Sixth floor

Silence permeated throughout the entire dungeon room.

The war shadows that previously murdered the white-haired boy currently dead on the dungeon floor is nowhere to be seen.

The body of the boy is riddled with punctures, blood oozing out from each of the holes. A hunting knife laid by his side.

...* twitch * ...

Something strange occured.

The blood, which by all means should've been red starting turning into a taint of black.

* twitch * ... * twitch *

Something stranger yet happened, the dark blood which had previously been flowing out onto the dungeon floor...

* sssss... *

Started to flow back into the body of the boy.

* twitch * * twitch * * twitch * * twitch *

Slowly, the gaping holes on his body started to mend themselves, until the body is now finally whole again.

* crack *

His fingers twitched, clawing at the dungeon floor and leaving imprints on them.

Then, he started to rise.

Pushing himself up, the boy started to rise while a dark miasma started to shroud his whole being.

" Hur... " A low groaned was emitted from his mouth.

He stood as still as a statue all the while permeating that dark mist from his body.

" ...Ah?... " His eyes that was previously unopened finally revealed themselves, two reddish orbs with clarity now stared onto the dungeon floor.

Bell Cranel has returned.

" ... " Looking around him in silence, he found himself standing in an unfamiliar place.

" ... "

* Cr-ack *

* drip *

Black ooze started to seep out of the walls, amalgamating into the form of war shadows.

" ... " He simply watched as more and more war shadows spawned, surrounding him and almost filling up the entire dungeon floor.

His hands then went to his back, trying to reach for his greatsword.

" Ah...not here...? "

He then spotted the hunting knife which previously laid next to him.

The knife is now rusted, it's blade degraded to the point as if it had been through constant use for years.

The boy picked up the knife.

" ... "

This will have to do for now, and so he readied himself to face the horde of monsters-

" !! "

Then, as if being hit by a sudden realization, he frantically searched around his person(which was smaller than he remembered but he didn't really cared to notice), looking for a particular something.

Whatever it was that he was looking for, it certainly outweighed the situation where he is currently surrounded by a horde of monsters.

" ! " Reaching into his right breast pocket, he pulled out something which revealed itself to be...an ornament with blue and white petals, attached to a silver bell.

" Oh...oh dear...thank you... " He let out a sigh of relief, gently clutching the bell talisman onto his chest.

" Kii... " One of the war shadows let out a low groan.

" ... " Now that he had confirmed that he still has her talisman, Bell Cranel now has nothing to worry about. Not even the group of war shadows that surrounded him.

" Kii...! " A war shadow then lunged towards him, it's claws outreached in front of it's body in an attempt to maul it's helpless victim-

* Gleam *

* Shing *

It was then cut in two by a discus of light.

And not just it, but also all of the other war shadows in the floor was suddenly cut in two by multiple discuses of light.

The discuses of light, which traveled far into the floor then returned to Bell's hand which he had extended above him.

" ... " As if not even the slightest perturbed by the situation, he looked around the dungeon once again after annihilating the army of monsters.

" ...The exit...I must search for the exit... " He said to himself, before walking away in the direction where he might think the exit will be.

All the while, the war shadows started being assimilated back into the dungeon.

" Ah...is that perhaps... " After walking around for a while, Bell came across a set of stairs that goes up from the floor he is currently at.

Along the way, he had encountered other weird monsters such as large ants the size of a dog, a frog-like monster with one eye, a bipedal dog-like monster, and another monster that looks like a small human with green skin.

Of course, all of them either fell to his miracle or the rusty knife that he found.

He had a feeling that he had encountered these monsters before, though it would take a while for him to jog his memories...

Anyways, the stairs. Seeing that there was nowhere else to go after walking around for a while, and he doubt that going further down would yield him the exit, he decided to walk up the stairs, hopefully being able to get out of this labyrinth.

" Hmm... " The boy hummed to himself as he-

* Splat *

-Crushed a horned rabbit with his hand, splattering blood and flesh everywhere.

" The monsters...are getting weaker and weaker... " He commented, seeing as how he didn't even need the rusty knife anymore and is now killing the monster with his bare hands.

If he is right, then that means he should be close to the exit since this is usually how it works. The deeper down you go=the tougher the foes you face. It had been that way back in Lordran as well...Though, what he encountered in the deepest chasm of the Ringed City should really had been well left alone...had he not went on his pilgrimage to consume all that is dark.

As he rise further and further up, the appearance of monsters started to get more and more sparse, until eventually there was none at all that spawned in order to get his hide.

" ...At last...a door. " Finally, after some time of walking the boy emerged at what seemed to be the surface of the dungeon.

" ... " He stared at the door for a while, the bell talisman clenched tightly in his hand.

Now, he wondered what is waiting for him on the other side. An army of ringed knights? A horde of those beasts just now? A dragon? A wyvern? Maybe even a god riding a wyvern? (The last one might sound absurd to some, but he had fought one of his ilk before.)

Deciding that he will not get his answer if he just stayed still, he opened the door...

" It's getting late... " Hestia commented upon seeing the clock on the wall, it's hour-hand indicating that it's already midnight.

' Where are you, Bell-kun? '

Usually he's not the type to make her worry like this. And even if he were to go out late, it wouldn't be without her knowledge.

Thus, she concluded: something must have happened.

" I...should probably go... " She put on her coat over the one-piece dress she is currently wearing.

' Bell-kun...he mentioned something about a pub... '

" The...Goddess of Fertility... "

And so, she left the abandoned church in order to look for her only child.

" Hmm... " He hummed to himself, looking at his surroundings while walking down the street of Orario.

When he had opened the door, he had been caught off-guard with the sheer number of...humans before him. Living humans, mind you. Not undead, not unkindled but humans of warm flesh and blood.

Another thing that caught him off guard however, was the presence of non-humans within the humans.

Some with animal ears on their heads, some a little stout in stature while also being a little short, some women with dark skin that wore revealing clothing, some 'humans' with long ears, as well as tiny 'humans', the list goes on.

As a matter of fact...he barely held his hand upon seeing the non-humans, only deciding to stop when he saw that the other humans simply ignored them and even interacted with them. So, he concluded that one way or another these...non-humans are part of the humanity here as well.

How odd, he thought to himself.

Now, he found himself walking on the street to who-knows-where.

He's simply just walking around, and even if he said to himself that it's for the purpose of gathering information, truthfully he has no idea where he was or what kind of information he's even supposed to collect.

In conclusion, he's walking around in circles.

" ...Let's try that way. "

Bell then took a turn towards a back alley that he (maybe) hadn't went to.

" ...Hm? " Suddenly stopping, he looked towards a spot in the dark alley.

" ... "

" Is this the place...? " Hestia asked to no one in particular, now standing before the pub where Bell had previously went to.

Entering the establishment, she was greeted with the sight of many adventurers.

" Wait, isn't that Loki? " She said, noticing the red-haired goddess sitting on one of the tables with (presumably) members of her familia.

She was about to go to where the other goddess was, until a waitress came up to her.

" Welcome to the Hostess of Fertility! Are you here alone? Or with a partner? " A waitress with light brown eyes and brown hair welcomed the goddess.

" U-uhm...I'm actually here to look for someone... "

" Hm? Looking for someone? "

" Yes. He's a boy, about this- " she gestured with her hand, putting it slightly above her head.

" -tall. He has red hair and red eyes...and he kinda looks like a rabbit. " Hestia describes Bell's appearance to the waitress.

" Hm...that sounded like Syr's customer. The one who dined-and-dashed just now. " The waitress said, shocking the goddess.

" He did WHAT?! " The Bell that she knew is definitely not the type to do something like this, which further fueled her surprise.

" Please wait here, I'll go get Mama Mia- " the waitress said, but was suddenly cut off by a softer voice that interrupted the conversation.

" Uhm...excuse me, are you his goddess, perhaps...? "

" Yes...? " Hestia turned to see who it was.

It was a girl with golden hair and golden eyes.

' Ugh!...it's her... ' Hestia cringed internally, finally meeting with her "nemesis".

" ...Yes, I am his goddess. " She managed to muster out a reply, trying to stifle her jealousy inside her heart.

" I think...I know why he ran away... " The Sword Princess said.

" ...You do? " Now, Hestia is definitely interested in what she has to say.

She had really hoped she had met Ais under a different circumstance rather than the current one, but if she wants to find her blessed child then she can't afford to let her pride get in the way of her search.

" ...Okay. Then, can you tell me the reason why he dined-and-dashed. " Hestia asked the girl.

" ...It was because...- "

...

She didn't like what she heard.

" Hm...? " Bell now found himself before an abandoned-looking church.

He had been walking mindlessly ever since coming out of the dungeon, and his legs had managed to carry him here after many turns.

...For reasons unknown, he somehow felt...familiar with this place. Though, he had no idea why.

He then pushed open the large doors of the church.

* creak *

The half-rotted wooden doors of the church creaked loudly as they rotated on their hinges.

" ... "

Looking inside, there were many wooden seats inside the church, though only a few were in decent condition.

Cracks are imminent on the stone floors of the church, as if the place had not had any believers stepping into the church for years.

* step *

* step *

His footsteps echoed throughout the empty building, as he walked to the altar where a broken podium was.

" ... " He looked at it for a while.

* shuffles *

He then began to kneel, hands clasping in the form of a prayer.

Now on his knees, he recited his prayer.

" Merciful...goddess... "

He held in clasped hands his bell talisman.

" ...The one who governs all aspects of home... "

" ... "

" ... "

He wanted to continue, yet no words come out.

" ...I am alive... "

" ...Once again, I am risen... "

" ... "

Why?, he wanted to ask.

" ...Please...I beg of you... "

" ...Merciful goddess... "

" ...Why... "

Am I here?, will he be denied rest, even after death?

" ...Did I...fail...?... "

That was the only reason he can think of.

So if his sacrifice had truly been for naught, then it was only natural that he would be denied respite.

" ... "

Only silence answered.

" ...What...is it that I must do...?... "

To earn the reward that is eternity.

" Merciful...goddess... "

He...tried to call her name, yet all that came up was a hazy visage.

" ... "

" ... "

* ding! *

" ... "

" ... "

* clench... *

" .... "

" ...I- "

" Bell-kun! "

" ...! "

He turned around!

He knew this voice!

" ...Aa...Aah... "

With trembling hands, he gazed upon her figure.

He can feel his tears flowing!

His heart racing!

That figure...

That figure...!

His...

" Kami-sama, I'm home~ "

" Welcome back, Bell-kun! "

...

" So, how was it today? "

" Ahh...I got caught off-guard. "

...

" Are you okay?! "

" It'd be very traumatic for me if you ever died! "

...

" Ahaha... Don't worry, goddess "

I would never leave you alone and helpless in this world.

" Kami...sama. "

Author notes : And that's a wrap. We're only four chapters in and i'm already pooped(curse you assignments...)

Anyways, now that Bell had finally met his goddess, we can get started on the main story.

Also, for that magic and the talisman Bell used in this chapter, I think i'll start doing item descriptions for new stuff that appears in this fic, in a souls-esque style.

So here it is :

Hestia's Bell Talisman

A Sacred Chime as well as a Talisman, named after a goddess of fire.

What this was, is merely an ordinary hair-ornament given to a patron goddess from one of her own covenant.

Due to the owner's faith however, they were able to cast both the art of pyromancies and miracles.

Skill : Warmth

Creates a gentle, warm flame that heals those who touch it.

" A flame of restoration, this was born from that one's wish to experience the warmth of home once again. "

Manifold Coronas

" This miracle, derived from a lost way of white teaching, is a miracle only wielded by Slave Knight Bell. Hurls multiple discuses of light which slices into foes and returns to its conjurer.

Bell would often find himself outnumbered in battles during his journey to the Ringed City, thus he created this miracle as a mean to face multiple foes alone.

Charging increases the number of discuses thrown."

Dark-Rusted Dagger

Originally a common dagger issued to adventures by the guild, this rusty dagger is enwreathed in dark.

Due to the nature of it's creation, the blade possess a veritable toxin to any living being, as well as being extremely brittle.

Skill : Blood of The Dark Soul.

" Draws the Blood of the Dark Soul from the user to soak the blade at the cost of durability.

Strong attack releases an airborne blood blade that causes blood-loss as well as inflicting toxin. "

And that's that. I'll see you in the next one. Ciao!