Disclaimer: I do not own Square Enix or Danmachi. Both belong to their respective owners.
Hello my wonderful readers, I come with a new chapter!
Yeah, this took a while to update. Originally, I was supposed to update it last week. Unfortunately, my computer chose the worst time to go crazy on me, and I didn't have the time to save the latest version of writing. So I lost a very good chunk of writing. And losing the writing made me go into a slump.
It also didn't help that I rewrote this chapter 2 times.
Other than that, I've played through Genshin Impact 4.2 Archon Quest, and let me just say, Furina deserves a damn hug after everything that has happened.
She also consumed all of my wishes.
Worth it.
Let's start the chapter.
Chapter 21: Sanctuary
"I cannot thank you enough for what you've done for us!" Takemikazuchi thanked with gratitude while giving a deep bow to the Hestia Familia.
All of them were gathered at the Takemikazuchi Familia's home, sitting in their living room.
Seeing a God in general just bow in gratitude before them flustered Bell.
"P-Please don't bow! We only did what was right!" Bell said while waving his hands around frantically.
"Nonsense. You have saved the lives of my children, and that is something that I cannot write off lightly." Takemikazuchi said with a serious look, with his Familia nodding in agreement behind him.
"We can only be thankful that Sora was luckily around to prevent a tragedy from occurring," Hestia said while giving a small sigh.
"Indeed." Takemikazuchi said while nodding. "As such, we greatly owe you for what you've done for us. Please, do not hesitate to ask us for help, and we shall do out best to return the favor."
"If that's the case," Hestia immediately started with a serious look, "then there is something I need you to do for me."
"And that is?" Takemikazuchi blinked at Hestia's sudden demands and demeanor.
"Do not share what you've seen and encountered within the Dungeon with anyone. You need to have your Familia pretend nothing ever happened." Hestia told him.
Takemikazuchi could only blink in confusion.
"...May I ask why?" Takemikazuchi asked in confusion. "Isn't it better to share this with the Guild so they can develop better measures for this type of thing?
"Unfortunately, the Guild won't be any help in this matter," Hestia told him with a frown. "The less people know, the better. Otherwise, there may be some people who may look into the existence of these dark monsters and may try to exploit them. And based on previous experience, it doesn't turn out well for everyone involved. Not to mention that the general public knowing the existence of these dark monsters will just bring about unnecessary panic."
"And these dark creatures are attracted to negativity," Sora added in, "so if everyone in Orario started to panic at the knowledge of these monsters..."
"Then these monsters will emerge from the Dungeon and attack Orario itself..." Takemikazuchi finished with a grim look.
A grim silence fell upon the room, and the Takemikazuchi Familia looked especially troubled to hear this.
"...If they're a large threat, then how are we going to deal with them?" Takemikazuchi asked.
"It's simple. Sora will take care of the problem." Hestia answered while gesturing to Sora.
"Him?" Takemikazuchi blinked in surprise and confusion.
Hestia nodded.
"Sora has a unique Skill that attracts those dark monsters to him, like moths to a flame. You may certainly think that it's detrimental, but it's actually useful. Sora possesses another Skill that allows him to slay those monsters with great efficiency...and put a permanent end to their existence." Hestia revealed.
The Takemikazuchi's eyes widened in shock to hear this.
"W-Wait, so Sora can actually stop monsters from spawning?!" Ouka asked in shock.
"Only those dark monsters in particular. The typical monster that you encounter in the Dungeon isn't affected by his Skill," Hestia explained.
"...No wonder those monsters stopped chasing us." Chigusa quietly said.
"That also explains why he was able to fend off a large number of them with ease..." Mikoto muttered.
"...It explains why you're leaving this up to Sora." Takemikazuchi noted. "Still, isn't it a bit much that you're leaving this anomaly all up to one person?"
"Normally, I would agree with you. However, Sora is...special." Hestia said while trying to find the right word to describe Sora. "This isn't Sora's first time dealing with this sort of problem. And most of the time, he managed to resolve them before they got out of hand. Right Sora?"
"That's right!" Sora replied while nodding. "I've managed to take care of the problem before they get out of hand and things turn out for the better."
"I see..." Takemikazuchi muttered, seeing no lies coming from Sora. "...If that is the case, then I have no concerns. Rest assured Hestia, my Familia and I will keep quiet about this incident. Still, this is something that's rather easy for us to do. So should the need for help ever come, know that my Familia and I will do our best to help you."
"I appreciate the offer Take," Hestia thanked while nodding. "Now if you'll excuse us, my Familia and I need to get going. We're going to be pretty busy this whole day."
"Lili believes we wouldn't need to rush so much if we were given more time to prepare," Lili commented while shooting a flat look toward Hestia.
"Hey, I couldn't let the opportunity escape me! I don't want anyone else grabbing it before we could!" Hestia replied with an annoyed look.
Both Bell and Sora could only give awkward smiles upon hearing this.
Takemikazuchi could only blink at the topic held between the Hestia Familia.
"Urm...may I ask what you need to deal with?" Takemikazuchi asked.
Hestia simply gave a sigh while rubbing her forehead.
"...We recently got ourselves a new home. And we need to move in immediately."
~ Break ~
When Hestia was doing house hunting and found the appropriate home for her Familia, she thought it was the best opportunity given to her. However, the opportunity came with a catch, and that is that they need to move into the home immediately, otherwise, the contract pertaining to the ownership of the home will nullify Hestia's purchase of the home.
Thus, the Hestia Familia needed to pack up their stuff (which isn't much), but also get the appropriate furnishings and beds to stay at their new home. All within a single day before the move-in.
It would've been a strenuous task...were it not for Takemikazuchi immediately offering a helping hand in their moving process.
"You're a lifesaver Take." Hestia thanked him while sighing in a mixture of exhaustion and relief.
"I should be saying that to you Hestia. And besides, this is the least we could do to return the favor." Takemikazuchi waved off.
"Well, we won't say no to a helping hand!" Sora chuckled while crossing his arms behind his head. "We've managed to get all the stuff we need for our home! And I gotta say, you found a pretty nice home for us!"
"I agree..." Bell muttered in awe at the sight of their new home before them.
"It's...a lot bigger than Lili expected," Lili remarked.
"I feel like it's the perfect size for us!" Hestia huffed with pride.
Both Hestia and the Takemikazuchi Familia stood before the Hestia Familia's new home.
Their new home was in a suburban area of Orario. Compared to the abandoned district that they lived in, there was much more greenery to be seen in the area.
Their home was rather large. It was about two stories tall, and the shape of the home was rectangular, and it looked to be large in area. It looked to be mainly made out of stone-like material, supplemented by wooden support structures. It had a straight light brown tiled mansard roof.
In front of their home was a neatly trimmed grass lawn, and in front of it was a front gate. And if they were to look at the back of the house, they had a rather large and spacious backyard, surrounded by a decently tall stone wall. And all around the manor were cypress trees.
All in all, it was definitely an upgrade compared to their previous home.
"Though...why did we get such a large home when it's just the four of us?" Sora asked.
"Believe me when I say that this is the only size that felt...appropriate for us. The rest were either too small or just way too big." Hestia told her Familia.
"Fair enough..." Lili muttered while furrowing her eyebrows at the size of their new home. "Still, that leaves us with a lot of empty space."
"I figured that since we're a Familia, there's a possibility that we could get more members in the future," Hestia answered.
"It's a good way to ensure future housing for future Familia members." Takemikazuchi agreed while nodding.
"I'm astounded you've managed to get the necessary valis to get a home of this size, Mikoto remarked.
"Ah ha ha...well, let's just say that we were given an...opportunity to earn a lot of valis." Hestia gave a strained smile, before she cleared her throat.
"In any case, we should get started with the move-in! We should get started with the large furniture." Hestia said as she turned to a large wagon holding a good number of the Familia's furnishings.
"Of course!" Takemikazuchi immediately agreed, before he turned to his Familia. "Alright everyone! Let's get started!"
"Oooh!" the Familia gave their cheers of affirmation as they immediately started moving the furniture into their new home.
As the Takemikazuchi Familia was getting started with their given tasks, Lili walked up to Hestia.
"...Are we really considering more members for our Familia?" Lili quietly asked with a skeptical look. "Don't get Lili wrong, having more members joining us is a good thing, but considering the type of business we're getting ourselves into, is it really a good idea?"
"Trust me, I took that into account as well," Hestia sighed while rubbing her forehead. "But really, the affairs of the Heartless aren't going to last for years on a singular World. I have faith that Sora will take care of the Heartless eventually. And when that time comes, I'll be sure to open our doors to anyone who wants to join our Familia."
"I agree," Bell said while nodding. "I have faith that Sora will resolve the issue about the Heartless eventually, so we can welcome more Familia members in the future."
"Well, guess I gotta work even harder if I want to make it possible for more people to join our Familia," Sora said while swiping a finger across his nose.
"Well, it's not like we're in a rush to get more members for our Familia anyway. We're still new after all." Hestia pointed out. She then pointed forward towards their new home.
"Right, let's get started! The furniture won't move themselves!" Hestia told her Familia.
Her Familia raised their arm while giving a cheer of readiness.
~ Break ~
"Fascinating..." Mid muttered to herself with awe.
She was in her personal workshop, sitting at her work desk. She was holding the Gummiphone in her hand while jotting down whatever she discovered on her notes. And her desk is already splayed with numerous notes.
The Gummiphone was full of wonders. Everything about the device was absolutely revolutionary in terms of magic stone technology!
"As much as I would love to take this apart and figure out how it works, I wouldn't want to break it in the process..." Mid whispered to herself, before she kept fiddling with the Gummiphone before her.
She has the task of trying to set up a connection between the two devices. However, Mid felt that before she could get there, she needed to understand the fundamentals of each device. The AR Device doesn't really show much, so that's off the table for now. The Gummiphone is a lot more complex than she thought it would be.
"It makes me wonder how Chip and Dale were able to achieve such a technological feat?" Mid muttered to herself with fascination.
Such a small piece of technology means it runs off a small magic stone to fit in; however, that doesn't make any sense. The device would've run out of power long ago. That means it runs off another energy source, much to her surprise.
Also, the fact that it's able to retain so much information without the need for any paper was mind-boggling as well. She saw the information logs regarding the Dungeon Monsters, and each could fill in a few pages regarding their information. Yet the Gummiphone is able to record such a large amount of information.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
"...So this setting is able to adjust sound...it can be loud or quiet as you want it to be," Mid muttered as she was noting down the functions of the Gummiphone.
That is, before she began to feel her shoulders feeling stiff.
"I suppose a break is in order. I've been working on this for hours after all..." Mid muttered to herself as she stood up from her seat and did a few stretches. As she did, her eyes soon fell onto the Gummiphone on the table.
"If I'm going to take a break, then that means...!" Mid whispered to herself with excitement as she immediately picked up the Gummiphone and immediately went to the Classic Kingdom section.
Immediately, she started up the Taxi Troubles game.
"This time, I'll beat my high score this time...!" Mid muttered to herself while concentrating on the game before her.
When Mid discovered Classic Kingdom for the first time, she was rather confused with what the section does. However, she soon realized that the section of the phone was meant for entertainment. And unlike the entertainment stalls that you see at those festivals Orario holds, this is more compact and portable.
After reading the instructions and going through some trial and error, Mid found herself having fun with the various games. She could only imagine that if she managed to replicate this aspect of the Gummiphone and provided it to Orario, no citizen would ever feel bored while on the move, or even on long road trips in wagons.
A future project that will be on the shelf for now. As of now, she managed to beat all of Sora's high scores and cemented herself as the top scorer in all of the games. She's now working on trying to beat her high scores.
"...I should be careful though. Wouldn't want to get too addicted to these games; otherwise, I wouldn't be able to get any work done at all." Mid mused to herself as her eyes were glued onto the game.
She then heard footsteps being made behind her.
"Hah, never thought I'd see the day my daughter would actually be conscious about slackin' off. And here I thought I'd seen everything." a deep voice spoke up behind her.
Mid squeaked in surprise and jumped up a bit, before she quickly turned around to see who was speaking behind her back. When she saw who it was, she smiled.
"Oh, welcome back dad!"
~ Break ~
"That's strange, I could've sworn Hestia and her Familia lived here..." a male voice said aloud.
The abandoned church that served as the Hestia Familia's home is completely abandoned. There isn't a single person to be found or even any traces of furnishings. It looked like nobody lived here to begin with.
A certain God was roaming through the abandoned church, taking a look at the surroundings.
"I wonder if we got the wrong address..." the male god muttered to himself.
His ears soon picked up footsteps, and he slightly turned his head to see a young woman with aqua-blue hair and cyan-colored eyes emerge from the stairs.
"Lord Hermes, I've examined all the rooms. It appears that they moved away recently." the young woman reported.
"Ah, thank you Asfi." Hermes thanked her while looking around the area once more. "So she moved out. That's surprising...last I heard, the Hestia Familia didn't exactly have the best financial situation and lived in this area..."
Hestia is a relatively new Goddess who arrived at Orario, meaning she didn't have much valis to begin with. And given the weeks that passed by, it's quite surprising that Hestia managed to gather such funds in a short amount of time.
It could be possible that her child managed to gather a good amount of valis within that time frame. After all, Bell Cranel has managed to Level Up in the month and a half, so he must've hunted a lot of monsters to grow that fast.
"Still~, why did she have to move now? I have no idea where she even went!" Hermes whined.
"Shall we send our Familia to look out for the Hestia Familia then?" Asfi asked.
"It looks like we have to. Hopefully, Hestia didn't move too far from here." Hermes sighed while tipping his hat.
"Really now, all I want to do is personally meet up with Bell! Why do things have to get complicated?"
~ Break ~
"*Achoo*!"
Bell gave a small sneeze and rubbed his nose a bit.
"I should get to dusting my room..." Bell muttered to himself, as he walked towards the window and opened it to air out the room. Afterward, Bell turned around to examine his room.
It took a while, but thanks to everyone's efforts, they've managed to move all of the furnishings into their new home. After everything was taken care of, everyone decided to use this time to settle down.
Bell's bedroom had the bare minimum furnishings: a decently sized bed, a desk in the corner of the room, and a wall shelf devoid of any decorations. Bell supposes that the shelf will be filled with new items in the future.
"...Still...my own bedroom. I haven't had one since I moved away from Grandpa's home." Bell muttered with a mixture of nostalgia and melancholy as he flopped onto his bed, reflecting how everything led up to this moment.
Back when he was just a humble farmer alongside his Grandpa. When he arrived at Orario, he lived in an abandoned church alongside his Goddess. At the time, Bell thought he would live a moderate beginning of his Adventurer career of going into the Dungeon and fighting off kobolds and goblins on the Upper Floors.
But ever since Sora joined their Familia, his whole life just turned upside down, for better or worse. He's been fighting all kinds of Heartless, training and learning from Sora and Ais, and being the first person to become Level 2 in a month and a half, a feat no one could compare to.
And now he stands here, having his own bedroom in a rather large home where he and his Familia live. Honestly, everything has been moving way too fast in Bell's opinion. So many events happen in a relatively short time period.
"...Perhaps I should write it down like Jiminy did." Bell muttered to himself as he sat up from his bed and made his way to his desk. On the desk was a book filled with blank pages.
Bell remembered how Sora described how he recorded all of his adventures in a journal, thanks to a talking cricket named Jiminy.
A sentient talking cricket of all things.
Bell thought it was best not to think about it too much. Instead, he remembered how Sora said that it was thanks to Jiminy that they were able to record the adventures and use the journal to make sure they wouldn't forget anything. It was also thanks to Jiminiy that when they managed to gather the 7 Guardians of Light before the Second Keyblade War, everyone was able to catch up on everything.
And with everything that's been happening recently, Bell felt that there is more to come in the near future. So if he wants to preserve the memories, it's best to put it all into a book before the memories are slowly forgotten, even if Bell believes he won't be forgetting them any time soon.
"...Maybe later. Still need to check if there's more to be done." Bell quietly said to himself.
With that in mind, Bell made his way downstairs.
~ Break ~
When Bell entered the living room, he found the Takemikazuchi Familia sitting in their living room, resting from today's activities. Lili was resting on their couch, and Hestia having a talk with Takemikazuchi.
"Is there anything else that needs to be taken care of Goddess?" Bell asked.
"No, that's pretty much everything! We've officially settled into our new home!" Hestia cheered with a smile.
"Indeed. I must say, with everything completed, you found yourselves quite an impressive home to live in." Takemikazuchi complimented.
"I was lucky enough to get such a home in the first place." Hestia sighed with exasperation.
It was then Bell looked around the room and noticed that Sora wasn't around.
"Where did Sora go?" Bell curiously asked.
"Sora left some time ago," Hestia answered. "He said that he wanted to get some groceries and something special to celebrate our move-in. Didn't explain much as he immediately left while having an eager look on his face."
"With Sora involved, Lili doubts it's going to be ordinary," Lili commented.
"Is that so..." Bell muttered. "I wonder when he'll come back?"
Immediately after Bell said that, the front door was immediately opened.
"I'm back!" Sora cheerfully greeted.
"Speak of the devil..." Hestia muttered while blinking at the sheer timing. "You're back Sora. You got what you wanted?"
"You bet! And something more!" Sora answered as he eagerly made his way into the kitchen.
Everyone in the room shared looks of confusion with each other, before they heard a loud thump in the kitchen.
Curiosity got the best of Bell and he decided to follow Sora into the adjacent room. Sora was standing before their kitchen counter, and there were bags of groceries all around. But more importantly, there was a large device placed before Sora.
Bell could only blink in astonishment at what he was seeing.
"Um...Sora. What is this?" Bell asked.
"An ice cream machine," Sora answered with a grin.
"Did someone say ice cream-" Hestia asked as she and Lili entered the kitchen as well, before they stopped in their tracks at what they saw before them. Just seeing the appliance before her made Hestia freeze for a bit, before she gave an exasperated sigh while rubbing her forehead.
The Takemikazuchi Familia peeked their heads into the kitchen, and they all paused when they saw the appliance before them.
"I can't believe I'm asking this...but...Sora, why did you buy an ice cream machine of all things?" Hestia asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Like I said before, I thought this was the perfect time to celebrate our move-in! And what better way is there than to enjoy some Sea-Salt ice cream!" Sora told everyone.
"Sea Salt..." Bell began.
"Ice Cream...?" Lili finished with a confused look.
"I've never heard of such a flavor..." Ouka commented with a bewildered expression.
"I agree. Salty ice cream of all flavors..." Mikoto muttered, with Chigusa nodding in agreement.
"What kind of flavor ice cream is that?" Hestia questioned with a look of disbelief.
When Sora saw their baffled and hesitant expressions, he gave a reassuring smile towards them.
"Hey, trust me when I say it's delicious! My friends and I love to eat this kind of ice cream! It's especially popular among the people at Twilight Town!" Sora told them.
"Twilight Town?" Takemikazuchi repeated with a raised eyebrow.
Sora soon paused when he realized he brought up a World that they didn't know.
"W-Well, that's..."
"It's a small and isolated town. Hard to find on the map." Hestia quickly explained, all the while giving Sora a 'are-you-serious' look with her eyes.
"Ah, I see. The people of Twilight Town must have an interesting palette if they like this unique flavor," Takemikazuchi remarked.
"Lili is wondering if their pallet is just completely different from our own..." Lili muttered, thinking how people outside of their World may have different tastes compared to theirs.
"W-Well, if Sora and the others are able to eat it, I guess it's edible..." Bell quietly commented. He really can't deal with overly sweet foods, and seeing ice cream makes him rather hesitant.
"Still...Sea Salt of all things..." Hestia muttered. "I'm sure no God in Tenkai came up with such a flavor."
"Just you wait, you'll be enjoying what I'm about to make for you guys! It also serves as thanks for helping us with the move-in!" Sora told everyone as he immediately began to take out the needed ingredients for Sea Salt Ice Cream.
"Wait, we helped you because we wanted to repay you for what you've done for us." Takemikazuchi pointed out with a bewildered expression. "You don't need to go out of your way to-"
"Just let him be, Take." Hestia interrupted Takemikazuchi, as she gave an exasperated sigh. "Sora is just too nice when it comes to these things."
"I-Is that so...?"
When Sora got the necessary ingredients, then then took out a sheet of paper from his pockets and placed it on the counter, with the paper being the recipe sheet for Sea Salt Ice Cream.
After working at Le Grande Bistrot and making the restaurant a big hit in Twilight Town, Uncle Scrooge decided to reward Sora's efforts with the recipe for Sea Salt Ice Cream. Sora, of course, was clearly delighted to receive such a recipe to make Sea Salt Ice Cream.
With the ingredients and instructions on how to make it, Sora simply cracked his fingers while grinning in anticipation.
Time to get cooking!
~ Break ~
"Put the ice cream into the molds..." Sora muttered to himself as he poured the ice cream mixture into the ice cream molds.
Once he managed to do so, Sora reached into his pockets and took out a Snowman Rosette. He held the item over the ice cream molds and performed a small-scale blizzard spell. The ice magic immediately froze the ice cream before him, skipping over the time needed to use a fridge to freeze the ice cream.
Sora then stabbed popsicle sticks into each ice cream mold, and he grinned at his finished creation.
"And finished!" Sora declared. He then grabbed the ice cream molds and made his way to the living room.
"Hey everyone, ice cream is ready!" Sora declared to everyone.
Everyone, who was waiting in the living room, turned around to look at Sora in surprise.
"Wait, the ice cream is ready this quickly?" Takemikazuchi asked in surprise.
"...You've actually managed to make ice cream in less than 30 minutes," Hestia muttered in bewilderment.
"Lili has a feeling what Sora did with the ice cream..." Lili quietly commented, knowing that Sora's magic was at play.
"It beats waiting, that's for sure," Sora remarked as he brought out the ice cream from the mold, holding up a rectangle-shaped ice cream. "Well, give it a try everyone!"
Everyone in the room got their ice cream, and they all shared the expression of hesitation.
"Well...let's give it a taste then," Bell told Hestia and Lili. Even though he isn't the biggest fan of sweets, he doesn't want to turn down Sora's efforts in making food for everyone and celebrating their move-in.
The three nodded to each other, as they brought the ice cream to their mouths and took a bite out of it. The Takemikazuchi Familia also followed suit as well.
The moment the ice cream entered their mouths, their eyes widened at the flavors.
"Salty..." Bell muttered.
"And yet..." Lili continued with a baffled expression.
"...Sweet!?" Hestia finished with a surprised look.
"Told ya!" Sora told everyone with a small grin as he took out bite out of his ice cream, and nodded in contentment. "Yep, just like ice cream back at Twilight Town!"
Bell just stared at his ice cream with a small bewildered look on his face. The mixture of sweet and salty still lingered in his mouth. Such a strange combination should've weirded Bell out, and yet...
Bell bit into his ice cream once more to give it a taste.
"...I could actually get used to this," Bell muttered with surprise.
"Alright, maybe the people in Twilight Town were onto something," Hestia admitted as she happily ate her ice cream.
"I agree," Takemikazuchi remarked with surprise when looking at the ice cream before him. He then took a glance at his Familia. "Seems like they also enjoy the ice cream as well."
Mikoto, Chigusa, and Asuka were all happily eating their ice cream. Ouka and the other male members were eating their ice cream at a more moderate pace, but they were clearly enjoying it.
"Lili wonders what would happen if you were to introduce this to Orario. You think they'll be a good contender against Jagamaru?" Lili curiously asked while taking licks from her ice cream.
"Hard to say," Hestia said while shrugging, "Jagamaru has been a long-time local specialty, so it would be rather hard for people to just forget about it. Not to mention, everyone would be hesitant to try out this type of ice cream, even if it does taste good."
"It's certainly an interesting idea to explore," Takemikazuchi remarked.
As Hestia and the Takemikazuchi Familia were enjoying their ice cream, Sora, Bell, and Lili were in their own little circle. Sora had a thoughtful look on his face.
"Maybe I should ask Uncle Scrooge to set up a Sea Salt ice cream business here. He's pretty business savvy to make it happen." Sora remarked with a small chuckle.
"A business-savvy Keyblade wielder? And Lili thought she had heard everything..." Lili remarked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh no, he's not," Sora corrected. "Uncle Scrooge is actually a World Traveler. He has his own means of traveling to different Worlds."
Bell and Lili could only look stunned upon learning this.
"...Lili stands corrected," Lili muttered with a look of exasperation while rubbing her forehead, and a shiver went down her spine.
'...Why does Lili get the feeling that if Scrooge were to arrive in this world, he'd just turn Orario's economy upside down?' Lili thought with a comically unsettled look.
People who come from outside their world tend to bring some rather drastic effects. Sora and the Heartless are already affecting Orario's population greatly, and that's just them being kept at a low profile. She could only shudder at what would happen if Scrooge were to put an active effort into affecting Orario's economy.
"Heh, I'm rather glad that I've managed to pull this off first try!" Sora nodded with a pleased look, before an excited look appeared on his face. "Now I want to try making other sweet things that I learned from my journey."
"Other sweet things...?" Lili repeated with a surprised expression. "You know how to make more sweets Sora?"
"You bet!" Sora nodded. "During my time in the Sleeping Worlds, my Dream Eaters loved to eat a bunch of treats I found: Confetti Candy, Ice Dream Cone, Shield Cookies, and Royal Cake! I thought they could only be consumed by Dream Eaters, but I got curious and tried it out. Turns out it was edible! I got their recipes as a prize after participating in a Flick Rush game." Sora recalled.
Sora then gained a fond smile upon a certain memory.
"Then after the second Keyblade War, Kairi and I went to Disney Castle and visited their town. It was a lot of fun, and I ended up learning how to make the town's special ice creams! The Double Crunch ice cream was definitely delicious, but I am curious to try Sugary Skies." Sora ended the sentence with a curious look.
"...My stomach is starting to hurt just hearing all of this," Bell muttered, looking a bit queasy when Sora's listing off the amount of sweets he knew.
"Lili thinks we found our resident sweet tooth," Lili remarked.
Before Sora could continue his talk about sweets, they soon heard the front door being knocked on.
Followed by a loud voice.
"I, Ganesha, have arrived! Is Hestia and her Familia here!?" a loud voice came through the door.
Everyone blinked in surprise when they heard the voice.
"Ganesha!? What's he doing here!? And how did he find us!?" Hestia asked in shock and confusion.
"And why is Ganesha coming to see you personally!?" Takemikazuchi questioned in surprise and concern.
Everyone turned to each other with confused expressions, before Sora decided to step forward and make his way towards the front door.
"Well, one way to find out..." Sora said as he grabbed the door handle and opened it.
When Sora opened the door, it was indeed Ganesha who was standing before them. Sora also spotted a shade of azure standing behind Ganesha as well.
"Hey Lord Ganesha, Shakti!" Sora greeted with a smile. "What brings you here?"
"Ah, Sora! Good to see you!" Ganesha heartily greeted, before he tilted his head to peek into the house. The God of Masses soon spotted Hestia.
"Greetings Hestia! May we come in?" Ganesha greeted.
"At this point, I might as well..." Hestia said while sighing, giving them the gesture to come in.
Once Ganesna and Shakti both entered their home, Ganesha looked around his surroundings.
"So this is your new home! It certainly has a comfortable atmosphere, befitting a Goddess of the Hearth!" Ganesha praised, before he spotted Takemikazuchi, alongside his Familia.
"Oh, greetings Takemikazuchi! What a surprise to see you here!" Ganesha greeted with his usual gusto.
"H-Hello..." Takemikazuchi greeted with a baffled expression.
"..Why is Lord Ganesha here? Did Lady Hestia do something wrong to have him come here...?" Mikoto whispered to Sora in concern and confusion.
Sora blinked at Mikoto's question before he gave a chuckle. "Heh, don't worry, we're not in trouble. We actually have a good relationship with each other."
Mikoto blinked in surprise upon hearing this.
"So Ganesha…" Hestia started with a complex expression, "...How exactly did you find us? I didn't exactly announce our new home to the rest of Orario."
"Oh that, it's quite simple!" Ganesha responded as he folded his arms. "Yesterday, Familia Member A (Modaka) was patrolling the area, and he soon spotted you and your Familia out shopping for furniture and loading them onto a cart! Later that day when he finished his patrol and returned back to our home, and I, Ganesha, just happened to be crossing by while he commented about you guys! Then after some guesses on my part, I figured that you were moving into a new home! Thus, I decided to give you a surprise visit!"
Hestia blinked, as did everyone else.
"...That's...very coincidental." Hestia pointed out.
"Coincidental indeed!" Ganesha loudly agreed, causing everyone to sweatdrop at his response.
"...Moving on," Hestia started, as she felt she needed to get to know something else, "why are you here Ganesha? Is it urgent business with the dark monsters?"
When Ganesha heard this question, he quickly looked over to the Takemikazuchi Familia, and then back to Hestia. When Hestia saw this gesture, she just gave him a nod.
"It's alright. They already encountered them and promised to keep it a secret." Hestia told Ganesha.
"I see." Ganesha noted. "In any case, I, Ganesha, came here to express our gratitude to Sora and the Hestia Familia!"
The Hestia Familia could only blink at Ganesha's statement, while the Takemikazuchi Familia looked even more baffled upon hearing this.
"Me?" Sora pointed to himself while blinking in surprise.
"Of course! You've been a key figure in eliminating the dark monsters and protecting the masses! Sora has also done a massive favor for my Familia, so I, Ganesha, believed it's only appropriate to show our gratitude by celebrating your move-in!"
It was then Shakti came forward while holding two large baskets and placed them on the table.
"Lord Ganesha has decided to provide your Familia with a feast," Shakti told everyone as she opened the basket and took out multiple large portable trays. She then placed the trays on the table and took their covers off, revealing large quantities of delicious food in each tray.
Everyone could only look at the trays of food before them in surprise.
"Oh wow...I didn't expect this." Hestia said with a bewildered look.
"This is a lot of food..." Bell muttered while his eyes were going over each of the trays.
"The God of Masses doesn't really do half-hearted measures..." Lili commented while looking at the quantity and quality of food.
"But of course! Honestly, I, Ganesha, wanted to throw a bigger feast in Sora's name, but Shakti kept insisting that we should keep it to this level." Ganesha said while sounding a bit disappointed that he couldn't go with what he had in mind.
"I'm rather happy with what I got..." Sora weakly chuckled while scratching his cheek
"That's what I kept telling Lord Ganesha." Shakti sighed with a bit of exasperation. "In any case, please accept our Familia's gratitude for what you have done. I'm sure the food that we have provided is up to your standards."
"Well, I'm certainly not one to complain to good food!" Hestia chirped while looking at the food before her. "Seems like we don't have to cook ourselves a dinner to celebrate our move-in! Let's dig in everyone! Hey Take, you and your children should join in too! We can't finish all of this food by ourselves!"
As the Hestia Familia made their way to the food, the Takemikazuchi Familia could only stare in befuddlement.
"…Just what exactly did Sora do that Ganesha considers a huge favor? Ouka muttered in confusion.
"It must be big if Ganesha greatly appreciates Sora's efforts…" Mikoto muttered, with Chigusa nodding in agreement.
"…And now she's treating us to dinner," Takemikazuchi sighed with exasperation. "Honestly, we're here to repay them for what they've done, but we're the ones being treated instead."
His Familia could only nod in agreement, but Takemikazuchi lets out a small wry smile.
"Well, it'll be rude to turn down Hestia's hospitality. So let's just enjoy ourselves a nice meal for today." Takemikazuchi told his Familia.
His Familia gave smiles and nods of agreement, and they made their way to join the Hestia Familia getting their food.
Sora managed to get food on his plate, and was holding up a particular food in his hand and was happily munching on it.
"This pita pocket isn't bad…!" Sora told himself with amazement as he was scarfing it down.
"Sora, do you have a moment?" Shakti asked.
Sora blinked at Shakti's question but simply nodded. "Sure. There something wrong?"
Shakti glanced at the people around the room and then back to Sora.
"Let's talk a bit more privately." Shakti quietly told Sora.
Sora blinked but nodded once more as the two of them went into the living room, away from the others. As they got some room to themselves, Shakti turned to Sora.
"I know this is supposed to be a time of celebration, but I feel that it's important to inform you about the Heartless now that I'm here." Shakti told Sora.
"The Heartless, huh? Are there any problems occurring on the surface?" Sora asked while folding his arms.
Shakti shook her head.
"That's the problem in itself. We haven't found a single incident related to the Heartless. Our main perpetrator is covering up their tracks rather well. We've conducted plenty of investigations to see if Heartless are lurking about in hidden areas or if people had these dark powers to summon Heartless, but we've come up with nothing." Shakti explained while a small frustrated look appeared on her face.
"That so?" Sora frowned. "Well, at least the Heartless aren't causing any havoc on the surface. But lately, the Heartless have been acting more aggressively in the Dungeon. Bell had to deal with a Heartless Infant Dragon, and I recently had to rescue the Takemikazuchi Familia from a stampede of Satyr Heartless." Sora recalled.
"Do you have a clue why they're acting more aggressive as of late?" Shakti asked.
"Not a clue." Sora sighed while scratching the back of his head. "Still, that shouldn't stop me from carrying out my duties. I'm going to have to work even faster if I want to clear the Dungeon of the Heartless and keep any more Adventurers from falling victim."
"Even so, don't push yourself too hard," Shakti told Sora. "Diligence and hard work is one thing, but it's also important not to overwork yourself and take all of the burden."
Shakti can acknowledge that Sora is a capable fighter to give any Level 6 a run for their valis. However, even someone like him must have his limits and not work himself to death.
"Heh, don't worry about it! I know what I'm doing! Besides, my Familia is helping me out as well, so it's not like I'm doing all of this on my own." Sora reassured her with an optimistic look.
"...I see. Still, should you require any assistance, know that the Ganesha Familia is willing to help you out in the Dungeon as well. The Heartless are a threat that poses a danger to both civilians and Adventurers, so it's only natural for us to step in." Shakti told Sora.
"I appreciate it. Though I believe I'm doing fine at the moment, I'll definitely ask for your help if things get dicey on our end." Sora told her.
"I'll hold you do it," Shakti replied while giving a small smile. "Now then, I believe I held you here long enough. You should join your Familia and enjoy the food Ganesha has brought you."
"Of course! You should also join us as well!" Sora told Shakti as he began walking towards the kitchen.
"As much as I would love to, Ganesha and I could only be here for a short time. We still have to return to our duties." Shakti told Sora.
"Aww..." Sora pouted, before he blinked upon realizing something. "Hey, weren't you the one preaching how you shouldn't push yourself too hard when working? Seems like you're working pretty hard yourself if you don't have time to have some fun!"
Shakti lets out a small amused smile.
"True, but I also know when to take proper rest. This time happens to be a break from my usual duties." Shakti simply told Sora.
"Delivering food is considered a break?" Sora replied with a skeptical look.
"You could say that." Shakti simply replied, not giving Sora any further explanation.
Sora blinked at Shakti's vague answer, before he huffed in childish annoyance upon seeing that Shakti wouldn't say anything else.
The two walked into the kitchen, and they saw everyone happily talking to one another while eating the food Ganesha provided. Ganesha was having a chat with both Hestia and Takemikazuchi, no doubt talking about Ganesha's relationship with Hestia.
"Lord Ganesha, I believe we've been here long enough. We need to return back to our home and resume our duties." Shakti told Ganesha.
"Ah, of course!" Ganesha yelled in recognition. "I apologize Hestia, but as much as I, Ganesha, would love to brighten such a celebratory occasion with my presence, my duties to keep the masses safe takes precedence!"
"That's fine. The fact that you gave me and my Familia plenty of food is enough." Hestia told Ganesha.
Seeing that the two are leaving, Sora soon realizes what he could give them before they go.
"Oh, before you two go back, you should take some Sea Salt ice cream with you!" Sora told the two as he made his way to the kitchen counter where the ice cream molds were.
"Sea Salt...Ice Cream?" Shakti repeated while blinking at the flavor.
"A rather odd combination, but I, Ganesha, am rather curious!" Ganesha easily welcomed.
With Ganesha's acceptance, Sora gave the two their own Sea Salt Ice Cream. Shakti had an unsure look while Ganesha looked curious about the ice cream before him. The two of them then took a bite out of the ice cream.
Just like before, their eyes widened at the taste of Sea Salt Ice Cream.
"Salty...?" Shakti muttered with bewilderment.
"Yet sweet!" Ganesha shouted with gusto. "Ha ha ha! This is quite an interesting combination!"
"Right?" Sora nodded in agreement.
~ Break ~
The Hestia and Takemikazuchi Familia spent the entire evening celebrating the Hestia Familia's new home. Everyone had managed to get their fill thanks to Ganesha's provided food. However, time flies when you're having fun, as the Takemikazuchi decided to retire for the day and return to their home. It was a sentiment shared by everyone, as they all wanted to get rest after such a long day.
Though, Sora felt that he needed to do one more thing before he turned in for the night.
"...It's been a while since I got a proper look at the night sky," Sora remarked to himself as he walked out into the backyard.
Ever since he came to this World, he's been rather busy as of late. And even during the times when he is out at night, he doesn't really think about looking at the sky for too long.
But with things settling down for the moment, Sora felt it was the perfect time to do some star gazing.
At their old home, they slept indoors and underground. As such, Sora never got the proper opportunity to have a good look at the night sky. Since their new home has a backyard, he might as well make the best of it.
Just as Sora expected, the night sky was filled with countless bright stars.
And every single star represented a World.
And one of those Worlds should be...
"...Thinking about your home, Sora?" a familiar voice asked.
Sora blinked at the voice, and turned his head to see Hestia standing at the backyard's doorway.
"Hestia? You're still up?" Sora asked with a small surprised look.
"I was getting a glass of water before going to bed, and then I noticed the door to the backyard open," Hestia told Sora, as she walked outside and looked up towards the night sky.
When her sights were on the stars, she got a soft sigh.
"...It's funny. We Gods thought Tenkai and Gekai were the only realms that existed before us. Everything beyond is just...well, honestly, we didn't think too much about it. But ever since you revealed that there are countless Worlds out there, and each star represents a World, it makes our World just seem so...small," Hestia said with a distant expression.
"I thought the same with my home as well. My World was rather small, surrounded by a rather large ocean." Sora recalled, and a soft smile appeared on his face. "But you know...it's a part of something bigger. And I'm rather happy to be a part of something that's big."
Hestia looked at Sora with an astonished expression, before she gave a soft sigh and exasperated smile.
"And yet again, you manage to turn something so overwhelming into such a positive outlook," Hestia said, not surprised with Sora's optimistic outlook on life.
The Goddess of the Hearth, however, gave a soft frown when she looked up to the night sky once more.
"Still...I find it astonishing that one of these stars is your home. You think you could recognize any of the stars that represent a World that you've been to?" Hestia asked.
Sora squinted at the stars before him, before he simply shrugged.
"Not really," Sora replied, "We don't use stars as navigation, but we do rely on our own navigation system whenever we want to travel to other Worlds."
"Imagine if you could though..." Hestia quietly remarked.
"Yeah, it would be nice. If that was the case, then I already secured a route back home." Sora chuckled, thinking of the convenience if such a possibility existed.
And when Sora thought of his home...
"...I wonder what everyone else is doing at the moment...probably searching for me, no doubt," Sora quietly said.
It's been weeks since he arrived in this World. And he made no progress in searching for a method to get out of this World.
Sora supposes the only method is to open the door to the World's Heart in order to get the Gummiship pieces. But as stated before, that just brings a huge risk to the safety of the World's Heart. It doesn't help that the Heartless are lurking around in this World.
He's still confused with the amount of Heartless that have been showing up in the World. Someone is clearly behind the Heartless. Heartless can't be this well organized in the Dungeon, and someone granted Zanis the power to summon Heartless to his side. Because of this, Sora believes that the Heartless situation takes a higher priority than finding a way back home.
Still, Sora had hope that he would eventually reunite with his friends. After all, Aerith has said that their Hearts will bring them back together again.
It's just a matter of when.
'...I could only hope I'm not gone for too long.' Sora thought with a soft frown.
After all, he doesn't want his friends to endlessly worry about his disappearance. He wants to reunite with them, just as they want to reunite with him.
"...Sora?" Hestia spoke up, which broke Sora out of his trance.
"Y-Yeah?"
"...You alright? You went quiet for a bit." Hestia asked with a concerned expression.
"Did I...? Heh, I guess I couldn't help it." Sora weakly chuckled. "I'm just...worried about my friends, you know? They're out there searching for me, no doubt."
"...I see." Hestia quietly responded before a supportive smile appeared on her face.
"Well, if I know anything about you, it's that you've always created and achieved miracles throughout your journey. I have no doubt that you'll be reunited with your friends in the near future, I'm sure of it." Hestia reassured him.
Sora blinked when Hestia told him this.
"But until then...it seems like your odyssey back home will take some time. I may not be able to offer much, but as the Goddess of the Hearth, I promise that I will do my best to give you a sanctuary for you to rest in the meantime." Hestia told Sora with a soft smile.
Sora could only look at Hestia with an astonished expression before an appreciative grin grew on his face.
Now that Sora honestly thought about it, it's been a long time since he settled into an actual home.
As someone who constantly travels to different Worlds, he's always on the move. Sure, he has the Destiny Islands as his home, but he rarely goes back home ever since his journey started. And the few times he ever comes back home, they never last that long due to his duties as a Keyblade wielder.
But ever since he joined Hestia's Familia, he finally has an actual home to rest at. It's nothing like those days when he has to camp out or sleep in the Gummiship while traveling to different Worlds. Hestia gave him a place of comfort and respite after a long and hectic day.
"...Yeah. I certainly found a home away from home." Sora said with appreciation.
"It's the least I could do," Hestia told Sora while smiling in pride. "So, are you ready to finally get some sleep?"
"Yeah, I could really get some shut-eye." Sora nodded, as he and Hestia turned around to make their way into their new home.
Just as Sora and Hestia made a couple of steps, Sora stopped when his senses told him that there was something strange in the area.
"...Before you turn yourself in for the night, might I have some of your time?" a new voice entered the area.
Hearing the new voice made Sora and Hestia turn around immediately, and their eyes widened at who they saw.
It was a dark-robed figure standing before him. And the worst part is that the dark-robed figure had a hood that completely obscured the person's face. He could only see nothing but darkness. Sora took notice that the dark-robed figure didn't exactly have the leathery texture, but a different material altogether.
Even so, just seeing a dark-robed figure standing before him was enough to set off alarm bells in Sora's head, as he immediately jumped in front of Hestia and summoned his Kingdom Key to his hand.
"Who are you!?" Sora immediately questioned while glaring at the robed figure before him. "Those dark robes of yours...are you with Organization 13!?"
"Organization 13...!? I thought they were gone!?" Hestia whispered in shock as she stayed behind Sora.
Even though Organization 13 was taken down by Sora and his friends, Sora wasn't going to take any chances. Sora's experience with dark-robed figures typically doesn't end well.
The dark-robed figure went silent for a bit, before the figure raised their arms in a gesture of not wanting to fight.
"...I do not know who this Organization 13 is, but rest assured, I'm not coming to you with the intent of harm." the robed figure told Sora.
"Really now?" Sora replied with a skeptical expression.
That is, until Hestia tapped him from behind.
"...He's not lying." Hestia confirmed.
Even so, Sora couldn't let his guard down with dark-robed figures. And that voice...it didn't belong to anyone that Sora is familiar with. It doesn't sound like any of the past Organization 13's members at all.
"Then who are you and what do you want?" Sora questioned, prepping himself for what was to come.
The dark-robed figure went quiet for a short moment, before the dark-robed figure bowed forward a bit.
"...My name is Fels, and I request for your aid. There is a great Darkness surging in the Dungeon."
And the plot thickens.
I know this chapter doesn't really seem much for the most part. However, I needed a break from all of the actions that occurred in the last two chapters. That, and massive writer's block was a bitch.
An interesting thought that occurred to me while writing this chapter is the fact that Sora trying to find his way back home parallels with the premise of Homer's Odyssey. Both Sora and Odysseus are trying to find their way back home after fighting in a major war. Both Sora and Odysseus have someone they deeply cherish and wish to reunite with (Kairi and Penelope). Also add to the fact that Sora and Odysseus have a virgin Goddess as their patron (Hestia and Athena).
(New Home)
Let me tell you something, trying to find a design for a home the Hestia Familia is staying at is hard. What especially ticks me off is the fact that Square Enix games severely lack an iconic home base to fall onto. Most of the time, it's either a mobile base (like the Highwind from FF7), or a base that can't be considered a decent home (like the Hideaway from FF16).
So after some digging around, I finally realized that FF14 has a housing system. So I decided to roll with that.
Basically, the Hestia Familia got themselves a Glade Mansion (Composite). Just Google it and it'll show you what it looks like.
(Hestia and Sora)
I felt that I needed to put in a heartwarming/bonding scene between Sora and Hestia. When I looked at my story, 95% of the scenes with Sora and Hestia together is mainly with Hestia being exasperated/annoyed by Sora's antics and telling Sora to not stand out too much.
Despite all the antics between them, Hestia truly does care for Sora as she does for everyone in her Familia, and Sora returns the sentiment.
Fun Fact of the Day
According to Tetsuya Nomura, the reason Vanitas looks like Sora was because his Japanese voice actor had always wanted to play the role of a villain.