The night sky was starless as Dante Stormborn walked in the dirtiest part of the city, his eyes glued on the alleyway in front of him.“Just a little closer,” he muttered through gritted teeth, the reinforced gloves he wore already showing signs of wear and tear.“I have to get another one then,” he sighs. He dragged the sealed bag behind him, amidst stares from the locals. He was a regular, nobody would dare disturb him. And even if they did, he didn’t have much to live for anyway, and they knew it.“Be still!” He screamed, poking at the bag with a bayonet. Pained shrieks emerged from the wiggling bag. He tossed it to the side once he got into the alleyway, where the light couldn’t meet him. It landed in a dull thud.“I had to do this,” he says more to himself than to anyone else. Dante has always been a lone wolf, and surviving in the City of Selene is nothing short of a miracle. The advancement of humans have shown him that he didn’t belong there. He didn’t even have the basic nece
The cloaked figure stood a short way from Dante, hand outstretched.“How do I make more money?” Dante asked, his eyes taking in his surroundings. It’s a short way from where he lived, and yet everything felt so different, and smelt that way too. There was an air of tension, one that could be cut like a string.The smelliness of the surroundings seemed muted, for some reason. It was even better than the place Dante lived.“All you need to do is… let go.” The cloaked figure said, his voice coming out in a rasped tone. Dante didn’t like what it suggested, what it meant in the long run.“Opium?” He asked, eyes narrowing slightly. The effects of opium could be seen, felt or even heard. It was the one thing he steered clear of, no matter the circumstances.Opium makes people mad.“No. Not that. And the one you’re exposed to is low quality anyway.” The cloaked figure said, and his words came out as a sneer. Dante didn’t mind though, he was used to being looked down on, as long as it ensured
The whirring sound didn’t stop. Not like Dante expected it to, it was a sound he’d come to associate with despair. And it was a sound perfected by one person alone . He had many names, although Dante Danteantly refused to call him anything but Wicked. That was the name of the streets, the name Dante grew up to fear.“Quite a stint you’ve gotten yourself into, eh?” Wicked said, and Dante could envision his face, and the devilish smile that curved like death’s scythe. Dante didn’t need to see it to visualize it, it was the smile that gave him the nickname.“What are you doing here?” It took all of Dante’s willpower to not flare at his once guardian. The man who everybody hated, and feared. He was about 35 years old, with a body crisscrossed with scars. The only place left untouched was his face. The face Wicked immaculately groomed.“You’ve gotten into a fix, I see. I’ll fix you right up.” Wicked placed a saw on Dante’s arm, and the droning of the chainsaw drowned Dante’s screamed, his
They called it The Graveyard. A place for discarded junk. Dante couldn’t tell what it was that he had to do. It was a pretty rundown place at the end of well, everything. Dante couldn’t recognize the sight, there was nothing to suggest that it was a place normal people knew about.“What is this place?” He said aloud without realizing it. Alan hobbled closer to him, his eyes showing a pained expression.“We don’t know. So many of us have died, more than you know. Survival here, it’s harder than it looks. Don’t worry, you’ll see for yourself,” Alan ended his statement vaguely and Dante wondered what that was about. The boy with a mop of brown hair huddled forward, and Dante took the time to inspect himself. He looked.. different. First, his body didn’t always respond whenever he tried to do something. His legs felt heavier and looking down, he could understand why. The latter part of his body had been sawed in half from his thighs downward and replaced with a mechanical contraption of
The rules are simple; but not simple enough. Dante wondered if there was something he was missing. Life with Alan wasn’t as bad as Dante thought at first, especially when you didn’t think of the fact that you’re practically existing nowhere, just living for the hell of it.“How did you get here?” Dante asked Alan, who looked a little better than the week before. Dante still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that he’d been in The Graveyard for a week, it felt like an eternity. Also, time flowed differently there, he could tell. And so, he used the pocket watch he somehow came with to tell the time. It was a handy device to have.“I don’t know. I was offered gold and well, I took it. Isn’t that the same with you?” Alan spoke, his tone devoid of emotion. It was the same way he spoke when Dante did a little burial for Liz, Alan showed no sign of being in the moment. He didn’t care, and it was evident in everything he said or did.“But that can’t be all, can it? We are thrown here on
Dante didn't mind riding on the back of a lady, not even when she smelt so… alluring. He could tell that Crystal put a lot of effort into her appearance, but still, he wondered who she was doing it for. It couldn't have been him; she didn't even know about him before then. And he still wasn't sure what her deal was; it was best to remain wary.I can't make a mistake, I can't fail here."What do you want with me? And be honest, I don't have time," although that wasn't right, and he knew it. Since he was practically at her mercy, and he was going to go whichever way she dictated whether he liked it or not."Do you know what some people call this world?" She asked, raising her voice over the din of the bike she was riding."No, I don't. Tell me." Dante was becoming tired of the back and forth. But the look Alan sent his way still haunted him. He needed to be careful henceforth."Hell. And you ended up at one of the better parts, all you have to fight off is the despair that becomes a rin
As Dante would learn, Crystal wasn't just insane; she was batshit crazy. Sure, it didn't seem like that initially, but he knew deep down that something was off with her. She didn't react to things as he expected her to; she didn't even show a sign of being pulled along in the whole charade.But before all that happened, Dante followed Crystal into what seemed to be her hideout, if it could be called that. It was a closed-off space in what appeared to be a cave at the edge of a cliff."How good is your mountain climbing skills?" She'd asked. Dante didn't understand what she was talking about earlier, but standing right in front of the colossal mountain, he did a double take."We are not going to climb that, are we?" He asked, looking in the direction where Crystal was."Oh, but we are. Do you need a rope?" He was confused; the flow of events seemed more than his poor heart could bear. And who could blame him? He'd been thrust into a world without rhyme or reason."I'm not climbing that
The mountain wasn't what Dante expected it to be. For one, it looked larger than life, cutting an imposing figure in the backdrop of nature. But things weren't so simple."You didn't think I'd let you die now, did you?" Crystal laughed, her tone of derision annoying Dante to no end.Well, it was a mountain, and yet, it wasn't. That's right, the mountain was just sand piled up to the high heavens and solidified."How did you—" Dante was struck dumb. He knew she was powerful, but he had no idea what level. Seeing the structure before him, he couldn't help but admit that she was a force to reckon with."Don't sweat the little details. You might not know much, but there are hostile forces here. It's powerful enough to rip apart a seasoned mage. Illusions help keep them away. But if you're bothered by the turn of events, you can hold onto me. I don't bite, I promise."Dante looked at her quizzically, his heart racing. While they rode the bike, he concentrated more on her otherworldly scent