EVIL SYSTEM

Just as they had suspected, finding a hotel was an odyssey. Everywhere was packed.

The guys split up across the city, looking for a place to stay while also trying to book through apps and websites, but everything was full.

Even regular homes were being rented out as a kind of Airbnb.

They all gathered in a park, their spirits low. None of them wanted to camp in the parks like many people around them were already doing.

They were exhausted from the trip and desperately needed a soft bed.

Everyone was downcast, despite the lively atmosphere around them.

"There's one option," Dante said, sounding a bit unsure.

"Really?!" Judy jumped excitedly.

Ben raised an eyebrow, noticing that Dante didn't seem in good spirits.

"I can ask my family for a little help," he said hesitantly.

"You never told me you lived in Magnolia!" Ben was surprised.

"You never asked," Dante replied with a smile.

"Alright," Judy raised a fist in the air. "What are we waiting for?"

Dante got up from the ground and climbed into the minivan. "I'll go alone."

"Why?" Judy asked innocently.

"It's been a long time since I've seen them, and I need to talk to them a bit."

Everyone was understanding about that—everyone except Ben.

He got into the minivan without a word and closed his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Dante asked.

"I'm coming with you," Ben replied simply and firmly.

"I need to do this alone," Dante whispered.

"No," Ben said. "You want to do it alone, but I, better than anyone, can understand when someone has issues with their family."

Ben opened his eyes and smiled.

"And I know the last thing you want is to feel alone in this situation, because family is supposed to be our closest and dearest. When we lose that or feel like we've lost it, we can't help but think, 'If even my family doesn't love me, who in this world will?'" Ben raised a hand and patted Dante's shoulder affectionately. "In good times and bad, I'm here for you, bro."

Dante didn't know how to feel. For a moment, he felt like crying, but he held it back and smiled at Ben.

"It's weird hearing you say stuff like that," Dante said, starting the car to distract himself a bit. "You're not usually this sentimental."

"I know," Ben shrugged. "I don't like opening up to people. I feel like they'll betray or disappoint me."

"Sometimes I feel like if I open up completely, if I'm truly myself... I'll end up completely alone in the world."

"I feel like I don't fit in anywhere, and no one can understand me. Sometimes I can't even understand myself, and I often contradict myself."

Ben ruffled Dante's hair with a smile.

"But I know I've found a true friend in you," Ben sighed and looked out the window. "Despite everything I've been through to get here, I can't complain because it's thanks to these events that I've come to know you."

"Please stop talking!" Dante interrupted, gripping the steering wheel tightly, hoping to hold back the tears. "If you keep saying stuff like that, I'll think you're in love with me."

"What?!!" Ben jumped in shock. "No offense, dude, but even if I were gay, you'd be the last person I'd be with."

"What are you talking about?" Dante also got indignant. "I'm very handsome and charismatic."

"Oh, sure!" Ben leaned out the minivan window and looked into the distance. "I don't see a long line of suitors, though."

"Son of a bitch," Dante muttered under his breath.

"Idiot," Ben shot back.

"Ugly," Dante said.

"I can sing better than you," Ben retorted.

"Ouch, that one hurt!"

++++++

Amid jokes and laughter, Ben and Dante arrived at what seemed like a large mansion on the outskirts of the city.

The mansion reminded Ben a bit of his grandfather's, but this one seemed even smaller.

They reached a large gate where two armed guards greeted them.

"Who are you?" one of the guards asked.

"I'm here to see my parents," Dante said, leaning out the minivan window with a slightly stiff smile.

"And who are you?"

Dante frowned, and Ben couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu.

He didn't want Dante to go through a similar situation, so he let out a large amount of uncontrolled magic.

The guards turned pale and alert.

Ben also leaned out the window.

"Just alert your superiors that Dante is here."

One of the guards raised his gun to aim at Ben, and Ben narrowed his eyes slightly. His gaze turned cold, and his temper flared for a moment.

"I wouldn't recommend doing that if you don't want to lose both arms."

The guard's legs trembled, and he slowly lowered his hands.

The other guard, who saw all this happen, didn't even think for a second about aiming at Ben.

He stepped out of his booth and called the main house.

Quickly, he received the order to let them in, and the gates opened.

When the minivan was far enough away, both guards collapsed to the ground, shaking.

They felt like a huge weight had been lifted off their shoulders, their backs soaked in sweat.

They didn't know why they felt that way, but it was a very real sensation.

They were certain that if they had stopped those men from entering... Ben would have torn them apart.

That chill that ran down their spines when he threatened them wasn't something they ever wanted to feel again.

...

Dante didn't pay much attention to Ben's attitude with the guards. From his perspective, Ben had just pressured them a little.

He was more focused on the three people waiting for him at the entrance of the grand mansion.

A short, pot-bellied man in his 50s, his hair thinning, with a stern expression.

A woman of similar age who seemed very happy to see him. Though beautiful, age was starting to show.

Lastly, his younger brother, dressed in a tuxedo and gold-rimmed glasses. His expression upon seeing Dante was a mix of arrogance and disgust.

Dante seemed hesitant and didn't want to get out of the minivan. He took a deep breath and smiled at Ben.

He got out of the minivan and approached the three people.

His hands seemed to tremble slightly, and he looked very nervous.

"Family, I'm back."

His mother immediately ran to hug him, tears streaming down her face, but his father and brother just stood there, watching.

"What are you doing, honey? Go hug your son," Dante's mother scolded her husband.

"He's not my son."