The next day…
The sun rose from the horizon, covering the earth with its glory. Sunlight burst onto Camp Alpe di Siusi. Dante awoke from his slumber as soon as the light hit his eyes. He blinked, seeing a red fabric covering the sky. His eyes widened as he sat straight. He glanced to the side, watching his little brother slumber. He raised his hand, placing it on Missio's stomach.
"Wake up." He yawned.
Missio groaned, opening his eyes. He sat straight, stretching his limbs. Dante stood up, exiting the tent. His feet touched the cold floor without even realizing there was snow outside. He squealed, stepping back into the tent. Missio stood up, pushing past him groggily. Dante pulled him back.
"There's snow outside." He warned in a dry voice.
"Oh…" Missio blurted.
Dante spun around. He picked up Missio's boots and threw them at him. Missio caught them, pulling out his socks from within. Both brothers thumped onto the floor. They put their socks on and slid their boots onto their feet. Then, they jolted up. Dante grabbed his glasses, putting them on.
"Restroom?" Dante asked.
Missio exhaled heavily. "Yeah…"
"Alright…" Dante tilted his head.
Missio spun around, exiting the tent. Dante followed behind, stepping into the deep snow. They treaded through the snow, moving towards the edge of the peninsula. There, they found a small restroom plotted on a wooden platform. Dante entered first, pushing his brother to the side. Missio frowned, watching his brother enter. After a minute, Missio exited – refreshed. Dante pushed him to the side, entering the restroom. Missio wobbled to the side, narrowing his eyes.
He stepped near the sink, turning it on. Dante exited after a minute. Missio stood with crossed arms – waiting. Dante halted at the sink, washing his hands. He hovered his palm above a soap dispenser. The machine pushed soap onto his palm. He rubbed it all over his hands and washed them. He shook the water off, heading towards the wooden lodge. Missio tuned around, walking beside Dante. They headed back to their tent. As they halted at their tent, Missio raised a brow.
"Aren't we getting breakfast?"
Dante tilted his head, raising his finger. "I didn't book a meal plan…"
"You have to book a meal plan?" Missio blurted in a dry voice.
"Yeah…" Dante's fingers slid through his hair.
He stepped into the tent, unzipping his bag. He drew a thermos from the depths of his storage, handing it to Missio.
"Here. Drink it."
Missio took the thermos from his brother's hand, twisting it open. He poured the hot water in its cup, drinking it at once. The hot water flowed down his throat, unclogging it. He exhaled. Then, he coughed, his voice returning to normal. He put the cap back on, handing it back to his brother. Dante poured himself a cup as well, pushing it down his throat in one gulp. He exhaled heavily, gulping. He twisted the cap back on and placed it on the ground.
"So, like… what are we gonna eat?" Missio inquired.
"I mean… cafeteria is open from one PM?" Dante scratched his nape.
Missio face-palmed. "Why didn't you get a meal plan…?"
"I was going to!" Dante exclaimed, spreading his arms. "It just slipped my mind."
Missio tucked his hands into his pockets.
"Then, what are we gonna do?"
Dante smirked, snapping his fingers.
"I actually had plans for you today."
Missio raised a brow. "What is it?"
Dante stepped forward, raising his hand. "Come outside."
He rotated Missio, heading outside the tent. Missio followed him outside. Dante went around their tent, moving towards the edge of the peninsula. Missio trailed him without question. Once they finally reached the near the edge, Dante spun around and met Missio's gaze. The two stood opposite of each other. Dante raised his hand, pointing at his little brother.
"I'm gonna teach you dynamic creation." Dante stated.
Missio tilted his head. "What's that?"
"I believe I told you in Bologna. Creation is not static, it's an everchanging state of existence."
Missio's brows furrowed. His mind raced back to their time in Bologna. His lips couldn't help but curl into a smile as he remembered what his brother was talking about.
"If you can create anything, you can create anything, can't you?" He quoted Dante's words from months ago.
"Correct! you can create anything – Anything! So… I've taught you to create objects with vectors but… what if… you could do even more?"
Dante spread his palm, lightning sparking on the surface of his skin. Missio watched the electricity dance in his brother's palm. Dante drew a deep breath, his mouth parting.
"Back at Bologna, you created lightning… you created a growing tree, didn't you?"
"…I did." Missio responded.
"Then, what else can you create, Missio? Let you imagination bloom."
Missio paused, his lips parting. He thought long and hard about Dante's words. His mind raced with many thoughts yet doubt still plagued his mind He sighed, lowering his head.
"I can't… I don't know what to create…"
Dante straightened. "… What did you think?"
Missio raised his head. "Well, y'know at first my mind went to those cool skills from the shows we used to watch like how they produced sound, ice and wind blades out of thin air but then, I was like… Yeah, that's not realistically possible–"
Dante's voice cut him off. "That's exactly your problem."
He approached Missio, raising his hand. He locked eyes with his little brother, his lips parting.
"You can create it."
Missio's eyes widened.
"You think of such creative ideas yet when… trying to put them into action – You fall short. Why? You believe you can't do it. You can – You always have been able to. The only thing holding you back is your belief." Dante thrusted his finger onto his skull.
"…But… How…?" Missio's mouth bubbled up and down.
Dante chuckled, adjusting his glasses with a grin.
"I'll give an example… Sun – the drug lord you fought at Kharagen. He's the avatar of Sun Wukong. Yet as a mere Awakener against someone who's supposed to stronger Nyx – the supreme commander of the PEOC, how did you win?"
Missio's brain throbbed against his skull, causing a mild headache within him. His hand twitched as his logical mind began to be unraveled. A cold breeze past the two siblings, rustling the leaves. Dante lifted one finger, pointing it at his little brother.
"It was because he rejected his own God. Because of that, his power decreased…Your mind is the ultimate power. It's stronger than any force in the universe… It can affect the body, the soul and someday… reality itself. Yet… when your mind can imagine something that is impossible, why can't you achieve it? It's a matter of self. Where do you believe your limits are? What do think you can do? Can you achieve the impossible?"
He spread his palm. "You dictate it all. You're the master. You're the one in control."