The Wandering Devil (TWD)

The Wandering Devil

Chapter: 22

Pa/ t reon details below the chapter if you're interested in seeing some content in advance. I'll keep posting regardless. If you have any suggestions you would like to see added, I will try to incorporate what I can :)

(The Broken Seal)

Destruction raged around me.

My vision was filled with the red power with a black outline. 

That presence connected to my demonic reserves that had been there through my entire life had been released, unleashing the power that had been in the seal along with my mutated power of destruction.

The only conclusion I could come to was that the seal that had always restrained this power had shattered. 

My excessive use of demonic energy during the contract teleportation must have pushed my demonic power reserves very much past its limit.

Draining my reserves and then turning to the weakened seal, eating into it until it could no longer hold. 

I attempted to stop it but it was surprisingly hard to control, much harder than demonic power and it seemed insistent on raging. As if its suppression had enraged it. 

The swirling storm of crimson power with its black outline expanded, obliterating everything it touched. 

My body trembled, barely holding itself together under the torrent of energy surging through me. The power wasn't just familiar, it was instinctual and far beyond the amount of power I had ever tapped into.

I hadn't at all been prepared for this. 

I tried to take a deep breath but the air itself seemed to be thin, downright suffocating as even that was seemingly destroyed. My vision blurred as the destruction spiralled outward, forming waves of energy that swallowed the ground and anything in its path. 

This wasn't normal. This wasn't just the Power of Destruction. My mind conjured memories of watching my sister with only a small bit of envy as she wielded the infamous power of destruction. 

My mind remembered the mutation status on my falna and the memories of my mother and father speaking about why it had been sealed. 

My demonic power flared again, brighter and more erratic, crackling like a living storm lightning up every sky with a twisted version of Aurora Australis where every lightning strike atomized whatever it touched and waves were nullifying away at everything it encountered. 

Every pulse sent another wave of destruction outward, disintegrating the jagged remnants of the landscape. My thoughts raced, but they were drowned in the chaos.

My body burned. 

I could barely focus through the haze. 

The ground beneath me had disintegrated and formed into a massive crater, larger pieces crumbling away into an endless void as the storm surged higher. 

I clenched my fists but my body wouldn't respond. My muscles screamed in protest, burning as though they were being torn apart from the inside out. Not even my own body was immune to my own mutated power of destruction and I didn't have control to stop backlash.

The crimson-black storm began to twist into a vortex, a concentrated spiral of destruction centred on me. The force it emitted tore apart the remnants of the ground and carved deep scars into the horizon. 

Then, suddenly, it began to dim.

The seal that the demonic power had contained was draining. The endless torrent became a trickle, sputtering out as quickly as it had flared. The storm of destruction wavered, before slowly starting to disperse. 

The crimson light that had filled my vision faded, leaving behind a hollow stillness. The swirling energy disappeared into nothing, leaving only destruction in its wake.

I gasped for oxygen as it slowly re-entered the area, my chest heaving as I tried to process what had just happened. My hands trembled as I gripped the scorched ground beneath me, now nothing more than darkened ash and dust.

Fuck. 

A part of me was glad that the contract teleportation worked but I had not at all expected this. 

Weakly, I looked around. 

My body felt heavy, a contrast to just a few minutes ago. 

The landscape around me was unrecognizable, obliterated by the storm of destruction that had been unleashed. 

What had once been lush grass filled with many trees was now a jagged wasteland of charred ash and still crumbling stone. Entire sections of the terrain had been wiped out, leaving behind massive, gaping voids in the earth where the ground simply didn't exist anymore.

Shock rooted me in place as I looked around. 

I raised my hand to myself.

'Episkey' The burn lessened a bit, the only healing spell I knew from the world I had just been, working to repair the parts of my skin that had been destroyed. 

The silence around me was almost deafening.

The normal sound of wildlife absent was broken only by the faint sound of falling debris. My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to come to terms with the sheer scale of the destruction.

Bell. 

I cursed. I hope he had gotten away in time, there was no way he would have been able to survive that. I clenched my fists weakly but even that small motion felt like too much. 

My body was spent, barely able to hold itself together after the strain.

I needed to get up, I did not doubt that this had caused a commotion. I was glad I had decided to hold off on bringing any of my new lackeys with me to Danmachi. 

They would have been atomised.

That was mostly because I simply hadn't known them long enough and Hestia wouldn't be too happy to find out I had become a Dark Lord. Then again, it wasn't like I had been too bad.

Stealing from a few rich people didn't hurt anyone. 

Gringots wasn't going to suffer from my little robbery. Besides the few people I had accidentally hurt in an act of self-defence and I had consciously avoided anyone getting hurt or killed as much as I possibly could. I hadn't killed anyone in Gringots raid. 

"Zephyrion?" I heard Bell's voice call from a very reasonable distance.

Ah good, he's alive. 

I didn't answer. 

Bell called out a few times, and every time he called out he got closer to my position. Eventually, I saw his head poke up above me, his white hair prominent in the sun shining down. 

"Zephyrion?" He called out, his eyes shining with worry.

This was the first time he had seen me in such a state. For his safety, I had always left him behind while I adventured the dangerous floors that actually required my attention.

"Hey, Bell. How's it going?" I replied. 

He blinked, before jumping down to me. He landed with grace within the massive pit I had created with the power of destruction. 

"What happened," he questioned, kneeling next to me. "Do you need help?" 

I chuckled. "Yeah, my body is spent. Mind giving me a lift back? I'll tell you what happened on the way back."

He nodded dutifully, his expressive eyes shining with determination. 

Bell lifted me onto his back with ease, the strength granted to him by the Falna and our very intense training showing itself as he jumped up. Managing to jump several metres with ease.

This was a bit embarrassing. 

"Hey, Bell. You still got that pouch?" I asked hopefully.

He paused, nodding and gave it to me with his one free hand. 

Opening it slowly, I rummaged through it before finding the Potion I had acquired. 

Wiggenweld Potion.

I only had three annoyingly enough and they only healed minor wounds. Drinking two would probably make me able to stand upright. It felt like a bit of a waste though. I popped the cork and chugged it, noting that it didn't taste too bad. Harry was such a drama queen describing their taste in books.

The pain completely faded and I put the others back into the pouch. I hadn't expected to need a healing potion. 

I had come to learn that the wizard society was flawed in many ways. Honestly, I had been deemed a dark Lord solely because of the incident on my first night there and due to my power.

I would need to watch out for that while being a Dark Lord was fun, I didn't want that to happen again. Hurting random people wasn't my thing. 

While I had taken advantage of the situation by gaining followers and fast-tracking everything by robbing a bank. I would rather not make an enemy of everyone. I had been lucky that I was considered very powerful in that world.

On the level of Voldemort to be precise and below the level of Dumbledore. Though with my power of destruction unlocked that may not be the case anymore.

Finally, we reached the gates of Orario and I noticed I was being watched. Heavily. Multiple hooded figures were practically surrounding me and Bell.

This wasn't a good time.

They didn't seem to be doing anything, but they were watching us closely. 

Did they think I couldn't see them? Peeking out from and on top of buildings. My mind related this incident to the time I had been watchedwhen assassinating those crooks. 

It seems like my arrival back to Orario had been noticed.

My demonic power wouldn't be up to max for a good while. 

I had given Bell a run down on what had happened. 

He had become close to me and more importantly trustworthy. 

Learning that all the destruction had been caused by me had shocked him but for the most part he hadn't seemed to care. He had been more concerned as to if I would be okay. 

I had seen the true extent of the damage as we had passed by it, it looked like someone had dropped Mother of All Bombs on the area. It didn't go for too long but for a good half a mile it was all just a wasteland. 

I had no doubt it would be noticed at some point. 

Here is hoping that it would be taken too badly. 

My time in Wizarding society had made me cautious about that. 

I walked next to Bell, my pace only slightly wobbly. I wasn't going to let myself be seen carried by my lieutenant. 

The trek back to the church was slow but uneventful, save for the occasional wary glance at the figures still shadowing us from the rooftops. I could feel their eyes on me. 

Bell hadn't noticed them and I didn't feel like telling him about it would help. 

I gritted my teeth as we neared the rundown church that served as our Familia's home. 

My body still felt like it was barely holding together, every step was exhausting. Bell walked beside me, quiet. 

Which I appreciated. I needed the silence to process everything. As we rounded the corner, the old abandoned church came into view. The sight of it brought a smile to my face. 

Did the thought of trying to escape them before going back to the church occur to me? Yes. 

I wasn't naive or stupid. 

Leading them back to the abandoned church would invite unnecessary trouble but it didn't concern me much.

At least, not directly. If they had been observing us, they already saw me with Bell. Whether or not I was physically present, they would naturally follow him. 

My status as a member of the Hestia Familia wasn't a secret, anyone could probably find out I was tied to Hestia, Bell, and Lili. If these individuals were serious enough. 

That meant if these guys were serious they would have done their homework. That meant that my Familia could already be on their radar, regardless of my movements. I was not in any form to even consider trying to lose them.

The real concern wasn't whether they knew? It was why.

Why was I being followed as soon as I stepped a foot back into Orario. 

This had to be connected to the assassination. The precision of their timing and persistence couldn't be dismissed as coincidence. The entire scenario screamed "setup," though I doubted the contractor had orchestrated it this carefully. 

He had been naive and I truly felt he was genuine. 

Annoying. 

I couldn't ignore the possibility that they had a specific interest in me but their motivations were still unclear. I did obviously have suspicions as to who would have an interest in me. 

I had been able to count at least five of them, all able to easily keep up. Definitely adventurers.

The abandoned church wasn't safe. Its lack of defenses made it an easy target and the thought of Hestia getting hurt or targeted pissed me off. She deserved better. 

Bell and Lili, too. I'd need to reinforce it immediately, at least until we found a more secure place to live. Thankfully, my time in the wizarding world hadn't been wasted. 

Among the many items and magical books I had managed to acquire, I had a few detailed warding spells and protective enchantments. Implementing them would take time but they'd give us much-needed security in the abandoned church.

The front doors flew open before we could even reach them. A blur of white and blue burst out and I could barely react before Hestia was on me.

"Zephyrion!" she cried, her voice a mix of joy and relief. 

Her arms wrapped around me with surprising strength, nearly knocking me off balance. I barely caught her, stumbling but managing to stay upright as she clung to me.

"Oh, thank the heavens! You're okay!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling. 

Before I could say anything. She started peppering my face with kisses, her soft lips pressing against my forehead, cheeks and even the bridge of my nose.

I struggled to keep her in my arms but accepted the kisses with grace.

"H-Hestia," I stammered, too drained to even pretend I was embarrassed. 

Bell stood off to the side, clearly trying to stifle a smile.

She pulled back slightly, her bright eyes scanning my face.

Her expression shifted as her gaze dropped to my shoulders, noting how I was leaning heavily against the church wall for support. "What happened to you? Why do you look like you've been through a war?" 

I sighed. "Yeah, I got into a bit of an incident on my way back but I'm fine. I just need some rest."

Her brows furrowed. Hestia's grip tightened, and her expression darkened.

"That doesn't make it okay. What happened?" Her voice rose slightly, but it was more concerned than angry.

I didn't reply. I didn't have the energy.

Instead, I reached out and gave her head a gentle pat. "I'm fine now. I'll explain it when we are inside, okay?"

Showing weakness while being watched was making me paranoid. 

Her anger melted into worry again and she nodded. "Okay But you're going to be resting and you're going to let me take care of you. No arguments."

"Wouldn't dream of it," I muttered, forcing a small smirk.

"You'll also be telling me everything that happened." Hestia replied sternly.

Cute. 

She helped me inside, guiding me to our bed.

Bell followed, still quiet but clearly relieved that I was back.

"Where's Lili?" I questioned.

"She's gone out, she will be back in a few hours." Bell dutifully informed me. 

I nodded.

As soon as I lay down, Hestia fussed over me, laying a wet cloth for my forehead and muttering about how reckless I was. I let her. It wasn't worth trying to fight her maternal instincts.

After all she was a Goddess with a domain in family.

Bell left and Hestia pulled the curtain. 

Her gaze snapped back to me, wide and alarmed. "So, Zeph. What happened?"

Bell didn't know about the other world, he knew I had gone somewhere else but not that part. I had shared what had happened to him for the most but excluding the different world parts and becoming a dark lord. 

I sighed, closing my eyes. "It's hard to explain, my visit to another world went… well." 

"Tell me about that first and how it led to you getting hurt." She calmly said, stroking my hair.

"To be honest, me getting hurt wasn't really to do with the other world but I'll get to that." I started. "My starting in the wizarding world hadn't been great. Instantly, I found myself in some sort of restricted building and…"

She raised an eyebrow.

"You fought your way out." She said, her tone flat.

I huffed in indignation.

"They tried to arrest me with minimum one year imprisonment on top of sending me to their worst prison without trial for being in a restricted section during wartime emergency measures." I replied quickly.

The flat gaze lessened considerably. 

"They fired first." I pressed.

She nodded, the flat gaze disappearing and replaced with a fiery gaze. "Did you make them hurt for it?"

I chuckled. "Yeah, a massive fight broke out since I was kind of lost on where to go. Turns out I'm pretty powerful in their world."

"Anyways, fast forward and I found out I've been labelled a Dark Lord." 

She blinked in pure confusion. "I feel like I'm missing a massive part of what happened."

"Trust me, you're not. Apparently my power and fight had left quite a few of them injured. So they just labelled me a Dark Lord." I chuckled.

She sighed. "Tell me."

I told her everything and finished by telling her that the seal was broken.

"I think I'm glad I wasn't able to break the seal. She replied in shock. "You had told me about it, but for it to be so powerful. I'm glad you were able to find this out within the forests. I imagine you'll have to be careful when testing it out."

I nodded, with my head in her soft lap I was beginning to drift to sleep. It had been pretty late in the wizarding world anyway and while the time zones seemed a bit different. I was drained. 

She noticed my tired eyes and smiled a gentle smile that was reserved only for me. 

Hestia leaned down, capturing my lips in a deep passionate kiss. 

"We can speak about this later, rest." She whispered.

My eyes closed.

-Next morning-

My eyes opened to a delicious smell.

The first thing I noticed was my demonic power reserves, they had grown. Massively. I was definitely in the high-class in terms of sheer demonic energy. 

I could also feel that my body had healed considerably.

A few phantom pains but nothing that would stop me from fighting.

I paused.

Why was that my first thought?

Damn it, maybe I really was a bit of a battle junkie. 

I got up, swinging the curtain to see Lili and Bell happily speaking. Only pausing to turn to me, both of their faces lightning up. Well, Lili's face only lit up a tiny bit while Bell was like a golden retriever. 

"Yo."

"Zephyrion! Are you feeling better?" Bell asked.

I smirked. Bringing up my fist and clenching it.

"Damn right, I feel like I could dive into the dungeon." I replied.

"You will do no such thing." I heard Hestia call out.

My sexy Goddess walked out, I openly admired her curves. 

"At least give it a day." She said, somewhat pleadingly. "Please."

"Sure." I replied easily. 

Her smile brightened up the room. 

I could see Lili stare at Hestia weirdly.

My face turned serious, as I remembered I had been followed yesterday. I had been too tired to do anything about it yesterday but I needed to act quickly. If only to feel relaxed.

"Zeph? What's wrong?" Hestia questioned.

"I forgot to mention but me and Bell were being followed yesterday." I replied, taking my pouch and pulling out books.

Hestia's eyes widened in alarm, as did Lili's while Bell looked like a deer caught in headlights. 

"I didn't see anyone." He muttered.

Hestia's became cold. "Are we in danger?"

"Not sure, don't worry though. My trip allowed me to procure some books that will help with defence." I replied, before clarifying for Hestia who still looked worried. "They won't be able to enter."

She nodded, her worrying lessening. She trusted me. "While you do that, I'll make us some food." She said, kindly. 

"Wait, are we going to ignore that we might be surrounded?" Lili finally spoke up. 

Bell shrugged. "Zephyrion says it's fine."

She looked towards me and I nodded. 

Lili relaxed, a faint blush crossing her cheeks. 

"O-ok."

I grabbed one of the thicker tomes from my pouch, the old leather cover embossed with runes and magical symbols. 

The title "Basic Warding and Protections for the Wizarding Home" gleamed faintly in gold lettering. 

It was a straightforward guide, aimed at witches and wizards looking to defend their households against intruders. 

Perfect for what I needed.

"Alright," I muttered, flipping open the book. "Let's see what we're working with."

Bell and Lili watched me in fascination.

At some point Hestia set a tray of food down on the small table nearby, her concerned gaze lingering on me. "Are you sure you're up for this? You should be resting, Zeph."

I smiled reassuringly. "This won't take long. It'll also make us able to sleep without worrying, right?" 

She came to stand behind me, wrapping her arms and allowing my head to be enveloped by her massive bust. 

The first few chapters covered basic enchantments and the fundamentals of magical theory. 

I skimmed over those, I'd already picked up plenty of knowledge about magical theory during my time in the wizarding world. 

What I needed now were practical spells.

The first ward was a simple one: 

'Repello Intrusum'

It was a charm that created an invisible barrier to repel anyone with ill intent towards me. It wouldn't stop someone with magical equipment or exceptionally skilled in magic since it could be overloaded but it was a good start.

Its power also depended on how much magic was fed to charge its durability. I'll also pour a decent amount of my demonic energy into it as I was pretty sure my demonic reserves were more potent and deep than almost any other magic user in Danmachi. 

I only had one other book on this subject and I cursed myself for not getting any more advanced books on defence. In my defence, they were extremely rare. Knowledge like that was guarded. 

Reginald probably had a few books though. 

I picked up my wand. 

I focused on channeling my imagination magic and demonic energy through the wand, letting it merge with the magical intent required for the spell.

"Repello Intrusum," I intoned, sweeping the wand in a circular motion.

That was how it had been described anyway. 

A faint shimmer of blue light radiated outward, spreading to the walls of the church before fading from view. I could feel the magic barrier settle into place. 

I fed it a large amount of demonic energy and the barrier briefly reappeared, shimmering bright before turning invisible once more. 

"That's the first layer," I explained to the others, "It'll keep out anyone who means us harm, for a while at least if they are strong or determined enough." 

Bell looked impressed. 

"Just like that?" Lil questioned. "How did you even get that book anyway? Magical tomes are really expensive and rare." 

I shrugged and she huffed. 

I didn't feel like explaining. 

"Typical." 

The next enchantment was more complex. 

'Cave Inimicum.'

A spell designed to alert me if anyone crossed the boundary. 

It required a lot more precision, as I needed to set the boundary line around the perimeter of the church. I rummaged through my pouch and smile as I grabbed a piece of chalk from my pouch.

Hestia released me, she had been watching me with a sweet smile. 

I walked over to the abandoned church's entrance and began marking the ground, muttering the incantation as I worked.

"What's this?" Hestia asked, walking beside me and watching curiously.

"It's an alert spell, it'll alert me to any unkeyed intruders." I replied idly. 

"Are you sure this will work?" Hestia asked, following me closely as I moved around the church.

"Positive," I replied. My voice lowered. "Wizarding wards are extremely effective, especially when layered. Once I'm done, we'll have a pretty solid defense."

"This magic definitely isn't native to Danmachi. I'm glad your time in the other world has bore fruit." She replied softly. "Did you have any thoughts of staying there?"

I paused. 

"No." I replied. A bit taken aback by the sudden question.

She didn't say anything further, simply nodding. 

After completing the line, I stood back and pointed my wand at the chalk line. 

"Cave Inimicum!" I spoke. 

The spell failed and I sighed. 

Swishing my wand, I tried once more. "Cave Inimicum."

This time, it worked. The visible magic was more intense. 

A ripple of demonic energy spread outward and I felt a slight tug in my mind as the spell connected to me. If anyone tried to breach the boundary, I'd know instantly and those on the other side of the shield will not be able to see, hear and smell what's inside the wards.

Instantly, I keyed in Hestia, Bell and Lili. 

I continued, using the last spell I was taught that would help. There were a few others but they weren't exactly defence type spells. 

'Salvio Hexia'

The last spell I could find that would help with defense. The other spells provided just weren't suited for what I needed right now. 

It was a reinforcement spell I put on the doors and walls, it was meant to deflect weaker curses or hexes. So, basically. It was a type of magical resistance that was applied to most of the structure. 

By the time I was finished ten percent of my demonic power in total had been used, considering how much power I used for all of the spells it wasn't surprising. My magic reserves had become massive as an official high-class being in terms of magic. 

I sighed, before looking around at the church. It wasn't dirty, Hestia had taken to cleaning it. 

Honestly, it was cozy but it could do with some touching up. 

"Hey, Zephyrion. What's that piece of wood?" Bell asked innocently. 

"A wand." I replied.

Lili looked surprised while Bell nodded.

"Aren't magical enhancing artefacts super expensive?" She asked. 

"Yeah, but I got this for a fairly cheap price." I replied idily, looking around.

She nodded. "I guess you are a predominantly magic user." 

"How has everything been in the past few days?" I asked her.

Lili looked surprised that I asked her but replied quickly. 

"It's been good, me and Bell didn't go too far into the dungeon. Honestly, it was kind of nerve wracking without you there." She admitted.

I chuckled. I looked around the church again. It was functional, but the place still had a neglected feel. 

The walls were dull and the floor had grime in the corners that Hestia's cleaning hadn't reached.

"So there weren't any problems?" I asked. While starting with the floor. 

I aimed the wand at a particularly dirty patch near the entrance. "Scourgify."

A jet of water-like magic sprayed out, scrubbing away the dirt instantly. 

Lili looked towards Bell. 

"No, everything was okay." He replied, slightly weakly. 

I repeated the spell on the rest of the floor, moving methodically from one section to the next. 

I shot him a look. 

The grimy stone began to shine faintly as the years of dust and dirt were wiped away.

"There was a bit of a situation." Lili spoke up.

Bell shot her a pleading look. 

Next, I turned to the walls. Chunks of paint and plaster were peeling, and cobwebs hung in the upper corners. 

A quick "Tergeo" sucked away the webs and dust, leaving the surface clean, if still cracked in places.

I had learnt most of the basic cleaning. I found them useful. 

"Bell?" I questioned. 

Bell hesitated, scratching the back of his head awkwardly, clearly reluctant to speak up. I raised an eyebrow, pausing my cleaning as I waited for him to explain.

"Well..." Bell started, avoiding eye contact. "There was a little situation in the dungeon."

"A situation?" I pressed, my tone even but firm. "What kind of situation?"

Lili crossed her arms and gave Bell an exasperated look. "He ran into a Minotaur."

I blinked, my hand tightening around the wand. 

No shit. 

The timing… 

Seriously, on the two days I was gone? The chances of that…

Still, he should have been able to give it a fight with all the training we had done and since Lili was with him. 

"How?" 

Bell looked down, his face flushed with embarrassment. "It must have been a rogue. We were exploring a little further than usual and it just appeared."

I nodded in thought. 

Logically, him being in the dungeon at that time wasn't surprising. We went practically everyday but having that happen… while I was gone. 

"Bell fought it while I played the role of support." Lili informed me. "We did well."

"Did you beat it?" I asked.

Bell shook his head. "No, we damaged it and ran but we bumped into some higher level adventurers. They killed it."

"Ok. That's good. Running isn't something to be ashamed about. Better fight later than never." I said, more to Bell.

He had a look of shame on his face.

"What Zeph says is true, if you ever find yourself in trouble please make sure you're safe first." Hestia added. 

"Is there anything else?" I asked.

Lili sent another look to Bell who looked away.

"Not much, but one of the adventurers was a dick and started making fun of us for running." Lili replied. 

Bell grimaced. 

"You got his name?" I questioned.

"No, but he was a werewolf." Lili spoke up.

"Ok." I replied simply. 

Hestia shot me a look. 

Hestia walked over, watching as I aimed at the cracks. "Reparo," I said and the plaster sealed itself.

"That's convenient," she remarked, tilting her head as she inspected the results.

"Basic maintenance," I replied, already moving to the broken benches along the sides of the room. 

Some had splinters, while others were missing chunks entirely. I waved my wand. "Reparo."

Some of the support pillars that had cracks repaired themselves, the wood making a low groan. 

"Zeph, you aren't going to do anything brash are you?" Hestia questioned. 

"I wouldn't use the term 'brash' no." I responded.

"Zeph." She whined cutely. "Bell and Lili said they seemed pretty strong." 

"Ok." I nodded. 

Finally, I pointed at the windows. 

The stained glass had long since lost its luster and a few panes were cracked. 

"Scourgify," I cast again, cleaning the glass. 

For the broken panes, I used "Reparo," and the fractures vanished.

Stepping back, I surveyed the church. 

The place was still plain, but it was clean and intact now.

Hestia sighed. "Ok."

"There," I said, slumping onto a chair. "Done."

Hestia walked over, handing me a glass of water. "You've done enough for now, Zeph. Thank you."

I nodded, taking a grateful sip. My eyes flicked to Lili and Bell. 

I had to raise my glass as Hestia came to sit in my lap, making me pause. She sent me a sexy little smirk but acted innocent in front of the two Familia members that watched us. 

Hestia picked up the food she had made me and began to hand-feed me. 

With the church safe I could relax, I was finally back home. 

I would deal with the people watching me later. 

-{Freya}-

Freya's frown deepened, her slender fingers tapping an impatient rhythm on the table's polished edge as her crystal ball remained stubbornly dark.

No matter how much of her will she poured into it, the result was the same. Nothing.

Zephyrion Gremory had vanished from her sight.

It was frustrating and a setback to her plans. 

Two days. 

Two agonizing days since her adventurers had lost track of him. 

In that time, there had been no whispers of his presence, no rumors, no flicker of his aura. 

Her crystal had been rendered useless. The silence grated on her nerves, forcing her to consider extreme measures. Plans ran through her mind. 

She had been only one day away from implanting a few of them. 

Then, the enigmatic adventurer that had gained her full attention and desire had reappeared. Injured, no less. With that she had found her crystal had finally sparked back to life, allowing her a fleeting glimpse of him. 

She had eagerly tracked his every step, her eyes locked onto him intensely. Her cold eyes trying to unpick him through the vision the crystal provided her. 

Freya had sent her adventurers to follow in secret, reporting his every move. Not that they did this well considering she had noticed him sending glances their way. 

Her lips twisted into a small frown, that had been a mistake. She was worried whatever had stopped her crystal from seeing him would interfere once more. Normally, she would have been much more sly about this. 

Just as she had begun piecing the puzzle together, she saw that wench of a goddess, put her filthy arms coiled around him. 

Freya's silver eyes gained a tint of annoyance.

Then it was gone. The vision cut off, her sight severed the moment he opened that accursed book. Her eyes scanned the crystal closely. Once again, he was eluding her.

She leaned back, closing a moment to evaluate. 

Her obsession with Zephyrion hadn't been born solely from his breathtaking but strange aura. No, that had made her focus on him and instantly want him - true but that hadn't been enough for the level of want she felt. 

No, it was something she had observed from him. More specifically in the way he moved through the world, as if it bent to accommodate him. 

He didn't belong and yet he did?. His existence was a contradiction. Watching him had become intoxicating, she wanted to be a part of it. In his aura and heart. 

Nothing about him was predictable. Nothing about him was ordinary and now, with her crystal cut off she was left to stew in her frustration.

Deprived of the details that made watching him so intoxicating.

Zephyrion was an enigma, his very being a defiance of her divinity. 

He stayed out of reach, resisting her pull and that simply added to his desire. That alone was enough to stoke her desire to dangerous heights.

She wanted him.

"Otto." She called out softly. 

"Yes, Lady Freya?" He replied. His giant frame visible in the dark room Freya was sitting in.

"Tell everyone to withdraw." She ordered calmly. 

She was being too bold and Zephyrion had obviously noticed. 

Her heart thrummed with a mix of exhilaration and something softer, something she couldn't name. 

Even now, her silver gaze burned as she attempted to piece together what little her adventurers had reported.

He had vanished, only to return with new trinkets and new magical abilities apparently. 

What had he found? What power had he gained?

The thoughtful look on her face deepened as she traced the pieces in her mind. 

Whatever protections he had raised around himself and his Familia were unfamiliar and disturbingly effective. 

Being so blind was both annoying and exhilarating.

Her thighs rubbed together slightly. 

Could it be that he knew?

The thought sent a shiver of rage and intrigue through her. Her earlier test had been clumsy, too obvious and she had quickly learned that he was far from a fool. 

That bolt of lightning could have hurt her Familia member. 

He shouldn't know it was her though and Mortals couldn't perceive her sight unless she willed it. Yet the possibility gnawed at her.

Her silver eyes darted to the shelves of ancient tomes lining her chambers, then to the open balcony that overlooked Orario's sprawl. 

Freya was unaccustomed to this, being thwarted so much and being left in the dark. 

She needed to re-evaluate what she knew and get more information.

Freya had been too passive in her approach, it was time to get serious. 

"My Lady." 

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"There's been a development in a patch of land far away from Orario." Her Adventurer informed.

"Oh?"

"We believe it's related to Zephyrion Gremory."

That got truly Freya's attention. 

-END-

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