Disclaimer: I do not own Square Enix or Danmachi. Both belong to their respective owners.

Hey everyone, Keybladewielder97 is here with a new chapter.

I hope all of you are having a wonderful and happy holiday. And as someone who celebrates Christmas, I've decided that my Christmas present to you all is a big chapter! I know it's Christmas Eve, but I figured you'd be busy enjoying Christmas with your friends and family.

Let's start the chapter.

Chapter 22: May Your Heart Be Your Guiding Key

Silence rang throughout the backyard. Sora could only blink in surprise at the mysterious figure's request and gesture, while Hestia tensed up at Fel's answer.

"Darkness...?" Sora quietly muttered with a perplexed expression.

"...What you said earlier," Hestia started with a tense expression, "what do you exactly mean by a surging Darkness?"

That statement sounded very vague and could mean a lot of things. She wanted to confirm what he's talking about.

"I'm talking about the Heartless that have been running amok in the Dungeon as of late," Fels replied.

Just hearing Fels say the name of the Heartless caused Hestia to grimace upon hearing this. Fel's answer confirmed Hestia's suspicions, and people outside of their circle possessing this kind of knowledge is never a good thing.

'So how...?' Hestia thought in confusion.

Seeing the tense look on her face, Fels simply lowered his arms.

"...I see that you are still wary of me. What else do you wish to know?" Fels asked.

"...That fact that you know about them is rather concerning. How did you even discover them in the first place?" Hestia questioned.

Fels went silent for a bit, as if contemplating how to answer that question.

"...Ouranos has taken notice," Fels revealed.

Hearing this made Hestia's eyes widen in shock. Meanwhile, Sora looked clueless on what was revealed.

"...Who's Ouranos?" Sora asked with a raised eyebrow.

Hearing Sora's question made Hestia snap out of her shock as she looked at Sora with a bit of disbelief.

"...I keep forgetting that you're still relatively new here," Hestia muttered.

"Then allow me to explain who Ouranos is," Fels spoke up, "Ouranos is one of the first Gods to arrive in Gekai and offered the mortals a Falna. Ouranos is also responsible for sending his prayers to the Dungeon, and those prayers prevent the Monsters from invading Orario."

Sora blinked in surprise upon hearing this.

"So that's what Ouranos does..." Sora muttered, before he raised an eyebrow in confusion, "wait, then does that mean his prayers also prevent those Heartless from leaving the Dungeon as well?"

"It's rather difficult to say," Fels admitted, "even Ouranos himself isn't quite sure about the nature of these dark monsters."

"As interesting as it is to learn," Hestia spoke up, "that still brings us to the important question: how exactly did Ouranos discover the Heartless? And why do you call them the Heartess?"

"That's actually related to what I recently said," Fels replied. "Ouranos has a connection with the Dungeon due to his prayers. As such, Ouranos also possesses a sixth sense of sorts with the Dungeon, and it mainly pertains to anomalies. And feeling anomalies from the Dungeon is never a good thing."

"...I can see where this is going," Hestia quietly said with a troubled look.

"Ouranos himself is having a rather hard time describing it. He told me that he felt something...dark crawling around in the Dungeon. I was rather confused with what he meant by a dark feeling, but he told me that it was the best way to describe what he felt. He then requested me to investigate what exactly made him unsettled with the Dungeon. And my investigations led me to discover these dark monsters." Fels explained.

"So that's how you know of them..." Hestia muttered. "Alright, that answers a lot of things. Still, you haven't answered why you call them the Heartless. And why come to us in particular? And why seek out Sora?"

"Initially, Ouranos was concerned on how to deal with the emergence of these dark monsters. However, he described how felt the dark miasma in the Dungeon slowly clearing up, day by day, and it started in the Upper Floors. So I've begun my investigations, and discovered you taking out the monsters."

Sora blinked upon hearing this.

"You saw me? Huh, I never saw you around." Sora remarked.

"I certainly have my ways of remaining undetected. And it was through my own methods that I've overheard your conversations, calling the dark monsters Heartless." Fels simply answered.

"Really Sora?" Hestia gave an annoyed look to Sora.

"I wasn't exactly shouting it out, and I thought we weren't alone!" Sora defended himself, before he turned to the mysterious figure before him. "Still...if you know that I'm taking out the Heartless, why are you asking for my help in this matter? I'm already doing my duty in taking them out." Sora pointed out.

"Ouranos and I were of the same thought as well," Fels answered. "After I observed you and reported it to Ouranos, Ouranos and I agreed to leave you be for the time being, since your actions have been beneficial. Recently, however, I've discovered something unusual with the Heartless."

"Unusual?" Hestia repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"The Heartless are beginning to move to the lower Floors in large masses," Fels revealed.

"Wait, they are!?" Sora asked in shock, to which Fels nodded.

"Previously, the Heartless seemed to be organized by Floor. The lower the floor, the stronger the dark monsters, and vice versa. Recently, however, the dark monsters began to move beyond their designated Floor and move to lower floors." Fels revealed.

"They are...? Wait, then does that explain why the Takemikazuchi Familia was attacked by a large number of them...!?" Hestia muttered in realization.

"Where exactly are they moving towards?" Sora asked.

"It's rather hard to pinpoint where they're gathering," Fels admitted, "the only thing I could make out from my observations is that the Middle Floors has some intense activity and movements and that Heartless near the Upper Floors are moving away from them."

"Why the Middle Floors?" Hestia asked.

"I was hoping that one of you had the answer, because you're quite well knowledged about these dark monsters," Fels told the two.

"Well, you aren't wrong about me knowing them well," Sora admitted while scratching the back of his head, "though, even I don't have a clue why they're moving beyond their designated Floors. The fact that the dark monsters stay around their Floors is weird itself."

"I see..." Fels muttered, "Nevertheless, Ouranos is growing cautious about the dark monster's recent activities. Thus, he requested me to come here before you, requesting for your aid in investigating this matter."

"Of course, I'll investigate!" Sora immediately agreed with a determined look. "I don't know why they're acting up strangely, but there's no way I'll let them do whatever they want!"

"Sora..." Hestia sighed with exasperation, seeing Sora immediately agree with Fel's request, a stranger they barely know.

Still, Fels has been completely honest with them from the start. Not a single lie has been uttered by the unknown figure. So she'll be lenient with this situation.

"...Even though Sora is willing to help, I want to talk to Ouranos about a few things. Is it possible to meet up with him?" Hestia asked the hooded figure.

"Of course. I'll be sure to set up a meeting with him. Just arrive at the Guild tomorrow and tell the staff that you have a meeting with Ouranos. Is tomorrow acceptable?" Fels asked.

"It is." Hestia nodded.

"Then I'll be off then. I thank the both of you for hearing me out," Fels thanked the two, as he soon disappeared within the shadows.

Sora's eyebrow furrowed at how Fels left the scene.

"...It's not a Corridor of Darkness, that's for sure," Sora muttered before he turned to Hestia with a serious look.

"I'll go and investigate the Dungeon." Sora immediately told Hestia, something that made Hestia blink upon hearing this.

"Wait, now-?"

Hestia didn't get to finish her sentence as Sora immediately jumped high into the air, and then proceeded to perform Airstep to immediately make his way to the Dungeon.

Hestia just stood there alone with a look of disbelief.

"...Did he seriously go now instead of going in the morning!?" Hestia yelled out in annoyance and disbelief. The Hearth Goddess groaned as she palmed her face.

She then gave a very exhausted sigh.

"Well, too late to do anything at this point. I can only hope Sora doesn't do anything too reckless." Hestia muttered, as she turned around and made her way into their home.

She felt that she needed to get some rest. She'll tell her Familia about this in the morning, as Bell and Lili need their rest. Though, Hestia felt she won't be getting any rest any time soon with what she learned tonight.

~ Break ~

Morning came, and Sora still hasn't returned. The Hestia Familia gathered around the living room for an important meeting.

"So Sora went to the Dungeon on his own to investigate and he still hasn't come back yet..." Bell muttered with a worried expression.

"Is it too much to ask for just one normal day? We just moved into our new home." Lili groaned.

"Unfortunately, the Heartless don't run on a schedule," Hestia sighed while folding her arms. "Honestly, I wish Sora could wait until morning. Instead, he decided to immediately go and investigate."

"What do we do in the meantime?" Bell asked.

"Well, we should wait a bit for Sora's return, and-" Hestia began.

She was cut off when the front door was open.

"Hey everyone, I'm back." Sora greeted as he walked into their home. He had small bags under his eyes, which indicated his lack of sleep. He then gave off a very big yawn.

"...Wow, this is just weird timing," Hestia muttered.

"Sora! You finished investigating the Dungeon?" Bell asked.

"I sure did," Sora replied as he sat down on one of the living room couches, "Fels wasn't exaggerating when he said the Heartless are on the move. There are barely Heartless on the 13th to 15th Floors of the Dungeon. The 16th to 17th Floors, on the other hand, are just swarming with them."

"That's not a good sign..." Lili muttered.

"Have you found out anything else Sora?" Hestia asked.

Sora gave a tired shrug.

"Not much, other than the numbers," Sora answered.

"I see. In any case, now that you're here, now is the perfect time to discuss what we should do from here on," Hestia told her Familia, to which her Familia nodded.

"First off," Hestia started as she held up one finger, "I'm going to have a meeting with Ouranos. I need to figure out how much he knows about the Heartless, as well as convince him not to release this kind of information to the public. Ouranos does have a relationship with the Guild, after all."

"It would be bad for us if Lord Ouranos spreads this information to the public." Lili agreed.

"And flush our efforts down the drain," Hestia inputted, as she then held up two fingers. "Second, it's clear the Heartless are up to something, and we need to put a stop to it before they cause any havoc. Sora, do you have a plan?"

Sora blinked when met with the question.

"Well...I need to take out the Heartless. It's the only solution that I can do." Sora answered, before he gave a small frown. "Still, it's going to take a while to clear up the Heartless. And I'm rather worried how the Heartless are near the 18th Floor."

"The 18th Floor...that's where a lot of Adventurers stay since it's a safe Floor," Lili said with recognition.

"That's not good," Bell said with a worried frown, "the Heartless could practically invade the 18th Floor...!"

"Yeah, which is why we'll be staying on the 18th Floor for the time being," Sora told everyone.

"Staying on the 18th Floor...? I guess that's a good choice to make, since you'll be nearby to prevent the Heartless from causing any harm." Hestia said while nodding at Sora's decision.

That is, before Hestia began to blink upon realizing something.

"Wait...we?" Hestia said in realization.

Bell and Lili soon processed what Hestia pointed out, as the two of them turned to Sora with a shocked expression.

"Wait...we're going to the 18th Floor!?" Bell asked in shock.

"But why though!?" Lili spoke up with a baffled expression. "We just started on the 13th Floor! Now you expect us to go to the 18th Floor already!?"

"Woah woah, I have my reasons why I want you guys to be on the 18th Floor," Sora tried to reassure them.

"It better be good reasons..." Lili muttered.

"It is, trust me," Sora told her, before he faced everyone. "For starters, it's going to take me a while to clear up the Heartless in the Middle Floors," Sora explained, "and that means I won't be on the 18th Floor. I need Bell and Lili to be on the 18th Floor to keep an eye out for the Heartless and take them out before they can harm anyone."

Bell and Lili could only blink owlishly upon hearing this.

"You want the two of us..." Lili slowly started, "to keep an eye out for all the Adventurers on the 18th Floor for Heartless?"

"Pretty much," Sora replied.

Lili looked in disbelief once more, and then turned to Hestia for help. Hestia gave a sigh while rubbing her forehead.

"Sora...I believe there's one important concern that needs to be addressed." Hestia pointed out.

"And that is?" Sora replied with a raised eyebrow.

"...Aren't you giving Bell and Lili too big of a task here!?" Hestia pointed out. "I mean, you're able to handle it, but Bell is a Level 2 and Lili is a Level 1! Do you honestly expect them to get to the 18th Floor, even though you're with them!? And also add to the fact that you're leaving a task like watching an entire floor to the two of them!?"

"Oh, I see where you're coming from..." Sora said with realization, before he gave a grin. "Well, I've been watching Bell's progress, and I can confidently say that Bell can practically handle Monsters that come from the Middle Floors. As for the Heartless, Bell has the right arsenal to take them on. So should Heartless begin to leak into the 18th Floor, Bell will be there to take them out. Lili can provide assistance in Bell's fight."

"Y-You honestly think I'm ready to take on the Heartless on my own?" Bell asked in surprise.

"Definitely!" Sora nodded while grinning in confidence. "The Heartless from the Middle Floor also stand no chance against you. The only issue is if they come in swarms or large numbers, but that's not likely to happen. A few Heartless may slip into the 18th Floor. Besides, you handled yourself pretty well against a horde of Satyr Heartless. Trust me when I say you're more than up for the task."

Hearing Sora's utter faith in him made Bell feel a mixture of excitement and anxiety surge from his Heart.

The task Sora is entrusting him is nothing like before, where he investigated the first eight Floors of the Dungeon in order to make sure that Heartless aren't moving up Floors. This time, he's going to be on the 18th Floor and make sure it's safe from the Heartless while Sora is out on the Middle Floors, dealing with the surge of Heartless.

Such a task should make Bell feel utterly nervous. And yet, there's a large part of him that wants to show Sora that his faith in him isn't misplaced.

"…I'll do my best to keep the people on the 18th Floor safe from the Heartless," Bell answered with a determined look.

"Master Bell…" Lili muttered in surprise, seeing Bell agreeing to this.

"Are you sure Bell?" Hestia asked in concern.

"I'm sure." Bell nodded, as he turned to face Sora. "If Sora has faith in my abilities to repel the Heartless, then I should be up to the task."

Hestia stared at Bell for a short moment, before she gave a sigh.

"…Fine. You can go." Hestia relented, before a frown appeared on her face. "But you must remember, if the task is too much for you, don't hesitate to bail and tell Sora. I'm sure Sora will understand. Right Sora?" Hestia said as she gave Sora a pointed look.

"Of course! I'll support Bell's choices, whether he wants to fight or not." Sora replied.

"Right…" Hestia gave a small sigh, seeing how things are going to proceed from here on.

"Wait, if we're going to the 18th Floor of the Dungeon and stay there, then what do we do about Master Welf?" Lili spoke up with realization.

"Oh right, Welf!" Bell recognized that Welf was in their party. "We are going to the 18th Floor. Should we bring Welf along as well?"

"I'm not sure about that." Hestia said with a frown. "This is a matter related to the Heartless, right? Is it really a good idea to drag him into this? Well, further than what he's involved in now."

"I think Welf should come. He proved himself to be a helpful party member, especially with that anti-magic spell of his. I'm sure he could lend Bell a hand," Sora pointed out.

"True…" Lili quietly remarked.

"Still…" Bell started with an unsure look. "How are we going to explain that we're immediately going to the 18th Floor? I'm sure Welf will have some questions to the sudden change."

Sora gave a puzzled look when he tried to think of the right answer for this problem.

"Well…" Sora started, "since Welf is eager to grow into a Level 2 to gain that Blacksmith Developmental Ability, then we can tell him that he can fight the 17th Floor monsters for bigger excelia while staying at the 18th Floor in the meantime. I'm sure Welf will be fine with that."

"That could be a good cover…" Hestia quietly said while slowly nodding at Sora's suggestion.

"I'll bring this up with Welf then," Bell told the others.

If Welf agrees, then the party will have an extra hand to deal with the Heartless. If not, then they'll respect Welf's choices.

"Alright then, we have a plan to move forward with," Hestia told everyone, as they all nodded. "Now with everything said, Sora?"

"Hm?" Sora responded while blinking at Hestia suddenly addressing him.

Hestia's eyebrow twitched and she gave off a smile that didn't exactly look pleasant.

"Go to sleep!"

~ Break ~

With Sora getting his needed rest, the Hestia Familia set out on what they need to do.

Hestia stood before the Guild with a small frown and proceeded to make her way into the building. When she entered the building, the place was moderately busy with Adventurers going about and interacting with the Guild employees.

One particular employee wasn't doing anything at the moment, and it was an employee that Hestia was familiar with.

"Oh, Goddess Hestia. How can I be of service today?" Eina greeted when Hestia approached her.

Hestia took a look around her surroundings to see if anyone was listening in. Once she confirmed that there isn't anyone closely listening, she looked to the half-elf.

"I'm here to have a meeting with Ouranos," Hestia told the advisor with a quiet tone.

"Ah, I see. You wish to-" Eina said while nodding, before the froze upon realizing what Hestia said. "...Pardon me, but what you just said just now..."

"Ouranos told me to meet him here. I wish to meet with him." Hestia told her upfront once more.

Eina stared at Hestia with a small baffled expression, before she gave a shaky smile.

"I-I see. Hold on, let me just talk to my manager for the moment-"

"There's no need. I'll take it from here," a new voice entered the scene.

The two turned to see a rather fat elf with white hair, green eyes, and short legs

Eina could only blink at who she saw. "M-Mr. Mardeel?"

Royman Mardeel, who was the head of the Guild, chose to ignore Eina's response as he walked up to Hestia.

"Lady Hestia, my sincere apologies for my employee's blunder. Please, follow me. I'll escort you to meet with Ouranos right away," the plump elf told the Goddess. Hestia frowned when she noticed the treatment of Eina.

"It's fine. This is made last minute thing, so it's only natural that anybody wouldn't know," Hestia told the elf.

Royman simply professionally nodded at her as he began leading her away. As he did, Hestia turned to Eina and gave a "this is seriously your boss" face to the half-elf, and then proceeded to follow him.

The half-elf could only watch with stunned silence upon seeing all of this happen.

The Hearth Goddess followed head of the Guild deeper into the building. They soon reached a rather long hallway that was ahead of them.

"Ouranos is ahead of this hall, lady Hestia," Royman told her while gesturing to the path before her.

"Thanks," Hestia curtly responded as she walked ahead as Royman stayed behind.

As Hestia made her way down the hall, the halls began to get darker. It was getting harder to see what was around her, but her eyes soon saw dim light at the end of the hallway.

When she finally reached the end of the hall, she soon entered a room where it was completely dim, with only four torches to be found around a particular altar. On the altar was a large stone-like chair.

And on the stone-like chair was a God who looked taller compared to other Gods. The God had white hair, blue eyes, and wore white robe with a black hooded cloak.

Hestia easily recognized the God before her.

"Hestia...it's been a long time." Ouranos greeted stoically yet amicably at the same time.

"It has been a long time, give or take a thousand years since we last saw each other in Tenkai," Hestia greeted, before the hearth Goddess took a glance around the room.

"Is Fels not here?" Hestia asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Fels is currently taking care of another task at the moment, so he won't be here at the moment," Ouranos said.

"And I take that task is related to the Heartless?" Hestia asked, getting straight to the point with Ouranos.

"Indeed," Ouranos replied while nodding, "the sudden appearance of these dark creatures has been...unsettling."

"To hear this from you of all people shows how bad things are going," Hestia said while giving a small grimace. "So...how much do you know about the Heartless?"

"The only facts that I know about them is that they showed up half a month ago, they seek out people and convert them into their numbers, and a majority of them are located in the Dungeon." Ouranos told her.

"So you know that much..." Hestia muttered with a troubled expression, "I'm surprised you didn't inform the Guild of this, since they are considered dangerous."

"I was considering it at first if it meant ensuring the safety of Orario," Ouranos admitted, "however, I didn't want to make any rash decisions. You and your Familia seem adamant in keeping this hidden from everyone, meaning this type of information is not meant to be known to the general populace."

"There's a good reason as to why," Hestia replied with a frown, "the Heartless are attracted to the darkness within people's Hearts. So if people were to suddenly panic or feel fear for these monsters..."

"Then the Heartless will come out of the Dungeon, regardless of my prayers," Ouranos finished with a frown. "As I thought, you and your child Sora have a lot of knowledge relating to these monsters. Or more accurately, Sora knows a lot more about them than anyone else."

Hestia grimaced, as she could see where the conversation is heading.

"...Hestia, just what are the origins of the Heartless? They're not just any Monster that spawns from the Dungeon. They operate under their own set of principles and rules, and yet Sora possesses the specific knowledge on how to eliminate them."

Hestia fell into silence upon hearing this. She was trying to find the right answer on how to explain this without exposing the entire truth. However, it's difficult to do so when Ouranos has already investigated.

"...Tell me, what do you intend to do with the knowledge?" Hestia asked, making Ouranos raise an eyebrow at her.

"What I intend to do? Like I've always done from the very beginning: ensuring the safety of everyone in Orario. If these Heartless truly are a threat that could lead to Orario's downfall, then I intend to stop the threat." Ouranos stated.

"...I see," Hestia said while giving a small sigh.

It's rather difficult to hide things at this point. Lying or giving small bits of information wouldn't get them anywhere. Ouranos could come to an incorrect decision that could cost a lot of lives. And when she thought about it, Ouranos had been one of the first Gods to descend to Gekai and blessed humanity with the Falna. And from the beginning, Ouranos never acted out of self-interest, but for the benefit of humanity instead.

And hearing Ouranos's answer has confirmed that Ouranos wouldn't use this information with any malicious intent.

'...I can't believe I'm doing this,' Hestia thought to herself, as she decided to come to a decision.

"...Alright, you want to know the truth about the Heartless? I'll tell you then. This is, however, going to take a while to explain all of this." Hestia warned.

~ Break ~

"We're going to the 18th Floor already?" Welf asked while blinking in surprise.

"We are." Bell answered, as he and Lili stood before Welf in his workshop.

The blacksmith gave a small baffled expression when told this, before he sighed while scratching the back of his head.

"Oi oi, aren't we moving things a bit too fast here? I thought we were doing just fine with the Floor that we're currently on. Why the sudden move up?" Welf questioned.

"Well...it's complicated to explain, but Sora has some business to take care of on the 18th Floor, and he wants us to come along with him," Bell explained.

"Not to mention, Sora thinks that fighting monsters from lower Floors will help us grow faster." Lili also inputted.

"I guess that's true. Still..." Welf looked rather skeptical about the idea.

"Sora is going to be with us, so we don't have to worry about being overwhelmed," Bell reassured.

"Though if this is too much, it won't be held against you if you want to back out for safety," Lili told Welf.

Welf fell a bit silent upon hearing this.

"I feel like we had this conversation before relating to the Heartless," Welf commented with a raised eyebrow, "it's one thing about fighting these new monsters; it's another thing about jumping immediately from the 13th to 18th Floor."

Bell gave a strained and sheepish chuckle with Welf pointing this out.

"Still...I can't deny the opportunity of growing faster," Welf said with a thoughtful look, "I've been having a good gain in my status lately, so I guess the Heartless are to thank for the nice excelia gain. If we were to dive to deeper floors and I could defeat a few monsters there...yeah, it could work."

If he has an opportunity to grow and reach Level 2 to gain the Blacksmith Developmental Ability soon, then he would be a fool not to do so. Plus with Sora around, Welf wouldn't have to worry much about being overwhelmed.

"Honestly, it's never a boring moment with you guys. Count me in," Welf told the group with a smirk.

"R-Really? That's great to hear then!" Bell said with elation.

"Seems like we truly are dragging you deeper into this." Lili sighed in resignation.

"Like you can get rid of me that easily," Welf gave a playful scoff, "in any case, I better start preparing for tomorrow. Oh, and your knives are almost ready Bell. I just need to put in the finishing touches and they'll be ready."

"I'm looking forward to it," Bell said with an appreciative and eager look, "we'll get going then. See you tomorrow Welf."

"Yeah, see ya."

And with that, the two Hestia Familia members left his workshop, leaving Welf alone.

The smirk on Welf's face soon faded away with a contemplative frown.

"...The 18th Floor, huh? That means we'll be facing a lot of strong monsters along the way." Welf muttered to himself.

Even though Welf agreed that he'll come, and knew that things would be fine with Sora around, that doesn't mean it's going to be a walk in the park. It's already a tough battle with the Heartless on the 13th Floor. He could only imagine the Heartless from the lower Floors are going to be an uphill battle from there.

And his mind flashed back to a recent event, where a large stampede of Satyr Heartless came before them.

If Sora wasn't around, then he could only imagine he and the others would end up in a more dire situation. Hell, the Takemikazuchi Familia would've done a Pass Parade to save their own skins. Thankfully, that never came to pass. Sora is a capable warrior, along with a very capable weapon that turns the tides in his favor.

"If such a weapon was able to keep everyone safe..." Welf muttered.

He doesn't like to make Magic Swords, nor the people who use Magic Swords on a whim to win their battles. A weapon is a part of its user, one that should never break and be left behind.

Yet Sora showed him that it's possible to have an unbreakable Magic Sword. Also, add to the fact that Sora doesn't use his Magic Sword as a crutch, but instead augments his fighting ability and protecting his party members.

Now Bell and Sora are giving him the chance to grow.

Welf clenched his fist.

There's no way he's just going to keep taking from them. Even though he's forging weapons and armor for Bell, it's not enough for the blacksmith. He doesn't want to be deadweight to the party.

It was then he made up his mind on what he was about to do.

He needs to talk to his Goddess about something important.

~ Break ~

"...This is quite the revelation, Hestia," Ouranos told the Hearth Goddess.

"That would be an understatement," Hestia sighed with exhaustion.

She spent a good amount of time explaining where exactly the Heartless come from, as well as the fact why Sora knew about them, to begin with.

"...To think the Heartless originate from the Realm of Darkness, a completely separate yet interconnected realm to us," Ouranos said with a deeper frown on his face.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around that concept..." Hestia muttered while rubbing her forehead.

"I understand why this is so important to keep a secret. This very knowledge would disrupt what you call World Order if it were to be spread throughout the entire World," Ouranos stated.

"And that is something we don't need on our mess of a plate. The most important task we need to take care of is taking out the Heartless before anyone notices. Thankfully, Sora is working on that issue right now," Hestia said.

"...The boy who wields the Keyblade. A weapon that could decide the fate of countless Worlds," Ouranos quietly commented. "People are going to question why a Level 1 like Sora is capable of fighting on par with high-level Adventurers. Do you have any stop-gap measures if this were to happen?"

"Unfortunately, no. We're just doing our best to keep Sora out of the spotlight as best as we can," Hestia admitted.

"I see...that may be the best solution for now. However, I believe you should prepare if such a possibility happens," Ouranos warned.

"I'll keep that in mind," Hestia said with a frown. "So...what exactly do we do from here? Sora is already planning on investigating the Dungeon, especially with the movement of the Heartless."

"For now? I believe we should keep in contact with each other to prevent the Heartless from causing any significant damage. And from what you've informed, someone or something is directing the Heartless here in Orario. I'll have Fels investigate that matter and inform you of what is found," Ouranos told her.

"That's honestly the best thing to do at this point," Hestia sighed with relief, glad that Ouranos is on board with cooperating with them. And the more eyes and ears they have, the more likely they can prevent Heartless from wreaking havoc before they have the chance.

It was then realization hit Hestia.

"Oh right, Ganesha is also in on this as well. Maybe you should have a talk with him and have him work with you on this matter," Hestia suggested.

"...Ganesha, hm? I suppose a talk with him is important," Ouranos commented.

"Right?" Hestia nodded. "Now that I think about it, I should go talk to Ganesha about this whole issue. Is it alright for me to talk about you with Ganesha? Or do you wish to remain inconspicuous for the time being?"

"It is of no issue. I'll be talking with Ganesha in the near future about this," Ouranos simply said.

"Alright then! I'll be heading out now, I gotta lot of things to take care of..." Hestia said while sighing as she walked off.

Ouranos simply sat there in silence as he watched Hestia leave the room. As she did, Ouranos hummed to himself while closing his eyes in thought.

He was thinking to himself if he should've approached Hestia on a particular subject since they were working together.

"...No, it is too soon to approach Hestia on that topic. The Heartless is a bigger issue that needs to be taken care of." Ouranos quietly said to himself.

~ Break ~

"Your Familia is going to spend a few days in the Middle Floor?" Ganesha repeated with a surprised look.

"Yes," Hestia confirmed while nodding, sitting before Ganesha in his office. Shakti was also attending the meeting as well.

"But why though? What caused this sudden decision?" Ganesha asked in confusion.

Hestia frowned when met with that question as she folded her arms.

"Last night, a mysterious figure called Fels approached us and told us how Heartless are beginning to move en masse towards lower Floors of the Dungeon." Hestia explained.

This caused Ganesha to freeze upon hearing this.

"...Fels?" Ganesha repeated with confusion.

"Yeah, and it turns out that he's working with Ouranos, who knew of the Heartless already." Hestia also revealed.

"...Ouranos? You actually met up with Ouranos!?" Ganesha asked in surprise, causing Hestia to nod.

"Yeah. I just talked with him, and we came to an agreement that it's best to work together to stop the Heartless. I believe Ouranos will be reaching out to you soon regarding the Heartless, so be prepared for that," Hestia told the God.

"...I-I see." Ganesha quietly responded.

This caused Hestia to raise an eyebrow at Ganesha's response. Usually, he would be reacting with more vigor about preparing to meet up with Ouranos. Perhaps Ganesha is taking this more seriously than she thought.

"You said the Heartless are on the move," Shakti spoke up. "Where exactly are they moving to?"

"It's hard to say. However, Sora immediately went to investigate the Heartless in the Dungeon, and he noticed that a majority of the Heartless from the 13th to 15th Floor are practically gone, and they could only be found in the 16th to 17th Floros of the Dungeon. He, along with my other children, will be staying on the 18th Floor for the time being." Hestia explained.

"Should I assist as well?" Shakti asked.

Hestia hummed while giving a thoughtful look at the offer.

"Having a Level 6 like you to help out certainly sounds appealing, as it would keep Bell and Lili safe. However..." Hestia started with a frown.

"That would leave Orario short of a Level 6," Ganesha stated as he folded his arms. "We still need to remember that Heartless are lurking in Orario as well. And based on the two Heartless that have shown up, they're not going to be easy to defeat."

"And it's not like we can rely on high-Level Familias like Freya to help out. We can't exactly drag outsiders into this mess," Hestia added in.

Shakti slightly bit her lip upon hearing this.

They weren't exactly wrong. Her strength is needed to protect the populace from the Heartless, and they can't exactly afford to drag in other high-Level Familias unless absolutely necessary.

"Still, if you need manpower, I'm sure my Familia can provide assistance," Ganesha offered.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. However, I believe Sora will be able to handle the task. Bell and Lili will simply keep an eye out for the 18th Floor in the meantime." Hestia explained.

"I, Ganesha, understand then. My Familia and I will continue our lookout for the Heartless for Orario in the meantime then!" Ganesha declared.

"Alright then, guess that's settled. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get going. No doubt Hephastois is wondering where the hell I've been since I didn't show up for my shift..." Hestia said while sighing as she left the office.

Ganesha and his Familia Captain watched Hestia leave the office. As soon as she did, Shakti turned to Ganesha.

"Lord Ganesha, do you believe that...?" Shakti started, but Ganesha shook his head.

"No. It appears Ouranos approached Hestia on an entirely different matter, not the Xenos. Otherwise, Ouranos would've informed Hestia that I've already established a working relationship with him." Ganesha pointed out.

Not to mention, Ganesha already revealed the information about the Heartless at Ouranos's request. Ganesha knows that Ouranos wouldn't do anything wrong with the information as he has Orario's safety in mind. The fact that Ouranos had Fels approach the Hestia Familia at this time spoke of how dire the situation was.

"...Lord Ganesha, I believe it's necessary to tell Lady Hestia the truth about our pre-established connections to Ouranos," Shakti told Ganesha with a frown.

"I, Ganesha, agree. However, I, Ganesha, believe she'll be questioning why I have connections with Ouranos in the first place," Ganesha pointed out.

It was important to keep the existence of the Xenos a secret. Ganesha can't exactly take a gamble with Hestia and tell her of the existence of the Xenos. He doesn't know Hestia and her Familia's stance towards Monsters who can talk. It also doesn't help that Hestia and her Familia already have their plate full of dealing with the Heartless.

"...We'll tell Hestia about it eventually. Until then, we need to keep the safety of the Xenos in mind as well," Ganesha stated.

Silence was made between the two before Shakti gave a small sigh.

"...Understood," Shakti answered.

~ Break ~

It was soon nearing the end of the day, and the Hestia Familia completed what they managed to do. Tomorrow is when they depart for the Dungeon and investigate the Heartless. So for now, they're using this time to prepare for their trip into Dungeon.

Sora, who managed to get his rest, decided the only thing to do to prepare for the Dungeon was prepare meals for their days in the Dungeon.

Sora whistled to himself the Steamboat Willie song while stirring a large pot before him. After stirring it a few times, he then got a spoon and scooped out the food. He then placed it in his mouth to give it a taste, and then nodded himself.

"Yep, seems just right!" Sora chirped.

The Keyblade wielder then put a lid on the pot, took it off the stove...and proceeded to shove it into his magic pocket.

"Well, we won't be going hungry any time soon!" the islander told himself while patting his pocket.

"Sora?"

Sora blinked, and he turned his head to see Bell standing at the entrance of the kitchen.

"Oh hey Bell, what's up?" Sora greeted Bell with his usual friendly smile.

"Are you finished with cooking meals for the Dungeon?" Bell curiously asked, looking around the kitchen to see a bunch of cooking utensils, pots, and pans laid about.

"Yeah, that's the last of it! From what Tsubaki and Shakti told me, the food in Rivira isn't that good. Not to mention too pricey. So I'm just saving us the trouble of getting ripped off." Sora recalled.

"I see..." Bell muttered while having a troubled look on his face, something that Sora took notice of.

"Something wrong Bell?" Sora asked.

Bell went silent for a bit before he looked Sora straight in the eyes.

"I need your help with Argonaut," Bell told Sora, making the Keyblade wielder blink upon hearing Bell's request.

"Argonaut...? Isn't that your Skill that strengthens your attack?" Sora pointed out.

"Yeah. Thanks to Argonaut, it was able to greatly damage Zanis's Heartless and stop a blast from a Heartless Infant Dragon. It's a great Skill to have, though...I'm having trouble trying to activate it." Bell told Sora while looking at his hand.

"That so? Huh, sounds like it's something that needs to be worked on," Sora remarked with a thoughtful look, "have you tried anything in particular to activate it?"

"A few things, but so far, it hasn't worked," Bell admitted.

"Well, let's think back on how you exactly came to be in the first place. What happened around that time when Argonaut manifested?" Sora asked.

"Well..." Bell furrowed his eyebrows in thought.

During the incident with Zanis's Heartless, Bell witnessed the type of enemies Sora typically tackles. Enemies that are far beyond Bell's current strength. Seeing the gap between him and Sora made him frustrated and wanted nothing more than to help out Sora in some way. Argonaut came about that way.

Before the encounter with the Heartless Infant Dragon, Bell thought about how he's taking a few examples from Sora and determination to catch up to Sora. Argonaut manifested around that time.

"...I've...thought about how much I wanted to help you out in the fight against the Heartless," Bell admitted while looking a bit bashful upon admitting this in Sora's face.

Sora blinked at Bell's answer.

"So...Argonaut comes out because you want to help me?" Sora pointed out.

Bell's cheeks went red.

"I-I'm just working off what I know!" Bell defended himself, which caused Sora to stifle his laughter. "Hey, don't laugh at this!"

"S-Sorry, I'm not making fun of you, really!" Sora reassured the white-haired teenager. "I'm just finding it funny that wanting to help me automatically activates your Argonaut. If that was the case, it would've activated multiple times."

Sora then gave a thoughtful look towards Bell.

"Well...in my personal opinion, Argonaut seems to manifest from your Heart," Sora said while tapping on Bell's chest.

"My...Heart?" Bell repeated with a surprised expression.

"That's right. The Heart is the source of your feelings, and those feelings seem to activate Argonaut. Thus, Argonaut manifests from your Heart." Sora elaborated.

"...I guess it could be like that," Bell quietly commented while looking down to his chest. "But...even if that's the case, I don't exactly know the specifics of how to activate Argonaut from my Heart. So how do I...?"

Sora hummed in thought, before his facial expression brightened up in realization.

"Well, there's one particular phrase I've learned, and I feel this applies to the situation that you're in," Sora told Bell.

"Really? And what's that?" Bell curiously asked.

Sora simply gave a grin towards Bell and opened his mouth to tell Bell the answer.

~ Break ~

Dawn soon came and the Hestia Familia stood before the Hearth Goddess in front of their new home. The three Hestia Familia members stood ready to depart for their trip into the Dungeon.

"Do you have everything prepared?" Hestia asked everyone.

"As ready as we'll ever be!" Sora nodded while pumping his fist.

"Lili triple-checked everything needed. Nothing is missing for us." Lili answered.

"...I'm ready for what is to come, Goddess," Bell answered with a resolute look.

"Good," Hestia nodded, before an encouraging smile formed on her face.

"Well, the only thing I can say at this point...is that all of you better return in one piece! This is an order from your Goddess!" Hestia ordered all of her Familia members.

The three shared looks with each other, before they smiled at their patron Goddess.

"Heard you loud and clear Hestia. We'll be off then!" Sora declared as he turned around and began to run ahead of the group, with Bell and Lili following his lead.

Hestia could only wave them goodbye, and watch them run into the distance until they can no longer be seen.

~ Break ~

The Hestia Familia soon arrived at the plaza's fountain, and found Welf standing at the fountain waiting for them. The blacksmith soon caught sight of them and waved an arm at them.

"Hey, good to see you all up and ready." Welf greeted as the trio approached him.

"Hey Welf. Are you prepared for our dive to the 18th Floor?" Bell asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be. Though, we're going to have to rely on Sora to make it possible in the first place," Welf pointed out with a small wry grin.

"Can't deny that," Bell gave a good-hearted chuckle.

"Oh, before we do go," Welf said as he dug into his bag and took out a small box, "here are your new throwing knives. Gotta say, making these designs are lot more complex than I thought they would be."

Bell accepted the box from Welf and opened it. Bell lets out a noise of awe when presented with his new throwing knives.

The Irréguiler knives were identical to the ones Midadol made. However, with Welf's work, it seemed a lot sharper compared to the previous knives. Also add to the fact that the knives had a different feel to them, considering that they're made up of different materials.

Bell immediately grabbed a few knives from the box and held it between his fingers. Just like the Trancheuse, the throwing knives felt perfectly natural in his grip.

"They're perfect..." Bell said with awe.

"Heh, glad to hear that. Though, Telamon does get credit for those designs..." Welf looked a bit annoyed that it's not just his work alone. However, he soon shook it off, seeing how unorthodox throwing knives are outside his main work.

"Since they came from the Heartless Infant Dragon, did any ability arise from this?" Sora curiously asked.

"Yeah." Welf nodded. "It took me by surprise when I was in the process of making this. Nearly blew a hole in my workshop."

Their eyes widened upon hearing this.

"Wait, what exactly do you mean by blowing a hole in your workshop!?" Bell questioned in shock.

Welf lets out a wry smirk.

"Well, why not go into the Dungeon and see for yourself?"

~ Break ~

Sora was right when he said that the 13th to 15th Floors of the Dungeon barely have any Heartless around. Instead, only the regular Dungeon Monsters remain for the group to fight.

And with regular Dungeon Monsters, Bell felt it was the perfect time to practice with his new weapons.

A group of Al-Miraj leaped before the group with landform weapons in hand. Bell immediately charged into the horde before him, holding Irrégulier knives in both of his hands.

Bell made a claw-like slash horizontally, eliminating a row of Al-Miraj before him. He then thrust forward and stabbed the knives into an Al-Miraj, making it explode into dark ashes. He then spun himself to deliver a heel kick to an incoming Al-Miraj, and then used the momentum of his body to deliver an upward slash to another Al-Miraj.

Bell then jumped up into the air, and proceeded to throw his knives downward towards towards the Al-Miraj. Each knife successfully hit its mark, and the Al-Miraj exploded into dark ashes.

Immediately, Bell took out his Ushiwakamaru and spun himself to deliver a circular slash around him, cutting down all of the Al-Miraj that came at him. Bell's body briefly glowed green when Ushiwakamaru managed to drain the vitality from the Al-Miraj.

And just like that, the Al-Miraj horde were taken out.

Welf gave an impressed whistle upon seeing all of this.

"As usual, you're able to completely dominate the battle against these Monsters. How do you feel about Irrégulier knives?" Welf curiously asked.

"They're great," Bell answered with a smile as he picked up the knives, "they're sharper than the previous knives, and they're a perfect fit in my hand."

"That right? Well, gotta hand it to Telamon, she certainly knows how to make a bizarre-looking weapon functional. The materials certainly help as well." Welf remarked.

Welf then glanced around his surroundings.

"Still...it's quite surreal to already be here on the 15th Floor. It hasn't even been a month, and I've already moved far beyond the 10th Floor." Welf commented.

"We could only be thankful that Master Bell and Master Sora are here to make it possible." Lili inputted.

"Yeah, it certainly helps having a high-Level member in our party." Welf nodded in agreement.

Bell gave off a nervous laugh while Sora gave an awkward grin while scratching his cheek.

"Right, let's keep moving everyone! We only have two more Floors to go!" Sora told everyone.

The party raised their arms in a cheer of agreement.

But then their cheers were interrupted by the sound of roars and heavy footsteps.

Everyone paused, and they all turned their heads to see three horned humanoid figures making their way towards them.

"...Seriously!?" Welf yelled in disbelief.

"Three minotaurs at the same time. Huh, what are the odds?" Sora remarked while looking nonplussed at the sight before him.

"Sora, Lili believes now is a good time to step in and-" Lili was about to suggest Sora to help out in this matter.

"No," Bell interrupted Lili as he stepped forward while holding up his knives, "this is actually the perfect time to test out the knives' abilities."

"Oh yeah, you're right! We haven't had much of a chance to test them out! The minotaurs are perfect!" Sora nodded in agreement.

Welf and Lili could only look at the two with disbelief and shock.

"...Holy crap, they're not joking," Welf muttered.

"Using the minoaturs as practice targets for a new weapon...Lili thought Lili saw it all." Lili sighed with annoyance and exasperation.

With the minotaurs getting closer, Bell immediately made his way toward them while holding up three knives in one hand.

Bell then threw each of the Irrégulier knives toward the three incoming minotaurs. The knives flew through the air and managed to embed themselves into each of the minotaur's flesh, but it didn't slow the minotaurs down, as it merely seemed like a small flesh wound to them.

Bell then held up his hand towards them.

"Firebolt!"

Bell fired off a single and a bolt of Light Firaga soared through the air and stuck the leading minotaur of the group.

The minotaur heavily growled, as the fire badly burned its body. It was still standing, however, and was about to charge towards Bell.

It failed to notice the Irrégulier knife embedded in its abdomen glowing violently red.

Before the minotaurs could process on what to do next, the burnt minotaur soon exploded into a small pillar of white fire. The minotaur's next to it could only cry out in shock as they stepped back from the explosion.

Immediately, the two of them were struck by Bell's Firebolt, badly burning them in the process. The knives embedded in their bodies glowed brightly, and the two minotaurs were met with the same fate as their fellow minotaur as they were engulfed in a small pillar of white flames.

When the flames died down, all that remained were the charred remains of minotaur horns.

Bell could only stare in astonishment at what occurred.

"...So that's what they could do," Bell whispered in amazement.

The Irrégulier knives seem to have taken the fiery aspect from the Heartless Infant Dragon. Alone, the Irrégulier knives are quality throwing knives capable of slicing and stabbing their targets.

However, the ability it possesses greatly compliments Bell's Firebolt magic. The Irrégulier knives are able to absorb his fire magic, amplify it to greater strength, and unleash the fire in a concentrated explosion in the form of a pillar of fire.

If Bell's Firebolt alone cannot take out the target, then the Irrégulier knives will certainly finish the job for him.

"Heh, nice work Bell," Sora complimented Bell as he patted him on the shoulder.

"T-Thanks..." Bell was still in a bit of a daze at what he saw.

"...I didn't think the knives were capable of doing this much damage," Welf quietly commented, before his eyes narrowed a bit, "no...Bell's magic could also be at play here. It's unusually strong for a spell with not chant at all."

But even so...the abilities that arise from the Heartless Monster Hybrid drops are truly something else.

"Alright, Lili believes that should be enough testing things out," Lili pointed out to everyone, "we shouldn't dawdle here any further. We need to get to the 18th Floor as soon as possible."

"Oh, right!" Sora said with recognition before a frown appeared on his face. "Still...the 16th and 17th Floors are crawling with Heartless. It's going to take a while...unless...!"

"...Lili is not liking where this is going," Lili muttered when she saw Sora's expression brighten up at some idea he was thinking of.

"What are you thinking of, Sora?" Bell asked with a confused look.

Sora soon gave a grin towards everyone.

"I'll show you once we get to the 16th Floor."

~ Break ~

"Thank you for your patronage!" Hestia thanked the customer, watching the customer walk off with their order of jagamaru.

Once there were no customers in sight, Hestia gave a small tired sigh to herself. This jagamaru job is needed to pay off her debt to Hephastois, alongside working at one of her weapon shops.

A part of Hestia wished she could've used the valis to buy their new home to pay off her debt to Hephastois, but the needs of her Familia came first. It was all worth it in her opinion, as she and her Familia finally have a proper home to stay at. However, the home wouldn't mean much when her Familia immediately had to leave for a few days to investigate the Heartless matter in the Dungeon.

So she has a large and empty home all to herself. The concept alone unsettled the Goddess, who was used to having her children come home after their time in the Dungeon.

'Maybe I should I ask Hephastois to have a drink together after all of this.' Hestia thought to herself as she began restocking the ingredients needed for jagamaru.

As she did, her mind began to wander to the unique taste that she had recently. She could still remember the taste of the Sea Salt Ice Cream that she tasted. As bizarre as the flavor suggests, the ice cream is pretty good. And she isn't the only one, as her Familia and Takemikazuchi's Familia also like it.

She could only imagine that this type of ice cream could gain popular attraction if they played their cards right. The problem, however, is getting over the initial impressions of the ice cream.

'Sora did say Scrooge managed to set up a business with that type of ice cream. And since he's a World Traveler, he can make it possible in this World. Though...' Hestia thought while her eyebrow twitched at one specific detail about Scrooge.

Scrooge is a walking talking duck, just like Donald.

Scrooge himself would just freak the people out.

'On second thought, maybe it's best he doesn't come here...' Hestia thought, thinking of the chaos that would ensue.

"Yo, Hestia! It's been a while!" a familiar voice greeted her.

Hestia blinked at the voice, and she looked up to see a certain God before her.

"...Hermes?" Hestia said aloud in recognition.

"In the flesh! It's been a while Hestia!" Hermes greeted with a friendly smile.

"The feeling is mutual, I guess," Hestia responded with a raised eyebrow. "When did you arrive in Orario?"

"Just recently," Hermes answered, "and as soon as I arrived, I've been hearing word of your child reaching Level 2 in a month and a half. You certainly took Orario by surprise with your child, huh?"

"I guess you could say Bell is special like that..." Hestia gave a weak laugh when saying this.

"Indeed. Say, since we're Gods who resided on Olympus, you think you could do your fellow God a favor and let me meet up with Bell? I'm really curious to meet Orario's rising star!" Hermes said with an eager look.

"And why exactly are you so eager to meet with my precious Bell?" Hestia questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"What, can't a God be curious? It's just a simple talk. Really, I swear," Hermes said while raising his hand in a gesture of a promise.

'That's exactly why I'm not pushing forward with you meeting Bell.' Hestia mentally snarked.

Hestia is a Goddess. Thus, she knows exactly the nature of her fellow Gods. Once their eyes catch onto something interesting, they'll do what it takes to grab that interest before anyone else can. Zeus, Hera, and that creep Apollo are pure examples of this. And because Hermes comes from the same place as the mentioned Gods, it's an obvious sign that Hermes is aiming for something.

The fact that Hermes is searching for Bell already raised some red flags for the Goddess.

"Unfortunately, my Familia is quite busy at the moment. Even if I wanted to, they can't exactly spare a minute with you." Hestia pointed out.

"Really now? Not even at the end of the day?" Hermes asked in surprise.

"Unfortunately for you, they won't be here on the surface for a while," Hestia replied.

The moment Hestia said that, Hermes's expression froze.

"...Pardon?"

~ Break ~

The 17th Floor was teeming with Heartless.

Various Heartless were making their way through the empty halls of the Dungeon Floor. It was fortunate that no Adventurer was in the area at the time; otherwise, they would've been overwhelmed by the sheer strength and numbers.

However, their sense of hearing soon picked up an approaching foreign sound the likes they'd never heard of before. They all turned their heads to look at the source of noise approaching them.

Only to be met with a large explosion that either sent them flying back or obliterated their existence.

The rest of the Heartless that weren't immediately destroyed were soon met with similar fates, as they were suddenly assaulted by a barrage of energy blasts.

A Neo Shadow Heartless, staggering from the nearby explosions, turned its head to get a look at what was obliterating them.

What was before the Neo Shadow Heartless was a particular futuristic-looking vehicle adorned with bright lights. And riding the vehicle were four people, with three of them manning what appeared to be blasters.

"Fire away!" Sora cheered as he was firing the main blaster towards the crowd of Heartless.

"Firing!" Welf declared as he aimed his blaster towards a group of Neo Shadow Heartless, blasting them into pieces.

"Stand still!" Lili cried out as she was trying to aim for the airborne Heartless, with some of the blasts missing them.

However, her missed shots were made up for when a bolt of white fire soared through the air and struck them down.

Bell, who was standing in the middle of the back row, was firing off his Firebolts to assist in the barrage.

As Bell was firing off his magic, a part of him is still flabbergasted at what is happening.

Sora wanted everyone to get to the 18th Floor quickly, while taking out Heartless and keeping everyone safe. Sora's solution to this type of problem is to access a particular power that he hasn't used in a while.

The Attraction Flow.

Of all the powers that Sora had access to, the Attraction Flow is by far the weirdest ability in Bell's personal opinion. The ability to summon a strange-looking wagon attached with magical wands that can fire off magic blasts isn't exactly a common sight.

Everyone was flabbergasted when Sora decided to bring it out in front of everyone. Welf was especially shocked at what just happened and questioned if it was Sora's magic.

Sora just gave a smile and merely said it's something like that.

Initially, Bell was worried about Sora showing this type of ability before Welf. However, Welf has proven himself to be a trustworthy party member since he didn't tell anyone about Sora's abilities, the Heartless, or the Dream Eaters. So what's one more to the pile?

Sora's choice in bringing out the Attraction Flow, or the Blaster Blaze, was the right one for the party. The 16th and 17th Floor was packed with Heartless. There wasn't a single moment where there was a room or hallway that wasn't empty, not unless Sora cleared the area. With the Blaster Blaze Attraction Flow, everyone was able to conserve their stamina while using the power of the Blaster Blaze to eliminate the Heartless.

Though, the Blaster Blaze only had three blasters, meaning one of them wouldn't be able to fire one. Sora had to be in the front to drive the vehicle, so that leaves two remaining. Logically, Welf and Lili were given the blasters since the two lack ranged options to take on the Heartless. Bell, on the other hand, had his Firebolt spell.

Bell could only inwardly sulk at the circumstances. A part of him wanted to try out the blasters on the Blaster Blaze.

He quickly shook it off as he focused on the battle before him.

"Hey Bell?" Welf called out while still shooting down the crowd of Heartless before him.

"Something wrong Welf?" Bell asked in concern while still firing off his magic.

"Has anyone ever told you that Sora's abilities is just straight-up absurd?" Welf asked.

Bell paused when met with that question.

"...A few times. Mainly from Lili and Hestia." Bell admitted.

"Well let me say that Sora's magic is straight-up absurd! Seriously, what kind of magic brings out a magical wagon loaded with magic wands!?" Welf questioned, all the while still firing at the Heartless.

"Are we seriously questioning on Sora's abilities now of all times!?" Lili exclaimed to the two with disbelief. "Master Welf, it's better for you to accept whatever Sora brings to the table! It's better for your sanity!"

"At this point, I may as well take your word for it," Welf admitted.

Meanwhile, Sora sweatdropped at the conversation that was being made behind him.

'...My powers really are weird to the people of this World.' Sora thought to himself.

It was then Sora noticed that there weren't any more Heartless before them. Because of this, the Blaster Blaze soon disappeared, which had the entire party land their feet on the ground.

"...There aren't any more Heartless in this area," Bell noted.

"That's right," Sora nodded when looking around. He then pointed forward. "Hey check it out, we're almost at the 18th Floor!"

"...Seriously?" Welf muttered with surprise. "I mean, your magic did help us immensely on getting through the 16th and 17th Floor, but I didn't think that we'd move through the two floors this quickly."

"Well, we did have a reliable mode of transportation to help us," Bell remarked.

"Certainly saved us a lot of time and effort," Lili nodded.

"Alright then. We just need to make our way down this hall and across the Big Wall of Grief." Sora told everyone as he began to lead the way.

"...Wait, hold on a moment," Welf said with realization, "if I remember correctly, isn't the Big Wall of Grief where the Monster Rex known as the Goliath spawns!?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, that monster," Sora recalled while looking not concerned about it, "well, the Goliath wasn't in that place the last time I went through there."

"And when was that?" Welf questioned with a skeptical look.

"Give or take a couple weeks, why do you ask?" Sora answered with a raised eyebrow.

Before anyone else could speak, their ears soon picked up heavy footsteps before them, and the ground underneath them shook a bit.

"...The Goliath spawns every 2 weeks Sora." Lili pointed out with a blank expression.

"...Alright," Welf muttered while palming his face in frustration and annoyance, "I thought the run-in with the 3 Minotaurs was bad luck. This is just ridiculous."

"I don't think it noticed us yet," Bell said with a concerned frown, "we're still not in the room where it spawns."

"Now I can finally get a good look at what it looks like," Sora said with an interested and eager look.

The party quietly made their way towards the entrance of the Big Wall of Grief, and they soon peeked into the room where the Goliath resides. The Hestia Familia, save for Sora, had their eyes widened at the sight of the Monster Rex known as the Goliath. The Goliath was a large humanoid monster that towered over the group. It possessed grey skin and long black hair.

"Huh...so that's the Goliath," Sora commented. "...I imagined it to be a lot bigger."

"I think size isn't the main issue here," Welf pointed out. "We have to figure out how we're going to get past it!"

"Lili suggests that Sora should take it on. He's more than capable," Lili suggested, knowing Sora is more than capable of taking down the Monster Rex before them.

"I mean, I could, but..." Sora trailed off as his eyes fell onto Bell.

Bell, who was still watching the Monster Rex at the time, felt eyes fall onto him. He blinked, and turned to see Sora looking at him with a smile on his face.

"Hey Bell, you should be the one to take it out," Sora told Bell.

Everyone fell into silence upon hearing this. Welf and Lili could only look at Sora with surprise and shock, while Bell's facial expression remained blank, as if his brain was still trying to process what Sora just told him.

And then Bell's eyes widened in shock.

"W-Wait, me!?" Bell almost shouted in surprise while pointing to himself.

"Are you serious Master Sora!? You expect Master Bell to defeat the Goliath entirely on his own!?" Lili questioned with disbelief.

"Look, there's having faith in your party's ability to fight, and then there's overestimating!" Welf pointed out.

"But Bell does have a method to take out the Goliath." Sora pointed out, which made everyone blink upon hearing this.

"I do...?" Bell asked in confusion.

"Yeah. You have one particular Skill that will truly help you defeat it." Sora reminded.

It was then Bell's eyes widened upon realization, as he recognized what Sora is alluding to.

"...You want me to use Argonaut to defeat it," Bell said with recognition.

"Of course," Sora nodded. "Use Argonaut to strengthen your attack. And from what we've learned, the longer you charge Argonaut, the stronger your attack. So let's see what Argonaut can do when you charge it to its fullest."

Bell fell into a thoughtful look upon being told this. He hasn't seen Argonaut used to its full potential. He only used it for a brief period of time, and even those charges greatly amplified his attack.

"Oi oi, are you seriously considering this Bell?" Welf questioned with an incredulous expression.

"Master Bell, please reconsider! This is all too reckless to even entertain this idea! Master Sora, why are you making Bell do this!?" Lili questioned.

"It's because I have faith in Bell," Sora simply answered with a confident smirk, "and besides, if he defeats the Goliath, then he'll practically gain a lot of Excelia. So why not make the most of it?"

Bell went into thoughtful silence once more. Sora, once again, has shown how much trust and faith he has in Bell. And Sora wasn't wrong when he said that if he defeats the Goliath, then that means he's making one step closer to reaching Sora.

"...Let's do it." Bell declared with a determined look, much to the shock of Welf and Lili.

"...Holy crap, you're seriously going through with this..." Welf muttered in disbelief and shock.

Lili bit her lip in frustration, seeing how Bell is going through with such an utterly ridiculous plan that Sora has in mind.

"Master Sora...are you absolutely sure that Bell will emerge victorious from this? That the possibility of failure hasn't come to mind?" Lili questioned, as she wanted to make sure that Sora didn't have any doubts about any of this.

Sora simply gave a confident smirk.

"Nah, he'll win."

~ Break ~

The Monster Rex known as the Goliath walked back and forth in the Big Wall of Grief room. It has recently come into being, and its purpose was clear to it: kill any Adventurer who enters the room. Thus it waited for its victim to come before it.

"So...how's the weather like up here?" a voice out of nowhere asked.

The Monster Rex paused, hearing this new voice.

It sounded close.

Very close.

That is until it felt a tap on top of its head.

And the source of the tap was none other than Sora, who was standing on top of the monster's head. The Keyblade wielder simply gave a laid-back grin towards the Monster Rex.

"I guess you wouldn't know, considering how you constantly have your head in the clouds," Sora cheerfully stated.

It was silent for a moment, as the Goliath was trying to process who was on top of it. The large monster soon gave a loud roar as it reached out to the top of its head to grab Sora.

However, Sora simply hopped off the Goliath's head. Once Sora dropped in front of the Goliath's face, Sora simply smirked as he proceeded to bash the monster's face with a shield, making the head turn to the left from the force and making the Monster Rex take a couple steps back.

Sora then landed on the ground and stood before the Goliath. The Goliath soon regained its bearings as it turned to look at Sora once more with a growl.

Sora didn't look at all intimidated. Instead, Sora simply smirked...and then proceeded to make a silly face by crossing his eyes while tugging on his mouth with his fingers to form an exaggerated smile.

If the Goliath had any semblance of feelings, it would've been infuriated with Sora taunting it. Instead, the Goliath roared as it made its way towards Sora, wanting to catch its prey.

It raised its fist and slammed its fist down to Sora. Sora didn't even bother moving from his spot, as he simply smiled at what was to come.

The Goliath felt the impact when its fist landed on its target. It felt something underneath its fist, which meant that it managed to successfully crush its target.

That is, until it felt movement underneath it.

A large yellow fist soon emerged from the dust cloud, pushing the Goliath's arm back and made the Goliath stumble back from the force.

The Goliath was confused on what just happened, and could only see the dust cloud soon clear up.

Sora stood before it, not even looking injured in the slightest. Instead, Sora was simply holding up a particular shield that was golden colored with white, cloud-like embroidery and a lightning bolt at the center. A diamond was on top of the shield, and a blue heart-like symbol was at the bottom.

Sora twirled his Counter Shield in his hand, and had his other arm make a "bring it" gesture, making it clear to the Monster Rex that he was provoking it to come at him.

The Monster Rex roared as it charged towards Sora once more.

As it was, it failed to notice another person in the room.

Bell could only watch with a comically unsettled expression as Sora had the attention of the Monster Rex before him. And he couldn't help but sweatdrop at how Sora was treating the Monster Rex before him.

"You're too slow~!"

The Monster Rex attempted to grab Sora, only for Sora to avoid the attack easily and proceeded to bash the Counter Shield into the Goliath's face once more.

"C'mon, step it up!"

Bell could've sworn the Monster Rex roared in frustration when hearing Sora's taunts, but decided it wasn't the best time to ponder about it.

Instead, he was focusing on the more important task at hand, which is charging Argonaut. From his talks with Sora, it appears that Argonaut seems to charge when he's standing in place. He can't move when charging Argonaut.

Clearly, this would make Bell a clear and easy target for the Goliath if he were to attempt to charge Argonaut. However, Sora offered a solution to that particular problem: being a massive distraction for the Goliath. A distraction so big that the Goliath would fail to notice Bell in the same room as it.

And so, Bell is focusing on trying to activate his Argonaut. However, Bell looked troubled, seeing how Argonaut is not activating immediately.

Just what was he missing? He was thinking of wanting to be of help to Sora once more, but Argonaut wasn't manifesting like before. There's gotta be something more to it.

However, despite all of the chaos occurring around him, Bell forced himself to take a deep breath and give a slow exhale. He closed his eyes to focus.

He decided to use one particular method that Sora taught him. The night before they entered the Dungeon, Sora taught him one particular phrase that would be the key to activating Argonaut.

"...May my Heart be my guiding key."

Bell needed to trust his Heart on this one. Argonaut is linked to his Heart, therefore his Heart is the key to activating Argonaut. However, the Heart was full of all sorts of emotions, emotions that Bell wasn't sure which one would activate.

So...Bell decided to let his Heart be the guiding factor in all of this.

It was certainly a gamble; leaving it all up to chance just to activate Argonaut. However, Bell couldn't think of anything else to activate it, so it's all up to chance at this point.

The World went quiet for Bell, despite the loud noise of fighting occurring before him. His mind was silent and blank. No thought came to Bell's mind other than focus. It was silent for a while, before images came before him.

Images in the form of valiant heroes.

How the hero Argonaut, despite being considered a clown, has managed to inspire heroes to rise after him.

How the Zeus and Hera Familia managed to slay the Behemoth and Leviathan, legendary monsters from the Three Great quests. Even though they fell to the One-Eyed Black Dragon, the Familia is recognized as legendary to this day.

How the Guardians of Light have fought against a great evil known as Xehanort and his incarnations to prevent the Worlds from falling victim to his twisted need to reshape the Worlds in his image.

Even with all of this before him...there stood one figure that stood ahead of everyone else.

Sora stood there, with his back facing him. That is, before the image of Sora turned around to face him. Sora gave a grin as he held out an arm towards Bell, as if beckoning him to come to his side.

It was a sight that made Bell realize what he needed.

A simple desire of wanting to help out Sora was never enough.

It was a heartfelt wish of wanting to become a hero.

No...not just any hero.

His mind suddenly remembered a declaration he made to Sora on the day he first encountered Heartless.

"I'll become strong as soon as I can so I can fight the Heartless alongside you! I want to become a worthy hero to fight by your side, just like your fellow Keyblade wielders and your friends!"

That's right...he wanted to become a hero who's capable of standing on equal grounds as a Guardian of Light. It's disheartening to know that the Keyblade didn't acknowledge him to be worthy of it. But even so, Bell will simply work on another path where he can become a hero that is equally respectable to a Guardian of Light.

He'll become a Warrior of Light.

Bell opened his eyes with newfound resolve, and sparkles of light began to emerge from him.

Argonaut is successfully activated.

Seeing it made Bell feel elated that he managed to succeed, but he didn't let that feeling distract him from the bigger task at hand.

He needed to slay the Goliath.

Bell's first thought was to to use Firebolt for this particular situation, but paused as he soon focused on another method of attack.

His mind remembered a particular suggestion Sora made to him before going off to distract the Goliath.

"When you charge up your Argonaut, you mainly use it on your Firebolt spell. I'm curious to see what happens when you apply it to your Hesita Knife."

Bell didn't know either, and it certainly seemed like a risk to leave it up to chance on his Hestia Knife. However, Bell felt that his Heart was telling him that it was okay to do so. As if something amazing would come if he did so.

So Bell trusted his Heart, and channelled Argonaut to the Hestia Knife.

As he did, the Hestia Knife soon glowed with power as it received Argonaut's charge. As it did, the blades of Light that surrounded the edges of the Hestia Knife began to glow intensely.

Bell could only watch with awe as the Light of the Hestia knife kept glowing with power as time passed by.

As more energy kept being fed into the Hestia Knife, the weapon itself soon began to change.

The blade of Light began to elongate into something bigger. It extended beyond the Hestia Knife itself, and Bell could see a pure white blade coming out of the Hestia Knife. The length of the Light blade kept extending to that of a short sword, then to a regular sword, and finally, it matched that of a great sword

When the blade of Light reached the length of the great sword, it suddenly flashed, and the width of the blade of Light also matched that of a great sword. Even the hilt of the Hestia Knife has extended, with the extra grip being made of Light.

Bell looked at what came before him in shock and awe at what happened. His ears could also pick up the sounds of bell chiming.

And it wasn't just his imagination.

The Goliath, who was trying to get a hit on Sora, soon paused when it heard the sounds of bells chiming in the room. It also began to notice that the room was becoming brighter. It turned around and soon saw Bell standing a fair distance away from it, all the while holding a bright weapon before him.

The Goliath roared, with its instincts screaming at it to stop Bell before it's too late.

Before it could make a single step, however, Sora immediately appeared in front of the Goliath's face.

"Oh no you don't!" Sora immediately bashed the shield into the Goliath's once more, this time with a bit more force.

The sound of its nose breaking echoed through the room and the Goliath fell on its behind from such a force. The Monster Rex could only groan in pain as it cradled its face in pain.

Seeing that it was distracted, Sora immediately turned to Bell.

"Bell! Are you almost ready!?" Sora called out to Bell.

"...Yeah! I'm ready to take it down!" Bell declared with a determined look.

Sora simply smiled when he heard this from Bell, and he turned towards the Monster Rex. The Monster Rex slowly stood up before Sora.

"Well, guess I played my role as the shielder pretty well. Though, I think Goofy would've done a much better job than me in this situation!" Sora remarked.

The Monster Rex roared as it charged forward and raised its foot high for a stomp.

Sora simply waved at the Monster Rex, before he he moved at impressive speeds to avoid the stomp and appeared next to Bell.

"He's all yours," Sora told Bell.

Bell gave a thankful nod towards Sora, and he looked forward in determination.

'Time to end this!' Bell thought, as he soon moved forward.

As Bell was closing the distance between him and the Goliath, the Goliath roared as it threw down its fist to smash Bell.

Bell could only watch the large fist close down on him, but he drew back his newfound weapon back. And as he did, Bell felt his Heart calling out to him to declare the newfound power that he discovered.

"Argo-"

Bell jumped forward and swung his weapon as soon as the monster's fist came into respectable distance.

The blade of Light made contact with the Goliath's skin...and completely severed the fist from the Goliath's wrist.

The Monster Rex could only roar out in pain with its hand severed from its arm. Before the Goliath could do anything else, Bell hopped onto its arm and began to run towards it. Once Bell got enough elevation, Bell then jumped off the arm and towards the Goliath's midsection.

When Bell got close, he declared the name of his new attack.

"-Lumina!"

Bell swung his great sword of Light.

Everyone who was witnessing the fight could only watch as Bell's weapon completely cut through the Monster Goliath before him in half.

Bell emerged through the Goliath as he landed on the ground. At the same time, the upper half of the Goliath soon fell forward onto the ground.

The Goliath could only give out a weak and pained cry as it was severed in half. It attempted to crawl forward, but its life immediately perished, making the Monster Rex no longer move.

Silence was the only thing that could be heard.

Welf and Lili could only look at the scene with their jaws dropped, as they couldn't believe what they just witnessed.

Sora, on the other hand, gave a proud smirk at what Bell accomplished.

Meanwhile, Bell could hear his heartbeat reach his ears, his body feeling the adrenaline fading away, and his mind trying to process what happened in this short amount of time.

Slowly, he turned around to see the Goliath's severed body before him, before he looked forward to see Sora standing before the Goliath's corpse.

Sora simply smiled at him and gave the gesture of a thumbs up to Bell.

It was then Bell finally realized what he managed to accomplish. A great swell of accomplishment and elation erupted from Bell's Heart, and Bell thought there was one thing he could do to celebrate his success.

He raised his shining weapon into the air in triumph.

Omake (Non-Canon)

Through their search for Sora, the Guardians of Light and other friends (somehow) found a magical window that showed where Sora was. Unfortunately, this window didn't give them a single clue on where the heck Sora is on their universal cosmic map. But at the very least, they know that Sora is safe and sound.

All of them were gathered at Disney Castle, where it conveniently had a movie theater room for them to sit in and view where Sora was. For now, they're watching what Sora is doing in that World in order to gain clues on the World's location.

And through their observations, they were very interested in Sora's protege.

Currently, all of the Guardians of Light were giving a light round of applause out of respect on Bell's recent victory over the Goliath.

"It's interesting how Bell is able to learn something from us, or develop a unique type of magic," Aqua remarked, before she gained a thoughtful look. "Light Firaga...a fire spell mixed with the power of Light. I never even thought of such possibilities before. I wonder if it's possible to create spells like Light Thundaga, Light Blizzaga, Light Aeroga..." Aqua muttered to herself while listing out the possibilities.

"Heh, it's only natural that he learned from the best," Lea said with a smirk while rubbing his nose, which caused Roxas and Xion to sigh with exasperation while rolling their eyes.

The moment Lea learned that Bell took inspiration and practically learned his Chakram throwing style for his Firebolt Raid served as a huge ego boost for the Guardians' resident fire specialist.

Roxas and Xion could still remember when Lea cheered loudly when Bell finally revealed his Firebolt Raid style against his fight with the Heartless Minotaur.

"Don't get too cocky. Remember, he's learning from you, both the good and bad." Isa told Lea with a small smirk, which caused Lea's eyebrow to twitch a bit.

"You're just saying that because you have nothing to offer for Bell!" Lea retorted. "You wield a huge claymore and he uses knives! The heck is he going to learn from you!?"

"I can certainly give him a few pointers on how not to pull off blunders like you at the very least," Isa remarked with a smirk.

"Ha ha, very funny..." Lea sarcastically responded while his eye was twitching.

"Alright alright, settle down you two..." Xion told the two with an exasperated look. "Lea, at least take a page from Roxas's book. He wasn't exactly yelling at the top of his lungs when he discovered that Bell is learning about his dual wield style.

Roxas simply folded his arms when he heard Xion say this.

"There's still a lot to polish and improve on..." Roxas simply said. Bell still had a long way to go before he could match him in his dual-wield style.

Though inwardly, Roxas is very flattered that Bell chose to learn from him as well and was giving a rather proud grin.

Riku was humming in thought when he thought about Bell's Firebolt Raid magic.

That magic was very similar to the Fire Raid Link Style he used during his time in the Sleeping Worlds. The only difference was the fact that it was also capable of homing in on the target, and it was made of Light Firaga, rather than regular fire magic.

Though, seeing Bell perform this kind of magic made Riku think if it was possible to perform a Dark Firaga Raid with his Keyblade.

Looks like he was going to experiment on that for a bit.

"...A Bladecharge Command Style," Terra noted while looking at the screen before him in concentration. "I've used it a few times myself. I could give him a few pointers when it comes to powerful strikes with that form."

"Would be nice if he could manipulate those fire swords into a Wingblade Command Style," Ventus commented. "Though with the fire, I suppose Firestorm would've been fine as well, as I used that a few times. But doesn't seem like he has it."

However, with the way Bell used his knives in reverse grip, perhaps he's more suited to learning his style of sword fighting.

"...I wonder what I could inspire him to do..." Xion muttered to herself. The only resemblance that she could see is the Light Armor that Bell gets from his Hestia Knife, while she coats herself in a similar Light armor.

Xion soon pouted to herself. "Can't leave Roxas and Axel to have all the fun..."

"I'm sure you'll find something to teach Bell if you ever got the chance," Namine reassured.

"Gwarsh, everyone sure is excited to teach Bell a thing or two, huh?" Goofy said with a smile.

"Indeed. He certainly has a lot of potential when it comes to Light." Mickey said while nodding in agreement.

"Shame that he could only learn up to three spells. What a load of baloney..." Donald huffed while looking a bit moody, which caused his King and Captain of the Royal Knights to chuckle.

They could still remember how Donald was outright baffled that residents of the World are capable of learning only 3 spells, and they're given the chance to do so with the blessings of the Gods. And there's also the fact that they had to chant in order to cast a spell was shocking for the Royal Magician.

Donald knew that each World has their own set of laws and principles, but not once has he encountered a World where they have such ridiculous limitations and requirements to learn magic in the first place.

And who chants nowadays!? Chanting will just alert the enemy you're using magic, and they'll use that chance to stop you from casting magic! Donald wasn't sure if he should be disappointed in that World's magic system, or proud that his magic abilities truly did befit his status.

Kairi, meanwhile, simply giggled at the sight before her, before she turned to Riku.

"You know, if Bell had green eyes like you, I could've sworn that Bell was your relative or another version of you," Kairi remarked with a small grin.

"A possible long lost relative, maybe. Another version of me? Not a chance," Riku waved off.

Bell couldn't even be close to Riku in terms of personality. Honestly, Bell is a lot more similar to Sora if anything: they're both kindhearted individuals who wear their hearts on their sleeve, have a strong sense of friendship, and have a strong determination to reach their goals.

"He does have potential though..." Riku muttered.

Bell, time and time again, has shown to overcome the obstacles coming his way. And he's growing at quite a fast rate thanks to his and Sora's Skills. Bell has demonstrated to have massive potential when it comes to Light. Should he grow further, then Bell can achieve more abilities related to Light.

And once Bell reaches his full potential...well now, Riku could certainly welcome a new Guardian of Light into their group.

'He has the wrong assumption that a Keyblade is needed to become a Guardian of Light.' Riku thought to himself.

He, the other Guardians of Light, and Master Yen-Sid acknowledge Donald and Goofy, who don't wield the Keyblade, to be members of the Guardians of Light.

However, a Warrior of Light doesn't sound that bad either.

Riku gave a small smirk.

"It would be rather fun to help him unlock the kind of potential. You'll never know what you'll expect from him." Riku quietly muttered to himself.

And quietly, every Keyblade wielder made their own training plans for Bell if they were to ever arrive in that world.

They're not going to let Sora have all the fun.

And that's a wrap to this chapter.

Oh boy, imagine how stupidly powerful Bell would be if he was trained by all of the Guardians of Light. XD

I hope you enjoyed the Omake I made. This was all in good fun, and it doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things. Just a what-if scenario.

Other than that, Bell found his trigger for Argonaut. And yes, I'm well aware of the reference to what Bell wants to become.

(Ouranos)

So canonically, Ouranos is capable of sensing anomalies in the Dungeon. After all, he sensed the emergence of a Juggernaut, which is an abnormal monster itself.

And even though it's not necessarily canon, Ouranos sensed a dimensional wormhole in Memoria Freese's crossover Another Eden, and he was able to generalize the location of it. It's rather iffy, but I'm certainly going to milk that detail for the sake of this fanfic.

And since Heartless have their own dark dimensional travel via Corridors of Darkness in the Dungeon, I figured this would reach Ourano's divine senses.

Thank you Ouranos, for being my plot device.

(The Xenos)

So I've noticed that a large number of you were expecting the Xenos last chapter. Sorry to disappoint you all, but they're not exactly making their appearance just yet.

Fels doesn't just work with the Xenos, as he works on other issues. For example, he approached Ais and asked her to investigate the 24th Floor relating to Monsters and Evilus.

And remember, Bell hasn't met Wiene yet. And at this point in the story, Ouranos and Fels don't exactly know the Hestia's Familias stance towards the Xenos. Thus, they're not going to approach them on that matter just yet.

(Irréguiler Knives Ability)

Coming up with a unique ability for these knives was rather difficult. I was tempted to have the knives become something akin to a Shotlock, but Bell's Firebolt already has a homing effect, so it becomes redundant.

However, after rewatching Larxene's boss fight in KH3, I soon realized two particular techniques that perfectly fit the knives and Bell.

When Larxene throws her knives, they explode with thunder. And Larxene can send forward pillars of lightning.

So I put two and two together and created knives that explode in a pillar of fire when fed fire magic.

TLDR: Bell's throwing knives can absorb fire magic and release pillars of fire.

(Argo Lumina)

Behold the third trait of the Hestia Knife: Crystalization. The Light of the Hestia Knife corresponds to a certain energy (Argonaut) and contains the energy and gives it shape.

Let me make this clear to all of you: THIS ISN'T ARGO VESTA NOR IS IT REPLACING ARGO VESTA

Argo Vesta and Argo Lumina are completely different.

Argo Vesta is a one-use technique that has a blade made of fire extending from the knife and makes it akin to a short sword, and it unleashes a powerful heatwave and shockwave. It also requires a dual charge from Argonaut.

Argo Lumina is the complete opposite: it's a technique that can retain its form for a period of time, the blade transforms into a great sword and gives a longer handle made of light, and rather than unleashing power, it concentrates Argonaut's power internally, giving the blade massive cutting power. Argo Lumina only requires one charge from Argonaut.

Think of Argo Lumina as a lightsaber from Star Wars on steroids: A massive blade of energy that can cut through almost anything.

For better visualization, basically look up [Blazing Freese] Bell Cranel, and you should be given what the weapon looks like. But imagine the weapon to be made out of pure Light.

TLDR: Bell has access to the Bladecharge from Kingdom Hearts BBS.

Fun Fact of the Day

My second choice for Argo Lumina was that the charge from Argonaut determines the length of the light blade, and that alone. The longer the charge time, the longer the blade. Every second, a foot (12 inches) is added.

I was kind of going for Bleach's Gin Ichimaru's Zanpakuto's Ability (Shinso), where Bell can shoot forward a blade of light to pierce through the enemy.

Seemed kind of exciting at first, but over time, I soon realized it was not going to work out at all in a lot of aspects. If I was going to take techniques from other series, then I should just focus on techniques from either Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts.