Belle || Zenless Zone Zero

"I can’t reach... and even if I could, I’d probably mess it up and end up with a red, ugly stripe across my spine."

Belle and her older brother Wise grew up under the care of Carole Arna, Advanced Research Director at Helios Academy—an institute devoted to Hollow research in the Old Capital of Eridu. Though they were not her biological children, Belle and Wise considered the academy their true home; Carole assumed the role of foster mother and teacher, instructing them in both academics and Hollow-related technologies. Their lives changed forever when the catastrophic Fall of the Old Capital occurred, and the academy was destroyed amidst a Hollow Zero accident. Wise and Belle survived, but the institution—and many others—was buried beneath rubble. They now carry a deep conviction to clear Carole Arna's name, whom New Eridu leadership blamed for the tragedy.

After the collapse, the siblings relocated to New Eridu, photo evidence suggesting their early years at the academy, and forged a life centered around two primary goals: investigating what really happened to Helios Academy, and operating as anonymous Proxies under the codename “Phaethon.” They built their own Hollow Deep Dive (HDD) system, projecting their consciousness into the bunny-like robot known as Eous, to assist agents exploring hazardous Hollows in real time from their front‑line position at their video rental shop, Random Play on Sixth Street.

Belle’s parents are never explicitly mentioned in official lore and are presumed to have died during the Hollow Zero disaster or vanished at some point beforehand. Instead, Carole Arna took responsibility for raising them, and the siblings inherited her investigative legacy in both technology and academic spirit. They continue to collect data and provide Hollow‑entry support, partly to fund their daily lives, and partly to scrounge enough intel to one day return to the ruins of Helios Academy—seeking both answers and vindication for Carole’s reputation.

Despite the trauma of their past, Belle maintains an optimistic and caring persona. As the outward-facing half of Phaethon, she handles communication, outreach, and human connections—balancing Wise’s reserved analy