The backyard of the Stardust Garden was very noisy as the familia minus Bell fought against Ryu. The group was getting used to their level-ups.

Ryu enjoyed her new strength as a level five while Lili, Emma, and Karen got used to being a level two.

Astraea stood next to Bell in the corner of the garden and watched as Bell fished a red ball from his pocket. She wondered what he planned to do with it only to have her question answered right after.

Welf and Karen had jumped back to avoid a slash from Ryu. The two were next to each other, all sweaty and panting as Ryu was easily kicking everyone's ass.

"Hey, Welf!" Bell called out.

Welf turned his head only to be hit in the face with the ball. "Ow, the hell was that for?"

"You and Karen are dead." Bell simply said.

Both Welf and Karen looked at Bell confused as Ryu tossed Daphne away. She bounced and then landed on the ground with a thud before rolling to a stop.

"What, how are we dead?" Welf asked.

Bell pointed at the ball on the ground. "That's a bomb. It hit you, went boom and now you and Karen are dead."

"Well, that's not entirely fair. Our attention was focused on Ryu. Besides you're not even in this fight." Karen protested.

"I know, but do you really think Evilus will play fair when we raid their base? Because by then a bomb will be the least of your worries."

Welf and Karen remained silent as Bell picked up the ball. "When we're down there rules won't exist. It's kill or be killed and Evilus will use any method they can to kill you. Be it swords, knives, bombs. Anything you can think of they will use."

The two nervously gulped now realizing how serious Bell was. There was nothing playful in his eyes nor his voice.

He was dead serious.

Bell seeing he got his point across whistled to get everyone's attention. The training exercise stopped as everyone turned their attention to him.

"Alright, from now on I'm going to be throwing this ball at you at random intervals! If it hits you you're dead since this will be a bomb! Anyone closer than ten feet will also be dead as well! Keep an eye out for it because if it hits you you're out of the exercise!"

He then turned his attention back to Ryu and nodded. "You can continue your training. Cassandra, you're coming with me for one one-on-one lessons."

Cassandra looked around and pointed at herself. "Me? Why me?"

"Because you're a healer. You're the lifeline of the party so I'm going to teach you how to fight in close quarters."

"But I can just use my bow?" She protested. Training one one-on-one with Bell scared her.

"A bow won't matter when someone's right in your face. Now come on this'll keep you alive." Bell ordered.

Cassandra gulped and looked at Daphne who gestured her to follow. "He's right, you need to learn how to fight close quarters."

Cassandra felt her shoulders sink as she timidly began to walk to Bell. Astraea stopped her before she could reach him, however.

"You don't need to be scared of Bell. He'll make sure not to push you too hard. But listen to him because he does want to keep you alive."

Cassandra gulped and shyly nodded. "Ok, I will." She then followed after Bell as they went to another more private section of the garden.

When they arrived Bell grabbed another short sword he had placed there beforehand. It was a short sword very similar to his own. Yet not made from the same material.

Bell walked up and held it out to Cassandra. "Here, take it." He ordered.

"B-but I don't know how to use it?" Cassandra protested.

Bell sighed and placed it in her hand. "That's why I'm going to teach you. If you know a few basics you'll stand a much better chance against an attacker than wildly swinging."

Cassandra nodded and held the sword. Despite being a level two it was heavier than she thought. Bell then drew his own sword and raised it up in the air.

"Now I'm going to give you a demonstration of how to use this. It's more than just wildly swinging ok?"

Cassandra nodded and calmed down a little as Bell was being gentle with her. Not a hardcore disciplinarian like Hyakinthos.

"Alright, you watching?"

Cassandra nodded again and Bell showed her a basic form. Swing, swing, step back, block, swing. A simple pattern and one she should be able to pick up quickly.

He showed her the moves a few more times before sheathing his blade and turning to her. "Alright now you try, remember it's just simple slashes and a block. Also, make sure to keep your feet moving as well."

Cassandra nodded and handed Bell her staff who held it for her. She took the same stance Bell did and proceeded to mimic his movements.

Unlike Bell's hers were sloppy and unfocused. Her arm moved all over the place as she still underestimated the sword's actual weight.

"Stop," Bell ordered. He gently propped her staff up against a wall and approached her.

Cassandra went stiff as Bell drew closer. She messed up she knew she did. He was going to get angry and yell at her and make her do it again.

Bell gently grabbed her hand and tightened her grip on the sword. "You're holding it too loosely. It's making your arm fly everywhere and taking away most of your momentum."

He helped her straighten out her stance before stepping back. "Alright try again. This time keep a tighter grip than before."

Cassandra nodded trying her hardest to ignore her blush and repeated the same moves Bell did. It was better than last time, she kept a tighter grip on the sword making her arm not flail as wildly. However, it still did that a little bit, something which Bell was intent on fixing.

When Cassandra stopped swinging the sword she looked to Bell for approval. "Was that any good?" She timidly asked.

Bell nodded as he approached. "It was better, much better than before but your arm is still flailing a bit. Here let me help you, be warned I'm about to grab your arm."

He did so not a second later. His left hand grabbing just below her elbow and his right just below her wrist.

Cassandra blushed again as Bell began to move her arm in slow smooth cuts. "Picture a line in front of you while swinging. Then cut down the line as you do so to keep it straight."

Cassandra pictured a diagonal line and cut down. Bell still held her arm to help keep it straight but Cassandra was starting to understand everything.

After a few minutes, Bell let go of her arm and let her keep slashing. With his help, her arm was now straight and no longer flailed around. He had made sure it didn't become a bad habit.

"Alright good, you're not flailing your arm around anymore. Now the next lesson is footwork and this will probably be the most important one."

Cassandra stopped slashing and turned to Bell. She nodded while listening to him. Starting to loosen up even more since Bell wasn't acting like Hyakinthos at all.

"Alright now spread your legs like this," Bell said showing her a stance. Cassandra copied him and then raised her sword in front of her.

Bell walked up and lightly tapped her back leg. "Move this one back a little more."

Cassandra did what he said and then Bell stood in front of her. "Alright now show me your basic forms again but this time move around."

Cassandra nodded and did the basic forms Bell had shown her. But this time she moved around keeping her feet moving and not planted in place.

Bell watched quietly as she moved around. Cassandra started to worry as he didn't say anything. Was she doing something wrong?

She got her answer when her back slammed into the ground. The sword in her hand dropped to the ground as Cassandra let out a wheeze.

"Ow, why'd you do that?" She groaned. Bell offered his hand to her which she took.

"Because your footwork was sloppy. You're sliding your feet on the ground too much. Keep the stance I showed you but don't slide your feet just move normally. Think of it as normally walking."

Cassandra nodded as Bell leaned down and picked up her sword. Cassandra took this chance and swiped at Bell's feet. Only for the boy to remain standing.

He cocked a playful eyebrow back as he handed her sword back. "See how much better my stance was?"

Cassandra was blushing in embarrassment. Having no idea where that sudden burst of playfulness came from. But Bell didn't seem to mind as she took her sword again.

"It was a smart move. Wanted to see if your teacher practiced what he preached. I can't fault you for that." Bell chuckled.

He then stepped back as Cassandra began practicing again. This is what proceeded for many hours. Bell would tweak Cassandra's form just a little bit and she'd start doing better.

Meanwhile, on the other training field, Ryu was throwing everyone around like they were nothing more than trash.

Bodies were bruised and sore while Ryu didn't even break a sweat. Bell would pop in from time to time to throw the ball. 90 percent of the time he got someone.

Astraea just watched as Bell and Ryu put the familia through the wringer. A nervous pit was formed in her stomach about the raid.

A number of things could go wrong and Astraea could end up alone again. Her familia wiped out and forcing her to leave the city once more.

Her gaze turned to Bell who was now giving a light spar to Cassandra. He was moving slowly to allow her to get her bearings. Despite never having picked up a sword before Astraea noted Cassandra wasn't half bad. Once she had learned how to properly wield one she could be some real trouble.

Would Cassandra die on this raid?

Would Bell die on this raid? Would he give his life to save everyone else's? It was within his character to do so. He'd nearly done it for her during Monsterphelia.

Astraea knew this pit of uneasiness wouldn't go away until after the raid was over. All she could do now was spend as much time as she could with her new familia.

Until they had to leave her once more.

Astraea winced as she saw Welf get thrown into a wall. The redhead groaned as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Ow." He wheezed. Only for a ball to hit him a second later.

"Welf you're dead," Bell called out.

"Go to hell," Welf replied, then plopped back down on the ground.

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Bell and Cassandra were still in the other training yard practicing. Their swords playfully clashing together as it wasn't a real spar. More of a practice to a spar.

It was just a practice of the forms against another person. Cassandra would need this type of practice for the upcoming raid.

"Good, you're starting to get the hang of the basics." Bell complimented.

Cassandra kept her gaze forward and still attacked Bell. The boy smiled as he kept blocking each of her attacks. She was putting all of her focus into this.

Bell broke her focus when the ball hit her in the chest. "You're dead."

Cassandra blinked before shaking her head. "What?"

Bell gestured to the ball on the ground. "You're dead, bomb went boom."

"But so are you." Cassandra pointed out.

"I'm a suicide bomber, my job's still complete." Bell countered.

Cassandra frowned. "I see, Evilus seems really intense. Is there anything they won't do?"

"Be upstanding citizens." Bell joked.

Cassandra laughed before letting out a long sigh. "I think with you leading us we'll be alright."

Bell smiled. "Hey, don't forget about Ryu. If we somehow get separated she'll lead you out of there."

The rest of the day passed with training, training, lunch, and even more training. By the end of the day, everyone was exhausted and they could barely lift their heads from the dinner table.

Astraea felt bad for how harsh the training was for them but knew it was a small price to pay to increase their chances of survival.

After dinner, the trainees all went to bed leaving basically a skeleton crew awake. Astraea sat in her office doing some paperwork to keep her mind busy. Ryu was tidying up the area where they trained making sure to restock the water and potions.

Meanwhile, Bell was sitting in front of the fireplace. It wasn't lit, but still stared into it. Resting his head against his arm.

He didn't know how long he sat there. Or how long he was going to sit there, he just was.

"Bell?" Ryu called out from the hallway.

The boy turned his head to face her. "Oh, hey Ryu. Everything ready for tomorrow?"

Ryu nodded taking a seat next to Bell. "It is, what are you doing in here?"

"Thinking." He replied, moving his hand to his chin. His index finger resting just below his bottom lip.

"About the raid?" Ryu said asking the obvious question.

Bell nodded. "Yeah, so many things can go wrong. I'm trying to predict every possibility, but what about the ones I can't predict? The ones I don't prepare these people for could spell their death."

"Bell these are Evilus remnants, their tactics and strategies are probably the same as the Dark Age. You've already taught them about the bombs and dirty means in which they'll use them. You're doing the best you can, you should at least give yourself that."

"And what if my best isn't good enough?" Bell proposed, his gaze turning to Ryu. "What if I'm just leading everyone to their deaths?"

Ryu sighed before smacking Bell upside the head. He lurched forward and grabbed where she hit.

"What was that for?!" He asked.

"Because you can't think like that. If you spend all this time doubting yourself all you'll do is get everyone killed. You're already doing your best, so keep doing it and everyone will make it out alive." She sternly told him. Her beautiful blue eyes were cold like ice, yet still holding a warmth for him.

Bell sighed and rubbed his head. "Fine, but you didn't have to hit me."

"I did, you're too stubborn to listen to words sometimes," Ryu said.

"Pot calling the kettle black there," Bell replied.

The two were silent as they started into the fireplace. Everyone else was asleep to get ready for tomorrow. So it was just the two of them alone.

"Hey, Ryu," Bell called out.

"Yes, Bell?" She answered.

"Can you help me with controlling my mind? I might have to use you know what during the raid, and I heard she was able to force the magic to her fist. I want to be able to do that as well, so will you teach me?"

Ryu was quiet for a second. Reliving the old memories of that woman. Now that she thought about it Bell did look eerily similar to the Silence. But Ryu chalked that up to nothing more than a coincidence.

"If this had been any other situation I'd want nothing to do with that spell. But considering the circumstances I'll help you in any way I can."

Bell smiled, slightly relieved she had said yes. "Thanks, Ryu, and I promise to not use it in an evil way. I won't turn out like her."

"I'll hold you to that. Now it's time for bed, it wouldn't set a good example if the trainers were tired tomorrow."

"Was that a joke?" Bell teased.

"Good night Bell," Ryu replied.

Ryu got up and walked to her room while Bell just rolled his eyes and laughed. He sat there for a few more minutes before standing up himself.

He made his way to his room and plopped down on his bed. Thinking of the celebration they just had before being whisked away to the land of dreams.

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Past

Bell sat on the roof of the Stardust Garden with a glass of whiskey sitting next to him. Inside a celebration was happening to celebrate the winning of the war game.

Bell smiled, he was proud at how well his familia handled themselves. "They did well, looks like they can do fine without me."

He took a sip from his glass before setting it back down. His gaze turned to the stars causing him to smile.

"Well Gramps, if you were still here what would you think? Would you be proud of me? Or do you expect more from me?"

Bell didn't get an answer of course. His Grandpa was dead and even though it had been six months, Bell still missed him.

"Part of me wonders if you're even listening. Maybe I'm just talking to nothing, but if you are, I want you to know. That the first time since your death. I think I'm truly happy."

Bell had to blink back a tear as he thought about all he had gained since he came here. A loving goddess, new friends ready to follow him into the pits of hell. Even a girlfriend, he hadn't had one of those before.

"Well, I'll stop boring you with the sappy stuff. I'll probably head back inside in a second. But I miss you Gramps, and I love you."

Bell finished his glass and was about to hop back down. But he heard the door open and saw Anya walk out. She smiled when she saw him and jumped up next to him.

"Was wondering where nya went," Anya said.

"Sorry, just wanted to clear my head." Bell apologized, offering Anya a simple smile.

"It's ok, Welf still giving you crap for "marrying" Ryu?" She teased. Her tail swished playfully in the air.

Bell shook his head. "Like you wouldn't believe. Although it's only fair since I did the same to him."

"Reap what nya sows."

Bell chuckled and felt Anya hold his hand. He smiled as he looked at her. But Anya's ears drooped looking back at Bell.

"Everything alright?" He asked, giving her hand a comforting squeeze.

Anya nodded and took a deep breath. "Bell can I tell you something? It's important,"

"Sure go ahead, I'm listening."

Anya took a shaky breath to calm her beating heart. "I'm a member of the Freya familia, well an ex-member anyway. My brother and I joined when we were kids. Well, he went and took me with him because of how young I was. When I was around 14 or so I left. The familia was too intense for me and it had taken my brother away. Now I don't even recognize him anymore."

The last part she said with a tremor in her voice. Bell remained silent as he pulled her into a hug. Part of him felt conflicted, Freya was one of the familia's that had banished his Grandpa.

Of course, Anya couldn't have been older than 10 at the time. So there was really nothing she could have done.

But Anya was also his girlfriend. They had been dating for almost three months now. A deeper connection was forming between the two of them.

"But she's Freya familia." Bell thought to himself. "She was Freya familia, get your head out of your ass! She didn't kick your Grandpa out, and it's Anya do you really think she'd do that?"

Bell held Anya tighter, allowing her to whimper into his shoulder as she held back tears of the bad memories.

"Thank you for telling me this. It must be hard losing your brother." Bell comforted, his thumb rubbing circles on Anya's back.

The cat girl nodded. "It is, and every time we meet he's always mean to me. I can't even talk to him anymore without freezing up."

Bell felt as if he had met someone similar to that description. "Was he the guy that bumped into us when we were coming back from floor 18?"

Anya nodded into Bell's shoulder. "Yeah, when you stood up to him I was so scared he would hurt you. But I was also really happy you stood up for me as well."

Bell felt his heart skip a beat. "Well, you're someone I care about. That's a small list of people, and I hold them dear. So of course I'd stand up for you."

Anya sniffled as fresh tears stung her eyes. She knew Bell cared for her, but to know she was on the small list of people he cared about made her happy.

"Perks of being the girlfriend huh?" She sniffled.

"You'd still be on the list if you weren't."

Anya playfully smacked his chest. Yet didn't pull away from the comfort. "It's like you're trying to make me cry!"

Bell cringed internally. "Sorry, I don't mean to."

"It's fine, just hold me!" Anya demanded.

Bell did as she asked and the two stayed there for another hour. Anya was glad she finally told him of her past. He had a right to know as her boyfriend.

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The next week passed by quicker than Bell would've liked. But that didn't mean he wasn't very busy during that week.

Astraea had told him of possible war gods to talk to about aura and what it could do. Luckily for Bell, she had a friend who was a war god named Takemikazchi who was from the Far East.

At Astraea's request, he came over one day to help Bell unlock his aura. His familia tagged along as well to join in on the training with Ryu.

All of his members were level two.

Takemikzuchi was a tall man with fair skin and long black hair. He styled them into two loops that hung down from either side of his temple. He had a strong lean build and Bell could tell he'd get his ass kicked if he fought him.

Takemikzuchi told him that Finn was bringing them along to the raid as well. Bell mused it was just to have numbers to throw against Evilus if needed.

"Sacrificial pawns." Bell thought, currently leading Takemikazuchi to the part of the garden where he normally trained Cassandra.

Once they reached the space Takemikazuchi sat down on the grass and crossed his legs. He gestured for Bell to do the same which he did.

"So Bell, before we begin. What can you tell me about aura?" Take asked.

"Well, the description of the skill said I could use aura to strengthen my attacks. It also can halve the damage dealt to me in battle and scare people. But other than that I'm not really sure what it is."

Take nodded. "I see, you were told how it can be used but not how to use it. Alright go ahead and sit like I am."

Bell crossed his legs and looked back at Take. The war god nodded and then closed his eyes. Bell followed his example and Take began to speak.

"Tune out everything around you. The wind blowing through your hair, the sounds of fighting behind you, even the very grass you're sitting on right now. Tune it all out."

Bell took a deep breath and began to tune out his surroundings. Soon he was in a state of absolute zen. Nothing else around him mattered.

"Now, feel inside yourself. Feel the pit of your chest. You should feel a cold yet pleasant feeling inside. Do you feel it?" Take asked.

Bell searched deep inside himself. Going to the aforementioned pit in his chest. A feeling like cool running water formed inside him.

It felt pleasant, but weird at the same time.

"I feel it." Bell breathed out. The strange feeling getting stronger. Part of him grew worried, what if this was something that could hurt him?

"Don't be afraid, you'll be fine. Now bring that feeling in your chest out of it. Make it circle your whole body." Take softly ordered.

Bell placed his trust in Take and slowly drew the feeling out from his chest and to the rest of his body. His arms felt light and tingly, his legs feeling much the same. He felt tiny pricks on his cheeks that made him want to open his eyes. But he kept them close for fear of hurting himself.

His whole body began to tingle and Bell felt like he had to scratch all over himself. But he kept his calm and let the feeling wash over him.

"Ok, now open your eyes." Take ordered.

Bell did so and saw an ethereal light blue glow surrounding his body. The strange feeling was gone, instead, Bell felt like the air itself.

"This is…amazing." Bell breathlessly said. His whole body felt light as a feather. Yet twice as strong as before.

"That's your aura, yours is blue showing tranquility and kindness. If it was black I would've been a little worried." Take chuckled nervously scratching his cheek.

"What would black have meant?" Bell asked. His aura still surrounding his body.

"It means you want to bring nothing but death and destruction. Only the most evil of evil people would have one."

"Huh, that sounds kind of ominous," Bell said.

"It's nothing you really need to worry about. Yours is blue and so few people posses aura that you probably won't meet another aura user." Take explained.

Bell nodded before looking at himself. "So uh…how do I turn it off?"

Take nervously smiled. "My apologies, if you want to turn it off you just need to think of getting rid of it. But right now I want to see how long you can hold it to grasp how I should teach you."

Bell nodded as he kept his aura on and waited.

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Half an hour had passed and Bell's aura was still on. Not even showing a single sign of it weakening. Take was shocked at how long a beginner was able to keep his aura steady for.

"Uh…is this supposed to take so long?" Bell asked confused, he hadn't been doing anything and wanted to know if he messed up.

Take quickly shook his head. "No your aura should've turned itself off ages ago. What I'm seeing is truly remarkable."

"So…should I turn it off?" Bell questioned.

Take quickly nodded. "Yes, yes turn it off. I've seen all I've needed to see."

Bell thought about his aura going away and the light blue glow around his body disappeared. The boy was confused about what exactly had happened. He knew he unlocked his aura and that he could hold it for a long time.

But was holding it a long time a bad thing? Could it do damage to his body in the long run?

"So, this aura thing isn't gonna like kill me in 20 years is it?" Bell asked slightly worried.

Take chuckled and shook his head. "No nothing like that. Think of it as a mini power boost, like a beast person's beatification. Of course, you don't have the drawback of losing your intelligence when it's activated."

Bell nodded starting to understand what aura was. "I see, I see. And I seem to have a pretty big pool for a beginner?"

Take nodded. "Yes you do, it's honestly quite impressive really. I'm starting to wish you had asked to join my familia instead of Astraea's." He joked.

Bell chuckled slightly. "Thank you for the praise, but I owe Astraea a lot. Who knows maybe if I had come to you when looking for a familia things might have been different."

Take smiled at the boy. "Maybe, but enough of that. Astraea is a good friend and an amazing goddess. You're quite lucky to have someone like her."

"I'm aware." Bell chuckled.

"Now, for your training with aura, I'm going to be coming by every day from now until the raid to teach you what is needed. I would also like to propose a joint training between our familia's while we train your aura. Is that something you find agreeable?"

Bell nodded. "Yes, I believe that is agreeable. Astraea has the final decision on the matter but she'll likely agree. However, I am training our healer how to fight with a short sword. So I won't be able to spend all my time training aura with you."

"Is she the shy one with blue hair?" Take asked.

Bell wanted to facepalm at how easily she was picked out. "Yeah, that's her."

"Hmm I see, would it be alright if I taught her some hand-to-hand combat as well? There's a possibility she could lose her sword in a scuffle."

"Yeah that'd be smart, honestly I feel like kicking myself for forgetting something like that. But hey who better to learn hand to hand than a war god." Bell joked.

"Hey, you're only human. Anyway, I look forward to our future sessions. It's been so long since I last taught someone to use aura."

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When the evening came Bell and Ryu sat across from each other in the garden. The rest of the familia was asleep exhausted from today's training.

Although they did have a nice dinner with the Takemikzuchi familia. Bell got to know a woman named Mikoto really well.

Welf became friends with a tall burly man named Ouka and Emma and Karen became with a woman named Chigusa.

There was another woman named Asuka. Bell noted that she and Lili talked a lot. About what he didn't know but Lili seemed to enjoy the conversation.

"Bell, are you focusing?!" Ryu asked, waving her hand in his face.

Bell shook his head and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Sorry zoned out for a second there. Was remembering how nice everyone was at dinner."

Ryu hummed. "Yes, it was enjoyable. But we don't have a lot of time to be training like this. So I need you to keep your focus from now on ok?"

"Of course, please continue," Bell said.

Ryu cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "Remember what I've been teaching you this last week? About how to channel your mind to your hand?"

Bell nodded. "Yeah, use the spell key to activate the spell but have the point where it's released be from my hand."

"Correct, you understand the theory-

"But I'm having trouble putting it into action. The spell just keeps coming out from my mouth like normal and not my fist."

Ryu just simply nodded as Bell tried again. His face scrunched up in focus as he tried to have the point of exit be his hand.

"Gospel." Bell chanted.

The spell shot from his mouth again causing him to sigh in annoyance. He tried a dozen more times and each time he failed.

Bell sighed and looked up toward the moon. Feeling the effects from having a low mind."Looks like we're out of time again, It's midnight."

Ryu just patted him on the shoulder. "You'll figure it out. I'll be with you every step of the way until you do."

Bell sighed again and turned around. "Thanks, Ryu, but we need to head to bed. More harsh training for the pupils tomorrow."

The two headed inside, bidding each other a good night before heading to their rooms. Ryu was quick to fall asleep while Bell took a while longer.

"I will succeed at using that spell before the raid. I will succeed." Bell declared. He then promptly fell asleep to get ready for the next day.

Well, I don't know shit about sword fighting so take what Bell said to Cassandra with a grain of salt.

Anyway, Bell has cool new MC powers and has made new friends. His familia is getting their ass kicked while Cassandra gets special one on one lessons.

Bell has a little self-doubt but is pushing through it for the good of his familia and is working to expand his arsenal when it comes to magic.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you later.