Three minutes before she launched her attack.... Dante felt a sudden change in air pressure as the wind picked up in the small patch of forest. He opened his eyes, and to his surprise, he saw the sky had darkened overhead, which was odd considering it was just sunny. He felt a strong aura in the direction that Alexander set up the kid's sound barrier. Dante used his glasses to scan the area. He was pleasantly surprised to find that it was the girl from earlier who was causing all of this commotion.
A thought suddenly struck him. When he was living with Director Michele, she had taken in her niece and nephew when he was 14. The girl was probably around 7 or 8, while the boy was no older than 5. No wonder she looked so familiar; he would read stories to them every night. Dante was trying to recall their names. What stood out to him most about that time was Michele always bragging that her niece had finally awakened her bloodline trait, claiming it was something unlike anything she had ever seen.
Dante's eyes narrowed as he focused on the girl flying several meters above the ground. She was beautiful, and he thought he saw her body glowing with a subtle blue aura. It reminded Dante of the books he had read about the ocean, which could be the calmest thing in the world one moment and the most chaotic the next. He couldn't quite make out what she was holding in her hand; it looked like some kind of stick. Her beautiful black hair flowed in the wind, and the scene reminded him of what he imagined a young version of Director Michele would have looked like.
Dante was truly mesmerized for a moment; he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation in his stomach, a warning of impending danger that flooded his senses with an urge to move from where he stood. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to look away. He honestly couldn't believe that the girl he was seeing was the same little girl he used to read bedtime stories to all those years ago.
She waved her hand toward him, sending a powerful gust of air that Dante might not have noticed if he weren't wearing the glasses of truth. The wind took the shape of crescent blades and moved at such high speed that Dante had to blink to dodge them. He quickly teleported to a patch of grass in the center of the dome, just outside the radius of the attack.
When he turned back, he was astounded by the level of destructive force she could muster. Dante found it hard to believe this was her first day as a full-fledged contractor. The director had mentioned that her niece could control the weather, but the intensity of that attack felt more like the work of a relic rather than a bloodline trait. The sheer destructive power alone would classify that relic as legendary or higher.
"Dante! Are you okay?" Valerie called out, running toward him with Alexander not far behind.
"I'm fine, but who escorted those three to the vault?"
Alexander tilted his head to the side. "I took the two Diez siblings."
Dante stepped closer to meet his gaze. "Did you take them to the second floor? Did they even have the clearance for that area?"
Alexander quickly looked away and began to whistle.
"God dammit, Alex, you took the cubs to bond with legendary and mythic-grade relics for their first bonding experience!"
"In his defense, I also took Tyler Winfreed—the boy with the glasses—down to the second floor," Valerie chimed in, her voice low and avoiding Dante's gaze.
"So let me get this straight: you gave each of them a relic with the potential to destroy an entire city block?" Dante's anger caused his dark purple aura to leak out.
"Listen, Dante, we figured we had to equip them with something comparable to the missions our team undertakes," Valerie said, trying to regain control of her shaking voice.
"Besides, how would they even survive the training if we didn't at least give them real weapons?" Alexander added, no longer whistling.
"Now, you both knew I had no intention of letting them join the unit. Even so, you broke the rules by allowing them to enter the second floor of the vault." Dante smiled deviously.
"Fine. I don't hate it. They are all pretty talented, especially for being so young. They remind me a bit of myself when I first got placed on the Legends."
Valerie sighed. "We can only hope they don't turn out like you. You never followed any of Captain Oberlean's orders and were always the first to jump into pointless fights over morals and the differences between right and wrong."
Dante winced at the thought of the past, remembering only the pain of regret and the mistakes he made in his youth.
"How old are they, anyway?"
Valerie paused to examine the damage left by Thalia's attack on the ground.
"Thalia is 19, her younger brother Theo is 17, and Tyler is also 19. Theo skipped almost two grades in the institute, which is unprecedented. They say his mind is like a sponge for information," Alexander said, admiration evident in his voice for the new recruits.
"Tyler has the highest marks in every subject, including combat and practical knowledge. While Thalia's academic performance is not as strong as her brother's or Tyler's, she compensates with her raw talent, drive, and destructive power," Valerie explained, brushing the dust off the rubble where Thalia's attack had landed.
Dante rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So, what's the story with the younger brother? He doesn't seem suited for the Retrieval Corps. I can tell at a glance that his temperament isn't built for our line of work."
Alexander looks back at the three, who were still anxiously talking amongst themselves.
"The brother is a special case. The director instructed me to emphasize the need for special care with him. His personality may not be well-suited for our line of work, but his abilities are unlike anything I have ever seen before, Dante. However, we won't fully understand the extent of his powers until he learns to tap into his rage, which seems to be the key to unlocking his latent abilities. So far, the only thing that has truly riled him up is his older sister and her safety. Aside from that, he remains remarkably calm and collected. In fact, I would describe him as almost too calm and cunning. He tends to overthink his actions, which is likely why he doesn't often succumb to emotions like rage and anger."
Dante grips the sheath of his katana thoughtfully. "Hmm, receiving such a high appraisal must mean he's at least a little special. In that case, I will take extra care and show them all what a true Predator looks like."