Hermes' face was grave as he looked at Apollo, who was wailing in agony on the ground nearby. Apollo's hand—and soul—had been severed from the shoulder down.
"Bell Cranel." Hermes felt a lump stuck in his throat. His voice came out hoarse and trembling.
"Bell Cranel!" he repeated, his voice urgent and his shock uncontrollable.
"Bell Cranel!!" Hermes roared for a third time, trying to expel his fear along with the shout.
What Hermes did not know was that...
At some point, a figure had materialized behind him, his left half comprised of abyssal darkness.
"You called?"
A static-laced, indifferent voice resounded in Hermes' ears, making him freeze as his blood ran cold.
Hermes turned his head mechanically, his breath escaping in short gasps.
Countless blood-red eyes were fixed on him, hunger and greed radiating from them in waves.
Hermes felt a drop of sweat slide down his face.
"Hermes... Do you know what I hate the most?"
Bell continued without waiting for a response.
"Every being in this world is born free... from a dog all the way to a god."
He stepped forward to stand beside the frozen Hermes.
"Do you know why suffering exists? Why evil exists? Why a monster like me can exist?"
Bell looked toward the sky as abyssal darkness began to consume his right side as well.
"All of these things exist for a single reason... a single word... a single meaning."
...
"Freedom..."
"...Duality in this world only exists to give freedom to every living being to choose for themselves what they want."
"A god like you exists because of freedom."
The right side of his face was gone by now.
"A monster like me exists because of freedom."
His whole torso had already dissolved into the abyss.
"There is nothing more valuable to me than my freedom."
His right hand followed into darkness.
Nothing was left of him except abyssal nothingness when his voice rang out.
"If all the gods deny me my freedom, then all the gods will die."
Silence fell after his declaration.
Hermes was too shocked to even twitch, genuine terror drowning his rational thoughts.
.
Bell let the silence stretch between them.
Only then did he speak.
"You have been following me for some time. This is my first and last warning... Keep your manipulations to yourself... God."
Bell turned and walked away, appearing as a specter of abyssal darkness with countless blood-red eyes across his form.
Within two steps, the shadows swirling around him coalesced back into a black robe and clown mask.
By the third step, he had vanished completely.
...
..
.
Hermes was left alone on the rooftop, remaining frozen in that same position for a long, long time...
...
..
.
Bell walked back home. The clown mask and black cloak were gone, and his eyes were no longer abyssal black.
Ten minutes later.
Home.
He stepped inside, his footsteps silent so as not to disturb his Goddesses. Yet, the moment he entered the drawing room, he found Goddess Astraea and Hestia still awake...most likely waiting for him.
"Where were you, Bell? A walk shouldn't take this long, right?" Goddess Astraea asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, yeah. Were you out spending time with some floozies?" Goddess Hestia chimed in, her question striking straight for the jugular.
"No... Goddesses, I was just taking care of a minor inconvenience." Bell kept his face calm, knowing that even a slight twitch would be misinterpreted.
"You seem quite tired right now. Come..." Goddess Astraea didn't press further; instead, she beckoned him over, patting her lap as she sat on the sofa.
Bell didn't hesitate. He lay down beside her, resting his head and arms on her soft, supple thighs.
"Haah..." A relaxed sigh escaped his lips unconsciously a moment later.
Not wanting to be left out, Goddess Hestia snuck over to the sofa. She climbed up and lifted his legs, settling them onto her own thighs to cushion them.
"Goddess Astraea. What do you think is the most important thing for a person?" Bell's voice was muffled against Astraea's thighs, yet his question echoed clearly across the room.
Goddess Astraea brought her hands down to his hair, ruffling it gently, her touch tender.
"For a person, the most important thing is justice and a moral compass to follow." Goddess Astraea's voice was firm as she shared her opinion.
"I think having a home where they can return to is the most important thing for a person." Goddess Hestia voiced her own thoughts, her dainty hands moving to rub Bell's legs and help him relax further.
"What do you think is most important, Bell?" they asked in unison, their gazes meeting for a brief moment.
"I think... the most important thing for a person is... freedom." Bell's words were soft, yet they reached both of them all the same.
"Why do you think so, Bell?" Goddess Astraea asked curiously, her hands starting to rub his scalp soothingly.
"Every person is born free. They have the free will to love, hate, laugh, and cry. Even in pain... they have the freedom to reach for their own happiness."
"A person without freedom is merely alive... not living."
Goddess Astraea and Hestia looked at each other at his words, their expressions complex.
They knew from his tone that he was being honest.
The same question passed through both Goddesses' minds simultaneously.
Did something happen?
Goddess Astraea voiced their collective thought.
"Bell, did something happen?"
A hush fell across the room.
Goddess Hestia and Astraea did not receive an answer from him.
Goddess Astraea shook him slightly and spoke a moment later.
"He's asleep."
"He was really tired earlier." Goddess Hestia replied.
"Hey, Astraea. Did you see the faint traces of blood on his trousers?" Goddess Hestia asked, now resting her hands on his legs.
"I saw it the moment he came in." Goddess Astraea replied in a heartbeat.
"Did he get into a fight?" Goddess Hestia asked worriedly.
"Does it matter?" Goddess Astraea asked back, then continued.
"Someone touched our Bell. Do we need a why?" Her voice was cold, her eyes frosting over.
"Astraea... you're so scary right now." Goddess Hestia spoke with chattering teeth.
"Is that so?" Goddess Astraea replied without expression.
...
..
.
Hermes Familia base.
"God Hermes... what happened to you? I've never seen you so spooked out." Asfi asked while looking at Hermes sitting on a chair, staring blankly into the air.
Hermes snapped out of it at her voice. His words came out forced as he spoke.
"Asfi... I want you to decrease our people keeping an eye on Bell Cranel to the bare minimum." He looked at Asfi with the most serious expression his face had ever worn.
That 'monster' was not joking; he would really go for the kill without a moment's hesitation if Hermes did not back off.
In fact, the only reason Hermes himself was not attacked by that 'monster' was because he had not yet done anything to that 'monster' or anyone close to him.
Apollo had tried, and his hand would never heal even if he was sent back to Tenkai.
The sun god only receiving mercy because his sister Artemis was close to that 'monster'.
Hermes did not doubt that 'monster' for a second...
He would do exactly what he said.
He would become enemies with every god who tried to manipulate and take away his freedom.
He would not become a... pawn of the divine.
...
..
.
***
[300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
[8 chapters ahead on P@tr3on = [email protected]/Not_Aaryan]
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[Author's Thoughts]
So... Any thoughts on the developments?
...
Are some of you wondering why I'm not releasing chapters daily? It's because I've put my focus on my new fic Fate/Ultimate Hope.
Its a very serious and action packed story so I've been busy releasing daily chapters for it. Just hold on a bit longer, I'll bring my focus back to this after at least 25 to 30 chapters are released of that story, since it already has 17 released chapters.