No one spoke.
Not because they didn't have anything to say
But because the room finally went quiet.
No flickering lights.
No screaming signals.
No pressure pressing in from something unseen.
Just… stillness.
Dante stayed where he was for a second longer, one knee on the ground, breathing steady but deeper than usual. Like he was making sure every part of him was actually his again.
Then he stood.
Slow.
Deliberate.
The girl watched him like he might disappear if she blinked. "…You're really back?"
Dante glanced at her briefly. "I never left."
Victor didn't agree.
"You did," he said calmly. "And something came back with you."
Silence brushed the edges of the room again.
Dante didn't deny it this time.
He flexed his fingers once more, subtle, like he was still checking for something under his skin.
"I felt it break," he said.
Camille's voice came softer now, but careful. "It did break."
A pause.
Then
"But not completely."
Dante's jaw tightened.
"Yeah."
