Danmachi: Westward Cloud [Complete]

[Vol.4] Quest 349- Alise & Cirrus

After the shower, Hecton helped Cirrus dress, and he went down to meet his daughter.

"You look lovely, my little flower."

Alise was wearing a nice green dress to match her eyes and elven heritage. She was like a little ray of sunshine to him.

‘Do elves just look good in green automatically?’

"Thanks, Dad!" She smiled brightly; she had her mother’s smile that rejuvenated Cirrus.

"Is there a plan for the day?" Astraea asked.

"Nope." Cirrus looked at Alise. "So where do you wanna go?"

"Me?" Alise said, a bit surprised.

"Yes. Today is your day, so where do you wanna go first?"

Her eyes lit up, and she raised her hands.

"Can you pick me up?"

Cirrus picks her up onto her shoulder.

"Alright, where else do you wanna go?"

Even despite how light Alise was, it felt like Cirrus was holding up a boulder.

"Can we go to Lady Quetzalcoatl’s district?"

But no matter how much it strains him, he will make this day with his daughter worth it.

"Of course."

"Take care!" Astraea said.

"Bye, Lady Astraea!"

Alise waved goodbye as the father and daughter left.

They begin by going to Quetzalcoatl’s district. They get an assortment of stall snacks and go to a play they are putting on.

"I am not Anderson. I am…Jefferson!! His twin brother!!!" said the actor.

"No!!!" said the woman. "It can’t be!!" the actress said, shocked.

"Yes!! I played you all! Now!!" He removes his shirt dramatically. "I’m going to wrestle you!!! HAAAA!!!!!!!!!!"

"Oof!!"

It was an experience, to say the least, combining theater with wrestling.

"This is a really good dad," Alise said quietly.

"Yeah, it's pretty good," Cirrus said with a wry smile.

‘Maybe I should have tried my hand at screenwriting. I could have really made a killing.’

"Ahhh!!! Maria!!! Maria!! My love!! What have I done!!! If only I never did the Super German Helix Twist!!"

‘Uh, maybe I should have done it when I was younger when the memories were still relatively fresh.’

Cirrus didn’t really pay attention to the play. Instead, he simply glanced at his daughter.

He could see how similar she looked—a bit like Ryuu and even a bit like himself. He smiles, seeing his daughter smile and laugh. He leans back in his chair, takes a deep breath, and sighs.

‘I really don’t want to die.’

This thought echoed through his mind as he looked at his daughter. He couldn’t kill the thought, and before he realized it, he felt a small hand on his.

"Dad, are you cold?" Alise looked at him.

"Y-yes, I am a bit. Are you cold?"

"Kinda."

"Then let me." Cirrus removed his coat and put it over her.

"Thanks!" Her warm smile warmed his heart. "But won’t you be more cold now?"

"Not at all. A dad never gets cold for their daughter."

Once the play was over, they left to go get some food at a restaurant.

"Dad, do you think I’ll grow up to be as tall as you?" Alise said on his shoulders.

"I hope not. I would always want to carry you around like this," He said with a warm smile while tickling her.

"Hehehe! Stop that Dad!"

They continued to walk towards the restaurant, talking about the play they just watched. He didn’t realize Artemis had spotted them and had left.

After eating, the two would walk around until finally sitting down south of Orario on the walls.

"Hey, Dad, why do you go into the dungeon for so long?" Alise said on Cirrus’s lap and wrapped in his arms.

"Well, because of a promise and a responsibility that me and your mom have to fulfill,"

"What is it?"

"That is not for you to know or inherit."

"Why not?"

"Because it’s not yours to fulfill, and you shouldn’t feel responsible."

"Hmm… When do you think you can finish it?"

Whoosh~

A breeze brushed past them.

"I don’t know. Probably years."

"Can’t you just stop and quit?"

"We cannot. There are things in this world we cannot run from. You simply have to face it down."

"That’s kinda… stupid? You can run from anything if you try."

"When you get older, you will see that there are things you can’t run from."

They stayed in silence for a few minutes.

"… I wish I could see the stars, Dad." Alise broke the silence.

"Yeah, the light pollution of the city kind of ruins the view."

"Can we go camping like what you did with Auberon?"

"Sure, one day with the whole family. How does that sound?"

"Hm! That sounds great!"

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

A cool spring breeze blows past them. Cirrus looked at her, and he could see she was getting tired.

"Say Alise… Do you want to go to the beach?"

She quickly turns her head up.

"Really!? Are you saying the truth!" Her eyes were full of energy once more, just like at the start of the day.

"I am. I’m sure being a little late for bedtime is fine for one day."

‘I want to spend more time with you.’

"Then let’s go!"

"Alright, hold on tight. (Theïká Panoplía: Ceryneian.)."

As Cirrus dons his gilded armor, he holds Alise tight and quickly runs off.

Alise, held in a princess carry, looked up at how her father looked in the armor.

"Dad, you really look like a wild hero!"

"Do I? Huff! huff! I hope I’m a dashing one!"

After a few minutes of running, they made it to Melen. Cirrus jumped over the rooftops and quickly landed on the coast of the beach.

"Wow, the beach!! It’s so pretty at night!"

Alise jumped up and down in excitement.

"It is." Cirrus could see the vast expanse of the sea. The lights of Melen weren’t enough to drown out the light of the stars, which made it look even more beautiful.

‘Haaah. I’m tired. This fucking sicks. I don’t wanna feel this fragile.’

Cirrus goes and sits on a bench and takes off his boots and socks.

"What are you doing?"

"I’m taking my shoes off so I won’t get sand in them and so I can feel the sand between my toes."

"Ooo… I’ll do it too!"

"Alright, but don’t go into the water. It’s freezing, and I don’t want you to get sick."

"Hm!"

She sits on the ground and takes off her sandals. Cirrus takes them and puts them in his boots to carry them. They walk hand-in-hand along the beach.

"This feels so good between my toes!"

"Yup, it’s a nice feeling," Cirrus said softly. "The cool sea breeze and warm—"

"Hahahaha!!" She lets go of his hand and runs off ahead, laughing.

"…Kids." He smiled softly.

Cirrus continues to walk, keeping an eye on her. He was lost in thought when the tide touched his foot.

"…"

He looked down at his feet, and he followed the tide back out to sea. The blackness of the sea reminded him of the Iku-Turso and Leviathan, and from that, a odd thought returned to him.

‘You’re going to die.’

Cirrus’s face softens up, and he looks toward Alise. The thought lingered in his mind like a fly around some food.

‘She’s going to be fatherless, and it’s your fault! You will never get to see her grow up!’

"Stop it," he softly said to himself.

He took another step.

Splash!

He looks down and sees only blood.

"!" Cirrus looked around to find he was no longer on the beach. "This… No."

Around him were bodies, littering the area in a pool of blood that choked the sands with its abundance.

‘What about Haku? Or Auberon? What of Callisto? What of your wives?’

"Shut up," he said a bit louder.

He closed his eyes, and the imagery burned into his retinas, reminding him of his actions.

‘Ai is going to cry herself to sleep for years.’

Thump-thump!!

"Shut up."

The thoughts grow colder, crueler. They were twisting a knife that was quickly beginning to crumble Cirrus.

‘Artemis won’t meet you in heaven with Callisto still in Gekai. What if her heritage is known to the world? You won’t be able to protect her against the hundreds of gods who would want the sole Demigod.'

Thump-thump!! Thump-thump!!

"Khh!" Cirrus covers his ears tightly.

'Malion, where would she go? She is a drifter who stayed only for you. What if she takes Auberon away from his siblings?’

"Shut up."

‘What of Ryuu? Are you also going to leave her? You still haven’t gotten their bodies yet, and yet you’re going to—‘

Thump-thump!! Thump-thump!! Thump-thump!! Thump-thump!!

"Shut up!!!!" he yells out loudly, making Alise turn to see her father on his knees.

"Dad!!" She quickly runs over to him. "Dad, are you alright?"

"Guh!! Grr!! Shut up! Shut up!! Shut up!!!" Cirrus was holding his head down and covering his ears.

Inside the mind palace that Hecton and Fafnir shared, the two quickly spun into action.

"Fafnir!! Check the world! Quickly!!" Hecton shouted.

"I’m on it!!" Fafnir turned into her dragon form and quickly searched the world.

Hecton then left to check on Cirrus.

When he pops up, he sees Alise worried about her father so much; she didn’t see Hecton emerge from her father’s shadow.

"Miss, step aside!" he said, kneeling to check on Cirrus.

"W-who are you?" Alise said this with some tears running down her face and snot slightly running down her nose.

"I am your father’s, um, uh, assistant!"

"I-is dad going to be alright!" She said this with more tears running down her face as well as snot.

"He is going to be alright. Just take a few steps back, okay? Can you do that?"

She nods and takes a few steps back. Hecton gets in close to hear the mumbled words Cirrus is saying:

"Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up,"

‘Dammit!!’

He picks Cirrus up over his shoulder.

"Alright, miss, can you get the shoes and follow along? We are going to one of your father’s homes here in town."

"O-okay!"

She picked up the shoes and followed Hecton. They moved through the streets with ease and arrived at the home that Hera left for Cirrus.

Alise couldn’t stop to see the quaintness of the home as Hecton went through the doors, taking her father to the master bedroom.

"Okay, now stay here and watch over him, okay? I will be back with something to make him feel better."

"I-is Daddy going to be okay?"

"Of course he is." Hecton knelt and wiped the tears and snot from her face with his clothes. "Everything is going to be okay. Just stay and hold your father's hand, okay? Can you do that for me?"

"Y-yes!"

"Good. I’ll be back as quickly as I can." Hecton quickly leaves the room and returns to Cirrus’s mindscape.

"Fafnir!! Did you find the source!!" His voice reverberated through the world.

From the sea, Fafnir came out.

"Those fuckers dug their way out!! They even started to change!!"

"Dammit!!" Hecton walks over to the hole to see the visages still trying to climb out. "You piece of shit!!! Shut the fuck up!!" He grew back to his multi-limbed form and punched them down even deeper and deeper until he saw the hole that was blocked by it. "Fafnir!! Use your fire to glass them in! Get the fuckers that got out!!"

Back to Cirrus and Alise. A few minutes have passed.

Cirrus opens his eyes to see his daughter crying while holding his hand. Guilt struck his heart when he saw this.

"Dad! Dad! Please be okay! I love you!!" She was crying, with snot coming out.

Cirrus extends his hand and gently strokes her hair.

"I’m fine, Alise." He says it quietly.

He was not fine. He felt miserable, causing his daughter this pain and this fear.

She looks up and jumps into him.

"Dad!! Dad!!" She buries her face into his chest. "I-I-I was—"

"I’m sorry, sweetie." He holds her tight in his arms. "I’m sorry… I’m sorry."

They stayed in one another’s embrace; Cirrus continued to comfort her, but she continued to cry. Cirrus’s mind raced to find a way to stop her crying when his mouth opened.

"♫* Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are.

Up above, the world so high.

Like a diamond in the sky.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are♫"

Cirrus lifts her face, and she looks him in his eyes as he sings to his daughter the song he sang to her when she was born, the song all of her siblings listened to in their sleep.

"♫ *When the blazing sun is gone,

When he nothing shines upon,

Then you show your little light,

Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are♫"

Her tears stopped as she listened to him sing a song that echoed in her mind. The song brought up the warmest of feelings in her heart, even if she does not understand the language.

"♫ *Then the traveler in the dark,

Thank you for your tiny spark,

He could not see which way to go,

If you did not twinkle so.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are♫"

Her eyes get heavy, and warmth enters her from her heart. It was her father’s emotions. The words he sang to her were from his heart and his soul.

"♫* In the dark blue sky you keep,

And often through my curtains peep,

For you never shut your eye,

Till the sun is in the sky.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are♫"

She closes her eyes, and Cirrus gently lays her head on the pillow.

"♫ *As your bright and tiny spark,

Lights the traveler in the dark,

Though I know not what you are,

Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are♫"

Alise falls asleep. Cirrus parted her hair and kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight, my precious little mountain goat."

Cirrus would continue to sing to her well into the night while stroking her hair and hugging her in his arms as a parent, trying to protect the child from the cold world.

Dragon Valley.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"!!" Circe opened her eyes to the sound of a massive roar.

She could see several dragons flying high in the sky. She carefully went over to the edge to see down into the valley. She could see several dragons flying in, but none came out.

‘No! No! No!! Please!!’

"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Another louder roar shook the earth and Circe to her core.

"C-C-Cirrus!!" she ran away as fast as her wings could take her. ‘It’s waking up!!’

Circe then disappeared in a poof of twilight smoke.

She reappeared before Cirrus.

"Circe. Thank you." He said this, holding Alise in his arms.

‘Cirrus...' she lands at the feet of the bed.

"How long do you think it will wake up?"

'...I'd say within 24 hours.'

"…Okay. Rest. I wish to make sure Alise sleeps comfortably." Cirrus brings Alise in closer, still holding her delicately.

‘…I will sleep in your shadow, Cirrus. This will be your last sleep before—’

‘Circe. Sleep. Worrying anymore will do neither of us any good.’

‘Right…’ She slowly walks and drops into his shadow. ‘May we rest our minds and bodies in the end.’

Moonlight Tower.

"Just a bit more," Vesta says, looking at Callisto. "Just a bit more, and she will be back!"