Danmachi: Westward Cloud [Complete]

[Vol.3] Quest 273- Young Demon

Waking up, Cirrus looks at an unfamiliar ceiling.

“…”

He sits up to see a nice room with an open window; the bed was rather big and comfy with the scent of hibiscus and cypress lingering in the room.

He grows suspicious of where he is despite how nostalgic it all seems to him.

“Where am I?”

There is no longer the sound of the passing sand or the sound of the crew walking around, and the air feels too cool to be the desert.

He looked to his side and around the room again to find his most reliable friend and eyes in the skies, not by his side.

“Nox, where are you?”

‘Cirrus? You’re up?’

“What do you mean I’m up? I woke up in an unfamiliar place and the last thing I remember was going to sleep in my room when Paulus gave us a job to do. After Bukhara, our runs on their supply lines have severely crippled them.” Cirrus walks to the window to see Babel. “Why are we in Orario? And how? There wasn’t any building this tall! Nox, where the fuck am I? Do you know where I am? Did I get knocked out or something!?”

Cirrus was growing more concerned. Nox could feel the anxiety and worry building up in him.

He gets up and runs to the widow.

‘Wait! Wait! Calm down! I’m coming to you alright! Don’t attack anyone!’

“I don’t have my weapons and my clothes… Well, they don’t fit. So meet me at—"

The door opened to people he didn’t recognize. Ai, Artemis, Miach, and Naaza.

The woman (Ai) looked familiar, but Cirrus was too alert and worried to think about who she is. From Cirrus’s experience, she gave off a powerful aura; she was stronger than Goh Ma, and that alone made her a threat.

“So he’s—Cirrus!!” shouted Ai as she spotted him.

“Fuck!!”

His first instinct was to cover his face and jumped off the tower to avoid a confrontation. He had no way of defending himself, so he escaped.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

“Shit! Shit! They saw my face! Ah, fuck!! Nox, where are you? We can meet up where you are at!”

‘W-wait why are—'

“Cirrus!!!!”

Cirrus turns around to see Ai come after him. He could see an odd look in her eyes as she falls after him.

“How does she know my—I um I mean that’s not my name Pretty-scary lady!! (Exousía, Adorn: Stymphalian)!!!”

The armor quickly dons on him as Ai was about to grab him. He flapped his wings and shot down with even more speed and when he approached the ground; he swooped down, going through the defenses of the area with ease and escaping into the city.

Fwhooooosh!!

“Dammit!!!” Ai said, landing on the ground.

Thud!!!

The earth beneath her cracked.

“Ai what happened?” said a guard, coming up to her.

“Yeah, it looked like Cirrus flew by.” Said, Bree. “He was also kinda small?”

“Get everyone to look for Cirrus! When you find him, send out a flare! Have Phi, Cale, Rethusa, and rest in charge of the search!”

“Right!”

The guards soon left, and Ai walked up the front of the entrance to the Familia home.

“I forgot how on guard you were… and with your status as a level 8…” Ai takes a deep breath and catches the smell. “I have you now, Cirrus.” She then quickly follows the scent.

Back up the tower.

“As you can see, that potion your child spilled on him turned him back into a child.” Said Artemis.

“Hmm… Naaza how long would it last?” Miach asked.

“It’s hard to say… it was never really tested.”

“My deepest apologizes, Artemis.” Miach bowed his head. “We will work on finding and making a cure and help with finding Cirrus. Who knows what could happen, back then when he was still a boy, Evilus was still running around.”

“That’s what I’m worried about. Our first meeting was him using Rethusa as a meat shield.” Artemis said, remembering their first meeting.

“That’s because you shot at him first.” said Nox coming in. “Artemis, could I talk to you for a second? And can it be quick?”

“We will leave you two be. Naaza let's hurry.”

The two leave quickly, leaving Nox and Artemis alone.

“Alright, so Cirrus reverted to when he was 8 years old in the Kaios Desert when he was still the Golden Horned Demon of Shalzard he is in a fight-or-flight state right now, so you need to get everyone to stop looking for him because he will retaliate if he is cornered,” Nox said. “By flight or fight, I mean this was a Cirrus who was… ‘merciful’.” She said in quotations.

“Alright. try to get him to understand what is happing alright?”

“Of course, I will. I’ve known him since well the age he currently is!”

A while later.

Escaping deep into Daedalus Street, Cirrus sees a blue flare come from the silver tower.

“Huff!! Huff!! What the fuck is going on? Nox, I reached Daedalus Street. Where are you?” He leans against the wall, adjusting his clothing. “Also… has my Stymphalian changed?”

‘I’m away, but you know you can summon me?’

“Summon you? But I have to update my status for—"

‘Just summon me by calling my name and putting some mana in the word.’

“… Fine I guess? But it’s not gonna work, (Nox).”

His magic circle appeared, and from it, Nox flew out and landed on his head.

‘See told you.’

“B-but how!?”

‘Cirrus… it’s been 14 years since the time we were with Jane and the others.’ She flew in front of him and transformed back into her human form.

“!!” Cirrus was surprised to see her in her human form.

“Fufu, it’s the same expression you made when we first met.” Nox pinched his cheeks a bit.

Cirrus shook that thought and focused on the rest of her words.

“F-fourteen years!? Why was I asleep for so long?”

“You weren’t. You just regressed back into an 8 year-old. Why do you think I can talk to you in this form? And why has so much of the city changed?”

“… Hmm well… That’s true, you never lie to me… is Lenoa, Fels, and Eupheme still around?”

“Of course! They're doing fine!”

“That’s good… It still feels weird, though.”

Cirrus felt lighter.

“I know… I can show you to your loved ones!”

“Like who?”

“Like your wives!”

“My w-what!?!?” his face turned red like a tomato.

‘Holy shiiiiiit!!’

“Yes, you married two beautiful women!”

“W-what are—Really!?”

“Of course! I do not lie to you; I merely tease you with the truth.”

“Then…” He swallows his saliva at this piece of information begins to settle into his mind. “S-so what are their n-names?” he said with shyness and embarrassment.

“Fufu, I forgot how darn cute you were as a kid!” Nox pinched his cheeks again.

‘Maybe that potion regressed more than I thought. He wasn’t this emotive?’

“Ow fuck, man! Come on Nox! Do you still treat me like a fucking kid when I’m—wait 14 years… add the one… when I’m 22!”

“Of course not. I treat you like my master and little brother, so why wouldn’t I indulge myself in your formative years?” she said, patting his head.

“Come on!”

“Fine, fine.” She stands straight up. “First, let's head back to the tower you jumped out of. They are part of your current Familia.”

“I panicked, okay! That lady with the fox ears called out my name, and I jumped!”

“Oh? Was she… Scary?” Nox grinned.

“I mean… Not at first, but when she jumped after me a little.”

“I heard that!!!”

Jumping down from on top of a building, Ai lands before them.

“Oh, fuck!” Cirrus jumps back.

“Nox, what are you trying to do?” Ai walks up to Nox.

“Nothing at all! I’m just having some fun, is all! Hey Cirrus, do you know who she is?”

“… Hmm.” Cirrus walks up and looks at her. “You look like Ai? Except more…” Cirrus looks at her up and down. “Mature? Oh, fuck you are here, aren’t you?”

“Hm! Hm! I am! Are you surprised by my beauty!” she said with her hands on her hips and a puffed-up chest.

“… I mean, you look a lot smarter now than when you were a kid.”

“Hahahaha!!!” Nox laughed out loud. “That certainly is true! Hahahaha!!!”

“What’s that supposed to mean!? I was not dumb looking!” Ai said, offended.

“But you look more refined!” Cirrus said, ignoring what he previously said to move on for the sake of his adult self. “You don’t still do the headbutt thing, right?”

“… Occasionally. But anyway, come, I’ll take you back home.”

“Back home? Do we live together or something?”

“…” a big grin appears on Ai’s face. “Ahem!” she turns to Cirrus and showed him her ring finger. “We are married! How about that!”

“…”

His eyes widen and his head went blank.

“… I think he’s trying to process it,” Nox said, patting his head.

Back at the Moonlight Tower.

“Whoa… He really is a kid again…” said Rethusa.

“Yeah, but he seems a few years younger when we met him?” said Phi.

“Hmm….” Cirrus stands behind Nox but still peeks to see from the corner of his eye.

“Now, now.” Said Ai. “The Miach Familia is working on something to turn him back and until then Cirrus is on leave and I will step in as temporary captain of the Familia, Rethusa. Could you be my temporary Vice-captain?”

“Of course, but how long will it take for them to finish?” Rethusa said.

“We don’t know.” Said Artemis. “But it should be soon enough. Now break, and go back to your posts. It’s business as usual. We will also suspend our expedition until Cirrus is back to form.”

“Yes, Lady Artemis!” they all said and left for their jobs.

“So what is her relation to me?” Cirrus asked Nox.

“Well, she is um… hmm, how do I put it?”

“I am your goddess; my name is Artemis,” Artemis said, walking up to him and kneeling to meet his eye level. “You did, however, convert once before you converted to be one of my children.”

“I see…” Cirrus noticed the ring on her finger and his eyes widen again. “U-um that ring a-are you…”

“Oh, you noticed. Fels said you were a clever kid. Yes, I am your wife.”

‘Artemis!!!!!!!!! Holy fuck!! No! No fucking—How the fuck did future me pull that off!? Did hell freeze over for Artemis to—Oh Jesus fucking Christ tell me I am not Orion or some shit! I don’t wanna die by a scorpion or be shot in the head at sea! I-I—'

“…” his mind froze again, thinking of Orion’s fate, which all ended with Artemis ultimately killing him.

“I wonder how much he’s going to do that?” Nox said, looking at him.

“Fufu, he’s cute,” Artemis said with a slight smile. “He rarely makes these kinds of expressions.”

Nox sees the look in Ai and Artemis’s eyes.

Old memories resurface for Nox when they were going to Telskyura.

“Yeah, I think he’s gonna be spending the night with me,” Nox said, picking Cirrus and away from Artemis and Ai.

“I’m not gonna do anything!” Artemis shouted.

“Yeah! We just wanna hug him and give him our love!” shouted Ai.

“Yeah, I really don’t trust that! Come on Cirrus, I’ll show you my room!”