Hello my dear readers, and welcome back.
Well, we did not end on a happy note last time did we? All the progress Bell made has turned to ash in the face of the overwhelming fear-inspired hatred of the people of Orario. Against such a tsunami of scorn, can he hold on to any hope? Can his friends and loved-ones rebuild his lust for life? Or…is this story about to take a very drastic turn? It's time to find out.
I do not own Danmachi
Hestia and Mania had not been able to stop crying since Bell's words had reverberated through their hearts and minds.
Their children had desperately held onto them both, hoping, in spite of their own shattered hearts, that they would be able to grant the goddesses some comfort. Even an hour later though, it was clear that they had failed in their desperate endeavor.
"B-B-Bell…" Hestia wept, her eyes blood-shot and her voice more of a croak than actual speech.
"I'll go get you two some water," Astraea offered, disentangling herself from the mass of bodies.
Ryuu looked up from the mass to her original goddess as realization dawned on her.
She still doesn't know about Alise.
As much as she didn't want to leave Hestia, she felt it was both unjust and cruel not to inform the Goddess of Justice about the resurrection of her captain.
"I'll help you, Astraea-sama."
"I can manage it, Ryuu."
"Please," the elf pleaded, her eyes silently telling the goddess this was not a simple act of generosity.
Astraea saw the message and nodded and the two departed, but not before Ryuu turned and found the cloaked form of her best friend hiding away in a corner. With a quick nod, the red-headed young woman followed after them.
"What's wrong, Ryuu? Oh, what a silly question, so much is wrong right now," Astraea began, feeling very foolish.
"Yes, so much has gone wrong that I feel like I'm going to go mad with grief and rage, just like after we lost the others," Ryuu said as tears pricked at the edge of her sky blue eyes. "However," she continued after taking a deep breath, "there is at least one ray of hope in all this darkness."
Astraea looked at her with interest and a bit of her own hope, only for her eyes to fill with confusion as Ryuu turned to a cloaked figure standing at the entrance of the kitchen.
The cloaked figure pulled back her hood and Astraea gasped.
"A-Alise?"
"Heya, Astraea-sama," her captain replied with a restrained smile.
"How…how is this possible?" the goddess replied as she drew nearer to the young woman.
"Not really sure myself. I just sort of woke up in the Dungeon a few months ago, at least I think it was a few months ago, time kind of flew by," the redhead scratched the back of her head.
"Dionysus will know more," Ryuu cut in as hatred filled her eyes..
"Dionysus?" Astraea questioned.
"He was the leader of the Evilus, Enyo," the elf informed her.
"That's…" her goddess wasn't sure what that was, but for now, it didn't matter as she focused back on her captain. Slowly, the truth sank in and tears of joy filled her eyes and she finally pulled Alise into a hug. "I'm so so happy to be able to do this again."
"Hehe, I am a good hugger, aren't I?" Alise replied as she returned the hug.
"That you are," her goddess readily conceded before pulling back. "And I will thank the Fates or whatever deity gave you back to me for the rest of my immortal life. I wish only that it came at a different time."
Alise lost her smile and nodded.
"Yeah. I don't really know this Bell guy, but it's clear he means a lot to Ryuu and the others," she turned to her best friend, "which makes all of this suck something awful."
Ryuu, who had been distracted from her own fear and grief by her anger at Dionysus and the joy of the reunion, began to feel the return of tears.
"He will get better, Ryuu, I promise," Astraea vowed as she took the elf's hand. "Don't forget, I am the goddess of justice, and it would be a terrible injustice to not aid him through this most trying of times."
"You betcha it would, and we never let injustices stand when we could do something about it!" Alise declared, smiling at her dear companion.
Ryuu laughed and nodded.
"No…we didn't and we won't."
Astraea nodded as Alise's smile grew.
"Then let us begin by getting Hestia and Mania some water. From there, we can begin to fix things."
Achilles's cold, unmoving eyes stared at the wall across from Bell's door.
The hallway was silent as a graveyard and stank of pipe smoke, courtesy of his pipe, which also served as the only form of light whenever the reddish glow broke through the darkness to light-up his corpse-like eyes.
He sat there, in darkness and complete silence, listening to one thing, and one thing alone; the continued beat of his son's heart. As long as that continued, as long as Bell was still alive, they could fix things. He could fix everything.
"Achilles?"
His eyes dragged themselves from the wall and moved to the form of his lover who now stood above him along with Ais, whose golden orbs were now so dull they didn't even appear yellow anymore.
"May we join you?" Riveria asked.
His eyes turned away and the smallest of nods was her answer.
Riveria sat down next to him and grasped his arm while Ais sat down next to her mother-figure before wrapping herself up in a ball of misery, shame, fear, and desperation.
They sat like this in total silence for what could have been mere seconds or entire millennia, when two more pairs of feet slowly approached them.
"I'm so sorry this has happened," Finn said, not sure himself who he was talking to. Whoever it was, they didn't answer and he sighed. "We need to head to the Guild in order to deal with the fallen adventurers," the Loki captain informed them, his voice as defeated as they felt.
Riveria nodded, but neither Ais nor Achilles even blinked, though they did seem to somehow shrink even further into themselves.
Finn turned to leave, but Gareth continued to look down on the despairing group.
"Don't forget how strong Bell is, especially when he's fighting for those he cares about."
The dwarf turned to leave, but was stopped when he heard a quiet voice call out.
"Thank you," Achilles whispered as his eyes continued to burn into the wall around the hall.
Gareth nodded before following after Finn.
Bell stared out the window into the unwelcoming night.
"He needs to go!"
"Get rid of him!"
"Banish him!"
"He's why so many people are dead!"
"It's his fault!"
"Get rid of him!"
"Execute him!"
The crowd had only been temporarily cowed by Ais and the others and had returned soon enough with new, vicious chants.
He had listened to all the vile, all the curses, all the hatred with the same cold, empty expression for hours.
His right hand flexed and his draconic claws appeared.
He brought his claws to his throat.
It would be so easy, he began to squeeze, his claws quickly breaking through his flesh, allowing for blood to drip down his neck, and it would all be over.
And the others would be safe, his darkness whispered seductively.
That's right, he thought as he squeezed harder, safe…
Since when did I ever think that death was the answer? his true voice asked.
His hand froze.
"Fear doesn't destroy love nor does death protect a soul. Most importantly, if you love them as deeply as I know you do, then you will not force them to live a life without you," Gareth's voice echoed.
Stop, Bell thought.
"They won't be able to move on. People don't move on from suicides. For the rest of their lives they'll ask themselves, 'what could I have done differently?'" Finn's voice echoed.
Stop, Bell repeated.
"You aren't any of those things I called you. You're not. But you will be if you end things here. That's why you've got to live," Bete demanded.
Stop! Bell pleaded as his left hand moved to the side of his head.
The voices and faces of all his friends and family flashed through his mind, calling out to him as they tried to reawaken his will to live.
Don't listen to them! You know what's best for them! You know what you have to do!
How is my death best for them? His true self demanded.
I just want them to be safe! I don't… tears filled Bell's eyes, want to hurt them.
"You won't. Not if you live," his aunt whispered to him.
"Kill the White Dragon!"
"Kill him!"
Bell closed his eyes and shook his head in confused desperation, trying to silence all the voices.
Bell.
Bell!
"White Dragon!"
TYPHON!
STOOOOOOOOOOOP!
The voices all stopped, even the ones outside somehow fell silent.
Slowly, he opened his eyes and found his own reflection staring back at him, his slitted crimson eyes glassy as tears streamed down his face.
"What am I supposed to do?"
Finn and Gareth were silently ushered into the backroom and were soon presented with the sight of dozens of coffins, some of which, they knew, were empty.
Finn's remaining hand tightened as he looked about his fallen comrades and silently said a prayer.
"There's so many of them."
The two executives turned and found Loki, Thor, Hermes, and Asfi all standing behind them, each looking shaken, disturbed, or extremely heavy-hearted.
Guilt ate at Finn's heart and he approached his goddess – who turned her shocked red eyes to him – and bowed.
"I am so sorry, Loki-sama. I failed you and our familia. I should have ensured more…" his voice cracked for a moment, but he powered through it, "of our family made it back."
Loki was silent for a moment, staring down at her captain as the others all stared at her.
"You should be apologizing for thinking I'm stupid," she finally said.
The Braver looked up, his confused eyes meeting hers.
"I know you did everything in your power to make sure that as many of my children came back as possible. Hell, I know you well enough to know that, if not for you, I might not have a familia anymore."
A pair of tears pricked at the corner of his eyes before she pulled him into a hug.
"You did everything ya could. I know that," she assured him as she pulled back, "and even if I somehow forgot who you are, that injury would have told me," she pointed at his missing hand.
"Still…" he tried to say.
"Still nothing. You fought as hard as you could have because that's who you are and I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that you and Gareth made it back."
Finn managed a small, glassy-eyed smile and Loki smiled back before pulling him into another hug.
After the Braver and his goddess broke apart, the deities broke off from the group to speak with the Guild about retrieving their children's bodies while the adventurers sighed.
"You have a good goddess," Asfi commented.
"She has her moments," Finn agreed as his smile returned for a moment.
That moment ended when a gasp caught their attention and they found Eina and several other members of the Guild, looking upon all the coffins with shocked, horrified eyes.
"I…I didn't think the rumors were true," the half-elf said aloud before she noticed the adventurers and rushed over to them, Misha and the other Guild employees following after her. "Are you three alright?" she asked.
"I'm not sure that's the word any of us would use right now, but we're alive, which does mean a great deal," Gareth stated.
Eina and the others nodded before she suddenly tensed and a look of terrible apprehension filled every corner of her body.
"And…Bell?"
The three tensed, which so utterly terrified Eina that tears filled her eyes.
"H-H-He's…"
"He's alive," Finn quickly reassured, "and is…safely back at the Hearthfire Manor."
Her mournful tears instantly evaporated and were replaced by ones of relief.
"Thank Heaven," she released a choked laugh while Misha smiled.
However, Rehmer and Rose did not fail to notice how uneasy the three adventurers appeared. They were prepared to ask them what was going on when the sound of crying reached their ears. Crying that definitely was not the tears of relief that Eina was currently let slip down her cheeks.
They all turned and found Anya crying over one of the coffins. A coffin with the Freya insignia upon it.
"Isn't that Anya-san?" Eina asked. "Did…Did she lose someone?"
The tension surrounding the three adventurers became impossible to hide and the Guild employees eyed them expectantly until, finally, Finn was forced to answer.
"Allen Fromel perished in the fighting," he informed them.
They gasped.
"Allen Fromel. The Vana Freya?" Rose questioned.
"Yes. It was…an extremely difficult battle," Finn responded, hoping that would be enough. It wasn't.
"What could possibly kill someone that strong?" Misha asked.
The three didn't get a chance to even consider how to best deflect from this question, before a strained voice, filled with misery, confusion, and vengeance echoed through the room.
"Bell…Cranel."
All eyes fell upon Anya again, only this time they bore witness to her tearful eyes.
"W-What is she talking about?" Eina asked.
Finn, Gareth, and Asfi all shared a look, wanting so desperately to not reveal what had transpired in that last, terrible battle, but knowing they now truly did not have a choice.
"Enyo," Finn began, making sure not to reveal the true entity of the Evilus god until he was sure it was permitted, "used a mind-control device on Bell."
Eina's body began shaking, but still he continued, knowing how much the truth was going to hurt her.
"Using this device, he activated Bell's "Wrath of the Dragon" skill, only, it was far more powerful than we've ever seen it, and yes, that includes during the tournament."
The other Guild members began shaking as they remembered the terrible visage of the Hestia captain during the final fight against Ottar.
"We were forced to fight him and were eventually able to overcome him, but…not without cost."
A moment of terrible silence.
"So…he…Bell Cranel actually…?" Misha tried to ask, but couldn't finish.
"He murdered him!" Anya cried.
"Anya!" Gareth bellowed, knowing the girl was in pain, but desperate to stop her before she spread that pain like a plague.
"He tore him apart!" The catgirl continued unabated. "He…He…He ATE HIM!"
Eina collapsed, prompting the other Guild employees to drop to their knees to comfort her while Gareth and Asfi dragged Anya out of the room. However, it was far too late for that. The damage was done and it had been severe.
"Bell," Eina whispered as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"It wasn't his fault, Eina. It was Enyo's!" Finn tried to reassure her, but it had no effect.
"It doesn't matter," she stated darkly as her glassy eyes turned to his, "he'll never forgive himself. I know him, Finn-san. This will haunt him for the rest of his life."
He bit his lip, knowing that she was almost certainly right.
"I'll get her home," Gareth assured the aquamarine captain.
"Are you sure you don't want help?" Asfi asked as she eyed the struggling, crying young woman.
"I'll be alright. You should go get some rest, Asfi-san," the dwarf suggested.
She nodded, though she was unsure rest was even possible at that moment.
The two broke apart and Asfi headed back to the Guild with perhaps the heaviest heart she'd ever had sinking ever-deeper into her stomach.
How did everything end up like this?
"She'll come around." Asfi turned and found her god staring out at the evermore distant catgirl. "She needs to vent and grieve, but in time she'll understand that Bell is not to blame."
"I hope so. Both of them have suffered enough."
Hermes nodded.
"Come on, let's get out of the cold," he said.
The two entered the hall, with Asfi desperately hoping they would return home soon so she could at least try to follow Gareth's advice.
Though, even I can fall asleep, I'm not sure sleeping for an entire week would get rid of this exhaustion.
"Asfi!"
Her head shot up and her eyes widened.
"Alexander?"
Her brother ran over to her and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Thank goodness. I was so worried about you," he said.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I was a part of the delegation sent to negotiate the release of our knights and Sir Lancelot," he informed her as he pulled away. "Queen Guinevere then suggested I stay in Orario as an official emissary for the Holy Kingdom so as to ensure we wouldn't have issues in the future."
Asfi knew her brother well enough to know when he wasn't telling the whole truth, but she didn't or couldn't care right now, and simply pulled him into another hug.
"Oh gods, it must have been awful down there for you to be hugging me."
"Shut up," she said, half seriously, which allowed him to smile before he returned the hug.
They spent the next few moments like that before pulling apart again and smiling at each other.
"I am so glad you're alright," her brother said warmly.
"I'm alive, alright is an entirely different question," she countered, "but I am glad to see you."
"And I you. I wish we could spend some time catching up, but you look exhausted, so I'll wait until you feel better."
"That might be awhile," she told him honestly.
He nodded.
"Take as much time as you need."
She nodded, hugged him one more time, then she and Hermes bid the prince goodbye and left the Guild.
Alexander watched her go with a heavy heart.
"What happened down there?" he wondered aloud.
"Prince Al Andromeda."
He turned and found one of Lancelot's knights next to him.
"Sir Lancelot wishes to speak with you."
Alexander sighed and signaled for the messenger to lead the way.
Lancelot looked down on the Hearthfire Manor and the crowd surrounding it with some measure of justified pleasure.
Things are going even better than I would have hoped.
"Sir Lancelot."
He turned and found his knight and Alexander behind him.
"Good evening, Prince Al Andromeda," the Knight of Knights greeted.
"Sir Lancelot," Alexander returned as he joined Lancelot's side and looked down on the crowd.
"Beautiful isn't it?" the knight asked.
"I believe you and I have very different definitions of 'beautiful'," Alexander replied.
"As you should."
The two men turned and discovered a frowning Aphrodite along with several members of her familia a few paces away.
"Aphrodite-sama?" Alexander questioned, confused.
"Good evening, cutie-pie. I see, tall, dark, and handsome hasn't informed you about our little arrangement," the goddess returned.
Alexander's eyes turned back to Lancelot.
"Aphrodite has agreed to help us get rid of Bell Cranel."
Alexander's eyes widened.
"The goal is to get him banished. I'll only agree to a more…permanent state if I believe it's the only way to save Hestia, which, at this point, I do not believe is the case," the goddess firmly avowed.
"Given how much pressure Hestia is under now, she may finally concede to sending him away," Lancelot offered.
"I hope so," Aphrodite replied sorrowfully as she stared down at the manor and the mob surrounding it.
"And…what is it you want me to do?" Alexander asked slowly.
"You will be in charge of information gathering, as per usual," the Knight of Knights informed him. "I'd suggest starting with the crowd below. Build a network of spies and agents that'll keep an eye on Bell Cranel, Achilles Caesar, the Hestia familia, and their allies. There's not much I can do given I'm being watched myself, but Aphrodite and her familia should be able to assist."
The Goddess huffed, but didn't deny that.
Alexander's fists clenched.
"I'm not sure this is all a good idea, Lancelot. Things are already extremely tense and we may only be throwing fuel onto a fire, or worse, explosive powder."
Lancelot frowned.
"Did you forget Her Majesty's orders?"
"No, but that doesn't mean I am unaware of the consequences that will come if we weaken Orario for even a short amount of time," Alexander shot back.
"Weakening Orario can only ever be a benefit to the Holy Kingdom and, as such, you will follow our commands and do so to the utmost of your abilities or else you will see what 'consequences' I can inflict upon you," the knight threatened.
Alexander glared back at Lancelot for as long as he could before his gaze fell.
"Very well."
"Good," Lancelot said before turning his eyes back to Hearthfire Manor.
His glittery gaze was just in time to see Ais walking down the hall with a water jug in her hand, as her sad eyes trailed off into the distance.
Lancelot's hand tightened around his biceps.
A beauty such as her deserves a noble, strong man who will stand by her side through all difficulties, not a monster who drags her down into the pits of torment. I will free you from that creature, Ais Wallenstein. I swear as your knight.
Silent.
Everything across all of Orario was silent.
After the rage had been expended and the grief-stricken tears had been shed there seemed to be no energy in the entire city for anyone or anything to make so much as a peep.
It was through this silent mist of emotion that Airmid and Dian Cecht walked.
"Geez, this is creepy," the god bemoaned.
"Yes sir," she agreed stoically, even as her uneasy eyes moved about the empty streets.
"Man, the shit keeps piling up. I was in such a good mood when the Expedition headed out, we'd made an entire year's profit off of them, but then all that annoying shit started happening. The earthquakes. The smoke. Everyone whining and demanding that white-haired kid be banished. It completely ruined my good mood!"
"Yes sir," Airmid was barely paying attention now as the memories of all the recent events echoed in her mind.
"I'm going to make Miach pay out of the nose for helping his captain again. He'll be in debt to me for one - no - 2,000 years!"
Airmid sighed, feeling both bad for Miach and ashamed of her own god.
The Guild came into view, much to the young lady's relief and they entered quietly.
Things were just as eerie inside as they had been outside and Airmid had to restrain herself from shivering at the unending anxiety she was feeling.
"Thank you for coming, Dian Cecht-sama. Airmid-san," Rose greeted with cold professionalism. "If you'll follow me."
Dian's frown deepened, but he and his captain followed after the werewolf.
They traveled through the Guild's silent halls until they made it to the back where the Expedition's dead and injured lay.
Airmid gasped and Dian's eyes widened.
"This many were killed?" he asked.
"And it could have been far worse."
The two turned and found Finn approaching with solemn eyes.
"Braver," Airmid said quietly, her eyes falling to his injury.
"Thank you two for coming," he greeted, "Naaza and the others are this way."
"Others?" Dian questioned.
"Kashima Ouka of the Takemikazuchi familia and Imilce Iberia of the Hera familia have also fallen into comas. We've tried everything, but have been unable to awaken any of them."
"Hey now, Miach's message only mentioned his captain. If you want us to save the other two then you'd better be willing to pay a premium," the god declared.
Those around him all glared at the deity, including his own captain who felt immense shame at his greed.
Finn stopped and turned his now burning eyes to the god.
"Charge whatever you want, I'll pay it myself if I have to, just help them," he commanded.
The Loki captain didn't wait for the stunned god to respond and continued on, followed soon after by Airmid.
"Here they are," Finn gestured.
Airmid looked down on the three adventurers and her heart squeezed at seeing their unmoving forms.
"If healing potions, healing spells, and rest haven't helped them, then they'll need something with quite a bit more force to pull them back," she announced as she began to unpack her bag. "I'd like to ask that you all turn around. This potion is a familia secret and I don't want it being stolen," she said without even thinking.
"You think we give a damn about how your potion is made?"
Airmid turned her shocked eyes to the teary-eyed Chigusa who glared at her venomously.
"The only thing I care about is getting my Ouka back!" she hissed.
Airmid blinked then bowed her head.
"Of course. I'm sorry. It's just…force of habit," she explained before quickly getting back to work.
It took time and each second felt like torment to Chigusa, Miach, and everyone else who cared about the three comatose adventurers, but finally, Airmid finished and held up a glittering silver potion.
"Would someone mind tipping back her head?" she requested, gesturing towards Naaza.
Miach stepped forward and took a knee next to his captain so he could lift her chin.
Airmid brought the potion to Naaza's lips and slowly poured it into the doggirl's mouth before shutting her lips and waiting.
Second after agonizing second passed with nothing until, at last, Naaza began to cough and her eyes began to flutter open.
Instantly, tears of unrestrained joy filled Miach's eyes and Airmid allowed herself a moment to smile before turning to the other two.
"M-Miach-sama?" Naaza whispered as her blurry eyes began to clear.
"Welcome back," he greeted before he leaned down and kissed her.
She was surprised, but soon fell into the kiss, overjoyed that she was able to do so again.
Ouka awoke next, his eyes blinking open to find Chigusa's crying face above him. Seeing his lover crying immediately set off alarm bells in his head and he sat up, desperate to find out what was wrong, only for her to jump into his arms and send him right back to the ground as she began to shower him with kisses.
That left only Imilce.
Why isn't she waking up? Airmid wondered. She looked down at the potion and wondered if she hadn't given enough, but she soon realized that wasn't the case.
"Why isn't she waking up?" Dido asked.
"I don't know," the Dian captain admitted. "What happened to her?"
"She overused her mana to an extreme degree. It practically killed her," Finn revealed.
Shit, Airmid mentally cursed.
"That kind of stress on the mana system can cause extreme internal damage. My potion will have helped with that, but it can't help with the suffering."
"What do you mean?" Galadriel asked.
"Overuse of mana to that level causes a horrible amount of pain. Akin to torture, if what I've read is true."
The adventurers all turned to the poor woman on the ground as pity and fear ate at their hearts.
"To put it simply, even if her body is healed, the torment she went through may dissuade her mind from wanting to awaken," Airmid explained.
"So she won't ever wake up?" Galadriel asked as tears filled her eyes.
"Not necessarily. In time her mind may feel safe enough to awaken. Healing her injuries will help her subconscious feel secure and calm it. Keeping her body from harm will also help. My research also suggested that positive affirmations such as talking to the comatose patient in a gentle, friendly manner may entice them to come out."
"But that's not a certainty?" Dido questioned.
"No," Airmid admitted. "There aren't many cases of people surviving the kind of mana overuse you described and many of those who fell into comas never awoke. At this moment, your best hope is to keep her somewhere safe, take care of her needs, and give her something worth returning to."
They all nodded and both Miach and Finn stepped forward, ready to pay for the services rendered, only for Airmid to hold up her hand.
"We won't be accepting payment," she stated.
"WHAT?!" Dian bellowed.
Airmid turned her scorching eyes to her god.
"One: I failed to heal all of them, so accepting payment from Finn Deimne would be unwarranted. Two: You are far too eager to put Miach-sama in debt to you. And three: they all just suffered horrible pain and loss to save all of us from the Evilus. I think they're entitled to our services pro bono at the very least."
Dian wanted to argue, but the glare from his captain was far too great and so, with a heavy sigh, he relented.
"Good. Now, I'll go back to our shop and get you two some potions that will restore your strength," the healer said to Naaza and Ouka.
Airmid prepared to leave when Naaza called out to her.
"Airmid."
"Yes?"
"Thank you," Naaza said with a small, but utterly grateful smile.
Airmid smiled back and nodded.
"Happy to be of service."
The rest of the day went by quietly as jubilation mixed with despair and sparks of hope mixed with tidal waves of fear.
Ganesha familia arrived at the Hearthfire Manor and banished the mob before setting up a perimeter and Ganesha informed the Expedition that Ouranos was giving them the rest of the day to rest, but wished to see them the next morning.
"I won't ask you how you are, because it is clear that you are not alright," he said to them, his eyes trained on Hestia, "but I will say that, whatever you need, you only need to ask for it."
Hestia slowly nodded.
"Thank you, Ganesha," she said quietly, her voice raspy and weak from a night and day spent crying.
That night, there was a small celebration at the manor to welcome back Naaza and Ouka, though even they felt the great weight upon their souls at the noticeable absence of Imilce and Bell.
When the missing young captain was informed of the revival of his two friends they had been met with a century of silence before two words were quietly uttered from the other side.
"I'm glad."
And then, silence once more fell upon the Hestia familia and all their friends and loved ones.
Achilles's fist paused right before the door before, after a deep breath, he rapped his knuckles against it.
"Bell?"
Nothing.
"Bell, it's time to go to the Guild and talk to Ouranos."
For a moment there was still nothing but finally the sound of movement reached the former captain's ears, much to his relief.
The door opened and a hunching, sallow-eyed Bell was revealed.
"Okay," the young man said as he stepped out of his room.
Achilles, unable to stand the sight, immediately pulled him into his arms and hugged his son as tightly as possible.
"We would not be better without you, Bell. I know you don't believe me, but we wouldn't. It would destroy us," he pulled back and looked down at Bell's face. Bell refused to meet his eyes, but even from that angle, Achilles could see how his eyes had turned glassy. "I don't say this to make you feel guilty Bell, just so that you understand," he pulled the young man back into his arms, but not as tightly as before. "We love you, and always will."
He pulled away, revealing Ais, Hestia, Mania, and the Hestia familia.
Bell's eyes moved across them all and each did their best to smile at him in order to reassure him, but, in the end, his eyes fell back to the ground.
"I don't deserve your love."
The smiles were immediately lost and several of those around him had a hard time keeping back tears.
"Yes you do," Ais swore as she took his hands.
"She's right. You most certainly do," Hestia agreed as she lifted his chin with her gloved hand, "so please Bell-kun, even if you can't put faith in yourself, keep your faith with us."
The others stepped forward, silently pleading for him to do so.
Bell remained quiet for a few moments, his ruby eyes latched onto Hestia's sapphires before he spoke again.
"I've never lost my faith in any of you."
The confession, though small in the grand scheme of all that had transpired, was enough to bring their smiles back and Hestia hugged her captain.
"We won't give you any reason to ever lose that faith," she promised before pulling back.
Bell joined the others, who eagerly welcomed him and together they all made their way down the stairs.
Just before the door, Alfia stood, her body tense and her expression one of extreme agitation. That changed when she saw Bell.
The Silence rushed over to him and took him into her arms.
"Thank Heaven," was all she said.
The two hugged each other as the others waited patiently around them. Finally, and with great reluctance, Alfia pulled back.
"I must stay here," she stated, "though I wish so desperately to stay by your side," she cupped Bell's cheek. "Whatever happens, please, please Bell, don't lose heart."
He could not answer her with words, but managed to give her the smallest of nods. She, in turn, grew the smallest of smiles and kissed his forehead.
"Thank you."
Bell pulled away and rejoined the others and they all made their way out into the light of day.
The city was quiet, the streets empty. This was not a surprise to anyone save Bell for Ganesha had cleared the path to the Guild, determined not to allow any repeat of the riot from a couple days previous. Combined with all the fear that still permeated through the city, and it almost seemed like a ghost town.
With their path clear, the Expedition, plus their deities, managed to traverse the city and reach the Guild Hall without incident, much to their relief and gratitude.
They entered and found the building completely empty. Even the employees were gone.
"This way," Ganesha gestured.
The Expedition turned towards the hall and headed into the backrooms of the Guild.
Eina watched Bell depart alongside the other adventurers with a heart so tightly clenched it felt like it would burst inside her chest.
"Bell," she whispered.
She wanted so badly to run to him. To tell him that none of it was his fault. That she was there for him. That she would do whatever it took to help him through his pain. But she didn't. Though it was agonizing to restrain herself, she knew that now was not the time.
"Please Bell. Please hold on. For me," her hands clenched over her heart. "I love you."
The Expedition entered Ouranos's chambers. However, he was not alone, for Freya and the executives of her familia were all already present.
Seeing the goddess and her familia, Bell froze as his guilt came crashing down upon him like an avalanche. This was made all the worse when Freya's eyes turned to meet his.
Normally, meeting her eyes was pleasure incarnate. The beauty. The desire. The intelligence. The power. Even the mischievousness all combined together to make a mixture so delightful that it was almost unnecessary for her to use Charm to turn someone to her side. Now however, all that beauty was gone, replaced by the red of tears and a pain so deep that Bell's heart actually stopped for a moment.
His tears returned, and it was only the intervention of Achilles blocking the path between their shared gaze and Ais and Hestia both pulling him away that stopped him from breaking to pieces again.
Freya's eyes closed the moment Bell was blocked from her view and used all her strength to hold back her own tears.
It's true, she thought as her last speck of hope turned to ash.
"Thank you all for coming," Ouranos began as his eyes loomed down on what remained of the great Expedition, though his eyes were naturally drawn to Bell. "I know you all desire more rest, and indeed you all deserve it after all you have lost and suffered, but I must know all that happened during this great battle. After which," he turned, "we shall deal with our prisoners."
All eyes turned and filled with fury and hatred as shivering Thanatos and a smiling Dionysus stepped forward.
"You make it sound so grim, Ouranos," Dionysus commented with unnerving glee.
"You will be silent unless otherwise addressed," Ouranos ordered.
"Very well," the god of beauty replied with a bow.
With his fellow god silenced, Ouranos turned to Finn.
"Finn Deimne, step forward and tell me what happened. Spare no details," Ouranos's eyes flashed back to Bell for a moment.
"Yes, Ouranos-sama."
And so, Finn told the great and terrible tale. He spoke of their initial progress, the attack on the 18th floor and those they lost as Bete's fists clenched. He continued until they reached the earthquakes and the voices in the deep.
All the gods besides Ouranos froze, having been unaware of this detail.
"You heard voices from the Dungeon?" Ouranos questioned, already knowing the answer, but wanting, needing confirmation.
"Yes," Finn answered as sweat dripped down the deities' temples.
"And what did these voices say?"
"They said…'liberator'," Finn answered.
The deities all shared looks of terror, which was not missed by the most acute of the adventurers who wondered what what going on, yet also knowing they would not receive any answers.
It is a secret that they all share, Finn deduced, and one that Achilles also knows, or perhaps, discovered.
"I see," was all Ouranos said. "What happened next?"
"Then we confronted the Evilus. Dionysus revealed himself and the battle began. We faced many challenges and horrors, so many that I'm not sure I can honestly remember them all. If Dionysus was actually telling the truth, we faced 10,000 monsters, some of truly awesome power, as well as hundreds of Evilus members."
"10,000?" Thor asked in shock.
"Dionysus revealed that it was his plan to invade Orario itself once he was done with us," Finn told them all.
Ouranos and the other gods turned to Dionysus.
"Is that true?" the Guild god demanded.
"If one is to invade the city of adventurers, one must prepare a proper army, mustn't they?" Dionysus asked. "Indeed, I'm still impressed they managed to defeat everything I threw at them, including my last and greatest monster," Dionysus smiled as his eyes fell upon his 'monster'.
Bell's claws reappeared as wrath mixed with despair. His digits flexed before he managed to clench his fists, but, for those who paid attention, they could hear the horrid sound of his talons scraping against his scales.
"That's not all," Finn continued, bringing attention back to himself. He turned and waved towards someone in the crowd. "We had an unexpected reunion as well."
Ouranos and the other deities watched as a familiar redhead stepped forward.
"Alise Lovell?" Ouranos asked, his brow furrowed.
"Hello Ouranos-sama. I know, I'm a bit shocked to be here myself."
"How?"
"I found her deep in the Dungeon," Dionysus cut in. "She was sleeping deeply in some sort of cocoon. I awoke her and, with a special device of mine, turned her into my willing assistant."
Alise, Ryuu, Astraea, and many others glared at him. Finn did as well, but for a different reason.
He's not mentioning Alfia.
Dionysus's eyes shifted to the Loki captain and his evil smile grew.
I'll hold my tongue. It'll be more fun when she's revealed that way, the god silently told him.
Finn's glare deepened before he turned away in disgust.
Ouranos, luckily, was distracted.
Cocoon?
He reached out his mind.
Gaia?
Yes husband, it was I who saved them, she told him.
Them?
The girl, Alise, was not the only one. I also saved the soul of the woman, Alfia.
That alarmed him a bit.
Why?
Because I sensed something amiss in the world. Our children have become restless, dear husband. They sensed the key's creation even before they knew what it was and have pressed more greatly upon the doors since they first felt it. More and more of their power leaks through every day. I knew that we would need all the strength we could gather for the storm that is on the horizon. So I grabbed their souls before they could ascend to heaven and rebuilt their bodies. I would have grabbed more, but my power is limited in my current state.
Ouranos sighed.
I see.
Are you angry with me? She asked.
No, though it appears that Finn and the others are keeping secrets from me.
You should not blame them, my love. You of all people know both the need and the cost of secrets.
Indeed, he conceded.
"Surprising as this development is, it is not an unwelcome one. Having you back is a boon to Orario, especially if it is your intention to restart the Astraea familia," Ouranos spoke.
Alise smiled.
"You bet it is!" she declared.
Ouranos nodded as the others laughed. He allowed for a moment a merriment before he took a very deep breath.
And now comes the difficult part.
"Bell Cranel, step forward."
All joy evaporated, except the sadistic glee of Dionysus, whose smile widened to inhuman proportions.
Bell slowly walked forward, the others parting even as their worried eyes watched every one of his movements.
Finally, Bell stood before Ouranos, his head bowed and his eyes welded to the floor.
"I have heard many disturbing things today, Bell Cranel," Ouranos began, his millennia of practice being the only thing that stopped his anxiousness from pouring through his voice. His eyes though, could not hide his fear completely.
Is he really the key?
"There is one, however, that I noticed Finn Deimne has failed to mention, which I believe he did on purpose."
Finn's lost thumb throbbed as nearly every heart in the room clenched painfully tight.
"So I will ask you directly, and I demand full honesty," Ouranos continued.
Bell gave a single, agonizing nod.
"Did you do battle with the forces of the Expedition in your draconic form and, if you did, are you the one who killed Allen Fromel of the Freya familia?"
Freya's tortured eyes fell upon Bell and waited for the answer.
Please. Please say it's all a lie Bell. Please!
"Yes," Bell answered.
Freya's eyes clenched shut as her heart screamed.
Ouranos sighed as his own eyes closed for a moment.
"That is…deeply unfortunate."
"It wasn't his fault!" Mania cried out. "It was that putrid bastard's!" she roared, pointing at Dionysus who was still smiling maniacally.
"I know, Mania," Ouranos answered, "but that does not change the result nor one simple, and terrible fact," he turned back to Bell. "Bell Cranel, in this, 'White Dragon' form, is powerful enough to do battle with the most powerful adventurers in the world and nearly come out victorious. Nay, to utterly annihilate them."
Bell's clawed hands grabbed his head as his guilt returned worse than ever.
"Stop it! Don't you see you're hurting him!" Hestia screamed.
"I am sorry for that," Ouranos replied honestly, "yet what I say is the truth, pain or no. This power he holds is dangerous. Never before have I seen a skill like his and even in the right hands it holds such a great potential for destruction I'm not sure anyone in all history could be trusted with this, and certainly not one so young."
The others were ready to argue vehemently, but the cold voice of the subject of their argument ended their cries before they could begin.
"So what is to be done with me?" Bell asked as tears leaked from his slitted eyes.
The frigid torment in the young man's voice made even Ouranos pause as his hands tightened into fists.
"Rationally, the only way to protect Orario while also taking into account Dionysus's part is…to banish you."
"NO!" the other screamed.
They began to yell and cry, threaten and demand, all the while, Bell simply nodded as his eyes burned into the floor.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The arguments all stopped as every single person, mortal and god, turned to the insane laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! What a magnificent turn of events! Rescued only to be banished!" Dionysus cackled madly. "How does it feel, Bell? To have everything you worked for crumble to dust around you?"
Bell did not respond, but he was far from unaffected by the god's mocking words. Silent though his tongue was, his heart was bubbling with misery and hatred, mixing into a volcanic concoction that drew ever-closer to an explosive eruption.
"But it really is for the best, isn't it Bell?" Dionysus continued unabated as his evil merriment grew. "To be banished? That way you'll be far away from all those you love, but won't force them to deal with your death? A win-win, no? Hahahahahahaha!"
Angry tears filled the eyes of Hestia, Mania, and Freya, all of whom prepared to inflict the most egregious pain upon the wicked creature. Yet still, even feeling their wrath, he continued his assault upon his victim. "Then again, if you never see those you love again, you might as well be dead. Or kill them. Same difference."
Before any of those present, mortal or deity, could blink, Bell was upon Dionysus.
Now in his full, White Dragon form, Bell grabbed his tormentor by his throat and slammed him into the wall.
"You took everything from me! My mind! My heart! MY FAMILY! I'LL TEAR YOUR SOUL ASUNDER AND EAT YOUR FUCKING HEART!" the despair-wracked White Dragon roared as he opened his jaws in order to devour the god.
Suddenly, an electric blue blur appeared at the corners of Bell's eyes and, before he could stop it, pulled him away from his prey.
Dionysus collapsed on the ground as Bell and his attacker tumbled across the floor.
"No Bell!" Achilles cried as he wrapped his son in his arms.
"Let me go! I have to make him pay for everything he's done!" Bell cried as he tried to break free without hurting his father.
"No Bell!" Ais cried as she latched onto Bell as well.
"Get off! Please! I have to! I have to-! I can't let him-! Not after he made me-!"
"No Bell!" Now it was Riveria.
"No Bell!" Galadriel cried.
"No Bell Cranel!" Finn.
"No my boy!" Gareth.
"Don't you dare you, you stupid rabbit!" Bete.
"No kid!" Ajax.
"You are better than this!" Uriel.
"No Argonaut!" Tiona.
"No Bell!" Ryuu.
"No!"
"No Bell!"
"No Bell-sama!"
"You can't!"
"Please Bell!"
"Please don't Bell-sama!"
"No Bell-kun."
One after another they all grabbed hold of him and, even with his tremendous strength, there was no way for him to free himself without hurting them and so there was nothing Bell could do, but struggle. Struggle until the realization hit him that they were trying to save him from himself. When that realization hit, the dam of his heart broke and he cried out with such a terrible song of pain and anguish that the very world seemed to weep upon hearing it.
Ouranos looked upon the weeping young man and realized his mistake.
Let him be, beloved, Gaia called to him.
But he is the key.
He could be the key, but that's only if he chooses to become it, and I know of no better way to push him into our children's open arms than by banishing him from those he loves, his wife softly reasoned.
He sighed and nodded.
Perhaps you are right.
He was not the only deity who realized they had made a mistake.
He hates himself for what happened. He blames himself even though it wasn't his fault, Freya realized as she looked upon her love's pain and felt a deep sense of self-loathing fill her gut. How could I, for even a moment, think to blame him for Allen's death? How could I think one so kind, so tormented by a sin not his own, could be to blame for my Allen's death? She closed her eyes. Please forgive me, Bell. I will never doubt you again.
She opened her eyes and for a moment, debated whether or not to join the mass of bodies doing everything they could to comfort Bell. However, she did not.
I do not deserve to be by his side. Not until I've earned his forgiveness, her eyes turned, and I can start by getting rid of the filth who has made him suffer so.
Dionysus had recovered from his assault and was chuckling weakly.
"That's my precious pet," he declared.
"He is not your pet, you wretched slime," Freya hissed.
His smiling eyes turned to her.
"Isn't he?"
"No."
They turned to Loki who stood between them, her red eyes bearing down on Dionysus.
"He's Bell Cranel. Captain of the Hestia familia."
Dionysus chuckled.
"I believe you should say he was the captain of the Hestia familia. You can't be the captain of familia if you're banished."
"Then it is a good thing I am not banishing him."
Everyone turned back to Ouranos, even Bell, whose bloodshot eyes could barely even see the elder god through his tears.
"That was a suggestion, not a definitive statement. A suggestion I am now disregarding."
Those around Bell felt immense relief and hugged him tightly, even if the young captain himself seemed stunned and uneasy about the announcement.
"You know he's too dangerous to stay in Orario, Ouranos," Dionysus countered.
"I know nothing good will come from banishing him," the Guild god shot back. "However, banishing you back to Heaven is another matter entirely. Loki. Freya."
The two goddesses stepped towards him.
"I assume I can trust you two to send Dionysus and Thanatos back to Heaven?"
"Yeah," Loki instantly replied.
"With pleasure," Freya added.
"You're not sending them anywhere before I give them a curse that will make even Heaven painful for them," Mania proclaimed as she separated from the pile of restraint around Bell.
"I'm not sure I could stop you even if I wanted to," Ouranos stated before turning his gaze to Hestia. "I assigned Loki and Freya to this task, but I will understand if you would prefer to banish them, Hestia."
Surprisingly, the goddess of the Hearth shook her head.
"Staying with Bell is far more important," she said easily, "besides, I trust Loki to get rid of them and for Mania to give them a parting gift from me."
Loki smiled.
"Don't worry, chibi, I'll boot them back up so hard they're butts will be sore for a millennia!"
Hestia smiled.
"And I have several curses in mind that I'm sure you'll appreciate," Mania stated as she flexed her tiger claws.
"I shall add a few punishments myself," Hades added, stepping forward.
"This banishment is getting kind of crowded," Dionysus joked.
"Be silent," Hades commanded, his voice dark and foreboding.
Thanatos barely kept himself from soiling his pants.
"I would like to join as well," Hermes suddenly jumped in.
"To what end?" Ouranos questioned.
"For the stories, of course," the messenger god answered. "This will be one of the most momentous occasions in all of history. I'd like to make sure it's properly recorded."
Though the request seemed a silly thing on the surface, Ouranos saw the seriousness and determination in Hermes's eyes and so nodded.
"Very well."
With that final addition, all the gods, prisoner and captor alike, left the room, but not before Dionysus gave one final warning.
"I will not be the last to use you for your power, Bell Cranel, and by the end, you will truly wish you had died in the Dungeon."
Mania, her eyes ablaze, grabbed him by the back of his head while Hades did the same to his neck and they both dragged him away.
I know, Bell thought as the gods departed.
Mania and Hades dragged Dionysus out onto the very top of Babel and threw him down to the ground.
"I am going to make you suffer for all you've done to my grandchild," Mania promised.
"Whatever you do will be worth it," Dionysus mocked.
"You won't be saying that in a moment." All eyes turned to Loki who stepped forward with an unnervingly serious look in her eyes.
"Oh? And do you have something planned for me, Loki?" the god of beauty inquired with a smile.
She held out her hand and, suddenly, a knife appeared out of thin air before them all.
"Yeah, I do."
All the deities froze.
"That's a…" Freya tried to say.
"A Primordial Blade, yeah," Loki readily admitted. "And before you ask, I stole it from Mom's office before I descended to Earth. I figured I'd need it at some point. And yes," she rolled her eyes, "I am also aware she will be very pissed with me when she realizes that I have it."
Odin will be far more than merely 'pissed', Hades deduced. One does not steal a weapon that can cut the very fabric of creation and deal with a merely 'pissed' Odin.
For the first time since the voices cried out in the Dungeon, Dionysus was stunned into silence.
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna destroy ya," Loki informed him, "you're not worth the trouble that will cause me. However," she pressed the knife against his chest, "I'm going to give you a scar that you won't ever be able to forget."
She suddenly slashed out, cutting Dionysus across his chest, making him cry out and fall to the floor in pain.
"That'll hurt everyday for the rest of time, which still isn't nearly long enough after you killed half my familia, but it's a start," she growled. "Of course, if you get Ares'd, you you'll be free from the pain, I suppose, but seeing as everyone went through the trouble of keeping bunny boy from killing you, I don't see that happening any time soon, so you get so suffer. Speaking of which," she turned to the other deities. "I'm sure Mania and Hades want to have a go at you, but before they get their turn," she held the knife out to Freya, "I think Freya wants to have a word or two with you."
The goddess of beauty's eyes turned cold.
"Oh I do," she agreed as she took the knife. "I truly do."
She moved towards Dionysus, who, finally, after all his sins, after all the pain he had inflicted, looked afraid of the consequences.
"Words cannot express how much I loathe you now, Dionysus," Freya's dark voice hissed. "Because of you, my beloved Allen is gone, and the man I love, the one who has claimed my heart more tightly than any before him, is in torment," she pressed the Primordial Blade against his neck, "and for that...you. Must. Suffer!"
As quick as a striking viper, she cut off his left ear, making him cry out in anguish.
"That was for Allen," she snarled before grabbing the writhing god and pressing the knife to face, "and this," she dragged the knife across his face, making him howl, "is for Bell."
She dropped the bloodied god to the ground before handing the weapon back to Loki.
"You two may have him now," Freya stated to Mania and Hades, who eagerly took her invitation and descended upon the screaming god.
Orario was just beginning to come alive when the sight of two giant columns of light startled them all out their stupors of rage and fear.
Countless eyes stared up at the columns, amazed and concerned by the sight of not one, but two gods being banished back to Heaven. Yet, despite all the fear, confusion, and anxiety, permeating throughout the city, there was only one question being silently asked in every mind.
What's going to happen now?
End
Well, that brings us to the conclusion of this chapter. Still not exactly the happiest of chapters, but not quite as sad an ending as last time, I think. At least we finally got some justice inflicted upon Dionysus. Yet things are far from settled. Some pieces are moving, others have been taken off the board entirely, while others sit on the very edge, waiting to make their move. No my dear readers, things are far from settled and more trouble is brewing, of that I can assure you all.
That said, it is time for me to close this chapter, so please, do tell me what you think.
If you enjoy my work, please consider supporting me, either my purchasing my book, Consuls & Slaves on Amazon or by supporting me on SubscribeStar. I really do appreciate any and all support I'm given as it brings me closer to my dream of becoming a full-time writer.
Now, with my panhandling out of the way, I'll bid you all a fine farewell and, just in case I don't see you beforehand, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!