Dante felt renewed. He had rested after his last revelation.

As he set off toward his training room, he felt something in his pocket warm up. The communicator given to him by Rim.

As he inserted Qi into the communication, sweat dripped from his forehead. Could it be that someone had been hurt? Had the Draco finally attacked? Dante couldn't get lost if something had happened while he was away.­

The seconds until the device connected seemed eternal.

When the light indicating the communicator's operation came on, Dante wasted no time. "Rim, is everything okay? What happened? Did they hurt anyone?"

"Hi Dante, this is Sabrina. No one is hurt, don't worry. Things haven't changed much," Sabrina said, her voice shaking. She hadn't expected that talking to Dante again would bring her so much relief.

Dante let out a long sigh. He enjoyed talking to her, of course, but for a moment he thought something very serious had happened. She wouldn't call for nothing, after all.

Sabrina cleared her throat, ready to continue. "Rim and Hector warned me that the Dracos are up to something. I don't know how they know, but it seems like it will definitely happen soon. The next time we call you, you need to hide, okay?”

"What is going to happen? You can tell me...I'm stronger now, I won't get in anyone's way anymore."

Dante heard strange sounds coming from the other end of the line, as if the communication orb had moved.

"No, you slowpoke. We just received information that something is going to happen, with the Draco. It's not even with us, but more general. We'll be safe here, and you try to be safe there, you hear?"

Rim's voice was a little more agitated than usual. Dante knew that the conversation couldn't last long, because their chances of being detected increased every few minutes.

"Okay, that's the least I can do for you. But let me know if you need any help, okay?"

"Sure, three Gold cultivators will need your help, Dante, Sure. Just focus on getting stronger. We don't really know what's going on, it might just be a false alarm in the end."

Even with Rim's words, Dante did not feel shaken. He knew they were only thinking of his welfare. Even if he was stronger, the three of them were more than capable of taking care of themselves.

Besides, an impending attack only meant that he needed to get strong even faster.

Stolen story; please report.

"And how's the cultivation, is everything okay over there?" asked Sabrina. Her voice was unmistakable with Rin's.

""Everything is going well, actually. I managed to defeat a strong Class C monster, can you believe it?"" said Dante, careful not to talk too much. Despite all they had been through, he had not yet had a good opportunity to tell them the truth about his powers.

"Congratulations, our plucky prodigy. I'm sorry, but we have to go now, you know how it is. Goodbye and stay safe and alert, Dante. Truly."

It could just be an impression, but he thought he sensed genuine concern in Rin's voice. Before he could point out how strange it was that she was showing some kind of feeling, the connection ended.

The metal ball, which had cooled down during the conversation, now became hot again. Qi flowed freely in Dante's meridians, who closed his eyes with determination on his face.

This would be his chance to prove that he would no longer be a hindrance to the others.

A little more, and he would finally be able to help all his friends.

Dante opened his map of the cave. He found the other places that housed the artifacts.

He would only need to pass the training room once.

Then it was time for the last hunt.

--

"Do you think this will work?" asked Sabrina to Rin, who was moving from side to side, restless as usual.

"I really don't know. We all know he might want to come straight to help us, but I think warning him is the most prudent course of action at the moment. Besides, we have to concentrate on knowing what time we should worry about detecting when the attack starts. Surprise might be our best weapon."

Sabrina can't help but agree. She could easily see Dante abandoning everything they had agreed upon just to help them. What was worse was that a part of her longed for it. When he was near, things seemed easier...simpler.

No. This was no time to think like that. Dante's hiding would only make him safer.

"Don't you think you'll get in trouble telling us about this likely attack?" said Sabrina, looking at Hector and Rim.

While she couldn't keep still, more than usual, Hector was staring, steady. "That's a risk Rim, and I talked about and we think it's worth taking. I doubt they will be able to keep a close eye on us. The important thing is that we don't divulge this information freely," Hector said.

Though supported by his words, Rim couldn't help but worry. She knew how ruthless the organization could be. Reason was hardly a motive that would cause them to ponder much.

Still, it was obvious that the choice would be no other. Dante and Sabrina had put themselves in danger several times to help them, and that was the least she could do.

She left the room and headed for her own. As she closed the door, she put her projects aside and sat down on the hard wooden floor. It was better this way. The comfort caused distractions.

Only after confirming that the door was closed did she lean back in her arms and cried, silently.

The tears at first were like a badly turned off faucet, full of intermission. It didn't take long before someone turned on the faucet and water began to drop from her eyes.

The moment she learned of the attack, she knew that it no longer mattered what the logical decision was. Sabrina and Dante, as well as Hector and even Isaac were now her friends, and she would do everything she could not to lose them.

Although she knew it would be of utmost importance to prepare for the coming attack, she let herself cry. Her father had long ago said that crying washes the soul.

And dirty her soul was.

For just a little while longer, she would allow herself to cry. There would be a time to get stronger afterwards, but now she needed time.