will be much darker in tone compared to my other Danmachi story, as this fic is set in a war-torn Orario, and if you've read any of the SO novels or Astraea Record, then you know how dark the Dark Days were in Orario's history. Expect a lot of heavy themes concerning war crimes, human trafficking and prostitution, massacres, child soldiers, suicide bombings, terrorism, and such. Don't worry, it won't all be doom and gloom, but these are just things to keep in mind, in case you aren't comfortable with these topics being discussed. I will warn you if there is going to be some very dark stuff happening in each chapter, and this chapter won't be as dark as it is an introduction to the story.

Anyways, feel free to leave your thoughts about the story or the time-travel mechanics and I'll try to answer any questions if I can!

Update: Made some changes to Bell's introduction to the story as well as his initial meeting with Astraea Familia. Don't worry, the initial premise will still stay the same, but I'll be rewriting parts of this story to have it flow a bit smoother and make more sense.

"To see a World in a grain of sand,

And a Heaven in a wild flower.

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,

And Eternity in an hour."

-William Blake, Auguries of Innocence

Chapter 1: Just Another Day, in a War Without End…

The deafening sound of thunder echoed throughout the manor, the howling of the wind causing the walls to groan from its sheer force, waking up an exhausted Elf sleeping on her bed.

Ryu wearily opened her eyes, her long ears picking up the frenzied splattering of rain on the glass windows. Raising her arm, she rubbed the last bits of sleep from her face and tried to get up, only to notice a warm arm wrapped around her waist, preventing her from leaving.

Ryu sighed, recognizing the owner of said arm to be Alizé, her Familia Captain and best friend. Looks like she snuck into her bedroom once again to use her as a body pillow, having done that many times in the past to tease or comfort her. Alizé would always remark how soft and warm Ryu felt, and she could only feebly protest in response. But since she was the only person who could touch her bare skin without reprimand, and because she was always there to cheer her and the others up, Ryu always let her behavior slide.

And from just how wounded she was, Ryu could definitely understand why her Captain needed the hug.

A bloody bandage covered parts of her forehead, thanks to an angry mother who pelted her with a rock after they recovered the charred corpse of her daughter, the victim of yet another suicide bombing. Small cuts and gashes peppered her arms, and her breaths were hoarse and wheezy, the result of a few broken ribs hastily healed by the Familia's healer Maryu.

Alizé had dived headfirst into the blaze following the bombing, and fought off Valletta by herself in order to buy time for the rest of the Familia to evacuate the wounded and deal with the remaining Evilus stragglers.

And though she was able to fight the madwoman off to a standstill, the Level 6 executive of Evilus dished out as much damage as she took, using all manner of cursed weapons to even the playing field. It wasn't until Ryu and later Shakti arrived did Alizé finally manage to take a break, the multiple wounds on her body horrifying the two as they escorted her to safety. And thanks to Valletta escaping at the last minute, she took the full brunt of the outrage from the civilians, who once again blamed them for not finding a way to stop the carnage beforehand.

Seeing her Captain in such a pitiful state brought a fresh wave of anger coursing down Ryu's spine. They had fought the same battles over and over again for nearly a decade now, and yet it seems that Evilus was only getting stronger as the years went by. More of the City was being captured, and the number of people dying to protect and save Orario rose each day.

It all began 15 years ago, when the two mightiest Familia in human history, Zeus and Hera Familia, were annihilated. The strongest Adventurers in the history of the gods, the legendary Familias who brought down the Behemoth and Leviathan, were completely destroyed by the Black Dragon. Not a single survivor remained from that ill-fated battle, and the horrifying implications of their deaths and the power of the Black Dragon reverberated across the world.

Evilus, a group of terrorists led by evil and chaos–loving Gods, was already a known presence back then, but could do little other than cause mild mischief. Zeus and Hera Familia were more than capable of stomping them out of existence, but when the strongest Familias suddenly found themselves dead, Evilus took this opportunity to amass their forces and cause widespread chaos in a city still reeling from their loss.

Taking in exiled members from Familias defeated by Zeus and Hera, and utilizing their underground methods and contacts, Evilus had exponentially increased in size and power, and unleashed their wrath on Orario. The few remaining strong factions left, composed of Loki, Freya, Ganesha, and Astraea Familia, worked around the clock to try and stop them, and for 15 years this struggle remained in a stalemate, one that is progressing further towards an Evilus victory.

Not only did Evilus have the numbers advantage, they were also cunning and deceitful, tricking and brainwashing average citizens into becoming their soldiers or suicide bombers. They sent their minions into the Dungeon to assassinate Adventurers or unleash Pass Parades. They snuck into Familia homes and sent their gods back to Heaven, leaving their followers without a Falna and turning them into easy targets for slaughter.

Bit by bit, they captured more of the City, driving out the civilians once living inside and establishing them as bases of operations for their next assaults. And the poor, innocent people banished from their homes had no place to go to. If they stayed inside the city then their chances of survival dwindled each day, and they couldn't even guarantee their safety even if they left. Not one to lose an opportunity, Evilus also launched ambushes and surprise bombings in the front and back gates of the city, ceaselessly slaughtering the refugees as they fled for their lives.

The supply of Magic stones, the bread-and-butter that kept society moving, and which could only be reliably gathered in Orario, drastically dwindled as the years passed. With more and more Adventurers dying in the Dungeon from Monsters or Evilus, there were fewer Familia capable of meeting the supply and demand. With how much modern technology relied on Magic stones as their power supply, the world outside Orario teetered on the brink of collapse.

Orario couldn't make any profit with so little Magic stones leaving the city, and so the amount of money and resources going into the city fell, if it wasn't already plundered by Evilus. Trade to and from Orario fell as other countries and kingdoms took note of the crisis in Orario and prepared for the worst. Things grew even worse as word spread of Evilus reaching beyond Orario and into neighboring countries, and when notable leaders and Gods in other Kingdoms found themselves dead or sent back to Heaven, the die was cast.

Many Kingdoms, empires, and countries just closed their borders and refused Orario's call for help. Refugees seeking asylum found themselves locked out and barred entry, left for the picking by Monsters on the surface or by bandits looking for easy pickings. Trade between countries and kingdoms slowed to a crawl as they isolated themselves, fearing for the day when Orario fell.

Many of the refugees could only set up communities of shelters outside Orario's walls, waiting for the day when the Civil War between the Guild and Evilus would end.

Food and water became precious resources as Orario found itself cut off from the rest of the world without support, and rumors began to spread of how other Kingdoms might be taking advantage of the chaos to possibly invade and seize Orario for themselves.

Of course, it wasn't as if the entire world had turned its back on Orario. Brave men and women all around picked up arms and raced to Orario, eager to join the fight and liberate the city.

Ryu was one of them, having joined many others across the world as they left their homes and old life behind to fight. Sickened by her village's blatant disregard for outsiders and the fate of the world, she left her home and decided to enter Orario to fight for something bigger than herself.

It was nearly a decade ago that she met Alizé for the first time, the fiery redhead having saved her from being kidnapped and sold to the Entertainment District.

It was also the first time that she was able to touch someone who was not an Elf with her bare hand, and where she would eventually meet Goddess Astraea and join her Familia. It had been 10 years since she tirelessly fought alongside her sisters-in-arms against the forces of Evil, and it had only been a few months ago that she became a Level 6.

And yet those accomplishments felt hollow compared to the immense toll the war had taken on her and her friends. More grueling days of fighting for her life and protecting a restless and angry population. More days filled with grief and regret, as friends and allies lost their lives in this bloody Civil War.

It was what Lyra would cruelly describe as, 'same shit, different day.'

Ryu would never give up. She would fight till the bitter end, and yet she couldn't help but pray for a change in the tides of war. A beacon of hope, a miracle, that could finally break the slowly dwindling stalemate.

A Hero, as Alizé described it, who could finally bring down Evilus to its knees.

She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about 'What-Ifs', not when people's lives could be at stake. With great regret, she reached down and shook her Captain awake.

"Five more minutes..." Alizé muttered sleepily, trying to pull Ryu down next to her, but the blonde Elf shook her shoulder once again.

"Come on, Alizé. I know you're tired, but we can't start the meeting without you." Ryu said regretfully, as her best friend relented, groggily pulled herself off the bed and wincing as the pain in her mended ribs flared.

"Are your wounds still hurting Alizé? I can use my Magic in case you're still feeling sore." Ryu offered, but Alizé shook her head.

"It's best you save your Mind in case we need to treat any civilians. Don't worry, the ever blazing and beautiful Alizé won't be brought down that easily by some old wounds! Hmph!" Alizé said with her old gusto, causing Ryu to shake her head in disbelief. She threw Alizé's arm over her shoulder and wrapped her other arm around her waist, before pulling her off the bed and marching them towards the common room.

Already seated around the large table in the middle of the room were the rest of the Familia.

Kaguya, the vice captain, and someone who Ryu never really got along with, sharpened her katana with a whetstone, her eyes still holding raw rage behind them.

Sitting at the table and analyzing a large map of the entire city with bags under her eyes was Lyra, the small pink-haired Prum moving various pins across the map while muttering to herself.

To the side was Maryu, the Familia's healer, who moved around and chanted her magic to heal the others. Near her were Nezhe and Iska, a Werewolf and Amazon who handed out breakfast. Celty and Ryana were off to the side mending their staves, Asta was polishing her shield and hammer, Noin was quietly snoozing off in a leather chair, and Cecil was carrying various metals down to the Smithy in the Familia's basement.

At the front of the table next to Lyra was Astraea, the head of the Familia and the Goddess of Justice herself, who looked up and smiled, seeing Ryu and Alizé hobbling towards the rest of the Familia.

"Ryu! Alizé! I'm so happy to see you two! Did you both rest well last night? Do you want me to bring you something to eat?" Like a mother looking after her children, Astraea stood up and made her way towards them, attracting the attention of the others.

"Great, and here I thought our lazy Captain would sleep the rest of the day, with Lion stuck as her useless body pillow again." Kaguya remarked, though with a lot less of her usual bite. It seems even she was sick with worry for the two of them.

"Who are you calling lazy, Kaguya? I just need my beauty sleep! Us girls need that, you know!" Alizé said with a wink, making Kaguya roll her eyes.

"Heh, as if you or Lion are even remotely capable of seducing a guy in the first place, especially with how flat your ass is, Alizé." Lyra sarcastically remarked.

Ryu blushed, recalling how Lyra had an annoying habit of slapping her butt right before a major battle as a sign of 'good luck.'

"Hey, my butt is not flat! Lion, check my butt and prove her wrong!" Alizé yelled, shoving her backside towards Ryu.

"Cut it out, Alizé! And for the last time, Lyra! Quit slapping my butt!" Ryu yelled, instantly distancing herself from her grabby Captain.

The rest of the Familia, long since grown accustomed to the 'good-luck buttcheek slap', laughed as they watched Alizé chase Ryu around the table, forgetting her injuries for a brief moment.

Astraea laughed at their antics, happy to see them still in high spirits. "As much as I'm glad to see you two in such good spirits, I'm afraid we need to get started."

The mood of the Familia then sank as they all frowned at the map Lyra continued to mark.

"Alright, then let's start this meeting, beginning with the usual updates." Alizé spoke, taking her place at the front of the table next to Astraea.

"Aside from the bombings in the Market Square, nothing else of note happened the previous day. Loki Familia is still in the middle of their expedition to the Deep Floors, Freya Familia have been patrolling the areas around Babel and Folkvangr, and Ganesha Familia reported no new incursions into Guild-controlled territory." Lyra said, marking several of the mentioned locations with a blue pin representing the Guild-allied factions. The entire map of Orario was sectioned off with various markers, showing key points of interest as well as the placement of troops and the sections of the city under Evilus control, marked with red pins.

"Sadly, Evilus drove back Ganesha's forces from parts of the Industrial District. They seized control of a few buildings that once belonged to Hephaistos Familia, including a handful of Smithing workshops." Kaguya added.

Alizé frowned. "How have Shakti's forces been doing so far?"

"Oh, most of them were able to retreat with only a handful of casualties on their end, but they're still pissed that Evilus was able to drive them back. I don't blame them for retreating, though. The Dia sisters never take prisoners." Lyra commented, shuddering at the thought of the two psychopathic elves.

"Hildrsleif and Dainsleif will have their hands full. Those twins won't stop until they grab their attention." Ryu remarked. "And what of the Entertainment District? Have the Guild's investigators found any links tying Ishtar Familia to Evilus?"

"Clean as a whistle, unfortunately." Iska, the Familia's only Amazon, commented. "The Guild found no evidence of wrongdoing and were forced to pay reparations to Goddess Ishtar. None of my old contacts in the Pleasure Quarter were able to inform me of anything."

"That's absurd!" Ryu remarked, appalled by the lack of evidence. "Evilus has been attacking the city using the Pleasure Quarter as a base of operations! We've literally seen their members coming to and from there!"

"All the same, the Guild still wasn't able to find anything, and the last thing we need is to piss off Goddess Ishtar." Kaguya said with thinly veiled malice. "Tch… that damn Goddess must be playing both sides. All she cares about even in this day and age is trouncing Goddess Freya. Even with how strong her Familia is now."

The group nodded, recalling how a few months ago Ottar, Captain of Freya Familia, became a Level 7, one of only two in the entire world. It was a huge morale boost to the city as a whole, since to their knowledge Evilus lacked a member of that same power, but not a single major faction took his level-up for granted.

For Evilus had as many Level 5's and 6's as the rest of the allied forces combined.

"And what about Evilus? Any news from them?" Alizé continued.

This time Celty spoke up. "Um, I've heard some rumors going around that a few Familias have started to turn towards Evilus. One of them being Kali Familia from Telskyura. There are rumors going around that her two Captains, Argana and Bache, are both Level 6."

The entire Familia groaned as one. Just what they needed, another strong Familia joining the ranks of Evilus at a time when their own forces were starting to dwindle.

"How will they even be able to enter the city? Aren't both gates being closely monitored by Hermes Familia?" Nezé asked.

"No idea. Perseus said that they were able to track them down at Melen, and so far they've been staying there for the time being. Maybe they're arriving to get combat experience? These are still just rumors after all." Celty commented.

"Captain, what should we do about them?" Kaguya asked Alizé, who shook her head.

"Nothing, aside from letting Hermes Familia keep an eye on them for the time being. Kali Familia vastly outnumbers ours, and we don't know for certain if they're really joining Evilus. If they're here just to observe, then we can't make any moves against them. We're already stretched thin as it is."

Alizé turned towards Noin, having woken up from her small nap. "How are the recent shipments of food supplies so far? Is Demeter Familia still doing alright?"

"So far, things have been normal, though the storm hasn't been helping them harvest that well. They're still in low spirits since the disappearance of their Captain, Persephone. But as of now, we aren't in any danger of a food shortage like last time."

And boy did that bring back memories. Ryu painfully recalled how an Evilus raid had torched over half of Demeter Familia's crops, sending the city into a large-scale panic as the price of grain skyrocketed. It took several years and some donations from outside countries thanks to Hermes Familia to restore the burnt fields and to stop the city from starving.

"That's strange. The only source of conflict have been the Dia sisters capturing a few Smithy's? That doesn't seem like something Valletta would sanction, especially with Finn and Loki Familia absent for the time being." Alizé remarked. "Also, why would they capture several Smithy's in the first place? They aren't Blacksmiths like Hephaistos or Goibniu Familia."

"I agree, this is a little bit strange for them. And from what I gathered, the Dia sisters left little in the ways of bloodshed. When Kaguya and I scouted the area earlier, the whole place was filled with guards. Strangely, we've noticed a lot of carts moving in and out of the area. One of the Smithy's was started up again, with guards stationed on every side of it." Lyra added.

"Are they planning on making something again? Don't tell me they're doubling down on their suicide bombings…" Ryu's face curled into a furious frown. She had never forgiven Evilus for their underhanded tactics, especially with how they utilized children as suicide bombers. Ardee's death at the hands of one still left a throbbing scar in her heart.

"I don't think so. They've already been using suicide bombs for a while now, and it doesn't make any sense for them to double-down on it. Not when we're already experienced in dealing with them. Something tells me there's more going on here." Lyra said.

"Were you able to find out what was in those carts?" Alizé asked.

"Unfortunately, no. Both sisters were around, so we couldn't stay for long. But they were all the same. And these weren't just your normal storage carts. There were carriages as well." Kaguya pointed out.

"Carriages? Are you saying people were brought to the Smithy?" Ryu asked.

"We can't know for sure unless we investigate ourselves." Astraea chimed in. "I don't want a repeat of what happened 7 years ago. My intuition is telling me that this might be worse than their mass suicide bombings. And Hephaistos has been furious these last few months. A lot of her members have been reported dead or missing, and we need all the help we can get with forging armor and armaments. You should all be careful when investigating there."

The Familia nodded as one, when out of nowhere they heard a frenzied set of knocks from the Manor's front door.

"That doesn't sound like Perseus." Ryu remarked with a frown. Alizé nodded and made her way to the door, her hand by her sword's pommel.

She quickly opened the door, and found a young woman drenched in the rain, her dress covered head-to-toe in blood.

"P-please… help me!" The girl cried, before fainting.

"Maryu! We need help!" Alizé called, quickly grabbing her before she hit the floor, and with a quick inspection, sighed in relief at the lack of any explosives on her person.

The rest of the Familia made space on the table for the teenage girl as Alizé set her down, Maryu quickly casting a healing spell on her.

Eventually, after a few moments she woke up with tears in her eyes. She grabbed onto the front of Alizé's shirt, sobbing uncontrollably.

"There, there. Everything's going to be alright." Alizé said gently, wrapping her arms around her and rubbing her back.

When the girl finally calmed down, Alizé passed her to Astraea, who had her lie down on the couch. Alizé knelt down and gave the girl a smile.

"Now, can you tell us who you are, and what you need help with?"

The girl's face quickly morphed into one of fear as she recalled what happened. "P-please! You must save them!"

The entire Familia looked on, puzzled by her request.

"Who?"

Several Minutes Later…

The rainstorm continued unabated, the deluge of water drowning out all other noises around the abandoned buildings. Entire houses remained eerily silent as several cloaked individuals dashed through the rain, kicking up puddles of water into the air, before stopping and jumping up to the air. With a wet splash, these cloaked figures landed on the roof of an abandoned building, their clothing underneath already soaked to the bone.

"Man, how long is it gonna rain like this?! I can barely even feel my fingers anymore…" Lyra commented, shivering in her boots.

"Well, you know what they say! It is raining, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done!" Alizé remarked, wincing and holding the side of her chest following the jump.

"Are you sure you'll be okay, Alizé?" Ryu asked. "There's still time for me or Maryu to heal you with our magic, or I can get Celty to head to Dian Cecht or Miach Familia for potions."

"Aw, I knew you loved me, Lion!" Alizé said with a smile, trying and failing to pull the Elf into a very wet hug. "But don't worry, I'll be fine! My flames will never die or splutter, even in a thunderstorm like this! Besides, we need to move as quickly as possible, or else the hostages could die at any moment."

That set everyone straight, and the rest of Astraea Familia looked on from atop the building as they scanned the surroundings of the recently captured Smithing Workshops.

The girl they encountered earlier, Anna Claes, notified them of a horrible incident that occurred several days ago. She was one of several people from a village far to the North, who were suddenly kidnapped and taken from their homes by an Evilus raid. They were rallied up, and forcefully loaded onto carts where they were then transported to Orario under the guise of aid shipments.

From there, they were all moved to the recently captured Smithing Workshops and set to work, gathering and smithing raw materials, and later transporting them to various areas under Evilus's control.

Well, the men were put to work, at least. Anna made it very clear what happened to the women, from young girls to even the elderly.

The thought alone made Ryu's stomach curl unpleasantly, and she tightly gripped the wooden handle of her sword.

'Focus,' she thought to herself. 'You'll have your chance to deliver justice to those vile people soon enough.'

Going back to Anna, before she could be used to… sate the lust of several Evilus members, one brave young man had provided a distraction, helping her escape at the cost of his subsequent capture and torture.

She was able to find Astraea Familia's home thanks to her overhearing some of the guards discussing a potential attack on their manor (much to the girls' fury), but sadly, her retreat occurred only a few hours ago, and news of it would have already spread amongst the guards.

Evilus wouldn't take any chances if it meant capture, and they certainly wouldn't leave any traces behind, hostages or not.

At best, they'd pack everyone up and ship them out as soon as possible.

Or they could resort to a quicker and less risky method…

Astraea Familia had little time to spare. The lives of countless men and women were at stake.

"So how are we gonna go about this? Any chance the Dia Sisters are still here?" Lyra asked, using her monoscope to gather intel and scout ahead.

"I don't think so, the girl never said anything about a Dark and Light Elf being around. They might have already left to go mess with Freya Familia. Those horny Elves could never leave Hildrsleif and Dainsleif alone for long." Kaguya remarked with a disgusted frown.

"It's a good thing it's raining so much. With the rain covering our noise, we can sneak in and take out any guards before they sound the alarm." Ryu pointed out.

"Lyra? See anyone so far?" Alizé asked.

"A few guards here and there. A couple sentries on two of the towers, and some foot soldiers down patrolling the streets. Not many people outside, so I'm guessing most of them are still inside the Smithy. If we can take out the grunts quickly and quietly, we'll be all set to breach the building without anyone noticing." Lyra responded, sheathing her monoscope.

Alizé nodded, and turned to the rest of the Familia standing behind her. "Alright, here's the plan everyone. We first need to take out the guards on the ground while the rest of us will take position around the workshop. Kaguya, Lyra, Lion, and I will enter inside and rescue the hostages, while the rest of you provide cover and alert us for any reinforcements."

"Celty, Ryana. The two of you will take out the sentries on the towers to the north and south end of the block and provide cover fire. Noin, Asta, you'll take those back streets to the sides. Nezhe, Iska, you'll deal with the stragglers on the street in the front, and Maryu will act as support, ready to heal us or the hostages once we finish clearing the building. Cecil will be sending word to Ganesha Familia and direct Shakti and her men to follow us. Is everyone ready?"

When the rest of the Familia nodded, Alizé raised her hand in the air and swung down, giving them the signal to attack. And in a split second, the girls of Astraea Familia separated, dashing into several different directions.

Nezhe and Iska darted forward in a flash, their black cloaks keeping them hidden in the darkness of night, and with their enhanced Level 5 vision they honed in on their targets to the street facing the Smithy. With the downpour of rain drowning out the sound of splashing of water from their footsteps, they leapt into the air and grabbed onto the sides of the buildings facing the street. Two Evilus guards were patrolling the area, the heavy rain doing little to help their Magic lanterns illuminate the street. With a shared nod, the two girls jumped down, landing on the two and quickly snapping their necks before they could even yell out in surprise.

Were this years ago, Ryu would have flinched at the ease in which her friends ended lives, but prolonged conflict and the rising tide of Evilus had hardened her heart. Though she took no pleasure in killing, even she knew that she had to do what was necessary to survive and fight another day.

This was war, and the less people Evilus had at their disposal, the better.

Silently slipping past the fresh corpses, the rest of Astraea Familia moved stealthily through the streets, removing any stragglers and taking position around the main building.

"Strange." Lyra commented as they settled on the roof of a nearby building. "There's no light inside the Smithy. I can't even tell if anyone's inside."

"There's also barely anyone guarding this place." Kaguya added. "Especially for a place they just captured. Captain, this reeks of a trap."

Ryu frowned, tightening her grip on her sword.

"All the same, we can't risk losing anyone, especially now that Miss Anna escaped not so long ago." Alizé replied. "Even if they managed to get everyone out, they couldn't have been gone that long. Let's break inside and look for any clues or survivors. On my signal."

Nodding, the 4 executives leapt down and surrounded the front door on either side.

Giving each of them a quick nod, Alizé raised her foot and crashed it into the door, breaking it in half thanks to her Level 6 strength and sending it flying inside.

They quickly rushed inside, only to nearly drop their weapons in horror.

The entire floor was littered in freshly slaughtered corpses.

Even after witnessing all manner of atrocities in her years in Orario, Ryu fought to keep her food inside as she gagged, turning her head away in anguish.

Lyra loudly swore, and both Kaguya and Alizé lowered their heads.

"We're too late… dammit! Of course Evilus wouldn't have bothered to move them all once Anna escaped." Kaguya hissed. "Captain, what do we do now?"

Alizé paid her no mind, instead stepping forward to kneel down in front of the corpse of a small toddler, less than a few years old.

The baby's open, lifeless eyes and the crimson smile slashed into his neck were the only things that greeted her.

With an exceedingly gentle touch, Alizé closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry…"

Alizé let out a quiet apology, grief baked into each syllable she uttered. When she rose to her feet and turned to them, a blazing fire burned behind her emerald eyes.

"Search the building and look for any survivors. And check if they left any clues as to where they went. We will bring these people to Justice. There won't be a single spot in all of Orario where they can hide from us after this." she spat furiously.

Nodding as one, Ryu, Kaguya, and Lyra split up, exploring the entire building as they carefully navigated their way through the piles of bodies lining nearly every square inch of the floor.

"Holy shit," Lyra muttered, casting her eyes away from the body of an elderly man with both his eyes gouged out. "I knew Evilus was cruel, but this… how many people did they off tonight?!"

"Looks like Anna Claes was right. I don't see any women here." Kaguya replied. "They may have been taken somewhere else. Maybe the Pleasure Quarter?"

"Which is pretty much untouchable thanks to Ishtar's hold over it. Dammit…"

Alizé stopped in front of the corpse of a thin, middle-aged man hunched over in the corner with a longsword buried in his chest. Feeling a sense of dread wash down her spine, she gently lifted his face and closed her eyes as she spotted the small claw mark on his cheek.

"Poor Anna," Alizé muttered, closing his eyes. "This was her father…"

"If only we could have arrived sooner…" Ryu spat out. Anger coursed through her being like molten lava as she took another long glance at the corpses around her. "If only we could have fought harder to stop them from taking this place! If—"

"Oi, quit it, you lousy Elf." Kaguya interrupted. "We've already gone through this before. Constantly worrying about 'what-ifs' won't get us anywhere. They're dead, and there's nothing we can do about it now. Now quit your moping and focus on finding out where these pieces of shit ran off to."

"Lion, check upstairs. Kaguya, Lyra? Help me bring these people outside. They deserve better than to be left inside here to rot. And we should bring Anna's father back, give him a proper send-off…"

Nodding somberly, the three began the dreadful process of removing the corpses one at a time as Ryu marched up the stairs.

The second floor was thankfully free of dead bodies, and judging from the small wafts of smoke coming from some of the furnaces inside, was recently used.

She briefly peeked inside one before pulling back. "Nothing's left inside. Tch, we don't even know what they were making here…"

Could Evilus have been producing more bombs here? But would they really use the same strategy over and over again?

Sure, suicide bombings were easy to carry out, were effective in causing mass collateral damage, and Evilus isn't exactly strapped for new recruits to their cause, but they have been using the same tactic for the past 7 years now.

Certainly long enough for the majority of the Guild's forces to expect it, and with most of their forces being higher-level Adventurers now, a single suicide bomb wouldn't be nearly enough to kill a First-Class Adventurer.

Not to mention that Braver would have likely foreseen such a tactic coming way beforehand, and Valletta wouldn't repeat the same tactics over and over again, especially if it meant giving him enough time to plan around it.

And after a quick inspection of the nearby workbenches, Ryu found no evidence of any of the devices used to ignite Magic Stones.

What were they making? And why did they need so many people to do it?

Sadly, it seems the Evilus members assigned here were thorough in their efforts to leave no trace behind. All she could find were empty furnaces, smoldering scraps of paper…

And a tightly sealed door at the other side of the floor.

Carefully placing her ear on the wooden door, she closed her eyes and concentrated.

There. Though it was incredibly faint, she could hear the unmistakable sounds of labored breathing on the other side.

Grabbing her wooden sword, she struck the metal lock, smashing it into pieces in a single strike before she kicked the door open.

What was once most likely an office room had been turned into a makeshift jail cell and interrogation room. On the desk nearby were several torture devices, several of them still bloodied, and on the other side of the room was a metal fence, set up to form a rudimentary cell.

And inside the cell, bloodied arms chained and hanging from the upper part of the wall, was a young man, head hanging low and barely conscious.

Smashing the fence down, Ryu knelt in front of the boy and winced, seeing the numerous dried bloodstains and bruises all across his body.

The boy looked to be a few years younger than herself, with white hair that looked so ephemeral and soft to the touch even while caked in dried blood. His eyes were covered in a blindfold, and his mouth gagged with an old, dirty sock.

He looked terribly thin and ill, the signs of overwork and exhaustion evident from the dark circles under his clothed eyes. His clothes hung loosely from his arms, and he remained slumped over, barely even registering her appearance.

The most striking part of his apparel, however, was a gorgeous pendant with a single, glimmering emerald hanging from his neck.

Eyes narrowed, she swung her sword at the chains, shattering them in a single strike as he slumped to the floor unmoving. Placing a gloved hand on his neck, Ryu sighed in relief as she felt a single pulse on the tips of her fingers.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you'll escape this place." she whispered gently, before her hand glowed a brilliant green as she chanted her healing spell.

"The song of a now distant forest. The nostalgic song of life. Please bring the mercy of healing to those that seek you.

Noah Heal."

The boy twitched in his unconsciousness as Ryu's Magic took hold, bathing his body in a warm, healing light. As she channeled more of her Magic into his form, she also reached her hand into her pouch and pulled out a few potions, removing the corkscrew and pouring the medicinal mixture onto his more grievous wounds.

Finally, as her Magic faded and the last of her potions lay empty on the floor, the boy finally started to rouse himself awake. Gently removing the gag from his mouth and the blindfold from his eyes, Ryu stepped back as a soft groan escaped his mouth, before his eyes finally began to flutter open.

Revealing a pair of exceedingly beautiful rubellite eyes that stole her breath away.

I recently got a few PM's and reviews mentioning how some of my stories, notably this one and Last Hero's Vow, often were bloated and full of walls of text that made it difficult for readers to follow, so I decided to try and shrink some of these chapters with the rewrites to try and remedy it.

Let me know if this seems like a decent length, or if anything needs improvement. And hopefully, me writing slightly shorter chapters will help in getting updates out sooner.

This chapter didn't have too many drastic changes compared to the original version, but I did make some alterations at the end, so feel free to let me know how you guys feel about this chapter!