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.

50. Chapter 50: Desire born of Tragedy

Chapter 50: Desire born of Tragedy

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---

Once upon a time, there used to be a woman who lived in a large village outside of Vale. She was well known for her warm and gentle nature, her beauty just as alluring and illuminating. The woman would aid those in her village to the best of her ability, using her immense knowledge at her disposal. She would even tend to and treat their wounds whenever anyone in the village had fallen ill, or had been injured greatly. She had even erected defense to keep away the Grimm.

The woman never demanded monetary compensation, only smaller things of some value, such as books and the like.

Her brilliant deeds and gentle nature were surely known far and wide, but there was one deed in particular that only served to show just how pure this maiden's heart was.

Children.

She had no interest in men or their flowery words, but the one thing she loved more than anything was children. And so when there children with no home, no family, no place to turn to, she would take them in and give those children a family they did not deserve to have taken from them.

And they loved her just as much as she did. She was stern at times with them, but never so much as raised a hand against them.

The woman had a secret, a secret that one else but the children knew of.

She had magic, an art once thought to be totally and completely lost to time. With this magic, she would build the large home that warmly held and greeted her children. She would heal their wounds with this magic, and ease their pain entirely.

They all lived a happy and fulfilling life together.

Until he came.

A lord from a nearby village came to purchase the village, and use it for his profit, going so far as to try and buy out the mayor of town. And… he demanded one more prize.

The woman.

He heard many a great tale of her beauty, and strongly desired her for himself. But the woman expressed many times her dislike of the man, and thus continuously rejected every advance he made.

Frustrated, he decided to put the woman in her place, and concocted a truly despicable plan of action. The lord had spies in his employ, and through them, he gathered his "evidence" of the woman's magic, which she had kept secret from all others. When the time came, the man put his plan into action.

He had turned everyone in the village against her, using his "evidence" to proclaim her as an evil witch, a lie that all had foolishly believed.

Convinced, the villagers followed the lord out of fear of the woman's power, and had brought her out in chains.

She offered no resistance, and only pleaded for them all to see the truth behind the matter. But they would have none of her words.

The lord had convinced the villagers that the woman had brainwashed the children under her care into slaves, and would sacrifice their lives one by one in service of her "dark god". With that… the villagers set fire to the home that had housed the children, burning them all alive as the woman watched in utter despair.

And after they made her watch… she too was then tossed into the raging fires that devoured her beloved home, burning her like the witch she was proclaimed to be.

But she did not die.

Once the villagers and the lord had gone, her home had been burnt to naught but ash and cinder. In the ruins of her home that once stood tall, the woman sat in the ruble, her body burnt, but still very much alive.

The skies had darkened that day, and her eyes could only see the clouds above.

She cursed them. The lord, the foolish villagers… she had cursed them all.

She did not want to die. She would not die. The rage that fueled her… would not allow her to die.

The rage inside her burned hotter than the flames that brought down her home, and blackened her once pure heart with rage immeasurable. In cursing the fools that had killed her children, and having a strong desire to live and exact a terrible vengeance, she abandoned her kindness, her purity, her humanity… and became a vengeful being of Darkness.

The power flowing through her was immense, her hatred and fury fueling the woman as her wounds healed.

That day… she rose as an entirely different being.

Night settled, and the lord and the villagers reveled in their success of killing the witch, feasting and drinking their achievement. And then… all light had been extinguished from the town.

Screams echoed outside in multitudes, the rest of the villagers cowering in fear behind their hall of finery. Blood seeped through the doors, darkness following after.

And when the doors opened, there she stood, eyes glowing a blood red.

One by one the villagers had been slaughtered, the lord left for last.

With a cruel and wicked smile, the once kind woman began to exact her revenge on the man, peeling away at him little by little, and ensuring his survival to ensure he would feel every single morsel of pain.

Some say that even to this day, the woman had entrapped the lord somewhere deep and dark without a scrap of light, his life continuing only until every single scrap of flesh had been torn away from him.

That night, the woman had left almost none alive, and only the children untouched.

And thus… she vanished from the world for a time.

Every century or so, she would walk upon the world of Remnant once more, each time killing hundreds, if not thousands, and taking a piece of the world back with her to construct her world of ruin, a world that had begun of the foolish nature of people.

Her rage would not subside, even with every successful slaughter she enacted every century. The Dark being's heart still grieved at the loss of her children, and the lives she stole from others would not fill this emptiness inside her.

Then… another had come.

A stranger had entered her world, offering her promises of more power to enact her vengeance on the world, but she had no desire for power; she had more than enough power. But the man's words spoke of an offer too tantalizing to resist. Bearing his last gift, the man had told her that the tools he would give her would be the keys to her success. And…

They would be the keys to making her desire a reality.

---

She stood there confused.

The end? How could this be the end for her? She had become a being far more powerful than any creature that walked the earth.

And that boy had the audacity to proclaim that this would be the end of her?

Scylix's eyes remained glued to the teen in front of her, his white and black Aura flaring up in an immense blaze around him, growing larger by the second. The Aura then did something strange. A vast technicolor of Auras meshed with his own, and then…

Became a platinum color.

The immense platinum Aura shot up into the sky, completely obscuring the teen within the blast. The beam had began to split apart from the top, spreading out across the lands in a beautiful platinum colored blaze.

The group behind Dante had shielded their eyes from the blinding blast and strong gusts of wind, Leo and Ciel the first to open their eyes and take in the sight they saw before them.

"No way… Leo… is that..?"

"No…" Leonard answered for his sister, "It isn't his Angelic form, but it isn't his Dark Entity form either…"

Dante's footsteps sounded loudly across the planes in hollow, echoing thuds, his form emerging from the smoke around him.

"You are correct to assume It's neither of those." Dawn spoke up, walking to the front of the group, "It's not one or the other. It's both in one."

The teen took his last steps forward outside of the blast, his form bathed in pure white, like a second skin. From the back of his waist hung two, ethereal white tails, resembling a pair of angelic wings as a pair of blackened tails dangled from the back of his shoulders.

His head was encased in this glowing white second skin, but on the sides of his head were two black horns that stood straight up, bending outwards before bending inwards, and straightening out into long, tipped horns. His white body had been littered with small segments of black armor that twisted around his form to protect him.

When he opened his eyes, black sclerae were present, and his irises were a shining platinum color.

Without warning, he slowly began walking towards Scylix, his echoing footsteps growing louder as the woman took a step back. Letting out an angry roar, she raised her hands up into the sky as her dark energies poured out of her in profuse amounts, blanketing the area around her for miles. Various Grimm of all sizes and shapes rose up in the thousands.

"KILL HIM!"

At her command, the creature's mindlessly charged forward together as a seemingly endless tidal wave of deadly creatures, Dante stopping in place as he eyed them all calmly. As soon as they got closer, the tails behind him, both black and white, grew larger and enshrouded his form. They then unfurled, unleashing a catastrophic blast of platinum colored Aura that spread outwards for miles on end, erasing any and all Grimm that so much as touched it.

The others watched the blast harmlessly pass them by, and the army of Grimm completely eradicated from existence.

They stared on in awe, basking in the light and shadow of Dante's four enormous wings, the bottom pair Angelic, and the upper two black and Draconic like a true devil. Those brilliant wings of his were immensely large, each wing easily six times his size as they their majesty was fully displayed.

Panic wasn't a word to describe what Scylix was feeling.

She brought her hands together, and shot forth an immense, monolithic beam of her purple and black Aura directly at Dante. The teen simply stood where he was, waiting for the beam to approach as he brought his right hand across his body and backhanded the attack.

Within a second, the blast had been completely erased from existence as Scylix stared on, not able to mutter a single word.

"Scylix." Dante called out in a hollow, echoing voice, snapping her attention to him, "Your centuries of pain and suffering… I will end them all here."

She couldn't lose, not after coming so far and especially not now being on the cusp of achieving her goal.

Her hands clenched tightly, anger filling her being as her face twisted into a spiteful glare.

"YOU DAMN BRAT! DON'T YOU DARE PRESUME TO KNOW ME! YOU KNOW NOTHING OF ME!"

Dante's ethereal white and black right hand stretched outwards of his body, a longsword of platinum Aura forming in his hand.

"YOU KNOW NOTHING OF MY PAIN, OF MY SUFFERING! YOU KNOW NOTHING OF WHAT I'VE LOST, WHAT I HAD TAKEN FROM ME!"

The teen's left hand clutched the bottom end of the handle, and slowly began to rise up until it was entirely over his head.

With no more words left to speak, Scylix charged forward from her tower, her angry cries echoing loudly across the planes as her body became enshrouded in an ocean of her dark Aura.

He was now ready.

With his sword raised above his head, he spoke to his sword.

"Transcend those before you… Eclypse!"

A quick downward swing, and the universe had become completely silent as the world darkened with partial blots of light, platinum seemingly becoming the only color to exist. All that could be heard from the platinum Aura that consumed the world... was a slight crystalline hum.

Scylix had been completely frozen, her cries unheard as her body had been split down the middle by the energy, quickly breaking apart into nothingness and fading out of sight.

A minute had passed, and the platinum Aura slowly rose up from the world, like a veil being lifted up into the sky. Sound slowly filtered back in, and all the color in the world had been returned.

The three siblings, and all their allies went wide eyed with complete and utter awe once they looked out across the world.

Everything from the black sands to the ruins that littered them… had completely been erased.

All that remained for miles on end… was a smooth plateau of obsidian.

The red skies had vanished, leaving nothing but cloudy gray as light began to peek from the clouds.

---

Dante remained where he was, standing up straight as his form slowly broke away from him like scraps of black and white ash, until his normal self was all that remained.

Eclypse was in his hand once more, her pure white and glossy black shine glimmering under the new light that peeked from the skies.

Dante let out a sigh of relief, but that sigh was taken far too soon.

His eyes were drawn to a small burst of purple and black in the distance, his eyes focusing to see Scylix in the distance. Her form wasn't like it was moments ago. It wasn't even what she used to be.

Her pale skin had become slightly darker, and the once black sclerae where now white, revealing her purple irises. Her long, once blackened hair was now a shade of light brown. All that remained from her previous self, was the black dress she wore. In Scylix's hands was her chipped and broken twinblade, which currently was the only thing keeping her standing as her flesh slowly healed.

Dante's body blurred out of sight in a stream of white and black, reappearing just a short distance away from Scylix, the teen able to hear her ragged breathing.

She noticed his presence and looked up at him, her eyes wide not with fury… but… sadness…

"I… I don't understand you…" She spoke out, weakly using her weapon to drag herself forward, "Why..? Why wouldn't you… just die..? Why couldn't you just fade away like you were supposed to?"

As she kept dragging herself forward, Dante held his stance firmly, grasping his sword with both hands as he glared cautiously at the woman.

"Why can't I defeat you?!" She shouted more angrily.

She stopped momentarily, gasping as she could feel something flowing into her. Memories of her past life, of the woman she used to be, memories of the recent present, of both her battles with Dante.

And lastly…

The teen's sword lowered towards the ground, his serious glare softening into a sorrowful stare as he saw her.

When she could finally feel it, she could feel a wetness dripping down the sides of her cheeks.

Her face twisted in anger once more as she charged forward, screaming angrily.

She swung her twinblade wildly at him, twirling it around with a furious strength as Dante swung back, parrying each powerful strike. This exchange continued for a few more moments, Dante bringing up his sword to block a swing to his side, pushing his arm against the flat side of the blade.

The woman's wild swinging continued afterwards when she broke his guard, the teen blocking the first two strikes and ducking under the next. When she swiped in from the side, Dante let out a small grunt as he forcefully swung his blade upwards, the force of his swing knocking back Scylix and her weapon out of her hand.

She couldn't be defeated here… She needed to win…

With one last burst of strength, Scylix grabbed her weapon out of the air and made for an upwards rising swing. Dante's sword quickly swung down on the twin blade, completely shattering it into pieces. One of the bladed points flew towards Scylix, scraping her cheek, but before it could fly away, she grabbed hold of it and made to stab Dante.

But he was too quick for her.

Before Scylix could close in to stab the teen, Dante had spun around using the momentum of his swing, and brought his sword up from the ground. The tip of Eclypse rose up and tore through Scylix's body, leaving a deep and terrible diagonal slice that started from her waist and followed all the way through the top of her shoulder, launching her body up into the air.

At that moment… I realized the answer as to why I couldn't defeat you. But… it was answer I couldn't understand… Or rather… it was an answer that I had long since forgotten the true meaning of...

Scylix's tearful eyes focused on Dante once more briefly, time slowing around her as she focused on the narrowed gaze of the immortal, noticing he was struggling to maintain his composure.

She smiled at that. And as she smiled, her eyes shifted towards the sky, and her body finally fell down to the ground.

Normally, the sound wouldn't have been all too loud. But for Dante… Scylix's body falling to the ground with a loud "thud" seemed louder than it should have.

And it weighed heavily on him all the more.

---

He waited for a moment, just in case she had any fight left in her. Past experiences told him she was going to get back up… but she didn't. She only lay there, unmoving.

Dante took a few steps as Ecylpse faded from his hand in a burst of his white and black Aura, the teen eventually coming across the defeated Scylix and standing over her.

Her eyes drifted from the cloudy grey skies to the teen, and kept her gaze focused on him solely.

"Why… do you… hesitate..? Finish it…" She told him, "If you do not… kill me… our battle will… never truly… conclude…"

"I think I can speak for the both of us when I say there's been enough killing as of late." The teen replied.

"Then… why..? Why are you… here..? To… gloat..?"

"No… That's not it."

He wasn't there to gloat, and he wasn't there to finish her off. So why was he there?

The teen approached Scylix, moving himself a little bit closer before he sat down next to her, the woman glancing at him in utter confusion.

"You know… I thought it about it for a while, once I figured it all out. It was easy for me to understand because… I had a similar idea once upon a time. That's why… I can't condemn your reasons, no matter what. But the only thing I can't agree with is your method, your way of achieving your goal."

…

She understood now.

At first she was his enemy. But when he came back here… he didn't come back to fight and kill her.

The teen had come to defeat her way of achieving her goal.

"All… All that ever mattered… was the children… All I ever wanted..!" She spoke, breaking down into a sob, "Was to see my lovely children again, and give them back the future that was stolen from them!"

"I know." Dante replied, lowering his hand down next to hers and holding it tight, "That's why I can't hate you for what you did. And that's why… I'll stay here with you, until the end."

The woman couldn't help but be surprised at everything he had just said. She expected some sort of hatred; revenge, something akin to that. But here he was, sitting next to her, and holding her hand so that she could pass on in peace.

Regret suddenly began to creep upon her. Partly for the path she took all this time… but mostly because she knew now that she had ultimately failed in her goal.

"I… I will never… see them now…"

Dante's eyes looked up briefly, catching a glimpse of radiance a bit further away, a smile forming on his face.

"Don't be so sure of that." He said, causing the woman to look at him in confusion.

All the once immortal did was nod his head in the direction of the faint glow, Scylix now noticing it as her eyes widened in shock.

(The Summit - God of War OST)

"This… This can't be..! This..! It has to be a lie..!"

"How do you explain me being able to see them as well?"

Scylix's eyes trailed down a line of dozens of young children, all ethereal and smiling at her.

She just couldn't believe her eyes…

The woman couldn't hold herself back any further, and continued sobbing, now tears of joy as she saw all of them there, waiting for her.

Dante, still holding the woman's hand leaned down and whispered in her ear. When he finished speaking his words, Scylix's eyes went wide momentarily before they began to close, her form bathed in light. Her body had melted away, and from it rose Scylix as she truly once was, her kind and gentle form before she had given in to rage and despair.

She floated out from the remains of the body that once existed, ethereal like the children standing behind her. Scylix smiled warmly at the once immortal, and wrapped the teen into a gentles hug.

"Thank you… sweet child…" she whispered to him.

Dante gave her a nod as he let go of her hand, the woman rushing forward to greet the multitude of children that swarmed her, all of them latching on and giving Scylix a well deserved hug.

She was happy. But most importantly… in the end, she had her wish granted in the most unexpected of ways.

Scylix looked to Dante one final time, giving the teen a nod and a smile before the children grabbed hold of her hand. Within a brief flash, all of them had turned into spheres of light, and bolted up in the sky, unleashing a bright and blinding flash that even made Dante avert his eyes.

(1:15)

When he opened them, he could see little specks of little falling from the skies, as if they were glowing white snowflakes. The skies cleared, the clouds rolling back to reveal a bright and shining dawn upon the once ruined world.

"It's over…"

Dante let out a small sigh, turning around to the sound of whispering voices. They guided him, and as he approached, he could see it clear as day.

The gem of the Ancients, it's crystal cracked and chipped away into a small fragment. Even one small fragment had enough power to grant some sort of wish.

And that is why it had to be destroyed.

The voices were tantalizing, asking him to use the condensed lives within the Gem to grant his desires. They spoke to him of his immortality, but he cared not for it. But there was one thing, and one thing the Gem whispered that tempted Dante greatly. Part of him wanted to give in, and use the Gem to grant the wish it had planted in his head, but…

…

He decided if it were to happen, it would have to be through his own merit.

"This is the last time you'll ruin people's lives with twisted promises. Now vanish…" He said, crushing the Gem to dust within his palm, and letting it float off into the sky, "And scatter into nothingness."

(2:45)

With the remnants of the last Gem fading out of existence, Dante could truly relax himself, and walked over to were the other broken half of Scylix's twin blade was. Her Manifested World wouldn't last for all too much longer, but he thought it would have been an appropriate gesture nonetheless.

He took up what remained of the broken weapon, and plunged it into the ground, bowing his head in silence before he looked up at the bright skies above.

"Goodbye Scylix. May you and your children find peace you deserve."

(End Song)

---

The immortal trekked across the sands, stumbling forward a few steps and almost falling, until Eclypse shifted into her human form and caught him.

"Thanks…"

"You needn't mention it." The lightly armored girl said, "That being said…" she spoke, moving her face closer to his, "About my reward…"

Before Eclypse could get her chance, Ruby had immediately intervened by means of her Semblance, and now held Dante in her grasp. Eclypse shot the smaller girl an annoyed glance, and Ruby, unintimidated, did the same.

"Please don't fight you two…" The once immortal asked.

Mainly because I wouldn't have the strength to stop either of you…

"Hmph… I don't see you for the longest of times, and here you are, bolder than ever."

The teen's attention turned to Blaire, seeing the woman plunge her huge sword into the ground to lean against it.

"Seriously… When did you grow up so much..?"

"Recently, if I'm being truthful."

"Well, I guess you have all the time in the world to tell me then. Since…" Blaire paused briefly, staring in awe at Dante, "What happened to your hair?!" She pointed out.

Ruby and Eclypse looked to the teen's head, noticing his hair wasn't a platinum color like it had been for the last hour or so. It was white again, but a few strands had streaks of black in them.

"His power is starting to settle down." Eclypse stated, "When we joined together again, our two respective Auras also combined together into one."

"Two?" Ruby asked.

"Yes. Being in the sort of prison that I was in all this time, all I could ever do really was slowly accumulate power. There were times where Master's Aura leaked into me from all the battles he fought. So… for a whole ten years, I have essentially been stockpiling tremendous amounts of Aura. It's why Master and I could fight Scylix on an even level, if only temporary."

"So now?" Blaire asked.

"Now, our power is beginning to slowly settle down." Eclypse explained, "Our re-connection was rushed, and thus has created an improper connection. Over time, Master and I will slowly realign with one another properly. Until we are in proper alignment once more… we should take caution not to engage in any more battles until then."

Dante nodded to his companion, letting himself rest in Ruby's arms.

Eclypse seemed a bit jealous of the situation.

"Well then… you won't have to worry about fighting until you can manage." Blaire stated as she pushed herself off her weapon, pointing a thumb to her chest, "Because from here on out, I'll be staying here."

"W-What do you mean?" Dante asked, surprise in his tone.

"What? Not happy to have me here?"

"N-No! That's not it! It's just..!" The teen said, propping himself up with Ruby's help, "Back home-"

"There's nothing for me there." Blaire quickly answered, "Hasn't been ever since you left. They decommissioned most of us, and by most of us, I mean those that sympathized with you to a great extent. Haven't had much to do since then. And we both know my family isn't around anymore. There's nothing tying me to that place anymore."

"Is that so…"

"Mhm." She said, leaning forward towards Dante a little with a wink, "So rely on your previous commander again, alright?"

"S-Sure…" The teen said, giving her a nod.

"Be cautious of this one Master. She's almost as carnivorous as I am." Eclypse noted, suspiciously eyeing Blaire.

"H-Hey you! You can't just go around saying stuff like that!" The older woman told Eclypse, who was busy not listening to her, "Besides, you're just as bad, if not worse than I am!"

"They're a bit…"

"Eccentric?" Dante answered for Ruby.

"Y-Yeah… I guess…"

"You know, you're a bit eccentric yourself."

"I-I am?!" Ruby asked, surprised.

"Yup. Not that I mind though." He said with a smile as he sat up crossed legged.

"Now that I think about it… I wanted to ask you something." Blaire said, looking to the teen, "Why did you do that for her? After everything she did to you and Inuba… I just don't understand it."

Dante's eyes drifted up to the sky, thinking over his answer briefly.

"Once upon a time, she used to be a person just like the rest of us. Her grief drove her down a road of madness and despair, and all she was doing really was searching for a way to get back what was stolen from her. I could sympathize with her for a lot of reasons. That's why I decided I wasn't going to come here to kill her. I was going to come here and stop her. All she needed… was someone to be there for her, just like all of you have been there for me. If you think about it… she still got what she wanted in the end. And we're all still here."

"No use in thinking about something that's already passed." Eclypse noted, "What's done is done."

Dante nodded silently as he hunched over, letting out a deep breath to relax.

But he felt the ground tremor slightly as soon as he closed his eyes. His head jolted up, and when he spun around, both he and the group of girls could see the head of the behemoth Scylix stood atop from before, its jaws quickly approaching them.

Ruby, Eclypse and Blaire immediately moved to the front to protect Dante from the creature, but he immediately moved past them to stand at the front defensively, keeping a narrowed glare upon the creature as it drew closer.

But it stopped suddenly as an electrified zing rang out through the air.

When Dante looked up, he saw a bolt of lighting in the shape of blade piercing through the beast's forehead from the back, stopping it dead completely. The blade crackled, leaving a red hot hole as it retracted back into the distance instantly, completely unseen as the huge corpse crashed down into the dirt.

He didn't know how, or when… but that man… He was the one who had just saved Dante.

He always told him he was neither his ally or his enemy, for now at least. But right now… the teen was sure Aizûr was the one who had just killed the beast.

Dante didn't know how or why… but he could feel Aizûr's smile upon him, wherever he was. But for some reason… he couldn't help but smile himself.

The massive creature's body began to dissolve away into nothingness, Eclypse being the first to take a few steps forward. Her platinum eyes scanned the area ahead of her, trying to find the person responsible for slaying the creature, but there wasn't even a trace of foreign Aura to detect.

That frustrated her slightly.

"It's alright, Eclypse." Dante's voice rang out in her mind, "We're safe."

The lightly armored girl rolled her eyes and shrugged, mentally replying "Pays to be sure, at the very least."

Dante's vision began to distort and blur, the teen taking a few awkward steps forward until he began falling forward.

Eclypse moved the quickest, catching Dante in her arms and kneeling down quickly with the once immortal.

"Dante?! Dante, what's wrong?!" Ruby asked, running forward until Eclypse's finger pressed against her forehead to stop her.

"Calm yourself. He's simply resting."

"A-Are you sure..?"

Was she-?

…

Eclypse had to take a breath, reminding herself of how Ruby usually was. That, and there was also the fact she didn't share the same link to Dante that Eclypse did. And for that matter… the kind of link Inuba once shared.

"I'm sure. Being linked to him, I'm able to accurately keep track of his Aura Reserves. He's simply suffering from exhaustion."

"Guy like him doesn't simply drop from exhaustion..." Blaire noted.

"Normally, once a person's Aura Reserves drop to the tenth percentile, usage of Aura is either restricted or cut off entirely to prevent any further debilitating effects to one's Aura." Eclypse explained, "Master went below the fifth percentile just for this fight alone."

"F-Fifth..?"

"That's right. There's also the fact he was still injured." Eclypse answered Ruby, "And yet he used his Aura to keep himself together to be able to fight at peak performance."

"He pushed himself that far…" Ruby softly whispered to herself.

"You should not be so surprised, Ruby Rose. He is always pushing himself past the limit." The lightly armored girl said as she stood up, holding Dante in her arms, "For now, we should leave this place before it disappears."

"I-I'll help carry him!"

"No need to concern yourself with that. I am perfectly capable of performing this task on my own. Besides… the opportunity to carry Master in a 'princess carry' doesn't come everyday." Eclypse said with a sort of twinkle in her eye, keeping her stoic expression all the while.

Ruby seemed to want help, but more than anything, she was more focused on wanting to grab Dante out of Eclypse's hands.

"There's also the fact that I am physically stronger than you by a great deal. It'd be wise for me to carry him instead."

…

As much as Ruby hated to admit it, she had a fair point.

"Don't worry Ruby Rose… I'll take very special care of him." Eclypse said with a smug smile.

Now Ruby was more inclined to get Dante out of her hands as quickly as possible.

"Alright you two, that's enough of that." Blaire noted getting in between them, "We need to leave before this place collapses on us. You, don't try to kill her until after." She said pointing to Ruby, "And you, don't touch him weirdly." She said looking to Eclypse.

"Fine~" Eclypse said, rolling her eyes.

Ruby still kept a cautious glance on the girl as she walked towards the rest of the group.

"He'll be fine." Blaire told Ruby, placing a hand on her back and helping her move forward, "She's dangerous, sure, but she's not dumb."

"I-I'm still a little bit concerned…"

"Girl like her? I'd be concerned too." The older woman said, "Come on, shorty. We've got places to be, and this ain't one of those places."

"I-I'm not short!"

"Yeah, well I'm taller than you, so by my standards, you're shorter than me. Come on, off we go." Blaire urged as both she and the little reaper walked off together.

Ruby couldn't help but look out across the empty planes once more, watching the obsidian plateau chip away as its edges glowed with purple energy. The skies were especially beautiful with how light radiated from the cracks in the clouds.

This was how Scylix saw the world before she became the person Ruby and the others fought so desperately against. She wasn't evil being like how the reaper in red once thought, but was just a person looking to get back the life stolen from her. It lead the woman down a dark path, surely, but who wouldn't really? Who wouldn't go crazy if they lost the people most important to them?

Thinking about it now… she could finally understand part of what Dante was thinking now. She understood exactly why he was so fierce in protecting her and everyone else. The two of them, Dante and Scylix, were the same in some regards, kind people spurned and betrayed by the world. The only difference was that Dante remembered the kindness and love people held, and because of that, he didn't give in.

He was still very much the same, but so very empty. And all along he had been struggling alone, trying to fill himself back up.

It upset Ruby greatly that only now she was able to understand what exactly had been wrong with Dante this whole time. But she knew now. She knew the truth. And so she decided, affirmed rather, that she would help make him whole once more.

Ruby did love him that much, after all.

"Come on short stuff! It's time to go!" Blaire called out as she stood with everyone else.

"C-Coming!"

Ruby looked out across the distance once more as she made her way towards the others, thinking all the while.

She knew Dante didn't always look at the world with the brightest disposition, not like he used to anyway. So now…

All Ruby could think of as she walked back, was whether or not Dante saw how beautiful the world was once again, just as Scylix had done in her final moments before passing on. She wondered if the skies in his mind were the same as the beautiful skies she had been looking at for the past few minutes.

---

There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was all just… a big white space that she found herself floating in. She had forgotten who she was.

But that all came rushing back within mere moments.

Everything filtered in quickly from the last few years, months, and days. She remembered everything.

Then it all went black, and like a nightmare, she remembered everything within that world of ruin. She remembered how she destroyed anything and everything in.

She remembered hurting him, causing him great pain, so much so that…

…

…

Crimson eyes snapped open, and the kitsune jolted up from her bed, as if waking from a terrible nightmare. Her eyes frantically scanned the room, unsure of where she was or how she came to be in this place. She felt almost bare, noticing that she was in a sort of hospital gown.

Was she hospitalized?

How was she hospitalized? When was she hospitalized?

What was that terrible nightmare she had?!

Nightmare…

"Master!" She gasped, quickly unraveling the sheets and springing out of bed towards the door.

It forcefully slid upon, her strength almost embedding the door entirely into the wall. She didn't care for it however. The only thing on her mind was one person and one person only. And she desperately needed to find him.

Inuba's eyes snapped left to right in a frantic manner, clutching the side of her head that throbbed with pain. Her Aura Sensing was in disarray, and the more she tried to force it open, the more it felt like small shards of glass digging into her brain.

Even so, she forced it open long enough to get a ping, and stumbled down the hallway, using the walls to keep her steady on her feet. Once she rounded the corner, she caught a glimpse of Ciel and Leo at the opposite end of the hall, as well as four other people she didn't recognize. Although… one of the girls looked a lot like Ciel, only older.

She didn't care at the moment. She needed to see Dante.

"Woah woah woah woah woah! Chill Foxy, chill!" Ciel said, holding Inuba back, "Gah, come on! Hey, Leo! A little help please!"

"Ms. Kitsukami, please calm yourself!"

"Not until-!"

"He's fine! We swear! He's just sleeping! Honest!"

Inuba persisted for but a few moments more until she allowed Ciel to stop her, the smaller girl letting out a sigh of relief with her brother.

"What's happened to him?"

"As they just told you, he is simply resting for now."

Inuba's head snapped to the familiar voice, seeing Lucifer standing behind her a good distance away.

"Why are you..?"

"Here? Well… it's only natural to come running should your family be in trouble."

"Family..?"

"Turns out he's our uncle. Who could have guessed?" Ciel answered Inuba with a shrug.

The kitsune's eyes trailed back to the Dark Entity King, keeping a sharp and narrowed gaze upon him before looking back to Ciel.

"What happened?"

"Uh… Well… To be honest, we can't really tell you all the details ourselves…"

"Ciel and I were still unconscious at the time." Leo answered.

Inuba was growing all the more impatient, and looked back to Lucifer, who gave her a serious stare.

"Very well then. What would you like to know?"

"Did… Did I hurt him..?" Inuba asked hesitantly.

"To be frank with you… you didn't just injure him. You also killed him."

Inuba's head jolted up as she took a few steps backwards, falling to her knees shortly after.

"Dude, not cool!" Ciel told the Dark Entity.

"No, he was right to state it bluntly." Leo commented, "There's no skirting around the issue this time… and no means of covering it up either."

"I… I couldn't have..!"

"But you did, Ms. Kitsukami." Lucifer told the girl, "Unfortunate as it may be, it is the truth nonetheless. You lost control of yourself, and the enemy had used you to not only almost destroy this World, but used you to kill my nephew, even if it were only temporary."

"N-No..! I..! I..!"

The poor girl sat there, grasping the sides of her head tearfully as it all came back to her. The brutal beating she gave Dante, him crawling through the flames, even inside her Inner World when he pulled her out of that deep despair… She remembered all of it now.

"Regardless… I suppose some good came out of it in the end… Not long after, he woke up, and after a brief 'nap' as he called it, he went back to confront Scylix a final time, and managed to defeat her." Lucifer stated, "He did, however, push himself past the cutoff threshold for Aura usage. Now… he is simply resting and recovering from his injuries."

There was one thing troubling Inuba out of the information she was just given.

"What do you mean, recovering from his injuries..?" Inuba asked.

"As of five days ago… His immortality has completely left him. He can now die like the rest of us."

"Us too for that matter…" Leo cut in.

"Yeah… Mojo's gone for us as well. Kind of sucks, but… Meh, I can live without it." Ciel commented.

"But that doesn't mean we should throw caution to the wind." Dawn spoke out, hesitant to look in Inuba's direction, "Effective immediately, we all must reevaluate our methods of combat, and adjust them to compensate for our current situation. We can't be reckless like we used to be."

"And who might you be?" Inuba asked, glaring at the girl.

The girl stood up from her seat, moving closer to the kitsune.

"You already know me, but… I suppose I should properly introduce myself now." She said with a polite bow, "I am Dawn Aetherveil, sister of Dante Aetherveil."

"Aetherveil..?"

"Pretty badass for a last name, huh?!" Ciel proudly stated.

"Regardless… We officially meet for the first time, Inuba Kitsukami." Dawn said as she knelt down and bowed her head low, "And… there is no greater apology that I can give you for how events turned out."

Inuba stepped away, slightly taken aback at how her Master's sibling bowed so low to the ground in a apologetic manner.

"Because of my reckless actions and poor planning, I have caused the both of you great pain and suffering that I cannot recompense in any lifetime. But still… I humbly ask for your forgiveness!"

…

The kitsune didn't know what to say really. It wasn't that she was angry, she simply didn't care at the moment. There was only one thing on her mind right now, one person to be more specific.

"What's all the commotion about?" A voice called out as the sliding door to Dante's room opened.

Inuba's eyes trailed to the calm, almost monotone voice, and when she laid eyes on the lightly armored girl in black, she felt a jolt run through her brain. With that jolt came a flood of memories, memories of a person that was once forgotten. And when she looked to the girl in black once more, she knew she couldn't mistake her.

"Well now… If it isn't 'little' Inuba. How long has it been now since last we saw each other? About a decade ago?"

"You are… Eclypse..!" Inuba managed to speak out, glaring at the taller girl.

"It seems your memory of me has returned as well…" She said in an almost annoyed tone, "For the time being, you should go."

"I want to see him!"

"Why?"

"W-Why?!" Inuba asked in a raised voice, "What do you mean why?!"

"It's a perfectly honest question. Why exactly do you want to see him now, at this moment?"

"I..!"

The kitsune fell silent at the girl's question, who only gave her a sigh as she slid the door behind her shut and leaned on it, crossing her arms.

"You know Inuba… Though I may not have been 'existing' in the World until recently, I have been seeing everything from Master's memories, and through his eyes. So… let me tell you how sad of a creature you really are."

Inuba gritted her teeth at the comment, baring them slightly, but Eclypse stood completely unafraid. She had been waiting to tell her this for so long; she wouldn't deterred because an angry little girl was giving her a glare.

"You've amassed this ridiculous pile of guilt for so long. A pile, which was entirely of your own making."

Eclypse raised her hand up, making sure the kitsune could see three of her fingers.

"Your guilt amassed significantly in three major instances. The first when the two of you were seven, and parted ways for the first time. You felt immense guilt about not being able to do anything to help him. The second time was when he sacrificed his memories of you to save your life. Everything from the time you two spent together, to the blossoming romantic relationship was wiped clean in an effort to save your life."

That had always been one of Inuba's greatest regrets ever since she saw him for the first time again after so long.

"It was here you began to keep your distance, in a sense. You would not directly interfere with his life concerning his romantic relationships because of the guilt you felt. You could have easily told him everything to remind him of all that happened in the past, especially concerning how romantically involved you were. And quite frankly… concerning the two that stood in your way at the time… had you told him the truth, he would have without a doubt ended his relationship with either of them as quickly as he could, just so that he could come back to you."

…

Inuba wanted to believe Eclypse was pulling that fact out of thin air, but to her frustration, she remembered just how closely she and Dante were connected. If anything… Eclypse would always be the one to truly understand Dante on a level no one else could.

Not even Inuba for that matter.

"But you thought that doing something like that would be wrong. You let foolish pride stand in the way from taking what you wanted. You wanted to do it the right way. You wanted to have him for yourself the right way, and feel proud of the great and arduous obstacles you had to overcome. How utterly nonsensical."

The kitsune's hands clenched tightly into fists, trying contain her anger.

"Then there was the last year or so. Guilt wracked your heart for leaving him all alone, just after believing you had truly died. When you appeared again, you must've thought 'Surely, this time I'll succeed'. But that thought was equally as foolish. Little did you know that someone else had unknowingly placed themselves in your way. Only this time, you pathetically tried harder than the last time to drive a wedge between the two of them. Again, a problem that could have easily been solved by telling the truth. And yet, your foolish pride stopped you once more."

…

She didn't…

"Finally, we have your pathetic jealousy. You made him realize there was something clearly wrong, that something wasn't quite right, or wasn't as it should be. But it was too little too late really. Your foolishness made him throw himself into the way of harm out of a sense of grief, and also to prevent the unfolding of another terrible tragedy inflicted upon you for a third time. However, since you couldn't control yourself, your anger nearly ruined the world, and virtually killed Master. Your own feelings that overwhelmed you practically ended that which you loved most."

All anyone else could do was watch in awe as Eclypse berated Inuba for her actions until. There was nothing they could say, and no way to intercede between them.

"And now, you've come to see your handiwork in person, and further burden yourself senselessly. Now, I imagine you'll seek to distance yourself from him as much as you can. But did you bother to think about how he'll pursue you in search of answers? Did you ever think about the conflicting feelings he's had not only recently, but within the past year alone? Of course not. You've only thought about yourself."

…

…

"If your only business here is to pathetically mope about, and cause further complications… then it's best you don't see him for now."

The room fell completely silent as all but Lucifer stared on in shock at Eclypse's harsh words. Inuba, in the meantime, kept her head bowed low, and unclenched her fists. Nobody but Eclypse could see it, but tears streamed down the kitsune's face as she spoke a few words silently to the lightly armored girl, and took of quickly.

The girl in black watched the Kitsune run off, and let out a sigh as she pushed herself off the door.

"You are savage as hell Eclypse…" Ciel commented, still in a bit of a daze at what she just witnessed, "But that was seriously too harsh…"

"I've half a mind to berate the three of you for letting her pathetic escapade continue this long." the girl in black menacingly stated as she glared at the three siblings, "And you, for that matter."

"M-Me?" Lucifer asked slightly startled.

"Yes, you. You knew about this as well, and yet you said nothing. Frankly, everyone knew. So for that matter, I'm practically inclined to kick everyone's ass who knew about this whole mess."

Letting out a huff of air, Eclypse's eyes trailed down the hallway Inuba ran through, remembering the words she briefly spoke.

"I suppose… you were better suited to be with him after all..."

That was the words of surrender Eclypse had wanted to hear a decade ago when the two of them fought over who would have Dante's love and affection. But irritatingly enough, he always treated both of them the same, and showed the two of them the same amount of affection.

This whole display wasn't so that Eclypse could make Inuba give up once and for all, even if that was an end goal. The fact was that she was going to make another regretful mistake, and no one else would have told her straight to her face what she was about to do.

Even if Eclypse had won their decade long dispute… it was still a bitter victory for her. She knew now that Inuba resigned herself to remove herself from Dante, and stay as far away from him and his life as much as possible. Perhaps even leave.

But the girl in black knew full well that her Master wouldn't lie content as Inuba would attempt to push herself away further. He'd give chase to her without a doubt.

And who knew what utter foolishness the kitsune would speak to Dante for the sake of affirm to her new foolish "vow".

She would only end up hurting Dante further.

The truth was necessary, no matter how harsh Eclypse laid it out for Inuba. If she couldn't understand what she was doing wrong… then how would she stop doing it?

Was there a slight problem now? Yes. But it was manageable, if handled appropriately within a timely manner. Knowing Inuba, and that look in her eyes, she was likely about ready to run off.

No, she was running away.

Regardless, it was within Eclypse's expectations, particularly concerning the direction she was headed in. And if her Aura Sensing wasn't as bad as her Master's, then those two would be right where Inuba would be running through.

No one else could see it since she was staring down the hallway, but a smile formed on Eclypse's face.

Everything was going according to her plan.

---

"N-No way… So all this time..?"

Blaire nodded her head, confirming Ruby's question for her.

"Everything I've told you is the truth and nothing but the truth."

The older woman and the little reaper sat together outside at a round table of wood, an awning stretching over them to provide some shade.

It was a nice addition to the immense, log cabin-esque estate that resembled a large resort more than anything. Pine trees encircled them for miles on end, hiding them within the mildly cold terrain. There was also a crystal clear lake that could been seen out in the distance between the pines that spanned for hundreds of yards.

"I'm pretty sure before this whole Scylix mess happened, you realized there was something up with Dante and Inuba. Or rather, you realized there was something between the two of them. Considering you're the one in a relationship with him right now, I think I can confidently say you knew what that 'something' was."

"Well, yeah, I did… But I never really thought much about it…"

"Of course you wouldn't, because you never once thought Dante would ever betray you, much less cheat on you or anything. And you'd be right to trust that'd never happen. Considering how he is, that's pretty much one of the very few things he's really straight-laced about. You manage to score with him, and he'll be completely devoted and faithful to you, no matter what."

"I-I never doubted him or anything! I just… I don't know… I… I felt like I was in the way whenever they were hanging out together…" Ruby stated, nervously pressing her her fingertips together.

"See? Like I said, feminine instinct at work!" Blaire stated proudly, taking a sip of her coffee soon after, "Of course you'd notice something like that. The two of them have a precious and incredibly special bond. Anyone that's hung around them long enough can see that."

"Y-Yeah…"

"You know, if you take the time to think about it, with all the stuff that's happened to them, you'd think the universe is trying to keep them apart or something."

And Ruby was right in the middle of it…

"Even if they were torn away from each other, they always found a way back to one another. That kind of bond is far too special to be broken by any means."

"Looks like it…"

…

…

Ruby had been thinking for some time now, and since hearing Blaire's revelation of the exact relationship Dante and Inuba had, and how they were torn apart from each other… she felt guilty. She shouldn't have been feeling that…

Right..?

…

…

More than anything, she wanted Dante to be happy. That's why…

"I… I think-"

"Don't even think about it, short stuff."

Ruby stared at Blaire with surprise, startled at how she knew exactly what the reaper was about to say.

"Look Ruby… Inuba had her chance multiple times to set things right and get back what was taken from her. But she didn't take the opportunity that was always in front of her." The crimson haired woman explained, "You won him over fair and square. There's no reason you should feel guilty or like you've done something wrong. So don't just go and give him up like that because you feel you have to."

"But…"

"It sucks, I know. But that's how it is. Can't complain about it really." Blaire shrugged, "If you really want to make Dante happy, then stick with him and be happy together. Don't give him up for any reason. Trust me when I say going through with this half baked idea of yours is only going to cause a bigger mess rather than fix it."

…

Was there no way to make Inuba happy as well?

One of the doors on the far side swung open quickly, and from it, the two watched the person they were just speaking about quickly run off into the distance. Without saying a word, Ruby and Blaire quickly got out of their seats and chased after the kitsune through the large forest of pine trees that surrounded the area.

Where is she going?! Ruby wondered as she ran through the heavily wooded area, ducking under a branch, And… was she crying..?

Why would she be crying though? Everything was fine. Dante was fine. So why..?

The reaper in red pushed past the last of the clearing, taking a quick glance around and spotting Inuba kneeling over the edge of the cliffside that overlooked the forest below for miles. The noon sun was high in the sky, and the rivers below glistened like diamonds under the sunlight.

Today was such a beautiful day. So why…

Blaire had finally caught up, both she and Ruby glancing at each other briefly as they walked over towards the crying kitsune in silence.

"Inuba..?" Ruby called out, "What's wrong..?"

She didn't reply, and the little reaper only glanced to Blaire in a questioning manner as to what to do. The older woman moved past Ruby, standing directly next to Inuba with her arms crossed.

"If this were the old days, I would've ordered you to stand up straight and tell me what the problem is. But, it isn't those times anymore, and I'm just here as a friend basically. So, what's the matter?"

"I… I can't go back…" The kitsune spoke out softly, "I… I have to leave…"

"And go where?" Blaire questioned, raising up a hand, "Home? Passages are bad as is. Plus, you wouldn't really be all too free to move about. You're supposed to be dead remember?" She pointed out, "Other than that, where else you would go here in this World? Last time I checked, people with animalistic appendages like yours aren't treated so well here like they are back home."

"I don't care… I just… I just have to go away, and leave him be…"

"Don't you think that'd make Dante sad?" Ruby pointed out as she approached from the opposite side, "You two are really close, so… why would you want to leave?"

"I can't be here… I can't be near him…" Inuba said, shaking her head, "Not after what I did..!"

"Inuba…"

"I just can't!" The kitsune said, raising her voice, "I've hurt him too much… I've been hurting him all along far too much… Every time, he's always put himself in harms way to defend me. Because of me… he's been hurt so much throughout his lifetime… I… I don't want to hurt him anymore! I can't bear it anymore!"

"For someone with high intelligence, you certainly are an incredible fool at times."

Ruby and Blaire's heads spun around to see Eclypse appearing out of a burst of black and white Aura, her black armored giving off a faint, glossy shine under the light of the sun.

"This is why I constantly challenge your competence, Little Inuba."

"Hey." Blaire said, glaring at Eclypse.

"Being nice won't get anyone anywhere. That being said…" The lightly armored girl said, glancing to Inuba, "You ran off before I could finish, you little fool. You've been foolishly piling years worth of guilt on your shoulders, and burdening your mind with nonsense."

Inuba shied away further upon hearing the girl's worlds, burying her face between her knees.

"The reason it's foolish and nonsensical… is because you moronically blame yourself for all of these misfortunes."

Inuba's eyes widened briefly as she raised her head up, looking to Eclypse.

"Honestly… You're a fool to blame yourself for all these troubles that have happened. The real person at fault is Master. And you can say all you want in defense of him, but the truth of the matter is that each time, he made the decision to go through with what he has. He decided to save you over himself all those years ago. He chose to sacrifice his memories to give you life. And… he chose to march onward through fire and Hell to spare you of a terrible fate, even though he knew it would certainly cost him his life."

That was true enough, from what Blaire and Ruby collectively thought, but in Inuba's case, she began to slowly consider Eclypse's words.

"Everything that has happened, everything Master has been through… He went through it all because he made the decision to press on forward, even if it would bring great misfortune and tragedy. Nothing that has happened is really your fault. Not even turning into that Great Beast was your fault. That is why your years of guilt are foolish. That is why I tell you… forget all of this. Do not blame yourself for every single tragedy that has befallen the two of you. Instead… look on in pride at all you've overcome, and stand tall next to him as you deserve."

Inuba didn't know what to say. She was too overcome with emotion to speak any words, and instead, jumped up to her feet and rushed over to a surprised Eclypse, wrapping her into a tight hug as she cried her eyes out. The armored girl seemed uncomfortable at first, but only let out a sigh as she returned the gesture, patting the kitsune's back.

"Speaking of Master… There is something all four of us need to discuss. Something very important."

Inuba's sobbing came to a halt as she looked up at the tall Eclypse in confusion, Ruby and Blaire standing next to her and sharing equal confusion at the black armored girl's words.

"This has been on my mind for quite sometime now. I've thought about this carefully and clearly, so understand that what I'm about to say isn't just mere nonsense."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

The four girls stood in the circle, the other three looking up to Eclypse to hear her words.

"Now… I need you all to listen to me very carefully…"

---

His eyes slowly opened, staring at the log cabin-esque ceiling as a few rays of light peeked through the curtains. Numerous parts of his body felt numb… and his right leg still twinged with moderate pain, lifting the sheets up to see he was wearing hospital pajamas. His hands were bandaged entirely, as was the entire left side of his torso when he peeked under his shirt.

"Finally, you're awake." A voice said, Dante hearing the sound of a book being quickly shut, "I was beginning to think we might have needed to give you further treatment."

"Dawn… Did I pass out?" The teen asked, rubbing the side of his head.

His sister rose up from her seat and dragged it behind her to Dante's bedside to sit near him.

"You exhausted your Aura past the threshold limit and collapsed, but the bigger problem was still the injuries you sustained from… that time before your final confrontation with Scylix." Dawn said, being careful with her words, "You didn't fully heal yet. Add that to the injuries you sustained from this recent fight, you won't be fighting for some time. That is, unless you really push yourself."

"Right… Can't heal like I used to…"

"That… isn't exactly the case."

Dante stared at his sister in confusion, causing the girl to awkwardly clear her throat before she explained.

"Ciel and Leonard notified me after the fight, but their immortality has vanished too, the same for me as well." She stated, causing Dante to look at her in surprise, "I don't know by what means this came to be, but it would seem that our immortality wasn't individual to all of us, but collective through you. As soon as Scylix erased it from you, it was removed from the three of us as well."

That was… surprising to hear.

"I can't quite describe it, but… when it happened, I felt a sudden emptiness in me. Nothing too large, but still very noticeable."

"Same for me… Like I just got drained big time…" Dante commented, eyes looking back up at Dawn in a questioning manner, "How exactly do you know for sure your guys' immortality is gone?"

"I… conducted some experiments on myself yesterday to know for sure." His sister said, raising up her arm to show her hand and wrist had been bandaged, "Naturally, we'll be able to heal slowly on our own. But with assistance from our Auras, it'll almost mimic our original healing mechanism in terms of speed. The only downside I imagine is that now, depending on the extent of the injury we take, the more Aura it will consume in order to heal. I can't imagine how much Aura it would cost to save us from a deathblow…"

"Me neither… Frankly, I don't ever want to find out…"

"And yet knowing our luck as collective family unit, I doubt we'll be so fortunate in the future." Dawn stated, lowering her arm, "That being said… I think that from now on, the four of us need to re-evaluate the way we fight. We can't be reckless like we used to and throw ourselves in the way of everything. We need to be careful, and we need to change the way we fight."

Something like that would be difficult to an extent. When you're so used to a certain action or method, breaking yourself out of it to make up or work with a new method was… challenging. Rather, it was tedious. For Dante, he knew exactly how to fight without taking hits. His younger self when working with the CGA was a prime example of how to combat foes without so much as letting them scratch you. He simply abandoned it after his reawakening.

"Dante?"

"Y-Yeah, I get what you're saying." The once immortal stated, snapping his attention back to Dawn, "But something like that isn't going to be easy…"

"I understand. But I think we'll have enough time in between to work on it."

The teen's eyes began scanning the room around him; he wasn't looking for anything in the room specifically, but rather, he was "looking" through them. His Aura Sensing was… acting bizarre. No, it wasn't bizarre… it was expanded. He could feel multiple people through the complex; Ciel, Skyla and Musashi were together in a room, same for Leo, Bailey and Alice. Xera and Kitsuki were in the dining hall together with Asahi and Akihito, and Lucifer, Raum and Irene were all together. There was someone else in there, someone he didn't know.

…

So this is how it feels like to have Aura Sensing that actually functions…

But where were Ruby, Eclypse, and Blaire?

…

Where was Inuba?

"Brother, what's wrong?" Dawn asked.

"My Sensing's… actually working for once…"

"That's great news!"

"Yeah but…"

"But what?"

Dante's head moved up to look at Eclypse, who had just entered the room.

"Eclypse!"

"Yes yes, it is I, the all fabulous and mighty Eclypse." The armored girl jokingly waved off, "Now, what seems to be the issue?"

"I… Where exactly is Inuba?" The teen asked, looking back and forth between the two.

"W-Well… She just left not too long ago-"

Before Dawn even had the chance to finish that sentence, Dante's eyes widened briefly before he ripped the bed covers off of him and leapt onto his feet to run. At the very least, he wanted to run, but as soon as his right leg touched the floor, pain flared up through his leg, causing him to fall down.

"Wait, Master, calm down for-"

"I'll be back in a bit!" The once immortal said, pushing himself off the floor and onto his left foot.

Taking a moment to steady out his balance, the teen hopped towards the door on one leg, cracking it open just enough for him to slip through as he continued his hopping down the halls. Each bounce was a long stride from the last, garnering Dante a great big distance with each hop. If he couldn't run for the moment, then he had to use his only good leg to carry him forward. And if his left leg gave out…

He knew how to walk and run using his hands, therefore if the worst happened, he'd still have a means of moving, even if it looked absolutely ridiculous. When he reached the ground level, he passed by Lucifer sitting in a chair, who peeked up from his book in confusion to see the "hopping-mad" teen pass him by.

The King had half a mind to ask why he was doing such a thing, but at the moment, he was fairly engrossed in a magazine article he found earlier when he traveled to a nearby village.

After opening the door, Dante found a pair of slip on shoes and quickly put them on as he kept leaping, not missing a beat.

"Master, I suggest you take a moment and-"

"There's no time for that!" The teen mentally replied back to Eclypse.

As he thought out his response, he tripped over a rock in the road, crashing down into the dirt with a harsh thud as he clutched his right leg.

…

If his previously injured right arm was anything to go by, then Shadow Skinning his right leg would allow the limb to function without pain.

Even if it'd screw it up further in the end.

But it was well worth it.

Despite his wants however, he couldn't activate it, no matter how hard he tried to force it to. Blackened Aura certainly gathered around his damaged limb, but it struggled to come together to form his iconic armor.

Was his Aura still too diminished to even do that much?

Perhaps…

"Eclypse..! A little help please?!" Dante mentally called out.

He heard the girl mentally sigh back at him, but within the next instant, blackened, segmented armor covered up his entire right leg, erasing the pain and allowing him to move it freely as he staggered up and took off running into the forest.

He didn't bother moving out of the way for anything, all he did was run a straight path. Unfortunately, anything in his way suffered; edges of rocks had been smashed, trees and branches were splintered, everything in the way simply broke apart.

When he blew through the clearing, Dante's eyes quickly searched the area, finding just who he was looking for, along with Ruby and Blaire.

"Inuba!" Dante shouted as he quickly jogged forward, breathing heavily.

All three girls turned around, looking at the teen in surprise as he slowed himself down, leading with his armored foot to stop himself to a halt.

"Don't..!" He said hunched over, taking deep and heavy breaths, straightening up right after, "Don't go..! Don't leave!"

"W-What..?"

"I'm sorry!" Dante apologized, bowing his head, "I'm sorry for everything! All this time… I've kept making mistake after mistake… and I've failed you practically every step of the way!"

"N-No…"

"I have! I hurt you so much along the way in ways I never even considered! That's why… please, don't go away!" The once immortal pleaded.

"I..!"

Dante raised his head up to look at the tearful Inuba, who kept her hands close to her chest.

"I thought about leaving at first but… I was going to come back and… and… I'm sorry for wanting to leave in the first place!" Inuba bowed back apologetically, "I kept blaming myself for all of our misfortunes, and unintentionally burdened you a great deal! Please, forgive your Familiar's foolishness!"

"Yes yes, you're both sorry." Eclypse said, appearing between them in a burst of black and white Aura, "Any longer and you'll both be dying 'sorry' to one another for the next hour."

"I'm… I'm glad you all stopped her from leaving." Dante mentioned, looking at the four in front of him.

As he said that, Eclypse, Ruby, Inuba and Blaire looked at each other and gave one another a nod, looking back at Dante shortly after.

"There's... another reason why we're all here…" Ruby meekly stated, pressing her fingertips together.

"That's right." Blaire cut in, "We're all here because the four of us have been faced with a sort of… important issue."

"One we would like to have solve soon rather than later." added Inuba.

Important issue..?

…

…

Oh…

This… was something he wasn't going to like. Now that he thought about it clearly, he…

…

This was going to be a mess…

"You understand then, Master?" Ecylpse asked, standing next to the three girls so that the once immortal could see all of them in full view, "We're here… because each of us have a very strong and rather important connection to you. And to be frank, the relationships you've been in were sort of… messy, save for your current relationship with Ruby."

Dante looked to the little reaper and she meekly stared back, only getting more nervous under his gaze.

"Master… Do you… remember now? Do you remember everything? Our past together?"

He did. But all he could managed was a nod at the kitsune, which in turn made her stiffen up a bit.

"Hence the problem. In a manner of speaking, your relationship with Inuba all those years ago never ended. And yet, due to your lack of memory, you unknowingly and unintentionally started another relationship with Ruby Rose." Eclypse explained, "That aside… there's also the case of myself and Blaire Embryl, whom in the past, you promised a sort of commitment, should all else fail. Even though we aren't in the same situation as Ruby and Inuba, we still hold very strong feelings for you."

Dante looked to the red haired woman, who jumped slightly when she saw his gaze.

"W-Well…" She said, scratching the side of her cheek, "Back then… after you saved me… You said that if there was no one for either of us, then you would gladly be with me. I meant what I said back then you know, about waiting for you to grow up into a proper man first… A-And, well… After seeing you now, clearly you have become a promising and proper man. S-So… I would like to make good on that, if possible…"

…

He was right. Usually he liked being right about a guess, but right now… He hated being right.

More than anything… he genuinely felt shame for the first time in his life that cut so deep. And it wasn't a good feeling in the slightest.

But… it didn't mean it was all false.

"There you have it, Master." Eclypse pointed out, "Everything is out in the open. Now… you must choose."

Choose… It wasn't so simple… There was nothing easy about this situation, much less choosing. If anything, he'd…

…

…

"Eclypse." Dante spoke up, looking to the lightly armored girl, "You taught me what true power and true strength really was, and because of that, you gave me the courage to stand up to anyone and everyone, regardless of who or what they might be."

The girl let out a small hum, her lips curling into a small smile as Dante looked to Blaire.

"Captain-"

"J-Just call me Blaire, you fool."

"Blaire… You showed me what it meant to be truly good and to stand up for my beliefs, even if everyone else thought I was wrong for whatever reasons they had. Because of that… even in the toughest of situations, I never truly gave up, and always believed in what I was doing."

"I-Is that so…" The red haired woman said, curling a strand of her hair around her finger as she averted his gaze.

"Ruby." The once immortal spoke up, causing the little reaper to jump a bit, "I gave up dreaming a long time ago. I gave up wanting anything for myself; happiness, a future… But… being with you, I felt as though I could dream again, and not be afraid for once. Watching you reach out for your dreams rekindled that fire in me to dream once again."

Ruby seemed to smile at that, but almost immediately returned to her nervous state and looked away.

"Inuba… You've done so much for me as it is, but… The greatest thing by far that you showed and taught me… was love." Dante started, taking a brief moment to mentally recount his memories, "I wasn't well liked, hated really, when we were younger. And even though I was… incredulously difficult, the love and kindness you showed me gave back the heart and emotions I lost. And with it, came the idea of knowing how to love. There was no greater thing you could have ever given me."

"I-I'm glad then, that I have been able to do so much for you…" the kitsune nodded, nervously shifting about and keeping a hand on the nine, long white tails behind her to still their whipping about.

"Every single one of you have given me so many important things. Things that… if I didn't have… I don't think I would've made it as far as have. No, I know that I wouldn't be here now without the incredible gifts you've all given me. That's why…"

His gut was wrenched to the point it felt like it didn't even exist anymore. There was no way this was going to stand. Not even the slightest chance in the universe that it'd work. But it was worth trying. It was always worth trying.

"That's why… I won't choose anyone!"

The four girls stood there in utter shock at his words, completely awestruck at what they just heard.

"Instead..!" The once immortal started, bowing down to them, "Instead, I choose all of you!"

Silence filled the forest. Not a single word was spoken, nor was the slightest movement made.

"I know it's unreasonable to ask for such a thing, but..! That is what I would want! Instead of choosing just one of you, I choose all of you!"

Dante hadn't the nerve, nor the courage to look up, and only kept his eyes glued to the stone plateau he knelt down on, nose almost touching the granite.

But after long moments of silence, he decided to slowly look up again, and saw the strangest of things.

The four of them sighed in relief.

He looked up at them in surprise as they relaxed themselves, and he was utterly confused.

"Thank goodness..!" Inuba sighed.

"That went better than I expected…" Blaire said.

"I too was worried for a moment…" Eclypse noted.

"Same…"

"W-What..? I don't… What?" Dante asked in confusion, looking to the four of them for an answer.

"Well… How to put it…" Inuba started, glancing to Eclypse.

"Oh? Very well then. I'll explain the details."

---

"Now… I need you all to listen to me very carefully." Eclypse spoke in a solem tone, overlooking the three, "By now, it's no secret that each of the four of us harbor intense feelings of love for Dante. As such, this presents a very big problem for us."

Ruby and Inuba looked to each other briefly before glancing at Eclypse, then Blaire, who jumped at the sudden stares upon her.

"W-What? Is that so hard to believe? Yes, I do love him they same way the three of you do. He saved my life after all… amongst other things…"

"You already know my case, Little Inuba." Eclypse said, earning a frustrated pout from the kitsune, "Since now we are all aware of our predicament, I have a proposal to make. I only ask that you keep an open mind."

"Well, what's the proposal then?"

Eclypse glanced over the three once more, letting out a sigh before looking at them with a serious glance.

"To put it simply… Instead of fighting over who will be with him, my proposal is that we all be with him, rather the rest of us being left in the dirt."

"H-Huh?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Sure. I'm for it." Blaire immediately replied.

"H-Huh?!" The little reaper reiterated.

"That's two. And you, Ruby Rose? What is your decision?"

"M-Me?"

"Yes, you." Eclypse affirmed, "Seeing as you are the one currently in a relationship with Master, the decision is mainly yours."

Ruby's eyes darted around, looking at the ground as she nervously shifted about and thought carefully. It was an important decision to be made, surely, but…

…

Would something like that work?

…

"I…" Ruby started, her eyes darting up to Eclypse, "If this is the best option… And if this is what makes Dante happiest, then I'll do it."

"Very good then. What about you, Little Inuba? What is your-?"

"I agree to this as well."

Eclypse froze in place, mildly surprised by the kitsune's rather quick response. She had always been selfish when it came to Dante, and always spoke about "wanting him to be hers only", but whenever she said that, Eclypse imagined Inuba meaning that she wanted him to be solely devoted to her under the pretexts of where they used to live.

Now? Now the situation was more or less in her favor. In everyone's favor really.

"I… You made me open my eyes to my selfish disposition, Eclypse. Previously, I wanted him more than anything, but I never stepped forward and never spoke out about our previous situation. My pride in wanting to gain his affection solely for my own blinded me. And because of that… I never truly realized that I had been hurting him until now."

Inuba's hand shifted down to the pocket of her hospital pajamas, pulling out the identical metal fox charm she, Dante and his siblings had, rubbing her thumb over the silvery metal.

"I… I have long been in need of a change of attitude. And hearing everyone's story… I realized I simply cannot disregard everyone else's feelings. Even if you and I are sour with one another at times, Eclypse."

The black armored girl's lips curled into a smile as she crossed her arm and looked on at the kitsune, almost proud of her decision.

"That is why… I agree to this proposition as well for the four of us to be united with Master. And like Ms. Rose said, if this is what will make him happy, and barren of a conflicted mind as to which of us to choose between, then I am in full agreeance."

"Excellent."

"I do have but one condition." The kitsune spoke up, garnering everyone's attention, "Though all of us may agree on this… the final decision has to be Master's. Far too long has any sort of real decision been removed entirely from the equation. He has to be the one to make this final decision."

"I-I guess that's fair…" Ruby pointed.

"Yeah, sure I guess." Blaire added.

"And if the worst should happen?" Eclypse brought to attention.

"Then… so be it. As I said, he's never truly had the ability to make a decision for himself. Not because he's incapable, but because people removed that option entirely for him, making him unable to refuse because of his good nature. I don't want to force this on him. If there is a right way to go about it… then this would be it."

Of course, she's still trying to retain some sense appropriateness. But she was right nonetheless. Eclypse knew better than anyone how true Inuba's statement was about Dante never being given any real choice. The sad part was that he always knew people were taking away his ability to make a choice, and in turn, Eclypse could always feel his bitterness and animosity in those moments.

"Fine then." The lightly armored girl said with a roll of her eyes, "I suppose I can agree to those terms."

Her eyes snapped open, feeling a small jolt in her mind as her head looked back toward the structure in the distance.

"Just in time… He's woken up."

Ruby and Inuba shared a happy cheer together at the news as Blaire smiled along with them.

"Seeing as you're all on the mend, I shall go and bring him here."

"Why you though?" Blaire asked, looking at the girl with a cautious glance.

"Because by comparison, my form remains flawless." She stated with a sly smile, "It would simply be wiser is all."

"Don't do anything weird to him."

"I'll try not to." The girl said with a bow, turning the other direction back towards the house.

A part of her wanted to laugh, maybe even let out a small giggle. But all she let out was a wide smile, expressing a form of joy that her plan had actually worked out better than expected. She accounted for Blaire and Inuba a long time ago, but Ruby… Ruby was another complicated addition to the equation. Not that there was anything wrong with that.

In fact, Eclypse always thought Ruby was good for him, particularly with how his mental state was when he first arrived to this World. She, like Inuba, had a genuine purity and kindness to them that was… soothing, calming. Blaire was also the same, even though on a slighter lesser degree.

Eclypse though? She wasn't exactly like the three of them were. Thinking about it before, she always made herself out to be neutral. Not entirely good for him, but also nowhere near bad. Not that she did anything treacherous though. All she really would do was… influence him to act more on his impulses and desires, sometimes even the bad ones when necessary.

Actually, "bad" was in need of an amendment.

"Naughty" was the better term, or rather, the one she liked best because of its broad applications.

Though in her mind, she had very specific definitions of what "naughty" meant. Thinking about it almost fired her up really, now that her plan had come to fruition.

More importantly… he would be happy. That alone is what she always wanted most for Dante. To be happy and fulfilled.

---

"And there you have it, Master." Inuba stated, "By unanimous decision, all of us completely agreed upon being your lovers. But, as I pointed out, we desired you to make the final decision to accept the four of us. And you did. Frankly… we couldn't be happier that you made this choice."

"If it helps Master, think of this as your reward that's long overdue." Eclypse pointed out, "For all your time, all your efforts, you've been left with sparsely little. But now… Now you will have exactly what you deserve. Love and affection… from all four of us."

"It's not everyday a person has such a grand opportunity." Blaire noted.

"So… please take care of all of us from now on." Ruby added with a smile.

…

…

Awe. Disbelief. Shock.

This couldn't be happening. This had to be impossible. He was still asleep. Had to be. That was the only explanation for all this.

"This isn't a dream, Master. This is all very much real." Eclypse told him, "And if I'm not mistaken… you just became the luckiest man alive. Congratulations. You now have four lovely women that will cherish and adore you forever."

"R-Right… Not a dream…"

"Do you accept?" His lightly armored companion asked.

…

This was real. And…

This was a chance to be happy. This was a chance to have what he wanted for once.

"Of course. I'm… I'm really happy…" he said, still in a small sense of disbelief.

If anything though, he was actually feeling really light headed, so it was hard to express the plethora of emotions running through him. His body wanted to sleep, even though he wanted to stay awake.

"So… You aren't going to leave then?" Dante managed to speak out to Inuba, still in something of a daze.

The kitsune shook her head, smiling at the teen, "Never. I will be with you always and forever, as it always has been."

Dante chuckled silently to himself, nodding his head up and down as he let out a sigh of relief, looking up at the four.

"That's… good then…"

His eyes closed shut and he fell over, completely unconscious to everyone's surprise.

"D-Dante?!" Ruby worriedly called out.

"Nothing to worry about." Eclypse said walking over to the once immortal, "He simply pushed himself too much since he's still fairly exhausted. There's also a little bit of blood loss involved, but nothing too critical."

"W-What?!" Inuba said, rushing over, "Blood loss is very serious Eclypse!"

She remained silent, now remembering exactly the predicament her Master, or rather, her lover was in.

"So it is." She stated in response, touching Dante's armored right leg, "But it won't be an issue for now."

The black armor… seemingly tightened around his thigh and calves slightly, and small spouts of blood poured out from the thin, segmented layers.

"There. I've expunged the excess blood and also temporarily sealed up his wound. He shall be fine, for now."

Eclypse made to pick up Dante, but Ruby beat her to the punch, quickly taking Dante up in her arm. He was… heavier… but the little reaper remained determined nonetheless.

"Already taking advantage I see… How clever…" the armored girl said, glaring at Ruby.

"Relax already. Unlike you, she'll actually carry him." Blaire noted as she started walking ahead of them, "Without fondling his ass like you did last time."

"You did what?!" Inuba asked, shocked at the black armored girl's actions.

Eclypse only shrugged at them, "You must admit, for a man, he does have a rather delectable rear. Too difficult to resist without giving a squeeze."

"That he does, but still, there's a time and place for those kinds of things." The red haired woman stated, Ruby following close behind with Dante in her arms.

"Honestly… You're still like this after all this time..!" Inuba lectured.

"Are you so different? If I recall, you're just as devious as I am, trying to 'pounce' him when he least expected it… Shame shame, Little Inuba."

"T-That was-!"

"No need to explain yourself." Eclypse said with a shrug as she walked ahead of the kitsune, "I'm sure that like me, they were for very good reasons."

Inuba was blushing furiously at her once rival's teasing, but after taking a deep breath, she let it go and joined them in their walk back.

After all… this was, without doubt, a joyous day. Even if it was done in the most unexpected of ways… she still had what she desired most.

A life with Dante.

Maybe not exactly as she dreamed it would be, but it was a life with him regardless.

And that was what mattered most.

---

And that's that. The final battle with Scylix has concluded, and everyone walks away with a rather peaceful ending. Though considering Dante's circumstances now… it just might be a little bit more hectic from now on.

Those of you who have been with me from the very start, you might remember someone asking me at one point "Is this going to be a harem story", to which I vehemently replied "No" to. Well… clearly I changed my mind then given the circumstances, huh?

So what brought this on? Well, nothing too out of left field really. This came up around the beginning of last year when I was still writing out everything and making additions or subtractions here and there. I came to the realization, "If Dante chooses one, then the rest will be very unhappy, even if they say it's okay".

Now you might think "Uh, obviously", to which I agree with you there, but I'm more of the person for happier endings and instances after placing some of my characters through some seriously arduous trials. And believe me, good ol' Dante has been through some really rough times, even if you've yet to see all of it.

So yes, after some hard thinking, and focusing on what I wanted to do, I decided to go multi-relational. Believe me when I say I didn't make this choice easily given my previous stance on multi-relationships in anime or manga. And believe me, some of the works out there are ok, maybe decent, but there's some that are just… meh…

In the end, after viewing various works, even some of the "meh" ones, I found a small enough appeal to it and thought "I'll give it a try in my story. I've got the characters for it, and a nice enough way to set it up or start it up". And thus, you now see before you the multi-relationship between Dante, Ruby, Inuba, Eclypse, and Blaire.

Now, another thing you might ask is "We get Ruby and Inuba, but what about these other two people? They haven't been in the story that long at all and they just kind of seem randomly placed there". Believe me when I say Eclypse and Blaire weren't just random drop-ins simply for the sake of making a multi-relationship.

Eclypse took me a very eager two years to develop and plan out, and I had been literally dying for the last year in agony, waiting to introduce her at last. The same can be said for Blaire, although, I didn't have anything definitive for her until about five or six months ago. So yes, I did think and plan this through, and they weren't randomly placed in there. I just made the realization after their conception that they could fit in there.

Believe me when I say I will try to make it work and try to make it good without making too… you know, cheesy or corny or whatever. I'll do my absolute best and consult people when need be. Last thing you might ask is "Are there going to be more in the multi-relationship?", to which I say… I dunno.

Well, I do know, I'm just not telling. You'll have to wait and see I'm afraid. Wink wink.

Other than that… HOLY CRAP, DEVIL MAY CRY 5 LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. I cannot tell you how excruciating the wait has been. And guess what? WE'RE GETTING IT THURSDAY NIGHT. WOOOOO! You can bet I'll be playing it nonstop. I strongly recommend this game if you're a fan of intense, diverse, fast paced, stylish combat. Not only that, it's got great story too. There's an infinite number of reasons I can give you to buy the game, but that'll take too long. Instead, trust me when I say it would be well worth it.

That's all I have to say for now, so with that...

I highly recommend you all go check out the freaking amazing story Rogue Huntsman written by Xera Stark. The 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. Plus, I'm working on it with him as a co-author, and my characters are in it too. So if you want to see a sort of alternate story and such with my characters in it, go on over and give Rogue Huntsman a read.

And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, and tells Rogue Huntsman's story from his characters' perspective, like how Knights of White and Black (my alternate story) tells the tale from my character's perspectives.

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!