The ladder to the stars!

Dante lies on his back, his body trembling as quiet sobs escape his lips. His chest heaves, each breath a struggle between anguish and exhaustion. Hot tears mix with the blood trickling down his face, falling to the cold, unforgiving ground beneath him.

"Why?" His voice cracks, barely louder than a whisper. "Why was I born so weak?" His fingers curl into the dirt as he shuts his eyes tight, as if trying to shut out the truth. "It's always been like this..."

People pass by, their footsteps echoing like distant drumbeats in his ears. They see him, bruised, broken, drowning in his own misery, but none of them stop. Not even for a second. Their gazes flicker toward him, some filled with brief recognition, others with indifference, but all of them continue walking as if he is nothing. As if he isn't even there.

This is how it has always been. Dante, the invisible one. And to those who do see him? He is nothing more than a target. At school, he was alone. After school, still alone. And now, lying on the streets of Mozam, surrounded by people who refuse to acknowledge him, the loneliness weighs on him heavier than ever.

His chest tightens. The truth is suffocating. He was weak. And in this world, the weak are nothing.

His body trembles as he whispers, voice barely audible over the bustling streets, "It's not fair..."

At this point Kaito has finally found Dante, he sees him there on the ground bruised and defeated. "What happened!?" Kaito asks worry filling his voice. 

Dante taking note of Kaito wipes his face. "It doesn't matter, we should just go back to the inn, not like we can do anything about it anyways." Dante bleakly says, his voice hanging low. 

Kaito then understands why Dante has always been covered in bandages, why he's always bruised. Being beaten like this has become normal for him, the truth irritating Kaito. 

Kaito grits his teeth. "So that's it? You're just gonna let these people steal your moms stuff and get away with it!?" Kaito shouts at Dante.

Dante grits his teeth annoyed by Kaito's words. How could he get how this feels. He's seen Kaito, his body is built strong and he fights monsters how can he understand how it is to be weak!

"You don't get it, Kaito. People like you never do. You're strong; you were born that way. People like me, born at the bottom, are always treated like this because we're weak!" Dante barks. 

"How could someone who was born strong understand that?!" Dante questions Kaito his frustrations filling his voice. 

Kaito looks back at Dante seeing the frustration on his face. "You're right, Dante. You are weak. But being weak isn't a bad thing. What matters is that you try to change that every day." Kaito says as he then sits on the floor next to Dante. 

"I wasn't born strong, and I don't win every fight I'm in. Actually, it turns out I'm weak too. I learned that recently. Blaming what you were born like is just an excuse, the only limit you have is yourself." Kaito says to Dante. 

Kaito then looks down at the ground recounting all the times he's felt small. The man bat, the giant crystal beast, the world serpent, Terra, Max, Ray, the graith. All reminders of how he isn't as strong as he thought he was. 

"I've trained my whole life, and I still got destroyed in my most recent fights. But instead of being scared, I find it exciting." Kaito says his mood changing and he smiles as he looks towards Dante. 

Dante looks back at Kaito their eyes meeting. 

"Every time I think of all these people and things stronger than I am, it's like facing a super tall ladder." Kaito explains as he stands up from the ground. 

"I look at that super tall ladder, and I'm at the bottom. But I just want to climb it one step at a time. There's nothing wrong with being down here because I know I'm moving towards the top." 

"I wanna use that ladder to reach my dreams, the ladder is so tall that I can feel like I can reach the stars." Kaito then looks at Dante with a bright smile on his face. He reaches his hand out to Dante who's still lying down on the floor. 

"You wanna climb the ladder with me?" Kaito smiles brightly at Dante, for the first time in Dante's life he's feeling a warmth from someone who he can feel genuinely cares. With a loss for words Dante reaches his hand back for Kaito's. Feeling that he doesn't have to be alone for the first time ever. 

He takes Kaito's hand.