DANMACHI: The Silence's Heir (OC x Freya)

Chapter 34

INUMAKI HERAKLES

And Inumaki felt his worst fears come to life as Loki and Freya familia stood face to face. This was an overture on the part of Freya familia that could not be overlooked, and their presence here, on direct orders of Freya, hinted that she was making a move.

He found the timing of it all much suspicious and troubling and feared the worst.

"This is preposterous!" "How can Freya familia do that!" "The Guild! It will bar them!"

"We will fight them!"

And the party began to stir up, in rage as expected, and Inumaki knew that fighting was the only way. But would they succeed?

The answer was no.

"Inumaki-sama," another voice cut in, this one belonging to the Vice Captain of Freya familia, the elf mage Heidin, who stood beside Ottar.

"This is all but a small misconception that can be solved by you rather quickly if you choose to hurry up to the surface. Or would you much prefer it that we all fight and kill each other down here," he asked, and Inuamki raised his hand.

"I will go," and the captain of the Loki familia turned towards him.

"Are you sure? We can fight them," he offered, but they would lose. He was sure of it.

Few here understood Ottar's true power, and it was not just Ottar that they were facing. It was the entirety of Freya's family that gathered in front of them. To fight them all. It would be a bloodshed.

Because he knew that they would rather die than to deny Freya's command. Such was the level of loyalty they held for her, and for good reason, given what she had done for them.

"No, if we fight them as we are right now. We would lose," he spoke the truth, not caring for how it would affect them all as he stepped forward, cutting through the crowd.

"I will go and handle whatever this is and return as soon as I can," and with that, he walked upto the Freya familia, who did not move to stop him, and as he passed by Ottar, he stopped as he asked in a whisper.

"Where is she?" he asked as Ottar glanced at him.

"She is waiting for you at the church, the place of your birth," he whispered back, and that just confirmed his earlier hypothesis.

This was all Freya's doing.

And with a final nod, he walked out. Despite his injuries and exhaustion, the upper floors were nothing to him. He tore through them rather quickly as he reached the Babel's lower floor and found himself surprised at the scenes there.

The Babel Tower's lower floors were the Guild Hall, which would always be filled with adventurers and guild employees. In all his life, he could not imagine a single day when the Guild Hall would be empty.

And yet it that day. It was absolutely empty.

He could not spot a single soul there.

"What the hell?" he gasped as he walked out into the city and found the people there simply walking, and talking as if the empty Guild Hall was a natural thing.

And as he walked through the town, he felt the presence of the Godly powers—Arcanum.

And knew well enough that only one person had the power to do such a thing. Freya.

But what was she doing? What the hell was she even planning?

In the end, he reached the church and walked through its doors, and there she stood looking at the statue, clad in her usual red and black dress that left little to the imagination.

"I am here," he spoke out as he approached her and halted himself a few steps behind her.

"I have been waiting for you, Inumaki-kun," she sing sang in that sweet voice of hers as she turned to face him.

"What have you done, Freya?" he asked, dreading her answer as her eyes dulled.

"What I should have done years ago," she answered as he raised her hand.

"Choose Inumaki-kun," she began, much to his surprise.

"Me, or the city?" and his heart nearly gave out before suddenly it all clicked together.

"Have you lost your mind!" he screamed as he realized her intentions.

"Joining hands with Evilus. Holding the whole city as hostage! Do you even realize what you are doing? It will destroy your familia. Your children!" he asked. No, he pleaded.

"I know, and yet it does not matter. None of it does!" she whispered as she looked into his eyes.

"The only thing that matters is you become mine. So, answer me, Inumaki-kun," and there was a hint of desperation in that tone, and he did not know what to do.

This was unexpected. He had always known of Freya's obsession with him, and there was a time when it would have been so easy to take that hand. To join her.

But now. Especially after all this. He could not be sure.

"I see," her voice cut through the air and he looked up and saw a tear slip down that face, before Freya closed her eyes.

"Wai...."

"Then so be it!" she clapped her hands, and in an instant, Inuamki felt the whole world stop as a great magical circle appeared right underneath his feet.

"I have not the courage to see you suffer," she whispered as those eyes suddenly glowed, and he felt it her powers. Her charm.

And this was not the usual charm; she was using Arcanum, bending one of the cardinal rules as he felt his senses weaken, his mind melding as she began to take control of his thoughts and actions.

"It will not hold for long, I know. But I don't need it to," she whispered as she walked towards him with her eyes still glowing, with the power of arcanum, as the magical circle continued to expand.

"Inumaki-kun, leave the city. Run, and do not turn back. No matter what," she ordered, and his body tried to obey the command. His mind tried to reject it as his muscles tore up in pain, as he fought her command, and yet Freya was a Goddess.

And this charm. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced.

It could break anyone.

"I will...."

0000

DINOYSUS-ENYO

"Hahahaha," he laughed as he sat atop the tower of Babel watching the magical circles appear all over the city as Hestia gasped in fear.

"It's finally happening. It is finally here!" he laughed, and his gamble had paid off. He had known that when Freya had uncovered his identity, it would not remain hidden for too long.

Inumaki, that damned child, was relentless, growing closer and closer to his plans and identity with every passing day. And if Freya had figured it out, all it would take for her to reveal it to him would be one question.

For that was the way she loved him. She would hand him the world if he asked.

On the contrary, she would destroy it all as well for him.

How pathetic.

It was often said that Freya was a goddess, blessed with a beauty that could destroy the world, but in his mind, a truer statement had not been spoken. And now they had the perfect example of it.

"What is happening?" Hestia, the troublesome brat that she was asked as she looked at the massive pillars of magic that had emerged around the city.

"Orario's Reckoning," he answered, feeling no need to hide his plans any longer.

"Thousands upon thousands of years ago, as monsters ruled the surface of this planet, humanity was pushed to the brink of annihilation," he began as he saw her helpless face.

"Despite the aid of the spirits, there was one monster they could not defeat. A monster so powerful that many compare its might to the One-Eyed Black Dragon itself," he continued, and it had taken him years to scour through the scrolls for this one thing.

"They named it 'Nidhogg,' meaning the Devourer," he added as Hestia's eyes widened.

"You cannot mean," his smile widened as he saw her pale.

"Indeed, and as it could not be defeated, the spirits knew that they had to act. And so, six high spirits gathered and cast a massive spell that sealed this mighty beast. A spell so powerful that the seal holds strong to this day and has only but one way for it to be broken," he finished.

"The spirits," and she finally understood.

"Indeed, and now my masterpiece is complete. Nidhogg shall rise once more, the seal keeping the dragon of the abyss at bay shall be broken, and the world shall be taken over by chaos once more!" he laughed as a pale-faced Hestia watched him in horror.

"The city, the children," she gasped in realization, and that was the beauty of Freya. Even as the bells of destruction rang all over the city, the people in the city moved on as if nothing was happening. So entrenched by her 'charm' they were that none of them even had the ability to run away.

"They will all perish..."

But suddenly as pandemonium spread, he frowned as he saw a figure running up the tower of the cathedral tower, and he frowned for he saw who it was.

"Inumaki-kun," Hestia gasped from behind as well as the boy jumped atop the tower and stood at the center of the city overlooking it all as he closed his eyes.

"What is he planning?" and he was the greatest thorn in his side.

The most unpredictable adventurer, one without any limitations. It was why Freya was so necessary to this whole plot, for this plan of his would never succeed unless he was somehow neutralized.

And yet, as the boy opened his eyes and saw a rainbow hue surrounding his body, he gasped and felt a chill run down his spine.

That power. That presence. He recognized it so well, for he possessed it as well.

And yet the boy was no god. He was a puny human. Yet how could a puny human have access to power like that? To the Power of a God?

"ORARIO!" his voice rang out over all corners of the city, and he saw the people turn towards him, as they focused on him. And he felt dread surround his being, as the boy uttered the final words.

"WAKE UP!"

SWISH!

And the effect was instant, as he felt Freya's magic charm wear off while he could only watch in awe.

'Impossible' It was nearly impossible to break that spell. Break the charm of the Goddess of Beauty. And yet it was not that the boy had broken it.

No.

"That is her prowess," he gasped as he realized that his power and spell were exactly like Freya's own magic.

And he ground his teeth in worry.

"You truly are a menace, Alfia's child," he cursed the boy. This was why he knew that if his plan had any chance of success, he would have to neutralize him.

"But it is too late. The Dragon shall rise in an hour," and that was the time needed for the spirits to finish their chant. The boy was too late.

"THE CITY IS UNDER ATTACK! TAKE GATHER WHAT YOU CAN AND LEAVE!"

0000

And as pandemonium spread all over Orario as the city woke up from its lengthy slumber, a Goddess stood atop a tower hidden in a forest just beyond Orario watched it all unfold with a sad expression.

She was the Goddess of Harvest, Demeter one who was until recently but a pawn in the schemes of the one they called Enyo.

"Is this what you really wanted, Freya?" she asked in the empty air as she saw crowds rush out of Orario by the thousands. The adventurers led the people out of the city, using their enhanced bodies to move as many people as they could.

"Sakura," she called out, and her familia captain stepped forward.

"Yes, Demeter-sama," she added.

"Make an announcement, tell them about this place. That we have enough grain here to feed Orario for a year!"

And her familia captain nodded.

"And open the gates. It is time," and the towers had just been expanded, the granaries filled to the brim but a few days ago, all at the request of one Goddess.

0000