Three days had passed since that night.
The sun hung high above the mountains, it's light landing over the canopy of trees and land without prejudice. A long line of carriages could be seen moving through the mountains in a straight and uniform line. In between the contingent of carriages, a bulky carriage with Far Eastern aesthetics could be seen in motion.
Bell lay on the raw and unrefined wood of the carriage, dozing off after finishing his chores for the day.
"Bell, you better not dose off now, we're just about to reach Solingen, you wouldn't want to miss that, eh?" Koenji spoke from ahead, controlling the carriage with both hands while speaking teasingly to him.
He was jolted awake from his dozing and snapped to attention at Koenji's words.
Bell got up and sat besides Koenji in the driver's seat and looked ahead, where a city with enormous city walls could be seen, at the end of the mountains.
He was finally here, after almost a whole week of traveling on a carriage, doing chores and even having an encounter with goblins.
Bell exhaled lightly through his nose, determination flaring in his red eyes.
He absolutely had to make Goddess Astraea accept him, or he'd really be in a deep bind, No....He would join the Familia of Goddess Astraea, He would make sure of it.
Bell physed himself up while keeping his gaze on the city gradually closing in, inside his gaze.
After some hours of small talk with Koenji, they finally reached Solingen and had to wait another half an hour to get access to the city.
The Sword-Smithing City, Solingen truly deserved it's reputation and name as a blacksmith city, every other shop among the city was those of blacksmiths, some forging tools in the open, some keeping unfinished swords as prototypes, some showing recently quenched weapons, it was truly a haven for blacksmiths.
Bell got off their carriage after it stopped at a civilian street with less traffic, and looked at Koenji standing there and offered him his hand.
"It was a fun journey together, We'll meet again, Koenji." He spoke with genuine emotions as he though about the short yet long journey from Orario to here, a wistful tone in his voice.
"We'll surely meet again Bell, come to me at Westwood street if you run into any problems in the city." Koenji shook his offered hand with real warmth as he spoke with a protective, big brotherly tone.
Bell held his hand for a moment longer and said his final goodbyes, then walked deeper into the streets.
One journey ending, another awaiting a beginning.
After an hour of wandering around the city and asking from the surrounding people about the residence of Goddess Astraea, Bell ended up in front of a modest house, with a small garden at the backyard, meticulously maintained by it's owner.
Bell knocked on the door with a hint of uncertainty and waited for 'her' to open the door, his heart beating in his chest.
After a moment, the door opened with a gentle creak. Bell felt his breath hitch in response.
Astraea stood there as a beacon of quiet radiance. She did not possess the volatile magnetism of a normal Goddess, but rather a crystalline clarity that made the air around her feel purified. Her skin was the color of cream and starlight, untouched by the grime of the lower world, and her smile carried the weight of a thousand years of compassion.
Though her frame was voluptuous with perfect curves, covered in a white robe with gold accents and her hands appeared delicate enough to break, there was an immovable core to her. When she stood tall, her lustrous brown hair shimmering like a celestial veil, she looked less like a woman and more like an eternal law given flesh. She was the personification of the scales—perfectly balanced, terrifyingly beautiful, and utterly serene.
"What is it that you need, child?" A soft and gentle voice with a hint of nurturing quality resounded in Bell's ears, nearly making his bones go soft.
"G-Goddess Astraea, I'm Bell Cranel, a fifteen year old boy, I've come all the way from Orario in hopes of joining your Familia, would I have the honour of joining your Familia?" Bell snapped out of his stupor and hurriedly replied while bowing his head towards her, part stumbling and part pleading.
"Child, pull your head up, and come inside, let's talk inside." Astraea spoke with a gentle lilt while inviting Bell inside her modest home.
.
"Would you like some tea?" Astraea spoke after having Bell sit on a wooden chair and relax while observing him and his reactions.
"Thank you for your generosity, Goddess Astraea." Bell spoke with extra respect while feeling anxious inside, cursing himself for stumbling due to her serene presence.
"So, Bell...Tell me about yourself, and your journey." Astraea asked after serving him a cup of hot tea. Starting to elegantly sip her own tea.
She listened gently, a motherly smile on her face as Bell tripped over his words while recounted his experiences in Orario and the journey of travelling all the way to where she lived, solely to join her Familia.
After Bell finished his recounting and the cup in his hands turned empty, Astraea finally asked the most crucial question.
"Tell me... Bell? Why do you want to join my Familia?" She asked gently after absorbing all things Bell had gone through to come here.
"Goddess Astraea, I want to join your Familia because, no other Familia in Orario is willing to take me in their Familia, and I too think that joining your Familia would be the best for me." Bell spoke the truth honestly, since no one had wanted the original Bell in Orario. For three weeks straight, he had been forced to live on scraps and sleep on streets, and he knew he would have gone through the same if he hadn't come here.
Astraea gave a gentle yet audibly tired sigh. Speaking with a hint of apology.
"Child, I have long given up on having a Familia...so I can't accept you."
"Even though I am really grateful that you'd travel alone all the way from Orario to join my Familia, joining my Familia has no future for you." That same gentle and motherly voice spoke such chilling words that Bell felt his whole body go cold, like something was constricting in his chest, making breathing harder all of a sudden.
The rejection hit Bell way harder than he thought it would, all the plans, calculations and arguments he had in his mind went up in smoke in front of the firmness of her voice.
He was frozen for some time. Digesting her words. His thoughts running faster than ever.
Countless reasons, arguments and even plans revolved inside his mind.
But.
The moment he looked at the genuine kindness and motherly affection in her indigo eyes.
All the plans, reasons and arguments went back down his throat.
He had never experienced a mother's affection, nor did he know what it felt like... Yet, he guessed that it would be similar to what was inside Goddess Astraea's eyes for him.
How can I argue against that?
How can I reason against that?
How am I supposed to plan against that?
Bell did not expect... He wouldn't be defeated by reasons or arguments... But by a mother's love, something he had never experienced himself.
Maybe... Goddess Astraea treated everyone the same way... Like her children.
However... This was the first time someone had shown him motherly kindness.
He mechanically got up from the chair. His thoughts blank as he started walking out of her house.
Bell did not know how he stumbled through the Goddess Astraea's home with trembling steps and sat on a wooden bench near her home.
Rain began to fall from the sky, as if the firmament was a backdrop of his complex emotions.
In a moment, he was bone drenched in the harsh rain.
He had finally gotten a slight taste of a mother's love.
Yet,
He had also lost his chance to join a Familia.
Two drops of rain slid down his face.
Were they drops of rain...or something else?
Only Bell knew.