"Wait...Wait... What are you two talking about? Double Falna? Wheel? Adaptation? I'm so confused." Goddess Hestia muttered in confusion. Her twin tails whirling in bewilderment.
Goddess Astraea looked at Hestia. Her focus coming to her. Bell too looked at Goddess Hestia with a unreadable expression.
"Hestia...Hestia... You really are absurdly lucky." Goddess Astraea spoke while looking at her. Then looked at Bell. He in return looked into her eyes.
No words were needed between them. They understood each other's intentions, communicating through their eyes.
Astraea then looked back at Hestia with a dangerous expression, and started to walk towards her from the sofa, her hands rubbing together like a shady scammer.
"Astraea! What do you want?... S-Stay away." Goddess Hestia yelped backward at Goddess Astraea's actions. Her voice a little shaky.
"Hehehe...Hestia... Haven't you always wanted to have a Familia member? Now I'm giving you the chance, and you're running away." Astraea spoke in a heartbroken tone. Her frame coming closer to the trembling Hestia.
"Stay away... S-Stay away..." Goddess Hestia stumbled back. Her gaze searching an escape route from the side.
Just as Goddess Hestia was about to escape from the side. She stumbled into Bell standing there.
"Goddess Hestia... Don't resist... We promise we'll be gentle." Bell spoke with a shady grin. Blocking her escape route from the side.
Goddess Hestia now had her back against the wall. Goddess Astraea closing in on her from the front. Bell closing in from the side.
"Uwaah... Astraea... Bell... You really are not good people." Goddess Hestia spoke with tears in her eyes.
Both of them froze at her tears. Communicating with their eyes.
Bell - 'Did we gaslight her too much?'
Astraea - 'I think we did.'
...
After getting Goddess Hestia in on their plan...
"Hestia... Remember... You might grant a second Falna to my child. But he is... Mine. Understood?" Astraea spoke while looking at Hestia who was acting giddy just thinking about having a new Familia member. Even if she had to share him with Astraea.
At Astraea's words. Hestia felt a chill run down her spine. Feeling cold all over despite it being summer season.
"Yea... Yea... Astraea... He's all yours... All yours." Hestia choked out in fear. Her hands trembling as she held a prickling pin in her hand.
"And Bell remember... You're only my child, right?" Goddess Astraea asked with a sweet tone.
Yet, sweat started to drip across his head. Danger bells ringing across his awareness.
"Yes. You're absolutely right, Goddess." Bell spoke hurriedly. Before any misunderstanding could form.
Goddess Astraea nodded her head with a gentle smile.
After a moment of silence...
Goddess Hestia pricked her finger as Bell took off his own tunic. Revealing the Falna tattoo on his back. Twin scales representing balance.
Under Goddess Astraea's gaze. Hestia applied her divine blood on his Astraea Familia engraving.
Before her blood touched his back. The wheel tattoo materialised between his brows. Shining on it's own.
As her blood touched his back. The Astraea Familia's Falna reacted violently. As if it's territory was being encroached.
Dark blue light flashed across his back. Colliding with the light blue of Hestia's Falna. His back flashed with engravings of twin scales, then glitched out and flashed with engravings of burning flames.
His body buckled under the collision of two Falna's. They brutally tore each other and his body apart.
[Super Regeneration] quirk worked overtime to heal the physical damage as blood overflowed from his mouth. Falling to the floor. His knees hit the floor.
Spokes of the wheel tattoo started to whir madly. Revolving with abandon as [Super Regeneration] healed injuries.
Agony.
Pure agony.
That was what Bell felt. His body was being brutally torn apart by the Falna's of two different Goddesses fighting for dominion.
His hands curled on the floor. Clutching it for dear life as pain overwhelmed his senses.
A scream of pure suffering tore out from his throat. His eyes bloodshot. His awareness flickered in and out.
...
Deep inside him revolved an eight handled wheel. It's spokes rotated with uncanny fluidity.
Surrounding it was a infinite well of darkness.
A chain of condensed darkness and slight gold of divine was binding it. It ran along the wheel's centre with innumerable cracks.
With a final tug. It was broken off.
Finally...
*Clunk*
It was time...
...
Goddess Astraea and Goddess Hestia watched Bell scream with worry and fear written over their faces.
The wheel tattoo between his brows circulated with reckless speed. It's spokes revolved so fast that they could no longer be distinguished.
[Super Regeneration] healed his wounds swiftly.
Yet, the two Falna's fighting were nothing to scoff at either. Blood started to flow from his pores. The pain multiplying ten times.
Injuries were accumulating faster than [Super Regeneration] could heal.
He could feel death closing in on him. His body was being destroyed on atomic level by the wild fight of Falna's.
The wheel tattoo between his brows forcefully stopped spinning abruptly as death was coming closer.
*Clunk*
The heavy voice of a wheel turning resounded in his head. Louder than any pain and curses he could muster.
The wheel tattoo between his brow dissolved as something new started to materialise above his head.
A golden wheel with eight handles materialised slowly over his head. It's golden light blinding against his surroundings.
*Clunk*
It's spokes spun once.
The Falna's still collided against each other. His body was still being brutally torn apart.
But...
Now, the intensity was decreasing.
*Clunk*
The pain decreased further. His awareness snapping into focus.
*Clunk*
The Falna's behind his back kept glitching. Twin scales one moment. Burning flames another.
*Clunk*
By the fourth spin, he was already standing. His awareness exploded outwards in doves. Golden pathways flashing and disappearing rapidly in his mind.
*Clunk*
His awareness brushed against someone walking towards their home. Their malice practically screaming against his instincts.
Evilus?
Now of all times?
*Clunk*
[Ittou Shura] boomed with a roar. His strength exploded upwards viciously. [Instinct (A)] whirred golden with absolute focus.
One moment he was standing in his home. Both Goddesses focusing on the wheel above his head with bewilderment.
The next, he was already on their house's roof. Blood dripping from his body. Liberator already in his hand. His face towards the infiltrator.
...A person wearing a black cloak walked out from a street nearby. Looking up at him like a prey.
*Clunk*
"Hehehe... We can't have your Astraea Familia make a comeback. Or our plans of Orario might run into problems. Boy... If you want to blame someone... Blame yourself for joining Astraea Familia." He spoke with an eerie and unconcerned laugh. Absolutely sure he could crush a Level 1 newbie.
It was an executive from Thanatos Familia. Though Bell did not recognise him.
What he recognised was his Level.
High Level 3
Overkill for a small fry like him in Evilus' eyes.
Bell did not speak. Instead fire balls of [Grega] materialised behind him. Revolving like the wheel above his head.
On his back flashed engravings of flames and twin scales like a glitching screen. The fire balls revolving behind him slowly dissolved to cover the edge of liberator.
His strength plummeted to normal. His mana and life force from [Ittou Shura] flooded liberator recklessly. Flames of [Grega] covered liberator's edge. [Instinct (A)] showed him a golden path to swing it. [Super Regeneration] healed his injuries overtime.
His voice came out hoarse as liberator flared brightly. Illuminating this area of Orario with it's blinding radiance.
"ASTRA...VESTA...CALIBUR!!!"
Liberator was swung.
And his surroundings went silent for a moment.
The whole street where the member of Evilus was standing a moment ago was wiped off the map of Orario. Blinding radiance drowning the surrounding darkness of night.
*Clunk*
The Evilus executive did not even have time to scream before being vaporised.
Bell turned his back towards the executive.
The last thing the executive saw before his death was a Falna engraved on Bell's back.
Twin scales with two flames burning inside them.
This was not the Falna of Astraea Familia.
Then which God's Falna was this?
Death held no answers.