Hero of Remnant: Veil of the Aether

by Aetherveil

Following after the events of the Volume 3 Arc, Dante, and his partner Inuba travel across Remnant to make their way to Haven, searching for clues that will lead them to the real mastermind behind the attack on Vale 6 months prior. They will meet allies, both old and new, and face challenging new enemies on their journey. Secrets will be revealed. Continuation of Hero of Remnant.

72. Chapter 72: Nightly Operation

Hey everyone, sorry for disappearing again. You know how it is, with all the real life obligations and such.

Aside from that, it's been a load of other personal things which have been taking a very long time and have been… draining to say the least.

Pandemic's really been fucking with everything huh?

Other than that, there is a part of this that was a… collaborative effort, and we had to work around their schedule since I was basically free and they weren't. Regardless, it's done now.

So with that, please enjoy!

---

Chapter 72: Nightly Operation

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---

- Nearly two years ago -

She entered her home and shut the door, eyes shifting from her hardwood floors, to the chestnut house framings, supports and white walls, towards the potted lavender flowers and white lilies that could be found around her house.

Anya took her student briefcase and set it down on the obsidian glass table near the sofa, where she then took off her uniform jacket and draped it over the cushion as she… heard a noise coming from the dining room.

She slowly walked over with a hand raised, peeking her head inside and sighing a moment after as the girl stepped in.

"Please don't tell me you lied to the nursing staff about being sick so you could come here."

"That I did." Dante said as he set the last ornate plate on the square wooden table draped in white cloth, "You don't approve?"

"Frankly, it honestly doesn't matter. I know full well by now you'll find a way to circumvent the rules, no matter how many precautions are taken." She shrugged, "That being said… the gesture is very much appreciated."

Anya glanced over what had been set on the table in terms of food. Steamed rice with peas and diced carrots mixed in and bits of diced chicken, strips of chicken breast that had been seasoned, salad with tomato slices and diced onions mixed with olive oil, lemon and vinegar…

He prepared a feast of homey food… The kind of food she liked best.

"You've prepared a feast."

"I had help. My, uh… cousin from the East helped me figure it out, since she's leagues above me when it comes to cooking." He explained as he filled Anya's plate.

"Oh? Did I finally discover something you aren't good at?" Anya spoke coyly as Dante seated her.

"Shut up and eat…" He grumbled as he sat across from her.

She giggled silently as she began taking bites of the meal he prepared.

It was… good. Really good. Everything from the presentation to the taste… He really did put a lot of effort into it.

"You've been busy this past week, haven't you?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I have." The young man answered.

"Today isn't the first time you've checked out earlier." Anya stated, "You've been leaving early everyday."

He couldn't exactly tell her he was acting as the Black Knight and leaving campus to kill Dark Entities terrorizing citizens. As it was, the media couldn't really continue suppressing such information to the public with all the cases popping up. Yes, Dante and everyone else had been running all about the city taking care of the issue, but…

There was only so much they could do.

…

…

Should I just outright tell her?

He stopped eating for a short while now, keeping his eyes fixed on Anya without so much as blinking.

If I did, I wouldn't have to tiptoe around her like I've been doing concerning this matter. She trusts me completely. There isn't a hint of suspicion in her tone. But… she's concerned. Usually when I show up, I'm a little out of breath. And whenever I've gone up against a Knight and they landed a hit, it takes me a little longer to heal without Inuba's support due to the lingering Curse Energy. I've shown up with bloodied clothes three days now.

"You've been fighting again, haven't you?"

Her voice snapped him to attention.

"You're good at cleaning up, but I think you still rush a little too much." She explained, setting down her utensils, "I noticed the blood on your sleeves and collar."

He titled his head as he clicked his tongue.

Anya narrowed her eyes a bit, not to fix him a stern stare or a disappointed glance. She just… wanted to know what he was doing that merited such injuries. The girl was more concerned if anything.

"I'm not angry with you, just…"

"Disappointed?" Dante finished for her.

"N-No..! I'm… concerned." She lowered her eyes to her plate, "I know you haven't been recklessly seeking fights like you used to, and I know you took my pleas seriously. I'm…"

She reached out across the table, grasping Dante's hand.

"I… don't want to see you hurt is all."

…

…

How did she manage this all the time? How did she broadcast her feelings so clearly absent of deceit or half truths? Anya was never so guarded that she needed to pretend to display certain emotions to throw people off. Hell, the poor girl was so good natured that lying was extremely difficult for her, which is why she was so infamous for being a truth teller.

But touching her hand… He could FEEL her honesty, as if her truest emotions flooded into him.

Concern. Honesty. A powerful sense of love.

…

Fear for his safety.

Was this some sort of innate power he awakened that allowed this to happen?

…

…

They sat in silence for a minute, Dante gently squeezing Anya's hand. Ever since they started dating two months ago, she was always genuine and truthful with him. The only real lie he kept, the only real secret he hid was that he was the Black Knight. Yes, he lied about late arrivals, activities and injuries, but they were always related to his alter ego. Never anything devious or harmful to their relationship.

At least, he believed so.

…

He made his decision.

"I… I need to say something before we go further." He said pulling away, leaning back in his chair, "You've always been honest with me. Sure, you don't talk about your family at all, but that's fine. You share on your own when you feel like it. Point is that you're always been totally honest with me, while I didn't do you the courtesy. Not for lack of trust or anything, just…"

"Just..?"

Dante leaned forward, folding his hands together, "This… secret I've kept, along with a few more from my past, is a dangerous one. If anything happened to you because of this secret… I'd frankly lose my shit."

She was attentive, waiting for him to go at his own pace.

After a brief moment of hesitation, the young man set down his fork, raising up the very same hand as black wisps emerged from his hand. The black energy formed into a black mask with slanted eye-holes and sharp, diamond shaped skeletal teeth. Two arcing white lines facing outwards ran down from the top of the head, through the eye-holes, and down the cheeks.

Anya's eyes went wide as she looked at the mask, but moments after she relaxed and smirked with an amused hum.

"So I was right. It was you."

"W-Wha-?"

"Your 'disguise' for the most part is very well done. Your hair is black and curlier, your sclerae are black while your irises glow white, and your voice is distorted enough. But your height remains the same." She deduced calmly, "Not to mention our… awkward exchange when you shielded me from debris. Only you could make that kind of reaction."

When he got launched through a building and crashed into the support beams of a billboard…

"That was the moment?"

"That's when I had an inkling of suspicion. Your frequent cutting of class, the days you'd show up with blood smears, however faint… I did say that while you're good at covering your trail, you aren't completely flawless. Anyone else and they would have had the wool completely pulled over their eyes. But those close to you…"

"You're too smart for your own good, you know that?" Dante spoke.

"So I've been told." She giggled briefly, leaning forward, "Is it safe to assume the Prince is your fellow accomplice, the White Knight?"

"If you figured me out, then obviously there's no point in asking that question."

"Just in case." She laughed a little, "So how did it happen? Radioactive spider? Pact with a devil?"

"Neither." He waved off her comic book theories, "It's… always been there for as long as I remembered. In my childhood it's been on and off, but it settled recently. Hence why I kinda went, uh… public."

"And the Prince isn't just your ally in combat, but he's been using his status to help you keep a low profile."

"Basically."

"Is it alright then if I ask you about what's been happening recently?"

"You mean with the Dark Entities ever since their existence went public? You don't have to worry, it's-"

"Under control, I know. But is there anything that hasn't been relayed to the news yet?"

"Other than more of them steadily popping up? Uh…"

He had already come this far.

"I've been coming across strange cases with the more… humanoid and intelligent Dark Entities. Apparently there's been a few that have been living among us in secret."

She flinched a little, "And..?"

"Nothing, I guess." He shrugged, "Shockingly enough, the ones I came across integrated into society without any bumps. You know the lady that runs the flower shop on 42nd street?"

"M-Mrs. Alia?"

"Turns out she's a Succubus and has been happily married to her human husband for seven years now."

"O-Oh… I see… Well… Lucky him, I suppose."

"Lucky she isn't the type to 'drain' him till he's dead." The teen shrugged, "It was just… weird, you know?"

"Weird?"

"Yeah. Thinking that humans and Dark Entities can coexist like that."

"Is it really all that strange? I mean… we are currently co-existing with yōkai."

"Well, when you put it like that, no. It's just… unnatural, seeing as they've been the enemy for the longest time, you know?"

"Does it… have to be like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"You did say you've been seeing cases like mrs. Alia frequently, right? Then… doesn't that prove it's possible?"

"W-Well yeah, but…"

"Let me guess. Rare instances?"

He fell silent. Dante knew she wasn't attacking him or anything of the sort. The last few months, she had been… expanding his horizons somewhat. Teaching him new things and different insights.

She did have a point. It was a possibility, however unlikely, or rather, uncommon it was.

He sighed, "Well, now that you know for sure that I'm the Black Knight… What do you suggest I do?"

"What I've always suggested. Just… keep an open mind, now that you know cases like mrs. Alia exist. I understand it can be difficult since her kind have been your enemy, but-"

"Say no more. I'll… keep an eye out. It's just… It'll be tough, you know? It's not like with the yōkai where there's a system in place. There's no… leader to talk to, or to make terms of peace or anything like that."

Her hands clenched together tightly, "Perhaps… they could be hiding."

"Hiding?"

"From you." Anya spoke softly, her eyes narrowing slightly.

...

...

"You might be right." Dante shrugged, "I have gotten a bit infamous among their ranks lately..."

"Then perform more of these good deeds like you have with mrs. Alia. Perhaps then someone will eventually step forward."

"Maybe. I just… don't get it. Why here of all places?" The teen asked.

"Perhaps… there's nowhere else to turn to. Perhaps where they come from, all they know is war and battle." Anya answered, keeping her eyes glued to her plate, "Maybe they simply want to escape and… live peaceful lives amongst others of a similar mind."

"Are we really all that much better?"

"For almost sixty years now, humanity hasn't gone to war with one another, and instead, has focused on how to improve the lives of others. Regardless of ethnicity, beliefs, or orientation, humanity has come together and now lives in an age of peace, discovery, and advancement. While there are some conflicts at times, it doesn't change the fact that for the most part, our World is at peace." The girl offered, "I think that's why the yōkai came out of hiding recently. It's because they could trust in humanity now to not be ignorant of the world around them. That while they live in separate dimensions, this is a World we all share."

"Maybe you should be a diplomat or something when you finish school. You seem to have the right kind of mind for this sort of thing." Dante chuckled, "Who knows? You could be a diplomat for the Dark Entities if someone ever steps forward."

"H-Honestly… Your jokes are just-"

"No, I'm serious." He affirmed, lightly tapping the remaining chicken breast piece with his fork, "All I've ever done with my life and my power is… fight and destroy. I try to be a good person and do the right thing, even when I sometimes fail. I haven't really just… sat down and 'talked', you know?"

"But you have made rather marvelous strides in the last few months." Anya offered.

"I guess." The young devil shrugged.

"I have to ask…" The girl spoke as she folded her hands together, "Knowing what I know… If someone really did step forward, and wanted to discuss terms of peace… What would you do?"

"I guess… I'd keep a close eye on things. Make sure it isn't some elaborate ruse. And if they were serious… I mean really serious about wanting peace, and to separate from their more depraved kin… I guess I'd stick up for them and help make it a reality. Everyone deserves a shot, regardless of who or what they are, right?"

She smiled.

"What?"

"Nothing. It would seem that you've left your hermit cave and have become an actual person of society." Anya smirked.

"Oh, so gallivanting as a Hero across the town and the continent overall isn't leaving my 'hermit cave'?"

She giggled softly as Dante himself chuckled lightly, picking up a piece of chicken to eat.

"So was there ever a time you wore spandex?"

"Shut up and eat your food." The young man sighed while Anya laughed.

"Really though… I'm happy you told me. And it makes me even happier that you're a Hero many look up to."

"N-Not even..."

"I'm serious! Do you have any idea how many people respect you and appreciate everything you have been doing? Dennis Adrian with Class-C in particular has been a huge advocate of yours."

"Are you for real?"

"Almost like a prophet."

"You're gonna keep torturing me this whole Hero thing, aren't you?"

"I'll dig in now and then." Anya smirked as she pointed her fork briefly in his direction, "But if you do need advice, I might be able to offer you a tidbit of help now and then."

He hummed lightly as he chewed and swallowed his piece of chicken, eyeing his plate briefly before he looked back up at the girl.

"What do you think then? From your perspective, have I been doing a good job?"

"I think you have." Anya answered immediately, "No one is perfect, Dante. You may not be a flawless diamond in the rough, but I think you're a diamond nonetheless."

"Aw, how sweet." The teen said, "Let me guess, you're a flawless diamond?"

"Naturally." She jokingly said, swiftly moving her hand through her blonde hair to make it flutter like some sort of supermodel.

Both of them burst out laughing.

"What am I going to do with you, Dante?"

"Uh, not use overly complex words and philosophies on me?" He answered.

"You're as smart as I am."

"I'm a simple man."

"Yes you are."

He shook his head with a smile while she giggled at him.

"You make it too easy sometimes."

"Yeah, I do…" he softly said.

"Lovely dinner by the way."

He nodded in agreeance.

"So… It's… rather late now." She spoke up.

"Yeah… Been here a while."

"And it's Friday."

"So it is."

"Would you… well, like to stay for the night?"

He froze at Anya's question.

"W-Well, I… I mean… Isn't someone from your family-?"

"Of all the ways to answer, you ask if my family will be home?"

"Well-"

"It's just us, WebFlix, a collection of Dizney films."

The young devil hummed briefly, "Someone with actual taste in movies. I'm even more impressed."

"I am 'fabulous' after all."

"You're a handful, you know that?"

"I know. But at least I'm fun, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah you are."

"Come on." Anya said as she stood up from the table, "You clean up and I'll build up the list, ok?"

---

Inuba, Ruby, Blaire, Dawn, Noland and Dante were situated in various places of the large hotel room away from Headquarters and the Academy. It was safer, and had less risk of anyone listening in on them.

"The General looks like he's seen better days, but he looks like he hasn't cracked. If anything, us coming here seems to have brightened his mood a lot." The young devil spoke, "Even when I explained to him the situation with Ogrânix, I wasn't… expecting his calm reaction."

"Even I expected something of an adverse reaction upon hearing such news." Inuba stated, "Does that imply he trusts in our abilities to deal with the situation?"

"Regardless of what he feels or thinks, we know Old Douchebag like the palm of our hand." Blaire spoke up, sparks of flame dancing in between her fingers, "Getting to him is the only part that's going to be difficult. And once we pin him down…" She clenched her hand into a fist, making the flames flicker out.

"We can't simply wait around. He might start with testing the outer defenses or will test perimeters to see what might be detected." Dawn explained, "But if one thing is certain, it's that we have to keep a close watch over cases concerning the populace. Anything strange or out of the ordinary can't be disregarded."

"Like hauntings? Or spooky ghost stuff?" Ruby asked.

"Magical tomes, weird shit… Literally anything supernatural or unnatural." Dante added, "We've gotta spread this info out to the Ace Ops and our guys. The Ace Ops in particular need some educating on Dark Entity physiology and magic to keep them ahead of the curve and prepared. If we're not there or we can't make it, they need to have ideas on what to expect and how to handle it."

"Then I'll start making some notations and distribute them tomorrow." Inuba spoke as she stood up, leaving the room to presumably set herself to work.

"I'll start setting up some of our own defenses." Dawn said, following after the Kitsune.

"Imma patrol outside the walls, see if there's been anything fishy." Blaire spoke as she stretched her arms over her head, heading out the door.

"I guess I'll go fill everyone else in. And… about what we talked about…"

"We'll talk about it once I get back." Dante explained to Ruby, who only nodded as she too left the room.

Only Noland and the young devil remained, the raven haired teen quietly tapping his cane on the smooth, wooden floor.

"I suppose we'll be having that talk now?"

"Of fucking course we are." The teen leaned forward, "When were you going to tell me about her?" He pointed to the intricate silver bangle on Noland's left wrist.

The raven haired young man raised his arm up, glancing at "Cosmos" in her "weapon" form.

"If I managed to acquire her." He smirked, "Like I mentioned before, she is my trump card. It isn't something I should easily reveal, even to allies. You understand that much, right?"

…

In a way, he did. He never really "flashed" Eclypse around transforming from her human form to weapon form. And if many more people truly understood the nature of a Blade, and just how powerful they really were…

Of course they'd want that power.

"And her name? Why is it… that?" Dante asked.

"It is because my name is too great to simply be announced to any common cur."

The Silver Empress' voice emerged from the bangle Noland wore, the article glowing with silver Aura before it expanded, taking the shape of a woman.

Her long blonde hair fluttered briefly as she sat on the sofa next to Noland, still wearing her combat attire.

"The reality is that she believes her name to be too long, and it utilizes a long forgotten language. So she settled for its translation, Cosmos."

"Who gave you permission to reveal such details about my person, boy?!" Her armored hand reached out to pinch his cheek harshly.

They seem to get along well enough…

*Indeed! But to be so haughty… It would seem she is definitely a powerful Blade!*

Just as Navâra spoke in his mind, Eclypse manifested next to Dante in her own combat attire, her black armor shining slightly under the light of the room as she propped her hand under her chin.

"Oh? Are you the Blade I heard tell of? The one forged using a fragment of your Master's soul?" Cosmos asked, glancing Eclypse over with a confident smirk.

"I am. Though what's your deal? You're not like me, or the other two. You're… mixed." Eclypse returned.

"I am unique in that way."

"If you say so."

"Oh?" Cosmos quirked her eyebrow.

"I mean, they'll give that word out to anyone these days. Sure, your Aura is pretty beefy, but you don't seem like all that much."

"And what of you? Forgive me, but I hardly see the use of a Blade who's only redeeming quality is bedding her Master."

"I hardly see the use of a Blade that majestically flashes her small tits out for the World to see and can't really do much except kill small fry."

If there was one thing the two teens understood from the harsh exchange of words, the grim glares, and challenging smiles, it's that the two were sizing each other up far too seriously. Not to mention, if they were planning on taking it further, they'd likely start fighting.

And would subsequently dismantle the entirety of the hotel.

"Give it a rest, Eclypse." Dante calmly patted his Blade's head, calming her to an extent as she pouted and leaned into her Wielder.

"Please my Queen, an altercation of this degree isn't beneficial in the slightest." Noland explained, prompting Cosmos to lean back with crossed arms.

Both young men sighed, the duo smirking slightly.

"Cosmos is indeed a unique case. Not quite like with Eclypse as you explained, but not quite like Navâra or Sêrythîl." Noland explained, "I'm to assume you really know nothing about them? How they are made?"

"Not in the slightest." Dante shrugged.

"Their true names… are Aegis Blades. Magic Weapons, or rather, beings with strong powers that can take the shape of weapons." Noland explained, "Each Blade has their own unique power or set of powers that are completely different than that of their Wielder, or compliment them. Regardless of whether they compliment your own power or not, having an Aegis Blade is extremely beneficial, no matter what."

"You know their True Names, but do you know… well, what makes them? Other than how I made Eclypse?" Dante asked.

"From what I managed to learn, the first 13 Aegis Blades were made by some unknown Entity here on this World, and were eventually spread across the corners of Remnant for the purpose of aiding its people."

"And this was during the Age of the Brother Gods?"

"Records first make notation of this individual near the start of recorded history, but with what we learned recently about the Old World... Theoretically, I believe that might be the case. There simply isn't enough information, and I haven't had the pleasure of meeting one of the original Blades." Noland continued explaining, "Subsequently, Aegis Blades are completely immortal. Even if their human shapes are destroyed, or should their weapon forms be broken, they'll eventually regenerate overtime." The raven haired teen explained, "Keep in mind that Blades are only half as powerful without a Wielder. It is why forming a Contract is crucial."

"I see… So Navâra's case… How did she become an Aegis Blade, if you have any idea?"

"I haven't the slightest clue. The only thing I can think of is that she herself was an already powerful individual, and had a strong attachment to life."

"Like how a spirit remains in the World. Only… they have the chance to become an Aegis Blade."

"I imagine the creation of the Concept of Aegis Blades is how some spirits are able to 'Transcend', and essentially be flesh and blood once more, becoming a Blade." Noland speculated, "As to what else aids in determining how this is achieved… I haven't the slightest clue. The only other case I've seen is yours, or rather, Eclypse's."

Eclypse was indeed a special case. She wasn't some spirit of a deceased individual, but was essentially a "thought" in a manner of speaking.

Desperately seeking an escape from his loneliness, he "wished" for someone that would always be at his side. At first, he could only ever rarely hear Eclypse. Soon after, only he would start seeing and hearing her, which made it seem like she was some sort of imaginary friend. Then, a week after "meeting" Inuba when they were children, she physically manifested as a flesh and blood being.

She not only helped focus his power, but acted as his sword as well before she was sealed away.

"I imagine you understand Universal Concepts and how they function?"

"Contrary to your opinion I'm not an ignorant idiot most of the time, Noland." Dante scoffed, "When a powerful being like a Deity or a Dark Entity King 'creates' something unique and original of worth, it inlays itself into Creation as a 'Concept', something that 'exists' and can be done. Once this 'Concept' has been made into Reality with a very specific set of rules, it's there forever and is inlaid in every World. So… whoever made the Aegis Blades had to be a Deity."

"Not one of the Kings by any chance?" Noland asked.

"The only person who could have made the Aegis Blades is my uncle, but I already asked him and he told me he wasn't responsible." The young devil replied.

"He could have only said so."

"He wouldn't lie about it."

"Fair enough." Noland smirked, "So a Deity of some sort then."

"That's the only explanation I can think of since only they, and Kings with the right preparation and tools, can directly influence Reality. But it's not like they can keep doing it on repeat one after the other. I imagine a powerful 'Concept' like Aegis Blades must have taken about a thousand years to fully implement."

"The more powerful the 'Universal Concept', the more time and power it takes. Fascinating." The raven haired teen smirked.

"You said Cosmos is unique in that she isn't an Original, or like Eclypse or Navâra."

"I did say as much." He spoke, resting both hands on his cane, "She… was a Blade well before our meeting. However, she was unable to take physical form at all. Essentially, she was but a floating mass of Aura until our Contract."

That… was a rather peculiar thing to hear. All Blades have their original human form and the form of the weapon they wielded in life. At least, that applies to Spirits that Transcended into Aegis Blades. Dhîrga, Melia Ardâin's Blade, had to be an Original Aegis Blade given how unique her appearance was, both in her human shape and her weapon form.

Pushing that thought to the back of his mind, he began to remember what he saw when he fought briefly with Ogrânix, and then with the Leviathan Grimm.

Cosmos was throwing out all sorts of weapons like a certain King of Heroes he knew, only, the way she did it was quite different, or rather, the function of her ability was different.

…

Maybe that's why she was just a mass of Aura. She does utilize all sorts of weapons and artifacts, which is possibly why she couldn't retake a definitive form until she made a Contract.

"What is it, mongrel?" Cosmos spoke as she glared at Dante.

She even talks like he does… This is so not gonna be fun…

The young devil shook his head, "Anything else to air out? Are we gonna have the kind of surprise you see on an evening soap where the sister says she's pregnant with her brother's baby?"

"Nothing so dramatic." Noland scoffed, "That was the most important piece of information I withheld. The rest? They aren't things you need to know about me. And with that… Don't you have other business to attend to, now that we've cleared this up?"

"Right… I need to nab Ray Chroma, and subsequently… that other thing I mentioned."

"Other thing, he says…"

"Hey, for real. Only Inuba and Ruby know about it. Don't tell anyone what I told you. Top secret. Got it?"

The raven haired teen only gestured to his mouth, zipping it shut as he watched Dante leave.

"I suppose I now have time to catch up on some reading..."

---

He sat in his cell, bouncing his ball against the hardlight cell in the darkened room, eyes glued to the ceiling as he effortlessly caught the rubber sphere.

The cat Faunus' eyes glanced towards the holographic clock that was projected, the time being displayed as 7:34 PM.

Ray clicked his tongue with frustration, catching the rebounding ball on its last bounce as he sat up straight in his cot.

"Doesn't seem like anyone's likely to come back for me with all this going on, huh?" he quietly murmured to himself.

With a muted sigh, the boy sat up straight after idly catching his ball for the last time.

"Who am I kidding? They never bloody do."

He'd already figured out a rough draft of an escape plan days ago, subtly testing the waters with how far he could push his luck before all hell broke loose.

He knew why they wanted him locked up with no due process.

Atlas needed leverage.

Specifically from his family and the gradually encroaching 'Dark Entities' on their way to mess everything up.

Sucked to be them though. Ray's family wasn't coming for him. They didn't even know where he was.

And Ironwood, or whoever else was in charge, had no way of getting into contact with the Chromas. They weren't fans of being bothered by singular parties.

Ray wasn't all that worried though, he made a calculated risk coming to Solitas, and subsequentially, Mantle. For better or worse, being locked up cost him nothing but time.

Then, he heard it.

It was like a faint whisper at first that echoed throughout his cell. When his eyes found the initial source of the sound, he saw a small dark blot on the otherwise pristine white floor outside his cell.

It was… moving, shifting about steadily.

Then, in the next few moments, the blot quickly expanded outwards to cover the whole floor, the electronic equipment dying a few seconds after. The only source of light in the room was now the hardlight cell.

Ray tensed up slightly, tracking the unknown with narrowed violet eyes. He'd been in trouble enough times to see it coming and that familiar sense was already tingling the moment he heard something other than the buzz of the lights.

Then, a head emerged steadily from the darkness, and he relaxed himself just a little bit as the inky blackness stripped away from a familiar head of white hair.

"Miss me, jackass?"

"Don't suppose you brought a lawyer with you?" The Faunus responded calmly with amusement in his tone.

"As if." The young devil replied, "I listed you as already processed in some far off gulag or some shit. The only matter of business now is getting your ass out of here."

He stretched out his hand from the blot.

Ray quirked a brow. "Any particular reason why you're going out of your way to do such a thing? You hardly know me."

"Uh… societal anarchy?" He answered.

Ray hummed a little before pushing himself up off of the cot. "If you say so. Mind you, considering you just melted through the floor to get here instead of using the door I'm assuming this is an off-the-record release."

The blonde rolled his shoulders as he said that, loosening them up before Dante could provide the obvious answer.

"Dude, I literally said I 'illegally' processed you somewhere else. Besides that, they've got no real reason to come after you since there's bigger things to worry about." He noted, "Now you wanna get out of here, or do you wanna spend more time in a cell that smells like used pool noodles?"

Ray nodded. "I'm well aware of the current state of affairs outside these walls, don't you worry. Besides, if it wasn't you, it was going to be me getting me out of here. Peace was never an option with these jarheads."

The Faunus calmly approached the hardlight wall between Dante and himself and reeled an arm back to punch the surface.

As he did so, a violet web splintered across the blue hardlight wall with a high-pitched whining emanating in the projectors above and below.

Once formed, the web spread, Ray's fist twisted and slowly but surely warped the projection until the wall gave in and burst into sparks.

"I'd been waiting to do that since I got here," the boy commented with a contented smirk. "They didn't do their homework when they put me in this cell."

"You're a little scrawny to force your way out like I would… Semblance, huh? That's pretty neat. Now grab on. The transition is gonna be a little… freaky for newtimers." Dante explained, wiggling his fingers briefly to prompt the cat Faunus to grab hold.

"We can't do that right now, not without my belongings and a little departing gift," Ray stated as he stepped outside his cell and stretched himself out, tail and all.

He'd been in there for a considerable amount of time.

"I'm not going anywhere without my gear, Dante. So you're either coming with me, or you can at the very least cause a ruckus somewhere else to keep them off my back."

He sighed, but he could understand fairly well it must have been important if he wasn't willing to leave his "equipment" behind. So his other arm shot out from the blot on the ground, quickly pulling himself out as the darkness dripped away from his person.

He peeked his head back in, "I'll call for you when we're ready. Just stay where you are, alright?"

As he said this, the blot on the ground shrank back in on itself, the teen dusting himself off.

"I don't know much about your family, but how good are you with covertness? And I swear, if you say 'Of course I'm good at it, I'm a cat Faunus', I'm gonna steal your rubber ball and throw it in the ocean."

Ray looked Dante straight in the eyes without so much as a fleeting twitch in his expression. "I got close enough to a secret Atlas base to smell the food they were cooking in the cafeteria. I'm literally half-cat, what do you think?"

"Right, whatever." Dante waved off, "I'll take care of anyone that comes across us since I can do it quickly enough. You just lead the way and not purr too loudly."

"The number of things that'll make me purr in this world can be counted on one hand, trust me, I'll be fine," Ray amusedly remarked, taking the initiative and making his way toward the door. "I'm fairly proficient with Atlesian security systems and I can arm myself at the drop of a hat, but without the rest of my stuff, I'm otherwise not much use in a fight right now."

"Hence why I'll do the fighting." The teen replied as he moved aside with a polite bow, silently telling Ray yet again to take the lead.

"Sounds good, and if we do this right, we won't even have to," Ray commented with a firm nod as he continued making his way to the closest exit. "I know where they're keeping my things. I also know where I can learn some more interesting details about what's going on right now."

He calmly approached the door and quickly tapped in the security code on the pad next to it without skipping a beat.

"The guards here are sloppy as it is, but this is laughable."

"I may have cut power to the records room and some of the generators in the cell block further in the facility." The devil shrugged as he followed behind the cat Faunus, "Most of their attention will be away from this section."

"So that leaves us with a nice little window to get in and out undisturbed, well done," Ray commented with approval, watching as the door opened up and peeking his head round to check for any unsuspecting guards.

Dante leaned down and touched the ground, five small and very thin lines of black emerging from his fingertips as they discreetly crept along the edges of the ceiling.

"Evidence locker I presume?" The teen asked.

"Cor-rect," Ray enunciated with a slight nod.

"Alright… We gotta hang left of this wall, then left again a considerable distance. There's only two guys on the right side of the hall further up, and two guys that are just about to walk the cross section."

He raised up his hand, his five fingers raised up as his thumb bent in towards his palm. Once he counted down to zero, the two quickly but silently traversed the left side hall, the two guards on the other end having their attention focused on the elevator.

Thankfully, the corridor was already fairly dark, and with the quick but silent speed they moved at, they couldn't have spotted them.

The final left turn down the long corridor was practically uneventful as they closed in on the doors to the evidence locker. For extra measure, Dante placed a hand on Ray's shoulder, both of their bodies gradually becoming darker to blend in perfectly with the shadow of the dim corridor while the cat Faunus punched in the codes on the keypad.

'Atlesian efficiency' essentially ensured the sliding door silently opened, allowing the two to creep in as the doors closed behind him. Huge racks filled the massive room with all sorts of hard plastic boxes, all either filled with files from cases, weapons, contraband, etc.

At the far end of the room was a rotund desk, a solitary guard sitting down as he read through his scroll.

"I couldn't get access to where your 'box' was, but I'm sure if we punch your name in or whatever, it'll show up. Problem is that guy." Dante whispered as he nodded towards the lone guard.

Before he could even attempt to turn and face Ray, a glowing violet baton was gently tapped against his chest as Ray silently walked past the devil. "I know how to find it, you get the honors of clearing his mind."

"Clearing his mind…" Dante scoffed as he and the cat Faunus split up.

Ray disappeared into some rows farthest from the center, while the young devil silently crept around towards the wall. Eventually, he worked around the back section and crept up towards the desk silently. The guard made a sudden but slow turn around, the teen ducking down to use the desk as cover.

"Sigh… This sucks ass… I wanted to go see Shermie's Glamorous Idol Concert… Goddamn Tucker just had to take a sick day and leave me to pick up his shift..!"

…

…

Seriously? He's pissed he's not gonna see an idol concert? No, wait, I actually understand to some extent.

~Just knock his ass out already.~

Yeah yeah…

Dante peeked up a little to see the guard had spun around again, letting out a silent distraught groan. Without a moment to lose, the devil immediately shot out from behind the cover of the desk, swinging the hardlight baton Ray made into the back of the guard's head. The man guffawed briefly before he slumped down in his rotating chair.

"Sorry my guy… It's just not your night."

The young devil remembered Ray saying he knew where to go, so he shifted himself over the desk to access the terminal, typing his own name in to see if they boxed anything. From what it looked like, there seemed to be nothing whatsoever, but if Pycelle was capable of fabricating fake reports, he might have done it again before his death.

Then again, maybe not. He needed to ask Melia about it the next time they would meet.

Seeing as there was nothing else to look at, he quickly typed in Ray's name and found his box in section E-7. And with that, he closed down the search bar, quickly positioning the knocked out guard to make it look like he was sleeping on the job before he moved towards the row Ray was in.

"Find what you were looking for?" Dante asked.

From the looks of things, Ray definitely had, as gone was his previous casual-formal attire, replaced with an outfit more suited to a self-proclaimed explorer.

A thicker, grey jacket that was more winter-appropriate had been zipped up over his chest, with loops, pouches and pockets. That coupled with the utility harness strapped over his shoulders made him look less like a boy on a night out and more like a man with a job to do.

A rifle poked over his shoulder, while ice picks for climbing were affixed to a leather loop on the back hip of his coat, while a sort of hunting knife was sheathed and fixed to his belt loop.

Of course, there was a hiking pack on his back too, and the sneakers he wore before were replaced with tougher looking boots.

"You can say that," Ray replied as he distractedly tightened up all the straps and laces around his body. "Feels good to be back to normal. This holiday hasn't exactly been my favorite so far."

"Why? The capture wasn't the only shit that landed in your dinner?" Dante asked.

Ray nodded without much of a second thought. "It could be said that this is one of the more hospitable imprisonments I've experienced. But I've come this far and I can't stop now."

There was a tone of genuine earnesty in his voice that wasn't easily ignored by Dante.

"I know all too well when a man is on a mission for blood. The look on your face just now… and how determined you are… Not exactly something I'm foreign to."

"Mine is not a story of revenge, put it that way. I'm on a mission. Alone. But blood spilled is not my aim here," Ray said, eyeing Dante for a moment before reaching behind him and pulling out the gun on his back, splitting the rifle into two pistols. "Maybe I'll write a book on it when I'm done or something; about time I contributed something to the family library."

The devil sighed, "Did you for sure grab everything?"

The boy stepped to the side to reveal the empty crate behind him. "I've got it all, let's go."

"Seeker? We're ready to go."

As Dante called out, a blot of black formed in front of their feet.

"Make sure when you jump in, jump forward a little." He warned, before he himself leapt in.

---

The young devil sprang out from the blot of darkness in the alleyway, landing perfectly on his feet. He glanced at the Seeker, seeing the blot of inky darkness emerging from the bottom of her staff.

"Thanks. And… sorry for bringing you out like this…" he apologized, "Doing things like this must make you uncomfortable and-"

"I am here for thee and thee only, Umbral Star." She spoke with her calm, hushed voice.

"Bringing friends?" Ray asked as his form hopped out of the dark blot soon after.

"W-Well… it's not so much that, it's just she'll follow me everywhere." Dante replied, "I did ask her though this time if she could help and it worked out smoothly. Speaking of…"

He raised up his hand for a high five, but the girl silently looked at him puzzled, tilting her head slightly.

"Ah… So when we do something nice, cool or good, etc etc, you do this." He explained, grabbing hold of Ray's hand to slap it against his, "It's like a congratulatory gesture."

She hummed a little, nodding her head to show she understood.

"So… she's a stalker then?" Ray questioned, looking at Dante with a raised eyebrow as he reached into his pocket.

"Uh… No. We met in Argus while she was getting hit on by some dumbasses looking to score. Apparently she was traveling to find me. Or at least, someone like me. Hence, Umbral Star." The devil waved to himself with both hands, "You can call me by my name, you know?" The teen said, looking towards the girl.

"Sounds like a fan then, but it's none of my business," Ray murmured with a shrug, pulling out a grey winter hat and slipping it on over his head, allowing for his cat ears to slip through deliberately made holes on the top.

Yeah, totally. It's not like she's someone with some strange prophecy or something. Noooo, definitely a random fangirl.

Dante sighed, "In any case, come with me for a bit, if you don't mind."

Ray eyed Dante hesitantly for a moment before tilting his head. "I'm not saying no, but may I ask why?"

"Well, I'm sure those protein blocks they feed detainees and prisoners taste like ass, so for starters, getting some food. And a safe place to hang low for a bit before you go on your way."

Ray's face visibly twisted in thought but relaxed before he replied. "Sure, provided you're paying."

"Oh, I'm not paying. Well, I don't have to. Where we're going, it's real special. Trust." The devil gave a thumbs up, "But let's split. Like now."

Before he had the chance to take a step forward, he froze, eyes widening. The Seeker seemed to take note as well, quickly sinking into Dante's shadow as he grabbed Ray out of the way and stepped back a few paces.

A volley of red bolts, crackling with a black outline of energy, was stuck at their previous position.

The two looked around, scanning the walls and the many exits of the large space, Dante looking up moments later to see their attacker.

"Well well… And here I was wondering when the King Rat would send someone out."

The figure from the rooftop leapt down, and upon closer look, was dressed in a black cloak. It's skin was a sickly pale white, it's legs and feet totally exposed. Aside from the four arms peeking out from the cloak, it wore a freaky deer skull, antlers and all, as a mask. Blood red eyes peeked out, it's breath misty in the night air. Taking a closer look, it also sported some strange mark on It's forehead, one that looked like an upside Y with extra lines on the branch that bent inwards looking like a pair of bent arms. Another line ran straight through the center, a black dot resting above it, centered between the edges of the branching lines.

It's definitely one of his…

The sound of a gun being cocked rattled beside Dante as Ray's form went out to face the attacker directly. The gun in his hands firing rapidly as Ray tracked the entity with precision, barely missing his shots as it evaded.

"Been looking for you…" The boy spoke coldly, with a calculated tone, still firing his gun with every intent to kill it. "You think I don't recognize one of your kind when I see one?!"

Holy shit, he has seen "them". Now I definitely need him to talk. Since this is one of "His", and Ray's seemingly got a bone to pick… he doesn't quite realize what he's stepping into.

The creature let out a raspy chuckle, using one of its four arms to flick its finger back and forth at Ray, urging him to come closer and try again. He was about to attack it again, but Dante stopped him.

"Don't lose your head. These chuckle fucks are fast and highly intelligent with goading their prey."

"I know," Ray replied, keeping his weapon trained on the creature but holding his fire.

"Then hang back while I go give him a 'hug'. Respectfully, don't shoot me in the ass. It's a pain to dislodge a bullet from there." He told the cat Faunus, "Don't stay in the same place either. He's definitely gonna take pot shots at you while tangoing with me. You cool with that?"

"Nothing I can't handle, do your thing, but keep it alive," Ray said calmly, rolling his shoulders as he split his weapon in two. "I want to have a chat."

"Chat, huh?" Dante summoned Eclypse to his right hand in Longsword form, twirling her around twice, "Don't know why, but sure thing!"

He charged in after the Dark Entity, the creature using the palms of its upper two arms to quickly produce more of the large red spikes. Heather young devil swung and their weapons clashed, a bullet passing by Dante's cheek in search of a headshot.

But this Dark Entity, this Crawler, was exactly as the white haired teen advertised.

Fast.

Instead of shanking Dante like it originally intended, it stuck up its lower right arm to make another red plasma blade to block the bullet, pushing away from the devil. The two red plasma spikes from its right arms shot out with intense speed at Ray, who quickly spun out of the way and returned fire with his guns.

The devil chased after the Crawler, staying just within striking range to avoid another clash. Just as quickly as it was keeping up with Dante, he was dodging or blocking Ray's bullets with a savage finesse to its movements. No counter was wasted, for each time it blocked an attack from Ray, it returned fire.

Man… It's tough not scrapping this guy… It's like trying to not step on an ant or something..!

The Dark Entity realized during its exchanges with Dante that he would be the bigger threat, so it leapt from the ground and began leaping between the back alley walls, focusing its fire on Ray.

But the cat Faunus wasn't some meager push over. Just as the Crawler had its own savage finesse to its movements, Ray flowed between the bolts like water, not one of them coming close to touching him.

And between his dodges, he fired off two more shots.

The creature in its cockiness decided to block the bullets, but by the time it had realized what Ray did, it had already made its mistake. What it failed to notice was how the two bullets were fired perfectly together, one behind the other. So when it attempted to block the first bullet, the second, larger bullet crashed into the other one with extra force, making the Dark Entity's arm flail out wildly while it was thrown off balance.

With his opening and the creature's momentum halted, a large, demonic, spectral hand of platinum Aura shot out to grab the creature entirely, who was then subsequently slammed into the ground with thunderous force.

The spectral arm didn't budge in the slightest, no matter how much it wriggled or tried to swing backwards to strike the projection. By then, it was too late, for all but one of his arms had been ripped clean off, making the Crawler emit a blood curdling howl of pain.

While weaker, it still struggled under the grasp of Dante's spectral hand of Aura, both he and Ray approaching the creature steadily as it spoke in a distorted voice, it's language unknown to Ray.

"English, jackass." The young devil said as he stomped the Dark Entity's head into the ground, "My friend here doesn't know the language."

"R-Release me, you wretch!"

The barrel of one of Ray's guns batted up against the creature's forehead before Ray cleared his throat. "While you're stuck there, you will address me as Sir for the duration of this conversation. Do I make myself clear?"

"Klîn ûtîr, hâzûv kûz!" It replied.

"He said 'Fuck you, halfbreed trash'." Dante translated, "Guess he doesn't like you."

"I've been called worse…" Ray commented with a half shrug, before holstering the gun on his off-hand and raising his palm up to construct a violet, glowing dagger. "This one just needs a little persuasion."

With that comment, he clenched his hand around the hilt of the small blade and rammed the weapon straight into the creature's right eye.

"Talk, or the next one's going somewhere worse." Ray released the dagger and summoned a new one, twirling it in his hand as he twisted his gun against the entity's head. "Where are your friends?"

It laughed at Ray, "You… haven't the slightest idea… of the enormity you face… half-breed…"

Yeah… definitely one of Ogrânix's…

"You may… have the aid of the Black Devil… but even he… will not save you… or these filth… from their demise..!"

Ray smirked. "Look me in the eyes and tell me if it looks like I care about myself, demon. This was never about me… this is about what you took from me. Now I'll ask you again; Where. Are. Your. Friends?"

Ray's second dagger slowly cut a line down the side of the dark figure's face, drawing disgustingly dark, clouded blood from the fresh wound.

Man… this thing is a shitbag and all… But I kinda feel bad. Normally it's the other way around…

"We… have no friends… Merely pawns… to move as we please… Causing mayhem… in preparation for the reckoning…" It spoke, hissing at Ray like some sort of snake, "SHE is but mere… amusement! You will never… find her!"

It was at that moment that several nerves seemed to fire in Ray as the dagger he held found its way straight into the creature's other eye without a moment's hesitation.

"Let me tell you something, you unholy abomination. You and your ilk better pray I don't find her, because if I do, I will tear down that church of yours piece by piece and kill every single one of you." Ray growled. "You will all come to regret the day you fucked with my family and so help me gods I will wipe the floor with your sad little cult like you never even existed."

It laughed past its pain, it's distorted roars of amusement echoing throughout the alley.

"You… are nothing to us!"

"Dante. Kill it."

"Sure."

He placed his own hand on the back of its head, rearing it back in preparation to smash its skull into the ground. But it resisted him. Not out of fear for its life, but because it had something more to say.

Only, Ray wasn't the one it wanted to speak to.

Dante steadily used less force to let it turn its head slightly, its carved out eyes focusing on him.

"And you… The pitiful, failed Retainer… You are not worthy… to stand before his Magnificence… You will fail… Just like how you failed… your worthless Queen..!"

The Crawler spoke its final words before its head was turned into paste with one powerful, forceful push, black blood and bone seeping in between Dante's fingertips.

What chilled Ray in that moment ever so slightly wasn't the sheer ease of the action, but that look the devil had in his eyes.

A silent storm of transcendent fury.

"Seems we both have business with the Black Church," the Faunus muttered lowly, his gaze falling back to the crawler's corpse, watching its body turn to black ash.

Dante wagged his hand to clean it of the blood, still maintaining a calm composure as he did so.

"I've been tracking them for months since Vale fell, against the wishes of my family," Ray continued, holstering his other gun. "Killed every single one of these bastards on my way here. They're all the same; bite and no bark."

"That's where you're wrong. You're lucky you're experienced in combat, competent, and come from the Chroma family. Anyone else would've been minced meat and a meal for this thing." The teen sighed, "Normally this is the part where I tell you to go home to your family or cat or whatever, but I know you're not gonna let this go or leave it in my lap."

As he explained this, Dante swiped Eclypse outwards to dematerialize her as he rested a hand on his hip.

"Chroma or not, you're completely out of your league with this one, Ray. Especially with who that scum's real leader is."

Ray nodded slowly, still calmly watching the black ash by their feet as it sank further into the ground and blew away with the breeze that swept between them. "I know. That's not gonna stop me though. I'd rather die trying than live asking myself 'what if?'."

"No, you don't know." Dante continued, "You're lucky you've been picking off small fry of the Soldier Class. A Knight? You might have a chance. A Lord? You'd be bones in its stomach before it shat you out. What you're dealing with is bigger than you can imagine."

Ray sighed. "I understand that you have some kind of speech or monologue about the odds of my success and that you're just doing your duty to look out for others in an attempt to save them from a gruelling fate. But this isn't something I've changed my mind on. I'm going to the Black Church if it kills me or not. There is no alternative here."

"The alternative… is that we work together towards this." The devil spoke as he stepped forward, "You're out of your depth. Your odds are low and will become very low if 'they' decide you need to be swatted. I know you don't really trust me all that much seeing as we're briefly acquainted, but if you do work with me… I can help tilt the odds towards success."

Ray finally broke his gaze away from the ground to face Dante, a veiled look of thought glancing over his violet irises.

"I know these things better than any person or book can detail. While we have generally separate objectives, we have a common enemy. If you do work with me… I'll make sure you and yours live at the end of it."

A silent breath drew into Ray's chest as his shoulders rose. "Part of the journey is the end and I know I'm getting closer to mine. If I'm to accept your help, the Black Church must also end. Can we agree on that?"

"I've got no qualms either way. If they turned some people already, then frankly… there's no chance to save them."

Ray sighed once more, seemingly aware of that possibility. "If they can't be saved, then we release them from their torture. The lunacy of this cult is a sickness and we'll all be damned if we don't fix that."

"It's not the people I'm worried about. It's the 'things' backing them." Dante explained, "At best, they're just meager pawns that dance around to their fiddle. I know you're not a pushover… but you can't hesitate in the slightest. With them, or the Dark Entities."

Ray's brow contorted into a small frown. "I know I look all cute and cuddly because I'm part cat, but please, don't get it twisted and think I'll spare any of them the chance to blindside me like a chump. You can have the Entities you speak of, I just want my sister back."

"That's not it. They'll lie and deceive you in every way possible. They'll push your buttons in ways you've never dreamed about to get you to act stupid… or hesitate. Just… follow my lead as much as you can. And if you've got a problem, we can hash it out."

"I'm willing to listen to you for as long as you stop treating me like a rookie, I've been doing this a while. And while that probably doesn't compare much to your experience, I know what I'm doing," Ray replied with a confident tone. "I'm happy to follow you for as long as it's necessary. After that… who knows where we'll end up?"

The young devil chuckled slightly, stretching out his hand, "Then we have a deal, accomplice?"

Ray eyed his hand for a moment before reaching out his own and giving Dante a handshake. "Partner."

"I had to make it a little interesting." He shrugged as let go and walked out of the alley, "Now come on, I did promise dinner and something of a show, didn't I?"

---

"We're all set then?" Dante spoke, holding his hand up towards his mouth as he and Ray walked yet again through a labyrinth of alleyways, "Good. I'll be coming in on elevator six."

Ray kept pace beside Dante, quietly minding his business while Dante spoke to the other individual through his modified Scroll.

"Alright. See you in a bit." The devil finished, lowering his hand briefly before coming to a stop.

Ray looked up to see they had stopped at some VHS repair shop.

"You still haven't explained where we're going, by the way," Ray commented idly, glancing up at the sign mounted above the storefront window and quirking his eyebrow.

"It's a secret." Dante explained, briefly quirking his brow as he started punching some numbers into a keypad , "I'd rather not say it out loud and risk getting caught by a passerby. The last thing I need is more publicity."

The back door entrance of the rather rusty shack slid open, showing a… rather impressive elevator with obsidian walls and black marble floors.

Gesturing him inside, the devil followed in after the cat Faunus, a holographic display appearing on the right hand side. Sliding through the display, he stopped and pushed on the screen to set the destination as the doors closed.

The transition was smooth, but Ray could tell by the subtle motion that they were moving… forward?

The elevator suddenly came to a gentle halt after a few seconds then moved upwards, slowly coming to a stop as the bay doors opened. Immediately, they were greeted by black marble floors with white marble mixed in, and tall, gleaming obsidian walls, perfectly smooth and intricately carved with a faint white glow flowing underneath the black stone further up to light the rooms.

Many people walked about across the large expanse of the room, moving from one hall to the next, other rooms, or to another set of elevators.

Aside from the impressive and well crafted architecture that impressed Ray, was how everyone bowed their heads with a smile and offered Dante a "hello" or a "good evening" and the like.

"You're popular around here," Ray spoke, his eyes glancing around to see the people they walked past treating Dante in such a highly-esteemed manner. "Do you want to tell me where we are now?"

"We… are currently on the second floor of DarkStar Industries."

It took Ray a few moments, but he finally connected the dots.

"Remnant's 'Demon of Vengeance' is also the owner of DarkStar Industries, huh?" Ray questioned, applying finger quotes to the title he gave the Devil. "I knew you were special in one way or another, but I didn't really expect much in the way of business from you."

"Well… It turns out my illicit gambling earned me way too much, and unfortunately I couldn't just give a bunch of it away to charities without drawing suspicion. So I… thought I could do something better with it." Dante waved around on his tour, waving back to the other employees and greeting them in kind, "I vetted some of Remnant's greatest and brightest minds, and brought them all together under one roof. And… you know, I also helped find some work here for people that really needed it and have nowhere else to go."

The duo moved further on in, passing through a hall that had rooms with large glass windows, scientists and mechanics working on all sorts of various projects.

"We mostly work on mechanics and the like for shield walls, armored vehicles, etc, and even prosthetics. But, we've also been recently branching out into other fields, like medicine and archeology, along with… other areas of necessary study." Dante explained further as they passed into another hall, "In short, betterment of all people one step at a time."

"About time somebody put together this kind of organization, hell if it wasn't you, it might've been me…" Ray replied, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

"This World definitely needed something like it… I got asked a lot what I'd do with my talents and… after some motivation, I eventually came to this." The devil explained, "Continuing the work."

"And the people you hire? Tell me more about them," Ray inquired curiously.

"Doesn't entirely matter who or what they are if I'm being honest. Yeah, we try to recruit the best and brightest, but obviously we take care not to hire some… morally bankrupt characters." The devil explained further as he stopped in the new room, "Doesn't mean I don't hire some sketchy people from time to time with crazy ideas. But I do keep them in line so that they don't tip too far towards the other side of the scales, you know?"

Ray nodded, clearly understanding the implications. "Sounds reasonable enough, so long as they're providing a service that's mutually beneficial, of course."

"Yep. But like I said, sometimes I come upon a poor unfortunate that's had their luck in the dumps and… give them a little push." He gestured.

As he explained this, the white haired teen looked ahead, inhaling sharply.

A very tall, slightly tan woman approached that had to be at least eight feet tall, and had curly, light blonde hair that reached her shoulders, and golden eyes that gave off faint glows. Given her already large stature, she was certainly "big" and curvaceous in many areas, especially considering she was wearing a full black pinstripe suit that frankly emphasized her features due to her size, along with black heeled shoes.

Aside from her outstanding height, Ray noticed a pair of shiny obsidian horns atop the woman's head, shaped like…

"Is that a... Minotaur Faunus?" Ray asked hesitantly, taking a couple of healthy steps backward.

"Yeah… Her kind's pretty rare. And they're frankly geniuses when it comes to forging armor. I mean really, shit can stop a tank round or two." Dante explained, "Naomi! Been a whi-!"

Before he had the chance to finish, the Minotaur Faunus grabbed hold of his head with her large hand and raised the teen up, flinging his body further up to grab his leg with her other hand as she growled angrily, stretching the young devil as if he were a slinky toy.

"You bastard!" She shouted, her voice lightly husky, "Do you have! Any idea! How hard it was! To move our! Whole operation here!" She shouted in between pulls.

"I'm! Sorry! It had to be! Done!" Dante painfully replied between each painful stretch of his body.

"You're goddamned lucky! My man agreed to move with me! Otherwise! I would've kicked your scrawny ass!"

"I took! Care of it! Didn't I?! I paid for! A whole new building! For his bar! And advertisements!"

"She seems nice," Ray commented lightly. "And clearly very fond of you."

"Fond doesn't even describe it!" She replied, "This guy is a literal demon! Sweet talks everyone with that stupid face of his!"

"Except I deliver on my arrangements!"

"And what about all the ridiculous work I had to put in this month?! I got home really late because of you and missed some quality time with my man!" Naomi replied.

"I gave you a raise! And more vacation time for when I would get here!"

"All the money in the world couldn't buy her a second of quality time, Dante," Ray stated calmly, crossing his arms as he leant up against the nearest wall.

"Right?!" She looked down briefly at Ray before she looked above at the boss she was seemingly about to rip apart, "Well?! What do you have to say for yourself?! Better yet, why me of all people?!"

"Because one, you're my secretary and handle stuff for me! And two, you're reliable! You got everyone out during the assault on Vale, didn't you?"

She growled silently, the compliments seemingly having worked their magic as she "carefully" threw her boss on the ground next to Ray. She dusted off her hands, readjusting her jacket before bending her knees slightly as she extended a hand.

"Naomi Stahloz."

"Stahloz? Sounds familiar," Ray replied, pushing away from the wall and shaking the woman's hand. "Weapons and Armors, right?"

"Yeah, though we tend to go under the radar a bit since my family hasn't been following the trend of putting 'guns' in our designs."

"Guns are overrated. I took some interest in the Scorch Hammer you and yours made a few years back," Ray commented with some vigor. "Nice application of Dust in a melee weapon."

"One of grandma's finest. Whacking and exploding things with sticky charges." Naomi motioned, "Though that's something she made real special for a certain someone. You a Chroma?"

"In the flesh," Ray replied casually, offering a small two-fingered salute.

She hummed with amusement, "Awfully scarce ever since the family went underground. Damn shame. At least y'all were doing a great deal of good than most. Unlike that snake charmer and his fancy words." She nodded towards the devil, slowly rising back up at last.

"Hey, I deliver on my word, alright? If I didn't care I wouldn't have gone so far for you or anyone else here, would I?"

She growled reluctantly with a sigh, "Much as I loathe to admit it, he has taken good care of us all. But you're still a dandy that sweet talks people."

The devil shrugged with a defeated sigh, "My nonsense aside… We're fully up and running again?"

"Yeah. But Myra took some time off to visit some family. She'll be back Monday."

"Good."

"Other than that, dinner's waiting. Eat before it gets cold."

"Thank you Naomi. You're as lovely as always."

"Shut up, boss." She slapped him upside the head as she made to leave the room, "And don't get your ass arrested again. I'm not gonna bail you out."

"Even when I bailed you out?!"

She waved goodbye, leaving Ray with a smirk and Dante with another sigh as they entered through the large obsidian doors into a cafeteria area, a table already set for them.

Sandwiches of many varieties, tomatoes, an assortment of cheeses. There also seemed to be some tea and water set for them as well.

Gesturing to a seat, Ray sat down first as Dante followed, taking a sip quickly.

"So then… How about we talk about business at hand while we nibble on something?"

Ray made himself comfortable before grabbing something small to take a bite out of before crossing one leg over the other.

"So, you're already aware that I know more than I let on, especially when it comes to the supernatural elements currently kicking up a storm in the world." the Faunus began, taking a moment to pull off his beanie and take off his backpack. "So, why don't we start with you asking questions and I'll tell you what I know."

"Alright then." Dante said as he crossed a leg over the other, "First and foremost, how long have either you or your family known about the existence of Dark Entities? Is this a recent development within the last two years or in the last decade?"

"We've known about these kinds of undesirables for centuries." Ray answered honestly and without a moment's hesitation. "After chasing them back to where they came from numerous times, we've always been keeping a steady eye on them."

The boy paused for a moment to take another bite.

"It's been a while since they've had the courage to shake things up again. You may think that this is something we're used to, which normally, I'd say it is, however… something's different this time round."

"They're more organized than feral, right?"

Ray nodded his head before his expression turn a little more grim. "Considering they attacked our home and kidnapped my twin sister? Yes, I'd say they're definitely more organized by something. Or someone."

"So… They were already here for centuries now. Possibly more and likely dormant until recently."

"Dormant isn't the word I'd use, but less threatening perhaps," Ray corrected politely.

"Ok, so less pronounced and a rare sighting more or less." Dante sighed, "Great, another thing I'm gonna have to look into eventually… Them having a Crossing and coming here? Not simply something left to chance. Someone put them here."

"If it were up to me, I'd let you browse my family's archives, but my family's made a habit of guarding its secrets very closely, I'm afraid," Ray spoke calmly, a hint of disdain in his tone as he finished his sandwich.

"Don't worry. These 'things' have been around where I… uh, came from for a longer time. I know them well enough. I'm just wondering how they got here if it wasn't the King Rat that brought them with him when he came here two or so years ago." The devil pondered, "That aside… Anything particularly… 'special' about your twin? Strange or uncommon abilities? Speaking in tongues? Etc?"

"She's gifted, that I've always known. She has a particular talent with Aura manipulation and her Semblance, but it's always been a balance between her and myself." Ray explained calmly. "She has the control, but I have the power. If you know what I mean. The things she can do with the Semblance we share are incredibly complex, but in a battle of strength, I'd win."

"Raw power and precision control… Hmmm… I wonder if I can make hardlight with my Semblance…" The devil shook his head, "Were there any demands? A note or anything?"

Ray shook his head. "If they had left any demands, my family wouldn't have given them anything. Hell, they even tried to stop me going after them. The fact I'm talking to you now should speak volumes about their level of success."

Ray then leaned forward in his seat, making careful but full eye contact with Dante.

"I'm telling you now, I will stop at nothing to get her back. We're two sides of the same coin and she means more to me than mere words can explain." the Faunus spoke with a calculated but sincere inflection. "It's that, or we both die horrible deaths."

"Why just take her though instead of both of you? The only reason I can think of is them having their own power supply, but…" the white haired teen sighed, "How complex are your twin's constructs?"

"Let me assure you that if I knew why they took her, you'd already know by now," Ray replied confidently. "But if we're talking about her abilities, she can make anything you can imagine, weapons, vehicles, machinery… Anything. And she can do so without breaking a sweat."

"Large structures?"

"Complex, but I don't know about large. It's possible though." Ray answered truthfully.

"Their 'magic' is mostly focused on combat or destruction. 'Building' isn't quite their strength, much less for this group. So then… That means they must have nabbed her to build something for them." Dante reasoned, "What that might be, I won't know until I see it. As it stands, even I don't have a full grasp of the more recent situation."

"Whatever it is, it's not good, that much is clear," Ray commented quickly. "Whoever or whatever this diabolical piece of work is that's organizing them has to go. And I'm straight out of time and patience to go to war."

"Like I said before, you would've died given 'who' exactly you're up against." Dante explained, nibbling at a grilled cheese sandwich, "You remember me talking about a King Rat?"

"I do." Ray confirmed with a slight nod.

"I'm not sure if you're aware of their hierarchy, but here's how its doled out. You got your Lessers, Soldiers, Knights, Lords, and Kings. A Knight, you could take after seeing you. But a Lord? Or even a King? Then you'd be absolutely fucked, friend." Dante leaned, "Thankfully though, most of the Lords now piss themselves at the mention of my name. And the King I'm… or rather, we're up against… Well, he and I have a score to settle with each other. My thinking is he's just playing a game using your sister. Or for all we know, he's wised up and is actually planning for once. Though frankly… I'm expecting we're gonna find a Lord at the end of the line."

"Let's strike a deal then." Ray proposed, raising a hand up. "You let me find the Black Church, where they're clearly orchestrating this bullshit and keeping my sister prisoner. When I find it, and I know I'm close, I'll contact you. Then you and whoever else you intend to bring come along and take out this Lord you speak of and we can all go home in one piece."

"Alright, but… Contact me often, you know? With the game you're chasing, it not only pays to know you're still alive, but that you're actually onto something. You've got your discoveries, and I have my extensive knowledge on this shitheads. So call when you've got questions about them, their patterns, their abilities, etc."

"If regular updates are what you ask for, that can be done. Depending on signal strength, that is." Ray said with a shrug. "I take paths not often travelled."

"Fair. But if you're gonna go about it…"

Dante reached into a case, pulling out a sort of keycard before handing it over to Ray. It had his picture and some sort of QR code on it.

"Do it with the good shit. While we stray from making weapons, it doesn't mean we don't have our own stockpile for expeditions. So… as of today, you're a consultant in the Expedition department. Adventuring, more or less." The devil explained, "You ever need anything, come on in for a tune-up or resupply."

"I can handle most of my field repairs, but I appreciate the upgrades." Ray said, bowing his head slightly as he pocketed the card, "If I discover anything, I'll give you a report in full."

"Thanks. Need any 'funding' while we're at it?"

Ray shook his head. "I come from a family older than the Huntsman Academies. I promise you I'm not strapped for cash."

"Just saying. You never know when you'll need something extra." Dante offered, "Naomi will give you some mapping info for our entrances. As you saw, aside from the front door, we've got some more… secretive entrances all over."

Ray smirked. "I'll give you my contact details for you to forward all that to me. Hell… If this all goes to plan… and we get my sister back, I'll think about becoming a permanent addition to your personnel. I'm sure I may know a thing or two that you could use."

"Brother, I'll throw a whole fiesta if I can have you with us."

The young devil extended his hand towards the cat Faunus once more, the two shaking hands.

"Stay safe out there, Ray."

"No promises, Dante."

---

The young devil leaned back in his seat, looking out of the large window to see the stars glimmering in the night sky. He heard the clacking of heels across the black marble floor, but still kept his eyes glued towards the sky.

"So… He bite?"

"Not entirely, no. But at least he's willing to work with me." The teen shrugged in answer to Naomi's question, "If we see the mission through successfully, well… He'd definitely be a good addition here."

"The Expedition Department… I had no clue why you were trying to establish that department, but I have a feeling it isn't just to study 'Old World ruins' like you pitched the first time around." The Minotaur Faunus said with crossed arms as she too looked out the window.

"Yes and no. Like I said in that message I sent from Argus, we need to grab all the information we can from the Old World and utilize it." Dante explained, "If we can help the people to fight and survive against the Grimm, and whatever else might come down the line, we need to learn everything we can."

"What are you expecting to find, boss? Salem's diary?"

"If we find something like that, yeah, it'll be helpful."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously." The teen nodded, "We've been fighting a shadow this whole time, moving from one place to the next without really learning anything or solving anything. Yeah, we averted a crisis here and there, but… Right now? There's no real end in sight."

"How do you kill an immortal bitch like that?" Naomi asked, finally taking a seat at the table as the two faced one another.

"With the right tool, obviously." Dante answered immediately, "Problem is, we don't know what that is."

"Put your thoughts towards the Relic of Destruction?"

Dante froze briefly, titling his head, "How-?"

"Boss, come on, I told you my dumbass family tried stealing and recreating the Relic of Destruction early on in history. Since we're ForgeMasters, of course we'd have an interest, especially since they never found the Relic of Creation, or whatever."

He shook his head, "Right now, that's one of the ideas I have floating around."

"Knowing you, you're liable to magically pull something else out of your ass. So, let's hear it. What's the other plan?"

"I… can't say. Not right now. Frankly, I don't know if anything I've thought of will work. And honestly? I'm not too keen on the idea of those idiot Gods coming back to deal with it."

"So those two from the stories are real then?"

"Yep…"

"Not a lot of confidence in that answer."

"Not a matter of confidence, it's about not having a need for those assholes."

Naomi chuckled, "I guess we ramp up production of survival kits and prosthetics… If we get attacked like we did in Vale, we could get a lot of necessary items to people in need."

The devil hummed in agreement, "By the way… You closed the deal with Pietro?"

"Your slow ass was taking too long. You showed interest and had me approach, and since he's definitely the type you like, I closed a deal with him agreeing to help produce more prosthetics for his clinic in return for him sharing some of his designs." The woman explained, "We get a cut of the profit he makes selling our shit, and in turn, we can utilize the designs he offers."

"The key is we cooperate and both gain from it. Profit is nice, yes, but don't forget our main goal aside from running DarkStar Industries."

"Helping the people. I got it. You don't need to remind me."

"Good." Dante said as he stood up straight in his seat, "As a heads up, I might not be able to come in always. Or at the very least, I won't be able to come in during the day sometimes."

"Right, you're working with Ironwood to fight Salem. How's that gonna pan out exactly, mr. Demon of Vengeance?"

"Don't call me that." The young devil sighed, "Yeah, we're gonna need to work with him. Just…"

"You don't trust him." The Minotaur Faunus said as she crossed her arms.

"I trust him." Dante affirmed, "The General looked uneasy, yeah, but sparked up as soon as he saw us. Question is, how well are we all gonna work together in the long run, and how long will his courage last?"

"His courage?"

The teen looked out the window once again, "If there's one thing I've learned about Salem, it's that she's really good at mind games, whittling down people's courage, and causing mistrust amongst allies."

"Right. That pussycat Headmaster in Mistral turned on you all. And he was a close friend to that shady Headmaster of yours from Vale." Naomi noted, "Speaking of… Should we comb through our employees? See if anyone's up to no good?"

The teen nodded, "We'll need to reverify some of the newer employees' backgrounds. Do deeper dives on the ones with more obscure information."

"Should we recheck Jebidiah and Ada?" The woman asked.

The teen tilted his head back and forth in thought for a few moments, "Not necessary for Ada. She's on board with us 100%. Jebediah though… See if you can find anything else out on your end while I do the same from within the Academy, now that I have access."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah. Was wondering if you knew anything, seeing as you're a ForgeMaster and all."

The Minotaur Faunus narrowed her eyes, watching Dante summoned Eclypse to his hand in her Longsword form. He then twirled her into backhand position and let go, the Blade suspending itself in midair as it glowed with platinum Aura.

Then, Eclypse took on her human shape, dressed in her normal street attire.

For footwear, she wore high-top, strapped, black stiletto boots that each reached up to just below her knees, opening up into pale, bare skin that showed the entirety of her thighs. Both of her legs disappeared into the hem of a zipped up, sleeveless black dress, its short skirt only reaching the center of her upper thighs, and its zipper going all the way to near her collar bone.

An open midnight blue coat adorned her arms and draped over her dress, its trim, lapels and interior a black color, the same being seen inside of her coat tails that reached just above her knees. Black fur adorned the cuffs at the ends of her slim sleeves, and fluttered just around her nape, encompassing her shoulders.

"Holy shit-hogs..! You..! You..!"

"So you know what I am then?" Eclypse asked the stuttering Minotaur Faunus.

Naomi looked to her employer in sheer awe, "How the hell did you get this beauty?!"

Eclypse hummed confidently as she eyed her Master, "Technically speaking, I made her. But…"

Dante extended his hand to summon Navâra, letting her float in her Blade form until she took on her human shape, the same with Sêrythîl as all three Blades stood in unison behind the teen.

Needless to say, Naomi's mouth was agape in pure shock, the bewildered girl slapping her hands to her mouth.

"These two are new."

"I… I just… Just… Wow. Ok." The tall Faunus slapped her hands on her thighs, "Boss, you're already a fantastical piece of shit, but-"

"Hey!"

"Not one, but three total?! Just… What the hell?!"

"So you know what they are then?" Dante affirmed.

"Does the sun shine? That's basically what you just asked me. Of course I know what they are! All three of 'em are Aegis Blades!"

Exact same name Noland used…

"They say there was some crazy blacksmith around the time of recorded history that made The 13 Original Blades to fight back against the Grimm. But not just any Grimm, like the really huge fuckers, since they didn't have the kind of ballistics we do today." Naomi explained further, "These Blades were spread out across the corners, finding Wielders that were worthy enough. Human, Faunus, it didn't matter. If they picked you, you're their guy."

Pretty much in line with what Noland said already with some extra information…

"The blacksmith? What happened to him?"

"Nobody knows. He's only ever mentioned once and 'poof'! He just up and vanished." The Minotaur Faunus shrugged, "Regardless this information is pretty hush-hush to the general public. Well, it became like that around 500 years ago."

"Because any dickhead looking for power would have tried their luck, and if they happened to be smart enough, they might've subjugated one."

"Pretty much."

"I figured that'd be information restricted to just the Four Noble Houses and maybe even high ranking Kingdom Officials. No offense, but how would you know any of this?"

"I'm from a family of ForgeMasters, boss. Of course we'd know about something like Aegis Blades. It's a family bedtime story and shit."

The teen smirked, "Of course." He took up a cup of coffee, sipping the last of it and setting the porcelain cup down, "I need to be heading back for the night. Remember to look into Jebediah's background again and call me. After that, take a week off and spend it with the boyfriend."

"For real?!" She exclaimed happily, quickly clearing her throat to return to a calm and collected demeanor, "I mean... Thank you, boss." The woman said as she stood up, bowing respectfully to her employer before quickly taking off, a happy skip in her steps.

He smiled faintly, turning his head to look out the window once again.

Thoughts of Ogrânix filled his mind, and anger followed.

"You honestly worry too much."

Eclypse snapped him back to attention by placing her hand under Dante's chin to make him look her way, the girl now sitting in the chair next to him as Sêrythîl and Navâra took their seats at the table.

"The wretch Ogrânix will regret crossing our path when I cut into his flesh!" Navâra proudly proclaimed.

"You have us now. Things won't go the way they did last time. Well, a bit more training and we can definitely make that happen." Sêrythîl spoke, resting her chin in her hand.

They were right. He wasn't a boy like he was the last time he fought Ogrânix. He was prepared, more experienced.

No matter what the Dark Entity King would throw his way, Dante wouldn't be stopped by anything or anyone.

---

Hey hey, it seems we learned a little bit more about Blades this time, or rather, Aegis Blades as they're really called.

And as an added bonus, we got a new arrival in the mix with ties to one of the Four Noble Houses in Atlas, and a rather obscure one at that. Can't wait to see what Ray Chroma and his story bring to the mix.

And would you look at that, we've got something by means of a new foundation too. If you didn't guess it beforehand, Dante is indeed the owner of DarkStar Industries, founded specifically for the betterment of all of Remnant's people, and to uncover the mysteries this World holds.

Lots of new key factors in play, all of which hold great potential. Expect greatness to come.

In any case, that's all I had to say, so with that...

If you have questions, ask them anytime. I will try to answer them without spoiling anything.

Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Your support genuinely matters.

With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend, and remember... be kind and excellent to one another, stay safe, and stay healthy.