Chapter 69: A Welcoming Touch

"Sebastian..."

Juno watched as Sebastian was evaporated right before her eyes. No, that wasn't the scariest part. The old man's strength, with a punch that didn't even land, bent the air at his disposal. Her eyes widened, trying to comprehend what had just happened, but she couldn't.

He didn't even need to touch, like he had when he hit her. The air shifted after his movement, but his strength twisted nature itself.

Her heart roared to move forward, and now she could see the old man clearly. The people around didn't matter, that Research Center didn't matter, GreamHachi didn't matter. Her mission was Dante, here and now, she needed to challenge him.

He didn't even move. Everything around belonged to him, an unarmed General who was more terrifying than a thousand swords combined.

"I searched for you for so long." She pushed against the wall, finally standing up straight. "I searched for your arrival. I wanted more than anything to be able to touch... you."

Dante grimaced, clearly indignant and confused. His eyes narrowed downward, and he let out a grunt, shaking his head.

"That sounded really reckless. Touch me? I'm old. Don't even think about it. I'm old enough to be your father, girl."

A small laugh escaped her. Sebastian, GreamHachi, or whatever the situation was, it was irrelevant. When that man stood, everything else felt like... a joke. Am I admiring someone? No.

"Dante," she raised her voice, clenching her fist. Sparks of electricity crackled around her, regaining strength. "I'm going to end you. Now."

"Are you?" It sounded like a joke, but the tension in his body said otherwise. He's preparing to kill me. "And how do you plan to do that?"

Everything told her the same thing. If she attacked, she would die. If she stayed, he would come after her. In Juno's eyes, she was nothing but prey. The feeling was suffocating, an invisible tension crawling down her spine and making her hair stand on end.

Why? Among all she had faced inside and outside GreamHachi, why was this man so different just by his posture? His Cosmic Energy wasn't dense, it didn't come close to Sinny's or Bit Boy's. His movements weren't faster than Gatuna Dril's, and his strength would never surpass Captain Seleri Mirro's.

Nothing. He hadn't surpassed any of them in any way. None of her former colleagues. But... he was twice as confident, twice as powerful in aura.

"Why are you like this?" The question slipped from her lips before she could contain it, filled with a mix of frustration and curiosity. "Why do you make me feel fear, and at the same time, this insane urge to fight?"

That was the will hovering over her. And Dante didn't laugh or scorn her question. He only smirked, contradicting everyone else who had ever looked down on her for her lack of strength. It wasn't as if he was trying to subjugate her... It wasn't that.

The dominant stance was him, not forged, but part of him.

"Who said you don't make me feel the same?"

She froze in place.

"I... make you feel fear?"

"Of course you do, girl. Look around. All of this started because I sensed a latent power in you." And with the following words, it was as if it were obvious: "You control lightning. You unleash storms. How could people not be afraid?"

Dante clicked his tongue, looking even more indignant.

"Marcus, come here."

Juno searched for the shooter approaching, somewhat hesitant.

"Are you sure?" Jix and Marcus asked at the same time. But it was the old man on Dante's shoulder who continued, pointing at Juno. "Stay right where you are, got it? Don't move. If you do, I'll pin you to the ground myself, and you'll never walk again."

The pressure around her, not too much, but enough to make her understand: the three of them standing ahead weren't ordinary.

"Tell her," Dante said. "Tell her what I told you back there."

"What?" Marcus looked completely lost. "Back there, before we got here?"

Juno didn't understand. They had just wiped out an entire section of the Research Center, leaving rubble and wreckage, yet they showed no signs of remorse.

A man was dead, his body reduced to nothing more than a fleeting memory in the midst of chaos. And still, their faces remained impassive, as if the life they had taken was as insignificant as the debris scattered around.

"Well, you said she was dangerous, more dangerous than almost anyone you've faced. But it wasn't many, was it?"

Dante quickly waved his hand.

"You didn't need to say that last part. It ruins the point. What I'm saying, Juno, is that you are very strong. Of course, you'd never beat me." He laughed. Jix, on his shoulder, did the same. "Clearly, you wouldn't win against me, but the fact is, you have potential. So what are you doing here?"

"I... I... was sent to handle supplies."

She heard the metallic click of the carbine once again, but when she looked at the shooter, he had his back turned, walking toward the fallen bodies. They aren't aiming at me?

"And that guy who just made his early exit, was he working for him?"

Juno put a hand to her face, lost. Her forehead was sweaty, her fingers trembling. The answer she sought wasn't there. It wasn't present in anything. How much time had passed? A hundred or two hundred days? No.

They left me to die over three years ago. Maybe four. I don't remember.

Before she could realize it, Dante's voice sounded closer, carrying that carefree tone.

"Why do you look so bored?" he asked, his voice low but perfectly clear.

Her whole body tensed as the memory tightened around her throat. She quickly raised her hand to it, trying to break free from invisible hands, her nails grazing her skin but grasping nothing. Her fingers curled instinctively, her nails digging hard enough to leave red marks.

The pain was serene. She always felt this pain when she was alone, when the memory of being left for dead merged with her present. That miserable present...

It would never leave, never set her free. Siny, Bit Boy, Gatuna Dril, and the Captain wouldn't let her go. They were gone forever, but they hadn't let her go.

She let out a painful scream, trying to cut the hands from her neck.

"This is your place."

In the middle of a ruined city, in the middle of boredom, in the middle of filth. This was her place. With no one, with nothing... without food or water. Just used, so they would never have to go back there...

She closed her eyes, her mind collapsing. Something held her, firm and gentle. Juno lost her stance, her strength. She knew she would be lying there, in the middle of nowhere, with no one around when she woke up.

Life with her team had been full of laughter.

"Why did you leave without me?"

She felt her eyes fill with water. A tear rolled down her cheek, touching her ear. She hadn't been hearing, until that moment.

"I'm not going anywhere, girl. You can bet on that."

Was that Captain Seleri? The question echoed in her mind like a whisper filled with uncertainty. For a moment, everything around seemed to fade into the background, and his image surfaced in her memory, bringing a mix of relief and confusion.

The thought seemed so impossible. He was the one who decided to move on without her.

Juno blinked, trying to make her mind understand that she was alone. But the gentle grip on her shoulder, the strong arms supporting her back...

"Are you planning on sleeping for long, brat?"

When she swept her tired eyes to the side, barely able to focus, she recognized two familiar figures. Dante's face appeared first, a mix of concern and amusement. His eyes, always intense.

Beside him, Jix was there too, standing watchfully.

Even though they didn't say anything as they observed her, something about those two made her feel safe.

She blinked slowly, trying to focus on them.

"No..."

"I'm not leaving you," Dante was quicker. "You can be sure of that. I'm not leaving you, girl."