Disclaimer: All characters depicted in this story are eighteen years of age or older. Any sexual content involves only consenting adults. This is a work of fiction.
A Marvelous Devil.
Chapter 53: Fucking Mortals.
Dante Andromalius.
I wanted to laugh. Genuinely.
There was something deeply ironic about the whole situation. Yao explained cryptically, mostly for her own amusement. But she did tell me that there was a genuine danger the more time passed. She named Jean Grey and Charles Xavier as the culprits.
And I was too curious for my own good. I liked to think I knew how Yao acted by now, and if she decided I could do something about the situation, it must be something I would get something out of.
I told Yao I wasn't a hero and that hadn't changed, no matter how much she thought it did.
And that didn't mention the incredibly curious and hilarious group welcoming us to Xavier's Institute. The five mortals who radiated enough tension to fill the room and some more.
It was cute; they were preparing for a fight.
Tandy stood beside me with her casual friendliness in the open. How she practically vibrated with excitement was beyond me.
My gaze drifted from person to person, casually peeling some of their secrets into the open. Their souls were beautiful. All of them.
Which was shocking, to say the least. The fact that they belonged to the same faction and were this important didn't happen that often. And I had an inkling that there would be many more interesting mortals inside these walls.
Which… helped them a lot. I was irritated, to say the least. The fact that they were curious meant that I would deal with it a bit more carefully instead of blaming them all for whatever their fuck up was.
"Who are you, bub?" the compressed man in the center demanded.
He was quite short, but his body was built like a brick wall.
My gaze was fixed on him. He was a lot older than he looked, but he wasn't immortal. Really hard to kill, though. Some of the most impactful moments in his soul were when he was hit by things that would kill most beings.
He was also a bundle of nerves, and he was dealing with some kind of blocked memories. But the soul only spoke the truth. Curious, but unimportant.
The woman next to him was much more interesting. Her soul was, in fact, stronger than that of a normal human.
To the point that a small trickle of faith was strengthening her. And that wasn't talking about the primal connection she had with this planet. The raw potential she had beneath her skin was absurd.
With the right push, she could reach heights that would terrify many.
The first young man was a puzzle, though, the one with the weird glasses.
What the actual fuck.
Mutants were evolved humans, right? How in the world did natural evolution connect this brat's eyes to a dimension filled with kinetic energy?
As a matter of fact, why on earth were there so many humans connected to dimensions of all things? Tyrone, Tandy, and now this man.
Maybe I should ask Yao a bit more about their kind, because it was clear I didn't know enough.
Then I looked at the other pair. The metal man was uninteresting on his own, but his fate was once again tethered to someone who could be really important to me.
The sight of destiny wasn't omnipotent. I got flashes and made it easier to find interesting things, but it wasn't all-encompassing.
But the thread on the man looked like it hadn't even formed yet.
Maybe I will remember to check again in the future.
And finally, the one that made me bite back a snort of disbelief and amusement.
The blue mutant whose faith was almost sickening me. He was the funniest mortal I had seen to date.
A brief skim into his history showed me a lineage that almost made me break my composure. A pair of mortal women had managed to humiliate and cuck the pathetic Azazel.
Heh... I couldn't wait to meet them to congratulate them.
Every time I heard about him, I only remembered the time he tried to take the mantle of Satan from Mephisto and was slapped away for his cheek.
It was funny that a pair of mortals were thwarting his plans of escaping his pitiful dimension.
Before I could step inside the mansion, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
Raising a finger, I silenced the feral mortal who was growling and getting angrier and angrier by the second.
Tandy shot me a look before turning and facing our welcoming delegation. "Hi! We're here to help!"
They shot her an incredulous look, but I wasn't paying attention anymore.
"What's up?" I said calmly.
"Your vassal is a brute," Nyra said plainly, "Sairaorg broke the Phenex idiot, and I'm sure they will raise a stink over it."
I snorted and enjoyed the tired groan coming from the cute goth, "And that matters to me? why?"
Yes, I was obtuse because Nyra was hilariously out of her depth.
"Dante, I cannot take your place in those meetings, and truthfully speaking, you shouldn't trust Hadrian where the Phenexes are involved."
Sighing, I closed my eyes for a moment.
Yeah… she wasn't wrong.
"Did they already do something, or do I have time?" I asked calmly.
"I haven't received anything from Lord Lucifer's office, so I believe we still have time. It will happen soon, though."
Nodding for a moment, I sent a confident smile in Tandy's direction.
"Understood, message me when it happens, and I'll be there. Anything else?"
"Ah. Yes," I could almost see Nyra nodding proudly, "we received a formal inquiry this morning. Azazel contacted Lady Leviathan for a meeting about our products."
She paused for a second, "I believe they are gearing for something big, maybe the civil war you mentioned."
"Oho," I grinned.
The mutants were looking at us intently, and I noticed Wolverine was hearing everything coming from my phone.
Maybe their reactions would be funny. At least more than the stress they were feeling.
"Tell the Governor General of the Fallen Angels that he can have a meeting in one week, unless I return earlier to deal with Sai's mess," I replied casually, watching two of them flinch in realization.
The blue brat even made the sign of the cross.
"Got it. And get that pert ass over here soon. I'm done waiting, Dante," Nyra purred, widening my eyes.
Before I could answer, she cut off the call. Adorable.
Slipping my phone back in, I stepped into the mansion under their disbelieving eyes.
"Interesting wards," I praised, looking around.
Wolverine stepped directly into my path, his claws sliding effortlessly from his knuckles.
"I won't ask again," he said tightly, as if I couldn't smell the fear coming out of him, "Who the hell are you? What are you doing here? And how did you bypass the alarms?"
I looked at the blades with curiosity. Cute toy.
"My name is Dante Andromalius." I half-bowed with a flourish, smirking at Azazel's brat with bored eyes.
He whimpered, once more crossing himself. I suspected he would recognize the name. Curiously enough, many faithfuls grew curious about searching information about demons. More than non-believers at least.
"Apparently I'm here to fix your mistake... assuming you make this interesting enough for me to bother." I met Wolverine's glare. "Depending on the level of said fuck up, I will leave this place without violence. I hope you can manage that simple task."
"You didn't answer the last question," the one with the visor grunted.
What a genuinely impressive mind on that one.
"Ah, the alarms," I sighed, "I believed there shouldn't be a reason to impart some panic in your midst."
I dropped my clan trait.
And the reaction was apocalyptic.
Every single psionic siren in the mansion activated simultaneously. The door closed behind us as a reinforced metal door fell next to it. Red emergency lights strobed blindingly all around us as windows, doors, and everything that could be an opening closed shut.
I let the chaos continue for a couple of seconds before I reapplied my clan trait.
"That's a bit too much, no?" I deadpanned at him, earning a smack on my arm by my light, who huffed.
"Dante! You'll scare them!" she pouted at me, "they're heroes, and we're here to help, no?"
"As you say, my dear," I sighed to hide my amusement, then turned to the white-haired woman.
"Shall we talk?"
Ororo Munroe.
Taking over Charles's position taught me that I had never thanked the man enough for all the work he did while caring for all the kids in the institute.
It was painfully clear I wasn't ready to shoulder it with the effortless grace my friend had always displayed. But I had to try.
I simply didn't know what to do in this situation.
When the blond man who looked younger than me dropped whatever it was that hid him from the defenses around the mansion, it sounded way worse than anything I had ever heard while living inside these walls.
It didn't compare to when Cain Marko appeared out of nowhere after escaping imprisonment, or even the time when Magneto came with his brotherhood to make a statement or events like that.
Not even the last batch of Sentinels attracted such a response. The last one before Stryker burrowed into whatever hellhole to create another army of robots to hunt our kind.
Forcing my breath to calm, I pushed my doubts into the deepest parts of my mind.
"Stand down. We will hear them out," I ordered firmly, sounding much surer than I currently felt.
Scott hesitated. He still considered me his leader, even as he stepped up to fill the gaps while I focused on administration. His hand still trembled noticeably next to his visor before he lowered it.
Piotr looked entirely lost as he unclenched his fists.
They were the easiest of the bunch.
"We will hear them out, Logan," I said, my voice hardening. "Please, come inside."
"Already there, my dear." he smiled roguishly, winking at me.
That earned a huff from his companion, though the blonde woman sent a distinctly appreciative glance down my body. Then her flirty energy evaporated as she offered a bright smile.
"Thank you! And please forgive Dante. He isn't used to being polite. Tandy Bowen, at your service!"
The man rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "I know how to act politely, woman. I'm still wondering if it's worth the effort."
Forcing a smile, I turned to Scott and Piotr. "Escort our guests to the headmaster's office. I will follow behind."
Scott scowled but nodded, turning on his heel after waving his hand at the pair of unknowns.
Piotr fell in step behind him.
Waiting until the guests were walking, I stepped to the rear of the group, stopping Logan and Kurt.
Logan was breathing heavily, looking as if he deeply disliked my decision. Kurt was still shivering, shocked by something I didn't get. He kept crossing himself since the boy spoke his name.
"Kurt," I whispered once Scott led them around the corner. "What happened? You are acting strangely."
"There's no way he's a mutant, or even good," Kurt breathed frantically, his German accent thicker than usual, "that name he gave, haven't you heard about it? It belongs in a book I once read. The Ars Goetia."
That… that was bad. That's the second mythological thing I've heard the boy speak about.
But I wasn't sure how much to believe in those claims. I was revered as a goddess at one point, and I knew I wasn't anything close to divine despite their claims.
"I see you don't believe me." Kurt shook his head. "Did you not hear him scheduling a meeting with the Governor General of the Fallen Angels? Do you think he is lying? You heard the alarms, Professor."
"The kid's got a point, Storm," Logan grunted, looking uncomfortable in a way I hadn't seen before, "Demons are real. I've fought 'em before. And you know damn well magic is, too. We might be dealing with something bigger than the norm."
"You never mentioned anything about that, professor," Kurt voiced the same question I had, looking at Logan in disbelief.
"You think I like talking about demons, Kurt?" Logan grunted.
We walked slowly, and I tried to gather my thoughts.
"There is no point kicking them out now, and he seems civil enough," I shook my head. "Be ready for anything, but please, control yourself, Logan."
He growled before offering a stiff nod.
Pushing the office door open, I forced a neutral expression as I took my seat. A small part of me expected him to claim Charles's chair in a show of dominance. Instead, he dropped into a guest seat, completely unbothered by Scott and Piotr glaring at him.
"So," Scott grunted, "you said you're here to fix our mistake. Who are you to claim that?"
Dante… and I couldn't see him as anything more than a boy, considering he looked around the same age as Scott and the rest of the kids, sighed and ignored him, looking directly at me.
"Will we really have this song and dance? I'm still unsure if you'll make things interesting enough for me to help."
The woman next to him, the one who hid her appreciation for my looks worse than the supposed demon, shot him a withering look.
"What he means," she interrupted with a sigh, "is that we know about two people in trouble here, and someone asked for Dante's help. Also... it might be partly our fault that your headmaster is in a coma."
She finished the sentence in a rush. I barely managed to process her words before the flush of embarrassment hit her cheeks.
It was exactly the wrong thing to say. I knew how to keep my emotions in check, but the rest of my team lacked that control.
Scott's hands went to his visor in an instant; Piotr stood up in a hurry, and Logan was about to jump the young man.
But he was ignoring them.
With a casual wave of his hand, our bodies locked in place. He simply stared at Logan.
His eyes had locked onto him with an intensity that worried me. At first, it looked like simple curiosity. Then, his brow furrowed. The temperature in the office went so cold that ice began to form on every piece of furniture in the room.
Dante leaned forward, his nostrils flaring in disbelief as he stared at Logan's chest. The frown deepened into a scowl of pure disgust.
And a hint of… was that fear?
Then, finally, his expression went completely blank.
He ceased to exist in his chair. Before my eyes could track the movement, the far wall cratered inward. Logan was gone from my side. Dante's hand was already wrapped around his throat, lifting the very heavy mutant as if he weighed absolutely nothing.
Logan snarled as whatever he had done to the rest of us stopped affecting us, and we could move again.
His blades erupted from his knuckles, bringing his arms to gut the maybe demon.
Dante didn't blink. He shifted his weight, driving his knee into Logan's chest while his free hand casually slapped Logan's wrists aside.
The sheer force of the parry sheared the flesh entirely off Logan's forearms. Only adamantium bone remained for a horrifying second before his healing factor kicked in.
He didn't even have time to scream before Dante's hand tightened around his throat.
"Bastard!" Scott yelled.
A ruby beam erupted from his visor, aimed squarely at Dante's head.
The demon didn't turn around. A translucent barrier flared into existence inches from his skull. The blast splashed harmlessly against the shield.
"Let him go!" Scott roared, adjusting his stance to fire a point-blank, maximum-output blast.
"Scott, wait!" I ordered, feeling the atmosphere warp. Something I used to feel subconsciously within the air simply ceased to exist around the demon.
A tendril of black fog erupted from his shadow, and the darkness opened like a maw, swallowing the blast entirely and without harm.
A fraction of a second later, the fog spat the energy back at Scott.
The beam hit him directly on the chest, launching him through the office doors and into the hallway with a sickening crunch. Piotr and Kurt ran after a glare from me to check on the boy.
Tandy finally moved, overcoming what I could only call shock.
Whatever was happening, she clearly didn't expect this.
"Dante! Baby, what's happening? Calm down, we can maybe talk this out?"
Dante ignored her. He hoisted Logan higher, and his handprint left a dent in Logan's throat, so tight that I could hear the wet rasps coming from his lips.
His blue eyes shone with so much anger that I felt myself forget how to breathe.
"Do you have any idea what you did, MORTAL?!" his hiss echoed inside the room, probably the whole mansion, if not even farther away.
Logan choked, his healing factor already trying to fix his throat from the damage. "Go to… hell."
"I'd own it if I wanted to," Dante snarled. "The dragon! The symbiote you fought in some jungle years ago. DO YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING IDEA WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE CAUSED!?"
Logan's eyes widened in recognition. Another story I hadn't heard about.
"You ignorant creature," the demon continued, his rage escalating even further as the very foundations of the mansion began to tremble. "Your pathetic mortal greed may have awakened him. You disturbed something that should have remained untouched!"
My hand lifted before he could kill Logan, but Tandy beat me to it.
Ethereal light emanated from her body in waves as she walked beside the demon.
"Dante, look at him!" Tandy pleaded, "He has no idea what you're talking about. Please, maybe it isn't that bad? I know I'm overstepping, but please… we came here as a favor to Yao, no?"
Dante paused for a moment. He looked at Logan's chest once more.
Slowly, the rage receded, replaced by disdain.
Dropping him, I moved cautiously to check on my friend, but again, Tandy beat me to it.
Her light shone over his gasping form, and the reset was almost instant, faster than anything we had on record. His flesh melded, and it seemed as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders if only for a moment.
"You fucking idiot," Dante spat out, groaning to his palm and looking at the ceiling, "This is why mortals piss me off. Dealing with cosmic forces you do not understand because of some pathetic belief that you are entitled to everything in the universe."
It looked like he was forcing himself not to look at Logan.
"I will find out everything from you later, James Howlett. Do not fucking test my patience again."
Then his icy gaze turned back to me.
"Call the others back inside. Tandy will heal the boy with the glasses." He brushed off his suit. "And call the one named Jean Grey to this office immediately. If this idiot managed a mistake of this level, I am dreading to learn what the rest of your group has caused."
Dante Andromalius.
It took me a significant amount of time to get my emotions under control. It was something new to feel so intensely.
But… Fucking hell, I didn't even want to look at the idiot lest I erase him to save the gene pool of their race.
I still wasn't sure, as I hadn't seen everything he went through decades ago. But there was enough to paint a very worrying picture. It also wasn't like he knew what had happened.
Fucking mortals. By the One Above All, they truly loved to fuck it up for everyone in the cosmos.
First, Reed Richards and Annihilus; then SHIELD, who maybe, hopefully not, reconnected Knull with the rest of his creations. And I was 100% sure that during my stay on this planet, I would see even more idiots causing even more problems.
Fuck.
Closing my eyes, I was conscious of Tandy's worried glance at my body and the nervousness emanating from the white-haired woman.
I didn't even know I could feel things this vividly. Another mortal thing, I suppose.
The door opened once more, and the three who were outside walked in. Well, two of them walked, and the other was held in a princess carry by the metal man.
"Tandy, heal him so that we can start this," I said loudly without opening my eyes.
"And you, Howlett. Leave the room. We will continue later."
The man growled, and I was tempted to punt him into another city, but Ororo Munroe, or Storm as she was called by these idiots, said something to him.
The stomps from the mortal would have been amusing at one point.
It didn't amuse me now.
"Kurt, can you bring Jean, please?" Ororo said calmly, "And alert everyone else that things are under control."
"For now," I whispered, finally opening my eyes and glaring at her.
Ororo swallowed, but her eyes hardened a second later.
"You were welcomed here, Dante Andromalius. I ask you that you show the same respect we've shown you."
Keeping my eyes locked with hers, I nodded after a moment.
"I know I will regret this in five minutes," I replied drily. "You have my word. I'll ensure no one dies if they truly don't deserve it."
Respect where respect was due. I could make an effort for someone of her stature.
"And about Logan?"
"That depends on how tight-lipped he remains," I grunted. "The only reason I haven't done more is that he was only partially connected to it. But I won't promise to pull everything from his soul if he remains as irritating as before. I'm not playing with this information."
"What could be that important to do something like that?" Piotr spoke for the first time.
"Think about the creator of a weapon that single-handedly made a pathetic creature capable of going on a god-killing spree for hundreds of years," I snorted, "said creator killed one of the strongest beings of the cosmos after just waking up because for a being that was born from nothingness, existence as a whole is bothersome."
Again, their reactions should have been funny. They fucking weren't.
In fact, I was filled with a need to get my answers straight by ripping out the man's soul. But I held it in because I gave the woman my word.
"You all piss me off," I muttered in irritation, not waiting for any answer.
Tandy's expression softened a bit as she put her hand on my shoulder, filling my body with her light.
"Thank you, my dear," I sighed.
"Coming back to Jean's situation. You mentioned there was someone who asked for your help?" Ororo finally found her voice and asked worriedly. She was totally ignoring Knull's problem.
At least she had some survival instinct. Because they sure as hell didn't have the power to influence a fight with that monster. Hell, even I never did in my both lives.
Nodding, I looked around the room.
Snapping my fingers, I made the wall return to pristine condition.
"She thought I could maybe fix whatever it is without taking more extreme measures. She didn't explain in detail, so I don't know yet, but her apparent approach is a bit more final than what she'd like."
Scott Summers' reaction was anything but understanding.
In fact, it was as if he had almost forgotten the previous squabble and wanted another round.
"Scott, control yourself," Ororo barked harshly.
"And you will help?" She turned her head in my direction, "without more… extreme measures?"
"Fuck if I know," I shrugged uncaringly, "I'm here as a favor, and maybe get something out of it. You mutants are a curious bunch, and I know for a fact many of the people here would love to make deals to… ease the burden of their mutations."
"Like you, boy," I turned to Scott, "what would you give for being able to use your ability without the glasses?"
He was tempted, oh so tempted.
And he still flipped me off.
"Whatever you're offering, I'm not interested," he grunted.
"Well, fuck you too." I rolled my eyes. "Ungrateful brat."
"What about you, big man? Anything you would like to change about your power?"
"No, thank you, Mister Andromalius." he shook his head calmly.
"Y'all a boring bunch," I sighed.
"Not an offer for me?" Ororo asked, somewhat offended I ignored her.
"My dear, I wouldn't change perfection." I locked eyes with her. "You're not limited like these two. And your power is a sight to behold."
"And how do you know all this?"
"I'm a demon," I deadpanned. "I can see through your souls and get every single moment in history that shaped you; why wouldn't I know these kinds of things?"
There was an uncomfortable silence, but my light didn't care.
"I always wanted to meet an X-Men," she gushed, "I always loved that you fight to keep your kind safe. I think it's amazing that you try this hard despite what the idiots think."
"Thank you, darling." Ororo smiled at her. "May I ask what's with you? Are you a mutant, by any chance?"
"Oh no," she shook her head excitedly, "Dante would have known that. I'm connected with a dimension filled with Life Force, and that lets me do a lot of cool things!"
She stood up, waving her arms excitedly and making a light show.
"I can heal, I can hurt, I can even turn myself into light!"
"The last time you tried, you broke my wall," I interrupted with a smirk, already feeling more in control.
Tandy's pout was precious.
Ororo chuckled amusedly, and I could see she was very interested in the healing aspect of my light's power.
"And coming back to what you mentioned… what did you mean by causing Xavier to fall into a coma?"
"Ah," Tandy blushed once more, looking at me for help.
"Your headmaster is a pervert," I snorted. "I was… doing something with my light, and he was watching, from here, in fact. The resulting energies practically fried his brain. Something about the output of pure light and his own increased power thanks to a machine? I didn't pay much attention to Yao when she explained."
"Ah," Ororo nodded absentmindedly. "So that's what happened."
"Can you fix it?" She looked intently at me.
"That? Probably. He's not brain-dead, just… fried. So yeah, I could do it. So could Tandy."
"And?" she probed once more.
Lifting my finger, I stopped her.
"But I believe the guest of honor is outside," I chuckled, "Kurt, come on in."
The door opened, and I fucking groaned in disbelief.
"Oh, you have to be fucking kidding me."
Staring at the time-ticking supernova in the face, I couldn't even marvel at her beauty for a moment.
Then my face went blank once more.
"It's decided; there has to be something inside this mansion that turns people into idiots."
"Excuse me!?" the redhead gasped in offense, her reaction much more pronounced than it should have been.
The Phoenix was already amplifying her emotions way too much. Her psionic energy tried to burrow into Tandy's and my heads, but I batted it away with cosmic power.
I stood up and started pacing in the room, under everyone's eyes, including the redhead, who began watching us differently after failing to get into our heads.
It was potent, don't get me wrong. More potent than she had any right to be. But it was also a crude attempt.
She had pretty shitty control over her power.
"How bad is it, Dante?" Tandy looked worried about my reaction.
Everyone in the room's eyes focused on me at that moment.
"Bad," I grunted, "couple of billion dead bad. Probably more? Might as well be easier just to kill her."
The girl started paling, and this time I did feel a bit of amusement.
And something else.
Wasn't this such a beautiful coincidence? To meet the very troubled avatar of the Phoenix Force when she was young.
To the Golden Cunt above… Thank you for this opportunity.
I might have found the answer to what I needed to turn back into a demon in less than a decade.
Now, there was only one question.
How should I play this to get the most out of it?
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