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.

75. Chapter 75: Sparks and Shards

Back again.

From the Abyss I bring another chapter.

Real life obligations are a pain in the ass.

That's... That's all I got. Pretty sure I haiku'd that, but I don't remember the exact intricacies behind that. Might have to brush up on it.

Anyway, here's the newest chapter. Enjoy.

---

Chapter 75: Sparks and Shards

«»

---

- Nearly two years ago -

"What the hell's your problem?!" Dante said as he approached Anya's desk, "You don't come to school for a few days, and to top it off, you flat out ignored me for more than a week now! What gives?!"

"What gives…" the girl said as she kept sweeping through files in need of approval, "is that clearly you have no need for my company when you can easily enjoy the company of another."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

"No, I don't. Saying 'you know what I mean' is like saying I can see the future or something stupid like that."

"If you're going to chatter incessantly, then-"

The young devil slammed his hands on the table, making various objects jump up briefly as Anya had no choice but to look him in the eye. She was clearly upset with him, but he frankly had no idea why she was so upset. He didn't say anything, didn't get into brawls, didn't break any rules (that she knew of at the very least)…

For once, the devil was on his best behavior for a constant duration.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Me?! What's wrong with you?!" Anya said, raising her voice for once.

It actually startled the young man.

"Wasn't… Wasn't I enough for you..?"

At that moment, his eyes went wide, remembering an event that took place over a week ago. And just as he remembered, he facepalmed, groaning silently.

"Oh, now it comes back to you."

"No, it just suddenly occurred to me why you've been so pissed off…" Dante replied, "On the stairs right?"

The girl crossed her arms, finally looking away from the teen as he stood up straight.

"You do realize I didn't kiss her, right?"

"Liar! I saw the two of you-!"

"I'm guessing you were at the bottom of the stairs, so you likely saw her back and didn't see me putting my hand in front of my mouth."

"W-What..?"

"She tried coming onto me pretty forcefully. It was actually freaking scary… I damn near pushed her off the stairway."

She was… utterly perplexed. Thinking about it though, he was right. She didn't see what happened in its entirety and ran. She didn't even bother to ask his side of the story…

Anya raised a hand to her head, sighing in frustration at her foolishness. The last two weeks have been… immensely stressful to the point where she had been losing focus a great deal. Thoughts became muddied, days seemingly spanned into months…

The double life she was leading had begun taking a toll in the most extreme of ways.

Her people were being attacked out on the street at night, rogue Dark Entities were attacking humans, and making progress towards the treaty immensely difficult with the backlash they were receiving… Not to mention, she herself had been attacked many times, both in the literal sense and by hecklers in the media.

The sheer amount of stress had chipped away at her psyche a great deal, especially with this recent debacle that really turned out to be a simple misunderstanding.

"And people call me stupid… Unbelievable…"

"I'm sorry…" she quietly said, "I… I've just…"

"Stressed? Yeah, I get it, but you're supposed to be better than that. What happened to fat-headed Anya who could just stubbornly beat anyone into submission with her big brain and fat mouth?"

"W-What?! My head isn't-!"

"You totally have a fat head."

"You..!"

Anya stood up and reached over her desk, grabbing Dante's cheeks with both hands and stretching them as far as they could go. A few seconds of her punishment doled out, she sighed, and let go of the young devil's now red cheeks to lean back in her chair and close her eyes.

The girl remained perfectly still, listening to Dante's footsteps as they stopped right next to her with another "clacking" sound, as if he had just set a wooden chair down. Soon, her head was forced down, startling her as she opened her eyes, looking up at the devil. A brief glance around showed that her head was resting in his lap, a sudden redness flushing her cheeks.

He pinched her nose, getting a small squeak out of her, "What are you doing? Just keep your eyes closed and rest a little."

"B-But if someone comes in-"

"I locked the door, so don't worry about it. No one's gonna see you slacking off for once. Though I'll know about it and I'll definitely make fun of you for it."

She growled silently for a brief moment.

"Honestly… Sometimes you're far too troublesome…"

"Hey, you get what you signed for."

"Indeed…"

"Indeed." He playfully mocked, receiving a light slap to his face.

"Though frankly, I don't mind how troublesome you are. In a way I… somewhat enjoy it now, to be honest."

"That's because you've been steadily appreciating the finer points of bad behavior."

"In short, your hooliganism has rubbed off on me slightly." Anya stated, shifting her body around so she could rest face-up and let her legs dangle, "I suppose I'll be entering my rebellious phase soon enough?"

"Who says you haven't? Just as I've been changing because of you, I think you've been changing too."

"Really? You think I have?"

"You were always so fierce and dedicated, chasing after everything and anything you wanted. But… I think you were pretty lonely."

"Lonely?"

"Yeah. Because you're such a strong person, you always kinda stood on your own level far above everyone else, so no one could really understand you, or even try to. I never really see you hanging out with anyone other than the other members of the Student Council from time to time, and even then, you're kinda reserved."

"I… suppose that may be true… It's just… I've always been far too busy to do much of anything else, especially since I live alone."

"You live alone?"

"I lied. I don't have any family. Rather… I haven't the slightest idea where they might be. I have… relatives of sorts, but… For the most part I live alone."

"I bet the highlight of your day is whenever I come over and stay the night or even the weekend, huh?"

"Yes, actually." The girl smiled warmly, "The two of us running around that big house like we do certainly filled in that seemingly endless void I've felt for the last ten years living on my own." She giggled a little, "It's amusing, really…"

"What?" Dante asked.

"How we see through each other's 'masks'. While we're able to deceive others when need be, now matter how carefully we've constructed our facades, we're able to look past each other's lies easily to discern the truth. For instance…" Anya reached over and interlocked her fingers with Dante's fingers, holding his hand firmly, "You are strong and have unwavering bravery. You're seemingly invincible, and desire nothing in return for your good deeds, regardless of how brashly you act. But… you're more vulnerable than most will ever be willing to realize. That, and the only true thing you crave, more than being famous, more than being rich… is the love of another person."

She opened her sapphire blue eyes, staring deeply into his bright sky blue eyes.

"Was I more or less right?"

A flick to her forehead made her squeak quietly again.

"See? You do have a fat head." The young devil said.

Rubbing her forehead, the girl giggled briefly, making Dante sigh as he leaned in closer, maintaining direct eye contact with Anya in a way that made her heart skip a little.

"You're also a strong person, and one who's never afraid to chase after what she wants, be it a dream or someone else. You give off an air of majestic superiority that seemingly no one else can match, but you don't think of yourself as superior to anyone, and instead, try to level with them and be a reasonable person. While you're surrounded by many, you still feel fairly alone since you find it hard to relate with others."

The devil explained this all while gently curling strands of her long, blonde hair around his finger, never breaking eye contact for a moment.

"You're a responsible and dedicated person to a fault, and because of that, you almost always have a heavy burden on your shoulders that makes it difficult to live your life the way you'd like to. And because not many can stand by you on the same level, you often carry those heavy burdens alone, making you think that only you can carry those burdens and no one else."

She smiled faintly, closing her eyes.

"I suppose that's fairly accurate in all honesty… The many responsibilities I carry are… absolutely crushing. These two weeks in particular..." She spoke, waving her hand as her voice cracked for a moment as tears began welling up, "It's just… too much and I-"

A light bonk to her forehead cut Anya off, making her open her eyes again. Dante's finger gently brushed against the underside and corner of her eyes, wiping away her tears.

"I like girls that are mentally and physically strong like you, Anya. But… Just because you're strong doesn't mean you can do everything on your own. And you don't have to go about it alone either."

"I know that, but-"

"You have me. Remember that. I'll be there for you as best as I can, and help you however I can. I'm on your side, so let me carry like 70% of the burden."

"Only 70%?" The girl laughed.

"Hey, I'm not gonna do all the work for you."

Seeing her smile again was enough to warm his heart.

Anya caught him staring at her intently and quirked her eyebrow.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. It's just…"

"Just..?"

"Every time I look at you, I'm reminded that your boobs are actually pretty huge."

The typical response before now would have been to kick him in the head and then scold him. Instead, she shook her head and laughed at the remark, mostly because he so casually changed the mood in such a silly, childish way.

So she played along.

"Really? My breasts are 'pretty huge' in your opinion?"

"Do you really not see how they're making a tent with how your shirt's tucked in?"

"I never gave it much thought..." Anya said, laying her free hand over her large chest.

"Never gave it much thought? What am I saying, of course you haven't." The devil shrugged, "You're just too beautiful and aren't afraid to flaunt it."

"Flaunt it?"

"Yeah, like showing off."

…

…

Showing off…

Her lips curled into a smile.

"Would you prefer me to be the type that 'flaunts'?" The girl asked, sticking her chest out a little more to tease him.

"N-No." He replied quickly and firmly, trying to look away but still glancing at her from the corner of his eye, "That'd be problematic with how other guys would look at you..."

She giggled at his rather innocent reaction, "Then… perhaps I may just 'flaunt' only when it's the two of us."

"Fat head…"

"Boob fiend."

They laughed together at the exchange before silence filled the room once again.

"Dante?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you really mean what you said?"

"About?"

"About always being on my side, no matter what."

"I meant every word."

…

…

"Are you certain?" She asked.

"I'm certain."

…

Hearing those words brought her comfort, if anything. And yet… a singular fear remained in her heart.

Today, her stress hit its peak. She was certain there'd be another day like this again. Only the next time… she wasn't certain she could keep her secret from him. Anya didn't want to lie to him about it, but at the same time, she was still afraid of how he would react when he would learn the truth.

She trusted him fully, even with his brash behavior at times. And she knew he trusted her fully.

The girl's only hope was that the words he spoke today about "being certain" would hold true on the day he would learn about her.

---

After seeing Rosswal off at the entrance of the hotel he was staying at, Dante took to the night streets once more, checking his Scroll quickly to see it was almost 11pm.

~Don't you think we should've asked the vampire playboy to come along with us until we got back to our hotel?~

I don't think that girl will come after us again tonight. Maybe tomorrow night, maybe a few days from now. All I know is that she isn't in a rush. At least, not for now.

^Then we'll need to prepare you. You're no slouch when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, but I'm afraid even my teachings won't be able to keep up with her style of fighting…^

*Martial Arts, was it? Indeed, it is a terrifying method of fighting…*

Scared, Empress?

*Nonsense, good Dante! If anything, I am intrigued by the brutal yet elegant form of fisticuffs!*

~Praise aside… What are we gonna do? We can't always rely on that dumbass to bail us out like he did.~

I guess I can ask Inuba to teach me some of her father's Sunburst Fist Style in secret… Then again… we could just use one of my old tricks.

~Tricks?~

It took Eclypse a moment, but she quickly realized what her Wielder meant.

~Oh, I see. That's a good idea actually. Question is… can you keep track of her movements?~

She was moving pretty damned fast, but I could see each attack down to the finest angle. The problem is making my body keep up with her speed and absurd strength.

^Keeping our cards close… The less others know of your true capabilities, the better. Especially when it comes to the capabilities of our allies.~

That's probably the most important part to our whole contingency plan. I fooled everyone concerning Inuba, and they still don't know about Ciel, my mother, or Blaire. And I intend to keep it that way.

In the midst of his mental conversation while traversing the streets of Atlas, Dante came to a sudden halt, staring through the window of a still open shoe store. It was then he was reminded of an important fact.

"Seeker?"

The young devil heard what could only be described as a brief gust of wind, prompting him to turn around and… see nothing. When he turned back, The Seeker was right in front of him, startling the devil as he jumped a little.

"You gotta stop doing that…" He said, holding a hand over his heart as he closed his eyes and exhaled sharply.

He wasn't certain, but he swore he heard a faint giggle. When he looked at the girl, she stood perfectly still with her long staff in hand, sporting her usual stoic expression.

Little delights, I guess…

He looked down at her feet, scowling when he saw she wasn't wearing anything on her feet. Yes, there were heat lamps all around town to keep everything warm, but snow still scattered across town and on the streets, still making it fairly cold.

"Um… Isn't it… uncomfortable walking around like that?"

She tilted her head in confusion.

"You're uh… not wearing any shoes. It's cold, and… Well… It's snowing."

The girl nodded, as if to agree with his observation.

"Are you alright? You might catch a cold, or your feet might hurt, or worse."

She bowed her head silently in a solemn manner, possibly to express she was alright with that, or that it didn't matter. Still, it felt… wrong to see her like that.

"Can you come with me for a minute?" He asked, holding out his hand.

She gave him a quizzical tilt of her head, then nodded quickly, reaching her hand out to try and find his until he gently grabbed hold and walked into the shoe store with the Seeker.

"Heya, just in the nick of time! Was gonna close up in a few!" An energetic girl called out from behind the counter, setting some boxes of shoes down, "So, what can I do you for-?"

When she turned around and saw Dante, she froze, dropping the last few boxes she had in her hands as her mouth was agape.

"Holy..! You're-!"

"Uh, yeah, I'm that guy, but no need to make a big deal out of it."

"Er, right, mr. Aetherveil... I mean, sir."

"Just treat me as another simple customer."

"R-Right. Okay… So, looking for some new kicks then?"

"For her, not for me." The young devil nodded towards the Seeker, letting go of her hand to walk over and whisper to the shop clerk, "She's uh… the religious type you know? Pilgrim and all that. Hence…"

Following his head tilts, the woman saw that The Seeker was barefoot.

"Oh, I got ya."

"It's snowy, the climate's colder… In Mistral it was alright since it was always pretty warm, but even then I couldn't help but feel a little… You know."

"Yeah yeah, I get it. But being part of her 'religion' and all, she okay with it?"

"Er… Yeah, she's cool with it since she's not really the finicky type."

"Gotcha." The woman said, walking over towards the girl, "Uh… Right. Have a seat missy, I'll be right back with some materials. Style that matches her getup, yeah?"

"If you could, please."

"Right. Back in a jiffy."

The clerk quickly shifted to the back room, fiddling about as the devil could hear some crashing noises.

Now that he had a moment to just sit and look around, he noticed that a lot of the shoes sitting on outcrops on the walls and on the counters were… unique. Very unique. No one shoe or boot had the same style, each pair either vibrant, colorful, or with their own… unique but fashionable additions.

For instance, one pair of white boots had wings on the sides, which reminded him of Hermès' boots.

Looking back at the Seeker, Dante saw that she had been slowly but playfully kicking her feet about while she waited, a sight that put a smile on his face.

"Alright, here we are!"

The clerk returned, carrying sheets of black leather, some fur, slightly heeled black soles, two arrow-headed silver plates and two silver zippers. She then set her items down beneath The Seeker's feet, cracking her knuckles quickly before she took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Time to work my magic…"

Wiggling her fingers, the woman's body gave off a faint, orange glow as the materials she set down began to glow in a similar fashion and move on their own. The black leather and fur meshed together and encompassed The Seeker's feet up to he center of her shins, closing up as the zippers floated in place behind her heels and stitched themselves into the leather. As the zippers closed up, the black heeled soles floated into place, stitching itself into the material as well.

Then, the silver arrowhead plates shifted onto the tips of the toes, seemingly merging with the black leather as the back flaps protruded upwards a little. Then, something strange began to happen to the leather as the outer layer began to morph. The boots took on a scaly look, resembling the neat and majestic draconic scales Dante had on sections of his body whenever he transformed with the Seeker's gift. Tufts of white fur lined the cuff edges of the boots for warmth, the same material which lined the inside of the boots.

Strangest of all was how the boots seemingly formed around her feet perfectly, taking into account the shackle-like anklet The Seeker wore on her left foot as well.

"Holy crap… That was…"

"My Semblance." The clerk proudly proclaimed as she stood up, hands on her hips, "My mama was a shoe-maker, and her mama before her, and so on. One day I happened to get my Aura unlocked, and… well, I got my Semblance. I can make custom tailored shoes or what have you that matches a person's specific aesthetics."

Dante found the statement a little curious given how The Seeker's dress was composed of black, raggy and tattered ribbons perfectly stacking their lines together.

But, she seemed happy, given that she hummed silently as she brushed her fingers over her boots.

Well, if she likes them…

"If I got the materials, I can make any kind of shoes or whatnot for anyone. Doesn't matter who. You can bet mama was real happy about my Semblance."

"I can tell. All your designs are… well, unique. There's not a single shoe in here that's the same."

"Aw shucks, you're making me blush. Still, this new pair was a joy to see." The clerk said, glancing over at the playfully kicking Seeker, "Name's Tanya. Tanya Cobole."

"Dante." He replied, shaking the clerk's hand, "So, uh… How much is this gonna cost? Fancy custom order like that has got to cost a pretty penny."

"200 Lien."

The devil shot her a quizzical glance.

"Hey, usually it's 500 or more depending on the order."

"Look, you don't gotta give me a discount or anything, just-"

"I know you're a fancy pants Huntsmen, but I'm the boss in this shop, ya hear? If I say you pay me what I'm asking for, you pay me that amount."

"But-"

"No buts, mister! 200, or I'm gonna give 'em to ya for free. Considering you're the type to refuse a discount, imma guess handing those babies out for free will annoy ya a bit."

For a cobbler, she's pretty observant. And smart. Guess she has to be, running a fancy business like this…

Dante shook his head, pulling out two lien cards from his back pocket and handing them over to the proudly smirking shoemaker.

"Glad to be of help, mr. Aetherveil."

She deliberately called him mister…

…

…

Never had Dante ever met such a feisty shoe maker. It was refreshing, nonetheless.

"Thank you, Ms. Cobole."

"Ah, don't sweat it. Hey, if you ever get tired of those flipflops of yours, stop on by sometime and I'll whip up something special for you."

F-Flipflops? These are my running shoes… Maybe I should…

…

…

She was baiting him to come back.

…

Smart indeed.

"Your girlfriend seems to like them boots I made her."

"Oh, she-"

He fell silent, thinking for a moment.

"She doesn't talk much, but she appreciates your awesome handiwork."

"Course she does!" Tanya said proudly, "You come on back, ya hear?"

"Maybe." The teen replied, as he gently grabbed hold of The Seeker's hand to guide her.

Strange… Her hands are… Well, they're not too cold or too warm. It's like her temperature is perfectly regulated for weather conditions, kind of like me. Ah, hang on…

"Uh… Seeker?"

The girl "looked" in his direction, humming briefly to demonstrate he had her attention.

"Ah… Well… Since you probably don't know Atlas, it's probably a good idea for you to hang on to me, but… W-Well… If you don't want to hold my hand or anything because it's weird…"

Another brief and silent hum as her head trailed the snow covered streets, but her head soon jolted up, as if she thought of something. Some of the tattered, black ribbon cloth unraveled from around her wrist, yet oddly enough, the unraveled end seemingly formed more fabric out of thin air and stretched outwards. The black cloth quickly wrapped around Dante and the Seeker's interlocked hands, covering them entirely up to their wrist.

"U-Uh, Seeker..? I meant that if you didn't want to hold my hand you could hold on to my coat, or something…"

After another short, contemplative hum, more of the black fabric, this time from around her waist, unraveled itself and extended outwards, wrapping around his waist to bring him closer to her.

I don't know if she's intentionally messing with me, or if she's just that adorably innocent…

Looking off to the side, he spotted a still open stand selling a variety of warm, steaming pretzels. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't had any pretzels or graham crackers since Mistral…

"Hey, Seeker? Do you… want anything to eat?"

"Not necessary." She faintly whispered.

One of the rare times she actually said something and it was "not necessary". Not that it was bad, but… The way she answered that question so quickly and slackened her hold on his hand…

"Are you like me in that you don't need to eat at all and it's more of a luxury, or are you just not hungry?"

"…"

"Seeker..?"

Was she shy? No, of course she was shy, but… Was she embarrassed then? No, it wasn't that either. Her reaction was… strange.

…

It then hit him all of a sudden. The way she was so reserved, never really spoke even when spoken to… The way she fervently kept away from others…

Was she abused..?

"Will you listen to me for a moment, Seeker?"

She lifted her head up a little, signifying she was listening to him.

"I have my guesses as to why you're so… reserved. I won't ask you to talk about it, and I won't force you to talk about it unless you want to. Just know this… I'll never make you feel ashamed about yourself, nor will I ever ask you to do anything that would bring you shame. But more importantly… I'll never do anything to hurt you."

The girl bowed her head silently.

"You're not a slave, Seeker. You're a person. Just remember… I'll do my best to keep you safe, and help you with whatever I can. But more than anything… be free. Be yourself."

"How dost one liveth freely..?"

…

"Well for starters… A person should eat when they want to. So Seeker… would you like to share a meal with me?"

It took her a moment, but she nodded once as they soon walked up towards the stand together.

"Uh… Let's see… I'd like some cinnamon pretzel bits with frosting." The devil looked towards The Seeker, "Do you want a normal salted pretzel, or what I got?"

She hummed briefly, but she then looked back at him, silently telling him "I would like what you got".

"Ah sorry, make that two."

It took about two minutes until their order was out, where afterwards, they sat together at a table bench under some heated lamps, the girl's black wraps unlatching from the devil's hand and waist as they wrapped back around her wrist and waist. Dante waited for The Seeker to take the first bite, hearing her hum happily as she chewed away at the first bite.

"Uh… You should try the frosting too. I mean, if you want to. It's pretty good."

The girl looked down at her platter of cinnamon bits, digging her small plastic fork into one of the bits, but fumbled about to find the frosting dip. Dante gently guided her hand towards the dip, and once she dunked the bit in, she raised it up and took a bite.

Her overly delighted hum made him smile.

Just as he turned around to pick up a bite, he felt a tug at his sleeve, turning around to see the Seeker had a cinnamon bite dipped in frosting raised up towards him.

"O-Oh, you want to share some with me?"

She tilted her head, as if she were silently asking "Is that no good?"

"P-Please and thank you..."

Her first attempt ended with her poking the frosted cinnamon bit into his cheek, jumping a little once she realized her mistake. She tried again, only to poke him in the nose and once again jump a little at her error.

The third time she moved quicker, and the devil moved his mouth in the direction her hand moved, thus making the Seeker's attempt successful this time.

"Thank you. It's really good."

Although faint, she smiled and hummed happily.

~I definitely think she's trying to be cute.~

I don't know… I think this is how she naturally is considering she doesn't really interact with people. Honestly… I think she spent most of her life alone…

^I can only imagine what kind of trauma she must have suffered…^

Now that I think about it, all of you live in my Inner World. Have any of you seen her in there?

*Not once, good Dante. It does beg the question… If she does not reside in your Inner World like we do when we dematerialize, where does she reside?*

Well, when she does "hide", she usually sinks into my shadow.

~What, you think she made some pocket dimension in your shadow only she can enter?~

I don't know… I'll ask some other time, since she seems to be enjoying herself right now.

Much about the Seeker was still a mystery. If one thing was made clear during their first meeting, it was that she wasn't an enemy. Talks of prophecy in a book and all that… Umbral Star… It wasn't crazy talk, but… it was still strange how she wanted to join him.

It was only a little strange since most of Dante's allies were made through grueling battles, or some other way of proving himself. Rarely did anyone just walk up and ask "Hey, let's be friends and fight together and stuff" and actually meant it. The Seeker though…

He felt… loyalty from her. Compared to their first meeting, she was much more open now despite being quiet most of the time.

The truth was that he just wanted to know more about her. He wanted to know why she was so quick to place her trust in him, why she was so reserved and quiet, why she went out of her way to find him. Not because he didn't trust her, but…

He wanted to hear her story, to learn and understand her walk through life thus far. To know her true reasons for wanting to help him.

The Seeker had done nothing to shake his trust in her. If anything, she solidified it with her typically silent actions. That, and how she acted around him and the others. Clearly, she was more comfortable around Dante, but she was steadily warming up to everyone else.

If I remember, some of the girls are planning to have a night out and have been wanting to ask The Seeker to go with them. It'd be nice to see her hanging out with everyone else.

As Dante was in thought, he felt another cinnamon bite poke into his cheek. Turning his head, he laughed a little as The Seeker fed him another bite.

I don't know her story, but I know she's just a sweet girl that will do her best to help us. I mean really, what is she, if not precious?

"Thank you, Seeker. I mean it. I don't know if I say it enough, but… I really mean it. Thanks for helping us."

"Unnecessary."

"W-What..?"

"Thy gratitude is unnecessary. Thee and thy allies are… precious to me."

"Precious?"

"Mine life hath been… one of solitude. Thee and thy allies hath been kind to me. An experience that was unknown for many a time..."

"I see…"

"This kindness… 'Tis something I cherish…"

"It's something you want to protect… Am I right?"

She nodded silently.

…

Something so simple and pure… Kind of like me almost. I cherish every moment I spend with everyone. It's why I try to protect them as best I can without smothering them or doing everything for them. For someone like her that doesn't have all that much in the first place… Spending time with us, with people who accept her, must be more valuable than anything else. I think I understand her motivation a lot more now.

"Thank you, Seeker. That… That was nice to hear."

"Umbral Star… No… Dante…" she spoke up, looking in the devil's direction, "Will thou continue to place thine faith in me?"

"Always."

They shared a smile between each other, eating away at their cinnamon bites under the snow and moonlight, with The Seeker occasionally trying to feed Dante her share and still poking him in the cheek or nose.

---

Inuba sighed, leaning back into the couch as she scowled a little, something she rarely did.

"I'm guessing you're not happy hearing that Ross is in town…" Dante chuckled lightly.

"Honestly, yes. I'm more than certain we can manage without that lecher."

"Remember Inuba, you have to take it easy for now." Blaire spoke up from the couch.

"I remember my role, it'll just be… difficult to restrain myself at times when I'm more than capable of dispatching an enemy." The kitsune said, her nine tails slowly whipping about.

"All the more reason we need to remind you." The red haired woman said, "In spite of your calm demeanor and excellent skill, you've always had a habit of breaking character whenever you get angry."

"She does have a point, Inuba." The devil added with a quick shrug, "Taking you on stealthier missions where you had to act a part was always a bit… tough…"

"I'm sorry… Given my nature, it's difficult to lie to that extent."

"I get it. But this time, it's absolutely important that you don't break character this time around. At least, not until the right moment."

"IF that moment ever comes." Their previous commander said, "I get needing to have contingencies like that superhero Bat Guy, or whatever-"

"Bat-Man." The young devil quickly corrected.

"Whatever. The point I'm trying to make is that don't you think it's a bit much this time around?"

"I'm of the same mind, brother." Dawn spoke up, "So far, the General has been completely open with us and has been tremendously supportive just in the last week alone. Frankly, that's vastly more than what we originally expected."

"All of which are fair points. Yes, Ironwood has been upfront with the truth, and yes, he's been helping all of us out a great deal. But that can change at any moment." Dante explained as he too leaned back into the couch, gently rubbing some of Inuba's fluffy white fox tails, making her jolt up a little, "All it can take is one disagreement; one instance where we don't see eye-to-eye on a certain topic or situation that'll drive a deep enough wedge between us."

"Do you truly believe it will come to that?" The Aetherveil sibling asked, clutching her mage's staff tightly.

"Maybe, maybe not. Point is that we need to be prepared."

"But this Rosswal character… He is a Vampire Noble, is he not? Surely having him on our side will give us less to worry about."

"Er… How do I put it… Ross is… Well…"

"Rosswal is a dumbass, playboy." Blaire finished for Dante, "Sure, he's gots a serious amount of 'oomph' to him, but…"

"Is he really that much of a scoundrel?" Dawn asked.

"I'm amazed I didn't kill him with how many times he hit on Blaire, Inuba, and other girls in our unit." Dante explained.

"Frankly, I'm amazed I haven't decapitated him yet and burned his corpse…" The kitsune added, all while using her free tails to play with the devil.

"He's a dumbass, but he can be reliable when he wants to." The young devil explained.

"You also mentioned that mystery woman that attacked you, right?" The Aetherveil sibling added, "She'll be problematic since Aura based attacks won't work on her."

"Should I not accompany you then?" Inuba asked, firmly wrapping some of her tails around Dante's hand and arms.

"If she could block Aura, I'm half certain she can block Elemental attacks too." Blaire spoke, walking up behind Dante and hugging him from behind as she rested her chin atop his head, "While we aren't helpless without our Elemental Powers, we do the most damage using our Flames. Well, you'd fare a little better since you're you, Little Inuba."

"P-Please… I'm fairly decent, even without my flames."

Blaire and Dante shared a look between each other that could only be described as confusion and "What is she talking about, she'd kick our asses just using her sword".

Inuba was both amazing and scary like that.

"I-In any case, we know Aura abilities don't work, and we're assuming Elemental Powers won't work on her either. Since Rosswal is a Vampire Noble, he has a high-grade form of Blood Magic, yes?"

"Yeah, but I don't know why it's only Blood Magic that goes through her pretty impeccable defense." The devil said.

"You mentioned she was utilizing an incredibly sophisticated form of Martial Arts, yes?" The kitsune asked.

"Yeah, but-"

"I think I understand now why her defense was impeccable and why she was incredibly difficult to fight against, both armed and unarmed." Inuba explained, "She's a Chinese Martial Artist, or at very least, is the equivalent of one in this World, and is utilizing Ki Energy."

"Ki Energy?"

"Do you remember the Eastern Deity we encountered years ago? The one that was some sort of ancient general? We had difficulty fighting against him because he utilized a different form of Energy."

"Right. And he used that sophisticated form of Chinese Martial Arts with that fancy sword fighting of his. Real pain in the ass…"

"Lie Ren is of a similar fighting style, is he not? Albeit, he uses Aura rather than this... Ki Energy." Dawn added in.

"Then I think we can safely say she isn't an OutWorlder like all of us are." Blaire said, waving her hand briefly before she returned to hugging the devil, "Question is, what are we gonna do about her, since her Ki Energy apparently kicks the crap out of Aura and Elemental Power? Oh yeah, and because I'm hiding and Inuba needs to play cutesy?"

"Fight her with physical means." Dante answered, "Ross' Blood Magic is the only solid counter since she can't block it and isn't willing to get hit by it. But since he won't be around always, we need to take the fight to her. And by we, I mean me, since you two need to keep a low profile." He nodded towards Inuba and Blaire.

"Perhaps my Magic will be usable so long as we don't utilize Elemental Spells?"

"Right, you've got Light Magic in your arsenal. Maybe that'll work. If not… I'll need you to teach me some more of your family's hand-to-hand combat styles."

"Of course." Inuba nodded.

"Ok… So have we found anything on Ogrânix yet?"

"Other than a few small fry creepers, nothing really." Blaire answered Dante, "Like you said, he's just putting crap in our way to keep us occupied."

"Could he possibly be building up his forces while sending a few minions out?" Inuba asked.

"Unlikely. He doesn't have the power to summon a Gate and pull some bodies from the Pits. That aside, all the missing persons cases and murders we've come across always had bodies turn up within the city and down below in Mantle. Never outside." Dante logically explained, "So it's safe to say he isn't killing or abducting people to turn them into Higher Dark Entities or Lesser types."

"Which begs the question… Since we finished erecting barriers both in Atlas and Mantle to keep Dark Entities out, who is committing these terrible crimes if not Ogrânix or one of his minions?" Inuba asked.

"Could it be Salem?" Dawn asked, "She is planning to take on the Kingdom of Atlas, is she not? If she utilizes similar tactics of mass panic like she did in Vale, then wouldn't it be credible to believe that she sent an individual, or pair of individuals, to do just that?"

"She's got a point. It could explain the missing persons cases and murders, as well as the smear campaign being run against Ironwood." Blaire added.

"S-Smear campaign?" The Aetherveil sibling asked.

"Usage of the media to damage or call into question someone's reputation." The red haired woman explained, "Basically, negative propaganda. So far it's being handled, but…"

"The General might blow his top soon enough. If he's not already close to that point, he's gonna gradually get pissed off as more time passes." Dante said, "That's not something he needs."

"But what do we do?" Inuba asked, "Between missions, and tracking Ogrânix…"

"We split our forces. If it's not too much trouble, Dawn and Blaire can keep doing covert patrols outside the city borders." Dante suggested, "If you're ok with that, of course."

"Cold never bothered me anyway." Blaire shrugged, "And with your sister tagging along, I should be able to find anything trying to give me the slip. Speaking of sisters, where's the other one?"

"Ciel has been gone some time now…" Inuba added.

As she said this, a "fwooshing" sound filtered throughout the room, and the sound of the fridge being pillaged echoed throughout the kitchen, prompting everyone to steadily move towards the kitchen.

Lo and behold, Ciel, the youngest Aetherveil sibling was raiding the fridge in a pair of black short-shorts and a white shirt top. Bundles of various meats were trapped in her arms while her hands clutched onto various vegetables, her teeth biting into a roll of smoked salami.

Claiming her raid loot, she used her foot to shut the door, where she then tried to creep away slowly, only to make eye contact with her rather upset brother.

The salami she was biting fell into her pile of food, allowing her to say "Uh… hi."

"Where the hell have you been? You haven't called for a week!"

"Honeymoon. Big city and all that."

"Honeymoon? What-?"

Dante paused for a moment, realizing he hadn't seen Musashi, the dragon faunus, for some time now.

"You bailed on us for a week straight to fool around?"

"Hey, I was taking some vacation time for myself, alright? If we're gonna do some epic saving the world drama, I gotta have my batteries charged. And I mean my 'love' batteries." Ciel explained with a shrug.

…

…

It was at this moment he began to question who was the bigger 'player'; his sister, or the vampire he happened to be acquainted with.

Frankly, it was still Ross because of his reputation.

"Well finish up your honeymoon by Sunday, cause we've got work to do. And you've been slacking off, little sister."

"Crap…"

"Don't 'crap' me, you little gremlin. Two more days. That's all you got."

"Ugh, fine. But I want a pay raise!"

"Denied. If you do a good job starting Monday, I'll think about it." Dante said, patting his sister's head, "Have your fun, but come back with a serious attitude. I mean it."

"Yeah yeah. How old do you think I am, 12?"

"Sometimes you act like it despite being the smart cookie you are. Now scram."

With a soldier-like salute using her free hand, Ciel snapped her fingers, opening up a black and white circular rift in front of her as she stepped through, the portal closing behind her.

"See? Positive reinforcement goes a long way instead of scolding." The young devil told Dawn.

"I understand, but… She's difficult to deal with at times."

"You only think that because you grew up in a different environment compared to us. Just relax a little, yeah?"

"Well now that we know the munchkin is safe, we can factor her into the plans." Blaire said, "You wanna stick her with us?"

"That'd be preferable. Just make sure to keep an eye out for surveillance cameras and possibly any surveillance teams. The less they know about your powers, the better." Dante told her.

"Right. Then let's turn in for the night. We got some work to do in the morning."

---

It was getting close to 2 am.

There were two bathrooms, but everyone had taken turns to shower and clean up. Now, it was Dante's turn, wherein he took off his shirt, jeans and underwear, dipping himself into the tub soon after. A faint but pleasant shiver ran up his spine as he sank deep into the hot water all the way up to his chin, a sigh escaping him as he closed his eyes.

Today wasn't so bad… Except for getting my ass kicked by that King Fu girl. Shit… With how fast and hard she was hitting me, she'd give Chun Li a run for her money. Her kicks were devastating…

The young devil rubbed his chest, briefly remembering the pain he felt. That was the other thing that troubled him.

He felt pain from her attacks.

If Ki Energy could devastate Aura as it did, maybe it could also have a huge impact on the body. Thinking about it clearly, whenever she did land a solid hit on his body, the girl always targeted his pressure points. It was likely that sort of shock to the system combined with Ki Energy must have "flipped the switch" in the pain center of his brain temporarily on impact.

That had to be the reason.

Regardless of how she did it, learning from Inuba will give me a better chance against that girl whenever I bump into her. My only advantages right now are my analytical abilities, my ability to almost perfectly copy another person's movements, and my ability to outlast her. Well, Ross too, I guess.

Taking on someone with seemingly Master-level knowledge of Chinese Martial Arts was going to be difficult, not impossible. After all, he had fought worse. This was just going to take more thinking than usual.

He opened his eyes when he heard the door creak open, seeing Blaire enter inside, wearing nothing else but a towel as she shut the door and locked it.

"You do realize there's two baths, right?" Dante asked.

"Yeah, but I want this one. It's bigger, the water's already drawn and hot, and it has my favorite person cooking in it like a lobster." The redhead replied as she walked over, leaning on the edge of the tub, "If you let me share, I'll give you a really nice reward."

"Oh. By all means then." The devil said with a wave of his hand, inviting the young woman in.

She smirked, slowly standing up straight as she tugged at the corner of the towel to unravel it. Her huge, perky bust spilled out first as the rest of her became bare, making the young man raise his eyebrows a little. Blaire hummed happily at the reaction, then steadily entered the bath as she slowly placed herself between his legs, leaning her back against his chest as she sighed in relief.

"Taking a hot bath is always nice, no matter what… Heh… Remember back in the old days when we were still with the CGA?"

"I remember having to chase you down all the time when you were drunk and bringing you back to our apartment. That… and I remember seeing some scintillating things that a young boy my age shouldn't really see when trying to get you in a warm bath to sober up."

"Oh? You didn't like seeing me undressed?"

"I never said I didn't like it."

"I knew you liked it. You know how I knew?" She asked, pushing herself further against his chest, "You never blushed, but you always looked off to the side and your lips always curled a certain way. Your brow also furrowed just a little."

"Even when not trying to be obvious, I was that obvious, wasn't I?"

"Obvious as hell. I went on hundreds of dates, young man. Did you really think I wouldn't notice you checking me out?" Blaire said playfully.

"I also remember having to get you out of sticky situations."

"Hahaha! That's right!" She laughed, "You were always so stone faced and stoic, that whenever I saw you acting cutesy like that I almost cracked up! 'Big sister, you said you'd be back an hour ago!'."

She placed a hand over her mouth to not make any noise, giggling silently.

"I used to be a good actor…"

"You still are, mr. Pick-Up Artist."

"Seriously? You too?"

"You have four girlfriends. Maybe even seven if you count those two new Blades of yours, and the Heiress."

"Weiss?"

"Yup."

"Come on, it's not like that."

"For now." Blaire said with a coy smile, "Have you not seen how she looks at you?"

"How does she look at me? Like-"

"She wants to carve you up and eat your liver? We watched the show together, Sandor Clegane."

"Right… I forgot only you and Ciel get my pop culture references… It's been way too long…"

"You and your movie and tv show references…"

"Hey, it's neat stuff. It's one of my many hobbies."

"Sure thing… How about this then. Between seeing a movie and spending a lascivious night with me, which would you choose?"

"Movie. Easily."

Blaire brought her hand over her chest and pinched the devil's nipple, making him jump and wince.

"One, that was more of a turn on than a punishment. Two, I was kidding. My wonderful girlfriends are always my priority."

"I know, I know. I'm just having my bit of fun." The red haired woman said, using her hands to wrap Dante's arms underneath her bosom to hold her tightly, "You are way too much fun to tease."

"So I've heard…"

She hummed happily, placing her hands atop his.

"Do you remember when it was you sitting where I am now?" Blaire asked.

"How could I ever forget your huge boobs acting like a sort of pillow?"

"Nice, wasn't it?"

"Of course. One of the few things I actually enjoyed during those days. And… well… It was comforting. I felt loved and cared for, even when most of the time everyone else looked at me like I was some kind of… thing…"

"That's because instead of seeing you as a little monster, all I saw was a young boy in need of some lovin'. And, well… A boy in need of care and a responsible adult figure in their life."

"You were everything but responsible." Dante chuckled a little, "Still, you were a hard-worker and tried your best with everything. Your cooking wasn't always great, but it was still nice. You worked tirelessly on reports and the like, but you still lagged behind a little. So as a sign of my love and respect, I took on the cooking and even helped finish and file your reports."

"Shit… And here I thought I woke up, got sauced again, and went back at it… Was that seriously you?"

"Yup… It was a bit annoying, and the first three times were pretty frustrating, but I got it done."

"My little hero… Or should I say, 'big hero'?"

"Really?" Dante asked, a little unimpressed with her joke.

"Naughty boy… I was talking about how you're taller than me now." She said with a coy smile, "But~ That other part is definitely true."

She started shifting her hips side to side very slowly and sensually, cozying up to the young devil.

"H-Hey…"

"What? Not in the mood?"

"I-It's not that."

"Then? What is it?" The woman asked, looking over her shoulder up at Dante.

Seeing that look in his eyes… The way he furrowed his brow and tried his best to keep a calm expression… It only made her heart race faster and her body burn hotter.

"We're in the tub..!" He whispered.

"It's a pretty huge tub. Lots of room to tussle."

"T-That's not the point..! The point is you're rough!"

"Oh? I'm rough?" Blaire asked, quickening her pace a little.

"Y-Yes..! And you can be… pretty loud..!"

"Ha, loud too? Wait, I guess that part's true, especially since I taught you all my weak-points… Though you don't need to worry about a little noise."

The red haired woman stopped her "shifting" for a moment and snapped her fingers. The walls, the floor, the door, the edges and the corners, everything shimmered a fiery-orange for a brief moment.

"While fire magic is my forte, I still have the power of the most powerful fire-based Dark Entity Lord. Something as simple as noise-proofing Magic is a piece of cake for me."

"I didn't know that…"

"Why do you think we never got caught all those times back then?"

"I-I see…"

"I've been a hard-worker, you know? Going back and forth like I have. I even took care of a lot of those pesky Grimm. I'd like the reward of your 'pleasurable' company."

"R-Reward, huh?"

"Yes. Reward." Blaire said, moving her hands up.

She grabbed hold of the devil's hands, shifting them lower towards her bosom to cup her breasts with his hands.

"Though if I think about it, it's more like I'm rewarding you for your hard work, no?"

The woman giggled at his silence, doing her best to keep a straight face. The pleasant currents running through her body made it difficult not to moan.

"Best prepare yourself. I'm not letting you go until I pass out." She whispered in his ear.

He laughed nervously at her words, but quickly steeled himself for the wild ride that was to come next.

---

The halls of crystalline obsidian were brightened with faint white glows deep within the crystal. All the furniture was made of lacquered, black wood, and seemingly looked handcrafted from the carvings to even the blue leather found on the couches and chairs. Then there was the most out of place object in the room.

A large throne made of stone.

While the armrest and blue leather were relatively normal, the backrest seemingly was carved into a statuesque figure resembling a cloaked and hooded woman. While this woman stood high above, her left arm and hand had been lowered, the sleeve of her cloak sprawling out to form the lower part of the backrest and the rest of the throne.

But instead of sitting at his throne, the man sat at a rectangular table made of obsidian, glass-like "clinking" echoing from in front of him.

"Checkmate."

The King of the Dark World audaciously moved his King Piece in place. He had claimed a great many of his opponents' pieces, blocked some of their advances, and managed to surround the other king.

"We've only played three games, yet I'm starting to suspect you aren't really giving it your best effort."

"I'm not suited to… games such as these." The girl spoke.

"Heh… Chess is indeed a 'game', but if one can learn a great deal from what they've played, they can utilize what they've learned in actual combat. Sometimes, anyway."

"Like learning strategies and applying theory in actual scenarios… Still, strategy is…"

"Not your strong suit from what you've explained. I suppose that was fine, considering who your liege was." Lucifer said, adjusting his black framed glasses, "In any case, the deal was to either to defeat me or lock us into a stalemate."

"Damn it…"

"Will you concede?"

"I… I can't do that. No matter what, I must go."

"You still wish to go, despite not knowing for certain?"

"If there's a chance… Then I must go. No… I WILL go, one way or another. You are one of the very few that can send us over without drawing attention."

"You do realize the Kitsukami Clan has established a means of travel."

"I know this, yet I cannot openly go to them as I please. Not without drawing attention to them."

"Which is why you came to me."

"You are Lucifer, the True Ruler of the Dark World. I recognize your authority, but you are not my liege. I chose to serve only one Master in this lifetime, and will continue to do so. If you ask me to bow to you, then-"

"I will not ask you to do such a thing. Your devotion to your true liege is admirable in its own right, so I will not demand your loyalty or your servitude." The King explained, raising a reassuring hand briefly, "Still, debts must be settled. Prices must be paid. Contracts must be met."

The woman growled silently in frustration, not in anger towards Lucifer, but at her inability to proceed further. To come such a long way after a year, only to be stopped because of a "game"…

"Perhaps I can take your place?" Another girl called out.

"No, you've already done far too much for me. I-"

"I'll allow it." Lucifer spoke up, waving a hand as the pieces reorganized themselves on the board.

The black pieces settled themselves on his side, while the white chess pieces moved to the other side of the board.

"But…"

"I did say a game must be won or brought to a close with a stalemate. However, I did not say it must be won by the original challenger." He waved his hand to the other girl, who quickly and quite eagerly took her companion's place, "You seem… oddly excited…"

"A-Ah, well… It's not every day one is able to see the King of the Dark World, much less play a game of sorts with him."

"And here I believed your kind was above 'petty games'."

"Typically that is true. But it doesn't mean some simply stop and don't participate in certain activities. Besides… In the last year alone, I've come to appreciate games and the like. Especially those games on the magic screens."

"I too have come to appreciate those 'games' as well." The king said, "Are you ready to begin?"

"Yes."

As soon as she spoke, the obsidian clock rewound itself, the hands quickly rotating in reverse before evenly stopping.

The girl started the clock and made the first move. Unlike the previous contender, the match between this girl and the King went at a startling pace, pieces "clacking" and sliding about in blurs along with each button push on the clock. Within less than a minute, the match had ended.

Black and white had reached an impasse, making Lucifer smirk.

"Well done. It's been a long time since I've had a decent match with anyone."

"Thank you for the compliment, great King of the Dark World. I hope I was an enjoyable opponent."

"Indeed, you were. More importantly, our contract is fulfilled." The King snapped his fingers, a black and purple rift opening off towards the side of the table, "This will take you to my last location. From what I remember hearing, you'll be making something of a trek to a Kingdom named Atlas in the North. Do you have your limiter?" He asked, looking towards the girl he had his game of chess with.

"Currently I have it active, but deactivating it will be of no consequence either way, since I had Enochian Sigils carved into my ribs. I can't be tracked or located by any of my kind, regardless of where I go or how I use my powers."

"Good. One less problem to worry about then."

"Should I have these sigils as well?" The other girl asked.

"No. You were believed to be dead, so they won't be looking out for you. Only Dante's closest allies that are still alive are the ones being watched."

"Didn't Dracula's descendant just leave not a day ago?"

"Rosswal Belmont is the current Lord of Vampires. Tracking him is close to impossible, even by my kind." Lucifer said before he turned back to the other girl, "The only thing you need to keep in mind is to-"

"Not tamper with the Space-Time Continuum, Theories of Causality, or to perform what can be defined as miracles. Well, at the very least miracles on a large scale, such as turning rain into wine, or turning all loaves of bread within a twenty mile radius into fish."

…

…

There were times Lucifer admired, or was even proud of, Dante's cleverness and ingenuity. Hearing this however made him sigh at his nephew's occasional flares of immaturity and how he managed to achieve such ridiculous things.

Then again… this girl was rather close to Dante, and he did indeed serve as a good influence on her in a few ways…

"So long as you remember, I suppose it'll be fine… Lastly, do not reveal your existences to any of the beings in that World, save for Dante and his group of allies."

"Understood." Both girls spoke up.

"Pleasant travels."

As they stepped through the portal that closed behind them, the King of the Dark World looked back towards the obsidian table, picking up his opponent's white Queen piece. His thoughts turned towards the events of the match, where soon after he smiled and chuckled lightly.

"She deliberately forced a stalemate just for sheer amusement alone… She did indeed learn what it means to 'live'…"

He thought he'd never see the like again. Siegmyer and H were some of the incredibly few that 'disobeyed' their teachings in favor of "living" and "learning". More accurately, they were the incredibly few of their kind to have a sort of conscience about their way of life, their actions, and their effects on people not like them.

This one though, the one he played against a few moments ago, was special in many ways. She was observant, she was curious, and she was sympathetic, something that was also very rare among her kind.

Most importantly, she proved to be a true friend, despite the mistakes she might have made. Sending her on his behalf to help Dante was the smart move. Since The Plane of Angels already had their hands full, devoting time to keeping track of everyone would be unbelievably hectic.

Even with all his planning to make the risk of discovery significantly low, he still felt some unease. In part, that was due to Blanc Angelford's more frequent appearances around the globe, but…

He felt some grander scheme at work ever since he stepped foot on Remnant. Because of that, he couldn't help but wonder…

Had He finally stepped out from the Dark after all this time?

---

"Ugh…"

The devil groaned silently from the slight exhaustion he felt as he sat in the truck driving across the tundra. Ruby and Inuba were on his sides, while Weiss, Penny and Dawn sat in the seat across from them, all while an AK 200 served as their driver, another unit sitting in the passenger seat next to it.

Dante glanced at Penny, seeing she was still rocking the same style of clothes she wore when they met again. Only this time, her pants didn't look like they were pieces of metal fused together. They were actually pants, along with black boots.

I guess she's adjusted to her new body well enough…

"Not that I'm bored, but why can't we just use an airship to take these supplies to Amity?" Ruby asked, still drowsy and in the process of steadily nodding off.

"The components for Amity Tower's construction are far too heavy. All that weight would require precious Dust we should be saving for the launch itself. And, well, the Grimm that will come after." Penny explained.

"It just makes for... very long... supply runs…"

"At least the tundra is scenic!" Penny smiled as she waved her hand to the left window, pointing out a few penguins squawking at the truck.

"Totally…" The reaper said as she nodded off, resting her head on Dante's shoulder.

"Ruby!" Penny said loudly all of sudden, startling Ruby awake, "I just wanted to say how excited I am to be working with you in a professional capacity. As friends!"

"Me too, Penny."

"And you as well, ms. Kitsukami! And you as well, Dante! And you as well, ms. Schnee!"

…

…

She still needs to work on her social interaction skills…

"So Penny, did you make any new friends or anything when you got back?" Dante asked.

"Now that I'm the official protector of Mantle, I don't really have a team anymore. General Ironwood said I don't have time for friends."

"Is that right…"

"I feel like I wish I could do both the things I need to do and the things I want to do. Is that normal?"

"I do believe that is as natural as can be, ms. Polendina." Inuba pointed out with a smile.

"I suppose it is…" The Android girl contemplated briefly before looking back up at Inuba, "I have heard you are an accomplished chef from many sources."

"O-Oh, no, I'm no one special! Really!"

"Are you kidding me? You can make just about everything food related and make it so good that if some freaky monster came out of like the 13th dimension, they'd eat said food and go home happy!" Ruby explained, earning a quizzical glance from both Weiss and Dawn.

"That actually happened, you know." Dante added before he was shushed by Inuba.

"I see… If you can appease the appetite of an extra-dimensional being to that extent, then you must be a legendary chef!" Penny said, making the kitsune blush a little as her tails whipped about happily.

"Forgive me, but why the sudden interest in cooking?"

"I…" The android glanced to the devil quickly, seeing him tilt his head in a manner that said 'It's your decision if you want to tell them', "I wish to experience more aspects of life, like sharing a meal among friends or even preparing food for them. With the troubles we're bound to face in the future, I would like to bring us all closer to create happier memories."

"That's… actually really sweet of you…" Dawn spoke up, lowering the book she was reading.

"I also wish to know more about you, ms. Aetherveil!"

"R-Really?"

"Indeed! I have many questions I'd like to ask you in order to become friends!"

"W-Well… I suppose we can have tea after today's missions…"

"Sensational!"

The truck began to slow, making everyone look towards the windshield and see a barricade a few yards away.

"What's going on? Grimm?" Qrow asked as he slid open the storage door, holding a hand of poker cards.

"No. Worse." Clover Ebi replied, placing his cards on the seat behind him, "Dante and Qrow, with me if you don't mind. Everyone else, stay put and keep an eye on our six. We may need an element of surprise."

"Affirmative. I will plan for six possible outcomes." Penny spoke up eagerly.

"Time to make the chimichangas…" The young devil replied as he followed Qrow and Clover into the storage trailer and out the door into the tundra.

As the trio walked around the truck to the front, they could clearly see Robyn Hill in the distance with one of her allies standing in front of a sheet metal barricade blocking off the canyon.

"Well, if it isn't Mantle's home town hero. Is there a reason you're blocking an official military transport?" Clover asked.

"Clover, I'm so glad you're here." The tanned and tall woman replied with a hint of sarcasm in her tone, "Maybe you can help me understand why this truck that's supposed to be taking construction materials to fix Mantle's outer wall, is on its way to the middle of nowhere? Are you lost?"

"It's pretty easy to get turned around out here in the tundra, everything looks the same. Thanks for checking up on us though. We'll be on our way now."

"And her I was hoping you'd at least play it straight with me…" The woman said with a sigh, "What's Ironwood doing with Amity at the old SDC mine?

"Oh, that. Just giving her an annual checkup."

"The next Vytal Festival isn't anytime soon. Only automated drones and a few select Atlas scientists are allowed out here. Not to mention, Amity's getting invaluable resources we need in Mantle to protect the people against Grimm. Seems like more than just a check-up, especially if you have a recently promoted S-Class Huntsmen with you." She spoke, turning her glance towards Dante.

Robyn Hill… She's running for a seat on the Council to replace Jacques Schnee. Seems like she's the earnest type that wants to make a difference if her political ads are anything to go by. Tough to crack, if she even can be cracked. Way I see it, she's the type to fight her heart out for the people without backing down.

"Since we can't seem to get the supplies on these trucks that could repair the walls in Mantle, I think the people at the very least deserve to know what they're being used for. It doesn't have to be difficult. Just tell me." Robyn said as she walked forward and extended her hand with a smile.

"I'm going to have to pass on that." Clover firmly told the woman.

She frowned, then smiled again as she turns her attention to Qrow and Dante.

"How 'bout you, five o' clock shadow? Want to tell me why Mantle's being put at risk for Ironwood's pet project?" She asked the veteran Huntsmen first before turning her attention back to Dante, "From what I hear, you're a man of the people. Can't you tell me why we aren't getting the supplies we need?"

"Nope."

"Robyn, as a potential Councilwoman, you should probably focus on the election instead of harassing Huntsmen. Now, it's time to let us pass."

"I think you've misjudged the situation. One way or another, these supplies are going to get where they're supposed to go. Mantle."

"Then I suggest you do that through the proper legal channels as a Councilwoman. If you get elected."

"Now where's the fun in that?" Robyn smiled.

Clover tensed his hand as Qrow slowly grasped the handle of his weapon, tense silence filling the already chilly air. Dante looked between the two men and Robyn, then shook his head with an annoyed sigh, walking further up towards the woman until he was about ten feet away from her.

"Do you honestly not know you're just wasting our time?"

"Am I?"

"I'm not interested in playing a part in your measuring contest with Atlas. So… I think it's in your best interest to pack up and leave. Also…" The devil dug his hand in the snow, quickly forming a snowball before he spun around and lobbed it.

It made impact with something near the truck, making a girl cry out briefly in surprise.

"Trying to steal our shit using invisibility is tacky as hell."

Clover and Qrow looked behind them, shocked to see that the cargo trailer vanished.

Robyn's lips curled into a smile before she laughed a little, "Alright. Joanna, May!

Two people that looked to be part of the politicians outfit faded into view behind the truck along with the previously missing cargo.

"I have to say… With everything I've heard about you, I really didn't expect to see you working so closely with Atlas." She spoke, stepping forward to close the gap between them halfway, "You've steadily become a lot of people's hero with everything you've been doing. They trust in you to protect them and keep them safe from what's out there. Doesn't it hurt you even a little to see people in Mantle suffering? Or are all of the stories I've been hearing just fluff to maintain a good image?"

…

So annoying…

"I'm not blind to what goes on down there, sister. I've seen a few things and heard a few things myself, and frankly, yeah, it does make knots in my stomach a little now and then." Dante replied, "But it isn't as easy as snapping your fingers and the deed being done. We're steadily shaping Mantle back up with what we can do now. I get you need supplies to rebuild the wall and everything, but we need them too. So… Please get out of the way before someone other than me gets an itchy finger and things go south."

"Is that a threat?"

"No, but there's definitely gonna be some trouble if someone breathes the wrong way right now. Tense atmosphere and all that. So, please get the hell out of our way. I've got better things to do than argue with you out here."

"Like what?"

"Like standing in my underwear making heart-shaped paper cutouts."

She hummed faintly, lowering her crossed arms as Dante titled his head, silently telling her not to try anything.

"Alright, alright, you had your fun." A man spoke as he emerged from behind the barricade.

"You've got to be shitting me…" The devil whispered.

Dark silver metal helmet, waist long black tassel plume shooting out from top of the back of his head…

"Kallus Warren…" Dante muttered.

"Heya, kid! Been a while since our scrap." The man saluted quickly, puffs of white breath emerging from the gaps in his faceplate as he kept his spear slung over his shoulder.

"Scrap?" Robyn asked, giving Kallus a questioning glance.

"Y-Yeah. Little dust up on the job…" He cleared his throat, "Anyway, go on through, kid."

"Excuse me? Since when have you-?"

"Since you asked me to come back to Atlas and hired me as security. Trust me Robyn, don't mess with the kid or his posse. Right now he's playing nice, but if you get him saucy… Hooo boy is that gonna be a mess to clean up…"

The politician looked back at Dante, closing her eyes briefly with a sigh before she waved her hand back at the barricade to widen their "gates" for entry.

"Glad we came to an amicable agreement." The young devil bowed sarcastically with a faint smile, turning around to head back to the truck, "Good luck with the election!"

After he, Clover and Qrow entered back into the truck, it took off once again and went past the barricade, driving away in the distance.

"What now?"

"I want to know why Amity Colosseum is suddenly so important. Whatever it takes." Robyn said, turning back to face Kallus and point at him, "You and I need to have a serious talk."

"About?"

"About overturning my authority in front of others. I don't care if you're-"

"Look, when I said it was in your best interest not to piss the kid off, I seriously meant it."

"And why exactly is that?"

"Cause he kicked my ass."

…

…

"Really now? He kicked your ass? Were you drunk?!"

"Maybe just a little bit." The spearman said, raising up his hand to almost pinch his index finger and thumb together.

"Kal!"

"I was working a sleazy job anyhow."

"That's not the point! You have your rank to take into consideration!"

"Screw my rank."

"Kal!"

The man sighed, spinning around once, "Look, even being slightly shit-faced I can still take on pretty much anyone."

"Then how the hell did he beat you?"

"He got through my Semblance."

Robyn froze, her angered expression turning into shock, "H-He what?"

"You heard me. Kid fucking brute-forced it at Level 1. Only guys on my level can do that with certainty, very rarely anyone below that can break through with effort. Him though? He tore through like it was paper."

The woman's eyes drifted towards the ground, steeping away a little as she raised a hand to her chin in thought.

"Then Ironwood promoting that clown to S-Class wasn't just for show?"

Kallus chuckled at Robyn's nickname for the devil, "The kid talks a huge-ass game, but his juice is the real deal. He's even got one of those fancy Aegis toothpicks."

"An Aegis Blade?! But that's a myth!"

"Nope. Completely true. One of Ironwood's Ace Ops has one, and the newly appointed Grand Inquisitor is the proud owner of one that's been in their family since the founding of Mantle. Both of those are Kingdom Secrets by the way, so don't talk about it with anyone else. Otherwise they might try to shoot me."

"An Aegis Blade… Do you know what kind it is?"

"LongSword type. But from what I saw, she can change into different forms."

"She?"

"Yeah. She. And trust me when I say she's a crazy bitch that'd sooner nuke the rest of the world just to watch out for his ass."

"Stories are true, and he has an Aegis Blade. Not to mention, he got promoted to S-Class. The only obvious thing I can see here is that him getting promoted happened in order to instill hope in the people, boost their morale. I mean, the more actual S-Class Huntsmen and Huntresses are out there, the more everyone will be at ease, right?"

"Typically that's true, yeah." Kallus agreed with a slight shrug.

"But why the sudden need for people of his caliber? Don't you know anything?"

"Honestly, I got nothing. I never actually went to the weekly meetups before the CCT was still up or even now."

Robyn sighed with a disapproving shake of her head, "If there's 3 total in the Kingdom now… it can only mean something big is going to happen."

"Or something big that's coming for us."

"What do you mean?"

"Like you said, there's three S-Classes in Atlas right now. My math has always been kinda shit, but statistically speaking, S-Classes can take on armies or Sigma Class Grimm on their own."

"You might be right... Something big might actually be coming our way… But what's that got to do with Amity Coliseum? Why focus so much on it?"

"Beats me… Frankly speaking, you should stop worrying about that crap."

"Crap? Are you serious?"

"I'm serious. Whatever is coming, the big wigs of Atlas obviously know and have it covered. Focus on the election instead, and how you're gonna kick Schnee's wrinkly, mustached ass."

"Right." The woman chuckled a little, "You know, I really meant it when I said I was gonna pay you and make it worth your while."

"Nah, I'm good. Besides, I owe you a freebie."

"Kal…"

"I told you ten years ago, didn't I? One day I'll come back to Atlas, and pay you back. I owe you that much. For her."

"Right…" The woman said, "Come on. We've got work to do, and I need you to do some recon."

"Oh joy. More jobs that make me look like some creepy pervert…"

---

"You've been irregularly silent the whole afternoon…" Weiss said as she walked next to Dante through the streets of Mantle.

"What? Me not talking is unusual?"

"Extremely."

"Tell me how you really feel, Weiss."

"W-What do you mean?"

"I was kidding. Jokes aside, we're here."

They stopped in front of the rundown VCR store Dante brought Ray to a good time ago.

"What in the world is a… VCR?"

The devil laughed a little as he opened a rectangular panel and began punching in a code, "They're like plastic rectangles with rolls of film stored inside. You shove 'em in these VCR machines hooked up to a TV and they play old movies."

"That's just… strange."

"It's called classical." The devil said as he finished punching in the code, waiting.

"Music is classical. This? This is just… Well, I can't even compare it to ancient texts…"

"Now you're hurting my feelings."

Weiss rolled her eyes, her head snapping to the noise she heard behind the door as it slid apart to reveal…

"An elevator?"

"No, it's a cardboard box tied to a string."

"Dante-"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." The devil defensively raised up his hands before motioning towards the elevator, "After you, mistress Schnee."

The once heiress landed a solid punch to his shoulder, shaking her head as she passed him by and stood in the elevator with her arms crossed. He soon followed after her and the doors closed, the elevator beginning its route.

"So you went missing a little while after we came back."

"I was training with my sister."

"Ah, I see."

"And…"

"What?"

"I was practicing my summoning."

"Right."

"Using you."

The young devil smirked with pride, "So it worked."

"I can't believe you planned something so absolutely ridiculous!"

"Hey, it worked didn't it? You defeated me and added the ultimate trump card to your inventory. Not to mention, you got the added bonus of releasing your pent up frustration by stabbing me, so…"

"Do not say it's a win-win or so help me I'll-"

"Kiss me to shut me up?"

"W-What?! I..! I…"

Weiss immediately went quiet after her outburst, turning her head to the side so the devil wouldn't see her reddened face.

Sweet Cheez Its, they weren't lying… I was deliberately being a little flirty and got that kind of reaction when usually she'd just huff and puff then kick my ass… What the hell am I going to do about this? I mean… it's alright if she likes me, right? Right?

~Hey, as long as the feeling is mutual… Which it is, right?~

…

…

~Your silence is only affirming the idea, you know?~

Eclypse…

~I know you, Master. You definitely like her. If I recall, you did actually think about asking her out way back.~

Briefly. I was certain she hated my guts so I didn't even think twice about it. But now with this whole thing I have going… Is it really alright?

~You have four girlfriends that really, really love you, and you them. Schnee definitely has the hots for you, and you definitely have the hots for her too. Take her out on a few dates, see where it goes.~

I mean sure, but… Wait, how do you even know she likes me?

~Uh, did you forget I can see through your eyes?~

Oh yeah…

~Not to mention I caught her peeking at us when we were having sex.~

Dante sputtered into a bit of a coughing fit after hearing that, pounding his chest.

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked, placing a hand on his arm that made him jolt a little.

He was still coughing a bit, but the coughs died down steadily as he nodded his head.

"Wrong windpipe..!"

Are you freaking serious?!

~Dead serious. First two times she watched.~

First two?!

~Third time after she actually played with herself. She almost got caught, but finished in time.~

Holy crap…

~So you see? She's totally into you. Take it from me, Master… If a cute girl is hiding around a corner fingering herself while she's watching you getting it on with another girl, it means she's jealous, wants some, and that she likes you.~

Great conversation we're having when she's right next to me!

~It's not like she can hear us. I mean, if you're too shy, I can pop out and ask if she wants to bang you, or better yet, if she wants to join us nex-~

ECLYPSE!

The girl laughed.

~Alright, alright… I had my fun. But I was serious about the other part. If she's being… well, flirty in return and tries to hit on you, take it seriously. Flirt back.~

Why does it feel like the advice I'm getting from you is like listening to the devil giving me bad advice?

~Because my advice let's you be selfish and gets you what you want.~

The devil shook his head, sighing briefly.

"What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing. Eclypse is just… messing with me."

"Messing with you?"

"Yeah…" Dante said as he rubbed his eyes briefly, "When my Aegis Blades aren't manifested, they're sitting in my Inner World. They talk through telepathy and the like. So while I can hear her, you can't."

"Is she making fun of me?" Weiss asked.

"Er… No, not really. She's… She's just being herself."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning she's poking fun at you a bit."

"What-"

The girl leaned back a little, then looked down to her chest briefly before looking back at the devil again, who only shrugged.

"T-The nerve! Just because she has a bigger chest doesn't mean she can just make fun of others smaller than her!"

"You show her Weiss."

"I mean, is it really that bad to be this size?!" The white haired girl asked, resting a hand atop her more than average bust.

Now that he thought about it, Weiss seemed to be "bigger" when he saw her again in Mistral.

He shook his head, "Er… You want me to answer that question honestly?"

"Yes!"

"Um… Honestly? I'm not one to judge a girl strictly by appearances or, er… bust size… So frankly, no, your size isn't… bad…"

"But it's not good either?"

"No, it's… Okay, let me put it this way. You're perfect as you are, Weiss."

"R-Really? Y-You think so..?"

"Yeah. So don't show up with a bigger chest or something tomorrow."

"Oh please. I'd never be that desperate… Maybe…"

"Like I said Weiss, you're beautiful as is."

"Stop it. Are you honestly saying that even with this?" The girl waved a hand towards the scar that ran down the center of her left eye.

"Do you really not understand that your scar actually makes you sexier and adds to your already high stats in badassery?"

She stared at him briefly before she laughed for a few seconds, Dante laughing with her. Then she turned to look him in the eyes, a hint of sadness in hers, but mostly full of great appreciation for his words and sentiments.

"Thank you. I mean it. That's… That's the first time anyone has said what you said and actually meant it." She told him.

"How do you know I mean it?"

"Dante, I've known you long enough to tell when you're being sincere or not. Much less when it comes to compliments. So… again. Thank you." She smiled warmly at him.

"You're welcome." The devil returned with a smile of his own before he cleared his throat, "You uh… You said I'm the first to say such things and mean it."

"You wouldn't believe how many times someone has said to me 'You're beautiful' or 'You're just my type' or whatever other methods of wooing they had to try and get under my skirt so they could bed me for a night." She said with a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head.

"Is that why you hard-passed on Jaune?"

"W-What?" The girl asked, unsure of what the devil's phrase meant.

"Rejected him so harshly each time." Dante clarified.

"Jaune…" Weiss sighed, leaning against the elevator wall to think carefully, "At first, I was absolutely certain that's what it was about. But his persistence in the matter started to tell a different story and made me realize that wasn't the case."

"And you didn't think to maybe give the poor guy a chance?"

"Honestly, no. Jaune is a good person, but… I just wasn't interested in him at all. To me he's like the goofy older brother. That and… well… It was pretty obvious how Pyrrha was all over him. I really didn't want to get in the way of that."

"Yeah…"

"I honestly thought they would have made a pretty perfect couple."

"I know, right? It's a damn shame. Would've thrown the two of them the best wedding ever. Still might if Jaune ever gets married."

"You planned a wedding once?" Weiss asked, half impressed but mostly shocked.

"Under duress."

"Really? You? Under duress?"

"I may have had a decently neat track record here, but there's been a few times where I've figuratively had my bare ass out in the wind and got screwed into a shitty situation." Dante explained, "Turns out that 'situation' involved me helping an Angel girl and a Dark Entity girl tie the knot."

"How did that go?"

"Let's just say I got stabbed, burned, poisoned, cursed, and hexed more times that week than I ever would have liked in my whole life." The devil numbered on his fingers.

"And the wedding?"

"Went off without a hitch."

Weiss laughed a little, imagining how that week must have gone. Then, an awkward silence between them as both made an effort to avoid eye contact.

"S-Say, Dante?" Weiss asked, turning to face him suddenly.

"Y-Yeah?" He said turning around to meet her gaze.

"I… I did say you should accompany me whenever I go out, or attend events, yes?"

"Right. You did mention something about keeping the losers at bay."

"T-Then… Would you accompany me to dinner tomorrow night at the GlassWay?"

"The GlassWay? Pretty fancy place…"

"The perfect place to show up some of the snobs, no?" Weiss said with a grin.

"Look at you, making devious plans." Dante smiled, "I like it. In any case, I'm in."

"Perfect. By the way… Where exactly are we going?"

The elevator began to slow down and ascend, eventually coming to a halt.

"You're about to find out."

The doors slid open, revealing the obsidian hallway as a few employees walked on by. A few of them greeted Dante, and a few simply chatted away about the fact Weiss Schnee was with him. As soon as Weiss walked by the front desk and saw the logo, she froze in place, mouth agape.

"DarkStar Industries..?"

"Yup."

"Why are we at DarkStar Industries Dante?"

"Because this is where I wanted to take you."

"Ok, but-"

"Morning mr. Aetherveil!" A passing employee said.

"Morning." Dante waved back.

"Mornin', boss!"

"Heya."

The way some greeted him and spoke to him with reverence confused Weiss, but soon enough the pieces snapped together.

Within no time, they reached his office, a room of smooth obsidian glass with dim white glows from the walls and ceilings and a smooth granite floor. There was a long obsidian table against one side of the room, which had trays of different fruits and graham crackers, as well as a coffee machine with a dozen different flavors, a box of sugar packs and containers of cream.

At the back end of the room was a large window that showed the vast majority of Mantle in the background, while further away was an obsidian desk that had nothing on it. Lastly was the large, obsidian round table in the center of the room that seemingly was merged with the ground.

"You're the owner of DarkStar Industries?!" The shocked Weiss asked.

"Sole owner and CEO. I'll treat you to some strawberry cake if you keep it a secret."

"How did you manage all this..?"

"Well, my illicit gambling funds had to go somewhere. I figured the best thing to do was to make a company that would help the World as best we could. After construction in Vale was almost finished, I started searching for some of Remnant's best and brightest." Dante explained, "Once I gathered enough people with various different fields of expertise, I started filling in other positions, like security, the cafeteria, janitorial, etc."

"Let me guess… Does one of those fields involve weapon production?"

"No, actually. I've kept the business strictly weapons free. Only focused on products meant for defense, barriers and the like for Grimm, prosthetics, surgery and repair tools, machinery, etc."

"But don't you do weapon repairs as well? I strictly remember sending in Myrtenaster to get some maintenance done."

"We get orders for those kinds of things as well, but we only repair Huntsmen tools and weapons, as well as weapons used on transit vehicles between cities and Kingdoms. We don't keep the blueprints after."

"Isn't that inconvenient?"

"A little bit, but it's a necessary measure to make sure no one tries to come in and make off with things they shouldn't. By the way, it was me that fixed up Myrtenaster."

"Well I suppose that makes sense now given how pristine its condition was on return… You've really done well with this with all the things I've heard. When I came back to Atlas after Vale, there was never a time I didn't hear my father complaining about your company and how decently it was doing."

"I bet. To be honest, with how your father's been handling things, he's been making it easier to get some new hires for one of the departments I'm planning on establishing."

"Department?"

"I'm planning to open a department dedicated to Research and Development of Dust related products and its various applications across numerous fields." Dante explained, "Reason one of why I asked you to come here is to ask for your help in the department's establishment, as well as some friendly advice against the competition."

"You want to go up against my father concerning the Dust Industry?!"

"It's doable, isn't it?"

"W-Well, I don't know... You seem to be well off in terms of resources and manpower… But you want my help?"

"That I do. Having you help out will give the department an edge."

"I'm not-"

"You're the most qualified person I know for this sort of thing. When it comes to matters about Dust, I trust you completely. And, well… I trust you with everything else too."

"W-Well, if you put it that way, then I suppose I can offer you my assistance… But having the opportunity to, as you would say, 'screw my father over' in whatever way I can is something I wouldn't want to miss out on. So… I'm on board for now."

"Great."

"What's the other reason?"

"The other reason…" Dante said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pitch black shard shaped like a bullet, "was this."

He handed it over to Weiss, who looked the shard over and was shocked to see what it was.

"Why do you have Anti-Aura Dust?"

"I pulled this out of my hand."

"Of course you came by this because someone shot you with it…" The girl said with a roll of her eyes, "Only the Atlesian Military can get their hands on this type of Dust and… well, very few Huntsmen of A-Class or S-Class. Who shot you with this?"

"Some freshly turned Dark Entity back in Argus that sold her soul. She got cornered and shot me with this."

"And it even passed through your Aura?"

"Like paper. Which is concerning. So with your help and expertise, I'd also like to do some research on it, see if there's a way to counter it."

"Dante, if there was a counter to this type of Dust, it would have been found by now."

"Maybe. But I think people didn't really try hard enough since their main focus was on how it could be a Huntsmen killer if need be. So I want me and you to take a look at Anti-Aura Dust with a fresh perspective and see if we can figure out anything new that could be helpful to not only me, but everyone else."

"I don't know if we'll find anything, but… I suppose we can give it a shot. When do we start?" Weiss asked.

"Seeing as we have a free day today, wanna get started right now?" The devil asked.

"Well… Since I have nothing better to do, I suppose I can stay with you and offer some of my much needed assistance."

"Great." Dante said as he placed the Anti-Aura Dust Bullet on the round table, "Let's science this bitch."

---

I've got nothing suave or saucy for you guys this time. I'm tired and need some rest.

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

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

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