Tsuna and his friends finally stood face-to-face with Lyd and the other —beings exactly like Wiene. The moment Tsuna shook Lyd's hand, the rest of the monsters immediately crowded around Bell's group, their menacing auras replaced by an overwhelming sense of welcome.
Being on the receiving end of emotions other than pure bloodlust from dungeon monsters left Bell and his Familia completely bewildered, but as the minutes passed, they slowly began to open up.
"A bit late to ask, but it's safe to say you guys are the exact same kind of beings as Wiene, right?" Welf asked, still struggling to process the surreal scene.
"Yeah. We're the Xenos," Lyd replied smoothly.
"Xenos?" Tsuna and Bell echoed in unison.
Lyd explained the term. The Xenos were a collective of monsters endowed with true intelligence and human-like emotions, completely free from the destructive and murderous impulses that drove standard dungeon beasts. The name had been given to them by none other than Ouranos, the head of the Guild. Upon discovering their existence, Ouranos had begun secretly supporting them under the guise of "protection." In exchange, the Xenos acted as his covert operatives, investigating and resolving dangerous incidents within the Dungeon.
Even this current Mandatory Mission had been orchestrated by Ouranos. He had proposed it to Lyd's group as a way to test Tsuna and Bell. Waiting for the right moment, the Xenos had intentionally guided the party into this open room.
So that's what it was, Tsuna thought, maintaining his composure. While Bell and the others were reeling in shock at the revelation that the founding God of Orario was involved, Tsuna had already suspected Ouranos's hand in this Mandatory Mission and took the news in stride.
"May I... ask your name?" Ray, the Siren, asked gently.
"...Wiene," the young dragon girl replied timidly.
"Wiene. That is a very beautiful name," Ray smiled warmly. "It is a pleasure to meet you, our new brethren. There is no one here who will mistreat you. We welcome you with open arms."
Hearing Ray's tender words and realizing she had finally found a place that accepted her just like Bell's group did, Wiene burst into happy tears.
To celebrate the fateful encounter, Lyd and the Xenos quickly set up a massive banquet using food and liquor scavenged from the Dungeon.
"Is this a dream...?" Welf muttered, staring blankly at the sight of adventurers partying with monsters.
"Shall I pinch your cheek...?" Lili offered, equally desperate to escape reality.
Meanwhile, Mikoto and Haruhime had already been dragged into the festivities, dancing happily alongside Wiene.
"H-Hey, Tsuna..." Bell whispered nervously. "How are you staying so calm...? Aren't you surprised by all this...?"
Though Bell logically understood that Lyd and the others weren't evil, he still couldn't bring himself to relax while surrounded by a horde of formidable monsters.
"Well, it's not that I'm completely unfazed..." Tsuna trailed off.
Mukuro, XANXUS, Genkishi, Torikabuto, Byakuran, Demon Spade, Bermuda. And above all, Reborn—a demonic Spartan tutor packed into the form of a toddler. Compared to the monstrous enemies and terrifying allies Tsuna had faced back in his own world, Lyd's group was downright adorable.
"Besides, compared to how terrifying Reborn is, isn't this infinitely better...?"
"Ugh..."
"Don't remind us, Tsuna..."
"S-Sorry..."
Bell and Welf, who shared Tsuna's deep-seated trauma from Reborn's hellish tutoring, instantly turned pale.
----
"—Lyd. Put an end... to this nonsense."
A harsh voice cut through the cheerful atmosphere. A Gargoyle named Gros glared at Tsuna's group from a distance.
"In the end... they are humans. They are not... worthy of our trust."
Gros wasn't the only one. Several other Xenos, including an Arachne and a Unicorn, kept their distance, harboring clear hostility toward the adventurers.
"You're still on about that, Gros?" Lyd sighed. "You saw them. Tsuna and the others threw themselves into harm's way to protect Wiene. The only reason we pulled that rough stunt earlier was because you guys said you wouldn't be convinced otherwise."
Lyd turned back to Tsuna, scratching the back of his head apologetically. "My bad. They—and well, all of us—have been through a lot. When we heard humans might be coming, everyone got pretty on edge."
"Well now... this is a development that far exceeds my expectations."
An unfamiliar voice echoed from the room's entrance.
"Fels!?" Tsuna exclaimed in surprise.
The moment he learned Ouranos was backing the Xenos, Tsuna had figured Fels was involved too. But he never expected the secretive mage, who loathed being seen, to actually show up in the Dungeon.
"Tsuna... you know Fels?" Lyd asked, unable to hide his astonishment. He knew Tsuna's group was coming, but he hadn't been informed of any prior connection.
"Y-Yeah..."
"Allow me to properly introduce myself first," the black-robed figure interrupted. "I am Fels. I primarily serve as the liaison and messenger between Ouranos and Lyd's group. You could say I'm the errand runner."
"An errand runner?" Welf raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm, let's see... Perhaps it would be easier to understand if I said I was the one watching you and the dragon girl."
"!?"
Bell and his Familia instantly understood. When they read the directive for the Mandatory Mission, they had wondered how the Guild already knew about the Hestia Familia sheltering Wiene. It was because Fels had been tracking them this entire time.
"Wait a second, Tsuna..." Welf narrowed his eyes, suddenly remembering that Ray had mentioned Fels's name during their first encounter. "Are you saying you knew about all of this from the very beginning...?"
"I did. But I promised I wouldn't tell anyone about Fels, so I couldn't say anything..." Tsuna admitted guiltily.
"Even so, to be acquainted with someone like this..." Welf was reeling. For Tsuna to casually know the secret messenger of Orario's founding God—a figure completely unknown to the general public—was mind-boggling.
"Centuries ago, his ancestor dedicated his life to saving an exhausted Orario," Fels explained smoothly, deciding it was better to be honest than to arouse suspicion. "Because of that, when Tsuna first visited the Guild, Ouranos personally requested to meet him. That is how we became acquainted."
"You've actually met Lord Ouranos, Sir Tsuna...!?" Lili gasped.
"Ah, yeah..."
Currently, Ouranos remained sequestered in the underground altar, constantly offering prayers to suppress the spawning of monsters and maintain Orario's peace. Even other deities could not easily secure an audience with him. Learning that Tsuna had met Orario's founding deity left everyone—save Bell, who already knew—completely speechless.
"So, what about you...?" Bell asked tentatively. "Are you a monster too?"
"Fels is human," Lyd chimed in.
"A human... Or rather, it would be more accurate to say I was human," Fels corrected. Reaching up, Fels slowly pulled back the heavy black hood, revealing the face beneath.
"A skeleton!?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa...!?"
"A Spartoi!?"
Welf, Lili, and Bell turned blue.
"Fels is apparently a sage who gained eternal life by creating something called the Philosopher's Stone," Tsuna supplied.
"A sage!? You mean that sage!?" Lili shrieked, practically vibrating with shock. "The only person in the history of the Magic Kingdom to successfully forge the Philosopher's Stone—the elixir of eternal life... you're that Fels!?"
"U-Um, yeah... I think so..." Tsuna shrank back, overwhelmed by Lili's intense interrogation. He hadn't realized Fels was quite that famous.
----
Once the group recovered from the back-to-back shocks, Fels resumed the explanation.
"Monsters possessing true intelligence... My first contact with Lyd and the others was roughly fifteen—no, perhaps sixteen years ago."
At the time, a Familia that had ties to Ouranos—one that no longer existed today—had captured beings that would later be known as Xenos. Realizing what they were, Ouranos immediately placed a gag order on that Familia to prevent the existence of the Xenos from leaking to the public. Since then, Lyd and his comrades had survived by moving between Safety Points undiscovered by adventurers. They constantly searched the middle and deep floors, rescuing any newly spawned Xenos they could find. This current room was one such Safety Point, a place the Xenos referred to as a Hidden Village. Among them, Lyd, Gros, and Ray were the oldest surviving members.
"So you really are the boss, then?" Welf asked Lyd, having pieced it together from their interactions.
"Pretty much. I basically ended up leading everyone," Lyd confirmed with a nod.
"Does that mean you're the strongest here, Lyd?" Tsuna asked.
"Of course I am!" Lyd puffed out his chest proudly. "Or at least, I'd like to say that... but a rookie who joined us recently blew right past me in no time."
Someone stronger than Lyd...? Tsuna thought. Lyd slumped his shoulders, suddenly looking depressed. Having crossed weapons with the Lizardman, Tsuna knew firsthand that Lyd possessed the combat prowess of a First-Tier Level 5 adventurer. The fact that someone even stronger existed among them was staggering.
"Um, so where is this rookie?" Bell asked.
"He's not here right now. He's a weird guy—went off to the deep floors all by himself to train."
"T-The deep floors... Is he going to be alright?"
"Worrying about him is a waste of time, trust me."
Alright...? Tsuna shivered. No matter how strong this new Xenos was, the idea of facing the nightmares of the deep floors entirely solo was incomprehensible to someone who had barely survived down there.
----
"...Lord Fels," Lili spoke up, her expression grave. It had been several hours since the banquet began.
"What is it, Liliruca Arde?"
"Ray... the Siren, mentioned that your relationship is built on give-and-take."
"Yes, that is correct."
"You provide support, and in return, the Xenos work as your hands and feet while searching for their brethren... Is that truly all there is to it?" Lili narrowed her eyes. "Your positions hardly seem equal. More importantly, I can sense a deep, desperate yearning in the way they speak. They harbor a wish—a profound ambition that requires your help. Am I wrong?"
While she understood the cooperative relationship, Lili knew it wasn't a balanced partnership. There was a missing piece.
"—To venture to the surface. That is our dream," Ray answered softly, stepping forward to speak in Fels's stead.
"...I have a dream," Lyd murmured, his eyes distant. "A dream where a giant crimson light sinks behind a massive chunk of rock. A beautiful time when the sky—a sky that doesn't exist here in the Dungeon—gradually dyes itself so red it makes you want to cry..."
"Is that... a sunset?" Tsuna asked softly.
"Maybe so," Lyd nodded.
"But a dream... Lyd, have you ever been to the surface?" Bell asked.
"Not even once. That's why I think... maybe, in my past life, I flew out of this dark abyss and lived up there under that sky."
"Lived before...?" Bell muttered.
"Wait, you don't mean..." Welf said.
"Reincarnation...?" Lili whispered.
It clicked for Lili, Welf, and Bell. Lyd didn't even know the word "sunset," yet he vividly remembered the sight of one. He was remembering a past life.
Lyd explained his theory. Among the Xenos, some could speak the human language perfectly, while others could not. He suspected that those who could speak were monsters who had closely observed humans in their past lives, accumulating knowledge that they recalled upon their rebirth. Furthermore, every single Xenos shared a powerful, instinctual longing for humanity and the surface world. Lyd believed that the Xenos were the reincarnations of monsters who had died harboring an intense yearning for the world above.
"I want to live in that world with the setting sun one more time," Lyd declared.
"I wish to soar through the world of light," Ray added. "And... instead of these wings that cannot embrace anyone... I want to be held by a human I love."
They shared their deepest desires. But reality was cruel. Even with their intelligence, humanity would never accept monsters walking among them on the surface. Tsuna and the others knew this dream was virtually impossible, but none of them had the heart to voice that painful truth. They remained silent.
"I know," Lyd said quietly, seeing their expressions. "I know we're creatures of the shadows. We're trapped in the middle, hated by humans and monsters alike. I just... want to hold on to the dream."
Lyd understood exactly where they stood in the eyes of humanity. He knew just how impossibly steep the path to his dream was.
"I'm not asking you to help us, or to do anything special. Just knowing that there are humans who accepted us... that made me incredibly happy." Lyd flashed a sheepish, slightly embarrassed grin, baring his honest feelings.
----
Eventually, the banquet drew to a close. Tsuna's group prepared to return to the surface, while the Xenos gathered their belongings to relocate to another Hidden Village.
"Hey, Bell." Lyd called out, pulling something out from his armor. "Do you know what this is?"
"It's a Magic Stone, right?"
"Yeah."
Lyd nodded, tossed the purple crystal into his mouth, crushed it between his teeth, and swallowed it.
"Do you know what happens when we monsters eat Magic Stones?"
"An Enhanced Species..."
"We kill other monsters who aren't our brethren. And then we rip out their Magic Stones and eat them."
"!?"
Bell's eyes widened in horror. He hadn't fully realized that these intelligent monsters actively hunted their own kind.
"You know it as well as I do. Standard monsters will attack us without hesitation. We can't just let ourselves be killed. We kill to live. We devour our own kind to survive. So please, don't hesitate. Don't hold back out of pity for us. If you hesitate in the Dungeon, you're the one who will die. I don't want you to die, Bell."
"Lyd..."
"Whatever you do, don't die. I want to see you again."
Lyd had forcefully revealed their brutal reality to ensure Bell wouldn't falter or show mercy the next time he fought a monster. While Bell's doubts weren't completely erased, Lyd's rough kindness lifted a heavy weight from his chest.
With their preparations complete, it was time to leave.
"Let's go home, Bell," Tsuna said softly.
"You come over here, Wiene," Lyd commanded.
"Eh?" Wiene turned back, reaching out toward Bell, but Lyd caught her arm firmly.
"Lyd, no! Let go!"
"No. You're staying here in the labyrinth."
"No! I want to stay with Bell!"
"If you stay with them, you're just going to make Bell and Tsuna cry!"
"!?"
"You saw how awful it was on the surface, didn't you? Next time, that hatred might be pointed straight at Bell and his Familia."
Tears welled up in Wiene's amber eyes as she struggled against Lyd's grip. But his words brought back the horrific memory of the townspeople screaming and throwing rocks at her. She stopped resisting.
"...We cannot survive on the surface yet," Ray said, stepping forward to comfort the trembling girl. "But here, there is no one who will hurt you. Here, you can live with us."
You did nothing wrong... I want to stay with you too. But with my current strength, I can't create a place on the surface where you can live in peace... I'm sorry...
Gasp! Wiene suddenly remembered Tsuna's bitter, regretful words from earlier. Finally, the full weight of what he had meant settled in her heart.
"Lady Wiene..." Behind them, Haruhime bit her lip, desperately trying to hold back her own tears at the tragic parting.
"There are Poachers indiscriminately capturing the Xenos," Fels suddenly stated.
"Poachers?" Tsuna frowned.
"They target monsters capable of human speech. Depending on the species, some are quite beautiful. Their rarity makes them highly coveted. The Poachers brutally capture them, smuggle them out of the city, and sell them off to wealthy collectors. We have deliberately leaked rumors of armed monsters to draw them out, but they refuse to show their tails. They must have a hidden base somewhere where they hold the captured monsters, but..."
"Bell! I...!!" Wiene cried out. She wanted to stay with him. But she didn't want him to suffer because of her. Caught between her two desperate wishes, she could do nothing but sob.
"...See ya, Bell. We're heading out," Lyd said, deciding it was best to end this quickly. He gently tugged Wiene along. Though tears streamed down her face, she didn't fight back, likely out of a selfless desire to protect Bell.
"We'll meet again!! I promise we'll meet again!!" Bell shouted after them. He couldn't just watch her walk away in silence, even if he didn't know how he could keep that promise.
And so, Bell and the others parted ways with Wiene and the Xenos.
But they did not know at the time. They had no idea that they would soon reunite in the worst possible way.
----
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