Reactions and Books

Chapter 2 Reactions and Reading

( Ryuu Pov)

Ryuu tried to blink the white dots out of her eyes as she kept her hand on Ars Lumina. There was no telling what was happening, but she had to be prepared. It took a while, but when she finally got her vision back, she saw that she was no longer under the Guild. None of them were.

The Gods and their Families were all taken. Transported to this weird place. It reminded her of the theaters that her old Captain Alise would take the Familia to as a form of downtime. But if this were a theater, where was the stage for the actors? Instead, in its place was a black mirror, one so clean that Ryuu could clearly see all of them in its reflection.

Adventures quickly huddled around their Gods. Freya and Hermes went behind Ottar as Asfi and the Hostess waitress provided support, while Hepheastus joined their group, standing in the middle with Hestia, while they provided protection. 

No one said anything. These weren't panicky civilians, everyone here was a veteran in the Dungeon, they all knew when it was time to get serious.

Ryuu looked at the walls, looking for a door or window. She was trying to find the quickest way to escape with her Familia, but there was nothing. There weren't any doors or windows anywhere near them.

Just white walls purer than snow and a golden ceiling that looked like it could be the entire Elven forest. Towards the back, there were two halls leading out, but Ryuu wasn't about to leave her Familia to go check. Right now, they were safer sticking together.

" Is everyone ok?" Finn called out. He was the first to speak. Probably realised that while nothing was happening, it was better to reconvene and provide a united front than waste lives by being detached like they were. 

Smart, she'd expect nothing less from Braver, who made the plan that brought Evilus to their knees. 

" Yeah."

" Nothing wrong here."

" Meow we're good."

Finn lowered his knife. Ryuu noticed that he didn't have his regular spear with him, probably seeing no need when they were just going to the Guild.

Motioning to his Familia, they started closing the distance between them. To the side, Ottar brought over Freya and Hermes while the girls from the Hostess followed behind. Bell and them movies out of the way, letting the Gods get to the center as they reformed the lines. 

" What happened!" Hestia cried behind her. " One second we were at the Guild and now we're here!"

" I don't know Hestia," Hepheastus said.

Loki called out to Riveria. " Hey Mama do you know what kind of spirit that was, or what spell they used to kidnap us like that."

Ryuu realized that she was talking about that ball of light. Ryuu hesitated to call it a spirit, it wasn't like any spirit that she knew. Most spirits were more physical than that. 

" No Loki, I don't know what that thing was, and I doubt that was a spell either, there wasn't any kind of chant. And stop calling me Mama." 

Murmurs filled the air as they tried to figure out what was going on. Finally, Freya couldn't take it anymore.

" Well, while this has been an interesting experience and this is such a beautiful palace, I must return before my cute children tear Orario apart looking for me. Ottar?"

BAAANNGG!!

Ryuu flinched from the noise, her elf ears were more sensitive than a human's, so the noise was especially loud for her. Faster than anyone could see, Ottar had leapt from his place at the front and attacked the closet wall to them.

Hitting it with the full power of a Level 7 they expected to see the wall and whatever was behind it to disintegrate. But nothing happened, the wall still stood strong.

" HEY! Warn us next time, why don't you, you hurt my Mama's ears," Loki screamed.

" Yeah, Freya, be more careful next time. What if there had been people behind there?" Hestia followed suit, pointing her finger at Freya as she admonished her.

" Hohoho, my bad." Freya laughed. 

" Has everyone calmed down?" A voice called out from the back.

Turning, everyone watched a cloaked old man walked out of one of the hallways. Following closely behind him was Fels acting as his shadow.

" Ouranos! Is this your doing? You'd better have a good explanation for bringing us here!" Loki was furious, she was angrier than Ryuu ever thought the fun-loving Goddess could get.

" Yeah, what's the big idea bringing us here?"

" Ouranos, if I'm not back soon, my forges are going ot go cold."

" Come on, big guy, you can't spring stuff like this on us, at least tell me so I can be on the joke next time."

" Ufufufu, Ouranos, playing a prank like this isn't nice, I might just get mad, you know."

Ryuu watched as all the Gods left the circle to go complain to who Ryuu now knows is Ouranos, the Grand God of Orario. Everyone else kept quiet, they knew that they had no right to speak before the Gods, especially when they were like this.

Though…Ryuu had heard a rumor that Ouranos kept the seal on the Dungeon by constantly praying at his altar. What is he doing here?

" Please, Dieties, calm your anger, allow me-" 

"Out of my way, you walking sack of bones, I have no patience to speak to the likes of you, I am addressing your better."

Fels tried to speak up on Ouranos's behalf, but Freya instantly shut him down. Not even sparing him a glance, she continued walking forward. Right when she was about to run into Fels Ottar came up from the side and pulled Fels out of the way.

Holding him on the ground, Ottar said. " None may stand before my Goddess."

" That's enough," Ouranos said.

Holding up his hand, he quieted the gods. They weren't happy but they knew of Ouranos by reputation. They knew that he wouldn't do this without some kind of reason, so they would wait for his explanation. And if they didn't like it…well.

Ouranos looked and the Gods before him. Sighing, Ouranos started explaining.

" Yesterday, I was visited by the same ball of light as you all. It explained to me that it required not only I but everyone of you as well to attend a gathering." Ouranos walked around the gathered Gods and went to stand in front of the black wall.

" I of course refused, and tried to use what power I had to dispel this creature, but to my astonishment, it was too powerful."

Ryuu heard a gasp behind her. She didn't blame them. She was sure that right now her mouth was hanging open in disbelief. Something that not even the Grand God could get rid of. Sure, he wasn't at his strongest, being that he had to seal most of his Arcanum when he descended to Genkai, but he still should have been strong enough to deal with almost all threats, especially in his altar. 

" Realising that I had no choice, I chose to listen. And once this being told me everything I decided to do as it suggested. I wrote to you all to join us as it instructed. That is when it brought me here, and I have been waiting ever since. Fels, following my last order, brought you to where the ball of light was waiting to bring you here."

Ryuu didn't know what to think. For one she felt betrayed. The one God which was said to watch over all of Orario, sold them out. Tricked them and led them into a trap. But at the same time, whatever this thing was, it seemed to hold a power greater than the gods.

"Well, where is this thing then? Let's hear what it has to say. YOU HEAR ME YOU LITTLE PISSANT SHOW YOURSELF!" Bete Logan, tired of sitting in the back, decided to speak up for the first time.

" BETE!" Lefiya cried, trying to stop him from making things worse.

" HAHA! You tell it, Bete. We'll just be standing over here while you do that."

Tiona held her stomach as she laughed. She, too, was getting tired of just standing around. She didn't care that they were taken from their homes or even that whatever did it could be stronger than her. She just needed something to punch, and then she was sure that everything would be ok. After all, there were at least twenty adventures here all over level two, plus Ottar, they were going to be fine.

Waiting, everyone held their breath waiting to see if the ball of light appeared. After a few minutes of nothing, they wondered if it could even hear it or if it was even here. Then a flash of light.

There, floating above them was the ball of light. Ryuu tried to get a read of what it was, if it was a spirit, she should have been able to sense its magic, but nothing. It was like it wasn't even there. 

<Yes, I am here> It spoke. Its voice sounded both feminine and masculine, young and old, at the same time. Like, multiple people were talking at the same time. 

" Ha! Finally!"

" Bete Wait!" Finn tried to stop him but Bete wasn't listening. Jumping higher than the ball, Bete went for a drop kick, aiming to send that ball flying on the first hit. But he never even got close.

"Ooof." Bete grasped in pain. No one saw the light move, pulsing with light a portal had opened in front of Bete and sent him flying out the other side, straight into a wall.

" Bete!" Lefiya ran over to check on him. Following after her, the Sword Princess kept her blade out, searching the ball of light for any movement.

" Come here, you guys," Hestia commanded them, her voice unusually serious at the moment.

Loki, ever the one to stir things up, walked up to the light. " Ok, you've had your fun, but I think it's time to send you back, whatever you are."

The light blinked once.

< No>

" No? What do you mean no?"

< You have been summoned to participate>

Freya stepped forward.

" Participate in what, exactly?"

< A viewing> It pulsed out again. 

" A viewing of what, you can't just spirit us and our children away like this and only give us that, we need more." This time, Hermes stepped up, fixing his hat as he stared down the ball of light.

Ryuu watched, she to was curious about what it meant. A viewing, of what, and why them. And why, especially the Hostess. So far, they had been content staying in everyone's shadow, quietly watching as everything went down, but they didn't belong here. Sure, they used to be fighters, but now they ran a restaurant, there was no reason for them to be here.

Silently, the light pulsed, a few more minutes they waited before it spoke again.

< Your world is fractured. Many things that should be have not, and like the snow on the mountain, it has built into an avalanche of change that is sending you on a course of despair. To prevent this, I, the Watcher, have gathered you here to learn and grow. You are the people with the most fate of change and the ones who will carry on these lessons. These lessons are in the form of worlds for your viewing, one close enough for you that the knowledge would not be too great, but different enough that you can still grow> 

That was not what she was expecting.

" And how long will these lessons go, because I have things that I need to do?" Hepheastus said.

< We are outside time and space, when you return no time will have passed.>

" What about us then? Why are we here?" Mama Mia spoke up for the first time.

< You will provide substance>

"That's ok then, right, Mama Mia. We were already paid anyway." Syr, the ever-positive girl that she was, skipped over to hold Mama Mia's hand.

" Syr" Ryuu held her head in her hands. She loved her, but sometimes she was too much.

< Are you ready?> 

None of that, they had no choice, everyone agreed. 

Walking to the seats, everyone divided themselves between families. Loki, the most numerous, grabbed one of the sofas. Arranging more chairs around it, Loki sat in the middle of the sofa while Finn and Riveria joined her on either side. Bete, still grumbling over his loss, grabbed one of the large cushioned chairs and sat down beside them. Garret and Tione sat near Finn while Aiz and Lefiya sat near Riveria. Tiona decided to sit on one of those weird bag-like chairs in front of them. 

Hestia claimed the Sofa on the other side, dragging Bell to sit with her. Lili and Haruhime followed, with Haruhime being faster and sitting right next to Bell. Lili grumbled but chose to let her have it and sat next to Hestia. 

Like Tione Wolf grabbed one of the bag chairs, while Yamato decided to squeeze in next to Haruhime. Smiling at each other as they sat down.

Ryuu grabbed one of the single cushioned chairs and moved it near Lili. It was heavier than she had thought, but she managed to get it in place.

Everyone from the Hostess grabbed the last Sofa, crowding around it as everyone else sat in a single seat. Though probably the most shocking of all was seeing Freya and Ottar grab a bag chair and place it right in the middle of the space, facing the screen.

Once everyone was seated the Watcher as it called themselves, came back.

< The world you will be learning from shall come in the form of a book, with images being shown to you as you read. Spoken from the mind of its hero, you will learn what the life of a hero of the Gods brings you>

Pulsing the Watcher dropped a book into Ouranos's lap. Giving a final piece of advice before it left.

< I will answer any question that I can, but be warned, some answers you do not want.>

After it left Ouranos held the book aloft. 

"Well." He said. " Who would like to read first?"

" I will," Bell said, raising his hand.