.

.

.

Dark stone walls surrounded the sickly adventurer, yet their purplish hue still persevered even in the light-less environment, of course, the glowing crystals helped, but they could only do so much against the shadows looming around the place, hiding monsters and other adventurers, a pitch black blanket upon the stone halls.

"Tiona was right... I am getting better... But it's not enough..." The boy's mind was still stuck to his latest status update... He broke even... That is to say that, after all his training, all his hardship, and the last dungeon run... He amounted to what a normal adventurer would be from the get go...

It weighed heavily on him... Yet little could he even blame himself, restricted by the rules that Riveria imposed, ones that he was thankful for but still resented them.

The 6th floor was of little challenge, his main concern was the timer he was forever bound to, Eden's veil is running out, and he could only take so many potions before he gets potion poisoned, a common ailment that would plague a mage's life.

War shadows could wander around now, though not many would try to change their ambush location so close to an adventurer.

His senses were sharper, then again, the lack of mind-numbing pain in his lungs was a great way for him to truly realize the extent of his sickness, not that he didn't already know.

Only a small shine in a warshadow's eye would give away their location, no breathing patterns, not a single sound, black as night they were, so few would see then, and unless their claws were already drenched in the blood of a fellow adventurer, animal people would have a hard time catching their scent.

Bell readied his sword, simple as it was, borrowed from the familia's armory.

The shadowy monster leapt through the air, Bell's sword just moved, in a downwards motion, it's cross guard caught the claws that moved so fast to his neck. The sickly adventurer stepped to the side as he forced the beast to it's by driving his foot into the hollow of it.

"Eden's Veil!"

He pulled the sword back as he swung with all his strength. The head was cleaved clean off it's shoulders, the execution was brutal, in fact a few adventurers who happened to pass by would tell the story of a "Killer Rabbit" in the dungeon. A small but agile adventurer who was merciless against the monsters of the upper levels, or at least, that's what a few individuals dressed in purple kimonos thought.

Bell was tired, his arms were heavy, his lungs were on fire, he noted the heavy burden that cancelling the spell put on himself, so he chanted again to free his body from the pain of his disease.

As the veil of magic calmed his body, so appeared the weird realization that... It's gotten worse today... I could barely keep steady enough for that last cleave... I'm not getting any stronger am I? I should see lady Loki... He was reminded of a harrowing realization, he truly was running against time in a way, he could very well no longer be fit for the dungeon and once that happened, he knew that the window for his life might as well have closed.

He knew that pushing himself too much would not give him any results other than what he already had, a bit more of excelia now wouldn't make up for an entire day recovering from over extension, either way he couldn't let Tiona down, after all, he had a date? Does it even count? N-No matter... he walked away with a slight blush...

As he walked back from the cavernous walls of the dungeon, he realized that fewer and fewer monsters were spawning, a weird thing, sure, yet common enough that Bell knew what it meant, a party of strong adventurers were entering making their way through the first floor, he wondered which familia they belonged to, Finn said that their next expedition was supposed to be schedule for the next week, Freya usually just waits until her deadline is near... So the only ones that could be actually dungeon diving were...

"Hey, look who it is." The voice of an adventurer he was unfortunately familiar with.

"H-hello Kaguya, Alise, miss Ryuu." Bell greeted the expedition from the famous familia.

"Well hello to you too Bell." The far eastern adventurer replied, the glint of metal shinning as she waved her metal arm, a substitute for the one she gladly sacrificed for her friend's life, a somber reminder of a dark event in her life.

"Hey Bell!"

"Hi..."

The other adventurers too were quick to greet the boy, after all, it was the first time they ever seen him on the dungeon, and looking by the pouch of stones by his side, he was doing great.

"I didn't knew you were going to the dungeon, how long have you been going down here?" This time, it was the red haired captain who spoke, her concern was obvious, she had seen the full extent of his disease once, though that was long ago.

"A few weeks... Loki doesn't really need to update my status much, though this is my second time going alone."

"D-Doesn't your disease..." This time, the one who made the question was the elf, who was still worried about the boy.

"It hinders me but not too much."

"How so?" Asked Alise in her energetic curiosity.

"My magic can dispel it's symptoms easily enough, it's no bother, just an additional cost of mind potions and something to watch over."

"That's amazing actually, I sometimes forget that you have magic so early on your adventuring career." Responded the captain, just the slight bit jealous for his magical talent.

"It was a blessing really, I can't imagine what I would be like without it... Certainly not pleasant..." He shuddered just from thought, to think that his dreams were so dependent on his status... It was a bit too much to think.

The girls noticed it, and realised that perhaps they should let him go home, he wasn't the most keen on interactions and considering his timer... It might not be a good thing to keep him here.

"Oh, well then we wouldn't want to keep you in here longer than you need to." The adventurer said as she called for the rest of her party to go on.

"Well guess I need to go, goodbye, it was nice meeting you all here." The adventurer said as he went back to leaving the dungeon.

.

.

.

He had lost count of the time he had spent in the dungeon, not that it worried him, all he would need to do now is make a terrifying gamble, that is, to speak with Loki...

A status update would be something great, for normal adventurers, were Bell to receive one without actually straining himself in the dungeon... the consequences could be far worse than one may think.

His status was a rope around his neck that would only keep closing in. In the end, by the time he was done worrying about his status, he was right by Loki's door.

*knock* *knock*

"Enter!" The goddess said, slightly surprised by how polite one her children was being she guessed it was either the recruits or... Bell, the child was the only one who 'fully', though not entirely, respected her, a testament to his character, to be able to stand her.

As he entered the room, he could see the disarray it was in, full of empty and half-full bottles of alcohol, her bed was messy and the desk she had was full of random trash like used paper and even more bottles.

"Hey... Loki, I wanted to do my Status update if possible."

The care in her eyes doubled as she knew very well what that would entail, mainly the risks with it all... Yet the decision was his, she wouldn't interfere much, unless his wish was risking his health, after all, she could only guess how his poor health damaged his mental well being. She quickly got up and grabbed her needle and kicked the little stool into position.

"Of course Bell, strip now will ya?"

Did she really needed to say it like that? of course, it's Loki we are talking about but... Come on! He whined in his own head, his mother's upbringing reflecting on his own.

As he took off his shirt, she was once again reminded of the terrible fate that he barely avoided, the skin darkening around the bone-thin body, unlocking the falna, she saw the ink appearing, slightly distorted as his muscles barely appeared.

"Not a pretty sight... Isn't it?" He asked, insecure of his own weak appearance.

But Loki could not care less, in fact she was completely focused on something far more important... His stats.

Name: Bell Cranell

Belongs to: Loki familia

-Stats:-

Strength: 50

Dexterity: 55

Endurance: 35

Magic: 65

-Magic:-

-Eden's Veil-

-Skills:-

-Silent curse-

-Clown's March:-

An Heroic passion strengthens the user's growth and grant passive Immunity to charms.

"What, Loki, that's more than 200 points when accounting for the negative sta-" He stopped as he saw the new skill, a surprise to be sure, yet a more than welcome one.

"You do understand how important this is right?"

"Yes goddess, I do." He answered seriously, a skill like that could very well.

"But that's not all, the skill is only half translated, part of it isn't fully decoded yet, so it may very well be even stronger."

"I shouldn't tell the others then right? Specially Ais..."

"You got that right kiddo. I don't think she needs another relapse..."

"I know... I have been trying to make her closer to Riveria..."

"Oh?"

"I just think that..." He tried to explain, but Loki already knew what his logic was based on.

"You are like family to her, she just needs time to realize it. You know, ever since you started training with her she began to slowdown a bit, less risks and she began to open up more." Loki reassured him in his endeavor.

"Thank you Loki..."

"No problem, now, you can tell Riveria, Finn and Gareth, but not any others okay?"

"Alright. Lady Loki." He responded.

"No problem kiddo."

He left the room, his mind only thinking about the possibilities, and, for a hero obsessed person as he was, the name of the skill. It truly seemed as if Bell had regained the hopeful optimism that any child should have...

Although, as he wandered through the halls of the mansion, he did come to the realization that he needed to do some preparations for tomorrow, mainly researching about what to eat, and where to bring Tiona, he didn't want her to be bored after all.

So... Where should I bring her... Well... there is that cafe on the western street... Perhaps I could take her there... then we would be making our way to the market, there's lot's of things we could do... The question is... Where to end it...

The image of a pensive rabbit was seen by many wondering about the mansion, one in specific was the young human called the high novice, or Raul as he was usually addressed.

"Heya there Bell, what are you thinking about? Any problems with the dungeon?"

"No, not really." He responded, sure the potions were a bit costly, but he could make the Valis back, not that he needed, being secretly one of the richest people in Orario. Being often the target of just a few times where Loki begged him to cover her spending on alcohol, he would, of course, politely deny, though helping her with a bit of the problem.

"Then..." He got a insidious smile on his face. "Is it about your date with Ti-o-na?" He teased, yet when he thought that he caught Bell, he barely even reacted.

"Oh yeah, just thinking about somethings, why?" A lesson he learned with his dear mother, or rather, the way Loki treats her. Never let people get under your skin, of course, Bell wasn't that impervious to teasing, but a small part of his pride did refuse to loose to Raul, they were friends, but his jokes were often just as flat as his personality.

"Thinking about your date with a beautiful amazon?" He tried again, yet to little help, Bell was not amused neither embarrassed and decided to shot down the horrendous attempts to tease him.

"I don't know, perhaps you should be doing the same for a black cat? Anakitty is waiting at this point."

"W-what!?" H-how did that little... "L-listen her-re!" He tried to regain the little ground he had, but the battle was already lost as he just resigned and left from where he came. And while Raul was walking away, Bell simply went on his way passing a flustered Anakitty who overheard their conversation, her tail slightly moving as she looked at Bell, thankful for trying to put some sense in the oblivious man's head.

"T-Thank you, Bell..."

"No problem, we were all rooting for you, he is just a bit too self conscious." He replied.

"So are we with you and Tiona!" She answered, hoping to see some reaction out of him, though to little avail as he proved himself someone of far thicker skin than Raul or Bete, not falling for the usual jokes or teasing of the younger familia members, in fact, often being able to reply to those in a manner just as sharp as his sword and just as playful as his peers, after all it was still all done in the name of good fun.

"It's not that kind of date. You know that by now." He at least sure hoped she knew, fairly certain that rumors and a bored Loki spreading all manners of misinformation for fun weren't a good combination, neither were they uncommon in the familia.

"But it sure can turn into one, you better be prepared." She said with a wink as she left the place, leaving Bell to think about her words for a little.

Surely she must be joking, I... I wouldn't be blind enough to not see it, that is assuming Tiona has any feelings for me... Am I... Disappointed... No I can't be... Besides she is an Amazon... He sadly reminded himself, yet still kept going, it wasn't as if he likes her like that, her reasoned within himself, yet he would not outright reject her...

.

.

.

The sun was bright in the sky, the clouds were passing by, and a pair of amazons, accompanied by a somewhat distant looking girl and the elf who obsessed over her. They were there for a rather special reason, for though they often went shopping together (often enough just to take Ais outside when Bell wasn't trying), the group had the sole reason to prepare Tiona for the date, even while she insisted that it wasn't as personal as that.

"But don't you wanna be prepared?"

"We are just shopping for books!"

"Yes, and then you will go to some place nice, spend time together, oh how I wish the captain did this to me!" She concluded, in her usual mania.

"Well, it's nothing of the sort. Either way i'm happy for you Tiona." The elf shot down another Finn fueled rant.

"Yeah..." Ais surprisingly added.

"Either way, I'm happy to be invited, just not sure why Alicia or Anakitty didn't come..."

"Anakitty had something to do, and Alicia had classes with Riveria. No biggie though, it's great to get to know you better!" Said the vibrant amazon, Tiona, showing how much she was excited for tomorrow.

"Well you should at least try looking presentable, try changing what you wear a bit. Something new." Tione started.

"W-what? Why?"

"You don't put too much thought in your looks, don't you want to look good for him?"

"Well... It's not that kind of date but... I would like to see his reactions..." She said with an impish grin.

"Great, then let's go to that store we like. Come Ais, Lefiya, we can find some good clothes for you too!" Tione concluded and started going ahead of the group, pulling Tiona and the others too.

Of course the rest that followed was a shopping spree of considerable proportions, well, not so big, as Tiona had a habit of breaking weapons, and her attempts to make the Urga last longer have been lacking, Tione had some better results, as she used her fists more, though poor Ais, had it worse, if it wasn't for Bell, she doubted that she could even afford so many potato snacks...

"Is this one good? I don't know about the color..." Tiona was trying various clothes, not many showing less skin than she already did, the colors of the cloth that covered her chest did change, but it appeared that green was not her color.

"It's not your color, but the shade of green is beautiful." Commented Lefiya.

"A shame, want to try it?" Tione asked the elf, who quickly responded.

"W-What!? Of course not! This is way to improper! What would Alicia or Lady Riveria say if they even saw me in something like that!"

"Not much, I doubt that Alicia is that judgmental, and Riveria isn't here to see now is she?"

"No way! That is way too revealing!" She squealed.

"Too bad, anyways, what do you think of this one Tione?" Her sister said as she held out a new set, this one in light purple bordering on pink, covered a bit more of skin than she usually did, yet the outfit was really good, in fact, it reminded her a bit of the descriptions of old amazons in her stories. If anything it reminded her too much of some illustrations that she seen on her favorite books.

"Oh, that suits you."

"Yeah? What do you think Ais?" She asked, yet the girl had little interest in clothes, she could see how Tiona would look good in it, yet little more.

"It's a nice... Purple. You look good." She said, slightly unhappy that she could not express much, but the thought still counted right? Still she should ask someone about it... But who?... Well the answers was obvious to her, but that would come later.

"That's right Miss Ais, Tiona you'll look great." Lefiya added agreeing with her idol.

"If he didn't already have second intentions, he will have once he sees you in this!"

"T-Tione!"

"What Lefiya, can't I make a joke?"

"It's not that! But..." The went into an argument, leaving Ais and Tiona alone, in front of the changing booth.

"Hmmm... Tiona..."

"Yes Ais?"

"I remember now... The outfit looks a lot like... Someone I met a while ago..." She didn't even know why she was talking about it, yet she felt the need to at the very least, speak it.

"This was a popular style a while back, a lot more traditional than many others but still the exotic appeal made it last through time."

"Oh! O-oh yeah..." She remembered now the sheer amount of time that had passed, how? she wasn't sure, yet she felt a bit lighter after telling Tiona this specific detail.

.

.

.

Bell was wearing simple clothes, yet they matched him well, dark gray pants and a black t-shirt with longs sleeves that covered his skin. He awaited Tiona by the front door, hearing the busy sound of the streets, he was not too fond of it, yet it was nice knowing people are out there enjoying their lives. He still remembered the dark ages... And how silent everyone was, no children playing, no men or women bartering for goods, no music being played by the buskers that now are much more common... Only the comfortable yet gloomy silence...

Only wish she could have changed her mind... He thought, yet his time to think was cut short by an energetic girl almost tackling him to the ground.

"Sorry!" She said. "Didn't meant to tackle you..." Tiona apologized, yet Bell didn't seem to mind in the slightest.

"No problem. Now! Now, my fair lady, would you like to see what's on today's itinerary?" He offered.

"Well, I think so!" She giggled as they spoke, truly acting just for the fun of it.

"Well, first stop is the book store where we will get the collection, then we can go to a cafe that Mo- Miss Riveria showed me, later on we can go about the market and do some sight seeing before finding a place to start with the new collection." He finished.

"Sounds like a great plan mister, so let's go?"

"Of course." He offered her his arm, which she took giggling, only wishing to see how silly they both looked now, And to a certain high elf watching from the window... They really did look silly, yet she could not be happier.

So my son... An amazon really? haaa... Just don't be like the old prum Bell...

Though after staring at them walking into the street for long enough, she satisfied her curiosity for now, knowing she would press him for details later.

"Alicia?" She asked her student who was on a chair writing something down as their lessons extended.

"What is it Lady Riveria?"

"What do you think of those two?"

"Precious..."

"Good to know, I won't allow him to ignore her like Finn!"

"I don't think that Bell is the type of person to do that."

"Of course not, he is my son!" She answered with all the pride in the world.

.

.

.

"It's beautiful..."

"Yes, hard back cover... original illustrations..."

"Colored printing too, that's rare."

"Yeah, amazing..."

"It comes with other stories too, like Orna's."

"Incredible..."

It truly made an interesting sight, one of the world's strongest adventurers and her friend, absolutely singing the praises of a children's book, of course, the shopkeeper knew Bell well enough, he was always at the bookstore, Tiona too though she wasn't as much of an avid reader, yet her enthusiasm was indeed contagious.

"That's going in my collection..." Bell said.

"Yeah... I wonder though, will these books match yours?"

"You mean... The ones... My... 'Grandfather' gave me?"

"Yes... They were very interesting..."

"Yes, it seems that most gods didn't care much back then, but it's amazing to think that history can change that much..."

"Yep... Anyway, Can you ring it by the clerk I need to check something..."

As soon as she left him, he quickly chanted, making away with his magic.

I didn't bring any potions... and all the stores are far away... I can last until we get home though.

He walked back to the front of store, paid for the books and walked along with Tiona on the street. Passing through the crowd as they continued their date...

They went on to see the market and the stalls and booths that vendors would set up, all while Bell was trying his best to hide the symptoms slowly reappearing.

"Well Tiona, the next stop is the bridge of heroes, then we can go to that cafe and later on to the park maybe?"

"That seems great Bell... But... Are you alright?"

"Huh?"

"You seem a little tired... Are you sure you don't want to stop for a bit?"

"What? No... I can keep going."

Bell, of course, couldn't lie to save his life, and it didn't convince Tiona in the slightest, yet as long as he wasn't too tired, she would let him continue.

"Okay then. To the bridge of heroes we go!"

"Very well!"

They both enjoyed the visit to the market, there were vendors selling all sorts of trinkets, and since it sprawled outwards towards their destination, they might as well see everything that it had to offer.

"Oh look at that Bell! That's a beautiful pendant, reminds me of you!"

She happiliy said, a silvery white bunny on a chain was held on her hand.

Not as beautiful as- He stopped himself from finishing that thought... Else his face would burn as red as his eyes...

"Then... Let me buy it for you... And would you look at that, they are on sale, two for one!" He gave her a smirk. "So I think I will also get this one."

He showed her a bronze chain, a small greatsword was on it. It reminded him of her, so he decided to get it too, though the comparisson was still less embarassing than being called a rabbit...

She didn't blush, though she was a bit silent for the rest of the walk until the bridge...

*Cough*cough*

He stopped, taking a minute to gather his breath as Tiona worried over him. The statues of the great figures seemed to go unnoticed as his symptons became apparent.

"Are you sure... We can stop if you want to..."

"No problem, t-that's normal... I can rest when we reach the cafe... Though for now I want to see the view... It's always great in this part of town."

"O-okay..."

They were silent for a while, One tried to take his mind out of the pain, and focus on the scenery... The other couldn't bother to see the world and only worried about her... Friend? At this point it was diffcult to tell, though with the way he made her feel, she would not mind in the slightest if that were too change.

You don't need to do that for me... You idiot...

And so they spent a few moments, watching the waters and rare boats that passed under the bridge, the statues and their characters were also fondly observed and made subjects for Idle chatter as they discussed their favorite legends and heroes of ages past, the clown at the start made with scarce detail as the faces of such heroes are long lost to time.

"So... want to go to the cafe?"

"Oh of course, I was getting a bit hungry!" Tiona said with her usual grin, as they went on their way, the crowds seemed far away as they chatted and walked.

.

.

.