The next day…
Central Milan bustled with countless tourists from within and abroad. Echoes of countless footsteps traveled through the corridors of the central city together with the people's chatter. Through the crowd, in a certain diner, Missio and Dante gobbled their meal. With a large appetite the duo quickly finished their breakfast.
Dante burped, picking a tissue. Wiping his mouth, he glanced at Missio who copied him. The supreme commander threw the paper onto his plate then, adjusted the collar of the vertically striped white shirt. Dusting off his cream pants, his stood up. Missio raised a brow, adjusting his grey shirt. Leaving his seat, he lowered his head, checking his jeans for any stains.
He confirmed there were none and trailed his brother to the counter. The king paid the restaurant in full with a nice tip. Tucking his phone into his pocket, he spun around. Missio threw a spoonful of sugar onto his palm from the complimentary. After, he rushed after his big brother, licking the cubes. They exited the place descending the marble stairs.
Strolling through the bustling city streets, Dante tucked his hands in.
"Let's explore, shall we?"
Missio swallowed his sugar cubes. "I ain't saying no."
"Great! Then, follow me." Dante patted his brother's back.
He led them through the crowd. Entering the historic city center, they arrived at a spacious area filled with many individuals. However, something else caught Missio's azure eyes. He lifted his head, gazing at the structure before him in awe.
Before him stood Duomo di Milano – a central location in Milan. The gothic cathedral's ancient architecture made Missio's spine shiver. The siblings neared it, etching the design of the cathedral into their minds. Dante lowered his head, tugging at Missio.
"C'mon, let's head inside."
The supreme commander moved ahead as his little brother's head lowered. The transcendent squirmed and trailed behind his brother. They were stopped by a guard near the entrance.
"Tickets." He stated.
Dante drew his phone, showing his tickets. Closing in, the man checked the tickets and nodded.
"Who is the other person with you, sir?"
"My brother." Dante pointed behind himself.
The guard curled his lips outward, nodding. After, Dante took off his glasses and passed through a metal detector. Missio passed by as well, the machine not detecting anything. The brothers finally entered the cathedral.
Pausing for a moment, the duo elevated their heads, peering at the cathedral in all its glory. Massive lined marble columns held up the ancient cathedral, high vaulted ceilings that seemed to touch the skies, and countless stained-glass windows splattered across the walls of the holy site. Glancing to his left, he looked at the sheer detail. Each carving, each design, each curvature… everything seemed to be almost divine.
Walking down the great hall, they passed other tourists. When nearing the main altar, Missio caught something in the corner of his eye. He snapped his head in that direction and immediately regretted it. His face contorted as he felt all the awe in him wash away. In his sight, he saw a skinned statue of a man draped in his own skin like a cloak. Covering his mouth, the ascendant felt a wave of unease wash over him.
"Ugh…" He blurted in a disgusted manner. "What the hell…?"
Dante halted, turning around.
"What?" He blurted.
Noticing the skinned statue in the distance, his mouth dropped slightly.
"Oh, God…"
He neared it in awe, peering at the marble sculpture. Tapping his chin, he tried to recall the name of this art.
"Uh… what was it again? Mm…. oh, right, Saint Bartholomew Flayed statue."
"Why the hell would anyone make this?" Missio inquired from behind.
Dante gazed at the statue's medically-accurate muscles and tendons, each done with such precision, one wouldn't have thought a man had made this long ago.
"I dunno…"
The supreme commander spun around, placing his hand on Missio's shoulder.
"Let's go."
Spinning around, Missio walked down the great hall with his big brother. Eventually, the brothers reached the main altar. Stopping in their tracks, the duo raised their heads.
The main altar of the cathedral sat at the center of the raised presbytery, enclosed by ten pillars.
Dante tugged at his brother. Missio turned his head slightly. Pointing his finger at the roof of the altar, Dante spoke.
"See that red light?"
Missio nodded. "Yeah."
"That's where one of the nails from Jesus's cross is stored."
Missio raised his brows. "Really?"
"Really." Dante responded.
Missio's lips closed. He stared at the suspend red light high above the main altar. Lowering his head, he peered around the altar itself, observing the ancient marble design.
'It's beautiful… majestic even…'
***
An hour later…
They finally exited the cathedral. Passing security, the blazing sun shone down upon them. Dante heaved a sigh, cracking his fingers. Passing through the open area before the cathedral, Missio spun around. Dante halted a few steps away, turning around as well.
"Still haven't gotten enough of it?" He inquired.
"Yeah… it's just so… amazing, cool." Missio commented, the cathedral reflecting in his azure eyes.
Dante smiled, hugging his little brother from behind. Plating a kiss on his cheek, the supreme commander spoke in a child-like tone.
"We could've stayed longer if you wanted. Wanna go back?" He tilted his head.
Missio's lips curled up ward. Shaking his head, he ruffled Dante's hair.
"Nah, I've had enough."
Dante let of Missio. As his little brother turned around, he adjusted his glasses. The duo passed through the growing crowd and stepped back onto the sidewalk. Strolling through the city, they had a moment of silence to themselves. Minutes later, Missio tugged at his big brother.
"Aren't you going to buy your wedding suit?"
Dante met his gaze with the tilt of his head.
"Not right now. Later. First, let's explore this place."
Missio shrugged. Instinctively, he tapped his head. However, this time his fingers met the skin of his ears instead of his headphones. The coldness of his ears made a shiver crawl up his spine.
'This still feels weird…'
Rubbing the back of his ear, he heated it with the friction of his fingers. Right then, Dante tapped his glasses, activating Mythos.
"Now, let's move onto our next destination."
Missio raised a brow. "Now, where are we going?"
Dante's lips parted.
"The Last Supper."