Having finished another of the many recent assignments, Dante finally had the opportunity to wander off on his own. His proactive approach towards work had granted him a certain degree of trust within the organisation of size he himself could not begin to fathom. Moreover, his reliability had earned him a local reputation similar to that of a lucky charm since he had yet to be a part of a completely failed operation. In the end, Shin had finally said that Dante would be fine going out on his own as long as he managed not to get on Ariane’s bad side because of absence.

So, after sitting on the opportunity for a few days, Dante had finally gathered the courage to do what he had wanted for a long time. The night was quite chilly, though the almost full moon shone rather brilliantly making it not quite as solemn. The time was about 8 or 9 in the evening. Dante could hardly check since, although Shin had returned his phone, Dante, and everyone else for that matter, were strictly forbidden from bringing their own electronics to a mission unless permitted otherwise.

With worry on his mind, Dante reached the street on which he had used to frequent two shops. Not much had changed as far as he recalled, though he could hardly see everything in the night. First, he passed by Pete’s Pawnshop along the way. Although he would have prefered to visit Pete directly, the man had closed shop long ago and would be either asleep or at Dante’s next destination.

The Dancing Fox, a name likely derived from Karl’s nickname, though Dante had often wondered where that came from in the first place. Suppressing last bits of his nervousness, Dante walked a few shops further and reached the familiar cafe. He was back, whether his return would go well or not. Although they had already closed, there was still light beyond the large windows. And there, behind the till, Lucy sat, sipping from a mug with a large book sprawled over the table. Gathering his courage, Dante approached and knocked on the glass.

At first, Lucy seemed rather confused about the noise as she looked up from the print, her eyes narrowing before immediately widening as far as they could. Hurriedly she stood up and stumbled in her rush towards the door. Her eyes were still almost unnaturally wide as she unlocked the entrance.

“Dante? Is that really you?” she asked with tangible disbelief, “It has been over a month!”

“I had some... family issues,” Dant scratched the back of his head. Although it was distasteful, there was no way he could tell Lucy what he had actually been up to, “May I come in?”

“Of course,” Lucy sighed, understanding Dante’s pause as something he didn’t want to talk about, ”Dad and Pete are in the back, they will be overjoyed to see you, follow me,” Lucy closed the door behind Dante and quickly lead him to a small but pristine kitchen. There, Lucy knocked on one of the two doors, resulting in a few moments of awkward silence?

“Is something the matter?” Karl’s familiar voice sounded from within as he peeked out, his eyes also slightly widening the moment he saw Dante, though he immediately regained control over his visage, “Pete, guess who is here?” his head then turned back inside the room as he called out.

“Dante?” Pete’s just as familiar voice sounded slightly startled as it rang along with something being put back on a wooden desk. The pawnshop owner rushed out, nearly kicking the door open, Karl barely able to get out of his way. Dante managed to catch a glimpse of a shelf displaying at least dozen watches on the inside before his vision was blocked by Pete's ludicrously ugly brown and blue shirt as the man pulled Dante into a bear hug.

"I am glad to see you again," Pete sighed as he half-whispered into Dante's ear.

"It was just some family problems," Dante fake laughed as he noticed Lucy's increasingly furrowed eyebrow. Though thanks to his lessons with Arianne, the laugh itself was convincing. Probably.

"I am overjoyed to see you too," Karl, in his usual ebony suit, interrupted them with a chuckle, dexterously locking the door behind him while already staring in Null's direction, "Let's sit down and talk. You haven't eaten, have you?" he smiled and continued after Dante shook his head, "You three go sit in the café, I will be right behind you."

"It’s great to see you again,” Pete was the first to speak as they sat around the same table they had used during the holiday celebrations, “Perfect timing too. A day later and you would’ve missed Lucy."

"Why?" Dante was a bit startled. Lucy had always been at The Dancing Fox wherever she had the time. It was difficult to imagine her being somewhere else.

"I am studying, remember?" Lucy smiled, "Getting practice as more or less an unpaid nurse at a hospital and so I usually live in a flat over there."

"So it's already that time," Null nodded with realisation. She was clearly referring to the apartment that Karl had gifted her during the holiday celebration, "So, are you going to become a doctor?"

"A surgeon if I can make it," Lucy answered with a proud smile, "Pathology might be interesting too and far less stressful."

"Being surrounded by death all day long is taxing," Pete said, uncharacteristically serious.

"Well, a few autopsies are part of the university course so I am going to see how I can handle myself then," Lucy did not seem too daunted by Pete's warning.

"One omelette coming up," at that time Karl emerged from the kitchen, carrying a large plate and four mugs, though his breathing was unusually heavy.

"You sound strangely tired," Pete said, also realising the strange raggedness of his friend's breath.

"Maybe it's just my age catching up," Karl sighed as he placed down the food and refreshments.

"Thank you," Dante was already salivating as he quickly dug into the meal. Karl was far too good at cooking for someone running a small cafe.

"How many sugars did you gift yourself this time?" Lucy frowned a bit as she looked at the mug placed in front of Karl.

"Just a few," Karl shrank back a bit in learned apprehension, "I am alright."

"You should listen to your GP, he is really good at what he does," Lucy shook her head, "He also let me take a peek at your file. So don't give me that 'I am alright'."

"You are more like your mother every passing day!" Pete interrupted them with loud laughter.

"And you are cheating," Karl complained as he swiped a few drops of perspiration from his forehead.

"I am going to start hiding the sugar," Lucy then declared decidedly, "Your health is no trivial matter."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"What about the customers?" Pete immediately asked, slightly distressed, "... And me," he added when Lucy shot him a glare.

"It's not healthy for you either," she did not relent

"You are worrying too much," Karl made a deep sigh, "I have been through much worse than some disease."

"Of course I am worrying," Lucy averted her gaze, "If something happens to you, Pete will die of loneliness," she smirked as she finished, bringing the situation back into a more light-hearted territory.

"Do I look like a rabbit," Pete mock huffed, "Don't choke Dante," he glanced over to Null who was just about done with his meal and returned a glare.

"You were the one who told me to 'never let a meal go cold'," Dante smirked back.

"That is just a saying," Pete shook his head, "Moreover, it must've still been scalding by the time you were done."

"It's too good not to eat fast," Dante praised the cooking.

"I am glad you like it," Karl smiled, though as he attracted Dante's glare, the boy noticed thick drops of sweat on the shop owner's forehead.

"Are you alright, old fox?" Pete apparently also noticed that something was off at that time.

"I am a bit lightheaded," Karl admitted, "I will go get myself a glass of water and it will be fine," he said and tried to stand up, though his legs apparently had other plans as he barely stumbled and fell back into the chair.

"Pete, help me lie him down," Lucy was instantly standing with tangible worry in her face and even Dante suddenly felt a slight clutch in his chest.

"I will be fine," Karl still insisted with ragged breath as the two lied him on the ground, "It will pass in a few minutes."

"Shut up and focus on steady breathing," Lucy knelt beside him as she started dexterously undoing the buttons on Karl's suit. Dante was at this point up and standing nearby, though he clearly understood that there wasn't really anything he could do at the moment.

"Not good," Lucy's eyes narrowed after she had placed her hand to Karl's neck, taking his pulse.

"What is it?" Pete asked, seemingly more worried than Karl himself.

"It's probably a heart attack," Lucy's frown was deepening, "Call an ambulance right now. Dante," she turned around, "Behind the counter, there should be two boxes full of various pills and other medical supplies. Bring them over just in case."

"You aren't just trying to frighten me, right?" Karl asked with a slight smile, strangely calm given the situation. His voice did not shake nor did he appear twitchy despite his life possibly being on the line.

"Don't speak much and focus on breathing. Are you feeling pain or pressure in the chest area?" Lucy said as she unbuttoned the rest of the suit and as many buttons as the undershirt had.

"A bit," Karl replied, taking care to keep his breathing regular.

"Alright, don't panic," Lucy instructed, though that was likely needless in Karl's case, "Just keep breathing and the ambulance will be here before you know it.”

“I have the box,” Dante arrived with a pack of medical supplies.

“Look for Clopidogrel. It’s in a blue package,” Lucy instructed with a praiseworthy calm before she took Karl’s pulse again, “You will be alright,” she almost whispered as she moved her hand to dry her father’s increasingly wet forehead.

“They are on their way,” Pete announced, “I am keeping the line open just in case.”

“Here,” Dante handed Lucy the packet of unopened medicine which she quickly opened, though Dante noticed her hand slightly trembled as she popped out one of the small pills.

“Crush it between your teeth and swallow,” she immediately put it into Karl’s mouth, “It’s not aspirin so no allergic reaction,” she added as Karl chew down on the medication.

“How is he?” Pete asked with a shaken voice, clearly not hiding his worry as well as Lucy.

“It’s not a major attack,” Lucy said, though taking a short break from continuously checking Karl’s pulse, “Dad is going to be fine.”

“Is there something I can do?” Dante asked, feeling rather useless.

“Pray,” Karl said with a smile, somehow managing to stay relaxed enough to jest, “I do not want to worry you,” he continued, making sure to not interrupt his regular breathing, “But the pain just got a lot worse and I am getting a lot more lightheaded, even drowsy.”

“What?” Lucy was clearly alarmed as she returned to taking his pulse, “Damn it,” she suddenly uncharismatically cursed, “Don’t close your eyes! Stay awake! Keep breathing!” she almost shouted.

“What is happening?” Dante exclaimed getting down on his knees next to Karl just to be close at hand

“I don’t know,” Lucy kept her hand at Karl’s neck, “He was stable but something is going wrong. Is the pain getting worse?” she asked. No answer.

“Dad?!” she shouted, finally descending into some degree of panic, “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” for the first time ever Dante heard Lucy unrestrictedly curse as she was quickly crossing her hand over Karl’s chest, “Dante!” she shouted as she began pushing and releasing, “Take his pulse and tell if it changes!”

Null quickly followed the order, grabbing Karl’s limp palm and quickly finding the wrist artery. Although he had little to no experience, he could immediately tell that the rhythm was slow. Barely tangible. It was so weak Dante attempted to find the artery again only to feel dread as he couldn’t find even a sign of a pulse anywhere else.

“It’s way too slow,” Dante cried out, far louder than he had to.

“I know, damn it!” Lucy shouted back, “Tell me when it gets better,” she added before lowering her head for mouth to mouth breathing.

Dante felt dread just accumulating and multiplying within him as he could only watch Lucy perform the best she could. At some point Pete also knelt besides Karl, holding his other hand, though instead of trying to find pulse he clutched Karl’s palm as tightly as he could. Seconds felt like minutes and minutes like hours, prolonged by the dread and foreboding Dante couldn’t help but feel. Inevitably, he lost the track of time from the ambulance call which only increased his panic.

“It stopped,” Dante suddenly realised. The already weak beating was no longer anywhere to be found, “It stopped!” he shouted, feeling worse and worse every second, “What does that mean!?” he dared not conclude though deep down he knew. Lucy fell silent, keeping the CPR going without pause. Though she spoke no words, instead something far more horrendous than any curse or panic left her. Dante felt himself lose strength as he noticed it: A silent tear falling from Lucy’s cheek. Barely, he held onto Karl’s wrist with his trembling hand, hoping against hope to feel something. Anything.

The desperation and dread began to truly set in. He felt useless and powerless. A person he genuinely cared about, who had shown him kindness and happiness was right in front of him. Within his grasp, yet Karl was still slipping away like grains of fine dust. And Dante was utterly powerless to prevent it.

Or perhaps he wasn’t.

Dante’s hand stopped shaking. It was as still as the day he had picked his first pocket. Unwavering despite the desperation and trepidation. And his mind raced. He had something after all, a power he barely understood yet possessed. Magic. Although he had been apprehensive ever since he had overdone it on his first day, he understood that there was something special about his magic. It was supposed to take weeks what he accomplished in moments and though he was clearly not prepared, that power rested within him. He recalled what he had learned and followed the two simple steps: Intent, word of power.

“Live,” Dante whispered, to no avail. But that wasn't enough to increase his panic. Just like with his first spell, he quickly remembered that it were not the simple and efficient words that worked for him, instead, he had to choose the more complex and intricate, “heal, mend, rejuvenate,” as the last whisper sounded, Dante felt the familiar warmth, followed just a moment later by the scorching heat. Unlike last time, he had been expecting it, gritting his teeth and just barely he managed not to scream out in pain. That power went along his veins and left through his finger, assumably entering Karl. Suddenly, Dante felt strangely empty. Like there was a void in his chest, swallowing up everything, even the dread and fear he had been feeling for the past few minutes. The world around him seemed irrelevant and empty for a second before something else came pouring in. Though Dante had no idea where it could’ve come from, a flood emerged near that void, filling it up in an instant and then overflowing. His senses barely returned when he suddenly started feeling drowsy. The sleepiness was unbearable and Dante’s eyes closed. The last thing he felt was a strange sensation beneath his fingers. Although he could no longer see or properly think, he definitely noticed that something twitched. Definitely...