A few days later…
Dante wrapped a black cloth around Missio. He sat down opposite him and picked up cups filled with different substances. He held the cup near Missio's nose allowing him smell it. Missio leaned in, sniffing.
"Turmeric." He said.
"Correct." Dante replied.
He placed the cup down and held another to his nose.
"Cucumber." Missio guessed.
"Correct." Dante confirmed.
Repeating this process, they went through over twenty cups. Dante held the last cup up to Missio. Missio leaned in – sniffing. He raised a brow, leaning back. He contemplated for a few moments before his lips parted.
"Vanilla?"
"Nope. It's a heliotrope flower." Dante shook his head.
"Damn it." Missio muttered under his breath.
Dante stood up, taking off his brother's blindfold. Missio opened his eyes as his big brother sat down again.
"You got 13 out of 20 correct. You still need work." Dante noted.
"Well, that's a step up from yesterday's nine." Missio scratched his head.
Dante nodded. He raised his hand, pointing at something behind Missio.
"What's that behind you? Don't turn around."
Missio froze. He closed his eyes and focused. His ears caught the sound. It sounded as if was cutting through the air.
'It's too close to the ground to be a plane… and it's not naturally bending to the air pressure…'
Missio contemplated for a few moments. He opened his eyes and answered.
"Is it a remote-controlled toy plane?"
Dante smiled, lowering his head. "Yeah."
Missio clenched his fist. "Yes!"
Dante gazed at his little brother with a proud smile. He shook his wrist and checked the time. The clock struck nine o'clock. He whistled and stood up. Pulling out his phone, he dialed a certain number. He moved away from Missio as the call went through.
"John?" Dante called out.
"Yes, sir." The agent replied.
"How are the elections going?"
"They're proceeding smoothly. No uproar yet." John replied.
"Good." Dante sighed. "I'll be coming over so inform the rest."
"Yes, sir."
Dante cut the call, tucking the phone in his pocket. He headed back to the front of the RV and met Missio. Missio lifted his head.
"Are we heading for the elections?" he inquired.
"Yeah." Dante confirmed. "But before that… let's try something."
Missio stood up. "What do you want to try?"
Dante folded the chairs and threw them into the RV. The vehicle then locked itself as soon as Dante told it to. He spun around, locking eyes with his little brother.
"Let's see that new transformation of yours."
Missio raised a brow. "Transformation? What…?"
"Listen." Dante raised one finger. "Each level of Transcendence on the pillar gives you an unrestricted form."
"Unrestricted? Are my powers restricted right now?"
"Yes!" Dante clapped. "It's a way to prevent burnout. Right now, everything is restricted to a certain degree. It's at a level at which it'll take little to no energy to sustain."
"How do I transform then?" Missio questioned.
"Haven't you before?" Dante tilted his head with a smile.
Missio's mind flashed back to his Awakener transformation. The two white wings that burst from his back each time he released his prowess. He shut his eyes and felt his inner world. Then, he released all his power. Power burst from Missio's entire body. The wind caught Dante's hair as he slid his fingers through it.
Two massive white wings twice the size of Missio's body burst from his back, ripping his shirt. But something else formed. Above his head, a small golden ring manifested, making him seem angelic. After a few moments, the energy died down as Missio opened his eyes which glowed like the stars. Missio glanced around his surroundings feeling he was more sensitive to it. He could hear sounds he couldn't before, smell foods from across the region, and feel the cold air of the ocean riding on his skin. A chill ran across his entire body.
'If brother hadn't trained me… I would've been knocked out right now.'
Dante's training had allowed him to regulated his senses to some degree. While not mastery, it was decent enough. Missio looked at his as Dante approached.
"Wow! My brother is looking like a true angel." Dante clapped.
Missio lifted his head, activating his eyes. Unlike before, he could now also see his brother's organs – how his heart throbbed, how his brain pulsed, how his stomach contorted. He covered his mouth in disgust as he deactivated his eyes. Dante patted his back.
"Your eyes can do much more than just see bones but you have to choose what you want see." Dante stated.
Missio drew a deep breath. He straightened and exited his form. The halo above his head vanished and the wings folded back into his dorsum. He exhaled heavily. Dante pushed him forward as the RV unlocked one more.
"Go change. Your shirt is ripped."
Missio nodded and stepped into the RV. After a minute, he exited wearing a green shirt with his cream trousers. Dante locked the RV again. The door slammed shut behind Missio and the awning collapsed. Missio approached his big brother, standing beside him.
"Now… to the elections!" Dante said.
He activated his attribute, blue lightning sparking from his body. Missio blinked. The next instant, they appeared in the bustling city of Romulus. He glanced around, gazing at the pedestrians walking past. Dante rushed ahead, pulling Missio with him.
"Huh? What's the rush?" Missio asked.
"Isabella." Dante replied in a solemn tone.
"Oh…" Missio nodded, trailing his brother.
Both rushed through the crowd. Dante glanced around the vicinity, scared that his fiancé was waiting to ambush him. After a few minutes, the arrived at the city's main building. Dante gazed at the open gates and stepped through them. Missio followed behind him. They entered the building as the doors slid open for them. Inside, Missio saw numerous people lining up at several tiny rooms.
Each person wore something nice which made his casual attire feel out of place. Dante patted his brother's back and stepped into line.
"That's the election booth. Come on."