Judicial Heart

by ExoriosGhoul

What would happen if Ryu ended up saving Bell while on her way to visit the grave on the 18th floor? How would this change effect the future of the series? This is something I hope to explore with you all. Some important things to note prior, Bell is a year older and has a stronger sense of Justice. Some characters will act slightly different. Will follow canon for a while.

6. Chapter 6 Support & Magic Part 2

Another Chapter is out, and I hope you all enjoy it. I do want to say, if I haven't already in a chapter, that this story will follow canon relatively closely. Similar events, but more consequences for... certain things. That's all I wanted to say, I hope you enjoy and have a good day. -EG

P.S. I have chapter 7 already written, need to edit and rewrite chunks of it as I'm not satisfied with it. What happens, yes, but the actually phrasing and results... not really. Also, if you see any large mistakes please let me know. -EG

Word Count: 18,478

Chapter 6 Support/Magic Part 2

Bell sat, he wasn't sure if he was just mentally exhausted, but he swore someone was watching him.

He searched around desperately amongst the heavy crowd of adventurers preparing to enter the dungeon. 'Maybe I'm just paranoid?'

He glanced upwards at the sun to gauge the time. He estimated it was almost 9 am. 'I hope Lili's alright.'

Half an hour passed, with no sign of the supporter. 'I'll wait until 10:30 or so before I start growing worried, and go searching for her.' He knew worrying about someone so much when he'd only recently met them was ridiculous.

He glanced up towards the tower, 'If I'm right...' The thought crossed his mind when a large backpack entered his line of sight.

Lili bowed deeply, "Master Bell, I'm sorry for being so late. Please don't dissolve our contract. I'll accept any punishment."

Bell was stunned for a second, as Lili apologized. After a quarter of a second, he realized she was waiting for his response. "There you are. I was starting to get worried."

"Please don't worry, it's alright I don't plan on dissolving our contract," Bell spoke, trying to add a gentle undertone to his words. Still, she didn't raise her head. "Lili, please raise your head. Things happen, I'm not angry or upset."

A second passed until Lili slowly straightened herself. But she kept her head low, despite this Bell could see the shame playing across her features.

Bell reached out, and he noticed her tense as if preparing to be struck. He slowly reached out and rubbed the top of her hood, a smile on his face.

Lili's head turned upward, and for the briefest of seconds, he swore he saw tears forming. As a mask seemed to slip for the briefest of seconds.

"It's alright Lili, I'm not upset with you. Truthfully I'm happy. I was starting to worry something might have happened to you." Bell felt the relief wash over his mind as Lili looked at him, confusion was evident in her eyes. After another second, Bell stopped and let his hand fall to his side.

"How. Why... why aren't you frustrated... I'm costing you money... and time." Lili whispered, and Bell was barely able to pick up the sound.

"You ask why?" Bell spoke, but it wasn't a question. After a second Lili nodded her head slightly.

"There are two reasons. One, you're a person. Things happen, any number of things can cause a delay..." Bell scratched his chin but nodded to himself. "Yesterday... I had plans to take my Goddess out for dinner, but ended up running around the entirety of Orario for hours."

Lili just looked confused, but Bell ignored it and continued. "The second reason... well it's simple honestly. I'm enjoying diving with you, and despite only knowing you for a short period of time. I consider you a friend."

Bell definitely saw a tear this time around, but it was blinked away. Before Lili could argue, Bell stretched. "Right. Are you ready? I was hoping to try floor 8 today."

Lili seemed to hesitate but nodded. "I am..."

Bell smiled, but he didn't say anything rather. He took one more glance around and then started making his way towards Babel proper, and the dungeon underneath.

The only words that were spoken as they walked were two words he'd heard a few times. "You're weird."

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Bell took a deep breath as he took the final step to floor 8. It was identical to floor 7 except for the layout.

Bell recalled memories of Eina drilling the floors layout into his mind, truth be told she had done that all the way to floor 9. Depending on how things go today he was considering going to floor 9 tomorrow.

He took a step forward, and moved towards the closest tunnel, making sure his pace was slow enough that Lili didn't have to jog to keep up.

"Master Bell..." Lili broke the silence, her voice quiet in the halls of the floor.

Bell gave her a quick glance back towards her, and he could tell she was still fully scanning the tunnels even as she spoke.

"Yes?" Bell asked the majority of his attention was focused on every shadowed corner of the small hall they walked down.

"I... just want to reiterate my thanks. I'm... close to achieving my goal... and if I lost this contract... I don't know how long it would take." Lili spoke, her voice quiet, nothing more than a whisper. Her words were halting and paused after every few words.

Bell was silent for a moment, he thought it might be best to not answer immediately. "It's alright Lili, do you mind if I ask what your goal is?" After a second, Bell added to prevent pressuring her. "Of course, you don't need to answer if you don't want to. Everyone has things they want to keep secret."

Lili hesitated, he could feel the fear and anxiety building in the supporter. He turned to face her, "Lili?" He asked softly.

"I...it's alright... only two others know about my goal..." She paused, stopped moving nearly bumping into Bell.

Bell stopped, "Why don't we take a break?" Bell asked as he sat his back pressed against the wall.

After a moment of confusion, Lili obliged. "Why are we... taking a break? Especially as we've only encountered a handful of monsters on the previous floors."

Bell didn't answer immediately, instead, he pulled out a carefully wrapped sandwich from his bag. Bell unwrapped it and held out half of it. "Here, I know it's not much. But I got it this morning, and it still looks good."

Lili took a step backward, "No... I can't."

Bell continued to hold it out. "I've heard your stomach growl twice since was got to floor 7. If we are going to continue today, I need to make sure you'll be alright as well. It's part of my role here as well."

Bell could see a small blush forming on her face, at the mention of growling. After half a minute in silence, he took a bite off of his half. "It's not bad."

Another minute passed before Lili slumped and accepted the half. "T... thank you, Master Bell."

Bell nodded and closed his eyes. He focused on his other senses as he ate. The sound of a distant cracking wall caused him to breathe a sigh. 'Good.'

"Is something... wrong Master Bell?" Lili's voice was low even for a whisper.

After a second, Bell shook his head. "No, not really. It's just I hadn't heard or seen any signs of monsters. But I just heard a distant wall spawning one."

Lili looked around at his words, "You're right... that's unusual. But if you hear something then we should be clear."

Bell looked at Lili for a second, then nodded. "I hope so."

Bell sat back and relaxed, well as much as he could being in a giant structure that wanted him dead, for five minutes then nodded again. "Better?"

Lili stood, "Yes... it will be enough for now. Thank you, Master Bell." She gave a bow, as Bell stood.

"Don't worry about it, are you ready to continue forward?" Bell placed a hand on his ebony sword.

"I am." Lili gave him a small smile, and for the first time, he couldn't tell if it was entirely fake.

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Hours passed, as they combed back and forth through floor 8. Nothing unexpected made an appearance. They weren't able to collect as many stones as last time due to their late start, but in reality, Bell didn't mind.

His update seemed to add a bit to everything he did. He could hear slightly better, run a little faster, and so on. It only took an hour to adjust to the changes.

Bell absentmindedly thought about the reason as he walked home.

A skill.

It was something so simple, but that one thing changed the very way his body functioned by accelerating his growth. A thought entered his mind, 'I wonder if Lili is being affected?' He sighed, 'There's no real way of knowing unless I ask.' But he knew it was taboo to ask what's on someone's status. Which made when Eina asked to stand out in his mind even more.

Bell rolled his shoulder, despite it having been a few days there was still an ache set deep in the joint. 'Should I ask someone about it?' Bell remembered the sharp stabbing pain as Ryu set his shoulder back into place.

"I suppose I should visit to buy some potions anyway." Bell quietly whispered, shifting the direction he was walking slightly.

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A soft bell rang out as Bell opened the door. "Welcome to the Blue Pharmacy." Naza's voice rang just louder than the bell.

Bell glanced over to see Naza standing behind the counter. "Evening Naza. How are you doing?"

Naza's tail wagged slightly faster, "Oh. I'm alright, Lord Miach is working on a new recipe."

"A new recipe?" Bell's curiosity ignited.

"Have you developed magic yet?" Her tail shifted faster in hope.

Bell sighed, "No... I haven't. I'm wondering if I'll ever develop magic at this rate."

Naza's expression softened slightly, "I'm sure you will eventually. Now what can I help you with?"

Bell straightened, "Right. There were two things I had in mind. First, I want to make a couple of purchases."

Naza's tail shifted back and forth even faster, "I can help you with that. What's the other thing?"

Bell patted his shoulder, "I... recently had an accident that resulted in dislocating my shoulder..." Bell paused and remembered slamming into a wall after being struck by the minotaur. 'Didn't I dislocate it then as well?'

Naza tilted her head slightly with her half-lidded eyes watching him, "Right sorry... I just remembered it's the second time I dislocated it in two weeks." Bell paused, "I... am still feeling some pain despite it being set. I just want to have it looked into, if that's possible."

Naza paused, grabbing her arm for a second. "I should be able to, I won't lie I'm not an expert on that side of things and Lord Miach might be better with it."

Bell bowed slightly, "Even your opinion would be appreciated." Bell gave a bright smile.

Naza sighed, "Alright... follow me to the back, so I can take a look at it."

Bell hesitated, he didn't think it was smart to leave the store unattended, but as Naza moved to the back he accepted that Naza would know better about this than him.

The scent of almost burnt hair wafted through the hall as they moved to a seemingly spare room. The only thing blocking the entrance was a sliding curtain. Naza pushed it to the side, walked in, and held it open for Bell.

Bell entered, seeing it was mostly empty, a bed sat in the corner and a desk holding instruments for surgery sat in the opposite corner.

Bell walked slowly into the center of the room, it smelled extremely clean, and Bell didn't see a spec of dust anywhere in the room.

Naza closed the curtain behind her, "Right. First I'm going to need you to take off your armor and undershirt so I can get a good look at the shoulder."

Bell blushed slightly but nodded. Naza shifted uncomfortably, "Don't act like that, it almost makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong."

"Sorry... I knew I needed to, I just didn't expect... no, never mind." Bell ignored the embarrassment of basically stripping down in front of Naza.

A minute passed and he stood shirtless in the room, his armor and shirt sat on the bed.

Naza approached and placed her left arm on the shoulder. "Right, go ahead and roll it in a counterclockwise direction."

Bell complied, rolling it and he felt a slight twinge of pain.

"Hmm, alright. Now go ahead and hold it straight to your side." Bell did as he was asked, "Good. Now go ahead and rotate the arm clockwise using your shoulder."

Bell paused, as he tried to implement her request, after a second he did so. The pain seemed to jump slightly.

"That caused it to hurt a bit more." He confessed, wanting to make sure Naza had as much information as possible.

Naza tilted her head at him slightly, "I see. Alright, next do the same but counterclockwise."

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What felt like half an hour passed, his shoulder was hurting from all the exercises Naza had him complete.

"Right, as far as I can tell nothing seems to be wrong. Dislocations take a while to heal completely, not to mention you've been using it somewhat regularly and haven't gotten magical healing for it." Naza paused, lost in thought for a moment.

"My advice is to be careful with it. Make sure to do some of those exercises, it might hurt but that's because the muscle got damaged. Also, I would recommend, if you can, drinking a potion first thing in the morning but it's not required." Naza spoke quickly, completely in contrast to the sleepy expression she always had.

"I understand, and I'll do what I can," Bell spoke, he was already dreading the exercises, but he would do them if it would help. "How much do I owe for the examination?"

Naza tilted her head, and her tail shifted side to side slowly. "Oh, for that nothing." Bell was about to speak, but Naza continued before he could. "Although, if you want to make an additional potion purchase. I would greatly appreciate that."

Bell paused for a minute then sighed. "Very well Naza, you win. I'll take a half dozen of the regular potions."

Naza's eyes widened in slight surprise, "So many? Alright, give me a moment." It took a minute for Naza to grab a pouch that could hold all six easily enough.

Naza's tail was wagging energetically. "Anything else you need?"

Bell thought for a moment. "For now no, but I'm sure I'll be back soon enough."

Naza bowed, "I appreciate your patronage."

Bell gave a small wave. "And make sure to tell Lord Miach I said hello."

Without any further delay, Bell left and made his way home.

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"I'm home Goddess!" Bell half shouted as he entered the hidden basement of the church.

It was silent as he walked around the empty room. "Right. If I remember correctly, she's going to be later today." He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

Taking off his armor, he walked around to the kitchen and glanced at what supplies they held.

X

Lunoire sighed for what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour.

"Nya's serious. I think Syr and Ryu are up to something. Nya." Chloe quickly whispered.

Anya's tail flicked in excitement, "Nya doesn't think, Nya thinks it's time for Nyafesigator mode." Anya pulled a hat out of nowhere and placed it on her head. "Let Nya think for a minyate."

Lunoire sighed again. 'Really, to think they are so strong despite the way they act.' Lunoire thought quietly, she complained but deep down she enjoyed their mad rambling at times as it helped to break the monotonous days. 'Right... I'm going to need to let Mama Mia know that I'm going to have to help Goddess Demeter out with her fields soon...'

It wasn't harvest season yet. But it was drawing closer with every passing day.

A small glint caught her eye, haphazardly a book was propped against one of the chairs. Lunoire looked and saw that it was in her section, so she approached and grabbed it.

She read the cover and chuckled at the child-sounding book, but despite that, it felt warm to the touch. 'Interesting.'

"What Nya got there?" Chloe asked, snapping her focus off the book.

"Something a customer left. Looks like they meant to put it into a pouch or bag but didn't notice it slipped out." Lunoire commented, but her mind raced for a second. 'Had anybody used that table? I… don't…'

"Shinya!" Anya shouted and quickly moved to Lunoire's side. "Let Nya see."

Lunoire was once again snapped from what she was thinking. "No, I don't want you to damage it and cause Mama Mia to have to pay for it."

Anya pouted for a second, then looked up to Lunoire with big kitten eyes. Lunoire sighed and lightly tapped Anya on the head. "Sorry, but that won't work on me."

"Ah, Nya!" Anya proclaimed in mock anger.

Lunoire had to hide a smile, but she went to the back room where Mia was preparing for the dinner rush. "Mama Mia, a customer left this. Where do you want me to put it?"

Mia looked around the kitchen door, "Just place it under the counter. I'll have Syr deal with it later. The dinner rush is about to start."

As if on queue, the door opened and three people walked in they were an obvious group.

So Lunoire placed the book to the rear of her mind, tossed it under the main counter in a small space, and waited for the main flood of people to enter.

X

Bell woke with a start, his heart racing but he didn't know why. The phantom fears exploded for a second as his mind caught up with what happened.

Bell groaned and laid back on the couch. His heart rate felt like it was three times its normal pace. 'Another nightmare...' He sighed quietly not wanting to wake his goddess.

Bell glanced around and tried to judge what time it was. 'Judging by the lack of light streaming in from the cracks... it's still dark outside.'

Bell closed his eyes and shifted to return to a comfortable position. With a conscious effort, he cleared his mind, cleared of all the dread, fear, and worry that burst free from that nightmare.

He tried to sleep, to let his mind rest even if only a little more. But he failed, the moment he stopped focusing on clearing his mind the emotions and sensations came rushing back. He held his chest, where the minotaur had punched him, as he resigned himself to a long restless time.

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Morning came as the small trickles of light started making an appearance. He had lost track of the time after three hours. The moment the first light filtered through the cracks in the roof, he sat up despite his body feeling stiff from hours hour laying there doing nothing.

'Perhaps... I should've gone on a walk or something at least.' Bell stood, grabbed one of the half dozen potion vials, and started the exercises.

His shoulder burned and hurt, but he remained silent as Hestia was still sleeping. Twenty minutes passed, and he decided to call it quits. He downed half the potion and tucked the other half away.

Hestia groaned quietly, "Morning Goddess." Bell tried to keep his voice gentle.

"M...Morning," Hestia murmured through the pillow she used.

It took a few minutes for Hestia to wake completely, the entire time he debated telling her about his nightmare. He knew it was probably the smartest option, but he didn't want to cause her any more worry than he knew she already had.

But eventually, he decided to hold his tongue. "Goddess. I wanted to let you know I'm planning on heading down to floor 9 today. It's the limits of what my advisor allows, truth be told I'm thinking about requesting floor 10 as well. But from what I've been told, things begin to change on floor 10. Larger monsters start... showing up."

Bell spoke his plan, but the image of the minotaur flashed through his mind. Hestia watched him, and he could see the worry in her eyes. "Bell... are you alright?"

Bell thought for a moment, 'I don't want her to worry, but I also can't lie to a deity.'

Bell rubbed at his shoulder, "Yeah, although my shoulder has been bothering me. I checked in with Naza yesterday and found a solution for it. So it should be back to normal soon."

Hestia shifted slightly, her hand resting on her chin for a moment. "Bell, you know that's not what I was talking about. But I won't push you to tell me the truth. Just remember you can tell me anything."

Bell gave a weak smile, "I... I know Goddess."

"But for you going deeper in the dungeon, I know you can handle it physically. But just be careful. And how are things going with that supporter?" Hestia asked as she helped tighten a strap to his chest plate.

"Not bad. She's really good at her side of things, and we can get a lot more done together than I could get done alone." Bell felt confident that he made the right choice. "She just seems lonely if I'm being honest."

"I see. Well, just be careful Bell." Hestia's voice was cheerful as she slapped his back lightly, reassuringly.

"I will!" Bell half shouted, gave his goddess a bow, and started making his way out the door.

X

Hestia watched her child leave with an almost goofy smile on his face. But the moment he was gone, she let her own smile fade.

Taking a few steps she collapsed onto her bed and stared up towards the ceiling. "Bell... please be careful. If something were to happen to you..."

The thought of him getting reckless due to his rapid growth and only to end up dying...

She shook her head violently, trying to clear those evil thoughts from her mind. After a few minutes, she sighed.

It was time for work.

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The day passed excruciatingly slowly, she could still feel the connection to Bell so she knew the worst never happened. She was dusting a set of armor that was so expensive that just looking at the price made her eyes water.

She was thankful for that feeling, the feeling of knowing that Bell was alive through his blessing. "Umm excuse me, Goddess Hestia."

Hestia jumped like a startled cat, she had been so lost in her thoughts she didn't notice a person approaching her. "Ah, yes sorry how can I help you today?" She put on her customer service voice.

Hestia turned to see a female half-elf, dressed in the tight black uniform of the guild short brown hair and a pair of glasses covering a set of emerald green eyes. 'Isn't she...'

"You're... Bell's advisor... right?" Hestia spoke, but she was unsure.

Eina bowed, "I am, sorry for approaching you so suddenly."

Hestia placed her hands on her hips and eyed Eina over, "Sorry... you just look... different in the uniform I almost didn't recognize you."

Eina blushed slightly and shifted her glasses slightly. "Ah, I see..."

Silence grew between them for a few seconds, before Hestia broke it. "Is there... something I can help you with? Please don't tell me Bell did something stupid..."

Eina waved her hands in front of her, "No no no, nothing like that. Truth be told though I did want to discuss something with you, actually make that two things."

Hestia sighed, "I knew it... Bell did something... didn't he?"

This time Eina shook her head, "Again no, nothing like that." Eina seemed to hesitate, "This... might be inappropriate for me as a guild employee, but what time do you get off? I would like to discuss his studies with you..."

Hestia froze for a second, the last thing she wanted was to sit for hours and discuss things after a long day's work. But she knew it would be necessary. Hestia glanced at the clock, and it read 3:52. "I get off in just over two hours."

Eina paused and glanced at the clock, "I see... alright. How about instead you come to the guild and we can talk privately then? Unfortunately, I don't get off until 8."

Hestia sighed inwardly. "Alright. Although I know Bell wanted to discuss something with you."

Eina seemed to think for a moment, "Hmm, our next lesson isn't until tomorrow..." After a few seconds of thought, she sighed, her half-elven ears drooping slightly. "He wants to go deeper doesn't he?"

Hestia hesitated but nodded. "For what it's worth, only one floor deeper."

Eina groaned lightly, "From what he told me the last time he requested to go deeper, he already had the stats for it..."

'And he has only grown much stronger...' Hestia thought, but didn't let that slip out. She knew Bell grew explosively due to that skill, but she didn't want to discuss how explosive.

The silence grew between them, and Hestia could tell there was more Eina wanted to say but didn't know how to broach the topic. "Is there something else on your mind?"

Eina jumped slightly, then adjusted her glasses nervously. "Ah... well yes..."

Eina paused, seeming to gather her thoughts, "You see I have... concerns about his supporter. I was hoping you'd talk to him about it."

Hestia sighed, "Bell, while young, I think is a decent judge of character. While I'm worried about them myself... I trust that Bell can handle himself."

Eina looked around, "I... don't know..."

Hestia wanted to pat the half-elf on the head, but physically couldn't due to the height difference and that was probably a good thing. "I don't mind talking more about this later, but I don't think this would be the best location for that."

Eina had a small blush on her face, 'Is it from embarrassment?' Hestia thought.

Eina took a step, "You're... right. If time permits, I think talking later would be best."

Hestia sighed, as Eina left the store. 'Now I'm concerned... again.' Hestia thought, not daring to allow her thoughts to bubble into words.

Hestia glanced at the clock again and sighed. 'I wish I was already done today...'

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Hestia pushed open the guild hall's doors, for her to do so felt... off and she couldn't place why. She quickly glanced around to see the half-elf standing sorting through a stack of paper twice the size of anyone else. 'Hmm, either she is lazy... or she works so hard everyone dumps their work onto her.' Hestia decided the latter was significantly more likely. 'After all, would a lazy person stay late to teach Bell? Or to come visit their deity to voice a concern?'

Without any hesitation, Hestia rapidly approached the half-elf. "Wow, are you sure you want to speak today? That's... a lot."

Eina jumped in surprise, looked up, and placed and hand over her heart. "Goddess Hestia..." Eina took a deep breath, "No it's fine... most of this is already finished. I was just double-checking it."

Hestia desperately wanted to pat the hard-working half-elf on the head but resisted the urge.

Eina stood and glanced over to a pink-haired human, "Misha, if Bell stops by looking for me, take him to room five."

Misha smirked, "Oh... I see, I see. A quiet place for you to confess to your boyfriend, and is that his Goddess? If so, then you must be serious."

Eina blushed heavily, then closed her hands into fists, "Misha, if you keep that up, despite me telling you over and over, you'll have to finish all the paperwork by yourself."

Misha's expression dropped, "Wait... no, I was only teasing... please don't..."

Eina ignored her and turned to Hestia. "Please follow me."

Eina started walking off to a deeper portion, while Misha complained about how unfair Eina was being. Hestia glanced between the two of them and then quickly followed the half-elf without speaking a word.

X

Bell smiled as he handed Lili a large pouch of Valis, "Here you go, Lili."

Bell could see her eyes glimmer with the golden coins, but she looked depressed about receiving the pouch. "What's wrong?"

Lili after a moment, tilted her head upwards. "No... Master Bell... I... this is wrong."

Bell wanted to sigh, but he didn't. He didn't know much about the Supporter but he had a few guesses about events in her life. Truthfully after the first day he had a couple of guesses. "Listen, Lili, I think this is fair. If anything, I wish I could pay you more. But I know you'd outright refuse."

Lili's eyes widened in surprise, and she opened her mouth to speak. But Bell spoke faster, "Now... I don't know what's happened to you in the past... but so long as we are teaming up, I'll give you what you deserve. You work incredibly hard, so please it's the least I can do."

Bell watched, as Lili's newfound resistance crumbled and she slowly reached out and accepted the hefty pouch. "Master Bell... you're far too kind... but I'm close... close to achieving my goal..."

Bell opened his mouth to speak but closed it without saying anything. After a few moments he spoke, "I'm glad... everyone needs a goal... please take care, Lili."

Bell glanced down at his hand and found it trembling slightly. 'Goals...' He knew his, truthfully he had only told his goddess.

Lili tilted her head, "Master... Bell?"

The voice caused his head to snap upwards. "Sorry... I got lost in thought for a moment. But no, so long as you have a goal and are determined... I know you can do it."

Lili nodded, "Maybe... I will tell you about my goal soon... I..." Lili shook her head and sighed, "No... for now, take care. You said you had wanted to speak to your advisor right? You might want to hurry before it gets too late."

Lili stood, gave a small bow then turned and left.

Bell watched Lili leave, truthfully as much as he wanted to speak to Eina... he wanted to make sure she got home safely. He glanced upwards to check the progress of the sun.

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Bell was careful as he followed Lili, he knew she had incredible senses. He felt awful doing this like he was crossing some sort of line.

Slowly he followed making sure to never be within her line of sight, as he knew from playing with other kids when he was younger, his white hair stood out like a beacon and that would be especially true in the darker alleys.

It took several hours, but eventually, Lili entered what looked like an apartment. 'She doesn't live with the rest of her Familia?'

Bell pondered what her goal might be for a little bit, but didn't get much time to think about it. "You sure about this?" A voice asked, it was a slightly deeper male voice.

"I am." Another voice spoke, this one being a little lighter.

Bell paused mid-step, his goal was completed but now something else was happening.

Peaking around a corner of a building, he saw three individuals he didn't recognize. Two were humans with brown hair, the other that seemed to be giving the orders was a shorter male beast person. Standing just a little shorter than Bell, he had a raccoon-like tail and a set of small ears.

"Canoe..." One of the humans spoke softly.

Canoe shook his head, "Not yet. But we know where, and can deal with the issue when it arrives."

Bell nearly took a step outward, but a better part of his judgment yelled at him. 'No, I don't have any of the details...'

Something felt... wrong about that, but he let it go as they left going in the opposite direction.

Bell breathed a sigh, "Right..." He whispered as he glanced around seeing how low the sun was getting. Bell got moving, he needed to talk with Eina before it grew too late.

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Bell took a deep breath as he opened the doors to the guild, a quick glance didn't show Eina anywhere. He stood around for half a minute until a guild employee with pink hair called out energetically. "Hey! You here to see Eina?"

Bell paused and looked at the employee she had a wide smile on her face. "I... Yes, I am. Is she around?"

The employee seemed to think for a moment, then sighed as if remembering something. "Yes... she said that if you showed up to take you to one of the rooms. Follow me." Much of the energy left her as she started walking towards the back.

Bell hesitated, but after a second followed.

"Here you are." The employee spoke mischievously, but after a second shook her head. "She's in there."

Bell knew the rooms were pretty soundproof, to not leak any information that might be disclosed. "Ah thank you." Bell gave a small bow.

But the pink-haired employee just shook her head, "Don't thank me. You're going to need all the luck you can muster." She took several steps closer and patted Bell on the shoulder. "Goooood Luck!" She took off before Bell could respond.

'Oh no, what is she angry about this time?' Bell thought for a few seconds, but nothing came to mind. He'd followed her orders and hadn't traveled deeper than she allowed. He didn't break any rules as far as he knew.

After a minute, he decided the employee must be teasing him. So he approached and knocked on the door. After a handful of seconds, the door cracked open revealing an emerald eye behind the lens of a set of glasses.

The door swung open, "Bell. You are far later than I expected. Come in."

Eina opened the door, and Bell scratched the back of his head, "Sorry... something came... up..." His voice nearly cut off as he saw his goddess sitting there with a smile on her face.

Bell second-guessed if the employee had been teasing him or not. But he was too far exposed and had no choice. "Goddess... I... didn't expect to see you here."

"Come in, and close the door would you?" Hestia's voice was soft and reassuring. It helped to relieve the brief spike of panic that rose in his mind.

Bell did as he was asked closed the door, hesitated but sat next to his goddess.

"Right. You don't have anything to be worried about. I was merely going over your lessons with your Goddess. I thought that would be appropriate so she knows a rough guess about how much you know." Eina explained softly, and Bell couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"I... see," Bell whispered, but the both of them picked it up.

Hestia nudged Bell, "Of course... we talked about several other things as well... but that's not important."

Bell's heart rate shot up. "W...what did you talk about..." His worry shot through the roof, as Eina and Hestia smiled lightly.

"Oh... nothing much. Although, I did explain how excited you were asking about an elf... and how you requested an elf as your advisor." Eina spoke softly as she shifted her glasses upwards slightly.

Bell sank deeper into the booth seat he was in. He didn't have to look in a mirror to know he was blushing a deep crimson. "I...I..."

Hestia patted Bell on the shoulder, "It's alright Bell. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. I mean, you and that elf seem to be getting along. At least a little."

Eina chuckled, "Oh, I hadn't heard about that. Why didn't you tell me you found the elf in question? I've been trying to figure out who they are, and I have a few ideas but nothing concrete."

Bell placed his head against the table and hid his face as much as possible. His mind felt like it was filled with wool, and any thought or response was absorbed into the thirsty wool.

The pair chuckled at his embarrassment, and it took several minutes of silence for the embarrassment to fade enough that he could talk.

X

Eina watched in amusement, she never thought she would enjoy teasing someone. But with goddess Hestia aiding her, she couldn't help but find it fun. It also helped that Bell had responded immediately, and so sharply as well.

'Alright. I think that's enough.' Eina thought silently as she watched Hestia rub the back of Bell's head.

She had been serious about the attempt to find out who that elf had been, and she did find a couple of leads. One of which worried her to no end. 'Gale Wind... they haven't been seen in years... but she fits. But I could also see half a dozen other elves, but most were slightly off in their description.'

Eina sighed inwardly, the adventurer she considered a little brother had an obvious interest in the elf. But she would leave it at that for now.

.

.

.

Eina could see the pain etched into Hestia's face as her mind filled with all the knowledge she gave on floor 10 alone. Meanwhile, Bell nodded, as he took down notes.

"The most common monster you'll find are the imps. Followed by the orcs, then the occasional bad bat." Eina took a breath but continued. "Imps are frail small monsters, but attack in swarms of five to ten. Their tails are dangerous as it's built like an axe."

Eina paused for a second, she hesitated because she knew the trouble Bell had had with large-category monsters, but it was her job to make sure he was prepared for the dangers of the dungeon. "Orcs... they are the first large-category monsters that spawn in the dungeon."

Eina noticed Bell flinch, but he continued to write down his notes on the monster. "Orcs are not very fast, but they can take the tree-like structures on floor 10 and turn them into weapons, called landforms. Giving them a real reach advantage."

Bell nodded, and Hestia with a soft smile rubbed his back. "You know... I didn't know your lessons were so in-depth. No wonder Bell is always late when he takes your lessons."

Eina took the compliment in stride, that was her job after all and she took pride in it. "Thank you, Goddess Hestia. If I'm being honest, this is a rather simple lesson today as we're only covering a single floor."

Eina sighed, "As much as I would like to permit further travel... I just can't..." She rubbed the edges of her short-cut hair, as a memory forced its way into her mind.

Eina shook her head before anyone could talk, "Right... well have you finished noting things down? If so, we can move on to the test."

Hestia groaned and placed her head on the table between them. Eina wanted to chuckle, but she resisted the urge.

.

.

.

Eina watched as Bell and Hestia left the guild hall, her mind racing as the forced memories appearance caused problems with her focus. She sighed and changed shifts with her replacement.

The journey home was quiet and somber, at least in her mind. She did her best to keep an air of calm confidence, but in reality, the memories caused her to want to tear up.

Eina laid on her bed, and she looked at the nightstand that sat next to the bed. The elven-designed stand would be considered beautiful under normal circumstances, but her mind was drawn to the small pendant, a silver chain with a light blue gem attached to it, sat in a small box slightly angled so she could see it even when laying down.

"Maris..." She whispered to no one. It was the last thing she had from her first adventurer, she had bought it to commemorate their friendship.

Eina sighed and forced herself to roll onto her back and look up at the ceiling. 'Truthfully, that's why I bought the vambrace for Bell... I hoped that it kept him safe.'

A small smile crossed her face at the thought, 'He's actually using it to...' She noticed it was strapped on his left arm, and she could see a couple of scratches in the metal.

It had been expensive, but if it kept even a little bit of damage from Bell, it was well worth the price in her mind.

Eina let the conflicting emotions flood through her, despair at the memory of Maris fought the joy that she might have saved Bell from harm.

Those emotions warred in her mind until they exhausted her, and the world went black.

X

Bell half caught Hestia as she stumbled, "Goddess?"

Hestia shook her head and sighed, "Sorry Bell... I just have a headache from the small lesson I experienced... how do you manage?"

Bell chuckled slightly, "Truthfully It's been hard to do on occasion, especially the first few lessons. But I know Eina works hard on the lessons, and I wouldn't want her efforts to be wasted. Plus, they are what keep me alive. That alone is a good motivator."

Hestia couldn't help but smile, "I'm glad... I would hate to lose you so soon." She wrapped Bell in a tight hug, while Bell smiled slightly and rubbed the top of her head.

.

.

.

Bell laid staring at the ceiling of the basement, his mind hurt but he knew he should sleep. 'Tomorrow will be my first day exploring the tenth floor.'

He closed his eyes, trying his best to find any comfort but he failed. His mind raced and memories flashed through his mind.

Memories of the minotaur.

The night passed slowly, and he wasn't able to get much sleep maybe two hours at best. Every time his mind started drifting the memory of the minotaur invaded his mind. The reason was simple and he knew it was stupid, but the thought he might face another large-scale monster bothered him.

'Why... am I so... scared? I've faced the Silverback...' He asked himself over and over, but he had no answer.

He groaned as he cracked his eyes open. 'Should I call off today?' But after a moment he shook his head, 'No. If I do, I'll struggle even more in the future.'

So with all the reluctance in the world, he sat up, got changed, worked on the shoulder exercises, then slipped into his armor and started moving. The air was calm, as he forced his body through the streets.

"Bell!" A voice shot out, breaking his focus on moving. He turned to see Syr. He gave her a small wave, as she approached.

"Bell are you alright?" She asked inquisitively.

Bell could only chuckle, "Do you have some special ability to determine that?"

Syr paused as if in deep thought, after a few seconds she shook her head. "No... not really, I just like watching people and I've seen many different expressions and body languages."

Bell could only sigh, "I'm... alright, just couldn't sleep much..."

Syr looked like she wanted to say something, but stopped herself. After a handful of seconds, she nodded, "Wait right there."

Bell raised an eyebrow in confusion but did as he was asked. Glancing around for the first time, he realized he was outside the Hostess. 'When...' That wasn't too surprising, it was basically on the way anyway.

.

.

.

Nearly ten minutes passed and he felt like he was being pranked, just as he was about to leave, the doors opened and Syr rushed out the door.

"Bell, hurry take this and go before she finds out." Syr practically forced a soft package into his hands.

"Syr..." Bell started but was quickly cut off.

"Listen Bell, this will help you, but I need you to go now. I'll explain next time I see you." Syr tried to force him to turn, but her unblessed body couldn't force him to.

"Syr." A voice echoed from the inside of the Hostess.

"Please Bell!" She half whispered half shouted.

Before he could do anything, Ryu's head poked out of the door. "Syr, I need that explanation you promised now that I..."

Ryu made eye contact with Bell, then after a second noticed he was holding the package. After another heartbeat, Ryu's ears turned slightly pink. As she retreated back into the Hostess.

Syr sighed, "Well... there goes one of my plans..."

Bell finally found an opening to speak, "What plan?"

Syr winced, "I... might have forced Ryu... to try to make you a sandwich for lunch..."

After a second, Bell realized what he was holding. "Syr that's!" A soft heat entered his face after a heartbeat.

Syr sighed, "She can't cook, so that's all she can manage. Please take it Bell. You need to make sure you have energy... and I hoped that this... might give you some." Syr glanced upward, and Bell could see the pleading in her eyes.

After a few seconds of resistance, it crumbled away and he sighed, "Fine..."

Syr's expression lit up like a lantern, "Oh Bell, thank you. Next time you have a free day come by." Syr pumped her arms slightly, and she half skipped half ran into the Hostess, leaving Bell standing there alone.

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.

.

Nearly an hour passed as they marched through the large rooms on floor 10, some being nearly twenty feet tall. About a dozen imps were slain and their crystals collected. But no orcs had made themselves known.

The sound of cracking filled the air, and Bell readied his weapon in that direction. Three of the large monsters forced their mass through the walls, and Bell froze for a second as all three roared in unison.

Lili leaped back, "Be ready Master Bell, I'll provide as much support as I can."

Bell took a deep breath, 'Remember, what Eina said, you should be strong enough to handle this...'

Before Bell's nerve could falter he charged towards the group of orcs. They responded by rushing toward Bell, two broke off toward the white dead like trees, the front one bellowed as it clutched its fist and swung at Bell.

Bell's mind flashed to the minotaur swinging at him, he shifted to the side 'It's much slower than it.'

His ebony sword lashed out towards the knee of the orc, the orc tried to kick Bell but this provided more force to his swing and lopped off the leg.

The orc screamed as it fell to the ground, unable to support its large muscular frame. Before it could act Bell stabbed downward piecing its skull.

'I can do do this.' Bell thought, his hand trembled but the fact he knew it was possible helped to steady his hand.

"Master Bell, four imps approaching from the right. Taking shots." The moment those words left Lili's mouth, Bell heard the swish of her arm-mounted crossbow, followed by the whistling of bolts in the sky.

One imp dropped to the ground with an arrow through its eye, another cried out as a bolt pierced through its left wing.

The third flew past Bell, the axe-like tail colliding with his vambrace as he twisted slightly.

Bell swung his sword before the imp could get away, missing the main body. The imp crashed to the ground as its wing was severed.

Bell breathed out a breath, as a crashing sound could be heard running straight towards him.

Bell glanced over to see an orc holding a large white club, already in mid-swing.

Bell tensed his body and put his weapon in the way.

The landform weapon exploded on impact. The force generated sent Bell flying back five feet.

A tingling ran up his hand, but he ignored it and rushed the orc still recovering from the swing. His ebony blade lashed out and removed the left arm of the orc.

The sound of air breaking caused Bell to jump to the side, as the other orc swung its weapon.

The weapon slammed into the other orc, leaving a massive gouge in its stomach.

'They can't stop mid-swing, or they just don't care.' Bell thought as the orc screamed.

Bell ran, swinging his sword, decapitating the orc's large head, ending the injured ones' misery.

Bell glanced around as he shifted towards the orc, the imps were dead. Lili had continued to shoot at them, while he was distracted.

The orc's pig-like face glared at Bell, and it swung with a downward heavy strike.

Bell moved to the right, and swung his blade removing the left arm of the orc, causing the landform to crash into the dungeon floor shattering it.

Before it could react, Bell finished it off.

Bell sighed, as he glanced around at the bodies that littered the floor of the room they were in. After a moment, he glanced at his shaking hand, shards of stone were lodged in the gap between the armor.

Fortunately, none managed to get deep enough to pierce his skin. "You alright Lili?" Bell spoke just loud enough that it echoed in the room.

"Yes!" Lili half-shouted back, Bell glanced over just in time for Lili to plunge a knife into the chest of an imp.

While Lili worked, he attempted to calm his nerves. It was far harder than he expected. 'I did it... and yet...' Bell sighed silently and looked around keeping an eye and ear out for danger.

.

.

.

Bell sat across from Hestia, and a bowl of a simple stew sat in front of him. "Goddess, how'd work go today?" He asked quietly to try to clear his mind. He had spent four hours with Lili on floor 10, and despite slaying over a dozen orcs he was terrified. Something about facing a large-category monster unnerved him like nothing else.

Hestia rocked back and forth, "Not bad honestly, just very slow. The potato snack stand was unusually slow, and the entire four hours at Hephaestus' shop there was only one customer."

"I see, well maybe that's a good thing on occasion." Bell absentmindedly responded as he scooped up a spoonful of the stew.

"Bell?" Hestia spoke softly, her hand reached out and gently placed over his. Bell looked up in confusion but didn't respond to an obvious unasked question.

"What happened? You seem... dejected. I thought you would've been ecstatic about being able to dive deeper." The warmth in Hestia's voice sent a shiver down his spine.

"I..." He filled his lungs and sighed, fully emptying them. "Goddess, I am happy about that... it means I can earn more, grow stronger, and be able to support the Familia better..."

Hestia didn't push him, and he was grateful. He struggled to find the words to describe what he was feeling. "I... I was struggling down there today. Not too much physically, but... I defeated over a dozen orcs... and yet... even knowing I could beat them. My hands wouldn't stop shaking..."

Hestia didn't respond for several minutes, so Bell continued to eat.

Nearly five minutes passed before Hestia spoke. "Bell... have you been having nightmares?"

Bell hesitated but nodded after a second. "Not... regularly, but occasionally."

Bell watched as Hestia stood, moved around the table, and sat next to him. Without a word, she hugged him.

Minutes went by slowly, and with each second that passed it felt like a little warmth leaked from Hestia and entered his mind. It didn't solve the issue, but it helped to soothe the worries and fear he held deeply within him.

"Bell, why don't you get some rest?" Hestia whispered her tone was kind but sad.

"I'll try." Bell paused, as Hestia released him. "And, thank you, Goddess..."

Hestia looked up, meeting his eyes and a small smile showed. "I only wish I could do more."

Hestia stood and took a deep breath. After a second she put on a cheerful smile. "I know, why don't you sleep on the bed tonight?"

"N..." Bell couldn't get a word out before he was interrupted.

"This isn't a request. If you are to go into the dungeon tomorrow, I need you to be rested. I won't risk you getting hurt or worse due to not sleeping." Hestia placed her hands on her hips and maintained eye contact.

Bell felt like arguing and refusing, but he knew his goddess wouldn't take no for an answer. So with a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumped slightly, "Alright..."

Hestia's smile widened, "Good. Now go get ready for bed."

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.

.

Bell laid there in silence staring at the ceiling. The bed was significantly softer than the couch he normally laid on. His eyes felt heavy, and he had only been lying there an hour.

He closed his eyes, and he felt a soft hand grab his. "Bell, it's alright. Sleep, nothing will happen to you here. I swear it."

Bell believed Hestia's words wholeheartedly, and after a dozen more minutes passed his mind gave way to the void of sleep.

X

Hestia laid there next to her child, her son.

She glanced over and realized he had finally fallen asleep. 'Bell...'

She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed his troubles earlier. The only reason she knew something was wrong today was the way his hand shook as he ate.

Hestia was glad he finally fell asleep, 'Bell... be strong. I know you can handle anything that is thrown at you. Once you overcome this hurdle...'

Now that Bell was asleep, she let her own exhausted mind and body begin to relax. 'It was a crazy day...' Hestia sighed silently.

She had lied about the slowness of the day, all because she didn't want Bell to worry about her while he was risking his life in the dungeon.

She closed her eyes and felt the warmth radiating from that distant flame. That warmth helped to soothe her tired body, she only wished she could transfer that comforting warmth to Bell. She knew he needed it.

X

Bell's eyes opened slowly, the familiar ceiling didn't loom over him. It took a second to remember what happened, and he immediately sat up straight. Hestia laid there passed out, squeezing her pillow like it was about to stand up and walk away.

Bell breathed a sigh of relief, then took another glance around. He knew it was early, but he felt extremely well-rested. The slight fog that bogged down his mind seemed to be almost completely gone.

With extreme caution, Bell moved off the bed. He stretched, and as he leaned to the side he felt his back pop. 'Right, I need to start getting ready.'

As quietly as he could, he slipped into his armor. Once done, he glanced over to Hestia again. He pulled the blanket fully over her, and rubbed her head slightly, "Thank you, have a good day." He whispered he saw a small smile show on her face.

'Right. You can do this Bell. You can do this.' He repeated to himself over and over as he exited the basement of the church.

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.

.

Bell stood around in a near-empty plaza, the sun just starting to crest the wall. An hour had passed, although truth be told he showed up extremely early because he had nothing else to do. So when Lili didn't show up, he wasn't surprised.

As time ticked by and their meeting time came and went, he felt like pacing as worry started to grow.

Another ten minutes passed, and Bell noticed a figure running up to him. They were small, and he realized it was Lili. But she didn't have her giant backpack.

"Master... Bell." Lili bowed, "I'm sorry... I, something came up and I won't be able to go into the dungeon today. Please forgive me." Lili didn't raise her head as she spoke.

"Lili, is everything alright?" Bell asked, and he prepared for some horrible news.

"Yes, the person I visit to sell bits and bobs, had gotten sick. He needs someone to help cover the shop, while he recovers." Lili exclaimed, head still lowered.

"Please raise your head, it's alright. Go ahead and take care of your business." He released some of the tension that had built up due to concern with a silent sigh.

After a few moments, Lili raised her head. "Aren't you angry? Me not being able to go into the dungeon is costing you money."

Bell nodded, "I'm not angry. Taking care of your friend is more important than money and with our recent dive. I have enough to last for about a week. So I'm not worried about it." He gave a smile and hoped it would reassure her.

Lili's chestnut eyes shimmered slightly. "Thank... you Master Bell. It's only minor, so tomorrow or the day after I should be free to continue." She bowed again.

"Please really, don't worry about it. Now go ahead and take care of your business." Bell paused, then reached out and patted her head. After a second Lili knocked his hand away.

"You're weird... but I'm thankful Master Bell." Lili once again bowed and took a step back. Then turned and started quickly running towards the city.

Bell glanced around, then traced the length of Babel. 'What am I going to do now?' An idea came to his mind, but he shoved it to the side for now. 'Besides it was way too early to go there.'

His eyes landed on the entrance to Babel and the dungeon underneath, "I'll head down for a couple of hours, then find something else to do."

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.

.

Bell turned in a handful of stones, and after a second the sliding drawer opened to reveal a couple of coins.

A little over two hours passed since Lili told him she wouldn't be available. The time in the dungeon was easy, and he didn't go very deep. He was mostly just trying to waste time.

He glanced overhead and found it was around noon, so with a little reluctance he headed to a place where he was sure there was work that could be done.

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.

.

The Hostess was lively as always, but being in the middle of the day very few of the patrons were adventurers. "Bell!" A cheerful voice shouted.

Bell looked around and saw Syr waving him toward the entrance, "Are you here to request Ryu again?"

Bell blushed, "N...no."

Syr tilted her head slightly, "Did you want to request me?"

Bell shook his head slightly. Syr placed a finger on her chin, "Ah did you come to give your opinions on the sandwich Ryu made for you?"

Bell's heart skipped a beat for a moment. "N...no, and we both... know that she thought... it was for you."

Syr sighed, "Well? What can I help you with then? It's strange, I thought you'd be in the dungeon at this hour. You're dressed for it."

Then Syr gasped slightly, "I think I figured it out. Your party wasn't available today, so you're looking for something to do."

When Bell nodded, Syr grew a mischievous smile. "You're right Syr... they weren't able to go today." Bell felt uneasy by that smile but ignored the warning flares in his mind.

Syr leaned forward slightly, "You know... I'm sure Ryu could use a distraction... she seemed stressed after your last visit."

Bell's embarrassment rose again, "Why... would she be?"

Syr simply shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe she found a little rock?"

Bell glanced away, and Syr giggled. "I'm only teasing." Syr leaned back to her normal stance. "The way you and Ryu react makes it impossible to resist teasing the both of you."

Bell took a deep breath, "Is there anything I can do to help around the Hostess? Like dishes or something?"

Syr thought for a minute, "Stay here. I'll go ahead and ask Mama Mia."

Before Bell could say anything in response. Syr dashed off into the Hostess, leaving Bell standing outside.

A pair of minutes passed before Syr returned with a disappointed look on her face. "Unfortunately no... according to Mama Mia, 'Those cats have been lazy and they need to do the dishes.' So... sorry Bell, I tried to convince her otherwise."

Bell waved a hand over his face, "It's alright, I didn't really expect to find a convenient way to spend time just like that." After a moment, Bell asked a simple question. "What do you generally do with your free time?"

Syr thought for a moment, "Most often people watch. There's so much you can learn about someone, just by their posture alone. But I doubt that would entertain you the same way it does for me. How about reading a book? That's something I try to do on occasion. There is an infinite world of potential in books."

Bell thought for a moment, "It's been a little while since I last read a book. I'll probably give that a try, I'll just need to go find one." Bell bowed and took a step, 'If I remember correctly, there should be a store not too far away that sells books.'

"Wait!" Syr half shouted, startling a few passing people. Syr blushed slightly, "Sorry..." She spoke to the group of passersby. "Bell, wait a second. I have a few stored here that you can borrow. Give me a minute to get them."

Again before Bell could say anything, she dashed off into the Hostess. 'Somedays, she's so quick.'

A pair of minutes later Syr returned holding three books and held them out to Bell. The top book was a light grey in color with the words 'Elven History and Traditions' printed on the spine.

The second was mainly red with golden accents, the words 'Magics of Ancient Heroes' were printed on the spine in a fancy-looking font.

The third was a black book, with 'Helping with Trauma, a how-to guide to comfort those you care about' was printed in white words on the spine.

"Those... are wildly different topics," Bell commented.

Syr nodded, "I've read through them all, they provide useful information on the world at large"

Bell hesitated, "Syr... I don't know if I should borrow them. With how much time I spend in the dungeon, I have no idea how long they would take..."

"You don't have to worry about that. Truthfully, they've just been collecting dust and I've more or less memorized them." Syr gently placed them against Bell's chest. "Please, go ahead. I'm sure the knowledge would be useful."

After a moment, Bell accepted the trio of books. Although the title of the first one made him feel embarrassed. "Thank you... I'll return them when I finish."

Syr smile widened, "No rush. Now go enjoy the world of books."

"You say that as if I've never read a book before," Bell commented, but he had a small smile on his face. Truth be told, the majority of books he's read were actually read to him when he was younger.

Bell took a step back and then remembered something. Shifting all the books into a single arm, "Oh before I forget..." he reached around his waist and dug around in the small pouch that sat on his hip.

After a second he pulled out a folded cloth, "Here I should return this." A small blush formed on his cheeks, "Tell... Ryu it was nice."

An evil smile showed up on Syr's face. "Oh, I can do that." She ran back into the Hostess, and after a moment he heard a voice shout. "Hey Ryu guess what!"

Bell took off at a quick pace after that.

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.

.

Bell sat the three books, on the table in the center of the room. "Right let's see here." He grabbed the first book, he already knew which one he wanted to read first. But he would save that for last.

He flipped to a random page in the 'Elven History and Traditions'. "Let's see here. 'Many elves mate for life. Only once...'" Bell slammed the book closed, his face turning crimson.

He took a deep breath, "Maybe not that one..."

He reached over to the book on trauma and flipped to a random page again. 'There are many types of trauma, the most common is often physically influenced. Backed by nightmares, and panic attacks...' Bell closed the book and sighed, "Nope... that's..."

He didn't want to admit it, but that felt a little too close to what he was going through, and didn't want to deal with it right now.

"Last one." He flipped open to the first page of the book and started reading the 'Magics of Ancient Heroes'.

'Magic, what is magic? Many people have dedicated their lives to uncovering the secrets of it. But very few have taken full advantage of what it offers.

How does one acquire magic? That is another major question many have asked over the years. This heavily depends on many factors, in the modern day this is often dependent on actions before and while having a falna.

But in times of old, before the gods descended, it was dependent on two sources.

First, racial. A good example is the elves, who have been known to be able to use magic without any falna. However, their magic is often a lengthy process and is very inefficient.'

Bell read, and he felt something was wrong. He tried to pull away from the book, but couldn't force his mind or body to stop.

'The magic most often used by heroes of old were spirit bindings. Through forming a bond with a spirit, they can grant you a sliver of their innate abilities.'

Bell's mind felt like it was being torn away, for a split second he felt like an empty husk devoid of thought and emotion. Then the world went black.

… (1)

Bell blinked, as the overwhelming amount of green foliage temporarily blinded him.

After a handful of seconds blinking to clear the sudden shift in colors. 'Where...' His body flushed with warmth, like sitting next to the fireplace in his grandfather's cabin.

After almost a full minute his vision cleared, and the green leaves became clear and sharp. 'These are just like the ones outside my old home.'

With a quick glance around, he realized that's exactly where he was. A sense of homesickness washed over him for the first time in weeks.

He knew he wasn't far away, so without any hesitation, he moved closer to the edge of the small forest.

A small blue butterfly gently floated in front of him as he walked heading in the same direction he was.

As he approached, he held out a hand and the butterfly gently landed on his finger. He couldn't help but smile, out of the corner of his eye he noticed two other butterflies floating seemingly aimlessly. 'Strange... these never existed in the forest near my home before...'

He watched the butterfly for a few seconds and noticed it shifting in hues slowly from the brilliant blue it was, to a sky blue, to a blue so bright it borderlined on white. After a second, it shifted back down in hue, to a blue so dark you could barely distinguish it from black.

'What... are you?' But of course, there was no answer to his thought.

So instead he continued forward, slow minutes passed as he walked. The scents of the forest filled his mind, the sound of leaves rustling in the slight breeze that started. It felt like his senses were in overdrive.

He felt something change, like a shift in the world but nothing in the environment changed. He looked at the butterfly that looked completely unaffected, as it slowly shifted its ever-changing wings.

But Bell felt it, the warmth he felt was lessoning. The area around the butterfly was the coldest.

"What are you?" Bell asked out loud for the first time.

The butterfly's wings shifted and produced noise, 'No... not noise.'

He lowered his head closer and heard what sounded like a distorted voice like it was speaking through water. "Potential."

Bell jumped at the word, he couldn't believe that a butterfly had spoken to him. "There's... no way... how..."

"Potential..." The butterfly communicated again.

When Bell stood motionless, the butterfly's wings started beating more rapidly. "Potential... no... stop... or... loss..."

'Does it want me to continue to the village?' Bell thought the warmth in his body chilled slightly. Instead of sitting next to a fireplace, it now felt like he was standing in the field he and his grandfather worked to harvest during Fall.

Bell gulped, 'It's... warning me... to not waste time. But why? This is clearly a dream.'

Bell started moving again, and slowly the warmth grew again. The entire time the blue butterfly sat on his outstretched hand. Even when he shifted to duck under a low-hanging branch, it didn't move. Only slowly beating its wings and changing in hue.

Bell could see the edge of the forest at this point, he felt abnormally eager to see the home he grew up in. But with all things, there was a small side that didn't want to, his grandfather was dead and it wasn't his home anymore.

'If... if this is just a vivid dream... maybe... I can see him again.' That spike of thought caused his legs to move quicker.

As he moved, he could feel that his falna was still intact. He still had his full strength. "There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you. I should've known you'd be in the woods." A rough barrow tone of a voice called out, the voice held an incredible amount of kindness and warmth.

Bell looked up to see his grandfather, warmth seemed to erupt from him at that point. He wanted to call out, but his throat was closed with emotion.

His grandfather laughed, "Come on, Bell. I know you love to play in the woods pretending to charm an elf. But it's time for dinner."

Bell's face grew hot, "I was doing no such thing!" He managed to force out, as he walked towards his grandfather.

This caused him to laugh again, "Right Right. Come on."

Bell approached and hugged his grandfather tightly. "Have you grown taller?" He asked, and Bell just shook his head.

The walk back was quieter, bits of small talk were held but Bell was so emotional that tears threatened to form at any moment. "Well, Bell? Have you considered the question I asked you long before?"

Bell looked up as his grandfather opened the door to their old home. "Question?"

The cabin was exactly how Bell remembered it, a smooth stone floor with a fireplace on the wall to the right. To the left sat a table with two chairs sitting opposite. Against the far wall were three doors.

"Here sit at the table. Maybe a bit of food will help you remember." His grandfather waved him over to the table and Bell moved without thinking, taking his usual chair. He noticed that there were a handful of small figures that had never been there before. They looked to be carved of a clear crystal. They were rough, but oddly beautiful.

Bell turned his attention from the figures and focused on the problem at hand. 'Question? I don't remember any questions...' After a second, Bell realized that wasn't the truth. He remembered his grandfather asking him if he would try to form a harem in the future. 'Surely that isn't what he is talking about...'

A couple of minutes passed, and a plate was placed in front of him, a simple meal was set out. A large potato is cut and steamed with heat. A fish from a stream not too far to the south, and a couple vegetables from their field.

It might have been simple, but Bell would love to have it again. 'Maybe I can... when I wake up.'

"Well?" His grandfather asked as he popped a chunk of the fish into his mouth.

After a second Bell shook his head. "I'm sorry... I don't remember..."

His grandfather reached out and patted him on the head, "It's alright. Eat, then I can ask you again. I think you'll have an answer this time."

.

.

.

Bell placed the last portion of the vegetable in his mouth. The moment he swallowed his grandfather spoke again.

"I had asked you a long time ago, but if you could have any magic what would it be?" His grandfather intersected his strong hands and placed them on the table. A clear sign, that he was focused on something.

Bell for a second thought the crystal figures glimmered slightly. But he ignored that and focused on the question. 'If I could have any magic...' His mind flashed through several possibilities, but he shook his head. "I... can't answer that properly. I could come up with something... but there's no point. At this rate, I doubt I'll get any magic." Bell spoke his mind, and his heart sank at the thought.

"When did the boy I raised become so negative? Here let me ask you something related, but not that exact question. Maybe you can form an idea from that." His grandfather sipped from a clear glass that Bell hadn't noticed.

"If you had magic, what would it be? Fire, Lightning, Ice, Wind, Light?"

Bell thought for a moment, then sighed. "If... I had a choice between those... I would have to pick Fire or Light. Fire is... powerful, being able to deal with any obstacles. While light keeps the darkness at bay."

His grandfather nodded, "Understood. I've always been a fan of lightning myself."

A soft warm glow radiated from his left. Bell glanced over and noticed one of the figures shimmer a slight red then white.

Bell raised an eyebrow in confusion, but before he could ask what it was his grandfather continued. "Bell... What purpose would it serve? To destroy any opposition?"

Bell shook his head, the movement sharp. "No..."

His grandfather nodded, "Then what?"

"A light in the dark... a bonfire on a moonless night," Bell spoke, he didn't know where the words were coming from, but they felt right to him.

"That's an interesting choice." His grandfather gave a warm smile, and another figure shimmered the same red then white.

"Grandfather..." Bell looked over to the figures.

"Bell... focus on me. Don't worry about that for now." His grandfather's voice was kind, and it naturally drew his attention. "Bell... if you had this hypothetical magic... what would you do with it? Why would you want it?"

Bell paused, he felt like this was the most important question, so he gave it some serious thought.

Nearly a full minute passed before he found an answer that satisfied him. "That's not easy... but if I had to say... I want to defend my allies... protect those I care about. As you know, I've wanted to be a hero for years. But I think that if that is to happen, I need to be able to defend those who trust me. I..."

Bell paused and gathered his thoughts again. "I... would want to be a hero... a beacon of hope that people can rely on. Someone... who can bring hope to those lost in darkness..."

His grandfather's smile grew, "That's... I'm proud that's the decision you've made. But are you sure? Will you be able to handle the pain and suffering that will come from a life like that? The stories I've told you when you were younger... they don't always have a happy ending."

Bell paused, but he knew his answer. "I am. I have my Goddess, I'm the first in her Familia. I have a supporter I can rely on. I have people I can trust."

His grandfather reached out, and instead of patting him on the head he gently grabbed his shoulder. A kind smile on the old man's face. "Very well."

A third crystal figure shimmered, and then a wave of exhaustion crashed into Bell's mind. He nearly passed out on the spot, but through some effort, he managed to hold out.

"Oh my, you look exhausted. Why don't you get some sleep." His grandfather spoke softly, stood, and walked around to help support Bell.

"Sleep... that... sounds nice..." Bell murmured, his mind felt like it was burning, but it wasn't painful. Instead, it soothed him, compounding with the sudden wave of exhaustion.

Bell didn't remember walking, but he was gently placed on an all too familiar bed. "Get some sleep."

"W...wait th...ose fig...ures?" Bell asked slowly, and his grandfather looked down kindly on him.

Bell could only make out two words before his vision faded. "You're... Potential."

...

"Bell? Wake up." Bell could hear a voice in the distance, but it was muffled.

Pain was the first sensation he felt, it felt like his mind was going burst from the pressure. The second was somebody shaking him. "Bell? Wake up!" The voice was more forceful, and he recognized the voice.

Bell forced his eyes to open, the world was blurry and indistinct. Glancing around he saw a smeared figure wearing white with black hair.

"Bell, what happened? You don't look so good?" Hestia spoke insistently, but calmer than before.

Bell shook his head, that was a mistake as the motion caused his burning mind to shake violently. He winced, and after a few seconds, the world became clearer.

"Godd...ess?" He whispered. "Wh...at... didn't you have... to work today?"

Hestia huffed, "I did, and I came back to you collapsed half on the couch." Hestia looked at him for a second, "Bell... are you alright?"

Bell took a second to silently feel the condition of his body, and he came to a conclusion. "Yes... I... my mind feels like it was set ablaze... but that's fading as well."

Hestia breathed a sigh of relief, he focused on his memories. 'A dream... What was it? What...' Bell started staring off into space.

A second later, Hestia waved a gloved hand in front of his face. "Bell you there? What happened?"

Bell glanced around, and looked at the two books he put to the side, then at 'Magics of Ancient Heroes' and it sat closed in front of him.

"I... was reading that book..." Bell muttered and lifted it.

Hestia chuckled slightly, "You were reading and passed out?"

Bell shifted his head slightly, "That... doesn't feel right..."

Bell opened the cover and found the first page empty, he turned a few more pages and it was the same. "Empty..." His voice was nothing more than a whisper.

"What was that?" Hestia asked, inching closer to take a look at the book.

Bell shook his head, "This book is blank now... It was full of text... before I started reading it."

"Here let me take a look." Hestia held her hand out, and Bell handed it over.

A full minute passed as she searched through the pages. She closed the book slowly, her hand trembling. "B...Bell... where did... you get this?" Her voice cracked slightly.

"Hmm? Oh, Syr let me borrow it. Why?" Bell was actively trying his best to remain calm. But Hestia's reaction made that nearly impossible.

"B...Bell... this... this is a Grimoire..." Hestia murmured, and Bell barely picked it up. When Bell didn't respond, Hestia continued waving the now empty book in the air. "Bell! Do you have any idea what a Grimoire is?!"

Bell flinched at the sudden shout. "N...no Goddess."

Hestia groaned, then collapsed onto the couch next to Bell. "Listen... very carefully... a Grimoire is an expensive item... the cheapest of which go for one hundred million valis..."

Bell froze, as the number rang through his mind twice then five times. After the tenth recitation, the world went black.

.

.

.

Bell groaned and sat up. "Bell. Take a deep breath." Hestia's voice was hovering over Bell.

He looked up and realized he was resting on Hestia's thighs. His face turned crimson. In a panic, he sat up. "G...goddess."

Hestia had a serious expression, "Bell... we need to decide on what to do. That Grimoire..."

Bell winced at the word, but Hestia continued. "This... Syr, either she didn't know what it was or did know and let you borrow it anyway."

Bell stopped, and thought for a few seconds, "She said... that she had memorized each of these books... Lili wasn't... available today, so I went to the Hostess to waste time... and I was given these to borrow..."

Hestia paused, Bell could tell she was thinking. After a minute she nodded, "Right. Either way, we need to decide on how to proceed."

Bell paused, it felt like his mind would explode at the amount of money he might owe for daring to read such a book. But he knew he would never forgive himself if he lied and destroyed it.

After another minute, Bell sighed. "I... I have to let them know what happened." His voice was a tad higher pitched than normal.

Hestia nodded, "I... figured as much, and I respect your decision. I... only hope this doesn't bankrupt us." Hestia winced, "Well... more than we already are in the negative..."

Bell nodded, he knew his weapon was expensive. Bell held out his hand and Hestia handed him the book. "I'll... be back eventually... depending on how things go... I might forever be working nights at the Hostess..."

.

.

.

Bell slowly walked through the city. It was late, but he knew the Hostess would be open for another two or three hours.

Bell glanced up from his mindless walking, he had been walking for about ten minutes. He held the book close like it might turn to dust at any second. As the all too familiar sign designating the Hostess came into view through the hundreds of Orario citizens.

Bell wanted to turn and leave, but he knew this had to be done. He reluctantly closed the distance. After a pair of deep breaths, he opened the door.

The Hostess was lit welcoming, and despite his nervous state the atmosphere helped to lighten his burden, even if only slightly. "Bell! Come on!" A voice shouted, drawing his and several patrons' attention.

Bell winced, he looked up to see Syr's cheerful face. "Syr this...!" He wanted to shout but kept his voice to a conversational level.

Syr looked him over and noticed the book he was holding close. "Oh! That's one of the books I let you borrow. Is there something wrong with it? Did you spill water on it?"

Bell shook his head, "No Syr this is..."

He started to explain, but a heavy voice broke out. "Boy, what are you doing making a scene?" Mia's voice forced Bell to stop speaking.

Mia glanced him over, much like Syr. "Everyone continue with your business. You boy, had best have a good explanation. Follow me." Mia paused, and after a second continued. "You as well Syr. As it seems you're involved somehow."

Syr and Bell glanced at each other, and Syr pouted slightly. "Fine~" Syr complained, following Mia. After half a second, Bell followed.

Mia led them to the backyard, where it was empty and silent. "Now. Spit it out." Mia ordered.

"I... borrowed this book from Syr... and it's not a book..." Bell held out the book. "I... didn't know what it was and I read it... I..."

Mia snatched the book from Bell's outstretched hand, flipped through a dozen pages snapped it shut, and sighed. "Well, this book was found about two days ago. Some fool had left it just lying around."

Bell turned to Syr. "You lied to me?"

Syr paused, digging her boot into the grass slightly. "I did. I haven't read that one yet... I was planning on it, but the title made it sound like something you would be interested in..."

Mia lightly tapped Syr on the head with the book. "Here, go dispose of it. It's worthless now."

Syr snatched the book up, "I'm sorry for lying Bell... I thought you might not accept it if you knew the truth..." Syr bowed and retreated into the Hostess.

Bell felt like pacing, but he didn't. So instead he started to tap his foot on the ground. "Listen, if you think you're to blame for something. Don't. The person who was foolish enough to leave something like that around doesn't deserve to have it."

Before Bell could talk, to argue. Mia patted him on the shoulder, "Listen, you're a good kid. You want to take responsibility for a wrong you didn't commit. Luck was on your side, and you benefited from it. In reality, that's no different than getting lucky and having a monster drop a rare item in the dungeon. So take this victory, and accept your luck."

Bell hesitated but nodded. He didn't know how he'd benefit from it. But he knew Mia was right. After a second to let her words sink in, he nodded. "Alright... I try Mama Mia. Thank you."

Mia smirked, "Now. For causing a scene, I expect you to be here tomorrow night to wash the dishes. Oh, and Ryu was... annoyed with finding the minotaur stone in that cup. It was a smart thing to do honestly."

Mia paused, "I do have a question though. Why do you keep this up?"

Bell paused and thought for a moment. "I..." Then he sighed. "I don't know honestly. There is a part of me that continues with the idea that I don't deserve it... and there is another part that thinks it's funny to try to find ways to give it back."

Mia slapped Bell on the back and laughed. "Well, get going. I'll see you tomorrow."

Bell couldn't help but have a smile on his face. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Without any further hesitation. Bell entered back into the Hostess, and he noticed Mia wasn't following him. Syr stood on the inside of the door, "Bell..."

Bell jumped, he didn't notice Syr was standing there. "Oh, Syr."

They both bowed at the same time. "Syr..." "Bell..."

They looked at each other. Syr spoke first before Bell had a chance. "I'm sorry for lying... I know I shouldn't have..."

Bell shook his head, "It's... alright. While I don't like being lied to, I know you didn't mean any harm with it..."

They stood there in silence for a few seconds. Neither were sure of what to say. After a second Syr smiled, "You know Bell. When I told Ryu that you enjoyed her that sandwich... you should've seen her blush. Her ears almost seemed to be glowing."

.

.

.

Bell opened the door to the hidden basement. He was still embarrassed by the story Syr told about his compliment to Ryu. He shook his head, and he saw Hestia standing at the bottom of the stairs, a nervous look on her face.

Bell gave her a reassuring smile, "It's... it's alright Goddess. Mama Mia told me I was lucky, and threw the book away..."

Hestia frowned but accepted his words, he knew she could tell if he was lying or not. "Well... get down here. Let's update your status, and see what manifested from your... luck."

"What do you mean?" Bell asked as he descended the stairs.

Once he got to the final one, Hestia smiled. "What was the one thing you were disappointed about on your update sheet?"

"My lack of magic..." Bell answered immediately, then it dawned on him. "Wait... are you saying..."

Hestia nodded, "Yup, Grimoires give those that read them magic. Although it's not always guaranteed, since the pages were blank. I believe that means it did work."

Bell felt elation rise through his heart, but at the same time, it was a muted feeling.

"What's wrong? You've talked about having magic so often." Hestia asked, as she walked over and pulled a paper and the needle she used.

"I am... it... well just doesn't feel earned..." Even as he spoke, he took his shirt off and got into position to receive an update.

Hestia sighed as she sat next to Bell on the bed. "I understand Bell, and there's nothing I can say that will change how you feel about it. And in truth, you got lucky."

Bell felt a drop of divine ichor fall onto his back, causing him to shiver. "I... know Goddess. Thank you."

"For what? I haven't done anything worth thanking." Hestia murmured, as Bell felt the sensation of Hestia's finger running along his back.

"For not trying to think of some excuse or idea to make me feel better about the situation." Even as he spoke, his mind couldn't help but imagine what magic he might get.

Hestia didn't respond, and truthfully he didn't mind.

A full minute went by before Hestia spoke. "Let's see... it's called 'Flóges Elpídas', hmm looks to be an enchantment... Here let me note down the details."

Bell felt the sensation of a paper being pushed against his back.

"Alright, here you go Bell." Hestia smiled, but it was filled with joy and slight worry. "Looks like your dreams are one step closer."

...

Name: Bell Cranel

Race: Human

Age: 15

Level: 1

Stats:

Strength: B:734- B774Endurance: F:310- F:376Dexterity: B 779- A:814Agility: A:814- A:857Magic: I0

Skills:

Core Iustitiae

Magic:

Flóges Elpídas

-Fire and Light Enchantment. Effect: Increase in users' Agility and Dexterity. Allies within range, gain resistance to mind-influencing effects. Key: Nova

"White flames of hope, purge the despair that claims our hearts. Burn away the darkness nested in our souls, and bring light to the world."

...

Bell stared at the magic, he wanted nothing more than to take off and test it immediately. But he resisted the immediate gut reaction. "Flóges Elpídas..."

After a moment, he remembered how important the rest of his update was and glanced it over. 'Stats have improved by a good deal, especially considering I haven't been pushing myself.'

Hestia nudged him slightly. "Well? Are you going to test it? It says it's an enchantment spell. So it should be safer to test than if it was an offensive spell. The only part that will have to wait is the key... I'm not sure what will happen when you use it."

"Key? What... does that mean?" Bell asked, but his focus was on the chant. He was working his mind in overdrive to remember it.

"I'm no expert, but usually another effect when you use the key." Hestia was energetic as she spoke, she sounded more excited about his magic than he was.

'I don't deserve this... I didn't earn this... but I'll make sure... to use it properly.' Bell turned over to his goddess, "I understand. You think I should test it here?"

Hestia nodded, then after a second. "Well, try it in the kitchen though... less stuff to catch fire if something goes wrong."

Bell nodded, took a deep breath, stood, and made his way to the kitchen where the stone floor felt chilly under his feet.

Taking a deep breath, he started his chant.

X

Hestia listened to Bell take a deep breath, she was so excited for Bell that she felt like she would start bouncing at any moment. But she forced herself to remain calm.

"White flames of hope, purge the despair that claims our hearts," Bell spoke slowly, making sure every word was correct.

Hestia waited, not wanting to make any sudden movements and distract Bell from his first casting.

"Burn away the darkness nested in our souls, and bring light to the world." Bell's voice was barely a whisper, but in the extreme quiet of their home, it was audible. "Flóges Elpídas" Bell finished.

The moment the last syllable left his mouth, white flames erupted around him originating from his chest. In the blink of an eye, his entire body was wreathed in white flames.

Hestia stumbled backwards a step, as an unexpected torrent of Hope washed through her mind. Before she could even take a step backward, the weight on her shoulders lifted as her distress about the Grimoire vanished, consumed by the tidal wave of Hope.

She managed to catch herself and straighten before Bell noticed as he was so enchanted looking at his hands. "B...Bell... how... is it?"

Bell looked up and nodded. "I'm not sure, it doesn't hurt or burn, there is a tingle under my skin. It's..." He seemed to stop to gather the words he wanted to speak. "Comforting... if I had to put a word on it... but that isn't right... I can't describe it any better than that."

Hestia nodded, "A...alright." She took a deep breath to regain her fortitude. "Bell, one thing... you need to test before dismissing it... does the flames harm the environment?"

Bell nodded and glanced around. There was a wooden bowl sitting on the drying rack. With some hesitation, he reached out and touched the bowl.

Nothing immediately happened.

After a moment, he reached out and grabbed it. He waited a few seconds and again nothing happened.

Hestia watched the flames flicker around the bowl, and they seemed almost comforting.

As a Goddess of the Hearth, she had a feeling it wouldn't harm anything. "Bell... draw your sword and touch it to the bowl... I think that might have an effect."

Bell placed the bowl onto the ground, and in a motion he must've been familiar with at this point, drew his ebony sword.

Hestia watched, as the ebony blade seemed to shimmer slightly. 'What was it that Hephaestus said...' Hestia tried to remember, but was distracted by Bell poking the bowl with the tip.

It burst into white flames, Bell seemed to panic and try to stomp on the fire to put it out. There was a burst of fire as his foot hit the bowl, further spreading the fire.

"Bell! Dismiss the spell!" Hestia shouted, and a second later the fire around Bell vanished.

The white flames encompassing the bowl transitioned into red then orange.

.

.

.

Hestia sighed and took a deep breath. "Al...right. Is it out?"

Bell sighed right along with her. "Y...yeah…"

Hestia couldn't help but start laughing. Bell turned to face her, and she waved a hand in front of her face. "So...sorry sorry. I couldn't... help it."

After a few seconds of trying to calm down the sudden outburst, she noticed Bell was smiling despite everything. 'I'm glad...' She thought as she finally gained control over herself.

She sighed, "Well. As much fun as this was. We should head to bed for tonight. It's getting late." She wasn't entirely sure what time it was, but she guessed it was a bit past 10 pm.

Bell hesitated, but after a few seconds nodded. "You're right, Goddess. Let's... get some rest."

Hestia smiled as she crawled into her bed. But she knew Bell better than that. 'He is going to sneak out. I would rather him wait, but I can't blame his excitement. He's finally gotten magic, there's no way he would be able to sit still.'

.

.

.

It was about an hour later when Hestia heard the shifting sounds, she mumbled slightly as if sleep talking and the shifting stopped. A minute later she heard footsteps, 'Here we go...'

Again she mumbled some words, doing her best to make sure she was sleep-talking. "Be...ll... b...e ca...ref...ul."

After she mumbled those words, she heard a soft inhalation of breath. Then some steps, gently the blanket she was under was pulled up closer to her chin. But no words were spoken.

Warmth flared in her heart, she wanted to hug her child... her son, but she couldn't. She knew that if she did he wouldn't take the chance... to take the risk. 'He wants to grow stronger... who am I to take this chance away? Bell... please just be careful.'

She didn't say any of that, instead, she let a small goofy smile show. "Be...ll..." She murmured again, and after a second the soft footsteps retreated, and she was alone once again.

Her eyes snapped open and she sat against the wall and waited, she would force herself to be awake when he returned so she could grill him on being too reckless, but also support him.

X

Bell took the last step into the dungeon, he wondered what his goddess was dreaming about but he shifted those thoughts to the back of his mind. He was in the dungeon, and he needed to focus.

Several minutes passed as no monsters were spotted on the first floor. His armor shifted slightly as he took off running to the next floor.

A trio of goblins met him the moment he reached the second floor, it was so sudden he didn't have time to chant his spell. So he quickly destroyed their cores and stopped. "I won't be able to chant while under attack. As it doesn't fade immediately..."

Bell focused and remembered the chant, "White flames of hope, purge the despair that claims our hearts. Burn away the darkness nested in our souls, and bring light to the world." He took a breath and whispered the name of the spell. "Flóges Elpídas."

Again, much like the first time he felt a swelling in his chest then a sudden burst of warmth. He blinked adjusting to the light, the fire wasn't extremely bright but it did emit a soft glow.

With his spell in effect, he dashed down the closest hallway, he could feel the enhanced Agility from the magic, but it didn't feel disorienting, instead, it felt natural. From his lessons with Eina, he knew this one led to a dead end, but sometimes monsters would cluster there.

'Magic!' He silently cheered as he rounded the corner, and five goblins sat in a small circle.

Before they could even react, Bell swung his ebony blade and it cleaved through two of them. He held out his blade towards the three remaining, who all stood baring their fangs at him. "Nova" He muttered and from the tip of his blade an explosion emitted.

Bell blinked in the aftermath of the blinding explosion of white flames, he was seeing afterimages due to the sudden brightness. But he looked at the location the goblins were and they were gone.

His head ached slightly, but he knew he could continue without issue.

.

.

.

He lost track of time, but slowly his head stopped aching and turned to burning. "I... think... it's... time... to stop." He was currently on floor 6, he exhaled and was just about to release his magic when a shadow rushed him.

He blinked and acted on instinct, he swung his ebony blade cleaving through the war shadow in a single swipe. He paused as the monster disintegrated, 'The coloration is wrong...'

Before he couldn't dwell on it for too long, four more all rushed him with reckless abandon. Each was slightly off in coloration, instead of being an inky void they were more of an extremely dark blue.

'Fast.'

Was Bell's first thought as he leaped to the side. Drawing them all into a cluster to chase him.

"Nova."

An explosion ripped through the air, destroying three of the strange War Shadows.

Bell frowned, 'Something's off.'

The remaining ducked around the explosion and swung a razor-like claw.

Bell brought up his arms to defend himself, then a loud screeching as the claw hit his emerald vambrace.

A tingling shot through the arm, but he ignored it and slashed through the main body before the shadow could do anything.

He took a breath and glanced downward. Heaving out a sigh, "No... stone?" He asked quietly, to the empty room.

The pool of shadow vanished, leaving behind no sign of their passing. Bell glanced around, "Why... what's going on?"

He knew he couldn't ignore this, but his mind was already burning from the use of magic. "I'll have to be quick about this."

Using the enhanced Agility his spell gave, he got moving dashing down the tunnel the four came from.

It only took a minute to find an additional four War Shadows. As he drew closer he guessed they were all within a small enough range. "Nova." Again the explosion rang out, but this time the wall was involved in the explosion.

He looked at the small chunk of wall that was simply destroyed, it crumbled, stones fell to the floor and many had signs of melting.

He glanced down at his sword, and it shimmered white from the fire.

.

.

.

Bell didn't know how many he killed, or how long he had been at it. It felt like an hour, but he knew it wasn't. He was forced to dismiss his magic, as the feeling of dizziness and nausea compounded with the burning sensation.

He stood in an empty tunnel about a minute's walk from the exit to the next floor down. He looked into a smaller room, and he could see the glimmer of dozens of monster cores.

Dozens of those blue War Shadows stood around as if guarding a huge treasure. 'What's...'

Bell's thought was interrupted as he watched one of the War Shadows reach out and cut off its own arm. Bell nearly gasped in surprise but resisted the urge.

Bell watched in fascination as the severed arm started moving and sprouted legs and arms. After a second, it stood up and it looked nearly identical to the War Shadow it came from.

All the pieces clicked together at once for Bell. 'An enhanced species War Shadow. I remember Eina telling me about enhanced species... they are stronger, faster, and usually have some sort of unique trait that makes them significantly more dangerous.'

Bell watched as the original War Shadow, reached out with its claw-like hands, picked up one of the stones, and ate it.

The War Shadow shimmered slightly, then grew an inch taller. 'I have to end this before it gets out of hand.'

Bell took a deep breath, "Just... a little more, then you can head home." His voice was nothing more than a quiet whisper.

Bell focused and recited his chant again. "White flames of hope, purge the despair that claims our hearts. Burn away the darkness nested in our souls, and bring light to the world."

He heard the sound of rustling then a screech, as the shadows heard his chant. But it was too late to stop him. "Flóges Elpídas." He murmured, and his spell activated causing him to wince at the mind usage.

Three, then five War Shadows poured out of the room and into the tunnel. "Nova!" He shouted, taking a step closer. The path was cleared, but he could see ten more shadows swarming the tunnel.

He felt nauseous, but he had to do it again.

"Nova!" He shouted again, as half the swarm disintegrated under the pressure of his magic.

His vision grew slightly blurry, but he shook his head. 'Not yet.' He thought.

He charged into the room, 'I can do this.'

He slashed at the closest shadow, killing it.

A trio of strikes lashed out at him, he blocked two with his sword and the third scratched his armor with a loud screeching sound.

The original shadow tore off its arm again, but Bell couldn't do anything immediately.

Bell retaliated with a wide sweeping swing of his short sword, three died before he stopped the blade.

Bell glanced around, he stood in the center of the room and he was surrounded. 'If this... has a chance to grow...'

The image of hundreds of shadows rampaging through the city sickened him. 'No.'

He knew that would never happen. The high-level adventurers would stop that from happening, but that didn't change the potential risk that was involved.

Bell took a deep breath and nodded.

He inched closer to the original, and it seemed to look at him in curiosity.

Bell felt the impact of a claw striking his exposed back.

He winced and slashed in retaliation, lopping off its arm and head in that single swing.

Five more rushed him, and he groaned in anticipation, "Nova!" He shouted again. His blade was mid-arch of a swing, and the explosion followed the swing.

He felt a larger tug on his mind, but he learned a lesson.

Those five disintegrated, all the shadows seemed to look at each other.

Bell raised his blade in anticipation.

What was best described as a tidal wave washed towards Bell, as all the shadows beside the original rushed him at once.

Bell's heart sank, but he wouldn't give up. He couldn't.

"Nova! Nova! Nova! Nova!" He shouted over and over, each use of the key caused his vision to blur more and more.

His vision blurred so much that he couldn't see any individual shadow.

The burning in his mind turned to sharp pain, the dizziness and nausea nearly caused him to vomit mid-swing.

He only stopped swinging and shouting his key, when the world went black.

... (2)

"Tell me something Bell?" An older man looked down at Bell from across a small wooden table. A bowl with a heavy stew sat in front of Bell.

"What... are your plans for the future? Do you wish to live here with me and have a peaceful life?" His grandfather spoke, and there was nothing but warmth and love in his sharp pale orange eyes. The color almost always reminded Bell of a bolt of lightning he would see on occasion.

Bell hesitated, he always felt embarrassed about his wishes, but despite his birthday recently passing his wishes hadn't changed. If anything they had only grown.

His grandfather smiled, "Oh, don't be shy. You can trust me."

Bell shifted his head, nodded, and took a deep breath, "I... I... want to be a hero! Someone people can place their faith in. Someone who can... who can bring hope and..."

His grandfather raised an eyebrow, "Oh? I see. I suppose I'm a bit at fault for that. This is a hard goal, many want to be heroes, but how will you succeed where so many have failed?"

Bell heard the subtle shift in his grandfather's tone, but he ignored it. "I... well, the first step is to find a god or goddess, and gain their blessing. If possible, I would want someone who is good and stands for justice. Or something along those lines."

He noticed his grandfather sink slightly into his chair, but he nodded so Bell continued. "If I could, I want to get some magic. Nothing too flashy, something effective. Then I will grow strong enough to protect those that can't protect themselves."

Bell had his hands clenched, his heart was racing at the ideas that raced through his mind. He heard his grandfather sigh quietly, and mouth a few words but they were inaudible.

"Grandfather?" Bell asked quietly, he had seen the expression on his grandfather's face before. It was a look of sadness and resignation.

The last time he had seen that expression, was when he asked about a specific Familia, one his grandfather had high hopes for.

A moment passed, "Sorry Bell... I was just remembering... Those are fine goals and not a bad plan. You said 'Protect those that can't protect themselves.' How far does that go?"

Bell tilted his head in confusion, so his grandfather continued. "Let's say... there was a goblin." Bell winced at the monster's name, he still had occasional nightmares about them. "What if they are defenseless?"

Bell shook his head, "But a... goblin... is a monster. Are they ever defenseless?"

"You're not wrong, but you're also not quite right." His grandfather paused for a second, "Are people ever truly defenseless? Do people not have their minds or hearts?"

Bell was about to respond, but his grandfather continued first. "People are often seen as defenseless due to their inability to adapt, and the far greater strength of those that are above them."

Bell wondered what this had to do with the goblin, but he kept his mouth shut. His grandfather would occasionally go on about random things, but they were never of no importance.

"No, we can say the same about the goblin from before. They are defenseless against adventurers who are much stronger than them. They are unable to adapt." His grandfather reached out and grabbed a mug, taking a small sip.

"But answer me this Bell. What separates a person from a monster in your mind? When their situations are very similar." His grandfather loved to debate on occasion, and Bell understood this was what was happening.

Bell paused and thought for a few moments. A single word came to mind. "Intelligence."

His grandfather shifted his head, "That's a poor metric to judge by. I've seen people make terrible decisions they thought were intelligent at the time... but sure let's go with that. Intelligence, what defines intelligence then?"

"The ability to make decisions, the ability to communicate, the ability to think," Bell responded immediately.

His grandfather scratched his bearded chin. "Interesting choices. Tell me if those are your definitions, what would you do if a monster gained those abilities?"

"That's impossible." Bell retorted immediately but regretted his sudden outburst.

"Nothing is impossible, Bell. Truthfully, there might be intelligent monsters already out there. For example, I've heard stories of monsters in the dungeon changing and knowing who to target in an adventurering party." His grandfather sighed. "Bell. If you take one thing from this. Just remember much like your dream, nothing is impossible." There was a glint in his grandfather's eyes.

After a second his grandfather laughed heartily, "Boy did we get off topic. Why don't you head to bed? We can talk about this again tomorrow after the harvest is complete."

Bell groaned and stood. "Alright... Goodnight grandfather."

It took a second for a response to come, as his grandfather started staring blankly at the wall. "Sorry, sleep well."

...

Bell's mind burned, and he regained consciousness. But he didn't move, instead, he tried to remember the dream he just had, or more accurately, memory.

Bell's eyes opened slowly, the soft glow of the dungeon blinding him temporarily.

He was thankful that there was no fairy hovering over him this time. He raised a hand and found it, shaking slightly. He rubbed his face, noticing tears, and sighed.

"Well, look who's awake. I have several questions for you." Bell shot up to a sitting position and glanced over to see Riveria sitting a couple of feet away. Not only that, but Aiz was sitting back against the opposite wall.

"What... happened? Why..." Bell murmured quietly.

Riveria shook her head, her long emerald hair flaring slightly. "No, that's my question for you. Or perhaps a better one would be, what would she think if she found you here? Unconscious or dead."

---

A/N:

(1) So, I just want to say... this is how I'm going to have Grimoires work in this story. They take your mind into the book basically, and through there learn your memories and use that to form a 'dream' that would help you process the information of the Grimoire.

(2) Again, Something I want to explore... Mind Downs, they have a very interesting idea in this story. Bringing memories from the past to help your mind stay busy while the body repairs it. These Mind Down Dreams are more vivid than the memories, it'll be like you are actually there reliving it. So for some characters, this is a blessing and they might purposely cause themselves a mind down, while many will avoid it at all costs, even more than normal. I have several ideas for this in the far future. Just be patient.

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Review Responses:

Guest: Thanks

mrwinterdk: Thanks

Blazeburn006: To Lili, Bell is the ultimate in weirdness. As you know, I don't really care for canon Hestia and I want to spend more time exploring this version and seeing where it goes... The baths and chasing were fun. The Stone Shenanigans continue, and you can understand why, as an elf, these ideas would be weird for her.

KurobaraIto: Hmmm... Yes and no... I can't explain better without heavy spoilers.

PainfulShock: Thanks.

NotInigoMontoya: Potentially, I already had ideas for how things would play out before I wrote that scene. Next chapter... will be interesting, but I need to rewrite portions as I'm not satisfied with it.

GodActeon: I do what I can, and I appreciate it.

pix25: Thanks

AiyaKnight: Sorry to disappoint, but that's how the story is going to go. As for your other review, that's the idea to have some things feel... forced that way when actual moments arrive people can hopefully tell the difference.

Vivia2277: I have fun writing the Minotaur Stone stuff, and am always thinking of ideas for how to continue it. As for wedding rings, I already have a few ideas, and that is one of them.