At the back of the Midnight Garden, there was a training field that had been cleared and sectioned for different training regimes. Currently, the only person on the field was Alfia, watching her nephew Bell with a stern expression.

“Bell, listen up,” she said firmly. “I am not going to coddle you in training. Given your vow and my experience, I understand exactly how far you have to go to accomplish it. There will be no mercy during training. I am only going to hold back enough to kill you. I will try not break any of your bones, but that is all. This will be your last chance to give up your vow. What do you say?” While Alfia’s gaze was severe and cold, in contrast to the turmoil her heart.

Alfia's worst nightmare was her nephew wanting to become an adventurer. Her last desire and the reason she originally joined Erebus was to raise new heroes who would defeat the OEBD so that Bell would be safe. For Bell to have taken up the sword and swear to fight the dragon felt as if fate was personally mocking her.

“I am sorry Auntie Alfia, but I refuse. I will fulfill my vow,” Bell says as he stares into Alfia’s eyes without backing down in the face of her glare. Alfia sighs at the look in Bell’s eyes.

“I knew it was futile. Very well. Let us begin.” Alfia said

And so the Hell of training begins.

“You are open here.” Alfia said as she delivered a swift strike to Bell's left side. The force of her blow knocked him back, a causing a sharp pain radiate through his ribs.

"You're exposed here," she remarked coolly as she struck his right side .

Bell gritted his teeth as he tried to regain his footing, but before he could fully recover, another strike from Alfia landed on his right side with a resounding crack. He stumbled, struggling to maintain his balance and defend himself.

"Your stance is off," Alfia pointed out, her tone still calm and collected despite the intensity of their training session. The smell of sweat and exertion lingered in the air as they continued to spar.

Bell gasped for air as Alfia's fist slams into his leg with brutal force, causing him to stumble and nearly fall.

"You must learn to anticipate and dodge all attacks, even the unexpected, " she orders, “Gospel”

In an instant, Alfia unleashes her magic upon Bell, sending him hurtling backwards and colliding with the unforgiving walls that enclose their training grounds. Pain shot through his body like fire, but he forced himself to stand, determined to prove himself worthy of his vow.

The sun had barely risen when Alfia began Bell's training, and it lasted well into the late afternoon. The physical portion finally came to an end, and they shifted to intellectual training.

"Remember, Bell," Alfia's voice was firm and unwavering, "a nimble mind is one of the greatest weapons an adventurer can possess. The Dungeon will try to wear you down slowly, only revealing its true fangs when you are exhausted and vulnerable. That is why we will drill strategies, floor plans, monster strengths and weaknesses into you until they are second nature. I refuse to let my nephew become a muscle-bound brute like so many other adventurers out there. You will receive a well-rounded education in addition to the standard Dungeon curriculum."

She paused for a moment before continuing, her tone becoming more serious. "We will start by having you memorize the first 10 floors of the Dungeon and the major events in Genkai over the last thousand years. As you progress, we will continue to expand your knowledge. I am determined to pass on every bit of my expertise to you."

For the next week, Bell was put through rigorous training in both combat and various other topics relevant to adventuring. By the time he was ready to enter the Dungeon, he had absorbed all of Alfia's knowledge about its first 10 floors and much of Genkai's history. Alfia constantly quizzed and grilled him on topics that they had covered and when she found him wanting, she administered a remedial education lesson. It was not uncommon to find him collapsed from either mental or physical exhaustion, a testament to the severity of Alfia’s education.

Hermes Visit (midway through the week of training)

The god of Travelers and Asfi approached the Midnight Garden, greeted by Zald's familiar presence.

"Hello, Zald," Hermes said with a warm grin. "Good to see you and Alfia again. Are the others free? I would like to catch up with Erebus."

"Ahh, Lord Hermes," Zald replied with a nod. "Alfia and Bell are out back training. I will take you there and then find Lord Erebus."

As Zald leads Hermes to the backyard. As they approach Bell is sent flying through the air landing in front of the wall unconscious in a heap.

Hermes chuckled lightly. "Ahhhh. I see Alfia hasn’t changed."

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"Mhph. Did he really expect her to?" Zald scoffed, his tone tinged with amusement at the thought of Alfia changing.

"Not really, but one never knows with mortals. They can change so quickly," Hermes mused before plastering on a smile and striding towards the duo. "Hello, my dear Alfia, you look as radiant…"

"Gospel," Alfia chanted, her voice slicing through the air. The rock, mere feet away from where Hermes and Asfi stood, disintegrated into nothingness. Hermes's heart lurched with fear at Alfia's magic, while Asfi's eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of such potent short-chant magic

Alfia's gaze bore into the duo, her eyes glaring at them enough to send shivers down their spines. "You are being noisy and perverted. I will not allow you to corrupt my adorable nephew."

Alfia’s glare promised much greater violence if he were to try anything. Hermes swallowed hard, the sound echoing loudly in the tense atmosphere. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he struggled to find words to placate Alfia.

"Haha. Sorry about that," he mumbled, his voice trembling slightly. "Crap, she's got an even shorter fuse now. And she's overprotective, too. Didn't expect her to be such a Mama Bear."

"Sigh. Alfia, you probably want to give Bell a potion since you knocked him out again. Besides, Lord Hermes wants to see Erebus," Zald remarked with a weary tone, his footsteps echoing as he made his way into the manor in search of Erebus.

"Tch. So long as he behaves himself, I will allow it," Alfia replied curtly, her focus shifting to the unconscious Bell. With practiced ease, she produced a potion from her clothes and administered it to him. Almost immediately, Bell stirred, his eyes fluttering open.

"Ouch," he groaned softly, blinking up at Alfia.

"Bell, we have guests. It is Lord Hermes and…" Alfia began, as she pointed to the woman who was accompanying Hermas, Asfi, who had finally regained her composure, spoke

"I am the Vice-Captain of the Hermes familia, Asfi Al Andromeda. Please, call me Asfi," she introduced herself with a nod

"I am Bell Cranel, Captain of the Erebus Familia. Nice to meet you. Please call me Bell," Bell responded, extending his hand in greeting. Asfi reciprocated the gesture.

"Hermes, good to see you again. I believe it has been several centuries since we last saw each other," Erebus greeted warmly as he arrived. "Let’s have a seat and chat."

"An excellent idea. I would love to hear about what you have been up to," Hermes began, his curiosity piqued and with a nod, Hermes followed Erebus's lead as they settled at a table set up in one of the neighboring gardens.

"Ahh, nothing much in Tenkai, same old, same old. When I descended, I happened to find Zald and Alfia. I was planning to make my introduction to Orario a little later, but then we stumbled upon Bell, who aspired to be an adventurer, so we brought the announcement forward a bit. But enough about me, I'm much more interested in hearing how you've been," Erebus replied, his gaze curious.

"I see. That is interesting. I have been well; my familia is wonderful and filled with great children. I am curious, though, why is Bell the captain? I would have expected Zald or Alfia to hold that position, given their levels," Hermes inquired, his brow furrowing with curiosity.

"Ha. Absolutely not. Too much paperwork for me," Zald scoffed at the notion.

"Absolutely not. I won’t be returning to the Dungeon anytime soon," Alfia chimed in.

"And that is how Bell became the captain. We decided that, given their preferences, it would be best if Bell took charge of the Familia, as he is likely to be the one leading us in the Dungeon," Erebus explained.

"Makes sense. Do you happen to remember me, Bell? I saw you a few times when I had something to deliver to Hera and your mom," Hermes inquired, his tone friendly and nostalgic.

"I remember a little bit, mostly your hat and..." Bell began, his voice trailing off as fragments of memory flashed in his mind. The image of Hermes's distinctive hat, adorned with a single feather, stirred something within him, though the memories remained hazy and elusive.

Flashback start

"This way, Meteria. We have to move quickly," a formerly flippant voice urged, its tone now urgent and determined.

…

BOOM.

…

"Damn. We are cut off," another voice muttered, frustration evident in its tone.

…

"Right this way now," came the response.

…

"We will hold them here. Go on from here. We will buy you as much time as we can," a female voice declared, her words ringing with a sense of duty as approaching heavy footsteps echoed through the passage, drawing nearer with each passing moment.

…

"We made it out. Quickly, to a safe house," someone exclaimed, relief evident in their voice as they hurried away to seek refuge.

…

Flashback ends (all will be revealed in time. I promise.)

"You helping mama escape," Bell finished after a moment's pause, his voice tinged with gratitude.

Hermes paused, his expression turned solemn, and closed his eyes briefly. "I only wish I could have done more. It truly is a disgrace what happened."

"I understand, Lord Hermes, and I thank you for your help in the past. Now, I have a mission for you if Lord Erebus agrees to it," Bell stated

"Well, let’s hear it. I am sure it will be good," Erebus responded, his demeanor calm yet attentive.

"I can’t make any promises, but I will help if I can," Hermes added

"I want you to continue the quest to find a cure for Alfia’s illness and Zald’s poisoning from Behemoth," Bell declared

Hermes responded carefully "There is no guarantee of a cure. Hera started looking as soon as she brought Meteria and Alfia in. She had no success, though we certainly did not cover everywhere. It will be a very difficult task. Given the state of the city, I can typically only spare a few children. I will look, but this will take a while."

Hermas paused before he continued, his tone measured. “As for Zald, the Behemoth was one of the Three Great Quests. I doubt there is anything that will be naturally occurring that will surpass that. The most likely success would be to gather up healing herbs and items and start the research from scratch. It will be a labor-intensive tedious, and very time-consuming process. I would recommend talking to Miach and Dain Chent Familia,"

"I understand. I will make sure to pay them a visit soon. I was not expecting this to be easy. I also want you to look into anything that might delay the progression of their respective ailments," Bell continued

"If you are looking for a treatment, when we were at the elf village in the Dedine, there was a plant that grew there in spite of the Behemoth’s poison. It was helpful in alleviating the symptoms," Zald offered.

"And for me, while it is not a cure, a branch of a Sacred Elven Tree helps to both alleviate the symptoms and slow its progression. The older the scared tree the greater the effect." Alfia added

"Welp, that is where I will start then. If we can at least slow the progression of both of your diseases, then that will be helpful to the city," Hermes concluded, his gaze shifting between them.

"Thank you, Lord Hermes," Bell said with a respectful bow.

“Think nothing of it, Bell. It is the least I can do.” Hermes replied

As the gods continued their conversation, Bell returned to training with Alfia.