The Soundless Knight

Chapter 1: A Knight Reborn

Disclaimer: I don't own Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? and The Hollow Knight.

12 year-old Bell sobbed silently as the world burned around him. His day had been getting worse and worse. Earlier that day, he had learned that his grandfather had died from a monster attack. Heartbroken, he mourned in his home, alone and in the darkness of his home. But that wasn't the end. His grandfather was only the first victim. At present time, it was night. More monsters had come and attacked his village, slaughtering everybody within reach. Hellhounds belched flames from their mouths while goblins hacked away with crude axes, tearing off limbs. A few Minotaurs could be seen as well, crushing people into bloody pulps with wooden clubs. Unable to bear it, Bell fled the village, terrified from the flame and screams of the dying.

He ran until he couldn't anymore, seeking safety in the forest. He didn't pay attention to where he was, only thinking about escape. When he finally got tired and stopped, he was lost. Somehow, the boy had ran up to a nearby mountain. Realizing that he was alone, Bell cried both in grief and in terror. Suddenly, he heard a voice. It was dark, heavy, an cold. He couldn't understand the language, but they rang with power. The strangest part was that he heard it in his mind, not his ears. His fear momentarily forgotten, Bell headed towards it. He walked for a long time, but he ignored his aching feet and continued on.

Deep in the mountain forest, he eventually reached an ancient, stone door that was embedded in a tall boulder. Puzzled, Bell looked for a way to open the door, as it had no handles and was heavy. When the door suddenly opened, he scrambled back with fright, only for the voice to urge him inside. He only took a couple steps inside when the door slammed shut without warning. Bell immediately pounded and tugged at the door to no avail. When he realized that he was trapped, Bell began to hyperventilate.

In his panic, he failed to notice that he was on the top of a staircase. He tripped and tumbled down the stone stairs helplessly, bruising and scraping himself terribly. He finally crashed to the bottom, which was covered in black liquid that resembled ink. At this point, Bell was crying again. His grandfather died, his village was destroyed, and he injured himself listening to a stupid voice.

He cried for a few more minutes until exhaustion sapped him. A creepy and ominous scene greeted him. There were skulls littering the flooded ground, skulls that were neither human, prum, elf, dwarf, or any other demihuman species. And the dark liquid that flooded the floor was actually moving...in fact, it was the source of the voice.

Before Bell could react, the black liquid sprang to life. Tendrils of it wrapped around his limbs and body tightly and began to submerge him. Bell kicked and flailed, but to no avail. The skulls were crushed into tiny pieces and were propelled towards him by the black liquid. Their sharp pieces embedded themselves into Bell's skin while the black liquid began to pour inside of him through his wounds. No mater what he did, he couldn't stop the process. Darkness covered the boy's eyes, and he couldn't tell if he lost consciousness or if he was still awake. Words rang in his mind, now understandable and a single phrase was being repeated over and over again in his mind: "Born of Man and Void."

At last, Bell truly fell unconscious as the Void swallowed him up, ready to turn him into their new host.

One hour later:

Bell opened his eyes and sat up, strangely calm. The entire room was now empty, devoid of the black liquid and the skulls, or the Void and the Shells as he now knew them as. The voice was gone, though he had a strange compulsion to go north. Standing up, he walked up the stairs and opened the doors, which gave away surprisingly easily. Dawn had just broken out, illuminating the sky faintly. Blinking slightly, Bell quickly looked around for anything reflective. He heard a small stream nearby and hurried towards it, peering into his reflection.

He had changed. His skin was ghostly white, and when he touched the back of his hand, it felt like flexible armor. His scleras were so black that it was if they were holes, save for white pupil-less irides. His transformation made him look a year older as well, his clothes straining slightly around him. He knew what he had become, yet he wasn't alarmed. He was now Bell Cranel, the first human Vessel. And he was one with the Void with a Shell, having taken in the remains of the fallen Vessels in the tomb. Faint memories informed him about why he had the strange desire to go north: the ancient ruins of Hallownest were there. A land of various species of large bugs once lived in the city, though he couldn't remember any more than that. And yet, he also felt a different call, one from the west. It was malevolent, monstrous even, one that he recognized was an unknown Higher Being.

He wondered to himself what he should do. He had no home, nor family. His life was ruined by monsters. It was then he remembered the stories his grandfather told him, stories about the heroes of old. A faint excitement welled up inside him as he marched off. He will go on adventures, like the heroes his grandfather told him about. That was his current goal.

Six months later:

The land was filled with darkness and ice. Above in the sky, dark clouds rained down snow on the land. And yet, Bell trudged on. He now wore a black cape, which hid his tattered clothes. His weapon was a battered sword, taken from a band of bandits he fought months ago. The bitter cold didn't bother him. He was a Vessel; he was immune to hunger, thirst, disease, and various other discomforts. The journey was on foot, so the going was slow. But he had at last reached his destination. The closer he got to the ruins, the stronger the memories. Hallownest had fallen long ago, back in the times of ancient humans. Complex arthropods and other such creatures had become extinct, thanks to the Radiance's Infection and the Void. Humans tried to colonize it when they discovered the remains of the dead kingdom, only to be wiped out as well. Now, only monsters that managed to find the ancient civilization lived there, most likely empowered by the various powers that lingered behind from bygone days. It was here that he would train and grow stronger.

He began to search for the entrance to Hallownest, the old remains of Dirtmouth. Time had claimed it, but he could still tell where the entrance was. He eventually found a large cave that sloped downward, the remains of Dirtmouth's well that monsters dug up and entered. He stood before the maw for a while before unsheathing his sword. He gazed at the depths of the cave before walking down towards it. It was time to liberate Hallownest once more.

One year later:

Bell emerged out of the cave at last. For one whole year he fought the monsters he found there. They were powerful, much more powerful than normal surface monsters. Whenever he fought, he felt something in the back of his mind telling him of his power level, which he understood was some sort of a Falna. It informed him of his progress and his level, as well as other things: spells he gained, skills he picked up, and development abilities. Along the way, he had acquired several artifacts, ores, drop items, the stones that the monsters left behind, even a new weapon. After destroying all the monsters, his mission was finished. All he had left to do before going on another adventure was destroying the entrance to Hallownest. Raising a hand to the top of the cave, Bell called on a spell, which turned his entire body black and his eyes completely white for a moment. A black blob of Void as tall as he was and with white eyes slammed into it and collapsed the cavern, burying the ancient city for good. Satisfied, Bell traveled away, heading towards the malevolent call he felt all those months ago.

Chapter 1 End.

This fanfiction is inspired by Ashbel Longhart's Is It Too Much To Ask To Be Left Alone?. Great story, please check it out. If you're reading this, Ashbel, I hope you don't mind. If you do mind...just send a comment and I'll get rid of it.

Thank you, Skeletalrepublic, for your suggestion.

The reason why Bell can't speak is because he is mute in this fanfiction. However, he will be able to talk in a different way.

His "god" is the Shade Lord, though it will remain a secret to others for a while.

The Higher Beings will be explained later on in the story. And it has been hinted in this chapter that the Dungeon was the result of a Higher Being.

SOUL is replaced with Mind for magic usage in this fanfiction.

The symbol of Bell's 'Falna' resembles the Attuned Void Idol. Instead of hieroglyphics, the written language of Hallownest is etched on it.

Bell Cranel Stats:

Name: Bell Cranel

Level: 7

Strength: C-682

Endurance: S-999

Dexterity: D-597

Agility: C-699

Magic: A-875

Development Abilities: Abnormal Resistance- S, Hunter- A, Luck- S, Spell Twister- A, Nailmaster's Glory- A, Dream Wielder-S

Skills:

—Impenetrable Will:

•This is a skill available to all Vessels. The Vessel's mind cannot be swayed by others through any supernatural means, including powers from gods. As a side effect, the Vessel can usually only feel muted emotions, though they can still form affectionate attachments. Certain situations can also force out strong emotions.

—Hollow Trait:

•This is a skill available to all Vessels. They don't need to eat, drink, and sleep, though they can if they choose to. Anything they consume will break down into nothingness. They are also incapable of producing waste/excessive oils. Instead of blood, they bleed Void. The Vessels cannot be affected by most poisons (though acids are an exception), suffocation except by choking and drowning, or diseases. They can also power through extreme temperatures, pain, and exhaustion, though they can still die from those conditions. This skill automatically maxes out the Endurance Basic Ability.

—Projection:

•This is a skill available to all Vessels. The Vessel can talk to anyone telepathically, though they cannot receive mental feedback from the receiver(s) unless the receiver(s) has a way of doing so. This skill can only work if the Vessel knows both the general position and location of the receiver or if they can detect the receiver with any of the five senses. The Vessel can only convey words and can choose who and how many people to talk to. Specific information about the receiver(s) such as names or even the identity of the actual receiver is unnecessary.

—Vengeful Shade:

•This is a skill available to all Vessels. If the Vessel dies, a Shade remains behind. If the Vessel was killed by an entity, the Shade will automatically try to kill the killer with access to all of the Vessel's previous power.

—Collection:

•The Vessel can store away and re-summon items of reasonable size by wrapping it in Void and absorbing it. The items cannot exceed the volume of the Vessel and the number of such items or their volume equivalent the Vessel can carry increases by five per level. The Vessel can subconsciously keep track of how much space is left. Any item that is stored away will stay in the condition it was in prior to storage. The Vessel will be covered in Void until the items are stored away or when the items are re-summoned.

—Nail Art: Great Slash:

•This skill can only be used with a bladed weapon. The user can send a blade of wind with a swing from a bladed weapon. The range, power, and speed of the air blade depends on how hard the weapon is swung.

Magic:

—Void Vapor Wings

•The Vessel can summon up to six vortex-like wings made out of Void from their back. At least two wings are required to fly, though a single wing can be used to increase speed in general. The wings can also attack, pick things up, and even launch objects like a cannon. By combining the wings into a single, giant vortex, the Vessel can fly faster or attack with more strength. This spell can only be used by those that can use Void and does not require verbal activation. The Vessel will be covered in Void until the spell ends.

—Colliding Darkness

•The Vessel can create a translucent dome of Void with a diameter of three meters that both damages and forces back anything dangerous it touches, including anything underneath the user. The dome can be used as a momentary shockwave or a long-lasting force-field, though the latter costs more Mind. This spell can only be used by those that can use Void and does not require verbal activation. The Vessel will be covered in Void until the spell ends.

—Shade Soul

•The Vessel can launch a large Void projectile that burns targets as long as the general position and location of the target is known. The projectile can penetrate all physical objects in its path until it hits the desired target, as well as cause splash damage to any nearby hostile entities. Only offensive or defensive magic can deter it, though it depends on the strength of the spell. This spell can only be used by those that can use Void and does not require verbal activation. The Vessel will be covered in Void until the spell ends.