𝕭𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉𝖎𝖊𝖉 𝖇𝖚𝖙 𝖀𝖓𝖇𝖗𝖔𝖐𝖊𝖓

Memory

Dante trained late into the night, slashing apart dummies with the curved blade of his Burial Blade. It wasn't enough. Something was bothering him. He searched the training room after shutting off the simulation.

Nothing.

Only the lone Messenger kept him company this late at night.

...Footsteps. He dropped the Burial Blade to the Messenger, and it gave him the Saw Cleaver. He still wore Brador's Testimony but had swapped out the Confederate set with the rest of the Brador set, while he waited for a perfect moment.

"You think he's here?" A slightly-high pitched, but undeniably male voice spoke on the other side of the door.

"Probably. I've been hearing noises coming from THIS specific room for the past hour." A female. Hunters? Maybe. Hostiles? A possibility.

"Guys... it's midnight. Shouldn't we just go back to bed?" Another male.

"Yeah. Plus... if he's in here, that means he's training." Another female. Dante liked this one since she knew not to interrupt a man when he's training.

He opened the door, catching four strangers off guard. They were piled on top of each other, trying to listen to whoever was behind the door. The four had surprised looks on their faces when the human tower collapsed inwards.

Dante side-stepped to avoid. "Welcome to my training room. Who in Kos are you?"

"Ah... I'm Jaune. This is Nora—" 

"HI!" 

"This is Ren—" 

"Hey. I told you guys we should've just gone to bed—" 

"And this is—" 

"Pyrrha. Pyrrha Nikos." The woman named Pyrrha had already stood up.

Dante bowed, albeit too formal. "A pleasure to meet you, Madam Nikos." She curtseyed back. "To you too, Sir Dante."

"So... what are you and your team doing here, this late at night?" Dante asked. "Ah, we were stalking you—" Nora started, but Jaune slapped his hand over her mouth.

"Get up, the lot of you."

Ren stood up first, dusting himself off. "Sorry for the intrusion, Dante."

"It is fine, good sir."

Nora stood up as well. "We saw your initiation, by the way! You were amazing!"

Dante was surprised. He was never given a genuine compliment when it came to his line of work, so he was a little happy. "Thank you, miss."

"Where did you learn how to fight like that?" Jaune said. "I mean we all heard your story, but... where?"

"I learned it by myself," Dante spoke.

"You don't just 'learn' that by yourself, Dante. Something you're not telling us?" Ren inquired.

"Ah. You caught on fast. Back in my day, when I used to dream, I was one of the best Hunters." Dante said. "Not to be prideful or anything, but I was one of the best Hunters."

"You're leaving a lot of details out of your stories, mister."

"Let me finish. I've died."

Silence, once more.

"What?"

"I've died. Many times in fact," Dante said with a straight face. So many things they do not know about this man... "I would show you if only the Dream were still completely intact..." Dante's right hand had found itself wrapped around the hilt of the Evelyn.