So I am working on the next few chapters. Nothing big yet. Just character introductions and settling in.
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As a warning this story is for Mature audiences only. While it is not there yet, it will be.
Later That Night After Bell Had gone to bed.
The floorboards creaked as the three adults gathered around the kitchen table once more, their expressions somber in the dim lamplight. Zeus poured three glasses of amber liquid, sliding them across the worn wooden surface.
"He's finally asleep," Alfia said, her elegant fingers wrapped around her glass without drinking. "Though I doubt he'll stay that way for long with all that excitement."
Zald took a long drink, his weathered face unreadable. "The boy has heart. I'll give him that."
"Heart isn't enough," Alfia replied sharply. "Not against what's out there. Not against is in that wretched city or what lies in Dungeon."
Zeus leaned forward, his usual jovial demeanor replaced by the gravitas of the former Familia leader. "We've kept him sheltered for ten years. Perhaps too sheltered."
"And now you think throwing him to the wolves is the solution?" Alfia's eyes flashed dangerously.
"No one's throwing him anywhere," Zald interjected. "But he's not a child anymore, not after tonight. He knows the truth now—some of it, at least."
Silence settled between them as each considered the implications. The wooden clock on the wall ticked steadily, marking the passage of time that seemed to be slipping away from them all.
"I believe he has magic potential," Alfia finally said, her voice softer.
"Given that he is your nephew I expected as much." Zeus commented.
"The question is whether his body can keep up with his spirit. He has potential, but the question becomes how that will manifest." Zald said as he took a drink.
"Well, for right now he as no blessing beyond what any normal human might possess." Zeus finished, taking a deep drink.
"Yet," Alfia corrected. "He has no blessing yet. And that's precisely what concerns me." She leaned forward, her white hair catching the lamplight. "I know that look in your eye, old man. You're already plotting which deity to send him to when the time comes."
Zeus didn't deny it. "The boy will need a Familia eventually. One worthy of him."
"And your definition of 'worthy' worries me," Alfia said sharply. "Half the deities you respect are either philanderers or outright perverts."
"Or both," Zald added dryly.
Silence fell over the table as his words sank in.
"We have five years," Zald finally said. "five years to prepare him, to make him strong enough to survive in Orario."
"Not just survive," Alfia corrected. "If he's going to Orario, he needs to be strong enough to thrive there. To stand on his own two feet when neither of us can stand beside him."
The unspoken truth hung heavy in the air—that their conditions were progressing, that the herbs and holy tree sap were merely delaying the inevitable.
Zeus swirled the amber liquid in his glass, watching the way it caught the lamplight. His normally jovial face turned solemn as he leaned forward, elbows on the table.
"How are you two really feeling?" he asked quietly, his voice lacking its usual bombastic quality. "And I mean truly feeling—not what you tell the boy, or what you tell yourselves."
Alfia and Zald exchanged glances, a moment of silent communication passing between the two.
"You want the unvarnished truth?" Alfia asked, her elegant fingers tightening slightly around her untouched glass. "I feel like I'm drowning by inches. Some days are better than others, but the trajectory remains the same."
Zald nodded grimly. "The Behemoth's poison continues its work. I can feel it spreading, bit by bit, despite Hermes' deliveries."
"And how long?" Zeus pressed, his ancient eyes revealing a depth of concern he rarely showed. "How much time do you truly believe you have?"
"Maybe six or seven years," Zald finally said, his voice flat. "Or if I'm careful and don't exert myself too much during training maybe longer. But that's optimistic."
Zeus nodded slowly, turning to Alfia, who sighed, her white hair falling forward as she looked down at the table.
"About the same. If I refrain from using magic I could potentially extend it by a year at best. Each time I call upon my magic, it accelerates the disease ever so slightly. Seven years, perhaps eight if I'm extremely cautious. But I refuse to coddle the boy in his training." she admitted softly.
Zeus drained his glass, setting it down with a soft thud. "Then we have our timeline. Five years of intensive training with both of you, then—"
"Then we send Bell to Orario," Zald finished. "And then we hope to the gods that we are still healthy enough to travel after Bell sets off."
"You'll have to find him a Familia," Alfia cut in, her voice tight with emotion "A good one, Zeus. Not one of your lecherous friends. Someone who will value him for more than his potential or his lineage."
Zeus nodded solemnly. "I've been considering possibilities. There are still a few deities I trust, even in Orario."
"Such as?" Zald prompted.
"There are still those loyal to us scattered throughout Orario," Zeus replied. "Hermes, for one."
Zald snorted. "Hermes is loyal to his own amusement first and foremost."
"But he honors his debts," Zeus countered. "And he owes us many."
"Not enough to stand against Loki or Freya if they discover Bell's connection to us," Alfia warned.
"Then we ensure he has other allies," Zeus said firmly. "Other options. There is Miach he is good honest god. Hephaestus would take him if asked. Ganesha is the same. Then there is Astraea. The Goddess of Justice has always been honorable, even during our exile. Her Familia still upholds the principles we once stood for."
Zald scoffed, leaning back in his chair with a mirthless chuckle. "Astraea? The Goddess of Justice with those warrior maidens?" He shook his head. "I see what you're doing, old man. You're not looking for a proper deity—you're trying to set the boy up with a harem."
"What?" Zeus sputtered, feigning innocence poorly. "I would never—"
"You absolutely would," Zald cut him off. "Those 'Justice Girls' as they're called in Orario are known for their beauty as much as their strength. And you'd send our Bell right into their midst."
Alfia's chair scraped harshly against the wooden floor as she stood, her slender frame suddenly radiating a deadly aura. She loomed over Zeus, heterchomatic eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.
"Is that what this has all been about?" she hissed, her voice dropping to the quiet tone that both men recognized as far more dangerous than her shouts. "Training Bell to be a hero so you can live vicariously through him and his 'conquests'?"
Zeus raised his hands defensively. "Now, Alfia, be reasonable. Astraea is genuinely one of the most honorable goddesses in Orario. Her Familia upholds a real and tangible justice, not the corrupted version Loki and Freya peddle."
"And the fact that her Familia consists entirely of beautiful women is just coincidence?" Alfia's hands began to clench as she started to gather Mind that preceded the use of her magic.
"Not entirely," Zeus admitted, edging his chair back slightly. "But consider the advantages! They're strong, principled warriors who could protect Bell while he grows. And they stand against the very corruption that exiled us."
"Sigh. As much as I hate to agree with him. He has a point," Zald said reluctantly. "Familia composition aside, Astraea's Familia maintains a formidable and honorable reputation. They're among the few who still uphold the old ideals of what adventurers should be."
Alfia's magical aura dimmed slightly, though her glare remained fixed on Zeus.
"I won't have Bell corrupted by your perverted worldview," Alfia declared firmly. "He deserves better than to be molded into your mini-me, chasing skirts through Orario."
Zald cleared his throat, drawing both their attention. "Speaking of corruption... there's something else we need to discuss." His weathered face grew somber. "How much of the truth should Bell actually know before we send him to Orario?"
The tension in the room shifted, Alfia's anger momentarily displaced by confusion. "What do you mean? We've already told him the most important parts."
"But not everything," Zald replied, his voice low. "Not about the other survivors. Not about what happened to some of our comrades."
Zeus's shoulders slumped as he sank back into his chair. "You're talking about Alex, Hector and the others."
"Among others," Zald nodded grimly. "The ones who refused to accept the exile. The ones who tried to fight back."
Alfia's expression darkened as she slowly sat back down. "They were made examples of."
"Precisely," Zald said. "And did you see Bell's face tonight? The way he reacted just to hearing about the exile order? The anger, the indignation?"
"He has his mother's sense of justice," Alfia said softly, a hint of pride in her voice despite the gravity of the conversation. "And Meteria was incredibly kind but once she was provoked."
"hehehe. I remember seeing Hera begging for forgiveness from Meteria once. Funnest thing I have ever seen in millennium. Seeing that crazy yandere prostrating herself before a wisp of a human girl that was glaring her down and forcing her to submit." Zeus said as he chuckled at the memory.
"ahh. I remember that. I truly enjoyed watching Hera be brought so low." Alfia said with a smile.
"That's exactly what worries me," Zald admitted, suddenly looking every bit his age. "If Bell knew everything —"
"He'd charge into Orario seeking vengeance rather than growth," Alfia finished, her eyes troubled. "He'd make himself a target before he was ready."
Zald nodded solemnly. "The boy declared tonight he wanted to make those who exiled us regret it. Imagine what he'd do if he knew the full extent of what they did."
A heavy silence fell over the kitchen as each contemplated the implications.
"So we lie to him?" Alfia finally asked, her voice uncharacteristically uncertain. "After everything we've taught him about honor?"
"Not lie," Zeus said carefully. "Simply... withhold certain details. For his own protection."
"It's not just about protection," Zald added. "It's about giving him the freedom to forge his own path. If he goes to Orario carrying the full weight of our grudges and regrets, he'll never truly be his own man."
Alfia stared into her untouched drink, conflict evident in her normally composed features. "I don't like it. Keeping things from him feels... dishonest."
"And yet," Zald said quietly, "isn't that what parents do? Shield their children from truths they're not ready to bear?"
The word 'parents' hung in the air, a reminder of the roles they had chosen.
Zeus nodded slowly. "So we keep certain truths from him. For now, at least."
"Until he's ready," Alfia amended. "Until he's strong enough to bear it without being broken by it. Or becoming obsessed with revenge."
"Agreed," Zald said firmly. "We tell him what he needs to know to survive and grow. The rest..." He shook his head. "The rest stays with us."
"What about his parents?" Zeus asked softly. "He deserves to know about them, at least."
"His father?" Zald prompted.
"A hero who died fighting monsters," Zeus decided. "It's not a lie, just... incomplete. We just don't tell him what kind of monster. "
"And his mother?" Zald prompted as he looked at Alfia.
"We'll tell him about Meteria. About her kindness, her love of sweets, her love for him, and how she lived." Alfia's expression softened slightly until shadow passed over Alfia's face as her hands trembled with barely suppressed rage. "If I ever get my hands on that silver-haired whore. I'll feed her to the Damn Dungeon for what she did to all of them."
Zald grunted, his massive hand closing around his glass with enough force that the wood of the table creaked beneath his fist.
"Do that and we doom the mortal realm to the dragon. Or those fucking Evilus lunatics. Trust me, I want to snap that half-pint's neck just as much. But doing so would make the sacrifice of our comrades against the dragon meaningless." His eyes darkened. "They are quite sadly the only thing preventing the world from returning to the Ancient times."
Alfia laughed, a bitter, hollow sound that held no humor, as she shook her head "And so the fate of the mortal realm rests in the hands of a drunken lecher and a whore of a goddess."
"BAh." Zeus scoffed, his normally jovial face hardening into something ancient and terrible. "We should have dealt with them before the OEBD. We knew they always coveted out positions but…"
"We were arrogant and never thought we would lose that badly." Zald said as he took another swig.
"Tch. hindsight really is a bitch." Alfia said as she glared at the cup in front of her.
"They may be necessary for defending the mortal realm but they betrayed everything we stood for. I will never forgive Loki or Freya for what they've done. Never."Zeus finished as the word hung in the air, carrying the weight of divine oath, as the cloudless night sky rumbled overhead.
Zald drained his glass. "Now to prepare Bell for Orario. We need to be practical. The boy has talent, but without having the ability to get a blessing his development will be limited."
"True," Alfia conceded. "But he has advantages they don't. He has us."
Zeus smiled, some of his usual spark returning. "Exactly! Two of the two strongest adventurers Orario has ever known, plus the wisdom of yours truly? The boy couldn't ask for better teachers."
"Don't flatter yourself, old man," Alfia said, but there was no bite in her words.
"Then we begin tomorrow," Zald said with finality. "Three years to forge a hero. Three years to prepare him for a city that destroyed our familias the first chance it got."
The three fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts. The lamp flickered, casting long shadows across the kitchen walls as the night deepened around their small farmhouse. Outside, stars glittered in the vast darkness, indifferent to the plans of gods and mortals alike.
Finally, Zeus raised his glass. "To Bell," he said simply.
"To Bell," Alfia and Zald echoed, raising their glasses in turn
To the future they hoped to build, even if they wouldn't live to see it.
