A week later…
Missio was at the middle of the beach. Surrounded by parents playing with their kids, volleyballs and loud noises. He drew a deep breath, passively filtering the noise as a song played in his mind. Dante shook his left wrist and checked the time. The clock struck one o'clock as the sun reached high noon.
"Alright. You've been at this for seven hours. That's good enough." Dante stood up.
Missio opened his eyes. "Now, what?"
"Phase Two." Dante said. "You'll be under more pressure now."
"Before that…" Missio turned his head around. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure." Dante replied.
"Why aren't we training on Poveglia?" Missio inquired. "It seems like a better place for training."
"It's restricted to enter, ya dumbass." Dante sneered. "Do you think they would let ordinary civilians step foot on a place where a possible world-ending dragon is at? Plus, more strange things happen there."
"Like?"
"I beg your pardon? There was a hurricane here just last week and the week before that frogs rained out of the sky."
"Alright – Alright…" Missio rolled his eyes.
"Now, let's move on to phase two…" Dante adjusted his glasses.
Missio shut his eyes. Suddenly, he felt an immense pressure rise from behind him. It was as if he was flying through a thunderstorm. The pressing force made his joints creak, his muscles tear bit by bit. His survival instincts screamed at him to run and he obeyed. He jolted up and took a few steps forward. Clutching his chest, he panted heavily while spinning around.
"What the hell was that?!" He exclaimed.
"Come on, you can't handle a bit of your big bro's aura?" Dante stated.
"Okay, dude. First that Volcano is already pressing on me and now this?" Missio replied.
"If you were close enough to Volcano Abaddon, then you would feel the same pressure." Dante licked his lips.
Missio's arms slumped. "This is just torture."
"Might be. You regretting laughing at my financial loathing yet?"
"I would never." Missio smirked.
Dante clicked his tongue. "Get your ass back down."
Missio sneered. He sat in a meditative pose and inhaled deeply. Preparing for the next wave of pressure, cold sweat dripped off his face. Dante whistled. The wind passed over them, the leaves rustled and he waves crashed against the beach. Dante released a bit of his presence. Immediately, Missio felt as if the surroundings were caving in. He felt like he was being crushed into a pancake while bolts of lightning danced around him.
He drew a deep breath as his instincts went off. A drop of sweat escaped from his face but was immediately vaporized in an instant. A chill went down his spine. Suddenly, his heart began to beat rapidly as his trauma resurfaced. His eyes flew open as he fell forward, breathing frantically.
"Shit."
Dante's aura vanished as he rushed to his brother's side. He held Missio in his arms. Missio convulsed, holding his skull. The memories of the face surfaced once again at the feeling of a similar pressure. He saw those demons with their fleshy wings fly across the dark sky like black streaks in a colorful painting. He gritted his teeth, closing his eyes as Dante rubbed his back, whispering calming words to him.
In his memory, he spun around, seeing a certain figure. A regal man with thick combed blonde hair that was paired with his bright amber eyes. Like a fallen angel, dark wings protruded from his back and were twice the size of his own body. He wore a black three-piece suit with red accents with mismatched buttons, an open collar with a red-striped black tie coiled around it, a white over coat hanging over his shoulders that disrupted the entire outfit.
The demonic entity gazed over the city and eventually locked eyes with Missio who was running with someone. A creepy smile couldn't help but spread across the man's face as he flapped his wings. Right then, Dante tapped Missio's forehead. Using his attribute, he disrupted his brother's brain's electrical signals. In a moment, the vision disappeared as if it had never existed. Missio blinked, staring at the sand.
Dante straightened him and held his shoulders.
"Are you okay?"
Missio blinked again, locking eyes with his elder brother.
"…Yeah…"
Hearing Missio reply, Dante heaved a sigh of relief and chuckled awkwardly.
"Looks like that was too much."
The supreme commander stood up, dusting himself off.
"I'll lessen the intensity next time. Looks like it jogged up your PTSD."
Missio nodded. Dante crouched down and grazed his brother's cheek.
"Take a break."
Missio stared blankly and fell onto his back. He saw the sun in all its glory and covered his eyes. Just then, Dante's voice rang out.
"Y'know there's a better solution to that."
Missio raised his head slightly. "What?"
"Your power…" Dante replied.
Missio stared at him for a moment. A bulb went off in his head. His mind sparked as a bright light beamed in front of his eyes. Dark sunglasses appeared on him as he laid his head in the sand.
Dante clapped. "You actually used your brain, good job."
"Thanks." Missio smiled.
"By the way, have you talked with other friends?" Dante held his face.
"You mean Henry, Eira and Mary?" Missio raised a brow.
"Yeah…" Dante sighed.
"Of course, I have. I talked with Henry back in Verona." Missio sat straight.
"What did he say?"
"Well… he said he was surprised by my expulsion." Missio shrugged. "He also said he'll be going for lieutenant general now."
"Seriously…?" Dante asked – amused. "I mean, he is a good man for the job but are there any other contenders?"
"Nah." Missio shook his head. "There's none. The general literally said Henry would have been the lieutenant general if not for me."
"Yeah… Dad really did a number on me. Forcing you into the black ops. Then, being forced to retire due to public backlash. Then, I took his seat and was immediately bombarded with complaints telling me to kick you out of the black ops and send you to the Special Ops. To be honest, I would've done that if it weren't for dad."
Missio's face darkened. "…Why?"
"Missio. You were heavily traumatized. The Special Ops – you don't know how brutal it is. You're always on alert because the instant they detect a fragment, they are sending you in a moment's notice – whether you're in the toilet, eating lunch or naked. They don't care. You became an enforcer to protect humanity and you'll have to do that job no matter the cost." Dante stated.