~X~

~ Hostess of Fertility - A Few Hours Earlier ~

Cloud

Cloud watched as the unknown elf dragged Ithil out of the pub.

"Who was that?" Cloud asked Mia.

"That was Purah. She comes here every once in a while. Usually when that assistant of hers reminds her to eat," Mia chuckled.

"I see."

Cloud felt he had nothing to worry about. Ithil called 'Purah' by name, and, from what he saw, she let herself be pulled along.

"My turn to ask a question. Who was the Dark Elf?" Mia said. "It's rare to see one of them."

Cloud nodded at that. Other than Ithil, he had only seen two Dark Elves.

Hogni Ragnar, a Level 6 executive of the Freya Familia.

And Vena Dis, the Vice-Captain of the Alecto Familia, who was part of Evilus. She was killed during the Great Feud.

Anyway, Cloud went on to answer Mia's question. He talked about Ithil and Westend. Bringing up Westend meant he had to talk about goblin variants and the behemoth.

Mia nodded along and looked surprised about the monsters.

Soon, his food arrived, spaghetti with meatballs, and… chicken noodle soup?

"Oh, right, This is Ithil's," Cloud remembered her order and looked at the door she walked out of earlier. "Ah, well. Can't let it go to waste."

~X~

After finishing both lunches and renting two rooms, Cloud decided to walk around the city. He had no destination in mind, simply wherever his feet carry him.

The first thing he noticed was that the atmosphere wasn't as… heavy as it used to be. The hidden threat of Evilus wasn't on everyone's minds. The streets and buildings were rebuilt. There were no fires or collapsed buildings that had people trapped in the rubble because Evilus set off more explosives.

All that destruction and chaos. All of the deaths… Of adventurers and civilians alike.

Just… Why?

Yeah, he knows…

Evil-us. Real creative.

They were monsters, they knew it, and they reveled in it.

Zald and Alfia on the other hand…

Cloud sighed out loud. Just thinking about the reasons for their actions…

Like…

He gets it. He really does.

He's been at that level.

It's like being at the bottom of an abyss.

Down there, all alone in the dark with no way out.

Forced into a deep despair desperately trying to do something to make things right!

To make everything he went through worth something!

It's why he-!

Cloud immediately stabbed and tore to shreds that line of thought. Every time he goes down that path toward his life before Orario, it leads to a downward spiral of despair.

Regardless of their reasons, there is no justification for what they did. So many innocent people died.

And for what?

What exactly has gotten better because of their actions?

Nothing!

Cloud sighed again. He hated being back here. The moment he walked through the gate, he kept thinking about the past. He kept having flashbacks of buildings in rubble and streets on fire…

'Alright, enough of this,' Cloud thought.

He shook his head and resolved not to be lost in the past. At least, for this moment.

…But it turns out that will be difficult for him because of where he was.

"Oh…" he said as he stared at a ghost of the past.

In front of him…

…

…Was his old home.

Stardust Garden.

~X~

Cloud didn't know how long he had been staring at his old home.

He just… stood there.

Staring.

The place was in disrepair. Vines were growing everywhere, everything was covered in dirt, and dead flowers were all over the front garden.

.

"Well, here we are! Welcome to Stardust Garden!"

Cloud stared in awe. It wasn't that it was especially impressive, but because this would mark the beginning of a new start in his life.

"Come on! I'll show you around."

His new Captain, Alise, grabbed his hand and led him in. If anyone said he was blushing, he would deny it.

.

Cloud blinked away the flashback.

He then realized he was breathing hard.

…And was crying.

…

…Damn it…

He was all sweaty…

His heart was beating fast…

Why was he even here?

He subconsciously walked here when he was thinking about the past when he was wandering around?

…

Should he…?

…

…

…No, he wasn't ready for that.

Cloud turned around and took a couple of steps toward the gate, but he stopped when he heard multiple footsteps running toward him.

What the-

"GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE PALLUM SHIT!"

Running past the front gate into the garden was a pallum with chestnut hair. She wore a red and white hooded short-sleeve top, red skirt, black tights, and brown boots.

Chasing her was this chubby middle-aged raccoon guy. Based on stumbling while running, red face, and the alcohol that he can smell from here, this man was drunk.

He was followed by three other people who also looked extremely drunk.

Cloud easily pegged them as adventures as they were all moving faster than civilians. Although, they were all moving at Level 1 speed.

The pallum tripped and hit the ground hard. She tried to get up and run but the lead drunk caught up and grabbed her by the hair. She screamed as she was pulled up.

"Got you, you piece of shi- AGH!"

Cloud had seen enough. He moved in less than a second. He grabbed the drunk raccoon by the wrist and squeezed. The drunk was forced to let the pallum go and Cloud push kicked him in the chest and let go of his wrist as the drunk flew to the ground in front of his followers.

Drunk guy quickly got to his feet as Cloud held back on the kick.

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU!"

Cloud ignored him and was focused on the pallum behind him.

"Are you alright?" Cloud softly asked. He had pivoted his stance to face her so he had the pallum to his left side and the drunks to his right.

The pallum shakily nodded her head.

"Don't ignore me, you bastard!"

Raccoon drunk pulled out a knife and charged Cloud who was still facing the girl.

If the drunk wasn't so drunk he would've noticed Cloud's strength when he squeezed his wrist.

Without looking, Cloud grabbed the man on the same wrist that had the knife. He twisted it enough to sprain it and the chubby man was forced to drop the knife as Cloud kicked him back again.

Drunk man's friends stood there frozen. They had no idea what to do with the guy.

Cloud turned to the group and finally addressed them.

"Leave," Cloud said, pinning them with a cold glare. "Leave now and I won't knock your asses out… This is your only warning…"

A shiver went down everyone's spine at the ice-cold tone Cloud used.

Unfortunately, for the drunk men, they were drunk. Thus, their decision-making skills have been shot.

"Fuck you!"

Drunk Leader charged and the other three followed.

Cloud let them and didn't bother to draw his sword.

Lackey One and Two split up and tried to attack Cloud from both sides. Cloud easily countered this by rushing the one on his right and quickly grabbing the hair on the back of his head. He then turned to the second guy, moved to him while pulling the first one along, and grabbed number two by the back of the head. He forced his head down while he rammed Lackey One's into him and made them headbutt each other hard enough to knock them out. He dropped them to the ground when that happened.

Lackey Three and threw a wide haymaker. Cloud grabbed his wrist, stepped inside under his arm while twisting along the way, and kicked out his leg from the front. Cloud could feel the man's shin fracture. He went down and was rolling on the ground while holding the shin.

Drunk Leader reached him first and went for this huge winding straight punch. But, right at the last second, Cloud quickly crouched on his right knee and hit the guy with a rapid right cross to the midsection. Drunk Leader flew back one more time and didn't get up. He stayed on the ground rolling and groaning.

Cloud let out a breath as he released his tension.

"Wait here. I'll take care of this trash," Cloud said to the pallum.

He picked up Lackeys One and Two, and using his full speed, he ran to an alley a few blocks away, tossed them among the garbage, and ran back to Stardust Garden. The whole thing took less than five seconds.

He did the same for the other two, but as he tossed Drunk Leader, something fell from his jacket. It sounded like glass but it didn't break when it hit the ground. Curious, Cloud crouched and picked it up.

"Soma…"

Cloud sighed. This wine out of all others had a way of making addicts out of people. It was made by the God of Wine, Soma, and is considered to be the best-tasting alcoholic beverage out there. Many an alcohol addict had turned to crime to fund their Soma budget.

In fact, Cloud had to arrest a significant number of them back when he was an adventurer.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same…"

He dropped the bottle and ran back to the old Familia home and the pallum was still waiting there.

He arrived back at the house to see the pallum still sitting there, waiting for him. He finally got a better look at her, and couldn't help but think one thing as he furrowed his brows in confusion.

'Why does she look so familiar?'

He ignored the feeling. After he closed and locked the front gate, he walked up to her and went to a knee so he could be closer to eye level with her.

"Do you want to head inside?" Cloud said.

The pallum slowly nodded.

Cloud gave her a reassuring smile and held out his hand. She slowly and hesitantly took it. Cloud pulled her to her feet and calmly led her into Stardust Garden.

"What's your name?" Cloud softly asked.

"L-Lili… Liliruca Arde…"

~X~

Cloud led her into the house and to the living room. There was dust everywhere. It made sense. No one had lived here for two years.

Cloud took a towel he saw on one of the tables and used it to clean off the dust on one of the sofas. He then lit some candles that were still there. He would've used the lights, but after two years, the magic stones that run appliances all over the house were depleted.

He led Lili to sit on the couch and took a knee in front of her while still holding her hand.

"Do you want to tell me what that was all about?" Cloud said.

Lili was quiet for a long while before she spoke. "L-Lili remembers you…"

"Oh?"

"Y-You gave L-Lili your keys to this house t-two years ago…"

Cloud stared as he thought things. He still had his main keys, that's how he led them into the house. But he did give away his spare keys before he left Orario two years ago. He just forgot who and why he gave it away…

…

…Oh, wait, he remembered now.

~X~

~ Two Years Ago ~

Cloud jerked awake from his sleep, breathing hard. He pulled a pillow over his face and released a groan of frustration into it. He had another nightmare of that day.

"Don't do that," said a voice to the side of his bed. "You're being too noisy."

He removed the pillow and turned to the side to give the speaker a half-hearted glare.

…And there was Alfia, the woman he saved two years ago at the end of The Great Feud as people are starting to call those seven days now. The last time he saw her was two weeks after those days. She had fully recovered from her injuries and came to him to say goodbye before she left to find her nephew.

Now she was back. For what reason, he didn't know. But apparently, she saved him three months ago when Evilus tried to kill him while he was in a coma. He had no idea how Evilus found out he was still alive. The majority of Orario believed he died with the rest of the Astraea Familia. The only people who know he's alive are Alfia, Airmiid, Shakti, and Ganesha. None of the four would reveal that.

Anyway, Alfia has been watching over him ever since. She brought him to his room in Stardust Garden as she said it was the safest place for him to be.

Why was he in a coma?

Well, four months ago… They encountered Evilus on Floor 30 and… like he said earlier, the Astraea Familia died except for himself and Ryuu.

Because of what happened, he heard from Alfia Ryuu had somehow convinced Astraea to leave Orario and went on a revenge killing spree. Cloud had tried to find her since he woke up a week ago, to no avail.

Cloud felt his emotions fall.

"I can hear your discord," Alfia said.

She always said that before his emotions would spiral. Cloud had a bad habit of letting his emotions spiral downward into depression when he was left alone with his negative thoughts, though it had gotten better over the last few years. The last time it was this bad was before he joined the Astraea Familia…

When…

When… Neria…

Eri…

And Ophelia…

*BANG*

"Ow!" Cloud said as his head was knocked to the side with a sound blast.

"Stop that," Alfia ordered as she lowered her hand.

At least she held back…

He sighed and slowly got up from his bed. He went to his closet to pull out some clothes and, belatedly, noticed that Alfia left the room to give him privacy.

He came out of his room wearing a white dress shirt with the top button open and the sleeves rolled past his elbows, black dress pants, black boots, and his spare sword, Continuum, strapped to his waist.

This was a casual look to his usual adventure outfit, but still better looking than what he originally wore when he was a farmer. Iska really helped him out with his style.

He headed to the kitchen to get some breakfast.

~X~

After breakfast, Cloud left to walk around the city. He just couldn't stay in the home for too long. Everything there reminded him of his Familia. All the conversations, bonding, Alise giving speeches about justice, Kaguya teasing Ryuu to the point the elf was red in the face, Lyra listening to all while building her bombs…

*SMACK*

Alfia smacked Cloud in the back of the head. At least it wasn't a sound blast. That would've drawn attention to them.

Alfia came with Cloud when he went to walk around to make sure he didn't fall into his spiral. She was wearing a large dark green cloak over herself with the hood up. She was too recognizable without it.

Cloud simply wandered around the city. The place was healing. There was no smoke in the air from fires, buildings were being rebuilt, and more people were out on the streets with tentative hope in their eyes.

It was when he was wandering through a side street that he was reminded that while some things change, some things stay the same.

"GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE PALLUM SHIT!"

Cloud and Alfia heard the shouting before they saw a small child run for the exit an alley to the left in front of them, to an alley to the right. Soon after, four men chased after her.

Cloud blinked for a second before he moved. Despite the depression he was in, he still had his heroic spirit.

He chased after the men while Alfia walked at a more sedate pace. She knew Cloud would have this handled by the time she caught up.

~X~

Liliruca Arde

Lili cried out in pain as she was tossed into some trash cans.

"Pallum shit like you crawling around in the trash where you belong. Hah!"

The other men laughed at the ridicule their leader was tossing.

Lili tried to regain her senses. She looked up to see the one who started all of this.

Canoe Belway, a scumbag of an adventurer who happened to be the vice-captain of Lili's familia. Because of Soma's increasingly hands-off approach to his familia, the captain and vice-captain have been free to do whatever they want. They've been exploiting the weaker members.

"I'm gonna keep it simple. Where's my money?" Canoe was slowly walking toward Lili.

"L-Lord Canoe… I-I don't- Guh!"

Canoe kicked Lili in the gut before she could finish.

"I don't give a shit! Where. Is. My. Money!"

"I-I don't have any…"

She had just spent all her money on her rent and what little food she could buy. Her apartment really cut into her funds but she needed a relatively safe space away from the familia where she could sleep.

"You don't have- THE FUCK YOU MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY!" Canoe screamed and began to stomp on Lili.

Lili curled herself into a ball and used her arms to cover her head as best she could while she took the blows.

"I WANT MY MONEY, DAMN IT!"

Lili continued to try and protect herself. She tried to distract her mind by pulling it away from reality. Most people do this by thinking about happy memories. Unfortunately for Lili, she didn't have any of those.

Her parents never failed to remind her that her birth was a mistake.

They didn't want her birth.

They didn't want to raise her.

They did want her to earn money for them so they didn't have to.

But then early in her life, they both died in the Dungeon, leaving Lili to fend for herself. Well, she already was doing that but now she truly was alone.

Lili had no talent for adventuring, so she became a supporter. Unfortunately, supporters are looked down on by most adventurers, and seen as parasites. The years of abuse were finally too much and Lili ran away from the Soma Familia.

However, the corrupt members of her familia tracked her down to the nice elderly couple who took her in, and they burned the couple's store down. They blamed Lili for bringing trouble to them and kicked her out.

So, here she is, a 10-year-old girl alone in the world, abused and exploited for all she's worth. Unable to escape and had no chance for her own life.

Having to deal with so much at such a young age…

…Lili broke.

She became the very thing she hated to survive her endless torment.

She deceived naive adventurers to get more of a cut, secretly took monster stones and drops for herself, pickpocketed adventurers of their belongings while in the Dungeon, and…

And if it came down to it, she abandoned adventurers to their deaths in order to save herself.

Lili hated herself more and more every day.

'Why…? Why do I have to live like this? What did I do to deserve something like this?'

Nothing. She didn't do anything to deserve this abuse.

…But this world can be a cruel place.

'I… I just want to live a normal life… Is that too much to ask?'

But how can she do that?

Her parents didn't want her and then died.

Her familia hates her and they do everything they can to exploit her.

Her god had gotten so obsessed with his wine that no one had seen him in years.

She has no one to turn to…

Suddenly, the stomping stopped and Lili slowly opened her eyes to see why.

Canoe had backed off to the middle of the alley and picked up a rock that was on the ground. His three minions were also holding rocks.

Oh.

Lili didn't scream or try to run. It was pointless.

All she could do was watch.

"Take this, you little shit!"

She watched the four men wind up a throw in slow motion.

The only thing that could help her now was if a Hero swooped in and saved the day. Years of abuse had thoroughly burned away that naive hope.

…But…

In this one moment…

As a tear slid down her face at her impending pain…

She couldn't help but reach out for this naive hope.

'Please… Someone…

…

…Save me…'

*CLANG*

Someone suddenly appeared in front of her and, with his sword drawn, cut down all the rocks.

"WHO THE FU-"

Canoe started to demand answers but the stranger didn't waste any time. He charged them, his sword glowing red, and easily knocked out Canoe and his lackeys.

'Strong…'

Her rescuer turned to face her. He walked to her and knelt, a look of concern on his face. His hand was hovering just above her body and started glowing a soft green. Miraculously, she could feel her pain and injuries slowly fade away.

'Healing magic…'

Lili, for the first time in a long time, felt hope. Her naive hope came true.

She wanted to thank her savior, to express her genuine gratitude. But the words wouldn't come out. She was so exhausted from her running and the beating. She knew she was about to pass out.

She didn't want that! She had to thank him!

But it was his words, words that were spoken with such kindness and worry for her, that calmed her down.

"Don't worry. Everything is going to be all right."

…

'My… Hero…' were her final thoughts before she passed out.

She could thank him when she woke up.

~X~

~ Stardust Garden ~

General POV

Lili slowly opened her eyes, feeling more comfortable than she ever felt. She was lying in a very comfortable bed and stared at a ceiling she didn't recognize.

"You're finally awake."

Lili jumped and turned to the side to see an unfamiliar red-haired man.

Her eyes widened in recognition. It was the one who saved her.

"My name is Cloud, of the Astraea Familia."

"The Darknight Hero…" Lili whispered. "But I heard…"

"That I was dead?" Cloud finished. "No, I was in a coma."

"Wait, you're alive… Then-" Lili started. She was hopeful that maybe the other members were, as well.

But Cloud shot that hope down as he shook his head. "No, I'm the only one left…"

She barely heard because he whispered so softly.

Lili sighed at the confirmed deaths of the Astraea Familia.

*GROWL*

Lili blushed. That was her stomach. With her Captain and Vice-Captain extorting her money, it was hard for her to eat enough food.

"Oh, right," Cloud said in realization.

He got up and took a couple of steps to a serving cart that was next to him. On it, he took off the cover that showed a wooden tray that had a bowl of soup. He picked it up and brought these table legs that were folded under it.

Lili slowly sat up so he could put the tray on the bed. That caused Cloud to pause.

'Oh, yeah… I should've helped her sit up first,' Cloud thought to himself. 'Kaguya would've made sure I wouldn't forget the next time…'

Cloud felt his mood drop as he remembered there wouldn't be a next time…

He forcefully moved that thought to the side and focused on Lili. He placed the soup in front of her.

"It's chicken noodle soup," Cloud said.

"Thank you," Lili said softly.

She picked up the spoon and started to eat. It took her only a few minutes to eat the whole thing.

"Thank you," Lili said again.

"You already said that," Cloud said.

"No, not for the food. For saving me."

'Save, right…' Cloud thought bitterly. 'I can save a stranger but I couldn't save my family…'

He knew it was unfair to put the blame solely on himself. There was also Evilus… and the Dungeon.

But… he just couldn't help it.

"About that. Why were those people attacking you?" Cloud eventually said.

Lili hesitated but in the end, if there was any one person she could put her trust in, it would be the one who saved her, The Darknight Hero.

So, she told him everything.

How her parents didn't want her and she had to earn money to feed and clothe herself.

How they died and she became a supporter, being insulted and put down by others. Cloud grimaced. He knew how supporters were treated like secondhand citizens at best, and parasites at worst.

Lili continued with how Soma had gotten obsessed with his wine.

How the Captain took advantage of that and started extorting people, both inside and outside the familia.

"Wait, a familia has been extorting civilians for years?" Cloud had to interrupt. "How have we never noticed this…

"Well, when Evilus was around, no one was safe. Captain Zanis actually stopped his extortion schemes during that time. He said Evilus was 'bad for business for everyone' and he was smart enough to know he wouldn't be able to extort much money," Lili explained and Cloud nodded. That did make sense. "With the Astraea Familia dead and Evilus gone, he's starting to slowly bring back his schemes."

"He must be going slowly because people are still on high alert for any Evilus remnants… Doesn't want to draw any attention to himself…" Cloud speculated.

Lili went on with her story.

How after the Great Feud, Zanis started extorting the familia again.

How Canoe and his minions tend to go out of their way to target her to exploit.

"Were those the guys I knocked out?" Cloud said and Lili nodded. "I should've hit them harder."

She finally finished how things were getting worse. Soon, Zanis won't be so secretive about his actions.

"C-Can you help me?" Lili nervously asked.

She was hopeful. If there was anyone who could help, it would be the Astraea Familia, especially the Darknight Hero.

Cloud saw the hope in her eyes and internally frowned.

After everything…

He…

He just…

He can't stay here… in Orario.

He just can't…

His emotions must've shown because Lili's face fell and looked extremely sad like someone just crushed her dreams.

Cloud felt like he had to explain himself.

"I… This place… This city… There's just too many memories…" Lili looked like she didn't completely understand, so Cloud continued. "My familia… No, my family is dead… I can't stay."

"I-I… L-Lili understands," Lili quivered.

Cloud didn't think she understood. Lili was never close enough to anyone to understand what it was like to be family. She has no one.

…

She has no one.

No one.

No one!

'Damn it!' Cloud mentally screamed.

Cloud… He can't stay here!

BUT he wants to help Lili!

'Damn me! And damn my desire to help people!'

"Here," Cloud reached into his pocket and held something out.

Lili looked up to see Cloud holding out a keychain with multiple keys on them.

"They're my spare keys to this place," Cloud explained. "You can come here for a safe place to sleep. I'll show you the hidden entrances too. Just in case someone tries to follow you."

Lili stared, eyes wide, mouth open.

"This key here," Cloud pulled on a specific one. "This is for the vault in the mansion. I'll show you where it is. You can… use some money for food and clothes."

Lili jumped off of the bed and wrapped Cloud in a hug as much as she could. She kept saying, 'Thank you' over and over again.

Cloud scratched his head. He didn't think he was doing much. He knew he could do a lot more but… he has his issues.

What he didn't know was that despite his initial response of saying 'he couldn't help', he just went to the top of Lili's list of people she liked. He's the only one on the list but the point stands.

~X~

~ Present Day ~

Cloud came back from his flashback of that time. Seems things haven't gone up for Lili. He had to make sure.

"Right… I think I remember. Were those four people I knocked out the same four from two years ago," Cloud said.

"Yeah…" Lili nodded.

"Things haven't gotten better?" Cloud said, worried that he didn't do enough.

Lili shook her head. "No, things are… okay. Lili… I've been hiding here almost all the time. They couldn't find me, but… I messed up today and got caught. Now they know I've been hiding here."

"I see," Cloud thought about things. "Are the Soma Familia the same?"

"Yes," Lili grimaced. "Captain Zanis still controls the whole familia… The Soma Familia has a reputation of thieves and thugs. And with how adventurers are to supporters, it's hard to make money."

Cloud sighed. The more things change, the more they stay the same. He felt like he was going to say that line many times.

"With your hiding spot revealed, you can't stay here anymore," Cloud said and Lili looked extremely sad. "Do you want to come with me when I leave the city?"

Lili froze and stared at him in shock. Then she hugged him.

Cloud jumped back to the top of the liked list again. He's still the only one on that list.

Still, something was bothering him. Now that the criminals of the Soma Familia know Lili is hiding here, there's a good chance that they might try to break into this place to get to her.

And he will be damned if he let that happen.

~X~

~ Hostess of Fertility ~

Cloud finished his story as he looked at all the listeners at the table.

"So, Ithil, do you want to help me take down the Soma Familia?"

Ithil responded with a held tilt in thought before a smile spread across her face.

~X~

Author's Note:

Chapter Done!

A small glimpse into Cloud's past and the fact he's met Lili before.

Lucky for Ithil, huh? Convincing Lili that she wants to help is a lot easier now.

As always, constructive criticism is appreciated.