Chapter 6 RW: Meeting (A Fated Deal)
Author's Notes(A/N): Hello everyone! I am really excited to be posting this chapter rewrite as I consider this as one of the highlights of the first half of arc 1. In case any of you are curious as to how long my first arc will be, you can consider either this or Chapter 7RW to mark the halfway point. Again, I'm so glad to almost be complete with these rewrites. That said, I definitely don't regret doing these, as I feel like the bump in quality for these early chapters has been instrumental in the reach of this fic. Not even mentioning the lessons I've learned while writing these.
Regarding this chapter, two new sections have been added in this rewrite, but it is nowhere near the total overhaul that was Chapter 3 RW. I'd like to think of this as one of my better chapters, but of course, I'd also love to know what you guys think. Feel free to drop a review/comment. Aside from that, I hope you all enjoy!
[Start SoundTrack: Fate/Apocrypha - Sexology]
Consequences
They are the dreaded outcomes awaiting one at the end of every choice. Although, by definition, they are merely the effect following their respective cause, people have derived their own understanding of them—one that associates them to negative ramifications from selecting the "wrong choice" and being set down a misfortunes path.
It is their mere existence and the desire to avoid them at any given cost that instills hesitation into the hearts and minds of all. One waits to ponder their decisions in the hopes of avoiding them, be it a strategic maneuver on a battlefield or correct wordage in intense conversation. Ironic when considering inaction is just as much an action/choice pair as any other, hence the popular phrase, "Hesitation is defeat."
However, if they were always avoidable, some people would never encounter them, but reality isn't so simple. Often, one is presented with a set of options, each carrying its own dire consequence, and is forced to select the "best of the worst". Yet even that is not enough cruelty for this world, as it may offer an illusion of choice only to result in the same outcome. From either case, one would tempted to usher the oh-so-famous line, "If only I had done_ instead", when the truth is, the game was rigged from the start.
Another great misconception is the capability to foretell the outcome of an act. Perhaps it holds merit in a trivial sense; the fate of someone who was stabbed through the heart is evident. But what about planting a seed from a peach? It should grow into a peach tree. Yet, who is to say it will blossom, that some manner of creature will not devour it before it had a chance? Who is to say the seed inside really was that of a peach and not a foreign one inserted into it? So much uncertainty for such a simple action.
The grander the deed, the more challenging the endeavor to foretell what fate has plotted, if anything at all. Such efforts of predicting what the sisters are up to are best left to fools, as everyone makes the best decision in their minds and deals with the immediate effect of their actions. The optimal word is immediate.
Any preconceived ideas of consequences, valid or otherwise, discuss the outcomes that occur at or near the time of action. But the weavers of destiny have proven that the flapping wings of a single butterfly can stir wind on the opposite side of the world. How much does one's choices, nay, their mere existence, have on this one? The decision-maker may never grasp the sheer scale of their life, leaving their impact to be faced by others.
The consequences of their flapping wings may take years, centuries, or millennia to be felt. Or, the air displaced can be felt just a day later, such as when a conversation meant to aid a distraught friend ends up inflicting more harm than good. The immediate result is apparent, but the unforeseeable effect is realized later. And now was that later for her.
She stood in the doorway to his home, displaying a face most unbefitting for someone once referred to as a doll. Her body and pupils shook in unison, the latter meeting that of the renard who had stumbled back. Fear is what her expression sowed, similar to the kind she would reap when demonstrating why one of her aliases was "War Princess". But the method couldn't have been more different.
For her mantle, she abandons any semblance of emotion, casting it aside in favor of battle. She allows her hatred of monsters to consume her, becoming one in a sense to acquire power that can only be described as... hideous. In that combative exhibit, she achieves the power to make other first-tiers shiver.
But here, the person described as distant at best was lost. Emotions once thought impossible for her to demonstrate now beamed down onto the fox maid. And it came like a flood when she said those eleven words: "I need to talk with the rest of your familia! Now!".
Her words had fallen on deaf ears as the culmination of the intensity, and her newfound expression left the renard speechless on the ground.
"Please, I need to speak with all of you! It's urgent!"
But after casting down a second plea, Haruhime picked herself up, registering the gravity of what was said.
"I-Is Bell-sama in danger?!" she asked, cusping her hands and holding them to her chest.
"I believe he might be! That's why I need to speak with the rest of you right away!"
"A-A-Alright!" though stumbling over her words, the fox girl wasted no more time and ran back inside, shouting, "Goddess, everyone!"
However, Ais remained in place, almost as if the ground itself grabbed her legs, binding her to it.
"This... is my fault? I-Its my fault?!"
From shaking her head, she broke free of the near-paralysis-like state and descended the stairs up to the front door with her palm planted on her mouth.
"Oh no. No, no, no, no..."
In a set path, she paced back and forth on the cobblestone trail in front of the fountain.
"There's no way they could've taken him, right?! Right?! But if those dark elves didn't, then...that means..."
Trying to formulate options as to what could have occurred led her back to a single idea: herself.
[I won't ever sideline my feelings for her or my desire to finally reach her!]
And when she reheard his retort to her suggestion, it only emboldened the worst case in her mind. Adding her second hand to her face, the warmth in her breath was vanishing in place of what the black flame generated.
"This is my fault. This is my fault! This is my fault! This is my fault!"
The accursed flames had spread from her palms, enveloping both of her hands whole.
"H-He's off to get himself killed... because of me!"
[We don't know that!] chimed in her former self, halting the spread of the fire.
[Something else might have happened to him! Maybe... maybe he...]
Despite the efforts of her little self, the struggle to bring up alternatives allowed some of the blaze to pass through the sort of barrier her presence provided.
"At worst, he's going to get himself killed because of what I said. And at 'best', those dark elves took him!"
[D-Don't think like that! There has to have been something else! We both know that Bell wouldn't-]
[You're still lying to yourself...]
As soon as the breeze passed over her, the darkened voice from before returned. She scanned all over, failing to find its origin.
"It's that voice again..."
Shifting her gaze back to her past self, anything exiting the flapping lips of the child was silenced.
[You caused this to happen! You couldn't handle the repercussions of your words and ran off before seeing to it that he made it back! If those dark elves have him, it's because of YOU!]
[Thank you... for... everything.]
[Thank you... for... everything.]
[Thank you... for... everything.]
"N-No", she said while covering her ears. "Not again!"
Another gust of wind later, and it felt as if something was holding her by both shoulders.
[What do you imagine those dark elves are doing to him?]
"I...I-"
[If he's not dead already, they're sure to be exacting their revenge! Ripping his limps off? Plucking his eyeballs out?! Bringing him to the brink of death just to heal and continue their psychotic enjoyment?!]
"S-Stop!"
The heat-sapping inferno reached her elbows.
[That's how he'd begged them, only for his cries to fuel their entertainment! Or would you rather imagine him bleeding and broken because he decided to deep-dive into the dungeon with no self-regard.]
[Thank you... for... everything.]
[Thank you... for... everything.]
[Thank you... for... everything.]
Her teeth began to chatter, for her internal temperature continued to fall.
[Him trying to crawl his way back up and failing. When he starts to tap on Death's door, he tells himself it was all an attempt to reach her! Along with him knowing that he wouldn't be down there if you hadn't provoked him! In either case, it is all because of Y-]
"WHAT?!"
The sheer volume at which the hight-deficient goddess screamed drowned out the rest of her familia while causing the dark voice and black flame to dissipate off Ais. By the time she was able to remove her hands from her head, Hestia appeared before her, somehow outpacing everyone else.
"Wallenwhatsit!" the goddess shouted while pointing at her, waiting a moment to catch her breath from sprinting as fast as she did. "You said my Bell-kun might be in danger?!"
Unlike the other times they've spoken to one another, the frustration for unknown reasons couldn't be found in the deity's voice. Instead, a concern that almost matched her own was sent forth.
"He-"
She was unable to levy a response before the rest of his familia poured out, forming a small semi-circle around the two.
"I do, but I need to know something. Are any of you aware of the group that Ganesha Familia is trying to hunt down?"
"They're after someone?!" remarked their blacksmith, greatsword on his back. Crossing his arms, he turned to the pallum next to him, who had been rubbing her chin.
"It would explain why I saw so many of them from out the windows. But... wasn't Bell-sama the only one who went out yesterday?"
Hestia half turned to her child.
"I think he was supporter-kun; I saw him leave in the morning, but I couldn't tell you to where."
"Bell-dono stated he was going for a walk, that was all."
"Sword Princess", remarked the sole elf in the familia, standing at the opposite end from Mikoto. "I assume you bringing up this group is because they related to why Bell isn't here."
"Yes", even now, her words once devoid of feeling carried worry. "They are a group of dark elves that... tried to kill Lefiya."
All of Hestia Familia shot their eyes open, and their patron goddess turned all the way back to Ais. Evilus was returned to irrelevancy. Freya Familia was disbanded, with some of its members joining the very same familia, much to Loki's excitement. So a question floated in their five minds: who would dare attack the uncontested strongest familia?
"Don't tell me... the way Bell-kun got involved was from protecting her, wasn't it?".
"How did she know- that's not important right now!"
Ais nodded her head.
"If it weren't for him, they would've killed her. But because of him getting in their way, they set their sights on him as well. When he got to my familia's home, he collapsed from his injuries. We were just able to save him, and he explained everything he knew to Finn before I was tasked with bringing him back here."
She pointed behind herself, past the fountain.
"I left him in that alley last night. But if he didn't return... then..."
"There's a reasonable chance they got to Bell", said Ryuu, her eyes sharpening.
"Hestia-sama," commented Lili, her voice cracking. "Is... is Bell-sama."
"No, my number of blessings hasn't changed. If they took him, he's still alive." A smile tried to reach the goddess's face but was foiled moments later. "But that means those dark elves could be..."
Though she couldn't bring herself to finish her statement, they all knew what she meant. Their grim demeanors surfaced, their minds forcing them to think about it. Out of the five, Haruhime's reaction was the worst; tears escaped from the sides of her eyes while covering her mouth.
"Bell-sama..."
"It'll be alright, Haruhime. Bell-dono isn't one to kneel over."
As Mikoto tried to comfort her friend, Ryuu took a step forward.
"Sword Princess, for those dark elves to attack one of you lot, they'd have to be even moderately sure of themselves, but how strong are they?"
"I... am not sure myself, but seeing what they were able to do to Bell... they pose a threat to my familia as a whole."
"I see, so it's as I feared."
The elf tightened her hand.
"Those patrols felt... familiar."
"R-Ryuu-san?" questioned Lili.
"Those patrols are acting in a very memorable way, in the worst kind of way." Her sight honed back to Ais. "The one thing that matters is that these dark elves are just as much our problem as it is yours or Ganesha's."
Hestia turned fully around to face her familia, but nothing left her mouth. Ais bounced her vision to everyone present, and much like the deity, no sound came from their lips. Even the traffic on the street behind failed to reach her ears. In one swift action, she was cut off from all the sounds of the world.
[We need to tell them about what else could be happening to him!]
She looked over at the miniature version of herself.
[They know they don't stand a chance against those dark elves! But if we tell them what else might have happened, then they'd have another avenue to search for him.]
She forced open her mouth, only to find it being shut before she could even utter the word 'He'.
[Do you really intend to tell that what YOU did? Your failure?!]
She clenched her teeth.
"It doesn't matter! Aiding them in finding Bell is all that matters!"
[It doesn't matter?] For the first time, the blackened voice read her thoughts. [Do it, and watch what happens. Watch them become disgusted with you! Watch them come to despise you!]
The mysterious voice and force behind it pressed down on her shoulders again.
[You couldn't even deal with the reaction you forced him to have. Can you handle that for all his familia? For when Hestia feels her number of blessings drop?! No, because they'd all know whose fault it is. YOURS!]
She bit down on the inside of her cheek, adding a tinge of blood to her taste buds. Her tongue soon moved into the way, and she found herself pressing down on it, the blood of which dripped down her throat. It came close to severing as the clutches of despair sank their claws on her shoulders deeper and deeper.
"Hold on!" But they were dispersed when Lili shouted, returning sound to her ears and silencing the rest of Hestia Familia.
"Ais Wallenstein, you didn't say for certain that those dark elves took him, and you brought it up as a hunch based on yesterday, right?"
"I guess... why-"
Without skipping a beat, Lili ran to the side of the fountain, looking at the alley that had been pointed out earlier.
"Maybe it is because Lili doesn't know the strength of those dark elves, or maybe Lili is trying to be hopeful, but something tells me that... that Bell-sama wouldn't have been taken without much proof of a fight!"
"Oi, Lili! What are you suggesting?" asked Welf, the comment making the pallum spin around.
"That something else might have happened to Bell-sama, and we're going to spread out to look for him! Any objections?!"
A chuckle came from the blacksmith, and he shrugged.
"Alright, you don't gotta ask me twice!" he stated while smiling.
"And you needn't ask me at all", added Mikoto.
"S-Same here!", said Haruhime.
"And I was already planning to do so", finished Ryuu.
The 'Little Commander' turned her sights back to Ais.
"And on the chance those dark elves took him, may you please help us?"
"I will, and I'll get my familia. After what he did to protect Lefiya, there's no way some of us could turn a blind eye to him."
"Thank you, Ais Wallenstein."
Lili smiled and seemingly mouthed something to herself before facing the rest of her familia.
"Everyone, we meet back here at sunset, got it?!"
"Yeah!" remarked everyone, including Ais. The golden beauty turned around and lowered herself. With tension built up in her legs, she shouted.
"Awaken: Tempest!"
Her wind encircled her right as she dashed off faster than anyone except Ryuu could see. The combination of wind and speed had pushed up dust that had a few of Hestia Familia covering their eyes and coughing. Within that second, she vanished, leaving just a hint of black and purple that came off her wind.
[Stop SoundTrack]
[Start SoundTrack: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - Lion King Caineghis]
The Norse goddess of mischief clutched her aching head; a visible vein ran through it as she laid length-wise on the couch, resting said head on its red arm. Opposite her, on the sofa across the large table, sat her blonde captain. To her right sat her dwarven top executive, his back to the massive assortment of books. For the last of the so-called 'Loki Trio', Riveria stood far behind her, arms crossed, and vision focused on the city below.
"Sorry, Finn. Just-Ugh! Just give me a minute, will ya?"
The pallum chuckled and shrugged.
"Take as much time as you need; I already hit most of the major parts of what Bell Cranel told us."
"I'm impressed you held out that long 'fore letting yer hangover get to ya!"
Their goddess tried to smile as she rubbed her eye with the palm of her hand.
"Thanks... ughhh! But I don't suppose any of ya got some remedy for something this bad?"
"HAHAHA!"
The dwarven high executive's laugh bellowed through the lounge, his massive hand slapping the side of his chair.
"Ya already knew what you were getting into! If you plan on drinking that much, you better be able to take it! What do they say in medicine?"
Gareth took a minute to scratch his beard, searching for the phrase.
Snap! "If you could take the cut, you could take the stitch"! Yup, that's it!"
"And I've got nothing either for such a... situation", added the pallum.
"Aww..." went Loki, her almost smile dropping.
But not long after seeing the display, Finn started tapping his cheek with his pointer finger. Soon, his sight shifted over to the elf standing alone in the corner.
"Although..."
The elf, recognizing the conniving grin forming, mouthed the words "Don't you dare" to him. But her silent words were truly silent.
"Perhaps elven royalty have methods to always maintain their properness, even with the presence of alcohol."
The elf massaged her skull.
"Hey, hey!" went Loki, who had been waving her arm at the elf lying on her back.
"Riveria, is that ack, true?"
"No, it isn't", she responded with annoyance deep in her voice.
"Are you sureee you haven't been holding valuable information for your goddess?"
She pinched her cheek to prevent the irritation from getting to her.
Sigh! "I haven't. Why can't you just use this as a lesson to drink less or at least not to drink yourself into a comatose state?"
Loki began smiling, though it resembled a frown due to the perspective.
"Hehe... I think I'll just take Gareth's advice and just suck it up."
The goddess pushed herself up to where she sat against the back of the couch.
"I still don't see why you sought the need to consume that much of Soma's wine."
"Two reasons." Loki raised a finger. "One, you don't drink in general, let alone have had any of Soma's batch, so you wouldn't know." The deity raised another. "Two, consider it a... personal challenge I got."
"Ha!" Gareth's short laugh broke into the conversation. "Well, you couldn't have picked a worse time to attempt it, let alone complete it!"
The deity hit her head against the back of the furniture, her sight locking to the ceiling.
"Ugh, tell me about it! But how was I supposed to know that Chibi's kid was gonna come running in carrying Lefiya, protecting her from some dark elves with a pretentious ass name?!"
"Well", interjected Finn. "At least we were here to extract information from him relating to those 'pretentious ass' dark elves."
"Still", Loki's vision detached from the ceiling. "Would've liked to have seen how bad these "CoNquEroRs" messed him up."
"Are you familiar with what a pincushion looks like?" questioned Riveria.
"Yeah? Oh... Oh! Wait, he lived that?!"
Gareth tried to stifle his laugh with the back of his hand, hiding it behind coughs.
Cough! "I believe those were Riveria's words exactly! Weren't they, elf?!"
Sigh. "They were."
Their deity held her hands behind her head.
"You won't catch me saying this to Chibi, but I'll give her kid this: he's still getting stronger. Might even hit level 6' fore the end of the year. From zero to hero... in just like that."
Finn grinned and once again peered over to their pinnacle mage and winked.
"I bet you have an idea of what that would mean?"
Tsk. "Don't have me think about that..."
"Me neither. I'm in no state to think about Chibi's kid with- hold on!"
Loki caressed both of her eyes.
"Let's get back to talking about those dark elves. How much do we know about... uhh, what was their leader's name again, Finn?"
"Centi, and unfortunately, not much. From what we do know, he seems to be rather... different than what you might expect."
"Oh? How so?"
"His stance against senseless bloodshed", said Riveria before continuing. "We know from Bell Cranel that he was provided not one, but two opportunities to walk away. And I believe the second was after he dispatched some of them. It seems as if Centi will use it as a means to an end rather than entertainment."
Tsk! "More like a means to end Lefiya", their goddess stated in a serious voice. "Anything else we know about this... uhhh?"
"Centi, the bastard, seems to value the lives of his men. We ain't know why, but I got doubts of him doing something brazen if it meant putting troops on the line", commented Gareth.
"Not to mention all the patrols Ganesha has around; I can see the scale of their operation from up here. Any chance of movement is sure to be reduced."
The goddess of mischief pointed to the dwarf.
"And what's the general sentiment about them in the familia?"
For once, the large dwarf didn't have anything to laugh about.
"I hate pointing out the obvious, but a lot of them were there to see what happened to the boy, and they know damn well how strong he is, thanks to that war game. So if those dark elves can do that to him... well, more than a few of them are on edge."
Sigh. "I can't blame 'em", Loki said, crossing her legs. "At best, we're dealing with a group that has more first-tiers than us and Ganesha combined. At worst? I don't want to think about it."
"We are fortunate that this is their "reduced" numbers. From what originally we don't know."
"Speaking of fortune, it's a good thing that we can treat them like monsters, given their whole turning into a puff of smoke act."
"And why is that?" inquired Riveria.
Gareth held his fist in his hand, a smile reaching ear to ear.
"Cause it means that Ais can go all out 'gainst them, using her wind to rip and tear!"
Cough! "Speaking of Ais-tan..." Loki stated while standing up. "I haven't seen her all morning. "Have any of you?"
"She's at Hearth Mansion", answered the elf, all heads turning to her.
"Ehh?! The hell she-" Loki cut herself off after almost losing balance. "The hell she's doing over there?!"
"All I'll say is that she is making amends for something she said to Bell Cranel."
Finn leaned forward, his elbow resting on the table.
"And you're not gonna tell us what she said?"
"Later. Right now, there's a more pressing matter and something all of you must know."
[Stop SoundTrack]
Everyone recognized the absolute seriousness in the elf's words.
"I entrust you all remember how that nightmare plagued her until she was nine?"
"How could I forget?!" Loki crossed her arms. "Poor thing struggled to even get a wink of sleep because of it."
"I take it the lass is suffering from that memory again?"
"Technically, yes, but that's not the point."
She took a few steps toward everyone, standing next to the goddess.
"When I talked to her this morning, she said that, when living through it again, it had been altered compared to what it was before."
Their eyes flung open, and two of them found themselves at a loss for words. Not among those two was the pallum.
"I thought Ais claimed it to be a core part of her memory. One of the few she could remember that vividly from her past. Did she mention what about it was altered?"
"According to her, there were things her mother tried to tell her, things that weren't stated before, though she was unable to hear what. And at the end, there was a corrupted voice that didn't belong to either of her parents, before she felt as if something... or someone carried her off."
Gareth turned his chair toward her.
"And ya said this is the first time something like this happened to the lass?"
"Yes, and because of it, Ais was, understandably, worried. She fears that her other memories might be subject to change. Or worse, depending on how you see it, they aren't alterations but rather lost portions of her memory resurfacing."
Finn rested his head atop his hands.
"I suppose that does raise the question of what else does she not remember. It also raises one of why now. Assuming it is the latter option, what was it that caused her mind to uncover pieces that were buried until now?"
"Well, Ais-tan's memory has never been the greatest thing in the world." their goddess remarked as she made her way to the door. Poor thing probably had most of her memories sealed off to keep her from thinking about what was taken. It really just felt like a matter of time before she started remembering more."
Standing by the door, she drooled, allowing her perversion to consume her.
"But maybe if I touch some of her skin, it'll help jog her memory-"
Slam!
The door their perverted deity stood next to flung open, knocking her out in an instant. Thanks to the impeccable timing, the high elf found herself covering her mouth with her forearm and turning away, attempting to hide. After a minute, she cleared her throat and turned back to the door.
Ahem! "T-Tiona, I believe we've talked about not-" opening her eyes, in place what was believed to be the amazon was Ais.
"Ais?! Umm, how did it go-"
The fear and shakiness in her adoptive daughter's eyes became apparent, causing the elf to approach her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Ais, are you alright?"
"He's gone..."
"Come again?"
"Bell... he's gone missing!"
"What?!" exclaimed all of those who were conscious.
"What do you mean he's gone missing? Didn't you walk him home like I asked you to?"
"I did! I left him in an alley right across from his home, but when I went there, none of his familia knew where he was!"
The massive dwarf lifted himself from his seat.
"Ya think those dark elves got to the boy?"
"I think it could be that, but he is alive, Hestia confirmed as much. And one of his familia thinks something else might have happened, but... I also think he could be doing something really ...really dangerous. Please, we have to find him!"
"I'm... not sure if we could, or even should..."
The words of her captain stung harder than bees.
"What?! But-"
"Give me the chance to explain, Ais."
The pallum stood up and turned to her, a hand on his side.
"Should he be taken by The Conquerors, I'd rather not get in Shakti and her familia's way in looking for them. The city is already clustered enough with them; they don't need us down there to impact their patrol patterns. If he went somewhere on his own accord, as I guess Liliruca believes as well, then logic dictates he'll return on his own. And for the most improbable scenario of him doing something beyond idiotic, such as heading to the 37th floor by himself, then as cruel as it sounds, his fate is of his own mak-"
Ahem!
The royal elf stood in front of the pallum.
"Regardless of the case, I do believe we should assist in looking for him. Even if his outcome is already sealed, we must do something. And besides..."
Her head flicked back toward Ais as she mouthed the words, 'Do it for Ais, and I'll explain later'.
Sigh. "I guess you're of the same mind, Gareth?"
"You're damn right I am! You said healing him was the least we could do, well, now's our chance to do more. Besides, if we do run into those damned elves, I wanna show them what happens when you mess with our familia!"
Finn shrugged, chuckling at the dwarf's last statement.
"Alright, alright. Let's go find Bell Cranel."
[Start SoundTrack: Fate - Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (OST)]
Laying there, her vision glued to the ceiling, she was left alone, for her human roommate had stepped out several minutes ago. Bandages left her immobilized in her lower half, extending from her ankles to past her knees, preventing any bending in the slightest. Not that she had any desire to exert stress upon the wounded area; something as simple as raising a leg would set the pain receptors there ablaze. The extent of her movement she was capable of, at least without tormenting herself, was whatever her arms could reach, such as the pitcher of water and cup Elfy had gotten earlier, placing them on the elf's nightstand, in between their beds.
But as the minutes passed and the one person she conversed with remained absent, she was left with thoughts that seemed content to highlight a single event—or rather, the person from it. Her sole reason for why she lies in her bed instead of having a blade cut her thread. Bringing her hands to her chest, over her heart, she squeezed the fabric before whispering, "Bell."
Raising one of her hands, she stared at her palm.
Whoosh!
Her memories forced her to recall the arrows piercing his body and how they splattered his blood across her face. Taking two fingers, they outlined how it splashed onto her, and the beating in her chest increased.
"I've been nothing but terrible to you, thinking of you just... just as an eternally horny rabbit. But even through all of that, even when they gave you the chance to walk away, even when you knew that death was near guarantee, you... protected me as if I was one of your friends. You even believed that we were before our conversation. Maybe we were... and I'm just awful."
She rubbed her left eye with her palm.
"It's not fair! I went from having respect for you to having my heart flutter when I just say your name, all in one day! How did you manage to do it in just one day?!"
She hit her mattress with both hands on each side of her body, her azure eyes softening out.
"You were supposed to work on winning Ais-san's heart... so why did you win mine? Why did you have to look so cool when protecting me? Why did you make me feel this way? This... this is your fault! You wanted me to feel this way, didn't you?!"
She pushed herself to sit upright on her bed, leaning against the backboard.
"I know I shouldn't feel this way. You fell for Ais-san, but why can't my heart understand that? Why do I think of you in this way, knowing that I shouldn't?"
Knock. Knock.
Her pupils bounced, and she broke out of the state her thoughts forced her into.
"Y-Yes?"
"It's me and Alicia. Can we come in?" remarked the voice from a cat person.
A smile rushed to her face, dispatching all traces of the woes the conversation she held with herself caused.
"Yes!"
Not a second later, the door opened, and the cat girl and elf entered, followed by the human roommate. The latter rubbed the back of her head and smiled.
"Sorry for taking so long, Lefiya. But look who I brought to keep you company!" Elfy said before plopping down on her bed adjacent to Lefiya's.
The injured elf covered her mouth as she giggled.
Hehe. "Thank you, Elfy. I really appreciate it." She turned her sight to the pair. "And thank both of you for coming."
"Ahh, don't mention it. What are friends for?" remarked the feline, taking her place at the end of Lefiya's bed.
"Turning up to ensure you didn't end up miserable was the least we could do", said her fellow elf, standing next to the human girl. "But how are you holding up?"
"Well, I'm doing a lot better than yesterday, if that's something."
"Considering the care Riveria-sama used in extracting those bolts, I would hope that to be the case."
"And how about your legs themselves?" questioned Aki, tapping the area with her tail. But as misfortune would have it, even the gentlest of pokes caused Lefiya's face to crunch.
Eek!
"S-Sorry, Lefiya. I didn't know they were still..." said the cat girl, her ears drooping.
"You're... fine..." she murmured while keeping one eye closed.
"I'll give you whoever attacked you and Rabbit Foot this; they knew what they were doing when making those arrows", commented Alicia. "A good portion of aiding Rabbit Foot was removing them without puncturing a vital organ or slicing through an artery."
"I see..."
"Speaking of whoever attacked you, they're lucky they went into hiding. The moment they show their face again, I plan on giving them what they deserve for thinking they can take one of us out", asserted Aki, closing her hand into a fist at the last part of her words.
"I... don't doubt it. For me, the next time I see The Conquerors, I plan on being ready-"
"Wait!" interrupted Elfy. "That's the name of the dark elves that attacked you?"
"Yeah-" she cut herself off, uncertain of something. "How did you know they were dark elves?"
"Because two of the guards saw some of them when you were getting carried in by Rabbit Foot."
Her fellow elf took a step forward.
"It does also help that you frantically explained that part before blacking out."
"Speaking of Bell..." she cusped her hands together while her sight fell to her bandages. "What happened to him? He recovered, right?"
"Yup. He somehow woke up yesterday, telling everything he knew to Finn before I think Ais took him home."
Lefiya closed her eyes, a thought surfacing.
"You really did give it your all to protect me- wait!"
Opening her eyes, her sight focused on the one sitting at the of her bed.
"He woke up that early? How?!"
Aki scratched her cheek with her tail.
"Uhh, truth be told, I haven't got a clue."
"Perhaps him being a level higher than you has something to do with it? But even then, I'm not sure a level 5 could recover that quickly", noted the standing elf, rubbing her chin.
"Oh! I think I know!" chimed in Elfy. "Maybe it was all that training he was forced to go through with Freya Familia! I remember Van talking about it and what it was like for him."
A shiver was sent down Lefiya's spine as the thought of Bell suffering the same fate he experienced in getting her home occurred to him day after day.
"Either way, I'm... glad he's alright."
A smile had crept up on her face, unbeknownst to her. Coupled together with her words, it was enough for the three others present to share an expression with one another."
"Um, is something wrong?"
"Hey, Lefiya? There's something we've been meanin' to ask..." said Elfy.
"Why did you refuse any healing until Rabbit Foot was sought to first?" remarked the one standing.
The oddness of their question made her eyes widen.
"Why?" her brows conveyed her seriousness before she even spoke.
"Aki, Alicia, you both saw the state he was in. Did my legs feel terrible? Yes. Was I on the edge of a mind zero? Yes. But compared to him, all of my injuries were nothing."
Her lips curled up once her eyes opened.
"I understand wanting to help your own familia member before someone else, and for that, I am grateful. But he gave his all to see me back here so that I could have the chance of lying here while talking to my friends; making sure he was cared for was the least I could do. And if he died... I would've..." Her fingers began curling. "I don't want to think about it."
"Ohhhh", went her roommate, messing with her hair. "I understand what you mean. Riveria-sama thought it was something like that. Hehehe. I guess I was imagining things."
She shook her head before staring down at her hands.
"Really, what did you two think the reason was? I know I was being frantic, but-"
"I don't buy it."
Her sight raced back over to Aki.
"Huh? What-"
"Let me rephrase the question: what do you think about Bell Cranel?"
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
A countdown had begun in her mind, starting when a bead of sweat rolled down her cheek onto her hands.
"Wha-What do you mean?"
"I think what Aki is trying to say is that making sure he was healed first made the most logical sense, but were you really being logical when you were begging Riveria-sama?"
"I..."
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
"I don't know what you're getting at, Alicia..."
"Oh, for crying out loud!" the feline face palmed before moving to stand next to Alicia, pointing at the elf in denial with her tail. "How do you feel about Bell Cranel?"
"He's just a friend!"
The speed at which the response was levied had the standing duo exchanging a glance with each other.
"But that can't be righttt!" refuted her roommate. "Every time someone brought him up, you would always say, 'that damn human!' and go on and on about how much you despise him, calling him your rival."
"She's got you there."
Lefiya's cheeks started turning red, her flusteredness becoming apparent.
"I never said I despised him! And... and..." her heart began beating heavy, impacting her search for words. "When someone saves your life, its hard to still hold a grudge against them. But that doesn't mean I like him or anything!"
She might as well have held her tongue, for Aki leaned forward with a smirk plastered across her face.
"We never made any accusation as to how you feel about him, and besides, you wouldn't be this reclusive if you had nothing to hide."
Tick!
Tick!
Tick!
Sweat continued to fall from her face, feeling as if there was no running from the situation, both in a literal and figurative sense. The countdown came closer and closer to going off.
"Lefiya, do you have-"
"Wait..."
A devious grin came to her mouth upon halting the cat's inquiry. Eyes that tried to avoid direct contact stared right back at the feline.
"I'll tell you guys how I feel about him..." she raised her pointer finger to the ceiling. "On one condition!"
"That being?" the curious cat responded, and the old adage held when the finger pointed to her.
"If you tell us what's going on between you and Raul!"
The overconfident grin bestowing Aki's mouth fell, and a faint red spanned her cheeks.
"I... have no idea what you're talk-
"Hey, that's right! Aren't you and Raul a couple now?" stated Elfy.
"Couple? We're just friends... nothing less... nothing more."
Alicia crossed her arms.
"Isn't the expression 'nothing more, nothing less'?"
"What does the order have to do with anything?"
"To quote you, "You wouldn't be this reclusive if you had nothing to hide", so what is it that you are trying to hide."
As the topic shifted to Aki, the three who kept her company focused on that, Lefiya wiped the sweat from her face and let out a long sigh.
Phew. "Thank goodness I didn't have to share how I really felt. These feelings for him... I-"
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"I'll get it." commented the cat lady, and upon opening the door, the vice-captain of the familia stood before her.
"Riveria?!"
"Ah, there you are, Aki. Finn requires your assistance."
[Stop SoundTrack]
While her spear rested against a wall behind her, she stood at one end of the table with her eccentric elephant god at her side. Across from them sat the chubby, elven figurehead of the guild, his hands on the table as he leaned forward.
"This is completely unacceptable!" he proclaimed. "Your search for these dark elves was not supposed to take this long!"
She crossed her arms and averted her gaze off to the side.
"You do realize it has been one day, right?"
"Yes, one day. A complete 24 hours of your familia being mobilized in its entirety, with nothing to show for it!"
Without being granted an opportunity to respond, the guild leader brought from under the table a stack of paper taller than him sitting down.
"All these reports are an eighth of the ones that have been filed, and I'm certain more will come rolling in."
He grabbed five from seemingly random spots in the stack.
"And every single one of these brings up the same person: Bell Cranel."
He inserted them back into the pile before speaking to himself.
Tsk. "Maybe I shouldn't have cut his familia as big of a break as I did when it came to their rank."
"Don't worry, Royman! For as long as I am Ganesha-"
The elf slid the pile of papers to the side and pointed at the god.
"As for you, Ganesha, last time I checked, I ordered you to double up on the screening of those entering the city after the whole Ares kidnapping of Hestia fiasco. So tell me, how is it possible that your familia managed to let fifty armed and armored dark elves in and didn't think much of it?!"
"Uhh...I am Ganesha?"
"My point exactly."
He redirected his finger to her. "And even if it has been just one day, that is one day closer to the celebration at the end of the month."
She returned her aqua-colored eyes over to him.
"Do you have that little confidence in us to find these 'Conquerors' in just under two and a half weeks?"
"Yes", he replied without skipping a beat. "But it is much less about not thinking your familia has what it takes to get the job done. If I did think that, I would've called on Loki Familia by now. It is more about the possibility of reinsuring the people of this city."
Her brow rose, and he leaned back in his seat, rubbing his head.
"Almost every event this year has had something happen during it. Even the goddess festival had Freya crash it on the last day. That's not even mentioning how disastrous that war game could've been."
"You really tried to get Loki to stay out of it, didn't you?" remarked the god.
"Of course I did! Ever since that almost all-out war when Freya went missing, I knew I had to get something to deter Loki's participation in the event an official one against Freya was ever called."
Slam!
He hit the arm of the chair.
"Only for that deterrent to mean nothing since neither Finn nor Riveria-sama was interested. The guild's influence was already deteriorating, but that really highlighted the lack of power we have."
"At least everyone was able to abide by the no-killing rule", she added.
Sigh. "That was but one of my main concerns: permanently losing much-needed strength for the final great quest. But since Freya's executives have yet to join a familia, the power gap they've left in the city is... noticeable."
"A power gap that The Conquerors have exploited. We really got unlucky with when they decided to invade."
"Hmph! Luck played no factor in their timing!"
She turned to her god with a confused expression.
"A faction that rivals the combined strength of mine and Loki's familia but would fold against Freya's tells me that they were watching from the shadows, waiting to see what would be the results."
She rubbed her chin.
"One of their forces was referred to as 'Scouts', so it's not impossible that a portion of them sneaked in."
Ahem. Cleared the throat of the guild head. "I think all you've highlighted was my point from a couple of minutes ago about securing the entrances."
The elephant god looked away, mouthing to himself, 'I am Ganesha'.
"My point from earlier is that the longer it takes to find them, the more unnerving the populous becomes. And there's more than a handful that are sure to have picked up that your patrols look awfully similar to the ones used in the dark times."
"So you're saying that it's a two-fold problem?"
"Yes, a complete double whammy. Understand this before both of you leave. By any means you see fit, find them."
"Don't worry! For I am Ganesha, and we will find them long before that celebration!"
The guild head waved them away.
"Less words, more action. The door is right there. You can see yourselves out."
"Come on, Ganesha", she commented to her goddess while grabbing her spear and holding the door open for them both.
"I am Ganesha!"
"Yes, everyone knows..."
"Big sis!"
Not even a second passed when she stepped outside of Royman's office before Ilta began talking to her.
"The dungeon squad is ready to be rotated out! They're just waiting on you."
"Thank you, Ilta. I'll be there in-"
"And another thing."
Sigh. "That being?"
"Riveria wanted to speak with you."
Holding on tight to the base of his golden spear in his right hand, the same that stood taller than him, he waited for a jitter to be sent to his left thumb, it pressing against his cheek. His back was against the brick that lined the portion of the alley, at the end of which sat Hearth Mansion. Meanwhile, a single question floated in his mind, the same that all who were out searching for him held: "Where is Bell Cranel?".
"What could make Ais believe that he would do something life-threatening by choice? Perhaps the answer is in what she said to him last night that made her feel compelled to try and apologize. I'll have to press Riveria to enlighten us on-"
The internal monologue was silenced when the steps of his subordinate resonated.
"Captain."
He turned to her, removing his left from his face and placing it on his hip.
"There you are, Aki. What's your-"
He peered behind her, unable to see another.
"Where's Bete?"
"Up here."
Turning his head to face the edges of the rooftops, he saw the ill-tempered gray werewolf looking down at the both of them, hands in his pocket.
"I'm doing one last sweep up here before joining ya."
"Understood. Although..."
His sight returned to the cat girl standing in front of him.
"If he's doing an additional sweep, I suppose neither of you have any good news?"
The feline shook her head.
"The only good news I have is that I can be quick in discussing it: there is none. We searched the block and every alley in it. Everything looked normal, and there weren't any strange scents for either me or Bete to pick up on."
He tapped the stone ground with the butt of his spear.
"And what of the sewers?"
"Dead end. Just more Ganesha's patrols, and no, none of them found anything out of the ordinary either."
His hand rested atop his blonde hair, ruffling it as he turned to Hearth Mansion.
"The sole clue we have is Ais's word that she left him near here, and seeing how close this is to his home, perhaps I was a little too harsh on her."
His eyes sharpened, sweeping every inch of the sidestreet they occupied while heading toward the mansion, Aki following from behind.
"Should he have been abducted, it couldn't have been at a worse time."
"What makes you say that, captain?"
"The weather, for one, limited sightlines for any witnesses. Couple that with Shakti and her familia certainly advising people to head to their homes due to The Conquerors's attack, it was a perfect situation that wouldn't have returned."
"It also doesn't help that the rain seemed to have washed away most of the-"
Sniff.
Sniff.
"Aki?" he asked, looking over his left shoulder, the cat several steps behind.
"I just got a very faint whiff of..."
She overtook him and led him further down the path.
"It's getting potent."
"Let's hope this will lead us somewhere."
Several yards down, the somewhere was found, and the werewolf was standing over it.
"You smelt the rabbit, too, huh?"
"Yes."
"Well, here's the source."
The three huddled around the puddle, the trackers crouching down while he returned his thumb to his cheek. After Bete whisked away a decent portion of the water, the true identity of the source was revealed.
"This hole is fresh", remarked Bete, lowering his face to it. "Yup, this is where whoever took him knocked him out."
"About that..." Aki stood up, placing a hand on her hip. "On what assumption are we operating on?"
"The hell do you mean by that?"
"I mean, are we assuming he was taken or not? If he was taken, then it's like... like he vanished into thin air. Right now, there's more proof he went somewhere on his own just by the lack of anything to suggest otherwise."
"Eh?! Use your head! There's no way the Rabbit would go and do something stupid like that."
A smirk came to the cat girl's face.
"And since when were you his biggest fan?"
Grr! "Shut up! Besides, you said there's no proof otherwise? Here's two!" He pointed straight at the puddle. "First of all, his scent doesn't extend all that far from here, so unless you're suggesting he masked his own damn smell, then someone else did it! And second, that indent into the ground had to have been made with his head."
"And... not to discredit you, Aki, but considering how both we and Hestia Familia are searching for him, it's best for our efforts to assume that something happened to him. I won't deny that the lack of any evidence is... worrying."
He paced by the two, standing near where the side passage reconnected with the road.
"For Bell Cranel to have been taken without Ais hearing anything or any other signs of damage here would require someone quick enough to outpace his gaze sense and strong enough to render him unconscious without so much as a scuffle."
Bete shoved his hands back in his pocket.
"Doesn't that just leave those dark elves?"
"I've been thinking of that, and something has been bothering me. Yes, we don't know how strong their strongest are, let alone their leader, but he told us that they gave up on trying to capture Lefiya and just tried to end them both. But he was still able to protect and return her to us. Even with his injuries, I still have doubts that they would be able to take him as clean as this. But there is someone I know that meets those requirements."
"Who, captain?"
"Simple. Ottar."
"Huh?! " went Bete. "The hell makes you think the boar has anything to do with this? Scratch that, without Freya's blessin', would he even have the strength to?"
Covering half his face, he tried to hide a laugh, still letting free a giggle.
Hehe. "Oh, he would. Prior to that war game, I thought I knew how strong he was, only for him to exceed my wildest predictions. But as to why? I don't know."
"Then why the hell did you bring it up in the first place?!"
"Just to cover all our bases as to what could have happened to Bell Cranel." he turned around, facing the two demi-humans. "One possibility is that The Conquerors indeed captured him alive for some reason. Either they're tormenting him before putting his neck to the blade or plan on attempting to give us an 'option' as to who they should kill: him or Lefiya. Even with the little amount that we know about them and the hatred they've sure to have built up against him, I consider this a rather low possibility."
Aki returned her cat eyes to the indent in the ground.
"I guess another option would be him being out on his own accord. As to where? We have no idea..."
"And the final would be that those ex-Freya executives wanted a little revenge, but why wait until now?" finished Bete.
"Don't we just have a mystery and a half?"
While Aki kept her head turned toward the hole, the sun had shifted just enough to grace the cobblestone path with its radiance, revealing a sparkle from the sizeable puddle. Squatting down, she retrieved the object that had somehow slipped from the grasp of her fellow beast person.
It was a golden feather, larger than her face, and where each of the fibers coming from an irregularly large shaft resembled a strand of Ais's locks. Bringing it to her nose resulted in a particular smell, not specific to a beast or a person but rather... temperature. Running her fingers through the barbs rendered a similar sensation, pointing to the same thing.
"Oi, when the hell did you grab that?"
"Just now, and something is... strange about it."
"Like what? It's shiny?!
She rolled her eyes before pointing the feather toward Bete, holding it by the end.
"Sniff it and tell me what you think."
He snatched it from her, but when he took a whiff of it, the arrogant expression dropped, and his hand began clenching around it.
"Smells... smells like it's burnt-"
Zap.
Ack!
The hand squeezing the feather tight felt a surge of heat flooding into it, forcing it off.
"You alright there, Bete?" asked Finn.
Grr! "Damn thing burnt my hand!" he remarked, focusing on the part of his palm that was seared. The feather left his grasp as fast as he grabbed it once Finn held out an open hand for it.
"Well, what do we have here? An oversized bird feather... from an eagle, maybe? It also seems to be... imbued with magic."
"Eh?! You're saying someone went through the trouble of enchanting that?!"
"Well, I'll need to confirm with Riveria, but I am confident that magic is ingrained into it."
"But, Captain..." Aki stepped forward, standing beside Bete. "Who would go through the effort of enchanting something like that just to have it be left here?"
"As a clue? I'm not sure. But there's something I do know." His sight looked up at the blue sky, most of the view being blocked by the lips of the buildings. "Something else is in this city. Or maybe... someone else."
[Start SoundTrack: Fate/Apocrypha - Hope]
Battered
Eviscerated
Languished
Lacerated
Those five words, even in tandem, failed to describe the sheer magnitude of his condition. A simple cough would edge the blade ever closer to the twine. A poor movement in any direction would cause the fibers of his thread to be cut. And, all things forbid, an unstifled sneeze would force the instrument closed, forever severing the string.
Nothing could be felt aside from the viscous liquid dripping down and off his body. Nothing could be seen past a wall of red. Nothing could be smelt except the sea of iron. Nothing could be tasted besides the metallic ocean mounting on his tongue. Nothing could be heard through the plugs formed from his fluids. All were marred by the same plague, creating a vacuum personalized for him, signaling to him a single idea.
"I'm... d-dying, aren't I?"
His appearance was best described as if someone had poured a bucket of paint over him and tied him to his seat with wounds. No one should be capable of excreting that much blood and remaining alive. Yet, in almost defiance of those maintaining the strings, he held out just as he had done prior. Finding what little strength there was left, he darted his eyes around, though still barred from seeing anything past the red curtain.
"W-Where... am I? Is this... what death is like?"
But even he and his resilience were subject to the fibers being torn from the strand. The cost of such an effort, regardless of how minor in scale, was the restoration of the sensation once nulled. Winter's approach had made even the days carry its chill among the breeze, but this differed from it. Wherever he was felt far colder than even the rainy night. In response, a jolt was sent down his spine, causing him to shiver.
Eckk... COUGH!
The thickened liquid ejected from his body and found itself at his feet. It originated from his shaking in an attempt to combat the rapid decline in his body temperature and from it drooling down and off his chin.
Agony accompanying the forced release from his lungs would've spiraled into the scissors snipping his twine... should his strength not have been depleted to where no limb could respond. For once, not being strong had benefits. But all there was for him to do was close his eyes and wait for the immediate anguish to fade-
"You're awake... sooner than expected."
"!"
The blockade of red had permitted a minuscule gap to peer through once an eyelid managed to unlock. Beyond the vast Red Sea lay... nothing, just another body of darkness. Despite the barren display over the horizon, his one working eye continued to see what stood in it.
"I... I know I heard a voice...but..."
Without any results to show for his effort, the anchor over his eye became heavy.
"...Maybe all this is in my head-"
Zip.
The one sense not barred from functioning called out to him.
"N-No..."
What little energy remained in his muscles was sent to his left hand, forming a soft claw as there wasn't enough for it to close all the way.
"Someone's there, and they're staring right at me! But..."
His agape jaw pushed out more crimson color liquid when there was a poor attempt to use his vocal cords.
"I've thought of this moment every day since... then. I've dreamt of this moment for longer than one should be alive. And now... it's here. You're here."
Although the voice was foreign, something about it sounded ever so familiar. Its intonation sounded empty, and its hollowness resonated off the edges of the abyss. However, it didn't seem to be that way on purpose, as if it were just the way the mysterious stranger spoke. Rather, something felt ripped out of it, and it had been that way for years.
"He d-doesn't sound like Centi or the other Conquerors, and his gaze... lacks maliciousness. It reminds... reminds me of-"
A hand gripped around his jaw, sinking his shipment of thoughts. His head was forced to slant back while an additional fluid flooded his mouth. With his nose too damaged to breathe through, he consumed the cocktail, and the taste of metal descended his throat.
Bleh! Cough! Cough. "What... was-" managed out his broken vocal cords, returning to their inoperable state moments later as the hand removed itself from him.
"Water."
Without the power to even raise an eyebrow, he continued to sit there after his head returned to its original spot.
"You made me... drink water?"
Whistle.
Zip.
From behind, a new set of eyes locked onto him.
"That's the same gaze from yesterday... from with Lefiya!"
Moments later, a weight was placed onto both shoulders.
"My reopening your life-threatening wounds was... not my intent. Had I been savvy with your condition, my approach would've been more appropriate."
Snap.
"Your recovery will commence now", commented a different voice behind Bell. Please stay still to ensure bones and other internals are healed correctly."
At the mere snap of the stranger's fingers, a restoring heat ran through his shoulders, reaching his back. From there, it radiated out to every corner of his body, which was blanketed in wounds. Red, blinding his sight, crumbled into the void. What followed was his ability to formulate words after the feeling of dehydration dissipated.
"W-Who are you?"
"The question you should be asking isn't prefaced with 'who' but 'what'. What is my reason for bringing you here? That... I will answer."
A candle ignited in front of him. A ceramic dish over it kept the flame weak, failing to illuminate anything beyond an unraveled scroll with red handles. At the center of it was a block of text outlined by blue symbols.
"You are here because I have a... proposition for you, Cranel. Feel free to read the document while I recite its contents for you."
Thanks to the healing of the stranger's second, he was able to open his other eye and read the text.
"Despite my reservations about offering this to someone so young, if you supply your written permission, I will provide you with a week of specialized training unlike anything you've experienced. At the end of the seventh day, you will be returned to your familia... should you survive."
The last segment didn't slip by his ears, and his eyes dashed over to the voice.
"Understand that calling it 'training' is inaccurate. It is better described as seven trials, each becoming more intense than the last. Trials that hold no mercy and will present the chance of dying at any stage. The path ahead is to be paved in blood. Your body will be broken, your mind shattered, ideals will be questioned, and you will contemplate death, and none of that is a matter of if, but when."
His eyes quaked.
"From the void! You're... you're who that golden figure talked about!"
"I guarantee you one thing: if you manage to live, you'll return home to your familia and friends possessing that which alludes many... power."
Sure enough, the words on the page reflected the verbal description. Still, despite the healing heat, a chill ran through his body from reminiscing of a situation not too dissimilar from this one.
"Let me guess... if I reject your offer, you'll just kill me and/or my familia."
"Incorrect, and I am baffled at the suggestion of such... lunacy. But I would be...
D̵i̵s̸a̷p̵p̷o̵i̸n̷t̸e̷d̴.̸
The light was snuffed out, returning the space to a different kind of darkness. One that clawed at his chest and neck.
Cough! "Why is it getting harder to breathe?! What is this?!"
Only for the light and damaging fog to disappear as fast as it arrived.
"But I would not take it out on you. Should you reject, I will knock you out, returning you to your familia post haste. We shall never meet again, and I... will be able to leave this forsaken city for the rest of time."
"And... how long do I have to answer you?"
"Preferably soon. Although, as you ponder it over, I'll answer any question relating to it."
"I have... one." He reached his arm out, his hand hovering over the document. "You've answered what, and this answers the when and how, and I think I'll find out the where at the end. That just leaves me with... why? Why would you offer me this if there wasn't something in it for you? Why even bother training me when you seem pretty strong on your own?"
"If..." the stranger hesitated to finish. "If only I were." The voice, though still plain, felt tired... sad almost. "And you're right. I do benefit from this, but I will not disclose what. Know this: you could never really understand."
A long silence permeated the space.
"Is this a trick to justify killing me? No... at any point, he could've gotten away with it. It wouldn't make sense for him to spend time and effort to have his partner heal me. He's kept me alive for this."
His gaze fell to his hands.
"How different would this really be from what Freya-sama had her familia do to me? I guess I got more powerful, so would it just be like that but with a choice? He gets something from me getting stronger, but is figuring that out worth it?"
A few minutes went by before he broke the silence.
"I... thank you for this offer, the healing you've given me, and... for not killing me. But I am sorry, I can't accept this. I haven't been home in... I don't even know how long, and I know my familia has started to worry."
"I don't suppose allowing you to send a letter would change your mind?"
"Even with that... I... refuse."
Tsk! "To think that I believed you might've been the one. I should've known better than to have sought out a child."
A mild anger soaked the words as the footsteps of the stranger moved behind him.
"At least I was able to uphold the promise I made to both of them."
He felt the stranger's hand rest on his neck.
"Is that your final answer?"
His mouth formed the word 'yes', but something stopped him from speaking. It wasn't any injury as they had almost been erased. Instead, it was the past. A collection of memories raced through his mind.
[He's just some lousy little peon!]
[Nothing's changed! I haven't changed a bit!]
Flashes of the previous void repeated as they had before. His teeth pressed together, anger boiling at the surface.
"I... I..."
However, the latter half of it began playing.
[I ask you to be strong. To be what the world needs. To be what she needs, Bell]
The words of the golden figure returned, forcing his ruby eyes to widen.
"This...this is where I choose my path... for everyone... for her..."
Last night was the final scene to surface. Her beautiful face... her golden locks...her words... all were as vivid as they were back then.
[I won't stop until I'm as strong as you and tell you how I feel to your face.]
"I can't continue to be like this... I want to get stronger."
The oath he made that night served as the final push.
"Can... can you promise me that I'll get far stronger than I am now?!"
"If you live? Stronger beyond your imagination. I promise you that, and something you'll learn is that I never break a promise."
A pen pointed to the scroll.
"Understand what you are getting into. At the end of each day, it will come down to my decision of if I choose to save you from death... or not."
"I... understand."
"Do you? The moment you sign is when my reservations of your age will be tossed. My mercy will run thin if not deplete entirely."
"I do! I need to get stronger!"
The very first time he saw her flashed in his mind. Him sitting against a wall sprayed in minotaur blood as she had saved him.
"I... won't be seen as weak again!" His crimson eyes were saturated with a small white flame of determination.
"Then all you must do... is sign."
Taking the pen, he pressed it to the bottom of the paper and printed his name. The instant he did, the utensil and scroll were snatched.
"You're healing is complete", said the second voice, and the force on his shoulders vanished into the dark.
What was once an aching body now had all its senses returned, restored even better than all of Riveria's efforts combined.
"When do I start?"
"As mentioned..." the voice returned to being in front of him. "You awoke sooner than anticipated. Thus, you'll be starting today. And to answer the very first question you had."
When the plate dampening the flame was removed, it now showed the table it sat at and the opposing side of it, the two beings behind the voices.
One was a tall man whose robe was similar to Fel's. His hood covered the left of his face, while the right was darkened by its hood extending far out. The most prominent feature was a simple silver eye.
On the man's shoulder sat the one responsible for healing Bell, a massive eagle with golden feathers and eyes that matched, reminding him of Ais.
"You may refer to me as... Wanderer."