The two headed deeper into the camp. Dusk arrived, clouding the sky in a shade of deep blue. The stars lined across the horizon, shining like gems. Two bags dropped to the floor. Dante groaned, stretching his body. He let out strange noises before dropping to the ground.
"Oh… that was too much…"
"Are ya really tired?" Missio chuckled, throwing his backpack down.
"Nah." Dante chuckled, sitting straight. "But I'm getting old."
"How old are you again?"
"29."
"Yeah, you're definitely becoming an Unc." Missio laughed.
"Yeah – Yeah, keep running your mouth." Dante jolted up. "But remember, you're actually going to be an uncle."
Missio froze in place. Dante crouched, unzipping his bag.
"No – Wait, the fuck did you say…?" Missio clutched his stomach.
"No, shut up, shut up." Dante smiled, unable to contain his laughter.
He drew their tent, throwing it onto the ground. He stood up, approaching the fabric. Missio wiped his eyes, taking a deep breath. He neared his brother. They spread the fabric across the area. Then, they stepped back. Dante gripped a remote, pressing one of its button. It glowed when clicked on. The tent suddenly burst up, inflating itself. Eventually, the tent fully inflated, standing as high as Dante himself.
The supreme commander picked up their backpacks, throwing them into the tent. He dusted his hands off and pressed the remote again. The tent lit up brightly, illuminating the surroundings. The King locked eyes with his brother.
"Get the chairs."
"Aye – Aye, captain." Missio entered the tent.
He brought out two foldable chairs. He flipped them open, setting them onto the floor. The siblings threw themselves on the chairs, groaning. Missio drew a deep breath, relaxing his body. He elevated his head, peering towards the galaxy in all its glory. The stars danced across the vibrant sky, filled with cosmic dust, asteroids, constellations and comets. The view reflected in his eyes.
A light breeze swept past them, chilling their bodies. Missio lowered his head, his hair falling. He gazed at his elder brother. Dante sat, gazing at the galaxy as well. Missio's memory flashed back to their time back in Venice – he still had an unanswered question.
"Bro." He called out.
Dante turned towards Missio. "Yeah…?"
"I have a question… about the Pillar of Transcendence."
"Tell me." Dante urged.
"…What does… aligning your mind really mean? Because… I feel like I haven't aligned my mind with creation at all…"
"Oh…" Dante raised his brows, raising his hand. "I didn't clearly explain that, did I?"
"Nope." Missio shook his head.
"Alright, I'll tell you."
Missio perked up, listening intently to what his big brother was about to say. Dante took a sharp breath, lifting his hands.
"Aligning your mind… is a bit of a vague thing, you see… you must have thought that it meant becoming one with your concept but that's not it." Dante explained. "What it truly means is that you have to understand your concept and exist in its mindset."
"What?" Missio blurted.
"I make it simple. Until the Paragon level, you just need to understand your concept. That's why I've been burning the idea of dynamic creation into your head. Dynamic creation is true creation. Creation isn't static, it's constantly changing."
"I already understand what creation is but… what does existing in its mindset mean?"
Dante paused, rubbing his chin.
"It's different to each concept. Like with your Pillar of Creation, you just have to be creative but for someone like Chris… we've been stumped on how to have the mindset of the stars. That's why he's only a paragon."
"Oh… wait, who's Chris?"
Dante raised a brow. "Uh… Christopher von Ashking? The Supreme Commander of the AEOC? King of Ashland, ring a bell?"
Missio's jaw dropped. He blinked – twice.
"Sir Christopher is a Transcendent?"
"He sure is." Dante chuckled.
"How did I not know this?" Missio held his head.
"Transcendence is a phenomenon known by few and achieved by even fewer, Missio. There's not many Transcendents on this continent. You're one of the few."
"Who are the others?"
"The others… Well, Chris, Kedith… Caesar I think… and… yeah, that's all of them." Dante counted.
"Only three others?!" Missio blurted.
"It's a tightly held secret. What do you expect?" Dante opened his palm.
Missio closed his mouth contemplating Dante's words. Then, he locked with him, his lips parting.
"Aren't you one?"
Dante burst into laughter, slamming his fist into the armrest.
"No, I am not, little bro."
Missio leaned back in his chair – flabbergasted.
"Seriously…? I thought you'd be one…"
"It's normal to think that. The strongest chaos incarnate in history must be a Transcendent, right? But… I don't like to travel such a cruel path. I don't want you to walk it either."
"Huh…? Then… why are you helping me?"
"Your transcendence happened out of nowhere. If I could I would've stopped it but now… I must help you become stronger for your own sake but I won't let you transcend past Paragon."
"Does it become harder from then?" Missio tilted his head.
"Yes, it becomes exponentially harder to transcend after Paragon. It's also where the Pillar itself starts to affect you."
"…How do you know this?"
Dante crossed his arms. "Romulus described the effects of going past Paragon in his diary."
"I see…"
Dante nodded. Suddenly, he remembered something important – something he had meant to tell Missio in Cinque Terre but had forgotten. His lips parted slightly. He hesitated to tell his little brother but… he eventually spoke.
"Missio, I have to tell you something… but don't freak out, okay?"
Missio furrowed his brows. "Huh? What is it?"
Dante drew a deep breath. His memory flashed back to the time Missio fought a chaos fragment. He remembered that call from Krishna – that dreadful time. He locked eyes with his little brother, heaving an uncertain sigh. Then, he opened his mouth.
"Your friend, Mary. She… awakened."