Old Fists: Destiny

The journey was supposed to take only a few hours at most, but due to the pirate attack, the captain decided to slow down the Balsa, adding about an entire day to the trip. Dante didn't mind the time; he used it to wander through the lower corridors. And in one of these moments, he stumbled upon the Officers murmuring in a corner.

He stood behind a wooden pillar, closing his eyes. He let his hearing do the rest.

"If Dalia keeps doing whatever she wants, it's going to cost us more than just prestige," one of them said. Dante didn't recognize the voice immediately. "We have to impose some rules. Even if her ability is different, we need to stay in the game. Stop being an idiot, Reinold."

"You think I don't know that?" Reinald's voice was aggressive, coming from further inside the room. "You think I don't want to screw that bitch? Those three with her are annoying enough, and she has that damn 'Order.' If it weren't for that, she'd be nobody. She doesn't even know how to fight, have you noticed?"

"So you think she jumped into the enemy balloon without knowing how to fight? Don't be naive. She knows. You just can't see the bigger picture. You're falling behind. Now, she got that old man for herself. Whether she's using her ability or not, she managed to get a formidable fighter. You saw it the same way I did. When we get to the Capital, you must do everything to make sure she doesn't keep that same authority."

Dante took a deep breath and opened his eyes, only to find Dalia looking ahead. He quickly raised his hand to his mouth, choking down the shock. Damn, how did she get here without making a sound?

Her eyes still held the same coldness as before.

"Listening to Officer conversations is a crime, did you know? Let's go, we need to prepare for the descent. When we get down there, I'll help start your progression early. You'll be able to make your choice, if you want."

The two started walking away when Reinald came out, searching for the voices. He raised his head, wearing a crooked smile.

"Oh, Officer Dalia. I didn't know you liked eavesdropping." He walked toward her. "I thought I heard voices early on, and it's you. You know that's a crime, right?"

Dalia stopped and turned around.

"I was behind Dante. That's all. We're heading back. I'm not interested in what you discuss with other Officers."

"And what guarantees me you didn't hear everything?"

Dante frowned.

"And what guarantees you that we heard everything?"

The two Officers turned to Dante. The old man turned without showing weakness.

"Since you grabbed me by the collar up there, I've been wondering what this trip was really about, but it seems like there are strange people who want to dictate what is or isn't acceptable. Framing someone without proof is a crime, Officer."

Reinald's eyes shifted from Dalia to Dante. Those eyes gave away the fact that this man was no saint. His words in the village or his stance as an Officer in front of the cadets were just a facade. Dante silently thanked himself for not being caught or chosen by such a man.

"Well then," Dalia said as she resumed walking, "we're done talking, it seems. Let's go, cadet."

Dante took two steps backward, still looking at Reinald's cold face, and dared to let out a half-smirk, a bit mocking. My father would hate that I did this. Reinald's face turned bright red.

Dante followed Dalia upward toward the upper deck. She climbed a few steps and stopped, looking down at him.

"Never do that again."

Something inside Dante's body pressed him, his Cosmic Energy was forced as well. It really was the type of ability. Her order was immediate. He had to lower his head in agreement.

"I apologize if I said something wrong."

"You didn't say anything wrong. Your words were more than enough." She resumed climbing, Dante followed her at the same pace. "It's just that an Officer can't be protected by cadets, even if the other one is wrong. That weakens our command."

The light outside momentarily blinded Dalia, who chose to turn her back to the sun and head toward the other edge. These transitions in lighting were common for Dante, who trained at the Bamboo Field, so he simply continued walking.

They reached the railing.

"Reinald doesn't like you for no reason," Dante said.

"He needs to get in line." She sighed. "We have many layers inside the Capital for situations like this. He's a Ballooner, an expert in storage. His role is important, very important. That's why you must always show respect to him. The NCOs and Sergeants will be your main difficulty. When we get there, you'll have to go through the entire section regime. I'll try to talk to..."

"You don't need to save my ass."

The Officer's eyes blinked a few times, a little surprised. Dante chuckled in response.

"It may seem unlikely, but I know how to handle myself. I'm not backing down, I'll still be in the same squad as you, if you want, ma'am." Dante placed both elbows on the edge and pulled his hair back. "I'll do every training session they send me, and I'll win."

"You don't need to win, that's not the purpose of the training."

Dante made a tired face.

"What would be the point if we didn't win? I'll give it everything I've got."

"Stop saying unnecessary things."

Again, that strange force around him pushed him to understand her side. Dante was getting used to it, it felt oddly familiar now, like a friendly hug, a wise piece of advice. But he still didn't understand how it worked directly.

Was she the only one with this type of ability? Was that why she was so feared?

"We're close to descending to the Capital," Dalia said, still gazing at the world below. The ruins of entire cities, the green overtaking buildings, even large structures like energy towers were overtaken. "My job is to keep people safe. That's why my work is of utmost importance. We all have roles. You'll have to take yours, Dante. Do it so that the people around you can trust what you believe in. Your ability is one that many would like to have, and I want you to be where it will definitely be well used. Can you trust me to lead?"

"Well, it's not that I don't have anyone to go to, but I'd like to be able to trust the right people."

She didn't seem like the type to thank with words, but the nod she gave was the response. She had other matters to attend to, and the Capital was closer than ever. The other Cadets were running to the edges to see where the largest city, the only city still standing against the Felroz, remained intact.

The Fallen Capital.

The massive circular wall was already a sight to behold. It was immensely wide, perhaps fifty meters, Dante couldn't measure it just by sight. But its thickness was so great that he could see points moving from one side to the other. The wall became a street due to its size. The towers at the posts were immense, almost twice the height of a building. Metallic, but seeming to have been bombarded recently.

Inside, the houses and buildings stretched from one end to the other. They weren't skyscrapers, like Dante had heard existed before, but they were wide, nearly three stories tall, and very square. On the other end, the houses were made of wood, humbler, like in the village, and trees grew a lot, creating a long and extensive forest. Right in the middle, a basin, Dante was sure they would land there. It was the largest place, with a hole in the roof. A dirigible passed by, going up, in the opposite direction from where they were.

The entire structure of the Capital was enormous. Dante had always heard it was bigger than anything he could imagine, and they were right. It was incredible.

"We'll descend in five minutes." Freto passed by him and pointed to the other edge. "Dalia will descend over there. Don't fall behind."

The Balsa slowly descended again. The responsible Officers began directing where they should stay, and Dante did as Freto advised. He stopped at the other edge, leaning where one of the bridges would drop.

A few minutes passed, and the walls of the Capital became much closer. Passing overhead, the guards on the wall's alley became visible. There were also traces of a battle, claws had left scars on the iron and the embers of burnt wood in some parts, pyrotechnic art, also stretched for dozens of meters.

Felroz can use flames now?

"Once we descend, follow us."

Dante almost jumped when he saw Dalia right behind him. Again, she made no sound walking. She almost seemed like a ghost.

"Yes, ma'am."

The other three were right behind. Tecno came with the reports under his arm but raised his hand with a wave.

"Everything alright?" He came a bit closer. "Are you ready? Life here is faster than in the village. I know you must hear this a lot, but for your age, more hectic places must feel pretty strange."

Dante lowered his gaze, bored.

"I'm not as old as you think."

"Right, right." Tecno scratched his sparse chin beard. "Just be careful. Dalia liked you. Honestly, I do too. No one jumps into battle without confidence. I want to trust your ability and experience. I hope we can work really well together, sir."

"Sir." Dante hated it. I'm not that old. They don't understand anything.

He didn't need to get upset with people. The transformation in his body was done by Cosmic Energy, it was destiny telling him to work that way. He just waited for the raft to pass through the huge hole in the port's ceiling, descending onto metallic ground. As soon as it touched the ground, the ramps were released. Dalia went first, with her officers taking the lead. Dante moved forward, unsure if he could follow them directly. He didn't hear any complaints behind him, so he clenched his fist and continued to follow. In the middle of the descent, he snapped his fingers twice, releasing the energy accumulated in his body.