Chapter 9: The Visit

Dante laid motionlessly on a bunk bed inside a room set for him. Hands were still cuffed like an arrested fugitive. On the contrary, his legs were set free however, there was not enough spaces available to walk around in this cubicle prison. He preferred not to used his legs on most occasion as he recalled that he mostly spent his free times laying down either on a sofa, chair, or anywhere as long as he could shut his eyes.

And that is what he's going to do now. Shutting his eyes slowly, embarking on another slumber. He could not. Dante reopening both of his silvery eyes gazing at the hollow ceiling above. There were things that bothering him from going to his sleep. What if he dreamt about his other self again? Goddamnit, Old Man. What do you want from me again? Dante softly spat a curse, only to be heard by no one except the half devil himself.

The door in front of him creaked open as Chifuyu making her way inside.

"Hello there, Orimura-sensei." Dante greeted with a slight smile. "I believe that you have enjoyed your sleep, haven't you?"

Dante immediately taken into his account when Chifuyu told her to call her with Orimura-sensei beforehand. He obeyed as he did not want to know the reason. Moreover, suffering another punches from her.

"Nah…You said that. Not me." She exhaled as she pulled a chair and sat down facing Dante. "But, I managed to get some time to rest already."

"Glad to hear that." Dante replied, adjusting his seat. "So? What brings you today?"

Chifuyu fixed a murderous glare. Christ. Not this again. Dante sighed.

"Alright. Turning me into a sandbag again, like usual we do, huh? Just make it quick." Dante shut his eyes waiting for the blows to be landed.

Chifuyu threw a stack of document beside Dante as if telling him to read them by himself. Glancing over to the direction of the files, Dante was shot by countless report texts about him that came along with numerous diagrams which also accompanied with several photo shoots. The ones that dominated most of the photos, is the one which he executed his brutal axe kick on Madoka. He decided to heed no more attention toward the files as he found those papers are somehow... he could not find the appropriate word to describe how this human wanted from him by collecting so much information on him.

"You defeated an S class pilot in a bloody combat yesterday. How did you do that?"

Dante shrugged. "How do I know myself neither? I just did whatever it takes to keep alive. Its just…" Dante frustrated paused. "…bred in my bones."

"Are you still unable to remember your past?"

Dante stressfully pressing both palms on his face. "What am I suppose to gain by remembering my past? Even if it kills me, what are you looking from me? Look! I still can not remember a thing except my name…and there's nothing from my past except pain and death."

"Even someone you helped back then? Patty Lowell, Capulet City, do they ring any bell to you?!" Chifuyu pressed onward.

The name of Patty Lowell sparked his memory. His mind projecting a cheerful blonde girl in her 13th with a wavy long blonde hair that reached almost half of her back, a pair of blue eyes that reflected the color of sea, also her petite figure that was covered behind girly clothes.

The girl… Patty Lowell…

Yes. Dante remembered.

That girl, she's cheerful, young, and fragile in the hand of the demons both taken in shape of mortals or the actual skin. Due to a family share quarrel, she was acted as a decoy to be zeroed in the hands of the devils. At first, Dante took the escorting job as another usual business he conducted. At the end of the day, however, Dante had strengthened his resolve to keep her safe… at least until she had grown into an adult. Unfortunately, his memory was severed until here. He could not recall anymore.

"Patty…Lowell?" Dante murmured. "Where is she?"

"Well?"Chifuyu asked.

Finding another reason upon not to give up on his sword, Dante unconsciously building his devil energy within. It rapidly grew in instant that his morphing intercourse had already replaced his fangs as a starter.

"Where is she?" Dante growled.

"Do you remember anything, Dante?"

"WHERE IS SHE?!"

The air around them violently vibrating upon Dante's roar exploded throughout the room. An invincible air hammering Chifuyu down from where she was sitting at causing her to take a complete look at Dante's bloody eye pupils from below the cold metallic floor. Fear once again struck the iron-fist instructor of I.S Academy. Chifuyu leapt a heartbeat. She was unable to move an inch from where she at as a result from Dante's demeanour aura he emitted.

"Where is she?" Dante's voice deepened. "Where do you hide that girl, CHIFUYU?!"

"(Wait! C..Calm…D…own)?!"

To her surprise, her voice was stuck in her throat. Moreover, strangely, she was unable to move an inch from where she fell.

"(Is this what they call a spectral binding?! No way! That kind of thing never existed in the first place, but…)"She thought to herself.

Dante's anger forming red electricity that coarsed throughout entire of his body. SNAP! The electromagnetic cuffs chaining Dante's hands snapped in agony sizzled by the electric particles Dante emitted. Dante stood up from his bed making his way toward Chifuyu. Each step left a dent mark on the floor.

"What…are…you?"

Only those words that managed to escape from her mouth.

Dante did not answer. Instead, he fitted his dominant hand on Chifuyu's throat.

GAHK?!

Chifuyu was choked painfully every motion Dante set when lifting her up. She felt something expanding from Dante's hand. Whatever those are, they were slowly pressing against her throat every passing second. It's not long until her windpipe was totally crushed.

Her consciousness began fading. She found herself painfully to breath. With her current state, she was unable to break free from Dante's brute choke.

"DANTE! STOP!"

Just as she thought that she'd done for, miraculously, a familiar voice she known rushed over into the room. She was dropped onto the floor. Gasping for air like a fish in the land, thank Amaterasu-sama, she had not crossed the River Styx yet but witnessed it already. The hell was she thinking?! It's not the time for showing her gratitude. With her remaining strength, she looked toward the voice owner she knew whom saved her also facing Dante in her place.

"GET OUT OF HERE, PATTY!"

Gilver sat in his office. A chessboard was placed on his working desk and above the game board, against a complete set of black armies, the white only concealed of the King, Queen, a Bishop, one Rook, a single Knight, lastly a lone Pawn.

Gilver wondering. If the Black armies are Phantom Task, then the white ones represent I.S Academy with the King acted as himself, Chifuyu as the Queen, he hadn't thought about the role of the Bishop, the Knight and the Rook yet however, the Pawn's role indeed would be the Subject's. What's his name again? Ah yes…Dante. Gilver chuckled. The name surely brought back some memories.

He lifted the Queen, placing at the center coordinate.

"A lion, is the king of the jungle indeed. A tiger may be powerful. However, a wolf shall never summit itself to a circus." He said solemnly, then addressing his head toward the entrance of his office. "I hope that you have learned your lesson already…"

WHAM!

Before Gilver could finish his words, Chifuyu violently making her entrance by slamming the door with brute force that the first class wooden door Gilver ordered weeks ago got smashed in instant.

"…Orimura-sensei?" Gilver concluded with a smile while laying his back on the chair.

Chifuyu made her way to Gilver. The Queen, along with all the game tokens dropped from the game board as a result of the impact when she slammed her palm down on the desk.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF ALL THIS, GILVER?!" she shouted.

"Of what?" Gilver asked, pretending to be a fool.

"DANTE! WHAT IS HE?!" she grabbed GIlver by his collar, violently pulling toward her from his seat. "I know you are hiding something from me and I am sure you do since the first time we met. Don't you dare to lie to me or I am going to send you to ICU right now."

Gilver laughed.

"What is it so funny, damn it?! I am here for the answer! Not for your eccentric idiot play! You hear me?!" she rose her voice. "Again, WHAT IS DANTE?!"

Gilver chuckled. "Sorry. But even if I tell you, you won't believe me neither. You know, Orimura-sensei…it takes a strong man to deny what's in front of him. And if the reality was not what he expected of, then he created his own. And now, I am afraid that you are not ready for the answer yet. You see, I have lived long enough than you and also seen things that can not be explained with…mortal…" Gilver pointed his side head making a cuckoo sign "…understanding. That would be rational matters to be precise. Hehehehe."

"GODDAMN YOU!" Chifuyu readied to land a blow with her fist.

"But!" Gilver halted her with a single word. "If you want to know the truth, then abandon all the hope ye who enter here. Rest assure that I can help you to seek the answer out of your curiosity. But there's a catch. Are you sure, you can stand before not only the truth, but all the things lied before you no matter what happens?"

"If it's for the safety sake of the students in I.S Academy, then so be it." She instantly replied.

"BRAVO!" Gilver exclaimed while clapping hands. "That's what I am expecting from the Iron Maiden of I.S Academy! You are truly, a sentinel of the I.S Academy just like your reputation precedes you! A truly act of valor! Too bad that act must be shown under a jogging suit! HAHAHAHAAH!h I wonder where are your usual teaching outfit go, which are formal white shirt, black business overcoat, and your tie. Oh wait! Don't tell me you changed them already because you sweated yourself…no. I wonder that you might wet yourself after your encounter with The Subject just now, hmmm?"

"YOU…"

An alarm suddenly broke throughout the entire building halting Chifuyu from punching the lunatic in front of her.

"Warning! Multiple hostiles are detected! All personals, prepare to engage in combat! Warning! Multiple hostiles are detected! All personals, prepare to engage!"

Chifuyu released her grab. "We'll continue after dealing with them!"

And with that, Chifuyu rushed out to the Command Room.

Grabbing his katana, topping his trademark hat in the middle of the way following Chifuyu in a hurry, Gilver put a devilish smile under his hat.

Don't worry, girl. You will know soon what lies beneath that devil in the human skin soon.

Heya folks! Its Oabc777 here. Been a long time already, isn't it? Well, I hope you guys could enjoy this little work of mine. The next work will be coming soon so stay tuned. Sorry for the very long update as my times are taken in college.

Regards,

Oabc777