Wolf of the Blood Moon - Book 3 - Intermission 7 (Patreon)

                                                   Inside of a large Museum on Earth

Arabellia grits her teeth as she uses her Basic Mental Barrier skill to create a large shining purple wall between her team and the Class II demons while repeatedly glancing at her boyfriend who she still believes shouldn’t be with the rest of them here. After all, while she and the others have all reached class II, he hasn’t. He is still at Class I. So he’s entirely relying on them all here.

Soon after Arthur became a Guardian, he had joined their team. But despite getting someone to fill the gap Scarlet left, the team’s popularity still shot down a significant amount after the Rising Star Guardian of their generation left it.

“Fuck,” she grunts when several fireballs slam into her barrier. But the acolyte problem is soon taken care of by Michael’s dryad familiar as the walking tree lady sends a wave of powerful spikes of bark straight at the acolytes attacking them, killing them all in one fell swoop. Then she finally lets the barrier fade while dropping to one knee.

Arthur quickly rushes over to help her up, but she raises a hand and pushes herself up instead. Then they stand in awkward silence as the others go around making sure the civilians they had just saved were safe.

Eventually Belle turns to look at Arthur and says, “You don’t have to work yourself this hard.”

Her boyfriend just shakes his head and retorts, “Look who’s talking.”

Belle sighs at his words, not even denying them. Because they both know that they’ve been trying as hard as they possibly can since Scarlet’s abduction to Tartarus to grow stronger. To catch up to her, even if they both understand that to be an impossible goal, considering her origins and stubborn temperament.

And it’s not just those two. The others in their team have been pushing harder as well, even if they don’t know exactly what happened to Scarlet. Only what the rest of the public believes. That she was taken by her mother to do private training and is being given private tutoring for her time in the university as well, staying out of all public affairs for now.

Something that really disappointed the majority of her fans, even if they knew she wasn’t a social person. But no one raised any sort of fuss thanks to her status as White’s daughter, and because they knew she would come back stronger soon enough.

And they’re probably right, considering how much better Tartarus is as a place for her to grow stronger… I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s already nearing Class III by now.

Belle sits down on a bench in the museum, the others giving them space as Michael goes around healing the injured civilians.

“How are your parents doing?” Arthur asks, sitting down next to her.

Belle just shakes her head and says, “They’re not taking it well either. Both are blaming themselves for letting her get taken.”

Her boyfriend winces at that before Belle leans into him, Arthur’s arm going around her shoulder in the process.

Several seconds of silence pass. Then Belle murmurs, “I miss her.”

Arthur just nods his head and quietly says, “Me too.”

Even with only a little over a week passing since her disappearance, and the city’s only recently having gotten back to running how it was before the Class V Fracture, it still feels like months have passed to Belle. And she’s sure it’s the same to her parents as well, since they’ve been beating themselves up about what happened since.

If anyone took it the hardest, it was them…

Something Belle didn’t know until the day after the Class V Fracture ended was that her parents had met with Scarlet’s mother and were going around with her during the Fracture solely to protect her. So they both feel like failures, not having been able to do just that.

She sighs again for what must be the hundredth time that day before her thoughts turn towards Black, who had apparently helped Scarlet during the Fracture according to her parents.

Whole lot of good that did…

The two sit in silence for a while until the others finish with the civilians and signal them that they’re ready to move on. So the both of them stand up with Belle glancing at Arthur and saying, “You still sure you don’t want to back out?”

Arthur rolls his eyes at that and answers with the same thing he had answered for the last dozen times she asked, “I’m staying with the team till the end.”

Belle sighs once more before starting to walk towards the others.

It only takes a second for Arthur to catch up with her, and he immediately reaches for her hand, taking it to feel it shaking slightly.

“I’ll be fine, Belle,” he says quietly, “and Scarlet will be as well. You know how they treat their own blood.”

Belle nods at that but still feels nervous about it. About both Arthur and Scarlet.

“I know… I just wish you wouldn’t go putting yourself into unnecessary danger,” she murmurs as they walk, soon joining with the others of their team along with the civilians. They then begin heading over to the closest bunker marked on Belle’s terminal.

“I know,” Arthur says in a whisper, “but I can’t let myself fall behind. I won’t. And not going with you would make me fall further behind than ever.” Belle feels his hand tighten slightly around hers. “I won’t be helpless again.”

A sad smile forms on Belle’s face as she gives Arthur’s hand a little squeeze as the two continue walking.

I wonder how Scarlet’s doing right now? Is she safe?

Then a thought comes to mind, making her smile grow a little wider again.

Is she out hunting? I wouldn’t be surprised knowing her… she’s probably turning the demon world inside out already.

Her thoughts come to a halt when they find another group of demons after turning a corner.

Back to fighting.

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