Danmachi: Rise of a Fallen Hero

The silence of the depths was heavy. Only the sound of Bell's hesitant footsteps echoed through the dark and oppressive galleries of the 38th floor. His left arm throbbed with searing pain, each beat of his heart increasing the pain. He gritted his teeth. Backing down was not an option.

Bell knew he was in uncharted territory, far beyond the limits he could have reached alone. Yet he moved forward, his senses alert. Every shadow could hide a creature ready to pounce.

Bell, his eyes filled with fatigue and determination, smiled despite everything.

— "Come on… what are you waiting for?" he muttered, gripping his sword.

A scream pierced the darkness. A non-human scream, but strangely filled with fear.and roars.

His body reacted before his mind could. He leapt forward, following the echo of the scream. Bell quickened his pace, following the echo. He emerged into a vast cavern lit by cracked luminescent crystals, casting an uncertain light on the debris-strewn floor.

When he arrived at the scene, what he saw sent a shiver down his spine.

A group of monsters surrounded a figure, more frail, trembling, cornered against a rock wall. The creature that stood there looked like a little girl, but its body was not human. Its midnight blue scales glowed faintly under the spectral light, its reptilian eyes shone with fear. It trembled, its arms curled around its torso, its legs bent beneath it.

A wyvern.

But not like the ones he had encountered before. Her eyes, shining with a golden glow, expressed a terror that was not inhuman.

The monster before her was a Catoblepas: a rocky-skinned, slit-eyed abomination exhaling poisonous vapor.

- "What is…"

Bell didn't have time to finish his sentence. One of the monsters charged the wyvern, fangs forward, ready to rip out its throat.

Without thinking, his body moved before his mind could even make the decision.

— "Firebolt!"

The scarlet lightning shot out from his hand, slamming into the attacking creature. The monster took the hit.

Bell focused, activating Ethereal Vision. The monster's flood of emotions washed over him—a primal rage, a predatory instinct that saw only weakness as opportunity.

— "Incanted: ignite your passion, scream your desire."

Argonaut's bright aura enveloped Bell, making the air around him crackle. He narrowly dodged the Catoblepas' first swipe and drove his sword into its side.

The monster roared, sending out a toxic gust of wind in retaliation.

Bell jumped back, but the suffocating smell burned his lungs. His body faltered for a second. A second too long.

The Catoblepas raised its huge paw and brought it down on him.

— "Lumen Sacrum, purga tenebris, lux divinae!"

A golden glow burst from his hand. Holy Light exploded in the air, instantly purifying the poison and pushing the monster back. Bell took advantage of this.

He flexed his legs, contracted his bruised muscles, and channeled all the power of his Argonaut into his arm.

The distinctive bell sound echoed through the air.

The Catoblepas, his instinct alerting him to the danger, backed away… but too late.

— "HERO'S LIGHT!"

The other monsters immediately turned their attention to him, sensing more dangerous prey.

.

Bell twirled his sword, into a fighting stance.

— "So, you want to play? Come on."

One of the monsters, a black basilisk with bloodshot eyes, leapt toward him. Bell sidestepped, letting his blade cut a perfect arc through the air. Blood splattered the ground as the monster's head rolled onto the stone.

The others did not back down, however. A second, more massive monster charged him with surprising speed.

Bell just had time to raise his sword to parry, but the force of the impact threw him backwards. He slid several meters before planting his weapon in the ground to stop his fall.

His breathing was labored, his body screaming in pain, but he smiled.

— "Come on... what are you waiting for?"

The monsters roared in response, ready to attack him again. But before they could attack, a high-pitched scream rang out.

The wyvern.

Her panicked gaze shifted from Bell to the monsters. She seemed to hesitate, torn between fleeing and fighting.

— "If you want to live, fight," Bell said.

But she didn't move.

A monster took advantage of this moment of inattention to jump on her.

- "Shit !"

Bell lunged forward, propelled by his SS Force, and arrived just in time to intercept the beast. He brought his sword down, slicing through the flesh with deadly precision.

Blood sprayed his face.

Silence.

The monster's body collapsed, disappearing in smoke, leaving behind only a massive black crystal.

Bell exhaled slowly, swaying.

It was then that he felt something gently tug at his tunic.

He looked down.

The blue-scaled creature looked at him with large, watery eyes.

— "Are you okay?" Bell asked, his voice hoarse.

The wyvern, trembling, stared at him.

His eyes expressed fear…

Bell couldn't understand it yet.

Chapter 80: The Wyvern

Silence fell as quickly as the fight had ended. Bell stood, panting, his sword still dripping with the blood of the monsters he had just slain. Around him, the inert bodies formed a macabre circle.

His eyes fell on the wyvern.

She was still there, curled up against the wall, trembling. Her claws scraped nervously at the stone beneath her, her wings slightly folded. She was ready to flee at any moment.

Bell slowly sheathed his sword and took a step forward.

— "I'm not going to hurt you."

The creature jumped, as if understanding his words. Its short breaths betrayed its agitation, and its golden eyes fixed Bell with instinctive distrust.

Bell looked at his condition. His body was covered in scratches, and a deep wound on his left side was leaking thick blood.

— "You're hurt..." he whispered.

She immediately backed away as she saw him approaching. His fangs appeared between his parted lips, a defensive posture.

Bell stopped, raising his hands in appeasement.

He knew that to her, he was just human. An enemy.

But still… something in his eyes was different from the monsters he had fought so far. He saw something other than the blind savagery of the creatures in the dungeon.

He saw fear in it.

Bell knelt down slowly, keeping some distance.

— "You understand what I'm saying, right?"

The wyvern didn't answer. But she didn't look away either.

A moment passed.

Then, with extreme slowness, Bell raised a hand and murmured an incantation.

— "Lumen sacrum, purga tenebris, lux divinae."

A golden light was born in the hollow of her palm, soft and reassuring. The wyvern widened its eyes, staring at the bright glow as if hypnotized.

— "It's healing magic," Bell explained calmly. "It can stop your bleeding… if you let me."

He reached out for her, but the second he moved, the wyvern hissed and flapped its wings violently, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Bell coughed and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, she had backed away even further.

He saw her tense up, then without warning, she turned on her heel and dashed into the shadows of the depths of the dungeon.

— "Wait! Shit!"

Bell straightened up, but his legs wobbled beneath him. His left arm still hurt like hell.

He sighed.

— "She's gone..."

But his gaze remained fixed on the darkness where she had disappeared.

This creature…

She was not like the others.

A few hours after his fight, he had continued on his way. Bell knelt down by a river in the dungeon, briefly dipping his hands in the icy water. He splashed his face, letting the coolness restore some semblance of lucidity. He was exhausted, his left arm throbbed with pain with every movement, and he didn't even know if he was going in the right direction.

He sighed and looked up into the darkness of the dungeon.

— "How many floors below the 18th did I fall…?"

A crack behind him.

His body reacted before he could even think. His sword flashed through the air, ready to strike.

But he stopped just in time.

The Wyvern.

There she was, just a few meters away, frozen like a statue, her wings trembling with the effort. She was breathing hard, and Bell immediately noticed why: the wound in her side had gotten worse. Her dark blood was running down the rock, forming a trail behind her.

- "You…"

He saw her hesitate. Her reptilian pupils stared at his sword, then at his face, then at his sword again. She was on the defensive, ready to flee if necessary.

Bell slowly lowered his blade and sheathed it.

— "Why did you follow me?" he asked.

No answer. Just this strange, heavy silence, where only their breathing could be heard.

Then he understood.

— "You're hurt… and you have nowhere to go, right?"

The Wyvern didn't move. But this time, she didn't back down either.

Bell watched him for a moment, then knelt down and placed his hands on the cold stone.

— "If you wanted to kill me, you would have already done so," he whispered.

He let a second pass, then reached out to her again, like he had earlier.

— "Lumen sacrum, purga tenebris, lux divinae."

Golden light was born once more in his palm, illuminating the darkness of the dungeon with a reassuring brightness.

This time, the Wyvern did not run away.

She hesitated, her body shuddering slightly…then, slowly, she took a step forward.

Bell held his breath.

Another step.

Then a third.

She stopped right in front of him, her golden eyes boring into his.

And finally she fell to her knees, exhausted, her wounded side exposed to his light.

Bell gave a thin smile.

— "That's good… let me help you."

He gently placed his hands on her wound and the magic did its work. The Wyvern shivered, her body twitching with the healing effect.

For the first time since they met, Bell felt like she no longer saw him as just an enemy.

Maybe… just maybe…

Bell watched as the golden light slowly faded, leaving behind repaired skin, albeit marked by a slight scar. The Wyvern moved its injured wing, cautiously testing its mobility.

Bell rubbed his forehead, feeling the fatigue building up. His mana was running out. He knew it.

"Will I have enough to go back up...?"

He had already tried to heal his left arm after the Lambton's bite, but the spell hadn't been enough. The bone had been crushed under the pressure of the monster's jaws. Without the scarf Aisha had given him to hold his arm in place, he knew the pain would be unbearable.

He took a deep breath, then lowered his hands, ending the treatment.

— "It should be okay… for now."

Bell looked up at the Wyvern, trying to read a reaction in its reptilian gaze.

— "Do you feel better?" he asked in a softer voice.

The creature stepped back slightly, as if hesitating. Then, after a moment of hesitation, it opened its mouth.

- "...Yes."

Her voice was hoarse, as if she had never spoken before. Yet Bell understood immediately.

His heart skipped a beat.

— "You… you can talk?"

The Wyvern blinked, clearly as surprised as he was. She opened her mouth, but this time no sound came out. She seemed troubled.

Bell, himself, couldn't believe it.

"A talking monster…?"

The very idea was absurd. Monsters were just creatures from the Dungeon, devoid of consciousness, existing only to kill adventurers.

And yet…

She had just answered him.

Bell felt a strange sensation come over him.

It wasn't fear.

It was something else.

A feeling.

Bell sat down by the watering hole, watching the Wyvern with a mixture of curiosity and caution. She was still staring at him, her reptilian eyes shining in the dim light.

He cleared his throat, searching for a way to break the ice.

— "I'm Bell. Bell Cranel."

The Wyvern blinked, seeming to analyze his words. Then, after a moment of hesitation, she opened her mouth.

— "...Bell."

His voice was hoarse, hesitant, as if speaking required an immense effort.

Bell's eyes widened. She had spoken again.

— "Can you… really talk?"

The Wyvern tilted her head to the side, clearly confused.

Bell hesitated for a moment, then gently placed a hand on his own chest.

— "Bell."

Then he pointed to the Vouivre.

— "And you? What's your name?"

The creature stood still for a moment, as if thinking. Then, slowly, it opened its mouth…

— "...Bell."

He blinked.

— "No, I'm Bell. And you?"

— "...Bell."

He sighed slightly, before understanding.

"She has no name."

A monster didn't need a name. In the Dungeon, they were born and died without an identity. But… she was different.

— "You don't have a name, do you?" he whispered.

She didn't answer, but stared at him, as if waiting for something.

Bell rubbed his head.

— "A name, huh…?"

He thought back to his childhood. To the tales and legends he had loved. Among them, there was one story he particularly liked: that of Mélusine, the snake-fairy who guided the heroes. A creature half-woman, half-snake, with majestic wings…

Bell looked at the Wyvern in front of him.

She had scales, a half-human, half-monster appearance… and now, here she was, alone, obviously searching for a purpose.

A smile appeared on his face.

— "What would you say about Welusine…?"

The Wyvern blinked.

— "...Welusine?"

— "Yes. It's the name of a legendary creature… a fairy who guided the heroes in the tales I loved. And you, you remind me a little of her appearance…"

She seemed to relish the word, repeating slowly:

— "Welusine…"

Bell nodded.

— "But as a diminutive, we could say… Wiene. Do you like it?"

The Wyvern—no, Wiene—slowly raised her hand to her own chest, as if accepting the name. Then she looked up at Bell, an indefinable glint in her eyes.

— "...Wiene."

Bell smiled.

— "Nice to meet you, Wiene."

And so, in the depths of the Dungeon, a name was given to the one who had never had one.

Bell, still sitting by the waterhole, looked at Wiene with a mixture of hope and uncertainty. Now that he had given her a name, he had to find a way to get back up.

He sighed as he clutched his injured arm. Even with Holy Light, his wound hadn't completely healed.

He turned to the Wyvern.

— "Wiene… do you know how to get out of here?"

She blinked, then looked away.

- "...To go out ?"

— "Yes. I fell here after being attacked by a monster. I need to get back to the surface. Do you know where to go?"

Wiene stared at the ground, appearing to think. Her expression was hard to read, but she didn't answer immediately.

Bell felt a pang of worry rise.

— "You don't know…?"

Wiene looked up abruptly.

— "I don't know."

Bell grimaced. He had suspected as much. The monsters in the Dungeon didn't need to "come out." They were born here and stayed here until they died.

But as he was considering another approach, Wiene stood up and started walking.

Bell raised an eyebrow.

— "Wait... Where are you going?"

She stopped and turned around, looking at him curiously.

- "Follow."

Bell blinked before understanding.

— "Do you want to show me a way?"

She nodded slowly.

A smile played on Bell's face.

— "Okay. I trust you."

Even though he didn't know where she was taking him, he didn't really have any other choice. He struggled to his feet and followed Wiene, hoping she knew a way to the surface… or at least somewhere safer.

To be continued