Unknown location.
"So... It begins." Ouranos looked upward, his gaze piercing beyond his surroundings to settle on a clash of devastating proportions.
Silence fell.
He tapped a finger against the armrest of his throne. That sound reverberated through the darkness surrounding him, echoing into nothingness.
"Ouranos?" Fels questioned.
"Go, Fels. Bring Royman to me." Ouranos spoke with a voice stripped of inflection, the kind of calm that could only be forged across endless years.
"As you will." Fels affirmed. The sound of fading footsteps soon resounded.
...
A fat elf with white hair, green eyes, and short legs stood before Ouranos, clad in a black suit.
"L-Lord Ouranos, w-what can this little one d-do for you?" Royman Mardeel, head of the Adventurer's Guild, typically wore an arrogant or sleazy expression when dealing with adventurers, looking down on them from an imagined superior position.
Yet now, he trembled from his legs like a child caught mid-mischief, awaiting punishment.
Ouranos did not reply. His expression remained composed, his stare locked onto Royman in unbroken silence.
Royman's pointed ears twitched up and down as he dragged a handkerchief from his pocket with a shaking hand.
He slowly brought that cloth to his creased forehead, wiping away the sweat gathering there.
"L-Lord O-Ouranos?" His back was drenched by now.
Ouranos finally spoke just as Royman's knees threatened to buckle.
"Royman."
"Y-yes, Lord." The elf snapped upright like a soldier called to attention, desperate to present himself as a reliable subordinate.
"I want you to do something." Ouranos traced a finger along a groove carved into the side of his throne.
"Y-your command?" His handkerchief was soaked through by now.
"Go. Call Astraea and bring her to me." Ouranos shifted his gaze away.
"I'll bring her w-without delay." Royman bowed his head rapidly, nodding three times in quick succession.
"Dismissed." Fels spoke from the shadows.
Royman turned and scrambled away, feeling as though he had escaped by the skin of his teeth. His short, chubby legs moved faster than they ever had before.
...
..
.
Home.
Bell descended from the roof. Goddess Astraea and Goddess Hestia sat in chairs opposite one another, both wearing grave expressions.
Haruhime worked in the kitchen, washing dishes and wiping down the shelves. Her Renard ears twitched continuously—cautious, vigilant.
"What do you think, Astraea? Can Orario win this time?" Hestia asked, her voice dropping low.
"I am not certain who will win. But I am certain that many people will die, both from Orario and Rakia." Astraea's eyes appeared composed, but beneath them lay a quiet heartache.
As a Goddess of Justice, the mere thought of senseless slaughter carved a deeper wound in Astraea than most deities could fathom. Beside her, Hestia—the Goddess of Home—shared that silent grief, her heart aching for the families that would inevitably be shattered.
Yet neither let it surface. They knew Bell could not bear seeing them hurt—and that he might do something reckless if he did.
Bell took all of this in as he walked inside. He noticed the slight furrow between Astraea's brows. The quiet clench of Hestia's jaw.
Their gazes snapped to him just as he entered.
"Bell... What were you doing on the roof all this time?" Astraea asked, gesturing to a chair beside her.
He wordlessly crossed the room and sat down.
Hestia regarded him with curiosity. Haruhime peeked at him from the kitchen.
"I was—" His words were cut short by heavy banging at their front door.
Everyone tensed. Astraea's eyes narrowed. Hestia's shoulders jerked. Haruhime's tail stood on end.
Bell looked toward their door.
He knew. The gods would drag him into this war, one way or another.
"I'll see who it is." Astraea rose from her chair and made her way to the entrance.
...
Royman sat on a sofa, opposite Astraea and Hestia.
He dabbed at his forehead with a fresh handkerchief, sweating profusely as a hooded Bell hovered behind him, eyes fixed on that elf like a butcher sizing up meat.
"W-who is this gentleman, Goddesses?" Every time Bell passed by him, Royman felt a deep chill race down his spine, as though he had fallen into the crosshairs of something incomprehensible.
"We are not here for pleasantries, Sir Royman. Please state your reason for coming." Astraea maintained basic courtesy toward the guild head.
"Actually... G-God Ourano—Heeeik!" Royman let out a small shriek as Bell drifted past him, closer this time.
Even Hestia felt a flicker of disdain at his reaction. What was this? Was Bell some kind of horror?
"Continue." Astraea's composure remained unshaken.
"God O-Ouranos has asked me to invite you, Goddess Astraea, to meet with him." He blurted out in a single breath, inhaling greedily afterward.
Astraea went rigid. Hestia took a sharp breath.
It took a moment for them to compose themselves.
"Thank you for informing us, Sir Royman. We will need some time to discuss this among ourselves." Astraea responded just as Haruhime arrived with tea and snacks.
Royman did not so much as glance at them. He stood and marched toward the exit, his short legs pumping furiously.
"I was only here to deliver the message. Since my business is concluded, I will take my leave—there is much work piling up at the guild." His words echoed just as he disappeared through their front door.
Bell watched Royman scramble away even faster than he had arrived. His shoulders relaxed, and his chilling aura evaporated as if it had never existed.
To Haruhime, this sudden shift was jarring—like watching a predator suddenly revert to a harmless puppy.
"What do you think, Bell? Should I go?" Astraea asked him first thing after Royman was gone.
"What do all of you think?" Bell looked at Astraea, Hestia, and Haruhime, weighing their opinions before his own.
"Goddess Astraea, I do not think you should go. I have a bad feeling about this." Haruhime spoke first, her ears drooping against her golden hair.
"As much as I would like to give Ouranos the benefit of the doubt, at a delicate time like this, I think Astraea should stay home." Hestia spoke, her finger tapping against the table.
"I do not believe Ouranos would try anything against me directly. But he may be trying to draw Bell into this by involving me. I will not go if that is his intention." Astraea's gaze was conflicted at first, but gradually, determination replaced her uncertainty.
"What do you think, Bell?" Astraea asked, looking at him. Hestia and Haruhime turned to him as well.
Under their collective gaze, Bell finally spoke.
"I think you should go and hear him out, Goddess."
Hestia tilted her head. Haruhime blinked in confusion.
Astraea took a moment to comprehend, her eyes reflecting a sudden understanding.
"I see. We are only guessing at his intentions right now. You want him to speak so we can learn what he truly wants—yes?"
Bell nodded.
What he did not say was that the war had escalated to this level solely because of him.
They wanted him gone. And they would not stop until he was dead.
A fight between them?
That had become a foregone conclusion long ago.
...
..
.
***
[300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
[8 chapters ahead on P@tr3on = [email protected]/Not_Aaryan]
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[Authors Thoughts]
Another chapter for my dear readers!
(*Waves bye)