What is up people? Today we are going into the second chaoter of the returning origins arc! Now not only are we delving deeper into Dante's past, but we are also delving deeper into Darwin's mysterious upbringings! Exciting yes?! Yes! And so, I present to you this weeks chapter! Enjoy!
Chapter 51: Nightball
The city of Siprhus was as large as New Wellington, but far more elegant and detailed with building design. If anything, Dante thought this city should have been The Capital.
"So this is Siphrus City...it looks amazing!" Said Filia.
"From what I've recovered of my memories, Siphrus City along with New Wellington were the first two major cities rebuilt after the War. As such, they also became the cities that mainly focused on technology, mainly researching and developing ways to help the population that was affected. The other main type of research that occurred within this city was the construction of the first brand of AI prototypes, myself, Eve and Ephram."
"Sorry if this sounds rude Darwin, but what exactly were you built for? What was the purpose of your creation?"
"From what professor Everest told us, we were supposed to be a new people. And as such, we were created to be capable of human thought and emotion. But there was a secondary reason. Our other purpose was to specifically defend and protect a certain boy with unnatural abilities."
"And who's the boy?"
"Unknown. Even though I recovered a majority of my previous database files form seven year ago and combined them with my current data masses, there are still gaps in my information. This concerns me greatly, considering the boy was of high importance."
"If you know it's important, then why can't you remember who or what the boy was?"
"Unknown. The data mass you inserted back into my systems had been tampered with. Because of this action, there are gaps in my memory and information."
"Well, maybe we'll find out once we get a lead on these guys. Hopefully the mayor will have something for us to go on. I'd hate to waste a trip." Said Dante leaning back into the chair.
"It wouldn't have been a wasted venture. Think of it like...a vacation! We never really had a vacation at all!" Said Filia.
"Come to think of it, you're right. Okay then, so let's consider this as somewhat of a vacation." Said Dante.
"We've arrived." Said Darwin.
The vehicle stopped and the three stepped out while the driver went to the trunk and pulled out the luggage. Dante whistled at the sight of the immense structure in front of him.
"I think Blanc should relocate here when he becomes king." Replied the white haired teen.
"No kidding...this place looks like a palace!" Said Filia.
"It is a palace. It was built two years after the war while the construction of the research and development facilities was underway. Current mayor is the daughter of the previous mayor, who was friends with Blanc's family for many years and the years after the war."
"Her name?"
"Sienna Archfold. She is Blanc's age, but she managed to become mayor just last year."
"Don't the inheritors of positions have to be seventeen in order to take over?"
"She was an exception. She showed...great tact when it came to multiple situations regarding crime, as well as food sources and other situations involving the populace. Her list of accomplishments are great."
"Is that way she's so intimidating?"
"No." Said Darwin with a serious expression.
Great...now I know I'm going to enjoy myself.
"Ms. Filia?" Asked one of the servants.
"Yes?"
"Lady Archfold has requested that you be escorted to your room immediately. If you would follow me."
"Why does she? Why can't she come in and meet the mayor herself?"
"Uh...lady Archfold would like to meet ms. Filia herself later on after she discusses business with you two gentleman."
"Alright then. We'll see you in a bit Filia."
"Okay. But be safe. And don't do anything stupid Dante!"
"Who? Me?"
Filia only placed her hands on her hips and glared at Dante, who then grabbed Darwin by the shoulders and placed the AI in front of him so Filia couldn't see the teen.
"I'm being serious. Don't do something stupid that would get us in trouble and get us kicked out."
"I'll do my best." Said Dante still hiding behind Darwin while raising a thumbs up.
The teen dropped her glare and smiled as she followed the servant, while another servant presented the hallway to meet the mayor.
After walking through the intricately decorated halls of the palace, Dante and Darwin passed through the large doors to the throne room, where they saw two large men dressed in white armor and white capes holding white metal sword lances in their right hands as they held shields as large as their bodies in their left. In the center of them was the throne. And on the throne sat Sienna Archfold. She was dressed in a white, long sleeved, single-piece mini dress. She had waist length red hair, turquoise colored eyes, and a pale skin tone.
"Gentlemen, I welcome you. What's this? You've changed your hair style Blanc."
"Sorry miss, but my names Dante. Blanc on the other hand is back in New Wellington taking care of business."
"Interesting...so you're the Black Knight..."
"I guess he can't resist blabbing."
"He and I try to maintain contact as best as possible, that way we can run our cities and cooperate with one another if needed. Like now. I heard their was another terrorist attack within New Wellington."
"Terrorists we believe to be in your city." Said Darwin as he stepped forward.
"And you must be the AI Darwin. What makes you believe they're within my city?"
"Darwin was recently able to recover one of his data memory units that provided a lot of information. Especially the fact that the terrorists known as Blackcyte originated in this city after the events that transpired seven years ago." Said Dante.
"What are you asking exactly?" Asked Sienna.
"Simple. You give us permission and jurisdiction to go anywhere in the city to find these assholes."
"Gentlemen, not everything is so simple. I would very much appreciate that you don't destroy my city."
"We are not taking no for an answer." Said Darwin.
"And I'm afraid I won't allow you the necessary access you need if you won't compromise correctly."
Quicker than lightning, Darwin's holographic projection disabled, revealing his metallic frame, while two panels on his forearms opened up and revealed large, forty five caliber hand guns that quickly popped into his hands as Darwin took aim at Sienna with both guns. However, in the next second, one of the knights launched their lance swords at Darwin's left hand, forcing him to let go of his gun, but Dante instantly grabbed the gun midair and kept it trained on Sienna while the Knights quickly moved in and raised their shields to defend.
"Guns aren't really my thing you know. But these babies can punch holes through pretty much anything. So your shields aren't going to do shit. And my friend here has a nasty trigger finger that's just unbelievable at the speeds he can pull the trigger. So, we do this one way or another. Give us what we want, or we're going to take more drastic actions." Said Dante.
"These people will kill hundreds of thousands just so they can prevail as the ruling order. We will not let them get away."
It took a few silent seconds, but Sienna gave her response.
"You may not be an entirely real person...but you certainly show emotion. I can feel that you harbor a certain hatred for these people called...Blackcyte."
"They have taken from me more than you can imagine. And they will take from more people unless my companion and I do something about the situation. You will help us or we will do whatever is necessary without your permission!"
Sienna stood up from her throne and forced the guards shielding her to the side so she could walk towards the white haired teen and Darwin.
"You didn't have to draw out guns. I would have helped you either way."
"Then why-?"
"She was toying with us." Said Dante cutting off Darwin.
"You are correct. I told myself I wanted to have a bit of fun and enjoy the evening. Everything was to my expectations. Very nice performance."
"Who said we were acting?" Asked Dante.
"Many people before you have pointed a gun towards me. I'd think I'd know if was going to be shot or not. And you two were definitely not going to shoot me."
"You're way too trusting, you know?" said Dante handing Darwin's gun back to him.
"It wasn't all about trust Black Knight. It was also about calculating your chances. I'm off to meet ms. Filia. I've heard wonderful things about her. Plus, we need to get ready for the ball tonight." Said Sienna walking towards the door.
"Nothing about me?" Said Dante raising his arms.
"And the ball is tonight?" He asked Darwin, who simply sighed.
"Oh my gosh! This place is enormous for just a guest room!" Said Filia.
The room was indeed large. The large majority of the draperies and decor was white, but wall paper and any other pieces of furniture were a light blue. The room itself was as large or larger than Zack's own room at his hotel. She wandered around the room, still jaw dropped at the sight of everything in the room. Filia soon spotted a gorgeously decorated mirror and set her bags down as she examined herself closely. She examined everything from her clothes to her hair, teeth, eyelashes, and most importantly, her figure. She was definitely thin, but from what Sybil had told her multiple times before, she had "curves in all the right places", which added even more to her gorgeous appearance. Then she moved onto the region of her body that made almost all young women envious. Despite describing her body as perfect, Sybil had described Filia's breasts as large, perky, perfectly sized grapefruits.
"I would say those are the least of your worries."
"Eek!" Said Filia as she turned around to see who was speaking.
"I'm...I'm sorry...um..."
"Relax. Please make yourself comfortable. After all, you'll be staying with me for the next three days."
"Three days?"
"That's what Blanc determined either way."
"Um...I'm sorry, but who are you?"
"Oh! Where are my manners?! Sienna Archfold. Pleased to meet you."
"The Sienna Archfold?! You're the mayor of this city?!"
"How do you do?"
"Uh...fine! Thank you for asking!"
"I have to say, we may be the same age, but you look outstanding! What's your secret?"
"Secret?"
"You know..." Said Sienna pointing to her own breasts, just a little bit smaller than Filia's.
"Uh...well...I..."
"I'm teasing. I'm perfectly comfortable with my size. As you are I assume?"
"Um...yes?"
Sienna laughed a bit after Filia's response, who chimed in with a nervous laugh.
"So you came here with the Black Knight and his AI friend?"
"How do you-?"
"Blanc and I keep in touch. So I hear they're both here for the terrorists known as Blackcyte..."
"That's what I was told. The thing is, Darwin's related to what Dante believes to be the commander of the forces who receives orders from a higher up."
"Related how?"
"Well, Darwin's an AI and so is the commander. When we recovered Darwin's memories, the two were basically brothers created by the same scientist, professor Everest."
"I've heard of him. He's one of the faces behind The Technological Era."
"Technological Era?"
"After the 'War for Change' ended twenty years ago, a large band of the worlds greatest minds came together to form a sort of 'Golden Age' of technology, where as you can guess, technological advancements were the prime focus for the next five to ten years. Because the world had finally banded together, our technology became highly advanced. And because our technology became so advanced, we were able to focus on fixing the aftermath damage from the war. And on helping its people."
"I'm guessing professor Everest must have made Darwin and the others sometime ten years ago..."
"I've had little to go on besides that Blackcyte is a group of terrorists. What else do we know?"
"They originated in this city after Darwin's friends were turned against him seven years ago. Dante thinks that they've been hiding in the city and surfaced only recently."
"Despicable...to think terrorists are residing in my city...I assume everything I've heard about the Black Knight is true?"
"If you're talking about crazy powers and abilities, then yep. Everything you've heard is true."
"What was his name again?"
"Oh. His real name, you know, when he's not saving the world, is Dante."
"Dante...I feel as though I've heard of him before Blanc ever even told me about him...it's like..."
"The memory isn't there, huh?"
"Exactly! But how did you-?"
"I...lost my memories of the past...so did Dante for some reason. Only thing is, I woke up in a house of my own that was being paid for by a mysterious benefactor. Sadly though, Dante just woke up on a bus heading for New Wellington."
"Tragic..."
"But he met Blanc, Darwin and all the others and became friends with them easily. And then he met me..."
Filia sighed happily with her eyes closed and a smile on her face.
"Sounds like you two are in love..."
"We are dating."
"How did you two meet?"
"I was at a cafe in our town just enjoying the usual milkshake until some random older guy came over and started feeling me up. Dante got in between us and calmly ordered a milkshake which made the guy really upset, then literally punched him so hard that the guy slid out the front door!"
"Impressive."
"The thing is, he's not like almost any other guy who's a jerk. He's actually considerate of my feelings and what I want all the time. But the best thing? He's always there when I need him."
"He sounds like quite the man... It seems I was wrong about him earlier."
"How so?" Asked Filia confused.
"They had guns pointed at me near the end of our short conversation."
"What?!"
"Well, to be more precise, his AI friend did. But one of my guards knocked one of the guns out of his hands and Dante caught it and joined in pointing it at me."
"I am so sorry for this!"
"There's nothing to fear. They weren't planning on shooting me anyway. But forget about all that. We have an important event going on tonight and we need to get ready before hand."
"Event?"
"The Annual Archfold Ball! A tradition that was continued by my late parents to this very day! Thousands of people come from the city and so on just for the event."
"It must really be something to draw a lot of attention..."
"Quite so. Want to know how to make up for your friends lack of judgement?"
"H-how?"
"Join me to shop for dresses for the both of us tonight and join me later after that as we go to the spa."
"That...does sound nice..."
"Then it's settled. Let's leave right now."
"Wait...what about Dante and Darwin?"
"My two head guardsmen will be in charge of taking care of them. For now anyway. Besides, I have a list of activities for them to do before they take their turn to...pretty up."
Dante sat on the two large guardsmen, legs crossed and yawning while his chin rested in his left hand.
"Seriously...not even worth my time. I think your mayor made a mistake by putting you two against me." Said the teen looking down on them.
"Damn...brat!"
"Hey Darwin! Wanna try your luck?!" Shouted Dante from afar.
Darwin was leaned against a wall looking out the window, paying no real attention.
"Earth to Darwin? Hello! Hello hello! Hello!"
Darwin turned his head to face Dante, as if he actually got through.
"What's shorting your circuits?" Asked the teen.
"Very funny. I'm concerned is all. How can people be so calm and collective, especially now since they are aware of these terrorists in the city? A ball? It will be most likely a target for them today."
"So?"
"What do you mean so?!" Said Darwin a bit agitated.
Dante raised his gauntleted right hand, his head still resting in his left, counting.
"There's me, there's you, there's Filia, there's the mayor who I'm very sure is able enough to kill someone without blinking, and then there's the two guardsmen I'm currently using as a sofa cushion. How's it going guys?"
They only groaned in response.
"I say we're fine."
"You do not know these people like I do. Especially Aincrad. He will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. He will destroy anything that stands in his way. He is no simple foe!"
"I beg to differ."
"Excuse me?!"
"Your little pals weren't as strong as I thought they'd be. In fact, I think you're even stronger than the two of them combined. Which created a brain itching question for me in response. How in the world did Ephram even beat you Darwin?"
Darwin said nothing. He simply stood in his place and clenched his metallic hands.
"You didn't even try, did you?"
"Thats none of your concern!"
"It is when you didn't even put up a fight."
Dante soon looked down on his human sofas and said "Come on guys, help me out."
He soon got off them, allowing the men dressed in armor to actually recover and stand on their feet.
"Here's the deal. You take your sweet time beating the shit out of these two. It'll make you feel better." Said Dante.
"There is no point in picking fights with weak men."
"How dare you!" Said one of the guardsmen.
"We are the mayors eternal servants! We have dedicated our lives to protect hers and hers alone!"
"Our skills are honed! Our senses are sharp! Our strength is incomprehensible!"
And simultaneously, the two said "We will not allow an outsider to stain our reputation!"
"I think you've made them angry." Said Dante.
"Picking on weak men is has no purpose. But weak men picking fights with those stronger than them? More than enough reason to engage I suppose." Said Darwin.
"That's the spirit!" Said Dante patting his AI friends back.
The two Knights picked up their sword lances and their shields, readying themselves to charge Darwin. Darwin did nothing but cross his arms and wait for the two to make their first knight made his move by charging in at Darwin, lance directly pointed at the AI. He simp,y grabbed the rounded weapon with one hand, and squeezed hard enough to shatter the weapon completely. But the AI had also pulled the shattered blade towards him and smashed his fist into the Knights chest, sending him high up into the air where he broke through the ceiling and vanished. The remaining knight was trying to move around Darwin as fast as possible and made for a charge, but Darwin simply smashed his fist into the blades point, destroying the weapon until the metallic fist came into contact with its owners face, which resulted in him being sent back a considerable distance until he hit a wall. Dante simply raised his hands in the air cheering and whistling loudly.
"Nice work buddy!"
As Dante clapped, he got close enough to pat his friends back.
"Feel better?"
Darwin looked at the his hand before squeezing it tightly for a few seconds.
"My nerves...have calmed somewhat. I am still...angry...but not as angry in comparison to a few seconds ago."
"Good...I guess..."
Dante turned to face the Knights lying on the floor.
"We done here gents?"
They only groaned in response.
"Plus one for the lads!" Said Dante raising his hand for a high five.
Darwin stared for a few seconds at an eager Dante who kept his hand up, then gave the teen the high five he wanted.
"Let's go Darwin. I think it's time to get ready tonight."
"Not yet Black Knight." Said a voice.
The two turned around to see Sienna and Filia approaching them.
"Hey guys!" Said Filia.
"Hello to you too." Replied Dante.
Darwin simply waved. Sienna looked behind Dante And Darwin at her fallen guards.
"I see you mopped the floors with these two."
"Meh." Said Dante shrugging his shoulders.
"Lysis, Darksis...you two are my guardsmen are you not? How could you lose to the Black Knight?"
"We're sorry miss Archfold...we underestimated them greatly..." Replied the two simultaneously.
"Well, guess it's time to get ready for tonight." Said Dante walking away with Filia and Darwin.
In the next second, Dante moved his head and caught a knife between two of his fingers.
"Not just yet Black Knight."
"Hmmm?"
"You made my two best knight units look like untrained and undisciplined mall cops. Frankly, I'm somewhat hurt. So, I'd prefer to have this dance with you."
"Oh I see..." Said Dante smiling.
"Hey, don't do anything over-the-top, like blow up the building or anything like that." Said Filia.
"When do I ever go over-the-top with any sort of situ-?"
Filia only gave him a glare, a glare that even intimidated Dante.
"Right...nothing extreme..."
"Good."
Filia let go of Dante's arm, who then made his walk towards Sienna. He stopped a short distance away from the mayor of the city and gave a bow with his hand extended, as if he were asking her to dance. Sienna chuckled at his joke and gave a curtsy herself before grabbing the shoulder part of her dress and tearing it off, blinding and surprising everyone for a seconds. As soon as the dress fell, Dante now saw his opponent in full form. Under her dress, Sienna had worn some sort black colored skin suit with some white patterns present on her forearms, thighs and the neckline going up. The suit had covered every portion of her body, save the face, to the point where basically the high heeled shoes she wore we're basically part of the suit. Dante did admit in his mind that the skin suit formed well on the body of his opponent.
I'll will also admit that she is very well endowed. Not as much as Filia...but...oh shut and focus! And stop staring!
"I introduce you the PSA. Power Skin Armor. Developed for not only my personal use, but made for the use of the true ruler of New Wellington when his time comes."
"Um...well...you see...I don't think he'll be needing it anymore."
"How come?"
"Ask him next time you see him. And if he tries to scurry his way out of it, keep on him until he tells you the truth. It shouldn't be that difficult for you..." Finished Dante muttering his last sentence.
"What was that last part?"
"Nothing!"
"Very well Mr. Black Knight...shall we begin?"
"It's Dante."
"I'm sorry?"
"My names Dante."
Dante then raised his gauntleted right hand and pointed a finger to his head.
"Remember that." Sienna smiled.
"Very well then...let's begin..."
Sienna made the first advance, drawing the gun magnetically attached to her left thigh and took shots at Dante, who summoned his sword and deflected each round coming his way. She then advanced on his position, using a fencers stance at first to try and attack the teen.
Dante, being the smart aleck that he was, decided to put his left arm behind his back and said "En garde Musketeer!"
With black sword in hand, Dante swung and slashed with incredible speeds as if there was no sword in his hand. Sienna was having a tough time trying to keep up and block or dodge his attacks. Were it not for her suit, she most likely would have fallen prey to Dante's attacks at the very beginning. But her suit made her just as fast, which allowed her to keep up to a certain extent. After slashing at each other's blade a few times more, both fighters spun around and lashed out with their blades, creating a clash between the two as sparks emerged from the area of contact.
"Not so bad...mayor..."
"You're fairly strong...yourself!"
She then broke the clash, raising Dante's sword above his head, leaving him wide open to attack.
You're mine!
Sienna charged forwards with a stab meant to hit Dante's shoulder. All the teen did during the time was smile before he vanished in a blur of black energy.
"What?!"
"Whoops! Looks like you missed!" Said Dante as he was back to back with Sienna before he used his rear end to bounce her away from him.
The white haired teen gave a quick twirl of his sword and waited.
"Your move again mayor."
She only chuckled before raising her left arm as she typed directly on her left arm. There were bars displaying current settings. Sienna made sure to raise one of the bars to max level before making the display close.
"Get ready Black Knight. The gloves are off."
"Show me." Said Dante getting into a stance and waiting with a smile.
Sienna herself soon vanished in a stream of white energy, appearing before Dante in a second. The teen moved aside as her blade managed to scratch the side of his head. As Dante moved back from her attack, he stared at his reflection on the clear marble floor and saw blood dripping form the side of his head where he was cut, but the bleeding stopped within a second.
"Heh. Looks like your sword work is a little off."
"What?" Asked Sienna.
Her face changed to that of surprise as she looked to her left shoulder and saw a minor cut form on the suit, not even scratching her skin.
"When did he-?"
"Just now when she attacked." Said Darwin cutting off Filia.
"She moved at half the speed of light, still fast enough to be considered to be moving at the speed to human eyes."
"I didn't even see him swing his sword..."
"That's because he moved faster than what your eyes can track. Or hers for this case."
"Was his cut shallow because he was moving too fast?"
"No. Do not mistake his weak attack as him being weak. Right now...Dante is only having fun. Had he the intention to hurt or maim her, he would have done so at the beginning of this fight and ended it before it even began."
Filia only sighed as she continued to watch Sienna fire off shots and eventually go in for a few attacks with her sword, all of which Dante dodged, blocked or parried. Sienna had fired off one shot at Dante, who then used his sword to deflect the bullet back at her. She quickly saw this and made use of her light speed movement to get out of the bullets way, only to appear directly in front of Dante, who was more than read to swing down his sword. Sienna quickly stepped out of the way and tried for a side slash that Dante blocked by moving his sword to his side with minimal effort. After a few more attacks on one another, Dante moved backwards and tossed his blade at Sienna, who blocked his blade as it flew upwards above her. Dante moved in at full speed, dodging her bullets until he got close enough to punch her blade, shattering a part of the blade. Sienna was sliding back on her feet and soon noticed Dante was in a low stance, ready to slash upwards. Even though her sword was broken, Sienna still slashed down to counteract the blades path, but found herself disarmed and wide open to attack. After quickly glaring at each other, the white haired teen had turned his blade upside down and spun around to stab her. Sienna closed her eyes and waited for the blade to pierce her. It didn't. All she heard was the soft hum of Dante's black blade as it was only an inch away from her sternum.
"So it is true... The rumors of your skill don't even compare to what I just saw for myself."
"Uh...thanks?" Said Dante as he lowered his sword.
"Who taught you how to fight?" She asked.
"Just some guy. What about you?"
"Blanc and I trained together as long as I can remember. He'd always manage to beat me somehow. It's as if...his mind went to an ultimate state of focus and perfection when he fought. It was quite impressive."
"No kidding..." Asked Dante.
"Well then, I'm very certain that you've earned your fair share of a pleasant day before the ball. So here's the plan gentlemen. All of us have a trip to the private spa located here at the palace."
"Oh wow. Thank you!" Said Dante walking back with her.
"The pleasure is all mine. After the ball, tomorrow we'll head out and actually find these people."
Dante sat down in the green, steamy waters and sighed, relaxing for once.
"I can't believe this is an actual Japanese hot springs in a private palace. Man this is awesome!" Said the teen as he leaned back against a rock.
Sooner or later, a door slider open and then closed shut as Darwin appeared in a pair of black swim shorts and stepped into the steamy waters with Dante.
"You are water proof right?"
"Of course. My maker wouldn't have left me with such a flaw."
"I'm also surprised that your holo projectors are still on."
"Luckily you too are a genius when it comes to the technology that I'm made of. Again, well done."
"Ah don't sweat it. So, how's your stay been?"
"It has been an interesting experience so far. Especially the mayor. She...is a very interesting character..."
"Am I now?" Said Sienna.
Both Darwin and Dante jumped upon hearing her voice, Dante giving off a small squeal while Darwin simply jumped and began to shiver with his friend as they were both shivering now while they turned their heads to face Sienna.
"Hello boys. How are we this evening?" She asked as she approached the two, apparently wearing nothing but a towel.
Dante turned his head away, red in the face while replying "J-just fine! Thank you!"
She stopped in front of the two and then asked Darwin.
"And you?"
"Adequate." Replied the AI, still shivering a bit.
Dante taught Darwin a long time ago if that something embarrassing is going on at the moment that involved him somehow, he should shut off his visual sensors and keep the best straight face that he could, which was what he was doing right now. Sienna simply smirked as she grabbed the edge of the towel covering her body and pulled it off. Dante could near the rustling and falling of the towel, still looking away.
"Don't be such idiots you two. Turn around."
Darwin had activated his visual sensor again, and with Dante, slowly turned his head around to see Sienna was wearing a red two piece bikini before sliding into the waters between the two, sighing happily.
"W-where's Filia?" Asked Dante.
"She's in the next room over. I made sure that we're the only people in here currently. But I'm here to speak with you two right now. I've heard so much from Filia by this point that I actually wanted to speak with you both personally. But mainly I wanted to ask you something Dante."
"Hmmm?"
"What did you mean when you said Blanc doesn't need a PSA?"
"You really want to know?" She simply nodded.
"Well, here's the story then. Blanc actually was accompanying me one day after hunting me down and we ran into some trouble. I was getting my ass kicked and out of nowhere he just magically had powers similar to mine. Only, his are the polar opposite of mine."
"Polar opposite?"
"I use Dark Powers, which is basically powers relating to dark energy abilities, while he uses The Powers of Light, powers relating to abilities that use light. The real difference is that he had full control of his powers, I didn't. I had to defeat a Dark Soul within my own soul in order to finally maintain total control. Ever since then, we've had an awesome master that's taught us how to use our powers and abilities. Even gain new ones. So, we've been fighting both the forces of darkness and idiotic criminals and terrorists like these guys we're hunting now."
"That is...a rather interesting story. But let me ask you something Black Knight. Can you defeat them?"
"Sorry?" Asked Dante a bit confused.
"Are you going to win against Blackcyte? Or is all of this a wasted effort?"
"I don't think you've noticed, but I literally destroyed your Knights and nearly destroyed you. But since I'm real nice and a real gentleman, you weren't on my top priority list for things to destroy."
"I see...in other words, you're very confident in your abilities to take them down?"
"That's the gist of it."
"I look forward to working with you out on the field Dante. Now, I do believe Filia would appreciate your company."
"Say what?"
"Why on earth would I ever leave such a fascinating character by herself? Go on! Talk to her!"
"But-"
"These bathhouses are coed. You're fine. Besides, I have matters to discuss with your friend here."
Dante only gave her a suspicious look before closing his eyes and exiting the waters while walking towards the sliding doors and taking his leave.
"Filia mentioned you regained your memories. So I'll only ask you this one time. And you better answer me truthfully AI. Do you remember who I am?"
Darwin's eyes may have been holographic, but they were linked directly to how he was feeling. And his eyes were wide. Sienna stared him down, waiting for an answer.
"Yes. I still remember you as the brave little girl that always stood up for her beliefs and never backed down. One who put others needs before her own. And...I still remember that day."
"So you did regain all of your memories..."
"Yes."
"And I assume you know what I'm about to ask next?"
"Indeed. And the answer to your question is also yes."
"So I wasn't just taking a stab in the dark..."
"No. But right now we must focus on rooting Blackcyte out."
"After the ball of course."
Darwin growled with a bit of anger.
"What's your issue?"
"I do not understand. Why throw a party when terrorists are possibly looming somewhere in the city?!"
"Come now Darwin. I thought you'd be smarter than this."
"I am. Unless...you plan to use the ball as bait."
"Right you are. The ball will be where we can capture one of their soldiers and get information from them. As soon as we do so, we can plan a coordinated final strike between the four of us and take them down."
"You have an awful amount of confidence in our abilities."
"That I do. And Dante has proven to me that he more than capable. You are most likely capable as well. And with my PSA, I'll be at a capable level, as will Filia."
"She does not require a PSA. Her abilities are more than enough."
"But she had no way to obscure her identity. Which is why she'll be wearing one."
"She has been hard at work developing her own disguise form. She'll be fine as she is."
"You are really intent on destroying these people. Do you have some sort of personal vendetta against them?"
"Something of the sort. They have taken from me. I intend to take them back."
"Well, you'll get your opportunity soon enough. Tonight will be a night to remember."
Dante walked on the wooden floors of the bath house to the other room. The teen quickly stopped to check the listing, as Sienna truthfully told him, to see the room was listed as privately reserved and coed. His suspicious look dropped as he entered through the door to see Filia was already inside the waters resting against the rocks.
"D-Dante?! What are you doing here?!"
"Uh...Sienna said it was alright to come over. And it's listed as coed."
"Huh?"
"The rooms are listed as coed."
"O-oh. W-well...the baths are really nice..."
"Too good in fact." Replied the white haired teen as he dipped into the pool of warm water next to her.
"So how was your day?"
"My day? Um...let's see...Sienna took me shopping today and we tried on a ton of dresses before we both found the dresses that we liked. She's so nice."
"Nice huh?"
"You disagree?"
"Meh...she can be nice if she wants to. But since we...uh...made a mistake this morning, she decided to put us up against her guard Knights. We made them look like idiots."
"I heard. And...was sorta there afterwards."
"So how does your dress look like?"
"I can't tell you that!"
"Why not? It's not like it's a wedding or anything."
"W-wedding?! Where did that come from?!"
"W-well you're kinda treating it like that! It's not really my fault for making a somewhat accurate assumption!"
Filia thought for a moment, before she burst out laughing.
"W-what's so funny?"
"It's...it's just that responses like that are so you!" She said as she continued giggling.
"I still don't see how it's funny..." Replied Dante.
Filia eventually stopped laughing then leaned her head on his shoulder while wrapping her arms around his arm, causing his face to go red a bit.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing! Y-you're just a little close is all!"
Filia's face became a lighter shad of red than Dante's, but she only tightened her hold on him.
"It's times like these I enjoy the most... Spending time with you I mean."
"Yeah...I feel the same. I mean...hanging out with Blanc and Darwin and the others is great and all...but...I seem to enjoy myself a lot more around you."
"I'm glad I get to spend my time with you everyday..."
"Me too Filia...me too."
The ballroom itself was large and extravagant, full of thousands of people down below that were conversing or dancing to the classical music. Darwin and Dante stood above a balcony overlooking the ballroom, watching as they waited. Dante himself wore a black suit and black tie along with a white long sleeved dress shirt and black dress shoes. Darwin wore the exact same outfit, only his dress shirt was dark blue.
"Where are they?" Asked Darwin.
"They're girls. You have to be patient and let them take their time with these kinds of things. I have to hand it to you though."
"What for?"
"You're beginning to talk and act like a normal person instead of acting monotonous like you usually do."
"I am?"
"Of course! Why would I lie about something like that?"
"You have no reason to lie to me. That's why it would be a surprise if you did."
Dante turned around and was mesmerized by what he saw as Darwin still stared into the crowd.
"Beautiful..." Said Dante.
"Yes, everything is beautiful." Replied his AI friend.
Dante only tapped Darwin's shoulder, then forced him to turn around completely. Darwin gazed at the two girls that walked down the stairs with Dante, feeling the same sense of mesmerization the white haired teen felt. Filia was simply stunning and ravishing. She wore a beautiful strapless black dress while wearing a see through, white scarf that was around her shoulders that were somewhat around her arms, while wearing a set of shining black high heels. Her hair was left normally, most likely because she requested it to be so due to Dante loving the way her hair looked already. Sienna on the other hand wore a strapless white dress with a cut that started from the left side of her leg, having her hair bound in a fancy, but beautiful way.
"Hi guys!" Said Filia.
"Gentleman." Said Sienna.
Dante was still at a loss for words, staring at Filia the entire time.
"Are you okay?" Asked Filia waving her hand in front of her boyfriend.
"I think your stunning appearance broke his brain." Said Sienna leaning over to Filia.
After realizing he was gawking aimlessly, Dante shook his head before extending his hand while bowing, asking "Shall we dance milady?"
Filia, playing along with Dante's courteous statement, replied while giving him her hand "Indeed we shall!"
With that, Dante chuckled happily while grasping both of Filia's hands and pulling her toward him, forcing Filia to give a short giggle, quickly beginning their dance while they went down the stairs onto the ballroom floor, where their spectacular dance caught the eyes of those around them. Darwin watched for a few seconds before Sienna tapped his shoulder.
"We can't let those two outshine us." She said.
"Us?" Asked the AI.
Sienna extended her hand towards Darwin, saying "Dance with me as we did before when I was six years old."
"The day I was forced to instruct you how to dance..."
"Come now. You know you enjoyed it."
Darwin sighed before he put on a smile.
"I will admit, it did make me feel more like a human...dance we shall..Sienna Archfold." Said Darwin as he gently grasped her hand and took her down the stairs.
As soon as they reached the ballroom floor, they could see that Dante and Filia were now the center of attraction, due to their spectacular dancing and their amazing appearances. And then began Darwin and Siena's dance. It was a slow start at first, but then it caught up to the pace and speeds of the Dante and Filia's dance, all four now being the center of attraction. And they danced and danced, all the way to the end of the song, where Dante had held Filia close to them, bringing up her leg to his waist, while Sienna was being held in a low back bow by Darwin. The sounds of clapping were heard all around the room along with a bit of cheering. The four soon gathered around and gave a bow before going to their table to dine for the evening.
"Well done! I never knew that you both had the capacity to dance in such ways!" Said Sienna.
"Eh, well, we do our best." Said Dante.
"Not only a warrior, but a dancer, an intellect, a lover, and should I assume a cook as well?"
"He does does make amazing food I always enjoy to eat...others can testify to that too!" Said Filia.
"The qualities of a true man...I'm glad I've had the opportunity to meet you Dante."
"Thank you, you're too kind."
As the teen made for his drink, his head jolted towards one of the windows above, along with Darwin's, and saw a figure crash through one of the windows. It was Eve. She landed hard onto one of the tables, making cracks in the furniture as she steadily rose and made a slow walk towards the table where the teens sat at. Darwin arose from his table and disabled his holographic projectors, revealing his full metallic body as he walked towards her just as slow.
"We should go help him." Said Filia getting up with Sienna.
Dante quickly grabbed both of their wrists and gently pulled them back down to their seats.
"Sorry ladies. Not our fight." Replied the white haired teen.
"What?!"
"Why not?" Asked Sienna.
"It's kind of a matter of honor. It's just something he needs to do on his own. We can't interfere. More like shouldn't."
"But-"
"If he gets in trouble, I'll step in. Don't worry. He's not entirely on his own." Said Dante interrupting Filia.
The three soon turned their gaze towards the two AI that walked slowly towards each other.
"Let the main entertainment begin..." Said Dante.
"So...it's come to this at last...Eve..." Said Darwin as he stopped in his tracks.
"Darwin...you of all people should realize we are far more capable than humans. We can become something more than they can ever dream of."
"So you really have forgotten..."
"I'm sorry?"
"You've really forgotten the purpose and intent we were made for."
"No...I haven't forgotten. I just...simply changed my purpose to that of something else."
"Serving a madman? That's an all time low. Even for you Eve."
She simply scoffed as she detached the handles that were magnetically attached to her thighs and clicked the triggers on them, forming her bladed tonfas.
"There's a new age dawning Darwin. And the people in charge must leave by all means necessary."
"You are a complete idiot if you believe that. A new age has already dawned. And Aincrad's life will come to an end."
"Then die like the humans you pretend to be!"
Darwin removed the handle of his thigh as it formed his rotator sword, all while eve lunged towards him and landed on his chest, taking him to the ground. She raised her tonfas in the air, twirling them around as she was ready to stab Darwin. But the AI was able to break free at the last second, by liberating one leg and cartwheeling back up, smacking eve in the face with his metallic foot. The female AI began using her blade tonfas to slice up furniture and send it Darwin's way, who simply hacked them to pieces within seconds.
"Trickery will get you nowhere." He told her.
Eve chuckled as she dashed towards him at full speed and began a furious battle of blades that lasted a while until she made for a combination attack that resulted in them clashing blades. After another chuckle, Eve managed to break the clash and slashed upwards against Darwin's chest with her tonfas, launching him into the air while she spun around once and kicked Darwin, sending him towards a nearby pillar. Darwin quickly managed to recover, grabbing the pillar with his clawed, metal hands as he quickly rotated around the column once and launched himself towards Eve. She tried for an attack on the approaching AI, but missed because Darwin had spun around his body, avoiding the kick, while kicking Eve in the face hard enough to launch her a couple feet away towards an empty table full of food, food that soon stained her metallic frame.
She growled angrily, saying "Enough of this! Time to die for real this time Darwin!"
Her tonfas soon became as long as her legs, also bursting with white currents of energy that engulfed her body and the blades. As Darwin kept dashing at her, she kept slashing at him with her blades, unleashing a multitude of energy waves that were either close to or nearly cut Darwin in half a few times were it not for his rotator swords micro chainsaw blades. As Darwin approached, Eve got into a low stance and then began sprinting towards Darwin as well, eventually having the two meet blades. They then began a series of furious and rapid strikes on one another, moving at lightning fast speeds that were impossible for nearly any human to trace, all while cutting up each other's metallic arms, legs, and bodies. Despite their bodies being heavily damaged by the others attacks, they still kept going at each other's throats until Darwin managed to break away from the attack and got ready. Eve made a furious dash for Darwin, lunging straight at him. Darwin made a dash for her as well, but ducked down at the last second, avoiding her blade, while spinning around once and slashed upwards through her body, separating her upper torso from her lower body. Darwin then stood up, twirled his sword around twice before lashing out to his side, making the blade retract into the handle as he placed it back on his thigh. He then turned around to look at the deactivated Eve, walking towards her. Before he could get closer, another figure emerged from where Eve first entered and grabbed Darwin by the neck, raising him into the air.
"You let your guard down...Darwin..."
The AI growled as he struggled to get free. As the figure kept his attention focused on Darwin, he didn't notice the black gauntleted hand that grasped his wrist.
Within the next second, the figure found that arm cut off within the next instant, with Dante saying "Gotcha..."
He then nabbed Darwin and kicked off the figure and took a look to see it was none other than Ephram, smiling at the teen while grasping the side of his missing arm.
"You're quick. Did you anticipate I'd be following close behind if she were to defeated?"
"Yes and no. To be honest, I wasn't sure you'd show up. But lucky me I guess."
Dante let go of Darwin for a moment and went to pick up Eve's remains.
"And what do you suppose you'll do with that failure?"
"A thing or two maybe. But just know one thing. We know you now. And we will find you assholes."
"I look forward to it. Unfortunately, karma was unkind to me when I said Darwin dropped his guard. Instead, I did the same thing and lost my arm. It seems like I'm at a disadvantage."
"That's never stopped you guys before."
"True. But I'd rather fight you at full potential than as I am now. So, we'll give you this victory for today and today only. Next time, you won't be so fortunate."
As he said this with a huge grin on his face, Ephram disappeared in a flash of white electricity, which told the others hiding under tables and in other locations to come out of hiding. The guards were directing the guests out of the palace to leave for the night, all while Dante, Filia, Darwin and Sienna walked up the stairs to the upper levels.
"Is there a lab nearby?" He asked Sienna.
"Why?" She asked.
"Just a little science project I want perform."
"You're not serious."
"Oh I'm serious alright. I've done it before and I can certainly do it again with ease."
"Very well then. Right this way." Said Sienna taking the lead.
"Damn...this tech is a lot more ancient than what you're using Darwin!"
"Meaning?"
"Meaning I just had to waste three hours changing her entire frame to what you're kinda using!"
"Can you fix her?"
"Of course I can! I just gotta finish up repairing somesections...and...done...now..."
Dante went over to the table where Ephram's left arm had rested and grabbed it, taking it to the console near the table Eve's newly modified body had rested.
"What do you intend to do with that arm?"
"Come on Darwin. It's obvious."
"Yes it's obvious. But why? The coding for the original corruption program is not the same."
"Yes and no in most cases. Here's my guess. Aincrad was the source and creator of the corruption program. Ephram was the first guy who was actually infected by the program. That makes him the alpha. Even though Eve came into direct contact with Aincrad and was corrupted, she was till the second one."
"You're suggesting a weaker code than the first was used?"
"Exactly. The code in itself was made in order to take your guys' free will and thought, making you actual robots without a mind and soul. In that shut down phase, a copy of your personality is made that's more obedient to Aincrad."
"In other words...a second soul?"
"Yup. That second 'soul' is what's currently dominating. We kill it off, we...well...you get Eve back."
Darwin seemingly cracked a smile while slumping down into a nearby chair.
"I...I don't believe it...after all this time..."
"Patience dude. I got this."
Dante then took up the tools provided and went straight back to work, connecting wires from the arms port to Eve's body, then began working on the terminal.
"How is he so intelligent?" Sienna asked Filia.
"He studies a lot. He even does extra studying. And even more extra studying. And then even more extra studying." Replied Filia.
"In other words, he's an ultimate scholar?"
"I guess...reading a book for him is like reading a five page magazine. He can read really really fast and even understand everything he read!"
"So he can accumulate knowledge in just a short amount of time...true intelligence if I can go so far...I assume he repaired Darwin too?"
"He does all of Darwin's maintenance. He even built Darwin's newest frame. And...well...Eve's too."
Upon saying this, Sienna looked towards Darwin's metallic body and looked over to Eve to see her body more or less resembled Darwin's own, just more feminine looking.
"Okay! She should be ready right...about...now!"
Dante hit a switch as the lights in the room flickered violently.
"She's alive!" Shouted the teen triumphantly with his hands raised in the air.
For a minute or two, Darwin swore he saw a resemblance between his friend and Victor Frankenstein from "Frankenstein." He soon got out of his chair and went to Eve's side, waiting for her to open her eyes. Dante soon after made the hand expression of an explosion, which was strangely simultaneous of the time Eve opened her eyes.
"Where...where am..?"
"Welcome back...Eve..."
"D-Darwin?!"
She quickly rose off the table and lunged at him for a heartfelt hug, crying a bit.
"It's alright. I'm here." He said trying to hush her.
"I...I did...so many horrible things Darwin...to you and..."
"It wasn't your fault. Your systems were corrupted. It's thanks to my friend here that I have you back." Said Darwin motioning to a smiling and waving Dante.
"Is that-?"
"It is."
"Uh...I'm sorry...how do you know me?" Asked Dante.
"I...I remember fighting you a while ago..."
"Weird...your memories of your copy merged with you original memories...I gotta say, did not see that coming. So Eve, being apparent that you were working with the other side, do you know where and what that looney Aincrad is up to?"
"He hasn't filled me in on the loop too much. I know for a fact that he's trying to target the reactor in Siphrus City."
"Impossible...he can't do anything to those reactors!" Said Sienna.
"How come?" Asked Darwin.
"Because these newer reactors are state of the art. Proven to never have meltdowns at all and could never be turned into a bomb."
"Anything can be turned into a bomb...with the right tools of course..." Said Dante Working on a computer nearby, then working on something else on a table.
"Either way, I know for a fact his target is here in this city. If I remember correctly, he sent me here to reclaim Darwin and then go after you...miss Sienna."
"I see. So we know for a fact he's in the city. But where?"
"We could go to the base you were residing in." Chimed in Dante as he was tinkering with Ephram's left arm.
"Unlikely. Every now and then, we would move bases throughout the city. I would try to give the map data I had...but..."
"Pardon me." Said Dante as he kicked off the wall and moved himself with the spinning chair towards Eve.
He then outstretched his arm and asked "May I?"
She then nodded and gave him her left hand. After tapping twice on Eve's forearm, a holographic display popped up as Dante scrolled through the thousands of files located in Eve's memory banks, all the way until he found what he was looking for.
"Data files locked. No wonder you weren't able to access them. I bet anything that they accounted the possibility of you being defeated, so I'm guessing they either locked your data files before you attacked or after you were defeated. But luckily for me..."
The teen began typing in a multitude of codes and pass keys until the files read 'unlocked'.
"I know my way around." Said the teen as he began reading through them.
"Oh shit..." Said Dante.
"What is it?" Asked Darwin.
"This bastards not only trying to target the reactors...he's using Everest while under captivity!"
"What?!"
"Apparently it says that Everest was responsible for creating a large portion of the technological advances we've been experiencing today. Because of that, he basically knows all the flaws. If he gets captured by these guys, they'll exploit those flaws. Damn...another goose chase I don't want to go on..."
"Where is his current location?" Asked Darwin.
"Unknown. My sources have told me he completely disappeared a year or two ago." Replied Sienna.
"Off the radar...wait...not quite..."
Darwin soon opened up his own holo screen and stared typing in a numerous amount of codes in a tracker program.
"Found him. Fortunately for us, he's still in the city."
"If that's the case, then we don't have much time. We need to go get him now." Said Dante.
"That was our intention." Said Darwin.
"Alright then. Here's the game plan. Ladies, you stay here on oversight. Darwin and I are going to go get the doctor. If he knows anything at all about Aincrad's plans, we'll all head out together and take him down. Sounds good?" Asked Dante.
"And why are only you and Darwin going?" Asked Sienna.
"From what I was able to determine through Dante's words, he would like to leave behind people that are more than capable of defending the palace or other locations in case an attack would result in our absence." Said Darwin.
"More or less accurate. So, you prepped and ready to go?"
The sides of Darwin's thighs opened up to reveal two pistols holstered inside mechanisms before closing again. His forearms soon opened up to reveal three handles in each arm that were most likely his extra rotator blades, blades that had microscopic chainsaw blades that moved at really high frequencies and had intense cutting capability. The AI did a final systems check for any flaws at all, but knowing his friend, he was sure Dante took care of everything when he did repairs earlier.
"Ready."
"Alright then. Ladies...adieu." Said Dante as he bowed.
And now we're finsishd for this week! Not much to say besides please leave a follow, a favorite and a review if possible! Next week, things are gonna heat up. So, tune in next week and have an excellent week/weekend! Thank you and see you all next week!
