Next day.
"So, Goddesses... why have you both been prepping for hours? Do you have somewhere to be?" Bell asked, sprawled across the sofa, glancing between Hestia and Astraea, who had been bustling around.
Astraea's expression turned somber as she gazed into a handheld mirror.
"Yes, there is a Denatus today. We've decided to attend, especially after what you did." Her fingers dug into the mirror, her voice hardening.
"Huh?"
Bell sat upright, eyes narrowing as he looked at her.
"Why would you want to go there? Won't every god be against us? No matter the reason, Ares was a god after all. Killing him meant crossing a red line." He spoke after a moment's thought.
"Sending him back to Heaven. Not killing." Astraea's brows furrowed as she corrected him.
That reminded Bell—gods were entirely cut off from Heaven when they descended. To the rest of Orario, Ares had simply been sent back.
Little did they know he had been devoured.
It would probably take months for the truth to reach someone like Ouranos, and by then, Bell would be strong enough to handle any backlash.
"Besides, being a god does not give Ares the right to involve innocents in his wars. His antics were fine as long as they did not involve killing others, but this time he crossed a line, and not just once—he even unsealed his Arcanum against you. So other gods can't blame you for crossing one in return." Astraea's words made him nod along with her.
"You don't have to worry, Bell. Whatever they say, we're both with you." Hestia chimed in from a chair nearby, tying her hair into a ponytail instead of her usual twin tails.
"Oh, I'm not worried. At least not anymore after summoning Aunt." He said while gazing up the stairs.
Astraea and Hestia both followed his gaze, their tense bodies loosening by a fraction.
"You're right, your Aunt... she would stand with us even if no one else does." Astraea set her mirror down on the low table, her voice gaining more strength.
"Besides, we have Ryuu too." Hestia rose from her chair, smoothing out some creases on her clothes.
Haruhime emerged from the kitchen just then, carrying a tray with three cups of hot coffee.
"We can't forget about Haruhime too." Bell spoke as she stopped beside him, tilting her head slightly.
"Bell-sama." She offered him a cup, her fox ears giving a small, pleased flick when he took it without looking away from the goddesses.
"Astraea-sama." Haruhime moved on, careful not to spill.
"We've become a small family now. I still remember when it just used to be me and Astraea fussing over Bell whenever he went for a dungeon dive." Hestia mused aloud, a reminiscent gleam in her eyes.
"It's just that... your Aunt doesn't seem to like us." Astraea spoke between sips, glancing upstairs once again.
Haruhime offered the last cup to Hestia.
"No, not just you all, she doesn't like anyone else. Says that they're noisy, from what I know. Though she'll come around eventually. At least I'll try to have her meet everyone properly." Bell took a deep gulp of coffee, letting its bitter taste linger on his tongue.
A comfortable silence settled between them as they sipped their coffee together.
Bell took a last sip and asked,
"What about my Falna update? We forgot about it yesterday after—ahem—you know what I mean." He closed his eyes, feeling a phantom pain flare across his cheek where Alfia had punched.
Astraea's eyebrow rose. Hestia's lips twitched, holding back a giggle, and even Haruhime felt her step falter on her way back.
"We'll do it after coming back from the Denatus. We're running tight on time." Astraea replied after glancing at a clock.
"I'll accompany you there." Bell opened his eyes, setting his cup down as he rose from the sofa.
"Let's go then, my coffee is done too." Hestia placed her cup down beside Bell's.
"Hm." Astraea affirmed with a nod, settling her cup beside theirs.
All of them were ready to go, but before they did, Bell walked toward the stairs and called out.
"Aunt... will you come with us?"
No reply came.
One second. Two seconds. Three.
"Guess that's a no." Bell turned on his heel and walked back to the Goddesses.
"Let's go, Aunt isn't coming."
"I thought so." Astraea sighed, finger tapping her forehead.
"It's fine, we weren't expecting her to accompany us in the first place." Hestia spoke, already resigned to Alfia being a tough nut to crack.
Before stepping out, Bell called out without looking back.
"Take care of the house until we come back, Haruhime."
"You can leave it to me, Bell-sama." Came her voice from behind.
He stepped out with Hestia and Astraea on either side of him, walking in the direction of Babel with calm, unhurried steps.
...
..
.
Tower of Babel.
A circular plaza of white marble stretched out at Babel's base, expanding outward from the tower to encompass the surrounding area, large enough to hold thousands at a time.
Along the plaza's boundary stood multiple twenty-foot-tall pillars of black stone. Each pillar bore a statue of a god resting on its flat top. Stalls had been set up near those pillars by people looking to do business during Denatus gathering.
At the plaza's very centre sat a hundred stairs leading up to huge doors that opened into Babel. Each stair was of average height but ten times longer than average, making it possible for multiple people to climb or descend at speed.
After every twenty steps, benches lined the edge for those who needed to rest.
Astraea, Hestia, and Bell came to a stop right before those stairs.
No mortal was allowed past the first step, at least not until Denatus concluded.
Bell looked to his right.
Freya's top executives were stationed under the sweltering heat. Ottar stood like a statue carved from stone, his sheer mass casting a long shadow.
Beside him, Allen Fromel grumbled under his breath, silver leg protectors gleaming, while Hogni Ragnar sat on a nearby bench, drawing a cloth across his crimson-black blade with unhurried, deliberate strokes.
Bell turned to his left.
Bete Loga had his back against a pillar, arms folded and orange eyes tracking every movement.
Further along, Finn Deimne sat on a bench, legs swinging idly above the ground as his fingers rested on his spear. Beside him, Riveria Ljos Alf sat in serene silence, her long ears twitching slightly as her fingers wrapped around a silver staff.
Hestia followed his gaze and spoke.
"So... the Loki Familia executives are back?"
"It seems so..." Bell replied, pulling his gaze back.
Just as he had been watching them, every one of them had been watching him—from Ottar all the way to Riveria.
"Well then, Bell... we are going. Take care." Astraea said as her hand came up to cup his cheek, thumb tracing his jaw.
"And remember, don't fight anyone while we're gone, alright?" Hestia pinched his arm from the side.
Bell smiled.
"No promises."
Astraea pulled her hand back from his face—slowly, reluctantly—and stepped away.
Hestia released his arm and walked to stand beside Astraea.
Bell waved as both of them turned and began climbing the stairs.
Then he turned back too, walking toward a bench some distance away to sit, countless eyes following his every move.
...
..
.
Denatus.
Inside a large, opulent assembly hall with rows of seats arranged in a semi-circular formation, gods were gossiping with one another about everything from Freya and Loki Familia's return to Orario, to something as mundane as whose cat ate more cat food today.
Freya sat on a high platform, countless gods and goddesses hovering around her like flies around honey.
Loki sat across from Freya, her arms behind her head, reclining against the seat behind her. Most gods kept away from her, with some exceptions.
At a corner sat Hermes, keeping to himself this time instead of gossiping with others as usual.
Hephaestus sat at her own place, surrounded by a considerable number of deities. Most gods were already here—Takemikazuchi, Miach, Dionysus, Demeter, and even Ishtar.
Among them, a god couldn't take it anymore and shouted.
"Why are you all gossiping like nothing is wrong!? A mortal just broke the rules and killed a god in broad daylight! Why hasn't he already been dragged here for execution by now!?"
Every gaze present snapped toward him simultaneously.
A heavy silence fell, stretching for a long minute before it was broken by others.
From gods of minor crafts, goddesses of weaving, deities of rivers and roads, to every other minor divinity—each of them felt their masks of composure slip, their reactions visceral and uncontrolled, like something they had been desperately holding back bursting out all at once.
Panic set in.
Some stood to their feet, voices raised, demanding action. "A mortal killed a god! What's stopping him from killing us next?"
Others shrank into their seats, trying to make themselves small, invisible. A few started openly weeping. One goddess of salt fainted outright and was being fanned by her neighbor.
And amidst that pandemonium, Astraea and Hestia stepped inside. They had barely taken a step before they were bombarded by accusations from hundreds of deities.
"—Astraea! What have you been teaching your child—"
"—He killed Ares—"
"—Execute—"
Hestia felt her breath hitch, the weight of their fury pressing down on her shoulders like a mountain, making her whole frame tremble.
Astraea walked ahead, pushing Hestia behind her back to face every accusation head on.
Before things could escalate, Freya held a hand up and spoke.
"Everyone... calm down first."
Her voice instantly quieted the hall.
Astraea nodded at Freya once before continuing on her way, taking an isolated seat with no god nearby. Hestia settled herself beside her, forcing herself to glare back at every god glaring at them. Unbeknownst to everyone else, a blood red eye from within Astraea's shadow was taking everything in.
"So... who is the host this time for Denatus?" Freya asked, making every deity look around with questioning faces.
"It's me this time." Loki got up from her seat, walking ahead to stop at the center of the gathering. Her gaze swept over every god in her surroundings.
Then, under their gazes, Loki put her hands to her hips and spoke.
"We have gathered here this time for a single reason. Ares being sent back to Heaven by a mortal, Bell Cranel."
"Some of you want him executed. Some of you want him pardoned. Some of you even want Astraea exiled from Orario. We don't have enough time to hear how every single one of you wants this resolved, so we'll do a vote right here." Loki brought her arms up, wrapping them around her chest.
"But before that... let us hear what Astraea has to say." She announced, turning her gaze toward Astraea.
A fragile silence stretched.
Astraea broke it.
"First of all... I want to remind all of you, Ares caused a war that made countless people of Orario die needlessly. Some among them might have been your children, or your children's families. He had crossed a line." A small number of gods nodded unconsciously at her words.
"Secondly, all of you know it—Ares broke the rules about not using Arcanum in the Lower World by using it against my child. If my child defending his life is a sin... then us gods have truly fallen too low." Astraea's words shut many deities who were about to refute her.
"If despite this, you all want to blame my child, then be ready to bear the wrath of a Goddess of Justice." Her words instantly ignited outrage among countless gods.
"—How dare you, Astraea—"
"—That mortal has bewitched her—"
"—Execute her too—"
Loki's lips tugged upward, soon stretching wide into a grin.
"Alright everyone, quiet down for a moment." Her words worked; most minor gods were cowed into silence.
"Let's do a vote. Those who want Bell Cranel executed will vote. Those who don't will withhold their votes." She didn't wait for a breath before pointing a finger straight at Demeter.
"Huh? Me?" Demeter pointed at herself, then looked around.
"Vote or no vote?" Loki asked, her grin practically splitting her face.
Demeter's wandering gaze landed on Hestia's pleading face and she froze. With a resigned expression, she spoke.
"No vote."
Other gods went wild.
"—What—" "—Demeter has gone ma—" "—Someone save us—"
"Freya?" Loki's finger swung to Freya.
She looked at Astraea and Hestia, then turned her face toward a wall, peering through it to a presence sitting just outside Babel.
"No vote."
Screams.
"—How!—" "—Freya too!?—" "—That mortal—"
"Hephaestus?" Loki pointed to Hephaestus next.
The goddess of forge glanced once at Hestia and sighed.
"No vote."
BAM!
A god slammed his fist down on the stone slab before him.
"Hermes?"
With a stiff smile, Hermes choked out, feeling like he had swallowed something bitter.
"No vote."
Another god screamed like a banshee.
"Now, my own turn." Loki's grin receded, her smile turning gentle. Yet every god who saw it felt a chill race down their spine.
"No vote."
Pin-drop silence. Not even a twitch.
All other gods were suppressed by the accumulated momentum of nearly every top Familia in Orario refusing to vote.
"I guess that wraps everything up, right?" Loki didn't wait for an answer, already turning to adjourn—
"I vote."
A voice cut through the hall, sharp and sultry. Countless gazes snapped toward Ishtar. She lounged in her seat, a calculating, mocking gleam in her eyes.
Her declaration was a spark in a room full of gunpowder. If a major goddess like Ishtar wasn't afraid, why should they be?
"I vote."
"I vote."
"I vote."
One god after another started to vote—some out of fear, some for sport, some out of envy. Ishtar smirked from her seat.
"I vote! We want Bell Cranel executed!"
A god roared, and more followed.
"—Execute—"
"—EXEcute—"
"—EXECUTE—"
Their collective screams soon overpowered every other sound, swelling into a deafening chant.
Hestia clutched her ears tight with her palms, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.
Astraea's expression was grave, her teeth biting into her lip as she glared at Ishtar.
Freya gazed down at Ishtar, all emotion wiped from her face.
Loki looked at Ishtar, her closed eyes opening fully.
Hestia kept her eyes shut, yet some chants still reached her.
"—EXECUTE—"
Why?
Bell was just protecting himself. Why are all of them like this?
An involuntary tear slipped down her cheek and fell.
It met the ground below.
Tap.
...
..
.
Bell sat on a bench with his eyes closed, his body as still as sculpture, fingers curled around the bench's edge.
Through his eye lurking in Astraea's shadow, he heard everything.
"—Execute—"
His grip remained relaxed around wood.
"—EXEcute—"
His breathing was calm.
"—EXECUTE—"
His expression still tranquil.
Tap.
His eyes snapped open.
The bench beneath him groaned, wood splintering from where his grip had crushed it.
He looked up at the gates leading into Babel and stood up.
Some distance away, Finn tightened his hold on his spear, thumb flaring a dire warning.
Bell took a step forward.
Hogni froze while wiping his sword.
Another step.
Bete unwrapped his folded arms.
Another.
Allen adjusted his stance.
Another.
Riveria's staff gave a faint, humming pulse.
Another.
Ottar moved.
A blink.
Finn stood at his right, spear point leveled at his throat.
Bete stood behind him, claws aimed at his back.
Allen stood to his left, another spear trained on his leg.
Hogni stood between Allen and Bete, his blade angled toward his shoulder.
Ottar stood ahead of him, towering over his frame, the black sword resting on his shoulder.
"No mortal is allowed inside. Not even you, Bell Cranel." Finn spoke.
"Kid, pipe down and turn around while I'm still feeling merciful." Allen warned.
"Some weakling thinks he's a hotshot after killing a god." Bete scoffed.
"...I don't want to do this. But my goddess is in there." Hogni whispered.
"You shall not pass." Ottar declared.
Bell looked past them at the stairs leading up. Then at each of them in turn.
Finn.
Allen.
Bete.
Hogni.
Ottar.
He rolled his shoulder—eerily reminiscent of Ares.
"Is that so..."
...
..
.
***
[300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
[8 chapters ahead on P@tr3on = [email protected]/Not_Aaryan]
...
[Authors Thoughts]
I started to write and didn't even feel when time went away. When I got up, I had this.
Enjoy.