Just as that happened, one of the children helping out in the kitchen, ones still able to smile, came by with a serving plate full of rations.
"Hey, hey mister?"
Al didn't respond in the slightest. The girl handing out rations was stunned, but she tried again, this time more forcefully. She handed a ration to Ais, which prompted Al's response.
"Oh, uhm, sorry."
"Humph! I was calling out to you, it's almost like you're not hungry."
"No, that's not it, I uh-"
"Mister Rabbit, can I pet your hair?"
"Huh?"
Before he could manage a response, to Ais, she was nibbling on her ration, with one hand, petting his hair with the other, with an innocent curiosity in her eyes.
"Here you go mister, I've got more to deliver to other people."
"Oh, uh, uhm?! Thank you."
Al spoke, stumbling over his words enough to the point he just committed to munching on the ration, and letting what was happening continue without resisting. It feels so good, it makes the food taste better. He was hiding his smile under the ration.
However, that didn't stop some people from noticing, each laughing so hard it was as if the hell everyone'd just been through was nothing more than a nightmare. One of these people who noticed was a first class adventurer resting up from his battle in the east. Well, trying to, but a certain red haired goddess was pressing him hard, to which he just pointed.
Loki turned, and ran off towards the scene of Ais & Al.
"Phew, thanks kid, she really pestered me about that for so long."
Al was too into the moment, imagining what he would do when he went back to the future. How can I get this to happen again? There were steps coming up to him, ones he couldn't hear, but he could definitely see.
"Hey brat, what do you think you're doing getting all giddy with my little Ais? HUH?"
Loki reached down, and started pulling Al's ear, yanking him out of the trance he was in.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Ah stop it that hurts."
"Stop hurting the bunny!"
Ais yelled, as she continued to pet his head.
The shock caused Loki to release her grip.
"No! Not my Ais! Why are you so attached to this boy?"
The scene had been enough to draw the attention of a handful of gods. To include Freya.
"Pfft! Ahahaha! Loki, your child is growing up fast." She said with a swirl of her wine.
"Better not blink Loki!"
"Argh! You're all so- so- so mean!" Loki uttered in frustration. "Ais don't leave me, come on I need you! We need you!"
Someone came in and gave a nice firm chop on her head.
"Can you stop making a scene already?"
Al looked up. WHAT!?
"Oh come on Phi-phi this boy seduced my precious Ais."
"Lady- Hephaestus?"
"Hmm? It doesn't look like that to me, stop over reacting. Remember this isn't over, not by a long shot."
"What do you mean by that Phi-phi?"
"Seriously? Did whining break your brain or something. If you take a look at everything that's happened, how much of it do you think would have been a challenge for Origin Wolf to complete? Keep in mind, he's the one who healed my eye, 2 levels ago."
"You're right… Hey, where have you been all this time?"
"Where do you think?"
"The forge?"
"Duh."
"Why?"
"You know why, I just told you not five seconds ago. Get it together Loki. Your familia is still in hot water from what they did to his big brother…"
Al was still just completely overwhelmed by everything happening right now… No one could blame him, given the circumstances. However, he wasn't prepared to hear that it wasn't over yet.
…
While it was peaceful, that's only because Erebus wanted it too like everything was over. He was simply waiting until he felt the time was right.
"So, does anyone have any children left?"
"No, we're all crumbled now. But not like it matters. The next plan, while insane, will end this moment of peace they have. For it's only the calm before the storm."
"More like a smoldering ember amid the infinite darkness."
"Say, Erebus, what if this plan doesn't get the desired outcome?"
"Then we'll have to fight ourselves. This world has deviated far too much. And must be reset from the beginning. Even if we have to do it with our own hands."
"I see. So, are you ready now?"
"I'm almost there-"
Erebus was in the middle of answering when he realized he'd actually finished the preparations.
"I didn't expect it to take so much effort to perform down here in Gekai. But I'm ready now. Here goes…"
Two, blobs of a deep, dark, evil, and sinister aura, released from Erebus' soul, each chose a specific target, each laid out in advance. And…
In the central plaza, Finn's thumbs rapidly increased their vibrations, until both of them broke, and yet continued to go nuts.
"Get all the gods inside now!" Finn ordered, with the sense of urgency only someone on the precipice of true despair, clinging onto a single frayed strand of thread, could possibly muster.
The adventurers were slightly too slow to respond, having already relaxed, enough to the point the exhaustion had plenty of time to set in. The gods though, they responded and made their way inside, despite enjoying the open air.
It wasn't but a few seconds later, that hundreds of mirrors appeared, enough to show the whole situation they were currently in.
"There's more of those damn things!?"
In the scene everyone was shown, one of total despair, the city wall, was lined with dragons each larger than the ones the first classes had managed to kill.
"Can you guys deal with that?"
"1 on their own would be a gamble at best."
What the adventurer said, with other words, was that the situation was hopeless. And yet…
As if to laugh in the face of their already palpable fear, two sounds, long since removed from the world, announced their presence once more. With building destroying roars, each sound wave colliding with the other's resounding, and amplifying each other.
When the mirrors showed the adventurers the sights of these two creatures, there were no longer any words left to be had, only terror settled in. Dragon flames scorched the entire outer rim of the city, turning it to nothing more than burning ashes.
The peace they experienced before, after fighting with everything they had only made everyone realize just how screwed they all were. It was hopeless. Freya, and Loki, were both on the receiving end of stares, as so many had but a single thought went through their minds.