"With gloves on, Clara held Marcus's chest, forcing him back onto the bed.

'I told you, you need to rest. There's no need to rush this. We already have enough injured people.'

The shooter groaned in frustration on the bed. Even up there on the rooftop, he wanted to pay more attention to what they had actually achieved. Anyone would, Clara was sure of it. But the battery wasn’t going anywhere. Literally.

They realized how heavy it was and were even more shocked to learn it weighed nearly a hundred kilos. And from the way Marcus told her, it was Dante who had done all that damage just by kicking.

The man’s strength was truly out of the ordinary. When Clara heard Marcus’s report alone, she thought he was exaggerating. She wanted to understand how a man like that, wearing a red shirt and old boots, could fight a Felroz and an Octopus at the same time inside a tank of green water. In fact, even trying, it was impossible to comprehend.

And as soon as the battery was placed up there, Dante had spent a few hours beside it while Clara asked the residents of the other building islands to move away. She was going to try to understand how that battery could work, but Dante warned her.

'I still need to get the panels.'

And since then, he hadn’t returned.

I

'Body not yet structured to bear weight. Taking care of yourself is essential. Damage inflicted: 67%.'

Dante sat on a ledge on the Reservoir's rooftop. The night had the most beautiful pulsating stars, and the wind gently ruffled his hair. He didn’t want to get up or exert himself. He leaned back and lay down on the cold ground.

A moment of rest was necessary. He would have liked to stay with the others, eat in their company, or hear their gratitude. But the time wasn’t right for that.

His body still ached, just like when he arrived in the city of Kappz. Victory carried exhaustion and pain. And having faced a creature like that had really left him worn out.

He saw the panel he was supposed to take just behind him, already removed from its support. As soon as he returned, he would try to talk to Clara about what had happened. Letting Marcus get hurt, taking so long to fulfill what he had promised. Dante closed his eyes for a second and calmed his mind from all the nightmares of how the mission could have gone wrong.

'I'm no protagonist. I don’t even want to be.'

'Your mother’s and father’s words always clashed when giving you advice. I imagine that must leave you confused, Dante. After accessing the battery, I received a new base aspect, something that allows me to understand certain circumstances.'

Dante found it amusing that Vick was talking so much. It was rare.

'Go ahead, I’d like to hear what you have to say.'

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'Right. Render was one of the most skilled swordsmen I have recorded, but he was always chasing an undefined dream. When he asked you to move forward, to fight and return home alive, he also left a record of the pride he felt. Your mother, however, hoped you would never get into trouble, but you ignored her advice without thinking twice at the first chance.'

Dante laughed and agreed immediately.

'I really did, didn’t I? I wanted so much to understand what I could do that I let myself get carried away by the situation. The pirates didn’t give me the answers I wanted, they were weak. They gave me the chance to be in the same squad as Lady Dalia.'

'Your greatest battle so far has been against creatures that others could not even face. I believe Render’s training was precisely composed of life-or-death situations since he never let you win.'

'The taste of defeat in my mouth for over twenty years.' Dante didn’t savor victory sweetly. The ever-living defeat in his mind for so many years didn’t make him lose his footing. On the contrary, it kept him grounded. 'And to think it would take this long for me to have a complete victory against a Felroz.'

'Even though you say you fought to protect your ally, the shooter, you are also aware that you exerted yourself more than you should have, and that takes a toll on the body. Each limit surpassed leaves destructive remnants throughout. I was programmed to set these limits and prevent them from being exceeded.'

The wind blew stronger to the north.

'I know that, Vick. I just don’t want to think that every time I fight, there will always be shackles on my wrists. It’s the feeling of defeat still on my back.'

'You need to resume training your body to withstand the pressure of conversion, Dante. If you don’t, you will never reach where your father once stood. Render was always incredible with his skill, but his limit was set at 20%.'

Dante knew his father had reached 20%, but never stopped there for personal reasons. He always imagined it was because he had a family that he quit training. But he was never sure of that.

A man like Render prioritized his children over a fight.

But if he, being as strong as he was, never became a Ballooner, which was his dream, then what did he become?

Twenty years of training, and I can only reach 5% of what I am.

The rest of the conversion is distributed to muscles, skin, and organs, causing damage over time. There was no reason to believe he wouldn’t surpass his father, but how long would it take to reach 10%?

Years, again? He didn’t want to believe that anymore. He had already done so much to get here.

'And you weren’t efficient against the Octopus, the name you gave the creature. With Marcus’s help, the shooter, you were victorious. A perfect victory lies in how much you can accomplish alone. Render taught you that.'

'But my father lost, didn’t he?'

Vick didn’t answer right away.

'He lost to time. And left me carrying his dream. As long as I’m alive, I will carry his legacy, that’s for sure. But I won’t do anything unless I have to. The battles I fight are my choices, Vick.'

'Acceptable. And what will you choose?'

'We’ll live one day at a time until we return home. Even if it takes longer than I imagine.' He looked towards where Marcus and Clara were sleeping. 'One day at a time so we can have a chance to help those who truly need it. One day at a time to bring faith to those who never had anything. I was blessed with knowledge, with strength, and with a decent life. Until I know how to return, I’ll do what’s necessary so that the people who trust me have that.'

Vick’s voice softened.

'People are too heavy a burden for one man to carry alone. Your father would say that. However, Dante, knowing how you grew up, I don’t believe you have a choice.'

Those words were kind, coming from Vick. The battery charge had really done her some good. An AI like her was hard to find, even in the Capital. Here in Kappz, Dante would use his resources to help in this regard.

'What do you think I should do first, Vick?'

'Before I begin, I need to list all the construction segments so that the battery is properly isolated. Explanation time… three hours, twenty-six minutes. Would you like to hear it?'

'Of course.' These plans would be given to Clara. She was the only person who understood the city and its inhabitants. 'Go ahead…'"