Yuno stood in the middle of the restaurant, surrounded by a crowd of people who were laughing non-stop at his quick jokes, each one trying to outdo him, but he responded with faster and sharper responses, making him emerge the winner every time.
Amidst the laughter and commotion, Dante made his way through the crowd, trying to reach the source of the familiar voice. When he saw Yuno, his eyes widened in surprise before he exclaimed:
Dante: Yuno?!
Yuno stopped talking, then turned to the source of the voice, and as soon as he saw Dante, he smiled slyly and said in a theatrical voice:
Yuno: Oh, look who's here! I thought you were drowning in a book or falling into a well of seriousness!
The crowd laughed as Dante approached him and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. They sat together and began to talk about their journey since their separation, but the laughter began to fade little by little around them.
One of the men in the restaurant, who was laughing out loud moments ago, frowned and said grumblingly, "So, the show is over?"
Yuno raised his eyebrow, then sighed in his usual manner and said with a side smile:
Yuno with a sly smile: What? Did you think I would stay with you forever? Sorry, but I'm not a laughing statue in your city square, I move when I want, and leave you when you have enough intelligence to realize that I'm the best!
Everyone burst into new laughter, even the man who was grumbling moments ago couldn't control himself. After a few minutes of laughter, the place quieted down, and everyone went back to eating their food, while Dante and Yuno continued their conversation.
Suddenly, a voice filled with astonishment and shock pierced the atmosphere of the restaurant:
???: D... Dabi?!
Everyone turned towards the source of the voice, and saw a man with long silver hair and sharp eyes standing at the entrance, staring at Dabi as if he had seen a ghost.
Dabi was surprised, but he quickly smiled: Yubi?! What are you doing here?!
Dante and Yuno exchanged shocked glances, then looked at their old teachers.
Dante: ...Wait a minute.
Yuno: Do you know each other?!
Dabi and Yubi looked at each other, then Yubi smiled and said cheerfully:
Yubi: Of course, that idiot was my travel companion when we were younger!
Dabi laughed and added: Idiot? You haven't changed at all!
As Dante and Yuno stood in amazement, they had no idea that the two men they considered mysterious and powerful teachers were actually... old friends!
Dante shocked: Wait... Wait... You two have known each other for ages?!
Yuno raises his eyebrows: How did neither of you tell us this?!
Yubi with a sarcastic smile: You didn't ask.
Dabi laughs: Yes, we are old friends... Or rather, we were companions in travels and adventures long ago.
Yubi sat at the table next to Dabi, while Dante and Yuno stared at them in amazement. It was hard to believe that the two men who always thought they were completely different could be old acquaintances!
Dante thinking out loud: I never imagined that you two could be friends. A calm and rational person like Yubi, with... Dabi?
Yuno with a sarcastic smile: Yes, it's like combining fire and wind!
Dabi puts his hands behind his head: Boy, if you had seen us when we were young, you wouldn't have said that! We were an unbeatable duo!
Yubi closes his eyes and remembers: Oh, yeah... Good days filled with troubles that you always caused.
Dabi pretends to be shocked: Me?! You're exaggerating! I was just a nice guy who faced enemies with wisdom!
Yubi with a side smile: Wisdom? Or hitting everything that moved?
Everyone laughed as Yubi and Dabi continued to exchange sarcastic comments, and it seemed like they were reminiscing about the past. But Dante and Yuno were still curious.
Dante: So, what happened? Why haven't we heard about your adventures before?
Yubi looked at Dabi, then said in a more serious tone:
Yubi: Well... Life takes different paths, and there are always things left unsaid.
Dabi closes his eyes with a smile: But, who knows? Maybe it's time for some old stories!
Dante and Yuno exchanged excited glances. It seemed that this meeting was not just a coincidence, but an opportunity to learn more about their teachers' mysterious past.
Yuno excitedly: So... how did your adventures begin?!
Dabi smiled as he leaned against the table, while Yubi smiled with that deep look that reflected years of experience. It was clear that this night would be filled with stories they had never heard before!
Everyone sat around the table, and Yubi was silent for a moment before he said in a calm voice:
Yubi: We met a long time ago, in an era when the world was turbulent with wars and conflicts.
Dabi shakes his head sadly: We were part of it all, in one way or another. Our adventures weren't just for fun, they were sometimes a struggle for survival.
Yuno excitedly: That sounds like a great story! What did you do?
Dabi smiles: Oh, we did a lot! Have you heard of the Battle of the Ruins of Callistra? We were there when the sky collapsed on everyone's heads, and we still survived!
Dante interested: The Battle of the Ruins of Callistra? I don't think I've read about it.
Yubi calmly: It was one of the biggest confrontations in the Second Great World War. Soldiers, heroes, even kings... they all fought there.
Dabi laughs: We were just adventurers back then, but we ended up in the middle of the battle! We faced opponents from different races, we almost died more than once!
Yuno, surprised: And yet, you succeeded?!
Dabi, proudly: Of course! We even faced a general from the Dark Army! I still remember that moment when Yubi broke the man's sword with one blow!
Yubi looks at Dabi with a warning: That's enough old stories.
But Dabi, with his usual enthusiasm, couldn't hold himself back, and continued:
Dabi: Hey, don't pretend that you weren't excited back then! We were fighting side by side with... with...
Dabi paused for a moment, as if the words had come out of his mouth without thinking, then suddenly realized what he had said, and opened his eyes wide.
Dabi, nervously: I mean... we were fighting side by side with many great warriors!
But Dante wasn't stupid, he noticed the hesitation in Dabi's voice. He looked at him sharply, then said slowly:
Dante: With whom, Dabi?
Yubi quickly interrupted, in a calm but firm voice: The subject is old, and it's better to leave it in the past.
Dabi tried to evade: Yes, yes! There's no point in digging up old matters, right?
But Dante wasn't convinced. He felt that there was something left unsaid, something important... as if he was about to discover a secret he wasn't supposed to know.
Yuno tried to break the tension and said with a laugh:
Yuno: Well, that was exciting! But I still want to hear more about your adventures, especially the ones that didn't cause a disaster!
Everyone laughed, but Dante didn't forget what Dabi had said. A few words, Yubi's look, and trying to change the subject... There was something buried in the past, something that neither Dabi nor Yubi wanted Dante to know.
He sat silently, trying to put the pieces together in his mind, but he couldn't come up with a clear answer. What were these two men hiding from him? And why did he feel that the truth would be harsher than he imagined?
Dante sat silently, lost in his thoughts, trying to decipher what Dabi had said before Yubi changed the subject. But before he could delve further into his analysis, he felt a palm land gently on his shoulder.
Dabi smiled slightly: "Dante, it's time to go. Night has fallen, and I don't want to get in trouble for keeping you out late."
Dante looked up and looked out the window, only to find that the floating market had calmed down a bit, and the magical lights scattered around gave the place a calm and magical atmosphere.
Yuno sighed as he stretched out: "Oh, it's been a long day… I can't believe I met you two here! But I still need to do some shopping before I head back."
Yubi calmly: "Don't be too late, Yuno. Remember, training won't be waiting for you tomorrow."
Yuno with a wry smile: "Oh, of course, because I'll miss another chance to hear you give your long lectures on wind control."
Yubi smiling: One day you'll thank me for that.
Dabi standing up: Well, we really should leave. Dante, let's go.
Dante slowly got up, his mind still occupied with Dabi's previous words. He glanced at Yubi, who looked calm as usual, but he knew he was hiding something behind that calm face.
Dante calmly: Okay, let's go.
Yuno raising his hand in a cheerful farewell: Don't disappear for too long, we'll meet again, strangers!
Dabi laughing: Try not to drown in the sea of snakes, snake king!
Yuno laughed proudly, waving at them as he watched them walk away through the crowds of the floating market.
As Dante and Dabi walked through the hanging alleys of the market, silence fell between them for a few moments. But Dante couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer, so he glanced sideways at Dabi before saying:
Dante: What were you trying to say earlier? When you talked about the past, it was as if you were about to mention something important and then backed away.
Dabi stopped walking for a moment, then exhaled slowly as if he had anticipated this question.
Dabi smiled slightly, but his voice held a serious tone: Dante, some things are better left unsaid... at least for now.
Dante was annoyed by the vague answer, but he decided not to press further. He knew that there were secrets hidden in the past, and that the truth wouldn't remain buried forever. But he would discover them in his own way, when the time was right.
The two of them continued on their way in silence, and although the night was cold, Dante felt the heat of anticipation burning inside him.
Dante in a heavy voice: What's going on here...?
Yuno raised his hand in greeting with a wide smile as Yubi stood beside him with his arms crossed, looking at Dante with a calm but amused look.
Yuno cheerfully: You're finally awake, you lazy sleeper!
Dante yawned as he scratched his head: Why are you here... and this early?
Yubi calmly but with a slightly scolding tone: You mean late, you slept too much, Dante.
Dante looked around, and noticed Dabi sitting on the couch, lying comfortably while eating some dried fruit.
Dabi while chewing on a piece of fruit: I was going to try to wake you up, but Yuno wanted to see how long you could sleep without getting up.
Yuno laughing: You won the bet, I was saying you'd sleep until noon.
Dante sighed as he crossed his arms: Betting on my sleep? What wonderful friends you are...
Yubi with a slight smile: Well, the time for laziness is over. We came for something important.
Dante straightened his posture, becoming more attentive. If Yubi was talking seriously, then there was something worth listening to.
Dante: What's up?
Yubi and Dabi exchanged glances, and then Dabi said in an unusually serious tone:
Dabi: It seems like it's time to start your serious training, Dante.
Yuno excitedly: That means... we'll all be training together!
Dante: I don't get it... Anyway, I'm going to go have breakfast...
Dante went and sat down at the table, eating his breakfast slowly while still trying to process what he had heard. The shock was still evident on his face—Dabi and Yubi had agreed from the beginning that they would train him together?!
Dante talking to himself: How did these two manage to agree on something like this without telling me?
He looked out the window, seeing Yuno outside training with Yubi, while Dabi was doing some endurance exercises on the other side of the arena. The sounds of wind and energy filling the air made him feel like he was behind everyone else.
He took another bite of his food, then leaned back in his chair, trying to think about how serious this was.
Dante muttered to himself, "So this isn't just a regular training session… This is something they've been planning for a while now."
He raised his glass of water and drank it all in one go, then exhaled deeply. Although he was still tired from the day before, the thought of everyone training while he was sitting here made him feel uncomfortable.
Dante placed the empty cup on the table, then leaned his elbows on it, intertwining his fingers in front of his face, staring blankly at the remaining food. He felt a strange heaviness in his chest, as if there was an empty space inside him that he couldn't fill, a space that grew larger as he watched the others advance while he was stuck in his place.
Dante muttering to himself: How can someone like me be a part of all of this? Someone without an element, without a clear identity… Does that make me different? Or just an incomplete version of what I'm supposed to be?
His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at his reflection in the empty cup. "Different? Unique?" Words that sounded beautiful when others described them, but deep down inside he was nothing but an ornate void. He had always felt that not having an element wasn't a weakness, but rather proof that he was special… But special by what? By negativity? By helplessness? By not belonging?
He sighed slowly and removed the cup from his sight.
Dante in a low voice: If I am truly different… then where do I fit in this world?
A moment of silence, then he stood up, realizing that there was no clear answer to this question, and he might not find it easily. But at least he wouldn't find it sitting here, hesitating between his thoughts.
Dante sighed, "There's no point in sitting here any longer… It's time to go out and join them."
He got up from his seat, quickly finished his food, then headed outside where Dabi and Yubi were waiting for him… A training session he never expected.