The next day…
Dante in the usual clothes, scrolled through his social media feed. Every single short talked about Kedith's final words before his imprisonment. People wanted a government wide search of every government official as fast as possible. Dante groaned and put his phone down. His glasses lowered as he held his head.
"God…Kedith, why…?"
He leaned back. Marcus stood beside him, adjusting his crystal monocle. His mind raced with all affairs of the world.
'The order of a government wide search shouldn't be protested but anything could happen… Rush city's reconstruction is going well but the new Stratos students need to be at the university by August...maybe we'll focus on repairing the teleporter first so their studies don't get interrupted… reporters are asking for interviews… what should I do about the Apex forces… also and…'
He rubbed his head, groaning. He sat straight and opened his mouth.
"Has Missio left his room, Marcus?"
Marcus lowered his head.
"I'm afraid not, my lord."
Dante sighed heavily. He contemplated for a moment before standing up.
"I'll have a talk with him."
Marcus didn't reply. He lifted his head and watched as Dante ascended the stairs. The patriarch left his sight.
Dante walked down the corridor and eventually arrived at his little brother's room. He drew a deep breath, knocking on the door.
"Missio?"
Within the darkness of his room, the bright walls were shadowed by the darkness. Missio slept in bed – without light, hugging a pillow.
"Missio?" Dante called out again.
Missio hugged his pillow more firmly as his brother continued to call out to him. Then, his lips parted.
"What do you want…"
"I just want to talk to you." Dante said in a soft tone.
"Go away…" Missio's voice cracked.
"Please, I'm worried about you – everyone is. Can you open the door so I can just see you?" Dant expressed his thoughts openly.
"Go away." Missio repeated.
Dante's annoyance flared up but for his brother he contained himself.
"Please."
"Go away!" Missio shouted.
"Please, just…give me a chance, will yo–?"
Right then, Missio interrupted him with a loud shout and pulled the final straw.
"I said go away! When do you ever listen to me?! You don't care about me; you just pretend to care to look good! You don't understand my pain I'm going through because your value your fucking work more than your own brother!"
Dante froze and blinked. His hand curled into fist. His veins popped. He gritted his teeth and swung. The next second, the door flew off, crashing against the wall. The light broke in, lighting up the dark room and blinding Missio. Dante stomped into his brother's room. He grabbed his green T-shirt and dragged him off.
"I don't care about you? Of course! The man who is the King, Supreme Commander and Motherfucking chief justice can't spend time with his brother! Your brain can't comprehend the level of anguish I go through every day because YOU think you're the only one suffering!!"
Dante's voice cracked as he let go of Missio. Missio fell to the floor. Dante crouched and grasped his collar, pulling his closer.
"But in fact, you're the only whose been making everyone else's life hell! Lilla has been taking care of you for 18 – 18 fucking years and you haven't given her a shred of thanks! Instead, your just drifting in your world, thinking you're the one who is suffering the most, huh?! You think that everything is about, that you're the only one in pain. Have you ever thought about Me, Lilla or Dad – No! because your too selfish! Do you Mom would be happy seeing you like this?"
"Don't mention Mom!" Missio tried to push his brother away.
Dante pulled his hand away. His throat dried under the weight of his own voice. Tears welled up in his eyes which were hidden by his glasses. He coughed, his throat coarse from all the shouting but he still continued.
"I will mention Mom! Because she's my mom too! Because you're not her only son. Did your tiny brain get that, you little shit?! YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO LOST FAMILY THAT DAY!!!"
Dante's fingers slipped off Missio's collar. Missio fell and gasped for air as Dante stood up, swallowing his saliva. He wiped the tears in his eyes and continued speaking.
"Look at you after 18 years and you're just the same as before, you haven't changed you've just gotten older – you're still thinking about Mom and about that day. You're pathetic – You're useless – You're trash. You're going to stay here cuddle up in this room for the rest of your damn life while everyone moves on just because you're a coward who can't face the past."
He spun around and halted at the exit of the room. He tilted his head sideways, looking at Missio from behind as his figure was overshadowed by the light.
"If you're willing to change, follow me. If you can't, then stay in this room until you die."
With that, he angrily left the room – breathless. Missio blinked – only he was in room. His whole life flashed before his eyes. His childhood – His brother – His Dad – Lilla – Marcus – Krishna but most importantly…his mom. Tears welled up in his eyes as he remembered that day. His voice cracked and he began to wail uncontrollably. He gripped his skull, trying to crush it and sunk further into grief.
Dante stormed through the hallway. His legs felt weak and his throat felt like a desert. Lilla rushed up the stairs after hearing Missio's cries. She halted as Dante descended.
"My lord, what happened to your broth–?"
Before she could finish her sentence, Dante pulled her down.
"Leave him, Lilla. Let him cry as much as possible today. He needs to learn."
Lilla's heart ached.
"A-Are you sure about this?"
Dante locked eyes with her. His glasses fell slightly, revealing his red eyes. Lilla's eyes widened as Dante's lips parted.
"Yes, I'm sure. Now, leave him."
Lilla nodded, clutching her chest. Dante tucked his hands in his pockets and inhaled deeply. His heart calmed down. He wiped the tears left in his eyes and touched his chest. He exhaled heavily and peered at the door.
"I'm going to the cemetery. "
Dante walked to the door. He halted at the exit and turned around.
"Oh, and if he asks where I'm at, tell him I went to see Mom."
Lilla nodded slowly. "Yes…my lord."
Dante didn't look back again. Lilla watched him as the doors closed. The patriarch lifted his head – he felt as if he had walked through a storm. He shook his head and headed to the graveyard.