DANMACHI: THE ECHO OF FALLEN HEROES

"Wow... you really do eat like an animal," said the man mockingly as he cleared the empty plates from the table. "Without even realizing it, you ate my specialty... it was delicious, wasn't it? Most people leave it untouched or throw up before they even try it." The man let out a mocking laugh as he turned his gaze back to the boy.

Leo didn't answer. He was red and choked up, exhausted, his face shiny with grease and tears. He hadn't eaten like this in years. Years.

"Well, little monster, would you like some dessert?" joked the man, clearing the plates.

Leo lowered his head. He barely murmured a "yes," as if he didn't dare deny it.

The man looked at him and laughed so hard that the windows rattled.

"Finally, I see you without that cornered dog look. I like that. A lot."

He took a small chocolate cake out of a drawer. Leo barely managed to take a bite before choking on a mixture of emotion and gluttony. The man settled into his chair and watched as he ate.

"The way you clung to life was... admirable." His tone was more serious now. "Not many would have lasted that long down there. What drives you, kid? What keeps you going?"

Leo paused. He looked at him for a moment... but didn't answer. He went back to the cake, as if the silence protected his soul.

The man shrugged and just nodded.

"It's okay. It doesn't matter. Not yet. When you want to talk, I'll listen. You have that same look... The look of someone with too many secrets."

< The weeks of books and whispers >

Weeks passed.

Leo stayed in the cabin. The man would leave and return laden with bread, meat, wine, and books. Lots of books.

Leo had grown accustomed to the place. With time and food, he began to heal. He explored the house: three rooms, an attic, a basement, and a back door leading to an alley.

When he opened it, he discovered that he was still in Orario... He had discovered that the cabin was hidden in a forgotten corner of Orario, in an alley so dark and narrow that no one ever passed by. The entrance itself seemed invisible to the curious. It was a place hidden by collapsed buildings.

Leo took advantage of this to go out sometimes, walk, and observe. But he always came back. During the man's absences, he found a collection of ancient scrolls and dust-covered books in the attic and spent hours exploring the books that filled the place. They were tales of heroes, myths, and ancient stories. They were stories of heroes:

—Argos, the Knight without a Country, who faced the Colossus of Smoke alone.

 —Eilith, the Wind Hunter, who fell in love with a monster she could not kill.

 —Tyrr the Failed, who lived a hundred years searching for a victory that never came.

There were also others known to few people who spoke of Albert, the first adventurer to accompany the gods in their descent. Another of the tragic wars between the Zeus and Hera Families against the ultimate monster, spoke of the great tragedy of Orario:

"The Fall of Zeus and Hera."

Long ago, those two Families ruled with power and wisdom. Their adventurers were the strongest, the noblest. However, they failed to defeat a being known as the Living Abyss. It was a complete defeat. Their heroes died, and their prestige disappeared.

Zeus and Hera were banished. No one ever saw them again.

Leo read until he fell asleep. He remembered his former world: reading made him feel human. It reminded him of another life, another city, another world. A place with cars, bright screens, buzzing machines, and crowds always in a hurry. None of that existed here. Only silence, magic, and monsters underground.

Leo became increasingly aware that he would never return to that world and that this was now all he had left. As his wounds healed... something else began to awaken within him.

During dinner, the man, increasingly cheerful with his beers, said:

 "You're not ordinary, kid. I saw it in your eyes. Not strong, not tough. But fast. Precise. Intelligent. Like a thief who doesn't know it yet."

Leo smiled for the first time. Barely.

 "Who are you?" Leo asked quietly.

"Let's just say I'm... someone who didn't fit in the pantheon." The man stretched, setting his mug aside.

"A god?"

"Not all gods need a temple. Or a family. Some just need a good dinner and a good story." The man smiled crookedly.

Leo looked down. A question throbbed in his chest, still unanswered... Why had he saved him?

The man, as if reading his mind, picked up the beer glass and slammed it down on the table. The sound echoed off the old wood, breaking the silence like a hammer.

"I understand that you have many questions, child, but don't ask why the gods do what they do, child. Sometimes, even we don't know." He smiled, though his eyes had a sad gleam, as if hiding centuries of bad decisions.

 "Are you... Really, a god?" Leo looked at him, this time without fear. Just curiosity, because it was the first time he had ever seen a real one.

The man nodded slowly as he poured himself more beer.

"One who no longer belongs to any temple. A god without a family. Without followers. Without a name for most people. But that doesn't matter now."

 "Then... why do you live here? Why did you save a dying child?" Leo frowned.

The god shrugged, as if that question had been haunting him for centuries.

"Do you think we gods only come down to form Families and send children to die in the dungeon? Not all of us are that simple. Some of us come down for other reasons... I'm looking for something else. Something lost."

Leo didn't answer. He just listened.

The man stood up with a sigh, walked over to the fireplace, and threw in a couple of logs. The flames grew, illuminating the room better.

"Look around you, boy. This place is full of memories of forgotten warriors. Not all heroes get statues. Some die without a name. Others simply disappear. And others..." He looked at the boy. "Survive when they shouldn't."

Leo swallowed hard.

"You are just like some of them, stubborn, brave, capable, hungry for something to motivate you to keep going, someone with fire in your eyes. That's why I brought you here."

Silence fell for a moment. Then the god spoke in a different tone: firmer, almost like an order disguised as a suggestion.

"Now that you are healthy, I offer you something, child. Not a blessing, nor a title, nor easy power. That will come later... if you deserve it. What I offer you now is time. Food. Shelter. And books. Many books. Just as you have lived these last few days," said the god. 

"Books?" Leo blinked, confused.

"I know you've already read some of them, stories. Tactics. Maps. Records of monsters, floor plans, and biographies of ancient adventurers. This world is full of death, child. But also of knowledge. And you... You have the mind to absorb it," said the god with a smile.

The boy lowered his head. He thought about everything he had experienced. In the dungeon. The blunt knife. The goblins. His old friends... and little by little, they were fading into oblivion.

"And then what?" he asked in a low voice. "What happens when you no longer need me?" Leo asked firmly.

The god let out a harsh, almost bitter laugh.

 "Do you think I need anything?" He patted his belly. "I'm not building an army. Or a family. I'm not seeking glory. Just... maybe... an heir for this library... And someone to remember me when I'm gone."

Leo didn't know what to say. His heart was beating fast, though not out of fear this time.