The cobblestones of the Main Street leading to Stardust Garden were cold, slick with the grime of the city and the sweat of the desperate.
Lili lay curled in a tight, trembling ball, her world reduced to the sight of scuffed leather boots and the rhythmic, jarring impact of strikes against her ribs.
To the citizens of Orario, this was merely another day.
They walked past with eyes averted, their footsteps clicking a steady, indifferent rhythm.
In a city where gods walked among mortals and monsters lurked beneath the earth, the sight of a small Pallum girl being disciplined was a common tragedy…..one not worth the trouble of intervention.
"How dare you cheat us!" a voice spat, followed by the dull thud of a boot hitting Lili's shoulder.
"How long have you been skimming off the top, you little rat?" another hissed.
Lili didn't answer.
She knew better.
Experience had been a cruel teacher, and its primary lesson was that silence was the only shield she had left.
If she screamed, they grew excited.
If she begged, they grew disgusted.
So, she pulled the oversized hood of her threadbare cloak over her head, tucked her chin to her chest, and waited for the boredom to set in.
She was a supporter; she was built to carry burdens, even if those burdens were the fists of her so called familia.
But today, the air felt different.
The anger behind the kicks wasn't just the usual irritation...it was fuelled by the frantic, starving desperation of men who had seen their wine-gold dwindle.
A heavy boot connected with her side, but unlike the others, this one carried the full weight of a Level 2 adventurer's frantic strength.
The force ignited a white-hot flare of agony that bypassed her defences entirely.
Lili felt herself lifted, her small frame tossed like a rag-doll until she slammed into the stone base of a nearby gate.
A sickening crunch echoed through the area.
An involuntary, shrill scream tore from her throat…..a sound that broke the silence of her endurance.
The world tilted.
Her vision swam with black spots, and the air in her lungs felt like ground glass.
Something was broken.
Not just bruised or cracked, but shattered.
The three men stopped.
For a moment, a flicker of panic crossed their faces.
They hadn't intended to kill her...not because they valued her life, but because a dead supporter couldn't be squeezed for more Valis.
'Aaaah... nothing has changed' Lili thought, her head lolling against the cold stone.
'My luck is still rotten to the core'
Her mind drifted back to the fires of the Great War with the Evilus.
She remembered the red-haired saviour who had stepped between her and a blade.
She had believed, for one delusional week, that the miracle had been a turning point….that the gods had finally looked down and decided she had suffered enough.
But reality was a far more patient predator.
After the war, she had been tossed back into the squalor of the Soma Familia.
She had watched the rations disappear into the gullets of the strong while she gnawed on crusts. She had seen the greed in her familia grow like a canker as more adventurers flooded back into the Dungeon.
She had tried to be good.
She had tried to be the person her saviour would have been proud of.
But being good didn't fill a stomach.
It didn't pay the "tribute" demanded by the senior members who were too lazy to dive but too violent to ignore.
So, she had started sneaking drops.
A few magic stones here, a hide there.
Just enough to dream of an escape.
Now, she was dying in the shadow of the very place she had sought out in her most delirious moments: the home of her saviour's allies.
"What do you think you're doing to that girl?"
The voice was like a whip-crack, cutting through the murmurs of the street.
It was sharp, authoritative, and burning with an undercurrent of genuine fury.
Lili forced her eyes open, her vision blurred by tears and blood.
A figure stood at the edge of the street.
Long, crimson hair caught the afternoon sun, glowing like a banked fire.
For a heartbeat, Lili's heart soared.
'Him?'
But as the figure stepped closer, the silhouette changed.
This wasn't the chienthrope saviour she remembered.
This was a woman…..beautiful, fiery, and radiating a level of power that made the air itself feel heavy.
"Shit..." one of the attackers stammered, his bravado vanishing instantly.
"It's Alise from the Astraea... no, it's the Bahamut Familia now."
"Wait," another whispered, his eyes darting around.
"Is this their territory? We're too close to the Garden."
Alise stepped forward, her hand resting on the hilt of her blade.
In the past, she might have charged in headlong, a whirlwind of justice and fire.
But loss and the weight of her new familia had slightly tempered her.
Her eyes, however, remained as sharp as ever as they swept over Lili's broken form.
"You've got some guts," Alise said, her voice dropping to a chilling, low register.
"Committing a crime right in front of my home. Do you think the law does not reach this street?"
The third man, a wiry fellow with the sunken eyes of a Soma wine-addict, tried to salvage the situation.
He forced a greasy smile.
"Please, Lady Alise, don't misunderstand. This is Familia business. This brat stole from us. We're just teaching her the value of honesty. It's better you don't get involved."
Alise looked down at Lili.
The girl was a mess…..pale, trembling, and clearly suffering from more than just "surface wounds."
The sight of the small Pallum curled in the dirt ignited a flame in Alise that no amount of mellowing could extinguish.
"And what if we choose to get involved?"
The new voice came from further down the street.
It was calm, resonant, and carried the weight of absolute authority.
The crowd parted like the Red Sea.
Draco approached, his presence commanding the space around him.
Beside him walked the High Elf, Riveria, her jade eyes narrowed in distaste, and the Sword Princess, Ais, whose expression remained stoic though her hand had tightened ever so slightly on her sword.
The three men gasped, their faces turning a sickly shade of grey.
To face Alise was dangerous; to face the "Monster" of Bahamut alongside the elite of the Loki Familia was a death sentence.
"Forgive us, sir!" the wiry man stammered, bowing so low his forehead nearly touched the grime.
"We were just... we were leaving! We'll take the girl and go."
"Wait," Draco said.
The single word froze the men in their tracks as if he had cast a spell of binding.
Draco stepped into the center of the circle, his gaze lingering on the little Pallum girl.
He recognized her instantly.
Liliruca Arde.
The girl who, in a different timeline, should become an important member of the Hestia Familia.
Seeing her like this….broken and discarded….sent a jolt of cold pragmatism through him, mixed with a rare spark of genuine empathy.
"You claim she stole," Draco said, his voice deceptively soft.
"A claim that remains unproven. However, the use of excessive force is a visible, undeniable crime. Wouldn't you agree?"
"It's just... it's all surface wounds, sir!" the man pleaded.
"She's a sturdy one!"
Draco didn't look at him.
He turned to the elf at his side.
"Riveria Please?"
The High Elf stepped forward, her robes rustling.
She knelt beside Lili, her movements graceful and clinical.
She didn't need to touch the girl to know the extent of the damage; her senses were honed by decades of both healing and combat.
"Internal bleeding in the chest area" Riveria stated, her voice cold enough to frost the air.
"Three broken ribs, one of which has likely punctured a lung. A fracture in the left arm and a another fracture along her spine. If she is not treated within the hour, she will likely die."
A collective gasp went up from the gathered onlookers.
The indifference of the crowd began to turn into a low murmur of disgust.
"You vermin," Alise hissed, her knuckles whitening as she gripped her sword.
"Judging by that scent of stale grain and desperation," Draco observed, casting a sidelong glance at the men, "you are members of the Soma Familia. Correct?"
The men stayed silent.
To admit it was to drag their god's name further into the mud; to deny it was a useless lie.
"It doesn't matter," Draco said, dismissing them as one might dismiss an annoying insect.
He looked at Alise.
"I believe these gentlemen require a lesson in the 'value of honesty' that they were so eager to teach. I'll leave them to you."
Alise's smile was not kind.
It was the smile of a predator that had just been given permission to hunt.
"I hope you can tolerate pain as much as you can dish it out," she said, stepping toward the three men.
The sounds of the ensuing "lesson" were drowned out as Draco reached down.
With a gentleness that seemed at odds with his scary reputation, he slid his arms beneath Lili's broken frame and lifted her.
She was so light.
It was the weight of a child who had never known a full meal.
"Riveria, if you would," Draco said, turning toward the gates of Stardust Garden.
The High Elf followed immediately, Ais trailing behind like a silent guardian.
As they crossed the threshold into the lush, sanctuary of the garden, the chaotic noise of the Orario streets faded, replaced by the rustle of trees.
Riveria didn't wait for an invitation.
As Draco laid Lili down on a stone bench padded with soft moss, the elf's hands began to glow with a soft, cerulean light.
"I didn't know you were this soft on anyone but Ais," Draco teased quietly, watching the focus on Riveria's face.
The elf didn't look up, her fingers dancing over Lili's torso as she channeled the magic necessary to heal.
"I have seen many cases like this, Draco. The world is full of broken things. While I cannot fix them all, I will not stand by and watch a child expire at my feet."
"I know," Draco replied, his expression softening.
"I was joking. I know your heart is as vast as your mind pool."
Riveria scoffed, though the corners of her mouth twitched.
"Less talk. Hold her steady. The rib realignment will be painful, even in her state."
Lili drifted in a haze of agony and wonder.
She could feel the warmth of the healing magic….a sensation so foreign it felt like being bathed in liquid sunlight.
Through the fog of her semi-consciousness, she saw the faces above her.
She saw the legendary Nine Hell, the woman whose name was spoken in hushed tones across the city, working over her with the care of a mother.
She saw the Sword Princess watching her with quiet, golden eyes.
And she saw the man who had ordered her rescue…..Draco, the monster who could erase and devour an entire district with one attack.
'Is this a dream?' Lili wondered, a stray tear carving a path through the dirt on her cheek.
'Is this the cost of dying?'
'Do you get to see the heroes before the end?'
She tried to speak, to ask if they were going to charge her for the magic…..because she had nothing, not a single Valis left…..but her strength failed her.
As the pain receded into a dull throb and the warmth of the garden enveloped her, Lili closed her eyes, allowing herself to fall into the first safe sleep she had known in years.
................
An hour later, the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of violet and gold.
Alise walked into the inner garden, wiping a smudge of dirt from her cheek.
She looked satisfied.
"The 'gentlemen' from Soma have been handed over to the Ganesha Familia for public disturbance and aggravated assault," Alise reported, sheathing her sword.
"I suspect they won't be walking unassisted for a few months."
Draco nodded, leaning against a tree as he watched Lili's steady breathing.
"And the girl?"
"Stabilized," Riveria said, stepping back and wiping her brow.
"She is malnourished and exhausted, but the internal damage is repaired. She will need rest and actual food….something it appears she hasn't had in quite some time."
Ais stepped closer to the bench, looking down at the small pallum, around her own size.
"She was afraid," Ais whispered.
"Even when she was unconscious, she was flinching."
"She's a supporter for a shitty familia, little Ais," Draco said, his voice heavy.
"In this city, that's a fate worse than being a slave. They are used, discarded, and replaced like broken tools."
"Language" Riveria warned.
"I am not little" Ais muttered, much to Draco's amusement.
He looked out over the garden, his mind churning.
The timeline was shifting.
Lili was supposed to meet Bell Cranel much later.
She was supposed to be the one who betrayed him, only to be saved by his unnatural idiocy and kindness.
But here she was, in his garden, saved by his hand.
"What will we do with her?" Alise asked, her usual fire replaced by a quiet concern.
"We can't just send her back home. They'll kill her for the money she allegedly 'stole,' or worse….." Alise stopped herself from saying more.
Draco looked at the sleeping girl.
Her hood had fallen back, revealing an innocent, weary face that had seen far too much of the world's darkness.
"She stays here for now," Draco decided.
"At least until she can stand on her own. If the Soma familia wants her back, they can come and negotiate with me personally."
Alise grinned.
"I'd pay to see that."
As the stars began to poke through the twilight canopy above Stardust Garden, the little girl who had expected to die in the gutter lay tucked beneath a silk blanket.
Her luck had been rotten for a very long time, but as the warmth of Stardust Garden surrounded her, the cycle of her misery had finally been broken.
For the first time in her life, Liliruca Arde wasn't just a supporter.
She was a guest of the Bahamut familia.
And in Orario, that meant she was untouchable.
A/N: Refer to chapter 217 for Lili's first introduction and connection with the Bahamut familia.
Honestly don't know if she will join the Bahamut familia or not, but I felt it was best that she doesn't get to experience all that suffering till bell arrives.
As for Haruhime and other characters like Tiona, Tione ...etc.
Well I don't know yet….