"Now then, my boy. Let us begin with the basics." the old wizard began. "You can practice casting spells here without depleting your magical reserves. However, you will still feel the strain of using the magic as you cast it. Consider it a way for you to learn your limits safely." The old wizard thrust his wand out in front of Sora's face as a particularly serious expression played upon his own. "Pay close attention and don't get overconfident. But most of all, don't you get any foolish ideas that magic will solve all your problems, because it won't." Merlin added sternly.

"Uhh, yes sir." Sora said with a nod. This was a LOT to take in, to put it mildly. Especially for him.

But it appeared he would have to learn quickly for this lesson. "Alright then!" Merlin exclaimed, clapping his hands. At the sound of his clap, a series of furniture and plates and tea kettles levitated out into the open room. The lesson was beginning already. "Off we go!"

The furniture started floating seemingly aimlessly through the air. Readying his Keyblade, Sora rushed to action and hacked away. Despite his attacks connecting however, they didn't seem to be showing any sign of damage. Everyone else watched from the sidelines with confusion as Goofy. "Uh... how come his attacks ain't doing nothin'." Goofy asked.

"Because I've enchanted the items here. Only magic will cause them to be totally destroyed." Merlin explained. "So long as we are here, this will replenish his pool of magic energy. If one causes enough damage or successfully strikes a foe enough times, it will gather. Of course, magic is finite so it must be used sparingly. The more powerful a magic user is, the greater the reservoir of magic within them."

Jaune scratched his chin thoughtfuly in the wake of Merlin's explanation, smiling enthusiastically a moment later. "Oh! It's like a video game! Some characters have a certain amount of points or a bar they can use to do super cool moves!"

Unsurprisingly, Weiss rolled her eyes at the Arc boy's...less than stellar analogy. She meanwhile decided to take a more professional approach for those of the group who weren't exactly apt with time wasting electronics. "Or it's like how Dust eventually runs out of the energy it has within."

Although Sora didn't hear them, he was experiencing it firsthand. Whenever he felt unable to cast his spells, striking the furniture seemed to restore it. And when he felt he'd built up enough, he would roll away and unleash another blast of magic at the sea of furniture. As he began to rinse and repeat the pattern with greater confidence, Donald hummed, almost sounding impressed with Sora. "Thirteen shots. That's about his limit before he runs out. Decent, I suppose but Fire IS a simple spell."

Simple or not, Sora was quite surprised that he was able to unleash the fire spells in rapid succession. More still, he felt himself growing more comfortable and aware of his limits with magic. Now that he had a better idea of when to relent, he didn't feel nearly as worried about being vulnerable like that incident in the Oylmpus Preliminaries.

"Wooow." Ruby said, her eyes practically sparkling with fascination. The weapon fanatic in her was once again rising as she found herself ever more curious about the Keyblade's capabilities. For such an bizarre weapon, they kept discovering all sorts of incredible things about it to keep it interesting to her. What other mysteries did it have hidden that were waiting to be discovered?

"Well done, my boy! I believe that will do for today." Merlin cheered as Sora wiped his brow. Despite it being magic and not swinging his weapon around, Sora couldn't help feeling like he got quite a workout. "As I thought, you have quite a talent for magic. Your martial and magical skills with the Keyblade will only grow stronger."

Merlin's praise made Sora chuckle and rub the back of his head. "Heh. Maybe I really am cut out for this Keyblade Master business after all." Sora said, confidence brimming in his heart.

As if seeing how cocky he was getting, Merlin thrust a finger onto Sora's nose. "But don't get complacent, lad." he lectured again. "That head of yours isn't just for show. You're going to have to make a habit of using it if you wish to survive the trials ahead of you. Remember, your mind is your greatest ally."

While he technically wasn't the student here, Jaune couldn't help but look down thoughtfully at Merlin's words. His mind had certainly saved him where his...admittedly lackluster martial skills failed. He wanted more than anything to improve on shortcomings. A memory which made him subconsciously smile in the direction of Pyrrha, who noticed Jaune smiling at her and averted her eyes with a bashful blush.

"Alright now, children! Off you go! You've worlds to save!" Merlin said as he returned the youths back to the main floor of his house. "Aww, is that it?" Sora asked. He'd been hoping to learn more about magic from the old sorcerer. "Hah! Hardly. There is still much you can learn, my boy. But the only way you'll be able to see what you're capable of is using what you've learned in the field. Strengthen your talents fighting the Heartless, and your magic will grow along with your Keyblade. After all, as wonderful as books and classroom lessons can be, the greatest teacher is often experience."

Smiling with renewed eagerness, Sora nodded and said, "Alright. Thanks Merlin." And with that, Sora led the way out of Merlin's house. Their journey awaited, as did their friends, wherever they may be.

As everyone piled out after him, Jaune of course ended up bonking his head on one of the bricks with a loud "Ow!...I'm okay!" As he bumbled out after them, Merlin couldn't help stroking his beard as he looked at Jaune with...a rather nostalgic expression. "Is something the matter, Merlin?" The Fairy Godmother asked him, following the sorcerer's gaze. Merlin gave a sigh and said, "Oh, just an old man reminiscing about a dear friend, Fairy Godmother."

His answer drew a knowing smile to the aged woman's face. "Ahh. Hmhm, yes. He does have a bit of a resemblance, doesn't he?" she said understandingly, earning a nod from the reminiscing Merlin. "Indeed." he said in a faraway tone. "I could sense the self-doubt within his heart just by looking at him. Yet also the potential waiting to be unlocked...Oh, he and Arthur would have been fine friends." The smile shifted to a wistful sigh as Merlin's thoughts drifted to his most precious pupil. And the hope that the boy would find it in himself to achieve all he could achieve, and become the best he could be.

"I'm certain he will, Merlin. With friends like those he travels with, and with you helping to guide them, I'm certain they all will." the Fairy Godmother reassured him with a smile brimming with hope. A feeling that many in Traverse Town had forsaken with the loss of their world. But Merlin had not. Nor did Leon, his comrades, or Professor Ozpin. It was thanks to these young friends that such hope was beginning to shine again. "Hah. Yes. You're quite right, my dear." Merlin said with a revitalized smile. "As they say, even the smallest spark of hope can illuminate the dark and light the way."

"Does every single magic user sing when they cast their spells?" Weiss wondered as they reached the other side of the moat surrounding Merlin's house. Suffice it to say, she seemed rather confused about the necessity of their hosts singing their spells. "Sora doesn't seem to." Ruby stated. "And I don't either." Donald followed, sounding proud like he wouldn't do such a thing.

Weiss smirked. "Well good. Because nobody needs to have their ears destroyed listening to YOU sing." she said to Donald in an unexpectedly teasing tone. "Hey! What do you mean by that?!" Donald said as he turned in anger to the white haired young lady. "You heard me, Donald. Of course, unlike Merlin, the Fairy Godmother had the decency not to shout and actually sing." Weiss said with a dismissive wave. "Hey! I can sing just fine! Like you could do any better!" Donald protested with a huff. And from the way her eyes widened and twitched, his protest seemed to get under Weiss's skin. "Hah! Excuse me!?" Weiss asked with an air of haughty confidence. "Did you just imply that I can't sing!? You're lucky I know how wrong you are, or I'd be using my Fire Dust to make you duck a l'orange!"

Silly a thing as it was for them to argue about, it certainly drew a bit of cheer to the group. Especially as both Weiss and Donald huffed away from each other, grumbling to themselves. Everyone made sure to keep their chuckles on the down low, of course. Lest they hear it over the sound of their own indignant voices.

Before any more quips or jokes or comments could be made, a dark shape suddenly descended from one of the nearby rooftops. Ruby noticed it just in time as the entity seemed to be lunging straight for Sora. "Sora, watch out!" Ruby shouted, dashing forward and grabbing him by the arms with Pyrrha as their quarry lashed a long, clawed hand out at where Sora was. Donald and Weiss jumped backwards from the unexpected attack. Well, Weiss jumped back. Donald wobbled.

Recovering from the unexpected surprise, Sora looked at his attacker as suddenly, twelve more jumped down from above. They didn't look like any Heartless he'd seen so far. And they certainly didn't sound like any Heartless either. Their bodies were vaguely animalistic, as were the noises they made. Like snarling wolves. They even looked almost like lycanthropic wolves, not that Sora knew what that word meant. From their spines to their faces, they were covered in a pale white, boney substance. Then those fiery orange, glowing eyes...definitely different and more chilling than any Heartless they'd seen so far. Especially now that they were focused squarely on Sora.

"Whoa! What kind of Heartless are these!?" Sora exclaimed scrambling to his feet and summoning the Keyblade.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Jaune, and Pyrrha's blood ran cold when they immediately recognized the creatures before them. "They're not! They're grimm!" Ruby exclaimed, swinging her scythe at one of the lupine monstrosities as it lashed its claws at them.

"Grimm?" Goofy asked before forced on a desperate defensive behind his shield as one of the creatures lunged at him, gnashing its teeth and swinging its claws like a rabid beast.

The pointed blade of a familiar rapier skewered it through its chest, making it give a distorted whimper and making it turn toward the Schnee heiress responsible. "Specifically Beowolves." Weiss said as the Grimm lashed out at her, forcing her to retreat, followed by flinging a volley of ice dust at another. "But this doesn't make sense! They shouldn't be here! They're from the same world as us!"

Jaune narrowly sidestepped a Beowolf attacking him, returning the attack with a slash to its face. As it wailed in pain, it toppled the ground, leaving it vulnerable for Pyrrha to stab through its spine. "Worry about 'why' later! Right now, I'm just concerned with staying alive! Keep fighting them!"

As the group clashed and struggled against their enemies, they had no idea somebody was watching from the balcony above, where Donald and Goofy fell before meeting Sora and Ruby. It was Cinder, smiling with interest as she watched in silence. She had no doubt the hunters among them would slay the Grimm, but she was curious how Sora would handle such a foe. Especially when she saw him being backed into a corner.

Three Beowolves were in front of Sora as he almost had his back to a wall. Sora tried not to show any fear, but these particular creatures unsettled him even more than the Heartless. That fear seemed to egg them on as the young man looked at the three dark beasts with their orange glowing eyes and white, bone-like faces only adding to how frightful they were. Yet they didn't lunge at him with reckless abandon like the Heartless. They were gauging him, like the lupine predators they resembled. But with how fearful he was, they were now snarling with eagerness to rip him apart. When the space between them was almost gone, Sora swallowed his fear and gathered all the remaining courage he could muster. He wouldn't let these things win! "Back OFF!"

With a heavy stomp of his foot, Sora's bellow was followed by a surge of light surrounding him like a dome. The Beowolves within it made canine whimpers as electrical surges coursed around their bodies. They seemed...paralyzed, barely able to twitch because of...whatever it was he just did. Sora's eyes widened with surprise as he looked at the suddenly paralyzed Beowolves, then at his Keyblade. He had no idea what he just did, but if it made all these things vulnerable, far be it from him to waste the opportunity, so he quickly went to work pummeling one of the stunned Grimm.

Cinder had to admit, she was surprised. It seemed that this Keyblade Master had quite a few tricks up his sleeve. Nothing that impressive of course, but she was definitely curious as to the extent of his power from a boy this inexperienced. But was it truly his power, or did he simply get it from the Keyblade? Questions for later, perhaps.

Goofy struggled to hold back a snarling Beowolf as its claws came dangerously close to swiping him, even with his shield holding it back. Thankfully, Donald was able to help him out by incinerating the lupine Grimm.

Blake used her Semblance to dodge the Beowolves attempted coordinated attacks, before switching Gambol Shroud to kusarigama mode. With a sharp fling of the bladed end, she wrapped the three attacking her up with the cable, before bringing the blade to their heads, decapitating them with brutal efficiency.

Efficiency Ruby and Weiss matched as they swung, thrust, shot, and blasted their own batches of Grimm with scythe, sword, bullet, and dust. Their thorough experience dealing with such creatures was a blessing for Sora, Donald, and Goofy. The last two letting out sighs of relief as the Grimm that attacked them were dealt with.

Sora had just managed to take down two the Beowolf he was wailing on, bisecting them with a horizontal arcing slash of his Keyblade. Where there would have been blood or anything of the sort, all that came out of the dismembered corpses was a stream of dark mist. Sora's distraction left him utterly unaware that the last remaining Beowolf he'd stunned had recovered and were now snarling at him.

"Watch out!" Blake yelled, noticing the grimm charge at Sora. She charged in to attempt to save him, managing to slice two of them down, but the last one managed to avoid her wrath and bowled right into Sora, pinning him to the ground.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy cried out, drawing everyone's attention as Sora vainly struggled against the Beowolf who raised its claws.

Just as it was about to swing, something suddenly struck the Beowolf right in the side of the face. A bright, yellow gauntlet clad fist that gave off a sharp, powerful BANG as if a shotgun were going off, blasted the grimm across the district, utterly destroying its head. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Jaune, and Pyrrha went wide eyed as they saw Sora's savior give a victorious swish of those long, luscious, radiant golden locks of hair.

"Yeah! In with a bang, out with a-"

"Yang!" everybody other than Sora, Donald and Goofy exclaimed.

The blonde haired young woman turned to them with hands on her hips and a wry grin on her face. "Come on guys. Don't steal my thunder." she said in a playful tone of disappointment.

As she playfully griped, she didn't seem to notice one last Beowolf, pushing itself up to tower over the blonde haired woman with claws raised. "Behind-!" Sora started saying, but in a flash of movement, Yang pivoted and hopped back in the nick of time with sunny smile on her face. The next instant, she delivered a barrage of rapid punches before finishing with an uppercut to the Beowolf's jaw, making it disintegrate like the rest. Sora blinked and finished his sentence with a far more stunned, "You..."

With the Grimm defeated, Yang's gauntlets switched to regular looking wristbands as she turned to the others. Ruby, irrepressibly elated, dashed over to Yang, giving her a great big hug. "Yang! Oh, first Zwei and now you? This is like a dream come true!" she said, almost tearing up as she squeezed as tight as she could.

"Aww. I missed you too, sis." Yang said, hugging her back and resting her head over Ruby's.

"Sis?!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed with surprise. "Wait, you're sisters?" Sora asked, pointing between Ruby and Yang, just as surprised as Donald and Goofy.

The two smiled and nodded in affirmation. Especially Yang as she slung an arm around Ruby's shoulders. "Eyup. Ruby is my adorable little sister, who I'm so proud of." she said before giving her a playful noogie, causing her little sister to jerk and flail briefly.

"Gaah! Yang, come on. Stop. You're embarrassing me in front of our team, old friends and my newest friends." Ruby said with a laugh as she struggled to break free.

Weiss couldn't help sighing at the less-than professional behavior of the two sisters. Something she was not unaccustomed to in the time she'd been on this team, but still felt annoyed by at times.

Jaune and Pyrrha couldn't help smiling as they saw another of Ruby's teammates was safe. Now they felt all the more confident that perhaps Nora and Ren were out there somewhere waiting for them. They could only hope they'd find those two just as safe and sound...and hopefully with less Heartless and Grimm.

Blake however...smiled a brighter smile than any Sora, Donald, or Goofy had seen from her before. From how stoic and aloof she seemed, they would never have expected such a joyful expression from her. Were she and Yang close friends?

Whatever the case was, Sora's gaze shifted back to the sisters. From the way they were behaving, even if they looked drastically different, they were undoubtedly family. Sora didn't have any siblings of his own but he knew siblings either bickered a lot or got along really well. Sometimes both. Though he couldn't get over just how different the sisters looked from one another. Height, hair color, eye color, skin tone and...other parts that caused him to go a bit red in the face when he looked at Yang's.

So distracted were they by the return of Ruby's sister, nobody noticed a Soldier Heartless appear behind Sora, until it was latching onto him from behind. ""Gah! Get off me!" The instant the Soldier latched onto him, Sora was unable to reach it with the Keyblade. Try as he might, his swings couldn't reach nearly far enough.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed as the soldier kept him from hitting it. Ruby and her teammates and friends turned to the source of the commotion, just as shocked and worried. Sora could feel its claws dig into the back of his neck, making him wince in pain. If he didn't get this thing off of him, then...

Suddenly, just as soon as the pain began increasing...it ended. Not only that, but Sora felt himself stumble forward, free from the Soldier's grasp. It was...gone? But the instant Sora turned around to see why, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open from shock an awe.

For standing in front of him was...That yellow, black buckle adorned vest...those black gloves, the blue wading pants covered pants...the blue, white, and black shoes adorned with black buckles along the ankles...that platinum hair, those aquamarine eyes...And then...that familiar voice.

"There you are! What's goin' on?"