By the time Allen had made his way to the top of the Tower of Babel, Nathan was long gone. As he entered the destroyed room, he tensed his leg muscles so he wasn't dragged out by the vacuum created by the giant hole where the pane of glass had been. He winced slightly as the rising sun began to appear over the horizon.
Behind him stood Hedin who was inspecting the giant hole in the tower. The other executives had rushed back to their Goddess, thinking the half-elf was planning a straight attack. Hedin had ordered the rest of the Familia to quickly clear the mess that was made, not wanting to cause any panic. While Lady Freya could charm them into forgetting, it was Bell that they were worried about seeing it.
Hedin had hoped to be near his pupil when he woke up but that wouldn't be the case. Even though they hated to admit it, each of the executives knew they couldn't travel alone. Even Ottar was only safe during the day as if Skias Alf's skill worked at night time, then he was the deadliest creature alive during the night.
"Bastard!"
Hedin glanced at his vice-captain as the catman cursed into thin air. The high elf could feel the bloodlust radiate off the level 6. Hedin was a lot more composed as he reset his glasses on his nose but if he had his way, he would've already presented his Goddess with the half-elf's head.
Hedin walked into the room, relying on his level 6 strength to remain rooted like Allen. He scoured the room. Where was once a room fit for a queen with lavish items and furniture, now lay a barren room stripped of any luxuries it once held.
Hedin knew that boy had done more than just smash the window open. Hedin could see where the half-elf had ripped the bed out of its roots and the desolate walls where the bookshelves had been had paint missing, indicating brute force being used to dislodge them.
'Why?' Hedin thought. The elf would've thought the boy would be solely focused on blood. Maybe he had thought Freya was on the top floor of Babel. Hedin started putting things together.
"This is unforgivable!" Allen spat out.
"This is a tantrum of a child," Hedin calmly put it. He had deduced what had happened and he had thought this for the past few hours.
His first interaction with the half-elf was when they invaded the red light district and destroyed the Ishar Familia and the boy had appeared out of nowhere. The second meeting was when he radiated such venomous bloodlust it made his own blood run cold as he could only watch as the half-elf smashed Phyrne Jamil's body into mush.
The bloodlust he had felt recently was different. It was more violent but out of control. When Skias Alf had dealt with Phyrne, the wrath felt controlled and contained. What Hedin felt in the street felt like a rabid animal lashing out in every direction, hellbent on causing as much damage as possible without care for consequences. This little message was just more evidence.
"He's unstable, mentally. If he was being smart, staying low and biding his time would be the best option. He's lashing out and making his presence known."
Allen listened to Hedin's explanation with a scowl. "So what, you saying we are being humiliated by a deranged child?"
"Yes but that doesn't make him any less dangerous, if anything it makes him more dangerous. It makes him unpredictable. He must've known he could've injured innocence with this act and he went through with it anyway, he has no fear for consequences."
"Then surely he will just go straight for Lady Freya and that brat."
"That's one thing but I think he has one more thing on his mind."
Nathan danced through the backstreets, grinning as he flew past buildings. He bounced in between the shadows but sometimes he stayed exposed for a second or two, almost as if to gloat.
Nathan enjoyed his little prank and he was enjoying toying with the Freya Familia. He still had enough sense to not outright attack them. No, he'd wait until the following night. Right now, he gathered information.
The first place he would go to was the guild and spy on the occupants. As he reached the building, he examined a few people that had gotten up early. They looked normal, acted normal but he saw something they all shared and it wiped the smile from his face.
He got close to the Guild and hid in a nearby shadow on the side of an opposite building, using his wind as a platform.
The guild workers were beginning the usual work day. How were they not in uproar but again he saw it, the same thing he saw in the few others that were walking around. A small glint of purple in the eyes. Hermes had been right. All of them, every last one of them were under Freya's charm, under her control.
Did that even extend to the Gods, even Ouranos. Surely Freya wouldn't be stupid enough to affect the old God's prayers to the dungeon. Nahan contemplated hurting the God of the sky, using him as a bargaining tool. He would be doing the same as Freya, taking the city as hostage.
He quickly dismissed the idea but he kept in his mind as a last resort. He held no love for this city or its occupants but he knew Hestia and Bell wouldn't like it.
Nathan continued to spy and quickly recognised Eina. She too appeared under the brainwashing as Nathan followed the half-elf as she moved over to the board. She was holding a piece of paper but Nathan couldn't get a clear look. That was until she pinned it up on the notice board.
Nathan couldn't help but smirk as he saw what it said. A wanted poster of him, claiming he was a danger to the public and must be caught at all cost.
'She must hate me just as much as I hate her,' He thought with a sly grin and moved on. Nathan had a few places he wanted to check on.
As he was in the Northern district he went over to Loki Familia. If Freya hadn't charmed them, he might make a plea deal to destroy the Freya Familia together but he had little hope. And when he made his way over, he was proven right. All those that he saw had been charmed but as he looked further, he couldn't find a few key figures. A noticeable presence missing was Finn Deimne and Nathan also couldn't find the Sword Princess or Riveria, no matter where he looked. Maybe they weren't in Orario when Freya used her charm, maybe they were in the dungeon? However, when he saw the Goddess Loki was under Freya's charm, he realised the depth that Freya had delved to.
Nathan quickly moved his way to Hermes' house and as he peaked through he saw Hermes was in the same boat as Loki. Nathan cursed as they were his two best choices for any means of help. No matter, Nathan was planning to sort this out himself. So the half-elf continued on to the Hearthstone Manor.
Nathan got to Hearthstone Manor by the time the sun was fully visible in the morning sky, signalling a new day. He perched on a building nearby the front entrance. He quickly scanned the surrounding area, trying to see if any Freya Familia members were nearby but he got zero results.
Nathan looked back at the Manor, ready to see if his friends were ok. To his relief, he heard them talking and from the sounds of it, they didn't seem to be that upset or injured, which was strange.
As Nathan peered into the building, he continued to listen on the conversation. It almost seemed... normal, and it worried Nathan. There was no mention of the Freya Familia attacking them and the only mention of the Goddess festival was of their shift in the Hostess. The thing that worried Nathan the most was the lack of conversation about Bell, or him.
They briefly mentioned Hestia being missing, assuming that she was with Hephaestus. Nathan strained his neck to get a clear look into the window and his confusion continued to grow. They looked fine. A few bruises but no gaping wounds or any serious injuries apart from Lili's arm in a sling, the one Alfrigg had broken.
'Had Freya got them healed. Has she completely altered their minds to not only forget about Bell but me as well.'
As Nathan continued to observe them, he only grew more worried. Did they think he was also the number one enemy? Had Freya engrained that into everyone's mind and if she could do that, what had she done about Bell?
He would soon get his answer as he watched his friends get ready for a day in the dungeon, leaving the front door just as the sound of footsteps hurriedly hitting the cobble grew louder. Nathan looked to his left and his eyes widened in surprise.
'Bell!'
Nathan looked at his captain and what he was wearing. It was similar to what he usually wore, mainly casual black clothes but he had never owned ones this... fancy. They were smooth and embraided seamlessly but the most significant difference was the Sigal that branded the boy's right breast, the insignia of the Valkyrie. It made Nathan scowl.
Nathan watched on in anger and sadness as he saw Bell's heart break over and over as he was rejected constantly by the ones he viewed as his friends. Lili, the girl who would never leave Bell, had fear in her eyes. Welf readied his sword, ready to arm himself against the one he saw as a brother. Mikoto stood in front of Haruhime as if to protect her from the person who had rescued the Renard.
Nathan gritted his teeth, wanting to jump down and come to Bell's defence but he didn't know who was around.
"What does the Freya Familia want with a small Familia like us?" Lili asked, worry etched in her voice.
'So Freya has really charmed the whole city into believing Bell is hers,' Nathan thought as he felt his blood boil.
He continued to watch Bell struggle and plea that they knew him. He begged to see Hestia, saying she would know him but they only pushed him further away.
Nathan's eyes followed as Bell was almost brought to tears as he ran away, down the opposite road he had come down. He almost thought of going after him but then Welf kept talking.
"That was strange, what does the record holder want with us?" He asked, his hand still on the hilt of his sword as he looked at the road Bell raced down.
"First the escaped convict and now this, we need to be wary and stick together," Lili muttered.
'Escaped convict... do they mean me?' Nathan asked, curious about what kind of lie Freya spun in order to catch him.
"How could the Guild and the Ganesha Familia allow someone so dangerous to escape?" Haruhime asked.
"To think that a monster like that is roaming on the surface, people like him should be chucked in the dungeon with his own kind," Welf spat out as a look of disgust twisted on his face.
"Someone like that should hopefully over look us.. hopefully?" Mikoto murmured nervously.
"Did you not hear the warning the Guild issued out; he attacks indiscriminately, a murderer. We are probably safer in the dungeon if he's out here," Lili finished off as she led the Familia out of the main gate and towards the dungeon. Nathan eyes didn't follow them this time, the boy frozen where he was perched.
'The way they talked about me, how they think of me.'
Nathan saw the look fear in their eyes when they talked about him, it crushed him just as much as Bell had been. The people he said he would protect viewed him as a threat to their lives.
Dangerous
Monster
Disgusting
Murderer.
Those words hurt him more than he could explain. He had been called those words so many times he thought they meant nothin. Nathan had even referred to himself in such a manor but to hear from the only people in the world he cared about... it hurt. Hurt more than any scar he bares or any wound he's suffered.
Nathan had thought about following Bell but his emotions were now in control. From 2 years of having his mental fortification allowing him to remain rational and calm, he was not used to listening to his emotions, only when he was angry did he lose control.
He raised his head, his eyes narrowed to slits as he looked towards the most southern section of the city.
Nathan flew through the streets, almost as if he didn't care being caught. The only reason he was in the back alleys is because he was heading towards the giant wall that encased the city. But unlike before where he busted through it, as he reached the giant bricks, he leapt up.
In a single leap, Nathan easily made it to the top. As soon as he landed, he wasted no time and sprinted south. As he raced, the first figure came into view. He knew that Freya would have patrols encircle the wall and he was more than prepared to take action.
But as Nathan made his way closer to his soon-to-be victim his eyes widened in shock. The person who he was ready to kill wasn't wearing the black uniform of the Freya Familia but the bright orange of the Ganesha Familia.
'She's forced other Familia's into spying for her,'
Nathan felt conflicted. He was already in enough shit with the other Familia's, he didn't want to make it worse.
"Hey!"
'Damn!' Nathan thought as he clicked his tongue in frustration as he was spotted. The half-elf quickly raced up to the lookout, unsheathing his sword. He quickly assessed that they were no more than a level 2 with how slow they readied their weapon so Nathan felt comfortable dealing with them.
He flipped over them and with a quick chop to the neck, the young male flopped to floor, unconscious.
Nathan was relieved slightly they were only level 2. He felt confidence in taking out those up to level 4 without much hassle but he knew if he came across a first-class adventurer, no matter what Familia, he would not let them get in his way.
As he got halfway to his destination, Nathan was given a bit of stress relief as he gladly sliced open the throat of a Freya Familia member on lookout. Nathan didn't give them chance to cry for help or pull out their weapon.
He wasn't bothered that it would alert Freya, having one of her blessings ripped away from her. In fact, Nathan enjoyed the thought of hurting Freya in any way possible, even if it meant slicing the throat of a level 1 novice that posed no threat whatsoever.
After another minute of full sprint, Folkvangr came into sight. His eyes narrowed once more as he got as close as he could before dropping down the wall and into another back alley.
He edged his way closer and the noise of Folkvangr grew louder. It seemed they were still participating in the daily ritual of almost killing each other. He was surprised there wasn't any commotion or more guards stationed, especially after he had killed that lookout.
It didn't matter, they could have as many of them. Unless it was an executive, they were nothing more than an inconvenience. So Nathan continued to look on, trying feel for the presence of any of the first-class adventurers.
He struggled to focus though, the constant noise of the battleground going on made it hard to find any other presence that wasn't being fully utilised in the battle royale.
Nathan continued to search, almost as if he was running through the mansion's halls. He checked the west side with the dining hall, nothing. Then the middle with the main entrance, still nothing. The east section and the north held little results as well. So he started going up and that's when he felt it.
A fragment of divinity. No matter how light or fragile it felt, Nathan could tell arcanum apart from anything from all the exposure to it. Whenever he felt it, it always made his blood run cold and made his heart start beating faster. He almost enjoyed the sensation as a rush of adrenaline coursed through his veins.
Nathan scurried away, glancing once more at the top of the spiralled tower where Freya was. He smirked as he knew she was probably suppressing her divinity to try and hide but it mattered little to Nathan. He'd felt her presence and he raced at the chance.
Circling around the houses, he leapt in-between shadows trying to find the best place to attack. He knew as soon as he attacked, it would reveal his position. That was why he needed to make this clean and simple. A simple slice across the throat and they'd all lose their strength. Then it wouldn't be just the lower levels that posed no threat to him.
As Nathan found the right location, he sensed another pulse of arcanum. What was Freya doing? He thought she'd be better at hiding her arcanum having spent so much time as Syr. Was she trying to bait him in, or maybe she was trying to scare him? Either way, Nathan would be too fast for any reaction.
He slowly unsheathed his swords, not even making a single sound as he braced his boots and tensed his legs. He licked his cracked, dry lip in anticipation before making the plunge.
'Now!'
Pushing off his right leg, Nathan catapulted into the tallest room, smashing through the window. He immediately found his target, her back to him, sipping on some wine. He bared his fangs, smiling that she wouldn't know what hit her. Compared to the Goddess' perception of time, Nathan would've pushed off from the ground a mere fraction of a second before he pierced his sword through the back of her throat.
That would've happened if Nathan stopped his blade a millimetre from the exposed skin. In that moment since entering the room, he had habitually looked around and to his surprise, there was nothing.
No servants, no protection, not even Ottar. He had banked on one of the executives or even two following Bell but not Ottar and in that moment, time slowed to a crawl for the half-elf as he realised something.
At the noise, Freya jumped out of her chair and turned around, Nathan's sword inches away from taking her life as his eyes were slits.
"-where?" He asked, his voice icy and venomous. "Where is she?"
He realised it in the last moment, this arcanum was different. It wasn't the same, it didn't feel... natural. This was a fake Freya. And this was a trap.
Before the fake Freya even a chance to talk, Nathan's instinct screamed at him. He managed to look to his right just in time to see a hulking mass of muscle rush him. Nathan swung his swords up for protection but compared to the speed Ottar rushed him, it was pathetic.
Nathan was sent hurtling out of the room, smashing through the brick wall and landing in the courtyard. The air left this lungs as he coughed up blood but he wasn't giving a moment to breath as he heard the sound barrier shatter to his right, just in time to dodge Allen Frommel spear ripping through his throat, the spear instead ripping out Nathan's cheek, earning a grunt of pain from the half-elf. Nathan realised that Allen had been faster than his instinct ability.
Nathan went to activate his wind but was immediately stopped as Hogni appeared behind him, his black sword flying towards him, ready to decapitate him. Nathan managed to block it with his right sword and using his left to instinctively swing at Allen, all the while Ottar had dropped down.
'Oh shit!' Was all Nathan could think as Ottar took one step and immediately appeared before him, his speed so incredible that not even Nathan could keep up with it. The speed at which the Boaz man had moved, not a single wasted movement, terrified the half-elf.
Nathan felt his instinct ability go off a second before his back burned with pain. He felt an axe tear through his skin from behind as Hogni and Allen broke off simultaneously just in time for Ottar to slam his giant hand into Nathan's skull.
The Freya Familia watched as Nathan's eyes rolled into the back of his head and for a moment, Nathan was unconscious. Allen smiled as he wasted no time in shoving his spear through Nathan's right leg, crippling the boy as he fell to the ground.
The Freya executives at that moment just stared at the half-elf. Even though they had won, it still irked them that it had taken almost all of them, including Ottar, to take him down... or so they thought.
As Allen dislodged his spear from Nathan calf, jerking the boy's body backwards, Nathan ignited his wind. They didn't know how, they hadn't heard a noise apart from a grunt of pain but as the green wind encircled the boy, it was a signal to move.
Nathan was looking up at the sky as he pushed off backwards. His mind had gone completely blank for a second and a searing pain came from his leg but it was that pain that brought him back to life.
Nathan immediately pushed upwards, bouncing off into the sky, dodging all three Gulliver brothers who had jumped at him, his instinct ability being the difference between life and death. But as he looked back down, he noticed none of them were following him. They all just followed him with their eyes, allowing him to escape.
'Why aren't they chasing?'
Then suddenly something slammed into Nathan's shoulder. Nathan felt his warm blood start spilling out as he turned his head and what he saw made his heart stop. A golden spear was sticking out of his shoulder, a spear that Nathan would recognise anywhere. A spear he had used once in Daedalus street. A spear that had been a symbol of his suppression when part of Evilus.
Nathan lost control of his magic and began falling to the ground and as his body turned, a flash of gold and steel entered his vison as he felt a sword split through his stomach.
As he crashed into the floor, he saw them. The two people that had not been accounted for when he checked at their home earlier.
He tasted iron as blood swelled in his mouth as the dust settled, showing his attackers. He had not expected it, how could he and they both were fast enough to catch him off guard in broad daylight.
Nathan cried out in pain as Ais Wallenstein pulled out her sword from his stomach, a purple glint nestled in her eye. Nathan made a similar sound of agony as Finn Deimne dislodged his spear from his shoulder as he landed.
Before Nathan could even talk or move, a shadow appeared over him. He heard the sound of heels start making their way over as the last thing Nathan saw was a giant boot slamming into his face before darkness.
Freya walked over to the unconscious body of the half-elf, a smile on her face as she had finally captured him.
Hedin had rushed over to her and had relayed what had happened in the early hours of the morning. Freya had broken a glass of wine after hearing that her prized possessions and her throne had been tossed out and broken but that meant Nathan had returned, and Hedin had a plan.
Hedin quickly presented Finn Deimne and Ais Wallenstein, both of whom were under her control. He explained how the prisoner, Nathan, had escaped captivity and was on the loose and that the Loki Familia were willing to help take him down.
Freya hid her smile as she was able to charm the two individuals into believing this and from then a plan formed. Freya called on Horn, who had been kept in a jail for her betrayal. The girl prostrated herself in front of the goddess, begging for forgiveness and Freya would give it to her, on one condition.
"Would you sacrifice yourself for me?" Freya asked but she already knew the answer. Using Horn as a decoy to drag Nathan in would be the first step.
Freya would then hide in her secret escape room that had a magic enchantment on it that hid the presence of those in it, no matter how powerful they were. It also held a one way mirror, with the people inside being able to look out into the room without being seen. In it would be herself, Ottar, Allen and Hogni. The three Gulliver brothers would be stationed far enough away that they wouldn't be sensed either.
Braver and the Kenki would wait about a mile away and would advance on the target when they heard sound of battle. Freya knew Nathan would not be expecting the Loki Familia to intervene and Freya had all of them at her whim.
And the plan worked perfectly. With Finn Deimne and Hedin Selland working together to formulate a plan to capture a single individual, it would be nigh impossible to fail. The only down side was that Freya didn't get to enjoy the fight, the time from when Ottar attacked Nathan and to when Ais Wallenstein brought the half-elf to the ground happened within 5 seconds.
Freya was able to revel in the sight of the broken body of the half-elf. His nose broken from Ottar's boot as blood spilled from the hole in his leg courtesy of Allen, the wound in his shoulder from Braver and the pool of blood forming next to his body that was coming from his stomach.
"Thank you for your help. You can leave us," Freya said in a sultry voice as she glowed her eyes at the Loki Familia captain and prodigy. She would erase their memory of this, with the knowledge that she had abused her power over Loki's favourite children bringing her pleasure.
""Yes, my lady"" the two responded, their voices like stone and hollow as they bowed to the Goddess and went on their way.
"Now..." Freya looked back at the boy, his wounds already beginning to heal. "I have a promise to fulfil."
Bell sat on his bed, quivering as his mind was still reeling from the day. He had gone to all those he considered close friends. Lili, Welf, Mikoto and Haruhime turned him away as they looked at him with trepidation.
He talked to Takemikazuchi and Miach but both the Gods, along with their followers, looked at him as if they never knew him.
He found Eina, his dungeon advisor, begging her to tell him that everything was a lie. But she said the same thing, that he was part of the Freya Familia and always had been.
Bell couldn't comprehend it. Had the last 6 months of his life all been a lie? Had everything he experienced been false. He knew the only person would truly be a testament to that but he couldn't find Goddess Hestia anyway.
He'd visited Hephaestus, Hermes, the Jagamarakun's stand and even the desolate pile of rubble that had been the home they had first shared together. Nothing.
Bell cried out, hoping to attract anyone who would help him. The two strongest people he knew were Ryu and Nathan but like Hestia, he couldn't find them anywhere. It was as if they disappeared.
So Bell sat on his bed as he watched the sun starting to dip below the horizon, the warm orange that glistened over the city did nothing to quell his fears. Goddess Freya would soon be visiting, hopefully he could find some comfort there.
"Wake up!"
Nathan's eyes shot open as a blast of cold water was thrown over him. As he jerked about, he immediately recognised the sound of chains rattling, with the all too familiar feeling of shackles wrapping around his wrists.
His eye quickly adjusted to his surroundings, taking in his new residence. Damp brick was the only interior design with cold, green moss littering its surface. In front of him were iron bars, barely centimetres apart. A rat would struggle to slip through that gap.
A single, dull magic stone lamp hung above the cell door, illuminating the dark hallway that was separated from him. In it stood three figures. Nathan had to look past his dripping bleached-hair as droplets of water spluttered on the cobble, the sound of water hitting the floor the only noise in the prison cell.
The one on the left was small and slender. They blended into the darkness with their black clothes and hair but their white teeth were visible through the sadistic grin that plastered the figures face. He held an empty bucket.
The one on the right was a hulking figure, their head grazing the ceiling as they stood firm and still, Nathan almost mistook it for a statue.
The one in the middle was the one who had his attention. Standing about the same height as the one to her right, a clear figure belonging to a woman stood upright.
All three were staring at him and Nathan returned it with a scowl. He attempted to move, having been restrained by chains before. By the time he had hit level 3, not a single chain could hold him. But as he furiously shook his hands, trying to break the chains off the wall, his body told him something horrifying. He felt weak, his strength having been sapped from him.
"Do you like them?" Freya asked, her voice dripping with regal arrogance. "They aren't just your average chains. No, these are specially made by the best smiths in the world. Able to supress a person's Falna, no matter how strong. Even Ottar here wouldn't be able to break free. But do continue, watching you struggle gives me the upmost amount of pleasure."
Freya finished her little explanation with a sly smile as continued to look at the half-elf she had captured. Nathan just continued to stare at her, his eyes filled with bloodlust.
"hmm, Hedin thought that your wrath must've been a skill since it was so powerful. I guess you are just a pathetic creature who only knows anger," Freya said in a mocking tone as Nathan only increased his bloodlust.
"Don't worry, my Bell is being treated well. He's safe and away from you, and soon he will be mine."
This garnered nothing but an even crazier look in the boy's eyes as he threw murder at the Goddess.
"Not going to respond... pity. I was hoping to have a conversation with you before I completely dismantle you, body and soul."
Nathan let out a low growl as he jumped forward, the chains clashing together, letting out a horrid sound of metal. Freya jumped back slightly and both Ottar and Allen stood in front of her, the smiles having disappeared.
Freya now wore a scowl as Nathan let out a huff of laughter. Even when he was bound and in a cell, he could still frighten the Goddess.
"Allen," Freya ordered and the cat-man obliged. The jingling of keys clicked in Nathan's ears as Vana Freya opened up the cell door and walked inside. Freya followed and Ottar came in last, grabbing the lantern that was hanging on the ceiling and bringing it into the cell.
"We both made a promise to each other yesterday but unfortunately, only one of us will fulfil it."
Nathan jerked his head back, not enjoying the Goddess' presence coming closer to him.
"Oh don't worry, I'm not going to kill you yet. No, there are a few things I'd like to know first. You see, ever since I saw you that night you came in, all covered in blood, you've peeked my curiosity," Freya began, mentioning the night in the hostess when Nathan had appeared, hungry and smeared in blood that didn't belong to any monster. The same day a deity was sent back to heaven.
"Was that your God that went back? Who was it?" Nathan just scowled at her, refusing to answer her. Freya edged another step closer. "You can refuse all you want; I will get the answer out of you at some point."
"Did you know I can see people's souls? Most are boring, some are interesting, a rare few are exquisite and one is perfect," Freya explained, letting her reason for the start of all this hang in the air before continuing. "But yours... when I saw yours it made me sick."
This grabbed Nathan's attention. He knew that his soul had been corrupted by Hel but he didn't know what had actually happened.
"It's vile and twisted. It belongs more to a monster than it does to a mortal. Black and corrupted. I could tell at a single glance this was the doing from a deity, only the power of Tenkai could corrupt a soul like this. Even your very soul is proof that you're a monster and the fact you stood next to my Odr. You should be grateful I've allowed you to live as long as you have."
Nathan looked away. He still refused to speak but his look of shame was enough for Freya to continue with her story.
"I learnt that you used to be a part of Evilus. How did you escape? Was that the reason you were so bloody that day, had you massacred all those that got in your way?"
Freya now got closer to Nathan, staring into his eyes.
"That colour, it is unusual." Nathan tried to look away but it was no use, his body was strung up to a wall, there was no escape. "If I recall, those eyes only belong to a specific group of elves, royal ones. You will explain them as well, soon enough."
Freya brought her hand up to Nathan's cheek, her bare skin stroking his skin, her fingers touching the horrible scar that ran alongside the right-side of his face. For most people, they would crumble right then at just a touch and Freya enjoyed watching the boy squirm as her natural charm took over or was it the pain of having his scar touched. Either way, she enjoyed the boy try and pull away. She went onto her tip toes and whispered into his ear.
"Soon enough, you will tell me everything."
All of a sudden, Freya's shoulder was grabbed and she was dragged back. Allen had pulled her away just as Ottar lunged forward and grabbed the half-elf's head in a vice-grip. Freya looked at the dangling boy. He was smiling at her as a piece of silver hair lay limp in his mouth. He had lunged for her, his teeth ready to grab anything it could to cause damage.
He spat the hair out. "Disgusting," He whispered, smiling through Ottar's hand. Freya quickly composed herself and walked back up to the boy but Ottar kept his grip over the boy's face.
"Tell me, who was your God?"
At that the boy quickly stiffened up, his smile quickly disappearing. Freya stepped closer and raised her hand, this time to reach under his shirt. She was going to break this person who had taken so much from her and she would make it slow and painful. She could tell he had a hatred towards Gods and Goddess' and she was going to use her divine powers to torture him until he begs for death.
But as Freya reached under the boy's shirt, earning another shiver of fear, she stopped herself and then Nathan grinned once more.
"It wasn't a God. I had a Goddess."
Freya felt something. The boy's body should be fairly toned with muscle, so why was it so...rough. She gave a nod to Allen, who walked up to the boy and ripped his shirt off. In the dim light, Freya looked at what she touched and she had to take a step back.
'I'd almost forgotten,' Freya thought as she remembered when he had come in that night.
Scars everywhere. Disfigured skin and tissue were imprinted on the boy's body. Disgusting and ugly red slashes completely covered the boy's body. Ottar brought the lantern down lower and as Freya followed the scars up his body, eventually reaching the boy's face.
Freya recoiled slightly as the lantern had illuminated his face. His jade eyes had stood out in the darkness but now what caught her eye was the scar on his face. She had seen it before but in this lighting, it was hideous. But the eye that lay inside it was even more frightening as black swirls infected his iris as he spoke a name she had never wished to hear again.
"Hel, the Goddess of Death."
Freya's mind went blank at the boy's words. The name he uttered shook her to her core. She glanced over his ruined body once more as pieces fell into place. His soul, his deadly ability to take lives. His unrelenting will to kill. His broken mind, all of it was explained with a single name.
Freya scowled once more at the boy. It didn't matter now who his Goddess had been or was now. He had killed her precious children and had tried to take her life on several occasion. He held information she was privy on knowing and she would get everything she desired from him before slicing his throat open herself.
"I can see it, you're scared of her, just like everyone else," Nathan muttered, enjoying Freya' reaction at the mention of his old Goddess but then his head slammed back into the stone. Ottar had not enjoyed his Goddess being toyed with and he shoved the half-elf's head into the stone with just enough force to give him a concussion but not knock him out.
Nathan's head swirled as he struggled to hold focus. He felt a cold wind hit his bare chest as his scar on his eye burned slightly. He used that to stay conscious but after what happens next, he wished he had been knocked out.
Just as his eyes slowly lost the haze, they landed on Freya and the deep purple of her eyes.
"D-don't..." he mumbled out but it was Freya's turn to laugh as her that deep purple glowed and then Nathan's mind burned.
Bell's body was beaten and bruised as he lay down after a long day of fighting again. He missed Haruhime's cooking, or he thought he did. Had he even eaten her food, it still felt real in his mind.
He let out a sigh as his mind grew tired and blurry. He really might be under a curse. Maybe the Freya Familia were his real Familia, his friends. They treated him with a familiarity that felt so natural. And then there was the Goddess Freya.
Whenever he had had a particular rough day on the battlefield, she always came to him and gave him warm comfort. He had almost gotten reliant on her just to fall asleep. His thoughts of Hestia, the Familia, the issue with the Xenos or Nathan... even Ais. All of them were slowly fading as the Goddess Freya took over, he had begun to stop fighting it.
Just on cue, his door opened and in walked the only person he felt comfortable alone with right now. The only person in the world he felt he could talk to and wouldn't be pushed away or laughed at.
Freya sat beside him on his bed and Bell forced himself to sit up. She smiled at him. It was a kind smile, one that held warmth and care that only a patron deity could hold. He remembered Hestia looking at him like this after a hard day in the dungeon... was that real?
What was happening in front of him was real, that he knew. So he slumped into her embrace as he told her about his day, and she told him about hers and Bell Cranel's mind crumbled even further.
It burned.
I had never felt pain like it. I had been set on fire before, many times but that couldn't even compare. It was like me very core, my being, my soul was being set ablaze. I could feel my mind try to fight it. The combination of my Absolute resistance skill and my mental fortification was desperately pushing back but it was a losing battle.
Every time I tried to fight it, tried to resist, it only made it worse. It felt like I was being mocked within my own body. As if the inferno was telling me that it wasn't even at full strength. I cried and screamed in pain as I wriggled about, the image of my cell fading in and out of my vision. I felt sweat trickle down my forehead, pathetically focusing on it to try and stay conscious but then a stronger wave dragged me back into my mind.
I could only scream out in pain more, pleading to be released.
Hestia had met up with her other children. She had made the excuse of being with Hephaestus and had rejoined the day to day life. But it was all an act. She could barely sleep. How was Bell doing, in that horrid place surrounded by those horrible people, the thoughts swirled in her mind but she had to repress the feelings swelling up inside for the sake of everyone else.
She had seen both Ottar and Allen stare at her when she went out, as if to say even one wrong move and all of them would be killed. That cat man was violence incarnate and he was around her Bell. And Nathan had fought him.
She had yet to hear back from her other child. She had seen the destruction in the main plaza, the one that had rained down from the tower. That had to be Nathan but why would he do such a thing. It would only aggravate Freya Familia even more. But that was what worried Hestia the most about the half-elf.
She knew he was slipping mentally. She had seen his mental fortification cracking on his last update and it could have only gotten worse. What would happen if it went completely? Hestia hadn't really thought about it but why did he have it in the first place. What had happened that forced the boy's falna to forcefully pull his mind back into place?
Hestia could do little apart from wait. She had told Ryu of the plan and she had begun to interact with Hermes Familia in giving out the wood for the fires. It wouldn't be long until she would have both of her children back by her side.
'Just hold out, you two.'
I watched, emotionless as the three Gulliver brothers tortured me. They had taken it in turns to try and hurt me. Break my fingers, toes, legs, arms, ribs. Burn my skin, make me bleed from every place imaginable. All of it meant nothing to me. I couldn't even connect why they were trying to hurt me. My mind was numb, I barely had a thought swirling in my head. The less I thought, the less pain there was.
But then I heard it. The sound of heels clicking down the cobblestone steps. I began shaking in fear, desperately trying to get free, knowing what was coming.
"Just thought I'd give you a quick update on how Bell is doing," Her sultry voice infected my brain, causing me to spasm. I don't know how long I've been down here for. Not a scrap to eat and the only form of liquid I've been given was my own urine.
I had just come down from the last quagmire of pain. By now, whenever I was under her charm all I could think of was her. I had desperately tried to cling onto images of Bell, Lili, Welf, Haruhime, Mikoto, Hestia, Ryu, Riveria. The only person who I could still cling onto was the faint image of my mother, she was the only one who could beat Freya.
"He's doing very well. His stats are amazing and to believe he can already be the last one standing in battle. He truly is breathtaking; I just can't wait to have him be mine."
I glare at her. My hate is the only emotion that is keeping me afloat, that is keeping me in control. My hate for the Goddess is the only thing fighting back against her charm. It is the only thing that is beating away the pain that the Prums are trying to inflict.
I get a small bit of satisfaction knowing that no matter what kind of pain they try to do, it will be nothing compared to what I've experienced. Freya could never compare to Hel.
"My lady, it would be best if you were not here to see this," I hear one of the prums mumble. I don't look at them, too busy glaring at the Goddess who had me chained up in her dungeon. The pang of hunger had started to creep in, meaning I'd must be coming up to five days down here. I just needed to hold out.
"Oh my darling, I won't be here for long. I just thought I'd help."
When Freya turned to face me, all my anger turned to fear as her purple eyes stared right at me. The small lamp hanging from the ceiling swayed back and forth as her sadistic smile made me thrash in my chains, begging any release from this pain.
"GET AWAY!" I scream as I scrunch my eyes, forcing my head so far away that I feel my spine beginning to break. But it meant nothing.
"You will not fight the pain. Experience all of it."
"NO PLEASE, NOO-...Yes, my lady... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Pain floods my mind once more but now I feel every ounce of pain inflicted on my body as if all my previous resilience meant nothing. All I could do was scream.
Ryu had helped Goddess Hestia as much as she could. She had got her back safely to her home and had helped extract the Goddess' blood at her command. After leaving her, she had tried to investigate what had happened.
She saw the clean-up of the main plaza, something she had contributed to Nathan. She had tried to find the half-elf but gave up quickly as she had more important things to do. First of all, find Syr.
However, that had gone wrong the moment she had gotten near the Hostess. She had been lured out by Syr, but it wasn't her.
Ryu still didn't believe what she had seen that day as Syr glowed purple and turned into the Goddess Freya. That her past 5 years had been a lie, a game to a Goddess on a whim. That it meant nothing. She couldn't except it.
After that, Ottar had knocked Ryu out and when she woke up, she was lying on hay with her wrists in chains. She knew about these special chains that nullified her Falna, making her as weak as a normal person.
She had a single lamp above her and it only illuminated her cell and a bit of the hallway. Even though she couldn't see or hear anyone, she didn't feel alone. She also heard something dripping to the floor in front of her, attributing it to a leaky pipe of some sorts.
It didn't take long until she got a visit as the sound of clinking echoed towards her. The Goddess Freya appeared in view as Vana Freya stood next to her.
"Ryu."
Ryu didn't respond to the Goddess, earning a sigh from the woman. Ryu didn't know where to start with the Goddess of beauty. On one hand, she has charmed the whole city and admitted to kidnapping Bell. But she had also been her friend for 5 years, something she refused to have all been a lie.
"I'm sorry that it has come to this. I hope one day you can forgive me but..."
Suddenly Ryu saw movement appear behind the Goddess along with the thrashing of chains. Then a horrendous sound filled the room. A sickening sound of a bone snapping that was so violent, Ryu felt her stomach churn.
Freya had jolted at the sound and had turned around, pressing herself closer to Ryu's cage. Ryu herself now stood up and peered around the Goddess to get a better look as the dripping sound from earlier had gotten louder.
Ryu sucked in her breath as she saw a sickening sight. In front of her had been a cell with no lamp in it, keeping its occupant invisible. A single arm was sticking out of it, one arm that had scars, cuts, burns and bruises all over it as blood dripped from the fingers.
The arm had been completely snapped in the middle, with the bottom half now hanging floppily. If it was not broken, the hand would've been exactly where Freya had been standing but Vana Freya had seemingly got to it first. Ryu noted the thumb had turned almost black, clearly having been broken as well but not by Vana Freya.
Allen hissed at the boy as Freya sucked in a deep breath before trying to calm herself. Then the lamp in Ryu's room slowly swayed over to the hallway, slightly illuminating the cell opposite.
A single jade eye, surrounded by red flesh that stemmed from chin to hairline. It stared out at the three people, a hollow anger swirling inside it. For a second, no sound was made but slowly the arm was pulled back into the cell as the Jade eye followed, vanishing into the darkness.
Freya gave no explanation but Ryu knew. She knew who was opposite her. She also knew that whoever the Goddess Freya was, she was not the Syr Ryu knew as Syr would never make someone scream in pain to such an extent.
After Freya and Vana Freya had left, Ryu still refusing to talk to the Goddess who still claimed to be Syr, the elf looked over at her cell. Now and then, her lamp swayed just far enough so she could see bits of Nathan's cell.
There was no hay or fresh water. No signs of food that she had. While she lay on the ground and could somewhat move about, she had glimpsed the boy's feet dangle slightly, showing he had been strung up by his wrists.
Ryu had tried to talk to the boy but got no response. She now and then heard incoherent mumbles or a few seizures of pained moans but no response. Ryu didn't even know if the half-elf even knew she was this close to him. She didn't want to imagine what had happened to him down here.
But she had learnt something. She had learnt what the dripping sound was. A single sway of the lantern revealed the culprit. A small pool underneath the half-elf had formed and it wasn't water.
Hestia stood before Freya, Bell by her side. She had won.
A couple minutes ago, her sacred, divine virgin blood that had been dropped onto thousands of wooden logs had been set ablaze, reversing Freya's charm over the city and its inhabitants.
In a couple of minutes, Folkvangr had been surrounded. Loki Familia, Ganesha Familia and almost every single second-tier adventurer stood at the gates of the Freya Familia's home.
A fight quickly broke out. Freya Familia fighting to protect their Goddess as the entire strength of Orario rained down on them. Even Finn Deimne, Riveria Los Alf and Gareth Landrock had arrived, with one of them in particular interested in being here.
"I don't see him here," Riveria mumbled as they all looked at the people who had been the first to arrive. The Hestia Familia members were ferociously battling their way in. They had been forced to believe their friend meant nothing to them. They had been made to force the one who had saved them away, a guilt that was eating them alive. But one of them was missing.
"I would've expected him to be 'ere," Gareth agreed, scratching his beard. A big reason they had stayed back and observed was because they wanted to prevent all-out war from breaking out within the city and to stop blood from being shed. And since it had been Bell Cranel who had been hurt the worst, a certain half-elf had been expected to be seen.
"I don't know whether that's good or not," Finn muttered. "Since he's not here, then I don't where he is or what he could be doing. But since he's not here then..." The image of corpses scattered across the fields of Folkvangr flashed in their minds.
"Never mind that, we need to stay on top of this. This cannot go unpunished."
With his statement finished, The Braver jumped down and began intervening, stopping or helping out fights whenever which one was needed more.
Ryu heard the commotion above her. She struggled in her chains, wanting to help. She could tell something important was happening and that she would hate herself is she wasn't there to help Bell.
"Nathan come on, we need to try and escape!" Ryu shouted at the cell opposite her. He had broken free of his bonds once; he could do it again. She had guessed he had been tortured but ever since she arrived three days ago, no one had come to him. No one.
No food, no water. No clean-up for toilet. No one. She had been given all of that but when she tried to notion any sort of help to the half-elf, they all just went silent and walked away. Ryu had chucked a bit of her bread over to him once, wanting to help if possible. The bread was still there, mouldy and covered in flies.
The half-elf gave her no response, just simply dangling there. She had been able to get her lantern down and get closer to his cell a few times but all she saw was gut wrenching.
His head hung down; his body slowly swayed. The pool of blood had slowly increased as his exposed, scarred body just limply stayed still, barely a twitch of motion. Sometimes Ryu believed the boy had died sometimes but then he would thrash about, slamming his head into the wall behind him and filling the pool of blood below him more. That was the cycle Nathan had been living in since she had been brought here.
Ryu just looked on, pleading with her eyes for the half-elf to move. To do anything. The boy that had been her main enemy, that had faced against the strongest people in the world and survived. The one who had crawled out of the deepest depths and tried to make something of his life. She refused to believe that person had been beaten.
But the almost lifeless body slowly crushed that belief. He looked broken, beyond repair. His mind clearly shattered and his body unrecoverable.
So when a random woman suddenly appeared and threw Ryu a set of keys and her swords before running off, Ryu uncuffed herself and opened her cell door. She thought about just running ahead, getting to Bells aid as fast as possible. But she couldn't, her sense of morality forcing her to stay.
Even if he had killed hundreds of people, even if he had hurt so many more. Even if he had some connection to her sister's death and her pain, she couldn't leave him. But she struggled to help him.
She unlocked his cell and cut off his chains, she watched as the boy's body just slumped to the floor, sitting in his own blood and filth. Ryu clenched her hands as she gritted her teeth.
"I can't..." She mumbled and dashed away. She had opened his cell and freed him, that was all he was getting from her. She couldn't bring herself to help him any further, not when someone like Bell needed her as well. That was more important to her right now. She told herself that, even when she knew it was just an excuse.
/
By the end of the day, Freya and Hestia had declared War over Bell Cranel which encompassed the whole city.
Loki and Ganesha Familia would be banned from entering with the fear of utter destruction of the major players that would be essential in the fight against the One-eyed-Black-Dragon, much to the annoyance of many.
Hermes would hand a letter over to Ryu Lyon with unmistakable handwriting printed on the back of the envelope, causing her to leave the city and find her Goddess.
Even though Ais Wallenstein wouldn't be able to join the War Game, she would devote her next week to training her friend to make sure he would be as prepared as possible.
Bell would be gifted another level up, recording the astronomical achievement of becoming a first-class adventurer in only 6 months.
And while all the preparations were being made on both sides, an emergency Denatus was called. A meeting of the Gods took place on the 13th floor of Babel. Every god in the city was there, their eyes squarely locked on to the centre where the Goddess of the Hearth and the Goddess of beauty and War sat across from each other.
Some looked at Hestia with sympathy while most looked at Freya with destain. But it would be the small Goddess who would speak first. None of the deities, whether they supported Hestia or not, would not even think of antagonising or teasing her, not even Loki.
None of them had seen the Goddess of the home like this. Her usual, innocent, kind demeanour had vanished. In its place was the one deity that not even Zeus dared to cross when provoked. The one who could've brought Olympus to its knees instead of stepping down and leaving the children to play their stupid games.
Freya saw the look in her counter-parts eyes. In it swirled an inferno that was almost bursting out. This was no ordinary fire, nor was it hatred that her half-elf child had looked at her with. No, this fire was the only one of its kind.
Sat across from Freya was The Goddess of the Eternal Flame, a power that defied even her own charm. One that ruled above all else and could not be questioned. And when she spoke, all present had no choice but to stay quiet and listen.
"Where is Nathan!"
And that is Vol 17 completed. I'm determined to stay ahead of the anime. That is why it is a looooooooonggggggg chapter.
I finally feel satisfied with Nathan being captured. It was a canon event and I hoped you enjoyed how it went down, especially with the inclusion of Finn and Ais.
And yh, Freya really doesn't like Nathan and has no qualms with hurting him but she's going to have to pay for her consequences.
I hope you guys are enjoying how I'm portraying the canon characters like Allen and Ryu and now Hestia with her unbridled rage against Freya. I can tell you this, it won't turn out like Canon.
Review time:
NinjaFang - He tried to but it's not that time yet.
Guest - Oh get ready, it's coming, especially after this chapter.
BlakeT1996 - Yh I like the re-write as well and thanks, I enjoyed last chapter as well. Wouldn't have happened without the write.
jank7457 - Yeah their past is interwined more than we know and as for love interest, I have a character in mind, won't be one we know because I can't make it make sense with everything they know right now. It depends if i go that far. It would be part of an extra arc I have planned that would be about 10 maybe 15 chaps long.
As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading and I'll see ya next time, Peace!
