Chapter 24: Remembrance of The Past
«»
Inuba let out a sigh at the campfire she sat next to as she ate a spoonful of her brown sugar oatmeal, her fox ears folded against her head as she did so.
"Aw, what's wrong Foxy?" Ciel asked as she wrapped an arm around the kitusne, "Missing big brother already? It's only been been two days so far."
"Well…"
"Come now Ciel, leave ms. Kitsukami be about brother. You know how she is concerning him."
"That doesn't really help all too much…" Inuba replied.
"She can't help it Leonard. She's in love!" Said the young girl as she leaned forward onto Inuba's back while wrapping her arms around her shoulders, placing her chin atop the ktisune's head.
"Correction, she's been in love for ages now. Only, she hasn't made it a reality. Yet." Added Leonard.
"Seriously girl, I'm telling you, just drag him off somewhere and pounce him. Then strip him down, and then-"
"I-I can't do something like that!"
"You totally can! I know you've got it in you. You just won't do it. I mean, you basically demonstrated last month that you can since you almost did."
That event was something Inuba was very ashamed of. Once every month, her desires of Dante grew to such great intensity that...holding herself back was something near impossible to do unless very very far away from him.
But her desire for him wasn't something simply chalked down to "being in heat". It was something much much more; there existed deeper, more meaningful reasons as to her powerfully burning passion.
But they were reasons long lost to her Master, a result more or less that was caused by her hand.
"We've watched our brother closely over these past few years, as much as we could anyway, to make up for the years we weren't able to be at his side. And though we've seen much of his deeds, both heroic and not quite so, we've gained an advanced understanding of his motives, actions, and reasoning. Though this recent case between the two of you…"
Leonard tried to find words, but fell silent, shaking his head slightly.
"Let me handle this Clarence." Cut in Ciel, Leo somewhat annoyed with her nickname, "Alright, so we've got a super advanced idea of how brother thinks, right? What we don't understand is that he looks like he takes notice of a lot of what's happening between the two of you, but it's like he doesn't take full notice. Like, he see's it, but doesn't do much to react or think about it further. What's up with that?"
"That's...difficult to answer…"
Inuba was someone Dante has known the longest, and the same could be said vice versa. They were stuck to one another ever since the beginning. If anything, she out of everyone else knew of his ways of thinking and the meaning behind most, if not all, of his obscure methods of solving problems.
As to personal feelings… She had a more advanced idea than any would ever be able to.
"It's...complicated, but explainable to a few degrees."
"Alright, give us the deets." Ciel replied still attached to the kitusne.
"It's almost apparent if you think about it carefully enough. Especially concerning the two of you."
"The two of us?" Leo asked.
"Have you ever noticed how Master has catered to your needs and desires almost immediately? And always ensured the both of you were as comfortable and satisfied as possible?"
"Seriously, best and coolest big brother ever." Ciel cut in.
"It's a matter of devotion…" answered Leonard as he realized the obviousness of the answer.
"Yes. When Master is devoted to something, be it a simple task or protecting others, he always devotes himself to the matter beyond one hundred percent."
"And when it comes to the case of a relationship, he is completely and utterly devoted to that relationship and to the person in question. And because of that...he may seem ignorant to someone else's advances. Like yours for instance these past two years."
"Correct as always Leonard." Inuba responded him with a smile, "But yes, his devotion is more or less the reason why my feelings aren't quite...reaching him anymore. And even more recent, it's become harder and harder to know what it is he is thinking."
"What? You two have some mental connection or something?" asked Ciel.
"To a degree, yes. And it would be more accurate to say 'had' in Master's case. Now and then, I can briefly hear his thoughts and feel whatever it is that he was feeling on an emotional level. And sometimes...I could feel a part of the physical pain he couldn't. He used to be able to do the same, though, as I said-"
"It has been wearing thin as of late…"
Leonard wished to say something else in addition, about the night in the church weeks ago, but when he looked to Ciel, he saw his sister subtly shake her head "no". But what else could he tell Inuba to offer her proof of something?
The two siblings were privy to Inuba and their brother's situation. Especially in the case of Inuba. And as much as they wished to say something to their brother, they were sworn to secrecy. Like their brother, the siblings were honorable, and never eager to break their word or promise.
No matter the difficulty it presents…
"Seriousy Foxy… What a downright mess you're involved in…"
"Ciel..."
"No, she's quite right Leonard… This whole situation is a mess… It's a problem I failed to solve time and time again. But...this time, I'll make sure to get it right."
"Even with that Ruby Rose girl we've heard about?" Asked Ciel as Inuba seemed hesitant to reply, "I mean, I got a good look at the one from Xera's Reality, and man, she is really cute. Like really really really cute. So cute in fact that-"
"I think you should stop there…" said Leo stopping his sister from going into any unnecessary detailing, "It is agreeable that ms. Rose is...cute...and with what you told us between the comparisons of time between this Reality and here, she must be older by now and must have grown more. What Ciel was trying to make you aware of is this fact, which could present a problem for you now. Especially considering he may very well be traveling with her at this moment."
It was one of the reasons why Inuba was hesitant to separate. Months of hard effort to get closer and closer...and all of it could vanish…
"Well… Myabe have a sit down with her or something?" Ciel put forward.
"And say what exactly Ciel? 'Please stop being in a relationship with him considering I love him just as much if not more?'. Yes, clearly that kind of conversation will go well. Brilliant plan." Leonard shot back rather angrily.
"Well what else can she do that doesn't make her seem...well...like a hussy? No offense by the way, you're totally not a hussy."
"None taken…" replied Inuba a hint of dejection in her tone.
"Come clean to him." Said Leonard, drawing the attention of both girls, "Just tell him upfront how you feel. And...it may be difficult, but at that point, once everything is clear and our in the open, he needs to make a choice. You or her."
"Now wait a-"
"Like I said, it's a stupidly difficult choice. But these kinds of things aren't supposed to be easy. Like it or not, it'll more than likely come down to making a choice. So instead of backing down and cowering away from it, just get it over with. If it works, great, good for you. Your biggest dream so far comes true. If not, then what can I say?"
Leonard's tone and general mannerisms were...different than usual.
"Yeah, nice one bro. Like it's totally easy for someone, especially her with her situation, to just walk off all nice and dainty after potentially being rejected. Good plan, moron."
"If you'd stop thinking like an idiot every other minute of the day, you'd realize I didn't actually make this conversation something to consider lightly. I just couldn't actually put into words what Inuba should do next IF she gets rejected, moron."
"Why you-"
"Both of you, please… I appreciate the concern both of you share for my situation. Truly." She said before turning her head towards Leonard, "I… I think I might very well go with your suggestion and tell him outright."
"Damn straight you should. If anything, you've been avoiding it because one, you didn't want your feelings hurt, and two, didn't want to put him in a difficult situation than necessary. Life's not fair Inuba. I would have thought you learned that lesson when-"
"Dude! Not cool!"
Leonard's mannerisms were very different than usual. Not as calm and collected. It was new side of him Inuba had never seen.
"Again, he's right." Inuba said, calming both siblings, "I've said nothing all this time for the main reason of the fear I felt that...if I told him everything, he would still say no. And he was also right about the fact I avoided telling him because, of my love and appreciation for him, I didn't want to place him in such a difficult position of having to choose between me and someone else. And that only made things worse. For the both of us." She said before standing up to head inside her tent.
"Smooth jackass. You upset her." Said Ciel.
"I told her the truth of the matter. It was about time she got with the program and just went for it already." He said before turning his head Inuba, "It's getting annoying and tiresome to watch you stumbling all over the place. Just get it over with already. In fact, tell him when you see him next time. If it doesn't work out, figure out the rest from there or something. If you actually do love him, stop chickening out."
"I'll keep that in mind…" said the kitusne before disappearing inside the tent.
The two siblings watched her zip up the front cover before Ciel took Inuba's seat and leveled her gaze on her brother.
"Dude, we talked about this a while back. If you're gonna be you, don't be a dick. Didn't we talk about that?"
"Like I said, it was annoying to see her going on like this. Any longer and she's going to wind up in a mess she can't get out of. Or worse. And it won't just affect her, but all of us. So if you ask me, being a 'dick' was necessary to snap her out of it for once."
"Like you'd know a thing about this kind of situation. You've never been in love."
"No, I haven't." Said Leonard evenly, "But are you sure you want to be telling me what it means to be in love Ciel? If I remember, your opinion is kind of skewed, isn't it?"
She only glared at him before shaking her head and standing up.
"Whatever man…"
"And it's not only Inuba's fault. It's brother's too. The decision he made way back then is what started this merry-go-round of nonsense. It's about time both he and Inuba stopped it and got off. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Yeah but…" Ciel slapped her arms to her sides in frustration before turning back to Leonard, "If, and this is a big IF, she gets rejected by brother...what then? I mean, they've know each other for so long... Longer with what Foxy told us recently. And for all of that to just come crashing down? It-"
"Sucks and is unfair. I get that, really, I do. I don't have to be in love to realize something like that. But it's how it is. Nothing we can do to change that. Except, you know, influence outside factors here and there. And by we, I mean you."
Ciel let out a sigh as she rubbed the back of her head and stared up at the starry sky above.
"You got watch tonight?"
"I got it. Go sleep or whatever. Even if you nor I need it." Spoke Leo returning to his more normal tone.
As soon as Ciel stepped inside, Leonard summoned forth his dual handcannons, and set the one in his left hand down so he could examine the integrity of the one in his right.
"Love, huh..?"
"No signal still?"
Dante let out a sigh as he closed the holographically projected screen of his HoloScroll and let his chin fall into his left hand. He took a glance back from the log he sat on towards the snuffed out campfire, seeing Ruby, Nora, Ren and Jaune still sound asleep.
Since he didn't need to sleep, he volunteered to keep watch for the nights and make sure nothing crept into their small camp. And with all the Aura Swords he set up around the camp, no one and nothing would be able to get in to attack them. Especially with the Aura Swords being invisible.
"And so now you've joined up with your human allies. How will we pass the time I wonder..?"
Dante turned his head slightly to the left a black bodied specter sitting next to him, taking on the form of his Shadow Skin as wisps of black Aura oozed in small amounts from its body.
His Proxy had manifested.
"You have an annoying habit of staying quiet for too long, you know that?" Replied the immortal before looking straight ahead again.
"You have annoying habits of your own, yet I don't poke at them."
"Any reason for you being here?"
"How rude. Here I come to speak with you after a long while and you act so coldly towards me."
"It's because when you usually show up, something bad is about to go down and you warn me about it. So, what is it this time?"
"Nothing to be honest with you. Again, we rarely have a chance to speak normally."
"Whose fault is that again?" Asked Dante.
"Mine for the most part. And yours for being near people."
"What? Too shy to talk to other people?"
"Not even close. Imagine if I suddenly appeared out of thin air around everyone looking as I did? How do you think they would they react?"
"Well… I guess you have a point… Why do you look like that anyway? The only forms you've ever taken on is mine as I am normally or my Shadow Skin form. Though, you've been sticking with Shadow Skin more lately."
"I have no definitive form of my own. For now anyway. I...was stripped of my form and identity long ago."
Dante straightened to give his Proxy a questionable glance.
"How come?"
"People thought me too dangerous because of my power. Because of our power. It was so strong and uncontrollable to outside forces besides you and I. And because they control our power, they feared you and I. Rather than try to punish you, they robbed me of my name, my identity, and my form."
"What exactly are you saying..?"
"Do you remember what I said to you long ago? During the Fall of Beacon?"
Dante looked off to the side, quickly recalling the numerous events of that night.
"You...said you've been with me from the start…" the immortal softly replied.
"That's right. I've been with you since the beginning."
"Hold on a minute… What exactly are you saying..?!"
"Listen carefully." Spoke the specter with a more serious tone, "I'm saying I've been with you since you were born."
A look of shock crossed Dante's face as he stared at his specter-like Proxy. He had heard its words clearly. Yet, he didn't want to believe them. How could he believe them so easily and so suddenly? The thought of it was…
"I don't...understand…" was all the immortal managed say.
"I've been with you since the moment you were born. What part of that can't you understand? Or rather, what part of that you can't believe?"
He fell silent, unable to say another word as he tried to process this information. He understood what his Proxy was saying...but the likelihood of it being true…
"Haven't you found it strange that you weren't able to remember anything past the age of seven?" It asked him, drawing in the young immortals attention, "What about the fact that there are still gaps in your memory after the age of thirteen? Gaps which I'm more than certain have been struggling to fill themselves in."
Dante closed his eyes to calm himself, taking a quick breath before his eyes opened once again and glanced seriously at his Proxy. How could his Proxy have been with him since the beginning if it was only..?
…
No… It was there all along… But the Proxy was…
"It seems you're starting to realize what I'm saying is truth. You've felt it all this time throughout the years haven't you? That feeling that there was something else within you, sleeping quietly and only awakening for brief periods of time."
"That was you… Every other time when I came close to about losing, your voice always reached me… And…"
"I gave you more power."
"So then...that means that you're my Center of Power?"
"Correct."
He couldn't see his Proxy's smile, but he could feel it's grin growing.
"Then Abaddon-"
"Was a fake. He said it himself subtly long ago didn't he? He was the restraint to your power. And instead of drawing entirely from your own power for all those years before Remnant, you drew on his power instead. And thus, when he was expelled from your body with your fight with Aultus…"
"There weren't any restraints left and my actual power started to wake up… My powers from when I stepped onto Remnant… They weren't a gift from the World itself... It's always been...my own power…" spoke the immortal as he clenched his fist tightly.
"One's own power isn't something that can be taken away so easily. Or sacrificed in your case. Even if you did make the sacrifice that you did long ago using your own power, it still would have fully recuperated after a long period of time."
The Auxiliary Soul within him… The one who had made him strong...was a fake...
"Do you understand now, Dante?" Asked the Proxy as it leaned in closer, "No one, and nothing, can take away your power. It's yours."
"You said...that you're my center of power… And that my power can't be taken away from me…" stated the immortal as he stared back at his Proxy, "That means you are my power. And if they can't take it from me, how did they take 'you' away?"
"Stripping my personal self, my identity from me, is a but a means of suppression. A powerful one at that. Afterall, how can you use a power with no means of entirely existing?"
"You mentioned brief periods of activity back then, where you woke up for a time to help me. Now that Abaddon is gone, my last restraint was gone…"
"I was able to fully awaken and stay awake. It was difficult to do so with no sense of self, no sense of purpose. But in the Darkness...I could always see you. And when I awoke fully, it became clear to me immediately that my purpose lies with you. To be your sword. Your strength. Your power."
"All this other times… You were never trying to kill me or hurt me. You were only trying to make me stronger. Strong enough to use you."
"You catch on quickly."
"Tell me this then…" said the immortal, "Is the reason why I can't remember anything from childhood due to your true sense of self being stripped from you?"
"We are of one mind and one body. Such a massive shock like that… It wouldn't be surprising if that was the case. Though...I'm more than certain that's the case."
"And whoever did it, did so because they were afraid of us. Of what we could do since we couldn't be controlled or manipulated by others."
"People fear what they don't understand. You of all people should know and understand this fact, Dante. Our power isn't something that can be defined so easily. And because of that, we have more potential than most to constantly grow and become more powerful."
"So...with you being my center of power….does that mean my Shadow Skin comes from you?"
"I am your power, so yes, it would be perfectly obvious to assume and say that Shadow Skin is your power. Though...our abilities and capabilities are limited…"
"Because you've lost your sense of self…"
"Expanding our power… Growing stronger is difficult for us as is. Without my true form, it will continue to be so."
"What might restore your true self then?"
"If I had my body, perhaps…" said the specter as it looked off to the sky, questioning its own answer.
"Your body? But...aren't you-?"
"I told before, didn't I? I am your power, and your sword."
A moment of realization struck Dante as he heard its words.
"Your body is the sword..! If we found your body, the sword..! Then..!"
"It would more than likely mean my restoration. So, I would more than appreciate if you actually 'find' and use 'me' rather than this soulless fake you've been using." Replied the specter as it raised Dante's sheathed longsword, Anvil, up into the air in front of him, "And I'll admit, the flaming pigeon has knowledge and skill when it comes to creating weapons, but it will only serve as an auxiliary at best."
Dante could only smile at the clever joke in regards to Xera Stark.
"But you know...I made this…" said the immortal raising up Anvil.
"Indeed. But it's a copy of me at best. That, and it isn't your actual weapon. I AM your weapon. As long as you use this fake…" it said tossing the sword to Dante, who caught it with his left hand, "You'll never be able to fight to your fullest potential."
"Easier said than done…" said the immortal placing it down next to him on the log, "It's not like I know what 'you' look like."
"No… You don't… But… 'I' am here…"
"Here..?" Asked Dante questioning its statement before realizing what it meant, "You mean you're here on Remnant."
"Ever since awakening, I could feel 'my body' was out somewhere in the World of Remnant. It's a sort of extended proximity sensation. Though...it's odd…" it spoke as it glanced to the floor, "I've felt myself being very close by for a long while now, but each time, I keep moving about until suddenly, I feel myself within close proximity."
"Can it...well...move on its own?"
"There's no separate entity controlling 'my body', so no, I shouldn't be moving about."
"If your body is the sword, then does that mean you're the soul within the sword?"
"Yes. Allow me to explain. When I was first conceived, it was from your power that I was given life, form, and a sense of self."
"And you know this to be a fact?"
"I do. And the reason I know is because we resonante strongly with one another. A connection that none other than the two of us posses. I cannot possibly be mistaken with such a strong sensation."
"Right…" said Dante with a sigh, "Great… I'm already on a wild goose chase and am about to start another…"
"Look at it this way… The chances of you finding my body along your journey are high. As long as you keep a keen eye and ear out for anything and everything, you'll find me in no time."
"Again, you make it sound so easy…"
The Proxy only chuckled before it turned its head behind them to the campsite.
"Oh… It seems the young Rose girl is stirring in her sleep."
It's statement forced Dante to turn his head around to see Ruby shifting about in her sleeping bag uncomfortably.
"It would seem she is having a nightmare…"
"How can you tell?" Asked Dante.
"For one, her body movements and facial expressions. And the other being I can feel the negativity of her dreams."
"Can you now…"
"I'd suggest comforting her when she awakens. It is your duty as her friend boy to do so."
Dante only chuckled at his Proxy's blunder.
"If you are my center of power, I'd at least assume you'd have the same level of intelligence."
"I'm not as deeply engrossed in such matters as you are. My jargon may be off."
Dante moved to stand up, but his Proxy grabbed his arm to prevent him from moving further as they stared at one another.
"Keep everything I've told you in mind."
"I know…" replied Dante as he looked to Ruby then back to his specter, "And I won't doubt you either. I'll make sure to find your body along the way. So make do with being channeled through the fake, alright?"
"I will...for now…"
The specter's arm transformed into black Aura, and soon after, its entire form dissipated and turned into a humanoid-shape of black Aura before sinking back into Dante's left arm. When the immortal raised said arm, he stared at it for a few moments, watching the last wisps of black Aura disappear before invisibly attaching the sheathed weapon on the left side of his back.
He approached Ruby's sleeping bag and knelt down to hear murmuring from the young girl.
"Hey. It's morning. It's time to wake up." He said shaking her slightly, "Come on now, wake up please…"
He began shaking her a bit more forcefully until she suddenly shifted in her bag and smacked the back of her hand into Dante's face, forcing his head back as he grabbed his face and groaned slightly.
"That hurt… Wait… That hurt..?" Sid the immortal questioning his own statement.
There was no mistaking what he just felt.
It was pain.
Ruby was the second person to make him feel pain, Inuba being the first. How was that possible?
With a gasp, Ruby opened her eyes and jolted up from her bag, touching her as if she were in pain for a few moments before she looked of to the side at Dante, who stared back at her.
"G-Good morning… Wha-?! What happened to your face?!" She asked in a shocked tone.
Dante touched his face where Ruby's initial hand had bonked him over the nose.
"That was your good morning love tap. Thank you for that." He said jokingly.
"I-I'm sorry! I hope you're alright..."
"Ah, don't worry about it. If anything, I should be worrying about you."
"Huh..?"
"You were kinda… Shifty?" Responded the immortal finally rubbing the area of his nose where blood was present, "Bad dream?"
"Y-Yeah… Sort of…"
"Want to talk about it? Or leave it be for now?"
"Um… Leave it be for now, I guess?"
"Alright. Tell me when you're ready."
Ruby looked around, noticing something...missing…
"Wait, how long have you been up?" She asked him.
"Um…" he began as he looked up towards the sky to recall when they all went to bed, "Around eleven thirty seven pm. Just about when you guys went to bed."
"You didn't sleep?!"
"I did say I was going to keep watch, didn't I?"
"Yeah...but…"
"But..?"
"That's not good for you..."
It wouldn't be good for them, but for him, it was completely alright. Sleep wasn't a necessity, rather it was a want. If he did wish to sleep, he'd sleep. Other than that, if he had no desire to sleep, he wouldn't and there would be no consequences. It was very convenient for when he had long lasting missions.
"Well...I don't need to sleep like you guys...so it's alright…"
"No it isn't… I mean, don't you have those cool sword things you make out of your Aura to protect us at night?"
"I do, but…"
"Then that's good enough!"
It wouldn't be if there was a bigger threat involved…
Ruby seemed...flustered at the moment with a sudden thought she had.
"You're here with us now, right?"
"Right?"
"S-So… You have to follow my rules…since you're not officially leader anymore…"
Was she going to force him to sleep?
"And what rules might that be?"
"Um… W-Well… You don't have a sleeping bag...right..?" She asked meekly with a red blush on her face.
"That I don't." He simply replied.
Ruby seemed hesitant to give her response immediately after her face reddened all the more.
"S-So! New rule!" She said pointing to the immortal, "From now on..! You...uh...you have to go to bed!"
He called it.
"B-But…" she went silent for a few moments before she looked at him with a strong determination in her eyes, "Y-You have to sleep with me in my sleeping bag!"
…
"What..?" Asked the immortal meekly with wide eyes.
"Y-You heard what I said! T-T-T-Those are my terms!"
They weren't so much terms as they were subtle demands…
When the immortal focused his attention on Ruby again, he could see her pulling her red hood down to hide her embarrassment. But it couldn't hide the rather cute squeaks of embarrassment underneath.
She worked up the courage to ask such a thing afterall. They haven't been in contact for a long long time. And he only just reunited with her recently. It wasn't unnatural for her to ask to be close to her.
Though in this case...it'd be really close.
Dante let out a sigh to calm whatever thoughts that might have ran through his head before he stared back at Ruby, and after a small struggle, pulled down her hood to meet her embarrassed gaze. She used her hands to cover her face as soon as he did, and peeked through her fingers after a few moments to stare back at him.
"Alright then. I give in to your demands." He said calmly, much to the young reaper's surprise as she responded with a surprised gasp.
"J-Just like that..?"
"Just like that. After all…" he said scratching the side of his cheek, "I do have to take care of your needs as well…"
"N-Nothing weird or anything like that! I-I just..!"
She hid her face using her hands once again, but Dante immediately moved them away. Even so, her eyes darted back and forth between him and the ground near her until he moved his face closer, that way, she had nowhere else to look to.
"I know what you mean." He said with a chuckle as he pat the top of her head, "Still, if that's what you want, they I'll happily do what you ask."
"Y-You sure..?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"N-Nothing! I just...wasn't sure you'd agree to something like that so easily…"
"Well, whether you tell me or not, I understand your reasoning completely."
"You do..?"
"I do indeed." Dante said wrapping his left arm around Ruby's waist while sitting behind her and resting his head upon her shoulder, "So...that's why I'm happy with whatever arrangements you make." He said giving her a kiss on the cheek.
She jumped slightly to action, but immediate smiled and placed her hand within his.
"Does it hurt? Your arm I mean…"
"No, not really. It's about close to recovering anyhow. I just have to make sure not to overexert it in battle. I'm just really hoping we don't run into anything too serious."
"What can't you handle?"
"You never know…"
And he spoke the truth. He had absolutely no idea what was out and about in the World of Remnant other than Grimm and a potential megalomaniac controlling them. That...and whatever it was that possessed him during the night of the Fall of Beacon. The immortal was more than sure whatever that Entity was, it wasn't quite finished yet.
It made no difference. He would keep his eyes and ears keenly aware of everything and anything around him. And now, he had more of a reason to do so.
His sword. His ACTUAL sword.
What he had before...the power he previously wielded wasn't his own, but another's. And because of that, his actual power never had a chance to grow and evolve. Until coming to Remnant. Now that he was here, he was going get stronger. Actually become stronger on his own terms with his own power.
As much as he appreciated Abaddon for what he did all those years...that still didn't change the fact he snuffed the immortal's personal power all these years. What the Proxy didn't mention, or rather couldn't answer, was why exactly it was done in the first place.
The immortal understood why certain people would have their fears about him being too powerful for anyone else to control him.
It was the exact reason he was on Remnant in the first place.
To go as far as to completely strip his power of its form, its identity… There just had to be more to it than simply being afraid of the immortal becoming more powerful. A reason others might have kept secret from him.
But the one thing he couldn't shake was the feeling someone somewhere knew everything. Possibly more than one person. And even worse...someone he potentially knew…
Dante closed his eyes momentarily and pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. Right now, he needed to focus on two things. The first, making sure everyone safely makes it to Haven and find out more. The second, finding the body of his Proxy, his power.
Now that he was aware of its existence, he knew it was out here. He had a chance to do things right this time to the best of his ability.
"Hey…" said the young reaper, drawing his attention, "Are you worried about your partner and siblings?"
"Of course I am…" replied Dante softly as he gently rubbed her shoulder, "But I know they'll be alright. Right now we have to worry about ourselves. So, let's start by waking up the other rascals."
"So the next town is… Uh… Uh-huh… Yeah, we're lost." sighed Ruby in frustration.
"We aren't lost. If I had to guess, we're around here." Said Dante as he pointed on the map Ruby held, "And over there is Shion Village, our next stop. Wait a minute… Didn't you say you and your family used to come here all the time Jaune?"
"Oh yeah! And didn't you say you have, like, four sisters?"
"Uh, seven." He said replying to Ruby.
Dante didn't think too much about it, but he was sure Jaune may have been ignroring him, or at least tuning him out.
Maybe-
"You know, that actually explains a lot." Piped up Nora.
"Wait, what do you mean?"
His more reserved and flinching nature? There wasn't much mystery to Jaune Arc. Other than his lineage. But Dante knew better than to question "potential" heroes that came from a line of heroes. And the immortal strongly emphasized "potential" in Jaune's case.
He left...quite a lot to be desired.
That proved especially true since was currently explaing to Ruby why he had a separate tent from his sisters.
"Uh, guys?"
Dante and everyone turned their attention to Nora, seeing her stand on top of a post overlooking something in the distance.
"What do you see?"
All Dante received from his friend was a shake of her head, unable to say anything of what she saw.
And for Nora, that was never good.
It was then Dante himself looked out into the distance and saw what Nora saw. Something that was never really good out in the wilderness.
Smoke.
Everyone's eyes were to the sky with different forms of shock, seeing that the sky was gray while columns of smoke rose into the air. And when they all looked closer, they could see a dead body on the side of the road approaching the town.
The map was dropped by Ruby as everyone rushed forward at once. Perhaps there was a chance some may have been alive.
Perhaps not. It was still best to search just in case.
The group of friends moved past the village entrance and briskly moved throught the town, looking for anyone that might have survived...whatever it was that hit them.
"There could be survivors!" Shouted Ruby to the others that were spread out at the moment.
"Over here!"
Everyone focused their attention to Ren, who was currently seeing to an injured man in armor. A Huntsmen more than likely. And he was badly injured.
"What happened?! Who killed all these people?!" Asked Jaune.
"Bandits…" he barely managed to cough out, "A whole tribe… Then...with all the panic…"
The Huntsman couldn't finish the rest of his words and coughed violently, shivering and unable to catch his breath.
Bandits on Remnant, the smarter more vile ones, were clever enough to encore mass panic in a town and use Grimm to their advantage. They get to leave with loot, and the people in town get to deal with the Grimm that won't be too focused on the bandits.
Dante was the only one that remained kneeling near the dying Huntsmen while Ruby and the others had a clear look of frustration about them. They weren't used to seeing sights like this.
Not like the immortal was.
"Alright, we can get him to the next village and try to find a doctor there!" Ruby said.
"Yeah… Ren and I can take turns carrying him there." Offered Jaune.
"I don't know if he'll make it…"
"He will. He has to."
But he wouldn't. The wounds were too deep. And his Aura Reserves were far too low to heal him.
"Guys..." spoke Dante as he kept his eyes on the Huntsmen.
"If we get going now, our chances will be better. I can run ahead and look for help!"
That would be useful given how fast she could travel. But...
"There's no need for that…" spoke Dante as he stood back to meet the concerned gazes of his friends and lover, "He's gone."
All of them were silent for some time before Nora asked, "Should we bury him?"
"I would, but…" Dante simply shook his head after speaking and took another glance around, just in case there might have been something else creeping around.
"We should go. It's not safe here." Stated Ren as he grabbed his pack that he threw down earlier.
Nora turned to follow after him with Jaune not too far behind them. Ruby remained where she was, overlooking the destruction with a stressed and sorrowful look about her.
"I leave home for a few days and it all starts going to Hell…" said Dante as he approached and stood at her side.
He moved his left hand towards her hand and interlocked his fingers with hers to hold on tightly.
"There's nothing we could've done about this, Ruby. Don't...blame yourself or struggle over something you that's not your fault. Believe me, I've been down that road and it's been nothing but misery and pretzel bread. Though, the pretzel wasn't so much misery. More like misery relief."
Ruby managed a partial smile at his attempt at humor as she leaned into him.
"Is it...always going to be like this?" She asked.
"No… But it's going to happen now and then. And it will never be easy. But you can't stay stuck on it forever. You just have to...press on forward and do your best for those still alive and well. Fix whatever you can and make right whatever is possible to be made right. Just don't be an idiot like me, thinking you can solve all the worlds problems when really...you just can't. So...instead of mulling over your past mistakes, your failures, and what was outside of your reach or ability to do anything about it...focus on what you can do moving forward."
Ruby only nodded her head silently as her grasp of his hand grew tighter.
"All right… Let's get going with the others." Said Dante as both he and Ruby made their way toward Jaune and the others.
This was the World as it was now. And whatever it was they were chasing after...was more than likely at the center of it. That...or it was a pawn part of a much more complicated plan. But this wasn't going to stop any of them. They were going to continue onwards and beyond...all the way until they saw it through to the end.
The campfire they all slept around was kept low and dimly lit, just enough to last them through the night. After seeing Shion village in the shape that it was in, they all needed rest.
Dante, being concerned with their well being, asked Ruby to pass on her newly adopted "policy" for tonight and tonight only. He at least wanted one more night to make sure his defensive set up around their camp was well set.
That, and he wanted to make sure nothing human-like would sneak up on them. Especially if the bandits were possibly in the area still.
And so Dante sat leaned against a tree, eyes closed and ears open and focused on anything and everything around them. He could hear everything from the insects to the flowing water of the river near them, and even the slow and silent creaking of the aged trees around them. He could feel and hear the silent breeze of the wind passing over the blades of grass, the leaves in the trees and so forth.
And then he heard footsteps. Slow and cautious as to not disturb anyone. Then he heard a tired sigh. That sigh was he needed to know who it was.
So...why was Jaune Arc up at this hour?
The immortal heard Jaune's footsteps grow closer to him, and stopped just a few feet away from him. He could hear the frustration emanating off of the young man that was accompanied with an angry, silent growl as his footsteps disappeared deeper into the forest.
Dante's eyes crept open slightly, taking a quick glance around before he fully opened them and looked around. Nora and Ren were sound asleep, as was Ruby. Though with how much she was stirring, she was bound to wake up soon.
Maybe she was feeling hungry for a midnight snack?
The immortal stood up silently and followed Jaune Arc's trail into the darkness of the forest. But the darkness was short lived, for dozens of tiny little lights shone light upon the darkened path before him.
Fireflies and will-o-wisps danced across the immortals few of the heavily wooded area, until he stopped suddenly when spotting a clearing just ahead of him. And in it was Jaune Arc and...another voice? It was...familiar somehow…
…
Pyrrha Nikos..?
…
No, not her. Just a recording. From the sound of it, it was an instructional training video suited for Jaune. And he was following her instructions to the letter.
Jaune Arc did leave much to be desired overall...but one can't argue his from and technique have improved. He wasn't entirely the sloppy, timid Jaune that he used to be. He was a lot stronger.
But...there was something festering within Jaune… A feeling the immortal knew all too well… He could feel it coming from him ever since he saw the blonde knight again.
Minutes had passed, and he kept repeating the same procedure over and over again. Arc was getting tired, but he still kept going, repeating the steps and swinging just a bit harder after each reset, as if he were seeing how much more he could push himself.
The immortal was impressed with Jaune's newfound tenacity. To be honest, he always knew it existed deep within Jaune, only, the blonde knight never had true reason to draw on it. And with the Fall of Beacon…
It was more than enough reason.
He was going to be here for a while. It was best not to disturb him.
Dante silently made his way back through the wooded forest, brushing a tree branch out of his path. Though, when approaching the campsite, he bumped into his little reaper in red, who bounced off him and nearly tripped over and fell. Before she could, Dante had caught her arm with his left hand and pulled her towards him closely.
"Careful now. You might trip and hurt yourself."
"I-I know that..!" She said in hushed tone, "I'm not a kid you know!" She said with her all famously cute pout.
"I'm sorry. You know how protective I can be."
"I know…"
"So… Did you wake up because you were hungry, or..?"
"Well… Yes and no… I just...kind of woke up. Then noticed you and Jaune weren't around and thought maybe something happened. Where is-?"
"It seems our darling little boy is on his way to becoming a man." Dante replied casually.
"W-What..?"
"Sorry. Habit for making bad jokes at times. Jaune is just a bit a ways out there in the forest training." Said Dante pointing in the direction he came from, "Other than that, nothing to worry about."
"Will he be alright out there by himself?"
"He'll be fine. My Aura Sensing sucks tremendously compared to Inuba and Leo's, but it's tuned enough to keep track of everything. So, back to bed then."
"Right, bed…"
"What?"
"You're just going to stay awake anyway…"
Dante chuckled to himself slightly with her adorable and slightly selfish attitude at the moment. Though, he didn't say that he wasn't going to indulge her request.
"No, I won't." He said to her surprise, "Ask and you shall receive after all. Tonight onwards, I'm...uh...fulfilling your request…"
Ruby could feel the heat rising in her cheeks and glanced away a few moments before looking back to Dante, tugging on his sleeve.
"Promise?"
"Yes, I promise." He said walking back with her.
There was going to be changes to everything Dante would do. But above all, he was going to ensure the safety and survival of Ruby, Jaune, Ren and Nora. Even if his presence might be unwelcome with one other. And he was going to hope his partner, his siblings, and even Raum would make it safely.
He accepted that all he could do at the moment in their case, was to watch and wait. For now...he had to be focused on the task ahead.
Getting to Haven safely with Ruby and the others...and to find his sword.
(Omake: The Catch, Alternate version 2, by Xera Stark)
"Are you sure she flew this way, Jaune?" Nora asked, hopping over an upturned root to follow her golden leader.
"Positive. The Geist sent her this way, so she must be working on her landing strategy right about now..." Jaune replied, pushing a cluster of branches out of the way as he stepped aside and held them for Nora and Ren to pass.
"It was quite the flight she took..." Ren commented idly, a bit concerned for the reaper. A fall like that might need something more than just a simple landing strategy.
"She'll be fine." Jaune said, smiling in confidence as he let the branches go and continued forward.
"While I will admit that she is durable, I doubt she could survive a fall from that height on her own." Ren pressed his concern more adamantly, hoping his worries were misplaced.
"Then we can devise a catching strategy… somehow…" Jaune replied, glancing up in thought before turning to Nora, "How fast can you sew a giant quilt from tree branches and leaves?"
"I don't know how to sew." Nora spoke back cheerfully, hopping over a few more upturned roots.
"Dang, I was really banking on that." Jaune sighed, shaking his head for a moment.
He didn't hear the whistling of falling objects just above him. Or the breaking of branches through the forest's canopy. Everything went dark for the poor Arc as Dante's feet crashed into the strangely cushioned ground, Ruby cradled solidly in the immortal's arms in a close bridal carry as he killed the shock of the impact with a slight bend to his legs.
"Told you we'd be fine." Dante said smoothly.
Semblance Encyclopedia 9
"Hello hello hello! It's your favorite hostess, Ciel!" Spoke the young girl energetically upon stage, "And the not as cool but still decently cool Leonard. Woo~"
"Thank you for that half assed introduction."
"Oh boy, we get Leo when he's feeling grumpy! Even better since today..!" She spoke pointing to the monitor as Leonard took a glance at the monitor behind him while helping his arms crossed, "we're talking about you, bro!"
"Oh boy, I can't wait…" he said unenthusiastically.
"Don't get too worked up good old Leo. He's just not as enthusiastic about everything as the rest of us are. He's actually kinda lazy."
"We aren't here to talk about me personally. So if you aren't gonna get on with it, I will." Said the sibling as he moved in front of Ciel.
"Wha-?! Hey!"
"Alright, pay attention because we're only going to talk about my Semblance until something else comes up. Got it?"
"So forceful..! A side of Leo we never get to see!"
"Will you quiet down so I can explain already?"
All Ciel did was give a quick nod before hopping onto a seat, allowing her brother to take front stage for once.
"Great. So then, let's get to it. First thing's first, my Semblance is a Duality Semblance like Ciel's, meaning I have an extra ability to mine. If you've paid attention, you would know that I've used both abilities already."
He then clicked the remot on his hand to play the footage in action.
"The first part is pretty simple, and I use it virtually with each of my attacks since the cost is minuscule at best. The first is basically called Horizon of Subterfuge, where I can A, make small to large beams of super densified Aura with great penetrative power, or B, I can use all the missed shots from my guns to form a perimeter of invisible Aura bullets that enclose the enemy. When I activate my HoS, the missed shots become visible in the air around the enemy in the form of halos facing them. All I have to do next is point at the enemy and the halos light up with an intense amount of Aura and fire off in beams that attack the enemy from all directions, leaving no room for escape or survival. Complete obliteration. Though, for now, I'm only limited to fifty rings at a time."
"Cool cool. So what about the second ability?"
"I was getting there. The next ability is Hellish Restraint. It's almost like HoR where I surrounded the enemy in a circular formation of shots that surrounds the enemy. Only, instead of shooting beams outward beams, the Aura Shots form into tether-like anchors of extreme gravitational force that latch on the enemy and hold them in place. In addition, the tethers feed off of the trapped victims Aura in order effectively increase the power of the tethers to effectively restrain them, feed my Aura Reserves, or feed my HoR shots that I set up to make them more powerful. This one's limited to ten restraining shots."
"And there you have it! Leo's Semblance is scary for ranged offense and excellent for trapping enemies in tight spots to give them no chance for escape or retreat! Even though Leo isn't as cool, his Semblance is at least.
"If you remember the last time we sparred, I trapped you with Hellish Restraint and left you out for thirty minutes until you were begging me to let you out."
"Ehehe… T-That's…uh...well…"
"If you're gonna talk big, back it up at least."
"Whatever. I'm still cooler than you!"
"Keep dreaming. Anyway, that's it for this week. Come back whenever. I guess."
"Uh, we want them to come back. Not be all like 'yeah, whatevs man'."
"It's their call. Now let's go. We've got a mission to do, remember?"
"Yeah yeah… Alright everyone! Tune in next week for Weapons Illustrated! Goodbye and stay classy!"
Good lord people, I don't know what to say except I am very very very sorry. It wasn't until today I realized that I didn't post this chapter, when virtually, I tricked myself into thinking I did. Like, I feel like I did it, but then today realized I didn't actually do it. So again, I am very sorry. Other than that, not much to say except I've been fairly busy with college. And of course, Destiny 2. You can find me on there if you're on PS4. Seriously, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND you buy the game if you had your doubts before. It's worth every penny.
So with that...
I highly recommend you all go check out the freaking amazing story XSRA's Flame written by Xera Stark. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you seriously read it. You won't want to miss out on this story.
Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it pretty much immediately. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, and more than definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying!
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!
Bye-bye now!