If you want to see an image of Sora's Keyblade Armor, you'll find a link in my profile. There are also images for Riku's and Kairi's armors, for when they got theirs repaired. I'm sure most of you had seen those before.
Chapter XXIV
Not Just A Visit
1245hrs, August 17th, 2024
Fiore, Earth Land
After finishing his mission with Ven in Remnant, the two of them parted ways. Ven took the Gummi Ship he and Sora used to get to Remnant and returned to Radiant Garden, and Sora used his Keyblade Glider and headed to Earth Land. When Sora created his glider, he based the design on Ven's, so it was really similar to the blond Keybearer's glider, although there were some differences since Wayward Wind and the Kingdom Key were really different. During his trip, Sora couldn't stop thinking about what happened in the City of Vale the last night. He knew his friends were really strong, but he couldn't help but worry about them. At this moment, he was descending with his glider to the street that was in front of the Fairy Tail Guild.
"Great, it looks like nothing happened to the guild," thought Sora relieved as he landed. The glider returned to its Keyblade form and Sora grabbed it before making it vanish. Sora looked around and saw that there was no one around. He was wearing his armor, so probably he would scare off the people who see him wearing it. Sora's Keyblade Armor had shades of dark brown, bright gold, and grey. Dull brown and grey lines decorated the armor as well. His armor also included upturned, sharp grey hooks on the backs of his boots, a dark brown cape, and a dark-visored helmet.
Sora unequipped his armor as he walked to the Fairy Tail Guild. He walked through the open air café of the guild, and saw that there was no one there. The Souvenir Shop that Max ran was also empty. This would have worried Sora if he hadn't started hearing the mage's voices as he approached the guild's front door. Sora stopped in front of the door and then started shaking his head, trying to forget about that Keyblade wielder who appeared in Remnant. He couldn't make his friends worry about that now, he just came here to visit, not because of the Heartless or anything related to Keyblade wielders. It was just a visit...or wasn't it?
Sora moved his hand to open the guild's door, but before he could reach it, someone from inside opened it instead. A young woman with long white hair and large blue eyes, who Sora recognized as Mirajane, was the one who opened the door. When Mirajane saw Sora in front of her, a happy expression appeared on her face.
"Sora!" said the white-haired woman. "You're back!"
"Hey, Mirajane," said Sora with a smile as he raised his hand as a greet. "It's been a while. How have you been?"
"Good, thanks for asking," replied Mirajane, her usual warm smile on her face. "And how are you? Have you been working hard these days? I heard from Lucy a week ago that you were going to visit us soon, but since you haven't showed up until today you must have had some work to do, right?"
"Yeah, a world needed my help to take care of the Heartless," answered Sora, scratching his head. "I left that world an hour ago, more or less. I promised Natsu and the others I would come here to visit, so here I am."
"Oh, you came here directly?" asked Mirajane, and Sora nodded in response. "How sweet. Well, I guess that's something expected from you. Then, is this a normal visit? No Heartless or anything?"
"Nope, just came to see how everyone is doing," replied Sora grinning. "I was a member of this guild first, after all."
"That's great, then!" said Mirajane. "However, Natsu and his team aren't here at this moment."
"Oh, where are they?" asked Sora.
"On a job," replied Mirajane. "They have been working a lot lately, but I think they'll come today to the guild, so you can pass and wait for them inside. Now I need to check something in the Magic Shop. I'll be back soon."
"All right, see you!"
Sora waved his hand at Mirajane, who started walking towards the city to buy the food she mentioned. Then the Keyblade wielder turned around and proceeded to cross the guild's door. When he entered Fairy Tail he could see all the mages talking or doing what they usually did in the guild. Sora could tell that Natsu and Gray weren't there since everything was really peaceful. It kind of surprised him to hear that Team Natsu was still working. He remembered that they called him from an inn of Onibus Town before he left Radiant Garden with Ventus to go to Remnant.
"Well, they were the ones who wanted me to come here again, so I'll have to wait for them," thought Sora, and then he walked to the closest empty table and decided to wait there.
Sora sat on the bench next to the table, and then he leaned on the table before leaning his head on his hand. He was a bit tired since he couldn't sleep well after what happened in Remnant the last night, but maybe now he could rest a bit while he waits for Natsu and the others. The brown-haired boy closed his eyes, but before he could even try to fall sleep, he felt something hitting his head. Whoever was the one who hit Sora didn't do it hard, but the object used was kind of heavy, so it hurt the Keyblade wielder a bit.
"Hey, what's the big idea?" Sora turned his head and saw that the person who hit his head was Levy. She had a book in her right hand and was looking at Sora with serious expression on her face. "Goodbye Levy, I'll come back soon."
"What are you saying now?" asked the blue-haired girl confused.
"You know, I'm saying goodbye to you since I didn't do it the last time," said Sora with a goofy smile, and then he rubbed his head. "I suppose that's the reason you hit me."
Levy sighed and smiled. "You're an idiot."
Sora chuckled. "Maybe, but at least you're not angry with me anymore…right?"
"What? I wasn't angry with you…" said Levy, who felt a bit bad after hearing what Sora said. She was thinking that the reason might be what Lucy told Riku two weeks ago. "I just would've liked you to have said goodbye to me in person…We are…good friends, right?"
"Of course," replied Sora with a smile that made the Solid Script Mage smile too.
Levy, then, sat next to Sora as she put her book on the table. Neither Lucy nor Mirajane were in the guild at the moment, so there was no one who could tease her for sitting next to the Keyblade wielder. And besides, since Team Natsu still hadn't arrived from their mission, so Levy thought it was a good opportunity to spend some time with Sora since he usually hang out just with them.
"So, what have you been up to?" asked Levy, looking at Sora with curious eyes. "Has something interesting happened to you out there?"
"Not really," replied Sora. "Just…the usual stuff. You know, I travelled to another world, defeated some Heartless, made some friends…"
"And?" asked Levy, tilting her head slightly.
"Nothing else," said Sora, but Levy could tell there was something he didn't say.
"Come on, it's obvious there's more," said Levy, a somewhat grumpy expression on her face mixed with a pout. "Why don't you tell me?"
"Hey, I didn't come here to talk about Heartless or stuff like that," said Sora smiling as he gave one poke to Levy's forehead. "I came here to visit you guys and see how you were doing, so why don't you tell me what have you been doing instead?"
"Me? Nothing interesting…" replied Levy. "You're the one with the adventurous life, that's why I asked. Nothing interesting has happened lately around here. There had been some fights, but you already know that's something usual in Fairy Tail."
Sora chuckled. "That's true."
"But the fights have decreased lately," commented Levy. "Most likely because Natsu and his team have been taking a lot of jobs these days. They've been working a lot since you left."
"So I heard," said Sora as a smiled appeared on his face. "It seems Lucy won't have problems with her rent for a while."
Levy giggled. "I wouldn't be so sure of that. You know how missions usually end when you have Natsu, Gray and Erza by your side. They had to spend most of the money in repairing the things they destroyed."
"That team won't ever change, but that's good…I guess," said Sora. "Talking about teams…where are Jet and Droy? They are usually with you, but I don't see them around here."
"Oh, you see, after the Grand Magic Games they told me they wanted to work alone sometimes," explained Levy. "I don't know why, but they looked so fired up that I couldn't say no to them. Since Natsu's team has been working a lot lately, I guess they also want to proof they can work a lot. They left with lots of requests an hour before you arrived. I hope they're okay."
"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be fine," said Sora with a reassuring smile. Then Sora noticed something that caught his interest. The book Levy used to give him a chop, which was now on the table, was the one about Heartless and Keyblade wielders. "Hey, have you been reading that book again?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes, I was just…checking if it had any more interesting information," said Levy nervously as Sora grabbed the book and started browsing it. "I was hoping to find some info about that war you mentioned, but there's nothing about that in the book."
"I see," said Sora as he closed the book after. "There's nothing about those lost masters in this book. I guess it's because Blake's was much older than this one. Well, it doesn't matter."
"Where you looking for something in particular?" asked Levy.
"Yeah, you see, some days ago I read another book like this one, but it also talked about the Keyblade War," replied Sora. He decided to tell Levy about it since it was just a curious fact Sora wanted to know about and it had nothing to do with the person he met in Remnant. At least, that's what he thought. "And there was something about some people called 'lost masters'. I'm curious to know who they were. I thought this book would have more information, but it seems that I'll have to ask someone who knows a lot about the Keyblade War."
"Wow, it sounds really intriguing," said Levy, her curiosity increasing after hearing about the lost masters. "Where did you find that book?"
"It's from a friend I made in the world I was before coming here," answered the Keyblade wielder. "She likes reading a lot, like you."
"She?" asked Levy somewhat surprised.
"Her name is Blake," replied Sora after nodding. Then the brown-haired boy remembered something and couldn't help but grin, and this bothered Levy slightly since she had the feeling it was something related to that girl.
"What are you grinning about?" asked Levy with a grumpy face.
"Nothing, nothing," replied Sora, who still had a grin on his face. "What's with that face?"
"Sora-nii, you're here!"
Sora turned his head a bit to see that Romeo was the one who called him. When the young Fire Mage said the Keyblade Master's name, other members of the guild stopped doing what they were doing and looked at him, kind of surprised to see the brown-haired boy in the guild. It seemed that Levy was the only one who saw Sora entering the guild.
"Sora, since when are you here?" asked Macao. "I didn't see you crossing the door. It's strange none of us have noticed you until now."
"Yeah, he normally stands out, like Natsu, but this time he went unnoticed," commented Wakaba.
"Are you really the only one who saw me crossing the guild's entrance?" asked Sora looking at Levy, who tried not to giggle at the face that the Keyblade wielder had at this moment.
"Looks like it," replied Levy. "I noticed that Mirajane was talking with someone at the door, so I was curious to know who it was. I guess the others didn't notice or were more interested in what they were doing at the moment."
"Seriously…well, I'm glad someone at least is aware of my presence when I'm so unnoticeable," said Sora, grinning at the blue-haired mage, who felt a bit embarrassed because of the boy's comment.
"That's because you stand out a lot…" muttered Levy, looking away from Sora. "The others were just distracted…"
"Did I say something bad?" thought Sora confused before noticing that Romeo was approaching the table where he and Levy were.
"Sora-nii, did that Keyblade wielder you told me about join your guild?" asked Romeo.
"Hmm?" At first Sora didn't know who the boy was referring to, but after a few seconds he remembered that he told Romeo that he was going to ask Lea if he would teach the boy the Fire spells Keyblade wielders used. "Oh yeah, he joined the guild a week ago. I still haven't asked him about what we talked about. We've been in different missions this week, so I haven't talked with him much, but I'll ask him soon, don't worry."
"Great, thanks!" said Romeo grinning with excitement. Then the boy left and went to sit with his father, who was in another table with Wakaba.
"What did you two talked about?" asked a curious Levy.
"He's going to ask one of the Light Guardians to teach me the Fire Magic the Keyblade wielders us," said Romeo, a determined look on his eyes. He was really eager to learn new Fire Magic.
"Wait, don't you think that's a bit dangerous?" asked Levy somewhat concerned.
"It'd be if Natsu's the one learning those spells," said Sora, who didn't even want to imagine what would happen if the Fire Dragon Slayer learned a spell like Mega Flare. However, he knew Lea could be as bad as Natsu when it comes to fire, but he'll make sure to tell him to not teach Romeo anything too dangerous.
Levy nodded in agreement. "Good point."
"Sora, it's good to see you again!" said Lisanna, who just approached the table where the Keyblade wielder was. Next to her was Elfman, as muscular as always. The two of them sat on the table, opposite to Sora and Levy.
"I hope you've been doing manly things while you were out there," said Elfman smirking.
"Hmm, you could say that," said Sora smiling. "How have you been?"
"Oh, you know, always taking care of Elf so he doesn't get into trouble," said Lisanna with a smile.
"Lisanna, don't say that…" said Elfman.
"C'mon, I was only joking," said the white-haired girl. Then she turned her head and looked at Levy and Sora with a broad smile that neither of them liked one bit. "Sooo, what did you two lovebirds were talking about?"
"L-love birds!?" said Levy, her face turning red.
"Why are you saying that now?" asked Sora slightly embarrassed.
"Oh, haven't you noticed it?" asked Lisanna. "You're sitting so close to each other. Like a couple. It's so cute~"
Sora and Levy looked at each other and realized that the youngest Strauss sibling was right, they were sitting kind of close to each other and they didn't notice until now. It wouldn't have been a problem if Lisanna hadn't mentioned it, but now the Keyblade wielder and the Solid Script Mage felt flustered so they moved away from each other a little.
"Aww, you don't have to do that just because what I said," said Lisanna playfully.
"Geez, stop saying those things!" said a red-faced Levy, flailing her arms. She was regretting not having thought of Lisanna when she decided to sit next to Sora some minutes ago.
"In every-single-world…" thought Sora, covering his face with one hand to hide the small blush that just appeared on it, but also out of frustration.
"Poor guys…" thought Elfman, who felt sorry for Sora and Levy since he knew how his sister could be. Surely Natsu would also agree with him since Lisanna used to tease the Fire Dragon Slayer a lot when they were kids. Then the male Take Over Mage noticed that his older sister was in the guild again and that she was approaching the table where he was sitting with Sora, Levy and Lisanna. "Sis, you are already back? Do they…?"
Mirajane shook her head. "They still haven't any. I guess it can't be helped."
"Any what?" asked Sora curious.
"A Communications Lacrima Crystal," replied Levy, whose cheeks were still a bit rosy. "Natsu started a fight four days ago and the one we had ended up broken. It's been difficult to buy one since getting Lacrima has gotten more complicated lately for the people who run Magic Shops. I'm sure you already know why."
"The thefts, of course," said Sora. "It makes sense. Have there been more thefts lately?"
"No, but didn't you say you didn't come here to talk about work?" asked Levy with a small smirk on her face. "That sounds like work to me."
"Okay, you got me there…" said Sora, and the other four laughed.
"Well, you'll have to excuse me for some time," said Mirajane. "It's almost lunch time, so I'd better start preparing some meals for everyone."
"Need a hand?"
Mirajane had already started walking to the guild's kitchen, but when she heard that sentence, the white-haired woman stopped in her tracks and looked at the table, really surprised. Not because of the sentence itself since it wasn't the first time someone offered to help her in the kitchen, but rather because the person who said it. The other three mages were also in awe, the reason being that it was Sora the one who asked Mirajane if she needed some help.
"Sora, do you know how to cook?" asked Lisanna intrigued.
"Yeah," replied Sora casually, not giving importance to the looks he was getting from the four mages.
"That's manly!" said Elfman approvingly. The Keyblade wielder didn't know, but Elfman's only talent when he was younger was cooking. However, that changed after something related to Lisanna happened.
"Wow, I didn't…well, I think none of us knew that," said Mirajane. "Anyway, thank you, Sora, but I don't want to make you work now since you came here to rest. I'd love to try one of your dishes someday, though."
"Sure," replied Sora grinning.
"Come on, you can't be serious," said Levy with a doubtful smile. "Do you really know how to cook?"
"Hey, why don't you believe me?" asked Sora looking at the bluenette.
"To tell you the truth, you look like someone who would be very clumsy in a kitchen," said Levy mockingly, and then a wide smile appeared on her face. "Why don't you cook something to prove me wrong?"
"Oooh ho ho, now you've done it, Levy," said Sora as he narrowed his eyes. He, then, looked at Mirajane before standing up. He approached her and started pushing her towards the kitchen. "Come on, Mirajane, show me what kind of ingredients you have!"
"Oh, okay," said Mirajane smiling, knowing that she couldn't change Sora's mind now.
Lisanna looked how Sora and her sister went to the guild's kitchen before looking at Levy with a smile. "Levy, you're so sly."
"Well, after saying something like that, it's only fair that he cooks something, right?" asked Levy, a triumphant grin on her face. "There's no way he could leave without having cooked something for us first. Come on, let's go to the bar and wait for Master Chef Sora there."
Levy, Lisanna and Elfman stood up and walked to the bar to wait for Sora. The three of them wondered what he was going to prepare. Cana was sitting on the bar, clinging to a beer barrel as usual, when she saw the three mages who were talking with Sora getting closer.
"Hey you three, I just saw Sora pushing Mirajane to the guild's kitchen," said Cana. "Care to explain me what's going on?"
"Sora's going to cook," said Lisanna smiling.
Cana raised an eyebrow of disbelief at the white-haired girl. "You're kidding. He knows how to cook?"
Lisanna nodded. "Surprising, right? We don't know how good he is, but luckily Levy could talk him into preparing something so we can find out."
"Oh, now I'm curious," said Cana, eager to know how good Sora was at cooking. "I wonder if he knows how to distill his own alcohol. I wouldn't mind trying some of it."
"I think you're asking too much…" said Elfman. "Don't you have enough with all those barrels you drink?"
"Shut up!" said Cana before throwing the now empty beer barrel she had, knocking Elfman away from the bar. Then the brown-haired mage turned to Levy, who was looking bewildered at Lisanna's older brother. "Say, Levy, how did you convince him? Sora, I mean."
"Oh, it wasn't very difficult," said Levy smiling proudly. "Just told him I didn't think he was good at cooking and asked him to prove me wrong. I know he's very competitive, so it was the best way to make him prepare something. After all, I wasn't going to let him leave without trying something prepared by him."
"And why is that?" asked Cana.
"Eh? Well, I was curious," replied Levy, a bit confused by Cana's question.
"Really? That's all?" asked Lisanna, a playful smile on her face. "I thought it was because you wanted to check if he'd be a good husband."
"W-w-what!?" asked Levy, blushing because of Lisanna's statement. "Why would-No! That's not the-Never! I…"
"That was a nice reaction," said Cana really amused while Levy looked at the floor, embarrassed and kind of frustrated. "Jokes aside…are you ever going to tell Sora? You know, about how you feel towards him."
"I-I don't know what you're talking about…" said Levy crossing her arms and looking away from the two female mages who were next to her.
Lisanna sighed. "C'mon, Levy, there's no use in hiding it. Everyone in the guild knows about it."
"What do you mean everyone!?" asked Levy shocked, and then she covered her mouth, realizing she raised her voice too much. She didn't want the other mages to know what she did it, although it seemed that everyone already knew about it.
"All the girls at least…except for Erza and Wendy," replied Cana. "I think they still haven't noticed. Probably Juvia doesn't know it either, but you already know why. She's too obsessed with Gray to notice."
"Well, it doesn't matter," said Levy shaking her head. "Friendship is the only thing between Sora and me. There's nothing else. Besides, there's Kairi…"
"There's nothing else…yet," said Lisanna smiling. "Are you going to say you don't want to be closer to him? And it's true that he might feel something for Kairi, but there's nothing between them either."
"Yeah, from the looks of it, I don't think anything will happen between those two any time soon," said Cana. "You could take this opportunity and use it to your advantage."
"What do you mean?" asked Levy, who didn't know why she was continuing the conversation even when she tried to change the subject before.
"You know, spend some time with him when he's here, something like that," said Lisanna. "Develop a closer bond with him. I know Kairi has a huge advantage over you and the others, but that doesn't mean you have to give up."
"Yeah, we'll support you," said Cana smiling. "Team Levy all the way!"
"Team Levy…what the-" Levy noticed this was getting nowhere, even though spending more time with Sora sounded really nice, but competing with Kairi wasn't since she was her friend. Anyway, Levy snapped out of her thoughts when she realized what Lisanna said before. "Wait, what do you mean by me and the others?"
"Come on, do you really think there aren't girls out there who feel something for him?" asked Cana, looking at the blue-haired girl as if she asked something obvious. "He had been in a lot of different worlds, so I'm sure there are."
"Yeah, and who knows how many?" said Lisanna, smiling teasingly. "You'd better get cracking, Levy."
Levy groaned. "Let's stop talking about this, okay?"
"All right, sorry," replied the white-haired mage. "Just don't forget what we just told you."
-TLG-
2210hrs, August 17th, 2024
Radiant Garden
"It is a date, then?" said Ventus, who just arrived in Radiant Garden after leaving Remnant and now was in front of the Light Guardians Guild. He didn't stop thinking about what happened before he and Sora parted ways. When he agreed to hang out with Velvet, the Faunus girl he defended in Remnant, he wasn't thinking about it as a date, but he had to admit that it actually sounded nice. Then he remembered the girl's face when she looked at him. "Aaaargh, she was so adorable, damn it!"
The blond Keybearer started banging his head against the guild's front door, and it didn't take long until someone opened the door, making Ventus fall to the ground.
"Ven?" asked Naminé, who was the one who opened the door.
"Hey, Naminé…" said Ven, not looking up to look at the girl on the face.
"What were you doing?" asked Naminé. "And where's Sora?"
"Oh, well…"
"Wait, come in, we have to tell you about something," said the girl as she walked into the guild again.
Ventus noticed that she was acting a bit weird, so he stood up quickly and walked inside the building. When he was inside, he saw that everyone was there expect for Terra and Aqua. Obviously, Sora wasn't there, either. Everyone looked really serious and it was starting to worry him. Lea, Xion and Roxas looked kind of down, too.
"Ven," said Kairi. "I'm glad you're all right."
"Where's Sora?" asked Riku.
"Hey there," said Ven. "Sora wanted to see if everyone in Fairy Tail was doing all right, so he went there when we finished our mission in Remnant. I came here using the Gummi Ship and he used his Keyblade Armor and Glider to go to Earth Land."
Riku sighed. "Well, he should be fine with all the members of Fairy Tail around him."
"Aqua and Terra are there, too, so they can help each other if something happens," added Naminé.
"Hey, what are you talking about?" asked Ven. "What happened?"
"We got beat up," said Lea. "And not a friendly beat up, if that even exists."
"What!?" asked Ven in disbelief. He, then, realized that Xion had some bandages around her left arm while Lea had a small one above his right eye. He couldn't see any didn't have on, but that could be because of his clothes. "Who did it!?"
"A Keyblade wielder wearing a yellow coat," said Roxas. "Lea, Xion and I went to Shibuya the last Monday because Joshua wanted us to take care of some Heartless, but that guy took care of most of them. We could find him and…you know the rest. We returned here two days ago after we recovered in Shibuya. Neku and the others helped us after Joshua got us out of the Underground."
"He took us with our guard down," said Lea, clenching his fist with frustration.
"Even if had been ready to fight him, the result would have been the same," said Xion in a low voice.
"A Keyblade wielder…" said Ven. "And he was wearing a yellow coat. He's the same who left a message to Sora in Amestris."
"Yeah, we think so, too," said Xion. "And there's something else about that Keyblade wielder. He said that he wanted to conquer the worlds because he thinks Keyblade wielders are superior to other people. And it seems that he's not alone."
"Yes, it has to be him…" said Ventus. "Guys, there are four Keyblade wielders apart from him."
"Wait, what?" asked Kairi. "How can you know that?"
"Sora and I met one in Remnant," replied Ventus, shocking the other Guardians.
"Are you serious!?" asked Riku, looking at Ventus with wide eyes.
"He also told us about that thing of conquering the worlds," said Ventus. "I think it was midnight when we met him, so I guess you could say it was today. It was a guy with a blue and white coat."
"Is Sora all right?" asked Xion.
"Yeah, he's perfectly fine," assured Ven, which relieved the others. "They didn't fight, but the conversation left Sora a bit troubled. That guy wanted us to work with him and the other four Keyblade wielders and Sora obviously refused, but the Keyblade wielder didn't attack him. He just said that he was going to give him time to think about it, but that if we decided to go against them, then we weren't going to be the only ones in danger."
"That's why he went to Earth Land, right?" asked Roxas. "To make sure they hadn't been attacked."
"That's right," said Ven.
Kairi sighed in relief. "Well, at least now we know you and Sora are all right. It still worries me that he's not here, though. And Aqua and Terra are still in Earth Land, too."
"Don't worry, those three have a lot of powerful mages around them, so they won't be alone if one of those Keyblade wielders appear there," said Riku. "We just have to wait here for them to return. They should be back tomorrow."
"Yes, you're right," said Kairi, but she still was a little worried.
"So, are you three all right?" asked Ven, looking at the former Organization trio. "How are your wounds?"
"Yeah, don't worry, we're fine," replied Lea smiling. "We're recovering just fine."
"But the way he defeated us…" muttered Xion. "We need to get stronger."
"Yeah, all of us will have to train if we want to defeat them," said Roxas. "Hate to say this, but Xehanort was a joke compared to this guy. And Ven said they are five…"
"We'll find a way to solve this," assured Naminé. "We can't let this affect us or we won't be able to stop them."
"Naminé's right!" said Ven. "I'm sure we can stop those Keyblade wielder if we work on it. One defeat doesn't mean anything, right?"
"I guess," said Xion, a small smile appearing on her face.
"I don't feel like training, but I have no choice, I guess," said Lea smirking.
"You're as lazy as Sora sometimes," said Roxas smiling, and then he looked at Ventus. "So, apart from that, did anything interesting happen while you were in that world?"
"Mmmm, let me think…" said Ven as he thought about Remnant's events. "Well, Sora-"
"Sora, what?" asked Kairi when Ven didn't finish his sentence.
"Nothing, forgot about that," said Ven smiling awkwardly and waving his hand. He was going to say where Sora had been sleeping the last days, but then Sora would tell them about Velvet, so he decided to keep his mouth shut. "Why don't we go to sleep? I'm kinda tired, you know?"
Kairi narrowed her eyes. "Ven, do you really think-"
"Good night!" said Ven before going to his room. He ran so fast that Kairi couldn't even finish what he was going to say.
"I wonder…" said Xion.
"The usual," said Roxas.
Lea nodded. "Yeah, it was probably that."
"But why didn't Ven tell us?" asked Naminé.
"Who knows?" said Riku. "I'm off to bed. See you guys tomorrow."
"Wait, what are you guys…" Kairi wanted to ask what everyone was talking about, but all of them left to their rooms before she could do it. "What's going on here?"
-TLG-
1320hrs, August 17th, 2024
Fiore, Earth Land
Sora and Mirajane walked out of the kitchen, the boy with a plate in his hands and the white-haired mage with the Keyblade wielder's jacket, most likely because it would have been a bit uncomfortable for Sora to cook while wearing it. They saw Levy and the others in the bar and walked towards them.
"Okay, here you go!" said Sora, putting the plate on the bar before putting his jacket again after Mirajane gave it to him.
Levy, Lisanna, Cana and Elfman looked at what Sora prepared with curious eyes. It looked like a big grilled pancake containing a variety of different ingredients. It looked really tasty, and it smelled really good too, they couldn't deny that. The only thing they had to do now was to eat it and check if it was truly as good as it appeared.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" asked Sora, a confident smile on his face.
Lisanna looked at the Keybearer. "What is it?"
"Okonomiyaki," replied Sora.
"Okono-what?" asked Cana confused. "Is this a dish from your world or something? Because it's the first time I see something like this."
Sora chuckled. "Yeah, it is. I asked Mirajane about it since I wanted to prepare something none of you have eaten before."
"Someone already tried it?" observed the blue-haired girl when she noticed that there was a small part of the pancake missing.
"It was me," said Mirajane smiling.
"Oh, how was it?" asked Elfman curious.
"Ah, you'll have to try and find out yourself," said Mirajane before looking at Levy. "Come on, Levy, give it a try."
"Okay…" said Levy before grabbing the fork that was on the plate. She picked a piece of the pancake and then put it in her mouth. The others looked at her expectantly, waiting for her verdict. Levy's eyes went wide. "Wow, it's…delicious!"
"Of course," said Sora, a smug smile on his face.
"Let me try," said Lisanna, and then she also ate a piece of the Okonomiyaki. "Waaah, it's amazing!"
"It's a man!" exclaimed Elfman after taking a bite too.
"You're kidding, this tastes incredibly good…" said Cana in disbelief after eating some too. She turned and looked at Sora. "Were you this good when we met you?"
"Not even close," said Sora scratching his head. "I've practiced a lot these two years. I wasn't very interested in cooking when I was younger, to be honest; however, something happened and I had to learn no matter what…"
"What happened?" asked Levy.
"Well…let's say I had to learn to survive…" answered Sora.
The mages looked at the Keyblade wielder perplexed. Sora was remembering something that happened three years ago in a Gummi Ship, and by the expression on his face, you could tell that it wasn't a very good memory.
"Hey guys, are you sure you know how to…?"
"Of course, leave this to us, Sora!"
"Ah-hyuck, we'll prepare something good, don't worry."
"If you say so…"
*BOOM*
"Argh, what happened!? Donald!? Goofy!?"
"I think we burned something…"
"Maybe this is more difficult than we thought…"
"We're going to die out of hunger…"
Sora shook his head, trying to forget about what happened that time. He looked at the mages again, but then he realized that the Okonomiyaki he prepared was gone, and that could only mean one thing.
"Hey, did you guys eat it all!?" asked Sora. "You could have left something for me!"
"Sorry, we couldn't help it," said Lisanna, sticking out her tongue in a cute way. "You could prepare another thing more if you're hungry."
Sora smirked. "Are you indirectly telling me to cook more?"
"Maybe~" replied Lisanna innocently.
Then she and the others started hearing some noises that were coming from outside the guild. It seemed that some people were fighting and they were getting closer to the guild's building. Suddenly, the doors of Fairy Tail were opened by two bodies, which flew across the guild's hall until they almost reached the bar. Sora looked at the two people on the floor, who turned out to be Natsu and Gray, and immediately knew who the one who made them fly across the guild was.
"Stop fighting already! Didn't you have enough during the job!?"
"Are you really asking that at this point of the story?"
"Those two are a lost cause…"
"Aye!"
Sora and the others looked at the entrance and could see the other members of Team Natsu. According to what they said, Natsu and Gray had been fighting even during their mission, but that wasn't something new or surprising. Erza looked pissed, but that was also something usual, at least when Natsu and Gray started fighting. The other mages obviously noticed that Team Natsu returned and started complaining.
"Man, they're here again," said Warren.
"They're always so noisy…" said Nab.
"I was starting to like how peaceful the guild was lately," added Max.
"See, you need to do something like that if you want the others to know you're in the guild," said Levy smiling at Sora.
"I think I prefer being unnoticed, then," said Sora as he watched Natsu and Gray stand up.
"You bastard, this is your fault!" said an annoyed Gray, sticking his head with Natsu's.
"What did you say, Ice Princess!?" said the Dragon Slayer.
"I told you to stop that!" exclaimed Erza as she hit the two rivals, knocking them out. The redhead looked at the two with an angry expression as the other members of Team Natsu approached her. Then she looked up and realized that Sora was in the guild. "Sora, you're here."
"Ah, Sora-san!" said Wendy with a happy expression on her face.
"Hey there," said Sora, giving the little Dragon Slayer a warm smile.
"It's about time you showed up," said Lucy with her hands on her hips and looking at Sora with a smile. "What took you so long?"
"Oh, you know, the usual stuff that keeps me busy," replied Sora.
"Is everything fine out there?" asked Carla.
"Yeah, everything's alright…" answered the Keybearer, although it wasn't completely true. He knew there was a problem at this moment regarding the world's safety, but he decided to talk about it with the other Guardians before telling someone else.
"Sora!" exclaimed Natsu, who just stood up. He pointed at Sora with his finger while looking at him with a determined face. "Let's fight now!"
Sora sighed. "That's the first thing you're going to say to me? You could at least say hello first, don't you think?"
"That's Natsu for you," said Happy.
"Yeah, I guess I shouldn't be surprised at this point of the story," said Sora before looking at Natsu again. "Man, can't you just wait until the tournament? I assure you we'll fight there."
"I can't wait half a year! Let's do it now!" replied Natsu. "I want to see how strong I am now!"
"Half a year?" asked Sora puzzled since he didn't know how Natsu could know when the tournament started when not even him was aware of it. "How can you know that?"
"Terra told me it was going to start in February 10th," said Erza. "We ran into each other in Shirotsume Town while I was on a mission there. It's been four days since then, so I suppose he already joined Sabertooth."
"Oh, so Terra was-wait, what!?" asked Sora surprised. "Terra has joined Sabertooth!?"
"Didn't you know?" asked Lucy. "Haven't you talked with him?"
"I came here just after finishing a mission in another world, so it's been a week since the last time I talked with him," replied Sora. "I guess this means that Aqua is a member of Mermaid Heel. Surely Terra came here after finding that out."
"Yes, he told me that too," said Erza. "The rumor of Mermaid Heel and Sabertooth having a Keyblade wielder started spreading yesterday."
"I guess we're not special anymore," said Cana. "Remember when we were the only guild with a Keyblade wielder? Those were good times."
"Aren't you exaggerating a bit?" asked Sora, a bit amused. "Besides, that only lasted…ten days? Remember that not long after I joined Fairy Tail, Kairi and Riku joined Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale."
"That's true," said Lisanna. "Well, at least we can say that we have the strongest Keyblade wielder."
"Yeah, we have the manliest of them all!" said Elfman in agreement.
Sora chuckled. "Do you really think I'm the strongest one? You guys sure have me on a pedestal."
"Aren't you?" asked Wendy. The little blue-haired girl looked up to Sora a lot, so it was normal she considered him to be the strongest Keyblade wielder, and she wasn't the only one who thought that. Since Sora was a member of Fairy Tail, the rest of his guildmates, of course, also believed he was the strongest one.
"I'll just say that none of you should underestimate the others, especially Terra and Aqua," said Sora smiling. "I know you've barely seen them fighting, but I assure you they're not people who should be taken lightly."
"Riku and Kairi are really strong too," affirmed Mirajane. "You've gotten stronger these years, so I'm sure they're also stronger than the last time."
"Yeah, but Kairi surely would say that she still needs more training," said Sora. "And I'm sure she would have told you the same thing about Terra and Aqua."
"And Riku?" asked Lisanna. "He's a Keyblade Master too, right?"
"Pfft, what kind of question is that?" said Sora with a cocky smirk. "You know I'm stronger than Riku."
"Oh, where did that confidence come from?" asked Lucy, a playful smile on her face. "If I remember correctly, you two were even when you fought here in Magnolia. If you hadn't disarmed him, you wouldn't have won. You victory was a fluke."
"What!?" asked Sora dumbfounded. "How can you say that, Lucy? You're mean!"
"Come on, it was just a joke," said Lucy after laughing. Then she started ruffling Sora's hair. "You know I think you're the best Keyblade wielder."
"Yeah, you better!" said Sora smiling as he shoved Lucy's hand away.
"Come on, let's fight, Sora!" shouted Natsu, fire in his eyes. Sora and the others sighed at Natsu's stubbornness, even though all of them were already used to it. Then Gray recovered his consciousness and grabbed Natsu's leg, making the Dragon Slayer fall.
"You and I still have a score to settle!" exclaimed the Ice Mage.
"Gray, your clothes," said Mirajane.
Gray looked down and realized that he was just wearing his underwear. "Crap!"
"Dammit, don't get in my way, Gray!" said Natsu. "Fighting Sora comes first!"
"Sorry, Salamander, but the one fighting Sora will be me."
"Gajeel!?" said Natsu stunned.
Suddenly, Gajeel appeared out of nowhere, surprising the rest of the members of Fairy Tail. Sora was kind of surprised to see him too since the last time he was in the guild, he and the Iron Dragon Slayer didn't talk. However, it seemed that when it came to a fight, Gajeel always had something to say. Pantherlily also appeared without the others noticing. The black Exceed was now on the bar, next to the other two cats.
"It's only fair," said Pantherlily.
"Since when are you here?" said Happy.
"We just returned from a job," replied the black Exceed, and then he looked at the Keyblade wielder. "Sora, it seems that Gajeel wants to finish the fight you two had in front of the guild seven years ago. Master Makarov interrupted you, after all."
Sora let out a despairing sigh. "What a pain..."
"Not in the mood to fight I see," said Lucy.
"Yeah…" replied Sora.
"Well, don't worry," assured Levy. "You know how this things end up."
Sora knew what Levy was referring to, and as she said, it didn't take long until Natsu, Gray and Gajeel started a fight. The other male mages who were in the guild also were taking part in it, something that was also expected. Elfman also took part in it, obviously. Sora felt relieved since now they were busy and none of them could ask him for a fight. He would have accepted to fight Natsu other day, but he didn't feel like fighting today.
"My, they are doing it again, I see."
Sora and the mages who weren't fighting turned to the person who just talked, who turned out to be Makarov. The old Guild Master was walking down the stairs that connected the guild's hall with the second floor. Sora realized that he had never been in the guild's second floor, so he might take a look later.
"Master," said Erza.
"Ah, I see you kids are back," said Makarov before noticing the Keyblade wielder. "Oh, you're here too, Sora. It's good to see you again. Did you come to visit?"
"Yeah, I wanted to see how everyone is doing," replied Sora. "And I can see everything is fine."
"Well, as far as it goes…" said Lucy.
"Say, have you seen Eraqus or Yen Sid after you left Fiore the last month?" asked Makarov. "I'd like to know how they are doing."
"Sorry, I haven't…" said Sora, and then he realized something. He should have known before, but he didn't even think about it; however, he did it when Makarov mentioned the two retired Keyblade Masters. "Master…for how long you know each other?"
"Eraqus and Yen Sid?" asked Makarov, quite surprised by the question. "For a long time, to be honest. I haven't ever been with Yen Sid in the same room, but I met Eraqus before I became Guild Master of Fairy Tail. He used to visit Earth Land continuously, you know?"
"Really?" asked Sora surprised.
"Terra told you that, right, Erza?" asked Lucy.
"Yeah, he mentioned it," replied the redhead.
Sora touched his chin in a pensive manner. "Then maybe…"
"Is there anything you want to ask me?" asked Makarov. "Feel free to do so."
"There's one thing…" said Sora. "When I was here the last month I told all of you about the Keyblade War, and you already knew about it. That means…"
"Yes, Eraqus told me about it," replied Makarov. "We talked about a lot of things and he told me about the Keyblade War. According to him, the Keyblade Master who trained him loved telling that story."
"Then, do you know anything about the 'lost masters'?" asked Sora.
There were different reactions among the mages after Sora asked Makarov about what he read in Blake's book. Most of them were confused and curious, Levy was surprised and also expectant since she, like Sora, wanted to know more about those masters. On the other hand, Makarov looked kind of shocked, looking at Sora with wide-eyes and a tad of nervousness.
"W-where'd you hear about that?" asked Makarov.
"A book about the Keyblade War," replied Sora, who noticed that the old man looked uneasy, and he didn't know why. "'On that land, shall darkness prevail and light expire'. That line was also in the book, but the rest of the pages were empty. Do you know anything about this?"
"I can't help you with this, sorry," answered Makarov, looking away from Sora for a second. "But tell me, why do you want to know about it?"
"I'm really curious, I guess." Sora's answer was simple, but for some reason it troubled Makarov more than he was already. "Are you sure you don't know anything about those masters?"
"I already told you, I can't help you with that, Sora," replied Makarov with a serious face. "There's nothing I can tell you about the lost masters."
Sora sighed. "Alright…"
"I don't know why, but hearing about those lost masters makes me nervous," said Lucy.
"I feel a bit uneasy too…" said Wendy.
"You don't have to worry about that," said Sora with a reassuring smile. "Those lost masters are from long time ago, so they shouldn't be alive now."
"I guess you're right," said Lucy.
"But what if they are somehow alive and now they are out there, waiting for the right moment to attack us?" asked Happy, and then he pulled out a flashlight out of nowhere, turned it on and put it under his chin. "They might be Keyblade wielders from the past who turned into zombies and now they're seeking for revenge."
"Scary," whimpered Wendy.
"Shut up, cat!" exclaimed the Celestial Mage.
"You have a huge imagination, Happy," said Sora amused.
After that, the fight in the guild's hall continued while the other mages who weren't participating just did what they usually did in the guild. Reedus was painting something, Nab was looking at the request board as usual, and the rest were eating the food Mirajane prepared for them. Sora was talking with the members of Team Natsu, except for Natsu and Gray, about their missions as they ate in a table. Erza told Sora about the fight between Kagura and Aqua, which surprised him. He had to ask the blue-haired Keyblade Master about it. Levy and Lisanna were also in the same table eating, and they mentioned that Sora was an amazing cook and how he prepared something for them before they arrived.
"Eh, really?" asked Lucy in awe.
"Yeah, I had to practice a lot, though," replied Sora scratching his head.
Erza nodded approvingly. "Of course, you can achieve almost everything with enough training."
"Mmm, I'd like to try something cooked by you," said Carla, actually curious.
"Me too!" said Wendy. "Would you cook something for us someday, Sora-san?"
"Sure," replied Sora smiling.
Then, the front door of the Fairy Tail Guild was opened by someone. The members of Fairy Tail, including the ones who were fighting, looked at the guild's entrance and saw two familiar faces, two men wearing attires of high-ranking associates of the Magic Council. One of them was a man with long, tied up black hair; two bangs frame his face and an unruly tuft covers his forehead. His lavender eyes covered by circular-lensed glasses. The other man had messy black hair and large bright emerald turquoise eyes. The left side of his face was covered by three distinctive scars.
"Hey, I know that guy," said Sora, referring to the man with glasses. His meeting with the associate of the Magic Council wasn't a very happy memory, but he remembered him all right. "He's Lahar, right?"
"And Me-I mean, Doranbolt-san is with him," said Wendy.
"I wonder why those two are here," said Lisanna, and then she looked at Erza. "You guys didn't destroy anything like an important building this time, right?"
"No, I don't think the Council would send them for that," said Erza.
"You didn't answer her question," thought Sora.
Makarov, just like all the other people who were inside the guild, saw the two men of the Magic Council who entered the guild's building, so he jumped off the bar and walked towards them. The brawl between the some of the Fairy Tail's members stopped when Lahar and Doranbolt walked into the guild, most likely because no one wanted to get into trouble because of it, although Natsu would have continued fighting, but since no one was doing it he also stopped.
"Lahar and Doranbolt," said Makarov. "To what do we owe your visit? Is any of the kids in trouble again?"
"No, the reason of our visit is more important," said Lahar.
"What is it, then?" asked Makarov while the others listened carefully.
"Do you remember the place where Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus stopped Nirvana?" asked Doranbolt. "The forest called Worth Woodsea?"
"Of course," replied Makarov. "Did something happen there?"
"Doranbolt and I were in a meeting with the members of the Magic Council today," explained Lahar. "During the meeting, the investigation team interrupted us. It seems that they detected a powerful source of magic coming from that forest."
Makarov's face turned into a serious one. "It can't be Nirvana. It was destroyed by the kids."
"We don't know what it is, so we informed the Council about it," said Doranbolt. "They were going to send a team to the forest to investigate about it, but the one of them suggested something else."
"He wanted the Allied Forces to take care of this situation," revealed Lahar. "And he also wanted Sabertooth and Mermaid Heel to take part in this for obvious reasons."
"Yeah, I've heard about that," said Makarov, referring to the new members those guilds acquired recently.
"Then, the Council want us to work together just like when we defeated Oración Seis," said Erza as she stood up. "But, is that source of magic so powerful? They wouldn't have come up with that idea otherwise."
"Yes, according to the Royal Investigation Team, the source of magic is outstanding," replied Doranbolt, who noticed that Wendy was looking at him. The two smiled at each other.
"Well, if the Council asked us to do this, we can't refuse," said Makarov. "You can count on Fairy Tail. Have you asked the other guilds?"
"Yes, they already know and they are now heading to the place where you met up the last time," answered Lahar. "We told them using a Communication Lacrima Crystal, but we couldn't do that with your guild, so I had to ask Doranbolt to use his Teleportation Magic to bring me here."
"That's good," said Makarov before turning to the mages who he sent the last time to take down Oración Seis. "I'll send you kids again. I suppose the Guild Masters of Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale will do the same. I don't know who Sabertooth and Mermaid Heel will send, though. Wendy, Carla, you weren't members of Fairy Tail that time, but you can go if you want."
"Yes, I'll help too!" said Wendy.
"Well, if you want to go, then it's decided," said Carla.
"Tch, I could take care of whatever that is without anyone's help," muttered Natsu.
"This means we have to work with those Trimens again…" said Gray not very pleased.
"Stop complaining, remember is the Council who asked us for help," said Erza, although the thought of working with Ichiya by her side didn't make her very happy.
"Thank you for your help," said Lahar gratefully, and then he noticed someone he met before sitting in the same table where Erza was. "You're…Sora."
"Hey," said the Keyblade wielder.
"That's him?" asked Doranbolt.
Lahar nodded before looking at Sora again. "I'm glad you're here, because we have to talk with you, too."
"Oh, what do you want?" asked Sora.
"There's something else going on in that forest," replied Lahar. "It seems that the source of magic is attracting an incredible amount of Heartless to that place."
"Surprise, surprise," thought Sora.
"The Council told us to ask you to take care of them if you were here," said Doranbolt. "You were the one who protected Fiore from those monsters seven years ago, so you would be a very helpful in this mission."
"Could you-I mean, would you do it?" asked Lahar.
"It seems that I won't be able to relax today," said Sora. "Sure, I'll take care of them."
"Oh, we appreciate your help, then," said Lahar, looking kind of surprised, something that Sora noticed.
"Were you expecting me to refuse because of what happened in Crocus?" asked Sora, and by the expression on Lahar's face, it looked like he hit the nail on the head. "I guess that's a yes."
"I see you haven't forgotten about that," said Lahar, a guilty expression on his face.
"Who would?" asked Gray. "You guys are lucky he's really forgiving."
"Could we, please, not talk about that?" said Lucy. "I'd rather not remember that day, if you don't mind."
"All right, we'll leave and inform the Council," said Lahar. "Good luck and thank you again."
"Be careful out there," said Doranbolt before he put his hand on Lahar's shoulder. Then the two of them vanished when the man with the scars used his magic to teleport them to the Council's headquarters.
"Well, it seems that you guys have a new job now," said Lisanna.
"Ugh, I wanted to rest today," said Lucy, planting her face on the table.
"You're not the only one," said Sora. "But it'll be fun working with other guilds for a change. I'm curious to know who Sabertooth and Mermaid Heel will send. Who sent Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus the last time you worked together?"
"Lamia Scale sent Jura, Lyon and Sherry," replied Happy. "Blue Pegasus sent the Trimens."
"The Trimens, huh?" said Sora, and then he looked at Erza with a smirk. "You must be happy."
"Define 'happy'," muttered the redhead.
"Well, you should leave now," said Makarov. "Don't make them wait for you. The sooner you find out what's in the forest, the better. Sora, you'll be the leader of the team, so take care of everyone, okay?"
"What? Why me?" asked Sora.
"Well, it seems that the heartless are involved in this, so you'd know what to do if something bad happens," replied Makarov. "The other guilds would agree. Now get ready and leave."
"But-" Sora was about to protest, but before he could do it, Makarov got out of the guild's hall as fast as lightning. "…"
"Looks like you're in charge now," said Erza smiling. "You're a Guild Master, so you should be fine."
"If you say so..." said Sora, a small smile on his face. "Anyway, let's go. I don't want us to be the last guild arriving to whatever place we have to go."
"Wait a moment," said Gajeel as he walked towards the group. "Lily and I are coming, too."
"What!?" asked Natsu.
"Why do you want to come with us?" asked Lucy surprised.
"If the thing of the forest is a powerful monster, then I want to have a piece of it, too" replied the Iron Dragon Slayer. "Besides, I want to make sure Salamander doesn't fight Sora while you're outside. He has to fight with me first."
"I should have guessed…" thought the blonde mage.
"What the hell? I'm not gonna work with this guy," said Natsu, looking angry at Gajeel.
"Well, the more, the merrier," said Sora.
"Are you serious, Sora!?" asked Natsu in disbelief.
"Yeah, we would be able to finish sooner if more people come," said Sora.
"You heard him," said Gajeel smirking.
"In that case, Juvia would like to go, too," said the Water Mage, who suddenly appeared behind the Keyblade wielder.
"Ah, Juvia, when did you-! Wait, do you want to come, too?" asked Sora, and Juvia nodded. It didn't take Sora long to realize the reason she wanted to come with him and the others. "Is it because of Gray, right?"
"Eh? Well, Juvia is…yes," said Juvia in a low voice.
"Okay, you can come with us, too," said Sora smiling.
"Ah, thank you!" said Juvia gratefully.
"I have a bad feeling about this," muttered Gray.
The other mages looked at the group and some of them were feeling uneasy, most likely because Gajeel and Natsu were on the group and that wasn't going to end up well. They hope Sora could keep them at bay while they are in the forest. Levy wanted to ask Sora to go with him, but she seemed reluctant to do it until she saw Lisanna and Cana telling her to do it with gestures. The blue-haired girl took a deep breath and walked towards the Keyblade wielder.
"Sora," said Levy.
The boy turned his head. "Oh, Levy, what is it?"
"I was wondering if you'd let me to tag along," answered the Solid Script Mage. "I also want to go with you…with all of you, I mean."
"Of course!" said Sora smiling. "The group is kinda big, but as I said, if we're more, we'll finish sooner."
"Right," said Levy, returning the smile.
"My, my, Levy-chan, you really can't to come, don't you?" asked Lucy, who suddenly appeared next to Levy, looking at her with a playful expression on her face.
"Y-you're wrong!" said Levy flustered. "It's not what you think!"
"Oh, and what do I think?" asked Lucy with a wide smile.
"What are you two talking about?" asked Sora confused.
"Nothing, nothing!" said Levy as she covered Lucy's mouth with her hand.
"What's going on here?" thought Sora. "Anyway, if no one else wants to come with us, then we should leave. Where did you meet up the last time? Is it far from here?"
"Master Bob's palace, a large villa situated directly south from the Worth Woodsea," replied Erza. "It will take us two hours to arrive there."
"Master Bob…" thought Sora as a chill went down his spine. "All right, let's move!"
-TLG-
Well, that's everything for chapter 24, I hope you liked it.
To KingdomWarrior125: I've been watching Infinite Stratos and it's good, but I don't think it will work if I use it in my story, sorry.
To Sonicman66: Well, since a lot of people are figuring it out I think I can say that, yes, the Keyblade wielders are from Kingdom Hearts χ.
To The Dark Dragon Emperor: Yeah, I wanted to give the Light Guardians an enemy who were even more dangerous than Maleficent and Keyblade wielders was the first thing that came to my mind when I started writing this story.
To MagatsuIza: As I told you, I didn't plan anything so I don't how many worlds there will be.
To animelover276: 13 episodes? I might take a look at it. I always enjoy short animes, even if they end with cliffhangers, which is usually what happens.
To EvanderAdvent: And another one who guesses XD. Yes, those five Keyblade wielders are from those five factions, but they're not just members, they are the leaders of the factions…well, they were…
To AquaTitaniaMiyuki: Well, as you could read, we get to see the former Org. XIII trio in this chapter.
To StoryMakerr014: Yeah, that's why I wanted him and Velvet to interact. It's kinda sad he's the only Keyblade wielder of the group who's not paired with anyone in the games.
To Esprgirl: Yes, there will be a 'Blue Exorcist Mission' and the characters will appear, of course.
To Drag0n-0f-Shu: Yes, Bleach will be part of the story. The Soul Society will even participate in the tournament of Radiant Garden. They will appear more than one time, so I think you could say it will be major.
To KH-Hardcorefan4483: 1. Haha, yeah, I told myself that I had to write a scene with Sora scratching Blake's cat ears no matter what. 2. This time even Ven got a girl lol. He's not paired with anyone in the games by the fans, I think, so I thought it would be nice to give him someone. 3. It is good that finally Weiss accepts that Sora is a worthy leader. 4. 'Just be yourself and always be honest and a bit dense'. I think you just described almost all the main characters of a harem anime lol. Well, maybe not that many, but I'm sure there's more than one character that fits that description.
To AnimeMasterDub: 1. The good guys always defeat the bad guys, right? Or maybe not… 2. He might work on it. 4. Yang will be always Yang, so yes. 5. I think you already know the answer to this. 6. I used to watch it years ago, now I can't take the show seriously. 8. Aliens? Who knows? 9. I don't know when they will appear again. 10. That's a secret, for the moment.
To fallenstar2013: To Humbert: I'm glad you liked the food fight XD If you want to watch it animated, just take a look at Episode 1 of RWBY Volume 2. They'll find out eventually about Ven's 'date', and they'll even meet Velvet, but you'll have to wait XD. To Klaus: This is not a romance fanfic, so I won't make any pairings. Yes, it's a filler chapter, but there will be an important character related to the main plot appearing too. Well, you could see I wrote a scene in Radiant Garden with the other Guardians.
To kingdom hearts guy: Have you been reading 'Sword Art Kingdom II: Dimensional Bonds'? XD Anyway, I've never thought of making Aqua have a long lost sister or anything. To me she is an only child, like all the Guardians.
To StarTrail: Nice, you figured it out! Yes, the Foretellers will be part of this story.
To Mishka-chan0.0: I'm glad you loved it! I really enjoyed writing that scene with Sora and Blake, and the one with Ven and Sora too. I'm sure they'll eventually find out.
To Ventusblade: It looks like you find out. Yes, they are from Kingdom Hearts χ. I prefer to introduce them one by one. If I make more Guardians meet the other Foretellers, it might happen the same thing that happened in Shibuya's UG, and I think it's a bit soon for that.
To Guest: Sounds like a good idea lol I will have Joshua taking the gang to Radiant Garden when the tournament starts.
To Guest: He'll use one soon, but not for fighting. I'm not going to make him rely on his summons in this story, so you won't see him using them very frequently.
To Sunny Lighter: 1. Yeah, and they're not people who do normal food fights XD 2. No one can resist Kitty Blake. 3. I see you also liked Ven and Velvet's scene.
To arokiyanking18: I gave them some time alone, but a confession would be too much at this point of the story. It's still too soon for something like that. Remember this is not a romance fanfic.
To Guest: It's true they have a good connection with each other, and I want to develop that relationship they have through the story. It's still too soon for a love confession. Things will get awkward between them if she confesses her feelings towards him now.
To Guest 2: Yeah, I wasn't going to do it, don't worry. The relationship between Sora and Levy could become awkward if she confesses to him. I'd rather develop their relationship through the story instead. Yes, Velvet will go to Radiant Garden for sure. Let's hope her team soon is introduced soon in RWBY since I want to use them too.
To zackstone13: Another story? I don't plan on making new stories at this moment. If you're referring to another chapter, well, here it is.
To KimhongSunmay: 1) Thank you, I'm glad you like my work. 2) Yes, I've thought of making a side story about certain characters of this story, but not any time soon. 3) I will address that topic soon, so stay tuned!
To Red John: It will take place in Aincrad (SAO) and yes, Tron will be involved in getting them into the game.
To The Asian Otaku: Yeah, I know. It's about time the saga comes to an end. Not that we're going to get KH3 soon, but I'm curious to see how the next saga will be like.
To keyblade master: He already left, so too late XD.
To Guest: Yeah, especially after seeing what her Semblance actually is in Episode 4 of Volume 2.
To keys of fate: 1) Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! 2) He deserved some kind of punishment, didn't he? No need to apologize, by the way. 3) I think half of the readers already know who he is, along with the other four XD. 4) Yup, he's now a 'Tiger', and yes, they found out XD. 5) Unfortunately, I haven't heard of Homeworld, so I don't know anything about it. Also, there are a lot of things I want to add before those characters appear, so be patient.
To magical fan18: I've checked them out, and they look amazing indeed! At this moment (story wise), Sora is reluctant to use Drive Forms unless it's completely necessary, like when that overpowered Dark Thorn appeared, so you won't see him using them frequently…for the moment. There will be one point in the story when he will use them without worrying. Lucy will find out about Sora's summons very, very soon. I'm going to stick with the default Keyblades for the moment since I always liked those more than the others. I still haven't decided about Naminé's Keyblade, but Oathkeeper would be my choice if I don't give that one to Kairi.
To Daxen123: Good to see you here again! I'm glad you're still enjoying this story! Another mysterious Keyblade wielder will appear soon, so stay tuned!