In this alternate story, Bell Cranel, after struggling to find a familia, unexpectedly joins the Loki Familia following a chance encounter with the Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein.
The sun had barely risen over the city of Orario, but the streets were already alive with the usual bustle of adventurers, merchants, and gods. Bell Cranel walked the narrow alleys, eyes wide with wonder as he tried to take in the sheer enormity of the city. Orario, the heart of the world, with its towering walls and majestic buildings, was even more overwhelming than he had imagined.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Today would be different, Bell told himself, trying to ignore the gnawing pit of anxiety in his stomach. After several days of rejection from various familias, he had nearly lost hope. His hands clenched into fists as he walked, his white hair catching the first glimmers of sunlight. He had come to Orario to become a hero, but it seemed that no one wanted an untested rookie like him.
"Why is it so hard...?" he muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible above the city's hum.
He was alone. Without a familia, without anyone to believe in him, Bell was nothing more than a dreamer wandering through a sea of giants.
Yet, even as those thoughts threatened to swallow him whole, Bell's mind drifted back to a memory from the day before. It was a brief moment, but it had changed everything.
The Day Before...
The Dungeon's entrance loomed before him, an intimidating archway that seemed to beckon and mock him at the same time. Adventurers of all shapes and sizes streamed in and out, some chatting about their spoils, others bandaging wounds from their latest battles. Bell stood among them, but he felt like an outsider looking in.
He had come here in desperation, hoping to find some way to prove his worth-even without a familia to call his own.
That's when it happened.
A sudden surge of air, a flash of steel, and before Bell could even process what was happening, a massive shadow had fallen over him-a monster, a dire wolf that had broken free from its leash in the city, eyes glowing with murderous intent.
Bell had frozen. His feet had felt like they were glued to the ground, his heart pounding so loudly he thought it would burst from his chest. This was it. This was how his dream would end, before it had even begun-
CLANG!
A blade flashed before his eyes. He hadn't seen it coming, but in that instant, the monster was gone, and standing before him was a girl. Not just any girl-her. The Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein.
Her golden eyes had glanced at him briefly, but it was like she hadn't seen him at all. She wiped the blood from her blade, her expression as calm and indifferent as if slaying the monster had been nothing more than a chore.
Bell had been left speechless, his heart racing not from fear but from something far deeper. She had saved him, without a second thought. He hadn't even thanked her. By the time he could muster the words, she was already walking away.
