My first story to reach double digits in chapters, I am really happy to make this story and hope you guys will continue to read it. Thank you all for making this a possibility.

Disclaimer: I do not own Campione or any of its characters. I only own my OC's

Chapter 10

Light purple meet blue as Dante looked Liliana in the eye to the best of his abilities, which was not a lot considering that his body still couldn't move on its own, making it hard to get a proper look at her. He turned his eyes away from the bound girl, looking at the one responsible for her being here to begin with, which was considerably easier, seeing as she wasn't down on the ground.

"Ebony, why did you decide to kidnap someone we know work for another Campione, especially considering the fact that said Campione is Dejanstahl Voban?" he asked, his voice more than enough to tell the two females that he was clearly tired. Which was understandable, considering everything that had happened today. All he wanted was to rest, wait till the clock struck twelve, and then go to sleep at this point.

He looked over at the bound girl once more, noticing how she immediately tensed as he did. He understood why, the widespread misconception that all Kings are power hungry monsters that spreads terror and rule like tyrants. But Liliana was someone that worked for the very same Campione that fit that description to the letter, so of course would her assumptions be the most justified of them all, having first hand experience in the matter.

"Untie her."

The Egyptian girl was clearly shocked at the sudden order, looking at her King with wide eyes. "Are you sure, Lord Dante? I mean this is the perfect opportunity to-"

Whatever other words that the purple haired girl wanted to speak were promptly halted, as Dante took his attention from her silver haired captive onto her.

"You might not be aware of it, but your action here today will no doubt have extreme impact on future events." Small silver threads started to move along Dante's body, attaching to all his limbs. From his neck, to the tips of his fingers, and down to his feet. The threads started to move, and like a puppet moved he along. Through the use of concentration and his runes was he able to stand again, despite his body still being paralyzed. He walked up to the two girls, his movement noticeably awkward and somewhat robotic. "So, I really hope you have a good explanation for why you decided to do as you did."

"You have seen the future, my brother have seen the future, I am aware that I can never hope to fully understand what impact my actions will have on the future, but I know that even someone like me can change the future. I may not know how, just that I can." Ebony was getting more and more animated as she spoke, something that wasn't usually not seen from the girl in ninja costume, especially towards Dante. "You have done nothing in an attempt at trying to affect the future, so, I was told that as soon as I saw a major chance should I take it. My brother even told me some good pointers."

"..."

Ebony visibly shrunk under Dante's judging gaze, wanting the floor to collapse directly below her so that she could avoid his eyes. But she had no such luck, she could even swear that he had stopped blinking entirely, just so that she wasn't spared from his gaze even for the slightest moment. "So, you did this-"

He motioned towards the still bound and gagged Liliana with his right arm.

"-all because a literal madman told you?"

Ebony looked away, not finding the strength to look at her King and meet his gaze. She felt like she had screwed up, big time. But even if she was being told that what she had done here today was wrong, didn't it feel so to her. No, what felt wrong was the words of accusation that had been aimed towards her and her decision.

"No, not because some madman told me. But because my brother, the one person that can actually see the future of you two, told me. So, even if you tell me my decision was wrong, will I not change my mind, I did the right thing."

For the first time since she had sworn to be his shadow, stood Ebony against her Lord.

Dante was once again silent. It wasn't a silence caused by shock or wonder, his eyes being just as judging as they had been before. This worried Ebony, as she was not aware of what possible consequences there could be for her actions.

"Very well then. If that is what you think is the best decision, then I will just have to take your words for it." His gaze returned to normal, as a smile appeared on his face. He then proceeded to move towards the large wooden desk, and pulled out something from one of it's drawers.

When he turned back around, saw he the expression that Ebony had on her face. Her eyes were wide, filled with confusion and apprehension at his behaviour and actions.

She had expected many things to happen. Him accepting and going along with it, was not one of them. But actually voicing her bewilderment turned out to much harder than she had expected, as no words were coming out of her mouth for some reason. But as she stood there, trying to get any words out, remembered she her order from before.

The Egyptian girl crouched down besides the Croatian girl, her fingers moving towards the knot that kept the bindings together. Meanwhile as she was doing that, lied Liliana completely still, her attention on the one that had ordered for her to be released, never once leaving him unattended with her gaze. She felt how the bindings that bound her started to loosen, making it easier for her to move. And as the last bit of rope was removed from her, stood she up slowly. They might have released her, but she was still cautious of them both, but for varying reasons.

The reason she was cautious of the Egyptian girl, Ebony, was because of how ease she had snuck up on her and knocked her out. She still remembered the overly sweet scent that had assaulted her sense of smell just moments before she had lost consciousness, wondering what it was that she had used to get such quick results.

The reason for the only male in the room was much simpler, he was a Campione. She was aware that comparing all Campione to her current lord, Voban, was rash of her, as the Balkan King was considered cruel and tyrannical even by their standards. But she could still remember the look that had been in his eyes when he had fought. Cold and calculating, never once showing compassion when he was his most serious. Those were eyes that normally didn't belong to a human, but those of an animal that killed because they had to, not because they enjoyed it.

Just remembering those eyes sent a chill through her body, as she imagined what it would be like to be on the receiving end of those cold eyes. But, it also made her realise something when she thought back to them. She had only seen it for a brief moment, but under that cold and unyielding exterior, was there a fire. A fire that burned like nothing she had never seen in another warrior's eyes before. Erica was probably the only one she knew that had showed her something similar in her eyes.

With slow and steady hands, removed she the piece of cloth that had gagged her, allowing her to speak clearly once more. She turned towards the only male in the room, but kept close attention on the one responsible for her being her through her peripheral vision, as she didn't trust her one bit. But her main focus was on the girl's lord.

He just stood there by the balcony door, as if waiting for her to say or do something, which one she wasn't sure about. But she noticed that in doing so had he left her a perfectly clear line from her current position, to the door leading out to the hall. From what little information she knew about these two, was she pretty certain that she could make it out. The girl that had bound her, seemed to rely more on stealth than actual physical capabilities, such as strength and speed. And Dante, currently had the body movement capability of a rusty robot.

In a sudden burst of speed was she a good distance away from Ebony, more than enough to make sure she wasn't suddenly caught. Dante made no implications to move towards her, instead turning his attention to the balcony door, something she found odd. But that left her path free of obstacles, allowing her to reach the door unimpeded. She swung the door open, managing to keep as much speed as possible as she flew out of the room.

Only to enter through the balcony door, right where Dante was waiting for her, his arms ready to catch her.

Liliana, having gone at such a high speed, was unable to change her course in time to avoid the dirty blonde male. Making it easy for him to get a hold on her. Before she knew it, was she carried bridal style in his arms, with the same kind of silver threads that was covering his body starting to bind her. She tried to fight back, but the threads quickly hampered her movements. And before she knew it, was her body fully unable to move.

"I expected you to run. So, I decided to take a small precaution against that." he told her as he walked over to the king sized bed. He placed her down on it, her body forcibly moving into a sitting position as he put her there. "Now, promise me that you won't try that again, and I will release you from the bindings."

That was a easy choice to make, seeing as the room's only exits would only take one to the other one, making any attempts at escaping through them a pointless endeavor. And seeing as she was missing her sword, was busting through one of the walls also out of the option. She was their captive, with her only chance of getting out of here being to comply.

"I promise I won't try to escape again."

For the second time in the span of only a couple minutes, felt she how her bindings loosened from her body. Her body's movement was once again hers to control, but time didn't she move from her position. Instead looked she up at Dante, waiting for him to say whatever it was he wanted to say.

"Well then." he began, having noticed that the Croatian girl was waiting for him to say something. But it was at this point that he realised something. He looked over at the one responsible for the kidnapping, one question currently on his mind. "What exactly do you think I should do with her?"

Ebony visibly thought about the question for a moment, thinking back to the talk she had had with her brother. Only to realise that he had never told her what she would do, only what will have a mayor impact on the future. All she could give him was a shrug of her shoulders. "I don't know exactly, but we can't send her back to Voban either. He would just take this as an opportunity to kill her so that she could be one of his Undead Servants. Seeing as she has probably been gone for far longer than she said she would be."

This assumption appeared to be true, as the mentioned girl visibly tensed and paled at what possible punishment waited for her if she returned. Something that both her captives took note of.

"So, do you think I should keep her?"

Both of the only two females in the room looked at him, shocked at his proposition. The way he had said it wasn't the most flattering, as the words had made it sound like he was regarding an object rather than a person, but his tone was too caring to be regarded as such by the two girls. No, it was the meaning behind them that shocked them.

For a King, a Campione, to say that they are going to keep someone can be regarded as either being recruited by them, or turned into their unwilling servant. But what Dante was currently doing was even worse.

Liliana had already sworn her loyalty as a knight of the Bronze-Black Cross to Sasha Dejanstahl Voban, another Campione. It didn't matter that she had done it under the orders of her grandfather, in their eyes was she rightfully the property of another King, and laying claim to her would be considered insane.

That was if a normal human had done such a thing. When another King did so however, were the implications much graver. It was an insult to the other King, one of their 'possessions' being 'stolen' from them could only be taken as such, especially by a man such as the Balkan's King.

A declaration of war.

"Are you sure that is such a wise choice my lord, this is Duke Voban, the oldest Campione, we're talking about." Ebony voiced her concern, as she started to think that her lord's tired mind might actually have started to affect his judgement. Even amongst Campione was going up against Voban seen as a brash decision, especially amongst those of the younger generation.

"I have to agree with Ebony on this." Even Liliana stepped in, voicing her own concerns. "There is no reason for you to do this, you can just let me go back and nothing will happen."

"If I send you back will it be no better than having killed you myself." Dante's calm and collected tone cut through their concerns, his face set in a expression of contemplation, as he thought of what he should do. "It is ultimately better that you stay here, just for the moment at the very least."

Voban wouldn't be able to find out that Liliana was here through his Undead Servants, as the entire mansion was surrounded by several defensive barriers, some of which blocked one from looking into it, or searching for someone in it through the use of magic. So as long as she stayed here would she be safe. But that didn't mean that he could just keep her locked away on the mansion ground until she died, or that Voban finally kicked the bucket.

But that made him realise something as he thought about it. Voban had no way of actually finding out what she was doing or where she were, so.

"Tell me Liliana, are you willing to become my knight, swear your loyalty to me as not only a knight, but also as a bodyguard of the re Drago family?" he had took a hold of her hands, holding them gently in his own. "If you do, will I be able keep you safe from Voban."

Liliana looked at him shocked, which soon turned into embarrassment as he went down on his knees, her hands still in his. Her imagination flew wild, several plot lines for her novel taking place in her head, before she was violently dragged back to reality by the situation at hand. Escaping lord Voban's grip was a dream come true, having had to live with the thought that the slightest mistake could have her killed for the last couple of weeks. But that begged the question: was Dante any better than Voban?

He did seem nice enough, never having shown any traits similar or close to those of her current King. He had also forgiven Ebony for what she felt like had probably been a great offence, having accepted it as soon as he was told that she thought she had made the right choice. He was nice, accepting, and forgiving, all properties of a King that cared for his subjects.

But then there was the Dante she had seen in battle. It was like a switch was flipped, as he went from the kind young man that was currently holding her hands, to a cold and impassive fighter that would put himself through all kinds of harm to get an advantage. The contrast between them was like day and night. One was warm, inviting, and made one feel safe. While the other was cold, dark, and intimidating.

Which asked the question, which one was the real Dante?

"Will you let me think about it?" This wasn't a decision she could just make right here and now, she would need time before she made her choice on the matter.

Dante was quiet for a moment, his face showing that he was clearly thinking about it. He then looked over at Ebony.

"Do you think that you can take her to one of the guest rooms without getting caught?"

The tanned girl scoffed at the question, clearly finding some humor in it. "Of course I can, how did you think I got here otherwise?"

"Through the balcony"

The Egyptian girl flinched at the answer, having clearly been found out about her route into the house. But even then was it an impressive feat, seeing as the mansion is constantly under heavy surveillance, and that she would have had to carried Liliana's unconscious body up two floors.

He let go of Liliana's hands, moving towards the door to undo what it was that had caused the silver haired girl to be stuck inside the room. Out from the keyhole, pulled he out what looked like a spike, with the face of a young man having been formed at one end. He peeked out of the door, looking to see if the coast was clear.

"No one's there." He looked back at the two girls that were now behind him. "The guest room right across should be vacant, and if you guys are lucky might it even have one extra bed."

Ebony nodded, having gotten her instructions, and was quick to move across the hall. Liliana however, waited just by the doorway. She looked up at Dante, his height making her have to crane her neck a little to look him in the eye.

"Thank you, lord Dante, for giving me this opportunity." She bowed slightly, hoping to truly show just how grateful she truly was for what he was doing.

"Take it easy Liliana, I am not your lord, yet. I'm just glad to help, especially after Ebony decided to drop you off here." It was true, hadn't Ebony decided to kidnap the poor girl, wouldn't they be having this conversation right now. Whatever it was for better or worse, only time would tell.

"Even so, thank you lo-, Dante. Have a good night."

"You too."

With those last words walked they their separate ways. Liliana towards the room where her kidnaper had went, and Dante towards his bed.

As Liliana was safe within the confines of the guest room, looked she down at her hands, feeling the still lingering heat that had come from Dante's hands. It felt surreal, to know that a King, a Campione, had shown such care and kindness towards a normal human such as herself, as it was something almost entirely unheard of. Normally knew they that they are far beyond humans and everything they can hope to accomplish, taking anything and anyone they want without any concern for their own will or importance.

Maybe serving a King like him wouldn't be too bad.

She looked over at her companion for the night, the girl that was the reason for all of this. And for the first time could she finally see her entire face clearly, as she had removed the cloth that had kept the lower half. That wasn't the only piece of clothing that she was removing, as more and more skin was being shown. It wasn't until some time later that Liliana realised that she wasn't about to stop any time soon.

"W-W-What are you doing?!" her hands flew up to her face, covering her eyes so that she wouldn't see the Egyptian girl in her state of undress. But there was some feeling of deja vu in how she acted right now, feeling like she had experienced someone else doing the exact same thing, but she couldn't place her finger on who.

"I like to sleep naked." With that response disappeared she under the covers of one the beds, before proceeding to remove her undergarments.

Liliana breathed out a sigh of relief, seeing that her roommate at least had some decency. She looked over at the other bed, before she also prepared herself for the night. Keeping at least her shirt and undergarments on.

As she got underneath the cover, looked she over at Ebony. She currently had mixed feelings about the tanned girl, seeing as she kidnapped her, but also gave her an opportunity to escape her current master.

She wanted to ask her about her own experience serving the second Italian Campione, but refrained from doing so, as she had noticed that the other girl had already fallen asleep. Instead closed she her eyes, as sleep soon overtook her, sending her to the land of dreams.

Back in Dante's room, was he waiting for the clock to strike twelve, seeing how all hands were soon aligned at twelve.

11:59 pm, and only 30 seconds until it struck 12.

'Have I really made the right decision?' That was the thought that he had been asking himself as soon as the girls had left. He knew that Liliana was usually a major part of Godou's future in several timelines, having seen as much with his Authority. But what would happen if she instead became his knight?

He didn't know, to be completely honest had he no clue. Several events would no doubt change because of this, like they already had. Godou's future confrontation with Voban would probably be avoided, much like Godou's fight against Salvatore Doni. That one had left an uneasy feeling in his stomach for some reason, despite knowing that it was a good thing.

Doni was usually Godou's first experience with how another Campione might act. And not to be rude, but the first Italian Campione was by no means a good first impression. The only that really would be besides himself, would have to be Aisha, and John Pluto Smith. As they were the only Campione that actually went out on their way to help others, in their own ways.

But that left him wondering, where was Doni in that case? Last time he had heard anything regarding him was he still in the country, just enjoying life apparently, as they had seen him buy gelato. But that was more than a week ago now, and no information about his whereabouts had appeared since.

Then there was Liliana, the knight that he 'stole' from Godou. Well, he didn't technically steal her from him, seeing as they haven't interacted even once, so she wouldn't be affected by the Kusanagi charm. And seeing as she had gotten into contact with Ebony, couldn't he just let her go. She, as well as the entire Red Sands organisation was one of his greatest resources, but that relied on that their existence remained hidden from the rest of the magic world.

But Liliana, for all her knight like demeanor, was a delicate and shy girl, something he bore witness to multiple times during his little looks through the multiverse. This had also lead to him read several of her stories, something that he would have to keep quiet about in the beginning. But he had to say, she had a talent in the field of romance novels.

It was because of these two reasons that he decided that she could be his knight. While Ebony was loyal and a somewhat competent fighter, could he never actually get her help unless it meant that no witnesses would remain, whether they were friend or foe. Meanwhile, didn't Liliana have that problem, she was someone that took her duties as a knight seriously, and would no doubt be someone that he could count on if she decided to accept his offer.

A sudden wave of agonizing pain ceased all thoughts that were going through his mind. His nerves burned, while it felt like he was repeatedly stabbed from the inside out, piercing through bones, muscle, and flesh without causing any actual damage to his body. He felt as if skin was burning as it grew heavier, as if someone was pouring melted metal onto it.

But even as he was put through this torturous experience, could he do nothing against it, except wait it out.

Then, just before one minute had passed, ceased the pain that had been going through his entire body. But even if had just been less than a minute, had it felt like forever to Dante, his body's only response being to fall unconscious after that.

He wanted to say that he was surprised as he regained consciousness, but he really wasn't. He felt hard rock under his feet. A smooth yet rough surface that gave plenty of grip, without any jagged lines that could hurt one as you walked. Everything was blue over and around him, as the vast sky stretched out all around him, before disappearing in a thick carpet of white clouds underneath. And floating around him was several boulders of varying size, some of which were making a very conspicuous path in front of him.

He stood by the same crossroad as last time, just where the road split into three different roads, only two of which he didn't know where they would take him. So without any hesitation sat he his foot down on the middle path, flowers sprouting up from the otherwise barren rock as he did, the most catching of them all being a red chrysanthemum.

But before he continued any further, caught something from his right peripheral vision his attention, causing him to turn towards it.

There on the beginning of the rock path to the right, sprouted a single, lonely flower, clearly weaker and would no doubt crumble with the slightest gust of wind. A single flower, with silvery petals that ended in blue edges, weak and dying, had managed to gain his attention. Even winning out against the red chrysanthemum for a moment.

While the pull was definitely stronger along the path he was currently standing on, was he unable to overlook that one flower, as it also pulled at his mind. He knew what lied at the end of the path he was already on, but he was also curious as to what had caused the other path to suddenly gain a form of life, despite how weak it may be.

He looked down the path that he was standing on, trying to see the end of it, but with no such luck. His heart ached, longing for who was at the end of it, but he was curious to this sudden change.

Somehow, won curiosity against longing in the end. With one long step from one path to the other, stood he just before the half dead flower. He was careful, as to not step on it by accident. He crouched down, getting as close to it as he could to get a better look.

It seemed to grow to life at his presence, as if trying to better catch his attention, its petals spreading outwards, and finally showing him what flower it was. A lily.

Without thinking, started his hand to move towards it, a single finger reaching out to it. It seemed to react to his action, as if sentient, as one of its petals lifted higher to meet him. And as they met, felt he something take root inside him. It was a feeling that was hard to explain, but he could compare it the feelings he held towards her, but different somehow. Explaining it in words felt impossible, as no words he could think of would be able to fully convey either of those feelings.

Before he was able to fully grasp at what it was he felt, was he suddenly back in his room. But it felt different this time than when he had fallen unconscious. The heaviness that usually was in his heart felt different somehow, but no less of a burden than before.

It had been too long since he had last seen her, he needed to see her, feel her touch, hear her voice, anything that would let him know that she was still safe. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, and never let her go, just to make sure she was with him and safe.

The heavy feeling was accompanied by a emptiness he hadn't felt in a long time, causing an aching pain as a result. No matter how much he wished for it, wasn't it possible at the moment, she was beyond his reach, somewhere he could never hope to go without her. While painful was it the truth, he would have to endure it in the meantime, no matter how much it pained him to do so.

A knock was heard from the door to his room, before being followed up by a feminine voice. "Lord Dante, your grandfather is expecting you in the dining room. Lord Kusanagi and Erica have already made their way there."

Before he could give an answer heard he as the lady's hard soled shoes got further and further away from his door, probably proceeding to one of her other tasks. A mansion as big as this wouldn't maintain itself after all, so every maid and butler would be needed.

But Dante didn't care about the words she had spoken. He just sat on his bed, a simple silver ring in his hands. Having already removed it from its chain, placed he it on his right ring finger. He found some comfort in the ring, soothing the ache in his heart slightly.

He just stared up at the ring that now adorned his finger, stretching up his arm towards the ceiling as he did. In that moment didn't anything else matter. Not his grandfather, not the impending prophecy of the starless night, not his pending recruitment of Liliana Kranjcar. For those few moments was he at peace, as his mind was somewhere else, with someone that currently wasn't here.

But everything sadly comes to an end sooner or later. He couldn't postpone his grandfather's calling for too long, or they would start worrying. So with his body now capable of moving again, made he his way to the dining room.

He, unlike two others, actually knew his way through the entire mansion, having grown up in it during big parts of his childhood. And while it had definitely changed somewhat since all those years ago, was it still familiar enough for him to not get lost. But he did notice that all butlers, maids and guards that either passed or looked at him grew concerned as they saw him. He understood why as it wasn't like he was trying to hide it, as even with the ring still enveloping his finger, felt he empty, something that others were able to quickly recognise.

Not surprising, as it he currently had the same eyes that his father, their late master, had shown at times before. They were also aware of their peculiar condition, as it wasn't caused by any form of disease or anything similar. It was something they had given themselves, an ideology that none of them could ever hope to fully understand, no matter how much they wanted to.

Their only hope was that unlike his father, hadn't Dante been nearly as consumed by it, which had lead to his death in the end. That had been the path he had chosen, to never find even one path in life. Which was also the main difference between them. While his father had found none, had he found one.

However, was that a hard path to follow, as it would often disappear for long stretches of time, leaving him to wander aimlessly until it appeared again. Sometimes wasn't it hard, but at other times would it feel like his very heart would be crushed by nothing.

He tried to look as normal as possible when he entered the room they were waiting in, the ring supporting him emotionally.

"Good morning Dante!"

The first one to greet him was his fellow Campione, Godou, who was currently munching on what Dante could only regard as a 'classical' Italian breakfast. Several kinds of bread, jams, plenty of butter, different kinds of cookies and smaller pastries were spread out over the dining table. And in front of all that was present was there also a cup of coffee-based beverage of their own choosing, something that was the main focus on the table for Fausto, Lucretia, and Erica, as they had yet to actually touch any of the other foods in front of them.

He truly was back home.

He smiled, a bit forced, but came off as fully natural. "Good morning, Godou!" He replied, sitting down on the chair opposite to him, seeing as the chair to his left was currently occupied by Erica. This also meant that the both of them were currently sitting right besides one of the greatest humans within the magical side of the world. Not that it had much meaning at the moment, as there was one absolute rule in this household, implemented by the lady of the house herself.

No talk about magic, gods, or anything of the like by the dining table.

This was a rule that had been followed ever since Fausto inherited the organisation from his own father, having already been married for sometime before then. It had yet to be broken, but no one ever dared to try, afraid of what punishment might befall them for doing so.

And as such, passed breakfast along pretty uneventfully. The only somewhat major happening being the instructions for where Fausto, Godou, and Dante would met in a bit.

But before that had he decided that he and his grandson needed some time to talk for a bit. He wasn't exactly clear about what, just saying that they needed to catch up with each other. And as such had they moved to the older man's office, which was also the room that would be used to inform Godou about his role as the keeper of the Gorgoneion and what it would entail.

Fausto looked at his oldest grandchild, a fond smile on face. It had been a long time since they had just sat down and talked. Not as a Campione and organisation leader, but as grandfather and grandchild. Something they couldn't do often because of Fausto's duties and Dante's travels.

"How long has it been since last we had a talk? A year perhaps?"

"That sounds about right, me and Maria hadn't been back in a while after all."

The both of them got quiet for a second, as they didn't know exactly what they could talk about. While it had been about a year since last time they had done something like this, weren't they sure were it would be best to start a conversation.

"How have your travels been this year?" The older of the two males started, hoping to at least get a conversation going.

"It has been great, we decided to take our travel farther north this time, and spent a couple months going through Scandinavia, as well as Iceland and Finland. We even managed to feel some of the Nordic cold before we traveled through Russia, to China. Maria had really missed the people that had been our hosts last time we were there, and it was clear they had felt the same way. So, we decided to stay a bit longer this time, staying there to the middle of spring. We helped out of course, as we wanted to repay them for their hospitality." Dante smiled as he brought up memories from his latest travel. "And we couldn't stay there much longer, or Luo Hao might have caught on that another Campione was in her territory."

"And you didn't think you could beat her?" This was something that held great importance to the old man, as Dante was not only his grandson, but his absolutely last, and best, defence against a Campione if they were to attack him and his headquarters. If he knew that he couldn't beat them, would it be bad if that scenario ever happened.

Dante contemplated this question for a moment. He didn't know how he would be able to make an educated guess without actually fighting against her first. He could see her abilities by looking into the future of another timeline sure. But that didn't help him compare how he himself would fare against said abilities. The logical conclusion. "I don't know. While I am somewhat aware of how she fights and her abilities, can't I say for sure how it would turn out if it ever came to that."

"I see." That was both relieving and disconcerting. While he didn't know that he would be sure to lose against her, didn't he know if he could win either. "Please, keep going."

"Well there isn't much else after that, we did a minor stop through Egypt before traveling back to Europe. We took some time walking through Greece before we returned home, and that is pretty much it" He didn't feel like going over the minor details, feeling how he was starting to get emotionally drained again, the ring starting to have little effect.

This was something that his grandfather of course took notice of. "You haven't been able to see her for a while now have you."

"No"

Even his tone started showing signs of his condition, as he had sounded so sad and pitiful when he replied. He tried to counteract it by playing with the ring a little, but had no such luck in doing so, as the heaviness was steadily returning. He didn't even notice that his grandfather had stood up from his chair and walked over to until he placed a hand on his shoulder, snapping his attention to him.

While many of the organisation members worried about Dante and the ideology that he shared with his father, was it not on the same scale as Fausto. He, unlike the others, had seen how it had started affecting his oldest son early on and how it could change a person. His son, Dante and Maria's father, had been a normal child growing up in a family of magic users. It wasn't until later that he started thinking that there had to be more in life, or at least another purpose.

But that had only started to tear at him, as he never found a greater purpose or meaning with his life. So he started traveling, trying to see if what he was searching for lied beyond Italy. But even that didn't seem to help him, but seemed instead to have the opposite effect.

It wasn't until he finally meet Lucretia Zola that he finally put it behind him for some time, prioritizing to raise a family of his own. It didn't stop his travels later on, but it had stopped to pain him like it had before.

The elderly man didn't know why his son was so insistent on why his family wasn't his so called path. And he would never truly know.

So seeing something similar in his grandson really pained him, as he felt just as powerless as he did back then once more. Even if the circumstances were different, was the effect the same.. If this kept going was he sure that it would lead to Dante's self-destruction.

But there was nothing he could do to stop him. All he could do was support him to the best of his capabilities, so that the thing that happened to his son doesn't befall his grandson.

The older man didn't say anything, not wanting to make empty promises or give him false words of encouragement. Instead let he his actions do the talking.

Dante just sat on the chair completely silent, as his mind was processing his grandfather's action. He understood the meaning behind it: 'I will support you'.

For just a brief moment wanted he to tell his grandfather everything. About Liliana, everything involving the Red Sands, how far he and her had actually taken their relationship despite being told not to. He even felt like declaring his title of Demon King to the entire magical world, after having kept it hidden all this time. He didn't know why, but he just felt like letting everything out, despite the possible repercussions.

"It is okay that I am not present when you hand over the Gorgoneion, right?" He needed to take it easy for a while, despite knowing that it wouldn't accomplish much in helping against his condition. But before then needed he to inform his grandfather about a couple things.

The elderly man looked a bit confused at the question, not having expected the younger male to ask that. "Well, you aren't obliged to be here then, so you can of course chose to not present by then."

"Alright. Then there were some things that I needed I also needed to inform you about. Please do listen to it all before you say anything." He paused for a moment as he waited for the older man's response.

And with a nod got he the response he was waiting for, and with that started he talking. About Liliana, from everything between her being kidnapped by Ebony, to her currently thinking about her response to him wanting her as his knight. And about the latest precognition Fadil had had about one week ago.

But most of all poured he his heart out, talking about how much it hurt that she wasn't with him. About how he missed everything about her, from her voice, hair, eyes, skin, touch and overall presence. By the end of it all didn't he even realise that he had started crying at some point through it all, only noticing it as Fausto handed him an handkerchief.

It was quiet between them for a while, both of them probably thinking about the conversation in someway.

The older of the two was focusing mainly on the topic of Liliana and Fadil's precognition. He was already aware about the entire Red Sands organisation and even provided them with economical support, seeing them much like his grandson as a valuable asset. But to hear that Dante's only real subordinate had kidnapped someone that worked directly with Duke Voban was not something that he expected. He did indeed see an opportunity with it, as he had wanted Dante to get a companion that didn't need to stay in the shadows and could stand by his side. So getting him a knight was something the older blonde agreed on.

But having to steal her from Duke Voban? What was the girl thinking?

And then there was Fadil and his vision from the future. Another Campione so soon after Godou? It sounded impossible no matter how he thought about it, but he couldn't deny it. He lacked the resource of clairvoyance without the Egyptian organisation, and Fadil's visions rarely proved themselves to be wrong. So chances were pretty high that Campione number 9 would soon join the other 8. The only questions being where and when they would appear.

"This information does not leave this room. Go and inform Liliana that I want to meet her after I have sent away Godou and Erica." His visage had once more turned serious, meaning that he was no longer speaking as Dante and Maria's grandfather, but as Fausto re Drago the leader of the Drago Familia. A man whose power and influence was the closest to rivaling that of a Campione, despite being a normal human.

Dante only nodded in response, not finding it in himself to speak at the moment, wanting nothing more than to lie down and take it easy for a moment.

The trip back to the rooms he and the girls were using didn't take too long. It was certainly a longer trip than it had been to the dining room, but not nearly enough to be a nuisance of any kind.

He knocked at the door to the room the two women had used last night, not wanting to suddenly barge in without at least having given them a proper warning first. He stood there waiting for a response of some kind, only for the door to actually open. Standing there in the small space that had been made saw he Liliana.

She let out a noticeable sigh of relief upon seeing that it was only him. She had probably been hoping on that he was the only one that actually knew about her being here, and that there wasn't for some other reason that someone would be paying a visit. At least had the knocking helped her determine it, as someone that would be there to clean would probably know whether or not the room was supposed to be occupied to begin with. "Good morning Dante, I hope you have had a good night's sleep."

He wasn't ready for her to greet him like that, having expected something more courteous from the silver haired knight. This was more relaxed than what he was used of seeing from her, as she would usually act like the knight she had been trained to be unless finding a reason not to.

But even so decided he to greet her back "Good morning, Liliana." It was about here that he noticed the absence of his most devoted and currently only subordinate. "Where's Ebony?"

"She said she had something to do and left earlier this morning." she informed him, before taking a look towards the balcony door. "She really likes to use the balcony huh."

Dante chuckled a little at that, knowing what it was that Liliana was referring to, and he had to agree. "Kinda, it is more that she prefers the route with the least amount of potential witnesses."

"I see."

"Was there anything you needed Dante? I didn't expect to see you until later." the knight asked, curious about his reason for being here. Especially when keeping in mind that she was supposed to stay hidden, making it dangerous to actively going to her location.

"Yeah, my grandfather wanted to talk with you after Godou and Erica has left." he informed, feeling that he needed to explain himself when he saw the silver haired knight look at him in confusion. "I explained the situation to him, he seems to wanna discuss something."

Liliana nodded, seeming to accept the situation without any problem. It was also at this point that Dante realised something important.

"Wait here and I will bring you breakfast. Tell me, do you have any prefered drink for breakfast?"

"A cup of coffee would be delightful right now, thank you."

…

Later that day, after Godou had received the Gorgonian, as well as a lengthy explanation about keeping it safe and not letting it get into the wrong hands, and left the mansion together with the Diavolo Rosso, was Liliana the next one to enter his office.

Liliana had heard about the man before, not only from her grandfather, but even her former lord as well. More often than not would it be words of praise, truly telling one of his influence in the magic world. She knew that he was a man of power, whose reach stretched across the world.

But there was none of that in the man sitting in front of her. In that moment looked he like nothing more than a elderly man wanting to talk to someone that was a close friend of his grandchild, which felt weird, as Liliana hadn't even known Dante for 24 hours yet.

But even in his somewhat carefree demeanor, was there a certain look in his eyes that told her how serious this meeting actually was.

"Hello there, Liliana Kranjcar-"

With that one greeting stood the silver haired knight at full attention, all her years of knightly training making themselves known in that instant.

"-I think it is time we discuss your future here."

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