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Bell burst through the church basement door like an arrow, his face dirty, his hair disheveled, and his smile unfading even with holy water.
"Goddess-samaaaa! I have magic!!" he shouted, his chest puffed out and his eyes shining as if he had won the divine lottery.
Hestia, who had been half asleep and tangled up in an old blanket like a heavenly tamale, jolted awake. She blinked twice, slowly processing what her little boy had just said.
"…Huh? What? Magic? You? Bell-kun?" She stumbled over, still barefoot and with her hair a messy puff of cotton. "What are you talking about? Since when can you use magic?"
"Starting today!" he said, raising his hands as if he'd discovered the truth of the universe. "And not just magic, but a giant mega-explosion! BOOM!"
He struck a dramatic pose with his arms open, as if waiting for fireworks to confirm his words. Hestia stared at him silently for a second... then narrowed her eyes, suspicious.
"…And how do you know you have magic if I haven't upgraded your falna, huh?"
"No, no! Nothing like that!" He waved his hands wildly, still laughing. "It's just… I just… felt it. I heard the voice in my head saying the name of the skill, and then… I exploded!"
Hestia looked at him as if he'd just announced he was marrying with a rock. "Did you explode?"
Bell nodded proudly. "Yes. Literally. I blew myself up… several times. But now it doesn't hurt because I also have another blessing that heals me with fire. It's like fire is my friend now!
Isn't that great?"
Hestia remained silent, swallowing everything she wanted to say to him like a mother who has just discovered that her adopted son is a walking bomb.
"…I'm going to update your status right now." She said, her voice serious, but her eyes twitching. "Lie down. Now. Before you blow up my mattress."
Bell obeyed immediately, laughing as he threw himself onto his stomach. "Don't worry! I know how to control it… I think…"
"That doesn't reassure me in the slightest, Bell-kun!" Hestia replied as she placed the status sheet on his back and began updating it. "You have no idea how many years an adventurer can spend waiting for a magic to work, and you come here exploding like fireworks without even updating!"
Bell, his cheek against the sheet, just grinned like a happy fool.
"…And a blessing that heals you with fire, too? Isn't that a bit convenient?" Hestia muttered, sweating slightly as the blade began to glow as if it were burning itself.
As her finger traced the falna, Hestia's eyes shot open. "What's all this madness?! So many new abilities?! Blessing of the Pyromaniac?! Of Judgment?! Of the Phoenix?! OF THE PHOENIX?!?!"
"Isn't that great?" Bell said, still face down but sounding excited.
Hestia, hair standing on end, grabbed her head and stood up from where she was on top of Bell.
"TELL ME EVERYTHING! NOW!"
Bell, still lying down, let out a small laugh as he turned to face her. His expression was calmer now, but there was also something different in his eyes. As if he'd been through something that couldn't be easily put into words.
"Well…" he began, without the exaggerated excitement of before. "A couple of days ago… I started to doubt. About everything. About whether it's really worth pursuing this dream… of being a hero."
Hestia looked at him silently, surprised by the calm yet melancholic tone with which he said it. Bell looked down.
"I saw ugly things, Goddess. Evil… people. People who only care about themselves. Adventurers dying for nothing. And then I thought… Does any of this really make sense? Or is it just a fantasy I made up to make myself feel better?"
His voice lowered, almost disappearing. But then she smiled softly, looking up again, as if finding some strength amidst her hesitation.
"But Syr… she helped me so much. She fed me without me being able to repay her. She stayed with me. She listened to me… even though I barely said anything. Just by being there… she reminded me why I started this. Not for fame or strength, but because… I want to protect. I want to help. I want someone, someday, to be saved because I was there."
Hestia watched him for a few seconds in silence. Then she approached him and sat beside him, gently placing a hand on his head, ruffling his hair a little.
"Bell…"
He looked at her, a little surprised by the expression on her face: a mixture of tenderness, concern and pride.
"If you ever feel like this again… talk to me about it, okay? You don't have to carry it all alone." Bell nodded silently, with a small smile. Hestia sighed.
"…Although I am worried about that girl Syr. It sounds to me like she's stealing my child…"
Bell laughed a little, and the heavy atmosphere lightened.
"Thank you, Goddess-sama."
She smiled, squeezing his cheek a little.
"You're already strong, Bell. But don't forget… it's okay to lean on others too. No one can be a hero alone."
Bell nodded again. And deep down, he knew those words helped him too. Maybe… being a hero wasn't just about fighting monsters. Maybe… it was also about learning to accept when you need saving.
Bell continued explaining, somewhat calmer but still excited.
"And as Syr comforted me… with her presence, and well, with the free food too… it was weird, but I felt something. Like something was activated in my mind. And suddenly, a new blessing appeared… that allows me to obtain more blessings without you having to update the falna."
Hestia looked at him with increasing disbelief. "What?"
"Yeah. And right after that… a bunch of them appeared. Like six or seven. Just like that. One of them was the Phoenix."
"The Phoenix…"
"The one that lets me revive once if I die."
There was silence.
Hestia blinked. Twice. Then she abruptly stood up, her chair creaking behind her.
"That blessing shouldn't exist!"
Bell was startled.
"Bell, that's not normal! That's not something that can happen! The 'Divine Blessing of the Phoenix'… no recorded ability in the history of Orario has allowed a mortal to dodge death so directly! Not one!"
Bell looked down, somewhat embarrassed. "I… I didn't ask for it…"
"It's not about whether you asked for it or not." Hestia brought a hand to her forehead, massaging her temples. "This breaks every rule of the falna system! It breaks everything I know about how abilities work! You… you just skipped the most fundamental step of all!"
Hestia stared at him. There was a mix of emotions in her eyes: concern, bewilderment… and also a hint of fear. Because, deep down, she knew something bigger was happening with her little adventurer.
Something that escaped even the control of the gods.
Hestia, her eyes still slightly bulging and her hair more ruffled than usual, let out a long sigh. She slumped into a chair and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, as if trying to negotiate the rules of the universe with some higher power… other than herself.
Finally, she turned his head to Bell with a tired, but genuine smile.
"Well… I guess… if anyone had to break the falna system… it had to be you, huh, Bell?"
Bell laughed softly, somewhat nervously. "Is that good?"
Hestia stood up, walked over to him, and ruffled her hair lovingly. "I have no idea. But at least now… you have one more chance to get home alive."
Bell nodded, and for a moment, the weight of what had happened seemed to lift. There was magic, chaos, broken rules, and impossible blessings… but there was also this: coming home. To her.
"Thank you, Goddess."
"Just promise me that blessing won't be used anytime soon. Okay?"
Bell smiled. "I'll try."
"That doesn't sound very reliable!"
"I'll try hard!"
They both laughed. At the end of the day, as unlikely as it was… Bell was still Bell. And Hestia, with all that entailed, couldn't be happier to have him back.
…
The morning sun bathed the streets of Orario in a warm light, and the usual hustle and bustle of the city began to fill the air. Voices, wheels squeaking on the cobblestones… but amidst all that movement, Bell walked with a calm, almost light gait.
The conversation with Hestia the night before had calmed her heart a little. She still found it hard to believe… magic, spontaneous blessings, the possibility of revival… It all kept swirling around in her head, but there was one certainty that remained firm amidst all the chaos:
Syr had helped him. Not with a spell or a blessing, but simply by being there. Listening to him. Smiling. Giving him food. And that's why, today, Bell walked purposefully toward "The Hostess of Fertility."
As he turned a corner, he thought about how much had changed in such a short time. Before, he would never have dared to go back just to say "thank you." But this time… he wanted to. He needed to.
The tavern was open, though not yet in full swing; the chairs were still on the tables. The sign hung gently in the breeze, and the smell of food drifted through the window. Bell smiled, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door.
He walked in with determination, scanning the tables for silver hair.
Bell found her near the counter, placing some glasses on the bar with her usual sweet expression. Syr looked up when she heard the doorbell ring, and her face lit up.
"Bell! What a nice surprise!" she said with a genuine smile, walking toward him. "Did you come for more food? Because if so, I'll make you pay this time, okay?"
But Bell did not respond immediately.
His eyes were fixed right above his head… on that number.
- 37
It used to be 85. Just yesterday. And now…
The world seemed to grow quieter around them. The tavern, the background murmur, even Syr's voice. Everything blurred for a second. Bell didn't understand what had happened, but instinctively, it felt... wrong. Something unnatural.
But what confused him most was something else.
Syr was still Syr.
Smiling. Kind. Close. With that warmth that had helped him so much when he needed it most. There was not a trace of malice in her voice or on her face.
"Bell?" she asked, tilting her head. "Are you okay? You seem… worried?"
Bell shook his head, snapping out of his trance. He forced a small smile.
"Yes… yes, I am. Sorry, I just… got distracted for a second."
Syr narrowed her eyes with a playful expression.
"Daydreaming again?"
Bell gave a soft, nervous, but genuine laugh.
"…Thank you, Syr. Really. You helped me so much yesterday. I didn't know how much I needed it until I was there with you."
She blinked once… and then her smile softened even further.
"I'm glad I could help you, Bell. That's all that matters."
But Bell kept looking at that number… -37.
And I didn't know why, but I felt like I had just crossed the threshold into something I didn't quite understand.
Syr's smile was still there, kind and sweet... but Bell no longer saw it.
Because in his mind, like a flash of lightning without warning, the information appeared.
Not a guess. Not a feeling.
An absolute fact. Impossible to refute.
His [Divine Blessing of Judgment] had been activated.
And that shouldn't have happened.
Syr didn't have a falna. Syr wasn't an adventurer. Syr was just… a friendly waitress at a tavern. Someone who always gave him a smile. Someone who had reached out to him when he needed it most.
And yet…
[Vana Seith]
Transformation magic that allows the user to transform into Freya. When transformed, the user and Freya share senses and are able to receive each other's feelings and hear each other's thoughts. The transformation also grants access to all of the Goddess's abilities except for the Arcanum.
The world stopped.
Bell felt the blood drain from his face. The air thicken. Even the light in the tavern seemed to dim a little.
Syr continued talking, not noticing his expression.
Bell didn't listen to her.
"Freya…?"
The word almost escaped his mouth, but he swallowed it just in time.
Since when? How many times did he see her? How many words did they share? Was it always her? Or just sometimes?
And most importantly…
Because?
But Syr—or was it Freya?—continued to act naturally, as if nothing had changed. As if her world hadn't just collapsed.
Bell stood still, looking at her as if for the first time.
And yet…
His expression remained warm.
As if, despite everything, the lies, the magic, and the disguise… she really cared about him.
Or so he wanted to believe. Because if not, then everything he experienced yesterday, what was it?
A lie?
Or… a truth in disguise?
Bell swallowed. The air no longer felt as warm as before.
Her eyes, which until a moment ago had looked at Syr with some tenderness, now looked at her with a mixture of confusion, doubt... and a hint of fear.
Because finally, something fit.
The Syr who was with him yesterday, the one who looked at him with compassion when he was at his lowest point…
That one had an 85.
The Syr of now, who smiled the same, who spoke with the same sweetness, who hadn't changed a single word in her way of being...
That one had a -37.
The number didn't lie. Neither did his skill.
They were not the same person.
And now Bell understood why his head refused to accept what he had just seen in the description that gave him his blessing.
Freya.
The goddess of beauty.
The most infamous of all.
That she had the strongest Familia.
The same one that had a reputation for "stealing" adventurers from other familias.
The same one who only had eyes for those who interested her...
And that pursued them like an inevitable force of destiny.
Bell felt a chill.
Was she the one who was with him yesterday?
The same one who saw him broken, sunken... and lifted him up with a smile?
Or was it the other Syr, the real one, the kind waitress, the one who only treated him well because he was her client…?
What was the lie? And what was the truth?
Bell felt caught at a crossroads.
And Syr, or Freya, or both… was still there in front of him, speaking to him with her same warm voice.
"Bell? Are you feeling okay?" he asked, tilting his head in genuine concern. Or at least, convincing enough to make him doubt everything.
Bell could only force a weak smile.
"Yeah… I just remembered something weird. It's nothing."
Bell swallowed again.
The silence that formed between Syr's words seemed eternal, as if the world had slowed down just so her mind could collapse into peace.
What if it really was Freya?
The goddess herself stepping down from the highest throne in Orario… only to dress up as a waitress… to serve him food… to talk to him.
How ridiculous was that?
Ridiculous.
Impossible.
And yet… everything fit together.
The magic.
The number.
The way she looked at him.
How it appeared just when I needed it most.
"Why…?" he murmured in a very low voice, barely a sigh.
Syr —Freya? Both?— continued smiling, oblivious (or not?) to the conflict that was eating him up inside.
Bell looked away.
It wasn't fear for him. It wasn't fear for what that goddess might do to him if she was truly interested.
It was for Hestia.
The little goddess who saved him when he had nothing.
The one who received him in the ruined church.
The one that gave him his first Familia.
The one who had accompanied him every step of the way, encouraged him every fall, supported him every mistake.
What if I lost it?
What would she do if Freya decided to take it?
Could he even resist?
Could he do anything but watch as he was taken away?
Bell gritted his teeth, his fists shaking.
No.
That couldn't happen.
I wasn't going to let it happen.
By Hestia.
For the Familia he built with her.
For everything he had achieved with her.
…And yet…
He looked back at Syr. Or whatever was in front of him.
And the only thing he couldn't get out of his head was that look...
That sincere look, that moment where he offered her food without asking for anything in return, where he was simply there when she needed him most.
Was it all a lie?
Or was that also part of the truth?
Bell's heart was struggling.
But for now… I had no answers.
Just questions.
And a fear that I didn't know where to hide.
Syr took a small step towards him, still with that soft smile.
"Bell? Are you okay? You seem… distracted."
Bell blinked, half-emerging from the whirlwind of thoughts that were suffocating him.
"Ah… yes, yes. It's just that…" he looked down, swallowing hard, "I just remembered I have something to do. I'm so sorry, Syr."
She looked at him for a few seconds, her expression calm… but her eyes seemed to observe more than they said.
Bell bowed slightly in a sort of awkward, forced bow. "Thank you for everything!
Really."
And without waiting any longer, he turned around and left the tavern with hurried steps, almost tripping over the door as he pushed it.
The Orario air hit her face as soon as she stepped outside, but it wasn't refreshing.
It was dense.
Full of thoughts.
What's real? What's not? What if I really was manipulated this whole time?
But he couldn't stay there, in front of her, looking for answers.
Not when his heart was still beating so fast, not when fear for Hestia clawed at his chest.
He continued walking, in a hurry.
He didn't know where.
He just needed to get away.
Think.
And find a way to understand everything before the world I knew completely fell apart.
"I'd better step away… for a while."
He turned completely around, this time decisively. It wasn't running away.
It was a precaution.
For Hestia. For their Familia.
And for his own heart.