1,423Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Danmachi, or Square Enix characters. All of them belong to their respective owners.
Hey...kept you all waiting, didn't I? All I can say is real-life responsibilities kept me very busy.
Besides that, those who play Honkai Star Rail...The Herta has a Keyblade. That is all.
Let's start the chapter.
Chapter 28: Another Dive
Bell could only gawk at what he saw before him.
"I...I...I finally have it...?" Bell quietly said to himself in disbelief.
For the longest time, Bell has been desiring Flowmotion ever since he witnessed it; how he could blitz across the battlefield and utilize the environment to his advantage. It's practically perfect for someone like him, who relies on a speed-based fighting style.
And now...it finally showed itself before Bell.
"...I have Flowmotion!" Bell cheered as he held up his sheet in joy and celebration.
"Way to go Bell! I knew you would get that ability eventually!" Sora congratulated while patting Bell on the back.
"Lili can't believe it..." Lili muttered with surprise, "Master Bell got a Skill beyond our World."
"So it's an ability that can be gained by others under the right circumstances," Neku noted, seeing how Flowmotion isn't exactly exclusive to him or Keyblade Wielders.
"At this rate, Bell's abilities will no longer resemble anything that belongs to our World," Hestia sighed with exasperation.
"I...I want to try it out! I want to see how fast I can go through the Dungeon!" Bell said with excitement, as he wanted to run out of their home and try his newfound Flowmotion.
"Right now!? The day is already ending!" Lili pointed out while gesturing to the window, which showed the sunset outside.
"I agree," Hestia agreed, "I know you're excited to try Flowmotion, but you can do that tomorrow. You still need some rest after everything that happened in the Dungeon."
"Aww..." Sora pouted.
"Wait, why are you disappointed?" Neku asked with a raised eyebrow, "It's Bell that got Flowmotion. You already have and used it."
"Well...I wanted to teach Bell the ropes of Flowmotion. It would be a fun experience," Sora said.
Neku could only sigh with exasperation while twirling around with one of his hair spikes.
"You have to wait tomorrow," Hestia told the two with a flat look, and then looked at the sheet, "still, this type of Skill isn't exactly free to use. It consumes Mind to activate it. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't exactly want to risk a Mind Down when you're traversing through the environment.
Bell blinked and took a look at his status sheet. Indeed, Hestia was correct that Flowmotion consumes Mind. And if he overdid it...Bell could only shudder when he imagined himself soaring through the air, only to lose consciousness and crash straight into a wall or ground.
It was then Bell remembered something, as he turned to Neku.
"Wait...why does my Flowmotion require magic, while yours doesn't Neku?" Bell asked.
Neku blinked when asked that question, and folded his arms in contemplation.
"...If I had to guess, it's because our abilities are fundamentally different," Neku answered.
"Different?" Bell repeated.
"Remember, my Falna gave up anything related to magic. And considering how I never had to worry about running out of energy to power my Psychs, the Mind requirement for my Flowmotion is rendered null."
"My Flowmotion is the same as Bell's," Sora remarked as he crossed his arms behind his head, "my Flowmotion needs magic to work. However, my Flowmotion barely puts a dent in my magic reserves. It's rather minuscule."
"Or you have so much magic that it's negligible to you," Hestia pointed out.
"That too," Sora acknowledged.
Bell pursed his lips.
Seems like Sora and Neku don't have to worry about the magic requirement for their Flowmotion. His Flowmotion, on the other hand, will hit his magic reserves.
'...But don't I have a large amount of Mind as well...?' Bell thought to himself, thinking how his magic stats reached SSS on both Level 1 and 2. And then there's the Level Up strengthening.
Still, it's best not to take chances, and not use the Flowmotion too much.
"Well, if magic is an issue, then I know the perfect solution for it," Sora said as he dug into his pocket and took out a particular item.
Within Sora's hand was a particular pin that looked...cartoonishly monstrous? It was a bat-winged monster with a single eye and a horn protruding from it.
"Sora...what exactly is this?" Hestia asked in confusion.
"This is the Laugher Pin," Sora answered, "this item gives a small boost in magic and strength, but the real kicker is that it allows the user to regenerate magic whenever they're walking or running."
The Hestia Familia, save for Neku, looked shocked upon hearing this.
"Wait...this item can regenerate magic for you!?" Lili said with shock.
"Sure does," Sora confirmed with a grin.
"That's...such a powerful item to have," Hestia commented with disbelief.
"Hey Bell, you should switch out your Forest Clasp with the Laughter Pin. Your Ushiwakamaru already does the job for that," Sora suggested.
"Good idea," Bell agreed as he took the Forest Clasp off him and placed the Laughter Pin on his clothes. The Forest Clasp has certainly healed him when he's on the move, but with Ushiwakamaru's draining and healing capabilities, Forest Clasp wasn't needed.
"Oh yeah, since you've Leveled Up, you can put another piece of armor on yourself," Sora said with recognition, seeing how Bell grew strong enough to put on another piece of equipment, "let's see what works best with you...ah!"
Sora then brought out a particular piece of equipment before Bell. It appeared to be a bunch of small squares with star-shaped holes in the middle of them, all chained together.
"I believe the Aegis Chain would work out for you. It grants you Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder resistance," Sora explained.
"Another piece of armor..." Bell whispered in awe as he grew strong enough to put on another piece of Sora's equipment.
"Lili swears, this Level Up is just bringing Bell a whole slew of upgrades..." Lili sighed with exasperation before she glanced at her own body.
Since she joined the Hestia Familia, Sora felt it was only right to give Lili the proper equipment she needed when facing the Heartless.
For Armor, she's wearing Acrisius, which is similar to Bell's Aegis Chain.
For Accessory, it's the Draw Ring. This grants her the Master Treasure Magnet, which attracts drops from Heartless and Dungeon Monsters towards her, making her job as a Supporter easier.
'...Lili supposes that an upgrade is needed as well...' Lili thought to herself with a small frown.
Lili understands her role as a Supporter, meaning she isn't meant to fight in the front lines. She plays her role as a supporter to help Bell fight the Heartless. Even so, there's only so much she can do with her crossbow, and the Heartless are going to treat the arrows as mere annoyances at best.
She also has her Magic Sword, but only for emergencies. However, even she feels that Magic Sword is a temporary solution and it isn't going to help in the long run.
Her only form of offense is summoning her Pegaslick, but she needs to be very careful using that ability, especially when in the presence of other people.
Her stats are good. Higher than the average, and she's surprised that after everything she went through, she's not good enough for a Level Up. Lili supposes that she needs to accomplish something to Level Up.
But how, exactly?
Lili felt that she needed to visit Welf.
"Speaking of armor and accessories, you want some Neku?" Sora offered.
"Doesn't hurt to have a couple," Neku shrugged, "what exactly do you have in mind for me?"
"Well, you don't use magic, so...," Sora dug into his pockets and took out a couple of items that he had in mind.
For Armor, Sora decided the Buster Band+ would be a good choice to give Neku some elemental resistance.
For Accessory, Sora gave Neku the Soldier's Earring, which grants Neku the Defender ability, where his defenses increase when his health is in a critical state.
"Alright, looks like we got our equipment updated!" Sora nodded to himself with a pleased expression, "and speaking of updates, since Bell finally reached Level 3, I believe this is a good time for celebration! We should go to the Hostess of Fertility!"
"Ah, good idea. We haven't been there in a while," Bell agreed.
"Does that place serve any semblance of burgers or nuggets?" Neku asked.
"...What are those?" Bell asked with a confused expression.
"...Once again, this World's food has failed me," Neku sighed with disappointment.
"Hey, don't be like that Neku! Mia's food is pretty good!" Sora said.
"I'll be the judge of that when we get there," Neku glumly said.
"...Does our food culture disappoint you that much?" Hestia asked with an unamused expression. The Goddess could only wonder what kind of food Neku eats from his World.
"In any case," Hestia said, "all of you go ahead without me. I already promised Hephastois that we would meet up and have a drink with each other."
"That right? Then we'll be sure to bring you something from the Hostess," Sora said.
"Oh, before we do go..." Bell said with realization.
~ Break ~
Bell knocked on the door to Welf's workshop. He and Lili stood outside the door for a short moment, before the two of them heard footsteps approaching the door. Not a moment passed by as the door was opened.
"Hey! Didn't expect a visit from you two so soon!" Welf greeted with a smirk.
"Hello, Welf. How are you holding up after...well, everything?" Bell asked.
"Well, I slept like a log after all the crazy stuff that happened," Welf answered before he gestured for the two to come in.
When the three entered, Welf rolled his shoulder around.
"After getting a good night's rest, I was ready to go! I'm especially fired up because I managed to Level Up through all of this!" Welf told the two.
"Oh, congratulations Welf!" Bell happily congratulated.
"Seems like all the hard work finally paid off," Lili remarked.
"You know it!" Welf said while pumping his fist, "I'm not sure if I should be thankful for all of the crazy events that we had to go through, but I'm not complaining."
"Does that mean...?" Bell asked with a curious look.
"Yeah, I've managed to get the Blacksmith Developmental Ability. I'm going to make much better equipment from here on!" Welf cheerfully answered.
For Blacksmiths like Welf, having the Blacksmith Developmental Ability is where a blacksmith's potential truly shines and develops.
"Have you forged any new weapons as of yet?" Bell curiously asked.
"Not yet, though one of the Takemikazuchi Familia members did approach me earlier today," Welf recalled, "think his name was Ouka? He came to me to request a battle axe since he felt he needed better equipment."
"Lili could only wonder why though," Lili dryly remarked.
"Maybe he felt that he owed us for saving their bacon from that stampede?" Welf speculated, before he shrugged, "eh, it's no skin off my back since Sora practically did all the work. A customer is a customer."
"I see...have you decided what to do with that?" Bell curiously asked as he gazed towards a certain material sitting at the side of the workshop.
Everyone turned their heads to see a particular dark grey hide with blood-red steaks running across it.
"Oh, the Anima Heartless drop? I debated whether to use it as a weapon or armor," Welf answered while scratching the back of his head, "though, given your equipment, I don't think you need another weapon anytime soon."
"True..." Bell said with consideration. He doesn't need any new weapons at the moment. "I guess armor wouldn't hurt."
"Yeah, let's go with that," Welf agreed, before he glanced at Lili, and noticed that Lili was glancing around his workshop, "oh Lil'ly, find anything interesting to you?"
"...Nothing in particular," Lili answered.
"That right? Well if there's any particular weapon that you want, just let me know. Though, crossbows are off since I don't really work with those." Welf informed.
"Lili is aware," Lili retorted.
"Heh," Welf wiped his nose, "well, I think I'm going to make a robe from this material. Considering how hard it was to damage big and ugly, it would provide perfect protection."
"That would be great," Bell agreed while nodding.
"Then I know what to work on," Welf said, deciding where to go from here, "anything else that you need to bring up?"
"Oh. Well, we're just wondering if you'd like to join us for dinner at the Hostess of Fertility. We believe it's right that we deserve a celebration after what went on the 18th Floor," Bell offered.
"Course I'll join! I think we deserve something nice to eat after all the crap that we went through," Welf agreed with a smirk.
As Bell and Welf chatted with each other, Lili had a pensive look on her face.
None of the weapons here suit her. And since Welf doesn't work with crossbows, Welf can't do much for her. The only option is to have Welf make her a Magic Sword to help out in battle, but seeing how strong Welf's stance is against Magic Swords in general, that's not something she can ask.
She needs something...anything to help out the party's fight against the Heartless.
~ Break ~
Bell, Lili, and Welf stood before the Hostess of Fertility. They could hear bustling noises from the bar/restaurant. Hearing this, the trio decided to make their way inside. Once they stepped through the entrance, they were greeted with the sight of various Adventurers and civilians all seated around their tables. Despite the crowd, a certain waitress took notice of them.
"Oh Bell, you're back!" Syr happily greeted.
"Hello Syr," Bell greeted with a smile, "is Sora here?"
"Of course! He arrived earlier, and wouldn't you know it, Mama asked him to help out in the kitchen once more!" Syr giggled.
"T-That right?" Bell said with a shaky smile.
Mia is practically treating Sora like a spontaneous employee at this point. Sora doesn't have a problem with it, since he enjoys cooking.
"C'mon, we have a good table reserved just for you since Sora told us that you planned on dining here!" Syr led the three to a table.
As the three went to their table, they were met with the sight of Neku sitting at the table, just nodding his head while wearing his headphones.
"...He's still hanging out with you guys?" Welf asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Y-Yeah. We decided to bring Neku with us. We're celebrating him joining our Familia as well." Bell explained.
"Seriously? He joined your Familia?" Welf asked in surprise.
"Yeah, he did..." Bell said while scratching his cheek.
Welf looked at Neku with a raised eyebrow, before he gave a small huff and shrugged it off.
He doesn't know Neku all that well, and Neku seems to be a private person if he doesn't feel comfortable sharing whatever details relating to him with others outside the Hestia Familia, making the blacksmith feel a sense of isolation. It's something Welf should've expected, since he's not a part of the Hestia Familia.
However, during their fight against the Anima Heartless, Neku proved to be a crucial fighter to work with, and Neku even gave him the chance to unleash his Magic Sword. It's fair to say that while Welf doesn't know Neku all too well, he does know that Neku is someone he can work with.
Once the group got to the table, Neku noticed them approaching them and gave them a nod of acknowledgment as he took off his headphones.
"Seems like you decided to join us," Neku commented.
"Well yeah, gotta celebrate after all the crap that we went through," Welf told Neku with a small smirk.
"...Can't deny that," Neku remarked, "well, Sora is almost done with helping out in the kitchen, so grab a seat."
Hearing this, everyone grabbed a seat and gathered around the table. As they did, Sora entered the scene.
"Hey, you all made it!" Sora greeted with a smile, "oh hey Welf! Glad you decided to join us!"
"Sora," Welf greeted with a small smirk while waving his arm, "didn't know you had a job here."
"Eh, it comes and goes whenever I come here," Sora chuckled as he grabbed a seat, "just like before, the first meals we're getting are on the house! So order whatever you like!"
"Seriously? Sweet!" Welf gave a small cheer as he scrolled through the menu.
"On the house? Guess I shouldn't hold back on what to order then," Neku remarked as he looked at the menu.
As he did, Neku's frown could only deepen. He's not finding any food items relating to ramen or burgers. There are sausages, but it doesn't come in the form of a hotdog.
"Need help on deciding what to order Neku?" Sora curiously asked while looking at the menu Neku's ordering.
"...Not really," Neku answered with a neutral expression, "just give me some time."
"Well alright then. I'd recommend getting their chicken dishes! It looked quite good when I was in the kitchen," Sora suggested.
"That right?" Neku muttered with a raised eyebrow.
As he continued to do so, Syr walked up to the table.
"Well, is everyone ready to order?" Syr asked with a smile.
"We're ready!" Bell confirmed as he looked at the menu.
Bell decided to try out their bacon and mushroom cream pasta, Welf wanted beef skewers, and Lili ordered their stuffed tomatoes.
"I'll get your paella and bouillabaisse!" Sora ordered.
"Two dishes? That's quite a lot to order Sora," Syr remarked with surprise.
"I'm going to be sharing the bouillabaisse with everyone," Sora said, and gave a small smirk, "besides, I'm curious to see Mia's personal touch with it."
As usual, Mia and Sora traded dishes as per their usual agreement. Sora wanted to learn how to make spaghetti and meatballs, and Mia learned Sora's bouillabaisse...under the insistence of Chloe and Anya, who wanted a new seafood dish added to the menu. Mia wanted to learn a new seafood dish anyway and agreed to their pleas.
"Is that so? Well then, I guess Mama will put some extra effort into yours if you're going to review her dish," Syr giggled, and turned to the last person on the table. As she did, her eyebrow slightly twitche, and rubbed her eyes a bit.
Seeing how he was the last one to order, Neku gave a small sigh as he set down the menu.
"...I'll have rotisserie chicken and minestrone soup on the side," Neku ordered.
"You got it!" Syr chirped, and turned her head away from Neku a bit too quickly, "I'll let Mama know then! We'll be sure to bring your food as soon as possible!"
As Ryu departed from the table, Ryuu arrived while carrying a tray of drinks.
"Your drinks," Ryuu told everyone.
"Wow, that was fast," Welf remarked with a raised eyebrow, but then blinked, "wait, we didn't even order our drinks yet."
"Sora told us ahead of time," Ryuu answered as she placed the drinks before everyone.
"Guess we don't have to worry about that then," Bell remarked with a chuckle.
"Speaking of worry..." Ryuu spoke up as she glanced at Bell, "...Syr has been worried when she's been hearing word of a disaster that occurred in the Middle Floors. And considering how you and your party have been going to the Middle Floors..."
Bell gave an awkward chuckle while scratching the back of his head. Word truly does spread fast in Orario. He needed to give Syr and, to an extent, Ryuu some reassurance that they were...relatively fine.
"We were affected," Bell admitted, seeing how he can't deny what he and his party got involved with, "but thankfully, we turned out fine for the most part."
"Thankfully, it's been dealt with," Lili said with a mixture of relief and exasperation.
"Yeah, and it's something I don't want to go through again," Welf groaned as he took a big drink out of his tankard.
"Now it's just a matter of fixing things back to the way they were," Sora said with a frown, "that monster really did a number on the 18th Floor."
Hearing this from Sora made Ryuu's lips thin a bit.
"...The 18th Floor? How bad was the damage?" Ryuu asked, which made Bell blink at the question.
"...It's quite bad, to be honest," Bell admitted, thinking back on the collateral damage that occurred because of the Anima Heartless, "I can't think of a single spot that's been left untouched."
Ryuu subtly clenched her fist.
"...I see," Ryuu quietly said, "thank you for answering my questions."
And with that, Ryuu departed from the table.
"...Huh, wonder what was that about," Sora wondered aloud.
Neku didn't exactly say anything, but his observation caught the elf's subtle actions. Something told him that there was more to the elf waitress.
The group waited for a bit, but they were given their orders as food was placed on the table.
"Alright everyone," Sora said to everyone as he held up his cup, "here's to a job well done and Welf's Level Up!"
He wanted to declare Bell's Level Up to 3, but they needed this under cover to avoid public scrutiny.
"Cheers!" everyone cheered as they all held up their cups and did a toasting. Though, Neku stayed quiet, but he followed their gesture.
And with that, everyone dug into their food.
Neku looked at his food, a plate of rotisserie chicken legs, thighs, wings, and breasts. Next to the plate is a bowl of minestrone soup.
His stomach growled when the scent of the meat entered his nostrils
Let it be known that he subsided on nothing but bread, jerky, and honeycloud before he met Sora. It was a rather boring and tortuous diet that he had to subside off of. Even though he joined Sora and the Hestia Familia, the only meals he had were jagamaru and basic breakfast foods at the Familia home.
But now...he finally has a meal served straight from a restaurant. Even though the cuisine doesn't match his World's cuisine, the food before him is a definite upgrade compared to what he ate before.
Neku picked up the chicken leg and took a bite out of it. His eyes widened at the flavor and juices that flooded his mouth.
'...This flavor...' Neku thought in surprise.
Neku honestly thought about how primitive this World is compared to his World, he felt the food would be boring, bland, and lacking in taste. But the chef of this place certainly knows what they're doing.
"...That's good," Neku remarked, before he glanced at his minestrone soup. Grabbing a spoon, he took a scoop of his soup and placed it in his mouth.
"Not bad," Neku commented, seeing how the quality of this soup wasn't a downgrade compared to the minestrone soup he had back in his World.
Perhaps there's hope for this World's food after all. Even so, this World's lack of shoyu ramen, burgers, and hotdogs is a huge disappointment to the Player.
"So this is your take on bouillabaisse," Sora remarked to himself with a grin growing on his face, "this is pretty good! Hey Neku, you need to try this!"
"Ugh, pass," Neku said with a look of distaste at the bouillabaisse, "...but do you mind sharing your paella instead?"
"Hm? Oh sure, take some," Sora said as he grabbed a small plate and placed a portion of the paella onto it. As Neku took the offering, Neku looked at the paella with interest.
"...So rice does exist in this place..." Neku muttered to himself, before he bit into it and nodded with content.
"Is there something wrong with bouillabaisse?" Sora asked with a raised eyebrow, seeing how Neku looked at the dish with distaste.
"It's not my favorite food," Neku simply answered as he was busy digging into his meal.
"But it's certainly mine, nyah!" a familiar voice meowed, making Sora blink and turn his head to see Anya standing next to him.
"Oh, hey Anya," Sora greeted with his trademark smile and noticed what Anya said, "oh, you liked the bouillabaisse?"
"It became a personal favorite!" Anya said with a playful smile, leaning in slightly, "Mama's seafood dishes aren't bad nyah, but yours is really creative!"
"Glad to hear that! I'm sure Little Chef would appreciate your enthusiasm for the dish," Sora said.
"Little Chef? Is that someone who taught you how to cook?" Anya curiously asked.
"You bet! He taught me everything I know about how to cook," Sora clarified.
"That so? Still, it doesn't detract from your skills," Anya said while swaying her tail side to side, and her eyes twinkled mischievously.
Anya tilted her head, her ears flicking as she grinned slyly. "You know, if you keep making dishes like that, I might just have to claim you as my personal chef, nyah~."
"Personal chef?" Sora blinked, tilting his head in confusion. "Like, you mean cooking for you all the time? Why though?"
"Well your food is that good," Anya said while swaying her tail side to side, "Chloe and the others would probably hound on you with requests, but I want first dibs. I'll make it worth your while, nyah!"
Sora gave a good-hearted chuckle, entirely oblivious to the flirtatious undertone. "I dunno, hardly seems fair to your other friends if I cooked exclusively for you. But like I said before, I'm more than happy to make something for you and your friends!"
He could only feel inwardly confused when he saw Anya heavily pout at his answer.
And why is he feeling a deep chill run down his body again?
~ Break ~
"...Master Ansem, I believe we should place a stress relief ball in her hand to prevent self-injury."
A trio of scientists watched a certain Princess of Heart pouting heavily once more, her fist clenching a bit too tight for their liking.
"I'm of the same thought," an icy scientist agreed, "we can't afford any injuries on her being while we're searching her memories."
"...What could possibly be causing such a reaction at such random times...?" the Sage-King wondered aloud.
~ Break ~
Before Anya could get another word in, another voice entered the scene.
"Really Anya, I take my eyes off you for one second and you're trying to get a head start!" Chloe said with exasperation.
Anya playfully stuck out her tongue at her fellow waitress.
"Well, I can't pass up this opportunity, nyah!" Anya giggled, before she looked back at Sora and gave him a wink.
"As much as I like to stick around, I need to get moving, otherwise Mama will get mad at me!" Anya chirped, turning around and walking off from the table.
"Honestly..." Chloe huffed, before she turned to Sora, "say, do you need a refill?"
"Hm?" Sora looked at his cup, and noticed it was nearly empty, "oh yes please!"
"Coming right up."
Chloe grabbed Sora's cup and turned around. Just as she did, she gave a sly smile as her tail brushed with Sora's forearm as she walked off.
Sora blinked in surprise with the gesture and looked at his forearm.
"...Huh, I wonder if there was something on my arm?" Sora muttered in confusion, before he looked at the table.
The Keyblade wielder could only blink when everyone looked at Sora with sweatdrops and looks of disbelief. However, Bell gave an awkward smile while Neku was palming his face.
"...What?" Sora gave everyone a confused look.
~ Break ~
In the end, the dinner at the Hostess of Fertility has ended without a hitch. The Hestia Familia found themselves returning home with content stomachs.
"We're home Goddess!" Bell called out as he was the first to enter their Familia home.
"Welcome back everyone," Hestia called out from an adjacent room, "why don't you all come here for a moment?"
Everyone blinked at Hestia calling out to them, but they all made their way to the living room. As they did, they were greeted by someone sitting across the table from Hestia.
"Fels?" Sora said with recognition.
"Greetings," the robed figure greeted the Hestia Familia, "I apologize for the abrupt visit without prior notice, but I'm afraid there are urgent matters that need to be addressed."
Lili groaned while palming her face.
"Seriously...? We just dealt with the Anima Heartless!" Lili said with a grimace.
Meanwhile, Neku looked at the robed figure with narrow eyes.
"...Who exactly is this? Neku asked.
"Oh, right, you haven't met Fels yet," Sora said with recognition, "Neku, this is Fels. He's the one who approached and told us about the Heartless acting up in the Middle Floors."
"That right?" Neku said with a raised eyebrow, "and you trusted his word?"
"I was around to confirm the truth," Hestia spoke up, "and we can trust them since they're also working with Ouranos."
"...That right?" Neku muttered while folding his arms.
Given his experience with dark-coated figures, nobody can blame Neku for feeling cautious and skeptical around Fels.
Fels looked at Neku for a short moment, before the robed figure looked to Hestia.
"Does he also know?"
"Yes, don't worry about it," Hestia said, "Neku is someone we can trust."
"I see...very well then," Fels said, "let us begin what we need to discuss."
The Hestia Familia soon gathered around the table. Sora folded his arms and looked at Fels with a raised eyebrow.
"So what exactly do you need to talk about?" Sora asked.
"I believe the first thing that needs to be discussed is your investigation," Fels answered, "since all of you returned, Lord Ouranos would like to know what happened in the Dungeon. He felt a disturbance a few days ago, and we believe it is related to the Heartless."
"Well, here's what happened on the 18th Floor..." Sora started, explaining the events of the 18th Floor.
By the end of Sora's recall of the events, Fels hummed in thought.
"...I see," Fels quietly said, "...to think your investigation led to numerous discoveries. Evilus having connections with the Heartless, the true culprit controlling the Heartless, and the rise of the Anima Heartless."
"There's also the second entrance," Hestia pointed out, "I don't know about you, but another entrance to the Dungeon is asking for trouble."
"Do you know anything about a second entrance Fels?" Sora asked.
"Second entrance...there is one that comes to mind, but I'm not particularly sure if that's the entrance Hermes is talking about," Fels said.
"What do you mean?" Bell asked.
"This actually brings up the second matter that needs to be talked about," Fels revealed, "thanks to Sora's investigation and actions, the malevolence that has been clouding the Middle Floors cleared up, meaning a majority of the Heartless lurking in the Middle Floors are eliminated."
"That's good to know," Sora said, glad to know that he managed to eliminate the Heartless from the Middle Floors as a result of his fight with the Anima Heartless.
"However, Ouranos felt one particular source of darkness lurking around in the Middle Floors. More specifically, Water City." Fels revealed.
"Water City?" Bell repeated.
"Oh, that place," Sora said with recognition, "I've gone through that place. It certainly lives up to its title, because there was a lot of water around."
"That is indeed correct," Fels said, "but do you know of the Leviathan Seal?"
"Leviathan Seal?" Sora repeated.
"Long ago, there existed a hole of unknown origin that connected to the lower levels of the Dungeon," Fels started, "this second entrance could be the hole that you're talking about. This hole released various monsters that devastated the open sea. However, thanks to the efforts of the Zeus, Hera, and Poseidon Familia, the hole was completely sealed with the remains of the Leviathan. This fossil alone emanates a power that scares monsters away from it."
"I remember grandpa telling me about what the Zeus, Hera, and Poseidon Familia did in their quest against the Leviathan..." Bell quietly recalled.
"Ouranos was able to sense this darkness gathering near the Leviathan Seal," Fels revealed, "As such, Ouranos wants Sora to investigate the 27th Floor."
"The Heartless are going to the Leviathan Seal? For what reason?" Sora wondered aloud with a confused look, "Heartless can manifest outside of the Dungeon, and a hole being blocked up by a rock isn't enough to stop them."
"It could be Evilus trying to break open the hole to cause chaos," Hestia suggested, "I wouldn't put it past them to pull off that kind of thing."
"And the Heartless could be the ticket to breaking the seal," Bell said with grim realization, "Heartless aren't like Monsters from the Dungeon; they're not scared by the Leviathan Seal."
"Then Evilus does have a legitimate means of breaking the Leviathan Seal...!" Lili exclaimed in alarm.
The Keyblade wielder tightly clenched his fist in righteous anger.
"There's no way I'm going to let that happen!" Sora angrily declared.
"Then an investigation is in order then," Neku spoke up, "it could also give us a clue on Evilus's whereabouts."
Neku then looked to Fels, "When do we start?"
"Time is of the utmost importance, so we should begin our investigation tomorrow morning," Fels informed.
"We?" Hestia repeated with a raised eyebrow, "you're also stepping in?"
"Of course," Fels said, "I can provide guidance through Water City and lead you directly to the Leviathan Seal. Unless you already know your way there."
"To be honest, not really," Sora admitted, "I only navigated my way through Water City in order to get past it, not where the Leviathan Seal is."
"Same," Neku also agreed.
"Then I believe I could be of some use to you then," Fels said as they stood up from their seat, "thank you for sparing me your time. I will be reporting all of this to Lord Ouranos while you prepare for tomorrow."
"Sounds good then," Hestia said while nodding, "my children will see you later in the Dungeon."
With their given dismissal, Fels made their way to their backyard, and promptly vanished from sight. As they did, Hestia gave an exhausted sigh while slumping onto her chair.
"Can we just get at least a week without something going wrong?" Hestia complained.
"Unfortunately, the Heartless don't run on a schedule," Neku deadpanned, and turned to Sora, "so what's the plan?"
Sora hummed in thought while folding his arms.
"Well, Fels said the Leviathan Seal is located in Water City. If that's the case, then underwater exploration can't be avoided. Good thing I know a spell that allows me to breathe underwater."
"Wait, you do?" Lili asked in shock.
"Yeah! During my time in the Carribean, I had to explore underwater and also fend off Heartless. Donald taught me the spell on how to breathe underwater." Sora explained.
"...Wow, that's convenient," Lili pointed out.
"It certainly is!" Sora cheerfully agreed.
"Can you also apply this spell to others?" Neku asked.
"Unfortunately, I don't know how to do that," Sora said while scratching the back of his head, "it's a rather easy spell to learn. Even Goofy was able to learn the spell easily, and he's not much of a magic guy to begin with."
"How about your Link to All Skill? You can use that to apply the spell to others," Lili pointed out.
"Oh right, my Skill," Sora remembered, recalling the time he used his Link to All Skill to apply the Vanish spell onto Hestia.
"Guess that takes care of that problem," Neku said, but frowned, "still, Evilus or the Heartless could be lurking around in Water City and not just the Leviathan Seal."
"That's also true," Hestia agreed, "Evilus could still be around the area if they're trying to break the Leviathan Seal."
"If that's the case, then I should come along as well," Neku said, "if we can find them, then we have the chance of getting valuable information out of them, and discover Evilus's whereabouts."
"Good idea Neku!" Sora said with a grin, "I'm going to need a hand in this investigation!"
Bell's eyes brightened and his mouth opened, wanting to voice out how he wanted to help Sora in this investigation, especially with his new Level Up.
However, the Skyward Seeker quickly found himself losing his voice, as his mind suddenly flashed back to recent events.
More specifically, the Anima Heartless.
The young Adventurer can still remember how his attempt to help Sora deal with the Anima Heartless ended up complicating the situation for everyone. How his eagerness to be helpful ended up trapping and isolating Sora from everyone. It was those actions alone that allowed the Anima Heartless to cause widespread havoc throughout the 18th Floor.
Even though Neku snapped him out of his despair and guilt with his actions, it didn't necessarily mean it erased those feelings entirely. The feelings of regret and guilt over his actions still lingered within his Heart.
If he tried to help out again...there's a likely chance that he would end up complicating the situation once more.
In the end, Bell couldn't voice out his eagerness to help out Sora. Instead, the young teenager could only shut his mouth and turned his head away to prevent others from seeing the hesitation and self-doubt on his face.
It proved to work for the most part, as everyone in the room didn't notice Bell's expression. Save for a certain headphone user, who witnessed the whole thing. However, he didn't say anything but narrow his eyes at his fellow teenager.
"Seems like it's decided then," Hestia said as she turned to look at Bell and Lili, "you two have to sit this one out. It's one thing to go to the 18th Floor with Sora, but it's another thing entirely to jump straight to Water City. It's way too soon."
"Lili agrees. It's too much for Lili's current level," Lili agreed.
"Y-Yeah..." Bell voiced out with a shaky smile, hiding away his earlier expression.
Hestia sighed as she stood up from her chair.
"Well, I'm sure everyone is tired from today. Let's get the rest we need, because I have a feeling that we're going to deal with a lot of trouble tomorrow."
The Goddess had no idea how right she was in that regard.
~ Break ~
As soon as morning dawned, Sora and Neku wasted no time making their way to the Dungeon.
Water City.
True to its name, this particular area of the Dungeon is known to be called a paradise of water. The air was humid, and one could practically feel the water vapor floating in the air. The sound of water streaming resounded throughout the area. An Adventurer can marvel at the Great Fall, a massive waterfall that is estimated to be 400 meters wide and twice in length.
"So this waterfall actually leads to the 27th Floor?" Sora asked with a raised eyebrow.
"...That's certainly a deep fall," Neku noted with a raised eyebrow.
"Indeed," Fels agreed, "it also leads to where the location of the Leviathan Seal is."
The three of them stood before the Great Fall, watching the water drop into the dark abyss of the Dungeon. The two met Fels when they arrived at the 18th Floor, and Fels showed themselves to serve as their guide.
"So this is where the Heartless are heading towards," Sora noted when he peered down the waterfall.
"I wonder why they're pulling this off now instead of before," Neku pondered, "Evilus could've used the chaos that occurred on the 18th Floor and broken the Leviathan Seal."
"All the more reason to investigate then," Fels said as they walked forward, "in any case, we should get going. It's going to take some time to navigate our way through Water City to reach the waterfall basin."
"It is?" Sora asked with a raised eyebrow.
Neku had a bad feeling when Sora asked that question, and turned to Sora with a raised eyebrow.
"You have an idea to get there faster?" Neku asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course!" Sora answered as he started making his way towards the edge.
When Fels saw this, a feeling of shock and disbelief overcame them.
"Wait...you don't mean you're..."
"I'll go and investigate the Leviathan Seal. You two should investigate Water City to see if there are any clues!" Sora told the two as he jumped off the edge, and proceeded to dive down the deep fall.
Fels could only remain speechless at what they saw, while Neku looked rather unphased by this.
"...Of course he dives straight in," Neku flatly remarked.
~ Break ~
Sora allowed gravity to pull him down while he descended along the roaring cascade. As he continued his rapid descent, the churning plunge pool below came into view, a frothy cauldron of water and white spray. Normally, any person who falls from such a height and straight into the water shouldn't expect a soft landing, as the impact on their body is as dangerous as falling onto the hard ground.
However, Sora has dealt with diving from high places numerous times, and always came out unscathed.
As Sora neared the plunge pool, Sora brought up his Keyblade. The Keyblade wielder timed his descent, and swung down his Keyblade with massive force just as he was about to touch the water.
A loud explosion of water splashing everywhere drowned out the waterfall, and a massive splash of water rose out from the impact. Once the massive splash subsided, nothing else could be soon above the surface.
'Huh, this place is a lot bigger than I thought,' Sora thought as he looked around the waterfall basin.
True to Sora's word, he wasn't concerned with his time underwater. The underwater breathing spell Donald taught him truly worked its magic, allowing him to stay underwater as long as he pleased.
'Now where does it lead to the Leviathan Seal...?' Sora wondered as he used his Keyblade as a propellor to move him forward.
As Sora dived deeper, he noticed a particular tunnel in the waterfall basin. Seeing this, the Keyblade wielder felt it was the best place to investigate.
As he made his way through the tunnel, he kept an eye out for Heartless. Surprisingly, however, no Heartless made themselves known to the Keyblade wielder.
'That's weird. I thought Heartless would show up by now...' Sora thought with a frown.
Even though he eliminated most of the Heartless from the Middle Floors during his fight with the Anima Heartless, Ouranos claimed that darkness lurks around the Leviathan Seal.
'Guess I gotta dive in deeper,' Sora thought and pushed forward into the watery tunnel.
As he did, however, his surroundings grew unsettlingly quiet; as if all life died down within this area. It was then Sora's instincts told him something was wrong.
Suddenly, he felt a sudden pull around his surroundings. He could feel the current of water suddenly moving forward. The Keyblade wielder felt himself dragged alongside the currents.
'Okay, this is new...!' Sora thought in alarm, as he turned around and used his Keyblade to propel himself against the violent current of water pushing against him.
Unfortunately, it didn't matter much as the violent current water grew exponentially, so much to the point where he felt like he was struck by a massive invisible force.
The Keyblade wielder soon found himself being swept away deeper into the dark cavern.
~ Break ~
"Are you certain that we don't need to make our way down to the 27th Floor with haste to help out Sora?"
"Don't worry about it. We need to focus on finding any clues about Evilus if they were in Water City," Neku told the robed figure as he brought out his smartphone, "besides, Sora and I have these devices that would allow us to communicate with each other.
"...Is that so? It's a lot like my occulus," Fels noted.
"Occulus?" Neku asked with a raised eyebrow.
Fels nodded as they dug into their robe and brought out a twin set of crystals.
"These items allow the users to communicate with each other long distances. However, it can only interact with its paired twin." Fels explained.
'So it's this World's equivalent of a phone,' Neku thought, taking note of the item before him.
Neku and Fels silently walked with each other while they were making their way through Water City. Sometimes, Dungeon Monsters make themselves known to the duo. However, Neku made quick work of them with his Pyrokinesis Psych.
As the two walked on in silence, Fels briefly glanced around their surroundings, before they finally decided to turn to Neku.
"...Seems like we have the area to ourselves," Fels spoke up, breaking the silence between the two.
"Seems like it," Neku agreed, and turned to Fels with a raised eyebrow, "something that you need to talk about with me?"
"Indeed," Fels spoke up, as the robed figure glanced around the area one more time.
Seeing that they were truly alone, Fels looked to Neku
"...How much do you know about a talking spider?"
And that's a wrap to this chapter.
Once again, thank you Ouranos for being my plot device to help progress the story.
If you played TWEWY NEO, you should know that rotisserie chicken is one of the foods Neku loves.
Paella isn't shown in TWEWY. However, Neku is Japanese, and as someone who is half-Japanese, I cannot go a few days without rice before I start going crazy. Neku had to go weeks without it, poor guy. Eating paella is a relief to Neku.
(Bell's Misguided Guilt)
Bell and co. don't know the conditions to defeat the Anima Heartless. Sora being trapped with the Lower Half of the Anima Heartless and defeating it, along with Bell defeating the upper half of the Anima Heartless, are the needed conditions to defeat the Anima Heartless (along with destroying the magic stone).
However, because they don't know that, Bell feels that his actions caused trouble for everyone. Ironically, his actions that caused trouble for everyone gave them the necessary conditions to defeat the Anima Heartless.
Fun Fact of the Day
Nomura wanted Hikaru Utada to make new songs for non-numbered titles alongside the numbered titles. However, they didn't have much opportunity to ask that. When KH3 came around, Hikaru proposed making a completely new song. Nomura claimed that "it was the power of the KH fans around the world that motivated her to do such a thing".
Remember, our support motivates Hikaru Utada to make songs for Kingdom Hearts. So remember to show your support so KH4 will have its Hikaru Utada song.