Lexa was in distraught and fear, her heart feeling as if it were clenched in the grip of a monster—tightening with every passing second until suffocation seemed inevitable. Every word Dante spoke cut through her, shaking her to her very core.
She was beyond afraid; even her nod came out as feeble and awkward as a chicken pecking rice.
After what felt like an eternity, the terrifying aura dissipated, and Lexa could slowly breathe. Her sister lay half-dead, and the other elves seemed as if their minds had been shattered. Dante spared them a brief glance before extending his hand. A strange, otherworldly aura—an energy that defied belief—spread over the group.
In mere moments, every physical injury and the mental torment inflicted by the combined powers of Psychic Domination, Reality Distortion, and Perception Collapse were healed. Yet, the searing words he had hurled at Lexa remained imprinted in their minds.
Dante had not only mended their broken bodies but also the psychic scars left by their exposure to his overwhelming powers. He did this so that they would never forget this moment, no matter how hard they tried to move on.
Moreover, he ensured that they would never fully recall his true visage after they seperated. In effect, he implanted a ghostly image of himself into their memories—a dark, fog-shrouded silhouette that would cause severe mental backlash to anyone attempting to retrieve more detail, unless they had the brute overwhelming power to. This spectral image guaranteed that neither Lexa nor her sister would ever dare to speak of him or even recall him.
When Lexa and the other elves rose to offer a bow of apology, Dante snapped, "Shut up, I don't need apologies." Lexa felt her heart twist painfully. She didn't understand why; the idea of her young master despising her was unbearable. In that moment, she stole a glance at Vexion, who struggled to wipe away an expression of shock and excess gratitude. Lexa could sense that Dante cared for Vexion deeply—a fact that sparked an inexplicable tinge of jealousy within her. Perhaps it was the debt she owed him for saving her sister or the multiple times he had spared her life, but all Lexa felt was deep sadness. She was astonished that he even knew her name. Maybe he had guessed, but she doubted it. One thing was clear: Dante knew more than he let on and deliberately kept her details concealed.
Without warning, Dante used his power to pull Vexion to his side. She was still raw with emotion—something he clearly understood.
Perhaps it was the proper way to deal with deep-seated childhood trauma, yet Dante himself had grown so accustomed to it that he no longer cared for the affirmation or affection of others, he cared for what he cared for. There was no 'principle' behind his actions.
He simply lived as he wished. Curious, he scanned her status panel. When he saw that her moral alignment remained unchanged, he chuckled. 'It seems you were always a wicked woman. Whatever you went through only helped you embrace who you are without floundering over your moral compass. Not that I'm a therapist.'
Dante's smile faded as he grew serious. "I don't really care for the tears and sweet candy bullshit but…" He paused before continuing, "I said already—you're mine. No one can bully you, at least not if its outside my plans. I know you can handle yourself. I didn't choose you as my subordinate because I needed a damsel in distress; it's because you're strong—very strong—and you're going to get even stronger. But that doesn't mean I won't stand up for you, even if you can stand up for yourself. In return, when I'm too lazy to slaughter all my enemies, show me that you can destroy them—bring me their broken bodies and dismembered heads, flawlessly and perfectly. Got it?"
Vexion nodded, trying to calm her heart. She wanted to express so much more, but her tongue failed her. After all, her master was both a prince and, in some ways, still a child. First, she needed to learn more about him before she dared to offer anything in return. The thought made her blush furiously as she clutched the edges of her robes in embarrassment. Dante chuckled at her innocent reaction before declaring, "Let's get rid of the evidence that we were here."
This unfortunately was one part he was uncertain he could do well, all he could do was try his best.
Snapping out of her daze, Vexion straightened up. Confusion flashed across her face as she attempted to ask what Dante meant and how they could possibly do it. But before she could speak, she saw his blue eyes darken—a majestic, deeper blue—as he lifted his gaze toward the mansion. Dante then raised his hand, and as mana began to flow through him, he intoned, sighing as this was going to take a lot out of him "System, you know what to do."
A disembodied voice responded:
["Yes, Master. Activating skill: Abyss Veil. Configuring sub-abilities—Unreadable Presence, Reflection & Corruption, Reality Distortion, and Perception Collapse. Activating skill: Mental Domination. Configuring sub-ability: Psychic Domination. All skills have been activated and are being forcibly applied over the surrounding area."]
A dark, hollow sensation emanated from Dante, an eerie feeling that made him seem both present and absent simultaneously. It warped ones sense of reality, making one's senses unreliable yet paradoxically acute—a dark fog-like energy came out of him, and with a white encompassing mist consumed the entire mansion. The elves, who had barely recovered, looked on in bewilderment and at the same time, understood absolutely nothing, they could understand nothing, feel nothing, perceive nothing . The harder they tried to focus, the less they could see. They sensed the mist-like darkness enveloping the mansion, an empty void swallowing it whole, yet outwardly the structure appeared perfectly normal.
Vexion's body trembled once more. She was of higher tier so she understood as little as she could discern, whatever her Master was, he hid it well, he 100% was an anomaly she couldn't understand, In the shifting void of white fog, they perceived a haunting silhouette—short yet impossibly tall— staring intently at them as if scrutinizing every hidden fear. Gradually, the fog subsided, and a slightly dizzy Dante took a deep breath to steady himself. Unlike Passive skills that System could help him activate, this combination of a multitude of skills took more out of him. His mind, manna and all energy levels dropped below half of what he had, it was the first time in his life that he experienced such levels of exhaustion. This was the first time he performed an action that required over 30% of his manna and energy.
He sighed as he watched the mansion return to its normal state, a subtle smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He still didn't fully understand the complete extent or the limits of what his skills could do, yet he knew one thing for certain: no one below a really high level in the mythical tier would ever grasp the events he chose to hide of what had just transpired. His ability was naturally passive—designed to mask his presence—but he had discovered through the teachings of the system that he could tweak or minorly change they way his skills behaved. The price, however, was steep—a tremendous drain on both mana and energy, as he had to activate every skill he possessed in unison to achieve the desired effect.
The process was deceptively simple in concept yet challenging in execution. First, he activated all his skills, permitting the system to analyse his entire arsenal. With his explicit permission, the system temporarily adjusted the effects of his abilities. System merely shifted the focal point of what was being "hidden", from him to another object. In this instance, he redirected that effect to make the lingering mana application of itself hidden and un-appraisable. He didn't need to change its core—though he suspected that once the system reached higher levels he could, that might be a different story.
Next, the simultaneous activation of all his skills was refined through a martial technique known as Perfect Technique—a sub-skill primarily used to enhance martial combat. Because it fell under the combat category, he was able to apply it in this unconventional context. Dante then bolstered his own body using Spatial Body and Telekinetic Energy, reinforcing his physical form so that it could bear the enormous burden of the combined power surge. The results were exceptionally satisfying.
He stared at his screen, a grin spreading across his face as he reviewed the detailed readout:
Name: Dante
Origin: Sandrian Empire, North-east Continent
Age: 10 years old
Race: Elf
Moral Alignment: Evil, Vile, Heinous, Unstable, Malevolent, … (etc.) MEP (Mastery Experience):
Loyal Skill Bestowal – Legendary Tier: Lvl 0 (10%) Martial Apex – Legendary Tier: Lvl 2 (21%) Mental Domination – Mythical Tier: Lvl 0 (10%) Spatial Body – Mythical Tier: Lvl 0 (99%) Second Mind – Legendary Skill: Lvl 5 (70%) Abyss Veil – Legendary Tier: Lvl 3 (3%)