Hello my dear readers. Whelp, the Evilus War arc is concluded and with it, I believe we reached the half-way point in this story. That's right, half way. Maybe. There is still much I have planned (and unplanned I'm sure). As of this moment I have several, what I call "sections" left, each containing several arcs. The next one is the "Calm Before the Storm" section. After that we have the "Storm" section, followed by the "Delving" section (likely to be renamed in the future), before finally the Final Battle arc + epilogue. In total, I suspect this will encompass at least 66 chapters, probably more. Anyway, enough of my teasing, planning, and explanations, you came here for the next chapter and you shall have it! So let us begin.
Note: This chapter does contain darker themes, and while I'm not the kind to usually give warnings for my story or chapters, I will give it now. This chapter contains mentions of suicide and suicidal thoughts. Please take heed and skip this chapter if you are sensitive to such material.
I do not own Danmachi.
There it is, she thought as her eyes fell upon the stronghold of her enemies.
A wave of anxiety passed through her body, from her several heads down to the tip of her tail and her wings.
No! The King himself requested I do this. To save his son, my prince, and… the wave of anxiety was replaced by a wave of desire, the reward is worth the risk. Her eyes turned back to the city of adventurers. However, I need not rush in. I should, at least, make sure I know where the prince is.
Settling herself on one of the distant mountains, the Queen of the Skies turned the head that could see great distances and the head that could detect the aura of living things towards the far-off city.
Where is he? She searched over the vast expanse of people, but could find nothing that matched in any regard to her great king. Which he himself assured me, the prince would. That must mean the prince is not within the city, or perhaps he's down in the Dungeon below. Her eyes fell to the below the city, but even her eyes could not see into the great cavern from which her kin are born. Hm, then I must wait for his return. Delving into the Dungeon would be an extremely dangerous and likely fruitless affair. However, that does not mean I need to simply sit and wait here, she thought as her heads smiled. After all, I am the Queen of the Skies, there are few monsters who would not answer my call.
Flapping her wings, she returned to the air as she began the task of gathering an army for her great mission.
"So how are you liking Orario, Prince Al Andromeda," Shakti asked.
"Please, Alexander is quite alright," he politely pleaded as he smiled at the Ganesha captain. "And I'm enjoying it quite immensely. I do love Camelot, but I fully understand why Orario has the title of, 'Center of the World'."
"I'm sure that Camelot is just as beautiful and I suspect half as chaotic," she joked, making the Holy Kingdom representative laugh.
"But that's part of the fun, isn't it? So many different people, so much going on, it's only natural to have some chaos to spice things up."
"Well, as much as I love spices, I wouldn't mind them in a little lower quantity," she replied, getting another chuckle out of him.
As if to mock her, the ground began to shake, startling not only the prince and the captain, but all of Orario.
"Another earthquake? I'm sorry, Alexander, but I must head to the Tower to see if everything is alright."
"Then I'll join you. I'm not sure what use I'll be, but whatever I can do, I will," the aqua man vowed.
The azure woman smiled in gratitude and the two quickly headed to the Tower of Babel.
As they ran, more small earthquakes shook the city, increasing the panic within its walls and the alarm in their hearts.
What could possibly be causing this? Alexander wondered. Could the battle with the Evilus truly cause such tremors, and if that is the cause, can we possibly hope to stop those who can shake an entire city?
They soon reached the Tower where dozens of Ganesha familia members were acting as a blockade for anyone trying to enter.
The blockade had been ordered by Ouranos himself and, according to Ganesha after his meeting with the God of the Guild, the elder god was worried about something.
"I can count the number of times I've seen him like this, Shakti, and each time, something terrible has happened. We must be prepared for anything," her god had told her without a hint of joking. She had immediately enacted her orders even as she hoped, for once, that Ouranos was simply being overly cautious.
"Are you all alright?" Shakti asked her familia upon her arrival.
"We are, Captain," one of her officers replied. "A few more adventurers have returned from the Dungeon and we've informed them of the situation and ban on delving."
"Did they have any information on the situation in the Dungeon?"
"Not much more than any of the other adventurers, I'm afraid, except one thing." Shakti's eyes urged him to continue. "They said they heard voices in the Dungeon."
"Voices?"
"Yes ma'am. By their descriptions, these weren't adventurers though. They all said that it sounded like they came from deep in the Dungeon itself and that they came right as the Dungeon shook."
Neither Shakti nor Alexander liked how that sounded.
"What did these voices say?"
"Now that's the really creepy part, Captain. The voices apparently cried out, 'liberator'."
A shiver went up Shakti's spine.
What in Heaven and on Earth could that mean?
Before she could contemplate further though, the ground shook far worse than previously and a few of her familia even fell over at the force.
"This one's nearly as bad as the first one!" another cried.
"What the hell is happening?!" someone screamed.
No one had an answer, but just as suddenly as the quake came, it stopped.
"Back on your feet everyone! You, go get back to base and grab more help, we'll need it. The rest of you, be prepared for anything, we don't know what might be coming from the Dungeon," Shakti ordered.
The adventurer ran off as the others all turned to the Dungeon, weapons in hand and fear in their hearts.
Suddenly, an odd sound reached their ears.
It almost sounds like…wind? The captain thought.
Not a moment later, a huge cloud of smoke burst through the Dungeon entrance, sending everyone but Shakti and Alexander to the ground and causing many of the nearby civilians to cry out in alarm.
"Is…cough…is everyone alright?!" Shakti cried.
"I'm not sure 'alright' is the right word, but I'm alive!" one of her familia called.
"I'm fine!"
"All good."
She sighed in relief then turned to Alexander.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," he assured her. "Startled and admittedly a little frightened, but fine."
She simply nodded, unable to provide more comfort at the moment as she herself could barely keep herself from shaking in anxiety and fear.
What, by all the gods in Heaven, is going on down there?
The former headquarters of the Evilus was painfully quiet, with only the sounds of groans, whispers, and crying echoing through the halls.
Finn sighed.
"This doesn't feel like much of a victory."
A hand on his shoulder made him turn and he met the understanding eyes of Tione.
"It won't. Not for a while. But, in time, when you see the people of Orario happily going about their lives without fear, then it'll feel like a victory," she avowed gently.
He managed a small smile and took her hand before kissing it.
"Thank you, Tione."
She smiled back and the two calming sat together in silence as they allowed their still weary bones and muscles to rest.
The tapping of a staff against the ground made Finn sit up and he watched as Riveria, looking utterly exhausted, but not as worried as before, walked into the room.
"How are the wounded?" he asked as he got up.
"They're alright," she answered as she leaned on her staff. "I can safely say there will be no more deaths, however, Ouka, Naaza, and Imilce are all still in comas."
"Healing them didn't help?" her captain asked.
"Unfortunately no, and neither did any of the potions we found stashed away in here. Their bodies are physically healed, but given the amount of blood Ouka lost, the traumatic experience Naaza suffered, and the utter depletion of her mana that Imilce had to enact to shield us from…that attack," she bit her lip as she didn't want to blame Bell for what happened, "I'm afraid it will take more than even my magic to bring them out."
"It's alright Riveria, you've done more than enough. We can visit Airmid once we've returned to the surface to see if her expertise can help. For now, you should get some rest."
"I concur."
The three turned and found a grim Alfia walking towards them.
"It's going to take me a while to really get used to you being a live again, Alfia," Riveria stated.
"And not trying to kill you, I'm sure," she Silence added, "but I can assure all of you, I mean you no harm."
"The same can't be said for Dionysus," Tione replied darkly.
"No," Alfia respond as her tone and eyes filled with hatred, "I will continue to torture that monstrous, contemptuous, vile piece of rotten filth until he's handed over to the Guild or whomever to be sent back to Heaven. However," she took a breath, "I am not the only one who wants a piece of him, so I'm taking a break."
"Who's with him now?"
"Galadriel. She's furious that he dared turn me into a tool and, I suspect, she's also upset with herself for nearly killing me. I've tried telling her she shouldn't feel guilty, but she's still my beloved little sister at heart, I suppose."
The others nodded in understanding.
"Well, just don't bring down the Dungeon. I know I can't exactly stop you or the others from giving him hell, but I don't want this base collapsing on us because you used Genos Angelus on him," Finn responded, attempting to joke.
Guilt instantly filled Alfia's eyes and tears pricked at the corners.
"I will never use that spell again. Never."
Finn's remaining hand clenched into a fist.
"I'm sorry, Alfia, that was very insensitive of me."
"No, you are not to blame. It is my actions that deserve regret," the pale maiden replied, "and I will do all I can to make it up to Bell once he awakens."
They all nodded.
"Once he awakens," Riveria repeated as her eyes turned towards the room that held the young man and so many of those who cared for him.
Ais and the Hestia familia were packed into the room that had been granted to Bell and sat or stood in utter silence as they waited for the young captain to wake up.
The Sword Princess sat on his left side, holding his hand. Every now and then she squeezed it, hoping the pressure would somehow wake him up, but, thus far, it had not.
On his right side sat Haruhime who, like Ais, had been holding his hand for hours without end. However, unlike Ais, whose golden eyes barely ever strayed from her beloved, Haruhime's emerald eyes were closed more often than not as she silently prayed for her love to return to them and to her.
The Hestia familia and those that regularly came in to check in on Bell, generally followed the example of these two women, either looking down on the young man with desperate hope, or silently praying for his recovery. The only exception was the father of said boy.
Achilles had been sitting in the corner of the room with his eyes closed since the boy had been placed there. However, he was not praying, but listening. Listening for the increased pace of his son's heartbeat to know when he would finally awaken.
"He hasn't even stretched his legs," Lili noted quietly, not wanting to risk the giant man missing Bell's awakening.
"He's built differently from us, that's for sure, but for now, I'm definitely okay with that," Welf whispered back.
"How are you holding up?" she asked him. "A normal magic weapon blowing up in your face would be bad, but one of yours is another matter entirely."
"I'm alright. Probably going to have some burn scars," he held up his arms, "but certainly could have been a lot worse. But," his voice grew gravely serious. "How are you doing?"
"I don't have that many injuries, at least not compared to everyone else," the prum replied.
"That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about how you reacted to Bell."
Nearby, Achilles's eye finally cracked open as it centered on the young woman.
"I-I…" she fell silent as her eyes fell in shame. "I was scared of him, Welf. I've…I've never been scared of Bell before. Scared for him, all the time, the big noble idiot that he is, but…" tears welled up in her eyes, "I was…terrified of him at that moment. I don't think Death itself, if it walked right up to me, would have scared me as much as he did at that moment and t-that…m-makes me feel…"
"Guilty."
She nodded as her tears began to fall to the stone floor below. She suddenly felt herself pulled into big, warm arms.
"If Bell was awake right now, he would tell you that you shouldn't feel bad about how you felt. He'd apologize over and over for scaring you and if you tried to apologize for being scared he'd tell you that it was only right for you to be scared. That he was scary at that moment. Hell, given the past times he's been like this, I suspect he'd say he was scared of himself at that moment." His gray-blue eyes turned down to her and grabbed her gaze. "But beyond a doubt, I know he wouldn't want you to feel guilty for even a second because you were scared. So don't. Not even for a second."
Though tears were still in her eyes, Lili managed to smile and nod before she stuffed her head into his chest.
"T-Thank you…Welf."
"No problem, Lil' Lili," he replied as he smiled and gave her a brotherly hug.
Achilles closed his eyes and sighed.
I suppose he is right. Bell wouldn't hold any ill-will for the fear, so neither should I.
He turned his attention back to his son's heartbeat and the moment he did, he heard the quickening beat of Bell's heart, causing the father's eyes to open and relief to flood every corner of his soul.
"He's waking up."
The others all turned to the ex-captain before shooting back to Bell and rushing to his side.
Achilles joined them, looking down on his son as the young man's body moved for the first time in over a day.
Bell scrunched his face and slowly opened his eyes, though he found it difficult at the moment to fully do so.
"Bell?"
A familiar voice called to him and he turned to a mass of dark gold to his left.
"Ais?"
Though he could barely see it, she smiled and, with tears in her eyes, nodded vigorously.
"Yes, we're all here."
Bell turned his still half-open eyes to find that his familia was all around him, all smiling tearfully, though all looking worse than he'd last seen them.
It was then that he noticed his right hand was occupied like the left and turned to find Haruhime next to him, tears of relief streaming down her face.
"Haruhime?"
She laughed at hearing his rough voice calling her name and nodded just as vigorously as Ais had.
"I'm here," she said before she leant down and kissed his knuckles. "Thank heaven you're alright."
"I think it'll be a little longer before he's 'alright', but he's awake, that's what matters for now," Achilles said as he smiled down at his boy.
"I can't…disagree with that," the Hestia captain replied.
"Here." Bell turned to see Ryuu smiling at him while offering him a cup of water. He sat up as best he could and she brought it to his mouth. He drank slowly, but felt immediate relief as its coolness flowed down his parched throat.
He sighed as his body lost some of its sluggishness and he now felt strong enough to finally open his eyes. When he did so, however, everyone gasped.
"What? What's wrong?" he questioned quickly.
"Y-You're eyes," Haruhime replied.
"My eyes?"
"They're…they're in draconic form, Bell," Mikoto revealed.
Bell, shocked, brought his now free hands to his eyes as if hoping to change them mechanically.
"But…I'm not angry. Not even a little bit. If anything I'm overjoyed to see you all again."
"I think I can guess what's going on." They all turned to Achilles, who had lost his overjoyed smile and replaced it with a look of sadness and sympathy. "The Imperator Monstrorum, the machine that Dionysus put you in, can mix mortals with monsters and given that Dionysus, that evil prick, appears to have made you absorb several monsters, including one of his damn Reapers, it's unfortunately not too surprising that there would be some physical side-effects."
"So…you mean…this is permanent?" Bell asked, all his own joy and relief turned to dust.
"Possibly. Yes," Achilles admitted.
A wave of grief washed over Bell, made far worse as the memories of what Dionysus did to him began to flood his mind. The pain. The wasted pleas. The adventurer.
The grief became too much and Bell gripped his head as tears streamed down his face.
"I'm…I'm-"
He was suddenly surrounded by warmth as everyone: Ais, Haruhime, Achilles, Lili, Welf, Mikoto, Ryuu, and Aisha, all hugged him.
"You're Bell Cranel," Lili stated firmly.
"My captain and my little brother," Welf added.
"My friend and comrade," Mikoto joined.
"My leader and the most noble person I know," Ryuu continued.
"My precious, adorable, bunny butt," Aisha joked as she did her best to smile.
"My son and the heir to the Zeus and Hera familias' legacy," Achilles proclaimed.
"My beloved hero," Haruhime sang.
"And my love," Ais finished.
Though it was not enough to banish all the darkness from Bell's mind and heart, it did more for him than he could possibly ever tell them and soon, the miserable tears turned to ones of love as Bell Cranel, the captain, little brother, friend, comrade, leader, bunny, son, heir, hero, and love, hugged them all back as tightly as he could.
After calming down and thanking his lover and his familia, the news of his awakening had quickly been shared and Bell had spent the next few hours talking to everyone, sharing what happened, and getting over the smack Bete gave him for, 'being a stupid rabbit and getting himself caught but those bastards'. Naturally, the werewolf had received punishment from several people for that, including Ais and Alfia, but Bell had jumped in to save him from too much damage.
After that incident, Riveria and Tsubaki had promised to look into the matter of his eyes, the elf suggesting a concealment spell while the dwarf suggested some specially made contacts or glasses to make his eyes appear as they had before. He had thanked them both for this, even if the reminder of his eyes did nothing to raise his spirits.
He had been terribly surprised to see the Xenos, but happily returned their hugs, including one that lasted a full hour from Wiene, and took in all they told him with shock, relief, and joy.
All in all, it was a wonderful and exhausting affair. However, during all the talking, laughing, eating, and so on, the young man felt off, as if they all weren't sharing everything with him and as if he was forgetting something very important. Very important and horrible.
Finally, after many hours passed and after everyone had eaten something to fill their empty stomachs, they all headed to bed and quickly fell asleep.
It was to this dark, quiet world that Bell awoke.
He quickly realized his hands were both occupied once again by the two golden women beside him and, for a moment, his heart fluttered as adoration and affection pumped through his veins.
He leant down to Ais first, kissing her head and gently prying his hand away. He then, without even thinking, leant down and did the same with Haruhime before slowly getting up.
I need to figure out what I can't remember, whatever it is. It will gnaw at me forever if I don't.
Tip-toeing around his sleeping familia, Bell snuck his way out and out the door. Once outside, he found Achilles and Riveria sleeping against each other in front of the door. The sight touched him for a moment and he quietly wished them a good sleep before heading down the hall.
Achilles's eye cracked open as he watched his son walk away.
Bell made his way down the dark halls, not knowing where he was going, but not truly needing to as the goal was simply to walk until his mind was clear and he could remember what he was forgetting.
"It'll be difficult to transport the bodies, especially with the giant hole in the middle of the next few floors, but I'm not leaving a single person behind."
Finn?
Bell crept over to the nearby room where he found Finn and Gareth standing solemnly together in faint lamplight.
"Of course not. They will all get the proper funerals they deserve," Gareth replied.
Funerals? The terrible word echoed in Bell's mind, bouncing around his skull as his heart began to thunder.
"The Dungeon is already healing itself, but the pathway back to the surface will almost assuredly be different, so we'll have to be careful," Finn continued, but by now the echoes in Bell's mind were too much and he stepped away.
How…how many people died to rescue me? The Hestia captain wondered, dread sinking his stomach more by the second.
Then he heard it.
For most it would have been but a whisper on the wind, but with his enhanced hearing, it might as well have been a roaring minotaur. The sound of crying in the distance.
Unable to stop himself, even as the pit in his stomach opened into a chasm, he made his way towards the sound.
Soon, he found the source. It was a room not too dissimilar to the other Evilus rooms except for one major and terrible difference; it was filled with the shrouded bodies of the fallen.
There…there are dozens of them, Bell thought as a knife plunged into his heart and his eyes turned glassy.
"A-Allen."
His head shot around the source of the crying that had brought him there and, to his shock, he found Anya crying over one of the bodies.
"W-Why? Why did you have t-to die? W-We never e-even…m-m-made up. I-I wanted t-to s-show you…h-how good I-I was a-a-at my job. H-How m-much fun…I was having," she sobbed as her tears fell from her cheeks. "Y-You always c-called me w-weak, b-but I-I didn't care. Not really. I-I just w-wanted you in m-my life again…but now. Now!" she gripped the sheet tightly. "Now you'll never be there again!"
Anya fell into her fallen brother's chest, crying out in agonized wails as her pain overcame her. In doing so, she revealed Allen's body to Bell and his heart stopped at what he saw.
That wound…
Everything came back to him. The battle with the Expedition. His targeting of Allen. Ripping off the catman's arm. And, worst of all…the taste of the Vana Freya's blood.
There was no way Bell could have prevented himself from retching at that point and he emptied his stomach on the floor just outside the room as his tears returned like a flood.
Stricken by grief and horror at what he'd done, Bell ran. He ran through the halls, not knowing and not caring where he was going, even as he made it out of the base and into the open Dungeon. Even then, he continued to run, jumping in huge bounds across the Dungeon until he finally collapsed against one of the few stone pillars that had not been obliterated during the war with the Evilus.
Tears streamed down Bell's face as soul-crushing disgust and mind-destroying horror fired through every nerve of his body.
"Aaaaaaaah," he groaned as grief and self-loathing wracked him. "Geeaaah," the boy grabbed his head. "Raaaa!" He smashed his skull against the stone pillar before him. "Raaaaaa!" He smashed it again, cracking the stone. "RAAAAAAAAA!" He crashed it again, breaking the pillar, before throwing his head back. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOARRRRRR!"
Bell's clenched eyes shot open as his draconic roar shook the Dungeon.
His hand fell to his throat.
That sound. That…awful…EVIL sound, his teeth grit as contempt bubbled to the surface. I hate it. I hate it! I HATE IT!
"I won't…let this…power…I won't let…me…hurt anyone else," he vowed as his second hand moved to his throat.
Both hands wrapped themselves around his throat and, with grim determination, Bell Cranel began to squeeze.
Immediately, his airways were cut off, but he continued to squeeze harder and harder, intent on shattering his trachea or, better yet, breaking his own neck.
Die. Just die. Stop the suffering. Save them from you. Kill the monster. That's what adventurers do. What heroes do. Kill the monster. Die. Die. Die! JUST. DIE!
Two large hands suddenly grabbed his and in his shock, Bell let go of his throat and turned.
He had only enough time to see his father's glassy blue eyes looking down at him, before his hands were pulled away and he was pulled into a hug so tight he could not move his arms.
"No Bell," Achilles whispered. "No. This isn't the way."
Tears filled Bell's eyes again and he tried to struggle, but Achilles would not budge.
"I-I-I-I don't want t-to h-h-hurt anyone a-again," he wept.
"I know."
"I-I-I k-killed him. I…I ate him!"
"I know."
"H-How can I-I ever look the others in the e-eye again? H-How could they ever trust me again? I can't even trust myself!"
"I know."
"I-I…hate this. I-I hate all of this."
"I know."
"I…I…I…I just want to die!"
Bell shoved his face into his father's chest as the elder man gently began to stroke his hair.
"I know."
Achilles carried Bell back to the base, the young man having expended what little energy he had on the emotional turmoil in his heart.
As expected, most everyone was there, having either noted the missing Hestia captain or heard the roar.
"Bell!" Ais cried as she rushed over, followed quickly by the others.
"Is he alright?" Alfia asked.
Achilles did not reply, he merely walked past them all, his face like a cold statue.
This did nothing to ease their concern and they all followed after the two men, including Finn who suspected he already knew what had happened.
Achilles brought Bell to his room and gently placed the boy down as the others rushed in. The Father On High then signaled for them to head out of the room, which they did with great reluctance and only after sending one final look to the unconscious young man.
Now out in the hall, Achilles finally spoke.
"Finn. I need-" his voice choked and he was forced to take a deep breath. "I need to ask a favor."
"What is it?" his old friend asked, his missing thumb throbbing in pain.
"I…I need you to-" he took another deep breath, but this was not enough and it was only when Riveria placed a gentle hand on his shoulder that the father managed to finish his request. "I need you to put Bell on suicide watch."
Several people gasped and not a single eye did not widen in horror beyond those of Achilles and Finn.
"Did he already…?" Finn did not need to finish his question.
"Yes," Achilles answered, his voice as cold as ice.
"Consider it done," the Braver stated.
Haruhime's legs collapsed under her as tears silently streamed down her face. The others were not much better. Lili tugged at her clothes as she cried, guilt eating at her heart as she felt her previous feelings were somehow a part of her beloved captain's anguish. Welf punched the stone walls in the hall, wishing desperately it was Dionysus's face or, better yet, his own, for failing his little brother on so many levels. Mikoto stood wide-eyed, trying to reconcile the idea of Bell Cranel, the optimistic, joyful, ball of light and good, with the information she was just presented. Yet, for all her trying, she couldn't and her mind became ever-more tied up into knots as a result. Ryuu gripped her sword so tightly, it began to crack, as tears dripped down her face and self-loathing at her own failure filled her heart. It was only with Alise's intervention that she did not do harm to the others or herself. Aisha could barely move, she just stared at them as if they had told some sort of horrible, and in no way funny, joke. She actually moved to slug the Father On High for his little prank, but was stopped by her fellow amazons. She turned on them, ready to attack, but seeing their sad, sympathetic eyes, she froze again as her purple eyes turned glassy.
The suffering extended well-beyond the Hestia familia. Lefiya had been one of those who had gasped at the news and stood in silent shock as she watched all the reactions. Bete was stunned silent until rage at the news burst forth and he began to claw at his legs, planning on beating the living hell out of Dionysus for what he'd done. Tiona felt as if she had been struck and, for the first time in years, tears began to slowly drip down her cheeks. Cassandra was openly crying and Daphne was trying her best to console her while also overcoming her own shock at the news. The members of the Mania, Hades, Zeus, and Hera familia all wouldn't believe what they were hearing and, especially among the later two familias, they felt as if someone had punched them in the gut. Alfia suffered the worst of them, for it felt as if someone had ripped her heart out and then forced it back down her throat. Riveria, though absolutely horrified by the news, put all her focus on the two people most needed her right now. Achilles and Ais.
Ais's world had been shattered in a moment. Not since the One-Eyed Black Dragon had stolen her parents from her had she felt a despair, a misery, an internal pain, this terrible.
He wants to…He plans to…He was going to…!
She collapsed to her knees as she gripped her head, before she released a silent scream so wretched it shook all of them to their bones.
Riveria immediately rushed to Ais's side and pulled her into her arms.
"It's alright. He's still here. We'll watch him. We'll help him through this. I promise. He'll be alright. He'll be alright," the mother said as quickly as she could as she held the young woman.
"Yes he will be," Finn vowed, knowing that right now they needed such certainty. "Bell Cranel we'll be alright. I promise," he said this as his eyes moved between all those present.
His promise and the conviction behind it did the trick as the weeping slowly subsided and they all turned to the Braver, who met each of their eyes, silently repeating his vow.
"I-I'll take first watch!" Ais immediately volunteered.
"No," Finn denied, "you need rest. As do you, Alfia," he continued, seeing the aunt trying to jump in. "I'll be the first to watch. Gareth will be second. Tione third. And Bete fourth. I'll come up with a fuller schedule after that."
"It can't be anyone below a level 6," Achilles joined. "Anyone weaker won't be able to restrain him if he attempts…something again, or have any hope of catching up to him if he decides to run."
The Hestia familia seemed aghast at this suggestion, as they wanted, needed, to watch over their captain, but Finn just nodded.
"Simply having someone watch him is beneficial, but I agree. No chances should be taken. Luckily we have enough top tier adventurers here to keep up a watch. I won't deny the rest of you looking after him," he quickly added, turning to the Hestia familia, "but you can't do it alone. Understood?"
They looked like they wanted to argue for a moment, but a weak voice appeared from amongst the Hearth goddess's ranks.
"Understood," Haruhime stated as, red-eyed and sadness radiating from her every pore, she rose to her feet.
"Good. However, I am forbidding any of you from partaking in the first watch, actually, the first two watches. You need your rest as well, especially after this news, so go and sleep. That's an order."
Lili glared at the prum who had, once-upon-a-time, offered her his hand, but Haruhime's gentle hand pulled her back and, after one final look towards Bell's door, the Hestia familia departed towards their room, a dark cloud hanging over them like a sword.
"Thank you, Finn," Achilles said, his voice as warm as a corpse, before he joined his familia.
Finn watched him go as his fist clenched.
"This is not something you need to thank me for, Achilles," he whispered to himself. "In fact, I'd prefer it if you didn't."
He turned and entered Bell's room and began his watch over the young man whose life now sat upon the edge of a knife.
End
Well, I had originally planned to continue on until everyone reached the surface, but this seems like a proper, if dark place to end this chapter, so I will bring it to a close here.
Given the subject matter that was brought up in this chapter, I feel it is also appropriate to add this:
National Suicide Prevention Hotline (US): 1-800-273-8255
National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK: 0800-689-5652
Hopeline (Philippines): (02) 804-4673
TalkSuicide (Canada): 1-833-456-4566
I hope you all have a wonderful day and that you are all feeling well and happy. Good bye for now and I'll see you all next time.