Inside a lavish interior room that the Guild had provided for the urgent meeting regarding the recent report of a certain seal that was started to weaken. The tension in the room was heavy as a twin-tailed goddess sat at the round table while three more individuals were a cross from her while using glowing projectors to show their image.
"So….according to your report, that the seal of the dragon is weakening." Restated an old bearded man with an eye patch on his eye while massaging his temple. "That is problematic, what is the current situation now?"
"Well, currently we have a message from the prison at Dragon Valley, that the seal is still intact but one of the guards went mad muttering something before he was sent to the infirmary after passing out," Hestia stated reading the paper of the recent report of the seal. "Unfortunately, the guard is currently in a coma and it is unknown when he will wake up."
The Old man sighed as another headache appeared upon hearing the report. The sudden news of the seal was unexpected for them and were doing their best to find the reason. The Old man shifted his eyes a little looking at the one who was on his left.
"How about you Poseidon, any activities on yours?" he asked a muscular man with long light blue hair with golden eyes.
The man named Poseidon only shook his head in a negative, "No strange activity of the seal, but report of vine-like monsters were seen under the water, currently my children are secretly investigating it."
"All right, How about you Thor, is there any problem in the desert?" he then shifted his good eye to a huge man with gingered-colored hair and brown eyes.
The man named Thor answered the same as Poseidon as no strange activity was currently happening. This earned a nod from the Old man before returning his attention to the petite goddess.
"Well then, headquarters will send someone to inspect the dragon's prison to see the reason. While you Hestia and your Faction stay in Orario to monitor the Familias there to prevent any spread about the seal and our existence."
This time Hestia's eyes widen. "But Odin, we were- "She was about to interject the Old man revealed to be Odin.
"No more interjection," Odin ordered releasing a strong pressure even though he was a projection, soon the intense atmosphere slowly disappeared as Odin's gaze turned into a worried one. "Listen, Hestia, you and Bell Cranel are a newly appointed Faction in our Order to fill the hole that Zeus and Hera left, although there some of them are still active and still supporting the Order, they are only a few. And it would be a good opportunity to strengthen your Familia and recruit more."
Hestia only looked at Odin while the other two only nodded agreeing with what the old god suggested. Hestia is a new member of the group and is currently the weakest among them, it is a good plan to make her stay inside the city to strengthen hers.
"I agree with Odin, Hestia." This time Poseidon spoke looking at the petite goddess with a smile. "It's better to prepare for the worst, so it's a good choice that you and Bell would stay at Orario. Do you agree Ouranus? " He then shifted his eyes to a dark cloak figure with a crystal ball in front.
Only a hum of agreement could be heard coming from the crystal ball making Poseidon nod.
"Haa, Fine we'll do that." Hestia sighs reluctantly.
"HAHAHA, Don't worry Bell is with you so it won't be boring, right Bell," Poseidon said looking at the corner of the room where a figure of a young white-haired man stood with a slightly awkward look due to Poseidon's claim. "Well then, I have more work to do so I'll be leaving." He said before disappearing from the projection.
Thor followed suit claiming that he also needed to see something before leaving. After the two gods left only the three deities and their attendants were left.
"Before I go as well...the one who reported the news where is he right now?"
"The guard who reported the seal to us? Well….He is currently in the lobby of the guild waiting for orders." Hestia answered remembering the guard who reported the seal to them.
"He is one of my children. His name is Jason Clouse, and though he is only a new recruit, he is highly skilled in spearmanship for being level 1. Please relay to him what I'm about to say, due to his reckless use of the transport hub, a punishment is needed" Odin said.
Although the guard named Jason used the transport hub to report the seal, unfortunately, he had used it in a public area where it was forbidden to be used. After saying the punishment for his child's mistake Odin said his goodbyes and left.
"So, What now?" Hestia asked Ouranus.
"We're resolving another matter." Answered the old god from the crystal ball.
This made both Hestia and Bell look in confusion.
Rumors about the black dragon spread throughout Orario, fortunately, the Guild managed to cover up the rumors that were spreading and claimed it was a hoax and a drunk man's story. However, although many believed what the Guild said, some did not believe it, such as a certain trickster god who was there when the news about the dragon was said. This led this said god to barge into the Guild with some questions.
Before she could do anything, however, the Guild messaged all the top Familias of Orario to gather inside the chambers underneath the Guild. This made the trickster god more curious about current events and smiled feeling that it would entertain her for a while.
After that, the strongest gods of Orario gathered at the meeting place. The gods such as Hephaestus, Hermes, Ganesha, Astraea, Freya, and Loki, as well as their Familia's Captain were also present.
"So….Why did you gather us, Ouranus?" the one who asked was Loki who was smiling mischievously. The others also looked at the old god with the same question and were waiting for his response.
Hermes, remained quiet as he had already known beforehand the reason for the gathering and was looking for a certain little goddess with her captain in the room. This made his captain, Asfi, curious as to why her god was looking for something.
"What are you doing?"
"Looking for a certain duo, my dear Asfi." He answered with a wink making Asfi deadpanned. "Because I have a feeling it relates to that group."
Before the girl could question it, the old god spoke.
"I gathered all of you here due to a certain rumor about the black dragon 'waking up'."
"Yeah, mind explaining the dragon 'waking up'?" Loki asked. "A random guy suddenly appeared outside a pub wearing a strange white uniform yelling something about the Black dragon 'waking up'"
Loki's statement made everyone nod hearing similar rumors about the dragon. The old god only looked at Loki with neutrality as he only closed his eyes.
"I assure you, all your questions will be answered. What I'm about to say is information that is classified and in any circumstance is not allowed to be revealed in the public, do you understand?"
All gods nodded.
"Then….it started at the beginning where gods descended to the lower world, a time where monsters run rampant, and before the tower that cover the dungeon was created. Before any plans of building the very foundation of Orario began, a group of gods created an organization to serve to protect and maintain the peace by killing monsters deemed to be dangerous to Humanity's existence. Over time, many people have forgotten the group's existence leaving only tales and stories. However, the organization disbanded and still maintains its purpose to this day. This Organization was called 'Hidden Order' they work in the shadows helping where they are needed. And…their job was to maintain and guard the seals that imprison the monsters of the three great quest." The old god explained.
This made everyone surprised apart from Hermes who had already known the secret.
"Hey didn't, the two monsters from that three quest had already been slain." Asked Loki who was still shocked.
"Yes, the two monsters were slain but not killed." He said earning everyone to widen their eyes in surprise. Before anyone could ask he continued. "The monsters from the three great quests had lived for centuries and due to this when one of the monsters was slain it was revealed that they could even regenerate even when their stone was split into two. Due to that reason, the Order decided to seal them by using Ancient spells that were forgotten. It worked on the two monsters, Leviathan, and the Behemoth were sealed upon being slayed. However the Black Dragon was different, neither the Order managed to injure nor hurt the Dragon leading to the utter defeat of the Zeus and Hera Familia who were a part of the Order."
"So wait if Zeus and Hera were a part of the Order, why the hell we're learning about them right now?" Loki said.
"Because….when the Zeus and Hera Familia fall, the Order used all their remaining resources to seal the Black Dragon forcing it to sleep. But the cause was great and were forced to ignore their other duties leading to Orario's Dark Age, and others outside of Orario. They have slowly recovered and currently solving other problems. " Ouranus explained why they were just learning about the group.
"So what does this do to us then?"
This time the old god remained silent annoying the red-haired trickster.
"Hey! Answ-"
"Because we have no choice but to notify you guys, you flat-chested washboard." A sudden voice said this made everyone look in the direction of where the voice came from.
This made everyone look in surprise except Hermes who only grinned seeing the two…three? There was another one who was with them with a nervous look as if he was not supposed to be there. The trickster god recognized the third one as the one who suddenly barged into the pub and said the news about the Dragon. However, her focus was not on the man but on the petite goddess who suddenly called her out.
"What did ya' say? You boob for brain shorty!" she said in anger. "What are you even doin' here ha?!"
Before the fight between the two goddesses, Ouranus once again spoke.
"Let me introduce one of the Faction of the Hidden Order, Hestia, who will be staying here in Orario for the meantime along with her Familia to monitor all of you to prevent any spreading about the Dragon's seal and their existence under the disguise as a new formed Familia"
Although everyone was surprised, a certain blond-haired pallum raised his hand.
"How many members that would be monitoring us? If it's okay."
The one who replied was a white-haired teen who wore a full white commander uniform, "Unfortunately I'll be one to monitor all of you."
"And who are you?" the blond asked, although he had a clue who the mysterious individual was.
"I apologize, my name is Bell Cranel, the captain of Hestia Familia, a Commander from the Hidden Order, and the only current member. It is nice to meet you Finn Deimme, Captain of the Loki Familia." Bell extends his right hand at the blond named Finn.
Finn was a little bit surprised someone knew his full name but shook the boy's hand nonetheless.
"If I may Ask How will you monitor us if you're the only member?" the one who asked was a brown-haired woman wearing a white dress. Beside her was her Captain who was also curious about how the boy would monitor them.
"I will apologize for my rudeness goddess Astraea, but the way I would monitor will be classified." Bell bowed at the goddess named Astraea.
"Then if someone asked about the Dragon due to the spreading rumors, how will we handle it."
"You are free to say anything as long it would not connect to the seal and our existence. We have other matters as well that we will be doing, so we advise you Lady Astraea, and Lord Ganesha in advance that we will be interfering with some of your Familia's works."
Both gods nodded in affirmation. There were some questions regarding their purpose, and Bell truthfully explained all of them. However, when the gathering was about to finish a certain silver-haired goddess asked what the majority of the room wanted to know.
"If it's fine to ask, what is your level?"
Truthfully, she was not interested in the boy's level whether it was high or not, the thing she was curious about was the boy's soul. This made her interested in the boy upon seeing what kind of soul he had. Upon seeing the boy at first, she saw a pure and white translucent color, a soul that she had not seen before and this made her piqued her interest in the boy.
However, as the meeting moved on, little by little she noticed it was not just the pure and white color but a black one swirling in the middle though tiny as it was this made her curious. The black color in every mortal's soul always indicates a negative moment in their life, but the one on the boy's soul was far different from the rest as if the color itself is a protector for the soul, this made her want to take the boy more.
"Unfortunately my level is classified, but if I could compare my strength, is that I can handle my own with all of your Captain at once, unfortunately, I'll lose due to the quantity ." He said making everyone stare at him with mixed emotions. "One cannot determine the tide of a battle with just simple thinking right?"
For some strange reason, every captain who is an attendant in the meeting tenses up as they look at the boy.
"I'm not saying I can fight all of you at once with my strength but if given an opportunity…well I'm also curious." He said with an innocent smile on his face.
The atmosphere between the boy and the captains was intense, but it soon disappeared when Ouranus interfered.
"If all of you are satisfied, you may take your leave."
Once every god and captain except Hermes, and Hestia whom the latter talked to more about another matter related to the punishment of the certain guard who was more confused by the punishment.
In the Loki Familia's mansion
Loki and Finn were in their office analyzing the recent information and the existence of the Hidden Order. Finn who was still curious about the boy and the Order itself was deep in thought. Loki however, was a different case as she immaturely swung her legs while she was on her chair.
"Grr…what that shorty thinking? And that child of hers claiming she can handle us in a fight, I bet he would not last against my Ais." Loki stated still angry at what the white-haired boy said.
"Then what are going to do now? "
"The heck should I know, just let them be." She waved it off and looked around her desk for some wine to drink. "Besides, as long they don't mess with us, stalk the whole city if I care." She then proceeded to drink the wine she managed to find.
Finn only sighs before looking at his goddess again. "How about Ais and the others who were in the pub? Should we tell them?" he asked knowing the Blond-swordswoman reaction to hearing the news about the Dragon would be.
"Ha, you know what that's a good idea to tell them about the Dragon seal business."
"Are you sure? Because Bell Cranel said that he would be monitoring us to prevent any reveal that connects to them and their Order." The Blond pallum said recalling what the white-haired teen said.
"Just talk about the Dragon and not them. Besides how can one person monitor a hundred Familia at once?" she said before ordering Finn to gather the members who were in the pub.
Finn could not help but be uncomfortable as his thumb twitched a sign that something bad was about to happen if they continued their plan. However, he ignored it hoping it was just a coincidence.
In a different part of Orario.
"Augh…" Bell let out a loud tired grunt as massaged his neck.
"Are you okay Commander?"
When Bell looked up he saw the guard from the pub who was still in uniform holding a mug of coffee.
"Lady Hestia ordered me to give you this coffee."
"Thanks." Bell then took a sip from the mug as he enjoyed the taste. "Jason right? Just call me Bell it's kinda awkward when a person who is older than me calls me by my position."
The man named Jason only shook his head, "Nonsense Sir, it is my honor serving you and Lady Hestia on your duties." He said with pride but that soon turned into an awkward one. "Besides I just look older, but I'm actually 18."
This time Bell was surprised almost spitting out his coffee by what Jason said. He had first thought the guard was in his 20s and revealed to be only four years older than him was shocking, but the more he looked closer at the man the more he noticed that the things that made him look older were marks due to lack of sleep and lack of sunlight.
"How long did you become a guard at Dragon Valley? I heard they don't even go outside due to the Dragons who roam there." He asked recalling what information about the prison of the Dragon Seal he had read.
"Well I became a guard there for two years after being recruited, and yes we never go outside due to the monsters outside. We get our food at the transport hub, and we don't get enough sleep because of the risk a monster would end up going inside the prison."
"Hmm, got it."
"But to be honest Sir, I never expected that I would be stationed here due to my punishment for using the transport hub in a public area."
"Ha-ha, but you did use it to report the seal on time to be well reward punishment."
"I…*yawn* guess so," Jason said but could not help but yawn as his body slightly weakened due to tiredness."
Seeing the tired look of his now subordinate he stood up and patted Jason's shoulder but slightly struggled due to their height difference.
"You should rest for now, tomorrow will be a busy day." He ordered before wearing his coat.
"Thank you, Sir, but where are you going?"
"Going out, if Hestia returns, tell her I just went out," Bell said
Jason only nodded before seeing Bell off the room. When he was the only one left he looked at the starry sky.
"Never expected to go to Orario while covering up for my brother's duty." He then took off the uniform revealing a slimmer body and a bandage wrapped around the chest.
Due to her idiotic brother who suddenly went missing two years before being stationed at Dragon Valley, she had no choice but to disguise herself as her brother until he returned but after two years without any contact with his brother became worrying. She was about to reveal her secret to management and report his missing brother but due to the crystal suddenly weakening she did not manage to report it leading to now.
"Should I wear this?" she asked herself while holding the clothes that were given to her. "Eh, I'll put layers underneath it so no one notices.
When she untied the bandages and was about to wear the clothes. A sudden knock opening of the door was heard and Hestia who just returned after talking to a friend entered the room.
"….."
"….."
Screams erupted that night as a certain guard was scolded by a certain goddess leading to a call from a certain old god who was surprised by the sudden news. Unfortunately, a white-haired teen was already far away from the screams and was still clueless about the identity of 'Jason'.
Back at the Loki Familia.
Those who were in the pub when the news was said now gathered at the office of their captain. Each was curious why they were gathered while some mainly the executives had already figured out why.
"Why are we gathered here at this hour?" said a short-haired Amazon.
"Quiet the captain is about to speak." Said a long-haired Amazon to the short-haired one.
Although the short-haired Amazon was annoyed at her sister, nonetheless she waited for what the Blond pallum was about to say.
"I gather all of you here, because of-" Unfortunately for the Blond Captain, he was cut off when a burst of wind suddenly appeared.
The light flickers momentarily due to the wind of a nearby window suddenly opening. When the wind stopped many looked at the figure who was sitting at the window's edge and was wearing full white.
Bell looks at them with his crimson eyes while a grin is visible on his face.
"I wouldn't reveal that if I were you, Captain~"
A/N: FOLLOW,COMMENT, AND REVIEW ENJOY!