Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Danmachi. Both series belong to their respective owners.

Hey guys, I'm back.

So last chapter wasn't really much other than a Bell's Firebolt upgrade. Yeah, looking at it overall does seem like a filler chapter really. But honestly, it was a breather chapter needed after Sora's investigation with the sewer system.

So to make up for the last chapter, here is a chapter that is a lot more bigger this time. Hope you'll enjoy it.

On another unrelated note, I'm currently playing Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, and I'm having a lot of fun with the new content. Though I kind of miss Kamura's Japanese atmosphere. Is it too much to ask for a a Monster Hunter town/location based on the Philippines? That would be nice.

Insect Glaive Main BTW. I don't care about your weapon meta or french jokes. The Insect Glaive is VERY customizable, leading to a lot of interesting styles to play with that allows me to adapt with any monster. Plus I like flying through the air. What's your main?

One last note to tell you all: Please listen to Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Music. HOLY SHIT IT'S AMAZING!

Let's start the chapter.


Chapter 9: It's Never Simple and Clean with Sora

These past few days have been rather eventful, to say the least, for Ais Wallenstein.

After the whole Monsterphillia incident, Ais felt that she needed to go to the Dungeon and gain a great amount of valis, and use that to pay off her 40,000,000 valis debt to the Goibniu Familia for destroying a sword that she borrowed during Monsterphillia.

That was the initial plan. But when they reached the 18th floor, they found that Rivira has been thrown into a panic because a murder has taken place. So she and her Familia decided to lend a hand in trying to solve this murder case.

That WAS supposed to be just solving a murder case. However, to say things escalated quickly is a vast understatement. Not long after conducting their investigation, her and Lefiya gave chase after Lulune, a member of the Hermes Familia, acting suspicious while clutching onto bag. When they confronted her about it, Ais felt her entire being shocked when she saw the contents of the bag.

And soon after learning about the contents of the bag, a woman named Revis showed herself to be the main culprit, and then proceeded to unleash monsters onto the 18th floor, and the monsters being violas. Thankfully, the violas weren't abnormal the last time she fought it. But even with that, Revis herself proved to be a challenge that Ais herself couldn't easily overcome, even when she used her Ariel.

And just as she was about to have her skull caved in by Revis, someone came to her aid and stopped the assailant.

And the person who rescued her was none other than the mysterious boy she and her Familia found on the 50th floor.

Immediately afterwards, the mysterious boy proceeded to demonstrate his absurd abilities once more and put Revis on the ropes so much, that she was forced to retreat.

And once again, seeing the absurd abilities of the mysterious boy before her made Ais desire that kind of strength. She wanted to learn how he got that strength. What made him have those types of abilities.

Alas, the mysterious boy wasn't really keen on talking to her or others. He simply left the scene like it wasn't any of his business.

Seeing how she won't get any information on how to get stronger from the mysterious boy, Ais decided that she needed to get stronger the only way she knew how: perform an achievement that will finally break past her Level 5 status.

And what better way is there than to solo challenge the Floor Boss of the 38th floor: the Monster Rex Udaeus.

It was a rather difficult battle, but with enough determination and the wind gifted to her, she managed to overcome the Monster Rex before her. The only thing she needed to do is just have Loki update her Falna and see if she's able to go to Level 6.

When she and Riveria made her way up to the Dungeon and reached the upper floors, they ran into someone that she didn't expect to run into at the time: Sora.

Sora is another mysterious individual that caught her attention. A Level 1 who had the strength to fend off the abnormal violas, and possessed such a strange magic shield to help him out in battle.

And standing next to Sora was someone she doesn't know.

He looked a bit younger than Sora. He had snow white hair and red eyes, which honestly reminded her of a bunny if she was being honest.

And for some reason, he was starting at her with wide eyes. She could only blink at the observation. Maybe it's her battered state from the Monster Rex she took on was a boggling sight for the white haired boy.

"Bell? Beeeelll?" Sora said while trying to catch the boy's attention while waving his hands in front of Bell. He then poked the side of the boy's head, which actually broke the white haired boy's stare and he turned towards Sora with a dazed look.

"S-Sora?"

"Hey, what are you spacing out for? You okay? Is your magic causing you to do this?" Sora questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Magic?" Riveria inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, well, Bell recently gained magic and was rather eager to use it, so we're testing it out in the Dungeon." Sora explained.

"I see. I suppose congrats are in order, seeing how attaining Magic is an ability not many could gain." Riveria noted. "Nonetheless, be careful with your magic usage as well. If you continue to use it without any second thought, you'll end up with Mind Down." Riveria warned.

""Mind Down?"" both Bell and Sora repeated with confused look.

Riveria blinked at this. She understood Bell not knowing about it due to his newfound magic, but Sora as well? Was he not educated by this?

"Mind down is a state that you enter when you use up all of your magic. You temporarily become unconscious for a period of time. It's a rather dangerous state to enter, considering that it leaves you wide open to any danger in the Dungeon. It's rather fortunate that your friend is accompanying you to test our your magic." Riveria explained.

Bell paled a bit when he learned about this. He could only imagine if he did this on his own without Sora, and how he would recklessly keep on using his spell to the point of running out. He can only consider himself lucky that Sora came with him.

Meanwhile, hearing this was rather surprising to Sora. To think you would enter an unconscious state if you used up all of your magic. That's never happened to him before, and there were plenty of times when Sora ran out of magic to use.

The only time that anyone has ever passed out from using all of their magic was Donald unleashing his Zettaflare spell, but that was considered very unique circumstances.

"I see. Well, it's a good thing I came along with Bell then. Thanks telling us, um..." Sora trailed off, not knowing her name.

"Ah, pardon me. My name is Riveria Ljos Alf, a pleasure to make your acquittance." Riveria introduced herself.

"Riveria, got it." Sora said while nodding, while patting Bell on the shoulder. "Thanks for the warning. See Bell? Told you that you should've saved up your magic."

"R-Right..." Bell muttered in embarrassment. Sora gave a slight chuckle.

"Well in any case, do you mind if I ask what you're doing down here at this time?" Sora curiously asked.

"We've recently taken care of some business down in the Dungeon, and we're currently heading back to our home." Riveria simply explained.

"That so? Well, Bell and I are going to head out as well. Might as well head out together since we're all heading in the same direction." Sora suggested with a grin while crossing his arms behind his head.

"I'm not opposed to the idea. Ais?" Riveria asked while turning her head towards Ais.

Ais silently nodded.

And with that, everyone decided to head out together. As they were, Bell was subtly glancing towards Ais, his cheeks reddening a bit at the sight of her. Meanwhile, Riveria was giving subtle glances towards Sora.

'So this is the boy Ais and the other encountered at Monsterphilia...' Riveria thought.

She could remember some conversations in the past with Ais, Loki, and the others. How Loki looked pretty peeved and confused while muttering how she missed out on a very prospective recruit. How Tiona and Tione were talking about the performances of this magic shield. How Ais looked a bit contemplative about something regarding Sora.

And now the talk of the Loki Familia is right before her.

Her first impressions of the boy is that he's rather friendly and amicable, but surprisingly lacking in knowledge on an aspect of magic. She could certainly understand why the boy before her is a mystery. Even she's a bit curious on this supposed newbie adventurer, who could fight on par with an abnormal violas. Though it may have to do with the fact of the magic shield helping him, but even that doesn't explain his overall abilities, like a short chant healing spell.

'Very mysterious indeed...' Riveria mentally remarked.

However, she noticed Sora and Bell turning their heads towards a particular dead end that was at the end of the halls.

"Oh hey Bell, isn't that the spot where we first met?" Sora pointed out while pointing towards that particular dead end, breaking Bell out of his glances towards Ais. Bell looked toward the spot, and he winced a bit at the memory.

"O-Oh yeah, that spot. It's rather odd how we didn't see this area up until now..." Bell commented with a bit of bewilderment.

"Well, when you're running away from a minotaur, you tend to disregard which direction you're taking. I guess we kind of ignored this spot since we knew the fast route through the fifth floor..." Sora remarked.

Both Riveria and Ais blinked when they heard Sora's remark, and Riveria immediately turned to Sora.

"Hold on, did you say minotaur?" Riveria questioned, making Sora blink at the question.

"Well, yeah. I was...exploring the Dungeon, then I heard Bell's screams, and found him being cornered by a minotaur. Luckily, I managed to get him out of that pinch." Sora explained. He then blinked when he saw Ais and Riveria winced upon hearing this while looking a bit ashamed. "Something wrong?"

"About that..." Ais quietly started.

"You see, during that day, we were making our way out of the Dungeon. However, along the way, we ran into a pack of minotaurs. The minotaurs ended up breaking out and ran away from us, spreading out through the upper floors. We weren't able to stop all of them in time, considering how one slipped through cracks, and it ended up endangering your fellow Familia member." Riveria explained while looking a bit ashamed.

"Oh...so that explains why the minotaur was up on the upper floor..." Sora muttered in recognition, with Bell quietly nodding alongside him.

It was then Riveria gave a slight bow to Sora and Bell in a gesture of apology, something that caught the two off guard.

"I can only apologize on behalf of the Loki Familia for what has occurred." Riveria apologized.

"P-Please don't apologize! Everything turned out fine in the end!" Bell frantically said while waving his arms around.

"Even so, you got caught up in our own blunder. And if I recall correctly, you contributed in helping Ais and the others out during Monsterphillia, and had to give up a magic shield. I'd imagine you could've saved that shield for something more useful in the Dungeon. So this is a debt we cannot allow to go unpaid. As such, we're ready to compensate you with what you desire, so long as it's within our ability." Riveria told them.

Now Sora gave a very uncomfortable look. He feels guilty that they are fooled into believing that he had to give up a valuable Magic Sword, but in reality, Sora can easily just access that Formchange whenever he wants to with no limit.

So they're getting worked up over nothing.

Both Sora and Bell gave each other concerned and unsure looks, not sure on what to make of this situation. They don't really begrudge the Loki Familia on what occurred.

"Well...even if you say that..." Bell trailed off while scratching the back of his head.

"It's really hard on what to exactly demand from you guys." Sora finished while scratching the back of his head.

"Is that so...?" Riveria said while frowning a bit. While it's relieving that the two don't begrudge them for what happened, it also makes things difficult on how to make it up as well.

Ais was silently starting at the two, feeling the guilt gnaw at her. It was her fault that Bell almost died to a monster, and she wished to amend for those mistakes.

Yet at the same time, she was very curious about Sora. He's a strange adventurer, someone who able to stand up to an abnormal violas despite being Level 1, even if you take into account of the magic shield.

That guilty and curiosity made her decide to kill two birds with one stone.

"Perhaps...I can offer lessons in fighting would help?" Ais offered, making everyone turn to her in surprise.

"L-Lessons...from you...!?" Bell repeated while looking shocked upon hearing this.

Sora looked at her for a short moment, before he gave a grin as he crossed his arms behind his head.

"Sure, we don't mind." Sora easily accepted.

"S-Sora!?" Bell turned to Sora in shock.

"Well, why not? You're constantly learning from me and a bunch of other people.. I'm sure it doesn't hurt to learn from others as well. Fighting a bunch of different people has helped me learn and grow. And they get to, um, make up for what they did, so it works for everyone." Sora explained, though was a bit hesitant on describing the last part.

In his view, fighting lessons aren't that drastic or that extreme on repaying a debt. There's no need for repayment of valis, something that wants to avoid, as he feels like a scammer. Plus it'll help Bell grow stronger, which is a plus.

"Ais, you are comfortable doing this?" Riveria asked with a raised eyebrow, wanting to make sure Ais isn't forcing herself in an uncomfortable situation.

Ais silently nodded at her.

Seeing the resolute look in her eyes simply made the elf give a small sigh.

"Well, if you're all fine with it, then I suppose you can go ahead with it. Just be sure to keep this privately between yourselves. We don't want our Familia to dragged into something like this." Riveria told them.

The Sword Princess silently nodded once more.

With that agreement made between everyone, they finally made it back to the surface, and made their plans for the future.


~ Break ~


When the two Familias departed, Sora and Bell were making their way back home. Along the way, Sora turned to Bell with a raised eyebrow.

"So Bell, what was up with you freezing all of a sudden?" Sora curiously asked.

The question caught Bell off guard, and Bell looked very flustered upon being asked this.

"O-Oh, um, i-it's nothing really!" Bell stuttered in a flustered state.

Sora narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Really now? I'm sure it wasn't your magic acting up, otherwise you would've gone unconscious. You didn't use too much of your magic, and it happened when Ais and Riveria arrived..." Sora noted.

"I-I'm sure you're imaging things..." Bell tried to wave off, really wanting Sora to not notice.

Unfortunately, Sora wasn't that easy to deter. Instead, Sora just gave a narrowed eye look towards Bell, his mind trying to figure things out.

'Becomes dazed...cheeks gone red...happened the moment Ais and Riveria arrived...become rather tongue twisted around them...' Sora mentally recollected.

Suddenly, all of them began to connect with each other, and a realization was forming inside Sora's head. A mental ding was made when he finally reached his conclusion.

Sora slowly grew a sly smirk on his face.

"Oh, I see what's going on..." Sora started with a knowing tone.

Bell didn't like that tone at all, and he knew what Sora was implying. His cheeks burned a lot more redder than before.

"I-It's really not like that!" Bell tried to deny once more, but sadly, it fell on deaf ears as Sora was giving an understanding nod.

"Don't worry Bell, there's nothing wrong with having someone special inside of your heart." Sora said with a teasing smirk. "Though I certainly didn't expect love at first sight, heh heh..."

Bell wanted to scream and run away in embarrassment. But even he knew that Sora can easily catch up to him.

Sora just gave a wink and thumbs up towards Bell.

"Don't worry Bell! You have my full support for this kind of thing! I'll even help you get closer to her!" Sora reassured.

'Please don't...!' Bell thought in horror. His own Heart couldn't take it being near Ais. Now Sora is going to intervene and control the pace of their relationship!?

Bell felt a piece of his soul leave him, a part of him regretting on wanting to test out his magic in the Dungeon at this time. But the damage is already done.


~ Break ~


Hestia stirred awake from her slumber, and she gave a small yawn while stretching her body as she sat up from her bed. When she finally opened her eyes, she was greeted with the sight of a sleepy Bell and Sora trying to wake themselves up.

"What's wrong you two? You didn't get enough sleep last night?" Hestia asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I-I guess you could say that..." Sora weakly chuckled.

"Y-Yeah, all the excitement about my magic was pretty hard to fall asleep to..." Bell nervously stuttered.

Hestia raised an eyebrow at the two, but decided to move onto more important things.

"Well, you'll get your chance today Bell. Sora, you better get ready for today's meeting!" Hestia said as she went to their bathroom and started to freshen herself up for the day.

"Right!"

And with that, everyone began preparing. As they were preparing, however, Sora caught a glimpse of the book Bell read last night, and curiously took hold of it.

'So this is the book that Bell read to learn magic. I wonder what they teach inside this book-' Sora thought as he curiously opened the book and began flipping through the pages.

However, Sora could only blink when he found nothing inside the book. It was completely blank.

"Hey Bell...how did you learn magic from this book? It's completely blank..." Sora asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Blank?" Bell repeated with a confused look. "What do you mean by blank? It had passages that were in-" Bell stopped himself when he found himself looking at a bunch of blank pages as well.

"Wha...?" Bell muttered in bewilderment and confusion. "How did...?"

The two looked at the book in confusion, and Hestia soon walked into the room and saw the two's expression.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Hestia questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, it's nothing really. I just wanted to look at the book Bell used to learn about magic, but it's completely blank. Even Bell doesn't know." Sora told her.

Hestia blinked at what she heard. "Wait, really? Let me take a look at this book."

When Sora handed it to her, Hestia began looking through the blank contents of the book. As she was go through the pages, her eyes slowly widened.

"Bell...what were you doing before I updated your status...?" Hestia asked with dread.

"I was reading that book to learn about magic. Why are you asking about that?" Bell asked in confusion.

"Because what you've read is a Grimoire." Hestia told him, making the two looked confused on what they're told.

"What's that?" Sora asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A grimoire is basically magical item that grants its reader to be able to use magic. It can only be made by someone who has two Developmental Abilities, which is basically, a Level 3. This type of magic item is so rare and valuable, that it's typically sold to the highest bidder, with its price rivaling or surpassing Hephastois's works." Hesita explained with a grim look.

Bell's eyes widened in shock, while Sora just owlishly blinked when he heard this.

"Surpassing the price of Lady Hephastois's weapons..." Bell squeaked in shock and horror.

"...I never knew learning magic was that expensive. I gotta be thankful that Merlin didn't charge for his magic lessons...or charge for his furniture being used as test dummies..." Sora muttered while blinking incredulously at the book.

"And that's not all. Once the Grimoire is read, it loses its power. It's nothing more than a useless stack of papers before you." Hestia told the two.

Bell paled horrifically upon hearing this.

"B-But this was just an item that was lost at the pub...! I didn't know...!" Bell whispered in horror.

"Listen you two! You should keep quiet on what has happened in this very room! If you do come across the original owner of the book, simply tell him or her that it was blank before you took the book! They should never know!" Hestia told the two.

"B-But I can't lie about that! This is...!" Bell stuttered with shock.

"Listen to me Bell! This world isn't sunshine and flowers! There will be times where you'll be met with the cruelness of reality! You don't want to fall into a debt that will take years to pay off!" Hestia told Bell, before she slowly turned to Sora. "Unless..."

Sora frowned as he began searching through his pockets.

"Unfortunately, I just gave away all of my Synthesis materials. I mean, I do have this." Sora said as he took out the Omega Arts accessory. "It's pretty handy to be honest. It boosts your overall health, strength, and defenses. I don't have any use for it though, so perhaps we could try selling it." Sora said.

Hestia and Bell looked at the item in surprise. Hestia look like she struck gold, before she slowly deflated upon realizing something.

"I-I can't believe I'm saying this, but as impressive as that item is, it's nowhere near as impressive as a Grimoire..." Hestia admitted with defeat.

"That so...?" Sora muttered, before he turned to Bell. "Hey Bell, you want this? It's pretty handy."

Bell paused a bit when he looked at the Omega Arts. It did seem like a very handy accessory to wear. And yet...

"As much as I would love to...I think I should stick with what I have. The Forest Clasp and Fire Cufflink are very important, and the Hero's Glove helped me deal with the elemental Heartless..." Bell answered.

"I see. Well, I'll keep hold of this then. I'm sure you'll be able to wear this once you grow further." Sora said as he pocketed the item.

Bell gave a worried look. "Still, this isn't something that we should do..."

"Believe me Bell, we already have enough on our plate as it is. We can't afford to fall into another debt. I'm already working on repaying that debt with Hephastois." Hestia grumbled, before she turned to Sora.

"Speaking of Hephastois, I'm kind of wondering what she has to ask you about Sora. She didn't tell me the specifics on why she wants to talk with you." Hestia told Sora.

"I'm sure it's nothing too serious. Probably something minor about the Gummiship." Sora waved off with a laid back grin.


~ Break ~


"I'm going to ask this bluntly: What are Gummi blocks, how are they made, and where do you acquire them?" Hephastois immediately questioned.

The two weren't expected to be bombarded with questions the moment they arrived at Hephastois's office. Sora could only blink in astonishment at the questions he was asked, while Hestia broke out of her stupor and stepped in front of Sora while waving her arms.

"Woah woah, slow down for a moment!" Hestia said. "Who the hell starts are conversation like that!? We just got here! Can we, at the very least, get an explanation of why you're asking these questions in the first place!?"

Hephastois stared at Hestia for a short moment, before she gave a small aggravated sigh while pinching the bridge of her nose.

"*Sigh*...No matter how hard I try to figure out the functions of the Gummiship, it's just...completely impossible to figure out and comprehend! I've tried to look up every single material that works similar to the Gummiship, but it's not matching up with it. The only way to forge this Gummiship is with this so called Gummi blocks." Hephastois explained to the two with a frustrated look.

It's a complete bullshit that no matter how hard she tried to figure it out, she cannot substitute these so called Gummi blocks with any other material. The only way she can accomplish on making the Gummiship is with this material alone. And considering that Sora rode in one, he must have some idea or context behind them.

"That is why I'm asking Sora on what these Gummi blocks are. I know you aren't involved with the creation of it, but you should have some kind of knowledge about these Gummi blocks, considering that you rode in one." Hephastois told Sora.

"W-Well..." Sora nervously trailed off while trying to think of a way on how to explain Gummi blocks.

"Please, even the smallest bit of context or explanation could give me some insight or a clue on how to make this Gummiship." Hephastois told Sora.

Sora looked a bit tongue tied when told this, while Hestia gave a small frown.

"Well, that in itself is a long-" Hestia started.

"-and complicated story. I'm WELL aware of that." Hephastois cut off with an irked tone. "But I'm pushed up against the wall here. I've done everything I can to try and understand what is going on, but I'm going nowhere with this. The only thing I can do at this point is get some kind of explanation from Sora to help me understand where to start." Hephastois said.

Sora and Hestia shared concerned and unsure looks with each other.

Hephastois noticed this their looks, and gave a small sigh.

"Look, I understand that everyone is privy to their own secrets and business, and I won't butt into that. However, I'm in need of some kind of context to know what exactly this vehicle is. How it's built. When it came into fruition. Why it's possible in the first place. I need some information to help me. Because if I don't have the information, I'm not able work on building the Gummiship that you need to find your way back home." Hephastois told them.

Silence was made in the room.

Hestia bit her lip a bit, feeling very conflicted on what to do in this situation. She was really hoping this didn't come to pass, but unfortunately, luck was not on their side. Hephastois was no longer willing to put up with her dodging the question. And even worse, even if she refuses to answer, then the Gummiship won't be built, which means Sora wouldn't be able to return back to his home.

She really needs to figure out how to hide Sora's secret status while giving Hephastois a satisfying answer...!

"Hestia, I think we should tell her." Sora declared.

'Oh for the love of Tenkai!' Hestia mentally screamed in frustration.

Hestia's eyebrow twitched heavily, and turned to Sora with an incredulous expression. She gave an aggravated sigh as she gestured a 'give us a minute' to Hephastois as she dragged Sora away from the Goddess of the Forge, and then dragged him down to her level.

"Sora, are you serious!? We were pushing it with Ganesha and the Heartless, Loki is already starting to pick up a few things, and now you just want to reveal your status just like that!? This is World Order we're talking about here!" Hestia stressed while whispering to Sora.

"I know that, but...honestly, we're out of options. Hephastois has tried everything to figure out the Gummiship, but even she couldn't figure it out. I was kind of hoping for her to make materials similar to the Gummi blocks, but it appears that's not the case. So really, I got nothing else to lose at this point other than tell her the truth." Sora explained.

"Nothing to lose?" Hestia repeated with disbelief. "Sora, listen to yourself here! We're supposed to limit as much attention and knowledge about you as possible! The less people know, the better! Or do you want the Gods to come knocking at our doorstep and practically demand you to join them!?"

"I'm aware of that, but I'm confident on one thing though." Sora said while looking resolute on what he's going to do.

"And what is that?"

"Hephastois is your friend, isn't she? You two trust each other right? So just trust in keeping the secret between us, and the Gods won't know." Sora simply told her like it was the easiest solution in the world.

Hestia gave a look of disbelief towards Sora.

That kind of logic was so...simple minded!

It wasn't even ground breaking logic or reasoning.

It was just on pure trust and faith alone!

Hestia should honestly just write Sora's answer, but hearing that made her pause for a bit.

She and Hephastois are friends. They've confided with each other on some private matters, and Hephastois hasn't betrayed her trust even once. Sure, Hephastois kicked her out because she was constantly mooching off of her and may have refused her request if not for Sora's materials, but Hephastois is willing to help out when she can. She gave Hestia a home to sleep in, and went above and beyond forging Bell's weapon, and hasn't spread any information regarding Sora. She's also been very respective of Sora's business as well, not one to be privy towards it...up until now that is.

If she wanted to, Hestia wouldn't mind sharing this kind of information with Hephastois if she wasn't so hung up on preserving World Order. She can trust the Forge Goddess with this kind of information, because of the fact that they're friends.

She also wants Sora to be return back to his home and be reunited with his friends, as the concept of a home is within her domain. She needs Hephastois's expertise in order to achieve this.

It was upon recalling all of this that made Hestia give a tired and exasperated sigh.

"...*Sigh*...why do I even bother at this point?" Hestia groaned while rubbing her forehead.

"So we're going to tell her?" Sora wanted to clarify.

"We have no other choice at this point, otherwise you'll never find your way home." Hestia admitted.

With that decision in mind, Sora and Hestia made their way towards Hephastois.

"So after some discussion, I feel that it's time to tell you the truth regarding Sora." Hestia told the Forge Goddess.

"Truth about Sora? What exactly do you mean by that?" Hephastois asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, you wanted to know the context, right? Well knowing the truth about Sora will give you the context that you need. It's just...Sora, you tell her. I have a feeling that if I said it, she wouldn't believe me." Hestia told Sora.

"What's so unbelievable about Sora? Honestly, I thought I've seen everything after trying to comprehend the Gummiship." Hephastois responded with a raised eyebrow.

Hestia gave her a look of pity, as if she's about to witness her friend walk into hell. She then gestured to Sora to get it over with.

Sora gave a sheepish chuckle while scratching his cheek.

"Well...to start things off, I'm not from this World."

The moment Sora declared that, silence was made throughout the entire office.

Hephastois stayed silent for a moment staring at Sora, before she squinted in confusion and disbelief.

"...Come again?"


~ Break ~


'Ignorance is truly bliss...' Hephastois thought, truly believing that proverb had a lot of weight. She was currently sitting on desk chair while covering her face with both of her palms.

She's having the world's most massive headache right now. Far more bigger than any headache she felt in her life.

They truly weren't kidding when they said that it's a long and complicated story. She thought they were over exaggerating, and the context regarding Sora would be simple and clean.

She's was wrong.

So horribly wrong.

And the worst part was that she was literally asking for it.

Be careful what you wish for indeed.

"This...This is a lot to take in." Hephastois muttered.

"Now you know how I feel..." Hestia flatly remarked while giving a flat look towards Sora.

Sora could only blink at the sight.

"...Is my story that complicated...?" Sora muttered while scratching the back of his head. Sure, there's a lot of information, but it's not that hard to understand.

"YES!" Hestia immediately replied with annoyance. "Sora, you have to realize that nobody else can replicate on what you went through! Nobody on this world can even match up with even a quarter of your story!"

"...Huh." Sora lets out while looking a bit dumbfounded.

"'Huh', he says. Honestly..." Hestia said while palming her face, before she turned to Hephastois.

"Well...now you know everything about Sora. So what do you honestly think?" Hestia asked.

"What do I think? I think I need a drink after hearing everything from Sora's mouth." Hephastois groaned while rubbing her forehead. "But besides that, I finally understand why you were intent on keeping this a secret. It's something not to be taken lightly. To think someone beyond our World has ended up here, and he's asking me to make a vehicle that's capable of surpassing all of transportation on this world. Ridiculous doesn't even describe the situation we're in right now."

"Speaking of vehicle, now that you have the context about Sora and everything about him, do you think you're able to make progress?" Hestia questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Hephastois went silent while folding her fingers together. She gave a rather tired and exhausted sigh.

"...I'm going to be completely honest. After learning everything from Sora, this whole project seems like it's impossible to complete." Hephastois admitted. "I mean, a vehicle that's capable of traveling beyond Tenkai and Gekai? No God has managed to achieve such a thing, even back in Tenkai. It baffles me how two mortal engineers were able to achieve something that surpasses a God's capabilities." Hephastois remarked.

"For even you to admit this is an impossible project to achieve...it goes to show how ridiculous the Worlds are beyond our World." Hestia muttered with a troubled look.

"Honestly, our best shot is using my Arcanum to even have a chance at forging it. But even I have skepticism on the chance of it succeeding." Hephastois told her.

"So it's not possible...?" Sora said with worry.

Hephastois softly frowned.

"I would say yes, but our best chance to build your Gummiship is to get these so called Gummi blocks. How do you get them in the first place?" Hephastois asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well...I remember reading a report made by Ansem regarding the Gummiblocks..." Sora remarked while thinking back on the reports Ansem made.

"According to the reports made by Ansem, these Gummi blocks appear when the door leading to a world's heart is opened, the wall that protects that world collapses. From there, the Gummi blocks appear in that world. The nature and origin of Gummi blocks is what allows Gummiships to travel to other worlds." Sora recalled.

Hephastois and Hesia gave an incredulous blink upon hearing this.

"So what you're telling me...is that you need to find our World's Heart, and open the door to it?" Hephastois repeated with a look of disbelief.

"I'm still trying to comprehend that our World has a Heart like the rest of us..." Hestia groaned.

"That's what the reports say." Sora told them, but gave a troubled look. "Even if that was the case, I have no idea where the door to this World's Heart even is."

"You're going to have to search all over our World if you want to find the door to it. And that's going to take a while..." Hestia groaned, thinking that this is going to be a wild goose chase on finding the whereabouts of the door to their World's heart.

"Yeah, it's going to take a while. And even if I did find it, I don't think it's a good idea to open it. The door leading to a World's Heart is supposed to be locked and closed to prevent Heartless from reaching it. If I did open it, then that would just risk the Heartless entering into the door and consume the World's Heart, and well...you know the rest." Sora explained while scratching the back of his head.

"...Noted." Hephastois muttered while rubbing her forehead at the information she's been given.

Her mind is still spinning at the fact that the Heartless are capable of destroying the World with ease if they can find this World's Heart. The Heartless are dangerous monsters indeed, far more than any other monster that their World has spawned. Even surpassing the One-Eye Black Dragon.

It was also rather frightening how Sora literally has the power to just find this World's Heart, and just sink it into Darkness if he wanted to. But she learned how Sora is a Guardian of Light, and has protected the universe from total destruction for a total of three times. So she won't have to worry about Sora going rogue.

'...No wonder they want to keep this all under wraps. If this were to be spread out to everyone on this world, everyone is going to hunt after Sora for his powers, or try to get rid of him for the potential threat that he shows...' Hephastois thought while looking at Sora.

"So I guess the project is off then...?" Sora said while looking rather bummed to learn about all of this. Hephastois sighed while leaning against her chair.

"To be honest, without these so called Gummi blocks, I honestly can't make your ship. I'll have to leave it up to you to find these materials. Right now, based on what you told me, you can only get these if you find this door to this world's Heart and open it, but even that in itself is going to be a rather difficult task." Hephastois told him.

"But that just risks the Heartless going for the door..." Sora muttered while scratching the back of his head, before he gave a small sigh. "Well, I'll figure that out once I get there. Right now, I can't exactly afford to leave this World just yet. There are Heartless appearing in this World, and it's my duty as a Keyblade wielder to get rid of them so they won't endanger anyone." Sora told the Forge Goddess.

"Is that so? Well then, that certainly takes off a due date off my back then. I'll leave the Heartless matter up to you then. I'll just warn my children about these dark creatures and stay clear of them so you can do your duty. And rest assured, what you just told me will not leave this room. I'll keep this a secret just like you and Hestia are doing." Hephastois told him.

"I greatly appreciate it." Sora thanked with a grin. "Is there anything else you want to talk about other than the Gummiship, Lady Hephastois?"

Hephastois went silent for a bit, before she gave a small sigh while shaking her head.

"No...nothing else comes to mind." Hephastois said.

Hestia stood up from her seat as well while giving a small sigh.

"Right. In any case, we'll get going then. We'll keep you updated on whatever we find to help you build the Gummiship." Hestia told her, making Hephastois nod at her.

Before they could do anything else, the door to their room suddenly opened, making everyone turn their head to see who it was.

"Tsubaki? What are you doing here?" Hephastois asked with a raised eyebrow as she watched the Captain of her Familia walk into the office.

Tsubaki looked rather miffed for some reason.

"Hey Lady Hephastois, I just came to ask you about something regarding the synthesis materials." Tsubaki told her.

"What about them?"

Seeing this, Hestia turned to Sora while tugging on his shirt.

"C'mon Sora, we better leave. This is a business matter between-" Hestia told Sora.

However, the moment Hestia said Sora's name, it immediately made the Captain of the Hephastois Familia snap her head towards the two.

"Hold on a moment. Did you just call him Sora?" Tsubaki immediately questioned.

Sora and Hestia blinked at the question, before he slowly raised his hand and pointed it at himself.

"Um...that's me. Can I help you with something...?" Sora asked with a raised eyebrow.

Tsubaki's eye glinted while giving a small smirk as soon as she identified the person before her. Something that Hestia saw and greatly unsettled her.

'I don't like that look in her eye...' Hestia thought while grimacing.

"Well now, you're a tricky person to find. I figured I would find you around our shops, concerning how our Goddesses are friends with one another, but you were never around. I was starting to think that you weren't in need of weapons. But never mind that, I finally found you." Tsubaki declared with a smirk.

"You're looking for me? Why is that?" Sora asked with a raised eyebrow while pointing at himself.

"Well, for one, you're the one who gave those special materials to us as payment for this special vehicle, right?" Tsubaki wanted to clarify.

"Well yeah, gotta find a way to pay it off." Sora answered.

"I see...well now, I certainly have an interesting deal for the both of us. A special deal to come your way while we work on the Gummiship." Tsubaki offered.

"A deal?" Sora repeated with a confused look. "And what exactly does this entail...?

Tsubaki gave a smirk as she placed her hand on her hips.

"It's simple. I'll become your personal blacksmith and set you up with the best weapons and equipment that you could find at the best prices. In return, whatever special materials that you find is what you give to me. It's a win-win situation for the both of us." Tsubaki offered.

"The Captain of the Hephastois Familia...wants to become your personal blacksmith...!?" Hestia whispered in shock.

Meanwhile in the background, Hephastois sighed, clearly seeing Tsubaki's intentions here.

The Synthesis Materials given by Sora was practically a must have for any smith in her Familia. Their value equaled to that of pure Adamantite or even Orichalcum if she was being completely honest. As such, there was a lot of competition on who gets the material. Tsubaki is no different.

And Tsubaki has the right idea of channeling the synthesis materials to her, as being a personal Blacksmith means you have exclusive access to whatever their contracted Adventurer brings in. And that means Tsubaki has access to a majority of the synthesis materials to herself.

The offer itself was something any Adventurer would envy, as Tsubaki's skills in forging weapons and armor is considered the best of the best.

It was an offer that no one is willing to turn down.

Sora stared at her with a bit of surprise, and then proceeded to give his signature friendly grin.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm happy with what I have!" Sora declined.

The room immediately fell into silence the moment those words left Sora's mouth. The atmosphere felt frozen, and one could hear the metaphysical glass cracking.

Tsubaki could only be frozen still, and a blink stare appeared from her expression.

"...What?" was all Tsubaki could respond with.

Hephastois gave another sigh upon seeing this. She really should've expected this, yet at the same time, seeing it in person is just another thing entirely.

After all, this is Sora they're talking about.

Sora still kept up his friendly grin.

"I really appreciate the offer, but I'm happy with the equipment I have." Sora clarified, and attempted to walk past her. "Well, I gotta get going. Bell and Lili are waiting for me-"

"Now hold on just a second!"

Tsubaki immediately grabbed Sora by the shoulder and promptly turned him around to face her.

"What do you mean by happy with what you have!? You mean to tell me that your equipment is up to your standards!?" Tsubaki questioned while looking rather appalled.

"Um...yeah...?" Sora answered with a confused look.

Tsubaki stared at Sora for a bit, before she looked him up and down.

"...Is...Is this your equipment when going into the Dungeon...?" Tsubaki questioned.

"Yes...?" Sora answered once more with a confused look.

"...I think you're overestimating yourself here." Tsubaki said with a frown. "I've been told that you're a Level 1. And Level 1's like you need the proper armor and equipment to tackle the Dungeon. A lot of Adventurers wear armor when going into the Dungeon! You're just waltzing straight into the Dungeon with these strange clothes!? I understand Amazons and their lack of armor, but you're practically asking for a death wish!"

"Hey, I'll have you know that these clothes have some very good protection, thank you very much! I don't need any metal to cover me up!" Sora protested.

And he should know, considering the fact that he took plenty of hits from heavy hitting opponents, and managed to come out fine, more or less. There's also the fact that his own equipment provides him plenty of defensive buffs.

"Must be awfully confident if you think that your lack of armor means you aren't going to be hit." Tsubaki told Sora with an unamused look. "Even if that was the case, it doesn't hurt to have armor! Even light weight armor if you prefer mobility! All it takes is one good hit and you're dead, especially since you're a Level 1! If you were a Level 5 or 6, I understand the risks, considering how I go into the Dungeon without that much armor as well. But a Level 1 needs armor to survive!"

Logically speaking, what Tsubaki is saying is true. No Level 1 is willing to walk straight into the Dungeon without any sort of protection on them. The more you Level Up, the more your endurance has increased, to the point where a hit to your body is certainly negligible.

Sora, however, is the definition of defying common sense.

"...Still a no." Sora answered, much to Tsubaki's consternation.

"Gah, fine, but what about weapons? Are you seriously telling me that you're turning down high quality weapons or magic swords at your disposal?" Tsubaki questioned, hoping that Sora would see reason to that.

Unfortunately, Sora simply shook his head.

"Nah, I'm good in that as well. I'm happy with the weapons I got." Sora answered with confidence. After all, his Keyblades are practically infinite use magic swords, and add to the fact that his magic swords are a lot more special compared to this World's magic swords.

His answer only caused Tsubaki even more annoyed upon hearing this.

"You mean to tell me that your weapons are already up to par with other high class weapons and magic swords?" Tsubaki questioned, which made Sora pause a bit at that particular question.

"...I guess you could say that..." Sora awkwardly answered.

"And where exactly are you getting these top notch weapons? Is it from the Goibniu Familia?" Tsubaki further questioned.

"First time hearing about them..." Sora responded while scratching the back of his head.

"Then who-?"

"Alright, that's enough!" Hestia interjected as she stepped in between the two. She began to notice Tsubaki's questions are starting to get too detailed for her liking, especially when it comes to Sora and his Keyblade.

"Sora said no, so take a hint! He's not accepting any blacksmiths!" Hestia told her, before she began shoving Sora outside the room. "Sora! Why don't you get going and meet up with Bell!? He's waiting for you, isn't he!? I'll continue talking with Hephastois!" Hestia stressed while telling Sora to get the hell out of here with her eyes.

"R-Right. I'll see you later then!" Sora responded while hurriedly exiting the room and building.

"Wait, you can't just leave just yet! C'mon, let me have a peek at your weapon to see what's so special-!" Tsubaki called out as she chased after Sora, all the while ignoring Hestia that was grabbing onto her and trying to drag her away with little to no results.

Hephastois watched all of this unfold before her, and then proceeded give a long exhausted sigh while palming her face, feeling another headache forming.

"His presence is already causing such a stir amongst my Familia, and he's not even a part of it..." Hephastois muttered tiredly.


~ Break ~


"Lili is wondering where Sora is..." Lili muttered.

"Sora will be here soon Lili. He's just getting a meeting done is all." Bell reassured Lili while keeping his eyes glued on the Gummiphone.

Right now, he's watching the data regarding Riku and his usage of Dark Firaga magic. It amazed Bell that Riku can just fire off a volley of Dark Firaga projectiles while they home in on their targets, completely overwhelming the target in dark fire.

Bell could only wonder what his Light Firaga is capable of in comparison. Based on what he knows last night, he only seems to fire off a single bolt of Light Firaga, and they're capable of of homing in on the target.

'If only I could pull off what Riku could pull off...' Bell thought, wishing that he can perform on the same length as Riku. But he'll have to work with what he's got.

Bell honestly believes that he can't learn much from Riku in terms of magic, considering how their Dark Firaga and Light Firaga are total opposites.

Bell decided to scroll through the data once more and see if he can find anyone else.

'I wonder if there are any other fire users I can learn from...' Bell thought as he scrolled through the data, before he came across one particular person. He could only blink when he saw the person before him.

'...Axel...' Bell thought, tapping onto the icon that represents Axel and decided to have a look at his data.

Lili could only look at Bell with a confused look on her face. Just what was Bell looking at that caused him to fixate his stare on that weird tablet in his hand?

Before she could ponder any further, the two heard a familiar voice.

"Hey guys, hope I'm not late!"

The two looked up and saw Sora running up to them. They both blinked when they saw a rather hurried look on his face.

"Sora? Is something...?" Bell asked with concern, as the facial expression is something he doesn't see on Sora.

"No time to explain! Let's just get going into the Dungeon...!" Sora hastily said as he began pushing them towards Babel tower.

"W-Wait a second, what's with the hurry...?" Lili asked with confusion.

"I'll explain it to you later!"

If they stuck around the area a bit longer, they would've been spotted by a certain Captain of the Hephastois Familia, wondering where the heck Sora is.


~ Break ~


After Sora and company made it into the Dungeon and properly explained on what just happened, they managed to return to their usual routine of seeking out the Heartless in the Dungeon. Once they've arrived at the ninth floor of the Dungeon, the Heartless began to appear once more, and it was the perfect time for Bell to practice his newfound magic.

"Firebolt!" Bell fired off a bolt of Light Firaga towards a Barrel Spider Heartless, catching the the Heartless on fire as it was scurrying around to get the fire off. However, the Light Firaga proved to be highly effective against the Heartless, as it soon exploded, catching the other Heartless in its explosion.

"Alright...!" Bell muttered, feeling accomplishment that his magic is working, and how he took out a large chunk of their numbers out with a single blast.

Now that he has magic in his arsenal, he can truly pick up the pace in dealing with the Heartless. No longer does he have to rely on his own physical skills and throwing knives, but magic to make the difference. Although, he still needs to keep in mind on not to recklessly use the magic, lest he risks a Mind Down.

"Master Bell, on your left!" Lili called out while firing off another one of her arrows to pelt the the Pot Spider and Barrel Spider Heartless.

Bell immediately performed a side flip avoiding a pounce from a Pot Spider Heartless. As Bell was midair, he immediately threw one of his Trancheuse and immediately landed in the lone eye of the Barrel Spider Heartless, making it shriek and stumble around as its vision was taken away.

When Bell landed on the ground, he immediately spun himself to deliver a strong slash to a Pot Spider Heartless, breaking apart its outer shell and slashing the Heartless inside of it, killing the Heartless. He the jumped into the air to avoid a pounce from a Barrel Spider Heartless, and landed on top of it.

Bell balanced himself as he once again took out another set of Trancheuse knives once more, this time sheathing his Hestia Knife while using both of his hands to hold the Trancheuse knives. He then threw the knives once more, this time, with all of the knives striking each of the Heartless, incapacitating them.

The Barrel and Pot Spider Heartless attempted to pounce on Bell on top of the Barrel Spider Heartless, but Bell saw them coming as he hopped off the Barrel Spider Heartless, resulting in the Barrel Spider Heartless being dogpiled by its fellow Heartless. Once he was in mid air, Bell turned and pointed his hand towards the dogpile of Barrel and Pot Spider Heartless.

"Firebolt!"

A streak of white fire erupted from his hand once more, and the Light Firaga has impacted the Heartless, incinerating the Heartless in the process.

Once Bell landed on the ground, he didn't stop for a single moment as he took out his two main knives once more, ready to take on the already incoming wave of Pot and Barrel Spider Heartless.

Just as Bell and Lili were dealing with the Pot and Barrel Spider Heartless, Sora was certainly having his hands full. Because he was the main attention of the Heartless, Sora was being surrounded in all directions of the Pot and Barrel Spider Heartless.

"I swear, I do not want to see another creepy crawly after all of this is over!" Sora groaned in annoyance as he decimated another wave of Pot Spider Heartless with a single stroke, and then side stepped as a Pot Spider Heartless attempted to pounce on him, only to be met with slash from Sora's Kingdom Key.

Sora then proceeded to perform a Circle Raid to give himself space and from being surrounded by the Heartless. When it returned to his hand, Sora then performed a Strike Raid to take out a lane of Heartless in front of him.

Just as Sora finished perform a Strike Raid to wipe out the Barrel Spider Heartless before him, he soon noticed something emerging amongst the crowd.

Suddenly, the Pot Spider Heartless began aligning themselves in a linear fashion, and a large centipede head formed at the front and a stinger on its tail.

"...A Pot Centipede Heartless." Sora muttered in recognition. He can remember this Heartless from his time in Agrabah. The time when Jafar used it to kidnap Princess Jasmine. It was certainly a time-pressed issue as Sora and his friends attempted to rescue her, if it weren't for the swarm of Heartless coming at them.

But with nobody being kidnapped, the numbers are being cut down, and he's far more stronger from his journey, Sora didn't feel at all threatened.

"The Chaos Carriage Heartless was far more troublesome than you. I'll make this quick." Sora confidently declared as he prepared himself to make quick work of the Heartless before him.

Unfortunately, the moment Sora said that, that was when more Pot Spider Heartless began to assemble themselves. And soon, Sora found himself being surrounded by a multitude of Pot Centipede Heartless.

Sora could only stare at what just happened with a blank look, before he dropped his head in a depressed fashion.

"...Me and my big mouth." Sora groaned.

And just like that, Sora found himself being swarmed by the numerous Pot Centipede Heartless. Dealing with 1 may be easy, but numerous of them surrounding him just increased the difficulty for Sora. That isn't to say that Sora is in danger, it's just that his workload just became more troublesome to deal with.

As Sora was busy being occupied by the swarm of Pot Centipede Heartless, Bell and Lili found themselves being swarmed by the unusually high number of Pot and Barrel Spider Heartless.

'This number...why are there so much of them...!?' Bell thought in alarm. He's no stranger to large numbers of Heartless, but even this number is unusually large before him.

As Bell slashed another Pot Heartless in front of him, another Barrel Pot Heartless attempted to pounce on him, only for Bell to spin around and perform a back kick to kick it away. He then had to jump aside to avoid another pounce. Bell pointed his hand forward once more and fired off another Firebolt in order to give himself some breathing space.

As Bell was busy being occupied by the Heartless before him, Lili wasn't having an easy time either, even if she was in the very backlines to avoid confrontation with the Heartless. Lili was too busy just trying to pelt the Heartless with her arrows, some of them being lucky shots and hitting them in the eye. Lili grimaced when saw the number getting really bad, and thought about bringing out her magic sword in order to give herself some breathing space.

'Lili is starting to think that coming with them against these dark creatures is a bad idea...' Lili thought, seeing how she's struggling just to stay alive with this unusual number.

Just as she thought about that, a Barrel Spider Heartless pounced onto her large backpack, causing Lili to stumble upon this sudden weight on her back.

"G-Get off Lili!" Lili yelled as she attempted to shake off the Barrel Spider Heartless, but the Barrel Spider Heartless was too clingy to let go.

Having no choice, Lili unstrapped herself from her backpack to get away from the Heartless. Having the literal weight taken off of her, Lili immediately took out her magic sword and pointed it at the Barrel Spider Heartless on top of the bag, and blasted it with a fireball. It did the trick was it was shrieking when it caught on fire, and fell onto the ground while writing around.

Lili had a brief moment of relief when she thought she took care of the danger, but it was the moment when another Barrel Spider made its way towards her, all the while glowing violently with energy.

Lili saw the glow within her peripherals, and her eyes widened when she saw the Barrel Spider Heartless closing in on her. The world seemed to slow down around her when she saw the Heartless pounced towards her, all the while she couldn't move her body fast enough to avoid in imminent danger before her.

"Lili!"

Lili's ears picked up a familiar voice, and soon felt herself begin wrapped around the arms of someone. Her eyes widened in shock, seeing how Bell immediately pounced onto her, and then wrapped his arms around her small body, all the while turning his back to the Heartless to shield her from harm.

"M-Master Bell-!?"

They were cut off when the Barrel Heartless violently exploded, sending the two flying. Bell and Lili soared through the air for a short moment, before their bodies hit the ground. Well, it was more along the fact that Bell was taking the brunt of most of the impact, while Lili had a cushion around her to not feel the impact around her. The two rolled on the ground for a short moment, before it finally came to a stop, with Lili being underneath Bell.

Lili's ears were ringing from the explosion while her vision was a bit shaky. When she slowly regained her senses, she began to run damage control, and try to see if there was any major injures on her. Surprisingly, she felt fine for the most part.

'L-Lili is unhurt...?' Lili thought in surprise.

Her line of thought was soon cut off when she felt a drip of blood on her face. But the weirdest thing is that she didn't feel any pain. Instead, she felt another drop of blood fall onto her face.

Her eyes widened when she soon realized that it wasn't her blood. She shakily soon realized the body on top of her, not moving at all.

"M-Master Bell...?" Lili whispered in shock.

She couldn't move, much less comprehend on what just happened. Why did Bell use his own body to protect someone like her? Why did Bell choose to save her, when she's just a Supporter...!?

'W-Why? Why did you protect Lili...!?' Lili thought in shock and horror.

Before she could dive further into shock, she heard a groan and felt some movement from Bell.

"Ouchie ouch..." a familiar voice muttered to himself, making Lili's eyes widened in surprise.

He's alive!?

"M-Master Bell!?"

Bell groaned as he picked himself up from the ground, standing on a knee. When he regained clarity in his vision, he saw Lili underneath him. He gave a relieved look when he saw that Lili didn't have any injuries on her.

"A-Are you alright Lili?" Bell asked with concern.

Lili was stunned into silence when she heard this question.

He's asking HER if she's alright, when he was the one who took the brunt of the explosion!?

"I-Is Lili...!? Never mind Lili, you're injured!" Lili yelped as she picked herself and had to help in stabilizing Bell to properly stand up.

"Injured...?" Bell said, before he felt some wetness on his face. He reached up and touched it, and saw the blood trailing down his face. Reaching up, he felt the area of the wound and winced a bit.

"Ah...I got scrape from the explosion..." Bell muttered himself, before he picked himself up. "Nothing too bad all things considered..."

Lili stared at Bell in shock as Bell fully stood up, none worse for wear. Instead, he gave her a look of concern.

"You alright? Do you need a potion?" Bell asked.

Lili could only look at Bell with disbelief.

"D-Does Lili...!? Never mind Lili, you need a potion!" Lili yelled as she hastily rummaged through her pockets and brought out a potion for Bell to use.

"Ah, thanks Lili..." Bell thanked as he accepted it from her and drank the contents.

Bell drank the potion, and his head wound began to heal. It was to Lili's surprise how fast Bell recovered from a low grade potion.

'He's recovering so fast already!? Wait a moment, why is not so badly injured from the point black explosion!?' Lili thought in disbelief.

It doesn't make sense. Bell took an explosion with his full body, yet Bell is able to walk it off while sustaining minor injuries. Was his endurance that high to walk it off entirely?

Little does she know that there are multiple factors regarding Bell's recovery.

She's certainly right that Bell's own endurance stats are are thanks to his Liaris Freese and Sora's Link to All helping bolster his high growth.

The other factor is that Bell's Hero's Glove has provided him protection from the explosive fire, and the potion has increased the healing effect of the potions by a good effect.

But the most crucial factor that made Bell be able to be relatively fine from the explosion is all thanks to Bell's Hestia Knife.

It turns out the Hestia Knife's Light Attribute is a lot more versatile than Bell has honestly expected. Not only does the Light coat the edges of his blade, providing Bell some extra cutting power, but the coating of Light also extends to his body.

Just as the Hestia Knife is linked to him and his growth, and Light Attribute is linked to Bell's body as well. The power of Light from the Hestia's Knife coats him within Light that is hardly visible. This coat of Light around Bell's body acts like an armor for Bell. It protects Bell from any attack the lands on his body, minimizing the damage dealt.

However, it's not permanent, nor does it make Bell invincible. The Light coating Bell's body can only take so much damage before collapsing, leaving Bell's own body vulnerable to any lethal attacks that can strike him down for good. The Light armor is also limited in its regard in reducing damage, as there's a certain threshold on how much damage it can absorb before Bell's body takes the damage.

Even so, having a layer of defense has given Bell a crucial tool for his survival, which has played its role in this very situation.

However, their short moment of reprieve was cut short when they soon noticed more Barrel and Pot Spiders closing in on them.

"Oh right...!" Bell muttered in alarm, remembering that they're not in the clear just yet as he prepared his blades once more. He stood in front of Lili.

"Lili, make sure that you stay behind me. Gain some distance to make sure." Bell told Lili with a focused and determined look.

Just hearing this alone once again surprised Lili.

'He's still going to protect me...even after all of this...!?' Lili thought in shock.

Just as Bell was about to go forward and give it his all to fight the swarm before him, a flash of light suddenly came into his vision. Soon, he saw multiple large bullets of lights rain down on the swarm of Heartless, obliterating them. The ones that were left over were soon sliced to pieces by this blur, eliminating all of them.

Soon, the blur came to a stop, and it was none other than Sora.

"Sora!" Bell said in recognition, and noted the change in Sora's clothes, indicating that Sora was in his Second Form. Sora immediately made his way towards the two.

"You alright Bell, Lili!? I heard an explosion and saw you and Lili flying through the air!" Sora asked with concern while looking over Bell's state.

"W-We're fine, thankfully." Bell responded with reassurance. Sora gave a sigh of relief, and turned to look at Lili, who was looking at Sora in surprise.

"H-How did...?" Lili muttered in surprise.

Those blasts of Light. That sudden burst of speed. And his change of clothes.

There were so many questions buzzing through Lili's head.

"Ah..." Sora paused a bit, realizing what he's just done.

After he witnessed the explosion from afar, Sora decided that holding back was enough, and entered Second Form in order to speed up the process. The moment he entered Second Form, he made quick work of the swarms of Pot Centipede Heartless surrounding him.

"This is...a combination of my Skill and weapon..." Sora tried to answer.

"Your Skill and weapon...?" Lili muttered in bewilderment. She thought his sword throwing skills was weird, and there's this...?

"Never mind that. You alright Lili? Any injuries?" Sora asked with concern while kneeling down to her level while examining her state.

"L-Lili is fine, really..." Lili tried to wave off.

Sora gave a sigh of relief.

"That's great to hear. If you have anything that's hurting, just let me know, alright? I have a spell to help you with your injuries." Sora told Lili, making Lili blink incredulously at the fact that Sora has healing magic.

'Just how much does he have in his arsenal...?' Lili thought in shock.

Sora examined his surroundings for a bit, and then looked back at the two, seeing there's a bit of explosive marks on their clothes. Sora gave a small sigh.

"Let's call this a day. I'm sure you two need a break after everything that you've been through." Sora told the two.

"Y-Yeah, that was a bit too much..." Bell nodded in agreement, with Lili following the notion as well.

And with that, the party began making its way out of the Dungeon. As they were, Lili walked behind the two, all the while staying silent throughout the whole walk.

Her mind kept flashing back to where Bell used his own body to protect her from arm. He got injured because of her, but he was more concerned about her being safe, rather than lashing out and blaming her for the injury he as dealt with.

Any adventurer who got harmed would immediately put the blame on her and threaten to dock her pay...if they were going to pay her to begin with.

And these two aren't do anything of the sorts.

'So why...?'

It was a question that Lili kept asking herself throughout their entire trip out of the Dungeon.


~ Break ~


The group managed to return back to the surface with no problem and made it at the Guild.

As Lili was sitting at one of the tables within the Guild, both Bell and Sora were at the magic stone exchange counter. As they were waiting for their incoming valis, Sora had a contemplative look on his face, something that Bell has noticed.

"Is there something wrong Sora?" Bell asked with concern.

"...Can't help but think about what happened to you and Lili. You nearly ended up with grievous injuries while I was too busy dealing with the Heartless." Sora answered with solemn expression.

"I-It isn't your fault to begin with Sora. It's just the numbers were too overwhelming, and...!" Bell tried to refute, but Sora shook his head.

"It's still up to me to make sure that you aren't being overwhelmed by the Heartless. Believe me Bell, you're helping me eliminate the Heartless, and it keeps getting better and better as time passes on. Without you, I wouldn't be progressing this fast in eliminating the Heartless from the Dungeons. But it wouldn't mean much if you're taken out early, and I don't want any of my friends to end up getting seriously hurt by the Heartless." Sora told Bell, before he sighed while folding his arms.

"And after some thinking, I think I need to stop holding back a bit. I mean, I can handle the Heartless with my swordsmanship and Strike Raids alone, but that will make the pace of purifying the Heartless too time consuming for me, and distract me from watching you and Lili's backs." Sora told Bell, making Bells eyes widened in shock.

"But what about what Goddess told you about..." Bell reminded.

"Yeah, holding back as much as I can not to gain attention from others. But the thing is, the Heartless are going to keep on getting more tougher from here on Bell. And because of that, I can't afford to hold back, not without any risks to you or Lili." Sora told the white haired teenager.

Bell softly frowned while clenching his fist a bit. All of this happened because he was still too weak on handling the Heartless before him, even with his newfound magic. And it was because of that that Lili nearly got greatly injured while Sora couldn't afford to hold back anymore, even if it means risking his cover.

It serves as a painful reminder that no matter how much he's growing, he's still so far away from Sora.

Bell soon felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see Sora give a reassuring grin.

"C'mon, don't give me that look. That's the same look you had when you had doubts about your strength the first time you fought Heartless." Sora told Bell, and gave a good hearted chuckle.

"Don't forget, you're improving greatly each and every day, to the point where you're close to a Level Up. Remember the first time when you fought Shadows, Soldiers, and Large Body Heartless? They were tough the first time, but they're nothing more than a common enemy that you fight. The same applies here: the Heartless from the ninth floor may be tough, but the next time you fight them, you'll be better than ever to prevent such a mistake from happening again. I'm sure of it." Sora told him with confidence.

Bell's eyes widened when hearing this.

"T-That may be true...but still..." Bell muttered, his mind flashing at the explosion incident.

"But nothing. What happened, happened. We need to up our game in order to prevent a situation like that happening ever again. We can't let this one incident make us give up everything." Sora told him with conviction.

Bell's lips trembled a bit, almost forming into a smile.

Leave it to Sora and his boundless positivity and optimism to turn such a somber mood into a more lighter atmosphere.

"R-Right..." Bell quietly relented.

Sora gave a good hearted chuckle once more, and then glanced towards Lili.

"Right, since I can't afford to hold back all that much, Lili is going to see what I can do. We need to make sure that it doesn't spread..." Sora muttered while crossing his arms.

"Well, she didn't spread any news about the Heartless, that's for sure..." Bell noted. "Perhaps we should adjust the deal regarding you then?"

"That's a great idea! And since Lili knows about my Second Form being a form of Skill and Magic Weapon, which is technically true, I guess that makes things easier to reveal then." Sora said while nodding.

With that in mind, Bell and Sora made their way towards Lili. When Lili noticed them approaching her, she sported a rather nervous expression.

"Lili takes the magic stone exchange is done...?" Lili asked, making Sora nod at her.

"Yep, and we got quite the hefty load today..." Sora said as he hefted a large bag of Valis onto the table.

"Before we get into that, Lili, we need to talk about a few things first..." Bell said while looking a bit worried on how to discuss the terms from here.

"W-What about? Is it about the explosion incident from before? L-Lili could only apologize that she couldn't-" Lili spoke up, but was soon cut off from Sora.

"You shouldn't go apologizing for that Lili. If anything, I should be the one apologizing for not being there to protect you two from being overwhelmed." Sora told her while looking a bit regretful on his actions.

"P-Please don't say that! You're doing all you can just to keep up safe and from being overwhelmed!" Lili tried to tell Sora, but Sora shook his head.

"But what if I told you that I was actually holding back?" Sora returned, making Lili blink owlishly upon hearing this.

"H-Holding back? W-Well, you were using something Lili haven't seen before..."

"Well, the thing is, I really don't want to attract attention, so I've been hiding a few things up my sleeve." Sora told her, with Bell nodding in agreement.

"Lili, Sora is capable of performing far beyond what you typically expect. We wanted to hide his capabilities, not because we don't trust you, but because we're trying to limit as much knowledge about Sora as possible." Bell told her.

"Yeah, and after what happened, holding back is actually a detriment. Because you're partying with us, Bell and I came to an agreement that we'll increase your pay even further if you can keep quiet and not share on what we do in the Dungeon." Sora told her.

Lili's jaw just dropped upon hearing this, can't believing on what she just heard.

They're willing to increase her pay even more, despite the fact that she's earning more than 50% of what they're gaining from the Dungeon!?

And she's just a Supporter for crying out loud!

"L-Lili doesn't understand. Why are you going so far to pay Lili so much valis? Why not just terminate the contract so you can keep whatever you're doing a secret!?" Lili pointed out what she thought was the logical thing to do.

If they're so insistent on keeping everything related to them a secret, isn't it better to just cut her off so they won't have to waste valis?

"That's out of the question." Sora shot down with a frown. "Lili, you're helping us more than you realize. The reason why we're able to make fast progress through the floors is because of your help. Without you, we wouldn't be able to find those dark creatures at a faster rate than we wanted to, and we need to take those monsters out as soon as possible."

Lili was floored upon hearing this.

Someone like Sora, who's capabilities are beyond a Level 1, appreciates her efforts despite being the weakest member of the party? Normally, higher level adventurers would look down at her for her weakness and dismiss her as useless baggage. And yet Sora is looking at her with appreciation. And then there's Bell, who risked his own life just to protect her from harm.

In the end, Lili could only remain stupefied at the behavior and logic of the two before her.

"So...what do you say Lili? Are you willing to accept the compensation." Bell asked with concern.

There was some silence from Lili, before Lili gazed down towards the ground.

"...No." Lili answered with a quiet voice.

Both Bell and Sora froze upon hearing this.

"U-Um, what do you mean by no? Is there something wrong with what we're offering?" Bell asked in concern.

"That's not what Lili meant." Lili responded, before she gave a small sigh.

"You don't have to pay Lili anything extra. Lili is already getting paid plenty enough already. Just consider Lili's silence about Sora free of charge. Besides, even if Lili wanted to tell anyone else, they wouldn't believe Lili anyway." Lili simply explained.

Lili honestly couldn't understand why she's going with this choice. It's completely out of character for her. Honestly, she should've gone with the extra pay to keep Sora's silence, but...for some reason, it felt wrong. Her own feelings are telling her that it's wrong to demand extra pay when she's already getting paid a handsome amount already.

Her own feelings are overriding her logic...and she couldn't understand why.

"Well...if that's what you're fine with, then I guess everything is fine..." Bell quietly said while scratching the back of his head.

"Agreed. Though, Lili, if you ever change your mind, don't hesitate to tell us. We understand." Sora told her with an understanding look.

"...Right..." Lili quietly responded while her eyes were shadowed a bit by her hair.

She honestly needs the time afterwards to process everything, and figure out the one question that's been nagging at her.

They're adventurers...so why aren't they acting like one?


~ Break ~


It was very early in the morning for Orario. The sun hasn't come out yet, and yet the sky was slowly transitioning to a brighter color. The morning mist was well known throughout Orario.

It was also the time of their meetup with Ais for their training session. Bell and Sora were the first to arrive at their meeting location, which is at the walls surrounding Orario.

"So this is where we're asked to train..." Bell muttered.

"Seems like it. Gotta say, the view is pretty neat!" Sora remarked while admiring the landscape that can be viewed beyond the walls of Orario. "It actually makes me want to see what's beyond Orario and see what your World is like Bell."

"Oh, if that's the case, if we ever get the time, I'm sure we can arrange a trip to some place exciting!" Bell offered. Though, Orario is the only location he knows of that's considered the most exciting. Perhaps the Far East, Rakia, or the Empire if Sora was interested in learning about their culture and history.

"Though...why did you come with me Sora? M-Miss Wallenstein offered the training session for me, not you." Bell couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing really. I just want to get to know your new sparring partner." Sora simply answered. It's true that he wanted to make friends with Ais, but he also had another agenda in mind, as he grew a sly smirk. "You don't have to worry about me getting all of her attention. In fact, I intend on helping you get all of her attention..." Sora reassured Bell while wriggling his eyebrows.

"P-Please don't..." Bell weakly responded while paling a bit.

Unfortunately for Bell, Sora fully intends on playing the wingman. After all, seeing Bell's crush on Ais reminded Sora of his relationship with Kairi.

Before Bell could go into further denial on what Sora is about to do, they soon heard footsteps approaching them, and saw Ais approaching them from one of the entrances to the top of the wall.

"...You've arrived." Ais quietly said.

"Morning Ais!" Sora greeted.

"Y-Yes, good morning!" Bell stuttered in nervousness and his cheeks went a bit red at the sight of her.

"Yes...good morning." Ais greeted the two. "...Thank you for taking me up on my offer and meeting me at this time."

"Well, you were the one offering lessons, right? We should be the ones thanking you." Sora chuckled in a good hearted nature.

"I'm simply making up for what you've done for us, no need to thank me." Ais simply replied, before she took out her sword and held onto the sheathe. "...Let's get started then with a spar."

Seeing this made Bell shakily grab hold of his knives as well, feeling nervous on sparring with the young woman before him. Sora simply patted him on the shoulder.

"Remember Bell, focus on the spar." Sora slyly told Bell with a knowing tone, making Bell blush in embarrassment.

"I-I am focusing on the spar!" Bell hurriedly clarified.

Sora gave a good hearted chuckle as he stepped aside from Bell and Ais to start their session together.

Bell and Ais stood before each other, as Bell raised his knives in preparation, while Ais simply raised her sheathe.

Sora stood in the middle while a good distance away to not get in their way. Sora held up his arm, and then threw it down.

"And...start!"

Bell immediately wanted to move, but his vision was soon met with Ais suddenly closing the distance and thrusted her sheath dead center into Bell's chest armor, making the white haired boy lost his breath from the sudden hit. He was sent flying back a bit and landed on his back.

Silence was made, with Ais blankly looking at what she just did, while Sora just stood there with an owlish expression. It was after a brief moment of pause that Sora turned his head towards Ais.

"Um...Ais? I think you were supposed to hold back." Sora pointed out with a dubious expression.

"...Ah..." Ais made a noise of realization, as she noticed that she didn't adjust her strength.

Sora immediately made his way towards Bell and knelt down to him.

"You okay Bell? Need a Cure?" Sora asked with concern.

"N-No. I'm fine..." Bell said as he sat up while rubbing his chest plate. "I...honestly didn't expect that to be honest..."

"Well, what she did is far more than how I usually spar with you. That being said..." Sora remarked as he stood back up and turned to Ais.

"Let's try this again. This time, try and adjust your strength." Sora told her

"Ah...right..." Ais quietly responded.

Once again, Bell and Ais stood before each other, but Bell was a lot more alert this time.

"And...start!" Sora signaled their sparring to start.

Ais immediately swung her sheathe at Bell's head, and Bell barely had the time to block the incoming strike with his second knife. The moment he felt the impact, he felt his legs shake upon feeling the impact.

'So strong...!' Bell thought in surprise, but he immediately moved his body to counter, remembering his training sessions trying to learn from Roxas.

However, the moment Bell's arm moved halfway to Ais, Ais immediately lifted her leg and delivered a kick straight onto Bell's abdomen, knocking the wind out of him once more and sent my flying back from her strength.

"Ah..." Ais made a noise of realization that she done it once again.

Sora sweatdropped upon seeing this.

'Seems like Ais doesn't know how to control her strength...' Sora thought, before giving a small sigh while scratching the back of his head.

"Well this is going to be a problem..." Sora muttered.

Nothing can be gained from this session if Bell is only going to be met with harsh beatings from Ais, and Ais isn't even doing it intentionally. So there needs to be something to help Ais control her strength.

"If only there was a way to control her strength..." Sora muttered, before his eyes widened in realization.

"I got it...!" Sora said aloud in realization, making Ais and Bell turn towards Sora with confusion.

"W-what is it Sora?" Bell asked in confusion.

"I got an idea on how to fix this. First off..." Sora said as he stepped forward and placed himself in front of Ais. "Bell, why don't you take a step back and take a breather? Ais, let's spar for a bit. I want to gauge your strength."

Bell and Ais looked surprised upon hearing this.

"S-Sora!?" Bell yelped in surprise and shock, while Ais blinked.

"You...want to spar with me...?" Ais asked in surprise, making Sora nod at her.

"You bet. Trust me, after sparring with you, I know the perfect method on how to control your strength when you spar with Bell." Sora reassured the two.

Bell could only look at Sora with wonder and confusion. This is the first time he's hearing of this. Then again, this method is meant for controlling Ais's strength. It wouldn't serve much purpose for Bell.

Bell could only silently nod at Sora's request as he took a step back from the two.

Meanwhile, Ais could only stare at Sora with some curiosity. Truth be told, she's rather curious of Sora's strength. He's a Level 1, and yet he's capable of standing up to an Abnormal Violas. Even Level 2 and 3 Supporters fighting together in her Familia would have a difficult time just trying to overcome a normal Violas.

She wanted to see his strength, and perhaps learn on how he got this strong.

Sora examined Ais for a bit, before he eyed the sword placed on the side.

"You know, you should bring out your actual sword for this spar." Sora suggested.

Ais blinked upon hearing this, and looked a bit hesitant.

"Ah...I...think this is enough..." Ais responded, as she felt rather hesitant on using her blade against a person, rather than a monster. She didn't want to end up hurting Sora.

However, the moment she said that, Sora grew a challenging smirk upon hearing this.

"Oh, is that so? Well then, you'll be changing your tune after this." Sora said as he went into his battle stance.

Ais raised an eyebrow at the challenging statement. 'Is he overestimating himself...?'

And she recently Leveled Up as well. Even if Sora held his own against an abnormal violas, she can also do the same since-

Her line of thought was cut off when Sora immediately closed the distance between the two and swung his Keyblade overhead, catching Ais off guard as she hurriedly blocked the overhead strike. This moment she felt the strange key shaped sword impact with her sheathe, the felt the weight of the attack as he legs slightly buckled under strain.

Sora immediately drew his Keyblade back and thrusted the weapon forward, making Ais side step to avoid it. This only made Sora spin himself to deliver a slash, something Ais raised her sheathe to block. The moment the sheathe and Keyblade met each other, the impact was enough to send Ais skidding back a good distance from Sora.

The moment she stopped skidding, Ais heard a small crack, and looked down to see a small crack forming on the sheathe. The Sword Princess looked up in astonishment, and was given the sight of Sora still giving his challenging smirk as he pointed his Keyblade at her.

"Feel like taking me seriously now, or is that all you got?" Sora challenged.

Ais may not be so expressive with her emotions and she isn't one to focus too much on her pride, but hearing Sora's provocation certainly stung it a bit.

Bell gulped a bit when he saw Ais putting away her sheathe and grabbed onto her sword. It showed that she's going to take Sora seriously from now on. Bell could only watch with bated breath, as he was about to watch a clash between a Guardian of Light and Orario's top class Adventurer.

He's not too sure on who would win this spar, but there was an inkling of feeling of who would come out on top in the end.

A moment of silence was made between the two, before the two sprinted forward and their blades clashed against each other.

It was from there that Bell couldn't even keep track of what was happening. The movement of their swords were too swift for Bell to keep track. His ears could only pick up metal being clashed against each other at a frequent rate. He could see sparks flying every time the swords clashed against each other.

'A-Amazing...so this is what they're both capable at full strength...!' Bell thought in shock. He knew Sora was strong, he knew that much from their spars, but never saw Sora fight to this extent.

Throughout the entire fight, Ais was on the offensive while Sora was simply fending off her attacks and doing some occasional counters. While it certainly looked like a stalemate to Bell, there were to different thoughts being made while they were sparring.

'He's able to keep up with me...no...I'm struggling to land a hit on him...' Ais thought as she was doing everything she can to hit Sora with her strength and skills, but Sora was matching her blow to blow without buckling.

She was confused and curious. How did he get this strong so early? What methods did Sora take to get this strong early on? She wanted to know.

'She's not bad...though...' Sora idly thought as he was fending off her strikes.

Ais was not bad when it comes to swordsmanship, certainly a cut above the rest. But there's one thing that she's lacking, as Sora beginning to notice throughout their clash.

'Her style of fighting...it kind of reminds me on how I starting using my Keyblade...' Sora noted.

Her strikes was stylized for high striking power with little technique as possible. That isn't to say that Ais swung around her sword like a club like he did at the beginning of his journey, as she did have some form of technique and degree of swordsmanship. But each and every strike is poised for power, and nothing else. Like it was meant to strike down monsters in front of her.

Certainly, this sword style is optimized for monsters, but it's beginning to show its flaws when fighting against an actual person.

'I think it's time we end this little spar...' Sora thought as he fended off a strike.

When Ais delivered a diagonal slash towards Sora, Sora blocked the strike, and immediately delivered a Counter Slash, making Ais block the strike, and she grunted at the sheer force that was delivered from the slash, making her skid back a bit. And with that, Sora jumped back a bit as he hefted his Keyblade over his shoulder, signaling the end of the fight.

Ais could only stop herself in surprise when she saw this, as she wanted to continue fighting against Sora. Sora gave a good hearted chuckle.

"...You're not bad." Sora complimented.

"...You as well." Ais quietly responded.

Bell could only gape at how it came to an end. Even though it looked like a draw, it felt more like Sora was just ending their little spar because he chose to.

"Well, I got a good gauge of your strength. Now I know what to do on how you can control your strength." Sora said while nodding.

Ais stayed quiet for a bit. She looks like she wanted to spar with Sora once more, but had to remind herself that she was offering training lessons towards Bell.

"...Alright." Ais quietly relented.

Bell could only look at Sora in wonder at what the Keyblade wielder is about to do that can control Ais's strength.

Sora simply grinned as he raised his Kingdom Key.

"I know just the magic to-" Sora started as he was about to start some of his magic, but Bell immediately caught onto what Sora's actions, and he began yelp in panic as he grabbed onto Sora's shoulders and began shaking him a bit.

"Ababa-!" Bell yelped in panic as he interrupted Sora.

"Bell!? What are you-!?" Sora questioned in surprise.

"P-Please give us a moment!" Bell yelled as he began dragging Sora away from Ais so they can talk privately for a bit, making the blonde woman simply blink at what she saw.

As soon as they made some distance, Sora turned to Bell with confusion.

"Bell, what was that about? I was about to-" Sora started.

"You were about to use magic in front of miss Wallenstein! Goddess told you not to showcase too much of your magic in front of others!" Bell reminded.

"Oh, right..." Sora muttered in realization. He was so caught up in the moment that he almost forgot about using a new type of magic in front of someone. He then gave a sheepish look. "My bad."

Bell gave a sigh of relief, as he managed to stop a crisis from occurring, before he gained a curious look.

"You were about to use magic on her to control her strength?" Bell asked.

Sora nodded.

"Yeah, I know just the spell to control her strength so you can properly fight her. After gauging her strength through our little spar, I know how much magic is needed for the spell I'm going to use." Sora told Bell.

"I see...though, how are you going to do that if you can't show off your magic?" Bell asked.

Sora gained a pensive look, trying to think of a solution on how he can cast his magic without making it look like it's his magic. He has exceptions through his Keyblades, and he can certainly change the Keyblade to match a certain theme he's going with. But Ais will begin wondering what happened to his current Keyblade.

It was then Sora began to realize something.

There are Magic Swords, and there are also Magic Items used in Orario. And Magic Items tend to be more common than Magic Swords.

An idea popped up in Sora's head.

"I got it!" Sora said as he begun to dig into his pockets, making Bell blink at what Sora is doing.

Sora then turned around and began making his way towards Ais, with Bell in tow.

Ais could only stare in confusion on the whole thing that has occurred. What were they talking about privately?

"Sorry about that. Bell and I had to discuss a few things, and came to an agreement to show you a rare item that will help with training." Sora said said as he took out a certain item from his pocket.

That item is a silver, triangular charm. The charm's edges are decorated by silver crescents and spikes, the lower half of the charm's face is adorned by a silver fleur-de-lis, and the upper half of it is decorated by a black crescent moon symbol. And on its face is the crescent moon.

The item before them is known as the Moon Amulet.

"...This?" Ais curiously muttered when looking at the object.

Sora nodded.

"Yeah. This will do the trick." Sora said as he held up the charm.

Truth be told, the Moon Amulet itself won't do anything towards Ais. After all, the main function of the Moon Amulet is to absorb damage and grant the user a boost in energy.

But Ais doesn't know that. Instead, Sora is using it as cover for what he has in mind.

"Force."

The moment Sora uttered that word, Ais suddenly felt this heavy force press down on her body. The Sword Princess's eyes widened in shock, caught off guard by this magic. She stumbled a bit, before she properly righted herself to stand up, but even that was difficult to do, considering how standing up in proper posture is a chore to do.

"W-What is this...!?" Ais whispered in shock.

"Gravity magic. The item I'm using is manipulating the gravity around you to be more heavy." Sora told her.

Normally, using Gravity magic should crush the target into a pancake with its immense weight pressing down on them, something the Heartless can attest to. But there are different tiers of magic: Gravity, Gravira, Graviga. Sora is using the lowest tier of Gravity magic for safe measures so he won't crush Ais into a pulp. And to also add to that, his his control over magic has improved over the course of his journey. After all, how else could he run up alongside walls without any difficulty? He needs to control his own gravity, otherwise he would end up being crushed onto the walls.

'Gravity magic...from that item alone...?' Ais thought in confusion and surprise.

She has encountered her fair share of magic items, but for an item to control magic to this extent was mind boggling. But she soon began to realize why Sora and Bell privately discussed about using the item: it's a rare magic item to control magic, something that would be sought out by a lot of adventurers and gain unnecessary attention.

'Looks like she's buying it...' Sora thought while feeling inwardly relieved, seeing Ais quietly accepting what she's seeing before her. That makes things much more easier.

"Why are you using gravity magic on miss Wallenstein!?" Bell yelped in surprise, caught off guard on what Sora is exactly doing.

"Well..." Sora started while trying to think of a good way to explain this. "I'm giving Ais a handicap. She's not able to control her strength properly, so I'm going to control her strength through force, or gravity in this case. The gravity will weigh her down, and she won't move as optimally as she did before. So you won't be knocked out so easily." Sora explained to the both of them.

"So that was your plan..." Bell muttered in realization, while Ais was blinking at what she heard.

"So with that in mind, let's not leave her standing there. Bell, give it a shot." Sora told Bell.

"O-Oh, um, alright!" Bell stuttered a bit as he brought out his knives in reverse grip once more and stepped before Ais. He can see that Ais was under strain with the gravity weighing down on her, meaning she'll have difficulty moving as much as she wanted to.

He hesitated on fighting a handicapped opponent, especially said opponent is Ais, but he trusted in Sora's method

There was a short moment of silence, before Bell moved forward and attempted to slash at Ais. That slash, however, was blocked by her and immediately went swing her sheathe at Bell's head. Bell's saw the incoming strike, and hastily raised his Hestia Knife to block the strike. When the strike connected, he felt the force push against him.

Bell's eyes widened when he saw that he isn't being knocked out like before. Rather, he's able to stay in longer this time! But even so, the Sword Princess's strength isn't to be underestimated, as even a handicap isn't enough to slow her down. And he barely had enough time to react to her strikes.

Bell this time went for a stab with his other knife, only for Ais to defend herself against the knife with a simple block of her sheathe, before she raised her leg and kicked Bell straight into the chest plate. Bell grunted and felt some air leave him, but it wasn't enough to knock him out. He stumbled a bit, before he jumped straight back into the fight.

'Even though she's handicapped, she's still able to easily stay ahead of me...!' Bell thought in surprise and awe.

Meanwhile, Ais was having different thoughts on the fight she's in.

'I'm having difficulty just trying to swing my sheathe...!' Ais thought, all the while trying to ignore the strain taking its toll on her body.

Ais was pushing her body to her absolute limit just to stay ahead of Bell. Every action that she took was heavily weight down by the gravity around her. It's as if her limbs were shackled with heavy iron balls at the end of them.

She certainly never expected the training session that she's holding for Bell turned into quite a strenuous event.


~ Break ~


Bell and Ais were panting in exhaustion after sparring for a good period of time. They leaned back against the wall while sitting down on the ground.

'Despite giving it all my all...not once am I able to hit her...' Bell thought in surprise. He certainly didn't have any notion of actually landing a hit on her, given their wide gap in status, but he thought he could land a light hit on her with the handicap she was given. Perhaps it was Sora's control over gravity that didn't leave her completely helpless.

Meanwhile, Ais's body felt entirely sore.

'...Perhaps...I should learn how to properly control my strength...' Ais thought to herself.

It would well worth the effort, compared to being under continuous strain under the heavy gravity weighing on her.

She hasn't felt this sore since the early days of constantly training to push her body to her limits in order to grow stronger. How she worked on training her body to swing her sword with the utmost force to cut down the monsters before her.

'...Wait...pushing my body to its limits...' Ais thought in realization.

Nowadays, because of her Level, her typical body exercise regimen, which normally consisted of swinging her sword in repetition in order to swing at correct form and strengthen her arms, is considered nothing more than a light warm up for her. Her real training mainly comes from the Dungeons, fighting the monsters to gain excelia.

But this gravity weighing her down and forcing her to push her body to move is like weight training. She can actually stand to benefit from this...!

"Looks like you two certainly went through the wringer." Sora remarked while chuckling at the sight of their exhausted state.

"You could say that. Sparring with miss Wallenstein has certainly given me a new experience to think about." Bell remarked.

Ais softly frowned when she noticed something from Bell's words.

"...You don't need to be so formal with me. It's fine to call me by my first name..." Ais told Bell, making Bell looked at her in surprise and looked a bit flustered upon being told this.

"A-Are you sure!? I mean-!" Bell spluttered to find the right words.

"C'mon Bell, she's fine with it. It's not going to harm anyone if you address her by her name." Sora reassured Bell while chucking at Bell's nervousness around Ais.

"U-Um...if you're fine with it...Ais..." Bell muttered, making Ais simply give a small smile and nodded upon hearing this.

"Well then, what are your thoughts after sparring with Bell?" Sora curiously asked the blonde teenager.

Ais went silent for a bit while appraising Bell for a bit, making Bell feel nervous with the silence.

"He's...not...bad...?" Ais offered while tilting her head, though looked very hesitant when saying that. Just hearing the statement and hesitation made Bell comically slump in depression upon hearing this from his crush.

Sora sweatdropped at the answer. "Could you, um...explain a bit more?"

Ais paused in thought for a bit, trying to find the proper explanation on her assessment of Bell.

"He's a...Level 1, correct?" Ais wanted to clarify, making Bell and Sora nod at this. "Then...he has proper form and technique, better than your average Level 1. Though...needs more experience." Ais told Sora.

"Is that so? Well, Bell has been taking somes notes from other people in order to help supplement his fighting style." Sora explained to her.

Well that certainly explains a few things for Ais.

"I see. I'm...curious about something. When did you begin your career as an Adventurer?" Ais asked.

"A-About a nearly month ago." Bell said.

Ais blinked when she heard this.

Bell's a Level 1, and yet he's able to fight with proper technique and form. It's one thing if you were devoting the very beginning of your life towards honing your skill in combat, yet Bell is able to reach the same level in a short period of time.

It appears that Bell is a fast learner.

"Is that so..." Ais quietly remarked while looking at Bell with a bit of surprise.

When Sora saw Ais gazing at Bell, an idea popped up in Sora's head, and decided to take that opportunity to help out Bell.

"I should also mention that not only is Bell a fast learner, but his own growth is pretty impressive." Sora told her, making Ais blink upon hearing this while Bell turned to Sora in surprise.

'W-Why is he suddenly saying that...?' Bell thought with concern.

"His growth...?" Ais repeated with a confused look.

"Just not too long ago, Bell's stats was in the I-H category. He's way beyond those stats as of now. I remember something about his Agility being in the S." Sora recalled.

The moment Sora said that was when Ais was completely shocked upon hearing this.

S rank? That's the highest rank one could ever hope to achieve with their status, and Bell managed to attain such a rank in this time frame!?

"Really now...?" Ais muttered as she turned to look at Bell, her eyes full of surprise. She began wondering what was the secret to his immense growth.

"S-Sora!?" Bell yelped in bewilderment, confused as to why Sora is suddenly praising about his status. His cheeks went also a bit red when gaining Ais' full attention towards him.

"Yeah. So don't go counting out Bell out just yet. The next time you fight Bell, you'll be in for a world of surprise. Who knows? Maybe you'll be taking a few notes from him." Sora said while giving a sly wink towards Bell.

The moment Bell saw Sora's wink towards him was when he finally understood Sora's intentions, and he paled.

Sora is currently playing matchmaker.

No no no no! His heart couldn't take it when being within a close vicinity of Ais, and now Sora is just controlling the pace of their relationship!?

"...Hm...that...makes me more curious..." Ais quietly remarked while looking at Bell, eyes full of curiosity.

Even though Sora is an abnormal Level 1, she considered Bell's own growth to be all the more impressive and strange. It made her wonder what Bell did to grow so strong in such a short period of time, and she wanted to know.

Just hearing that made Bell's cheeks turn even redder, gaining more attention and recognition than he could hope for. His poor Heart couldn't take it.

'Please stop Soraaaaaaa!' Bell mentally wailed while shooting Sora a pleading look to stop.

Unfortunately, Sora was simply smiling at Bell, like he's doing nothing wrong.

Before Sora could continue any further, the three heard a growling noise manifest itself. The three blinked when they heard the noise, and they turned their heads towards the source.

Sora and Ais turned to look at Bell, who was holding his stomach. Another growl was made from his stomach, signaling his hunger. This made Bell blush in embarrassment, can't believing that his stomach growled right in front of Ais.

However, another growl was made, this time coming from Ais. Ais looked a bit surprised to hear her stomach growling, and her cheeks went a bit red as well. The sight of it only made Bell's heart race at the cute sight of it.

"Seems like we're all hungry after that workout. I guess now is a good time to refuel ourselves with some breakfast food!" Sora declared as he dug into his pockets and took out three certain items that Bell and Ais recognized before them.

"Jagamaru...!" Ais whispered in surprise, all the while her eyes sparkled a bit at the food before her.

"Jagamaru...?" Bell muttered in confusion. "Um...Sora, where did you get those?"

"These? I've actually cooked these earlier this morning. I figured we would get hungry after our little training session, so I made us some breakfast." Sora explained, before he held up three jagamarus before them. "So what do you like? I got one filled with sweet cheese, one with corn, the other with bacon bits..." Sora offered while holding them up.

"Sweet cheese!" Ais immediately replied while raising her hand, her eyes sparkling at the sight of the potato puff before her.

"I-I'll take the one with bacon bits please..." Bell meekly replied.

"Leaves me with the corn..." Sora muttered to himself, but just shrugged as he handed it over to the two, and then decided to sit down alongside them as well, with Sora sitting on open spot next to Bell, leaving Bell to sit between the two of them.

With the three Jagamarus handed out, the three looked at the potato puff before them, before they opened their mouths and took a bite from it.

Bell's eyes widened in surprise to see how hot and fresh the Jagamaru is, it's as if it was freshly cooked.

'Just what did he do to keep it so fresh after cooking...?' Bell thought in surprise. 'Perhaps magic...?'

Bell was certainly right on the mark, but not exactly correct.

It's just another unbelievable aspect of Sora's magical pockets that's coming into play.

When Yen Sid created Sora's new clothes, he had the help of the Three Fairies and, surprisingly, Merlin decided to lend a hand in making it as well.

Sora's pockets were unimaginably deep to hold a lot of the items he carries, thanks to the Three Fairies. For Merlin's contribution, he added another feature to the pockets: time stasis.

Any item put into Sora's pocket were put into a time stasis, freezing the time of the item. This kind of feature actually allowed Sora to store all kinds of food that he cooked from Le Grand Bistrot and take it with him while he and his friends are traveling to different worlds, all the while not having to worry about the food being spoiled.

It would be rather unbelievable that Sora's own pockets is able to put items into a time stasis, but the thing is, time manipulation is something Merlin can pull of. After all, Merlin was able to create a training ground for Kairi and Axel to train in, where "time doesn't matter" as Kairi described it. Sora's pockets, a scale smaller than the training ground, is nothing more than a cake walk for the old wizard.

If you were to ask the wizard why he would put time stasis in Sora's pocket of all things, he would simply say "Why not?".

The freshness of the jagamaru and the fact that it came from Sora's pockets didn't raise any questions with Ais. If anything, she was too focused on munching on the jagamaru before her, enjoying the food before her.

Bell didn't think too much on it either as the hunger was getting to him and took a bite from his potato puff, with Sora following suit as well as he bit into his.

The three contently ate their Jagamaru in peace, all the while watching the sun rise from the hills beyond Orario.


And that's a wrap to this chapter.

Man oh man, was that a lot to type through. I know I usually said 10k words per chapter, right? After hearing your thoughts on last chapter, I thought I'd make it up to you with this chapter.

Did you enjoy the reference I made in this chapter? (wriggles eyebrows)

Oh hey look, a trio watching the signal of time of a day. Now where have I seen that before?

I would go with Daybreak trio, but Daybreak has already been used in Kingdom Hearts X. The Sunrise Trio? Jagamaru Trio? Eh, I'll figure it out eventually.

It's also funny how Bell and Ais are inverses of Riku and Kairi in this trio. Bell and Riku both have white hair and have access to special fire type magic, while Ais and Kairi have the title of Princess. But they're total opposites of each other in many aspects.

And yes, I will admit that the gravity training is heavily inspired by Dragon Ball's gravity training. I also remember Gogo from Big Hero 6 saying that Sora running up the wall isn't binding magic, but gravity magic. Meaning he has to control his gravity magic to a fine degree, otherwise he would crush himself like the Heartless are crushed in Kingdom Hearts 1. So he isn't carelessly going to crush Ais under gravity magic.

And once again, Sora's pockets are a wondrous thing. I mean, you were able to carry a bunch of food items with you and not spoil in Kingdom Hearts 3. So I figured, why not integrate that feature into Sora's pockets? Thank Merlin for that kind of thing.


(Tsubaki)

Oh Tsubaki, you should know better than to use Sora as a means to satisfy your own greed for Synthesis materials. Because trying to exploit/use Sora in general will always backfire on you.

Now, I'm not trying to paint Tsubaki in a bad light, nor am I trying to bash her. Far from it. I actually like her as a character.

This is what happens when Tsubaki tries to offer something that Sora already has, but she doesn't know that.

This is what happens when one person has a total misunderstanding and misconceptions of the person before them, and try to argue how they're right, even though they're actually wrong in context. And she's not given the context, which leads to these misunderstandings.

Don't worry, this won't be a constant gag, nor will I make her an annoyance to Sora. Just give it time.


(The Second Trait of Light Attribute)

Light and Darkness follow a certain theme. Darkness is more raging and aggressive. Light is more tranquil and protective.

I've decided to take the protective detail and transform it into a trait. Namely, giving Bell this invisible layer of armor that protects him from harm. Though, it's more of a damage reduction than completely invulnerability.

For example, if Bell were to receive a serious blow from Sora, he would feel the damage and be incapacitated. The only thing that was affected was that the light slightly reduced the damage from Sora's blow.

However, if Bell were to receive a blow that's rather light (no pun intended), the armor will actually reduce/lessen the damage to the point where it's negligible.

Also, if the armor were to receive damage to its upmost limit, Bell loses the Light armor and is just as vulnerable as he was before. It takes a good period of time for the armor to regenerate.

That's how the 2nd trait of Light works for Bell's Hestia Knife.

I'll admit this this has taken a lot of inspiration from RWBY's Aura, as well as Karna's Kavacha and Kundala from Fate Apocrypha.


(Fun Fact of the Day)

It's commonly known how Disney has a tight grip on their property, and many thought how they were rather stubborn in releasing Sora to Smash Bros.

In actuality, it was Nomura who was picky about releasing Sora to Smash. Nomura has stated how "[he] was actually the one being very picky about [Sora's] appearance in Smash Bros. Disney was the one that was like, 'Go ahead! This is a great opportunity.'" Reason why Nomura was picky was because of how it clashed with Kingdom Hearts and Disney lore, but after seeing how happy everyone was with Sora in Smash, he felt satisfied on how well it turned out.

So as it turns out, Disney was fine with releasing Sora into Smash Bros and Nomura was the picky one! What an ironic twist!