A young Bell walked through the fields of the Demeter familia farm. His tiny body struggled to carry the giant basket but he persevered anyway.
The other farm hands watched and smiled, greeting the young boy as he passed them. Bell tried his best to respond but with all his focus on carrying the basket, he found it hard.
That was until Lunoire appeared next to him. "Oh Bell, that basket is way too big for you. Here let me help you."
Lunoire attempted to take the basket from Bell but the boy resisted. "No, I can carry it!" He protested.
Lunoire held her hands up and watched as Bell kept waddling down the fields. A few minutes later with Lunoire by his side, Bell had made it to Demeter.
The goddess turned and smiled at Bell. Her hands giving him little claps as he set the bucket down. "Good job Bell, I knew you could do it. Now why don't you and Lunoire help me put these cabbages away."
The two did so. Lunoire putting away more cabbages than Bell. Which was a given she was taller and older than the four-year-old Bell.
Once they finished loading the basket Demeter stood up and brushed the dirt off her legs. "Alright, it's time to take this back."
"I'll do it!" Bell cried out. Demeter and Lunoire watched with amusement as Bell tried to pick the basket up. It was full of cabbages and unfortunately, his small body was no match for it.
Bell huffed and crossed his arms. "Hmmph, I can't do it." He pouted.
Demeter giggled while Lunoire ruffled his hair. "Nice try, but maybe wait til you're a little older before trying again."
"It was a stupid basket anyway," Bell grumbled.
Demeter picked Bell up and kissed him on the cheek. "You're so adorable Bell."
"What was that for?" Bell asked referring to the kiss.
"Oh you're just so cute sometimes I can't help myself." Demeter playfully answered.
Bell grumbled some more as Lunoire started taking the basket to storage. Demeter followed suit carrying Bell in her arms.
The atmosphere was peaceful, calm, and loving. The exact kind of atmosphere a young boy needed.
.
.
.
.
Bell's eyes fluttered open and his vision was met with a white ceiling. He groaned in pain at the light and moved his hand to cover his eyes.
Only for them to widen in shock as he was met with a bandaged stump. Bell let out a scream and shot up in his bed.
His breathing was short and quick. He couldn't get a deep breath in. His hand was missing. His hand was missing. His hand was missing.
A comforting hand on his shoulder caused Bell to jump. He got ready to force-push whoever grabbed him but stopped when he saw Aria looking at him.
She had a kind and comforting smile on her face. Her hand was soft and it rubbed a comforting circle on his back.
"Deep breaths Bell. You're ok." Aria cooed.
Bell's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "Ok? Ok! My hand is gone! I am not ok!"
Aria's soft grip tightened and her eyes started into Bell's own. The boy calmed down a little seeing the care and warmth they held.
Like a mother looking at their child.
"Bell, deep breaths. You're in the hospital. You're safe." Aria cooed once more.
Bell's eyes shot around the hospital as his other hand grabbed his stump. His breathing was starting to slow down and his eyes focused more.
"See, you're safe. Now deep breaths Bell. Deep breaths." Aria comforted. Her hand rested on Bell's right shoulder.
Bell still looked at the stump where his right hand used to be. He closed his eyes and sighed remembering how he lost it.
Before his eyes shot open in fear. "Alise! What happened to her? Is she safe? Is she alright?" Bell worriedly asked.
Aria fully grabbed Bell's shoulders this time and turned him to face her. Aria's face was still soft and gentle. She wasn't angry at Bell for being worried but he needed to calm down.
"Bell, she's fine, Ardee got her out of the Coliseum when you and that man jumped away. She's here too but has lost her voice for a little bit. Airmid wants to keep her for a few days to see if there's any more lasting damage." Aria explained.
Bell took another deep breath before looking down. He took too long reacting to Maul and Alise got hurt because of it.
He felt even more ashamed once he realized his anger had taken over him. All his training and he threw it out the window when one of his friends got hurt.
Some Jedi he was.
"What happened...after Maul and I left the Coliseum?" Bell shakily asked. Memories of the fight kept replaying in his head. It scared Bell how easily everything went out the window for him.
"Well, the city immediately went into a panic. Shakti and the Ganesha familia were able to secure things pretty easily since they had their full focus on evacuation. Which made finding you my job. You're lucky you were so reckless as that made it easy." Aria explained.
Bell brought his knees to his chest and looked down more. Locks of his unkempt hair covered his eyes as he remained quiet.
Aria tilted her head in confusion as to why Bell suddenly went quiet. "What's wrong Bell?"
Bell was quiet for another minute before speaking. "I let my anger take control of me. I let it control my actions and how I fought. That's not how I was taught."
Aria's face softened even more as she pulled Bell into a hug. The boy didn't resist and let her do so. "Bell, you reacted in the way anyone would react to seeing a friend hurt. You got angry and that's normal. You're a human after all."
Bell growled. "But I'm not supposed to be like that! I was taught using my anger was a pathway to the dark side. That if I used the force like that my downfall would follow soon after."
Aria ran her hand through Bell's hair as the boy shook. "Bell, you won't fall to the dark side. You had one slip up and Alise is fine. You saved her life and diverted that man's attention away from everyone else. Look more at the good, not the bad."
Bell closed his eyes before he pulled away from Aria's touch. He laid back down and faced away from her. Too ashamed to look her in the eye anymore.
"I'm sorry but I can't see it that way. I tapped into a power I wasn't supposed to. Alise got hurt because Maul was coming for me. I'm glad you saved me but everything that happened here was my fault." Bell said. His eyes were shut tight to prevent the tears from streaming down his face.
Aria sighed but stayed with Bell nonetheless. As they sat there in silence Bell lamented over how weak he was. Maul was a true Sith and Bell got his ass kicked by him.
And his dream was to go to the front to fight people exactly like him.
Bell rolled his eyes at that. Who was he kidding? If he couldn't stand up to someone like Maul what chance did he have in the war?
Bell let out a sigh before he shut his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to sleep. To forget everything that happened for a little bit.
But his eyes shot open as he remembered something important. "Ardee! Haruhime! Are they ok?!" Bell yelled as he shot up.
Only to be met with the two walking inside the room. Bell's outburst startled them and nearly caused them to drop their food. But they held onto it in the end.
Their eyes filled with tears seeing Bell awake. Causing them to drop their bags and rush to the boy to hug him.
.
.
.
.
Airmid stood next to Alise as she gave the girl one last check-up. Alise was raring and ready to go. She wanted to get out of here and visit Bell since he had woken up.
She had heard from Ardee that Bell was pretty injured. He had lost his right hand, broke his back from jumping off Orario's wall, and cracked his head open.
Alise wished she could use her voice to tell Airmid to hurry up. She was fine, she just couldn't talk. It wasn't that big of a deal.
"Alright, everything seems to be fine. Is your throat still hurting you?" Airmid asked as she stepped back.
Airmid was a small pale woman with silver hair and purple eyes. She was dressed in a white nurse's uniform with blue accents on the shoulders and golden accents on her arms.
On her head was a small little doctor's hat that she liked to wear. It had no practical uses being a hat and all. But it's how most people recognized her from afar.
Alise quickly nodded her head at Airmid's question before writing in her notebook.
It still hurts a little bit but nothing I can't handle. Now can you let me out of here?
Airmid sighed seeing the words. Alise had been asking the same question for the last few days now.
"Alise your windpipe was nearly crushed and you went nearly three minutes without oxygen. I just want to make sure your brain isn't damaged." Airmid calmly explained.
Alise was quick to scribble in her notepad.
I know but I promise you I'm fine. All
My fingers and toes still work. Now can I go?
Airmid sighed again and shook her head. "Well, my checkup on you is complete. You seem to be fine so yes you're free to go."
Alise quickly shot to her feet and rushed out of the room. Airmid yelled after her, however.
"He's in room 25B!"
Alise would've said thanks but she couldn't talk. Airmid knew she was grateful though as she began to clean Alise's room.
After a few minutes of speed walking Alise arrived at the Bell's hospital room. When she opened the door she saw Bell sitting in his bed. Resting his stump on his knee.
His snow-white hair was messy and unkempt. His eyes were hollow and gaunt. Filled with shame.
He didn't look like the Bell she knew at all.
Hearing her enter Bell raised his head and his eyes filled with a tiny amount of joy. He gave her a weak smile glad to see she was alright.
"Hey, I'm glad you're ok." He said. His voice was filled with relief but his posture didn't change at all.
Alise was slightly put off by this Bell. But it was to be excepted. He had fought a Sith Lord and lost his hand in the process. Alise didn't know the full story but that much she did know.
"You can take a seat if you want," Bell said. His voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she did what he suggested.
Once doing so Bell turned slightly to face her. He noticed the notepad and pen she carried with her and his eyes filled with even more shame.
Alise noticed this and was quick to scribble her thoughts down.
Not your fault
She showed the words to Bell but the boy didn't seem to believe them.
"I took too long saving you. He nearly killed you all to make a point to me." Bell grumbled.
You still saved me. I'm alive because of you.
Bell clicked his tongue. "You're alive because I used the Dark Side. I shot lightning out of my fingertips and I wanted to kill him. I even killed-
Bell's face suddenly turned green as he remembered he did kill someone. Alise quickly looked around the hospital room before grabbing a trash can and handing it to Bell.
She handed it to him not a second too soon as Bell expelled his breakfast from his stomach. It had been terrible hospital food but it came up nonetheless.
Alise sat there and waited for Bell to be done. And when he was she took the trashcan away and comforted Bell as he started shaking.
In all his self-pity and self-hatred Bell forgot he had killed a person. It had happened so fast and then his fight with Maul happened. He simply forgot about the man he had cut down.
What type of Jedi did that? Bell and Alise didn't talk much after that.
.
.
.
.
A few days later and Bell was finally discharged from the hospital. He had been unconscious for four days and awake for three. Airmid had done her final check-up on him and gave him a clean bill of health.
His stump was still bandaged up and Bell made sure to hide it with his sleeve. He was ashamed to look at it since it highlighted his failure.
Aria, Haruhime, and Ardee were there to see him home. Astraea had taken Alise home and was pampering her first child.
Alise wanted to protest to the princess treatment but having no voice made that difficult for her as Astraea seemed to ignore her messages of protest.
The group walked through the city with Bell not saying a word or registering who was around him. He just kept his eyes forward as he headed home.
Once they arrived outside the city's northern gate Ardee tapped Bell on the shoulder. He turned to her and struggled to meet her gaze. It hurt Ardee to see him like this and she didn't know what to do to help him.
"Here, I held onto your lightsaber while you were in the hospital. I think you should have it back now." She nervously said.
Bell reached out with his right hand to take it. Before he remembered it was gone and grabbed it with his left.
It felt foreign doing that. He was so used to doing it right-handed as he had done so all his life. He'd have to look into a prosthetic later.
But right now he mostly just wanted to go home and rest. Alfia and Zald would be back soon and he needed to talk with them. They had been keeping secrets from him. Secrets he needed to know the truth about.
"Thank you, Ardee." He mumbled. His voice was quiet and puny.
He clipped the lightsaber to his belt before making the rest of the way to the Wheat Manor. Haruhime and Ardee just looked at each other worriedly before Aria got their attention.
"Just stay with him. He's going through a rough time right now and he'll need people by his side. Be there and you'll notice the difference soon." She said. Her words rang out like someone who had been alive for thousands of years.
The two girls nodded and hurried to catch up to Bell. Aria kept her pace and watched from afar. She was trying to figure out what to do to help Bell more.
But all she could think of was to show him that he wasn't alone and that he's not a bad person for using the Dark Side.
Aria was having trouble on figuring out what to say. But she'd figured it out if it meant helping him after all.
His father may be dead but Aria wasn't going to let the same happen to Bell.
.
.
.
.
The next few days went by in a blur for Bell. Since he was used to using his right hand for almost everything.
He could still feel his hand despite it not being there.
Demeter was overcome with emotion when she saw him. It wasn't as bad when she first visited him at the hospital but seeing no light in his eyes really broke her heart.
But Bell tried his best to soldier on. He was waiting for Alfia and Zald to come back and it felt like it was taking them forever.
However after a few more days of waiting they finally arrived. And they were accompanied by a guest.
"So that's why they took so long." Bell thought to himself.
.
.
.
.
Bell sat in the Wheat Manor common room. He could hear the voices of Alfia and Zald talking with Demeter.
From what Bell could pick up they were discussing living accommodations for their new guest. Bell wasn't able to see them but he guessed it was who Alfia and Zald helped in Rakia.
Bell sighed as he heard Demeter's voice drop mentioning his name. Despite not seeing her Bell could sense Alfia's alertness skyrocket.
She immediately asked where Bell was and was directed to the common room. Not wasting another word she took off and Bell heard the door open behind him.
When Alfia entered she saw Bell sitting in a chair in the center of the room. With two other chairs directly in front of him. Alfia quirked an eyebrow at this and called out to Bell.
"Bell, is everything alright?" She worriedly asked approaching him.
Before she could reach him however Bell spoke. "Get Zald and have a seat, please. There's a lot we need to talk about."
Alfia stopped in her tracks and was slightly unnerved by Bell's tone. How monotone and dead it was. But she stepped back and peeked her head out the door yelling for Zald.
The man appeared a few seconds later and noticed the scene as well. Alfia was the first to take her seat with Zald following shortly.
Both were sitting across from Bell who had his eyes downcast and hands covered by his sleeves. Alfia and Zald grew worried seeing him in this state before he spoke.
"How was Rakia? Did everything go well?" He asked. His eyes not leaving the ground. To the two adults, Bell looked scared to meet them in the eyes.
Alfia and Zald looked at each other before looking back at Bell. Zald was the one to speak up, however.
"It went well, the goddess Phobos was asking for our help to smuggle one of her familia out of the country. It took us longer than we would like but we succeeded in the end. He's around your age so maybe you two will get along?" Zald explained. He smiled while doing so in hopes of cheering up the atmosphere.
Bell didn't reply. He just nodded and looked to the side. Into the cold fireplace that wasn't lit. Alfia seeing this took her turn to speak up.
"So how was Monsterphelia Bell? Did you have fun with Ardee and Haruhime?" She asked. Bell's entire attitude and posture were starting to scare her.
Bell took a deep breath before he finally faced the two. "Monsterphelia didn't go so well. They didn't even get to close out the first act this year."
Alfia started firing off rapid questions. "What happened? Was there a monster attack? I told Ganesha he should've-
"A Sith Lord appeared." Bell cut her off. His tone of voice caught Alfia and Zald by surprise. He didn't stop to let them speak as he kept talking, however.
"He didn't appear at first. He had four Dark Jedi with him. Underlings that did his every bidding. They attacked Alise and I with a fanatic fervor. We took them down of course. But I had to kill a man in the end."
Alfia's eyes widened in shock and she wanted nothing more than to comfort Bell. But Zald stopped her and signaled for him to keep going.
"After that, the Sith Lord appeared. He had Alise on her knees with his lightsaber to her throat. He killed the last Dark Jedi like it wasn't an issue. Just a simple flick of his wrist and the man was dead. Then we spoke and he seemed to know me. He said I send ripples through the force because of my hatred for the Empire. He said he'd take me as an apprentice and then began to choke Alise."
Alfia and Zald remained silent as Bell kept speaking. They leaned forward in anticipation of how this story ended.
"As he was choking her he held me down. Made me listen and goaded me own about how weak I was holding that hatred back. I told him to stop but he wouldn't. Alise was flailing wildly in the air at this point and I just snapped. I was able to break his hold and in an attempt to free Alise I shot lighting from my hand."
Alfia placed her hand to her mouth while Zald remained stone-faced. Both had a feeling Bell wasn't done yet and they were right.
He wasn't.
"It worked and he dropped her. Then I called a lightsaber to my hand and we fought. But the lightsaber I had wasn't mine. It was red but I didn't care. I wanted nothing more than to kill Maul. He used that to his advantage and took me to the top of Orario's walls. We fought there for a little while longer. Until he grew tired of the fight."
Bell stopped speaking and reached for his sleeve. He pulled it up revealing his stump to the two. Alfia let out a strangled cry and Zald's face softened considerably.
"He cut off my hand and said together we would destroy the Empire. That we would kill every man, woman, and child and completely wipe them off the map. I refused and jumped off the wall. He followed and would've gotten me if Aria didn't send him flying away. It's because of her that I'm still here."
With those final words, Bell stopped speaking and rested his stump on his knee. Alfia looked like she was about to cry while Zald looked horrified at the story.
Bell didn't say anything more and Alfia took that chance to rush him. She grabbed his shoulder and hugged him. Bell was taken by surprise, why wasn't she angry at him for using the Dark Side?
She wasn't yelling at him or berating him. She was crying.
"Wait why is she crying?" Bell wondered. Was she that disappointed in him for using the Dark Side that it brought her to tears?
Bell started to feel even more ashamed before Alfia spoke. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I wasn't here." She mumbled.
Bell was even more confused. It wasn't her fault that things happened the way that they did. "What…why are you sorry?" Bell asked.
Alfia sniffled and looked at Bell in the eyes. Her own were filled with pain, strife, and self-hatred. "Because I wasn't here to save you. You went through all of that-
Alfia's voice broke but she continued on. "You went through all of that because we weren't here to protect you like we should've been. Your hand…your hand's gone. Don't worry Bell we'll get you the best prosthetic money can buy. I promise-
Bell grabbed Alfia's shoulder and squeezed. His eyes started to fill with tears as he was even more confused than before.
Why wasn't she angry at him?
"Why…why aren't you mad at me?!" He said. His voice sounded like a broken whimper.
"It was then Zald spoke up. "Wha- why would we be mad at you Bell?"
"Because I used the Dark Side! I used my hatred and my anger to fight Maul! I threw everything you taught me out the window and look where that got me!" Bell yelled. Tears streamed down his face as he gestured to his stump.
It was then that Zald stood up and walked over to Bell. He placed his heavy hand on the boy's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
"Yes, you used the Dark Side. But you used it to protect Alise first and kill this Maul figure second. We're willing to overlook this because you know it's wrong but also because you suffered for losing control. We see no point in punishing you further."
Bell wiped his tears before he remembered the other question he had. Since they were getting everything out in the open might as well ask.
"How come you never told me I sent ripples throughout the force?"
.
.
.
.
Bell, Alfia, and Zald now sat around a round table in the common room. In between them was a red bowl filled with water.
The sunlight from the window next to them shone into the water's reflection making it easier to see. Next to the bowl were two stones. One small and one big.
"Now the reason we never told you that you send ripples throughout the force is because everyone does to some extent. Think of the force as the water in this bowl. Right now it's still and calm. But if I were to take this rock."
Alfia picked the smaller one up between her two fingers and dropped it into the bowl. The small splash sent ripples throughout the water.
"It will result in a splash that causes ripples. However, replace that rock with someone using the force and you have the same result." Alfia explained.
"But Maul implied he was able to find me because of the ripples I sent…he's also been calling out to me as well," Bell mumbled that last part.
Alfia stopped what she was doing and Bell's two caretakers looked at him. This was one of the times they wished Zeus wasn't off visiting his wife at the front.
"What do you mean he's been speaking to you? And how come you've never told us before?" Zald asked.
Bell looked down at the table. "Because I didn't know what to make of it. It was a disembodied voice that would call out to me from time to time. I wasn't even sure the voice was real until I met Maul. But what does that say about the ripples I'm sending if he was able to sense that when I was 12?" Bell asked.
"It means the ripples you're sending are a lot bigger than ours," Alfia answered dropping the bigger rock in.
Bigger waves rippled in the bowl after she did so. But then Bell grew confused.
"But how am I sending out bigger ripples than the two of you? I'm nowhere close to your level and Maul seemed to be on a whole other dimension." Bell asked.
"Because you're only 14 Bell. Mastering your saber forms and gaining mastery over the force takes decades. You're still just a Padawan." Zald explained.
Bell sighed in understanding. "Alright, I think I'm starting to understand better. But that still doesn't answer my question. I'm sending out bigger ripples than the two of you. Maul wanted me as an apprentice purely by my hatred alone."
"It's because you'll surpass us one day Bell." Alfia curtly answered.
Bell's eyes widened and his head snapped to Alfia. "What?" He breathily asked.
"She's right, one day when you're older you'll be stronger than us. It's only a given considering your father was the one to kill the OEBD." Zald added.
Bell didn't know how to feel about this. On the one hand, he was glad that he'd surpass them one day. But on the other hand, he was scared. If he surpassed them would it be him protecting them?
"Why don't we take a break from everything today and get the measurements we need for your prosthetic?" Alfia suggested.
"I would like that," Bell answered quickly. He was getting tired of not having a right hand. And this conversation was starting to wear him down.
So with the conversation over for now, they started making preparations to make Bell a new hand.
.
.
.
.
Off in a forest near Altena people were dying. A crimson red blade cut them down as they ran through the forest.
But no matter how fast they ran the red blade always cut them down. One after another like clockwork.
What had once been a party of nearly a hundred had been cut down to fifty then to twenty five down to fifteen and now all that remained were five.
However, the walls of Altena were in sight. If only one of them could make it then they could warn the city of what was coming.
The four oldest people there made a pact without saying a word. Instead of running to the city they turned around and shouted.
"Run and warn them Rethusa!"
The Artemis familia captain couldn't respond as the group she was with ran deeper into the forest. She lost sight of them because of the darkness and the trees.
But the sound of a saber cutting through flesh met her ears. One slash, two slash, three slash, four.
Then silence as she exited the forest.
Well, it's been a while since I've touched this story. To be honest I had half this chapter done for a while but didn't like how it was turning out and deleted the whole thing.
But now it's over and done with and you get to see how the story advances. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and I'll see you later.