I looked at Hestia with a calm expression, but deep inside, my thoughts were running in circles.
The status I'd received from her… It wasn't normal. Not even close.
My eyes scanned the paper again.
Crimson Rebirth. Bladebond. Martyr's Halo. Veilpiercer.
Each one stood out like a brand etched into who I was now. Abilities that sounded intense, painful, and personal.
But I didn't flinch. Not outwardly.
'I think I can handle the pain... I think,' I told myself.
Crimson Rebirth was the one that stood out the most. Pain with every step forward — not from wounds, but from growth. From progress. It wasn't an injury I could avoid; it was part of how I'd become stronger.
Still… if all I had to do was endure it, then I would.
The thought made me pause.
Pain for power. It reminded me of a certain white-haired anime character — someone who became stronger not by choice, but because the world forced him to. Kaneki. He suffered. He changed. And in the end, he became something incredible.
Maybe that was the path laid out for me too.
And honestly? I didn't mind.
If I needed to hurt to become stronger, then so be it.
I stayed quiet, thinking, while Hestia quietly gathered some clean clothes from a small drawer — simple, neat, a few spares she must've gotten from Hephaestus.
Without a word, she slipped into the small bathroom behind the curtain. The faint sound of water running told me she was washing up.
Left alone in the quiet church, I stood up and stepped outside.
A soft breeze greeted me, and I blinked in surprise. The sun had already begun to set. The skies were turning gold and purple, and the streets outside had grown calmer — the lively chaos of Orario now simmered down into evening peace.
"I thought it was still day…" I murmured.
Time had slipped by without me realizing.
I stepped a little farther out, standing beside the old wooden door of the church. The stone walls behind me radiated warmth from the day's sun, comforting in their own way.
"So much happened today."
My voice was soft, not really expecting an answer.
Waking up in this world. Arriving in Orario. Meeting Hestia. Joining a Familia. Receiving a Falna. It was enough to fill a lifetime — and yet, it was only the beginning.
I looked down at my hands, opening and closing my fingers.
I didn't feel stronger. Not yet. But I knew something inside had shifted.
I took out the folded paper Hestia gave me. My status. The confirmation that this life was real.
Healing that causes pain. Growth through agony. A body that evolves whether I want it to or not.
And yet… I didn't hate it.
In a strange way, it suited me. It made sense. A quiet path forward, built on endurance. Not flashy. Not heroic. Just… steady.
I was still reading when I heard the soft creak of the church door behind me.
"Cael?"
I turned. Hestia stood there in the doorway, her damp hair flowing gently over her shoulders. She wore a clean white shirt and a dark skirt that brushed just past her knees.
She looked… normal. Human. The only sign she was a goddess was in the warmth of her voice.
"What are you doing out here?" she asked gently.
"Just clearing my head," I replied, my tone calm. "A lot to think about."
She stepped out beside me, her blue eyes flicking up toward the sky. For a while, we just stood there in silence.
Then she turned to me.
"Cael… are you still planning to become an adventurer?"
I didn't hesitate.
"Yes. I am."
She sighed. Not in frustration — more like acceptance.
"I figured you'd say that."
I glanced at her. "You won't stop me, will you?"
She smiled faintly. "No. I don't think I could even if I tried."
I nodded once.
"I made up my mind."
Hestia looked at me with a softness that almost felt like guilt. "I just… I want you to be safe."
I didn't answer. I didn't need to. I understood what she meant.
She reached out instinctively — but then stopped herself halfway, her hand hovering awkwardly in the air between us.
"Oh. Right. Your skill," she mumbled, pulling her hand back and scratching her cheek with an awkward smile.
"Yeah…" I said, looking away. "Still figuring out how that works."
She stepped a little closer, lowering her voice.
"You're not scared? About everything that came with your Falna?"
I looked down at my hands again.
"…Maybe. A little. But I don't think it's a curse."
Hestia blinked, surprised.
I continued. "It's not something I asked for. But it's something I was given. If it's painful… then it's painful. But that doesn't make it evil. It just makes it hard."
Her smile returned, this time more real. "You really are something else."
I shrugged. "I'm just being honest."
A breeze passed by again, and we both stood quietly, watching the last of the sun vanish beneath the horizon.
"I'll support you," she said suddenly. "No matter how strange your abilities are, no matter how hard it gets. I'll be here. That's what Familia means, right?"
I looked at her. "Thank you."
She beamed, and then yawned — a long, sleepy stretch that reminded me how small she really was.
"Alright! Enough heavy talk!" she said brightly. "Let's eat something. I think I saw a bakery stall nearby. Maybe we can catch it before they close."
I gave a small nod, sliding the folded paper back into my pocket.
A new world. A new family. A difficult path ahead.
But I wasn't alone.
And for now — that was enough.