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

Hello to all, I've come with a new chapter for you to enjoy. Sorry it took so a while, the dreaded period known as Finals was upon me, so I didn't have the time to write. But now I'm back.

Recently, I've heard a lot of praise regarding Sonic Frontier, especially with their music. So me, being the video game music lover that I am, decided to give it a shot.

God damn, the music was straight up fire. Which Sonic Frontier boss song is your favorite?

"Undefeatable"

"Break Through It All" (My Personal Favorite)

"Find Your Flame"

Asides from that, I also gotta share what I believe is a historical moment for me ever since I got into Pokémon.

Ash Ketchum became World Champion. Ash has finally achieved his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. And now Pokémon has announced the final chapter of Ash and Pikachu's journey.

Man, what a journey it has been. And he's still ten years old. XD

Let's start the chapter.


Chapter 12: Faith

"Once again, you continue to be such an enigma..." a certain love Goddess murmured to herself while she was watching Orario from Babel's top floors.

Just like the previous days, Freya found herself deep in thought. The results from her experiment was what not she expected. Once more, Sora just continued to prove that he's someone she cannot figure out easily. She was just met with more questions.

Originally, she intended on sending a warning to Wallenstein about not getting too close to Bell or Sora, as well as having her Level 1s test out Bell's capabilities. Allen wasn't even able to deliver that warning when Sora, of all people, intercepted Allen and proceeded to fend him off. Based on what her Familia told her, Allen was supposedly aiming at Bell in order to provoke the Sword Princess into defending Bell.

Despite Allen's report on the boy, she knew how agitated and angered her Vice Captain was, given the look on his face despite doing his best to hide such an expression. Despite not being told, Freya knew that Allen had trouble dealing with Sora, as Sora returned the favor with a slash across the man's chest and breaking his spear in the process.

Just seeing this just opened a new perspective on Sora.

Sora is able to keep up and easily defeat a Vice Captain, especially when said Vice Captain is a Level 6 of her Familia.

"Not only is your soul unique, but you possess incredible strength despite being a Level 1...my my Sora, you just keep surprising me." Freya quietly said to herself while twirling around her wine glass.

Speaking of souls, she has also learned a couple other things as well.

When she learned that Sora and Allen clashed against each other, she honestly expected Sora's soul to reach out and connect to Allen. What she got instead was absolutely no connection. Allen's soul was not shining brighter through said connection, but was instead darkened by outrage instead.

So she learned that just an interaction with Sora will not set up a connection with Sora's soul.

'Perhaps it's because Sora didn't know Allen's identity...but that's just a possibility...' Freya thought to herself, before she gave a small sigh to herself once more, seeing how another layer is added to the already complex puzzle.

"Honestly, it's been such a long time since I've been stumped..." Freya said to herself in exasperation, feeling a small headache within her head.

"Lady Freya?" a voice spoke up.

Freya heard the voice speak out to her, and turned to see Ottar, her loyal Captain of her Familia, standing in attendance before her. He must be concerned if she were to display any expression of being upset or distraught. She could only give a small giggle.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about Ottar. It's just me being stumped with a puzzle that I'm trying to figure out is all." Freya reassured the large man.

"As you say, Lady Freya." Ottar simply responded while bowing a bit.

Freya gave a small giggle as she turned back to look out the window once more.

"Still, it's surprising to learn how Allen was dealt a heavy blow from Sora, a Level 1 of all people. What are your thoughts on this?" Freya curiously asked.

Ottar went silent for a bit, his mind thinking of the appropriate answer to his Goddess. Even he was caught off guard to learn that a Level 1 is capable of defeating a Level 6, especially with someone who is Vice Captain of the Freya Familia. So in the end, he could only give his honest thoughts.

"...Abnormal. It defies all common sense of how a Level 1 being able to defeat a Level 6." Ottar answered.

Freya hummed while giving a small nod.

"Quite. Which begs the question, how did a Level 1 attain such strength in such a short amount of time? I've heard that he recently joined Hestia's Familia just a few weeks ago. Could one grow that fast? And if that was the case, why not a Level Up?" Freya listed her wonders.

Ottar stayed silent upon hearing this. He couldn't provide the answer if he doesn't know as well.

"...Perhaps he had strength before joined? But that doesn't make any sense either. Mortals are capable of becoming strong without a Falna, but there's a limit to it. Then perhaps they're hiding Sora's true Level, and is masking it as a Level 1. But Hestia is never the dishonest type to do this sort of thing..." Freya quietly said to herself while furrowing her eyebrows. She then gave a small sigh.

"Trying to figure those out would no doubt keep me up all night, and I wouldn't get anywhere with it. I suppose I'll hold off trying to figure out the puzzle for now..." Freya muttered, deciding to move away from the puzzle that is Sora's soul and onto Bell's soul.

"...Hm...still as transparent like the last time, and shining brightly thanks to Sora's soul. But..." Freya muttered, remembering a certain detail of Bell's soul.

Bell's soul was a bit milky, as if it was dyed by uncertainty and fear. It's been like that ever since that incident...

That's no good at all. She couldn't afford to have such a transparent soul be clouded with such a color. It needs to be taken cared of.

She soon glanced towards her Familia's Captain, and a small smile graced her lips.

Perhaps she should have Ottar take care of such a predicament.


~ Break ~


Sora and Bell are the first to arrive to their usual meetup spot with Lili, before they go off into the Dungeons. As they arrived, they looked around their surroundings to see if Lili is around.

"That's weird. Lili usually shows up around this time. I wonder what's holding her up..." Sora muttered in confusion and worry.

"Yeah...she usually arrives not too long after we arrive..." Bell quietly remarked when looking around their surroundings.

"So you're looking for that shortie? Seems like you're still hanging out with that Supporter." a male voice called out to them.

Both Bell and Sora blinked when they heard a new voice speak to them, and turned to see a young man with black eyes and long hair of the same color tied in the back. He wore a long maroon overcoat, a black shirt, brown cargo pants, and dark brown boots. He had a thin long sword strap over his right shoulder that reached to his rear backside.

"You're..." Bell said in recognition, remembering meeting this guy from the incident where he stopped him from attacking this Prum.

"You know this guy Bell?" Sora asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sort of. He-" Bell tried to explain, but the man cut him off.

"I'll get straight to the point. That Supporter you have? Why not work with me and we can loot whatever she has valuable." the man told them with a malicious smirk.

"W-What?" Bell said with a surprised look, while Sora narrowed his eyes when he heard this.

"Excuse me?" Sora said with a frown.

The man before them gave a small scoff.

"Didn't you hear me? We're going to rob that Supporter of yours. Course, I'm not going to do it for free. We're going to evenly split it after we're done with that useless Supporter." the man told them while sneering at the thought.

Hearing this caused Bell to clench his fist while he felt a great surge of anger rise from within him. This man was basically threatening Lili to their faces, and thought that they would be accomplices in harming her.

Before he could give his answer, Sora simply shoved the man away while glaring at him.

"Why won't you back off?" Sora told the man. "Based on what you said, it sounds like you're trying to rob one of our party members. Pretty sure that's a crime. And I'm sure the Ganesha Familia wouldn't be happy to hear such a thing."

The moment Sora said this, the man immediately backed off while glaring at Sora.

"Tch, you damn brat!" the man clicked his tongue while scowling, and turned around and marched off heatedly.

Both Sora and Bell watched the adventurer march off into the distance.

"Man, what a sleaze bag. I should still report him to the Ganesha Familia..." Sora muttered while giving a look of distaste towards the man's retreating back.

"I agree..." Bell quietly agreed while he narrowed his eyes, thinking about this whole situation.

"Master Bell? Master Sora?" a familiar voice called out to them.

Both Bell and Sora turned around to see Lili approaching them with an unreadable expression.

"Oh, hey Lili!" Sora greeted with a grin.

"Hello Lili." Bell greeted as well. "I was a bit worried when you didn't show up at the usual time. There wasn't any trouble along the way, was there?" Bell asked with concern, to which Lili shook her head.

"...No, there wasn't any." Lili answered with a smile.

However, both Bell and Sora could tell that smile was fake. There was something troubling her, but they felt that it wasn't a good time to bring that up.

"...Alright then. In any case, are you prepared for what's to come in the Dungeon?" Bell asked, to which the Supporter nodded at the question.

"Great! Let's get going then!" Sora told the two with a grin.

And with that, the group has delved into the Dungeon once more.


~ Break ~


During the past few days, their progress through the Dungeon has been going pretty well. Thanks to all of their efforts, they've managed to liberate the 9th floor of the Heartless. Now they're making steady progress through the 10th floor of the Dungeon.

They were making their way through the last part of the 9th floor of the Dungeon. As they were, however, both Bell and Sora paused for a bit and looked around their surroundings, something that caught Lili's attention.

"I-Is there something the matter?" Lili asked.

"Oh, we're just checking around to see if there's anyone around. Since it's just us, I believe now is a good time to introduce to you a new party member that's going to be joining us from here on." Sora told her.

"N-New party member?" Lili repeated with surprise and confusion. Why are they telling her this now of all times? And why are they meeting this new party member here?

"Yeah. And trust me, you're going to love our new party member!" Sora said as he took out an item from his pocket, making Lili blink at what Sora is doing.

"And Lili..." Bell spoke up while giving a bit of a strained smile. "Please be open minded on what you're about to see..."

"What do you mean?" Lili asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well..." Bell said while scratching the back of his head, trying to think of the best way to explain it to Lili. "Recently, we've come into contact with a Spirit. And the Spirit has agreed to help us during our time in the Dungeon."

"A-A Spirit agreed to help you out!?" Lili said in shock.

Just hearing this alone should be unbelievable.

Spirits rarely interact with the general populace. And even when you get the chance to meet them, it's for a brief and short time. Materials like the Salamander Wool is made from the Spirit Salamander, so of course you would need to meet up with them in order to retrieve such a material. Even her meetings the Spirit, Bom Cornwall, who is the owner of the Gnome's General Store, is kept at a business level relationship.

And even if you were to make contact with a Spirit, you can't exactly expect a Spirit to easily follow you around. They're seldom and independent creatures.

Hearing Bell saying that a Spirit agreeing to help them is just rather unbelievable.

Seeing Lili's disbelief, Sora simply grinned as he held up an item close to his chest.

"Why don't I show you right now? Come on out!" Sora declared as a bright light began to erupt from the item.

"W-Wait a moment, we haven't even explained to Lili about Meow Wow's appear-!" Bell yelped in surprise and panic.

It was too late, as a bright light soon entered everyone's vision, making Lili closer her eyes from the bright light.

As soon as the bright light died down, Lili slowly lowered her arms while slowly opening her eyes to see what just happened. As she did, she was soon greeted with the sight of a creature she never saw before, looking like the cross between a dog and a cat.

And it was standing right in front of her while curiously looking at her.

Silence was made as Lili could only stare at the creature before her with a bit of a dumbfounded look, before her mind finally processed on what was before her.

"Is...Is this a...Spirit?!" Lili asked with shock while taking a couple step backs.

"Y-Yes, it's a Spirit. Please don't worry, Meow Wow will not hurt you." Bell reassured the Supporter of the group.

Lili could only stare at the creature before her in absolute shock and confusion.

'This...This is a Spirit...?' Lili thought to herself, baffled with the Spirit before her. It doesn't match the general descriptions of the Spirit you generally know of: Salamander, Gnome, Tonitrus, Lux, Undine, and Shade. She's never heard or learned of a Spirit that looks like a mix of a cat and dog.

It could be a Monster, but the creature before her isn't violently attacking anyone. Instead, it's just sitting there while wagging its tail.

Just the sight of it made Lili think of one particular thought.

'...It's...It's surprisingly cute...' Lili thought, feeling the urge to just reach out and pet the creature before her. That feeling alone is telling Lili that the creature before her isn't a Monster, but a Spirit.

And that alone raises a question.

"J-Just what is this Spirit? And how did you get it to come here in the first place...?" Lili asked in confusion.

"O-Oh, that. Well..." Sora trailed off while thinking back on the appropriate answer to give to Lili.

His mind began to remember the conversation he had with Hestia last night.


~ Break ~


Last Night

"Sora...this Dream Eater...it's...it's...it's...!" Hestia had trouble forming the words in her mouth while looking at the Dream Eater in absolute shock.

"Hestia, I understand that Meow Wow is someone you've never experienced with before, but I think you're kind of over-" Sora tried to tell her.

"-It's so soft and squishy! Seriously, how could a Spirit be so soft and squishy like a marshmallow!? You can't find this softness anywhere, even back in Tenkai!" Hestia yelled in absolute shock and awe while clutching the Meow Wow's back.

The Goddess of the Hearth was lying on top of the Dream Eater's back, all the while hugging the round body that is the Meow Wow. She wasn't exaggerating when she said that Meow Wow's body is incredibly soft and squishy. It felt like she was hugging an actual giant marshmallow.

"I never knew Spirits could be so...soft..." Bell muttered in awe and amazement as he was playing around with the Meow Wow's cheeks.

The Dream Eater in question didn't seem all that bothered with how the two were petting it. If anything, the Meow Wow is particularly happy in receiving so much attention and petting, giving off a pleased noise.

Sora could only chuckle while scratching his cheeks at the sight of Bell and Hestia enjoying the comfort of the Meow Wow. If they thought Meow Wow was fun to cuddle with, then they'll definitely have a field day with Kooma Panda.

"I'm glad that you like Meow Wow. Meow Wow is an amazing companion to have by your side, both in and out of battle." Sora said with a grin.

"And you have the luxury of having this Spirit by your side whenever you want. I'm jealous..." Hestia quietly said while rubbing her face onto Meow Wow's fur.

What she would give to have a Spirit like this to cuddle...

That thought alone made Hestia soon realize something.

"Oh...this poses a problem..." Hestia muttered as she sat up while looking at the Dream Eater before her with a very troubled look.

"What do you mean, Goddess...?" Bell asked in confusion.

"This Spirit...it's rare and amazing...and that alone just opens a can full of worms." Hestia told the two.

"I don't follow." Sora said with a confused look while folding his arms, making Hestia sigh.

"Sora, you have to realize the Spirits are a race that's rarely encountered by the general populace. I'm not even exaggerating when I say that Spirits are children that Gods love the most. So if the Gods or people in general were to discover that you have a Spirit that comes at your beck and call..." Hestia explained to Sora.

"...It'll attract a lot of attention towards me." Sora said in realization.

"And that's not all." Hestia said while giving off a troubled look. "This Dream Eater is a Spirit that comes from beyond our World. You know what that means? Nobody is going to recognize Meow Wow as a Spirit. They'll instead mistake it as a Monster. That alone is just going to bring a lot of attention and trouble towards us." Hestia pointed out.

Sora frowned when told this.

Once again, the people of this World are heavily discriminatory towards Monsters in general. While Sora understood that the Monsters of this world are dangerous and cause havoc if let loose, that doesn't excuse the fact that creatures like Meow Wow are immediately labelled with being dangerous.

"Then...what can we do with Meow Wow?" Bell asked with worry. "It can't help us if we can't bring it out in the open..."

Hestia sighed while folding her arms.

"Well, it's sort of like Sora's magic. We can't exactly show the World that Sora can perform countless short-chant spells, only when hidden from sight. Since you're in the Dungeon, hidden from sight, then you're more than welcome to bring out your Dream Eater and help you fight the Heartless." Hestia told the two.

"I guess that works..." Sora muttered in agreement as he knelt down to the Meow Wow and rubbed its head.

Who knew that a Dream Eater like Meow Wow could bring such heavy repercussions?


~ Break ~


Present

Even though Sora could remember the risks and repercussions of bringing Meow Wow to this world, having Meow Wow's assistance in fighting the Heartless is valuable to the party. Which is why he decided to trust Lili on this matter, as Lili has proven not to betray their trust.

"It's...a long story on how I met this guy, so I won't bore you with the details." Sora told her, before he kneeled next to the Meow Wow and patted its back.

"Meow Wow, this is Lili, our Supporter. She'll be working alongside us. Why not give her a hello?" Sora told his Dream Eater with a grin.

The Meow Wow gave off a happy noise as it made its way to Lili and immediately jumped up a bit to raise its face close to Lili and immediately began to lick her face.

"H-Hey, s-stop that! T-That tickles...!" Lili yelped upon receiving Meow Wow's kisses.

"Aw, Meow Wow likes you Lili." Bell told her while smiling at the scene.

"Lili is glad, but-!" Lili yelped when she felt the Meow Wow's weight pressing onto her, trying to keep her balance while dealing with the Dream Eater before her. She soon gave off a cry when she lost her balance and ended up falling onto her behind, which allowed the Dream Eater have even more room in licking her face.

"Master Bell! Help me-!" Lili cried out while she being smothered by the Meow Wow. Sora and Bell gave small chuckles at the sight before Sora leaned down to pick up the Meow Wow off of her.

"Alright alright, that's enough Meow Wow. You've made your point." Sora told his Dream Eater. The Dream Eater simply barked in a cheerful manner.

Lili grumbled a bit as she made herself stand up, feeling a bit miffed that Sora and Bell didn't step in soon enough to help her. But she soon realized that the Spirit before is really friendly. Too friendly in fact.

"What is with this Spirit though? It's way too...affectionate..." Lili described while looking at the Dream Eater before her with a raised eyebrow.

"That's just how Meow Wow is." Sora simply replied with a smile, with the Meow Wow simply barking in agreement.

"Lili sees...still, is the Spirit able to handle itself in the Dungeon...?" Lili asked in a bit of curiosity and worry. Sora gave a small smirk while patting the Meow Wow.

"Oh don't you worry, Meow Wow is able to hold its own in battle. Just wait and see." Sora told her, before he turned around to the entrance of the 10th floor.

"Alright then, let's get going! I want to make plenty of progress clearing the 10th floor!" Sora declared with determination.

The group gave their cheers to Sora as they made their way towards the 10th floor.


~ Break ~


The 10th floor was completely different compared to the previous floors. The floor was completely misty, and the floor is covered with white grass, along with some trees that completely lacked any life to it. They were all completely pale white.

And because it's the 10th floor, the monsters are completely different and stronger, some being bigger in size.

Take the Orc for example. They're completely bigger compared to the likes of the previous Dungeon monsters, who tend to be smaller. Their builds make them tough to cut, and their strength isn't to laugh at for the average Level 1 adventurer. Though slow, they make up for it in numbers to overwhelm their target.

And yet...

The Orc roared as it threw forward a punch, only to lose its arm in the process. The large monster roared in pain, only to stop screaming when Bell swiftly cut off the head with a single stroke, courtesy of the sharp Hestia Knife.

When Bell landed on the ground, he immediately turned to Sora with a mix of an eager and anxious look.

"What's my time?" Bell asked.

Sora was looking at his Gummiphone, clicked on it, and then gave a small grin as he showed the screen to Bell.

"You finished it in 25 seconds! 5 seconds faster than the last time you fought a group of orcs!" Sora told Bell.

"Yes!" Bell pumped his fist in excitement and achievement. Another improvement once more!

Lili could only watch the sight silently. Normally, Level 1s should be very cautious in fighting the Orcs of the tenth floor. And yet Sora and Bell are treating it like it's some kind of training session.

It's still baffling that it hasn't even been a month since she met these two and were hired by them, and they're already progressing through the 10th floor. It would take adventurers a good period of time to move onto a new floor, and yet these two managed to get here from the 8th floor in a relatively short period of time. At this rate, they're going to finish the 10th floor soon and move onto the 11th floor.

'As Lili thought...they're really strange Adventurers...' Lili thought, before she gave a small downtrodden look.

Before she could delve into those thoughts, she felt a nudge on her side, and turned to see the Meow Wow nudging itself towards her in concern, as if it sensed her mood.

"A-Ah...Lili is alright..." Lili told the Dream Eater as she patted it on the head, making the Meow Wow happily woof upon being told this while being petted.

'...It's strange. When was the last time Lili was comforted...?' Lili thought to herself when looking at the Spirit before her. It's genuine with its emotions and intent, so for it to show concern for Lili is a surprise.

To be given genuine concern is something Lili hasn't received all her life.

Though, with Bell and Sora...

"Lili?"

A familiar voice broke Lili out of her concentration, causing her to look up and see Bell before her, looking at her with a concerned expression.

"Are you alright?" Bell asked with concern.

"O-Oh, urm, yes, Lili is alright..." Lili tried to wave off with her professional smile, thought it appeared to be a bit shaky.

Bell stared at her for a short moment, before he slowly nodded.

"...Well, alright then. But the minute you don't feel alright, let us know immediately." Bell told her.

"...Right." Lili quietly responded as she walked ahead of Bell and began working on the monster corpses, extracting their magic stones.

As Lili was working on the magic stones, both Bell and Sora stood next to each other and shared eye contact with each other. Through their simple and silent communication, both of them nodded when they turned back to Lili.

After some time, the group decided to move forward once more into the Dungeon. And this time, they're entering a new area, one where they didn't eliminate the Heartless.

The moment they entered the new area, darkness began to take form in front of them, signaling the arrival of the Heartless.

And when they took form...

"...I thought we we're done with Large Bodies..." Bell groaned with grimace.

"They're not..." Sora corrected with a frown. "...Kind of. More like variants."

Today's Heartless seems to be a mixed batch of Large Body variants. There was a mix of Large Body, Bandit, and Helmed Heartless. It was then Sora noticed a couple Large Body variants he never saw before. A couple of them were covered almost entirely in armor. It wears gold boots and large, gold and red-violet gauntlets. The armor around its neck is gold, its breastplate is silver and light grey, and the armor on its lower body is black with a grey, zig-zagging line around its abdomen.

Sora's mind then flashed with memories. Memories that didn't belong to him.

'...Wait...this is what Roxas faced during his time in Organization 13...!' Sora thought in realization when looking at these memories. He can recall these foreign memories, because Roxas gave him his feelings and memories when they met in the Sleeping Worlds.

And the Heartless that Roxas faced were called...

"Large Armor..." Sora muttered with recognition, something that caught Bell's attention.

"Large Armor?" Bell repeated.

"Yeah...Those two Heartless in those armors...they're especially tough against a lot of physical attacks. The only way to hurt them is by hitting them in the head. Their back is protected by this large round plate." Sora explained to Bell, making the white haired boy grimace even further.

"Just trying to hit them in the head is already a strenuous task..." Bell muttered with a troubled look.

"Though..." Sora recalled.

"Though...?" Bell repeated with a confused look.

Sora gave a small smirk towards Bell.

"They're really vulnerable to fire magic." Sora told Bell.

Bell blinked upon hearing this, before his eyes widened in surprise.

"Then I have a better chance then...!" Bell muttered in realization, before he blinked upon realizing something. "But first..."

The Large Body variants stomped on the ground, ready to attack the group before them.

"...We need to deal with the numbers..." Bell muttered.

"You're right. We need to scatter them if they're all huddled up together like this. If that's the case..." Sora said as he glanced to the Dream Eater behind them.

"Meow Wow! You're up!" Sora told his Dream Eater.

"Nyah!" the Meow Wow gave a determined cry as it hopped in front of Bell and Sora.

"W-Wait, we're going to have the Spirit fight all of them on it's own!?" Lili questioned in shock.

"Heh, you shouldn't underestimate on what this guy can do!" Sora told Lili, before he glanced towards Bell. "But now that you mention it, I guess now is a good time as any to learn what it's like to fight alongside Meow Wow Bell! Why don't you give it a try?" Sora suggested.

"W-Wait, you don't mean...!" Bell stuttered in realization on what Sora is referring to.

"I sure do! Get ready for a wild ride! Meow Wow!" Sora told the Spirit.

The Spirit knew what Sora was implying, as it immediately ran towards Bell, and proceeded to push itself underneath Bell, causing Bell to stumble from this and fall forward and onto the Meow Wow's back.

"W-Wait a moment, I didn't even get the chance to practice-!" Bell tried to protest.

"Go Meow Wow! Show them what you can do!" Sora simply cheered.

The Spirit in question gave off a cry as it ran forward, all the while Bell was crying out in panic as he was heading straight towards a group of Large Body Variants.

"M-Master Sora!?" Lili questioned in shock, seeing how Sora is just sending both the Spirit and Bell to face the group of Large Body variant Heartless alone.

"Just watch. You're going to see something amazing." Sora simply reassured Lili while keeping his eyes forward.

When Meow Wow began to close the distance between it and the Heartless, one of the Large Body Heartless stepped forward while raising its arm, ready to strike both Bell and the Dream Eater. Bell could only look forward with panic and anxiety and then looked down to the Spirit in question.

"Meow Wow, now is a good time to do that...!" Bell frantically told the Spirit.

"Nyah!"

When it looked like the Heartless was about to hit to two of them, the Spirit proceeded to jump up into the air while creating whirlwind like effect around it. This effect ended up dragging some of the Large Body Variants into the whirlwind. When the Meow Wow jumped into the air, its body also seems to increase in size as well. With a bigger body size, the Meow Wow proceeded to slam directly into the middle of the group of Large Body Variants. This ended up scattering the Heartless to different directions.

Lili's jaw dropped upon seeing this.

"I-It can increase in size!?" Lili said in shock.

"You bet! And that's not all! Meow Wow is breaking their formation!" Sora told Lili, making Lili blink upon hearing this and realize that Sora was right.

The tight formation the Large Body variants had were now being scattered by the Meow Wow's bouncing and increasing size.

"Heh! Now is a good time as any to get to work!" Sora said as he ran forward to take advantage of the disorganized mess of the Heartless.

As Sora ran to take care of the Heartless before him, Bell was focused on something else entirely.

"Uwah!" Bell yelled out in panic as he was hanging for dear life.

The Meow Wow's constant bouncing and spinning so much that it felt like he was riding some large monster trying to shake him off. But oddly enough, with its increasing size, it made for easier gripping. But even that doesn't detract that Meow Wow was moving around a lot.

However, its big size wouldn't last forever, as the Meow Wow then proceeded to deflate the air out of it. But it deflated the air with style, as the air coming out of Meow Wow's mouth shot it backwards, making it zip around the battlefield like some kind of freight train. And said freight train rammed into any Heartless that was in its way.

And poor Bell was forced to hang onto this moving freight train.

Fortunately though, the crazy ride came to an end when the Meow Wow finally had all of the air leave its body, returning back to its normal size.

The moment it did and the movement came to a stop, Bell lets go of his grip on the Dream Eater and flopped onto the ground with a groan, all the while feeling a bit dizzy.

"...How does Sora do it...?" Bell muttered in confusion and disbelief, seeing how Sora is able to handle such a crazy ride.

The Meow Wow walked up to Bell and simply started licking his face in concern.

"H-Ha ha ha...I'm okay Meow Wow, thank you for your concern..." Bell reassured the Dream Eater with a shaky smile.

The dog-cat hybrid Dream Eater gave a happy noise upon hearing this from Bell.

Their moment together was cut short, when the two of them heard thumping noises that were getting close to them. Bell's eyes widened in realization that he was still in the middle of battle. Immediately, Bell made himself stand up and look at the source of the thumping noises making its way toward them. Bell's eyes widened a bit more when he saw that it was the Large Armor Heartless making its way towards them.

Bell immediately brought out his Hestia Knife in preparation to fight the new type of Heartless before him. Compared to the other Large Body variants, this one looked like it's not easy to take down. Even so, Bell had the right tool to take on such a Heartless, as Sora pointed out.

The Large Armor Heartless started it off by hopping high into the air and towards Bell and the Dream Eater.

"Move!" Bell exclaimed as he jumped out of the way, with Meow Wow hopping out of the way as well to avoid being squished by the Large Armor's hip drop.

The moment it landed on the ground, it unleashed a shockwave of air around it. Fortunately, Bell was familiar enough with the Large Body variants that they create this sort of thing when using their own weight.

Immediately, Bell aimed his hand towards the the Large Armor Heartless.

"Firebolt!" Bell fired off his Light Firaga spell to the Large Armor Heartless, and successfully impacted with the target. The Large Armor Heartless stumbled from the hit, and then proceeded to fall forward while stumbling around to get up.

Bell didn't give it the chance to get up as he immediately got close to the Heartless and began slashing at its head. Surprisingly, despite the head being the least armored and biggest weak spot, the Large Armor proved to be very durable to absorb a lot of attacks.

Just as the Large Armor Heartless was about to make itself stand up, it was soon pushed down by a new weight being pressed onto it. Or rather, bouncing onto it as the Meow Wow hopped on its back and began to jump up and down to slam its body onto the the Large Armor Heartless's back.

'Great job Meow Wow...!' Bell thought as he raised his Hestia Knife once more, intent on delivering the final blow, before his ears picked up heavy footsteps being made behind him.

Immediately, he turned around and pointed his hand forward.

"Firebolt!" Bell fired off a streak of Light Firaga without second thought. The white flames sailed through the air and impacted with the Large Body Heartless that was making its way towards Bell. It flailed around was it was burning in the white flames, and soon dissipated into dark mist.

Bell immediately turned his attention towards the Heartless that was before him, only to realize that it had enough of being bounced on as it immediately stood up, throwing the Meow Wow off of it.

Counting on previous experiences with Large Armor Heartless, Bell immediately jumped back to avoid the the Heartless rapidly spinning its body around with its arms sticking out. Immediately afterwards, the Large Armor Heartless began to do a body rush towards Bell. Bell immediately jumped to the side to avoid the incoming body strike from the large round Heartless. As he did, he soon noticed a Helmed Body Heartless sliding on its belly and towards Bell.

Before Bell could react, however, Meow Wow immediately slammed its body onto the Helmed Body's side, which made the Helmed Body Heartless forced to change its trajectory. The Helmed Heartless immediately went past Bell and it ended up crashing into the Large Body Heartless, making the two of them stumble from the impact and were struggling to get up.

This was the chance Bell needed!

"Firebolt! Firebolt! Firebolt!" Bell proceeded to fire multiple bolts of Light Firaga towards the two Heartless, intending on finishing them off.

The Light Firaga successfully hit their target, making the Helmed Body and Large Armor burn intensely by the Light Firaga. Even with all of their bulk, Bell's Light Firaga is truly a dangerous element for the Heartless. Soon, they dissipated into the puffs of Darkness, telling Bell that his fight with them is over.

Bell gave a small sigh of relief, seeing how the battle is done. He soon looked around to see if there are any more Heartless around to fight, only to see Sora finishing off the last of the Large Body variants.

Seeing the surroundings empty with Heartless, Bell gave a small exhale as he lowered his arms. He then turned to Meow Wow.

"Thanks Meow Wow. You were a great help." Bell thanked the Dream Eater for its assistance.

"Arf!" the Meow Wow happily replied, and proceeded to make its way towards Sora.

As it did, Bell silently watched the Dream Eater while giving off a thoughtful look.

'So this is what it's like to fight alongside a Dream Eater. I wonder if I'm able to make a connection with one like Sora does...' Bell thought to himself.

It should be plausible. Even non-keyblade wielders are able to form a connection with Dream Eaters. Neku, who was in the Sleeping World at the time, was able to form some sort of contract with the Dream Eaters.

'Then again...it was only possible in the Sleeping Worlds...' Bell thought, seeing how Dream Eaters take residence in the Sleeping Worlds and cannot leave it, only under special circumstances like Sora's Summoning.

Bell fell into a bit of silence when he pondered on something. Perhaps he should ask Sora about it in the near future.

But not right now. They have more important matters to deal with.


~ Break ~


Thanks to the addition of Meow Wow to the group, Sora and his party managed to make great progress through the 10th floor of the Dungeon. They're nearly done with the 10th floor, and are able to move onto the 11th floor soon. However, the day was nearly coming to an end, and they've decided to call it a day.

The group was soon at the entrance to the 9th floor of the Dungeon. As they did, Sora turned to Meow Wow and kneeled down to it while patting its head.

"Thanks for your help Meow Wow. I'll be sure to give you plenty of treats the next time we meet up!" Sora told his Dream Eater.

"Arf!" the Meow Wow happily responded.

Immediately, the Meow Wow soon disappeared into a pink puff of smoke, not leaving any trace behind.

"W-Where did it go...?" Lili stuttered in surprise, seeing the Meow Wow disappear before her eyes.

"Oh, Meow Wow decided to return home. Don't worry though, Meow Wow is safely out of the Dungeon." Sora reassured Lili.

"Lili sees..." Lili muttered, still bewildered on what the Spirit before her is capable of performing.

"In any case, we should head home as well. We've been through a lot today." Sora told the group.

"I agree." Bell nodded in agreement.

And with that, the party made made their way through the 9th floor of the Dungeon.

As they were, Lili stayed silent while looking a bit down in thought.

Today's events were really strange. She got to encounter a Spirit, and said Spirit is proven to be very friendly to her, Bell, and Sora. That alone is something she's still trying to wrap her head around.

'What's even more surprising is the fact that they trust Lili with this type of thing...' Lili thought to herself, surprised by the fact that Bell and Sora trust her with this important revelation that a Spirit is coming alongside them in the Dungeon.

Information like this would costs a fortune to sell, and Adventurers will come chomping at the bits on wanting to learn or even acquire a Spirit like Meow Wow. She would've sold them off for her own benefit.

And yet...she just can't bring herself to do this type of thing, even if it will score her a fortune. A fortune big enough to buy herself out of that hell she calls a Familia.

'...Why...Why is Lili so hesitant on this...?' Lili thought to herself.

In the past, she stole from Adventurers if it meant earning herself Valis and screwing over the Adventurers that looked down on her and treated her like utter garbage. She would've done no different in this very scenario.

And yet...

Throughout her entire time with Sora and Bell, they've done nothing but treat her well. They've constantly gave her a fair share of valis and much more. They appreciated her help. They did everything they can to protect her from harm. Bell was especially more proactive in protecting her from harm. Her mind flashed back to where Bell used his own body to shield her from harm, someting no ordinary Adventurer would do for a Supporter like her. Sora was constantly looking out for the group, making sure they're unharmed and always asking if they need healing. He even cares for a weak Supporter like her, when he's an abnormally strong Adventurer.

Adventurers were supposed to be cruel monsters in human skin.

They were greedy.

They were evil.

And yet Sora and Bell are the complete opposite.

Lili was having a lot of conflicting feelings about all of this. Like everything she believed in was turning upside down at this very moment.

Unknown to her, Bell and Sora have been silently communication with each other. It was then Sora gestured with his eyes towards Lili when looking at Bell. The white haired boy nodded at this as he turned to Lili.

"Lili."

Hearing Bell's voice made Lili freeze a bit whole jolting her out of her thoughts.

"Y-Yes?" Lili responded with a bit of a startled look.

Bell looked a bit troubled on what to say, before going forth with his thoughts.

"Um...I don't really know if I'm intruding, but...if you're ever in trouble, please let me know, alright?" Bell told her with a small reassuring smile.

"W-What?" Lili responded with a confused look. Bell gave her a sheepish look.

"I'm an idiot, so I don't really know how to read things well. You need to tell me directly so I can know." Bell told her, making Lili's eyes widened a bit in shock and surprise.

Were they able to read through her!?

"W-Why are you telling Lili this?" Lili stuttered while her heart was beating a bit faster in anxiety.

"Well..." Bell started while scratching the back of his head. "Sora and I greatly appreciate all the help you've done for us. And after some time working with you...I'd like to think of us as friends, rather than a simple Adventurer and Supporter relationship. I certainly hope I'm not overstepping any boundaries..." Bell asked with a smile.

Lili's eyes widened when she heard this.

Friends.

Bell considers her a friend.

He didn't see her as a mere Supporter, but a friend of all things.

She doesn't know if she should scoff or laugh at the notion.

Her? Being friends with an Adventurer?

Like hell she'll ever become friends with monsters in human skin. She would rather try to tackle the Dungeon on alone than having to make friends with such people.

That is...if Bell and Sora were like them at all.

They could be putting up a friendly facade to catch her off guard, but their actions say otherwise. And the Spirit genuinely adores and trusts them, adding more to their character. Everything about these two is just...genuine.

And now Bell is telling her that he sees her as a friend.

Someone who cares for her.

Lili's lip trembled.

'...Stop...Don't give Lili hope.' Lili desperately thought.

However, Sora stepped in as well to help.

"Bell's right Lili. We appreciate all of the help and support you've given us. So we don't mind if you rely on us for help. We're friends, after all." Sora told her with a reassuring grin.

Hearing this caused Lili to clench her fist a bit too tightly.

Damn it...she's beginning to believe in something hopeful. The one thing she didn't want to avoid the pain and misery of being betrayed and used that she had to face throughout her entire life.

She began to wonder...has she finally found some semblance of light in this dark and miserable life?

Those thoughts were soon cut off when the group heard footsteps, footsteps that don't belong to them. The group soon stopped and noticed that they were in the middle of a large room between two hallways.

Lili's eyes widened and her body tensed when she saw former employer, Ged, step out from the shadows and stepped in front of them.

"Heh, what an odd chance of running into you here." Ged greeted with an unpleasant smirk.

Bell and Sora immediately stepped in front of Lili while frowning at the man before.

"Great, it's you. What do you want?" Sora questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Woah woah, easy there." Ged said while raising his arms up in a placating manner. "I have no personal quarrel with any of you really. There's no reason for us to fight. The only reason I'm here is because I got some business with her." Ged said as he pointed towards Lili. Lili's blood felt a bit cold when she saw him pointing at her, all the while her eyes were darting between him and to both Sora and Bell.

"And what exactly do you want from her?" Bell questioned with suspicion.

"Heh, I'm glad you asked! You see, that Supporter actually stole my sword and sold it. As a victim of having my weapon stolen, I intend on getting my justice from that thief!" Ged snarled while pointing at Lili.

'Only because you intended on using Lili as bait and didn't even intend on paying Lili...!' Lili mentally retorted, but couldn't even bring herself to vocally retort, as acknowledging this man's claims will only expose of her crimes towards Bell and Sora.

Not that it would do any good, as Ged has practically pointed out how she stole from him.

Dread begun to fill her Heart. Just as she finally thought she could some sort of semblance of peace, her own past actions are starting to catch up to her. And now these two know of her crimes. And knowing them, they don't seem like the type to take injustice so easily.

She broke out in cold sweat when Sora turned towards her with an unreadable expression. It didn't show and anger or disgust, nor did it show any approval either. Her heart beat rapidly when she saw that expression. She cannot tell what Sora is thinking. She flinched when Sora slowly reached out towards her. The Pallum could only close her eyes tightly and braced herself for whatever is coming to her.

Only to feel nothing. Instead, she felt something digging into her backpack. She slowly opened her eyes, and saw Sora taking out a bag full of magic stones that they've collected.

'Why is he...?' Lili thought in confusion, lost on what Sora is doing with that bag.

She was shocked when Sora proceeded to throw the bag of magic stones towards Ged, having the bag land in front of his feet.

"There, you can buy yourself a new one. Now get lost." Sora told him with a glare.

"S-Sora...?" Lili stuttered in surprise and shock.

He's not disgusted or mad at her?

She gazed towards Bell, but he wasn't even looking at or glaring at her. Instead, he still kept standing in front of her, as if to protect her. He was still giving Ged a cautious look.

Lili couldn't believe what she was seeing. The two of them aren't even mad at her, even after her crimes were being spelled right in front of them. Instead, they were paying more attention to Ged instead.

"We can get more anytime." Sora simply told Lili, his eyes still on Ged.

Ged hummed as he picked up the bag of magic stones, looking through its contents. He then gave a snicker.

"Well that's awfully generous of you. Your haul is enough to buy myself a high quality sword if I'm being completely honest." Geld remarked, before he gave a contemptuous look towards Lili. "But I'm afraid that even with this payment, that still doesn't make up for the humiliation that I had to endure from her! All I want is to personally punish that little shit for stealing from me! She's a Supporter who doesn't know her place! Don't worry, I don't intend to kill her. After beating her and taking all of her stuff, you can do whatever you want with that useless Supporter. We can both move on with our lives." Ged said while sneering.

This only caused Bell and Sora to intensity their glares at the man before them, making Bell grip his knives tighter while Sora raised his Keyblade.

"And like I told you. We're not giving up Lili to you. Either take the magic stones and get lost, or we have to do things the hard way!" Sora exclaimed while pointing his Keyblade towards the man.

"Tch! I was really trying to be a nice guy, you know? But now you signed your death warrant." Ged scowled. "Oi, Canoe! Could use a hand here!"

They heard footsteps, and the group turned around to see three people that Lili is well familiar with emerging from the hallway behind them.

"Y-You...!" Lili whispered in shock and alarm, seeing Canoe, a member of the Familia she is in, appear before her. And he was followed along by two other companions that were a part of the Soma Familia.

"Honestly, I was kind of hoping for you to at least rob her, but can't be helped..." Canoe said while sighing.

"Yeah yeah, hurry it up would you!? You take care of the brats while I deal with the little shit!" Ged told them.

Canoe, however, didn't immediately move. He just gave off a rather bored look.

"I have a better idea. Why don't you scram? You can leave everything to us." Canoe said as he proceeded to toss forward something to the ground.

Everyone, save for Canoe and his group, had their eyes widened in shock and alarm at what they saw.

"Half the body of a Killer Ant!?" Lili exclaimed in alarm and shock.

"Are you out of your mind!? This monster will send out a signal that attract the rest of its brethren!" Ged yelled in anger.

"Better start running then, otherwise you'll end up as food for the Monsters in the Dungeon." Canoe simply shrugged while giving a small smirk.

"Tch...!" Ged scowled as he soon turned around and began to run away. "Damn you! I'll remember this!"

Ged soon left the room for his own survival. However, not long after a few seconds, the group soon heard Ged's cry of pain in the distance, indicating that he didn't make it that far.

Sora scowled upon seeing the situation before him, and turned to Canoe and the others with a glare.

"Now then, I'm sure that you're smart people. We're capable adventurers ourselves, so you can leave your Supporter with us. After all, we do come from the same Familia. Familia take care of each other after all." Canoe said with a smarmy grin.

Sora maybe naive sometimes, but even he could tell that this guy was lying. Even Bell couldn't buy what the guy is saying, and he's pretty trusting to a lot of people.

"We're more than capable of handling ourselves. Why don't you get lost?" Sora told them with a glare.

"Are you seriously saying that? You must be pretty stupid to believe that you can handle all of these Killer Ants on your own. Besides, she belongs with us. Outsiders have no business with Familia business. Nobody likes nosy people." Canoe sneered.

"You say that, and yet you're the ones who put us in this situation in the first place! I'll say that this is plenty of our business! Also, if you truly cared about Lili, you would've defended her from that guy, or not resort to this method in the first place! You're the one who's pretty stupid if you honestly believe that we're going to fall for your obvious lies!" Sora shot back with a glare.

This only made Canoe click his tongue in annoyance.

"And risk getting yourselves killed alongside your 'friend'? Honestly, I thought you brats were smarter than that." Canoe mocked as he scratched his belly, before he drew his weapon. His companions followed suit as well. "I was hoping to be a nice guy and give you brats a ticket out. But looks like we're going to have to do things the hard way."

Seeing the weapons being drawn out made Bell and Lili tense, while Sora kept on glaring at the three.

Canoe gave an ugly sneer.

"Well, nobody is going to bat an eye to a few bodies in the Dungeon. After all, it's only natural to have some casualties when one goes exploring the Dungeon." Canoe smugly stated as he made his way towards the three.

As the Raccoon Demihuman and his fellow Familia members began to make their way towards Sora and the others, the Killer Ants were beginning to fill the hallway behind them, giving them no chance of escape from them.

Bell gritted his teeth as he raised his knives in preparation while Lili looked on with horror and fear in the situation that she's in. She also felt immense guilty for dragging in the two into her own personal problems. She doesn't want any harm to befall onto them, but her own past crimes are starting to catch up to her and wrongfully punish the people who hired her.

Killer Ants from behind, and three of them from the front. A situation where there was nowhere to run or escape for Sora, Bell, and Lili. It looked like a situation that Canoe will win in and reap his rewards from the three brats.

But there was one thing that Canoe has failed to take into account...

And it's that Sora has dealt with worse.

"Faith."

Those were the only words that left Sora's mouth, as he raised his Keyblade into the air. Pillars of Light manifested around Sora, Bell, and Lili. Bell and Lili looked at the magic that manifested around them in surprise, while Canoe and the others were caught off guard by the magic.

Canoe and the others couldn't do anything else, as they were soon caught up in the Light as the pillars of Light erupted brightly while rapidly rotating around Sora and began to expand outwards, obliterating anything in its path. The Killer Ants were caught by the pillars of Light and were completely destroyed by the magic. Canoe and the others couldn't do anything but cry out in pain and agony as they were engulfed by the Light.

Bell and Lili had to cover their eyes for a brief moment after witnessing the magic that has cast. But even with their eyes closed, they could feel the brightness and intensity of the Light. It lasted for a short while, before they felt the room beginning to dim down to normal brightness.

The two of them lowered their arms and slowly opened their eyes to see what happened. Their eyes widened at what they saw.

Behind the trio were corpses of Killer Ants, their bodies obliterated by the Light magic. In front of the trio was Canoe and his fellow lackeys all on the ground, not moving after receiving a major blow from Sora's magic.

"...He killed all of the Killer Ants...and took them out in one move...!" Lili muttered in shock and disbelief.

"...So this is what Sora is capable of if he uses the power of Light to its full potential...!" Bell muttered in shock and amazement. He only saw Sora use Light as a few techniques that were rather small scale. But to witness just a single word to annihilate an entire room of monsters and the people in front of them was nothing but amazing for Bell. It just further cemented on how strong of a legendary hero Sora is.

But much to Bell and Lili's surprise, Canoe was giving a small pained groan as he was on the ground, indicating that he's still alive.

"T-They're still alive?" Lili said with shock.

"I held back. A lot." Sora said with a frown. "I intend on turning these scumbags into jail. I'm sure the Ganesha Familia will know what to do with them."

Lili frowned, preferring that Sora didn't hold back and just get rid of them. But considering how Sora got them out of a situation that she thought that was going to be the end of them, she couldn't exactly be picky.

"Ah, we're going to need rope if we're going to drag them to the Guild and prevent them from escaping." Bell said, before he turned to Lili. "Hey Lili, do you have any rope in that backpack of yours?"

Lili paused, and turned to look at Bell, who still looked at her with an honest look on his face.

Not a single bit of suspicion or resentment. She couldn't see any negativity in Bell's eyes.

It was just pure trust.

"...Why...?" Lili whispered while her shoulders shook a bit.

"Hm?" Bell blinked in confusion when Lili said that, only to step back in surprise when Lili exploded on him.

"Why did you put so much effort into protecting Lili!? You heard from Ged! Lili stole from her last client! And it was because of Lili we almost got killed thanks to Canoe and the others! And yet you choose to defend and trust Lili!? For what reason!?" Lili yelled at them in frustration and confusion.

Both Bell and Sora gave a startled look when Lili exploded on them.

"Just why!? Lili doesn't understand why you would protect Lili after all of this!?" Lili heatedly questioned.

Both Bell and Sora went into a bit of silence upon hearing all of this from Lili and shared a brief look with each other. Bell then kneeled to Lili's height while giving Lili a reassuring smile.

"Well, we're friends, aren't we? It's only natural for friends to help each other out." Bell told her.

"You're...You're still on about that!?" Lili asked in disbelief. "You still consider Lili a friend even after having all of this spelled out in front of you!? Lili is a thief! Lili stole from other adventurers so she can gain valis! Lili thought about stealing from you! And you still consider Lili a friend!? Why!?" Lili kept on questioned while tears were threatening to leak from her eyes.

Bell blinked upon hearing all of this from Lili, but that didn't deter him. Instead, paused a bit on how to answer that type of question.

"U-Um...it's because..." Bell looked a bit lost on how to answer that question. His first thought is saying that he's helping her because she's a girl, before he mentally slapped himself upon seeing that's a rather stupid answer.

Suddenly, his mind remembered something. His past conversation with Sora regarding Light and Darkness. How things aren't as black and white as he thought.

"It's because I'm looking past all of the Darkness and see the Light within you Lili." Bell answered.

Both Lili and Sora blinked upon hearing this, but for different reasons. Sora turned to Bell and he soon realized what Bell was getting at, while Lili looked confused with the answer.

"W-What...?" Lili muttered in confusion.

Bell gave a soft smile.

"Everyone has both Light and Darkness within their Heart. Even if you paint yourself with all of this Darkness Lili, I will still look at the Light shining within your Heart. I don't see a thief. I see a wonderful Supporter who helped us progress through the Dungeon and earn us a lot of valis. I see someone who has helped me fight against the Heartless when I'm being overwhelmed. And I can confidently say that your Light deeply cares about us. And it's because of that Light that I'll choose to believe in you Lili. Nothing more, nothing less." Bell simply told her with a kind smile.

Just hearing this caused Lili to tremble a bit while she gave a few sniffles.

"T-That's it...? That's so...so...!" Lili fumbled around, trying to find the right words to call out Bell's simple minded statement.

"Not at all logical? I guess you could say that. Then again, I'm just a poor Adventurer who's in need of a great Supporter." Bell said, mirroring Lili's own words when she introduced herself to them.

It was those words that finally broke through Lili, as she started sobbing uncontrollably and then closed the distance between then and brought Bell into a tight hug.

Bell looked a bit surprised upon seeing the action, before he softly smiled and gave her a comforting hug to console her emotional state.

Sora softly smiled at the scene.

What Bell just said reflected Sora's own faith in his best friend Riku. When Riku succumbed to the Darkness and even attempted to kill him out of some misguided attempt to help Kairi. But despite all of that, Sora chose to look past all of that and see his best friend's true nature. It's his faith in his best friend that truly turned out for the better, and had someone who he can leave his back to.

'...All you need is just some faith to truly bring them around...' Sora thought to himself with a fond smile.


~ Break ~


The group were able to make it out of the Dungeon without any trouble at all. The only thing they had to deal with was dragging back Canoe and his accomplices through a rope, but that didn't really trouble Sora at all as he was the one dragging them back.

When they finally made it to the surface and exited Babel tower, they soon noticed it was sunset.

"Huh, almost the end of the day..." Sora muttered, before he looked around his surroundings. "Now then, where's a Ganesha Familia member when I need them...?"

"Excuse me? May I ask why you have three people tied in rope?" a voice asked.

The group soon turned their heads to see who asked them that question, and lo and behold, a Ganesha Familia member was making their way towards them.

"Wow, talk about timing..." Bell muttered in surprise.

Meanwhile, Sora blinked when he looked at the Ganesha Familia member, recognizing who it is.

"Oh hey, aren't you...Modaka?" Sora recalled.

"It's Moda-" Modaka attempted to correct, but soon paused when he realized that someone recalled his name correctly. He cleared his throat for a bit. "Erm, yes, it's Modaka. You're Sora, correct? The one Ganesha told us about?" Modaka asked, just to make sure he has the right person.

"That's me." Sora replied with a grin.

"I see. Well then Sora, may I ask why you have three unconscious adventurers tied up in rope?" Modaka questioned while looking at the unconscious states of Canoe and his accomplices.

"These guys attempted to rob us in the Dungeon. Thankfully, we managed to put a stop to their crimes and are in the process of turning them in." Sora explained.

"I-Is that so?" Modaka said.

Normally, he wouldn't take those words at face-value. But Shakti has informed the rest of the Ganesha Familia that Sora is considered an important outside member to work with, and his word should be trusted. For Shakti to say this about Sora shows how trustworthy Sora is.

They could also get confessions out of the three unconscious individuals with Ganesha being able to get the truth out of them, considering the Gods being able to see through lies.

"Erm, right. Thank you for bringing them in. We'll take over from here." Modaka said as he grabbed the rope. He turned to his other Familia members.

"Hey, you two give me a hand and get me a cart! We got some criminals to bring in!" Modaka called out to his fellow Familia members.

"Right right, you got it Madara."

"It's Modaka!"

Bell, Sora, and Lili wordlessly watched the Ganesha Familia take away the three unconscious Soma Familia members.

"...You have connections with the Ganesha Familia...?" Lili asked in surprise, making Sora chuckle.

"I guess you could say that." Sora remarked while scratching his cheek, before he curiously turned to Lili.

"So what do you intend on doing now Lili?" Sora asked.

Lili frowned.

"...Lili is not too sure. Lili will have to go into hiding since Canoe and the others are arrested. Lili's Familia won't exactly sit idly by after losing Canoe, especially with me involved..." Lili answered with a bit of a troubled look.

Hearing this didn't sit right with Sora.

"About that. Why is your own Familia going after you? I thought they didn't want to do anything with you." Sora asked with a frown.

Lili frowned while looking away.

"It's...something that you shouldn't concern yourself with. Lili doesn't want to drag you into Lili's troubles..." Lili said, not wanting to drag Bell and Sora further into her troubles.

"Lili, your Familia members pretty much tried to rob us. I'd say that's more than enough to step in and help." Sora told her.

"And since you're going into hiding, why not come stay with us then? We don't mind having another person join us. My Goddess is more than willing to offer a home to those in need." Bell offered.

Lili stayed silent for a bit. These two were really insistent on helping her out. She wants to keep them out of her own troubles, but like Sora said, her own troubles ended up involving Bell and Sora. And considering how strong Bell and Sora are, she has better chances with her survival...

"...If you don't mind Lili stay with you..." Lili told them with a rather hesitant look.

"Great! I'm sure Hestia wouldn't mind when we tell her all of this." Sora said with confidence.


~ Break ~


"It hasn't even been a few days, and this has apparently happened..." Hestia groaned while palming her face. "Sora, you really are a magnet for trouble..."

Sora sweat dropped at the reaction. He can't really deny that trouble follows him wherever he goes.

"...I'm not even doing it on purpose..." Sora muttered with a bit of a dejected look.

Hestia gave an exasperated sigh while rubbing her forehead.

"And that's even worse. I couldn't even imagine the trouble you would attract if you did it on purpose..." Hestia groaned, before she gave a sigh while shaking her head. "...Never mind that. I suppose we have more important matters at hand." Hestia stated as she turned her attention towards Lili, who was standing before her.

Hestia went a bit into silence as she gave Lili a good look.

"So..." Hestia started. "You've been the Supporter that Bell and Sora hired recently. I take it that you've encountered the dark creatures as well?" Hestia questioned.

"Y-Yes. These dark creatures are abnormal and just came out of nowhere, and was paid not to spread this information." Lili answered.

"So that's what you know. At least Sora was capable of hiding a few details at the very least..." Hestia muttered, before she gave a small sigh. "It's rather fortunate that you didn't spread this type of information to others. Stuff like this is way too sensitive to be spread."

Lili could only remain silent upon hearing this. She could only wonder why even a Goddess is also hiding information like this from the general public.

"In any case, seems like we've truly dragged your Supporter into this mess...and a mess of her own from recent events." Hestia said with a frown, and rubber her head a bit. "Based on everything that I've heard from all of you, it seems that your own Familia is after you...or rather, to exploit you for their own benefit." Hestia summarized, making Lili mutely nod at this.

"Well, it's a good thing we've managed to turn those three into the Ganesha Familia. I'm sure that they'll help solve the issue with Lili and her Familia." Sora said while nodding his head.

However, Hestia shook her head.

"I wish that were the case, but things aren't as simple." Hestia pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Sora repeated with a confused look.

"Those three might've committed crimes and will be punished for it and the Soma Familia may face a fine for such a thing; however, the Ganesha Familia has no authority on changing the attitudes of the people in the Familia. Their duty is to stop and apprehend crime, yes, but they can't have the final say in how to properly behave." Hestia pointed out.

"That's...!" Sora scowled while clenching his fist, feeling upset that an abusive Familia is able to practically walk away from all of this without any repercussions on their part.

"Even if that was the case, why are you still with that Familia Lili? Isn't it better to just leave?" Bell asked.

"You think Lili doesn't know that? If it was possible, Lili would've done so a long time ago..." Lili said with a very bitter look. "But unfortunately, leaving isn't so easy..."

"What do you mean?" Bell asked with concern.

"For one, Soma himself needs to approve of Lili's leave." Hestia pointed out, making Sora turn to Hestia with confused expressions.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked with a confused look.

"You've recently joined us, so you wouldn't know, but in order to leave a Familia, there are two requirements: the first is that you have to be in the Familia for about a year. It's a way to prevent Familia members jumping from Familia to Familia on a whim. The second is that a God needs to perform a ritual that allows the child to leave the Familia. It's their decision alone that determines whether or not you can leave a Familia." Hestia explained.

"And Soma won't let her leave!? He just sees Lili as some kind of tool!?" Sora heatedly questioned with an angered look.

"That's not it." Lili spoke up.

"Lili?" Sora said with a confused look.

"Soma never acted cruel towards me. If anything, he's...distant and indifferent..." Lili said while recalling her memories of her time with her patron God.

"Distant and indifferent?" Bell repeated. Lili nodded.

"Soma just focuses all of his attention towards making wine, and nothing else. He leaves everything else to our Familia Captain, Zanis." Lili explained while a bitter look grew on her face when thinking about her Familia Captain.

"What does your Familia Captain have to do with this?" Bell asked with a confused look.

"A lot of things." Lili spat out with distaste. "For one, he practically runs the entire Familia and decides whatever he want to do with it. He's the one who's having everyone run around trying to collect valis, just so they have the chance of tasting wine made by Soma. Because of him, I'm not allowed to personally meet up with Soma and beg him to leave. Zanis is the one who imposed the rule that in order to leave the Familia, you need to pay 10 million valis." Lili pointed out.

This made everyone blink in shock upon hearing this.

"T-Ten million valis!? That's just way too much to just leave a Familia...!" Bell whispered in shock.

"This Zanis guy is practically making it impossible to leave the Familia then!" Sora exclaimed with a scowl on his face while clenching his fist. "Well I say forget it! I should go to your Familia right now and give him a piece of my mind! In fact, I should do it right now!" Sora said as he turned around and was about to make his way out of the room.

"Hold it Sora." Hestia called out to Sora, which stopped Sora in his tracks.

"H-Hesita?" Sora repeated with a confused look.

Hestia gave a sigh while rubbing her forehead.

"We can't just go into this blindly and recklessly. I don't have any doubts that you can just easily waltz in and beat up Lili's Familia Captain, but there's more to it." Hestia warned, making Sora blink at this.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked with a confused look.

"For one, just barging in and resorting to violence is more trouble than it's worth. That Familia Captain could even spin it to have them look like the victim, which will put a strain on us, and the relationship with the Guild and Ganesha Familia. And that's something we can't jeopardize if we want to keep Orario safe from the Heartless." Hestia told Sora, making the Keyblade wielder's eyes widened upon realization.

The Guild sets the rules, laws, and punishments for Adventurers in Orario, and the Ganesha Familia are the law enforcers. Even if Sora went to the Soma Familia with the best of intentions, Sora committed a crime from a third party perspective. And that alone will put a strain in the relationship with the Ganesha Familia, who's supporting him in his endeavor against the Heartless.

"I..." Sora found himself at a loss of words upon hearing this.

"And even if we somehow avoided that, there's still the fact that Soma has to approve of Lili's leave. I don't know if he approved of this whole leaving fee, but there's a chance he'll ask for it. And if we don't have it, then Lili can't leave, and that Zanis guy would probably gain some leverage over Lili even more and probably change the policy." Hestia further explained.

"That's...!" Bell whispered with a troubled look.

Sora just clenched his fist a bit too tightly upon realizing the situation before him. This isn't something he can easily solve by just swinging his Keyblade around.

"Even so..." Sora started. "I can't just stand around and do nothing! Lili is in need of our help, and I intend on doing so!"

"And I'm not stopping you. I'm telling you that a plan is needed if you want to have Lili leave her Familia. The most crucial part is beating the Soma Familia at their own game." Hestia explained.

"You shouldn't be too troubled as well. Lili has been saving up a lot of valis over these past few years, and it almost hitting the quota to leave." Lili reassured both Bell and Sora.

"You've been saving up up that many valis...?" Bell said in surprise.

"Of course. Thanks to you and Sora, Lili has been gaining plenty of valis. It won't be too long until Lili is finally able to leave." Lili told the two.

"Still, ten million valis? That's just a ridiculous amount to make..." Sora muttered while folding his arms while furrowing his eyebrows in thought.

Even if Lili told them she saved up a lot, it still means Lili still has to work on gaining so many valis. And with the time needed, that means Lili will have to go into hiding while trying to avoid being hunted down by her Familia. Something that didn't sit right with Sora.

'I need to find a way to make a lot of valis in a short amount of time. I don't have anymore Synthesis materials to give away. The only way to gain a large amount of valis in a short amount of time is through the Dungeon, but the monsters from the Upper Floors don't give much in a short amount of time...' Sora thought to himself, before his eyes widened upon realization.

"Wait...that's it...!" Sora muttered in realization, which gained everyone's attention.

"What is it Sora?" Bell asked with surprise and confusion.

"I know a way to gain a good amount of valis in a short amount of time!" Sora told everyone, making everyone blink upon hearing this.

"Y-You do? What is it?" Lili asked in surprise and shock.

When asked this question, Sora simply gained a determined look and smile.

"I plan on going to the Deeper Floors of the Dungeon."


And that's a wrap to this chapter.

I can say right now that this particular event of this chapter is going to set off a chain of events later on in the story. Be excited on what's to come.

Also, it's pretty ironic for Hestia to state that barging into the Soma Familia for Lili's freedom is reckless and full of consequences, when she did exactly that in canon. XD

Originally, I wanted Canoe and his cronies to be assaulted by the Heartless and have their Hearts stolen, being turned into Heartless themselves. Canoe was going to turn into a Fat Bandit Heartless while the others are turned into Bandit Heartless (which fits them). But I soon realized that I'm just overextending the confrontational scene with Canoe and the others.

So instead, I've decided to shift the Large Body fight to a showcase of Meow Wow's abilities instead. Meow Wow may look cute, but this is a Spirit capable of fighting alongside Sora. I want to show how helpful Meow Wow can be when Bell fights alongside it.


(Why Lili didn't betray and run off in Canon)

In canon, Lili stole Bell's knife and ran off. In this story, she didn't. The reason why is because of a couple of reasons. The first reason is that Lili knew she had no chance in trying to steal the knife regardless. Sora is constantly around, meaning she can't easily steal it while Sora is unknowingly keeping an eye on her. Even if she were to just blatantly steal it and run off, Lili knows that Sora can easily catch up to her.

The second (and most important) reason is that Lili has been developing a closer bond more than she ever did compared to canon, which acts as a stronger conscience to her usual activities. She saw how genuine Bell and Sora are towards her. One key moment is Bell protecting her from a devastating blow with his own body, which left a deep impression on her. And said impression has made her very hesitant on trying to steal from Bell, or do anything remotely bad in general.

So yeah, it's because of these reasons that Lili stuck with them the whole way, rather than going through with her usual actions.


Fun Fact of the Day

During KH2 Development, there were some proto-designs that showed Sora wielding a double-bladed Keyblade, made up of Sora's Kingdom Key and Mickey's Kingdom Key D.

I don't know about you, but Nomura clearly loves to take inspiration from Star Wars if Xemnas is any indication.