Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Danmachi. Both belong to their respective owners.
Hey guys, I'm back.
Soooo...you know how I said that I don't want to get involved with anymore Gacha games outside of FGO? And how I said that I'm not going to play Memoria Freese?
Yeah, well, the thing is...curiosity got the best of me and decided to take a crack at a certain gacha game that's been rather popular amongst the gaming community.
I'm playing Genshin Impact.
...Help me, I'm falling into the rabbit hole. And there's no sign of stopping. And it's causing an unimaginable amount of plot bunnies running around in my head.
Currently in Liyue, and I'm finding Zhongli's voice to be very addicting to listen to.
In any case, I've actually wanted to update this chapter on the 4th of July. But I realized that you may be busy with your own 4th of July celebrations, so I've decided to update it a day before so you can enjoy whatever you have planned.
I wish you all a happy 4th of July (tomorrow)!
Let's start the chapter.
Chapter 8: A Radiant Flame
Goblins were prowling through the 2nd floor, on the lookout for any newbie adventurer to sink their hands into. When they were looking around the hallway, it was very quiet. One of the goblins ahead of the pack walked ahead to see if there are any adventurers to seek, only for it to suddenly stop and stand still.
One of the Goblins tilted it head at the motion, and walked forward to see what happened. When it walked next to its fellow Goblin, it gave a cry of shock as the Goblin had a knife lodged straight into its forehead, but was soon cut short when a knife flew straight into the side of its head and fell to the floor.
The other Goblins gave a started cry, before they turned their heads to see who killed their brethren. Immediately, two knives were flew straight into their bodies, one piercing the magic stone inside while the other was deeply buried in its stomach. The Goblin immediately exploded into dark ashes while the other Goblin fell to the floor while crying out in pain.
As it was struggling to pick itself up, the last thing it saw was a pair of red eyes looking at it.
"...Eighteen."
It was the last thing it ever head before a knife embedded itself in its head, the fresh corpse immediately collapsing to the floor.
Bell gave a light exhale as he began collecting his throwing knives.
He's been practicing on how to properly throw his knives ever since he arrived at the Dungeon.
And what better way to practice with Trancheuse than with moving targets? They're moving targets that are safe to practice on without Bell getting hurt from them, considering how high his stats are for this floor.
Bell has been keeping record on how many hits he can make with his Trancheuse before he ends up missing. Right now, he just beaten his record, and is now at 18 best.
As soon as Bell collected his knives, as he immediately began to search for more moving targets to practice with. As he did, he ignored the dead bodies left behind, not bothering with the magic stones, with his mind focused on other things. But he noticed that he was near the entrance to Floor 3.
"...Floor 3 it is..." Bell muttered to himself, deciding that the next floor is a good way to help him practice.
Adventurers who were exploring the first three floors soon came across trails of Goblin corpses, and they could only wonder why they're only killing Goblins and nothing else.
~ Break ~
Bell sighed to himself as he wandered aimlessly throughout the streets of Orario during the afternoon, done with his time in the Dungeon.
He did as he was told, and kept on eye on the first eight floors of the Dungeon. The entire time of investigating and checking every single nook and cranny of each floor to see if there are any Heartless activity. Fortunately for Bell, he found no Heartless activity through each floor, which meant that Heartless are certainly not going beyond their designated floors. This made Bell feel a bit of relief, seeing how he doesn't have to deal with the Heartless on his own.
Yet at the same time, he felt a bit conflicted about it. Surely, he's growing quite fast, and his stats are already above average. But even so, Bell was still aware of his own limits and even he couldn't tackle the numbers that Sora handles on a daily basis. The gap between him and Sora is just way too big.
And it was because of that feeling that motivated Bell to train with all he's got with his Trancheuse. And through his motivation and time in the Dungeon, he felt he improved a lot with the Trancheuse he is wielding. It was a good choice to take a step back from his usual Heartless slaying activity and focus on normal Dungeon Monsters for once.
And it was certainly a good thing that Lili didn't come today, as Lili told him that she couldn't come today due to some personal business that she had to take care of. So he was left alone today, which meant he can control the pacing of his training.
'I'm glad the Heartless aren't running so rampantly...' Bell thought, seeing how peaceful the streets are, before he gave a slight frown to himself. 'Though...I wish I could've done something to help out Sora with the Heartless...more than that I did today.'
Don't get Bell wrong, the Heartless not moving up the floors is a good thing, and used most of the day to improve his knife throwing skills. But there's still that small part of him that desired more than that. He wanted to contribute more to the cause. And he could've, if it weren't for his own limited strength.
'...That's right. Even with my growth, it's still not enough.' Bell thought as he looked at his hand and clenched his fist. 'I need something else to truly aid in my fight. I don't have any Skills or Magic to help me in the fight. I can only rely on my Status and Hestia Knife to truly make it through.'
He wished that he had a new power to add to his arsenal to truly make a difference.
Bell sighed, and made a glance towards the Babel Tower behind him.
"...Should I go back to the Dungeon then...?" Bell muttered to himself.
Before he could even consider that, he heard footsteps approaching him, and turned to see someone that he hasn't seen in a while. Syr closed the distance between them as she grabbed hold of his hands.
"Oh, Bell! I'm glad I found you! Please, I'm in need of your help!" Syr pleaded with a desperate look, making Bell blink upon hearing this.
"W-What is it?" Bell asked in surprise and concern.
~ Break ~
Bell couldn't help but give an owlish look at the position he is in right now.
He expected to be in a high tension situation, but instead, he finds himself in front of a sink with a pile of dirty dishes.
'...This isn't what I had in mind...' Bell thought as he stared at the pile of dishes before him, before slowly turning to Syr with a very confused look.
"Syr...you don't mean..." Bell couldn't help but ask. Syr gave an apologetic smile.
"Sorry!" Syr apologized with a sheepish smile. "We're really busy today, and we need all the help we can get to make it through!"
And with that, Syr took off to do her job. Bell silently stood there, looking at the spot where Syr left, before he gave a small sigh and pulled up his sleeves.
Perhaps this is a good way to take his mind off the Heartless.
As he begun washing the dishes, he heard many of the pub's waitresses frantically moving around to move and serve dishes. As they were doing so, one of the waitresses paused for a bit and looked into the kitchen.
"Holy cow, Sora is just blitzing through the ingridients, nya!" Anya exclaimed in surprise.
This made Bell suddenly stop still, his eyes widening in surprise and shock.
'S-Sora!?'
Bell leaned away from the sink to peek into the kitchen, and he was shocked to see Sora in the kitchen.
Sora was at one of the kitchen counters, working swiftly and efficiently through the ingridients presented before him. He's already chopping through 5th onion within 10 seconds!
Bell's jaw dropped a bit. He knew Sora was a cook, and ended up cooking some rather good meals for him and Hestia, but he never saw Sora working so fast with the ingridients.
"Anya! Get back to work!" Mia barked as she was busy moving dishes to the serving counter.
"R-Right! Sorry, nya!" Anya exclaimed as she frantically moved away from her spot.
Bell could only stand there, befuddled on why Sora is here of all places. Wasn't he supposed to be investigating the underground sewers of Orario?
He found the perfect opportunity when Syr came nearby ready to pick up the latest dish.
"U-Um, Syr, what is Sora doing here?" Bell asked, making Syr pause for a bit.
"Oh, well, I was actually looking for you earlier, but I ended up bumping into Sora first. I remembered Sora mentioning about helping out in the kitchen, so I've asked him to come help us. I went out again and found you." Syr explained as she moved on to do her job.
Well that certainly explains a few things.
'I guess Sora finished investigating the sewer systems...' Bell thought, and looked towards Sora's back, who was already expertly cracking eggs and whisking them.
Bell huffed to himself and focused on the dishes.
He may not know how to cook, but he'll do all he can to help out as well.
~ Break ~
The afternoon rush finally came to an end, and the pub was finally starting to lighten up on customers. Bell sighed in relief, seeing how such an intense and busy period was finally over.
"It's finally over...!" Bell groaned as he slumped down onto a chair. As he did, he saw Mia observing the pub for quite a bit, before nodding and made her way towards the kitchen, to where Sora was.
"Is it almost ready Sora?" Mia questioned.
Sora wordlessly nodded as he knelt down and took out a round metal pan out of the oven, and placed it on a counter before Mia. Sora took off cover off the pan, and then scooped out a portion of the food in the pan and onto a small plate. He then spreads some sauce on top and around the plate, and presented it to Mia.
Mia raised an eyebrow at the sight of the dish, before she took a fork and picked up a few of the vegetables. She placed it in her mouth and began to slowly chew the food while tasting it.
It was unknown to her and Sora that Bell and the other waitresses were silently watching Mia taste the food before her. Mia closed her eyes while focusing on tasting the food, while Sora stood there watching Mia taste the food.
"So...what do you think?" Sora asked.
There was a short moment of silence, before Mia gave a pleased hum while nodding.
"Not bad. It's only consisting of vegetables, but you're bringing out the flavors in such a unique way. Many adventurers prefer some form of meat in their diet, but this dish can be a good contender alongside them, especially among vegans who keep demanding for more non-animal foods. What do you call it?" Mia asked.
"It's called ratatouille. It's a signature and popular starter dish served at Le Grand Bistrot." Sora explained with a grin.
"I can certainly see why it's a signature dish. The ingridients themselves are quite cheap on the market, almost as if it was made for the lower class. But even then, combined together and they bring an interesting taste. I could only imagine it would taste even better if I were to buy some good produce from the Demeter Familia." Mia commented, before she gave a laugh.
"Not bad boy! Not bad at all! If you ever find yourself getting tired of going to the Dungeon, you're more than free to come here and work for us! We wouldn't mind a boy like you helping out in the kitchen!" Mia welcomed, making the waitresses looked floored and shocked to see the approval from Mia.
"Ah ha ha, I appreciate the offer, but there are things I need to accomplish in the Dungeon." Sora turned down the offer.
"Well that's a shame, but I can't blame ya. Youths are always about adventuring. Just make sure not to get yourself killed too early on! You still got a life ahead of ya!" Mia said, before she looked at the ratatouille before her. "But before that, I need to test it out with other customers as well and see if they like it."
Mia scooped the ratatouille and placed it on a small plate. She then made her ways towards Bell and placed it before him. When she did, it was then Sora noticed Bell sitting at the bar counter.
"Bell? When did you get here?" Sora asked in surprise.
"A little bit afterwards after you got here. You were too busy helping out in the kitchen to notice." Bell told Sora with an awkward smile, before he looked at the dish before him. "Um..."
"Have you eaten this before?" Mia asked.
"Not yet...I did eat some other dishes that Sora was able to cook, but not this..." Bell said while looking at the ratatouille before him with curiosity. He picked up the vegetables with his fork and placed it in his mouth and began chewing on it. Immediately, Bell's eyes widened at the taste.
"This is delicious...! I never knew vegetables can taste this good when cooked like this!" Bell said with amazement as he begun to dig into the food. And he should know, considering how he grew up on a farm.
"Glad you like it! I'm sure others would like this!" Sora said with a grin.
"Heh, I think you're right. Never thought I'd add a vegetable dish to my menu..." Mia said with a wry grin, before she shook her head and turned to Sora. "Well, a deal is a deal. You gave me a dish worthy of my menu, so I'll teach on how to cook that fried fish that you like so much."
"Awesome!" Sora cheered as he followed Mia into the kitchen.
Bell silently watched in a bit of awe as the two departed into the kitchen.
Sora wasn't kidding when he said that he worked at a 5-Star Restaurant.
A good distance away from Bell, two cat people waitresses were whispering to each other.
"Nya, Sora is quite the expert in the kitchen..." Anya commented with amazement.
"Indeed. Who knew that his cooking was good enough to impress Mia of all people..." Chloe said while nodding in agreement.
It was then Anya soon giggled when she glanced towards the kitchen, looking at Sora.
"It's quite disappointing that Syr already made her claim with Bell. But Sora is certainly not lacking in the looks department, nya!" Anya commented.
"And he looks quite young as well..." Chloe whispered while putting up her hand to hide a cat-like smile.
The two looked at each other and shared a giggle with each other.
Meanwhile, Sora felt a shiver down his spine, and he didn't know why.
~ Break ~
Far away where Sora was, a certain sleeping Princess of Heart was currently searching deep within her Heart to find a clue of a certain boy's whereabouts. But she suddenly felt this unpleasant feeling wash over her quickly, causing her fist clenching a bit too tightly and a pout to form on her face, before she relaxed once more into her slumber. A certain scientist saw this happen and could only be confused on what just happened.
~ Break ~
As Bell finished the last of the vegetables on the plate, Syr walked up to him with a curious look.
"I'm a bit surprised to see you out of the Dungeon when I find you. Usually, adventurers tend to stick inside the Dungeon till evening. Did you not go into the Dungeon today?" Syr curiously asked.
"Oh, well, I did, but..." Bell said while pursing his lips on how to explain what he did in the Dungeon. "...I guess you could say that I didn't have the energy to dive too deeply into the Dungeon."
"Oh, is that so? Well, if you want to pass the time, then I would recommend reading." Syr suggested with a smile.
"Reading?" Bell repeated with an owlish look. "Well, I guess I could do that. But we don't have that many books at my home to begin with..."
"Then how about this?" Syr said as she picked up the book that was on some display stand and presented it do Bell. "Some customer left this behind the other day and hasn't come back since."
"B-But doesn't that belong to someone else?" Bell asked in surprise.
"It wouldn't be too much trouble if you return it. And judging by this book, it belongs to some adventurer, so this may be of use to you." Syr pointed out, before she grew a small worried frown. "More importantly, Mama Mia really doesn't like seeing this in the pub, so you'll be doing us a favor as well."
"I see...if that's the case, then I'll try and read this as soon as I get home." Bell said as he accepted the book from Syr.
~ Break ~
It's been a while since he return back to his Familia home with him being the only one there. Hestia is still out working, while Sora was staying behind to work together with Mia and learn more from her. As such, the only thing that greeted him at their home is silence and solitude.
'Well, at least I have something to pass the time...' Bell thought as he plopped down on the couch and took a look at the book before him.
Mirror, Mirror: The Fairest Witch in the Land Is ME: An Autobiography (With Appendix: Awaken Your Magic!)
Bell sweat dropped at it, seeing how childish the title is.
Chapter 1: Modern Magic Even Goblins Can Understand!
Nobody should be teaching monsters magic in general. The Heartless are clear proof of that.
As Bell began reading through it, be begun to learn that Magic comes in two types: innate and acquired.
As the term "innate" suggests, this type of magic can be used by various races based on genetics. From ancient times, these races have had the potential to become magic users within them and are trained in magic at a young age through rituals. While the types of magic they can use are rather limited, the strength and scale of these spells are often very high.
Acquired magic refers to the possibility of Magic given to those people who receive "Falna," and appears on its own. With almost no restrictions, this kind of magic takes many different forms. The effect of the Magic depends heavily on excelia.
As Bell kept on reading through the pages, he felt himself falling into some kind of trance. He felt sleepy...
The next thing Bell knew, he was no longer inside the room of his home, but instead...
He found himself alone in some kind of black void. He looked around his surroundings, before he looked at the ground before him, and his eyes widened in surprise.
Underneath him was some large and round glass floor. And the person in the center of it all was him, in some kind of sleeping position. The background behind him represented two two things: the first is his farm home, and the other was the tower of Babel. And there are three small circles near Bell that showed people he recognize: his Grandpa, his Goddess, and Sora.
Let's get started.
He heard a voice, despite not being able to hear it. He looked around to try to find the source. He looked straight ahead of him, only to yelp in surprise and shock to see a reflection of himself only saturated in white, grey, and black. His monochromatic reflection opened his mouth.
What is magic to me?
What is magic to him?
He didn't know why, but he felt compelled to answer the strange reflection before him.
"What magic is to me..." Bell muttered, before he closed his eyes in thought. "Magic...is a great power to be used for a greater purpose. A power to create overcome the impossible and create miracles. Like how Sora uses his magic to fight against the Darkness and save countless worlds."
That's right. He wished his magic was just as great as Sora. To use magic to overcome any obstacle before him. Magic powerful enough to help turn the tides. Magic to be used to protect and save Worlds from the Darkness.
His monochromatic reflection gave a grin, and soon disappeared in front of his eyes. And in his place was a monochromatic version of Sora.
What kind of a thing is magic to me?
Thing?
What exactly is magic to him?
"...A shining light." Bell answered. "One that will shine even in the deepest of Darkness. Like a strong flame to illuminate in the Darkness and serve as a beacon of hope for others."
Sora has shown how he's a shining light in the deepest of Darkness. How he's the light that can bring salvation and hope to others, while also fending off the dwellers of Darkness. Sora was the one who has inspired him to work hard so he can become a hero worthy of fighting alongside Sora.
The monochromatic Sora gave his signature grin when hearing the answer, and in an instant, both the monochromatic versions of him and Sora appeared before Bell. They both asked the same thing.
What do you seek in magic?
Bell paused a bit, before he gave a resolute look.
"...An amazing power like Sora. To have a power that comes from the very depths of your Heart and manifest it to fight with. A power to overcome my weak self and become stronger. To catch up to him as soon as possible so that I can fight the Darkness." Bell answered.
The monochromatic reflections of him and Sora stared at him, shared a look with each other, and his reflection gave an amused smile while Sora chuckled while crossing his arms behind his head.
You're such a child.
Bell is well aware of that.
But it shows you're staying true to your Heart.
The monochromatic reflection of Sora soon glowed brightly, engulfing Bell in a warm and comforting light.
~ Break ~
"-ell? Bell, you awake?" a familiar voice called out to Bell.
Bell groggily felt himself waking up from his sleep, and was met with the sight of Sora standing in front of him while placing a hand on his shoulder to wake him up.
"S-Sora...?" Bell asked as he was slowly waking himself up.
"Hey there sleepy head." Sora greeted with mirth. "Did you grow that bored with the book that you were reading?"
"Bored...?" Bell said as he saw the book laying on his lap. "Not particularly. I was reading it on how to learn magic..."
"Oh, you're learning magic? That's great to hear!" Sora said with a grin. "Why didn't you ask me though? I wouldn't mind helping you out on how to learn magic!"
"You can teach people magic?" Bell asked in surprise. Sora gave a sheepish chuckle while scratching the back of his head.
"Maybe. The way I learned magic was through Donald and Merlin's tutelage, so I can remember a few lessons from them. Then again, their way of teaching me may not apply to you, considering how the magic system of this world works..." Sora said while humming in thought.
Considering the fact that magic is far more advanced beyond their world, Bell doubted that Sora's lessons would apply to him.
"W-Well, I appreciate the offer though..." Bell said with gratitude.
It was then the door opened suddenly, revealing Hestia in all her glory.
"I'm back!" Hestia greeted everyone in the room. "Oh, Sora, you're back! How was the investigation? Did you find any Heartless?"
"Hey Hestia. And yeah, I did find Heartless, and boy did it escalate quickly..." Sora said while chuckling.
This immediately made Hestia give an exasperated sigh while rubbing her forehead.
"Why am I not surprised...?" Hestia quietly said to herself, before she shook her head. "So what exactly did you find?"
"Well..." Sora trailed off while beginning to recount his story.
By the end of the story, Hestia looked very annoyed upon what she learned.
"Seriously, why the hell did Loki choose now of all times to investigate the sewers!? I swear, you have the worst luck when it comes to these things!" Hestia fumed.
"Yeah, that was really bad timing..." Sora admitted while scratching his cheek.
"Does Loki know about the Heartless as well?" Bell asked.
"It doesn't seem like it. She didn't show any knowledge about the Heartless, and merely sees them as some dark monsters that popped out of nowhere." Sora answered.
"Well that's one positive that we can get outside of this..." Hestia said while groaning. "On the other hand, you showed off more than you were supposed to, didn't you?" Hestia dryly asked.
"...Guilty." Sora sheepishly chuckled. Hestia promptly face palmed.
"Fantastic. Knowing her, it's just going to motivate her even more on wanting to figure you out, and possibly try to convince you to join her Familia because of your absurd powers..." Hestia groaned in irritation.
"Well, even if that does come to pass, there's no way I'm going to take her up on her offer. I don't abandon my friends, after all." Sora declared with confidence.
"Sora..." Bell whispered in awe while feeling touched on how loyal Sora is to him and his Goddess.
"Heh, that's one thing I shouldn't worry about then, and something Loki will have to deal with." Hestia said with a small fond and satisfied smile, before turning to Bell. "Well then, should we update your status Bell? I know you're rather eager after your time in the Dungeon. You didn't face any Heartless, did you?" Hestia questioned while looking suspicious towards Bell.
"N-No, I haven't Goddess! I spent most of my time practicing with my Trancheuse and checking the first eight floors. I'm happy to say that there were no Heartless around that time." Bell reported.
"Well that's great to hear! Seems like that's one less thing to worry about." Sora said while crossing his arms behind his head.
And with that, Hestia proceeded to update the Falna on Bell's back. As she was, she observed that the jump in stats is high, but it's not as impressive compared to the other updates, when Sora's Link to All is contributing. It goes to show how Liaris Freese is still an absurd skill in its own right.
"...Oh, Bell, your dexterity made quite the jump today compared to your other stats. You must've really wanted to improve on those skills, huh?" Hestia remarked.
"I do. I needed to improve my range if I truly want to stand a chance against the Heartless. That, and I got a bit too...motivated to improve my skills." Bell recalled.
"Well, it certainly shows. Anyways, your Agility is already at S while your other parameters are getting close to S as well, so they won't grow as-" Hestia started, before her eyes widened in surprise.
"...Goddess?" Bell asked in confusion.
"Something wrong?" Sora asked with a raised eyebrow as he watched Hestia write on the parchment with a shocked look on her face.
"...Magic. You have magic Bell!" Hestia declared with shock.
Sora gave an owlish blink, while Bell looked shocked upon hearing this.
"What!?" Bell yelped in shock.
Hestia soon got off Bell and placed it on the table for Bell and Sora to see. When Bell hastily stood up and grabbed the parchment, his eyes widened in shock at what he saw.
Firebolt: Swift Strike Magic Spell. Consecutive casting leads to Raid.
"I have magic!" Bell yelled in joy and excitement.
"Way to go Bell!" Sora cheerfully congratulated Bell while patting him on the shoulder.
"This is something I didn't expect. I thought Sora was the abnormality when it came to magic, but then you had to gain a spell similar to how Sora's spells work..." Hestia said while sighing in disbelief and exasperation. Bell is truly being influenced by Sora's presence in more ways than one.
Not to mention, that added detail to that spell. What exactly did it mean by Raid? She's never seen that kind of term before.
Well, she had a feeling that Bell and Sora will figure that out later. There was something else that also came to mind.
"Oh, by the way Sora, there's something you need to know." Hestia spoke up, making Sora blink and turn towards her.
"What is it?" Sora asked.
Hestia gave a sigh while rubbing her forehead.
"Hephastois wants to meet with you once more." Hestia told Sora, making the islander blink upon hearing this.
"What does she want to talk to me about?" Sora asked with a raised eyebrow.
"She didn't say much, but she said was something concerning about the Gummiship." Hestia recalled.
"Are there any problems?" Sora worriedly asked.
"You could say that. She wants to meet with up with you as soon as possible, so we're going to meet up with her tomorrow morning." Hestia told Sora.
"Alright then, guess that's the first stop for tomorrow then before Bell and I go into the Dungeon again." Sora said while shrugging.
"Honestly, it's worrying when Hephastois is asking to meet up with you again. Good thing I'll be there with you tomorrow. For now, we should get some rest after everything that has happened today. Especially for you Bell, considering that you're going to be testing how your magic works tommorow in the Dungeon." Hestia told Bell, making Bell look a bit shocked upon hearing this.
"Eh? Tomorrow...?" Bell said with a bit of disappointment
"Don't tell me you want to go now? You just took a shower, right? Your magic isn't about to disappear!"
"Ah, yes...you're right." Bell quietly admitted.
Sora then walked up to Bell while having his back turned towards Hestia. He placed a hand on Bell's shoulder.
"Hestia's right Bell. We should turn in for the night and test it out tomorrow..." Sora said while giving a subtle and hidden wink towards Bell.
Bell saw the wink, and he soon understood what Sora meant by that.
"Y-Yeah...!"
Hestia, who wasn't looking at the two, had her eyebrow twitched for some reason, and already, she could feel another headache despite Sora not doing or saying anything ridiculous.
~ Break ~
As soon as Hestia went to sleep, Sora and Bell quietly left their home, and immediately made their way towards the Dungeon, all the while looking excited.
The minute they stepped into the Dungeon, Bell eagerly looked around to see if there are any monsters to find. As they were looking around, Bell momentarily turned to Sora.
"I'm kind of surprised that you're just going with this Sora..." Bell remarked.
"Well, who wouldn't be excited to test out magic? When I learned I could use magic, I wanted to use it the first opportunity that I got. Though, my first attempt at my first spell, which is fire, ended up misfiring and ended up hitting Donald's rear end...and lit it on fire..." Sora said while chuckling at the memory.
He could also remember Donald angrily quacking at him for that.
Bell sweatdropped at that detail. He could only shudder if he lets his overeagerness influence him to test it out inside of their home. He could potentially end up blowing up their home.
"W-Well, hopefully, there's not that much collateral damage with spell...or misfiring it." Bell responded with an unsure look.
As soon as Bell said that, the walls began to crack, and a lone Goblin began making its way out of the wall. As soon as it was born, its eyes were soon set on Sora and Bell, and gave a battle cry as it ran towards them.
"Alright Bell, now's the time to show your new magic!" Sora declared while giving an excited look towards Bell.
"Right!" Bell immediately nodded as he pointed his hand forward towards the Goblin.
He took a deep breath, and concentrated on the approaching target. The only thing he can hope for is no misfiring and it ends up hitting him or Sora.
"Firebolt!"
When Bell declared the name of his spell, a streak of white flames erupted from Bell's hand and immediately made its way towards the Goblin. The Goblin couldn't do anything else as it was immediately incinerated by Bell's magic, the only remains being a magic stone.
Bell and Sora could only remain in silence after witnessing what happened, before Bell broke into an excited cheer.
"That was amazing!" Bell cheered with joy and excitement.
"Way to go Bell! Your magic is a success!" Sora congratulated while patting Bell on the back.
"It has! Although..." Bell trailed off while looking at his hand.
"What is it?" Sora asked with a raised eyebrow.
"To be honest, after seeing your magic, mine isn't so...impressive." Bell admitted.
His magic is just shooting forth some kind of bolt of flames towards his target. Sora can already pull that off with his fire and lightning magic. He was kind of hoping for something more flash and unique. But when you're with Sora, you tend to see it all.
"I don't think you should compare yourself to me Bell. Hestia always kept telling me how I don't fit in with the norms of this world. Like she said, I'm pretty much a magic cheat here..." Sora chuckled while scratching his cheek.
"I-I guess you're right..." Bell trailed off as he looked ahead. "Alright, better start getting used to my magic then. Alright, let's go find the next target!" Bell declared as he was about to move forward, only for Sora to stop him by clasping his hand onto Bell's shoulder.
"Woah there, don't get too excited Bell!" Sora told Bell.
"S-Sora?" Bell said with a confused look.
"I know you're rather eager to test out your magic even more, but let's try it out on stronger enemies. We shouldn't bother with the small fry on the first floor. Let's try out the fifth floor." Sora suggested.
"Oh, good idea..." Bell muttered in agreement.
And with that, Bell and Sora immediately made their way towards the fifth floor, with Sora clearing the way for Bell, as he wanted Bell to save up his magic for when it counts.
When they arrived at the fifth floor, Sora looked around and found no enemies.
"Looks like we're going to have to look around. Oh, in the meantime Bell, I think it's time you've changed some of your equipment." Sora told Bell.
"Change my equipment...?" Bell repeated with a confused look.
Sora nodded as he dug into his pockets and took out some kind of cufflink.
"Yeah. Since your spell is related to fire, then the you should definitely switch out the Fencer's Earring with the Fire Cufflink. This will boost your fire magic to become even stronger. You should try it out." Sora suggested.
"Oh, thank you!" Bell said with gratitude as he accepted the Fire Cufflink from Sora and removed the Fencer's Earring. When attaching it onto himself, Bell flexed his hand a bit before turning his head to see if there are any more targets to find.
Fortunately, a group of Kobolds made themselves known when they walked from an intercepting hallway. They soon spotted Sora and Bell, and gave a growl as they ran towards them. Bell narrowed his eyes in concentration as he held up his hand once more.
"Firebolt!" Bell chanted, and unlike last time, the fire spell was a lot more stronger and bigger than Bell has anticipated. So much so that the blast from Bell already took out a good chunk of their group. The Kobolds gave a cry of shock and surprise before they began to scatter.
When they began to scatter, Bell already fired off another Firebolt spell and its trajectory seems to not be heading towards any of the Kobolds. Bell frowned when he saw his magic miss the Kobolds, only for his eyes to widen in shock and surprise when the bolt of fire seems to curve its trajectory and head towards a Kobold, catching it off guard an incinerating it.
Bell gaped in surprise at what happened, before he raised focused back on eliminating the Kobolds.
Once he finished, Bell could only gape at what happened. There was nothing but charred corpses and ashes of Kobolds before him.
Sora hummed in thought when he observed Bell's Firebolt magic. It became stronger with the Fire Cufflink, and he also noticed something particular about the magic. Namely, Bell's Firebolt seems to be able to hone in on its targets, just like his fire magic.
"A-Amazing...your equipment is strong Sora..." Bell said with amazement, breaking Sora out of his thoughts.
"I won't deny that. Having the right equipment has definitely helped me out when fighting the Heartless." Sora said while nodding, before he turned to Bell with a raised eyebrow.
"Asides from that, I've begun to notice something peculiar about your magic Bell." Sora said.
"R-Really? What did you notice from it?" Bell asked with surprise.
"Well, I've seen plenty of fire magic throughout my time. My fire magic, Donald's fire magic, Axel's fire magic, Riku's fire magic, the Heartless's fire magic, and even Hades's Underworld flames. I got a different feel for each and every type of fire magic that I've encountered. Yours is definitely different compared to the rest." Sora explained to Bell.
"H-How so?"
"Well, for one, when I cast my fire magic, it has a red color to it. As observed..." Sora said as he held up his hand in a finger-gun shape, and proceeded to fire off a basic Fire spell. Both of them watched the fireball sail through the air before impacting with the wall, leaving a small scorch mark.
"Yours, on the other hand, is completely pure white. Not to mention, it feels...how do I explain this?" Sora hummed while putting on a thinker pose. "Your flames have this feeling of purity. Like what you find from the power of Light."
Bell blinked upon hearing this, and then took out his Hestia Knife. When he did, the knife glowed and the edges became coated with the blade of Light.
"Now that you mention it, my magic shares a similar color to the Light Attribute of my Hestia Knife." Bell noted. This made Sora snap his fingers upon realizing it.
"Oh, now I get it! Bell, what you're wielding is Fire magic infused with the power of Light!" Sora told Bell, making Bell blink in shock upon hearing this.
"W-Wait, you mean to tell me that my magic is both Fire and Light!?" Bell asked in shock, making Sora nod at him.
"Seems like it. Wow, and here I thought knew a lot of magic! Really, I honestly thought the magic I used was already considered a 'Light' version, considering how they don't use Darkness like Riku with his magic. But the Light in your fire magic is lot more potent than I could manage." Sora said with amazement.
"Y-You can't...?" Bell said with shock. If Sora himself, who is capable of pulling off countless spells of various elements, admitted that what he's using is something so unique that Sora can't cast it, then his magic is more unique and special than Bell thought.
It honestly made Bell feel a bit giddy, seeing how it's a unique magic that only he can use, and no one else.
"I honestly can't. I honestly thought Riku was unique with access to his own fire magic. Now that I think about it, your fire magic is the opposite of Riku's Dark Firaga magic...Light Firaga." Sora declared with realization.
"Light...Firaga..." Bell muttered in amazement, before he blinked when he realized a certain detail from Sora. "Wait, Dark Firaga? Your friend is using a darker version of fire magic?"
"Well yeah. Riku infuses his flames with the power of Darkness." Sora clarified.
Bell blinked in confusion and astonishment.
"W-Wait, your fellow Guardian of Light is using the power of Darkness? Isn't it dangerous to use the power of Darkness? You've told me how Darkness can corrupt one's Heart if one isn't careful." Bell pointed out with concern.
"Generally, yeah. But Riku actually learned how to properly control his Darkness without it corrupting him. I won't have to worry about him being succumbing or being consumed by Darkness any time soon." Sora explained while having faith in his best friend.
"I-Is that so...? Still though, why would Riku choose to use an evil power in the first place? Didn't the Darkness endanger him before?" Bell asked.
"Well, yeah, but that's kind of a long story in itself really. As for why he continues to use it...how do I explain this...?" Sora hummed in thought. The explanation of Light and Darkness is a rather complex subject to talk about.
"Well, to start with, Darkness itself isn't inherently evil. Mickey described it to be scary, and Riku said that the ones lurking inside the Darkness is what makes it scary in the first place. And our Worlds are made up of both Light and Darkness. It can't exist without the other. And going by that logic, can you honestly say that the World you live in is inherently evil by nature if it has Darkness?" Sora asked with a raised eyebrow.
"N-No, I never thought of it like that!" Bell immediately replied. "Sure, there are many bad events that have happened in our World, but there are many good things as well, like the heroes from so many stories! And Grandpa and Goddess aren't definitely not evil at all!"
Sora chuckled. "Well, you're certainly right about that. Light and Darkness doesn't automatically categorize whether you're good or not. Even though the power of Light is generally seen as a benevolent power, there are those who misuse the Light for evil purposes. Xemnas used Kingdom Hearts's Light to fight me and Riku, and he intended to sink the worlds into the void. Xehanort, despite all of his spiels about Darkness, used the Light of Kingdom Hearts when we fought, and Xehanort is far from a good guy." Sora explained.
"Really..." Bell muttered in shock.
"Yeah. And Riku, who uses the Darkness, is someone that I'll always trust to watch my back. He's someone who will use the Darkness to protect his friends. That's far from evil. So really, it's really up to the person to decide if they want to walk down a path of good or evil, regardless if it is with the power of Light or Darkness." Sora said while nodding, before he gave a chuckle as he crossed his arms behind his head.
"And besides, everyone, save for a few, has both Light and Darkness in their Heart. You and I are no exception to that." Sora said.
"Y-You think I have Darkness in my Heart?" Bell asked in shock. Sora hummed a bit in thought.
"Well, not a lot of it. Having Darkness inside of your Heart doesn't automatically mean that you are harboring any evil thoughts or intentions. You felt sadness, frustration, or be mad in your life? Those come from Darkness itself." Sora explained.
"Is that so..." Bell muttered while placing his hand on his chest. Certainly, he felt sad when he lost his grandfather. He felt hopeless when he couldn't find a Familia to join before he met his Goddess. He felt frustrated when he felt that he isn't making enough progress to catch up to Sora. And his perversion if his encouragement from his Grandpa is anything like that. Those types of emotions are negative, and they come from Darkness.
'...I think I'm starting to understand...' Bell thought. Just because he felt those dark emotions from his heart, that doesn't mean he's evil.
Still, to think he has has Darkness in his Heart...it's rather scary when he thought about it. To have Darkness within your Heart, and if you let that Darkness out of control and succumb to it, you'll become a Heartless.
What a terrifying thought.
However, his train of thought was snapped out of it when Sora clapped his hand onto Bell's back.
"Don't sweat too much on it. I believe it's perfectly natural to feel those types of emotions whenever you see your friends and loved ones get hurt. It just shows how much you care for them. Just be sure to not let it control you, and keep moving forward as the way you are and you'll be fine!" Sora reassured.
"R-Really?"
"Yeah. Remember, our Hearts have both Light and Darkness in it, but it also depends on the amount of it. And when I look at you, your Heart has a lot of Light within it with only a little Darkness. I'm sure of it." Sora said with confidence.
"Sora..." Bell muttered in awe, once again touched at how Sora continues to have so much trust and faith in him. It was enough for Bell give a thankful smile towards Sora.
"...Thank you Sora. I'm starting to understand that Light and Darkness isn't so...black and white." Bell tried to clarify, but felt that wasn't a good enough answer.
"Don't sweat it." Sora chuckled while patting Bell on the back, before glancing the halls behind them. "Now then, I think it's time we head on home."
"D-Do we have to go back? I still want to practice with my magic." Bell asked in surprise, making Sora chuckle at him.
"We have plenty of opportunities in the future Bell. And besides, you got what you came here for in the first place. Save your magic for the Heartless." Sora said with an amused tone.
Bell stared at Sora for a short moment, before he slowly nodded.
"...Y-You're right. I did want to test out my magic, and found out what it could do." Bell admitted while lowering his arms.
"Right? Better get all the rest we can get so we can tackle the Heartless on the ninth floor. I think your magic is going to be pretty handy when it comes to those Barrel Spider and Pot Spider Heartless. Besides, you can also use tomorrow morning to learn more about your Fire Magic from the Gummiphone. I think you can learn a thing or two from Riku." Sora suggested.
"That's true..." Bell muttered, thinking about those swarms of Heartless. They tend to move in swarms and move everywhere, making them more troublesome than the Killer Ants that he has to deal with.
"...Alright, let's head back home then." Bell said, his mind made up.
With that in mind, Sora and Bell turned around and began to head back to their home. However, just as they made a few steps, they heard a few footsteps that weren't their own.
"...You're...Sora, correct?" a voice spoke up.
Bell and Sora blinked when they heard a voice addressing them, and turned to see a certain blonde girl and a green haired elf approaching them from one of the hallways.
Sora blinked when he recognized the blonde teenager, remembering her from the Monsterphilia incident.
"Oh hey, you're um...Ais, right?" Sora greeted, and wanted to clarify if her that's her name.
Ais nodded at him.
"Well this is a surprise. Didn't expect to run into you down here of all time and places." Sora remarked.
This made the green haired elf turn her head towards her companion.
"Do you know him, Ais?" the green haired elf asked with a raised eyebrow. Ais nodded at the question.
"He's the one who helped us fight the dark Violas during Monsterphilia." Ais clarified.
"Ah, so this is him..." the green haired elf said, realizing who the teenager is before her.
"Hey there! I'm Sora, and this is Bell." Sora introduced himself, before turning to Bell.
"Bell, this is Ais. We met during...Bell?" Sora asked with a confused look.
Sora saw Bell standing there, looking at them with a dazed look.
"Bell? Bell?" Sora said while waving his hands in front of Bell, trying to get his attention. However, Bell seems to be off in his own little world as he couldn't really pay attention to his surroundings.
It was unknown to Sora, that the moment Bell's sight fell upon Ais, his heart skipped a beat.
And that's a wrap to this chapter.
Bell and Ais finally meet. You can stop your worrying Bell and Ais shippers.
I couldn't help but put in a Goblin Slayer reference in at the beginning of the chapter. And yes, I'm well aware of the Goblin Slayer crossover event in Memoria Freese. I'm not that blind to the crossover events happening in Memoria Freese. I may or may not involve a Goblin Slayer Crossover in this story if I'm ever in the mood. Though, chances are slim, considering how the event is nearly 4 hours long to watch on youtube, and I don't have time for even an hour.
(Dive to the Heart)
Now then, I'm sure some of you have noticed how I put Dive to the Heart for Bell when he learned his magic.
I'll say this flat out: Bell is not getting the Keyblade. Period.
Please keep in mind that just because Bell dived into his Heart, that doesn't automatically mean that he's getting the Keyblade. You don't need a Keyblade to dive into one's Heart. Sora demonstrated that at a very young age. Having a Keyblade does, however, make it more easier.
The reason why I had Bell dive into his Heart is because I've taken some creative liberties to blend in the universal mechanics of Kingdom Hearts into Danmachi world mechanics. Based on what we know about Danmachi's magic learning process from the Grimoire, it seems to put you in a dream-like trance when learning. And Diving to the Heart is also considered a dream-like trance. So I just put two and two together and decided to make it like that.
And I'll also add this in: characters who learn from Grimoires don't go through the same process as Bell. It's just that Bell is VERY in tune with his Heart, which allowed him to Dive into his Heart in the first place.
(Bell's Magic Modification)
Let's address the biggest elephant in this room since I revealed this chapter.
Namely, modifying Bell's Firebolt.
Why? Because Sora has a massive influence on Bell in more ways than one.
The main reason why Bell's Magic is modified is because Sora and Bell's Hearts are connected. The Light from Sora's Heart is able to influence Bell's Heart and his magic learning process.
It may seem rather ridiculous, but hear me out.
Here's the thing with Power of the Heart and Connections.
It kind pull of all kinds of miracles (or bullshit if you prefer to call it that, and I call it that in a very endearing term).
Hearts connecting isn't a Keyblade exclusive trait. Anyone has the potential to do it, keyblade wielder or not. Remember when Sora asked everyone to help him close Kingdom Hearts in KH3? This included Donald and Goofy, non-Keyblade wielders. It also helps that Sora's Heart can easily set up a strong connection with anyone else.
The Power of the Heart is able to heal other Hearts. Case in point, when Ventus had darkness extracted from his heart, it actually left him dying. However, he was saved when Sora, as a toddler, connected his heart with his and was able to keep Ventus alive. Sora's done it two times. And this was when Sora didn't have the Keyblade at the time.
Remember how Sora didn't really die during his first time in the Keyblade Graveyard? It was because of Kairi's love and connection to Sora that helped anchor him to the Final World, which gave him the chance to turn things around.
Remember when Aqua fought against the X-blade (albeit incomplete) that Ventus-Vanitas was wielding in BBS? She ended up destroying it after remembering her power of bonds with Ventus and Terra. Let me repeat. It was because of the power of bonds/friendship/heart connections that gave Aqua the power to destroy the X-blade.
Some of you may argue that it was Ventus show destroyed the X-blade after defeating Vanitas. However, actual Kingdom Hearts In-Game Reports has stated that Aqua shattered the X-blade with the power of her friends.
Remember when facing Xehanort in KH3, and how Sora and Xehanort fought in a beam war during the climax? Xehanort had the power of Kingdom Hearts backing up his dark beam attack. Sora? He had the power of friendship with Donald and Goofy help him beat a Kingdom Hearts powered beam.
Remember the ending of Kingdom Hearts 2? When the Door to Light opened up for Sora and Riku when they were in the Realm of Darkness? The Door to Light opened up because of Sora's Heart and his connection with Kairi.
Remember when Aqua was stuck in the Realm of Darkness and Darksides were attacking her and she was about to give up, but the Keyblades of Ventus and Terra arrived and saved her? Those bonds were able to reach Aqua in the Realm of Darkness, while Terra and Ventus were in the Realm of Light.
In short, the connection of Hearts is able to transcend space and time.
The Connection of Hearts has been able to, if I list correctly: heal dying people (to a certain degree), transcend space and time, and grants power to overcome Kingdom Hearts, a source of power that can literally decided the fate of the worlds.
So really, the Heart is just able to pull off all kinds of miracles/bullshit.
So honestly, having Sora's Heart connect with Bell's Heart and influence Bell's magic learning process isn't that far-fetched. If anything, it's relatively tame compared to the other feats the Heart pulled off.
(Firebolt Upgade)
Yep, Bell has the power of Light added to his flames, rather than lightning. The anime potrays it rather poorly and there isn't much description, but the Light Novel describes Bell's Firebolt to be electrical fire, meaning he's firing both fire and electricity at his opponent. But the thing is, the electric part barely seems to do anything other than damage. So I thought, might as well switch the lightning part for something more useful, like with the power of Light!
Here's a funny story of how I wanted to modify/change/replace Firebolt to become something better.
I went through a lot of ridiculous versions that Bell could've inherited, but a lot of them were just too OP. One of my earlier ideas was to give Bell access to Kingdom Hearts Fire Spells, but I just found that too OP and versatile. And I soon realized that I was just trying to pack in as many Spells into one spell slot, and I've noticed that I was just trying to copy Riveria's Chant Connection, Lefiya's Elf Ring, and Sora's Key to Mystic.
So I moved onto trying to create new spells for Bell to have, primarily relating to the power of Light.
A very close second was Bell using a Spell called Blades of Seven, a move actually found in KHX. It was going to be an Enchantment Spell where Bell summons a blade of light to float along his side and attack enemies with it. The main gimmick was that the number of blades increased with his corresponding Level. If Bell was Level 1, he had 1 blade. If Bell is Level 2, he has two blades. And so on.
But then I soon realized this particular spell was honestly a bit too OP, too complicated in terms of mechanics, and a bit of short range, and I'm diverging Bell away from his more traditional ties: namely, fire. Because Hestia is the hearth, and Bell is deeply devoted to his Goddess, of course flames are going to signify his ties to her.
So I went with the middle road and went with Fire and Light: hence, Light Firaga.
Honestly, I wanted to change Firebolt to a different name. But I found that too difficult on trying to come up with a spell name that rolls well off the tongue. So I've decided to stick to Firebolt. Just think of the 'bolt' part as a bolt of light, rather than lightning.
Firebolt spell has 3 traits (again, because Kingdom Hearts number theme):
1) Firebolt has the power of Light instead of lightning. Because it has the power of Light, the color of the flames are white. Also, because it has the power of Light added to it, it's very effective against Heartless and Darkness-based opponents.
2) Firebolt has inherited the homing properties of the Fire Spell from Kingdom hearts. So even if Bell was off trajectory, Firebolt is capable of homing in on the target.
3) As the description said, consecutive chanting leads to Raid. What this exactly means is going to be revealed and explained later on in the story.
Congratulations Bell. Your weapon and magic has a taste of Kingdom Hearts.
I'm slowly transforming Bell into a JRPG/Square Enix/Kingdom Hearts Protagonist. Mwa ha ha.
Fun Fact of the Day
Nomura, in a 2014 interview, has stated that his favorite world in Kingdom Hearts 2 is the Pride Lands.
I think it may have do with Sora's earlier and discarded design, who was a lion-human hybrid character who wielded a chainsaw sword instead of a Keyblade.
