Walking The Wrong Path

Untitled Part 6

Bell "that was a bit of a personal matter. I may as well you. From the day I joined the Hestia Familia, I had felt a gaze on me, all the time except when I was behind walls. It came from the Babel tower, surely you can understand what I am saying."

Riveria came to a realisation "she has been watching over you all this time."

Bell nodded and just took a swig of alcohol.

Riveria stomped over, grabbed the bottle and threw it towards the yard.

Riveria sat down next to him "Bell stop drinking. I know you are faking your behaviour, I can't bear to watch you anymore, tell me what is it that's keeping you in a struggle."

Bell hesitated before saying "I could tell you if I had alcohol, it somehow helps me to open up," Riveria just nodded and pulled out a new bottle. Bell just looked at her funny before chuckling. "I guess you are always prepared momma," he joked but Riveria just punched him lightly in the arm.

Bell took a few gulps before, wiping his mouth. This one was sweet. Like a contrasting poison. It made him ever so slightly lightheaded but he just dealt with it. He still knew everything he was doing. "well," he began, "Every day, every hour and every second of my life, I feel like I am being tormented."

Riveria confused "tormented by what?"

Bell "my weakness. The way I was helpless against the ones who killed my family."

Riveria adamantly "Bell you are not weak. You aren't helpless but you just can't accept it." Bell looked up, his hair covering his eyes, a single tear went down his face.

Bell drunk some more "Thanks Riveria. But I can only wish that was it. In me... there is... a voice, it keeps talking to me, all day, all night, it keeps me awake at night, it takes the form of my family, my grandpa, Hestia and everyone else and it curses me." Riveria just listened shocked, it was much worse than she thought. "They keep asking me to join them. To abandon life, stop fighting and just die. They all look at me but they have no eyes. They haunt me every moment of the week." HE concluded.

Riveria couldn't help it but she lowered his head onto her shoulder. She couldn't believe just how much mental torment he was going through. She felt helpless as she couldn't help him either. But for Bell she was peace. He enjoyer her prescence. But it was too early to decide that he loved her.

Voice "why are you wasting your night away? You should be fighting!"

Bell "it doesn't matter, I still want revenge for my family, but I can't just ignore what I'm feeling."

Haruhime rose "so you want to finally give up on us, I guess I was wrong to think of you as a hero?"

Bell "you may think so, but as far as I know the heroes we both admired never fought for revenge. I want revenge, but I also want to protect. I am no hero, I am a hypocrite," he reasoned. But suddenly something changed. For the first time, he stood up against the voice. His reasoning were clear and selfish. Haruhime's eyes sockets were filled with a pair of emerald eyes that looked kindly and full of warmth towards Bell. She crossed the mental barrier of black and white and stood next to BEll.

Haruhime rejuvenated "You may be a hypocrite Bell sama, but that's what heroes are. They want peace for both, not just one."

Bell smiled at her and how she joined him. Then Hestia rose.

Hestia "you wish to protect another familia after you forgot about us? Do you think you deserve the chance?"

Bell "yes I do. I want to protect something again. Revenge will soothe the pain but will leave behind an empty husk, I can fill it with a family." Hestia smiled gaining her sky blue eyes and also crossing the border yet again. The pure side grew larger.

Hestia "Just what I would expect from my Bell kun, being depressed doesn't suit you." Next it was Welf, Lily and Mikoto.

Welf "thank God I died. The pure Bell is gone for ever. You will have this dark stain forever, etched into your soul. You wish for strength to kill, thank Hephaistos that I didn't have to make weapons for a murderer anymore."

Bell "I know what I am doing is wrong. Murder is wrong under any context, but if my sin will help prevent future accidents, I will gladly bear the sin into my next life." He said with a smile to which Welf smiled and crossed the border.

Lily "Why did you save me from Soma, all you did was save me because I was a girl, and now you want to do the same with your new familia? you are the worst."

Bell "maybe so, but thats what makes me Bell, I saved you because I saw the pain in your eyes, now she can see the same in mine and she offered a helping hand. I plan to take it." Lily also crossed over.

Mikoto "I should've stayed with Ouka and the others, I would be able to be happy although poor,"

Bell "I didn't allow you to join for money, you joined because you wanted to help me. Your familia didn't feel betrayed and I'm sure you guys won't either." Mikoto corssed over. Bell's darkness has been reduced to a quarter of its size.

Zeus arose, "Bell, I died because of you. You moved on multiple times and left me all alone."

Bell "it's true I moved on grandpa. But look, now I have so many allies and friends, you can just join us instead," he said with a big smile, Zeus regaining his wise look, smiled and said 'atta boy' and walked over to Bell's side.

Finally all that was left, was the voice inside Bell.

Voice "you managed to bring them over to your side. I'm impressed,"

Bell "of course I brought them to my side, they are my friends and I know they won't think ill of me," he said. For a time there was silence but the darkness revealed a big grin. No malice or harm intended.

Voice "Bell, this side of you is permanent. I am the embodiment of your bloodthirst skill, I will stay with you until death. At times I will have more power, I will also have allies," it stopped as the same figures of Bell's allies came back up, "Because I am you. You are me. We will fight for revenge."

Bell contrasting "and I will fight to protect,"

Voice "I swear to avenge my family and bathe in my families blood,"

Bell "I swear to protect my allies and have no regrets at all."

Both the Voice's embodiment and Bell smiled. They are one and at the same. They are two parts of a shell. While the bird is hidden from the outside world in it's shell, it bursts out one day or another, leaping into freedom.

Voice and Bell "because I am Bell Cranel, I swear to fight until my death to protect what I love and kill those who stand against me. I will stay both pure and impure, for that's what a hero is." They both declared as they smiled at each other. The dark and White mixed. Bell's mindspace was united, he had accepted the death of his familia, yet also his extreme desire for the blood of his enemies. There are always two sides to a coin, this was Bell Cranel.