Walking The Wrong Path

Untitled Part 6

Amid "his condition is stable now, all we can do is wait for him to wake up. Also, it will take him two weeks to fully be back to 100%, meaning no dungeon."

Loki "we wouldn't let him, even if he wanted to."

Finn " I guess it's time to wait huh?"

Time skip of 1 week

It was a clear sky outside in the Orario during the silent night.

Riveria's mind however, was clouded. It had been a week since they returned, but Bell did not awaken. She could not help but shed a few tears.

Riveria in a low voice "Bell," she sniffled lightly "its my fault you turned out like this,"

She kept on blaming herself for Bell's condition. Suddenly a raspy voice spoke.

Bell "aww.. d- cough don't blame yourself Riveria, I acted very rudely to you as well my bad," he said while smiling a bit, he was still lying down and his eyes were closed. Riveria looked up and tears just burst out from her eyes and she hugged Bell unconsciously. Bell's eyes shot up, he was being hugged by the one he loved. He had to come realise soon how he loved Riveria, the difference in love and admiration of the strength of Ais was now apparent to him. He loved how she always cared for other's in the familia. She went above and beyond and was loved by everyone alike. However, he noticed how no one ever helped her. She wasn't lonely by any means, but her aura exuded a sense of maturity which made you feel impertinent if you interfered. Bell didn't like that so he made it his job to overcome that barrier and become someone she could rely on.

That night Riveria fell asleep while crying on Bell's shoulder.

Bell "poor girl, she is too exhausted, has she stayed with me all this time?" he smiled in happiness. She may be much older than him but she seems like a normal woman to Bell. He pulls her up in a princess carry with the one arm that works and lays her on bed with him. He decides to take this as a chance for some skin ship even if she was fully clothed. He hugs her and her head is snuggled against his chest. He falls asleep again with a smile on his face.

As Bell drifted to sleep the voice was more powerful than ever.

Haruhime "it seems you really have forsaken us Bell sama," Bell had tears in his eyes.

Bell "No... I didn't, I can't control it. I love her," then for the first time something worse happened. Something so horrific that Bell would be scarred for the rest of his life. His grandpa was there amongst his familia, his eyes also replaced with a black gaping hole.

Zeus "this is why I died Bell, you abandoned me," Bell was shocked that he let his guard down and the voice got to him. He instantly broke down.

Bell "g-grandpa?" he questioned

Zeus "don't call me that. It's all your fault that I died that day. If you were stronger than you could have protected me."

Bell "n-no, I wasn't t-there with you at the time."

Zeus "doesn't change how you simply moved on from my death." His familia were always at the back of his mind, he would face them from one side as they all just stared back at him with their missing eyes, calling him a traitor, a hypocrite. They kept inviting him to their side, over and over again. This was part of the reason why he wanted to die so bad. He wanted to escape the pain. Run away from the fact that he led them to their deaths.

Bell fell to his knees, despair gripping him and about to devour him whole when a stoic elf helps him out. Riveria with her usual graceful manner steps next to Bell and offers him a hand giving him a smile. The warmth covers half of the dark room. FOr the first time in weeks, Bell's mindspace had sanity. The pitch black and creamy white were divided in two. Bell was in the middle. With free rein over the two as Riveria helped maintain his sanity. BUt it wasn't big. The dark still very much haunted him, fueled his desire to become stronger and Riveria being there gave him more motivation as he had people to protect. Bell was being tormented while Riveria was healing him mentally, it was just a perpetual cycle of suffering that broke Bell even more while also giving him hope.