A day after the celebration, the Loki Familia and Hestia Familia held a meeting in the Twilight Manor. They talked about the expedition, the events leading to Floor Sixty, the kidnapping of Ais, the arrival of the elite team, and all that had transpired after.
Loki leaned back in her chair, her usual playful demeanor absent. "I was not aware of Ais's connection to the Ice Garden."
Riveria shook her head. "We did not know either. But it is now confirmed that when we found her, she was inside one of its ice cocoons. We saw many others like her, trapped within. Then the Ice Garden disappeared, as if it was never there."
Finn added, "We have reasons to believe it can move between floors. That it only showed up for Ais, to protect her from the Corrupted Spirit."
Damien, seated at the table with his arms crossed, spoke. "Is there any additional information about it? Something you all are keeping secret?"
Loki raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'you all'?"
"I mean you as in the gods." Damien looked around the room. Only his trusted friends were present....Ais, Riveria, Finn, Gareth, Loki, and Hestia.
Loki's expression shifted. "You have reasons to suspect the gods? Sorry to say this, son, but we know nothing. The only thing we are sure of is that the Guild has more information about Thalia's Ice Garden. Information Ouranos refuses to give us." She paused. "Unless I and Freya team up, just like Zeus and Hera, he refuses to give us any information on it." She glanced at Hestia. "I suppose because of you, Hestia is a part of that now too."
Hestia blinked. "Me?"
"Yes, you, you big-breasted idiot! You have the strongest adventurer in Orario as your child. Of course Ouranos will count you as well."
Hestia grinned, her earlier concern replaced by smug satisfaction. "You are jealous of my Damien, are you not? Tihihi."
Loki shrugged. "Cannot say I am not."
Damien's voice cut through the banter. "I was not talking about just the Ice Garden."
Loki's eyes narrowed. "Then what were you talking about?"
Damien leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table. "When I destroyed Floor Sixty, I had to locate all its magical veins. I destroyed every single one of them. But I am no fool. Even while I was fighting, I could see it." He paused. "That was not magic."
He looked at Hestia. At Loki.
"It was Arcanum. Condensed and changed to act as if it were mere mana. But I could see it—the faint Arcanum moving through each of the veins." His voice dropped. "The dungeon... every god acts like it is an unknown entity that hates the gods and wishes to destroy humanity. But from my perspective..." He met their eyes. "The dungeon was made by a god."
Silence.
Everyone in the room turned to Hestia and Loki. Ais's golden eyes widened. Riveria's hand tightened around her staff. Finn and Gareth exchanged glances.
Loki sighed. "Well... that is surprising information."
Damien pressed forward. "What do you know about it? The dungeon, really? Why does it hate the gods? Why are gods so afraid of dying inside it, compared to dying outside? Who made it?"
Loki was quiet for a long moment. Then she spoke, her voice softer than usual.
"A series of good questions that I wish I could answer. But I cannot." She met Damien's gaze. "Not because I do not want to. I physically cannot. As you know, we gods make a pact to come down to the lower world. One of those pacts is to never speak about the dungeon too much."
Beside her, Hestia shifted unnaturally. Her small hands gripped the edge of her chair. Her eyes flickered between Damien and the floor, her expression torn. She wanted to tell him everything...Damien could see it in her face. But doing so would send her back to heaven.
Loki continued. "I can tell you this much, though. The gods... we really do not know much about it. I cannot say who made it, or why it hates us. But we fear dying inside it because it can absorb us...Arcanum and all." Her voice was grave. "If a god dies inside the dungeon, there is no returning to heaven. This is all you can know now. Until the day it is cleared."
Damien narrowed his eyes. "Ouranos, eh? He is the one who imposed these rules. He is a strong one."
Loki nodded. "The strongest and most ancient of us all. It would be wise not to cross him too much, Damien. It worked out this time, because he is a good god. But he is not so forgiving."
Damien stood. "I know. He is the only person ever to notice my shadows, so I gathered that much." He moved toward the door. "Anyways, I will head out now. I have someone I need to see."
Hestia shot to her feet. "Oh? Where are you going, Damien?"
He looked over his shoulder. "I need to visit Freya."
"WHAT! Absolutely not! That woman is NO GOOD!" Hestia crossed her arms, her face red with indignation.
Damien smiled. "I know, I know. You can relax. She cannot influence me." His voice softened. "Trust me, okay?"
Hestia wanted to say more...But she stayed quite as she watched him walk out.
....
Folkvangr. The Freya Familia's home, right in the middle of the business district, quite literally on the opposite side of Loki's Twilight Manor. It was here that Freya's familia operated.
Her adventurers—called Einherjar—could be seen moving about left and right. But Damien paid them no mind. Their eyes were fixed on him, but he did not care. He continued walking toward her home.
He approached the entrance. The two guard Einherjar immediately became hostile.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT!" they shouted.
"YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE, DAMIEN ARDENT!"
Damien stayed quiet.
Suddenly, a voice behind the gate spoke.
"Open the gate."
It was a male Pallum....quite tall for a Pallum, but still shorter than the average human. He had blue hair and wore a black outfit, marking him clearly above Level Three. In the ranks of the Einherjar, only those above Level Three could modify their outfits. The rest were stuck with white and silver.
"But, Sir Van! He is...." the guard stammered.
"I said open the gate! Orders from Her Grace!" Van shouted.
The guards quickly straightened and opened the gate. Damien sighed and walked in.
"Looks like she is expecting me, eh," Damien said.
Van's face twisted with anger and disgust. "Do not talk to me! I am ordered to guide you, not talk to you!"
Damien sighed. "Oh, is that so? But what if I do not? What will you do about it?"
Van went on edge. He said nothing. He knew full well he could not do much about Damien. Certainly not alone.
They approached the entrance to the manor.
Damien saw Ottar waiting there. To his side stood the vice-captain of the familia.....the one who had not been in the elite team. Allen Fromel. A cat person known for his arrogance and temper.
From where he stood, Damien could instantly sense the man's bloodlust. He ignored it. Instead, he looked at Ottar as they approached.
"Looks like you are well," Damien said. "Apologies about what happened in the dungeon. I should not have attacked an ally. I was... quite angry."
Ottar spoke no words. He only grunted.
Van opened the door. Allen and Ottar followed Damien inside. Clearly watching him.
Inside, every member of the familia stopped their activities. They looked at Damien with hostility. The Gulliver Brothers waited at the stairs. Hogni lurked in the shadows far away, shunned by the others.
Damien looked at all of this. He grinned.
"Well, what a welcome. Too bad... even with everyone here, it would not be enough."
His words were not directed at anyone. But Allen took them as an insult.
"You fucking bastard! How dare you! If you..."
Allen was about to burst when Ottar looked at him.
"Silence."
Allen turned to Ottar, ready to speak harsh words at him as well. Then a voice spoke.
"Our Goddess awaits you in her chamber, Damien Ardent."
The voice belonged to Horn. Freya's most devoted servant. Her attendant. She waited at the top of the stairs.
Damien continued to follow Van. Allen and Ottar followed behind him. They reached the door to Freya's chambers.
Horn spoke. "You are not allowed in."
Her words were not directed at Damien. They were directed at Van, Allen, and Ottar.
Allen opened his mouth. Horn cut him off. "It was Her Grace's orders." She looked at him.
Damien shrugged. "Well, too bad, eh? I really liked your company."
He pushed the door open and walked inside.
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