" ...Kami...sama... "
The boy said with tears running down his face.
" Bell-kun...Bell-kun! "
" ! "
Catching her just in time, the goddess had tackled the boy with all her might.
" ...You're alright... " Hestia said, her face buried deep in his chest.
" Yes...kami-sama. " he managed to say, clarity slowly coming back to him. Upon seeing her face, his memories started to slowly come back to him, with her as the focus.
" I'm glad... truly...I'm...glad...*sob* hik... "
" ?! " Hearing her sobs, he was immediately caught off-guard.
" Kami-sama...?! What is wr- "
" I heard it from that Ais girl...Bell...you... "
What is she saying? Which Ais girl? Did it have something to do with his previous-previous life?
" When she had told me what happened...when you ran out of that pub...I...I was so worried about what you could've done...hik... "
Anyways, he can worry about that later.
Now, the most important thing is to comfort his crying lady.
" Kami-sama...I assure you, I am fine. "
" ...Really? "
" Yes...really. Now that I'm here with you. "
" Bell-kun... "
" ...So that's why, please cease your tears. " He wiped the wetness on her face away with his thumb.
' Please, forgive me for this... ' he said internally, reprimanding himself for laying a hand upon his goddess' sacred body.
But it can't be helped, he thought to himself. Tears do not suit his goddess.
" ...But, Bell-kun, you're crying too. " Hestia pointed out, smiling slightly.
" ...Then, if I were to stop, would you do it as well...? " He replied.
" ...Yes! "
Waves of emotion he previously thought had all but fade away...albeit little, he can feel them in his now-beating heart.
He wants to say it. Those words that he had been longing to say.
" Kami-sama...I'm home. "
" ...Welcome home, Bell-kun...! "
He is now, finally, home.
Now that they're inside, both Bell and Hestia sat upon the bed that they usually share together.
" ... " Bell simply stared at the bed underneath him, it's soft texture giving him a nostalgic feeling.
" Are you tired, Bell-kun...? "
" No...I'm not, kami-sama. "
" ...What that Ais girl told me...was it true...? "
" ... "
He has no way of answering that, since he doesn't even know who or what she was talking about.
Taking his silence as affirmation, tears threatened to spill out of the goddess eyes once again.
' Oh...Bell-kun... ' She lamented inside her heart. Her poor child must've been feeling so humiliated and hurt, deep inside.
Even she, who had only heard those words second-handedly felt indignant, so she can only imagine how painful it was for him to have those words thrown straight at him.
Bell-noticed her to be deeply in thought about this matter.
He wondered what it was that earned such importance from his goddess. He would have to look into it later.
But for now...
" Kami-sama. "
" ...Huh? What is it, Bell-kun. "
" Let's... " He trailed off, trying to remember the words.
" ...update my status. "
It was one of the few things he recalled that he would do almost every night with his goddess, even if he doesn't know what it means, but it will serve as an effective distraction from whatever is troubling her.
" ...Okay. " Despite feeling that it was a bit off that he wants a status update now, especially after what happened, she wants to do anything she can to hopefully cheer the boy up(even though he doesn't need any cheering).
" ... "
" ... "
" ... "
" ... "
" ...Um...Bell-kun. "
" What is it, kami-sama? "
" ...Your clothes . "
" ...Ah...of course. "
' It's gone... ' Hestia thought to herself, upon seeing her child's status.
All of his stats remained the same as she remembered, with one exception.
The skill section. It was blank.
And it wasn't like the last time either where she had hidden it from him, no. His actual skill section no longer has any skills in it.
Which means...
' Bell...kun... '
" Kami-sam- Eh...?! " Turning around to face his goddess, she is now crying, again.
" W-what's wrong, kami-sama?! "
" Ohh...Bell-kun...I'm sorry...It's...It's all my fault...! Hik...hik... "
Oh dear, he thought to himself.
" K-kami-sama...please, calm down... " Reluctantly, he brought her into his arms and held her close to him.
" ... "
" * sobs * ...hik... "
After that, Hestia continued to bawl her eyes out until she eventually fell asleep, all the while still held within his embrace.
" ... "
* ruffles *
He gently set his goddess down onto the mattress, making sure her slumber is undisturbed. Whatever it was that's worrying her, she deserves a rest from it at the moment.
" ... " Looking at his sleeping goddess, one thought came to his mind.
I will never leave you alone, again.
He resolved to himself inside his heart.
He then looked towards the status sheet, that was what his goddess called them, and inspected the piece of paper which contained archaic writings on them.
Apparently, whatever this thing was, it was after she saw what was written on it that she started crying.
" ...Hm... "
He then recalled the whole process of status updating, from the moment his goddess prickes her own finger(which almost gave him a heart attack)to imprinting his status onto this paper by laying it upon his back.
He then took out the rusty dagger
* prick *
And pricked his finger with it.
* drip *
He then dripped a tiny droplet of his blood onto the paper.
And immediately, it started to change.
The writings on the status sheet warped and contorted in incomprehensible ways, before finally settling down, now with a whole new text written on it.
" ... "
Written on it was :
[ Bell Cranel ]
Class : Deprived (Human)
Covenant : Hestia Familia
Level : 901
Vigor : 99
Vitality : 99
Endurance : 99
Attunement : 99
Strength : 99
Dexterity : 99
Intelligence : 99
Faith : 99
Resistance : 99
Adaptability : 99
Luck : 9 (99)
Souls : 18446744073709551615
HP : 2075(18184)
FP : 450
Stamina : 177
Equip Load : 202.5
Poise : 18
Attunement Slots : 10
Item Discovery : 105(205)
Cast Speed : 168
Agility : 119
Attack : Strength : 200
Attack : Dexterity : 200
Magic Bonus : 199
Fire Bonus : 198
Lightning Bonus : 199
Dark Bonus : 200(300)
Poison Bonus : 199
Toxic Bonus : 199
Bleed Bonus : 199
Frost Bonus : 199
Phy Def :
VS strike : 238
VS slash : 258
VS thrust : 248
Mag Defense : 255
Fire Defense : 254(200)
Lightning Defense : 255
Dark Defense : 305(550)
Bleed Resistance : 340
Poison Resistance : 240
Toxic Resistance : 240
Curse Resistance : 240(infinite)
Petrify Resistance : 240(infinite)
Charm Resistance : 240(infinite)
Frost Resistance : 240
Spells :
Manifold Corona(1)
Way of White Corona(1)
Dark Souls (3)
No Spell (0)
No Spell (0)
No Spell (0)
No Spell (0)
No Spell (0)
Active Effects :
1. Unable to hollow. Does not respawn when killed.(Human)
2. Massively Increases luck.(Human)
3. Increases potency of pyromancies and miracles.(Hestia Familia)
4. Increases potency of pyromancies.(Hestia's Bell Talisman)
5. Massively increases HP and stamina recovery.(Blood of The Dark Soul)
6. Increases dark damage and resistance.(Blood of the Dark Soul)
7. Immunity to curses and charms. (Blood of the Dark Soul)
8. Increases dark damage with the amount of souls held. Decreases fire resistance.(Dark Soul)
9. Massively increases soul intake.(Dark Soul)
10. Recovers HP and FP with soul intake.(Dark Soul)
" ... "
He continued to look at the status sheet, before-
* teeaars *
* riiips *
-absolutely disintegrating the paper into tiny shreds.
He doesn't know what any of these means, but if it made his goddess cry then it must be bad. So it was probably best that he get rid of it.
He then threw the paper into a nearby trash bucket.
" ... "
He looked at her sleeping face once again.
She is currently breathing softly, as if in peace and far away from all the troubles currently worrying her.
" ...Kami-sama... "
He wondered, if he hadn't been sent to Lordran, would he still have this feeling deep inside his heart?
Was it worth all the pain and suffering that he had endured all along the way...just so he can see her like this?
Would he still had done the same...if he knew that he would be here before her, again?
" ...Hmph. "
...Foolish questions, all.
" Kami-sama...Lady Hestia... "
His hand began reaching for her, however he stopped himself.
A lowly slave knight like him had no right to indulge in touching her.
So, he simply watched over her.
" ...I'm home...at last. " He repeated what he said to her before.
" ... "
" I'll never leave you alone and helpless in this world "
He recalled what he had said to her, long ago.
" ... "
It's not enough for him to just not leave her alone...
" This time...I'll make you happy. "
Dark Souls
The fire fades, and dark will soon follow...
Releases a large amount of souls that pursues targets, at the cost of souls.
Perhaps Dark and Lightning are destined to be forever foes, as where the darkness lands will immediately be struck by lightning that harms everyone, including the user who used this accursed miracle.
Dark Soul of Slave Knight Bell
" Soul of Slave Knight Bell, steeped in darkness.
The red-hooded, wandering slave knight Bell went on a pilgrimage to obtain a pigment that will never rot away.
The only thing that kept him from hollowing in his journey were memories of his goddess, until all that was left was a hazy visage... "