Danmachi: The World's Anomaly

A/N: I can walk now but i cant feel some parts of my leg.

Mat winced from the unexpected pinch, letting out a small yelp. His gaze snapped around to find the source of the sudden discomfort, and he froze when he saw her—Hestia, standing a few feet away with a somewhat annoyed look on her face.

"Mat," she called, crossing her arms over her chest, her tone firm but not unkind. "What was that all about? Ignoring me when I'm standing right here?"

Mat blinked, momentarily confused. His mind had still been swimming with thoughts from earlier. He hadn't even noticed her approach. "Wait... you?" he stammered, trying to make sense of the situation. "I-I didn't see you, Hestia! I was... um... lost in thought." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Obviously," she replied, raising an eyebrow, her voice carrying a mix of amusement and frustration. "I've been calling you for a while, but you were too busy staring at whatever it is you're so interested in."

Mat, still disoriented from the sudden shift in focus, blurted out, "I thought you were working at the potato stall today?"

Hestia blinked at him, a faint sigh escaping her lips as she uncrossed her arms. "Oh, that. I'll be working at the stall later, in the afternoon. But right now, I'm on shift here at the store." She glanced around, motioning to the weapons and armor on display. "This is my morning shift, remember?"

Mat's eyes widened slightly in realization. He had known that Hestia took on different jobs to support the Familia, but he hadn't paid attention to the specifics of her schedule. It hadn't really crossed his mind until now. "Ah, I didn't realize it was already that time..." He trailed off, feeling a bit embarrassed for not having noticed the time or her change in duties.

Hestia gave him a knowing smile, clearly used to his absentmindedness. "No surprise there. You get so lost in your own thoughts, you forget the world around you." She chuckled lightly, her tone softening. "But hey, don't worry about it. I'll be here for a few hours, so if you need something, just ask."

Mat nodded, still trying to get his bearings. "Right, thanks for the reminder. I'll... try not to zone out again."

As Hestia continues to observe Mat she ask "So, Mat," she began, her voice light but pointed, "how's your day been so far? Been doing anything exciting? I mean, you're here in the store instead of out adventuring." She tilted her head slightly, her playful tone making it clear she was both teasing and genuinely curious.

Mat snapped out of his trance, realizing she was talking to him. He blinked a few times, searching for the right words. His mind had been running in circles, contemplating how to explain things to her without making it sound too out of place. How would he even begin to talk about his falna without it sounding strange?

"Uh, yeah, it's been... fine," Mat replied hesitantly. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to come up with something that wouldn't sound too weird. "I was just... thinking, I guess. Had some things to figure out."

Hestia gave him a puzzled look. "Figure out? What things?"

Mat winced, his mind going blank. He wasn't sure how to explain the situation. What would he say? That he was confused about his new falna and what it meant for his future? It didn't seem like something he could just casually talk about, even with Hestia. The last thing he wanted was to bring up the unknowns surrounding his situation.

Before he could answer, Hestia's eyes slightly widened in realization, her gaze flicking over to him with a mix of surprise and excitement. "Wait... no way," she said, almost to herself. "You've... you've gotten your falna, haven't you?"

Mat froze, his face flushing slightly. "I—What?" he stammered, unsure of how to respond. "Well ah—"

Hestia smiled brightly, clearly proud of herself for catching on. "I mean, it's pretty obvious now. She stepped closer, her eyes filled with a bit of admiration. "I can see it, Mat! You've officially become an adventurer, haven't you?"

Mat laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. He was trying to digest the information. Hestia was right, but the realization still hadn't fully hit him. "Well... yeah, I guess I have. But it's just a little... weird, y'know?" He glanced at her, trying to sound casual, though his unease was clear. "I mean, I didn't really expect it to happen like this."

Hestia chuckled softly, shaking her head. "I can imagine it's a bit overwhelming. But hey, it's a big step! You've got your falna now, and that means you're one step closer to becoming a real adventurer!" Her grin widened as she gave him a playful nudge. "Congratulations, Mat."

Mat's mind was still spinning, but he managed a sheepish smile in response. "Thanks... but, uh, it's not exactly what I thought it would be."

Hestia narrowed her eyes, clearly noticing his hesitance. "What do you mean? If you've got your falna, then you've got access to all sorts of abilities. Isn't that what you wanted?"

Mat let out a dry laugh, his mind working quickly as a thought struck him. For a brief moment, he hesitated, but then he decided to put the skill he'd honed in his past life to good use. He'd been a doctor, after all—lying, crafting the right words in a situation, was something he'd done countless times to calm patients or distract others. It was a natural reflex now. He could lie to Hestia, tell her something that would explain things without revealing the full truth.

His face shifted, his expression falling into something more distressed, more natural as if he'd just had an unfortunate realization. He let out a soft sigh, drawing in a breath like he was about to tell her something difficult.

"You know, Hestia," he started, his voice carefully measured, "there's something you don't know about how I ended up here..." He paused for effect, glancing around like he was unsure if he should even speak the truth. "My god... He... He ran away after blessing me."

Hestia blinked, visibly taken aback by his words. "Wait, what? Your god—ran away?"

Mat nodded solemnly, lowering his voice to give it an air of sincerity. "Yeah. After He gave me the falna, they just... left. He didn't even tell me what to do next. He said it was just a test, a first-time blessing, to see if it worked. And when I asked about my future, about what I should do, He turned me down. Told me I wasn't good enough, that I was too weak for His dream."

He saw the flicker of confusion in Hestia's eyes, but he pushed on, deepening his story. "I was... I was left there, standing with nothing. I mean, how am I supposed to move forward when even the god who blessed me says I'm not worth anything?"

Mat's voice dropped, making it sound even more distressed as he continued. "I tried to reason with them, asking if there was a chance, any chance for me to prove myself. But he just told me I should be grateful for the blessing and that was it. Then, just like that, he walked off. Got on a ride, took my money... and left. Gone."

Hestia stood frozen for a moment, her mouth slightly open, trying to process what he was saying. "Wait, your god... He just... abandoned you like that? He took your money, too?"

"Yeah," Mat said, his tone matching the distress he was trying to convey. "It wasn't even like he were trying to guide me. It was just like some test to him—nothing more. And now I'm stuck here... trying to figure out what to do, with no god and no direction."

He could see the genuine confusion and sympathy in Hestia's expression, and it gave him the confidence to continue. "Honestly, Hestia, I don't even know if I'll be able to do anything. I mean, how can I be an adventurer when even my own god doesn't believe in me?"

Danmachi: The World's Anomaly

Mat was in the middle of crafting his lie, pouring every ounce of his previous experience as a doctor into making it sound as believable as possible, when he suddenly noticed Hestia's face. It wasn't the confused expression he had expected—it was anger. Pure, unadulterated rage.

Hestia's fists were clenched, her face redder than a tomato, and her eyes practically shooting daggers. "That idiot of a god!" she screamed, pointing her finger toward the heavens like she was trying to smite the divine being herself. "What kind of irresponsible, thoughtless moron abandons their follower like that?!"

Mat froze, his heart pounding in his chest. Sweat began to bead on his forehead. Oh no. He had just opened a can of worms. Or, more accurately, he'd opened a volcano, and now it was erupting.

"Who does that?!" Hestia continued, practically frothing at the mouth. "Leaving someone high and dry like that! How dare they?! What kind of god... Ugh! I'm so mad right now! I swear, if I ever meet that god, I'm going to—"

Mat's brain was scrambling. What do I do? What do I do?! He panicked internally, already picturing his whole lie unraveling faster than a cheap sweater. She can't know it's all fake! He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and saw her still angrily ranting, completely oblivious to his mounting dread.

She doesn't suspect anything, right? He sweated harder, looking around like he was about to bolt for the nearest exit.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of Hestia's rage-fueled tirade, she took a deep breath, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "Phew, I'm so sorry you had to deal with that, Mat," she sighed, her voice suddenly softer, filled with genuine concern. "You must feel so abandoned and alone."

Mat, still sweating bullets and trying his best to maintain his composure, nodded enthusiastically. "Uh, yeah! Exactly! It's been... really rough."

Hestia sighed, shaking her head. "I hate those kinds of gods. They don't deserve followers if they're going to treat them like that. You don't deserve that, Mat. You really don't."

"Thanks, Hestia," he mumbled, trying to avoid looking directly at her. If she only knew I was lying through my teeth right now...

After a few moments of comforting silence, Hestia tilted her head and looked at him seriously. "So, Mat, what are you going to do now? I mean, you are going to continue, right? You can't let that god's nonsense get to you. You've got a future ahead of you."

Mat blinked. This was his chance to shift gears. "Yeah, I've been thinking about that," he said, a bit too quickly, as if he was eager to get away from the subject of his divine abandonment. "So, here's the thing—I was actually hoping you could help me out with something."

Hestia raised an eyebrow. "Help you out? With what?"

"Well," Mat scratched his head awkwardly, "I was thinking of registering at the guild. You know, officially becoming an adventurer."

"Oh?" Hestia said, her expression softening a little. "You're really doing it, huh?"

Mat nodded. "Yeah. I figure if I'm going to move forward and prove myself, I need to start somewhere. Plus, you know, it'll help me get a better understanding of everything... especially, uh..." He trailed off, before pushing forward. "I also need to check something. My falna."

"Ahhh, your falna," Hestia repeated, her eyes narrowing slightly in curiosity. "So, what's your plan there? You're going to register, and then...?"

"Well," Mat paused, trying to sound casual. "I was thinking... maybe you could help me take a look at it. You know, just to make sure everything's in order. You've got experience with this stuff, right?"

Hestia was taken aback by Mat's request. "Wait, you want me to look at your falna? But, that's... not allowed, you know? We're not supposed to share that kind of information about a child's falna." She frowned, clearly concerned.

But then, her expression softened, and she muttered to herself. "Well, your god is obviously irresponsible, so I'll make an exception. But... why me, of all people?"

Mat shrugged casually, trying to make it sound like the most natural thing in the world. "I trust you, Hestia. That's all."

Hestia blinked in surprise for a moment before her lips curled into a warm smile. She suddenly slapped him lightly on the back, laughing. "Aww, you're making me blush, Mat." She grinned mischievously, noticing his wince at the slap. "Alright, alright, come on in! Let's get this over with."

Mat sighed in relief, stepping inside the shop, following Hestia toward the back. It was clear that the little shop had a cozy, almost hidden vibe to it, away from the busy front where customers and adventurers wandered. The back area was quieter, and the mood felt more intimate, as if this was a space meant for only the closest of allies.

Mat knelt down, his heart beating a little faster as the gravity of the situation began to sink in. He was about to let someone else—someone other than his previous god—look at his falna. This felt like a huge step, one that he wasn't sure he was entirely ready for.

Hestia stood beside him, looking down at him with a reassuring smile. "Alright, Mat. Relax. We're just going to check things out and see what's going on with your falna."

Mat handed her the mirror with a sigh. "I hope this works..."

Hestia walked behind him, standing with a gentle yet confident air. As she started to examine the falna on the back of his neck, Mat pulled off his upper clothe, feeling slightly exposed but trying to keep his focus. It was a necessary step, and if anyone would help him through it, it was Hestia.

Hestia's gaze narrowed as she focused on the intricate details of Mat's falna. "Hmm..." she muttered softly, the words almost too quiet for Mat to catch. "That's odd. This isn't... typical."

Mat, now a little more intrigued, glanced up at her. "What do you mean?"

Hestia didn't immediately respond. Her fingers hovered over the symbols, tracing the delicate lines that made up his falna. Then, she paused, her expression shifting to something between confusion and curiosity. "Normally, an outsider god can't just read a child's falna," she explained slowly. "It's... not supposed to be possible. But yours is different."

Mat felt a twist of anxiety in his chest. "Different? How?"

She continued to examine the falna, her eyes scanning each part carefully. "Well, there's a... symbol here," she said, pointing at an image within the falna—a closed book, ablaze with fire. The image was vivid, almost too real, and the fire seemed to leap from the pages. "This is strange," she muttered. "It looks like a book being burned... and a knife is piercing through it, the blade sticking out on the other side. It's like... a warning?"

Mat's stomach churned at the thought. A burning book? A knife stabbing through it? He wasn't sure what to make of the strange imagery, but he felt an unsettling sense of unease wash over him.

Hestia looked up from the falna with a serious expression. "But that's not all. There's something else here, something that doesn't quite fit. Normally, only a god can see a child's falna... but this one looks like it's been altered somehow. It's like your previous god gave you permission to see your status at will. This is... unusual."

Mat's mind was racing now, his thoughts scattered. "So, I can see it whenever I want?"

Hestia nodded, her brow furrowed. "That's the implication. But there's more. There's something else about your skill. It's... blurry? There's an error of some sort. It's like it's there, but it's not fully formed. I can't make sense of it." She rubbed her chin, her voice now almost to herself. "It's almost like your falna is glitching, or... maybe it's just too new?"

Mat blinked, trying to absorb what she was saying. "So, you think something's wrong with my skill? Is it... is it broken?"

Hestia shrugged, her hands falling to her sides. "I don't know, Mat. It could be something your god did... or it might just be that you're still adjusting. I can't say for sure. But I can tell you one thing for certain—you're not like most adventurers." She paused, giving him a small, reassuring smile. "And that's not necessarily a bad thing."

Mat frowned, trying to piece together what he was hearing. There was so much unknown. So much that didn't make sense. And yet, somehow, he felt a little bit more at ease knowing that Hestia was by his side, trying to help him make sense of it all.

"Thanks, Hestia," he said quietly, looking up at her with gratitude. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Hestia gave him a playful smile, ruffling his hair. "Don't worry about it, Mat. I've got your back.

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Happy New year Everyone ✨❤️🎆



(Original in Wattpad)