Time-marking clicks echoed throughout the room.

The clock on the wall showed five in the morning.

Hestia paced back and forth around the room under the old church, her home.

Hes way too late

She crossed her arms and scrunched up her eyebrows. Anxiety was pulsing through her veins.

She had lost her cool after seeing how much Bells crush on Aiz had caused him to grow last night.

She couldnt even enjoy the drinking party with her coworkers. All that was there to greet her when she came back was silence. Bell wasnt home.

She had told him to eat alone, but his not being back in time to welcome her home just made her even angrier. She skipped taking a shower and jumped into bed with every intention of falling asleep. Ten oclock, eleven oclock, twelve oclock passed, and he still hadnt come back. That was when Hestia realized something was very wrong.

All her anger at Bell had kept her awake this long. Giving up on sleep entirely, she kicked off the bedcovers and left the room to look for him.

Where did you go?

Her search bore no fruit.

There had been no sign of the boys signature white hair anywhere. Hestias last ray of hope was that Bell had returned while she was out. However, the room was still empty when shed arrived.

All shed gotten from her strenuous search was tired legs. Her nerves were starting to get to her as well. She was now officially a wreck.

Is it because of I said to him? But hes the kind of guy who puts other people first; he wouldnt make me worry just because hes upset Usually hed be here with his head down apologizing by now

Bells face had been like that of an abandoned baby bunny when she last saw him. She ran through their last conversation a few more times in her head.

The thought that it was her fault Bell was gone once again crept into her mind, but she shook it off.

She knew this wasnt the time to be buried in her own misgivings. Taking a deep breath, she mulled over the possible reasons for the boys absence.

If Im not the reason he hasnt come back, then that means!

Something bad had happened to him. She was sure of it.

Her forced calm fell apart like a sand castle. She broke out in a cold sweat. She couldnt just stand here knowing that something had happened to him. She grabbed her cloak and headed to the door to go outside and look for him again.

Gyahhh!

The moment she reached for the knob on the square door, it swung open.

And hit her smack in the face.

At the same moment, her personal pillows went squish as the door stopped on contact.

Hestias faith shot up 100 points!

She let out a high-pitched squeal as she grabbed her face and crouched down.

G-Goddess? I-Im sorry

Suffering from the agony of an unforeseen attack, Hestia looked up between her fingers at the figure standing in the doorway.

Realizing it was the boy that she had been worried about all this time, she jumped up to greet him.

Bell?!?

It was him, just as she had expected.

Relief flowed through her. She was about ready to cry, but she was lost for words when the light hit him.

He was looking at her with big eyes, almost begging for forgiveness. But his face was covered in cuts, red with blood and brown from mud. He looked utterly exhausted.

His upper body was in rough shape. Hestias eyes spun as she looked at the shreds of cloth draped over his shoulders. They had been a shirt when she left. The skin peeking out from under what was left of his clothes was crisscrossed with gashes and swollen.

His lower body was even worse. His pants were stained with who knew what and frayed all to hell. However, there were three gashes across his right knee that had to come from a very sharp knife. Black and still bleeding, they were the worst injuries on a body riddled with them.

Hestia went pale as she carefully approached him.

What happened to you? Whats with all these injuries? Were you mugged?!

No, its not that

Then what the hell happened?

I went into the Dungeon

As the words rolled off her tongue, she forgot her anger for a moment and just stood in awe.

Are you crazy?! You went into the Dungeon like that? At night?!?!

Im sorry.

Bell did not have any armor whatsoever on his body. Going into the Dungeon like this was the same as going in naked.

One hit from a strong monster, and it would be over. Bells condition was proof of that.

He may have had a knife for protection, but the lack of thought and consideration for his life shocked Hestia to no end. Going into the Dungeon like this was not fearless, it was foolish.

Why would you even try this? Youre not some thrill seeker, so what was going through your head?

The more Hestia looked at Bell, the less she wanted to scold him. He was not himself; he seemed darker, almost brooding. So she decided to change her tone to try to get a response out of him.

Bell showed no signs of opening his mouth. His hair covered his eyes. He was flat-out refusing to open up.

Hestia sighed, beside herself.

Okay, okay. I wont ask you anything else. Youre pretty stubborn, I cant win.

Im sorry

I said its okay, didnt I? For now, you need a shower. The bleeding has almost stopped, but your wounds are dirty. Ill treat them when you are done.

Thank you.

Bell showed her a small smile. Although she was still hurting inside, Hestia smiled, too.

She stepped away from the door to let Bell inside, but he staggered forward.

The injury on his right leg must have been serious.

Cursing her lack of height, Hestia offered her shoulder to the struggling boy. She had to stand on the balls of her feet to keep him upright.

I-Im sorry.

All you do is apologize. If you really are sorry, think about what you did.

A-aahh, sorry

Again?

Hesita half carried Bell toward the shower room. It was next to the bed behind an old, white wooden door. The door hung at a strange angle because one of the hinges was loose.

Hestia focused all of her strength to keep Bell upright as they made their way through the room. Just in front of the shower room, Hestia got an idea.

Bell, sleep on the bed tonight, okay?

Are you sure?

Of course! Youre hurt, and I cant drag you all the way to the sofa, now can I?

She knew that he needed sleep, first and foremost, to heal his injuries. It was the least she could do to give up her bed to help him rest.

As soon as she finished offering her bed, she got another idea. Why not tease him a bit?

But Ill be sleeping in the same bed. Im exhausted from going out and looking for you, you know? You wouldnt refuse, would you?

Yeah, sure. You must be tired, too. Lets get some sleep together.

Eh?

Bell completely missed her teasing tone and accepted the condition right away. Caught completely off guard by his words, Hestia felt as if shed been hit with a right hook. She quickly collected her thoughts; her heart had to recover. What was she going to do now?

Was she taking advantage of him? He was completely spent. There was no way to tell if he even knew what he was saying.

Damn it, Bell! Youre so close!

Hestias teeth clenched as she thought about what Bell had just said. Her face turned pink as her heart jumped.

We can snuggle! No, we will snuggle!

Visions of what was to come filled her mind as she made mental notes about the size and weight of the boy she was holding up.

She had his word. He couldnt get away now. Yay!

Goddess

! Wh-whats wrong?

Bells voice woke her up from her daydreams. She rushed to respond.

Had he seen through her plan? Hestia was sweating bullets as she waited for Bells next words.

I-I want to get strong.

!

She craned her neck to look up at his face.

He was looking straight forward, but not at anything in particular.

Hestia took a breath and looked back at the shower room door. She said, Yes and accepted his words.

Bell Cranell

Level One

Strength: H-120 G-221 Defense: I-42 H-101

Utility: H-139 G-232 Agility: G-225 F-313 Magic: I-0

Magic

( )

Skills

Realis Phrase

Rapid Growth

Continued desire results in continued growth

Stronger desire results in stronger growth