7 years ago
Growing up Dante never had many friends, people mostly avoided him because they thought he was weird. It bothered him sure, but no matter what he had his two friends, Dennis and Lexi. The three of them were inseparable, nothing could get them away from each other.
They would spend there days playing adventurer, Dennis leading them around and the other two following. Dante as a nervous one just followed Dennis around. He never asked what the plans were or spoke up much against him.
They'd run around all day, searching for a treasure in the city's parks, Pretending to fight monsters all with Dennis in the lead.
But other kids liked Dennis. Sometimes as they would play they'd invite Dennis and Lexi to come with them. Dante understood this, Dennis was popular he considered himself lucky to even be his friend at all. When this would happy Dante would just go off and be alone.
As they would leave Dante could hear the others say things like. "You still hang out with him?"
He tried not to let it bother him but it did.
However, one day as they're all sitting in class an announcement that would effectively change their friendship forever.
The class had received news they'd have a magical examination from the empire themselves, everyone was excited because there were rumors of important figures in the empire coming.
"You heard Elrics gonna be leading?!" A child says.
"I heard Daisuke is gonna show up he's the coolest!" Another says.
"Oh but Kenta is gonna be there too right?!" The class was buzzing from the news.
The examination would be held in the auditorium. The empire would be bringing a machine that the kids would walk through. Upon walking through their future affinity will be broadcasted to the public.
This is how the empire decides what would be the best for you to go into as a profession. On this planet, you didn't necessarily choose your job. The empire gives you what they think you would be and what they need.
This is because of the looming threats off monsters outside of the barriers.
They passed out permission slips for the kids to get signed by their parents.
Dante wasn't sure but due to Dennis pushing him he agreed. He came around to the idea though and he too became excited.
He ran home to Lilah happily.
Lilah read over the slip. "The empire huh?" Lilah questions. With a moody tone. Dante gives her the puppy dog eyes and she smiles and rolls her eyes. "Fine, okay baby we can go." She agrees and Dante cheers.
He doesn't know why she seems so nervous about going.
The day comes and Dante and his friends meet up. "What kinda magic you think you're gonna get Dante?" Dennis asks him. "Well moms an ice mage, so probably ice." He answers.
Dennis laughs. "Right and you don't know your dad, so you could get something else." Dennis says which hurts Dante a bit. He doesn't speak up about it though.
Everyone is lead to the auditorium. The principal taking the stage.
"Thank you everyone for coming today, it is our great honor to have the esteemed men from the empire here joining us today." He says and everyone applauds.
"These men have worked hard to keep us safe, so we cannot thank them enough!" He says proudly. "Now without further ado. May we please welcome the helmet of the empire!" The principle announces.
The auditorium erupts. As kids, parents, and townsfolk alike get excited at the mention of his name.
"It's true it's true!"
"They really are here!"
The crowd chants as the announcement continues.
"The empires esteemed Daisuke the conqueror!" He shouts and the auditorium screams as he walks out.
Daisuke, standing thirteen feet tall, waves to the crowd. His black, long, spiky hair is the first thing everyone sees, and then they all see his green eyes. He's wearing highly fashionable attire.
"Next but certainly no less important, the empire's Kenta!" Kenta not as humble as Daisuke, storms out from the curtain snatching the mic from the principle.
"Hello boys and girls!" He yells, and everyone applauds him. Daisuke laughing watching his energetic entry.
The sight of him makes Lilah's skin crawl.
Kenta stops front and center on the stage, "Enough with the introductions, Elric bring your butt out here, and lets stop wasting these peoples time!" He shouts and the last man walks out.
Elric a much older man walks out while shaking his head. "Kenta must you be so loud?" He asks. Kenta hands him the mic while laughing.
Two helpers push a machine out to the stage. "We will be using this state of the art machine to scan the children and show what magic they will possess, so in the future we can determine their best career path." Elric explains, as everyone listens close. Elric then gives a gentle smile. "Now children do line up." Elric says and the kids rush down towards the stage.
Elric lets out a hearty laugh, "One at a time please!" He says.
All of the kids line up. Dante and his friends together.
One after another the kids go through the slow. BEEP from the machine changes slightly between kids. Elric and the others shake their heads while going through the results. It continues with slow beeps between the kids until Dennis turn comes.
A loud BEEP sounds through the room. Lenta taps Daisuke. "Looks like this dump actually has someone useful." He says, Daisuke laughing.
Elric takes the paper happily. "This one here is a multi-elemental mage!" Elric says happily, before his eyes widen. "Even with one of the rarest magic. The ability of matter manipulation!" Elric says and the kids applaud Dennis.
Dennis smiles happily. "Rare and multiple magics?!" He asks. Elric smiles. "That's right, what do you want to be when you get older?" Elric asks him. Dennis smiles. "I wanna be an empire soldier, one of the top guys like you!" Dennis says and everyone cheers for him.
Elric places his hand on his shoulder. "Well you have a bright future ahead of you. Once you awaken to magic contact us with this." He hands Dennis a communicator. Dennis gets extremely happy.
Dante runs up to him. "Dennis you're so cool, i hope mines is as cool as yours!" Dante says.
Elric waves to him. "So why don't you come up then?" He says to Dante.
Happily listening Dante Marches to the machine. Kenta looks at him curiously. "Daisuke, does the kid look familiar?" Kenta asks him. Looking closely Daisuke agrees. "Yeah he does. wonder why." He questions.
Dante happily walks through the scanner and then.
.................Nothing happens.
Dante wonders why the machine isn't making any noise. He looks up towards Elric confused. "Hmm, try again." Elric says as he cranks up the machines sensitivity. "Is something wrong?" Dante asks. Elric shakes his head, as Dante steps through again. The machine lets out a small silent beep. "It would seem you have an underdeveloped, affinity for magic. You may never be able to harness it." Elric delivers news crushing Dante.
Elric pitifully kneels down to Dante. "What do you wanna be once you get older?" Elric asks. Dante perks back up. "I wanna be an adventurer, one like a hero!" Dante yells. Kenta chuckles in the back. "Kid you'd be lucky being a D rankers sidekick!" He says as the entire auditorium begins to laugh at poor Dante.
The voices echo in Dante's head, all of the laughing. "I suggest you pack your dreams and be a janitor!" Kenta says as Elric hits him in his chest. Everyone burst out laughing while pointing at Dante. His legs begin shaking as he looks towards Dennis for help, but his friend is even joining the laughter.
"Dennis." Dante calls out to him. A lump in his throat, Begging for the safety of his friend. Kenta smiles. "Kid someone like you has no business being friends with someone like him." Kenta says. Dennis looks at Dante without a hint of remorse in his eye and turns his back to him. Dante's whole world seems to be falling apart and before he breaks down, Lilah grabs his hand.
Kenta seems to have notices her. "That's why the kid looked so dang familiar he's Lilah's brat!" He shouts. Kenta then laughs. "No wonder the kid sucks he's just like his old man." Kenta mocks. Lilah clenches her fist. "Don't you dare mention him!" She yells at Kenta.
Kenta smirks almost like he's holding in more laughter. "Or what?" He says. Lilah as much as she wants to, knows she cannot fight Kenta and win. So she regrettably turns and walks away with Dante. Kenta laughs as she walks away. "Good, leave with your useless brat, ya failure of a family!" Kenta mocks.
Tips, in this world if you are unable to use magic your uses to the empire are automatically low. So your future would be grim without its use. The only hope for someone who cannot land good jobs, or that were born into wealth is to be married off so they may have a future.
Lilah and Dante arrive home, the weight of the world pressing down on them. Dante, usually so full of energy, is crushed, shoulders heavy, his eyes distant. Lilah notices the shift in him, his silence louder than any words. She kneels down, her heart breaking for him. She places a hand gently on his cheek, trying to meet his eyes.
"It's okay, hijo," she says softly, her voice trembling. "Don't listen to anything they said."
Dante doesn't answer. His eyes remain fixed on the floor, distant and hollow, as if the world has shifted beneath him.
Dante steps over to the small, carefully placed urn on the mantle, his fingers brushing against it like he's afraid it will disappear. He stares at it, then at Lilah, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Mom... what was Dad like?" He tugs nervously at the bottom of his shirt, the simple gesture betraying the storm inside him. "Kenta.. he seemed to know so much about him…"
Lilah's heart aches, a rush of memories flooding her. She crouches down to be eye-level with Dante, her hand trembling as she places it on his.
"Your father… he was a great man, Dante. A good man," she says, her voice breaking but firm. "He wasn't a failure." The words come with a weight that seems too heavy for them both to carry. Dante doesn't meet her gaze. His eyes flicker over to the TV, where the travels of his favorite adventurers are playing out.
"Mom…" Dante calls softly, his voice hesitant, as if testing the waters of a question he's too afraid to ask.
Lilah looks him in the eyes, the depth of his unspoken pain pulling at her. Then he asks it, the question that breaks something deep inside her.
"Do you think... I could still be an adventurer?" Dante's voice cracks, his words barely escaping. "Could I still follow my dream?"
He clutches her shirt, his small body trembling in her arms, the weight of his dream pressing down on him like a heavy stone. Tears spill down his cheeks, the pain of everything he's been told, of everything he fears, flowing out.
Lilah's chest tightens. She sees it in his eyes, he's searching, begging for her to say yes. For her to tell him that despite everything, he could still chase his dream. That he could still be the person he wanted to be. That he could still have the future he envisioned, even if the world seemed to have shattered all around him.
But the words refuse to come. She opens her mouth, but they won't form. How could she lie to him? How could she promise him something she couldn't guarantee?
Tears start to blur her vision as she pulls him close, her own sobs rising in her throat. "I'm so sorry, hijo," she whispers, her voice thick with grief. "I'm so sorry."
Her answer.... her silence... says everything. Dante realizes the truth in that moment. The crushing weight of the world falls over him, and he, too, starts to cry, his small sobs muffled in his mother's embrace. And for the first time, the dream he had so fiercely clung to seems unreachable, slipping through his fingers as his heart shatters.