12 Chapter 10: Starting Point. Trace On

Bell took his time in recovering. Slowly building up the nutrients he had lost, regaining his physical form with light exercises, and moving on with the motions of his daily life.

After what Medea had revealed to him, Bell immediately began talking with his grandfather if he had encountered any elements from Fate during his nearly thousand-year stay in Genkai or knew anything from his brief observations in Tenkai.

Bell began listing off the most important factors in Fate that might pose a problem for him. Not that there weren't many horrifying things to take on from Fate, but Bell just listed the most concerning for him. The will of the planet. The will of humanity. The reverse side of the world...Sefar and the umbral star.

'I don't even want to begin thinking about how to deal with that walking white giant of death...'

'And since I have encountered a similar form of UBW and Medea, I should assume this has elements from the Fate timeline and not Tsukihime...otherwise, I would have to worry more about dead apostles and the ultimate ones...'

The universe of Type-Moon was one where world-ending calamities were a dime a dozen. Luckily for Bell, none of the numerous things he explained rang a bell in Zeus' mind from his stay in Genkai and his long life in Tenkai.

Bell gave out a huge sigh of relief. Though he knew this world could contain threatening aspects from Fate, he didn't have to worry about the apocalypse suddenly appearing in his sleep.

Zeus gave out a hearty laugh seeing his grandson's relief.

"HAHAHAHAHA, you're much too young to start sighing in tiredness Bell! Though the things you said are certainly a cause for concern. Ouranos would've immediately released all restrictions on our Arcanum if he had encountered such a threat."

"We may be a bunch of idiots who descended into this world out of boredom, but never forget Bell...we are still gods..."

Zeus spoke with magnanimity only one with immense strength would have the will to speak with. Zeus took his grandson's words very seriously...If ever the threats he had listed appeared one day, he would gather all the world's divine lightning to strike it down before it even considered harming his family...

(I know some of you might call cap on the gods of danmachi being able to fight off entities like Sefar, but for context on the small glimpses we have of their true power, Prometheus and Hestia took care of a divine flame which could've burned the entire world if a small portion of it were to get out of control. The divine flame wasn't even considered a divine weapon among the gods, just a fancy flame)

Having his worries dissuaded by Zeus, Bell then went back to his personal training. Once he regained back his physical strength, Bell began experimenting with his powers.

He stood alone in his training grounds in the forest, having just finished his morning training routine, Bell was figuring out exactly what his cheats did.

'So projection...that's something I definitely have, or rather, I should have it as a consequence of having UBW'

Bell, recalling his brief stay in his reality marble, started the process of trying to call out its power.

'I did remember seeing a field of swords back then, but I haven't encountered that many weapons in both of my lives...something to think about later. Back to projecting'

He then recalled the process used by Emiya for how he traced weapons.

'Judge the concept of creation...Hypothesize the basic structure...Duplicate the composition material...Imitate the skill of its making...Sympathize with the experience of its growth...Reproduce the accumulated years...Excell in every manufacturing process.'

Bell could understand how the process would go ever since he obtained UBW. Knowledge of weapon creation flowed into his mind as he subconsciously analyzed the few weapons he has encountered.

'I think it would be best to learn more about weapon smithing when I travel in the future. Senji Muramasa, the famous blacksmith, was able to forge a conceptual sword using Emiya's ability and his past knowledge of sword smithing. So there must be a benefit to knowing the process personally rather than just through tracing'

'Even if it doesn't benefit me, learning about the unique weapon-making processes and enchantments of this world could prove beneficial'

With some future roadmap goals decided upon, Bell began choosing what to project as a test.

'I definitely shouldn't go big with a sword, so let's start off small...a kitchen knife...that can work'

Bell began recollecting his memories of the kitchen knife found in his home.

Its shape, its structures. The material used, and the methods utilized in its making. The feelings of its creator, and this history it has accumulated...

Having gathered all the information necessary, Bell brought his right arm forward and called forth the activation of the magic.

「Trace...on」

The mind within his body spurred into action. A series of light blue circuits appeared from his arm and connected all the way to his hand. A flash of light appeared in front of Bell's palm as a magical mist formed around it. In an instant, the kitchen knife appeared in his hand.

"fuu..."

Bell took a quick breath after successfully projecting.

'That was quite tiring. I was able to figure out a few things after that'

First was his reserves of mind. It was quite abundant despite having no falna, spirit blessing, or training in ancient elvish magic.

'If I have this amount of mind within me...I might be able to go with the plan I have in mind...though I need to check a few things first'

The second observation Bell made was his body's response when projecting.

'It's too slow, and it tires me out. I assume this will be something I can fix with practice and repetition'

'Train my body to endure the strains. Improve the control of my mind when activating my magic. Have it occur faster, and lessen its cost by reducing excess energy used in activation'

Bell pinned yet another goal for himself to achieve in the future.

'So I have successfully confirmed I have projection. I can train this even further and eventually call out UBW, but that will take a long time...'

'But there is one thing I want to test'

Bell wanted to test a certain hypothesis he had for an event he was greatly confused by. How he had survived taking a poisoned sword to the gut long enough for his grandpa to show and give him a potion.

"Granpa Zeus mentioned the battle ended quite a while before he arrived...to survive that long...'

'There's only one explanation I could think of since I have UBW...depending on how this test turns out, I might have to change my future plans...'

Bell took the knife in his right hand...and cut his left hand without. He winced a bit from the pain but immediately began observing the cut.

"..."

As blood dripped down his hands, Bell immediately noticed the faint white light coming from the wound.

"..!-"

Strands of light began intertwining themselves in the cut, aiming to close off the wound immediately. It was a slow process, but eventually, Bell's wound healed by itself.

'So I have it...the healing factor Shirou Emiya possessed which closed off his wounds by forgings within it countless swords which bound it together...'

A power the wrought iron hero gained for containing the sheath of the king of knights within his body. Avalon, the ever-distant utopia.

'With this, I can confirm the theory I had...I don't just possess Emiya's reality marble of UBW...I possess every ability he had...I was reborn with Emiya's powers in their entirety'

(Roll credits)

Bell had theorized this since his discovery of UBW.

Emiya's reality marble was only possible due to his element and origin both being "sword" Though Bell knew it could also be caused to him having the same element and origin as Emiya, he still had to test the other possibility he believed in

'The healing factor Emiya had was a result of him being implanted with Avalon by Kiritsugu when he was a child. For me to receive a healing factor without Avalon...for me to be able to use projection magecraft using mind instead of Od...could only mean one thing'

He had received the powers of Emiya as abilities in concept. The concept of having an inner world that copies and creates infinite swords. The concept of healing his body with swords themselves. That was the cheat Bell was born with.

The concepts of Emiya's powers were implanted within him as he reincarnated, and consequently adapted itself to the world he found himself in.

'I won't bother with how that even works in the first place. Grandpa Zeus told me not to mess with multiversal shenanigans. What matters is that I have these abilities. Abilities that can allow me to carry out my future plans with ease'

Bell grinned to himself as he thought of the future he envisioned, but before he could lose himself in training, he had one last thing to check.

With his wound healed, Bell moved to a nearby tree and stood before it. Gripping the knife in his hand, he prepared to stab at the tree.

Bell moved with precision and technique. The knife made contact with the tree, but it hardly made a dent. This was what he had expected. He promptly resumed his position prior and spoke out.

「Trace on」

Bell had begun analyzing the structure of the knife. Deeper and more precise, Bell managed to analyze its molecular structure in great detail. Successfully accomplishing this, Bell proceeded to call out another magic, one he would invoke for the first time.

「Reinforce...」

Blue light began to envelop the knife. The pattern of circuits that appeared on Bell's arm before began appearing in the knife itself. Deep inside the structure of the blade, Bell began shaping his mind to fill in the structural gaps. Doing as the name of the magic implied, reinforcing the object greatly.

Once Bell confirmed he had successfully reinforced the knife, he quickly stabbed the tree again. With the same technique and power had done before.

The knife made contact with the tree and effortlessly dug into its bark, submerging the knife completely in an instant.

Seeing his test was successful, Bell let go of the knife. When he no longer held the knife, the light which had enveloped it quickly dissipated.

'So I have reinforcement magic as well'

Reinforcement. It was the only magic that Kiritsugu had properly taught Shirou Emiya. Though, because of being unwilling to bring his adopted son into the world of magecraft, he didn't teach him much outside of reinforcing the structure of objects. Emiya then consequently wasn't really proficient in its use.

'Emiya didn't utilize reinforcement outside of reinforcing the structure of objects and weapons...but the magecraft itself was known for its wide area of applicability'

'The first test is a success. Confirming the existence of reinforcement as an ability, and its application to an object. Now for the second test...'

Bell entered the basic stance of Pankration but then held his right arm with his left hand. He focused and called out his magic once again.

「Trace on」

Bell immediately analyzed the structure of his arm. The muscles, the bones, the nerves, his magic circuits. How they were all structured. How they are all connected and intertwined.

'It's not as clear as when I analyzed the knife'

Bell encountered difficulty tracing his arm. It would seem the limitation that came with Emiya's ability still held true. The farther an object strays from the concept of a sword, the harder it was for him to analyze, even more so to project it.

'Though it's not as clear, it's enough to go through with the test'

Bell wanted to see if he could reinforce his body. Strengthen his bodily power. Having seen the gaps in the structure that he could reinforce, Bell promptly invoked his magic once again.

「Reinforce」

Magic circuits spread out from Bell's arms to his hands. Radiating light blue. Though no visible changes were made, an aura of power could be felt being emanated from the magic circuits.

Bell pressed down his left foot onto the ground, unwinded his right arm, twisted his body, and unleashed a straight right punch onto the tree.

Before he made contact with the tree, Bell stopped his hand mere centimeters from the bark.

A gust of wind blew out in all directions, the pressure causing a light rustling of the forest around him.

Had Bell gone through with the punch, he would've no doubt been able to topple the tree, creating a ruckus and capturing the attention of the villagers.

'I would like for my abilities to remain a secret, so that was the right call...'

Though he had almost exposed himself, Bell was grinning brightly, he was able to reinforce himself and improve his strength.

'With this, I can definitely go through with my plans! Though one last test'

Bell now had everything he needed for the future, he just wanted to check one last aspect of his reinforcement magic. If it was a failure, he would accept it and move on. But if it were to succeed...it would be a game changer.

He moved from his training ground to a clearing he frequented a lot. A cliffside clearing that overlooked the village. The sight was something Bell would come back to frequently for its beauty.

Though he didn't come here to enjoy the view. He closes his right eye and put his hand over it.

'I don't know if this might blind me...but if I have the conceptual healing factor of Avalon, a healing factor which can regrow limbs, and fight any illness with ease...even if it might take a while, I'm sure my eye will be able to go back to normal...I hope'

Bell hesitated when thinking about being potentially blind for a while, but quickly resolved to continue.

'No pain no gain Bell...just focus...'

Bell took a deep breath, then...

「Trace on」

Images of the structure of his eye then appeared in Bell's mind. Much more complex than his arm or the knife, and much vaguer too. But Bell was able to find the structural gaps to reinforce. Once finding it, he then invoked his reinforcement magic.

「...rein...force」

Feeling that the spell had been finished. Bell opened his eyes with hesitation, but the moment he did, his smile couldn't have been wider.

"HELL YES!-"

Medea, inside her room, turned her head when she heard Bell's voice. She was confused and eventually moved on from it, assuming it was just her head making up the sound.

Bell was ecstatic at what he had seen. His vision improved, he could see farther than he normally could.

'Though it didn't improve by much, it confirmed the true nature of my reinforcement!-'

It wasn't the structural reinforcement Emiya used most of the time, it was reinforcement of a target's "purpose of existence". Reinforcing the capabilities of the target beyond physical structure and endurance. This form of reinforcement could improve intangible concepts like an eye's maximum vision.

Bell's powers, although they didn't give him the instant gratification of most other cheats, were in his eyes the best thing he could've asked for.

'I have what I need. All I need to do now is train like hell. I can definitely do it now...I can definitely go on the adventure I always dreamed of-'

Unable to contain his excitement, Bell gave out a hearty laugh.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA. Black dragon! Your days are now numbered!"

Deep in a shadowy abyss in an unknown location. A great beast was slightly roused from his slumber, recuperating the wounds he had incurred from a great battle a few years ago. It had done so by instinct, but it couldn't figure out why.

Thinking it was nothing but a mistake, the beast fell back to sleep. The time this living disaster would wake once more has not yet arrived. But the day will certainly come...

...

..

.

Time passed quickly for the young boy. Bell quickly dived into training like a boy possessed. He intensified his workout routine. He worked himself to exhaustion, but he did so with a purpose.

Muscles are strengthened by tearing them apart and rebuilding themselves over and over. With each integration becoming stronger than the last. With Bell's slow but constant healing factor, he would tear his muscles to shreds and his healing factor would repair them by the next day stronger than before.

On top of improving his base bodily strength, Bell began improving his ability to manipulate mind and control his reinforcement magic by shadowboxing and sparring with his grandfather.

Now that Bell was able to gain strength beyond a normal human, he requested his grandfather to start using more of his innate strength when they sparred. Zeus was hesitant to do so, but after an explanation and demonstration of his powers, he acquiesced to his grandson.

He found it difficult to empower every part of his body with reinforcement at all times.

Constantly fluctuating the intensity of his reinforcement every time he attacked and received a blow quickly deteriorated Bell's stamina.

To combat this, he trained himself to maintain a constant level of reinforcement throughout his body, and simply shift more power into certain areas depending on the situation.

He referenced the nen concepts of Ko, Ken, and Ryu, which he learned from Hunter X Hunter. Thus, Bell was able to use his body reinforcement more effectively in a combat scenario.

With his body training, reinforcement training, and mind manipulation training covered. Bell moved on to training his ability to trace and project.

He didn't want to burden the finances which his grandfather used for their daily lives, so Bell asked the village head if he could work for pay alongside the adult of the village in the grain fields.

The village head and the other adults were hesitant to accept the boy, but Zeus urged them to give Bell a shot. With the recommendation of Zeus, one of the strongest workers the village had, they gave Bell a chance to show that he was capable.

Bell didn't fail to leave them shocked. Effortlessly carrying two heavy sacks of grain on his back with ease. Though his natural strength would've been enough, Bell decided to use a little of his reinforcement magic just to be safe.

Seeing a child perform such a task, the village chief and farm workers were left speechless, but Zeus heartily laughed at their shock, saying their family is naturally strong.

Now accepted into working alongside the adults in the fields. Bell worked earnestly for his pay, using the job as a way to continue training his reinforcement and mind manipulation, with the added bonus of being with his beloved grandfather for most of the day.

With the pay Bell received, he began collecting numerous weapons from traveling merchants who visited the village. He amassed a wide collection which he stored in an unused shed near his home. He used this collection to train his tracing and projection and was able to improve his cast time, projection quality, and the number of concurrent projections.

Though Bell was happy with his progress, he knew he would improve greatly once he began traveling and analyzing the better quality equipment of adventurers he would encounter.

Bell, with his leftover funds from his weapon collecting, slowly but surely constructed a crude and rudimentary personal forge. It had many compromises in its construction and capability, but it was enough for Bell to begin personally familiarizing his body with creating weapons outside of projections.

He gathered whatever books he could find on the subject of weaponsmithing and the materials needed to do so. This endeavor of his didn't see as much progress as his other forms of training, but it was enough for him to construct some personal weapons he had in his mind, such as Emiya's nameless bow.

Bell was obsessed with training, and for a while, his amount of social interaction threatened to return back to levels similar to his time of isolation, but with the sternness of his grandfather, the earnest pleading of Medea, and the somewhat threatening request from his Aunt Idyia. Bell found time to step away from his training routine to unwind and enjoy childhood.

He had numerous talks with his grandfather. Hung out with his aunt Idyia, and played frequently with Medea. Though his goal of becoming more socially active was destroyed.

Over time, Bell gained a reputation among his village peers as "an abnormally strong kid who spent a long time surrounded by weapons". But Bell didn't mind it much. The current company he had was more than enough for him.

With his training for his abilities out of the way, Bell had only one thing left to train for.

...

..

.

In a grassy plain covered by the orange hue of sunset, a grandfather and grandson could be found, engaged in a duel that...seemed more like a one-sided beatdown.

"ACK-"

"Keep focus Bell!-"

Zeus was currently engaging in a unique spar with his grandson. It has been a year since Bell had shown his grandfather his unique abilities.

The god was naturally shocked as he explained the concepts behind each one.

Though he knew the potential risks involved if anyone were to find out, Zeus couldn't help but be proud of his grandson's potential.

Years of raising a Bell as grandson has turned the god of lightning into his number one fan.

With Bell's abilities revolving around weapons, Bell and Zeus began sparring more with them rather than martial arts.

Unfortunately, however, Zeus wasn't nearly as well-versed in weapon combat as pankration, so he could only teach Bell the fundamentals he picked up while raising his past familia.

The pair would have duels with a variety of weapons, they most frequently dueled with a pair of claymores Bell had once bought.

Zeus pummeled Bell in a flurry of sword strikes, but Bell didn't counterattack, he simply blocked it every time.

'What does the boy wish to accomplish with this?'

Bell requested his grandfather to spar with him in an unnatural manner. Bell would only block while Zeus tried his best to overcome his defenses.

Zeus was confused by this request and asked Bell why he would ask for such a thing, but Bell simply told his grandfather that he had something in mind.

"HMPH!-"

Zeus attacked Bell with a horizontal strike. Bell blocked it but was simply blown away by the immense strength.

Bell fell down from the blow, while Zeus took a breath.

"Fuu...you know Bell...if you're a masochist you can just tell me..."

Hearing the remark of his grandfather which he heard numerous times at this point, he could only reply with sarcasm.

"Ha ha, very funny grandpa, it's like I didn't hear that joke many times before"

"Cut me some slack Bell, there's only so much you can joke about in a one-sided beat down like this"

This cycle of Bell only defending and Zeus brutally attacking has been going on for a year now. With the sun setting, Zeus knew it was time to finish up.

"Its time to pack it in for the day Bell. Sun will finish setting in a bit..."

But before Zeus could move to extend his hand toward the fallen Bell. He simply stood up quickly and assumed his stance.

"...c'mon Bell, we can continue practicing tomorrow. The harvest is coming soon so-"

"one more"

Zeus was cut off. Bell never cut him off from speaking outside of when he teased him. Zeus, looking at his grandson, saw a look he was all too familiar with.

The look of opportunity, as if they were on the verge of a breakthrough.

Every time Zeus saw such a face on a mortal, they would soon shortly come back with news of a great achievement. A level up. A new dungeon floor record. A way to bring down a great foe.

Zeus quietly resumed his stance. His grandson was about to perform the determination of mortals that captured the love and attention of even gods. He would be damned if he messed this moment up for his grandson.

"Get ready Bell..."

"Bring it-"

Bell replied with determination, the sight causing Zeus to grin wide. The god tensed his legs as he pushed off the ground with immense force, a small crater left behind where his foot once was.

Zeus tightened his grip on the claymore, soon unleashing a diagonal strike. If Bell received this blow, he would no doubt be fatally wounded. If he blocked it, his arms would no doubt shatter on the weight of the strike.

'Show me Bell. Show me how far you can go!-'

The blade was fast approaching Bell, and once it was within range, Bell sprung into action.

"Hm?!-"

Zeus felt a weird sensation. It was as if...his momentum changed...

In an instant, Zeus' sword fell down to the ground, missing Bell...and in a different direction from where he intended to strike...

'He...diverted my strike-'

Zeus was shocked at what he had just seen, but before he could ask, Bell immediately shouted in joy at his first success.

"HELL YES! I FINALLY DID IT!-"

Bell had accomplished what he sought to achieve. A fighting style that never failed to gain prominence in every story it appeared in.

Water Breathing. Water God Style. Flowing River Crushing Rock Fist. Redirection Kata.

A form of fighting that dealt with perceiving and manipulating momentum. One that sought out the perfect form of defense with the perfect parrying technique.

'A fighting style that can reflect any attack. A fighting style that can perfectly take on any attack regardless of any style'

'I will need a lot of time to grow, but I will no doubt have many enemies who can threaten to end my journey early...but if their attacks can never reach me in the first place...I have nothing to fear'

No matter the strength, no matter the speed, no matter the technique, an attack will be pointless if it never reaches its target.

The skill Bell has developed outside of his cheats. His ultimate combat response.

[Absolute Reflection: Perfect Counter]

Authors note:

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I wasn't able to write as much as I wanted yesterday, so I did my best for this one HAHAHA.

With this chapter, Bell's childhood arc is about to conclude. The time skip and his long-awaited travel to Orario will begin.

I plan on pushing the events of the canon back by 2 years. Bell will arrive in Orario at age 14, but canon won't start and he won't join a familia till age 16. Why? Because he's planning on becoming a certain figure before he becomes an adventurer. Try and guess what he wants to become.

Again, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you for reading!