Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Danmachi. Both belong to their respective owners
Hello to all my dear readers! Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.
I was mainly busy dealing with a lot of things in real life, as well as the choices I was going to make in this chapter.
And let me thank you all for all of your contributions towards what you thought was best for Bell's Alias. I took each and every single one of them into consideration, and they all gave me certain ideas on what to roll with. Though some of you were saying that Bell should go with Little Rookie as per canon.
But honestly, where's the fun in that? I hope you're all satisfied with what I chose.
Let's start the chapter.
Chapter 18: Denatus
It's that time again, for the Gods of Orario to gather at the Tower of Babel and have a meeting.
Otherwise known as Denatus.
Hestia gave a small sigh as she made her way through the halls of the Tower of Babel, mentally preparing herself for Denatus. It was a headache in trying to deal with yesterday's Soma Heartless incident, and now she has to deal with the bigger headaches that she's going to involve herself in. There's never a single meeting where a Denatus proceeds normally and calmly, because the Gods themselves love to bring a rowdy atmosphere.
'This is going to be such a pain to get through...' Hestia mentally groaned, not looking forward to this at all.
She then felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned around to see a tall male with black hair, styled in a Far East fashion.
"Hello Hestia. You came for Denatus as well?" Takemikazuchi greeted with a small smile.
"Oh, hey Take. You're here as well?" Hestia greeted.
"I am. Word has it that your child has reached Level 2 in a month and a half?" Takemikazuchi curiously asked, to which Hestia nodded. "Impressive! Your child truly broke the record and surpassed the Sword Princess's record of a year. I'm rather curious how he managed to achieve it in the first place..."
'Well, you can thank Sora for that ridiculous growth.' Hestia mentally snarked, before she decided to focus on the conversation. "He has, and I couldn't be any prouder." Hestia said while nodding, but she gave a small sigh.
"Though I'm not looking forward to this meeting. You know how the Gods are when it comes to outstanding people outside of their Familia."
"Too true. The only thing we can do is hope for the best and weather the storm before us..." Takemikazuchi said while solemnly nodding.
And with that, the two entered the main room where the Gods have gathered. The Gods were talking amongst themselves, but when Hestia entered the room, many of the eyes fell onto her, and began to quietly talk amongst each other.
Hestia's eyebrow twitched, knowing what the Gods are talking about. But she decided to ignore them as she made her way to her seat and sat down.
"You're not certainly looking forward to this, are you?" a familiar voice asked
Hestia turned her head to see it Hephastois sitting next to her with a calm expression.
"Yeah. I could've been more mentally prepared for this...if it weren't for the constant headache that I have to deal with every single day..." Hestia said while sighing.
"Oh believe me, you have my pity for having to handle such a...unique child." Hephastois said while nodding with an understanding look.
The two Goddesses soon heard a bell ring throughout the room, and looked to see Loki standing near the bell while she was ringing it.
"Alright people, I'm going to be hosting this meeting, so let's get this Denatus started!" Loki declared, receiving cheers from the Gods in this room. As the cheers died down, Loki looked around the room.
"Alright, first thing to start off with, does anyone have any juicy rumors to share?" Loki asked.
Hestia paid careful attention to this one. She needed to be sure that there's no word or rumor of Sora going around. If there is, then she needs to make sure to shut down such rumors that could lead straight to Sora!
So far, to her relief, she hasn't heard a single thing about Sora.
The only rumor that wasn't related to Sora and caught her attention was word that Rakia was planning on invading Orario. If Hestia recalled correctly, that is where the majority of the populace is under Ares's Familia. It was rather concerning, but with the combined fact that Ares's Familia only has a Level 3 as their highest Level and that Ares is an idiot, there was nothing to worry about.
And just when trading around rumors were about to come to an end...
"Right, now I have something important to share with all of you." Loki declared, as she brought up a sheet of paper while looking through it.
"Lately, we've been receiving a string of disappearances; more specifically, Adventurers." Loki declared.
Hestia blinked when she heard this, and perked her head up to see where Loki is going with this.
"Disappearances? What do you mean Loki?" one of the Gods asked with confusion.
"Exactly what I said. The Guild has been receiving a bunch of reports lately about Adventurers going missing. Even I'm sure some of you at least know someone who has been complaining or worried about their children going missing." Loki explained, getting murmurs of agreement all around the room.
"Isn't that just casualties that happen within the Dungeon?" one of the other Gods pointed out.
"Normally, I would think that as well. But here's the thing...there's not a single trace left behind. No body parts. No blood stains. You couldn't even find traces of armor or clothing. The only thing left behind are their weapons, but even that doesn't reveal any clues." Loki pointed out.
It was at this point that Hestia's eyes widened in alarm.
Loki is talking about the Heartless!
The Heartless practically leave no trace of their victims. The moment their Hearts are stolen by the Heartless, they immediately fade away like they were never there to begin with, while the Heart itself is enveloped by Darkness and produces a Heartless.
'Even with all of Sora's efforts, there were bound to some who fall through the cracks...' Hestia thought in grimace.
The Gods began quietly talking to each other with concerned looks and tones.
"Does the Guild have any information about these disappearances?" one of the Gods asked.
"They're just in the dark as the rest of us." Loki answered. "Well, we don't really have any leads on what's causing these disappearances. So for now, just notify your children to be careful...more than they already are when they enter the Dungeon." Loki told the Gods.
Hestia's shoulders sagged a bit in relief upon seeing that they don't know much about the Heartless situation in the Dungeons.
"Hey, I've been hearing a few rumors about a monster outbreak at the Soma Familia manor yesterday." one of the Gods spoke up.
'Oh come on!' Hestia thought with indignation, her eyebrow twitching.
"A monster outbreak?" one of the Gods asked.
"Yeah. Some people around the district heard some kind of roar coming from the Soma Familia manor, and then a bunch of ice came out of nowhere. There was a bunch of explosions as well."
"Huh, why did it occur at Soma's place? Soma is mainly interested in his wine, so him having a monster is rather weird..."
'This is not good...even though we've managed to subdue the Heartless, the public has already taken notice of the battle on the surface! Ugh, why did the Heartless have to run rampant now of all times...!?' Hestia thought while biting her lip, trying to think of a way to cover up the Heartless.
Her answer came in the form of Ganesha.
"I, Ganesha, believe to have a proper explanation to share with all of you!" Ganesha suddenly declared while standing up from his seat, which attracted the Gods' attention.
This caused Hestia to blink upon hearing this, and then quickly looked to Ganesha with a surprised look on her face.
'G-Ganesha!?' Hestia thought in surprise.
"Wait, you know of this Ganesha?" Loki asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Indeed! Allow me to give you some context on what happened!" Ganesha loudly declared.
Hestia clenched her fist, really hoping that Ganesha knew what he was doing.
"As you all heard, the appearance of a monster popping up at the Soma Familia manor. This is due to the actions of Zanis Lustra, Captain of the Soma Familia." Ganesha explained.
"Wait, how did Zanis cause a monster to appear?" one of the Gods asked in confusion.
"After some investigation, my Familia found some evidence that Zanis was smuggling monsters for profit. I, Ganesha, am not sure of the purpose of smuggling monsters, but we have confirmed that Zanis was harboring dangerous monsters, and one particular monster broke out of control. Thankfully, my Familia managed to contain the threat!" Ganesha explained while raising his arms up into the air in a gesture of cheer.
"Huh, so that's it."
"Sheesh, what the hell was that Zanis guy thinking, smuggling monsters of all things?"
"Well, that certainly explains it..."
Hestia's shoulders slumped down a bit in relief.
Seems like Ganesha truly had it under control if he could give out a cover story of the Heartless appearing. It also helped that, strange as it is, he's taking credit for what Sora has done. The Gods would assume that Ganesha took care of things.
Now that Hestia thought about it, nobody else besides her Familia witnessed Sora take out the Heartless. Soma's Familia were too busy running for their lives to pay any attention. Ganesha's Familia was also at the scene, but they know how to keep their mouths shut for situations like this.
"Still, there's one thing I'm wondering about." Loki spoke up with a raised eyebrow. "Any idea on the monster that popped up out of nowhere? I don't exactly recall a monster capable of using some ice ability."
'Damn it Loki!' Hestia thought with an irritated look when she looked at the Trickster Goddess. Just when she thought they were in the clear!
"Ah, that! Truthfully, we don't know much about the monster either! My Familia was too focused on containing the threat. Still, from their accounts, it was some strange plant-like monster. That's all they could say!" Ganesha explained.
"A plant-like monster that controls ice? Never heard of any monster like that."
"Must've come from deep within the Dungeon then."
"Who knows? The Dungeon spawns all kinds of weird stuff."
"Well whatever it was, that Zanis guy clearly bit off more than he could chew..."
Some of the Gods quietly talked to each other about this, and thankfully, they didn't seem to push too much into this. Meanwhile, Loki stared at Ganesha for a bit with her eyebrows furrowed. Hestia was darting between Loki and Ganesha, really hoping that Loki would stop asking too many questions.
To her relief, Loki simply shrugged.
"I see. That's quite a shame." Loki simply said, giving off an expression that she doesn't really care too much about this.
However, beneath that facade was a Goddess who was speculating about what Ganesha said.
Clearly, she knew Ganesha was obviously hiding something. Loki already had a clear idea that Ganesha is looking into the dark monsters as well.
Honestly, she could throw out that her Familia members have been encountering these strange dark monsters and have Ganesha be forced to explain it. Though, the fact that Ganesha is doing his damned hardest to cover up any sort of detail regarding these monsters means that these monsters aren't supposed to be known. Letting these dark monsters known to the public will probably lead to severe repercussions.
So she'll let up for now, mentally planning on how to get Ganesha to spills the beans regarding these dark monsters.
"Moving on from that, there's been an incident where monsters popped up on the 18th floor, and one of my children was murdered! I don't have any idea if these recent events are related, but I would avenge my child's death! Please, if you have any information, please share!" Ganesha declared, before tears ran down his face.
"Why...Why Hashana!?" Ganesha wailed. "Why did you have to die in the middle of sex!"
And just like that, the entire mood changed. The Gods could only give Ganesha an unamused or disgusted look.
Meanwhile, Hestia was palming her face.
'And just when I thought Ganesha was being serious for once...' Hestia thought with a groan. He's still the eccentric God that she still knows.
"Right..." Loki trailed off. "Moving on from that, I guess would finally put an end to what we have to share. Let's get started on the main event, shall we?" Loki asked everyone in the room with a smirk on her face.
The entire room cheered, entirely excited for what is to come. Though there is a portion of Gods who are dreading on what is to come.
The Naming Ceremony.
It's where the Gods will decide the Alias for Level 2 Adventurers and above. It's to give the Adventurer a unique identity amongst all other Adventurers. To the Adventurers, they wear their newly given title with pride.
But for the Gods...it was more like a punishment game if anything.
After the papers were passed around the room, the Gods began examining the Adventurers before them.
The first one in line was an Adventurer of Set's Familia.
"Please have mercy!" the God in question begged.
""""""""Denied!""""""""
"Nooooooooo!"
Hestia and a few other Gods could only grimace when the child was given "Burning Fighting Fighter", or it could be known as "Holy Dragon Knight of Dawn."
Hestia could only groan when she was waiting for her turn.
"This is hell..." Hestia muttered while covering her face. 'At least Sora doesn't have to suffer this...'
Sora's very lucky in this regard, as he won't be given an embarrassing Alias. In all honesty, she couldn't see Sora Leveling Up any time soon. The boy has already proven to be far more capable than any Level 5 or 6 in Orario. And even if Sora were to put all of his effort into training to reach Level 2, it's going to take more than a few years until he can be even considered for a Level Up, and she's being quite generous in that regard.
Hestia could only watch in pity as she watched Takemikazuchi's child, Yamato Mikoto, was given the title of Zetsu Ei, or Eternal Shadow by Dionysus.
And when Loki's Familia came up, there were some talk amongst the Gods.
"The Sword Princess Leveled Up again, huh?" Hephastois remarked with a raised eyebrow when looking at the sheet before her.
"...Wasn't she the one who defeated an Udaeus on her own?" Hestia asked with a raised eyebrow, to which the Forge Goddess nodded.
"She has. Normally, I would consider it impressive in its own rights. But as soon as I think of impressive, Sora immediately comes to mind..." Hephastois quietly remarked.
"On that, we agree..." Hestia tiredly agreed while rubbing her forehead. "I swear, Sora just makes any impressive achievements in this World look like child's play."
Both of the Goddesses sighed. They feel that they won't be exactly amazed anytime soon with any other Adventurer's achievements, so long as Sora continues to show them his ridiculous feats.
Seriously, who could top Sora's achievement of saving the universe 3 times from total destruction?
"Do we need to think of a new Alias?" one of the Gods asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, I'm more or less used to Sword Princess?"
"Maybe we should go with "Our Wife?" one of the Gods suggested with a grin.
"""""AGREEED!"""" the male Gods cheered.
"I'll kill every single one of you in your sleep." Loki immediately threatened.
"""""FORGIVE US!"""" the male Gods immediately apologized.
"Wow, high class privilege much?" Hestia bitterly muttered, seeing how Loki has a say in what she wants for her Familia, while Hephastois could only pat Hestia's shoulder in comfort.
The next was Ganesha's Familia Captain.
"Level 6, huh? Your Familia finally has a Level 6." one of the Gods commented.
"I, Ganesha, am proud that Shakti has managed to reach new heights!" Ganesha loudly declared with a grin.
"Still, fighting a lot of monsters? I was expecting something more unique." one of the Gods said with a raised eyebrow.
"I mean, she did fight all those monsters solo, especially when it came to the Lower and Deeper Floors." one of the Gods inputted.
"And here I thought soloing a Monster Rex was reckless..."
"It is the truth! Shakti has delved into the Dungeon, and fought various strong monsters all on her own in order to Level Up! You can even ask the Guild for Shakti's spoils!" Ganesha told them all.
The Gods quietly talked with one another, confirming that their children saw Shakti bring in a rather impressive haul of magic stones and Monster drops.
"Why do I get the feeling that Sora was somehow involved?" Hephastois quietly asked.
"It's because he was..." Hestia quietly answered while rubbing her forehead.
Sora's Link to All Skill is more of a curse than a blessing in Hestia's opinion. On one hand, Sora's Link to All Skill made Bell strong, and Bell needed that strength to fend off the Heartless and survive. But on the other hand, Sora is a walking Excelia booster for everyone around him; as soon as the Gods learn of it, they'll hunt down Sora to no ends for their own greed.
Hestia sighed, as she wanted to take her mind off of Sora for the moment and focus on something else.
Unfortatunely, her wish was granted in the worse way possible.
Hestia froze when she finally reached Bell.
Whispers were made throughout the room as soon as they looked at Bell.
"Level 2 in a month and a half..." Hephastois quietly said when looking at the paper before her.
Before they could talk further, Loki slammed her hand onto the table.
"Oi, shorty, before we get started with the naming, how the hell did your child reach Level 2 in a month and a half? You honestly expect us to believe that?" Loki asked while narrowing her eyes.
Hestia's winced when she was met with that dreaded question.
"It took Ais one whole year to reach Level 2, and yet your child reached it within a month and a half. It's just absurd." Loki pointed out.
Hestia winced once more with Loki pointing this out. The worse part is that Loki isn't exactly wrong, even she had to agree that Bell's growth is downright absurd, thanks to his Liaris Freese and Sora's Link to All Skill.
"Don't tell me you used your Arcanum to make this possible?" Loki questioned.
"Like hell I did!" Hestia snapped. "All of us know that using our Arcanum is forbidden! Otherwise I wouldn't be standing here before you!"
"I would have to agree with Hestia." Ganesha spoke up. "As unusual as it is for her child's Level Up, there is no doubt that the Arcanum wasn't used! If she did, I'm sure some of us would've felt it!"
"You're vouching for Hestia, Ganesha?" Loki said with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course! After all, using an Arcanum can have severe consequences, which in turn can threaten even the masses! I am Ganesha, I'm always vigilant, even for this!" Ganesha declared.
'Ganesha, once again, you are a life saver!' Hestia mentally cried out in relief.
"I'm have to agree with Ganesha as well. Using the Arcanum can't exactly be subtle and hidden. I'm sure some of us would've taken notice, since we're all in nearby vicinity of this city." Hephastois vouched.
"Indeed. Hestia isn't the type to resort to this type of thing." Miach spoke up in defense of Hestia.
"I agree as well." Takemikazuchi followed.
"Ufufufu, even I would agree with with all of them. There is no foul play as far as I'm concern." a new voice commented.
Everyone turned their heads to see Freya sitting there with her default suave expression. Hestia could only blink in confusion when she saw Freya of all people jumping in.
"Besides, it's taboo to interfere in Familia's personal matters. I believe Hestia explained herself well enough." Freya pointed out.
"One and a half months Freya. You mean to tell me that you're just accepting this?" Loki pointed out.
"My my, you're quite insistent. Don't tell me that you're jealous that Hestia's child managed to beat your favorite child's achievement?"
"Like hell I am!" Loki denied, even though she was a bit sore on that regard, especially since it's coming from Hestia of all people. "Nobody could grow this fast within such a short time period. It just doesn't make any sense."
"Really now? The boy managed to defeat an irregular minotaur. Such a feat should be impressive enough to grant the child to become a Level 2. Is it not the same with your child and soloing the Udaeus?" Freya pointed out.
Whispers were made amongst the Gods, as they were all agreeing that what Freya is saying is logical.
"...Hmph." Loki grunted while folding her arms, showing that she was willing to lay off the topic. '...That nymphomanic Goddess defended Hestia. That's not good at all.'
As much as she dislikes Hestia, Loki finds it more harder to endure whatever schemes Freya is cooking up. That means Bell is well within Freya's sights, which doesn't bode well for Hestia at all.
'I wonder though...does Freya have any sights on Sora as well?' Loki thought.
Knowing that Goddess, she must've caught a glimpse of whatever the hell she could see with Sora. And if she did, then things aren't really looking good on Hestia's end.
Speaking of Sora, the Trickster Goddess was sorely tempted to throw out the abnormality that is Sora to the other Gods. She could have the Gods pressure and question Hestia on how a Level 1 like Sora possesses the strength of a Level 5, revealing many of the mysteries regarding the boy.
But she won't.
As much as she dislikes the Hearth Goddess, she's not THAT cruel to torment Hestia and throw her to the wolves. Yes, she's willing to personally question/interrogate Hestia on the mysteries about her children; however, that's more of personal beef between them. She's not that petty to drag in other Gods for their squabbles.
And besides, even if she did, it would be quite difficult in trying to tempt Sora into joining her Familia if all the other Gods are doing the same. She could do without all of the hassle and competition with the other Gods.
But if there's one thing that she'll get the Gods involved in...
"In any case, let's get started with the naming!" Loki declared to the rest of the room, causing the Gods to excitedly talk amongst each other while Hestia grimaced on what is occurring.
"This is going to be tough. We practically know nothing about this kid..."
"White hair and red eyes. Reminds me of those Al-Miraj..."
"Then how about Blade Mirage?"
"No, we should go with Pyonkichi!"
"Too late, this Welf guy already used that name for one of his armors..."
"He beat us to it!? Just who is this Welf guy?"
Hephastois sighed while glancing towards Hestia.
"Well, seems like you managed to get through the toughest part." Hephastois told Hestia.
"Y-Yeah...but now I have to deal with this nonsense..." Hestia groaned, already not liking the names that the Gods are coming up for Bell.
Throughout the entire discussion, Hestia felt like Bell was going to be saddled with the title of "Little Rookie"...
Until a hand was raised into the air.
"Freya? You got a name for the kid?" Loki asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course. And I've been thinking about this one for quite some time." Freya simply said while giving a small giggle.
"That so? Care to share it then?" Loki asked with a raised eyebrow.
Freya simply placed a hand on her cheek while she gave a look of contemplation.
"...He is someone who looks far beyond the horizon. Someone who is seeking for greater heights, and isn't afraid to face even the most daunting of challenges, while others dare not to face..." Freya explained, before she opened her eyes and smiled, sending a chill down Hestia's spine.
The Hearth Goddess didn't like where this was going.
"I could think of none other than-"
~ Break ~
"-Skyward Seeker? That's my Alias?" Bell said while blinking owlishly upon hearing this.
All of the Hestia familia were gathered in the room, with Hestia lying on the couch with a drained and defeated look.
"Y-Yes...that's your Alias..." Hestia quietly answered.
Bell went silent for a moment, before a bright expression appeared on his face.
"Skyward Seeker...that's such a cool title to have!" Bell said with excitement.
'It's noooooot!' Hestia mentally wailed.
While Freya's suggestion of Skyward Seeker may seem rather tame on the surface, the Gods had other ideas as they came up with a rather embarrassing hidden meaning behind the title.
The Cloud Chaser.
It was a title to represent what Gods believed Bell to be: an utterly reckless boy who will do whatever it takes to achieve great heights. It's a reflection of how Bell was willing to fight an enhanced minotaur, which is in itself a foolish notion to go with by the Gods' standards.
It's one thing for a Level 1 to take on a tough monster, like an Infant Dragon. Though, they're able to Level up with a party fighting by their side.
Taking on an enhanced minotaur on your own is another thing entirely (especially as a Level 1), and only a fool will take on such an absurd challenge. Sure, Ais Wallenstein could be considered a fool as well with her recent achievement, but the Gods are more biased with the girl's beauty if anything.
The Gods are comparing Bell to that of a young foolish boy who chases the clouds, believing that he could touch them and is willing to do whatever it takes.
And Bell is wearing such a title with a smile on his face!
"That is a rather cool title!" Sora agreed with a grin of his own, much to Hestia's chagrin. However, Sora soon gained a contemplative look.
"Still...A Seeker, huh?" Sora said aloud.
"Seeker...isn't that a title Organization 13 went with?" Bell asked.
"Yeah. They called themselves the Seekers of Darkness." Sora confirmed. "Though in your case, it seems like what you're seeking is isn't Darkness, but the sky itself! It makes you sound like a great explorer!" Sora told Bell.
"Well we are Adventurers." Bell remarked.
"...Alright seriously, Lili doesn't understand what you guys are talking about." Lili said with a flat look. "Lili was willing to put this off due to recent events, but now that we're in the clear, Lili clearly deserves some context. All of you seem to know something about the Heartless, Sora's weird ability to connect to Spirits, and this 13 whatever. And Lili doesn't know a single thing." Lili pointed out.
"""Ah...""" the entire group said.
They shared a look with each other.
"We did promise to tell her the context..." Bell started.
"But how much context...?" Hestia muttered.
"I think we should tell her the whole truth." Sora said.
This caused Hestia to snap her head towards Sora with an incredulous look.
"Are you serious?" Hestia questioned, to which the Keyblade wielder nodded.
"Well, she's part of our Familia now. We should trust her with this kind of thing." Sora told Hestia, before he gave a small frown while folding his arms.
"And besides...I can't exactly afford to hold back. The Heartless are getting stronger as we go deeper into the Dungeon. I mean, I could take them out if I were to just use swordsmanship alone, but that's just going to lengthen the process of eliminating the Heartless. Not to mention, it may endanger Bell and Lili if I held myself back." Sora explained.
Hestia remained silent upon hearing this.
Lili did join the Familia. And if they continuously left Lili out of the conversation and context, they're essentially leaving Lili out of their circle, which alienates the girl. It was something that Lili had enough of with her previous Familia.
And Sora certainly has a point about not having to hold back. As much as she prefers Sora to hide his true strength to avoid catching attention, the fact that Heartless are claiming victims and the Gods starting to take notice isn't a good thing either. Sora needs to pick up the pace in order to lessen the attention of the Heartless.
And if Sora stopped holding back in order to keep Bell and Lili safe from the Heartless...it's a risk Hestia is willing to take.
With those in mind, Hestia gave a small sigh.
"...Alright, we can tell her." Hestia said, before she gained a serious expression as she turned to Lili. "Well, consider your wish granted. We'll tell you the whole truth about this. But you cannot share this with anyone else no matter what, understand?"
Lili blinked upon hearing this.
"Lili can accept those terms, but to be this serious about keeping this in the dark is rather surprising." Lili remarked.
"Lili, what Sora is about to tell you is rather far-fetched, but we promise it's the truth." Bell told Lili.
"Far-fetched? Lili doubts that after all of the nonsense we've encountered, the context regarding Sora and the Heartless isn't going to be that shocking." Lili said with a skeptical look.
Hestia gave her a look of pity when she heard this.
That's hell she's walking into.
"Well...will you believe me when I say I'm not from this World?" Sora started.
Silence rung throughout the room.
"...Come again?" Lili responded with a baffled look.
~ Break ~
Lili laid on the couch with a spaced out look on her face.
"I think you broke her." Hestia flatly pointed out.
"...I'm starting to think my story isn't exactly simple for people to handle." Sora admitted while scratching the back of his head.
"You think?" Hestia responded with a flat look.
Bell, on the other hand, kneeled to Lili's level and began to shake her a bit.
"Um...Lili...you alright...?" Bell asked with concern.
Lili was silent for a moment, before clarity returned back to her eyes as she slowly sat back up. She looked around the room for a bit, and her eyes fell onto Sora.
"...Please tell Lili what Lili heard is merely just a dream." Lili pleaded.
Sora silently just raised his arm, and materialized his Kingdom Key into his hand for Lili to see.
"Ah...so it wasn't a dream." Lili muttered, before she gave a massive groan and cradled her head. "Lili is starting to regret all of this...!"
"Welcome to my world." Hestia said while patting Lili on the back with pity.
Lili gave a tired and exasperated sigh as she looked at Sora once more.
"Lili should accuse you of being a terrible liar with all of the things you just said." Lili said. "But...after you demonstrated this absurd key sword in front of Lili-"
"It's called a Keyblade." Sora corrected.
"Right, that..." Lili muttered, her head already hurting, "it explains all about this strange things that you could pull off as a Level 1. How you're able to perform around Level 6, and perform so many types of magic."
It all made sense now to Lili. She thought Sora was strange, being a Level 1 who possessed the strength of a Level 6 to practically dive into the Deeper Floors of the Dungeon, and return back looking no worse for wear. It was because he came from beyond this world, and is essentially the protector of Worlds from falling into Darkness.
It finally explained the appearance of the Heartless, and what they are. It explained why Zanis turned into a dark monster before her very eyes.
But even so...
"...Lili needs more time to process this." Lili groaned.
"Take all the time you need. I'm still trying to process the nonsense Sora brings to the table." Hestia said while giving Sora a flat look.
Sora gave a sheepish chuckle while scratching the back of his head. He felt that he needed to change the subject to save Hestia and Lili from the headache.
"W-Well, why not spend some of that time Mia's place? I'm sure we could go out and dine for a nice change of pace." Sora suggested. There was still a bunch of food Sora wanted to try out and possibly learn to cook from Mia.
"Now that you mention it, it has been a while since we've been there..." Bell muttered. He could only imagine Syr getting worried that he's not showing up as much as she hoped for him to be.
"You three can go ahead without me. I need to go have a meeting with Ganesha." Hestia told the three, which caught their attention.
"You're meeting with Ganesha? Why is that?" Bell asked with confusion.
"It's about the Heartless. As you all know, our latest stint with the Heartless is beginning to catch the attention of the Gods themselves." Hestia told everyone with a grim tone.
Everyone frowned when they heard this.
"I didn't think information about that would spread out so fast..." Bell said with grimace.
"I thought we were able to keep things under wrap for a while..." Sora muttered with a troubled look.
"Well, it's rather hard to not notice last night's events at the Soma Familia..." Lili pointed out.
"Exactly. Thanks to Zanis and the disappearance of Adventurers, the activity of the Heartless is starting to get noticed. Thankfully, Ganesha was able to mitigate the damages, but there's only so much we could do before people begin to look into things, like Loki." Hestia said with a frown. "As such, Ganesha and I are going to discuss what to do from here on."
"Want me to come?" Sora offered.
The Hearth Goddess shook her head to Sora's offer.
"You don't need to, since Ganesha and I already have the knowledge about Heartless. We're just going to come up with measures on how to turn public eye away from Heartless and all that." Hestia told Sora. "So you three can go and have your dinner."
"Well...if you're sure." Sora said with a frown.
Looks like things aren't going to be easy from here on.
~ Break ~
"Lili doesn't understand why we're doing another celebration here, when you recently cooked a 5 course meal back at home..." Lili said, as the three of them stood before the Hostess of Fertility.
"Well, I just wanted to make your first dinner in our Familia special. But we haven't celebrated Bell's success in reaching Level 2 and receiving his Alias! And what better way is there than to spend it here!" Sora told her with a small grin.
"It has been a while since we were last here." Bell remarked.
The three made their way to the entrance, and soon found the bar to be rather filled with a bunch of customers. But even with the customers, there was a certain waitress that took notice of them.
"Oh, Bell!" Syr greeted with a smile as she made her way towards the three. "I was beginning to worry you may never show up again!"
"W-We were busy with with a lot of things." Bell told Syr with a sheepish smile. "Thankfully, we finally found the time to eat here."
"Well I'm glad! And you should come here more often to make it up for me." Syr said while giving a cute wink, making Bell gave a mix of a nervous and sheepish chuckle.
"Syr! Is that Sora at the front!?" a familiar voice called out from the back.
Everyone turned to see Mia standing near the kitchen entrance. When the owner of the pub had Sora within her sight, she immediately pointed at him.
"Well look who decided to show up! Sora, get your butt in here! We could use an extra hand at this time!" Mia called out to Sora. This made Sora blink as he pointed to himself in surprise.
"Who else could I be asking for!?" Mia called out in exasperation and annoyance.
"A-Alright!" Sora answered, before he turned to his Familia. "Seems like I'm going to help Mia for a bit. You two go ahead and grab a table."
And with that, Sora hastily made his way to the kitchen, while Bell and Lili could only owlishly blink upon what they just saw.
"W-Well, I certainly agree with Sora's suggestion. You should grab a table." Syr said as she led the two to an available table for them to eat at.
When the two sat down, Lili could only look towards the back of the pub with a surprised expression.
"Lili didn't know that Sora worked here..." Lili quietly said.
"It's kind of hard to say..." Bell said with an unsure look.
Mia certainly welcomes Sora to work in the kitchen, but she isn't exactly expecting Sora to work with a schedule to show up. It seems more of a spontaneous job that Sora can do at any moment.
The two Hestia Familia members could only fall into silence as they watched the bustling activity occurring within the pub while waiting for their orders.
"You know...despite seeing all of this, Lili feels like this is small to what is beyond here." Lili remarked.
"I know what you mean. Ever since Sora told us about Worlds beyond our own...it makes Orario feel small in the grand scale of things." Bell said with a contemplative look.
Before Sora showed up, Bell thought Orario was the biggest experience he could go through, far more compared to other locations within this World. But after Sora showed up and proved that countless Worlds exist beyond their own, it made Orario feel...small. Bell wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.
Bell understood that Keyblade wielders have special privileges of being able to travel to countless Worlds and experience what they could offer, and Keyblade wielders like Sora aren't allowed to bring non Keyblade wielders like him to leave their respective Worlds. Though, there are a few who managed to travel to different Worlds through their own methods.
Though, now that Bell thought about it, Donald and Goofy are non-Keyblade wielders, yet they're able to travel to other Worlds like Sora.
Perhaps he could earn a special exception like that if he could grow to Donald and Goofy's level. It made Bell all the more motivated to grow stronger. To fight alongside his hero and earn the right to see Worlds beyond his own.
Before he could continue that train of thought, they heard a chair being moved nearby them, and saw Sora sitting at their table.
"Whew, things were sure intense! Not even Le Grande Bistrot was that busy!" Sora remarked with a small grin.
"Sora! You're finished with helping out in the kitchen?" Bell asked in surprise.
"You bet. Thanks to my help, they were able to finish a lot of the orders, so things are starting to slow down." Sora told them. "And thanks to my help, the meals we're getting are on the house!"
"R-Really!?" Bell asked in surprise.
"You bet!" a new voice entered the scene, as they all turned to see Syr and her fellow waitress Ryuu walking up to them with drinks and food in their trays.
"Sora is quite the expert in the kitchen! It's thanks to his help that preparing the dishes became more manageable." Syr said as she sets down the food before them, before she and Ryuu taking seats next to them.
"Wait, hold on a moment, aren't you two supposed to be working?" Lili questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Mama Mia told us to come sit with you. Even though she said the meals were on the house, it's just these meals alone. Any other orders are on you. I think she wants us to encourage you to order more." Ryuu simply explained.
"I-Is that so...?" Bell muttered as he turned his head to see Mia standing at the counter, looking at the table with a small sly smirk.
"Well, we can do takeout for Hestia to enjoy once she's done with her meeting." Sora said while nodding, before he looked at the food that he ordered with an excited look.
He immediately grabbed his fork and began twirling it around in the food, before he picked it up and placed it in his mouth. Once he began tasting it, his eyes opened in amazement.
"Man, this is some good stuff! I'm loving the spaghetti and meatballs!" Sora said in amazement, before his hand reached out to a basket near him and picked up an item. Once he took a bite out of it, Sora could only nod in content. "This garlic bread isn't bad either!"
Though, why does eating the spaghetti remind Sora of a statue of those two dogs back at Traverse Town?
Whatever the case, Sora felt it was appropriate to learn on what to cook next.
"That's it! I found a new recipe!" Sora said with recognition as he looked at the spaghetti before him.
"Oh! Does that mean we're getting a new dish on the menu?" Syr asked with excitement.
"Your ratatouille proved to be quite the success." Ryuu inputted. "It became a popular starter item amongst the customers, especially with the elves."
"I'm glad to hear it. Though, I gotta think on what to offer for Mia if I want to learn about this...maybe a soup?" Sora wondered aloud.
"Nyah, how about a seafood dish! I've been craving for something new on the menu!" Anya suggested, popping up out of nowhere and standing nearby Sora, much to the table's surprise at seeing her sudden appearance, save for Ryuu. The elf could clearly see the Cat Person's intentions with wanting to get closer to Sora, as she was leaning a a bit closer to Sora.
"Indeed. The elves has a special dish catered to them. Maybe you could dedicate a special dish for us." Chloe, who also appeared out of nowhere, stood near Sora while giving him a small wink.
"Seafood, huh...?" Sora muttered while blinking at the suggestion, all the while completely oblivious to the flirtatious gestures Anya and Chloe are giving him.
Though why is he getting chills down his spine once more?
~ Break ~
"Master Ansem, she is exhibiting these signs again..." a young voice said aloud in concern, seeing a certain Princess of Heart forming a very moody pout on her face once more.
"I've noticed too. She must be experiencing some rather unpleasant memories deep within her Heart..."
"...I don't know why, but something tells me that isn't the case."
The scientist could only blink in confusion when he heard that statement.
~ Break ~
Deciding to get over and ignore the chill, Sora gave a thoughtful look when he thought about seafood.
"Well, there are some dishes that come to mind. Any particular preferences? Lobster, scallop, crab, sole, eel, sea bass..." Sora listed off while counting with his fingers
"Oh my, you really are quite well versed in a lot of seafood dishes." Chloe said with an impressed look.
"Nyah, now I'm getting hungry with all of the possibilities~" Anya said while her eyes sparkled.
"Well, if you ever want try something from Le Grande Bistrot, just feel free to ask! I'm happy when I'm able to cook for others and have them enjoy my food!" Sora told them while giving a bright smile.
A smile that was so bright and pure that both Anya and Chloe couldn't help but take a step back at Sora's metaphorical shine.
"S-So bright...!" Anya muttered, squinting at the brightness Sora is radiating.
"S-Such purity and innocence...he really is a treasure...!" Chloe muttered in shock, all the while her cheeks were going red at the sight.
Sora could only blink at their reactions and tilted his head in confusion. Why in the World are they acting like this?
Before Sora could even ask if there's something wrong, a new voice entered the scene.
"Anya! Chloe! Get back to work!" Mia barked towards the two.
Hearing Mia's voice snapped the two Cat People out of their trance.
"S-Sorry mama!" Anya panicked as she quickly went off in another direction.
"A-Apologies...!" Chloe panicked as she went off into another direction.
Sora could only blink once more in confusion as he saw them go off into different directions.
"...Huh. They never got to ask what kind of dish they wanted..." Sora muttered, before he shrugged and focused back on his spaghetti, to which everyone sweat dropped at what they witnessed.
Bell felt that it was time to change the subject to move on from what they just witnessed.
"S-So anyways, my Familia and I are planning to explore the Middle Floors! I want to test out my capabilities as a Level 2." Bell said, hoping it would change the subject.
Thankfully, Ryuu seems to have caught on.
"You intend on exploring the Middle Floors so soon after your Level Up? I would advice against doing that." Ryuu suggested.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Lili questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"...The Middle Floors are completely different compared to the Upper Floors of the Dungeon. You'll be facing an increased numbers of monsters, and their strength isn't exactly to be underestimated." Ryuu explained. "With your number and given levels, I would recommend forming a bigger party to survive."
The Hestia Familia members shared looks with each other when they heard this.
Normally, Bell and Lili would be keeping this in mind. However, their recent experiences with the Heartless already made them feel like they've already gone through such an experience. Bell and Lili feel like they face a Monster Party every single time they delve into the Dungeon.
And considering they have Sora in their party, they felt they'll be fine for the time being.
Though there was a particular suggestion that they could agree upon.
"A bigger party, huh? I could certainly agree to that idea..." Sora said with a thoughtful look.
"Though, we're being very selective with party members at the moment." Bell inputted.
"If that's the case, why not party up with us!?" a new voice entered the scene.
Everyone turned their heads to see a man with short brown hair and golden-brown eyes. He bore two long scars on his face, one on his cheek and the other across the forehead. He was followed along with two other companions.
Sora immediately noticed that their faces were red, a clear sign that they were obviously intoxicated with alcohol.
'...I have a bad feeling about this.' Sora thought while frowning.
"...I'm sorry, what?" Bell asked in confusion and concern.
"What, ya didn't hear me properly? You're looking for more party members to explore the Middle Floors, right? We're willing to let you into out party..." the man said with a smirk while pointing a thumb to himself.
"In exchange..." the man continued, his eyes leering at both Syr and Ryuu. "Why not let us have fun with these cute babes?"
Immediately, Sora clearly saw where this was going, and he started making a gesture underneath the table.
"W-Well..." Bell said, unsure on how to defuse the situation without it going the wrong way.
"No thank you. Cranel doesn't need your help in this type of matter..." Ryuu cooly declined, all the while her hand was going close to her wooden mug.
Though, her skin tingled as she sensed something nearby, and she immediately glanced towards the source. She couldn't help but blink when she saw Sora focused on the group before him, as if he was concentrating on something.
"Ooooh? What's that miss elf?" the man continued as he was about to make a step closer. "I'll have you know that we travelled through the Middle Floors. We capable enough of protecting...him..."
The man began slur in his words, and he soon began to sway side to side. His two other companions also looked like they were in a dazed state as well. And at the same time, the three men promptly collapsed onto the floor.
"Whoa!" Syr lets out a surprised cry.
Everyone in the vicinity looked at the scene in surprise, seeing three man suddenly collapse out of nowhere. Immediately, the people heard the trio snoring out loud.
It was then one person particular person stood up from his seat and made his way towards them. He kneeled down to the group, and gave a faux blink of surprise.
"Oh geez, looks like they drank too much and passed out." Sora said aloud in a faux-surprised look.
Immediately, Bell and Lili recognized that this was Sora's magic at play. After all, who else could immediately cause people to just pass out of nowhere.
Meanwhile, Sora was inwardly smirking at the work he has done.
The Sleep spell. Truly a useful spell in defusing situations from escalating too quickly.
"Well, they don't clearly belong here with them snoring the night away. I'm just going to place them outside so they won't get in anyone's way." Sora said, as he proceeded to grab the collars of all three men and proceeded to drag them outside.
Everyone in the pub stared at Sora dragging the three men outside, before chatter began to resume once more. Mia, who was watching the whole scene before her, gave a small snort as she returned back to her duties.
"...W-Well, problem solved...?" Syr said with a confused and unsure look.
"Y-Yeah. We don't have to deal with those three men creeping on us." Lili agreed with a bit of a shaky smile.
"..." Ryuu remained silent as she glanced where Sora took the three outside, before she looked forward and simply took a drink from her cup.
"Agreed..." Bell gave a sigh of relief, inwardly thanking Sora preventing a situation from escalating.
And just like that, everyone proceeded to have a normal dinner amongst the pub.
~ Break ~
After having last night's dinner and getting some rest, Bell felt it was finally time to replace and update his equipment. His armor was beyond damaged thanks to the battle with the Heartless Minotaur. There was also the fact that he lost a large portion of his throwing knives, so he felt that he needed to replenish his supply.
So Bell was browsing through one of the weapon stores to see if it held the same type of armor that he brought from before, as well as the same set of throwing knives.
"Trancheuse...Trancheuse..." Bell muttered to himself as he walked through the throwing knives isle. "...I can't seem to find them anywhere..."
It was something that began to disappoint Bell. The Trancheuse knives honestly felt like it was a perfect side weapon for him to wield. He could hold it between his fingers and deliver claw like slashes, or throw them as projectiles to take down enemies from afar.
All the other throwing knives honestly didn't fit Bell's preferences. Some of the throwing knives looked to only gripped fully by one hand, but it would too bulky to carry multiple of them on him. The ones that could fit between his fingers were too small to make any damage or effect.
"...No luck, huh...? Maybe they'll come in stock next time." Bell muttered to himself. Since he couldn't find the knives, he'll look for armor in the mean time.
When Bell decided to check out the armor section and combed through it, he was once again met with disappointment, as he couldn't find the same set of armor that he previous brought. Seeing this, he decided to ask the clerk if there was any of the armor or knives in the back. As he did approach the front desk, he could hear the sounds of argument going on around.
"What the hell!? You know I put my life on the line for this! You need to treat my wares better and not put them off to the side!"
"Look, it's not exactly my choice, you know? That stuff has to be sellable in order to make itself known..."
"Wha-!? Is that your excuse!?"
Bell could only slowly approach the scene, as he saw the store clerk arguing with some young man.
The young man in question appeared to have short, spiky red hair. His attire consisted of a a dark blue long-sleeve shirt underneath a black kimono with a brown belt tied around his waist, along with tanned white pants and long brown boots and a blue scarf around his neck.
The clerk soon saw Bell and felt relief to have an excuse to be occupied with something else.
"Ah, welcome dear customer! How can I help you today?" the clerk greeted.
The red headed young man blinked, and turned his head to look at Bell.
Seeing as he has both of their attention, Bell decided it was best to not to make things awkward and ask what he wants.
"Um, yes. I'm looking for an armor set made by Welf Crozzo. Do you happen to have any in the back?" Bell asked.
As soon as he asked that, the two stared at Bell with surprised expressions, before the red headed young man gave off a laugh of victory.
"Ha ha ha ha! Looks like I do have a customer!" the red headed young man declared.
Bell could only blink in confusion in what is going on.
And that's a wrap to this chapter!
Thank you all for all of your contribution towards Bell's Alias. After reading your Reviews and PMs, I finally came up with an appropriate title for Bell.
Skyward Seeker
Why Skyward Seeker?
Well, it's a perfect representation of Bell chasing after Sora. He wants to catch up to his idol. To Freya's eyes, Bell is a soul who is constantly tailing / sticking nearby Sora, and shines brightly because of it. When separated, Bell's soul isn't shining so brightly. Bell is a soul who is constantly trailing after the sky (Sora). As such, it was the name she thought up of.
On the surface, it represents Bell's determination in seeking greater heights, metaphorically speaking.
Of course, there's a hidden meaning to this, as it is per tradition for the Gods and Alias.
The Cloud Chaser.
Remember, the Gods don't really know anything about Bell, other than the fact that Bell reached Level 2 quicker than anyone else, and Leveled Up thanks to the enhanced (Heartless) Minotaur. As such, the Gods decided to call Bell a reckless fool (as any normal Level 1 wouldn't dare to fight an enhanced minotaur to begin with), much like a boy who chases the clouds itself.
Plus, I thought it would be a fun inversion of the Seeker of Darkness.
Fun Fact of the Day
During the choosing process for Bell's Alias, I wanted to go with a title that is a reference to Final Fantasy or Square Enix games. My search process made me found Star Seeker, a bow used by Serah Farron from Final Fantasy XIII-2. I thought it was perfect, with Bell being a shining star (his shining soul) and seeking out greater things (Sora).
But then I soon realized that Star Seeker shares the same name as the Star Seeker Keyblade from KH2, much to my chagrin & disappointment. I didn't exactly want Bell to share an Alias with Sora's past Keyblade; it felt rather lazy and unoriginal.
And I was so fixated with stars and constellations that it made me realize that I needed to look at another theme entirely, which was the sky itself. Lo and beohld, looking at sky themes opened up a plethora of ideas, and I soon found the word Skyward. The rest is history.