Summary: This is the story of an adventurer named Bell Cranel. Bell isn't your typical day adventurer either; no, he is, in fact, an unblessed one. No one would accept him into their familia due to his weak-looking self. Leaving Bell with one last option to secure his dreams. Watch as Bell becomes the first unblessed adventurer to enter the dungeon. Tread carefully, young hero...The gods are not with you here...Yet.

Disclaimer: I do not own DanMachi or any characters from the light novel. Please support the original release by buying the manga, the light novel, and the anime when they're available. Look on Google Play if you wish to buy the light novel like I did. I do, however, own this story idea and any new original characters or monsters I use.

Author's Notes: Yeah, I had a rough year, but I'm no Geroge R.R. Martian. I like to finish what I start. I plan to get back into writing, but I have been writing my own books, and some of my poetry has been published. That has also taken up my time. I also had my father pass away. I had been his caretaker for a while now, along with my job and school; you can guess how much of my free time went to fan fiction or writing. I think I'm coming out of my depression a bit. Then, I lost my stepfather before Christmas. 2022-2023 were terrible for me. 2023 was by far the worst, losing both of them. I want to get something out there to let people know I'm still here. I plan to get back into it this year. I might stop by the end of the year to finish my book. See if I can get that published—lots to do.

Character quote of the day: "Freya, I promise not to disappear on you again." ~ Bell Cranel

Story: Somebody Up There Likes Me

Chapter Eighteen: Homeward Bound

I listened to the god's telling of the past and couldn't help but frown by the end. So, once again, I'm having more dropped onto my plate. That was a lot to swallow, and now, this? Amazingly, I seem to be this supernatural figure all of a sudden. However, it all made sense. Zeus was my guardian of sorts, Freya's interest, the dungeon's reaction to me, the sudden powers.

At the end of the day, I get it. That didn't mean I had to like anything about it. However, at the same time, this was precisely what I wanted. I wanted to be a hero. I just wanted to do it with my own power.

Well, I had a straightforward answer for his predictions. I looked into the god's eyes and said, "I refuse." I already had too much to do to have all of this burden put on me! Why couldn't things ever be simple? I couldn't do all of this. I'm only a level one! What do they expect from me?!

"You can not refuse!" The god answered without any delay. I narrowed my eyes at the god; it seemed like he was far too ready to say that. It's almost like he knew what I was going to say. "I do not mean you cannot refuse; you can, but you can not reject what you are and what the history of the world is. You must accept the fact there has indeed been a change. The way of life you have lived is gone."

"Do you read minds?" I asked with a scowl forming on my face. It would seem so with his level of deduction.

"No, but I see all the doors you can open. If fate is a road with millions of branches, then at every fork in the road, there is an archway. I see it." The god informed of his ability. "I have no say in one fate; I just witness it. I have no place to interfere with what you want to do. I am simply a watcher, that is all."

"But I don't want to fight another massive dragon!" I yelled at the god. Was he for real? And this dragon was even stronger than the one I wanted to fight! I pointed at him, "I already have another one on my list! It is the one that killed my folks!"

"Then just add it to your list!" The god laughed as if it was that easy. Just add it to the list, he said! I hadn't even gotten past floor eighteen yet! Heck, I wasn't even supposed to go that far, either! Seriously, how was I getting stuck with this?!

I placed a hand on my forehead. "Ugh, why did it have to be me?"

"You were born with a special-"

I jumped in to cut Janus off with a glare, "Don't! Don't finish that sentence! Can't someone else do it?"

"No, it must be you, for it was foretold." He glared back. "Regrettably, you will fight Níðhöggr. It will seek you out, and you will have to fight."

"Then have someone foretell something else."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No, for that is a taboo amongst gods and fates. It would be easier to get Ares not to like war for a year."

I didn't even understand what the Hell that was supposed to mean. "Why would I care about a taboo amongst gods?"

The Janus looked to the ceiling as if staring into something. "You shouldn't, especially if you are going down the Freya path."

"Okay," I frowned in confusion, "What the fuck is that supposed to mean."

"Nothing that concerns you."

"But you literally said me going down a path with Freya."

"Now we are getting into the details. You must still fight that dragon."

"You still haven't explained-" I stopped myself from falling into his trap, "Oh no, you are not changing the subject. You have been watching me!"

"Of course!"

"You admit it so casually!" I pointed out in disbelief. Why would he just admit something like that?

"Bell, you are the jackalope; as free-willed as you are, you will still have to fight. It is in your blood. Your race was created for that purpose. Only you have the power to fight it. The gods have their own parts to play. As I have said, you will fight the dragon because it will come for you. Zona made the Jackalope its rival on the day the Jackalope was created. You will seek it out, or it will seek you out."

Okay, his little point did mean something. It's not like he was making this stuff up. However, this was my counterpoint. "I nearly died several times in the dungeon already. I watched Freya kill some kind of upgraded juggernaut! I can't get that strong so fast!" I complained. It was ridiculous to see my goddess solo a Familia killer. Juggernauts were notorious for quickly being able to wipe a party out. If you saw one, it just means your death is here.

"You killed one," Janus said rather pointedly. "That in of itself tells you of the power you have. That is not something that any level-five adventurer can do. No matter how weakened it may be."

"I am weak." I looked into the pool of water as my fists tightened. As much as I hated saying that, it was true.

"You may be weak now, but your growth already has broken many records. You gain more power from fights, whether you win or lose. So long as you don't die from a battle, you will get stronger. Winning fights in which you shouldn't triples that growth. I have seen it. I have watched all of your fights." The god of doors explained with a wave of his hand.

"Be that as it may," I stopped myself. I sighed, realizing that arguing with the god would not get me anywhere. And what did all of my arguing accomplish? I'll just be another hero who wanted to run from his fate, and fate followed me anyway. I pinched the bridge of my nose. "When do I have to do this?"

The god smiled approvingly, "Not for at least another two hundred years."

"Oh," I shrugged, "why didn't you just say so? I guess that-" My eyes widened as I finally focused on what Janus had said. Two hundred years?! "You expect me to live that long?!"

"The first Jackalope lived for five!"

"Five hundred years?" I muttered. If he had that much experience, "How did he…?"

"A story for another time, perhaps. Come into the waters and touch the stem of the world." I just opted to stare at him. The God seemed confused but then grew dejected for some odd reason: "I'm terrible; I forgot to explain that part!"

"Are you alright?" I tried to be somewhat helpful to the god before me.

He then cheered up rather too quickly. "Never better!"

I could feel my teeth grinding against each other, "This guy…."

"Allow me to explain-"

I finally decided that I had enough for one day. I interrupted the god of doors, "Janus, can we do this tomorrow? It's late; I'm tired. I met many powerful gods and learned about the history of the three worlds. Can I at least get some sleep first?"

"Yes, of course, Bell," Janus said with a smile, not even phased by what I said. He seemed happy that I brought that up. He walked to a door at the other end of the room before he turned back to me, "We shall meet tomorrow. You should rest in the last room down the hall behind you on the left." I nodded and started to walk away until I heard him say, "After all, this is the best path."

I turned to him with widened eyes, but he was already gone.

I sighed and walked down the darkened hall of fine marble and finely cut stone arches. Only the light of a few lit candles guided me down the hallway. I reached the door and knocked on it. There was no response, so I walked in. The room was bright and large. There was a nice window looking out at the icy ocean. A fireplace with a warm fire cracked was to the left. The bed was by the window. It was pretty fancy. There was more furniture, but I needed more time to care about all the sights.

I walked over to the bed and took a seat. I just sat there by myself. It had been a long day. After having all that information dropped on my lap, I just wanted to be done. I had the gemstone lamps off as I let my mind wander in the dark.

To think that I had this much planned out for me. Well, it's more like stuff passed down to me. Thanks, ancestors. I thought I was just some unlucky kid from some backwoods village. Nope, just some species created by a goddess born from the world tree that recreated everything. Shit, this really does sound like one of those fables or epics of heroes, didn't it? The orphan went on to save the world due to some hidden power chosen by the gods.

It was the same story every time. I sigh.

'I can't be thinking like this, but…,' I didn't know what to think. The jackalope was under the watch of the Council of Weird. This whole time, they just let the jackalope do what it wanted. Like, what even was that logic? Hell, this Goddess that was born from the world tree just let shit happen! Why did the gods just not care if something didn't involve them immediately?

An everything-ending threat was growing stronger daily, and instead of keeping the jackalope in line, they just didn't care.

I let myself fall back onto the bed. The soft, cold sheets comforted me.

'How has it come to this?'

I'm not sure if I liked my old life more or the life I had now. The Leader of the Rabbit Kind and Guardian of Yggdrasil are pretty heavy titles that were thrust upon me! That and Janus knew how to talk off the ear of a stone statute. His mood swings were not helpful, either.

'I just wanted to be a hero; I didn't need all of this.'

I want to be known as one of the best adventurers ever, but now I will be more famous than that- so long as I do what the Jackalope is supposed to do. I hoped I was not fated to die in the fight. None of the Council of Weird wanted to tell me that, but by not telling me, they did. It might mess things up if I did know.

Well, if I die, so too did the jackalope. I'm unsure if that was Zona's plan, but it's definitely not mine. I won't die until I make a name for myself and have a family. How would I make that skirt chaser of a grandfather proud of me? On that note, it also sounded like I couldn't have a child until I beat Níðhöggr. This curse only allowed for there to be one jackalope. That meant either I died or my child would. Yeah, not if I could help it. So, I would need to start training and get stronger faster! But first, I had to do something about the monster rabbits heading north. Yes, that had to be done first. I was then returning to Orario to dive back into the fray.

I needed to get stronger. I couldn't wait; there were too many people I knew that would pass away if I took my time. To make matters worse, that dragon also gets even stronger the longer I wait. That and how could I form a Harem as Zeus wants me to if I can't do anything with the girls I like until the curse is removed? Hell, I couldn't even be with one girl, or some bullshit would happen. No, I had to do this as soon as possible! If fate had plans, I would tear them apart and do things my way. I would defeat the dragon that killed my parents and slay the dragon at the bottom of the world tree that feeds on its roots!

A fire was burning in my chest. I would get that harem or a woman and be a man that didn't hide from my wives or wife on that godforsaken boat! Imagine having a harem but having to hide from them because you fucked up or did something dumb. What is even the point of that? A wife was good, too.

Yeah, I would not be like that. I shook my head.

I closed my eyes to turn in for the night. However, before I could fall asleep, there was a knock at my door. I quickly sat up from my bed and moved to the door. 'Who could this be?' I asked myself. I don't think it could be fake Loki; no, it has to be Zeus or Janus.

I opened the door to find quite a surprise: before me was Eunomia. My eyes widened. "Eunomia?" That was nowhere near what I thought. Why could she be here to see me?

She bowed, "Bell, I have come to set your mind at ease."

"Huh?"

The goddess sighed, "I have to apologize for Janus. He is forcing your hand."

"I mean, I get that, but at the same time, he kind of has to." I told her, "Someone has to fight Níðhöggr. I, the jackalope, was created for that purpose."

She had a solid frown, "Indeed," She affirmed, "But is that what you want?"

I looked away from her, 'I don't, but I feel like I'll be the only one to take this seriously.' I gazed into the goddess's eyes, "No, but I'm responsible and take this seriously."

That got her to smile at me and grab my hands into hers, "You are warm and have a good heart, but this is not your responsibility. I can see why Janus speaks so much about you; you have set your path." She let go of my hands, and I let them fall back to my side, "The gods have failed twice to end this madness; it is not right that a mortal, no matter if created to or not, has to clean up our mess. That is not justice."

Wow, so the gods didn't like Eunomia because she wanted them to act more responsibly? Damn, were all the gods so childish? I smiled at her, "It matters little to me. I always wanted to be a hero. Besides, do you really trust the other gods to care? The way they treat you should speak enough."

"I understand that very well, but you should know that if you fight Níðhöggr, you will be felled."

I frowned, and my head fell at her words, 'It would seem that I was right. Hell, I will die either way.' I looked back at her with narrowed eyes, "I do not wish to die; I have so much that I wish to do."

"It is as fate dictates," Eunomia stated, but her tone was far more upset about the matter than I thought it should be.

"I hate fate," I whispered. The fact I had no control over my destiny at the end of the day it burdens me.

"As do I." She responded as she put her hand on my shoulder, "Justice is blind. The gods that control people's fate do not care as long as everything follows the order it has to."

"So it is pointless?" I couldn't help but ask.

"No, for I will make it not."

"I don't understand."

"I don't like the gods involving themselves with mortals because, at the end of the day, they always use them, curse them, hurt them, kill them for the smallest slight. There is no justice for mortals, and the mortals have no power to change this since the beginning of time. Everyone's fate has been planned. Minus the gods, the gods have free will to intervene however they wish for the most part. There is much in creation that many do not know or see."

I tilted my head at her, "What are you saying?"

She shook her head, "You do not understand, but you will."

"I sure hope so."

She laughed into her hand. It was a sweet little laugh. "We all have a part to play for now," she grinned. "Just follow yours; know that one day justice shall reign." She gave a bow. "It was good to have shared these words with you; I bid you a good night, Bell." She turned with a small wave of her hand and walked away down the dark hallway.

I closed the door and sat back down on my bed. 'Just what could she mean? How can she tell me to just go through with it after saying I would die? It sounded like she was trying to make me avoid this initially.' My gaze lingered on the door. 'What was she trying to say?'

I rubbed my forehead, "It's late."

I laid down and pulled the covers over me. It's nice to rest in bed again.

It was early in the morning, and I stood before Janus again. We had been in the same place the night before. It was just the two of us. He motioned with his hand and said, "Step into the water, Bell Cranel, and touch the stem of the worlds in which you were born to protect."

I took in a deep breath and stepped into the water. It was warm, far too warm for the part of the world that we were currently in. I pushed forward, and the water felt thick, like walking through a barrel full of jelly. It went up to my waist as I sloshed toward the stem. I stopped and reached out; I looked up at Janus, "I just have to touch it?"

The god nodded but didn't say anything.

"Alright," I said in a lower tone. I put my hand on the tree, and then I felt it. It felt like two sets of eyes gazed at me with the sun's intensity. Then my vision blurred, and my outreached hand fell to my side. I stood in some barren, flat land. It was covered in broken pieces of earth, almost like a crumbled building. I stood next to the mountain of mountains; It was so large that one would think that a god had set six mountains on each other. No, that was not right. On closer inspection, 'That's not a mountain; THAT'S A TREE ROOT!'

I turned, and there it was—the world tree. I was standing at the base of the world tree. It was so tall that I could never hope to see the top. I could only see the trunk; if I tried to look up even higher, I would only fall over. It was just so big that my mind could just not grasp how big it really was. If I had a hard time believing that there was a tree so large that could hold up the world or worlds, I did not have that now. It was right here before me in all of its glory—a beacon of life in a world destroyed and left to crumble away in the sands of time.

'To think that this wasteland of nothing housed the oldest gods, the nine worlds, and their gods.' I was in awe. I was also in disbelief. 'How am I supposed to fight something that could do this against gods and life itself? I couldn't even kill a damn goblin king!' I had to be fated to die young because this was unbelievable. Was there a way I could get strong enough to fight something that could damage this?

"Life."

It shook me to my core. That voice sounded like that of an avalanche. I could feel every hair on my body stand on end. I looked down to see the tell-tale signs of goosebumps.

There was a loud crash, and I whipped around to the thing that had spoken. A dust cloud, taller than any existing mountain, slowly dissipated to reveal embers burning bright like the sun. I stepped back, truly taking in the beast of black scales and red flames. It was huge, only about a third of the tree's roots in height, small in compassion to the Yggdrasil, but the world's largest mountain to me. Its scales were like black mirrors reflecting the light. Between every scale, there was a hot red glow from the fire raging inside. I could see my terrified reflection staring back at me. It had no eyes but red flames pouring out from two empty holes where its eyes should have been.

Its giant mouth has a piece of bark. The dragon's mouth chomped down on the hardest material known to all, shattering the bark into small fragments. Its huge teeth were black, like the inside of a cave at night, and sharper than any crafted knife. There were pieces of bark from Yggdrasil between each tooth—red frames burned from its open maw. It had six wings that spread out like a mountain range. Its wings had the power to summon storms. It stood on four legs but had two arms with human-shaped hands. Its claws dug and cracked the ground. Then there was its long tail that dragged behind it.

This was the creature of heat that I was set to fight. This monster could only be described with one word.

"Death."

We stared at each other. I wouldn't say we sized each other up. It was more of us being in awe before each other. Clearly, this thing hadn't seen another lifeform other than Yggdrasil for the longest time. We stared at each other, neither saying anything. There was no sound here other than the cracking of flames, the creaking of the world tree, and a dull gust of wind. It was so barren that a single sound could travel and be heard for hundreds of miles. I know why I couldn't speak; I was terrified and in awe. I was at the feet of the bringer of the end.

To think the gods would just fuck off and allow this thing to keep growing in power. Was it arrogance? Was it stupidity? Was it just that they didn't care enough? How in the name of Freya was I supposed to fight this thing?

Then, as if that were all that needed to be said and done, I was no longer there in the barren wasteland.

Once again, I was somewhere else. This place was lighter, filled with life, a purple glow, and the smell of tree bark. This place was clearly lived in and lived in by a giant. All of the structures were massive, and I felt like I was in a grand manor. The furniture was all too large, like made for someone three times my size. Everything was carved from this material. Wood, yes, it was all made from wood like one of the log-made houses back in my village. Was I in the World Tree? Oh, could she have called me here? There was a staircase, and that was when I saw her—two amber eyes like tree sap, green hair like the color of tree leaves, and light brown skin like tree bark. Her expression was like that of Eina when I did something genuinely foolish. She was the largest person I had ever seen. She was everything and more than I expected of the goddess of the Yggdrasil.

However, the words of Zeus came back to me. This was clearly the land of the gods, where all of their power was not limited. That this was what I should expect the gods to look like should I ever reach the heavens.

"Jackalope," her voice was stern but still soft. "You have returned to me. I have been awaiting this day."

I gulped. This was the creator of all things, the goddess of creation and the world tree. "Could you be, Zona?" I already knew the answer, but I just wanted to be sure. I had to be sure. At the end of the day, she was the reason why I was even alive. I can blame her for what she did to my family line. As far as I am concerned, they ran away from responsibility and forced me to deal with it.

She gave me a slight nod, "Indeed." Then, with the grace of a crane, she descended the stairs. "Bell Cranel, you are the only one to accept responsibility." She sat before me on a large throne. Her stony face cracked, and she smiled. It was like a ray of sunlight, and I felt a bit more at ease. "For that, you carry my favor."

"I can't say many of my family even knew what they should do." I defended my family just a bit.

"Some did, others did not." She said as a matter of fact. She stared at me with those warm eyes. She saw me and everything I was. "What matters the most is that you are here now. I can feel your fire; you have assumed the mantle."

I frowned; I had to take up this task because none of the gods were willing. "Someone has to."

She shook her head, "I can see your displeasure and fear. Your apprehension at being forced to make this hard decision." She smirked, "But you know, as I do, my children, my father, and my mother, all of their faults have led to you being my backup. I could and will not trust the task to them."

"It's not like they would accept even if you did."

She tilted her head and moved a piece of her thick hair away from her eyes, "Yes, they rebelled against me the last time I tried." She confirmed my statement. She smirked at me as if she knew something that would get under my skin. "You did not want to take it up either, boy who wishes to be a hero."

Okay, so she knew about that, too. "Right," I conceded that point to her. "I wasn't thinking straight. I had a lot of stuff dumped on me. I felt like I was just stuck in the background as I stood before a hall of gods just to be told that I was some legendary guardian. Prior to that, I led an army of monsters through the wilderness. It's…," I trailed off. "It's a bit much for one to handle."

"Stress you are, but in the end, you still take responsibility. That takes excellent resolve for someone so young, wisdom not to run away, realizing it will only follow you. You bear stress, fear, anger, and sadness. Your greatest worry?"

Yeah, that about summed up everything I really wanted to get off my chest. My biggest worry? If she knew all of that, she should know what that was. I didn't understand why we had to do all of this. "I will die."

"It bothers you," Zona folded her hands on her lap, "but your existence is mine to decide. That and you already have many claims to you."

I narrowed my eyes in thought, "Claims?" Someone had put a claim on me?

"Of course," She answered as if I should understand what that meant. "Both my mother and father wish for you. There is a long list to that as well. But those are more twisted and selfish reasons. You are Bell Cranel, the reincarnation of Odr. You are the creator's Guardian. Your life holds importance to us. Even in death, you will belong here. You shall not fade away."

I didn't really know how to take that. So Zeus and Freya, that I could understand. However, I didn't see why the other gods would want me. I guess I wouldn't have a lousy afterlife, "But what about the Jackalope? Won't it die off?"

She hummed, and it was sweet, sounding like a bird's song. "You should not worry. You are much too young to worry about that. Grow in strength, the less worry you will have."

I glared a hole into the ground. Why did she have to talk in this whole mystic sort of way? "That easy, huh?"

She chuckled and shook her head, "No, pain is the path you have. Victory will not come easy to you. Resist, overcome, and bear your horns. I laid the groundwork; you must follow the path. My counsel will assist."

"Okay, fine." I looked up at her. "What's the purpose of the dungeon? Why not just make the monsters spawn all over the world?"

"Man, beast, elves, it matters not what you are; all must be strong for the oncoming war. Níðhöggr corrupts; there will be sides to pick. No one will be spared. The dungeon will make them stronger, make you stronger. Use this gift I had bestowed. One location made it convenient to track and monitor the gods. Keep them uninvolved with the growth of mortals." She explained, "The gods would involve themselves too much, not need the mortals to explore and get stronger."

Wow, so she used the gods' arrogance against each other. She knew the gods would send mortals in when they realized they couldn't explore it themselves. By having the mortals go, it made it into a game for them. Thus the familias started. My eyes widened, and her smile grew, "You foresaw that?"

"Go in my name," she beckoned me to her. I move to stand in front of the giant goddess. With one finger, she touches the top of my head, "Be the remedy; know that the future will be dark, but light shall follow."

I could feel something burning on the back of my hand. When I looked down, I saw a mark of a tree in a circle. "A gift; use it to call them when in need."

I could feel myself returning. It was an odd feeling as I watched my body disappear in a white light. She had this pleased look on her face. "Thank you. I wish you wouldn't have said everything all mysterious."

She laughed at my comment, a real mirthful one. The room felt brighter, like all the pressure of being in her presence had faded, and it was now a joyful festival.

The next thing I knew, I stood back in the pool, my arm still touching the tree.

Janus looked down at me contemplatively. He nodded, "What is your plan?"

"I need to finish what I started. Then I need to go to Oriaro," I told him my plans.

He smiled at me, "Very well, I have a way of getting you."

I cringed. "Does it involve Thor?"

"He is one of the fastest ways of travel I will have, you know."

"A real blinding light." I rolled my eyes. I stepped out of the pool only to find my clothes were no longer wet. 'But, were they really wet in the first place?' I narrowed my eyes, 'This place is just so weird.'

Author's Notes: Well, this was a short chapter. It is what it is. I hope you enjoyed it; I Promise to have more out sooner than two years. If you wish to read more, 20 chapters ahead, go to my yeah, right. As if I would lock a fan fiction behind a paywall. Lol, I am not doing that. I always hated seeing authors do that. It's fan fiction, not copyright infringement. Lastly, I will go back and fix a lot of the earlier chapters later. I think I should finish the story first. Then, come back and do a quality check.