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.

5. Chapter 5: The Abyss Stares Back

Heya guys, welcome back for another week of Veil of the Aether! I really don't have much to say this time around, except that it's gonna be a little bloody. You are forewarned. Let's begin.

---

Chapter 5: The Abyss Stares Back

"We're resting up in there? What if we're not welcome?" Asked Raum as he, Dante and the other three walked towards the city gates.

"We'll try convincing them." Said Dante.

"What if they want to take my stuff?"

"What could you possibly have that they-"

He paused, realizing his error.

"Stupid question. Forget I asked. There's plenty of contraband you'd have that they'd love to confiscate."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying some of the stuff you have in that trunk of yours is knowledge not meant for human eyes and minds, and tools not meant for human hands. Items far beyond their comprehension. And I'm not talking about the applesauce. I'm sure you've learned a few manners along the way because of Irene, so please don't do anything dumb and get us kicked out."

"Why assume I'm the one who's probably going to get us kicked out? Why can't it be you for once?"

"Because I'm a model citizen. In most cases at least. You're getting there but you're still rough around the edges since you're still practically new to this whole 'human' deal. I'm just helping you out as one ally to another."

Raum simply sighed as he hung at the back of the group, Ciel and Leo taking the middle while Dante and Inuba took the front.

"Is there need to be even the tiniest bit rude to Sir Raum, Master? Considering I was there for the entirety of it, I understand your previous history with him has been rather... unhealthy. But he has changed."

"I don't doubt he's changed Inuba. But...even as forgiving as I am now, it's still hard for me to accept all of it given the pain he put me through. I can't simply forget or put that aside. It'll take some time."

"In the case of others, you trust them fairly easily."

"That may be true, but that's when they haven't attempted to kill me and my friends at first. I understand where you're coming from. Really, I do. But as enemies long ago, we hated each other's guts immensely. We'd go out of each other's way to screw over the other, him moreso than me. History like that doesn't simply disappear."

"I never said that it would Master. I'm only suggesting that...you try harder in Sir Raum's case."

"I will. It'll just take some time is all I'm saying."

For a city hidden from all the rest, it was fairly huge. A small castle city if the young immortal had anything to say about it. Marble colored stone walls that reached at least five stories. Cannons were stationed at each wall and tower along with all sorts of military artillery, some of it Atlas tech that Dante recognized. The castle city's walls spanned for miles, reaching the river that was spoken of. The walls even reached the massive hills in the distance. Security stations were found in between cannon stations, most likely to survey the area. And given the Atlas tech that was utilized, they must have had sensors that would warn them of a Grimm attack. This place was definitely well guarded.

The group finally made it to a pair of massive wooden doors that spanned three stories high, the door adorned with intricate metallic patterns.

"Even if the people are friendly, this place still gives the creeps each time." Said Ciel staring at the doors.

Dante understood his sisters unease. He felt it too. Something hung in the chilly, silent air. It felt familiar. But most importantly he felt something else deep within the walls. It felt...alive...and hungry… It was calling to him. Reaching out to the young immortal in the form of silent whispers that blocked out all other noise. The whispers of numerous voices overlapped with one another, making incoherent sentences that reduced it all to a mad scrabble to find proper words.

"Master?"

The whispers faded. So did the darkness that clung to him. His head snapped to attention and quickly looked in the direction of his partner, who gazed at him with concern in her eyes.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah… I was just… I blanked out for a second. My bad."

What was that? Someone… Something… It was calling out to me…

"Hey brat." Said Raum.

Dante turned to meet the Dark Entities gaze.

"Eyes up. They're opening the gates."

The teen heard the massive wooden doors creak and groan as they slowly opened, making enough space for a squad of three highly armored knights to pass through. Their armor had intricate, waves patterns etched into the metal and was tightly formed.

Their armor had some form of technology implemented due to how the armor was structured and how the knights moved with ease. The knight with the flowing black cape and black armor was presumably the captain, given that he was the only one to wear a cape as well as the extra decorations his armor had the other two knights in grayish armor didn't.

The two normal knights had large kite shields attached to their backs and sheathed longswords attached to the left side of their hips. The captain had no shield, only a massive black Greatsword at the right side of his back, tilted slightly towards his right arm. Each piece of gear was magnetically attached to their sets of armor.

"Are you the leader of the group?" Asked the captain.

"Um, yes, that would be me."

"State your name and your business for entering our territory."

"I'm Dante. I was a Huntsman in training at Beacon Academy in Vale up until six months ago when it was attacked. My group and I are traveling to Haven after picking up a lead on who may truly be responsible for the attack. We were just passing through and hoping to take shelter inside your city for a day or two."

"One moment."

The captain nodded his head towards his soldiers as he turned away, touching the side of his helmet. The knights kept watch of Dante and his group.

"Sir. Yes sir. I have a group of five seeking refuge for two or so days. Nothing all too important, they're simple travelers really. Yes, they're Huntsmen and Huntresses, or at least the equivalent. Yes sir. Understood."

The knight captain approached the group of five shortly after.

"You've been permitted to enter the city. In fact, Sir Friede has personally invited you to the castle for the duration of your stay. Rarely do people pass by that are Huntsman or Huntresses. He's taken a recent interest in them and the work they do when it comes to saving lives. And for that, he would like to give you his thanks for your hard work and dedication. Therefore, he extends an invitation to you and your allies."

"Oh… Well…that's awfully nice of him. Thanks?" Said Dante.

"Your thanks isn't required. Follow us closely and we will escort you to the castle."

The captain turned and nodded towards the knights as they walked back towards the gates.

"Well he was nice…" said Dante.

"Dude, of course he is! We got invited to the castle! We stayed at an inn last time, now the castle?! Bro, I'm starting to think you're some sort of good luck charm! We should bring you everywhere!"

"I did clean out a casino one time…"

"What?! For real?!"

"It was part of a mission where we had to draw attention to ourselves in order to draw out a Dark Entity that gambled with lifespan. Only the best of the best could compete and play so...Master took it upon himself to clear out the Casino's funds. At least the amount that was allowed…" said Inuba.

"H-How much did you win..?"

"Somewhere around 50 million dollars I think… Or was it 75 million..?"

"W-What the heck?! What did you do with the money?!"

"Kept ten percent of it. So about 5 million. The rest I donated to various charities and research institutes worldwide."

"Heh… Our brother the philanthropist." Said Leo.

"It's not like I have a need for all that money. I won that amount simply because it was what was needed. Besides, money isn't all that important to me anyway. Sure, I'll make enough and keep enough by almost any means to survive. But I don't need a truckload. Besides, what would I do with all that cash?"

"You could-"

"Ciel, I'm going to stop you there. I have a bad feeling about what you were about to say."

"You're no fun sometimes big brother…" said Ciel.

"Let's keep following them."

---

"Wow… This place looks amazing…" said Dante as he looked around.

Inuba and the others followed close behind as the young immortal himself followed the knights ahead of him.

"The founders of the city wished to for it to resemble something of a castle city to give the place a touch of modern and a touch of old. But they prioritized safety just as much as looks. The castle walls are actually made of steel while being layered in stone blocks." Spoke the knight captain.

"Doubled up on defense. Not a bad idea. Those cannons do you any good?" Asked Dante.

"The cannons shoot large, explosive shells that split apart. Each shell splits up into five warheads filled with a concoction of fire and lightning and dust for maximum and effective widespread destruction. Sometimes we shoot shells that don't split up for maximum impact. Those shells are enough to blow apart a Deathstalker."

"You guys sure did your homework. How many Grimm attacks do you suffer from on average?"

"Once a week. Sometimes two if they're feeling bold enough."

"Once or twice a week? You guys must be pretty popular with them…"

"Apparently…"

By now, they had all reached the interior halls of the large castle. The inside definitely resembled that interior of an old castle. Of course, it had its touch of modernization, the electrical lighting for instance. The walls had numerous paintings and we're a shade of dark grey mixed with blue. Stopping before a grand door, which had to be the throne room, Dante noticed a large portrait overhead of it. It seemed to be of the family.

He took note of the two younger children. Both had light brown hair. The brother had short hair that was slightly messy and parted towards the right side of his face. His sister had long hair that reached her shoulders that was neatly combed down. They both had light brown eyes that seemed to shine in the portrait.

The knight captain opened the heavy doors by himself and moved out of the way to allow Dante and the others to pass through. The throne room had numerous chairs surrounding the onyx black throne that was decorated with wavy patterns of intricate gold metal. There was a smaller throne-like seat next to the larger one.

The siblings were definitely older by now. The Jonathan Friede was close to Dante in age, if not the same age as him, sixteen. The same for sister, Maria, who by now had definitely matured. She was definitely an attractive girl with a well-developed body, more lithe than curvy really.

Dante couldn't help but take note of...certain things at times. It was just something he did. Sometimes to useful measures, other times...not so much.

Jonathan sat upon the larger throne and was reading a report along with Maria. That was until the two of them noticed Dante and the others. Jonathan practically sprang out of his seat and walked quickly towards them.

"Welcome, welcome! We've been expecting you!" He said reaching out with his right hand towards Dante.

The young immortal was practically baffled. Jonathan only now saw Dante's bandaged arm in the sling and panicked slightly.

"Forgive me! I didn't realize-!"

"No no, it's fine. You didn't have to apologize." Said Dante extending his left hand.

"I'm Dante. Nice to meet you."

"Jonathan Friede. At your service." He said shaking his hand. "Wait… D-Did...did you say your name was Dante..?"

"Um...yes..?"

"Woah~! No way! You're Dante?! The Dante?!"

Should I say no? I feel like I may have done something wrong and people have heard of it… Wait, if that's the case…what did I do?!

"Maria! It's him! It's the White Swordsman Dante!"

"Eh?" Was all the teen could force out.

Okay...so I didn't do anything wrong… But still, White Swordsman? What's that about?

"Oh~! And you must be his companion the White Fox! A pleasure to meet you too miss!" He said grabbing hold of Inuba's hand with both hands and shaking it up and down rapidly.

"Um...thank you..?"

"Brother please, they only just arrived. You can berate them with questions later if they wish to answer. After all, you've been on the road for sometime now I believe. Welcome to Ardien White Swordsman and friends. We're honored to have you here." Said Maria approaching the group, bowing to everyone else before bowing to Dante.

"J-Just Dante will be fine Ms. Fried. I'm not worthy of such praise. But I have to ask... White Swordsman?"

"A hero who has traveled from village to village, town to town performing wonders and miracles with his ally the White Fox! They assist the people with trivial matters and exterminate any and all Grimm they come across! Truly exemplary warriors befitting of the title as Huntsmen and Huntress!" Said Jonathan.

"Think I should start calling you White Fox?" Asked Dante as he nudged Inuba slightly.

"P-Please don't Master!" She said blushing furiously. "S-Such a name...is embarrassing...and you saying it... It makes me feel even more embarrassed…"

"Alright, I won't do that. Maybe…"

"M-Master!" She said in a hushed but embarrassed tone.

"Relax. I'm just teasing you." He said rubbing the top of her head.

Inuba had to hold her tail to prevent it from whipping about. She couldn't help it. She loved it when he rubbed her head.

"I'm assuming since you know me as the White Swordsman and White Fox, people have been talking about us?"

"Dude, seriously?! What about us?!" Said Ciel in a whisper.

"Don't be that upset Ciel. We've only worked alongside brother for more than a week now. We won't be as well known until later."

"Indeed they have. We have some of our people working in trade with other villages. Some of them were in villages you helped and others in villages you saved from Grimm incursions. They speak very highly of your actions." Said Maria.

"Truly an exemplary Huntsmen all should aspire to be!" Said Jonathan.

"I'm really not that amazing…"

"Is it true you can lift a Deathstalker by its tail using only one arm?!"

"W-Well…"

When did I do that?! Wait… I did do that! I did that two weeks ago and used that Deathstalker to sweep away all the other Grimm! People saw that?!

"I-I don't quite remember that...but maybe it's a possibility..?" Said young immortal laughing awkwardly.

"You draw too much attention to yourself, Master…" said Inuba in a whisper.

"I think I might believe you from now on when you tell me that…"

"Please brother, can't you see he's trying to be modest? He's not one who enjoys bragging about his exploits." Said Maria.

Finally… Another person besides Inuba who understands! Bless you you kind woman! Bless you!

"My apologies Mr. Dante… It isn't everyday we have the honor of meeting a Huntsmen of your caliber. The excitement went to my head. Please forgive me." Said Jonathan bowing to him.

"Don't trouble yourself over it! It's fine really! You don't need to bow or anything… Besides, I'm not an official Huntsmen yet. Neither is Inuba."

"But with your skill and Ms. Inuba, surely you are stronger than the vast majority of veteran Huntsmen and Huntresses, yes?"

"Again, not to brag or anything, but, sure..?"

"Regardless of reputation...we are glad you and your allies decided to rest within our walls Mr. Dante. We assure you that you and your compatriots will be safe however long you'll stay."

"We won't stay that long. But we have taken interest in your city since it's one we haven't seen or heard of before. So we should be here no more than two or three days."

"What wonderful news! That means you'll be able to attend the annual ball!" Said Jonathan.

"Annual ball?" Asked the young immortal.

"Yes. The ball is meant to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the city. It was a tradition our parents started, one that my brother and I wished to continue. If possible, we wish for all of to be able to attend."

"Lady Friede, we would be honored to attend. Unfortunately, we probably don't have the necessary clothes."

"No worries Sir Dante. We will accommodate you and your friends appropriately. First, we'll show you to your rooms and have the tailor take your appropriate measurements."

"T-Thank you for your kindness. We'll pay you back accordingly and-"

"Nonsense! Consider them as gifts for new friends."

"You're too kind Sir Friede. Thank you."

"Excellent! Now then, gentlemen, I have some business to attend to before the ball. I'll have Conner escort you to your rooms. Sister? Can you escort Ms. Inuba and the other girl to their rooms?"

"Of course brother."

"Excellent! I look forward to seeing you all tonight!"

Jonathan quickly left the room leaving the knight Conner and Maria with everyone else.

"Conner? Please help me escort them to their rooms and settle in. I will take Ms. Inuba and..?"

"Ciel." Responded the younger sibling.

"Thank you. I will take Ms. Inuba, Ms. Ciel and the little one to settle them in their rooms."

"Of course Lady Maria."

Conner was dressed in the same ornate armor that the knight captain that escorted the group into the city wore, only he had no helmet that covered his entire head. He had short red hair and blue eyes.

Raum glared at Maria, making her feel rather uncomfortable.

"Cut it out." Said Dante elbowing Raum in the side.

"Sorry, he's really possessive of his daughter. She's only two you see and he's basically new to the whole fathering thing. Because of that he's taking it as seriously as possible."

Inuba approached Raum and brought up her arms.

"It's alright. I'll take care of her." Said Inuba.

Raum hesitated. Letting others take Irene so easily? Especially in a place as strange this. He wasn't comfortable with the idea. He wasn't comfortable letting Irene out of his sight period. He was far more distressed in his mind than he was currently showing. But...if he knew anything, he knew for a fact Inuba would definitely take care of Irene as if she were her own child. He could trust her at least.

"Don't make me regret this, little fox." He said removing the sleeping Irene off his shoulders and handing her to Irene.

"I won't."

"Excellent then. If you'll follow me then." Said Maria as she went ahead of the group.

"Gentlemen." Said Conner.

---

The walk was lengthy as they ascended the castle steps. Conner was a few paces ahead, allowing Raum the privacy he needed. He quickened his pace in order to walk in between Dante and Leo.

"Hey...brat…" said Raum in a quiet voice.

"What is it?" Said Dante in an equally quiet voice.

"You felt that strange presence too, right?"

Dante sighed as his eyes moved to the floor, soon moving up to look at Conners backside.

"So I wasn't imagining it…"

"The two of you felt something?" Asked Leo.

"Some sort of presence deep within the castle. It felt...Dark…"

"And hungry." Added Raum.

"It called out to me too. I don't know why or what it is...but...I have a feeling these people are hiding something. Something they don't want us to know about."

"You don't trust them?" Asked Dante.

"No. I trust the sister a bit more, but the brother...he seemed strange. Despite him practically kissing your ass, something's not right with him."

"Jealous?"

"Not in the slightest. Look, I say as soon as we get to our rooms, we make up a shitty excuse for one of us and send that person out to investigate. Since it was only me and you who felt the presence, one of the two of us will go."

"I'll do it. But not tonight."

"Why not?"

"We're guests remember? Don't you think they'll quickly suspect us if either you or I disappear suddenly?"

"That may be true, but-"

"Here's what we'll do. We'll go to the ball tonight, and tomorrow night, I'll go investigate myself. If I find anything tomorrow night, I'll call everyone. But for now, subtly is our best option. Besides, if it turns out our senses are going whacky for some sort of weird, non-threatening reason and we get caught, we'll be disrespecting them after they invited us in."

"I couldn't care less."

"I know. But you're part of our group now. And you need to act more human-like now with everyone, not just Irene. I'll admit one thing, your way is definitely quicker, no doubt about it. But it doesn't take much precaution in the case of unknown factors. Hence why I say subtly is our friend. With subtly, there's a lesser chance of a screw up."

"Tch… Fine…"

"Look, I know what you're thinking. I'm not giving you orders. I'm just giving you suggestions to better yourself since I'm better and more experienced at this 'acting human' thing than you are. So from one friend to another, I'm just trying to give you pointers on how you should model yourself."

"Since when are we friends?"

"Since you joined our group unfortunately. I'm going to be honest with you. I still harbor resentment against you for the things you did. And honestly, I would've protested you joining us if it weren't for the fact you had Irene with you and if it weren't for Inuba vouching for you. So because of that, I'm trying to change my view of you and trying to help you as best I can. It's not going to be easy...but I'll try nonetheless. That means you have to try too."

Was he lecturing him? Was this child honestly lecture him? The audacity of it upset him greatly. But the more he thought and listened...the more he knew he was right.

"Fine… We'll do it your way."

"See? It's not so bad when you listen to others for once, huh?"

"Right in here gentleman. We'll send the tailors to you in a few minutes."

---

"Impressive miss Kitsukami… You have such smooth and peerless skin… Amongst other things, frankly, I'm quite jealous of you."

"Thank you Ms. Friede. B-But I'm not all that impressive…" said Inuba slightly embarrassed.

After settling into their more than glamorous and pristine rooms, Maria had invited Inuba and Ciel, along with Irene, to her room so they could prepare for the ball later tonight.

Maria's room definitely was one befitting a princess. The walls were painted a sky blue, the bed frame and other wooden furnishings pearl white. There was a small fireplace present as well that crackled and burned with a soft flame. It definitely resembled a room that, in a sense, resembled something out of a Victorian era that Dante had shown Inuba through the numerous history texts he had and used to educate her. All of it was impressive.

"You mustn't say such things Ms. Kitsukami! You are a stunningly beautiful woman! I would not be surprised if practically all the men were to ask for your hand in a dance tonight."

"Y-You really think so..?" Said the Kitsune softly as her face reddened slightly.

"Of course. Fox Fauna are a very rare sight in my opinion. I've only heard of them in stories my parents told me when they were alive. They always said that they were so breathtakingly beautiful. May I ask you something rather personal?"

"Yes..?"

"Do you have a special someone Ms. Kitsukami? Someone that you love?"

Inuba's ears perked up immediately while her fox tail became as straight as an arrow, soon whipping about rather quickly.

"W-Well… I...I…"

She was fumbling with her words, pressing her fingers together.

"I'll assume that as a yes then."

"Y-Yes…"

"May I ask who this special person is?"

She began muttering incoherently, trying to find a way to answer. Ciel smirked at this.

"She's in love with my older brother." Responded the younger sibling.

Inuba let out a silent squeal as her face became an even deeper shade of red, waving her hands at Ciel to stop.

"Your older brother..? Oh my! Do you mean Sir Dante?"

"Yup."

Inuba quickly covered her face with her hands to hide her embarrassment.

"I see, I see… How long have they been together?"

"They aren't together together if that's what you're asking. But they've known each other for years now."

"Years..? Have you not confessed your love for him?"

"Well… There's a teeny tiny problem with that. Okay, let's be honest, not teeny tiny. Pretty big problem."

"Problem..?" Asked Maria as she looked to Inuba for an explanation.

The Kitsune slowly removed her hands from her face and grabbed hold of her fox tail, nuzzling her face in it.

"Where do I begin..?"

---

"You actually look pretty great in that. You continuously surprise me." Said Dante.

Raum had finally stepped out from the walk in closet. He was dressed in a black satin stripe suit and dress pants, with a black tie that had diagonal grey stripes. Underneath the suit, he wore a dark green dress shirt and black oxford dress shoes.

"I feel ridiculous…" said the Dark Entity.

"Don't you ever take compliments?" Said the teen.

"Wasn't sure if it was."

"It is. Trust me on that. Who knows? Maybe some girls might ask you to dance with them."

"Do I have to..?"

"If you don't want to look like a jerk, yes, you do."

Dante was more or less dressed the same, only his black suit and dress pants did not have stripes. That, and he wore a grey dress shirt underneath. Leo more or less dressed the same as his older brother, only he wore a white dress shirt.

"You do know how to dance, don't you?" Asked Dante.

"Of course I do. What do you take me for? Some kind of idiot?"

Dante raised his hand and was about to answer.

"Don't answer that brat. Point is I know what I'm doing. I used to attend these things way back when just for show."

"Alright, I'll take your word for it. What about you Leo?"

"Ciel and I have watched enough television to know how to dance."

"Like television shows with Royal Balls and all that?"

"Pretty much. Like I said, we rarely had anything to do most days, so we decided on what we should personally learn. Dancing was one of them."

"So what about you? You gonna dance with that arm of yours?" Asked Raum.

"Well...it has been feeling better lately… Not 'good to go' feeling better. Just enough where the pain is manageable. I'll just leave it dangling and Shadow Skin it when I need it."

"Are you sure that's wise brother?"

"Shadow Skinning my right arm only halts the progress of its recovery. It doesn't actually set it back or make it worse. It only slightly adds more time. Of course, my arm is going to feel like I stuck it in a barrel of boiling water, but it'll be fine." Said the young immortal as he put on the dress coat.

"And what are we going to do about you-know-what?" Asked Raum.

"If I get a chance, I'll slip out of the party and track it down. Anyone besides our group asks where I went, tell them I didn't feel well and went outside to get fresh air. Or something if the equivalent. If I don't get a chance during the ball, I'll try for after when everyone is asleep. But for now, let's worry about the ball."

---

"I see… Your situation is rather...complicated..." Said Maria as she just finished with her dress.

Her dress was rather simple. A purple dress that patterns adorning it resembling roses with some light purple drilling adorning the bottom of the dress. She also wore light purple fingered gloves that reached all the way up to her elbow. For footware, she wore sparkling, light purple heels.

"Why not confess your feelings to him directly then?"

"If only it were so easy." Said Ciel with a sigh as she stepped out.

Her dress was simply a black and white spaghetti strap dress, the ends of the dress reaching her knees. For her footware, she wore black heels.

"What do you mean?"

"She's a sweet girl and kinda old fashioned. See, if my big brother does say yes, she doesn't want to seem like a shameless hussy that 'stole him away' or 'broke apart their relationship' or 'tempted him' to everyone that knows them."

"Then should she not speak to this Ruby Rose of the situation? I feel as though if she did, then-"

"If only the opportunity was present. They haven't seen each other for six months from what I heard."

"Oh dear… Six months? And this was after what happened in Vale?"

"Pretty much."

Ciel looked down and saw little Irene tugging on the end of her dress with her little hands, soon raising them both up to the older girl. Ciel nearly fainted at the sight of Irene in her cute dark blue dress as she lifted her up from the ground and raised her to face level, soon embracing the young wolf Faunus and nuzzling her face against hers, something Irene happily welcomed.

"I can see how that is a problem for you…"

Inuba had finally stepped out from the walk in closet. She looked dazzling and perfect in every sense of the words. Her dress was a straplees white dress that reached her shins and had numerous wavy patterns adorning it, almost like fire. The dress had a cut on the backside that nearly reached her waist. She wore white heels for footware.

"Heavens… You look spectacular Ms. Kitsukami…" said Maria as Ciel whistled.

"D-Do you really think so..?"

"Yup, ten out of ten indefinitely. Plus it puts some nice emphasis on your boobs. I'll bet you anything big brother is gonna have a hard time looking away!" Said the younger sibling giving the Kitsune a thumbs up.

Almost immediately Inuba raised up both hands to cover her chest.

"I agree. With how well endowed she is, this dress is practically perfect for her." Said Maria.

"I-I can't help but get embarrassed if you stare t-too much…"

"Aw lighten up! You'll be fine! You do want big brother to look at you, right~?" Said Ciel.

"W-Well… Y-Yes…"

"Then don't be afraid to show off a bit now and then!" She said patting her back.

"I'll head out first. Catch you guys in a bit! Come on you adorable little munchkin." Said Ciel as she left the room with Irene in her arms, whom the latter responded with an affirmative "hmph".

Inuba herself was about ready to leave until she was stopped by Maria.

"May I have a moment please?"

"O-Of course."

"Ms. Kitsukami...I won't say I entirely understand your situation. But I understand enough of it from the detailed explanation you and Sir Dante's sister gave me. May I be so bold as to give you my opinion?"

She nodded silently.

"I would implore you to take Sir Dante to the side later within the evening and confess your feelings to him."

"B-But…"

"I understand your concerns. But you should do so while you still can. You may never know when it might be too late. Forget what others may think of you or say about you."

Maria took Inuba's hands into her own, raising them up slightly.

"Do you truly love this man?"

She looked off to the side, slightly embarrassed but more than sure of her answer.

"Yes… I do. From the bottom of my heart."

"Then have no fears. Confess your love to him. Express the situation entirely. And I'm sure he will say yes to you."

She was right. If she did explain everything to him clearly, he would understand. He would more than likely say yes. Inuba made her decision. She wouldn't let fears overpower her. She would overcome them at least and finally express her feelings to the one and only man she has loved.

"Thank you Ms. Friede… You've given me courage… More courage than I've had in recent months. Thank you." she said.

"Your thanks isn't required. Now go. Enjoy your evening. And enjoy what's rightfully yours."

Inuba quickly left the room, waving to Maria while she waved back. When the Kitsune had closed the door, Maria let out a sigh of relief before moving to the nightstand where a picture of her mother and father lay. She picked up the small picture frame and stared at it.

"Mother… Father… I remember well what you said of our powers… That it must be used for good and only good. We must help the few first before we take on the hefty responsibility of helping the many. These new friends of mine…I consider them a blessing. And I hope to remain friends with them. Thank you for all that you have done and all you have given us."

---

Dante sat at a table, watching with a rather amused expression. He was indeed right. Many women had stepped forward to ask Raum to dance, despite his protests. He was on his fifth dance. His brother Leo remained the same with numerous of the younger girls that attended. Given his shyness around new people, and his overly polite nature, it was also quite and amusing sight to see.

Ciel on the other hand accepted no dance from any of the numerous boys that asked her. The only one worthy of her hand in a dance was Irene. She had asked Dante earlier, but he respectfully declined, to which Ciel responded by teasing him, asking if he was "saving himself for Inuba". He was slightly embarrassed and responded that wasn't the case.

Despite this, he happily watched from his seat as everyone was enjoying themselves.

"Oh? Sir Dante? Is that you?"

"Oh… Lady Friede…" said Dante as he stood and bowed.

"No need to bow."

She looked to his right arm.

"You're not wearing your sling."

"My arm was feeling better. Plus, it'd be a little bit unsightly wearing this to such a magnificent ball."

"You flatter me Sir Dante. But you needn't do harm to yourself for a simple reason such as this."

"No harm done Lady Friede."

"I see…"

"Have you seen Inuba anywhere Lady Friede?"

"I don't believe so…" she said looking around hurriedly.

"Ah, there she is." She said pointing her out.

Dante looked past Maria and took a glance. He was stunned when he saw Inuba. She looked amazing. Breathtakingly beautiful. His face actually reddened slightly.

When he took a closer look, it seemed as though Jonathan was "chatting her up" as they say. For some reason...the young immortal felt uncomfortable with this. No. That wasn't right. He actually felt...very annoyed. But why? Why did he feel so uneasy? Why did he feel so irritated? She was only conversing with him.

What happened next seemingly annoyed him even more. She was dancing with him. He didn't understand it. Why was he feeling this way? Where did this irritation come from? For a brief moment, the whites of his eyes, his sclerae, turned pitch black while his light sky blue irises turned pure white, giving off a faint glow. His Shadow Eyes were now present. That was until Maria Friede turned to face him.

"Sir Dante?"

"Hm?" He said snapping out of his trance.

"Would you perhaps indulge me with a dance?"

"A-A dance..?" He said with some confusion, earning a giggle from Maria.

"Yes, a dance. That is, if you wish to."

"No, I, I mean yes, I am honored that you would ask… Sorry, I'm a little out of it."

"No worries." She said extending him a hand.

Dante stared at it momentarily, before standing up. The next part was tricky. He Shadow Skinned his entire right arm underneath the sleeve of the suit and shirt, only his hand and arm wasn't armored with thin, segmented plating like it normally did. Not being able to move it effectively, he immediately took Maria's hand and began the dance. He thought she wouldn't realize, but Maria felt the difference between his hands. His right hand felt colder than his left. But it didn't bother her all too much.

"Your footwork is rather impressive Sir Dante."

"Really? Hmmm…"

"You don't think so?"

"Well, it's been a while since I've danced so formally. I thought I would've made a mistake or two by now."

"Nonsense. You're doing better than the vast majority of men would be capable of."

"You're far too kind Lady Friede."

The entire they danced, Dante occasionally glanced over at Inuba and Jonathan, somewhat glaring. The closer she was to him only served to irritate him even more, something he hid very well from his current dance partner.

"How long has it been since you've know Ms. Kitsukami?"

"Well, let's see…"

He had to think a moment. He met her when he was in the CGA, ten years old at the time. Given circumstances that happened in between…

"I'd have to say six years now. Close to seven."

Maria seemed to frown almost at his answer, something Dante didn't see since he took another glance over.

"You've worked together for a very long time then..."

"Pretty much. We've had our ups and downs throughout the years. Practically all the downs were my fault if I think about it clearly enough... It's been an interesting and...well...really fun partnership. I've never disliked a single moment."

"Then...it is safe to say she is someone...important to you then? Dare I say, precious?"

The young immortal couldn't help but feel as though he wanted to answer her, despite his first thoughts of skirting around it. It was as if he didn't really want to lie to her since she asked.

"She is. She's been with me from the beginning. She's been there for me through my best and worst moments. She's taken care of me, and has even gone above and beyond for me in that case despite me telling her it's unnecessary. Inuba is just...an amazing person overall. And it's highly likely that I wouldn't have been able to overcome some of the things I have without her."

A smile crept up on Maria's face.

"You have an amazing companion at your side Sir Dante. Please...continue to keep it that way."

"You needn't tell me twice."

The song ended, signaling the end of the dance. Dante and Maria bowed to one another simultaneously shortly after.

"Thank you for the dance Sir Dante."

"And thank you lady Friede."

The room full of people began clapping in unison, forcing the two to look around, Dante only noticing Inuba and Jonathan walking by.

"Hey, Inuba, did you-?"

She walked by, not even paying him any mind, with a blank stare about her. He was taken aback by this. Did...did she just ignore him? He didn't know what to say. His mouth opened, but no words came out. He… He didn't know what was happening. Did he feel...hurt by this? Not just hurt. He felt...pained by that.

"Dude, she totally ignored you. What'd you do?" Asked Ciel.

All he could do was slowly shake his head. He couldn't so much as say he didn't know why she ignored him. He wanted to go after her. Ask her why just ignored him and-

In the next second, the young immortals vision darkened as he heard a resounding, hungering growl echo through his head. The presence had returned. His vision returned to normal, and the growl subsided.

"I...I need to step out for a bit and...get some fresh air… I'll...I'll be back soon… Can you-?"

"I'll keep watch." Said Ciel

"Thanks…" he said softly as he grabbed hold of his right arm, making for the exit.

Dante managed to slip away unnoticed, walking down the dimly lit halls of the castle. The presence had reached out to him again. He needed to take his mind off of what happened. But...he couldn't help but feel a pain in his chest as he walked on.

---

One of the knights had taken a few glances on an outside balcony before entering back inside, possibly for a guard shift. Just as he entered back inside the structure, a white Aura Sword with a black outline silently hummed through the air with a soft, metallic tone, piercing the underside of the balcony. Not a second later, Dante appeared in a stream of black and white Aura where the Aura Sword was embedded, keeping a tight hold of the Aura Swords handle with his left hand as he hung in the air.

He quickly exhaled and took a few short breaths before planting his feet on the wall and kicking off it, removing the sword from the wall as he fell. He quickly tossed his sword down the castle until it hit a lower platform beneath the castle bridge. Dante yet again reappeared where his sword was imbedded, quickly looking around. When he determined he was clear, he hopped off the railing and landed on the platform, his Aura Sword shattering like glass into numerous pieces, the pieces disappearing immediately after.

Still wearing his suit, Dante quickly tugged down on the tie to loosen it up a bit, taking another quickly look around before moving forward and opening the small door. This part of the castle was different. The door opened a path to a stairway that led down into darkness. The young immortal took a deep breath before closing his eyes. When he reopened them, his Shadow Eyes were present. He was able to see in dark. His vision was now greyish in color, but all the corners, edges and gaps glowed and was highlighted in white.

Thankfully, as he walked the long dark, he couldn't feel the Aura Signature of any human or Faunua in the vicinity. As far as he knew, he was the only down there. That, and the dark presence that seemingly grew closer with each step he took. He eventually reached the end of the stairwell, which expanded into a large room. All was eerily silent. As he looked about the room, he saw nothing. There were only walls. That was until he got closer to the back wall of the room. His eyes highlighted a secret passageway, one the was easily opened by Dante as soon as he pushed it.

The door sank back further into wall before sliding into it, revealing a passageway to another room. It was then it hit him. His eyes widened as a foul, ghastly smell flooded his senses. It was a smell he knew all too well. The smell of blood. He stood there frozen, part of his mind still thinking about what happened earlier while part of it was concerned with what he would find further inside.

Should he go further? He didn't want to risk the chance of waiting if someone was further inside. But if that was the case, why couldn't he detect them along with the Dark presence? Or maybe…

He dreaded the thought of what he would find. He's seen it happen a few times during his career in the CGA. Even with how calm and composed he always was back then, he was always unsettled when he saw something like that.

He was hoping he wouldn't find something like that down here. But given the strong stench… The chances were high.

Time seemed motionless as he traversed the dark, almost non-existent. He didn't know how long he was down there. An hour maybe? Two hours?

He brought up the holographic display of his HoloScroll. It's been only twenty minutes. Twenty? Really?

He was shocked. Was he that unfocused at the moment?

After what seemed to be a few more minutes, he reached a large, metal double door. The foul stench seemed to be coming from inside. He rested his left hand on the top door, taking a few more breaths to calm himself down. Then, slowly pushed the door open. As soon as it was cracked open by even the slightest amount, he was awashed with the smell of blood. A foul, rancid stench permeated the air. Death had made its home inside.

Walking inside, he saw different spatters of blood blanketing the floors and walls, blood that was both fresh and old. Cages. Cages adorned the sides of the path. There were people inside those cages. Young. Old. Even...children.

There were so many bodies. So many corpses. Each body had been chipped away at or brutalized so much so that the young immortal couldn't precisely distinguish between the corpses and very few living humans and Fauna trapped inside those cells.

Dante didn't to ask himself what he was seeing. He knew very well what this was. What was happening. The only thing he didn't know was why. Why were so many imprisoned in this torture chamber? What could they have all possibly done to deserve such cruelty, such evil to befall them?

Before he could think of moving, a strong chill swept through the room, and with it, the ghastly whispers of many. Dante looked ahead at what had to be the final door. Waiting no time, he followed the whispers where they grew louder and opened the doors. Torture tools of all varieties were strung up upon the wall in a nest and orderly fashion. Blood was virtually the paint of the stone walls and floors.

And it was there, in the center...he saw it.

It stood on the pedestal, oozing with a black Aura that seemingly created the Darkness in the room. The suit of armor was colored a pitch black. The upper body, from waist to chest, was a layered chest plate, overlapping in nested, thin segments that folded in and slanted outward in a pointed, sleek prominence before curving in to slip down into a chiseled, powerful, yet shapely frame. The armor seemingly had a split collar near the neck.

From the waist down, the armor resembled black bone plating that covered the hips, thighs, legs and feet entirely, leaving only small gaps to allow maximum mobility and flexibility.

The arms were layered with thin, segemented armor that covered every side of the arm, still allowing flexibility to move the arms without trouble. The hands and fingers were played in the same bone-like plating, having only gaps at the joints to allow the fingers and hands to move just as freely, the finger tips like sharp claws. The shoulder armor was plate like as well, resembling slanted, razor like edges.

The helmet was the only thing that resembled that of a knights helmet, but it was heavily embellished. The helmet had a v-line visor.

Covering the left forearm and hand of the armor was an arm-shield that covered the entire forearm and hand. It was colored black like the ash of death's tears and angled into a sleek point, ready to pierce and jam itself into anything worth pursuing. Each edge was long, segmenting itself in layers of thickness to harden it's slim, long defense. Two predator-like points curved up into sharpened corners at the elbow, sharply dipping down and curving to meet one another at the shield's middle to form an opening at the shield's tip.

"What is that..?"

The whispers soon became silent. A faint red glow appeared from within the armor, yet it did not move an inch.

"You…" it spoke in a deep, distorted voice. "Long have I waited… Long have I slumbered… Long have I hungered… You...are worthy of me…"

"Worthy..? What are you?"

"Long ago I was made...in the time when man was infantile… When the Darkness enclosed and encircled...I was given form and shape… Through blood...and fire...and treachery...I was born… Powerful and cunning were the enemies of old… And so...I was made… A weapon of the Dark made to slay the encroaching Dark… I have been wielded only by the worthy… And as the worthy slew legions...anointing me in the blood and bone of the fallen...my glory was unleashed… They unknowingly fed me life…"

"You were made by humans then."

"No… The enemies of old had a betrayer among them… One who had a fascination for Humanity and Fauna."

"These enemies of old… Who are they?"

"They walk among you...sharing only appearance… But in truth, they are anything but..."

"How is it you came to be here?"

"Hehehehehehehe… The boy's father unearthed me…"

"Jonathan Friede's father?!"

"He knew of the power I possessed…and the terrible power I could bestow upon those worthy of me… He locked me away in this tomb of stone...but the boy...he foolishly wished to give me life once more... When the usurper had been eliminated, the boy would come day after day, attempting to awake me… But he did not realize…that I was always awake… Maddened by his failures...he came upon a realization… Blood…"

Dante's eyes widened momentarily as he spun around to stare back at the cages full of bodies and blood.

"He was sacrificing people…"

"Foolishly so… He was unworthy of me… He could never hope to utilize me… Though the blood he fed me empowered my being...I would not awaken to his desire of conquest…"

Dante clenched his left fist tightly, gritting his teeth. He was beyond furious.

"You who are worthy… I sense a power in you… A power far Darker than mine… You...are no mortal…"

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Use me…"

"I have no need for you. But...I won't leave you here either to be a toy for that sick…fool!" He said kicking a chair into a wall, destroying it almost immediately.

"I have no use for you. But I will figure something to do with you."

"Do with me what you will… Use me… Or destroy me… Know that I am yours…"

The voice ceased and the red glow vanished. The armor soon began to dissolve into black Aura that swirled and churned in the air, soon traveling in a small stream towards Dante. The young immortal stuck out his left hand and summoned forth an Aura Sword that floated defensively in front of him. The Aura Sword sucked up the mass of black Aura until none of it was left.

Dante then reached out grabbed the now completely black Aura Sword. He thought about destroying the sword, thus destroying the armor trapped inside. But he also thought of the possible risk that he would simply release it somewhere out in the world to find some other victim. It said he was worthy. But what did that mean exactly? He didn't know. And currently, he didn't care. He needed to find Jonathan. He needed to see if the armor spoke any truths. Then, he would make his decision on what to do.

As Dante turned to leave, a small, double chirp tune sounded off, reeling him he had just received a message. He brought up the screen and quickly read through. When the young immortal came to a realization after reading the message, he immediately closed the screen and quickly sprinted to leave.

---

Dante continued his sprint down the darkened streets, taking short breaths with each step he took. He stopped when he reached the city center, panickedly looking around. The young immortal quickly brought up his screen and looked at the message he received from Inuba only ten minutes ago.

"Master. I have something to discuss with you. Please see me at the church in town."

Two reasons he thought this message suspicious and Inuba to be in danger. One, he had learned what he had just learned. And two...when she ignored him as coldly as she did. He still had no answer as to why she did that. Or...why it hurt so much…

Closing the message, he looked ahead and found the church entrance. The doors were sealed shut. He took a few steps back and then sprinted towards the door, making a sudden leap and kicking forwards. The wooden door was immediately destroyed as Dante passed through and landed.

The young immortal quickly stood back up and found the person he was looking for as she slowly descended down the steps towards him, still wearing the dress she wore. Dante quickly walked towards her.

"Inuba! There you are!"

He took a closer look at her. She still had that blank stare from before.

"Are you alright?" He said placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Inuba…"

He then felt something hit him, forcing a small exhale of breath. He looked puzzled. Looking down, he saw a blade had pierced his stomach. A katana. His gaze slowly shifted to the hand holding it seeing it was Inuba's.

"What..? Why..?"

The blade soon plunged further into him as a new sensation flooded his senses. Something he never truly felt before. Something he didn't think possible. Pain. It hurt so much in that second that he couldn't help but cry out. It hurt just as much when she pulled the blade free from his body and kicked him in the same place she just injured, sending flying backwards, tumbling on his back until he crashed into one of the walls.

His legs felt weak. His vision doubling and distorting slightly. He couldn't stand. Even though the wound had healed...the pain still remained. And it was excruciating.

"Nice, huh?" Called out a familiar voice.

Dante weakly raised his head and squinted his eyes to see Jonathan standing next to Inuba.

"You..!" Said Dante weakly before coughing up some blood.

"Aw… What's wrong? Does it hurt?"

Dante shot out his left hand, sending an Aura Sword flying straight for Jonathan, its point aimed at his head. Inuba suddenly stepped in front of him. Dante panicked and quickly clenched his hand, the Aura Sword shattering like glass before it made contact with Inuba.

"Hahahahaha! So I was right! You wouldn't dare harm a hair on her pretty little head…" he said rubbing the top of her head.

"Don't touch her you son of-!"

"Dear me… A bit possessive Dante? Are you sure you just can't accept she likes me more and wants to work for me?"

The young immortals blood was boiling live lava with each word he spoke.

"Of course, it's not something so simple. You know…" he said rubbing his thumb across her cheek, "she is very strong willed. Of course...even she isn't clear of some personal worries, doubts, resentments. All I really need is that one sense of internal turmoil. And poof! They're mine."

"You're… You're controlling her..!" Said Dante as he used the wall to slowly stand back up.

"Bingo. You are smarter than you seem."

"You're...a sick bastard!"

Jonathan knew there was more behind Dante's words. He didn't know what he meant until a few seconds later.

"Ah! So you saw it too, didn't you?"

"You're gonna pay...for torturing all those people..." he said clutching his stomach.

"I really don't think so. Regrettably, I couldn't get the armor to work. Things happen." He said shrugging his shoulders.

"But I don't need that piece of junk anymore. I have something waaaaaay better." Said the elder Friede as he grabbed hold of the back of Inuba's neck, drawing her close to his face.

Dante immediately lunged forward and summoned an Aura Sword, striking at Jonathan to only have Inuba block with her pure white katana.

"Now now! Let's not get too hasty!"

Inuba broke the clash with enough force to send Dante skidding on his heels. She immediately engaged him again, the teen only swinging to block or parry her own sword strikes, never thinking for a second to take a swing at her. Despite this, she was still able to land a few deep slashes to his legs and eventually one large cut across his chest, making him reel back as he cried out in pain yet again.

What's...what's happening?! No matter with what or how many times someone has injured me, I've never felt any real pain… Yet...why does it hurt so much when she lands a hit..? How is it that out of anything and everything possible...only she's managing to make me feel pain..?

His thoughts and the massive amount of pain he was feeling gave Inuba the opportunity to immediately break his guard and force him to stagger back. With this opening, she thrusted her katana into Dante's right forearm, pinning to the floor. White flames crackled to life around the Kitsune's blade, soon beginning to burn the flesh it pierced. Dante screamed in agony from the strong burning sensation he felt, his screams soon erased by the explosive burst of white flame.

Dante flew backwards out of the cloud of smoke rolling until he hit another mass of pues. He was breathing heavily, and pain coursed through every fiber of his being, making it extremely difficult for him to stand despite Inuba approaching him, her blade slightly raised. When she was close enough, she lashed out at him four times, Dante feebly blocking the first three before he rolled under and away from the fourth.

This did little to save him, for within the next second, a chain of white flame wrapped around his left ankle and slung him across the room, making him crash into a few pues while Jonathan laughed maniacally from a safe distance. As he crashed through the wooden furnishing, he soon hit a wall before being slung up into ceiling, his pained cries filling the church along with mad laughter of the manipulator.

Finally, he was slung back into the floor, making a small crater. Dante opened his eyes only to see Inuba falling towards him, her blade moving ahead of her as she stabbed the young immortal in the stomach, burying him further in the floor. When she had stabbed him, Dante gritted his teeth to try and bite back the pain, but it didn't work. He weakly gasped for air until Inuba stepped on the side of his face to keep him pinned to the floor, forcing a yelp out of the young immortal.

"Amazing what someone can do when they're simply a puppet. No remorse… No emotion… A perfect killing machine through and through. Now I know I made the right choice deciding to use her instead of the armor…"

Dante moved his head slightly so he could see from the corner of his eye. He saw something strange. Inuba...was crying. Was she subconsciously resisting his control?

"You know the thing I love most about a doll? No matter how many times you use and abuse them…" he started as he approached Inuba's side, grabbing hold of the hair atop her head, "they don't hit back!"

He then punched Inuba in the side of the face, forcing a small cry of pain from her. Dante's eyes widened when he saw blood trickle from the side of her head. For a brief moment after hearing her pained cry, the excruciating pain felt throughout his body vanished, and was replaced with a burning fury he had never felt before.

The air ruptured and quaked violently as a massive presence swept through the area, forcing Jonathan to grab Inuba and leap back. Inuba still had held onto her sword, and the moment she was pulled away by Jonathan, the blade freed itself from Dante's stomach.

The young immortal staggered back up to his feet weakly, pitch black Aura oozing from his person as he growled angrily in a hollow, echoing voice. When he looked up, his Shadow Eyes were present, glaring at Jonathan with unfathomable fury as the air continued to quake.

Just as he was about to move forward, a sword pierced through his stomach from the back. The young immortal was already weak and disoriented as was from the pain, which soon flooded through his body again when he was stabbed. He tried to swing behind him but missed his intended targets neck by a mere inch. Before he could swing again, he was stabbed in the leg with a spear, forcing him to one knee as he lashed out wildly again.

Three swords soon found themselves plunged into his backside, but because of his black bones, the blades slid in between open spaces. More soldiers appeared and plunged swords in his legs to pin him the ground, and when he fell on his face, they plunged spears into his hands to completely pin and halt his movements.

He struggled, trying to get free despite how weak and extremely pained his body was. But the knight-soldiers stepped on his body wherever they could and firmly held and pushed the weapons further down into Dante.

"You know...despite brutalizing you like I am right now, I actually do like you Dante."

If he was ever going to get free, he was going to show that human the meaning of "brutalize" in ways he would never be able to imagine.

"You're a man who'll easily abandon morals whenever you or your friends are in extreme danger. I know this, because I've been keeping track of you. I heard about the incident with those cultists, and let me tell you, "bloody" fine mess you made." Said Jonathan as he approached with Inuba at his side, holding her by her waist.

Dante's blood boiled with great intensity, so much so that he felt it would soon melt his own flesh as he looked up at them, seeing the bruise on Inuba's face along with the blood where she was struck. The fact that filth was touching her infuriated him more than anything.

"It's all an act for you, isn't it? Being human and all that. You feebly try to be something you're not. Don't get me wrong, you out on a marvelous performance for everyone. So much so that they believe it. But if someone looks real hard...they can see your responses and actions are slightly forced and with no real meaning behind them. Sometimes anyway. Truth is, you probably don't know how to act like a normal human do you? You see something of particular interest, and whenever convenient, you regurgitate what you've seen in order to satisfy others around you. You probably don't really understand the concept of love either, do you? I mean, who does really?"

Jonathan kicked a nearby stone into Dante's face, chuckling slightly when it hit him.

"Big, bad, Dante. A man who surpasses the skills of many veteran Huntsmen and Huntresses. Turns out you're not that tough really. Why I was even worried I don't know."

Dante tried to get free yet again, only for one of the knight-soldiers to stomp on the back of his head to force it into the ground.

"This fox of yours is quite the beauty… Ravishing even…"

Dante quickly raised his head and looked up in horror.

"You know, I just had a wonderful idea… A series of wonderful ideas really…" he said slowly lifting her skirt with one hand.

Dante wriggled and moved multiple times, roaring despite the blood in his throat and the blood that spilled from his numerous wounds.

"Since she means so much to you, I'm going to fuck her in front of you numerous times simply for the fun and pleasure of it. Someone like her with the kind of body she has.."

He whistled, continuing by saying "she's bound to be nice and really tight. You know, when she eventually gets pregnant, I'll keep screwing her day and night. And you know what else? I'll keep her around for a while after she gives birth to a kid. And when I get tired of her or if she's no longer any worth to me, I'll sell her as a whore. With how marvelous she is, she'll definitely sell well, especially since she's a Faunus. And when she's gone...I won't be all alone and bored since I'll have the kid to kick around as much as I please."

By this point, the skirt was pulled up enough to reveal much of her thighs, his fingers slipping beneath the waist-band side of her panties, tugging outwards on them slightly.

"Who knows? Maybe she'll like it. I'll make her moan and fill her face with ecstasy like a whore. And you'll get a front row seat...starting now…"

Dante's vision darkned as his head lowered. He could see next to nothing. Even Jonathan's mad laughter had become deaf to the young immortal.

---

I… I can't...move… I can't...escape… I...I need… I need to get up…

Get up…

Someone...please… She needs help…

He could no longer even lift a finger.

GET UP…

Please...someone...help me...get up… I...l need to save her…

He felt his conscious slipping away, his thoughts distant as darkness overtook him completely.

Please…

As he was about to fade...he heard a voice...

Ask… And I will answer you… As I have always done…

A young woman's voice echoed through his head.

He is but a human...full of rage and without mercy… But you… You are worse…

Power suddenly flooded throughout his body. The pain had vanished.

Rip...and tear...and slaughter to your hearts content…

---

"Now then...how should I start..?"

Before he could further move his hand, something had stopped him from moving. Confused, he looked to where Dante lay and...found nothing? Jonathan looked towards his right arm to see something holding gripping it tightly. A black, clawed hand layered with greyish muscle fibers, jagged fragments of black bone covering the muscles fibers like armor, held a tight grip on him. Piercing black claws, all unnaturally long and deathly sharp wrapped around his arm tightly.

Jonathan made not a single sound as he turned his head fully to gaze upon the figure that stayed his hand.

Its entire blackened figure was lean and ridden with blackened spines and jagged, sharp bones that formed a sort of second skin of bone armor, covering the grey muscle fibers underneath that was its body. Its limbs were slender and long, toned by time with an ancient resistance to its name and thin as if its body was pulled and bent. It's faceless, skull like visage lay beneath two sharp, jagged horns that bent inwards before slightly curving outwards. The only thing present on its black, skeletal-like head was a dark maw of sharp teeth, stretched wide into a wicked grin of malice and thirst.

"Wha-? What the..?"

Jonathan tried to move, but as soon as he did, he had found that his entire right arm had been torn off, blood gushing out of his wound in profuse amounts. The pain had only come seconds later. He was about to scream as he let go of Inuba. But before he could, the creature had used the arm it had taken from Jonathan and batted him across the face with it, creating a sickening crack that sounded throughout the entire church.

Jonathan flew back into his group of soldiers, leaving a trail of blood as they caught him. For a few more seconds, he screamed. That was until his arm began to slowly reform, his bones forming and his muscle fibers covering them shortly after.

"Sir!" Said one of the knight-soldiers.

"Don't fucking touch me!" He said pushing them away as he stood up again.

He shifted his gaze, finding that the creature held Inuba tightly in both arms. It didn't move. It had no eyes, no ears, no nose...but it stared straight at Jonathan and the group of soldiers with that wicked maw of black teeth it had. It's head moved slightly, looking upon Inuba's face. She was unconscious. It then moved, each footstep an ominous thud that echoed through the church.

The creature lay Inuba upon the altar, staring at her with its near-faceless guise. It then gently caressed her head, rubbing its thumb over her forehead softly and slowly. The blackened figure then took a step back and extended its arm towards the Kitsune, where shortly after, large, Dark hexagonal shapes began forming together to create an oval shaped protective dome around Inuba. And when the dome had been fully formed, it had smoothed over, creating a dark barrier that shielded her completely.

With its work done, the creatures head turned slowly, looking over its shoulder until its body turned so it could face the men completely. It's menacing footsteps echoed once more as it descended the steps. When it had reached the bottom of the small steps, it stopped suddenly.

Jonathan was sweating slightly. Was that Dante? He wasn't able to move earlier. So why is it he stood before him in that new form? It didn't matter.

"You." He said turning to the largest of the knight-soldiers.

"Kill him."

Without hesitation, the soldier nodded and quickly walked towards the transformed immortal, punching his gauntleted knuckles together. He then let out a roar and punched. From the creatures perspective, the man moved very slowly. As such, the creature slowly raised up its right arm and curled all of its armored, clawed fingers, save its index finger that now moved in the way of the massive fist.

The fist made contact and created a massive dust cloud that obscured the blackened immortal. Laughing triumphantly, he tried pushing his fist forward, only to find it was unmoving. When the dust settled, the soldiers heart sank as he saw the creature had remained standing and had not moved an inch, its index finger pressed against the fist that it stopped.

No one understood what happened next. No one saw how it happened. Within one instant, their ally gasped in shock. And in the next second...the creature stood behind their ally's massive body that stood taller than it. In its hands was the soldier-knights entire spinal column, head attached and drenched in blood.

The massive body fell down, unleashing a massive torrent of blood. The rest of the knights backed away in shock and horror. Surprisingly, Jonathan did not move at.

The blackened immortal, with a sibilant and definitive whispering hiss, swung around the spinal column with the head attached a few times before tossing it away. It landed at Jonathan's feet with a sickening thud, yet the human remained unmoved, staring with wide eyes at the Dark being that stood before him. It wasn't until it moved towards him that Jonathan Friede began moving backwards.

[DOOM (2016) OST - Titan's Realm]

"Stop gawking and kill him already!"

A few of the soldier rushed forwards, unaware of their inevitable deaths. The first soldier had the creatures hand tear into his body and out his back, holding his heart until it was crushed seconds later. He brutally ripped his hand outwards from the body and blocked the blade of another soldier swinging at him, soon stabbing its hand into the mans body before using its other, wicked hand to grab hold of his head, violently twist it around, and tore it clean off with the spinal column attached.

He tossed away the body into one of the soldiers and used the head and spinal column as a flail, bashing one of the other knights in the head with it. Disoriented, the soldier could do nothing as both arms where taken hold of, twisted around, and then torn off before receiving a bone crushing stomp kick to the chest that caved in.

The soldier who had been hit with the body from before thought he had snuck up on the blackened immortal. His horror was unimaginable as the creature spun around and used its hand to pierce his stomach, lifting him up into the air easily before plunging its other hand into the mans body and tearing him in half, separating upper body from waist while the violent creature bathed in his blood.

Another soldier, as large as the very first approached, trying to pummel the transformed immortals head. It simply stepped to the side and arm barred the man, soon quickly swinging its plated elbow towards his head and knocking it clean off.

Another group moved in, but the creature moved faster than what they could track. The first victim had his legs swept out from under him, followed by his head being met by the creatures fist and crushed into the floor. It soon followed by moving behind another soldier, sticking its hands in his mouth before splitting it apart by pulling in separate directions, tearing off the mans jaw.

One of the soldiers discarded his weapon and raised his hands up defensively, thinking the creature would show him mercy. It didn't. It pounced upon him and pushed the man to flower, following up with a powerful stomp to the face the immediately crushed it.

One soldier tried to make a break for it, but the blackened immortal grabbed hold of his leg to prevent him from doing so. The man screamed and feebly scratched at the floor, but he was dragged towards his death, his leg twisted around in the opposite direction and used as the tool of his death, his own heel caving in his face.

The soldier next to him had his weapon broken in half, the transformed immortal using the sharp and pointed end that he broke off to slit the soldiers throat before kicking him into the ground.

Another soldier was disarmed of his lance as the creature delivered a swift stomp kick to his knee, breaking it clean off as he hit the floor. He screamed loudly, but this would prove to be a mistake, for the killer of his allies used the mans own lance and stabbed it into his mouth, the point immediately emerging from the back of his head.

The last of the group of soldiers in the church was brave enough to strike from behind, but his presence hadn't gone unnoticed. The blackened immortal spun around immediately and grabbed hold of the lance. It twisted the spear point around so it would face its wielder, but the soldier did not let go of his lance. So, the creature granted his request and returned it to the man by pushing it forward and into his chest until the point of the lance had gone completely through his body. Deciding it was not enough, the creature then pushed forward with enough force to send the man flying and pinned his corpse high upon one of the walls.

When the creature had spun around, it found itself under assault from another soldier. When it reached out to grab him, the man had vanished and reappeared behind the blackened immortal, trying to lash out only to miss again. The soldier had reappeared and was confident with his next attack, taking a stab at the transformed creatures heart.

As soon as the blade made contact, it shattered into pieces. All the man could do was stare in horror as the creature slowly turned to face him. He meant to scream, but before he could, the creature quickly clapped its hands together in front of it, creating a small shockwave as he crushed the mans head like a grape between his hands.

The last remaining soldier dropped his weapon screaming in horror, trying to run. He didn't see the creature curl two of its fingers and point it's middle and index finger, which were pressed together, at him. Very quickly, four streams of black Aura formed at its fingertips, making a black sphere of Aura no bigger than a baseball. Within the two seconds it took to form, the sphere transformed into a small burst stream of pure black Aura, that, in the second it made contact with mans chest, his body immediately expanded and exploded like a balloon, spraying massive amounts of blood in all directions.

Jonathan was the last man alive in the blood coated church, a river of red flowing at their feet. The blackened immortal faced Jonathan and raised up both hands. It slowly cracked the knuckles of one hand, then proceeded to crack the other pair as sickening cracks echoed through the church. Eerily enough, in that same sibilant, hissing voice, the creature's twisted, grinning maw opened slightly and let out a chuckle almost as silent as a whisper of death.

He ran. Friede ran out of the church, knowing full well that death had come for him to claim his life. More soldiers had arrived on scene, this time with automatic rifles and launchers, and rockets. He stood at the front of the mass of soldier-knights, him and his men waiting.

"Sir, what happened to the men inside?!"

"He… He slaughtered them… All of them… He destroyed every single one of them with his bare hands…"

"Alright, men! Focus fire on the front of the church!"

The soldier-knights aimed their guns at the church entrance, waiting in anticipation of what would exit. They all saw something shift within the darkness of the church as the river of blood began to seep into street, making all of he soldiers sick and fearful of what would emerge.

Then...he appeared, slowly walking outside into the lights shined upon his blackened form, his black bone-like fragment armor covering the grey muscle fibers underneath giving off a small shine as blood dripped from its body.

"What the hell?!"

"The fuck is that thing?!"

"FIRE!"

The echoes of machine gun fire and explosives filled the night sky, some of the rockets missing their marks or landing a few feet away while the bullets simply bounced off the blackened immortals body as if they were rubber bands. A few of their explosive artillery met their mark, creating a large smoke screen. The gunfire stopped, and the soldiers stood and waited motionless. With how long they waited, it was almost as if time itself had stopped.

The smoke cleared and the transformed immortal stood where he was, completely unmoved as the ground around him remain broken and shattered.

"H-He's not hurt?!"

"It took no damage!"

"Sir, what do we do?! Sir?!"

The soldiers panicked when they saw their weapons had no effect. They called to Jonathan to give them orders on what to do next, but he stood there motionless.

Black Aura soon blazed around the blackened creatures hands as it slowly brought up its arms with its grey, muscle fiberish palms facing up towards the sky.

With that same, sibilant, hissing voice, it roared loudly in a distorted voice as it fully extended its arms and hands in the air, "RIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSE!"

(6:00)

As soon as it's arms were fully extended, black, spear like spikes rose from the ground beneath the soldiers feet that spanned up to twenty feet high. Hundreds of spikes rose from the ground, impaling each soldier unfortunate enough to be behind Jonathan. Some were impaled through the chest, head or other regions of their bodies, while some were unfortunate enough to be pierced by two or more spikes as their bodies were lifted into the air above.

The blackened immortal then clenched his fists tightly and spread out his arms, as dozens of spikes emerged from within the soldiers bodies in randomized assortments, some spikes taking off and arm or a leg or both. Some bodies were merely torn to shreds from the dozens of spikes emerging from within their bodies at once. All that was certain was that the skies rained with blood, completely drenching the unharmed Jonathan and the transformed immortal, his whisper like, hissing laughs echoing in the air.

He's… He's not human… He's a monster… He's...a monster… He's…

By the time Jonathan regained focus, the creature had already stood in front of him only mere inches away.

The creature stomp kicked Jonathan to ground with enough force to send him backwards a few feet. It wanted to give the man a feeling of inevitable death as it's echoing footsteps approached from behind. Jonathan crawled through the blood and the the body parts that fell from the spikes, trying to moving away. But...his escape was denied.

The blackened immortal slung him away from the field of long black spikes and towards the direction of the church. Friede yet again attempted to run, and yet again he was stopped when the creature stepped on his foot where his ankle was located, separating his foot from his leg. He screamed loudly, but it would not help him. His leg was slowly regenerating, but not fast enough to allow him escape.

The creature soon grabbed hold of his other leg and dragged him closer, despite how many times he tried kicking at the creature. Finding this action annoying, with Friede's foot still in its hand, the creature gave it a quick twist, earning a sickening crack from the leg and a loud cry of pain from Jonathan as he was flipped over on his back.

(7:12)

The transformed immortal then sat atop Jonathan and raised up its fist before punching the man in the face, making a satisfying crunching noise. The creature would continued to slowly and repeatedly bash the mans head with his armored fists. It didn't put enough force into its punches to cave Friede's skull in, but it hit hard enough that each punch definitely made a crack in his skull each punch as it slowly went about it. He wanted the man to suffer slowly and very painfully. And given Jonathan's pleas to stop, it was succeeding.

After the tenth punch, thoroughly bashing and bloodying Jonathan's face, the creature stood up and grabbed hold of the back of the whimpering Jonathan's head.

"M-Mercy… Please… Mercy…"

The creatures head was next to Jonathan's, his one good eye being able to catch a glimpse of his torturer. For a mere moment, it seemed as though the creature gave his plea some thought. But only for a moment.

It's sickening maw opened slightly, whispering in its chilling, sibilant voice, "Ssssssssssufferrrrrrrrrrr…."

Jonathan made to scream yet again, but was cut short when the creature smashed his head face in the ground. It was only now the elder Friede siblings true pain had begun. The creature stood back up, but kept bent forward a bit, keeping hold of the mans head and firmly pressed against the ground.

Then, it began running quickly. It dragged Jonathan's face across the streets of stone, leaving a bloody trail and blood curdling screams along the way. Friede's screams filled the night air despite his head slowly being ground to dust by the creature as it ran in the direction of the church. When it had reached the steps after fifty or so feet of dragging, with half of Jonathan's head gone, he easily raised him up into the air and flung him inside the church.

(End Song)

The creature slowly made its way inside the darkened and bloodied church, seeing that Jonathan's feet and even head were slowly regenerating. But what it didn't know for the moment was that the elder Friede had reached his regenerative limit. Anymore injuries inflicted upon him would be permanent, no matter how cruel or brutal they may be.

When Friede turned, he screamed when found the creature upon him already, slowly dragging him away from the altar where Inuba still remained, untouched and unsullied throughout the whole ordeal in thanks to the crystal-like barrier surrounding her.

"N-No more… Please… I'm… I'm sorry…" said Jonathan as he was face to face with creature once more.

It's response was short, and simple.

"Punissssssssssshhhh..." it spoke in its ominous, whispering voice.

The blackened immortal grabbed hold of Friede's neck and was about to start the next round of brutalization. That was until the elder brother had managed grab hold of this Dark beings face, laughing triumphantly.

"Hahahahahahahaha! I...I got you!"

It remained still and motionless with its head titled up towards the sky.

"You know how I managed to control your partner in the first place? Direct contact… After she got ready for the ball and left my sisters room, I managed to bump into her. I just couldn't resist the chance since we were alone. My Semblance...is the complete domination of ones mind and their body. An ability worthy of a ruler, no?"

The creature still remained unmoving.

"You know...I didn't do anything to her after taking control of her mind… But no matter… Now that I have you under my control… I'll make you watch...chained up and unable to do anything as I fuck that precious little fox of yours! You've lost White Swordsman! Victory is-!"

Jonathan's hand was soon grabbed by the creature as its faceless visage slowly looked down upon the elder Friede.

"What..?"

Jonathan's wrist had been snapped with a mere squeeze, forcing another pained cry from him. He tried using his remaining hand to punch the creature in the side of the head repeatedly, yelling as he did so. The creature immediately grabbed hold after a few hits and complete tore off his arm again, blood gushing out in large amounts.

The mans screaming soon came to a halt when the creature grabbed hold of the sides of his head with both hands. It applied pressure to his skull, almost as if it were deciding to simply squash his head. Then it began to slowly twist around his neck, notifying Jonathan of the possibility it might simply twist his head around before ripping it clean off with his spine attached, like how he did with one of the soldiers. The creature paused momentarily, as if a thought had just occurred to it. It then let out an ominous, whisper-like chuckle as it rubbed its clawed thumbs on the sides of the mans face. It had made its decision.

The creature ceased movement of his thumbs, then resumed by slowly sliding them up his face and towards the mans eyes. It was only now Jonathan realized what it had in store for him, a feeling sweeping over him as if every organ from his body was removed as the creatures long, clawed thumbs pointed towards his eyes. Despite Jonathan's screams, the creature slowly began to sink its thumb claws into the elder Friede's eyes very, very slowly. Despite now being blind, for Jonathan, it felt as though an eternity had passed with how slowly the creature sank its fingers into his eyes, continuing to do so even after. For the creature, the time was too short. It wasn't nearly enough.

---

Five minutes ago…

"Where is he?! Where the hell is he Leo?!" Screamed Ciel paniked as she ran down the streets.

"I told you I don't know Ciel!" Responded her twin brother equally panicked.

"Both of you shut up! Your whining is annoying!"

"Shut it you old fossil! My brothers in trouble, so you can go shove it!"

Raum was annoyed by her statement, but he understood nonetheless. Both Dante and Inuba had disappeared. Not only that, but Dante's presence had been erased, as if it had completely vanished. Not even Raum could detect him.

Suddenly, night had seemingly become darker than black, as if all the stars in the sky had vanished, leaving the three in complete darkness.

"What the hell..?!" Said Raum as he and the two siblings stopped and looked at the sky.

Before they could think to move another inch, the air quaked and ruptured violently. The immense pressure they felt was enough to force them to their knees, even one such as Raum. Irene, who sat atop Raum's shoulders was the only one seemingly unaffected, expressing her concern with the state of her caretaker by patting his head and groaning uncomfortably.

"I...I can't...move…" said Ciel in a strained voice.

"What's...happening..?" Said Leo.

Raum tried resisting the force pushing down on him with little success, he could barely stand back up on his feet. He could recognize this overbearing presence and...the evil that accompanied it. No...this wasn't evil...this...this was Darkness… Pure Darkness.

Shit… What the hell is happening?! Is it… Is it the brat..? Wait...I've seen something like this before… Last time wasn't as bad… But this time...it's way worse…

"Miss Ciel! Sir Leo!" Cried out a familiar voice.

Maria Friede rushed up to Ciel with Conner, her knight, and few of her knight-soldiers.

"Don't touch me!" Shouted Ciel.

Maria moved back, shocked as to why she would reacted so angrily.

"What the hell did you people do...to my brother...and his partner?!"

"Nothing! I only came because I saw you all leave rather hurriedly and thought something was wrong, that and we've been receiving reports that the city center streets have been blocked off and-"

Maria paused for a moment horror stricken, as if she had realized something.

"Brother, no… Quickly! To the church!"

Maria moved past the three along with her knights in direction Ciel and the others were about to move in.

"Hold it! Argh… Damn it..! Move..!" Said Ciel as she was slowly stood back up.

She was standing now, but could barely move forward an inch.

"Damn it… Brother…"

---

The blackened immortal removed his thumb out of the eye sockets of Jonathan Friede, who whimpered and groaned in pain, barely able to make a single sentence. His mind was a mess. His body was torn apart. He wasn't sure why he was awake or how. Maybe it was him? Was he using some sort of ability to ensure he would be awake the entire time to suffer? No. The answer wasn't so simple. With how he tore apart the soldiers and with how he worked on him, the creature made sure to injure him enough so that he wouldn't die without his regeneration while being awake.

The creature soon found its object of interest that it spent time scouring the church for. Inuba's katana, DarkLight Antithesis. Jonathan could no longer see, but he could still hear. The Dark being pinched the sharp side of the katana between its thumb and index finger and slowly dragged them up starting from the base of the blade to its tip, creating a small stream of sparks as it did so. The man lying on the floor most certainly heard this and dreaded what the transformed immortal could with a weapon in his hands currently.

"S-Spare me… Please… Spare me…. I...don't want...to die…"

With an ominous, whispering, hiss-like chuckle, the creature said "Vengeancccccce…"

Now he knew for sure he had no intentions of sparing him. His heavy footsteps echoed through the church, growing closer and closer to unmoving Friede. The air seemingly shrieked when the creature slowly raised the blade up into the air, taking hold of the pure white katana with both of its wicked hands and aiming his strike in the center of Jonathan's neck.

"Are… Are you…"

The creature tilted its head slightly, waiting for Jonathan to continue.

"the Darkness..?"

The creature re-oriented its head and raised the blade above its head, keeping its aim true.

"Worssssssssssse…"

He was about to strike down and lob off his head. But a voice stopped him.

"No! Stop Sir Dante! Please, stop!"

His head turned towards Maria Friede, who had stood at the entrance of the church.

"Please don't do this… I do not know all the details but I know that my brother must have caused you immense pain to go to such lengths."

Immense wasn't even the word he'd use to describe. It was more along the lines of unforgivable cruelty that needed to be returned in kind with devastating brutality.

"Please...don't kill him… My brother...however sick and twisted he may be… He's the only family I have left in this world… Please...spare him…"

The creature seemed...conflicted. For only a brief moment.

"No."

"Wait, stop!"

The blackened immortal reverse gripped the katana with both hands quickly and made to plunge it into Jonathan's neck. Yet again he was stopped. Not by a voice, no...but by some...invisible force. No matter how much the creature leaned its body into the blade to force it down, he couldn't. Why? This man deserved to die in one of the most vilest way possible. Yet why was his hand stayed? Eventually it tried hammering the butt of the blade with its fist, still yielding no desired result.

It was then he thought to look toward the altar where Inuba lay peacefully, still unconscious and completely protected by the barrier the creature put up. And then...for a brief moment…a voice echoed in its head... Almost as if it were a memory...

"Remember… If you do anything bad...I'll pinch you cheek."

Where did he hear those words before?

Cracks formed on the faceless visage of the creature above the mouth, the cracks creating slanted eyeholes that revealed the harrowing gaze of the young immortals Shadow Eyes. He stood up slowly as his body began to crack and fall apart little by little, shards of black bone and strands of grey muscle fiber falling to the ground as he approached the alter.

The Dark being had finally broken away, leaving a bloodied Dante who remained in his torn clothes. Touching the barrier he had set in that Dark form of his, it immediately disolved, allowing him access to his partner as he placed the katana in the hand of its rightful owner. It soon dissolved in a burst of white flame, allowing Dante to take her into his arms, cradling her gently. He sighed softly as he closed his eyes, keeping his eyes narrowed to slits so others wouldn't see his current eyes.

He turned and carried her out, Maria Friede moving out of the way to let him pass. Soldiers still stood in his way.

"Let him through." Said Maria.

"But, Lady Maria-!"

"Let the man through Conner… He's been through enough tonight…"

He decided to move purely out of respect of her command, motioning to his soldiers to move to the side.

"Monster…" he whispered to the teen as he passed by.

He did nothing. Said nothing. He only kept walking, smiling at the name he was given.

Ciel, Leo and Raum turned a street corner, finding the field of black spikes first that still pierced and held the torn bodies, or at least what remained of them, of the soldiers from earlier.

Ciel looked around, finding her brother heading the opposite way. She too began to move until her arm was grabbed. She spun around to see Raum was the one stopping her, shaking his head slowly.

"Leave him be for now. Don't talk to him, don't touch him, don't do anything."

"He's my brother, I just can't-!"

"I know that you little hellion! I'm only telling you this in respect for your safety."

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"The last time he was like this...I nearly lost an arm until I reattached it and almost lost my life too. Last time...he was really pissed… This time...whatever happened…must've pushed him off the edge. If you know your brother as well as you say you do...then you know how brutal and savage he can be when pushed past his breaking point. Hence this field of death you see."

"I...think he's right Ciel. Brother needs time to calm down… We can go and check up on him tomorrow morning."

Part of Ciel knew they were right. But part of her still wanted to go and see if she could help in someway. But she backed down. She, along with Leonard and Raum watched as Dante disappeared into the night, still holding on tightly to Inuba.

---

The first rays of dawn peeked through the covers of the blinds. Dawn had just arrived along with the new day. When Dante arrived at the inn in deeper parts of town away from the castle, he went to a nearby store and bought a pair of white and black pajamas for Inuba.

Closing his eyes while he got her out of the dress and into the pajamas, he placed her on the bed and cleaned the blood from head and white as snow hair. He bandaged the side of her head and applied an anesthetic patch to her cheek where she was also struck by that maniac. Just thinking about what he did made his blood boil.

When he finished taking care of Inuba, he quickly popped inside the castle to grab his bag of clothes as well as Inuba's by teleporting inside through usage of one of the Aura Swords he planted. After the quick trip, he took a cold shower. Not even that did much to relax him. After the shower, he dressed in his normal clothes. Grey jeans, black shoes with white, hexagonal shapes that formed the soles, and a grey collared dress shirt that had a zipper instead of buttons.

He didn't put on his white button up coat with black trimming. Instead, he drapped it over a chair. When he did, something fell out of one of the pockets. The necklace-charm with the small fox face made of pure white metal, and closed, slanted eyes colored black that Inuba gave to him as a gift. He picked it up by the black string it was attached to and slightly tossed it into the air, catching the charm itself. He opened his palm and found himself staring at the kanji Inuba personally etched into the backside.

Hapiness.

In the brief moment he saw the kanji he raised up his arm to toss away the charm but...he stayed his hand. Why was he about to throw it away? Especially when his partner went through the trouble to get it and the effort she put into the etching? He shuddered at the thought of what was he about to do and immediately gripped the charm while lowering his hand.

Dante opened his eyes and stared at the mirror to his side. He wanted them to go away. But they were still there. Be it a form of regret or shame that washed over him, Dante narrowed his eyes yet again just enough so that they seemed closed, but still had them open enough for him to see. Then, he pulled up a chair and sat in it next to Inuba's bed, and continued to stare at the wall all night. He had no real thoughts throughout the night. His mind was one big blank for the hours he sat in that chair. Seemingly enough, hours turned to minutes, and before he knew it, it was six in the morning, barely any light outside.

He looked towards Inuba, seeing her peaceful, sleeping form. He couldn't help but think she was beautiful. The young immortal didn't check earlier, but he did now, placing his hand on her forehead. Compared to him, she felt fairly warm. Soothingly so. She didn't have a fever, thankfully. Even after...he didn't really want to remove his hand. The soothing warmth she exuded… It seemingly flowed into his own body, drowning out the chilling cold he felt.

The young immortal soon found himself moving his face closer to Inuba's, as if he were being instinctively drawn closer to her. Slowly but surely, his face was only mere centimeters away from the Kitsune's own, slowly moving close enough until…

She stirred a bit as she let out a soft breath, making the teen immediately leap back silently and out of his chair. He quickly caught said chair before it hit the ground and made unnecessary noise. Dante moved back a few steps and looked off towards the side at the door. He looked at the charm once, staring at it for a few moments before he moved to the desk and placed it there. The young immortal took one last look at Inuba before he grabbed his coat and silently left the room.

---

So then... That happened. What? Expected something else for me to say about that? Well, what can I say really. Next chapter will be brighter. I promise. And after, we dive straight into the collab I've been working on. Speaking of which...

Now then, I highly recommend you all go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. But, if you're just interested in the awesome collab our two minds put together have created, then mozy on down to chapter 53 of his story for the start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story, and especially this exciting story arc we've created.

Sorry everyone. No omakes this week. I've taken enough of your time as is.

Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.

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! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it. With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend and hope to see you next time! Bye-bye now!