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The scene of a blonde haired swordswoman training in the grounds of the twilight manor was not an unusual sight, what was uncommon was seeing the white haired child alongside her.
"Hmmm..."
"W-what is wrong?"
"I... I just realised that i can't teach..."
"That's okay, i will just copy your moves for a while. Untill then..."
"That... makes sense..."
"Can you just show me the basics before actually... starting?"
"Hmmm... okay... hold your sword like this..."
Unknown to them was the fact that they were being observed by the gentle gaze of a high elf. That might be an issue later... Her gaze fell specifically on the frail boy, she knew that his disease was worsening bt the day now, still the decision was to wait untill giving him a falna of his own, fearing that the adverse effects of a skill developed by the disease were too much for him to handle at such an early age.
I wonder how much time he will have like this... b-before... she stopped her thoughts right there, afraid of thinking about it. Despite the hanging dread for the boy's future.
Next to the worried high elf was the captain that recently appeared, limping thanks to a severely broken leg.
"Aren't you worried he is going to be like her?"
"... A fair bit... but i think this might be good for them."
"Have you told him...?"
"No..."
"How will you-"
"He saw it all..."
"What!" His eyes widened, he was beggining to sweat, he wasn't as attached to the boy as Riveria or maybe even Gareth, but that was terrible news... Many of the familia saw him as a little brother of sorts, Raul, Anakitty, Alicia even... But that could sour the mood of the entire group quite quickly, destroying morale.
"He took it better than i had expected..." Riveria then explained the child's detached reaction to such a trauma inducing event.
"... He can't even hate us without feeling guilty... does that child even have a sense of self!?"
"No, he believes that he hasn't any reason to complain... furthermore, he doesn't want to complain... he is afraid of wanting more, as if it would ruin his current life."
"So you plan to use Ais to take him out of that mindset?"
"Precisely, he will try to help her without even realising he is being helped, that way he cannot deny the fact that he is not fine."
"That... sounds like a plan..."
And so, the scheming elf and observing prum watched as Ais corrected her student's swings.
"You know... this might actually help him if he is even able to be an adventurer in the first place..."
"Either way i will not allow him to be one!"
"Aren't you the protective mama!" Said the redhead newcomer teasing the poor high elf.
However, instead of the old angry reaction that she used to get out of a simple joke, it was now sad and depressing. Loki might have forgotten what Riveria saw when she first found the boy, but she will never.
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Time had passed, a week or two had gone by, and with the news of a few level ups by Astrea and Loki familia, things looked to be going better. Specially for a small child who would receive a visit from another god.
The guards at the familia's hoem were surprise to see the god of messengers approaching the iron gates.
"Hello Lord Hermes, excuse me but i don't believe that you have any business scheduled with lady Loki."
"You are right, i don't, that being said it is of extreme importance that she speaks to me, is she currently available?"
"I can see if she is, it shouldn't take long."
"Very well..."
The guards came back to escort him into the building. Loki, despite being surprised about her visitor, was also curious to see what he had to say.
Upon reaching her office she greeted her fellow god:
"So... Hermes! What is it that you need to speak with dear old me?"
"Well... for starters i came to check up on the boy, as a request from his grandpa, secondly, with the death of Silence came a small thing that needs to be taken care off..."
"That being?"
"The entire Hera familia's fortune was put under her name, now that she is dead it will be secured untill her only family member is old enough to manage it."
"W-WHAT!? SO THAT'S WERE THE OLD HAG HID HER MONEY?"
"Oh surprised? Well let me remind you of another thing..." He came close to her ear and spoke.
"That money, is for the boy, and only him will have any say on what is done with it, are we clear?"
"Yeah, yeah, no problem..." Loki's face however, completely betrayed her emotions.
"If that is all i wish to see him, his birthday is right around the corner too!"
"Okay then follow me..." Loki will have speak to her executives after this... not that she wishes to rob the child of his inheritance after regretfully robbing him of his family...
They both arrived at the room in which the child slept, he didn't share it with any other familia member, mostly because of the inconvenience of not being able to sleep thanks to coughs and the ocassional seizure.
"W-where is he?..." The blond god asked.
"Hmmm, if he isn't here then he must be at the courtyard."
"What would he do in the courtyard?"
"Well... recently my Ais has begun to train with him... of course the boy can't spar or anything like that... but from what i've heard from Finn he has learned quite a bit despite... ya know..."
"That... is an interesting development!" The god said with a mischieveous grin on his face.
"Wipe that smile off your face or yer not gonna leave the mansion!"
"Relax now will ya? i'm not planning anything!"
"Yeah, yeah, let's go!"
When they finally got to the courtyard they saw a focused white haired boy, holding a wooden short sword, next to a blonde girl throwing rubber balls in the air for her "student" to hit, it was an unusual exercise suggested by Finn to better their precision.
"Loki... what is his dexterity stat?"
"What?"
"You know what i'm talking about!"
"I haven't given him my falna yet."
"S-seriously?"
"Yes, though he isn't very fast, he is very precise and coordinated, i'm assuming that is why you wished to know?"
"Well yes of course!"
"So it's all just from this little training?"
"Exactly... although other than precision and his strength is non existent, his speed is sub-par and any bruise takes way too long to heal, and no magic or potions can help, if it wasn't that single detail about his condition, he could have become a great adventurer..."
"That's very high praise coming from you."
"I may not know how to fight but i know the strengh of my children."
"That is debatable... considering the age that the little sword obcessed doll started going to the dungeon..."
"Oh shut it!"
Just as they finished speaking, so did the little training session as Bell's hand clutched his left side, Ais offered to help him but he only refused her charity, having painfully walked to one of the wooden bench that littered the sides of the gravel path.
"Hey Bell!" the excited god shouted.
"Argh... please lord Hermes, there is no need to scream." he said as he clutched his ears.
"I'm sorry Bell, either way i have to speak to you about some matters, in private if possible." The sly god looked to Ais with a grin. "No offense miss Wallenstein."
"O-okay..."
"It can wait if you ain't feeling alright kiddo." Loki was quick to say.
"N-no... it's no bother..."
The trio quickly made it's way out of the courtyard, or as quickly as the boy could, they entered a spare room where Bell sat on a chair while they both tried to explain to a child why he got rich over night.
"So... By now i'm sure you know what happened to your aunt, my condolences by the way."
"There is no need to feel bad, she made her choice." Said the child, sending shivers down the spine of both gods.
"V-very well, then i shall go straight to the point, Bell, you are the only heir to the Hera familia, she has asked me to look after you. Before she was banished, she had transfered all of her monetary assets to Alfia's name, that way they could not be seized by Freya... or Loki."
"... I understand..."
"That means you, as her only living family has inherited that money."
"I still can't believe it myself kiddo, the entire Hera familia's fortune to yourself..."
"Not exactly." Said Hermes with a mocking tone.
"What do ya mean?"
"Yes he inherited Hera's fortune, however that only covers about half of his family tree."
That caught the young boy's interest.
"Your father was a friend of mine, we used to go drinking with him and his patron deity..."
"Hermes." Loki spoke up "You are not saying that..."
"Yes dear Loki, Bell!" He turned to the child. "You are not only a heir to Hera's familia, but to my good old pal Zeus' as well!"
"..." The child was silent.
"HERMES! HOW MUCH MONEY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT!?"
"...Hermes..." His whisper was barely heard, but served to shut Loki up. "...W-what was my father like?"
Oh, how could they have forgotten, Bell might not show it most of the time, but he was still a child, curious about the family he never met, as most would be in his situation, he accepted Alfia's decision to borderline suicide, but still feared that the little amount of connections he still had to his real family might fade away, He loved Riveria, Ais and even Alicia, although he wished she would stop being so overprotective, even surpassing Riveria at that, "You are important to her, while you might not realise that yourself, i will make sure nothing happens to you!" as the elf regularly said.
But those were not his real family, and he still wished to know more about them.
"Well... he was a supporter for the familia, he wasn't weak when compared to many adventurers today, but he certainly wasn't as strong as his peers, but he was a good man, he might have been labeled as a coward, but fought bravely against the greatest calamity this world has seen, it was his sacrifice that helped Alfia and Zald escape."
"T-thank lord Hermes..." He went quiet, more so than he already was.
"So... boy... you would have to go to the guild to sign some papers, altough since you are just a kid we can have Riveria as your oficial legal guardian."
"W-what does that mean?"
"Well... a legal guardian is someone who protects you... it's..."
"Like a father or mother!" Hermes explained.
The child's face wasn't the most pleasant, it was clear to them that Hermes might have spoken too much.
"...Look kiddo, sorry for that, we aren't trying to replace them, it's just a formality..."
"...I... *cough* *cough*... I understand."
It was a lie, that much was painfully obvious, for them at least, Bell was getting scarily better at hiding his feelings, luckily that cannot fool gods.
"Hermes, could you be so kind as to leave the room?"
The god quickly left through the door, leaving Loki and Bell alone.
"L-lady there is nothing to worry about-"
He was cut off by an unexpected hug from the red haired godess.
"I'm sorry Bell, we are not trying to replace your parents, what Hermes said was a bit out of context..."
He said nothing, only returning the hug even tighter. His face for once did not betray his emotions as a few tears threatened to fall from his ruby red eyes.
"Now.. i'm sure that we can all arrange that tomorrow, why don't ya go back to what you were doing?"
"...Ok..." He quickly wiped the tears from his eyes and went back to the courtyard.
There Ais was waiting for him, curious about the sudden interference.
"So... what was that?"
"...Well... i think i'm rich?"
"What?"
"Well... Hermes said that i inherited money from my parents' familias..."
"How much?"
"...I don't know... Loki never said it..."
"How many potato snacks can you buy?"
"Hmmm... too much... i think?"
The girl's curious expression turned into a pout as she waved her arms around.
"There's no such thing as too much potato snacks!"
"...Alright Ais..." He just resigned at that one, there are few things that Ais would forever defend, and potato snacks are at the top of the list, only losing to the her access to the dungeon.
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A high elf and a human child were sat side by side in one of the guild's office, the one belonging to the "guild's pig", an elf who was the exact opposite of what you expect, he wasn't tall by any means and fatter than most dwarf's, he was grumpy and tried his absolute best to make things worse for others by the tedious means of paperwork and guidelines.
"Psst!... Riveria?"
"Yes Bell?"
"Why does he seem to hate me?"
"...He doesn't... for the most part... he does this for everyone, once we are free we can do something better, ok?"
Suddenly, the door was almost forced open by the impatient elf, quickly making it to his seat despite his chubby little legs.
"Hello Lady Riveria, and to you too young Bell, my name is Royman, and i'm here to help you.
I trust that you already filled out the forms?"
"For the most part, it's just that, the child does not have a registered legal guardian, does that changes anything?"
"Well, unfortunately it does, we cannot conplete the whole transfer otherwise, if you sign a name there we can also register it a the same time if you wish..." The guild's pig spoke.
"I... suppose we can arrange that... only if you wish Bell?" The high elf anxiously looked over to the child.
"... That can work... but... who...?"
"Don't worry, i will do it." The fat elf raised an eyebrow well above his widened eyes. He was an elf after all.
"A-are you sure of it, lady Riveria?"
"I am, besides, if it is only for legal documentation then there it's not a problem."
They went over the paperwork again, explaining to Bell what he needed to know about his newfound fortune.
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"You know... i expected it to take a lot longer than that..." The white haired child spoke, a small smile on his face when passing by the streets in direction of their home.
"It's a quick procedure, Royman only got personally involved because of the amount of money involved..."
"Hmmmm... Riveria, can we stop by that stand?"
"Huh, why?"
"I own Ais an apology snack."
"What did you do?"
"So..." Bell quickly described the encounter with Ais after the talk with Loki and Hermes.
"Pfff... She needs to start eating healthier things, you should try talking to her about it."
"Me?"
"Yes, to be honest, you take more care of yourself than any child your age... i know it's not easy especially with your condition but-"
"T-thank you! It's not that bad, you get used to it, and at the end of the day... it's just a question of cutting down heavy and unhealthy food, not that i can stomach any heavy food..."
She flinched at that, the boy is not bone thin for no reason, he had a balanced diet, although he did not eat many types of meat, only lighter ones could be easily digested by his body, not that it was that much of a problem considering the amount of elves in the familia and their similar diets, although for very different reasons.
"So, how was the training with Ais?"
"Well it was a bit of the same today, although she says i'm getting better, but i don't know..."
"Well, I've seen you two in the courtyard, you are looking better than some recruits we have out here."
"Speaking of new recruits... do you think i can still be an adventurer?"
"... That... Your aunt managed, why would you not?" She told him, ignoring her desire to shutdown his more than dangerous dreams, however her instincts told her that he needed the encouragement atleast for now.
"Thank- *Cough* *Cough* you" He said while supporting himself with the cane he used to move around.
"Are you alright? We can stop if you want to." The concerned Riveria said.
"Y-yes just tired after today... we are near the mansion right?"
"Yes just a few more blocks."
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Night had already fallen and most people at the mansion were asleep, a certai trio and their goddess however, were not.
"So how was the meeting?" The prum said, starting their meeting.
"How was the little lad?"
"Well... he behaved well, and didn't have any serious symptons untill we were almost back... "
" Okay... so Riveria..." Loki looked at ther with a grin and a greedy glint in her eyes.
"How much money did Bell inherit?"
The elf was quick to slap the back of her head and deflected the question.
"That is not your concern! The guild and Hermes have made strict guidelines in this sort of situation."
"You're no fun..."
"Either way, i'm beginning to worry about his health."
"The lad's condition got worse?"
"He was having difficulty walking back, i think we should consult Dian Cecht's on whether or not we should give him a falna..."
"Hmmm i see... Are ya worried he might try to become an adventurer?"
"Not exactly, he isn't like Ais, we could easily keep him away from the dungeon... But i fear he might grow impatient..."
"Well, then if the lad wants to choose... we should let him." The dwarf said.
"Maybe you are right Gareth." The captain agreed.
"That, sounds responsible, Riveria... What do you think?"
"I... I... You are right..."
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The sun had already risen when Loki entered Bell's room.
"Kiddo, Finn, Gareth and Riveria decided to ask you something, it's important ok?"
"Yes."
"Well, do you think you are ready for my blessing? answer truthfully now."
"So... i will finally have my falna!" The child replied excitedly.
"Nuh uh, answer the question first."
"Y-yes... Well Airmid and the other healers said that it could way a few years more but... If I'm to receive any bad skills... I can shoulder the responsibility!" He answered truthfully, almost surprising the trickster herself.
"Very well, show me your back, Bell."
As he took of his shirt and sat on a backwards chair, waiting for his goddess.
She almost threw up when sering the boy's bone thin body, black and purple spots were seen all around the pale sickly skin.
She pricked her finger with the same needle she used all the time and began writing in her own blood the boy's blessing.
He could feel the cool sensation spreading from Loki's fingertips.
In a moment's notice the deed was done and Bell couldn't feel any different although Loki had a surprised and almost scared look on her face.
She quickly erased a small portion of the status sheet and showed it to the boy:
Bell Cranel:
Belongs to: Loki familia
-Status:-
Strength: -10
Defense: -30
Dexterity: 0
Agility: -10
Magic: 0
-Magic:-
- Eden's veil -
Partially negates user's conditions while constantly draining mind.
-Skills:-
- Silent curse -
Status decreases with time, weakens the effects of the falna on the body, [Erased]
"M-magic?"
"It sure is kiddo... And considering the negative status you have... your falna is pretty abnormal."
"Also, what is that smudge on the skill?"
"Oh that... My finger just slipped."
"But other than that... I don't feel any different..."
"Stay here while i go fetch Riveria really quickly."
"O-ok..."
She ran away from the room, going as fast as she could, after arriving at the high elf's room she loudly knocked on the door and entered the room, where she saw the high elf reading a book in an armchair by her desk.
"W-What!? Loki!"
"Riveria, please i can explain, i need you to look at something!" She said as she slammed a copy of the boy's true status sheet.
"He has... Magic..."
"Yes, but not only that, look at the boy's skill, i erased the last part when i showed him."
- Silent curse -
Status decreases with time, weakens the effects of the falna on the body. While unhindered by negation, allows the user to break limits.
"I need to see it for myself... THIS BETTER NOT BE A PRANK LOKI!"
They both made their way back to Bell's room, where Riveria saw the truth.
"Bell, we need to speak with you about a few things ok..."
"Alright?"
"Never show your status to anyone other tha Loki, Gareth, Finn and me, ok?"
"W-why?"
"It's not normal to have magic this early, many read and study thousands of books and scrolls before gaining magic."
"I read some..."
"Yeah yeah! But let's look the other way around for a while, can you show it kiddo?" The red haired godess interrupted.
"W-what, Loki!"
"I can try?" He said, unsure if could even cast his magic.
"Eden's Veil!" He said, ignoring Riverias clear concern, suddenly a thin grey magical veil covered his body, dissapearing as quick as it was summoned, but to Riveria's panic, Bell's reaction was concerning.
He gasped for air, and for once in his life he didn't feel as though his lungs were on fire, for once in his life he could move his arms without fear of any pain, his muscles were no longer sore and his breaths were no longer shallow.
He feel to his knees as tears formed in his eyes, Riveria rushed to see if he was okay but all she could hear was faint laughter.
"Bell, speak to me... please, are you okay, do you have any pain, please!"
"I-I... I don't feel anything, no pain... no coughing... I feel... fine..."
"The kid isn't lying."
"Bell, can you please turn it off, we need to test your control, besides untrained magic is volatile you know that."
"A-Alright, Eden's Veil!" He chanted, and as he did, all the pain he felt his entire life returned to his body, the unbearable feeling was only aggravated now that he realised how much better his life could be without the disease, a thought that banished from his head every single time, although now it was difficult to take it off his mind.
"*Cough*Cough*Cough*" A series of terrible coughs followed his chant, his hand was quickly covered with blood as his lungs were violently attacked by his body's natural state.
Riveria helped him get up as he stopped coughing blood, Loki grabbed one of the towels he had in his room.
"Thank you..."
"So boy... what did you feel when the magic activated, it's description was a little vague on your status bu-"
"Normal... I felt normal... My entire body felt better, i could breath normally... I... Eden's Veil!"
He chanted again, making Riveria even more anxious, magic was misterious in nature, so to have it so quickly was not normal at all, Ais' magic was something else entirely but his...
He is a human, so why is his affinity to magic so powerful... could it run in the family?... even then... Riveria's thoughts were still on the ridiculously fast way he adquired magic.
The boy meanwhile, was on the verge of tears, all this time he had watched from a window as his familia marched into expeditions, saw from afar the way his colleagues trained, and now he would be on his firsts steps towards that journey he always wanted, but for now, a single question still burned in his mind.
"Riveria, could you help me... train my magic?"
"What?... oh yes of course Bell." His voice brought the high elf out of her thoughts.
"But only until you can control, we will talk about further training when you are older ok?"
"Yes, of course."
"Good, now come, you and I will go to the library, i don't have much to do today, so it's best to start quickly..."
"Yes-" He said just before falling to the ground unconcious, Riveria quickly caught him in het arms and checked his condition, worried that it might be because of his illness, luckily it was only a mind down.
"What? the kid just passed out? a mind down already or..." Loki asked, worried about her child.
"Only a mind down thankfully, still, his magic consumes an awful lot of mind power, while he still can't refine his skills it would be wise to keep it inactive."
"The thing is... will the kid agree to not use it? you sae how happy he was... he doesn't show much emotion usually."
"That might be a problem, but still..."
"Is the magic still active when he isn't awake?"
"No... it seems to require atleast some sort of continuous control... even if subconciously."
They were still discussing his abnormal status when a knock on the door took their attention.
"Who is it?"
"Riveria?" The voice of a golden haired swordswoman was heard behind it.
"Where's Bell? we were supposed to train together again..." Her dissapointed tone was obvious to Riveria.
"I'm afraid he has suffered some complications Ais, nothing major, he should be awake in a few minutes..."
"I-Is he alright?" She asked worried behind the door.
"Yes, look Ais, just come back later."
"A-alright..."
"Ya don't think we can tell the others about this..."
"Not now... We just need to wait for a while, this might just bring him unwanted attention."
"Pfffftt... As if being the adopted son of a high elf princess isn't enough atten-" Loki stopped the joke the moment she sensed Riveria's death glare, while usually this sort of intimidation was born out of a hatred towards comments pointing out her "old" age, Loki knew that perhaps she had hit a very bad spot with that joke.
"Okay, okay... No need to be angrey now... But i think you are right, we can just ask him to stay quiet for a bit..."
"Very well then..."
"Great 'cuz i need some alchool in my system after this..." She said after walking out of the room, Riveria for once did not try to stop her, she just stood sat on the bed besides the unconcious boy, worried about his status.
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Hey guys, sorry for being late, i tried writing this and another chapter of bloodsoaked bunny simultaniously, i learned my lesson. If you are worried about his magic or it's origins, rest assured that i have it more or less figured out, if the magic sounds overpowered i made so it has it's heavy drawbacks. Needless to say, i will see you all on the next chapter.
