The next day…
Missio and Dante arrived back on the shore of Lido di Venezia in their casual clothes. Both took in the fresh air. Dante raised his hand and pushed Missio forward.
"Sit down."
"Why?" Missio blurted.
"Just sit." Dante said.
Missio groaned and sat down. Dante neared him and crouched down beside him.
"Cross your legs."
Missio did as told, crossing his legs. The water washed against his feet, sending chills down his spine. He pushed himself back but Dante voice rung through the air.
"Stay in that position. This is mind training you're going through." He stood up.
"Mind training? On the beach?" Missio chuckled slightly. "You got to be kidding me."
"I am not now stay in one place." Dante activated his attribute.
Missio's pupils dilated. His body moved on its own, pushing him forward near the water. He shut his eyes and connected his thumb and index finger on both his hands. He placed them on his crossed legs, sitting in a meditative position. Dante let him go.
"Now, don't talk. Don't do anything or else I will shock you."
"That doesn't seem fair–"
Missio was interrupted by an electrical shock. He jolted up, shaking his entire body.
"What the hell was that?!" he blurted.
"For God's sake, I said don't talk. So, don't talk." Dante face-palmed.
"But why?" Missio turned his head.
"To master patience and increase your mental fortitude."
Missio was about to speak again but Dante forced him down again. He closed his eyes and sat back in a meditative position.
"Don't." Dante commanded in a serious tone.
Missio grumbled and drew a sharp breath. He smelled the fresh air – heard waves crashed against the shore and felt the cold water touch his skin. The sound of kids playing behind him entered his mind. The rustling of the leaves and shouting of adults made his eyes twitch. His body began to feel uncomfortable. He shifted slightly but–
"Ah!" Missio shrieked.
Dante clicked his tongue. "Don't move as well."
"Why are you shocking me?" Missio asked, closing his eyes.
"I'll tell you… but you need to listen – not respond." Dante sat behind him.
Missio relaxed, feeling his surroundings as the supreme commander spoke in earnest.
"Now that you're returning to the old self. I have to remind you that this trip to mold something new out of you. It's not to return to your old self but rather to transcend that self." Dante snapped his fingers, pointing at Missio. "Did you catch that?"
Missio smirked. "Yeah, I–"
A small bolt of electricity shot through him again. Missio gasped but returned to his meditation.
"I'm tricking you~ Don't get distracted." Dante chuckled.
'Brother, you son of a…'
Missio held back his curses. Dante placed his arms on his knees and began speaking.
"As a child, you were arrogant, bold and unruly. Not good qualities. From this mental strain, I want to teach you how to be patient, how to filter out the extra noises in your brain and how to control your mind."
Dante placed his hand on Missio's shoulder. Missio didn't move, he had learnt from his mistakes. Dante noticed this and smiled. He paused for a moment before going back to the topic.
"… A man will change from the inside. It's never a change from the outside. You can listen to other people's advice but it's up to you if you want to follow it or not. If your change is external, you're not a human but a puppet."
Dante waved his arms, pointing towards the open sea.
"Just like how, with your senses as a breaker, you're hearing, feeling, smelling and maybe tasting many things at one time. You've learned how to control your sense properly but now you need to make that passive. You need to be patient and a good listener because one who doesn't listen yet speaks his ideas aloud is nothing more than a fool in his own delusion."
Dante stood up, grunting.
"Be forgiving, be tolerant of other people even if they are wrong. Remember, the tiger doesn't argue with a donkey. It accepts the other's point of view and walks away without another word. Just like now, you couldn't even sit down without talking, you want to be in full control. The world – Chaos won't allow that. Instead, you must flow with the greater whole. Be your own separate being but live with the world – live with Chaos. Then, the mysteries of the universe will unravel themselves."
Missio didn't respond, relaxing his body. Taking his brother's advice, he calmed his mind down. His thoughts vanished leaving only the buzz of his empty mind. A certain song started to play – not from the music box but from his own memory. More songs played one after another and before he knew it an hour had passed. Dante sat behind his little brother, scrolling on his phone. Just then, a transaction notification appeared on his device.
[Dear Dante, a transaction of 135,000 Aureus has been made for 'Bride Dress' on your account.]
Dante stared at the screen for a moment. Time seemed to freeze for him for a moment too long. He grasped his chest, crying out in a childish voice.
"God! Why is she spending this much nowwwwwww?"
Missio's eyes flew open. He spun around as Dante rolled around in the sand.
"What happened?"
Dante pointed at him. "Get back to meditating!"
"But what happened?" Missio repeated.
"Just go back–"
Right then, a message from his dear fiancé came.
[Hey~, Dante. Guess who just ordered their specially tailored wedding dress?]
Dante immediately replied to her, typing furiously.
[WHAT WEDDING DRESS COSTS 135,000 AUREUS, BABE???!!!]
[The best ones, duh🙄]
[But still why?]
[You're the one who let me use your money.]
[I have doomed myself, haven't I]
[Totally. 😂Now, I want a recording of your cries.]
[You're a devil.]
[A devil that's about to get married~]
She went offline. Dante stared at her last message. Missio watched from behind as if he were watching a quarrel between a couple in a Rom-com. He stepped back and burst into laughter.
"You really fucked yourself." He clutched his stomach.
Dante pouted and snapped his fingers. A stream of electricity shot through Missio, halting his laughter. Dante released Missio from his hold. Missio blinked – dazed. He drew a deep breath, controlling his laughter as Dante whined like a child.