Dante helped his village repair what was broken after they held funerals for those who had died. Everyone was surprised to see that Dante was still the sweet, humble boy they had watched grow up, and his powers hadn't made him arrogant. The reporters left three days later when they realized they would get nothing from Dante. He had once smashed a reporter's camera for taking a photo of his mother. Most reporters would throw a tantrum, but after seeing Dante's cold glare, the reporter lost all intention of complaining. The incident served as a warning to others, and none of them dared to try taking a picture of his mother again until they left.
"Why don't you want to call her and have her come pick you up?" Mrs. Joan asked her son. After repairing the village and spending some days with his friends, Dante decided it was time to leave. Instead of calling Miss Sapphire, he chose to take the journey alone.
"I want to experience the journey myself," he replied with a smile.
"The city is not as peaceful as our village; it's dog-eat-dog."
"Then I will have to be a wolf," Dante replied, smiling.
"I'm serious."
"Don't worry about him, Mrs. Joan. Soon he'll be among the most powerful individuals. How could he be scared of a little journey?" a villager said, and others nodded in agreement.
Though Mrs. Joan knew they were right, she couldn't help but worry about her baby boy. Her eyes welled with tears as she drew her son into her embrace.
"Remember to take your medicine, and I'll send you a refill every month."
"Sure, Mom." Dante was sad about leaving and had been skeptical at first, but after an old man in the village told him wonderful things about the city, he grew eager to experience them for himself.
"Take care of my mom, you two."
"Of course," Gavin and Adam responded.
"Goodbye, everyone. I'll make sure to visit often." He said his goodbyes and left the village where he had grown up. Everyone in the village was certain that Dante's name would soon be known all over the Earth Realm, and one day, they could boast about their relationship with him. However, none of them imagined that Dante would one day stand at the pinnacle of all creation.
Dante took the train from the village to the city. At first, the scenery was tall trees and flowers, the familiar green environment he knew so well. But soon, things began to change. Tall trees were replaced by tall buildings, lush green colors gave way to a myriad of other colors, each possessing its own beauty. The songs of birds were replaced by metallic noises.
"Wow," Dante exclaimed as he faced the bustling image of the city.
Before long, the train came to a stop and everyone began to disembark. Like any country bumpkin unfamiliar with the city, Dante looked around in awe at the beautiful houses before him. He had no idea which direction to go to find the Mighty Ones Academy, so he started asking around.
To his surprise, the academy was very well-known, making it easy for people to point him in the right direction.
"Look over there, the Golden Lion students are at it again," a young man said, pointing in a particular direction.
"Be careful not to attract their attention," his friend warned as they cautiously moved away. Despite their fear, people started gathering to see what was happening, so Dante had to move closer too.
What caught everyone's attention were three boys surrounding a girl. Just looking at them, one could tell the three boys were making the girl uncomfortable. They were about Dante's age and wore the uniform of the Golden Lion academy. The girl, however, was not wearing a uniform and clearly was not an Awakener. Regardless of which academy the three boys came from, their status as Awakeners was enough to strike fear into her heart.
"All I wanted was to take you to a fancy restaurant," the boy in the middle said with a sinister smile that indicated his intentions were far from innocent.
"Of course, after that, you'll have to do the work's worth." He caressed the girl's arm, and she flinched at his touch.
"Young lady, you should feel honored that Young Master has taken a liking to you. Not many girls have that privilege," the boy to the right said, arms folded.
"I'm sorry, Young Master, I just want to go home," the girl replied, trembling.
"No need to waste time; let's just take her with us. She'll speak proudly of today in days to come," the boy on the left declared, advancing towards the girl with a menacing look.
The girl knew no help would come for her. She didn't even bother looking at the crowd to see who might be willing to provoke an Awakener over someone like her.
"Wait, she obviously doesn't want to leave with you." Before the boy could reach her, a voice came from the crowd.