After an hour…
The near vertical descent finally ended. Missio and Dante stood up, their butts aching. Missio rubbed his arse, following his brother. Dante plopped down on the ground, lying on the snow.
"What are you doing?" Missio inquired.
"Resting…" Dante responded, snowflakes dropping onto his face. "Oh… my arse is killing me…"
"So much for the experience…" Missio created an icepack.
"Just shut up." Dante reached his hand out.
Missio manifested another icepack, handing it to Dante. The duo pressed it against their butts, easing the pain. A wave of pleasure washed over them as the ice dulled their pain. After a few minutes, Dante stood up – groaning.
"You were right, we should've jumped down that…" Dante stuffed the icepack into his bag.
"Forget it." Missio did the same.
The two dusted their hands off before heading forward. They arrived at arranger safety check-in station a few seconds after. There, a ranger at before a dense forest, awaiting any travelers of the Alta Via 2.
"Why, hello, there." The man smiled. "May I have your names?"
Dante wiped his nose. "Dante deus Augustus and Missio Augustus."
The ranger froze. His pen dropped onto his desk, his eyes twitching. Dante chuckled slightly, patting the ranger's shoulder.
"Come on, man. We've gotta get to Toblacher See."
The ranger returned to reality.
"R-Right! Um… do you have… reservations for Camp Toblacher See?"
"Yep, wanna see?" Dante touched his pocket.
"No need, sir. I believe you." The man wrote down their names with a smile. "How long do you think it'll take for you to reach Toblacher See?"
"Three hours or four hours." Dante replied.
"Alright… your good to go. Have a good one, sir." The man tapped his pen against the wooden desk.
"You too." Dante waved.
He passed the station, Missio trailing behind him. The duo entered the forest seeping with sunlight at every corner. The high trees stood above them like little giants. Parallel to the forest, a small blue glacier drifted slowly at the shore of the river. Dante glanced at it, giving it a little nod. Then, he looked forward, treading through the snow-covered terrain.
The chirps of the birds, the rustling of the leaves and the echoes of their footsteps were the only sound they could catch. Their boots dug deep into the snow, leaving behind marks of their passing. They evaded the trees with caution, careful not to alert the wildlife of the forest.
They shortly arrived the edge of a tall cliff. Missio halted at its end, peering downwards. A gaping canyon filled with snow, with a river rushing down from the mountains towards the glacier at the shore. He glanced to the side, noticing a waterfall at the cutoff of the canyon.
"Wow…" he blurted in amazement.
He raised his head, gazing towards a suspension bridge that connected one edge to another. Then, he turned his attention to his big brother who was standing a bit further away.
"Aren't you gonna see the cliff?" Missio inquired.
Dante looked him dead in the eyes. "I'm having very intrusive thoughts right now… "
Missio laughed slight, punching his brother's shoulder.
"Let's get going, then." Missio waved, heading forward.
His feet touched the suspension bridge for the first time. The structure shook slightly under his weight. Missio drew a deep breath, placing both his legs onto the bridge. He moved forward, each step making the bridge sway. Dante trailed behind him, gripping the rope.
"Move faster." Dante urged.
"I'm trying." Missio hissed.
Dante sighed as his brother continued. They passed over the river, the sound rushing water filling their ears. Dante gazed at the water fall, snapping a picture of it. Then, he snapped his head forward, a song playing in his head while they slowly crossed the bridge. Eventually, they stepped onto the other side. Missio reached his hands out, heaving a sigh of relief.
"You took so damn long…" Dante pinched Missio's cheek.
"Hey! It was my first time." Missio frowned.
"You're a damn Ascendant, deal with it." Dante slapped his brother's back.
"You're the strongest chaos incarnate alive and you're scared of your fiancé…" Missio mumbled.
"I'm afraid of many things not just Isabella." Dante ruffled Missio's hair, passing him.
Misso rolled his eyes, following his brother. "Whatever."
The siblings continued through the forest. Through their journey, they passed over two more gaping canyons.
After a few hours, they exited the forest. The duo arrived on a beach – a grey beach. Missio halted in his tracks. The forest sharply cutoff, leading into a terrain filled with grayish sand. Missio took a moment to lay his eyes. He gazed to the right, seeing small blue glaciers littered across the beach. He stepped forward, walking beside Dante.
"Now, the scene here is nice… very nice…" Missio commented.
They traveled across the shore, the ground crouching beneath their feet. In the corner of his eyes, Missio caught something blue. He spun around, gazing outward. In the distance, he saw a massive blue glacier that covered the river. His mouth opened slightly. He took a deep breath, admiring it. Dante stopped as well, rotating backwards.
"Why'd you stop, Oh…"
The supreme commander gazed in awe at the massive glacier. The brothers just stood there for a few moments. They took in the sight, processing the natural beauty before them. Then, Missio tilted his head, raising his head. The sun hovered above the horizon – dusk was soon to come. He spun around, grabbing his big brother's arm.
"Let's go."
"Alright – Alright." Dante turned, shaking Missio's hand off.
The King adjusted his glasses, noticing a campsite nearby. The duo halted before the entrance, meeting the ranger stationed there.
"Reservations?" the man asked in a raspy voice.
Dante drew his phone. "Yes, wait a moment."
He showed the ranger his reservations. The man narrowed his eyes, reading the information displayed. He nodded, clicking his pen.
"Names?"
"Missio Augustus and Dante deus Augustus." Missio responded.
The man raised his brows, opening the logbook. He wrote their names down and closed the book.
"Just fill this, sir." He handed them a manifesta and pen.
Missio snatched the pen, jotting down their names on the sheet of paper. He signed it and placed the pen down. The man took the page, tucking it into a folder.
"Thanks. Enjoy your stay." The man titled his head.
"We will, thanks." Missio gave a thumbs up, entering the campsite.