During a time in the afternoon at the Hearth Mansion.
The Hestia Familia members minus Bell are all present in their Home's living room area as the group's female members had just been sent back after being caught by the Hell Knights patrolling the city area.
Right now, the Familia especially Hestia and Lili look rather moody because of how they couldn't get to Bell when he left their Home.
"just who did Bell-kun make the sandwiches for?" Hestia mumbled in a pout as she and Lili are just pacing back and forth near a couch as they are trying to figure out on who the sandwiches are for. "they were a basket full and he looked so happy in making them!"
"Could they really be for someone else than us?" Lili asks before she gawked in horror. "a new woman!?"
"What!?" Hestia cried out in shock.
"would you two just try and calm down for a moment?" Welf asks them while looking awkward to how the two are just panicking. "Bell must've made those sandwiches for someone who is a friend of the Kaisers, right?"
"Welf-dono might be correct." Mikoto stated after raising her right hand. "after Bell-dono returned, we've learned that he had met with various people who are the Kaisers' trusted comrades in the past."
"Bell-sama might've just gone to meet them and thought to make the sandwiches as a friendly gesture." Haruhime added in. "is that not possible?"
Listening to the Renard's guess, Hestia and Lili thought about it and could only agree with such notion.
"well, thinking about how Bell-kun really is…." "It's a possibility and everything." Hestia and Lili spoke out in following each other's words.
"so we can practically agree that Bell is just away to do more meetings with other trusted comrades of the Kaisers, right?" Welf asks, seeing how Hestia and Lili aren't making any more complaints and such.
"I guess we can." Mikoto stated as Haruhime nodded in agreement.
As the little debate had come to an end, the door to the Hearth Mansion was heard opened as everyone turned to the nearby doorway.
"Bell-kun/-sama is back!" Hestia and Lili cried out as they went to the door before fighting a bit on getting it open. "hey! Back off!"
"this is getting tiresome by the second." Welf said after sighing.
After a minute of fighting, the door was opened as Hestia and the others came out and looked around for Bell but they became surprised and confused when they see their Captain with Shakti who had arrived to the Home with the Rabbit Foot.
"eh? Ganesha Familia's Ankusha?" Lili spoke out in surprise in seeing Shakti.
"apologies for my interruption into your Home, Hestia Familia." Shakti spoke out while bowing her head once before she looks down and frowns a bit to Bell who is just sobbing with his hands holding himself. "but I needed to get Bell back to his Home."
"Bell-kun?! What's wrong!?" Hestia and the others became worried as they went straight to Bell. "Bell-kun?! Why are you crying!? Did someone hurt you!?"
Bell just sobs softly as he just continues to do so while not replying to anyone.
"just what had happened while he was away?" Welf asks Shakti. "what made Bell cry?"
"not what…" Shakti shakes her head before she looks at Bell and gently guided him pass his Familia members and to the stairs. "but who."
This leaves everyone more confused as they didn't understand what had happened.
"someone made Bell-sama in such a state?" Haruhime spoke out in confusion as she and Mikoto looks at one another. "for there to be such a person…"
"there can only be one." Mikoto stated after nodding.
"Aiz Wallenstein." Hestia whispers before having a serious face. "she made Bell-kun cry."
On the second floor and in Bell's room, the door was opened by Shakti as she entered then guides its owner inside.
"come on, Bell. Let's get you to your bed and…" Shakti spoke as she guided Bell to his bed but stops when she finds that Zagreus was in the room and sitting by the opened window, the Bloody Kaiser gazing to the view outside before he turned his head to look at her. "Zagreus Kaiser!? You are here?!"
"you say that like you are surprised." Zagreus said as he gets off his seat and then went to his son who he helped settle down to his bed, the Kaiser then gently wiped away his tears before doing a finger snap that made the young man instantly fall asleep. "perhaps you lack training of your own awareness."
"n-no, I was just surprised that you were here and.." Shakti said as Zagreus settled his son into his bed and caresses his head before he glances at her direction. The Ankusha stopped talking before she firmed herself up and stood straight. "apologies, It has just been an eventful day and I was rather tensed at the time."
"That is an understatement." Zagreus said as he looks back at his son and stares at his sleeping face. "You've allowed my son to encounter her and only acted when commanded by Makaria." He stood up straight and looks at Shakti with his eyes glowing. "care to explain?"
Shakti had a bead of sweat slide down the side of her cheek as she felt very tense in facing the man who could literally kill her with a single glare if he wanted to.
"i-i…I had thought that the punishment upon the Loki Familia was harsh and that such things were proven to be violent." Shakti spoke out as she pauses a bit before continuing. "but…I only understood the reason for such violence and aggression after the encounter with Aiz Wallenstein. I have come to terms and understood as to why she isn't allowed to be near Bell."
"is that all you have to say for yourself?" Zagreus asks as he squinted his glowing eyes and gave a strong glaring gaze upon Shakti who only nodded her head in response. "I see.." he then slowly turns to look at Bell as he peacefully sleeps on his bed. "if you were to say such words to Melinoe or Polemos, they would without a doubt force you back into the Chronos Stasis and train you in ways that make death seem like child's play."
"i-I see…" Shakti replied, a bit unnerved at the imagination of facing either the Blade Kaiser or Arc Kaiser.
Zagreus now remains silent for a moment as he stares at his sleeping son, the Bloody Kaiser watching him breathe slowly in his sleep.
"Shakti Varna, I'm adding a new task in your mission of protecting Bell." Zagreus said as Shakti made a noise in reply, the Kaiser then turns to look at her. "if that Aiz Wallenstein ever come near my son again with or without any intention, remove her from the environment by any means necessary."
"by any means necessary…" Shakti spoke before she looks a bit conflicted. "but that would just mean…"
"you had believed that our cause was noble and just." Zagreus stated while turning around to face Shakti. "Protecting Bell is just a part of that cause and removing that brat is a necessary means."
"even so…" Shakti muttered while frowning and looking down. "I still believed that there should be a better way to protect the future."
"There are better ways, but they would take time." Zagreus said as he held up his right hand towards Shakti, the Kaiser had shadows gather around his palm which then conjured up a vial of glowing pink liquid to appear. "and that is something we don't have the luxury."
Shakti looks at Zagreus for a moment before to the vial as she held up a hand to reach for it but stopped for a moment in hesitance but she soon takes it from him.
"do what is needed for the safety of the future, Shakti Varna." Zagreus said as he begins walking pass Shakti while dark shadow began to surround his entire body. "I'm trusting you to protect my son."
A second later, Zagreus gets fully enveloped by the shadows before he disperses into black sparkles.
With the Bloody Kaiser gone, Shakti is left with the sleeping Bell. The Brave Kaiser frowns as she holds up and looks upon the vial she was given.
"even if it is to protect the future…." Shakti whispers before she looks to Bell who remains asleep even with the conversation between her and his father. The Brave Kaiser frowns a bit more before she closed her eyes and sighs softly. "I just hope that you can forgive us, Bell."
Shakti went to Bell's side as she came near his side then gently turns before lifting his head up. The Brave Kaiser pops open the vial's lid then proceeds to pours the pink liquid into the sleeping young man's lips which then flows down his throat.
Bell unconsciously gulped and drinks the liquid as he drank it all.
After the content of the vial was emptied, Shakti pocketed the vial and then gently rested Bell's head on his pillow before slowly combing and caressing his hair.
"please rest well." Shakti whispers before she backs away and then turns to walk straight for the door which she gently opened and then exited the room.
Meanwhile in the Underworld Castle. Thalia is found in a part of the Library in the Kaiser Familia's Home as she is in the middle of watching over Airmid who is reading books after books filled with medicinal technique, ingredients, and etc. the Saint Kaiser teaching and training her successor in her ways.
"Understand that these medicinal records are all written by the greatest healers of Orario who came before you." Thalia stated with her arms crossed as she hugged her Saint Cross to her chest. "albeit their methods are strange and illogical, they have proven to be excellent cures for every known sickness, injuries, curses, and etc." she went near Airmid who seems to be immersed in the books that she is reading. "I'm going to pound into you everything I know about medicine and then I'll do whatever I can to raise your magic healing capabilities, so that it'll be on par with my own."
"yes." Airmid replied while nodding, her expression seemingly only that of curiosity, excitement, and that of anxiousness as she is reading information about medicinal herbs, cures, mixtures that she has never known or even thought about. "I understand."
Thalia looks at Airmid and could only let out a small chuckle.
'haven't seen one being this immersed in learning medicine for some decades.' Thalia thought to herself before she sighs. 'I guess it was the right choice for her to be my successor.'
As Thalia continues her lecture with Airmid, Ploutos made an appearance in the library as the Iron God Kaiser walked to the Saint Kaiser while carrying a silverish white tome like book under his right arm. The item having the Kaiser Familia's symbol on the back cover while on the front cover it has a lock and chains in the shape of a Snake's head with a round sapphire gem on its forehead.
"never seen a healer wanting to be more than a healer since the good old days." Ploutos said as he went near Thalia and looks at Airmid studying the books. "she's making progress?"
"Exponentially." Thalia replied. "I've taught many people to be healers, but she's by far the most gifted of them all. Not even Saina could even be compared to her."
"wow, that's something big, ain't it?" Ploutos whistles before he takes and hands the tome to Thalia. "here, I've finished making one of her new Kaiser Weapon as you've instructed."
"did you make sure that you got the OK from Makaria as well?" Thalia asks while taking the tome and checking it out. "this needs to have…"
"Paper made from Elder Treant's wood, leather from an Angus Boar's hide, and Mithril metal." Ploutos said while having a hand to his waist. "Makaria gave me the needed items and I made it as requested. So don't say that I didn't make it perfect."
"I guess so." Thalia said as she held her Saint Cross to the side and let it float out of her hand, the Saint Kaiser waving a hand over the Tome's sapphire jewel which begins to glow. "with everything that is going on, I'm just being a bit more attentive than usual."
"since when is your attentiveness a bit more than the usual?" Ploutos said while crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.
"since always." Thalia replied before the Tome unlocks itself and spreads open its pages that flutter. The Saint Kaiser nicked her right hand's index finger with the nail of her thumb as her blood then drips upon the center of the tome and gets sucked in.
The tome begins to glow white as magic runes begins to appear inscribing themselves upon the pages of the book. Ploutos watches from the sidelines as so did Airmid who however was just focused on her study.
After a minute or two, the tome's pages flutters and the cover closed then lock itself up.
"there." Thalia said as she takes her Saint Cross back before passing the tome to Ploutos. "I've inscribed all my knowledge in it and now it only needs the other Kaiser's blessings for it to properly function."
"I got it." Ploutos said as he takes off his gloves and pocketed them before taking hold of the tome. "might as well bless it now than later." The Iron God Kaiser followed in action with what Thalia did as he nicked his right hand's thumb then drops a few of his blood upon the tome's snake head lock. The red liquid disappears into the sapphire jewel which turns red for a moment before reverting to its blue hue. "There."
"Sister Melinoe should be back with Brother Polemos by now." Thalia said. "they should be waiting for the rest of us at the Conference Room."
"then that's where I'll be now." Ploutos said as he turns and walks away before he disappeared from the library in a flash.
"he just wants to get away from the book's smells as always." Thalia sighs a bit before she faces Airmid who continues to study. "and this one is too immersed in it." She shakes her head. "why am I always surrounded by these type of people?"
As Thalia was about to continue to lecture Airmid, Makaria made a sudden appearance near her.
"you're back early." Thalia said as she turned to face her. "Shakti got Bell home early or what?"
"something like that." Makaria replied before sighing a bit loudly as she turns towards Airmid and then at Thalia. "think you can leave your student/future successor here for a moment while you and I chat?"
"don't even bother asking, she's immersed in studying medicine unlike a certain someone we know." Thalia said before she and Makaria begins to leave the library and Airmid inside. The two female Kaisers are now walking in the hallway. "so? What's the need for the talk?"
"something weird just happened to me while I was watching over Bell." Makaria said as she taps her right hand's index finger to her forehead before she then tapped Thalia's forehead. "check it out."
Thalia's eyes glows blue under her blindfold for a moment as she made a noise before a confused expression appears on her face.
"was that…Meteria?" Thalia asks while facing Makaria who nodded her head. "she looked like…."
"a spirit? Or a ghost?" Makaria said before nodding. "yeah, it's weird beyond words." She and Thalia then continued walking. "I mean, Meteria never had any skills or whatsoever during her time in Hera Familia, right? Was I hallucinating or what?"
"I've checked you and everyone after our fight against that monster, no damage to our mind whatsoever could give you hallucinations." Thalia stated before she paused and Makaria looks at her. "unless…"
"unless what?" Makaria asks.
"I have some theories but there're three probable ones for what you've encountered." Thalia said while crossing her arms and hugging her Saint Cross to her chest. "the first one would be I misdiagnosed you when I was healing everyone at the same time which leads to a hallucination of Meteria's Spirit, and the second one would be that it was Meteria's spirit conjured by a Skill that only manifested during her time of death."
"is that even possible?" Makaria asks. "Skills only appear after accumulating enough Excelsia in a blessed person's body, but Meteria never managed to accumulate that much because of her sickness, right?"
"Excelsia are experience and you don't actually need to dive into the Dungeon to accumulate them." Thalia said as she cups and scratches her chin. "even an experience with near death is enough for a skill to appear before the time of her demise."
"then what about the third theory?" Makaria asks. "you said that there are three probable theories."
"the last one would be that Meteria is somehow still alive and her spirit is away from her body." Thalia said and Makaria made a surprised noise. "her spirit somehow taking an astral like presence in this world while her body is somewhere else."
"you can't be serious, Thalia." Makaria said in a bewildered voice. "we were all there with Meteria and you said it yourself that you can't do anything to save her life even with your powers."
"yeah, I couldn't save her with my powers." Thalia nodded before turning to look at a painted frame of Meteria with Zagreus, the Saint Kaiser focusing on the Bloody Kaiser's image. "but I know someone with the power to save her if he really wanted to."
That's a wrap!
Bye bye