The world grinded to a halt. Missio's pupils dilated. Time seemed to freeze in that very instant. He gripped the armrest tightly, almost shattering it. Dante's words hung in the air. The supreme commander stared at his little brother, watching his reaction. A cold breeze swept past the duo, rustling the leaves. One, two, three seconds passed in this awkward silence.
Then, Missio's lips parted.
"What?" His voice cracked.
Dante took a deep breath.
"She awakened." Dante repeated.
Missio froze once again. His mind spiraled in a rabbit hole. His heart throbbed against his ribs, making him suffocate. He gasped, clutching his chest. He lifted his head, meeting Dante's gaze.
"Is she okay? Where is she now? What happened to her? Who told you? When did it happen? How did it happen? Why–?"
"Wait." Dante raised his palm, cutting Missio's off. "I'll tell you everything… just calm down."
"How can I calm down when you told me this?!" Missio exclaimed.
"…Fine." Dante rubbed his forehead. "She awakened last month when we were in Cinque Terre."
"Who told you?"
"Krishna." Dante responded.
"Is she Okay?" Missio asked worriedly.
"Yes, has been for a while."
"Where is she now?"
"Probably doing her Master's in Chaos Theory at Stratos University."
Missio paused for a moment. He leaned back in his chair – contemplating. He lowered his head and for a moment, he let himself rest. After a few seconds, he lifted his head.
"…Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because…" Dante shifted. "I didn't want to disturb your training."
"Then, why not tell me after…?"
Dante froze. He smacked his lips, meeting his brother's gaze.
"…I forgot." He stated awkwardly.
Missio blinked. He leaned back, exhaling heavily whilst covering his mouth. He took a moment to breathe before…
"You're so forgetful…" He leaned forward.
"Sorry." Dante apologized sincerely.
"It's okay." Missio waved. "If Mary is alright, then that's all I need to know."
Dante tilted his head, his lips curling slightly. He rose from his seat, patting his brother's back. Then, he sat back down.
"You're handling it very well. That's my little bro."
"Please, shut up." Missio rubbed his forehead.
Dante nodded, curling his lips. Minutes passed in the silence as the clouds rumbled above.
Missio heaved a sigh of relief, letting his enhanced senses go. The world around him felt… tranquil… like the ocean. The silence of the mountains, the spark of the flames, chatter of the other travelers, the rumbling of the clouds, rustling of the leaves rushed into his ears. Yet, he felt no pain as his mind was only focused on his friend. His mind flashed back to his own awakening.
The pain – the confusion – the hollowness, he couldn't imagine his friend going through such a thing. He bit his lip, ruffling his hair.
'I should've been there for her…'
He leaned back, elevating his head. His gaze caught the stars above.
'Krishna took good care of her but…'
He closed his eyes, covering his face with his arm.
'I didn't call anyone; I didn't message or anything… what will they think of me…?'
Right then, Dante cut his thoughts off.
"Come on, what did I train you in Venice for?"
Missio's eyes burst open. He straightened, looking towards his brother.
"… Did you read my brain waves again?"
"Yes." Dante replied.
"You're invading my privacy, dude…"
"Can't an elder brother be worried." Dante stood up.
He halted before Missio, placing his hand on his shoulder.
"Listen, you have good friends. They won't think anything bad of you. Stop putting blame on yourself. I was one who never told you about this. I should be – no, I am at fault. So, please."
Missio stared at Dante. He tilted his head, lowering his eyes.
"Okay… Alright…"
Dante smiled slightly, patting Missio's shoulder.
"Good. Be responsible for your own mistakes but don't be for others."
He stepped away from him and sat back down in his chair. Missio raised his head, peering towards his brother.
"Why?"
Dante shifted. "You'll learn from your mistakes if you accept that they were yours but… others won't learn… if you keep taking responsibility. A man always thinks about himself first and others second – always. So, take care of others becomes second nature to us. Didn't I teach you this in Venice?"
Missio chuckled awkwardly.
"Uh… yeah."
"Bro." Dante spread his arms.
"Hey, you yap too much. It's not my problem that I can't contain your philosophy dictionary inside my head."
Dante froze. He leaned back, holding his chin with his finger.
"Your right."
Missio shrugged, slumping in his chair. The duo sat like this, making small talk every so often. Both observed the view of the galaxy above them, mesmerized by a beauty humanity hadn't see the entirety of. Then, after a few hours, the other campers began settling into their tents. Dante adjusted his glasses, noticing this. He turned to Missio, standing up.
"It's about time we sleep, don't you think?"
Missio raised a brow. "Is it?"
He drew his phone. The display instantly flashed on, showing his lockscreen with the time embedded on it.
[8:57 PM]
He switched it off, tucking it back into his pocket. He stood up as well, heading into the tent with his brother. They pulled out their sleeping bags, dropping them onto the floor. They slid in, pressing their heads against the pillow.
"Good night." Dante took off his glasses as the light turned off.
"Good night." Missio rolled onto his side.
Then, the night passed quietly as the siblings slumbered.