One month later.
In the Kronos Stasis and upon the Kaiser Temple. Zagreus can be found sitting at the crowd stand.
The half elf looks upon the arena with rather emotionless eyes as he watches the training of his son with his nephew.
BANG! BOOM! BANG! KA-BOOM!
Explosions littered the field that is filled with wooden, and rock pillars that gets destroyed when Baku came rushing through. The big monk of a man rushes like a bull as he is chasing after Bell who is running ahead of him.
Bell is wearing only jeans as he is shirtless and very sweaty. The young man now having a very toned body cause of the crazily insane training conducted by his father. Right now, he is training his entire self against Baku who is chasing after him while attacks came from everywhere.
"I'm coming for ya, Bell!" Baku shouted as he charged with his body tilted so that his right shoulder faced forward.
Bell sees Baku coming as he turns and runs towards a rock pillar that he runs upon its horizontal surface with a parkour, he pushed his legs against the surface and jumps over his head to dodge his cousin who came and rushed through the pillar that crumbles.
Seeing Baku crushed the pillar, Bell quickly turns and started running away cause arrows came raining down upon him. the projectiles were fired by mechanical wooden dummies that continue to fire upon the young man.
Bell runs and rushes around the pillars that he used as defense. He leans against one and sees the dummies still firing arrows. He turns and looks down to grab a few rocks then runs out.
"raaah!" Bell begins throwing the rocks very fast as they spin and flew straight for the dummies and hits a red bullseye mark on their heads and chest that caused them to shut down.
Bell keeps on throwing the rocks, but he soon turns and ducks as Baku appeared with a hand swung out.
"not bad!" Baku said with a grin as he pulled back his other hand and forms a hard fist that he swung straight at Bell. "how about this!?"
Bell sees the attack coming as he followed its direction and dodged the punch then ducked from another.
Baku begins to furiously swing punches at Bell who ducks, and dodges them while moving back inch by inch. But in one moment, the white haired young man slips and nearly falls back, giving an opening for the big man to go for an attack.
"oraah!" Baku swings out a powerful punch at Bell who saw it coming and didn't dodge. Instead he placed a hand to the wrist and then used the big monk of a man's force against him. 'wah?!' he was spun around on his body as he instantly crashed to his back with a big thud. "guhah!"
Bell huffs his breathing as he looks incredibly tired. He wipes off some sweat on his forehead and cheeks with his right wrist before he hears footsteps from behind then turns to see Zagreus walking towards them.
"training is over." Zagreus said as he snaps his fingers once and caused the entire damage on the arena to disappear. "you pass."
"t-thanks, dad…" Bell said with huffed breathing as he soon falls to his knees and place his hands on the floor.
Zagreus looks at Bell and then to Baku who gets back up while patting his back a few times.
"well?" Zagreus said to the large man before glancing at Bell. "how do you think he will fair?"
"pretty good." Baku replied with a nod as he dusts off the dirt on his jogi before he looks at Bell with a smile. 'he gets a good grasp of everything we teach him. his agility, strength, and precision. He got it all good,' he then crosses his arms and scratches his chin with a rather unpleased face. "but his stamina is still a problem." He turns towards Zagreus. "it's like what we had thought considering his stature and everything."
"I see.." Zagreus said as he looks at his son before he turns and walks away. "get yourself cleaned, both of you. Afterwards, meet me here after you are well rested."
"understood." Baku nodded to his uncle before he looks at Bell. 'come on, Bell.' he reaches out a hand to his cousin. "let's get cleaned up."
"y-yes…" Bell nods as he grabs Baku's hand and was pulled up to his feet.
Afterwards, both left to a tunnel at the other side of the arena while Zagreus jumps and stands at the crowd seat.
He sat down as Zagreus looks at Bell and Baku but his focus is upon his son who is walking a bit weakly cause he is tired.
"seems that you are more alike with your mother than we had thought.." Zagreus whispers as he crosses his arms on his chest and hardens his gaze a bit. 'it is fate that he would choose such a path….huh?' He closed his eyes and tilts his head down. "what a joke." He slowly opens his eyes as they were glowing very darkly. "what a terrible joke."
Hours pass after training was over, Bell and Baku have cleaned themselves and rested as they are now walking to the arena where Zagreus is awaiting them.
Zagreus stands in the middle of the arena as he had his arms crossed on his chest and his eyes staring upon his son and nephew who arrived upon the field and are now standing before him.
"a month…" Zagreus spoke out as he closed his eyes and tilts his head down. 'that was what I had spoken to you after you decided your choice in becoming an adventurer of Orario.' He then peeks his left red eye open. "the time has come for your training to end."
"it's already a month, huh?" Bell muttered out as he looks down and held up his hands that flexed their fingers a few times. "it still doesn't feel like that long after I first arrived here."
"that's what the training will do to you." Baku said as he crossed his arms. "it was all hard and excruciating at first, but now? It feels like it's weird, right?"
"yes…" Bell nods. "very weird."
"sit." Zagreus said as three pillars arise from the floor and became chairs for the group. The half elf sitting down on his and so did his son and nephew a few seconds later. "we have some things to talk about."
"What is it, dad?" Bell asked.
"it has been decided that when you finish your training, you will directly head for Orario." Zagreus said as he crossed his legs and rests his arms on the armrest of the chair. "your mother and the others have gone there already to prepare the temporary home for you to stay."
"Mom and the others?" Bell said and Zagreus nods.
"Kenji will be your guide there once you arrive." The half elf continued as he looks at Baku. "I'm sorry to say that Baku won't be able to do so as he had once promised."
"Why?" Bell asked as he looks at his cousin who had one promised a tour of Orario during their training a few days back.
"Thalia needs his help for something that occurred unexpectedly." Zagreus stated. "that is all I can say."
"but…" Bell frowns as he looks down with rather sad eyes. "I thought.."
Even with the harsh one month training, Bell still remains as who he is. A very kind and gentle boy who loves his family members.
"don't be so sad!" Baku said as he patted Bell's head and ruffles his hair. 'whatever my mother has to do with my help, I'll make sure to do it quick and jiffy!' he then grins. "after I'm done, I will keep my promise to show you the best spots in Orario! You can count on it, Bell!"
Bell looks at Baku as he smiles and nodded.
Zagreus sees his son's smile as he closed his eyes again while tilting his head down.
"on another note, preparations from both side has been completed." Zagreus spoke out. 'your training is over and what is left to be done is your travel to Orario.' He then tilts his head up and opens his eyes. "a day after you arrive to the city and gain knowledge of the surrounding, you will be sent to the Guild for your adventurer license."
"Guild?" Bell asked in a confused tone. "what is that?"
"it's a place where people wishing to be adventurers get their licenses so that they can venture into the Dungeon." Baku said in explanation as he reaches a hand into his pant's pocket to take out a card that has a photo of him and information about himself written upon it. 'this is one of those adventurer's license.' He handed it to Bell who takes a closer look. "the main goal of the guild's creation is to manage the adventurers who venture into the Dungeon to kill monsters and collect Magic Crystals that can be used in a variety of ways." He then points a finger up. "it's also the place to make money by selling magic crystals and monster's drop items, and it's also the place where you can get info about the Dungeon or anything you want to know."
"I see…" Bell said as he checks Baku's Adventure License that he returns. "so if I want to be an adventure, I have to have a license? How do I get it at the guild?"
"through a test." Baku said while crossing his arms. 'the guild will check and test you of your current level of knowledge in or out of the Dungeon, and also your special skill sets.' He then points a finger out. "if you pass, they will issue you your license. If you don't…" the large monk man smiles while closing his eyes. "well, you have to try again one year later."
Bell nods in understanding before he looks at his father.
"once you receive your Adventurer License, you will need to join a Familia." Zagreus stated out as he uncrosses his arms and waves a hand to the side. "a Familia is a group consisting of adventurers that are under the guidance of a god/goddess who bestowed their blessings upon them. They are also what suffice the numbers of people in the city as well."
"god? You mean like a god of the heaven?" Bell said as he looks surprised and confused. "so the story about them descending from thousand of years ago and helping heroes of the past with their power are actually true!?"
"you act like you're very surprised." Baku said as he grins a bit. "don't you know that our Aunt Hephaestus is one of those many gods?"
"eeeeh?! Aunt Hephaestus is a god!?" Bell looks in shock at Baku while thinking back at the red haired one eyed woman who appears in a thought bubble that soon pops. "really!?"
"reasons of the secret can be set aside but Hephaestus is one of the many gods residing in Orario." Zagreus said as he crosses his arms and leans against his seat. "you will know more when you arrive to the city later on."
Bell nods slowly before a black swirling portal appears nearby and caught his attention.
The portal swirls before a foot sets out and the three sees Thalia appearing.
"Aunt Thalia!?" Bell said in seeing one of his aunts who waved to him before she went to Zagreus.
Thalia began to whisper close to Zagreus who listens and nodded before looking at Bell.
"everything is prepared in Orario, Bell." Zagreus said as he motions a hand towards the portal. "grab your belongings and go to that portal. It will directly take you to the entrance of Orario."
"o-okay.." Bell nods as he did a quick bow to everyone before running to get his belongings that he placed away in the arena.
While Bell was away, Zagreus and Baku gets up from their seats and face Thalia.
"Helios and the others are staying in Orario because they are still stuck with their duties." Thalia said as she looks at the two. "They won't be able join me and Baku on the mission."
"What about that elf girl under Sotares' care?" Zagreus said as he raised an eyebrow while crossing his arms. "is she not available?"
"she's available but Sotares told me that it won't be a good idea to take her." Thalia replied while holding a hand and wave it to the side. "she said that she still needs a lot to learn."
"I see.." Zagreus said as he crosses his arms and cups his chin with two fingers from his right hand. He closed his eyes for a moment before he let out a sigh and opened them to look at Thalia. "very well, I shall joined you two in this mission, but do note that we will need to accomplish it as quickly as possible."
"I know." Thalia nods as she reaches to her back and takes out a string tied scroll that she handed to Baku. 'take this, Baku. It's information about the mission so that you will be kept up to date.' She then looks to the side to see Bell coming with his belongings. "read it after Bell is sent away."
"got it, Mom." Baku said as he takes the scroll and hides it from Bell who came to them.
"I got everything." Bell said as he gets a few head pats from Thalia who soon points at the portal.
"go through and you will arrive to the entrance gate of Orario." Thalia said who takes out a wax sealed letter that she presented to Bell. "show this letter to the guard named Shakti Varma who is stationed at the front gate. Afterwards you will be allowed to enter into Orario. Also, Kenji will be waiting for you once you are inside."
"yes" Bell said as he takes the letter and then did a head bow. "thanks, Aunt Thalia."
Thalia nods back before Bell turns to his father who nodded to him.
"take care of yourself." Zagreus said as he crosses his arms. "stay obedient to the rules of Orario which you will learn at the guild, understand?"
"yes, I understand." Bell nods before he went and hugged Zagreus. "I'll be going now, dad."
Zagreus uncrosses his arms and pats his son's head a few times before separating to allow Bell to do another hug with Baku.
"if you got problems when you arrive at Orario, let any of us know, ok?" Baku said as he patted Bell's back and grins. "even if you don't want to become a Kaiser, you're still family. And family helps each other no matter what, alright?"
"alright!" Bell said with a nod. "thanks, Baku."
Baku nods as he separates from the hug and watches Bell who carried his belongings and walked towards the portal.
"I'll be going now!" Bell said with a smile as Zagreus and the others nodded to him.
Bell nods back before he turns and walks into the portal where he disappeared along with it.
After travelling into the portal, Bell arrives upon a rocky land and is now looking at a vast land with a single worn down path.
"this is?" Bell looks side to side before he turns around and made a surprise noise.
Bell stands in amazement as he is seeing a large statue of a male warrior wearing armor and has a sword that is held with its blade pointing downwards and it is not only one. There are 7 other statues that surrounds the wall of a large city that has an incredible tall tower that could be seen from miles and miles.
At the bottom of the statue and in between its legs. there is an entrance gate where there are guards wearing white domino mask and matching white orange attires, each are supervising people coming with carts, or carriages that gets permitted to enter the city.
"this must be the gate that Aunt Thalia spoke of." Bell said as he adjusted his hold on his sack bag and began to walk towards the entrance while getting into line.
awaiting for his turn, Bell watches the people in line getting admitted by a short blue haired woman who wears an orange attire with white and yellow lines, orange headband, silver gauntlets, and has a very strict and stern looking face.
"I have to pay a fee too, huh?" Bell said as he sees the people paying money to the woman who stamped a paper two times and then handed it to the person in line before going through the gate.
It took a few minutes as the line moves along the road and it was time for Bell's turn.
"welcome to Orario." The woman spoke out. 'my name is Shakti Varma, I am the gate admitter for entrance into the city.' she then did a quick head bow. "if you wish to enter the city for only a short time, the fee is 1000 valis. If you wish to enter the city and become a resident, the fee is 100,000 valis for both residency and admission fee."
"yes. I would like to become a resident" Bell said as he reaches for his Inventory Pouch to take out money but remembers the letter from his Aunt Thalia that he quickly takes out. 'ah! before that!' he takes the letter and present it to Shakti. "I was told to hand this to you if I was about to enter the city."
Shakti raised an eyebrow and takes the letter. Her eyes widen a bit to see the symbol of the wax stamp as she looks at Bell and then to the letter that she opens to read the contents of the message written inside. Her eyes scanned the words written one by one before she closed her eyes and folded it away.
"please enter right through." Shakti said as she returned the letter to Bell. "there is no need for you to pay the fee."
"eh? Really?" Bell asked while blinking twice. "but…"
"it is alright." Shakti said as she soon bows her head in a humble way to Bell. "welcome to Orario, Bell Cranel."
"y-yes…" Bell nodded a bit hesitantly as he was unsure of the reason why Shakti is acting so humble to him.
Bell soon walks through the entrance gate as Shakti watches him.
"so he is the child, huh?" Shakti whispers before she focuses back on her duties.
Bell walks through the gate and soon arrives to a grand view of Orario's inside.
"wow…" Bell looks wide eyes as he sees tall buildings of many variety, people of many races, and the one and only unique monument found only in Orario, the Babel Tower that lies in the very center of the city. "this is Orario?"
As Bell looks amazed at the scene in the city, he soon hears a loud whistle from the side that caught his attention. He turns to the side to look at what made the sound, and soon made a surprised face that turned into a happy smiling one.
"Kenji-san~!" Bell called out while waving a hand up as he is greeted by a young man who looks to be in his own age and height, has wild brown hair with long side burns, he wears a black shirt, red jeans, a black jacket with a few red lines and armor plating on the shoulders, along with yellow armed gloves. This person is Kenji Iron God Kaiser and he is the son of Ploutos while also being one of the young man's many cousins who resides in Orario alike with Baku.
"yo, Bell~!" Kenji greeted with a grin. 'been a while.' He then gave a hug to Bell who reincorporated it. "you doing well?"
"yes." Bell nods as he separates from the hug from Kenji. "it's good to see you again, Kenji-san."
"likewise." Kenji nods back before he crosses his arms on his chest and sighs with a smile towards Bell. 'but seriously, just call me Kenji like you always do, will you? We're only 2 years apart in age, right?' he then waves a hand to the side. "you calling me with a -san makes me feel old."
"sorry.." Bell replied with a sheepish chuckle.
"well, matters of that aside." Kenji said as he place his hands on his waist and grins to Bell. 'welcome to Orario.' He then tilts his head to the side. "Or rather… it's welcome back to Orario considering you were born here."
"I guess so." Bell said with a nod before he looks around to the area near him. "it's amazing how big and grand everything looks in this city…"
"yeah, all newcomers have that reaction." Kenji said while looking around the scenery near him and then turns back towards Bell. 'come on.' He waves a hand and points a thumb over his shoulder which is pointing to a horse carriage parked nearby. "old man Zagreus and the others asked me to be your guide in the city, so let's go and give you a grand tour."
"yes" Bell nods before he and Kenji walks and gets on the horse carriage that began to move.
Bell and Kenji sat in the carriage as the young white haired man looks at Orario from the opened window.
"if there's anything you need to learn about Orario, it's the city's little history of being protected by the original Kaisers and they're descendants which is us." Kenji said as he explained Orario while Bell is looking around the view outside. 'I'm sure you've seen the statues around the city's wall and without a doubt, you realize that they were made after the original Kaisers who created Orario.' He watches with a bit of amusement to how his white haired cousin just wowed at everything he sees in the city. "I guess I should just talk to you about it after you are satisfied being amazed.."
The carriage goes around the streets of Orario as it made temporary stops when it came near to a prominent building or area in the city.
At one time, the carriage stops as it stays near a large white Greek like temple that has many people coming in and out.
"what is this place, Kenji?" Bell asked his cousin while seeing how large the temple is. "there's a lot of people going in and out."
"this is the Saint Sanctuary, it's where Aunt Thalia resides as the Saint Kaiser of Orario." Kenji said in explanation. 'I'm sure you already learned that our aunts and uncles are descendants of the originals who are given titles alike with the originals and since Aunt Thalia is the descendant of the first original Saint Kaiser, she took up that name and continued her duties to be the greatest healer of the current era' He crosses his arms and smiles a bit. "this temple was made by the original Saint Kaiser who passed her teachings to her descendants who continue her work in healing injured and sick people." He then points a finger out. "It is also the place where adventurers can get healing potions, antidotes, and many other stuffs that are important when in the Dungeon. That's why there are many people coming around."
"that makes sense…" Bell said as he remembers a time when he got sick as a child and Thalia was the one who came and cured him. "Aunt Thalia was able to cure me of my fever when I was little…"
"yeah." Kenji nods. 'on another note, this temple is affiliated with Familias whose jobs are in making potions or healing. There's about 5 or 6 of them affiliated with the place.' He then folds his hands behind his head. "Baku is also affiliated here since he's Aunt Thalia's son and all."
"really?" Bell said with a rather surprised face. "I thought Baku would be with a Familia that is like fighting and stuff."
"well, he does have the body and all." Kenji said as he looks up and then grins to Bell. "but even if he got the spunk for fighting, he actually has more of a heart for healing and all."
"I see.." Bell said, remembering his childhood of him playing with Baku who is all laughter and smiles. "it does make sense."
"it sure does." Kenji nods before he points a thumb towards the temple. "if you become an adventurer, make sure to stack up your potions and other necessities here, Bell."
"yes, I understand." Bell nodded before the carriage begins to move.
The vehicle moved on from the Saint Sanctuary and soon stopped at a large, wide, and tall building that is nearly 50-60 story high while showing the symbol of two black and gold hammers over a red fire.
"this place is the Hephaestus Familia's Home named the Grand Forge. just like its name state, this is where Aunt Hephaestus' Familia resides." Kenji said as he explained the next place to Bell who looks upon the building from the window. 'her Familia's work is mostly on blacksmithing and weapons' making. Nearly all the weapons residing in Orario were made here.' He then grins while pulling on a part of his jacket to reveal an insignia of the same symbol on the right chest side. "I'm a part of the Familia along with my old man who is called the Iron God Kaiser around here."
"Iron God Kaiser?" Bell said as he looks at Kenji. "you mean as in the Kaiser who is renowned to be the greatest blacksmith of the past?"
"the one and only." Kenji replied with a nod. 'my old man is the current one entitled with it,' he then points a thumb at himself. "but yours truly is the next in line to inherit that title."
Bell wows a bit before he turns and looks at the building.
"if you plan to buy weapons or any goods in exploring to the Dungeon, just come here and I'll get you one on a special discount." Kenji said with a grin as Bell nodded to him.
after the Hephaestus Familia's Home, the carriage moved and arrives to a large building that looks to be a library considering the sight of books stored on shelves inside, and the ones being taken and carried around by people coming in and out.
"this place is?" Bell asked. "a library?"
"not exactly." Kenji replied. 'this place is called the Alexandria Archive and it's the place where Aunt Makaria and Kamui resides at.' He goes near and looks at the building more closer by the window. "this place was built as the foundation of magic by the first Mage Kaiser who had collected dozens of magic spells, and enchantments that are all stored in the books. adventurers that are of the mage class come here to learn new magic by borrowing or buying the books that have been written with formula on spells and stuff." He then looks at Bell. "I'm sure Aunt Makaria gave you a Grimoire for a magic spell, right? That grimoire was from this library."
"so that's where it came from…" Bell said while nodding as he looks at the library. "Mom once told me that it was extremely difficult to learn or create magic in the past, but thanks to the effort of the original Mage Kaiser, learning magic was made more easy by making Grimoires and other stuffs related to magic.."
"yeah." Kenji nods before he points at the building. "if you want to learn more magic, the Alexandria Archive is the place to go to."
"yes" Bell nodded as he looks a bit excited to know that there is a place for him to learn new magic.
After the library, next was a large area of the city that is separated by tall walls and are guarded by very tanned woman who are actually from a race called Amazons; a race of only women who have exceedingly incredible strength compared to other races and are known to be a race that are lustful for the other gender.
"what's this place?" Bell asked Kenji who shakes his head. "what's wrong?"
"this place is called the Pleasure District." Kenji said as he crossed his arms and looks rather grim. "and it's a place that you should never come at all cost, Bell."
"why?" Bell asked.
"it's because this place is….." Kenji replied as he leans close to Bell and began to whisper to him.
Bell listens to the whispers as his face soon turns red.
"w-why is there such a place in Orario!?" Bell asked in shock. "I thought Orario is the place for adventurers!?"
"everyone outside thought so first, but that ain't the truth." Kenji replied while waving a hand in front of his face. 'history has it that it was built for adventurers lacking on relationship stuff. It was never in the Kaiser's ideas to make it, but here it stands for centuries.' He then grabs Bell's shoulders and looks extremely serious. "Bell, for your sake and mine. do not ever come anywhere near here!" he soon turns pale white as he imagined Alfia who looks down at the two with a very ice cold glare. "if any of our Family members, especially Aunt Alfia finds out that any of us goes near here when we're still 18 and under…"
"r-right.." Bell shivers with a slightly blue face. The young man loves and care for every member in his family, but he is very terrified of his Mother's older twin sister who is extremely scary when angered. "I u-understand very well…"
The carriage moved on as the next stop is a large white mansion nearly the size of a football field, decorated with a large metal board with a golden symbol of a scale with wings and has its area surrounded and guarded by silver armored knights surrounding the area.
"this next place is the Astraea Familia's Home called the Stardust Garden. It's where Aunt Sotares resides as the Justice Kaiser." Kenji explained the next building. 'the Familia here works as special security forces alongside the Ganesha Familia, they work in creating peaceful environments for the city in apprehending any crime and have them judged by the Goddess of Justice; Astraea.' He looks at Bell. "I'm sure you met her once, right?"
"yes." Bell replied as he remembers a time when he was ten and he met Sotares who brought a beautiful long walnut brown haired woman who wears a white kirtle and a long skirt while looking very dignified. 'Aunt Sotares once brought her to my home back then.' he then scratches the back of his head. "I never knew that she was a goddess alike with Aunt Hephaestus."
"don't blame Old Man Zagreus." Kenji said to Bell. 'he wanted you to live in a peaceful and calm place that is away from Orario that was under war at the time.' He crossed his arms. "He made sure that anyone who came to your home would never reveal their true identity as goddess and stuff. It was all to keep you safe."
"I understand that.." Bell said with a nod as he sighs with a small frown before looking at the mansion. "I sometimes wished that dad wasn't that all worrying all the time."
"he's your father, you have to understand that." Kenji told Bell who nods his head slowly while looking at the Astraea Familia's Home.
The tour continued as Kenji gives every detailed explanation about many prominent buildings in Orario and little unique facts about them.
The time passes on as the day was almost gone with the sun setting off in the horizon.
"we're about to come to the last place." Kenji said as the carriage moves along the road and soon came to a stop. The young brown haired man soon comes off the vehicle. "come on, Bell. you're going to like this place."
"eh?" Bell made a noise as he follows Kenji and gets off the carriage.
"behold." Kenji said as he waves a hand to the side and Bell turns before wowing in amazement when he sees the Babel Tower from up close and it was incredibly large when he sees it up close. "this is the tower that is also the entrance to the Dungeon, the Babel Tower."
"it's so large~!" Bell said in pure amazement. "I saw how tall it was from the outside, but to think it was this humongous~!"
"yeah, it is." Kenji nodded with a grin while looking at the tower. 'story has it that it was built by the Kaisers who had the help of a very talented architect who came up with the idea for the tower.' He then looks at Bell. "the place is owned by the Kaisers and it's also the place where there are a lot of Familias doing business on the many floors. From pawning monster's drop items to blacksmiths selling their products. I'll bring you up there once you pass your adventurer's test."
"yes." Bell said as he looks at the tower and then down before making a noise. "what is that?"
"ah, that" Kenji smiles as he and Bell walks front and towards a park like area where in the middle stood 7 silverish metal statues of armored warriors standing on stone pedestals with the features showing that 4 are women and 3 are men, each wielding a sword that they raised and crossed together in the air. "this is the Kaiser Garden, it's the place where the original Kaisers once stood together after they defeated the Dungeon's horrible monsters."
"you mean like in the story?" Bell asked Kenji who nodded.
"just like the story, this place is where the first original Kaisers band together in creating the city that acts as the lid to seal away the Dungeon underneath" Kenji said while crossing his arms. "it's a place of respect for the great heroes who sacrificed blood, sweat, and tears for the safety of the world."
Bell looks amazed at the story before he notices that there was one statue missing.
"but why are there only seven statues?" Bell asked Kenji who pointed at front and towards a stone pedestal in the middle that has no statue but a black and darkish neon violet colored broad sword that is impaled into the stone base. "is that? A sword?"
"not just any sword." Kenji said as he and Bell goes near to see that the broad sword looks beautiful and yet at the same time, looks terribly demonic considering how it has a red reptilian eye like gem located at its bat wing like shaped cross guard. "it's the Devil's Bane."
"Devil's… Bane?" Bell said before he looks wide eyes and gasped a bit when he sees a flashback of himself as a child being read a storybook with his mother. The storybook shows a drawing of a silhouetted man wielding a demonic sword that has a red glowing eye on its cross guard. "a-as in that legendary!?"
"the one and only." Kenji nodded. 'it's the legendary weapon that belonged to one of the legendary and original Kaisers.' He then turns and looks at Bell. "to be more precise, it belongs to the Kaiser who disappeared centuries ago."
"amazing…" Bell wowed. 'to think that such a legendary weapon really existed..' he then blinks his eyes twice and looks at Kenji. "but why is it left here? Didn't the missing Kaiser took it with him like in the stories?"
"not really." Kenji shakes his head as he looks back at the Devil's Bane. 'although we call it the Devil's Bane because its true name was lost in time. I heard that in the history of Orario's creation by the original Kaisers, the missing Kaiser left behind his weapon that serves as his proof of existence and proof of retirement from the battlefield before he left and never returned.' He then turns back towards Bell. "in basic terms, it is left as a reminder that he once existed."
Bell looks more amazed before he looks confused and became curious when he spotted engraved writing on the surface of the stone pedestal.
"what's this?" Bell asked as he looks closer at the writings.
"it's the writings that are the last message of the missing Kaiser." Kenji replied as Bell looks close at the writings. 'it reads: 'with life there is death, with chaos there is order. Balance must be preserved for the one who will wield this sword. Only by conquering the darkness and embracing the light will the power residing in this weapon be acquired.' It's what it says.' He crossed his arms and smiles a bit. "it means that if anyone wishes to wield this sword, they must be worthy enough. If not, it won't ever come out of the stone." He then shrugs his shoulders. "many adventurers in and out of Orario tried to pull it out for centuries, but no one succeeded." He held his hands up and sighs with a smile. "Not even our ancestors were able to pull this sword out of the stone."
"not even dad and the others?" Bell asked while looking at Kenji who shakes his head.
"no one." Kenji replied before he points a finger out. "my old man once told me that besides someone who is worthy, the Devil's Bane can also be drawn out by a different method.."
"different method?" Bell asked with an eyebrow raised. "what is it?"
"the Devil's Bane can be drawn out of the stone pedestal if the descendants of the missing Kaiser pulls it out." Kenji said while pulling out another finger before recrossing his arms. 'you see, weapons that are alike with the Devil's Bane here are all wielded by the direct descendants of the Original Kaisers.' He then waves a hand to the side. "you must've seen Uncle Helios and the others having matching swords with different colored gems, right?"
"now that you mention it…" Bell muttered out in remembering the time before his training as he once saw Helios and the others wielding swords that appeared out of magic. "they did wield those swords."
"those swords are the Original Kaiser's weapons in the story." Kenji said while uncrossing his arms and placing his hands on his waist. 'they can only be wielded by the descendants of their first owners or by someone who is worthy and has been chosen.' He then looks at the Devil's Bane. "the same thing works for this sword right here. it can only be wielded by the missing Kaiser's descendants or someone worthy enough for it."
"so that's the reason…" Bell muttered out as he cups his chin. "it would make sense since the Missing Kaiser never returned to Orario in history."
"this sword remains in the stone pedestals for centuries." Kenji said while crossing his arms. 'it remains here until the one worthy to pull it arrives.' He then glanced at Bell. "or the one who is the Missing Kaiser's descendants wield it."
Bell nodded in understanding as he reaches out a hand to the sword and got a zap that made him yelp.
"oh right, I forgot to tell you that it zaps anyone who isn't worthy of it." Kenji said with a smiling laugh. "sorry about that."
"r-right.." Bell nods while rubbing his zapped hand that he blows on a few times. He then looks at Kenji. "where to next, Kenji?"
"it's the final stop." Kenji said as he uncrosses his arms and then points a finger up into the air. "the next place is for you to meet up with Aunt Meteria."
"eh?" Bell blinks his eyes in confusion before he looks up and gasped in shock when a very large shadow shrouds upon him. "w-what is that?!"
"That there is the Underworld Castle." Kenji said with a grin as he looks up to see a very large dark black castle that is floating in the sky while surrounded by a large golden metallic ring that rotates around it. "it's the Home for the Kaiser Familia."
Bell looks with wide eyes to see the castle as it slowly floats down and descends a large round stone pedestal.
A few minutes later, Bell is now within the domain of the Underworld Castle as he looks around in pure amazement to see everything that is located inside.
The interior looks like royalty as there are items that are in the highest of classes and luxurious. From grand and powerful looking weapons to beautifully drawn paintings that show images of Helios and the others.
"I never knew that such a place could exist…." Bell whispers in pure amazement before he gets a pat to the shoulder by Kenji who came walking pass him.
"you never knew cause it was never written in story books and stuff." Kenji said as he motions for Bell to follow to which he did after a few seconds. The brown haired man looks in front as he leads his cousin into the interior of the castle. 'this place is called the Underworld Castle, and it's a Home that was built by the Original Kaisers. Its main purpose is to serve as the headquarters for the Kaisers along with their descendants who take on their duties for the sake of Orario and it is also the place where Uncle Helios resides as the King of Orario' he then glanced at the white haired young man. "this is also where you were first born."
"r-really?" Bell asked as Kenji nodded before looking at front.
Bell walks with Kenji who gives more detail explanation of the Underworld Castle as he showed him around before reaching to a large metal door at the end of a hallway.
"here we are." Kenji said as he place a hand to the surface of the door that shakes and rumbles before swinging open.
Bell looks at the door opening as he shields his eyes when bright light came shining out and hitting his face.
"b-bright!" Bell said as he place a hand over his eyes that slowly adjusts themselves to see that the room behind the large door is actually a grand and luxurious room that has large eight way doors including the one that had opened. The content of the chamber are couches, bookshelves, a fireplace, carpets, paintings, and flower vases everywhere, but in the middle there is a large round table with 8 seats that has a few occupants. "this place is?"
"this is the Lounging Room." Kenji replied as he walks in and leads Bell. "it's the place where the Kaisers would gather together for family time or just to discuss some important things."
"wow…" Bell looks amazed to the beauty inside the chamber before he sees the occupants by the large round table who are waving to his direction. "Uncle Helios… Aunt Melinoe… Uncle Polemos.."
By the table there is Helios who wears a king like outfit along with Melinoe and Polemos, both wearing luxurious and fancy noble like dress and suits.
"yo, had fun with the tour of the city?" Helios greeted his nephew with a smile while Melinoe and Polemos nodded in greeting. The white haired half elf is setting aside a paper to a stack on the table as it seems that it was paperwork. "how was the tour?"
"it was great." Bell said with a smile. "there are so many great things in the city that I'm just surprised each time."
"that's good to hear." Helios nodded with a smile.
"Uncle Helios, you really are the King of Orario." Bell said in seeing the attire that his father's twin is wearing.
"ah this?" Helios said while tugging on the collar of his attire. 'this is just for appearance and stuff.' He then chuckles while waving a hand to the side. "to be honest, I don't like to wear it cause it's hot and uncomfortable."
"you always say that to every clothes that you don't usually wear." Melinoe stated to Helios while raising an eyebrow before she adjusted the sleeves of her dress. "but I can agree the same since this clothes are so tight and loose sometimes."
"you have it easy." Polemos said with a grumbling voice. "I have to wear this all day long while you only wear it half a day."
"enough about fancy yet uncomfortable clothes." Helios said as he takes off the robe of his attire and place it aside. "since you're here, I'm guessing that it's time for you to meet back with your mother, right?"
"yes." Bell said with a nod before scratching the back of his head. "although I first thought I would meet her back at home and not here."
"it's for the celebration of your completion in your training, right?" Polemos said as he leans back against his seat. 'Meteria was very vent on the idea to celebrate it in Orario.' He sighs and raise his hands up. "she really is a very doting mother…"
"don't say that when Alfia is around." Melinoe said crossing her arms on the table.
"Kenji, Meteria and the others are waiting by the next room." Helios told Kenji while pointing to a doorway. "take Bell there."
"still too busy with your work, Uncle Helios?" Kenji asked with a small grin.
"can't you see that by how many paperwork I have to do?" Helios replied as he sighs and takes one paper from the stack on the table. "I am swamped by these things and can't be bothered too much."
"same here." Melinoe said and Polemos in unison as they sounded tired and frustrated.
"stay strong and good luck." Kenji said with a grin before he looks at Bell and did a follow me motion with his right hand. "come on, Bell."
Bell nods as he follows Kenji who leads him to the nearby doorway.
"hey, Bell." Helios suddenly calls out to Bell who stops and turns to see his uncle smiling while doing a thumbs up with Melinoe and Polemos. "congrats on completing your training and good luck on your adventurer test tomorrow."
Bell smiles and nodded to the three in gratitude.
Afterwards, Bell follows Kenji who leads him to the doorway that opened and leans to a separate hallway from the Lounging Room.
The door opens and soon closes when Bell and Kenji walks through into the hallway and stands before another door that opens.
Bell looks at the door opening as it soon shows a large dining room where there is a huge round dining table filled with many mouthwatering meals. The people in the room consists of Alfia, Makaria, Sotares, Hephaestus, and a few other random people who are acquaintances of the family.
"hey, you guys!" Kenji calls out as he walks in with a grin. "Bell's here!"
The gathered group turns and smiles before having some cheers for Bell who came.
"everyone…" Bell said as he looks around and smiles before he runs. "Mom!"
Meteria is seen in the group as she is smiling happily and then open her arms to catch and then hugs Bell. Mother and Son hugging in happiness to be with each other after a month of separation.
The group in the Dining room let out some cheers as they gathered around Bell and Meteria.
The time passes as the celebration for Bell's welcoming to Orario goes on.
Currently Bell is with Meteria as both are eating and chatting together.
"and then, I was taught how to use magic by dad." Bell said as he holds up his right hand where a small spark of fire appears floating on his palm. "the spell in the Grimoire that Aunt Makaria told me is really awesome."
"indeed." Meteria said with a giggling smile before she patted her son's head. "just remember to not get burned by it, ok?"
Bell nods before he gets a hand on his head that ruffles his hair. He looks up and smiles as he is met with a tall young man with short black hair, black eyes, and wears an outfit matching to the one Polemos usually wears.
"Takeshi-san!" Bell said with a smile as the man's name is Takeshi Arc Kaiser who is the son of Polemos and the stepson of Alfia.
"yo!" Takeshi greeted with a grin. "you really grown up from the last time we met, Bell!"
"yes!" Bell said with a nod before sees two more people joining Takeshi from behind. "ah! Aunt Miwa! Yuki-neesan!"
The two people joining Takeshi are a pair of women as one looks to be in his 70s considering that she has whiteish silver hair, and wears a blue and black traditional eastern kimono, and gettas. The other woman is a renard, a beastmen based on a fox. Her hair and the fur on her ears and tail are red, she wears a pinkish yukata and gettas, and she is carrying a baby renard with pink fur and hair and wears a pink onesie with a fluffy pink tail sticking out from behind.
They are Miwa Iron God Kaiser who is the wife of Ploutos and mother of Kenji, while the other is Yuki Blade Kaiser who is Melinoe's daughter and the mother of Yukina Blade Kaiser, the baby renard who is carried in her arms.
"long time no see, Bell." Miwa greeted with a smile. "been well?"
"yes!" Bell said as he stands up and bows to her before he looks and smiles to the renard and her child. "I know it's late but congratulations on becoming a mother, Yuki-neesan!"
"thank you, Bell." Yuki replied with a smile. 'it's really good to see you again.' She then looks at the baby renard in her arms and gently held her hand then points it towards Bell. "come on, Yukina. Say hello to your Uncle Bell."
"Mwamwa?" the baby renard made a confused babble as she looks at Bell who smiles with a hand waved around. "Bwa?"
"it's Bell." Yuki said with a giggle as she pecks her child's forehead before looking at Bell. "sorry, Bell. seems that she needs to learn more to say your name."
"it's fine." Bell said as he goes near and gently held Yukina's little right hand and shaking it up and down. "nice to meet you, Yukina."
Yukina looks at Bell all confused at first before she smiles and giggles happily.
"where are the others?" Meteria asked Miwa. "they couldn't make it?"
"just like with Helios and the others. They were all too busy with their jobs." Miwa replied while raising her hands and shrugging her shoulders as she sighs with a smile. 'we only made it here after we finish our jobs early' she then points a finger up. "but they send their regards and support for Bell."
"I see." Meteria said with a smile before she hears babbling from Yukina who reaches out her little hands to the white haired woman who giggles with a happy face. "awww~! Does little Yukina wants grandma Meteria to carry her~?! okay~! Grandma Meteria will carry her~!"
Meteria speaks out all playfully as Yuki passes her daughter to her aunt who carried her and began to cuddle her with love that made her giggle and squeal in delight.
While Meteria immerses herself with her niece's daughter, Takeshi is in conversation with Bell.
"Kamui and the others couldn't make it, but they asked me to send their regards and their support for you." Takeshi said as he patted his cousin's right shoulder a few times and then smiles to him. "you may not want to become a Kaiser, but you got the skills to become a great adventurer. We just know it."
"yes, thank you." Bell said with a smile as Takeshi ruffles his hair and grins.
The celebratory party for Bell's welcoming to Orario continues but it ended when the time reached midnight.
Within a luxurious bedroom, Bell is found asleep on a big queen size bed he is sleeping peacefully on while being watched over by Meteria who sat by the bed and smiles at her son. She caresses his head and strokes his hair several times.
"have a nice dream, Bell." Meteria whispers as she leans down and pecks her son's head.
Meteria continues to stroke his head before she turns and smiles when Zagreus appears in the room. The half elf man walking in silence as he went to his wife who gets off the bed and made her way to him.
"welcome back." Meteria said as she and Zagreus shares a kiss before both looks upon Bell. "he really has grown."
"indeed." Zagreus nods as he hardens his gaze a bit to Bell. "truly."
Meteria looks at her husband and sees his expression that made her sigh with a smile before reaching out a hand to caress his cheek.
"don't be like that." Meteria whispers as she leans close to her husband. "you should be proud for him. he's our son and he's going to become an adventurer."
"I wish that I can be proud of him." Zagreus said as he leans away from Meteria and takes a few steps towards the large window in the room. 'but I can't.' he looks at the moon and then let out a long quiet sigh. "you know that we're taking a huge risk bringing him back here. This city still isn't safe." He looks down and forms a small frown on his face. "not only the danger hidden in this city will come after Bell, but it might also come for Yuki's daughter. Both are so young, weak, and unprepared. If we let this go on.." he raise his right hand and forms a hard fist when he sees a flashback of Orario being succumbed in flames. "that tragedy of the past..!"
Zagreus gritted his teeth as he grips his fist very hard before Meteria came and gently grasped it with both of her hands. The half elf turns towards her and sees her having a small sad frown that disappears when she looks up to him with a smile.
"it'll be alright." Meteria said in a whisper as she leans close and grasped Zagreus' right fist. 'it'll be alright, Zagreus. Bell, Yukina, everyone, our family. They'll be alright.' She leans her head to Zagreus' shoulder and closed her eyes. "the tragedy in the past scarred our minds and souls, but it cannot be left as a ghost that can continue to haunt our lives. We have to move forward and strive for the future."
"how are we supposed to move forward after what happened that day?" Zagreus asked as he remembers flashbacks of himself looking upon bloodied dead corpses of several individuals that flashed into his mind repeatedly. He looks down and his frown grew with a single tear dripping down his left red eye. "the lives that were lost that day….they can't be brought back.."
Meteria leans closer to Zagreus as she gently takes his hand and placed it to her chest, allowing him to feel her heartbeat.
"it's true that the lives lost in that tragedy won't ever return to us." Meteria said in a whispering sad voice as she frowns with tearing up eyes. She then looks up at her husband and showed him a smile. 'but it was thanks to their sacrifice did Orario was able to prosper once again, it was thanks to them that we were able to be together.' She then leans close and rested herself against the half elf's chest while closing her eyes. "It was thanks to them….that Bell was born safely."
Zagreus made a small noise as he sees a flashback of running into a room where the sound of a newborn's cries rang out endlessly. The cries come from a white haired infant who is carried gently in Meteria's arms. the mother smiling in tears to the child before to the half elf.
"I just wished.." Zagreus said as he slowly closes his eyes. "I just wished that they could still be here and see our family growing even more."
"I know.." Meteria whispers as she hugs her husband and leans close to him. 'please, Zagreus. Don't let the fear conquer you. Don't let it overpower you.' She looks up and smiles to him. "for their sake."
Zagreus slowly nods his head and hugs Meteria as he leans his face close to her neck while his hands held her waist and back.
Both parents stayed in their embrace for a minute before they separate and walked to the door to leave the room and Bell who remains asleep during their conversation.
That's a wrap!
Bye bye