"Report!"
"I'm sorry captain, there are still no signs of him," The subordinate responded to his captain in a tired voice. He, like most of his Familia, had been up all night tirelessly hunting down what they believed to be a ghost at this time.
"Don't waste time apologising. Go back out there and look where you haven't!" The captain shouted back, fury in her voice.
"We've checked everywhere already, even Daedalus Street," The man pleaded, wanting the search to end, or for them to even have a break. He had never seen his captain like this before.
"Then check again! I won't allow him to escape, not this time. Braver made a huge mistake letting him go three days ago. This is not just for Julian but for every other victim of his!"
Cillian sighed, saluted over his elephant mask, and made his way out of the Ganesha Familia office, preparing to gather another search party. This time he would check the abandoned district before checking over to the Hestia Familia once more if anything over there had changed.
Just as he left, he bowed to his God who had walked through the door before rushing out.
Ganesha watched his child leave the room, exhaustion written over the young man's face, an expression he shared with most of his Familia. It was only a few of his executives who did not share it. They instead mimicked their captains' feelings on the matter at hand, but not to the extent of his captain herself.
"Shakti..." Ganesha began as he walked into the office. There stood both his captain, Shakti Varma, and his vice-captain, Ilta Farna. Next to them, on either side of a large table that had a map of Orario sprawled over it were two other of his level-5 executives, Oliver Bronk and Yamada Watanabe.
Yamada and Ilta were there to help keep a level head at the table. It was Oliver, Shakti, and another executive, Brienne, who were the closest to Julian, especially Shakti. He had been the one who helped her the most get over her sister's death after all, it was no wonder the two got as close as they did. Julian's disappearance was hard to deal with.
Shakti was the last to accept his inevitable fate. It truly was a heart-wrenching scene as he held his captain as she mourned her Fiancé's death. Only Ganesha, Ilta, Brienne, who was Julian's little sister, and Oliver, someone like a brother to the young brown-haired man who knew of the two's engagement. That was 2 weeks before he went missing.
It was of no surprise to the God when Shakti came to him and explained what had transpired in Knossos, and everything about the half-elf from Hestia's Familia. Ganesha remembered his entrance into the Apollo war game, seeing his interact dance with his twin blades but had no idea what that duo of weapon and owner had accomplished during the past 8 years.
The God got no response from his captain as he continued walking into the large office, located in the head of the giant sculpture of himself. Ilta and Yamada looked up at him with tired and sad eyes while Shakti and Oliver kept scheming along the west side of the map. Brienne and the other executives were out helping the search that had been going non-stop for the past 3 days.
When he had tried talking to Loki about it, she and Braver simply shook their heads in defeat.
"Even if we wanted to help out in the search, we wouldn't be any help. You won't find him, not unless he wants to be found."
That was what Braver had told him and Ganesha didn't need his divine intuition to be able to see the truth and frustration in the Prum's words.
"Shakti," Ganesha said, this time with a bit more conviction. He knew he couldn't stop her from this search but he was getting annoyed with her dragging others into it, especially after such a hard fight. Most of his Familia neither held her resolve nor her strength to be able to last so long.
"Could it wait a minute, Lord Ganesha. We are busy," Shakti replied without even looking up.
Ilta and Yamada slowly backed away as they felt the aura of their God change, even Oliver raised his head at his captain's words. While usually an energetic, extroverted God of the masses, he could still become a God that should not be messed with or disrespected. It was a lesson all those in their Familia learn at some point.
Do not undermine the God of the masses, especially when the masses are suffering. His authority was unquestioned and to do so would bring divine judgment.
*wham*
Ganesha slammed his fists onto the wooden table, splintering it in half as the map creased through the middle of the crack. That got Shakti's attention to their God.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK-"
Shakti was quickly cut off by the death stare from Ganesha. He was in full divine mode and you either obey or shut up and leave.
"Enough!" The God's voice boomed across the room. His already large stature seemed to grow in size. The level 5s were insanely strong but looking at their God's figure and the divine aura he radiated, none of them believed they could even make the deity flinch, let alone hurt.
"But-" Oliver began to talk back but that was stopped by an immediate glare. Ganesha was not to be disobeyed at any point now, that he made very clear.
"No buts. You will call off this pointless search."
"POINTLESS!"
Ganesha had expected backlash from Shakti at his statement. Julian had meant almost everything to her at one point and to stop the search for his murderer was not something she would back down at.
"Yes, pointless!"
However, Ganesha would not back down either. He neither raised his voice to a shout nor lowered it to normal. He kept it in the region of authoritarian. He did not want this to turn into a match to see who could shout the loudest.
"I understand what this means to you Shakti but you-"
"DO YOU! IF YOU DID THEN HOW COULD YOU CALL OF THE SEARCH FOR THAT MONSTER!"
"Of course I understand. Julian was my child for almost 15 years and to have him torn away from me hurt me like nothing I had ever felt before, do not act so selfish in thinking he was only important to you!" Ganesha fired back. Shakti held her tongue at this, her eyes narrowing to slits.
The God let out a sigh as he lowered his posture, his shoulders lightly sagged. He walked around the broken table and made his way to Shakti's side as he looked down at her.
"Shakti, trust me, I feel your pain, as do the rest of us," He said, gesturing to Ilta, Yamada, and Oliver. "But you can't do this, it will consume you. I've seen the best people get ripped apart when they allowed revenge to eat them alive. You must be stronger."
He placed one hand on her shoulder as he saw tears begin to roll down her cheek. He silently wiped them away.
"You are stronger than that. You mentioned this half-elf was consumed by rage and revenge against Evilus, do you want to turn out like him?" The God asked.
Shakti thought about what her God had said. She clenched her fists.
"I won't ever turn out like him," She muttered with resolve.
"I know you won't. You are strong and resilient. You are better than him and I know you will get passed this and continue moving forward. That is why I made you my captain."
Shakti looked up at her God. She saw past his elephant mask and into his eyes which shone with pride and sincerity as he put his hand on her shoulder.
"But because you are captain of Ganesha Familia, you can't keep this up. Think of your subordinates, they are so tired. They have just fought a gruelling battle and now you are sending them on a dog chase. Let them rest, please Shakti."
The three executives watched as they once again realised why Ganesha was the God of the people. Only Julian and Arde had been able to make Shakti open up like this. They once again realised why they chose to follow him and they smiled as Shakti finally snapped out of her trance and clenched her fists once more.
"Everyone," She said as she wiped the tears from her eyes and turned towards. "I'm sorry for the past three days. Give out an order to stop the search and bring everyone back."
"Make that put the search on hold actually," Ganesha added.
"My lord?" Shakti questioned.
"Shakti, didn't you hear me? I am just as infuriated at the near opportunity to catch Julian's killer. Don't think this over, not by a long shot." Ganesha stated.
"We need to focus on the harvest festival, but after that, By my name, Ganesha, we will have justice," The elephant God declared.
Loki turned back from the window, contemplating the past two weeks. Everything she had known about Orario, was almost shattered. She tried not to show it, but knowing that Hel had been here, in this city, terrified her. She knew what the Goddess of Death could do, she saw how she could manipulate Gods, it would be child's play for her to do the same to mortals, especially young children such as the half-elf.
As she turned back to face the rest of the office, with almost all her executives, Raul and Aki, the topic once again landed on the half-elf.
"It seems Ganesha Familia have stopped their search for Nathan of Hestia Familia for now," Raul reported.
'That was some news I s'pose,' Loki thought. That might help Riveria slightly. She will inform her when she next sees her vice-captain. The high elf had volunteered to help take part in the search but Finn quickly shut that down. Riveria however decided to go against Finn's wishes and went looking for the boy anyway. It was admirable in a way but very foolish but who was Loki to stop her? Riveria had claimed that she would protect the boy until she found out the truth.
'Mama's instincts.'
That was the only way Loki could put it down as that kept her mind at relative ease with the two's situation. However, regarding the boy's situation with everyone else, that was a different matter.
A boy barely old enough to be considered an adult is one of, if not, the most prolific killers in the cities' history if what Dionysus and Thanatos had said was correct. Bete also backed the thought when he reported the battle between the boy and Dionysus' underling. The boy didn't even defend himself from the claims. Loki could do little but accept it. He was Hel's child after all.
The worst part was that he, a mortal, had sent back not one, not two but now three deities to heaven. A mortal attacking and striking down a God, that was what sent shivers down Loki's spine at night. Why she had been sleeping with a light on these past three days. Call her selfish but she also cared about her well-being as well as her children and the thought of both Hel and her creation both walking on the same plane of existence was enough to make her think of returning to heaven prematurely.
"Good, the city and the adventurers deserve some rest for the time bein'" Gareth muttered. He had still yet to fully recover from the arduous fight in Knossos but he would manage.
As the room fell silent once more, all eyes were dragged to the Blonde-haired Prum in the main seat. Finn simply rested his chin on his knuckles. His thumb had been aching non-stop ever since Knossos. It was connected to the Nathan situation.
He too, like the Ganesha Familia, had wanted to start hunting for the half-elf as soon as he could. But after a day of rest for himself and the rest of the Loki Familia, he decided against it. It was just as he told Lord Ganesha, it was a futile attempt. They would only find the boy when and where he wanted to be found. With his hiding skill and his experience in staying hidden and going undetected, it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but worse as at least the needle is visible and you know it's in there.
For all Finn knew, Nathan could have been long gone by now, continuing his revenge as he hunted down his old Goddess who he had just found out to still be on the mortal world. But whenever he thought that his thumb ached slightly more, telling him that the boy had not done that. Finn was convinced he was still in the city. The Braver believed he knew the answer as to why.
Now that Ganesha Familia had finished their search, it was his turn to begin looking and he knew where his first stop was.
'I wonder if they even know about him. That doesn't concern me now. I'll feel bad they have to find out this way but there are more important things at hand.'
Finn dropped his hands onto this desk and straightened his back, raising his head. His pale blue eyes scanned the room and looked at each occupant.
"Tomorrow, I am going to head over to Hearthstone Manor and speak with Hestia Familia."
His statement was met with mixed responses. It seemed Gareth and Loki had already anticipated this and gave very little reaction apart from a nod of the head. Bete and Tione had been fidgety for three days over the half-elf and both almost jumped at the opportunity to start hunting him down.
"I will be going alone, is that understood?"
"But captain what if he attacks you?" Tione questioned with an agitated voice.
"...I know what we have uncovered about Nathan is alarming and needs to be met with the highest pre-caution but I don't believe he will attack me, especially not in broad daylight."
"And how the 'ell are you so sure of that!" Bete growled back. He had been the one who had been up close with the boy during the fight with Filvis and his mind had yet to recover from what he saw and heard.
Finn shrugged.
"Intuition," He said as he wiggled his thumb. His silly gesture and jokey attitude did little to dampen the mood. Before Bete or Tione could interject further, Finn raised his hand to stop them.
"I have decided, besides, just because I'm leaving alone, doesn't mean I'll end up being alone,"
"-huh?" Tiona said, confused.
"It's about time I have a talk with my vice-captain as well," Finn said in an icy tone.
That was all that was needed for the rest of the room to stay quiet. It was the final say and even Loki did not want to be there when Finn and Riveria butted heads. Loki was preparing for her own confrontation with the Elven Princess.
Finn scanned the room once more.
Loki and Gareth remained quiet and contemplative.
Tione and Bete shared the same soured expression but held their tongue.
Tiona, for a rare occasion, was in deep thought while also trying to talk to Ais. The golden-haired girl herself was in quiet contemplation as she was still recovering from her fight with Revis.
Raul and Aki almost seemed glad Finn had declared he was going alone, neither one of them wanting to go and look for the half-elf. They would gladly admit they were scared of the boy.
"Everyone, go get some rest. Who knows when we will need our strength? Besides, we won a huge battle that saved the city. Let's not let one issue stop us from celebrating."
It was another reason Finn wanted the search to be over with. They had just won the fight of their lives and they couldn't celebrate it with their friends and family. It left a sour taste in his mouth.
As the executives filed out of the room, just leaving Gareth, Loki, and Finn, the Prum let out a sigh.
"Oi Finn, a word if you don't mind?" The old dwarf asked in a hushed voice.
Finn motioned his approval, too tired to even talk.
" I ain't gonna say how you should deal with the lad but... go easy on the two would ya."
"What's this, a dwarf being concerned for an Elf?"
Once again, Finn's attempt at a joke fell flat, mainly because his tone of voice was too dry and tired that he didn't have the energy to put any effort in at the moment.
"Look, I ain't tryin' to defend the boy. He's doing horrible, irreversible things but it's clear to those who heard about his past and saw him, he ain't had the easiest time."
Finn just looked at his old friend with a raised eyebrow.
Gareth let out a sigh.
"What I'm tryin' to say is, don't fight fire with fire. Think about it, the only time he ain't been an angry, rage-induced killer was when he was with his current Familia, those who talked to him and were friendly. Even when he was with us, helpin' us out with our plannin', he was fine until Shakti or Bete decided to agitate him."
Finn understood what the dwarf was saying. Maybe it was true that wisdom came with age. But if so, then why was Riveria acting so strange? He understood that she had just found a lost family member, but that didn't mean she could just ignore his crimes.
"As for Riveria," Loki chimed in. "By all means go find her and bring her back 'ere, but don't go too hard on her. Let me deal with mama."
Finn let out a weary sigh. He was grateful for those he had around him. IT got exhausting having to play the role of Braver constantly, it was nice now and then for others to think for him for a change.
"Thank you, both of you. I'll take what you have said into consideration tomorrow but that doesn't mean I won't have my own way of doing things too," The Prum said with a stringer smile this time.
"I'd be surprised if ya didn't, ya a stingy one when it comes to getting what ya want, ya know that," Gareth said with a chuckle.
"And don't ya worry, I ain't going easy on our elf either. She's worryin' me too much these days, bout time I punish her for all the stress she's put us under," Loki chimed with a smile of her own.
"I hope this over before the 'arvest festival, wanna enjoy myself and not have to worry about any more of this nonsense," Gareth mentioned.
The three shared the lighter atmosphere, knowing it would be the best they would get for a while.
Finn's thumb ached at the mention of the festival, adding to the already insistent throbbing. He was going to put an end to all this, one way or another.
Freya sat at the top of her tower, swirling a glass of red wine in one hand as she rested her chin in the other, deep in thought. Even though she gazed out on a view some people would die just for a few short glimpses, the Goddess was envisioning something else.
She had not been too bothered by the almost lackluster report from her children about the fight in Knossos, it was what happened after that grabbed her attention. It seemed something must've happened with Nathan as when Freya watched a city-wide search be ordered by the Ganesha Familia, Freya requested Allen to grab a Ganesha member, someone of relatively high rank, and bring them to her.
After Allen retrieved Cillian, a level 4 of the Ganesha Familia, Freya placed a simple charm spell on him and asked what was going on. His report, while not having every juicy detail, was a lot more interesting than the ones from the battle and it all surrounded the young half-elf.
Ever since that moment in the Dian Cecht hospital when Nathan had outright refused Syr, effectively dismissing her feelings for Bell, Freya had grown wary and suspicious of the boy. He annoyed her to no end as she couldn't observe him because she knew from experience that he could tell when Freya observed him, even sometimes when she observed her Bell when they were together he noticed her gaze and furrowed his brow at her. She had gathered by now the boy had guessed her intention toward the white-haired boy but she wasn't too worried about it but it still irked her.
However, if the boy had caused something that had made the entire Ganesha Familia, including level 5 members go searching for him, then something big must've happened. She had learned from conversations with the girls from the Hostess that he was stronger than all of them, putting him just below a first-class adventurer. Not to mention his ability to hide from even her soul-catching eyes. Then there was the incident during her invasion of the pleasure district, with that skin-crawling aura that even Ottar had admitted to tensing up at. He was not someone to be underestimated, her instincts as a Goddess of War told her that.
Freya took a dainty sip from her glass, savouring the flavour as she debated on what to do next. She had tried a few times over the past few days to look for the half-elf but she had concluded that when he didn't want to be found, it was an impossible task.
At one point she thought he had left the city but when she was observing Bell, something she was doing more and more frequently nowadays, she caught the faintest glimpse of a black blob with the silhouette of a disfigured soul, but it was still a soul, nonetheless. Freya could recognise Nathan's soul in an instant, it was almost as recognisable as her Odr's. The mangled outline and the horrible void placed within a slither of green. She saw it, even if just for a moment, she saw it just a couple of metres away from the Hearthstone Manor fence, in a tree. But just as she spotted it, it spiked in activity and then evaporated, indicating that he felt her eyes on him and he darted back into the shadows.
Freya leaned forward slightly.
"Oh, that's interesting."
"What is the matter, my lady?" Ottar replied stoically behind her.
"It appears the Ganesha Familia is retracting its numbers."
"Perhaps they have called off the search?" Ottar questioned.
"I'd say they'd put it on hold if I had to guess. Ganesha is the god of the masses and there is a danger level threat big enough the whole Familia needed to be on the search right after such an intense battle. Ganesha is many things but above all else, but nobody cares for the population like him. He would not simply just stop such a search. If I had to say, it would be to allow a short rest before re-instigated with renewed vigour."
Ottar marvelled at the insight of his Goddess, and he was right to do so. Freya had hit almost every nail on the head. The only one she missed was why the search had started and why it would continue as she didn't have that information yet.
Freya took another sip of wine. She had to prepare for the harvest festival soon, not to mention her inner turmoil regarding a certain boy that was only getting worse day by day. Having an unpredictable rogue on the loose wasn't helping with the matter, especially since he was so close to Bell that if he wanted to, he could easily interfere with her plans to finally take Bell for herself.
Freya stopped mid-sip.
'Is this what they call a lightbulb moment?'
That was it! Arguably her biggest obstacle regarding Bell was now being hunted down. He had enough sense to not go back to the Hestia Familia, knowing it would bring them into danger. That only left Hestia and she was probably too pre-occupied with the half-elf's disappearance. And with the harvest festival coming up, it was almost perfect.
She could ask Bell out for a date then. Those few days will be the most crowded Orario will be all year, there would be little opportunity for the half-elf to get in the way if he wants to stay hidden. He won't show himself and risk getting caught if it's just Syr with Bell, no matter how much he may dislike her.
Freya held a sly grin on her face. The harvest festival was in just over a week, plenty of time to prepare. She wondered if Nathan would last that long before being found but she knew he could disappear if he wanted to for any amount of time he wished.
As she toiled a plan in her head she once again glanced over to the Hearthstone Manor, she saw the bright white light of her Odr's soul. It has seemed to be on edge recently, most likely due to Nathan going missing but that just gave her more of an opening for her to fill. She should just take him now and help him out with her body. Why wait?
'A date, how stupid. She was a Goddess; she should be able to do what she pleased. It was only because she agreed to that girl's wish, though it would be her final one.'
If everything didn't go as planned, she would take him the way she should've done from the very beginning, and not even the mysterious half-elf could stop her.
Behind her, her most loyal retainer looked on with a hint of worry and concern in his eyes as he observed his Lady. As she grew more agitated, so did he and the rest of her children, though she had paid little attention to most of them for over a month now and that was starting to take its toll.
Something big was about to go down, Ottar's animal and adventurer's instincts told him so. With the new drama of the half-elf, it was just adding more to the eruption that would soon occur.
But no matter what happened, Ottar would protect his Goddess by any means necessary. Little did Ottar know at the time, his oath would be tested to his knees by that eruption his Goddess was on path cause.
Ryu winced as she rolled over in her bed, trying to get comfortable, her injuries she sustained from the fight in Knossos stopping her from getting a good night's sleep. That and one more thing.
Earlier, the elf had heard the Ganesha Familia begin making their way back to their home early today. Some breathed in relief at the search being called off while others contemplated why they had even begun in the first place.
Ryu clenched her fists.
'Have they finally caught him?' She wondered but she quickly dismissed the idea. She had only seen the boy in true combat once and that was enough for her to know he would not get captured so easily. He was her biggest enemy; he wouldn't go down to those weaker than him. Ryu Lyon was not underestimating the Ganesha Familia but she too had been hunted by them when she went on her rampage but she knew that Shakti was not trying her hardest then, so was she trying now was the question? And if so, why?
The last time Ryu saw the half-elf was after he flung the corrupted elf girl with her own magic through many layers of thick stone walls. After he disappeared to chase down his prey, he appeared again out of nowhere moments later. Ryu remembered the accusations the monster threw at Nathan, none of which he defended against, a silent confession of guilt. She couldn't forget the look he gave her after he confessed his involvement with her sister's death. The look of regret, anger, and fear. That was not the look of someone who enjoyed taking part in all that senseless murder.
Every time Ryu thought of an incident that happened involving Evilus, she realised that Nathan could have had a role to play in that. All those ambushes in the dungeon and the 27th floor incident, even the bombings almost 8 years ago now. But then she remembers how young she was then and that Nathan was 6 years younger than her. That he was a child, even by human standards, when those events took place. He most likely had little choice in the matter.
She recalled the way he talked about his old Goddess. The fear in his voice and the inability to even say her name more than once spoke volumes about what their relationship was most likely like.
Then there were his eyes themselves. After he lost his mask, not even the massive gauge on the right side of his face could hide the colour. Jade, even when being attacked by the darkness, was clear as day. Any elf would recognise it.
She thought of all the times when she had talked to the half-elf. Their conversations were limited and awkward and Ryu finally understood why. At first, she thought it was him being a half-elf and her a full elf, something her disdain for being touched did little to help with. While that may still be a part of it, it wasn't the main issue. She didn't know which one was.
He clearly wanted to hide his identity of being part of the Royal Family, the mystery of wearing a mask all the time had been cleared up. Of course, he wouldn't want an elf talking with him in case they figured it out. But that only raised another question, why was hiding? Why did he not want to associate being part of the royal family? Maybe he was part of some distant relations and being born a half-elf probably made him less appealing. Ryu did hate her own race sometimes.
However, Ryu knew that the main reason was due to Nathan being Evilus. The Gale Wind was cited as being Evilus' worst enemy, their biggest threat alongside the rest of the Astrea Familia before they perished.
Then there was Nathan, Evilus' secret weapon, that was used to keep Ryu and everyone else in the unknown. He had clearly been just as efficient at hiding Evilus' as Ryu was at finding them. No wonder it took Ryu half a year to track down the God Rudra. Ryu never remembered encountering Nathan though. She had never faced a fighting opponent younger than herself.
Ryu winced again as she tried to get into a more comfortable position in her bed. It was useless, it was going to be another sleepless night for the elf. Her mouth had gone dry anyway.
Chucking on some baggy clothes, she made her way out of her room and down the creaky wooden stairs, doing her best to not wake anyone else up.
As she made her way down, her mind wandered.
Where was Nathan?
She had already concluded Ganesha Familia had found out about him and that was why they were hunting him down. But where was he right now? They had looked up and down the city for three days and no sign or anything.
Had he gone back to the Hestia Familia? No, Ryu decided. While in an unstable mindset and being reminded of his past, he was still able to save and protect the fox girl who was part of his Familia, he still showed some sense of care for those close to him. He wouldn't put them in danger.
Hestia Familia.
Ryu's mind lingered on them, wondering how they were feeling. The elf made her way into the back behind the bar, grabbing a small wooden mug on her way past. She entered the kitchen and plodded over to the sink. Her mind didn't linger long on the Hestia Familia as a whole as it quickly faded to just one of them. The one person who had swamped her mind just as much as the half-elf.
"I wonder if Bell is alright. Does he even know?"
Ryu's mind stayed on the white-haired boy, the one who had saved her more than once when they were stuck together on the 37th floor. She silently cursed herself for betraying Syr, something that was becoming a daily tradition at this point but she couldn't help herself. Her mind just wanted to keep thinking about the young man. It did help a lot. Whenever she got worked up or worried when thinking of Nathan, it was the thoughts of Bell that calmed her down and helped her go to sleep.
Ryu sipped the cold refreshing water she had required from the tap.
"Who said ya could have that, aye?"
"Mama!" Ryu said in shock. The hulking half-dwarf had snuck up on her as the elf was lost in thought. She forget how silent the woman could be, especially for her size. It only proved her old occupation.
"What ya doin' up so late, you are on the morning shift," The woman said curtly, her arms crossed as she observed her daughter.
"Sorry, struggling to sleep,"
"Yeah well, walking about ain't gonna heal those injuries any faster. Ya need sleep girl, sleep and rest. You also need to sort out whatever is going on inside that head of yours as well. You were everywhere but where you needed to be yesterday. Lost me some good tip money," Mia said in a gruff voice that was not to be argued back.
"Yes mama, I'm sorry,"
Mia huffed as she watched her elf put down her mug and begin making her way up the stairs and back to her room.
After she heard the clink of the metal latch sink into the door frame, Mia let out a long sigh. She too had been wondering what had been going on these past three days and she knew Ryu knew something, as did Syr.
Mia scowled at that. That woman is in the know about everything and if she was interested in it, then that meant something bad was happening.
Mia snatched the mug up from where Ryu had placed it. Just before she chucked the mug into the sink, she downed the rest of the water in a single gulp. Thinking about unnecessarily complicated things made her thirsty.
Mia made her way up the wooden stairs, giving one last look outside. Her blood was tingling. It was a feeling she had ever since she gained the position of captain. She knew it meant something was brewing.
As long as it didn't affect her pub or her girls, then she wasn't bothered. If it did, then she would remind whoever bothered her of who she once was.
First though, she had to prepare for the harvest festival that was soon coming up.
Haruhime watched as the last member of the Ganesha Familia walked out of the giant metal gate that connected the 15ft high metal fence that surrounded the perimeter of the Hearthstone Manor.
She sighed, tired after another long day of worry and questions.
It had been three days since they had entered that horrible place. When Lord Hermes came and asked them to help, it only took the mention of Nathan being involved for all of them to join the fight.
When the Renard entered, the hair on her tail stood straight in suspense. The aura Knossos gave off was suffocating.
"This is Evilus' hideout?" Welf muttered.
"Then this is where Nathan spent most of his time."
Lili's comment made the Familia go quiet as it dawned on them that their friend had lived in such a horrid place, surrounded by even more horrid people for almost 7 years. They knew he was fighting within those damp, cold, oppressing, maze of caverns. It was up to them to help him out in any way they could.
They had not seen him for almost a week at that point, the last one to see him was Lady Hestia when she updated his Falna and granted him his level up to level 5. They were worried for him at that time but they had faith that after his fight he would return to them.
When everyone went off to fight their own battles, Aisha dragged Haruhime with her to help fight an important battle. It was there she saw the half-elf for the first time in a week. He had come swooping in out of nowhere and saved her. Before she could thank him and ask him where he had been, his confrontation with the monster began.
Haruhime refused to believe what she had heard, even now, but the way Nathan laughed and the way he acted, it terrified her. She could tell he was mentally unstable, as could everyone else in the room at the time. He was in the worst place he could possibly be but there was little Haruhime could do. She still cursed her lack of strength.
Then when the accusations about the past came up, the horrifying things that the creature threw at Nathan were awful but to Haruhime's shame, Nathan never defended it and it only turned everyone in the room against him. But Haruhime had information that no one else in the room didn't.
'I was eight at the time of the bombing.'
Haruhime remembered when Nathan had bravely confessed his past to them and how he opened up about how old he was when involved with the awful tragedies. It was because of that Haruhime stood up for Nathan and fought back against the monster.
She remembered little after Nathan reversed the monster's attack back at itself, only the intense anger she felt being shoved down on her. The pressure was immense and then it went dark afterwards.
She woke up in the tight clutches of her Amazon sister, who had been crying. She had been brought back to a place where others were meeting up. They had won the battle but there was no sign of Nathan.
Maybe after the fight he had gone somewhere to finally be at peace for a short while, that was what they had hoped. Then afterwards, he would return and they would celebrate and go on with their lives as they had done before. But that was not meant to be. Their hope for the friend blinded them from the truth, lost in their ignorance, or was the refusal of what Nathan was, the Familia willingly staying blissfully unaware. The truth would not be so kind to the half-elf.
It was the Ganesha Familia who arrived, not Nathan. It was there they explained his disappearance and the search that was taking place.
After they had left for the night, informing them they would be coming back to do frequent check-ups, the Familia sat around for dinner and discussed.
"This isn't a search, it's a hunt," Lili said, the first one to realise the true nature of what was happening.
"But why are they hunting Nathan?" Bell asked, worried for his friend.
"If I had to guess it is because he is the last member of Evilus left," The Prum girl theorised.
"That's Bullshit. He ain't been Evilus for almost 2 years now and he has been actively helping them with this!" Welf shouted as he chomped down on some hard meat.
"And how does the whole Ganesha Familia even know he is Evilus? I thought Nathan only shared his past with the higher-ups of the Loki Familia?" Mikoto chimed in.
"It wasn't just Loki's kids that were there during those meetings," Hestia started to explain. "There was also Ganesha's captain and from what I saw, she was the most hostile to him than anyone else in the room."
"But you said Mr Finn promised to keep Nathan's real identity a secret. I don't believe he would go back on a promise like that," Bell said, saddened by the possibility that someone he looked up to wasn't as heroic as he believed.
"If he did, then that bastard ain't worth half the shit he acts like!" Welf scowled, his knuckles going white from anger.
"I don't think Braver was the one who exposed Nathan," Haruhime started. "When I saw him during the fight, he openly expressed his participation in many horrible events involving Evilus. As I said before, he did not look in the right frame of mind."
"I think you're right about that Hime," said Hestia. "When I last checked Nathan's falna, his development ability, Mental fortification, had faded. I had asked both Hephaestus and Hermes if they had seen anything like this before. Both of them denied seeing anything resembling it before," The Goddess explained.
"What are you implying Goddess Hestia?" Lili asked.
"I believe, and I'm not saying it is right, that Nathan's Mental Fortification ability was the main thing keeping all his emotions in check, most likely something that he had gained after a long time of emotional damage and turmoil, especially at such a young age. His falna gifted him that ability to cope and with that, he was able to break free of his previous Goddess' brainwashing and finally see sense."
Skills were gained through experiences to help combat those same experiences in the future. Nathan having Mental Fortification not as a skill but as a development ability spoke volumes about what he had gone through to obtain it. The Familia had known about this but the fresh reminder was not welcomed around the dinner table.
"So what does that mean now that it's faded?" Welf asked, his fist clenching harder around the fork after hearing what his brother most likely dealt with. Just another piece of shit added to the ever-growing pile that only infuriated the smith.
"It most likely means that it is losing its power, meaning Nathan is losing control of his emotions. Haruhime, did Nathan seem reckless and feverish?"
"That is probably the best way to describe him in polite terms," Haruhime confirmed. Her statement at the end hung heavy as it implied that even the gentle soul of the Renard could see the nightmarish transformation the half-elf was enduring at the time.
"If that is the case then Nathan is in a worse situation than I thought," Hestia contemplated.
"What do you mean by that Goddess?" Bell asked, having barely touched his food.
"When I first saw his Mental Fortification, I believed it meant he was in control of his emotions and now that it has faded then it would just mean less control. However, I think that is not the case. I think his ability was more like a wall, hence the fortification. Instead of controlling his emotions, instead, it just sealed them away. It would be like the walls of Orario keeping the monsters at bay from the rest of the world. They don't deal with the monsters, only holding them back."
"And now the monsters are breaking through," Lili caught on quickly to what Hestia was getting at.
"Exactly supporter-kun. I think Nathan has just had 2 years of pent-up emotions of guilt, regret, fear, joy, sadness and anger smash into his mind. I don't think it was all at once mind you, I think the wall began to crack slowly at first but then it increased during his fight in a place where he experienced most of his traumatic moments. After that, Nathan was helpless to what happened next and from the way you explained it Haruhime, he most likely lost all control of his emotions at the time," Hestia grimly explained.
"So that would explain his lack of care in exposing himself," Mikoto added.
"That probably explains why they are looking for him," Lili started. " A level 5 Evilus member who appears to be crazy and seems to be outing himself as the enemy."
" He isn't an Evilus member!" Welf angrily interrupted.
"And he isn't an enemy, he's our friend," Bell muttered, looking down at his full plate of cold food.
"I know that!" Lili said, defending herself. "I was just putting myself in Braver's shoes and if I was him, after fighting Evilus' for over 8 years, I too wouldn't like having him freely walk around in the current state Nathan is in."
"Why are you acting like Nathan is a bad buy in this! He is the biggest victim out of all of them!" Welf argued back. His mind was hot and after all that had happened, the smith wasn't enjoying hearing this about his close friend.
"Do you have metal in your ears? I was thinking from Braver's point of view, not mine!" Lili fought back. She was just being pragmatic, why couldn't Welf understand this wasn't what she truly thought.
"But you're not Braver so stop trying to think like him. Instead of saying what he thinks, what do you think?" Welf was getting heated. Bell tried to calm him down while Haruhime and Mikoto attempted to stop Lili from bursting. They failed.
"What I think is that I don't care about Nathan's past, I just want him back here with us!" Lili shouted; her face flushed red with anger as tears began rolling down her cheek.
Welf didn't retort back. Silence descended onto the room as they all watched the prums tears fall to the wooden table top. Instead, Lili heard the sound of a chair moving across the floor and the soft patter of sandals against the carpet. She felt a soft hand hold hers. She looked up and locked eyes with her Goddess' azure blue. They were inches away from leaking as well.
"We all think that Lili. We all just want Nathan back home and safe. We all want to help him but right now we can't. The best thing we can do is just be here for him when he returns with open arms, no matter what."
Hestia finished by pulling Lili into a hug, letting the Prum cry out all her pent emotions from the past week and a half. They had all been worried about the half-elf, from his first attack on Knossos to his re-appearance on the 27th- floor on death's door with a chunk of his face missing. Then he disappeared again for a whole week, only adding to their concern.
Bell, Welf and Mikoto had all gone out looking for him but to no avail. Hestia had asked Hermes to be on the lookout but even the travelling God came up short with nothing.
Hestia had cried a few nights in worry over her child, and Mikoto had held Haruhime at night as both fretted over the half-elf's whereabouts. Bell and Welf managed to hold it together for the girls and Lili had tried to stay strong but it had finally gotten to her.
"Lil'e, I'm sorry for shouting at you, it's just what Lady Hestia says, I'm just worried about Nathan and my mind ain't thinking straight is all,"
Lili acknowledged the smith's apology and the Familia decided they weren't hungry that evening. Instead, they all slept in the living room, waiting in anticipation for when Nathan returned to them.
Before they went to sleep, Hestia left them with her final words of the day that both comforted her and her Familia.
"I'm sure by the Harvest Festival, everything will have sorted itself out and Nathan will be back with us so we can enjoy it together as a family."
Riveria leant back on the bench she was resting on. Was she finally ready to give up?
'No, not yet. Not until I talk with him, only if for a brief moment,"
Filling herself with resolve for the countless time since she began her search, Riveira Los Alf got back up on her feet and began walking again. She had begun her search a day after the Ganesha Familia started and at the disobedience towards Finn, Riveria joined the search. However, after a short while, she decided to look on her own, concluding that if she found Nathan, she would not turn him over to the Ganesha Familia.
"No! Not if, when I find him," She muttered to herself in determination.
She had barely slept the past two days. While that should be fine for a level 6, after such an arduous battle like the one in Knossos, not even a good night's rest was enough to properly recover. It would normally take just under a week of recovery to fully get back to full strength but Riveria didn't have time for that.
And so she continued.
She knew she should be back at the Twilight Manor right now. Finn and Gareth needed help maintaining order.
'They are more than capable of dealing with that for now.'
Ais had just faced the biggest fight of her life, she probably needed Riveria there to help her recover.
Riveria faltered slightly.
'She... Ais is strong enough now to not need me. I'll talk to her when I get back.
Lefiya.
It was the thought of her student that always slowed Riveria down. She knew she had just gone through something horrible. Her mind was in a wreck the last time she saw her. Having taken part in killing a close friend who she thought had died right in front of her eyes a week prior. The poor girl was not in the right state of mind.
'I just need to find Nathan quicker then. The sooner I do that, the sooner I get back and help.'
Riveria was always able to justify it by replaying Bete's report of the battle against Filvis and what she had heard and seen during the two fights in Knossos. Nathan was most likely in a worse state than any of them and Riveria had sworn that day she would be there. She had been there for Ais and Lefiya for many years now but she had not once been there for her own family member.
She dreaded the thought of what he must've gone through these past 8 years. How close had she been to rescuing him? Instead, though she had helped condemn him to a life in Knossos, forcing him to do the bidding of a malevolent Goddess that even Loki feared. All the awful things she heard from Barca Perdix and the creature Revis were only the tip of the Iceberg. The scars knitted on his back, that image was burnt into her mind.
And now, after he helped them finally defeat their long-standing enemy, the boy was being hunted down by those he had allied with. It didn't sit right with her and not even Finn could fully justify it, that was the real reason he hadn't joined. Bullshit to that they wouldn't be able to find him, Finn and the others just wanted to pour their last bit of hatred and revenge for Evilus onto the poor boy. It was a gross abuse of power and Riveria would not be a part of it.
That was what Riveria told herself as she traversed through the abandoned district, leaves and cobble crunching and scraping underfoot.
'I hope this is all settled before the harvest festival.'
The boy looked down at his aunt as she scanned the area, calling out his name.. his fake name. Saying sweet words that had almost enticed him every time he heard her talk. But he always held himself back.
One half of the boy's mind was almost ecstatic that his aunt was finally wanting to help him and be with him.
The other half argued back that it was too late now and that she was probably helping the Ganesha Familia hunt him down instead of wanting to help him. She wasn't even using his real name, those kind words weren't meant for him, not the real him.
'What do I do?'
'Go to her?'
'Ignore her, go back to Lady Hestia.'
'NO, go find Goddess Hel.'
'kill her,'
He shook his head, trying to stop the voices from getting too loud. They are insistent, never quietening.
Part of the boy had wanted to go back to the Hestia Familia, to the warm atmosphere that had greeted him for the past 5 months. The other part already believed they had abandoned him like everyone else had done in his life. Discarding him now they knew the truth. They would probably soon join the hunt for him.
He had tried getting close once, but after feeling Freya's gaze on him, he never went back, fearing he would put them in danger.
'just kill her too. kill them all.'
The boy decided to leave his aunt, to let her continue looking for him. He chose none of the options, instead, he chose to remain hidden like the coward he was, the coward he had always been.
He knew he was afraid, scared of what would happen if he exposed himself. He was a murderous, vicious, crazy enemy of the city.
He was also afraid to go looking for Goddess Hel, terrified of what she would do when she caught him, dragging him back into her clutches.
As the boy sat on the rooftop, emersed in shadows as his aunt walked past, shouting his name, begging him to reveal himself, he cried.
The 15-year-old boy felt overwhelmed and just cried, as he didn't know what to do. He was scared of what would happen next.
His mind was constantly fighting itself, different voices that all sounded the same, causing horrible headaches but all he could do was cry.
Whenever he looked in the mirror, he saw his disfigured face. It was not even a scratch compared to the things he had done to others. He deserved it but was it so wrong not to want to be injured, just once? He continued to cry as his tears reddened and stung his exposed flesh.
The half-elf looked up at the night sky. It was the same night sky he had looked at with his mom once. When he was younger, he could tell the difference in the star's locations and patterns, the constellations and their stories, something his mom had taught him. He could no longer remember any of that.
He had forgotten so many things over the time he had spent in Orario. How to read the stars, how to spell his old name. What his old bedroom looked like and the names he gave to the family of rabbits that lived close by to the house they lived in, another thing he only vaguely remembered. He forgot so many things over the years but the worst one was he forgot what his Mom sounded like. All of it had been replaced by pain.
He remembered every harsh insult thrown at him by the maids, the doctor, the other elves in Knossos. Those memories never faded but his mother's voice, he could barely recall it.
He knew Riveria looked like her, sounded similar but he knew it wasn't the same. Whenever he tried to envision her face, it was just his aunts. Whenever he tried to remember her voice, it was replaced by Goddess Hel's voice instead. What were once kind words became words that were used to control and manipulate him. Order things his mother would never make him do. So why does he remember her voice and not his mom's, it wasn't fair.
As the boy looked up towards the heavens, grasping his green necklace in his hands, he prayed.
'Mom, please help me. What do I do?'
But like so many times before, the boy got no reply, left in the fading darkness as loneliness became his only companion once more. So the boy did the only thing he could do, he cried.
The aftermath of Knossos and the beginning of the Freya Arc is here.
When first creating this story, I had thought of each arc but not the bits inbetween. I hadn't thought of the real consequences but now I didn't have a choice after everything that has happened. The Loki and Ganesha Familia weren't getting to let Nathan off with a slap on the wrist and a quick telling off, not after everything he has done.
But their are others who want to protect the half-elf but what does the cursed prince himself want, I don't think even he knows right now. But for some reason he hasn't left and with Bell getting into more trouble soon enough, he won't stay in the shadows for much longer.
Would love to know what you thought of this as this is basically my equivalent of LN volume 15, the inbetween where we see everyones thoughts on the events and if you think it was fun to read as there are more people in this world with their own sets of beliefs and values that I want to add.
Reviews:
jank7457: Thanks and I couldn't wait either so I jsut started writing, hope you enjoyed.
Axcel Allen: It's reall appreciated, this time the wait wasn't as long as before.
And with that, I'll see ya next time, Peace!