"Are you fine? I haven't seen you in a long time."
Behind the glass, John nodded along, instantly drawn in by the groove.
"Are you fine? I'm dying to know whether you're okay or no…"
Missio spread his arms, pointing in opposing directions.
"Are you fine? Please don't lie, give me a sign."
Then, he let the track play. Dante froze. His heart tightened, each syllable hitting him like a physical blow. Clutching his chest, he chuckled awkwardly.
"I'm not built for this…"
Right then, a piano began playing in the background. John blinked in astonishment. Missio hummed in-between, giving the melody a divine resonance. A few seconds later, Missio's voice rang out once again.
"Oh, Mom. Please come back. I want to feel your warmth again…
I'm shivering… in this broken dream…
Oh… how you left me in the cold
Not out of your own will but forced to do so…"
The outside world seemed to collapse into a tapestry of colors as Missio roamed his own mind. Chaos vibrated with the rhythm of the song and soon Missio's headphones began glowing with the same golden light as the Music Box. Then, he snapped his fingers.
"And then, I ask again and again.
One question, once again."
Missio brought his arms together.
"Hey, Mom. Are you fine? I haven't seen you in a long time."
Tell me, are you up there… singing with the angels about your son's new hair?
Then, I ask another time
Another time, Another whine.
Hey, Mom. Are you fine…?
Mm… I'm dying to know… whether you're know or no…"
Missio's feet tapped the floor as he grazed his headphones with his fingertips.
"Just tell me… the truth… A son wants to know… Your son wants to know…!"
Dante stepped back as the music played. Leaning against the wall, tears welled up in his eyes. His breath hitched. Unable to speak, he merely listened to his little brother's performance. Missio shook his head and palm to the left.
"Everything was going fine, when I was just nine.
Until the demons came and took your life…"
He drew a sharp breath, his mouth jittering up and down. Even so, he kept on going.
"So, I ask again, Hey, Mom. Are you fine?
Please don't lie and give me a sign…
When you died, I was just nine.
For the first time, my father lied.
For the first time, my brother cried.
And I… I sunk into a hole too deep to climb…
But now, I'm here, singing 'bout pain across the years.
So, I must ask one more time.
Are you fine? I haven't seen you in a long time…
Are you fine? I'm dying to know whether you're okay or no…
Are you fine? Please don't lie, give me a sign…"
With that, Missio gasped for air. Stepping back, he let the music play. The piano alongside the upbeat track blended together to form a simply divine symphony. Then, after a few seconds, the studio went quiet. Dante exhaled heavily, sitting down on the floor.
"Amazing…" he muttered under his breath.
John's clap finally broke the silence. The producer clasped his hands as Missio stepped out of the recording room.
"How'd I do?" Missio inquired.
"Simply amazing! You have talent for this, kid." John placed his hands on his shoulders.
"Thanks." Missio blushed slightly.
He tilted his head, glancing at his brother. Worried, he passed John and approached Dante.
"You okay?"
Without replying, Dante drew a long and deep breath. Exhaling, he stood up, dusting himself off.
"Yeah…"
He patted Missio while wiping his eyes.
"Good job."
Missio smiled. Dante looked behind him, locking eyes with John.
"Could you step out for a bit?"
John raised a brow.
"Sure…"
The producer exited the studio and waited in the main hall. After the door closed, Dante spun around and unplugged Missio's Music Box from the system. Handing it back to his brother, he lightly punched him in the shoulder.
"You know what to do."
Missio smirked – he did indeed know what to do. Attaching the Music Box to his waist and plugging his headphones in, he closed his eyes. The chaos around him began to surge greatly. The air vibrated and earth shook as he focused his mind. One, two, three second passed before…
"I created that song."
With those words, a pillar of light burst forth from beneath. Encompassing Missio's entire being and even ejecting light from his body, it blinded Dante. The supreme commander covered his eyes. After a few seconds, the light dissolved. Missio emerged from the pillar, landing on the floor. Opening his azure eyes, he felt a surge of power like never before.
"Paragon of Creation." His Music Box spoke in an ethereal yet unbound voice.
Before he could even process anything, John burst through the door.
"What the hell was that?"
Before he could speak more, Dante activated his attribute. Lighting sparked around him as he reached out. Tapping the producer's forehead, electricity traveled from John to him. He lowered his hand. John blinked.
"Huh? W-What?"
"Thanks for the session, John." Dante placed his hand on his shoulder. "We'll be heading off now. Just send me the recording later, okay?"
"Huh…? R-Right, yeah…"
"Great!" Dante stepped out of the sound-proof room.
As John scratched his head and looked around in confusion, Missio trailed behind his big brother. The duo exited the studio, stepping back outside. Passing through the crowd into the streets of the city, both heaved a sigh of relief. Missio turned to his brother.
"What did you do to him?"
Dante shrugged. "Zapped his memories."
"Okay…" Missio noted that down.