Chapter 27: Family Reunion

The three crimson moons stared down at Yunbuck Village as though they, too, were eager to see what happened next.

Down below, the soldiers had dropped into a deep bow upon seeing their king, then rose and tightened their grips on their weapons.

Cindela and Cirella stared at the three prisoners with satisfaction gleaming in their eyes.

King Dante merely smiled before adjusting his armor, yet his presence alone was enough to leave Sarah and Zuru with an uncomfortable feeling they couldn’t quite shake.

Slowly, Dante looked up at Star, a faint glint of amusement resting in his eyes. Star, however, was staring right back at him with a piercing glare that could probably bore through the soul of a lesser man.

A foreboding silence washed over the entire village as stares and glares travelled between them like arrows loosed from unseen bows.

After what felt like an eternity, Dante finally spread his arms theatrically. With slow, leisurely steps, he began walking towards Star.

"What is this, nephew?" he asked, his voice carrying a cold, mocking edge. "A staring contest—?"

He barely finished before a sharp crimson halberd materialized in Star’s hand, its glowing blade pointed directly at Dante’s throat. The edge hovered barely an inch from his skin. The soldiers immediately moved to act, but Dante simply raised one finger, giving them a quiet signal to halt.

Star ignored them all and kept the weapon trained on Dante. His fingers tightened around the shaft until his knuckles strained, and the crimson metal seemed to hum with the same furious vibration running through his body.

"One... more... step... Dante." His voice trembled with rage. "A-and I promise you, your head will roll."

Dante’s eyes moved from the glowing bladed spear to the boy holding it. He hadn’t even flinched. If anything, the complete absence of fear in his expression made it painfully clear that he regarded Star’s threat as something beneath a threat, barely worthy of consideration.

Calmly, he lifted one foot.

Star’s throat tightened. ’Is he actually trying to take another step?’ His grip nearly loosened, but he forced his fingers tighter around the halberd. ’I’m not lowering it. No matter what.’

Dante’s raised foot began moving forward. A cold shiver crawled across Star’s skin, and sweat slowly traced its way down his back. His heartbeat hammered against his ribs as the distance between them disappeared one dreadful inch at a time. ’This manipulative bastard. What, does he have a death wish or something?’

Even Sarah’s breath caught in her throat while Zuru’s eyes widened, his usual humor completely abandoning him for once. Yet Dante didn’t stop.

Before his raised foot could touch the ground, the tip of Star’s halberd was already pressing against his neck. But before the blade could pierce his skin...

A layer of ice raced over the crimson metal, and an instant later, the frozen tip melted and vaporized before a single drop could fall.

’Universe.’ The word never even escaped Zuru’s lips.

Sarah, on the other hand, could feel her knees threatening to buckle beneath her.

Dante’s lips curled mischievously as he took another step. Then another. Each time he moved closer, the matter-smithed halberd froze solid, melted, and vanished into vapor before it could even touch him... as if the weapon had been reduced to nothing more than an inconvenience.

"Ooooh, Star." Dante croaked, his voice carrying a playful cruelty as he continued his slow approach. "This is no way to treat family. I thought I was your favorite uncle."

"Stay the hell back, Dante!" Star managed to shout. His entire body was shaking now, but this time, it wasn’t anger alone. Something colder had begun creeping beneath his skin.

Dante feigned a deep frown. "Dante?" His brows rose slightly. "So it’s just Dante now? No more uncle?"

Star’s body trembled harder as Dante drew closer. "St-stay back!" More sweat crawled down his skin. Yet even as his weapon was destroyed and Dante continued advancing, Star remained rooted to the spot. His body simply refused to obey him.

"Stay back!" he cried again, but Dante was already standing dangerously close. The halberd in Star’s hand had been completely annihilated, leaving nothing but empty air between them. Star felt his knees buckle.

Something about Dante was definitely...

Different.

He was still the same man Star remembered, yet somehow not the same at all. His presence had become monstrously imposing. His aura pressed down upon Star like an invisible mountain, crushing his courage beneath it. His muscles locked that he could barely even move a finger.

"Weakness has no punishment, Star," Dante said, now standing directly before him. "At least, not from me." His voice softened, and the impassive look in his eyes almost became gentle. "I am still your uncle, and I love you."

Star had been too terrified to move, but those final words struck something deep inside him. Slowly, painfully, he narrowed his eyes at Dante.

"I thought there was still hope for you, but I guess I was wrong." Red veins spread across Star’s eyes as he spoke, his body still trembling slightly. "Now I know why your father never liked you. You’re nothing but a greedy pest, undeserving of the Crestfold name. And trust me, one day you’ll be brought down by the farmer, just like every other pest."

Sarah swallowed heavily. Even Zuru felt the sting of those words. ’Oh boy.’

Dante smiled, but the moisture gathering in his eyes betrayed how deeply those words had struck him.

"You know..." he said, his anger slowly rising. "That’s just harsh."

He raised a hand, and in the blink of an eye, thick, dark metallic ropes shot forward with almost impossible speed. They wrapped around Sarah and Zuru from their shoulders down to their knees, pinning their arms tightly against their bodies.

Zuru groaned as the ropes suddenly tightened, then yanked him violently toward whoever had launched them. Sarah gave a startled cry as she was dragged away as well.

Only Star remained standing. His eyes widened as he looked to his left, where Zuru had been dragged, then to his right, where Sarah had been pulled. Finally, his gaze returned to Dante, horror filling his eyes.

"Don’t you dare lay a finger on my friends."

Dante stared at him before forcing out a quiet chuckle.

"Friends? How pathetic." He shook his head. "You didn’t expect there to be no punishment for speaking out of turn, did you?"

As he spoke, he turned and began walking towards Sarah, who was being restrained nearby.

"Now, nephew, let me introduce you to one of the most skilled groups of warriors I’ve ever come across. Meet the Davonchis."

He gestured towards the group of three holding Sarah, then towards the other three restraining Zuru on the opposite side. They were dressed entirely in dark clothing, from head to toe, their faces concealed behind dark masks and thick protective lenses shielding their eyes.

"This group has remarkable potential," Dante continued, a note of genuine admiration entering his voice. "They can track things that ordinary trackers wouldn’t even know how to find. Their flexibility is something else, and when they fight..." A satisfied smile tugged at his lips. "You should see it. Truly amazing."

"Aha." he suddenly snapped his fingers. "How could I forget? The new technology."

He walked towards the Davonchi who was holding Sarah, the man immediately straightened to attention. Like the others, he wore thick black gloves reinforced around the fingers with silvery metal tips. Similar metallic components ran across the backs of his hands, forming intricate connections beneath the dark material.

Dante regarded the equipment with satisfaction before raising his hand slightly.

"Well, I never believed something more amazing than guns could exist until I discovered this technology." A faint smile touched his lips. "McCoy has truly outdone himself. And I have to tell you..." He glanced towards Star. "It packs quite a punch."

He pressed the button at the center of the man’s palm.

At once, sharp arcs of electricity burst from the thick ropes wrapped around Sarah and coursed through her body.

She trembled violently, her body jerking against the restraints as the current surged through her.

"No! Stop it!" Zuru shouted in panic. He fought desperately against the ropes binding him, not able to withstand the sight of Sarah getting hurt. "Please, stop it!"

After what felt like far too long, the current finally stopped. Sarah sagged against the ropes, breathing heavily, her eyelids struggled to remain open. Whatever strength she had left seemed to have abandoned her.

"Sarah... Sarah..." Zuru kept calling from where he lay on the floor. "You’re going to be okay. Just keep listening to my voice."

Star could only stare.

His body shook as he watched Sarah barely remain conscious. Red veins webbed across his eyes, and tears of rage gathered within them. ’When did he become like this? So cold. So mean. So emotionless.’ His fingers curled into fists. ’He didn’t even shake. He didn’t even show a single atom of regret for hurting a kid.’

His anger boiled higher. ’Just like he felt nothing when he took everything from me.’ The tears finally rolled down his cheeks; steaming with rage. ’My father... My mother... My legacy... Everything... And to say I trusted him the most.’

Dante simply turned towards Star, nothing short of satisfied amusement plastered across his expression.

"Oh, universe." He muttered bluntly, not even bothering to make his concern convincing. "I think that was a little too much..."

"YAAAH!"

"..." Cirella and Cindella gasped at the sudden movement. They were so stunned they couldn’t even move at the time.

Dante, even, was totally taken by the element of surprise, say, how he had flinched slightly and had taken the slightest step backwards.

Star had shot towards him with a speed that felt almost unreal. In the span of a heartbeat, a massive crimson double-headed battle axe had already formed in his hands, both curved blades already angling upwards towards Dante’s chin in a brutal swi

ng.

’I can’t let him win... Not anymore.’

Star’s eyes burned with fury.

’So... I will show him what too much feels like...!’