Akala Highlands: Outpost, Night…

Link, Roxas, Twilight, two Samurai Summons, and a girl were faced with six Yiga. The first person among these twelve to move was Agate. While she was a liitle miffed at Twilight for denying her, Roxas had been the one to mess up such a carefully curated plan.

Considering he also duel wielded like she did, it was a no brainer that she'd go for him. "I will skin you alive."

"Figures you'd have the same tastes as your master." Roxas called out as he charged to meet her head on.

She pushed her sickle forward only for Roxas to block with Oathkeeper. With that resounding clang of metal on metal, all hell broke loose. The remaining combatants all rushed in to fight. Two of the Yiga spun their sickles in either hand with deft fingers.

They then brought them together attempting to decapitate the two Samurai. The summons flowed around the attack getting behind the assassins and attempting to end them in one, decisive strike. The Yiga members, while not able to flow, were still light on their feet.

The pair managed to flip over the blades before rushing back into engage. The Yiga that faced Link managed to slam their knee into his face causing stars to burst in front of his eyes. He managed to thrust his blade forward piercing the Yiga's extended leg undercutting their speed.

The Yiga who came after Twilight twisted their sickle in a back handed grip sweeping it in a large arc toward his head. He blocked with the black shield and immediately pushed it forward causing the Yiga to stumble before lunging forward with his blade posed to end this quickly.

The Yiga managed to draw a dagger of his own and block the coming blade. The red head cartwheeled out of the way of the last Yiga as who came at her with a powerful downward strike. She ended up on her feet right next to him and bashed her keyblade upside his head.

Agate twisted and moved her body like that of a dancer as she clashed sickle and dagger with Roxas' keyblades. Despite her graceful and flowing movements, he wasn't hard pressed to defend. When the opportune moment came, he took it smashing both keyblades on her head.

Agate was sent crashing to the ground hard as her head bounced upon impact. No matter how well trained she was, something like that was enough to render the assassin unconscious. The two Yiga out to end the Samurai attempted to decapitate them again.

It was absolutely a mistake to even attempt such a move a second time on the Samurai. They both thrust their blades forward. Even as the Yiga attempted to retreat out of their range, the blades pierced clear through them. Both Samurai then swung their blades up.

While not a completed dicing, half their bodies, in two separate places, had been. Both Yiga collapsed bleeding and dead. Link's opponent, at the cost of opening their wound wider, managed a quick burst of speed getting behind him and posing their sickle to decapitate him.

Link had just enough time to begin flipping his blade to hold it in a reverse grip before he jumped catching the blade in his shoulder. In that moment, he drove his blade straight through the Yiga's heart making them scream in pain before collapsing.

Twilight sheathed his weapons. While wary, the Yiga spun his sickle and immediately charged. The former hero waited until the last, possible moment before performing a mortal draw slashing through the Yiga's neck and decapitating him.

The red head blocked her opponent with the keyblade she held before managing to plant her foot into his gut winding him. With the Yiga now winded, she rapidly thrust her weapon into his gut before gripping the blade with both hands and slamming it into his head.

The Yiga was knocked off his feet, but he managed to grab the ground with his free hand. That was as far as he got before a sharp, metal disk pierced his skull. No one at the outpost did the deed. By this point, the group went back-to-back as they carefully surveyed the area.

In that moment, they spotted a seventh Yiga just as they threw metal disk which pierced the head of every Yiga killing any that weren't already dead. "I'm under orders to ensure none of you get us alive."

The Yiga then made a hand sign and vanished in a red puff of smoke as the symbol of the Yiga momentarily appeared. At that very moment, Roxas' Samurai Summons dissipated into white and black particles respectively.

"Strange." The red head commented. "Something must have happened to another party of theirs since it's rare the Yiga would leave someone to observe the battle." She turned to the trio. "Did your group run into one or more Yiga beyond them?"

Link used Mipha's healing power to tend to his own wound. "We only ran into one Yiga, months ago, back near Kakariko Village."

"No, that can't be it, so other Yiga must have recently run into trouble somewhere." The red head shook her head. "Regardless, the fact that one saw fit to ensure his comrades are dead is the indication that we're safe for now."

"While we're thankful for the help, who are you?" Link asked.

"That is a fair question, but what's say we save it until we relocate to where I was camping?" She looked at the dead bodies. "Your camp is…occupied."

"While that is also fair, how do we know you're not just a Yiga yourself?" Twilight asked.

"I like the suspicion, but I'm not going to force any of you to follow me." The red head shrugged. "It's up to you on whether you want to trust me to at least that extent since I've achieved what I wanted by intervening."

"I'll come with you." Roxas stated. "I'm interested in getting some answers myself beyond just your name."

He dispersed his keyblades which caught the interest of the girl. "I believe I have more questions for you than I initially did as well."

"Assuming she is part of Kasuto, and Agate hadn't lied to us about that, I think we should go with her." Link voiced as he finished healing his wound. "I just want to head to the nearby lake and fish out those weapons she tossed first."

"Admittedly, she makes a good point." Twilight crossed his arms and nodded. "Since these two are going, I'll come as well, but I'll be keeping an eye out."

"That'll be a good mindset to keep moving forward regardless of what region you're in." The red head answered. "If you don't have a healthy sense of suspicion, the Yiga have a better chance of getting you. Anyways, I'll wait just outside the outpost for you to be ready."

So, Roxas and Twilight moved to ensure nothing of their group's stuff would be left behind while Link found the nearby lake. True to her word, Agate had thrown Twilight and Link's weapons in there. He simply used Magnesis and managed to fish them out.

Upon returning to the outpost, Link gave Twilight back his weapons and took back the black weapons in return. He then went about taking every weapon the Yiga had and stashed them in his bottomless pockets. The trio then got their horses and followed the girl.

Camp

The red head had been camping in a field, so at least there was plenty of space for the trio to roll out their bed rolls. There was also enough of a fence where they could tie off their horses near her own, which had a light brown coat, and a fire pit she relit before everyone took a seat.

"We all have our questions, so let's take it in turns to ask." The red head stated. "Either side can answer truthfully or say 'I don't want to answer' if you want to keep any information to yourself. If more questions are needed to answer the first someone poses, we'll roll with it. Sound fair?"

The trio exchanged looks and nods before Twilight spoke. "Fair. What's your name?"

"I am Karane." Karane answered. "What are your names?"

"Twilight."

"My name is Link."

"I'm Roxas."

"If you really come from Kasuto, why are you here?" Twilight questioned.

"The way I see it, I'm the first person you lot have likely met from there." Karane responded. "Even though we farm and ranch just fine, we don't stop there. It's always in our best interest to store up food as a precaution. So, I've been out hunting and fishing. Why are you here?"

"You know about the Divine Beast?" Link inquired.

"Probably more than anyone not in a region with one would, yet not as much as you might think given anyone who managed to escape here weren't involved with them." Karane responded. "That said, we took note of Vah Ruta moving to higher ground and taking aim at Hyrule Castle."

"That was Roxas and I's doing." Link informed. "We're on a quest to free the Divine Beast and intend on then using them to help defeat the Calamity. Twilight here joined us not too long after we freed Vah Ruta."

At this point, none of them found it prudent to mention the Organization. If they did, they'd have to speak of other things, and that was a little too much information to just give up right now.

"Why do you sheath your keyblade instead of simply dispersing it?" Roxas asked.

"That's not something anyone from Kasuto has been able to do since the man who made this possible passed away." Karane responded. "He was gone before I was born, but the elders who knew him say he could do. On that note, do you come from where he did?"

"I'm not sure what you mean." Roxas responded.

"It's been passed down that the man appeared from within the citadel itself." Karane elaborated. "He was no soldier who was stationed there, nor anyone who retreated there from Castle Town. Anyone who was alive then will tell you he just appeared when we needed him most.

Any time he was asked where he came from, the man would say he couldn't talk about it due to 'the world order'. He'd then simply say that he was stuck here now, so it didn't really matter. Given he's the reason any of us were there, people eventually accepted it.

"The world order…" Roxas pondered.

Those words were familiar to Roxas, yet he had no memory of it himself. Sure, the Organization told him not to get involved with other worlds like he had been, but they hadn't used such words. In the end, he chalked it up to being something Sora had heard.

"Besides myself, I know of two people who are true keyblade wielders and one that might be." Roxas responded. "Regardless of their current situations, none of them could be this man if he ended up dying here in Hyrule."

"He did." Karane stated.

"Who was this man?" Roxas inquired.

"Zack Fair." Karane informed before shifting her focus to Link. "Why are you all working towards defeating Calamity Ganon?"

"I'd like to think I would be doing this without incentive, but I can't exactly claim that's the case." Link responded. "Whether you believe me is up to you, but I'm the hero who was chosen 100 years ago to defeat Ganon."

"Are you messing with me?" Karane asked in shock. "I mean, you certainly look like him, but the case could be made that Twilight does as well."

"Believe what you will, but I'm here because of the Ancient Sheikah." Link responded. "There was a shrine on the Great Plateau that restored me over these last 100 years. When I woke up, I had no memories, but they've been returning."

"I see." Karane sighed. "Well, maybe this time you'll pull it off."

"I started out with my own reasons to help Link, but I've now become invested in helping him because he's, my friend." Roxas replied.

"To put it simply, I wanted to come help these two, so that's what I'm doing." Twilight answered.

"Are there others like you who wield these man-made keyblades?" Roxas inquired.

"For the longest time, it was kept within Zack's family since it was decided that securing the Akala Highlands was more important, and his skill was better used in the field than as a teacher. It wasn't until his granddaughter, Orielle, that things changed.

The region was almost as safe as it was before the Calamity, so she took on two students, her son and me. I was the most promising young fighter aside from him. In a few short years, the three of us led the charge, and this region has been like this for the last five years."

"Zack Fair appeared in this world 100 years ago…That armor, whoever is responsible for it, has been here for who knows how long." There was something Roxas just didn't understand. "With that being the case, why wasn't Hyrule on the Organization's radar?

They obviously know of this place and can come here; however, I don't recall anyone ever mentioning this to me before. Maybe they didn't want me to know anything about it. I'll need to ask Myde about this the next time we happen to be in Zora's Domain."

While Roxas wanted to see what Myde knew of the Organization's knowledge on this world, it wasn't too pressing to the point that he immediately needed to rush back to Zora's Domain. It could wait until they happened to be back that way at least.

As for attempting to get information from Hylia on this, he might try his luck. While the goddess certainly wasn't malicious, the last time something like this came up, she only told them things concerning Twilight and left out much on the armor.

"I think I only have one last question for your group." Karane stated. "If you guys are out too free the Divine Beasts, what are you doing in the Akala Highlands?"

"We came here in an attempt to find a Sheikah named Robbie." Link responded. "If we're right, he should theoretically be expecting a visit from at least me. That is if Impa and/or Purah have sent him any messages. I heard he's been looking into weapons and armor on guardians."

"I see." Krane nodded. "That makes sense considering his weapons have been rather effective against the few Guardians our people used them against."

"He is in this region?" Link asked.

"Yeah, old man Rob lives not that far away from Kasuto since he prefers the space to run his experiments." Karane responded. "I think, even before Oreille was born, some deal was struck. Any Guardians we take down are hauled to his place.

In return, he promised to start providing us with armor and weapons. Almost every soldier we have today wears the latest armor and wields the weapons he supplies. The three of us who wield man-made keyblades are exceptions.

The armor everyone else wears is by no means weak or uncomfortable. The people simply want to know their keyblade wielders. In my case, I wear soldier armor because my great grandfather was one of the soldiers who escaped Hyrule Castle. I simply wish to honor him in this way."

"I think we also now only have one final question for you." Link declared before looking to his comrades who nodded as they knew what he was going to ask. "Can you take us to Robbie?"

"I can, but we are currently closer to Kasuto than his lab." Karane responded. "If we ride for the village tomorrow, our Orielle can contact him. Then, he can either come to you or be expecting you at least.

I won't lie. I personally want you to come to the village because I know Orielle and Silver would want to meet you, Roxas. Despite no one who escaped the castle being around anymore, I think everyone would like to see you, Link."

The last person they were accompanying happened to be a Yiga assassin that jumped them, so this trip with Karane couldn't be worse than that. Sure, she could be a Yiga assassin herself, even with what transpired earlier, but at worst, the trio would just be put in a similar situation.

Sure, Link had been injured in the altercation, but he healed himself. When you considered everything, they had something to gain by going to Kasuto. Even if it was just a little more information than what they got, it would still be something.

"Alright, we'll accompany you there." Link voiced.

With that settled as their next course of action, the trio decided to permanently adopt a watch rotation. Even if Akala was now safe, it was best to start the habit now for any time they were in the wild. When it came to settlements, the rotation would obviously be suspended.

Morning…

With the morning, the trio could now see what that had been unable to in the night. The clearing they had camped at, with Karane, gave them a view of what at first looked like an impossibly tall castle. Karane quickly corrected them in pointing out that was Akala Citadel.

She then told them to look closer, and the trio noticed that the whole thing was built into a mountain which accounted for its height. Stone walls and structures had been erected all around the mountain. That wasn't all, as something was in the dead center of the citadel.

"That's a Sheikah Tower!" Link exclaimed.

"That's what Robbie told us when the thing suddenly sprouted up." Karane informed. "Fortunately, nothing was there, so all it's been doing is just taking up a little space." She mounted her horses. "Anyways, we should get going."

The rest agreed and mounted their steads as well before riding with Karane north. They eventually crossed a bridge that spanned a deep canyon, and it took them more than an hour after to hit a road that wound around the town which sat at the base of the citadel.

The mountain that the citadel sat on sprang up from the bottom of a large canyon, and the only way to reach it was by crossing a bridge. The town that sat at the base had once been a home for the families of soldiers stationed there and had a simple market place.

Today, now over one hundred years later, the town has expanded. As they road with Karane, the trio could see farms, homes, and businesses surrounded by a wall. They eventually came to the turn off from the road and approached the gate where a rather muscular man stood.

He wore shogun style, Ancient Sheikah armor with a matching head piece which came with the requisite mask. The set was a shade of earthy brown with dull gold accents and blue energy in every piece. The Triforce symbol was on the front, and a keyblade symbol was on the back.

"Wielder Karane." The mask retreated within the helmet revealing his smile. "I am glad you have returned to us safely, but who are these three men with you?"

"I always do my best to, Eagus." Karane returned with her own smile. "These three are Link, Roxas, and Twilight. I've brought them with me for a myriad of reason, but one of those should suffice." She looked at them. "Roxas, would you mind showing him?"

Roxas understood and summoned Oblivion in his right hand which visibly stunned the man.

As the true keyblade wielder dispersed his keyblade, Eagus regained his composure. "It does indeed, but even with that, I still need to ask. Wielder Karane, do you take full responsibility for these three entering Kasuto?"

"I, Wielder Karane, take full responsibility for all actions that might be undertaken by these three men with me." Karane answered.

"Very well." Eagus nodded. "You may enter." He then nodded to the trio. "As for you three, welcome to Kasuto."

Karane led the way into the village. The streets were full of people and guards going about their day. Of course, the trio were of interest to the people of Kasuto; however, it was in no way like how the elders of Zora's Domain had viewed Link upon their arrival there.

Everyone was simply looking at the three of them with interest or curiosity evident in their eyes. Eventually, they'd get back to doing what they were before. Whether it be out on a nice walk, going about business, or something else entirely.

"What was that about at the front gate?" Link inquired.

"When you're a keyblade wielder around here, it has a level of respect, but we're still bound by rules." Karane explained. "Even though we don't leave Akala, the occasional traveler isn't out of the question. All they need is someone to take responsibility for any actions they might commit."

"What happens if anyone whose let in does something wrong?" Twilight asked.

"The one responsible can be kicked out, imprisoned, or put to death depending on the severity of their crimes." Karane answered. "The resident who decided to vouch for them is usually weighed the same given they take full responsibility for the people they bring in."

A system where the crime would be weighed at least sounded fair, but they didn't know how they felt about a resident being judged the same way.

"So, what are we doing now?" Roxas asked.

"I'll get you three settled in at the inn before I head on up to the citadel to see Orielle and Silver." Karane answered. "Considering outsiders are rarely, if ever, allowed up at the citadel, they'll likely have me bring them to you. If not, you'll be that rare occasion."

As they rode through the village, they noticed every house was similar in style to the older houses of Hateno, whether they be new or old. That seemed to indicate at least one builder, from before Calamity Ganon, survived. They soon passed by the center of town.

The trio noticed an immaculate statue of who they assumed was Zack Fair. The figure depicted in the statue had spiky hair. He wore what looked to Roxas like armor in the same style as what Hercules had worn over in Olympus Coliseum. The uniform underneath looked different.

"Zack Fair…" Roxas didn't understand why, but seeing the person tied to that name made him think he knew the guy. "I never saw him in Olympus Coliseum, and he should have been gone well before then anyways. I also don't think this has to do with Sora either."

It was rather confusing, like any other time he got these strange sensations. One of the prime examples was that time he ended up flipping his keyblade against Link or how easily wind magic came to him. It was all so strange.

"We're here." Karane called out.

Roxas was snapped out his thoughts by those words, and he dismounted with the rest before a stable hand came to take the trio's their mounts. They then followed Karane inside a cozy looking inn with a sitting area, nearby restaurant, and a desk.

Behind that desk there was an elderly Hylian wearing a striped vest and dark green pants. "Ah, Wielder Karane!" The man smiled. "It's so good to see you. Would you like a room for a night?"

"Normally, I'd take you up on your generosity since your inn is fabulous, Jared, but I'm actually going to need at least a night here for my companions." Karane gestured to the trio. "They are Roxas, Twilight, and Link."

Upon hearing Link's name, as well as getting a good look at him, the man's eyes seemed to light up. "My word." Jared approached the blond night. "You look like the spitting image of the Princess' personal knight from the pictures."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Link stated.

If he were to explain to everyone that story, then they'd likely never defeat Ganon. Ultimately, it was best to reserve it for when needed.

"Forgive me dear boy, but I had heard many a story." Jared smiled. "My grandma simply adored serving royalty and seeing someone who looks like the knight said to have been close to the princess just sparked such memories."

"Don't worry about it." Link assured. "It's fine."

"Anyways, I'll get them settled into rooms since I assume you have somewhere to be." Jared stated to Karane.

"Yeah, I'll be back shortly though." Karane walked to the door. "Get settled in guys."

With that, Jared gave each of them a key to a room, and the guys went about checking them out. Each room was rather homely with its own bathroom, bed, rug, and seating area.

Roxas' Room

As Roxas took a seat, Link entered the room.

"You know, when I suggested we go see Robbie, I didn't expect it to turn out like this." Link commented.

"Pretty sure we can say that about anywhere we've attempted to go." Roxas chuckled. "Hey, at least these people are more welcoming than the Zora elders initially were."

"Yeah, they are." Link nodded before looking at his friend. "So, I noticed you kind of spaced out after looking at that statue of Zack. You want to talk about it?"

"There's not much to talk about." Roxas responded. "I know I nor Sora met him; however, looking at that statue makes me believe I did know him. It's the same feeling I get when wielding a keyblade the reverse way or practicing air magic."

"You're certain it has nothing to do with Sora?" Link asked.

"Fairly positive." Roxas responded. "Whenever something comes along that Sora would know, I immediately get the memory of it."

"Then, that is strange." Link noted. "Pondering on it isn't going to do much if there's nothing for you to recall. That said, another thing I wanted to talk about was what were those beings you called out? After everything was said and done, I forgot about them."

"The Nobodies of Organization XIII were each given control over a group of less powerful Nobodies." Roxas responded. "Mine were the Samurai which are honestly quite powerful for the numbers they do have. What I did last night was called a Summon.

Sora did it by calling on aid from beings of another world, and they fought alongside him. Those Samurai I called last night came from within me. Summons derived from my darkness and light which were given form from a power I once had."

"That's some power." Link smiled. "Just when I think I got you figured out, something else comes right from your sleeve." He chuckled. "Our enemies better watch out because I'm starting to think they don't stand a chance against you."

"I sure hope that's the case at this point." Roxas gave a small smile at that. "Though, I don't think where I am now is my limit." He thought back to his confrontation with that armor that wielded a true keyblade. "I get the feeling there's more I can still do."

"Considering you summoned two beings from your heart, I don't doubt there's likely more in there somewhere." Link stated. "Knowing you, any other abilities you have will come out eventually."

"I'm honestly hoping I get more before Riku arrives here." Roxas shook his head as he shifted his thoughts to something else. "Hey Link, why don't we do something fun while we wait for Karane to return?"

"Something fun?" Link asked interested. "What did you have in mind?"

"A game I picked up from another world called grandstander." Roxas stood up with a smile. "All we need is something we can hit repeatedly into the air without it breaking."

"Alright, I'm interested." Link nodded. "Let's check with Jared and see if he has something."

Roxas mainly suggested it since they've been on the move, training, or dealing with various, opposing factions. In his opinion, they could stand to have a bit of fun. Considering they had to wait around anyways, now seemed like the best time for it.

Inn Restaurant

Twilight came on down figuring he might as well have a meal while he waited. Fortunately, considering this inn was in a place where most of its customers would be people who lived in the village, it had a restaurant. Jared was the only one there, so he sat at the bar.

"Hello." Jared greeted as he walked on over. "What can I do for you?"

"I'll have whatever your known for or something you'd recommend." Twilight responded.

Someone else wandered on in, but Twilight didn't pay much heed to it.

"In that case, I make a fantastic meat and mushroom skewer." Jared answered.

"Then, I'll take three of those." Twilight responded.

"Throw three on for me before then charging the six of them to me alone." That voice was one Twilight recognized.

He looked to his right as the man who spoke sat next to him. This man wore the same armor as Eagus. Beyond the apparel, the rest of his features were as recognizable as the voice. He had blond facial hair, green eyes, and medium length blond hair, after removing his helmet.

"I heard from the kids that they met Telma and ever saw her with my own eyes when I was checking in on them." Twilight thought. "Once again, being here in person, faced with a new version of someone you know, is a whole other story."

"You got it, Rusl." Jared walked back to the kitchen. "I'll have those out in a jiffy."

Rusl looked at the former hero. "So, you're one of those newcomers that was spotted with Wielder Karane." He nodded. "You look like you've seen quite a few battles in your time."

"Yeah, you could say that." Twilight responded. "Currently, I'm around to look after those two kids you might have heard of."

"Isn't that just always the case?" Rusl smiled. "No matter your age, if you're older than the young ones you look after, it's your responsibility to steer them on the right path."

"The way you speak, it sounds like you got more than two kids to look after." Twilight stated.

"Well, I don't have as much responsibility as my wife, given she overlooks everything, but it is my job to ensure all our non-keyblade wielders are up to snuff." Rusl patted his shoulder. "That said, I get the sense you do understand what I'm saying."

Twilight felt that this Rusl was testing him, but he seemed to be saying the right things. Given they wanted to give good first impressions, it seemed like he was achieving that. Even if this was a different conversation, a different Rusl, it was still a bit nostalgic for the former hero.

"I haven't been around those two all that long, and I'd argue they don't need all that much in the way of guidance." Twilight shrugged. "I think what they really needed was an extra hand, and I was okay with providing that."

"Sometimes, that's all we can be." Rusl chuckled. "Anyways, you're not about to regret your order. Jared knows his way around a skewer."

From there, the two of them talked more amicably as Twilight even got the impression he wasn't being tested like with their prior conversation.


Karane shares her appearance and name with Karane from Skyward Sword, Rusl shares the name and appearance with Rusl from Twilight Princess, and Orielle is also from Skyward Sword. That said, liberties had to be taken with age considering in Skyward Sword Orielle and Karane were both students at that Knight Academy. That said, I don't view this as irredeemable given characters brought into this age can just be born at any time.

There's also the fact that I'm bringing in characters from across the Legend of Zelda timeline to serve in these new rolls, so I think it can be excused. If you don't think it can, then I'm sorry, but I'm not going back on said decision. I think the last thing to discuss is Zack Fair being an actual keyblade weilder. This is not something meant to retcon Birth By Sleep. The chronological events of every game happened as they did up until Roxas escaped Riku.

Zack becoming a keyblade wielder, and ending up in Hyrule, happened after the events of BBS. Maybe I'll do omakes that tell his story, or I'll do a prequel at some point going over that. If you're going to question how Zack ended up one hundred years prior within a world when it's only been 10 years since he met each of the Wayfinder Trio, then I want you to take a good look at Kingdom Hearts and Legend of Zelda. Realize that's not the most insane thing that could have happened here.

Note: Never been a fan of the original Ancient Shiekah Armor, so I looked for variations. I found the one used in this story, minus the changed symbols, from a mod.


Pickles and Cats(Ch. 7): Thank you.

UltimateAvengers: I mean at this point we are well beyond the time Sora awoke in canon, but that is sort of mitigated by the fact that the Organization has been working on dealing with Roxas. At this point, it is certainly within the realm of possibility.

DARKPHANTOM13: Drive Forms came from the magic of the three fairies, but Roxas has been receiving buffs from a goddess as he and Link bring back orbs. Theoretically, Roxas could gain Drive Forms invertedly as the buffs the goddess hand out eventually interact with his keyblade powers. At least, that's how I'd do it. Honestly, I was planning on going with the Command Styles from BBS for him. Then again, Drive Forms aren't out of the question. Tears of the Kingdom is pretty far away in this continuity considering everything the heroes still have to deal with. That said, I can't deny I have had ideas.

ultima-owner: Then she did her job.