The two took out their stiff-soled mountaineering boots. The duo sat down and took off their shoes. They slid on the boots, jolting up. They shoved the sneakers into their bags. They grunted, putting them on again. Missio lifted his head, peering at the steep hill.
"Dammit…" He mumbled under his breath.
Their hike began. The soles of their boots pressed against the steep hill, pushing them upward. They bent their spine, leaning forward. Their arms swung widely, sweat accumulating in their face. They evaded the rocky ledges with caution. Nevertheless, they still found a way to poke a sharp rock at their feet. However, it caused them on pain. In fact, they didn't even know they had stepped on a rock. They continued on, wiping the sweat off their forehead.
Dante grunted, hopping to a small ledge with no rocks. He heaved a breath, lifting his head. He wiped his forehead as a strong wind blew him. The snow curled backwards. His clothes and hair fluttered at it passed. He weaved through the turns of the mountain trail. Eventually, they reached a small plateau. They halted there for a moment. Dante spun around, lifting his glasses.
"Woah…"
Missio spun around as well, wiping the sweat off his chin. His eyes widened. He gazed beyond the ledge. A massive frozen lake sat beyond the ridge. The water seemed a warm blue like the ocean. The duo stared at it; it's beauty prevailing over them. After a few minutes, Dante patted Missio's shoulder.
"Turn around. Stay still."
Missio raised a brow. Dante backed off. Missio spun around. Dante pressed his glasses, sticking his tongue out.
"Say cheese!"
Missio grinned widely Dante captured a picture. The photo saved itself in his phone through the meta glasses link. Dante clasped his hand, signaling Missio to come over.
"Let's move." The King spun around.
Missio nodded, stepping forward. "Alright."
The duo passed the plateau, rising beyond the lake. They trekked on the rocky hill for an hour. The sun shone down upon them, making them sweat profusely. Eventually, they summited the hill. Missio drew a sharp breath, halting at the peak of the slope. He paused for a moment, gazing outwards. In his vision, he saw that same oceanic blue lake once more – more prominent than ever.
They stared at it for a few minutes, letting the silence consumed them. There was no sound – no other person – no smell – no feeling, only the view that stood before them. The silence felt deafening yet beautiful All distractions vanished and the only thing left was the admiration for nature's art. After, Missio glanced down the slope. The slope remained rocky with small plateaus here and there. He drew a deep breath and lightly punched his brother.
"Shall we get going?"
Dante locked eyes with Missio. "Yeah."
They began their descent to the other side of the ridge. Suddenly, a cold wind blasted the siblings, sending shivers down their body. Both squealed, jerking their bodies from the cold.
"What the hell is this?!" Missio blurted.
"I don't know!" Dante exclaimed.
Nevertheless, they continued. Their feet dug into the snow, deeper on this side. However, with their strength, it slow them down. Their clothes fluttered with the brisk wind passed again.
Half an hour passed before they touched down on the other side of the ridge. Missio exhaled heavily, wiping sweat off his face. Dante landed beside him, fanning himself with his shirt. They lifted their heads, looking towards their next hurdle – a forest. Missio blinked, turning towards Dante.
"…How are we getting through that?"
Dante adjusted his glasses. "Don't worry."
Mythos instantly traced the path buried under the deep snow. Dante gripped his straps, his legs gliding through the snow.
"Follow me."
Missio watched his brother step in front of him. He shrugged and trailed him. Dante led through the thick forest, covered in deep snow. Missio exhaled, his cold breath visible to the naked eye. As they continued down the path, Missio accidently bumped into a tree. The trunk shook heavily as snow crashed down onto the royal's head. Missio's head recoiled. He fell down face first as snow piled atop him.
"What the…?"
Dante spun around, hearing the falling snow. He witnessed his little brother trapped in the snow. As Missio gasped for air, Dante erupted into laughter.
"My man! How can you…ha!" He clutched his stomach.
Missio pushed the snow off. He grunted, standing up.
"I'm in a good mood. So, I'll let this one slide…" He dusted himself off.
Dante cupped his hands, placing them on his mouth.
"Bro got put to bed by himself…" The supreme commander whispered.
Missio shrugged Dante's mockery off. He stepped forward, curling his hands around his straps. Dante lowered his hands, wrapping his arms around his little brother as he approached. Missio sighed heavily as Dante rubbed their cheeks together. Then, he pushed his big brother away from himself.
"Just show the path. It's almost evening." Missio complained.
"Fine." Dante rolled his eyes, activating Mythos.
The path once again appeared in front of him. He moved ahead of his brother, leading the way to Alpe di Siusi.
***
A few hours later…
The lights flashed on. A vibrant white glow encompassed the campsite. Missio and Dante halted before the entrance to the next campsite. They stepped into the boundaries of the peninsula where they were greeted by a young ranger.
"Howdy, fellas." The ranger lifted his hat slightly. "May I have your reservations?"
"Yes…" Dante pulled out his phone.
He handed his phone to the ranger. The ranger took a look at their reservations and nodded.
"Alright, two people…" The ranger picked up a logbook and pen from his desk. "Would you mind writing your names down?"
"No problem." Dante replied, taking the pen and log book from his hand.
He opened the logbook and jotted down their names down. He handed the logbook back to the ranger. Then, the young man patted his pants and handed him another piece of paper.
"This is a paper manifesta. Just write down your info and which campsite you're heading to next."
"Gotcha."
Dante placed the paper onto the ranger's desk. He swiftly wrote his information into the manifesta. He handed it to the ranger while giving the pen to Missio. The young ranger gave another manifest to Missio. Missio took it from his hand and placed it onto the desk as well. After writing it down, he handed both back to the ranger.
"Alright." The ranger clasped his hands. "You're all good to go…"
"Thanks." Missio lifted his thumb.
The siblings passed the check-in and treaded deep into the meadow. Eventually, they finally found an open space to camp. Their bags hit their ground as the moon rose from the horizon.
"Time to set up our tents…" Dante stretched his limbs.