Chapter Text
Ever since he was a child, Bell Cranel had been fascinated by one of the world's greatest mysteries.
For in the lower world of Genkai, there exists a gift inherited by the children of man. Its origins stretch beyond the Age of Gods, reaching back even further than the Age of Heroes.
It was something the gods could never fully understand, though they grasped it far better than any mortal could. It was a power that was both beautiful and terrifying. It was capable of binding souls together.
The gift was called a Soul Bond, and it was nothing short of extraordinary.
A Soul Bond is the creation of a permanent connection between two people, usually formed through touch or a kiss. Once a touch or kiss is made, a small piece of each person’s soul is exchanged, linking them together and making them as one.
Neither the children of man nor the gods themselves knew how this gift had come into existence. Its origins remained shrouded in mystery. Yet that did not stop the gods from studying and fussing over it like curious children.
To the many gods and goddesses, it became a source of endless fascination for them. It was something to observe, speculate about, and ponder. But they made a vow to never interfere with it.
In many ways, it was the purest form of entertainment they could hope for. Yet for some gods and goddesses, the gift held far greater value because of the domains and concepts it embodied.
It was a gift meant to bring happiness and joy to those who used it as intended. However, like all great gifts, it also carried the potential for sorrow and heartache.
For the children of man were often contradictory, capable of both reverence and hypocrisy. It was simply their nature. Yet among them were those who used the gift as it was meant to be used, honoring its true purpose.
This was far less common before the Age of Heroes for one simple reason. The era that came before that age was marked by endless suffering and misery
Children could, and often did, lose their lives to monster attacks. No matter how hard some tried, the gift was rarely used as intended, for people were concerned only with themselves. Some parents gave their lives so their children might survive, while others abandoned their children to the monsters in a desperate attempt to save themselves.
It was a truly dark age for the children of man, an era where despair reigned and hope seemed little more than a fading dream.
Then came the Age of Heroes. Its dawn was heralded by the exploits of Argonaut, whose’s foolish and comedic adventures would ignite the hearts of countless people.
Through his tale, humanity found the courage to rise and fight back against the endless hordes of monsters.
When Bell Cranel first heard these stories, he was little more than a innocent and adorable child with a fascination for Soul Bonds.
Don’t get him wrong, Bell loved heroes and dreamed of becoming one someday.
But he was just as fascinated by Soul Bonds. The stories and people who are brought together by them captured his imagination every bit as much as tales of heroic adventures. It was an interest his grandfather had noticed
He could see the fascination shining in the young boy’s eyes. Every time soul bonds were mentioned in the hero stories he told, Bell would lean forward, listening with complete focus. He never lost track of a single word, hanging onto each one as Zeus spun his tales like a master storyteller.
If he was being honest, Zeus found the whole thing both interesting and a little amusing.
Heroes and Soul Bonds were far more connected than most people realized. After Argonaut gave meaning to that sacred gift, many of the heroes who followed in his footsteps went on to form Soul Bonds of their own.
When Bell turned ten years old, Zeus decided it was time to have a serious talk with him about what it meant to form a Soul Bond with someone. The moment those words left his mouth, Bell sat up straight and looked at him with all the seriousness a ten-year-old could muster.
Zeus explained the sacred gift in great detail. It was not something to be treated lightly or played with like a child swinging around a sword. A Soul Bond was something that deserved respect and care.
He made sure Bell understood that if he ever formed a Soul Bond with someone, he would have to accept the responsibility that came with it and cherish that bond for what it was.
A Soul Bond works by placing a tiny piece of one person’s soul into another’s. This creates a permanent connection between them, allowing emotions to be shared and felt across the link.
In rare cases, the bond can even be used for telepathic communication. However, such abilities are uncommon and are usually seen in people with certain disabilities, allowing them to communicate more easily through the connection.
Once Zeus finished his explanation, Bell immediately bombarded him with question after question.
Most were the kinds of things Zeus expected a curious ten-year-old to ask. But one question caught him off guard.
“Can you have more than one Soul Bond?” Zeus raised an eyebrow.
Thinking about it, he probably should have expected that question. Bell was fascinated by both heroes and Soul Bonds. Of course he would want to know if a person could form more than one.
Zeus took a moment to gather his thoughts before answering.
“It is possible to have more than one Soul Bond,” Zeus said. “But doing so can be dangerous. The more bonds a person forms, the greater the consequences can be if something goes wrong.”
Zeus paused when he saw the confused look on Bell’s face. With a sigh, he realized his explanation had been a little too complicated for a ten year old. So he decided to explain it in a simpler way.
“The more people you form Soul Bonds with, the more people you’ll be afraid of losing,” Zeus explained. “And if you lose one of them, the pain can affect the others as well.”
This time, Bell seemed to understand the meaning now. Unfortunately, that wasn’t exactly reassuring.
Zeus could see a determined look in the boy’s eyes. It was the same stubborn expression Bell always wore whenever he had made up his mind about something.
Zeus had a feeling his grandson would completely ignore that warning one day and form multiple Soul Bonds anyway.
‘That’s my grandson.’ Zeus thought fondly.
Shaking his head with a smile, he scooped Bell up and carried him outside. After all, it was Bell’s tenth birthday, and that conversation was only one of his presents. The rest of the village was still waiting to give the boy their gifts.
What Zeus could not have foreseen, however, was just how much that talk would change Bell’s future.
The boy’s destiny had already begun to shift, but this conversation would set him on a path unlike any Zeus had ever imagined for him. A path that led somewhere even the former king of the gods could not predict.
Fate had plans for the young hero.
It had already given Bell much, but now it would demand something in return. After all, what heroic journey begins without some measure of tragedy?
Soon, Bell Cranel would face an incident that would take something precious from him. The loss would wound him deeply, but it would also strengthen his resolve.
Forced to confront hardship, Bell would throw himself even harder into his dream, fueling the determination that drove him forward and shaping the hero he was destined to become.
{The Incident}
It was just one day before he turned eleven, and Bell was growing ever more excited. Thoughts were filled with speculation on what he is going to get.
It was the day before his eleventh birthday, and Bell could barely contain his excitement. His mind was filled with thoughts of what gifts he might receive.
“What if I get a sword this year? Oh! Or maybe a new book about a hero I’ve never heard of before. Or maybe even some different food. I’m getting tired of eating cooked potatoes all the time.” Bell said to himself as he wandered closer to the edge of the forest.
He had no idea that he was about to be caught in a monster attack. Normally, this wouldn’t have been a problem. Bell knew the forest like the back of his hand and was usually good at noticing when monsters were nearby.
But this time, luck was not on his side. Without realizing it, he wandered straight into a small group of goblins.
Bell’s cries for help echoed through the trees as he desperately tried to escape. The villagers heard him and rushed to his aid.
But by the time the adults arrived, the damage had already been done.
He lay on the ground, covered in cuts and bruises. Blood seeped from his wounds, staining his torn shirt and shorts.
The five men wasted no time. Scooping Bell up, they sprinted toward the village healer’s home.
The healer was an elderly woman, but age had never dulled her skills. She took her work very seriously and had spent years caring for the people of the village.
When the door burst open and Bell was carried inside, the old woman’s eyes widened in alarm. She immediately rushed forward to examine the injured boy.
She immediately got to work, doing everything she could to save him.
But one particular wound gave her pause. A look of concern crossed her face as she examined it, silently praying that the injury wasn’t as severe as she feared.
When Zeus finally arrived, he froze in the doorway. The sight before him shattered the calm composure he had always carried. For a brief moment, all he could do was stare at the battered son of Meteria lying on the healer’s bed.
Bell looked so small. Far smaller than he should have. He lay motionless on the bed, his breathing shallow and weak. Scratches and cuts covered his arms, shoulders, and chest.
They were scattered across his body without any pattern. Some had already dried and begun to heal, leaving faint marks behind. Others were still red but were slowly closing under the healer’s care.
His hands were slightly curled, trembling now and then. Dirt still lingered beneath his fingernails, a quiet sign that he had fought to survive, no matter how small his chances had been. But it was the injury to his throat that drew everyone’s attention.
Carefully cleaned and wrapped in fresh bandages, the wound had clearly been serious. The sight of it made more than a few villagers look away, unable to hide their concern.
Zeus felt his heart sink as he took it all in. Bell had come far too close to tragedy.
No one, not even Zeus, knew whether Bell’s voice had survived the attack. But right now, that didn’t matter.
He was alive. Yes, he was injured. Yes, he had been through something no child should ever experience. But he was still here, still breathing.
Zeus would take that victory, no matter how small it seemed.
When Bell noticed him standing beside the bed, his eyes brightened. His lips parted slightly, as though he wanted to say something.
Zeus felt his heart sink as Bell tried to speak. But no sound came out.
{3 Years Later}
Bell stood in front of his home, the only place he had ever known. Today was the day he would leave for Orario.
The city was famously known as the “Center of the World,” a place where adventurers and gods gathered from across the land. For Bell, it was the beginning of a new chapter in his life.
It’s where he plans to accomplish’s his dream of becoming a hero. But also, in finding someone who would be willing to make a Soul Bond with him.
It was where he planned to achieve his dream of becoming a hero. And maybe, just maybe, it was where he would find someone willing to form a Soul Bond with him.
‘That is…if anyone would want to bond with someone as broken as him.’ Bell let out a quiet sigh as the familiar negative thoughts crept back into his mind. No matter how much time had passed, they never seemed to completely go away.
Thankfully, the voices weren’t there this time. At least he could be grateful for that. His life had never truly been the same after the incident three years ago.
He had lost his ability to speak. Never again would he hear his own voice or utter a single word. But that wasn’t what hurt the most.
Bell could live with being mute. Heroes in his books always faced hardships and kept moving forward. No matter how difficult things became, they always found a way to stand back up.
So Bell had done the same. He had accepted that change and continued chasing his dream.
What truly hurt was how distant his grandfather had become. The man who had once been so close to him now seemed determined to keep him at arm’s length. Their conversations were shorter, their time together less frequent, and the warmth Bell remembered felt harder and harder to find.
It hurt. It hurt more than losing his voice ever had.
Bell couldn’t help but wonder why.
‘Did I do something wrong? Was it my fault? What did I do to make Grandpa treat me this way?’ No matter how many times he asked himself those questions, he could never find an answer.
The atmosphere at home had changed completely, and Bell didn’t understand why.
Why was his grandfather acting so differently?
Why had he stopped reading hero stories to him? Why had dinner become so quiet and awkward when it used to be filled with laughter and conversation?
Bell had tried his best to keep things the way they were before the accident. He tried to act the same, to smile the same, to hold on to the little routines they used to share. But no matter what he did, nothing seemed to work.
Every attempt ended in failure, and little by little, Bell began to realize that things were never going back to the way they had been before.
Eventually, Bell gave up trying to make things go back to the way they were. Instead, he accepted it the new normal.
The close bond he had once shared with his grandfather slowly faded away, becoming something distant and unfamiliar.
To Bell, that was the most painful part of all. The wounds from the goblin attack had healed long ago. The scars remained, but the pain had faded.
This kind of pain never fade. Losing the only connection he once had with his grandfather hurt far more than any injury the goblins had given him.
Which was why, when his grandfather died, Bell struggled to process his grief. He didn’t know what he was supposed to feel.
Sadness, anger, regret, confusion, they all just blended together until he couldn’t make sense of any of it.
For days, he wandered aimlessly through the house or lay awake in his bed, lost in his thoughts.
It wasn’t until the previous night that he finally made a decision. He wasn’t going to spend the rest of his life here, wasting away.
No. Bell had a dream to chase, and staying in this village would never allow him to reach it.
He had made a promise to himself. He would become a hero. And someday, he would find someone willing to form a Soul Bond with him.
Bell had no intention of giving up on either of his dream. With renewed determination, he packed everything he would need for the journey ahead. Extra clothes, the valis he had carefully saved over the years, and finally, two of his most treasured possessions, a book and a sword.
The sword had been forged for him by the village blacksmith. It was meant to ensure that an incident like the goblin attack would never happen again.
Bell had thanked the blacksmith and promised to train hard with it. He was determined to become skilled enough that he would never be helpless when danger appeared.
The book was different, but still hold the same sentimental value as the sword.
It had been his grandfather’s final gift to him, given on his eleventh birthday. Because of that, Bell treasured it more than almost anything else he owned.
There was a quiet irony to it, but Bell chose not to think about it. He still hadn’t opened the book.
Instead, he held onto it as one of the last pieces of love his grandfather had left behind. Reading it felt too important, too final. One day, he would open it and see what was inside.
Just not today.
After gathering everything he needed, Bell found himself standing in front of his house once again.
His sword rested at his hip, and his bag hung over his shoulder. For a moment, he simply stood there, looking at the familiar home he had known his entire life.
A quiet sigh escaped him. Then a small, wry smile appeared on his face.
Turning away, Bell took his first step down the road and left the village behind.
A new adventure awaited him. The beginning of his heroic journey.